Yamaha Corporation

Hiroshi Harimoto

Ichiro Osuga

Shunsuke Ichiki

Kenichi Nishida

Shin Yamamoto

Akito Ohba

Nariyasu Yaguchi

Michiko Yoshimura

In a key switch (), an inner dome (Din) starts to deform once a distal end portion () of the inner dome (Din) comes into contact with a base surface () after an outer dome (Dout) starts to deform. A thick portion () extending straight and having a uniform wall thickness in a click generating portion (CL) has the thickness less than or equal to the minimum thickness of a thick portion () of an after stroke portion (AF). The degree of inclination of the thick portion () with respect to a center line (C) (direction of pressing) is larger than that of the thick portion () with respect to the center line (C) (&#x3b8;c&#x3e;&#x3b8;a). Before the after stroke portion (AF) undergoes large deformation, the click generating portion (CL) undergoes buckling to cause a sudden decrease in a reaction force and generate a click feeling.

Reaction force generator and keyboard device of electronic musical instrument

A support assembly includes a support rotatable with respect to a frame, a repetition lever rotatable with respect to the support, and a first extension portion disposed to the repetition lever on a jack side with respect to the center of rotation of the repetition lever, the first extension portion being in contact with a stopper from below the stopper.

Support assembly and keyboard apparatus

A support assembly includes a support rotatable along a first surface with respect to a support rail, a repetition lever rotatable on the support, and a jack rotatable on the support and disposed to at least partially overlaps the repetition lever. The repetition lever includes a first contact portion which makes contact with a regulating portion which regulates rotation, the jack includes a second contact portion which makes contact with the regulating portion which regulates rotation, and the repetition lever and the jack are provided so that the first contact portion and the second contact portion overlap each other.

A support assembly in one embodiment of the present invention includes a support rotatable along a first surface with respect to a frame; a repetition lever rotatable with respect to the support; and an extension portion coupled to the repetition lever, the extension portion being slidable contact with a first guide portion, the first guide portion moving along the first surface.

A support assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a support rotatably disposed with respect to a frame, a jack rotatably connected with respect to the support on a side opposite to a rotation center of the support, and a support heel disposed on a lower surface side of the support to make contact with a member connected to a key, wherein the support is configured of a first main body portion, a bent portion, a second main body portion, and a jack support portion from the rotation center side of the support toward a rotation center side of the jack, and the second main body portion is disposed on a side closer to the key than the first main body portion by the bent portion which couples the first main body portion and the second main body portion.

A switch is constituted by a movable conductive portion and a pair of fixed conductive portions. The fixed conductive portions are arranged on a substrate, and are each constituted by at least one strip member. A first main conductive pattern and a second main conductive pattern are arranged on the substrate in correspondence with the fixed conductive portions. The movable conductive portion electrically shorts the pair of fixed conductive portions upon coming into contact with both of them. The strip members that constitute the fixed conductive portions each have a first end portion and a second end portion in the extending direction, and the end portions are electrically connected to the corresponding main conductive patterns.

Operator device for electronic musical instrument

A support assembly of a keyboard apparatus activated in accordance with pressing of a key to rotate a hammer provided at one end of a hammer shank, the support assembly includes a support rotatably disposed with respect to a frame, a jack having one side rotatably connected to the support and another side including a contact surface which makes contact with a hammer shank roller provided to the hammer shank, and a rib provided to the other side of the jack and projecting to a hammer shank roller side of the contact surface.

A keyboard unit includes: a key; a plurality of members which include the key, and each of which has an engaged section for forming an engaged state, the engaged state changed by turning of the key, at least a portion of the engaged section formed of a conductor; a detector which is configured to detect information on the engaged state of the plurality of members by detecting a conduction state between the at least portions of the engaged sections which are in contact with each other; and a determiner which is configured to determine a musical sound parameter based on a detection result of the detector.

