JP2004094277A - Keyboard instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a keyboard instrument capable of changing over whether a striking action can be obstructed or allowed by a simple operation not requiring force. <P>SOLUTION: The keyboard instrument includes a plurality of keys 201, strings which are installed to be stretched, actions 210 which are interposed between the strings and the keys and of which the hammers strike the strings as the keys are touched, stoppers 30 which regulate the strike of the strings by the hammers, switches 220 which instruct the changeover to a striking mode or non-striking mode, and motors which drive the stoppers to establish the state of regulating the striking of the strings by the hammers when the operation of the switches to instruction the changeover to the striking mode is carried out and which drive the stoppers to establish the state of not regulating the strike of the strings by the hammers when the operation of the switches to instruct the changeover to the striking mode to the non-striking mode is carried out. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a keyboard instrument such as a piano.

音 A sound-deadening piano in which both an electronic piano mechanism and a sound-deadening mechanism are mounted on an acoustic piano is known. According to this type of silencing piano, as a form of performance performed by a keying operation, a performance in which a string striking operation is performed by a string striking mechanism of an acoustic piano and a performance in which a tone is generated by an electronic sound source without performing a string striking operation. A desired form can be selected from the two forms to enjoy the performance. This type of silencing piano is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

West German Patent No. 37075931

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional silence piano, as a means for preventing the performance by the stringing operation, a stopper for preventing the rotation of the hammer shank so that the hammer does not hit the string, and a stopper for the stringing by the stopper are provided. The lever has a lever for switching whether or not to perform, and the lever protrudes from the front of the piano body. The player can switch the stopper by pulling or returning the lever to switch whether or not to stop the string, but this switching operation requires a considerable force, It was troublesome for the performer.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a keyboard musical instrument capable of switching between stopping and performing a string striking operation by a simple operation requiring no force.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a plurality of keys, a stretched string, and an intervening member interposed between the string and the key, wherein a hammer strikes the string as the key is pressed. A string striking mechanism, a silencing mechanism that regulates striking of the string by the hammer, an operating unit that instructs switching to a string striking mode or a non-string striking mode, and the operation that instructs switching to the string striking mode. When the operation of the means is performed, the muffling mechanism is driven to set the muffling mechanism in a state where the striking of the string by the hammer is not restricted, and the operation of the operating means for instructing switching to the non-stringing mode. And a driving means for driving the muffling mechanism so that the muffler is restricted from hitting the string by the hammer. .
According to this invention, the muffling mechanism is driven by the electric driving means. Therefore, the player can switch between preventing and performing the hammering operation by a simple operation that does not require force.
In a preferred aspect, the driving means has a movable portion connected to the muffling mechanism, and stops the movable portion when power is not supplied.
In another preferred aspect, the keyboard musical instrument has a musical sound generating means for generating a musical sound when the key is pressed, and the musical sound generating means does not perform the musical sound generation in the string striking mode. In the non-stringing mode, the musical instrument further includes control means for causing the musical sound generating means to generate the musical sound.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a keyboard instrument according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an upright piano (keyboard instrument) according to one embodiment. In this figure, reference numeral 201 denotes a key constituting a keyboard. Each key 201 is supported on a shelf plate 202 so as to be vertically swingable with a reed 203 as a fulcrum. An action (string striking mechanism) 210 is disposed above the rear end of each key 201.

The action 210 includes a capstan 211 erected on the upper surface of the rear end of the key 201, a jack 213 provided above the wippen 212 pushed up by the capstan 211, and a hammer shank 214 rotatably supported. And a hammer 215 and the like. When the player presses the key 201, the hammer shank 214 rotates and the hammer 215 strikes the string 204.

ス ト ッ パ A stopper (silencer) 30 is provided between the hammer shank 214 and the string 204. As described later, the stopper 30 includes a rotatable shaft extending in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing and a cushion and the like fixed to the shaft. One end of the shaft is fixed to a rotating shaft of a motor (not shown).

