JP5422969B2 - Electronic keyboard instrument - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic keyboard instrument having an operation element such as a key or a pedal, and in particular, an electronic device capable of bringing a performance feeling closer to a natural keyboard instrument such as an acoustic piano by controlling vibration generated in the operation element during performance. Related to keyboard instruments.

  The acoustic piano has a mechanism for generating a sound by hitting a hammer against a string in accordance with the key depression, and the generated sound differs in sounding manner and magnitude depending on the strength and speed of the key depression. The acoustic piano is also equipped with a pedal for controlling the reverberation of the sound. For example, a grand piano is a damper pedal, a sostenuto pedal, or a soft pedal.

  Among these, the damper pedal is a pedal for controlling the damper for stopping the vibration of the string. The damper is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the string, and normally, the damper is released from the string by pressing the key, and the sound is stopped by pressing the string by releasing the key. Each damper is connected to a damper pedal (hereinafter, simply referred to as “pedal”) through some connecting portions. When the pedal is depressed, the dampers corresponding to all strings are released, and even if the finger is released from the key, the damper does not stop and the key pressed sound remains. In this case, all the strings including the strings corresponding to the keys that are not pressed resonate, and the overtones sound clearly. By operating the damper with the pedal in this way, various expressions can be given to the pronunciation of the piano.

  There is an electronic piano as an electronic keyboard instrument that simulates the tone, operability, and appearance of an acoustic piano as described above. Some electronic pianos are equipped with three pedals that function in the same way as damper pedals, sostenuto pedals, and soft pedals in grand pianos. However, in the case of an electronic piano, it is not necessary to perform an operation of moving the damper away from the string because it is not actually played by stringing like an acoustic piano. Instead, the processing corresponding to the pedal operation is electrically performed, and the sound generation equivalent to the operation of the pedal is performed. Therefore, the mechanism of the pedal device itself is simple. For example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a spring or the like is installed between a pedal that is rotatably attached to a frame and a bottom plate, and the pedal is energized by the bias of the spring. Is given an upward reaction force.

  As a technique applicable to the pedal of an electronic keyboard instrument, the electronic musical instrument described in Patent Document 2 includes a performance operator and an actuator, and at least two variables among the position, speed, acceleration, and operation force of the performance operator. To monitor. Based on the monitoring result of the variable, the coefficient of the equation of motion of the performance operator is set, and the motion characteristic according to the equation of motion is given. According to this technique, desired characteristics can be imparted to the operation of the pedal, so that it is possible to reproduce the pedal operation (reaction force against the stepping operation) in the acoustic piano.

By the way, in an acoustic piano, when a key is pressed, vibration generated by striking with a hammer is transmitted to a player through a pedal. Feedback to the performer through such vibration transmission is one factor in the ease and comfort of performance. In order to reproduce this point, the haptic control device described in Patent Document 3 includes a vibrating body that transmits vibration to the operation element, and uses a performance signal to drive the driver of the driving device or to support key depression. Then, the vibration information stored in the memory is read and the driver is driven. According to this force sense control device, it is possible to convey to the performer the feeling of vibration of the sound generated by the key depression.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-22355 Japanese Patent Publication No.7-111631 Japanese Patent No. 2808617

  In the case of an acoustic piano, the attack-like vibration caused by striking when a key is pressed is transmitted to the pedal, but this vibration is transmitted indirectly from the string to the pedal as sound, and indirectly from the string through the instrument body. Includes transmitted vibration. Such vibration transmitted to the pedal is characterized in that differences due to various factors such as the pitch (sound pitch) generated by pressing the key, the timing of pressing the key, or the moving speed of the key appear greatly. . However, none of the conventional techniques can reproduce even the difference in how vibrations are transmitted to the pedal due to such various elements.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic keyboard instrument that can faithfully reproduce vibration transmitted to a pedal when a key is depressed in an acoustic piano with a simple configuration. is there.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an electronic keyboard instrument according to the present invention includes a key (11) disposed in a musical instrument body (1), a key operation detecting means (12) for detecting the operation of the key (11), a key ( 11) a sound source (64) that generates an electronic sound according to the operation, a pedal (31) that rotates around a fulcrum as a stepping operation is performed, and the pedal (31) is rotated with respect to the instrument body (1). A pedal device (30) including a frame (32) that is supported so as to be movable, and a frame (32) of the pedal device (30), and imparts vibration to the frame (32) . A first vibration generator (20), a second vibration generator (25) disposed on the pedal (31) of the pedal device (30) and imparting vibration to the pedal (31); Vibration control means (50) for controlling the vibration generated in 30), The motion control means (50) generates a performance signal based on the signal from the sound source (64), controls the driving of the first vibration generator (20) according to the generated performance signal, and detects the key action detection means ( The key motion information is generated based on the detection signal of 12), and the driving of the second vibration generator (25) is controlled according to the generated key motion information. The key operation information here includes information on at least one of the pitch of the sound generated when the key is pressed, the timing of the key operation, and the moving speed of the key. The vibration control unit (50) The magnitude or timing of vibration generated by the second vibration generator (25) may be controlled in accordance with the key operation information. In addition, the code | symbol in parenthesis here has shown the code | symbol of the corresponding component of embodiment mentioned later as an example of this invention.

