A chromatic harmonica playing robot

Abstract

A chromatic harmonica-playing robot comprises an electrical component and air pump layer, a solenoid valve installation layer, and a harmonica installation and adaptation layer. The robot uses a chromatic harmonica, and can control the blowing and suction hole positions and push-button operation via an external keyboard. The air pump speed is controlled via a mixing console potentiometer. The main control circuit board controls the power management circuit board, which is connected to the solenoid valve assembly and air pump to control the solenoid valve reversing. The robot has 12 selective airflow outputs. The robot is also equipped with a servo that can push and retract the harmonica push-buttons. The harmonica blowpipe adapter is adaptable to different harmonica mouthpieces. The robot can be used in music and programming education. In addition to the relevant human-computer interaction hardware, it also provides a host computer interface and instruction set for control. The robot can directly control the robot's related hardware for playing, or it can be configured to play according to music scores. The robot has the advantages of compact size, modularity, and versatility, providing users with the freedom of secondary development.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of harmonica playing robots, in particular to a chromatic harmonica playing robot. Background Art

[0002] Educational robotics is currently developing rapidly. Globally, educational robotics research focuses primarily on programming education, STEAM education, and early childhood education, but research and practical applications remain relatively limited. The integration of educational robots into the current education system faces numerous difficulties and obstacles, including a lack of learning content, difficulty integrating curricula, and a shortage of qualified teachers.

[0003] There are roughly three to four thousand educational robots on the market, broadly categorized as early childhood education, programming toys, and programming instruction. While a significant number of educational robots have developed in programming and the "STEAM" concept, which encompasses science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics, there are also significant limitations. For example, in the arts sector, there are still no educational robots whose teaching content aligns with primary and secondary school music and art curricula. Educational robots rarely incorporate traditional artistic concepts like music and painting, and their artistic characteristics are often relegated to entertainment or building blocks, making them difficult to integrate into current curriculums. Considering the integration of music art with information technology, developing practical educational robots that combine music and programming will significantly advance music and programming education, alleviate current challenges in educational robot practice, and broaden development avenues, presenting enormous potential.

[0004] An analysis of several music robot patents that have appeared today shows that these robots have the characteristics of anthropomorphic and beautiful appearance, good performance and strong ornamental value; but they have complex structures, high costs, relatively simple functions and limited usage scenarios.

[0005] Other patent analysis is as follows:

[0006] The instruments used are all harmonicas. Currently, the only publicly available patent is a patent filed by the School of Technology and Engineering at Lanzhou University of Technology, titled "An Intelligent Harmonica Robot" (Patent No.: CN202021381572.6, Publication No.: CN213005324U). The harmonica robot, designed with anthropomorphic aesthetics and enhanced visual appeal, is suitable for performances rather than educational settings. The air circuit design does not include a solenoid valve assembly or an air circuit that allows for switching between blowing and suction, making it difficult to achieve normal harmonica playing. The harmonica used is also not a chromatic harmonica and lacks a mechanism for operating the harmonica pushers, significantly limiting the tonality of the music being played.

[0007] Another example of a wind instrument is the "Western Flute Automatic Playing Robot Based on MIDI Decoding" (Patent No. CN201410449830.2, Publication No. CN104260099A), filed by the Shenzhen Graduate School of Harbin Institute of Technology. Its pneumatic structure utilizes an artificial lung and includes complex components such as a motor, screw slide, cylinder, air tank, check valve, relief valve, two-position three-way valve, two-position five-way valve, air pressure sensor, and electric proportional valve. While this system offers excellent playing quality, it remains complex and expensive, and some pneumatic components are limited by airflow direction.

