Keyboard device and electronic musical instrument

Abstract

The invention provides a compact keyboard device and an electronic musical instrument which are excellent in touch during key pressing. A keyboard device (1) is provided with: a keyboard including a plurality of keys (10); a hammer (30) that rotates about an axis in the direction in which the plurality of keys (10) are arranged in accordance with a keyboard operation; and a stopper (60) which is a key stopper that restricts the rotation of the hammer (30) by coming into contact with the hammer (30) when the key is pressed. The hammer (30) is provided with a protruding section that protrudes further toward the contact section (452) than the contact section (452) that comes into contact with the stopper (60).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosure of this specification relates to a keyboard device and an electronic musical instrument. Background Art

[0002] Generally, it is desired that the electronic musical instrument be compact. Therefore, it is desired that the hammers of the electronic musical instrument be accommodated in a limited space in a keyboard device, and that sufficient load be applied to key operations to reproduce a touch similar to that of an acoustic musical instrument. Summary of the invention

[0003] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a compact keyboard device and an electronic musical instrument having an excellent touch when pressing keys.

[0004] A keyboard device according to a technical solution disclosed herein comprises: a keyboard including a plurality of keys; a hammer that rotates around an axis in the direction in which the plurality of keys are arranged in response to keyboard operation; and a key stopper that limits the rotation of the hammer by abutting against the hammer due to pressing the key, wherein the hammer has a protrusion that protrudes further toward the abutting portion than the abutting portion abutting against the key stopper. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an electronic musical instrument according to one embodiment.

[0006] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a keyboard device of an electronic musical instrument according to an embodiment when keys are pressed.

[0007] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of a keyboard device of an electronic musical instrument according to an embodiment when a key is released.

[0008] Figure 4A This is a three-dimensional view of the hammer body viewed from obliquely above.

[0009] Figure 4B This is a three-dimensional view of the hammer body viewed from obliquely below.

[0010] Figure 4C It is a side view of the hammer body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an electronic musical instrument according to one embodiment. Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a keyboard device of an electronic musical instrument according to an embodiment when keys are pressed. Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of a keyboard device of an electronic musical instrument according to an embodiment when a key is released. Figure 4A This is a three-dimensional view of the hammer body viewed from obliquely above. Figure 4B This is a three-dimensional view of the hammer body viewed from obliquely below. Figure 4C 1 is a side view of the hammer body. Figures 1 to 3 The structures of the electronic musical instrument 100 and the keyboard device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0012] Figure 1 The electronic musical instrument 100 shown is, for example, an electronic piano, an electronic music synthesizer, and includes the following Figures 2 to 4C The electronic musical instrument 100 is equipped with a switch panel 101, a display 102, a speaker 103, a pedal 104, etc. in addition to the keyboard device 1.

[0013] The switch panel 101 may also include switches for operating the designation of volume, setting of sound source, timbre, etc., selection of music (accompaniment), start / stop of music reproduction, setting of music reproduction (beat, etc.), etc. The display 102 may also display lyrics, music scores, various setting information, etc. The speaker 103 may also be used to emit the sound generated by the performance. The pedal 104 may be a sustain pedal having the function of prolonging the sound of the pressed keyboard while the pedal is pressed, or a pedal for operating an effector for processing the timbre, volume, etc.

[0014] The keyboard device 1 is a keyboard device of an electronic musical instrument having a keyboard for specifying pitches, and is, for example, a keyboard device of an electronic piano, an electronic music synthesizer, or the like. Figure 2 and Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the direction in which the plurality of keys 20 included in the keyboard are arranged, and shows a state in which the keyboard device 1 is compactly configured in the front-rear direction of the keys 20 .

[0015] In this specification, the arrangement direction of the plurality of keys 20 is referred to as the width direction of the keyboard device 1, and the front-to-back direction of the keys 20 is referred to as the depth direction of the keyboard device 1. The side of the keyboard device 1 closer to the user who operates the keyboard device 1 in the depth direction is referred to as the near front side, and the opposite side is referred to as the back side. In addition, the direction in which the keys 20 move up and down, which is orthogonal to both the arrangement direction and the front-to-back direction, is referred to as the up-down direction.

[0016] The keyboard device 1 includes a keyboard chassis 10 and a keyboard including a plurality of keys 20. Each key 20 included in the keyboard is supported by the keyboard chassis 10 so as to be rotatable with respect to a support shaft 21 provided in the width direction at the inner side of the key 20. The key 20 rotates in response to a keyboard operation, i.e., a key pressing or key releasing operation, and the movable range of the key 20 is limited within a predetermined range by a stopper 13 described later.