  According to the electronic keyboard instrument of the present invention, the first vibration generator is vibrated in accordance with the performance signal, thereby giving vibration to the instrument body and the pedal device. By vibrating according to operation (for example, key pressing operation) information, it is possible to faithfully reproduce the vibration generated in the pedal during the performance of the acoustic piano. In other words, the vibration generated by the sound of the entire performance can be reproduced by the vibration of the first vibration generator, and further, tactile feedback according to the key pressing timing of the keyboard is provided by the second vibration generator. It can be given to the performer. Also, here, by changing the magnitude or timing of the vibration generated by the second vibration generator according to the pitch of the sound that is sounded by the key operation, the key operation, etc., the acoustic piano is played. The vibration generated in the pedal can be reproduced more faithfully.

  In the electronic keyboard instrument, the vibration control means (50) determines whether or not the plurality of key pressing operations correspond to simultaneous key pressing when the key operation information includes information on a plurality of key pressing operations. If it is determined that it corresponds to simultaneous key pressing, the plurality of key pressing operations are grouped, and the lowest sound among the sounds corresponding to each key pressing operation included in the group is detected, and a plurality of keys included in the group are detected. For the key pressing operation, the driving of the second vibration generator (25) may be controlled according to only the key operation corresponding to the detected lowest sound.

  In an acoustic piano, vibration transmitted from the string to the instrument body is transmitted to the pedal, but due to differences in the weight and length of the string, the vibration transmitted to the pedal is greater when the key is at the same key pressing speed. . In the case of simultaneous key pressing, the vibration of each pitch is transmitted to the pedal, but the vibration due to the high sound is smaller than the vibration due to the low sound. Therefore, if only the vibration caused by the lowest sound is generated, the vibration generated in the pedal can be reproduced well. Therefore, when there are a plurality of key pressing operations, as described above, a plurality of key pressing operations corresponding to the simultaneous key pressing are grouped, and the second vibration is generated according to the key pressing operation corresponding to the lowest sound detected from the group. The drive of the device may be controlled. According to this, vibration generated in the pedal of the acoustic piano can be reproduced well and efficiently with a simple configuration or procedure.

  The electronic keyboard instrument having the above-described configuration may further include urging means (18, 29) for urging the second vibration generating device (25-2, 25-3) against the pedal (31). . By this urging means, the vibration generated by the second vibration generator can be reliably transmitted to the pedal. Further, when a driving means for driving the pedal is separately provided, it is possible to assist the reaction force generated by the driving means in response to the pedal operation by the urging means. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the driving means and the instrument body, reduce the size and weight, or reduce the power consumption of the electronic keyboard instrument.

  In the electronic keyboard instrument having the above-described configuration, the pedal operation detecting means (45) for detecting the operation of the pedal (31) and the driving means (40) for generating a reaction force according to the operation of the pedal (31) by the driving force. And a storage means (52) storing a force sense application table (80) for performing force sense control of the pedal (31), and a reaction force against the pedal (31) by controlling the drive means (40). Force sense control means (50), and the force sense control means (50) is based on the force sense application table (80) and the operation of the pedal (31) detected by the pedal action detection means (45). The reaction force against the pedal (31) may be controlled.

  According to this configuration, the force sense control of the pedal can be performed by adjusting the reaction force against the pedal operation. Therefore, it is possible to reproduce the performance feeling of an acoustic piano more faithfully by performing both the reproduction of the feeling of performance by vibration transmitted through the pedal and the reproduction of the force sense of the pedal.

  Further, in this case, the urging means (18, 29) attaches the second vibration generating device (25-2, 25-3) in the same direction as the reaction force applied from the driving means (40) to the pedal (31). You may make it rush. According to this, since the reaction force applied to the pedal from the drive means can be assisted by the urging force of the urging means, the structure of the drive means can be simplified, reduced in size and weight, or the power consumption of the electronic keyboard instrument can be reduced. Reduction can be achieved.

  In the electronic keyboard instrument, the first vibration generator (20) may be installed on the frame (32) of the pedal device (30). According to this, it is possible to transmit the vibration generated by the first vibration generator more directly to the pedal. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the first vibration generator, or reduce the power consumption of the electronic keyboard instrument.

  According to the electronic keyboard musical instrument of the present invention, the vibration transmitted to the pedal when the key is pressed in the acoustic piano can be reproduced with a simple structure.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, of both sides of the pedal in the longitudinal direction, which will be described later, the player side of the electronic keyboard instrument is referred to as the front or the front, and the opposite side is referred to as the back or the rear.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an electronic keyboard instrument according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The electronic keyboard musical instrument shown in the figure includes a musical instrument main body 1, a pedal device 30 having a pedal 31 (operator) attached to the musical instrument main body 1, and a control unit (for controlling vibrations generated by the pedal device 30). Vibration control means) 50. The pedal device 30 and the control unit 50 are connected to each other via the bus 5.

  2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a configuration example of the pedal device 30 according to the first embodiment, in which FIG. 2A is a schematic side sectional view, and FIG. 2B is a front view. The pedal device 30 includes a plurality of pedals supported to be rotatable with respect to the frame 32. In this embodiment, three pedals corresponding to a damper pedal, a sostenuto pedal, and a soft pedal in a grand piano are installed. Has been. In the figure, only the pedal 31 located on the rightmost side as viewed from the player corresponding to the damper pedal is shown, and the other pedals are not shown.

  The frame 32 is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape by appropriately bending a plate-like member made of metal or the like. Although not shown in detail, the frame 32 is attached to the player's feet in the instrument main body 1. The frame 32 has a horizontally long shape extending over positions corresponding to a plurality of pedals, and an opening 33 is formed at an attachment location of the pedal 31 on the front wall 32a. The pedal 31 is made of a substantially flat member formed in a long shape, and the front side is an operation portion 31 a that is stepped on with a foot, and the rear side is an attachment portion 31 b that is attached to the frame 32. The opening 33 of the frame 32 is formed in a rectangular shape larger than the cross section of the pedal 31. On the inner periphery of the opening 33, flat bent plate portions 33a and 33a formed by bending the edges on both sides rearward are provided.

