| JP10020852 | ELECTRONIC STRINGED INSTRUMENT |
| WO/2002/021503 | ANALOG ELECTRONIC DRUM SET, PART FOR ANALOG ELECTRONIC DRUM SET, AND FOOT PEDAL UNIT |
| JP2000115881 | SOUND COLLECTOR |
LILJA, Bengt (Älgstigen 28, Värmdö, S-139 36, SE)
| CLAIMS 1. Electronic percussion instrument (1 ) comprising a circular vibration disc (31 ) of electrically conducting materials provided with a centrally placed mounting device (2) to which a stand for the support of the vibration disc (31 ) can be detachably connected, characterized in that the instrument (1 ) comprises an electrically conducting circular contact disc (32) mounted concentrically next to the vibration disc (31 ) as well as electrically insulated from the same by at least one intermediate insulator layer (33), the insulator layer (33) having an extension toward the periphery of the instrument that is smaller than both the vibration disc (31 ) and the contact disc (32) as well as that the entire or parts of the periphery of the contact disc (32) is arranged with an elasticity that entails that the periphery thereof is flexible toward the vibration disc (31 ) to obtain electric contact between the discs (31 , 32) under load, the periphery of the contact disc (32) thus being arranged to return into broken electric contact between the discs (31 , 32) when the load ceases, a signal processing device (22) being connected to the two discs (31 , 32) and arranged to generate a decay of a current electronic sound upon electric contact between the discs (31 , 32). 2. Percussion instrument according to claim 1 , characterized in that the insulator layer (33) is formed as a circular disc that is made with a smaller diameter than both the vibration disc (31 ) and the contact disc (32). 3. Percussion instrument according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that the contact disc (32) is placed above the vibration disc (31 ) as seen from a user position. 4. Percussion instrument according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the contact disc (32) is formed with radially orientated contact tongues (41 ) along the entire or parts of the periphery thereof. 5. Percussion instrument according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the contact disc (32) and the vibration disc (31 ) have the same diameter. 6. Percussion instrument according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the percussion side of the instrument is covered by a vibration damping material (6), preferably rubber. 7. Percussion instrument according to claim 6, characterized in that both the periphery of the contact disc (32) and the periphery of the vibration disc (31 ) are surrounded by the vibration damping material (6). 8. Percussion instrument according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that said elasticity of the periphery of the contact disc (32) is adapted to correspond to the force required for allowing a percussionist to press together the discs (31 , 32) and provide electric contact between them using the same force that is required for the percussionist to damp the vibrations of a conventional percussion instrument. 9. Percussion instrument according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the contact disc (32) represents a connector having positive polarity and that the vibration disc (31 ) represents a connector having negative polarity, and that said connectors are connected to the signal processing unit (22) that is arranged to, upon contact between the two connectors, select a predetermined decay time of the instrument sound depending on the length of the contact time and distribute this sound to loudspeakers or headphones. 10. Percussion instrument according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that the signal processing device (2) is formed so that decay of a current electronic sound depends on the contact time between the discs (31 , 32). |
Technical Field
The present invention relates to the area of musical instruments and concerns an electronic percussion instrument, preferably an electronic cymbal.
Background of the Invention
When a percussionist plays on a cymbal, he or she uses his or her hand to control the length of the decaying sound. Depending on how fast or how hard the hand is pressed against the edge of the instrument, it is possible to control the length of this so-called decay time.
Today, there are some applications that offer a similar solution, but in these cases, it is required to use more components, which contributes to make the products more expensive. A so-called membrane switch is used, which is applied at the edge of the instrument. Since this switch is fairly expensive, these manufacturers choose to apply this membrane switch only along a shorter distance around the outer edge. Thereby, the percussion pad has always to be mounted toward a certain direction in relation to the position of the percussionist, and the percussionist can only damp the sound by squeezing together the edges within a certain specific area only where the switch is applied.
Among prior art within the area, the patent specification US 7,323,632 may be mentioned, which shows a device to convert mechanical vibrations from percussion instruments into electric triggering pulses by using a ring-shaped transducer suitable for central mounting in relation to the percussion surface of the instrument.
The patent specification US 6,072,112 shows a rim switch placed at the outer periphery of a percussion instrument for detection of hits from a drumstick against the periphery.
