NIPPON ELECTRIC COMPANY, LTD. (NEC)

Central Research Laboratories
Kawasaki, Japan

NEC Corporation  (name changed in 1983)
Kawasaki, Japan


CONTENTS:

HISTORY

TERMINAL ANALOG SPEECH SYNTHESIZER (1964-1973)

AUTOMATIC BOOK READER FOR THE BLIND (1982-1985)

BIOGRAPHIES


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HISTORY


NEC was founded in 1899 as the first Japanese joint venture
company, in this case with the Western Electric Company of
Illinois, USA.  The American interest in NEC was later managed in
1918 by International Western Electric Company, Inc., which was
sold to International Telephone and Telegraph Corp. in 1925 and
the name was changed to International Standard Electric Corp.
(ISE).  In 1932, the Sumitomo industrial group assumed
responsibility for NEC business from ISE.  By 1951, ISE no longer
owned shares in NEC.  Modern NEC owns manufacturing plants in
Mexico, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and has
established a research unit, NEC Research Institute, Inc., in the
United States.

NEC's first products were telegraph and telephone equipment,
later adding radio communications products in 1924. During the
following decades, NEC offered products in voice, data, and image
communications, basic electronic devices, and computers. In 1977,
all these technologies were integrated in a Computers and
Communications concept, called "C&C" by the company.

The company's investment in research, dating from the late 1930s,
culminated with the establishment of the Central Research
Laboratories in 1975, in the Tokyo suburbs.  ("This is NEC 1988",
in SSSHP 78 Reprints.)

Research on speech synthesis was an outgrowth of interest in
improving man-machine communications. Speech was seen as an
important contributor over typical written communication with
Chinese ideographs.

1985 Uenohara, M., "Speech products and their applications in
     Japan", Speech Tech '85, 273-276, 1985. Survey of NEC
     speech technology and current speech products. Experiments
     with automatic, real-time language translation between
     people. In SSSHP 78 Reprints.


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PROJECT: TERMINAL ANALOG SPEECH SYNTHESIZER (1964-1973)


Small digital computer (NEAC-L3) controlled a serial synthesizer.
Unvoiced natural speech segments on magnetic drum.


1968 Kato, Y., K. Ochiai, S. Azami, "Speech synthesis by rule
     supplementarily using natural speech segments", Proc. 6th
     Int. Congr. Acoust. B-5-13, Tokyo, Japan, August 1968.  (I)
     In SSSHP 78 Reprints.

     SSSHP 62 Tape: "Speech synthesis by rule supplementarily
          using natural speech segments, NEC Corp., copied by
          Yukio Mitome, Jan. 31, 1989,"
          (Female Japanese: (sentence) towadako/ewa/aomori/kara/
          basu/de/ikimasu (word) name of company)
          Cassette, -10VU


Later serial-parallel synthesizer controlled by a NEAC-3100
computer. Linear formant transitions. Analog formant circuits
tuned by pulse width modulation.


1971 Kato, Y., K. Ochiai, T. Araseki, "A terminal analog speech
     synthesizer in a small computer," IEEE Int. Conv. Digest.
     2F.4, New York, March 1971.  (B) In SSSHP 78 Reprints.

     SSSHP 63 Tape: "A terminal analog speech synthesizer in a
          small computer (TV commercial), NEC Corp., copied by
          Yukio Mitome, Jan. 31, 1989"
          (Japanese dialog between child and male-voice
          synthesizer, x2; synthesizer alone)
          Cassette, -15VU


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PROJECT: AUTOMATIC BOOK READER FOR THE BLIND (1982 - 1985)


Text to speech from image scanner to synthesized speech. Project
sponsored by Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Japan,
as technology development for handicapped persons.


1986 Mitome, Y., K. Fushikida, "Japanese speech synthesis system
     in a book reader for the blind," Proc. IEEE ICASSP86,
     13.13.1, Tokyo, Japan, April 1986. In SSSHP 78 Reprints.

