Apparatus and method for detecting and processing impacts to an electronic percussion instrument

An apparatus for detecting and processing impacts to an electronic percussion instrument, the electronic percussion instrument producing an audio signal in response to said impacts, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one pad of said electronic percussion instrument for receiving impacts at an impact location and generating impact vibrations and impact pressure in response to the impacts;
• at least one first sensor located in close proximity to the at least one pad for producing at least one first output signal having a value that is substantially independent of impact location, but dependent on the magnitude of the impact pressure;
• at least one second sensor located in close proximity to the at least one pad for producing at least one second output signal having a value dependent on the impact vibrations;
• and
• at least one processor in communication with the at least one first sensor and the at least one second sensor and programmed for determining a computed impact location from the at least one first and second output values,
• wherein a characteristic of the audio signal is determined by the impact pressure.

A method for detecting and processing impacts to an electronic percussion instrument, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving impacts at an impact location on at least one pad of said electronic percussion instrument and generating impact vibrations and impact pressure in response to the impacts;
• communicating the impact pressure to at least one first sensor for producing at least one first output signal having a value that is substantially independent of impact location, but dependent on the magnitude of the impact pressure;
• communicating the impact vibrations to at least one second sensor for producing at least one second output signal having a value dependent on the impact location;
• and
• determining a computed impact location from the at least one first and second output values.

An apparatus for detecting and processing impacts to an electronic percussion instrument comprising:

• at least one pad of said electronic percussion instrument for receiving impacts at an impact location and generating impact vibrations and impact pressure in response to the impacts;
• a case adjacent to the at least one pad for supporting the at least one pad and communicating impact vibrations generated by the at least one pad, an edge area of the case enclosing the at least one pad;
• at least one first sensor operatively coupled to the at least one pad for producing at least one first output signal having a value dependent on the impact pressure;
• at least one second sensor coupled to the case for receiving impact vibrations from the case and producing at least one second output signal having a value dependent on the impact vibrations;
• and
• at least one processor in communication with the at least one first sensor and the at least one second sensor and programmed for determining a computed impact location from the at least one first and second output values.

An apparatus for detecting and processing impacts to an electronic percussion instrument, comprising:

• at least one pad of said electronic percussion instrument for receiving impacts at an impact location and generating impact vibrations and impact pressure in response to the impacts, wherein at least one of the pads is divided into two or more regions;
• at least one first sensor located in close proximity to the at least one pad for producing at least one first output signal having a value dependent on the impact pressure, wherein at least one first sensor is located in each region and wherein each first sensor only generates an output value when the region of the pad in which the sensor is located has been struck;
• at least one second sensor located in close proximity to the at least one pad for producing at least one second output signal having a value dependent on the impact vibrations;
• and
• at least one processor in communication with the at least one first sensor and the at least one second sensor and programmed for determining a computed impact location from the at least one first and second output values.

An apparatus for detecting and processing impacts to an electronic percussion instrument, comprising:

• at least one pad of said electronic percussion instrument for being impacted with an impact pressure at an impact location;
• at least one first sensor located in close proximity to the at least one pad for producing at least one first output signal having a value corresponding to the impact pressure;
• at least one second sensor located in close proximity to the at least one pad for producing at least one second output signal having a value corresponding to the impact location and the impact pressure;
• and
• at least one processor programmed for determining a computed impact location from the magnitude of the at least one first and second output values, and for controlling the amplitude of an output sound based on the magnitude of one or both of the first and second output values.

An apparatus for detecting and processing impacts to an electronic percussion instrument, comprising:

• at least one pad of said electronic percussion instrument for being impacted with an impact pressure at an impact location;
• at least one first sensor located in close proximity to the at least one pad for producing at least one first output signal having a value corresponding to the impact pressure;
• at least one second sensor located in close proximity to the at least one pad for producing at least one second output signal having a value corresponding to the impact location and the impact pressure;
• and
• at least one processor operable with a reference table for determining a computed impact location from the magnitude of the at least one first and second output values, the reference table associating a plurality of impact pressures with an associated plurality of second output values for a standard impact location;
• wherein the computed impact location is determined by comparing the at least one first and second output values with the reference table.

A method for detecting and processing impacts to an electronic percussion instrument, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a reference table with regard to a standard impact location, the reference table containing various impact pressures at the standard impact location and associated impact vibrations produced by the various impact pressures;
• receiving impacts at an impact location on at least one pad of said electronic percussion instrument and generating impact pressure and impact vibrations in response to the impacts;
• and
• determining a computed impact location by comparing the generated impact pressure and impact vibrations with the reference table.