GB2151065A

GB2151065A - Drum beater

Info

Publication number: GB2151065A
Application number: GB08412647A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Masao Hoshino
Original assignee: Hoshino Gakki Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hoshino Gakki Co Ltd
Priority date: 1983-10-12
Filing date: 1984-05-17
Publication date: 1985-07-10
Also published as: GB8412647D0; DE3420062A1

Abstract

Pedal-type drum beater chain noise is reduced by preventing the chain (28) from separating from the sprocket (20) as the sprocket tilts. A pedal-type drum beater includes a pedal (30) whose heel is pivotally mounted at (33) to a support (31) and whose tip (29) moves up and down. A drum beater pad (19) on the end of a shaft is, in turn, supported on a horizontal shaft (15) which also carries the sprocket (20) for pivoting the shaft (15). The chain (28) trained on the sprocket (20) is joined at (43) to the tip (29) of the pedal (30) for transmitting pedal tip motion. The sprocket (20) has an arcuate operative surface (21) which is defined around a center of curvature of that surface. The sprocket (20) is affixed to the horizontal shaft (15) at a location on the sprocket that is to the rear of the center of curvature of the arcuate operative surface, with respect to the drum, and that is also slightly above the center of curvature, with respect to the pedal. Also, the sprocket arcuate operative surface (21) extends over only a short arcuate length. As a result of this shaping of the sprocket, the arcuate operative surface tilts upon depression of the pedal, and the chain links do not become detrained and retrained on the sprocket teeth as the sprocket pivots, thereby avoiding generation of chain noise. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Pivotable sprocket for drum beater chain BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a foot pedal operated musical drum beater and more particularly to the sprocket to which the chain or strap of the drum beater is trained.

A manually operable drum beater is often foot-pedal operated. Such foot-pedal drum beater includes a pedal which is moved vertically by the musician's foot. The pedal, and particularly its free-swinging tip, is connected by a belt, chain, or the like strap to a pulley, sprocket, or the like pivoting member on a shaft to which the drum beater is attached and the drum beater is swung to beat the drum as the pivoting member rotates the shaft when the pedal is operated.

Where the strap between the pivoting member pulley and the pedal is in the form of a belt, such as a leather belt, the belt may stretch or the connecting holes in the belt may tear or stretch through use.

To improve the durability of the drum beater, the pivoting member is preferably in the form of a sprocket and the flexible strap between the pivoting member and the pedal is a chain trained on the gear teeth of the sprocket and attached to the tip of the pedal.

The chain usually does not stretch during use and is more durable than a belt and the points of connection between the chain and the sprocket and the pedal are not likely to stretch in use. In addition, it is possible to easily stop the angle of incline of the pedal at any selected position or to hold it there, which is an advantage during musical performance.

A sprocket and chain connection between the drum beater pedal and the drum beater itself has in recent years produced a new problem in that the sound of the movement of the chain over the sprocket, and particularly the separation of the chain from the sprocket and the retraining of the chain on the sprocket, has generated noise which is picked up by high-efficiency microphones with which the music is amplified and/or transmitted or recorded.

Furthermore, the pivoting member, i.e. the sprocket, is typically either an entire circular sprocket or a segment of a circular sprocket supported concentrically. Especially with a complete circular sprocket, there is a possibility of contact between the instep of the musician's foot and the rear portion of the pivoting member or sprocket during the performance.

Further, the sprocket must go through large rotation. There are problems of inertia due to the rotation of the large sprocket. This can produce fatigue of the musician's foot, particularly when continuous beating is carried out during a fine or rapidly repetitive drum beating step.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an easy-to-use, efficient drum beater which is durable.

It is another object of the invention to avoid the gear sound generated by the sprocket and chain of a foot-pedal operated drum beater.

It is another object of the invention to avoid contact between the instep of the foot of the musician and the pivoting member or sprocket.

It is a further object of the invention to minimize the inertia of the pivoting member and to also eliminate a source of fatigue of the performer in operating the drum beater.

According to the invention, the drum beater comprises a foot-operated pedal, whose tip is connected by connection means comprising a strap, most preferably in the form of a chain, with a pivoting member, most preferably in the form of a chain sprocket. The sprocket is in turn connected with a rotatable shaft that is rotated by the sprocket to bang the drum beater element, which is supported on the rotatable shaft, against the drum when the pedal is moved.