The Object of the Invention
The object of the present invention is to provide a new electronic percussion instrument with the possibility of controlling the decay of the current sound in order to minimize the problems mentioned above. The present invention affords a solution for a percussionist to control the decay of an electronic percussion instrument, a so-called pad, in a corresponding way as of a corresponding acoustic percussion instrument.
Summary of the Invention
By the present invention such as the same is defined in the independent claim, the above-mentioned objects are met. Suitable embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.
The invention concerns an electronic percussion instrument comprising a circular vibration disc of electrically conducting materials. The vibration disc may be provided with a centrally placed mounting device to which a stand for the support of the vibration disc can be detachably connected. The instrument comprises an electrically conducting circular contact disc mounted concentrically next to the vibration disc as well as electrically insulated from the same by at least one intermediate insulator layer. The insulator layer has an extension toward the periphery of the instrument that is smaller than both the vibration disc and the contact disc. Furthermore, the entire or parts of the periphery of the contact disc is arranged with an elasticity that entails that the periphery thereof is flexible toward the vibration disc to obtain electric contact between the discs under load. Hence, the periphery of the contact disc is arranged to return into broken electric contact between the discs when the load ceases. Furthermore, a signal processing device is connected to the two discs and arranged to generate a decay of a current electronic sound upon electric contact between the discs.
In one embodiment, the insulator layer is formed as a circular disc that is made with a smaller diameter than both the vibration disc and the contact disc.
In one embodiment, the contact disc is placed above the vibration disc as seen from a user position.
In one embodiment, the contact disc is formed with radially orientated contact tongues along the entire or parts of the periphery thereof. In one embodiment, the contact disc and the vibration disc have the same diameter.
In one embodiment, the percussion side of the instrument is covered by a vibration damping material, preferably rubber. In one embodiment, both the periphery of the contact disc and the periphery of the vibration disc are surrounded by the vibration damping material.
In one embodiment, said elasticity of the periphery of the contact disc is adapted to correspond to the force required for allowing a percussionist to press together the discs and provide electric contact between them using the same force that is required for the percussionist to damp the vibrations of a conventional percussion instrument.
In one embodiment, the contact disc represents a connector having positive polarity and the vibration disc represents a connector having negative polarity, said connectors being connected to the signal processing unit that is arranged to, upon contact between the two connectors, select a predetermined decay time of the instrument sound depending on the length of the contact time and distribute this sound to loudspeakers or headphones.
In one embodiment, the signal processing device is formed so that decay of a current electronic sound depends on the contact time between the discs.
An electronic percussion instrument according to the invention affords the possibility of controlling the length, the decay, of a triggered sound from an electronic sound source, as for instance a sound module.
The percussionist can damp the sound irrespective of where along the periphery he squeezes the instrument.
Products according to the invention become considerably cheaper in manufacture since extra electronics and the component membrane switch does not need to be applied along the edge.
The contact disc is preferably manufactured from a light flexible material that may be electrically conducting. The material may also be manufactured from non-conducting materials but provided with an electrically conducting surface layer. The contact disc is connected to a printed circuit card and further to sound module/trigger module
The vibration disc is formed in a similar way as the contact disc but more rigid in the construction thereof and also this electrically conducting and/or provided with an electrically conducting surface layer.
When the contact disc and the vibration disc are squeezed together by a hit from a drumstick or are squeezed together by the hand, electric contact between the discs arises and thereby this contact is detected by connected electronics. Accordingly, the contact disc is materially adapted so that it easily can be bent down against the vibration disc without causing too great a resistance and spring back when the pressure is released. In one embodiment, the contact disc has been machined in such way that it easily can be pressed down against the vibration disc and simultaneously quickly be able to return to the initial position when the pressure is released.
The insulator layer is preferably made of a sound-absorbing material to allow the percussionist to hit on the instrument with a low acoustic sound level and present a natural rebound for a good feel of playing. The entire instrument is mounted with a central suspension in order to achieve a balance when the instrument is struck by a drumstick resembling the behaviour of an acoustic cymbal when it is suspended on a stand.
