Electronic musical instrument, system and method

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to electronic musical instruments, systems, and methods. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to electronic percussion instruments, such as barrel, snare, big, cymbal, and pedal cymbal, as well as to components of instruments (e.g., percussion instruments), such as sleeve drums. Some cymbals and pedal cymbals according to the present disclosure may be used in conjunction with conventional acoustic metal cymbals. The present disclosure also generally relates to an apparatus and method for operating an electronic musical instrument system comprising one or more musical instruments and a hub, and in particular to a system comprising wireless communication between a musical instrument and a hub. Various devices and methods for operating a system are described, including various modes of operation of a device, and including methods and techniques for connecting devices, improving communication speed and robustness, and conserving power.

Description

[0001] Citation of Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 391,253, filed on July 21, 2022, entitled “ELECTRONIC CYMBAN DEVICE AND METHOD,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 408,443, filed on September 20, 2022, entitled “ELECTRONIC CYMBAN DEVICE AND METHOD,” and the entire contents of each of these U.S. provisional patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference into this document in their entirety.

[0003] This application is related to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 153,819, filed on January 20, 2021, entitled “ELECTRONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AND SYSTEM,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 963,504, filed on January 20, 2020, entitled “ELECTRONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 011,882, filed on April 17, 2020, entitled “ELECTRONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.” This application is also related to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 153,824, filed on January 20, 2021, entitled “ELECTRONIC CYMBON MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AND SYSTEM,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 963,504, filed on January 20, 2020, entitled “ELECTRONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 011,882, filed on April 17, 2020, entitled “ELECTRONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.” The entire contents of each of these five related applications are hereby fully incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the entire contents of PCT application No. PCT / US21 / 14217, entitled "Electronic Musical Instruments and Systems" filed on January 20, 2021, are also hereby fully incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure generally relates to electronic musical instruments. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to electronic percussion instruments, such as tom toms, snare drums, bass drums, cymbals, and hi-hats, and / or to assemblies of multiple instruments (e.g., percussion instruments), such as drum sets. Even more particularly, the present disclosure relates to wireless electronic percussion instruments, and percussion instruments having interchangeable and / or removable components to transform between traditional percussion instruments (which rely on resonance and / or vibration to produce sound) and electronic percussion instruments. Background Art

[0005] Prior art wireless electronic drums suffer from latency issues, such that there is a noticeable delay between actuating the instrument and producing electronic sound. Prior art wired electronic drums do not suffer from the same latency issues, but are cumbersome because one or more wired connections (e.g., for power and / or connection to a sound module) are required for each instrument. Some examples of prior art wireless electronic percussion instruments are shown and described in Piscoi's Romanian Patent Publication No. RO 130805A1, filed on June 30, 2014, the components and concepts of which may also be incorporated into embodiments of the present disclosure, and the entire contents of said patent are fully incorporated herein by reference. Summary of the invention

[0006] An embodiment of an electronic musical instrument system according to the present disclosure includes an electronic musical instrument having an electronic device for communicating with a hub. The electronic musical instrument is configured to operate in a plurality of modes having different functions, wherein the plurality of modes include a sleep mode, a standby mode, and a run mode.

[0007] One embodiment of a method for operating a musical instrument system according to the present disclosure includes controlling the musical instrument to operate in multiple modes including a sleep mode, a scan mode, a standby mode, and an operating mode. The method further includes controlling the musical instrument to transition from the sleep mode to the scan mode, and when in the scan mode, transmitting a connection request from the first musical instrument to the hub. The hub can be controlled to receive the connection request and form a connection between the first musical instrument and the hub. The method further includes controlling the first musical instrument to transition to the standby mode. The method further includes controlling the first musical instrument to transition from the standby mode to the operating mode, and when in the operating mode, transmitting a musical instrument signal from the musical instrument to the hub. The hub can be controlled to receive the musical instrument signal. The method further includes generating sound based on the musical instrument signal.

[0008] Another embodiment of an electronic musical instrument system according to the present disclosure includes: a hub having at least a first hub antenna; and a musical instrument configured to be paired with the hub so as to be able to transmit musical instrument signals to the hub, the musical instrument including a first musical instrument antenna and a second musical instrument antenna. The hub and the musical instrument are configured to transmit messages between the first musical instrument antenna and the first hub antenna and between the second musical instrument antenna and the first hub antenna.

[0009] Another embodiment of a method of operating a musical instrument system according to the present disclosure includes: pairing a musical instrument with a hub; and transmitting one or more musical instrument signals from a first musical instrument antenna to a hub antenna. The method further includes determining that a message using the first musical instrument antenna reaches a low performance threshold; switching from the first musical instrument antenna to a second musical instrument antenna; and transmitting one or more musical instrument signals from the musical instrument to the hub using the second musical instrument antenna.

[0010] An embodiment of a cymbal assembly according to the present disclosure includes: a striking part; and an electronic part located below the striking part. The electronic part includes at least a first cymbal edge sensor. The cymbal assembly further includes a spacer between the first cymbal edge sensor and a bottom surface of the striking part.

[0011] Another embodiment of a cymbal assembly according to the present disclosure includes: a striking part; an electronic part located below the striking part; a first cymbal edge sensor located between the electronic part and a bottom surface of the striking part; and a spacer located between the electronic part and the bottom surface of the striking part.

[0012] A method of forming a cymbal assembly according to the present disclosure includes placing a spacer material between an electronic part and a striking part; and curing the spacer material to form a spacer for filling a gap between the electronic part and the striking part.

[0013] Another embodiment of a cymbal assembly according to the present disclosure includes: a striking portion including a conductive material; and an electronic portion located below the striking portion. The assembly further includes: a conductive component located on the electronic portion and below the striking portion; and one or more sensors configured to measure a variable corresponding to a distance between the striking portion and the conductive component.

[0014] One embodiment of a hi-hat assembly according to the present disclosure includes: a first cymbal; and a second cymbal, located at a spacing distance from the first cymbal when the hi-hat assembly is in its rest position. The hi-hat assembly further includes: a lever, located on the first cymbal, the lever including a conductive material; and a mounting member, located on the first cymbal adjacent to the lever and also including a conductive material. The assembly includes: an actuator, located on the second cymbal; and a sensor, located between the first cymbal and the second cymbal and configured to measure a capacitance between the lever and the mounting member.

[0015] The features and technical advantages of the present disclosure have been outlined quite extensively so that the following detailed description can be more understood. Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described below. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure can be easily used as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for achieving the same purpose of the present disclosure. It should also be understood by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the teachings of the present disclosure as described in the attached patent claims. Based on the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features of the present disclosure will be more understood together with other features and advantages, wherein the novel features are considered to be features of the present disclosure in terms of its organization and method of operation. However, it should be clearly understood that each figure is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only, and is not intended to be a definition of limitations of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of a musical instrument system of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 1B and 1C is a flow chart showing a method of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2A is a perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of a musical instrument signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3 is an upper perspective isometric view of a snare drum of one embodiment of the present disclosure with the upper drumhead removed.

[0021] Figure 4A and 4B 1 and 2 are respectively an upper perspective stereogram and an upper perspective stereogram exploded view of various parts of a snare drum according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figures 5A to 5F are various perspective isometric views of the electronic portion of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 5G is an exploded view of a sensor device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Fig. 6A and 6B 1 are a rear perspective plan view and a lower rear perspective stereo view, respectively, of a bass drum of one embodiment of the present disclosure with the rear drumhead removed.

[0025] Figure 6C With the back drumhead Fig. 6A and 6BThe rear perspective plan view of the bass drum shown.

[0026] Fig.6D is a lower rear perspective isometric view of another embodiment of a bass drum of the present disclosure with the rear drum head removed.

[0027] Fig. 7A and 7B is a bottom perspective isometric view of a cymbal assembly of the present disclosure. Figure 7C is an upper perspective isometric view of a cymbal assembly of the present disclosure. Fig.7D and 7E yes Figures 7A to 7C A perspective exploded view of the cymbal assembly is shown. Figure 7F yes Figures 7A to 7C A cross-sectional view of the cymbal assembly is shown.

[0028] Figures 7G to 7J is a perspective view of a portion of another embodiment of a cymbal assembly of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figures 7K to 7N is a perspective view of a portion of another embodiment of a cymbal assembly of the present disclosure.

[0030] Fig.7O is a cross-sectional view of a portion of another embodiment of a cymbal assembly of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 7P is a cross-sectional view of a portion of another embodiment of a cymbal assembly of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figures 8A to 8C yes Figures 7A to 7F A perspective isometric view of the various parts of a cymbal assembly is shown.

[0033] Figures 9A to 9C is a perspective isometric view of the various portions of the hi-hat assembly of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figures 10A to 10C is a perspective isometric view of another embodiment of a hi-hat assembly of the present disclosure.

[0035] Fig.11A and 11B They are Figures 10A to 10C Perspective isometric and perspective exploded views of portions of the hi-hat assembly are shown.

[0036] Fig. 12A and 12B is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a hi-hat assembly of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The present disclosure relates generally to electronic musical instruments. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to electronic percussion instruments, such as, tubular drums, snare drums, bass drums, cymbals and hi-hat cymbals and assemblies of multiple instruments (e.g., percussion instruments), such as, drum sets. Even more particularly, the present disclosure relates to wireless electronic percussion instruments, and percussion instruments having interchangeable and / or removable components to transform between traditional percussion instruments (relying on resonance and / or vibration to produce sound) and electronic percussion instruments. The present disclosure also relates to electronic cymbal instruments, such as, cymbal assemblies and hi-hat assemblies, some embodiments of which can be used with traditional acoustic metal cymbals.

[0038] The present disclosure also relates generally to apparatus and methods for operating an electronic musical instrument system including one or more musical instruments and a hub for wirelessly receiving signals from the musical instruments in many embodiments. Various apparatus and methods for operating the system are described, including various operating modes of the apparatus, and including methods and techniques for connecting the apparatus, improving communication speed and robustness, and conserving power.

[0039] It should be understood that when a component is referred to as being "on" another component, it can be directly on another component, or there can also be an intermediate component. Similarly, if a component is "attached to", "connected to" another component, it can be directly attached to / connected to another component, or there can also be an intermediate component. Furthermore, relative terms such as "inside", "outside", "on", "above", "below", "below" and similar terms can be used in this article to describe the relationship between an element and another element. Terms such as "higher", "lower", "wider", "narrower" and similar terms can be used in this article to describe angles and / or relative relationships. It should be understood that these terms are intended to include different orientations of components or systems in addition to the orientations depicted in the accompanying drawings.

[0040] Although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions and / or parts, these elements, components, regions and / or parts should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region or part from another element, component, region or part. Therefore, unless otherwise explicitly stated, the "first" element, component, region or part discussed below may be referred to as the "second" element, component, region or part without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0041] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to the views as schematic diagrams. Therefore, the actual thickness of the components may be different, and variations in the shapes of the illustrations due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances are to be expected. Thus, the components shown in the drawings are schematic in nature, and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region or to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 1A An embodiment of the basic system of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1A The system includes one or more musical instruments 10 configured as described herein. Figure 1A In a specific example, each musical instrument 10 is a drum or cymbal of a drum set. A drum set may include multiple drums and cymbals 10. In other examples, the musical instrument 10 may be another type of musical instrument. One or more musical instruments 10 are configured to transmit musical instrument signals to the hub 20. The musical instrument signal can be generated by one or more musical instruments 10, for example, in response to the actuation of the musical instrument 10, wherein the actuation causes one or more sensors to generate electrical pulses. Those musical instrument signals can be transmitted wirelessly to the hub 20. The hub 20 may include one or more electronic processors (such as but not limited to microprocessors) and / or circuits configured to provide the operations and functions described herein, and may be used as an intermediate device for receiving musical instrument signals. The hub 20 is connected to another device (e.g., a computer 30 or a sound module 40), which itself generates sound or is connected to one or more other sound generating devices (e.g., a speaker 50). The transmission link from the hub 20 to the computer 30 or the sound module 40 may be wired to minimize latency. In other examples, the transmission link from the hub 20 to the computer 30 or sound module 40 is a wireless link (e.g., using a different protocol, frequency, timing, code, or other mechanism to distinguish it from wireless transmissions from one or more musical instruments 10). The hub 20 may be provided or receive power through one or more batteries, connection to a wall outlet, connection to a host device, or other means known in the art.

[0043] Wireless connectivity

[0044] In embodiments of the present disclosure, messages / signals (used interchangeably herein) may be transmitted from the musical instrument 10 to the hub 20 using various specifications known in the art (e.g., Bluetooth LE), but it should be understood that other formats may be used. In one embodiment, a frequency shift keying (FSK) frequency modulation scheme may be used to transmit the signal. One specific embodiment uses Bluetooth and / or 1Mbps FSK. It should be understood that any signal transmission specification with appropriate latency performance may be used in embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] While some previous plug-in (i.e., wired) modules typically experience latency in the 4-12 ms range, embodiments of the present disclosure experience latency of 20 ms or less, 15 ms or less, 12 ms or less, 10 ms or less, 8 ms or less, 6 ms or less, or even lower. Furthermore, the additional latency caused by the wireless nature of embodiments of the present invention relative to a wired equivalent (if any) may be less than 1 ms, less than 500 μs, less than 250 μs, even less or zero; or, the wireless nature may actually reduce overall system latency relative to a wired equivalent.

[0046] Figure 1B is a flow chart of a method 100 of one embodiment of the present disclosure, which can be used with various musical instruments of the present disclosure, including but not limited to the following specific descriptions. Figure 1A It should be understood that additional step blocks may be included and / or step blocks may be omitted.

[0047] When the user actuates the musical instrument 10 (block 102), one or more sensors of the electronic musical instrument 10 (e.g., through a physical result of the actuation such as, but not limited to, displacement of a drumhead, cymbal, or pedal, vibration of a drumhead, cymbal, or other part of the musical instrument 10, etc.) recognize the actuation (block 104), which generates a reaction (e.g., a pulse). The sensors may be connected (e.g., using one or more wires) to a device such as a computer system described in more detail below. Figure 2A The electronic device 200 shown is an electronic device, but it should be understood that other electronic devices may be used as understood by those skilled in the art. The electronic device 200 includes one or more processors or processing electronics that are configured to receive / accept information (e.g., pulses) from one or more sensors (step block 106). The processor or processing electronics is further configured to then (e.g., using logic gate circuits or software routines) perform logic functions to determine what message (if any) should be transmitted based on the received information / pulses. In a specific embodiment, the processor or processing electronics is further configured to determine based on one or more received pulses: 1) whether the pulse from the sensor exceeds a minimum transmission threshold (which can assist in preventing the inadvertent transmission of unintended pulses) (step block 108), and 2) if so, process the sensor information and determine whether to transmit a message / signal and what message / signal to transmit (step block 110). In some instances, the minimum transmission threshold can be, for example, a predetermined voltage that must be induced by one or more of the piezoelectric sensors of the musical instrument. In other instances, the minimum transmission threshold can be another predetermined sensor output. If the minimum transmission threshold is met, the electronic device may transmit the determined message to the hub 20 (block 112).

[0048] The system can be configured so that when a message from an electronic device is received, the hub 20 or another receiving end component transmits a confirmation signal. The processor or processing electronic device of the electronic device 200 can be further configured to include a retransmission protocol so that if a confirmation message is not received within a certain period of time, the electronic device 200 retransmits the original message. In some embodiments, the retransmission time (i.e., if the electronic device does not receive the confirmation signal, the electronic device 200 will retransmit after this time) is 1ms or shorter. This cycle can be repeated until a preset time limit, after which the electronic device will no longer attempt to transmit the original message. Since the retransmission time is 1ms or shorter, multiple retransmission attempts will be made before humans can recognize that the original signal has not passed. In some embodiments, 5 to 100 retransmissions, 25 to 75 retransmissions, or approximately 50 retransmissions can be attempted before the time limit.

[0049] Musical instrument signal

[0050] In a specific example, the electronic device 200 is configured so that each signal generated and transmitted by the electronic device 200 in response to actuation of one of the musical instruments 10 can be 25 bytes or less; or 20 bytes or less; or 15 bytes or less; or 10 bytes or less; or 5 bytes or less; or 3 bytes or less. In one embodiment, a 112 bit / 14 byte signal is used. The above signal sizes result in a reduction in latency and / or a reduction in the likelihood of interference.

[0051] In yet another specific embodiment, the 112-bit standardized packet format 250 is divided into 8 bits dedicated to the preamble 252, 32 bits dedicated to the synchronization destination address 254 identifying the message recipient, 32 bits dedicated to the header 256, 24 bits dedicated to the payload data 258, and 16 bits dedicated to the CRC 260. It should be understood that these same or different ratios may be used to divide messages of various sizes.