と す る It is assumed that the rotation of the shaft has stopped at a position where the cushion (not shown) of the stopper 30 faces the hammer shank 214. In this case, when the hammer shank 214 rotates in the direction of the string 204 by a keystroke, the hammer shank 214 comes into contact with the cushion of the stopper 30 and the hammer shank 214 stops immediately before the hammer 215 strikes the string. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the hammer 215 from striking a string.

The motor for rotating the shaft of the stopper 30 is an electric driving means, and a motor driving circuit 235 is connected to this motor. The motor drive circuit 235 applies an output signal corresponding to the operation of the switch 220 to the motor, and rotates the stopper 30 to a predetermined position.

The switch 220 is used to select either a mode in which a piano sound is emitted by striking a string (hereinafter referred to as a string striking mode) or a mode in which an electronic sound source emits a string without striking a string (hereinafter referred to as a non-string striking mode). Operating means. The signal output from the switch 220 is input to the control means 70 provided inside the piano.

{Circle around (1)} A key sensor 230 (detection means) for detecting the key 201 hit and the keying speed thereof are provided below each key 201. These key sensors 230 are used to emit a piano sound or the like using the electronic sound source in the non-stringing mode. The key sensor 230 is configured by an optical sensor such as a photo interrupter.

(4) For example, a shutter is provided below the key 201, and four types of patterns are recorded on the surface of the shutter along the stroke direction of the key 201. Then, the keying speed and the stringing time may be estimated by detecting the time when each shutter passes the optical sensor at the time of keying. Further, for example, instead of a shutter using four types of patterns, a gray scale whose brightness continuously changes may be used to detect the amount of transmitted light. In this case, the keying speed and the stringing time can be detected with high accuracy. Note that a switch having an electric contact may be used instead of using the optical sensor as the key sensor 230.

ペ ダ ル Three pedals 240 are provided below the piano. FIG. 1 shows a loud pedal. Each pedal 240 is connected via a shaft 241 to a damper (resonant sound generating means) 205 arranged near the string 204. A pedal sensor 242 is provided near each pedal 240. The pedal sensor 242 detects the position of each pedal 240 and outputs a predetermined signal.

The signals output from the switch 220, the key sensor 230, and the pedal sensor 242 are input to the control unit 70. The control means 70 performs processing corresponding to either the string striking mode or the non-string striking mode. That is, in the string striking mode, the control means 70 rotates the stopper 30 to a predetermined position so that the hammer shank 214 does not contact the stopper 30 when the hammer shank 214 rotates. In the string striking mode, the control means 70 stops the operation of the circuit such as the electronic sound source, so that a normal acoustic piano sound is produced by striking the strings.

On the other hand, in the non-stringing mode, the control means 70 rotates the stopper 30 to a predetermined position so that the hammer shank 214 contacts the stopper 30 immediately before striking. Further, the control means 70 generates a signal corresponding to the signal output from the key sensor 230 by operating a circuit such as an electronic sound source. This signal is output from the speaker 251 or the headphone 256 via the amplifier 250 that varies the volume according to the volume 250a.

The amplifier 250 is configured by a power amplification circuit or the like, and amplifies the signal output from the control unit 70. The speaker 251 is fixed to the piano body, and a speaker box 252 is provided on the back of the speaker 251. Note that a plurality of speakers 251 can be prepared to form a so-called multi-way configuration.