[0008] Because the principles and methods of playing the chromatic harmonica differ from those of other instruments, this patent implements various playing methods. Compared to other patents for musical robots using wind instruments, there are significant differences in air source and air path design, such as the introduction of blowing and suction conversion. Similarly, due to different usage scenarios, this patent does not emphasize anthropomorphic visual effects, and its design approach differs from other musical robots. This patent aims to improve hardware integration, enhance playing effects, reduce costs, and facilitate host computer software development, which is significantly different from the design concepts of previously disclosed musical robot patents. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In response to the above problems, the present invention proposes a chromatic harmonica playing robot that can play high-level music using the harmonica. It is also equipped with a host computer interface and a corresponding instruction set, which facilitates the user to intuitively control the robot. The robot uses the chromatic harmonica, which has a wide range of tones, is convenient for transposing and changing pitch, and is convenient for adapting to various music, which is helpful for music teaching. In addition, the chromatic harmonica takes into account both blowing and inhaling, and its air source design is backward compatible with other wind instruments, which facilitates generalization and modularization, and meets a wide range of needs for mastering programming logic, music production, music theory learning, etc. The robot is compact in size and suitable for application scenarios such as teaching and home use.

[0010] To achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0011] A chromatic harmonica playing robot is constructed from three platforms, namely an electrical component and air pump layer, a solenoid valve installation layer, and a harmonica installation and adaptation layer. A solenoid valve group consisting of fourteen two-position three-way solenoid valves is installed in the middle of the solenoid valve installation layer, and two buses are installed on the edge to conduct the intake and exhaust air flows; the solenoid valve group is connected to the bus and leads out 12 air pipes to the harmonica blowpipe adapter. The harmonica installation and adaptation layer uses a servo, an MGN-C9 linear slide slider, and a crank slider mechanism consisting of a connecting rod and a bearing and a plug bolt to form a rotating pair to control the harmonica push keys; the bus exhaust source comes from four air pumps installed on the air pump bracket on the electrical component and air pump layer; the lower fixed plate is also installed with a switching power supply, a main control circuit board, and a power management circuit board; the main circuit board also leads to a matrix keyboard and a mixing console The potentiometer is located on the front view of the left view between the two layers as a human-computer interaction interface. The external matrix keyboard controls the blowing and suction hole positions and controls the operation of the push buttons. The air pump speed is controlled by the mixing console potentiometer to control the blowing intensity. The main control circuit board controls the power management circuit board. The power management circuit board is connected to the solenoid valve group and the air pump. It can control the reversing of the solenoid valve to change the air flow in the air path to control the blowing and suction changes of the chromatic harmonica; the air pump is speed-regulated to change the blowing intensity. The air inlet and outlet of the air pump are respectively connected to the bus that conducts the intake air flow and the bus that conducts the exhaust air flow through the air pipe. The air pipe is selected by the solenoid valve. The matrix keyboard, the mixing console potentiometer and the buttons on the main control board led out from the main control circuit board can control the opening and closing of the solenoid valve, adjust the speed of the air pump, and push or retract the push button to control the playing of the harmonica.

[0012] Furthermore, the solenoid valve and the busbar interface are both equipped with straight pipe elbow joints to protect the flexible air pipe from compression and deformation, thereby stabilizing the airflow.

[0013] Furthermore, the servo output shaft is linked to the chromatic harmonica push keys through a connector, the servo is connected to the main control circuit board, and a crank slider mechanism is used to convert the rotation into linear translation to push and retract the push keys, with a fast response speed, which can realize the scale change of the harmonica for transposition and tuning.

[0014] Furthermore, the harmonica blowpipe adapter is composed of 12 parallel air cavities made of PETG material 3D printing parts, which has the functions of adapting and stabilizing airflow.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The robot's compact size, high hardware integration, and clear partitioning make it easy to adapt to various scenarios. The robot also uses a chromatic harmonica, which has a wide range and is easy to transpose and change, making it easy to adapt to various music and helpful for music teaching.

[0017] The adapter of the present invention is designed with flexible materials and is compatible with a variety of chromatic harmonicas within a certain size range, thus having a certain degree of versatility.

