JP2006154504A - Pedal performance support device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To permit a player with trouble in a lower half of a body to operate a pedal by a continuous variate by an upper half of the body and to realize rich performance. <P>SOLUTION: A detection device 70 is installed on a head part of the player, detects an operation of intake and exhaust of the player and outputs it as a detection signal sd by the continuous variate. A pedal holding part 46 holding the pedal 24 of a piano PN is connected to a pedal actuator 34 in a main body 30 of a pedal performance support device 100. When a current instruction value up(t) corresponding to the detection signal sd is supplied to the pedal actuator 34, a plunger 33 is driven and the pedal 24 is displaced through the pedal holding part 46 by the continuous variate in connection to the plunger. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pedal performance assisting device capable of driving a piano pedal by an upper body motion.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a pedal performance assisting device that can drive an acoustic piano pedal by an operation other than the performer's foot has been known mainly for a player with a disability.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, an electromagnet is installed at each lower part of three pedals, and three back supports are swingably provided on a chair. When one of the back supports is pressed, the corresponding limit switch is The corresponding electromagnet is energized, and the corresponding pedal is pulled down to be driven.

In Patent Document 2 below, when the abdomen abutting member arranged at the height of the shelf board is connected to the loud pedal by a connecting member, and the player presses the abdomen abutting member with the abdomen, the contact is made according to the operation. By causing the loud pedal to be pushed up through the member, it is possible to perform a string-separating operation equivalent to the case where the loud pedal is stepped on with the foot without being operated by the foot.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-150143 Japanese Patent No. 3331055

  However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since each electromagnet is switched on and off by the switch means, subtle pedal operations such as control of the half pedal area cannot be performed, and the performance expression is not satisfactory. It was.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, the performer must move the abdomen back and forth and press the abdomen abutting member in a seated state, so that not only the stroke amount cannot be increased, but also the force applied is adjusted. However, there is a problem that it is not easy to perform delicate pedal operations and it is difficult to demonstrate rich performance expression.

  Moreover, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, in order to press the backrest, it is necessary to bend the body backward and slightly to the side, but in this case, the position of the arm from the keyboard changes, which makes it difficult to perform the keyboard operation. . Also, if the inconvenient part is only under the knee, it is somewhat easier to maintain the balance of the body, but if the performer is inconvenient in the wide area from the lower back to the lower part, it can not be firmly seated. In this state, it is practically difficult to move the upper body freely back and forth and from side to side, and there is also a problem that the posture is easily lost due to pedal operation. On the other hand, even in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, the same problem occurs in the case of a player who is inconvenient from the waist down. For this reason as well, there is a problem that it is practically difficult to enable rich expression by pedal operation depending on the degree of obstacle of the performer.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art. The purpose of the present invention is to enable a player with a lower body to operate with a continuous amount of pedals by using the upper body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pedal performance assisting device capable of enabling a simple performance expression.

  In order to achieve the above object, a pedal performance assisting apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is equipped with a pedal drive unit (46) for driving a piano pedal and a player, and detects the upper body movement of the player. And a pedal drive means (31, 34) for displacing the pedal by a continuous amount by driving the pedal drive section based on a detection result (sd) by the motion detection means. It is characterized by that.

  Preferably, the motion detection means detects a motion of the upper body of the performer in a continuous amount, and the pedal drive means has a position corresponding to a detection value detected by the motion detection means. Thus, the pedal drive unit is driven and controlled (claim 2). According to this configuration, since the pedal faithfully follows the operation, rich performance expression becomes easier.

  More preferably, the motion of the upper body of the performer detected by the motion detection means is a motion such that the performer does not receive a reaction force from an external fixed object due to the motion (claim 3). According to this configuration, the player does not receive reaction force from the external fixed object due to the movement of the upper body, so it is not necessary to step on the lower body for movement, and even the performer who is inconvenient from the waist to the bottom A desired pedal operation can be performed without breaking the wheel.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the said parenthesis is an illustration.

  According to the present invention, even a player who is inconvenient for the lower body can operate the pedal in a continuous amount by the upper body, thereby enabling rich expression of performance.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a state where a pedal performance assisting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a piano. This pedal performance assisting device 100 is attached to a piano having a pedal so that the pedal can be driven without a normal foot operation. As the piano PN to which the pedal performance assisting device 100 is mounted, an acoustic piano is mainly assumed, and a grand piano is illustrated in FIG. Although details will be described later, the pedal performance assist device 100 is configured to be attachable to either a grand piano or an upright piano, and the state of being attached to the upright piano is illustrated in FIG. 5 (described later). .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 includes a base plate 60 placed on the floor 25, a main body 30 and a jack unit 61 disposed on the base plate 60, and is a piano that is a grand piano. The pedal box 22 is fixed to the lower part of the pedal column 21 of the PN. The main body 30 is provided with a control unit 31, a pedal gripping part 46 for gripping the pedal 24 of the piano PN, and the like (details will be described later).

