Patent Grant
7560638
Japan Priority Application 2004-003270, filed Jan. 8, 2004 including the specification, drawings, claims, and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an electronic percussion instrument and, in particular embodiments, to an electronic percussion instrument in which it is possible to set the threshold value for the determination of whether or not to make the vibration level of the upper cymbal in an electronic hi-hat cymbal the trigger signal for musical tone generation in conformance with the position and/or the displacement speed of the upper cymbal.
2. Related Art
For some time, electronic percussion instruments have been provided that mimic acoustic hi-hat cymbals and, with this kind of electronic percussion instrument, the configuration is such that the timbre of the hi-hat is controlled in conformance with the amount of stepping on the foot pedal, in other words, the amount of the displacement of the upper cymbal based on the stepping on the foot pedal. For example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication (Kokai) Number Hei 9-97075 (Patent Reference 1), a sensor (a displacement sensor), which is disposed in the foot pedal for the detection of the amount that the foot pedal has been stepped on, is disclosed.
On the other hand, an electronic hi-hat cymbal in which the upper cymbal is moved up and down in conformance with the amount that a pedal is stepped on and a performance sensation that is the same as that of an acoustic hi-hat cymbal can be mimicked is cited in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication (Kokai) Number 2003-167574 (Patent Reference 2).
In the case where a displacement sensor such as that cited in Patent Reference 1 is installed in an electronic hi-hat cymbal in which the upper cymbal is movable such as that cited in Patent Reference 2, a musical tone is generated in the sound generation section that conforms to the position of the upper cymbal that has been detected by the displacement sensor. The musical tone is generated in conformance with the vibration due to the striking of the upper cymbal or the contact between the upper cymbal and the lower cymbal. In general, in those cases where the vibration sensor detects the vibration level of the upper cymbal and the level has exceeded a specified threshold value, a trigger signal that instructs the generation of a musical tone is output to the sound source section.
However, in an electronic percussion instrument such as those described above, there are cases in which the vibration level that is detected by the vibration sensor is, depending on the position and displacement speed of the upper cymbal, something that is due to an erroneous signal or noise. Because of this, there has been the problem that even when a specified threshold value has been set, erroneous sound generation occurs due to that kind of erroneous signal or noise.
For example, in those cases where there is a weak contact sliding position between the upper cymbal and the lower cymbal, when the upper cymbal is struck, the coming into contact of the upper cymbal and the lower cymbal subtly repeats. The noise at that time is detected by the vibration sensor and, when a trigger signal is repeatedly output to the sound source section because of that, erroneous sound generation due to the noise is produced.
In addition, for example, due to the rapid release of a pedal that has been stepped on, the upper cymbal vibrates due to a rapid movement upward from the bottom. The vibration level at that time is detected by the vibration sensor and, when a trigger signal is output to the sound source section, an erroneous sound generation is produced despite the fact that the state is one in which a musical tone should not be generated.
Embodiments of the present invention address problems as discussed above and relate to an electronic hi-hat cymbal, system, and process with which it is possible to modify and set the threshold value for the determination of whether or not to make the vibration level of the upper cymbal the trigger signal for musical tone generation in conformance with the position and/or the displacement speed of the upper cymbal.
An electronic percussion instrument in accordance with a first embodiment is furnished with input means in which the vibration level of the vibration of an operator and the position information. that conforms to the position of the operator are input, and musical tone generation control means with which whether or not the generation of a musical tone based on the vibration level and the position information is instructed is controlled in those cases where the vibration level has been input by the input means.
By means of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the first embodiment, when the vibration level of the vibration of the operator is input by the input means, whether or not the generation of a musical tone is instructed is controlled by the musical tone generation control means based on the vibration level and the position information for said operator.
An electronic percussion instrument in accordance with a second embodiment is furnished with threshold modification means in which the threshold value for the vibration level is modified based on the position information that has been input by the input means, and the musical tone generation control means is one in which the generation of a musical tone is instructed in those cases where the vibration level that has been input by the input means has exceeded the threshold value that has been modified by the threshold modification means.
By means of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the second embodiment, in addition to an action that is the same as that of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the first embodiment, the threshold value for said vibration level is modified by the threshold modification means based on the position information that has been input by the input means. In addition, in those cases where the vibration level that has been input by said input means has exceeded the threshold value that has been modified, the generation of a musical tone is instructed by the musical tone generation control means.
