Systems and methods for measuring speech intelligibility

• US 8,433,568 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2010
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Skowranski, Mark, Banerjee, Bonny, Krause, Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Saint Cyr, Leonard
• Application Number:
  US12/748,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 704/237, 704/246, 704/247, 704/251, 704/252
• US Class Current: 704/237
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/69 for evaluating synthetic or decoded voice signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility

Abstract

A method for measuring speech intelligibility includes inputting a speech waveform to a system. At least one acoustic feature is extracted from the waveform. From the acoustic feature, at least one phoneme is segmented. At least one acoustic correlate measure is extracted from the at least one phoneme and at least one intelligibility measure is determined. The at least one acoustic correlate measure is mapped to the at least one intelligibility measure.

Claims

1. A method for measuring speech intelligibility, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting a speech waveform;

extracting at least one acoustic feature from the waveform;

segmenting at least one phoneme from the at least one first acoustic feature;

extracting at least one acoustic correlate measure from the at least one phoneme;

determining at least one intelligibility measure, wherein the determination is based upon a language; and

mapping the at least one acoustic correlate measure to the at least one intelligibility measure, wherein mapping comprises a vector of at least one value that correspond to the at least one intelligibility measure, the at least one value corresponding to a degree to which the at least one intelligibility measure corresponds to the at least one phoneme.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the speech waveform is input from a talker.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the speech waveform is based at least in part on a stimulus sent to the talker.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one acoustic feature is extracted utilizing a frame-based procedure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one acoustic correlate measure is extracted utilizing a segment-based procedure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the vector expresses the acoustic correlate measure in a non-binary value.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the non-binary value comprises a value in a range from −

1 to +1.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the non-binary value comprises a value in a range from 0% to 100%.

9. An article of manufacture having a memory comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method of measuring speech intelligibility, the method comprising:

inputting a speech waveform from a talker;

extracting at least one acoustic feature from the waveform;

segmenting at least one phoneme from the at least one first acoustic feature;

extracting at least one acoustic correlate measure from the at least one phoneme;

determining at least one intelligibility measure, wherein the determination is based upon a language; and

mapping the at least one acoustic correlate measure to the at least one intelligibility measure, wherein mapping comprises a vector of at least one value that correspond to the at least one intelligibility measure, the at least one value corresponding to a degree to which the at least one intelligibility measure corresponds to the at least one phoneme.

10. A system for measuring speech intelligibility, the system comprising:

a receiver for receiving a speech waveform from a talker;

a first extractor for extracting at least one acoustic feature from the waveform;

a first processor for segmenting at least one phoneme from the at least one first acoustic feature;

a second extractor for extracting at least one acoustic correlate measure from the at least one phoneme;

a second processor for determining at least one intelligibility measure, wherein the determination is based upon a language; and

a mapping module for mapping the at least one acoustic correlate measure to the at least one intelligibility measure, wherein mapping comprises a vector of at least one value that correspond to the at least one intelligibility measure, the at least one value corresponding to a degree to which the at least one intelligibility measure corresponds to the at least one phoneme.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a system processor comprising the first extractor, the first processor, the second extractor, the second processor, and the mapping module.