JP2019056781A - Keyboard device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a keyboard device that can stably obtain, for a long period, the same key operation as that of the keyboard of a grand piano despite the short length of the keys compared with that of the grand piano, and can be compact in depth dimension.SOLUTION: A keyboard device comprises a plurality of link mechanisms 4 configured to support a plurality of keys 3 respectively from below and operate the keys 3 such that when the front end part of the key 3 is depressed, the amount of downward movement of the rear end part of the key 3 becomes approximately half of the amount of downward movement of the front end part of the key 3. The link mechanism 4 includes a front side link bar 6 that has a rear end part rotationally joined to a front side support part 8 and has a front end part rotationally joined to a predetermined position of the front part of the key 3, and a rear side link bar 7 that is formed shorter than the front side link bar 6, has a rear end part rotationally joined to a rear side support part 9, and has a front end part rotationally joined to a predetermined position of the rear part of the key 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a keyboard device that is applied to an electronic keyboard musical instrument or the like and realizes a key operation similar to that of an acoustic grand piano using a relatively short key.

  In general, in an acoustic grand piano keyboard device, a key is configured to be relatively long (for example, 50 to 60 cm), and swings with a balance pin provided near the center in the length direction as a fulcrum. ing. When a keyboard device having such a long key is applied to an electronic piano or the like, the depth dimension becomes large. For this reason, conventionally, for example, a keyboard device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as a keyboard device having a short key length.

  The keyboard device is arranged in a state of a frame having a predetermined shape, a base end provided at the rear end of the frame, and a front end of the base end extending in the front-rear direction and aligned in the left-right direction. A plurality of keys, and a link portion provided between each key and the base end portion. An electronic board is provided on the frame, and a plurality of key switches are arranged for each key on the electronic board. Each key is placed on the corresponding key switch near the center in the length direction.

  The link portion between the rear end of each key and the front surface of the base end portion is formed of resin integrally with the key and the base end portion. Specifically, the link portion includes two arms that extend in the front-rear direction and are arranged on the left and right sides. Each arm is formed in a plate shape having a predetermined thickness, and the front connecting portion connected to the key and the rear connecting portion connected to the base end portion are thinned by a semicircular recess opening downward. Is formed.

  In the keyboard device configured as described above, when the front end portion of the key is pushed down, the key rotates downward about the connecting portion on the rear side of both arms in the link portion. Further, in this case, the front and rear connecting portions of both arms function as hinges, so that the key has a larger amount of downward movement at a predetermined position of the rear portion than when the key rotates with the rear end portion as a fulcrum, The difference from the downward movement amount of the front end of the key is reduced. As a result, the key supported via the link portion operates so as to rotate around a virtual rotation fulcrum that is assumed to be located behind the link portion, and the key length is the same as that of the grand piano. Even if it is shorter than that, it is possible to obtain a keyboard that approximates the operation of a grand piano key.

JP 2010-286694 A

  However, in the conventional keyboard device described above, each key is supported in a cantilevered state by the link portion, and each arm of the link portion is made of resin. Operation is likely to be unstable. In addition, due to long-term use of the keyboard device, etc., each arm of the link part is likely to be deformed due to secular change, and in particular, the connecting part before and after each arm is formed thin, so that cracks and breakage may occur. There is. In such a case, the desired operation of the key cannot be obtained. As described above, in the keyboard device that supports the rear end of the key by the resin link portion described above, the same operation as that of the key of the grand piano cannot be obtained stably over a long period of time.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and the key operation similar to that of a grand piano keyboard is stable over a long period of time while the key length is shorter than that of the grand piano. An object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard device that can be obtained in a compact manner and that can be configured with a compact depth dimension.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 includes a base and a plurality of keys arranged above the base, each extending a predetermined length in the front-rear direction and aligned in the left-right direction. On the base so as to support the corresponding key from below, and when the front end of the key is pushed down, the downward movement amount of the rear end of the key is below the front end of the key. A plurality of link mechanisms configured to operate the key so as to be approximately ½ of the amount of movement to the base, and the link mechanisms are provided on the base at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction. The front support portion, the rear support portion, and the front support portion that extend from the front support portion to a predetermined position of the front portion of the corresponding key forward by a predetermined length, and the rear end portion is rotatably connected to the front support portion. And a front side whose front end is rotatably connected to a predetermined position of the front of the key The link bar is configured to be shorter than the front link bar, extends a predetermined length from the rear support portion toward a predetermined position of the rear portion of the corresponding key, and the rear end portion is rotatably connected to the rear support portion. In addition, the front end portion has a rear link bar rotatably connected to a predetermined position on the rear portion of the key.