Keyboard unit

A reaction force generator includes: a base member mounted on a supporter supporting an operating member pivotably; a dome member protruding from the base member; and a top member provided on a protruding-side end of the dome member to be pressed by the operating member toward the base member. The dome member is deformed to produce a reaction force when the top member is pressed by the operating member. A basal-end-side plane and a distal-end-side plane intersect each other at a position located on one of opposite sides of the dome member which is nearer to a pivot fulcrum of the operating member. The basal-end-side plane includes a line of intersection between the base member and the dome member adjacent to each other. The distal-end-side plane includes a line of intersection between the dome member and the top member adjacent to each other.

Reaction force generator

A keyboard apparatus has a plurality of white keys and black keys each of which pivot. The keyboard apparatus also has a plurality of reaction force generation membersandprovided for the white keys and the black keys, respectively. The reaction force generation membersandhave dome portionsand, respectively, which are thin and shaped like a dome so as to be elastically deformed by depression, and base portionsand, respectively, which are thick and are formed integrally with the dome portionsandto support the dome portionsand, the base portionsandjutting outward from respective lower end surfaces of the dome portionsand. The vertical position of the lower end of the dome portionis displaced from the vertical position of the lower end of the dome portion

Keyboard apparatus for an electronic musical instrument

A key () is supported by key supporting portions () so that the key () can pivot. A reaction force generation member () is shaped like a dome to be elastically deformed by a key-depression of the key (). At the time of the elastic deformation, the reaction force generation member () increases a reaction force from the beginning with an increasing amount of elastic deformation. After the reaction force reaches its peak, the reaction force generation member () buckles to reduce the reaction force. A normal line of a plane (P) including a pivot axis (C) of the key () and a depression point of a depression portion () is designed to be roughly parallel to an axis line (Y) of the reaction force generation member () at the point in time when the reaction force of the reaction force generation member () reaches its peak.

Operating element device

Reaction force generation membersare made of elastic body to be shaped like domes, respectively, so that the reaction force generation memberscan be elastically deformed by depression exerted in directions of axis lines Yw, Yb, respectively, to increase their respective reaction forces from the beginning with the increasing amount of elastic deformation to buckle after respective peaks of the reaction forces to reduce the respective reaction forces. By varying the directions of the axis lines Yw, Yb of the reaction force generation members between a white keyand a black key, the respective directions in which the reaction force generation membersare depressed at the peaks of the reaction forces are made close to the directions of the axis lines Yw, Yb of the reaction force generation members, respectively.

A keyboard device includes plural white keys, plural black keys, and plural hammers respectively engaged with the plural white and black keys. Vertical length of a drive portion for a first key and a second key are set the same, the first and second keys both being white keys, or both being black keys. Longitudinal position of hammer support portion of a first hammer engaged with the first key and longitudinal position of a hammer support portion of a second hammer engaged with the second key are set the same. Vertical positions of hammer support portions of the first and second hammers are respectively set according to a distance from a front end of an operation portion of the first key and a key support portion and a distance from a front end of an operation portion of the second key and a key support portion.

Keyboard device for electronic musical instrument

A keyboard device includes plural white and black keysthat rock according to a key depression/release operation. Positions of key support portionssupporting the plural white and black keysin the longitudinal direction are set to be different from one another. The keyboard device also includes hammersthat rock with the rocking movement of the plural white and black keys. The plural white and black keysinclude drive unitsthat drive the hammers. The drive unitsand the pivot centers of the hammers are located on the same straight line extending in the lateral direction. An upper-limit stopperand a lower-limit stopper, which restrict the rocking movement of the hammers, are provided to extend in the lateral direction.

A keyboard device includes plural white and black keysthat rock according to a key depression/release operation. Positions of key support portionssupporting the plural white and black keysin the longitudinal direction are set to be different from one another. The keyboard device also includes hammersthat rock with the rocking movement of the plural white and black keys. The plural white and black keysinclude drive unitsthat drive the hammers. The pivot centers of the hammers are located on the same straight line extending in the lateral direction. The drive unitis located anterior to the drive unit. An upper-limit stopperand a lower-limit stopper, which restrict the rocking movement of the hammers, are provided to extend in the lateral direction.

Growing community of inventors

Hamamatsu, Japan

Hiroshi Harimoto