Patent Grant
7956261
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pedal apparatus of an electronic musical instrument, the pedal apparatus controlling the manner in which a musical tone is generated.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, it is known that a pedal apparatus of an electronic musical instrument is designed to provide a player with a feeling similar to that perceived by a player on manipulation of a pedal of an acoustic piano. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-334008 discloses a pedal apparatus which has a lever that pivots in response to a depression of a pedal and a first spring and a second spring provided in parallel in order to urge the lever. The disclosed pedal apparatus is designed such that only the first spring urges the lever if the lever is shallowly depressed, whereas the first spring and the second spring urge the lever if the lever is depressed by a certain amount or more. Therefore, the disclosed pedal apparatus provides a player with a feeling as if the pedal became heavier at a certain point of a depression of the pedal. By such a structure, the disclosed pedal apparatus imitates the feeling perceived by the player when he manipulates a half pedal on a damper pedal of an acoustic piano.
As for an acoustic piano, if a player depresses a damper pedal, the player recognizes stepwise changes in the rate of change in the reaction force of the pedal according to the amount of displacement of the pedal. The stepwise change will be explained, referring to
The present invention was accomplished to solve the above-described problem, and an object thereof is to provide a pedal apparatus of an electronic musical instrument, the pedal apparatus achieving light weight and allowing a player to feel as if the player were manipulating a damper pedal of an acoustic piano.
In order to achieve the above-described object, it is a feature of the present invention to provide a pedal apparatus of an electronic musical instrument, the pedal apparatus including, a lever (40) which is supported by a fixed supporting member (FR) and pivots by a player's depression of the lever; a plurality of springs (45, 45A, 56, 56A, 82, 145, 152, 166; 46, 46A, 57, 57A, 83, 148, 158, 167; 47, 47A, 61, 61A, 90) which exert spring force on the lever (40); and a movable supporting member (48, 48A, 53, 53A, 58, 58A, 84, 85, 146, 153, 157, 161, 163, 165) which supports any of the plurality of springs (45, 45A, 56, 56A, 82, 145, 152, 166; 46, 46A, 57, 57A, 83, 148, 158, 167; 47, 47A, 61, 61A, 90) and is displaced in response to pivoting of the lever (40), and the displacement of the movable supporting member being restricted by the fixed supporting member (FR); and when an amount of depression of the lever (40) increases from an initial state to reach a first predetermined amount of depression, a rate of change in reaction force with respect to the depression is reduced because of collaboration of the plurality of springs (45, 45A, 56, 56A, 82, 145, 152, 166; 46, 46A, 57, 57A, 83, 148, 158, 167; 47, 47A, 61, 61A, 90) and the movable supporting member (48, 48A, 53, 53A, 58, 58A, 84, 85, 146, 153, 157, 161, 163, 165).
The present invention configured as described above can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (40) vary from a greater rate of change to a smaller rate of change according to the amount of depression of the lever (40). Therefore, the present invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano shown by the dashed line in
It is another feature of the present invention to provide a pedal apparatus of an electronic musical instrument, the pedal apparatus including, a lever (40) which is supported by a fixed supporting member (FR) and pivots by a player's depression of the lever; first to third springs (45, 45A, 56, 56A, 82; 46, 46A, 57, 57A, 83; 47, 47A, 61, 61A, 90) which exert spring force on the lever (40); and a movable supporting member (48, 48A, 53, 53A, 58, 58A, 84, 85) which supports any of the first to third springs (45, 45A, 56, 56A, 82; 46, 46A, 57, 57A, 83; 47, 47A, 61, 61A, 90) and is displaced in response to pivoting of the lever (40), and the displacement of the movable supporting member being restricted by the fixed supporting member (FR), wherein the first spring (45, 45A, 56, 56A, 82) exerts spring force on the lever (40) at all times in a direction resisting the depression of the lever (40); and if an amount of depression of the lever (40) increases from an initial state to reach a first predetermined amount of depression, a rate of change in reaction force with respect to the depression is reduced because of collaboration of the second spring, the third spring (46, 46A, 57, 57A, 83; 47, 47A, 61, 61A, 90) and the movable supporting member (48, 48A, 53, 53A, 58, 58A, 84, 85).
The present invention configured as described above can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (40) vary from a greater rate of change to a smaller rate of change according to the amount of depression of the lever (40). Therefore, the present invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano shown by the dashed line in
More specifically, as shown in
According to the specific invention configured as described above, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) is small, the movable supporting member (48, 48A) stands still at the predetermined position until the force exerted by the lever (40) through the second spring (46, 46A) to urge the movable supporting member (48, 48A) toward the second direction reaches the spring force exerted by the third spring (47, 47A) to urge the movable supporting member (48, 48A) toward the first direction. As for this configuration, the movable supporting member (48, 48A) may be either so light that the weight of the movable supporting member (48, 48A) can be ignored or so heavy that the weight cannot be ignored. In this description, however, it is considered that an influence caused by the weight of the movable supporting member (48, 48A) can be ignored. Hereinafter, the weight of the movable supporting member is similarly considered in the other specific inventions. In this state, therefore, not only the spring force exerted by the first spring (45, 45A) but also the spring force exerted by the second spring (46, 46A) is exerted on the lever (40) in parallel. Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further, so that the force exerted by the lever (40) through the second spring (46, 46A) to urge the movable supporting member (48, 48A) toward the second direction exceeds the force exerted by the third spring (47, 47A) to urge the movable supporting member (48, 48A) toward the first direction, the movable supporting member (48, 48A) starts being displaced. The amount of depression of the lever (40) at the start of the displacement of the movable supporting member (48, 48A) corresponds to the first amount of depression.
Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further from this state, the movable supporting member (48, 48A) is displaced toward the second direction, with the third spring (47, 47A) starting acting. In this state, it is considered that the second spring (46, 46A) and the third spring (47, 47A) are connected serially, so that the spring constant of the serial springs is smaller than that of the second spring (46, 46A). In this state, therefore, not only the spring force exerted by the first spring (45, 45A) but also the spring force exerted by the serial springs formed of the second spring (46, 46A) and the third spring (47, 47A) is applied to the lever (40) in parallel. As a result, the present invention can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (40) vary from a greater rate of change to a smaller rate of change according to the amount of depression of the lever (40). Therefore, the present invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano.
As described above, the movable supporting member (48, 48A) may be either so light that the weight of the movable supporting member (48, 48A) can be ignored or so heavy that the weight cannot be ignored. In a case where an influence caused by the weight of the movable supporting member (48, 48A) cannot be ignored, however, it is necessary to take the inertial force acting on the movable supporting member (48, 48A) into account. More specifically, in a case where the player deeply depresses the lever (40) and then sharply decreases the amount of depression, and in a case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever (40), the movable supporting member (48, 48A) can temporarily oscillate due to collaboration of the inertial force and spring force applied to the movable supporting member (48, 48A). Furthermore, the movable supporting member (48, 48A) can collide with the fixed supporting member (FR) to cause oscillation of the movable supporting member (48, 48A). The oscillation of the movable supporting member (48, 48A) is conveyed to the lever (40) through the second spring (46, 46A) to be perceived by the player as unnatural reaction force. As for the present invention configured as described above, however, the respective spring forces of the second spring (46, 46A) and the third spring (47, 47A) act on the movable supporting member (48, 48A) in the directions opposite to each other. Therefore, the present invention is able to suppress or quickly cease the oscillation. Furthermore, because the force of the springs acting on the lever (40) can be divided into the spring force exerted by the first spring (45, 45A), and the spring force exerted by the second spring (46, 46A) and the third spring (47, 47A), the spring force (spring constant) exerted by the second spring (46, 46A) and the third spring (47, 47A) can be reduced. As a result, the unnatural reaction force of the lever caused by the oscillation can be reduced. Therefore, the present invention can stabilize the reaction force of the lever (40).
In a case where the influence caused by the weight of the movable supporting member (48, 48A) can be ignored, it can be considered that the inertial force acting on the movable supporting member (48, 48A) can be also ignored. Therefore, the present invention can prevent the unnatural reaction force, also achieving reduction in weight of the pedal apparatus.
As shown in
According to another specific invention configured as described above, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) is small, the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) stands still at the predetermined position until the force exerted by the lever (40) through the second spring (57, 57A) to urge the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) toward the second direction reaches the spring force exerted by the third spring (61, 61A) to urge the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) toward the first direction. In this state, therefore, not only the spring force exerted by the first spring (56, 56A) but also the spring force exerted by the second spring (57, 57A) is exerted on the lever (40) in parallel. Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further, so that the force exerted by the lever (40) through the second spring (57, 57A) to urge the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) toward the second direction exceeds the force exerted by the third spring (61, 61A) to urge the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) toward the first direction, the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) starts being displaced toward the second direction. The amount of depression of the lever (40) at the start of the displacement of the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) corresponds to the first amount of depression.
Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further from this state, the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) is displaced toward the second direction, with the third spring (61, 61A) starting acting. In this state, it is considered that the second spring (57, 57A) and the third spring (61, 61A) are connected serially, so that the spring constant of the serial springs is smaller than that of the second spring (57, 57A). In this state, therefore, not only the spring force exerted by the first spring (56, 56A) but also the spring force exerted by the serial springs formed of the second spring (57, 57A) and the third spring (61, 61A) is applied to the lever (40) in parallel. As a result, the another specific invention can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (40) vary from a greater rate of change to a smaller rate of change according to the amount of depression of the lever (40). Therefore, the another specific invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano.
As for the another specific invention as well, similarly to the specific invention described with reference to
As shown in
According to still another specific invention configured as described above, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) is small, the first movable supporting member (85) is displaced from the first predetermined position toward the first direction along with the second movable supporting member (84). The first spring (82) and the third spring (90) exert spring force in the direction resisting depression of the lever (40), whereas the second spring (83) exerts spring force in the direction facilitating depression of the lever (40). In this state, it can be considered that the first through third springs (82, 83, 90) are connected in parallel, so that the spring constant of the combined springs of the three springs is larger than the spring constant of the first spring (82). Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further, the displacement of the first and second movable supporting members (84, 85) toward the first direction is restricted at the second predetermined position by the fixed supporting member (FR). The amount of depression of the lever (40) when the displacement of the first and second movable supporting members (84, 85) is restricted corresponds to the first amount of depression.
If the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further from this state, the spring forces of the second and third springs (83, 90) will not affect the depression of the lever (40), with only the first spring (82) acting on the depression of the lever (40). As a result, the still another specific invention can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (40) vary from a greater rate of change to a smaller rate of change according to the amount of depression of the lever (40). Therefore, the invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano.
