JPS631352Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a foot-operated key switch mechanism for an electronic musical instrument, and is particularly suitable for use as a switch member that closes when a foot-operated key of an electronic organ or the like is operated. To provide a foot key switch mechanism for an electronic musical instrument configured so that an inexpensive and easy-to-install switch having a relatively short stroke without any escape in the stroke direction can be used without any trouble.

Generally, an electronic organ has a foot key that is operated by the player's foot, and when the foot key is operated, a switch is closed and a predetermined electric circuit is operated. A conventional foot key switch mechanism has a configuration shown in FIG. 1, for example. The foot key 1 is supported at its rear end by a support mechanism (consisting of a fulcrum member 2, a rubber washer 3, and a support column 4), and is rotatably attached to the bottom side of a chassis 5, and has a coil spring 6, A mechanism consisting of the holder 7 and the support column 8 constantly applies an upward rotational force. Reference numeral 9 denotes a foot-operated key switch, which is specially designed for use with foot-operated keys, and has a structure in which an operating piece 9a has a clearance in the stroke direction. This switch 9 is provided for each foot key, and two screws 10a,
10b to the chassis 5.
Actuation piece 9a protruding from the bottom side of chassis 5
is a plate-shaped felt 1 attached to the top surface of the foot key 1.
It is in contact with 1.

When the foot key 1 is stepped on, the operating piece 9a descends and switches. When the pressing operation is released, the key 1 is rotated by the coil spring 6, comes into contact with the felt block 12 attached to the lower surface of the chassis 5, and returns to its original position. When the foot key 1 returns to rotation, the switch 9 returns to its original connected state. Since the flexible felt block 12 is used as a member for determining the end of the return rotation, the end position of the return return becomes unstable. Taking this into consideration, the actuating piece 9 of the switch 9
A has a relief in the stroke direction.

The switch mechanism with the above configuration has the following drawbacks.

It is expensive because it uses a specially designed switch.

Each switch is attached with screws, and two screws are used for each switch, which increases the number of parts and makes assembly work cumbersome.

It is necessary to solder and wire the terminals of each switch.

Note that the foot key is relatively large in size and uses a felt member, which causes variations in the end position of rotation, so an ordinary switch without stroke relief is used instead of the switch 9 If the key is used to push the switch up with the key, the switch may be damaged, or the switch may not operate properly due to insufficient stroke. Therefore, it is not possible to simply replace the specially designed switch 9 with an ordinary switch while leaving the structure of the foot key unchanged.

The present invention relates to a foot-key switch mechanism which eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks and is constructed so that an ordinary switch can be used without any problems.One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a partially cut away vertical sectional side view of an embodiment of the foot key switch mechanism of the electronic organ. Reference numeral 20 denotes foot-pressed white keys (hereinafter referred to as white keys), and 21 denotes foot-pressed black keys (hereinafter referred to as black keys), and a plurality of each are arranged in parallel at the bottom of the electronic organ. These are operated by stepping on them with the feet of the performer. The white key 20 is attached to the support member 2 at a position slightly shifted toward the rear end from the center in the longitudinal direction.
2 and is rotatably supported under the chassis 23 (in the directions of arrows A and B). The support member 22 includes a protrusion 22a and hanging parts 22b on both sides.
(one not shown) is a plastic molded member fixed to the lower surface of the chassis 23. 24 is a support column fixed to the chassis 23;
5 is a holder fitted to the support column 24, and 26 is a coil spring held by the holder 25. Due to the spring force of the coil spring 26, the white key 20 is always in the direction of arrow B.
It is energized with rotational force in the direction. The rotation of the white key 20 by the spring 26 is achieved by fitting and supporting the U-shaped groove 20a (on the plan view) on the rear end side of the white key 20, the support column 27 set on the chassis 23, and the support column 27. Due to the mechanism consisting of the damper 28, which is provided with a damper 28, the vibration is limited as shown in FIG.

When the white key 20 is stepped on, it rotates about the support member 22 in the direction of arrow A against the coil spring 26 to a position where the rear end protrusion 20b abuts the lower surface of the chassis 23. During this rotation, the white key 20 is guided by the hanging part 22b of the support member 22 on both sides of its central part and by the support column 27 through the U-shaped groove 20a at the tip, and is centered around the axis of the protrusion 22a. Unnecessary rotation in the horizontal plane is restricted.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a foamed rubber block which is an important part of the present invention, has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is mounted in the white key 20 at a position opposite to a microstroke switch 31, which will be described later. Since the block 30 is made of foamed rubber (for example, sponge, moltoprene, etc.), it can be elastically deformed freely with a small force, and further exhibits an excellent sound absorbing effect as described later. The material of the block 30 is not limited to foamed rubber, and may be soft ordinary rubber.