[0052] The synchronization address (e.g., synchronization destination address 254) can be unique for each product, similar to a serial number, and can be used as an "identifier" as described herein, and can also be used in other ways, such as but not limited to identifying a manufacturing date, manufacturer, etc. A portion of the synchronization address can also identify the product type of the sender and / or destination, such as a hub or musical instrument electronic device. For example, multiple bits can be consistent between product types. In another embodiment, further distinctions are possible; for example, each type of musical instrument may have its own identifier. In a particular embodiment, the first portion of the synchronization destination address (e.g., the first or last 8 bits) identifies the type of product (e.g., hub or musical instrument), while the other 24 bits identify the specific hub or musical instrument. Other embodiments are possible.

[0053] The header 256 may be used for a variety of information, such as, but not limited to, a retry count (i.e., whether this message is the first, second, etc. attempt to transmit the same substantive information), the antenna used to transmit the message (e.g., a chip antenna or a wire antenna), the antenna (e.g., a chip antenna or a wire antenna) that the recipient should use to receive the message, the sequence number of the message (e.g., the sequence number of the message since the electronic device was awakened from sleep mode, which may be independent of the retry attempts), and the type of message (e.g., an instrument signal based on an instrument actuation, an acknowledgment message, etc.). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sequence number of the instrument or electronic device's message is not reset, and thus is used to indicate to the user to what extent the instrument or electronic device has been used.

[0054] The payload data 258 may be used to reflect various operational variables. For example, they may (1) identify the sender of the message using a receiver assigned identifier, and / or (2) include information related to actuation. In a particular embodiment using MIDI formatting, the payload data 258 may include MIDI region and velocity (i.e., 0-127) information.

[0055] The signal length used in the embodiments of the present disclosure may also be relatively short, for example, 250 μs or less, 200 μs or less, 150 μs or less, or less than 100 μs, but it should be understood that other lengths are also possible. This may also result in shortened latency and / or reduced interference potential, especially when combined with the above-mentioned signal size.

[0056] Instrument Power Mode

[0057] Given that replacing batteries in an electronic module can be a complex and time-consuming process, and because power loss at unexpected times is undesirable, conserving power can be critical in a wireless electronic instrument. In some embodiments, for example, via the electronic device 200 (including processing electronics and / or electronic modules, as will be more fully described later in this disclosure), the instrument 10 can be controlled to operate using two or more power modes, which can help conserve power. Some power modes according to embodiments of the present disclosure include (1) a sleep mode, (2) a standby mode, and / or (3) a run mode, but it should be understood that other modes and any number of modes are possible (e.g., one mode, more than two modes, more than three modes, more than four modes, etc.). It should be understood that when reference is made to the power modes, the power modes are described in detail. Figure 1A2, this may also refer to the electronic module and / or electronic device 200 (which will be discussed more fully later in this disclosure), and these same or similar concepts may apply to the hub 20. It should also be understood that when referring to the number of modes, this does not include the state of the instrument where the instrument is completely turned off, for example because it has been completely turned off or lacks power.

[0058] Sleep Mode: In some embodiments, the musical instrument 10 and / or electronic device 200 may be in sleep mode until awakened by action. In sleep mode, the instrument operates in a limited manner and / or has less functionality than in other modes in order to conserve power. Power usage in sleep mode may be minimal, e.g., 100 μA or less, 50 μA or less, 25 μA or less, 10 μA or less, or approximately 10 μA, while still non-zero. In sleep mode, any boost converter and / or analog circuitry may be disconnected and / or powered down to achieve a low level of power usage.

[0059] The musical instrument 10 can be set to wake up from the sleep mode and transition to the standby mode only when a single wake-up action is recognized or when any one of multiple wake-up actions is recognized (as described below). Exemplary wake-up actions include, for example, pairing with the hub 20; receiving a connection request (e.g., from the hub 20); receiving an acknowledgment and / or acceptance of a connection request transmitted by the musical instrument 10 (e.g., from the hub 20); actuation of the musical instrument 10 (e.g., the striking of a drumhead), which in a more specific embodiment would require actuation of at least a critical amplitude; the electronic device 200 receiving a sensor pulse from a sensor, which in a more specific embodiment would require the pulse to have at least a critical amplitude; operation of a switch (e.g., a switch in a throw-off); or other embodiments that would be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0060] The use of a critical amplitude in this and other ways can be useful because the critical amplitude can prevent the instrument 10 and / or system from taking action in response to minor and / or unintentional stimuli (e.g., a user brushing or lightly bumping the instrument or causing a small sensor pulse that does not reach the critical amplitude). Avoiding unintentional wakeups can reduce unnecessary power consumption and other unintended operations. The instrument can recognize the stimulus, determine whether the critical amplitude has been met, and then take or not take action based on whether the critical amplitude has been met. This step block can be combined with Figure 1BThe step block 110 may be similar or identical, or may be different. In one embodiment, the critical amplitude is determined by measuring the voltage caused by one or more of the sensors of the musical instrument (e.g., its main piezoelectric sensor) and comparing the voltage with a predetermined critical voltage. The critical amplitude may be a default or user-configurable, and may be different or the same for different musical instruments and sensors (including sensors within the same musical instrument). An analog comparator may be used (e.g., for each sensor) to obtain a threshold amplitude and / or to determine whether the critical amplitude has been met, and the critical amplitude may be adjusted by adjusting the comparator bias. The critical amplitude may also be stored (e.g., in a memory) and / or adjusted within the electronic module 210.

[0061] The sleep mode can be re-entered from other modes when certain preset conditions are met. For example, in one embodiment, the system re-enters the sleep mode when it is determined that the musical instrument 10 is no longer paired with the hub 20. In another embodiment, the system re-enters the sleep mode when a predetermined amount of time has passed without receiving a stimulus.

[0062] Sleep / Scan Switch: In some embodiments, the musical instrument 10 is configured to seek such a hub connection when in sleep mode. Alternatively, the musical instrument 10 can be temporarily awakened from sleep mode to scan mode, wherein the musical instrument 10 transmits a connection request to one or more potential pairing partners before returning to sleep mode without establishing a connection and / or without receiving an acknowledgement. This can be done at preset time intervals ("sleep timers"), for example, every 1 second or longer, every 3 seconds or longer, every 5 seconds or longer, every 7 seconds or longer, every 10 seconds or longer, every 30 seconds or longer, every 60 seconds or longer, every 60 seconds or shorter, every 30 seconds or shorter, every 15 seconds or shorter, every 10 seconds or shorter, every 7 seconds or shorter, every 5 seconds or shorter, every 3 seconds or shorter, every 1 second or shorter, a combination of these ranges (e.g., between every 1 second and every 30 seconds or between every 1 second and every 15 seconds), or other ranges or intervals as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the total time in scan mode for each request cycle includes a nominal wake-up time (typically less than 100 μs, such as about 10 μs), and may be less than 1 second, less than 500 ms, less than 250 ms, less than 100 ms, less than 50 ms, less than 25 ms, less than 10 ms, less than 5 ms, less than 2.5 ms, 500 μs-5 ms, or about 1.5 ms, but it should be understood that these ranges are exemplary in nature. However, the total percentage of time in standby mode for each request cycle may be less than 5%, less than 1%, less than 0.5%, less than 0.1%, less than 0.05%, less than 0.025%, or about 0.02%, but it should be understood that these ranges are exemplary in nature.

[0063] In one embodiment of such switching, the musical instrument 10 only transmits messages seeking to connect to one or more preferred hubs 20 (e.g., the hub 20 to which it was most recently connected) as will be described more fully below. This can minimize the amount of power used and the amount of time in scanning mode. It should also be understood that in one embodiment, the electronic device performs this function as part of its sleep mode, without switching to scanning mode (which means that sleep mode will require more power). The musical instrument 10 can transmit messages on the same frequency or channel used during its last connection to the hub 20, or on multiple frequencies / channels. In another specific embodiment, if the musical instrument cannot connect on that frequency / channel, it can use multiple other frequencies / channels to seek connection.

[0064] After successfully connecting with the hub 20, the musical instrument 10 can perform or complete the transition from the sleep mode or the scan mode to the standby mode in nominal and / or near-zero time.

[0065] Standby Mode: In some embodiments, the musical instrument 10 and / or the electronic device 200 may include a standby mode, which is a partial operating mode having more operating capabilities than the sleep mode and, in some embodiments, the scan mode. For example, in standby mode, the musical instrument / electronic device may have its analog circuits and / or boost converter powered and may be ready to quickly transition to run mode and transmit instrument signals. As another example, in standby mode, the instrument may be configured to transmit a ping message to the hub to which it is connected after a period of inactivity (an "idle timer") to confirm the connection or to confirm that the connection has ended. The following describes the Figure 1C Example of the standby mode function.

[0066] Run Mode: In run mode, the musical instrument 10 is able to transmit and receive instrument signals to and from a pairing partner, such as a hub. The run mode may include some of the functionality of the sleep and / or standby modes; for example, certain other functions may not be performed in run mode (such as finding a pairing partner / hub) because such actions are not necessary. This can reduce data traffic, thereby saving power and reducing the chance of interference. As another example, if profile information of the musical instrument 10 is shared as part of the process of connecting to the hub 20, that information need not be transmitted when the musical instrument 10 is in run mode unless there is a change in that information (e.g., a user transmits an instruction that the drums change from sounding like a first type of drums to sounding like a second type of drums).

[0067] Standby / Run switch: As shown below Figure 1CAs more fully described, the musical instrument 10 can switch between a standby mode and an operating mode, for example, while the musical instrument is being played by a user. From the standby mode, the musical instrument 10 can determine whether it has received a command or stimulus (e.g., a command or stimulus that meets a critical amplitude). If so, the musical instrument 10 can wake up from the standby mode to the operating mode to formulate and transmit the musical instrument signal and wait / receive a receipt confirmation from the hub 20.

[0068] Similarly, the hub 20 according to certain examples of the present disclosure may also operate utilizing the above-described power mode, wherein "wake-up" is achieved by means such as operation of a computer connected to the hub (e.g., by moving the computer's mouse, logging in, activating a touch screen, etc.) or other means (e.g., those described above with respect to musical instruments and / or those that can be understood by those skilled in the art).

[0069] Instrument-Hub Connection

[0070] As described above with respect to the power mode, methods according to the present disclosure may include pairing the musical instrument 10 with the hub 20. The musical instrument 10 may be configured to seek connection with the hub 20 in a variety of ways. For example, the musical instrument 10 may seek connection with the hub 20 based on instructions or stimuli as described above and / or at preset time intervals as described above (or vice versa). In some embodiments, the musical instrument 10 first seeks connection and / or only seeks connection with a preferred hub 20 (e.g., the hub 20 that was most recently connected to it). In the event that a preferred hub is not found or there is no record of a preferred hub (e.g., when the musical instrument is brand new), the musical instrument 10 may seek connection with any hub (relative to the preferred hub). For example, the musical instrument 10 may be configured to play a scan message and listen for a response from any hub (the hub 20 may transmit this response when in pairing mode, which may be established by the user). In one embodiment, the musical instrument 10 may be configured to seek connection through a prioritized list of hubs (e.g., from most recently paired (best) to oldest paired (worst)) stored in the memory of the electronic device 200 before seeking connection with any non-preferred hubs. In one embodiment, if the musical instrument 10 is seeking connection at a predetermined time interval, it may only seek connection with previously paired hubs, e.g., only with the hub it most recently paired with. Hub preferences (e.g., the best hub or a list of preferred hubs (which may use identifiers of preferred hubs) may be stored in the memory of the electronic device 200.

[0071] Instrument Profile and Settings Sharing

[0072] As part of its communication with the hub 20, the musical instrument 10 (or electronic device 200, electronic module, etc.) of the present disclosure may also share information about the musical instrument. For example, the musical instrument 10 may transmit musical instrument profile information and / or settings to the hub 20, or receive musical instrument profile information and / or settings from the hub 20.

[0073] The instrument profile information may include, but is not limited to, non-configurable information, identifiers and / or identification information (e.g., serial number), firmware information, instrument information (e.g., instrument type, instrument size, manufacturer, custom modifications, instrument usage information (e.g., how many times the instrument has been played), etc.), and / or other information that would be understood by a person skilled in the art.

[0074] The settings may include, but are not limited to, user-configurable instrument settings, digital instrument information (i.e., information about the instrument sound that the electronic instrument is to emulate, such as brand, model, housing type, dimensions, title information, etc.), sound settings (e.g., volume settings and post-processing settings (e.g., transient shaping, reverb, delay, etc.)), and / or other information as would be understood by one skilled in the art. These settings, particularly settings that change based on usage or user-selected configurations, may be saved within the instrument (e.g., via the memory of the electronic device 200) each time the instrument 10 is disconnected from the hub 20, such as to the electronic device 200 of the instrument or to a memory associated with the instrument 10, so that they may be utilized the next time the instrument 10 is connected to the hub 20 and / or a different hub.

[0075] As discussed with respect to the instrument-hub connection example below, sharing of profile information and / or settings may occur at many different times.

[0076] Example methods for operating the instrument system

[0077] Figure 1C An example of a method 150 for operating a musical instrument system of the present disclosure is shown. It should be understood that the method 150 is only one example and many other embodiments are contemplated. For example, the method 150 may be omitted. Figure 1C The step blocks in the method may be combined with each other, may occur in a different order than shown, and / or may include additional step blocks. It should also be understood that although this example refers to a "musical instrument" taking an action, the action may be taken specifically by a component of the musical instrument 10 (e.g., the electronic device 200, the electronic module 210, a sensor, etc.). It should also be understood that multiple musical instruments 10 may perform this method simultaneously using the same hub 20 or different hubs.

[0078] A block of steps shown or described as occurring during one instrument mode may also occur exclusively in one or more different modes not shown / described, or in multiple modes including or excluding the one shown / described. Figure 1C , examples of step blocks for sleep mode include step blocks 152, 154 and / or 156; examples of step blocks for scan mode include step blocks 154 (which acts as a driving force for changing from sleep mode to scan mode), 158 and / or 160; examples of step blocks for standby mode include step blocks 162, 164, 166, 168, 170 and / or 172; and examples of step blocks for run mode include step blocks 172 (which acts as a transition point between standby mode and run mode if the critical amplitude is met), 174, 176, 178, 180, 182, 184 and / or 186.

[0079] Talking about an example of the method 150 of the present disclosure, once the instrument is connected to a power source and / or turned on, in step block 152, the instrument can be in a sleep mode, such as the sleep mode described above. In step block 154, a wake-up action may occur, for example, a pulse from a particular sensor (e.g., a primary piezoelectric sensor of the instrument, such as a center drumhead piezoelectric sensor of a drum). While the instrument is waiting for a wake-up action, it can cycle through its sleep timer checks (step block 156) as described above with respect to the sleep mode / scan mode switch to determine whether a hub (e.g., a preferred hub) is present (step block 158). It should be understood that after step block 154 and before step block 160, the instrument can also enter a scan mode and determine whether a hub is present (step block 158). In step block 158, in one embodiment, the scan mode only utilizes the channel to which it was last connected to determine whether the hub 20 is present; in another embodiment, it utilizes multiple channels, for example, all available channels.

[0080] Once the conditions of step block 154 or step block 158 are met, the musical instrument 10 can attempt to initialize communication with the hub 20 in step block 160. In step block 160, the musical instrument 10 can attempt to initialize communication using only the channel on which it was last connected to determine whether the hub exists, using multiple channels, or using all available channels (e.g., in the manner described above regarding the sleep / scan switch). In one embodiment, step block 160 utilizes more channels than step block 158. Examples of channels that can be used will be further discussed below. In step block 161, the musical instrument 10 determines whether the initialization is successful. If the initialization is unsuccessful, the musical instrument 10 can return to the sleep mode 152 and recycle the previously described step blocks. If the initialization is successful, the musical instrument 10 can enter the standby mode 162.

[0081] When in standby mode 162, in step block 164, the musical instrument 10 can monitor for instructions or stimuli (hereinafter referred to as "stimuli" for simplicity), for example, monitoring one or more terminals 202 of the electronic device 200. Assuming that no stimulus is received, the musical instrument 10 will continue to monitor for stimulation until it is determined in step block 166 that a predetermined period of time has elapsed, that is, the idle timer has expired. The idle timer can be, for example, between 10 seconds and 10 minutes, between 30 seconds and 5 minutes, between 1 minute and 3 minutes, about 2 minutes, any one of more or less than these times, or a combination of these ranges, but it should be understood that these times are exemplary in nature and other times are also possible.