As for this case as well, in a case where the player deeply depresses the lever (40) and then sharply decreases the amount of depression, and in a case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever (40), the lever (40) collides with the second movable supporting member (84). The impact caused by the collision of the lever (40) with the second movable supporting member (84) is absorbed by the first spring (82) and the second spring (83) to be reduced. Therefore, the still another specific invention can lessen the impact on the lever (40) caused by the collision to stabilize the reaction force of the lever (40).
Another feature of the present invention is that in a range of the amount of depression which is smaller than the first amount of depression, when the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases from the initial state to reach a second predetermined amount of depression, the rate of change in reaction force with respect to the depression increases because of collaboration of the second spring the third spring (46, 46A, 57, 57A, 83; 47, 47A, 61, 61A, 90) and the movable supporting member (48, 48A, 53, 53A, 58, 58A, 84, 85).
According to the another feature of the present invention configured as above, the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (40) can increase and decrease stepwise according to the amount of depression of the lever (40) to start with a low rate of change to increase to a high rate to be followed by a medium rate, for example. Therefore, the another feature can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano shown by a solid line in
As shown in
According to a further specific invention configured as described above, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) is small, the both ends of the second spring (46, 46A) are not in contact with the movable supporting member (48, 48A) and the lever (40), so that the spring force of only the first spring (45, 45A) is exerted on the lever (40). If the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases from this state, the both ends of the second spring (46, 46A) come into contact with the movable supporting member (48, 48A) and the lever (40). The amount of depression of the lever (40) at the time of contact of the both ends of the second spring (46, 46A) with the movable supporting member (48, 48A) and the lever (40) corresponds to the second amount of depression. Even if the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further from this state, the movable supporting member (48, 48A) stands still at the predetermined position until the force exerted by the lever (40) through the second spring (46, 46A) to urge the movable supporting member (48, 48A) toward the second direction reaches the force exerted by the third spring (47, 47A) to urge the movable supporting member (48, 48A) toward the first direction. In this state, therefore, not only the spring force of the first spring (45, 45A) but also the spring force of the second spring (46, 46A) is exerted on the lever (40) in parallel.
Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further, so that the force exerted by the lever (40) through the second spring (46, 46A) to urge the movable supporting member (48, 48A) toward the second direction exceeds the force exerted by the third spring (47, 47A) to urge the movable supporting member (48, 48A) toward the first direction, the movable supporting member (48, 48A) starts being displaced toward the second direction. The amount of depression of the lever (40) at the start of the displacement of the movable supporting member (48, 48A) toward the second direction corresponds to the first amount of depression. Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further from this state, the movable supporting member (48, 48A) is displaced toward the second direction, with the third spring (47, 47A) starting acting. In this state, it is considered that the second spring (46, 46A) and the third spring (47, 47A) are connected serially, so that the spring constant of the serial springs is smaller than that of the second spring (46, 46A). In this state, therefore, not only the spring force exerted by the first spring (45, 45A) but also the spring force exerted by the serial springs formed of the second spring (46, 46A) and the third spring (47, 47A) is applied to the lever (40) in parallel. As a result, the further specific invention can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (40) increase and decrease stepwise according to the amount of depression of the lever (40) to start with a low rate of change to increase to a high rate to be followed by a medium rate. Therefore, the further specific invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano. Similarly to the specific invention described with reference to
Furthermore, as shown in
According to a still further specific invention configured as described above, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) is small, the spring force of the first spring (56, 56A) is exerted on the lever (40) through the first movable supporting member (53, 53A), with the first movable supporting member (53, 53A) being displaced from the first predetermined position toward the second direction. In this state, the both ends of the second spring (57, 57A) are not in contact with the first movable supporting member (53, 53A) and the second movable supporting member (58, 58A), resulting in the spring force of only the first spring (56, 56A) being exerted on the lever (40). If the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases from this state, the both ends of the second spring (57, 57A) come into contact with the first movable supporting member (53, 53A) and the second movable supporting member (58, 58A). The amount of depression of the lever (40) at the time of contact of the both ends of the second spring (57, 57A) with the first movable supporting member (53, 53A) and the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) corresponds to the second amount of depression. Even if the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further from this state, the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) stands still at the predetermined position until the force exerted by the lever (40) through the second spring (57, 57A) to urge the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) toward the second direction reaches the force exerted by the third spring (61, 61A) to urge the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) toward the first direction. In this state, therefore, not only the spring force of the first spring (56, 56A) but also the spring force of the second spring (57, 57A) is exerted on the lever (40) in parallel.
Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further, so that the force exerted by the lever (40) through the second spring (57, 57A) to urge the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) toward the second direction exceeds the force exerted by the third spring (61, 61A) to urge the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) toward the first direction, the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) starts being displaced toward the second direction. The amount of depression of the lever (40) at the start of the displacement of the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) corresponds to the first amount of depression. Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further from this state, the second movable supporting member (58, 58A) is displaced toward the second direction, with the third spring (61, 61A) starting acting. In this state, it is considered that the second spring (57, 57A) and the third spring (61, 61A) are connected serially, so that the spring constant of the serial springs is smaller than that of the second spring (57, 57A). In this state, therefore, not only the spring force exerted by the first spring (56, 56A) but also the spring force exerted by the serial springs formed of the second spring (57, 57A) and the third spring (61, 61A) is applied to the lever (40). As a result, the still further specific invention can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (40) increase and decrease stepwise according to the amount of depression of the lever (40) to start with a low rate of change to increase to a high rate to be followed by a medium rate. Therefore, the still further specific invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano. Similarly to the another specific invention described with reference to
Furthermore, as shown in
According to another specific invention configured as described above, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) is small, the spring forces of the first and second springs (82, 83) are exerted on the lever (40), with the second movable supporting member (84) being displaced toward the first direction. More specifically, the first spring (82) exerts the spring force in the direction resisting the depression of the lever (40) whereas the second spring (83) exerts the spring force which is smaller than that of the first spring (82) in the direction facilitating the depression of the lever (40). Therefore, the reaction force resisting the depression of the lever (40) is the spring force of the combined springs obtained by subtracting the spring force of the second spring (83) from the spring force of the first spring (82). Consequently, the spring constant of the combined springs is smaller than the spring constant of the first spring (82). If the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases from this state, the second movable supporting member (84) comes into contact with the first movable supporting member (85). The amount of depression of the lever (40) at the time of contact of the second movable supporting member (84) with the first movable supporting member (85) corresponds to the second amount of depression. If the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further from this state, the first movable supporting member (85) starts being displaced along with the second movable supporting member (84) from the first predetermined position toward the first direction. This displacement causes the spring force of the third spring (90) in addition to the spring force of the combined springs to be exerted on the lever (40) in the direction resisting the depression of the lever (40).
Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (40) further increases, the displacement of the first and second movable supporting members (84, 85) toward the first direction is restricted at the second predetermined position by the fixed supporting member (FR). The amount of depression of the lever (40) at the time of restriction of the displacement of the first and second movable supporting members (84, 85) at the second predetermined position by the fixed supporting member (FR) corresponds to the first amount of depression. If the amount of depression of the lever (40) increases further from this state, the spring forces of the second and third springs (82, 83) will not affect the depression of the lever (40) with only the first spring (82) starting acting on the depression of the lever (40). As a result, the another specific invention can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (40) increase and decrease stepwise according to the amount of depression of the lever (40) to start with a low rate of change to increase to a high rate to be followed by a medium rate. Therefore, the another specific invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano.
Similarly to the still another specific invention described with reference to
It is still another feature of the present invention to provide a pedal apparatus of an electronic musical instrument, the pedal apparatus including a lever (140) which is supported by a fixed supporting member (FR) and pivots by a player's depression of the lever (140); first and second springs (145, 152, 166; 148, 158, 167) which exert spring force on the lever (140); and a movable supporting member (146, 153, 157, 161, 163, 165) which supports the second spring (148, 158, 167) and is displaced in response to pivoting of the lever (140), and the displacement of the movabale supporting member being restricted by the fixed supporting member (FR), wherein the first spring (145, 152, 166) exerts spring force on the lever (140) at all times in a direction resisting the depression of the lever (140); and if an amount of depression of the lever (140) increases from an initial state to reach a first predetermined amount of depression, a rate of change in reaction force with respect to the depression is reduced because of collaboration of the second spring (148, 158, 167) and the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157, 163, 165).
The present invention configured as described above can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (140) vary from a greater rate of change to a smaller rate of change according to the amount of depression of the lever (140). Therefore, the present invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano shown by the dashed line in
More specifically, as shown in
According to a specific invention configured as described above, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) is small, the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) stands still at the predetermined position until the force exerted by the lever (140) through the second spring (148, 158) to lift the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) reaches the weight of the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157). In this state therefore, not only the spring force exerted by the first spring (145, 152) but also the spring force exerted by the second spring (148, 158) is exerted on the lever (140) in parallel. Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases further, so that the force exerted by the lever (140) through the second spring (148, 158) to lift the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) exceeds the weight of the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157), the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) starts being displaced upward. The amount of depression of the lever (140) at the start of the upward displacement of the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) corresponds to the first amount of depression.
Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases further from this state, the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) is displaced upward. In this state, the second spring (148, 158) will not be compressed any further. In this state, therefore, although the spring force exerted by the first spring (145, 152) and the spring force exerted by the second spring (148, 158) are applied to the lever (140) in parallel, the spring force of the second spring (148, 158) will not change, with the spring force of only the first spring (145, 152) increasing. As a result, the specific invention can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (140) vary from a greater rate of change to a smaller rate of change according to the amount of depression of the lever (140). Therefore, the specific invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano as shown by the dashed line in
Furthermore, in a case where the player deeply depresses the lever (140) and then sharply decreases the amount of depression, and in a case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever (140), the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) can temporarily oscillate due to collaboration of the inertial force and spring force. Furthermore, the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) can collide with the fixed supporting member (FR) to cause oscillation of the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157). The oscillation of the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) is conveyed to the lever (140) through the second spring (148, 158) to be perceived by the player as unnatural reaction force. As for the invention configured as described above, however, because the force of the springs acting on the lever (140) can be divided into the spring force exerted by the first spring (145, 152) and the spring force exerted by the second spring (148, 158), the spring force (spring constant) exerted by the second spring (148, 158) can be reduced. As a result, the unnatural reaction force of the lever caused by the oscillation can be reduced. Therefore, the specific invention can stabilize the reaction force of the lever (140). In addition, the specific invention can realize the desired capabilities with the simple structure formed of the two springs (145, 152; 148, 158) and the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157).
