JP2017068194A - Key device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent, in a simple configuration, the feel of key touch from being deteriorated in a key device when a hammer repelled by a stopper or a sound producing body hits the pressed key again while keeping a satisfactory feel of key touch at the time of starting to press the key.SOLUTION: A key device is equipped with keys 10 which are shaped to be long in the forward/backward direction and rotatably supported in the up/down direction within a keyboard assembly and rotate in the up/down direction according to the performer's key pressing/freeing operation, a hammer 20 which is rotatably supported in the keyboard assembly and rotates as driven by the rotation of the keys due to key pressing operation and provides a reaction force against the operation to press the keys, and a hammer stopper 33 (or a sound producing body) which causes the rotated hammer 20 to collide against and repel the hammer 20. Further, the keys 10 are provided with plumbs 12 that give a reaction force against the operation to press the keys 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a key device including a hammer that applies a reaction force to a key pressing operation.

  Conventionally, as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below, a hammer is provided that is driven and rotated by turning a key by a key pressing operation and applies a reaction force to the key pressing operation. Key devices are well known. Further, in Patent Document 2 below, in order to give a let-off feeling to a key pressing operation, a key is rotated by a key pressing operation via a whip that rotates in conjunction with the key rotation. It has also been shown to drive the hammer indirectly.

  In such a key device, when the performer starts the key pressing operation by pressing the front part of the key, the front part of the key moves downward and starts to rotate. The hammer is driven by the rotation of the key, and the hammer also starts to rotate. When the key is fully pressed, the hammer collides with the stopper, is rebounded by the stopper, and hits the key again. By such an operation of the key device, the performer feels the reaction force by the hammer as a key touch at the start of pressing the key. When the hammer bounced off by the stopper hits the key again when the key is fully pressed, the player feels the vibration due to the inertial force of the hammer through the key as a key touch.

No. 6-31507 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-49166

  In the conventional key device, it is necessary to increase the weight of the weight provided on the hammer to some extent in order to give the player a good key touch feeling at the start of key depression. However, if the weight of the weight provided on the hammer is large, the hammer bounced back by the stopper again hits the key as shown by the broken line in the graph showing the time change of the upward load at the front end of the key in FIG. Sometimes, the vibration transmitted to the performer's finger through the key increases, and the key touch feeling deteriorates.

  The present invention has been made to cope with such a problem, and the object thereof is to rebound by a stopper or a sounding body with a simple configuration while maintaining a good key touch feeling at the start of key depression. It is an object of the present invention to provide a key device that does not deteriorate the touch feeling when a hammer hits a key again. In the description of each constituent element of the present invention below, the reference numerals of corresponding portions of the embodiment are shown in parentheses in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention. The present invention should not be construed as being limited to the configurations of the corresponding portions indicated by the reference numerals of the forms.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the feature of the present invention is that it is formed in an elongated shape in the front-rear direction and is supported so as to be able to rotate in the vertical direction in the keyboard device. The rotating key (10) is supported so as to be able to rotate in the keyboard device, and is rotated by being driven by the rotation of the key by the key pressing operation, thereby applying a reaction force to the key pressing operation of the key. A weight (12) for applying a reaction force to a key pressing operation in a key device including a hammer (20) and a stopper (33) or a sounding body that repels the hammer by colliding the rotated hammer. Is in the key.

  In this case, for example, the key rotates around the intermediate position in the front-rear direction, and the weight is provided behind the fulcrum. The hammer also has a weight (22).

  Also in the present invention configured as described above, when the performer starts a key pressing operation by pressing the front part of the key, the key starts to rotate in the vertical direction. The hammer is driven by the rotation of the key, and the hammer also starts to rotate. At the start of the key press, the performer feels the reaction force due to the weight provided on the key as a key touch in addition to the reaction force due to the hammer. Therefore, in the present invention, the player can obtain a good key touch feeling without increasing the reaction force by the hammer (for example, a weight provided on the hammer) so much. When the hammer hits the key again due to the bounce of the hammer by the stopper or the sounding body when the key is fully pressed, the player feels vibration due to the inertial force of the hammer. However, in the present invention, it is not necessary to increase the reaction force (for example, a weight provided on the hammer) by the hammer, and vibration due to the inertial force of the hammer can be reduced. As a result, according to the present invention, with a simple configuration, it is possible to maintain a good key touch feeling at the start of key pressing and to prevent deterioration of the key touch feeling when the key is pressed.

