Musical instrument pickup, correspondingly equipped system, and use of an automotive audio bus (A2B) for same

Abstract

The invention relates to a musical instrument pickup (1), in particular for a plucked string instrument and / or a bowed string instrument. The pickup (1) comprises at least one sensor which is designed to convert soundwaves detected by the sensor into electric signals. According to the invention, the pickup (1) has a digital audio bus interface which is designed to transmit electric signals and supply an electric current to at least parts of the musical instrument pickup (1) via a connection cable (K) which can be releasably connected or captively connected to the digital audio bus interface and which only has two wires (D1, D2) or at least two wires (D1, D2). The invention additionally relates to a musical instrument pickup system (10) equipped with said musical instrument pickup and to the use of an automotive audio bus (A2B) for or as an audio bus interface of the pickup (1).

Description

[0001] Musical instrument pickup and an automotive audio bus (A 2 B) for this

[0002] Technical area

[0003] The present invention relates to a musical instrument pickup, in particular for a plucked and / or stringed instrument. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a musical instrument pickup system. Finally, the present invention relates to the use of a physical automotive audio bus (A 2 B) for an audio bus interface or as an audio bus interface of a musical instrument pickup or a musical instrument pickup system.

[0004] State of the art

[0005] Pickups of the type in question here serve to capture the sound waves generated by a musical instrument and convert them into electrical signals. These signals can then, for example, be amplified by a suitable means and emitted again as sound waves via a loudspeaker. For this purpose, the pickup comprises at least one sensor, the type of which depends on the functional principle of the respective musical instrument. For example, a pickup used for electric guitars usually has a sensor with at least one coil arranged directly beneath the strings, so that the vibrations of the metal strings made of a ferromagnetic material generate electromagnetic induction within the coil. Sound pickup in acoustic musical instruments, on the other hand, is based on capturing vibrations present as airborne and / or structure-borne sound.Since such musical instruments usually have their own sound body, a microphone placed nearby is sufficient. However, this only leads to acceptable sound capture under optimal conditions, which can only be achieved in a room specially equipped for this purpose, such as a recording studio. In order to largely eliminate fluctuations resulting from movement and the detection of unwanted background noise in the airborne sound, as well as feedback, the pickup, which includes a sensor in the form of a microphone, can be placed directly on the musical instrument. In this direct contact with the musical instrument, the pickup can have at least one additional sensor, which can be used, for example, to detect structure-borne sound. The goal in any case is the most natural capture and authentic reproduction of the respective instrument's sound.

[0006] US 4,989,491 A discloses a stringed musical instrument with a pickup comprising at least one sensor. The at least one sensor is designed to detect sound waves emanating from the musical instrument and convert them into electrical signals.

[0007] The signals generated by the pickup when the musical instrument is played are transmitted to an audio system via a connecting cable so that they can be played back, for example, only in an amplified form via at least one loudspeaker. The pickup, which is usually equipped with a preamplifier, is usually powered by a suitable power storage device, which can be carried on or in the musical instrument in the form of a battery, for example. Furthermore, the use of two-wire instrument cables (inner conductor and shielding), which are typically connected via a jack plug connection, has become established for connecting instruments to an audio system. However, with the increasing number of sensors, the architecture of the connections required for this increases, so that the pickups known to date still offer room for improvement.

[0008] Object of the invention

[0009] Against this background, the present invention is based on the object of further developing a musical instrument pickup and a musical instrument pickup system equipped therewith in such a way that they enable an overall simple structure and the smallest possible cabling even with a large number of sensors.

[0010] Description of the invention

[0011] Within the present description, the musical instrument pickup can also be referred to simply as a pickup or as a pickup for musical instruments, which, however, always means a musical instrument pickup.

[0012] Accordingly, with regard to the musical instrument pickup, the invention proposes that the pickup now have an audio bus interface, which is designed to transmit electrical signals via a connecting cable and also to supply at least parts of the musical instrument pickup with electrical power (phantom power). The connection between the audio bus interface and the connecting cable can preferably be detachable or non-detachable. Particularly preferably, the audio bus interface can be designed such that a connection to a connecting cable designed as an unshielded or shielded, in particular twisted, two-wire cable is possible.

