# US 2014/0150624 A1 · Recording and reproduction of waveform based on sound board vibrations

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- Number: US 2014/0150624 A1
- Document ID: US20140150624A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/095,126
- Filed: 2013-12-03
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-03
- Assignees: Yamaha Corporation
- Applicants: Yamaha Corporation
- Inventors: Yuji FUJIWARA; Shinya KOSEKI; Fukutaro OKUYAMA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140150624A1

## CPC

- G10H 3/12: using mechanical resonant generators, e.g. strings or percussive instruments, the tones of which are picked up by electromechanical transducers, the electrical signals being further manipulated or amplified and subsequently converted to sound by a loudspeaker or equivalent instrument
- G10C 3/06: Resonating means, e.g. soundboards or resonant strings; Fastenings thereof
- G10H 3/14: using mechanically actuated vibrators with pick-up means (G10H3/24 takes precedence)
- G10H 3/146: {using a membrane, e.g. a drum; Pick-up means for vibrating surfaces, e.g. housing of an instrument}
- G10H 3/22: using electromechanically actuated vibrators with pick-up means (G10H3/24 takes precedence)
- G10H 2230/065: Spint piano, i.e. mimicking acoustic musical instruments with piano, cembalo or spinet features, e.g. with piano-like keyboard; Electrophonic aspects of piano-like acoustic keyboard instruments; MIDI-like control therefor
- 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
- G10C: PIANOS, HARPSICHORDS, SPINETS OR SIMILAR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ONE OR MORE KEYBOARDS (automatic musical instruments G10F)

## Abstract

In a musical instrument, such as a piano, having a sound board, the sound board vibrates in response to vibrations of a string responsive to depression of a key. A waveform corresponding to such vibrations of the sound board is detected and recorded into a memory for each of the keys. The recorded vibration waveform is usable for reproduction of a sound based on sound board vibrations. In a sound reproduction apparatus, such as a piano, having a sound board, an excitation device physically excitable in response to an input waveform is provided on the sound board. In response to an operation of a key, a sound board vibration waveform corresponding to the operated key is read out from the memory, and the excitation device is driven in accordance with the read-out waveform signal so that the sound board is vibrated.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A musical instrument comprising:
a plurality of performance operation keys;
a plurality of sounding members provided in corresponding relation to said plurality of performance operation keys;
a sound board;
a plurality of striking members provided in corresponding relation to said plurality of performance operation keys and each configured to physically vibrate a corresponding one of the sounding members in response to an operation of the corresponding one of the performance operation keys;
a plurality of transmission joints provided in corresponding relation to said plurality of sounding members and each disposed in such a manner as to physically transmit vibrations of a corresponding one of the sounding members to said sound board;
a vibration waveform detector configured to detect a vibration waveform corresponding to vibrations of at least one of said sound board and the transmission joints; and
a controller configured to perform control for storing the vibration waveforms detected by said vibration waveform detector, in response to respective operations of the performance operation keys, into a memory in association with individual ones of the performance operation keys.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The musical instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vibration waveform stored by said controller into the memory is a vibration waveform of an attack section of a sound.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The musical instrument as claimed in claim 1, which further comprises a drive unit configured to automatically drive the individual ones of said plurality of performance operation keys, and
wherein said controller performs control for storing the vibration waveforms detected by said vibration waveform detector, in response to operations of the performance operation keys automatically driven by said drive unit, into the memory in association with the performance operation keys.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The musical instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the sounding members is a string, each of the striking members is a hammer, and each of the transmission joints is a bridge provided on said sounding member for supporting the string in a stretched-taut state.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The musical instrument as claimed in claim 1, which further comprises:
an excitation device physically excitable in accordance with an input waveform signal and disposed in such a manner that physical vibrations generated by said excitation device are transmitted at least to said sound board; and
an operation detector configured to detect respective operations of said plurality of performance operation keys, and
wherein said controller is configured to further read out, from the memory, the vibration waveform corresponding to the performance operation key whose operation has been detected by said operation detector and input a waveform signal based on the read-out vibration waveform to said excitation device, so that physical vibrations according to the input waveform signal are generated by said excitation device and thus a sound is generated by at least said sound board physically vibrating in response to the physical vibrations generated by said excitation device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The musical instrument as claimed in claim 5, wherein said excitation device is a device that comprises same hardware as said vibration waveform detector.

