Breath controller for musical instruments

• US 5,189,240 A
• Filed: 08/31/1989
• Issued: 02/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Kawashima, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONELS, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US07/401,630
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 84/93, 84/670, 84/671, 84/672, 84/718, 84/723, 84/724, 84/743, 84/380 R, 84/383 R, 84/398, 341/27, 341/31, 250/231.19
• US Class Current: 84/724
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0553 using optical or light-responsive means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/361 Mouth control in general, i.e. breath, mouth, teeth, tongue or lip-controlled input devices or sensors detecting, e.g. lip position, lip vibration, air pressure, air velocity, air flow or air jet angle

Abstract

A breath controller for musical instruments includes a mouth piece for blowing the air into an air chamber. Blowing the air makes an air pressure increase in the air chamber, thus an elastic member is displaced corresponding to the air pressure. At the same time, the displacement of a reflection surface changes an amount of light to reflect an emitted light from a light-emitting element to a light-receiving element. The light-receiving element then controls a signal corresponding to the amount of light, thus making the signal change to a musical tone signal.

Claims

1. In a breath controller for musical instruments having a mouthpiece, to control musical tones in accordance with a blowing pressure, the breath controller comprising:

an enclosure which defines an air chamber coupled to the mouth piece, wherein the enclosure includes a casing having the air chamber coupled to the mouth piece, and a first lower casing and a second lower casing, the first and second lower casings being coupled together to form a hole communicated to the air chamber;

an elastic member having a reflection surface which is displaced by the blowing pressure;

a light-emitting element for emitting light to the reflection surface;

a light-receiving element for receiving reflected light from the reflection surface, wherein the amount of the reflected light varies in response to the displacement of the elastic member in accordance with the blowing pressure and the reflected light is converted into a signal corresponding to the amount of the reflected light; and

a musical tone generator for generating a musical tone corresponding to the signal.

2. A breath controller according to claim 1 wherein the elastic member comprises a diaphragm displaced by the blowing pressure, and the reflection surface is formed with the diaphragm to reflect the light.

9. A breath controller according to claim 2 wherein the casing is closed so as to exclude outside light and wherein the light-emitting element is a light-emitting diode.

3. In a breath controller for musical instruments having a mouthpiece, to control musical tones in accordance with a blowing pressure, the breath controller comprising:

an enclosure which defines an air chamber coupled to the mouth piece;

an elastic member having a reflection surface which is displaced by the blowing pressure;

a light-emitting element for emitting light to the reflection surface;

a light-receiving element for receiving reflected light, in which the reflected light is converted into a signal corresponding to the amount of the reflected light; and

a musical tone generator for generating a musical tone corresponding to the signal;

wherein the elastic member comprises a diaphragm displaced by the blowing pressure, and the reflection surface is formed with the diaphragm to reflect the light; and

wherein the diaphragm comprises a circular ridge, and the reflection surface is surrounded by the circular ridge.

4. A breath controller according to claim 3 wherein the enclosure comprises a casing having the air chamber coupled to the mouth piece, and a first lower casing and a second lower casing, the first and second lower casings being coupled together to form a hole communicated to the air chamber.

5. A breath controller according to claim 4 wherein the elastic member is mounted on the hole so that the hole is closed by the elastic member.

6. A breath controller according to claim 5 wherein the diaphragm comprises a thin film formed with the reflection surface.

7. A breath controller according to claim 5 wherein the reflection surface is coated with a light reflected material.

8. A breath controller according to claim 5 wherein the light-emitting element is a light emitting diode which emits an infrared ray.

10. A breath controller according to claim 5 wherein the light-receiving element is a phototransistor which outputs a various level of signals corresponding to the amount of the light when the phototransistor receives the reflected light.

15. A breath controller according to claim 3 wherein the enclosure is closed so as to exclude outside light and wherein the light-emitting element is a light-emitting diode.

11. An electronic musical instrument having a mouth piece for blowing into the instrument, the instrument comprising:

an enclosure which defines an air chamber coupled to the mouth piece;

an elastic member having a light reflection surface which is positioned relative to the air chamber so as to be displaced by the pressure of blowing into the mouth piece, wherein the elastic member comprises a diaphragm having a circular ridge, and the reflection surface is surrounded by the circular ridge;

a light-emitting element for emitting light onto the reflection surface;

a light-receiving element having means for receiving light reflected from the reflection surface and means for outputting an analog signal, the magnitude of which corresponds to the amount of received reflected light, said light receiving means being positioned relative to the light reflection surface of the elastic member so that the amount of light received from the reflection surface and the magnitude of the corresponding light-receiving analog output signal vary in response to the displacement of the reflection surface by the blowing pressure; and

a musical tone generator means for generating a musical tone corresponding to the analog output signal.

12. The controller of claim 11 wherein the light-receiving element is fixed and nonscanning.

13. The controller of claim 11 wherein the musical tone generator means includes an analog to digital converter for converting the analog output signal of the light-receiving element to a digital signal and means for converting the digital signal to a musical tone.

14. An electronic musical instrument having a mouth piece for blowing into the instrument, the instrument comprising:

an enclosure which defines an air chamber coupled to the mouthpiece;

an elastic diaphragm coupled to the air chamber and having a light reflection surface coated with a light reflecting material, said surface being positioned relative to the air chamber so as to be displaced by the pressure of blowing into the mouth piece, wherein the elastic member comprises a diaphragm having a circular ridge, and the reflection surface is surrounded by the circular ridge;

an infrared light-emitting element for emitting infrared light onto the reflection surface;

a phototransistor for receiving reflected infrared light from the reflection surface and for outputting an analog signal, the magnitude of which corresponds to the amount of received reflected light, said phototransistor being positioned relative to the light reflection surface of the diaphragm so that the amount of light received from the diaphragm reflection surface and the magnitude of the corresponding phototransistor analog output signal vary in response to the displacement of the reflection surface by the blowing pressure;

an analog to digital converter for converting the analog output of the phototransistor to a digital signal;

a digital musical tone generator for generating a musical tone in response to a digital input signal; and

a characteristic converter coupled to the output of the analog to digital converter and to the input of the tone generator, for adjusting the digital signal output of the analog to digital converter to a digital input signal which is appropriate for the digital musical tone generator in accordance with the characteristics of the musical tone generator.