JPH04350697A - keyboard device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a keyboard device for an electronic piano or the like.

0002

[Prior Art] Electronic keyboard instruments such as electronic pianos are equipped with a rubber switch below keys that are rotatable in the vertical direction, and are switched by pressing this rubber switch in accordance with the key depression operation. By doing so, it is configured to emit a desired musical tone. With electronic keyboard instruments like this,
In order to obtain the feel of an acoustic piano's keys, where the pressing force becomes lighter as you move from the bass to the treble range, the keys are placed between the keyboard chassis where the keys are arranged and each key as you press the keys from the bass to the treble range. A structure is adopted in which a return spring is provided to reduce the force required, or a key is provided with weights of different weights so that the force required to press the key gradually decreases from the low range to the high range.

0003

However, in any of the electronic keyboard instruments described above, the spring constant of the return spring and the weight of the weight must be adjusted for each key so that the key depression force becomes lighter as it goes from the low range to the high range. Since it has to be changed for each tone range block of each key, there is a problem that the number of types of return springs and weights increases, and the number of parts increases. The purpose of this invention is to reduce the key pressing force from the low range side to the high range side without using separate parts such as return springs with different spring constants or weights with different weights, and without increasing the number of parts. The object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard device that can perform the following functions.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides keys that are arranged in the order of musical scales and rotate and displace as the keys are pressed, and elastic switches that are pressed and switched as the keys are pressed. The switch member is characterized in that the switch member is arranged in an inclined position such that the distance from the center of rotation of the key to the center of the switch member gradually decreases from the low range side to the high range side. .

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electronic keyboard instrument will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

In this electronic keyboard instrument, as shown in FIG. 1, a keyboard chassis 2 made of sheet metal is provided on the upper surface side of a main body case 1 of the musical instrument made of synthetic resin with a chassis support plate 3 made of sheet metal interposed therebetween. On the top side of the keyboard chassis 2, a plurality of keys (white keys and black keys, however, only the black keys will be explained) 4 made of synthetic resin are arranged in parallel in the order of musical scales, as shown in FIG. At the rear end of the key 4, there is an engaging part that is inserted into a rectangular support hole 6 provided in a rising part 5 at the rear end of the keyboard chassis 2 and rotatably engages with the upper end of the support hole 6. 7 is provided. A coil spring 8 is disposed between the key 4 and the keyboard chassis 2 at the rear end of the key 4, and pushes up each key 4 with a constant spring force to engage the engaging portion 7 with the upper end of the support hole 6. There is. The key 4 is biased upward by a coil spring 8 and a rubber switch 16, which will be explained later. Normally, a substantially L-shaped stopper piece 9 hanging from the lower front end of the key 4 is attached to the keyboard chassis. The keyboard is positioned at a predetermined initial position (upper limit position) by passing through a hole 10 formed in the keyboard chassis 2 and coming into contact with a band-shaped stopper member 11 made of felt or the like provided on the lower surface of the keyboard chassis 2. Stopper piece 9
A band-shaped stopper member 12 made of felt or the like is provided on the upper surface of the keyboard chassis 2 below the key 4 for regulating the lower limit position of the key 4. In addition, the keyboard chassis 2
A guide member 13 is provided at the front end of the key 4 to prevent the key 4 from moving laterally.

[0007] There is a flat surface approximately at the center of the lower surface of the key 4.
A letter-shaped switch pressing portion 15 is provided. A rubber switch 16 is arranged below the switch pressing part 15. The rubber switch 16 is provided on the upper surface of a circuit board 18 that is attached to the lower surface of the keyboard chassis 2 with screws 17, and is projected above the keyboard chassis 2 through a hole 19 formed in the keyboard chassis 2. The rubber switch 16 is elastically deformable and has first and second switch parts 20 and 21 formed by forming an inverted bowl-shaped bulge in a rubber sheet. , 21 are in elastic contact with the lower surface of the switch pressing part 15 to push the key 4 upward, and when the key 4 is pressed, the first and second switch parts 20 and 21 are pressed against the key 4. Switching is performed by sequentially elastically deforming the key with a time difference corresponding to the key speed. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the rubber switch 16 is arranged so that the pressing force of the key 4 becomes gradually lighter as it goes from the low range side (the left side in FIG. 2) to the high range side (the right side in the figure). 4 (that is, the upper end of the support hole 6 of the keyboard chassis 2 that the engaging part 7 of the key 4 engages with) to the center of the rubber switch 16 moves from the bass range side to the treble range side. They are arranged along an inclined line S that gradually becomes shorter as the line increases. In this case, the upper end of the support hole 6 of the keyboard chassis 2, which is the center of rotation of the keys 4, is arranged on a straight line T parallel to the direction in which the keys 4 are arranged. Therefore, in the low range side, the distance from the center of rotation of the key 4 to the center of the rubber switch 16 is long, and in the high range side, the distance from the center of rotation of the key 4 to the center of the rubber switch 16 is short. It is set. In addition, along with this, the switch pressing part 15 of the key 4
is provided along the inclined line S corresponding to the rubber switch 16 at the lower center of the key 4. Further, the rubber switch 16 is provided with a plurality of sets (for one octave) of first and second switch parts 20 and 21 on one rubber sheet, and is arranged for each block (for one octave) from the bass range side to the treble range side. provided for each octave).

