Resonance device and resonance device unit

Abstract

To provide a resonance device and resonance device unit capable of sustaining sound emitted by tuning forks or singing bowls for extended periods.SOLUTION: A resonance device 1 of the present invention comprises: a sound-producing body 60 that vibrates to generate sound; a microphone 30 that picks up the sound and converts it into an electrical signal; an amplifier 40 that amplifies the electrical signal converted by the microphone; and a vibration speaker 50 that outputs the amplified electrical signal as mechanical vibration. The vibration speaker is installed on the sound-producing body. According to the resonance device of the present invention, the sound emitted by a tuning fork or singing bowl can be sustained for a long time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a resonator and a resonator unit that can sustain the sound emitted by a tuning fork or singing bowl for a long period of time. [Background technology]

[0002] Various vibration generators using a tuning fork and resonators using a tuning fork and a resonance box are known. For example, an electromagnetic tuning fork is known that can forcibly keep vibrating by using an electromagnet. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses a tuning fork structure in which multiple tuning forks with different natural frequencies are arranged on a resonance box, and by using this tuning fork structure, it is possible to train one's sense of pitch using accurate live sound.

[0003] Furthermore, as an example of using a tuning fork-type crystal unit instead of a tuning fork, Patent Document 2 discloses an electronic musical instrument that includes a plurality of tuning fork-type crystal units with different natural frequencies, an oscillation circuit that causes the tuning fork-type crystal units to oscillate, a keyboard that controls the oscillation operation, a speaker, etc. With this electronic musical instrument, any tuning fork can be vibrated by operating the keyboard, and sound can be output from the speaker. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3093634 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-146598 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Using an electromagnetic tuning fork allows the sound it emits to last for a long time, but the fork's prongs must be modified to react to the magnetic force of the electromagnet, which may change the tuning fork's natural frequency.

[0006] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a resonator and a resonator unit that can sustain the sound emitted by a tuning fork or singing bowl for a long period of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The resonator of the present invention comprises a sound-producing body that vibrates to produce sound, a microphone that picks up the sound and converts it into an electrical signal, an amplifier that amplifies the electrical signal converted by the microphone, and a vibration speaker that outputs the amplified electrical signal as mechanical vibration, and is characterized in that the vibration speaker is installed on the sound-producing body. The sound-generating body may be composed of a resonance box and a tuning fork installed in the resonance box, and the vibration speaker may be installed in the resonance box. The sound-producing body may be a crystal singing bowl, and the vibration speaker may be installed in the crystal singing bowl. The microphone is preferably an electret condenser microphone. The resonator unit of the present invention includes a plurality of the above-described resonators, and the natural frequencies of the sound-generating bodies of the respective resonators are the same or different. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The resonator of the present invention allows the sound emitted by a tuning fork or singing bowl to last for a long period of time. The resonator unit of the present invention can simultaneously sustain sounds of multiple frequencies for a long period of time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1A is a front view of a resonator according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1B is a left side view of the resonator according to the first embodiment; [Figure 2] Schematic plan views of the resonator (a) and (b) [Figure 3]1A is a perspective view of a resonator according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 1C is a plan view of the resonator according to the second embodiment. [Figure 4] Schematic plan view of the resonator unit [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically illustrating a modified example of the resonator unit; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of a resonator according to the present invention will be described. The resonator 1 is a device that can sustain the sound emitted by a tuning fork for a long period of time. As shown in Figure 1, the resonator 1 is roughly composed of a sound-generating body 60 (tuning fork 10, resonance box 20), a microphone 30, an amplifier 40, and a vibration speaker 50.

