Practice support device and practice support method for wind instrument performer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9852651-B2
Application number	US-201715415992-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2017
Priority date	Feb 16, 2016
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

A device that supports a performer of a wind instrument, the device including: a processor; and a memory, in which the processor acquires data indicating a myoelectric potential value measured by, a myoelectric sensor arranged on a surface of the face of a performer, the memory stores a table including a listing of conditions for the myoelectric potential value and a corresponding listing of support information for playing the wind instrument, and the processor determines whether the acquired myoelectric potential value satisfies at least a portion of a target condition included in the listing of conditions, determines support information corresponding to the target condition, when the acquired myoelectric potential value is determined to satisfy the at least a portion of the target condition, generates a support image corresponding to the determined support information, and controls a display to display the generated support image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device that supports a performer of a wind instrument, the device comprising:
a processor; and
a memory,
wherein
the processor acquires data indicating a myoelectric potential value measured by a myoelectric sensor arranged on a surface of a face of the performer, and acquires, from a microphone, sound of the wind instrument captured by the microphone,
the memory stores a table including a listing of conditions for the myoelectric potential value and a corresponding listing of support information for playing the wind instrument, and
the processor
determines whether the acquired myoelectric potential value satisfies at least a portion of a target condition included in the listing of conditions,
determines whether the acquired sound of the wind instrument satisfies another portion of the target condition,
determines support information corresponding to the target condition,
when the acquired myoelectric potential value is determined to satisfy the at least a portion of the target condition and when the acquired sound of the wind instrument is determined to satisfy the other portion of the target condition, generates a support image corresponding to the determined support information, and
controls a display to display the generated support image.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least a portion of the target condition includes a change in the myoelectric potential value, or a magnitude of the change in the myoelectric potential value that is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein
the myoelectric sensor measures the myoelectric potential value of one or more muscles from among a levator labii superioris muscle, a zygomaticus major muscle, a risorius muscle, a depressor anguli oris muscle, and a depressor labii inferioris muscle of the performer,
the change of the myoelectric potential value of the at least a portion of the target condition is a change of the myoelectric potential value of any of the levator labii superioris muscle, the zygomaticus major muscle, the risorius muscle, the depressor anguli oris muscle, and the depressor labii inferioris muscle,
the other portion of the target condition is a change in sound level from being absent to being present, and
the support image includes a facial image of the performer, with a part of the facial image corresponding to a muscle in which the myoelectric potential value has changed being emphasized.

4. The device according to claim 2 , wherein
the myoelectric sensor measures the myoelectric potential value of a levator labii superioris muscle of the performer,
the change of the myoelectric potential value of the at least a portion of the target condition is a change of the myoelectric potential value of the levator labii superioris muscle,
the other portion of the target condition is a change in pitch of the wind instrument, and
the support image includes a facial image of the performer, with a part of the facial image corresponding to the levator labii superioris muscle being emphasized.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor determines whether the acquired sound of the wind instrument satisfies the other portion of the target condition when the acquired sound of the wind instrument is equal to or greater than a predetermined magnitude.

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein
the processor further acquires an image captured by a camera, and
the processor determines whether the acquired myoelectric potential value satisfies the at least a portion of the target condition when a facial image of the performer is included in the image.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the support image includes a facial image of the performer.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the support information includes, as text information, advice regarding how to move a muscle corresponding to the target condition, and
the support image includes the text information.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the support information includes, as text information, advice regarding how to move a muscle corresponding to the target condition, and
the processor causes a speaker to output a sound signal corresponding to the text information.

10. A device that supports a performer of a wind instrument, the device comprising:
a processor; and
a memory,
wherein the processor acquires an image including a facial image of the performer, from a camera that captures images of the performer,
the memory stores a table including a listing of conditions for a muscle length and a corresponding listing of support information for playing the wind instrument, and
the processor
determines a muscle length of a target muscle included in the facial image based on positions of a plurality of feature points in the facial image,
determines whether the determined muscle length satisfies at least a portion of a target condition included in the listing of conditions,
determines support information corresponding to the target condition,
when the determined muscle length is determined to satisfy the at least a portion of the target condition, generates a support image corresponding to the determined support information, and
controls a display to display the generated support image.

11. The device according to claim 10 , wherein
the processor further acquires, from a microphone, sound of the wind instrument captured by the microphone,
the processor further determines whether the acquired sound of the wind instrument satisfies another portion of the target condition, and
when the processor determines that the acquired sound of the wind instrument satisfies the other portion of the target condition, the processor generates the support image.

12. The device according to claim 11 , wherein
the at least a portion of the target condition includes a change in the muscle length, or a magnitude of the change in the muscle length that is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

13. The device according to claim 12 , wherein
the processor determines the muscle length of a risorius muscle of the performer,
the change in the muscle length of the at least a portion of the target condition is no change in the muscle length of the risorius muscle,
the other portion of the target condition is a change in pitch of the sound of the wind instrument changes, and
the support image includes the facial image, with a part of the facial image corresponding to a corner of a mouth being emphasized.

14. The device according to claim 12 , wherein
the processor determines the muscle length of one or more muscles from among a levator labii superioris muscle, a zygomaticus major muscle, a depressor anguli oris muscle, and a depressor labii inferioris muscle of the performer,
the change of the muscle length of the at least a portion of the target condition is a change in the muscle length of any of the levator labii superioris muscle, the zygomaticus major muscle, the depressor anguli oris muscle, and the depressor labii inferioris muscle,
the other portion of the target condition is a change in pitch of the sound of the wind instrument, and
the support image includes the facial image of the performer, with a part of the facial image corresponding to a muscle of which the muscle length has changed being emphasized.

15. The device according to claim 11 , wherein
the processor determines whether the acquired sound of the wind instrument satisfies the other portion of the target condition when the acquired sound o

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Corp America

Inventors

• Okada Masashi

Classifications

• G10H2220/361

  Mouth control in general, i.e. breath, mouth, teeth, tongue or lip-controlled input devices or sensors detecting, e.g. lip position, lip vibration, air pressure, air velocity, air flow or air jet angle · CPC title

• G10H1/0008

  Associated control or indicating means · CPC title

• G10H2220/091

  Graphical user interface [GUI] specifically adapted for electrophonic musical instruments, e.g. interactive musical displays, musical instrument icons or menus; Details of user interactions therewith · CPC title

• G10H2210/091

  for performance evaluation, i.e. judging, grading or scoring the musical qualities or faithfulness of a performance, e.g. with respect to pitch, tempo or other timings of a reference performance · CPC title

• G09B5/02

  with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip · CPC title