[0017] A front leg portion 11 is provided near the front side of the keyboard chassis 10 and projects toward the key 20. A keyboard guide portion 12 is provided at the upper end of the front leg portion 11 to prevent the key 20 from swinging in the width direction and to come into sliding contact with the key 20. In addition, a stopper 13 is provided at the front leg portion 11 to limit the upper limit position and the lower limit position of the key 20 when rotating.

[0018] A switch substrate 14 is installed at a portion facing the key 20 on the inner side of the front leg portion 11. A switch portion 15 that turns on in response to a key operation on the key 20 is mounted on the switch substrate 14. The switch portion 15 is provided for each key 20. The switch protrusion 22 that protrudes from the bottom of the key 20 toward the keyboard chassis 10 acts on the switch portion 15 in response to the key operation, and the switch portion 15 detects the key operation and outputs an on signal. As a result, the electronic musical instrument having the keyboard device 1 generates musical sound information based on the on signal, and the speaker 103 emits musical sound based on the musical sound information. A plurality of switch portions 15 and a plurality of switch protrusions 22 may also be provided for each key 20.

[0019] Hammers 30 corresponding to the keys 20 are arranged in the width direction inside the keyboard chassis 10. The hammers 30 are rotatably supported by the keyboard chassis 10 about shafts 43 extending in the width direction, and rotate about the shafts 43 in response to keyboard operations.

[0020] A key stopper, i.e., a stopper 60 , is provided inside the keyboard chassis 10 to restrict the rotation of the hammer 30 by contacting the hammer 30 when a key is pressed, and a key-off stopper, i.e., a stopper 70 , is provided to restrict the rotation of the hammer 30 by contacting the hammer 30 when a key is released.

[0021] Each hammer 30 includes a hammer body 40 and a hammer cap 50. The hammer body 40 includes an arm portion 41, a power point portion 42, and a hammer portion 44. The arm portion 41 is formed with an axial hole 41a extending in the width direction, and the arm portion 41 is rotatably supported on the keyboard chassis 10 by a shaft portion 43 inserted through the shaft hole 41a.

[0022] The force point portion 42 is an end portion of the hammer body 40 located near the front side in the front-rear direction relative to the arm portion 41 (shaft portion 43), and functions as a force point when the hammer body 40 rotates with the shaft portion 43 as a fulcrum. A hammer cap 50 made of an elastic member such as rubber is installed on the force point portion 42. A through hole opening in a rectangular shape in the front-rear direction is formed at the lower end portion of the hammer pressing portion 23 extending from the bottom of the key 20 toward the inside of the keyboard chassis 10. By inserting the force point portion 42 with the hammer cap 50 installed into the through hole, the key 20 and the hammer 30 are combined.

[0023] The hammer portion 44 is an end portion of the hammer body 40 located further back in the front-rear direction than the arm portion 41 (shaft portion 43), and functions as a point of action when the hammer body 40 rotates with the shaft portion 43 as a fulcrum. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, when viewed from the axial direction (width direction), the plummet 44 has a substantially triangular shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and the short side portion of the surface near the front among the three surfaces forming the substantially triangular shape is connected to the arm 41.

[0024] The arm portion 41, the force point portion 42 and the hammer portion 44 constituting the hammer body 40 are formed by bending a member of a predetermined shape cut out from a metal flat plate with a relatively large specific gravity. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C As shown, the weight portion 44 has a three-layer structure in which the folded portion is folded twice in the front-rear direction with the portion connected to the arm portion 41 as the center.

[0025] In addition, the hammers 44 of the hammers 30 on the bass side among the plurality of hammers 30 are made heavier than the hammers 44 of the hammers 30 on the treble side. For example, the notch 44a formed on the hammer 44 is used to adjust the weight of the hammer 30. In the keyboard device 1, by adjusting the size and number of the notch 44a, a weight difference is set for the hammers 30 on the bass side and the treble side. In addition, the weight difference between the hammers 44 of the hammers 30 on the bass side and the hammers 30 on the treble side may be achieved not by the notch 44a but by the protrusion 452 described below. In addition, the hammers 44 of the hammers 30 on the bass side and the hammers 30 on the treble side may have the same weight.

