Patents by Inventor Yutaka Washiyama

Yutaka Washiyama 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: 6762357
    Abstract: Resonance is realized at a desired plurality of tone pitches even after the musical tone signals of a plurality of channels have been synthesized; synthesized musical tone signals are successively delayed, the musical tone signals that are successively delayed are weighted, synthesized and output; the delayed, weighted, synthesized and outputted musical tone signals are fed back, and a series of successive delays, weights, synthesizes and outputs by the feed back are repeated and thus resonance characteristics is imparted; the amount of weighting the musical tone signals successively delayed is determined based upon a relationship among the delay feedback period, the period of sampling the generated musical tone signals and the tone pitch period of the resonance sound imparted with resonance characteristics, and a frequency of the resonance characteristics are determined; Therefore, the resonance characteristics are added at a desired tone pitch after the plurality of musical tone signals are synthesized into
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Instruments Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Washiyama, Seiji Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20020166441
    Abstract: Resonance is realized at a desired plurality of tone pitches even after the musical tone signals of a plurality of channels have been synthesized; synthesized musical tone signals are successively delayed, the musical tone signals that are successively delayed are weighted, synthesized and output; the delayed, weighted, synthesized and outputted musical tone signals are fed back, and a series of successive delays, weights, synthesizes and outputs by the feed back are repeated and thus resonance characteristics is imparted; the amount of weighting the musical tone signals successively delayed is determined based upon a relationship among the delay feedback period, the period of sampling the generated musical tone signals and the tone pitch period of the resonance sound imparted with resonance characteristics, and a frequency of the resonance characteristics are determined; Therefore, the resonance characteristics are added at a desired tone pitch after the plurality of musical tone signals are synthesized into
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2002
    Publication date: November 14, 2002
    Inventors: Yutaka Washiyama, Seiji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 5691496
    Abstract: Only in a transient band of a filter, substantially all frequency bands of the musical tone waveform are subjected to filter processing. Due to this, the drawback that the amount of change of the frequency characteristic of the musical tone gradually changes as a whole from a fundamental wave toward a harmonics and only one part of the frequency characteristic of the musical tone changes is eliminated.Also, the density of frequency components of the frequency band of the musical tone waveform does not change, the related frequency band is shifted in frequency, subjected to filter processing, and further shifted to a frequency in accordance with the musical tone pitch. Due to this, a specific range of the filter characteristic is selected, and the musical tone is subjected to the filter control only within this range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Seiji Okamoto, Katsushi Ishii, Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5668340
    Abstract: A wind instrument is provided with electronic tubing control. The wind instrument has at least a pair of an acoustic sensor and an acoustic actuator in a straight pipe portion of a wind instrument and an electronic control for supplying a delayed output of the acoustic sensor to the actuator to electronically control a change in pressure in a pipe by variably changing the delay amount in correspondence with a performance of the instrument thereby electronically changing the pitch of a produced musical tone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Hikaru Hashizume, Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5665931
    Abstract: According to the invention, formant waveform signals which are waveforms synthesized from frequency components corresponding to formants of musical tones, are stored and read out or generated. When such formant waveform signal is read out or generated, the density of frequency components of the formant of the formant waveform signal is controlled and also the frequency of a formant center signal which is to be synthesized is a center signal with the formant waveform signal is controlled. In this way, the formant waveform signal is synthesized on the formant center signal. Thus, the density of formant frequency components and the formant center signal frequency can be controlled separately and independently. Further, the kind of formant waveform signal is switched according to musical factors of musical tone. Thus, different kinds of formant waveform signals to be output are switched according to musical factors of musical tones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5641929
    Abstract: Ratios of frequencies of frequency components of formant waveform signals are changed, and consonance of frequency components of a musical tone is controlled. Moreover, amplitudes, frequencies or numbers of formants are controlled depending upon the musical factors, making rich the contents for changing the musical tones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1997
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Okamoto, Katsushi Ishii, Yutaka Washiyama, Sayoko Hirano
  • Patent number: 5637821
    Abstract: A musical sound generating device has a waveform memory to store musical sound waveform data to be read-out repeatedly between a loop-top address (integral address) and a loop-end address (integral address). The same musical sound waveform data is stored at the loop-top address and the loop-end address. An address computing circuit computes a read-out address, including a decimal part, to repeatedly read out the musical sound waveform data stored between the loop-top address and the loop-end address in the waveform memory. An interpolating circuit carries out interpolation if the read-out address generated by the address computing circuit includes a decimal part. Interpolation is carried out by dividing in proportion the musical sound waveform data read out from the waveform memory using an integral part of the read-out address and the musical sound waveform data read out from the waveform memory using a value obtained by adding 1 to the integral part of the read-out address according to the decimal part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1997
