Impact Responsive Portable Electronic Drumhead

A portable electronic drumhead for converting drumstick impacts thereon to electrical pulses, said drumhead comprising;

• a. a first, FSR lamination sheet which has an outer planar surface and an inner planar surface having thereon a coating of an electrically conductive substance, said coating comprising a force sensing resistance (FSR) layer,
• b. a second, electrode lamination sheet which has an outer planar surface and an inner planar surface having thereon a pair of electrically isolated, spaced apart electrode strips, said electrode strips having electrically conductive outer surfaces contactable with said FSR layer, and
• c. a third, spacer lamination positioned between inner facing surfaces of said FSR lamination sheet and said electrode lamination sheet, said spacer lamination biasing said inner facing surfaces away from each other, at least one of said first and second lamination sheets being elastically flexible towards the other to thus enable mutual contact between said inner facing surfaces of said first and second lamination sheets in response to a drumstick impact on an outer surface of either one of said first and second lamination sheets, said first, second and third lamination sheets being arranged parallel to each other, stacked in a direction normal to said contactable surfaces, and fixed in position to form a laminated assembly having first and second parallel planar outer surfaces, d. a pair of lead-out conductors extending exteriorly of said mutually electrically contactable regions of said electrode lamination sheet and said FSR lamination sheet, said lead out conductors electrically conductively contacting to separate ones of said electrode strips, and
• e. a circular retainer hoop which circumscribes the outer circumferential edges of said first, second and third laminations.

A portable electronic drumhead for converting hand and finger impacts thereon to electrical pulses, said drumhead comprising;

• a. a first, FSR lamination sheet which has an outer planar surface and an inner planar surface having thereon a coating of an electrically conductive substance, said coating comprising a force-sensing resistance (FSR) layer,
• b. a second, electrode lamination sheet which has an outer planar surface and an inner planar surface having thereon a plurality of spaced apart impact force-sensors, each of said impact force-sensors comprising,
• i. at least one pair of electrically isolated, spaced apart electrode strips, said electrode strips having electrically conductive surfaces contactable with said FSR layer,
• ii. at least a first spacer member positioned between inner facing surfaces of said FSR lamination sheet and said electrode lamination sheet, said spacer member biasing said inner facing surfaces of said first and second lamination sheets away from each other, at least one of said first and second lamination sheets being elastically flexible towards the other to thus enable mutual electrically conductive contact between said inner facing surfaces of said first and second lamination sheets in response to a drumstick impact on an outer surface of either one of said first and second lamination sheets, said first and second lamination sheets and said spacer member being arranged parallel to each other, stacked in a direction normal to said contactable surfaces, and fixed in position to form a laminated assembly having first and second parallel planar outer surfaces, and
• iii. a pair of lead-out conductors extending exteriorly of said mutually electrically contactable regions of said electrode lamination sheet and said FSR lamination sheet, said lead-out conductors electrically conductively contacting separate ones of said electrode strips.

A portable electronic drumhead for converting drumstick impacts thereon to electrical pulses which are proportional to both impact force and location of impact, said drumhead comprising;

• a. a first, FSR lamination sheet which has an outer planar surface and an inner planar surface having thereon a coating of an electrically conductive substance, said coating comprising a force-sensing resistor (FSR) layer,
• b. a second, electrode lamination sheet which has an outer planar surface and an inner planar surface having thereon a first semi-circularly-shaped force and position sensor assembly, said first sensor assembly comprising,
• i. a first elongated planar resistor printed on said inner planar surface of said electrode lamination, said first planar resistor having at a first end thereof a first laterally disposed connector bar electrically connected to a first bias voltage lead-out conductor, at a second end thereof a second transversely disposed connector bar electrically connected to a second bias voltage lead connector, and at least a first intermediate connector bar located between said first and second ends of said planar resistor and electrically connected to a first intermediate voltage tap lead-out conductor,
• ii. a first set of inner electrode strips having the form of radially spaced apart, concentric semi-circular arc segments which protrude laterally outwards from a first longitudinally disposed side of said planar resistor, said electrode strips having first ends in electrically conductive contact with said planar resistor, and second ends spaced circumferentially apart from a first common lead-out conductor bus, and
• iii. a first set of outer electrode strips having the form of parallel radially spaced apart concentric semi-circular arc segments spaced apart from and interdigitated with said first set of inner electrode strips, said outer electrode strips having first ends which are spaced circumferentially apart from said first longitudinally disposed edge of said planar resistor, and second ends which terminate at and are in electrically conductive contact with a radially outwardly disposed common lead-out conductor bus which is diametrically opposed to and co-linear with said planar resistor.

A portable electronic drumhead for converting drumstick impacts thereon to electrical pulses, said drumhead comprising;

• a. a first, composite lamination sheet which has an outer planar surface and an inner planar surface having thereon a first set of electrically conductive electrode strips, said first set of electrode strips having on an outer planar surface thereof a coating of an electrically conductive substance, said coating comprising a force sensing electrical resistor (FSR) layer,
• b. a second, electrode lamination sheet which has an outer planar surface and an inner planar surface having thereon a second set of electrically isolated, spaced apart electrode strips, said electrode strips having electrically conductive outer surfaces contactable with said FSR layer,
• c. at least a first spacer member positioned between inner facing surfaces of said first, composite lamination sheet and said second, electrode lamination sheet, said spacer member biasing said inner facing surfaces of said first and second lamination sheets away from each other, at least one of said first and second lamination sheets being elastically flexible towards the other to thus enable mutual electrically conductive contact between said inner facing surfaces of said FSR coating on said first lamination sheet and said second set of electrode strips on said second lamination sheet in response to a drumstick impact on an outer surface of either one of said first and second lamination sheets, said first and second lamination sheets and said spacer member being arranged parallel to each other, stacked in a direction normal to said contactable surfaces, and fixed in position to form a laminated assembly having first and second parallel planar outer surfaces, and
• d. a pair of lead-out conductors extending exteriorly of said mutually electrically contactable regions of said electrode lamination sheet and said FSR lamination sheet, said lead out conductors electrically conductively contacting separate sets of said electrode strips.