Patent ID: 6226610
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: G10L

Abstract:
A method of matching a first sequence of patterns representative of a first signal with a second sequence of patterns representative of a second signal, wherein the method processes each first signal pattern in-turn by:defining as active patterns the second signal patterns which are at the end of a path for a current first signal pattern being processed, each path representing a possible matching between an ordered sequence of second signal patterns and an ordered sequence of first signal patterns ending at said current first signal pattern;for each active pattern, storing a cumulative value which is indicative of the closeness of the match for the path which ends at that active pattern for said current first signal pattern; andupdating said cumulative values and propagating said paths based on constraints which are placed on the path propagation, by processing each active pattern in reverse sequential order, by:(i) determining which of the second signal patterns the path ending at the current active pattern can propagate to for the succeeding first signal pattern to be processed, based upon said path propagation constraints;(ii) identifying how many of the second signal patterns determined in step (i) have previously been so determined during the processing of a previous active pattern for the current first signal pattern being processed; and(iii) propagating the path associated with the current active pattern in dependence upon how many of said second signal patterns are identified in said step (ii).