JP2014142414A - Music box - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a music box which suppresses the occurrence of noise.SOLUTION: A music box includes: a plurality of lock members 22 which are provided so as to be turnable around a second shaft 20 provided in parallel with a first shaft 12 and correspond to a plurality of star wheels 14 respectively; and a plurality of electromagnets 24 corresponding to the plurality of lock members 22 respectively. Each lock member 22 is in a lock state of locking a projection 36 of the corresponding star wheel 14 when the corresponding electromagnet 24 is in a non-excited state, and the lock member 22 is turned in a first turning direction around the second shaft 20 by a magnetic force of the electromagnet 24 and is set to an unlock state of unlocking the projection 36 when the electromagnet 24 is in an excited state. Each electromagnet 24 and a corresponding lock member 22 are not in contact with each other in a state of being closest to each other. Thus the occurrence of noise can be suitably suppressed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a music box, and more particularly to an improvement for suppressing the occurrence of abnormal noise.

  Music boxes that play music are known. The music box includes, for example, a plurality of star wheels that are provided with a plurality of protrusions toward the outside in the radial direction and that are rotatable about the first axis. A plurality of vibration valves respectively corresponding to the plurality of star wheels are provided with a diaphragm provided along the first axis. The protrusion is selectively brought into contact with the vibration valve to play music. For example, the music box apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is that. According to this technique, rotation of the star wheel is controlled by driving a solenoid provided corresponding to each star wheel. For this reason, the protrusion can be selectively brought into contact with the vibration valve and played at a predetermined timing. Therefore, any song can be played without the need to replace rotating members such as cylinders and disks.

JP 2011-128348 A

  However, in the conventional technique, the solenoid is driven when the rotation of the star wheel is controlled. For this reason, an impact sound due to the suction of the solenoid or the like is generated, and there is an adverse effect that an abnormal sound is generated in the performance of the music box. This adverse effect cannot be ignored in music boxes whose main function is playing sound. Such a problem has been newly found in the course of continuous research by the present inventor with the intention of improving the music box.

  The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a music box that suppresses the generation of abnormal noise.

  In order to achieve such an object, the gist of the first aspect of the present invention is that a plurality of star wheels provided with a plurality of projections toward the radially outer side and rotatably provided around the first axis; A plurality of vibration valves respectively corresponding to the plurality of star wheels are provided rotatably about a diaphragm provided along the first axis and a second axis provided side by side with the first axis. A plurality of locking members corresponding to the plurality of star wheels, a plurality of electromagnets respectively corresponding to the plurality of locking members, and a first state or a first state corresponding to energization of each of the plurality of electromagnets A control unit that controls a second state in which the magnetic force is weaker, and when the electromagnet is controlled to the first state by the control unit, the locking member causes the second shaft to be moved by the magnetic force of the electromagnet. 1st rotation as center The locking member and the protrusion are unlocked, and when the electromagnet is controlled to the second state by the control unit, the locking member is moved to the first rotation. Rotating in the opposite direction, locking at least one of the projections on the star wheel, and the electromagnet and the locking member being non-contact in a state of being closest to each other. It is a characteristic music box.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the plurality of star wheels provided with a plurality of protrusions toward the outer side in the radial direction and provided to be rotatable about the first axis respectively correspond to the plurality of star wheels. A plurality of vibration valves are provided so as to be rotatable about a diaphragm provided along the first axis and a second axis provided side by side with the first axis. A plurality of corresponding locking members, a plurality of electromagnets respectively corresponding to the plurality of locking members, and a first state corresponding to energization of each of the plurality of electromagnets or a second state having a weaker magnetic force than the first state. And when the electromagnet is controlled to the first state by the control unit, the locking member is moved in the first rotation direction about the second axis by the magnetic force of the electromagnet. Rotating, the locking member When the locking with the protrusion is released and the electromagnet is controlled to the second state by the control unit, the locking member rotates in the direction opposite to the first rotation direction, and the star wheel Since the electromagnet and the locking member are non-contact in a state of being closest to each other, the electromagnet is configured to lock at least one of the protrusions in the electromagnet. By controlling the rotation of the star wheel by rotating the locking member in a non-contact manner by the action of the magnetic force, the generation of abnormal noise can be suitably suppressed. That is, it is possible to provide a music box that suppresses the occurrence of abnormal noise.

  The subject matter of the second invention subordinate to the first invention includes a biasing member that biases the locking member in a direction to rotate the staring wheel toward the star wheel. When the electromagnet is controlled to the second state by the control unit, at least one of the plurality of protrusions provided on the star wheel is biased toward the star wheel by the biasing member. When the electromagnet is controlled to be in the first state by the control unit, the locking member is centered on the second axis with respect to urging by the urging member by the magnetic force of the electromagnet. It is rotated in the first rotation direction, and the locking of the protrusion is released. In this way, the rotation of the star wheel can be controlled by rotating the locking member using the magnetic force of the electromagnet in a practical mechanism.

