Estimating the pitch period of voiced speech

Abstract

In speech processing an estimation of the speech pitch period is important. Real time pitch detection is only possible by the selection of an efficient algorithm suitable for implementation on a programmable processor or in special-purpose hardware. The use of the periodogram algorithm (p.a.) is proposed to detect the pitch period of voiced speech. This algorithm is attractive for the following reasons: (a) it has no multiply operation; (b) when implemented on a 16-bit computer (e.g. microprocessor) the computation can be done in integer arithmetic without exceeding the microprocessor's dynamic range; (c) it is a simple technique for estimating the pitch period with reasonable accuracy. Results of the analysis of speech signals and sinusoids using the periodogram algorithm are presented and comparisons are made with the average magnitude difference function (a.m.d.f.) which is an alternative method of estimating the pitch period of the voiced speech.