A microfiche appendix including 1 microfiche with 27 frames accompanies and forms a part of this application.
This invention relates to a smart musical instrument and smart singing system coupling music equipment, singing, and a computer. More particularly, this invention relates to a system wherein musical instruments and singers communicate wirelessly to a computer and thereby, if desired, to a remote participant or group via the internet.
A number of patented drum and singing devices embody sensing components and software. Typically, these devices display music information that relates to drummer's stroke, and singing style. The information is displayed or signaled by the drum and smart singing systems or simulations of drum and smart singing systems via interactive software and electronics. None of these cooperates with drum strokes and singing styles that sense each actual drum stroke or strokes and singing styles for local and or remote interactive drum and singing musical interaction.
It is desirable to remotely communicate the actual performance location and music of the singing musician, whereby more sophisticated analysis and prediction possibilities are realizable via computer technology and state-of-the-art display music techniques. Further, it is also desirable to use such performance information in an expanded capacity to provide interactive music and singing competition amongst numerous music and singing musicians in locations remote from each other.
This invention relates to a system that interconnects real music musical instruments or other music instruments and or singers to a computer. In a preferred embodiment the computer is coupled wirelessly to one or more musical instruments and singers. Further, the invention, summarized below, allows one or more musicians and singers to enter into a competition against each other. Each musician and or singer logs-in to ask the computer who is available to practice or play music in a musical and or singing contest. Once a musician and or singer pairs up against another musician and or singer anywhere in the world and musical play and or singers sing and play ensues, the computer and display show each musical and singing participant's score via animation or graphics that preferably relate to a musician's and singer's individual performance statistics. A single singer and or musician may practice singing, or play music without a musician or singing opponent and improve basic musical rhythm and singing skills using the computer and music to track their performance. The system application is unlimited and much of this system can be used not only for music and singing competition on the Internet, but for other musical instruments and singers as well. Musical implements and singers with sensors attached according to this invention are used for training purposes, for interactive musical and singing internet competition. The technology can be used for training, competition, and the improvement of music response related reflexes and coordination. With little or no modification, the technology also has applications in medicine, particularly musical physical therapy.
A wireless drum instrument is constructed to contain or alternatively, a standard drum instrument is modified to contain, a multiple drum triggers, sensors or transducer array located on the drum head or face or hitting surface. Upon impact of the head of the drum with a drum stick the impacted sensors produce detectable variances representing the magnitude and duration of the drum-drum stick impact force and the proximate location of such contact relative to the preferred location, on the face of the drum head. The variances are electronically processed into digitally coded information and remotely transmitted by an electrical communication circuit either contained within or attached to the drum head or face.
In each of the drum instrument device according to this invention, in a preferred embodiment the transducer are or include piezoactive elements and or drum triggers. As used herein “piezoactive” includes piezoelectric and piezoresistive components. Piezoactive components are defined as components the electrical properties of which, when the component is subjected to physical force, vary. A drum trigger converts energy produced by stick attack into electrical impulses. The impulses are then supplied to the drum module (brain of the system).
The smart drum instrument system uses biofeedback to create an intelligent drum training and entertainment system. The smart drum instrument system is a diagnostic and analysis tool used to improve a drummers skills by instantaneous by visual and acoustic feedback and cue's with little or no human intervention. The smart drum instrument system takes the generated data and reconstructs it into a useful visual format which can be presented in a variety of ways including 3-dimensional animation. The smart drum instrument system integrated circuit or circuits can be designed anywhere within the drum including the head and or drum stick.
The smart drum instruments has the means via its built in microcontroller to process, analyze, store, stick hitting pattern data and transmit it to the computer and or the Internet for further analysis. In playback mode the smart drum instrument system memorizes how many times each sensor was hit. This allows the drummer to know his or her hitting pattern. Using a computer algorithm, we can analyze and calculate a drum stroke pattern and having a musical personalized drum hitting detection system for each musician.
