Injection Molded Hammer Support for Electronic Keyboard
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing keyboard devices for electronic pianos face challenges in achieving high dimensional accuracy for hammer rail support, leading to improper key depression information detection and tone generation, and have limited design flexibility and key length adjustment capabilities, resulting in irregular key levels and degraded touch feeling.
Innovation Solution
The use of injection molded synthetic resin for the hammer support, with fulcrum shaft portions arranged in a straight line and partition walls for enhanced rigidity, along with metal connecting members and a grounded metal reinforcing member, ensures high dimensional accuracy and stability, allowing for precise key depression information detection and flexible design adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a hammer rail is formed by a single extrusion molded article of aluminum, then manufacturing is simplified and costs are reduced, but dimensional accuracy deteriorates leading to improper key depression information detection
Solution Approach 1:
The hammer rail is divided into multiple separate components: a support body, multiple fulcrum shafts, and multiple stoppers. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured with high precision using injection molding, ensuring accurate positioning of fulcrum shafts and stoppers while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite construction combining synthetic resin (for the support body, fulcrum shafts, and stoppers) with metal materials (for reinforcement and precision components). This composite approach enables both the dimensional accuracy required for proper key detection and the manufacturing efficiency needed for cost-effective production.
2Ease of manufacture
If the hammer rail structure is simplified to reduce costs, then manufacturing costs are reduced, but design flexibility and key length adjustment capabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The modular segmented structure allows independent adjustment of key parameters such as key length, hammer position, and stopper location. Different configurations can be achieved by repositioning or replacing individual components without redesigning the entire hammer rail, providing design flexibility while maintaining cost-effective manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates adjustable and reconfigurable elements that allow the hammer rail structure to adapt to different design requirements. Components can be repositioned or modified to accommodate varying key lengths and hammer positions, enabling dynamic adaptation to different musical instrument configurations.
3Ease of manufacture
If the hammer rail structure is simplified, then manufacturing is easier, but rigidity and stability deteriorate resulting in irregular key levels and degraded touch feeling
Solution Approach 1:
The hammer rail uses composite construction with synthetic resin providing the main structural body and metal reinforcement elements providing enhanced rigidity and stability. This combination maintains manufacturing ease through injection molding while ensuring the structural strength required for uniform key levels and proper touch feeling.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention incorporates curved and contoured design elements in the support body and reinforcement structures that optimize stress distribution and enhance rigidity. The curved geometries provide structural strength while maintaining ease of manufacture through injection molding processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A keyboard device for an electronic keyboard instrument, including several keys arranged side by side in a left-right direction, a hammer support disposed rearward of the keys, a plurality of hammers pivotally supported by the hammer support to be pivotally moved in accordance with key depression, and a key switch having a plurality of switch bodies provided in association with the respective hammers and a switch board mounted to the hammer support. The hammer support has a hammer supporting part for supporting the hammers and a switch mounting part to which the key switch is mounted, and is formed by an injection molded article of a predetermined kind of synthetic resin.