  In the pedal 31, the operation portion 31 a protrudes forward of the frame 32 in a state where the attachment portion 31 b is inserted into the frame 32 from the opening portion 33. At this time, the pedal 31 is supported by the pedal fulcrum 34 in the middle of the mounting portion 31b, and the longitudinal direction is swingable up and down around the pedal fulcrum 34.

  A return spring (urging means) 35 is installed on the lower surface side of the pedal 31 in the frame 32. The return spring 35 is a spring material formed by winding a wire having elasticity such as metal in a coil shape, and generates a resilient force (biasing force) by being compressed in the coil axis direction. The return spring 35 is disposed in front of the pedal fulcrum 34 and urges the pedal 31 at that position upward.

  The pedal device 30 is provided with a pedal position sensor (pedal operation detecting means) 45 that detects the position of the pedal 31. The pedal position sensor 45 here is an optical sensor composed of a shutter 45a attached to the pedal 31 and a photosensor 45b whose optical path is shielded by the shutter 45a. In this case, the shape of the shutter 45a is set so that the light shielding amount continuously changes according to the change in the position of the pedal 31, and the position of the pedal 31 is uniquely specified from the output signal of the photosensor 45b. . As long as the pedal position sensor 45 can detect the position of the pedal 31, other than the light shielding sensor as described above, although not shown in the drawings, the reflected light amount is continuously changed according to the position change of the pedal 31. A reflective sensor that is configured to detect the position of the pedal 31 by installing a reflective surface that can be changed to the pedal 31 and receiving the light reflected by the reflective surface by the light receiving unit. Furthermore, not only the optical sensor but also other types of sensors may be used. Although not shown, a pedal position detection switch or the like may be installed in place of the pedal position sensor 45. Here, the case where the pedal position sensor 45 is installed as the operation detecting means for detecting the operation of the pedal 31 has been described. However, in addition to this, a pedal for detecting the speed, acceleration, angle, and angular velocity of the pedal 31, respectively. Any of a speed sensor, a pedal acceleration sensor, a pedal angle sensor, and a pedal angular speed sensor, or a plurality of them can be installed.

  A guide member 36 is attached to the pedal 31. The guide member 36 is a substantially rectangular member installed at the front end of the mounting portion 31b, and a plurality of small protrusions 36a (two on each side in the drawing) are provided on both side surfaces thereof. The small protrusion 36 a is in contact with the inner side surface of the bending plate portion 33 a of the frame 32. Thereby, the guide member 36 guides the swing of the pedal 31 by moving up and down inside the small protrusion 36a with respect to the bending plate portions 33a and 33a as the pedal 31 swings.

An upper limit stopper 37 for defining the upper limit position of the pedal 31 is provided on the wall surface 32 c of the frame 32 facing the upper end of the guide member 36. The upper limit stopper 37 is made of a cushioning material for reducing the impact caused by the collision of the guide member 36. The upper end of the guide member 36 comes into contact with the upper limit stopper 37 in a state where the pedal 31 is in the uppermost position (hereinafter referred to as “initial position”) where the depression operation is started. On the other hand, a lower limit stopper 38 for defining the lower limit position of the pedal 31 is attached to the lower end of the opening 33. The lower limit stopper 38 is made of a cushioning material that alleviates the impact caused by the collision of the pedal 31, and is disposed to face the lower surface of the pedal 31 at the initial position with a predetermined distance.
In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the pedal apparatus 30 is also provided with mechanisms, such as a switch contact and a volume detection part, for converting the operation | movement of the pedal 31 into an electrical output.

  The pedal device 30 is provided with a vibration device (first vibration generation device) 20 installed on a frame 32. The vibration device 20 includes a vibration plate 21 made of a thin metal member attached to the bottom surface of the frame 32 and a drive device 22 that applies a driving force for vibrating the vibration plate 21. As shown in FIG. 1, the drive device 22 is connected to a first drive control device 23 for controlling the drive. FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a detailed structure of the driving device 22. The driving device 22 is a device that functions like a speaker. A coil 22-2 is wound around a bobbin 22-1 that is supported so as to be movable up and down within a fixing member 22-6. -3 and yoke 22-4 are arranged. A weight 22-5 is attached to the top of the bobbin 22-1. When an AC drive signal is applied to the drive device 22 having such a structure, the weight 22-5 and the fixing member 22-6 vibrate relatively. Therefore, when the weight 22-5 or the fixing member 22-6 is attached to the diaphragm 21 and the driving device 22 is driven by the performance signal, the diaphragm 21 vibrates according to the performance signal. The vibration of the diaphragm 21 is transmitted from the frame 32 to the pedal 31 via the pedal fulcrum 34.

  Further, the pedal device 30 is provided with an eccentric weight motor (second vibration generating device) 25 installed on the pedal 31. The eccentric weight motor 25 is a motor that is mounted on the upper surface of the pedal 31 behind the pedal fulcrum 34 and has a weight 25b that is fixed in an eccentric state with respect to the rotating shaft 25a. As shown in FIG. 1, the eccentric weight motor 25 is connected to a second drive control device 26 for controlling the drive thereof. The eccentric weight motor 25 generates vibration due to the eccentric rotation of the weight 25 b, and the vibration is transmitted to the pedal 31.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a keyboard device 10 having a key (keyboard) 11 is installed in the instrument body 1 of the electronic keyboard instrument. The keyboard device 10 is provided with a key position sensor 12 which is a key operation detecting means. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the key position sensor 12 can be an optical sensor having the same configuration as the pedal position sensor 45. The detection value of the key position sensor 12 is input to the control unit 50 via the bus 5. In addition to the optical sensor, a key position detection switch or the like may be installed as the key position sensor 12. In addition, here, the case where the key position sensor 12 is installed as the operation detecting means for detecting the operation of the key 11 is shown, but in addition to this, the key speed for detecting the speed, acceleration, angle, and angular velocity of the key 11 respectively. Any of a sensor, a key acceleration sensor, a key angle sensor, a key angular velocity sensor, or a plurality of them can be installed.

