Keyboard weights and keyboard mechanism

Abstract

To provide a keyboard weight which can be easily mounted on a key and can be surely prevented from falling from the key; and to provide the key of a keyboard instrument, to which the keyboard weight is stably fixed.SOLUTION: Provided is a keyboard weight 3 mounted by being inserted from the outside into a weight storage part 8 disposed on a key 1 of a keyboard instrument, comprising: a weight body part 31 formed into a block shape; an elastic deformation part 32 that is disposed at a tip on a side of the weight body part 31 inserted into the weight storage part 8, and which is elastically deformed, when the weight body part 31 is pushed in the state of being brought into contact with a wall surface 4 on a depth side of the weight storage part 8 when mounted, by reaction force from the wall surface; and a part 33 to be locked disposed on a side surface of the weight body part 31 and locked to a side wall 5 of the weight storage part 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention is applied to a keyboard device of a keyboard instrument such as an electronic piano, and relates to a keyboard hammer attached to a key to obtain a desired touch weight when the key is pressed, and a key of a keyboard instrument to which the keyboard hammer is attached. A keyboard device equipped with It relates to.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of keyboard hammer and key of a keyboard instrument, for example, those described in Patent Document 1 previously filed by the present applicant are known. This keyboard hammer is composed of rubber mixed with iron powder, and includes a rectangular parallelepiped hammer main body portion, and a pleat portion formed on both left and right side surfaces of the hammer main body portion and having a plurality of pleats arranged side by side in the vertical direction. On the other hand, the key is a white key extending in the front-rear direction, and a hammer accommodation portion (hammer attachment space in Patent Document 1) that opens downward is provided at the front end portion thereof.

[0003] At the time of manufacture, when attaching the above keyboard hammer to the key, the keyboard hammer is pushed into the hammer accommodation portion from below the key. As a result, the left and right pleat portions of the keyboard hammer are elastically deformed while being sandwiched between the hammer main body portion and the left and right side walls of the hammer accommodation portion, and due to the tension caused by the restoring force, the keyboard hammer is fixed to the front end portion of the key. Thus, the above keyboard hammer can be easily attached to the key simply by pushing it into the hammer accommodation portion of the key.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the aforementioned keyboard weights attached to the keys are fixed to the weight housing of the keys solely by the tension of the folds on the left and right sides. Therefore, if the restorative force due to the elastic deformation of the folds decreases due to prolonged use of the keyboard instrument, the keyboard weights may shift downward or fall off the keys. Of course, it is possible to prevent the keyboard weights from falling off the keys by providing a projection that protrudes slightly inward from the wall surface of the weight housing of the keys, thereby engaging the folds of the keyboard weights from below with the projection.

[0006] When the locking projection described above is provided on the wall of the weight housing, when attaching the keyboard weight to the key, it is necessary to push the keyboard weight into the weight housing of the key so that all the folds of the keyboard weight overcome the projection. However, depending on the positional relationship between the projection on the key and the folds of the keyboard weight, as well as the shape, size, and elastic properties of the keyboard weight, a very large force may be required when attaching the keyboard weight to the key. For example, if the flat top surface of the keyboard weight pushed into the weight housing is in contact with the ceiling wall of the weight housing and the folds have not overcome the projection, the keyboard weight needs to be pushed in further, but because the entire top surface of the keyboard weight is in contact with the ceiling wall of the weight housing, the reaction force when pushing in becomes large. As a result, a very large force is required to push in the keyboard weight, which can make attaching the keyboard weight difficult.