In addition, as shown in
According to another specific invention configured as described above, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) is small, the second movable supporting member (163, 165) stands still at the predetermined position until the force exerted by the lever (140) through the second spring (167) to lift the second movable supporting member (163, 165) reaches the weight of the second movable supporting member (163, 165). In this state, therefore, not only the spring force exerted by the first spring (166) but also the spring force exerted by the second spring (167) is exerted on the lever (140) in parallel. Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases further, so that the force exerted by the lever (140) through the second spring (167) to lift the second movable supporting member (163, 165) exceeds the weight of the second movable supporting member (163, 165), the second movable supporting member (163, 165) starts being displaced upward. The amount of depression of the lever (140) at the start of the upward displacement of the second movable supporting member (163, 165) corresponds to the first amount of depression.
Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases further from this state, the second movable supporting member (163, 165) is displaced upward. In this state, the second spring (167) will not be compressed any further. In this state, therefore, although the spring force exerted by the first spring (166) and the spring force exerted by the second spring (167) are applied to the lever (140) in parallel, the spring force of the second spring (167) will not change, with the spring force of only the first spring (166) increasing. As a result, the another specific invention can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (140) vary from a greater rate of change to a smaller rate of change according to the amount of depression of the lever (140). Therefore, the another specific invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano as shown by the dashed line in
As for the another specific invention, similarly to the specific invention described with reference to
It is a further feature of the present invention that in a range of the amount of depression which is smaller than the first amount of depression, when the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases from the initial state to reach a second predetermined amount of depression, the rate of change in reaction force with respect to the depression increases because of collaboration of the second spring (148, 158, 167) and the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157, 161, 163, 165).
According to the further feature of the present invention configured as above, the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (140) can increase and decrease stepwise according to the amount of depression of the lever (140) to start with a low rate of change to increase to a high rate to be followed by a low rate, for example. Therefore, the further feature can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano shown by the solid line in
More specifically, as shown in
According to still another specific invention configured as described above, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) is small, the both ends of the second spring (148, 158) are not in contact with the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) and the lever (140), so that the spring force of only the first spring (145, 152) is exerted on the lever (140). If the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases from this state, the both ends of the second spring (148, 158) come into contact with the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) and the lever (140). The amount of depression of the lever (140) at the time of contact of the both ends of the second spring (148, 158) with the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) and the lever (140) corresponds to the second amount of depression.
Even if the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases further from this state, the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) stands still at the predetermined position until the force exerted by the lever (140) through the second spring (148, 158) to lift the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) reaches the weight of the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157). In this state, therefore, not only the spring force of the first spring (145, 152) but also the spring force of the second spring (148, 158) is exerted on the lever (140) in parallel. Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases further, so that the force exerted by the lever (140) through the second spring (148, 158) to lift the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) exceeds the weight of the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157), the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) starts being displaced upward. The amount of depression of the lever (140) at the start of the upward displacement of the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) corresponds to the first amount of depression.
Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases further from this state, the movable supporting member (146, 153, 157) is displaced upward. In this state, the second spring (148, 158) will not be compressed any further. In this state, therefore, although the spring force exerted by the first spring (145, 152) and the spring force exerted by the second spring (148, 158) are applied to the lever (140) in parallel, the spring force of the second spring (148, 158) will not change, with the spring force of only the first spring (145, 152) increasing. As a result, the still another specific invention can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (140) increase and decrease stepwise according to the amount of depression of the lever (140) to start with a low rate of change to increase to a high rate to be followed by a low rate. Therefore, the still another specific invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano as shown by the solid line in
Furthermore, as shown in
According to a further specific invention configured as described above, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) is small, the spring force of the first spring (166) is exerted on the lever (140) through the first movable supporting member (161), with the first movable supporting member (161) being displaced upward from the first predetermined position. In this state, the both ends of the second spring (167) are not in contact with the first movable supporting member (161) and the second movable supporting member (163, 165), resulting in the spring force of only the first spring (166) being exerted on the lever (140). If the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases from this state, the both ends of the second spring (167) come into contact with the first movable supporting member (161) and the second movable supporting member (163, 165). The amount of depression of the lever (140) at the time of contact of the both ends of the second spring (167) with the first movable supporting member (161) and the second movable supporting member (163, 165) corresponds to the second amount of depression. Even if the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases further from this state, the second movable supporting member (163, 165) stands still at the predetermined position until the force exerted by the lever (140) through the second spring (167) to lift the second movable supporting member (163, 165) reaches the weight of the second movable supporting member (163, 165). In this state, therefore, not only the spring force of the first spring (166) but also the spring force of the second spring (167) is exerted on the lever (140) in parallel.
Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases further, so that the force exerted by the lever (140) through the second spring (167) to lift the second movable supporting member (163, 165) exceeds the weight of the second movable supporting member (163, 165), the second movable supporting member (163, 165) starts being displaced upward. The amount of depression of the lever (140) at the start of the upward displacement of the second movable supporting member (163, 165) corresponds to the first amount of depression. Then, if the amount of depression of the lever (140) increases further from this state, the second movable supporting member (163, 165) is displaced upward. In this state, the second spring (167) will not be compressed any further. In this state, therefore, although the spring force of the first spring (166) and the spring force of the second spring (167) are exerted on the lever (140) in parallel, the spring force of the second spring (167) will not change, with the spring force of only the first spring (166) increasing. As a result, the further specific invention can make the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever (140) increase and decrease stepwise according to the amount of depression of the lever (140) to start with a low rate of change to increase to a high rate to be followed by a low rate. Therefore, the further specific invention can provide the player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano as shown by the solid line in
Before a pedal apparatus according to respective embodiments of the present invention is described, a general configuration of an electronic musical instrument to which the pedal apparatus according to the embodiments is applied will now be described.
The keyboard 11 is manipulated by a player with his hands to specify the tone pitch of respective musical tones to be generated. The manipulation of the keyboard 11 is detected by a detection circuit 22 connected to a bus 21, so that data (e.g., note data, key-on data, key-off data, etc.) indicative of the player's manipulation is supplied to the computer portion 16 through the bus 21. The pedal apparatus 12 is manipulated by the player with his foot to control the manner in which musical tones are generated by the electronic musical instrument. In the respective embodiments which will be described later, the pedal apparatus 12 is a damper pedal which adds a damper effect to a musical tone to be generated by a depression of the damper pedal by the player's foot. The manipulation of the pedal apparatus 12 is detected by a detection circuit 23 connected to the bus 21, as described in detail later, so that data indicative of the manipulation is supplied to the computer portion 16 through the bus 21. The plurality of panel operators 13 are used in order to specify the operation of the electronic musical instrument. The manipulation of the panel operators 13 is detected by a detection circuit 24 connected to the bus 21, so that data indicative of the manipulation is supplied to the computer portion 16 through the bus 21. The display unit 14 is configured by a liquid crystal display, a CRT or the like to display characters, numerals, graphics and the like on a screen. The display unit 14 is controlled by a display circuit 25 connected to the bus 21. More specifically, what is to be displayed on the screen is specified on the basis of display instruction signals and display data supplied to the display circuit 25 through the bus 21.
The tone generator 15, which is connected to the bus 21, generates digital musical tone signals on the basis of musical tone control data (note data, key-on data, key-off data, tone color control data, tone volume control data, etc.) supplied from the computer portion 16 through the bus 21 and then supplies the generated digital musical tone signals to an effect circuit 26. The effect circuit 26, which is connected to the bus 21, adds an effect to the supplied digital musical tone signals on the basis of effect control data supplied from the computer portion 16 through the bus 21, and then supplies the digital musical tone signals to which the effect has been added to a sound system 27. The above-described damper effect is added to the digital musical tone signals in the tone generator 15 or in the effect circuit 26. The sound system 27, which is configured by a D/A converter, amplifiers, speakers and the like, converts the supplied digital musical tone signals having the effect to analog musical tone signals, and then emits musical tones corresponding to the analog musical tone signals.
The computer portion 16, which is formed of a CPU 16a, a RAM 16b and a ROM 16c connected to the bus 21. The computer portion 16 also includes a timer 16d which is connected to the CPU 16a. By execution of programs, the computer portion 16 controls the electronic musical instrument 10. The clock circuit 17 continuously measures date and time. The external storage device 18 includes various kinds of storage media such as a hard disk and a flash memory incorporated into the electronic musical instrument 10, and a compact disk which can be connected to the electronic musical instrument 10. The external storage device 18 also includes drive units provided for the various storage media, so that the external storage device 18 can store and read out large amounts of data and programs.
The electronic musical instrument 10 also has a network interface circuit 28 and a MIDI interface circuit 29. The network interface circuit 28 connects the electronic musical instrument 10 to a server apparatus 30 through a communications network NW so that the electronic musical instrument 10 can communicate with the server apparatus 30. The MIDI interface circuit 29 connects the electronic musical instrument 10 to an external MIDI apparatus 31 such as the other electronic musical instrument or a sequencer so that the electronic musical instrument 10 can communicate with the external MIDI apparatus 31.
Next, a first embodiment of the pedal apparatus 12 according to the present invention will be described in detail.
Behind the rotary shaft 42 of the lever 40, the top end of a first spring 45 is fixed to the frame FR so that the top end of the first spring 45 is situated above the rear part of the lever 40. The lower end of the first spring 45 is inserted into a concave portion 40a provided on the top surface of the rear part of the lever 40 to be in contact with the bottom surface of the concave portion 40a, so that the first spring 45 urges the rear part of the lever 40 downward. The first spring 45 is a compression spring. Behind the rotary shaft 42 of the lever 40, furthermore, a second spring 46, a third spring 47 and a movable supporting member 48 are provided so that the second and third springs 46, 47 and the movable supporting member 48 are situated above the rear part of the lever 40. The movable supporting member 48 is shaped like a cylinder having concave portions 48a, 48b on its upper surface and lower surface. The top end of the third spring 47 is fixed to the frame FR situated above the rear part of the lever 40. The lower end of the third spring 47 is inserted into the concave portion 48a of the movable supporting member 48 to be fixed to the bottom surface of the concave portion 48a to be supported by the movable supporting member 48. The top end of the second spring 46 is inserted into the concave portion 48b of the movable supporting member 48 to be fixed to the upper bottom surface of the concave portion 48b to be supported by the movable supporting member 48. The lower end of the second spring 46 is in contact with the top surface of the lever 40. The second spring 46 and the third spring 47 are compression springs. If comparisons of spring constant are made among the first spring 45, the second spring 46 and the third spring 47, the first spring 45 has the largest spring constant. The spring constant of the third spring 47 is sufficiently small when compared with the spring constant of the first spring 45 and the second spring 46. The relationship of the magnitude of the spring constant among the first to third springs 45, 46, 47 is not limited to that of the present embodiment, but can vary according to desired characteristics of reaction force of the lever 40. In a case where the difference of the rate of change in the reaction force is small between range A1 and range A2 shown in
Into the concave portion 48b of the movable supporting member 48, a load sensor 50 for sensing the urging force of the second spring 46 (load applied to the lever 40 which is the pedal apparatus 12) is incorporated. By electrically sensing elastic deformation caused by the urging force of the second spring 46 (e.g., with a strain gauge), the load sensor 50 obtains the urging force of the second spring 46. Above the middle part of the lever 40, furthermore, a displacement sensor 51 for sensing the amount of displacement of the lever 40 is provided. By electrically or optically sensing the distance to the top surface of the lever 40 (e.g., by reflection of laser light), the displacement sensor 51 obtains the amount of displacement of the lever 40. The displacement sensor 51 may be replaced with a sensor for mechanically and electrically sensing the amount of upward and downward displacement of the lever 40 (e.g., variable resistance).