[0082] Upon determining that the idle timer has expired, in step block 168, the musical instrument 10 transmits a "ping" message to the hub 20 to confirm that the connection is still there. In step block 170, the musical instrument 10 determines whether the hub 20 responds to the ping message. If the hub 20 responds, the musical instrument 10 returns to the standby mode 162 and the idle timer is reset. If the hub 20 does not respond, the musical instrument 10 returns to step block 160 to attempt to initialize the hub connection, or returns to another step block or state, such as sleep mode 152.

[0083] If stimulus 164 is detected, then in step block 172, the musical instrument 10 determines whether stimulus 164 meets the critical amplitude. If stimulus 164 does not meet the critical amplitude, the musical instrument 10 returns to the standby mode 162 and recycles the described step blocks. The critical amplitude of stimulus 164 may be less than the critical amplitude of the stimulus used in step block 154 to wake the instrument from the sleep mode 152; that is, waking the instrument from the sleep mode 152 may require a higher amplitude stimulus (e.g., a higher velocity tap) than the critical stimulus to cause the transmission of the instrument signal.

[0084] If the stimulus 164 meets the critical requirements, the musical instrument 10 can enter the run mode. In step block 174, the sequence number of the message (previously described) is assigned, and the retry count and idle timer are reset by the musical instrument 10. In step block 176, the remainder of the instrument signal is formulated (e.g., input by the sensor), and in step block 178, the instrument signal is transmitted. The musical instrument 10 will then monitor for a confirmation message from the hub 20 and determine whether such a message has been received (step block 180). The musical instrument 10 (e.g., through its electronic device 200 and / or transceiver) can change to a "receive" mode while waiting for the confirmation message. The confirmation message of certain examples of the present disclosure may include the same sequence number as the received instrument signal so as to correctly identify the instrument signal being confirmed.

[0085] Once the confirmation message is received, the musical instrument 10 returns to the standby mode 162. If no confirmation message is received, the musical instrument can enter its retransmission protocol 182 and / or its connection diversity protocol 184, both of which are described in detail elsewhere in this disclosure. This can occur after a default time (e.g., at least 50 μs, at least 100 μs, at least 250 μs, at least 400 μs, immediately (~0 or insignificant time), less than 5 ms, less than 2 ms, less than 1 ms, less than 500 μs, a range between any of these times, and / or about 430 μs) after the instrument signal is transmitted without receiving a confirmation message. In one embodiment, the time before retransmission is variable. For example, the retransmission time can be varied and / or randomized between multiple possible retransmission times (e.g., immediately, 320 μs, 640 μs, and / or 960 μs), or within a range of possible retransmission times (e.g., the range discussed above). Different instruments / electronics in the system may have different retransmission times or protocols to avoid the rare situation where two or more signals are generated at exactly the same time and enter a retransmission protocol with exactly the same timing.

[0086] In step block 186, if an acknowledgment is eventually received, the musical instrument 10 may return to standby mode 162. On the other hand, if an acknowledgment is not received after the retransmission protocol 182 and / or the connection diversity protocol 184 (when applicable) is completed, in some embodiments, the musical instrument 10 may return to step blocks 182, 184 to repeat the retransmission and / or connection diversity protocols. If the maximum number of attempts is eventually reached without an acknowledgment being received, the musical instrument 10 returns to step block 160 (initializing hub communication) and / or standby mode 162 or other step blocks as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

[0087] exist Figure 1C In a step block not shown in FIG. 1 , before transmitting the instrument signal in step block 178, the musical instrument / electronic device according to the present disclosure may perform a check of the wireless radio frequency before transmitting the signal. If the frequency is busy / in use (e.g., by another instrument in a drum set), the musical instrument / electronic device may delay transmission for a small period of time (e.g., 1 ms or less, 500 μs or less, 100 μs-500 μs, or approximately 270 μs) before transmitting the signal or performing another check to see if the frequency is clear.

[0088] Multiple instruments

[0089] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a single hub 20 is used to receive signals from multiple electronic musical instruments 10, and thus produce sounds from each of those instruments (through one or more sound sources). For example, a single hub 20 may be used to receive signals from various instruments 10 of a drum set (e.g., 1) a snare drum, 2) one or more toms, 3) a bass drum, 4) one or more cymbals, and 5) a hi-hat). The foregoing connection method may be used in a system where one instrument 10 is connected to that hub 20 in the manner described above, while that hub 20 is already connected to one or more other instruments 10. It should be understood that any ratio of instrument:hub is possible, with typically fewer hubs than instruments, and in even more specific embodiments, multiple instruments are connected to a single hub.

[0090] Multiple electronic devices transmitting signals from multiple individual musical instruments 10 as part of the system can transmit messages to the same hub 20 at the same frequency. Since the size and / or length of each message is relatively small as described above, the chance of interference is low. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of two or more electronic devices of the system (e.g., electronic devices for different musical instruments 10 of a drum set) can be set with different retransmission times or protocols or a variation / randomization protocol as described above. If two messages from individual electronic devices happen to interfere with each other, for example, if a drummer wants to actuate two or more musical instruments 10 at the same time, this can be staggered retransmission. If the retransmission protocol of the musical instrument is set with exactly the same retransmission time, it may cause interference loops, while staggered retransmission times increase the probability that messages are transmitted at different times, so as not to interfere with each other. If two or more messages collide, the retransmission protocol method described herein will likely cause all messages to be received with only a very slight delay, which will not cause any noticeable changes in the sound produced.

[0091] Using a single frequency to transmit all messages from the various instruments of a drum set can a) reduce the chance of outside interference; and b) simplify the entire system because it is not necessary for each instrument 10 to use multiple frequencies. In some embodiments, all electronic devices of a musical instrument group, such as a drum set, utilize the same frequency. In some other embodiments, two or more instruments 10 in the musical instrument group each use their own frequency. Many different embodiments are possible.

[0092] In one embodiment, all messages transmitted by the various instruments 10 of the drum set to the hub 20 use a first frequency (or multiple first frequencies), while all confirmation messages transmitted by the hub 20 use a second (different) frequency (or multiple second frequencies, each second frequency being different from each of the multiple first frequencies). This prevents collisions of data / instrument signals (from the instrument electronics) with confirmation signals (from the hub). Generally speaking, this results in lower message failures compared to embodiments in which the data signal and confirmation signal use the same frequency. However, it should be understood that embodiments with data and confirmation signals of the same frequency are possible.

[0093] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the hub 20 and the musical instrument 10 utilize multiple channels, where a "channel" is defined herein as a pair of frequencies in which one transmission direction (e.g., instrument to hub, such as an instrument signal) occurs on a first frequency, and the other transmission direction (e.g., hub to instrument, such as an acknowledgment signal) occurs on a second frequency. In one embodiment utilizing a one channel approach, any number of channels may be used. A larger number of channels may provide greater flexibility for finding open frequencies and avoiding interference, while a smaller number of channels may provide simplicity and power savings because fewer channels will need to be scanned during some channel scanning actions. Some embodiments utilize two to ten channels, three to six channels, or four channels, but it should be understood that these are exemplary in nature and any number of channels are possible. In some embodiments, all channel frequencies are within a certain range of one another, for example, all channel frequencies are within 250 MHz of one another, or within 100 MHz of one another. By way of example only, in a 4-channel system, channel 1 may transmit at 2402 MHz and 2423 MHz, channel 2 may transmit at 2426 MHz and 2448 MHz, channel 3 may transmit at 2451 MHz and 2476 MHz, and channel 4 may transmit at 2480 MHz and 2472 MHz. Any of these channel frequencies may be adjusted, for example, by ±10 MHz, ±5 MHz, ±3 MHz, ±1 MHz (e.g., the first frequency of channel 1 may be between 2392 MHz and 2412 MHz, etc.). This channel spacing selection may reduce or minimize the amount of interference to traditional WiFi channels 1 (2412 MHz), 6 (2437 MHz), and 11 (2462 MHz). It should be understood that less than all of these channels may be used, or additional channels may be used.

[0094] Hub messages to instruments

[0095] While in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the hub 20 may initiate communications with one or more musical instruments 10 connected thereto, in some other embodiments, the hub 20 does not initiate communications with some of the electronic musical instruments 10 connected thereto. Because of this, the hub 20 may need to notify the electronic device 200 that the hub 20 has a message that needs to be transmitted. The hub 20 may indicate to the musical instrument 10 that it has a pending message via a portion of its confirmation message (e.g., in the header of the confirmation message). The receipt of such a message may serve as an instruction to the musical instrument 10 to transition from a standby mode to an operating mode (to be discussed below) so that it can receive the complete hub message, or otherwise configure itself to receive the hub message (e.g., by powering the antenna).

[0096] In some embodiments, changes to settings (e.g., configurable settings) may be communicated from the musical instrument 10 to the hub 20, or vice versa, while in the run mode. For example, the hub 20 may receive instructions for adjusting a configurable setting for a particular musical instrument from its connected computer, and transmit those instructions to the musical instrument, e.g., in the manner described above with respect to the hub transmitting a "hold message" indicator as part of a confirmation message. In another embodiment, firmware updates or replacements may be transmitted in this manner.

[0097] Electronic conversion unit

[0098] FIG2 shows one embodiment of an electronic device 200 of certain examples of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that in addition to the electronic device shown in FIG2 and described in detail below, other electronic devices are possible.

[0099] One embodiment of the electronic device 200 of the present disclosure is included on two or more circuit boards (e.g., PCBs) that may or may not be connected, for example, by welding, microstrip, or other means known in the art. A first board 204 (which may be referred to herein as a "main board") may include all connectors, power supplies, and analog circuits, and a second board 210 (which may be referred to herein as a "module board" or "module") may include one or more microprocessors and radio circuits. Inter-board connections between two or more boards may be used to connect them.

[0100] The terminal 202 of the electronic device 200 can be configured to receive signals from different sensors. For example, the terminal 202a can be wired to receive sensor pulses caused by the blows on the drum skin from the drum skin sensor, and the terminal 202b can be wired to receive pulses from a sensor configured to detect the vibration of the drum skin. In some other embodiments, different terminals can be designed for different musical instruments 10. For example, although the terminals 202a, 202b can be designed for a snare drum, the terminals 202c, 202d can be configured to be connected to a hi-hat or cymbal assembly. In this way, the same electronic device 200 can be used for many different percussion instruments, and in some embodiments, the same type of electronic device can be used for all percussion instruments in a drum set. The distinction between the types of musical instruments 10 (for example, designating one electronic device as being associated with a snare drum and designating another electronic device as being associated with a bass drum) can be implemented through firmware. In some embodiments, each terminal can be used for all types of musical instruments 10, wherein the difference based on the type of the musical instrument is implemented through firmware. Although the terminals 202 are shown on the main board 204 in this embodiment, other embodiments are possible.

[0101] The module 210 of the electronic device 200 may include any combination of the following with or without additional components:

[0102] Transceiver (e.g., 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz FSK transceiver);

[0103] a core processor having memory (e.g., flash) and RAM (e.g., SRAM) (in one specific embodiment, 512 kb of flash and 128 kb of SRAM, but it should be understood that this is purely exemplary in nature);

[0104] Analog-to-digital converters, which can be used to measure sensor inputs;

[0105] an analog comparator that can be used to sense a wake-up actuation;

[0106] timers, which can be used to determine mode transitions (e.g., transition to sleep mode after a predetermined period of inactivity; transition from sleep mode to standby mode after a predetermined period of time to transmit a connection request, etc.);

[0107] Signal booster;

[0108] Shielding to prevent interference;

[0109] one or more serial peripheral interface (SPI) modules that can be used to communicate with the digital potentiometer;

[0110] Touch sensing input, which may be used for capacitive sensing; and / or

[0111] A unique identifier that is used to identify each electronic device (and thus its associated musical instrument), one example of which is an 80-bit unique identification number for each chip.

[0112] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, other components may also be included. It should be appreciated that components less than those listed above are possible. In addition, the components of the electronic device 200 may be configured differently, for example, all configured on a single board, configured on two boards or on three or more boards in different configurations. It should also be appreciated that, although embodiments of the present disclosure often relate to electronic device 200, according to the present disclosure, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, other types of electronic devices may be used.

[0113] The electronic device of the present disclosure may utilize some or all of its sensor inputs to determine how to interpret received sensor pulses, for example by using firmware embedded in a processor of the electronic device. This determination may also be made using a mode setting of the electronic device, which may correspond to the type of instrument being played (e.g., a snare drum, tom-tom, bass drum, cymbal, hi-hat, or other instrument, many of which are described in further detail below). The electronic device may determine the amplitude of the pulses received from each sensor for each actuation, and use this data (in some embodiments, combined with other data such as a mode setting) to determine the instrument signal that should be transmitted.

[0114] Connection diversity

[0115] The musical instruments, electronic parts and electronic devices of the present disclosure can utilize connection diversity to improve the quality and robustness of wireless connections. For example, each of the hub 20 and one or more musical instruments 10 (e.g., the electronic parts and / or electronic devices of the musical instruments, such as the electronic device 200 discussed above) can include multiple antennas and can switch which antenna is receiving and / or transmitting. When the transmit / receive antenna is transmitting and receiving signals, another antenna can be in standby and / or power-off state. Multiple antennas can include antennas of the same or different types. In a clear embodiment, each of the hub and one or more musical instruments includes at least one wire antenna and at least one chip antenna, which may be advantageous because any of these antenna types can have better performance based on the communication environment. For example, the electronic device 200 can be configured to confirm that its performance is poor and / or has reached a low performance threshold, for example, if it does not receive a certain critical number or percentage of confirmation signals in response to the transmitted signal. Examples of low performance thresholds may be, for example, 0.1% failure rate, 0.5% failure rate, 1% failure rate, 2% failure rate, 3% failure rate, 5% failure rate, 10% failure rate, 1 missed confirmation, multiple missed confirmations, 2 missed confirmations, 3 missed confirmations, 5 missed confirmations, or other failure rates that will be understood by those skilled in the art. Different musical instruments and / or hubs may all have the same low performance threshold, or may have different low performance thresholds. In addition, different antennas within the same musical instrument and / or hub may all have the same low performance threshold, or may have different low performance thresholds.

[0116] Once a low performance threshold is reached, the musical instrument 10 or hub 20 of the present disclosure (e.g., through its respective electronics and / or electronic modules) can be configured to replace its operating antenna, for example, from a chip antenna to a wire antenna, or vice versa. In some embodiments, the musical instrument 10 or hub 20 can also be configured to transmit a signal to its corresponding electronics (e.g., the musical instrument electronics transmits a replacement signal to the hub electronics), for example, through its own original antenna or the antenna to which the musical instrument / hub is to be replaced, to replace the operating antenna. The replacement signal can be its own signal, or can be inserted into another signal. The replacement signal can be retransmitted, for example, through a retransmission protocol until a confirmation is received from another electronic device, and / or until a signal is transmitted from another electronic device to confirm that another musical instrument 10 or hub 20 has received the message and / or replaced the antenna.

[0117] The instrument 10 or hub 20 may remain on its second antenna for a set period of time indefinitely, until another (or the same) low performance threshold is reached using the new antenna, until the performance of the new antenna becomes worse than the performance of the previous antenna, and / or until the low threshold of the old antenna is exceeded using the new antenna. In one specific embodiment, the instrument 10 changes antennas whenever a confirmation is missed. Other embodiments are also possible. In some embodiments, the instrument 10 can recognize that a low performance threshold has been reached (e.g., in the manner described above) and / or can transmit a change signal such as those described above when in a run mode and / or when a user is playing.

[0118] The hub of the present disclosure can use different antennas for different musical instruments. For example, if the hub and all musical instruments connected to the hub are using their respective first antennas (e.g., chip antennas), and some of the connected musical instruments reach a low performance threshold, the electronic devices 200 of those musical instruments can transmit a replacement signal so that the hub 20 and the musical instruments are replaced to their respective second antennas (e.g., wire antennas) relative to the signal between the hub and those specific musical instruments, while the hub and other musical instruments continue to use their respective first antennas. In another embodiment, a replacement signal from a system component can command replacement for all system components or multiple other system components. For example, in one embodiment, if the hub electronic device reaches a low performance threshold relative to one musical instrument, it can transmit a replacement signal to all musical instruments. In a second embodiment, if the hub electronic device reaches a low performance threshold relative to some of the musical instruments, it can only transmit a replacement signal to those low-performance musical instruments. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the hub determines which antenna works better for more musical instruments connected to it, and uses that antenna.

