JP2003271130A - Pedal assembly of bass drum - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pedal assembly for striking a percussion instrument. <P>SOLUTION: The pedal assembly of the percussion instruments comprises a base and a shaft which is attached at one end to the base and is connected at the other end to blow means, such as a beater. A foot plate is provided with a rotating member which is rotationally movably attached to the heel and end of the foot plate, is connected with a bearing to the foot plate adjacently to the toe end of the foot plate and can be engaged between the toe end the foot plate and a shaft as if the blow means strikes the percussion instrument by the movement of the shaft to a first direction when a player steps on the foot plate. The elastic member functions to move the shaft to a second direction opposite to the first direction. The shaft can be a straight or curved form and in the case of curving, the shaft is so curved as to be parted from the foot plate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pedal assembly for striking a percussion instrument.

[0002]

Bass drum pedals have been used for decades. These pedals typically include an indirect rotation mechanism. The foot pedal of the drum set hits the drum head by applying pressure to the foot board and rotating the beater.
To stabilize the foot pedal, one of the three general structures described below is used. (1) The connecting rod interconnects the frame member that rotatably supports the shaft axis of the beater member and the heel member that supports the rear edge portion of the footboard. (2) The base plate is provided between the frame member and the heel member so that the frame member is attached to the base plate by screws. (3) The first and second structures correspond to US Pat. No. 4,538,4.
No. 99 in combination.

In the first structure, the footboard is stepped on, but the heel member can be raised. The frame member and the heel member are connected only by the connecting rod. Therefore,
The striking timing and striking strength cannot be stabilized in response to the stepping operation of the footboard.

The second structure adopts a so-called double-sided single-point support structure, and the frame member is attached to the base plate by the structure. The frame member can rotate with the base plate about the bearing point, but it is an unstable structure.

In the third structure, the connecting rod cannot effectively reinforce the connection between the frame member and the base plate. As a result, it is necessary to increase the required number of members. In addition, the base plate may undergo bending deformation.

Kurosaki US Pat. No. 5,45
No. 8,038 seeks to overcome these lack of stability by having a rocker member to connect the beater. The rocker member is mounted for rotation in a vertical plane. A chain extends from the end of the foot plate around the rocker member. When the toe tip of the foot plate is stepped on, the swinging member rotates and the beater can hit the drum.

The prior art teaches that rotational force is always needed. Also, manual operation always required a spring to spring the pedal back to the starting or up position. This bounce is independent of the pedal, so further bounce can result in unwanted drum re-strikes.
Therefore, pedal operation is always restrained by the resistance spring and the associated moving member of the pedal. Hitting the beater more forcefully requires more pedal force and therefore more resistance spring actuation. This results in a lot of bounce and unwanted drum strikes. US Patent No. 6,075,19 to Scire
No. 1 provides a powered drum pedal, but requires a complex arrangement of belts and wheels to perform lever actuation.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a base,
A shaft having first and second opposite ends,
A shaft, the first end of which is adapted to be attached to the base and connected to a striking member for striking the strike of a percussion instrument to produce a sound, at or near the second end. And a foot plate having a toe tip and a heel end, and rotatably attached to the heel end. When the foot plate is stepped on, the shaft moves in the first direction and Bearing means connected to a foot plate adjacent to the toe tip, the bearing means comprising a rotating member adapted to engage the shaft when striking a percussion instrument when connected to the shaft; And a resilient means for pressing in a second direction opposite to the above.

[0009]

The pedal assembly can have a straight shaft, a curved shaft, or a combination thereof. Preferably the shaft is curved away from the foot plate.

The foot plate is rotatably mounted at the heel end of the foot plate together with bearing means provided adjacent to the toe tip of the foot plate. The bearing means can constitute a rotating member capable of engaging the toe tip portion of the foot plate and the shaft. In one form, the rotating member is attached to the toe tip and ball bearing of the foot plate, or the other end where the rotating wheel can engage the shaft.

The elastic means may, in one form, consist of a retraction means such as a spring extending between the shaft and the base portion near the foot pedal. The elastic means comprises, in another form, a compression means on the other side of the shaft from the foot pedal. The elastic means comprises, in a further form, a shaft made of an elastic material which tends to return to its initial position.

The base plate may be engageable with the floor. The foot plate can be substantially overlaid on the base plate. The shaft can be angled and pivotally mounted near the end of the foot plate. The assembly may include extension means extending from the distal end of the foot plate for mounting bearing means capable of engaging the shaft. In the normal non-actuated position, the bearing means at least partially overlap a portion of the shaft, and when the foot plate is stepped on, the percussion instrument strikes the percussion instrument connected to the free (second) end of the shaft. The shaft can be biased so that it can be struck and that it cannot return to its normal non-actuated position until the foot plate is raised.

The linear movement of the shaft is a novel aspect according to one embodiment. By "straight shaft" is meant that the shaft is adapted to transition in a vertical plane.
By stepping on the foot plate,
Rotate downward to force contact between the bearing and the straight shaft, and rotate the straight shaft forward. The straight shaft is preferably of a curved shape which, in use, rests in a single vertical plane. The bearing surface of the footplate bearing is forced downward along the shaft to allow the beater, which is moved down the surface of the straight shaft by the bearing in terms of length, to travel a greater length forward. The beater can apply more force to the surface of a percussion instrument, such as a drum skin or drumhead, or the surface of another percussion instrument, which produces a higher audible timbre.