An electronic percussion instrument in accordance with a third embodiment is furnished with displacement speed detection means in which the displacement speed of the operator is detected based on the position information that has been input in the input means, and threshold modification means with which the threshold value for the vibration level is modified in conformance with the displacement speed that has been detected by the displacement speed detection means, and the musical tone generation control means is one in which the generation of a musical tone is instructed in those cases where the vibration level that has been input by the input means has exceeded the threshold value that has been modified by the threshold modification means.
By means of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the third embodiment, in addition to an action that is the same as that of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the first embodiment, the displacement speed of said operator is detected by the displacement speed detection means based on the position information that has been input by the input means, and the threshold value for said vibration level is modified by the threshold modification means in conformance with the displacement speed. In addition, in those cases where the vibration level that has been input by said input means has exceeded the threshold value that has been modified, the generation of a musical tone is instructed by the musical tone generation control means.
An electronic percussion instrument in accordance with a fourth embodiment is furnished with vibration level modification means in which the vibration level that has been input by the input means is modified based on the position information that has been input in the input means, and the musical tone generation control means is one in which the generation of a musical tone is instructed in those cases where the vibration level that has been modified by the vibration level modification means has exceeded a specified threshold value.
By means of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the fourth embodiment, in addition to an action that is the same as that of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the first embodiment, the vibration level that has been input by the input means is modified by the vibration level modification means based on the position information that has been input by the input means. In addition, in those cases where the vibration level that has been modified by the vibration level modification means has exceeded a specified threshold value, the generation of a musical tone is instructed by the musical tone generation control means.
An electronic percussion instrument in accordance with a fifth embodiment is furnished with displacement speed detection means in which the displacement speed of the operator is detected based on the position information that has been input in the input means, and vibration level modification means in which the vibration level that has been input by the input means is modified in conformance with the displacement speed that has been detected by the displacement speed detection means, and the musical tone generation control means is one in which the generation of a musical tone is instructed in those cases where the vibration level that has been modified by the vibration level modification means has exceeded a specified threshold value.
By means of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the fifth embodiment, in addition to an action that is the same as that of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the first embodiment, the displacement speed of said operator is detected by the displacement speed detection means based on the position information that has been input by the input means, and the vibration level that has been input by said input means is modified by the vibration level modification means in conformance with the displacement speed. In addition, in those cases where the vibration level that has been modified by the vibration level modification means has exceeded a specified threshold value, the generation of a musical tone is instructed by the musical tone generation control means.
An electronic percussion instrument in accordance with a sixth embodiment is furnished with vibration detection means with which the vibration level of an operator is detected, and position information acquisition means in which the position information that conforms to the position of the operator is acquired, and musical tone generation control means in which whether or not the generation of a musical tone based on the vibration level and the position information that has been acquired by the position information acquisition means is instructed is controlled in those cases where the vibration level has been detected by the vibration detection means.
By means of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the sixth embodiment, when the vibration level of the operator is detected by the vibration detection means, whether or not the generation of a musical tone is instructed is controlled by the musical tone generation control means based on the vibration level and the position information that has been acquired by the position acquisition means.
An electronic percussion instrument in accordance with a seventh embodiment is furnished with threshold modification means with which the threshold value for the vibration level is modified in conformance with the position information that has been acquired by the position information acquisition means, and the musical tone generation control means is one in which the generation of a musical tone is instructed in those cases where the vibration level that has been detected by the vibration detection means has exceeded the threshold value that has been modified by the threshold modification means.
By means of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the seventh embodiment, in addition to an action that is the same as that of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the sixth embodiment, the threshold value for said vibration level is modified by the threshold modification means based on the position information that has been acquired by the position information acquisition means. In addition, in those cases where the vibration level that has been detected by the vibration detection means has exceeded the threshold value that has been modified, the generation of a musical tone is instructed by the musical tone generation control means.
An electronic percussion instrument in accordance with an eighth embodiment is furnished with displacement speed detection means in which the displacement speed of the operator is detected based on the position information that has been acquired by the position information detection means, and vibration level modification means in which the threshold value for the vibration level is modified in conformance with the displacement speed that has been detected by the displacement speed detection means, and the musical tone generation control means is one in which the generation of a musical tone is instructed in those cases where the vibration level that has been detected by the vibration detection means has exceeded the threshold value that has been modified by the threshold modification means.
