Keyboard device for keyboard instruments

Abstract

A keyboard device for a keyboard instrument includes: a pivotable key extending in a front-to-back direction; an operating unit that performs a predetermined operation in association with the depression of the key; and a hammer rotatably supported by a hammer support shaft of a hammer support and driven upward via the operating unit in accordance with the depression of the key. The hammer has a kickback engaging portion projecting downward in front of the hammer support shaft, and the key is provided with a kickback stopper that stops the hammer by engagement of the kickback engaging portion when the hammer, driven upward by the depression of the key, rebounds and rotates downward.

Description

BackgroundTechnical area

[0001] The present invention relates to a keyboard device for a keyboard instrument, and more particularly to a keyboard device for a keyboard instrument having a rebound function for preventing the rebound of a hammer which rotates with the depression of a key when the hammer rotates to return to an original position. State of the art

[0002] Generally, a grand piano, which is an acoustic piano, is equipped with an action mechanism that operates in accordance with the depression of the keys and causes a hammer to rotate upward to strike the strings. An example of such an action mechanism is disclosed, for example, in JP 2005-31284 A, previously filed by the present applicant. This function is provided for each key and includes a lifter pivotally mounted on a rear portion of the key, a repetition lever and a pawl lever pivotally mounted on the lifter, a repetition spring that biases it in a predetermined direction, a repetition screw and a control knob that regulate the rotation of the repetition lever and the pawl lever, a non-rebound device provided above a rear end portion of the key, and the like.

[0003] The hammer includes a hammer shaft extending in a front-to-back direction and having a shaft roller attached to a proximal end portion, a hammer head attached to a distal end portion, and the like. The hammer is rotatably supported on the proximal end portion of the hammer shaft.

[0004] In the above mechanism, the repeater lever is provided with a pawl guide hole penetrating the repeater lever in an up-down direction, and the hammer is placed near the pawl guide hole via the shaft roller. Furthermore, the hammer is formed into an L-shaped side surface, and a distal end portion of a hammer push-up portion extending in the up-down direction is inserted into the hammer guide hole of the repeater lever from below, movably engaged in the front-back direction, and facing the shaft roller. The anti-rebound device has a predetermined shape extending in the up-down direction and is fixed to an upper surface of the rear end portion of the key via a seat plate and an anti-rebound wire.

[0005] In a grand piano with a hammer and action configured as described above, when the key is pressed down, the lifting element pressed up at the rear end of the key rotates upward, and the repeater lever and pawl also move upward accordingly. At the same time, the repeater lever first pushes the hammer upward over the shaft roller while sliding the shaft roller, rotating the hammer upward. The repeater lever is then locked by pushing against the repeater screw, so that the hammer is pushed upward over the shaft roller. When the hammer then rotates until just before it strikes the upwardly tensioned string, the pawl is pulled out of the shaft roller (disengagement) by engaging the regulating knob. This decouples the hammer from the action and the key, allowing it to strike the string freely.It should be noted that when the jack lever is disengaged, a change in the touch weight (static load) of the key occurs, especially a click feeling due to a rapid increase in the touch weight and a rapid decrease immediately after the rapid increase, so that a so-called relaxation of the touch feeling can be achieved when a player plays the piano.

[0006] After that, at a time when the key is released and retracted by about 1 / 3 of the keyboard depth, the repetition lever starts to operate and returns, rotating in a predetermined direction by the spring force of the repetition spring, so that the shaft roller is pushed upward while being displaced. As a result, the pawl rotates in the predetermined direction by the spring force of the repetition spring and returns to its original position, so that the next string strike can be performed even if the key does not completely return to the position in the key-release state.

[0007] In addition, the hammer, which is rotated upward by the key depressing, rotates in the return direction, that is, downward, in response to the string being struck. At this time, since the key is depressed, the anti-kickback device of the rear end portion above the position is in the key-release state. In this state, an end portion of the returning and rotating hammer, specifically the end portion located at the lower end portion of the hammer head, strikes the anti-kickback device. Then, the hammer is locked in contact with the anti-kickback device and stops without rebound. Citation listPatent literature

[0008] Patent Literature 1: JP 2005-31284 A Summary

[0009] However, in a grand piano, the number of components constituting the action and the hammer is large, and a component that rotates (hereinafter referred to as the "rotation component") and a component that supports the rotation component (hereinafter referred to as the "bearing component") are connected via a pin. Specifically, in the bearing component, a portion that supports the rotation component is formed in a forked shape, and the rotation component is rotatably connected to the bearing component by inserting the pin into a connecting hole of both components in a state where the bearing component is inserted into the portion. As described above, there are multiple components of the action and the hammer in a grand piano, and moreover, their assembly at the time of manufacturing is complicated, which takes time and effort.In order to operate the mechanism and hammer correctly, it is also necessary to adjust a rotation range for each component of the mechanism and hammer on a grand piano, and the adjustment work is complicated.

