Speech synthesizing method and apparatus for combining natural speech segments and synthesized speech segments

• US 5,864,812 A
• Filed: 11/30/1995
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hara, Noriyo, Kamai, Takahiro, Matsui, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Opsasnick, Michael N.
• Application Number:
  US08/565,401
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 704/200, 704/201, 704/258, 704/268, 704/369, 707/100
• US Class Current: 704/268
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/02 Methods for producing synthetic speech; Speech synthesisers
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/15 the extracted parameters being formant information

Abstract

A method and apparatus for synthesizing speech. According to one variation of the method and apparatus, a plurality of speech segment data units is prepared for all desired speech waveforms. Speech is then synthesized by reading out from memory the appropriate speech segment data units, and a desired pitch is obtained by overlapping the appropriate speech segment data units according to a pitch period interval. According to a second variation of the method and apparatus, speech segment data units are prepared for only initial speech waveforms and first pitch waveforms, and differential waveforms. With this variation, subsequent pitch waveforms for speech synthesis are generated by combining the first pitch waveform with the corresponding differential waveform. According to a third variation of the method and apparatus, a natural speech segment channel produces natural speech segment data units in the same manner as the first variation, and a synthesized speech segment channel produces speech segment data units according to a parameter method, such as a formant method. The natural speech segments and synthesized speech segments are then mixed to produce synthesized speech.

Claims

1. A speech synthesizing method characterized by:

storing natural speech segments prepared by cutting out prerecorded speech waveforms in each specific syllable chain, by a natural speech segment memory unit,

storing speech segments which have been previously prepared by

dividing N-dimensional space S, N being a positive integer, built up by a parameter vector P composed of N parameters into M regions A_O to A_M-1, M being a positive integer, and generates a parameter vector P_i corresponding to a desired position in a region A_i for all integers i changing from 0 to M-1, and

generating a synthesized waveform according to the parameter vector P_i, and

synthesizing speech while connecting the natural speech segments and synthesized speech segments, in a connection synthesis unit.

2. A speech synthesizing method of claim 1, wherein the connection synthesis unit synthesizes speech by making use of a natural speech segment parameter memory unit for storing parameters of the natural speech segments stored in the natural speech segment memory unit, and a synthesized speech segment parameter memory unit for storing parameters of the synthesized speech segments stored in the synthesized speech segment memory unit,

the parameters stored in the natural speech segment parameter memory unit and synthesized speech segment parameter memory unit are same or same combinations, and

the connection synthesis unit interpolates the difference of mutual parameters at the junction over a specific time section when connecting two natural speech segments each other, reads out the synthesized speech segment synthesized by the parameter closest to the combination of the interpolated parameters at each timing from the synthesized speech segment memory unit, and connect the two natural speech segments by the synthesized speech segment being read out.

3. A speech synthesizing method of claim 1, wherein the synthesized speech segment memory unit stores the synthesized speech segments created by the speech segment preparing method for preparing speech segments by utilizing a parameter generating unit for generating parameters, a speech synthesizing unit for generating synthesized waveforms according to the parameters generated by the parameter generating unit, a waveform memory unit for storing the synthesized waveforms and a parameter memory unit for storing the values of the parameters corresponding to the synthesized waveforms,

wherein the parameter generating unit divided N-dimensional space S (N being a positive integer) built up by a parameter vector P composed of N parameters into M regions A_O to A_M-1 (M being a positive integer), and generates a parameter vector P_i corresponding to a desired position in a region A_i for all integers i changing from 0 to M-1,

the speech synthesizing unit generates a synthesized waveform according to the parameter vector P_i,

the waveform memory unit stores the synthesized waveform,

the parameter memory unit stores the parameter vector P_i corresponding to the synthesized waveform,

said speech synthesizing unit is a by formant synthesizing method, and wherein

said speech synthesizing unit extracts vocal tract transmission characteristic from the natural speech waveform, composes a vocal tract inverse filter having a reve characteristic, removes the vocal tract transmission characteristic from the natural speech waveform by the vocal tract inverse filter, and uses the vibration waveform obtained as a result of a vibration sound source waveform, and

the natural speech segment stores in the natural speech segment memory unit and the excitation sound source waveform in the speech synthesizing unit are uttered by a same speaker.

4. A speech synthesizing method of claim 3, wherein the synthesized speech segment parameter memory unit stores the parameters of said synthesized speech segments.

5. A speech synthesizing apparatus comprising a synthesized speech segment memory unit for storing natural speech segments prepared by cutting out prerecorded speech waveforms in each specific syllable chain,

a natural speech segment memory unit for storing speech segments prepared by the speech segment preparing method of claim 23, and

a connection synthesis unit for synthesizing speech while connecting the natural speech segments and synthesized speech segments.

6. A speech synthesizing apparatus of claim 5, comprising:

a natural speech segment parameter memory unit for storing parameters of the natural speech segments stored in the natural speech segment memory unit, and

a synthesized speech segment parameter memory unit for storing parameters of the synthesized speech segments stored in the synthesized speech segment memory unit,

wherein the parameters stored in the natural speech segment parameter memory unit and synthesized speech segment parameter memory unit are same or same combinations, and

the connection synthesis unit interpolates the difference of mutual parameters at the junction over a specific time section when connecting two natural speech segments each other, reads out the synthesized speech segment synthesized by the parameter closest to the combination of the interpolated parameters at each timing from the synthesized speech segment memory unit, and connect the two natural speech segments by the synthesized speech segment being read out.

7. A speech synthesizing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the synthesized speech segment memory unit stores the synthesized speech segments created by the speech segment preparing method for preparing speech segments by utilizing a parameter generating unit for generating parameters, a speech synthesizing unit for generating synthesized waveforms according to the parameters generated by the parameter generating unit, a waveform memory unit for storing the synthesized waveforms and a parameter memory unit for storing the values of the parameters corresponding to the synthesized waveforms,

wherein the parameter generating unit divided N-dimensional space S (N being a positive integer) built up by a parameter vector P composed of N parameters into M regions A₀ to A_M-1 (M being a positive integer), and generates a parameter vector P_i corresponding to a desired position in a region A_i for all integers i changing from 0 to M-1,

the speech synthesizing unit generates a synthesized waveform according to the parameter vector P_i,

the waveform memory unit stores the synthesized waveform,

the parameter memory unit stores the parameter vector P_i corresponding to the synthesized waveform,

said speech synthesizing unit is a by formant synthesizing method, and wherein

said speech synthesizing unit extracts vocal tract transmission characteristic from the natural speech waveform, composes a vocal tract inverse filter having a reve characteristic, removes the vocal tract transmission characteristic from the natural speech waveform by the vocal tract inverse filter, and uses the vibration waveform obtained as a result of a vibration sound source waveform, and

the natural speech segment stores in the natural speech segment memory unit and the excitation sound source waveform in the speech synthesizing unit are uttered by a same speaker.

8. A speech synthesizing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the synthesized speech segment parameter memory unit stores the parameters of said synthesized speech segments.