  Next, the control unit 50 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The control unit 50 includes a CPU 51, ROM 52, RAM 53, and flash memory (EEPROM) 54. A timer 55 is connected to the CPU 51. The CPU 51 controls the entire electronic keyboard instrument including the pedal device 30 and the keyboard device 10. In addition to the control program executed by the CPU 51 and various table data, the ROM 52 and the flash memory 54 store a force sense imparting table 80 described later. The RAM 53 temporarily stores various input information such as performance data and text data, various flags, buffer data, and arithmetic processing results. The timer 55 measures various times such as an interrupt time in the timer interrupt process.

  In addition to the control unit 50, the electronic keyboard instrument is provided with a setting operation unit 60, a display device 63, an audio output unit 65, an external storage device 66, an HDD 67, a communication interface 68, a MIDI interface 69, and the like. An external device 71 can be connected to the communication interface 68, and a MIDI device 72 can be connected to the MIDI interface 69. The communication interface 68 can communicate with an external server device 74 via a communication network 73 such as the Internet. The setting operation unit 60 includes various switches (not shown) that are used by the performer to input setting operation information, and a signal generated by operating the switches is supplied to the CPU 51. The external storage device 66 and the HDD 67 store various application programs including the above control program, various music data, and the like. The display device 63 is connected to the bus 5 via the display control circuit 62, and the audio output unit 65 composed of a speaker or the like is connected to the bus 5 via the tone generator circuit 64 and the performance signal generation unit 70. Yes. The performance signal generated by the performance signal generation unit 70 based on the signal output from the sound source circuit 64 is input to the audio output unit 65 and also input to the first drive control device 23 that controls the driving of the vibration device 20. It has come to be.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control signal from the control unit 50 is input to the vibration device 20 via the first drive control device 23 and input to the eccentric weight motor 25 via the second drive control device 26. It has come to be. The detection signal from the pedal position sensor 45 and the detection signal from the key position sensor 12 are both input to the control unit 50.

  Here, a description will be given of a procedure for controlling vibrations generated by the pedal device 30 during performance in the electronic keyboard instrument having the above-described configuration. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining this procedure. Here, first, performance information generated in the previous performance is initialized (step ST1-1). Thereafter, when the key 11 and the pedal 31 are operated, a performance signal is generated by the performance signal generator 70 based on the signal output from the tone generator circuit 64 (step ST1-2). Then, when the generated performance signal is input to the first drive control device 23, vibration corresponding to the performance signal is generated in the vibration device 20 (step ST1-3).

  To elaborate on this point, when any of the keys 11 is depressed (there may be a stepping operation of the pedal 31), a chord corresponding to the depressed key 11 is transmitted from the tone generator circuit 64 to the performance signal generator. 70 is input. The performance signal generator 70 generates a performance signal corresponding to the chord. Such performance signals are continuously output from the performance signal generation unit 70 by continuous operation of the key 11, and the continuous performance signals are output to the audio output unit 65 and the first drive control. It is output to the device 23. Therefore, when a performance operation is performed with the keyboard device 10, a performance sound is output from the sound output unit (speaker) 65, and the vibration device 20 vibrates based on the performance signal. In this way, vibration corresponding to the sound produced by the key depression can be applied to the pedal 31.

  On the other hand, key operation information is generated based on the detection signal of the key position sensor 12 (step ST1-4). The key operation information here may be information related to one or more of the pitch of the sound generated when the key is pressed, the timing of the key operation such as key press / release, and the key moving speed. it can. Based on this key operation information, vibration generated by the eccentric weight motor 25 is controlled (step ST1-5). FIG. 4 is a graph showing the distribution of vibration components generated by the eccentric weight motor 25 with respect to the elapsed time. Here, as the key operation information, the pitch of the sound generated with the key depression and the timing of the key depression are used. That is, the magnitude of the pulse vibration component is controlled in accordance with the pitch, and the generation interval of the pulse vibration component is controlled in accordance with the key pressing timing. As a result, as shown in the graph of FIG. 4, a pulse vibration component having a magnitude corresponding to the pitch can be generated at the key pressing timing, and the attack-like vibration at the time of key pressing in an acoustic piano can be reproduced. . Note that the pulse vibration component shown in the figure is only a component corresponding to an attack at the time of note-on (key depression) in an acoustic piano, and a vibration component that gradually attenuates after note-on is not reproduced.

  Thereafter, it is subsequently determined whether or not the performance signal is input to the first drive control device 23 and the key operation information is input to the second drive control device 26 (step ST1-6). As a result, if there is at least one of performance signal input to the first drive control device 23 and key operation information input to the second drive control device 26 (N), the process returns to step ST1-1. The above process is repeated. On the other hand, if neither the performance signal nor the key action information is input (Y), the process is terminated as it is.