[0007] This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a keyboard weight that can be easily attached to a key and reliably prevented from falling off the key, and a keyboard instrument key on which this keyboard weight can be stably fixed. A keyboard device equipped with The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the invention according to claim 1 is a keyboard weight that is attached to a key of a keyboard instrument by being inserted from the outside into a weight housing provided on the key, comprising: a block-shaped weight body; an elastic deformation part provided at the tip of the weight body on the side that is inserted into the weight housing, which elastically deforms due to the reaction force from the wall surface when the weight body is pushed in while in contact with the inner wall surface of the weight housing during attachment; and a locking part provided on the side of the weight body that locks into the side wall of the weight housing. The elastically deformable portion is composed of one or more convex portions that protrude upward from the upper surface of the weight body. It is characterized by the following:

[0009] With this configuration, when attaching a keyboard weight to a key, the keyboard weight is inserted into the weight housing of the key. In this case, the elastically deformable part of the keyboard weight first comes into contact with the rear wall of the weight housing of the key. In this state, when the weight body of the keyboard weight is pushed into the weight housing, the elastically deformable part is elastically deformed by the reaction force from the aforementioned wall of the weight housing, and as a result, the entire keyboard weight is housed in the weight housing, and the locking part of the keyboard weight is locked to the side wall of the weight housing. In this way, when attaching the keyboard weight to the key, even if the keyboard weight comes into contact with the rear wall of the weight housing, the keyboard weight can be easily attached to the key by pushing in the weight body with a relatively small force, and the locking part of the keyboard weight is locked to the side wall of the weight housing, which reliably prevents the keyboard weight from falling off the key.

[0011] Also, the above According to this configuration, the elastic deformation portion can be relatively easily formed by one or more convex portions that protrude upward from the upper surface of the weight body.

[0012] Claim 2 The invention relating to this is Claim 1 The keyboard weight described herein is characterized in that the convex portion has an M-shaped front surface.

[0013] With this configuration, by adopting a convex portion with an M-shaped front surface, it is possible for the two M-shaped convex portions to undergo elastic deformation such that they spread apart and flex relative to each other. As a result, even if the convex portion is made of a relatively hard elastic material, elastic deformation of the convex portion can be ensured when attaching the keyboard weight to the key.

[0014] Claim 3 The invention relating to this is A keyboard weight that is attached to the keys of a keyboard instrument by being inserted from the outside into a weight housing, comprising: a block-shaped weight body; an elastic deformation part provided at the tip of the weight body on the side that is inserted into the weight housing, which elastically deforms due to the reaction force from the wall when the weight body is pushed in while in contact with the inner wall of the weight housing during installation; and a locking part provided on the side of the weight body that locks into the side wall of the weight housing, The elastically deformable portion is characterized by having a flat portion with a flat upper surface and a cavity portion provided below the flat portion so as to penetrate horizontally.

[0015] According to this configuration, Similar to claim 1 described above, the keyboard weights can be easily attached to the keys, and the keyboard weights can be reliably prevented from falling off the keys. In addition, according to the above configuration, Since a cavity is provided on the underside of the flat section, penetrating horizontally, the area near this cavity can be elastically deformed more easily in the vertical direction compared to a case without a cavity. In this way, by simply forming a cavity on the underside of the flat section, the desired elastically deformable portion can be easily obtained in the keyboard weight.

[0016] Claim 4 The invention relating to this invention is as follows: 3 Key weights as described in any of the following and the weights for the keyboard The keys of a keyboard instrument to which they are attached. A keyboard device equipped with the following: The key is characterized by having a weight housing section that opens downwards and is formed in a hollow shape, and the side wall of the weight housing section is provided with a locking projection that locks the locking portion of the key weight by supporting it from below when the key weight is housed in the weight housing section.

[0017] In this configuration, the weight housing section of the key is formed in a hollow shape that opens downwards. A locking projection on the side wall of this weight housing section locks the key weight housed within the weight housing section by supporting the locking portion from below. As a result, the key is securely attached with the key weight housed within the weight housing section. A keyboard device equipped with It can be easily obtained.

[0018] Claim 5 The invention relating to this is Claim 4 Described of Keyboard Device In the keyboard, when the keyboard weight is attached to the weight housing portion, the locking convex portion is located above the locked portion when the elastic deformation portion of the keyboard weight abuts against the wall surface of the weight housing portion, and is provided so as to be located below the locked portion when the elastic deformation portion is deformed by pushing the keyboard weight into the weight housing portion. Heaven It is characterized in that.

