Keyboard device, sound generation method and program

Abstract

To reproduce sound corresponding to various playing styles by simple operation of an operator by a user.SOLUTION: A keyboard device includes: a plurality of keys; an acquisition part for acquiring information for specifying depressed keys in the plurality of keys and a depressed amount of the depressed keys; and a sound signal generation part for generating a sound signal based on a relative relation of the depressed amounts of two or more keys, information for specifying the depressed keys and the depressed amount of the depressed keys when the number of the depressed keys is two or more and the depressed amounts of the two or more depressed keys exceeds a reference depressed amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to technology for generating sound. [Background technology]

[0002] In electronic musical instruments, various ideas have been devised to reproduce sounds. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a keyboard instrument that identifies the position of a manipulator and reproduces a sound corresponding to a playing style according to the identified position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2021 / 100742 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a musical instrument is played, various sounds with various expressions are generated by various playing styles of the instrument. Similarly, sound generating devices such as electronic musical instruments are required to reproduce various sounds corresponding to various playing styles, but a user needs to perform complicated operations to select a desired playing style.

[0005] One object of the present invention is to reproduce sounds corresponding to a variety of playing styles by a user performing simple operations on controls. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a keyboard device including a plurality of keys, an acquisition unit that acquires information identifying a pressed key among the plurality of keys and a pressing amount of the pressed key, and, if the number of pressed keys is two or more and the pressing amounts of two or more pressed keys each exceed a reference pressing amount, a sound signal generation unit that generates a sound signal based on the relative relationship between the pressing amounts of the two or more keys, the information identifying the pressed key, and the pressing amounts of the pressed keys.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a keyboard device including a plurality of keys, an acquisition unit that acquires information identifying a pressed key among the plurality of keys and a pressing amount of the pressed key, a control signal generation unit that generates a control signal in accordance with the relative relationship of the pressing amounts of the two or more keys if the number of pressed keys is two or more and the pressing amounts of two or more pressed keys each exceed a reference pressing amount, and a sound signal generation unit that generates a sound signal based on the information identifying the pressed key, the pressing amount of the pressed key, and the control signal.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a sound generation method is provided that includes obtaining information identifying one of a plurality of operators and a pressing amount of the identified operator, and if the number of the identified operators is two or more and the pressing amounts of two or more of the operators each exceed a reference pressing amount, generating a sound signal based on the relative relationship between the pressing amounts of the two or more operators, the information identifying the operator, and the pressing amounts of the identified operators.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a sound generation method including: acquiring information identifying one of a plurality of operators and an amount of depression of the identified operator; generating a sound signal based on the information identifying the operator and the amount of depression of the identified operator; and, if the number of the identified operators is two or more and the amounts of depression of two or more of the operators each exceed a reference amount of depression, generating a control signal in accordance with the relative relationship between the amounts of depression of the two or more operators.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to execute any one of the above sound generation methods. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, sounds corresponding to a variety of playing styles can be reproduced by the user through simple operations on the controls. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the keyboard device. [Diagram 3] 1 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between key depression amount and key position. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a key assembly that cooperates with a key of a keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a key assembly that cooperates with a key of a keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a sound source in the keyboard device; FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an adjustment unit in the sound source. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing an example of a sound signal generation process in a sound source. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a sound source according to a modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a sound source according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown below are merely examples, and the present invention is not to be interpreted as being limited to these embodiments. In the drawings referred to in this embodiment, the same parts or parts having similar functions are given the same or similar symbols (symbols with A, B, etc. added after numbers) and repeated explanations may be omitted. In order to clarify the explanation, the drawings may be described schematically with dimensional ratios different from the actual ratios or parts of the configuration omitted from the drawings.

[0014] [Keyboard device configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a keyboard device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The keyboard device 1 is an electronic keyboard instrument such as a synthesizer. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the keyboard device 1. The keyboard device 1 has a plurality of keys 10 as performance operators. When a user operates the keys 10, a sound is output from a speaker 13. The user can change the type of sound (tone) by operating an operation unit 15. For example, the user can set or change the tone of the sound output from the speaker 13 by selecting a desired instrument via the operation unit 15. Each component of the keyboard device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0015] The keyboard device 1 is equipped with a plurality of keys 10 (operators) on a housing 17. The plurality of keys 10 are arranged in one direction. Here, the direction in which the plurality of keys 10 are arranged is perpendicular to the one direction in which the keys 10 are arranged, and the direction in which the keys 10 are pressed is referred to as the downward direction. The downward direction roughly corresponds to the vertical direction.

[0016] The multiple keys 10 are rotatably supported relative to a housing 17. A speaker 13 is provided in the housing 17. A control unit 111, a storage unit 113, a sound source 115, and a first detection unit 117 are provided inside the housing 17. The components provided inside the housing 17 are connected via a bus 119.