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 31 of the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 and related elements. The control unit 31 is configured by connecting a timer 12, a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) interface (MIDII / F) 13, a storage unit 14, a ROM 16, a RAM 17, and a pedal drive unit 18 to the CPU 11 through the bus 10. The timer 12 is also connected to the CPU 11.

  The main body 30 is also provided with a pedal actuator 34 and a position sensor 49, which will be described later. The pedal drive unit 18 supplies a current instruction value up (t) to the pedal actuator 34, and a detection signal yp of the position sensor 49 is sent to the CPU 11. Supplied. Further, a detection signal sd of a motion sensor MS (described later with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8) that detects the motion of the upper body of the performer is converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter (not shown) and supplied to the CPU 11.

  Although not shown in the figure, the piano PN includes an action mechanism that transmits a key movement to the hammer, a string 19 that is hit by the hammer, and a damper 20 that stops vibration of the string 19. The pedal 24 is, for example, a loud pedal that drives the damper 20. Hereinafter, in the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 in the state of being attached to the piano PN, the player side is referred to as “front”.

  The CPU 11 controls the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 as a whole. The ROM 17 stores various data such as a control program executed by the CPU 11 and table data. The RAM 16 temporarily stores various input information such as performance data and text data, various flags, buffer data, calculation results, and the like. The MIDII / F 13 exchanges MIDI signals with a MIDI device (not shown) or the like. The timer 12 measures the interrupt time and various times in the timer interrupt process. The storage unit 14 is composed of a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, and can store various data such as performance data.

  Based on the detection signal sd, the CPU 11 generates position control data corresponding to each position of the pedal 24 at each time, and generates the current instruction value up (t) as an excitation current corresponding to the position control data. The current instruction value up (t) is supplied to the pedal actuator 34 via the pedal drive unit 18. This current instruction value up (t) is actually a PWM signal that has been subjected to pulse width modulation so as to have a duty ratio corresponding to a target value of an average current to be passed through a solenoid coil (not shown) of the pedal actuator 34. It is.

  In the drive control of the pedal 24, the position control data is compared with the detection signal yp supplied from the position sensor 49, and the current instruction value up (t) is updated and output as needed so that they match. Servo control is performed. As a result, the pedal 24 is automatically driven according to the detection signal sd supplied as needed based on the player's action.

  Next, the structure and operation of the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the pedal performance assisting device 100 and shows a state in which the left side plate is removed from the main body 30. 4A is a rear view of the pedal performance assisting device 100, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of the pedal performance assisting device 100. FIG. FIG. 5 is a left side view of the pedal performance assisting device 100. Here, FIG. 3 illustrates a state in which the pedal performance assisting device 100 is mounted on a grand piano, and FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which the pedal performance assisting device 100 is mounted on an upright piano. The abutting member 52 described later is used only when the pedal performance assisting device 100 is attached to the grand piano. FIG. 3 shows an initial state where the pedal 24 is not driven.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, on the upper surface of the main body 30, in addition to the power switch 56 and the operation lamp 57, a signal terminal 58 to which the detection signal sd of the operation sensor MS is input is provided. A power connector 55 is provided at the lower right side of the main body 30.

  As shown in FIG. 3, on the base plate 60 of the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 in the mounted state, the main body 30 is positioned forward and the jack unit 61 is positioned rearward. The jack unit 61 has a movable plate 62 that moves up and down by rotating the adjustment bolt 63.

  The main body 30 of the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a window portion 54 for allowing the pedal 24 to be inserted into the main body 30 is provided in the lower rear portion of the main body 30 (FIG. 4A). reference). Further, butting plates 50 and 51 are provided at appropriate positions on the rear portion of the main body 30 (see FIGS. 3, 4B, and 5). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A, the abutting member 52 has an elongated hole 52 a and is attached to the upper portion of the main body 30 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The abutting member 52 can be fixed at an arbitrary position in the front-rear direction by the left and right knobs 53A, 53B.

  In particular, when mounted on the piano PN, which is a grand piano, first, the movable plate 62 is lowered into the lower side of the pedal box 22 with the movable plate 62 lowered. The pedal box 22 is brought into contact with the front surface 22a. Thereby, the positional relationship of the front-back direction of the main body 30 and the piano PN is prescribed | regulated. Thereafter, the adjustment bolt 63 is rotated to raise the movable plate 62 and abut against the lower surface 22 b of the pedal box 22, and further rotated to adjust the adjustment bolt 63 between the floor surface 25 and the lower surface 22 b of the pedal box 22. The pedal performance assisting device 100 is fixed to the floor surface 25 and the piano PN by stretching the jack unit 61 to generate a repulsive force. Further, the abutting member 52 is slid and brought into contact with the pedal column 21 of the piano PN. Thus, vibration of the main body 30 can be suppressed during the driving operation of the pedal 24, and the operation can be stabilized.