[0018] The air source and solenoid valve assembly in this invention provide both suction and blowing, and variable airflow intensity, accommodating the air supply needs of various wind instruments. The solenoid valve assembly and busbar design offer a high degree of flexibility. Users can modify the air circuit connections and customize the adapter shape to accommodate other wind instruments, such as flutes. To adapt the system for flutes, the air circuit design can be modified to achieve single-channel air outlet and multiple-channel selective exhaust, and the adapter can be redesigned to secure the system. This provides users with considerable flexibility for further development.

[0019] The present invention reserves a host computer interface and a matching instruction set, and users can control the robot's hardware on a computer, providing a development platform for educational robot software. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention, showing the structure of the other side;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a principle block diagram of the control system of the present invention;

[0023] Description of reference numerals:

[0024] 1. Two-position three-way solenoid valve assembly; 2. Busbar; 3. M4D10 two-way aluminum column; 4. 600W switching power supply; 5. Lower fixing plate; 6. Power management circuit board; 7. Upper fixing plate; 8. Mixer potentiometer; 9. Air pump bracket; 10. Main control circuit board; 11. Keyboard; 12. Air pump; 13. Bracket; 14. Harmonica mounting plate; 15. Harmonica mouthpiece adapter; 16. Harmonica; 17. MGN-C9 linear guide; 18. Slider; 19. Servo; 20. Servo flange. Implementation Method

[0025] The present invention will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0026] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the chromatic harmonica playing robot of the present invention in this embodiment is constructed by three platforms, namely:

[0027] Electrical components and air pump layer: The following fixed plate (5) is used as a carrier, and each module is fixed by bolting, interference fit and bonding;

[0028] Solenoid valve installation layer: The above fixed plate (7) is used as a carrier, the solenoid valve (1) is installed by bolting, the busbar (2) is installed by sliding groove, and the M4D10 double-pass aluminum column (3) is used as support;

[0029] Harmonica installation and adaptation layer: With the harmonica installation plate (14) as the carrier, each module is fixed by bolting and cable ties, and is connected to the lower fixing plate (5) with a bracket (13).

[0030] A solenoid valve group consisting of fourteen two-position three-way solenoid valves (1) is installed in the middle of the solenoid valve installation layer, and two buses (2) are installed on the edge to conduct the air inlet and outlet air flows; the solenoid valve group is connected to the bus and leads out 12 air pipes to the harmonica blowpipe adapter, and a servo (19), an MGN-C9 linear slide block (17) and a crank slider mechanism composed of a connecting rod and a bearing and a plug bolt forming a rotating pair are used to control the push keys of the harmonica (16) in the harmonica installation and adaptation layer; the bus (2) air source comes from four air pumps (12) installed on the air pump bracket (9) on the electrical component and air pump layer; a switching power supply (4), a main control circuit board (10), and a power management circuit board (6) are also installed on the lower fixed plate; the main control circuit board also leads out a matrix keyboard (11) and a mixer potentiometer (8), which are located on the front view of the left view between the two layers as a human-computer interaction interface.

[0031] In this embodiment, the main control circuit board (10) controls the power management circuit board (6), which is connected to the electromagnetic valve group (1) and the air pump (12). The main control circuit board (10) can control the reversal of the electromagnetic valve (1) to change the air flow in the air path to control the blowing and suction conversion of the chromatic harmonica; and the air pump can be adjusted in speed to change the playing intensity.

[0032] In this embodiment, the air inlet and outlet of the air pump (12) are connected to a bus (2) for conducting the inlet air flow and a bus (2) for conducting the outlet air flow through air pipes, and the air pipes are selected by the electromagnetic valve (1). Straight pipe elbow joints are installed at the electromagnetic valve (1) and the bus (2) to protect the flexible air pipe from compression deformation and thus stabilize the air flow.

[0033] In this embodiment, the connection scheme of the air pipe, the electromagnetic valve (1) and the busbar (2) realizes the selective output of 12 airflows, which can simultaneously take in multiple airflows, simultaneously exhaust multiple airflows and complement the 12 airflows, that is, some of the 12 airflows are used for intake and the rest for exhaust. This satisfies the playing needs of single-hole blowing and suction, hole position change and multi-hole combined blowing of the chromatic harmonica.