Accordingly, a percussion instrument according to the invention is constructed from two materials that are electrically insulated from each other by an insulating material except around the outer part of the edge where the two materials can be squeezed together and upon squeezing together give electric contact between the two materials that can be detected by electronics. When the pressure from the hand or drumstick releases, the two materials should return to the initial position. In this connection, the two materials constitute a connector having positive polarity and a connector having negative polarity. The electric contact may be completely or partly around the entire outer edge. The instrument may be provided with an outer layer of damping materials for a low acoustic sound level. The instrument may also be provided with a centre hole for suspension in a stand.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The invention will now be described in more detail by means of embodiment examples, reference being made to the accompanying drawing figures, wherein Figure 1 shows a top view of an electronic musical instrument according to the present invention,
Figure 2 shows a cross-section A-A according to Figure 1 ,
Figure 3 shows a partial enlargement of the cross-section according to
Figure 2, Figure 4 shows in planar view interior parts of the invention, Figure 5 shows a cross-section B-B according to Figure 4,
Description of the Invention Figure 1 shows an electronic musical instrument 1 in the form of a cymbal.
The instrument is provided with a centrally placed mounting device 2 to which a stand, not shown, for the support of the instrument can be connected. The instrument is divided into playing zones among which an inner zone 3 represents a first type of sound, an intermediate zone 4 represents a second type of sound, and an outer zone 5 represents a third type of sound. The shape of the musical instrument is circular and the entire upper surface thereof is provided with a vibration damping material 6, preferably of rubber.
Figure 2 shows a section A-A according to Figure 1 through the instrument 1 , the mounting device 2 being formed as a hole. The entire upperside of the instrument is covered by the vibration damping material 6 that, at the inner zone 3 of the instrument, is essentially twice as thick as at the intermediate zone 4 thereof and the outer zone 5 thereof. The instrument 1 is formed with a signal processing device 22 mounted in an electronic housing 23 centrally placed on the underside of the instrument. Furthermore, a ring-shaped vibration sensor 24 is placed around the mounting device 2. Said sensor is adapted to sense different types of hits against the instrument, and the signal processing device can detect where on the instrument the hit is made and send signals to a sound module that sends correct sound to an audio output and further to, e.g., loudspeakers or earphones. The encircled part of the edge of the instrument is shown enlarged in
Figure 3. The instrument is constructed from a circular vibration disc 31 of electrically conducting materials, preferably aluminium or any type of copper alloy such as bronze or brass. The instrument comprises furthermore an electrically conducting circular contact disc 32 mounted concentrically next to the vibration disc 31 as well as electrically insulated from the same by at least one intermediate insulator layer 33. As is seen in the figure, the vibration disc and the contact disc have mainly the same diameter, which does not need to be the case in other embodiments. However, the insulator layer 33 has an extension toward the periphery of the instrument that is smaller than both the vibration disc 31 and the contact disc 32, which means that a slot 34 is formed between the two discs. The insulator layer 33 consists preferably of a circular disc, but may, in other feasible embodiments, be formed as sectors of a circle or radially directed insulation tapes distributed along the entire circle surface. The periphery of the contact disc 32 is arranged with an elasticity that entails that the periphery thereof is flexible toward the vibration disc to obtain electric contact between the discs 31 , 32 under an applied load in the direction of the force arrows "F", according to Figure 3, in the form of a manual compression made by a drummer for damping of the vibrations of the instrument. Figure 3 also shows the vibration damping material 6 that covers the entire upperside of the instrument as well as also is formed with an edge folding 35 at the periphery of the instrument so that the vibration damping material 6 will surround the connectors, i.e., the periphery of the vibration disc 31 and the contact disc 32. Figure 4 shows an advantageous embodiment of the connectors of the instrument with the vibration damping material removed, where the contact disc 32 has been formed with radially orientated contact tongues 41 along the entire periphery of the contact disc. The tongues 41 extend from the periphery of the contact disc radially inward past the edge of the insulator layer 33. The radially arranged tongues are uniformly distributed along the periphery and amount, in the embodiment illustrated, to 120 pieces. However, the number may be selected in the interval of 40-150 pieces. The vibration disc 31 and the insulator layer 33 are shown more clearly in the cut-away part of the contact disc 32.
Figure 5 shows in a section B-B between two adjacent tongues 41', 41" that the tongue 41 " is longer than the slot 34 between the vibration disc 31 and the contact disc 32. Upon an applied load in the direction of the force arrows F 1 , the connectors will be closed by the tongue 41" being bent elastically against the vibration disc 31 as indicated by dashed lines in the figure. In doing so, a signal is sent to the signal processing device that outputs a decaying instrument sound. After the load having ceased, the tongue 41" will spring back, whereby the contact between the connectors will break. In this connection, it is possible that different types of decaying instrument sounds are outputted by the signal processing device depending on the time for contact between the vibration disc 31 and the contact disc 32.