Vocal display device

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention relates to a device for the display of vocal features such as strength and pitch during the reproduction of music for vocal accompaniment.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

#FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 illustrate the first preferred embodiment of the invention where FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the basic configuration of the invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the invention in more detail, FIG. 3 provides a conceptual illustration of the configuration of the music data and FIG. 4 illustrates the sort of screen display which would be presented on the visual display medium.

#FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the basic configuration of the second preferred embodiment of the invention.

#FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 illustrate the third preferred embodiment of the invention where FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the basic configuration of the invention, FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the invention in more detail and FIG. 8 illustrates the sort of screen display which would be presented on the visual display medium.

#There follows a description of the first preferred embodiment of the invention by reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4. FIG. 1 illustrates the basic configuration of the invention while FIG. 2 shows the same thing but in more detail. In FIG. 2 110 is a memory means in which music data for a large number of different pieces of music is stored. Each item of music data also contains vocal data relating to the vocal features of the music. As shown in FIG. 3, the data is divided in conceptual terms into a number of blocks 1, 2, 3--in the ratio of one block to one bar and the blocks are arranged in order in accordance with the forward development of the tune. The vocal data blocks are each almost exactly one block in advance of their corresponding music data blocks. Said vocal data also incorporates strength data which is used to indicate the appropriate strength of the vocal presentation.

#A screen display indicator is inserted at the end of each block as shown by the long arrows in FIG. 3 to indicate that the screen display should be updated at these points. Current lyric display position indicators are similarly inserted as required at the points marked by the short arrows in FIG. 3 to show that these are the appropriate points at which to indicate the lyric display position. In practice, of course, each screen display indicator is, in fact, set at a specific time interval t in advance of the boundary of each block of music data. As a result each current lyric position indicator is also set at the same specific time interval t in advance of its real position. The horizontal unit time is written in at the head of the vocal data. This indicates the maximum number of current lyric position indicators permissible per block. Clear screen data is written in at the end of the vocal data to clear the screen at the end of the piece of music. The memory means 110 is also used to store character data relating to the display of the lyrics in character form. Said memory means 110 is also connected to a reproduction device 160 such that music data can be read from the memory means 110 and subsequently reproduced on said reproduction device.

#The memory means 110 is also connected to a decoder 121 which is in turn connected in sequence to a vocal data extractor 122, a strength data extractor 123 and finally a buffer 141. The vocal data extractor 122 extracts vocal data from which the strength data extractor 123 then extracts strength data and this is finally stored block by block in the buffer 141. A horizontal unit time extractor 142, a screen display indicator extractor 143, a clear screen data extractor 144 and a current lyric position indicator extractor (current lyric position indicator reading means) 130 are each connected in parallel to the decoder 121 for the purpose of extracting horizontal unit time, screen display indicators, clear screen data and current lyric position indicators respectively. The current lyric position indicator extractor 130 is in turn connected to a delay device 145 which delays the output signal by the time interval t. The output signals from each of the buffer 141, the horizontal unit time extractor 142, the screen display indicator extractor 143, the clear screen data extractor 144 and the delay device 145 are each input to the graph plotting device 146 where the first image signal is created in accordance with said output signals in order to indicate the appropriate vocal strength level. The first image signal is then input to the synthesis device 147 where it is combined with the second image signal from the character display device 175, which will be described in more detail below, and then input to the visual display medium 150. The output signal of the aforementioned screen display indicator extractor 143 is input in the form of a trigger signal to the aforementioned buffer 141.