Patent Grant
10685631
The present invention relates to a keyboard apparatus.
As one example of a structure of turning a key in a keyboard apparatus, there is a structure where a thin plate having flexibility is arranged horizontally (e.g., PTL 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-191650). By deforming this thin plate, the key can be turned in upward and downward directions. In PTL 1, a structure that by further using another thin plate arranged vertically concurrently and serially connecting the same to the thin plate arranged horizontally, movement in a direction in which keys are arrayed can be allowed is also disclosed.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a keyboard apparatus including a key; and a connecting member connecting the key to a frame and including a rod-like flexible member arranged between the frame and the key, the key being turned to the frame by bending of the rod-like flexible member is provided.
A keyboard apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafter described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is an example of the embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to such embodiment. In the figures referenced in the present embodiment, the same reference numeral or similar reference numeral (reference numeral simply added with A, B etc. after the number) is denoted on the same portion or the portion having similar function, and redundant description is sometimes omitted. Furthermore, a dimensional ratio (ratio between each configuration, ratio in longitudinal, lateral and height direction, etc.) of the figure may be different from the actual ratio, or one part of the configuration may be omitted from the figure for the sake of convenience of explanation.
A case where a key is moved in a direction in which keys are arrayed from its original position occurs due to not only a playing operation but also manufacturing error of the key or temporary change. Even in such a situation, according to the technique disclosed in PTL 1, movement of the key in the direction in which the keys are arrayed can be allowed by flexibility of a thin plate. However, since a thin plate (horizontal) turning the key and a thin plate (vertical) allowing movement of the key in the direction in which the keys are arrayed must be directly connected to each other, there is a region where the respective thin plates are arranged. When the region is small, the thin plates must be made small, resulting in enlargement of a load occurring when the thin plates are bent. When a large thin plate is used in order to reduce the load, the keyboard apparatus must be made large.
One of objects of the present invention is to provide a structure where while an influence on a size of a keyboard apparatus is suppressed, movement or deformation of a key in various directions is allowed.
[Configuration of Keyboard Apparatus]
The keyboard apparatus 1 includes a keyboard assembly 10. The keyboard assembly 10 includes a white key 100w and a black key 100b. A plurality of white keys 100w and a plurality of black keys 100b are arrayed side by side. The number of keys 100 is N, and is 88 in this example, but the number of keys is not limited thereto. A direction in which the keys 100 are arrayed is called a scale direction. When a description can be made without particularly distinguishing the white key 100w and the black key 100b, the white key 100w and the black key 100b are sometimes referred to as the key 100. In the following description, the configuration with “w” denoted at the end of the reference numeral is the configuration corresponding to the white key. The configuration with “b” denoted at the end of the reference numeral is the configuration corresponding to the black key.
One part of the keyboard assembly 10 exists inside a housing 90. When the keyboard apparatus 1 is seen from above, a portion of the keyboard assembly 10 covered by the housing 90 is referred to as a non-appearing portion NV, and a portion exposed from the housing 90 and visible from the user is referred to as an appearing portion PV. In other words, the appearing portion PV indicates a region constituting one part of the key 100 that can be played and operated by the user. Hereinafter, a portion of the key 100 exposed by the appearing portion PV is sometimes referred to as a key main body portion.
A sound source device 70 and a speaker 80 are arranged inside the housing 90. The sound source device 70 generates a sound waveform signal accompanying the pushing of the key 100. The speaker 80 outputs the sound waveform signal generated by the sound source device 70 to an external space. The keyboard apparatus 1 may include a slider for controlling the volume, a switch for switching the tone, a display for displaying various information, and the like.
In the description of the present specification, directions such as up, down, left, right, near, far, and the like are directions of when the keyboard apparatus 1 is seen from the player when playing. For example, the non-appearing portion NV can be expressed as being located on the far side from the appearing portion PV. The direction may be indicated with the key 100 as the reference such as a key front end side (key front side) and key back end side (key back side). In this case, the key front end side indicates the near side seen from the player with respect to the key 100. The key back end side indicates the far side seen from the player with respect to the key 100. According to the definition described above, in the black key 100b, the front end to the back end of the key main body portion of the black key 100b can be expressed as being a portion projecting out toward the upper side from the white key 100w.
