JPH0624874Y2 - Electronic stringed instrument - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to an electronic stringed instrument, and more particularly to an electronic stringed instrument that determines a pitch designated by a performer by scanning an ultrasonic signal.

<Prior Art> Generally, in an electronic stringed instrument, the position of the fret with which the string pressed by the player is in contact is discriminated, and the pitch of the musical tone to be generated is specified based on the discrimination result. The timing is detected to generate a musical tone of the specified pitch.

When determining the fret position in the sounding process of such an electronic stringed instrument, since the strings vibrate with a period corresponding to the string length when the strings are turned, the vibration of the strings is converted by an electromagnetic pickup into an electric signal of a waveform similar to the vibration of the strings. , Was made based on the peak spacing of the waveform.

However, in the case of converting the string vibration based on the above-mentioned string into an electric signal, it took a long time from the string to the generation of a musical sound, which gave an unnatural impression to the performer. In Japanese Patent Application No. 240138 of 1985, an electronic musical instrument for discriminating the fret position based on scanning by ultrasonic waves was proposed, and the ultrasonic signal generated by the piezoelectric element was multiplexed in the patent application filed at the same time as this application. An electronic stringed instrument that can prevent erroneous determination of the fret position due to reflection has been disclosed. Electronic string instruments that can eliminate the effects of this multiple reflection,
A piezoelectric element is carried by a vibration isolator that attenuates ultrasonic signals, and the vibration isolator has an attenuation coefficient that can attenuate the ultrasonic signals.

<Problems to be solved by the invention> Generally, in an electronic stringed instrument, a string is pressed against a piezoelectric element,
Moreover, since the vibration isolator supporting the piezoelectric element to eliminate the influence of multiple reflection is made of a material with low hardness so as to obtain a predetermined damping characteristic, the vibration isolator causes plastic deformation after long-term use. However, the strings could come into contact with the bridge assembly. Since the ultrasonic signal propagating through the string is blocked by the contact between the string and the bridge assembly, the ultrasonic signal cannot reach the frets and the position of the frets cannot be determined.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic stringed instrument having a bridge assembly that can be used for a long period of time.

<Means for Solving Problems> The present invention is a string stretched on a musical instrument main body, a piezoelectric conversion element that is pressed against the string and converts an electric signal into an ultrasonic signal, and is fixed to the musical instrument main body. And a bridge assembly that supports the piezoelectric conversion element so that the ultrasonic signal generated by the piezoelectric conversion element can be transmitted to the string, the bridge assembly carrying the piezoelectric conversion element, A vibration isolator for attenuating an ultrasonic signal generated by the piezoelectric conversion element,
The gist of the present invention is to have a deformation preventing body which receives the force applied to the piezoelectric conversion element, and the deformation preventing body may directly receive the force applied to the piezoelectric conversion element or may receive it via a vibration isolator.

<Operation and Effect> In the electronic stringed instrument according to the above configuration, even if the vibration-proof body and / or the deformation-preventing body that are pressed against the strings due to long-term use undergo plastic deformation, the piezoelectric conversion element has the vibration-proof body. Since it is directly supported by the deformation preventive body via the via, the amount of deformation of the vibration preventive body becomes smaller than that in the case where the piezoelectric conversion element is carried only by the vibration preventive body. As a result, even if the vibration isolator and / or the deformation preventer undergoes plastic deformation due to long-term use, the strings and the bridge assembly do not come into contact with each other,
The ultrasonic signal can always propagate through the string without interruption.

<Embodiment> An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First
FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment, which is an application of the present invention to a six-string guitar. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a musical instrument main body, and between the string winding 3 and the tailpiece 5 of the musical instrument main body 1, six strings 7 having different thicknesses,
9, 11, 13, 15, 17 are stretched in parallel with each other. In the neck portion of the instrument body 1, n frets 19, 21, ... Are planted at a right angle to the strings 7 to 17,
The frets 19, 21, ... Are located so as to be in contact with the six strings 7 to 17. Six electromagnetic pickups 23, 25, 27, 29, 3 are attached to the instrument body 1 on the tailpiece 5 side.
1, 33 and the bridge assembly 35 are fixed. The electromagnetic pickups 23 to 33 are provided corresponding to the strings 7 to 17, and detect low-frequency vibrations generated in the strings 7 to 17 when the strings 7 to 17 are stringed, and turn the string signal ON to the tone generator. Send to 37.

On the other hand, the bridge assembly 35 includes six ceramic piezoelectric elements 39, 41, 43, 45, 4 as piezoelectric conversion elements.
7 and 49, and these piezoelectric elements 39 to 4
Reference numeral 9 generates an ultrasonic wave signal of about 450 KHz based on the electric pulse signal SCAN intermittently supplied from the fret position discriminating circuit 51, and the ultrasonic wave signal is applied to the corresponding strings 7 to 1
Communicate to 7. The ultrasonic signal transmitted to the strings 7 to 17 propagates through the strings 7 to 17, and the strings 7 to 17 are pressed toward the neck portion so that any one of the frets 19, 21, ...
When it comes into contact with, it is reflected by the frets 19, 21 ... This echo propagates again through the strings 7 to 17 toward the piezoelectric elements 39 to 49, and the echo reaching the piezoelectric elements 39 to 49 is converted into an electric signal DET having a waveform similar to the echo by the piezoelectric elements 39 to 49. To be done.