  The gist of the third invention subordinate to the first invention or the second invention is that the locking member is at least in the star wheel by rotating the locking member toward the star wheel. When the electromagnet is controlled to the first state by the plate member brought into contact with one of the protrusions and the control unit, the locking member is rotated in the first rotation direction by the magnetic force of the electromagnet. A magnetic member. In this way, the rotation of the star wheel can be controlled by rotating the locking member using the magnetic force of the electromagnet in a practical mechanism.

  The gist of the fourth invention subordinate to the third invention is that in the locking member, the magnetic member is insert-molded on a synthetic resin member provided integrally with the plate member. . If it does in this way, the music box provided with the star wheel of the practical aspect which further suppresses generation | occurrence | production of the noise by the vibration of a magnetic member can be provided.

  The subject matter of the fifth invention according to any one of the first to fourth inventions is that, when the locking member locks the projection, the projection and the contact portion of the locking member And a straight line connecting the rotation center of the star wheel and a straight line connecting the contact portion and the rotation center of the locking member are within a specified angle range based on a right angle. In this way, it is preferable that the locking by the locking member is suppressed in the first state of the electromagnet while suppressing the locking by the locking member when the electromagnet is in the second state. Can be released.

  A gist of the sixth invention according to any one of the first to fifth inventions includes a housing that houses the plurality of locking members and the plurality of electromagnets, and the center of the second shaft. And at least a part of the plurality of electromagnets is arranged on the same plane along the bottom surface of the casing. If it does in this way, the music box of the practical aspect in which the structure of the said some locking member, the said several electromagnet, etc. was accommodated in the said housing | casing can be provided.

It is a perspective view which illustrates the structure of the performance mechanism part in the music box which is one Example of this invention. It is the figure which looked at the performance mechanism part of FIG. 1 in the axial direction of the 1st axis | shaft. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the configuration shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a front view of the star wheel viewed in the axial direction in order to explain in detail the configuration of the star wheel provided in the music box of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a relative positional relationship between the locking member and the star wheel when the locking member is in a locked state in the music box of FIG. 1. It is a figure explaining the action | operation when a locking member is made into the latching state in the music box of FIG. It is a figure explaining the action | operation in case a locking member is switched from a locked state to a non-locked state in the music box of FIG. It is a figure which expands and shows the part enclosed with the broken line of FIG. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement in which the projection part in a star wheel plays the sound by playing the vibration valve of a diaphragm in the music box of FIG. It is the schematic explaining a mode that the performance mechanism part was accommodated in the housing | casing in the music box of FIG. It is a functional block diagram explaining the principal part of the control function with which ECU in the music box of FIG. 1 was equipped.