The signal converting unit 710 acquires an output signal of the sensor 300 (sensors 300-1, 300-2, . . . , 300-88 corresponding to 88 keys 100), and generates an operation signal corresponding to an operation state in each key 100, and outputs the operation signal. In this example, the operation signal is a signal of MIDI format. The signal converting unit 710 thus outputs a note-on according to the key-pushing operation. A key number indicating which one of the 88 keys 100 is operated, and a velocity corresponding to the key-pushing speed is output in correspondence with the note-on. The signal converting unit 710 corresponds and outputs the key number and a note-off according to a key releasing operation. A signal corresponding to other operations of a pedal, and the like may be input to the signal converting unit 710, and reflected on the operation signal.
The sound source unit 730 generates the sound waveform signal based on the operation signal output from the signal converting unit 710. The output unit 750 outputs the sound waveform signal generated by the sound source unit 730. The sound waveform signal is, for example, output to the speaker 80, a sound waveform signal output terminal, and the like.
[Configuration of Keyboard Assembly]
The configuration of the keyboard assembly 10 will be described using
The key 100 includes a front end key guide 151 and a side key guide 153. The front end key guide 151 is slidably brought into contact with a front end frame guide 511 of the frame 500 while covering the front end frame guide 511. The front end key guide 151 is brought into contact with the front end frame guide 511 from both sides in the scale direction, the upper part and the lower part. In the front end key guide 151, the upper part corresponds to an upper key guide 151u, and the lower part corresponds to a lower key guide 151d (see
The hammer assembly 200 is turnably attached to the frame 500. A shaft supporting portion 220 of the hammer assembly 200 and a shaft 520 of the frame 500 are slidably brought into contact at at least three points. A front end 210 of the hammer assembly 200 is brought into contact with a hammer supporting portion 120 in an internal space of the hammer supporting portion 120 in a manner slidable in essentially a front and back direction. The slidably moving portion, that is, the portion where the front end 210 and the hammer supporting portion 120 are brought into contact is located on the lower side of the key 100 in the appearing portion PV (front side from the back end of the key main body portion).
The hammer assembly 200 includes a weight portion 230 made of metal at a far side from the shaft. At a normal time (when key is not pushed), the weight portion 230 is mounted on a lower stopper 410, and the front end 210 of the hammer assembly 200 is pushing back the key 100. When the key is pushed, the weight portion 230 is moved upward thus hitting an upper stopper 430. The hammer assembly 200 applies a load to the pushing of the key with the weight portion 230. The lower stopper 410 and the upper stopper 430 are formed with a buffer material and the like (non-woven cloth, elastic body, etc.).
The sensor 300 is attached to the frame 500 on the lower side of the hammer supporting portion 120 and the front end 210. The front end 210 deforms the sensor 300 with the lower surface side thereof according to the pushing of the key, and the sensor 300 outputs a detection signal. As described above, the sensor 300 is arranged in correspondence with each key 100.
As shown in
As shown in
A supporting column 590 is a member connected to the housing 90 to fix the position of the frame 500 with respect to the housing 90. The supporting column 590 is arranged between portions where the white keys 100w are adjacent in the non-appearing portion NV, that is, between the white key 100w of “E” and the white key 100w of “F”, and between the white key 100w of “B” and the white key 100w of “C”.
[Structure of White Key]
First, directions (scale direction S, rolling direction R, yawing direction Y, vertical direction V) used in the following description will be defined. The scale direction S corresponds to a direction (left and right direction seen from the player) in which the keys 100 are arrayed, as described above. The rolling direction R corresponds to a direction of rotating with an extending direction (direction from near side to far side seen from the player) of the key 100 as an axis. The yawing direction Y is a direction of bending in the left and right direction when the key 100 is seen from above. There is no great difference between the scale direction S and the yawing direction Y, but the movement in the scale direction S of the key 100 is a parallel movement whereas the movement in the yawing direction Y of the key 100 corresponds to bending (warping) in the scale direction S. The vertical direction V corresponds to a direction (vertical direction seen from the player) in which the rod-like flexible member 185 is extended, and can also be referred to as a direction that becomes an axis of bending in the yawing direction Y.
The key 100 includes the front end key guide 151 and the side key guide 153. As described above, the front end key guide 151 is brought into contact with the front end frame guide 511 of the frame 500 at the upper part and the lower part. Thus, the front end key guide 151 is actually divided into the upper key guide 151u and the lower key guide 151d. The front end key guide 151 (upper key guide 151u, lower key guide 151d) and the side key guide 153 regulate the movement of the key 100 at three locations not lined in a straight line when the key 100 is seen in the scale direction S. The movement of the key 100 is regulated in the scale direction S, the yawing direction Y, and the rolling direction R according to the guide at least three locations arranged in such manner. In this example, the side key guide 153 also regulates the movement in the front and back direction of the key 100 as the side frame guide slidably moves on a groove 1535 formed by projections 1531, 1533. The number of guides may be three or more locations. In this case, not all guides need to satisfy a requirement of not being lined in a straight line, and the guide at at least three locations merely needs to satisfy the requirement.
