Electronic Musical Instrument Touchpad Pitch Bend Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic wind instruments lack an efficient method to control musical effects such as pitch bend and vibrato, which can lead to instability in supporting the instrument and difficulty in achieving intended musical performances due to the need to rotate a rotary operator for pitch bend adjustments.
Innovation Solution
The electronic musical instrument incorporates touchpads on either side of the instrument body, contacted by the thumbs, which detect finger position and movement to control the polarity and intensity of musical effects like pitch bend, allowing for stable support and diverse musical performances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a pitch bend wheel is provided on the back side of the electronic wind instrument for pitch bend control, then pitch bend capability is achieved, but the instrument becomes difficult to support stably during performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a rotary pitch bend wheel (one-dimensional rotation) to a touchpad with planar detection area (two-dimensional surface). The touchpad detects contact position in multiple directions, enabling pitch bend control while maintaining natural instrument support posture. This dimensional change allows the first finger to control pitch without compromising instrument stability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If special operation buttons and switches are added to achieve various musical effects, then musical performance versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The touchpad serves multiple functions: it detects contact position for pitch bend control, detects contact area for vibrato control, and can be configured for different musical effects. This single multi-functional component replaces what would traditionally require multiple separate buttons, switches, and wheels, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The touchpad dynamically adapts its detection parameters based on the performance context. It can detect contact position, contact area, pressure, and duration, allowing a single static component to provide dynamic control for various musical effects including pitch bend, vibrato, and other configurable functions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a rotary operator is used for pitch bend adjustments, then pitch bend control is achieved, but finger movement instability occurs during performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical rotary operator system with an electronic touchpad detection system. Instead of requiring rotational mechanical movement, the system uses electronic sensors to detect contact position on a planar surface. This substitution eliminates the mechanical complexity and instability associated with rotating components during performance.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic musical instrument including a musical instrument body which is supported by first finger of a hand of an instrument player and at least one finger other than the first finger, scale keys which are provided at positions that are contacted with fingers other than the first finger on one surface of the musical instrument body, and each of which specifies a scale of a musical sound, a touchpad which is provided in an area that is contacted with the first finger on an other surface of the musical instrument body, and includes a sensor that has a planar detection area for detecting a contact position of the first finger, and a processor which controls emission of the musical sound whose scale has been specified by the scale key in accordance with the contact position of the first finger detected by the touchpad.