[0017] The keyboard device 1 further includes a separate pedal device 20. The pedal device 20 includes a damper pedal 21 and a second detection unit 25. The pedal device 20 includes a shift pedal 23, but this may be omitted. When the damper pedal 21 is operated, the second detection unit 25 detects the pedal operation amount (depression amount) of the damper pedal 21 and outputs it to the sound source 115.

[0018] The keyboard device 1 has an interface 118 for inputting and outputting signals to and from an external device. The interface 118 may be, for example, a terminal for outputting sound signals, a cable connection terminal for transmitting and receiving MIDI data, etc. In this example, by connecting the pedal device 20 to the interface 118, the second detection unit 25 is connected to each component arranged inside the housing 17 via the above-mentioned bus 119, and signals are exchanged between the pedal device 20 and the keyboard device 1.

[0019] The control unit 111 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU, and storage devices such as a RAM, a ROM, etc. The control unit 111 executes a control program stored in the storage unit 113 by the CPU, thereby realizing various functions in the keyboard device 1.

[0020] The operation unit 15 is a device such as an operation button, a touch sensor, and a slider, and outputs a signal according to an input operation to the control unit 111. The display unit 19 displays a screen based on the control by the control unit 111.

[0021] The storage unit 113 is a storage device such as a non-volatile memory. The storage unit 113 stores a control program executed by the control unit 111. The storage unit 113 may also store parameters, waveform data, and the like used in the sound source 115.

[0022] The sound source 115 is a signal processing circuit that generates a sound signal in response to a performance operation on the keys 10. Specifically, the sound source 115 generates a sound signal based on information output from a first detection unit 117, which will be described later, and outputs the generated sound signal to the speaker 13.

[0023] The speaker 13 amplifies and outputs the sound signal output from the sound source 115, thereby outputting a sound corresponding to the sound signal. Although Fig. 1 shows a case where two speakers 13 are provided in the keyboard device 1, the number of speakers 13 is not limited to two. Also, when an external speaker is used, the speaker 13 can be omitted.

[0024] The first detection unit 117 includes a magnetic induction type sensor arranged for each of the multiple keys 10. The sensor corresponding to each key 10 detects the pressing amount in the rotation range of the key 10 in a continuous amount. The pressing amount of the key 10 changes according to the user's playing operation. The first detection unit 117 outputs to the sound source 115 key information that identifies the pressed key 10 among the multiple keys 10 and pressing amount information that corresponds to the pressing amount of the identified key 10 in association with each other. The key information is, for example, a key number, in other words, indicates the pitch corresponding to the pressed key 10. The pressing amount information may indicate the value of the pressing amount of the key 10 itself, or may be a value calculated from the pressing amount, such as a speed calculated from the change in the pressing amount, or may be information that combines these.

[0025] The rotation range of the key 10 includes a first rotation range and a second rotation range. The first rotation range and the second rotation range do not overlap each other. The first rotation range is the range from the rest position (start position) of the key 10 to the end position (end position). The second rotation range is the range below the end position. FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the depression amount and the position of the key 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the depression amount of the key 10 at the rest position is 0, and the depression amount corresponding to the end position is the reference depression amount. In this case, the rotation range of the key 10 corresponding to the depression amount of 0 or more and the reference depression amount or less is the first rotation range. Moreover, the rotation range of the key 10 corresponding to the depression amount exceeding the reference depression amount is the second rotation range. Note that the rotation range of the key 10 is not limited to the relationship between the depression amount and the position of the key 10 shown in FIG. 3. For example, the second rotation range may be a rotation range of the key 10 that corresponds to a pressing amount that exceeds the reference pressing amount by a predetermined amount or more. The rest position and the end position will be described in detail later.

[0026] [Key Assembly Configuration] 4 and 5 are diagrams showing a mechanical structure (key assembly) that works with the keys 10 of the keyboard device 1 according to this embodiment. Here, a cross section of the keyboard device 1 cut along a plane perpendicular to one direction in which multiple keys 10 are arranged side by side is shown.

[0027] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the key 10 in the rest position. The rest position refers to the position in which the key 10 is not pressed. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the key 10 in the end position. Figs. 4 and 5 show the configuration of the key 10 corresponding to the white key 10w, and the configuration corresponding to the black key 10b is the same as the configuration corresponding to the white key 10w, so only the position of the black key 10b is shown and the other configurations are omitted.

[0028] The frame 200 is fixed to the housing 17 and supports multiple keys 10 arranged in the left-right direction D1. In this embodiment, a first circuit board 700 is disposed on the upper surface of the frame 200 facing the keys 10. A second circuit board 750 is held on the lower surface of the key 10 facing the upper surface of the frame 200.

[0029] The first circuit board 700 and the second circuit board 750 are elements that make up a magnetic induction sensor, and are included in the first detection unit 117. A specific configuration of the magnetic induction sensor is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 7306477. The second circuit board 750 is provided for each key 10. In this example, the first circuit board 700 is provided corresponding to a plurality of keys 10, but it may be provided corresponding to each key 10.

