Musical tone control apparatus

• US 5,046,394 A
• Filed: 09/21/1989
• Issued: 09/10/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Jun, Suzuki, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sircus, Brian
• Application Number:
  US07/410,291
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 84/658-670, 84/687-690, 84/724, 84/600-601, 250/227.14, 250/227.16, 250/231.19, 350/96.15
• US Class Current: 84/600
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0553 using optical or light-responsive means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/326 Control glove or other hand or palm-attached control device

Abstract

The musical tone control apparatus generates a musical tone control signal in response to a motion at a certain part of a human body, preferably a bending motion at an articulation of a finger, wherein it includes a light emitting element, a photo-conductive member and a light receiving element. The light emitted from the light emitting element is transmitted through the photo-conductive member whose light transmission rate varies in response to the force applied thereon, so that the amount of the light transmitted through the photoconductive member is reduced. Such reduced amount of the transmitted light is received by the light receiving element. Based on the received light, the musical tone control signal is generated. Thus, by bending the photo-conductive member, the musical tone control signal can be varied. Preferably, the light emitting element is a photodiode, the photo-conductive member is an optical fiber, and the light receiving element is a phototransistor.

Claims

1. A musical tone control apparatus comprising:

(a) a light emitting element;

(b) a photo-conductive member, in which the transmitted amount of the light emitted from said light emitting element varies in response to a bend of said photo-conductive member;

(c) a light receiving element for receiving the light transmitted through said photo-conductive member;

(d) a mounting member to be mounted to a certain portion of a human body, said photo-conductive member being attached to said mounting member; and

(e) control means for generating a musical tone control signal in response to the amount of the light received by said light receiving element, said control means including comparator means for comparing the amount of the received light to a predetermined threshold value, so that said control means generates said musical tone control signal based on said comparison of the amount of the received light and the predetermined threshold value.

2. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said photo-conductive member is constructed by an optical fiber whose light-transmission or light-absorption varies in response to a bend thereof.

3. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said musical tone control signal includes a signal indicating a start timing at which generation of a musical tone is started.

4. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said control means further includes:

delay means for delaying an output of said comparator means; and

bending velocity detecting means for detecting a bending velocity of said photo-conductive member based on a difference between two amounts of the received light corresponding to a delay time of said delay means,

whereby said control means generates said musical tone control signal in response to said bending velocity detected by said bending velocity detecting means.

5. A musical tone control apparatus for use in connection with a musical tone generator, comprising:

(1) a light emitting element;

(2) a photo-conductive member, in which the transmitted amount of the light emitted from said light emitting element varies in response to a bend of said photo-conductive member, wherein said photo-conductive member comprises;

(a) a plurality of optical fibers some of which are connected together in series; and

(b) a plurality of pairs of connector members, wherein two connector members in each one pair are respectively attached to edge portions of two optical fibers to be connected in series such that said two optical fibers can be revolved about an axis askew to its axial directions by a desirable degree, said two connector members opening or closing a connection between said edge portions of said two optical fibers in response to a force effected on said optical fibers;

(3) a light receiving element for receiving the light transmitted through said photo-conductive member; and

(4) a mounting member to be mounted to a certain portion of a human body, in which at least said photo-conductive member is attached to said mounting member;

wherein a musical tone control signal may be generated in response to the amount of light received by said light receiving element.

6. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 5 wherein a connecting member is provided at one part of said edge portions of said one pair of connector members so that the connection between said one pair of connector members can be obtained in an almost close state by said connecting member.

7. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said connecting member is a hinge.

8. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 5 further including click means for rapidly changing the force required for initially opening or completing the closing of said connector members, so that a click feeling is obtained when initially opening or completing the closing of said connector members.

9. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said click means includes a magnet.

10. A musical tone control apparatus comprising:

(a) a photocoupler capable of emitting and receiving light, said photocoupler generating a signal corresponding to the received light thereof;

(b) first and second optical fibers which are to be connected in series;

(c) a connector which can be closed or opened by a desirable degree in response to a motion at a certain part of a human body, said first and second optical fibers being connected together in series by said connector, so that the amount of the light transmitted through said optical fibers is varied in response to said motion;

(d) a reflection member provided at one edge of said second optical fiber which is not connected to said connector; and

(e) musical tone control means for generating a musical tone control signal based on an output signal of said photocoupler, said control means including comparator means for comparing the photocoupler output signal to a predetermined threshold value, so that said control means generates said musical tone control signal when a comparison result of said comparator means indicates that the photocoupler output signal exceeds said predetermined threshold value,

wherein said photocoupler is coupled at one edge of said first optical fiber which is not connected to said connector, said photocoupler, said first optical fiber, said connector, said second optical fiber and said reflection member are connected in series so that the light emitted from said photocoupler is transmitted through said first optical fiber, said connector, said second optical fiber and then it is reflected by said reflection member, in which a reflected light is transmitted through said second optical fiber, said connector, said first optical fiber and then received by said photocoupler, said photocoupler outputting its output signal in response to the reflected light which is received by said photocoupler,

wherein said musical tone control signal is varied in response to the output signal of said photocoupler based on said motion at the certain part of the human body.

11. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said photocoupler further comprises:

(a) a photodiode for emitting the light;

(b) a phototransistor; and

(c) guiding means for guiding the reflected light to said phototransistor so that said phototransistor can generate the signal corresponding to an amount of the reflected light.

12. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said guiding means is a half mirror which is arranged such that the light emitted from the photodiode is introduced into the first optical fiber and the reflected light is guided to a base of the phototransistor.

13. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said musical tone control means further comprises:

(a) an analog-to-digital converter for converting the output signal from said photocoupler into a digital signal whose value corresponds to said motion at the certain part of the human body;

(b) key-on signal generating means for generating a key-on signal based on said digital signal; and

(c) means for generating an touch signal indicative of an initial-touch and/or an after-touch based on said digital signal and said key-on signal,

wherein said key-on signal and said touch signal are used as said musical tone control signal for controlling musical parameters of a musical tone.

14. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the certain part of the human body is an articulation of a finger so that the musical tone control signal is generated in response to a bending motion at the articulation of the finger.

15. A musical tone control apparatus comprising:

(a) a light emitting element;

(b) a photo-conductive member, in which the transmitted amount of the light emitted from said light emitting element varies in response to a bend of said photo-conductive member;

(c) a light receiving element for receiving the light transmitted through said photo-conductive member;

(d) a mounting member to be mounted to a certain portion of a human body, in which said photo-conductive member is attached to said mounting member; and

(e) control means for generating a musical tone control signal in response to the amount of the light received by said light receiving element, said control means including first and second comparator means for respectively comparing the amount of the received light to first and second threshold values,

wherein said control means generates said musical tone control signal when a comparison result of said first comparator means indicates that the amount of the received light is lower than said first threshold value or when a comparison result of said second comparator means indicates that the amount of the received light exceeds said second threshold value.

16. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said musical tone control signal includes a signal indicating an end timing at which generation of a musical tone is ended.

17. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said second threshold value is set lower than said first threshold value.