  The control unit 31, the pedal grip 46, the pedal actuator 34, and the position sensor 49 are disposed inside the main body 30 of the pedal performance assisting device 100. The pedal actuator 34 is fixed to the front plate 32 of the main body 30 via the stay 34, and moves the plunger 33 downward when a drive signal (current instruction value up (t)) is supplied. The position sensor 49 detects the current position of the plunger 33 and outputs a detection signal yp. A plunger shaft 36 is fixed to the lower end portion of the plunger 33, and a spring plate 35 is fixed to the plunger shaft 36. Therefore, the plunger shaft 36 and the spring plate 35 move in the vertical direction together with the plunger 33. .

  A spring receiving plate 39 is fixed to the front plate 32 via a stay 40 below the spring plate 35. A spring 37 is interposed between the spring plate 35 and the spring receiving plate 39, and the spring 37 always urges the spring plate 35 in a direction (upward) away from the spring receiving plate 39. . Thereby, the plunger shaft 36 is maintained at the initial position by the biasing force of the spring 37 in a state where the supply of the drive signal is stopped.

  A connecting bar 41 is connected to the lower end of the plunger shaft 36 via a universal joint 38, and a pipe-like connecting member 42 is fixed to the connecting bar 41. Further, an adjustment bar 43 for adjusting the length is slidably inserted in the lower half of the connecting member 42, and the protruding length of the adjusting bar 43 from the connecting member 42 is arbitrarily adjusted. The adjustment knobs 44A and 44B (see FIGS. 3 and 4) can be fixed.

  The pedal grip 46 is connected to the lower end of the adjustment bar 43 via a universal joint 45. The universal joint 38 can arbitrarily change the angle of the connecting member 42 to the adjustment bar 43 with respect to the plunger shaft 36, and the universal joint 45 can change the angle of the pedal grip 46 with respect to the adjustment bar 43. It can be changed arbitrarily. Accordingly, the pedal gripping portion 46 can reliably and easily grip the pedal 24 in any type of piano PN.

  The pedal gripping portion 46 is formed in a bag shape with an open rear and a U-shaped longitudinal section. A lock bolt 47 for fastening and fixing the pedal 24 is attached to the lower portion of the pedal gripping portion 46, and the lock bolt 47 is moved up and down by a rotation operation of the lock operation portion 48. The lower part of the pedal 24 of the piano PN, which is a grand piano, has a recess. When the pedal 24 is fixed, the main body 30 is fixed to the floor surface 25 and the piano PN as described above, and then the pedal 24 is inserted into the bag-shaped portion of the pedal gripping portion 46, and the lock operation portion The lock bolt 47 is raised by rotating 48. Then, the upper end portion of the lock bolt 47 comes into contact with the lower surface 24 a of the recess of the pedal 24, and the pedal 24 is sandwiched and fixed by the upper lower surface 46 a of the pedal gripping portion 46 and the lock bolt 47.

  By the way, when the piano PN is an upright piano, the pedal performance auxiliary device 100 is mounted as shown in FIG. That is, the piano PN that is an upright piano does not have a pedal box, has a lower front plate 23, and a pedal 24 extends forward from the lower portion of the lower front plate 23. When mounting the piano PN, which is an upright piano, first, the abutting member 52 is fixed to the main body 30 side (front end), and the movable plate 62 is lowered and the movable plate 62 is lowered. The abutting plate 50 is brought into contact with the front surface 23a of the lower front plate 23 at the same time. Thereby, the positional relationship of the front-back direction of the main body 30 and the piano PN is prescribed | regulated.

  After that, as in the case of the grand piano, the adjustment bolt 63 is rotated to raise the movable plate 62 and abut against the lower surface 26a, and the adjustment bolt 63 is further rotated, between the floor surface 25 and the lower surface 26a. The pedal performance assisting device 100 is fixed to the floor surface 25 and the piano PN by stretching the jack unit 61 to generate a repulsive force. Although the abutting member 52 is not used, since the abutting plate 50 is above the abutting plate 51, the vibration of the main body 30 is suppressed during the driving operation of the pedal 24, and the operation is stabilized. In the upright piano, the butting member 52 may be brought into contact with the front surface 23a of the lower front plate 23.

  Incidentally, as described above, when the piano PN is a grand piano, the abutment between the abutting plate 51 and the front face 22a of the pedal box 22 defines the positional relationship between the main body 30 and the piano PN in the front-rear direction. . That is, the butting plate 51 serves as a positioning reference in the front-rear direction when the pedal performance assisting device 100 is attached. At this time, the distance from the contact position between the butting plate 51 and the front surface 22a to the foremost position of the main body 30 of the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 is “L1” shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the piano PN is an upright piano, the positional relationship in the front-rear direction between the main body 30 and the piano PN is defined by the contact between the butting plate 50 and the front surface 23a of the lower front plate 23. At this time, the distance from the contact position between the butting plate 50 and the front surface 23a to the foremost position of the main body 30 is “L2” shown in FIG. Here, both L1 and L2 are set to a value of 12 cm or less, for example, 11 cm.