[0030] The load units 30 are disposed corresponding to the respective keys 10. The load units 30 and the keys 10 are linked by being connected to each other. The load unit 30 includes a weight unit 305. When the key 10 is not pressed, the weight unit 305 is placed on a lower stopper 351 of the load unit 30, and the load unit 30 holds the key 10 in a rest position (corresponding to when the key is released). The lower stopper 351 and the upper stopper 353 are supported by the frame 20. Note that the keyboard device 1 does not necessarily need to be provided with the load unit 30. In this case, a configuration for restricting the pressing range of the key 10 may be provided.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4, when the key 10 is in the rest position, the pressing amount is 0 (zero), and the pressing amount information output by the first detection unit 117 is a value indicating the pressing amount "0 (zero)". The value of the pressing amount information indicating the pressing amount "0 (zero)" is set in advance. When the key 10 is pressed in the state shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5, the load unit 30 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the key 10, so that the weight unit 305 moves upward and collides with the upper stopper 353, and further movement of the weight unit 305 is restricted. The end position indicates the position of the key 10 in a state in which the key 10 collides with the upper stopper 353 and further movement of the weight unit 305 is restricted. At this time, the first circuit board 700 and the second circuit board 750 approach each other as shown in FIG. 5. The pressing amount information output by first detection unit 117 described above is information according to the distance between first circuit board 700 and second circuit board 750 (that is, the relative positional relationship between first circuit board 700 and second circuit board 750).

[0032] As shown in Fig. 5, when the key 10 is in the end position, the pressing amount information output by the first detection unit 117 indicates a reference pressing amount. As described above, the reference pressing amount is the pressing amount when the key 10 is in the end position as shown in Fig. 5, and a value of the pressing amount information corresponding to the reference pressing amount is set in advance. When the key 10 is between the rest position and the end position, the pressing amount information output by the first detection unit 117 indicates a pressing amount between "0 (zero)" and the reference pressing amount.

[0033] When the key 10 is pressed further from the state shown in Fig. 5, the position of the key 10 drops further downward from the end position due to elastic deformation of the key 10, frame 200, upper stopper 353, etc. As a result, the first circuit board 700 and the second circuit board 750 become closer to each other than in the state shown in Fig. 5. At this time, the pressing amount information output by the first detection unit 117 indicates a pressing amount that exceeds the reference pressing amount.

[0034] [Sound source composition] 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the sound source 115 in the keyboard device 1. The sound source 115 generates a sound signal based on information input from the first detection unit 117 and the second detection unit 25, and outputs the sound signal to the speaker 103. The sound signal generated by the sound source 115 is obtained for each operation on the key 101. Then, multiple sound signals obtained by multiple key depressions are synthesized and output from the sound source 115. The sound source 115 includes a depression amount determination unit 501, an acquisition unit 505, a sound signal generation unit 507, a waveform data storage unit 508, and an output unit 509.

[0035] The pressing amount determination unit 501 acquires key information and pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10 from the first detection unit 117. The pressing amount determination unit 501 determines whether the position of the pressed key 10 is within the first rotation range or the second rotation range, based on the acquired pressing amount information.

[0036] The pressing amount determination unit 501 determines whether the value of the acquired pressing amount information is included in a range of a predetermined value indicating a pressing amount within a first rotation range, or is included in a range of a predetermined value indicating a pressing amount within a second rotation range. Specifically, the pressing amount determination unit 501 determines whether the value of the acquired pressing amount information is a value equal to or less than a reference pressing amount, or a value exceeding the reference pressing amount. When the value of the acquired pressing amount information is a value equal to or less than the reference pressing amount, the pressing amount determination unit 501 determines that the value of the acquired pressing amount information indicates a pressing amount within the first rotation range. On the other hand, when the value of the acquired pressing amount information is a value exceeding the reference pressing amount, the pressing amount determination unit 501 determines that the value of the acquired pressing amount information indicates a pressing amount within the second rotation range. In other words, the pressing amount determination unit 501 determines whether the position of the pressed key 10 is within the first rotation range or the second rotation range. The depression amount determination unit 501 outputs the key information corresponding to the pressed key 10 and the depression amount information to the acquisition unit 505 together with the determination result.

[0037] The acquisition unit 505 acquires the judgment result and the key information and the pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10 from the pressing amount judgment unit 501. The acquisition unit 505 outputs the key information and the pressing amount information acquired from the pressing amount judgment unit 501 to the sound signal generation unit 507 based on the judgment result. The sound signal generation unit 507 includes a signal processing unit 511 and an adjustment unit 513. When it is determined that the value of the pressing amount information indicates a pressing amount within the first rotation range, the acquisition unit 505 outputs the key information and the pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10 to the signal processing unit 511. When it is determined that the value of the pressing amount information indicates a pressing amount within the second rotation range, the acquisition unit 505 outputs the key information and the pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10 to the adjustment unit 513.