The fret position discriminating circuit 51 uses the electric pulse signal SCA.
Frets 19 and 21, which are in contact with the strings 7 to 17, based on the time from the transmission of N to the reception of the electric signal DET
. Is supplied to the toe generator 37 based on the result of the determination, and a pitch signal representing the pitch corresponding to the frets 19, 21, ... Contacting the strings 7 to 17 is supplied. as a result,
The tone generator 37 forms a musical tone signal based on the supplied pitch signal, and when the chord signal ON is supplied, sends the musical tone signal to the sound system 53 to generate a musical tone of a predetermined pitch.

Next, the detailed configuration of the bridge assembly 35 will be described below.
The following is a description with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bridge assembly 35. The bridge assembly 35 is a bridge base 105 supported by a pair of studs 101 and 103 that are studded in the musical instrument body 1.
have. The bridge base 105 has a pair of holes 10 penetrating both ends thereof in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of FIG.
7, 109 are drilled, and the pair of studs 1
01 and 103 are slidably inserted in the holes 107 and 109, respectively. The pair of studs 101, 103
Nuts 111 and 113 are screwed onto the
The bridge base 105 has these nuts 111, 1
Sliding in a direction approaching the instrument body 1 is restricted by 13. In the middle portion of the bridge base 105, holes 115, 117, 119, 121, 123, 1 having a substantially square cross section are formed.
25 are formed, and each hole 115 to 125 has a third
As shown in detail in the figure, the vibration isolator 127, 129, 13
1, 133, 135, 137 and deformation preventing bodies 139, 14
1, 143, 145, 147, 149 are fitted. The vibration isolator 127 to 137 holds the piezoelectric element 39 and the like in the slit 151 formed in the center thereof. The upper ends of the left sides of the vibration isolator 127 to 137 in FIG. 3 are chamfered, so that in the strings 7 and the like extending from the piezoelectric element 39 and the like toward the string winding 3, the piezoelectric element 39 and the like project from the musical instrument body 1. Nevertheless, it is difficult to contact the vibration isolator 127 and the like. On the other hand, projections 152 are formed on the upper right side surface of the vibration isolator 127 to 137 in FIG. 3, and these projections 152 are in contact with the strings 7 and the like. As a result, the ultrasonic signal transmitted from the piezoelectric element 39 or the like to the string 7 or the like is also propagated to the tail piece 5 side of the string 7 or the like.
It is not attenuated by 52 to generate sufficient echo.

Next, materials and the like of the vibration isolator 127 to 137 will be described. It is sufficient for the vibration isolators 127 to 137 to attenuate mechanical vibrations of about 450 KHz. For that purpose, the damping coefficient needs to be a predetermined value or more. In this embodiment, the hardness is JIS 30 to 70 degrees. Uses chloroprene rubber.

On the other hand, the deformation preventing members 139 to 149 have damping characteristics for the ultrasonic waves in the above frequency band that are the vibration damping members 127 to 1
Even if it is inferior to 37, it is necessary to support the piezoelectric elements 39 to 49 in pressure contact with the strings 7 to 17 without causing large deformation. Therefore, the deformation preventing body 13
9 to 149 are made of elastic bodies having higher hardness than the vibration isolator 127 to 137.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. When the strings 7 to 17 are stretched between the string winding 3 and the tailpiece 5 and are pressed against the piezoelectric elements 39 to 49 provided correspondingly, the respective piezoelectric elements 39 to 49 are Third
It is pressed downward in the figure. However, each piezoelectric element 3
Since 9 to 49 are in contact with the deformation preventing bodies 139 to 149, the forces applied to the respective piezoelectric elements 39 to 49 are received by the deformation preventing bodies 139 to 140. As described above, since the deformation preventing bodies 139 to 149 are made of the elastic body having high hardness, the deformation amount thereof is small, and as a result, the piezoelectric elements 39 to 49 do not move largely from the initial positions. Therefore, the strings 7 to 17 are attached to the bridge assembly 3
No contact with 5.

Since the strings 7 to 17 do not come into contact with the bridge assembly 35 even after long-term use, the ultrasonic signals transmitted to the strings 7 to 17 propagate through the strings 7 to 17,
When the strings 7 to 17 are in contact with any one of the frets 19, 21, ..., They are reflected and generate an echo. On the other hand, since the ultrasonic signal transmitted to the vibration isolator 127 to 137 is attenuated, the echo and the frets 19, 21, ...
・ It can be distinguished from the echo generated by the method based on the difference in amplitude.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the deformation preventing bodies 139 to 149 are directly contacted with the lower ends of the piezoelectric elements 39 to 49 in FIG. 3, but a thin vibration isolator may be interposed between them, and the deformation preventing body 139 may be interposed. An anti-vibration body may be interposed between the through base 149 and the bridge base 105. Also, the deformation prevention body 139
Through 149 and the bridge base 105, the elastic body may have a multi-layered structure to change the hardness in multiple steps or continuously.

[Brief description of drawings]

 FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a bridge assembly, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the bridge assembly. 1 ... Instrument body, 7 to 17 ... strings, 19, 21, ... Fret, 35 ... Bridge assembly, 39 to 49 ... Piezoelectric conversion element (piezoelectric element), 127 to 137 ... Vibration isolator, 139 to 149 ... Deformation preventive body.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A string stretched over a musical instrument main body, a piezoelectric conversion element which is pressed against the string and converts an electric signal into an ultrasonic signal, and a piezoelectric conversion element fixed to the musical instrument main body and generated by the piezoelectric conversion element. An electronic stringed instrument comprising a bridge assembly supporting the piezoelectric conversion element so that an ultrasonic signal can be transmitted to the string, wherein the bridge assembly carries the piezoelectric conversion element and is generated by the piezoelectric conversion element. An electronic stringed instrument comprising: a vibration isolator for attenuating the generated ultrasonic wave signal, and a deformation preventive body for receiving a force applied to the piezoelectric conversion element.