System and method for configuring voice synthesis

• US 7,305,340 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2002
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interactions, LLC
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rosen, Kenneth H., Creswell, Carroll W., Syrdal, Ann K., Bansal, Pradeep K., Farah, Jeffrey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HARPER, V PAUL
• Application Number:
  US10/162,932
• Time in Patent Office: 2,008 Days
• Field of Search: 704/271
• US Class Current: 704/258
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/02 Methods for producing synthetic speech; Speech synthesisers
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing synthesized speech in a manner that may take into account the environment where the speech is presented. In certain cases, the manner in which speech is presented can take into consideration ambient noise and/or can seek to optimize speech audibility.

Claims

1. A method for configuring speech synthesis, comprising:

based on a listening environment and an analysis of connection characteristics associated with presenting speech, selecting an approach from a plurality of approaches for presenting the speech in the environment;

presenting speech according to the selected approach; and

based on natural language input related to a user'"'"'s inability to understand the presented speech, selecting a second approach from the plurality of approaches and presenting the speech using the second approach.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said environment has ambient noise.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined approach provides speech audible in said environment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the speech is audible to a listener of normal hearing capability.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the speech is audible to a listener of abnormal hearing capability.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the natural language input comprises further comprises explicitly instructions to modify the determined approach.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying said approach in accordance with instructions provided by a system administrator.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is performed in response to a trigger.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said trigger is an indication that said speech is not audible.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is performed periodically.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein method is performed with a periodicity that prevents said approach from changing rapidly.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the approach comprises:

evaluating, in light of properties relating to said environment, characteristic properties relating to various entities employable in constructing synthesized speech;

selecting, from said various entities, one or more entities capable of providing audible speech in said environment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said entities are phonemes.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said selecting from the various entities takes into account the hearing capability of a listener of said speech.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said characteristic properties correspond to the spectral properties relating to said entities when said entities are employed to synthesize one or more predetermined test sounds.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said selecting from the various entities comprises determining the spectral difference between one or more of said characteristic properties, and spectral properties relating to ambient noise in said environment.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the approach comprises:

learning the approach predetermined to be best for said environment.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the predetermination is made through user testing.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said testing is performed with users having normal hearing capability.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said testing is performed with users having varying hearing impairments.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting said speech via a link.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the determination further takes into account the bandwidth of said link.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the determination further takes into account the connection type of said link.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the determination further takes into account the characteristics of said link.

25. A system for configuring speech synthesis, comprising:

a memory having program code stored therein; and

a processor operatively connected to said memory for carrying out instructions in accordance with said stored program code;

wherein said program code, when executed by said processor, causes said processor to perform the steps of;

based on a listening environment and an analysis of connection characteristics associated with presenting speech, selecting an approach from a plurality of approaches for presenting synthesized the speech in the environment; and

presenting speech according to the selected approach; and

based on natural language input related to a user'"'"'s inability to understand the presented speech, selecting a second approach from the plurality of approaches and presenting the speech using the second approach.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein environment has ambient noise.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the selected approach provides speech audible in said environment.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the speech is audible to a listener of normal hearing capability.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the speech is audible to a listener of abnormal hearing capability.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein said processor further performs the step of:

modifying said approach in accordance with instructions provided by a listener of said speech.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein said processor further performs the step of:

modifying said approach in accordance with instructions provided by a system administrator.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein said system is performed in response to a trigger.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said trigger is an indication that said speech is not audible.

34. The system of claim 25, wherein said processor performs the steps periodically.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein processor performs the steps with a periodicity that prevents said approach from changing rapidly.

36. The system of claim 25, wherein selecting the approach comprises:

evaluating, in light of properties relating to said environment, characteristic properties relating to various entities employable in constructing synthesized speech;

selecting from said various entities, one or more entities capable of providing audible speech in said environment.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein said entities are phonemes.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein said selecting takes into account the hearing capability of a listener of said speech.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein said characteristic properties correspond to the spectral properties relating to said entities when said entities are employed to synthesize one or more predetermined test sounds.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein said selecting comprises determining the spectral difference between one or more of said characteristic properties, and spectral properties relating to ambient noise in said environment.

41. The system of claim 25, wherein selecting the approach comprises:

learning the approach predetermined to be best for said environment.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the predetermination is made through user testing.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein said testing is performed with users having normal hearing capability.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein said testing is performed with users having varying hearing impairments.

45. The system of claim 25, wherein said processor further performs the step of presenting said speech via a link.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the determination further takes into account the bandwidth of said link.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein the determination further taken into account the connection type of said link.

48. The system of claim 45, wherein the determination further takes into account the characteristics of said link.

49. A computer-readable medium storing instructions for controlling a computing device to configuring speech synthesis, the instructions comprising:

based on a listening environment and an analysis of connection characteristics associated with presenting speech, selecting an approach from a plurality of approaches for presenting the speech in the environment;

presenting speech according to the selected approach; and

based on natural language input related to a user'"'"'s inability to understand the presented speech, selecting a second approach from the plurality of approaches and presenting the speech using the second approach.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein environment has ambient noise.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the determined approach provides speech audible in said environment.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, wherein the speech is audible to a listener of normal hearing capability.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, wherein the speech is audible to a listener of abnormal hearing capability.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the natural language input comprises further comprises explicit instructions to modify the determined approach.

55. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, the instructions further comprising:

modifying said approach in accordance with instructions provided by a system administrator.

56. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein said method is performed in response to a trigger.

57. The computer-readable medium of claim 56, wherein said trigger is an indication that said speech is not audible.

58. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein said method is performed periodically.

59. The computer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the instructions are performed with a periodicity that prevents said approach from changing rapidly.

60. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the step of selecting the approach further comprises:

evaluating, in light of properties relating to said environment, characteristic properties relating to various entities employable in constructing synthesized speech;

selecting, from said various entities, one or more entities capable of providing audible speech in said environment.

61. The computer-readable medium of claim 60, wherein the step of selecting from the various entities takes into account the hearing capability of a listener of said speech.

62. The computer-readable medium of claim 60, wherein said characteristic properties correspond to the spectral properties relating to said entities when said entities are employed to synthesize one or more predetermined test sounds.

63. The computer-readable medium of claim 62, wherein the step of selecting from the various entities comprises determining the spectral difference between one or more of said characteristic properties, and spectral properties relating to ambient noise in said environment.

64. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the step of selecting the approach further comprises learning the approach predetermined to be best for said environment.

65. The computer-readable medium of claim 64, wherein the predetermination is made through user testing.

66. The computer-readable medium of claim 65, wherein the testing is performed with users having normal hearing capability.

67. The computer-readable medium of claim 66, wherein the testing is performed with users having varying hearing impairments.

68. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, further comprising presenting said speech via a link.

69. The computer-readable medium of claim 68, wherein selecting the approach further takes into account the bandwidth of said link.

70. The computer-readable medium of claim 68, wherein selecting the approach further takes into account the connection type of said link.

71. The computer-readable medium of claim 68, wherein selecting the approach further takes into account the characteristics of said link.