Speech output apparatus, speech output method , and program

• US 20030046076A1
• Filed: 08/13/2002
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hirota, Makoto, Kuboyama, Hideo
• Granted Patent: US 7,203,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/258
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A speech output apparatus is disclosed, which can allow the user to easily catch synthetic speech when the synthetic speech is output upon being superposed on a music output. The apparatus output can output a music and synthetic speech that indicates contents of information such as an e-mail and is superposed on the music. When the synthetic speech is output to be superposed on the music during output, the apparatus gradually decreases a tone volume of the music.

Claims

1. A speech output apparatus comprising:

output means which can output a music and synthetic speech that indicates contents of information and is superposed on the music; and

control means for controlling a tone volume of the music to be output,

wherein said control means gradually decreases the tone volume of the music when the synthetic speech is output to be superposed on the music during output.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means gradually decreases the tone volume of the music to a predetermined tone volume.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined tone volume is determined based on an average value of powers of the music to be output.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the synthetic speech is output to be superposed on the music after the tone volume of the music is reduced to the predetermined tone volume.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control means resumes the tone volume of the music after the synthetic speech is output.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the average value of powers of the music is an average value of powers associated with tones, which belong to a predetermined frequency band, of the music.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means gradually decreases the tone volume of tones, which belong to a predetermined frequency band, of the music.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for converting character data contained in the information into synthetic speech data.

9. A speech output method comprising:

the output step of outputting a music and synthetic speech that indicates contents of information and is superposed on the music; and

the step of gradually decreasing a tone volume of the music when the synthetic speech is output to be superposed on the music during output.

10. A program for making a computer execute:

the step of outputting a music and synthetic speech that indicates contents of information and is superposed on the music; and

the step of gradually decreasing a tone volume of the music when the synthetic speech is output to be superposed on the music during output.

11. A speech output apparatus comprising:

output means which can output a music and synthetic speech that indicates contents of information and is superposed on the music; and

setting means for setting a voice quality of the synthetic speech in accordance with a music to be output.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said setting means sets the synthetic speech to have male voice quality when the music to be output includes a female singing voice, and

sets the synthetic speech to have female voice quality when the music to be output includes a male singing voice.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

selection means for allowing a user to select the voice quality of the synthetic speech, and

wherein when the user selects the voice quality of the synthetic speech, said setting means sets the voice quality of the synthetic speech in accordance with the selected voice quality.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said setting means sets a fundamental frequency of the synthetic speech.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said setting means sets the fundamental frequency of the synthetic speech on the basis of a frequency of the music to be output.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said setting means sets a frequency with a small power of the music to be output as the fundamental frequency of the synthetic speech.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for converting character data contained in the information into synthetic speech data.

18. A speech output method comprising:

the output step of outputting a music and synthetic speech that indicates contents of information and is superposed on the music; and

the setting step of setting a voice quality of the synthetic speech in accordance with a music to be output.

19. A program for making a computer execute:

the output step of outputting a music and synthetic speech that indicates contents of information and is superposed on the music; and

the setting step of setting voice quality of the synthetic speech in accordance with a music to be output.

20. A speech output apparatus comprising:

conversion means for converting character data into synthetic speech data;

output means for outputting a music and synthetic speech based on the synthetic speech data; and

control means for controlling an output timing of the synthetic speech,

wherein said control means begins to output the synthetic speech after completion of output of a tune which is being output.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said control means begins to output the synthetic speech at a timing between neighboring tunes during output of the music.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising:

means for, when the synthetic speech begins to be output, pausing output of the next tune until the output of the synthetic speech ends.

23. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising:

reception means for receiving information, and

wherein said conversion means converts character data contained in the received information into synthetic speech data.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the information is sent from a network.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising:

means for, when the information is received, informing the user of reception of the information.

26. The apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising:

means for checking priority of the information, and

wherein when the priority of the received information is predetermined priority, said control means begins to output the synthetic speech of the information even during output of the music.

27. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising:

means for allowing the user to select an output timing of the synthetic speech, and

wherein said control means controls the output timing of the synthetic speech in accordance with the timing selected by the user.

28. A speech output apparatus comprising:

conversion means for converting character data into synthetic speech data;

output means for outputting synthetic speech based on the synthetic speech data; and

control means for controlling an output timing of the synthetic speech,

wherein when the synthetic speech indicating contents of another information is to be output during output of the synthetic speech indicating contents of an e-book, said control means begins to output the synthetic speech of the other information in a break of a document of the e-book which is being output.

29. The apparatus according to claim 32, further comprising:

means for, when the synthetic speech of the other information begins to be output, pausing output of the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the e-book until the output of the synthetic speech of the other information ends.

30. The apparatus according to claim 28, further comprising:

reception means for receiving the other information.

31. The apparatus according o claim 30, wherein the other information is sent from a network.

32. The apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising:

means for, when the other information is received, informing a user of reception of the other information.

33. The apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising:

means for checking priority of the other information, and

wherein when the priority of the other information received is predetermined priority, said control means begins to output the synthetic speech of the other information received even during output of the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the e-book.

34. The apparatus according to claim 28, further comprising:

means for allowing the user to select an output timing of the synthetic speech of the other information, and

wherein said control means controls the output timing of the synthetic speech of the other information in accordance with the timing selected by the user.

35. A speech output method comprising:

the conversion step of converting character data into synthetic speech data;

the output step of outputting a music and synthetic speech based on the synthetic speech data; and

the control step of controlling an output timing of the synthetic speech,

wherein the control step includes the step of beginning to output the synthetic speech after completion of output of a tune which is being output.

36. A speech output method comprising:

the conversion step of converting character data into synthetic speech data;

the output step of outputting synthetic speech based on the synthetic speech data; and

the control step of controlling an output timing of the synthetic speech,

wherein the control step includes the step of beginning, when the synthetic speech indicating contents of another information is to be output during output of the synthetic speech indicating contents of an e-book, to output the synthetic speech of the other information in a break of a document of the e-book which is being output.

37. A program for making a computer to execute:

in order to control an output timing of synthetic speech indicating contents of information upon outputting the synthetic speech and a music,

the step of checking if the music is being output; and

the step of beginning, when it is determined that the music is being output, to output the synthetic speech after the end of a tune which is being output.

38. A program for making a computer to execute:

in order to control an output timing of synthetic speech indicating contents of information upon outputting the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the information, and synthetic speech indicating contents of an e-book,

the step of checking if the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the e-book is being output; and

the step of beginning, when it is determined that the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the e-book is being output, to output the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the information in a break of a document of the e-book which is being output.