  In general, when a player who uses a wheelchair performs a piano performance using the pedal performance assisting device 100, it is necessary to consider that the pedal performance assisting device 100 is placed under the feet so as not to get in the way. When the performer faces the piano PN and places the wheelchair in a place suitable for performance, the front end (rear end in FIGS. 3 and 5) viewed from the player of the footrest of a general wheelchair is the pedal box 22. The front surface 22a of the lower front plate 23 or the front surface 23a of the lower front plate 23 is located forward from the position of about 12 cm. Therefore, by setting the distances L1 and L2 to 12 cm or less, it is possible to surely prevent the footrest of the wheelchair, the performer's feet and the like from interfering with the main body 30, and not to interfere with the performance. That is, the thickness of the main body 30 in the front-rear direction is increased by disposing the pedal actuator 34 at a position (upward) away from the pedal 24 or the pedal gripping portion 46 without disposing the pedal actuator 34 in the vicinity of the pedal 24 or the pedal gripping portion 46. In this way, the distance L1, L2 can be set to 12 cm or less as described above.

  Next, an example of the operation of the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 6. Since the operation of the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 is the same regardless of whether the piano PN is a grand piano or an upright piano, the case where the piano PN is a grand piano will be described as an example.

  FIG. 6 is a left side view of the main part of the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100. FIG. 3 shows the initial state, that is, the non-driven state where the pedal 24 is not pressed, while FIG. 6 shows the driven state where the pedal 24 is pressed.

  When the detection signal sd of the motion sensor MS is input to the control unit 31 through the signal terminal 58 and the corresponding current instruction value up (t) is supplied to the pedal actuator 34 as described above, as shown in FIG. Further, together with the plunger 33, the plunger shaft 36 and the spring plate 35 move downward, and the spring 37 contracts. In conjunction with the plunger shaft 36, the pedal gripping portion 46 also moves downward via the connecting bar 41, the connecting member 42, and the adjusting bar 43. At that time, the members (such as the connecting bar 41) between the universal joints 38 and 45 and the pedal gripping portion 46 are not only changed in the vertical and front-rear positions, but are also rotated at the respective angles. Although it is necessary to change to the front-back direction collectively, the freedom degree of those angle changes is ensured by the universal joints 38 and 45. Accordingly, although the plunger 33 is simply moved up and down, the pedal gripping portion 46 changes its posture following the rotation of the pedal 24, and the operation of the pedal 24 is the same as when the pedal 24 is pressed. It becomes dynamic movement. The amount of operation (pedal depth) of the pedal 24 according to the detection signal sd will be described later.

  When the current instruction value up (t) becomes a value corresponding to the initial state based on the detection signal sd, the spring plate 35 is raised by the urging force of the spring 37. In conjunction with this, the pedal gripping portion 46 is also raised, so that the pedal 24 is also rotated upward to return to the original initial position.

  Next, detailed modes of the operation of the pedal 24 based on the motion sensor MS and the detection signal sd of the motion sensor MS will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a detection apparatus including the motion sensor MS employed in the present embodiment. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the detection device. 7 (c) to 7 (h) and FIGS. 8 (a) to 8 (e) all show other examples of the detection device mounted on the upper body of the performer, which will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the detection device 70 connected to the pedal performance assisting device 100 of the present embodiment is configured as a blow sensor, and detects the breathing in and out of the performer as the motion sensor MS. The sensor MS1 is provided. The detection device 70 includes a belt portion 71 for mounting on the performer's head, and a mouthpiece 72 that extends from one end of the belt portion 71 and is located in the vicinity of the performer's mouth. , Provided at the one end of the belt portion 71.

  The sensor MS1 of the detection device 70 includes a diaphragm, a magnet, a hall element, and the like. The circuit shown in FIG. 7B changes the pressure change due to the intake and exhaust of the performer into a resistance change, and changes the voltage change due to the resistance change. The detection signal sd is output in a continuous amount.

  FIG. 9A is a control table showing the relationship between the detection signal sd and the target stroke st of the pedal 24 controlled based on the detection signal sd, and is a diagram showing a control example of the pedal 24 in the present embodiment. FIGS. 9B to 9D show other control table examples, which will be described later.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9A, the detection device 70, which is a blow sensor, drives and controls the pedal 24 based only on the performer's exhaust operation. In FIG. 9A, the horizontal axis represents the value of the detection signal sd, and the vertical axis represents the target stroke st where the pedal 24 should be positioned. In the target stroke st, “0” corresponds to the initial position where the target stroke is not depressed. An upper limit value (maximum depression position) and a lower limit value (initial position) of the target stroke st are obtained in advance, and the space between the upper limit value and the lower limit value is mapped as the physical position of the plunger 33. In the present embodiment, the detection signal sd and the target stroke st are mapped so as to correspond linearly. However, the mapping is not necessarily linear, and for example, the half-pedal region may be associated with a curve that can be easily controlled. Good.

