Chord-playing robot system and method for controlling the same

{
  "publication_number": "US8653355B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Chord-playing robot system and method for controlling the same",
  "abstract": "A chord-playing robot system is disclosed. The robot system includes a computer including an anti-collision program, two linear motors, two moving devices, and two finger-like devices. The finger-like devices are respectively connected with the moving devices. The anti-collision program is executed to prevent the moving devices from colliding with each other. The linear motors are controlled by the computer and are operable to drive the moving devices. Each finger-like device includes a plurality of tubular solenoids and a plurality of electromagnetic bars. The tubular solenoids are disposed in alternating sequence in two rows. The computer is operable to determine if there is any one of the tubular solenoids shall be switched on. The at least one tubular solenoid, upon switched on, is configured to move the associated electromagnetic bar toward for pressing a key on a piano.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A chord-playing robot system, comprising: a computer, comprising an anti-collision program stored therein; two linear motors electrically coupled to and controlled by the computer; two moving devices respectively connected with the two linear motors, wherein the two linear motors are operable to control the position of the two moving devices, and the anti-collision program, upon execution, is operable to prevent the two moving devices from colliding with each other; and two finger-like devices electrically coupled to and controlled by the computer, wherein each of the two finger-like devices is connected with one of the two moving devices and comprises: a plurality of tubular solenoids disposed in alternating sequence in two rows, wherein each of the tubular solenoids, upon activating, is operable to create an induced electromagnetic force, wherein the computer determines whether to activate each of the tubular solenoids or not; and a plurality of electromagnetic bars, each configured to reciprocate between a first position for pressing a key on a piano in the presence of the induced electromagnetic force and a second position for releasing the key on the piano in the absence of the induced electromagnetic force, and whereby the robot system plays a chord on the piano.",
    "2. The robot system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the finger-like devices comprises sixteen tubular solenoids that are disposed in alternating sequence in two rows such that each of the two rows has eight tubular solenoids.",
    "3. The robot system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of relays configured to respectively control the on/off of each of the plurality of tubular solenoids.",
    "4. The robot system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a control circuit, wherein the two finger-like devices are electrically coupled to the computer via the control circuit.",
    "5. The robot system as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the finger-like devices plays a main melody of a musical piece, the other finger-like device plays a second melody or chords of the musical piece.",
    "6. The robot system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computer further comprises a playing program to perform the following steps: providing a plurality of conversion tables based on a pitch position corresponding to one of the plurality of tubular solenoids s; converting each musical note of a music score into a corresponding value of Musical Instrument Digital Interface respectively; dividing each of the MIDI values by 12 to obtain a remainder thereof; and looking up the remainder within the plurality of conversion tables to determine which of the plurality of tubular solenoids would be activated.",
    "7. The robot system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the anti-collision program further performs the following steps: determining whether one tubular solenoid within one finger-like device is spaced nine white keys apart from the tubular solenoid located at the same relative position within the other finger-like device."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a chord-playing robot system and a method for controlling the robot system. 2. Description of the Related Art It has been a long time since robots were first developed; however, the functions of current piano playing robot systems are still in comprehensive. Those robots can only press the white keys on the piano or press a single key at a time due to the constraints imposed by the degree of freedom of mechanisms. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a robot system that can press both the black and white keys, as well as playing chords. Most of the piano-playing robot systems that have been presented so far have only one set of playing devices. Musical pieces, however, are usually composed of a main melody and chords, which are played with both hands on piano. Consequently, there is a need to develop a piano-playing robot system that has two moving parts to mimics the way of a human when playing the piano, namely playing a main melody and chords simultaneously. Moreover, the two moving parts may shift among various intervals without colliding each other.\n\nThus, in order to provide a robot system capable of playing the main melody and chords on piano at the same time, it is necessary to invent a chord-playing robot system and a method for controlling the same so that the robot system may play complex musical pieces and the two moving parts of the robot system would not collide with each other when the moving parts respectively shift from one interval to another interval.",
  "cpc": [
    "G10F 3/00",
    "B25J 11/004",
    "B25J 19/06",
    "B25J 5/02",
    "G10H 1/0066"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G01H 3/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "FAHN CHIN-SHYURNG",
    "LIN YUNG-WEI",
    "UNIV NAT TAIWAN SCIENCE TECH"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "FAHN CHIN-SHYURNG",
    "LIN YUNG-WEI"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2011-07-20",
  "publication_date": "2014-02-18",
  "grant_date": "2014-02-18",
  "priority_date": "2010-12-24",
  "application_number": "US-201113186699-A",
  "family_id": "44512515",
  "citations": [
    "US2009114054A1",
    "US2010131100A1",
    "US2011118871A1",
    "US4921293A",
    "US5270480A",
    "US5570920A",
    "US6015174A"
  ]
}