Acoustic control apparatus for controlling musical tones based upon visual images

Patent 5159140 Issued on October 27, 1992. Estimated Expiration Date:

August 9, 2010. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

3928717

Device and method for optical tone generation
Patent #: 4228716
Issued on: 10/21/1980
Inventor: Linford

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Inventor: Aubin

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Patent #: 4681008
Issued on: 07/21/1987
Inventor: Morikawa , et al.

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Issued on: 08/18/1987
Inventor: Veitch

Optical pickup for use with a stringed musical instrument
Patent #: 4688460
Issued on: 08/25/1987
Inventor: McCoy

Vision system Patent #: 4739400
Issued on: 04/19/1988
Inventor: Veitch

Inventors

Assignee

Yamaha Corporation

Application

No. 565894 filed on 08/09/1990

US Classes:

84/600, Electrical musical tone generation84/603, Sampling (e.g., with A/D conversion)84/604Waveform memory

Examiners

Primary: Witkowski, Stanley J.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Spensley Horn Jubas & Lubitz

Foreign Patent References

0139876 EP 05/14/1985
2502823 FR 10/14/1982
2598316 FR 11/14/1987
8702168 WO 04/14/1987

International Classes

G10H 001/00
G10H 007/02
470 R
477 R
478

Foreign Application Priority Data

1987-09-11 JP

Abstract

An acoustic control apparatus which can be applied to an electronic musical instrument controls the acoustics of a musical tone to be generated in response to variation of an image. In order to detect the variation of an image, the acoustic control apparatus extracts a predetermined image element from image information to be given thereto. This image element can be identified as movement of image, color of an image or an outline of image. The color of image can be detected by detecting hue and/or number of colors in the image. In addition, in response to periodicity in variation of this image element, a performance tempo of musical tone can be controlled.