Next, the operation of the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above will be explained.
If the player depresses the lever 40 in spite of the urging force exerted by the first spring 45, the lever 40 starts pivoting counterclockwise about the rotary shaft 42 in
Then, if the urging force exerted by the second spring 46 exceeds the combined force formed of the urging force exerted by the third spring 47 to urge the movable supporting member 48 downward and the weight of the movable supporting member 48, the movable supporting member 48 leaves the movable supporting member lower limit stopper 49 to move upward. The amount of depression of the lever 40 at the time of the start of upward move of the movable supporting member 48 is referred to as a first amount of depression. As described above, the spring constant of the third spring 47 is sufficiently small, compared with the second spring 46. If the amount of displacement of the lever 40 increases, therefore, the third spring 47 is compressed to increase the urging force of the third spring 47. However, the second spring 46 will be hardly compressed any further with little increase in the urging force of the second spring 46 (A2 of
Then, the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 40 comes into contact with the lower limit stopper 43 to restrict downward displacement of the forward part of the lever 40. If the depression of the lever 40 is released, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 45, the second spring 46 and the third spring 47 cause the lever 40 to operate in the order opposite to that in which the lever 40 has operated on the depression of the lever 40. More specifically, the lever 40 pivots clockwise about the rotary shaft 42 in
The detection circuit 23 detects a point where the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever 40 changes on the basis of the change in the urging force exerted by the second spring 46 detected by the load sensor 50. Furthermore, the displacement sensor 51 detects the amount of displacement of the lever 40. In accordance with the changing point of the rate of change of the reaction force and the information on the amount of displacement of the lever 40, the electronic musical instrument 10 adds a damper effect to a musical tone to be generated, also controlling musical tone elements such as timbre and resonance (acoustic effect) of the musical tone to be generated. In a range AH of
The pedal apparatus according to the present embodiment configured as described above can achieve the characteristics (
As for the acoustic piano, the range of A3 of
In a case where the player deeply depresses the lever 40 and then sharply decreases the amount of depression, and in a case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 40, the movable supporting member 48 can temporarily oscillate due to collaboration of inertial force and spring force applied to the movable supporting member 48. Furthermore, the movable supporting member 48 can collide with the movable supporting member lower limit stopper 49 to cause oscillation of the movable supporting member 48. In a case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 40 in the neighborhood of the range AH of
In the above description, the weight of the movable supporting member 48 is taken into account. However, if the movable supporting member 48 is made of a light material such as resin, the weight of the movable supporting member 48 can be ignored. In this case, because the inertial force acting on the movable supporting member 48 can be also ignored, such a light movable supporting member 48 prevents the unnatural reaction force, also achieving reduction in weight of the pedal apparatus 12.
Due to variations in the spring constant of the first spring 45, the second spring 46 and the third spring 47, and depending on assembling accuracy of various parts, variations occur in the relationship between the amount of displacement of the lever 40 and the reaction force. As for the pedal apparatus 12 of the present embodiment, however, the load sensor 50 detects the reaction force of the lever 40 to find out a point where the rate of change in the reaction force changes. Therefore, the pedal apparatus 12 of the embodiment can reliably distinguish a range equivalent to the current amount of displacement of the lever 40 from among the ranges of
As shown in
In the case where the pedal apparatus 12 is configured as described above, while the movable supporting member 48 is apart from the movable supporting member lower limit stopper 49 to be displaced upward, the movable supporting member 48 is supported by the capstan CS to prevent further compression of the second spring 46. Therefore, the movable supporting member 48 can stably move upward and downward, resulting in stable reaction force exerted by the lever 40.
The length of the capstan CS may be adjusted such that before the urging force of the second spring 46 exceeds the combined force formed of the urging force of the third spring 47 and the weight of the movable supporting member 48 after the depression of the lever 40, the capstan CS comes into contact with the undersurface of the movable supporting member 48. The respective urging forces of the first spring 45, the second spring 46 and the third spring 47 with respect to the amount of displacement of the lever 40 configured as described above are shown in
As for this modification, on the boundary between the range where the rate of change in the reaction force is great and the range where the rate of change is small, the reaction force of the lever 40 changes stepwise. The stepwise change in the reaction force facilitates player's perception of the boundary. Compared with the pedal apparatus 12 without the capstan CS, furthermore, the pedal apparatus 12 having the capstan CS can narrow the range where the rate of change in the reaction force is great (A1 of
Although this modification is designed such that the capstan CS is situated inside the second spring 46, the capstan CS may be placed anywhere as long as the top end of the capstan CS opposes to the undersurface of the movable supporting member 48. Alternatively, the capstan CS may be placed on the movable supporting member 48 side so that the head portion CSa of the capstan CS opposes to the top surface of the lever 40.
The above-described first embodiment is designed such that the top end of the first spring 45 is fixed to the frame FR situated above the rear part of the lever 40, with the lower end of the first spring 45 being in contact with the top surface of the rear part of the lever 40. However, the first embodiment may be modified such that the lower end of the first spring 45 is fixed to the frame FR situated below the forward part of the lever 40, with the top end of the first spring 45 being contact with the undersurface of the forward part of the lever 40. Furthermore, the first embodiment is designed such that the top end of the third spring 47 is fixed to the frame FR situated above the rear part of the lever 40, with the lower end of the third spring 47 being inserted into the concave portion 48a of the movable supporting member 48 to be fixed to the bottom surface of the concave portion 48a so that the third spring 47 is supported by the movable supporting member 48. However, the first embodiment may be modified such that the movable supporting member 48 has a spring supporting portion so that the spring supporting portion supports the top end of an extension spring with the lower end of the spring being fixed to the frame FR situated below the movable supporting member 48.
In the first embodiment, furthermore, the mechanism which urges the lever 40 is provided behind the rotary shaft 42 of the lever 40 to be situated above the lever 40. However, the first embodiment may be modified to turn the mechanism which urges the lever 40 upside down. More specifically, the mechanism which urges the lever 40 may be provided in front of the rotary shaft 42 of the lever 40 to be situated below the lever 40. Unlike the first embodiment, the upward displacement of the movable supporting member 48 is restricted in this modification. In this modification as well, the first spring 45, the second spring 46 and the third spring 47 urge upward the undersurface of the lever 40 on a point situated in front of the rotary shaft 42 to achieve the effect similar to that achieved by the first embodiment. In this modification, oppositely to the first embodiment, the weight of the movable supporting member 48 acts in a direction in which the displacement of the movable supporting member 48 is allowed. In this modification as well, in a case where the movable supporting member 48 is made of a light material, the weight of the movable supporting member 48 can be ignored.
The first embodiment is designed such that the movable supporting member 48 can move upward and downward. However, the embodiment may be modified to have a movable supporting member 48A which pivots in response to the lever 40 as shown in
In the first embodiment and its modifications, the second spring 46 and the third spring 47 are compression springs. However, the second spring 46 and the third spring 47 may be replaced with a second spring 46A and a third spring 47A, respectively, which are extension springs as shown in
Next, a second embodiment of the pedal apparatus 12 according to the present invention will be described in detail.
The first movable supporting member 53, which is a plate-shaped member, is allowed to move only upward and downward by a guide member which is not shown. The downward displacement of the first movable supporting member 53 is restricted by a first movable supporting member lower limit stopper 54 fixed to the frame FR. The first movable supporting member lower limit stopper 54 is also made of a shock-absorbing member such as felt in order to prevent shock noise. On the undersurface of the first movable supporting member 53, a spring supporting portion 55 is provided so that the top end of a first spring 56 is fixed to the spring supporting portion 55 to be supported by the spring supporting portion 55. The lower end of the first spring 56 is fixed to the frame FR situated below the first movable supporting member 53. The first spring 56 is an extension spring. Into a concave portion 53b provided on the top surface of the first movable supporting member 53, the lower end of a second spring 57 is inserted to be fixed to the concave portion 53b to be supported. The second spring 57 is a compression spring.
Above the second spring 57, a second movable supporting member 58 is provided. The second movable supporting member 58, which is a plate-shaped member, is allowed to move only upward and downward by a guide member which is not shown. The downward displacement of the second movable supporting member 58 is restricted by a second movable supporting member lower limit stopper 59 fixed to the frame FR. The second movable supporting member lower limit stopper 59 is also made of a shock-absorbing member such as felt in order to prevent shock noise. The top end of the second spring 57 is in contact with the undersurface of the second movable supporting member 58. On the undersurface of the second movable supporting member 58, a spring supporting portion 60 is provided so that the top end of a third spring 61 is fixed to the spring supporting portion 60 to be supported. The lower end of the third spring 61 is fixed to the frame FR situated below the second movable supporting member 58. The third spring 61 is an extension spring. If comparisons of spring constant are made among the first spring 56, the second spring 57 and the third spring 61, the first spring 56 has the largest spring constant. The spring constant of the third spring 61 is sufficiently small when compared with the spring constant of the first spring 56 and the second spring 57. In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the relationship of the magnitude of the spring constant among the first to third springs 56, 57, 61 is not limited to that of the present embodiment, but can vary according to desired characteristics of reaction force of the lever 40. In a case where the difference of rate of change in the reaction force is small between range A1 and range A2 shown in
Next, the operation of the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above will be described. In a state where the lever 40 is not depressed, the first movable supporting member 53 is urged downward by the first spring 56 to be in contact with the first movable supporting member lower limit stopper 54. As a result, the rear part of the lever 40 is urged downward through the drive rod 52. Resultantly, the undersurface of the rear part of the lever 40 is in contact with the upper limit stopper 44, so that the lever 40 stands still to be in the state shown in
If the player depresses the lever 40 in spite of the urging force exerted by the first spring 56, the lever 40 starts pivoting counterclockwise about the rotary shaft 42 in
Then, if the urging force exerted by the second spring 57 exceeds the combined force formed of the urging force exerted by the third spring 61 to urge the second movable supporting member 58 downward and the weight of the second movable supporting member 58, the second movable supporting member 58 moves upward. The amount of depression of the lever 40 at the time of the start of upward move of the second movable supporting member 58 is referred to as the first amount of depression. As described above, the spring constant of the third spring 61 is sufficiently small, compared with the second spring 57. If the amount of displacement of the lever 40 increases, therefore, the third spring 61 is extended to increase the urging force of the third spring 61. However, the second spring 57 will be hardly compressed any further with little increase in the urging force of the second spring 57 (A2 of
Then, the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 40 comes into contact with the lower limit stopper 43 to restrict downward displacement of the forward part of the lever 40. If the depression of the lever 40 is released, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 56, the second spring 57 and the third spring 61 cause the lever 40 to operate in the order opposite to that in which the lever 40 has operated on the depression of the lever 40. More specifically, the lever 40 pivots clockwise about the rotary shaft 42 in
Similarly to the first embodiment, as for the pedal apparatus according to the embodiment configured as described above, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 56, the second spring 57 and the third spring 61 change according to the ranges equivalent to the respective operational ranges shown in
In the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, in the case where the player deeply depresses the lever 40 and then sharply decreases the amount of depression, and in the case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 40, the second movable supporting member 58 can temporarily oscillate due to collaboration of inertial force and spring force. Furthermore, the second movable supporting member 58 can collide with the second movable supporting member lower limit stopper 59. As for the present embodiment as well, however, the respective spring forces of the second spring 57 and the third spring 61 act on the second movable supporting member 58 in the directions opposite to each other. Therefore, the pedal apparatus 12 is able to suppress or quickly cease the oscillation. Furthermore, because the force of the springs acting on the lever 40 is divided into the spring force exerted by the first spring 56, and the spring force exerted by the second spring 57 and the third spring 61, the spring force exerted by the second spring 57 and the third spring 61 is small. As a result, the unnatural reaction force of the lever caused by the oscillation can be reduced. Therefore, the pedal apparatus 12 can stabilize the reaction force of the lever 40.