[0038] When it is determined that the value of the pressing amount information indicates a pressing amount within the first rotation range, the signal processing unit 511 acquires key information and pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10 from the acquisition unit 505. The signal processing unit 511 generates a sound generation control signal that specifies the sound generation content based on the acquired key information and pressing amount information. The sound generation control signal is data in MIDI format here, and includes a note number Note, a note-on signal Non, a note-off signal Noff, and a velocity Vel. The signal processing unit 511 also sets a volume designation value based on the velocity Vel. The signal processing unit 511 may also calculate the key pressing speed of the pressed key 10 by a predetermined calculation based on the pressing amount information instead of the velocity Vel, and set the volume designation value based on the calculated key pressing speed.

[0039] The signal processing unit 511 reads and acquires sound waveform data corresponding to the pressed key 10 from the waveform data storage unit 508 based on the note number Note and the note-on signal Non. The waveform data storage unit 508 stores sound waveform data corresponding to the pitch of each key 10. The waveform data storage unit 508 stores sound waveform data corresponding to a plurality of tones for each pitch. For example, the waveform data storage unit 508 may include sound waveform data corresponding to the tones of various musical instruments for each pitch. The signal processing unit 511 acquires sound waveform data corresponding to the type of musical instrument designated by the user via the operation unit 15 from the waveform data storage unit 508. When the note-on signal Non corresponding to the pressed key 10 is output, the signal processing unit 511 starts reading sound waveform data, and continues reading sound waveform data until the note-off signal Noff is output. That is, the signal processing unit 511 controls the sound generation period of the pressed key 10 based on the key information and pressing amount information of the pressed key 10 in the first rotation range. The sounding period includes the sounding timing.

[0040] The signal processing unit 511 may acquire the pedal operation amount output from the second detection unit 25. In this case, the signal processing unit 511 sets parameters for controlling the envelope of the sound signal generated by the sound signal generation unit 507 based on the acquired pedal operation amount, and generates envelope waveform data based on the set parameters. Note that when the pedal operation amount is not output from the second detection unit 25, that is, when the damper pedal 21 is not operated, the signal processing unit 511 generates predetermined envelope waveform data that is set in advance.

[0041] The signal processing unit 511 multiplies the sound waveform data by the envelope waveform data, and further amplifies the waveform data obtained by multiplying the sound waveform data by the envelope waveform data by an amplifier (not shown) at an amplification rate determined based on the volume designation value, thereby generating a sound signal corresponding to the pressed key 10. The signal processing unit 511 outputs the generated sound signal to the output unit 509. Although not shown, the signal processing unit 511 also includes various filters and additional components for processing the sound signal.

[0042] If it is determined that the value of the pressing amount information indicates a pressing amount within the second rotation range, the adjustment unit 513 acquires key information and pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10 from the acquisition unit 505. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the adjustment unit 513. The adjustment unit 513 includes a determination unit 601, a comparison unit 603, and a control signal generation unit 605.

[0043] The determination unit 601 acquires the key information and depression amount information output from the acquisition unit 505. Based on the acquired key information and depression amount information, the determination unit 601 judges whether or not two or more keys 10 are located in the second rotation range during the same period, in other words, whether or not two or more keys 10 are located below the end position during the same period. If two or more keys 10 are located in the second rotation range during the same period, the determination unit 601 outputs the key information and depression amount information corresponding to the two or more keys 10 to the comparison unit 603.

[0044] The comparison unit 603 determines the relative relationship of the press amounts of the two or more keys 10 based on the key information and press amount information corresponding to each of the two or more keys 10. Here, the relative relationship of the press amounts of the two or more keys 10 includes the relative magnitude relationship of the press amounts of the two or more keys 10, the difference between the press amounts of two or more predetermined keys 10 among the two or more keys 10, and the like. For example, the comparison unit 603 can determine the relative magnitude relationship of the press amounts of the two or more keys 10 based on the value of the press amount information corresponding to each key 10 (press amount indicated by the press amount information). Alternatively, the comparison unit 603 may determine the relative magnitude relationship of the press amounts of the two or more keys 10 based on the difference between the press amount indicated by the press amount information corresponding to each key 10 and a reference press amount. In other words, the comparison unit 603 determines the relative positional relationship of the two or more keys 10 based on the press amount information of the two or more keys 10 located in the second rotation range during the same period.

[0045] Furthermore, the comparison unit 603 may calculate a difference between the pressing amount information corresponding to each of two or more keys 10. For example, when the number of keys 10 located in the second rotation range during the same period is two, the comparison unit 603 calculates a difference between the absolute values ​​of the pressing amounts indicated by the pressing amount information corresponding to the two keys 10. When the number of keys located in the second rotation range during the same period is three or more, the comparison unit 603 may calculate a difference in absolute value between the pressing amount indicated by the pressing amount information of two predetermined keys 10 among the three or more keys 10, which has the largest absolute value, and the pressing amount indicated by the pressing amount information of the two predetermined keys 10, which has the smallest absolute value.

