JP4244930B2 - Electronic music equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic music apparatus having a lid that can protect a part or all of an operation unit by covering them. In particular, the present invention relates to an electronic music apparatus in which a transparent or semi-transparent display medium is disposed on a lid with transparency and various information is displayed on the display medium of the lid.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electronic music apparatus having a lid (also referred to as a cover) that covers a part or all of an operation unit that can be operated by a user, such as a performance operator and a panel operator (also referred to as a setting operator). Are known. As an example of an electronic music apparatus provided with such a cover, for example, there is an electronic musical instrument described in Patent Document 1 shown below. The electronic musical instrument disclosed in Patent Document 1 can cover part or all of the operation unit when the lid is closed, and can be erected on the instrument body when the lid is opened. A rotating cover is provided. That is, when the cover is closed (that is, when the operation unit is not used), the cover covers a part or all of the operation unit to protect the operation unit from intrusion of external dust or external impacts. Thus, when the cover is opened (that is, when the operation unit is used), it is leaned to a predetermined leaning position with the operation unit sandwiched between the operator operating the operation unit, and a musical score or the like can be placed there. It is like that. Further, in recent electronic music apparatuses, a display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) is integrally disposed on the panel of the apparatus main body, and images or characters (for example, musical scores, lyrics, or images) are displayed on the display. Etc.) can be displayed visually as necessary.
JP 7-121175 A

  However, in the conventional electronic music apparatus as described above, a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) for visually displaying images or characters is provided on the panel of the apparatus main body. However, the size and arrangement position of the display are limited. For this reason, conventionally, the screen of such a display has to be made small, and therefore, a large amount of information cannot be displayed on the display at a time, which is inconvenient. Further, in general, a conventional lid (cover) is formed of an opaque member. When the cover is stood when the lid is opened (that is, when the operation unit is used), not only the appearance is deteriorated, but also the operator's Since the front view is obstructed, it is difficult for the operator to make contact with other performers and spectators, and it is very difficult to perform operations according to the surrounding situation. Especially as the lid becomes larger, these adverse effects become more pronounced. In addition, when the cover is opened, the cover is always leaning against the operator's front, but conventionally it has not been used for anything other than raising a musical score, so there is no interest. It was just a distraction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a transparent or semi-transparent display medium is arranged on a cover (cover). When the operation unit is used, the display medium is placed on the cover. In addition to providing a large and easy-to-see screen by visually displaying images or characters, it is easy for the operator to operate the operation unit while looking at the entire periphery of the device including the opposite side of the lid through the display medium. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic music apparatus that can be made to be used.

Electronic musical apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of operation means provided in the apparatus main body, a reclosable lid to cover all or part of the operating means, transparent or semi-transparent planar The display medium is disposed with transparency and a half mirror is disposed on one surface of the display medium, and the opposite side is seen through the display medium and the half mirror from the position of the operator of the electronic musical instrument. A display control unit configured to prevent the operator from seeing through the operator from the opposite position, and a display control for visually displaying an image or characters on the display medium of the lid Means.

According to the present invention, when the lid is closed, the lid that protects the operating means from the invasion of external dust, external impact, etc. by covering all or part of the many operating means provided in the apparatus main body, A transparent or semi-transparent flat display medium is disposed with transparency, and an image or a character is displayed on the display medium of the lid. As described above, since the image or the character can be visually displayed on the display medium arranged on the lid, the display screen can be enlarged. In addition, a transparent or semi-transparent display medium is disposed on the lid so as to have transparency, and a half mirror is disposed on one surface of the display medium, and the display medium and the display medium from the position on the operator side of the electronic musical instrument The opposite side can be seen through through the half mirror, but the operator cannot see through the operator side by the half mirror from the opposite side position. Through the display medium of the lid, you can look around the entire surroundings of the device and grasp the situation, and this makes it easy to operate the operation unit according to the surrounding situation , Since the lid cannot be seen through from the opposite side, it does not give a sense of incongruity to the audience on the opposite side .

