Method and apparatus to synthesize voice based on facial structures

1. An apparatus for use in an articulatory-based text-to-speech conversion system to establish an articulatory speech synthesis model of a first person's voice, the apparatus comprising:

a facial structure input device to acquire image data representing a visage of the first person, in which the visage includes facial characteristics defining exteriorly visible articulatory speech synthesis model parameters of the first person's voice;

a facial characteristics matching system to select a predefined articulatory speech synthesis model from among stores of predefined models modeling voices of different persons, each of the predefined models comprising exteriorly visible and interiorly concealed articulatory speech synthesis model parameters associated with a respective person that is different than the first person, the selection based at least in part on one or both of the facial characteristics or the exteriorly visible articulatory speech synthesis model parameters, associated with the first person, corresponding to a selected predefined articulatory speech synthesis model that is associated with one of the predefined models modeling a second person's voice, the second person being different than the first person; and

an articulatory modeling system to establish the articulatory speech synthesis model of the first person's voice by including in it the interiorly concealed articulatory speech synthesis model parameters available from the selected predefined articulatory speech synthesis model.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the selection is based on a measure of a face-matching correlation between the facial characteristics of the visage of the first person and facial characteristics defining the exteriorly visible articulatory speech synthesis model parameters of the predefined models.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , in which the measure of face-matching correlation is derived using a hidden Markovian model.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the facial structure input device is configured to acquire the image data by capturing an image with an imager in a user equipment device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the facial characteristics matching system is configured to select by comparing the one or both of the facial characteristics or the exteriorly visible articulatory speech synthesis model parameters to those of the predefined models.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the facial characteristics matching system is configured to select by communicating the image data from a user equipment device to a server for initiating a comparison of the one or both of the facial characteristics or the exteriorly visible articulatory speech synthesis model parameters to those of the predefined models.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the articulatory system is configured to synthesize speech based on the articulatory speech synthesis model of the first person's voice.