Device and method for optical tone generation
AssigneeI-Production Establishment
InventorJames Linford
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical tone generator comprises sensing means responsive to light of different respective colors for selectively producing respective output signals corresponding to such respective colors, and a tone generator responsive to the sensing means for emitting a tone corresponding to the signal produced by the sensing means. In a preferred embodiment, fiber optic light conduits are disposed within an elongated baton for manual translation along a line of discretely changing colored strips to produce tones corresponding to the various colors. This device is particularly advantageous for teaching musical composition because it permits a child to vary pitch, duration and tempo by readily perceived variations in color, length and speed, respectively.
Claims10
An optical generating device for use as a teaching or musical aid for generating a tone coded in pitch to the color of a colored control surface, comprising:
- a generally elongated member configured to be hand-held at least at a first end portion as a baton or wand;
- a light source attached to said generally elongated member and adapted to direct light onto such colored control surface when said generally elongated member is guided thereover;
- a plurality of color-selective light pick-up and transmitting means attached to said generally elongated member, said light pick-up and transmitting means being responsive to light of different respective colors reflected from such colored control surface and adapted to direct said light onto a respective plurality of photosensors when said generally elongated member is guided thereover and light is directed thereon from said light source;
- a plurality of light responsive photosensors positioned and adapted to receive light from said respective color-selective light pick-up and transmitting means and capable of producing respective electrical output signals indicative of the presence or absence of light of said respective colors;
- multiple-frequency tone generation means positioned and adapted to receive the output signals of said photosensors for selectively generating one of a plurality of different frequency tones dependent upon the specific combination of photosensors activated by such control surface when said generally elongated member is manually directed over such colored control surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.