In the above description, the weight of the second movable supporting member 58 is taken into account. However, if the second movable supporting member 58 is made of a light material such as resin, the weight of the second movable supporting member 58 can be ignored. In this case, because the inertial force acting on the second movable supporting member 58 can be also ignored, such a light second movable supporting member 58 prevents the unnatural reaction force, also achieving reduction in weight of the pedal apparatus 12.
In addition, because the load sensor 50 and the displacement sensor 51 operate similarly to the first embodiment, the pedal apparatus 12 of the present embodiment can synchronize the feeling perceived by the player on the manipulation of the lever 40 with the start and the end of musical tone elements including damper effect to be added to musical tones to be generated, and timbre, resonance (acoustic effect) and the like of musical tones to be generated.
Between the first movable supporting member 53 and the second movable supporting member 58, the capstan CS similar to that of the modification of the first embodiment may be provided. Such a modification also achieves the effect similar to the modification of the first embodiment.
In the second embodiment, the top end of the first spring 56 is supported by the spring supporting portion 55 provided on the first movable supporting member 53, with the lower end of the first spring 56 being fixed to the frame FR situated below the first movable supporting member 53. However, the second embodiment may be modified such that the top end of a compression spring is fixed to the frame FR situated above the first movable supporting member 53, with the lower end of the compression spring being in contact with the top surface of the first movable supporting member 53. The second embodiment is designed such that the lower end of the second spring 57 is inserted into the concave portion 53b of the first movable supporting member 53 to be fixed to the upper bottom surface of the concave portion 53b to be supported. However, the second embodiment may be modified such that a concave portion is provided on the undersurface of the second movable supporting member 58 so that the top end of the second spring 57 is fixed to the upper bottom surface of the concave portion to be supported, with the lower end of the second spring 57 being inserted into the concave portion 53b of the first movable supporting member 53 to be in contact with the concave portion 53b. Furthermore, the second embodiment is designed such that the top end of the third spring 61 is supported by the spring supporting portion 60 of the second movable supporting portion 58, with the lower end of the third spring 61 being fixed to the frame FR situated below the second movable supporting member 58. However, the second embodiment may be modified such that the top end of a compression spring is fixed to the frame FR situated above the second movable supporting member 58, with the lower end of the compression spring being in contact with the top surface of the second movable supporting member 58.
In the second embodiment, furthermore, the mechanism which urges the lever 40 is provided behind the rotary shaft 42 of the lever 40 to be situated above the lever 40. However, the second embodiment may be modified to turn the mechanism which urges the lever 40 upside down. More specifically, the mechanism which urges the lever 40 may be provided in front of the rotary shaft 42 of the lever 40 to be situated below the lever 40. Unlike the second embodiment, the upward displacement of the first movable supporting member 53 and the second movable supporting member 58 is restricted in this modification. In this modification as well, the first spring 56, the second spring 57 and the third spring 61 urge upward the undersurface of the lever 40 on a point situated in front of the rotary shaft 42 to achieve the effect similar to that achieved by the second embodiment. In this modification, oppositely to the second embodiment, the weight of the second movable supporting member 58 acts in a direction in which the displacement of the second movable supporting member 58 is allowed. In this modification as well, in a case where the second movable supporting member 58 is made of a light material, the weight of the second movable supporting member 58 can be ignored.
The second embodiment is designed such that the first movable supporting member 53 and the second movable supporting member 58 can move only upward and downward. However, the embodiment may be modified to have a first movable supporting member 53A and a second movable supporting member 58A which pivot in response to the lever 40 as shown in
Between the first movable supporting member 53A and the second movable supporting member 58A, the capstan CS similar to that of the modification of the first embodiment may be provided. Such a modification also achieves the effect similar to the modification of the first embodiment.
Next, a third embodiment of the pedal apparatus 12 according to the present invention will be described in detail.
Above the middle part of the lever 40, the top end of a second spring 83 is fixed to the frame FR, with the lower end of the second spring 83 being inserted into a concave portion 84a provided on the top surface of a pressing member 84 situated above the lever 40 to be fixed to the bottom surface of the concave portion 84a. The second spring 83 is a compression spring. The pressing member 84 is included in a movable supporting member of the present invention. The upper portion of the pressing member 84 is shaped like a circular plate, while the lower portion from the middle of the pressing member 84 is shaped like a cylinder of smaller diameter than the upper portion. The lower end of the pressing member 84 is shaped like a hemisphere. The pressing member 84 is provided on a movable supporting member 85 so that the pressing member 84 passes through a penetrating hole 85a which penetrates from the top surface to the undersurface of the movable supporting member 85 to be in contact with the top surface of the lever 40. The undersurface of the upper circular plate portion of the pressing member 84 is always in contact with the top surface of the movable supporting member 85. The pressing member 84 is allowed to move only upward and downward by a guide member which is not shown. In addition, the upward move of the pressing member 84 is restricted by a pressing member upper limit stopper 86. Although this embodiment is designed to provide the penetrating hole 85a on the movable supporting member 85 so that the pressing member 84 penetrates the penetrating hole 85a, such a configuration is not necessarily required. More specifically, the pressing member 84 may be provided outside the movable supporting member 85.
The movable supporting member 85, which is a plate-shaped member, is allowed to move only upward and downward by a guide member which is not shown. The upward and downward move of the movable supporting member 85 is restricted to a certain range by a movable supporting member upper limit stopper 87 and a movable supporting member lower limit stopper 88. The movable supporting member upper limit stopper 87 and the movable supporting member lower limit stopper 88 are also made of a shock-absorbing member such as felt in order to prevent shock noise. On the top surface of the movable supporting member 85, a spring supporting portion 89 is provided so that the lower end of a third spring 90 is fixed to the spring supporting portion 89 to be supported by the spring supporting portion 89. The top end of the third spring 90 is fixed to the frame FR situated above the movable supporting member 85. The third spring 90 is an extension spring. If comparisons of spring constant are made among the first spring 82, the second spring 83 and the third spring 90, the first spring 82 has the smallest spring constant. The spring constant of the second spring 83 and the third spring 90 is larger than the spring constant of the first spring 82. The spring constant of the third spring 90 is slightly larger than the spring constant of the second spring 83. In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the relationship of the magnitude of the spring constant among the first to third springs 82, 83, 90 is not limited to that of the present embodiment, but can vary according to desired characteristics of the reaction force of the lever 40. In the case where the difference of rate of change in the reaction force is small between range A1 and range A2 shown in
Next, the operation of the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above will be explained.
If the player depresses the lever 40 in spite of the urging force exerted by the first spring 82, the lever 40 starts pivoting counterclockwise about the rotary shaft 81 in
The second spring 83 urges the lever 40 downward, also urging the movable supporting member 85 downward. As a result, the third spring 90 is extended to increase its urging force (A1 of
If the amount of displacement of the lever 40 increases further, the urging force exerted by the first spring 82 also increases further (A2 of
Then, the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 40 comes into contact with the lower limit stopper 43 to restrict downward displacement of the forward part of the lever 40. If the depression of the lever 40 is released, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 82, the second spring 83 and the third spring 90 cause the lever 40 to operate in the order opposite to that in which the lever 40 has operated on the depression of the lever 40. More specifically, the lever 40 pivots clockwise about the rotary shaft 81 in
The pedal apparatus according to the present embodiment configured as described above can achieve the characteristics similar to those of the relationship between the amount of displacement of the lever from the start to the end of a depression of a pedal of an acoustic piano and the reaction force perceived by the player through the pedal as shown by the dashed line in
In the operational range (A2 of
In the case where the player sharply decreases the amount of depression of the lever 40 or in the case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 40, the lever 40 occasionally collides with the pressing member 84. The impact caused by the collision of the lever 40 with the pressing member 84 is absorbed by the first spring 82 and the second spring 83. Therefore, the present embodiment can stabilize the reaction force of the lever 40.
In addition, because the load sensor 50 and the displacement sensor 51 operate similarly to the first embodiment, the pedal apparatus 12 of the present embodiment can synchronize the feeling perceived by the player on the manipulation of the lever 40 with the start and the end of musical tone elements including damper effect to be added to musical tones to be generated and timbre, resonance (acoustic effect) and the like of musical tones to be generated.
In the third embodiment, the lower end of the first spring 82 is fixed to the frame FR situated below the middle part of the lever 40, with the top end of the first spring 82 being inserted into the concave portion 40e provided on the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 40 to be in contact with the bottom surface of the concave portion 40e. However, the third embodiment may be modified such that a spring supporting portion is provide on the top surface of the middle part of the lever 40 so that the lower end of an extension spring is supported by the spring supporting portion, with the top end of the extension spring being fixed to the frame FR situated above the middle part of the lever 40. In the third embodiment, furthermore, the lower end of the third spring 90 is supported by the spring supporting portion 89 of the movable supporting member 85, with the top end of the third spring 90 being fixed to the frame FR. However, the third embodiment may be modified such that a concave portion is provided on the undersurface of the movable supporting member 85 so that the top end of a compression spring is fixed to the upper bottom surface of the concave portion to be supported by the movable supporting member 85, with the lower end of the compression spring being fixed to the frame FR situated below the movable supporting member 85.