The plate-like flexible member 181 is a plate-like member having flexibility. The plate-like flexible member 181 is arranged so that a normal direction N of a plate surface is directed in the scale direction S. Thus, the plate-like flexible member 181 can be deformed in the rolling direction R and the yawing direction Y by being bent and twisted. In other words, the plate-like flexible member 181 has a degree of freedom in the rolling direction R and the yawing direction Y of the key 100 due to its flexibility. It can be said that the plate-like flexible member 181 also has a degree of freedom in the scale direction S by combining the deformation in the yawing direction Y. However, the plate-like flexible member 181 barely deforms in the vertical direction. The normal direction N may not completely coincide with the scale direction S. and merely needs to have a component in the scale direction S. If the normal direction does not coincide with the scale direction, an angle formed by the normal direction N and the scale direction S is preferably as small as possible.
The rod-like flexible member 185 is a rod-like member having flexibility. The rod-like flexible member 185 can be deformed in the rolling direction R and the yawing direction Y by being bent and twisted. In other words, the rod-like flexible member 185 has a degree of freedom in the rolling direction R and the yawing direction Y of the key 100 due to its flexibility. It can be said that the rod-like flexible member 185 also has a degree of freedom in the scale direction S by combining the deformation in the rolling direction R. However, the rod-like flexible member 185 barely deforms in the vertical direction. The rod-like flexible member 185 has more twistable amount than the plate-like flexible member 181 due its shape property.
A cross-sectional shape (cross-section perpendicular to rod-like extending direction (corresponds to longitudinal direction in a case of a rod shape lying along a straight line)) of the rod-like flexible member 185 is a shape surrounded by a combination of a curved line and a straight line, and is a semicircular shape in the present example. In a semicircular shape, a straight line portion is on the far side and a curved portion is on the near side, but may be reversed. The cross-sectional shape of the rod-like flexible member 185 may be a shape (e.g., circular shape) surrounded by only curved lines, or may be a shape (e.g., rectangular shape) surrounded by only straight lines. In other words, as long as the rod-like flexible member 185 can be bent deformed in directions (two out of three directions defining three-dimension) other than the longitudinal direction (vertical direction), and can be twist deformed with the longitudinal direction as an axis, the cross-sectional shape may be any shape. The rod-like flexible member 185 may have a shape in which a thickness changes along the longitudinal direction such as a cone shape. Furthermore, when an outer edge of the cross-sectional shape of the rod-like flexible member 185 is accommodated in a rectangle, a ratio of a length of two orthogonal sides of the rectangle is desirably greater than or equal to ¾ and smaller than or equal to 4/3.
Thus, the connecting portion 180 not only turns the key 100 in a pitch direction (turning direction of normal pushing of key) with respect to the frame 500 so that a vertical displacement barely occurs (vertical movement of turning center barely occurs) with respect to a strong force of pushing of the key at a back side of the key (far side) from the side key guide 153, but also allows deformation with respect to the rolling direction R and the yawing direction Y. In other words, the connecting portion 180 not only turns the key 100 with respect to the frame 500, but allows deformation with respect to the rolling direction R and the yawing direction Y. The connecting portion 180 has the movement regulated in the vertical direction, but has a degree of freedom with respect to the rolling direction R and the yawing direction Y of the key 100. As described above, it can be said that the connecting portion 180 also has a degree of freedom in the scale direction S by combining the deformation in the rolling direction R.
As described above, the key 100 sometimes produces deformation including the yawing direction Y and rolling direction R due to manufacturing error and temporal change. In this case, the influence of deformation of the key 100 is prevented from being visibly recognized as much as possible in the appearing portion PV between the front end key guide 151 and the side key guide 153 by the regulation of such guides. As the influence of deformation is suppressed at the appearing portion PV, the non-appearing portion NV is greatly subjected to such influence of deformation. The influence is more significant the longer the key 100.