[0119] Although described above with respect to a system with two antennas, it will be appreciated that the same concepts can also be applied to systems with three or more antennas.

[0120] It should be understood that the above-mentioned wireless connection devices, systems and methods can be applied to any devices, systems and methods described throughout this disclosure as well as other known devices, systems and methods.

[0121] Interchangeability

[0122] The musical instrument 10 (e.g., a percussion instrument) of the present disclosure can have interchangeable and / or removable components so that it can be used as an electronic instrument or an acoustic instrument. For example, the percussion instrument 10 can have a drumhead or a set of drumheads (or other striking surfaces) that are relatively quiet when struck, such as a mesh, PET, polyester, or rubber drumhead (or other materials known in the art, such as those traditionally used with electronic drums), which is used when the drum is in electronic mode and / or the electronic components are in place; and a drumhead or a set of traditional drumheads made of traditional acoustic materials such as Mylar and plastic or other materials known in the art, which is used when the drum is in acoustic mode and / or the electronic components are not in place. It will be understood that the above list of materials is exemplary and not restrictive in nature; for example, in some cases, the materials described above as typical electronic materials can be used as acoustic materials, and vice versa, depending on the user's choice. These concepts may be applied to, for example, snare drums, toms, bass drums, congas, bongos, timbales, timpani, cymbals, hi-hats, and other instruments as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

[0123] It will be appreciated that the electronic devices described herein may also be used with conventional drumheads, such that the sound produced by actuation will be a combination of conventional acoustic sound and electronic sound. It will be further appreciated that the electronic portion may remain in place and / or attached to the drum, but not function, such that when a conventional drumhead is used, acoustic sound is produced without any electronic sound. The electronic portion may be mechanically designed to avoid interfering with the acoustic sound as much as possible when the electronic portion is "off". For example, the electronic portion of a snare drum such as snare drum 300 (discussed in detail below) may contact less than 20% of the inner wall area of ​​the drum shell, less than 10% of the inner wall area of ​​the drum shell, less than 5% of the inner wall area of ​​the drum shell, less than 2.5% of the inner wall area of ​​the drum shell, less than 1% of the inner wall area of ​​the drum shell, or less. In some embodiments, the contact with the inner wall area of ​​the drum shell is substantially symmetrical around the drum shell.

[0124] Drum Example

[0125] The following are specific examples of drums incorporating the components and concepts of the present disclosure. However, it will be appreciated that the components and concepts described with respect to each example are not particularly limited to that type of musical instrument. For example, the electronics 500 described with respect to the snare drum 300 may be used in other musical instruments such as the bass drum 600; the damping concepts described with respect to the bass drum 600 may be used with other types of drums such as the snare drum 300; and so on. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, many different embodiments are possible.

[0126] Example 1: Snare Drum

[0127] Figure 3 A small drum 300 is shown (with the upper drum head removed for viewing purposes), which may incorporate the wireless technology, electronics, and / or interchangeability concepts described above. The drum 300 includes a trigger platform 302. The trigger platform 302 may include a plurality of arms 304 or other type of support structure, as well as an electronics portion, electronics module, and / or trigger box 500 (itself shown in FIG. Figures 5A to 5F and for the sake of brevity, hereinafter referred to as the "electronic part").

[0128] The electronics section 500 may be located below the upper drumhead and / or approximately in the center of the drum 300 and / or connected to the drum body via the arm 304 and / or other components (e.g., bracket 320) (discussed in further detail below). The electronics section 500 may include a plurality of connection holes 508 (some of which are located in the drum body). Figure 3 The trigger platform 302 and its components (e.g., the arm 304 and the body of the electronics portion 500) may be made of the same material or materials, such as, but not limited to, plastic, metal (e.g., aluminum), wood, and / or other materials known in the art.

[0129] The drum 300 may include brackets 320. The brackets 320 may be attached to the inner wall of the drum 300. Each bracket 320 may be connected to one of the arms 304 of the trigger platform 302, for example, using drum screws 306 and / or other connectors as shown. The brackets 320 may have an adjustable height relative to the inner wall of the drum 300, which may allow the drum 300 to be adapted for different assemblies. For example, Figure 3 As shown, when the screw 322 is loosened, the bracket 320 can be moved upward or downward before the screw 322 is passed through the long hole 324 again.

[0130] exist Figure 3 In the embodiment of the present invention, a relatively quiet drumhead (e.g., a PET drumhead) can be placed on the drum 300 shown, and the drum 300 will be in the electronic mode. Alternatively, the user can remove the trigger platform 302 by unfastening the connector 306 and pulling the trigger platform 302 out from the interior of the drum, and then connect an acoustic drumhead (e.g., a polyester film and / or plastic drumhead) to the side wall of the drum 300. The drum 300 can include all the components of a traditional drum, such as drum ears, tensioning screws, etc., so that it can be fully used as a traditional drum when a traditional drumhead is installed. It will be appreciated that the acoustic drumhead can also be used in combination with electronic components and / or when the drum 300 is in the electronic mode.

[0131] In some embodiments, a support structure such as a circular support structure (e.g., a plate or disk) may be used instead of or in addition to arm 304 (e.g., as part of a trigger tray) that may be connected to the interior drum shell wall and / or other components such as bracket 320. For example, Figure 4A and 4B (with equivalent component numbers for substantially equivalent or equivalent structures) shows a drum 400, including a support structure 412, which can be circular and can be similar to the arm 304 from the drum 300 for operation. The support structure 412 can include an arm 414 and an outer ring 416, the latter of which can enhance stability and ease of installation and removal. Instead of individual arms 304 connected to brackets 320, a single support structure 412 / outer ring 416 is connected to multiple brackets 320. Other support structure designs are also possible, including but not limited to solid circular support structures.

[0132] It will be appreciated that while the interchangeability concepts have been described above with respect to snare drums 300, 400, they may also be applied to other musical instruments, such as but not limited to tom-toms and bass drums (such as Figures 6A to 6C The bass drum 600 shown and described below).

[0133] Electronics

[0134] Figures 5A to 5F Various views of the electronics portion 500 are shown. The electronics portion 500 is used to receive signals from one or more sensors and to relay those signals to the hub. The electronics portion 500 may include electronics similar to or the same as the electronics 200 (FIG. 2) and may be used to accomplish the above with respect to Figures 1A to 2B The step blocks and / or wireless connection parts of the present disclosure.

[0135] The wireless format of the present disclosure also has significant advantages over prior art wireless devices such as wireless microphones. Systems such as system 300 can be powered by a local and / or self-contained power source (although it will be appreciated that other embodiments are possible). For example, the system can be powered by a removable / replaceable battery 504. In the illustrated embodiment, the battery 504 can be included in the electronic portion 500, such as within a body or housing 502 of the electronic portion 500. The electronic device 200 can be in close proximity to the battery 504 and / or in the same location as the battery, such as within the body 502 of the electronic portion, to allow for simple powering of the electronic device 200.

[0136] The musical instruments, electronic devices, and electronic portions (e.g., electronic portion 500) of the present disclosure can be configured to operate using the above-described musical instrument power mode, thereby greatly reducing power usage. This is in contrast to the prior art approach used by, for example, typical wireless microphones, which transmit continuous signals and therefore require continuous power usage (rather than transmitting discrete signals, such as in the embodiments of the present disclosure). In addition, continuous signals such as those used by prior art wireless microphones are more susceptible to interference.

[0137] In this or other embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that power sources other than battery 504 are possible, including but not limited to, for example, energy harvesting power sources using ambient background energy. Any type of energy source can be used, including but not limited to photovoltaic, piezoelectric, solar, electrostatic, magnetic, thermoelectric, solar, pyroelectric, energy harvesting (e.g., using ambient background energy, kinetic energy, etc.), and the like. Due to the discrete power usage described above (as opposed to the continuous power usage of, for example, a wireless microphone), the relatively low power requirements make this type of power supply possible and / or at least partially enhance this type of power supply. Typically, a field-mounted power source such as a battery is advantageous because the need for a wired connection is eliminated. However, a wired power connection is also possible (even if the signal from the actuation is transmitted wirelessly). Any type of power source is possible.

[0138] The electronic parts of the musical instrument of the present disclosure, including but not limited to the electronic part 500, can receive updates electronically and wirelessly so that they do not need to be connected to another device via wires. In addition, it should be understood that the musical instruments, electronic parts and electronic devices according to the present disclosure, including but not limited to the electronic part 500, can include connection and / or antenna diversity components and methods as described elsewhere in this disclosure.

[0139] Trigger sensor

[0140] In the shown Figure 3 In a particular embodiment of the present invention, a single first sensor (or "trigger") 530 is shown as part of a sensor configuration 560, which will be referenced later. Figure 5G, to discuss its examples. The first sensor 530 can be, for example, a piezoelectric sensor or another type of sensor known in the art. The first sensor 530 can be used to sense when and how the drum 300 (or other drums connected to the sensor) is struck, including sensing, for example, the degree of force with which the drum 300 is struck and / or different areas and different methods of striking. The trigger can be physically contacted with the lower side of the upper drumhead and / or connected in other ways. For example, the top of the electronic part 500 shown can be or include a trigger 530 that can be close to the bottom of the upper drumhead, or the electronic part can be connected to the trigger 530 attached to the bottom of the upper drumhead, for example, via one or more wires. In one embodiment, the piezoelectric component can be located below the foaming component 594 (e.g., polyurethane and / or PORON foam), and can also be separated from the force-sensitive ("FS") sensor 592 (to be discussed in more detail below) by an intermediate component such as a foaming component (e.g., polyurethane and / or PORON foam). The trigger 530 can be mainly used to sense when and how the user uses his or her drumstick to actuate the upper drumhead.

[0141] In some embodiments, multiple triggers (e.g., triggers 530) may be used. For example, in one embodiment, a central trigger 530 (which may be located in the middle of the drum) may be surrounded by two, three, four, or more auxiliary triggers, which may be equidistant from the central trigger 530. The auxiliary triggers may be placed radially around the central trigger 530. In one embodiment, they are located proximally at halfway from the central trigger 530 to the drum shell; in another embodiment, they are located proximally at halfway or more than halfway from the central trigger 530 to the shell; in another embodiment, they are located less than halfway from the central trigger 530 to the shell. In addition, embodiments that do not include a central trigger 530 are possible. For example, two (or three, four, or more) triggers may be used around the drumhead, for example, radially positioned triggers. Each trigger may be used to detect the force of the strike, and / or may be used to detect the strike location (e.g., via triangulation or other methods known in the art). These auxiliary sensors / triggers may be connected to the electronic portion 500, for example, via wires, wirelessly, or in other ways as understood by those skilled in the art. The auxiliary sensor / trigger may be a piezoelectric sensor or other sensor known in the art. In one specific embodiment, the auxiliary sensor / trigger is mounted on the support structure 412, for example, on the arm 414, but other configurations are possible.

[0142] In addition to the first trigger, a second trigger is added to help prevent "hot spots" that can create a loud volume when the drum skin is struck near a single trigger, and can also help sense the location where the drum skin is struck (i.e., the "area" where the drum skin is struck). Similarly, a third trigger can prevent hot spots from occurring in two-trigger embodiments, etc. Finally, the sensor location configuration can benefit from being symmetrical around the center of the drum skin, but it will be appreciated that asymmetrical configurations are also possible. Some particularly contemplated embodiments include: 1) a center trigger with two additional triggers on radially opposite sides of the center trigger; 2) a center trigger with three additional triggers that essentially form a triangle around the center trigger; 3) an auxiliary trigger in the form of a triangle (with or without a core trigger); 4) an auxiliary trigger in the form of a square or diamond (with or without a center trigger). Many different embodiments are possible.

[0143] Instead of acting independently, the central trigger 530 and the additional sensors can be connected in parallel with each other. In other embodiments, the central trigger 530 is independent, and two or more adjacent sensors are connected in parallel with each other. An average of the sensed values ​​can be used for each parallel sensor, which also helps reduce hot spots. In other embodiments, the triggers are not connected in series or parallel with each other, but act independently.

[0144] It will be appreciated that many different types of triggers and / or trigger materials may be used. For example, some alternative trigger materials that may be used in embodiments of the present disclosure include force sensitive (FS) sensors such as force sensitive resistor (FSR) sensors, smart fabrics, and other materials.

[0145] Vibration Sensor

[0146] The electronic part 500 may include one or more additional sensors in addition to the first sensor 530 and one or more auxiliary drum skin triggers. For example, a second sensor (or sensor group) may be included as part of the electronic part 500, for example, a sensor included in the body or housing 502 of the electronic part 500 and / or at the base of the body or housing 502. The second sensor can be used for a variety of purposes. In the embodiment shown, the first sensor 530 is used to detect a blow on the drum skin, while the second sensor detects vibrations of the drum shell. To this end, the second sensor can be mechanically connected to the drum shell, for example, via a component of the trigger tray (e.g., arm 304, support structure 412). In this embodiment and other embodiments, the second sensor can be used to detect, for example, a rim shot and / or a cross-stick that causes vibrations of the drum frame by a user. It will be appreciated that other sensor locations for sensing vibrations and / or drum frame blows are also possible. The vibration sensor can be a piezoelectric sensor or other types of sensors known in the art. In one embodiment, the vibration sensor is included in and / or as a part of the electronic part 500, but many different embodiments and positions are still possible.

[0147] Pressure Sensors

[0148] Sensing can also be used to identify the presence of pressure on the upper drum skin, for example, the presence of the user's hand on the upper drum skin. For example, a force sensing sensor (referred to herein as a "FS sensor") (e.g., a force-sensing resistor (FSR) sensor) can be used for this purpose. One or more FS sensors can be placed on the upper drum skin, for example, on the bottom of the upper drum skin, and can be used to sense when the user applies pressure to the upper surface of the drum skin. When the user actuates, the electronic device (e.g., the above-mentioned electronic device 200) can identify the signal transmitted by the FS sensor, indicating whether (in some cases, how much) pressure has been applied to the upper drum skin (e.g., by the user's hand). Then, the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 200) can adjust the signal generated based on the input from the FS sensor so as to produce a different sound from the case where no pressure is sensed. Although these embodiments of FS sensors are described herein, it should be understood that other types of sensors that measure force, displacement and / or pressure can be used.

[0149] Fig. 5FAn example of an electronics portion 500 using FS technology is shown. The electronics portion 500 may include a FS sensor 592 as part of, within, below, near, and / or otherwise in close proximity to the trigger 530, although it should be understood that other embodiments with the FS sensor 592 not in close proximity to the trigger 530 are possible, such as when the FS sensor is placed directly on the bottom of the drumhead. In the particular embodiment shown, the FS sensor 592 is an FSR sensor, and it should be understood that in all examples of the present disclosure where the phrase "FS sensor" is used, such a sensor may be an FSR sensor.

[0150] In the particular embodiment shown, the FS sensor 592 is located below one or more foaming components 594 of the electronic part 500, for example, between the foaming sheets, or on the base of the top of the cover of the electronic part 500, and / or below the foaming component, but many different positions are still possible. When the user places his or her hand on the upper drum skin, the top of the electronic part 500 is pressed downward, thereby starting the FS sensor 592. The pressure of the user's hand (or other similar applied pressure) is usually greater than the pressure of, for example, hitting the drum skin with a drumstick. Therefore, the sensing of the FS sensor can determine whether the user's hand is on the drum skin, and transmits messages and / or pulses accordingly, and the electronic component can use this input to adjust the sound produced accordingly. For example, in one embodiment, the FS sensor can be used to distinguish when the user hits the drum frame (cross stick, a drumming technique, whereby the user applies pressure to the drum skin and also hits the drum frame with a drumstick) and when the user presses the drum frame (rim shot, a drumming technique, whereby the user hits the drum skin and the drum frame with a drumstick at the same time). The difference in the signals can be used by electronic components such as electronic device 200 to determine the type of sound that should be produced (e.g., the sound of the drum frame being hit versus the sound of the drum frame being pressed). It should be understood that many other different uses and locations of the FS sensors of the present disclosure are possible, and that pressure sensors other than FS / FSR sensors may be used.

[0151] Example sensor configuration

[0152] As described above, the electronics portion may include a sensor arrangement 560. Figure 5G , an exploded view of an example sensor configuration 560 is shown in FIG. The sensor configuration 560 includes, for example, a first and / or upper separator 562, a sensing component 564 (e.g., a piezoelectric component) of the sensor 530 described above, a second separator 566 below the first separator 562 and the sensing component 564, and a sensing component 568 (e.g., a force sensing component) of the sensor 592. It should be understood that additional components are possible and components may be omitted.