ヘ ッ ド フ ォ ン A headphone jack 255 is provided below the keyboard shelf. When the plug of the headphone 256 is inserted into the headphone jack 255, the signal from the amplifier 250 is output to the headphone 256 without being output to the speaker 251. That is, when the headphone 256 is used, no sound is emitted from the speaker 251.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the stopper 30 described above. The shaft 31 is made of metal such as iron or aluminum, plastic, wood, or the like. The shaft 31 is supported at predetermined positions 31A, 31B, 31C, and 31D by a low-frequency action bracket, a low / middle section section, a next high section section, and a high-frequency action bracket. These bass action bracket, bass / middle section split, sub-treble section split, and treble action bracket are fixed to the pin plate at the upper part via action bolts and to the shelf board at the lower part via the action table. One end of the shaft 31 is connected to, for example, a rotation shaft of a motor 34. As the motor 34, for example, an ultrasonic motor can be used in addition to a step motor. When an ultrasonic motor is used, the rotation angle of the rotation shaft can be maintained even when power is not supplied, and the shaft 31 can be rotated without backlash. Further, since the ultrasonic motor rotates at a low speed without generating noise, there is an advantage that the performance is not hindered.

ク ッ シ ョ ン Three cushion support members 32 are fixed to the peripheral surface of the shaft 31, and a cushion 33 made of felt, urethane, or the like is fixed to each cushion support member 32. Artificial leather or the like may be provided on the surface of the cushion 33 in order to increase durability due to the contact of the hammer shank 214. In the non-stringing mode, the hammer shank 214 comes into contact with the cushion 33. Similarly, a cushion 35 made of felt, urethane, or the like for a damper wire is provided on the peripheral surface of the shaft 31 on the opposite side of the cushion support member 32. The damper wire 206 is in contact with the cushion 35.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the stopper 30, the action 210, and the like. In the string striking mode, the stopper 30 is stopped at the position shown by the solid line. In this case, the hammer shank 214 rotated by keying strikes the string 204 without abutting on the cushion 33 of the stopper 30. Therefore, the string 204 struck by the hammer 215 vibrates, and a sound of a normal acoustic piano is emitted.

In the non-stringing mode, the stopper 30 is stopped at the position shown by the broken line. When the hammer shank 214 rotates by the keying operation and the hammer 215 reaches the vicinity of the string, the hammer shank 214 comes into contact with the cushion 33 of the stopper 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent occurrence of a stringing sound in the non-stringing mode. Further, even in the non-stringing mode, the key touch does not impair the key touch because the action 210 is actually operated by the key input. When the stopper 30 is rotated and fixed at an intermediate position between the string striking mode and the non-string striking mode, weak string striking is also possible. At the time of a light hit, the shank 214 starts to come into contact with the cushion 33, and when it is gradually pushed in and escaped, a light click feeling called aftertouch of the action of the grand piano is felt. Therefore, a key touch similar to the touch of the action of the grand piano can be obtained by the action of the upright piano.

ス ト ッ パ Instead of the stopper 30, a stopper 40 shown in FIG. 3 may be used. As shown in FIG. 3, the stopper 40 includes a long plate 41 having a predetermined length, width, and thickness that extends along the keyboard arrangement direction. One surface of the long plate 41 (the surface on the hammer shank side) is formed to be inclined by a predetermined angle so that the hammer shank abuts against the surface, and a hammer shank cushion 43 is fixed to this surface. A cushion 44 for a damper wire is fixed to the other surface of the long plate 41. One ends of a pair of springs 45 are fixed to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the long plate 41, and the other ends are wound around pins 46 provided on the main plate. One end of the long plate 41 is connected via a pipe 245 to a pedal 240A disposed below the piano with a wire. A U-shaped guide 47 is provided immediately below the other end of the long plate 41. When the player depresses the pedal 240A, the stopper 40 moves downward. At this time, since the other end of the long plate 41 is fitted to the guide 47, its position is fixed. The pedal 240A is configured so that when the player steps on the pedal 240A and then shifts the pedal 240A to the side (moves in the horizontal direction), the depressed state is maintained.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the stopper 40, the action 210, and the like. In the string striking mode, the stopper 40 is stopped at the position shown by the solid line. By hitting the key, the hammer 215 rotates clockwise in FIG. In this case, the hammer shank 214 rotates together with the hammer 215, but does not come into contact with the cushion 43 of the stopper 40. The string 204 struck by the hammer 215 vibrates and emits the sound of a normal acoustic piano.