1 is a schematic side view of a key device in a key release state according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the key device shown in FIG. 1 in a state where the hammer rotates and contacts (collises) with the hammer stopper. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the key device shown in FIG. 1 in a state where the hammer is bounced back by a hammer stopper and again hits the key. It is a graph which shows the change of the upward load in the front-end part of a key according to the time passage from a key press start.

  Hereinafter, a key device provided in a keyboard device that is applied to an electronic keyboard instrument and includes a plurality of white keys and black keys according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a key device in a key release state. In the present specification, the left and right sides in FIG. 1 will be described as the rear and front sides of the key device, respectively, and the upper and lower sides in FIG. 1 will be described as the upper and lower sides of the key device, respectively.

  The key device includes a white key 10 and a hammer 20. The white key 10 is formed of a resin and has a rectangular cross-sectional shape and is formed in a long shape in the front-rear direction. A circular hole 10 a extending in the width direction of the white key 10 is formed in an intermediate portion of the white key 10 in the front-rear direction. A rotation shaft 11 provided on the keyboard frame side (not shown) is slidably inserted into the circular hole 10a. Therefore, the white key 10 is assembled to the keyboard frame so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction around the pivot shaft 11. That is, the white key 10 is supported by the keyboard frame so that the front end portion and the rear end portion thereof can be rotated in the vertical direction with the center of the rotation shaft 11 as a fulcrum. A metal weight 12 is fixed to the rear end portion of the white key 10. The weight 12 applies a reaction force to the key pressed by the white key 10, that is, applies an upward load to the front end portion of the white key 10. In addition, a protrusion 10 b protruding upward is integrally formed with the white key 10 on the upper surface of the white key 10 between the circular hole 10 a and the weight 12.

  An upper stopper 31 is integrally provided or fixed to the keyboard frame at a position below the rear end portion of the white key 10 in the keyboard frame. The upper stopper 31 restricts the downward displacement of the rear end of the white key 10, and when the white key 10 is released, the lower surface of the rear end portion of the white key 10 (part where the weight 12 is assembled in this embodiment). Abut. A lower stopper 32 is integrally provided or fixed to the keyboard frame at a position below the front end portion of the white key 10 in the keyboard frame. The lower stopper 32 restricts the downward displacement of the front end of the white key 10 and is positioned away from the lower surface of the front end of the white key 10 when the white key 10 is released. The upper stopper 31 and the lower stopper 32 are formed of resin, and cushioning members such as felt and sponge are fixed to the upper surfaces thereof.

  The hammer 20 is formed of resin and is formed in a long shape shorter than the white key 10 in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the hammer 20 is located above the front part of the white key 10. A circular hole 20 a extending in the width direction of the hammer 20 is formed at the front end portion of the hammer 20 in the front-rear direction. A rotation shaft 21 provided on the keyboard frame side (not shown) is slidably inserted into the circular hole 20a. Therefore, the hammer 20 is assembled to the keyboard frame so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction around the pivot shaft 21. That is, the hammer 20 is supported by the keyboard frame so that its rear end can be rotated in the vertical direction with the center of the rotation shaft 21 as a fulcrum. A metal weight 22 is fixed to the rear end portion of the hammer 20. The weight 22 urges the rear end portion of the hammer 20 downward. In the key release state, the protrusion 10 b provided on the white key 10 is between the circular hole 20 a and the weight 22, and the front portion of the hammer 20. It is in contact with the lower surface. The weight 22, together with the weight 12, gives a reaction force to the key pressed by the white key 10, that is, applies an upward load to the front end portion of the white key 10. The weight balance between the weight 12 and the weight 22 is determined by the relationship between the reaction force against the key pressing operation and the inertial force described later when the hammer 20 returns to the original position.

