JP2012032588A - Keyboard instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a keyboard instrument that involves little risk of injuring an infant and whose overall weight is light enough for an infant to easily carry it.SOLUTION: In a keyboard instrument on which a plurality of keys 1 are arrayed in a scale order, each of the plurality of keys 1 is formed of a soft resin and a hollow 7 is continuously formed from the front to the rear of each key 1, and when the key is pressed, the pressed part is elastically crushed and deformed; therefore, when an infant, whether a baby or a small child somewhat older, presses a key 1, the pressed part can be elastically crushed and deformed and accordingly even if the infant gets his or her finger caught between keys 1 or the finger hits against a corner of a key 1, there is no risk for the finger to be injured, and moreover the keys 1 are, accordingly the whole instrument is, sufficiently reduced in weight for the infant to easily and conveniently carry it.

Description

  The present invention relates to a keyboard instrument such as an electronic piano or an electronic organ.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a keyboard instrument such as an electronic piano includes a plurality of keys arranged in order of scale and a keyboard frame that supports each rear portion of the plurality of keys, as described in Patent Document 1. It is known that a plurality of keys are arranged on a frame and supported by being arranged in a musical order in a musical instrument case.

JP 2008-76720 A

  In this type of keyboard instrument, a thin bent portion is formed at each rear end portion of a plurality of keys, and this bent portion is connected to a connecting portion continuous in the key arrangement direction. A plurality of keys are arranged in the order of musical scales, and in this state, the connecting portion is supported by the keyboard frame, whereby each key is configured to rotate in the vertical direction by the bending deformation of the bending portion.

  In such a conventional keyboard instrument, the key is operated by pressing the key to bend the bent portion, so that the key rotates in the vertical direction. Therefore, the key is not deformed when the key is pressed. The key is made of a hard synthetic resin such as styrene resin. For this reason, when a young child such as an infant presses a keyboard instrument like this, there is a risk of injury by pinching a finger between the keys or hitting the corner of the key. Since the weight of the instrument is heavy, there is a problem that the entire instrument becomes heavy and inconvenient to carry.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a keyboard instrument that has a low risk of injury to a young child, is light in weight of the entire instrument, and can be easily carried by a young child.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes the following components.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the keyboard instrument in which a plurality of keys are arranged in order of scale, each of the plurality of keys is made of a soft resin, and a hollow portion is formed in each of the keys from the front portion to the rear portion. The keyboard instrument is characterized in that it is formed continuously over a period of time, and when the key is pressed, the key pressing portion is elastically crushed and deformed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the key has a configuration in which a pair of electrodes are provided on the upper and lower portions in the hollow portion so as to be continuous from the front portion to the rear portion of the key so as to be able to contact and separate from each other. The keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein:

  The invention according to claim 3 is provided with a wiring board provided with a plurality of board insertion portions corresponding to the plurality of keys, which are continuous in the arrangement direction of the plurality of keys. 3. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein an opening for inserting the board insertion portion of the wiring board is formed in each rear end portion where each of the hollow portions is located. 4. It is a musical instrument.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the plurality of board insertion portions are respectively inserted into the respective opening openings of the plurality of keys in the wiring board, the pair of keys provided in the hollow portions of the keys. 4. The keyboard instrument according to claim 3, wherein a pair of connection wires respectively connected to the electrodes are provided corresponding to the plurality of keys.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the key has a configuration in which the hollow portion is formed by bulging and forming a sheet made of a soft resin. It is a keyboard instrument described.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the keyboard according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the key has a configuration in which the hollow portion is formed by injection molding a soft synthetic resin. It is a musical instrument.

  According to the present invention, when a small child such as an infant performs a key pressing operation on a key in which a hollow portion is continuously formed from the front portion to the rear portion of the key, the portion where the key pressing operation is performed is elastic. Since it can be crushed and deformed, even if a young child pinches a finger between keys or hits the corner of the key, there is no risk of injury, and the weight of the key is reduced, The weight of the entire musical instrument can be reduced, so that even a young child can easily carry it and provide a user-friendly instrument.

It is the perspective view which showed Embodiment 1 of the keyboard musical instrument to which this invention is applied. It is an expanded sectional view in the AA arrow of the keyboard musical instrument shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main part of the key as viewed from the arrow B-B of the keyboard instrument shown in FIG. 2. It is the expanded sectional view of the principal part which showed the state which pressed and operated the key shown by FIG. 3 from the upper direction, and was elastically crushed and deformed. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the rear part of the key is fixed on a key support part provided in a lower case of the instrument case in the keyboard instrument shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing an attached state of the key and the wiring board shown in FIG. 5. It is the perspective view which showed Embodiment 2 of the keyboard musical instrument to which this invention is applied. It is an expanded sectional view in CC arrow of the keyboard musical instrument shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main part of the key in the DD arrow direction of the keyboard instrument shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part illustrating a state where the key illustrated in FIG. 9 is pressed and deformed elastically by being pressed from above. FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the rear part of the key is fixed on a key support part provided in a lower case of the instrument case in the keyboard instrument shown in FIG. 8. It is the expanded sectional view of the principal part which showed the modification of each electrode provided in the upper and lower parts in the cavity part in the key to which this invention is applied.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a keyboard instrument to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the keyboard instrument includes a plurality of keys 1 arranged in order of musical scale, and a musical instrument case 2 that holds each rear end portion of the plurality of keys 1. In this case, the musical instrument case 2 includes an upper case 3 and a lower case 4, and is configured such that the plurality of keys 1 are exposed to the outside with the rear ends of the keys 1 being fixed therein. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of keys 1 includes a plurality of white keys 5 and a plurality of black keys 6, and the white keys 5 and the black keys 6 are arranged in a musical order. The white key 5 and the black key 6 in the plurality of keys 1 have the same structure except that their outer shapes are different. Therefore, the white key 5 will be described below.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the white key 5 has a hollow portion 7 formed therein, and is configured such that when the key is pressed, the key pressing portion is elastically crushed and deformed. That is, the white key 5 is formed by bulging a resin sheet made of a soft synthetic resin such as silicone rubber or elastomer so as to inflate the balloon by blow molding, so that the hollow portion 7 is formed in the front portion of the key 1. It is formed continuously from the (left side in FIG. 2) to the rear (right side in FIG. 2).