[0013] The audio bus interface is designed to allow multiple sensors to be connected in series as a "daisy chain," thus minimizing redundant cabling. At the same time, the audio bus interface offers the option of powering at least some components of the pickup via a single, preferably two-wire, connecting cable. This "external" power supply eliminates the need for a local power source otherwise required in or on the musical instrument or pickup. This typically involves at least one replaceable or permanently installed power source, such as a battery or rechargeable accumulator.In addition to eliminating the associated weight and mass, which may even affect the sound of the musical instrument, this also effectively prevents interference or even sudden transmission failures, which can occur if such a power source's energy level is too low. These failures can also be caused by contact problems that occur when changing power sources or due to movement or vibration.

[0014] According to a preferred development of the basic inventive concept, the pickup can comprise at least one A / D converter designed to encode the electrical signals present as analog signals into digital signals. This is particularly relevant if the sensor(s) cannot already provide digital signals on their own. If the sensor(s) or at least one of the sensors can already provide a digital signal, the A / D converter can be omitted accordingly.

[0015] The invention provides that the at least one sensor can be connected directly to the audio bus interface. Alternatively, the sensor or at least one of the sensors can be connected to the audio bus interface via an A / D converter. The A / D converter can be the aforementioned A / D converter. For the purposes of the invention, a direct connection is also understood to mean one that does not require the additional interposition of an A / D converter. Thus, any indirect connection between sensor(s) and the audio bus interface also falls under such a direct connection, provided it does not have an additional A / D converter.

[0016] The audio bus interface can preferably be a clocked digital bus. This can advantageously be configured as a two-wire bus.

[0017] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the musical instrument pickup according to the invention, its audio bus interface can have an audio bus transceiver. This is capable of both transmitting and receiving electrical signals. The audio bus transceiver can thus also be referred to as a transceiver.

[0018] For a preferably detachable connection of a connecting cable to the audio bus interface, the interface can have a connector with only two contact pins. Advantageously, said connector can be connected to the audio bus transceiver.

[0019] According to a particularly preferred embodiment, this connection can be a jack socket. Alternatively, said connection can comprise a jack socket. Particularly with regard to a connecting cable with only two wires, the jack socket can be a mono jack socket. This makes it possible to use a connecting cable that is well-established among musicians and has a

[0020] A jack plug can be connected to the musical instrument's pickup, or more precisely, to its connector. Typically, 6-meter-long connecting cables are used, as is common on stage and in recording studios.

[0021] With regard to the audio bus transceiver of the audio bus interface, it can be particularly advantageously configured to establish a data connection via the connecting cable. The data connection thus established can preferably be multi-channel and / or bidirectional. The invention provides that the audio bus transceiver can establish a data connection with another audio bus transceiver in this way. In contrast to conventional pickups, the data transmission between the audio bus transceivers connected to one another via the connecting cable can be based on a proprietary standard.In other words, the signal emanating from the audio bus transceiver of the musical instrument pickup cannot be directly fed into a conventional end device, such as an amplifier and / or mixing console. Therefore, the audio bus transceiver connected upstream of such an end device first converts the proprietary signals into an audio signal, which can then be processed by the respective end device. The audio bus transceiver located at the end of the connecting cable opposite the musical instrument pickup can therefore also be referred to as the end transceiver. Compared to a traditional transceiver-receiver system, data can be communicated bidirectionally.

[0022] Even though the transmission of signals from two sensors over a two-wire cable is fundamentally also possible using analog technology, the invention aims to achieve a multi-channel digital data connection for transmitting signals from preferably more than two sensors. Especially with more than two sensors, the digital data connection offers advantages over analog signal transmission in terms of the required infrastructure and / or even allows for such a transmission using a two-wire cable.

[0023] It is also conceivable to connect several audio bus transceivers in series, with the at least one audio bus transceiver located between the musical instrument pickup and the final transceiver then being referred to as the intermediate transceiver. This can function as a "slave" and feed signal packets into the bus, while the final transceiver, for example, acts as the "master." It can form the required part of a preamplifier, effectively the input stage. A microcontroller or DSP can then typically be connected to this, which serves for digital signal processing with control elements such as tone and volume. All audio bus transceivers form nodes within the network designed in this way, whose clocks are synchronized.

