Stringed Instrument Neck Profiling From Hand Anatomy
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Solution Overview
Problem
The process of finding a neck of suitable dimensions and profile for a stringed instrument is cumbersome due to the large number of possible dimensions and profile shapes, requiring extensive testing with physical models, which is inefficient and impractical.
Innovation Solution
A method for forming the neck of a stringed instrument that considers the musician's anatomy and physiology by using a profile measurer or camera-based method to determine the neck profile based on relaxed joint positions and movements, ensuring a comfortable playing position without strain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If physical model pieces or stringed instruments are used for testing various neck dimensions and profiles, then the musician can evaluate the playing comfort and hand position, but the process becomes time-consuming and impractical due to the large number of possible dimensions and profile shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a 3D scanner to create a digital copy of the musician's hand, replacing the need for physical trial instruments. The scanned hand model is then used to simulate and evaluate various neck profiles virtually, significantly reducing testing time while maintaining measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of physically trying out multiple instruments with a digital simulation system. The 3D scanned hand model is processed through software that calculates optimal neck profiles based on anatomical data, eliminating the need for physical trial-and-error testing.
2Ease of operation
If the neck profile is designed to accommodate various hand positions and joint movements, then the playing comfort is improved, but the complexity of determining the optimal profile increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent systematically varies multiple geometric parameters of the neck profile (radius, width, curvature at different positions) based on the scanned hand's anatomical measurements. The software automatically adjusts these parameters to generate optimal profiles that accommodate the musician's specific hand geometry and joint ranges of motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the musician's own hand anatomy as the basis for determining the optimal neck profile. The 3D scan captures the hand's natural dimensions and joint positions, and the software generates a customized profile that is inherently suited to that individual's anatomy, eliminating the need for complex manual measurement and design processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for shaping a neck of a stringed instrument, wherein measuring the musician's palm length in the direction of the forearm from the wrist's folding point to the plane of the thumb's base; measuring the musician's thumb length from the ulnar base crease to the thumb's tip plane; measuring the musician's thumb distance from the forefinger substantially in the direction of the musician's arm; measuring the thumb's relaxed point after the combined flexion-abduction movement; measuring the thumb's relaxed point after the combined extension-abduction movement; measuring in the direction of the forearm the distance from the thumb's base to the plane of the creases of the chord-playing fingers' base joints; measuring in the direction of the forearm the distance from the plane of the creases of the chord-playing fingers' base joints to the creases of the fingers where the fingers visibly separate from each other outside the rest of the palm; calculating the range of variation of the plane of the fretboard of the neck of the stringed instrument on the plane of the palm; calculating the range of variation of the angle of the fretboard of the neck of the stringed instrument on the plane of the palm in the depth direction.