Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
228 words
In a speech analysis system for recognizing at least one predetermined keyword in a continuous audio signal, each said keyword being characterized by a template having at least one target pattern, said target patterns having an ordered sequence and each target pattern representing a plurality of short-term power spectra spaced apart in real time, an analysis method comprising the steps of repeatedly evaluating a set of parameters determining a short-term power spectrum of said audio signal within each of a plurality of equal duration sampling intervals, thereby to generate a continuous time ordered sequence of short-term audio power spectrum frames, repeatedly selecting from said sequence of frames, one first frame and at least one later occurring frame to form a multi-frame pattern, comparing each thus formed multi-frame pattern with each first target pattern of each keyword template, deciding whether each said multi-frame pattern corresponds to a said first target pattern of a keyword template, for each multi-frame pattern which, according to said deciding step, corresponds to a said first target pattern of a potential candidate keyword, selecting later occurring spectrum frames to form later occurring multi-frame patterns, deciding whether said later occurring multi-frame patterns correspond respectively to successive target patterns of said potential candidate keyword template, and identifying a candidate keyword template when said selected multi-frame patterns correspond respectively to the target patterns of a said keyword template.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
228 words
In a speech analysis system for recognizing at least one predetermined keyword in a continuous audio signal, each said keyword being characterized by a template having at least one target pattern, said target patterns having an ordered sequence and each target pattern representing a plurality of short-term power spectra spaced apart in real time, an analysis method comprising the steps of repeatedly evaluating a set of parameters determining a short-term power spectrum of said audio signal within each of a plurality of equal duration sampling intervals, thereby to generate a continuous time ordered sequence of short-term audio power spectrum frames, repeatedly selecting from said sequence of frames, one first frame and at least one later occurring frame to form a multi-frame pattern, comparing each thus formed multi-frame pattern with each first target pattern of each keyword template, deciding whether each said multi-frame pattern corresponds to a said first target pattern of a keyword template, for each multi-frame pattern which, according to said deciding step, corresponds to a said first target pattern of a potential candidate keyword, selecting later occurring spectrum frames to form later occurring multi-frame patterns, deciding whether said later occurring multi-frame patterns correspond respectively to successive target patterns of said potential candidate keyword template, and identifying a candidate keyword template when said selected multi-frame patterns correspond respectively to the target patterns of a said keyword template.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1 further including the step of storing said generated short-term power spectra on a first in-first out basis whereby a block of said power spectra is available for analysis.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the spectrum frames comprising a multi-frame pattern correspond to sampling frame intervals of the audio signal spaced apart by a fixed number of sampling frame intervals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said spectrum frames comprising a multi-frame pattern are spaced apart by at least the time duration of two frame intervals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said time duration is 30 milliseconds.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 wherein each said multi-frame pattern comprises three spectrum frames.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 1 wherein sequential pairs of the spectrum frames comprising each said multi-frame pattern correspond to sampling intervals of the audio signal spaced apart by a varying number of sampling frame intervals.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said second selecting step comprises the step of selecting said second and each succeeding selected multi-frame pattern at times within predetermined time durations fixed with respect to the time of detection of said previously selected multi-frame pattern.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
78 words
The method of claim 2 further including the steps of repeatedly generating a peak spectrum corresponding to peak frequency band values of said short-term power spectra, and for each short-term spectrum, dividing the amplitude value of each frequency band by the corresponding intensity value in the corresponding peak spectrum, thereby to generate frequency band equalized spectra corresponding to a compensated audio signal having the same maximum short-term energy content in each of the frequency bands comprising the spectra.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
78 words
The method of claim 1 further including the steps of for each short-term power spectrum S(f), generating the value A corresponding to the average of said set of parameters determining each said spectrum, where A equals ##EQU15## and the f j represents the width of the successive frequency bands comprising the spectrum; and nonlinearly scaling each spectrum by generating, for value S(f) in each frequency band, a transformed spectrum having a corresponding value S s (f), wherein ##EQU16##