In the non-stringing mode, the stopper 40 is stopped at a position indicated by a broken line in the figure (a position below the stringing mode position). When the hammer 215 approaches the string 204 by a keying operation, the hammer shank 214 comes into contact with the cushion 43 of the stopper 40. Therefore, it is possible to prevent occurrence of a stringing sound in the non-stringing mode. Even in this non-stringing mode, the key touch does not impair the action 210 actually operated by the keystroke. When the stopper 40 is fixed at a position between the string striking mode and the non-string striking mode, weak string striking is also possible.

When switching between the string striking mode and the non-string striking mode, the stoppers 30, 40 may be moved horizontally between the hammer shank 214 and the string 204.

Next, the control means 70 and the like will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the control means 70 and the like. In this keyboard instrument, output signals from the switch 220, the key sensor 230, and the pedal sensor 242 are input to the controller 706 via the data bus 700. The controller 706 includes a string hitting ROM 707, a resonance tone ROM 708, an FDC (floppy disk drive controller) 709, a string spectrum calculator 712, an audio signal transmitter 713, a resonance calculator 716, and a striking tone calculator via the data bus 700. 711 and the RAM 717.

The controller 706 performs predetermined processing based on the input signals from these sensors to generate a drive signal, and outputs the drive signal from the audio signal transmission unit 713 to the speaker 251 via the equalizer 719 and the amplifier 250. Will be driven.

The striking sound ROM 707 stores the PCM data of the striking sound recorded in advance by the sampler or the signal mainly composed of the piano sound calculated in advance by the string spectrum calculator 712 as the striking sound data of 88 keys. . The intensity of the frequency spectrum of the stringing sound data is determined according to the hammer speed. Generally, a high frequency is emphasized at the time of a blow. Note that a signal can be calculated by the striking sound calculation unit 711 according to the key depression and the hammer speed. Further, for example, a signal stored in the string-sounding ROM 707 may be corrected by the string-sound calculating unit 711 according to the hammer speed.

The resonance sound ROM 708 is accessed when the pedal sensor 242 is active (when the pedal is depressed). The resonance sound ROM 708 stores resonance sound data for each string when a key is pressed when the loud pedal (operator) 240 is depressed. This data is PCM data of the resonance sound recorded in advance by the sampler, or frequency spectrum data calculated in advance by the resonance operation unit 716. This resonance sound data is sufficiently practical if, for example, strings of up to six keys resonate with respect to one key. Strings one octave above the bass part should be considered not only the second harmonic but also the third, fourth and sixth harmonics. No. If the pitch is higher than the 13th key, it is necessary to consider the string of the key one octave below.

ピ ア ノ Also, the number of the dampers 205 of the piano is usually 71 (there are 66 and 69). Further, the intensity of the frequency spectrum is set by the model and the hammer speed. The resonance sound data may be stored in advance in the resonance sound ROM 708, or may be calculated by, for example, the resonance calculation unit 716. For example, the data stored in the resonance sound ROM 708 may be input. The correction may be calculated by the resonance calculation unit 716 according to the string situation.

The string spectrum calculation unit 712 may calculate the frequency spectrum in real time in accordance with a keystroke and generate sound data. This data may be stored in the keying sound ROM 707. As the resonance sound data, the data of an acoustic piano can be measured and stored in a memory. The magnitude of this resonance sound is about -10 to -20 dB compared to the keying sound (stringing sound). The rise of the resonance sound is delayed for several seconds to several hundred msec. That is, the resonance sound is generated after a predetermined time delay from when the key is pressed. Further, the fall of the resonance sound lasts for several seconds unless the loud pedal 240 is turned off. The processing when the loud pedal 240 is turned off is performed by the pedal sensor 242 and the audio signal transmitting unit 713. As described above, when the resonance sound is generated later than when the key is pressed (when the string is struck), the delay of the resonance sound generated in the acoustic piano is faithfully reproduced.

