Method and apparatus for controlling musical sounds by player's foot movements

• US 5,714,706 A
• Filed: 07/22/1996
• Issued: 02/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Katou, Hisanori, Nakada, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONELS, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US08/681,246
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 84/730, 84/743, 84/746, 36/136, 36/139
• US Class Current: 84/730
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/44 with sensors, e.g. for detecting contact or position
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/50 with sound or music sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/12 Dancing shoes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/348 Switches actuated by parts of the body other than fingers
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/336 Control shoe or boot, i.e. sensor-equipped lower part of lower limb, e.g. shoe, toe ring, sock, ankle bracelet or leg control attachment garment sensors G10H2220/321; floor sensing devices, e.g. sensing mats G10H2220/341
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/525 Piezoelectric transducers for vibration sensing or vibration excitation in the audio range; Piezoelectric strain sensing, e.g. as key velocity sensor; Piezoelectric actuators, e.g. key actuation in response to a control voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound beam G10H2220/405

Abstract

A musical sound controlling apparatus to be placed inside a shoe and operated by the foot of a user. The musical sound controlling apparatus has a substrate plate and at least a piezoelectric sensor device. The substrate plate and the piezoelectric sensor device include a pair of hook and loop pads for detachably connecting the piezoelectric sensor device and the substrate member. Upon depression of the piezoelectric sensor device by the foot of a user, the piezoelectric sensor generates a signal for controlling musical sounds. Furthermore, the substrate plate is divided into two separated sections, a toe section and a heel section. A size adjusting device slidably couples the heel section to the toe section so that the overall size of the musical sound controlling apparatus can be changed according to the size of the shoe.

Claims

1. A method of controlling musical sounds, the method comprising the steps of:

placing a piezoelectric sensor device between a foot of a user and an inner sole top surface of a footwear;

applying a pressure force by the foot of the user to the piezoelectric sensor device to generate control signal for controlling musical sounds;

dividing the piezoelectric sensor device into a front sensor section and a rear sensor section;

slidably coupling the front sensor section and the rear sensor section;

spacing the front sensor section a specified distance from the rear sensor section; and

changing the specified distance between the front sensor section and the rear sensor section.

2. A method of controlling musical sounds, the method comprising the steps of:

placing a piezoelectric sensor device between a foot of a user and an inner sole top surface of a footwear;

applying a pressure force by the foot of the user to the piezoelectric sensor device to generate control signal for controlling musical sounds;

mounting the piezoelectric sensor device on an insole-shaped member that fits inside the footwear;

inserting the insole-shaped member inside the footwear to place the piezoelectric sensor device on the inner sole top surface of the footwear;

dividing the piezoelectric sensor device into a front sensor section and a rear sensor section; and

slidably coupling the front sensor section section and the rear sensor section.

3. A method of controlling musical sounds, the method comprising the steps of:

placing a piezoelectric sensor device between a foot of a user and an inner sole top surface of a footwear;

applying a pressure force by the foot of the user to the piezoelectric sensor device to generate control signal for controlling musical sounds;

mounting the piezoelectric sensor device on an insole-shaped member that fits inside the footwear;

inserting the insole-shaped member inside the footwear to place the piezoelectric sensor device on the inner sole top surface of the footwear;

dividing the piezoelectric sensor device into a front sensor section and a rear sensor section;

slidably coupling the front sensor section and the rear sensor section;

spacing the front sensor section a specified distance from the rear sensor section; and

changing the specified distance between the front sensor section and the rear sensor section.

4. A musical sound controlling apparatus for use with a footwear, the footwear having an inner sole top surface, the musical sound controlling apparatus comprising:

an insole-shaped member having a bottom surface;

a first connecting member attached to the bottom surface of the insole-shaped member;

a pressure sensor device for generating a signal to control musical sounds in response to a pressure force applied to the pressure sensor device; and

a second connecting member attached to the pressure sensor device, the second connecting member for connecting to the first connecting member of the insole-shaped member,

wherein the insole-shaped member includes a front section, a rear section separated from the front section, and a third connecting member for connecting the front section with the rear section.

5. A musical sound controlling apparatus for use with a footwear, the footwear having an inner sole top surface, the musical sound controlling apparatus comprising:

an insole-shaped member having a bottom surface;

a first connecting member attached to the bottom surface of the insole-shaped member;

a pressure sensor device for generating a signal to, control musical sounds in response to a pressure force applied to the pressure sensor device; and

a second connecting member attached to the pressure sensor device, the second connecting member for connecting to the first connecting member of the insole-shaped member,

wherein the insole-shaped member includes a front section, a rear section separated from the front section, and size adjusting means for slidably connecting the front section and the rear section.

6. A musical sound controlling apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the pressure sensor device includes a first piezoelectric sensor to be attached to the front section and a second pressure sensor to be attached to the rear section.

