TW202013351A - Automatic performance apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic performance apparatus including a body, a clamping mechanism, a bow-waving mechanism, a stopping mechanism, and a control system is provided. The body has an inner space and a top surface. The clamping mechanism is disposed on the top surface of the body, and is adapted to clamp and position the violin. The bow-waving has an installing base and a robotic arm. The installing base is disposed on the top surface of the body and is located at one side of the clamping mechanism. The robotic arm is connected to the installing base and is adapted to clamp a bow. The stopping mechanism is connected to the clamping mechanism and above the violin. The control system is disposed in the inner space and electrically coupled to the bow-waving mechanism and the stopping mechanism.

Description

Automatic playing device

The invention relates to a performance device, and in particular to an automatic performance device for playing the violin.

The violin is a kind of musical instrument that emits sound through the friction of bow strings. The details of the violin include violin, viola, cello and double bass. Among them, the violin is the most popular and eye-catching. The violin is the most important high musical instrument among modern stringed instruments. Due to its beautiful melody, wide range, and flexible change of rhythm and timbre, it can not only play lyrical small songs, but also play exciting and magnificent movements, so that players can play a high degree of performance skills and can fully express musical emotions.

In recent years, with the advancement of sensing and control technology, robots have gradually evolved from processing applications in factory production lines to entertainment or home applications, such as pet robots, soccer competition robots, and cleaning robots. In addition, the anthropomorphic robot is also an important project for continuous development recently. Taking violin instruments as an example, the robot needs to simulate human bowing, string pressing, string rubbing and other skills, and change the strength of the bow and contact friction according to the musical scale content. Strings. To this end, the development of a device that can automatically play the violin to simulate human movements and play beautiful music has become an important development goal.

The invention provides an automatic playing device, which can automatically play the violin through the automatic control of the control system.

The automatic playing device of the present invention is suitable for playing the violin. The automatic playing device includes a body, and has an internal space and a top surface. The clamping mechanism is arranged on the top surface of the machine body and used for clamping and positioning the violin. The swing mechanism has a mounting base and a mechanical arm. The mounting base is arranged on the top surface of the body and is located on one side of the clamping mechanism, and the mechanical arm is connected to the mounting base and used to clamp a bow. The string pressing mechanism is connected to the clamping mechanism and is located above the violin. The control system is arranged in the internal space of the machine body and is electrically coupled to the swing mechanism and the string pressing mechanism. The control system automatically analyzes the required bow and fingering based on the built-in score data, and converts it into control commands to control the robot arm to move with multiple degrees of freedom relative to the mount, so that the bow individually rubs against multiple violins. Strings, and simultaneously control the string pressing mechanism to perform string pressing or kneading for multiple strings.

Based on the above, the automatic playing device of the present invention is used to play the violin, clamp and position the violin through the clamping mechanism, and simultaneously control the mechanical arm of the bowing mechanism and the string pressing mechanism according to the score data by the control system to pull the violin respectively String and press the string action, and then play the music in the score. In addition, the string-pressing mechanism can realize the string-kneading action through the control commands of the control system, so that the automatic playing device is closer to the real person's playing technology.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the embodiments are specifically described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings for detailed description as follows.

FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of an automatic playing device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic front plan view of the automatic playing device of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a schematic side plan view of the automatic playing device of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1D is a schematic perspective view of the violin of FIG. 1A.

Please refer to FIG. 1A to FIG. 1D, the automatic playing device 100 of this embodiment is suitable for violin ethnic group musical instruments, including violin, viola, cello and double bass. However, in order to explain the automatic playing device 100 of this embodiment in detail, this case takes the violin as an example for explanation. This shows that the automatic playing device 100 in this case can also adjust the size of the automatic playing device 100 according to the characteristics of various types of violins and is suitable for automatically playing the corresponding violin musical instrument.

The automatic playing device 100 of this embodiment includes a body 110, a clamping mechanism 120, a bowing mechanism 130, a string pressing mechanism 140, and a control system 150. The body 110 has an internal space IS and a top surface T and is used to carry the violin 200. Furthermore, the body 110 has a plurality of moving wheels 111, which are respectively arranged on the bottom surface B of the body 110 relative to the top surface T, so that the body 110 can be easily moved. In addition, the body 110 may be made of aluminum alloy material with light weight and better strength or other metal materials.

