Noriyo Hara

Title: Noriyo Hara and Speech Synthesis Innovation

Introduction

Noriyo Hara is an inventor associated with Neyagawa, Japan, whose patent work focuses on speech synthesis and the generation of natural-sounding speech. He is associated with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. His listed portfolio includes 2 patents.

Latest Patents

Hara’s listed patents address methods for generating pitch patterns and synthesizing speech by combining natural speech segments.

“Fundamental Frequency Pattern Generator, Method and Program” describes generating a fundamental-frequency pattern using a database of patterns for accent phrases, standardized by phoneme or vowel duration. When a matching pattern is unavailable, the method interpolates between reference points. The approach is intended to produce more natural-sounding pitch patterns than conventional methods.

“Speech Synthesizing Method and Apparatus for Combining Natural Speech” presents approaches for assembling speech from stored segments. One variation selects and overlaps speech segments at pitch-period intervals. Another generates later pitch waveforms by combining an initial waveform with corresponding differential waveforms. A further variation mixes natural speech segments with segments produced through a parameter-based synthesis method, such as formant synthesis.

Career Highlights

Hara’s patent work reflects an interest in improving speech synthesis through pitch-pattern generation and the combination of recorded and synthesized speech data. These techniques address both the naturalness of generated speech and the methods used to construct speech waveforms.

Collaborations

Hara’s listed coworkers include Takahiro Kamai and Kenji Matsui. His work is associated with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Conclusion

Noriyo Hara’s patents document contributions to speech synthesis, particularly in generating natural pitch patterns and combining speech segments to create synthesized speech.