Music reproducing system, rhythm analyzing method and storage medium

• US 6,177,623 B1
• Filed: 02/22/2000
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd., Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, Inc. (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd., Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ooseki, Nobuhito
• Primary Examiner(s): Nappi, Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fletcher, Marlon T.
• Application Number:
  US09/510,062
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: 846/00--04, 846/09--12, 846/34--36, 846/49--52, 846/66--68, 844/77.R, 844/78
• US Class Current: 84/477.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/55 Controlling game characters or game objects based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/40 Rhythm
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/076 for extraction of timing, tempo; Beat detection
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/235 Fourier transform; Discrete Fourier Transform [DFT]; Fast Fourier Transform [FFT]

Abstract

In a music reproducing system, each of characters is allocated in advance a favorite rhythm component and a peculiar figure expressing ability. A sound pressure data producing section produces sound pressure data for each of a pluralty of frequency bands from musical data. A frequency band identifying section identifies the frequency band which beats a rhythm most. A rhythm estimating section derives a changing period of a sound pressure component in the sound pressure data at the identified frequency band and estimates a rhythm component based on the derived changing period. A character managing section cumulatively changes a figure expressing ability of a displayed character according to the matching degree between the estimated rhythm component and a favorite rhythm component of the displayed character. A display control section changes a display figure of the displayed character according to the figure expressing ability thereof while musical data is reproduced.

Claims

1. A music reproducing system wherein a character is allocated in advance a favorite rhythm component and a display figure of the character on a screen is changed based on musical data, said system comprising:

frequency band identifying means for producing sound pressure data for each of a plurality of frequency bands from said musical data and for identifying, based on the sound pressure data for the plurality of frequency bands, one of the plurality of frequency bands which beats a rhythm most;

rhythm estimating means for deriving a changing period of a sound pressure component from the sound pressure data for the identified frequency band and for estimating a rhythm component of the sound pressure data for the identified frequency band based on the derived changing period; and

control means for changing the display figure of the character according to a matching degree between the estimated rhythm component and the favorite rhythm component.

2. The music reproducing system according to claim 1, wherein said musical data is stored in a portable storage medium and said frequency band identifying means is activated when said musical data is read into said music reproducing system from said portable storage medium.

3. The music reproducing system according to claim 1, wherein said rhythm estimating means derives said changing period by applying an FFT process to the sound pressure data for said identified frequency band, superimposes auxiliary data having a period integer times said changing period onto the sound pressure data for said identified frequency band so as to suppress components other than the rhythm component, and applies an inverse FFT process to the sound pressure data superimposed with said auxiliary data so as to estimate said rhythm component.

4. The music reproducing system according to claim 3, wherein said rhythm estimating means verifies whether said changing period is correct and, when said changing period is verified to be correct, said rhythm estimating means outputs said rhythm component for a predetermined time.

5. A music reproducing system connected to a display unit and provided with music inputting means and music reproducing means, said system comprising:

first storing means for storing a favorite rhythm component for each of characters;

second storing means for storing a figure expressing ability for each of said characters, said figure expressing ability used for expressing a display figure of the corresponding character to be displayed on a screen of said display unit;

frequency band identifying means for producing sound pressure data for each of a plurality of frequency bands from musical data inputted via said music inputting means, and for identifying, based on the sound pressure data for the plurality of frequency bands, one of the plurality of frequency bands which beats a rhythm most;

rhythm estimating means for deriving a changing period of a sound pressure component from the sound pressure data for the identified frequency band and for estimating a rhythm component of the sound pressure data for the identified frequency band based on the derived changing period; and

control means for causing one of said characters to be displayed on the screen of said display unit, reading said favorite rhythm component of said one of said characters from said first storing means, updating the figure expressing ability of said one of said characters stored in said second storing means according to a matching degree between said favorite rhythm component read from said first storing means and said rhythm component estimated by said rhythm estimating means, and changing the display figure of said displayed character based on the updated figure expressing ability to the accompaniment of the musical data reproduced by said music reproducing means.

6. The music reproducing system according to claim 5, wherein said control means updates the figure expressing ability of said displayed character so as to be cumulatively increased every time musical data containing said favorite rhythm component is reproduced.

7. The music reproducing system according to claim 5, further comprising background image control means for changing a background image of said displayed character according to said figure expressing ability.

8. The music reproducing system according to claim 5, wherein said second storing means is an exchangeable nonvolatile storage medium.

9. A rhythm analyzing method to be implemented in an apparatus which displays a character allocated in advance a favorite rhythm component on a screen based on a rhythm component of musical data reproduced, said method comprising the steps of:

producing sound pressure data for each of a plurality of frequency bands from said musical data, and identifying, based on the sound pressure data for the plurality of frequency bands, one of the plurality of frequency bands which beats a rhythm most;

deriving a changing period of a sound pressure component from the sound pressure data for the identified frequency band, and estimating a rhythm component of the sound pressure data for the identified frequency band based on the derived changing period; and

reflecting a matching degree between the estimated rhythm component and the favorite rhythm component onto control information for changing a display figure of the displayed character.

10. The rhythm analyzing method according to claim 9, wherein the step of deriving said changing period and estimating said rhythm component comprises deriving said changing period by applying an FFT process to the sound pressure data for said identified frequency band, superimposing auxiliary data having a period integer times said changing period onto the sound pressure data for said identified frequency band so as to suppress components other than the rhythm component, applying an inverse FFT process to the sound pressure data superimposed with said auxiliary data and performing a verification process for the sound pressure data applied with said inverse FFT process so as to estimate said rhythm component.

11. The rhythm analyzing method according to claim 9, further comprising outputting said estimated rhythm component for a predetermined time.

12. A storage medium storing program codes readable by a computer which displays a character allocated in advance a favorite rhythm component on a screen based on a rhythm component of musical data, said program codes causing said computer to execute the steps of:

producing sound pressure data for each of a plurality of frequency bands from said musical data, and identifying, based on the sound pressure data for the plurality of frequency bands, one of the plurality of frequency bands which beats a rhythm most;

deriving a changing period of a sound pressure component from the sound pressure data for the identified frequency band, and estimating a rhythm component of the sound pressure data for the identified frequency band based on the derived changing period; and

reflecting a matching degree between the estimated rhythm component and the favorite rhythm component onto control information for changing a display figure of the displayed character.

13. The storage medium according to claim 12, wherein said program codes cause an operating system of said computer or other program codes to execute a part of said steps.

14. The storage medium according to claim 12, wherein said storage medium also stores said musical data and is separable from said computer.

15. A storage medium storing program codes readable by a computer which displays a character allocated in advance a favorite rhythm component on a screen based on a figure expressing ability peculiar to the character and a rhythm component of musical data reproduced, said program codes causing said computer to execute the steps of:

producing sound pressure data for each of a plurality of frequency bands from said musical data, and identifying, based on the sound pressure data for the plurality of frequency bands, one of the plurality of frequency bands which beats a rhythm most;

deriving a changing period of a sound pressure component from the sound pressure data for the identified frequency band, and estimating a rhythm component of the sound pressure data for the identified frequency band based on the derived changing period; and

updating said figure expressing ability according to a matching degree between the estimated rhythm component and the favorite rhythm component.

16. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein said program codes cause said computer to execute a step of changing a background image of said character according to said figure expressing ability.

17. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein said program codes cause an operating system of said computer or other program codes to execute a part of said steps.

18. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein said storage medium also stores said musical data and is separable from said computer.