[0153] The isolation member can be made of materials known to those skilled in the art so as to transmit forces (e.g., from a blow or pressure from a drum) while minimizing damage to sensitive components such as sensing components 564, 568. For example, one or both of isolation members 562, 566 can be a foam material, such as a PORON foam material and / or a polyurethane foam material. The isolation member can be a multi-part isolation member, for example, isolation member 562 including an inner portion 562a and an outer portion 562b, wherein the inner portion 562a and the outer portion 562b can be the same or different materials. For example, in one embodiment, the inner portion 562a is a PORON foam material and the outer portion 562b is a polyurethane foam material. The sensing component 564 can be a piezoelectric component, for example, a 10-40 mm piezoelectric component, but it should be understood that different sizes can be used. The sensing component 568 can be a force sensing component, for example, an FSR. One exemplary FSR is the TPE-510B FSR available from Tangio, but it should be understood that different force sensing components may be used as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art.

[0154] The sensor arrangement 560 or its modified form can also be used for the auxiliary trigger placed between the center trigger 530 and the drum shell as described previously. For example, one embodiment of the auxiliary trigger of the present disclosure is the same as the sensor arrangement 560, but the sensing component 564 is omitted.

[0155] Electronic snap switch and snap tension adjustment

[0156] Prior art acoustic snare drums typically include a "throw-off switch", e.g. Figure 3 The snare wire switch 380 shown. Some prior art snare wire switches are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,616,875 to Lombardi and 7,902,444 to Good et al., each of which is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Typically, a snare drum includes a series of hard wires (i.e., "snare wires" with "snare drum gold wires") that are in close proximity to the lower drum head. When the drum is struck, these wires produce a unique "snare wire" sound. When the snare wire switch (e.g., the snare wire switch rod) is in a first position (usually an upward position), tension is applied to hold the snare wire in close proximity to the lower drum head, and the snare wire can be removed from the lower drum head by placing the snare wire switch in a second position (usually a downward position). Therefore, when the snare wire switch is in the second position, the sound produced by the snare drum is different from the sound when the snare wire switch is in the first position.

[0157] In some embodiments of the snare drum of the present disclosure, a sensor may be included to sense the position of the snare switch 380. In one particular embodiment, the sensor informs the electronics (e.g., the electronics portion 500 and / or the electronics 200) of the actual position of the snare switch (e.g., using an electronic switch), and the electronics adjust the generated signal based on the position. For example, if the snare switch is sensed to be in the "up" position, so that the snare of an acoustic drum is against the lower drumhead, the signal generated when the drum is actuated will produce the sound that is customary for a snare drum; however, if the snare switch is sensed to be in the "down" position, the signal generated when actuated will produce a more typical sound of a barrel drum. The sensor may be, for example, a switch, a potentiometer, a proximity sensor, or any other variable or switched sensor capable of determining the actual position.

[0158] Additionally, when the snare wire contacts the lower drumhead, a tension adjuster, such as a control rod or lever, may be used to fine-tune the amount of contact, and thereby the sound produced by the snare drum. Some such devices and methods are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,143,507 to Good et al., which is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Movement of the control rod or lever may also result in moving the snare wire away from the lower drumhead, thereby producing the same sound as if the snare wire switch were in the "off" position. As with the snare wire switch, one or more of the aforementioned sensors may be used in conjunction with a tension adjuster to sense its position, and adjust the signal produced when actuated to reflect the position of the tension adjuster.

[0159] Although a switched embodiment is described above, it should be understood that a continuous controller embodiment (which senses actual position, rather than "on" or "off") is also possible and contemplated in embodiments of the present disclosure. Such a sensor can be used to determine, for example, how tight the snare wire is against the lower drumhead, which can result in differences in the sound produced.

[0160] Sensor reading and instrument signal determination

[0161] As previously mentioned, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device can determine the amplitude of the pulse received from each sensor for each actuation, and use this data (in some embodiments, it is combined with other data such as mode settings) to determine the instrument signal that should be transmitted for each actuation. For example, in the case of a snare drum, the electronic device of the musical instrument can determine whether the drumhead sensor (e.g., center sensor 530 and any auxiliary sensor) is dominant, and if so, transmit a signal corresponding to the drumhead hitting. If the pulse from the vibration sensor is dominant, the electronic device can transmit a signal corresponding to the drum frame hitting (drummer hitting the drum frame). If the pulses from the drumhead sensor and the vibration sensor have enough amplitude, the electronic device can transmit a signal corresponding to the drum edge hitting (rimshot) (drummer hitting the drumhead and drum frame at the same time). If the pulse from the pressure sensor 592 has enough amplitude (e.g., because the user has applied enough pressure and / or caused enough displacement of the drum skin), the electronic device can transmit a signal corresponding to the cross stick hitting (cross stick). The above signals may also be changed based on the signal from the snare switch sensor; the signal from the snare switch sensor may indicate the position of the snare switch, thereby indicating whether the snare sound should be added. Thus, in embodiments utilizing a switch for the snare switch sensor, the first set of signals or the second set of signals will be used based on whether the snare switch is in the engaged position or the disengaged position.

[0162] These same interpretation methods can also be used for the instruments and their respective sensors described below, regardless of whether those sensor configurations include the same sensors, fewer sensors, more sensors, or different sensors. For example, the barrel drum sensor interpretation can be equivalent to the snare drum sensor interpretation, but lacks the snare switch sensor portion; the kick drum sensor interpretation can be equivalent to the snare drum sensor interpretation, but lacks the snare switch sensor portion and the side sensor portion; the cymbal sensor interpretation can rely on sensor pulses from the heart, bow, and rim sensors; and the hi-hat sensor interpretation can be equivalent to the cymbal sensor interpretation, but also uses sensor pulses based on the distance between the upper and lower cymbals.

[0163] Example 2: Cylindrical drum

[0164] Tom tom drums are essentially mechanically very similar to snare drums, but they do not include snap wires or accompanying components (e.g., snap wire switches and snap wire adjustment rods). Therefore, the tom tom drums of the present disclosure may include any of the trigger sensors, vibration sensors, and / or pressure sensors described above with respect to the snare drum. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the concepts and components described above with respect to the snare drum may be applied to tom tom drums (or similar drums).

[0165] Example 3: Bass Drum

[0166] Figures 6A to 6C Drum 600 of one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, in this particular case, a bass drum. Drum 600 may include Figure 3 Many components of drum 300 are similar and / or identical.

[0167] Drum 600 may include a trigger platform 602, which may include an arm 604 and an electronics portion 608. Electronics portion 608 may be located in the center, or may be off-center as shown, for example, horizontally centered but below the vertical midpoint of the back drumhead (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , components shown as symbol 640 in FIG. 4 ) to more closely match the position where a drumstick would normally strike the back drumhead. Other locations are also possible. Electronics portion 608 may include and / or be connected to one or more sensors as described in electronics portion 500, and may be in contact with and / or connected to the inside of the back drumhead. In some embodiments, electronics portion 608 is the same or similar to electronics portion 500, and / or includes the same sensors (e.g., a drumhead piezoelectric sensor, a vibration piezoelectric sensor, and a pressure sensor (e.g., FS sensor).

[0168] Drum 600 may also include bracket 620, and arm 604 and bracket 620 may be similar to arm 304 and bracket 320 and / or connected in a similar or identical manner. Figure 3 The arm 304) can be pivoted relative to the base plate 630 and / or the electronic portion 608, and, in some embodiments, the arm 604 can have an adjustable length. One or both of these features can be used to adjust the position of the electronic portion 608 and / or the base plate 630 relative to the body and / or drum shell of the drum 600. In addition, the trigger platform 602 can include a base plate 630 on which the electronic portion 608 is mounted. The base plate 630 can be, for example, disc-shaped. In this case, the base plate 630 is a circular wooden disc. The arm 604 can be connected to the base plate 630, or in some embodiments (e.g., embodiments where a base plate is not used), can be connected to the electronic portion 608. Similar to Figure 4A and 4B In an alternative embodiment, a support structure having an outer ring (similar to outer ring 416) may be used.

[0169] The trigger platform 602 may also include a damper 632 which is a surface designed to abut against the back drumhead. In embodiments where a base plate 630 is present, the damper may be disposed between the base plate 630 and the back drumhead such that the base plate 630 provides support for the damper 632 (although some embodiments include the damper without the base plate), and the damper 632 may in some embodiments directly abut against the base plate and / or the back drumhead. The damper may be, for example, foam, rubber, and / or other materials known in the art, and may be a unitary piece (as shown) or multiple pieces. The damper may be attached in a manner known in the art, for example, using studs, male / female attachments, fasteners, and / or adhesives to the base plate 630; many different embodiments are possible. The damper 632 may cover and / or contact more than 5% of the back head inner surface, more than 10% of the back head inner surface, more than 25% of the back head inner surface, more than 33% of the back head inner surface, more than 50% of the back head inner surface, more than 66% of the back head inner surface, more than 75% of the back head inner surface, more than 90% of the back head inner surface, or more. The damper 632 may have an area of ​​more than 5% of the back head area, more than 10% of the back head area, more than 25% of the back head area, more than 33% of the back head area, more than 50% of the back head area, more than 66% of the back head area, more than 75% of the back head area, more than 90% of the back head area, or more. Damper 632 may be nearly circular as shown in 6A to 6C, and / or its radius may be more than 5% of the radius of the back head, more than 10% of the radius of the back head, more than 25% of the radius of the back head, more than 33% of the radius of the back head, more than 50% of the radius of the back head, more than 66% of the radius of the back head, more than 75% of the radius of the back head, more than 90% of the radius of the back head, or more. In some embodiments, the damper may include a cutout portion 630a as shown, although in some embodiments, the cutout portion is not included. For example, Fig.6D One embodiment of a drum 690 is shown having a damper 692 without cutout portions.

[0170] Damper 632 can help reduce the sound produced by drum 600, for example, by reducing the vibration of the back drumhead after a drumstick strikes the back drumhead. This is true whether an electronic drumhead (e.g., made of the aforementioned materials such as PET) or an acoustic drumhead is used.

[0171] The entire trigger platform 602, including but not limited to the arm 604, the electronics 608, the base plate 630, and the damper 632 can be removed and the acoustic back drum head can be placed on the drum 600 to provide the user with a conventional drum that can include all conventional components (e.g., lugs and tensioning screws). Like the drum 300, the acoustic back drum head can also be used in conjunction with the trigger platform 602. It will be appreciated that the damper can be used entirely in instruments other than the bass drum, such as the snare drum 300, other types of drums and / or percussion instruments, or other types of instruments.

[0172] One or more pressure sensors, such as FS sensors (e.g., FSR sensors), may be used as part of drum 600. For example, electronics 608 may be similar to electronics 500 and include a FS sensor similar to or the same as FS sensor 592. While FS sensor 592 used in conjunction with snare drum 300 is most commonly used to sense whether a user is applying pressure to the upper drumhead, a FS sensor used in conjunction with a bass drum such as bass drum 600 may also sense whether (and to what extent) a user is "burying" a bass drum pedal on bass drum 600. Burying a bass drum pedal is a technique that drummers attempt (or accomplish) to place the drumstick head against the bass drum without causing it to bounce, thereby reducing resonance. The FS sensor may sense the extent to which the user is burying the drumstick head and adjust the electronically generated sound accordingly.

[0173] In addition, some embodiments of the present disclosure may be drumheads that already include the aforementioned components. For example, it is contemplated that an electronic drumhead may include an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 200) with or without a support structure therein or on its bottom surface, and the electronic drumhead may be used for a variety of musical instruments.

[0174] Cymbal Instrument Example

[0175] The following are specific examples of percussion instruments incorporating the components and concepts of the present disclosure, which include one or more cymbals. However, it is understood that the components and concepts described with respect to each example are not particularly limited to that type of instrument. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, many different embodiments are possible.

[0176] Example 4: Cymbal Assembly

[0177] Figures 7A to 7F Various views of a cymbal assembly 700 of the present disclosure are shown. Fig.7DAs best shown, the cymbal assembly 700 may include a strike section 702, a secondary bell 704, and an electronics section 750, which includes an electronics module 752 and a sensor module 754 that surrounds the electronics module 752 in the illustrated embodiment. It will be appreciated that embodiments without some of these components are possible. For example, in some embodiments, the secondary bell 704 may not be present, in some embodiments, the electronics section may include only the electronics module 752, and so on. Other conventional components of a cymbal stand may also be included, such as a cymbal stand rod. Many different embodiments are possible. The electronics section 750 may be removed from the cymbal stand rod, for example, by removing a fastener.

[0178] The auxiliary cymbal core 704 may be disposed above the striking section 702, and the electronic section 750 may be disposed below the striking section 702. The electronic section 750 (including one or both of the electronic module 752 and the sensor module 754), the striking section 702, and the auxiliary cymbal core 704 may each be shaped to define an axial hole through which a stand rod (e.g., a cymbal stand rod) may pass, and each of these components may be mounted to a stand similar to a conventional acoustic cymbal stand assembly.

[0179] In some embodiments, the striking portion 702 and / or the electronic portion 750 have a circular cross-section and / or are disc-shaped. The electronic portion 750 may have the same radius, area, and / or cross-sectional dimensions as the striking portion 702, or, as in the illustrated embodiment, may have a smaller radius, area, and / or cross-sectional dimensions, which helps to hide the electronic portion 750 from view. The area of ​​the electronic portion 750 may be smaller than the bottom area of ​​the striking portion 702, but may be more than 25%, more than 33%, more than 50%, more than 66%, more than 75%, more than 90%, or even larger than the bottom area of ​​the striking portion 702. The electronic portion 750 may be nearly circular, and its radius may be less than 100% of the radius of the striking portion 702, but may be more than 25%, more than 33%, more than 50%, more than 66%, more than 75%, more than 90%, or even larger than the bottom area of ​​the striking portion 702. The outer edge of the electronics portion 750 can be offset inwardly from the edge of the strike portion 702 by various distances, for example, less than 3" (inches), less than 2.5", less than 2", less than 1.5", less than 1", less than 3 / 4", less than 1 / 2", less than 1 / 4", or even less; and / or, 1 / 32" to 2", 1 / 16" to 1.5", 1 / 16" to 1", 1 / 8" to 1", 1 / 8" to 3 / 4", or 1 / 8" to 1 / 2"; and / or, more than 1 / 32", more than 1 / 16", more than 1 / 8", more than 1 / 4", more than 1 / 2", more than 3 / 4", more than 1", more than 1.5", more than 2", or even more. Combinations of these ranges are possible, and it will be appreciated that offsets outside of these ranges are also possible.

[0180] In some embodiments, the strike portion 702 is a traditional cymbal and can be made of a metal such as a copper alloy (e.g., bell bronze, malleable bronze, brass, nickel silver). In some other embodiments, the strike portion 702 is made of and / or includes a material that produces less noise when actuated, such as plastic, polyester film, PET, rubber, and / or other materials known in the art or previously described herein. The electronic portion 750 can be made of various materials known in the art, such as plastic and / or metal. Many different materials are possible.

[0181] The cymbal assembly 700 may include one or more sensors for identifying user actuation. Traditional cymbals produce different sounds based on the location of the strike, including the bell (the raised middle part), the bow (the body of the cymbal, extending outward from the bottom of the bell), and the edge. The bell, bow, and edge of the striking portion 702 are located at the Figure 7C and 7D702a, 702b, 702c, respectively. In the particular embodiment shown, the cymbal assembly 700 includes three sensor groups, each of which may include one or more sensors: one or more cymbal center sensors, one or more cymbal face sensors, and one or more cymbal edge sensors. It will be appreciated that embodiments of the present disclosure may include only exactly one of these sensor groups, any two of these sensor groups, or all three of these sensor groups, and that additional sensor groups may be added.

[0182] Cymbal Heart Sensor

[0183] With respect to the cymbal core sensor group, one or more sensors (e.g., piezoelectric sensors) may be placed on the underside of the auxiliary cymbal core 704 or elsewhere as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art (e.g., on top of the cymbal core 702a). The sensors may be placed on the underside of the auxiliary cymbal core 704 via attachment holes in the striking portion 702, e.g., attachment holes 702a. For each attached sensor, one attachment hole 702a is included. Any number of sensors may be attached, e.g., one cymbal core sensor, two cymbal core sensors, three cymbal core sensors, or more. The use of attachment holes 702a helps prevent shorting of the sensors, e.g., by allowing an attachment mechanism such as an adhesive outlet when the sensors are placed through the attachment holes 702a and pressed against the underside of the auxiliary cymbal core 704.

