Patents by Inventor Tadao Kikumoto

Tadao Kikumoto has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8134065
    Abstract: A device for accurately detecting key operation speed with a simple configuration in which a plurality of alternating signals, which have mutually differing phases, is supplied to transmission electrodes. From this, capacitance between reception electrodes and the transmission electrodes is changed by a key pressing operation, and the phases of the alternating signals induced in the reception electrodes are compared and discriminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Tadao Kikumoto
  • Publication number: 20110132182
    Abstract: A device for accurately detecting key operation speed with a simple configuration in which a plurality of alternating signals, which have mutually differing phases, is supplied to transmission electrodes. From this, capacitance between reception electrodes and the transmission electrodes is changed by a key pressing operation, and the phases of the alternating signals induced in the reception electrodes are compared and discriminated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Inventor: TADAO KIKUMOTO
  • Patent number: 7933768
    Abstract: A vocoder system for improving the performance expression of an output sound while lightening the computational load. The system includes formant detection means and division means in which the center frequencies have been fixed. The modulation level with which the levels of each of the frequency bands that have been divided in the division means are set by a setting means based on the levels of each of the frequency bands that correspond to those that have been detected in the formant detection means and formant information with which the formants are changed. Therefore, it is possible to improve the performance expression of the output sound with a light computational load and without the need to calculate and change the filter figure of each filter for each sample in order to change the center frequency and bandwidth of each of the filters comprising the division means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Tadao Kikumoto
  • Patent number: 7902448
    Abstract: A method, operation position sensor device for an electronic musical, and musical instrument for detecting an operation position of an operation member in an electronic musical instrument. A determination is made of an amount of measured light resulting from the depression of the operation member has changed in excess of a predetermined difference value a number of times. A determination is made of a difference value of clock counts measured at a last two determinations that the measured light changed in excess of the predetermined difference value in response to determining that the amount of the measured light has changed in excess of the predetermined difference value the number of times. The difference value is converted to a key depression speed. A sound generation command is issued based on the key depression speed to a sound source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventors: Tadao Kikumoto, Mitsuhiro Umeta
  • Patent number: 7579544
    Abstract: To compose a series of musical tones, a waveform generating device reads out a plurality of time axis segments of waveform data in optional order by compressing or expanding the segments of waveform data in conformance with performance data. With the waveform generating device of the present invention, first performance data are updated in conformance with tempo alterations of second performance data. Based on the updating, a time compression and expansion percentage of each waveform data segment is derived. In those cases where there have been performance tempo alterations, the waveform data can be generated in conformance with the tempo alterations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Tadao Kikumoto
  • Publication number: 20090151548
    Abstract: A method, operation position sensor device for an electronic musical, and musical instrument for detecting an operation position of an operation member in an electronic musical instrument. A determination is made of an amount of measured light resulting from the depression of the operation member has changed in excess of a predetermined difference value a number of times. A determination is made of a difference value of clock counts measured at a last two determinations that the measured light changed in excess of the predetermined difference value in response to determining that the amount of the measured light has changed in excess of the predetermined difference value the number of times. The difference value is converted to a key depression speed. A sound generation command is issued based on the key depression speed to a sound source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2008
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicant: ROLAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tadao KIKUMOTO, Mitsuhiro UMETA
  • Publication number: 20090097675
    Abstract: A performance sound supplying system includes a plurality of performer amplifiers that are disposed adjacent to performers of musical instruments positioned at different locations on a stage and reproduces supplied performance sound signals as sounds. Plural performance sound signals provided by the guitar, the keyboard, the base and the drum set performed by the performers are supplied to the mixer. A mixer is provided to render a sound volume balance adjustment on each of the supplied performance sound signals based on operations of an operator located on the audience seat side, and supplies the performance sound signals to the performer amplifiers corresponding to the performance sound signals. The mixer also supplies, based on operations by the operator, at least one of the performance sound signals to a non-corresponding performer amplifier among the performer amplifiers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicant: ROLAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tadao Kikumoto, Tadashi Nakayama, Mitsuhiro Umeta
  • Publication number: 20080245214
    Abstract: To compose a series of musical tones, a waveform generating device reads out a plurality of time axis segments of waveform data in optional order by compressing or expanding the segments of waveform data in conformance with performance data. With the waveform generating device of the present invention, first performance data are updated in conformance with tempo alterations of second performance data. Based on the updating, a time compression and expansion percentage of each waveform data segment is derived. In those cases where there have been performance tempo alterations, the waveform data can be generated in conformance with the tempo alterations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Inventor: Tadao KIKUMOTO
  • Patent number: 7396989
    Abstract: To compose a series of musical tones, a waveform generating device reads out a plurality of time axis segments of waveform data in optional order by compressing or expanding the segments of waveform data in conformance with performance data. With the waveform generating device of the present invention, first performance data are updated in conformance with tempo alterations of second performance data. Based on the updating, a time compression and expansion percentage of each waveform data segment is derived. In those cases where there have been performance tempo alterations, the waveform data can be generated in conformance with the tempo alterations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Tadao Kikumoto
  • Patent number: 7010491
    Abstract: With the goal of presenting a waveform compression and expansion apparatus with which the sound quality of such things as musical tones that are expressed by waveforms is satisfactory following the compression and expansion of the waveforms of the musical tones etc., a method and system for waveform compression and expansion is disclosed in which all of the multiple number of band divided waveforms that comprise the original waveform which has been band divided are apportioned to at least two kinds of compression and expansion formats and form a multiple number of compressed and expanded waveforms by compression or expansion an identical amount only in the direction of the temporal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Tadao Kikumoto