In the third embodiment, furthermore, the mechanism which urges the lever 40 is provided in front of the rotary shaft 81 of the lever 40. However, the third embodiment may be modified such that the lever 40 is supported on the middle part of the lever 40 as in the case of the first embodiment to provide the mechanism which urges the lever 40 behind the fulcrum. In this modification, the first spring 82 is turned upside down, compared with the third embodiment, so that the first spring 82 is provided behind and above the fulcrum of the lever 40. The second spring 83, the third spring 90, the pressing member 84, the second movable supporting member 85 and the stoppers thereof are also turned upside down, compared with the third embodiment, so that they are provided behind and below the fulcrum of the lever 40. In this modification, unlike the third embodiment, downward displacement of the pressing member 84 is restricted, whereas upward displacement of the movable supporting member 85 is restricted. In this modification as well, the first spring 82 and the third spring 90 generate the spring force resisting depression of the lever 40, with the second spring 83 generating the spring force facilitating depression of the lever 40 to achieve the effect similar to the third embodiment.
Next, a fourth embodiment of the pedal apparatus 12 according to the present invention will be described in detail.
Next, the operation of the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above will be explained.
If the player depresses the lever 40 in spite of the urging force exerted by the first spring 45, the lever 40 starts pivoting counterclockwise about the rotary shaft 42 in
If the player depresses the lever 40 further to increase the amount of the displacement of the lever 40, the urging force exerted by the first spring 45 on the lever 40 increases further (A1 of
If the amount of the displacement of the lever 40 increases further, the urging force of the first spring 45 also increases further (A2 of
Then, the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 40 comes into contact with the lower limit stopper 43 to restrict downward displacement of the forward part of the lever 40. If the depression of the lever 40 is released, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 45, the second spring 46 and the third spring 47 cause the lever 40 to operate in the order opposite to that in which the lever 40 has operated on the depression of the lever 40. More specifically, the lever 40 pivots clockwise about the rotary shaft 42 in
The pedal apparatus according to the embodiment configured as described above can achieve the characteristics (
In the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, in a case where the player deeply depresses the lever 40 and then sharply decreases the amount of depression, and in a case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 40, the movable supporting member 48 can temporarily oscillate due to collaboration of inertial force and spring force applied to the movable supporting member 48. Furthermore, the movable supporting member 48 can collide with the movable supporting member lower limit stopper 49 to cause oscillation of the movable supporting member 48. The oscillation of the movable supporting member 48 is conveyed to the lever 40 through the second spring 46 to be perceived by the player as unnatural reaction force. As for the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above, however, the respective spring forces of the second spring 46 and the third spring 47 act on the movable supporting member 48 in the directions opposite to each other. Therefore, the pedal apparatus 12 is able to suppress or quickly cease the oscillation. Furthermore, because the force of the springs acting on the lever 40 is divided into the spring force exerted by the first spring 45, and the spring force exerted by the second spring 46 and the third spring 47, the unnatural reaction force conveyed to the lever 40 through the second spring 46 can be reduced. Therefore, the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above can stabilize the reaction force of the lever 40.
In the above description, the weight of the movable supporting member 48 is taken into account. However, if the movable supporting member 48 is made of a light material such as resin, the weight of the movable supporting member 48 can be ignored. In this case, because the inertial force acting on the movable supporting member 48 can be also ignored, such a light movable supporting member 48 prevents the unnatural reaction force, also achieving reduction in weight of the pedal apparatus 12.
In addition, because the load sensor 50 and the displacement sensor 51 operate similarly to the first embodiment, the pedal apparatus 12 of the present embodiment can synchronize the feeling perceived by the player on the manipulation of the lever 40 with the start and the end of musical tone elements including damper effect to be added to musical tones to be generated and timbre, resonance (acoustic effect) and the like of musical tones to be generated.
Between the movable supporting member 48 and the lever 40, the capstan CS similar to that of the modification of the first embodiment may be provided. Such a modification can stabilize reaction force of the lever 40 as in the case of the modification of the first embodiment. In addition, the modification of the fourth embodiment may be further modified such that the capstan CS comes into contact with the movable supporting member 48 before the urging force of the second spring 46 exceeds the combined force formed of the urging force of the third spring 47 and the weight of the movable supporting member 48. The respective urging forces of the first spring 45, the second spring 46 and the third spring 47 with respect to the amount of displacement of the lever 40 in this modification are shown in
Similarly to the modification of the first embodiment, in addition, the respective positions where the first to the third springs 45, 46, 47 are provided may be changed. As shown in
Next, a fifth embodiment of the pedal apparatus 12 according to the present invention will be described in detail.
Next, the operation of the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above will be explained. In a state where the lever 40 is not depressed, the first movable supporting member 53 is urged downward by the first spring 56 to be in contact with the first movable supporting member lower limit stopper 54. Resultantly, the rear part of the lever 40 is urged downward through the drive rod 52. As a result, the undersurface of the rear part of the lever 40 is in contact with the upper limit stopper 44, so that the lever 40 stands still to be in a state shown in
If the player depresses the lever 40 in spite of the urging force exerted by the first spring 56, the lever 40 starts pivoting counterclockwise about the rotary shaft 42 in
If the player depresses the lever 40 further to increase the amount of the displacement of the lever 40, the urging force exerted by the first spring 56 on the lever 40 increases further (A1 of
If the amount of the displacement of the lever 40 increases further, the urging forces of the first spring 56 and the second spring 57 also increase further (A1 of
Then, the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 40 comes into contact with the lower limit stopper 43 to restrict downward displacement of the forward part of the lever 40. If the depression of the lever 40 is released, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 56, the second spring 57 and the third spring 61 cause the lever 40 to operate in the order opposite to that in which the lever 40 has operated on the depression of the lever 40. More specifically, the lever 40 pivots clockwise about the rotary shaft 42 in
Similarly to the fourth embodiment, as for the pedal apparatus according to the embodiment configured as described above, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 56, the second spring 57 and the third spring 61 change according to the ranges equivalent to the respective operational ranges shown in
In the present embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, in the case where the player deeply depresses the lever 40 and then sharply decreases the amount of depression, and in the case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 40, the second movable supporting member 58 can temporarily oscillate due to collaboration of inertial force and spring force. Furthermore, the second movable supporting member 58 can collide with the second movable supporting member lower limit stopper 59 to cause oscillation of the second movable supporting member 58. As for the present embodiment as well, however, the respective spring forces of the second spring 57 and the third spring 61 act on the second movable supporting member 58 in the directions opposite to each other. Therefore, the pedal apparatus 12 is able to suppress or quickly cease the oscillation. Furthermore, because the force of the springs acting on the lever 40 is divided into the spring force exerted by the first spring 56, and the spring force exerted by the second spring 57 and the third spring 61, the spring force exerted by the second spring 57 and the third spring 61 is small. As a result, the unnatural reaction force of the lever caused by the oscillation can be reduced. Therefore, the pedal apparatus 12 can stabilize the reaction force of the lever 40.
In the above description, the weight of the second movable supporting member 58 is taken into account. However, if the second movable supporting member 58 is made of a light material such as resin, the weight of the second movable supporting member 58 can be ignored. In this case, because the inertial force acting on the second movable supporting member 58 can be also ignored, such a light second movable supporting member 58 prevents the unnatural reaction force, also achieving reduction in weight of the pedal apparatus 12.
In addition, because the load sensor 50 and the displacement sensor 51 operate similarly to the first embodiment, the pedal apparatus 12 of the present embodiment can synchronize the feeling perceived by the player on the manipulation of the lever 40 with the start and the end of musical tone elements including damper effect to be added to musical tones to be generated and timbre, resonance (acoustic effect) and the like of musical tones to be generated.
Between the first movable supporting member 53 and the second movable supporting member 58, the capstan CS similar to that of the modification of the first embodiment may be provided. Such a modification also achieves the effect similar to the modification of the first embodiment.
Similarly to the modification of the second embodiment, in addition, the respective positions where the first to third springs 56, 57, 61 are provided may be changed. As shown in
Next, a sixth embodiment of the pedal apparatus 12 according to the present invention will be described in detail.
Next, the operation of the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above will be explained.
If the player depresses the lever 40 in spite of the urging force exerted by the first spring 82, the lever 40 starts pivoting counterclockwise about the rotary shaft 81 in
If the lever 40 is depressed further to increase the amount of displacement of the lever 40, the urging force exerted by the first spring 82 also increases further (A1 of
If the amount of displacement of the lever 40 increases further, the urging force exerted by the first spring 82 also increases further (A2 of
Then, the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 40 comes into contact with the lower limit stopper 43 to restrict downward displacement of the forward part of the lever 40. If the depression of the lever 40 is released, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 82, the second spring 83 and the third spring 90 cause the lever 40 to operate in the order opposite to that in which the lever 40 has operated on the depression of the lever 40. More specifically, the lever 40 pivots clockwise about the rotary shaft 81 in
The pedal apparatus according to the present embodiment configured as described above can also achieve the characteristics similar to those of the relationship between the amount of displacement of the lever from the start to the end of a depression of a pedal of an acoustic piano and the reaction force perceived by the player through the pedal as shown by the solid line in
In the operational range (A1 of
In the operational range (A2 of
In the present embodiment, similarly to the third embodiment, in the case where the player sharply decreases the amount of depression of the lever 40 or in the case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 40, the lever 40 occasionally collides with the pressing member 84. The impact caused by the collisions of the lever 40 with the pressing member 84 is absorbed by the first spring 82 and the second spring 83. Therefore, the present embodiment can stabilize the reaction force of the lever 40.
In addition, because the load sensor 50 and the displacement sensor 51 operate similarly to the first embodiment, the pedal apparatus 12 of the present embodiment can synchronize the feeling perceived by the player on the manipulation of the lever 40 with the start and the end of musical tone elements including damper effect to be added to musical tones to be generated and timbre, resonance (acoustic effect) and the like of musical tones to be generated.
Similarly to the modification of the third embodiment, in addition, the respective positions where the first to third springs 82, 83, 90 are provided may be changed. Furthermore, the compression springs may be replaced with extension springs. Such modifications can also achieve the effect similar to that of the sixth embodiment.
Next, a seventh embodiment of the pedal apparatus 12 according to the present invention will be described in detail.