[0019] According to this configuration, by providing the locking convex portion at the above-described predetermined position, when the keyboard weight is attached to the weight housing portion, after the elastic deformation portion of the keyboard weight abuts against the top wall surface of the weight housing portion, and further by pushing the keyboard weight into the weight housing portion, the locked portion of the keyboard weight gets over the locking convex portion and is located above the locking convex portion. As a result, since the locking convex portion is located below the locked portion of the keyboard weight, the keyboard weight can be stably locked from below.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] Shows a keyboard weight and a key of a keyboard instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is an external perspective view of the key, (b) is a side view of the key, (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the c-c line of (b), and (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along the d-d line of (c). [Figure 2] It is a view showing a keyboard weight, (a) is a front view, and (b) is an external perspective view. [Figure 3] It is a view corresponding to FIG. 1(c), and is an explanatory view for explaining the size of the weight housing portion of the key body and the keyboard weight. [Figure 4] It is a view for explaining the attachment procedure of the keyboard weight to the key body, (a) is a state before inserting the keyboard weight into the weight housing portion, (b) is a state where the convex portion of the keyboard weight abuts against the top wall of the key, and (c) is a state where the keyboard weight is housed in the weight housing portion. [Figure 5] It is a view showing a modified example of the keyboard weight, (a) is a first modified example having a single convex portion, (b) is a second modified example having three convex portions, and (c) is a third modified example having three hollow portions below a flat portion. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a key with a keyboard weight attached according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, this key 1 is a white key used in the keyboard mechanism of a keyboard instrument such as an electronic piano, and together with black keys (not shown), a large number (for example, 88 keys) are arranged in the left-right direction to constitute a keyboard mechanism. This key 1 comprises a key body 2 extending in the front-back direction (left-right direction in Figure 1(b)) and a keyboard weight 3 attached to the key body 2.

[0022] The key body 2 is made of a predetermined type of synthetic resin (e.g., AS resin) and is a molded product of a predetermined shape that extends in the front-to-back direction. Specifically, the key body 2 comprises a horizontal top wall 4, left and right side walls 5, 5 (see Figure 1(c)) that hang downward from both the left and right ends of the top wall 4, and a front wall 6 provided at the front ends of the top wall 4 and the left and right side walls 5, 5. Reference numeral 7 indicates a wooden board, and these wooden boards 7 are attached to the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 5, 5 by adhesive or other means.

[0023] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1(b) to 1(d), the front end of the key body 2 is provided with a weight housing section 8 for mounting the key weight 3 in a housed state. This weight housing section 8 is formed in a box shape that opens downwards. Specifically, the top wall 4, the left and right side walls 5, 5, the rib wall 9 provided at a predetermined position behind the front wall 6, and the rear wall 10 provided at a predetermined position behind the rib wall 9 define a weight housing section 8 of a predetermined size.

[0024] Furthermore, on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls 5, 5, three locking protrusions 5a for locking the keyboard weights 3 are provided, spaced apart in the vertical direction. Each locking protrusion 5a extends a predetermined length in the front-to-back direction and is formed to protrude inward in a tapered shape. Of the three locking protrusions 5a formed on each side wall 5, the lowest locking protrusion 5a is larger than the other two and protrudes more significantly inward.

[0025] Figure 2 shows the keyboard weight 3, where (a) is a front view and (b) is an external perspective view. This keyboard weight 3 is made of a predetermined type of rubber with a relatively high specific gravity, or rubber mixed with metal powder such as iron. The keyboard weight 3 also comprises a block-shaped weight body 31, a convex portion 32 (elastically deformable portion) that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the weight body 31, and locking portions 33 that protrude outward from both the left and right sides of the weight body 31 and are locked to the side walls 5, 5 of the weight housing 8.