According to this invention, a transparent or translucent flat display medium is disposed on the lid so as to have transparency, and an image or a character is displayed on the display medium of the lid. The operator can obtain a large and easy-to-view display. In addition, a lid may be configured by a transmissive display medium and a half mirror disposed on one surface of the display medium, and the opposite side may be seen through the display medium and the half mirror from an operator side position. However, since the operator cannot see through the operator from the opposite side , the display medium is enlarged so that a large amount of information related to the electronic musical instrument can be displayed. yet the operator from being able to look around the entire periphery of the device, including opposite side passes through the display medium of the lid, such as to easily operating the operation unit in accordance with the surrounding circumstances can be a, with an effect that, by the inability perspective the lid body from the opposite side, without giving an uncomfortable feeling to the audience like the other side, also, Prof such as music and setting information The Sshonaru information can be prevented show the audience like the other side.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration block diagram showing an embodiment of the overall configuration of an electronic music apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, an electronic musical instrument having at least a performance operator 4 (keyboard) is shown as an example of an electronic music apparatus. Also, various types of transparent or semi-transparent display media that can be arranged with a transparent cover (cover) are known. Here, a transparent liquid crystal display 7 is used as an example. Shows the case.

  The electronic musical instrument shown in FIG. 1 is controlled by a microcomputer including a microprocessor unit (CPU) 1, a read only memory (ROM) 2, and a random access memory (RAM) 3. The CPU 1 controls the operation of the entire electronic musical instrument. With respect to the CPU 1, via a data and address bus 1D, a ROM 2, a RAM 3, a performance operator 4, a panel operator 5, a display 6, a transparent liquid crystal display 7 also serving as a cover (cover), a sound source 8, and a sound system 9 Are connected to each other. Further, the CPU 1 is connected to a timer 1A for measuring the interrupt time and various times in the timer interrupt process (interrupt process). For example, the timer 1A generates a clock pulse, and gives the generated clock pulse to the CPU 1 as a processing timing command or to the CPU 1 as an interrupt command. The CPU 1 executes various processes according to these instructions. The electronic musical instrument shown in this embodiment may have hardware other than those described above. Here, a case where the minimum necessary resources are used will be described.

  The ROM 2 stores various programs executed by the CPU 1 and various data. The RAM 3 is used as a working memory that temporarily stores various data generated when the CPU 1 executes a predetermined program, or as a memory that stores a currently executed program and related data. A predetermined address area of the RAM 3 is assigned to each function and used as a register, flag, table, memory, or the like. The performance operator 4 is, for example, a keyboard, pedal, wheel or the like having a plurality of keys for selecting the pitch of a musical tone, and has a key switch corresponding to each key. The performance operator 4 (keyboard or the like) can be used for manual (hand-playing) performance by the user, as well as used as input means for performing various settings such as performance environment settings used during performance. You can also. The panel controls (switches, etc.) 5 are a number of controls arranged on the main body panel as shown in FIG. 2, for example, switches for setting performance environment such as pitch, tone, effect, etc., predetermined accompaniment An accompaniment switch for instructing start / stop of automatic accompaniment according to data. Of course, in addition to these, a numeric keypad for inputting numeric data, a keyboard for inputting character data, and a predetermined pointing device displayed on the display 6 are used for selecting, setting, and controlling pitches, tones, effects, and the like. Various operators such as a mouse used for operating the mouse may be included.

  The display 6 is a display composed of, for example, a non-transparent liquid crystal display panel, CRT, or the like. The display 6 displays a score or lyrics, a music list, or a performance set by the panel operator 5. Images and characters (various information) can be displayed visually, such as displaying environmental settings or displaying the control status of the CPU 1. The display 6 is a general display widely used in a conventionally known electronic musical instrument and the like, and as shown in FIG. 2, a non-transparent display disposed on the main body panel together with the panel operator 5 and the like. It is. Conventionally, all the various types of information are displayed on the display unit 6, but the display unit 6 cannot be increased in size due to the size of the main body panel or the like. Therefore, in this electronic musical instrument, a transparent liquid crystal display 7 is disposed as a display medium on a lid (cover) separately from the display 6. The transparent liquid crystal display 7 is configured, for example, to be a lid made of a transparent or translucent transparent member. When the lid is closed, a part or all of the operation unit can be covered. While being able to stand on the main body, various information can be displayed. Details of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 will be described later (see FIGS. 2 to 5 described later).

