1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to key depression detection apparatuses that detect depressing operations of keys (or key depressions) in keyboard instruments such as acoustic pianos and electronic keyboard instruments.
2. Description of the Related Art
In acoustic pianos, vibrations of strings are transmitted to soundboards to cause sound radiation (or emission). Pianos having silencing functions use sensors for detecting operations of keys and operations of hammers interlocked with keys, based on which musical tone signals are correspondingly produced. Operators (e.g., users and players) may use headphone sets to listen to musical tones corresponding to amplified musical tone signals, so that they can enjoy playing pianos and the like without disturbing their neighborhoods.
Acoustic pianos may include grand pianos, upright pianos, and the like. In the case of a grand piano, for example, three strings are stretched under tension and tuned with respect to each of middle pitch sounds and high pitch sounds, so that the three strings are simultaneously struck by a single hammer upon depression of a key. When an operator depresses a soft pedal, an action (or a keyboard assembly) interlocked with a key is slightly shifted in position in a key arrangement direction (i.e., a horizontal direction or operator's left-hand-right-hand direction), so that a hammer strikes only two strings among three strings to lessen tone volume. The action is supported on a keybed by means of a keyboard frame, which is one type of a key frame for mounting the action interlocked with the key and which performs reciprocating motion being interlocked with the soft pedal in the key arrangement direction. In order to smoothly perform such operation, the aforementioned keyboard frame has a specific structure using a frame member extending in a direction perpendicular to the key arrangement direction.
Grand pianos having silencing functions are equipped with key depression detection apparatuses incorporating photo-interrupters, which operate in cooperation with plate-like key shutters arranged for keys and which are attached to sensor cases fixed to keyboard frames. In this apparatus, upon depression of a key, a key shutter is activated to block light, the magnitude of which may be correspondingly varied and is sensed by a photo-interrupter to detect an operation of the key, thus generating a musical tone signal. The sensor case is used to determine positions of holding sensors; therefore, it should be subjected to specific positioning accurately in correspondence with an arrangement of keys. In an assembling operation of a piano, it takes a relatively long time for work to carefully set positioning with respect to the sensor case. In particular, the position of a sensor case should be strictly restricted by the position of a keyboard frame having the aforementioned structure. Therefore, it is required for workers to use specific tools and to appropriately set different holes for arrangements of different keyboard frames whose dimensions differ from each other.
Silencing structures can be additionally arranged for the existing grand pianos to realize silencing functions thereafter. In this case, it is required for workers to arrange silencing structures in consideration of designs and specifications of pianos respectively; therefore, it may take a relatively long time for work to arrange sensor cases appropriately in the existing pianos.
Upright pianos can be designed to realize silencing functions by using key depression detection apparatuses incorporating photo-interrupters that operate in cooperation with key shutters arranged for keys and that are attached to sensor cases fixed to keybeds (or key frames), for example. In this case, sensor cases are used to determine positions of holding sensors, so that they should be subjected to specific positioning accurately in correspondence with arrangements of keys. Therefore, in an assembling operation of a piano, it takes a relatively long time for work to set appropriate positioning with respect to a sensor case.
Silencing structures can be additionally arranged for the existing upright pianos thereafter. In this case, it is required for workers to arrange silencing structures in consideration of designs and specifications of pianos respectively; therefore, it may take a relatively long time for work to arrange sensor cases appropriately in the existing pianos.
Other types of keyboard instruments such as electronic keyboard instruments having electronic sound sources also use key depression detection apparatuses incorporating sensors that operate in cooperation of keys and that are attached to sensor cases. In this case, it is required for workers to set specific positioning with respect to sensor cases accurately in correspondence with arrangements of keys. In an assembling operation of such an electronic keyboard instrument, it takes a relatively long time for work to set specific positioning with respect to the sensor case.
It is an object of the invention to provide a key depression detection apparatus for a keyboard instrument in which a sensor case for use in a silencing structure can be simply subjected to accurate positioning in conformity with an arrangement of keys.
A key depression detection apparatus of this invention is constituted by a sensor case incorporating key sensors, which can be easily adjusted in positions relative to an arrangement of keys on a keyboard frame (or a keybed) in a keyboard instrument such as a piano. Specifically, the sensor case (realizing silencing functions) has a case body incorporating a key sensor and is affixed to a base member, which is fixed to a frame end or a key frame of the keyboard frame, by using a fixing member. The fixing member is constituted by a lower member that is elongated to be longer than legs of a case body in the longitudinal direction of a key, and a pair of upper members that are arranged on both ends of the lower member. Therefore, legs of the case body are securely held by the fixing member between the lower member and the upper members, which are connected together using screws accompanied with springs. Thus, an operator (e.g., a worker) can establish accurate positioning of the sensor case relative to an arrangement of keys and can easily adjust the height and inclination of the sensor case by manually controlling screw regulating distances between the lower member and upper members.