  According to this configuration, the plurality of keys each extending a predetermined length in the front-rear direction are arranged in the left-right direction above the base. In addition, a plurality of link mechanisms for supporting the corresponding keys from below are provided on the base. Thus, unlike the conventional keyboard device in which the rear end of the key is supported in a cantilevered state, the key at the time of key depression can be stably supported and stable operation of the key can be ensured. In the above link mechanism, when the front end portion of the corresponding key is pushed down, the downward movement amount of the rear end portion of the key is about ½ of the downward movement amount of the front end portion. It is configured to be.

  As described above, a key of a general grand piano keyboard device is configured to be relatively long (for example, 50 to 60 cm), and swings around a balance pin provided near the center in the length direction. It is like that. In the keyboard device, the portion exposed to the outside and visible from the player side is about half of the front portion of the key balance pin. For this reason, in the keyboard apparatus of the grand piano, for example, when the key is pressed, when the front end of the key is pushed down by about 10 mm, the rear end of the exposed part of the key is about 5 mm. Move down. That is, the downward movement amount at the rear end portion of the exposed portion of the key when the key is depressed is about ½ of that at the front end portion of the key.

  Therefore, even if each key of the present invention is configured to be relatively short with a length approximately equal to the portion exposed to the outside of the key of the grand piano, the rear end of the key at the time of pressing the key by the corresponding link mechanism Since the amount of movement of the part downward is about ½ of the amount of downward movement of the front end of the key, a key operation similar to that of a grand piano key can be realized when the key is pressed.

  The link mechanism that supports each key has the front link bar and the rear link bar configured as described above. Specifically, the rear end portions of both link bars are rotatably connected to the front support portion and the rear support portion on the base, respectively. Further, the front link bar extends forward from the front support portion toward a predetermined position of the front portion of the corresponding key, and the front end portion is rotatably connected to the front portion of the key. On the other hand, the rear link bar is configured to be shorter than the front link bar, extends forward from the rear support portion toward a predetermined position of the rear portion of the corresponding key, and the front end portion is rotatably connected to the rear portion of the key. ing. By supporting the front and rear parts of the key from below by the front link bar and the rear link bar of the link mechanism configured in this way, when the front end part of the key is pushed down during key depression, the key link is interlocked with it. Thus, the rear end of the key moves downward while maintaining a fixed relationship with the front end of the key.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the key operation similar to that of a grand piano keyboard can be stably obtained over a long period of time while configuring the key length shorter than that of the grand piano, By configuring the key length to be short, the depth of the keyboard device and the keyboard instrument to which the keyboard device is applied can be made compact.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the keyboard device according to claim 1, further comprising return means for returning the key to the key release state by urging the depressed key upward. And

  According to this configuration, the depressed key is urged upward by the return means, so that the key can be stably and reliably returned to the key release state.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the keyboard device according to the second aspect, the return means is provided on the base for each of the plurality of keys, and a plurality of biasing force applying portions for applying a biasing force upward. And a contact portion provided on each of the plurality of keys and contacting the corresponding biasing force applying portion from above.

  According to this configuration, the plurality of urging force applying portions are provided for each of the plurality of keys on the base, and the contact portions provided on the keys are in contact with the corresponding urging force applying portions from above. . In this state, when the key is pressed down, the corresponding urging force applying portion is pressed from above via the contact portion of the key, and the upward urging force as a reaction force of the urging force applying portion is Act on. Thus, when the depressed key is released, the depressed key is urged upward by the urging force by the urging force applying unit, and returns to the key release state.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the keyboard device according to the third aspect, the urging force imparting portion is provided on the leaf spring extending in the front-rear direction and a predetermined length, and supports one end portion of the leaf spring in a stationary manner. A leaf spring support portion, and the contact portion is disposed so as to contact the other end portion of the leaf spring from above.

