Wear for controlling a musical tone

• US 5,127,301 A
• Filed: 04/23/1990
• Issued: 07/07/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hideo, Nakada, Akira, Sakama, Masao, Kimpara, Mamoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US07/512,562
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 84/600, 84/622-625, 84/633, 84/644, 84/659-661, 84/665, 84/670, 84/692-700, 84/711, 84/718, 84/735, 84/736, 84/741, 84/743, 128/774, 128/782, 446/175, 446/26-28, 446/397, 446/404, 338/69, 338/114, 338/176, 338/6, 338/209, 338/333, 338/334, 273/DIG. 19, 273/183 B, 273/26 C, 73/865.4, 901/9, 901/32-34, 901/46, 414/1, 414/4, 414/5
• US Class Current: 84/600
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/00 Details of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/321 Garment sensors, i.e. musical control means with trigger surfaces or joint angle sensors, worn as a garment by the player, e.g. bracelet, intelligent clothing vital parameter sensing G10H2220/371; wearable interfaces in general G06F3/00

Abstract

The wear for controlling a musical tone consists of a wear worn by a player, a main body and at least one detector for detecting a certain movement of the player. The main body is mounted at a player'"'"'s waist, and the detector is mounted at a player'"'"'s joint by use of a mounting member such as a plane fastener. Hence, the mounting position of the detector can be freely adjusted. The main body and the detector are connected by use of wires which may be sewed in the wear. In addition, the detector may constitute a supporter which can be freely mounted at the player'"'"'s joint. When the detector detects the movement of the player, such as a bending angle of the player'"'"'s joint, a tone pitch, a tone volume or a tone color of the musical tone to be generated is controlled based on the detected movement of the player.

Claims

1. An article of wear for controlling a musical tone, said article of wear having an inner surface and an other surface, comprising:

(a) at least one mounting member fixedly mounted to the other surface of said article of wear near a joint of a player; and

(b) movement detecting means for detecting a movement of said joint, said movement detecting means being detachably mounted to said other surface of said article of wear by said fixed mounting member such that said movement detecting means avoids contact with the skin of said player, whereby said musical tone is controlled based on the detected movement of said joint.

2. An article of wear according to claim 1, wherein said movement detecting means comprises a potentiometer for detecting a bending angle of said joint.

3. An article of wear according to claim 1, wherein said mounting member is a flat fastener.

4. An article of wear according to claim 2, further comprising a main body which generates a musical toe, wherein at least one of a tone pitch, a tone volume and a tone color of said musical tone is controlled based on said bending angle of said joint detected by said potentiometer.

5. An article of wear according to claim 1, wherein said movement detecting means detects an angle of said joint.

6. An article of wear according to claim 1, wherein said movement detecting means detects the relative positions of first and second body members joined at said joint by detecting a distance between a first position of the first body member and a second position of the second body member.

7. An article of wear according to claim 1, wherein said movement detecting means detects the relative positions of body members joined at said joint by detecting a rotation of one of said body members about an associated axis.

8. An article of wear for controlling a musical tone, comprising:

(a) movement detecting means detachably mounted to said article of wear and having an output wire, for detecting a movement of said player and for delivering a detection signal representative of a detected movement, said musical tone being controlled based on said detection signal;

(b) a first terminal mounted at a first position of said article of wear and connected with an output wire of said movement detecting means;

(c) a second terminal mounted at a second position of said article of wear; and

(d) a wire for connecting said first and second terminals, said wire being affixed to said article of wear at plural points along said wire such that said wire is prevented from being twisted about said player and caught on surrounding objects.

9. An article of wear according to claim 8, wherein said movement detecting means comprises a potentiometer for detecting a bending angle of a joint of a player.

10. An article of wear according to claim 9, further comprising a main body which generates a musical tone, wherein at least one of a tone pitch, a tone volume and a tone color of said musical tone is controlled based on said bending angle of said joint detected by said potentiometer.

11. An article of wear according to claim 8, wherein said wire is sewed onto said article of wear in a manner which permits said article of wear to expand and contract.

12. An article of wear for controlling a musical tone, comprising:

(a) a plurality of movement detecting means for detecting a movement of a player, each of said movement detecting means comprising fibers, the resistance of said fibers being varied in response to bending and stretching movement of said fibers, each of said movement detecting means being mounted at a joint of a player, whereby said resistance of said fibers is varied in response to a bending angle of said joint; and

(b) control means for detecting resistance variations of said movement detecting means respectively corresponding to variations in the bending angles of said joints, said control means controlling said musical tone based on detected resistance variations of said movement detecting means, whereby said musical tone is controlled based on detected bending angles of said joints.

13. An article of wear according to claim 12, wherein said movement detecting means is a supporter having a conductive member at each edge thereof, said supporter also having carbon fibers between said conductive members at both edges thereof, whereby a resistance between said conductive members is varied in response to bending and stretching movements of said supporter.

14. An article of wear according to claim 13, wherein at least one of a tone pitch, a tone volume, and a tone color of said musical tone to be generated is varied based on the detected resistance variation of said supporter.

15. An article of wear for controlling a musical tone, comprising:

(a) at least one mounting member fixedly mounted near a joint of a player when said wear is worn by the player; and

(b) movement detecting means for detecting a movement of said joint, said movement detecting means being detachably mounted to said article of wear by said fixed mounting member such that said movement detecting means bridges over said joint, whereby said musical tone is controlled based on a detected movement of said joint.

16. An article of wear according to claim 15, wherein a first end of said movement detecting means is positioned on one side of said joint and a second end of said movement detecting means is positioned on another side of said joint.

17. An article of wear according to claim 15, wherein said movement detecting means includes a rotatable member positioned on the article of wear so that the rotatable member of said movement detecting means rotates in correspondence with a movement of said joint and said movement detecting means detects a rotation of said rotatable member.

18. An article of wear according to claim 15, wherein said movement detecting means detects an angle of said joint.

19. An article of wear according to claim 15, wherein said movement detecting means detects the relative positions of body members joined at a joint by detecting a distance between a first portion of a body member and a second portion of a second body member.

20. An article of wear according to claim 15, wherein said movement detecting means detects the relative positions of body members joined at a joint by detecting a rotation of one of said body members about an associated axis.

21. A device for controlling a musical tone, comprising:

(a) an article of wear, said article of wear being adapted to be worn by a player;

(b) detecting means for detecting the angle of a joint of a player through a range of motion thereof, whereby said musical tone is controlled throughout the range of motion based on the detected angle of said joint; and

(c) means, affixed to said wear, for mounting said detecting means to said article of wear so as to be freely removable from said article of wear.