[0026] The weight body 31 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. The convex portion 32 is formed in an M-shape from the front and consists of two convex portions 32, 32 that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. Each convex portion 32 also has upper folds 32a, 32a that are formed symmetrically on the left and right sides and extend in the front-back direction (front-back direction in Figure 2(a)) across the entire upper surface of the weight body 31.

[0027] The locking portion 33 has a sawtooth-like shape overall in its front view and is composed of five transverse folds 33a arranged in a row along the vertical direction. Each transverse fold 33a has an inclined surface and a horizontal surface in the vertical direction and extends in the front-rear direction across the entire side surface of the weight body portion 31.

[0028] Furthermore, two recesses 34 are formed at the lower end of the weight body 31, spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction and opening downwards. Each recess 34 extends in the front-rear direction across the entire lower surface of the weight body 31. These recesses 34 make the lower end of the weight body 31 more susceptible to elastic deformation inward in the left-right direction.

[0029] Figure 3 corresponds to Figure 1(c) mentioned above, and shows the weight housing portion 8 of the key body 2 and the key weight 3 before it is housed therein, indicated by a dashed line. As shown in Figures 3 and 2, in the key weight 3, the key body portion 31 is formed to be smaller than the weight housing portion 8, and the overall shape of the key weight 3, including the upper convex portion 32 and the locking portion 33, is formed to be slightly larger than the weight housing portion 8.

[0030] Figure 4 shows the procedure for attaching the keyboard weight 3 to the key body 2. Figure 4(a) shows the state before inserting the keyboard weight 3 into the weight housing 8. The keyboard weight 3 is inserted into the weight housing 8 from below the key body 2. During this insertion, the horizontal folds 33a at the left and right locking portions 33 of the keyboard weight 3 receive a reaction force from the side wall 5 of the weight housing 8 and elastically deform so as to bend downward.

[0031] Figure 4(b) shows the state immediately after the upper end of the convex portion 32 at the upper end of the keyboard weight 3 housed in the weight housing 8 comes into contact with the top wall 4 of the key body 2. In this state, the tip of the lowest horizontal fold 33a on the left and right locking portions 33 of the keyboard weight 3 is located below the lowest locking projection 5a on the side wall 5 of the weight housing 8. If the keyboard weight 3 is pushed further into the weight housing 8 from this state, as shown in Figure 4(c), the upper folds 32a, 32a of each convex portion 32 of the keyboard weight 3 spread apart from each other and elastically deform so as to bend in the left and right directions. In this case, the lowest horizontal folds 33a, 33a on the left and right of the keyboard weight 3 go over the lowest locking projections 5a, 5a of the weight housing 8 and are located above them, thereby being locked in a state supported from below by the lowest locking projections 5a, 5a.

[0032] As described in detail above, with the keyboard weight 3 of this embodiment, when attaching the keyboard weight 3 to the key body 2, even if the keyboard weight 3 comes into contact with the top wall 4 of the weight housing 8, the keyboard weight 3 can be pushed in with a relatively small force while elastically deforming the convex portion 32 at the upper end, and the keyboard weight 3 can be easily attached to the key body 2. Furthermore, when the keyboard weight 3 is pushed into the weight housing 8, the horizontal folds 33a of the locking portions 33, 33 on both the left and right sides of the keyboard weight 3 elastically deform downward, and the tension caused by the restoring force locks the keyboard weight 3 to the left and right side walls 5, 5 of the weight housing 8. In addition, the lower parts of the left and right locking portions 33, 33 of the keyboard weight 3 are locked in a state where they are supported from below by the locking protrusions 5a of the left and right side walls 5, 5 of the weight housing 8. In this way, the keyboard weight 3 housed in the weight housing section 8 is secured, thus reliably preventing the keyboard weight 3 from falling off the key body 2.

[0033] Furthermore, according to the key 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to easily obtain a key 1 in which the keyboard weight 3 is securely attached while housed in the weight housing 8.

