Claims
- 1. A transducer system for a stringed musical instrument adapted to be positioned under the instrument saddle for coupling vibratory action from the instrument strings via the saddle to said transducer system, said transducer system comprising;
- a first electrically conductive member,
- a plurality of piezoelectric transducers each adapted to be aligned with an instrument string and each having one and another side,
- said first electrically conductive member positioned at the one side of said transducers and receiving the one side of the transducers in electrically coupling contact therewith,
- a second electrically conductive member positioned at the other side of said transducers,
- conductive adhesive means for securing the other side of the piezoelectric transducers to the second electrically conductive member to form an elongated unitary structure that includes said first electrically conductive member with the piezoelectric transducers disposed between the first electrically conductive member and the second electrically conductive member and spacedly disposed so as to be in alignment with respective strings,
- said transducers being bonded only on their other side so as to stress the crystal and thus increase voltage therefrom,
- at least a major portion of the other side of said transducers being bonded to provide the crystal stressing,
- conductive shield means for shielding said transducers disposed about said unitary structure,
- means providing electrical contact between the shield means and one of said first and second electrically conductive members,
- and electrical lead means for conducting an electrical signal, said electrical lead means being connected to said first and second electrically conductive members.
- 2. A transducer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second electrically conductive member includes a conductive strip positioned at the other side of said transducers and a resilient and electrically conductive layer disposed between said piezoelectric transducers and conductive strip.
- 3. A transducer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first electrically conductive member is of elongated and substantially flat form having a width comparable to the transducer cross-dimension and said second electrically conductive member is likewise elongated and substantially flat providing continuous electrical coupling across all transducers.
- 4. A transducer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means providing electrical contact between the shield means and one of said first and second electrically conductive members comprises a conductive adhesive.
- 5. A transducer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means providing electrical contact provides contact between the shield means and said first electrically conductive member.
- 6. A transducer system as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first electrically conductive member comprises a ground plane.
- 7. A transducer system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said ground plane is of elongated and substantially flat form having a width comparable to the transducer diameter and said electrically conductive member is likewise elongated and substantially flat providing continuous electrical coupling across all transducers.
- 8. A transducer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means providing electrical contact provides contact between the shield means and said second electrically conductive member.
- 9. A transducer system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said second electrically conductive member includes an electrically conductive strip positioned at the other side of said transducers and a resilient and electrically conductive layer disposed between said piezoelectric transducers and conductive strip.
- 10. A transducer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said conductive shield means comprises a heat-shrink tubing having an associated conductive layer disposed thereover.
- 11. A transducer system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said heat-shrink tubing has means defining a hole therein with conductive means at the hole providing said electrical contact between the shield and one of said first and second electrically conductive members.
- 12. A transducer system for a stringed musical instrument adapted to be positioned under the instrument saddle for coupling vibratory action from the instrument strings via the saddle to said transducer system, said transducer system comprising;
- a first electrically conductive member,
- a plurality of piezoelectric transducers each adapted to be aligned with an instrument string and each having one and another side,
- said first electrically conductive member positioned at the one side of said transducers and receiving the one side of the transducers in electrically coupling contact therewith,
- a second electrically conductive member positioned at the other side of said transducers,
- conductive shield means for shielding said transducers disposed about said unitary structure,
- means providing electrical contact between the shield means and one of said first and second electrically conductive members,
- and electrical lead means for conducting an electrical signal, said electrical lead means being connected to said first and second electrically conductive members,
- said conductive shield means comprising a plastic layer having a electrically conductive layer deposited thereon for providing electrical shielding.
- 13. A transducer system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said plastic layer is provided with a thin deposited metal layer forming the conductive layer of the shield.
- 14. A transducer system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the plastic layer is Mylar.
- 15. A transducer system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said plastic layer is in the form of a heat-shrink tubing and said conductive layer is formed by a conductive ink or paint disposed about the tubing.
- 16. A stringed instrument transducer system that is adapted to be positioned adjacent the instrument strings to receive acoustic vibratory signals therefrom and comprising a first electrically conductive member, a second electrically conductive member, a plurality of piezoelectric crystals disposed between the first and second conductive members so as to provide an elongated unitary structure and with the crystals disposed so as to be in alignment with respective strings when installed in the musical instrument, a conductive shield means for shielding said transducers disposed about said unitary structure, said conductive shield means comprising a base dielectric layer adapted to be wrapped about the unitary structure and having vapor deposited thereon a metallic layer, and electrical lead means for conducting an electrical signal, said electrical lead means connecting to the first and second electrically conductive members, respectively.
- 17. A transducer system as set forth in claim 16 wherein said base dielectric layer is a plastic layer and the metallic layer is at least one of copper and aluminum.
- 18. A stringed instrument transducer system that is adapted to be positioned adjacent the instrument strings to receive acoustic vibratory signals therefrom and comprising a first electrically conductive member, a second electrically conductive member, a plurality of piezoelectric crystals corresponding in number to the number of strings of the instrument and disposed between the first and second electrically conductive members so as to provide an elongated unitary structure and with each crystal disposed so as to be in alignment with its respective string when installed in the musical instrument, a conductive shield means for shielding said transducers including a heat shrink tubing means having a conductive layer disposed thereon and adapted to be disposed about the unitary structure to form an electrical shield about the structure, and electrical lead means for conducting an electrical signal, said electrical lead means connecting to the first and second electrically conductive members, respectively.
- 19. A transducer system as set forth in claim 18 wherein the conductive shield means includes a conductive layer disposed on the heat shrink tubing prior to the heat shrinking thereof.
- 20. A transducer system as set forth in claim 18 wherein said conductive shield means includes a conductive layer disposed on the heat shrink tubing after the heat shrinking thereof.
- 21. A transducer system as set forth in claim 18 wherein said transducers are bonded only on one side thereof to one of said first and second electrically conductive members.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 06/876,238, filed June 19, 1986 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,867 granted Oct. 4, 1988, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 06/856,189, filed Apr. 28, 1986 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (2)
Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
876238 |
Jun 1986 |
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Parent |
856189 |
Apr 1986 |
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