{Circle around (2)} The string spectrum calculator 712 attenuates the stringing sound in accordance with the OFF signal from the key sensor 230, and attenuates the resonance sound in accordance with the signal from the pedal sensor 242. However, when the loud pedal 240 is slowly returned by the half pedal, the attenuation is slowed down in accordance with the return speed. That is, the resonance sound is controlled according to the operation speed of the loud pedal 240 (in this case, the return speed). When the loud pedal 240 is turned off, the dampers 205 are simultaneously brought into contact with the strings and stopped. However, the following control is performed because some players desire to adjust the low-pitched sound to be delayed. For example, in the simultaneous stringing, there are three types of sound stops: quick stop, normal, and slow stop. In addition, control is performed such that a low pitched sound is delayed and a high pitched sound is stopped rapidly with a slanted string. Further, when the loud pedal 240 is returned very slowly, the sound is stopped very slowly. That is, the sound is continuous. In the so-called half pedal region, corrections such as correcting the fundamental tone and the harmonic ratio and attenuating higher harmonics quickly may be performed. Further, for example, a configuration may be made in which another frequency ratio, such as frame noise, which is generated secondarily, is corrected. As described above, when the resonance sound attenuates according to the return speed of the loud pedal 240, the attenuation of the resonance sound corresponding to the return speed of the loud pedal that occurs in the acoustic piano is faithfully reproduced.

The audio signal transmission unit 713 performs digital filtering processing on the sound data from the ROMs 707 and 708 or the sound signal calculation units 712 and 716, and then performs D / A conversion. The digital filtering process corrects the output sound to have a flat frequency characteristic in consideration of the vibration characteristics of the speaker 251 and the speaker box 252. This digital filter is not limited to the FIR type, but may be an IIR type. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce quantization noise by performing an oversampling digital filtering process thereafter. After performing such processing, D / A conversion is performed, and filtering processing using a Butterworth-type low-pass filter or the like is performed. As described above, it is possible to improve the group delay characteristics by using the Butterworth type low-pass filter. Then, this signal is input to the amplifier 250. The amplifier 250 performs power amplification and drives the speaker 251.

The keyboard instrument also includes an FDD (floppy (registered trademark) disk driver) 710 controlled by the FDC 709. The FDD 710 reads MIDI data recorded on a disk and records MIDI data on the disk. Therefore, for example, various sound source data can be input / output via the FDD, so that in the non-stringing mode, it is possible to emit not only piano sounds but also musical sounds such as harpsichords, pipe organs, and lead musical instruments.

The motor drive circuit 235 has a function of generating a signal for driving the motor 34. The motor drive circuit 235 drives the motor 34 every time the mode is switched between the string striking mode and the non-string striking mode.

The operation of the thus constructed keyboard instrument during performance will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

First, a player or the like turns on the power of the keyboard instrument according to the present embodiment. Then, the control means 70 reads the mode flag stored in the RAM 717 (step S801). This mode flag is a flag that indicates whether the keyboard instrument is in the string-struck mode or the non-string-struck mode when the power is turned off.

If the mode flag indicates the string striking mode (YES in step S802), the motor drive circuit 235 outputs a predetermined signal to the motor 34 to rotate the stopper 30 (step S806). Therefore, the stopper 30 stops at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. When the player performs a keystroke in this state, the hammer shank 214 rotates without contacting the stopper 30, and the hammer 215 strikes the string 204. Therefore, a normal acoustic piano sound is emitted.

{Circle around (5)} When it is necessary to perform with a low tone at night or the like, or when performing with a tone other than the piano sound, the player operates the switch 220 (YES in step S807). As a result of operating the switch 220, if the non-stringing mode is selected (NO in step S802), the process proceeds to step S803. That is, the motor drive circuit 235 sends a predetermined signal to the motor 34 to rotate the stopper 30 (step S803). The stopper 30 moves to the position shown by the broken line in FIG. At the same time, the mode flag is rewritten to the non-stringing mode.