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

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a configuration of a performance mechanism unit 100 in a music box 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is viewed obliquely from above. In the present embodiment, the upper side of the music box 10 means the upper side (substantially vertically upward) when the music box 10 is installed on an installation plane (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, the music box 10 of this embodiment includes a plurality of (for example, 40) star wheels 14 that are rotatably provided around a first shaft 12 (see FIG. 2 and the like). . A diaphragm 16 provided along the first axis 12 is provided. The diaphragm 16 is provided with a plurality of vibration valves 18 corresponding to the plurality of star wheels 14 along the first shaft 12. A second shaft 20 is provided along with the first shaft 12. A second shaft 20 is preferably provided in parallel with the first shaft 12. A plurality of locking members 22 corresponding to the plurality of star wheels 14 are provided so as to be rotatable about the second shaft 20. A plurality of electromagnets 24 respectively corresponding to the plurality of locking members 22 are provided. A plurality of sunwheels 28 respectively corresponding to a plurality of star wheels 14 provided so as not to rotate relative to a third shaft 26 provided in parallel with the first shaft 12 and rotated integrally with the third shaft 26. I have. A pedestal 30 is provided that supports the first shaft 12 and the third shaft 26 so that the first shaft 12 and the third shaft 26 can rotate about their respective axis centers, and the second shaft 20 cannot rotate, and on which the diaphragm 16 and the plurality of electromagnets 24 are assembled. . A motor 32 is provided that generates a driving force for rotationally driving the first shaft 12 and the third shaft 26 in synchronization with the respective shaft centers. The plurality of vibration valves 18 respectively correspond to a plurality of predetermined scales, and are configured to play the sound of the corresponding scale by being played by the projections 36 of the star wheel 14 as will be described later. In the music box 10, the performance mechanism unit 100 configured as shown in FIG. 1 is accommodated inside the casing 34 by the pedestal 30 being assembled to the casing 34 described later.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a state in which the performance mechanism unit 100 in the music box 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the music box 10 includes a first shaft 12, a plurality of star wheels 14, a diaphragm 16, a second shaft 20, a plurality of locking members 22, a plurality of electromagnets 24, a third shaft 26, and a plurality of shafts. A housing 34 for housing the configuration of the sun wheel 28 and the like is provided. That is, the performance mechanism unit 100 configured as shown in FIG. 1 is housed inside the housing 34 by the pedestal 30 being assembled to the housing 34. As shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 10, preferably, the center of the second shaft 20 and at least a part of the plurality of electromagnets 24 are arranged on the same plane along the bottom surface 34 a of the housing 34. It is. Note that all the electromagnets 24 may not be arranged on the same plane along the bottom surface 34 a of the housing 34. A viewing window 34 b for visually recognizing the inside of the housing 34 is provided on the upper plane portion of the housing 34. The observation window 34b is provided with a lid (not shown) made of a transparent material such as a glass plate. As shown in FIG. 10, the music box 10 includes an ECU (Electric Control Unit) 60 as a control unit that controls excitation or non-excitation of each of the plurality of electromagnets 24.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram of the configuration of the star wheel 14, the locking member 22, the sun wheel 28, and the like in the performance mechanism unit 100 of the music box 10 as viewed in the axial direction of the first shaft 12. It is. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the star wheel 14, the locking member 22, the sun wheel 28, and the like shown in FIG. 2 as viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 3 illustrates two star wheels 14a and 14b among the plurality of star wheels 14, and corresponding locking members 22a and 22b and electromagnets 24a and 24b. In FIGS. 1 and 2 which are drawings other than FIG. 3, the individual star wheels 14 a and 14 b are simply illustrated as the star wheels 14 when they are not particularly distinguished. When the individual locking members 22a and 22b are not particularly distinguished, they are simply illustrated as the locking members 22. If the individual sun wheels 28a, 28b, 28c are not particularly distinguished, they are simply shown as the sun wheels 28. The correspondence between the star wheel 14 and the locking member 22 means that the rotation of the star wheel 14 is locked when the locking member 22 is locked. The correspondence between the star wheel 14 and the sun wheel 28 means that the gear portion 38 of the star wheel 14 and the outer peripheral teeth 40 of the sun wheel 28 mesh with each other. FIG. 3 illustrates sun wheels 28a and 28b corresponding to the star wheels 14a and 14b, and also shows a sun wheel 28c adjacent to the sun wheel 28b. The adjacent sun wheel 28 refers to the sun wheel 28 that is arranged along the third axis 26 around the axis. In FIG. 3, the diaphragm 16 and the pedestal 30 are not shown, and a part of each of the first shaft 12, the second shaft 20, and the third shaft 26 is omitted (cut).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the star wheel 14 includes a plurality of protrusions 36 radially outward in the radial direction. Preferably, four protrusions 36 are provided in the circumferential direction of the star wheel 14 in the same phase. That is, the protrusions 36 are provided every 90 ° in the circumferential direction of the star wheel 14. The star wheel 14 includes a plurality of gear portions 38 on the inner peripheral side (radially inner side) than the protrusion 36. Preferably, a gear portion 38 is provided as a protruding portion with two teeth at a position corresponding to each protrusion 36. The gear portion 38 is disposed while the plurality of star wheels 14 are disposed along the first shaft 12. That is, the gear portion 38 is disposed at a position different from the protruding portion 36 with respect to the axial direction of the first shaft 12. Specifically, they are disposed between the protrusions 36 adjacent to each other in the axial direction. The sun wheel 28 is configured to include a plurality of outer peripheral teeth 40 toward the radially outer side. As shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the star wheel 14 is assembled to the first shaft 12, the protrusion 36 has at least one of the vibration valves 18 corresponding to the rotation locus centered on the axis of the first shaft 12. It is provided in the position which contacts a part. And it is provided in the position latched by the latching member 22 in the latching state which the corresponding latching member 22 mentions later. This locked position is a position where the rotation of the star wheel 14 following the rotation of the first shaft 12 is prevented in a state where the protrusion 36 is in contact with the locking member 22. That is, the protrusion 36 functions as a stopper that prevents the follow-up rotation accompanying the rotation of the first shaft 12 of the star wheel 14 by repelling the vibration valve 18 in the diaphragm 16 and contacting the locking member 22. The gear portion 38 is provided at a position where the rotation locus centering on the axis of the first shaft 12 is meshed with the outer peripheral teeth 40 of the corresponding sun wheel 28.

