Text-to-speech device and text-to-speech method

• US 8,751,237 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2011
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kubota, Koumei
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Huyen X.
• Application Number:
  US13/575,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20120323578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 704/258, 704/260, 704/270, 704/272, 704/270.1, 704/267
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/008 using visual presentation of the information for the partially sighted
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

A sound control section (114) selects and outputs a text-to-speech item from items included in program information multiplexed with a broadcast signal; and starts or stops outputting the text-to-speech item, based on request from a remote controller control section (113). A sound generation section (115) converts the text-to-speech item to a sound signal. A speaker (109) reproduces the sound signal. The sound control section (114) compares each item of information about a program currently selected by user'"'"'s operation of the remote controller, with each item of information about the previous program selected just before the user'"'"'s operation. If an item of the currently selected program information is the same as the corresponding item of the operation-prior program information, and text-to-speech processing has been already completed for the item after the last change in the item, the sound control section (114) stops outputting the item to the sound generation section (115).

Claims

1. A text-to-speech device comprising:

a display section configured to display program information, the program information including a plurality of items;

a reception section configured to receive selection information about a program in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation;

a sound control section configured to compare the content of each item of currently selected program information about a program currently selected in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation, with the content of each item of operation-prior program information about the previous program selected just before the user'"'"'s operation, and determine, as the text-to-speech item, that item of the currently selected program information whose content is the same as the content of the corresponding item of the operation-prior program information and that has not been reproduced as a sound signal;

a sound generation section configured to convert the content of the text-to-speech item to a sound signal; and

a sound output section configured to reproduce the sound signal obtained through the conversion.

2. The text-to-speech device according to claim 1, wherein the program information is information for generating a broadcast program guide on the display section.

3. The text-to-speech device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a program guide control section configured to use the program information to generate the broadcast program guide, and to move a cursor for selecting a specific program on a displayed screen of the broadcast program guide;

wherein

the program guide control section outputs, to the sound control section,

program information about a program currently selected by the cursor, and

program information about the previous program selected just before movement of the cursor.

4. In a text-to-speech device, a text-to-speech method for converting program information displayed on a display section of the text-to-speech device into a sound signal, and outputting the sound signal from a sound output section of the text-to-speech device, the text-to-speech method comprising:

a display step of displaying program information on the text-to-speech device display section, the program information including a plurality of items;

a reception step of a reception section of the text-to-speech device receiving selection information about a program in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation;

a sound control step of a sound control section of the text-to-speech device comparing the content of each item of currently selected program information about a program currently selected in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation, with the content of each item of operation-prior program information about the previous program selected just before the user'"'"'s operation, and determining, as the text-to-speech item, that item of the currently selected program information whose content is the same as the content of the corresponding item of the operation-prior program information and that has not been reproduced as a sound signal;

a sound generation step of the text-to-speech device sound control section converting the content of the text-to-speech item to a sound signal; and

a sound output step of the text-to-speech device sound output section reproducing the sound signal obtained through the conversion.

5. The text-to-speech method according to claim 4, wherein the program information is information for generating a broadcast program guide in the display step.

6. The text-to-speech method according to claim 5, further comprising:

a program guide control step of using the program information to generate the broadcast program guide, and to move a cursor for selecting a specific program on a displayed screen of the broadcast program guide;

wherein

the program guide control step outputs, to the sound control step, program information about a program currently selected by the cursor, and program information about the previous program selected just before movement of the cursor.