[0046] The comparison unit 603 outputs the comparison result to the control signal generation unit 605. The comparison result includes key information corresponding to two or more keys 10, depression amount information, and information indicating the relative relationship between the depression amounts of the two or more keys 10.

[0047] The control signal generating unit 605 generates a control signal based on the comparison result obtained from the comparing unit 603. The control signal is a signal for performing a predetermined signal processing on the sound signal generated by the signal processing unit 511. The types of these signal processing are set in advance, and the control signal generating unit 605 generates a control signal for controlling the sound signal according to the comparison result. Here, controlling the sound signal means performing a predetermined processing on the sound signal. The control signal generating unit 605 determines the type of signal processing to be applied to the sound signal based on the comparison result, and generates a control signal for performing the determined signal processing.

[0048] A case will be described where the number of keys 10 positioned in the second rotation range during the same period is two. In this case, the comparison result includes key information corresponding to the two keys 10, press amount information, and the relative relationship between the press amounts of the two keys 10. Here, the relative relationship between the press amounts includes at least one of the relative magnitude relationship between the press amounts of the two keys 10 and the difference in absolute values ​​of the press amounts of the two keys 10. Based on this information, the control signal generating unit 605 determines the signal processing to be applied to the sound signal.

[0049] The control signal generating unit 605 may determine a first control (first signal processing) based on the key information corresponding to the two keys 10 and the relative magnitude relationship between the pressing amounts of the two keys 10. For example, if the pressing amount of the key 10 with a higher pitch is larger than the other key 10, the control signal generating unit 605 may determine to perform a signal processing to gradually change the volume. In this case, the control signal generating unit 605 may determine a second control (second signal processing) different from the first control based on the magnitude of the pressing amount indicated by the pressing amount information of either of the two keys 10 or the difference between the absolute values ​​of the pressing amounts indicated by the pressing amount information of the two keys 10. For example, the control signal generating unit 605 may determine to perform a signal processing to gradually increase the volume in the signal processing to gradually change the volume if the pressing amount indicated by the pressing amount information of the key 10 with a higher pitch is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Conversely, if the pressing amount indicated by the pressing amount information of the key 10 with a lower pitch is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the signal processing unit 605 may determine to perform signal processing to gradually decrease the volume in the signal processing for gradually changing the volume. Alternatively, the control signal generating unit 605 may determine to perform signal processing to increase the amount of change in volume if the difference in the absolute values ​​of the pressing amounts indicated by the pressing amount information of the two keys 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and may conversely determine to perform signal processing to decrease the amount of change in volume if the difference in the absolute values ​​of the pressing amounts indicated by the pressing amount information of the two keys 10 is less than the predetermined value.

[0050] The control signal generating unit 605 generates a control signal for performing the determined signal processing, and outputs the generated control signal to the credit processing unit 511. The signal processing unit 511 controls the sound signal based on the control signal acquired from the control signal generating unit 605. Specifically, the signal processing unit 511 sets and applies parameters of each component for the signal processing in the signal processing unit 511 based on the control signal. For example, when the control signal instructs to perform control to gradually change the volume, the signal processing unit 511 sets an amplification factor based on the control signal and applies the amplification factor to the amplifier. Also, for example, when the control signal instructs to perform control to change the frequency, the signal processing unit 511 sets parameters for removing a desired frequency and applies the parameters to the filter.

[0051] The signal processing based on the control signal may be applied to a sound signal, to waveform data obtained by multiplying sound waveform data by envelope waveform data, or to sound waveform data. In this way, when the positions of two or more keys 10 are each in the second rotation range, i.e., beyond the end positions, during the same period, the signal processing unit 511 generates a sound signal in response to a control signal generated based on the key information and depression amount information of the two or more keys 10.

[0052] If the determination unit 601 determines that two or more keys 10 are not located in the second rotation range during the same period, the determination unit 601 outputs the determination result to the control signal generation unit 605. In this case, the control signal generation unit 605 generates a control signal indicating that no processing is to be applied to the sound signal generated based on the key information and depression amount information, based on the determination result, and outputs the control signal to the signal processing unit 511.

[0053] The output unit 509 outputs the generated sound signal to the speaker 13. The speaker 13 generates sound based on the input sound signal.

[0054] As described above, when the pressing amount determination unit 501 determines that the value of the pressing amount information indicates a pressing amount within the first rotation range, the acquisition unit 505 outputs the key information and pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10 based on the determination result to the signal processing unit 511, and the signal processing unit 511 generates a sound signal based on the acquired key information and pressing amount information. In this case, the acquisition unit 505 may also output the key information and pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10 to the adjustment unit 513. When the value of the pressing amount information is determined to indicate a pressing amount within the first rotation range, the control signal generation unit 605 may generate a control signal indicating that no processing is applied to the sound signal generated based on the key information and pressing amount information based on the determination result, and output the control signal to the signal processing unit 511.

