Apparatus and method for coupling sound to motion

• US 5,920,024 A
• Filed: 01/02/1996
• Issued: 07/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steven Jerome Moore
• Original Assignee: Steven Jerome Moore
• Inventors: Moore, Steven Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US08/581,892
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 84/600, 84/615-620, 84/626-633, 84/658, 84/711, 84/721, 84/737-741, 84/20-22, 84/DIG. 7, 84/609-614, 84/634-638 , 84/649-652, 84/666-669, 356/28, 356/28.5, 356/29, 356/236, 359/591-598
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/00 Details of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/206 Conductor baton movement detection used to adjust rhythm, tempo or expressivity of, e.g. the playback of musical pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/321 Garment sensors, i.e. musical control means with trigger surfaces or joint angle sensors, worn as a garment by the player, e.g. bracelet, intelligent clothing vital parameter sensing G10H2220/371; wearable interfaces in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/341 Floor sensors, e.g. platform or groundsheet with sensors to detect foot position, balance or pressure, steps, stepping rhythm, dancing movements or jumping shoe sensors G10H2220/336
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/391 Angle sensing for musical purposes, using data from a gyroscope, gyrometer or other angular velocity or angular movement sensing device angles measured by an accelerometer or gravimeter G10H2220/395; angles calculated from 3D position sensing G10H2220/401; player body joint angle sensing G10H2220/321
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/401 3D sensing, i.e. three-dimensional (x, y, z) position or movement sensing. movement pattern or gesture sensing G10H2220/201; geolocation sensing G10H2220/355, 3D sensing with accelerometer G10H2220/395
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/411 Light beams key actuation detection using light G10H2220/305
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/421 Laser beams
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/07 Electric key switch structure

Abstract

There is described a motion-to-sound apparatus which provides for musical scores and accompaniments, and lyrics and in response to a movement in three-dimensional space along more than one plane. Further disclosed is a motion-to-sound apparatus for producing sounds responsive both to the final position, or direction of movement, of the detector in space and the acceleration of the device towards that position or along that plane. Control of sound production is oriented such as to be intuitively familiar.

Claims

1. A motion-to-sound apparatus for producing sound in response to movement comprising:

a housing which is freely movable in three-dimensional space;

a detector capable of detecting positional movement in three dimensional space with respect to a reference point and generating a signal representative thereof, operatively connected to said housing;

a processor, operatively coupled to said detector such as to receive signal input from said detector, generating signal output responsive to said signal input from said detector;

a data storage unit capable of storing program instruction sets, said data storage unit being operatively coupled to said data processing unit;

a sound-generator capable of generating more than one multi-tone sound tracks or musical scores upon receipt of a signal from said data processor, said sound generator being electronically coupled to said data processor such as to receive input from said data processor;

a data processor program instruction set housed in said data storage unit operatively configured and adapted to direct said data processor to output a signal to said sound generator to generate a multi-tone sound track or musical score upon receipt by said data processor of one or more signals from said detectors in accordance with the positional movement of said performance unit;

wherein said data processor program instruction set varies the multi-tone sound track or musical score, or acoustical parameter with respect thereto, in regard to a plurality of positional movements in three-dimensional space as detected by said detector.

2. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1 wherein said detector comprises three or more flexible conductors, each conductor in proximity to two or more electrical contacts, forming three or more conductor/contact sets, wherein at least one set is disposed along each of the positive and negative x, y and z axises of space, said flexible conductors being disposed to said contacts at such distances such that when motion is made along either the positive or negative axis of the x, y and/or z axis, one or more of said flexible conductors will make electrical contact with one or more of said contacts such that current flows between said conductor and said contact.

3. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1 said detector comprises three or more flexible electrical contacts, each contact in proximity to two or more conductors, forming three or more conductor/contact sets, wherein at least one set is disposed along each of the positive and negative x, y and z axises of space, said flexible contacts being disposed to said conductors at such distances such that when motion is made along either the positive or negative axis of the x, y and/or z axis, one or more of said flexible electrical contacts will make electrical contact with one or more of said conductors such that current flows between said contact and said conductor.

4. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of said conductor/contact sets is housed in a flexible housing member.

5. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of said conductor/contact sets is housed in a flexible housing member.

6. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 2, wherein said flexible housing members are housed in a liquid-filled housing.

7. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 3, wherein said flexible housing members are housed in a liquid-filled housing.

8. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sound-generator is a multi-soundtrack player capable of playing one or more recorded sound tracks at a time.

9. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector measures absolute position with respect to a reference point.

10. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector'"'"'s reference point is the earth'"'"'s magnetic center.

11. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1, wherein said detector measures direction of motional forces from a reference point.

12. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1, wherein said detector measures change in spatial position.

13. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more filter(s) for passing signals of a pre-determined magnitude coupled to one ore more comparator(s) for comparing passed signals from the filter(s) so as to determine the predominant axis of movement.

14. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a acceleration detector providing signal input to said processor.

15. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multitone sound track is human speech.

16. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1 wherein the data processor instruction set is operatively configured and adapted to cause the sound produced with respect to a detected motion to be intuitive to the motion.

17. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1 wherein detector further measures the velocity of a movement along the x, y and z spacial orientations.

18. The motion-to-sound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector further measures the acceleration of a movement along the x, y and z spatial orientations.

19. A motion detector employed in a motion-to-sound apparatus comprising:

a housing having an outer surface and an inner surface, said inner surface enclosing a void;

two or more photodiodes capable of emitting light upon activation, said photodiodes being disposed along the inner surface of said housing in such a manner as to emit light into said void upon activation of one or more of said photodiodes;

two or more photovoltaic cells capable of generating signal output when exposed to light, said photovoltaic cells being disposed along the inner surface of said housing in such a manner as to be capable of intercepting light emitted from only one of said two or more photodiodes when one or more of said photodiodes is activated, a photovoltaic cell capable of intercepting light from a particular photodiode and the photodiode which is capable of emitting light to such photovoltaic cell comprising a photodiode-photovoltaic cell pair;

a pivot member disposed within said void;

a magnetically-responsive member pivoted to said pivot member within said void such as to be capable of rotation about such pivot, said magnetically-responsive member being capable of interfering with the interaction of one or more photodiode-photovoltaic cell pairs at a time as the position of said magnetically responsive member in a directed magnetic field is changed; and

a processor coupled to said photovoltaic cells processing signal-output from said photovoltaic cells with respect to the pair or pairs of photodiode-photovoltaic cell interactions interfered with by the magnetically responsive member in a set period of time.

20. A motion detector employed in a motion-to-sound apparatus comprising:

a spherical housing having an outer surface and inner surface, said inner surface enclosing a void;

a plurality of photodetectors dispersedly disposed along the inner surface of said spherical housing, said photodetectors generating signal-output upon activation by monochromatic light;

angular reference element disposed within said void of said spherical housing in such a manner as to be freely rotatable therein;

a monochromatic light emitting source positioned on said angular reference element;

a processor coupled to said photodetectors for processing signal-output from activated photodetectors and adjudging the direction and/or velocity of motion of said spherical housing from the photodetectors which are activated over a set period of time;

a connection for operatively coupling the signal produced by a photodetector exposed to said monochromatic light with said processor.