FR2878760A1 - Objects e.g. circus tackle and industrial machine, transforming device for e.g. musical field, has sensors detecting force exerted by cylinder and accessories parts, where sensor values are converted into digital data by converter - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a pneumatic cylinder (1) including anchoring and hooking accessories (2, 4) connecting a tackle or machine to a supporting structure (7). Sensors detect force exerted by parts of the cylinder and the accessories, where sensor values are converted into a digital data by an analog/musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) converter (20) that is connected to a MIDI interface (23) distributing the data towards peripherals.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for the transformation

  sporting equipment and machinery, spectacular or industrial, as an instrument for interactive multimedia creation.

  Machinery, amusement rides, circus apparatus or industrial machines operate according to identical principles; whether they are powered by human force, natural or motorized, they act, according to the impulsed energy, in tractions, impacts, rotations, inclinations and are fixed on stable structures or anchoring surface by accessories allowing the repetition of movements rectilinear, rotary, or oscillating.

  Since the 80s, the evolution of the MIDI standard (digital interface for musical instrument) has allowed a tremendous development of electronic instrument billing and computer-aided music creation.

  MIDI messages are electrical impulses corresponding to the gestures performed by the instrumentalist - note, velocity, duration - and translated into digital form.

  MIDI interfaces and interactive operating systems using this standard are multiplied, allowing the simultaneous use of digital data of different nature (textual, visual, sound). As a result, MIDI encoding is no longer restricted to the single musical domain, but can be extended to all multimedia domains.

  The device according to the invention allows the transformation of tackle and machineries performing one or more efforts in instrument: interactive sound and visual translated by sensors detectable actions in analog values, which then converted into digital data can control in real time any device, hardware, program, or multimedia operating system.

  It comprises in fact according to a first characteristic, a pneumatic cylinder whose one end includes the anchoring accessory for fixing on a stable structure, and the other end the attachment accessory connecting the cylinder to the machine or the apparatus. On the parts of the pneumatic cylinder and anchoring accessories and attachment exerting effort, adapt one or more sensors according to the detectable actions. According to a non-exhaustive list this information is of type pulls, rotations, inclinations, accelerations, impacts, compression, decompression ...

  The sensors are themselves connected to an interface converting their analog values into digital MIDI data.

  This MIDI data is the digital translation of different efforts, they can control all types of equipment directly MIDI or be processed by all multimedia operating systems to generate, in real time, the simultaneous broadcast of sound and visual elements.

  According to particular embodiments: - Attachment and anchoring accessories vary depending on the machines and tackle and their implementation on a stable structure.

  - The cylinder can include support boxes for the protection and attachment of 5 sensors.

  - The cylinder may be single or double effect, one or two rods.

  - The analog / MIDI interface can be directly integrated in the support boxes. - The analog / MIDI interface can be HF to avoid long distances of cable.

  - For machines or equipment requiring several anchor points, the cylinder is multiplied by all these points.

  The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention: FIG. 1 represents in section the device of the invention.

  Figure 2 shows in section, a variant of the invention.

  With reference to these drawings, the device comprises a single-acting pneumatic cylinder (1) connecting the apparatus (6) or the machine by a fastening accessory (3) to the supporting structure (7) by an anchoring accessory ( 2).

  The anchoring accessory (2) is a ring screwed into one of the ends of the jack (1), this anchoring accessory (2) is compatible with the anchoring material (3) of the apparatus or machine (6). The attachment accessory (4) is a ball bearing comprising a ring rotating 360 on the horizontal axis: al, fastened by clamping screw (8) to the lower end of the cylinder rod (1). ). This attachment accessory (4) is compatible with the attachment material (5) of the apparatus or machine (6).

  According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 2, for certain apparatus or machines requiring rotation on the vertical axis, the anchoring accessory (2) is a ball bearing fixed on the horizontal part (3) of the supporting structure (5). ) and screwed into one end of the cylinder (1). For certain apparatus or machines that do not require equipment for anti-retraction anchors, the attachment accessory (4) is replaced by a clamping screw comprising a ring compatible with the attachment material (5) of the apparatus or machine (6).