7. A musical sound controlling apparatus for use with a footwear, the footwear having an inner sole top surface, the musical sound controlling apparatus comprising:

an insole-shaped member having a bottom surface;

a first connecting member attached to the bottom surface of the insole-shaped member;

a pressure sensor device for generating a signal to control musical sounds in response to a pressure force applied to the pressure sensor device; and

a second connecting member attached to the pressure sensor device, the second connecting member for connecting to the first connecting member of the insole-shaped member,

wherein the first connecting member includes a first half of a hook-and-loop pad and the second connecting member includes a second half of the hook-and-loop pad for detachably engaging the first half of the hook-and-loop pad.

8. A musical sound controlling apparatus for use with a footwear, the footwear having an inner sole top surface, the musical sound controlling apparatus comprising:

an insole-shaped member having a bottom surface;

a first connecting member attached to the bottom surface of the insole-shaped member;

a pressure sensor device for generating a signal to control musical sounds in response to a pressure force applied to the pressure sensor device; and

a second connecting member attached to the pressure sensor device, the second connecting member for connecting to the first connecting member of the insole-shaped member,

wherein the pressure sensor device includes;

a substrate plate;

a displacement plate disposed opposite the substrate plate, the displacement plate being capable of elastic displacement with respect to the substrate plate;

a spacer disposed between the substrate plate and the displacement plate for spacing the displacement plate a specified distance from the substrate plate; and

a piezoelectric sensor element fixed to the displacement plate, the piezoelectric sensor element for generating a signal for controlling musical sounds in response to a pressure force applied to the piezoelectric sensor that acts to narrow the specified distance between the substrate plate and the displacement plate.

9. A musical sound controlling apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the spacer is disposed adjacent one side edge of the displacement plate to allow the displacement plate to bend about the spacer.

10. A musical sound controlling apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the displacement plate has a flexible protection member attached to a surface thereof opposite the substrate plate.

11. A musical sound controlling apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the bottom surface of the insole-shaped member generally comes in contact with the inner sole top surface of the footwear.

12. A musical sound controlling apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the pressure sensor device includes a piezoelectric sensor device.

13. A musical sound controlling apparatus comprising:

a substrate plate;

a displacement plate disposed opposite the substrate plate, the displacement plate being capable of elastic displacement with respect to the substrate plate;

a spacer disposed between the substrate plate and the displacement plate for spacing the displacement plate a specified distance from the substrate plate; and

a piezoelectric sensor element fixed to the displacement plate, the piezoelectric sensor element for generating a signal for controlling musical sounds in response to a pressure force applied to the piezoelectric sensor that acts to narrow the specified distance between the substrate plate and the displacement plate,

wherein a space between the substrate plate and the displacement plate is filled with nothing except for the spacer, and the piezoelectric sensor element is couples only to the displacement plate and not to the substrate plate.

14. A musical sound controlling apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the spacer is disposed adjacent one side edge of the displacement plate to allow the displacement plate to bend about the spacer.

15. A musical sound controlling apparatus for use with a shoe, the shoe having an inner sole top surface including a toe section and a heel section, the musical sound controlling apparatus comprising:

an insole-shaped member, the insole-shaped member including a front section generally covering the toe section of the inner sole top surface of the shoe, a rear section separated from the front section and generally covering the heal section of the shoe, and size adjusting means for slidably connecting the front section and the rear section;

a detachable first piezoelectric sensor device to be detachably attached to the bottom surface of the front section for generating a signal to control musical sound in response to a pressure force applied to the detachable first piezoelectric sensor; and

a detachable second piezoelectric sensor device to be detachably attached to the bottom surface of the rear section for generating a signal to control musical sound in response to a pressure force applied to the detachable second piezoelectric sensor.

16. A musical sound controlling apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein each of the front section and the rear section has a first half of a hook-and-loop pad fixed to the respective bottom surface, and each of the detachable first piezoelectric sensor and the detachable second piezoelectric sensor has a second half of the hook-and-loop pad for detachably engaging the first half of the hook-and-loop pad.

17. A musical sound controlling apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein each of the detachable first piezoelectric sensor and the detachable second piezoelectric sensor includes:

a substrate plate;

a displacement plate disposed opposite the substrate plate, the displacement plate being capable of elastic displacement with respect to the substrate plate;

a spacer disposed between the substrate plate and the displacement plate for spacing the displacement plate a specified distance from the substrate plate; and

a piezoelectric sensor element fixed to the displacement plate, the piezoelectric sensor element for generating a signal for controlling musical sounds in response to a pressure force applied to the piezoelectric sensor that acts to narrow the specified distance between the substrate plate and the displacement plate.

18. A musical sound controlling apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the insole-shaped member has a bottom surface that comes in contact with the inner sole top surface of the shoe.