As described above, in the electronic keyboard instrument of the present embodiment, in addition to vibrating the vibration device 20 according to the performance signal, the eccentric weight motor 25 is driven according to the key operation information, so that the vibration device The pedal 31 is vibrated by both the 20 and the eccentric weight motor 25, and the vibration generated in the pedal 31 during the performance of the acoustic piano can be faithfully reproduced.
Here, an attack-like vibration at the timing of the key depression generated by the eccentric weight motor 25 is superimposed on the vibration in accordance with the performance signal generated by the vibration device 20. Therefore, the vibration caused by the sound of the entire performance can be reproduced by the vibration of the vibration device 20, and tactile feedback (for example, the performance tempo) in accordance with the timing of the key depression by the vibration of the eccentric weight motor 25. Haptic feedback) can be given to the performer.
Further, in the present embodiment, the drive signal of the eccentric weight motor 25 is varied in accordance with the pitch of the sound generated when the key is depressed, the timing of the key depression, and the like, and is generated in the pedal when the acoustic piano is played. Vibration can be reproduced more faithfully. In addition, although the case where the drive of the eccentric weight motor 25 is controlled according to the pitch of the sound generated when the key is pressed and the timing of the key pressing has been described here, for example, the key pressing It is also possible to control the driving of the eccentric weight motor 25 according to the speed or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the vibration device 20 and the eccentric weight motor 25 are provided as means for applying vibration to the pedal 31, and both are configured to vibrate the pedal. Thereby, since the vibration generated by each of the vibration device 20 and the eccentric weight motor 25 can be relatively small, the configuration of the vibration device 20 and the eccentric weight motor 25 can be simplified and miniaturized accordingly. Can do. In the present embodiment, in addition to the above configuration, although not shown, a knob or the like for adjusting the magnitude of vibration generated by the eccentric weight motor 25 may be installed in the setting operation unit 60. . According to this, the player can change the magnitude of the attack-like vibration at the time of note-on generated by the eccentric weight motor 25 according to his / her preference.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, an electronic keyboard instrument according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the description of the second embodiment and the corresponding drawings, the same or corresponding components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted below. In addition, matters other than those described below are the same as those in the first embodiment. The same applies to other embodiments. The electronic keyboard instrument of the present embodiment includes a pedal device having a configuration different from that of the pedal device 30 of the first embodiment. Fig.5 (a) is a schematic side view which shows the structure of the pedal apparatus 30-2 of this embodiment.

  The pedal device 30-2 includes a second vibration generating device 25-2 having a laminated piezoelectric actuator 27 instead of the eccentric weight motor 25 of the first embodiment. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration example of the laminated piezoelectric actuator 27. The laminated piezoelectric actuator 27 is a ceramic element that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy using the piezoelectric longitudinal effect, and has a structure in which a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic layers 27a and internal electrode layers 27b are alternately laminated as shown in the figure. Thus, the external electrodes 27c are provided on the ends of the internal electrode layer 27b alternately insulated by an insulator. Reference numeral 27d denotes a lead wire connected to the external electrode 27c. The laminated piezoelectric actuator 27 generates vibrations by expanding and contracting along the lamination direction in accordance with a change in voltage applied between the external electrodes 27c.

  In the second vibration generating device 25-2, the laminated piezoelectric actuator 27 is installed above the pedal 31. The laminated piezoelectric actuator 27 is held by a guide portion 28 that guides movement in the vertical direction. Further, a transmission shaft 27 e for transmitting the generated vibration to the pedal 31 protrudes from the lower surface of the multilayer piezoelectric actuator 27. The lower end of the transmission shaft 27e is rotatably engaged with the upper surface of the pedal 31. Alternatively, the lower end of the transmission shaft 27e may be in contact with the upper surface of the pedal 31 in a state that allows relative displacement. On the other hand, a weight 29 as an urging means is placed on the top of the laminated piezoelectric actuator 27. The laminated piezoelectric actuator 27 is urged downward by the weight of the weight 29, and the lower end of the transmission shaft 27 e is in contact with the upper surface of the pedal 31. The weight 29 efficiently transmits the vibration generated by the second vibration generator 25-2 to the pedal 31.

  Also in this embodiment, in addition to vibrating the vibration device 20 in accordance with the performance signal, the second vibration generator 25-2 including the laminated piezoelectric actuator 27 is driven in accordance with the key operation information, so that an acoustic piano is obtained. The vibration generated in the pedal 31 during the performance can be faithfully reproduced. In addition, by providing the weight 29 as the biasing means, it is possible to reliably transmit the vibration generated by the second vibration generator 25-2 to the pedal 31.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a pedal device provided in an electronic keyboard musical instrument according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig.6 (a) is a schematic sectional side view which shows the pedal apparatus 30-3 of this embodiment. A second vibration generator 25-3 included in the pedal device 30-3 includes a vibrating body 15 having a magnetostrictive element 17 described later, instead of the laminated piezoelectric actuator 27 of the second embodiment. Further, a spring 18 is provided instead of the weight 29 as the biasing means. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration example of the vibrating body 15. The vibrating body 15 includes a coil 16 and a magnetostrictive element 17 disposed in the center of the coil 16. The magnetostrictive element 17 is made of a ferromagnetic material whose dimension in the longitudinal direction of the element changes according to the magnetic field generated by the coil 16. In the second vibration generator 25-3, when the voltage applied to the coil 16 is changed to change the magnetic field, the magnetostrictive element 17 expands and contracts in the vertical direction to generate vibration. As the magnetostrictive element 17, it is desirable to use a giant magnetostrictive element having a large dimensional change compared to a normal ferromagnetic material.