[0026] The upper side of the three sides of the hammer portion 44 forming a substantially triangular shape has a substantially flat abutment portion 451. When the key 20 is pressed by a key operation, the hammer pressing portion 23 pushes the force point portion 42 downward vertically. As a result, the hammer 30 rotates with the shaft portion 43 as a fulcrum. Figure 2 As shown, the hammer 44 is pushed up vertically upward in the keyboard chassis 10. The contact portion 451 is a contact portion that contacts the stopper 60 extending vertically downward from the upper portion of the keyboard chassis 10 when such a key operation is performed, that is, when a key is pressed.

[0027] like Figure 2 As shown, the abutment portion 451 is preferably formed to be substantially horizontal when abutting against the stopper 60. Thus, the abutment portion 451 abuts against a larger range of the lower surface of the stopper 60, which is also formed as a substantially flat surface, when the key is pressed, so the impact of the hammer 30 can be reliably absorbed by the stopper 60.

[0028] The upper surface of the three surfaces forming the substantially triangular shape of the hammer portion 44 has, in addition to the abutment portion 451, a protrusion 452 provided for adjusting the mass distribution of the hammer 30. Figure 2 As shown, the protrusion 452 is a portion that protrudes toward the abutting portion 451 side relative to the abutting portion 451. That is, the protrusion 452 is a portion that protrudes toward the side that abuts against the stopper 60 relative to the abutting portion 451, in other words, it can be said that it is a portion that protrudes toward the side that abuts against the stopper 60 relative to the abutting portion 451, or a portion that protrudes toward the side that abuts against the stopper 60 relative to the abutting portion 451. The protrusion 452 is provided at a position farther from the shaft portion 43 than the abutting portion 451.

[0029] The protrusion 452 is made to protrude toward the side that contacts the stopper 60, which contributes to the efficient use of the space in the keyboard device 1 and the compact structure of the keyboard device 1. Furthermore, the protrusion 452 is arranged at a position farther from the shaft 43 than the contact portion 451, which greatly contributes to the light and compact structure of the keyboard device 1 while applying a sufficient moment load to the key 20. This point will be described in detail below.

[0030] The stopper 60, to which a force corresponding to the key-pressing speed is applied, has a thickness that can reliably absorb the impact even when a large force is applied. As a result, a space of about the thickness of the stopper 60 that has not been used in the past is generated around the stopper 60. The configuration of the protrusion 452 described above, especially the configuration in which the protrusion 452 protrudes toward the side that abuts against the stopper 60, can effectively utilize the unused space. Thus, the protrusion 452 for adjusting the mass distribution can be provided without extending the length of the hammer 30 in the front-to-back direction, so that the keyboard device 1 having the hammer 30 with improved touch when pressing the key can be compactly constructed.

[0031] Furthermore, in order to efficiently impart a moment load to the key 20 with a lightweight hammer 30, it is preferred to distribute more mass to a position as far away from the shaft 43 as possible. In the keyboard device 1, this is achieved by arranging the protrusion 452 at a position farther away from the shaft 43 than the abutment 451. Thus, in the keyboard device 1, a larger moment load can be imparted than a conventional hammer of the same weight as the hammer 30, so a heavier touch (tactile sensation) can be imparted to the user when the key is pressed. In addition, since the protrusion 452 is disposed at a position farther away from the abutment 451, the movable range of the hammer 30 will not be limited by the protrusion 452, unlike the case where the protrusion 452 is provided on the abutment 451.

[0032] Therefore, according to the keyboard device 1 having the hammers 30 , a heavier touch when pressing a key can be given to the user with the same weight as before. Alternatively, the same touch when pressing a key can be given to the user while being lighter than before.

[0033] By arranging the protrusion 452 at a position farther from the shaft 43 than the contact portion 451, a moment load can be efficiently applied, but it is not preferable to extend the hammer 30 in the front-rear direction for this purpose. This is because, in an electronic musical instrument that is compactly constructed, if the length of the hammer 30 in the front-rear direction is extended, the length of the electronic musical instrument in the depth direction also becomes longer. In the keyboard device 1, by making the protrusion 452 protrude to the side farther from the shaft 43 than the contact portion 451 and abutting against the stopper 60, the extension of the length of the hammer 30 in the front-rear direction is avoided.

