FAST ALGORITHM FOR DERIVING ACOUSTIC PROTOTYPES FOR AUTOMATIC SPEECH RECOGNITION

摘要

An apparatus for generating a set of acoustic prototype signals for encoding speech includes means for storing a training script model comprises a series of word-segment models. Each word-segment model comprises a series of elementary models. Means are provided for measuring the value of at least one feature of an utterance of the training script during each of a series of time intervals to produce a series of feature vector signals representing the feature values of the utterance. Means are provided for estimating at least one path through the training script model which would produce the entire series of measured feature vector signals. From the estimated path, the elementary model in the training script model which would produce each feature vector signal is estimated. The apparatus further comprises means for clustering the feature vector signals into a plurality of clusters. Each feature vector signal in a cluster corresponds to a single elementary model in a single location in a single word-segment model. Each cluster signal has a cluster value equal to an average of the feature values of all feature vectors in the signal. Finally, the apparatus includes means for storing a plurality of prototype vector signals. Each prototype vector signal corresponds to an elementary model, has an identifier, and comprises at least two partition values. The partition values are equal to combinations of the cluster values of one or more cluster signals corresponding to the elementary model.