According to the invention, the pivoting member or sprocket is not an entire circular gear, but is instead a partial circle, although that is not critical. The pivoting member or sprocket has a circular arcuate operative surface on which the strap or chain is trained.

That surface is curved around a center of curvature. The operative surface would be part of a complete circle. The front edge of the operative surface is spaced from the farthest forward distance to which the operative surface would extend if it were a complete circle. It is significant that the pivoting member or sprocket is disposed on the rotatable shaft at a location on the sprocket, measured from the front edge of the sprocket, which is toward the drum, to the rear edge of the sprocket, which location is somewhat to the rear of the center of curvature of the operative surface of the sprocket. This location is also slightly above that center of curvature with respect to the pedal below the sprocket. The strap passes over the operative surface, i.e.

the chain is trained on the gear teeth on the operative surface, and the chain depends from the front edge of the sprocket down to the pedal.

When foot pressure is applied to the pedal, it is transmitted to the sprocket through the chain. Instead of the chain links initially separating from the sprocket teeth on the operative surface as the sprocket pivots, as occurs with the conventional chain-sprocket arrangement, the sprocket of the invention pivots around the drum beater support shaft and the chain remains trained on the sprocket teeth, at least through the initial portion of the downward movement of the foot pedal and the down ward pivoting of the sprocket, and preferably through their entire path of travel. The drum beater projects radially from and is so oriented on the rotatable shaft that before the sprocket has pivoted sufficiently downward that the chain begins to separate from the teeth on the operative surface of the sprocket, the drum beater pad has struck the drum.Therefore, the chain would not separate from the sprocket and chain noise is thereby avoided.

The sprocket has the shape of less than a complete circle and is also shorter in length to the rear of the pivot shaft of the sprocket than to the front of the pivot shaft. This provides greater clearance for the foot of the performer.

Also, inertia problems experienced with a larger sprocket are avoided here.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a side view of a drum beater pedal with the pivoting element or sprocket according to the invention, with one side support of the drum beater removed and with the pedal and sprocket partially in cross-section; Figure 2 is a front view of the drum beater, viewed from the left in Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a fragment of the drum beater shown in Fig. 1, also showing the initial and beating positions of the drum beater; Figure 4 is a side view, explaining the motions of the pivoting or sprocket member; and Figure 5 is a side view of the same type as Fig. 4 showing a conventional prior art pivoting member or sprocket with a chain trained on it.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODI MENT Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the drum beater there illustrated comprises a base 11 and a pair of laterally spaced apart support pillars 1 2 supported on both sides of the base 11.

Toward the top of each pillar 1 2, a horizontal opening is provided for receiving a rotatable shaft 1 5 and the shaft is supported in the openings by the ball bearings 1 3 which permit rotation of the shaft 1 5. At approximately the center of the shaft 1 5 is affixed a drum beater support 1 6. A conventional drum beater 1 9 comprising a beater element or pad 1 8 at the tip of a shaft is supported in the support 1 6 and is swung between its rest, solid line, position in Fig. 1 and its drum beating, broken line, position in Fig. 1 at which it beats the vertically disposed head D of a drum (not shown).

A pivoting member 20 is affixed on the shaft next to the support 1 6 and also approximately at the center of the shaft. Reference should be had to Figs. 1, 3 and 4 for the construction of the pivoting member. The pivoting member 20 comprises a partial circular sprocket gear 21. Its top operative surface 22 is curved generally along an arc of an imaginary circle M with a center of curvature O in Fig. 4, and that surface is toothed for defining a partial gear sprocket. The sprocket front edge is spaced from the drum being beaten, and were the operative surface hypothetically extended forward from its front edge, it would continue toward the drum and around in a circle. In this hypothetical circle, and with respect to the pedal 30, the shaft 1 5 is in the upper rear quadrant of the circle.

Most significant to the invention is that the sprocket 21 is fixed on the shaft 1 5 at a location on the sprocket that is to the rear of the actual center of curvature 0 of the operative surface gear part 22 of the sprocket. As shown in Fig. 4, the sprocket is also mounted slightly above the center of curvature 0. The motion of the sprocket 21 and its cooperation with the chain 28 will be described below.

after the remaining elements of the drum beater have been described.