[0034] As described above, when a key is pressed, the protrusion 452 is accommodated in the space around the stopper 60 generated by the thickness of the stopper 60. At this time, in order to avoid contact between the protrusion 452 and the keyboard chassis 10, it is preferred that the length of the protrusion 452 in the vertical direction (i.e., the protrusion amount) is shorter than the length of the stopper 60 in the vertical direction (i.e., the thickness).

[0035] Furthermore, the moment load can be efficiently applied by making the protruding portion 452 protrude in the width direction at a position farther from the shaft portion 43 than the contact portion 451. However, a structure protruding in the width direction is not preferable because it may interfere with the adjacent hammer 30.

[0036] The lower side of the three sides of the hammer 44 forming a substantially triangular shape has a substantially flat abutment portion 453. When the pressure on the key 20 is released by the key release operation, the hammer 44 falls vertically downward due to its own weight. As a result, the hammer 30 rotates with the shaft 43 as a fulcrum. Figure 3 As shown, the hammer 44 abuts against the stopper 70. The abutment portion 453 is a portion that abuts against the stopper 70 extending vertically upward from the lower portion of the keyboard chassis 10 when such a key release operation is performed, that is, when the key is released.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, the abutment portion 453 is preferably formed to be substantially horizontal when abutting against the stopper 70. Thus, the abutment portion 453 abuts against a larger range of the upper surface of the stopper 70, which is also formed as a substantially flat surface, when the key is released, so the impact of the hammer 30 can be reliably absorbed by the stopper 70.

[0038] The contact portion 453 is formed as a recessed portion that is recessed relative to the other portions of the lower surface. That is, the hammer 30 has the contact portion 453 as a recessed portion that contacts the stopper 70 on the side that contacts the stopper 70. The contact portion 453 is formed as a recessed portion, which greatly contributes to preventing the hammer 30 from rebounding when the key is released. This point will be described in detail below.

[0039] If the stopper 70 cannot stop the momentum of the hammer 30 when the key is released and the hammer 30 rebounds on the stopper 70, various adverse conditions may occur. For example, when the key 20 is continuously struck, the tracking performance of the finger movement becomes poor, the extra vibration is transmitted to the finger and the playing feeling becomes poor, and two sounds are generated by one keystroke, etc. These adverse conditions tend to occur more significantly when the electronic musical instrument is constructed more compactly.

[0040] In order to suppress the rebound of the hammer 30 when the key is released, it is preferable to make the stopper 70 thicker. In the keyboard device 1, by forming the abutment portion 453 as a recessed portion, a larger space that can be used for the stopper 70 can be ensured without changing the movable range of the hammer 30, thereby realizing the configuration of the stopper 70 that is thicker than before. As a result, in the keyboard device 1, the stopper 70 can be formed thicker, and the vibration damping performance when the key is released is improved, so that the rebound of the hammer 30 can be prevented and the occurrence of various adverse conditions associated with the rebound can be avoided.

[0041] The stopper 70 has a three-layer structure of a sound-absorbing layer 71, a buffer layer 72, and a base layer 73, which are arranged in order from the side contacting the hammer 30. The sound-absorbing layer 71 is a layer for reducing the collision sound between the hammer 30 and the stopper 70, and is composed of a material such as polyester felt. The buffer layer 72 is a layer for exerting a buffering effect, and is composed of an elastic material such as rubber for suppressing the rebound of the hammer 30. The buffer layer 72 is preferably composed of a material that exerts its performance in a wide range from low temperature to normal temperature. The base layer 73 is a layer for suppressing the collision sound from being transmitted to the keyboard chassis 10 and reverberating, and is composed of a foam material, for example. In addition, the stopper 70 can also be designed to be thicker than the stopper 60.

[0042] In the keyboard device 1, in order to prevent the occurrence of rebound of the hammer 30, it is preferable to use the space secured by configuring the abutting portion 453 as a recessed portion to increase the thickness of the buffer layer 72. More specifically, it is preferable that the buffer layer 72 is thicker than the sound-absorbing layer 71 and thicker than the base layer 73. Thus, by increasing the thickness of the stopper 70, the effect of suppressing the rebound of the hammer 30 is effectively improved, so that the rebound of the hammer 30 can be suppressed without making the stopper 70 too thick to save space.