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the white key 5 includes a key body 8 exposed from the musical instrument case 2 and a key fixing portion 9 fixed in the musical instrument case 2. The key body 8 is formed in an elongated rectangular tube shape like a normal key, and has a structure in which a cavity 7 is continuously formed from the front part to the rear part of the key body 8.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the key body 8 has a bottom raised portion 8a formed in the middle portion of the bottom portion in the arrangement direction of the keys 1, and the upper surface of the bottom raised portion 8a is a hollow portion. It is comprised so that the upper surface in 7 may be approached. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the white key 5 is configured such that when the key body 8 is depressed from above, the depressed portion is elastically crushed and deformed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the key fixing portion 9 is formed at the upper portion of the rear end portion (right end portion in FIG. 2) of the key body 8. Inside the key fixing portion 9, a hollow portion 7 that continues to the key body 8 is formed continuously from the front portion to the rear portion of the key fixing portion 9. In this case, an opening 9a is formed at the rear end portion of the key fixing portion 9 in a state of being opened rearward.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 are provided in the hollow portion 7 of the white key 5 in a state in which they can contact and separate from each other. That is, the first electrode 10 is formed on the upper surface in the cavity 7 of the white key 5 from the front end portion (left end portion in FIG. 2) of the key body 8 to the rear end portion (right end portion in FIG. 2) of the key fixing portion 9. Are provided continuously. The second electrode 11 is continuously provided on the upper surface of the raised portion 8 a in the hollow portion 7 of the white key 5 from the front end portion of the key body 8 to the rear end portion of the key fixing portion 9.

  In this case, the board insertion part 12b of the wiring board 12 is inserted into the opening 9a at the rear end of the key fixing part 9 of the white key 5, as shown in FIGS. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the wiring board 12 has a continuous board portion 12a continuous in the arrangement direction of the keys 1 positioned behind the key fixing part 9 of the white key 5, and the continuous board portion 12a The board insertion portion 12b is formed so as to protrude at a position corresponding to each key 1.

  Further, on the upper surface of the wiring board 12, as shown in FIG. 6, first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 are provided for each key 1 corresponding to each key 1. The first connection wiring 13 is continuously formed from the connector portion 15 provided on the upper surface of the continuous substrate portion 12a to the first electrode terminal portion 13a provided on the upper surface of each substrate insertion portion 12b. Yes.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the second connection wiring 14 is connected to each through-hole part provided vertically through the board insertion part 12b from the connector part 15 provided on the upper surface of the continuous board part 12a. 16 and the second electrode terminal portion 14a provided on the lower surface of each substrate insertion portion 12b through each through-hole portion 16 and continuously formed. In this case, the connector portion 15 is electrically connected to a circuit board 18 described later by a flexible connection wiring board 17.

  Thereby, as shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, the white key 5 is inserted into the cavity 7 of the key fixing portion 9 from the opening 9 a of the key fixing portion 9 located at the rear portion thereof. When the insertion portion 12 b is inserted, the first electrode 10 provided on the upper surface in the hollow portion 7 of the white key 5 becomes the first electrode terminal portion in the first connection wiring 13 provided on the wiring substrate 12. It is configured to be electrically connected to 13a.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the white key 5 is connected to the board insertion portion 12 b of the wiring board 12 from the opening 9 a of the key fixing portion 9 located at the rear portion thereof into the cavity portion 7 of the key fixing portion 9. Is inserted, the second electrode 11 provided on the upper surface of the raised portion 8a in the hollow portion 7 of the white key 5 becomes the second electrode terminal in the second connection wiring 14 provided on the wiring board 12. It is configured to be electrically connected to the portion 14a.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, the white key 5 has first and second electrodes 10 and 11 provided in the cavity portion 7 provided on the wiring board 12. The first and second connection wires 13 and 14 are electrically connected to the circuit board 18 by a flexible connection wiring substrate 17.

  For this reason, when the key body 8 is pressed from above in the state shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the key pressing portion is elastically crushed and deformed as shown in FIG. The first electrode 10 at the location where the deformation has occurred is brought into contact with the second electrode 11, and both are made conductive so that a switch signal is given to the circuit board 18.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the white key 5 has a key fixing portion 9 positioned at the rear portion thereof fixed by a screw 21 on a key support portion 20 provided in the lower case 4 of the musical instrument case 2. Has been. That is, the key support portion 20 is provided along the arrangement direction of the keys 1 (in the front and back direction of the paper surface in FIG. 2) while standing on the bottom portion of the lower case 4.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the key support portion 20 includes a key fixing portion 9 of the white key 5 into which the board insertion portion 12 b of the wiring board 12 is inserted, which is disposed on the upper surface of the key support portion 20. In this state, the key fixing portion 9 of the white key 5 is fixed together with the wiring board 12 by the screw 21 while avoiding the first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 provided on the wiring board 12. It is configured.

