Yamaha Corporation

Shizuoka University

Hitachi Zosen Corporation

Koji Yataka

Katsunori Suzuki

Yasuro Okumiya

Shingo Sakakibara

Yoku Inoue

Akira Miki

Tetsuya Inoue

Fukushi Kawakami

Yoshinari Nakamura

Masahiro Sugiura

Tomomitsu Urai

Shinichi Sawara

Soichi Takigawa

Takahiro Asano

Yoshiki Terada

Takahiro Terada

Norifumi Morihara

Tomoya Yamashita

Yohei Wada

Yusuke Sato

A keyboard apparatus according to an embodiment includes a keyboard and a mutual capacitance proximity sensor. The keyboard includes a first key and a second key arranged in an array direction with respect to the first key. The proximity sensor includes a first electrode having a portion extending from at least a first area below the first key to a second area below the second key, a second electrode arranged in the first area, and a third electrode arranged in the second area. The proximity sensor is a mutual capacitance type sensor and is configured to use a change in capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode and a change in capacitance between the first electrode and the third electrode.

Keyboard apparatus and proximity sensor

Provided is a strain sensor unit that enables inhibition of a positional deviation of a strain sensor. The strain sensor unit includes: a substrate that is stretchable; at least one strip-shaped or string-shaped strain sensor that is arranged on the substrate along a direction of stretching and contracting of the substrate; and a deformation restraining member that is arranged in proximity to longitudinal end portions of the at least one strain sensor respectively, to extend in a direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the strain sensor, and restrains deformation of the substrate.

Strain sensor unit

The method for producing a carbon nanotube web includes preparing a carbon nanotube array disposed on a substrate, the carbon nanotube array including a plurality of carbon nanotubes vertically aligned relative to the substrate; and drawing a carbon nanotube web from the carbon nanotube array so that the plurality of carbon nanotube single yarns are arranged in parallel, wherein in the step of drawing a carbon nanotube web, the carbon nanotube web is oscillated in a direction crossing both the thickness direction of the substrate and the drawing direction of the carbon nanotube web.

Method for producing carbon nanotube web, method for producing carbon nanotube collected product, and apparatus for producing carbon nanotube web

Provided is a filamentous strain sensor element capable of detecting a relatively great tensile strain. The strain sensor element of which resistance value changes in response to stretch and to contraction in a longitudinal direction, includes: a first conductive portion that is filamentous and formed from a carbon nanotube bundle; and a second conductive portion that covers a peripheral surface of the first conductive portion and is elastic and conductive, in which the first conductive portion is discontinuous at one or a plurality of positions.

Strain sensor element

Provided is a data glove which imparts little discomfort when worn, and is capable of accurately detecting movement of a hand. The data glove includes a glove main body and a plurality of strain sensors which are disposed on the dorsal side of the glove main body in regions corresponding to at least one finger, and which detect stretch and contraction of the glove main body. The strain sensors preferably include two strain sensors which are disposed on the dorsal side of the glove main body to correspond respectively to a proximal interphalangeal joint and a metacarpophalangeal joint of at least one finger of the second through fifth fingers, and which detect stretch and contraction of the glove main body in a proximal-distal direction. The data glove preferably further includes a plurality of stretch prevention parts which limit the elongation of the glove main body.

Data glove

A golf club has within the grip a main device, a connector, a wireless module, an antenna, a light emitting element, and an optical fiber. The main device is a device that includes a sensor such as a motion sensor, a circuit such as a CPU, and a battery. The light emitting element is an indicating means that emits light in accordance with the state of a component mounted in the golf club. The light emitted by the light emitting element is guided to the grip end by the optical fiber and emitted to the outside of the grip via the grip end.

Golf club

A strain sensor provided with a substrate that has flexibility; a carbon nanotube (CNT) film that is provided on the surface of the substrate and that has a plurality of CNT fibers oriented in one direction; and a pair of electrodes that are arranged at both ends in the orientation direction of the CNT fibers in the CNT film; in which the CNT film has a plurality of CNT fiber bundles that consist of the plurality of CNT fibers, and a resin layer that covers the peripheral surface of the plurality of the CNT fiber bundles and joins with the surface of the substrate.

Strain sensor

A strain sensor includes a flexible substrate, a CNT film made of a plurality of CNT fibers aligned in an orientation direction, a pair of electrodes, and a protective coat. The electrodes are formed at the opposite ends of the CNT film in a perpendicular direction to the orientation direction of the CNT fibers. The protective coat protecting the CNT film is made of a resin, a water-based emulsion, or an oil-based emulsion. The protective coat is placed in contact with at least part of the CTN fibers on the surface of the CNT film. The strain sensor including the protective coat is able to prevent damage/breakage of the CNT film and to prevent foreign matters from entering into gaps between CNT fibers, thus improving durability in maintaining adequate sensing functionality.

Flexible strained sensor with protective coating

A golf club measuring system is designed to dynamically measure physical values of a golf club shaft during its swinging motion. A sensor wiring substrate includes a flexible board (e.g. polyethylene terephthalate material), a connector, a plurality of couplers, and a plurality of wires. A plurality of sensors is connected to the sensor wiring substrate via a plurality of couplers. The sensor wiring substrate is helically wound about the golf club shaft such that the flexible board is slightly warped and closely attached to the curved surface of a golf club shaft, thus reducing air resistance occurring on the golf club shaft being swung. An external device (e.g. a strain measuring device) is connected to the connector of the sensor wiring substrate so as to receive signals representing physical values (e.g. strain values), occurring on the golf club shaft being swung, from a plurality of sensors.

Golf club measuring system and golf club measuring method

An earphone microphone is constituted of a main unit and an insert portion which are united in an L-shape. Two receivers are attached to the external surface of the main unit and exposed externally of a user's ear, while one receiver is attached to a distal end of the insert portion that is inserted into a user's external auditory canal and disposed opposite to a user's eardrum. A signal processor produces a difference signal between the output signals of two receivers exposed externally of the user's ear. The difference signal is subjected to high-pass filtering and subsequently added to the output signal of the receiver disposed inside the user's external auditory canal, thus producing a sound signal representing a user's sound. The sound signal includes a sufficient number of frequency components (e.g. frequency components higher than 3 kHz) prerequisite for discriminating the user's sound.

Earphone microphone

On a casing of an electronic keyboard instrument, there are provided front speakers, rear speakers and upper speakers as non-front speakers, a woofer speaker, and a vibrator. Tone generator section generates tone signals of tone colors corresponding to tones of various musical instruments. Assignment section adjusts, on a tone-color-by-tone-color basis, tone volume allocations, of the generated tone signals, to the speakers and vibrator. Further, the thus-adjusted tone signals are mixed for each of speaker reproduction systems and vibrator drive system, and then the resultant mixed tone signals of the speaker reproduction systems and vibrator drive system are supplied to corresponding ones of the speakers and vibrator.

Growing community of inventors

Hamamatsu, Japan

Koji Yataka