EP2779154A1 - Elektrisch gesteuertes Steuerventil, um den Luftstrom eines Balges eines elektronischen Akkordeons zu steuern. - Google Patents

Elektrisch gesteuertes Steuerventil, um den Luftstrom eines Balges eines elektronischen Akkordeons zu steuern. Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2779154A1
EP2779154A1 EP14158984.6A EP14158984A EP2779154A1 EP 2779154 A1 EP2779154 A1 EP 2779154A1 EP 14158984 A EP14158984 A EP 14158984A EP 2779154 A1 EP2779154 A1 EP 2779154A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
electrically controlled
control valve
controlled control
plug
valve
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP14158984.6A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Luigi Bruti
Demetrio Cuccu'
Luigi Ferrari
Daniele Verdecchia
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Roland Corp
Original Assignee
Roland Europe SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Roland Europe SpA filed Critical Roland Europe SpA
Publication of EP2779154A1 publication Critical patent/EP2779154A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10H—ELECTROPHONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH THE TONES ARE GENERATED BY ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS OR ELECTRONIC GENERATORS, OR IN WHICH THE TONES ARE SYNTHESISED FROM A DATA STORE
    • G10H1/00—Details of electrophonic musical instruments
    • G10H1/32—Constructional details
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10H—ELECTROPHONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH THE TONES ARE GENERATED BY ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS OR ELECTRONIC GENERATORS, OR IN WHICH THE TONES ARE SYNTHESISED FROM A DATA STORE
    • G10H2230/00—General physical, ergonomic or hardware implementation of electrophonic musical tools or instruments, e.g. shape or architecture
    • G10H2230/045—Special instrument [spint], i.e. mimicking the ergonomy, shape, sound or other characteristic of a specific acoustic musical instrument category
    • G10H2230/245—Spint accordion, i.e. mimicking accordions; Electrophonic instruments with one or more typical accordion features, e.g. special accordion keyboards or bellows, electrophonic aspects of mechanical accordions, Midi-like control therefor