[0024] The invention provides that the musical instrument pickup can comprise at least one sensor designed to detect airborne sound (airborne sound sensor) and at least one sensor designed to detect structure-borne sound (structure-borne sound sensor). An airborne sound sensor can also be referred to as a microphone, while a structure-borne sound sensor is also known as a contact pickup. Alternatively or additionally, at least one further sensor can be provided, which is designed to convert pressure and / or mechanical stress into electrical signals. Such a sensor can also be referred to as a piezoelectric sensor. Depending on the design, the respective sensor itself can be connected to the audio bus transceiver and / or - if at least one A / D converter is present - to the audio bus transceiver via a two-wire cable or a multi-wire cable having more than two wires.

[0025] The sound of a played note is a complex and intricate process. Its origin is not exclusively located at the location on or within the musical instrument where a sensor of the musical instrument's pickup is located. In fact, there are many sources that only combine in the acoustic field to generate the actual sound of the musical instrument as perceived by the human ear. By using two or more sensors, particularly at different locations on the musical instrument, which have different properties (airborne sound sensor vs. structure-borne sound sensor), the sound capture can be optimized. By digitally processing the signals provided directly by the sensors or by an A / D converter, a significant improvement in sound reproduction can be achieved.This is best achieved when the different source signals can be processed independently of each other in the frequency domain and time domain.

[0026] The musical instrument pickup according to the invention now presented allows for a simple overall design and minimal cabling, even with a large number of sensors. At the same time, it allows the use of the plug-in connector and connecting cable familiar to musicians, for example, to an amplifier.

[0027] The invention is further directed to a musical instrument pickup system comprising at least one musical instrument pickup according to the invention as described above, as well as a connecting cable that can preferably be detachably connected to the connector of this pickup. The resulting advantages have already been explained in more detail in connection with the musical instrument pickup according to the invention, so that, to avoid repetition, reference is made here to the corresponding explanations.

[0028] According to a preferred development of the musical instrument pickup system according to the invention, it can comprise a remote station, which in turn has an audio bus transceiver. This is then connected or connectable to the audio bus transceiver of the musical instrument pickup via the connecting cable. For this purpose, the remote station can preferably have a connection, in particular connected to its audio bus transceiver, to which the connecting cable is connected or connectable, preferably detachably. In a particularly advantageous manner, the connection of the remote station can be designed as or comprise a jack socket, in particular corresponding to a jack plug of the connecting cable.

[0029] The connecting cable can, in principle, be a shielded or unshielded cable. However, given the design of the musical instrument pickup system according to the invention, such shielding is advantageously unnecessary. The connecting cable can have only two wires, which can preferably be twisted together. Alternatively, the connecting cable can have more than two wires, of which only two wires are conductively connected or connectable to the digital audio bus interface of the musical instrument pickup.

[0030] Furthermore, the invention is directed to the use of a physical automotive audio bus (A 2 B) for an audio bus interface or as an audio bus interface of a musical instrument pickup. Preferably, the physical automotive audio bus (A 2B) in connection with the musical instrument pickup according to the invention. Alternatively or additionally, the invention is directed to the use of a physical automotive audio bus (A 2 B) for a musical instrument pickup system with a connecting cable, which may preferably be the musical instrument pickup system according to the invention.

[0031] Alternatively or additionally, the invention provides for the use of a 10BASE-T1L transceiver for an audio bus interface (ABS) or as an audio bus interface of a musical instrument pickup. Alternatively, a 10BASE-T1L-capable device can be used in this context instead of the 10BASE-T1L transceiver.

[0032] Preferably, the physical 10BASE-T1L transceiver or the 10BASE-T1L-capable device can be used in conjunction with the musical instrument pickup according to the invention. Furthermore, alternatively or additionally, the invention is directed to the use of a physical 10BASE-T1L transceiver or a 10BASE-T1L-capable device for a musical instrument pickup system with a connecting cable, which can preferably be the musical instrument pickup system according to the invention.

[0033] In the context of the invention, a 10BASE-T1L capable device is understood to mean an electronic component or an arrangement of such components which enables the transmission of the signals resulting from the sensors or the A / D converter by means of 10BASE-T1L.