  Here, the half pedal region refers to a state in which the damper 20 is brought into a non-contact state with respect to the string 19 from a state in which a decrease in the pressing force of the damper 20 against the string 19 is started in the depression process of the pedal 24 which is a loud pedal. It is assumed that the half point HP in the half pedal area is specified in advance. Then, “0” that is the minimum value of the detection signal sd is associated with “0” of the target stroke st, and the upper limit value of the target stroke st is associated with the maximum value max of the detection signal sd. Further, the half point HP is made to correspond to the intermediate value mid between the minimum value and the maximum value max of the detection signal sd. When the output voltage value of the sensor MS1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the maximum value max that is a constant value is output as the detection signal sd.

  In the drive control of the pedal 24, the target stroke st corresponding to the detection signal sd is obtained with reference to the control table shown in FIG. 9A, and the current instruction is set so that the position of the pedal 24 matches the target stroke st. The value up (t) is generated.

  With the setting as described above, when the performer wears the belt portion 71 on the head and exhausts the mouthpiece 72 in addition, the strength of the exhaust is detected in a continuous amount and output as a detection signal sd. Then, the plunger 33 is continuously displaced according to the detection signal sd that changes every moment, and the pedal 24 is also continuously displaced.

  According to the present embodiment, when the pedal performance assisting device 100 is attached, in the grand piano, the abutting plate 51 abuts against the front surface 22a of the pedal box 22 and the abutting member 52 contacts the pedal column 21. On the other hand, in the upright piano, the butting plate 50 comes into contact with the front surface 23a of the lower front plate 23. Further, the jack unit 61 is interposed between the floor surface 25 and the lower surface 22b of the pedal box 22 or the lower surface 26a of the bottom plate 26, and the jack unit 61 uses the reaction force from the floor surface 25 to make the jack unit 61 the pedal box 22 or the bottom plate. The pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 is brought into a stable fixed state with respect to the piano PN by biasing 26 upward and generating a tension force therebetween. That is, it is mounted using the weight of the piano PN.

  As a result, the pedal performance assisting device 100 can be stably mounted and removed easily without requiring special processing such as drilling or sticking to the piano PN. Further, the pedal performance assisting device 100 is restrained with respect to the piano PN by two non-parallel contact surfaces such as the front surface 22a and the lower surface 22b of the pedal box 22, so The position is kept stable with little vibration, and the main body 30 is prevented from being displaced, and the pedal driving operation is also stabilized. Moreover, in the grand piano, the abutting member 52 and the pedal column 21 are in contact with each other, so that the pedal driving operation is further stabilized. Therefore, the piano PN can be attached in a stable state from the outside without requiring processing, and can be easily attached and detached. Moreover, it is easy to use the same pedal performance assisting device 100 not only between the grand piano and the upright piano but also between different models.

  Further, when the pedal performance assisting device 100 is mounted, the foremost end of the main body 30 is located forward from the front surface 22a of the pedal box 22 or the front surface 23a of the lower front plate 23 from the position of 12 cm. When facing the musical instrument, the player's foot or the footrest of the wheelchair does not hit the pedal performance assisting device 100 and does not get in the way, so a smooth performance can be ensured.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the detection device 70 attached to the performer detects the exhalation operation of the exhalation as the upper body operation of the performer, and the pedal 24 is continuously applied in accordance with the detection signal sd that is the detection result. In addition, since the servo drive control is performed so that the position of the pedal 24 becomes a position corresponding to the detection signal sd based on the control table, even if the player has a lower body, the upper body Thus, the pedal can be operated faithfully in a continuous amount, and subtle pedal operations such as control of the half pedal area can also be performed, thereby realizing a rich performance expression.

  Further, the detection device 70 is a blow sensor, and does not require an operation of driving an external member with the abdomen or the back unlike a conventional pedal performance assisting device. The performer does not receive reaction force from the external fixed object. Therefore, even in the case of a player who is inconvenient in the wide area from the waist, it is not necessary to step on the lower body for the operation, and the desired pedal operation can be performed without breaking the posture. In addition, since there is no restriction on the stroke amount in the operation, the control is easy and the force can be easily adjusted. Furthermore, since there is no significant change in posture, the position of the arm from the keyboard is not affected, and the keyboard operation does not become difficult.

  The butting plate 51 is not necessary when the piano PN is an upright piano, and the butting plate 50 is not necessary when the piano PN is a grand piano, but is attached to any piano. In this case as well, both the butting plates 50 and 51 do not get in the way, which is convenient when using them again, and there is no need to bother to remove them, and the configuration does not have to be complicated.