[0010] Furthermore, since the anti-kickback device is attached to the rear end of the key via a non-kickback wire inserted from the top, the position of the anti-kickback device for each key may be incorrect, or the height at which the hammer is locked may vary. To solve these problems, it is necessary to make adjustments during manufacturing or maintenance of the grand piano, such as bending the anti-kickback wire, which is complicated. Since the rear portion of the hammer is located behind the hammer shaft, which is a fulcrum of the hammer, and the anti-kickback device is attached to the rear end of the key, the depth of the entire key device in an upright piano increases. Therefore, in a keyboard instrument incorporating the conventional keyboard device, it is difficult to make the entire instrument compact.

[0011] The present invention has been made to solve the problems described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a keyboard device for a keyboard instrument, which can improve productivity and maintainability by reducing the number of components and reducing the number of adjustment sections compared with a grand piano, can obtain a superior anti-kickback function, and can make an entire instrument compact by reducing a depth dimension of the keyboard device.

[0012] To achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 1 includes: a key extending in a front-to-back direction by a predetermined length and pivotable with a proximity to a center in a longitudinal direction as a fulcrum; an operation unit provided in a rear portion of the key and configured to perform a predetermined operation in association with depression of the key; a hammer bearing provided on a back side of the key;and a hammer extending in the front-to-back direction by a predetermined length, rotatably supported by a hammer support shaft extending in a left-to-right direction of the hammer support at a rear end portion, and driven upward via the operating unit in accordance with the depression of the key, wherein the hammer has a kickback engagement portion projecting downward in front of the hammer support shaft, and the key is provided with a kickback stopper that stops the hammer by engagement of the kickback engagement portion when the hammer, which is driven upward with the depression of the key, rebounds and rotates downward.

[0013] According to this configuration, the operating unit is provided at the rear end portion of the key, the hammer support is provided at the rear of the key, and the hammer extending in the front-to-rear direction is rotatably supported by the hammer support shaft of the hammer support at the rear end portion thereof. The hammer is further provided with a kickback engagement portion projecting downward in front of the hammer support shaft, while the key is provided with the kickback. When the key is depressed, the hammer, driven upward via the operating unit, rebounds against a stopper or the like and rotates downward, that is, to the home position. In this case, the hammer is stopped when the kickback engagement portion engages the kickback stop of the key.As described above, according to the present invention, the productivity and maintainability of the keyboard device can be improved by reducing the number of components and the number of adjustment sections compared to a grand piano. Furthermore, in the present invention, rebound can be prevented when the hammer rebounds and rotates to the home position, and an excellent non-rebound function can be achieved. Furthermore, in the present invention, since the non-rebound mechanism is arranged in front of the hammer support shaft, a depth dimension of the keyboard device can be reduced compared to a keyboard device of a grand piano in which the non-rebound mechanism is provided near the rear end of the key, thereby making the entire instrument compact.

[0014] The present invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that in the keyboard device for the keyboard instrument according to claim 1, the hammer has a hammer body extending in the front-to-back direction by a predetermined length and made of a synthetic resin, and the kickback engagement portion is formed integrally with the hammer body.

[0015] According to this configuration, since the hammer has a resin hammer body extending in the front-to-back direction by the predetermined length, and the kickback engagement portion is formed integrally with the hammer body, the number of components can be reduced and the hammer can be manufactured with high accuracy compared with a hammer of a grand piano, thereby making it possible to improve the productivity and maintainability of the keyboard device.

[0016] The present invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that in the keyboard device for the keyboard instrument according to claim 2, the operation unit includes a holder made of a synthetic resin fixed to the key, and the anti-kickback device is formed integrally with the holder.

[0017] According to this configuration, the actuator unit provided at the rear end portion of the button includes the resin-made holder. The holder is fixed to the button, and the anti-kickback device is integrally formed. This allows the anti-kickback device to be precisely installed at a predetermined position on the button. Therefore, adjusting the anti-kickback device is unnecessary, and maintenance is improved compared to the wing anti-kickback device.

[0018] The present invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that in the keyboard device for the keyboard instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the kickback lock is configured to lock the kickback engaging portion while slidably contacting the kickback engaging portion when the kickback engaging portion is engaged.

[0019] According to this configuration, when the kickback engaging portion of the hammer engages with the kickback engaging portion of the button, the kickback lock is configured to lock the kickback engaging portion while slidingly contacting the kickback engaging portion, so that the rebound of the hammer rotating to the original position can be stably prevented.

[0020] The present invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that in the keyboard device for the keyboard instrument according to claim 4, a friction member for increasing friction is provided on at least one of the surfaces of the kickback engagement portion and the kickback stopper in sliding contact with each other.