A smart singing system has a microphone attached or is detachable to a singer. The smart microphone can be held in the hand of a singer or worn on the singer's chess area. The smart microphone that is hand held or worn on the singer has a transducer built-in, when touched by the singer or impacted by the singer's hand, the sensor produces a detectable variance representing impact with the hand. The variance is electronically processed into display coded information and remotely transmitted by an electrical communication circuit. In one preferred embodiment the communication circuit is contained within the smart microphone. Preferably, the communication circuit for the smart microphone is located inside the stem.
The singing system uses biofeedback to create an intelligent sing training entertainment system. The smart singing system is a diagnostic and analysis tool used to improve a singer's skills by visual and acoustic feedback cues with little or no human intervention. The singing system takes the generated data and reconstructs it into a useful visual format which can be presented in a variety of ways including 3-dimensional animation.
In each of the drum set device and smart microphone device according to this invention, in a preferred embodiment the transducers are or include piezoactive elements. As used herein, “piezoactive” includes piezoelectric and piezoresistive components. Piezoactive components are defined as components the electrical properties of which, when the component is subjected to physical force, vary.
At each remote player site, wireless radio frequency equipment receives the digitally coded transmitted signals from the drum set, the microphone, and the drum swing motion sensing device and audio feedback. The signals are demodulated and processed into serial binary data suitable for communications to the computer via either serial or parallel ports. As the game progresses, the computer under the control of the musical software, monitors and directs the flow of communications between the musicians and singers via the internet and displays the music and singing game simulations and performance information.
At each remote player site, a computer under the control of the drumming and singing software, monitors and controls the sequential play of the musical and singing game and interacts with the musical game and or singing player game at the site and also competing musical and singing players at the other remote sites via the internet. The software system generates the musical and singing game simulations for display and tracks each musical player's and singing player's performance as the musical and or singing game progresses. The above further features and advantages of the invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of preferred embodiment.
As shown in
The smart drum system 20 has a head 40 and a stick 42. As shown in
In an alternative embodiment,
In a second alternative embodiment, to retrofit a standard drum, contact sensors 46 are part of an adapter 40 attached to an ordinary drum head as seen in
A radio frequency transmitting circuit 58 receives the serial digital data from the microprocessor 56 and wirelessly transmits the information via an internal antenna 60 to a receiver 26 (
The smart microphone uses 22 in
A hand touching the smart microphone 60 and containing the sensor pad 65, 66, or 67 produces a detectable variance indicating the hand-sensor smart microphone event. The variance may be a change in resistance in the case of a piezo-resistive transducer (similar, but not limited to Cooper Instruments LPM 562) or a voltage change in the case of a piezo-electric transducer. As illustrated in
A radio frequency transmitter circuit 74 receives the serial digital data from the microprocessor 72 and wirelessly transmits the information via an internal antenna 76 to the receiver 26 (
At each player site, a wireless radio frequency signal receiver 26 is connected to the computer 28 by either the serial (USB) or parallel computer ports, as shown in the functional block diagram,
At each remote player site, the computer 28 (
If the competitive play mode has been selected, the program generates a player participation request and sends 134 the request to the GGC game internet server (GGC server) 34 (
If the single music and or singer player practice mode is selected, the internet communications sequences are disabled, other software sequential operating routines continue as above described and the players drum system stroke, hand-smart microphone contact, and audio feedback information are communicated only to the computer located at the players site and the performance information analyzed and displayer only at the local players site.
When a game is won, lost, or terminated, the drum software system generates the appropriate output signals 156 (
Using programming as contained in the accompanying microfiche appendix, one skilled in the art can readily accomplish the game programming described. Alternative programming too will be apparent from the foregoing functional description and the illustrations contained in the appended drawings.
While a preferred embodiment has been described, it will be appreciated that many variations and modifications in the system, its operation, and its various components may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of invention as set forth in the appended claims.
Priority is claimed from U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 60/13,722, filed May 12, 1999 for all subject matter common hereto. That provisional application is incorporated by reference herein. This is a divisional application and the parent application for this divisional application is, 09/570,233.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60133722 | May 1999 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 09570233 | May 2000 | US |
Child | 12799523 | US |