  As shown in FIG. 2 in which a part (a part surrounded by a broken line) is enlarged, a chamfer 68 is attached to the outer peripheral teeth 40 of the sun wheel 28. The chamfers 68 are preferably provided on both sides in the axial direction at the tip of the outer peripheral teeth 40. A chamfer 70 (see FIG. 4) is attached to the outer periphery of the star wheel 14. The chamfer 70 is preferably applied to the outer diameter ridge line of the star wheel 14. The outer diameter ridge line of the star wheel 14 is both axial end portions of the outer peripheral surface 72 of the star wheel 14. It is sufficient that at least one of the chamfer 68 of the sun wheel 28 and the chamfer 70 of the star wheel 14 is provided. In addition to the chamfer 70 at the outer peripheral surface 72 of the star wheel 14, the ridgeline (both ends in the axial direction) of the projection 36 may be chamfered.

  FIG. 4 is a front view of the star wheel 14 viewed in the axial direction in order to describe the configuration of the star wheel 14 in detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the star wheel 14 preferably includes a metal plate portion 42 that is a metal plate including a plurality of protrusions 36 facing radially outward. Since the metal plate portion 42 is insert-molded in a synthetic resin portion 44 that is a synthetic resin material such as engineering plastic, the positional relationship between the protrusion portion 36 and the gear portion 38 is maintained even when a strong force is applied to the protrusion portion 36. Retained. Insert molding is, for example, a method in which a synthetic resin material is injected around a metal member previously inserted into a mold and the metal member and the synthetic resin member are integrally molded (the same applies in the following description). Preferably, portions other than the plurality of protrusions 36 are covered with the synthetic resin portion 44. The gear portion 38 is preferably a resin gear portion configured as a part of the synthetic resin portion 44. The synthetic resin portion 44 includes an assembly hole portion 46 on the inner peripheral side thereof, and is assembled to the first shaft 12 by inserting the first shaft 12 into the assembly hole portion 46. With such a configuration, chatter when the star wheel 14 contacts the sun wheel 28 is suppressed. In a state where the star wheel 14 is assembled to the first shaft 12, a predetermined frictional force is applied between the inner peripheral surface of the assembly hole 46 and the outer peripheral surface (contact surface) of the first shaft 12. Is done. In order to apply the frictional force, preferably, as shown in FIG. 4, a friction spring 48 for applying the frictional force between the inner peripheral surface of the assembly hole 46 and the outer peripheral surface of the first shaft 12 is provided. Provided (friction force function). Preferably, the friction spring 48 is a piano wire, and the inner peripheral surface of the assembly hole 46 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the first shaft 12 by the deformation force of the piano wire (pressing function). The frictional force generated by the friction spring 48 is set to be stronger than the force for rotating the star wheel 14 and weaker than the force for removing the locking member 22 by the rotation of the star wheel 14. With such a configuration, the star wheel 14 is provided to be rotatable around the first shaft 12 in a state where the star wheel 14 is assembled to the first shaft 12. When the locking member 22 is in a non-locking state to be described later, the locking member 22 is rotated following the first shaft 12 by the frictional force at the contact portion with the first shaft 12. If the frictional force generated by the friction spring 48 is weaker than the force for rotating the star wheel 14, the star wheel 14 may idle even when the locking of the locking member 22 is released. If the force of removing the locking member 22 by the rotation of the star wheel 14 is stronger, the plate member 50 of the locking member 22 moves in the left direction in FIG. There is a risk of being.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the locking member 22 preferably has at least one protrusion on the star wheel 14 as the locking member 22 is rotated about the second shaft 20 toward the star wheel 14. A plate member 50 that is brought into contact with the portion 36 is provided. The electromagnet 24 is provided with a magnetic member 52 that generates an action of rotating the locking member 22 in the first rotation direction, that is, the direction away from the star wheel 14 by the magnetic force of the electromagnet 24 in the excited state. The magnetic member 52 is a metal whose main component is an iron group element such as iron, cobalt, or nickel. The magnetic member 52 is preferably a particularly unmagnetized iron plate, but may be a magnetized so-called permanent magnet. In the locking member 22, the magnetic member 52 is insert-molded into a synthetic resin member 54 such as an engineering plastic provided integrally with the plate member 50, and the magnetic member 52 is attracted by the electromagnet 24 with such a configuration. The chatter is suppressed. In other words, the magnetic member 52 is embedded in the synthetic resin member 54.