  According to this configuration, the urging force applying portion has the leaf spring extending a predetermined length in the front-rear direction, and one end portion of the leaf spring is immovably supported by the leaf spring support portion on the base. The corresponding key abutting portion comes into contact with the other end of the spring from above. In this state, when the key is pushed down, the other end portion of the corresponding leaf spring is pressed and bent from above via the contact portion of the key, and a biasing force as a reaction force acts on the key. In this way, the urging force applying portion can be easily configured using the plate spring as described above.

It is a figure for demonstrating the keyboard apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a side view of the keyboard apparatus in a key release state, (b) is a side view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a key and a link mechanism. It is a side view which shows operation | movement of the key of a keyboard apparatus, (a) is a key release state, (b) has shown the key pressing state. It is a figure for demonstrating the keyboard apparatus to which the modification of a return spring is applied, (a) is a side view of the keyboard apparatus in a key release state, (b) is a side view which decomposes | disassembles a key and a link mechanism. . It is a side view which shows operation | movement of the key of the keyboard apparatus of FIG. 3, (a) is a key release state, (b) has shown the key depression state.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1A and 1B are side views of a keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A shows a key release state and FIG. 1B shows a state in which a key and a link mechanism are disassembled. This keyboard device 1A is applied to an electronic keyboard instrument such as an electronic piano.

  The keyboard device 1A includes a horizontally disposed plate-like base 2 and an upper portion of the base 2 extending in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1A), and in the left-right direction (FIG. 1A). A plurality of keys 3 (only one white key is shown in FIG. 1) arranged in a state of being arranged in the depth direction) and a plurality of keys provided on the base 2 so as to support the corresponding keys 3 from below. A plurality of link mechanisms 4 (only one set is shown in FIG. 1) and a plurality of sets for returning the depressed key 3 to the key release state are provided between the base 2 and the front end of each key 3. A return spring 5 (return means, only one shown in FIG. 1) is provided.

  The key 3 is made of a molded product such as a synthetic resin, and has a predetermined length in the front-rear direction. For example, the key 3 has a length (for example, 15 cm) that is about half of the length from the front end of a general grand piano key to the balance pin that becomes a fulcrum when the key swings. ing. The key 3 includes an upper wall 3a, left and right side walls 3b, 3b, and a front wall 3c, and is formed in a hollow shape that opens downward and rearward (leftward in FIG. 1).

  Each set of link mechanisms 4 includes a front link bar 6 whose front end is connected to a predetermined position on the front of the key 3, a rear link bar 7 whose front end is connected to a predetermined position on the rear of the key 3, A front support 8 and a rear support 9 are fixed on the base 2 and rotatably support the rear ends of the front link bar 6 and the rear link bar 7, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, both the front link bar 6 and the rear link bar 7 are formed in a predetermined shape by an elongated metal plate. Specifically, the front link bar 6 extends a predetermined length obliquely upward and forward (to the right in FIG. 1) from the front support portion 8 whose rear end portion is supported toward a predetermined position of the front portion of the key 3. Yes. Further, pin holes 6a and 6b are formed in the front end portion and the rear end portion of the front link bar 6, respectively.

  On the other hand, the rear link bar 7 is configured to be shorter than the front link bar 6 and has a predetermined length obliquely upward and forward from the rear support portion 9 on which the rear end portion is supported toward a predetermined position at the rear portion of the key 3. It extends. Further, pin holes 7a and 7b are formed in the front end portion and the rear end portion of the rear link bar 7, respectively.

  The front support part 8 and the rear support part 9 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction, and the front shape of the upper end part when viewed from the front side is formed in, for example, a U-shape. Each of the link bar 6 and the rear link bar 7 is configured to be supported while being sandwiched from both the left and right sides. Also, pin holes 8a and 9a are formed in the upper ends of the front support portion 8 and the rear support portion 9, respectively.