Here, the thickness t of the block 30 is the movement stroke of the block 30 (switch 3) when operating the white key.
The value is set to be sufficiently larger than the movement stroke s (assuming that 1 does not exist). Further, the upper surface 30a of the block 30 facing the switch 31 faces the entire switch 31 and has a larger shape.

The minute stroke switch 31 is an ordinary one having the shape and structure shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the stroke of the movable part 31a is short, and the movable part 31a has no special stroke relief. This minute stroke switch 31 is considerably cheaper than the conventional switch 9, and is attached to a printed circuit board 32. Attachment to the printed circuit board can be easily performed by soldering without special wiring work and without using screws. Multiple minute stroke switches 3
A printed circuit board 32 to which 1 is soldered and fixed is fixed to the upper surface of the chassis 23 by a small number of screws 33, and each switch 31 projects to the lower surface of the chassis through a chassis opening 23a and faces a block 30 of each foot key.

The minute stroke switch 31 has a structure shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and has a case 31d integrally formed with a pair of switch terminals 31b and 31c.
and the case 3 is in contact with a part of the switch terminal 31b.
1d and a metal contact piece 31e having a shape corresponding to a part of a sphere, and this contact piece 31
It consists of a movable part 31a to which a force in the direction of arrow C is applied due to the spring effect of e. case 31
a is the side of the switch 31 and the movable part 31a
The movable part 31a is formed at approximately the same height as the surface of the movable part 31a, and faces the block 30. The stroke of the movable portion 31a of this switch 31 is approximately 0.5 mm.

Next, the operation of the foot key switch mechanism configured as described above when a foot key (white key) is operated will be explained with particular reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7.

Figure 5 shows block 3 before white key operation (Figure 2)
The relationship between the block 30 and the switch 31 is shown in an enlarged view, and the upper surface 30a of the block 30 is slightly away from the switch 31.

When the player steps on the white key 20 with his/her foot, the white key 20 rotates in the direction of arrow A to the above position, and the block 30
and the switch 31 have the relationship shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in sequence. As the white key 20 rotates, block 3
0 rises and its upper surface 30a contacts the switch 31 (FIG. 6). As the white key 20 rotates further, the block 30 moves to the middle case 31 of the switch 31.
d and is compressed and deformed, and at the same time, the movable part 31a is pushed up with a gradually increasing force at its central part. As the movable portion 31a is displaced, the contact piece 31e starts deforming. When the contact piece 31e exceeds a predetermined deformation weight, it is inverted like a click, contacts the switch terminal 31c protruding from the center bottom of the case, and is kept in this state by being pressed by the movable part 31a. As a result, the switch 31 becomes in a state where the switch terminals 31b and 31c are electrically connected via the contact piece 31e, as shown in FIG. The movable part 31a is a contact piece 31e
The movement of the switch terminals is restricted while the switch terminals are pressed against the switch terminals 31b and 31c, respectively.

Here, in the state shown in FIG. 7, the block 30 is still in a state where it can be compressed and deformed with sufficient margin, and the white key pressing force (which is quite large) acts directly on the switch 31. There's nothing to do.

In addition, since the thickness t of the block 30 is sufficiently larger than the movement stroke s, in the state before the white key is operated,
Even if the upper surface 30a of the block 30 is in a positional relationship in contact with the switch 31, the block 30 is still in a state where it can be compressed and deformed with a margin when the white key is operated, and when the white key is pressed against the switch 31. Forces do not act directly. Therefore, the position of block 30 relative to switch 31 in the states shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 does not require great precision. That is, the block 30 may be located between a position in contact with the switch 31 and a position away from the switch 31 by a distance somewhat shorter than the movement stroke s. As a result, block 3
0. High precision is not required for the entire foot key mechanism including the switch 31, etc., and the manufacturing and assembly work of each part can be easily performed.

If a block 30 having a thickness t equal to or smaller than the movement stroke s is used, it is necessary to determine the position of the block relative to the switch fairly accurately before the white key is operated. In other words, if the position of the block relative to the switch is outside the narrow tolerance range, the switch may not operate even when the white key is operated, or conversely, the block may be compressed 100% and a large operating force will directly act on the switch. causing an accident that damages it. Therefore, the entire foot key mechanism is required to have higher precision.

