Fader device having a fine adjustment of the signal level

• US 5,239,458 A
• Filed: 07/20/1990
• Issued: 08/24/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Jack B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US07/556,039
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 381/107, 381/109, 381/113, 381/104, 381/106, 381/119, 364/580, 364/550, 364/146, 364/142, 364/148, 364/167.01, 364/182, 364/188, 364/192, 364/581, 364/705.04
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios

Abstract

A fader device used for an audio mixer etc. includes fader operators, a signal processing circuit for processing signals in accordance with operation position of the fader operators, switches for switching an operation mode of fader operators between an absolute mode in which amounts of displacement of the fader operators represent absolute change value and a relative mode in which amounts of displacement of the fader operators are caused to represent relative change values by setting a predetermined displacement range of a control parameter. When the operation mode has been switched from the absolute mode to the relative mode, a control circuit peforms control in such a manner that the amounts of displacement of the fader operators in the absolute mode have been stored and the fader operators are forced to be set in central positions of the strokes of the fader operators. Total amount of operation is recognized by calculating the stored value corresponding to the central position and displacement value from the central position. The amounts of displacement of the fader operators in the relative mode can be controlled at a smaller ratio than in the absolute mode and a fine adjustment of a signal level thereby can be achieved.

Claims

1. A fader device comprising:

a plurality of fader operators displaceable between a plurality of operation positions;

signal processing means for processing signals in accordance with respective operation positions of the plurality of fader operators;

mode switching means for switching an operation mode of the plurality of fader operators between a first operation mode, in which the displacement of the plurality of fader operators represent absolute change values, and a second operation mode, in which the displacement of the plurality of fader operators represent relative change values variable in accordance with a weighting factor;

control means for controlling the fader device such that, in the first operation mode, values representing the displacement of the operation positions of the plurality of fader operators are stored while the signal processing means processes signals in accordance with the displacement of the operation positions of the respective fader operators, and in the second operation mode, the values stored in the first operation mode are increased or decreased in accordance with the relative change values determined by the displacement of the plurality of fader operators in the second operation mode such that the processing of signals is performed in accordance with the increased or decreased values; and

a motor for electrically displacing the plurality of fader operators, wherein said control means displaces the operation positions of the plurality of fader operators to respective center positions by driving the motor when the operation mode of the fader operators has been switched from the first operation mode to the second operation mode.

2. A fader device as defined in claim 1, wherein the operation for switching the operation mode to the second operation mode is repeated such that the control means displaces the plurality of fader operators to the center positions and the stored values are reset with respect to the center positions.

3. A fader device comprising:

a plurality of fader operations displaceable between a plurality of operation positions;

signal processing means for processing signals in accordance with respective operation positions of the plurality of fader operators;

mode switching means for switching an operation mode of the plurality of fader operators between a first operation mode, in which the displacement of the plurality of fader operators represent absolute change values, and a second operation mode, in which the displacement of the plurality of fader operators represent relative change values variable in accordance with a weighting factor;

control means for controlling the fader device such that, in the first operation mode, values representing the displacement of the operation positions of the plurality of fader operators are stored while the signal processing means processes signals in accordance with the displacement of the operation positions of the respective fader operators, and in the second operation mode, the values stored in the first operation mode are increased or decreased in accordance with the relative change values determined by the displacement of the plurality of fader operators in the second operation mode such that the processing of signals is performed in accordance with the increased or decreased values; and

a motor for electrically displacing the plurality of fader operators, wherein said control means displaces the plurality of fader operators to positions corresponding to the increased or decreased values in the second operation mode by driving the motor when the operation mode has been switched from the second operation mode to the first operation mode.

4. A fader device comprising:

a plurality of fader operators displaceable between a plurality of operation positions;

signal processing means for processing signals in accordance with respective operation positions of the plurality of fader operators;

mode switching means for switching an operation mode of the plurality of fader operators between a first operation mode, in which the displacement of the plurality of fader operators represent absolute change values, and a second operation mode, in which the displacement of the plurality of fader operators represent relative change values variable in accordance with a weighting factor;

control means for controlling the fader device such that, in the first operation mode, values representing the displacement of the operation positions of the plurality of fader operators are stored while the signal processing means processes signals in accordance with the displacement of the operation positions of the respective fader operators, and in the second operation mode, the values stored in the first operation mode are increased or decreased in accordance with the relative change values determined by the displacement of the plurality of fader operators in the second operation mode such that the processing of signals is performed in accordance with the increased or decreased values; and

means for selecting the weighting factor.