(4) In the non-stringing mode, when the player strikes a key, the hammer shank 214 contacts the stopper 30 immediately before the hammer 215 strikes the string, so that no stringing sound is emitted. Then, at the same time as the key is pressed, a musical sound from the electronic sound source is emitted from the speaker 251 in accordance with the sound generation processing in step S804. Even in the non-stringing mode, since the action is actually performed by the keystroke, the key touch peculiar to the acoustic piano is not impaired. Unless the player operates the switch 220, the non-stringing mode does not change (NO in step S805), and sound generation processing by the electronic sound source is performed by keying (step S804).

(4) If the player desires the acoustic tone of the acoustic piano again, the switch 220 is operated (YES in step S805). When the string striking mode is selected (YES in step S802), the mode flag is rewritten, and step S806 is executed.

In this manner, the keying mode or the non-keying mode is selected by the player's selection, and the processing according to the selected mode is performed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the sound generation processing in step S804.

In the non-stringing mode, when the player performs a keystroke, the key sensor 230 detects the keyed key number, the keying speed, and the like, and outputs a key sense signal. This key sense signal is input to the controller 706 via the data bus 700 (step S901). Next, it is determined whether or not the loud pedal 240 has been operated by the player (step S902). If there is no operation (stepping on), a stringing sound signal corresponding to the keystroke is read from the stringing sound ROM 707, or a predetermined performance is performed in the string spectrum playing section 712 (step S903).

出力 Then, an output timing control process is performed on the stringing sound signal (step S904). For example, in accordance with a look-up table that defines a correlation between a key number, a hammer speed, a sounding time, and the like, an appropriate sounding time is calculated in accordance with the detected key number and hammer speed, and the sounding timing is adjusted.

Furthermore, at the sounding time calculated in this way, the keying sound signal (sounding signal) is output to the speaker 251 (step S905). As a result, a piano sound or another musical sound is emitted from the speaker 251. Then, the process returns to step S805 in FIG.

On the other hand, if the loud pedal 240 has been operated in step S902 (YES in step S902), it is further determined whether or not the loud pedal 240 has been depressed (step S906). If the pedal is depressed, a keystroke sound signal is obtained by reading the keystroke sound signal corresponding to the keystroke or calculating the string spectrum in the same manner as described above (step S907). The resonance signal is read from the resonance ROM 708, or the resonance signal is calculated in the resonance calculation unit 716 (step S908). Then, control processing of the signal output timing is performed, and the output timing of the striking sound signal and the output timing of the resonance signal are calculated (step S909). The keying sound is output to the speaker 251 at a predetermined timing by the signal output process (step S905) so that the resonance sound is produced with a delay of a predetermined time from the keying sound. Then, the process returns to step S805 in FIG.

If it is determined in step S906 that the loud pedal 240 has not been depressed (pedal release), attenuation stop processing is performed (step S910), and a signal is output. In response to the release speed of the loud pedal 240, for example, any of the three types of simultaneous tangling, inclined tangling, and extremely slow stopping sound described above is selected to stop the sound. The attenuation here is realized by a predetermined attenuation time correction process for the calculated resonance signal.

Therefore, as described above, according to the keyboard musical instrument according to the present embodiment, in the non-string-striking mode, the hammer 215 stops immediately before striking, so that no striking sound is emitted. Therefore, since only the piano by the electronic sound source is emitted, it is possible to prevent the stringing sound from interfering with the musical sound by the electronic sound source. Therefore, by changing the volume of the piano sound by the electronic sound source, the piano sound can be set to an arbitrary volume. For example, at night or the like, by adjusting the volume emitted from the speaker 251 using the volume 250a or the like, the volume can be sufficiently attenuated. When the headphones 256 are used, the performance sound can be prevented from leaking to the outside.