The sprocket 21 has a cutout region 24 to reduce the weight of the gear, and thereby reduce its inertia. The sprocket is so shaped that there is a larger area and a greater distance between the operative surface 22 and the shaft 1 5 than between that shaft and the bottom and the rear edges of the sprocket.

A removable bolt 26 passes between adjacent links of the chain for initial chain length adjustment and later readjustment and for fixing the chain to the sprocket 21. There is a cover or fender over the rear side of the chain and the sprocket for protecting the performer.

A conventional sprocket gear teeth receiving link chain 28 is trained over the teeth on the operative surface gear part 22, extends down past the front edge of the sprocket 21 and toward a manually foot-operated pedal 30.

The pedal 30 is a flat, elongate plate upon which the musician places his foot and presses down. A fixed heel part 31 is disposed to the rear of the base 11 and the performer's heel rests on the heel part 31 while his foot presses on the pedal 30. The heel part 31 and the pillars 1 2 are connected to each other by the bent arms 32. The pedal 30 is connected with the heel part 31 by the pivot pin 33.

The tip or front end 29 of the pedal 30 is connected with the chain 28 through an Lshaped block 41 which wraps around the front end 29 of the pedal. A slit 42 provided at the front end of the block 41 encases and guides the chain. A bolt 43 secures the chain to the underside of the L-shaped block 42 and a bolt 44 secures the L-shaped block 41 to the tip 29 of the pedal 30.

There is a generally fan-shaped plate 34 fixed to one end of the shaft 1 5 on the outboard side of one of the support pillars 1 2.

A return coil spring is connected to the plate 34 eccentric to the shaft 1 5 and to the lower bracket 35 through the adjustment bolt 36.

The adjustable bolt 36 permits adjustment and readjustment of the tension on the spring 37. When the pedal 30 is stepped in, the shaft 1 5 rotates and this tensions the spring 37 which opposes the stepping in of the pedal and returns the pedal and beater to their start positions after the pedal is released.

Operation of the drum beater disclosed herein would be apparent to one skilled in the art and is obvious from the drawing Figures.

The drum beater starts in the solid line position of Fig. 1 which corresponds to the broken line position of Fig. 3. When the performer steps in the pedal 30, the pedal 30 descends to the broken line position of Fig. 1 which corresponds to the solid line position of Fig.

3. This moves the drum beater pad 18 forward to strike the drum head D. Upon release of the pedal. the spring 37 returns the drum beater pedal and the drum beater pad to their initial, rest positions.

The reason for positioning the sprocket 21 so that the shaft 1 5 is not at the center of curvature 0 of the sprocket 21, 22. The shaft 1 5 is instead to the rear of that center 0, that is, away from the front edge of the sprocket, and also somewhat above that center 0. With reference to Fig. 4, the center of curvature of the gear toothed operative surface 22 of the sprocket 21 is at 0. The normal periphery of the surface 22 and the normal path of its rotation around the center 0 is illustrated by the phantom circle M in Fig. 4. With reference to Fig. 5, for example, which shows the prior art. the sprocket only moves around the circular pathway of the sprocket, whereby the chain only moves around the center of curvature of the gear.Comparing this with the invention in Fig. 4, due to the eccentric mounting of the sprocket 21 of the invention, the operative surface 22 pivots around the shaft 1 5 inside the circular orbit M defined around the center of curvature 0. The sprocket 21 thus appears to tip or move downwardly in Fig. 4, instead of simply rotating around a center, as in the prior art embodiment of Fig. 5. Comparing Figs. 4 and 5, the primary benefit of the invention, namely that the chain 28 need not separate from the operative surface gear 22, can be observed and can be contrasted with what happens with the prior art.

With the invention, normally, from the rest position of the drum beater to the position where the drum beater pad strikes the drum head, the shaft 1 5 pivots through an angle R.

As can be seen in Fig. 4, the placement of the sprocket 21 on the shaft 15 at a location to the rear and above the center of curvature 0 of surface 22 causes the sprocket 21 to tip downward around the pivot shaft 1 5 and inside the circular orbit M that would be defined around the center of curvature of circle 0 on which circle the gear 22 is disposed. The operative surface 22 tips down within the circular orbit M and carries the chain down with it. They simply rise to their start position when the pedal is released. Note that such movement of the shaft 1 5 over the angle R does not cause the chain section 28A which is trained on the operative surface gear 22 to separate from the sprocket teeth.Since the chain section 28A does not separate from the gear teeth on surface 22, the noise usually caused by initial separation or remeshing of the sprocket teeth with the chain is eliminated by the invention.