  Incidentally, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the black key 6 has a length shorter than that of the white key 5 and a height higher than that of the white key 5. The instrument case 2 is configured to be fixed on the key support portion 20 provided in the lower case 4 by screws 21. Also in this case, although not shown, the black key 6 has a hollow portion formed therein, and first and second electrodes are provided in the hollow portion, and the first and second electrodes are wired. The circuit board 18 is configured to be electrically connected via the first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 and the flexible connection wiring board 17 of the substrate 12.

  On the other hand, the musical instrument case 2 includes an upper case 3 and a lower case 4 as shown in FIG. 2, and each key 1 is fixed on a key support portion 20 provided on the bottom of the lower case 4. The upper case 3 and the lower case 4 are configured to cover the rear part of each key 1, that is, the key fixing part 9 of the white key 5 and the key fixing part (not shown) of the black key 6 corresponding thereto. Yes.

  In this case, the lower case 4 is made of a synthetic resin such as styrene resin, and as shown in FIG. 2, the lower boss portion 4a is erected on the bottom thereof. The upper case 3 is also made of a synthetic resin such as styrene resin, and the upper boss portion 3a is suspended from the lower surface inside the upper case 3 so as to correspond to the lower boss portion 4a of the lower case 4. Yes. In this case, the upper case 3 and the lower case 4 are arc-shaped chamfered at all corners exposed to the outside.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 2, the musical instrument case 2 has the upper case 3 superimposed on the lower case 4 so that the lower boss portion 4a of the lower case 4 and the upper boss portion 3a of the upper case 3 correspond to each other. In this state, the upper case 3 and the lower case 4 are attached by screwing the screw 22 from the lower boss portion 4a into the upper boss portion 3a and tightening.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the circuit board 18 is attached inside the upper case 3 with being sandwiched between the lower boss portion 4a and the upper boss portion 3a. The circuit board 18 is mounted with an electronic circuit for electrically controlling the entire musical instrument, and the flexible connection wiring board 17 described above is electrically connected thereto. Various switch parts 23 and a plurality of light emitting elements 24 are provided on the upper surface of the circuit board 18.

  The switch unit 23 includes various switches such as volume adjustment and tone color selection, and is provided on the circuit board 18 so as to protrude above the upper case 3. The plurality of light emitting elements 24 are made of LEDs (light emitting diodes), and are provided on the circuit board 18 in a state corresponding to the plurality of keys 1, respectively. The light emitting element 24 sequentially emits light according to the performance, and the emitted light emits the upper case 3 at a location corresponding to the key 1 to be depressed, thereby sequentially pressing the keys 1 to be depressed according to the performance. Configured to direct.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper case 3 is provided with a speaker unit 25 and a display unit 26. The speaker units 25 generate musical sounds, and are respectively provided on both sides of the key 1 in the upper case 3 in the arrangement direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1). In this state, the speaker units 25 are electrically connected to the circuit board 18. Yes. The display unit 26 is a flat display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel or an EL (electroluminescence) display panel, and is configured to display musical tone information electro-optically. The display unit 26 is disposed at a substantially central portion of the upper case 3 and is electrically connected to the circuit board 18 in this state.

Next, the case where the key 1 of such a keyboard musical instrument is manufactured will be described.
First, when the white key 5 among the keys 1 is manufactured, it is manufactured by blow molding. In other words, air is blown while sequentially supplying a soft resin sheet such as silicone rubber or elastomer into a blow mold, and the resin sheet is inflated like a balloon by applying air pressure to the resin sheet. Press against the inside. In this case, when supplying the resin sheet into the mold, a conductive material for forming the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 is simultaneously disposed on the inner surface of the resin sheet.

  Thereafter, the white key 5 in which the cavity 7 is continuously formed from the front part to the rear part of the key 1 is obtained by releasing the mold. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the white key 5 is formed with a raised portion 8a in the cavity portion 7 and a mold for supplying a resin sheet and air into the mold. The supply port is formed as an opening 9 a at the rear end of the key fixing unit 9. Further, first and second electrodes 10 and 11 are formed on the upper surface of the hollow portion 7 of the white key 5 and the upper surface of the raised portion 8a, respectively.

  In this case, on the upper surface in the hollow portion 7 of the white key 5, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first electrode 10 extends from the front end portion of the key body 8 to the rear end portion of the key fixing portion 9. The front end of the key body 8 is provided in a continuous manner and on the upper surface of the raised portion 8a in the hollow portion 7 of the white key 5 in a state where the second electrode 11 can contact and separate from the first electrode 10. To the rear end portion of the key fixing portion 9.

  The first and second electrodes 10 and 11 do not necessarily have to be formed at the same time as the resin sheet is blow-molded, and are pasted into the cavity 7 of the key 1 using a jig after the molding. May be. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the white key 5 is formed in which the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 are provided in the cavity portion 7 in a state where they can be brought into contact with and separated from each other. In the same manner, the black key 6 is also formed by blow molding, and the first and second electrodes (not shown) are also formed in the hollow portion (not shown) of the black key 6 in the same manner as the white key 5. Are formed in a state in which they can contact and separate from each other.

Next, the case where the key 1 formed in this way is assembled to the musical instrument case 2 will be described.
In this case, first, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the board insertion portion 12b of the wiring board 12 is placed rearward (in FIG. 5, in the opening 9a at the rear end of the key fixing portion 9 of the white key 5. Insert from the right).