[0011] The sound generating body 60 is an object that generates sound by vibration, and in this embodiment is made up of a tuning fork 10 and a resonance box 20 . The tuning fork 10 may be a typical one consisting of a U-shaped portion 11 and rod-shaped legs 12. In this embodiment, the tuning fork 10 has a natural frequency of 528 Hz, known as the Solfeggio frequency. There are no particular restrictions on the material of the tuning fork, and it may be made of, for example, carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, duralumin, or an alloy of these. The resonance box 20 is a hollow box designed to resonate only with sounds of a certain frequency, and has an opening 21 at the front. By using the resonance box 20, the sound generated by the vibration of the tuning fork 10 can be made louder. In this embodiment, a resonance box 20 that resonates only with sounds of 528 Hz is used. A support 22 is installed on the top surface of the resonance box 20. The support 22 has holes extending downward from its top surface, and the tuning fork 10 is installed on the resonance box 20 by inserting the legs 12 of the tuning fork 10 into the holes. It is preferable to fix the support 22 to the top surface of the resonance box 20, and it is particularly preferable to fix the support 22 to the center of the top surface of the resonance box 20 (above the center line L1, which will be described later). The orientation of tuning fork 10 may be such that the U-shape of U-shaped portion 11 is visible when viewed from the front as shown in Figure 1(a), or it may be such that tuning fork 10 is rotated 90 degrees around the axis of leg portion 12, or any angle between 0 and 90 degrees.

[0012] The microphone 30 is a device that picks up the sound generated by the vibration of the tuning fork 10 and converts it into an electrical signal. The microphone 30 is placed on the side of the U-shaped portion 11 with a small gap provided therebetween. The type of microphone 30 is not particularly limited, and common microphones such as dynamic microphones, condenser microphones, ribbon microphones, and electret condenser microphones can be used, with electret condenser microphones being particularly preferred.

[0013] The amplifier 40 is a device for amplifying the electrical signal converted by the microphone 30. The amplifier 40 has a knob 41 for adjusting the output, and is powered by a battery (not shown). The vibration speaker 50 is a device that outputs an electrical signal amplified by the amplifier 40 as mechanical vibration. The vibration speaker 50 is installed on the top surface of the resonance box 20. The installation position of the vibration speaker 50 varies depending on the natural frequency of the tuning fork 10 and the shape, dimensions, and material of the resonance box 20. However, as shown in FIG. 2(a), it is generally preferable to place the legs 12 of the tuning fork 10 on the center line L1 in the left-right direction (width direction) of the top surface of the resonance box 20, and to install the center of the vibration speaker 50 on the center line L1, between the opening 21 of the resonance box 20 and the tuning fork 10. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2(b), it is preferable to install the center of the vibration speaker 50 on the center point P1 of the line segment L2 connecting the opening 21 and the center of the legs 12 of the tuning fork 10. If the center of the vibration speaker 50 is unknown, it is sufficient to position the vibration surface of the vibration speaker 50 so that it overlaps the center line L1 or the center point P1. The vibrations generated by the vibration speaker 50 are transmitted to the resonance box 20, causing it to vibrate.

[0014] After much research, the inventors of the present application created the resonator 1 with the above configuration. They discovered that by striking the tuning fork 10 with a mallet or the like to vibrate it, and adjusting the output of the amplifier 40 with the knob 41 as needed, the sound emitted from the resonance box 20 can be sustained for a long time without decaying. The sound emitted from the resonance box 20 can be sustained until the battery in the amplifier 40 runs out. The principle behind the resonator device 1 of the present invention being able to sustain sound for a long period of time is not clear at this time. For example, as proposed in Option 1, it is possible that a loop is maintained in which vibrations are transmitted from the vibration speaker 50 to the resonance box 20, which then resonates and vibrates the resonance box 20, and these vibrations are transmitted via the support 22 from the legs 12 of the tuning fork 10 to the U-shaped portion 11, causing the tuning fork 10 to vibrate. Alternatively, as proposed in Option 2, it is possible that a loop is maintained in which vibrations are transmitted from the vibration speaker 50 to the resonance box 20, which then resonates and generates a resonance sound, which is then picked up by the microphone 30, and the electrical signal converted by the microphone 30 is input again to the vibration speaker 50, which vibrates the resonance box 20, causing the resonance sound to be generated. Furthermore, it is possible that both Proposal 1 and Proposal 2 are at work.