The clamping mechanism 120 is disposed on the top surface T of the body 110 and is used to clamp and position the violin 200. In this embodiment, the violin 200 does not need to move but is fixed on the body 110, so the clamping mechanism 120 can clamp and position the violin 200 to a minimum extent, thereby highlighting the smooth appearance of the head 210 and the body 220 of the violin 200.

The swing mechanism 130 has a mounting base 131 and a robot arm 132. The mounting base 131 is disposed on the top surface T of the body 110 and is located on one side of the clamping mechanism 120, wherein the separation distance between the mounting base 131 and the clamping mechanism 120 can be adjusted according to the size of the user or the violin 200 . The mechanical arm 132 is connected to the mounting base 131 and is used to clamp the bow 300. The mechanical arm 132 is suitable for simulating the action of a real human arm to drive the bow 300 to perform a bow and string wiping action on the violin 200.

The string pressing mechanism 140 is connected to the clamping mechanism 120 and is located above the violin 200. The string pressing mechanism 140 is adapted to simulate the action of a human finger to perform string pressing on the violin 200.

FIG. 2A is a schematic block diagram of a playing process of the automatic playing device of FIG. 1A. 2B and 2C are enlarged schematic views of the string pressing mechanism of FIG. 1A pressurizing the strings.

Please refer to FIGS. 2A to 2C together. The control system 150 is disposed in the internal space IS of the body 110 and electrically coupled to the swing mechanism 130 and the string pressing mechanism 140. The control system 150 serves as the logic operation core of the automatic playing device 100, and has functions such as command conversion, execution, data storage, and signal reception analysis. In short, the control system 150 automatically analyzes the bowing and fingering required in the score data based on the built-in score data, and converts it into a control command to control the robot arm 132 to produce multiple degrees of freedom relative to the mounting base 131. In order to make the bow 300 frictionally contact the plurality of strings 230 of the violin 200, each note of the score data is played in sequence. At the same time, the control system 150 controls the string pressing mechanism 140 to press or knead the strings to change the pitch and timbre of the violin 200.

Refer to FIGS. 1A to 1C. The clamping mechanism 120 of this embodiment includes a post 121, a flat plate 122, and a bracket 123. The pillar 121 is provided on the top surface T of the body 110 and extends vertically upward. The flat plate 122 is disposed on the pillar 121 and is parallel to the top surface T. The bracket 123 is disposed on the flat plate 121 and is used to clamp the neck 240 of the violin 200. Further, the bracket 123 extends upward from the flat plate 122, so that the violin 200 positioned in the bracket 123 is suspended from the flat plate 122 to have a height difference H1. Since the bracket 123 is only clamped on a part of the neck 240, the body 220 and the head 210 of the violin 200 are completely displayed on the flat plate 122.

Please refer to FIGS. 1A to 1C. The robot arm 132 includes a plurality of driving motors 133 and a plurality of arm parts 134 (shown as six driving motors and five arm parts in this embodiment). The plurality of driving motors 133 are respectively disposed on the mounting base 131 and the corresponding plurality of arm members 134, and further connect the plurality of arm members 134. The plurality of driving motors 133 respectively drives the corresponding plurality of arm members 134 to rotate according to the bowing command of the control system 150 to achieve multiple degrees of freedom (six degrees of freedom in this embodiment) to swing the bow 300 to make the piano The bow 300 can be pulled and replaced in the pulling zone 250 of the violin 200 to play corresponding notes.

Further, the bow swing mechanism 130 includes a jaw 135 and a force feedback device 136. The clamping jaw 135 is connected to the corresponding arm member 134 and driven by the corresponding driving motor 133 to rotate. The clamping jaw 135 is suitable for clamping the bow 300. The force feedback device 136 is disposed on the clamping jaw 135. When the clamping jaw 135 holds the bow 300 in frictional contact with a plurality of strings 230 in the pulling zone 250, the force feedback device 136 is used to detect the bow 300 and The contact force between the multiple strings 230 is used to determine whether the bow 300 is in contact with the strings 230 during the performance, whether the volume of the string is consistent with the standard when pulling the string, or whether the multiple strings are simultaneously contacted when pulling the string 230.

