Vibrating Driver Sound Augmentation for Acoustic Instruments
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Musicians face challenges in amplifying and augmenting the sound of acoustic instruments without access to bulky, expensive, and power-dependent electronic equipment, limiting their mobility and creative options during performances.
Innovation Solution
A portable electronic sound augmentation system that captures the natural sound of acoustic instruments using audio pickups and processes it with spatial effects, reproducing the enhanced sound through a vibrating driver attached to the instrument, eliminating the need for external amplifiers and speakers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If conventional electronic amplification equipment is used to boost the sound level of acoustic instruments, then the sound output is improved, but the equipment becomes bulky and requires external power sources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sound capture device, digital signal processing unit, and vibrating driver into a single integrated system that attaches directly to the acoustic instrument. This merging eliminates the need for separate external amplifiers and speakers, resolving the contradiction between achieving high sound output and avoiding bulky equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the acoustic instrument's own body as an intermediary speaker component. The vibrating driver attaches to the instrument body, which then acts as the speaker diaphragm to reproduce augmented sound. This eliminates the need for external speakers and reduces equipment complexity while maintaining sound output capability.
2Power
If external amplifiers and speakers are used to augment acoustic instrument sound, then sound enhancement is achieved, but mobility and freedom for musical performances are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sound enhancement function into a compact, self-contained unit that attaches to the instrument rather than requiring a separate external amplifier setup. This segmentation allows the musician to move freely without being tethered to external equipment, resolving the contradiction between sound enhancement and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The acoustic instrument itself serves as part of the sound enhancement system by acting as the speaker component. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external speakers and power sources, granting the musician complete mobility and freedom during performances while maintaining sound enhancement capabilities.
3Reliability
If digital signal processing equipment is used to modify sound, then sound quality is improved, but the equipment becomes expensive and requires power access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the digital signal processing unit with the vibrating driver and sound capture device into a single integrated system. This consolidation maintains high sound quality through digital processing while eliminating the need for expensive external equipment and continuous power access, as the integrated unit can operate on battery power.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the acoustic instrument body as an intermediary that eliminates the need for external speakers and associated power requirements. The digital signal processing is performed internally and the results are delivered through the instrument body itself, maintaining sound quality while reducing cost and power dependency.
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 versatile and creative sound enhancement for acoustic instruments, providing rich layered sounds without external equipment, maintaining instrument mobility and reducing dependency on power sources, while being easy to install and transport.
Implementation Method 1
A sound capture device is affixed to an acoustic instrument to capture the natural sound output of the instrument
Implementation Method 2
The processed and augmented sound is then reproduced via a vibrating driver that has been affixed to the body of the acoustic instrument
Implementation Method 3
This creates a situation where the body of the musical instrument, responding to a series of vibrations produced by the vibrating driver, acts as a speaker component
Data Source
AI summary
A sound capture device is affixed to an acoustic instrument to capture the natural sound output of the instrument. The captured sound signal is routed to an electronic sound augmentation system that is configured to augment the captured sound with spatial sound effects such as reverb, echo, delay, etc. The processed and augmented sound is then reproduced via a vibrating driver that has been affixed to the body of the acoustic instrument. This creates a situation where the body of the musical instrument, responding to a series of vibrations produced by the vibrating driver, acts as a speaker component, reproducing a rich augmented sound output that comprises the sum of the sound produced by the original sound production capabilities of the acoustical instrument plus the added augmented or enhanced sound effects.