  Thereby, the first electrode 10 provided on the upper surface in the hollow portion 7 of the white key 5 is electrically connected to the first electrode terminal portion 13 a in the first connection wiring 13 of the wiring substrate 12. The second electrode 11 provided on the upper surface of the raised portion 8a in the hollow portion 7 of the white key 5 is electrically connected to the second electrode terminal portion 14a in the second connection wiring 14 of the wiring substrate 12. The

  In this way, when the board insertion portions 12b of the wiring board 12 are inserted into the open ports 9a of the plurality of white keys 5 and the plurality of black keys 6, respectively, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. A plurality of keys 1 are arranged along the wiring board 12 in order of musical scale. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the plurality of keys 1 are arranged on the key support portion 20 of the lower case 4 and fixed with screws 21.

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the key fixing part 9 of the white key 5 to which the wiring board 12 is attached is arranged on the key support part 20 of the lower case 4, and the wiring board 12 is fixed by the screw 21. The first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 are fixed while being avoided. Similarly, the key fixing part of the black key 6 is also arranged on the key support part 20 of the lower case 4 and fixed by the screw 21. Accordingly, the plurality of keys 1 are fixed on the key support portion 20 at a time in a state where the plurality of keys 1 are arranged in the musical order.

  Thereafter, the connector portion 15 of the wiring board 12 is electrically connected to the circuit board 18 by the flexible connection wiring board 17. Thereby, the first electrode 10 provided on the upper surface in the cavity 7 of the white key 5 and the second electrode 11 provided on the upper surface of the bottom raised portion 8a in the cavity 7 of the white key 5 are: The circuit board 18 is electrically connected via the wiring board 12 and the flexible connection wiring board 17. Similarly, the first and second electrodes (not shown) of the black key 6 are also electrically connected to the circuit board 18.

  Then, the upper case 3 is overlaid on the lower case 4, and in this state, the lower boss 4a of the lower case 4 and the upper boss 3a of the upper case 3 are made to correspond to each other, and the screw 22 is moved from the lower boss 4a. The upper case 3 and the lower case 4 are attached by being screwed into the upper boss portion 3a and tightening. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the key body 8 of each key 1 is arranged in a state in which a plurality of keys 1 are arranged in the scale order and each key fixing portion 9 of each key 1 is fixed in the instrument case 2. A keyboard instrument exposed outside the instrument case 2 is obtained.

Next, a case where such a keyboard instrument is used on a placement surface T such as a tabletop or a floor will be described.
In this case, when the key 1 is pressed according to the performance, the key 1 at the location where the key is pressed is elastically crushed and deformed. That is, the key 1 has a configuration in which a soft resin sheet such as silicone rubber or elastomer is bulged and formed by blow molding, so that the cavity 7 is continuously formed in the key 1 from the front part to the rear part of the key 1. Is formed.

  For this reason, when the key body 8 of the key 1 exposed to the outside of the instrument case 2 is pressed from above, the key body 8 at the pressed position is elastically crushed and deformed as shown in FIG. The first and second electrodes 10 and 11 provided in one cavity 7 are in contact with each other. That is, since the key 1 is formed with the bottom raised portion 8a rising from the bottom in the cavity portion 7, when the key 1 is pressed and deformed to be crushed and deformed, the key 1 does not have to be pressed strongly. The first electrode 10 provided on the upper surface in the hollow portion 7 of the white key 5 is in contact with the second electrode 11 provided on the upper surface of the bottom raised portion 8a in the hollow portion 7 of the white key 5, The first and second electrodes 10 and 11 are conducted.

  As a result, a switch signal is given to the circuit board 18 via the wiring board 12 and the flexible connection wiring board 17, and a musical tone is generated from the speaker unit 25. Further, when the finger is released from the deformed key 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the key 1 is elastically restored to its original shape, so that the first and second electrodes provided in the cavity 7 of the key 1 10 and 11 are separated from each other. For this reason, the switch signal applied to the circuit board 18 is interrupted, and the tone generation from the speaker unit 25 is stopped.

  Thus, according to this keyboard instrument, when a plurality of keys 1 are formed by continuously forming the hollow portions 7 from the front part to the rear part of the keys 1 respectively, Since the key pressing portion is elastically crushed and deformed, when a small child such as an infant performs a key pressing operation on the key 1, the key pressed portion can be elastically crushed and deformed.

  Therefore, when the key 1 is pressed, if a young child puts a finger between the keys 1 or hits the corner of the key 1, there is no risk of injury. By reducing the weight, the weight of the entire instrument can be reduced, so that even a young child can easily carry it and provide a user-friendly one.

  In this case, the key 1 is operated by pressing the key 1 because the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 are provided on the upper and lower portions in the cavity portion 7 in a state where they can be brought into contact with and separated from each other. When the material is elastically crushed and deformed, the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 can be brought into contact with each other to be conducted. As a result, a switch signal can be given to the circuit board 18, so that the musical sound corresponding to the key 1 that has been depressed can be sounded satisfactorily.

  Further, the key 1 is formed such that a bottom raised portion 8a is formed in the cavity portion 7 so as to rise from the bottom portion, and a second electrode 11 is provided on the upper surface of the cavity portion 7 on the upper surface of the bottom raised portion 8a. Since it is provided in a state of being close to the first electrode 10, when the key 1 is pressed and deformed to be crushed and deformed, it is not necessary to strongly press the key 1 to be largely crushed and deformed. The first and second electrodes 10 and 11 can be brought into contact with each other to be conducted.

  In addition, the keyboard instrument includes a wiring board 12 provided with a plurality of board insertion portions 12b that are continuous in the arrangement direction of the plurality of keys 1 and correspond to the plurality of keys 1, respectively. Opening openings 9a into which the board insertion portions 12b of the wiring board 12 are respectively inserted are formed at the respective rear end portions where the hollow portions 7 are located, whereby wiring is provided in the respective opening openings 9a of the plurality of keys 1. The plurality of keys 1 can be easily and easily arranged along the wiring board 12 by only inserting the board insertion portions 12 b of the board 12.

