Word sequence output device

• US 7,233,900 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2002
• Issued: 06/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kariya, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAWAN, VIJAY B
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAWAN, VIJAY B
• Application Number:
  US10/297,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20040024602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 704/260, 704/275, 704/235
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/02 Methods for producing synthetic speech; Speech synthesisers
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination

Abstract

The present invention relates to a word sequence output device in which emotional synthetic speech can be output. The device outputs emotional synthetic speech. A text generating unit 31 generates spoken text for synthetic speech by using text as a word sequence included in action command information in accordance with the action command information. An emotion checking unit 39 checks an emotion model value and determines whether or not the emotion of a robot is aroused based on the emotion model value. Further, when the emotion of the robot is aroused, the emotion checking unit 39 instructs the text generating unit 31 to change the word order. The text generating unit 31 changes the word order of the spoken text in accordance with the instructions from the emotion checking unit 39. Accordingly, when the spoken text is “Kimi wa kirei da.” (You are beautiful.), the word order is changed to make a sentence “Kirei da, kimi wa.” (You are beautiful, you are.) The present invention can be applied to a robot outputting synthetic speech.

Claims

1. A word sequence output device for outputting a word sequence in accordance with control of an information processor, the device comprising:

output means for outputting the word sequence in accordance with control of the information processor; and

changing means for changing the word order of the word sequence output by the output means based on the internal state of the information processor,

wherein the information processor is a real or virtual device, and

wherein the information processor includes an emotion state as the internal state, and the changing means changes the word order of the word sequence based on the emotion state.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the output means outputs the word sequence in a form of speech or text.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the changing means changes the word order of the word sequence so tat the predicate of a sentence formed by the word sequence is placed at the head of the sentence.

4. A method of outputting a word sequence in accordance with control of an information processor, the method comprising:

an output step for outputting the word sequence in accordance with control of the information processor; and

a changing step for changing the word order of the word sequence output in the output step, on the basis of the internal state of the information processor,

wherein the information processor is a real or virtual device, and

wherein the information processor includes an emotion state as the internal state, and the changing means changes the word order of the word sequence based on the emotion state.

5. A recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program that when executed on a processor causes the processor to execute a method of outputting a word sequence in accordance with control of an information processor, the method comprising:

an output step for outputting the word sequence in accordance with control of the information processor; and

a changing step for changing the word order of the word sequence output in the output step, on the basis of the internal state of the information processor,

wherein the information processor is a real or virtual device, and

wherein the information processor includes an emotion state as the internal state, and the changing means changes the word order of the word sequence based on the emotion state.