[0055] 8 is a flow diagram showing an example of a sound signal generation process in the sound source 115. First, the pressing amount determination unit 501 acquires key information and pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10 from the first detection unit 117 (S701), and determines whether the pressed key 10 is in the first rotation range or not based on the acquired pressing amount information (S702). In other words, the pressing amount determination unit 501 determines whether the pressed key 10 is in the first rotation range or the second rotation range. The pressing amount determination unit 501 outputs the determination result to the acquisition unit 505 together with the key information and pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10.

[0056] If it is determined that the pressed key 10 is within the first rotation range (S702: Yes), the acquisition unit 505 outputs the key information and depression amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10 to the signal processing unit 511, and the signal processing unit 511 generates a sound signal based on the acquired key information and depression amount information (S703), and returns to the process of S701. On the other hand, if it is determined that the pressed key 10 is not within the first rotation range (S702: No), the acquisition unit 505 outputs the key information and depression amount information of the pressed key 10 to the determination unit 601 of the adjustment unit 513.

[0057] Based on the acquired key information and depression amount information of the key 10, the determination unit 601 determines whether or not two or more keys 10 are pressed during the same period (S704). If it is determined that two or more keys 10 are not pressed during the same period (S704: No), the determination unit 601 outputs the determination result to the control signal generation unit 605, and the control signal generation unit 605 generates a control signal indicating that no processing is to be applied to the sound signal generated based on the key information and depression amount information (S705) and proceeds to the process of S711.

[0058] On the other hand, if it is determined that two or more keys 10 are pressed simultaneously (S704; Yes), the comparison unit 603 determines the relative relationship between the press amounts of the two or more keys 10 based on the press amount information (S706). The relative relationship between the press amounts of the two or more keys 10 includes the relative magnitude relationship between the press amounts of the two or more keys 10, the difference between the press amounts of two predetermined keys 10 among the two or more keys 10, and the like.

[0059] The control signal generating unit 605 generates a control signal for performing a predetermined control on the sound signal based on the key information of two or more keys, the depression amount information, and the comparison result generated in the process of S706 (S707). The control signal generating unit 605 outputs the generated control signal to the signal processing unit 511, and the signal processing unit 511 generates a sound signal controlled based on the control signal (S708), and the process returns to the process of S701.

[0060] In this way, during a performance operation, the user can apply the desired processing to the sound by simply pressing the keys 10, without performing any additional operations on the operation unit 15. Therefore, sounds corresponding to various playing styles can be reproduced by the keyboard device 1 through the user's simple operations on the keys 10.

[0061] [Variations] Modifications of the embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0062] [Variation 1] The control based on the pressing amount information exceeding the reference pressing amount, which is output by pressing the key 10 downward from the end position, includes various controls, such as a control to gradually change the volume, a control to add vibrato, tremolo, or harmonics, a control to change the frequency of the sound, a control to add noise such as strum noise, a control to continue a predetermined control period, a change in pitch when adding vibrato, a change in volume when adding tremolo, and a control related to an accompaniment sound output together with a sound reproduced by the keyboard device 1.

[0063] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, it has been described that when the control (type of signal processing) for the sound signal is determined based on the comparison result, the control for the sound signal is determined based on the key information corresponding to the pressed key 10, the relative magnitude relationship of the pressing amounts of the pressed keys 10, the magnitude of the value of the pressing amount information of any of the pressed keys 10, and the difference in the absolute values ​​of the pressing amount information. However, the control for the sound signal is determined based on at least one of the key information corresponding to the pressed key 10, the relative magnitude relationship of the pressing amounts of the pressed keys 10, the magnitude of the value of the pressing amount of the pressed keys 10, and the difference in the absolute values ​​of the pressing amounts.

[0064] For example, when two or more keys 10 are simultaneously pressed downward from the end position, the control of the sound signal may be determined based on a combination of key information corresponding to the pressed keys 10 and the magnitude relationship of the pressing amounts of the pressed keys 10. The control of the sound signal may also be determined based on a combination of key information corresponding to the pressed keys 10 and the magnitude of the value of the pressing amounts of the pressed keys 10. The control of the sound signal may also be determined based on a difference in absolute values ​​of the pressing amounts of the pressed two or more keys 10. The control of the sound signal may also be determined based on a combination of key information corresponding to the pressed keys 10, the magnitude relationship of the pressing amounts of the pressed keys 10, and the difference in absolute values ​​of the pressing amounts of the pressed keys 10. Alternatively, the control of the sound signal may be determined based on a combination of key information corresponding to the pressed keys 10, the magnitude relationship of the pressing amounts of the pressed keys 10, the magnitude of the value of the pressing amounts of the pressed keys 10, and the difference in absolute values ​​of the pressing amounts of the pressed keys 10.