[0043] Furthermore, in the keyboard device 1, the stopper 70 is preferably provided at a position farther from the shaft portion 43 than the stopper 60. By providing the stopper 70 at a position farther from the shaft portion 43 than the stopper 60, the protrusion 452 provided farther from the contact portion 451 contacting the stopper 60 is located substantially above the contact portion 453 contacting the stopper 70. With such a positional relationship, the stopper 70 can reliably absorb the impact generated by the protrusion 452 when the key is released, so the occurrence of rebound can be effectively suppressed.

[0044] In the keyboard device 1 configured as described above, by arranging the protrusion 452 for adjusting the mass distribution in the hammer 30 at a position farther from the shaft 43 than the abutment portion 451, it is possible to efficiently apply a moment load to the key 20 relative to the weight of the hammer 30. In addition, by making the protrusion 452 protrude toward the side abutting against the stopper 60, the space in the keyboard device 1 is effectively utilized, and it is possible to avoid increasing the size of the keyboard device 1. Therefore, according to the keyboard device 1, a lightweight and compact keyboard device with excellent touch when pressing a key can be realized, which is particularly suitable for use in electronic musical instruments such as electronic pianos.

[0045] In addition, the hammer 44 of the keyboard device 1 is compared with the conventional triangular-shaped hammer without the protrusion 452 and the recess (contact portion 453), and the mass of the position corresponding to the contact portion 453 of the conventional hammer can be regarded as moved to the position corresponding to the protrusion 452. Since the hammer 30 has a center of gravity in a region relatively close to the arm 41 in the hammer 44, the protrusion 452 and the contact portion 453 are at substantially the same distance from the center of gravity, and the movement of mass from the contact portion 453 to the protrusion 452 has almost no effect on the position of the center of gravity. Therefore, the hammer 30 having the protrusion 452 and the contact portion 453 described above has a center of gravity at substantially the same position as the conventional hammer, and is therefore also preferred in that a change in the touch caused by a change in the position of the center of gravity can be avoided.

[0046] The above-mentioned embodiments represent specific examples in order to facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and should be understood to include various deformation forms and alternative forms of the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, it can be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments can be specific by deforming the constituent elements without departing from the scope of its main purpose. In addition, it can be understood that various embodiments can be implemented by appropriately combining the multiple constituent elements disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments. Furthermore, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that various embodiments can be implemented by removing certain constituent elements from all the constituent elements represented in the embodiments, or adding certain constituent elements to the constituent elements represented in the embodiments. That is, the above-mentioned keyboard device and electronic musical instrument can be subjected to various deformations and changes without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0047] In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example is shown in which the protrusion 452 is set on the side of the stopper 60, that is, an example in which it is set in the upper space, but it can be set at a position where the space in the keyboard device 1 can be effectively utilized. For example, it can also be set on the side of the stopper 70, that is, in the lower space.

Claims

1. A keyboard device, characterized in that: have: a keyboard, including a plurality of keys; a hammer that rotates about an axis in a direction in which the plurality of keys are arranged in response to keyboard operation; and The key stopper is configured to limit the rotation of the hammer by contacting the hammer due to the key pressing. The hammer includes a protrusion that protrudes toward the abutting portion side relative to the abutting portion abutting against the key stopper.

2. The keyboard device according to claim 1, wherein: The protrusion is arranged at a position farther from the shaft than the contact portion.

3. The keyboard device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The length of the protrusion in the up-down direction is shorter than the length of the key stopper in the up-down direction.

4. The keyboard device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A key-off stopper is also provided, which restricts the rotation of the hammer by contacting the hammer when the key is released. The hammer further includes a recessed portion that comes into contact with the key-release stopper on the side that comes into contact with the key-release stopper.

5. The keyboard device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The recessed portion is provided at a position corresponding to the protruding portion in the depth direction.

6. The keyboard device according to claim 1, wherein: A key-off stopper is also provided, which restricts the rotation of the hammer by contacting the hammer when the key is released. The key-off stopper has a three-layer structure, which is a sound-absorbing layer, a buffer layer and a base layer in order from the side that contacts the hammer. The buffer layer is thicker than the sound absorbing layer and thicker than the base layer.

7. The keyboard device according to claim 6, characterized in that: further, The key-off stopper is configured to be thicker than the key stopper.

8. The keyboard device according to claim 1, wherein: A key-off stopper is also provided, which restricts the rotation of the hammer by contacting the hammer when the key is released. The key-off stopper is arranged at a position farther away from the shaft than the key stopper.

9. An electronic musical instrument, characterized in that: A keyboard device according to claim 1 is provided.

Images