Acoustic guitar control unit

• US 8,148,624 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: B-Band Oy
• Original Assignee: B-Band Oy
• Inventors: Raisanen, Heikki
• Primary Examiner(s): Enad, Elvin G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Uhlir, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US12/254,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20090139390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 847/37
• US Class Current: 84/737
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/055 by switches with variable impedance elements
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/44 Tuning means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/46 Volume control
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/061 LED, i.e. using a light-emitting diode as indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/096 using a touch screen touch screen note input, e.g. using a displayed keyboard G10H2220/241; personal digital assistant [PDA] G10H2230/015
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/265 Key design details; Special characteristics of individual keys of a keyboard; Key-like musical input devices, e.g. finger sensors, pedals, potentiometers, selectors keyboards G10H2220/221, special musical scales G10H2210/395
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/531 made of piezoelectric film
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/186 Means for processing the signal picked up from the strings filtering G10H1/12

Abstract

A control unit for a musical instrument having a keypad and/or touch pad areas for controlling a signal processing unit. The control unit is preferably formed in a thin and elastic layered structure whereby touching electrode surfaces of the structure generates a charge, voltage or capacitance that is subsequently processed. The control unit includes a surface element, whereby settings and values of the signal processing unit can be changed and controlled by a user applying physical contact to the surface element. A user control device is further coupled to the control unit, and is operable under at least two forms of operation, and wherein the user control device is configured to (1) select an acoustic parameters and (2) adjust the selected acoustic parameter.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a musical instrument, the apparatus comprising:

a control unit comprising a signal processor and a flexible display face,

the signal processor processing electro-acoustic signals according to a plurality of acoustic parameters,

the display face comprising a first electronic visual indicia of the plurality of acoustic parameters; and

a user control device operatively coupled to the control unit, the user control device selecting one of the plurality of acoustic parameters in the control unit using a first form of operation on the user control device and adjusting the selected acoustic parameter in the control unit utilizing the user control device using a second form of operation on the user control device, the second form of operation differing from the first form,

wherein the display face comprises a second electronic visual indicia showing a level of adjustment provided from the user control device on the selected acoustic parameter;

wherein the control unit comprises a flexible structure able to be mounted to a curved surface of the musical instrument, the flexible structure comprising the flexible display face, when mounted to the curved surface the display face comprises a curve;

the control unit further comprises a plurality of electrode surfaces having at least one active transducer material between each plurality of electrode surfaces to form a thin and elastic layered structure, said active transducer material comprising one of a (1) charged electret film, (2) a polarized cellular electret film, (3) PVDF, and (4) piezoelectric paint.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to be mounted on an inside surface of the musical instrument, where the display face is visible to a user of the musical instrument.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user control device comprises a switching element.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the switching element is pressure-activated responsive to one of (1) pressure applied the control device, (2) pressure applied to the control device over a predetermined time, (3) pressure applied to the control device in multiple instances over a predetermined time, (4) rotating an element on the user control device, (5) pressure applied the control device in combination with rotating the element on the user control device, (6) pressure applied the control device over a predetermined time in combination with rotating the element on the user control device, and (7) pressure applied to the control device in multiple instances over a predetermined time in combination with rotating the element on the user control device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the switching element comprises one of a rotary encode switch and a digital potentiometer.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memory, operatively coupled to the control unit, configured to provide preset acoustic parameters for selection.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit further comprises tuning circuitry for acoustically tuning the musical instrument.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acoustic parameters comprise at least one of acoustic equalization, volume, and tuning.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the display face provides electronic visual indicia relating to acoustic equalization, volume, and tuning.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display face comprises an LED.

11. An apparatus for a musical instrument, the apparatus comprising:

a control unit comprising a plurality of electrode surfaces having at least one active transducer material between each plurality of electrode surfaces to form a thin and elastic layered structure, said active transducer material comprising one of a (1) charged electret film, (2) a polarized cellular electret film (3) PVDF, and (4) piezoelectric paint;

a signal processing unit, operatively coupled to the control unit, wherein the signal processing unit is configured to process a plurality of acoustic parameter; and

a flexible surface element, operatively coupled to the control unit, said surface element comprising a plurality of touch pad areas corresponding to visual indicia of the plurality of acoustical parameters,

wherein the surface element is configured to be reactive to physical contact by a user to produce electrical signals that are transmitted to the signal processing unit to effect selection and adjustment of an acoustical parameter, wherein different acoustical parameters are selected and adjusted in accordance with the different touch pad areas receiving physical contact;

wherein the control unit comprises a flexible structure able to be mounted parallel to a curved surface of the musical instrument, the flexible structure comprising the flexible surface element.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the physical contact comprises at least one of (1) physical contact having a first contact pressure, (2) physical contact having a second contact pressure that is different from the first contact pressure, and (3) sliding a point of physical contact across at least one of the plurality of physical contact areas.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, the control unit comprises at least one sensor matrix element, said sensor matrix element comprising signal electrodes, where at least some of the signal electrodes correspond to the touch pad areas, said signal electrodes being coupled together using one of (1) resistors and (2) capacitors, wherein the signal electrodes arranged in the outermost areas of the sensor matrix element are operatively coupled to at least one preamplifier.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising an electronic switching circuit, operatively coupled to the signal processing unit, wherein the switching circuit is configured to adjust gain of the at least one preamplifier in order to set a touch sensitivity for at least one of the touch pad areas.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the electronic switching circuit comprises a computer processor.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the switching circuit comprises a temperature measurement apparatus.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the active transducer material is arranged in the form of one of (1) a film and (2) paint.

18. An apparatus for a musical instrument, the apparatus comprising:

a control unit comprising a signal processor and a display face,

the signal processor processing electro-acoustic signals according to a plurality of acoustic parameters,

the display face comprising a visual indicia of the plurality of acoustic parameters, the display face being sufficiently flexible to be bent into a curved shape; and

a user control device for controlling the control unit;

wherein the control unit comprises a plurality of electrode surfaces having at least one active transducer material between each plurality of electrode surfaces to form a thin and elastic layered structure, said active transducer material comprising one of a (1) charged electret film, (2) a polarized cellular electret film, (3) PVDF, and (4) piezoelectric paint.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a surface element, operatively coupled to the control unit, said surface element comprising a plurality of touch pad areas corresponding to visual indicia of the plurality of acoustical parameters.