Turning now to prior art Fig. 5, during the same rotation of the prior art circular gear sprocket 21A around a drum beater support shaft 1 5 which is at the center of the sprocket, the sprocket 21 A rotates over that same angle R and the entire length of the section 28B of the chain 28 initially separates from the teeth of the sprocket 21 A as the drum beater pedal descends and that section of the chain then retrains on the teeth of the sprocket 21 when the pedal returns to its start position. As compared with the invention, this pivoting motion of the pedal and rotation of the sprocket 21A causes undesirable chain noise, which the invention is designed to avoid.

Other benefits of the invention are also realized. Because only a partial circular sprocket 21 is used, rather than a complete circular one, it is possible to pivot the beater element from a position closer to the surface of the drum by rotating the partial gear sprocket inside the orbit M of the circle that would be defined by a hypothetical extension of the periphery of the gear 21 were that gear extended to a full circle. The distance over which the beater element must be moved may be shortened by the positioning of the rotary shaft 1 5 for the pivoting member 20 to the rear of the center of curvature 0 of the operative surface 22. Other benefits of the invention have previously been mentioned. By providing only a partial gear pivoting member, the user's instep or foot is less likely to strike the chain and/or gear during use. The disadvantages of size and weight and inertia of a full circle sprocket are eliminated.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, many variations and modifications will now become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A pedal operated drum beater apparatus comprising, a support, a horizontal drum beater support shaft rotatably supported on the support to rotate around the axis of the support shaft; a drum beater supported to the shaft and including a beater element spaced from the shaft and swingable through an arc from a first position to a drum beating position upon rotation of the shaft in the beating direction and swingable toward the first position upon rotation of the shaft in the return direction; a drum pedal spaced from the shaft and movable, upon application of force, from a respective rest to a respective drum operative position; and drum beater connection means connected between the shaft and the pedal for rotating the shaft in the beating direction as the pedal moves to the drum operative position and for permitting rotation of the shaft in the return direction as the pedal moves to the rest position; the connection means comprising a pivot element with a curved operative surface which is shaped to be curved about a center of curvature of the surface; the operative surface having a front edge facing toward the drum beating position, and the front edge of the operative surface being spaced from the farthest theoretical extension of the operative surface around the circumference of the circle if it were fully extended; the pivot element being attached to the support shaft for rotating together with the shaft; the attachment of the shaft to the pivot element being spaced from the center of curvature of the curved operative surface of the pivot element to the rear direction away from the drum beating position; and the connection means further comprising a strap extending between the drum pedal and the pivot element; a part of the strap being wrapped over the operative surface of the pivot element and over the front edge of that surface, and the front edge of that surface being so placed that upon the rotation of the shaft in the beating direction over a predetermined angle, the front edge of the operative surface and the operative surface are pivoted around the shaft, while the part of the strap wrapped on the operative surface remains on and does not separate from the operative surface from the front edge of the operative surface and rearwardly thereof.

2. The drum beater of claim 1, wherein the pivot element operative surface comprises an arc of a circle.

3. The drum beater of claim 2, wherein the pivot element occupies a larger area and there is a greater distance between the operative surface and the pivot shaft than the area of the pivot element on the other side of the pivot shaft away from the operative surface and than the distance between the pivot shaft and the peripheral edge of the pivot element on the other side of the pivot shaft.

4. The drum beater of claim 1, wherein the strap is in the form of a link chain and the operative surface of the pivot element is in the form of a toothed sprocket on which the link chain is trained.

5. The drum beater of claim 1, wherein the foot pedal has a tip that is at the end thereof that extends toward the drum beating position, and the chain is attached at the tip of the pedal, and movement of the pedal comprises movement of the tip thereof.

6. The drum beater of claim 5, wherein the pedal has a heel portion spaced away from the tip and the heel portion is mounted to the support of the drum beater, such that the pedal tip pivots around the heel portion.