[0021] In this configuration, since the friction member on at least one of the surfaces of the kickback engagement portion and the kickback is in sliding contact with each other, the hammer can be appropriately stopped at a desired position by the friction between the kickback engagement portion and the kickback when the kickback engagement portion engages with the kickback. Brief description of the drawings Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B show a part of a keyboard device of an electronic piano to which a keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached, wherein Fig. 1A a perspective view and Fig. 1B is a right side view; Fig. 2A is a perspective view showing an actuator unit mounted on a key and a hammer placed on the actuator unit, and Fig. 2B is an exploded perspective view showing the button, the actuator unit and the hammer; Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B are perspective views showing a hammer bearing, wherein Fig. 3A an exterior view and Fig. 3B is a view showing the hammer bearing in a partially sectioned state; Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B are views showing the hammer bearing, where Fig. 4A a front view and Fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA; Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B are enlarged perspective views showing the hammer and the actuating unit, wherein Fig. 5A shows a state in which the components of the operating unit are combined, and Fig. 5B shows a state in which the components of the operating unit are disassembled; Fig. 6A is a right side view of the hammer, and Fig. 6B is an enlarged perspective view showing the state before a roller bushing is attached to a hammer body; Fig. 7 is a right side view showing a holder; Fig. 8 is a right side view showing a repeater lever; Fig. 9 is a right side view showing a ratchet lever; Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B are explanatory diagrams for sequentially describing the operation of the actuator unit and the hammer at the time of key pressing, wherein Fig. 10A a key release state and Fig. 10B illustrates a state in which the repeater lever abuts against a repeater stopper at the time of key pressing; Fig. 11A and Fig. 11B are explanatory diagrams following Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B, in which Fig. 11A shows a state in which the pawl lever abuts against a pawl stopper, and Fig. 11B shows a state in which the ratchet lever is removed from a hammer projection portion; Fig. 12A and Fig. 12B are explanatory diagrams following Fig. 11A and Fig. 11B, where Fig. 12A shows a state in which the hammer strikes the hammer stopper, and Fig. 12B shows a state in which the hammer rebounds from the hammer stopper and strikes a kickback stop; and Fig. 13A and Fig. 13B are explanatory diagrams following Fig. 12A and Fig. 12B, in which Fig. 13A illustrates a state in which a key slightly pressed down returns and the pawl wraps around the lower side of the hammer projection portion, and Fig. 13B illustrates a state in which the button returns to an original button release state. Detailed description

[0022] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B show a part of a keyboard of an electronic piano to which a keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached in a key-release state, wherein Fig. 1A a perspective view and Fig. 1B is a view from the right side.

[0023] As in the Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B, a keyboard device 1 includes a large number of keys 2 (only one white key is shown in the Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B) arranged in a left-right direction of the electronic piano, a keyboard case 3 supporting these keys 2, a hammer support 4 connected to a rear end portion of the keyboard case 3, a hammer 5 provided for each key 2 and rotatably supported by the hammer support 4, an actuating unit 6 provided at the rear end portion of the key 2 and driving the hammer 5 upward along with the depression of the key, a key switch 7 for detecting information about the depression of the key 2, and the like.

[0024] As in the Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B, the keyboard case 3 is formed by assembling three support rails 10 extending in the left-right direction and including a front rail 11, a middle rail 12 and a rear rail 13 spaced at a predetermined interval in a front-back direction (the left-right direction in Fig. 1B) are arranged, and a plurality of (for example five) reinforcing ribs 14 (only one is shown in Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B), extending in the front-to-back direction and arranged at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction in the form of parallel crosses. The support rail 10 and the rib 14 are made of an iron plate formed into a predetermined shape, for example, by stamping and bending, and connected to each other by bolting.

[0025] The front rail 11 includes a horizontal upper plate portion 11a, a front plate portion 11b bent downward at a right angle from a front end portion of the upper plate portion 11a, and a lower plate portion 11c bent rearward at a right angle from a lower end portion of the front plate portion 11b. A blade front surface 15 is fixed to a lower surface of the upper plate portion 11a by screwing or the like. The blade front surface 15 is in the form of a thick plate made of synthetic resin and extends in the left-right direction across the entire front rail 11. On the blade front surface 15, a large number of front pins 16 are mounted at front and rear positions corresponding to the white key 2 and the black key (not shown), which penetrate the upper plate portion 11a of the front rail 11 and are arranged in the left-right direction.

[0026] The center rail 12 has a horizontal blade center placement portion 12a, and front and rear end portions thereof are bent upward at a right angle. The blade center 17 is fixed to the blade center placement portion 12a by screwing or the like in a state where the blade center is placed. The blade center 17 is in the form of a thick plate made of synthetic resin and extends in the left-right direction over the entire center rail 12. In the blade center 17, a large number of balance pins 18 are arranged in a state where they are arranged in the left-right direction at front and rear positions corresponding to the white key 2 and the black key.