By means of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the eighth embodiment, in addition to an action that is the same as that of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the sixth embodiment, the displacement speed of said operator based on the position information that has been acquired by the position information acquisition means is detected, and the threshold value for said vibration level is modified by the threshold modification means in conformance with the displacement speed. In addition, in those cases where the vibration level that has been detected by the vibration detection means has exceeded the threshold value that has been modified, the generation of a musical tone is instructed by the musical tone generation control means.
An electronic percussion instrument in accordance with a ninth embodiment is furnished with vibration level modification means in which the vibration level that has been detected by the vibration level detection means is modified based on the position information that has been acquired by the position information acquisition means, and the musical tone generation control means is one in which the generation of a musical tone is instructed in those cases where the vibration level that has been modified by the vibration level modification means has exceeded a specified threshold value.
By means of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the ninth embodiment, in addition to an action that is the same as that of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the sixth embodiment, the vibration level that has been detected by the vibration detection means is modified by the vibration level modification means based on the position information that has been acquired by the position information acquisition means. In addition, in those cases where the vibration level that has been modified by the vibration level modification means has exceeded a specified threshold value, the generation of a musical tone is instructed by the musical tone generation control means.
An electronic percussion instrument in accordance with a tenth embodiment is furnished with displacement speed detection means in which the displacement speed of the operator is detected based on the position information that has been acquired by the position information acquisition means, and is furnished with vibration level modification means in which the vibration level that has been detected by the vibration detection means is modified in conformance with the displacement speed that has been detected by the displacement speed detection means, and the musical tone generation control means is one in which the generation of a musical tone is instructed in those cases where the vibration level that has been modified by the vibration level modification means has exceeded a specified threshold value.
By means of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the tenth embodiment, in addition to an action that is the same as that of an electronic percussion instrument in accordance with the sixth embodiment, the displacement speed of said operator is detected by the displacement speed detection means based on the position information that has been acquired by the position information acquisition means and the vibration level that has been detected by the vibration detection means is modified in accordance with the displacement speed by the vibration level modification means. In addition, in those cases where the vibration level that has been modified by the vibration level modification means has exceeded a specified threshold level, the generation of a musical tone is instructed by the musical tone generation control means.
In accordance with an electronic percussion instrument of the first embodiment, when the vibration level of the vibration of the operator is input by the input means, whether or not the generation of a musical tone is instructed is controlled by the musical tone generation control means based on the vibration level and the position information for said operator. Therefore, even when there is a position or a displacement speed with which the occurrence of an erroneous sound generation is likely in such cases as, for example, when the upper cymbal of the electronic percussion instrument is in a slightly open position or in those cases where the displacement speed of the upper cymbal is rapid and the like, the generation of the musical tone is controlled taking into account the position information of the upper cymbal. Accordingly, there is the advantageous result that it is always possible to generate an appropriate musical tone without the tone being affected by the position or the displacement speed of the upper cymbal, which is the operator.
In accordance with an electronic percussion instrument of the second embodiment, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by an electronic percussion instrument of the first embodiment, in those cases where the threshold value for the vibration level is modified based on the position information for the operator and the vibration level has exceeded the threshold value that has been modified, the generation of a musical tone is instructed. Therefore, since the threshold value that conforms to the position of the upper cymbal, which is the operator, is modified, the erroneous sound generation that can be produced due to the position of the upper cymbal can be prevented, and there is the advantageous result that it is always possible to generate an appropriate musical tone.
In accordance with an electronic percussion instrument of the third embodiment, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by an electronic percussion instrument of the first embodiment, the threshold value of the vibration level is modified in conformance with the displacement speed of the operator that has been acquired based on the position information of said operator. Therefore, since the threshold value is modified taking into account the displacement speed of the upper cymbal, which is the operator, the erroneous sound generation that can be produced due to the displacement speed of the upper cymbal can be prevented, and there is the advantageous result that it is always possible to generate an appropriate musical tone.
