Keyboard Instrument Case With Segmented Steel Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing keyboard instrument cases face challenges in maintaining structural integrity and aesthetic design under varying temperature conditions due to differential expansion and contraction of materials used.
Innovation Solution
A keyboard instrument case design featuring a lower case made of resin, reinforced with steel reinforcement members and a front case made of wood, where the reinforcement members are divided and fixed to span the lower case, allowing for relative movement to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction, while maintaining consistent gaps between components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the lower case is made of resin material, then the case can be formed with good moldability and design flexibility, but the linear expansion coefficient is large causing significant expansion and contraction with temperature changes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses composite construction by combining resin lower case with metal reinforcement members and wood front case. This composite approach allows each material to contribute its advantages: resin provides moldability and design flexibility, while metal and wood provide dimensional stability and aesthetic quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The case is divided into multiple segments (lower case, front case, reinforcement members) that can expand and contract independently. The reinforcement members are positioned to allow relative movement between components, preventing forced strain while maintaining overall structural integrity.
2Shape
If the front case is made of wood material, then aesthetic appeal is enhanced, but the differential expansion with resin lower case causes gap variation under temperature changes
Solution Approach 1:
Metal reinforcement members serve as intermediaries between the resin lower case and wood front case. These reinforcement members accommodate the differential thermal expansion between wood and resin, allowing the aesthetically pleasing wood front case to be used while maintaining consistent gaps through the compliant connection provided by the reinforcement members.
3Strength
If reinforcement members are used to span the lower case, then structural rigidity is improved, but the fixed connection may cause forced strain due to differential thermal expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between reinforcement members and case components is designed to be dynamically adjustable rather than rigidly fixed. The reinforcement members can move relative to the lower case and front case, allowing the structure to adapt to thermal expansion and contraction while maintaining structural rigidity under normal operating conditions.
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 design ensures consistent gaps between case components, preserving aesthetic appeal and preventing forced strain, even with temperature changes, by utilizing materials with different thermal expansion coefficients.
Implementation Method 1
made from a second material whose linear expansion coefficient is smaller than a linear expansion coefficient of the first material
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2E
Figure 3
AI summary
A case (200) of a keyboard instrument (10) includes a lower case (220) formed from a resin material which is a first material and extended long in a left-right direction LR which is a first direction, plural reinforcement members (a first reinforcement member (310), a second reinforcement member (320)) fixed to the lower case(220), made from a sheet of steel which is a second material whose linear expansion coefficient is smaller than a linear expansion coefficient of the first material, and disposed to be divided in the left-right direction(LR), a front case (250) formed in such a manner as to extend long in the first direction and fixed to each of the plural reinforcement members (300), and side cases (a left side case(230), a right side case(240)) disposed adjacent to the front case(250) and fixed to ends of the reinforcement members(300).