[0034] Both the 10BASE-T1L transceiver and the 10BASE-T1L-capable device are designed to transmit signals at a rate of 10 Mbps. These signals are Ethernet signals and, as such, digital signals. They can be transmitted via a connecting cable in the form of a two-wire line with only two, particularly twisted-pair, wires, with segment lengths of up to 1,000 m possible. Furthermore, such a connection can also be used to supply power to components. For example, the use of 10BASE-T1L could deliver up to 60 W of power, with up to 50 W of actually usable power available.

[0035] Instead of the 10BASE-T1L media type used, it is conceivable to replace it with another network technology, such as 10BASE-2, 10BASE-5, 10BASE-F or 10BASE-36, depending on the design and requirements.

[0036] Character description

[0037] The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment schematically illustrated in the single figure, from which further advantageous details and effects can be seen. It shows:

[0038] Fig. 1 shows a musical instrument pickup according to the invention in a purely schematic representation and

[0039] Fig. 2 shows a musical instrument pickup system according to the invention with the musical instrument pickup from Fig. 1 in a purely schematic representation.

[0040] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a musical instrument pickup 1 according to the invention. In the embodiment shown here, the musical instrument pickup 1 comprises, purely by way of example, a total of five sensors S1-S5, of which, also purely by way of example, a total of three sensors S1-S3 are designed to detect sound waves in the form of airborne sound. Each of these sensors S1-S3 can also be referred to as a microphone. Said sensors S1-S3 are combined to form an array SA in order to best record the sound of a musical instrument (not shown in detail here) equipped with the musical instrument pickup 1. A fourth sensor S4 is designed to detect sound waves in the form of structure-borne sound. In particular, when used in or on a plucked or bowed instrument, the fourth sensor S4 can be attached directly to the sound body, in particular to the top, of this musical instrument.A fifth, and in the example shown here, final, sensor S5 is designed as a piezoelectric sensor, which serves to convert pressure and / or mechanical stress into electrical signals. When used in a plucked or bowed instrument, the fifth sensor S5 can, for example, be located in the bridge below the strings to record the vibrations generated by the strings and convert them into electrical signals.

[0041] In the example shown here, all sensors S1-S5 each deliver electrical signals in the form of analog signals. To encode these into digital signals, sensors S1-S5 are first connected to an A / D converter W. For this purpose, each of the sensors S1-S5 is connected to the A / D converter W via its own cable K1-K5 for signal transmission. After the analog signals output by sensors S1-S5 have been encoded, they are sent as digital signals to an audio bus interface ABS. For this purpose, the corresponding digital audio bus interface ABS is connected to the A / D converter W via a suitable cable K6 for signal transmission.

[0042] In contrast to the illustrated embodiment, in which each sensor S1-S5 is coupled to the audio bus interface ABS via the A / D converter W, at least one of the sensors S1-S5 can of course also be connected directly to the audio bus interface ABS. This requires that this sensor S1-S5 is then configured to deliver digital signals.

[0043] The ABS digital audio bus interface is a clock-controlled two-wire digital bus. The ABS audio bus interface has an ABTI audio bus transceiver, which is designed to 2S-Audio and FC control data are transmitted along with clock and power. Furthermore, the audio bus interface ABS has a connector A1 which has only two contact pins P1, P2. Both contact pins P1, P2 of connector A1 are each connected to the audio bus transceiver ABTI via a single wire for transmitting the signal. To illustrate this, the two contact pins P1, P2 in Fig. 1 are each coupled to a contact on the audio bus transceiver ABTI via a cable K7, K8. Of course, a two-wire cable can also be used for this purpose, with each wire connecting one of the contact pins P1, P2 of connector A1 to one of the two contacts on the audio bus transceiver ABTI.

[0044] Finally, the connection A1 comprises a jack socket or is designed as such, which serves to receive a signal-transmitting jack plug (not shown in detail here).

