# US 2013/0239784 A1 · Performance apparatus, a method of controlling the performance apparatus and a program recording medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0239784 A1 - Document ID: US20130239784A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/794,625 - Filed: 2013-03-11 - Published: 2013-09-19 - Earliest claimed: 2012-03-14 - Assignees: Casio Computer Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Casio Computer Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Yuji TABATA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130239784A1 ## CPC - G10H 1/0008: {Associated control or indicating means} - G10H 2220/455: Camera input, e.g. analyzing pictures from a video camera and using the analysis results as control data - G10H 2230/015: PDA [personal digital assistant] or palmtop computing devices used for musical purposes, e.g. portable music players, tablet computers, e-readers or smart phones in which mobile telephony functions need not be used - G10H 2230/281: Spint drum assembly, i.e. mimicking two or more drums or drumpads assembled on a common structure, e.g. drum kit - G10H 2240/211: Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound - 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 A performance apparatus prevents a player's unintentional motion from being detected as a playing, thereby generating no sound, when the player plays a virtual musical instrument. The performance apparatus has a player operated stick, a ROM for storing layout information, which correlates plural areas set on a pickup-image plane to tone colors, respectively, an image sensor for continuously taking pickup images of a subject including the stick, and a CPU 21 for calculating a difference image between a first pickup image and a second pickup image taken prior to the first pickup image and for detecting an operating position of the stick based on the difference image. A CPU 31 refers to the ROM to specify a tone color correlated to the area corresponding to the operating position detected by CPU 21, and a sound source generates a tone of the tone color specified by CPU 31. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A performance apparatus comprising: a performance member operated by a player; an image pickup unit for continuously taking pickup images including the performance member and a pickup-image plane; a storing unit for storing layout information including positions of plural areas set on the pickup-image plane; a position detecting unit for detecting a position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of a first pickup image and a position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of a second pickup image among the pickup images taken by the image pickup unit, wherein the second pickup image was taken prior to the first pickup image; a present position determining unit for comparing the two positions of the performance member detected by the position detecting unit to judge whether the difference between the two positions of the performance member is more than a predetermined value, and for setting the position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of the first pickup image as the present position of the performance member when it is determined that the difference between the two positions of the performance member is more than the predetermined value, and setting the position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of the second pickup image as the present position of the performance member when it is determined that the difference between the two positions of the performance member is less than the predetermined value; and a sound-generation instructing unit for giving an instruction of generating a musical tone corresponding to the area including the present position of the performance member determined by the present position determining unit, when the difference between the two positions of the performance member detected by the position detecting unit is more than the predetermined value and the present position of the performance member determined by the present position determining unit is included in one of the plural areas, positions of which are included in the layout information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The performance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the performance member includes a switch unit; and the sound-generation instructing unit gives an instruction of generating a musical tone corresponding to the area including the determined present position of the performance member, when the switch unit is turned on. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The performance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the musical tone, which corresponds to the area including the present position of the performance member and is generated in response to the instruction by the sound-generation instructing unit, includes a tone of a wind chimes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The performance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the musical tone, which corresponds to the area including the present position of the performance member and is generated in response to the instruction by the sound-generation instructing unit, includes a tone of a wind chimes. ### Claim 5 A computer readable non-transitory recording medium having stored thereon a program for controlling a control unit of a performance apparatus, wherein the performance apparatus is provided with a computer, a performance member operated by a player, an image pickup unit for continuously taking pickup images including a pickup-image plane and the performance member, and a storing unit for storing layout information including positions of plural areas set on the pickup-image plane, and wherein the computer program, when read and executed on the computer, making the computer implement a method comprising: a step of detecting a position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of a first pickup image and a position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of a second pickup image among the pickup images taken by the image pickup unit, wherein the second pickup image was taken prior to the first pickup image; a step of comparing the two detected positions of the performance member to judge whether the difference between the two detected positions of the performance member is more than a predetermined value, and of setting the position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of the first pickup image as the present position of the performance member when it is determined that the difference between the two detected positions of the performance member is more than the predetermined value, and setting the position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of the second pickup image as the present position of the performance member when it is determined that the difference between the two detected positions of the performance member is less than the predetermined value; and a step of giving an instruction of generating a musical tone corresponding to the area including the determined present position of the performance member when the difference between the two detected positions of the performance member is more than the predetermined value and the determined present position of the performance member is included in one of the plural areas, positions of which are included in the layout information. ### Claim 6 A method of controlling a performance apparatus, wherein the performance apparatus is provided with a performance member operated by a player, an image pickup unit for continuously taking pickup images including a pickup-image plane and the performance member, and a storing unit for storing layout information including positions of plural areas set on the pickup-image plane, the method comprising: a step of detecting a position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of a first pickup image and a position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of a second pickup image among the pickup images taken by the image pickup unit, wherein the second pickup image was taken prior to the first pickup image; a step of comparing the two detected positions of the performance member to judge whether the difference between the two detected positions of the performance member is more than a predetermined value, and of setting the position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of the first pickup image as the present position of the performance member when it is determined that the difference between the two detected positions of the performance member is more than the predetermined value, and setting the position of the performance member on the pickup-image plane of the second pickup image as the present position of the performance member when it is determined that the difference between the two detected positions of the performance member is less than the predetermined value; and a step of giving an instruction of generating a musical tone corresponding to the area including the determined present position of the performance member when the difference between the two detected positions of the performance member is more than the predetermined value and the determined present position of the performance member is included in one of the plural areas, positions of which are included in the layout information.