[0015] Furthermore, the inventors of the present application discovered that when the distance between the tuning fork 10 and the microphone 30 is brought to 2 to 3 mm, sound gradually begins to come out of the resonance box 20 over time simply by driving the amplifier 40 without striking the tuning fork 10, and the sound eventually increases to the same level as if the tuning fork 10 had been struck, and this sound can sometimes be sustained for a long period of time. The principle behind how sound can be produced from resonance box 20 and continue for a long period of time even when tuning fork 10 is not being struck is also unclear at this time. For example, it is possible that a specific frequency sound (e.g., sound at the natural frequency of tuning fork 10) from the environmental and everyday sounds around resonator 1 is picked up by microphone 30 and converted into an electrical signal, which is amplified by amplifier 40, the amplified electrical signal is input to vibration speaker 50, which vibrates resonance box 20, causing tuning fork 10 to begin to vibrate slightly as well. As this continues, the energy input to tuning fork 10 increases, and finally tuning fork 10 begins to vibrate at its natural frequency, producing the same effect as if tuning fork 10 had been struck and made to vibrate. According to experiments conducted by the inventors of the present application, in quiet environments, sound can be produced from the resonance box 20 without striking the tuning fork 10, and can be sustained for a longer period of time in many cases, compared to environments with a lot of surrounding noise. The resonance device 1 of the present invention can sustain the sound emitted by the tuning fork for a long period of time regardless of the material of the tuning fork (carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, duralumin, alloys of these, etc.) through the synergistic effect of the vibration speaker, which is a speaker that produces sound by resonating the contact surface, and the resonance box.

[0016] The resonator 1 of the present invention, which can sustain sound for a long period of time, can be used in the same way as a general tuning fork for musical purposes, such as tuning musical instruments and checking the fundamental pitch of vocalization, in medical applications such as hearing tests, sensory tests, and peripheral nerve disorder tests, and for healing purposes, such as applying the vibrations of the tuning fork to the body to improve physical condition. In particular, when used for healing purposes, the resonator 1 of the present invention can apply the vibrations of the tuning fork 10 to the human body for a long period of time, resulting in a more pronounced healing effect than a general tuning fork, whose sound decays after a certain period of time.

[0017] It is also possible to produce so-called vibrational water by placing water in a plastic bottle or similar in front of the resonator 1 and continuously exposing it to sound for a certain period of time. Research on vibrational water is limited, and there is currently little scientific evidence that ingesting vibrational water has any beneficial effects on the human body. However, according to Professor Yosuke Egawa of Kokushikan University's "Does Water with Transmitted Vibrational Energy (Vibrational Water) Affect Recovery from Mental Stress?" (Kokushikan Humanities Review Vol. 1, pp. 29-37, 2020), vibrational water is defined as "water that has been energized by transferring vibrational wave energy related to the normalization of the human body." Furthermore, an investigation into the effect of vibrational water on recovery from mental stress concluded that "ingesting vibrational water resulted in a rapid recovery from mental tension." Considering these points, while there are various theories about how vibrational water can be produced, it is possible to produce vibrational water by placing water in a plastic bottle or similar in front of the resonator 1 and continuously exposing it to sound for an extended period of time, as described above.

[0018] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the resonator of the present invention will be described. The same components as those in the first embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIGS. 3( a ) and 3 ( b ), the resonator 3 of this embodiment is characterized in that the sound generating body 60 is composed of a crystal singing bowl 61 . A singing bowl is a vessel that produces a unique soothing tone and harmonic overtones by tapping or rubbing the rim with a stick (Source: International Singing Bowl Association). A crystal singing bowl is a singing bowl made of crystal.

[0019] The microphone 30 picks up the sound produced by striking or rubbing the crystal singing bowl 61 to vibrate it, and converts it into an electrical signal. The microphone 30 is placed on the outer upper edge of the crystal singing bowl 61 with a small gap between them. The amplifier 40 is housed in a housing 62 . The vibration speaker 50 is in contact with the outer upper edge of the crystal singing bowl 61 via a cushioning material 63 such as felt. Microphone 30 and vibration speaker 50 are connected to housing 62 via flexible arm 64. It is preferable to bring crystal singing bowl 61 and microphone 30 close to each other by 2 to 3 mm, and to separate microphone 30 and vibration speaker 50 by approximately 8 to 10 cm. Vibrations generated by vibration speaker 50 are transmitted to crystal singing bowl 61, causing it to vibrate.

