Flexible Key Guide Structure for Keyboard Instruments
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional key guide structures for keyboard instruments experience increased friction due to manufacturing variations and environmental factors, leading to heavier touch weights and slower key return motion, and can generate noise or cause key collisions.
Innovation Solution
A key guide structure featuring key guide members with flexible portions and contact portions that maintain a predetermined clearance from the guide recess surfaces, reducing friction and noise by allowing the flexible portions to warp under pressure, ensuring smooth pivotal motion and stable key guidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the key guide body is formed with lateral width substantially equal to the distance between guide walls, then lateral swing of the key is prevented, but friction increases due to manufacturing variation and environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The key guide body is constructed with flexible side surfaces that can elastically deform. When the key guide body contacts the guide walls, the flexible side surfaces warp elastically to accommodate contact, maintaining stable guidance while reducing friction through elastic deformation rather than rigid contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the key guide body side surfaces from rigid to flexible. By making the side surfaces capable of elastic deformation, the system adapts to manufacturing variations and environmental changes, maintaining optimal contact conditions that prevent lateral swing while minimizing friction.
2Force
If clearance is secured between key guide body and guide walls, then friction is reduced, but lateral swing of the key cannot be sufficiently prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The key guide body transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic flexible structure. The side surfaces can elastically deform to make contact with the guide walls when needed, providing lateral guidance only during key depression while maintaining clearance during key release, thus reducing friction while preventing lateral swing.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible side surfaces engage and disengage periodically with the guide walls during key depression and release cycles. During depression, the surfaces warp to contact the guide walls for guidance; during release, they return to cleared position, creating a periodic engagement pattern that balances guidance and friction reduction.
3Force
If clearance is secured between key guide body and guide walls, then friction is reduced, but noise may be generated when lateral force acts on the key
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible side surfaces act as vibration dampers. When lateral forces cause the key to contact the guide walls, the elastic deformation of the flexible surfaces absorbs impact energy and reduces vibration, thereby minimizing noise generation while maintaining the clearance benefit of reduced friction during normal operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The key guide structure effectively suppresses noise and maintains smooth pivotal motion of keys by minimizing contact area and allowing flexible portions to warp, addressing issues of increased friction and key collisions.
Implementation Method 1
two left and right flexible portions which are flexible in a left-right direction and extend from respective left and right ends of one of a front surface and a rear surface of the key guide body in a manner protruding in the front-rear direction
Data Source
AI summary
A key guide structure for a keyboard instrument, which is capable of stably and appropriately guiding a key pivotally moved by key depression without generating noise. The key guide structure has guide holders each erected below a guide recess of each key, and guide members mounted to tops of the guide holders, respectively, each for sliding contact with lateral inner side surfaces of the recess. Each guide member includes a body disposed between the lateral inner side surfaces of the recess with a predetermined clearance, two lateral flexible portions laterally flexible and extending from lateral ends of a front or rear surface of the body in a manner protruding in a front-rear direction, and two lateral contact portions which are provided at front ends of the flexible portions in a manner protruding sideward and are in contact with the lateral inner side surfaces of the recess.