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an electrically controlled control valve to control the air stream of a bellows of an electronic accordion.
  • An acoustic accordion is an instrument provided with a bellows for pumping air towards valves, which are operated by a plurality of respective keys divided on two keyboards (one for the right hand and one for the left hand).
  • Each valve controlled by a respective key is suited to send the air pumped by the bellows to a plurality of respective reeds, which are all coupled to the same valve, belong to different feet, and vibrate substantially together to produce the note associated with the corresponding key.
  • the acoustic accordion is further provided with a series of registers which are suited to modify the features of the sound produced by pressing the keys thus either allowing or preventing some reed feet to/from vibrating.
  • each reed is normally defined by a foil arranged at a hole for passing the air from the respective valve, which hole may be closed by a specific window controlled by a corresponding register.
  • Electronic accordions are known on the market which are provided with a bellows coupled to a pressure sensor for generating a pressure signal proportional to the air pumped by the bellows, and are provided with two keyboards (one for the right hand and one for the left hand) coupled to a plurality of sensors for generating a series of keyboard signals reproducing the pressure of the keys; the pressure signal and the keyboard signals are supplied to a sound module, which is able to generate the corresponding accordion sound electronically.
  • the known sound modules are based on the sampling and storing of the characteristic sounds produced by the single keys; when a key is pressed, the sound module reproduces the characteristic sound of the key until the key itself is released; with a different pressure of the air pumped by the bellows, the sound module reproduces the characteristic sounds of the pressed keys with a different sound volume.
  • the air pressure pumped by the bellows through the holes of each reed depends on the force exerted on the bellows by the user and on the number of open valves, which depends, in turn, on the activated registers and on the number of pressed keys.
  • the force exerted on the bellows being equal, the air pressure, and thus the opposite resistance force exerted by the bellows on the user's arms, is thus a function of the activated registers and of the number of keys pressed by the user.
  • the absence of activated registers and of pressed keys causes the closing of all the valves, thus blocking the movement of the bellows.
  • the acoustic accordion is provided with a specific key for opening a specific hole which allows the residual air to exit from the bellows without crossing any of the reeds. Once the bellows has been completely compressed, the specific key may be released to prevent air from entering into the bellows again, which is thus blocked in the most suitable position for transport.
  • the pressure of the air pumped by the bellows depends only on the force that the user exerts on the bellows, because the compressed air is ejected through one or more fixed section openings.
  • the marketed electronic accordions have a mechanical bellows releasing and blocking device similar to those of acoustic accordions, i.e. provided with a specific key which moves a partition that opens and closes the fixed section opening.
  • Patent IT1341587B and patent EP1752966B1 describe an electronic accordion in which the bellows is connected to the external environment by means of a connecting duct which is controlled by an electrically controlled control valve, the position of which is controlled as a function of the keyboard signals.
  • the section of the connecting duct (and thus the opposite resistance force exerted by the bellows on the user's arms) can be electronically varied as a function of the activated registers and of the number of keys pressed by the user.
  • the electrically controlled control valve may be excessively noisy, i.e. in use it may produce a noise which could be perceived by the musician playing the instrument; the noise produced by the electrically controlled control valve is an interference because it is unnatural (i.e. absent in an acoustic accordion).
  • acoustic screens In order to attenuate the noise generated in use by the electrically controlled control valve, acoustic screens have been suggested which acoustically isolate the electrically controlled control valve by using soundproofing screens arranged around the electrically controlled control valve itself; however, the use of acoustic screens has found to be unsatisfactory because it can attenuate but not eliminate the perception of noise produced by the electrically controlled control valve outside the instrument.
  • an electrically controlled control valve is provided to control the air stream in a bellows of an electronic accordion, as claimed in the appended claims.
  • reference numeral 1 indicates an electronic accordion as a whole, which is completely externally similar to an acoustic accordion and has a pair of keyboards 2 consisting of respective pluralities of keys 3 used to play, and two selectors 4 consisting of respective pluralities of registers 5 used to modify the features of the sound.
  • the electronic accordion 1 is provided with a bellows 6, which is structurally identical to the bellows of an acoustic accordion and pumps air towards an electromechanical pressure sensor 7 (of substantially known type) suited to generate a pressure signal proportional to an air pressure pumped from bellows 6 in real time.
  • the air pumped by bellows 6 is exchanged with the external environment through an air passage opening 8 arranged on the exterior of the accordion and covered by a permeable grid. It is apparent that air is aspirated into bellows 6 from the external environment during the step of expanding the bellows 6 itself, while air is ejected from bellows 6 towards the external environment during the step of compressing the bellows 6 itself.
  • Each key 3 is connected to a respective sensor 9, which is suited to generate a respective keyboard signal indicating the position of the key 3 itself.
  • Each register 5 is connected to a respective sensor 10, which is suited to generate a respective keyboard signal indicating the position of the register 5 itself.
  • sensor 7, sensors 9 and sensors 10 are connected to a control unit 11, which is housed inside the electronic accordion 1 and uses a MIDI interface to send the pressure, keyboard and register signals in real time to a sound module 12 suited to electronically generate the typical sounds of an accordion.
