Speech synthesis apparatus, speech synthesis method, speech synthesis program, portable information terminal, and speech synthesis system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9812120-B2
Application number	US-41103109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2009
Priority date	Apr 23, 2008
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A speech synthesis apparatus includes a content selection unit that selects a text content item to be converted into speech; a related information selection unit that selects related information which can be at least converted into text and which is related to the text content item selected by the content selection unit; a data addition unit that converts the related information selected by the related information selection unit into text and adds text data of the text to text data of the text content item selected by the content selection unit; a text-to-speech conversion unit that converts the text data supplied from the data addition unit into a speech signal; and a speech output unit that outputs the speech signal supplied from the text-to-speech conversion unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A speech synthesis apparatus comprising:
a receiver that receives an e-mail as a text content item;
a memory that stores the text content item to be converted into speech;
a content selection unit that selects the text content item to be converted into speech based on a vocal command from a user in which the user commands that the received e-mail be read aloud;
a related information selection unit that selects related information which can be at least converted into text and which is related to the text content item selected by the content selection unit, wherein the related information includes at least identification of a sender of the e-mail, and wherein when the name of the sender is locally stored in association with an e-mail address of the sender prior to receipt of the e-mail, the name of the sender is used as the identification of the sender, and when the name of the sender is not locally stored in association with an e-mail address of the sender prior to receipt of the e-mail, the e-mail address is used as the identification of the sender;
a data addition unit that converts the related information selected by the related information selection unit into text by inserting the related information into a predetermined type of phrase to form a text phrase, and adds text data of the text phrase to text data of the text content item selected by the content selection unit, wherein the predetermined type of phrase includes at least one predetermined location within the phrase at which the identification of the sender of the e-mail is inserted;
a text-to-speech conversion unit that converts the text data supplied from the data addition unit into a speech signal; and
a speech output unit that outputs the speech signal supplied from the text-to-speech conversion unit.

2. The speech synthesis apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the related information selection unit selects music data related to the selected text content item, and
the speech output unit mixes the speech signal supplied from the text-to-speech conversion unit and a music signal of the music data and outputs a resulting signal.

3. The speech synthesis apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
wherein the related information selection unit selects the related information which is related to the text content item selected by the content selection unit from among a plurality of pieces of related information which are related to a plurality of text content items capable of being selected by the content selection unit and which are recorded in advance.

4. The speech synthesis apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
wherein the content selection unit selects a desired text content item from among a plurality of text content items on a network, and
the related information selection unit selects the related information which is related to the text content item selected by the content selection unit from among a plurality of pieces of related information which are related to a plurality of text content items capable of being selected by the content selection unit and which are stored on a network.

5. A speech synthesis method comprising the steps of:
receiving an e-mail as a text content item;
selecting the text content item to be converted into speech, the text content item being selected by a content selection unit based on a vocal command from a user in which the user commands that the received e-mail be read aloud;
selecting related information which can be at least converted into text and which is related to the text content item selected by the content selection unit, the related information being selected by a related information selection unit, wherein the related information includes at least identification of a sender of the e-mail, and wherein when the name of the sender is locally stored in association with an e-mail address of the sender prior to receipt of the e-mail, the name of the sender is used as the identification of the sender, and when the name of the sender is not locally stored in association with an e-mail address of the sender prior to receipt of the e-mail, the e-mail address is used as the identification of the sender;
converting the related information selected by the related information selection unit into text by inserting the related information into a predetermined type of phrase to form a text phrase, and adding text data of the text phrase to text data of the text content item selected by the content selection unit, the conversion and addition being performed by a data addition unit, wherein the predetermined type of phrase includes at least one predetermined location within the phrase at which the identification of the sender of the e-mail is inserted;
converting text data supplied from the data addition unit into a speech signal, the conversion being performed by a text-to-speech conversion unit; and
outputting the speech signal supplied from the text-to-speech conversion unit, the speech signal being output by a speech output unit.

6. The speech synthesis method according to claim 5 , further comprising the steps of:
selecting music data related to the selected text content item, the music data being selected by the related information selection unit; and
mixing the speech signal supplied from the text-to-speech conversion unit and a music signal of the music data and outputting a resulting signal, the mixing and outputting being performed by the speech output unit.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores a speech synthesis program, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to function as:
a receiver that receives an e-mail as a text content item;
a content selection unit that selects the text content item to be converted into speech based on a vocal command from a user in which the user commands that the received e-mail be read aloud;
a related information selection unit that selects related information which can be at least converted into text and which is related to the text content item selected by the content selection unit, wherein the related information includes at least identification of a sender of the e-mail, and wherein when the name of the sender is locally stored in association with an e-mail address of the sender prior to receipt of the e-mail, the name of the sender is used as the identification of the sender, and when the name of the sender is not locally stored in association with an e-mail address of the sender prior to receipt of the e-mail, the e-mail address is used as the identification of the sender;
a data addition unit that converts the related information selected by the related information selection unit into text by inserting the related information into a predetermined type of phrase to form a text phrase, and adds text data of the text phrase to text data of the text content item selected by the content selection unit, wherein the predetermined type of phrase includes at least one predetermined location within the phrase at which the identification of the sender of the e-mail is inserted;
a text-to-speech conversion unit that converts text data supplied from the data addition unit into a speech signal; and
a speech output unit that outputs the speech signal supplied from the text-to-speech conversion unit.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 7 ,
wherein the related information selection unit selects music data related to the selected text content item, and
the speech output unit mixes the speech signal supplied from the text-to-speech conversion unit and a music signal of the music data and outputs a resulting signal.

9. A portable information terminal comprising:
a receiver t

Assignees

• Takatsuka Susumu
• Sony Mobile Communications Inc

Inventors

• Takatsuka Susumu

Classifications

• G10L13/033 Primary

  Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser · CPC title

• G10L13/027

  Concept to speech synthesisers; Generation of natural phrases from machine-based concepts (generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text G10L13/08) · CPC title