Fiber optic musical instruments
AssigneeOptical Technologies, Inc.
InventorGeorge A. Bowley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fiber optic musical instrument provides a design in which the musical notes and characteristic instrument sounds normally sensed by electro-mechanical devices such as magnetic pickups and acoustic transducers are generated by the modulation of light within optical fibers and are optically transmitted to amplifying devices without the need for externally mounted sensing devices.
Claims11
A musical instrument comprising a musical instrument housing, at least one optical fiber, means embedding or affixing said at least one optical fiber to said musical instrument housing unique to the particular musical instrument housing, means remote from the musical instrument housing for directing a light beam from one end of said fiber to the other, light detecting means remote from the musical instrument housing at the other end of said fiber, whereby when said at least one optical fiber is caused to vibrate the light beam in said fiber is modified, said detecting means including means for producing an electrical signal proportional to the modified light beam, and means for amplifying the electrical signal, including means for intensity modulating the light traveling in said at least one optical fiber.
A musical instrument comprising a musical instrument housing, at least one optical fiber, means embedding or affixing said at least one optical fiber to said musical instrument housing unique to the particular musical instrument housing, means remote from the musical instrument housing for directing a light beam from one end of said fiber to the other, light detecting means remote from the musical instrument housing at the other end of said fiber, whereby when said at least one optical fiber is caused to vibrate the light beam in said fiber is modified, said detecting means including means for producing an electrical signal proportional to the modified light beam, and means for amplifying the electrical signal, including means for intensity modulating the light traveling in said at least one optical fiber and said intensity modulation is caused by microbending or vector rotation.
A musical instrument comprising a musical instrument housing, at least one optical fiber, means embedding or affixing said at least one optical fiber to said musical instrument housing unique to the particular musical instrument housing, means remote from the musical instrument housing for directing a light beam from one end of said fiber to the other, light detecting means remove from the musical instrument housing at the other end of said fiber, whereby when said at least one optical fiber is caused to vibrate the light beam in said fiber is modified, said detecting means including means for producing an electrical signal proportional to the modified light beam, and means for amplifying the electrical signal, wherein the at least one optical fiber is coated with a magnetic, RF or temperature sensitive material.
A musical instrument comprising a musical instrument housing, at least one optical fiber, means embedding or affixing said at least one optical fiber to said musical instrument housing unique to the particular musical instrument housing, means remote from the musical instrument housing for directing a light beam from one end of said fiber to the other, light detecting means remote from the musical instrument housing at the other end of said fiber, whereby when said at least one optical fiber is caused to vibrate the light beam in said fiber is modified, said detecting means including means for producing an electrical signal proportional to the modified light beam, and means for amplifying the electrical signal, wherein the means remote from the musical instrument housing for directing a light beam from one end of the said at least one fiber to the other includes an optical source energized by a voltage modulated to create special effects.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.