  For this reason, when assembling the plurality of keys 1 to the musical instrument case 2, the plurality of keys 1 are arranged on the key support portion 20 together with the wiring board 12 in a state in which the plurality of keys 1 are arranged in the musical scale along the wiring board 12. In this state, the plurality of keys 1 can be fixed on the key support portion 20 at once by the screws 21. As a result, it is not necessary to assemble a plurality of keys 1 one by one in the musical instrument case 2, so that the assembling work of the keys 1 can be improved, thereby improving productivity and reducing production costs. it can.

  Further, in the wiring board 12, when the plurality of board insertion portions 12 b are respectively inserted into the respective openings 9 a of the plurality of keys 1, first and second each provided in the cavity portion 7 of the key 1. Since the first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 respectively connected to the electrodes 10 and 11 are provided corresponding to the plurality of keys 1, the wiring board 12 is connected to the key fixing portion 9 of each key 1. The first and second electrodes 10 and 11 provided in the cavity 7 of the key 1 and the first and second electrodes of the wiring board 12 can be easily and easily inserted by simply inserting the board insertion parts 12b. The connection wirings 13 and 14 can be electrically connected, so that the wiring work can be improved.

  In this case, the first connection wiring 13 is continuously formed from the connector portion 15 of the continuous substrate portion 12a to the first electrode terminal portion 13a of each substrate insertion portion 12b. Is formed continuously from the connector portion 15 of the continuous substrate portion 12a to the second electrode terminal portion 14a provided on the lower surface of each substrate insertion portion 12b via the through-hole portion 16. When each board insertion part 12b of the wiring board 12 is inserted into the key fixing part 9, the first electrode 10 of the key 1 and the first connection wiring 13 of the wiring board 12 can be electrically connected, and the key The first second electrode 11 and the second connection wiring 14 of the wiring substrate 12 can be electrically connected.

  Further, the wiring board 12 has first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 corresponding to the respective keys 1 connected to the connector part 15, and the connector part 15 is connected to the circuit board 18 by the flexible connection wiring board 17. Since it is connected, wiring work can be facilitated by this, and the key 1 is pressed and elastically crushed and deformed, so that the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 are brought into contact with each other and become conductive. At this time, the conduction signal can be reliably and satisfactorily given to the circuit board 18 as a switch signal.

  In addition, the key 1 has a structure in which a resin sheet made of a soft resin is bulged by blow molding to form a hollow portion 7 therein, so that the resin sheet is bulged to blow a balloon by blow molding. By doing so, the key 1 having the cavity 7 formed therein can be easily and easily molded, and the resin sheet and air are supplied into the mold when the opening 9a of the key 1 is blow molded. Therefore, the key 1 can be produced efficiently and the overall price of the musical instrument can be reduced.

  In this case, since the key 1 can be formed thin by forming the resin sheet so that the balloon is inflated by blow molding, the key 1 can be easily crushed and deformed. At the same time, a large cavity 7 can be formed inside the key 1. For this reason, since the weight of the key 1 can be reduced significantly, the weight of the entire musical instrument can be reduced. Thereby, even a young child can easily carry a keyboard instrument, and can provide a user-friendly instrument.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a keyboard instrument according to a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and demonstrated to the same part as Embodiment 1 shown by FIGS.
In this keyboard instrument, a plurality of keys 30 and a musical instrument case 31 are different from those in the first embodiment, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the plurality of keys 30 includes a plurality of white keys 32 and a plurality of black keys 33, and the white keys 32 and the black keys 33 are arranged in a musical order. As in the first embodiment, the white key 32 and the black key 33 in the plurality of keys 30 have the same structure, except that their outer shapes are different. For this reason, the white key 32 will be described below.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the white key 32 has a hollow portion 34 continuously extending from the front (left side in FIG. 8) to the rear (right side in FIG. 8) of the white key 32. When the key is pressed, the key-pressed portion is elastically crushed and deformed. That is, the white key 32 has a configuration in which a hollow portion 34 is continuously formed from the front portion to the rear portion of the white key 32 by forming a soft synthetic resin such as silicone rubber or elastomer by injection molding. It has become.

  Also in this case, the white key 32 includes a key body 35 exposed from the musical instrument case 31 and a key fixing portion 36 fixed in the musical instrument case 31, as shown in FIG. Like the normal key, the key body 35 is formed in an elongated rectangular tube shape, and has a configuration in which a cavity 34 is continuously formed from the front part to the rear part of the key body 35.

  Further, the key body 35 is formed with a support projection 35a projecting downward at the front end (left end in FIG. 8), and the support projection 35a abuts on an auxiliary case 37 described later, It is configured to be supported in a state of floating above the auxiliary case 7. As a result, the white key 32 is configured such that when the key body 35 is pressed from above, the key pressing portion is elastically collapsed and deformed, as in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the key fixing portion 36 is formed at the rear end portion (right end portion in FIG. 8) of the key body 35. The key fixing portion 36 has a hollow portion 34 formed continuously in the key body 35 therein. Further, the key fixing portion 36 is formed in a state where an opening 36a is opened at the rear end portion thereof in the rear (right side in FIG. 8).

  Further, in the hollow portion 34 of the white key 32, as shown in FIG. 8, the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 can be brought into contact with and separated from each other. Are provided continuously. That is, as in the first embodiment, the first electrode 10 is formed on the upper surface in the hollow portion 34 of the white key 32 from the front end portion (left end portion in FIG. 8) of the key body 35 to the rear end portion ( In FIG. 8, it is provided continuously over the right end portion). The second electrode 11 is continuously provided on the lower surface in the hollow portion 34 of the white key 32 from the front end portion of the key body 35 to the rear end portion of the key fixing portion 36.

