Neural Network Speech Recognition Using Latent Variable Filtering

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing speech recognition technologies face challenges in accurately transcribing speech due to distracting audio characteristics such as background noise, room reverberations, and speaker-specific features like accent and speaking style, which are not effectively filtered out.

Innovation Solution

The use of neural networks that incorporate feature vectors modeling audio characteristics and latent variables from multivariate factor analysis allows for the isolation and filtering of distracting audio features, improving speech recognition accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If traditional speech recognition models are used, then the system is simpler and faster, but transcription accuracy deteriorates due to inability to filter distracting audio characteristics

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetranscription accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the audio signal processing into distinct components: extracting acoustic features, extracting speaker characteristics, and combining them through neural networks. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while improving overall accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces additional dimensions to the traditional acoustic feature space by incorporating speaker characteristics as separate input features to the neural network. This dimensional expansion enables the system to distinguish between speech content and speaker-specific attributes, improving transcription accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Measurement precision

If more audio features are extracted and processed, then transcription accuracy improves, but processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetranscription accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary extraction and processing of acoustic features and speaker characteristics before they are input to the neural network. This preliminary action reduces the computational burden during the main recognition process by pre-processing the data into compact feature representations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts only the most relevant and discriminative features from the audio signal, rather than processing all available information. This selective extraction maintains transcription accuracy while significantly reducing processing time and computational requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Measurement precision

If speaker characteristics are included as input features, then speech recognition becomes more accurate, but the system becomes more complex and harder to train

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespeech recognition accuracyVSAvoidmodel complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the extraction of acoustic features and speaker characteristics into a unified processing pipeline that feeds both types of features into a single neural network model. This merging approach simplifies the overall system architecture compared to separate processing streams while maintaining high accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS12243515B2Speech recognition using neural networks
Publication Date: 2025.03.04 GOOGLE LLC
  • US12243515B2 patent drawing
  • US12243515B2 patent drawing
  • US12243515B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for speech recognition using neural networks. A feature vector that models audio characteristics of a portion of an utterance is received. Data indicative of latent variables of multivariate factor analysis is received. The feature vector and the data indicative of the latent variables is provided as input to a neural network. A candidate transcription for the utterance is determined based on at least an output of the neural network.