Impact responsive portable electronic drumhead

摘要

A portable electronic drumhead sensor which converts impact forces exerted by a drumstick or hand into electrical pulses input to headphones to thereby simulate sounds of an acoustic drumhead includes a Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) lamination coated with an electrically conductive polymer ink, a spacer lamination, and a flexible electrode lamination having on an inner surface thereof interdigitated electrodes, the electrode lamination elastically contacting the FSR lamination in response to impact forces on the outer surface of either lamination to momentarily reduce electrical resistance between the electrodes. An annular ring-shaped embodiment of the sensor positionable on an acoustic drumhead has an upwardly protruding resilient bumper strikable to produce electronically synthesized rim-shot sounds. Optionally, the sensor may include a planar resistor connected to a row of electrodes which enables determination of the position where a force has been exerted on the sensor as well as the magnitude of the force.

主权项

1. A portable electronic drumhead sensor assembly for producing an electrical signal which is selectably proportional to magnitude or location of a force exerted on said sensor assembly, said sensor assembly comprising;
a. an FSR (force-sensing resistor) lamination sheet which has an outer planar surface and an inner planar surface, b. an electrode lamination sheet which has an outer planar surface and an inner planar surface which confronts said inner planar surface of said FSR lamination sheet, c. an electrically conductive substance comprising an FSR layer located between said inner confronting surfaces of said FSR lamination sheet and said electrode lamination sheet, d. a planar electrode structure located on said inner surface of said electrode lamination sheet, said planar electrode structure including at least a first-side force magnitude and location sensor part comprising;
i. an elongated planar resistor having at a first transversely disposed end thereof a first conductor bar in electrically conductive contact with said planar resistor and with a first, fixed bias voltage lead-out conductor, and at a second transversely disposed end thereof a second conductor bar in electrically conductive contact with said planar resistor and with a second, switchable bias voltage lead-out conductor,ii. a first-side set of longitudinally spaced apart electrically conductive inner electrode strips which protrude laterally outwards from a first longitudinal side of said planar resistor, said inner electrode strips having inner ends in electrically conductive contact with said planar resistor and outer ends spaced apart from a first-side signal lead-out conductor strip, andiii. a first-side set of longitudinally spaced apart electrically conductive outer electrode strips spaced apart from and interdigitated with said first-side set of inner electrode strips, said first-side outer electrode strips having inner ends which are spaced apart from said first side of said planar resistor, and outer ends which terminate at and are in electrically conductive contact with said first-side signal lead-out conductor strip, e. at least one of said FSR lamination and said electrode lamination sheets being elastically flexible towards the other in response to a compressive force exerted on an outer planar surface thereof to thus force said interdigitated inner and outer electrode strips of said electrode structure into contact with said FSR layer, f. whereby
i. connecting a voltage source between said fixed bias voltage lead-out conductor and said switchable bias lead-out conductor produces on said first-side signal lead-out conductor a voltage proportional to the location of a compressive force exerted on said sensor inner assembly, andii. connecting a first terminal of a voltage source to said first-end signal lead-out connector said switchable bias voltage lead-out terminal and a first node of a load resistor and connecting a second terminal of the voltage source to a second node of the load resistor produces on said first-end signal lead-out conductor a voltage proportional to the magnitude of a compressive force exerted on said sensor assembly.