Keyboard apparatus

• US 8,003,871 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Kitajima, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): HORN, ROBERT WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US12/562,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20100071531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 844/23.R, 844/39
• US Class Current: 84/423.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G10C 3/12 Keyboards; Keys
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/346 Keys with an arrangement for simulating the feeling of a piano key, e.g. using counterweights, springs, cams

Abstract

A keyboard apparatus made longitudinally compact while ensuring a pivotal motion range of hammers within a limited space. Common base ends, to which main bodies of white and black keys are connected via vertically extending hinges, are stacked one upon another and fastened to a fastening part of a frame. Hammers are each supported on a hammer pivot shaft such that its rear end is moved upward about the pivot shaft in a key-depression forward stroke. The hammers have their rear ends located forward of rearmost positions of visible parts of black keys. The hammer pivot shafts are located rearward of frontmost positions of the visible parts. A plate portion of the frame, on which key switches are disposed, is located forward of the rearmost positions of the visible parts of the black keys and upward of the fastening part of the frame.

Claims

1. A keyboard apparatus comprising:

a frame having hammer supports and integrally formed by resin, said frame being adapted to be supported on a musical instrument main body;

a plurality of white and black keys mutually juxtaposed on said frame and forming one key unit by having key main bodies thereof each connected to its base end via a thin plate-like hinge, each of the key main bodies being pivotable about the base end as a key fulcrum in key depression and release directions;

a plurality of hammers mutually juxtaposed so as to correspond to respective ones of said keys and supported by the hammer supports of said frame at locations below respective ones of said keys so as to each pivot about a corresponding one of the hammer supports in conjunction with the corresponding key and impart inertia to a pivotal motion of the key, each of said hammers being driven at its front half located forward of the hammer support such that a rear end portion of the hammer is moved upward in a key-depression forward stroke;

detection, devices each adapted to be depressed by a corresponding one of said keys and detect an operation of the key; and

detection-device mounting portions integrally formed on said frame and respectively mounted with said detection devices,

wherein said keys are mounted to said frame by being fastened to a fastening part of said frame by a fastener, with the base ends of said keys stacked one upon another,

the hinges of said keys are formed to extend in a direction to cross key depression surfaces of the key main bodies and parallel to a key arrangement direction,

said hammers have their rear ends located forward of rearmost positions of visible parts of said black keys, the visible parts being visible during performance,

the hammer supports are located rearward of frontmost positions of the visible parts of said black keys, and

said detection-device mounting portions are located forward of the rearmost positions of the visible parts of said black keys and upward of the fastening part of said frame.

2. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection devices have their lowermost parts positioned in a vertical direction between the fastening part of said frame and connection parts where the key main bodies of said keys are connected with the hinges.

3. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection devices have their lowermost parts positioned upward of connection parts where the base ends of said keys are connected with the hinges.

4. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said detection devices have their lowermost parts positioned in a vertical direction between connection parts where the key main bodies of said keys are connected with the hinges and connection parts where the base ends of said keys are connected with the hinges.

5. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1, including:

an end stopper disposed rearward of the hammer supports and formed on said frame integrally therewith or separately therefrom, said end stopper being adapted for contact with rear halves of said hammers to thereby restrict pivot end positions of said hammers corresponding to key-depression end positions; and

an end-stopper mounting portion integrally formed on said frame and mounted with said end stopper,

wherein said end-stopper mounting portion is disposed in a vertical direction between the fastening part of said frame and connection parts where the key main bodies of said keys are connected with the hinges.

6. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said end-stopper mounting portion is disposed at substantially a same height position as that of connection parts where the base ends of said keys are connected with the hinges.

7. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said end-stopper mounting portion is positioned below said detection devices.

8. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1, wherein lowermost positions of the base ends of said keys are located below uppermost positions of the rear end portions of said hammers which are at pivot end positions.

9. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1, including:

a plurality of frame function parts formed on said the frame integrally therewith or separately therefrom, each of said frame function parts being adapted for contact and engagement with a corresponding one of constituent elements of the keyboard apparatus other than said frame when the keyboard apparatus is in use; and

a plurality of function-part mounting portions integrally formed on said frame and respectively mounted with said frame function parts, each of said function-part mounting portions being adapted to receive an external force via a corresponding one of said frame function parts,

wherein plural ones among said function-part mounting portions are disposed in a vertical direction between the fastening part of said frame and connection parts where the key main bodies of said keys are connected with the hinges.

10. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said frame function parts include the hammer supports and a contact portion, said contact portion being integrally formed on said frame and adapted to be in contact with the musical instrument main body to thereby support said frame on the musical instrument main body, and

all the frame function parts except the contact portion and the hammer supports are disposed upward of lowermost positions of the base ends of said keys.

11. A keyboard apparatus comprising:

a frame having hammer supports and integrally formed by resin, said frame being adapted to be supported on a musical instrument main body;

a plurality of white and black keys mutually juxtaposed on said frame and having key main bodies thereof each connected to its base end via a thin plate-like hinge for pivotal motion about the base end as a key fulcrum in key depression and release directions;

a plurality of hammers mutually juxtaposed so as to correspond to respective ones of said keys and supported by the hammer supports of said frame at locations below respective ones of said keys so as to each pivot about a corresponding one of the hammer supports in conjunction with the corresponding key and impart inertia to a pivotal motion of the key, each of said hammers being driven at its front half located forward of the hammer support such that a rear end portion of the hammer is moved upward in a key-depression forward stroke;

an initial stopper disposed forward of the hammer supports and formed on said frame integrally therewith or separately therefrom, said initial stopper being adapted for contact with the front halves of said hammers to thereby restrict initial pivot positions of said hammers corresponding to key-depression initial positions; and

an end stopper disposed rearward of the hammer supports and formed on said frame integrally therewith or separately therefrom, said end stopper being adapted for contact with the rear end portions of said hammers to thereby restrict pivot end positions of said hammers corresponding to key-depression end positions,

wherein said keys are mounted to said frame by being fastened to a fastening part of said frame by a fastener, with the base ends of said keys stacked one upon another,

the hinges are formed to extend in a direction to cross key depression surfaces of the key main bodies and parallel to a key arrangement direction,

said hammers have their rear ends located forward of rearmost positions of visible parts of said black keys, the visible parts being visible during performance, and

the hammer supports are located rearward of frontmost positions of the visible parts of said black keys.

12. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 11, wherein lowermost positions of the base ends of said keys are located below uppermost positions of the rear end portions of said hammers which are at pivot end positions.