[0045] Fig. 2 shows a musical instrument pickup system 10 according to the invention, which in the exemplary embodiment shown here comprises a single musical instrument pickup, which is the previously described musical instrument pickup 1 according to the invention. A further component of the musical instrument pickup system 10 is a connecting cable K, which can preferably be detachably connected or coupled to the connection A1 of the musical instrument pickup 1. For better clarity, the length of the connecting cable K is variable, which is indicated by two parallel, spaced-apart, inclined and interrupted lines. A jack plug C1, C2 is arranged at each end of the connecting cable K. As can be seen, the connecting cable K in the example shown here is a two-wire cable having two twisted cores D1, D2.For clarity, one of the wires Dl is shown with a continuous wavy line, while the other wire D2 is visible as a broken wavy line. The connecting cable K can preferably be unshielded, although a shielded version can also be used alternatively. Of course, the connecting cable K can also have more than two wires Dl, D2, of which only two wires Dl, D2 are then conductively connected, and thus signal-transmitting, to the two jack plugs C1, C2. In any case, the connecting cable K can be connected to the audio bus interface ABS of the musical instrument pickup 1 by coupling one of its two jack plugs C1 to the connection A1 of the musical instrument pickup 1 (only indicated here).

[0046] In order to process the signals transmitted in this way, a remote station G is provided in the embodiment shown here, which also has an audio bus transceiver ABT2 with a connector A2 in the form of a jack socket. Alternatively, the connector A2 can comprise such a jack socket. What has already been said about the musical instrument pickup 1 applies equally to the design of the connector A2 and its connection to the audio bus transceiver ABT2 of the remote station G. Thus, the connecting cable K can also be connected to the audio bus transceiver ABT2 of the remote station G by coupling the other jack plug C2 of the connecting cable K to its connector A2 (also only indicated here).

[0047] Advantageously, both terminals A1, A2 can be designed for coupling a jack plug C1, C2 with a *4" (equivalent to 6.35 mm) outer diameter, as is commonly used for music production devices and on musical instruments equipped with a pickup. Since the terminals A1, A2 each have only two contact poles P1, P2, the respective jack socket can preferably be a mono jack socket. Of course, at least one of the jack sockets can also be designed as a stereo jack socket with more than two contact poles P1, P2 (not shown here), in which case only two of the total of three contact surfaces of the stereo jack socket, which are separated from one another by insulators, are connected to one of the two contact poles P1, P2 in a signal-transmitting manner.

[0048] In any case, the audio bus transceiver ABTI is designed to establish a data connection to the remote station G via the connecting cable K. Said data connection is preferably multi-channel and / or bidirectional. The digital audio bus interface ABS of the musical instrument pickup 1 is designed to both transmit electrical signals to the remote station G and to supply at least part of the musical instrument pickup 1 with electrical power via the remote station G.

[0049] The audio bus transceiver ABT2 of the remote station G is designed to translate the signals arriving from the audio bus transceiver ABTI of the musical instrument pickup 1 into another protocol, which can then be further processed by devices commonly used in this area. This can be a conventional protocol such as FC, FS, TDM, or PDM.

[0050] In the simplest case, the remote station G can be connected via a further cable line K9, for example, to an amplifier V, which in turn is connected via a cable line K10, K11 to a loudspeaker LI, L2. In this way, the sound picked up by a musical instrument (not shown in detail here) can be transmitted via the connecting cable K to the remote station G by the musical instrument pickup 1, from where the signals generated for this purpose can be amplified via the amplifier V and re-radiated by the loudspeakers LI, L2 in real time. A physical automotive audio bus (A 2 B) used as audio bus interface ABS.

