Multi-unit approach to text-to-speech synthesis
First Claim
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1. A method, including:
- matching, using a processor, phrase units of a received input string to audio segments from a plurality of audio segments including, for each phrase unit, matching the phrase unit to an audio segment using properties of the phrase unit in comparison to properties of other units in a hierarchy of units including phrases and words and using articulation relationships between the phrase unit and the other units to locate matching audio segments from a plurality of selections including determining concatenation costs and unit costs, where concatenation costs measure how well a unit fits with a neighbor unit and unit costs measure a similarity or difference from an ideal model;
identifying unmatched phrase units that are not matched to audio segments;
parsing the unmatched phrase units into word units;
matching the word units to audio segments including, for each word unit, matching a word unit to an audio segment using properties of the word unit in comparison to properties of other units in the hierarchy of units including the phrases and the words and using articulation relationships between the word and the other units to locate matching audio segments from the plurality of selections; and
synthesizing the received input string including combining the audio segments associated with the matching phrase units and the matching word units.
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Abstract
Methods, apparatus, systems, and computer program products are provided for synthesizing speech. One method includes matching a first level of units of a received input string to audio segments from a plurality of audio segments including using properties of or between first level units to locate matching audio segments from a plurality of selections, parsing unmatched first level units into second level units, matching the second level units to audio segments using properties of or between the units to locate matching audio segments from a plurality of selections and synthesizing the input string, including combining the audio segments associated with the first and second units.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method, including:
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matching, using a processor, phrase units of a received input string to audio segments from a plurality of audio segments including, for each phrase unit, matching the phrase unit to an audio segment using properties of the phrase unit in comparison to properties of other units in a hierarchy of units including phrases and words and using articulation relationships between the phrase unit and the other units to locate matching audio segments from a plurality of selections including determining concatenation costs and unit costs, where concatenation costs measure how well a unit fits with a neighbor unit and unit costs measure a similarity or difference from an ideal model; identifying unmatched phrase units that are not matched to audio segments; parsing the unmatched phrase units into word units; matching the word units to audio segments including, for each word unit, matching a word unit to an audio segment using properties of the word unit in comparison to properties of other units in the hierarchy of units including the phrases and the words and using articulation relationships between the word and the other units to locate matching audio segments from the plurality of selections; and synthesizing the received input string including combining the audio segments associated with the matching phrase units and the matching word units. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method, including:
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receiving a stream of textual input; matching portions of the stream of textual input to audio segments derived from one or more voice samples at multiple levels including; matching the portions based on properties of individual portions and articulation relationships between the portions; and comparing the portions to target voice samples at different hierarchical levels to identify matched portions where the hierarchical levels are selected from a group comprising target matching phrases, words, sub-words and phonetic segments; identifying unmatched portions that are not matched to the audio segments; parsing portions including the unmatched portions using a hierarchical level different from that used for matching the target voice samples; comparing the parsed portions to the audio segments to identify additional matched portions; and synthesizing audio segments corresponding to the matched portions and the additional matched portions into speech output. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A non-transitory computer program product including instructions tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, the product including instructions for causing a computing device to:
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match, by a processor, phrase units of an input string to audio segments from a plurality of audio segments; identify unmatched phrase units that are not matched to the audio segments; parse the unmatched phrase units into word units; match the word units to audio segments including, for word units adjacent to matched phrase units in the input string, matching the word units based on properties of the word units and the adjacent matched phrase units; and synthesize the input string including combining the audio segments associated with the matching phrase units and the matching word units.
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19. A system, including:
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an input capture routine to receive an input string that includes phrase units; a unit matching engine, in communication with the input capture routine, to match the phrase units to audio segments from a plurality of audio segments including using properties of or between the audio segments for matching the phrase units, and to identify unmatched phrase units that are not matched to the audio segments; a parsing engine, in communication with the unit matching engine, to parse unmatched phrase units into word units, the unit matching engine configured to match the word units to audio segments including using properties of the audio segments associated with the word units and audio segments associated with adjacent phrase units; a synthesis block, in communication with the unit matching engine, to synthesize the input string including combining the audio segments associated with the phrase units and the word units; and a storage unit to store the plurality of audio segments and properties of or between the plurality of audio segments.
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20. A method including
providing, by a processor, a library of audio segments and associated metadata defining properties of or between a given segment and another segment, the library including one or more levels of units in accordance with a hierarchy; -
matching, at a first level of the hierarchy, units of a received input string to audio segments, the received input string having one or more units at a first level; identifying unmatched units that are not matched to the audio segments; parsing the unmatched units to units at a second level in the hierarchy; matching one or more units at the second level of the hierarchy to audio segments including matching the one or more units at the second level based on properties of a given unit at the second level and adjacent units at the first level where the levels are selected from the group comprising phrases, words, sub-words and phonetic segments; and synthesizing the input string including combining the audio segments associated with the first and second levels.
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21. A method including
receiving, by a processor, audio segments; -
parsing the audio segments into units of a first level in a hierarchy of levels; defining properties of and between the units at different levels, the properties between the units including articulation relationships; storing the units and the properties associated with the units; parsing the units into sub-units; defining properties of and between the sub-units and between adjacent units and the sub-units; and storing the sub-units and the properties associated with the sub-units. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method including:
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receiving audio segments; parsing the audio segments into units of a first level in a hierarchy of levels; defining properties between the units; storing the units and the properties; parsing the units into units of a next level in the hierarchy of levels; defining properties between the units in the next level and units in the first level; storing the units of the next level and the properties between the units in the next level and the units in the first level; continuing to parse units at a given level into units at a next level in the hierarchy until a final parsing is performed; at each level, defining properties between units and adjacent units at a different level and storing the units and the properties between the units and the adjacent units at the different level; and at a final level in the hierarchy, storing units where the hierarchy of levels are selected from a group comprising phrases, words, sub-words and phonetic segments. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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Specification