For example, assume a case in which a deformation (deformation in the rolling direction R) where the key 100 is gradually twisted occurred as a first example. In this case, the direction of the rolling direction R of the front end portion of the key 100 is regulated so as to be in a perpendicular direction by the upper key guide 151u and the lower key guide 151d, and thus the influence of deformation in the rolling direction R becomes greater toward the far side in the key 100. As a second example, assume a case in which a deformation (deformation in the yawing direction Y) where the key 100 is gradually bent in the scale direction S occurred. In this case, the position in the scale direction S of the key 100 in the appearing portion PV is regulated by the front end key guide 151 and the side key guide 153, and thus the influence of deformation in the yawing direction Y becomes greater toward the far side in the key 100.
In either case, the positions of the portion that becomes the turning center of the key 100 and the frame 500 start to shift by the influence of deformation of the key 100. In other words, the position relationship of the connecting portion 180 connected to the key 100 and the frame side supporting portion 585 starts to shift.
According to the key 100 of the first embodiment, the plate-like flexible member 181 and the rod-like flexible member 185 can be deformed by flexibility, and the influence of the shift in the positions of the key 100 and the frame side supporting portion 585 can be suppressed by the deformation of the connecting portion 180 (plate-like flexible member 181 and rod-like flexible member 185). At this time, the rod-like flexible member 185 not only has a function of a member for turning the key 100 in the pitch direction as it can be bent deformed in the front and back direction of the key 100 while preventing vertical displacement from barely occurring (vertical movement of the turning center from barely occurring) with respect to a strong force of pushing of the key, but also has a function of a member for absorbing the influence of deformation of the key 100.
As described above, the influence of deformation of the key 100 is suppressed as much as possible from being visibly recognized at the appearing portion PV, and thus the positional precision in the scale direction S is also high. Thus, the front end 210 of the hammer assembly 200 detected by the sensor 300 and the hammer supporting portion 120 of the key 100 connected to the front end 210 are desirably arranged on the lower side of the key 100 of the appearing portion PV (front side from the back end of the key main body portion).
[Structure of Rod-Like Flexible Member]
In this example, the rod-like flexible member 185 is detachable from the key side supporting portion 183 and the frame side supporting portion 585. The configuration of the rod-like flexible member 185 will be described. The rod-like flexible member 185 may not be detachable from at least one of the key side supporting portion 183 and the frame side supporting portion 585.
The rod-like flexible member 185 is connected to pedestals 1851 and 1852 at both ends thereof. The rod-like flexible member 185 includes regions 185u and 185d where a thickness of a rod is increased according to coming close to the pedestals at portions connected to the pedestals 1851 and 1852. The regions 185u and 185d may not exist.
The pedestal 1851 is a plate-like member spreading along a bottom surface of the key side supporting portion 183. The pedestal 1851 is provided with a supporting rod 1853 and an engaging rod 1855 on a face opposite to a face on which the rod-like flexible member 185 is arranged. The supporting rod 1853 is inserted into a hole formed in the key side supporting portion 183 from below. The engaging rod 1855 has a top portion on which an engaging portion 18551 is arranged. The engaging rod 1855 is inserted into a hole formed in the key side supporting portion 183 from below. The engaging portion 18551 is caught on an upper surface of the key side supporting portion 183, so that the engaging rod 1855 is prevented from coming out of the key side supporting portion 183 due to turning of the key 100. The engaging rod 1855 has flexibility. Engagement to the key side supporting portion 183 performed by the engaging rod 1855 is released by deforming the engaging rod 1855 toward the supporting rod 1853.
The pedestal 1852 is a plate-like member spreading along an upper surface of the frame side supporting portion 585. The pedestal 1852 is provided with a supporting rod 1854 and an engaging rod 1856 on a face opposite to a face where the rod-like supporting member 185 is arranged. The supporting rod 1854 is inserted into a hole formed in the frame side supporting portion 585 from above. The engaging rod 1856 has a top portion where an engaging portion 18561 is arranged. The engaging rod 1856 is inserted into a hole formed in the frame side supporting portion 585 from above. The engaging portion 18561 is caught on a lower surface of the frame side supporting portion 585, so that the engaging rod 1856 is prevented from coming out of the frame side supporting rod 585 due to turning of the key 100. The engaging rod 1856 has flexibility. Engagement to the frame side supporting portion 585 performed by the engaging rod 1856 is released by deforming the engaging rod 1856 toward the supporting rod 1854.