  In the link mechanism 4 configured as described above, the front link bar 6 and the rear link bar 7 are coupled to the key 3 as follows. The key 3 has a front key coupling pin 11 extending horizontally between the left and right side walls 3c, 3c fixed at a predetermined position on the front part, while being fixed at a predetermined position on the rear side between the left and right side walls 3c, 3c. A rear key connecting pin 12 extending horizontally is fixed.

  The front end of the front link bar 6 is inserted into the front key connecting pin 11 of the key 3 through the pin hole 6 a, and is thereby rotatably connected to the front portion of the key 3. On the other hand, the front end of the rear link bar 7 is inserted into the rear key connection pin 12 of the key 3 through the pin hole 7a, and is thereby rotatably connected to the rear portion of the key 3. Yes.

  Moreover, the front side link bar 6 and the rear side link bar 7 are respectively connected with the front side support part 8 and the rear side support part 9 as follows. That is, the front side link bar 6 is inserted through the pin hole 6b through the pin hole 6b to the front side support pin 13 fixed to the pin hole 8a of the front side support part 8, so that the front side link bar 6 rotates relative to the front side support part 8. It is connected freely. On the other hand, the rear link bar 7 has a rear end portion inserted through a pin hole 7b and inserted into a rear support pin 14 fixed to the pin hole 9a of the rear support portion 9, whereby the rear support portion 9 On the other hand, it is connected rotatably.

  The return spring 5 is constituted by a compression coil spring, for example, and is provided so as to bias the key 3 upward when the key 3 is pushed down from the key release state.

  In the electronic keyboard instrument to which the keyboard device 1A configured as described above is applied, an outer case (not shown) is provided so that the link mechanism 4 and the return spring 5 below the key 3 are not visible from the outside. Covered. Further, on the rear side of the key 3, a front panel P is provided that stands from the vicinity of the rear end of the upper surface of the key 3 and constitutes a part of the exterior case. Therefore, in this keyboard device 1A, almost the entire key 3 is exposed to the outside.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the operation of the key 3 of the keyboard device 1A at the time of key depression will be described. FIGS. 9A and 9B show a key release state when the front end portion of the key 3 is not pressed down and a key press state when the key 3 is pressed down.

  2A, when the front end of the key 3 is pushed down by a player or the like against the biasing force of the return spring 5, the front link bar 6 and the rear link Each of the bars 7 rotates clockwise around the front support pin 13 and the rear support pin 14. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the front end portion of the key 3 is pushed down to the lowest position, the front end portion has a distance F ( For example, the rear end portion is positioned downward by a distance R (for example, 5 mm) that is approximately ½ of the distance F.

  Further, when the finger is released from the depressed key 3, the key 3 is moved upward by the biasing force of the return spring 5, and the front link bar 6 and the rear link bar 7 are respectively moved to the front support pin 13 and the rear side. It rotates counterclockwise around the support pin 14. As a result, the key 3 returns to the original key release state. Although not shown, the key 3 has a stopper for preventing the key 3 from moving upward beyond the position in the key release state.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the key 3 is stably supported from below by the link mechanism 4 at the front and rear portions thereof, so that the rear end of the key is cantilevered. Unlike the supported conventional keyboard device, stable operation of the key 3 can be ensured. Further, the link mechanism 4 is configured such that when the front end portion of the key 3 is pushed down, the downward movement amount of the rear end portion is about ½ of the downward movement amount of the front end portion. Has been.

  Therefore, even if the key 3 has a length comparable to that of the portion exposed to the outside of the key of the grand piano and is configured to be relatively short, the corresponding link mechanism 4 causes the rear end portion of the key 3 to be depressed. Is about ½ of that of the front end portion of the key 3, so that the key operation similar to that of a grand piano key can be realized when the key is pressed. As described above, in the present embodiment, the key operation similar to that of the grand piano keyboard can be stably obtained over a long period of time while the length of the key 3 is configured to be shorter than that of the grand piano. The length of the keyboard device 1A and the depth of the keyboard instrument to which the keyboard device 1A is applied can be made compact.