  From the lower surface of the vibrating body 15, a transmission shaft 19 that advances and retreats according to the expansion and contraction of the magnetostrictive element 17 protrudes. The vibration generated in the magnetostrictive element 17 is transmitted to the pedal 31 by the transmission shaft 19. Further, the magnetostrictive element 17 is biased downward by the elastic force of the spring 18, and the lower end of the transmission shaft 19 is in contact with the upper surface of the pedal 31. Thereby, the vibration of the second vibration generator 25-3 is efficiently transmitted to the pedal 31.

  Also in this embodiment, in addition to vibrating the vibration device 20 in accordance with the performance signal, the second vibration generator 25-3 including the magnetostrictive element 17 is driven in accordance with the key operation information, thereby The vibration generated in the pedal 31 during performance can be faithfully reproduced. Further, the provision of the spring 18 as the biasing means makes it possible to reliably transmit the vibration generated by the second vibration generator 25-3 to the pedal 31.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, an electronic keyboard instrument according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an electronic keyboard instrument according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a pedal device 30-4 included in the electronic keyboard instrument. In addition to the configuration of the pedal device 30-3 of the third embodiment, the pedal device 30-4 includes a solenoid (driving means) 40 that generates a reaction force due to an electric driving force with respect to the operation of the pedal 31. Yes. The solenoid 40 is disposed on the upper surface side of the pedal 31 behind the pedal fulcrum 34, and includes a coil 41 and a rod 42 that can be moved back and forth installed in the center of the coil 41. A yoke (magnetic body) 46 is installed at a position covering the outside (upper and lower sides and outer circumference) of the coil 41. The rod 42 is disposed such that its axial direction is in the vertical direction, and its lower end is in contact with the upper surface of the pedal 31. A flat plate member 43 is attached to the upper end of the rod 42. The plate member 43 is attached so that the surface thereof is orthogonal to the axial direction of the rod 42, and the upper surface of the pedal 31 in which the plate member 43 is in contact with the upper end of the yoke 46 and the lower end of the rod 42 is in the initial position. It comes to contact with. Further, a coil-shaped spring (biasing means) 44 is interposed between the plate member 43 and the upper wall 32b of the frame 32 projecting right above the solenoid 40. The rod 42 is biased downward by the spring 44.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the electronic keyboard instrument of the present embodiment includes a force application table 80 that stores a reaction force pattern to be generated by the solenoid 40 of the pedal device 30-4. Functions as force sense control means 50 for controlling the reaction force generated in the pedal 31. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the force sense imparting table 80 stored in the ROM 52. The force sense imparting table 80 has a pedal force sense imparting table 82 for controlling the force sense of the pedal 31. In the pedal force sense application table 82, a push pedal table 82a and a return pedal table 82b are prepared. Further, the push pedal table 82a and the return pedal table 82b include a reaction force pattern table 80a and a command value table 80b, respectively. The reaction force pattern table 80a is a table for referring to the output value of the solenoid 40 with respect to the detection value of the pedal position sensor 45 (or the value of the speed, acceleration, etc. of the pedal 31 calculated from the detection value). The command value table 80b is a table for referring to a command value for causing the solenoid 40 to generate the output value.

  If the rod 31 is driven by applying a voltage to the coil 41 of the solenoid 40 while the pedal 31 is moved by the biasing force of the return spring 35, the reaction force applied to the pedal 31 from the return spring 35 is driven by the solenoid 40. Assist with power. Therefore, by controlling the driving of the solenoid 40 by the control unit 50, it is possible to perform force sense control of the reaction force with respect to the operation of the pedal 31.

  A procedure for force sense control of the pedal 31 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of force sense control of the pedal 31. In the force sense control of the pedal 31, first, position information of the pedal 31 is initialized (step ST2-1). Thereafter, the position (depression amount) of the pedal 31 detected by the pedal position sensor 45 is read (step ST2-2). If a pedal speed sensor is provided, the detected pedal speed is read (step ST2-3). If a pedal acceleration sensor is provided, the detected pedal acceleration is read (step ST2-4). When the pedal speed sensor is not provided, the pedal speed may be calculated from the difference between the pedal position data detected by the pedal position sensor 45 (step 2-3). If no pedal acceleration sensor is provided, the pedal acceleration may be calculated from the difference in pedal speed data (step ST2-4). When an angle sensor or an angular velocity sensor is installed in the pedal device 30, the pedal angle or pedal angular velocity detected by them may be read.

  Next, the sign (positive / negative) of the detected value (or calculated value) of the pedal speed read in step ST2-3 is determined (step ST2-5). As a result, when the pedal speed is positive, the pedal 31 is in the process of being depressed (push pedal), so the push pedal table 82a is selected from the pedal force sense application table 82 (see FIG. 9) and read. (Step ST2-6). On the other hand, when the speed of the pedal 31 is negative, since the depression of the pedal 31 is released (return pedal), the return pedal table 82b is selected from the pedal force sense application table 82, and this is read ( Step ST2-7). Subsequently, in order to determine the output of the solenoid 40 with reference to the reaction force pattern table 80a of one of the read tables 82a and 82b, and to generate the output of the solenoid 40 with reference to the command value table 80b. Determine the command value. Then, the determined command value is output to the solenoid control driver 48 (step ST2-8), and the solenoid 40 is driven. In this manner, pedal reaction force control based on the force sense application table 80 is performed.

  FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the displacement (depression amount) X of the pedal 31 and the reaction force (load) F when the above-described force control is performed. In this graph, only the reaction force distribution when the pedal is depressed is shown, and the reaction force distribution when the pedal is returned is omitted. In addition, the reaction force distribution of this graph is an example of a reaction force distribution corresponding to one detection value by the pedal position sensor (motion detection means) 45. That is, when the values detected by the pedal position sensor 45 are different, the reaction force distribution is different from the graph shown in FIG. In the force sense control by the pedal force sense application table 82, when the pedal is depressed, as shown in the figure, the amount of depression of the pedal 31 is small, the region A1 where the reaction force change rate is small, and the amount of depression of the pedal 31 is increased. Thus, there are three types of areas: an area A2 in which the rate of change in reaction force is increased, and an area A3 in which the rate of change in reaction force is decreased again when the amount of depression of the pedal 31 is further increased. In the area A1, the state before the damper load is applied to the damper pedal in the acoustic piano is reproduced. In the area A2, the stepping force starts to be transmitted to the damper via the connecting part between the pedal and the damper, and the elastic element of the entire connecting part In the region A3, the state in which the damper is completely separated from the string and the friction is reduced, and the reaction force from the elastic element of the entire connecting portion is not increased is reproduced. ing. Thus, in the force sense control device of the present embodiment, the reaction force pattern of the damper pedal of the acoustic piano is faithfully reproduced.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the reaction force pattern (reaction force distribution with respect to pedal displacement) in the above-described force sense control is based on the reaction force F1 generated by the return spring 35 and the spring 44, which are urging means, and the solenoid 40, which is the drive means. The reaction force F2 is combined with the reaction force F2. The reaction force in the region A1 is occupied only by the reaction force F1 by the return spring 35 and the spring 44, and the reaction force in the region A2 and the region A3 is the reaction force F1 by the return spring 35 and the spring 44 and the solenoid. The reaction force F2 by 40 is combined. Here, as shown in the figure, since F1 is a reaction force by the return spring 35 and the spring 44, it has a distribution along a substantially linear function with respect to the displacement of the pedal 31, and F2 is a force sense control. Since it is the electric driving force of the solenoid 40 based on the above, it is distributed to reproduce the reaction force of the damper pedal of the acoustic piano by being superimposed on F1.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the force sense control of the pedal 31 can be performed by adjusting the reaction force against the pedal operation by the solenoid 40. Therefore, by performing both reproduction of the performance feeling due to vibration transmitted through the pedal 31 and reproduction of the force sense of the pedal 31, it is possible to more faithfully reproduce the performance feeling of the acoustic piano.

  In the present embodiment, the spring 18 provided in the second vibration generator 25-3 is disposed so as to bias the magnetostrictive element 17 in the same direction as the driving force applied from the solenoid 40 to the pedal 31. . Accordingly, the urging force of the spring 18 assists the reaction force generated in the solenoid 40 in accordance with the operation of the pedal 31. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the reaction force of the solenoid 40 can be kept small, so that the configuration of the solenoid 40 or the pedal device 30-4 can be simplified, reduced in size and weight, or the power consumption of the solenoid 40 can be reduced. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, the case where both the spring 44 connected to the rod 42 of the solenoid 40 and the return spring 35 that directly contacts the pedal 31 and provides a reaction force has been described. As an urging means for giving a reaction force to the operation, only one of the return spring 35 and the spring 44 may be provided. Therefore, either the return spring 35 or the spring 44 can be omitted.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, an electronic keyboard instrument according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the basic configuration of the electronic keyboard instrument excluding the control unit 50 is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the procedure of vibration control performed by the control unit 50 is different. That is, in this embodiment, when the key operation information detected by the key position sensor 12 includes a plurality of key operation information, the control unit 50 attaches an operation order number to each key operation information, and Drive control of the eccentric weight motor 25 is performed according to the number. Hereinafter, this point will be described in detail.

  First, a procedure for processing a plurality of key operation information will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining this procedure. First, for a plurality of key operations detected by the key position sensor 12 (here, a key pressing operation is taken as an example), a number indicating the order in which each key pressing operation is performed (hereinafter referred to as “operation order”). Number ”). The key pressing operation to which the operation sequence number is assigned is stored in a storage unit such as the ROM 53 (step ST3-1). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not a new key pressing operation has been input (step ST3-2). As a result, when the player performs an operation on the keyboard 11, if a new key pressing operation is input (Y), the latest operation order number is assigned to the input key pressing operation (step ST3-3). ). Accordingly, the operation order number assigned to the previous key pressing operation is decremented (step ST3-4). The new key operation updated in this way and the operation sequence number assigned to the key operation are stored in the storage means such as the RAM 53 (step ST3-5). And the eccentric weight motor 25 is drive-controlled based on the memorize | stored key operation | movement and operation | movement order number (step ST3-6). That is, the control unit 50 outputs a signal for generating a vibration corresponding to each key to the second drive control device 26 according to the operation sequence number. In this way, when the plurality of keys 11 are operated continuously, the eccentric weight motor 25 can sequentially generate vibrations corresponding to the operations of the keys 11.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when it is determined that a plurality of key pressing operations correspond to simultaneous key pressing, the plurality of key pressing operations are grouped, and according to the key pressing operation corresponding to the lowest sound detected from the group. The drive of the eccentric weight motor 25 can be controlled. Hereinafter, this point will be described in detail. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining this procedure. First, when a plurality of key pressing operations are input from the key position sensor 12 (step ST4-1), it is determined whether or not the interval between each key pressing operation is within a predetermined time (step ST4-2). As a result, when it is determined that the interval between the key pressing operations is not within the predetermined time (N), a different operation order number is assigned to each of the plurality of key pressing operations (step ST4-3). For such a key pressing operation, the same processing as the procedure described in FIG. 11 is performed.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step ST4-2 that the interval between the key pressing operations is within a predetermined time (Y), the plurality of key pressing operations are assigned the same operation sequence number and the plurality of key pressing operations are performed. Operations are grouped (step ST4-4). Then, the sound with the lowest pitch is detected from the sounds corresponding to each key pressing operation included in the group (step ST4-5). Then, the key pressing operation for the detected lowest pitch is set as the group representative key operation (step ST4-6). Thereafter, the operation order number and representative key operation of the group are stored in the storage means such as the RAM 53 (step ST4-7). Then, based on the stored operation order number and representative key operation, vibration by the eccentric weight motor 25 is controlled (step ST4-8). That is, the control unit 50 outputs a signal for generating a vibration corresponding to the representative key operation to the second drive control device 26. Thus, when it is determined that a plurality of key pressing operations correspond to simultaneous key pressing, the eccentric weight motor 25 can generate only vibration corresponding to the lowest sound.

