Apparatus for text-to-speech delivery and method therefor

• US 8,386,166 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Jones, Rory, Jurgens, Sven
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, LUAT T
• Application Number:
  US12/450,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20100100317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,169 Days
• Field of Search: 701/410, 704/270, 704/260, 704/267, 704/268, 704/258
• US Class Current: 701/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/02 Methods for producing synthetic speech; Speech synthesisers

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining the manner in which a navigation device should produce sounds from data is described. One embodiment, includes a device for synthesizing sounds from digital sound files, and re-producing pre-recorded sounds from a database of text-based indicators. The invention can be further capable of repeatedly determining physical conditions, e.g. current GPS location, which are compared to reference values such that a positive comparison gives rise to an event requiring a sound to be produced. The method includes a user selection of what events or physical conditions trigger a sound, and the type of sound to be audibly delivered which can be digitally synthesize sounds or pre-recorded sounds stored on the device or a combination of the two.

Claims

1. A navigation device for producing sounds from data, comprising:

a processor;

an audio reproduction device to audibly reproduce digitally processed sounds;

memory, including data stored therein, said data comprising at least one of;

one or more text-based indicators; and

one or more pre-recorded sounds;

data transfer device to transfer the data between the processor and the memory, the processor being useable to use operating system software to control processing the flow of data between the processor and the memory and to control whether the processed sounds are audibly reproduced, the processor further being useable to repeatedly determine one or more physical conditions, which are then comparable with one or more reference values provided in the memory such that satisfaction of the one or more physical conditions gives rise to an event requiring a sound to be reproduced by the second device, the processor further being useable to use a TTS software component, which interacts with the operating system software or a program executing thereon, said operating system software or program executing thereon being useable by the processor to make the determination, according to input of a user of the processor-enabled device, whether the event should be audibly identified by way of at least one of one or more pre-recorded sounds stored on the navigation device and a sound digitally rendered by the TTS component from a text-based indicator retrieved from the database and appropriate for the event; and

a radio-telecommunication device to allow the navigation device to determine traffic conditions along particular sections of a thoroughfare network represented by the data and to receive messages and other information through said radio-telecommunication device.

2. A navigation device according to claim 1 wherein the operating system or program executing thereon is provided with further, more specific user input to permit a selection of the type of events which are to be audibly identified to the user.

3. A navigation device according to claim 2 wherein the operating system or program executing thereon presents a set of options of specific different types of event which can be selected or de-selected, depending on user preference, for text delivery to the TTS software component.

4. A navigation device according to claim 1 further comprising a Global Positioning System (GPS) device including a time signal retrieval device, and wherein the events which are ideally audibly identified to a user are direction instructions as the navigation device moves along a predetermined or pre-programmed route.

5. A navigation device according to claim 4 wherein the data is representative of one or more maps of a thoroughfare network.

6. A navigation device according to claim 5 wherein the map data is provided with a variety of different additional data which, during the journey, about which the user may or may not wish to be audibly informed, such additional data being chosen from the group containing:

street names, building numbers, road numbers, points of interest (POI), signposts information.

7. A navigation device according to claim 1 wherein the navigation device also permits a user to make a selection whether warnings retrieved through said radio-telecommunications device are audible.

8. A navigation device according to claim 1 wherein the navigation device includes a graphical user interface, and the operating system or program executing thereon causes the display of one or more option selection pages by which the processor-enabled device can be informed whether to digitally render sound by way of the TTS component for one or more different event types requiring audible notification to the user, whether to recall one or more pre-recorded sounds to notify such events, or whether a combination of these operative embodiments is required.

9. A navigation device according to claim 1 wherein the data is representative of one or more maps of a thoroughfare network.

10. A navigation device according to claim 1 wherein the navigation device also permits user selection of whether device-based operational events are audibly identified.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium including program segments which, when executed on the navigation device of claim 1, enables the navigation device to produce sounds from data.