Network reformer and creator

• US 5,345,537 A
• Filed: 12/19/1991
• Issued: 09/06/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doerrler, Michelle
• Application Number:
  US07/810,068
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 381/29-51, 395/2.64, 395/2.65
• US Class Current: 704/255
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/187 Phonemic context, e.g. pronunciation rules, phonotactical constraints or phoneme n-grams

Abstract

A user inputs a network to an inputter of a network reformer for automatically reforming a network connecting basic units of data per a predetermined rewriting rule. The inputter sends the data to a partial path separator. The partial path separator separates the partial path matching the rewriting source before the predetermined rewriting rule is applied and sends it to a partial path reformer. The partial path reformer reforms a separated partial path by applying a predetermined rewriting rule to the separated partial path. A network merger receives a post-reform partial path and appropriately merges the partial path and the remaining network part, thereby creating a new network.

Claims

1. A network reforming apparatus for automatically reforming a network connecting basic units of data using at least one predetermined rewriting rule, comprising:

an inputting means for inputting the network;

a rule storing means for storing the at least one predetermined rewriting rule;

a partial path separating means for splitting a partial path in the network matching a source of rewriting defined by the at least one predetermined rewriting rule stored in said rule storing means, into split partial paths equivalent to the network input by said inputting means; and

a partial path reforming means for reforming a split partial path of the network using the at least one predetermined rewriting rule stored in said rule storing means,

said partial path separating means including

a normal directional partial path separating means for sequentially separating partial paths from a head end node of the network, and

a reverse directional partial path separating means for sequentially separating partial paths from a tail end node of the network.

2. The network reforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said normal directional partial path separating means includes

a branch-path separating means for separating a branch matching the predetermined rewriting rule from all branches connected to a current node of the network, and

a path destination setting means for setting a destination of a separated path to a same destination as the current node, and

said reverse directional partial path separating means includes

a branch-path separating means for separating a branch matching the predetermined rewriting rule from all branches connected from a current node of the network, and

a path origin setting means for setting an origin of a separated path to a same origin as the current node.

3. The network reforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said network is an acoustic segment network registered in a dictionary used in voice recognition.

4. The network reforming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a network merging means for merging parts common to both a post-reform partial path to which the at least one predetermined rewriting rule has already been applied and a remaining network stripped of said post-reform partial path.

5. The network reforming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said partial path separating means comprises:

a normal directional partial path separating means for sequentially separating partial paths from a head end node of the network; and

a reverse directional partial path separating means for sequentially separating partial paths from a tail end node of the network.

6. The network reforming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

said normal directional partial path separating means comprises

a branch-path separating means for separating a branch matching the at least one predetermined rewriting rule from all branches connected to a current node of the network; and

a path destination setting means for setting a destination of a separated path to a same destination as the current node; and

said reverse directional partial path separating means comprises

a branch-path separating means for separating a branch matching the at least one predetermined rewriting rule from all branches connected from a current node of the network; and

a path origin setting means for setting an origin of a separated path to a same origin as the current node.

7. The network reforming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said network merging means comprises:

a normal directional network merging means for sequentially merging common parts from a head end node of the network; and

a reverse directional network merging means for sequentially merging common parts from a tail end node of the network.

8. The network reforming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

said network is an acoustic segment network registered in a dictionary used in voice recognition.

9. An apparatus receiving a network, comprising:

a memory storing at least one predetermined rewriting rule having a corresponding at least one rewriting source;

a partial path separator coupled to the memory and to receive the network, for separating partial paths from the network by applying the at least one predetermined rewriting rule to the network based on whether the at least one writing source is present in the network;

a partial path reformer coupled to the memory and to the partial path separator, for correctly reforming the network having partial paths separated by the partial path separator; and

a network merger coupled to the partial path reformer, which merges parts of the network reformed by the partial path reformer which are common to both a post-reform partial path of the network to which the at least one predetermined rewriting rule was previously applied, and a remaining part of the network excluding the post-reform partial path.

10. An apparatus receiving an input network including units of data, comprising:

a memory to store at least one predetermined rewriting rule having a corresponding at least one rewriting source;

a partial path separator coupled to the memory and to receive the input network, to separate at least one partial path from a portion of the input network corresponding to the at least one rewriting source, to form a separated network having at least two separate, connected paths; and

a partial path reformer coupled to the memory and the partial path separator, to apply the at least one predetermined rewriting rule using the at least one rewriting source of the at least one partial path of the separated network, to rewrite the at least one partial path to generate a reformed network, based on the at least one rewriting rule.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

a network merger coupled to the partial path reformer, to merge at least one common part of the reformed network, to generate a merged network.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the network merger includes

a normal directional network merger to merge a common part including two units of data together as one unit of data, if the two units of data are the same and previous units of data relative to a forward direction from a head unit of data to a tail unit of data of the reformed network, associated with one of the two units of data are the same as previous units of data associated with the other of the two units of data, and

a reverse directional network merger to merge a common part including two units of data together as one unit of data, if the two units of data are the same, and subsequent units of data relative to the forward direction, associated with one of the two units of data are the same as subsequent units of data associated with the other of the two units of data.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the partial path separator includes

a normal directional partial path separator to separate the at least one partial path in a forward direction from the start unit of data to an end unit of data of the input network, and

a reverse directional partial path separator to separate the at least one partial path in a reverse direction from the end unit of data to the start unit of data of the input network.