In this manner, the rod-like flexible member 185 is supported by the key side supporting member 183 and the frame side supporting member 585, so that when the key 100 is at a rest position (when the rod-like flexible member 185 is not deformed), a longitudinal direction (vertical direction V) of the rod-like flexible member 185 is perpendicular (may be approximately perpendicular) to a surface of the key 100 (key main body). Thereby, the rod-like flexible member 185 is strengthened regarding a load to the vertical direction V. Further, at this time, the longitudinal direction (vertical direction V) of the rod-like flexible member 185 may be perpendicular (may be approximately perpendicular) to a normal direction N of the plate-like flexible member 181. An extending direction of the rod-like flexible member 185 may include a portion ranging from 30° or more to 90° or less to the longitudinal direction of the key 100.
[Comparison of White Key and Black Key]
In the white key 100w, the front end key guide 151w is arranged at a different location with respect to the key front and back direction from the hammer supporting portion 120w. In the black key 100b, on the other hand, the front end key guide 151b and the hammer supporting portion 120b are arranged at substantially the same location in the key front and back direction. In other words, in the black key 100b, the hammer supporting portion 120b is arranged at a front end portion of the black key 100b. That is, the hammer supporting portion 120w of the white key 100w is arranged in accordance with the position of the hammer supporting portion 120b of the black key 100b.
[Operation of Keyboard Assembly]
When the key is released, the weight portion 230 is moved toward the lower side, the hammer assembly 200 is turned, and the key 100 is turned toward the upper side. The turning of the hammer assembly 200 is stopped when the weight portion 230 is brought into contact with the lower stopper 410, and the key 100 is returned to the rest position.
The keyboard apparatus 1 of the first embodiment has the key 100 connected to be turnable by the pushing of the key and the releasing of the key at the connecting portion 180, as described above. The keyboard apparatus 1 can reduce the influence of deformation caused by the manufacturing error and the temporal change of the key 100 on the appearing portion PV by the regulation of the movement by the front end key guide 151 and the side key guide 153 and the deformation of the connecting portion 180.
Further, by using the rod-like flexible member 185, movement or deformation in various directions can be allowed in one member (the same region). Therefore, as compared with the conventional art where a region must be sectioned for each direction allowing movement or deformation and a plurality of members must be combined, the influence on the size of the keyboard apparatus 1 is suppressed by using a rod-like member having flexibility in the keyboard apparatus 1 in the first embodiment.
In a second embodiment, a keyboard assembly 10A provided with a connecting portion 180A having a configuration different from that of the connecting portion 180 in the first embodiment will be described.
When the key 100 is pushed, downward bending deformation of the key 100 occurs in the rod-like flexible member 185A, and the key 100 is turned with the rod-like flexible member 185A as the turning center. Since the other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment, explanation thereof is omitted.
In the second embodiment, a turning center of a black key 100b is arranged at a far side farther than a turning center of a white key 100w like the first embodiment. Even in this case, it is desirable that a rod-like flexible member 185wA (corresponding to the rod-like flexible member 185A in
(1) The rod-like flexible member 185 according to the first embodiment as described above is semi-cylindrical and has a fixed thickness except for the regions 185u and the region 185d at both the end thereof, but the thickness may change. In this case, it is desirable that a central portion of the rod-like flexible member 185 is thinner than both the end sides (both the end portions) of the rod-like flexible member 185.
(2) The turning center of the black key 100b and the turning center of the white key 100w may be the same position with respect to the far side direction. In this case, the size of the connecting portions 180b, 180w in the scale direction S is to be defined so that the connecting portions 180b, 180w can be arranged adjacent to each other.
(3) In the connecting portion 180 described above, two kinds of flexible members composed of the plate-like flexible member 181 and the rod-like flexible member 185 are included, but the plate-like flexible member 181 may not exist.
(4) The key 100 is a structural body made of resin, but the visual impression thereof may be improved by attaching a wood member on a side surface at a portion (key main body portion) of the appearing portion PV of the key 100. In this case, the side key guide 153 is preferably arranged in a region other than the region where the wood member is attached, that is, the region where the resin member is exposed. In other words, the side frame guide 513 makes contact with the region of the resin member.
(5) The regulation of the movement in the front and back direction of the key 100 has been realized by the side key guide 153, but may be realized by other guides.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-061639 | Mar 2016 | JP | national |
This application is a U.S. continuation application filed under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a), of International Application No. PCT/JP2017/011676, filed on Mar. 23, 2017, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-061639, filed on Mar. 25, 2016, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190027121 A1 | Jan 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2017/011676 | Mar 2017 | US |
| Child | 16139776 | US |
