WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENT HAVING PADS FOR CLOSING TONE HOLES WITH MECHANICAL ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORTING SYSTEM USED THEREIN

Abstract

A saxophone has a complicated key mechanism for selectively closing and opening tone holes, and fingering on touch buttons and keys is not easy for children, handicapped persons and old players; a supporting system is combined with the saxophone so as to assist a human player in fingering, and includes sensors, actuators and a controlling unit; while the human player is fingering on the touch buttons and keys, the sensors inform the controlling unit of changes of the depressed touch buttons and depressed keys, and the controlling unit supplies driving signals to the actuators associated with the tone holes to be closed so as to permit the human player easily and quickly to play music tunes.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the wind musical instrument and supporting system will be more clearly understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a wind musical instrument of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross sectional view showing the structure of a tubular body and a key mechanism incorporated in the wind musical instrument,

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a tone hole closed with a padded cup/padded key of the key mechanism,

FIG. 4A is a side view showing a pressure-sensitive pad adhered to a key,

FIG. 4B is a front view showing the pressure-sensitive pad and key,

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing behavior of a supporting system,

FIG. 6A is a side view showing a pressure-sensitive pad sandwiched between a key and a pusher incorporated in another wind musical instrument according to the present invention,

FIG. 6B is a front view showing the pressure-sensitive pad, pusher and key,

FIG. 7A is a side view showing a key sensor incorporated in yet another wind musical instrument according to the present invention,

FIG. 7B is a front view showing the key sensor and key,

FIG. 8A is a side view showing a key sensor incorporated in still another wind musical instrument according to the present invention,

FIG. 8B is a front view showing the key sensor and key,

FIG. 9A is a side view showing a key sensor incorporated in yet another wind musical instrument according to the present invention,

FIG. 9B is a front view showing the key sensor and key,

FIG. 10A is a side view showing a key sensor incorporated in still another wind musical instrument according to the present invention,

FIG. 10B is a front view showing the key sensor and key,

FIG. 11A is a side view showing a key sensor incorporated in yet another wind musical instrument according to the present invention,

FIG. 11B is a front view showing the key sensor and key,

FIG. 12A is a schematic cross sectional view showing the structure of a key mechanism and an actuator incorporated in still another wind musical instrument,

FIG. 12B is a schematic view showing a tone hole closed with a padded cup/padded key of the key mechanism,

FIG. 13A is a schematic cross sectional view showing the structure of a key mechanism and an actuator incorporated in yet another wind musical instrument,

FIG. 13B is a schematic view showing a tone hole closed with a padded cup/padded key of the key mechanism,

FIG. 14A is a schematic cross sectional view showing the structure of a key mechanism and an actuator incorporated in still another wind musical instrument,

FIG. 14B is a schematic view showing a tone hole closed with a padded cup/padded key of the key mechanism,

FIG. 15A is a schematic cross sectional view showing the structure of a key mechanism and an actuator incorporated in yet another wind musical instrument,

FIG. 15B is a schematic view showing a tone hole closed with a padded cup/padded key of the key mechanism,

FIG. 16A is a schematic cross sectional view showing the structure of a key mechanism and an actuator incorporated in still another wind musical instrument,

FIG. 16B is a schematic view showing a tone hole closed with a padded cup/padded key of the key mechanism,

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross sectional view showing the structure of a key mechanism and an actuator incorporated in yet another wind musical instrument,

FIG. 18A is a schematic cross sectional view showing the structure of a key mechanism and an actuator incorporated in a modification of the wind musical instrument shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B,

FIG. 18B is a schematic view showing a tone hole closed with a padded cup/padded key of the key mechanism,

FIG. 19A is a schematic cross sectional view showing the structure of a key mechanism and an actuator incorporated in another modification of the wind musical instrument shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, and

FIG. 19B is a schematic view showing a tone hole closed with a padded cup/padded key of the key mechanism.