  The tone generator 8 can simultaneously generate musical tone signals on a plurality of channels, and is generated in response to a user's operation of the performance operator 4A given via the data and address bus 1D or stored in advance. Performance information such as data is input, and a musical sound signal is generated based on the performance information. In addition, the tone generator 8 controls the tone signal generated based on various parameters, and the generated tone signal is generated from the sound system 9 including an amplifier and a speaker. Any conventional configuration may be used for the sound source 8 and the sound system 9. For example, the sound source 8 may employ any of various tone synthesis methods such as FM, PCM, physical model, formant synthesis, etc., or may be configured with dedicated hardware, or a CPU 1 or DSP (not shown). You may comprise by the software processing by etc.

  The external storage device 10 stores various data such as musical score display information and lyrics display information for displaying musical scores and lyrics, screen display information such as switch types and screen configurations displayed on the transparent liquid crystal display 7 as a touch panel operator, or Various control programs executed by the CPU 1 (for example, “main processing” to be described later) and data related to control are stored. When no control program is stored in the ROM 2, the control program is stored in the ROM 2 by storing the control program in the external storage device 10 (for example, a hard disk) and reading it into the RAM 3. The CPU 1 can be operated in the same manner as in the case. In this way, control programs can be easily added and upgraded. The external storage device 10 is not limited to a hard disk (HD), but a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD-ROM / CD-RAM), a magneto-optical disk (MO), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), etc. Any storage device may be used as long as the storage device uses various external storage media. Alternatively, a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory may be used.

In the case where the display device 6 that is not the transparent liquid crystal display 7 is also provided as in the above-described embodiment, the same type of information (images or characters) is visually displayed on the display device 6 and the transparent liquid crystal display 7. Alternatively, different types of information may be displayed visually. When the same type of information is displayed visually, for example, one page of information is displayed on the transparent liquid crystal display 7 and only a part of the information (for example, near the progress position of the music) is displayed on the other display. It may be displayed.
Note that the electronic musical instrument is not limited to one in which the performance operator 4, the panel operator 5, the display 6, the sound source 8, the sound system 9, the external storage device 10 and the like are built in one apparatus body, but each is configured separately. The apparatus may be configured to connect each device using a communication means such as a MIDI interface or various networks (not shown). In addition, the electronic music apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the form of the electronic musical instrument, and may be applied to any form of apparatus / equipment such as a mixer apparatus or a game apparatus for mixing various signals.

  Here, the outline of the transparent liquid crystal display will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view showing an installation mode of a transparent liquid crystal display in an electronic musical instrument. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining transparency, which is a characteristic function of a transparent liquid crystal display. FIG. 3A is a schematic side view showing an installation aspect of the transparent liquid crystal display when the lid is opened in the electronic musical instrument shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a transparent liquid crystal display viewed from the operator. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the display state of.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transparent liquid crystal display 7 is pivotally disposed so that the whole of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 rotates in the direction of the arrow X with one end on the instrument body side as a fulcrum. It also serves as a lid (cover). That is, when the cover is closed, as shown by hatching in the drawing, the keyboard 4 (performance operator) or the panel operator 5, which is an operation unit in which the transparent liquid crystal display 7 is disposed on the instrument body panel, and the display 6 and the speaker 9 (sound system) are partially or entirely covered, and the devices disposed on the instrument main body panel are protected from the intrusion of external dust and external impacts. On the other hand, the transparent liquid crystal display 7 can be set in an open state by leaning on a predetermined position of the musical instrument main body, and the operator 4 operates the keyboard 4 disposed on the musical instrument main body panel according to the opening of the transparent liquid crystal display 7. And the panel operator 5 are operated, the screen displayed on the display 6 is viewed, and the musical sound generated from the speaker 9 can be heard. In addition, when the cover is opened, various information 7a such as a musical score, lyrics, or video can be visually displayed on the standing transparent liquid crystal display 7. Of course, the display content is not limited to music score, lyrics, video, etc., and may be any information as long as it is other displayable information. Further, when displaying a video, a video captured in real time from a camera or the like may be displayed as it is or after being processed.

