US3919911A - System and apparatus for simultaneous control of the levels of signals being fed along separate paths - Google Patents

System and apparatus for simultaneous control of the levels of signals being fed along separate paths Download PDF

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Publication number
US3919911A
US3919911A US528468A US52846874A US3919911A US 3919911 A US3919911 A US 3919911A US 528468 A US528468 A US 528468A US 52846874 A US52846874 A US 52846874A US 3919911 A US3919911 A US 3919911A
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United States
Prior art keywords
light
optical fibers
variable resistors
light source
sensitive variable
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Expired - Lifetime
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US528468A
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English (en)
Inventor
Akira Nakata
Hiroshi Amano
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Individual
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10H—ELECTROPHONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH THE TONES ARE GENERATED BY ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS OR ELECTRONIC GENERATORS, OR IN WHICH THE TONES ARE SYNTHESISED FROM A DATA STORE
    • G10H1/00—Details of electrophonic musical instruments
    • G10H1/46—Volume control
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10S84/00—Music
    • Y10S84/19—Light sensitive resistor

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an improved system for simultaneous control of the levels of electrical signals being fed along separate paths in parallel relationship, and in particular to such a signal level control system as adapted specifically for the expression control of an electronic musical instrument such as an electronic organ.
  • the invention is also specifically directed to the mechanical configuration of the expression control apparatus in strict accordance with the improved signal level control system.
  • any of the keys of one of the keyboards may be depressed to cause conduction through a corresponding one of switching circuits, whereupon the desired output signal from a tone generator circuit is introduced into a tone coloring circuit corresponding to the upper keyboard via the conductive switching circuit.
  • the output signal from the tone generator circuit is filtered so as to represent the tone color or timbre of any desired musical instrument such for example as a flute or violin.
  • the thus-filtered output signal from the tone coloring circuit is further fed through an expression control circuit and amplifier circuit and is translated into audible sound by a loudspeaker connected to the amplifier circuit.
  • a similar procedure of sound production also takes place when any key of the lower keyboard is depressed.
  • the sound production systems associated with the respective keyboards of the electronic musical instrument may either share one and the same expression control circuit or may be equipped with their own exclusive expression control circuits.
  • a light-sensitive variable resistor such as a cadmium-sulphide photo-resistor is positioned opposite to a light source, with an apertured shutter interposed therebetween and operatively coupled to an expression pedal for regulating the intensity of the light incident upon the light-sensitive variable resistor.
  • the expression pedal when the expression pedal is depressed to a desired degree, as to increase or decrease the intensity-of the light irradiating the light-sensitive variable resistor through the apertured shutter, the level of the signal traveling as aforesaid from the tone coloring circuit to the amplifier circuit is regulated to cause. the corresponding change in the volume of the sound emitted from the loudspeaker. More expressive musical performance can thus be obtained by proper actuation of the expression pedal.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide a signal level control system utilizing optical fibers to lead the light from the light source to the light-sensitive variable resistor, thus making it possible to use the electrical wire of minimum length for feeding electrical signals to be controlled, for the benefit of reducing hum or other noises.
  • the light-sensitive variable resistors 13a to 13c are incorporated within the expression control apparatus 18 and are placed opposite to one open end of each of the optical fibers 17a to 170 through the shutter 22 operatively associated with the expression pedal 23.
  • the outputs of the tone coloring circuits 12a to 126 are connected to the respective light-sensitive variable resistors 13a to 130 and thence to the inputs of the amplifier circuits 14a to 14c as will be apparent from the drawing. 7

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Control Of Non-Electrical Variables (AREA)
  • Electrophonic Musical Instruments (AREA)
US528468A 1972-07-06 1974-11-29 System and apparatus for simultaneous control of the levels of signals being fed along separate paths Expired - Lifetime US3919911A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP1972080485U JPS4939427U (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1972-07-06 1972-07-06

Publications (1)

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US3919911A true US3919911A (en) 1975-11-18

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US528468A Expired - Lifetime US3919911A (en) 1972-07-06 1974-11-29 System and apparatus for simultaneous control of the levels of signals being fed along separate paths

