G - Physics – 10 – D
Patent
G - Physics
10
D
G10D 17/00 (2006.01) G10H 3/03 (2006.01)
Patent
CA 2633679
A musical instrument or a more general multimedia input device in which an acoustic or otherwise measurable disturbance or change is made in a solid, liquid, or gas, is presented. In one embodiment, a Karman Vortex Street, or similar oscillatory vortex shedding phenomenon is formed in water, in association with each of a plurality of finger holes. Water flows past a branch point where it can either flow over a fipple, sharp edge or cylinder inside a pipe, or out a finger hole, the finger hole being the path of least resistance for the water. Obsruction of the finger hole forces the water past an underwater whistle mechanism, causing vortex shedding or an increase thereof. Blocking water from coming out of a given hole produces a given note, which, in some embodiments, is electrically amplified by a hydrophone. In one embodiment there is a separate hydrophone for each note, and the effect is enhanced by connecting each hydrophone to a separate bandpass filter set to the desired frequency of oscillation of each note. In other embodiments there is acoustic or electrical feedback to enhance resonance. Partial covering of a finger hole allows expressive manipulation of the tonality, microtonality, volume, and timbre of the instrument. In another embodiment the finger holes lead directly to a column of fluid, such that pressing the finger deeper into the finger hole shortens the column and increases the resonant frequency of each note. Some embodiments use acoustic signal processing such as frequency conversion to convert ultrasonic, audible, or subsonic vibrations or pressure changes in the fluid to produce audible sound at a desired frequency or in a desired frequency range. Embodiments with various kinds of acoustic or optical pickups, such as hydrophones or optical pickups such as laser interferometers and optical imaging devices are disclosed. Other embodiments turn any fountain into a multimedia playground in which users can generate multimedia content by creating acoustic or refractive disturbances in water. Still other embodiments provide a similar experience in other media such as solids, gases, and plasmas, through signal processing of physically-originated processes.
Mann Steve
Na
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