Keyboard musical instrument, adjusting method thereof, and computer-readable recording medium therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10249274-B2
Application number	US-201715407906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2017
Priority date	Jan 18, 2016
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A keyboard musical instrument includes a string-striking mechanism (hammer), driver, sound receiver, analyzer, and adjuster. The hammer strikes a string responsive to a change in position of an associated key of keyboard. The driver drives the hammer under a driving condition in accordance with control data. The sound receiver generates an audio signal corresponding to a sound occurring in the vicinity of the hammer. The analyzer detects the hammer striking a string by analyzing the audio signal generated when the hammer operates. The adjuster adjusts the control data in accordance with results of the analysis. The analyzer detects hammer striking a string in accordance with an intensity of the audio signal occurring within a search range, which has a predetermined relationship along a time axis with regard to a time at which the hammer commences operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A keyboard musical instrument comprising:
a string-striking mechanism configured to strike a string responsive to a change in position of an associated one of keys of a keyboard;
a driver including a driving body for each key that is configured to drive the string-striking mechanism for the respective key;
a sound receiver configured to generate an audio signal corresponding to sound occurring in the keyboard musical instrument;
at least one controller each including a processor or circuitry configured to implement instructions stored in a memory and execute a plurality of tasks, including:
a detecting task that detects striking of a string by the string-striking mechanism through analysis of the audio signal from the sound receiver when the string-striking mechanism operates, in accordance with an intensity of the audio signal within a search range that has a predetermined relationship along a time axis with regard to a time at which operation of the string-striking mechanism commences;
a current supplying task that supplies electric driving current to the driving body in accordance with the control data to drive the string-striking mechanism for the respective key;
a current changing task that sequentially changes a value of electric driving current to provide electric driving currents having different values;
an identifying task that identifies, for each key, minimum electric driving current applied to the respective driving body that drives the string-striking mechanism to strike a string, and a delay time from when driving of the string-striking mechanism commences to when the string-striking mechanism strikes the string, based on results of string strike detections when the string-striking mechanism is made to operate with the electric driving currents having different values; and
an adjusting task that adjusts the control data in accordance with the identified minimum electric driving current and the identified delay time.

2. The keyboard musical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of tasks include a calculating task that calculates an intensity of a background noise from the audio signal generated before the driving body of the respective key drives the string-striking mechanism; and
the detecting task detects the striking by the string-striking mechanism by comparing a threshold that corresponds to the intensity of the background noise with the intensity of the audio signal.

3. The keyboard musical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of tasks include a calculating task that calculates a maximum intensity of the audio signal; and
the detecting task detects the striking of a string by the string-striking mechanism by comparing a threshold that corresponds to the maximum intensity with the intensity of the audio signal.

4. The keyboard musical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of tasks include:
a differentiating task that differentiates a waveform of electric driving current supplied to the driving body when a performance operation is being carried out, from a waveform of driving current supplied when the adjusting operation is being carried out; and
a driving task that, in the performance operation, drives the driving body in accordance with performance data that designates a content of a performance, and

wherein the adjusting task, in the adjusting operation, adjusts the control data in accordance with the results of the detecting task.

5. A keyboard musical instrument comprising:
a string-striking mechanism configured to strike a string responsive to a change in position of an associated one of keys of a keyboard, and including, in association with each key:
a hammer that strikes the associated string by a pivoting action in conjunction with the change in position of the associated key; and
a back check that brings the hammer to a halt after striking the string;

a driver including a driving body for each key that is configured to drive the string-striking mechanism for the respective key;
a sound receiver configured to generate an audio signal corresponding to sound occurring in the keyboard musical instrument;
at least one controller each including a processor or circuitry configured to implement instructions stored in a memory and execute a plurality of tasks, including:
a detecting task that detects striking of a string by the string-striking mechanism through analysis of the audio signal from the sound receiver when the string-striking mechanism operates, in accordance with an intensity of the audio signal within a search range that has a predetermined relationship along a time axis with regard to a time at which operation of the string-striking mechanism commences;
an adjusting task that adjusts the control data in accordance with a result of the detecting task; and
a current supplying task that supplies electric driving current to the driving body in accordance with the control data to drive the string-striking mechanism for the respective key, and that:
provides, when a performance operation is being carried out, a braking operation to permit the hammer to be halted by the back check; and
does not provide, when the adjusting operation is being carried out, the braking operation.

6. An adjusting method of a keyboard musical instrument including:
a string-striking mechanism that strikes a string responsive to a change in position of an associated one of keys of a keyboard;
a driver including a driving body for each key that is configured to drive the string-striking mechanism for the respective key; and
a sound receiver configured to generate an audio signal corresponding to sound occurring in the keyboard musical instrument,

the method comprising the steps of:
detecting striking of a string by the string-striking mechanism through analysis of an audio signal from the sound receiver when the string-striking mechanism operates, in accordance with an intensity of the audio signal within a search range that has a predetermined relationship along a time axis with regard to a time at which operation of the string-striking mechanism commences;
supplying electric driving current to the driving body in accordance with the control data to drive the string-striking mechanism for the respective key;
sequentially changing a value of electric driving current to provide electric driving currents having different values;
identifying, for each key, minimum electric driving current applied to the respective driving body that drives the string-striking mechanism to strike a string, and a delay time from when driving of the string-striking mechanism commences to when the string-striking mechanism strikes the string, based on results of string strike detections when the string-striking mechanism is made to operate with the electric driving currents having different values; and
adjusting the control data in accordance with, the identified minimum electric driving current and the identified delay time.

Assignees

• Yamaha Corp

Inventors

• Okuyama Fukutaro
• Oba Yasuhiko

Classifications

• G10F1/02 Primary

  Pianofortes with keyboard · CPC title

• G10H1/0008

  Associated control or indicating means · CPC title

• G10H3/24

  incorporating feedback means, e.g. acoustic · CPC title

• G10H1/0066

  using a MIDI interface · CPC title

• G10H2210/051

  for extraction or detection of onsets of musical sounds or notes, i.e. note attack timings · CPC title