Automatic Player Piano Delay Cancellation via Electronic Actuators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing music performance systems with automatic player pianos experience significant time lag between a human player's fingering on a master instrument and the production of tones on a slave instrument, primarily due to data transfer delays and the time taken by solenoid-operated key actuators, which disrupts the smoothness of music sessions, especially when connected through data communication networks like the internet.
Innovation Solution
A music performance system that includes a master musical instrument with manipulators, a converter, an information processing system, and a communication system to transmit performance data to a slave instrument, which features actuators, a mechanical tone generating system, and an electronic tone generating system, along with a delay canceller to reduce the time lag between data transmission and tone generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If solenoid-operated key actuators are used to transfer music data from master to slave instrument, then automatic playing function is achieved, but significant time lag occurs between fingering and tone production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical solenoid-operated key actuator system with an electronic key actuator system. The electronic actuator directly moves the key based on control signals from the master instrument, eliminating the mechanical complexity and time delay associated with solenoid mechanisms. This substitution maintains automatic playing functionality while significantly reducing the time lag between fingering and tone production.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a delay canceller that predicts and compensates for transmission delays before they occur. By calculating the expected delay time and advancing the timing of key actuation accordingly, the system pre-adjusts for the time lag, making the slave instrument's response appear synchronized with the master instrument's performance in real-time.
2Adaptability or versatility
If data is transmitted through communication network between master and slave instrument, then remote music session is enabled, but time lag and data transfer delays increase
Solution Approach 1:
The delay canceller measures the actual data transmission time between master and slave instruments and calculates a compensation value. This compensation value is then used to advance the timing of performance data transmission, so that the slave instrument's key actuation and tone production are synchronized with the master instrument's performance, effectively canceling out the network-induced time lag.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the slave instrument measures its own response time and transmission delay, then feeds this information back to adjust the timing of subsequent performance data. This closed-loop control allows the system to dynamically compensate for network variations and maintain synchronized performance despite changing network conditions.
3Extent of automation
If solenoid-operated key actuators are used, then automatic key movement is achieved, but the response time consumes hundreds of milliseconds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the solenoid-operated mechanical key actuator with an electronic key actuator that uses electronic components to directly move the key. This substitution eliminates the inherent delays of solenoid magnetic field buildup, plunger movement, and mechanical linkage, achieving much faster key response times while maintaining automatic key movement capability.
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
The system effectively synchronizes the movements of manipulators on both instruments, reducing time lag and allowing for concurrent music performance on both the master and slave instruments, ensuring that the audience experiences a seamless musical performance without noticeable delays.
Implementation Method 1
The automatic player has solenoid-operated key actuators, which are installed under the keyboard, and are selectively energized under the control of a computer system
Data Source
AI summary
Automatic player pianos and internet form a music performance system for a music session on the automatic player pianos through data communication between the automatic player pianos, and a communication time lag and mechanical time lag are unavoidably introduced between the data transmission and the data reception and between the data reception and tone generation; one of or both of the time lags are compensated by employment of an electronic tone generation, presumption of key positions or presumption of key event so that the slave automatic player piano generates the tones almost concurrently with the tones generated through the master automatic player piano.