[0014]

The present invention will be more fully understood with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a pedal assembly for a bass drum pedal. The assembly 21 includes a foot plate 3
1 and a linear base plate 41 having a shaft 51, the shaft 51 being attached to one end to hold a beater (not shown), and the foot plate 31 being moved downwards so as to move the head of the drum skin. The beaters are connected so that forward movement of the beater occurs.

The linear base plate 41 is designed to be placed on the floor. Straight foot plate 31
Are connected to the base plate 41 near the corresponding one end and substantially overlap with the base plate 41. The attachment is performed by hinge means, which comprises a foot plate 32 rotatably connected by a pivot pin 33 to an end mounting flange 42 extending from a base plate 41 and extending from a lower portion of the foot plate 31.

Shaft 51 is formed by a straight first portion 52 and a second portion 53 interconnected by a curved portion 54 to form a curved shaft extending in a single plane. The first portion 52 is the base plate 4
Hinged to 1. The first portion 52 is initially perpendicular to the base plate 41 and then curves away from the foot plate 31 towards a percussion instrument (not shown). The second portion 53 comprises a groove 58 for holding the handle of a beater (not shown). Different types of beaters can be used to produce different effects, depending on the instrument and the type of music.

The mounting of the shaft 51 on the base plate 41 is carried out by means of opposing bearing housings, the housing being a shaft mount 43 fixed to the base plate 41 and both sides of the first part 52, or it. Fixed pivot arm 5 extending through
5 is formed. As a result, the shaft 51 coplanar with the rotational movement of the foot plate 31 with respect to the base plate 41.
Can be reciprocally rotated.

The shaft 51 is hollow from the mounting end of the first portion 52 to approximately three quarters of the length of the shaft 51. Therefore, the center of gravity is near the upper end portion of the shaft 51 that holds the beater, and the upper end portion of the shaft 51 is made to feel heavy and the musicality is improved. The shaft 51 has a bearing surface 56 made of a hard compound rubber strip fitted on the side of the shaft 51 facing the foot plate 31.

Bearing means 61 attaches the foot plate 31 to the shaft 51 and is attached to the upper end of the foot plate 31 at the end from the hinged end. The bearing means 61 comprises a ball bearing having an external contact surface 63 and is constrained within a housing 62 which is fixed to the foot plate 31. The foot plate 31 is sized and the housing 62 is sized and angled from the top surface of the foot plate 31 toward the shaft 51 so that the contact surface 63 can engage the bearing surface 56. Therefore, when the foot plate 31 is stepped on, the shaft 51 can be moved forward so as to press the beater toward the drum head.

The elastic means or spring 71 presses the shaft 51 backwards so as to return the beater from the drum head to its initial position. One end of the spring 71 is connected to the first portion 52 below the bearing surface 56 and extends beneath the foot plate 31 to a spring mount 44 which is fixed to an intermediate portion of the base plate 41. The spring mount 44 is provided with spring strain adjusting means for adjusting the returning force of the shaft 51 to the initial position. The adjustment allows various tension settings for individual performers.

The forward movement of the shaft 51 during use is
It is realized by applying downward pressure to the foot plate 31. The return of the foot plate 31 and the linear shaft 51 to the initial position is realized by the spring 71. Fasteners 45 in front of the shaft mount 43 on the base plate 41 attach the pedal assembly 21 to the base drum.

[0022]

The preferred embodiment described above is illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the preferred embodiment is described with respect to a foot pedal for a bass drum having a single beater. However, the basic structure of the present invention can be applied to structures such as twin beater type pedals, side pedals, or double pedals that require both left and right feet. Furthermore, the present invention is applicable to hi-hat cymbals, where:
The shaft 51 is connected to one member of the pair of cymbals, the pair of cymbals being spaced apart so that when the foot pedal is depressed, the member strikes the other cymbal.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A shaft having a base and first and second opposing ends, the shaft comprising:
A shaft, the first end of which is adapted to be attached to the base and connected to a striking member for striking the strike of a percussion instrument to produce a sound, at or near the second end. And a foot plate having a toe tip and a heel end and rotatably attached to the heel end of the foot plate. Further, when the foot plate is stepped on, the shaft moves in the first direction. A bearing means connected to the foot plate adjacent to the toe tip, the rotating member adapted to engage the shaft to strike the percussion instrument when the striking member is connected to the shaft; An elastic means for pressing in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and a pedal assembly. 2. The pedal assembly of claim 1, wherein the shaft is curved. 3. The pedal assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein the shaft is curved away from the foot plate. 4. The pedal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is attached to the toe tip portion of the foot plate and is adapted to engage with the shaft. Three-dimensional. 5. Pedal assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the elastic means comprises retraction means extending between the shaft and a base portion near the foot plate. 6. The pedal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the elastic means comprises a shaft made of an elastic material that tends to return to its initial position. 7. The pedal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the shaft has a structure in which a vertical center of gravity is close to the second end. 8. The pedal assembly of claim 7, wherein the shaft has a hollow portion extending from the first end to an intermediate position along the length of the shaft. 9. The foot plate substantially overlaps the base plate, the shaft is angled and bent, and the bearing means comprises a ball bearing, the outer surface of which is adapted to engage the shaft, and is generally of the non-standard type. In the actuated position, the bearing means at least partially overlap a portion of the shaft and, when stepping on the foot plate, is characterized in that the shaft cannot return to its normal non-actuated position until the foot plate is raised. The pedal assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8. 10. The shaft has a curved portion between a first end and a second end, and the curved portion is
In use, forming a convex bearing surface facing away from the percussion instrument, and the bearing means stepping on the foot plate,
Pedal assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bearing means engages with the convex bearing surface such that it transitions along the convex bearing surface.