  Further, when the cover is opened, a switch group consisting of a number of pseudo switches 7b (also referred to as touch panel operation elements) different from the mechanically operated switches such as the panel operation element 5 on the standing transparent liquid crystal display 7 is provided. The transparent liquid crystal display 7 can also be used as a touch panel for performing various settings by touching these pseudo switches 7b displayed on the screen by the operator. At this time, an instruction corresponding to the displayed touch panel operator 7b is specified from the operation position on the screen touched by the operator. As a method for obtaining the touched position on the touch panel, infrared light is used. There are various methods, such as a method using a resistance film, a resistance film method, and a capacitance method. Since any known technique may be used for each of these methods, description thereof is omitted here.

  Since the transparent liquid crystal display 7 also serving as a lid (cover) is made of a transparent or translucent transparent member, the operator A is opposite to the transparent liquid crystal display 7 as shown in FIG. If it is a conventional cover on the side, an actual person B (for example, a spectator) that could not be seen without shifting the line of sight can be confirmed through the transparent liquid crystal display 7. This is shown in the diagram shown in FIG. As can be understood from FIG. 3 (b), the transparent liquid crystal display 7 is opposed to the operator A via the transparent liquid crystal display 7 with a musical score and a pseudo switch group displayed in accordance with control by the musical instrument itself. It is reflected as if the existing real person B is superimposed. Therefore, the operator A can easily check the actual person B beyond the transparent liquid crystal display 7 while keeping his eyes on the transparent liquid crystal display 7 without shifting his line of sight from the transparent liquid crystal display 7. Become. The structure of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 having such transparency will be described later (see FIG. 4 described later).

  In addition to displaying various information only on the operator A side of the transparent liquid crystal display 7, various information is also displayed on the actual person B side, that is, for each surface of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 on the front and back surfaces. The transparent liquid crystal display 7 may be configured so that In such a case, the content of information displayed on each surface of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 may be displayed differently on the operator A side and the actual person B (eg, audience) side. In this way, the operator A not only can check various information and make various settings on the large screen, but also has a cover (that is, the transparent liquid crystal display 7) that is standing on the front of the operator A at all times. It can be actively used as a tool to entertain the person B (audience etc.). The structure of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 capable of such double-sided display will be described later (see FIG. 5 described later). Furthermore, when various information is displayed on both sides of the transparent liquid crystal display 7, various information can be displayed on the surface of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 that is not only when the lid is opened but also when the lid is closed. This is advantageous because the cover (that is, the transparent liquid crystal display 7) can be actively used even when the cover is closed.

  As described above, the lid (cover) included in the electronic musical instrument is composed of the transparent liquid crystal display 7, and various types of information can be displayed on the display so as to be used as a large screen. Further, the transparent liquid crystal display 7 also serving as a cover (cover) is made of a member having a characteristic of transmitting transparent or translucent light, and a part of the surroundings such as an actual person B on the opposite side of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 This state can be confirmed through the transparent liquid crystal display 7. Therefore, the structure of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 that is arranged so that the lid is made transmissive by being attached to the electronic musical instrument as such a lid will be described with reference to FIG. 4 or FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing an embodiment of the structure of the transparent liquid crystal display.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the transparent liquid crystal display 7 is provided on one surface of a large transparent liquid crystal panel PN with a touch sensor (not shown) in which a liquid crystal member is sandwiched between glass substrates or plastic substrates stacked on each other. The half mirror HM is deposited. By providing a diffused light source LT that reflects to the half mirror HM and functions as a backlight at the peripheral edge of the liquid crystal panel PN, the panel is thin and easy to use. Further, when the half mirror HM is vapor-deposited on one surface of the liquid crystal panel PN, the transparent liquid crystal display 7 looks different from the inside and the outside across the liquid crystal panel. That is, since the light emitted from the inside is reflected by the half mirror HM (reflected light in the figure), the inside cannot be seen from the outside, while the light emitted from the outside is reflected by the half mirror HM. Therefore, the light can be seen from the inside to the outside (transmitted light in the figure). In this way, an operator (inside) can see an actual person (outside) on the opposite side of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 and an actual person (outside) can not see the operator. Can be kept. This makes it easier for the operator to make contact with other performers, spectators, and the like, making it easy to perform operations in accordance with the surrounding situation.

  FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing another embodiment of the structure of the transparent liquid crystal display. The transparent liquid crystal display shown here has a structure capable of displaying on both sides. The transparent liquid crystal display 7 shown in FIG. 5 can display various types of information on the inner side and the outer side across the transparent liquid crystal display 7 by overlapping two liquid crystal panels PN as described above. For example, device settings, sound source information, music scores, and the like may be displayed for the operator (inside), and an actual person (outside) on the opposite side of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 may be displayed by the operator. It is recommended to display messages and lyrics. The content displayed on each surface of the transparent liquid crystal display 7 may be appropriately switched by the operator. Further, a half mirror HM is vapor-deposited on one liquid crystal panel PN on the operator side (inner side) of the two superimposed liquid crystal panels PN, and even in this case, it is transparent from the operator (inner side). An actual person or the like (outside) on the opposite side of the liquid crystal display 7 is made visible, and an operator is made invisible from the actual person or the like (outside). In this way, the operator can easily perform an operation according to the surrounding situation.

  Next, the “main process” for executing the corresponding process in accordance with the operation of the performance operator 4 and the panel operator 5 by the operator will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a “main process” for executing various processes in accordance with operations performed by the operator. This “main process” is a process executed by the CPU 1 shown in FIG. 1 and starts when the electronic musical instrument is turned on and ends when the power is turned off.

  First, in step S1, initialization is performed. In step S <b> 2, it is determined whether or not there is a panel input in response to the operation of the panel operator 5 or the touch panel operator 7 b displayed on the transparent liquid crystal display 7 by the operator. If it is determined that there is a panel input (YES in step S2), it is determined whether or not the panel input corresponds to a touch operation on the touch panel operator 7b (step S3). If it is determined that the panel input corresponds to the touch panel operator 7b being touched on the screen by the operator (YES in step S3), an instruction is specified from the operation position (step S5). The specification of the instruction according to the operation position is obtained by obtaining the operated coordinates on the touch panel (that is, the touched screen position) and detecting the purpose instruction content according to the touch panel operator 7b operated by the operator. Since such a technique is well-known, description here is abbreviate | omitted. In step S4, the process assigned to the touch panel operator 7b is executed. That is, when a touch operation is performed on the touch panel operator 7b, a process assigned in advance to the touch panel operator 7b which is a touched pseudo switch is executed. On the other hand, when the normal mechanical panel operator 5 arranged on the main body panel is operated instead of operating the touch panel operator 7b, the mechanical operation of each panel operator 5 is performed. The process assigned according to is executed.

  In step S6, it is determined whether or not there is a “status change”. Here, the “situation change” refers to a case where some change occurs in the instrument, such as the progress of the performance has progressed or the operator has operated the panel operator 5. If it is determined that there has been a “status change” (YES in step S6), corresponding video data is generated (step S7). In step S8, the video screen displayed on the display 6 or the transparent liquid crystal display 7 is updated based on the generated video data. However, when the video to be displayed here is captured in real time from a camera or the like, the video is updated as needed. In step S9, performance signal processing is executed. That is, when the operator operates the performance operator 4 such as a keyboard, pedal, or wheel, performance information (performance signal) for generating a musical sound corresponding to the operated performance operator is generated. Process. At this time, if automatic accompaniment or the like is performed, processing for generating performance information (performance signal) for generating accompaniment over time is performed. In step S10, a musical tone signal output process is executed based on the generated performance information (performance signal). That is, a musical sound based on the generated performance information (performance signal) is generated by a sound source and pronounced. When the process of step S10 is completed, the process returns to step S2, and the processes from step S2 to step S10 are repeated.