In accordance with an electronic percussion instrument of the fourth embodiment, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by an electronic percussion instrument of the first embodiment, in those cases where the vibration level has been modified based on the position information for the operator and the vibration level that has been modified has exceeded a specified threshold value, the generation of a musical tone is instructed. Therefore, when, for example, the vibration level is compressed in conformance with the position of the upper cymbal, which is the operator, the erroneous sound generation that can be produced due to the position of the upper cymbal can be prevented, and there is the advantageous result that it is always possible to generate an appropriate musical tone.
In accordance with an electronic percussion instrument of the fifth embodiment, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by an electronic percussion instrument of the first embodiment, the vibration level is modified in conformance with the displacement speed of the operator that has been acquired based on the position information of said operator. Therefore, since the threshold value is modified taking into account the displacement speed of the upper cymbal, which is the operator, the erroneous sound generation that can be produced due to the displacement speed of the upper cymbal can be prevented, and there is the advantageous result that it is always possible to generate an appropriate musical tone.
In accordance with an electronic percussion instrument of the sixth embodiment, when the vibration level of the vibration of the operator is detected by the vibration detection means, whether or not the generation of a musical tone is instructed is controlled by the musical tone generation control means based on the vibration level and the position information for said operator that has been acquired by the position information acquisition means. Therefore, even when there is a position or a displacement speed with which the occurrence of an erroneous sound generation is likely in such cases as, for example, when the upper cymbal of the electronic percussion instrument is in a slightly open position or in those cases where the displacement speed of the upper cymbal is rapid and the like, the generation of the musical tone is controlled taking into account the position information of the upper cymbal. Accordingly, there is the advantageous result that it is always possible to generate an appropriate musical tone without the tone being affected by the position or the displacement speed of the upper cymbal, which is the operator.
In accordance with an electronic percussion instrument of the seventh embodiment, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by an electronic percussion instrument of the sixth embodiment, the threshold value for the vibration level is modified based on the position information of the operator and in those cases where the vibration level has exceeded the threshold value that has been modified, the generation of a musical tone is instructed. Therefore, since the threshold value that conforms to the position of the upper cymbal, which is the operator, is modified, the erroneous sound generation that can be produced due to the position of the upper cymbal can be prevented, and there is the advantageous result that it is always possible to generate an appropriate musical tone.
In accordance with an electronic percussion instrument of the eighth embodiment, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by an electronic percussion instrument of the sixth embodiment, the threshold value of the vibration level is modified based on the displacement speed of the operator that has been acquired based on the position information of said operator. Therefore, since the threshold value is modified taking into account the displacement speed of the upper cymbal, which is the operator, the erroneous sound generation that can be produced due to the displacement speed of the upper cymbal can be prevented, and there is the advantageous result that it is always possible to generate an appropriate musical tone.
In accordance with an electronic percussion instrument of the ninth embodiment, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by an electronic percussion instrument of the sixth embodiment, the vibration level is modified based on the position information for the operator and in those cases where the vibration level that has been modified has exceeded a specified threshold, the generation of a musical tone is instructed. Therefore, when, for example, the vibration level has been compressed in conformance with the position information for the upper cymbal, which is the operator, the erroneous sound generation that can be produced due to the position of the upper cymbal can be prevented, and there is the advantageous result that it is always possible to generate an appropriate musical tone.
In accordance with an electronic percussion instrument of the tenth embodiment, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by an electronic percussion instrument of the sixth embodiment, the vibration level is modified in conformance with the displacement speed of the operator that has been acquired based on the position information of said operator. Therefore, since the threshold is modified taking into account the displacement speed of the upper cymbal, which is the operator, the erroneous sound generation that can be produced due to the displacement speed of the upper cymbal can be prevented, and there is the advantageous result that it is always possible to generate an appropriate musical tone.
Explanations will be given below regarding embodiments of the present invention while referring to the attached drawings.
In this specification, the “front side” of the electronic percussion instrument 1 means the side of the electronic percussion instrument 1 that the performer faces and that is struck by the performer. The “back side” means the opposite side with respect to the center of the upper cymbal 100. In
The electronic percussion instrument 1 that is shown in
The hollow shaft section 410 is configured comprising an upper hollow shaft 411, and a lower hollow shaft 412. The lower hollow shaft 412 has an inside diameter that is greater than the outside diameter of the upper hollow shaft 411. With the hollow shaft section 410, the upper hollow shaft 411 is inserted into the lower hollow shaft 412 and the height of the hollow shaft section 410 is determined by altering the depth of the insertion. By this means, the height of the lower cymbal 200, which is linked to the upper section (the upper hollow shaft 411) of the hollow shaft section 410 by the linkage fitting, is determined. In addition, the joint section 412a is disposed on the lower end of the lower hollow shaft 412. The inside diameter of the lower hollow shaft 412 is held in the joint section 412a and supports the spring 430 that is fit into the inside from the bottom.