Referring to FIGS. 2A to 2C, the string pressing mechanism 140 includes an array actuator 141 and a plurality of pressing blocks 142. The array actuator 141 is positioned above the violin 200 and is opposite to the plurality of strings 230 located at the neck 240. The plurality of pressing blocks 142 are respectively connected to the array actuator 141. When the string pressing mechanism 140 receives the string pressing command of the control system 150 and performs string pressing, the array type actuator 141 linearly drives the plurality of pressing blocks 142 downward and continuously abuts against the plurality of strings 230. When the string-pressing mechanism 140 receives the string-kneading command of the control system 150 to perform string-kneading, the array-type actuator 141 linearly drives the plurality of pressing blocks to reciprocate against the plurality of strings 230. In addition, each pressing block 142 forms a curved surface CS on the side of the top surface T of the body 110. This curved surface CS is concave inward and corresponds to the shape of the neck 240 of the violin 200, and is suitable for abutting multiple pianos at the same time. Chord 230.

In detail, when the string pressing mechanism 140 is switched to the string pressing mode, the array type actuator 141 causes the plurality of pressing blocks 142 to press against the plurality of strings 230 at the same time. When the bowing mechanism 130 pulls the string, the bow 300 only frictionally contacts one of the strings 230. In this way, it can be ensured that the array actuator 141 is pressed to the correct position according to the score data, so that the correct pitch can be generated when the bow 300 contacts the string 230. In addition, the control system 150 in this case only needs to directly control the pressing block 142 against all the strings and cooperate with the string pulling of the bow 300 when there is a string demand for the full note, without having to abut the corresponding string 230 of a specific note . This greatly simplifies the structural composition of the string pressing mechanism 140 and the identification and calculation process of the control system 150.

When the string pressing mechanism 140 is switched to the kneading mode, the control system 150 commands the array actuator 141 to reciprocate the plurality of pressing blocks 142 against the plurality of strings 230, that is, the plurality of pressing blocks 142 are on the plurality of strings 230 The upper and lower oscillations continue to vary the external force applied to the plurality of strings 230. With the stringing technique of the pressing block 142, when the bow 300 touches the string 230, a fast kneading sound can be produced. The effect is to soften the monotonous original notes and make the sound performance more beautiful.

The following supplement explains the meaning of string rubbing. The sound wave generated when the string vibrates is a transverse wave. Generally speaking, the sound heard by the ear is dominated by the main frequency, because the main frequency has the maximum volume. Among them, the pressure on the strings will affect their timbre. Each string has a rated pressure value, which means that there is no difference in the timbre of the strings after the rated pressure is reached or exceeded. At this time, the sound of the string vibration Called the basic sound. When the external force exerted on the strings is less than the rated pressure, the vibration of the strings is disturbed, the volume is reduced, and sometimes overtones are produced. Overtones have the characteristics of high audio frequency and sharp timbre.

According to the above principle, the pressure applied to the strings can be continuously adjusted to swing up and down at the rated pressure value. This causes the strings to vibrate in addition to the original fundamental sound, as well as overtones.

In this embodiment, please refer to FIGS. 2A and 2C. The array actuator 141 has a plurality of pneumatic cylinders 143 and a plurality of auxiliary pneumatic cylinders 144. Each pressing block 142 connects each corresponding pneumatic cylinder 143 and each auxiliary pneumatic cylinder 144. Each pneumatic cylinder 123 and each auxiliary pneumatic cylinder 144 are controlled by the control system 150, which will be described in detail below.

When pressing the string (refer to FIG. 2C ), the control system 150 simultaneously activates each pneumatic cylinder 143 and each auxiliary pneumatic cylinder 144 to pressurize each pressing block 142 with a first external force to reach the rated pressure value, and abut multiple The strings 230 make each string 230 lean against the neck 240. The control system 150 causes the pressing block 142 to continuously abut against the plurality of strings 230, at which time each string 230 can produce a basic sound after vibrating.

