Electronic percussion instrumental system and percussion detecting apparatus therein

• US 6,756,535 B1
• Filed: 04/30/2001
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Roland Corporation (Taiyo Pacific Partners LP)
• Original Assignee: Roland Corporation (Taiyo Pacific Partners LP)
• Inventors: Hirano, Kenji, Yoshino, Kiyoshi, Katsuda, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US09/845,368
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 844/14, 844/16, 844/52.P, 844/54, 847/23, 847/37, 847/38, 847/43
• US Class Current: 84/738
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 13/02 Drums; Tambourines with drumheads
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 13/26 Mechanical details of electronic drums
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/44 Tuning means
• 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 2230/285 Spint drum tomtom, i.e. mimicking side-mounted drums without snares, e.g. in a drumkit
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/295 Spint drum brush, i.e. mimicking use of a brush to generate or trigger a percussive sound
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/301 Spint drum rim, i.e. mimicking using or striking the rim of a drum or percussion instrument, rimshot; Interfacing aspects of the generation of different drumsound harmonic contents when a drum sensor is struck closer to the rim
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/146 using a membrane, e.g. a drum; Pick-up means for vibrating surfaces, e.g. housing of an instrument

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a percussion detecting apparatus, which is excellent in percussion feeling, and the percussion sounds of which are very small, in electronic percussion instrumental system. The percussion detecting apparatus is provided with a head prepared from a net-like raw material composed of a first net and a second net, the net-like raw material being obtained by such a manner that both the nets having been woven in accordance with plane weaving manner wherein the longitudinal and transverse fibers cross at right angles are laminated in such a way that the weave pattern directions thereof intersect obliquely with each other; and a head sensor which is in contact with the center position of the under side in the head and detects percussion with respect to the head as electric signal.

Claims

1. An electronic percussion instrument system comprising:

a barrel section having a first end;

a head disposed in a tensioned state across the first end of the barrel section to define a percussion surface for receiving a percussion impact and a second surface facing opposite the percussion surface, the head having a plurality of openings through which air may pass; and

a cushioning member and a transducer supported within the barrel section, with the cushioning member in contact with a portion of, but less than the entire surface area of the second surface of the head, wherein a portion of the second surface of the head is out of contact with the cushioning member to allow air to pass through the openings in the head.

2. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 1, wherein the head comprises a net-like material.

3. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 1, wherein the head comprises multiple layers of net material.

4. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 3, wherein the multiple layers of net material are bonded together.

5. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 1, wherein the head comprises first and second layers of net material.

6. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 5, wherein the first and second layers of net material are bonded together.

7. A method of making an electronic percussion instrument system comprising:

providing a barrel section;

providing a head having a plurality of openings through which air may pass;

tensioning the head across an end of the barrel section to defme a percussion surface for receiving a percussion impact and a second surface facing opposite the percussion surface; and

supporting a cushioning member and a transducer within the barrel section, with the cushioning member in contact with a portion of, but less than the entire surface area of the second surface of the head, wherein a portion of the second surface of the head is out of contact with the cushioning member to allow air to pass through the openings in the head upon an impact being received on the impact surface of the head.

8. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 7, wherein the head comprises a net-like material.

9. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 7, wherein the head comprises multiple layers of net-like material.

10. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 9, further comprising bonding the multiple layers of net-like material together.

11. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 7, wherein the head comprises first and second layers of net-like material.

12. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 11, further comprising bonding the first and second layers of net-like material together.

13. An electronic percussion instrument system comprising:

a barrel section having an open end;

a head composed of a flexible net-like material through which air may pass, the head being disposed in a tensioned state across the open end of the barrel section to define a percussion surface for receiving a percussion impact and a second surface facing opposite the percussion surface, the second surface defining a surface area spanning the opening on the first end of the barrel section;

a support member disposed within the barrel section; and

a head sensor comprising a cushioning member and a transducer, the head sensor supported by the support member in contact with a portion of, but not the entire, second surface of the head to allow air to pass through the head.

14. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 13, wherein the transducer is supported between the support member and the cushioning member.

15. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 13, wherein the head comprises multiple layers of net material.

16. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 15, wherein the multiple layers of net material are bonded together.

17. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 15, wherein the head comprises first and second layers of net material.

18. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 17, wherein the first and second layers of net material are bonded together.

19. A head for a percussion instrument, the head comprising a frame and a net-like material comprising multiple net members, each net member supported by said frame, said net-like material having openings through which air may pass.

20. A head for a percussion instrument as recited in claim 19, wherein the multiple net members comprise first and second net members arranged generally flat against each other.

21. A head as recited in claim 19, wherein each net member comprising a plurality of longitudinally arranged fiber sections and a plurality of transversely arranged fiber sections interwoven with the longitudinally arranged fiber sections.

22. A head as recited in claim 19, wherein the multiple net members are bonded together.

26. A percussion instrument as recited in claim 19, wherein the multiple net members are bonded together.

23. A percussion instrument, comprising:

a generally hollow body having an opening into a body interior;

a generally flexible, net-like material tensioned state across the opening of the generally hollow body, the net-like material defining a percussion surface for receiving a percussion impact, the net-like material also having openings of a size sufficient to allow air to pass therethrough, upon receiving a percussion impact on the percussion surface; and

a sensor supported by said generally hollow body, for providing an electronic signal in response to a percussion impact on the percussion surface of the generally flexible, net-like material.

24. A percussion instrument as recited in claim 23, wherein the net-like material comprises a plurality of net members arranged generally flat against each other.

25. A percussion instrument as recited in claim 24, wherein each of the net members comprises a plurality of longitudinally arranged fiber sections and a plurality of transversely arranged sections interwoven with the longitudinally arranged fiber sections.

27. A percussion instrument as recited in claim 24, wherein the plurality of net members comprises a pair of net members arranged adjacent each other,

with the longitudinally directed fiber sections of one net member crossing the longitudinally directed fiber sections of the other net member in an oblique angle.

28. A method of making a percussion instrument having a generally hollow body with an opening, the method comprising disposing a net-like material in a tensioned state across the opening in the generally hollow body, wherein the net-like material has a percussion surface for receiving a percussion impact, the net-like material comprising a plurality of net members, each net member having a plurality of openings sufficient to allow air to pass therethrough upon the net-like material receiving a percussion impact on the percussion surface.

29. A method as recited in claim 28, further comprising the step of supporting an electronic sensor in communication with the percussion surface, for providing an electronic signal in response to a percussion impact on the percussion surface.

30. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein said net-like material comprises first and second net members, each net member comprising a plurality of longitudinally arranged fiber sections and a plurality of transversely arranged fiber sections interwoven with the longitudinally arranged fiber sections.

31. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein the first and second net members are bonded together.

32. An electronic percussion instrument system comprising:

a barrel section having a first end;

a head composed of a net-like material having multiple net members, said net-like material having openings through which air may pass, the net-like material disposed in a tensioned state across the first end of the barrel section to define a percussion surface for receiving a percussion impact and a second surface facing opposite the percussion surface;

a support member disposed within the barrel section; and

a head sensor comprising a cushioning member and a transducer supported by the support member within the barrel section, with the cushioning member in contact with a portion of, but less than the entire surface area of the second surface of the net-like material and disposed in communication with the transducer, such that the transducer provides an electric signal in response to a percussion impact on the percussion surface.

33. An electronic percussion instrument system as recited in claim 32, wherein said multiple net members comprise no more than two net members.