Abstract: A cage energy supply system comprises wind power generation devices, a tail rope beam suspension device and a control device that are connected to the bottom of a cage box. The tail rope beam suspension device and the control device are located on the central axis of the bottom of the cage box, and the two sides of the tail rope beam suspension device are each connected to one wind power generation device. By means of the characteristics that the descending speed of the cage is high and the relative wind speed of an auxiliary shaft is high, the two wind power generation devices charge one storage battery at the same time, and the two storage batteries carry out charging and power supply alternately, so that a powered unit of the cage is supported by a stable and reliable power source all the time, the power supply requirement of the cage for the powered unit thereof is met, and meanwhile the power supply requirement for the control device is met.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for providing interactive striking objects (e.g., drumsticks) and performing actions in response to striking motions of the striking objects are disclosed. In some embodiments, the systems and methods provide an interactive drumstick, which includes a lighting display located at a tip portion of the interactive drumstick, a motion detector contained at least partially within the drumstick, a processor and memory contained at least partially within the drumstick, and an interactive system stored within the memory of the drumstick. The interactive system includes a striking motion module that determines striking motions of the drumstick with respect to a virtual percussion instrument based on accessing information measured by the motion detector, and a display module that causes the lighting display to present a certain type of illumination based on the striking motions determined by the striking motion module.

Abstract: The disclosed electronic percussion instrument includes a plate-like pad that has a front surface to be struck, a sheet-like pressure sensor that is provided on a back surface of an outer circumferential end portion of the pad and that detects a pressure change, and a weight portion that contacts a front surface of the pressure sensor, wherein, due to striking on the front surface of the pad, an inertial force from the front surface of the pressure sensor toward a back surface of the pad acts on the weight portion, and the weight portion presses the pressure sensor.

Abstract: Vibratory motors are used to generate a haptic language for music or other sound that is integrated into wearable technology. The disclosed system enables the creation of a family of devices that allow people with hearing impairments to experience sounds such as music or other auditory input to the system. For example, a “sound vest” or one or more straps comprising a set of motors transforms musical input to haptic signals so that users can experience their favorite music in a unique way, and can also recognize auditory cues in the user's everyday environment and convey this information to the user using haptic signals.

Abstract: A power system on an electric guitar may include a cover plate covering a standard cavity in the electric guitar. A rechargeable power source may be contained within the standard cavity and may not extend beyond an external surface of the cover plate. Other instruments or configurations may be used.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a plurality of pads, each of the plurality of pads including a touch sensor and an acceleration sensor, a sound output interface configured to output sounds that are set to the respective pads, a display configured to display visual feedback, and a processor configured to, in response to the touch sensor in a pad among the plurality of pads detecting a touch of the pad, and the acceleration sensor in the pad detecting an intensity of the touch that is greater than or equal to a value, determine that a beat is performed on the pad, control the sound output interface to output a sound that is set to the pad on which the beat is determined to be performed, with a magnitude corresponding to an intensity of the beat, and control the display to display the visual feedback corresponding to the beat determined to be performed.

Abstract: A polyphonic multi-dimensional controller (PMC) provides for independently expressing multiple concurrently sounding musical notes. The PMC includes rows and columns of force-sensing potentiometers (FSPs) that define an array of single-touch zones (STZs). Using a z-axis switch configuration, touches are detected and the forces associated with the touches are measured. For STZs for which a touch is detected, a fine x position and a fine y position are determined respectively using an x-axis switch configuration and a y-axis switch configuration. By repeatedly scanning the STZs, the x-axis position, the y-axis position, and the z-axis force can be tracked and translated into 3-axis note expression data. The PMC is multi-touch so that the 3-axis note expression data can be polyphonic.

Abstract: The present invention relates to control (apparatus 70). The control apparatus (70) comprises a mass of resilient conductive material (56) having an electrical property which changes in dependence on deformation of the conductive material. The control apparatus (70) further comprises at least three electrodes (74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84) in contact with the mass of resilient conductive material (56) at spaced apart locations to thereby define at least two electrical paths through the mass of resilient conductive material between different pairs of the electrodes. The control apparatus (70) is configured such that there is a change in a measurable electrical property between each of the at least two different pairs of electrodes in dependence on deformation of the mass of resilient conductive material. More than one of the at least three electrodes (74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84) move upon deformation of the mass of resilient conductive material (56).

Abstract: A pickup unit for an electrical stringed instrument, such as an electric guitar, includes a housing structured to be connected to the stringed instrument and a number of pickups provided within the housing, each pickup being structured to produce signals corresponding to vibration of one or more strings of the stringed instrument. The pickup unit also includes a number of capacitive touch electrodes provided on or within the housing, wherein the pickup unit is structured to generate control signals in response to a user of the pickup unit touching one or more of the number of capacitive touch electrodes, the control signal being configured to control processing of the signals produced by the number of pickups.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to reducing at least one dynamically generated error in terms of an actual position of an elevator car, comprising: triggering an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to compute a position of an elevator car of an elevator system, obtaining a position of a correcting vane in a hoist-way of the elevator system, obtaining a position of the elevator car as determined by an encoder of the elevator system, and estimating the position of the elevator car based on the computation of the position by the IMU, the position of the correcting vane, and the position of the elevator car as determined by the encoder.

