Abstract:
The percussion-triggered lighting system is adapted to provide steady and/or percussively triggered illumination within one or more drums. The drums have translucent heads to allow the internal lighting to be viewed. An electromechanical switch is installed within the drum(s), for economy and to allow the system to be installed in existing drums. The system may also operate small peripheral lights around the edge of one or more drums, the peripheral lighting being programmable to produce various moving patterns. The system may also include a video projector within one or more drums to project a visual image on the interior of the translucent drum head that is visible to the audience. A separate control panel may be provided to allow the drummer to actuate any of the percussive lights without striking the drum to avoid creating a sound when a drum beat is inappropriate during the performance.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to lighting systems for live stage performances, and particularly to a percussion-triggered lighting system actuated by a drum kit or other percussion instrument during a musical performance. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    It has long been recognized that most musical performances include visual elements as well. Perhaps this is most true in the field of popular music, e.g., rock music and its various related genres. Accordingly, many musicians and bands have attempted to provide more spectacular visual elements and showmanship in order to provide not only a musical show, but a visual show as well. 
         [0005]    Initially, such visual elements tended to be limited to the stage settings and the attire and actions of the performers. However, some musicians and performers also realized that the visual effects of their musical performances could be further enhanced by embellishing their musical instruments in some manner. In addition to constructing many of their instruments (guitars being a prime example) to have a spectacular and eye-catching appearance, some musicians and performers developed the concept of illuminating certain instruments in some manner. 
         [0006]    The instruments that lend themselves best to such illumination are percussion instruments, and particularly drums. Drums by their nature have open, empty interiors, lending themselves to the installation of various lighting means therein. Constructing a drum to have a translucent drum head allows such interior lighting to project through the drum head to add another attractive visual effect to the musical performance and show. A further development was to construct some form of triggering device that would only illuminate the drum when the drum was struck, i.e., produced a drum beat. The synchronization of a light pulse with the sound pulse of the drum beat created an additional entertainment factor to please the audience. 
         [0007]    However, the electronic systems developed in the past to actuate a lighting system by a percussive beat to a drum tend to be relatively costly, and generally must be original equipment manufactured into the drum. They generally cannot readily be added to the drum after the drum has been completed. Moreover, they only illuminate the interior of the drum. No illumination is provided on the exterior shell of the drum or in other areas of the stage or setting. In addition, percussively triggered lighting systems require that the drum be struck, thereby producing a sharp sound. In many instances it may not be appropriate to play the drums during certain passages, yet synchronized illumination of the interior(s) and exterior(s) of the drum(s) and/or other areas of the stage setting may be desirable to enhance the visual effects as other instruments are being played. 
         [0008]    Thus, a percussion-triggered lighting system solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The percussion-triggered lighting system includes various internal and external lighting elements for a drum kit, the kit including at least one bass drum, at least one intermediate (“tom-tom”) drum, and at least one snare drum. Any or all of the drums may include a steady light therein adapted to remain illuminated independently of percussion of the drum. Any or all of the drums may further include a light and switch mechanism to illuminate the light only when the drum is struck. In addition, at least one of the drums, e.g., the bass drum, may be equipped with peripheral lighting and controls that cause the peripheral lighting to vary around the perimeter of the drum, e.g., to appear to rotate, strobe, flash, etc. 
         [0010]    The above percussively triggered lighting elements are only illuminated when the corresponding drum(s) is struck, thereby producing a sharp sound. The percussion triggered lighting system further includes an auxiliary percussive control panel, enabling the drummer to strike one or more of the pads of the panel to illuminate one or more corresponding lighting elements in or on the drums without producing a corresponding sound. The brightness of any or all of the lighting elements may be controlled as desired by a separate dimmer control panel. 
         [0011]    In addition to the above, one or more of the drums (e.g., the bass drum or drums) may have a video projector installed therein to project a visual image on the interior of the translucent drum head to be visible to the audience, The visual image may be a prerecorded natural, synthetic, or abstract still or moving scene, or a close-up view of one or more of the musicians as they play, or views of the audience if a suitable camera is provided. Moreover, the percussion-triggered lighting system may be used to operate external lighting, i.e., lighting removed from the drums themselves. 