  The electromagnet 24 preferably includes a cylindrical coil around an iron core that is a magnetic material such as iron. When an electric current is passed through the coil, the coil is excited and generates a magnetic force (magnetic field). On the other hand, it is a well-known general electromagnet that is brought into a non-excited state when no current is passed through the coil. In the present embodiment, the state in which current is passed through the coil of the electromagnet 24 corresponds to the first state. The state in which no current flows through the coil of the electromagnet 24 corresponds to the second state in which the magnetic force is weaker than in the first excitation state.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 11, the locking operation and the releasing operation by the locking member 22 will be described. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram for explaining a main part of the control function provided in the ECU 60. The score database 62 shown in FIG. 11 stores a plurality of score data respectively corresponding to songs to be played by the music box 10. The musical score database 62 may be stored in a storage medium such as a well-known SD card (Secure Digital Card), and the ECU 60 may be able to read data recorded in the storage medium. The musical score data is, for example, data in MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) format, and for each of a plurality of predetermined types of musical instruments, a plurality of tracks (for example, a sound output timing and a scale corresponding to the musical instrument are defined). Channel). The music box 10 of the present embodiment performs performance control described in detail below based on, for example, the output timing and scale of a track (channel) corresponding to a guide melody in MIDI data, that is, a main melody.

  The lock release timing determination unit 64 determines the timing of releasing the lock of the protrusion 36 in the star wheel 14 by each of the plurality of lock members 22. In other words, the timing for switching the excitation or non-excitation of the electromagnet 24 corresponding to each of the plurality of locking members 22 (the timing for executing or stopping the energization of the electromagnet 24) is determined. For example, in the performance of a song corresponding to predetermined score data among a plurality of score data stored in the score database 62, the determination is performed based on the sound output timing and scale determined in the score data. Specifically, in order to play the plurality of vibration valves 18 corresponding to each musical scale at the output timing determined in the musical score data, the timing for releasing the locking of the protrusion 36 on the star wheel 14 by the locking member 22 is determined. To do. When the rotation speed of each of the first shaft 12 and the third shaft 26 is set to a constant value, the locking by the locking member 22 corresponding to each star wheel 14 is released and the corresponding protrusion 36 of the star wheel 14 responds. The time lag until the vibrating valve 18 is bounced is obtained in advance. The lock release timing determination unit 64 performs the determination based on the musical score data to be played. In the score data, the output timing of the scale corresponding to each vibration valve 18 is determined. The determination is made so that the locking of the protrusion 36 on the star wheel 14 by the locking member 22 corresponding to the vibration valve 18 is released before the time corresponding to the time lag before the output timing.

