JPS6246234Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention relates to an input device for an electronic musical instrument that uses breathing as an input means.

In recent years, electronic keyboard instruments have been actively developed, but since these types of instruments use hands and feet as input means, they often require operating techniques, making them difficult for beginners to play. It was hot.

This idea was made in view of the above circumstances,
The purpose is to provide an input device for an electronic musical instrument that allows even beginners to easily input and play using breathing as an input means.

An example in which this invention is applied to an electronic harmonica will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 shows a state in which an electronic harmonica is connected to a mini-keyboard electronic musical instrument. In this figure, 1 is the electronic harmonica, and 2 is the mini-keyboard electronic musical instrument. The electronic harmonica 1 includes a scale designation hole 3 through which a user selects and designates a scale by breathing by placing his or her mouth on it, and a keyboard part 4 in which keys are arranged in the order of scales. Further, the mini-keyboard electronic musical instrument 2 includes a keyboard section 5, a mode switching section 6, a tone selection section 7, a speaker section 8, and the like. The keyboard section 5 has button keys arranged in scale order corresponding to white keys and black keys, the mode switching section 6 is a switch for switching between off mode, hand mode, and mouse mode, and the tone selection section 7 is a switch for switching between off mode, hand mode, and mouse mode. This is a group of switches for selecting and specifying tones, and the speaker section 8 is for producing musical tones. The electronic harmonica 1 and the mini-keyboard electronic musical instrument 2 are connected by a connecting line 9.

In addition, the scale designation hole 3 of the electronic harmonica 1
is constructed as shown in FIG. That is, the scale designation hole section 3 is connected to the exhalation hole 11 in the harmonica body 10.
and intake holes 12 are arranged alternately. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the exhalation hole 11 is a rectangular cylindrical hole formed in the harmonica body 10 and allows air to flow through the exhaled air. Further, the exhalation hole 11 includes a pair of large diameter portions 11a and 11b that open on the corresponding outer surfaces 1a and 1b of the harmonica body 10, and a large diameter portion 11a and 11b formed between the pair of large diameter portions 11a and 11b. It is formed from a constricted part 13 having a smaller diameter _l2 than the inner diameter _l1 of the large diameter parts 11a and 11b, and annular step parts 11c and 11c that connect this constricted part 13 and the large diameter parts 11a and 11b. There is. Among the stepped portions 11c, 11c, the constricted portion 13 is located at the stepped portion 11c on the outflow side of expiratory air flow (right side in the figure).
A thin plate-shaped piezoelectric element 14 as an air pressure detection element is arranged so as to close the air pressure detection element. A portion 14a of the outer peripheral end of this piezoelectric element 14 is located at the step portion 11.
c, and the outer peripheral edge 14 other than a part thereof
b is in elastic contact with the step portion 11c with a predetermined elastic force. Therefore, the exhalation hole 11
When exhaled air flows into the large diameter portion 11a, the exhaled air flow inside the large diameter portion 11a is once constricted by the constriction portion 13, so that the flow velocity is rapidly increased. Therefore, the aperture part 1
Since the exhalation pressure inside the piezoelectric element 14 is rapidly increased, the outer peripheral end 14b of the piezoelectric element 14 is quickly and reliably pushed open toward the large diameter portion 11a on the outflow side by the exhalation pressure. In this case, the degree of opening and closing of the piezoelectric element 14, that is, the amount of bending deformation, corresponds to the actual magnitude of the exhalation pressure. In this way, when exhaled air flows into the exhalation hole 11, the outer peripheral end 14b of the piezoelectric element 14
It bends and deforms in response to the pressure caused by the flow of air due to exhalation, and outputs a scale designation signal 3a and a data signal 3b, which will be described later. On the other hand, piezoelectric elements 15 are arranged in the intake hole 12 on the opposite left and right sides with respect to the exhalation hole 11. This piezoelectric element 15 bends and deforms in response to the pressure caused by the flow of air caused by intake air, and outputs a scale designation signal 3a and a data signal 3b in the same manner as described above. Note that 10a and 10b in FIG. 2 are lids of the harmonica body 10, and a substrate (not shown) is disposed between the lid 10a and the harmonica body 10.