  • a user selects the position of registers 5 in the selectors 4, presses and releases the keys 3 of keyboards 2, and operates the bellows 6; as a result of these actions, the control unit 11 receives the time evolution of the corresponding pressure, keyboard and register signals in real time from sensors 7, 9 and 10. From the control unit 11, the pressure, keyboard and register signals are sent to the sound module 12 which then generates the sound of the electronic accordion 1.
  • the amplitude, i.e. the volume, with which the sound of the electronic accordion 1 is generated is not constant and depends (according to an empirically obtained biunivocal function) on the pressure signal, which is proportional to the pressure value of the air pumped by bellows 6.
  • each key 3 of keyboard 2 is suited to open a valve which sends the air pumped by bellows 6 towards a plurality of reeds, which are all coupled to the same valve, and thus to the same key 3, belong to different feet, and vibrate substantially together to produce the note coupled to the key 3 itself; moreover, each register 5 is suited to open a plurality of windows at the holes of respective reeds.
  • the air pumped by bellows 6 crosses an actual section equivalent to the sum of the sections of the open windows at the holes of the reeds concerned by the open valves; such a section is obviously variable in time as a function of the number of pressed keys 3 and of the activated registers 5, and may vary from a minimum value which is substantially null (corresponding to no pressed keys 3 and/or no activated registers 5) and a maximum value (theoretically corresponding to all open valves, i.e. all keys 3 pressed and all registers 5 activated).
  • the absence of activated registers 5 and pressed keys 3 determines a substantially null air passage section, and thus causes the blocking of the movement of bellows 6.
  • bellows 6 is connected to the air passage opening 8 by means of a connecting duct 13, which allows the air transit between bellows 6 and the air passage opening 8; the connecting duct 13 is controlled by an electronically controlled control valve 14, which is suited to vary an air passage section provided by the connecting duct 13 itself.
  • the electronic control unit controls the electrically controlled control valve 14 to vary the air passage section of the connecting duct 13 as a function of the keyboard and register signals generated by sensors 9 and 10 (corresponding to the status of keys 3 and registers 5, respectively).
  • the control unit 11 is suited to translate the combination of pressed keys 3 and activated registers 5 into a corresponding value of the air passage section in the connecting duct 13 according to a biunivocal mapping, which is obtained from the architecture of an acoustic accordion and is stored in a memory (not shown in detail).
  • the air passage section value of the connecting duct 13 increases as the number of pressed keys 3 and the number of activated registers 5 increase.
  • the air passage section of the connecting duct 13 controlled by the action of the electrically controlled control valve 14 reproduces the actual air passage section which could be obtained in an acoustic accordion under the same operating conditions.
  • the dynamic variation of the air passage section of the connecting duct 13 obviously causes a corresponding variation of the pressure signal independent from the force that the user of the electronic instrument 1 exerts on bellows 6.
  • the connecting duct 13 consists of a number of channels, which pneumatically connect bellows 6 to the air passage opening 8; at least part of the channels are controlled by respective electrically controlled control valves 14; in this embodiment, the various channels have mutually different sections so as to improve the control possibility and to further approach the behavior of an acoustic accordion.
  • the air passage opening 8 can also consist of a single circular section through hole, a single crescent-shaped hole, or of a set of through holes having an increasing section.
  • the control unit 11 controls the complete closing of the electrically controlled control valve 14 with the effect of blocking the movement of bellows 6.
  • the electronic accordion 1 has a release key (not shown) on the outside, which is suited to electronically control the release of the movement of bellow 6, i.e. to take the electrically controlled control valve 14 to a partial or complete opening position.
  • the pressing of the release key sends a signal to the control unit 11, which controls the opening of the electrically controlled control valve 14, thus causing the release of the movement of bellows 6; as soon as the release key is released, the control unit 11 returns the electrically controlled control valve 14 to the previous closing state.
  • the electrically controlled control valve 14 comprises a valve body 15 with a circular shape which runs around a longitudinal symmetry axis 16.
  • An intermediate annular portion of the surface of the passage opening 17 defines a valve seat 18, against which a plug 19 leans to seal the passage opening 17 and thus prevent the air stream through the passage opening 17 itself.
  • plug 19 is mounted so as to be mobile between a complete opening position in which plug 19 is at the maximum distance from the valve seat 18 and a closing position (shown in figure 6 ) in which plug 19 leans against the valve seat 18 and seals the passage opening 17.
  • the valve body 15 comprises a tubular element 20 in which the passage opening 17 is defined.
  • the tubular element 20 has a sandglass shape and thus the passage opening 17 has an inner portion 21 which is arranged on the side of plug 19, supports the valve seat 18, and has a converging taper, and an outer portion 22 which is connected to the inner portion 21, is arranged on the opposite side of plug 19 and has a diverging taper (i.e. opposite to the inner portion 21). It is worth noting that the converging taper of the inner portion 21 is much more accentuated than the diverging taper of the outer portion 22 (which is substantially nearly cylindrical).
  • plug 19 has the shape of an ogive having a pointed end which faces the passage opening 17 and which, in the closing position (shown in figure 6 ), gets into the passage opening 17 beyond the valve seat 18. Therefore, in the closing position, the valve seat 18 leans against an intermediate portion of the outer surface of plug 19 spaced apart from the pointed end of plug 19.
  • plug 19 preferably has the shape of a heart. Such a shape and such an arrangement of plug 19 allow to reduce the aerodynamic noises produced by the contact of the air with the plug 19 itself.
  • the electrically controlled control valve 14 comprises a fixing body 23 with annular shape which is suited to be rigidly fixed to the electronic accordion 1 (for this purpose it is provided with through holes, visible in figures 4 and 5 , through which screws are arranged), is arranged around the valve body 15, and is separated and independent from the valve body 15 itself.