  Also in this case, the board insertion part 12b of the wiring board 12 is inserted into the opening 36a at the rear end of the key fixing part 36 of the white key 32, as shown in FIGS. In the wiring board 12, as in the first embodiment, the continuous board portion 12a continuous along the arrangement direction of the keys 30 is located behind the key fixing portion 36 of the white key 32, and each key 30 in the continuous board portion 12a is arranged. The board insertion portion 12b is formed so as to protrude at a location corresponding to the above.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the wiring board 12 is also provided with first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 and a connector part 15. The connector part 15 is electrically connected to the circuit board 18 by a flexible connection wiring board 17. It is connected to the. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, the white key 32 is inserted into the cavity portion 34 of the key fixing portion 36 from the opening 36 a of the key fixing portion 36 located at the rear portion thereof, as shown in FIGS. Is inserted, the first electrode 10 provided on the upper surface in the hollow portion 34 of the white key 32 is electrically connected to the first electrode terminal portion 13a in the first connection wiring 13 of the wiring substrate 12. Configured to be connected.

  8 and 11, when the board insertion part 12b of the wiring board 12 is inserted into the cavity 34 of the key fixing part 36 from the opening 36a of the key fixing part 36, the white key 32 is inserted. In addition, the second electrode 11 provided on the lower surface in the hollow portion 34 of the white key 32 is electrically connected to the second electrode terminal portion 14 a in the second connection wiring 14 of the wiring substrate 12. It is configured.

  As a result, the white key 32 is similar to the first embodiment in that the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 provided in the cavity 34 are provided on the wiring board 12. The first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 are connected to the connection wirings 13 and 14, and are configured to be electrically connected to the circuit board 18 by a flexible connection wiring board 17.

  For this reason, when the key body 35 is depressed from above in the state shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 and the key depression portion is elastically crushed and deformed as shown in FIG. The first electrode 10 at the location where the deformation has occurred is brought into contact with the second electrode 11, and both are made conductive so that a switch signal is given to the circuit board 18.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, the white key 32 has a key fixing portion 36 located at the rear portion thereof fixed by a screw 21 on a key support portion 20 provided in the lower case 4 of the musical instrument case 31. Has been. That is, the key support portion 20 is also provided along the arrangement direction of the keys 30 (in FIG. 8, the front and back surfaces of the paper surface) in a state of standing on the bottom portion of the lower case 4 as in the first embodiment.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, the key support portion 20 includes a key fixing portion 36 of a white key 32 into which the board insertion portion 12b of the wiring board 12 is inserted. Thus, the key fixing portion 36 of the white key 32 is configured to be fixed together with the wiring board 12 by the screw 21 while avoiding the first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 provided on the wiring board 12. ing.

  By the way, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the black key 33 is shorter in length than the white key 32 and higher in height than the white key 32. The instrument case 31 is fixed to the key support portion 20 provided in the lower case 4 by screws 21. Also in this case, although not shown, the black key 33 has a hollow portion formed therein, and first and second electrodes are provided in the hollow portion, and the first and second electrodes are wired. The circuit board 18 is configured to be electrically connected via the first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 and the flexible connection wiring board 17 of the substrate 12.

  On the other hand, the instrument case 31 includes an upper case 3 and a lower case 4 as in the first embodiment, and also includes an auxiliary case 37 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the auxiliary case 37 has a lower side, a front end side, and a front end side of the entire key bodies 35 arranged in the order of the scale, except for the upper surface side of each key body 35 of the plurality of keys 30. By covering both sides, the key 30 is not pushed from the lower side, the key 30 is pushed in the arrangement direction, or the front end of the key 30 is not pushed backward.

Next, the case where the key 30 of such a keyboard musical instrument is manufactured will be described.
First, when the white key 32 of the key 30 is manufactured, it is manufactured by two-color molding using an injection mold. That is, the injection mold includes an upper mold and a lower mold, and also includes a slide core for forming the hollow portion 34 inside the key 30. In this case, the slide core is arranged so that it can be extracted into a cavity (cavity) in the mold with the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 mounted on the upper and lower surfaces thereof. Has been.

  Then, a soft synthetic resin such as silicone rubber or elastomer is injected into an injection mold having a slide core. When the injected synthetic resin is cooled, the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 attached to the slide core are fixed to the cooled synthetic resin. Thereafter, the slide core is extracted from the mold, and the mold is separated into an upper mold and a lower mold. As a result, the cavity 34 is continuously formed from the front part to the rear part of the white key 32, and the white key 32 in which the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 are provided in the cavity 34. Is obtained.

  That is, in the white key 32, the first electrode 10 is continuously provided on the upper surface in the cavity portion 34 from the front end portion of the key body 35 to the rear end portion of the key fixing portion 36. The second electrode 11 continues from the front end portion of the key body 35 to the rear end portion of the key fixing portion 36 in a state in which the second electrode 11 can come into contact with and separate from the first electrode 10 on the lower surface in the cavity portion 34. Provided.

  In this case as well, the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 do not necessarily have to be formed in two colors simultaneously at the time of injection molding, and are attached to the cavity portion 34 of the key 30 using a jig after molding. Also good. In the same manner, the black key 33 is also formed by injection molding, and the first and second electrodes (not shown) are also formed in the hollow portion (not shown) of the black key 33, similarly to the white key 32. Is formed in a state in which contact and separation are possible.