The extension rod 420 is linked on the bottom to the pedal 440 through the joint 450. The configuration is such that the extension rod 420 moves up and down in conformance with the stepping operation of the pedal 440. On the other hand, the upper cymbal 100 is linked to the top of the extension rod 420 by the linkage fitting such that the cymbal can swing. When the extension rod 420 moves up and down in conformance with the stepping operation of the pedal 440, the upper cymbal 100 moves up and down in concert with this.
With regard to the extension rod 420, the lower portion passes through the upper hollow shaft 411 and the lower hollow shaft 412 and together with this, also passes through the spring 430 that has been fit into the inside of the lower hollow shaft 412. The spring 430 is held between the bottom of the joint section 420a that is disposed on the extension rod 420 and the top of the joint section 412a of the lower hollow shaft 412. Since the extension rod always receives a force applied that impels the rod upward because of this, when a stepping operation of the pedal 440 is not carried out, the upper cymbal 100 and the lower cymbal 200 are separated by a specified interval.
Next, an explanation will be given regarding the displacement sensor 60 for the detection of the displacement of the upper cymbal 100, which varies in conformance with the amount that the pedal 440 is stepped on, in the electronic percussion instrument 1 of an embodiment of the invention while referring to
The displacement sensor 60 is, as is shown in
The displacement sensor 60 is, as is shown in
In addition, an opening section 611c is disposed in the center of the lower surface of the case 611, and the opening section 611c is a portion of a pass-through hole that passes through the displacement sensor 60 from top to bottom. Opening sections that become portions of the pass-through hole are also disposed in the respective centers of the members, the sensor sheet 613, the cushion sheet 614, and the cover section 616. A sleeve 612 for the insertion through of the extension rod 420 is inserted through each of the opening sections including the opening section 611c as well as the center of the coil spring 615.
The explanation will again refer to
The change in shape in the coil spring 615 that is produced in this manner with the compression in the vertical direction is detected electrically using the sensor sheet section 613; and the amount that the pedal is stepped on, in other words, the amount of displacement of the upper cymbal 100 is detected.
The sensor sheet section 613 is configured comprising a printed resistance sheet material (not shown in the drawing) and a printed carbon base plate (not shown in the drawing). In order to simplify the drawing, the sensor sheet section 613 is shown as a single member. The printed resistance sheet has a surface that has been uniformly printed with conductive ink. The printed carbon base plate has two independent specified electrode patterns and terminals. The printed carbon base plate is arranged on the bottom surface of the case 611 and has an electrode pattern on the top. The printed resistance sheet member is arranged above the carbon electrode base plate and has the printed surface of conductive ink facing the carbon electrode base plate.
When the coil spring 615 is compressed and changes shape because of the stepping on the pedal 440, the wider section 615a of the coil spring 615, which has a conical shape, presses on the printed resistance sheet material of the sensor sheet section 613 with the interposition of the cushion sheet 614; and, because of this, a portion of the printed resistance sheet material is pressed onto the printed carbon base plate. As a result, the conductive ink on the printed resistance sheet material comes into contact with the electrode pattern of the printed carbon base plate, and the electrical resistance value of the printed carbon base plate changes.
The electrical resistance value changes in conformance with the compression and change in shape of the coil spring 615, in other words, the amount of displacement of the upper cymbal 100 due to the stepping on the pedal 440. Specifically, when the amount of compression and change in shape of the coil spring 615 becomes. greater, the area of the flat portion that is formed by the wire material from the wider section 615a of the coil spring 615 up to the portion that has been pressed in conformance with the compression force increases. When the area of the flat portion that is formed by the wire material increases, the conductive ink region on the printed resistance sheet material that comes into contact with the electrode pattern of the printed carbon base plate increases. As a result, the electrical resistance value of the printed carbon base plate decreases. The analog electrical resistance value that is equivalent to the amount of displacement of the upper cymbal 100 that has been detected by the displacement sensor is output to a CPU (the CPU 10, which will be discussed later) via wiring (not shown in the drawing) and an output terminal (not shown in the drawing) after being input to an A/D converter (not shown in the drawing) and being digitized.