Claims

1. A wind musical instrument for producing tones through vibrations of air column, comprising: an acoustic wind musical instrument including a tubular body formed with tone holes so as to vary length of said air column defined therein, anda key mechanism having padded closers responsive to fingering of a human player so as to close and open said tone holes; anda supporting system combined with said acoustic wind musical instrument, and including sensors producing detecting signals representative of said fingering,actuators provided on said tubular body in association with said padded closers and responsive to driving signals so as to cause said tone holes to be closed with said padded closers and opened anda controlling unit connected to said sensors and said actuators, determining certain tone holes to be closed with said padded closers and opened on the basis of said detecting signals and supplying said driving signals to the actuators associated with said certain tone holes.

2. The wind musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, in which said key mechanism further includes manipulators moved by said human player.

3. The wind musical instrument as set forth in claim 2, in which said manipulators are monitored with said sensors.

4. The wind musical instrument as set forth in claim 2, in which a link mechanism is provided between said manipulators and said padded closers so as to propagate the force exerted on said manipulators to said padded closers.

5. The wind musical instrument as set forth in claim 4, in which said manipulators are monitored with said sensors, and said human player exerts force on said padded closers by means of said actuators.

6. The wind musical instrument as set forth in claim 2, in which said human player exerts force on said manipulators by means of said actuators.

7. The wind musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, in which said supporting system is activated by said human player so as to assist said human player in said fingering, and said human player performs a music passage without any assistance of said supporting system deactivated by said human player.

8. The wind musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, in which said sensors produces said detecting signal representative of a physical quantity selected from the group consisting of force, position, velocity, acceleration, strain and torque.

9. The wind musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, in which each of said actuators includes a driver responsive to said driving signal so as to convert the electric power of said driving signal to force exerted on associated one of said padded closers.

10. The wind musical instrument as set forth in claim 9, in which said each of said actuators further includes a converter converting the movement of an output part of said driver to movements of said associated one of said padded closers.

11. The wind musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, in which said acoustic wind musical instrument is selected from the group consisting of a tenor saxophone, an alto saxophone, a baritone saxophone, a soprano saxophone, clarinet, an alto clarinet, a bass clarinet, an oboe, an English horn, a bassoon, a flute, a piccolo and a bass recorder.

12. A supporting system combined with an acoustic wind musical instrument having a tubular body formed with tone holes and a key mechanism used for closing and opening said tone holes, comprising: sensors producing detecting signals representative of fingering of a human player on said key mechanism;actuators provided on said tubular body in association with padded closers of said key mechanism, and responsive to driving signals so as to cause said tone holes to be closed with said padded closers and opened; anda controlling unit connected to said sensors and said actuators, determining certain tone holes to be closed with said padded closers and opened on the basis of said detecting signals, and supplying said driving signals to the actuators associated with said certain tone holes.

13. The supporting system as set forth in claim 12, in which said key mechanism further includes manipulators moved by said human player.

14. The supporting system as set forth in claim 13, in which said manipulators are monitored with said sensors.

15. The supporting system as set forth in claim 13, in which a link mechanism is provided between said manipulators and said padded closers so as to propagate the force exerted on said manipulators to said padded closers.

16. The supporting system as set forth in claim 15, in which said manipulators are monitored with said sensors, and said human player exerts force on said padded closers by means of said actuators.

17. The supporting system as set forth in claim 13, in which said human player exerts force on said manipulators by means of said actuators.

18. The supporting system as set forth in claim 12, in which said supporting system is activated by said human player so as to assist said human player in said fingering, and said human player performs a music passage without any assistance of said supporting system deactivated by said human player.

19. The supporting system as set forth in claim 12, in which said sensors produces said detecting signal representative of a physical quantity selected from the group consisting of force, position, velocity, acceleration, strain and torque.

20. The supporting system as set forth in claim 12, in which each of said actuators includes a driver responsive to said driving signal so as to convert the electric power of said driving signal to force exerted on associated one of said padded closers, anda converter converting the movement of an output part of said driver to movements of said associated one of said padded closers.