Speech-recognition circuitry employing nonlinear processing, speech element modeling, and phoneme estimation

Abstract

A phoneme estimator in a speech-recognition system includes energy detect circuitry for detecting the segments of a speech signal that should be analyzed for phoneme content. Speech-element processors then process the speech signal segments, calculating nonlinear (powers and products) representations of the segments. The nonlinear representation data is applied to speech-element modeling circuitry which reduces the data through speech element specific modeling. The reduced data are then subjected to further nonlinear processing. The results of the further nonlinear processing are again applied to speech-element modeling circuitry, producing phoneme isotype estimates. The phoneme isotype estimates are rearranged and consolidated, that is, the estimates are uniformly labeled and duplicate estimates are consolidated, forming estimates of words or phrases containing minimal numbers of phonemes. The estimates may then be compared with stored words or phrases to determine what was spoken.