For the cushion sheet 614, a material having elasticity such as rubber and the like is used. Because of this, when, for example, a pressing force is applied on a single point on the surface of the cushion sheet 614, the pressing force is expanded and transmitted through to the area surrounding the point to which the force is applied.
When the coil spring 615 is pressed onto the sensor sheet section 613 with the interposition of the cushion sheet 614, the portion that is pressed in a helical form by the wire material of the coil spring 615 is made homogeneous. The homogeneous pressing force is transmitted to the sensor sheet section 613. Therefore, since the sensor sheet section 613 can detect the size of the compression and change in shape of the coil spring 615 with sensitivity, the amount of displacement of the upper cymbal 100 can be detected accurately. In addition, since it is set up such that the wider section 615a of the conical shaped coil spring 615 is on the bottom, the stability is good and it is possible to detect the size of the compression and change in shape of the coil spring 615 with sensitivity by means of the sensor sheet section 613.
Next, an explanation will be given the regarding vibration sensor 70 in the electronic percussion instrument 1 of an embodiment of the invention, with which the vibration of the upper cymbal 100 is detected, while referring to
As is shown in
The vibration sensor 70 is a sensor that detects the vibration level of the vibration of the upper cymbal 100 due to the striking of the upper cymbal 100 or the coming into contact of the upper cymbal 100 and the lower cymbal 200 and is, for example, a piezoelectric sensor. When the vibration sensor 70 detects the vibration level, an analog electrical signal that conforms to the vibration level is transmitted by means of wiring that is not shown in the drawing to the stereo jack 150 (refer to
The CPU 10 is a central processing unit that controls the entire electronic percussion instrument 1 and the ROM 20 stores the various control programs that are executed by the CPU 10 and the fixed data values that are referred to at the time of execution. Programs that may be executed in accordance with processes shown in the flowcharts of
The RAM 30 is a rewritable memory that can be accessed randomly and that has working areas in which various register groups that are needed by the control programs that are executed by the CPU 10 are set. The RAM 30 also has temporary areas in which the data that are stored temporarily during processing, are stored and the like. The regions in which the displacement sensor values that have been acquired in the threshold modification processing, which will be discussed later (
The sound source 40 is something with which the digital musical tones are generated based on the displacement sensor values that are output from the displacement sensor 60 in those cases where the vibration level that has been detected by the vibration sensor 70 has been regarded as a trigger signal. The sound source 40 has a waveform ROM (not shown in the drawing). The waveform data for five types of hi-hat sounds (open sound, half open sound, slightly open sound, closed sound, and tightly closed sound) that correspond to the positions of the upper cymbal 100, which are indicated by the displacement sensor values that are detected by the displacement sensor 60, are stored in the waveform ROM.
The SL operator 50 is a volume control operator, which is disposed on an operator panel (not shown in the drawing), that comprises a variable resistance device for setting the initial value (SL) of the threshold value “A”. The setting of the initial value (SL) of the threshold value “A” is done by the rotational operation of the SL operator 50.
The data input section 90 is structured comprising the displacement sensor 60 and the vibration sensor 70 discussed above. The data input section 90 outputs, respectively, the displacement sensor value (the position information) that is detected by the displacement sensor 60 and the vibration level that is detected by the vibration sensor 70. The displacement sensor value that is detected by the displacement sensor 60 and the vibration level that is detected by the vibration sensor 70 are both analog values. These analog values are each first input to an A/D converter (not shown in the drawing). In the A/D converter, each analog value is converted into a digital value in accordance with a routine (not shown in the drawing), which is launched every specified time interval, and the digital value is output. In this specification, the “displacement sensor value” and the “vibration level” shown hereinafter both mean values that have been digitized as described above as long as there is no other special explanation.