Next, the operation of this electronic keyboard instrument will be explained. When the key 4 is pressed against the elastic force of the coil spring 8 and the rubber switch 16, the key 4 is centered around the engaging portion 7 of the key 4 that is engaged with the upper end of the support hole 6 of the keyboard chassis 2. 1, and the switch pressing portion 15 of the key 4 presses the rubber switch 16. Then,
The rubber switch 16 is elastically deformed, and the first and second switch parts 20 and 21 of the rubber switch 16 are sequentially elastically deformed and switched with a time difference corresponding to the pressing speed of the key 4. Then, by switching the second switch section 21, key-on data that instructs the sound source to start producing musical tones is obtained, and data regarding the key press speed, that is, musical tone characteristics such as the volume and timbre of the musical tones, are initialized based on the time difference. Initial touch data for control will be obtained. When the key press operation on the key 4 is released, the key 4 is returned to its original initial position by the elastic return force of the coil spring 8 and the rubber switch 16.

[0009] In this way, in this electronic keyboard instrument, key 4
When the key is pressed and the rubber switch 16 switches, the distance from the center of rotation of the key 4 to the center of the rubber switch 16 is longer in the bass range and shorter in the treble range, so the distance The difference is that the pressing force of the key 4 becomes heavier in the lower range, and lighter in the higher range. Therefore, with this electronic keyboard instrument, it is possible to give the performer the feeling that the key pressing force gradually becomes lighter from the low range side to the high range side, and the key touch feeling is similar to that of an acoustic piano. can be obtained. In addition, in this electronic keyboard instrument, the center of the rubber switch 16 is connected to the key 4.
Since it is only necessary to arrange the rubber switch 16 along an inclined line S in which the distance to the rotation center of the switch gradually decreases from the low-pitched range side to the high-pitched range side, there is no need to use a return spring with a different spring constant like the conventional one. There is no need to use separate parts such as weights or weights of different weights, and an increase in the number of parts can be prevented.

In the above-described embodiment, the switch pressing portion 15 of the key 4 is arranged to correspond to the arrangement of the rubber switches 16.
is provided on each key 4 in an inclined state parallel to the same inclined line S as the center of the rubber switch 16, but the switch pressing part 15 is made larger to account for the deviation caused by the inclined arrangement of the rubber switch 16. may be formed. If you do this,
All the keys 4 can be formed in the same shape.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a rubber switch is used as a switch member that is switched by key depression, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a coil spring may also be used.

0012

As explained above, according to the present invention, the distance from the center of rotation of the key to the center of the switch member is in an inclined state where the distance gradually decreases from the low range side to the high range side. Since the switch member was placed in the position,
There is no need to use separate parts such as return springs with different spring constants or weights with different weights, which prevents an increase in the number of parts, and allows the key pressing force to be reduced from the bass to the treble range, making it possible to use acoustic You can get a key touch feeling similar to that of a piano.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal side view showing the main parts of an electronic keyboard instrument.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the main parts of the electronic keyboard instrument showing the arrangement relationship between the center of rotation of the key and the center of the rubber switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 Key 16 Rubber switch

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The present invention comprises: keys arranged in the order of musical scales that rotate and displace in response to key press operations; and a switch member having elasticity that is pressed and switched in accordance with the key press operations; The keyboard device is characterized in that the switch member is arranged in an inclined position such that the distance from the center of the movement to the center of the switch member gradually decreases from the low range side to the high range side.