[0065] For example, a control signal may be generated to instruct the addition of vibrato to a sound signal (first control) based on key information corresponding to the pressed key 10 and the relative magnitude relationship of the pressing amount of the pressed key 10. Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned addition of vibrato (first control), a control signal may be generated to specify the pitch change amount of the vibrato to be added (second control) based on the value of the pressing amount of any of the pressed keys 10. Alternatively, a note to which vibrato is added may be specified based on the value of the pressing amount of any of the pressed keys 10. Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned addition of vibrato (first control), specifying the pitch change amount of the vibrato, or specifying the note to which vibrato is added (second control), a control signal may be generated to specify a period to which the vibrato is added (third control) based on the difference in absolute values ​​of the pressing amounts of the pressed keys 10.

[0066] The type of control determined based on the key information corresponding to the pressed key 10 and the pressing amount information is set in advance. For example, a table in which each control applied to a sound signal is associated with the corresponding key information and the numerical value of each piece of information based on the pressing amount information may be stored in the keyboard device 1 or an external device capable of communicating with the keyboard device 1. The control signal generating unit 605 of the sound source 115 may refer to this table to determine the control corresponding to the comparison result obtained from the comparing unit 603.

[0067] [Variation 3] In the above embodiment, the control signal generated by the control signal generating unit 605 is output to the signal processing unit 511. However, the control signal may be output to an external device capable of communicating with the keyboard device 1. For example, a control determined by information based on key information corresponding to the pressed key 10 and depression amount information is a control related to accompaniment sounds, and the accompaniment sounds may be generated in an external device. In this case, the control signal generated by the control signal generating unit 605 is output to the external device. Note that when the accompaniment sounds are generated in the keyboard device 1, the control signal is output to the signal processing unit 511 or a configuration for generating accompaniment sounds, as in the above embodiment.

[0068] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the sound source 115A according to this modification. When the control determined based on the key information and pressing amount information of the pressed key 10 is a control related to the accompaniment sound, the adjustment unit 513A outputs the determined control signal to the accompaniment sound generation unit 903 that generates the accompaniment sound. The accompaniment sound generation unit 903 may be included in the external device 9 that can communicate with the keyboard device 1. The accompaniment sound generation unit 903 reads out the music data designated by the user from the music data storage unit 901 that stores various music data. The accompaniment sound generation unit 903 processes the music data based on the control signal acquired from the adjustment unit 513A, and outputs the processed music data to the output unit 509 as an accompaniment sound signal. Here, the music data storage unit 901 may be included in an external storage device that can communicate with the external device 9. Also, when the accompaniment sound is generated by the keyboard device 1, the accompaniment sound signal generation unit 903 may be included in the sound source 115A.

[0069] [Variation 4] In the above embodiment, it has been described that the first detection unit 117 includes a magnetic induction type sensor arranged for each of the multiple keys 10. However, the sensors included in the first detection unit 117 are not limited to magnetic induction type sensors. For example, the first detection unit 117 may include a switch sensor and a pressure sensor. In this case, the amount of depression of the key 10 in the first rotation range may be detected by two or more switch sensors provided for each key 10, and the amount of depression of the key 10 in the second rotation range may be measured by a pressure sensor provided for each key 10.

[0070] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a sound source 115B according to this modification. In this modification, the first detection unit 117B includes a switch sensor 117-1 and a pressure sensor 117-2. The switch sensor 117-1 includes two or more switch sensors. The first detection unit 117B outputs key information and pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10. The key information and pressing amount information output from the first detection unit 117B include the key information and pressing amount information output from the switch sensor 117-1 and the key information and pressing amount information output from the pressure sensor 117-2. The pressing amount determination unit 501B acquires the key information and pressing amount information corresponding to the pressed key 10 from the first detection unit 117B. The pressing amount determination unit 501B determines whether the acquired key information and pressing amount information are output from the switch sensor 117-1 or the pressure sensor 117-2, and outputs the acquired key information and pressing amount information together with the determination result to the acquisition unit 505B. The acquisition unit 505B outputs the acquired key information and pressing amount information to the signal processing unit 511 or the adjustment unit 513 based on the determination result. Specifically, when the key information and pressing amount information are output from the switch sensor 117-1, the acquisition unit 505B outputs the key information and pressing amount information to the signal processing unit 511. Also, when the key information and pressing amount information are output from the pressure sensor 117-2, the acquisition unit 505B outputs the key information and pressing amount information to the adjustment unit 513. The processing in the signal processing unit 511 and the adjustment unit 513 is the same as that in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0071] The sensor included in the first detection unit 117 may be an optical sensor that can continuously detect the amount of depression of the key 10 (the position of the key 10). In this case, the first detection unit 117 may include an optical sensor provided for each key 10.

