Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Speech signal processing – For storage or transmission
Patent
1997-09-12
2000-07-04
Dorvil, Richemond
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Speech signal processing
For storage or transmission
704214, 704267, 704268, G01L 302
Patent
active
060851570
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a reproducing velocity converting apparatus for a sound signal. More specifically, the present invention relates to the apparatus suitable for a desired-reproducing-velocity reproduction of the sound signal which is recorded in recording media.
BACKGROUND ART
Recently, a reproducing velocity converting technique for a sound signal has been put to practical use. In the technique, the sound signal is converted into a digital signal and the digital signal is recorded in recording media. The digital signal is then converted and output without changing an interval of the sound signal. A speech velocity converting system such as a TDHS (time domain harmonic scaling) system and a PICOLA (pointer interval control overlap and add) system is often used so as to achieve the technique.
The reproducing velocity converting apparatus which embodies the conventional speech velocity converting system will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a construction of the conventional reproducing velocity converting apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 13, an input sound signal 1a is first transmitted from a sound signal storage memory 1 to a speech velocity converter 4. Next, a speech velocity converted sound signal 1e is calculated in the speech velocity converter 4. The speech velocity converted sound signal 1e is recorded in an output sound signal storage memory 6. The above processing is performed so as to obtain the velocity converted sound signal.
A speech velocity conversion in the above conventional reproducing velocity converting apparatus is accomplished by windowing a sound in accordance with pitch information as to the sound signal and by overlapping adjacent two data, each having a pitch period. An unvoiced sound part of the sound signal is performed in the same way as a voiced sound part. By the way, the sound signal is characterized by that the voiced sound part has a relatively steady waveform at the pitch period but the unvoiced sound part has the non-steady waveform. Thus, since the voiced sound part has the relatively steady waveform, the original waveform is difficult to deform even if the conventional speech velocity converting system is used. Disadvantageously, since the unvoiced sound part does not have the steady waveform, the original waveform is deformed after the speech velocity conversion.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a reproducing velocity converting apparatus which solves the above conventional problem and can change a sound signal velocity without deforming a waveform of an unvoiced sound part within a sound signal by switching a voiced sound part and an unvoiced sound part processing to each other whereby a clear velocity converted sound can be obtained.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is so constructed that a result of a voiced sound/unvoiced sound decision and a switch are used so as to control whether the original sound signal itself is output as it is or the speech velocity converted sound signal is output.
Thus, a speech velocity conversion can be carried out without changing an interval of the original sound signal and deforming the waveform of the unvoiced sound part. Accordingly, the clear velocity converted sound can be obtained.
Namely, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reproducing velocity converting apparatus which comprises data recording means for recording and holding a sound signal in the form of a digital signal; voiced sound/unvoiced sound deciding means for deciding whether the sound signal is a voiced sound or an unvoiced sound in an arbitrary section of the sound signal which is held in the data recording means; speech velocity converting means, a sound signal being read from the data recording means, the speech velocity converting means for outputting a sound as it is in a section which is decided to be an unvoiced sound part by the voiced sound/unvoiced sou
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Dorvil Richemond
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
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