[0051] List of reference symbols

[0052] 1 - Musical instrument pickup

[0053] 10 - Musical instrument pickup system

[0054] Al - connection of 1

[0055] A2 - Connection from G

[0056] ABTI - Audio Bus Transceiver from 1

[0057] ABT2 - Audio bus transceiver from G

[0058] CI - jack plug from K

[0059] C2 - Jack plug from K

[0060] Dl - vein of K

[0061] D2 - Vein of K

[0062] G - Remote station

[0063] K - Connecting cable of 10

[0064] Kl - Cable line between S1 and W

[0065] K2 - Cable line between S2 and W

[0066] K3 - Cable line between S3 and W

[0067] K4 - Cable line between S4 and W

[0068] K5 - Cable line between S5 and W

[0069] K6 - Cable line between W and ABTI

[0070] K7 - Cable line between ABTI and PI of Al

[0071] K8 - Cable line between ABTI and P2 of Al

[0072] K9 - Cable line between ABT2 and V

[0073] K10 - Cable line between V and LI

[0074] Kl 1 - Cable line between V and L2

[0075] LI - Speaker

[0076] L2 - Speaker

[0077] PI - contact pole of Al

[0078] P2 - contact pole of Al

[0079] SA - Array of S1 -S3

[0080] 51 - Sensor of 1

[0081] 52 - Sensor of 1

[0082] 53 - Sensor of 1

[0083] 54 - Sensor of 1 S5 Sensor of 1

[0084] WA / D converter of 1

Claims

Patent claims 1. Musical instrument pickup (1), in particular for a plucked instrument and / or bowed instrument, comprising at least one sensor (S1-S5) which is designed to convert sound waves detected by it, in particular airborne sound or structure-borne sound, into electrical signals, characterized by a digital audio bus interface (ABS) which is designed to transmit electrical signals and supply at least parts of the musical instrument pickup (1) with electrical current via a connecting cable (K) which can be detachably or permanently connected to it, in particular in the form of an unshielded or shielded, preferably twisted, two-wire cable.

2. Musical instrument pickup (1) according to claim 1, characterized by at least one A / D converter (W) which is configured to encode the electrical signals present as analog signals into digital signals.

3. Musical instrument pickup (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sensor (S1-S5) is connected directly or via an A / D converter (W), in particular the A / D converter (W), to the audio bus interface (ABS).

4. Musical instrument pickup (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the audio bus interface (ABS) is a clocked, controllable two-wire digital bus.

5. Musical instrument pickup (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the audio bus interface (ABS) has an audio bus transceiver (ABTI).

6. Musical instrument pickup (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the audio bus interface (ABS) has a, in particular with a or the Audio bus transceiver (ABTI) connected, has a connection (Al) with only two contact poles (Pl, P2).

7. Musical instrument pickup (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the connection (Al) is a jack socket, in particular a mono jack socket, or comprises one.

8. Musical instrument pickup (1) according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the audio bus transceiver (ABTI) is configured to establish a data connection, preferably multi-channel and / or bidirectional, via the connecting cable (K), in particular with a further audio bus transceiver (ABT2).

9. Musical instrument pickup (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by at least one sensor (S1-S3) designed to detect airborne sound and at least one sensor (S4) designed to detect structure-borne sound.

10. Musical instrument pickup (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by at least one further sensor (S5) which is designed to convert pressure and / or mechanical stress into electrical signals.

11. Musical instrument pickup system (10), comprising at least one musical instrument pickup (1) according to one of the preceding claims and a connecting cable (K) that can be connected, in particular detachably, to the connection (Al) of the musical instrument pickup (1).

12. Musical instrument pickup system (10) according to claim 11, characterized by a counterpart (G) with an audio bus transceiver (ABT2), which is connected or connectable to the audio bus transceiver (ABTI) of the counterpart (G) via the connecting cable (K), which is detachably connected or connectable, in particular to a connection (A2) of the counterpart (G). musical instrument pickup (1) is connected or connectable.

13. Musical instrument pickup system (10) according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the connecting cable (K) is shielded or unshielded.

14. Musical instrument pickup system (10) according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the connecting cable (K) has only two, in particular twisted, conductors (D1, D2) or has more than two conductors (D1, D2), of which only two conductors (D1, D2) are conductively connected or connectable to the digital audio bus interface (ABS) of the musical instrument pickup (1).

15. Use of a physical automotive audio bus (A 2 B) for an audio bus interface (ABS) or as such an audio bus interface (ABS) of a musical instrument pickup (1), in particular according to one of claims 1 to 10, or of a musical instrument pickup system (10) comprising a connecting cable (K), in particular according to one of claims 11 to 14.

16. Use of a physical 1OBASE-T1L transceiver or a 10BASE-T1L capable device for an audio bus interface (ABS) or as such an audio bus interface (ABS) of a musical instrument pickup (1), in particular according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or of a musical instrument pickup system (10) comprising a connecting cable (K), in particular according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

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