  The electromagnet excitation / non-excitation control unit 66 switches excitation or non-excitation of each of the plurality of electromagnets 24 based on the determination result by the unlocking timing determination unit 64. That is, based on the determination result by the locking release timing determination unit 64, control is performed to execute or stop the energization of each of the plurality of electromagnets 24. Specifically, when the timing for releasing the locking of the protrusion 36 on the star wheel 14 by the locking member 22 is determined by the locking release timing determination unit 64, the corresponding electromagnet 24 is moved from the non-excited state at that timing. Switch to the excited state. That is, energization of the electromagnet 24 is started at such timing. The electromagnet excitation / non-excitation control unit 66 preferably switches the electromagnet 24 from the excited state to the non-excited state after a predetermined time has elapsed after switching the electromagnet 24 from the non-excited state to the excited state. That is, energization of the electromagnet 24 is stopped at such timing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electromagnet 24 is provided corresponding to each locking member 22. The locking member 22 is provided in the vicinity of the synthetic resin member 54 in which the magnetic member 52 is embedded. The magnetic member 52 is provided in a non-contact manner. That is, the electromagnet 24 and the locking member 22 are not in contact with each other when they are closest to each other. In other words, the locking member 22 is configured such that a predetermined gap is provided between the magnetic member 52 and the electromagnet 24 in both a locked state and an unlocked state to be described later. This interval is preferably within a range in which the magnetic force of the electromagnet 24 can be exerted on the magnetic member 52 in the excited state of the electromagnet 24. For example, even when the electromagnet 24 and the locking member 22 are most separated from each other, the interval is designed so that the magnetic member 52 is attracted by the magnetic force of the electromagnet 24 when the electromagnet 24 is excited. That is, the interval is designed so that an attractive force that rotates the locking member 22 in the direction of separating the locking member 22 from the star wheel 14 is generated. As shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 8 to be described later, the axial center of the electromagnet 24 (the central axis of the iron core) is in a positional relationship intersecting with the rotation center of the locking member 22, that is, the axial center of the second shaft 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the locking member 22 preferably includes a snap spring (torsion coil spring) 56. The snap spring 56 is a biasing member that biases the locking member 22 in a direction in which the locking member 22 is rotated toward the star wheel 14. The locking member 22 and the plate member 50 are preferably rotated toward the star wheel 14 by being biased by the snap spring 56 when the electromagnet 24 is in a non-excited state. The plate member 50 is in a locked state (see FIG. 6 and the like described later) in which at least one of the plurality of protrusions 36 provided on the star wheel 14 is locked. On the other hand, in the excited state of the electromagnet 24, the locking member 22 and the plate member 50 are moved in the first rotation direction around the second shaft 20, that is, the star, against the biasing force of the snap spring 56 by the magnetic force of the electromagnet 24. It is rotated in a direction away from the wheel 14. Then, the locking member 22 is stopped at a position where the force (attraction force) for attracting the magnetic member 52 according to the magnetic force by the electromagnet 24 and the urging force of the snap spring 56 are balanced. That is, it is set to the non-locking state (refer FIG. 7-9 mentioned later etc.) which the latching of the projection part 36 by the board member 50 is cancelled | released.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the plurality of electromagnets 24 and the locking members 22 corresponding to the electromagnets 24 are preferably a plurality of electromagnets 24 and the locking members 22 belonging to the first group, and the second group. A plurality of electromagnets 24 and the locking member 22 are disposed with a phase difference of 90 ° in the circumferential direction around the axis of the first shaft 12 (that is, at a position that forms an angle of 90 ° with each other). ing. Preferably, when a numerical value from 1 to n (corresponding to the electromagnet 24 at the other end) is attached from the electromagnet 24 provided at the end to the other end side among the plurality of electromagnets 24, an odd number is assigned. A plurality of electromagnets 24 belong to the first group, and a plurality of electromagnets 24 with even numbers belong to the second group. That is, in the music box 10 of the present embodiment, preferably, the electromagnets 24 respectively corresponding to the starwheels 14 adjacent to each other, such as the starwheels 14a and 14b shown in FIG. ) Are alternately arranged with a phase difference of 90 ° in the circumferential direction around the axis of the first shaft 12. By adopting such a configuration, the arrangement space of the performance mechanism unit 100 (particularly, the plurality of electromagnets 24) in the music box 10 can be made as small as possible, and the apparatus can be miniaturized.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the locking member 22 and the star wheel 14 when the locking member 22 is in the locked state. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 5, when the locking member 22 is in the locked state, the contact portion 58 between the protrusion 36 and the plate member 50 of the locking member 22, and the rotation center C <b> 1 of the star wheel 14. And the straight line connecting the contact portion 58 and the rotation center C2 of the locking member 22 are within a specified angle range centered on a right angle (= 90 °). The prescribed angle range is, for example, within a range of 90 ° ± 10 °. When the angle θ is smaller than the prescribed angle range, the locking member 22 is easily removed from the locking by the protrusion 36, and the locking member 22 is difficult to lock the star wheel 14. When the angle θ is larger than the prescribed angle range, a relatively large force is required to pull out the locking member 22 in order to release the locking member 22 from being locked by the protrusion 36, and it becomes difficult to pull out. If the angle θ is within a specified angle range, it is possible to prevent the locking by the locking member 22 from being released when the electromagnet 24 is in a non-excited state, while the electromagnet 24 is excited by the locking member 22. The locking can be preferably released.

  6-9 is a figure explaining the specific operation | movement of the performance mechanism part 100 in the music box 10 comprised as mentioned above. During performance by the music box 10, the first shaft 12 and the third shaft 26 are always rotated synchronously around their respective axes by driving the motor 32, as indicated by arrows in FIG. The first shaft 12 and the third shaft 26 are driven to rotate in the opposite directions. Preferably, the projection 36 provided on the star wheel 14 of the first shaft 12 causes the vibration valve 18 of the diaphragm 16 to move. It is rotated in the direction of flipping from below to above. The third shaft 26 is rotated in the direction in which the star wheel 14 is rotationally driven, that is, the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6 in a state where the outer peripheral teeth 40 of the sun wheel 28 and the gear portion 38 of the star wheel 14 are engaged with each other. . The rotation direction of the third shaft 26 is opposite to the rotation direction of the first shaft 12. Since the plurality of sun wheels 28 are provided so as not to rotate relative to the third shaft 26, during the performance by the music box 10, each of the sun shafts 28 always rotates around the respective axis as the third shaft 26 rotates around the axis. Has been rotated.

