Musical tone generating apparatus

• US 5,081,896 A
• Filed: 03/07/1990
• Issued: 01/21/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hideo, Nakada, Akira, Watanabe, Kunihiko, Sakama, Masao, Aoki, Eiichiro, Kumano, Shinji, Hiyoshi, Teruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Grimley, A. T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Mathew S.
• Application Number:
  US07/492,303
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 84/615, 84/622, 84/626, 84/639, 84/640, 84/644, 84/670, 84/678, 84/687, 84/692, 84/718, 84/723, 84/724, 84/735, 84/742, 84/743, 84/600, 128/391, 128/736, 250/221, 250/222.1, 356/27, 356/372, 356/384, 356/385, 340/384 E, 340/384 R
• US Class Current: 84/600
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/00 Details of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/411 Light beams

Abstract

The musical tone generating apparatus converts a movement of a man into a musical tone. Such movement of the man includes a walking or running movement, a jumping movement, a rubbing movement and a beating movement, a turning movement and the like. More specifically, a tone pitch, a tone color, a tone volume or other parameters of the musical tone to be generated is controlled based on a value of a moving speed, a value of a jumping height or a value of frictional heat produced by the rubbing movement of player'"'"'s hands.

Claims

1. A musical tone generating apparatus for generating a musical tone corresponding to a detected speed of a person moving on a generally horizontal surface, comprising:

(a) first means comprising a first pair of a first light emitting element and a first light receiving element and a second pair of a second light emitting element and a second light receiving element, each of the first and second light emitting elements and each of the first and second light receiving elements being arranged such that a light emitted from each light emitting element can be received by each light receiving element thereby defining first and second light paths, wherein the first and second light paths are substantially parallel to the surface, an output level of each light receiving element being varied when the light emitted from each light emitting element is shut out by the person, a predetermined interval being formed between said first and second light emitting elements and between the first and second light receiving elements as well, whereby output levels of the first and second light receiving elements are sequentially varied when the person passes through a path formed between the first and second light emitting elements and the first and second light receiving elements;

(b) second means for generating a detection signal representing the speed of the person based on the predetermined interval and a period between a first time when the output level of the first light receiving element varies and a second time when the output level of the second light receiving element varies; and

(c) means for generating a musical tone signal corresponding to the detection signal, the musical tone signal representing at least one of a tone pitch, a tone volume and a tone color of a musical tone to be generated.

2. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first means is freely movable.

3. A musical tone generating apparatus for generating a musical tone corresponding to a detected two dimensional position of a moving person, comprising:

(a) first means for detecting an X-position and a Y-position of the moving person, a combination of the X-position and the Y-position representing the two dimensional position of the moving person within a predetermined area;

(b) second means for generating X-position data representative of the X-position detected by the first means and Y-position data representative of the Y-position detected by the first means; and

(c) means for generating a musical tone signal corresponding to the X-position data and the Y-position data, the musical tone signal representing at least one of a tone pitch, a tone volume and a tone color of a musical tone to be generated.

4. A musical tone generating apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said first means comprises

(a) first pairs consisting of first to Nth (where N denotes an integral number) light emitting elements and first to Nth light receiving elements which are arranged such that a light emitted from each light emitting element can be received by each light receiving element, certain light receiving element varying an output level thereof when the light emitted from certain light emitting element is shut out by said moving man, whereby said X-direction of said moving man is detected by checking output levels of said light receiving elements;

and

(b) second pairs consisting of first to Nth light emitting elements and first to Nth light receiving elements which are arranged such that a light emitted from each light emitting element can be received by each light receiving element, said first pairs and said second pairs being arranged such that the light emitted from each light emitting element within said first pairs falls at right angles with another light emitted from each light emitting element within said second pairs, certain light receiving element varying an output level thereof when the light emitted from certain light emitting element is shut out by said moving van, whereby said Y-direction of said moving man is detected by checking output levels of said light receiving elements within said second pairs.

5. A musical tone generating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the X-position corresponds to a tone pitch and the Y-position corresponds to a tone volume in the musical tone to be generated so that tone pitch and tone volume of the musical tone are respectively varied in response to the variations of X and Y positions.

6. A musical tone control apparatus, comprising:

(a) detecting means for detecting a facing direction to which the head of a person turns, said facing direction being located in a substantially horizontal plane; and

(b) means for generating musical tone control data which control a musical tone in response to a detecting result of said detecting means.

7. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said detecting means comprises:

(a) first means for radiating rays therefrom, said first means being mounted at a predetermined portion of the head of said person at a predetermined height; and

(b) second means, comprising a plurality of ray sensors, for receiving said rays, said ray sensors being disposed at said predetermined height with predetermined intervals between adjacent ray sensors, each ray sensor varying an output level thereof when said rays are radiated thereto,

wherein said detecting means detects said facing direction to which the head of said person turns by detecting said ray sensor output which varies.

8. A musical tone control apparatus, comprising:

(a) light emitting means for emitting light, said light emitting means being adapted to be mounted on the head of a person;

(b) detecting means for detecting a direction of light emitted from said light emitting means within a substantially horizontal plane; and

(c) means for generating musical tone control data which control a musical tone in response to a detecting result of said detecting means.

9. A musical tone control apparatus for generating a musical tone corresponding to a jumping speed of a person, comprising:

(a) first means for detecting a first time when a person jumps up so that a predetermined portion of the person passes over a first height position and a second time when the person jumps up so that the predetermined portion of the person passes over a second height position which is set higher than the first height position;

(b) second means for generating a detection signal representing a period between the first time and the second time; and

(c) maens for generating musical tone control data which control a musical tone signal based on the detection signal.

10. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said first means comprises

(a) a first pair of a first light emitting element and a first light receiving element both of which are placed at said first height position such that a light emitted from said first light emitting element is radiated to said first light receiving element being varied when the light emitted from said first light receiving element is shut out by said person;

and

a second pair of a second light emitting element and a second light receiving element both of which are placed at said second height position such that a light emitted from said second light emitting element is radiated to said second light receiving element, an output level of said second light receiving element being varied when the light emitted from said second light emitting element is shut out by said person, the output level of said second light receiving element being varied at said second time after the output level of said first light receiving element is varied at said first time while said person jumps up and his or her jumping height position becomes higher, said second means detecting the period between said first and second times by checking the output levels of said first and second light receiving elements.

11. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first means is freely movable.

12. A musical tone control apparatus, comprising:

(a) height detecting means for detecting a jumping height of a person, said height detecting means comprising plural pairs of light emitting elements and light receiving elements, said pairs being disposed in a vertical height direction; and

(b) means for generating musical tone control data which control a musical tone signal based on a detecting result of said detecting means.

13. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each of said plural pairs of light emitting elements and light receiving elements is disposed in said vertical height direction such that a predetermined interval is formed between two adjacent pairs, light emitted from said light emitting elements being radiated to corresponding light receiving elements respectively, output levels of said light receiving elements being varied when the lights emitted from said light emitting elements are shut out by said person, the output levels of a certain number of said light receiving elements corresponding to said jumping height of said person being varied while said person jumps up at a position between said light emitting elements and said light receiving elements, said musical tone control data generating means generating said musical tone control data in response to said certain number of said light receiving elements.

14. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the height detecting means is freely movable.

15. A musical tone control apparatus, comprising:

(a) detecting means for detecting external frictional heat produced by a movement of a person; and

(b) means for generating musical tone control data which control a musical tone signal based on a detecting result of said detecting means.

16. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said movement of said person is identified as a rubbing movement of said person.

17. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said movement of said person is identified as a beating movement of said person.

18. A musical tone control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the musical tone control data indicative of at least one of a tone pitch, a tone volume and a tempo are varied in response to temperature due to the produced heat.

19. A musical tone generating apparatus, comprising:

(a) freestanding movable detecting means for detecting a movement of a moving person with respect to said detecting means without contacting the person;

(b) means for generating two light beams, the axes of which are disposed substantially in parallel, said means comprising two pairs of light emitting elements and light receiving elements which pairs can be freely and independently moved to thereby alter the length of the light beam paths; and

(c) means for generating a musical tone signal corresponding to a detecting result of said detecting means, said musical tone signal representing at least one of a tone pitch, a tone volume and a tone color of a musical tone to be generated.

20. A musical tone control apparatus, comprising:

(a) freestanding movable detecting means for detecting a jumping height of a person, said height detecting means comprising plural pairs of light emitting elements and light receiving elements, said pairs being disposed in a vertical height direction; and

(b) means for generating musical tone control data which control a musical tone signal based on a detecting result of said detecting means.

21. A musical tone control apparatus comprising:

(a) speed detecting means comprising plural detecting elements which cooperate to detect at least a vertical component of a jumping velocity of a person; and

(b) means for generating musical tone control data which control a musical tone signal based on a detecting result of said detecting means.