1. Speech synthesis apparatus comprising:
a language generator responsive to input information indicative of at least the content of a desired speech output, to generate a corresponding text-form utterance;
a text-to-speech converter for converting text-form utterances received from the language generator into speech form; and
an assessment arrangement for assessing the overall quality of the speech form produced by the text-to-speech converter from an input text-form utterance whereby to selectively produce a modification indicator when it determines that the current speech form is inadequate;
the language generator being responsive to the assessment arrangement producing a said modification indication, to generate a new version of the text-form utterance concerned.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the text-to-speech converter is arranged to generate, in the course of converting a text-form utterance into speech form, values of predetermined features that are indicative of the overall quality of the speech form of the utterance, the assessment arrangement comprising:
a classifier responsive to the feature values generated by the text-to-speech converter to provide a confidence measure of the speech form of the utterance concerned; and
a comparator for comparing confidence measures produced by the classifier against one or more stored threshold values, in order to determine whether to produce a said modification indicator.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the text-to-speech converter includes a concatenative speech generator which in generating a speech-form utterance, produces an accumulated unit selection cost in respect of the speech units used to make up the speech-form utterance; the assessment arrangement comprising a comparator for comparing the selection cost produced by the speech generator against one or more stored threshold values, in order to determine whether to produce a said modification indicator.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output buffer for temporarily storing the latest speech-form utterance generated by the text-to-speech converter, the assessment arrangement releasing this speech-form utterance for output upon determining than a new version is not required.
5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the language generator is responsive to a said modification indicator to produce a new version of the text-form utterance by choosing one or more alternative words for the previously-determined phrasing of the current input information.
6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the language generator is responsive to a said modification indicator to produce a new version of the text-form utterance by rephrasing the current input information.
7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the language generator is responsive to a said modification indicator to produce a new version of the text-form utterance by inserting pauses in front of selected words.
8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said selected words are specialized terms such as proper nouns.
9. A method of generating speech output comprising the steps of:
(a) in response to input information indicative of at least the content of a desired speech output, generating a corresponding text-form utterance;
(b) converting the text-form utterances generated in step (a) into speech form;
(c) assessing the overall quality of the speech form produced in step (b) selectively producing a modification indicator when the current speech form is assessed as inadequate; and
(d) upon a modification indicator being produced instep (c), generating a new version of the text-form utterance that gave rise to the modification indicator.
10. A method according to claim 9, wherein in step (b), in the course of converting a text-form utterance into speech form, values of predetermined features are generated that are indicative of the overall quality of the speech form of the utterance, the assessment carried out in step (c) involving:
using a classifier responsive to said values of predetermined features to provide a confidence measure of the speech form of the utterance concerned; and
comparing confidence measures produced by the classifier against one or more stored threshold values, in order to determine whether to produce a said modification indicator.
11. A method according to claim 9, wherein step (b) is effected using a concatenative speech generator which in generating a speech-form utterance, produces an accumulated unit selection cost in respect of the speech units used to make up the speech-form utterance; step (c) involving comparing this selection cost against one or more stored threshold values, in order to determine whether to produce a said modification indicator.
12. A method according to claim 9, further involving temporarily storing the latest speech-form utterance generated in step (b) and only releasing this speech-form utterance for output upon the assessment of this speech-form utterance in step (c) not resulting in the production of a modification indicator.
13. A method according to claim 9, wherein step (d) involves choosing one or more alternative words for the previously-determined phrasing of the current input information.
14. A method according to claim 9, wherein step (d) involves rephrasing the current input information.
15. A method according to claim 9, wherein step (d) involves inserting pauses in front of selected words.
16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said selected words are specialized terms such as proper nouns.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A luminaire, comprising:
an electrical base;
a driver circuit in electrical communication with the electrical base;
a heat sink operably coupled to the electrical base;
a lens coupled to the heat sink, the lens having a first portion adjacent the heat sink and a second portion adjacent the first portion, the first portion having at least one aperture disposed therein or therethrough, the at least one aperture having a different optical transmission property from the first portion in which the at least one aperture is disposed;
a reflective member disposed between the second portion and the heat sink; and,
a light emitting diode (LED) light source disposed between the reflective member and the heat sink, the LED light source having at least one LED member arranged between the reflective member and the first portion to emit at least a portion of light towards the reflective member, each LED member being disposed in electrical communication with the driver circuit.