  FIG. 6 illustrates the operation when the locking member 22 is in the locked state. As shown in FIG. 6, when the corresponding electromagnet 24 is not energized and the electromagnet 24 is in a non-excited state, the plate member 50 of the locking member 22 is biased by the snap spring 56. . Thereby, the locking member 22 is turned to the star wheel 14 side, and is brought into a locked state in which at least one of the plurality of protrusions 36 provided on the star wheel 14 is locked. That is, the tip end portion of the plate member 50 is brought into contact with the rotation direction side (the rotation progress side) of the first shaft 12 in at least one of the plurality of protrusions 36. As described above, the star wheel 14 is configured to be rotated following the first shaft 12 by the frictional force at the contact portion with the first shaft 12. In the state shown in FIG. 6, the locking member 22 is in the locked state, so that the follow-up rotation of the star wheel 14 with respect to the first shaft 12 is prevented against the frictional force at the contact portion. In other words, the phase of the star wheel 14 around the axis of the first shaft 12 (the positional relationship with respect to the vibration valve 18 and the like) remains fixed, and the assembly hole 46 and the first shaft 12 in the star wheel 14 are fixed. They are in a state where they are relatively rotated while sliding with a light load on the contact surface. In such a state, the gear portion 38 of the star wheel 14 is in a position where it does not mesh with the outer peripheral teeth 40 of the sun wheel 28, and the rotation of the sun wheel 28 does not affect the rotation of the star wheel 14.

  FIG. 7 illustrates the operation when the locking member 22 is switched from the locked state to the non-locked state. When the electromagnet 24 is energized from the state shown in FIG. 6, the energized electromagnet 24 is in an excited state. Then, the plate member 50 of the locking member 22 rotates in a direction (first rotation direction) away from the star wheel 14 about the second shaft 20 against the biasing force of the snap spring 56 by the magnetic force of the electromagnet 24. Be made. Thereby, it is set as the non-locking state from which the latching of the projection part 36 by the plate member 50 is cancelled | released. That is, the star wheel 14 is brought into a state in which the star wheel 14 is rotated following the first shaft 12 by the frictional force at the contact portion with the first shaft 12.

  FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion surrounded by a broken line in FIG. In the non-locking state shown in FIG. 7, the magnetic member 52 and the tip of the shaft center of the electromagnet 24 are brought closest to each other, but in this state, between the electromagnet 24 and the magnetic member 52, as shown in FIG. 8. Is a non-contact space with a space of the interval d. Preferably, the surface of the magnetic member 52 on the electromagnet 24 side is a partially cylindrical curved surface 52 a centering on the second shaft 20. For this reason, even if the locking member 22 is rotated around the second shaft 20, the distance d between the electromagnet 24 and the magnetic member 52 does not change.

  FIG. 9 illustrates an operation in which the protrusion 36 of the star wheel 14 plays the sound by playing the vibration valve 18 of the diaphragm 16. The locking member 22 is brought into the non-locking state, and the locking of the protrusion 36 by the plate member 50 is released. Thereafter, the star wheel 14 is rotated following the first shaft 12 by the frictional force at the contact portion with the first shaft 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, in the vicinity of the phase where one of the plurality of protrusions 36 is brought into contact with the vibration valve 18 of the diaphragm 16, the rotation direction side adjacent to the protrusion 36 (that is, the rotation direction). The gear portion 38 corresponding to the projection portion 36 (with a 90 ° phase difference between the two) is meshed with the outer peripheral teeth 40 of the sun wheel 28. In this state, the rotation of the sun wheel 28 drives the star wheel 14 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 9, that is, the direction in which the protrusion 36 flips the vibration valve 18 of the diaphragm 16 upward from below. By such an operation, the vibration valve 18 is repelled by the protrusion 36, and a musical tone corresponding to the vibration valve 18 is produced. After the vibration valve 18 is bounced in this way, the star wheel 14 is further rotated following the first shaft 12 so that the gear portion 38 and the outer peripheral teeth 40 of the sun wheel 28 are not engaged again. In the transition process from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the state in which the gear portion 38 and the outer peripheral teeth 40 do not mesh, the energization of the electromagnet 24 is stopped and the electromagnet 24 is brought into a non-excited state. As a result, the locking member 22 is rotated toward the star wheel 14 by the urging of the snap spring 56, and returned to the state shown in FIG.

  The locking member 22 may include a permanent magnet as a magnetic member that generates an action of rotating the locking member 22 in the first rotation direction by the magnetic force of the electromagnet 24 when the electromagnet 24 is excited. The permanent magnet is preferably provided integrally with the plate member 50 at a position where a repulsive force (repulsive force between the same kind of magnetic poles) is generated with the electromagnet 24 when the electromagnet 24 is in an excited state. The synthetic resin member 54 may be insert-molded.

  The plate member 50 of the locking member 22 opposes the bias by the snap spring 56 due to the magnetic force of the electromagnet 24, that is, the repulsive force between the electromagnet 24 and the permanent magnet. Thereby, the locking member 22 is rotated in a direction (first rotation direction) away from the star wheel 14 about the second shaft 20, and the locking of the protrusion 36 by the plate member 50 is released. The non-locking state.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and may be implemented in other modes.

