Portable Drum Kit Container with Acoustic Baffles
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Solution Overview
Problem
The cumbersome and space-intensive process of packing, transporting, and unpacking a standard four-piece drum kit, which requires separate suitcases or trunks for each drum, poses a significant logistical challenge due to limited transportation space.
Innovation Solution
A compact storage container designed to house a small bass drum, incorporating an acoustic configuration with a chamber, channel, and aperture to enhance the sound quality, allowing other drums to be removed during performances while the bass drum remains inside, and featuring a secondary compartment for additional drum equipment, forming a portable and compact arrangement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a standard four-piece drum kit is packed in separate suitcases or trunks, then each drum can be protected individually, but the total transportation space required and the load become significant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple drum storage functions into a single integrated container. The container houses a bass drum in a dedicated lower section with acoustic configuration, while the upper section provides removable drum racks that can hold tom-toms, snare drums, and cymbals. This merging of previously separate storage units reduces the number of separate suitcases needed and consolidates the transportation load into one manageable unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The container design nests multiple drum components within a single structure. The bass drum is positioned in the lower section, while the upper section contains removable racks that can accommodate additional drums and percussion equipment. This nesting arrangement allows multiple instruments to be stored within the footprint of a single container, significantly reducing the total volume required for transportation.
2Volume of moving object
If a small bass drum (e.g., 16′′) is used to fit in the container, then the container size is reduced for portability, but the deep resonant tone typically associated with larger bass drums is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing an acoustic configuration specifically in the lower section of the container where the bass drum is positioned. This includes acoustic baffles and reflective surfaces arranged to optimize the sound projection and resonance of the bass drum within the confined space. The acoustic treatment is localized to the bass drum area rather than the entire container, allowing the small bass drum to produce deep resonant tones despite the limited overall container size.
Solution Approach 2:
The acoustic baffles and reflective surfaces act as intermediaries between the bass drum and the surrounding environment. These acoustic elements mediate the sound waves generated by the small bass drum, directing and amplifying the resonant frequencies to compensate for the smaller drum size. The intermediary acoustic structures enable the small bass drum to produce sound quality comparable to larger drums.
3Ease of operation
If all drums are stored in a single container, then transportation is simplified, but the bass drum occupies space that could be used for other drum equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the container into distinct functional zones: a lower section dedicated to housing the bass drum with acoustic configuration, and an upper section with removable racks for storing tom-toms, snare drums, and cymbals. This segmentation allows the bass drum to occupy its required space while still enabling the container to accommodate additional drum equipment in the upper section, thereby maintaining both transportation convenience and equipment capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The container incorporates removable and adjustable components, including drum racks that can be taken out or reconfigured. This dynamic design allows flexible arrangement of equipment based on performance needs. The bass drum remains fixed in the lower section, while the upper section components can be dynamically adjusted or removed to optimize space utilization for different drum configurations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient storage and transport of a drum kit while maintaining the desired deep resonant tone typically associated with larger bass drums, by utilizing acoustic baffles to propagate sound within the container, thus optimizing space and performance sound quality.
Implementation Method 1
incorporating an acoustic configuration within the container (i.e., an acoustic chamber, channel and aperture) and positioned behind the bass drum. Additional baffling elements may be formed within the acoustic chamber in the container that propagate the sound created by the small bass drum through the container in a manner that creates the desired, deep resonant tone.
Data Source
AI summary
A drum kit container is configured to house various compartments sufficient to stow all of the equipment needed by a drummer in setting up a drum kit. One compartment is sized to house a relatively small bass drum, with an acoustic chamber formed behind this compartment and used to improve the sound of a small bass drum so that it sounds more like a larger bass drum as generally used in performance.