JPH05289687A - Book reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a user to easily discriminate a quotation sentence by varying the sound quality of the voice corresponding to the quotation sentence when a sentence contains the quotation sentence. CONSTITUTION:The reading device is equipped with a reading means 101 which reads the sentence out of a medium, a voice output means 102 which converts the read sentence into a voice and outputs it, a detecting means 103 which detects and outputs a specific symbol when the read sentence contains the specific symbol, and a sound quality converting means 104 which receives the output of the detecting means 103 and varies the voice quality of the output speed of the voice output means 102. The reading means 101 reads the sentence out of the medium and the voice output means 102 converts the sentence read by the reading means 101 into the voice and outputs it. Further, when the sentence read out by the reading means 101 contains the specific symbol, the detecting means 103 detects and outputs the symbol and when the detecting means 103 detects the specific symbol, the voice converting means 104 varies the voice quality of the output speech of the voice output means 102.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reading device for reading a sentence written on a medium, converting it into voice, and outputting the voice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of reading device, O
There are known ones that convert document data read by a CR (Opitical Character Reader) into characters and display the same, and one that converts and outputs voice.

[0003]

By the way, in a reading apparatus which converts read document data into voice and outputs the voice, since the read sentence is output as voice with a constant sound quality, it is quoted in the sentence. When a sentence (for example, a conversation sentence) is included, it is difficult for the user to identify it as a quote sentence.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and when a quoted sentence is included in a sentence, the user can easily change the sound quality of the voice corresponding to the quoted sentence. A reading device capable of identifying a quote is provided.

[0005]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention. The present invention is shown in FIG.
A reading unit 101 for reading a sentence written on a medium and a voice output unit 102 for converting the read sentence into a voice and outputting the voice.
A detection means 103 for detecting and outputting a predetermined symbol when the read sentence includes the predetermined symbol; and a sound quality conversion means 104 for receiving the output of the detection means 103 and changing the sound quality of the output voice of the voice output means 102. The present invention provides a reading device characterized by the above.

[0006]

In FIG. 1, the reading means 101 reads the text written on the medium, and the voice output means 102 is the reading means 1.
The text read by 01 is converted into voice and output. The detection unit 103 detects and outputs a predetermined symbol included in the sentence read by the reading unit 101, and outputs the voice conversion unit 10.
Reference numeral 4 changes the sound quality of the output voice of the voice output unit 102 when the detection unit 103 detects a predetermined symbol.

Therefore, for example, when a quotation mark indicating the beginning of a conversation sentence is detected in the read sentence, the sound quality of the voice output by the voice output means changes, and a quotation mark indicating the end of the conversation sentence is detected. When this is done, the sound quality of the output voice of the voice output means returns to the original level, so that the user can easily identify the quoted sentence (conversational sentence) in the sentence.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. This does not limit the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is an OCR device for optically reading a sentence written on a document P and converting it into document data, and 2 is an output of the OCR device 1. A storage medium (for example, a memory card) for storing document data to be stored, 3 is an interface device for taking in audio data from the storage medium 2, and 4 is an interface device
The voice data conversion unit converts the document data taken in via voice data.

Reference numeral 5 is a voice synthesizing section for synthesizing voices based on the voice data output from the voice data converting section 4, 6 is a voice output section for outputting the voices synthesized by the voice synthesizing section 5,
Reference numeral 7 is a quotation mark detecting means for detecting a quote included in the document data fetched through the interface device 3 and changing the voice data so that the quality of the output voice is changed, and 8 is a voice data conversion. The control unit controls the unit 4, the voice synthesis unit 5, the quotation mark detection unit 7, and the interface device 3.

In such a configuration, when the read document data includes a quotation mark indicating the beginning of a conversational sentence, the quotation mark detecting means 7 detects the beginning of the conversational sentence and the voice data conversion unit 4 is detected. The sound quality parameter at the time of voice data generation is switched from "normal" to "conversation" to perform the voice data generation process.

Next, when the quotation mark indicating the end of the conversation sentence is detected, the sound quality parameters are changed from "for conversation" to "for ordinary".
The audio data generation process is subsequently performed.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the main part of the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the sound quality parameter of the sound data conversion unit 4 is set to the normal sound quality parameter (step S1), and the document data is taken from the recording medium 2 via the interface device 3 (step S2).

Then, when the quotation mark indicating the beginning of the conversation sentence is detected while the document data is being captured (step S3) (step S4), the sound quality parameter of the voice data converter 4 is set for conversation. (Step S6).

Next, when a quotation mark indicating the end of the conversational sentence is detected (step S7), the parameters of the voice data conversion unit 4 are switched to those for the ordinary sentence (step S8), and when the document data is captured. (Step S3), the reading device ends the operation.

As described above, since the sound quality of the voice changes corresponding to the quoted text, the user can easily identify the quoted text.

[0017]

According to the present invention, since the sound quality of a normal sentence and that of a quoted sentence (for example, a conversational sentence) are output differently,
The user can easily identify the quoted text.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 OCR device 2 Storage medium 3 Interface device 4 Voice data conversion unit 5 Voice synthesis unit 6 Voice output unit 7 Quotation mark detection means 8 Control means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A reading unit for reading a sentence written on a medium, a voice output unit for converting the read sentence into a voice and outputting the voice, and a detection unit for outputting a predetermined symbol when the read sentence contains a predetermined symbol. A reading device comprising a detection means and a sound quality conversion means for receiving the output of the detection means and changing the sound quality of the output sound of the sound output means.