  As described above, the rotary type cover that can be rotated in the vertical direction and covers a part or all of the operation unit when the cover is closed and can be erected on the instrument body when the cover is opened. The liquid crystal display 7 is configured to display various information on the transparent liquid crystal display 7 when the lid is opened. In this way, the operator can obtain a large and easy-to-see display. Further, since the transparent liquid crystal display 7 is made transparent, it is possible to easily perform operations according to the surrounding conditions while looking at the opposite side through the lid (cover). There is also.

In addition, you may make it comprise a cover so that a transparent liquid crystal panel may be integrated in most of a cover, without comprising the whole cover body (cover) with the transparent liquid crystal display 7. FIG.
It should be noted that the information projected from the projector provided on the instrument body such as a prompter is not limited to the configuration of the cover, as it can display by emitting light like the transparent liquid crystal display 7. You may make it comprise a cover with the transparent or translucent transparent member which can be displayed. Moreover, you may make it comprise a cover with the organic electroluminescent display comprised using transparent organic EL (abbreviation of Electro Luminescence). When such an organic EL display is used, it is possible to display by emitting light without providing a light source, so that a display that also serves as a cover can be formed thinner. Further, displaying images and characters on the transparent liquid crystal display 7 is not limited to electronic control but may be based on quasi-optical control such as a hologram.
Note that the cover formed by the transparent liquid crystal display 7 or the like is not limited to a rotary type, and may be a slide type. In such a case, do not store all or part of the cover that has been slid as in the past when the lid is opened, but do not store all or part of the cover. It may be possible to use as such. Further, when the cover is opened, the slide-type transparent cover is positioned above the panel operation element 5 and the like, and the panel operation element 5 positioned below the corresponding position of the cover (transparent liquid crystal display 7). It may be convenient to display the operation method, operation timing, and the like as appropriate.
The performance operator 4 is not limited to a keyboard instrument, and may be any type of instrument such as a stringed instrument, a wind instrument, or a percussion instrument.

1 is a block diagram of a hardware configuration showing an example of the overall configuration of an electronic music apparatus according to the present invention. It is a top external appearance schematic diagram which shows the installation aspect of the transparent liquid crystal display in an electronic musical instrument. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the transparency which a transparent liquid crystal display has, Fig.3 (a) shows the installation aspect of the transparent liquid crystal display at the time of lid opening, FIG.3 (b) shows the display state of a transparent liquid crystal display. It is a partially expanded sectional view which shows one Example of the structure of a transparent liquid crystal display. It is a partially expanded sectional view which shows another Example of the structure of a transparent liquid crystal display. It is a flowchart which shows one Example of the main process which performs various processes according to operation by an operator.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... CPU, 2 ... ROM, 3 ... RAM, 4 ... Performance operator (keyboard etc.), 5 ... Panel operator, 6 ... Display, 7 ... Transparent liquid crystal display (lid), 8 ... Sound source, 9 ... Sound System: 10: External storage device, 1D: Communication bus (data and address bus), A: Operator, B: Real person, PN (PNa, PNb): Transparent liquid crystal panel, LT: Diffuse light source, HM: Half mirror

Claims (2)

A number of operating means provided in the apparatus body;
A lid that can be opened and closed so as to cover all or part of the operation means, and a transparent or translucent flat display medium is disposed with transparency and a half mirror is disposed on one surface of the display medium. Thus, the opposite side can be seen through the display medium and the half mirror from the position on the operator side of the electronic musical instrument, but the operator side can be seen from the position on the opposite side by the half mirror. Configured so that it cannot be seen through ,
An electronic music apparatus comprising display control means for visually displaying an image or characters on the display medium of the lid.   Control means for detecting that the display medium of the lid is touched, and performing an operation related to an image or a character that is visually displayed at the touched position in response to the detection. The electronic music apparatus according to claim 1.

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