[0184] Using the auxiliary cymbal core 704 instead of the cymbal core of the striking section 702 can be beneficial because it can reduce the acoustic resonance of the striking section 702. The area of ​​the auxiliary cymbal core 704 can be less than 50%, less than 25%, less than 20%, less than 15%, less than 10%, or even less than the area of ​​the striking section 702. The auxiliary cymbal core 704 can be isolated from the striking section 702, for example, via one or more isolation members 706 such as rubber isolation members or washers, so as to reduce and / or prevent contact with the auxiliary cymbal core 704 from transferring to the striking section 702. However, it is understood that in other configurations, the cymbal core of the striking section 702 can be used. In such a configuration, a sensor for identifying a cymbal core strike can be included as part of the electronic portion 750.

[0185] Cymbal Bow Sensor

[0186] One or more cymbal face sensors may be included, for example, on the sensor module 754 as part of the electronics portion 750. For example, in the particular embodiment shown, three sensors may be included at location 754a. These sensors may be used to identify actuation on the cymbal face of the cymbal assembly 700. The cymbal face sensors may be piezoelectric sensors or other sensors as understood by those skilled in the art. It should be understood that any number of sensors may be used, and two or more (e.g., three) sensors may be advantageous in reducing hot spots.

[0187] The strike portion 702 and the electronics portion 750 can be separated by a relatively small distance when at rest, for example, less than an inch, less than 3 / 4", less than 1 / 2", less than 1 / 4", or even less. A spacer such as an O-ring can be used to achieve this separation, and the spacer can be placed, for example, in a groove on the top side of the electronics portion, such as in the groove 760 on the top side of the sensor module 754. In other embodiments, the strike portion 702 and the electronics portion 750 can be in direct contact.

[0188] In some embodiments, a damping material is included between the electronic portion 750 and the striking portion 702 to reduce the acoustic sound generated by the actuation of the striking portion 702. The damping material can be, for example, disposed on the top side of the sensor module 754 and / or the entire electronic portion 750. The damping material can cover more than 25%, more than 50%, more than 75%, more than 85%, more than 90%, or even more of the area of ​​the underside of the striking portion 702, but other embodiments are also possible. The damping material can be, for example, foam, rubber, and / or any other material that can reduce the acoustic sound generated by the actuation of the striking portion 702 as understood by those skilled in the art.

[0189] In some embodiments, the sensors are not covered by and / or penetrate the damping material, which is otherwise generally throughout the top surface of the sensor module 754, for example, in embodiments that include cutouts in the damping material within the area of ​​the sensor. In other embodiments, the damping material is used as a mechanical connection between the sensors and the underside of the striking portion 702. In other embodiments, the sensors are not covered by and / or penetrate the damping material, and are mechanically connected to the underside of the striking portion 702 in another manner, for example, via one or more mechanical posts that can be made of, for example, rubber or another material understood by those skilled in the art. In other embodiments, the sensors may not be in physical contact with the striking portion 702. In other embodiments, the sensors may be in direct physical contact with the striking portion 702. Many different embodiments are possible.

[0190] Cymbal Edge Sensor

[0191] The cymbal assembly 700 may also include one or more cymbal edge sensors. The cymbal edge sensors may be placed around the edge of the electronics portion 750 (e.g., around the top edge 754b of the sensor module 754). The top edge 754b of the sensor module 754 may include an edge wall at its end, or may not include such a wall and terminate only at a protruding portion. The top edge 754b may be substantially flat in nature to allow for the placement of the cymbal edge sensor.

[0192] In one embodiment, a single and / or monolithic cymbal edge sensor may be used to cover more than 180°, more than 270°, more than 300°, more than 330°, more than 345°, more than 350°, or more than 355° of top edge 754b. A small gap between the ends of the cymbal edge sensor may be included to facilitate placement since, while top edge 754b is substantially flat, it may still be slightly frusto-conical in shape (similar to a traditional cymbal). It will be appreciated that other embodiments are possible, such as embodiments where a single and / or monolithic cymbal edge sensor covers 360° of top edge 754b, and embodiments where two or more sensors are used to cover more than 180°, more than 270°, more than 300°, more than 330°, more than 345°, more than 350°, or more than 355° and / or no more than 360° of top edge 754b. In embodiments with multiple sensors, the sensor ends may meet, may overlap, or may have gaps between them. Many different embodiments are possible.

[0193] For a traditional acoustic cymbal, a user may "choke" the cymbal (i.e., prevent the cymbal from making a sound after actuation, or reduce its sound) by grasping the underside and top side of the cymbal with his fingers, thereby reducing the vibration of the cymbal. The cymbal edge sensor may be used to 1) identify a "choke" and / or 2) identify a cymbal edge strike. In another embodiment, the cymbal edge sensor is used only to identify a "choke", while the cymbal head sensor described above identifies a cymbal edge strike. Many different embodiments are possible.

[0194] In one embodiment, the cymbal edge sensor is a FS sensor (e.g., an FSR sensor) (or, if multiple cymbal edge sensors are included, multiple FS sensors). The user can use conventional detent motions to press down on the top side of the striking portion 702 and press up on the underside of the electronics portion 750 (e.g., the sensor module 754); and / or otherwise squeeze or move the edges of the striking portion 702 and the electronics portion 750 closer together. When the striking portion 702 and the sensor module 754 are squeezed together, the FS sensor senses the increased pressure and transmits a corresponding pulse or message (e.g., to an electronic device included in the electronics module 752, which will be discussed in more detail below).

[0195] Using one or more FS sensors for the cymbal edge sensor can be particularly useful because it can act as a continuous controller rather than a switch. Prior art electronic cymbals utilize a switch so that the cymbal is either fully dampened or not dampened, while a continuous controller embodiment such as the cymbal assembly 700 allows the user more control. The user can, for example, dampen the cymbal assembly 700 slightly to quiet the sound and / or reduce the overall decay time and / or increase the decay rate, just as a drummer would with a traditional acoustic cymbal (e.g., by squeezing the cymbal more gently). However, it will be appreciated that other embodiments are possible, such as embodiments with a toggle switch and embodiments utilizing other types of sensors (e.g., a piezoelectric cymbal edge sensor).

[0196] Other ways of causing a "suppressed" cymbal other than squeezing the strike portion 702 and the electronics portion 750 together are possible. For example, in one embodiment, the cymbal assembly 700 can sense certain types of contact from the user, such as a hand touch. In one embodiment, if the user touches both the strike portion 702 and the electronics portion 750 with his or her hand, a circuit is completed. The completion of this circuit can result in the transmission of a signal, thereby resulting in the "suppression" of the cymbal. In other embodiments, one or more capacitive sensors can be used to identify the proximity of the strike portion 702 to the electronics portion 750. The included electronics portion can use this identification to change the signal generated by the instrument (e.g., "suppress" the cymbal).

[0197] Cymbal Edge Sensor Configuration

[0198] Figure 7G and 7H One embodiment of sensor module 754 is shown including a cymbal edge sensor 790. Cymbal edge sensor 790 may be a FS sensor (e.g., an FSR sensor), and may be a single piece extending approximately 360°, but it should be understood that any of the previously described sensor configurations may be used (e.g., one or more sensors collectively covering more than 180°, more than 270°, more than 300°, more than 330°, more than 345°, more than 350°, or more than 355°, etc.), as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Fig.7I and 7J A schematic diagram of a portion of a cymbal configuration 800 according to the present disclosure is shown, which includes a strike portion 702 and a sensor module 754, wherein the strike portion 702 includes a cymbal face portion 702b and a cymbal rim portion 702c. A cymbal rim sensor 790 is included on the sensor module 754 and / or below the cymbal rim portion 702c of the strike portion 702. A gap may be maintained between the cymbal rim sensor 790 and the bottom surface of the strike portion 702. Figure 7JIn one embodiment best shown, a spacer 792 can be used to fill a gap between the sensor 790 and the striking portion 702 and / or mechanically connect the sensor 790 and the striking portion 702. For example, when a user "damps" a cymbal by pressing the striking portion 702 and the sensor module 754 together, and / or when a user strikes the rim portion 702c of the striking portion 702, for example with a drumstick, the spacer 792 can be used to transfer force from the striking portion 702 (e.g., the rim portion 702c of the striking portion 702) to the sensor 790. The spacer can be made of a resilient material (e.g., rubber); as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, many different materials can be used. In an alternative embodiment, the rim sensor 790 can be included on the bottom surface of the rim portion 702c of the striking portion 702, with a gap between the sensor 790 and the sensor module 754, which gap can be filled with the spacer 792 as described above. The spacer may be connected to components above and / or below it, such as, in the illustrated embodiment, the punch portion 702 and the sensor 790. In some embodiments, the connection may be an adhesive connection, but it will be appreciated that other embodiments are possible.

[0199] like Figure 7J The configuration shown may suffer from performance issues in some cases due to the combination of the sensitivity of the sensor 790 and the manufacturing tolerances of the strike portion 702. For example, even the standard manufacturing tolerances of cymbals may cause these problems. As a representative, lines 802a, 802b represent the strike portion position based on manufacturing tolerances. It can be seen that if the strike portion 702 is manufactured to match either of the lines 802a, 802b, the spacer 792 may be ineffective. The combination of the high sensitivity of the sensor 790 (e.g., FSR sensor) and these standard manufacturing tolerances can cause performance issues.

[0200] Figures 7K to 7N A diagram showing an alternative cymbal configuration 850 including a sensor module 754, a sensor 790, and a strike section 702 (from Figure 7KThe striking portion 702 is omitted in the figure). The configuration 850 may also include a pressurizing member 852 and a spacer 854. The pressurizing member 852 may be used to apply pressure to the sensor 790. The pressurizing member 852 may be attached and / or interlocked with the module 754 (e.g., the sensor module) using, for example, a protrusion 754b, but it is understood that other configurations are also possible, including but not limited to mechanical connections, for example, male / female connections and / or interlocking connections, adhesive connections, fastener connections, and other connections understood by those skilled in the art. The pressurizing member 852 may essentially be surrounding. In some embodiments, the pressurizing member 852 and / or the protrusion 754b may cover more than 180°, more than 270°, more than 300°, more than 330°, more than 345°, more than 350°, more than 355°, or more than 360°. It is understood that the pressurizing member 852 and / or the protrusion 754b may be a single piece, or itself may be composed of a plurality of sub-components, which may be continuous or discontinuous. The press member 852 can be flexible in nature and can be made of many different materials, such as rubber, silicone, polymers, plastics, and / or other materials known to those skilled in the art, but it is understood that non-flexible and / or rigid embodiments are also possible. The protrusion 754b or other attachment point between the press member 852 and the sensor module 754 can face the inside of the sensor 790 (i.e., toward the center of the assembly).

[0201] A gap may be maintained between the top of the pressure member 852 and the bottom surface of the striking portion 702. Figure 7M and 7N Therefore, the pressurizing member 852 may be mechanically connected to the bottom surface of the striking portion 702 through the spacer 854. The pressurizing member 852 may include a portion (eg, a cutout and / or a recessed portion) for accommodating the spacer 854.

[0202] In order to adjust the above Figures 7G to 7JThe manufacturing tolerance problem described, when the spacer 854 is placed between the striking portion 702 and the pressurized member 852 and / or the sensor module 754, the spacer 854 can be an unhardened and / or uncured material. The spacer 854 can thus be shaped and / or can conform to fill the gap below the striking portion 702, and then harden and / or cure. Various materials can be used for the spacer 854, and some examples are plastics, rubber and / or silicone. The material can be curable (e.g., curable silicone, e.g., one or more curable silicone beads) and / or can be hardened in other ways. Other materials can also be used, such as but not limited to sealants, adhesives, epoxy resins and other materials known in the art. Any of these materials can be used alone, or can be used in combination with one or more other materials. In some embodiments, the hardened and / or cured material can have adhesive properties and stick to adjacent components, such as, the pressurized member 852 (or in the embodiment without such a member, the sensor module 754) and / or the bottom surface of the striking portion 702. The hardened material is rigid and / or resilient in some embodiments and flexible and / or resilient in nature in other embodiments. The spacers may be circumferential in nature or may be placed radially and / or at various points around the perimeter of the sensor 790, such as at two, three, four, eight or more points (e.g., substantially equidistant points) around the perimeter of the sensor 790. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, many different embodiments are possible.

[0203] like Figure 7N As shown, the use of the press member 852 can reduce the total force applied to the sensor 790. This may be due to one or more factors, such as, a) the press member 852 includes portions 852a of its bottom that do not rest on the sensor 790 (and therefore, some of the force will pass through these portions 852a and directly into the sensor module 754 without being felt by the sensor 790), and / or b) the press member 852 can rest on the sensor module 754 (e.g., the protrusion 754b) at a hinge point such as the hinge point 754b'. This reduction in force can keep the total force applied to the sensor 790 within the operating range of the sensor.

[0204] It is understood that in some embodiments, the pressurizing member 852 may not exist. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the spacer 854 may replace Figures 7G to 7J Spacer 792 in. Fig.7O A portion of a cymbal assembly 762 is shown including a sensor module 764 that may be part of the electronics portion according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The cymbal assembly 762 may include a cymbal edge sensor 790. Figure 7J The spacer 792 in can be replaced by the spacer 854.

[0205] In addition, it should be understood that the spacer 854 can be used in areas other than the edge of the cymbal assembly (e.g., cymbal assembly 762). For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the cymbal assembly 762 includes a spacer 874, which can be the same or similar to the spacer 854, and which can provide mechanical and / or O-ring type functions. The spacer 874 can be located on the outer half of the sensor module 764 and on the inner side of the cymbal edge sensor 790. The spacer 874 can be included in the recess 766 (e.g., cup or channel) of the sensor module 764 (e.g., the raised portion 768 of the sensor module 764), wherein the raised portion 767 can be separated from or integrated into one with the rest of the sensor module 764. The raised portion 767 itself and / or in combination with the spacer 874 can act as a support for the striking portion 702. Placing the spacer 874 in the recess 766 can help to contain the spacer material before hardening / curing. Similar configurations including spacers 884, notches 768, and / or raised portions 769 (which may be the same or similar to spacers 874, notches 766, and raised portions 767, respectively) may be used on interior portions of the sensor module 764, for example, in the inner half, inner quarter, or inner 10% of the sensor module 764, and / or at or near the inner edge of the sensor module 764, the inner edge of the cymbal face of the strike section 702, and / or the junction between the cymbal face and the cymbal center of the strike section 702. It should be understood that, similar to spacers 854, spacers 874 and / or spacers 884 may be circumferential in nature, and / or multiple spacers may be placed radially around the sensor module 764. It should also be understood that any individual or combination of these spacer configurations and associated components may be used in various embodiments of the present disclosure, including but not limited to those previously described and the following embodiments with respect to the present disclosure. Figure 7P Embodiment described.

[0206] It will be appreciated that the concepts in this section can be applied to other types of configurations, including but not limited to other types of cymbal configurations, such as hi-hats. In addition, it will be appreciated that the order of components can be changed (e.g., sensor 790 can be above component number 854), as understood by those skilled in the art.

[0207] Cymbal Edge Capacitor

[0208] Figure 7P A cross-sectional view of an alternative cymbal configuration 870 is shown, which includes the sensor module 754 and the strike section 702. The cymbal configuration 870 may also include a spacer 874, which may be the same or similar to the spacer 854 (e.g., a silicone bead that provides an O-ring type of functionality) and may provide a mechanical function. The spacer 854 may be closer to the center of the cymbal configuration 870 than the capacitive assembly discussed below.

[0209] In lieu of (or in some embodiments, in addition to) one or more cymbal edge sensors described in the previous embodiments, the cymbal arrangement 870 also utilizes sensing (e.g., capacitive sensing) to determine the position of the strike portion 702, which in turn can be used to identify a check and / or cymbal edge strike. To accomplish this, the cymbal arrangement 870 can include a conductive component 872, which can be metallic, such as a sheet of metal. The conductive component 872 can be substantially flat and / or annular. For example, it can have a shape similar to that previously described with respect to Figures 7G to 7O The cymbal edge sensor 790 may be the same or similar size and / or configured in the same or similar manner as the cymbal edge sensor 790 .

[0210] One or more sensors (e.g., capacitive displacement sensors or optical sensors) may be used to measure one or more variables corresponding to the distance between the conductive component 872 and the striking portion 702. These variables may include, for example, capacitance or distance. The sensor pulse may vary due to, for example, a rim strike, a hold of the cymbal configuration 870, and / or the distance between the striking portion 702 and the conductive component 872. Thus, these pulses may be used by the electronic device to identify a rim strike or a cymbal hold. In one embodiment, the electronic device distinguishes between a rim strike and a cymbal hold based on a characteristic of the displacement; for example, a rim strike may result in a displacement that rebounds faster than a user holding the cymbal. The sensor may be located on the sensor module 754, on the bottom surface of the striking portion 702, between the sensor module 754 and the striking portion 702, or at other locations as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art.