When performing string kneading (refer to FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C), first, the control system 150 controls each pneumatic cylinder 143 to press each pressing block 142 with a second external force slightly lower than the rated pressure value, and presses downward against multiple strings 230, making each string 230 partly lean on the neck 240. Next, the control system 150 triggers and activates each auxiliary pneumatic cylinder 144 at a specific frequency, and assists in pushing each pressing block 142 to press down on each string 230 with an external force at a rated pressure value. The external force received by the string 230 oscillates back and forth at the rated pressure value. When the auxiliary pneumatic cylinder 144 is triggered and activated, the second external force of the pressing block 142 against the plurality of strings 230 increases to the rated pressure value (at this time, the strings 230 can emit a basic sound) to form the first external force. When the auxiliary pneumatic cylinder 144 is not activated, the second external force of the pressing block 142 against the plurality of strings 230 is lower than the rated pressure value (at this time, the strings 230 can emit basic sounds and overtones). By controlling whether the auxiliary pneumatic cylinder 144 is triggered by the control system 150 or not, the string-kneading technique for multiple strings 230 during performance can be achieved.

In addition, the control system 150 can also control a single set of pneumatic cylinders 143, auxiliary pneumatic cylinders 144 and pressing blocks 142 or multiple sets of pneumatic cylinders 143, auxiliary pneumatic cylinders 144 and pressing blocks 142 to press and knead the violin 200 to achieve different scales Playing.

In another embodiment, the array actuator has a plurality of pneumatic cylinders, respectively connected to corresponding pressing blocks. The control system controls the pneumatic cylinder in a pressure fluctuation mode (greater than, less than the rated pressure) to make the pressing block reciprocally press the strings to achieve the effect of kneading the strings.

The following briefly describes the performance process of the automatic playing device 100 for the violin.

Referring to FIGS. 1A, 2A to 2C, firstly, the music score data to be played is stored in a digital format in the control system 150, and the control system 150 can read the notes and related performance contents of the music score data through the corresponding analysis software, and then the analysis software Identify and analyze the corresponding fingering and bowing in the score data, and then convert the corresponding fingering and bowing into control commands for controlling the string pressing mechanism 140 and the bowing mechanism 130. The control commands are transmitted to the string pressing mechanism 140 and the swing mechanism 130 through the control system 150 to respectively drive the array actuator 141 and the robot arm 132, wherein the array actuator 141 drives the plurality of pressing blocks 142 to linearly move to Continue to abut the strings 230 or reciprocally against the strings 230, and at the same time, the mechanical arm 132 generates a multi-degree-of-freedom movement to swing the bow 300 to contact the strings 230 on the frictional drawing zone 250. During the automatic playing process, the force feedback device 136 continuously transmits the detected contact force value to the control system 150 to determine whether the external force applied by the bow mechanism 130 and the string pressing mechanism 140 meets the built-in performance standards. When the performance is completed, the bowing mechanism 130 and the string pressing mechanism 140 stop moving and return to the orientation preset by the control system 150.

In summary, the automatic playing device of the present invention uses a side-mounted mechanical arm and has multiple degrees of freedom in swinging motion, and is suitable for playing various types of violin instruments. The invention clamps and positions the violin through the clamping mechanism, so that the violin is fixed during playing, and the smooth appearance of the head and body can be highlighted. The invention uses the control system to analyze the fingering and bowing of the music score data and converts it into corresponding control instructions, and simultaneously controls the mechanical arm of the bowing mechanism and the string pressing mechanism, respectively performs the string pulling and pressing actions on the violin, and then plays out Music in the sheet music. In addition, the string-pressing mechanism can realize the string-kneading action by the reciprocating linear movement of the array type actuator, making the automatic playing device closer to the real person's playing technique.

Further, the present invention uses an air cylinder and an auxiliary air cylinder to form an array actuator, which can replace the existing air pressure device to greatly reduce the volume of the automatic playing device, and the present invention realizes the string kneading effect by linear movement, which can be avoided Harmful neck also has a more beautiful sound.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with examples, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the scope defined in the appended patent application.

100: automatic playing device 110: body 111: moving wheel 120: clamping mechanism 121: support 122: flat plate 123: bracket 130: swing mechanism 131: mounting base 132: robot arm 133: drive motor 134: arm part 135: Claw 136: Power feedback device 140: String pressing mechanism 141: Array actuator 142: Press block 143: Air cylinder 144: Auxiliary air cylinder 150: Control system 200: Violin 210: Head 220: Body 230: String 240: neck 250: pull zone 300: bow B: bottom T: top CS: arc H1: height difference IS: interior space

FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of an automatic playing device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic front plan view of the automatic playing device of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a schematic side plan view of the automatic playing device of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1D is a schematic perspective view of the violin of FIG. 1A. FIG. 2A is a schematic block diagram of a playing process of the automatic playing device of FIG. 1A. 2B and 2C are enlarged schematic views of the string pressing mechanism of FIG. 1A pressurizing the strings.