Behind the rotary shaft 142 of the lever 140, the top end of a first spring 145 is fixed to the frame FR so that the top end of the first spring 145 is situated above the rear part of the lever 140. The lower end of the first spring 145 is inserted into a concave portion 140a provided on the top surface of the lever 140 behind the rotary shaft 142 of the lever 140 so that the lower end of the first spring 145 is in contact with the bottom surface of the concave portion 140a to urge the rear part of the lever 140 downward. The first spring 145 is a compression spring. Behind the rotary shaft 142 of the lever 140, a metal weight 146 serving as a movable supporting member is provided above the rear part of the lever 140. The weight 146 is allowed to move only upward and downward by a guide member which is not shown. The downward displacement of the weight 146 is restricted by a weight lower limit stopper 147 fixed to the frame FR. The weight 146 may be molded by resin to be fixed to a resin member formed by molding a metal massive body. The weight lower limit stopper 147 is made of a shock-absorbing member such as felt to prevent shock noise that would be generated when the weight 146 collides with the frame FR. On the undersurface of the weight 146, a concave portion 146a is provided. The top end of a second spring 148 is inserted into the concave portion 146a to be fixed to the upper bottom surface of the concave portion 146a to be supported. The lower end of the second spring 148 is in contact with a part of the top surface of the lever 140, the part being situated behind the rotary shaft 142. The second spring 148 is also a compression spring.
Into the concave portion 146a of the weight 146, a load sensor 150 for sensing the urging force of the second spring 148 (load applied to the lever 140 which is the pedal apparatus 12) is incorporated. By electrically sensing elastic deformation caused by the urging force of the second spring 148 (e.g., with a strain gauge), the load sensor 150 obtains the urging force of the second spring 148. Above the middle part of the lever 140, furthermore, a displacement sensor 151 for sensing the amount of displacement of the lever 140 is provided. By electrically or optically sensing the distance to the top surface of the lever 140 (e.g., by reflection of laser light), the displacement sensor 151 obtains the amount of displacement of the lever 140. The displacement sensor 151 may be replaced with a sensor for mechanically and electrically sensing the amount of upward and downward displacement of the lever 140 (e.g., variable resistance).
Next, the operation of the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above will be explained.
If the player depresses the lever 140 in spite of the urging force exerted by the first spring 145, the lever 140 starts pivoting counterclockwise about the rotary shaft 142 in
If the amount of displacement of the lever 140 increases further, the urging force of the first spring 145 increases further (A2 of
Then, the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 140 comes into contact with the lower limit stopper 143 to restrict downward displacement of the forward part of the lever 140. If the depression of the lever 140 is released, the urging force of the first spring 145, the urging force of the second spring 148 and the weight of the weight 146 which serves as a movable supporting member cause the lever 140 to operate in the order opposite to that in which the lever 140 has operated on the depression of the lever 140. More specifically, the lever 140 pivots clockwise about the rotary shaft 142 in
The detection circuit 23 detects a point where the rate of change in the reaction force of the lever 140 changes on the basis of the change in the urging force exerted by the second spring 148 detected by the load sensor 150. Furthermore, the displacement sensor 151 detects the amount of displacement of the lever 140. In accordance with the changing point of the rate of change in the reaction force and the information on the amount of displacement of the lever 140, the electronic musical instrument 10 adds a damper effect to a musical tone to be generated, also controlling musical tone elements such as timbre and resonance (acoustic effect) of the musical tone to be generated. In a range AH of
The pedal apparatus according to the present embodiment configured as described above can achieve the characteristics (
As for the acoustic piano, the range of A3 of
In a case where the player deeply depresses the lever 140 and then sharply decreases the amount of depression, and in a case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 140, the weight 146 can temporarily oscillate due to collaboration of inertial force and spring force applied to the weight 146. Furthermore, the weight 146 can collide with the weight lower limit stopper 147 to cause oscillation of the weight 146. In a case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 140 in the neighborhood of the range AH of
Due to variations in the spring constant of the first spring 145 and the second spring 148, and depending on assembling accuracy of various parts, variations occur in the relationship between the amount of displacement of the lever 140 and the reaction force. As for the pedal apparatus 12 of the present embodiment, however, the load sensor 150 detects the reaction force of the lever 140 to find out a point where the rate of change in the reaction force changes. Therefore, the pedal apparatus 12 of the embodiment can reliably distinguish a range equivalent to the current amount of displacement of the lever 140 from among the ranges of
As shown in
In the case where the pedal apparatus 12 is configured as described above, while the weight 146 is apart from the weight lower limit stopper 147 to be displaced upward, the weight 146 is supported by the capstan CS to prevent further compression of the second spring 148. Therefore, the weight 146 can stably move upward and downward, resulting in stable reaction force exerted by the lever 140.
The length of the capstan CS may be adjusted such that before the urging force of the second spring 148 exceeds the weight of the weight 146 after the depression of the lever 140, the capstan CS comes into contact with the undersurface of the weight 146. The respective urging forces of the first spring 145 and the second spring 148 with respect to the amount of displacement of the lever 140 configured as described above are shown in
As for this modification, on the boundary between the range where the rate of change in the reaction force is great and the range where the rate of change is small, the reaction force of the lever 140 changes stepwise. The stepwise change in the reaction force facilitates player's perception of the boundary. Compared with the pedal apparatus 12 without the capstan CS, furthermore, the pedal apparatus 12 having the capstan CS can narrow the range where the rate of change in the reaction force is great (A1 of
Although this modification is designed such that the capstan CS is situated inside the second spring 148, the capstan CS may be placed anywhere as long as the top end of the capstan CS opposes to the undersurface of the weight 146. Alternatively, the capstan CS may be placed on the weight 146 side so that the head portion CSa of the capstan CS opposes to the top surface of the lever 140.
The above-described seventh embodiment is designed such that the top end of the first spring 145 is fixed to the frame FR situated above the rear part of the lever 140, with the lower end of the first spring 145 being in contact with the top surface of the rear part of the lever 140. However, the seventh embodiment may be modified such that the lower end of the first spring 145 is fixed to the frame FR situated below the forward part of the lever 140, with the top end of the first spring 145 being contact with a part of the undersurface of the lever 140, the part being situated in front of the rotary shaft 142. Furthermore, the seventh embodiment is designed such that the top end of the second spring 148 is inserted into the concave portion 146a of the weight 146 to be fixed to the upper bottom surface of the concave portion 146a to be supported. However, the seventh embodiment may be modified such that the lever 140 has a concave portion on its top surface so that the lower end of the second spring 148 is fixed to the bottom surface of the concave portion to be supported, with the top end of the second spring 148 being inserted into the concave portion 146a of the weight 146 to be in contact with the weight 146.
The seventh embodiment is designed such that the weight 146 can move upward and downward. However, the embodiment may be modified to have a weight lever 153 and a weight 157 which pivot in response to the lever 140 as shown in
Above the rear part of the lever 140, the weight lever 153 serving as a movable supporting member is provided. The weight lever 153, which is a plate-shaped member, is supported at its front end by a weight lever supporting portion 154 provided on the frame FR so that the rear end of the weight lever 153 can pivot upward and downward about a rotary shaft 155. Above the rear part of the lever 140, a weight lever lower limit stopper 156 is provided to restrict downward displacement of the rear part of the weight lever 153. The weight lever lower limit stopper 156 is also made of a shock-absorbing member such as felt in order to prevent shock noise. On the top surface of the rear part of the weight lever 153, the weight 157 which is part of the movable supporting member is provided. On the undersurface of the rear part of the weight lever 153, a concave portion 153a is provided. The top end of a second spring 158 is inserted into the concave portion 153a to be fixed to the upper bottom surface of the concave portion 153a to be supported. The lower end of the second spring 158 is in contact with a part of the top surface of the lever 140, the part being situated behind the rotary shaft 142 of the lever 140. The second spring 158 is a compression spring. Similarly to the seventh embodiment, in addition, the load sensor 150 is incorporated into the undersurface of the rear part of the weight lever 153, with the displacement sensor 151 being provided on the frame FR. Such a modification can also achieve the effect similar to that of the seventh embodiment.
The example having the weight lever 153 is designed such that the lower end of the first spring 152 is fixed to the frame FR situated below the middle part of the lever 140, with the top end being in contact with the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 140. However, the example may be modified such that a spring supporting portion is provided on the top surface of the lever 140 to be situated in front of the rotary shaft of the lever 140 so that the lower end of an extension spring is supported by the spring supporting portion with the top end of the extension spring being fixed to the frame FR situated above the middle part of the lever 140. Furthermore, the modification is designed such that the top end of the second spring 158 is inserted into the concave portion 153a of the weight lever 153 to be fixed to the upper bottom surface of the concave portion 153a to be supported. However, the modification may be modified such that a concave portion is provided on the top surface of the lever 140 to be situated behind the rotary shaft 142 of the lever 140 so that the lower end of the second spring 158 is fixed to the bottom surface of the concave portion to be supported, with the top end of the second spring 158 being inserted into the concave portion 153a of the weight lever 153 to be in contact with the weight lever 153.
Next, an eighth embodiment of the pedal apparatus 12 according to the present invention will be described in detail.
The first movable supporting member 161 is a plate-shaped member which extends from the front toward the rear of the pedal apparatus 12. The first movable supporting member 161 is supported at the rear part thereof by a supporting portion 162 fixed to the frame FR so that the front end of the first movable supporting member 161 can pivot upward and downward about a rotary shaft 163. Above the first movable supporting member 161, a second movable supporting member 163 is provided. Similarly to the first movable supporting member 161, the second movable supporting member 163 is a plate-shaped member which extends from the front toward the rear of the pedal apparatus 12. The second movable supporting member 163 is supported at the rear part thereof by the supporting member 162 so that the front end of the second movable supporting member 163 can pivot upward and downward about the rotary shaft 163. Above the forward part of the first movable supporting member 161, a second movable supporting member lower limit stopper 164 fixed to the frame FR is provided to restrict downward displacement of the forward part of the second movable supporting member 163. The second movable supporting member lower limit stopper 164 is also made of shock-absorbing member such as felt in order to lessen shock noise. On the forward part of the second movable supporting member 163, a weight 165 is provided. Integrally with the second movable supporting member 163, the weight 165 serves as a movable supporting member. Into a concave portion 161b provided on the top surface of the forward part of the first movable supporting member 161, the lower end of a first spring 166 is inserted to be fixed to the bottom surface of the concave portion 161b to be supported. The top end of the first spring 166 is fixed to the frame FR situated above. The first spring 166 is a compression spring. The first spring 166 urges the front end of the lever 140 upward through the drive rod 160. Into a concave portion 161c provided on the top surface of the middle part of the first movable supporting member 161, the lower end of a second spring 167 is inserted to be fixed to the bottom surface of the concave portion 161c to be supported. The top end of the second spring 167 is in contact with the undersurface of the forward part of the second movable supporting member 163. Similarly to the seventh embodiment, the load sensor 150 is incorporated into the undersurface of the forward part of the second movable supporting member 163, while the displacement sensor 151 is provided on the frame FR.
