초록 ▼

A transducer for use with a musical instrument to transmit vibrations from the instrument to an amplifier has a weight, at least one sensor connected to the weight, an insulating layer covering the weight and the sensor, a substrate layer covering the insulating layer, an attachment device for mount

A transducer for use with a musical instrument to transmit vibrations from the instrument to an amplifier has a weight, at least one sensor connected to the weight, an insulating layer covering the weight and the sensor, a substrate layer covering the insulating layer, an attachment device for mounting the transducer to the musical instrument and a cable mounted to the bas for connecting the transducer to an amplifier. One conductor of the cable is mounted to the weight and a ground shield of the cable is connected to the substrate. The transducer translates surface vibrations of the instrument into electrical signals that can then be amplified or recorded. The transducer has superior tonal qualities.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A transducer for use with a musical instrument to transmit vibrations from the instrument to an amplifier, said transducer comprising: at least one sensor; a weight connected to said at least one sensor along an axis of said weight; an insulating layer covering the weight and

What is claimed is: 1. A transducer for use with a musical instrument to transmit vibrations from the instrument to an amplifier, said transducer comprising: at least one sensor; a weight connected to said at least one sensor along an axis of said weight; an insulating layer covering the weight and said at least one sensor; a conductive layer covering the insulating layer and having a contact surface; an attachment device for mounting the transducer to the musical instrument via said contact surface, said attachment device adapted to contact the instrument at a single point, said attachment device extending alone an axis perpendicular to said contact surface, and said axis of said weight containing said sensor being arranged not parallel or perpendicular to said attachment device; a conductor connected to said weight and to a signal processing device; and an additional conductor attached to said conductive layer and to said signal processing device; wherein vibrations in said musical instrument are transmitted from said musical instrument to said at least one sensor, said at least one sensor generating a signal between the conductor connected to the conductive layer and the conductor connected to said at least one sensor in proportion to the vibrations, creating a signal that is amplified by the signal processing device. 2. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the weight is a cube formed of a conductive metal. 3. The transducer according to claim 2, wherein there are three sensors, each sensor being mounted to the cube so that the sensors are disposed on three different axes. 4. The transducer according to claim 3, wherein the sensors are selected from the group consisting of piezoelectric crystals, piezoelectric film, magnetic sensors, strain gauge sensors, electret sensors, resistive sensors, and capacitive sensors. 5. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the attachment device is a pin mounted to the conductive layer, said pin being attached in a symmetrical location relative to said at least one sensor on the weight. 6. The transducer according to claim 5, wherein the weight is a cube; there are three sensors mounted on the weight at three different axes; and the pin is mounted on a corner of the conductive layer surrounding the weight such that the pin is placed at about a 135째 angle to each of the sensors. 7. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the attachment device is a contact plate. 8. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the attachment device is a raised area of sound conductive material. 9. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the attachment device is a fastener adapted to attach the weight directly to the musical instrument. 10. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein there are three weights connected to a connecting plate, each weight carrying a single sensor, and wherein each weight is disposed radially symmetric to said other weights about a center point defined by said attachment device. 11. The transducer according to claim 10, wherein said connecting plate has three arms, each arm connected to one of the sensors, and wherein each arm is bent upward from horizontal by an angle of about 45째. 12. The transducer according to claim 11, wherein the attachment device comprises a pin mounted in a center of the connecting plate on a bottom surface of the connecting plate. 13. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the attachment device comprises a bracket comprising: a mounting plate; one or more arms connected to said mounting plate; a pin connected to the transducer and to said arms at a weight of said pin; wherein said mounting bracket is adapted to be mounted to an instrument via fasteners or adhesives. 14. A transducing device adapted to be attached to a musical instrument, comprising; at least two sensors, at least one weight connected to at least one of said at least two sensors, each of said sensors being connected to a different axis of said weight; an insulating layer covering the at least one weight and said at least two sensors; a conductive cover layer covering the insulating layer and having a contact surface; an attachment device for mounting the transducer to the musical instrument via said contact surface, wherein said attachment device extends along an axis perpendicular to said contact surface, and each of said axes of said weights containing said sensors being disposed not parallel or perpendicular to said attachment device; a conductor connected to said at least one weight and to a signal processing device; and an additional conductor attached to said conductive layer and to said signal processing device; wherein vibrations in said musical instrument are transmitted from said musical instrument to said at least two sensors, said at least two sensors independently generating a signal between the conductor connected to the substrate layer and the conductor connected to said sensors in proportion so the vibrations create a signal that is amplified by the signal processing device. 15. A device as in claim 14, wherein there are three weights, with a sensor on each of said weights, said weights and sensors being disposed not parallel to each other. 16. A device as in claim 15, wherein said weight is a cube, creating a cube-shaped transducer, and wherein said contact surface is located on a corner of said transducer on said conductive layer, wherein a principal long diagonal between said corner and an opposing corner is oriented perpendicular to the surface of said musical instrument, and wherein said sensors are located on three sides of said cube proximate to a surface of said musical instrument, and wherein each of said sensors is centered on said proximate sides. 17. A device as in claim 14, wherein the sensors are selected from the group consisting of piezoelectric crystals, piezoelectric film, magnetic sensors, strain gauge sensors, electrical sensors, resistive sensors and capacitive sensors. 18. The device according to claim 14, wherein said contact surface is a flat plate and wherein there are three weights, each with a single sensor on each weight, and wherein each weight is affixed to an additional plate that is connected symmetrically to the contact surface, each flat plates affixed symmetrically to said contact surface and extending upward and away from said contact surface, and wherein said sensors are arranged not parallel to each other. 19. The device according to claim 18, wherein said additional plates are bent upward from a plane of said contact surface by an angle of 45 degrees, forming orthogonal planes relative to each other. 20. A method for creating a point source contact transducer for detecting surface vibrations and transmitting said vibrations from a musical instrument to one or more sensors, said sensors generating a final output signal that has natural tonal qualities of said instrument, comprising the steps of: forming a transducer having a conductive substrate, connecting said substrate to at least one sensor symmetric to a normal axis of the substrate; connecting said at least one sensor to at least one weight, with said at least one sensor being disposed on an axis of said weight; covering the substrate, sensor, and weight with an insulating layer or air gap; covering said insulating layer or air gap with a conductive layer shielding the transducer from external EMI interference by connecting the conductive layer to the substrate; connecting a coaxial cable center conductor of a coaxial cable to said at least one weight; connecting a coaxial cable shield of the coaxial cable to the substrate to form a reference ground of the transducer; forming a single point contact area on the transducer; placing the transducer via said single point contact area on a surface of the instrument, wherein said axis of said weight containing the sensor is not parallel or perpendicular to said surface of said instrument; detecting surface vibrations of the instrument via said at least one sensor through the single point contact area; and transmitting the vibrations to an amplifier through the coaxial cable. 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein there are at least two sensors, and further comprising the steps of: placing the sensors on the substrate such that the sensors are placed radially symmetric to the single point contact area; connecting said at least two sensors electrically in parallel; and proportionally summing outputs of said sensors, and converting said outputs to a sum signal to obtain a true representative of natural tonal qualities of said instrument.