  A hammer stopper 33 is integrally provided or fixed to the keyboard frame at a position above the rear end portion (weight 22) of the hammer 20 in the keyboard frame. The hammer stopper 33 restricts the upward displacement of the rear end of the hammer 20. The white key 10 is released, the hammer 20 bounces back from the hammer stopper 33, and the hammer 20 is released from the protrusion 10 b. In a state where the white key 10 is pressed so weak that it does not leave, the hammer 20 is positioned away from the upper surface of the rear end (weight 22) of the hammer 20. The hammer stopper 33 is also formed of resin, and a buffer member such as felt or sponge is fixed to the lower surface thereof.

  Next, the operation of the key device configured as described above will be described. Prior to the start of performance by the performer, the key device is in the state shown in FIG. In this state, when the performer presses the upper surface of the front end of the white key 10 as shown by the arrow in the figure, the white key 10 rotates about the rotation shaft 11 and the front end of the white key 10 is displaced downward. The rear end of the white key 10 moves away from the upper stopper 31 and is displaced upward. By the rotation of the white key 10, the protrusion 10 b pushes up the front lower surface of the hammer 20. As a result, the hammer 20 starts to rotate around the rotation shaft 21 and the rear end of the hammer 20 is displaced upward. At the start of such a key press, the upward load at the front end of the white key 10 is suddenly increased as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 4 by the weight 12 provided on the white key 10 in addition to the hammer 20 (weight 22). To increase. Then, the performer feels this rapidly increasing load as a reaction force against the key pressing operation, that is, a key touch at the start of the key pressing operation.

  When the white key 10 is continuously pressed, the front end portion thereof is further displaced downward, the lower end of the front end portion comes into contact with the lower stopper 32, and the rotation of the white key 10 is stopped. When the white key 10 is pushed all the way upward, the upward load at the front end of the white key 10 suddenly increases slightly as shown by the arrow B in FIG. 4, and the performer increases the suddenly increasing load. It feels as a reaction force against a key pressing operation, that is, a key touch (stop feeling) when fully pressed. On the other hand, even if the rotation of the white key 10 is stopped, the hammer 20 that has been rotated together with the white key 10 continues to rotate due to inertia, so the front lower surface of the hammer 20 is displaced upward away from the protrusion 10b. . When the hammer 20 further rotates, the upper surface of the front end portion (weight 22) of the hammer 20 comes into contact with (collises with) the hammer stopper 33, and the rotation of the hammer 20 stops. This state is the state shown in FIG. If the white key 10 is pressed strongly and quickly without making the full stroke of the white key 10, the white key 10 stops rotating before contacting the lower stopper 32, but the hammer 20 rotates by inertia. After continuing to move and coming into contact with the hammer stopper 33, the rotation stops.

  When the hammer 20 collides with the hammer stopper 33, the hammer 20 is bounced back by the hammer stopper 33 and starts rotating in the opposite direction around the rotation shaft 21, and the rear end thereof is displaced downward. . When the rotation of the hammer 20 further proceeds, the lower surface of the front portion of the hammer 20 abuts (collises) with the protrusion 10b of the white key 10 in the fully pressed state, and the rotation of the hammer 20 is also stopped. This state is a state where the hammer 20 hits the white key 10 again by the rebound of the hammer 20 by the hammer stopper 33, and the key device is in the state shown in FIG. At this time, the white key 10 is vibrated by the impact of the collision due to the collision of the front lower surface of the hammer 20 with the protrusion 10b of the white key 10. Due to the occurrence of this vibration, the upward load at the front end of the white key 10 increases momentarily as shown by the arrow C in FIG.

  Thereafter, when the performer releases the pressing of the front end portion of the white key 10, that is, releases the key, the white key 10 rotates about the rotation shaft 11, and the front end portion of the white key 10 is displaced upward, The rear end of the key 10 is displaced downward. Then, the lower surface of the rear end portion of the white key 10 comes into contact with the upper stopper 31, and the rotation of the white key 10 stops. Further, the hammer 20 is rotated around the rotation shaft 21 together with the white key 10, and at the same time as the rotation of the white key 10 is stopped, the rotation of the hammer 20 is also stopped. Return to the key release state.