     SSSHP 64 Tape: "Japanese speech synthesis system in a book
          reader for the blind, NEC Corp., copied by Yukio
          Mitome, Jan. 31, 1989,"
          (Japanese, part of the novel, Bocchan, about 1 min)
          Cassette, -15VU, good quality


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BIOGRAPHIES


TAKASHI ARASEKI

1969 B.S. degree from Hokkaido Univ., Hikkaido, Japan
     NEC Corporation, Kawasaki, Japan, R&D of speech signal
     processing and video signal processing
1989 Manager, Home Electronics Research Laboratory, C&C
     Information Technology Research Laboratories


SHINTARO AZAMI

1963 Graduated from Kanagawa Technical High School
     NEC Corp., Kawasaki, Japan, R&D of speech synthesis
1968 Graduated from Nippon Electric Technical College
1989 Assistant Manager, 3rd Network Department, Transmission
     Network Development Division


KATSUNOBU FUSHIKIDA

1970 M.S. degree from Univ. of Electrocommunications, Tokyo,
     Japan
     NEC Corp., Kawasaki, Japan, R&D of speech signal
     processing, speech synthesis and speech band compression
1988 Manager, Software Division, NEC Scientific Information
     System Development, Ltd.


YASUO KATO

1958 B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Tokyo Inst. of Technology,
     Tokyo, Japan
     NEC Corp., Communication Research Laboratory, R&D in digital
     signal processing, speech band-compression and speech
     recognition
1964-65 Visiting researcher, Speech Communication Group, RLE, MIT
1966 Supervisor, Speech Signal Processing, Comm. Res. Lab., NEC
1970 Research Manager, Speech and Video Signal Processing
1975 Manager, Communication Research Laboratory
1980 General Manager, C&C Systems Research Laboratories, NEC
1986 Vice President, NEC
1987 Vice President and Director, NEC
1986 ICASSP publicity, tel (044) 855-1111
     C&C Systems Research Laboratories
     NEC Corp.
     Kawasaki-shi, 213  JAPAN


YUKIO MITOME

1980 M.S. degree from Yokohama National University, Kanagawa,
     Japan
     NEC Corp., Kawasaki, Japan, R&D of speech synthesis
1989 Supervisor, Media Technology Research Laboratory, C&C
     Information Technology Research Laboratories


KAZUO OCHIAI

1963 B.S. degree from Univ. of Electrocommunications, Tokyo,
     Japan NEC Corp, Kawasaki, Japan, R&D of speech synthesis,
     speech coding, and echo control
1989 Assistant General Manager, Facsimile Media Terminals
     Development Division


MICHIYUKI UENOHARA

1949 BE in Elect. Engineering, Nihon University
1953 MS in Elect. Engineering, Ohio State University
1956 PhD in Elect. Engineering, Ohio State University
     Instructor, Faculty of Engineering, Nihon Univ.
1957-61 MTS
1958 Dr of Engr., Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
1961-67 Supervisor, Advanced Microwave Solid State Device
     Development Group
1957-67 Bell Telephone Laboratories
1967 Manager, CRL Electron Device Research Laboratory
1968 Manager, CRL Electron Device Research Lab. and Quantum
     Electronic Research Lab.
1969 Asst. General Manager of CRL, and Manager of Memory Research
     Lab.
1971 General Manager of CRL and Asst. General Manager of
     Corporate Strategy
1976 Vice Pres. and General Manager of CRL
     Assoc. Senior Vice Pres. and Director of CRL
1980 Senior Vice Pres. and Director of CRL
1982 Executive Vice Pres. and Director of CRL
1987 Senior Executive Vice Pres. and Director of CRL
1989 Executive Advisor to CRL


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CONTRIBUTIONS AND REVIEW BY:

Dr. Seibi Chiba
Mr. Yukio Mitome
C&C Information Research Laboratories
NEC Corporation
4-1-1 Miyazaki, Miyamae-ku
Kawasaki-shi, 213 JAPAN