[0027] The rear rail 13 has a receiving recess portion 13a that is opened upward and engages with a lower portion of the hammer support 4 in a received state, a pad placing portion 13b that is bent at a right angle from an upper end portion of a front plate portion of the receiving recess portion 13a and extends horizontally forward and is connected to a pad 19 that extends in the left-right direction in a placed state, and a connecting portion 13c that is a step downward from a front end portion of the pad placing portion 13b and extends horizontally forward.A plurality of mounting holes penetrating the receiving recess portion 13a in the front-rear direction are formed in the front plate portion of the receiving recess portion 13a, and the lower end portion of the hammer support 4 is bolted to the rear rail 13 through these mounting holes. The receiving recess portion 13a and the connecting portion 13c are bolted to the rear end portion of each rib 14.

[0028] Fig. Figure 2A shows the operating unit 6 mounted on the key 2 and the hammer 5 placed on the operating unit 6, and Fig. Figure 2B shows the button 2, the actuating unit 6 and the hammer 5 in an exploded view. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 2A, the key 2 includes a wooden key body 21 extending a predetermined length in the front-back direction and having a rectangular cross-section, and a resin key cover 22 bonded to an upper surface and a front surface of a front half portion of the key body 21. A balance pin hole 23 penetrating the key body 21 in the up-down direction is formed near the longitudinal center of the key body 21, and the key 2 is pivotally supported by the balance pin 18 erected on the blade center 17 through the balance pin hole 23.

[0029] The balance pin hole 23 is provided with a substantially circular hole near the bottom of the key body 21, and the entire upper portion connected to the hole has an elongated shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the key body 21. Furthermore, a felt 23a is provided on the left and right inner surfaces of the balance pin hole 23 to slide smoothly when the key 2 pivots with respect to the balance pin 18. A cushion 20 is attached to the top of the key body 21 on the back of the balance pin hole 23, and the cushion 20 prevents the front end portion of the hammer 5 from directly impacting the key 2 during maintenance or the like.

[0030] In addition, a downwardly open front pin hole 24 (see Fig. 1B) is formed at a predetermined position of the front portion of the key body 21, and the front pin hole 24 is connected to the front pin 16 erected on the sheet front side 15, thereby preventing the key 2 from shaking in the left-right direction when the key 2 swings.

[0031] The Fig. 3A to 4B show the hammer bearing 4. As shown in the Fig. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 4B, the hammer support 4 is formed from a molded resin part and is bolted to the rear rail 13 of the keyboard body 3 in a state where a plurality of molded parts corresponding to one octave are connected to each other in, for example, the left-right direction. The hammer support 4 includes a hammer support portion 31 standing upright near the rear rail 13, a switch fixing portion 32 extending obliquely forward from an upper end portion thereof, and the like. A hammer support shaft 33 for rotatably supporting each hammer 5 is provided at the upper end portion of the hammer support portion 31.

[0032] The hammer support 4 has a plurality of partition walls 34 which partition the adjacent hammers 5 at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction, and the hammer support shaft 33 extends in the left-right direction between the adjacent partition walls 34 and 34. As shown in Fig. 4B, the hammer support shaft 33 has a so-called oval cross-sectional shape in which the two front and rear end portions of a circle centered on the axial center of the hammer support shaft 33 are cut out.

[0033] Specifically, an outer peripheral surface of the hammer support shaft 33 includes a pair of upper and lower curved surface portions 33a and 33a, and a pair of front and rear flat surface portions 33b and 33b extending between the curved surface portions 33a and 33a. In the hammer support shaft 33 configured as described above, the upper and lower curved surface portions 33a and 33a are arranged in an arc shape with a diameter of a length L1, while a distance between the front and rear flat surface portions 33b and 33b is set to a length L2 shorter than the length L1.

[0034] As in Fig. 1A and Fig. As shown in Fig. 1B, the key switch 7 is attached to the switch mounting portion 32 of the hammer support 4. The key switch 7 includes a switch substrate 7a made of a printed circuit board and a switch body 7b made of a rubber switch, which is attached to the hammer 5 side of the switch substrate 7a for each key 2.

[0035] As in the Fig. 3A to 4B, on the rear surface side of the hammer support 4, a repeater stopper 35 is provided obliquely below and behind the hammer support shaft 33, a repeater lever 52 (described later) of the operation unit 6 abuts against the hammer support 4 at the time of key pressing, and the repeater stopper 35 locks the repeater lever 52. Furthermore, on the rear surface side of the hammer support 4, a pawl stopper 36 is provided below the repeater stopper 35, a pawl lever 53 (described later) of the operation unit 6 abuts against the hammer support 4 at the time of key pressing, and the pawl stopper 36 locks the pawl lever 53. A cushion 37 extending in the left-right direction is attached to the underside of the pawl stopper 36.

[0036] As in Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B, a hammer stopper 38 is provided at an upper portion of the front end of the hammer bearing 4. When the hammer 5 rotates upward, the hammer 5 abuts the hammer bearing 4 from below, and the hammer stopper 38 prevents further rotation.