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US (1) US3919911A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS4939427U (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4182209A (en) * 1975-12-29 1980-01-08 Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha Waveform generator
US4189971A (en) * 1977-04-04 1980-02-26 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Electronic musical instrument system having independent tone cabinet
US4429607A (en) 1982-03-30 1984-02-07 University Of Pittsburgh Light beam musical instrument
US4526080A (en) * 1982-11-04 1985-07-02 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Automatic rhythm performing apparatus
US4621557A (en) * 1983-08-26 1986-11-11 Mesur-Matic Electronics Corp. Electronic musical instrument
US20080267415A1 (en) * 2007-04-26 2008-10-30 Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. Portable electronic device

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH04102589U (ja) * 1991-02-06 1992-09-03 矢崎総業株式会社 コンセント

Citations (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3045522A (en) * 1960-03-17 1962-07-24 Allen Organ Co Light responsive variable resistance control devices for electronic musical instruments
US3049957A (en) * 1960-06-03 1962-08-21 Gibbs Mfg & Res Corp Instrument keying circuit
US3193609A (en) * 1961-08-29 1965-07-06 Baldwin Co D H Volume control for electronic organs
US3461217A (en) * 1966-06-27 1969-08-12 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd Piano keyboard type electronic musical instrument having a bass pedal and single continuous keyboard
US3483304A (en) * 1966-02-16 1969-12-09 Georges Jenny Electronic musical instrument with airflow volume control
US3557295A (en) * 1968-01-18 1971-01-19 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Wind instrument sound producing system for electronic musical instruments
US3619469A (en) * 1970-03-23 1971-11-09 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Electronic musical instrument with key and pedal-operated volume controls
US3626078A (en) * 1968-09-03 1971-12-07 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Combination of musical effect system and knee control
US3672253A (en) * 1970-03-16 1972-06-27 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Electronic musical instrument with expression control device for simultaneously controlling different tone signals by different amounts
US3800058A (en) * 1972-09-29 1974-03-26 Opsonar Organ Corp Light collector for optical organ
US3842703A (en) * 1971-10-26 1974-10-22 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Expression control of electronic musical instrument

Patent Citations (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3045522A (en) * 1960-03-17 1962-07-24 Allen Organ Co Light responsive variable resistance control devices for electronic musical instruments
US3049957A (en) * 1960-06-03 1962-08-21 Gibbs Mfg & Res Corp Instrument keying circuit
US3193609A (en) * 1961-08-29 1965-07-06 Baldwin Co D H Volume control for electronic organs
US3483304A (en) * 1966-02-16 1969-12-09 Georges Jenny Electronic musical instrument with airflow volume control
US3461217A (en) * 1966-06-27 1969-08-12 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd Piano keyboard type electronic musical instrument having a bass pedal and single continuous keyboard
US3557295A (en) * 1968-01-18 1971-01-19 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Wind instrument sound producing system for electronic musical instruments
US3626078A (en) * 1968-09-03 1971-12-07 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Combination of musical effect system and knee control
US3672253A (en) * 1970-03-16 1972-06-27 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Electronic musical instrument with expression control device for simultaneously controlling different tone signals by different amounts
US3619469A (en) * 1970-03-23 1971-11-09 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Electronic musical instrument with key and pedal-operated volume controls
US3842703A (en) * 1971-10-26 1974-10-22 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Expression control of electronic musical instrument
US3800058A (en) * 1972-09-29 1974-03-26 Opsonar Organ Corp Light collector for optical organ

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4182209A (en) * 1975-12-29 1980-01-08 Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha Waveform generator
US4189971A (en) * 1977-04-04 1980-02-26 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Electronic musical instrument system having independent tone cabinet
US4429607A (en) 1982-03-30 1984-02-07 University Of Pittsburgh Light beam musical instrument
US4526080A (en) * 1982-11-04 1985-07-02 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Automatic rhythm performing apparatus
US4621557A (en) * 1983-08-26 1986-11-11 Mesur-Matic Electronics Corp. Electronic musical instrument
US20080267415A1 (en) * 2007-04-26 2008-10-30 Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. Portable electronic device
US8363857B2 (en) * 2007-04-26 2013-01-29 Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. Portable electronic device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS4939427U (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1974-04-06

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