Hexaphonic pickup for digital guitar system

• US 7,166,794 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2003
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gibson Brands, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Gibson Guitar Corporation (Gibson Brands, Inc.)
• Inventors: Juszkiewicz, Henry E., Yeakel, Nathan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): DONELS, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US10/657,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20040168566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: 84725-728
• US Class Current: 84/728
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/285 USB, i.e. either using a USB plug as power supply or using the USB protocol to exchange data
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/188 for converting the signal to digital format transmission using a MIDI interface G10H1/0066

Abstract

A novel multi-signal guitar pickup is provided. The pickup includes a coil assembly for each string that is capable of generating two signals which can be combined together in a predetermined manner to generate an x-plane and a y-plane signal. The pickup is particularly useful in a digital guitar system which generates multiple digital signals representative of the vibrations of each string.

Claims

1. An audio transducer subassembly, comprising:

a bobbin-shaped support structure subassembly having a flanged top, a base including a base opening having a base width, and a core between the flanged top and the base, the core including a core opening having a core opening width less than the base opening width;

a pole piece at least partially positioned within the core; and

a magnet at least partially positioned inside the base opening in contact with the pole piece.

2. The subassembly of claim 1, wherein the support structure has a predetermined support structure length and the pole piece has a length equal to the predetermined support structure length.

3. The subassembly of claim 1, wherein the pole piece does not extend out of the flanged top or out of the base.

7. The subassembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a wire wrapped around the core to form a coil; and

an output assembly connected to the coil and mounted on the base.

8. The subassembly of claim 7, further comprising the pole piece positioned within the core and the base.

4. An audio transducer subassembly, comprising:

a bobbin-shaped support structure subassembly having a flanged top, a base, and a core between the flanged top and the base;

a role piece at least partially positioned within the core;

a magnet at least partially positioned inside the base in contact with the pole piece;

wherein the pole piece includes an upper portion and a lower portion;

wherein the upper portion of the pole piece is positioned within the core and the lower portion is prevented from being positioned within the core; and

the base has a base opening which allows the upper portion to pass through the base and be positioned within the core and allows the lower portion to be positioned within the base.

5. An audio transducer subassembly, comprising:

a bobbin-shaped support structure subassembly having a flanged top, a base, and a core between the flanged top and the base;

a role piece at least partially positioned within the core;

a magnet at least partially positioned inside the base in contact with the role piece;

wherein the pole piece comprises a flanged pole piece received in the core and the base.

6. An audio transducer subassembly, comprising:

a bobbin-shaped support structure subassembly having a flanged top, a base, and a core between the flanged top and the base;

a role piece at least partially positioned within the core;

a magnet at least partially positioned inside the base in contact with the role piece;

wherein role piece comprises a t-shaped pole piece received in the core and the base.

9. An audio transducer, comprising:

a magnetic assembly having only two magnetic pole pieces for generating two magnetic fields;

a coil assembly positioned within the magnetic fields for generating two signals when the magnetic fields are varied by a guitar string vibrating in the magnetic fields;

a support structure supporting the coil and the magnetic assemblies; and

wherein the two signals generated by the coil assembly are combined together in a predetermined manner to generate an x-plane signal representative of vibrations of the guitar string in a first plane a predetermined distance from and parallel to an upper surface defined on the support structure and a y-plane signal representative of vibrations of the guitar string in a second plane a predetermined distance from the magnetic pole pieces and perpendicular to the upper surface of the support structure.

10. The audio transducer of claim 9, wherein the magnetic pole pieces have inverted polarities.

11. The audio transducer of claim 9, wherein the magnetic assembly generates two parallel magnetic fields.

12. The audio transducer of claim 9, wherein the audio transducer is positioned relative to the guitar string so that the two magnetic pole pieces are beneath and on opposite sides of the guitar string.

13. The audio transducer of claim 9, wherein the coil assembly is mounted on the support structure and the magnetic assembly is positioned within the support structure so that the magnetic assembly passes through the coil assembly.

14. The audio transducer of claim 13, wherein the support structure includes a support structure opening and the magnetic assembly is positioned within the support structure by inserting the magnetic assembly into the support structure through the support structure opening.

15. The audio transducer of claim 9, wherein:

the support structure includes two bobbin shaped structures and a base; and

the coil assembly is mounted on the bobbin shaped structures and the magnetic assembly is positioned within the support structure so that the magnetic assembly is positioned within each bobbin shaped structure and the base.

16. The audio transducer of claim 9, wherein:

the support structure comprises two bobbin shaped support structure subassemblies adapted to provide support for the coil and magnetic assemblies; and

the coil assembly is mounted on the bobbin shaped support structure subassemblies, the magnetic assembly is positioned within each bobbin shaped support structure so that the magnetic assembly passes through the coil assembly, and the bobbin shaped support structures are held in position with respect to one another by magnetic forces generated by the magnetic assembly.

17. An audio transducer, comprising:

a magnetic assembly for generating two magnetic fields;

a coil assembly positioned within the magnetic fields so that the coil assembly generates two signals when the magnetic fields are varied by a guitar string vibrating in the magnetic fields;

a support structure having two support structure subassemblies supporting the coil and magnetic assemblies; and

wherein

the bobbin shaped support structures are held in position with respect to one another by magnetic forces generated by the magnetic assembly; and

the two signals generated by the coil assembly can be combined together in a predetermined manner to generate an x-plane signal representative of vibrations of the guitar string in a first plane a predetermined distance from and parallel to an upper surface defined on the support structure and a y-plane signal representative of vibrations of the guitar string in a second plane a predetermined distance from the magnetic pole pieces and perpendicular to the upper surface of the support structure.

18. The audio transducer of claim 17, wherein the magnetic assembly includes two magnetic pole pieces having inverted polarities.

19. The audio transducer of claim 18, wherein the magnetic assembly further includes a magnet in contact with each magnetic pole piece.

20. The audio transducer of claim 17, wherein the magnetic assembly generates two parallel magnetic fields.

21. The audio transducer of claim 17, wherein the audio transducer is positioned relative to the guitar string so that the magnetic assembly is beneath and on opposite sides of the guitar string.

22. An audio transducer for a guitar, comprising:

an electromagnetic array of individual audio transducers mounted on a guitar, each transducer generates two analog string signals having opposite polarities for a single guitar string vibrating a predetermined distance from the audio transducer; and

the array further including a noise transducer for generating an analog noise signal representative of noise in the analog string signal pairs.

23. The transducer of claim 22, wherein each audio transducer generates each analog string signal so that it has a 95 dB signal to noise ratio.

24. The transducer of claim 22, wherein each audio transducer generates each analog string signal pair so the pairs have a 45 dB channel separation from one another.

25. The transducer of claim 22, wherein the electromagnetic array is mounted on a guitar bridge included as part of the guitar.

26. The transducer of claim 22, wherein each audio transducer includes a pair of electrical coils wound out of phase with one another.

27. The transducer of claim 22, wherein each noise transducer includes a noise coil.