Keyboard Massive Body Pivoting Stopper Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional keyboard apparatuses for electronic musical instruments face challenges in reducing height without increasing depth, while maintaining a favorable key-touch feeling and efficient assembly, often resulting in bulky instruments and increased assembly costs.
Innovation Solution
A keyboard apparatus design featuring massive bodies that pivot in synchronization with key depression, with upper and lower limit stoppers placed below the keys, and fixing portions integrated into the frame, allowing for reduced depth and height, improved stop feeling, and efficient assembly by utilizing unused space within the keys.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bent portions of spindles extend far behind the rear end of key main bodies to collide with the upper limit stopper, then the feeling of stop is provided to players, but the depth of the keyboard apparatus has to be large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the upper limit stopper from the rear end region to the front end region of the keyboard apparatus, utilizing the unused space within the right and left side walls of the keys. This spatial repositioning in a different dimension (from rear to front) allows the stopper to function without increasing the overall depth of the apparatus.
2Reliability
If the stroke length of the free end increases with increase in the distance from fulcrum to free end, then the feeling of mass is enhanced, but the height of the keyboard apparatus becomes high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the upper limit stopper within the horizontal space defined by the right and left side walls of the keys, rather than extending vertically. This allows the massive bodies to have sufficient stroke length for feeling of mass while the apparatus height is determined by other components, not the stopper position.
3Length of stationary object
If the upper limit stopper is placed inside the respective keys, then the height of the keyboard apparatus is reduced, but a shock caused by collision is perceived by the player through the key
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the upper limit stopper from the interior space of the keys and relocates it to the front end region, where it is positioned outside the path of key depression. This separation removes the source of harmful shock perception while preserving the stopper's function of limiting the pivoting range of massive bodies.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If cushion members are provided for individual keys, then the shock is absorbed, but the assembly efficiency decreases and assembly cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the shock absorption function into the single upper limit stopper by positioning it to collide with the massive bodies during key depression. This unified approach eliminates the need for separate cushion members for each key, thereby improving assembly efficiency while still providing shock absorption at the system level.
Data Source
AI summary
Keys 1, 2 are supported by a frame 3 in a freely swingable manner. Massive bodies 8, a lower limit stopper 10 and an upper limit stopper 11 are situated below keys 1, 2. Massive bodies 8 are supported by a frame 3 in a freely swingable manner and pivot in synchronization with key-depression. A lower limit stopper 10 restricts a lower limit of pivoting range of the massive bodies 8. An upper limit stopper 10 restricts an upper limit of pivoting range of the massive bodies 8. Fixing portions (erected potions) 3g1 for fixing the upper limit stopper 11 are provided on the frame 3 in one-to-one corresponding with keys 1, 2. The upper limit stopper 11 is fixed to the undersurface of the fixing portions 3g. An upper part of each fixing portion 3g is situated inside right and left side walls of each key 1, 2.