Keyboard instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10580390-B2
Application number	US-201916532325-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2019
Priority date	Aug 6, 2018
Publication date	Mar 3, 2020
Grant date	Mar 3, 2020

Abstract

A keyboard instrument including a hammer unit which includes a plurality of hammer members each of which has an effort point provided on one end side, a load point provided on an other end side, and a fulcrum provided between the effort point and the load point, and a hammer holder which rotatably holds the plurality of hammer members, and a keyboard chassis which includes a restriction member for restricting rotations of the plurality of hammer members performed in response to key depression operations within a restriction range and in which the hammer unit is mounted, in which the hammer holder has a plurality of contact points on the effort point side which comes in contact with portions of the plurality of hammer members on the effort point side when the hammer unit is in a vertically inverted state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A keyboard instrument comprising:
a hammer unit which includes (i) a plurality of hammer members each of which has an effort point provided on a first end side, a load point provided on a second end side, and a fulcrum provided between the effort point and the load point, and (ii) a hammer holder which rotatably holds the plurality of hammer members; and
a keyboard chassis which includes a restriction member for restricting rotations of the plurality of hammer members performed in response to key depression operations within a restriction range, and in which the hammer unit is mounted,
wherein the hammer holder has a plurality of contact points on an effort point side which contact with portions of the plurality of hammer members on the effort point side when the hammer unit is in a vertically inverted state,
wherein, when the hammer unit is in the vertically inverted state, a first length between the fulcrum of each of the plurality of hammer members and the second end of each of the plurality of hammer members in a front-rear direction of keys is longer than a second length between the fulcrum and one end of the restriction member on a fulcrum side of the restriction member in the front-rear direction of the keys, and
wherein the hammer unit is mountable on the keyboard chassis when in the vertically inverted state.

2. The keyboard instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the hammer holder holds the plurality of hammer members such that an upper end of the hammer holder and the load point of each of the plurality of hammer members come in contact with a placement surface when the hammer unit is vertically inverted and placed on the placement surface before being mounted on the keyboard chassis.

3. The keyboard instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hammer members includes hammer members for white keys and hammer members for black keys which differ in shape from the hammer members for the white keys,
wherein the hammer holder includes a plurality of holding sections for holding the plurality of hammer members, respectively, and
wherein each of the plurality of holding sections has an identifier identifying whether the holding section is to hold a hammer member for a white key or to hold a hammer member for a black key before the hammer members are held by the plurality of holding sections.

4. The keyboard instrument according to claim 3 , wherein the identifiers comprise a plurality of projections provided on upper ends of holding sections for holding the hammer members for the white keys from among the plurality of holding sections.

5. The keyboard instrument according to claim 4 , wherein the hammer holder holds the plurality of hammer members such that the plurality of projections and the load point of each of the plurality of hammer members come in contact with a placement surface when the hammer unit is vertically inverted and placed on the placement surface before being mounted on the keyboard chassis.

6. The keyboard instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the fulcrum of each of the plurality of hammer members includes a shaft, and the hammer holder includes a plurality of holes into which respective ones of the shafts are insertable.

7. The keyboard instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hammer members are rotated within the restriction range in response to the key depression operations, without coming in contact with the plurality of contact points on the effort point side.

8. The keyboard instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the hammer holder has a plurality of contact points on a load point side which contact with portions of the plurality of hammer members on the load point side before the hammer unit is mounted on the keyboard chassis, and
wherein the plurality of hammer members are (i) rotatable within a free rotation range between positions where the plurality of hammer members contact with the plurality of contact points on the load point side and positions where the plurality of hammer members contact with the plurality of contact points on the effort point side, before the hammer unit is mounted on the keyboard chassis, and (ii) rotated within the restriction range in response to the key depression operations without coming in contact with the plurality of contact points on the load point side, after the hammer unit is mounted on the keyboard chassis.

Assignees

• Casio Computer Co Ltd

Inventors

• Akaishi Akihito
• Taniguchi Hirokazu

Classifications

• G10H1/34 Primary

  Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments · CPC title

• G10C3/12 Primary

  Keyboards; Keys · CPC title

• G10C3/23

  with hammers mounted above the strings, striking downwards · CPC title

• G10C3/18 Primary

  Hammers · CPC title

• G10H1/346

  Keys with an arrangement for simulating the feeling of a piano key, e.g. using counterweights, springs, cams · CPC title