Further, the circuit configurations of the electronic harmonica 1 and the mini keyboard electronic musical instrument 2 are constructed as shown in FIG. That is, in this circuit, each piezoelectric element 1
The scale designation signal 3 is generated according to the deflection deformation of 4..., 15...
a and a data signal 3b; an A/D converter 16 that converts the voltage change of the data signal 3b into a digital signal and outputs it as a volume control signal 16a; Keyboard section 5 that outputs data signal 5a
, a mode switching section 6 that outputs a mode signal 6a for specifying mode switching, and each of the above-mentioned signals 3a, 16.
a, 5a, 6a are inputted and outputs a data signal 17a, and this CPU
a musical tone creating section 18 that creates musical tones based on the data signal 17a output from the musical tone creating section 1;
an amplifier section 19 that amplifies the musical tone signal 18a output from the amplifier section 8; and a speaker section 8 that generates a musical tone based on the signal 19a output from the amplifier section 19.
It is composed of.

Next, the operation of the electronic musical instrument configured as described above will be explained. First, when a performance is to be performed using the scale specifying hole section 3 of the electronic harmonica 1, the mode switching section 6 is set to the mouse mode and the mode signal 6a is inputted to the CPU 17 in advance. In this state, the user places his or her mouth on the scale specifying hole 3 and breathes through a desired hole among the exhalation holes 11 and intake holes 12 arranged alternately in the order of the scale. At this time, if you breathe through the exhalation hole 11 as shown in FIG. 2, for example,
Air is sent into the exhalation hole 11 by the exhalation, and after being squeezed by the constriction section 13, this air pushes up the lower side of the piezoelectric element 14 and flows out to the opposite side. When the air flows through the exhalation hole 11 in this way, the piezoelectric element 14 bends and deforms in accordance with the pressure of the air, and this deformation outputs the scale designation signal 3a to the CPU 17, as well as the amount of deformation (deformation state) of the bending deformation. ) is captured by the change in voltage, and A/
Output to D converter 16. This data signal 3b has its voltage change converted into a digital signal by the A/D converter 16, and then sent to the CPU as a volume control signal 16a.
17. In this way, each signal 3a, 6
When a, 16a is input to CPU 17, CPU 17
A data signal 17a is output from the musical tone generating section 18, a musical tone is generated in the musical tone generating section 18, a musical tone signal 18a is outputted to the amplifier section 19, and a signal 19a amplified by the amplifier section 19 is input to the speaker section 8. Ru. As a result, the speaker unit 8 emits a predetermined musical tone, that is, a musical tone that is on the scale relative to the exhalation hole 11 and whose volume is controlled.

For example, when breathing through the intake hole 12,
This time, the piezoelectric element 15 is deflected and deformed by the intake air, and a musical tone having a desired scale and a controlled volume is emitted from the speaker section 8 via the same path as described above.

Furthermore, in the electronic musical instrument as described above, when the electronic harmonica 1 and the mini keyboard electronic musical instrument 2 are operated at the same time, the harmonica body 10 and the keyboard section 5
The respective signals 3a, 5a, and 16a are inputted to the CPU 17 from the
Each musical tone is simultaneously emitted from the speaker section 8 via the speaker section 8. Therefore, for example, it is possible to play a melody on the electronic harmonica 1 and provide accompaniment on the keyboard section 5 at the same time.