[0034] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be implemented in various forms. Figure 5 shows a front view of a modified example of the keyboard weight. The first modified example of the keyboard weight 3A shown in Figure 5(a) differs from the keyboard weight 3 described above in that, instead of the two M-shaped convex portions 32, it has a single convex portion 32A with a rectangular front shape in the center in the left-right direction, and has six horizontal folds 33a on each side. The second modified example of the keyboard weight 3B shown in Figure 5(b) differs from the keyboard weight 3 described above in that, instead of the two M-shaped convex portions 32, it has three convex portions 32B with a rectangular front shape spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction.

[0035] Furthermore, the keyboard weight 3C of the third modified example shown in Figure 5(c) has a flat portion 35 with a flat top surface instead of the two M-shaped convex portions 32 of the keyboard weight 3 described above, and has three cavities 36 at predetermined positions below this flat portion 35. Each cavity 36 extends horizontally and is formed to penetrate the keyboard weight 3C in the front-to-back direction (front-to-back direction in Figure 5(c)). In this way, by providing the cavities 36 below the flat portion 35, the area around these cavities 36 can be elastically deformed more easily in the vertical direction compared to the case where there are no cavities 36. The keyboard weights 3A to 3C of the first to third modified examples described above can obtain the same functions and effects as the keyboard weight 3 described above.

[0036] The detailed configurations of the keyboard weight 3 shown in the embodiment and the modified keyboard weights 3A to 3C are merely illustrative examples and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 1 key 2 Key body 3. Key weights 3A Keyboard weights for the first modified example 3B Keyboard weights for the second modified example 3C Third Modified Example: Key Weights 4. Top Wall 5 side wall 5a Locking protrusion 8 Weight storage section 31 Weight body part 32. Convex portion (elastically deformable portion) 32a Upper fold 33 Locked part 33a Horizontal pleats 35 Flat area 36 Cavity

Claims

1. A keyboard weight made of an elastic material, which is attached to the keys of a keyboard instrument by being inserted from the outside into a weight housing provided on the keys, The weight body is formed in a block shape, An elastic deformation portion is provided at the tip of the weight body that is inserted into the weight housing, and when the weight body is pushed in while in contact with the inner wall of the weight housing during installation, it elastically deforms due to the reaction force from the wall, A locking portion is provided on the side surface of the weight body and is locked to the side wall of the weight housing portion, Equipped with, The keyboard weight is characterized in that the elastically deformable portion is composed of one or more convex portions that protrude upward from the upper surface of the weight body.

2. The keyboard weight according to claim 1, characterized in that the convex portion has an M-shaped front surface.

3. A keyboard weight made of an elastic material, which is attached to a keyboard instrument by being inserted from the outside into a weight housing provided on the key of the keyboard instrument, The weight body is formed in a block shape, An elastic deformation portion is provided at the tip of the weight body that is inserted into the weight housing, and when the weight body is pushed in while in contact with the inner wall of the weight housing during installation, it elastically deforms due to the reaction force from the wall, A locking portion is provided on the side surface of the weight body and is locked to the side wall of the weight housing portion, Equipped with, The elastically deformable portion is A flat portion formed with a flat upper surface, A cavity is provided on the lower side of this flat section, extending horizontally through it, A keyboard weight characterized by having the following features.

4. A keyboard device comprising a keyboard weight according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and a key of a keyboard instrument to which the keyboard weight is attached, The key has a weight housing portion that opens downwards and is formed in a hollow shape. The keyboard device is characterized in that the side wall of the weight housing portion is provided with a locking projection that locks the key weight by supporting the locking portion of the key weight from below when the key weight is housed in the weight housing portion.

5. The keyboard device according to claim 4, characterized in that the locking projection is positioned above the locked portion when the elastically deformable portion of the keyboard weight comes into contact with the top wall surface of the weight housing when the keyboard weight is attached to the weight housing, and below the locked portion when the elastically deformable portion is deformed as the keyboard weight is pushed into the weight housing.

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