Also, in the non-string-striking mode, there is an advantage that the key touch is not impaired because the action is actually performed by the key-press. In the string striking mode, since the stopper 30 moves to a position that does not hinder the rotation of the hammer shank 214, the keyboard instrument can be used in the same manner as a normal acoustic piano.

In the non-stringing mode, the sound board of the piano may be directly vibrated by a variable excitation energy type actuator instead of using the speaker 251. In this case, since the soundboard vibrates, it is possible to obtain a sound of an acoustic piano having a realistic spreading feeling.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a stopper 90 and an action 210A of a keyboard instrument according to another embodiment of the present invention. A rail 217 </ b> A having a substantially U-shaped cross section is bridged between the low-frequency side action bracket and the high-frequency side action bracket 217. On this rail 217A, a hammer sensor 972 for detecting the speed of the hammer shank 214 is provided for each hammer shank. The hammer sensor 972 is configured by a photo interrupter including a light emitting element such as an LED and a light receiving element such as a phototransistor. A detected portion 970 is attached to the hammer shank 214, and a slit 971 is formed in the detected portion 270. With the rotation of the hammer shank 214, the detected part 970 crosses the optical path between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the hammer sensor 972. At this time, the hammer sensor 972 repeatedly turns on and off. Therefore, it is possible to detect the speed of the hammer, for example, based on the time from when the hammer sensor 972 is turned off to on and then off.

ス ト ッ パ A stopper 90 is provided at a position above the catcher 216. The stopper 90 has an elongated shape and extends from a low-tone action to a high-tone action. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the stopper 90 includes a shaft 901, a base 902, a cushion 903, and a protective material 904. The shaft portion 901 has a rod shape, and it is preferable to use a member having sufficient strength, such as wood, metal, or resin, so that the shaft portion 901 does not easily bend when colliding with the catcher 216. A table 902 is arranged on the shaft 901 along the longitudinal direction, and a cushion 903 made of urethane or the like is fixed to the table 902. Further, the surface of the cushion 903 is covered with a protective material 904 such as exine, and the catcher 216 contacts the protective material 903. The base 902, the cushion 903, and the protection member 904 are divided into a plurality of parts along the longitudinal direction of the shaft part 901 corresponding to the action split part.

軸 As shown in FIG. 10, the shaft portion 901 is rotatably supported by a bearing 920, and the bearing 902 is attached to the side wall of the low-frequency side action bracket 217 via an L-shaped bracket 921. Similarly, the other end of the shaft portion 901 is also supported by a bearing attached to the treble side action bracket.

A rectangular long plate-shaped lever 910 is fixed to one end of the shaft portion 901 shown in FIG. A circular hole 911 is formed in the lever 910, and one end of a spring 930 is locked in the hole 911. The other end of the spring 930 is attached to the keyboard instrument body with a wood screw (Heaton) 935 having a hole, and the lever 910 is in a state of being biased in a direction in which the spring 930 contracts. Further, a cutout 912 is formed in the lever 910, and the inner surface thereof is covered with a covering portion 913 such as felt. Thus, the sliding noise generated between the trap work 945 and the notch 912 can be reduced.
One end of a bar-shaped trap work 945 is locked to the notch 912, and the trap work 945 moves up and down, whereby the lever 910 rotates around the shaft 901. The other end of the trap work 945 is locked by a link 951, and the link 950 is connected to the trap work 955, the link 960, the trap work 965, and the pedal 240A. The links 950 and 960 are L-shaped, and are configured to be rotatable around shafts 951 and 961, respectively.

(4) When the player depresses the pedal 240A downward, the trap work 965 is pulled downward, and the link 960 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 961. Then, the rotational movement of the link 960 is transmitted to the trap work 945 via the trap work 955 and the link 950, and the trap work 945 moves downward. As a result, the lever 910 rotates about the shaft 901, the cushion 903 and the like disposed on the shaft 901 face downward (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 9), and the keyboard instrument enters the non-stringing mode. State. This state can be maintained by the user moving the pedal 240A to the left.

