Speech and sound synthesizers with connected memories and outputs

• US 5,850,628 A
• Filed: 01/30/1997
• Issued: 12/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hasbro Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hasbro Inc.
• Inventors: Jeffway, Robert W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Storm, Donald L.
• Application Number:
  US08/790,541
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 704/258, 704/272, 704/270, 704/264, 704/223, 704/200, 340/384.5, 340/384.4, 340/384.72, 381/117, 330/262
• US Class Current: 704/258
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/047 Architecture of speech synthesisers

Abstract

A speech synthesizing circuit includes a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip and an external memory integrated circuit chip. The external memory chip may be an audio data storage chip or an audio synthesizing chip. The chips are connected through an input-output port on each chip, and the microprocessor of the speech synthesizing chip retrieves speech data from the audio data storage memory of the audio synthesizing chip. Access to the memory of the audio synthesizing chip is accomplished by software simulations that modify the functions of instructions pre-programmed into the speech synthesizing chip during manufacture. The preprogrammed instructions cause the address of speech data to be loaded into a speech address register and the software modifications cause an address to be loaded into the audio synthesizing chip, by which the speech synthesizing chip will retrieve speech data from external memory at an address stored in the external memory chip. Alternatively, the instructions to deliver data to the speech synthesizing chip may be programmed into the audio synthesizing chip. A speaker is connected to balanced speaker driver outputs of the speech synthesizing chip and also to a single-ended speaker driver of the audio synthesizing chip.

Claims

1. A speech synthesizing circuit, comprising:

a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, a speech synthesizer, a programmable memory, an input/output port, and a speech address register for storing an address containing speech data, the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip including an instruction, pre-programmed into the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip during manufacture thereof, that, when executed, can cause an address to be loaded into the speech address register; and

an external memory integrated circuit chip, the input/output port of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip being connected to the external memory integrated circuit chip;

the programmable memory of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip being programmed to cause the microprocessor to retrieve speech data from the external memory integrated circuit chip for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer, the programmable memory being programmed by providing a software simulation of the instruction that can cause an address to be loaded into the speech address register, the software simulation causing the address to be loaded into the external memory integrated circuit chip without reliance on execution of the instruction pre-programmed into the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip to load the address.

2. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 1 wherein the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises hardware for connecting to and obtaining data from an external memory.

3. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 1 wherein the programmable memory of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip is programmed with speech data for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer.

4. A speech synthesizing circuit, comprising:

a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, a speech synthesizer, a programmable memory, an input/output port, and a speech address register for storing an address containing speech data, the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip including an instruction, pre-programmed into the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip during manufacture thereof, that causes an address to be loaded into the speech address register; and

an external memory integrated circuit chip, the input/output port of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip being connected to the external memory integrated circuit chip;

the programmable memory of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip being programmed to cause the microprocessor to retrieve speech data from the external memory integrated circuit chip for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer, the programmable memory being programmed by providing a software simulation of the instruction that causes an address to be loaded into the speech address register, the software simulation causing the address to be loaded into the external memory integrated circuit chip,

wherein the external memory integrated circuit chip comprises an audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an input/output port, and an audio data storage memory.

5. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 4 wherein the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises a programmable memory programmed to cause the microprocessor of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip to retrieve audio data from the audio data storage memory of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip for audio synthesis by the audio synthesizer of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip.

6. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 5 wherein the programmable memory of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises the audio data storage memory of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip.

7. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 4 wherein the speech synthesizer of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip processes speech data at a higher efficiency than the audio synthesizer of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip processes.

8. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 7 wherein the speech synthesizer of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises a linear predictive coding synthesizer.

9. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 8 wherein the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip is selected from the family of TSP50C4X, TSP50C1X, and TSP50C3X chips.

10. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 9 wherein the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises a TSP50C3X chip.

11. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 7 wherein the audio synthesizer of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises an adaptive pulse code modulation synthesizer.

12. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 11 wherein the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip is selected from the family of SPC40A, SPC256A, and SPC512A chips.

13. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 4 wherein:

the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises a balanced speaker driver having two outputs for connection of a first speaker impedance between the two outputs;

the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises a single-ended speaker driver having a single output for connection to a second speaker impedance; and

a speaker is connected between the two outputs of the balanced speaker driver of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip and is also connected to the single-ended speaker driver of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip.

14. A method of combining a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip with an external memory integrated circuit chip, comprising the steps of:

providing a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, a speech synthesizer, a programmable memory, an input/output port, and a speech address register for storing an address containing speech data, the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip including an instruction, pre-programmed into the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip during manufacture thereof, that, when executed, can cause an address to be loaded into the speech address register;

providing the external memory integrated circuit chip;

connecting the input/output port of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip with the external memory integrated circuit chip;

programming the programmable memory of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip to cause the microprocessor to retrieve speech data from the external memory integrated circuit chip for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer, the programmable memory being programmed by providing a software simulation of the instruction that can cause an address to be loaded into the speech address register, the software simulation causing the address to be loaded into the external memory integrated circuit chip without reliance on execution of the instruction pre-programmed into the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip to load the address.

