Takanobu Oba

Title: Takanobu Oba: Innovator in Speech Technology

Introduction

Takanobu Oba is a prominent inventor based in Tokyo, Japan. He has made significant contributions to the field of speech technology, holding a total of five patents. His work focuses on enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of speech recognition systems.

Latest Patents

Among his latest patents are innovative technologies such as a sequence labeling apparatus, sequence labeling method, and program. This technology allows for the labeling of text corresponding to speech without dividing it into units like words or characters. The system includes a speech distributed representation sequence converting unit that transforms an acoustic feature sequence into a speech distributed representation. Additionally, a symbol distributed representation converting unit converts each symbol in the sequence into a symbol distributed representation. A label estimation unit then estimates a label corresponding to the symbol using fixed-length vectors generated from the speech and symbol representations.

Another notable patent is the utterance section detection device, which accurately detects utterance sections based on whether the end of a speech section signifies the end of an utterance. This device includes a speech/non-speech determination unit, an utterance end determination unit, and a non-speech section duration threshold determination unit. These components work together to enhance the detection of utterance sections by comparing the duration of non-speech sections with established thresholds.

Career Highlights

Takanobu Oba is currently employed at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, where he continues to develop cutting-edge technologies in speech recognition. His work has been instrumental in advancing the capabilities of speech processing systems.

Collaborations

Throughout his career, Takanobu has collaborated with notable colleagues such as Ryo Masumura and Tomohiro Tanaka. These partnerships have fostered innovation and contributed to the success of various projects in the field.

Conclusion

Takanobu Oba's contributions to speech technology through his patents and collaborations highlight his role as a leading inventor in this domain. His work continues to influence advancements in speech recognition systems, making significant strides in the industry.