Method and device for enhancing the recognition of speech among speech-impaired individuals

• US 6,413,097 B1
• Filed: 09/19/2000
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rutgers University, Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Rutgers University, Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Miller, Steven Lamont, Jenkins, William Michael, Merzenich, Michael Mathias, Schreiner, Christoph E., Tallal, Paula Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US09/665,535
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/156, 434/169, 434/185, 434/307-R-3, 434/322, 434/323, 434/350, 434/362, 434/365, 704/207, 704/209, 704/211, 704/238, 704/239, 704/254, 704/265-268, 704/225, 704/276, 381/56, 381/58, 381/111, 381/123, 381/320, 369/60.01
• US Class Current: 434/185
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/04 Speaking with audible presentation of the material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0364 for improving intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/00 Arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus with cameras or projectors G03B31/00 ; recording/reproducing of music for electrophonic musical instruments G10H1/0033; automatic arrangements for answering calls or for recording messages for absent subscribers H04M1/64; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with dictation recording and playback systems H04M11/10; connection of TV recorder with other related apparatus, e.g. TV camera or receiver, in which the TV signal is significantly involved H04N, e.g. H04N23/00, H04N5/765; combination of radio or TV with other apparatus, e.g. with vehicles H05K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility

Abstract

A method and a system is disclosed that provide means to enable individuals with speech, language and reading based communication disabilities, due to a temporal processing problem, to improve their temporal processing abilities as well as their communication abilities. The method and system include provisions to elongate portions of phonemes that have brief and/or rapidly changing acoustic spectra, such as occur in the stop consonants b and d in the phonemes /ba/ and /da/, as well as reduce the duration of the steady state portion of the syllable. In addition, some emphasis is added to the rapidly changing segments of these phonemes. Additionally, the disclosure includes method for and computer software to modify fluent speech to make the modified speech better recognizable by communicatively impaired individuals. Finally, the disclosure includes method for and computer software to train temporal processing abilities, specifically speed and precision of temporal integration, sequencing and serial memory.

Claims

1. A method for developing an audible training program for an individual, the audible training program utilizing speech enhancement processing to allow the individual to better understand phonemes, the method comprising:

providing prerecorded training material to a processing device;

if the prerecorded training material is not in a digital format that can be processed by the processing device, converting the prerecorded training material into such a digital format;

processing the prerecorded training material by elongating stop consonant portions of the phonemes within the prerecorded training material without elongating vowel portions of the phonemes, said step of elongating producing processed training material; and

providing the processed training material to a playback device for training the individual.

2. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein the audible training program is designed to assist stroke victims to enhance their processing of rapidly changing speech.

3. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein the audible training program is designed to assist dyslexic individuals to enhance their processing of rapidly changing speech.

4. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein the audible training program is designed to assist individuals who wish to learn a foreign language to understand rapidly changing speech within that foreign language.

5. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein the phonemes comprise consonant-vowel combinations.

6. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein the prerecorded training material is provided by a tape recorder.

7. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein the prerecorded training material is provided by a CD player.

8. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein the processing device is a computer.

9. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein a digital format that can be processed comprises the Audio Information File Format (AIFF).

10. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of converting the prerecorded training material comprises:

digitizing the prerecorded training material.

11. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of converting the prerecorded training material comprises:

rerecording the prerecorded training material on digital audio tape (DAT).

12. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein the stop consonant portions of phonemes have a duration of less than 50 ms.

13. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein the vowel portions of phonemes have a duration of more than 50 ms.

14. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of elongating stop consonant portions of phonemes comprises increasing the duration of the stop consonant portions by 100-150%.

15. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of elongating comprises:

performing a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on the prerecorded training material to convert the material into frequency spectral values; and

interpolating the spectral value to elongate the stop consonant portions.

16. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 15 wherein said step of elongating further comprises:

after said step of interpolating the spectral values, performing an inverse FFT to convert the interpolated spectral values into the time domain.

17. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein the processed training material comprises:

elongated stop consonant portions of phonemes without elongation of vowel portions.

18. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of elongating comprises:

truncating the vowel portions of the phonemes so that the run time of the prerecorded training material is not affected by the elongation of the consonant portions of phonemes.

19. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of providing comprises:

converting the processed training material into a format that can be played by a playback device.

20. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of elongating comprises:

emphasizing the stop consonant portions of the phonemes without emphasizing the vowel portions of the phonemes.

21. The method for developing an audible training program as recited in claim 20 wherein said step of emphasizing increases the energy level of the stop consonant portions of the phonemes by 10-20 dB.