Next, an explanation of an overview of an embodiment of the invention will be given while referring to
The vibration sensor 70 that is disposed in the electronic percussion instrument 1 outputs the analog vibration level of the vibration due to the striking of the upper cymbal 100 or the contact between the upper cymbal 100 and the lower cymbal 200 to the A/D converter that is not shown in the drawing. When this is done, a digital value of the vibration level is output from the A/D converter to the musical tone generation control means 11.
The displacement sensor 60 that is disposed in the electronic percussion instrument 1 outputs the analog displacement sensor value to the A/D converter. When this is done, a digital displacement sensor value is output from the A/D converter to the musical tone generation control means 11 and, together with this, is output to the displacement speed detection means 12.
The displacement speed detection means 12 derives the displacement speed of the upper cymbal 100 from the displacement sensor value that has been input from the displacement sensor 60 and the displacement sensor value that was input the previous time and outputs the displacement speed to the musical tone generation control means 11.
The musical tone generation control means 11 outputs the musical tone generation instruction information based on the displacement sensor value that has been input from the displacement sensor 60 and the displacement speed that has been input from the displacement speed detection means 12 in those cases where the threshold value “A” has been modified and the vibration level that has been input from the vibration sensor 70 has exceeded that threshold value “A”.
The sound source 40 starts the generation of a musical tone having a timbre that conforms to the musical tone generation instruction information that is input from the musical tone generation control means 11 and the displacement sensor value that has been input from the displacement sensor 60.
Each of the rows in the table that is shown in
On the other hand, each of the columns in the table that is shown in
In the table that is shown in
An explanation will be given below regarding processes in an electronic percussion instrument 1 that has been configured as described above for the generation of an appropriate musical tone in which the position (in other words, the displacement sensor value) and the displacement speed of the upper cymbal 100 have been taken into account while referring to
The main processing is launched when the power is turned on; and, first, the displacement sensor value at the time of launching is acquired from the displacement sensor. Various kinds of initialization are carried out such as storing that value in a specified region of the RAM 30 as the displacement sensor value for the time “0” (S1). After the initialization, whether or not the SL operator 50 has been operated is ascertained (S2); and, if the SL operator 50 is being operated (S2: yes), the value that conforms to the operation is set as the initial value (SL) of the threshold value “A” (S3), and the routine shifts to the processing of S4.
On the other hand, if the result that has been ascertained by the processing of S2 is that the SL operator 50 is not being operated (S2: no), since the initial value of the threshold value “A” is the SL value that is currently set, the processing of S3 is skipped and the routine shifts to the processing of S4.
After the execution in the processing of S3 of processing that is based on other operations such as, for example, calibration processing and the like of the displacement sensor value that is detected by the displacement sensor 60, the routine returns to S2 and the main processing is repeated.
Next, the displacement speed of the upper cymbal 100 is calculated from the displacement sensor value that has been acquired in the processing of S11 (hereinafter referred to as the “current displacement sensor value”) with the acquisition time of this value (hereinafter referred to as the “current time”), and the displacement sensor value that was acquired previously, which is stored in the RAM 30 (hereinafter referred to as the “previous displacement sensor value”) with the acquisition time of that value (hereinafter referred to as the “previous time”). The displacement speed is calculated in S12 based on the formula {(current displacement sensor value)−(previous displacement sensor value)}/{(current time)−(previous time)}.
After the processing of S12, the current displacement sensor value and the displacement sensor value that has been calculated by the processing of S12 are referred to, and the offset value (SLO) is acquired from the table that is shown in
If the result that has been ascertained by the processing of S21 is that the vibration level that has been detected is at or above the threshold value “A” (vibration level≧threshold value “A”) that is stored in the RAM 30 (S21: yes), a “note on” is instructed to the sound source 40 and the generation of a musical tone at a timbre that conforms to the current displacement sensor value that has been stored in a specifications storage region of the RAM 30 by the processing of S11 in the threshold modification processing (
On the other hand, if the result that has been ascertained by the processing of S21 is that the vibration level is less than the threshold value (vibration level<threshold value “A”; S21: no), the processing of S22 is skipped and the musical tone generation processing ends.