  • the fixing body 23 has a void in the middle (the fixing body 23 having an annular shape) in which the valve body 15 is arranged (at a given distance) without touching the fixing body 23 itself in any manner.
  • a flexible connecting diaphragm 24 with an annular shape is included, which mechanically connects the valve body 15 to the fixing body 23 so as to allow the valve body 15 to axially and radially move (vibrate) with respect to the fixing body 23.
  • the connecting diaphragm 24 has an outer end which is fixed to the fixing body 23 and an inner end which is fixed to the valve body 15; thereby, the valve body 15 is hanging on the fixing body 23 to move (vibrate) freely with respect to the fixing body 23 itself.
  • the connecting diaphragm 24 has, in its axial section, the shape of an overturned "S", i.e. a "sinusoid" shape, or double “U” shape; alternatively, the connecting diaphragm 24 could have an axial section in the shape of a "U”.
  • the electrically controlled control valve 14 comprises a supporting body 25 which is fixed to the valve body 15 and supports an electric actuator 26 which is arranged coaxially to the passage opening 17 and is mechanically connected to plug 19 in order to move plug 19 between the complete opening position and the closing position; in particular, the electric actuator 26 is provided with a shaft 27 which is axially slidingly mounted and has an end rigidly restrained to plug 19.
  • the electric actuator 26 comprises a rotary stepper electric motor, which controls a worm screw coupled to a corresponding nut screw obtained on the shaft 27; alternatively, the electric actuator 26 is a linear stepper motor which directly controls shaft 27.
  • the support body 25 comprises two columns 28 (but obviously there could be more), which are axially arranged on opposite sides of the passage opening 17 and connect the support body 25 to the valve body 15.
  • Each column 28 of the support body 25 is preferably fixed to the valve body 15 by means of a corresponding screw 29; similarly, the electric actuator 26 is also fixed to the support body 25 by means of a pair of screws 30.
  • the flexible diaphragm 24 has two through holes, each of which is crossed by a corresponding column 28 of the support body 25; thereby, the flexible diaphragm 24 is also kept integral with the valve body 15 by means of the columns 28.
  • the function of the connecting diaphragm 24 is to mechanically uncouple the valve body 15 from the fixing body 23 so as to avoid the transmission of vibrations generated by the electric actuator 26, from the valve body 15 (which supports the electric actuator 26) to the fixing body 23; indeed, such variations, if transmitted to the fixing body 23 and thus to the whole structure of the electronic accordion 1 to which the fixing body 23 is rigidly connected, could generate a noise of relatively high intensity because they could be amplified by the electronic accordion 1, which behaves as a harmonic resonance box.
  • the connecting diaphragm 24 forms a mechanical filter which blocks the transmission of vibrations generated by the electric actuator 26, from the valve body 15 (which supports the electric actuator 26) to the fixing body 23.
  • the electrically controlled control valve 14 comprises a ring 31 made of a spongy material (thus soundproofing) which is arranged around the passage opening 17 on the opposite side with respect to plug 19.
  • a central hole of the ring 31 made of a spongy material is arranged at a given distance from the tubular element 20, i.e. the tubular element 20 is inserted into the central hole of the ring 31 made of a spongy material with a given clearance.
  • the function of the ring 31 made of a spongy material is to attenuate the aerodynamic swish which is generated by the air when it crosses the passage opening 17.
  • the electrically controlled control valve 14 comprises a small tube 32 of the pressure sensor 7, which is arranged through the fixing body 23.
  • an inner end of the small tube 32 is arranged inside bellows 6 (or inside the connecting duct 13 which forms the extension of bellows 6), while an outer end of the small tube 32 is arranged outside bellows 6 and is coupled to the pressure sensor 7; thus, the small tube 32 acts as an extension to "take” the inner pressure of bellows 6 up to the pressure sensor 7 which is arranged outside bellows 6 (arranging the pressure sensor 7 outside bellows 6 greatly simplifies the assembly of the pressure sensor 7, because bellows 6 is an elastic body, the shape and size of which being greatly, continuously modified).
  • the outer surface of plug 19 which comes into contact with the valve seat 18 is externally coated with a layer 33 of elastic material (e.g. rubber or the like) which serves the function of both damping the impact of plug 19 against the valve seat 18 when plug 19 reaches the closing position, and increasing the sealing between the plug 19 and the valve seat 18.
  • a layer 33 of elastic material e.g. rubber or the like
  • plug 19 has an axially directed linear motion (i.e. plug 19 moves along the longitudinal axis of the passage opening 17).
  • plug 19 could have a radially directed linear motion (i.e. plug 19 would move perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the passage opening 17).
  • plug 19 could have a rotary motion (i.e. plug 19 would rotate around a rotation axis parallel or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the passage opening 17).
  • the above-described electrically controlled control valve 14 has many advantages.
  • the above-described electrically controlled control valve 14 allows to eliminate the perception of the noise generated by the electrically controlled control valve 14 outside the electronic accordion 14. Such a result is not achieved by acoustically isolating the electrically controlled control valve 14, instead by eliminating (as much as possible) the noise source. In other words, the above-described electrically controlled control valve 14 is quieter per se and thus the noise of very low intensity which is generated by the electrically controlled control valve 14 cannot be perceived in any manner outside the electronic accordion 1.
  • the electrically controlled control valve 14 is particularly small in size, compact, and light in weight and so can be easily housed inside the electronic accordion 1.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Massaging Devices (AREA)
  • Air-Flow Control Members (AREA)
  • Cooling Or The Like Of Electrical Apparatus (AREA)
  • Details Of Valves (AREA)
EP14158984.6A 2013-03-11 2014-03-11 Elektrisch gesteuertes Steuerventil, um den Luftstrom eines Balges eines elektronischen Akkordeons zu steuern. Withdrawn EP2779154A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT000103A ITBO20130103A1 (it) 2013-03-11 2013-03-11 Valvola di regolazione elettrocomandata per regolare il passaggio dell'aria di un mantice di una fisarmonica elettronica

