Musical instrument capable of producing additional vibration sound and method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10540949-B2
Application number	US-201816039699-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2018
Priority date	Jan 20, 2016
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

The musical instrument includes: a pickup that acquires an electric sound signal corresponding to a sound performed on the musical instrument; effector circuitry that imparts an effect to the acquired electric sound signal; a vibrator that produces mechanical vibration corresponding to the effect-imparted sound signal; and a transmission device that transmits the mechanical vibration, produced by the vibrator, to the body of the musical instrument with a characteristic having a fundamental frequency region of the musical instrument suppressed. The electric sound signal corresponding to the performed sound is imparted with an effect, the vibrator is driven by the effect-imparted sound signal, and a mechanical vibration sound is generated from the body of the musical instrument. The thus-generated mechanical vibration sound is audibly generated from the body as a vibration sound additional to the performed sound, which allows a user to experience a performance feeling that has never existed before.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A musical instrument comprising:
a pickup that acquires an electric sound signal corresponding to a performed sound of the musical instrument;
an effector circuitry that imparts an effect to the electric sound signal acquired by the pickup; and
a vibrator mounted to a body of the musical instrument for producing mechanical vibration corresponding to the sound signal imparted with the effect,
wherein the mechanical vibration, produced by the vibrator, is caused to be transmitted to the body of the musical instrument with a frequency characteristic having a fundamental frequency region of the musical instrument suppressed so as to suppress feedback of the performed sound of the musical instrument.

2. The musical instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mechanical vibration, produced by the vibrator, is caused to be transmitted to the body of the musical instrument with the frequency characteristic having the fundamental frequency region of the musical instrument suppressed by a transmission device including an electric circuit adjusts a frequency characteristic of the sound signal to be input to the vibrator to the frequency characteristic having the fundamental frequency region of the musical instrument suppressed.

3. The musical instrument as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the electric circuit is an equalizer.

4. The musical instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vibrator is mounted to the body of the musical instrument at such a position so as to cause the mechanical vibration, produced by the vibrator, to be transmitted to the body of the musical instrument with the frequency characteristic having the fundamental frequency region of the musical instrument suppressed.

5. The musical instrument as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the body of the musical instrument is a resonance body, and wherein the vibrator is mounted to the resonance body at a position displaced from an anti-node of fundamental vibration of the resonance body.

6. The musical instrument as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a mixing circuit that mixes an output signal from the effector circuitry and an electric audio signal supplied from an external input terminal,
wherein the mechanical vibration produced by the vibrator corresponds to an output signal of the mixing circuit.

7. The musical instrument as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a second effector circuitry that imparts an effect to the electric sound signal acquired by the pickup; and
a second vibrator mounted to the body of the musical instrument for producing mechanical vibration corresponding to the sound signal imparted with the effect by the second effector circuitry.

8. The musical instrument as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising a second transmission device constructed to transmit the mechanical vibration, produced by the second vibrator, to the body of the musical instrument with the frequency characteristic having the fundamental frequency region of the musical instrument suppressed.

9. A method comprising:
acquiring, via a pickup, an electric sound signal corresponding to a performed sound of a musical instrument;
imparting, via an effector circuitry, an effect to the acquired electric sound signal;
producing, by a vibrator mounted to a body of the musical instrument, mechanical vibration corresponding to the sound signal imparted with the effect; and
transmitting the mechanical vibration, produced by the vibrator, to the body of the musical instrument with a frequency characteristic having a fundamental frequency region of the musical instrument suppressed so as to suppress feedback of the performed sound of the musical instrument.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein transmitting the mechanical vibration to the body of the musical instrument with the frequency characteristic having the fundamental frequency region of the musical instrument suppressed includes adjusting, via an electric circuit, a frequency characteristic of the sound signal to be input to the vibrator to the frequency characteristic having the fundamental frequency region of the musical instrument suppressed.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the electric circuit is an equalizer.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the vibrator is mounted to the body of the musical instrument at such a position so as to cause the mechanical vibration, produced by the vibrator, to be transmitted to the body of the musical instrument with the frequency characteristic having the fundamental frequency region of the musical instrument suppressed.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the body of the musical instrument is a resonance body, and wherein the vibrator is mounted to the resonance body at a position displaced from an anti-node of fundamental vibration of the resonance body.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising mixing, by a mixing circuit, an output signal from the effector circuitry and an electric audio signal supplied from an external input terminal,
wherein the mechanical vibration produced by the vibrator corresponds to an output signal of the mixing circuit.

15. The method as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:
imparting, via a second effector circuitry, an effect to the electric sound signal acquired by the pickup; and
producing, via a second vibrator mounted to the body of the musical instrument, mechanical vibration corresponding to the sound signal imparted with the effect by the second effector circuitry.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising transmitting the mechanical vibration, produced by the second vibrator, to the body of the musical instrument with the frequency characteristic having the fundamental frequency region of the musical instrument suppressed.

Assignees

• Yamaha Corp

Inventors

• EKUNI Shingo
• Schröer Tom

Classifications

• G10H3/24 Primary

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

• G10H3/18

  using a string, e.g. electric guitar {(mechanical features G10D1/085)} · CPC title

• G10H1/0091 Primary

  Means for obtaining special acoustic effects (combined with modulation G10H1/043) · CPC title

• G10H2210/281

  Reverberation or echo · CPC title

• G10H1/045

  by electromechanical means · CPC title