[0020] After completing the resonator 1 of the first embodiment described above, the inventors of the present application created the resonator 3 of the second embodiment. They then discovered that by striking the crystal singing bowl 61 with a stick or the like to vibrate it, and adjusting the output of the amplifier 40 with the knob 41 as needed, the sound emitted from the crystal singing bowl 61 can be sustained for a long time without decaying. The sound emitted from the crystal singing bowl 61 can be sustained until the battery of the amplifier 40 runs out. The principle behind how the resonator 3 of this embodiment can sustain a sound for a long time is also not clear at this time. As shown in Figure 3(c), it is possible to produce vibrational water by placing water in a plastic bottle or similar in front of or inside the center of a crystal singing bowl 61. Furthermore, when a crystal singing bowl is continuously vibrated in a resonant manner, electricity is generated due to the piezoelectric effect of the crystal. This generated electricity may have some positive effect on the vibrational water, and may also have some positive effect on the sound produced by the crystal singing bowl. In the first embodiment, a combination of a resonance box and a tuning fork was used as the sound-producing body that vibrates to produce sound, and in the second embodiment, a crystal singing bowl was used, but it is possible that a singing bowl that is not made of crystal could also be used as a substitute.

[0021] Next, an embodiment of the resonator unit of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the resonator unit 2 includes a plurality of the above-described resonators 1 (three in this embodiment), and is characterized in that the natural frequencies of the tuning forks 100a to 102a included in the respective resonators 100 to 102 are the same or different. For example, the natural frequency of tuning fork 100a of first resonator 100 is 528 Hz, the natural frequency of tuning fork 101a of second resonator 101 is 396 Hz, and the natural frequency of tuning fork 102a of third resonator 102 is 444 Hz. Furthermore, openings 100c to 102c of each of resonance boxes 100b to 102b are arranged to face a point P2. By using this resonator unit 2, it is possible to generate sounds of different frequencies from the first to third resonators 100-102 and generate chords by combining these sounds. This allows the human body, for example, to be exposed to sounds of three different frequencies for a long period of time, resulting in more pronounced healing and medical effects than when using the resonator 1 alone. It is also possible to produce vibrational water by exposing water to three different vibrations. For example, by placing a plastic bottle filled with water, coffee in the dripping state, a crystal, or the like at point P2, it may be possible to transfer vibrations to these objects. Alternatively, the natural frequencies of tuning forks 100a, 101a, and 102a may be unified to 528 Hz, or the natural frequencies of tuning forks 100a and 101a may be set to 528 Hz and the natural frequency of tuning fork 102a may be set to 396 Hz. By arranging the openings of multiple resonators with the same natural frequency facing each other, it is possible to apply large amounts of energy to a single point P2 from multiple directions. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of resonators according to the second embodiment may be arranged, and the natural frequencies of the crystal singing bowls provided in the respective resonators 103 to 105 may be the same or different. [Industrial Applicability]

[0022] The present invention provides a resonator and a resonator unit that can sustain the sound emitted by a tuning fork or singing bowl for a long period of time, and has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] PB PET bottle 1 Resonator 2 Resonator Unit 3 Resonator 10 Tuning Forks 11 U-shaped part 12 Legs 20 Resonance Box 21 Opening 22 Support 30 microphones 40 amps 41 Knob 50 Vibration Speaker 61 Crystal Singing Bowl 62 Case 63 Cushioning material 64 Flexible Arm 100 1st resonance device 100a tuning fork 100b resonance box 100c aperture 101 Second resonance device 101a Tuning fork 101b Resonance box 101c aperture 102 Third Resonator 102a Tuning fork 102b Resonance box 102c aperture 103~105 Resonator

Claims

1. The device comprises a sound-generating body that vibrates to produce sound, a microphone that picks up the sound and converts it into an electrical signal, an amplifier that amplifies the electrical signal converted by the microphone, and a vibration speaker that outputs the amplified electrical signal as mechanical vibration, A resonator device characterized in that the vibration speaker is installed on the sound-producing body.

2. The sound-generating body is composed of a resonance box and a tuning fork installed on the resonance box, The resonator device according to claim 1, wherein the vibration speaker is installed in the resonator box.

3. The sound-producing body is made of a crystal singing bowl, 2. The resonator of claim 1, wherein the vibration speaker is installed in the crystal singing bowl.

4. 4. The resonator device according to claim 1, wherein the microphone is an electret condenser microphone.

5. A plurality of the resonator devices according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is provided, A resonator unit characterized in that the natural frequencies of the sound-generating bodies provided in each resonator are the same or different.

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