[0211] In some embodiments, multiple sensors (eg, 2 sensors, 3 sensors, 4 sensors, or more than 5 sensors) are radially arranged around the cymbal configuration 870, such as in an equidistant configuration, to improve the measurements performed.

[0212] Mechanical connection

[0213] return Figure 7F , Figure 7F A cross-sectional view of a cymbal assembly 700 is shown. The components of the cymbal assembly 700 may be held together by one or more connectors / fasteners, such as nuts and bolts. Fig.7D and 7FAs best shown, the first connecting member 770 (hereinafter referred to as a "bolt" for simplicity) can be connected to the second connecting member 772 (hereinafter referred to as a "nut" for simplicity) through the axial hole of other components such as the auxiliary cymbal core 704, the striking part 702 and the electronic part 750 (e.g., the electronic module 752). In order to hold the components tightly together, the shaft hole of the components (e.g., components 704, 702, 750, 752) can be larger than the typical 1 / 2" shaft hole of traditional acoustic cymbal components. For example, the shaft hole can be 5 / 8" or more, 3 / 4" or more, 7 / 8" or more, nearly 1" or more, 1.25" or more, 1.5" or more, or even larger. However, it will be understood that smaller shaft holes are also possible. Including a larger shaft hole allows the use of a larger connector (e.g., bolt 770), which can make the connection between components tighter. When the nut 772 is tightened, the nut 772 can be located in the hole of the electronic part 750 and / or the electronic module 752.

[0214] Compared to prior art configurations, using a multi-piece electronics portion 750 can have significant advantages. For example, by including a relatively small electronics module 752 along with a sensor module 754 that more closely corresponds to the size of the strike portion 702, the same electronics module 752 can be used for strike portions, cymbal assemblies, or even other musical instruments of various sizes. This results in greater manufacturing efficiency because the same electronics module 752 can be used for a variety of different products. However, it will be appreciated that an integral / single-piece electronics portion is possible.

[0215] The electronics module 752 may be connected, for example, removably connected, to one or more other components of the cymbal assembly 700. For example, Figure 7F As shown, the electronic module 752 can be connected (in this particular embodiment, removably connected) to the sensor module 754, for example, via an interlock. In some cases, this can be a snap and / or a male-female connector. In the particular embodiment shown, the electronic module 752 can be connected to the sensor module 754 via one or more male / female connectors 756, and the electronic module 752 includes one or more male components 756a (such as Figure 8C ), and the sensor module 754 includes one or more accompanying female components, but it is understood that any male / female connector as understood by those skilled in the art may be used. As shown in this embodiment, the connector may be generally circular in nature, but other embodiments are possible. Other types of connectors (e.g., using fasteners and / or adhesives) are possible in addition to or in lieu of the connectors described.

[0216] Electronic parts and electronic modules

[0217] Fig. 8A and8B is a view of the electronic portion 750, and Figure 8C Electronics module 752 is shown. Electronics module 752 may include electronics such as electronics 200. Electronics 200 may be connected to the above-mentioned sensors, for example, via wire connections. Electronics module 752 may also include one or more power sources 780, which may be a field power source such as a battery.

[0218] Because the cymbal assembly 700 is self-powered and transmits wirelessly, it does not require external connections such as external wire connections. In prior art electronic cymbal assemblies, wire connections are required. These wire connections would hinder the free movement and rotation of the strike portion of the cymbal assembly because such movement / rotation would cause twisting of the external wires and / or the wires extending from the foot pedal to the cymbal. However, because the external wire connections are eliminated, the strike portion 702 of the cymbal assembly 700 can move and rotate freely, like the cymbal of an acoustic cymbal assembly.

[0219] Example 5: Hi-Hand Cymbal Assembly Example 1

[0220] As another example of a cymbal musical instrument of the present disclosure, Figures 9A to 9C An example assembly of a hi-hat assembly 900 is shown. The hi-hat assembly 900 may include a lower cymbal 910 and an upper cymbal 920 that may be mounted on a bracket 930, and a pedal 940. The pedal is operable to move the upper cymbal 920 downward and toward the lower cymbal 910, with the movement of the upper cymbal 920 sometimes striking the lower cymbal 910 and sometimes simply moving closer to the lower cymbal 910. The upper cymbal 920 and / or the lower cymbal 910 (in this case, only the upper cymbal 920) may include the same components as described above with respect to the embodiment of the present invention. Figures 7A to 7F The cymbal assembly 700 includes many components that are similar and / or identical to those of the cymbal assembly 700, and in one embodiment, is substantially identical to the cymbal assembly 700, except for a modified electronics module, which will be referred to below. Fig. 9C Discussed in detail.

[0221] The ring 914 may be one or more sound dampening materials, such as foam, rubber, and / or other materials known in the art, and may be used to attenuate and / or block the acoustic sound produced by the cymbals 910, 920 contacting each other. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, other components and methods for damping may be used in addition to or in place of the ring 914.

[0222] The hi-hat assembly 900 may also include electronics and related components, in this case as part of the upper cymbal 920, but it will be appreciated that other mounting configurations are possible, such as mounting to the top side of the lower cymbal 910. For example, the electronics and related components may be included in an electronics module 952, which is described in detail in Fig. 9C Electronic module 952 may include many of the same or similar components as electronic module 752 , such as electronic device 200 and one or more power supplies 780 .

[0223] The illustrated assembly and other embodiments of the present disclosure may also include a capacitor rod 960. In the particular embodiment illustrated, the capacitor rod 960 includes a mounting portion 960a and a rod portion 960b, however, many different embodiments are possible, and the mounting portion may be omitted in some embodiments. The rod portion 960b may be, for example, a spring metal strip, and may be made of a conductive material such as a metal. The mounting portion 960a may be circular (similar to or identical to the mounting portion 1060a discussed in more detail below), and may be covered by two layers: a conductive layer that may be connected to the electronic device 200, and a non-conductive layer that is disposed on and / or covers the conductive layer to prevent the rod portion 960b from contacting the conductive layer, because the non-conductive layer is located between the conductive layer and the rod portion 960b. In the illustrated embodiment, the capacitor rod 960 is part of the electronic module 952, but other embodiments are also possible. As with cymbal assembly 700, by including capacitive rod 960 as part of electronic module 952, electronic module 952 may be used with instruments of various sizes (eg, hi-hats).

[0224] When the rod 960b is moved (in the embodiment shown, in the direction of rotation shown and / or in the direction indicated by the arrow, but other embodiments are possible), it flexes / rotates on the mounting portion 960a, which can be circular. In embodiments where the mounting portion 960a is circular, this allows the rod 960b to gradually make more (or less) contact with the mounting portion 960a as it changes position, resulting in high sensitivity and accuracy. As the rod 960b moves, the capacitive displacement sensor measures the change in position and generates a signal corresponding to the position. This signal is an input to the electronic device 200. In order to cause the rotation of the capacitive rod, an actuator such as actuator 962 can be used. The actuator in this embodiment is included above the lower cymbal 910 and below the upper cymbal 920, and can be mounted to the bracket 930 and / or as part of the upper cymbal 920. The actuator 962 may be circumferential in nature (e.g., cup-shaped as shown) so that it can operate effectively regardless of the orientation of the upper cymbal 920 (and thus the capacitor rod 960). In operation, when the upper cymbal 920 is moved downward, the capacitor rod 960 encounters the actuator 960 and rotates upward. A capacitive displacement sensor can be used to measure the position of the capacitor rod 960, thereby measuring the position of the upper cymbal 920 relative to the lower cymbal 910 and / or the proximity of the cymbals 910, 920.

[0225] In a conventional hi-hat assembly, the sound produced when a user strikes the upper cymbal (e.g., with a drumstick) will vary based on the position of the upper cymbal relative to the lower cymbal. For example, if the user actuates the pedal to a position where the upper cymbal is halfway moved toward the lower cymbal, the sound produced when the upper cymbal is struck will be different than the sound produced when the upper cymbal is struck when the upper cymbal is in its resting position. In the illustrated embodiment, when the user strikes the assembly with a drumstick (e.g., striking the top side of the upper cymbal 920), the relative position of the upper cymbal 920 to the lower cymbal 910 is measured using a capacitive rod 960, and a signal corresponding to that position is used as an input to generate a sound, (e.g., an input to the electronic device 200). The sensor pulse will vary based on the position of the capacitive rod 960, which itself varies based on the relative position of the upper cymbal 920 to the lower cymbal 910 (in this case, based on the position of the upper cymbal 920); and the sound produced will vary based on the message / pulse.

[0226] In this particular embodiment, the capacitance rod 960 is used to measure position via capacitance changes. However, other embodiments are possible. For example, in some embodiments, a mechanism different from the rod is used, for example, a compressible device whose vertical height varies based on the relative position of the cymbals. In other embodiments, variables other than capacitance are used. In some embodiments, more than one measuring device is used (for example, but not limited to, multiple rods). In some embodiments, the measuring device as part of the electronic module 952 at the center of this assembly is in another position, for example, near the edge of the cymbal or in the middle. In an expected embodiment, an optical sensor is used to measure the distance between the two cymbals. In another expected embodiment, sound and / or light reflection / time-of-flight measurement is used to determine the space between the two cymbals, for example, an optical and / or time-of-flight sensor. Many different embodiments are possible.

[0227] Embodiments in which electronics and / or position sensing mechanisms (e.g., capacitive rod 960) are included immediately adjacent to and / or between the cymbals, such as a hi-hat assembly 900 in which electronics are included between the upper cymbal 920 and the lower cymbal 910, can have distinct advantages over embodiments in which cymbal position sensing components are included in other locations. For example, when position sensing is used with components in a pedal, a wire must typically be extended from the pedal to, for example, a transmitter / transducer (e.g., transmitter / transducer 952). This can be cumbersome, and is avoided in assembly 900 by including all or substantially all of the electronics between and / or immediately adjacent to the cymbals 910, 920. As with all embodiments of the present disclosure, this is also beneficial because the user can select his or her own hardware (e.g., his or her favorite drum pedal) for each drum.

[0228] Example 6: Hi-Hand Cymbal Assembly Example 2

[0229] As another example of a cymbal musical instrument according to the present disclosure, Figures 10A to 10C A hi-hat assembly 1000 is shown. The hi-hat assembly 1000 may include a lower cymbal 1010 and an upper cymbal 1020 that may be mounted on a bracket 1030 and a pedal 1040. This assembly also includes an electronics portion 1050, which is also shown. Fig.11A and 11B . The electronic portion 1050 may be located below the pedal 1040 as shown, but other embodiments are possible. The electronic portion 1050 may include, for example, a capacitive rod 1060 (which itself includes a mounting portion 1060a and a rod portion 1060b), an electronic device 200 and a power source such as a battery (which may be included in the electronic compartment 1062), and a jack for a wire connector 1080, but it will be appreciated that some of these components (e.g., the jack and wire connector 1080) may be omitted in some embodiments.

[0230] In this embodiment, including similar Figures 9A to 9C 1040, but the electronics 1050 is part of the pedal 1040 rather than between the cymbals 1010, 1020. It should be understood that the components of the capacitor rod 1060 can be replaced with components similar to those shown in the capacitor rod 960, and the components of the capacitor rod 960 in the hi-hat assembly 900 can be replaced with components similar to those shown in the capacitor rod 1060. In addition, it should be understood that the electronics 1050 can be used with a pedal that is not part of the hi-hat, but is part of another type of assembly (e.g., a bass drum percussion assembly). Many different embodiments and combinations are possible.

[0231] like Fig. 10B and 10CAs best shown, when the user depresses the pedal 1040, the capacitor rod 1060 (specifically, the rod 1060b) is actuated and depressed, and when the pedal is lifted, the capacitor rod 1060 is released and rebounds upward. This assembly may include a stopper 1070 (e.g., a rubber stopper) to limit the range of motion of the pedal 1040 and the rod 1060b. When the rod 1060b is depressed, it is pressed onto the mounting portion 1060a, which is rounded so that the rod 1060b gradually has more contact with the mounting portion 1060a. The mounting portion 1060a may include two layers, the first layer being a conductive layer connected to the electronic device 200, and the second layer being a non-conductive layer (e.g., rubber and / or tape) for preventing the rod 960b from contacting the conductive layer (e.g., by being on the conductive layer and / or between the conductive layer and the rod 1060b). The conductive layer and stem 1060b can be connected to the electronic device 200 (e.g., via a wire connection) to perform the aforementioned sensing (e.g., capacitive sensing), which can be programmed into the electronic device 200. The electronic device can use the sensed information to produce sounds reminiscent of traditional acoustic hi-hat cymbals.

[0232] The electronic device 200 can be connected to the cymbals 1010, 1020 and the electronic portion therein (e.g., the electronic portion 950), for example, via a wire connection 1080, but it should be understood that wireless forms are possible, for example, forms in which transmission is completed wirelessly and / or communication between the cymbals and the electronic portion 1050 is not required, for example, an embodiment in which the pedal assembly is operated as a stand-alone device and plays the role of notifying the system (e.g., a concentrator) of the pedal position.

[0233] Example 7: Hi-Hand Cymbal Assembly Example 3

[0234] As another example of a cymbal musical instrument of the present disclosure, Fig. 12A and 12B A hi-hat assembly 1200 of the present disclosure is shown. Fig. 12A The assembly 1200 is shown in a fully open position (i.e., when it is not being played or biased by a drummer), while Fig. 12B The assembly 1200' is shown in a fully closed position (i.e., when the cymbals are pressed against each other). The hi-hat assembly 1200 may include Figures 9A to 11B Components 1000 and 1050 are similar or identical components.

[0235] Assembly 1200 may include a lower cymbal 1210 and an upper cymbal 1220 mounted on a stand rod 1202. The assembly may further include a mounting member or ramp 1270 (hereinafter referred to as a "mounting member" for simplicity), an actuator 1262, and a capacitor rod 1260 having a rod portion 1261. Actuator 1262 may be similar or identical to actuator 962 from assembly 900 and provide similar functionality thereto. Actuator 962 may be, for example, a plunger. Actuator 1262 may be circumferential in nature, for example, circular or elliptical, and / or may encompass more than 180°, more than 270°, more than 300°, more than 330°, more than 350°, or 360°. As described above with respect to Figures 9A to 9C As described above, this is beneficial because it allows the capacitive rod to perform its function regardless of the orientation of the cymbals 1210, 1220.

[0236] The capacitor rod 1260 and the actuator 1262 may be mounted on different cymbals 1210, 1220. In the illustrated embodiment, the capacitor rod 1260 is mounted on the upper cymbal 1220 and the actuator 1262 is mounted on the lower cymbal 1210, although it is understood that other embodiments are possible; in another embodiment, the capacitor rod 1260 is located on the lower cymbal 1210 and the actuator 1262 is located on the upper cymbal 1220. When one of the cymbals (e.g., the upper cymbal 1220) moves toward the other cymbal, and thus the assembly 1200 moves toward the position 1200', the rod portion 1261 encounters the actuator 1262 and begins to shift.

[0237] The rod 1261 may be rigid or, in the embodiment shown, resilient, such as a leaf spring. The mounting member 1270 may have a Fig.11A and 11B The mounting portion 1060a in FIG. 1 is similar in shape and provides similar functions. Fig. 12A In the fully open position of the assembly 1200 shown, the rod 1261 may rest on the actuator 1262 and may be partially displaced or may not be displaced (i.e., in its natural resting position). Fig. 12B As the cymbals 1210, 1220 move closer to the closed position 1200' shown in FIG. 1 , it comes into more contact with and / or becomes closer to the mounting member 1270. Although other embodiments are possible, such as linear embodiments, the engagement surface 1272 of the mounting member 1270 can be rounded or curved so that the stem 1060b has progressively more contact as the cymbals 1210, 1220 become closer to each other and / or as the stem 1261 is moved more by the actuator 1262. The engagement surface 1272 can be continuous, but other embodiments are possible, such as discontinuous embodiments.

[0238] As about Fig.11A and 11B As described, the rod 1261 and / or the mounting member 1270 may include a conductive material (e.g., a metal such as aluminum), for example, made of a conductive material and / or include a conductive portion or layer. One or both of the rod 1261 and the mounting member 1270 (e.g., the engagement surface 1272) may also include a non-conductive material or layer for preventing contact of the conductive material. The non-conductive material or layer may be located between the conductive material of the rod 1261 and the mounting member 1270. The non-conductive material may be, for example, rubber, tape, a non-conductive coating, powder, powder coating, or other materials and configurations understood by those skilled in the art. In a specific embodiment, the mounting member 1270 includes a powder coating to prevent contact of the conductive material.