Abstract: An apparatus for making music includes a cymbal, an acoustic transducer, a signal-processing system that receives a first signal from the acoustic transducer and that generates a second signal based on a property of the first signal, and a classifier that determines a particular manner in which the cymbal was struck based on the second signal, and provides an output trigger signal for triggering production of a sound that consistent with the particular manner.

Abstract: Bowing platforms are disclosed for use in playing a bowed musical instrument without reliance on strings. A bowing platform includes a support and a track that replace the strings, bridge, and tailpiece on a conventional bowed instrument, to provide an alternative vibrational bowing surface. The bowing platform can be attached to a conventional fingerboard or to the body of the instrument. In one aspect, the bowing platform is useful as a bow guide to improve bow technique by restricting the player's bow angle to be within a desirable range, while still allowing for natural arm movement. The bowing platform can be further equipped with piezoelectric sensors to sense bowing motion and to create sound electronically in response to the sensed motion. A stringless bowed instrument includes a bowing platform, bowing sensors, and pitch sensors that sense finger placement along the fingerboard.

Abstract: An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a method and system for training a student to sight-read music. The method includes displaying a measure of music having at least a first and second phrase of notes. As the student moves through the music, the phrases of notes are removed from the measure of music, in such a way to encourage the student to read ahead of the point at which she is playing. In some exercises, a focal point can be provided in order to train the student to engage the fovea for acquiring pitch information from the measure of music and the parafovea for acquiring rhythm information from the measure of music. The method can be executed on a dedicated computing device such as a tablet or in the form of an application or program for use on a number of different computing devices.

Abstract: A fluid flow control valve comprising an outer casing with an inner valve member displaceable between first and second positions within the casing, the valve member including passages which interconnect different valve inlets and outlets dependent on whether the valve member is in its first or second position, the valve member being made from plastic material so that the diameter of the valve member can be increased without increasing its weight above that of a conventional metal inner valve member. This allows the passages through the inner valve member to be of the same internal diameter as the tubing leading up to and away from the valve. The valve member can be acted upon by a magnetic restoring means which tends to return the valve member towards its first position when displaced therefrom.

Abstract: There is provided a wristband for attaching to a computer device. The wristband includes a first end of the wristband configured to attach to a first side of the computer device, a second end of the wristband configured to attach to a second side of the computer device, and an earpiece compartment for placing an earpiece in the wristband. The wristband can be configured to provide power to the earpiece while the earpiece is placed inside the wristband. The wristband may further include a battery, and wherein the battery of the wristband provides power to a battery of the earpiece. The wristband may also include, wherein the clasp has a switch that is activated in response to a closure of the clasp causing a signal to be transmitted by the wristband to the computer device.

Abstract: A musical instrument carrier includes a shoulder rest member that is abutted on the shoulders of a performer and an abdomen rest member that is provided separately from the shoulder rest member, that includes a portion coupled to the shoulder rest member, and that is abutted on the abdomen of the performer, in which coupling between the shoulder rest member and the abdomen rest member is achieved by plate-like members having a curved portion or a bent portion being overlapped and affixed in a state of making surface contact, and by changing the position at which the curved portions or bent portions overlap, it is possible to change the angle of the abdomen rest member with respect to the shoulder rest member.

Abstract: In some implementations, a process for communicating data over audio is performed. In one aspect, one or more ordered sequences of audio attribute values that are selected based on a musical relationship between the audio attribute values and associated with data values may be played by a first device and received by a second device. This technique may allow for sound-based communications to take place between devices that listeners may find pleasant.

Abstract: According to some aspects, a cymbal system is provided comprising a metal plate, a transducer coupled to the metal plate and configured to detect an acoustic signal generated by a strike of the metal plate, and processing circuitry, electrically connected to the transducer, configured to determine a cymbal articulation for the strike of the metal plate based on the detected acoustic signal. According to some aspects, a method is provided comprising the steps of detecting an acoustic signal generated by a strike of a metal plate, and determining a cymbal articulation for the strike of the metal plate based on the detected acoustic signal.

Abstract: An electronic guitar pick, system, system and method may include an enclosure forming a cavity, the enclosure having a first end that is substantially pointed and a second end opposite the first end that is substantially flat, the enclosure having a thickness proximate the cavity greater than a thickness proximate the first end. The electronic guitar pick, system, and method may further include a sensor contained, at least in part, within the cavity and configured to generate a sensor output based on an interaction with the enclosure and a sensory output device, communicatively coupled to the sensor, configured to output a sensory output based, at least in part, on the sensor output.

Abstract: A method for operating an elevator control system for controlling and monitoring the movements of at least one elevator car when the elevator car approaches individual floors in a building, and in the process stops at a respective floor in a prescribed stopping position, the method including, in conjunction with a floor stop, determining an overall error in the form of a deviation between an actual position of the elevator car and a position of the elevator car assumed as the current position. The elevator control system generates service signals based on a statistical acquisition of several values for the overall error, and/or wherein the overall error is used to ascertain a derivative value, which is taken into account along with the current or stopping position during a comparison between the current position and stopping position performed by the elevator control system for approaching the respective stopping position.