  Next, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the keyboard device 1 </ b> A described above is provided with a return mechanism 21 (return means) for returning the pressed key 3 to the key release state instead of the return spring 5. The keyboard device 1B will be described. In the keyboard device 1B, the parts other than the return mechanism 21 are the same as those of the keyboard device 1A. Therefore, in the following description, the return mechanism 21 will be mainly described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the return mechanism 21 is provided for each of the plurality of keys 3 between the front support portion 8 and the rear support portion 9 on the base 2, and applies an upward biasing force to the corresponding key 3. A plurality of biasing force applying portions 22 (only one is shown in FIG. 3), and a contact that is provided so as to protrude downward at a predetermined position on the rear portion of the key 3 and contacts the biasing force applying portion 22 from above. Part 23.

  The urging force imparting portion 22 includes a leaf spring support portion 25 provided immediately before the rear side support portion 9, and a plate that is supported by the leaf spring support portion 25 in a stationary manner and extends a predetermined length in the front-rear direction. And a spring 26. The leaf spring 26 is made of a predetermined metal, has a rectangular planar shape, and is formed of a thin plate with a curved shape that is convex downward and convex in the width direction (front and back direction in FIG. 3). Further, when the leaf spring 26 exceeds a predetermined displacement due to pressing from above, the leaf spring 26 is temporarily bent and deformed, for example, like a convex (steel tape measure) due to the above-described configuration with a rounded shape. ing. As a result, when the key 3 is pushed down to a predetermined position when the key is depressed, the urging force of the leaf spring 26 is abruptly reduced, and accordingly, the load when the key 3 is pushed down is also lightened. In this case, it is possible to obtain a touch feeling similar to a so-called let-off feeling felt by the performer at the fingertip when pressing the key of the grand piano.

  On the other hand, the abutting portion 23 of the key 3 is a block-shaped screw mounting portion 27 provided in a state of hanging from the rear key connecting pin 12 inside the key 3, and the screw mounting portion 27 can advance and retreat from below. And an adjustment screw 28 that abuts the front end of the leaf spring 26 from above. The height of the head 28 in the key release state can be changed according to the screwing amount of the adjustment screw 28 into the screw mounting portion 27. In this case, the lower the height of the head portion 28, the more the leaf spring 26 is bent forward and the greater the deflection at the initial displacement thereof, thereby the greater the biasing force of the leaf spring 26. The same applies to the case where the curvature of the radius of the leaf spring 26 in the width direction is increased. Therefore, the biasing force by the leaf spring 26 can be adjusted by changing the screwing amount of the adjusting screw 28 or changing the curvature of the radius of the leaf spring 26 in the width direction. And the maximum load can be changed.

  FIG. 4 shows the operation of the key 3 of the keyboard device 1B when the key is depressed, as in FIG. 4A, when the front end portion of the key 3 is pushed down, the front link bar 6 and the rear link bar 7 are centered on the front support pin 13 and the rear support pin 14, respectively. While rotating clockwise, the adjustment screw 28 of the key 3 presses the front end portion of the leaf spring 26 downward. As a result, the leaf spring 26 bends forward and is deformed into a bent state when a predetermined displacement is exceeded, as described above. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the front end of the key 3 is pushed down to the lowest position, the front end and the rear end of the key 3 are compared to the key release state as in the keyboard device 1A. Are located below by distances F and R, respectively.

  When the depression of the key 3 is released, a biasing force acts on the key 3 from below through the adjusting screw 28 due to the restoring force of the bent leaf spring 26. As a result, the key 3 moves upward, and the front link bar 6 and the rear link bar 7 rotate counterclockwise about the front support pin 13 and the rear support pin 14, respectively, and the original separation is achieved. Return to the key state. Note that the key 3 of the keyboard device 1B is also prevented from moving upward beyond the position of the key release state by a stopper (not shown) as in the keyboard device 1A.