[0037] Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B show the hammer 5 and the actuating unit 6, where Fig. 5A shows a state in which each component of the operating unit is combined, and Fig. 5B shows a state in which each component of the actuator unit is disassembled. Fig. Figure 6A is a right side view showing the hammer 5. As shown in these drawings, the hammer 5 includes an arm-shaped hammer body 41 extending a predetermined length in the front-to-back direction, and two weight plates 42 and 42 attached to the front end portions of the left and right side surfaces of the hammer body. The hammer body 41 is made of a synthetic resin, and the weight plate 42 is made of a metal material such as iron with a relatively high specific gravity.

[0038] At the rear end portion of the hammer body 41, an engaging portion 43 is provided, which engages with the hammer support shaft 33 of the hammer support 4. An arcuate shaft hole 44, which penetrates the engaging portion 43 in the left-right direction and has a C-shaped side surface, is formed in the engaging portion 43, and an opening thereof is shaped to expand outward. The shaft hole 44 has a diameter slightly larger than the diameter (length L1) of the upper and lower curved surface portions 33a and 33a of the hammer support shaft 33, and a width L3 of the opening is slightly larger than the length L2 between the front and rear flat surface portions 33b and 33b of the hammer support shaft 33 and smaller than the length L1.The hammer 5 is attached to or detachable from the hammer support shaft 33 of the hammer support 4 through the opening of the shaft hole 44 and is rotatably supported by the hammer support 4 by fitting the shaft hole 44 in the hammer support shaft 33.

[0039] In the rear portion of the hammer 5, a switch pressing portion 45 and a hammer protrusion portion 46 are provided above and below the right front side of the shaft hole 44, respectively. The switch pressing portion 45 has a flat top and presses the switch body 7b of the key switch 7 when the hammer 5 rotates upward, thereby detecting information about the key operation of the key 2 corresponding to the hammer 5.

[0040] On the other hand, the hammer projection portion 46 corresponds to a shaft roller of a hammer of a wing. Fig. 6B is an enlarged view of a state before a roller bushing 49 is attached to the hammer body 41. As shown in Fig. 6B, the hammer projection portion 46 is formed integrally with the hammer body 41 and has a projection portion body 48 projecting downward and a roller bushing 49 attached to the hammer body 41 in a state of covering the projection portion body 48.

[0041] The protrusion portion body 48 protrudes downward, and a side surface shape of the distal end portion is arcuate. The protrusion portion body 48 is symmetrically shaped, and each side surface ( Fig. 6B shows a right side surface) is provided with a groove portion 48a extending in the top-down direction and opening outward, and a locking recess portion 48b provided at an upper end portion of the groove portion 48a.

[0042] On the other hand, the roller bushing 49 is made of a predetermined elastic material (for example, a thermoplastic elastomer) and is formed from a molded part having a predetermined shape. Specifically, the roller bushing 49, as shown in Fig. 6B, a socket body 49a that opens upward, is shaped so that the protruding portion body 48 of the hammer body 41 can be fitted and is fixed to the protruding portion body 48, and two left and right hooks 49b and 49b that protrude upward from the socket body 49a and are provided at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. The socket body 49a is shaped so that a side surface shape is convexly curved downward and has a predetermined curvature, for example, substantially the same curvature as a shaft roll of a wing. Each hook 49b is claw-shaped with an upper end portion protruding inward.

[0043] In the hammer projection portion 46 configured as described above, the projection portion body 48 of the hammer body 41 is fitted into the bushing body 49a of the roller bushing 49, and the roller bushing 49 is fixed to the hammer body 41 in a state where both the hooks 49b and 49b of the roller bushing 49 are fitted into the corresponding left and right groove portions 48a and the locking recess portion 48b of the projection portion body 48. In this case, the upper end portion of each hook 49b of the roller bushing 49 is locked in the locking recess portion 48b of the projection portion body 48 in a separation-preventive state.

[0044] In the key release state, the hammer protrusion portion 46 is placed on a hammer placement portion 74 of the repeater lever 52 (described later) of the operation unit 6.

[0045] As in the Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B and Fig. 6A, at a predetermined position on the front portion of the hammer 5, a kickback engagement portion 47 formed integrally with the hammer body 41 projects downward and can be engaged with a kickback stop 62 (described later) of the actuating unit 6. As shown in Fig. 6A, the kickback engagement portion 47 has a vertically long side surface, a flat front surface, and a slightly curved rear surface.

[0046] Next, the operating unit 6 is described. As shown in the Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B, the operating unit 6 includes a holder 51 fixed to a rear end portion of the key 2, a repeater lever 52 and a latch lever 53 rotatably mounted on the holder, and a repeater spring 54 and a latch lever spring 55 biasing them to rotate in a predetermined direction, both of which are coil springs.

