Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-13
2001-01-30
Donels, Jeffrey (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
C084S604000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06180864
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tone generation device, method and distribution medium. More specifically, the invention relates to a tone generation device, method, and distribution medium, whereby the quantity of data handled in the various processing stages, such as reading data for generating tones from memory, processing it, and storing it into memory again, is such that the delay time from when there is a request for expression of prescribed tone until it is actually expressed causes no problems, and it is handled collectively in a quantity such that the bus can be used effectively.
Advances in semiconductor technology have made it possible to have on a single chip an arithmetic processing device (for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or digital signal processor (DSP) and a main memory device (for example, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static RAM (SRAM)). Data is passed between them via a bus.
In a conventional tone generation device, sound source processing such as pitch conversion or envelope processing is done by these arithmetic processing devices with a period Ts (time of sampling period) corresponding to a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz or 48.0 kHz, that is every 1/44,100 second or 1/48,000 second.
For example, as shown in
FIG. 1
, data for generating tones that is stored in a memory, etc. is read by the arithmetic processing device in a quantity corresponding to 1 Ts. Then the arithmetic processing device performs pitch conversion or other sound source processing on this 1-Ts data that has been read and temporarily writes it into memory for subsequent processing (processing by a later-stage arithmetic processing device). A tone is generated by repeating this operation as many times as necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A large quantity of data (a quantity of data corresponding to a broad bit width) can be passed at one time, and the operation is done most efficiently, if the arithmetic processing device and the main memory device are connected by a bus whose clock frequency is high (high-speed) and whose bit width is broad. A bit width means the number of bits which can be transferred at once and is also referred as the width of data bus.
But with a conventional tone generation device as described above, the data needed for tone generation is passed between the arithmetic processing device and the main memory device (memory) in the small unit of 1 Ts, which corresponds to the sampling frequency.
Thus there has been the problem that if the tone generation device is comprised using an arithmetic processing device, a main memory device having a high-speed, broad bit width bus therebetween, because the data exchanged is small, it is difficult to transfer data efficiently.
The present invention reads from memory a quantity of data corresponding to n Ts all at once, performs sound source processing, and again stores it into memory as necessary, making it possible to efficiently use a high-speed, broad-bit-width bus.
The arithmetic processing device of the tone generator has a reading means that reads, via a broad bit width bus, data for generating tones that is stored in the main memory device as well as a generation means that generates tones using the data read by the reading means, and the reading means and generation means handle collectively data of n times (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2) the tone sampling period.
The tone generation method of this invention also includes a step in which the arithmetic processing device reads, via a broad bit width bus, data for generating tones that is stored in the main memory device as well as a step in which the tone is generated using the data read in the reading step, and the reading step and generation step handle collectively data of n times (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2) the tone sampling period.
Further, the distribution medium of this invention provides a program that is readable by a computer that causes the tone generation device to execute processing that is characterized in that it includes a reading step in which the arithmetic processing device reads, via a broad-bit width bus, data for generating tones that is stored in the main memory device as well as a generation step in which the tone is generated using the data read in the reading step, and the reading step and generation step handle collectively data of n times (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2) the tone sampling period.
In the aforesaid tone generation device, tone generation method, and distribution medium, data for generating a tone is read, the tone is generated using the data that is read, and in this reading and generation, data of n times the tone sampling frequency is handled collectively.
In the following, an embodiment of this invention is described with reference to the attached drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5614685 (1997-03-01), Matsumoto et al.
patent: 5625158 (1997-04-01), Ichiki
patent: 5689080 (1997-11-01), Gulick
patent: 5847304 (1998-12-01), Hewitt
patent: WO 97/31363 (1997-08-01), None
Furuhashi Makoto
Hashimoto Takeshi
Donels Jeffrey
Helfgott & Karas P.C.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
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