Acoustic Gesture Control for Musical Instruments

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Solution Overview

Problem

Musicians face challenges in controlling audio software and effect devices without taking their hands off the instrument or using foot pedals, especially when playing instruments that require both hands, leading to mental distraction and reduced musical quality.

Innovation Solution

A tone input device with a sound classifier that analyzes tone signals from musical instruments to identify specific sound patterns, generating command signals for controlling audio software and effect devices, allowing for hands-free operation and intuitive control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If musicians use additional hardware (foot pedals, MIDI controllers) to control audio software and effect devices, then control functionality is improved, but mental distraction increases and musical quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol functionalityVSAvoidmusical quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The musical instrument is equipped with a pickup that serves dual functions: generating musical tones and generating control signals. The same pickup hardware that captures string vibrations for audio output also detects percussive notes and converts them into MIDI control signals, eliminating the need for separate control devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention merges the tone generation function and control signal generation function into a single integrated system. The pickup, amplifier, and processor work together as one unit that simultaneously handles both musical performance and software control without requiring separate foot pedals or controllers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If musicians use foot pedals to control effect devices, then control functionality is improved, but operation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol functionalityVSAvoidoperation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the control signal generation capability from the musical performance process itself. By detecting percussive notes through the existing pickup and amplifier system, the invention derives control signals directly from the performance without requiring external control hardware.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Adaptability or versatility

If MIDI pickup is used to convert played notes into MIDI signals, then control signal generation is improved, but simultaneous playing and transmitting cannot be performed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol signal generationVSAvoidsimultaneous performance capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the signal processing into different frequency or temporal domains. The system separates tone signal processing from control signal detection, allowing both functions to operate simultaneously without interfering with each other. The amplifier can process musical tones while the processor simultaneously analyzes the same signal for percussive notes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary analysis of the tone signal to identify percussive notes before they interfere with normal playing. By detecting and processing control-relevant signals in advance through the amplifier and processor, the system can generate control signals without affecting the simultaneous musical performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Measurement precision

If sound patterns are interrupted for command signal generation, then control precision is improved, but tone signal output is affected

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol precisionVSAvoidtone signal output

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS9117429B2Input interface for generating control signals by acoustic gestures

Publication Date: 2015.08.25 FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV

AI summary

Tone input device having a tone signal input, a tone signal output and a sound classifier connected to the tone signal input for receiving a tone signal incoming at the tone signal input and for analyzing the tone signal for identifying, within the tone signal, one or several tone signal passages corresponding to at least one condition. Further, the tone input device has a command signal generator connected to the sound classifier for generating a command signal allocated to the at least one condition, and a command output for outputting the command signal to a command processing unit. The sound classifier is configured to interrupt an output of the tone signal via the tone signal output for a duration of the one or several tone signal passages, when the at least one condition exists. A related tone generation device has, in particular, a command processing unit for generating a processed tone signal from the incoming tone signal according to a processing regulation determined by the command signal, up to a cancelling command signal. Respective methods and computer programs are also disclosed.