In this way, according to the electronic harmonica 1, since breathing is used as an input means, even beginners can input and play simply and easily using the same playing method as a natural instrument using the conventional breathing method, without requiring any operating techniques. Since the volume can be controlled according to the strength of breathing, even beginners can easily enhance the performance effect. Further, according to this embodiment, a thin plate-shaped piezoelectric element 14 is arranged at the position of the annular step part 11c formed between the large diameter parts 11a, 11b and the constricted part 13, and Part 14
By simply fixing a to the stepped portion 11c, the constricted portion 13 can be attached to be openable and closable by the piezoelectric element 14, and therefore the piezoelectric element 14 can be attached quickly and reliably.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a pair of large diameter portions 11
A throttle portion 13 is formed between the large diameter portions 11a and 11b, and the flow rate of the expiratory or inhaled air flowing into the large diameter portion 11a or 11b can be rapidly increased by the throttle portion 13. Therefore, when the expiratory or inhaled air flow flows into the large diameter portion 11a or 11b, the air pressure accompanying the air flow causes the piezoelectric element 1
Therefore, it is possible to quickly and reliably respond to the operation of the tone generation instruction section by the performer inhaling and exhaling, and to reliably start the tone generation of a desired musical tone and variably control the tone generation volume.

In the above-described embodiment, the exhalation holes 11 and the intake holes 12 are arranged in one row, but this invention may be arranged in two or more rows. Further, derived sounds may also be specified.

Further, this invention is not limited to the electronic harmonica 1 as described above, but can be widely applied to other electronic wind instruments such as a vertical flute and a horizontal flute. Furthermore, the sound generation circuit such as the musical tone forming section may be used as an external instrument, or may be provided within the main body.

As is clear from the above description, according to this invention, a thin plate-shaped air pressure detection element is arranged at the position of the annular step formed between the pair of large diameter parts and the constriction part. The air pressure sensing element can be attached in an openable and closable manner by simply fixing a part of the outer circumferential edge to the stepped part, so not only can the air pressure sensing element be installed quickly and reliably, but also the pair of A constriction part having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the large diameter part is formed between the large diameter parts, and this constriction part rapidly reduces the flow velocity of the air flow flowing into either one of the large diameter parts. Since the air pressure within the constricted portion is rapidly increased, when air flows into the large diameter portion, the air pressure detection element can be quickly and reliably flexed and deformed immediately after the air flow flows into the large diameter portion. Therefore, it is possible to quickly and reliably control the start of a desired musical tone and variable control of the sound volume in response to the performer's sound generation instruction operation by the inflow of airflow.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of the electronic musical instrument according to this invention, Fig. 2 shows the main parts of the electronic harmonica, and Fig. 2 shows the main parts of the electronic harmonica.
Figure A is a front view of the main parts, Figure 2B is a sectional view taken along the line B-B, Figure 2C is a sectional view showing the operating state of Figure 2B, and Figure 3 shows the circuit configuration of the electronic musical instrument. It is a block diagram. 1...Electronic harmonica, 3...Scale specification hole,
3a...Scale designation signal, 3b...Data signal, 1
1...Exhalation hole, 12...Inhalation hole, 14.15...
Piezoelectric element, 16... A/D converter, 16a... Volume control signal.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A thin plate-shaped plate that is deformed in response to the air pressure caused by the airflow flowing into the scale note designation holes, which are formed in a large number in the order of scale notes in the main body of the musical instrument. A musical tone volume device that includes an air pressure detection element, and outputs a musical tone generation start signal instructing the start of musical tone generation when the air pressure detection element is deflected by a predetermined amount or more, and controls the volume of the musical tone in accordance with the amount of deflection deformation. In an input device for an electronic musical instrument that outputs a control signal, each of the scale note designating holes has a pair of large diameter portions each opening on a corresponding outer surface of the musical instrument body;
A constricted part is formed between the pair of large diameter parts and has a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the large diameter part, and a constricted part is formed between the constricted part and the large diameter part, and the constricted part is connected to the large diameter part. and a tapered stepped portion whose inner diameter gradually increases toward the radial portion, and the air pressure detection element closes the constricted portion at a position of one of the stepped portions. A part of the outer circumferential edge thereof is fixed to the step part, and the other outer circumferential edge is brought into elastic contact with the step part with a predetermined elastic force. An input device for electronic musical instruments.