7. The drum beater of claim 1, wherein the pivot element is so placed on the pivot shaft that the pivot shaft is also eccentric of the center of curvature of the arcuate surface in the direction away from the pedal.

8. The drum beater of claim 7, wherein the pedal is beneath the pivot element and the pedal is mounted such that movement thereof toward the drum operative position is downward movement thereof.

9. A pedal operated drum beater apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, Figs. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

9. The drum beater of claim 8. wherein the arcuate surface, if it were hypothetically extended, defines a circle and with respect to the circle of the extended arcuate surface, the pivot shaft is located in the upper quadrant of that circle that is both further away from the drum than the center of that circle and further away from the pedal than the center of that circle.

10. A pedal operated drum beater apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

CLAIMS Amendments to the claims have been filed, and have the following effect: Claims 1-10 above have been deleted or textually amended.

New or textually amended claims have been filed as follows:

1. A pedal operated drum beater apparatus comprising: a support; a horizontal drum beater support shaft rotatably supported on the support to rotate around the axis of the support shaft; a drum beater supported to the shaft and including a beater element spaced from the shaft and swingable through an arc from a first position to a drum beating position upon rotation of the shaft in the beating direction and swingable toward the first position upon rotation of the shaft in the return direction; a drum pedal spaced from the shaft and movable, upon application of force, from a respective rest to a respective drum operative position; and drum beater connection means connected between the shaft and the pedal for rotating the shaft in the beating direction as the pedal moves to the drum operative position and for permitting rotation of the shaft in the return direction as the pedal moves to the drum operative position and for permitting rotation of the shaft in the return direction as the pedal moves to the rest position; the connection means comprising a pivot element having a front edge disposed generally toward the drum beating position; the pivot element being attached to the support shaft for rotating together with the shaft; the attachment of the shaft to the pivot element being spaced generally in a rear direction away from the drum beating position from the front edge of the pivot element; the pivot element having a toothed sprocket extending generally in the rear direction from the front edge; the toothed sprocket curving generally about a centre of curvature disposed generally toward the drum beating position from the attachment of the shaft to the pivot element such that the toothed sprocket would, if hypothetically extended about the centre of curvature, extend toward the drum beating position beyond the front edge of the pivot element; and the connection means further comprising a chain extending between the drum pedal and the pivot element; a part of the chain being wrapped over the toothed sprocket and the front edge of the pivot element, and the front edge of the pivot element being so placed that upon the rotation of the shaft in the beating direction over a predetermined angle, the front edge of the pivot element and the toothed sprocket are pivoted around the shaft, while the part of the chain wrapped on the toothed sprocket remains on and does not separate from the toothed sprocket from the front edge of the pivot element and rearwardly thereof.

2. The drum beater of Claim 1, wherein the toothed sprocket comprises an arc of a circle.

3. The drum beater of Claim 2, wherein the pivot element has a generally rearward edge positioned on the other side of the pivot shaft from the toothed sprocket, the toothed sprocket being a greater distance from the pivot shaft than the rearward edge is from the pivot shaft, the area of the pivot element between the toothed sprocket and the pivot shaft being greater than the area of the pivot element between the pivot shaft and the rearward edge of the pivot element on the other side of the pivot shaft.

4. The drum beater of any of the preceding Claims, wherein the foot pedal has a tip that is at the end thereof that extends toward the drum beating position, and the chain is attached at the tip of the pedal, and movement of the pedal comprises movement of the tip thereof.

5. The drum beater of any of the preceding Claims, wherein the pedal has a heel portion spaced away from the tip and the heel portion is mounted to the support of the drum beater, such that the pedal tip pivots around the heel portion.

6. The drum beater of any of the preceding Claims, wherein the pivot element is so placed on the pivot shaft that the pivot shaft is also eccentric of the centre of curvature of the toothed sprocket in the direction away from the pedal.

7. The drum beater of any of the preceding Claims, wherein the pedal is beneath the pivot element and the pedal is mounted such that movement thereof toward the drum operative position is downward movement thereof.

8. The drum beater of Claim 7, wherein the toothed sprocket, if it were hypothetically extended, defines a circle and with respect to the circle of the extended toothed sprocket, the pivot shaft is located in the upper quadrant of that circle that is both further away from the drum than the centre of the circle and further away from the pedal than the centre of that circle.