         [0012]    These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a percussion-triggered lighting system according to the present invention, illustrating its basic components and their relationships. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2A  is a diagrammatic front elevation view in section of a bass drum of the percussion-triggered lighting system according to the present invention, illustrating its internal components. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2B  is a side elevation view in section along lines  2 B- 2 B of  FIG. 2A . 
           [0016]      FIG. 3A  is a diagrammatic front elevation view in section of a bass drum of the percussion triggered lighting system according to the present invention, illustrating alternative internal components comprising a video projection system. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3B  is a side elevation view in section along lines  3 B- 3 B of  FIG. 3A . 
       
    
    
       [0018]    Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    The percussion-triggered lighting system provides a number of internal and external lights for drums, which are constantly lighted or are lighted upon percussion of the drum(s). Various other lighting systems and controls may be provided for the momentary illumination of the lights without percussion of the drum(s), and/or other lighting remote from the drum(s), drummer, and controls. The system may also be used to control a video projector disposed within one or more of the drums. The system may be retrofit to an existing drum kit as an after-market improvement. 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  of the drawings provides a schematic illustration of the basic percussion triggered lighting system of the present invention. In  FIG. 1 , two bass drums  10  are provided. Each of the drums has a translucent drum head  12  (shown in  FIG. 2B ) in order to allow light to pass from the interior of the drums through the drum head for viewing external to the drum. Each of the drums has a steady light  14  disposed therein, i.e., a light that is illuminated continuously throughout the performance, rather than being controlled by percussion of the drums. Each of the drums  10  further has a percussion activated or controlled light  16  therein. The internal drum lights  14  and  16  may be any desired type of lighting, e.g., incandescent, fluorescent, etc., but are preferably light emitting diodes (LEDs) due to their durability and rapid response time for use as a percussively activated light. While the schematic drawing of  FIG. 1  illustrates both steady and percussively illuminated lights  14  and  16  within each of the drums  10 , it will be seen that either or both types of lighting may be installed in either or both bass drums  10 , as desired. Each of the bass drums  10  may also include one or more strings of percussion-triggered external lights  18  disposed circumferentially about their rims  20 . The peripheral external lights  18  may be actuated to illuminate in any of various predetermined sequences, e.g., in consecutive sequence around the string or strings to produce the appearance of rotation, alternating illumination, etc., as desired. 
         [0021]    The percussion-triggered lighting system may further include at least one, and preferably a small number of intermediate drums  20 , known as “tom-toms.” The drum heads of the tom-toms  20  are also made of a translucent material in the manner of the translucent drum heads of the bass drums  10 . The tom-toms  20  may also include steady illumination sources  22  therein, as well as percussively actuated lights  24 , similarly to the respective lights  14  and  16  of the bass drums  10 . A snare drum  26  may also be included in the drum kit. The snare drum also contains a steady light  28  and a percussively controlled light  30  therein. As the beat of a snare drum is of relatively short duration, a timer delay switch  32  may be provided to delay the opening of the actuation switch for the percussively actuated light  30  for a short time, e.g., one half second or so, after a drum beat. The timer delay switch  32  may be adjusted to provide any practicable duration for the light  30 . 
         [0022]    Electrical power is provided for the above-described lighting system by a conventional electrical source  34 , e.g., the a.c. power mains, a generator for remote locations, etc. Electrical power is received from the electrical power source  34  by a switch panel  36  that serves to distribute the electrical power to the various lights described further above. The switch panel  36  includes a first switch  38   a  that provides power to the steady lights  14 ,  22 , and  28  of the corresponding drums  10 ,  20 , and  26 , a second switch  38   b  that provides power to the percussively actuated lights  16 ,  24 , and  30  of those respective drums, and a third switch  38   c  that provides power to the peripheral lights  18  of the one or more bass drums  10 . The switch panel  36  may comprise a dimmer control panel in which each of the switches  38   a  through  38   c  comprises a dimmer switch, if desired. 