[0047] Fig. 7 shows a right side view of the holder 51. As shown in the Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B and Fig. As shown in Fig. 7, the holder 51 is made of a synthetic resin and is formed from a molded product having a predetermined shape and extending in the front-to-back direction. The holder 51 includes a key fixing portion 61 provided at the front portion and fixed to the rear end portion of the key 2, a non-return stopper 62 provided above the key fixing portion, a repeater support shaft 63 provided at the upper end portion near the center in the front-to-back direction and rotatably supporting the repeater lever 52, and a pawl support shaft 64 provided at the rear end portion and rotatably supporting the pawl lever 53.

[0048] The key mounting portion 61 has a side surface formed in a U-shape by an upper wall 61a, a rear wall 61b, and a lower wall 61c, and left end portions thereof are connected by a left side wall 61d. Therefore, when the holder 51 is attached to the rear end portion of the key 2, the upper wall 61a, the rear wall 61b, the lower wall 61c, and the left side wall 61d are firmly fixed by adhesion in a state of being in contact with an upper surface, a rear surface, a lower surface, and a left side surface at the rear end portion of the key 2.

[0049] The kickback stopper 62 has a predetermined length in the up-down direction and is formed into a gentle arc shape in a state where it faces obliquely upward and forward. The kickback stopper 62 is configured to lock the kickback engagement portion 47 of the hammer 5 while slidingly contacting the kickback engagement portion 47 when the kickback engagement portion 47 is engaged. A friction member, such as synthetic leather, may be attached to at least one of the surfaces of the kickback stopper 62 and the kickback engagement portion 47 in sliding contact with each other to increase friction.

[0050] Both the repetition bearing shaft 63 and the pawl lever bearing shaft 64 have a cylindrical shape that protrudes to the right by a certain length and has a certain diameter. The repetition bearing shaft 63 is formed higher than the pawl lever bearing shaft 64 at a predetermined position.

[0051] The holder 51 is provided with a repeater spring locking portion 65 that locks an upper end portion of the repeater spring 54 at a predetermined position in front of the repeater support shaft 63 between the non-return stopper 62 and the repeater support shaft 63. Furthermore, the holder 51 is provided with a pawl spring locking portion 66 that locks the upper end portion of the pawl spring 55 at a predetermined position in front of the pawl lever support shaft 64 between the repeater support shaft 63 and the pawl lever support shaft 64. Furthermore, a convex portion 67 that protrudes slightly downward is provided in the rear end portion of the bottom surface of the holder 51, and the holder 51 is fitted onto the pad 19 on the rear rail 13 via the convex portion 67 in the key-release state.

[0052] Fig. 8 shows a right side view of the repeater lever 52. As shown in the Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B and Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the repeater lever 52 is made of a synthetic resin and is formed from a molded product having a predetermined shape and formed to extend in the front-to-back direction. The repeater lever 52 includes an insertion hole 71 penetrating the repeater lever 52 in the left-to-right direction and into which the repeater support shaft 63 of the holder 51 is rotatably fitted, a front arm 72 extending forward from the vicinity of the insertion hole 71, and a hammer placement arm 73 formed to extend rearward from the vicinity of the insertion hole 71, on which the hammer 5 is placed and with which the ratchet lever 53 is engaged.

[0053] The hammer placement arm 73 of the repeater lever 52 includes a hammer placement portion 74 having a side surface shape extending obliquely rearward and upward by a predetermined length from the insertion hole 71, and an extension portion 75 extending obliquely rearward and downward from a rear end portion of the hammer placement portion 74 and further rearward. Furthermore, a ratchet lever guide hole 73a is formed in the hammer placement arm 73, penetrating the hammer placement arm 73 in the top-down direction and extending in the front-back direction across the hammer placement portion 74 and the extension portion 75. A rear end portion of the extension portion 75 is shaped to protrude slightly upward, and the cushion 76 is attached to an upper surface thereof.

[0054] Fig. 9 shows a right side view of the ratchet lever 53. As shown in the Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B and Fig. As shown in Figure 9, the ratchet lever 53 is made of a synthetic resin and is formed from a molded part having a predetermined shape. The ratchet lever 53 includes an insertion hole 81 penetrating the ratchet lever 53 in the left-right direction and rotatably mounted on the ratchet lever support shaft 64 of the holder 51, a front arm 82 extending forward from the vicinity of the insertion hole 81, a hammer push-up portion 83 extending upward by a predetermined length from the vicinity of the insertion hole 81, and a rear arm 84 extending rearward from the vicinity of the insertion hole 81.

[0055] The hammer push-up portion 83 extends obliquely upward and forward in a state where it is inclined forward at a predetermined angle with respect to the front arm 82 and the rear arm 84, which extend substantially horizontally in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the upper end portion of the hammer push-up portion 83 is shaped to have a narrower width in the front-rear direction than its lower portion. Furthermore, the rear arm 84 is shaped so that a rear end portion protrudes slightly upward.

[0056] In the ratchet lever 53, plate-shaped reinforcing ribs 85a, 85b, and 85c are provided between the front arm 82 and the hammer-up portion 83, between the hammer-up portion 83 and the rear arm 84, and between the rear arm 84 and the front arm 82, respectively. The strength of the ratchet lever 53 is increased by the reinforcing ribs 85a to 85c and the like.