These and other objects, aspects, and embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following drawings, in which:
This invention will be described in further detail by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In
As shown in
The fixing member 5 (see
The legs 21 of the case body 20 are inserted between the lower member 50 and the upper members 52 respectively and are tightly held therebetween by the small screws 62. For this reason, through holes for roughly holding the small screws 62 therein are formed at prescribed positions of the upper members 52, and tapped holes engaged with the small screws 62 are correspondingly formed at prescribed positions of the lower member 50. Thus, it is possible to adequately adjust the position of the sensor case 2 in a key arrangement direction by loosening the small screws 62. Distances between the key sensors 3 that are installed in the case body 20 are directly determined by the prescribed distances of the aforementioned openings of the sensor case 2. Therefore, even when the sensor case 2 is moved in the key arrangement direction by loosening the small screws 62 of the fixing members 5, it is possible to safely move all the key sensors 3 together with the sensor case 2 in the key arrangement direction while maintaining the prescribed distances between the key sensors 3. That is, it is possible to finely adjust the positions of the key sensors 3 accurately in correspondence with an arrangement of the keys. Incidentally, a hook 53 (see
Next, a description will be given with respect to details of operations for installing the key depression detection apparatus 1 in a grand piano. First, the base members 4 are respectively attached to the frame ends A1 and the key frames A2 of the keyboard frame A in the grand piano. The key sensors 3 are installed in the case body 20 of the sensor case 2, which is equipped with the fixing members 5 in such a way that the legs 21 of the case body 20 are respectively held between the lower members 50 and the upper members 52. The fixing members 5 are fixed onto the support portion 40 of the base member 4 by using small screws 61 via the springs 60. At this time, small screws 61 engaged with the fixing members 5 are tightened or loosened to adequately adjust the height and inclination of the sensor case 2. This operation can be performed in such a way that a keyboard assembly on the keybed B is pulled forwards to allow manual operations conducted on the small screws 61 thereunder with reference to the key shutters while operating black keys of a keyboard. In this state, the small screws 61 are not firmly tightened so that the sensor case 2 can be freely moved relative to the fixing members 5 in the key arrangement direction. Therefore, it is possible to accurately adjust the position of the sensor case 2 in the key arrangement direction. Then, the small screws 61 are tightened to firmly fix the sensor case 2 in a prescribed position. As described above, the present embodiment allows the key depression detection apparatus 1 to be easily and accurately fixed onto the keyboard frame A.
Next, a description will be given with respect to a further example of the structure for fixing a sensor case 2b (i.e., a case body 20b having legs 21b) in a key depression detection apparatus with reference to
Because grand pianos are actually manufactured by various manufactures, or different models of grand pianos are actually manufactured by each manufacture, there are provided various types of key frames which differ from each other in shapes and dimensions particularly in plan views. The key depression detection apparatus of the present embodiment has a great degree of generality or freedom in installation with numerous types of keyboard instruments such as pianos because the position of the sensor case can be freely adjusted in the height direction of the base member(s) and in the key arrangement direction respectively. Thus, the present embodiment brings a broad range of applications in installation with keyboard instruments such as pianos.
The aforementioned descriptions are given particularly in the case of a grand piano in which a key depression detection apparatus of the present embodiment is installed. Of course, the present embodiment can be easily applied to other types of keyboard instruments such as upright pianos and electronic keyboard instruments. In the case of an upright piano whose keybed is constituted by an upper board, a lower board, and intermediate beams or supports, there is a limitation in arrangement of fixing members together with a sensor case. However, the present embodiment can realize easy installation of a key depression detection apparatus in an upright piano with accurate positioning because it has an ability to be accurately position in the key arrangement direction. Even in other types of upright pianos and electronic keyboard instruments that have other types of keybed structures, the present embodiment allows operators (or workers) to conduct positional adjustment of the sensor case in key arrangement directions after attaching base members to keyboard frames, for example. That is, the present embodiment allows operators to perform assembling operations and positional adjustments separately. As a result, operators can perform assembling operations rapidly.
As described heretofore, this invention has a variety of effects and technical features, which will be described below.
As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalents of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2002-056354 | Mar 2002 | JP | national |
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Number | Date | Country |
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8-278780 | Oct 1996 | JP |
8-314461 | Nov 1996 | JP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20030202834 A1 | Oct 2003 | US |