  In the present embodiment, the jack unit 61 is shown as an urging means for urging the pedal box 22 and the like upward using the reaction force from the floor surface 25. However, this is an example, and the piano PN Any other configuration may be used as long as it is a mechanism that generates a tension force between the bottom surface and the like of the floor 25 and the floor surface 25. For example, one using a cam mechanism or one using pressure may be used.

  In the present embodiment, only the player's exhaust operation is reflected in the pedal drive, and the state where there is no intake / exhaust is associated with the initial position of the pedal 24, so-called one-side control is adopted, but this is not the only case. Alternatively, bidirectional control may be performed by reflecting the intake operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 9B, the half point HP of the target stroke st is made to correspond to “0” of the detection signal sd, and the maximum value (+) max on the (+) side of the detection signal sd. Thus, a control table is used in which the upper limit value of the target stroke st is made to correspond and the lower limit value of the target stroke st is made to correspond to the maximum value (−) max on the (−) side of the detection signal sd.

  With this setting, the pedal 24 is positioned at the half point HP in the initial state in which intake and exhaust are not performed. When exhausted, the position of the pedal 24 is linearly displaced in the pressing direction accordingly, and when inhaled, the pedal 24 The position of is displaced linearly in the direction of the non-pressed position accordingly. According to such setting, in particular, delicate control of the half pedal area is facilitated.

  In the present embodiment, the pressure change due to exhaust is detected, but the flow rate of intake and exhaust may be detected and used for driving control of the pedal 24. Alternatively, a value corresponding to the total flow rate of the intake / exhaust gas may be obtained by integrating a value obtained by detecting the flow rate of the intake / exhaust gas, and the pedal 24 may be driven and controlled according to this value. Even when another detection device is used, the detection signal sd may not be directly used, but may be controlled using an integral value or a differential value of the detection signal sd.

  In addition to the blow sensor shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, various detection devices can be used. In order to enable a desired pedal operation without losing posture even if the player is inconvenient from the waist down, the player is forced to react from the external fixed object by the player's action for driving the pedal. Any detection device that does not receive the signal may be used. In other words, if the player is a detection device that only applies internal force except for minute reaction force such as reaction force from the atmosphere due to intake and exhaust, and can balance the force within the player himself / herself. Good.

  Hereinafter, such other detection devices are illustrated in FIGS. 7C to 7H and FIGS. 8A to 8E. 7 (c) to (h) and FIGS. 8 (a) to (c) can detect the movement of the upper body of the performer with a continuous amount, FIG. 8 (d), The example of (e) detects by binary (on-off). In the examples of FIGS. 7C to 7H and FIGS. 8A to 8C, the control table of FIG. 9A is used as in the examples of FIGS. 7A and 7B. One-side direction control is possible, and the pedal 24 can be displaced by a continuous amount.

  For example, the detection device shown in FIG. 7C is configured as a bite sensor that is added to the mouth of the performer, and has a pressure-sensitive sensor MS2 that detects a biting force with teeth as the motion sensor MS. As shown in FIG. 5E, hard plate members 74 and 75 are attached to the top and bottom of the sensor MS2 via soft members 76 and 77, respectively. When the performer's teeth 78 and 78 bit the plate members 74 and 75, the pressure spreads through the members 76 and 77, and the detection error due to the concentration of one point of pressure is reduced. The pressure sensor MS2 outputs a voltage corresponding to the pressure as the detection signal sd with the circuit configuration shown in FIG. The player can control the pressing position of the pedal 24 by adjusting the biting force.

  In addition, the detection device illustrated in FIG. 7F includes a volume sensor MS3 as the motion sensor MS. The volume sensor MS3 is fixed to the waist belt 80 and attached to the back of the performer's waist. On the other hand, a mounting tool 79 is mounted on the performer's head, and the mounting tool 79 and the volume sensor MS3 are connected by a wire on the performer's back. When the performer lowers his head forward, the wire 81 is pulled in, and a voltage corresponding to the pull-in amount is detected by the volume sensor MS3 and output as a detection signal sd. Therefore, the performer can control the pressing position of the pedal 24 by adjusting the inclination of the head in the front-rear direction.

  In addition, the detection device illustrated in FIG. 7G includes a volume sensor MS4 as the motion sensor MS. In this detection device, a neck belt 82 is connected between two rotation shaft portions 84 and 85, and a chin receiving member 83 is rotatably provided around the rotation shaft portions 84 and 85. The volume sensor MS4 is disposed in one rotation shaft portion, for example, the rotation shaft portion 84, and outputs a voltage corresponding to the rotation position of the chin receiving member 83 as a detection signal sd. The player wraps the neck belt 82 around the neck, and the detection device is mounted so that the chin rest member 83 is located under the chin. The chin receiving member 83 is pressed and rotated downward by the chin, and when the chin is raised, the chin receiving member 83 is returned to its original position by a spring (not shown). Therefore, the performer can control the pressing position of the pedal 24 by the amount of pulling (lowering) the chin.