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Gen Izumisawa, Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5627334
    Abstract: The content of component waveforms of at least one signal is changed in a variety of ways among the formant center signals that are synthesized with the formant waveform signals, making it possible to arbitrarily change the waveform of a musical tone that is generated. To cope with changes in the formant waveform signals Ffj(t) or the formant carrier signals Gj(t) formed by synthesizing the component waveforms, furthermore, the signals Fj(t) and Gj(t) are weighed and interpolated. This permits the signals Fj(t) and Gj(t) to change smoothly. Moreover, the number or combination of formant waveform signals synthesized to produce a musical tone is controlled depending upon the musical factors, elapsed time of sounding, envelope levels, envelope phases and/or settings instructed by an operator. This enables the form of the synthesized formant to be changed and the content of a musical tone that is generated to he changed in a variety of ways.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sayoko Hirano, Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5376753
    Abstract: A key touch detector, for an electronic musical instrument, that detects key touch states, comprises: a first switch to be closed at a first key displacement position disposed along the line of travel of a depressed key; a second switch to be closed at a second key displacement position disposed along the line of travel of the depressed key; a key depression detector for detecting the closure of the first switch and the closure of the second switch; a touch data computer for computing touch data for the depressed key during a period that begins following the closure of the first switch and ends with the closure of the second switch; and delay circuitry for deferring initiation of touch data computation by the touch data computer until a predetermined time has elapsed following the closure of the first switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1994
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Taichi Kosugi, Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5374776
    Abstract: A system for use in an electronic musical instrument, which system includes a musical sound generating unit for generating a musical sound, and a detection unit for detecting that the magnitude of the musical sound data generated by the musical sound generating unit exceeds a processing capability, on the basis that the value indicated by the most significant bit prior to data processing not equal to that after data processing. A maintaining unit is also included which forcibly maintain the level of a signal representing the musical sound data at a maximum amplitude thereof, on the basis of the result of the detection effected by detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Saito, Yutaka Washiyama, Yoichi Nagashima
  • Patent number: 5308917
    Abstract: This invention discloses a touch response setting apparatus with which a player can rewrite a touch response curve for converting key touch data into tone generation tone level data. The touch response curve is defined by a polygonal line having at least a low touch setting point and a high touch setting point, and is stored in a RAM which receives a key touch input as an address, and outputs tone level data. In a test mode, low-touch (piano) and high-touch (forte) key operations corresponding to the touch setting points are performed, and an average value of a plurality of key depression strengths upon these key operations is obtained. When a predetermined value is given as tone level data corresponding to a touch average value at each touch setting point, the inclination of each segment of the polygonal line is determined. Thus, points on the segments are interpolated, and generated touch response curve data is stored in the RAM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1994
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Mineo Kitamura, Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5270481
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument comprises a filter coefficient generator, including a control signal generator for receiving timbre information, tone range information and touch information and for generating the first and second parameters to control a filter characteristic; a trigonometric function generator for generating a trigonometric function value based on the first parameter generated by the control signal generator; and a filter coefficient computing circuit for computing the trigonometric function value generated by the trigonometric function generator and the second parameter generated by the control signal generator. The filter coefficient generator sequentially generates filter coefficients by computation and sends them to a digital filter to continuously change the filter characteristic of the digital filter, thereby producing musical tones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1993
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Kaoru Matsunaga, Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5245126
    Abstract: A waveform data storing unit stores waveform data only at steps midway among a top zero level step and originally sampled steps at every sampling period from the top zero level step. An output means is included for outputting the waveform data at a moment staggered from another moment, at which the waveform data at the top zero level step and the originally sampled steps are ordinarily read out, by a period of time corresponding to half a step. The occurrence of a difference in phase of the read-out waveform is prevented without the need of a data correction unit. The waveform data storing unit stores midway-step data which are averages of waveform data at adjoining originally sampled steps and difference data representing the difference between the waveform data at the originally sampled steps and the midway-step data. A fine waveform can therefore be obtained while using a smaller quantity of data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1993