As described above, in accordance with the electronic percussion instrument 1 of an embodiment of the invention, the threshold value “A” for the vibration level that is detected by the vibration sensor 70 is modified based on the position and the displacement speed of the upper cymbal 100 that conforms to the displacement sensor value that is detected by the displacement sensor 60. The vibration level that is detected by the vibration sensor 70 is only regarded as a trigger signal in those cases where the vibration level has exceeded the threshold value “A” that has been modified in that manner and, as a result, the generation of a musical tone is started. Therefore, it is always possible to generate an appropriate musical tone without the tone being affected by the position and displacement speed of the upper cymbal 100.
In embodiments described above, the electronic percussion instrument 1 is configured such that the threshold value “A” for the vibration level that is detected by the vibration sensor 70 is based on the position and the displacement speed of the upper cymbal 100 that conforms to the displacement sensor value that is detected by the displacement sensor 60. However, as an illustration of a variation, it may be configured such that the vibration level that is detected by the vibration sensor 70 is compressed based on the position and displacement speed of the upper cymbal 100 that conforms to the displacement sensor value that is detected by the displacement sensor 60, and the musical tone is generated in those cases where the vibration level that has been compressed has exceeded a threshold value that is designated in advance.
In this case, it may be configured such that, in the threshold modification processing of the embodiment described above (
An example of an operation of a musical tone generation means is shown by the threshold modification processing (
In addition, an example of an operation of a musical tone generation control means is shown by the threshold modification processing (
An explanation was given above of the present invention based on embodiments. However, the present invention is in no way limited to the preferred embodiments described above and the fact that various modifications and changes are possible that do not deviate from and are within the scope of the essentials of the present invention can be easily surmised.
For example, in the embodiments described above, the configuration is such that the generation of the musical tone is started in those cases where the vibration level (the size) that has been detected by the vibration sensor 70 is at or above the threshold value “A” that has been modified in conformance with the displacement sensor value that is output from the displacement sensor 60. Instead of this, it may also be configured such that the offset value that conforms to the displacement sensor value that is output from the displacement sensor 60 is added to a threshold value “B” for the speed of the rise of the vibration level that is detected by the vibration sensor 70 and the generation of a musical tone is started in those cases where the speed of the rise of the vibration level that has been detected is at or above the threshold value “B” to which the offset value has been added in this manner.
In addition, in the embodiments described above, the configuration is such that the table shown in
In addition, in the embodiments described above, the configuration is such that both the position and the displacement speed of the upper cymbal 100 are referred to and the threshold value “A” is modified. However, it may also be configured such that only the position information is referred to or such that only the displacement speed is referred to.
In addition, in the preferred embodiments described above, the configuration is such that the offset value is obtained from the table that is shown in
In addition, in the embodiments described above, the configuration is such that the displacement speed of the upper cymbal 100 is referred to and the threshold value “A” is modified. However, it may also be configured such that the displacement acceleration rate is referred to instead of the displacement speed.
In addition, in the embodiments described above, the configuration is such that both the position and the displacement speed of the upper cymbal 100 are referred to and the threshold value “A” is modified. However, instead of this, it may also be configured such that the modification is done with various parameters such as the sensitivity (the balance between the striking strength and the size of the sound), the dynamics curve (the balance between the striking strength and the volume change), the scan time (the rise time of the striking signal waveform), the retrigger cancellation with which the detection of a single strike as two strikes is prevented, the mask time with which a strike signal that has been generated within a specified set period of time (for example, around 0 to 64 ms) after a single strike is ignored, the cross talk cancellation with which the detection of the vibrations of another cymbal with the vibrations at the time of striking is prevented, and the like. In addition, the threshold value “A” and these parameters may also be combined.
In addition, in the embodiments described above, the configuration is such that the displacement sensor 60 is disposed between the upper cymbal 100 and the lower cymbal 200, but as long as the amount of displacement of the upper cymbal 100 can be detected, that configuration and arrangement location are not a special feature. For example, it may also be configured such that a sensor is disposed that detects the amount that the pedal 440 is stepped on and the amount of the stepping is detected.
In addition, in the embodiments described above, the configuration is such that the vibration sensor 70 is arranged on the upper cymbal 100 via the vibration sensor attachment frame 120, but, for example, it may also be configured such that the sensor is arranged directly on the frame portion of the upper cymbal as is cited in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication (Kokai) Number 2003-167574.
The embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative, and not restrictive of the invention. The present invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is indicated by the attached claims, rather than the embodiments. Various modifications and changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be within the scope of the invention.
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