Next, a case where such a key 30 is assembled to the musical instrument case 31 will be described.
In this case, as in the first embodiment, the board insertion portion 12b of the wiring board 12 is inserted from the rear into the opening 36a at the rear end of the key fixing portion 36 of the white key 32. Thereby, the first electrode 10 provided on the upper surface in the hollow portion 34 of the white key 32 is electrically connected to the first electrode terminal portion 13 a in the first connection wiring 13 of the wiring substrate 12. The second electrode 11 provided on the lower surface in the hollow portion 34 of the white key 32 is electrically connected to the second electrode terminal portion 14 a in the second connection wiring 14 of the wiring substrate 12.

  In this way, when the board insertion portions 12b of the wiring board 12 are respectively inserted into the open ports 36a of the plurality of white keys 32 and the plurality of black keys 33, the plurality of keys 30 are the same as in the first embodiment. Are arranged along the wiring board 12 in order of musical scale. In this state, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 11, the key fixing portions 36 of the plurality of keys 30 are arranged on the key support portion 20 of the lower case 4, and the first and the first of the wiring board 12 are connected by the screws 21. The connection wirings 13 and 14 of 2 are avoided and fixed. Accordingly, the plurality of keys 30 are fixed on the key support portion 20 at a time in a state where the plurality of keys 30 are arranged in the order of the musical scale.

  Thereafter, the connector portion 15 of the wiring board 12 is electrically connected to the circuit board 18 by the flexible connection wiring board 17. As a result, the first electrode 10 provided on the upper surface in the interior 34 of the white key 32 and the second electrode 11 provided on the lower surface in the cavity 34 of the white key 32 are connected to the wiring board 12 and the flexible key. The circuit board 18 is electrically connected via the connection wiring board 17. Similarly, the first and second electrodes (not shown) of the black key 33 are also electrically connected to the circuit board 18.

  Then, the upper case 3 is overlaid on the lower case 4, and in this state, the lower boss portion 4a of the lower case and the upper boss portion 3a of the upper case 3 are made to correspond, and the screw 22 is moved upward from the lower boss portion 4a. The upper case 3 and the lower case 4 are attached by screwing into the boss 3a and tightening. At this time, as in the first embodiment, the circuit board 18 is sandwiched and attached between the lower boss portion 4a and the upper boss portion 3a.

  Thereafter, an auxiliary case 37 is attached under the lower case 4 to cover the lower side, the front end side, and both sides of the entire key body 35 in the plurality of keys 30 arranged in the musical scale order. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the keys 30 of the keys 30 are arranged in a state in which the plurality of keys 30 are arranged in the musical scale order and the key fixing portions 36 of the keys 30 are fixed in the musical instrument case 31. A keyboard instrument in which the upper side of the main body 35 is exposed to the outside of the instrument case 31 is obtained.

Next, a case where such a keyboard instrument is used will be described.
In this case, when the key 30 is pressed according to the performance, the key 30 at the location where the key is pressed is elastically crushed and deformed. That is, since the hollow portion 34 is formed inside the key 30 with a soft synthetic resin such as silicone rubber or elastomer, when the key body 35 of the key 30 exposed above the musical instrument case 31 is pressed from above, The key body 35 at the pressed position is elastically crushed and deformed.

  As described above, when the key 30 is crushed and deformed, the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 provided in the cavity 34 of the key 30 come into contact with each other as in the first embodiment. That is, when the key 30 is pressed and crushed and deformed, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the first electrode 10 provided on the upper surface in the cavity portion 34 of the white key 32 is replaced with the cavity portion of the white key 32. In contact with the second electrode 11 provided on the lower surface in 34, the first and second electrodes 10, 11 are conducted.

  As a result, a switch signal is given to the circuit board 18 via the wiring board 12 and the flexible connection wiring board 17, and a musical tone is generated from the speaker unit 25. Further, when the finger is released from the collapsed key 30, the key 30 is elastically restored to its original shape as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, so that the first and the second provided in the cavity portion 34 of the key 30. The two electrodes 10, 11 are separated from each other. For this reason, the switch signal applied to the circuit board 18 is interrupted, and the tone generation from the speaker unit 25 is stopped.

  As described above, according to this keyboard instrument, the plurality of keys 30 are formed such that the cavity 34 is continuously formed in each of the keys 30 from the front part to the rear part of the key 30, and when the key is pressed, Since the key pressing portion is elastically crushed and deformed, as in the first embodiment, when a young child such as an infant performs a key pressing operation on the key 30, the key pressed portion is elastically crushed and deformed. Can be made.

  Therefore, as in the first embodiment, when a key 30 is pressed, even if a young child pinches a finger between the keys 30 or hits the corner of the key 30, there is no risk of injury. In addition, the weight of the key 30 can be reduced to reduce the weight of the entire musical instrument, so that even a young child can easily carry it and provide a user-friendly one.

  In this case, the key 30 is provided with the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 at the upper and lower portions in the cavity 34 so as to be able to contact and separate from each other. When the key 30 is pressed and elastically crushed and deformed, the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 can be brought into contact with each other to be conducted. Thereby, since a switch signal can be given to the circuit board 18, a musical sound corresponding to the key 30 that has been depressed can be satisfactorily generated.

  In addition, the keyboard instrument includes a wiring board 12 provided with a plurality of board insertion portions 12b that are continuous in the arrangement direction of the plurality of keys 30 and correspond to the plurality of keys 30, respectively. Opening ports 36a into which the board insertion portions 12b of the wiring board 12 are respectively inserted are formed at the respective rear end portions where the respective hollow portions 34 are located, so that wiring is provided in the respective opening ports 36a of the plurality of keys 30. Just by inserting the board insertion portions 12 b of the board 12, the plurality of keys 30 can be easily and easily arranged along the wiring board 12 as in the first embodiment.

