Claims
- 1. A sound generator comprising:
- a note generating circuit for outputting a sequence of note signals of the same or different frequencies, each frequency corresponding to an audible note;
- an acoustic transducer having said note signals as an input and having audible notes as an output;
- memory means for storing data characterizing a note signal along with data characterizing an associated inhibit signal, said stored note data being read out to said note generating circuit in a regular sequence for generating said sequence of the note signals;
- inhibit means responsive to at least one inhibit signal for selectively blocking passage of note signals from said note generating circuit to said acoustic transducer; and
- means responsive to inhibit signal data, read from said memory means at the same time as the corresponding note data, for transmittal of an inhibit signal to said inhibit means to block passage of a terminal portion of the note signal to the transducer means,
- whereby the sound of a second audible note is made distinguishable from a first audible note by the termination of the first audible note.
- 2. A sound generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the blocked terminal portion resulting from each inhibit signal is of the same duration.
- 3. A sound generator as claimed in claim 1 wherein data characterization of a rest signal is stored in the memory means, and further comprising:
- rest signal generating means responsive to said rest signal data for transmittal of a rest signal to the inhibit means as a signal inhibit signal.
- 4. A sound generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said memory means stores said data characterizing said note signals and said inhibit signals at the same address, each address is read out in sequence at regular intervals, and the data from each address is read until the next address is read.
- 5. A sound generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inhibit means includes an AND gate between said note generator circuit output and said transducer, said AND gate having an input for, and being adapted to, respond to inhibit data read from said memory.
- 6. A sound generator as said in claim 5 and further comprising:
- means for timing the occurrence and duration of said blocked portion of said note signals supplied to said transducer.
- 7. A sound generator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the means for timing is a gate having plurality of inhibits, one input being inhibit data read from said memory means and at least one other inhibit being a periodic signal.
- 8. A sound generator as claimed in claim 7, and further comprising timekeeping circuits, said timekeeping circuits providing a high frequency standard signal to said note generating circuit, said note generating circuit including a programmable divider, said programmable divider dividing down said high frequency signal by selective division ratios to project selected notes in response to said note data in said memory.
- 9. A sound generator as claimed in claim 8, wherein said timekeeping circuits include a coincidence detector, said coincidence detector outputting an actuation signal upon the coincidence between actual time measured by said timekeeping circuits and a preselected time stored in said timekeeping circuits, said actuation signal being another input to said inhibit means AND gate, whereby a musical alarm may be provided at said preselected time.
- 10. A sound generator as claimed in claim 1, 2, or 4 and further comprising timekeeping circuits, said timekeeping circuits providing a high frequency standard signal to said note generating circuit, said note generating circuit including a programmable divider, said programmable divider dividing down said high frequency signal by selective division ratios to produce selected notes in respone to said note data in said memory.
- 11. A sound generator as claimed in claim 4, and further comprising timekeeping circuits, said timekeeping circuits providing a high frequency standard signal to said note generating circuit, said note generating circuit including a programmable divider, said programmable divider dividing down said high frequency signal by selective division ratios to produce selected notes in response to said note data in said memory.
- 12. A sound generator as claimed in claim 1, 2, or 4, and further comprising visible display means and means for driving said display means, said means for driving including circuit means for detecting said periods of no sound and being adapted to change said display upon the occurrence of said period of no sound, whereby said display changes in synchronization with said notes produced by said transducer.
- 13. A sound generator as claimed in claim 2, wherein each note signal is provided for a preselected period of time, and said note signal is further subject to inhibition for the entire selected period of time, whereby both rests and pauses may occur in the sequence of notes outputted by said transducer.
- 14. A sound generator comprising:
- a note generating circuit for outputting a series of note signals of one or more frequencies corresponding to different audible notes;
- an acoustic transducer having the series of note signals as an input and having a series of audible notes an an output;
- read only memory means for storing data at a plurality of addresses, each address containing data which is characteristic of the frequency and duration of one note signal along with an inhibit signal for cutting short the duration of the note signal, the stored data being read out in an ordered sequence and the data characteristic of the frequency and duration of each note signal being fed along with the inhibit signal to the note generating circuit in the ordered sequence to produce a series of notes of full or shortened duration;
- visible display means; and
- means for driving the display means so as to change the display produced in a predetermined sequence of visual effects, said driving means responding to each inhibit signal as it is read out in the ordered sequence, whereby the occurence of visual effects are synchronized with audible notes of shortened duration.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
55-87057 |
Jun 1980 |
JPX |
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55-87482 |
Jun 1980 |
JPX |
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Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 277,292 filed June 25, 1981, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4010667 |
Kniepkamp |
Mar 1977 |
|
4213372 |
Sasaki et al. |
Jan 1980 |
|
4276586 |
Uchino et al. |
May 1981 |
|
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
277292 |
Jun 1981 |
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