[0057] In the operating unit 6 as described above, as in Fig. 5A, the hammer push-up portion 83 of the ratchet lever 53 is engaged in a state in which it is inserted from below into the ratchet lever guide hole 73a of the repeater lever 52. As shown in Fig. 5A, the front arm 72 of the repeater lever 52 is biased downward by the repeater spring 54, while the front arm 82 of the latch lever 53 is biased downward by the latch lever spring 55. As a result, the repeater lever 52 and the latch lever 53 are each Fig. 5A is preloaded counterclockwise around the repeater bearing shaft 63 and the ratchet lever bearing shaft 64. Thin plate pads 91 and 92 are mounted in the holder 51 of the actuating unit 6 on the underside of the front arm 72 of the repeater lever 52 and on the underside of the front arm 82 of the ratchet lever 53.

[0058] The following describes the function of the actuating unit 6 and the hammer 5 when the button 2 is pressed using the Fig. 10A to 13B.

[0059] Fig. 10A shows the keyboard device 1 in the key-release state. In the key-release state, the hammer 5 is placed on the hammer placement portion 74 of the repetition lever 52 via the hammer protrusion portion 46, and the upper end portion of the hammer push-up portion 83 of the latch lever 53 faces the hammer protrusion portion 46 with a gap. In the key-release state, a gap exists between the kickback engagement portion 47 of the hammer 5 and the kickback stopper 62 of the holder 51.

[0060] When the front end portion of the key 2 is pressed down from the key release state, the key 2 swings forward and downward around the balance pin 18, and the rear end portion of the key 2 moves upward. Accordingly, the actuating unit 6 also moves upward together with the rear end portion of the key 2, and the hammer 5 is pushed upward by the repeater lever 52 via the hammer projection portion 46. As a result, the hammer 5 rotates upward (in the Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B clockwise) around the hammer bearing shaft 33.

[0061] Next, as the key pressing progresses and the operating unit 6 moves upward, the rear end portion of the repeater lever 52 abuts the repeater stopper 35 of the hammer bearing 4 from below via the cushion 76, as shown in Fig. 10B. As a result, while the rear end portion of the repeater lever 52 is locked, the upper end portion of the hammer push-up portion 83 of the ratchet lever 53 abuts the hammer projection portion 46 from below. As a result, the hammer 5 is pushed upward by the hammer push-up portion 83 of the ratchet lever 53 and further rotates upward.

[0062] Next, as the key depression progresses and the operation unit 6 moves further upward, the rear end portion of the rear arm 84 of the latch lever 53 abuts the latch stopper 36 (cushion 37) from below, as shown in Fig. 11A. As a result, the pawl lever support shaft 64 moves upward in a state in which the rear end portion of the rear arm 84 is locked, so that the pawl lever 53 moves clockwise in Fig. 11A rotates around the ratchet lever bearing shaft 64. As a result, as shown in Fig. 11B, the upper end portion of the hammer-upward push-up portion 83 of the pawl lever 53 moves rearward and protrudes from the hammer protrusion portion 46 of the hammer 5. By this release of the pawl lever 53, the hammer 5 is decoupled from the actuating unit 6 and the key 2 and continues to rotate upward in a freely rotating state.

[0063] It should be noted that when the pawl lever 53 is released, a click feeling is generated by a rapid increase or decrease in the striking weight of the key 2, thereby achieving a decrease in the feeling of the player who presses the key.

[0064] Fig. 12A shows a state in which the upwardly rotated hammer 5 abuts the hammer stopper 38 at the upper portion of the front end of the hammer support 4. In this case, the front portion of the hammer body 41 of the hammer 5 abuts the hammer stopper 38 from below, so that further rotation of the hammer 5 is prevented. In this case, the switch pressing portion 45 of the hammer 5 presses the switch body 7b of the key switch 7 from below to turn on the key switch 7, whereby the key pressing information of the key 2 corresponding to the rotation speed of the hammer 5 or the like is detected and output to a tone generation controller (not shown). Furthermore, the tone generation controller outputs a piano sound from a speaker (not shown) of the electronic piano based on the key pressing information.

[0065] Fig. 12B shows a state immediately after the hammer 5 impacts the hammer stopper 38, specifically, a state in which the hammer 5 rebounds from the hammer stopper 38 and rotates downward (counterclockwise) toward the original position before the key was pressed, and the kickback engagement portion 47 of the hammer 5 is locked with the kickback stopper 62 of the holder 51. In this case, if the kickback engagement portion 47 is locked while being in sliding contact with the kickback stopper 62, the hammer 5 stops by being prevented from further rotating downward, and the occurrence of rebound and vibration of the hammer 5 is prevented. In this case, the stress due to the above-mentioned rebound of the hammer 5 is transmitted to the key 2. As a result, the player can clearly feel the striking feeling of the key 2 when the key 2 is depressed.