  In the example of FIG. 7G, the rotational reaction force of the chin rest member 83 is set to resemble the pressing reaction force of the pedal 24, so that an operation with a feeling close to the actual pedal operation is possible. . In this case, for example, the load characteristics may be set such that the load becomes heavier after the half pedal area. Further, a mechanism that generates a predetermined click feeling at the half point HP may be provided so that the half point HP is clearly recognized, or a predetermined sound generation and vibration may be generated at the half point HP. . Alternatively, the click feeling may be generated in a plurality of stages so that the progress of the pressing process is recognized. These things can also be performed in the example of FIG.

  The detection device shown in FIG. 7 (h) includes a sensor MS5 made up of a Hall element as the motion sensor MS. In this detection device, a sensor MS5 is provided on the neck belt 86, and the sensor MS5 is mounted so as to be positioned at the front of the player's neck. Further, a magnet 87 is mounted under the performer's chin. The magnet 87 is attached by an adhesive or an unillustrated ear hook type or head wound type belt or the like. The sensor MS5 outputs a voltage corresponding to the distance from the magnet 87 as the detection signal sd. The player can control the pressing position of the pedal 24 by the amount of pulling (lowering) his / her chin.

  The detection apparatus shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B includes a pressure sensor MS6 as the motion sensor MS. In this detection device, a soft body 89 such as a balloon is provided on the neck wrap belt 88, and the soft body 89 is mounted so as to be positioned at the front of the player's neck. The pressure sensor MS6 is attached under the performer's chin by an adhesive or an unillustrated ear-hook or head-wound belt or the like. When the performer pulls (lowers) his / her chin and the pressure sensor MS6 comes into contact with the soft body 89, the pressure sensor MS6 is pressed against the soft body 89. The pressure sensor MS6 outputs a voltage corresponding to the pressure as a detection signal sd. The performer can control the pressing position of the pedal 24 by the strength of pulling the chin.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), there are provided pressure detection units 90 and 91 for respectively detecting the pressing force in the left and right directions when the player performs a pressing operation with the tongue in addition to the mouth. A detection device can also be employed. Although not shown, a detection device that includes an acceleration sensor and is attached to the upper body (head) of the performer and detects the tilt may be employed. In addition, the detection apparatus which can be employ | adopted is not restricted to these.

  8D and 8E output the detection signal sd as a binary value (on / off) instead of a continuous amount. However, depending on how the detection signal sd is used, the detection signal sd may be output as a continuous amount. Can be controlled.

  First, the detection device shown in FIG. 8D is configured as a so-called leaf switch, and is mounted on the performer's head with a head mounting member such as a headband (not shown). A leaf 94 is swingably provided on the head mounting member, and a weight 93 is provided at the lower end of the leaf 94. Further, the contact point 92 is fixed and disposed on the head-mounted member so that the contact point 92 comes close to the leaf 94 in the vertical state. As the performer swings his / her head back and forth (or left and right), the leaf 94 comes in contact with the contact 92. This contact / separation turns the switch on / off.

  The detection device shown in FIG. 8E is configured as a so-called mercury switch, and an appropriate amount of mercury 96 is enclosed in a sealed rectangular parallelepiped main body 95. Further, electrodes 97 and 98 are provided close to one side in the main body 95. The main body 95 is mounted on the performer's head by a head mounting member such as a headband (not shown), for example. When the performer tilts his / her head back and forth (or left / right), mercury 96 moves within the main body 95 as shown in FIG. When the mercury 96 moves to a position surrounding both the electrodes 97 and 98, the electrodes 97 and 98 are short-circuited and switched on, and when the mercury 96 is separated from the electrodes 97 and 98, it is switched off.

  In such a configuration, when the detection device shown in FIG. 8D or FIG. 8E is used, the control table is replaced with that shown in FIG. A control table in which the pressing depth of the pedal 24 is set accordingly is used. Therefore, the performer can adjust the pedal depth according to the switch-on duration.

  In addition to these, as a binary (on / off) detection type detection device, for example, a two-make type push switch may be used. In that case, since the (on) velocity is detected by the contact time difference, for example, a control table that is set so that the pressing speed of the pedal 24 increases as the velocity increases may be used. Accordingly, since the pedal depth is determined by the velocity and the ON duration time, the performer can adjust the pedal pressing speed and the pedal depth by the switch pressing speed and the pressing duration time. Or you may use the control table set so that the depression depth of the pedal 24 might become deep, so that a velocity is high. In this case, the performer can adjust the pedal depth at the speed of pressing the switch.

  In addition, although the aspect demonstrated above was all the continuous control which displaces the pedal 24 by continuous quantity, from a viewpoint of simplifying a structure, the pedal 24 is drive-controlled binary (binary control). Is also possible.