  On the large lateral faces of the cylinder (1) are fixed by the clamping screws (9) in the small upper and lower faces of the cylinder body (1), support housings (10) for fixing and protecting the sensors.

  The sensors are attached to the parts of the cylinder (1) and its anchoring accessories (2) and attachment (3) exerting effort (11 pulls, 12 rotations, 13 inclinations).

  According to a variant illustrated in Figure 2, the tensile force is replaced by the compressive force (11).

  The capture of the forces in inclinations is done by sensor accelerometer 2 axes (14). Sensitive to angles taken in 2 axes, it is fixed in horizontal position in one of the support boxes (10).

  According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 2, the capture of the forces in inclinations is not a 1-axis accelerometer sensor (14).

  The capture of the rotational forces is by light sensor whose receiving sensor cell (15) is placed on the fixed part of the ball bearing of the attachment accessory (4). It receives at each turn, the light of a led (16) powered by battery fixed on the rotating part of the ball bearing of the attachment accessory (4).

  According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 2, for certain apparatuses or machines requiring a rotation on the vertical axis, the capture of the rotational forces is done by light sensor whose receiving sensitive cell (15) is placed on the fixed part of the bearing. ball of the anchoring accessory (2). It receives at each turn, the light of a led (16) battery powered fixed on the rotating part of the ball bearing of the anchoring accessory (2).

  The traction force is captured by a rotary potentiometer (17) fixed to the lower end of the jack (1), it is driven by the stroke of the cylinder rod (1).

  For the apparatus, the stroke of the jack is such that it does not affect the comfort of the acrobat, the valve (18) of the compression chamber of the jack (1) is plugged while the valve (19) input air remains free.

  According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 2, the traction forces are captured by means of a manometer (17) connected to the cylinder compression chamber valve (18) (1), the air inlet valve (19). remaining free.

  The sensors are connected to the analog / MIDI converter (20) by a hose (21) protecting all the sensor cables (14, 15, 17). This hose (21) is long enough not to interfere with the inclinations of the sensor. tackle (6).

  According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 2, for apparatus or machine performing rotations at 360 on the vertical axis and not being able to include external wiring, the analog / MIDI converter (20) is also HF, it is fixed in one support housings (10), they can be secured to the anchoring material (2), a hinge (21) can open the housings (10) by unscrewing the screws (9) which fix them to the cylinder (1).

  The analog / MIDI converter (20) is connected by MIDI cable (22) to a MIDI interface (23) distributing the data to any directly MIDI keyboard or synthesizer type devices (24) and via a MIDI / USB interface (25) can be processed by any computer operating system (26) for the control of broadcast devices (27) such as video mixer, video projector, sound console, light console.

  According to an illutrated variant in FIG. 2, the information is received by an HF / MIDI interface (22).

  According to a variant not illustrated, the interface (23) having several MIDI inputs and outputs, the device according to the invention consists of the elements of (1) to (22) is multiplied by the number of anchor points of equipment and complex mechanical assemblies, the materials of (23) to (27) are derultiplified according to the number of users.

  The device according to the invention is particularly intended for interactive multimedia creation.

Claims (3)

- CLAIMS -   1) Device for the transformation of machineries and tackle into an interactive instrument characterized in that it consists of a jack (1) connecting the device or machine (6) to its supporting structure (7) having at its ends anchoring accessories (2) and attachment (4) and whose setting in motion allows the actuation of sensors.   2) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the sensors are adapted to the parts of the cylinder (1) and attaching accessories (4) and anchoring (5) exerting a force (11, 12, 13) are equipped with sensors whose values are converted into MIDI data by an interface (20).   3) Device according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the interface (20) converting the sensor information into digital data is connected to any MIDI interface (23), MIDI device (24), multimedia operating system (26). ) for real-time and simultaneous control of data; visual and sound.