[0066] Fig. Fig. 13A shows a state in which the pressed key 2 is retracted slightly (for example, by 1 / 3 of the keyboard depth) by releasing the key. When the key 2 is released from the Fig. 12B described condition, as in Fig. 13A, the front end portion of the key 2 moves upward while its rear end portion moves downward, and accordingly, the operating unit 6 moves downward together with the rear end portion of the key 2. In this case, the non-return valve 62 moves obliquely backward and downward, so that the hammer 5 is released from engagement with the non-return valve 62 and released from the stopped state. In addition, the front arm 72 of the repeater lever 52 is pressed downward by the biasing force of the repeater spring 54, so that the repeater lever moves in Fig. 13A rotates counterclockwise around the repeater bearing shaft 63. Similarly, the front arm 82 of the ratchet lever 53 is pressed downward by the biasing force of the ratchet lever spring 55, so that the ratchet lever is in Fig. 13A rotates counterclockwise around the ratchet lever bearing shaft 64. As shown in Fig. 13A, the upper end portion of the hammer push-up portion 83 of the ratchet lever 53 encloses the lower side of the hammer projection portion 46 of the hammer 5, so that the hammer 5 can be driven by the operating unit 6 even if the key 2 does not completely return to the position in the key release state.

[0067] When button 2 is fully released, as shown in Fig. 13B, the key 2, the hammer 5, the repetition lever 52 and the pawl lever 53 of the operating unit 6 return to the original positions of the key release state.

[0068] As described in detail above, the keyboard device 1, which includes the key 2, the operating unit 6, and the above-described hammer 5, can realize an operation similar to that of a grand piano, so that a touch feeling and playing characteristic equivalent to those of a grand piano can be achieved at the time of playing. Furthermore, in the operating unit 6 of the keyboard device 1, the productivity and maintainability of the keyboard device 1 can be improved because the number of components can be reduced and the number of adjustment sections can be reduced compared to the action of the grand piano.

[0069] Furthermore, in the keyboard device 1, when the hammer 5 rotates to the original position along with the release of the key 2, the kickback engaging portion 47 of the hammer 5 is locked with the kickback lock 62 of the operation unit 6, so that the kickback of the hammer 5 can be appropriately prevented to obtain an excellent kickback function.

[0070] Moreover, in the keyboard device 1, since the kickback engaging portion 47 and the kickback stopper 62 are disposed in front of the hammer support shaft 33, the depth dimension of the keyboard device 1 can be reduced compared to a keyboard device of a grand piano in which the kickback stopper is provided near the rear end of the key, whereby the entire electronic piano can be made compact.

[0071] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be implemented in various modes. For example, in the embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a keyboard device of an electronic piano was described, but the present invention is not limited thereto and can also be applied to a keyboard device in which, instead of the key switch 7, a string similar to that of a grand piano is stretched over the hammer 5 and the string is struck with the hammer 5.

[0072] In the embodiment, the anti-kickback device 62 is formed integrally with the holder 51, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a anti-kickback device having a predetermined shape may be directly attached to the key 2.

[0073] The detailed configurations of the keyboard device 1, the key 2, the hammer 5 and the operation unit 6 described in the embodiment are merely examples and can be changed accordingly within the scope of the basic idea of ​​the present invention. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2005-31284 A [0002, 0008]

Claims

[1] A keyboard device for a keyboard instrument, comprising: a button extending in a front-to-back direction by a predetermined length and pivotable near a center in a longitudinal direction as a fulcrum; an operation unit provided in a rear portion of the button and configured to perform a predetermined operation in association with depression of the button; a hammer bearing provided on a back side of the key; and a hammer extending in the front-to-back direction by a predetermined length, rotatably supported by a hammer support shaft extending in a left-to-right direction of the hammer support at a rear end portion, and driven upward via the operating unit in accordance with the depression of the key, wherein the hammer has a kickback engagement portion projecting downwardly in front of the hammer bearing shaft, and the button is provided with a kickback stop that stops the hammer by engagement of the kickback engaging portion when the hammer, driven upward by pressing the button, rebounds and rotates downward. [2] The keyboard device for the keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein the hammer has a hammer body extending in the front-to-back direction by a predetermined length and made of a synthetic resin, and the kickback engagement portion is formed integrally with the hammer body. [3] The keyboard device for the keyboard instrument according to claim 2, wherein the actuating unit includes a holder which is attached to the button and is made of synthetic resin, and the non-return valve is formed integrally with the holder. [4] The keyboard device for the keyboard instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the kickback lock is configured to lock the kickback engaging portion while slidably contacting the kickback engaging portion when the kickback engaging portion is engaged. [5] The keyboard device for a keyboard instrument according to claim 4, wherein a friction member for increasing friction is provided on at least one of the surfaces of the kickback engagement portion and the kickback stopper in sliding contact with each other.

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