100: automatic playing device

110: body

111: mobile wheel

120: clamping mechanism

130: Bowing mechanism

131: Mount

132: Robotic arm

140: Press the string mechanism

150: control system

200: Violin

300: bow

B: Underside

T: top surface

IS: interior space

Claims (11)

An automatic playing device is suitable for playing a violin. The automatic playing device includes: a body with an internal space and a top surface; a clamping mechanism arranged on the top surface of the body and used for clamping and positioning the violin Violin; a bowing mechanism with a mounting base and a mechanical arm, the mounting base is provided on the top surface of the body and is located on one side of the clamping mechanism, the mechanical arm is connected to the mounting base and used to Clamping a bow; a string pressing mechanism connected to the clamping mechanism and located above the violin; and a control system arranged in the internal space of the body and electrically coupled to the bow mechanism and the string pressing Mechanism, wherein the control system automatically analyzes the required bow and fingering based on the built-in score data, and converts it into a control command to control the robot arm to move with multiple degrees of freedom relative to the mounting base, so that the piano The bow individually frictionally contacts the strings of the violin, and at the same time controls the string pressing mechanism to press or knead the strings. The automatic playing device as described in item 1 of the patent application range, wherein the string pressing mechanism includes an array actuator and a plurality of pressing blocks, the pressing blocks are respectively connected to the array actuator, and when pressed When stringing, the array-type actuator drives the pressing blocks to continuously bear against the strings. When performing string rubbing, the array-type actuator drives the pressing blocks to reciprocate against the strings. The automatic playing device as described in item 2 of the patent application range, wherein the array actuator has a plurality of pneumatic cylinders and a plurality of auxiliary pneumatic cylinders, and each of the pressing blocks connects the corresponding pneumatic cylinders and the auxiliary pneumatic cylinders And each of the pneumatic cylinders and the auxiliary pneumatic cylinders are controlled by the control system. According to the automatic performance device described in item 3 of the patent application scope, when the string is pressed, each of the pneumatic cylinder and the auxiliary pneumatic cylinder presses and pushes the pressing blocks toward the strings, applying a pressure that meets the rated pressure The first external force is on the strings. According to the automatic performance device described in item 3 of the patent application scope, when performing string kneading, each pneumatic cylinder presses and pushes each pressing block, applying a second external force lower than the rated pressure value to the strings, while Each of the auxiliary pneumatic cylinders is triggered and started at a specific frequency, and assists in pushing the pressing blocks, so that the second external force is increased to form a first external force that conforms to the rated pressure value, and is applied to the strings. The automatic playing device as described in item 2 of the patent application range, wherein the array actuator has a plurality of pneumatic cylinders, respectively connected to the corresponding pressing blocks, and the control system controls the pneumatic cylinders in a pressure fluctuation mode so that Each pressing block reciprocally presses the strings. The automatic playing device as described in item 2 of the patent application range, wherein each side of the pressing block facing the top surface of the body forms an arc surface, and is suitable for abutting the strings at the same time. The automatic playing device as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the mechanical arm includes a plurality of driving motors and a plurality of arm parts, the driving motors are respectively arranged on the mounting base and the corresponding arm parts, and the The driving motors respectively drive the arm parts to rotate to achieve multiple degrees of freedom. The automatic playing device as described in item 1 of the patent application, wherein the bow swing mechanism includes a clamping jaw and a power feedback device, the clamping jaw is suitable for clamping the bow, and the power feedback device is disposed on the clamp The claw is used to detect the contact force between the bow and the strings. The automatic playing device as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the clamping mechanism includes a pillar, a flat plate and a bracket, the pillars are disposed on the top surface of the body, and the flat plate is disposed on the pillar And parallel to the top surface, the bracket is disposed on the flat plate and used to clamp a neck of the violin. The automatic playing device as described in item 1 of the patent application range, wherein the body has a plurality of moving wheels, which are respectively disposed on a bottom surface of the body relative to the top surface.

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