Tone Plate Design for Compact Keyboard Percussion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional keyboard-type tone plate percussion instruments face difficulties in mounting and replacing tone plates and resonance boxes due to independent fixation, limited design freedom due to large instrument size, and inability to perform key transposition.

Innovation Solution

The design features tone plates with mass concentrating and thinner portions for reduced length and width, allowing for easier fabrication and mounting, and a tone generator unit with a unified resonance box and tone plates for simplified replacement and key transposition capabilities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If tone plates are fixed independently to the instrument main body, then each tone plate can be individually positioned, but the mounting operation becomes complicated and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepositioning accuracyVSAvoidmounting efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple tone plates with their respective resonance boxes into a single integrated tone plate unit. This allows the entire assembly to be mounted as one component rather than individually fixing each tone plate, thereby improving mounting efficiency while maintaining precise positioning through the integrated structure's designed geometry

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Measurement precision

If tone plates are made longer to generate lower pitch tones, then the desired tone pitch is achieved, but the instrument size increases and design freedom decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetone pitch accuracyVSAvoidinstrument size

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent varies the thickness of tone plates locally rather than uniformly increasing length. By making the central portion thicker and end portions thinner, the instrument achieves lower pitch tones without proportionally increasing overall length, thus maintaining compact instrument size while achieving desired tone pitch ranges

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the thickness parameter of tone plates to control pitch. By adjusting thickness rather than length, the instrument can generate lower pitch tones while maintaining a compact size, providing greater design freedom in instrument configuration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If resonance boxes are provided close to tone plates for effective resonance, then sound quality is improved, but the overall instrument size increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresonance effectivenessVSAvoidinstrument volume

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent nests resonance boxes within or alongside the tone plate structure, allowing them to be positioned close to tone plates for effective resonance while utilizing the same spatial envelope. This integrated nesting approach maintains strong acoustic coupling without proportionally increasing the overall instrument volume

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

4Ease of repair

If tone plates are replaced individually, then specific tone plate issues can be addressed, but the replacement operation is complex and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetargeted repair capabilityVSAvoidreplacement time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of repairVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple tone plates with their resonance boxes into an integrated unit that can be replaced as a single component. This significantly reduces replacement time compared to individual plate replacement, while the modular unit design still allows for targeted replacement of specific tone plate groups or resonance box configurations as needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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

This solution enhances design flexibility, simplifies the mounting and replacement of tone plates, and enables key transposition, providing a more versatile and efficient keyboard-type percussion instrument.

Implementation Method 1

a tone plate for use in a keyboard-type tone plate percussion instrument, which is adapted to vibrate to thereby generate a musical tone of a specific tone pitch when struck

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVibration: Vibration

Implementation Method 2

a resonance box for causing musical tones generated by the tone plates to resonate therein

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectResonance: Resonance

Data Source

PatentUS7541530B2Tone plate for keyboard-type tone plate percussion instrument, tone plate fabricating method, tone generator unit of tone plate percussion instrument, and keyboard-type percussion instrument

Publication Date: 2009.06.02 YAMAHA CORP

AI summary

A tone plate which makes it easy to reduce the entire length and width thereof, thus increasing the degree of freedom in design. The tone plate includes an antinode portion, front and rear ends, and first and second supporting holes which are located closer to the front and rear ends than to the antinode portion and at which a vibration node can be formed. There are provided first and second mass concentrating portions extending toward the front and rear ends from locations on a side close to the first and rear ends with respect to the supporting holes. First and second thinner portions are respectively provided between the antinode portion and the supporting holes. The tone plate vibrates to generate a musical tone of a specific tone pitch when struck with being supported at the supporting holes.