# US 10,482,859 B1 · Optical sensor and electric stringed musical instrument with digital interface (MIDI) equipped with optical sensor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,482,859 B1 - Document ID: US10482859B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/180,372 - Filed: 2018-11-05 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-13 - Assignees: Jammy Instruments Ltd. - Applicants: Jammy Instruments Ltd - Inventors: Mykhailo Horban; Dmytro Doroshenko; Serhii Nastiuk; Leonid Novichkov; Volodymyr Shelest - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10482859B1 ## CPC - G10D 1/085: {Mechanical design of electric guitars} - G10H 1/342: {for guitar-like instruments with or without strings and with a neck on which switches or string-fret contacts are used to detect the notes being played (electric guitars in which the tones are generated by the vibration of strings G10H3/18)} - G10D 3/10: Strings - G10H 1/0066: {using a MIDI interface} - G10H 1/0553: {using optical or light-responsive means} - G10H 3/181: {Details of pick-up assemblies} - G10H 3/182: {using two or more pick-up means for each string} - G10H 3/188: {for converting the signal to digital format (transmission using a MIDI interface G10H1/0066)} - G10H 7/008: {Means for controlling the transition from one tone waveform to another} - G10H 2220/305: using a light beam to detect key, pedal or note actuation - G10H 2220/411: Light beams - G10D: STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACCORDIONS OR CONCERTINAS; PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; AEOLIAN HARPS; SINGING-FLAME MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (organs, harmoniums or similar wind musical instruments with associated blowing apparatus G10B; pianos, harpsichords, spinets or similar stringed musical instruments with one or more keyboards G10C; automatic musical instruments G10F; electrophonic musical instruments in which tones are generated by electromechanical means G10H) - 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 ## Abstract The inventions relate to the field of electric musical instruments, more particularly, to an optical sensor for a stringed musical instrument with a digital interface and to a stringed musical instrument with a digital interface equipped with said sensor (MIDI—Musical Instrument Digital Interface). Implementation of the disclosed inventions allows to obtain a signal corresponding to vibrations (deflections) of a string in two mutually perpendicular planes, with the influence of the device generating such signals on string vibration parameters being reduced, without signals generated by different strings being mixed and with dimensions of the optical sensor being reduced to allow for its compact placement on a stringed musical instrument. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical sensor for a stringed musical instrument with a digital interface comprising: a housing configured to be fixed to the surface of the stringed musical instrument, at least one optical emitter and at least one optical receiver located on said housing so that a light beam of at least one optical emitter forms a light spot that completely covers a photosensitive surface of at least one optical receiver, the at least one optical emitter and at least one optical receiver being located under the same string, wherein said optical emitter generates light beams, said optical receiver comprises at least two photosensitive surfaces, forming, together with said optical emitter, at least two optical pairs, a lower one and an upper one respectively, a light beam modulator located between said optical pairs, covering a part of each of the photosensitive surfaces, and configured to be fixed to a string and configured to adjust an area of an illuminated part of the upper photosensitive surface and an area of an illuminated part of the lower photosensitive surface when a string, with said modulator attached thereto, deflects in horizontal and vertical planes, respectively. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An optical sensor according to claim 1 wherein said optical sensor is equipped with a string vibration damper having the form of an elastic element. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An optical sensor according to claim 1 wherein the light beams coming from said optical emitter to said optical receiver are parallel to each other and to a string. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An optical sensor according to claim 1 wherein said optical emitter is configured as two LEDs. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) An optical sensor according to claim 1 wherein said optical sensor comprises additional optical emitters. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An optical sensor according to claim 1 wherein said optical receiver is configured as a photodiode or as a phototransistor, or as a photoresistor, or as a photomatrix. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) An optical sensor according to claim 1 wherein said modulator is configured as an opaque element. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) An optical sensor according to claim 1 wherein said modulator overlaps at least half of each of the photosensitive surfaces in a state when a string does not vibrate. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) An optical sensor according to claim 1 wherein said light beam modulator is configured to be L- or T-shaped. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) An optical sensor according to claim 1 wherein a lower part of said light beam modulator is configured to have an additional elastic element to fix the modulator to the surface of a stringed musical instrument. ### Claim 11 A stringed musical instrument with a digital interface comprising: a body, at least one string stretched over said body, an optical sensor comprising a housing attached to the surface of said body of the stringed musical instrument, at least one optical emitter and at least one optical receiver located on said housing so that a light beam of at least one optical emitter forms a light spot that completely covers a photosensitive surface of at least one optical receiver, with at least one optical emitter and at least one optical receiver being located under the same string, wherein said optical emitter generates light beams, said optical receiver comprises at least two photosensitive surfaces, forming, together with said optical emitter, at least two optical pairs, a lower one and an upper one respectively, a light beam modulator located between said optical pairs, covering a part of each of the photosensitive surfaces, and configured to be fixed to a string and configured to change an area of an illuminated part of the upper photosensitive surface and an area of an illuminated part of the lower photosensitive surface when a string, with said modulator attached thereto, deflects in horizontal and vertical planes, respectively. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The stringed musical instrument with a digital interface according to claim 11 wherein said optical sensor is equipped with a string vibration damper having the form of an elastic element. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The stringed musical instrument with a digital interface according to claim 11 wherein light beams coming from said optical emitter to said optical receiver are parallel to each other and to a string. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The stringed musical instrument with a digital interface according to claim 11 wherein said optical emitter is configured as two LEDs. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The stringed musical instrument with a digital interface according to claim 11 wherein said optical sensor comprises additional optical emitters. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The stringed musical instrument with a digital interface according to claim 11 wherein said optical receiver is configured as a photodiode or as a phototransistor, or as a photoresistor, or as a photomatrix. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The stringed musical instrument with a digital interface according to claim 11 wherein said modulator is configured as an opaque element. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The stringed musical instrument with a digital interface according to claim 11 wherein said modulator overlaps at least half of each of the photosensitive surfaces in a state when a string does not vibrate. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The stringed musical instrument with a digital interface according to claim 11 wherein said light beam modulator is configured to be L- or T-shaped. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The stringed musical instrument with a digital interface according to claim 11 wherein a lower part of said light beam modulator is configured to have an additional elastic element to fix the modulator to the surface of a stringed musical instrument.