Handheld electronic musical percussion instrument

• US 10,360,890 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2018
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rare Earth Dynamics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rare Earth Dynamics, Inc.
• Inventors: Suitor, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher, Marlon T
• Application Number:
  US15/877,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20180247630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 13/02 Drums; Tambourines with drumheads
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 13/26 Mechanical details of electronic drums
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0083 using wireless transmission, e.g. radio, light, infrared
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0558 using variable resistors
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/026 associated with a key or other user input device, e.g. key indicator lights
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/395 Acceleration sensing or accelerometer use, e.g. 3D movement computation by integration of accelerometer data, angle sensing with respect to the vertical, i.e. gravity sensing. conductor baton movement sensing G10H2220/206, angle sensing without reference to gravity G10H2220/391; player body joint angle sensing G10H2220/321
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/525 Piezoelectric transducers for vibration sensing or vibration excitation in the audio range; Piezoelectric strain sensing, e.g. as key velocity sensor; Piezoelectric actuators, e.g. key actuation in response to a control voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/035 Power management, i.e. specific power supply solutions for electrophonic musical instruments, e.g. auto power shut-off, energy saving designs, power conditioning, connector design, avoiding inconvenient wiring
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/275 Spint drum
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/281 Spint drum assembly, i.e. mimicking two or more drums or drumpads assembled on a common structure, e.g. drum kit multi-toned percussion instruments G10H2230/255
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/365 Ergonomy of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/161 Memory and use thereof, in electrophonic musical instruments, e.g. memory map data structures G10H2240/005; memory cache G10H2230/031; libraries G10H2240/121; files G10H2240/011
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound beam G10H2220/405
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/055 Filters for musical processing or musical effects; Filter responses, filter architecture, filter coefficients or control parameters therefor tone controls H03G5/00; graphic equalizers H03G9/00; digital filters in general H03H17/00; current or voltage-controlled filters H03H11/1291
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/143 characterised by the use of a piezoelectric or magneto-strictive transducer
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/146 using a membrane, e.g. a drum; Pick-up means for vibrating surfaces, e.g. housing of an instrument
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/183 in which the position of the pick-up means is adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/186 Means for processing the signal picked up from the strings filtering G10H1/12

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method for an electronic handheld musical instrument that generates electronic signals for processing by a processor-based module to generate musical sounds adapted to replicate non-electronic traditional hand percussion and other handheld instruments, is provided. A piezoelectric-based trigger is secured in an enclosed volume or enclosure formed in the electronic handheld musical instrument. When manipulated by a musician in a normal fashion, freely moving beads float or travel within the enclosure of the electronic handheld musical instrument and strike against a sensitive face of the piezoelectric transducer device to create a desired sound effect.

Claims

1. A system for detecting analog vibrations and converting said analog vibrations for transmission as an electronic signal, the system comprising:

a housing having an exterior and an interior;

a set of striking objects disposed within the housing and adapted to generate analog vibrations when striking the housing or any object disposed within the housing;

a piezoelectric transducer disposed in the interior of the housing and adapted to generate a transducer electrical signal in response to the analog vibrations;

a transceiver in electrical communication with the piezoelectric transducer and adapted to receive the generated transducer electrical signal from the piezoelectric transducer, the transceiver further adapted to transmit the received transducer electrical signal as an electronic output signal.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an accelerometer adapted to detect acceleration in an X or Y direction and generate an accelerometer electrical signal based on the detected acceleration.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a microcontroller having a processor and a memory.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver comprises a wireless transceiver adapted to transmit the electronic output signal as a radio signal.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the memory further comprises a set of digital files.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the microcontroller is adapted to modify the electronic output signal for transmission by the transceiver based on the accelerometer electrical signal from the accelerometer.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the microcontroller is adapted to determine a digital file to send to the transceiver for transmission based on the accelerometer electrical signal from the accelerometer.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second piezoelectric transducer disposed in the interior of the housing and adapted to generate a transducer electrical signal in response to the analog vibrations.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of interior chambers.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electronic signal processing module adapted to receive the electronic output signal from the transceiver and generate a processed signal based on the electronic output signal.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first potentiometer adapted to modify the transducer signal and a second potentiometer adapted to modify the electronic output signal.