[0034] In this embodiment, the output shaft of the servo (19) is linked to the chromatic harmonica pusher through a connecting piece, and the servo (19) is connected to the main control circuit board (6). The crank slider mechanism converts the rotation into a linear translation to push and retract the pusher, and the response speed is fast, and the scale change of the harmonica can be realized to perform transposition and tuning.

[0035] In this embodiment, one end of the harmonica blowpipe adapter (15) is connected to the output air pipe of the electromagnetic valve (1) group, and the other end is adapted to the harmonica mouthpiece. The harmonica blowpipe adapter (15) is composed of 12 parallel air cavities composed of PETG material 3D printed parts, and has the function of adapting and stabilizing airflow.

[0036] In this embodiment, the keyboard (11) led out of the main control circuit board (10), the mixer potentiometer (8) and the buttons on the main control board can control the opening and closing of the solenoid valve (1), the speed of the air pump (12) can be adjusted, and the steering engine (19) can be controlled to push or retract the push button to control the playing of the harmonica.

[0037] Adopting the above scheme, the working process of the present invention is:

[0038] Power on the robot (220V AC is sufficient) to start it. Once the air pump and other hardware are initialized, select the operating mode on the external keyboard connected to the main control board. If host computer control is not selected, the harmonica's blowing and suction hole position, blowing and suction intensity, and key push status can be controlled via the keyboard, push-pull table potentiometer, and buttons. The main control board also features a display to show the status of corresponding components, simulating the working habits of a human harmonica player, namely controlling hole position, blowing and suction, force, and key push. If host computer control is selected, musical notation information and blowing intensity can be sent in real time via a computer to perform music. The included instruction set also opens up low-level hardware control commands for solenoid valves, air pumps, and other components, allowing users to freely develop through graphical programming software to meet the needs of music and programming learning.

[0039] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not constitute any other form of limitation to the present invention. Any modification or equivalent variation based on the technical essence of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A chromatic harmonica playing robot, constructed from three platforms, characterized by: They are respectively the electrical component and air pump layer, the solenoid valve installation layer and the harmonica installation and adaptation layer. A solenoid valve group consisting of fourteen two-position three-way solenoid valves is installed in the middle of the solenoid valve installation layer, and two buses are installed on the edge to conduct the intake and exhaust airflow; the solenoid valve group is connected to the bus and leads out 12 air pipes to the harmonica blowpipe adapter. In the harmonica installation and adaptation layer, a servo, a linear slide slider and a connecting rod are used to form a crank slider mechanism with a rotating pair consisting of bearings and plug bolts to control the push keys of the harmonica; the exhaust source of the bus comes from the four air pumps installed on the air pump bracket on the electrical component and air pump layer; the lower fixed plate is also installed with a switching power supply, a main control circuit board and a power management circuit board; the main control circuit board also leads to a matrix keyboard, a mixing console potentiometer, and a human-computer interaction Interface, an external matrix keyboard controls the blowing and suction hole positions, controls the operation of the push keys, controls the operating speed of the air pump through the mixing console potentiometer, and then controls the blowing intensity. The main control circuit board controls the power management circuit board, and the power management circuit board is connected to the solenoid valve group and the air pump, and can control the reversing of the solenoid valve to change the air flow in the air path to control the blowing and suction conversion of the chromatic harmonica; adjust the speed of the air pump to change the blowing intensity, and the air inlet and outlet of the air pump are respectively connected to the bus that conducts the intake air flow and the bus that conducts the exhaust air flow through the air pipe. The air pipe is selected by the solenoid valve. The matrix keyboard, the mixing console potentiometer and the buttons on the main control board led out from the main control circuit board can control the opening and closing of the solenoid valve, adjust the speed of the air pump, and push or retract the push keys to control the playing of the harmonica.

2. A chromatic harmonica playing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The harmonica blowpipe adapter is composed of 12 parallel air cavities made of PETG material 3D printing parts.

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