  As described in the outline of the invention, when the hammer 20 bounced back by the hammer stopper 33 again hits the white key 10, the upward load at the front end portion of the white key 10 is indicated by a broken line in FIG. In order to prevent such a large size, a structure in which the hammer 20 is not separated from the protrusion 10b when the white key 10 is pressed is also considered. However, in the present embodiment, a structure in which the hammer 20 is separated from the protrusion 10b by a somewhat strong key pressing operation is employed. When the white key 10 is pressed, if the hammer 20 does not move away from the protrusion 10b and the hammer 20 rotates integrally with the white key 10, the hammer 20 has a large mass. The stop feeling indicated by B becomes too large. On the other hand, if the structure in which the hammer 20 is separated from the protrusion 10b when the key is depressed as in the present embodiment, the stop feeling by the hammer 20 is separated from the stop feeling by the white key 10, and the stop feeling is good. It becomes. Further, as will be described later, when a structure in which a switch (key switch) provided above the hammer 20 is turned on / off by the hammer 20 is used, the white key 10 is made strong and strong without causing the white key 10 to make a full stroke. If the key is pressed quickly, the hammer 20 moves away from the protrusion 10b with a momentum, and the switch can be turned on. Also in this embodiment, when the player's key depression against the white key 10 is weak, the front lower surface of the hammer 20 is not separated from the protrusion 10b.

  Although the keyboard device includes both the white key 10 and the black key, only the white key 10 has been described in the above embodiment. However, the shape of the black key is different from that of the white key, but the other parts relating to the black key are the same as those of the white key 10. That is, the relationship between the black key and the hammer, the rotation structure of the black key and the hammer, and the like are the same as in the case of the white key 10, and thus the description regarding the black key is omitted.

  Further, although the above-described keyboard apparatus is applied to an electronic keyboard instrument, the generation of musical tone signals is also omitted. Here, the generation of the tone signal will be briefly described. For example, a key switch fixed to a keyboard frame is provided below the white key 10, and this key switch is turned on when the white key 10 is pressed and turned off when the key is released. Then, in response to the on / off operation of the key switch, a musical tone signal generating circuit for generating musical tone signals is operated to generate a musical tone signal as a musical tone. Note that the key pressing speed may be detected by turning on two or more switches with a time difference in addition to a simple on / off switch, and may be used for characteristic control of a musical sound signal. Further, not only the key switch provided below the white key 10 but also a hammer switch provided above the hammer 20 may be turned on / off by the hammer 20.

  In the key device according to the above embodiment, as can be understood from the above description, by providing the weight 12 at the rear end of the white key 10, the player can use the hammer 20 (weight 22) at the start of key depression. In addition to the reaction force (load), the reaction force (load) due to the weight 12 provided on the white key 10 is also felt as a key touch. Therefore, in the key device according to the above-described embodiment, the player can obtain a good key touch feeling without increasing the reaction force (load) by the weight 22 provided on the hammer 20 so much. When the white key 10 is fully pressed, the player feels vibration due to the inertial force of the hammer 20 when the hammer 20 hits the white key 10 again due to the hammer rebounding by the hammer stopper 33. However, according to the key device according to the above-described embodiment, it is not necessary to increase the reaction force (load) due to the weight 22 provided on the hammer 20, and vibration due to the inertial force of the hammer 20 can be reduced. As a result, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to keep the key touch feeling at the start of key pressing well with a simple configuration and to prevent deterioration of the key touch feeling at the time of pressing the key.

  The keyboard device according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications.

