Speech synthesis apparatus and read out time calculating apparatus to finish reading out text

• US 5,752,228 A
• Filed: 11/29/1995
• Issued: 05/12/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Izumi, Takashi, Miyatake, Masanori, Yumura, Takeshi, Yoden, Naoyuki, Ochiiwa, Masashi, Ohnishi, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Collins, Alphonso A.
• Application Number:
  US08/564,594
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 395/2.69, 704/231, 704/235, 704/251, 704/257, 704/260
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/04 Details of speech synthesis systems, e.g. synthesiser structure or memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/04 Time compression or expansion

Abstract

A speech synthesis apparatus for synthesizing speech to read out a text in place of a reader at a speed corresponding to a set time and the text volume, a medium on which is recorded a computer program for reading out a text in place of a reader, an apparatus for calculating time necessary for a reader to finish reading out a text on the basis of the reader'"'"'s speech characteristic data of a prescribed word or sentence, and a medium on which is recorded a computer program for calculating the read out time.

Claims

1. A speech synthesis apparatus for reading out a text by synthesizing speech, comprising:

means for inputting text data;

means for setting a time to finish reading out the text;

means for morphologically analyzing the input text data;

means for calculating a time necessary to finish reading out the text data at a prescribed speed based on the morphological analysis result of the text data;

means for determining a read out speed so as to make the calculated read out time agree with the set read out time by comparing the calculated time to the set time;

a database which stores data for the speech synthesis;

means for synthesizing speech by using the data for the speech synthesis in the database at the read out speed determined by said means for determining; and

means for outputting the synthesized speech.

2. A speech synthesis apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said data for the speech synthesis includes unit waveform signals of the text data being divided into units suitable for the speech synthesis on the basis of a phonological analysis of the text data.

3. A speech synthesis apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said database further stores data on a speech characteristic of a specified reader, and said speech synthesizing means comprises means for synthesizing speech on the basis of the data on the speech characteristic.

4. A speech synthesis apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said data for the speech synthesis includes unit waveform signals of the text data being divided into units suitable for the speech synthesis on the basis of a phonological analysis of the text data.

5. A computer readable medium on which is recorded:

a database which stores data for speech synthesis; and

a computer program which when implemented performs;

a first step for accepting an input of text data;

a second step for accepting setting of a time necessary to finish reading out the text data;

a third step for morphologically analyzing the input text data;

a fourth step for calculating a time necessary to finish reading out the text data at a prescribed speed based on the morphological analysis result of the text data;

a fifth step for determining a read out speed so as to make the calculated read out time with the set read out time by comparing the calculated time to the set time;

a sixth step for synthesizing speech on the basis of the text data, at the speed determined in the fifth step, by using the data in the database; and

a seventh step for outputting the synthesized speech.

6. A medium as set forth in claim 5, wherein said data for the speech synthesis includes unit waveform signals of the text data being divided into units suitable for the speech synthesis on the basis of a phonological analysis of the text data.

7. A medium as set forth in claim 5, wherein said database further stores data on a speech characteristic of a specified reader, and the sixth step is the step for synthesizing speech on the basis of the data on the speech characteristic.

8. A medium as set forth in claim 7, wherein said data for the speech synthesis includes unit waveform signals of the text data being divided into units suitable for the speech synthesis on the basis of a phonological analysis of the text data.

9. An apparatus for calculating a time necessary for a reader to finish reading out a text, comprising:

means for inputting text data;

means for morphologically analyzing the input text data;

means for calculating a time necessary to finish reading out the text data at a prescribed speed based on the morphological analysis result of the text data;

means for inputting the reader'"'"'s speech;

means for extracting a relative value of a read out speed of the reader to the prescribed speed, which stores speech data of a prescribed word or a sentence at the prescribed speed, on the basis of the input reader'"'"'s speech of the prescribed word or the sentence;

means for adjusting the calculated read out time at the prescribed speed to a read out time of the text data by the reader; and

means for outputting the adjusted read out time of the text data by the reader.

10. A computer readable medium on which is recorded:

speech data of the prescribed word or sentence at a prescribed speed; and

a computer program which when implemented performs;

a first step for accepting an input of text data;

a second step for morphologically analyzing the input text data;

a third step for calculating a time necessary to finish reading out the text data at a prescribed speed on the basis of the morphological analysis result of the text data;

a fourth step for accepting an input of reader'"'"'s speech;

a fifth step for extracting a relative value of a read out speed of the reader to the prescribed speed based on the input reader'"'"'s speech of the prescribed word or the sentence;

a sixth step for adjusting the calculated read out time at the prescribed speed to a read out time of the text data by the reader; and

a seventh step for outputting the adjusted read out time of the text data by the reader.

11. An apparatus for calculating a time necessary for a reader to finish reading out a text, comprising:

means for setting a read out speed;

means for inputting text data;

means for morphologically analyzing the input text data;

means for calculating a time necessary to finish reading out the text data at the set read out speed based on the morphological analysis result of the text data; and

means for outputting the calculated read out time of the text data.

12. A computer readable medium on which is recorded a computer program which when implemented performs:

a first step for accepting setting a read out speed;

a second step for accepting an input of text data;

a third step for morphologically analyzing the input text data;

a fourth step for calculating a time necessary to finish reading out the text data at the set read out speed based on the morphological analysis result of the text data; and

a fifth step for outputting the calculated read out time of the text data.