  For this reason, when assembling the plurality of keys 30 to the musical instrument case 31, the plurality of keys 30 are arranged together with the wiring board 12 in the state in which they are arranged in the musical scale along the wiring board 12. In this state, the plurality of keys 30 can be fixed on the key support portion 20 at once. Thereby, since it is not necessary to assemble a plurality of keys 30 one by one in the musical instrument case 31, the assembly work of the key 30 can be improved as in the first embodiment, thereby improving productivity. Production costs can be reduced.

  Further, in the wiring board 12, when the plurality of board insertion portions 12 b are respectively inserted into the respective openings 36 a of the plurality of keys 30, first and second each provided in the cavity portion 34 of the key 30. Since the first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 respectively connected to the electrodes 10 and 11 are provided corresponding to the plurality of keys 30, the key fixing portion 36 of each key 30 is connected to the wiring board 12. The first and second electrodes 10 and 11 provided in the cavity 34 of the key 30 and the first and second electrodes of the wiring board 12 can be easily and easily inserted by simply inserting the board insertion parts 12b. The connection wirings 13 and 14 can be electrically connected, so that the wiring work can be improved.

  In this case, the first connection wiring 13 is continuously formed from the connector portion 15 of the continuous substrate portion 12a to the first electrode terminal portion 13a of each substrate insertion portion 12b. Is formed continuously from the connector portion 15 of the continuous substrate portion 12a to the second electrode terminal portion 14a provided on the lower surface of each substrate insertion portion 12b via the through-hole portion 16. Similarly, when each board insertion part 12b of the wiring board 12 is inserted into the key fixing part 36 of each key 30, the first electrode 10 of the key 1 and the first connection wiring 13 of the wiring board 12 are electrically connected. In addition, the second electrode 11 of the key 1 and the second connection wiring 14 of the wiring board 12 can be electrically connected.

  Further, the wiring board 12 has first and second connection wirings 13 and 14 corresponding to the keys 30 connected to the connector part 15, and the connector part 15 is connected to the circuit board 18 by the flexible connection wiring board 17. Since it is connected, the wiring work can be facilitated by this, and the key 30 is pressed and elastically crushed and deformed, so that the first and second electrodes 10 and 11 are brought into contact with each other and become conductive. At this time, the conduction signal can be reliably and satisfactorily given to the circuit board 18 as a switch signal.

  The key 30 has a structure in which a hollow portion 34 is formed by injection molding of a soft synthetic resin such as silicone rubber or elastomer, so that when the key 30 is pressed, the key is pressed. The portion can be easily and well elastically crushed and deformed, and the key 30 can be easily and easily formed by an injection mold using a slide core. The open port 36a can also be used as an insertion port into which a slide core for injection molding is inserted, whereby the key 30 can be produced efficiently and the overall price of the musical instrument can be reduced.

  In this case, the key 30 can be formed with a hollow portion 34 inside the key 30 by injection-molding a soft synthetic resin with an injection mold using a slide core. The weight of the entire instrument can be greatly reduced. For this reason, even a young child can easily carry a keyboard instrument and provide a user-friendly instrument.

  In addition, although Embodiment 1 and 2 mentioned above described the case where the 1st, 2nd electrodes 10 and 11 were each provided in the upper and lower parts in the cavity parts 7 and 34 of the keys 1 and 30, respectively, However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a pair of electrodes 42 and 43 are provided continuously from the front part to the rear part of the key 40 in the upper part of the cavity part 41 of the key 40 as in the modification shown in FIG. A configuration may be employed in which a conductive portion 44 for conducting the pair of electrodes 42 and 43 is provided in the lower portion of the hollow portion 41. Even if comprised in this way, there exists an effect similar to Embodiment 1,2.

1, 30, 40 Key 2, 31 Musical instrument case 3 Upper case 4 Lower case 5, 32 White key 6, 33 Black key 7, 34, 41 Cavity part 8, 35 Key body part 9, 36 Key fixing part 9a, 36a Open Ports 10, 11, 42, 43 First and second electrodes 12 Wiring substrate 13, 14 First and second connecting wires 13a, 14a Electrode terminal portion 15 Connector portion 17 Connection wiring substrate 18 Circuit substrate 44 Conductive portion

Claims (6)

In a keyboard instrument in which multiple keys are arranged in scale order,
Each of the plurality of keys is made of a soft resin, and a hollow portion is formed continuously from the front portion to the rear portion of each of the keys, and when the key is pressed, the key pressing portion is elastic. A keyboard instrument characterized by being crushed and deformed.   2. The key according to claim 1, wherein a pair of electrodes are continuously provided from the front part to the rear part of the key in a state in which the key can be brought into and out of contact with each other at the upper and lower parts in the hollow part. Keyboard instrument. The wiring board is provided with a plurality of board insertion portions that are continuous in the arrangement direction of the plurality of keys and that respectively correspond to the plurality of keys.
The open end into which each said board | substrate insertion part of the said wiring board inserts, respectively is formed in each rear-end part in which each said cavity part in these several keys is located, The Claim 1 or Claim characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The keyboard instrument according to 2.   The wiring board includes a pair of electrodes connected to the pair of electrodes provided in the cavity of the key when the plurality of board insertion portions are respectively inserted into the respective opening openings of the plurality of keys. The keyboard instrument according to claim 3, wherein connection wiring is provided corresponding to the plurality of keys.   The keyboard instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the key is formed by bulging and forming a sheet made of a soft resin. The keyboard instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the key is formed by injection molding a soft synthetic resin to form the cavity.

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