Product category:
Analogue and Mixed Signal ICs
News Release from: Flint | Subject: Winbond WTS701
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 13 February 2002
One chip handles all text to speech
functions
A new single-chip text to speech convertor allows developers to quickly create speech-enhanced products without adding significantly to the complexity of the system.
A new single-chip text to speech convertor allows developers to quickly create speech-enhanced products without adding significantly to the complexity of the system, or requiring extra processing or memory resources The Winbond WTS701 from Flint converts ASCII or Unicode text into real human voice by concatenating prestored acoustic elements, delivering a more realistic user experience than alternatives that synthesise speech
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 24 Aug 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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Applications include information and communication devices such as hands-free phones, PDAs, driver information systems, products for the visually impaired and e-books.
The 56-pin TSOP device includes an onboard 8ohm speaker driver for maximum integration, operates from a single 2.7 to 3.6V supply and consumes 35mA in active mode.
Stand-by current is 55A.
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Interfaces include a digital codec output, host SPI interface, handshaking interface and speaker and line-in/line-out interfaces.
Speech features include text conversion commands, basic control commands such as stop, pause, and resume and can vary the speech speed and volume.
Any number of languages may be supported, although the first versions will support English and Mandarin.
The WTS701 contains two memory arrays that store the acoustic library and processor program separately, allowing developers to easily include application-specific text or abbreviations, customised to a specific user according to preferences.
This allows the system to support SMS characters, chat emoticons or special sequences and replace them with a pronounceable text.
Further features include an onboard ADC for sending audio data over an audio PCM bus, allowing the WTS701 to integrate easily into wireless baseband applications such as mobile phone handsets by sharing a single audio codec.
The device's on-chip speaker driver can also be used by external applications to drive audio to a common speaker, thereby saving space and additional analog components on the PCB.
An evaluation and development tool is also available, to further save development time and effort, enabling advanced voice enabled features to be added easily in applications such as telematics, automotive information and navigation systems, products for the disabled, wireless accessories for cell phones or PDAs, and learning aids.
Other applications include messaging functionality for transportation or industrial systems, help or instruction manual readers and caller ID and telephony devices.
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