# US 2022/0044660 A1 · Electromechanical device and system to automatically tune a drum assembly without having to strike either the top or bottom surface of the drum

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- Number: US 2022/0044660 A1
- Document ID: US20220044660A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/985,707
- Filed: 2020-08-05
- Published: 2022-02-10
- Earliest claimed: 2020-08-05
- Inventors: Michael Dale MCGEE
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220044660A1

## CPC

- G10D 13/16: Tuning devices; Hoops; Lugs
- G10D 13/02: Drums; Tambourines with drumheads
- G10D 13/20: Drumheads
- G10L 25/51: for comparison or discrimination
- H04R 1/08: Mouthpieces; {Microphones;} Attachments therefor
- H04R 3/04: for correcting frequency response
- 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)
- G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)

## Abstract

The present invention is a system and methods for automating the tuning process for drums. The invention automatically applies tension across the batter heads of a drum. The invention consists of a plurality of electrical stepper motors each of which is connected to a gear reduction assembly and a rotating tension rod. The invention acts to exert a tensioning force on each attachment point around the circumference of the hoop(s) securing the batter head to the drum shell. An algorithm drives a microprocessor that monitors the current being used by each stepper motor assembly which is translated to torque. When the torque for each stepper motor assembly reaches a predetermined level, the tension holding the batter head and to the shell of the drum will be in tune.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for automatically tuning a musical drum instrument comprising: a plurality of auto tune devices, a plurality of tension assemblies, at least one hoop retaining a drum surface against said musical drum instrument and said hoop containing attachment points for attaching auto tune each device, and a computing device hosting a software program, and a communications bus, and an electrical current distribution bus, and a plurality of electrical current sensing devices, and an electrical current switching device:
a. said auto tune device, comprising:
i. a bidirectional stepper motor, a gear transfer assembly and a gear reduction assembly, said gear transfer assembly communicatively couples said bidirectional stepper motor and said gear reduction assembly, said gear reduction assembly reduces rotational input speed from said bidirectional stepper motor thereby increasing the output torque of said gear reduction assembly;
b. a tension assembly comprising:
i. a hollow threaded tube communicably coupled to the output end of said gear reduction assembly of said auto tune device via a threaded rod transferring torque to said tension assembly that applies tension to said hoop and drum surface by pulling said hoop in a direction toward said auto tune device and relieves tension on said hoop and said drum surface by allowing said hoop to move in a direction away from said auto tune device;
c. a computing device comprising:
i. a communication bus communicably coupling said computing device to each of said auto tune devices and to said electrical current switching device;
ii. a software program controlling each of said auto tune devices by sending commands via said communications bus and said electrical switching device;
d. an electrical current switching device comprising:
i. said electrical current switching device communicably coupled to said computing device via said communications bus and communicably coupled to each of said auto tune devices thereby providing switched electrical current to activate and deactivate each of said auto devices;
e. said computing device under control of said first software program when tuning said musical drum instrument, sends commands to each of said auto tune devices via said communications bus and sends electrical current to each of said auto tune devices via said electrical current distribution bus and said electrical switching device;
f. said electrical current sensing devices each send an indication of the amount of electrical current each associated auto tune devices is using and when said electrical current is sensed to be at a maximum level for each of associated said auto tune device, said first software current will send a command to said electrical switching device to turn off said electrical current to associated auto tune device being sent the maximum level of electrical current;
g. said first software program determines that when electrical current has been turned off of all of said auto tune devices said musical drum instrument is declared to be in tune and each auto tune device is exerting the maximum tension to said tension assemblies thereby placing said musical drum instrument in tune.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 where said drum musical instrument contains one hoop securing said drum surface to said drum musical instrument.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 where said drum musical instrument contains a hoop securing said drum surface to the top of said drum musical instrument and a hoop securing said drum surface to the bottom of said drum musical instrument.

### Claim 4

A method for tuning a musical drum instrument comprising a drum body, one or more hoops holding drum surfaces to said drum body, a computing device, a first software program, a communications bus, an electrical current distribution bus, an electrical current sensing device, an electrical switching device and a plurality of auto tune devices comprising a plurality of tensioning assemblies:
a. On application of electrical current to said computing device, said first software program sends commands to said electrical switching device via said communications bus to apply electrical current to each of said auto tune device and sends commands to each of said auto tune devices via said communications bus to remove tension on each said tensioning assembly associated with each of said auto tune devices thereby reducing tension on the hoop holding the drum surface thereby removing tension from said drum surface;
b. said first software program monitors the amount of electrical current being sent to each of said auto tune devices and when the amount of electrical current being provided to any of said auto tune devices indicates that said auto tune device is not providing output torque, said first software program turns off said electrical current to that said auto tune device by sending a command via said first communications bus to said electrical switching device to terminate electrical current to that said auto tune device;
c. said first software program, when each of said auto tune devices is no longer receiving electrical current, sends commands via said first communications bus to said electrical switching device to apply electrical current to each of said auto tune devices, and said first software program sends commands to each of said auto tune devices via said first communications bus to send torque to each of said associated tension assemblies and receives from each said electrical sensing device connected to each of said auto tune devices the amount of electrical current being consumed by said plurality of each of said auto tune devices;
d. said first software program monitors the amount of electrical current being used by each of said auto tune devices received from each of said associated electrical current sensing devices and, when said electrical current being sent to each of said auto tune devices and when said indication indicates that any auto tune device is using the maximum amount of electrical current to provide torque to its associated tensioning assembly, said first software program sends a command to said electrical switching device to terminate electrical current to that auto tune device;
e. when said first software program has terminated electrical current to each of said auto tune devices the musical drum instrument is declared to be in tune.

### Claim 5

A method for continuously tuning a musical drum instrument while it is being played comprising a drum body, one or more hoops holding drum surfaces to said drum body, a computing device, a software program, a communications bus, an electrical current distribution bus, an electrical current sensing device, an electrical switching device and a plurality of auto tune devices and a plurality of associated tensioning assemblies:
a. On application of electrical current to said computing device said software program initiates a tuning process that sequentially tunes each of said auto tune devices:
i. said first software program sends commands to said electrical switching device via said communications bus to apply electrical current to each of said auto tune device and said first software program sends a command to each sequentially selected auto tune devices via said communications bus to increase the torque to said associated tensioning assembly;
ii. said first software program monitors the amount of electrical current being used by said sequentially selected auto tune device received from the said associated electrical current sensing device associated with said sequentially selected auto tune device indicating the amount of electrical current being used by said sequentially selected auto tune device and when said indication indicates that said sequentially selected auto tune device is using the maximum amount of electrical current to provide torque to its associated tensioning assembly, said first software program sends a command to said electrical switching device via said communications bus terminate electrical current to said sequentially selected auto tune device;
iii. when said first software program has terminated electrical current to all said sequentially selected auto tune devices the musical drum instrument is declared to be in tune;
iv. said tuning process is periodically repeated until the musician terminates current to said auto tune devices and to said computing device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5 where said tuning process is initiated by said software program on a fixed time period based on a predetermined number of seconds between tuning processes.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5 where a microphone is fixed to the shell of said musical drum instrument and said software program monitors the output of said microphone and when said software program determines that said drum surface has not detected said musical drum instrument not being struck for a predetermined number of seconds initiates the tuning process.