Next, the movable part 3 of the switch 31 of the block 30
The push-up operation for 1a will be explained. First, since the block 30 is made of rubber, the switch 31
There is no metallic sound when touched. Also white key 2
Strictly speaking, block 30 performs rotational movement.
also moves in the direction of arrow A in FIGS. 5 and 6 (a direction somewhat inclined from the vertical direction). However, when the state shown in FIG. 6 in which the block 30 is in contact with the switch 31 reaches the state shown in FIG. 7 in which it is relatively pressed against the switch case 31d, the block 30
The upper surface is mechanically held by the switch case 31d, and is bent and compressed due to shearing. As a result, the force F exerted by the block 30 on the switch movable portion 31a as its elastic force becomes a force directed directly upward, and the switch 31 operates normally. That is, the block 30 functions to correct and transmit the rotational movement of the white key 20 to the switch movable portion 31a as a force in the vertical direction.

The block 30 has a bottom surface portion 50 whose entire bottom surface will be described later.
The entire block 30 moves upward, and the portion facing the switch case 31d is particularly compressed. This compression restricts the rotation of the white key 20 due to foot operation, and prevents the force F acting on the switch movable portion 31a from becoming more than necessary, thereby protecting the switch 31.

Next, the switch operation sound absorbing effect of the block 30 will be explained. The switch 31 emits a characteristic operating sound during its closing operation. However, switch 31
During operation, the upper surface 30a of the rubber block 30
covers the entire lower end surface of the switch 31 and is in contact with this surface. Therefore, the operating sound of the switch 31 is shielded and absorbed by the rubber block 30, and is not heard in the surroundings. That is, it is especially important for electronic musical instruments not to emit abnormal noises to the surrounding area. Furthermore, by using foamed rubber as the material for the block 30, an even better sound absorbing effect can be obtained.

Furthermore, a block having the shape shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may be used as the block 30, and in this case, the operating sound of the switch 31 is more effectively absorbed. In both figures, reference numeral 40 denotes a block made of foam rubber, and a recess 40a is formed in advance on the top surface to relatively enclose the entire switch 31 when the white key is operated, and a switch movable portion 31a is formed on the bottom surface of the recess 40a.
A convex portion 40b is formed for pushing.

When the white key is operated, the frame-shaped protrusion 40c around the block 40 comes into contact with the chassis 23, and the switch 31 is relatively fitted into the recess 40a. next,
The frame-shaped convex portion 40c is elastically deformed, the bottom surface of the concave portion 40b comes into contact with the case 31d of the switch 31, and the convex portion 4
0b is pushed up by the movable part 31a of the switch 31. As a result, the switch 31 is closed as shown in FIG. When the contact piece 31e is reversed,
The switch 21 is entirely surrounded by blocks 40, and the reversed sound is absorbed even more effectively, so that almost no sound is transmitted to the outside.

Next, the attachment mechanism of the foam rubber blocks 30, 40 to the white key 20 will be explained in FIGS. 10 to 1.
This will be explained with reference to FIG. 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, a downward cut portion 50 is formed on the upper surface near the rear end of the white key 20 (a position facing the switch 31).
This cut portion 50 has a width dimension w ₁ , has cutting edge portions 50a and 50b facing each other on both sides in the width direction, and has a narrowed bottom portion 50c below.
has. Further, the dimension from the cutting edge portions 50a, 50b to the bottom surface portion 50c is set as _h1 .

Further, the width dimension w ₂ of the blocks 30, 40 is larger than the above-mentioned width dimension w ₁ , and the height dimension h ₂ is larger than the above-mentioned dimension h ₁ .

The blocks 30, 40 are mounted as shown in FIG. 12 by being slightly crushed in the width direction and pushed into the notch 50 as shown by arrow D in FIG. 11. That is, blocks 30, 40
has its bottom surface supported by the bottom surface 50c,
In addition, a portion of both side surfaces is bent to form a cutting edge portion 50.
a, 50b, and is attached to the white key 20 in such a manner that it does not easily come off. 30b, 40
d is the elastic concave deformation of the blocks 30, 40;

The mechanism for attaching the blocks 30, 40 to the white key 20 is very simple, and the attachment work is extremely easy.

Incidentally, instead of using the mounting mechanism of the blocks 30, 40 in which the cutting edges 50a, 50b are partially cut into the blocks 30, 40 as described above, the blocks 30, 40 can be attached to the blocks 30, 40 using adhesive. It may also be configured to be attached by pasting it on the key. In this case, the bottom surfaces of the blocks 30 and 40 are treated with an adhesive in advance, and upon installation, the paper covering the treated surface is peeled off and the blocks 30 and 40 are treated with an adhesive.
40 will be pasted on the white key.