[0072] [Variation 5] In the above embodiment, it has been described that when the number of keys simultaneously pressed downward from the end position is three or more, the comparison unit 603 may calculate the difference in absolute value between the pressing amount with the largest absolute value and the pressing amount with the smallest absolute value among the three or more keys 10 based on the pressing amount information. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, two keys 10 may be selected based on the pitch corresponding to the pressed key 10, and the pressing amounts of the selected two keys 10 may be compared. In this case, the two keys 10 selected based on the pitch may be the lowest key and the highest key, or the A-th key from the highest key and the B-th key from the lowest key (both A and B are natural numbers) based on the key information. The two keys 10 may also be selected based on the magnitude of the pressing amount. In this case, the two keys 10 selected based on the amount of depression may be, as in the above-described embodiment, the key 10 corresponding to the amount of depression with the largest absolute value and the key 10 corresponding to the amount of depression with the smallest absolute value, or may be the key 10 whose absolute value of the amount of depression is the Ath key from the maximum and the key 10 whose absolute value of the amount of depression is the Bth key from the minimum (A and B are both natural numbers).

[0073] In addition, when the number of keys pressed downward from the end position during the same period is three or more, the determination of the control to be applied to the sound may be made more complex based on the key information and depression amount information of the three or more pressed keys 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1: keyboard device, 9: external device, 10: key, 13: speaker, 15: operation unit, 17: housing, 19: display unit, 20: pedal device, 21: damper pedal, 25: second detection unit, 30: load unit, 111: control unit, 113: memory unit, 115, 115A, 115B: sound source, 117, 117B: first detection unit, 117-1: switch sensor, 117-2: pressure sensor, 305: weight unit, 351: lower switch Topper, 353: upper stopper, 501, 501B: pressing amount determination unit, 505, 505B: acquisition unit, 507: sound signal generation unit, 508: waveform data storage unit, 509: output unit, 511: signal processing unit, 513, 513A: adjustment unit, 601: determination unit, 603: comparison unit, 605: control signal generation unit, 700: first circuit board, 750: second circuit board, 901: music data storage unit, 903: accompaniment sound generation unit

Claims

1. Multiple keys and an acquisition unit that acquires information for identifying a pressed key among the plurality of keys and a pressing amount of the pressed key; a sound signal generating unit that generates a sound signal based on the relative relationship between the amounts of pressing of the two or more keys, information identifying the pressed keys, and the amounts of pressing of the pressed keys when the number of pressed keys is two or more and the amounts of pressing of the two or more pressed keys exceed a reference amount; A keyboard device comprising:

2. The keyboard device according to claim 1 , wherein the sound signal generating section determines a timing at which to generate a sound corresponding to the pressed key, based on a pressing amount of the pressed key before the pressing amount reaches the reference pressing amount.

3. 2. The keyboard device according to claim 1, wherein the relative relationship is a relative magnitude relationship between amounts of depression of the two or more keys.

4. 2. The keyboard device according to claim 1, wherein the relative relationship is a difference between absolute values ​​of depression amounts of the two or more keys.

5. Multiple keys and an acquisition unit that acquires information for identifying a pressed key among the plurality of keys and a pressing amount of the pressed key; a control signal generating unit that generates a control signal according to a relative relationship between the amounts of pressing of the two or more keys when the number of pressed keys is two or more and the amounts of pressing of the two or more pressed keys exceed a reference amount; a sound signal generating unit that generates a sound signal based on information identifying the pressed key and the amount of pressing of the pressed key; A keyboard device comprising:

6. The keyboard device according to claim 5 , wherein the sound signal generating section determines a timing at which to generate a sound corresponding to the pressed key, based on an amount of pressing of the pressed key before the amount of pressing of the pressed key reaches the reference amount of pressing.

7. the relative relationship is a relative magnitude relationship between the amounts of pressing of the two or more keys, The keyboard device according to claim 5 , wherein the control signal generating section generates the control signal for instructing a first control based on the relative magnitude relationship.

8. 8. The keyboard device according to claim 7, wherein the control signal generating unit generates the control signal for instructing a second control different from the first control based on a pressing amount of a key that is pressed by a relatively large amount among the two or more keys.

9. acquiring information for identifying one of the plurality of operators and a pressing amount of the identified operator; when the number of the identified operators is two or more and the pressing amounts of the two or more operators exceed a reference pressing amount, respectively, generating a sound signal based on a relative relationship between the pressing amounts of the two or more operators, information identifying the operators, and the pressing amounts of the identified operators; 23. A method for generating sound, comprising:

10. acquiring information for identifying one of the plurality of operators and a pressing amount of the identified operator; generating a sound signal based on information identifying the operator and a pressing amount of the identified operator; When the number of the specified operators is two or more and the pressing amounts of the two or more operators exceed a reference pressing amount, respectively, a control signal is generated according to a relative relationship between the pressing amounts of the two or more operators.

23. A method for generating sound, comprising:

11. On the computer, A program for executing the sound generation method according to claim 9 or 10.

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