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Saito, Yutaka Washiyama, Yoichi Nagashima
  • Patent number: 5149902
    Abstract: A filter calculating section has a plurality of basic filters formed on a time-divisional basis. The timbre of a musical tone signal is controlled by a memory section, an accumulator, a selector, an I/O assign section and a control section using the basic filters formed by the filter calculating section. A digital filter coefficient stored in a digital filter coefficient memory is read out using integer data output from a cutoff controller as an address. An interpolation circuit interpolates this digital filter coefficient on the basis of fraction data output from the cutoff controller. Based on the interpolated digital filter coefficient, the timbre of a musical tone signal is controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1992
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5146834
    Abstract: A tone generating apparatus comprises a wave memory, an address calculator, an interpolating circuit. In the wave memory is stored tone wave data of a single period to be repeatedly read out stored between a loop top address (integer address) and an address preceding by "1" a loop end address (integer address), same tone wave data as stored at the loop top address being stored at the loop end address. The address calculator generates a read address including a fraction portion, which sequentially increases from the loop top address of the wave memory toward the loop end address at an interval corresponding to a pitch, and returns to the loop top address when exceeding the loop end address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1992
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Gen Izumisawa, Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5127304
    Abstract: A differentiation circuit outputs a normalized time variable signal for each phase. This time variable signal is multiplied by a gain parameter by a multiplier, thus reproducing an AC amplitude level lost in normalization. The reproduced output is added to an amplitude parameter by an adder, thus reproducing a DC amplitude level lost in the normalization. A CPU reads out the parameters of the differentiation circuit and adder from an ROM, and writes them into a parameter memory. When phase-change data is detected, the content of the parameter memory is rewritten, thereby forcibly changing the phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1992
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5117725
    Abstract: A device for changing and controlling the rate of generating waveform data wherein rate changing data such as phase angle step data corresponding to steps, wherein each pair of contiguous steps has an interval smaller than a preset interval, are necessary. The necessary rate changing data of interval other than the preset rate changing data is obtained by effecting an interpolation from the preset rate changing data. Accordingly, it becomes unnecessary to store the rate changing data obtained by performing the interpolation, and thus, the quantity of the phase angle step data SD to the stored can be greatly reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1992
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyomi Takauji, Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5109746
    Abstract: An envelope generator for use in an electronic musical instrument comprises a musical tone data processing unit to evaluate a rate of change in a current value of musical tone envelope data with respect to a target value based on a parameter, a changing rate control unit for decrementing a change in the current value such that the current value becomes closer to the target value, a detection unit to detect whether or not the rate of change becomes equal to 0, and a processing control unit control for stopping the evaluation the current value in response to a result of the detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1992
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyomi Takauji, Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 5061926
    Abstract: A successive comparison type analog-to-digital (AD) converter having a successive comparing circuit which is implemented by two successive comparators, and having a parallel two sequence AD conversion capability while adapting itself to another conversion system at the same time as needed. The successive comparators are not expensive and are, therefore, sucessful in constituting an inexpensive successive comparison type AD converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1991
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Instruments Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yutaka Washiyama
  • Patent number: 4174649
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument which has a key assignor or assignors of one or more channels for generating and temporarily storing key code corresponding to key depression and release, respectively, a memory for storing waveshape information such as inclination and amplitude variations of a required musical waveshape divided into a plurality of periods so as to read out the waveshape information corresponding to the key code, a plurality of tone source devices, each including waveshape generators of different sound ranges respectively corresponding to keyboard switches in the same channel of each key assignor, the tone source device reading out the waveshape information from the memory on a time divided basis to generate from the waveshape generators waveshapes of different frequencies based on the read out waveshape information, and means for simultaneously actuating the corresponding waveshape generators by the key code from the key assignor and coupler information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1977
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1979
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Nobuharu Obayashi, Hikaru Hashizume, Noriji Sakashita, Seiji Kameyama, Sadaaki Ezawa, Hironori Watanabe, Tatsunori Kondo, Toshio Kugisawa, Yutaka Washiyama