[0239] The engagement surface 1272 can have many different shapes, including, but not limited to, linear or curved shapes. With respect to the curved shape, the radius of curvature can be fixed or variable (e.g., a wood bar curve). Variations in the radius of curvature can allow for greater sensitivity based on the position of the cymbals 1210, 1220. In one embodiment, a larger radius of curvature is used farther from the fulcrum 1260a of the shaft 1260 (e.g., on the distal portion 1261b of the shaft 1261) than the proximal portion 1261a. When a larger radius of curvature is used, the same amount of movement of the cymbals 1210, 1220 results in more contact between the shaft 1261 and the engagement surface 1272 and / or a greater change in capacitance for the same amount of cymbal movement, and thus, greater sensitivity. This can be particularly useful when the cymbals 1210, 1220 are closer to a closed position, as this is a specific area where the musician may require additional sensitivity. As discussed above with respect to Figures 9A to 11B As described above, a sensor such as a capacitive displacement sensor can be used to measure the capacitance between materials, thereby determining the distance. The sensor can be mounted between the cymbals 1210, 1220, for example, on the bottom surface of the upper cymbal 1210 or the top surface of the lower cymbal 1220, but it should be understood that other embodiments are also possible.

[0240] It is understood that the embodiments presented herein are intended to be exemplary. Embodiments of the present disclosure may include any combination of compatible features shown in the various figures, and these embodiments should not be limited to those described and discussed verbally. For example, but not by way of limitation, the attached claims may be modified into multiple dependent claims to combine any combinable combination of components in a set of claims or from different sets of claims.

[0241] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred configurations of the present disclosure, other modifications are also possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the described forms.

[0242] In addition, it is understood that the components and concepts of the present disclosure can be applied to musical instruments not specifically mentioned herein. For example, these components and concepts can be applied to hand-held musical instruments (e.g., cowbells, congas, triangles, tambourines, metal shakers), musical instruments such as music pads, marching band instruments, and other types of percussion and non-percussion instruments. In addition, its components and concepts (e.g., the electronic devices and / or electronic portions described herein) can be a part of a device or system that is separate from the musical instrument but can be attached to the musical instrument (or various different types of musical instruments), such as clip-on trigger devices, such as devices that can be attached to a drum frame and / or drumhead.

[0243] In addition, it will be appreciated that the components and concepts of the present disclosure may be applied to signals different from musical instruments, music, and / or sound signals, whether instead of or in addition to musical instrument signals. For example, but not limited to, signals for controlling lights may also be used. In one specific embodiment, a certain type of actuation generates a musical instrument signal and a light signal (e.g., turning on a light source, turning off a light source, changing the color of a light source, changing the mode of a light source (e.g., changing to or out of a strobe mode), changing the brightness of a light source, etc.). In another embodiment, a certain type of actuation generates only a light signal. In another embodiment, some types of actuation generate musical instrument signals, while other types of actuation generate light signals. In another embodiment, a user may switch between a musical instrument mode, a light mode, and / or a musical instrument and light mode. Many different embodiments are possible, including embodiments using other types of signals.

[0244] The foregoing is intended to cover all modifications and alternative constructions that fall within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as expressed in the appended claims, wherein no part of the disclosure is intended to be dedicated, either explicitly or implicitly, to the public domain if not stated in the claims.

Claims

1. An electronic musical instrument system, comprising: An electronic musical instrument comprising an electronic device for communicating with a hub, wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to operate in a plurality of modes having different functions, wherein the plurality of modes include a sleep mode, a standby mode, and a run mode.

2. The electronic musical instrument system according to claim 1, further comprising the hub.

3. An electronic musical instrument system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the multiple modes further include a scanning mode, and wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to perform a request cycle, the request cycle including switching between the sleep mode and the scanning mode to seek connection with the hub when in the scanning mode.

4. The electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to perform the request cycle with a default cycle time.

5. The electronic musical instrument system of claim 4, wherein the default cycle time is between 1 and 30 seconds.

6. An electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the time each cycle is in the scanning mode is less than 100 ms.

7. An electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the time each cycle is in the scanning mode is less than 1% of the total cycle time.

8. An electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein during the request cycle, the electronic musical instrument only seeks connection with the hub to which the electronic musical instrument was most recently connected.

9. An electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein during the request cycle, the electronic musical instrument only seeks connection on the channel to which the electronic musical instrument system was last connected.

10. An electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the electronic musical instrument comprises one or more sensors and an electronic device configured to receive pulses from the one or more sensors when in the standby mode.

11. The electronic musical instrument system of claim 10, wherein upon actuation of the musical instrument, the electronic musical instrument is configured to change from the standby mode to the operating mode and transmit a musical instrument signal to the hub.

12. An electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the electronic musical instrument includes a sensor, wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to transmit an instrument signal when the sensor generates a pulse having at least a first critical amplitude, and is configured not to transmit an instrument signal when the sensor generates a pulse below the first critical amplitude.

13. An electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to transition from the sleep mode to the standby mode when a sensor generates a pulse having at least a second critical amplitude, and is configured not to transition from the sleep mode to the standby mode when the sensor generates a pulse below the second critical amplitude.

14. The electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the electronic musical instrument includes a sensor, wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to transmit an instrument signal when the sensor generates a pulse having at least a first critical amplitude, and is configured not to transmit an instrument signal when the sensor generates a pulse below the first critical amplitude; wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to transition from the sleep mode to the standby mode when the sensor generates a pulse having a second critical amplitude, and is configured not to transition from the sleep mode to the standby mode when the sensor generates a pulse having a second critical amplitude; and The second critical amplitude is greater than the first critical amplitude.

15. The electronic musical instrument system of claim 14, wherein the actuation that causes the sensor to generate the pulse is a drumhead strike.

16. The electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to transmit musical instrument profile information and / or settings to the hub when connected to the hub.

17. The electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to transmit musical instrument profile information and / or settings inserted in a connection request message.

18. The electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the operating mode has a partial function of the standby mode.

19. The electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 1 to 18, comprising a plurality of said electronic musical instruments.

20. A method of operating a musical instrument system, the musical instrument system comprising a hub and one or more musical instruments including a first musical instrument, the method comprising controlling each of the musical instruments to operate in a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes comprising a sleep mode, a scan mode, a standby mode, and a run mode, the operation comprising: causing the first musical instrument to transition from the sleep mode to the scan mode, and transmitting a connection request from the first musical instrument to the hub while in the scan mode; receiving the connection request with the hub, establishing a connection between the first musical instrument and the hub, and causing the musical instrument to transition to the standby mode; causing the first musical instrument to transition from the standby mode to the operational mode, and transmitting musical instrument signals from the first musical instrument to the hub while in the operational mode; receiving the musical instrument signal with the hub; as well as A sound is generated based on the instrument signal.

21. An electronic musical instrument system, comprising: a hub comprising at least a first hub antenna; and a musical instrument configured to pair with the hub so as to be capable of transmitting musical instrument signals to the hub, the musical instrument comprising a first musical instrument antenna and a second musical instrument antenna; Wherein the hub and the musical instrument are configured to transmit messages between the first hub antenna and the first musical instrument antenna and between the first hub antenna and the second musical instrument antenna.

22. The electronic musical instrument system of claim 21, wherein the first musical instrument antenna is a wire antenna and the second musical instrument antenna is a chip antenna.

23. An electronic musical instrument system according to claim 21 or claim 22, wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to change from communicating using the first musical instrument antenna to communicating using the second musical instrument antenna.

24. An electronic musical instrument system according to claim 23, wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to perform the change when the message reaches a low performance threshold.

25. The electronic musical instrument system of claim 24, wherein the low performance threshold misses one or more confirmation signals from the hub.

26. An electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to change from communicating using the second musical instrument antenna back to communicating using the first musical instrument antenna.

27. An electronic musical instrument system according to claim 26, wherein the electronic musical instrument is configured to perform the changeback when the message reaches a second low performance threshold.

28. An electronic musical instrument system according to claim 27, wherein the second low performance threshold is the same as the first low performance threshold.

29. An electronic musical instrument system according to any one of claims 21 to 28, comprising a plurality of said musical instruments.

30. A method of operating a musical instrument system, the musical instrument system comprising a hub and one or more musical instruments including a first musical instrument, the hub comprising a first hub antenna, the first musical instrument comprising a first musical instrument antenna and a second musical instrument antenna, the method comprising: pairing the first musical instrument with the hub; transmitting one or more instrument signals from the first instrument antenna to the hub antenna; determining that a message using the first musical instrument antenna reaches a low performance threshold; transitioning from said first musical instrument antenna to said second musical instrument antenna; as well as One or more instrument signals are transmitted from the first instrument to the hub using the second instrument antenna.

31. A cymbal assembly comprising: Strike part; an electronic part, located below the striking part, the electronic part including at least a first cymbal edge sensor; and A spacer is located between the first cymbal edge sensor and the bottom surface of the striking part.

32. The cymbal assembly of claim 31, wherein the spacer is a solid material.

33. A cymbal assembly according to claim 31 or claim 32, wherein the spacer is cured silicone.

34. The cymbal assembly of any one of claims 31 to 33, further comprising a pressure member located between the spacer and the first sensor.

35. The cymbal assembly of claim 34, wherein the pressure member is made of a flexible material.

36. A cymbal assembly according to claim 34 or claim 35, wherein the pressure member is made of rubber.

37. A cymbal assembly according to any one of claims 34 to 36, wherein the pressure member is substantially circumferential.

38. A cymbal assembly according to any one of claims 34 to 37, wherein the pressure member is attached to the electronics portion.

39. The cymbal assembly according to any one of claims 34 to 38, wherein the pressure member is attached to a protrusion of the electronic part.

40. The cymbal assembly of any one of claims 34 to 39, wherein at least a portion of a bottom portion of the pressure member is directly on the electronics portion without the first sensor therebetween.

41. A cymbal assembly as claimed in any one of claims 31 to 40, wherein the first cymbal edge sensor is in a channel of the electronics portion.

42. A cymbal assembly according to any one of claims 31 to 41, wherein the electronic portion comprises a sensor module.

43. The cymbal assembly of any one of claims 31 to 42, wherein the first cymbal rim sensor is a FSR sensor.

44. The cymbal assembly of any one of claims 31 to 43, wherein the spacer comprises cured silicone.

45. The cymbal assembly according to any one of claims 34 to 44, wherein the spacer mechanically connects the pressure member to the bottom surface of the striking portion.

46. ​​The cymbal assembly according to any one of claims 34 to 45, wherein the spacer is located directly between the pressure member and the bottom surface of the striking portion.

47. The cymbal assembly of any one of claims 31 to 46, wherein the spacer mechanically connects the first cymbal rim sensor to the bottom surface of the striking portion.

48. A cymbal assembly according to any one of claims 31 to 47, comprising a plurality of said spacers radially surrounding said electronic portion.

49. The cymbal assembly according to any one of claims 31 to 48, wherein the spacer is a first spacer, and further comprising a second spacer, wherein the second spacer is located inside the first spacer.

50. The cymbal assembly of claim 49, wherein the second spacer is located on a raised portion of the electronics portion.

51. A cymbal assembly as claimed in claim 49 or claim 50, wherein the second spacer is located in a recess in the electronics portion.

52. The cymbal assembly of any one of claims 49 to 51, further comprising a third spacer on the inner side of the second spacer.

53. A cymbal assembly comprising: Strike part; an electronic part, located below the striking part; a first cymbal edge sensor, located between the electronic portion and the bottom surface of the striking portion; and A spacer is located between the electronic part and the bottom surface of the striking part.

54. The cymbal assembly of claim 53, wherein the first cymbal edge sensor and the spacer are adjacent to each other.

55. A cymbal assembly as claimed in claim 53 or claim 54, wherein the first cymbal edge sensor is located on the electronics portion and the spacer is located between the first cymbal edge sensor and the bottom surface of the electronics portion.

56. A cymbal assembly as claimed in claim 53 or claim 54, wherein the spacer is located on the electronics portion and the first cymbal edge sensor is located between the spacer and the bottom surface of the electronics portion.

57. A method of forming a cymbal assembly, comprising: placing a spacer material between the electronic portion and the strike portion; and curing the spacer material to form a spacer filling a gap between the electronic part and the striking part.

58. The method of claim 57, further comprising: A pressing member is attached to the electronic portion, wherein the spacer material is placed between the pressing member and a bottom surface of the striking portion.

59. The method according to claim 58, wherein the spacer fills a gap between the pressurizing member and the striking portion.

60. A method according to claim 58 or claim 59, wherein the electronic portion comprises a sensor, and wherein the pressurizing member is located on the sensor.

61. The method of any one of claims 57 to 60, wherein the electronic portion comprises a sensor, and wherein the spacer is located on the sensor.

62. A method according to any one of claims 58 to 61, wherein the pressurizing member is flexible.

63. A method according to any one of claims 58 to 62, wherein the pressurizing member is rubber.

64. A method according to any one of claims 57 to 63, wherein the spacer material is curable silicone.

65. A method according to any one of claims 57 to 64, comprising curing the spacer material to form a plurality of spacers.

66. A cymbal assembly comprising: a striking part, including conductive material; an electronic part, located below the striking part; a conductive component located on the electronic portion and below the striking portion; and One or more sensors are configured to measure a variable corresponding to a distance between the striking portion and the conductive component.

67. The cymbal assembly of claim 66, wherein the one or more sensors include capacitive displacement sensors.

68. A cymbal assembly according to claim 66 or claim 67, wherein the conductive assembly is substantially flat.

69. A cymbal assembly as claimed in any one of claims 66 to 68, wherein the conductive assembly is substantially annular.

70. The cymbal assembly of any one of claims 66 to 69, wherein the conductive assembly substantially surrounds an edge of the electronic portion.

71. A cymbal assembly according to any one of claims 66 to 70, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to identify a cymbal damping and / or a rim strike.

72. The cymbal assembly of any one of claims 66 to 71, further comprising an electronic device configured to receive pulses from the one or more sensors.

73. The cymbal assembly of claim 72, wherein the electronics are configured to differentiate between a strike of the rim and a dampening of the cymbal.

74. A hi-hat assembly comprising: First cymbal; a second cymbal spaced apart from the first cymbal by a spacing distance when the hi-hat assembly is in a resting position; a lever located on the first cymbal, the lever comprising a conductive material; a mounting member located on the first cymbal and adjacent to the lever, the mounting member comprising a conductive material; an actuator located on the second cymbal; and A sensor is located between the first cymbal and the second cymbal, and the sensor is configured to measure the capacitance between the lever and the mounting member.

75. The hi-hat assembly of claim 74, wherein the lever is configured to increase engagement with the engagement surface of the mounting member as the separation distance decreases.

76. The hi-hat assembly of claim 75, wherein the engagement surface is curved.

77. The hi-hat assembly of claim 76, wherein the engagement surface has a plurality of radii of curvature.

78. A hi-hat assembly according to claim 76 or claim 77, wherein the engagement surface is a curved surface of a wood strip.

79. The hi-hat assembly of any one of claims 74 to 78, wherein the mounting member is located between the lever and the first cymbal.

80. The hi-hat assembly of any one of claims 74 to 79, wherein the mounting member comprises a conductive material and a non-conductive material, the non-conductive material separating the lever portion from the conductive material.

81. The hi-hat assembly of any one of claims 74 to 80, wherein the non-conductive material comprises a powder coating.

82. The hi-hat assembly of any one of claims 74 to 81, further comprising an electronic device, wherein the sensor is configured to transmit pulses to the electronic device.

83. The hi-hat assembly of claim 82, wherein the electronic device is configured to transmit the instrument signal to a hub.

84. The hi-hat assembly of any one of claims 74 to 83, wherein the first cymbal and the second cymbal are mounted on a rod.

85. The hi-hat assembly of any one of claims 74 to 84, wherein the lever is in contact with the actuator when the hi-hat assembly is in the rest position.

86. The hi-hat assembly of any one of claims 74 to 85, wherein the lever is displaced by the actuator when the hi-hat assembly is in the rest position.

87. The hi-hat assembly of any one of claims 74 to 86, wherein the lever comprises a spring.

88. The hi-hat assembly of claim 87, wherein the lever comprises a leaf spring.

89. The hi-hat assembly of any one of claims 74 to 88, wherein the lever, the mount, the actuator, and the sensor are located between the first cymbal and the second cymbal.

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