15. A speech synthesizing circuit, comprising:

a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, a speech synthesizer, and a programmable memory, an input/output port, the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip including one or more instructions, pre-programmed into the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip during manufacture thereof, that, when executed, can obtain speech data located at an address stored in a speech address register that stores an address at which speech data is located; and

an external memory integrated circuit chip, the input/output port of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip being connected to the external memory integrated circuit chip;

at least one of the integrated circuit chips being programmed to cause speech data to be delivered from the external memory integrated circuit chip to the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer, by providing a software simulation of execution of the one or more instructions that can obtain speech data located at an address stored in the speech address register, the software simulation causing speech data to be obtained by the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip from the external memory integrated circuit chip at an address stored in the external memory integrated circuit chip without reliance on execution of the one or more instructions pre-programmed into the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip to obtain speech data.

16. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 15, wherein the programmable memory of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip is programmed to cause speech data to be delivered from the external memory integrated circuit chip to the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer, by providing the software simulation of the one or more instructions that obtain speech data located at an address stored in the speech address register.

17. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 15 wherein the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises hardware for connecting to and obtaining data from an external memory.

18. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 15 wherein the programmable memory of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip is programmed with speech data for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer.

19. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 15 wherein the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises the speech address register.

20. A speech synthesizing circuit, comprising:

a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, a speech synthesizer, and a programmable memory, an input/output port, the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip including one or more instructions, pre-programmed into the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip during manufacture thereof, that obtain speech data located at an address stored in a speech address register that stores an address at which speech data is located; and

an external memory integrated circuit chip, the input/output port of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip being connected to the external memory integrated circuit chip;

at least one of the integrated circuit chips being programmed to cause speech data to be delivered from the external memory integrated circuit chip to the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer, by providing a software simulation of execution of the one or more instructions that obtain speech data located at an address stored in the speech address register, the software simulation causing speech data to be obtained by the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip from the external memory integrated circuit chip at an address stored in the external memory integrated circuit chip,

wherein the external memory integrated circuit chip comprises an audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an input/output port, and an audio data storage memory.

21. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 20 wherein the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises a programmable memory programmed to cause the microprocessor of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip to retrieve audio data from the audio data storage memory of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip for audio synthesis by the audio synthesizer of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip.

22. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 21 wherein the programmable memory of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises the audio data storage memory of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip.

23. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 20 wherein the speech synthesizer of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip processes speech data at a higher efficiency than the audio synthesizer of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip processes.

24. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 23 wherein the speech synthesizer of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises a linear predictive coding synthesizer.

25. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 24 wherein the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip is selected from the family of TSP50C4X, TSP50C1X, and TSP50C3X chips.

26. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 25 wherein the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises a TSP50C3X chip.

27. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 23 wherein the audio synthesizer of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises an adaptive pulse code modulation synthesizer.

28. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 23 wherein the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip is selected from the family of SPC40A, SPC256A, and SPC512A chips.

29. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 20 wherein:

the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises a balanced speaker driver having two outputs for connection of a first speaker impedance between the two outputs;

the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises a single-ended speaker driver having a single output for connection to a second speaker impedance; and

a speaker is connected between the two outputs of the balanced speaker driver of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip and is also connected to the single-ended speaker driver of the audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip.

30. A method of combining a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip with an external memory integrated circuit chip, comprising the steps of:

providing a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, a speech synthesizer, and a programmable memory, an input/output port, the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip including one or more instructions, pre-programmed into the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip during manufacture thereof, that, when executed, can obtain speech data located at an address stored in a speech address register that stores an address at which speech data is located;

providing the external memory integrated circuit chip;

connecting the input/output port of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip with the external memory integrated circuit chip;

programming at least one of the integrated circuit chips to cause speech data to be delivered from the external memory integrated circuit chip to the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer, by providing a software simulation of execution of the one or more instructions that can obtain speech data located at an address stored in the speech address register, the software simulation causing speech data to be obtained by the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip from the external memory integrated circuit chip at an address stored in the external memory integrated circuit chip without reliance on execution of the one or more instructions pre-programmed into the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chin to obtain speech data.

31. A speech synthesizing circuit, comprising:

a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, a speech synthesizer, and an input/output port for interfacing with an external memory; and

a sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, a sound synthesizer having a data rate substantially greater than that of the speech synthesizer of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip, an input/output port, and a sound data storage memory;

the input/output port of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip being interfaced with the input/output port of the sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip;

at least one of the integrated circuit chips being programmed to cause the microprocessor of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip to retrieve speech data from the sound data storage memory of the sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip.

32. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 31 wherein the sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip is programmed to cause the microprocessor of the sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip to retrieve sound data from the sound data storage memory of the sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip for sound synthesis by an adaptive pulse code modulation synthesizer of the sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip.

33. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 31 wherein the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip is selected from the family of TSP50C4X, TSP50C1X, and TSP50C3X chips.

34. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 33 wherein the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip comprises a TSP50C3X chip.

35. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 31 wherein the sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip is selected from the family of SPC40A, SPC256A, and SPC512A chips.

36. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 31 wherein the speech synthesizer of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip is a linear predictive coding speech synthesizer.

37. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 31 wherein the sound synthesizer of the sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip is an adaptive pulse code modulation sound synthesizer.

38. The speech synthesizing circuit of claim 31 wherein the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip is programmed to cause the microprocessor of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip to retrieve speech data from the sound data storage memory of the sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip.

39. A method of combining a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip and a sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip, comprising the steps of:

providing a speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, a speech synthesizer, and an input/output port for interfacing with an external memory;

providing a sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip having a microprocessor, a sound synthesizer having a data rate substantially greater than that of the speech synthesizer of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip, an input/output port, and a sound data storage memory;

interfacing the input/output port of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip with the input/output port of the sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip; and

programming at least one of the integrated circuit chips to cause the microprocessor of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip to retrieve speech data from the sound data storage memory of the sound synthesizing integrated circuit chip for speech synthesis by the speech synthesizer of the speech synthesizing integrated circuit chip.

40. An audio synthesizing circuit, comprising:

a first audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a balanced speaker driver connected to receive an output of the audio synthesizer containing audio information and having two outputs for connection of a first speaker impedance between the two outputs;

a second audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a single-ended speaker driver connected to receive an output of the audio synthesizer containing audio information and having a single output for connection to a second speaker impedance; and

a speaker connected between the two outputs of the balanced speaker driver of the first audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip and also connected to the single-ended speaker driver of the second audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip.

41. The audio synthesizing circuit of claim 40 wherein the first speaker impedance differs from the second speaker impedance.

42. The audio synthesizing circuit of claim 40 wherein the audio synthesizer of the first audio synthesizing integrated circuit produces a pulse width modulated output.

43. An audio synthesizing circuit, comprising:

a first audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a balanced speaker driver having two outputs for connection of a first speaker impedance between the two outputs;

a second audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a single-ended speaker driver having a single output for connection to a second speaker impedance;

a speaker connected between the two outputs of the balanced speaker driver of the first audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip and also connected to the single-ended speaker driver of the second audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip, and

at least one resistor connected to the speaker so as to form a resistive network with the speaker, the resistive network having an impedance between the two outputs of the balanced speaker driver equal to the first speaker impedance and having a single-ended impedance connected to the output of the single-ended speaker driver equal to the second speaker impedance.

44. The audio synthesizing circuit of claim 43 wherein the resistor is connected in series with the speaker, and the output of the single-ended speaker driver is connected to the junction between the resistor and the speaker.

45. The audio synthesizing circuit of claim 44 wherein the first speaker impedance is four times the second speaker impedance, and wherein the resistor has a resistance equal to the resistance of the speaker.

46. An audio synthesizing circuit, comprising:

a first audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a balanced speaker driver having two outputs for connection of a first speaker impedance between the two outputs;

a second audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a single-ended speaker driver having a single output for connection to a second speaker impedance; and

a speaker connected between the two outputs of the balanced speaker driver of the first audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip and also connected to the single-ended speaker driver of the second audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip,

wherein the first and second audio synthesizing circuits are formed on respective integrated circuit chips.

47. An audio synthesizing circuit, comprising:

a first audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a balanced speaker driver having two outputs for connection of a first speaker impedance between the two outputs;

a second audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a single-ended speaker driver having a single output for connection to a second speaker impedance; and

a speaker connected between the two outputs of the balanced speaker driver of the first audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip and also connected to the single-ended speaker driver of the second audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip,

wherein the first audio synthesizing circuit comprises a speech synthesizing circuit and the second audio synthesizing circuit comprises a non-speech sound synthesizing circuit.

48. An audio synthesizing circuit, comprising:

a first audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a balanced speaker driver having two outputs for connection of a first speaker impedance between the two outputs;

a second audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a single-ended speaker driver having a single output for connection to a second speaker impedance; and

a speaker connected between the two outputs of the balanced speaker driver of the first audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip and also connected to the single-ended speaker driver of the second audio synthesizing integrated circuit chip,

wherein the audio driver of the second audio synthesizing integrated circuit produces an analog output.

49. A method of combining a plurality of audio synthesizing integrated circuits, comprising the steps of:

providing a first audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a balanced speaker driver connected to receive an output of the audio synthesizer containing audio information and having two outputs for connection of a first speaker impedance between the two outputs;

providing a second audio synthesizing integrated circuit having a microprocessor, an audio synthesizer, an audio data storage memory, and a single-ended speaker driver connected to receive an output of the audio synthesizer containing audio information and having a single output for connection to a second speaker impedance; and

connecting a speaker between the two outputs of the balanced speaker driver of the first audio synthesizer and also connecting the speaker to the single-ended speaker driver of the second audio synthesizer.