2. The luminaire of claim 1 wherein:
the reflective member is a frustoconical or toroidal shape with a reflective outer surface; and,
at least the reflective outer surface, the first portion, and the at least one aperture cooperate to distribute light emitted from the LED light source with a substantially even luminous intensity around a perimeter of the lens.
3. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture has a higher optical transmissivity parameter than the first portion.
4. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture includes a plurality of apertures disposed circumferentially about the first portion.
5. The luminaire of claim 4, wherein the heat sink includes a plurality of ribs disposed circumferentially about the heat sink and the plurality of apertures are disposed to direct light between the plurality of ribs.
6. The luminaire of claim 4, wherein the plurality of apertures are formed in a shape selected from a group comprising: circular, elliptical, oval, square, rectangular, parallelogram, triangular, diamond, and polygonal.
7. The luminaire of claim 6, wherein the apertures include at least one of uniform sizes, uniform areas, uniform spacing, and a uniform width across an entire depth of each.
8. The luminaire of claim 6, wherein the apertures vary in at least one of size, area, and spacing, and at least one of the apertures includes a tapering across a depth thereof.
9. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture is in the shape of a ring disposed circumferentially about the first portion.
10. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the light is distributed with a substantially even luminous intensity in a 0\xb0 to 135\xb0 zone relative to a longitudinal axis of the luminaire.
11. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture is a plurality of micro-apertures disposed in a net-like pattern.
12. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture is a plurality of micro-apertures disposed in a web-like pattern.
13. A luminaire comprising:
an electrical base;
a heat sink having a plurality of ribs coupled to the electrical base;
a lens coupled to the heat sink, the lens having a first portion adjacent the heat sink and a second portion adjacent the first portion opposite the heat sink, the first portion having a plurality of apertures disposed circumferentially about the first portion, wherein each of the plurality of apertures is disposed to direct light substantially between each of the ribs in the plurality of ribs;
a frustoconical or toroidal member having a first end adjacent the heat sink and a second end adjacent the second curved portion; and,
a light emitting diode (LED) light source disposed adjacent the first end and the heat sink, the LED light source having at least one LED member arranged between the first end and the first portion and arranged to emit at least a portion of light towards the frustoconical member.
14. The luminaire of claim 13, wherein the plurality of apertures includes a material having a different optical characteristic than the first portion.
15. The luminaire of claim 13, wherein the material has a higher optical transmissivity parameter than the first portion in which the at least one aperture is disposed.
16. The luminaire of claim 15, wherein the light is distributed through the first portion and the plurality of apertures with substantially luminous intensity in a 0\xb0 to 135\xb0 zone about the luminaire.
17. The luminaire of claim 16, wherein the luminous intensity varies less than 20%.
18. The luminaire of claim 17 wherein at least 5% of total flux is emitted in the 135\xb0 to 180\xb0 zone.
19. A luminaire comprising:
a heat sink having a plurality of ribs disposed about a circumference;
an LED light source disposed on one end of the heat sink, the LED light source having a plurality of LED modules disposed on a radius about a longitudinal axis of the heat sink;
a lens coupled to the heat sink, the lens having a first portion and a second portion adjacent the first portion, the first portion having at least one aperture, the at least one aperture having a higher optical transmissivity than the first portion; and,
a member disposed between the lens and the LED light source, wherein the member has a reflective outer surface disposed between the plurality of LED modules and the lens,
wherein at least the reflective outer surface, the first curved portion, and the at least one aperture cooperate to distribute light emitted from the LED light source with a substantially even luminous intensity around a perimeter of the lens.
20. The luminaire of claim 19 wherein at least the plurality of LED modules, the reflective outer surface, the first curved portion, and the at least one aperture cooperate to distribute greater than or equal to 5% of a luminous flux in a 135\xb0-180\xb0 first zone relative to the longitudinal axis of the luminaire.
21. The luminaire of claim 19, wherein the light is distributed with substantially uniform luminous intensity in a 0\xb0 to 135\xb0 zone relative to the longitudinal axis of the luminaire.
22. The luminaire of claim 19, wherein the at least one aperture is in the shape of a band disposed circumferentially about the first surface.
23. The luminaire of claim 19, wherein the at least one aperture includes the plurality of apertures formed in a shape selected from a group comprising: circular, elliptical, oval, square, rectangular, parallelogram, triangular, diamond, and polygonal.