  As described above, this keyboard device 1B can also obtain the same effects as the keyboard device 1A described above. Further, by adjusting the height of the head portion 28a of the adjustment screw 28 in the return mechanism 21, it is possible to adjust the magnitude of the urging force acting on the key 3 from below in the key release state. Thereby, it is possible to adjust a touch feeling that is a weight when the key 3 is depressed.

  In addition, this invention can be implemented in various aspects, without being limited to the said embodiment described. For example, in the keyboard devices 1A and 1B, the link mechanism 4 including the front link bar 6 and the rear link bar 7 that are arranged so as to extend obliquely upward and forward is illustrated as supporting the key 3. However, various link mechanisms can be employed as long as the key 3 at the time of key depression can obtain a key operation similar to that of a grand piano key. In the link mechanism 4, the front link bar 6 and the rear link bar 7 can be connected by another link bar.

  Moreover, although the synthetic resin was illustrated as a material of the key 3, the key is not limited to this, and can be composed of other various materials (for example, composite materials). Moreover, although the metal was illustrated as a material of the front side link bar 6 and the rear side link bar 7, a link bar is not limited to this, It can also be comprised with other various materials (for example, carbon fiber resin). It is.

  Further, in the return mechanism 21 of the keyboard device 1B, the metal leaf spring 26 is adopted as the urging force applying portion 22, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the leaf spring 26 is made of other materials. In addition, instead of the leaf spring 26, for example, a compression coil spring extending in the vertical direction or an elastic block made of rubber can be installed between the base 2 and the adjusting screw 28. Further, the return spring 5 of the keyboard device 1A and the return mechanism 21 of the keyboard device 1B can be used in combination.

  In the embodiment, the case where the keyboard device of the present invention is applied to an electronic keyboard instrument has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is applied to, for example, a practice keyboard device that does not emit sound. It is also possible. In that case, devices such as a sensor, a switch, and an electronic board for detecting key pressing information are unnecessary. Further, the detailed configurations of the keyboard devices 1A and 1B shown in the embodiment are merely examples, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

1A Keyboard device 1B Keyboard device 2 Base 3 Key 4 Link mechanism 5 Return spring (return means)
6 Front Link Bar 7 Rear Link Bar 8 Front Support Part 9 Rear Support Part 11 Front Key Link Pin 12 Rear Key Link Pin 13 Front Support Pin 14 Rear Support Pin 21 Return Mechanism (Return Unit)
22 urging force applying portion 23 abutting portion 25 leaf spring support portion 26 leaf spring

Claims (4)

Base and
Above the base, a plurality of keys, each extending a predetermined length in the front-rear direction and arranged side by side in the left-right direction,
The corresponding key is provided on the base so as to support the key from below, and when the front end of the key is pushed down, the downward movement amount of the rear end of the key A plurality of link mechanisms configured to operate the key so as to be about ½ of the downward movement amount of the unit;
With
The link mechanism is
A front support part and a rear support part provided on the base at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction;
A predetermined length extends forward from the front support portion toward a predetermined position of the front portion of the corresponding key, the rear end portion is rotatably connected to the front support portion, and the front end portion is in front of the key. A front link bar rotatably connected to the predetermined position of the part;
It is configured to be shorter than the front link bar, extends a predetermined length from the rear support portion toward a predetermined position of the rear portion of the corresponding key, and a rear end portion is rotatably connected to the rear support portion. And a rear link bar having a front end portion rotatably connected to the predetermined position of the rear portion of the key;
A keyboard device characterized by comprising:   2. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising return means for returning the key to a released state by urging the depressed key upward. The return means includes
On the base, a plurality of urging force applying portions provided for each of the plurality of keys and for applying an urging force upward,
An abutting portion provided on each of the plurality of keys and abutting on the corresponding urging force applying portion from above;
The keyboard device according to claim 2, wherein the keyboard device is provided. The urging force applying unit is
A leaf spring extending a predetermined length in the front-rear direction;
A leaf spring support provided on the base and immovably supporting one end of the leaf spring;
Have
The keyboard device according to claim 3, wherein the contact portion is disposed so as to contact the other end portion of the leaf spring from above.

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