         [0023]    There may be times during the course of a performance that the actuation of the percussively controlled lights within the various drums may be desired, but no drum beat is desired at that particular point in the performance. The percussion-triggered lighting system provides for the actuation of the various drum lights without requiring a drum beat by a light switch array  40  located remotely from the various drums  10 ,  20 , and  26 . The term “remotely”, in terms of the location of the light switch array  40 , means that the array  40  is not necessarily attached to any of the drums, but is within convenient reach of the drummer during the performance. The light switch array  40  includes a number of percussion actuated switches  42   a  through  42   e,  Each of the switches  42   a - 42   e  controls some function of the various lights of the system. Each of the switches  42   a  through  42   e  comprises a relatively soft pad with a contact switch or touch switch therein, so that a strike of the pad of the switch produces nearly no sound due to the acoustic properties of the pad. The sound of a strike upon any of the switches  42   a  through  42   e  cannot be heard by the audience due to the overall sound of the musical performance while playing. 
         [0024]    A first switch  42   a  may serve as a master power switch for the system, receiving electrical power from the power source  34 . A second switch  42   b  may serve to provide electrical power to some external lighting array  44  located remotely from the drums, e.g., stage lighting, etc. A third switch  42   c  may control electrical power to the switch  38   a  of the switch panel  36 , thereby controlling the power to the steady lights steady lights  14 ,  22 , and  28  of the corresponding drums  10 ,  20 , and  26 . A fourth switch  42   d  may control electrical power to the second switch  38   b  of the switch panel  36 , thereby controlling power to the percussively actuated lights  16 ,  24 , and  30  of those respective drums. A fifth switch  42   e  may control electrical power to the third switch  38   c  of the switch panel  36 , thereby controlling power to the peripheral lights  18  of the one or more bass drums  10 . The above-described light switch array  40  and the various switches  42   a  through  42   e  are exemplary, and the number, arrangement, and functions of the various switches may be adjusted as desired. 
         [0025]    At least some of the various lights of the various drums are controlled by percussive strikes of the various drums, as described further above. The switches for illuminating the associated lights due to drum strikes or beats are located within the respective drums.  FIGS. 2A and 2B  of the drawings provide internal views of an exemplary bass drum  10 . It will be understood that percussively actuated lights disposed within the tom-tom drums  20  and/or snare drum  26  use essentially the same switch configuration. The switch mechanism illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 213  includes an electromechanical microswitch  46  (shown in  FIG. 2B ) installed within the drum  10  on a mounting bracket  48 , and an actuator arm  50  extending from a pivot point at the base of the bracket and/or microswitch  46  to a resilient contact bumper  52  at the distal end of the arm  50 .  FIGS. 2A and 2B  also show a ballast weight  54  installed within the drum  10  to stabilize the drum kit and its attached tom-toms and other attached equipment (e.g., cymbals, etc.). The electromechanical switch assembly operates when the drum  10  is struck, so that the drum head  12  flexes and reverberates inward and outward, accordingly. The moving drum head  12  transfers motion to the contact bumper  52  of the actuator arm  50 , thus causing the actuator arm  50  to move and transfer its motion to the microswitch  46  by means of its switch contact. The opening and closing of the microswitch  46  causes the percussion-triggered light  16  within the drum  10  to illuminate momentarily. The same switch assembly may also communicate electrically with the external lights  18  installed peripherally about the rim  20  of the drum  10  (and/or other drums, if so desired). 
         [0026]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate another embodiment of the percussion-triggered lighting system in which a video projector is installed within a drum  56 . The drum  56  may be a bass drum similar to the bass drums  10  of  FIGS. 1 through 2B , or other desired drum type. Rather than having various percussion-actuated and steady lighting within the drum  56 , a video projector  58  is installed therein on a bracket  60 . The projector  58  has a lens  62  adjusted to project an in-focus image on the inside of the translucent drum head, and receives electrical power and video signal from a projector control system  64  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) disposed external to the drum  56 . The projector  58  may also be electrically connected to a percussively actuated microswitch, such as the microswitch  46  and contact arm  50  illustrated in the drum  10  of  FIG. 2 , to actuate or deactivate the video display, and/or to switch the display to different displays, if desired. One or more conventional video cameras (not shown) may be set up to receive video images of one or more of the performers, scenes of the audience, and/or other scenes, so that the drummer or other personnel (e.g., a lighting technician) may switch the scene(s) as desired during the course of the performance. Alternatively, the video projection system may be installed within one or more of the bass drums  10  in addition to the steady and percussively actuated lights  14  and  16 , as indicated in broken lines in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0027]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.