Next, the operation of the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above will be described. Although the configuration of the present embodiment is different from that of the seventh embodiment, the present embodiment operates almost similarly to the seventh embodiment. In a state where the lever 140 is not depressed, the first movable supporting member 161 is urged downward by the first spring 166, so that the rear part of the lever 140 is urged downward through the drive rod 160. Resultantly, the undersurface of the rear part of the lever 140 is in contact with the upper limit stopper 144, so that the lever 140 stands still to be in the state shown in
If the player depresses the lever 140 in spite of the urging force exerted by the first spring 166, the lever 140 starts pivoting counterclockwise about the rotary shaft 142 in
Then, if the urging force exerted by the second spring 167 exceeds the weight of the second movable supporting member 163 and the weight 165, the forward part of the second movable supporting member 163 moves upward. As a result, the second spring 167 will be hardly compressed any further with little increase in the urging force of the second spring 167. In this operational range, therefore, although the reaction force of the lever 140 is brought about by the first spring 166 and the second spring 167, the change in the reaction force is brought about only by the first spring 166 (A2 of
Then, the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 140 comes into contact with the lower limit stopper 143 to restrict downward displacement of the forward part of the lever 140. If the depression of the lever 140 is released, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 166 and the second spring 167 and the weight of the first movable supporting member 161 and the second movable supporting member 163 cause the lever 140 to operate in the order opposite to that in which the lever 140 has operated on the depression of the lever 140. More specifically, the lever 140 pivots clockwise about the rotary shaft 142 in
As for the pedal apparatus according to the eighth embodiment configured as described above, similarly to the seventh embodiment, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 166 and the second spring 167 change according to the ranges equivalent to the respective operational ranges shown in
In the present embodiment, similarly to the seventh embodiment, in the case where the player sharply decreases the amount of depression of the lever 140, and in the case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 140, the second movable supporting member 163 can temporarily oscillate due to collaboration of inertial force and spring force acting on the second movable supporting member 163 and the weight 165. Furthermore, the second movable supporting member 163 can collide with the second movable supporting member lower limit stopper 164 to cause oscillation of the second movable supporting member 163. In this case, because the force of the springs acting on the lever 140 is divided into the spring force exerted by the first spring 166 and the spring force exerted by the second spring 167, the spring force exerted by the second spring 167 is small. As a result, the unnatural reaction force of the lever caused by the oscillation can be reduced. Therefore, the pedal apparatus 12 can stabilize the reaction force of the lever 140.
In addition, because the load sensor 150 and the displacement sensor 151 operate similarly to the seventh embodiment, the pedal apparatus 12 of the present embodiment can synchronize the feeling perceived by the player on the manipulation of the lever 140 with the start and the end of musical tone elements including damper effect to be added to musical tones to be generated, and timbre, resonance (acoustic effect) and the like of musical tones to be generated. Furthermore, the present embodiment realizes the pedal apparatus having a simple structure.
Between the first movable supporting member 161 and the second movable supporting member 163, the capstan CS similar to that of the modification of the seventh embodiment may be provided. Such a modification also achieves the effect similar to the modification of the seventh embodiment.
The eighth embodiment is designed such that the lower end of the first spring 166 is inserted into the concave portion 161b provided on the first movable supporting member 161 to be fixed to the bottom surface of the concave portion 161 to be supported. However, the eighth embodiment may be modified such that a spring supporting portion is provided on the forward part of the first movable supporting member 161 so that the top end of an extension spring is supported by the spring supporting portion with the lower end of the extension spring being fixed to the frame FR situated below the first movable supporting member 161. Such a modification can achieve the effect similar to the eighth embodiment.
Next, a ninth embodiment of the pedal apparatus 12 according to the present invention will be described in detail.
Next, the operation of the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above will be explained.
If the player depresses the lever 140 in spite of the urging force exerted by the first spring 145, the lever 140 starts pivoting counterclockwise about the rotary shaft 142 in
If the player depresses the lever 140 further to increase the amount of the displacement of the lever 140, the urging force exerted by the first spring 145 on the lever 140 increases further (A1 of
If the amount of the displacement of the lever 140 increases further, the urging force of the first spring 145 also increases further (A2 of
Then, the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 140 comes into contact with the lower limit stopper 143 to restrict downward displacement of the forward part of the lever 140. If the depression of the lever 140 is released, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 145 and the second spring 148, and the weight of the weight 146 which serves as a movable supporting member cause the lever 140 to operate in the order opposite to that in which the lever 140 has operated on the depression of the lever 140. More specifically, the lever 140 pivots clockwise about the rotary shaft 142 in
The pedal apparatus according to the embodiment configured as described above can achieve the characteristics (
In the present embodiment, similarly to the seventh embodiment, in a case where the player sharply decreases the amount of depression, and in a case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 140, the weight 146 can temporarily oscillate due to collaboration of inertial force and spring force applied to the weight 146. Furthermore, the weight 146 can collide with the weight lower limit stopper 147 to cause oscillation of the weight 146. In this case, however, because the force of the springs acting on the lever 140 is divided into the spring force exerted by the first spring 145 and the spring force exerted by the second spring 148, the spring force exerted by the second spring 148 is small. As a result, the unnatural reaction force of the lever caused by the oscillation can be reduced. Therefore, the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above can stabilize the reaction force of the lever 140.
In addition, because the load sensor 150 and the displacement sensor 151 operate similarly to the seventh embodiment, the pedal apparatus 12 of the present embodiment can synchronize the feeling perceived by the player on the manipulation of the lever 140 with the start and the end of musical tone elements including damper effect to be added to musical tones to be generated, and timbre, resonance (acoustic effect) and the like of musical tones to be generated. Furthermore, the present embodiment realizes the pedal apparatus having a simple structure.
Between the weight 146 and the lever 140, the capstan CS similar to that of the modification of the seventh embodiment may be provided. Such a modification can stabilize reaction force of the lever 140 as in the case of the modification of the seventh embodiment. In addition, the modification of the ninth embodiment may be further modified such that the capstan CS comes into contact with the weight 146 before the urging force of the second spring 148 exceeds the weight of the weight 146. The respective urging forces of the first spring 145 and the second spring 148 with respect to the amount of displacement of the lever 140 in this modification are shown in
Similarly to the modification of the seventh embodiment, in addition, the position where the first spring 145 is provided may be changed. Furthermore, the ninth embodiment is designed such that in a state where the lever 140 is not depressed, the lower end of the second spring 148 is apart from the lever 140. However, the ninth embodiment may be modified such that a concave portion is provided on the top surface of the lever 140 so that the lower end of the second spring 148 is inserted into the concave portion to be fixed to the concave portion with the top end of the second spring 148 being apart from the weight 146. As shown in
Next, a tenth embodiment of the pedal apparatus 12 according to the present invention will be described in detail.
Next, the operation of the pedal apparatus 12 configured as described above will be explained. In a state where the lever 140 is not depressed, the first movable supporting member 161 is urged downward by the first spring 166 to urge the rear part of the lever 140 downward through the drive rod 160. As a result, the undersurface of the rear part of the lever 140 is in contact with the upper limit stopper 144, so that the lever 140 stands still to be in a state shown in
If the player depresses the lever 140 in spite of the urging force exerted by the first spring 166, the lever 140 starts pivoting counterclockwise about the rotary shaft 142 in
If the player depresses the lever 140 further to increase the amount of the displacement of the lever 140, the urging force exerted by the first spring 166 on the lever 140 increases further (A1 of
Then, if the urging force of the second spring 167 exceeds the combined force formed of the respective weights of the second movable supporting member 163 and the weight 165, the forward part of the second movable supporting member 163 is displaced upward. As a result, the second spring 167 will not be compressed any further, with no increase in the urging force of the second spring 167. Therefore, although the reaction force of the lever 140 is brought about by the first spring 166 and the second spring 167, the change in the reaction force is brought about only by the first spring 166 (A2 of
Then, the undersurface of the middle part of the lever 140 comes into contact with the lower limit stopper 143 to restrict downward displacement of the forward part of the lever 140. If the depression of the lever 140 is released, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 166 and the second spring 167, and the weight of the first movable supporting member 161 cause the lever 140 to operate in the order opposite to that in which the lever 140 has operated on the depression of the lever 140. More specifically, the lever 140 pivots clockwise about the rotary shaft 142 in
As for the pedal apparatus according to the tenth embodiment configured as described above, similarly to the ninth embodiment, the urging forces exerted by the first spring 166 and the second spring 167 change according to the ranges equivalent to the respective operational ranges shown in
In the present embodiment, similarly to the seventh embodiment, in the case where the player sharply decreases the amount of depression of the lever 140, and in the case where the player periodically changes the amount of depression of the lever 140, the second movable supporting member 163 can temporarily oscillate due to collaboration of inertial force and spring force acting on the second movable supporting member 163 and the weight 165. Furthermore, the second movable supporting member 163 can collide with the second movable supporting member lower limit stopper 164 to cause oscillation of the second movable supporting member 163. In this case, because the force of the springs acting on the lever 140 is divided into the spring force exerted by the first spring 166 and the spring force exerted by the second spring 167, the spring force exerted by the second spring 167 is small. As a result, the unnatural reaction force of the lever caused by the oscillation can be reduced. Therefore, the pedal apparatus 12 can stabilize the reaction force of the lever 140.
In addition, because the load sensor 150 and the displacement sensor 151 operate similarly to the seventh embodiment, the pedal apparatus 12 of the present embodiment can synchronize the feeling perceived by the player on the manipulation of the lever 140 with the start and the end of musical tone elements including damper effect to be added to musical tones to be generated, and timbre, resonance (acoustic effect) and the like of musical tones to be generated. Furthermore, the present embodiment realizes the pedal apparatus having a simple structure.
Furthermore, the present embodiment may be modified to have the capstan CS similar to that of the modification of the seventh embodiment between the first movable supporting member 161 and the second movable supporting member 163. Similarly to the modification of the eighth embodiment, in addition, the present embodiment may be modified to replace the first spring 166 with an extension spring. Furthermore, the tenth embodiment is designed such that in a state where the lever 140 is not depressed, the lower end of the second spring 167 is apart from the first movable supporting member 161. However, the embodiment may be modified such that the lower end of the second spring 167 is inserted into the concave portion 161c to be fixed to the concave portion with the upper end of the second spring 167 being apart from the second movable supporting member 163. Such modifications can achieve the effect similar to the modifications of the seventh embodiment.
In the first to tenth embodiments, the pedal apparatus 12 is applied to the damper pedal of the electronic musical instrument. However, the pedal apparatus 12 can be applied to the other pedals such as a sostenuto pedal and soft pedal of an electronic musical instrument.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-075121 | Mar 2008 | JP | national |
| 2008-075126 | Mar 2008 | JP | national |
| 2009-004450 | Jan 2009 | JP | national |
| 2009-004455 | Jan 2009 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2893282 | Searles | Jul 1959 | A |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090235803 A1 | Sep 2009 | US |