  That is, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described above with reference to FIGS. For example, the number of protrusions 36 provided on the star wheel 14 is not limited to four, and may not be provided every 90 ° in the circumferential direction. The gear part 38 in the star wheel 14 does not necessarily have to be provided at a position corresponding to the protrusion 36, and may be provided at a position having a different phase in the circumferential direction. The plurality of electromagnets 24 and the locking member 22 belonging to the first group and the plurality of electromagnets 24 and the locking member 22 belonging to the second group are 90 ° in the circumferential direction around the axis of the first shaft 12. For example, all the electromagnets 24 may be arranged in a line on the same plane. Conversely, in the case where five or more protrusions 36 are provided in the circumferential direction of the star wheel 14, the plurality of electromagnets 24 and the locking members 22 according to the number of protrusions 36 provided on the star wheel 14. However, it may be arranged at a position corresponding to three or more phases with a predetermined phase difference in the circumferential direction around the axis of the first shaft 12. As a configuration for locking the star wheel 14, two or more locking members 22 may be provided corresponding to each star wheel 14. The ECU 60 may be connected to a communication line such as the Internet, and the score data may be downloaded via the communication line and stored in the score database 62. In addition, the shape of the star wheel 14, the configuration of the locking member 22 (the shape of the plate member 50), the relative position of each configuration, and the like are appropriately changed according to the design of the music box. For example, the gear portion 38 does not necessarily have to be provided with two teeth, and the gear portion 38 is driven from the sun wheel 28 by a distance and time sufficient for the projection portion 36 to flip the corresponding diaphragm 16 (vibration valve 18). What is necessary is just to provide the gear part of 1 tooth or 3 teeth or more.

  In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

  10: music box, 12: first shaft, 14: star wheel, 16: diaphragm, 18: vibration valve, 20: second shaft, 22: locking member, 24: electromagnet, 34: housing, 34a: bottom surface, 36: Protruding part, 50: Plate member, 52: Magnetic member, 54: Synthetic resin member, 56: Snap spring (biasing member), 58: Contact part, 60: ECU (control part), C1: Center of rotation, C2 : Center of rotation

Claims (6)

A plurality of star wheels provided with a plurality of protrusions toward the radially outer side and rotatably provided about the first axis;
A diaphragm provided with a plurality of vibration valves respectively corresponding to the plurality of star wheels along the first axis;
A plurality of locking members provided to be rotatable about a second axis provided side by side with the first axis, and corresponding to the plurality of star wheels, respectively;
A plurality of electromagnets respectively corresponding to the plurality of locking members;
A first state corresponding to energization of each of the plurality of electromagnets or a second state having a magnetic force weaker than the first state, and
When the control unit controls the electromagnet to the first state, the locking member rotates in the first rotation direction about the second axis by the magnetic force of the electromagnet, and the locking member The locking with the protrusion is released,
When the electromagnet is controlled to the second state by the control unit, the locking member rotates in the opposite direction to the first rotation direction, and locks at least one of the protrusions on the star wheel. ,
The music box, wherein the electromagnet and the locking member are non-contact in a state of being closest to each other. An urging member that urges the locking member in a direction to rotate toward the star wheel;
When the electromagnet is controlled to the second state by the control unit, the locking member is biased toward the star wheel by the biasing member, so that the plurality of protrusions provided on the star wheel When the electromagnet is controlled to be in the first state by the control unit and the electromagnet is controlled to be in the first state, the locking member is urged against the urging by the urging member by the magnetic force of the electromagnet. The music box according to claim 1, wherein the music box is rotated about the two axes in the first rotation direction, and the locking of the protrusion is released. The locking member is
A plate member that is brought into contact with at least one of the protrusions in the star wheel by rotating the locking member toward the star wheel;
The magnetic member for rotating the locking member in the first rotation direction by the magnetic force of the electromagnet when the electromagnet is controlled to the first state by the control unit. The music box according to 1 or 2.   The music box according to claim 3, wherein in the locking member, the magnetic member is insert-molded in a synthetic resin member provided integrally with the plate member.   When the locking member locks the protrusion, the straight line connecting the protrusion and the contact portion of the locking member and the rotation center of the star wheel, and the rotation of the contact portion and the locking member The music box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an angle formed by a straight line connecting the center is within a specified angle range based on a right angle. A housing for housing the plurality of locking members and the plurality of electromagnets;
The center of the second axis and at least a part of the plurality of electromagnets are arranged on the same plane along the bottom surface of the casing. Music box described in.

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