  In the above embodiment, the protrusion 10b is provided on the upper surface of the white key 10, and when the white key 10 is pressed, the protrusion 10b is brought into contact with the lower surface of the front portion of the hammer 20 so that the hammer 20 is pushed up and rotated. . However, instead of this, the protrusion 10b provided on the upper surface of the white key 10 is eliminated, and a protrusion is provided on the lower surface of the front portion of the hammer 20, so that the upper surface of the white key 10 is placed on the front portion of the hammer 20 when the white key 10 is depressed. The hammer 20 may be pushed up and rotated by contacting a protrusion provided on the lower surface. Further, the hammer 20 is arranged above the white key 10, and is not limited to the one that flips up according to the pressing of the white key 10, but a hammer having a rotation fulcrum in the middle in the longitudinal direction is arranged below the white key 10. The structure may be such that the hammer is rotated by driving the side opposite to the mass portion of the hammer downward in accordance with the depression of the white key 10. The structure of the rotation fulcrum of the white key 10 and the hammer 20 is not limited to that illustrated, but the relationship between the shaft and the hole may be reversed, or the rotation fulcrum structure that is rocked by a thin hinge, It may be an acoustic piano type pivoting fulcrum structure that swings at a point.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the protrusion 10b is integrally formed with the white key 10 with resin, and the protrusion 10b is brought into contact (collision) with the front lower surface of the hammer 20 formed with resin. However, in order to reduce the impact of the collision between the resins, a cushioning member such as rubber or artificial leather may be fixed to either one of the protrusion 10b and the front lower surface of the hammer 20 to slightly reduce the impact. . Also in the modified example, a cushioning member such as rubber or artificial leather may be fixed to the protrusions provided on the upper surface of the white key 10 and the lower surface of the front portion of the hammer 20. The cushioning member such as rubber or artificial leather is a member harder than the cushioning member such as felt or sponge provided in the upper stopper 31, the lower stopper 32, and the hammer stopper 33 in the above embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, when the white key 10 is pressed, the white key 10 is directly brought into contact with the hammer 20 so that the hammer 20 is directly rotated. However, instead of this, when the white key 10 is pressed, the rotation of the white key 10 by the key pressing operation is transmitted to the hammer 20 via another member that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the white key 10. Thus, the hammer 20 may be indirectly driven with respect to the rotation of the white key 10. In this case, for example, as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-49166 adopted as Patent Document 2 in the prior art, a wiper for giving a let-off feeling to the key pressing operation is used. It can be employed as a member.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the weight 12 was provided in the rear-end part of the white key 10, you may provide the weight 12 between a rear-end part and a rotation fulcrum.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a keyboard device for an electronic keyboard instrument. However, the present invention can also be applied to a natural musical instrument having a keyboard device. In this case, the hammer stopper 33 described above is replaced with a sounding body such as a string or a diaphragm that generates a musical instrument sound signal by vibration. In this modification, when the hammer 20 is rotated by a key pressing operation, the hammer 20 collides with the sounding body and vibrates the sounding body to generate a musical sound. At the same time, the sounding body bounces back the hammer 20 due to the collision of the hammer 20. Therefore, even when the hammer stopper 33 is replaced with a sounding body such as a string or a diaphragm, the effect of the present invention can be expected. Further, since the hammer 20 is separated from the sounding body after colliding with the sounding body, the hammer 20 keeps pressing the sounding body and the vibration is not rapidly attenuated, and there is an effect that the vibration lasts for a long time.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... White key, 10a ... Circular hole, 10b ... Projection, 11 ... Rotating shaft, 12 ... Weight, 20 ... Hammer, 20a ... Circular hole, 21 ... Rotating shaft, 22 ... Weight, 31 ... Upper stopper, 32 ... Lower stopper, 33 ... Hammer stopper

Claims (3)

A key that is formed in an elongated shape in the front-rear direction, is supported so as to be able to rotate in the vertical direction in the keyboard device, and is rotated in the vertical direction by a player's pressing and releasing key operation;
A hammer that is rotatably supported in the keyboard device, is driven by the rotation of the key by a key pressing operation, rotates, and applies a reaction force to the key pressing operation of the key;
In a key device comprising a stopper or sounding body that collides with the rotated hammer and rebounds the hammer,
A key device characterized in that a weight that provides a reaction force to the key pressing operation is provided on the key. The key device according to claim 1,
The key rotates with an intermediate position in the front-rear direction as a fulcrum,
The weight is a key device provided behind the fulcrum. The key device according to claim 1 or 2,
The hammer is a key device having a weight.

Images