  • Publication number: 20050081700
    Abstract: To compose a series of musical tones, a waveform generating device reads out a plurality of time axis segments of waveform data in optional order by compressing or expanding the segments of waveform data in conformance with performance data. With the waveform generating device of the present invention, first performance data are updated in conformance with tempo alterations of second performance data. Based on the updating, a time compression and expansion percentage of each waveform data segment is derived. In those cases where there have been performance tempo alterations, the waveform data can be generated in conformance with the tempo alterations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2004
    Publication date: April 21, 2005
    Inventor: Tadao Kikumoto
  • Publication number: 20040260544
    Abstract: A vocoder system for improving the performance expression of an output sound while lightening the computational load. The system includes formant detection means and division means in which the center frequencies have been fixed. The modulation level with which the levels of each of the frequency bands that have been divided in the division means are set by a setting means based on the levels of each of the frequency bands that correspond to those that have been detected in the formant detection means and formant information with which the formants are changed. Therefore, it is possible to improve the performance expression of the output sound with a light computational load and without the need to calculate and change the filter figure of each filter for each sample in order to change the center frequency and bandwidth of each of the filters comprising the division means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Applicant: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Tadao Kikumoto
  • Patent number: 6646194
    Abstract: A waveform reproduction apparatus providing an intuitive way to operate controllers corresponding to musical time quantities such as beats and bars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Tadao Kikumoto
  • Patent number: 6564187
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for compression and expansion of a wave signal on a time axis. A memory device stores waveform data representative of a waveform for each sub-frequency band of each main-frequency band of a wave signal, in which the wave signal is divided into a plurality of the main-frequency bands, each of the main-frequency bands is divided into a plurality of the sub-frequency bands. A plurality of time axis compression and expansion devices are provided for each of the sub-frequency bands for performing time axis compression and expansion of the waveform. A mixing device mixes signals provided from the time axis compression and expansion devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventors: Tadao Kikumoto, Atsushi Hoshiai, Satoshi Kusakabe
  • Publication number: 20020046639
    Abstract: A waveform reproduction apparatus providing an intuitive way to operate controllers corresponding to musical time quantities such as beats and bars.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Publication date: April 25, 2002
    Inventor: Tadao Kikumoto
  • Patent number: 6323797
    Abstract: To make possible the smooth compression and expansion of an audio signal without directly culling out or repeating a prescribed segment of the audio signal, in other words, the waveform, by the use of a phase vocoder format and, together with this, making it possible to compress and expand an audio signal that has an abundance of changes. The system includes a storage device in which the data regarding the changes in the amplitude and the frequency of the waveform that accompany the passage of time are stored. The system also includes a time position data generator in which the time position data that indicate the time positions that change such that the time positions of the waveform retrace the passage of time are generated in order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventors: Tadao Kikumoto, Atsushi Hoshiai, Satoshi Kusakabe
  • Patent number: 6201175
    Abstract: A method for generating a compressed or expanded waveform from original waveform data is disclosed. A plurality of frequency band-divided waveform data is generated from the original waveform data. Phase and amplitude data having periodically changing amplitudes are extracted for each of the plurality of frequency band-divided waveform data. The periodically changing phase data is converted to periodically changing frequency data, and a temporal change rate of the periodically changing amplitude and frequency data is adjusted for each of the plurality of frequency band-divided waveform data. The temporally adjusted amplitude and frequency data for the plurality of frequency band-divided waveform data is then combined to generate the compressed or expanded waveform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventors: Tadao Kikumoto, Atsushi Hoshiai, Satoshi Kusakabe
  • Patent number: 5097741
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument is disclosed as including a tone pitch-assigning device which assigns pitches to musical tones which are to be generated by the instrument; a plurality of manually operable members; a control message-producing device that automatically produces musical tone-controlling messages which respectively correspond to operation of the manually operable members; and a musical tone-generating device which automatically generates a plurality of musical tones for each of the musical pitches assigned by the tone pitch-assigning device. The tone volumes of the musical tones are controlled based upon the tone-controlling messages so that the musical tone-generating device generates musical tones with tone volumes which may change in time, which may maintain a constant volume, or which may be attenuated, depending upon certain predetermined conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Tadao Kikumoto
  • Patent number: 5074184
    Abstract: A controllable electronic musical instrument is disclosed as including tone pitch-assigning devices for assigning pitches to musical tones to be generated, manually operable members for producing detectable signals indicative of a touching of such members for operation thereof, a control message-producing device which is responsive to symbols from the manually operable members for producing musical tone-controlling messages that have magnitudes which automatically change in time, and a musical tone-generating device for generating musical tones based on musical tone-controlling messages produced by the control message-producing device, and based on a pitch assigned by the tone pitch-assigning devices. The tone pitch-assigning devices and the manually operable members may be provided as keys on a keyboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1991
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Tadao Kikumoto
  • Patent number: 4694724
    Abstract: In a synchronized sound recording and reproducing system including a tape recorder to playback a tape carrying time code information indicative of particular longitudinal locations of the tape, a sequencer having sound information programmed therein and a manually operated tapping key to be tapped by an operator to produce heat signals, a synchronizing signal generator for providing synchronism between the base sounds reproduced from the tape and the additional sounds reproduced from the sound information memorized in the sequencer, comprising beat interval detecting means operative to detect, on the basis of the time code information from the tape, the time intervals between the successive beat signals produced by the beat signal generating means, and rhythm information generating means for generating rhythm information based on the pattern of the time intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1987
    Assignee: Roland Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadao Kikumoto, Isato Murakami