Further, by using the blocks 30 and 40 as described above, the mounting accuracy can be kept relatively good compared to the case where leaf springs or the like are used.

Moreover, if the only consideration is to operate the switch 31 without any trouble, the block 3
0.40, a coil spring or a leaf spring can also be used and have the same effect.
Furthermore, the switch 3 is made of foam rubber block.
A columnar block facing only one movable part 31a may be used.

Further, the above-mentioned mechanism is effective when applied to a foot key mechanism operated by the foot, where a large operating force is applied and it is difficult to adjust the operating force. Further, the above switch mechanism can be applied to the black keys 21 in addition to the white keys, and can also be applied to the expression pedal.

As described above, according to the foot key switch mechanism for an electronic musical instrument according to the present invention, a switch mechanism member having a movable part with a relatively short stroke and an elastic contact piece made of metal is provided, and an elastically deformable block body is pressed by foot. Since the structure is such that the key is elastically bent and attached to the notch of the key and is placed opposite the switch member, and the switch member is provided with a switch case, the elastically deformable block body effectively exhibits a sound absorption effect and the switch The case compresses the block body and prevents a large operating force from acting on the movable part and contact piece, which are the heart of the switch member, and prevents the switch member from being damaged. It can be used without any problems, and is especially effective when applied to foot-operated key mechanisms that apply a large amount of force when operated with the foot.Also, by using the notch formed in the foot-operated key, the block It is easy to install the block body, and even when the block body reaches the end of its service life, it is only necessary to replace the block body without replacing the switch components.Coupled with the above-mentioned mounting structure, replacement is easy. This makes it possible to easily and inexpensively repair electronic musical instruments, and by making the thickness of the block body sufficiently larger than its movement stroke, the mounting position of the block body relative to the switch member can be easily adjusted. It can be determined without requiring high precision, and accordingly, the foot key mechanism can be assembled and each part manufactured without requiring very high precision. Furthermore, by using a recess that envelops the entire switch member when the switch member is operated, it is possible to effectively prevent the operation sound of the switch member from being radiated to the outside. By using foam rubber as the material for the block body,
It has excellent features such as being able to further improve the sound absorption effect.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away longitudinal side view of an example of a conventional foot-press key switch mechanism for an electronic musical instrument, and FIG. The vertical cross-sectional side view, FIGS. 3 and 4 show one of the switches used in the foot key switch mechanism of the present invention.
A perspective view and a vertical sectional view of the example, and FIGS. 5 to 7 are respectively an enlarged view showing the relationship between the switch and the foam rubber block in FIG. 2, and a process in which the block operates the switch. 9 and 9 are diagrams showing the relationship with the switch and the operating state of the switch when separate blocks are used, and FIG. 10 is the block attachment mechanism (notch) formed in the foot key.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how the block is attached to the foot key, and FIG. 12 is a diagram showing how the block is attached to the foot key. 20... White key stepped on, 21... Black key stepped on, 22...
...Support member, 23... Chassis, 30, 40...
Foamed rubber block, 30a...upper surface (switch facing surface), 30b, 40d...elastic concave deformation part,
31...Minute stroke switch, 31a...Movable part, 31d...Switch case, 31e...Touch piece, 32...Printed circuit board, 33...Screw, 40
a... Concave portion, 40b... Convex portion, 40c... Surrounding frame-shaped convex portion, 50... Notch portion, 50a, 50b...
...cutting edge part, 50c...bottom part.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) In a switch mechanism operated by the operation of a foot key of an electronic musical instrument, which is attached to a chassis etc.
A switch member having a movable part with a relatively short stroke and a metal elastic contact piece, the switch member being wider than the width of a notch formed in the foot key, and elastically bending upward in the width direction within the notch. an elastically deformable block body which is attached and provided opposite to the movable part of the switch member and which presses the movable part and elastically deforms when the foot key is operated; In order to prevent the block body from applying more pressure than necessary and to protect the elastic contact piece, the switch member is provided with a structure that covers the sides of the switch member and the periphery of the surface of the movable part so as to be at approximately the same height as the surface of the movable part. A foot-operated key switch mechanism for an electronic musical instrument, characterized in that it is comprised of a switch case formed in the form of a switch case. (2) The foot-operated key switch for an electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the elastically deformable block body has a thickness that is sufficiently larger than the movement stroke of the block body when the foot-operated key is operated. mechanism. (3) The foot-operated key switch mechanism for an electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the elastically deformable block body is formed with a recess that accommodates and covers the entire switch member when the foot-operated key is operated. . (4) The foot key switch mechanism for an electronic musical instrument according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the elastically deformable block is a block made of foam rubber.