  FIG. 9C is a control table showing the relationship between the detection signal sd and the target stroke st of the pedal 24 that is binary-controlled based on the detection signal sd. While using any one of the detection devices shown in FIGS. 7A to 7H or FIGS. 8A to 8C, the control table includes a detection signal sd as shown in FIG. 9C. A control table is used in which “0” of the target stroke st is associated with “0” to the intermediate value mid, and the upper limit value of the target stroke st is associated with the intermediate value mid to the maximum value max. In this case, the pedal 24 passes the half point HP with the intermediate value mid as a boundary. In this control table, when the detection device of FIG. 8D or FIG. 8E is used, max / 0 corresponds to on / off, that is, the upper limit value / lower limit value of the target stroke st is determined. It will correspond directly.

  Note that bidirectional control is also possible in such binary control. For example, the detection device shown in FIG. 7A is used, and the control table is set on the (−) side of the detection signal sd with “0” of the detection signal sd as a boundary as shown in FIG. 9D. A control table in which the lower limit value of the target stroke st is associated with the upper limit value of the target stroke st with respect to the (+) side of the detection signal sd is used.

  In the case of the above binary control, it is desirable to provide hysteresis in both the pressing direction and the return direction when shifting between the upper limit value and the lower limit value in the control table.

  The detection devices shown in FIGS. 7A to 7H or FIGS. 8A to 8C are not limited to the exemplified usage, and the pedal 24 is driven and controlled according to the number of operations. It may be configured. For example, in the bite sensor shown in FIG. 7 (c), the player can use the control table in which the target stroke st of the pedal 24 is set according to the number of times of chewing within a predetermined time. Can be controlled.

  It should be noted that a multi-make press switch of 3 makeups or more may be used to control the press depth of the pedal 24 according to the number of makeups.

  Note that the various detection devices described above are not limited to the performer's head, and may detect motions of the shoulders, arms, and the like as long as the motion of the upper body can be detected.

  The detection device used for the drive control of the pedal 24 is not limited to one exemplified above, and more delicate control may be performed by combining two or more detection devices.

  Although the pedal 24 is a loud pedal, the present invention can be similarly applied to drive control of other pedals (soft pedals and the like). In order to drive and control a plurality of types of pedals in parallel, a plurality of main bodies 30 of the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 are provided, or a series of mechanisms from the actuator 34 to the pedal gripping portion 46 are provided in the main body 30. A plurality may be provided.

  In the present embodiment, the pedal performance assisting apparatus 100 is configured to operate the pedal actuator 34 based on the input detection signal sd. However, the MIDI performance signal is input from the MIDII / F 13 or the detection signal sd itself. May be configured such that the pedal actuator 34 can be operated based on these input MIDI signals. With such a configuration, the pedal actuator 34 can be operated by a MIDI signal. For example, the pedal 24 can be automatically operated by inputting MIDI data created for pedal operation from the outside. Furthermore, if the MIDI signal is supplied to the pedal performance assisting device 100 in accordance with the pedal operation of the teacher who teaches the pedal operation, the remote operation of the pedal 24 by the teacher becomes possible. It can also be used for practicing pedal operations by student performers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the state which mounted | wore the piano with the pedal performance auxiliary device which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control unit of a pedal performance auxiliary device, and the element relevant to it. It is a left view of a pedal performance auxiliary device, and has shown the state where the left side board was removed from the main part. It is a rear view (figure (a)) of a pedal performance auxiliary device, and a top view (figure (b)) of a pedal performance auxiliary device. It is a left view of a pedal performance auxiliary device. It is a left view of the principal part of a pedal performance auxiliary device. A perspective view (FIG. (A)) of a detection device provided with a motion sensor, a diagram showing a circuit configuration of the detection device (FIG. (B)), and diagrams showing examples of other detection devices (FIG. (C) to FIG. (H)). It is a figure which shows the example of another detection apparatus. It is a control table which shows the relationship between a detection signal and the target stroke of the pedal controlled based on it.

Explanation of symbols

  22 Pedal box, 24 Pedal, 30 Main body, 31 Control unit (part of pedal driving means), 34 Pedal actuator (part of pedal driving means), 46 Pedal grip part (pedal driving part), 70 Detection device (motion detection) Means), 100 pedal performance assist device, PN piano, sd detection signal (detection result)

Claims (3)

A pedal drive for driving the piano pedal;
A motion detection means mounted on the performer for detecting the motion of the upper body of the performer;
A pedal performance assisting device comprising: pedal driving means for displacing the pedal by a continuous amount by driving the pedal driving unit based on a detection result by the motion detecting means.   The motion detecting means detects a motion of the upper body of the performer in a continuous amount, and the pedal driving means is arranged such that the position of the pedal is a position corresponding to a detection value detected by the motion detecting means. 2. The pedal performance assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the pedal driving unit is driven and controlled.   3. The motion of the upper body of the performer detected by the motion detection means is a motion that prevents the performer from receiving a reaction force from an external fixed object by the motion. Pedal performance assist device.

Images