When the user lifts the pedal 240A upward, the links 950 and 960 rotate clockwise, and the trap work 945 lifts upward. Then, the lever 910 rotates in the direction of the spring 930 about the shaft 901 by the elastic force of the spring 930. As a result, the cushion 903 disposed on the shaft 901 is oriented in the horizontal direction (the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. 9), and the keyboard instrument is in the string striking mode.

The operation of the keyboard instrument according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. In the action shown in FIG. 9, in the non-stringing mode (silence) (when the stopper 90 is at the position shown by the solid line), when the player strikes the key, the capstan 211 pushes up the wipen 212 and the hammer shank 214. Rotates. However, immediately before the hammer 215 strikes the string 204, the catcher 216 contacts the protection portion 904 of the stopper 90, so that the hammer shank 214 stops at the position shown by the broken line in the figure. Therefore, the piano sound is generated by the electronic sound without striking the strings. Further, since the action is actually performed by the keying, it is possible to prevent the key touch from being damaged. Further, since the rotation of the hammer shank 214 is prevented just above the catcher 216, it is possible to reliably suppress the keying.

In the string striking mode (when the stopper 90 is at the position shown by the broken line), the catcher 215 does not come into contact with the stopper 90, so that the hammer 215 rotated by keying comes into contact with the string, and a normal acoustic A piano sound is emitted.

Further, in the keyboard instrument according to the present embodiment, since the stopper 90 as the stationary means is disposed above the catcher 216, the hammer sensor 972 or the hammer sensor is provided between the hammer shank 214 and the damper wire 218. A damper wire rail (not shown) can be provided at substantially the same position as 972. That is, the function as an automatic piano and the function as a silence piano can be realized in one piano. Further, by bending the damper wire 218, the stopper 90 does not hinder the fine adjustment of the position. Therefore, fine adjustment of the damper wire 218 can be performed in the same manner as a normal piano.

As described above, the resonance sound generated from the resonance sound generating means in response to the operation of the operation element is generated with a delay from the time of key depression, or the characteristic such as the decay rate changes according to the operation speed of the operation element. In addition, since characteristics such as the attenuation speed and the like are changed for each sound range, reproduction of various resonance sounds unique to natural musical instruments can be faithfully imitated.

It is sectional drawing of the keyboard musical instrument which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of a stopper concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a stopper concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is a side view showing a stopper and an action concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view showing the stopper and action concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is a block diagram of control means etc. concerning the embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the keyboard instrument according to the embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of a sound generation process according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing showing the stopper and action which concern on other embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the stopper concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a stopper etc. concerning other embodiments of the present invention.

Explanation of reference numerals

Reference numeral 30: stopper (muffling mechanism), 70: control means, 201: key, 204: string, 205: damper, 210: action (string striking mechanism), 214: hammer shank, 215: hammer, 230: key sensor (detection means) , 240 ... Loud pedal.

Claims (3)

Multiple keys,
With a stretched string,
A string striking mechanism interposed between the string and the key, wherein a hammer strikes the string as the key is pressed;
A silencing mechanism that regulates striking of the string by the hammer;
Operating means for instructing switching to a string-striking mode or a non-string-striking mode;
When the operation means for instructing switching to the string-stripping mode is operated, the muffling mechanism is driven to set the muffling mechanism to a state in which striking of the string by the hammer is not restricted, and Electric drive means for driving the muffling mechanism when the operation means for instructing switching to the mode is performed, and setting the muffling mechanism in a state of restricting the hammer from hitting the string. A keyboard instrument comprising: The keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein the driving means has a movable portion connected to the muffling mechanism, and stops the movable portion when power is not supplied. Musical sound generating means for generating a musical sound when the key is pressed;
Control means for not causing the musical tone generating means to generate the musical tone in the string striking mode and causing the musical tone generating means to generate the musical tone in the non-string striking mode. A keyboard instrument according to claim 1.

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