MUSCULAR VOLTAGE-CONTROLLED TONE-MODIFYING DEVICE

• US 3,704,339 A
• Filed: 02/17/1971
• Issued: 11/28/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Naoyuki Niinomi
• Original Assignee: Naoyuki Niinomi
• Inventors: Niinomi, Naoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Myers, Lewis H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weldon, U.
• Application Number:
  US05/115,981
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 3/1.1 128/2.06 84/1.01,1.24
• US Class Current: 84/687
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/02 Means for controlling the tone frequencies, e.g. attack or decay; Means for producing special musical effects, e.g. vibratos or glissandos
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/371 Vital parameter control, i.e. musical instrument control based on body signals, e.g. brainwaves, pulsation, temperature or perspiration; Biometric information
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 5/005 Voice controlled instruments

Abstract

An electronic musical instrument is controlled also by the muscular voltage of the instrument player. A pair of electrodes are mounted on any selected portion of the skin of the player in order to pick up a muscular voltage appearing across a muscle upon a contraction thereof. The picked-up voltage is amplified and processed into a control signal which in turn controls the tone signal modifying circuit in the instrument. While the player is engaged in the ordinary performance using hands and feet, further effect control can be carried out at the player'"'"''"'"'s will.

Claims

1. A muscular voltage-controlled tone-modifying device in an electronic musical instrument comprising:

at least one pair of electrodes adapted for mounting on a human body adjacent a muscle of the human body for detecting a muscular voltage which is produced upon contraction of said muscle, a pair of lead conductors connected to said electrodes, at least one muscular voltage processing circuit including amplifying means connected through said lead conductors to said electrodes for receiving and amplifying said detected voltage, to produce an output voltage signal, tone signal modifying circuits having control terminals, and means for applying said output voltage signal derived from said processing circuit to said control terminals of said tone signal modifying circuits, so that said tone signal modifying circuits are controlled in response to an intended motion of the muscle to which the electrodes are attached.

2. A muscular voltage-controlled tone-modifying device according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one connector provided on a casing of the instrument for detachably connecting the lead conductors to said processing circuit and said tone signal modifying circuits.

3. A muscular voltage-controlled tone-modifying device according to claim 1, in which said processing circuit includes rectifying means provided between said amplifying means and said tone signal modifying circuits for developing a DC signal from the amplified muscular voltage.

4. A muscular voltage-controlled tone-modifying device according to claim 1, in which a connector assembly is provided in a chair for the player of the instrument to detachably connect the lead conductors from said pickup electrodes to said processing circuit.

5. A muscular voltage-controlled tone-modifying device according to claim 4, in which said processing circuit is provided in said chair.

6. A muscular voltage-controlled tone-modifying device according to claim 1, in which said one pair of pickup electrodes are associated through a switching means with a plurality of said muscular voltage processing circuits of which each is connected to a different musical effect producing circuit to be controlled so as to obtain an intended effect.

7. A muscular voltage-controlled tone-modifying device according to claim 1 in which a plurality of said paired electrodes are provided for different muscles of the player'"'"''"'"'s body individually, each pair being associated with said muscular voltage processing circuit through a switching means.

8. A muscular voltage-controlled tone-modifying device according to claim 1, in which said muscular voltage processing circuit includes an amplifier for amplifying a picked-up muscular voltage, a non-linear circuit for receiving an amplified voltage from said amplifier and cutting noise component contained in this voltage, a bandpass filter connected to the output of said non-linear circuit, and a rectifier receiving and rectifying the picked-up voltage passing through the bandpass filter to provide a unidirectional voltage.

9. An electronic musical instrument comprising a plurality of audio tone producing circuits, means for causing, when manually operated, said tone producing circuits to produce said tones, means for connecting said producing circuits to said causing means, electrode means for detecting the muscular voltage produced by at least one muscle on a human body, means for varying an audio characteristic of the tones produced by at least one of said circuits as a function of said detected muscular voltage and means for connecting said varying means to said electrode means and to said producing circuits.

10. An instrument as in claim 9 including means for amplifying said detected muscular voltage to produce a control signal.

11. An instrument as in claim 10 including means for reCtifying the amplified voltage to produce said control signal.

12. An instrument as in claim 9 wherein said varying means includes means for varying the amplitude of said tones as a function of said muscular voltage.

13. An instrument as in claim 9 wherein said varying means includes means for varying the color of said tones as a function of said muscular voltage.

14. An instrument as in claim 9 wherein said varying means includes the means for imparting a tremolo effect as a function of said muscular voltage.

15. An instrument as in claim 9 including means for mounting a pair of electrodes on the exterior of the human body adjacent said muscle.

16. An instrument as in claim 15 including means for mounting a plurality of pairs of electrodes on the exterior of the human body each adjacent a muscle for each detecting the muscular voltage of the muscle which it is adjacent.

17. An instrument as in claim 9 including means for mounting a pair of electrodes on an article of clothing.

18. An instrument as in claim 9 wherein said causing means includes a plurality of keys each operatively connected to one of said tone producing circuits.

19. A method of operating an electronic musical instrument of the type having a plurality of audio tone producing circuits and means for manually operating said circuits to produce audio tones comprising the steps of:

manually operating said tone producing circuits to produce said tones, detecting the muscular voltage produced by at least one muscle on a human body, generating a control signal from said muscular voltage, applying said control signal to said tone producing circuits, and varying an audio characteristic of the tones produced by at least one of said circuits as a function of said control signal.

20. A method as in claim 19 including the further step of amplifying said detected muscular voltage to produce a control signal. 21. A method as in claim 20 including the further step of rectifying the amplified voltage to produce said control signal.

22. A method as in claim 19 wherein said step of varying includes the step of varying the amplitude of said tones as a function of said muscular voltage.

23. A method as in claim 19 wherein said step of varying includes the step of varying the color of said tones as a function of said muscular voltage.

24. A method as in claim 19 wherein said step of varying includes the step of imparting a tremolo effect as a function of said muscular voltage.

25. A method as in claim 19 including the step of mounting a pair of electrodes on the exterior of the human body adjacent said muscle.

26. A method as in claim 25 including the step of mounting a plurality of pairs of electrodes on the exterior of the human body each adjacent a muscle for each detecting the muscular voltage of the muscle which it is adjacent.

27. A method as in claim 19 including the step of mounting a pair of electrodes on an article of clothing.

28. A method as in claim 19 wherein said step of manually operating includes manual depression of keys each operatively connected to one of said tone producing circuits.