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US5016515A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Precise electronic aid to musical instrument tuning
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1990-10-29
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Granted: 1991-05-21
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Expires: 2010-10-29
Abstract
Abstract An aid to tuning musical instruments. A microprocessor-controlled frequency standard is used to control a shift-register whose data is the digitized sound detected by a microphone. The data from the shift register are loaded into a parallel-load latch and then used to control an array of indicator lights. The pattern in the lights indicates the error in pitch of the sounded note. A person tunes a musical instrument by making the pattern in the lights become nearly stationary. The same synthesized frequency is made available in a speaker.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert L. Scott
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 15:39
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10G; G10G7/00; G10G7/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
151 words
A tuning aid for musical instruments comprising: A. an input circuit with means for detecting an audio signal and generating a digital input signal of said audio signal; B. a reference circuit for generating a reference load signal whose frequency is controlled, together with another clock signal whose frequency is an exact multiple of the said reference load signal; and C. a frequency comparison and display circuit comprising: i. a digital serial shift register, whose serial data input is derived from the said digital input signal, and whose serial shift clock is derived from the said clock signal; ii. a parallel-load latch whose input is derived from the parallel output of the said digital serial shift register, and whose parallel-load strobe is derived from the said reference load signal; and iii. a plurality of display means, each display means responsive to one of the parallel outputs of the said parallel-load latch.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
151 words
A tuning aid for musical instruments comprising: A. an input circuit with means for detecting an audio signal and generating a digital input signal of said audio signal; B. a reference circuit for generating a reference load signal whose frequency is controlled, together with another clock signal whose frequency is an exact multiple of the said reference load signal; and C. a frequency comparison and display circuit comprising: i. a digital serial shift register, whose serial data input is derived from the said digital input signal, and whose serial shift clock is derived from the said clock signal; ii. a parallel-load latch whose input is derived from the parallel output of the said digital serial shift register, and whose parallel-load strobe is derived from the said reference load signal; and iii. a plurality of display means, each display means responsive to one of the parallel outputs of the said parallel-load latch.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
78 words
A tuning aid as recited in claim 1 wherein: A. each display means includes at least one lamp connected to each output of the parallel-load latch; B. the combination of said lamps is arranged in a linear display in which a pattern of on and off lamps may be visually detected; and C. the direction and rate of movement of said pattern is dependent upon the frequency difference between the digital input signal and the reference load signal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
57 words
A tuning aid as recited in claim 1 wherein: A. the reference load signal and lock signal are digitally synthesized under the control of a microprocessor; B. frequencies of said reference load signal and clock signal are digitally locked to a quartz crystal oscillator; and C. said frequencies are calculated based on a standard equal-tempered musical scale.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
84 words
A tuning aid as recited in claim 2 wherein the input circuit additionally includes an input signal threshold tracking means comprising: A. a means to cause the digital input signal to have a duty cycle tending to 50% when audio input signal of normal amplitude are being detected; and B. a means to cause the digital input signal to tend to be in such a state as to turn off all display lamps when audio input signals of very low amplitude are being detected.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
74 words
A tuning aid as recited in claim 3 additionally comprising note selector means wherein: A. individual notes may be randomly selected by pressing keys on a one-octave keyboard; B. different octaves may be selected by pressing octave-selection keys on a keyboard; C. selected notes may be sequenced in a musical chromatic scale by pressing sequence controlling keys on a keyboard; and D. said sequencing may also be controlled by a remotely-connected foot pedal switch.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
39 words
A tuning aid as recited in claim 5 additionally including within the input circuit a low-pass filter for reducing the response to harmonics, said low-pass filter being automatically switched in when notes below a certain frequency threshold are selected.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
A tuning aid as recited in claim 6 additionally including means within a microprocessor software to enable the user to enter an offset to the standard equal-tempered musical scale, said offset being used to calculate said frequencies.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
A tuning aid as recited in claim 7 additionally including means within the microprocessor software to enable the user to enter a selected frequency in Hertz through a keyboard, said frequency being used by the tuning aid in lieu of a computed musical frequency.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
53 words
A tuning aid as recited in claim 8 additionally comprising a means within the microprocessor-controlled frequency synthesis software whereby the periods of the reference load signal and clock signal are varied dynamically in order to achieve a resolution on the average period that is finer than the period of the quartz crystal oscillator.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
A tuning aid as recited in claim 9 additionally comprising a means within the microprocessor-controlled frequency synthesis software whereby the selected frequency can be varied in real-time by continuously modifying the software parameters that control frequency.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-05-20 | 1994-11-19 | 1995-05-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-05-20 | 1998-11-19 | 1999-05-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-05-20 | 2002-11-19 | 2003-05-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |