Karaoke lyric position display device

• US 5,194,683 A
• Filed: 06/12/1991
• Issued: 03/16/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/01/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Tsumura, Mihoji, Taniguchi, Shinnosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONELS, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US07/714,279
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 84/600, 84/601, 84/602, 84/604, 84/605, 84/619, 84/645, 84/647, 84/648, 84/657, 84/DIG. 11, 369/65, 369/70
• US Class Current: 434/307.00A
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/26 for automatically producing a series of tones
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/368 displaying animated or moving pictures synchronized with the music or audio part
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/011 Lyrics displays, e.g. for karaoke applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/11 Frequency dividers

Abstract

The purpose of the invention is to ensure that when digitally coded music is being reproduced as audio signals and lyrics are being displayed on a screen that the progress of the two operations is synchronized.

To this end music reproduction data is processed for reproduction in accordance with division values calculated on the basis of tempo data contained in the said music reproduction data while synchronization with the current position in the lyrics, which are displayed on a visual display unit, is advanced in accordance with values derived through multiplication of the aforementioned division values by a constant factor, thereby ensuring the synchronization of the reproduction of the music and the display of the current lyric position on the visual display unit.

Claims

1. A karaoke lyric position display device of the type displaying lyrics in synchronization with the reproduction of music associated with the lyrics in response to composition data representing the music in MIDI format, control data representing tempo, blocks of lyric data and coordinate data indicating a display position of the lyric data and having predetermined values representing a page of lyric data, the karaoke lyric position display device comparing:

memory means for storing the composition data, the lyric data, the coordinate data and the control data;

first microprocessor means having a clock signal and connected to the memory means for reading the composition data from said memory means, said first microprocessor means including frequency divider means responsive to the clock signal and the control data for producing composition control signals, said first microprocessor means responding to the composition controls signals as interrupt signals for producing an output of the composition data as a function of the tempo;

MIDI sound source means responsive to the output of composition data by the first microprocessor means for converting the composition data into audio signals;

second microprocessor means connected to the memory means for reading the blocks of lyric data and the coordinate data, said second microprocessor means including frequency multiplier means responsive to the composition control signals for providing lyric control signals, said second microprocessor means responding to the lyric control signals as interrupt signals for generating outputs signals representing a current lyric position within a block of lyric data and said second microprocessor means executing a page feed of lyric data in response to the coordinate data exceeding the predetermined values; and

visual display means connected to the second microprocessor means for simultaneously displaying the blocks of lyric data and the current lyric position within a block of lyric data.

2. The device according to claim 1 in which the first microprocessor means reads lyric data from the memory means and in which the second microprocessor means reads lyric data from the first microprocessor means.

3. A karaoke lyric position display device of the type displaying lyrics in synchronization with the reproduction of music associated with the lyrics in response to composition data representing the music in MIDI format, blocks of lyric data and control data including tempo data, a number of horizontal resolution dots for a single lyric character and a performance time of a single lyric character, the karaoke lyric position display device comprising:

memory means for storing the composition data, the lyric data and the control data;

first microprocessor means having a clock signal and connected to the memory means for reading the composition data from said memory means, said first microprocessor means including frequency divider means responsive to the clock signal and the control data for producing composition control signals by dividing the clock signal in accordance with the music tempo data and then by the number of horizontal resolution dots, said first microprocessor means responding to the composition controls signals as interrupt signals for producing an output of the composition data as a function of the tempo;

MIDI sound source means responsive to the output of composition data by the first microprocessor means for converting the composition data into audio signals;

second microprocessor means connected to the memory means for reading the blocks of lyric data, said second microprocessor means including frequency multiplier means responsive to the composition control signals for providing lyric control signals by multiplying the performance time by the composition control signals, said second microprocessor means responding to the lyric control signals as interrupt signals for generating output signals representing a current lyric position within a block of lyric data; and

visual display means connected to the second microprocessor means for simultaneously displaying the blocks of lyric data and the current lyric position within a block of lyric data.