### Claim 7

A sound reproduction apparatus comprising:
a sound board;
an excitation device physically excitable in accordance with an input waveform signal and disposed in such a manner that physical vibrations generated by said excitation device are transmitted at least to said sound board;
a plurality of performance operation keys;
an operation detector configured to detect respective operations of said plurality of performance operation keys;
a memory storing therein vibration waveforms corresponding to individual ones of said plurality of performance operation keys in association with the individual ones of said plurality of performance operation keys; and
a controller is configured to read out, from said memory, the vibration waveform corresponding to the performance operation key whose operation has been detected by said operation detector and input a waveform signal based on the read-out vibration waveform to said excitation device, so that physical vibrations according to the input waveform signal are generated by said excitation device and a sound is generated by at least said sound board physically vibrating in response to the physical vibrations generated by said excitation device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The sound reproduction apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the vibration waveform stored by said controller in the memory for each of the performance operation keys is a vibration waveform of an attack section of a sound.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The sound reproduction apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the vibration waveform is a vibration waveform detected by a vibration waveform detector of a musical instrument, and said musical instrument comprises:
a plurality of performance operation keys;
a plurality of sounding members provided in corresponding relation to said plurality of performance operation keys and physically excitable in response to an operation of a corresponding one of the performance operation keys;
a sound board;
a plurality of transmission joints provided in corresponding relation to said plurality of sounding members and each disposed in such a manner as to physically transmit vibrations of a corresponding one of the sounding members to said sound board; and
said vibration waveform detector configured to detect a vibration waveform corresponding to vibrations of at least one of said sound board and the transmission joints.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The sound reproduction apparatus as claimed in claim 9, which is mounted on said musical instrument, and wherein said excitation device is a device comprising same hardware as said vibration waveform detector.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The sound reproduction apparatus as claimed in claim 7, which further comprises:
a plurality of sounding members provided in corresponding relation to said plurality of performance operation keys, each of the sounding members physically vibrating in response to an operation of a corresponding one of the performance operation key;
a prevention device configured to prevent the sounding members from physically vibrating in response to operations of the performance operation keys, and
wherein, when selection is made of a mode in which a waveform signal based on any one of the vibration waveforms read out from said memory is input to said excitation device, said controller actuates said prevention device to prevent the sounding member from physically vibrating.

### Claim 12

A computer-implemented method for storing performance information of a musical instrument, the musical instrument comprising: a plurality of performance operation keys; a plurality of sounding members provided in corresponding relation to the plurality of performance operation keys; a sound board; a plurality of striking members provided in corresponding relation to the plurality of performance operation keys and each configured to physically vibrate a corresponding one of the sounding members in response to an operation of the corresponding one of the performance operation keys; and a plurality of transmission joints provided in corresponding relation to the plurality of sounding members and each disposed in such a manner as to physically transmit vibrations of a corresponding one of the sounding members to said sound board, said method comprising:
a step of operating any one of the plurality of performance operation keys and physically vibrating a corresponding one of the sounding members via the striking member corresponding to the operated performance operation key;
a detection step of detecting a vibration waveform corresponding to vibrations of at least one of the sound board and the transmission joints; and
a step of storing the vibration waveforms detected by said detection step, in response to respective operations of the performance operation keys, into a memory in association with the performance operation keys.

### Claim 13

A computer-implemented method for reproducing a sound in a sound reproduction apparatus comprising: a sound board; an excitation device physically excitable in accordance with an input waveform signal and disposed in such a manner that physical vibrations generated by the excitation device are transmitted at least to the sound board; a plurality of performance operation keys; and a memory storing therein vibration waveforms corresponding to individual ones of said plurality of performance operation keys in association with the individual ones of the plurality of performance operation keys, said method comprising:
a step of detecting that any one of the performance operation keys has been operated;
a step of read outing, from the memory, the vibration waveform corresponding to the performance operation key whose operation has been detected by said detection step and inputting a waveform signal based on the read-out vibration waveform to the excitation device, so that physical vibrations according to the input waveform signal are generated by the excitation device and a sound is generated by at least the sound board physically vibrating in response to the physical vibrations generated by the excitation device.

### Claim 14

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program executable by a processor to perform a method for storing performance information of a musical instrument, the musical instrument comprising: a plurality of performance operation keys; a plurality of sounding members provided in corresponding relation to the plurality of performance operation keys; a sound board; a plurality of striking members provided in corresponding relation to the plurality of performance operation keys and each configured to physically vibrate a corresponding one of the sounding members in response to an operation of the corresponding one of the performance operation keys; and a plurality of transmission joints provided in corresponding relation to the plurality of sounding members and each disposed in such a manner as to physically transmit vibrations of a corresponding one of the sounding members to said sound board, said method comprising:
a step of operating any one of the plurality of performance operation keys and physically vibrating a corresponding one of the sounding members via the striking member corresponding to the operated performance operation key;
a detection step of detecting a vibration waveform corresponding to vibrations of at least one of the sound board and the transmission joints; and
a step of storing the vibration waveforms detected by said detection step, in response to respective operations of the performance operation keys, into a memory in association with the performance operation keys.

### Claim 15

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program executable by a processor to perform a method for reproducing a sound in a sound reproduction apparatus comprising: a sound board; an excitation device physically excitable in accordance with an input waveform signal and disposed in such a manner that physical vibrations generated by the excitation device are transmitted at least to the sound board; a plurality of performance operation keys; and a memory storing therein vibration waveforms corresponding to individual ones of said plurality of performance operation keys in association with the individual ones of the plurality of performance operation keys, said method comprising:
a step of detecting that any one of the performance operation keys has been operated;
a step of read outing, from the memory, the vibration waveform corresponding to the performance operation key whose operation has been detected by said detection step and inputting a waveform signal based on the read-out vibration waveform to the excitation device, so that physical vibrations according to the input waveform signal are generated by the excitation device and a sound is generated by at least the sound board physically vibrating in response to the physical vibrations generated by the excitation device.