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EP2779154A1 true EP2779154A1 (de) 2014-09-17

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EP14158984.6A Withdrawn EP2779154A1 (de) 2013-03-11 2014-03-11 Elektrisch gesteuertes Steuerventil, um den Luftstrom eines Balges eines elektronischen Akkordeons zu steuern.

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EP (1) EP2779154A1 (de)
IT (1) ITBO20130103A1 (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2018202913A1 (de) * 2017-05-05 2018-11-08 Telegärtner Elektronik GmbH Elektronisches akkordeon
IT202000013048A1 (it) * 2020-06-01 2021-12-01 Beltuna Accordions S R L Elettrovalvola per controllare il flusso d'aria di un mantice di una fisarmonica

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1258861A2 (de) * 2001-04-27 2002-11-20 ROLAND EUROPE S.p.A. Verfahren zur elektronischen Wiedergabe eines Akkordeonsklangs
EP1752966A2 (de) * 2005-08-08 2007-02-14 Roland Corporation Elektronisches Akkordeon

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1258861A2 (de) * 2001-04-27 2002-11-20 ROLAND EUROPE S.p.A. Verfahren zur elektronischen Wiedergabe eines Akkordeonsklangs
EP1752966A2 (de) * 2005-08-08 2007-02-14 Roland Corporation Elektronisches Akkordeon
EP1752966B1 (de) 2005-08-08 2008-11-19 Roland Corporation Elektronisches Akkordeon

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2018202913A1 (de) * 2017-05-05 2018-11-08 Telegärtner Elektronik GmbH Elektronisches akkordeon
IT202000013048A1 (it) * 2020-06-01 2021-12-01 Beltuna Accordions S R L Elettrovalvola per controllare il flusso d'aria di un mantice di una fisarmonica

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ITBO20130103A1 (it) 2014-09-12

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