  In an acoustic piano, the vibration transmitted from the string through the instrument body is transmitted to the pedal, but due to the difference in the weight and length of the string, the vibration transmitted to the pedal is lower when the key is pressed. large. In the case of simultaneous key pressing, the vibration of each pitch is transmitted to the pedal, but the vibration due to the high sound is smaller than the vibration due to the low sound. Therefore, in the electronic keyboard instrument of the present invention, when the operation of the plurality of keys 11 corresponds to simultaneous key pressing, if only the vibration corresponding to the lowest sound is generated by the eccentric weight motor 25, the acoustic piano can be used. The vibration generated in the pedal can be reproduced well. Therefore, in this embodiment, when it is determined that the operations of the plurality of keys 11 correspond to the simultaneous key pressing, the operations of the plurality of keys 11 corresponding to the simultaneous key pressing are grouped and detected from the group as described above. The driving of the eccentric weight motor 25 is controlled according to the key operation corresponding to the lowest sound. Thereby, it is possible to reproduce the vibration generated in the pedal of the acoustic piano satisfactorily and efficiently with a simple configuration or procedure.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims and the specification and drawings. Is possible.

  In the above embodiment, the vibration device 20 having the diaphragm 21 is provided as the first vibration generator, and the vibration generator having the eccentric weight motor 25 and the laminated piezoelectric actuator 27 is provided as the second vibration generator. Although explained, the concrete composition of the 1st and 2nd vibration generators is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. That is, as long as the first vibration generating device can generate vibration caused by the sound of the entire performance in accordance with the performance signal, the specific configuration may be other than that shown in the above embodiment. If the second vibration generator is capable of giving tactile feedback in accordance with the timing of the key press by being driven according to the key operation information, the specific configuration is as described above. It may be other than shown in the form.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the vibration device (first vibration generation device) 20 is installed on the frame 32 of the pedal device 30 has been described. However, in the vibration device 20, the generated vibration is transmitted through the frame 32 to the pedal 31. Can be installed at a position other than the frame 32 in the musical instrument main body 1.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the solenoid 40 is provided as the driving means for generating the reaction force due to the electric driving force with respect to the operation of the pedal 31 has been described. As long as the reaction force is generated, the actuator is not limited to the solenoid but may be an actuator having another configuration.

It is a block diagram which shows the example of whole structure of the electronic keyboard instrument provided with the force sense control apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the structural example of the pedal apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment, (a) is a schematic sectional side view, (b) is a front view, (c) is the drive device attached to the 1st vibration generator. FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control procedure of the vibration generated in a pedal. It is a graph which shows the distribution in the elapsed time of the pedal vibration component generated with an eccentric weight motor. (A) is a schematic side view which shows the structure of the pedal apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment, (b) is a figure which shows the detailed structural example of a laminated piezoelectric actuator. (A) is a schematic side view which shows the other structure of the pedal apparatus concerning 3rd Embodiment, (b) is a figure which shows the detailed structural example of a giant magnetostrictive element. It is a block diagram which shows the example of whole structure of the electronic keyboard musical instrument concerning 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic side view which shows the structure of the pedal apparatus concerning 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a force sense provision table. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure of the force sense control of a pedal. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the pedal displacement and reaction force by force sense control. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure which processes the operation information of a some key. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process in case a several key pressing operation corresponds to simultaneous key pressing.

Explanation of symbols

1 Musical Instrument Body 10 Keyboard Device 11 Key (Keyboard)
12 Key position sensor (Key motion detection means)
15 Vibrating body 16 Coil 17 Magnetostrictive element 18 Spring (biasing means)
19 Transmission shaft 20 Vibration device (first vibration generator)
21 Diaphragm 22 Drive device 25 Eccentric spindle motor (second vibration generator)
27 Multilayer piezoelectric actuator 29 Weight (biasing means)
30 Pedal device 31 Pedal 34 Pedal fulcrum 35 Return spring 40 Solenoid 44 Spring 45 Pedal position sensor 50 Control unit (vibration control means, force sense control means)
70 performance signal generator 80 force sense table

Claims (6)

A key arranged on the instrument body,
Key operation detecting means for detecting the operation of the key;
A sound source that generates an electronic sound in response to the operation of the key;
A pedal device comprising: a pedal that rotates about a fulcrum as a stepping operation; and a frame that supports the pedal so as to be rotatable with respect to the instrument body;
A first vibration generator disposed on a frame of the pedal device and imparting vibration to the frame ;
A second vibration generating device disposed on the pedal of the pedal device and imparting vibration to the pedal;
Vibration control means for controlling vibration generated by the pedal device;
With
The vibration control means includes
Generating a performance signal based on the signal from the sound source, and controlling the driving of the first vibration generator according to the generated performance signal;
An electronic keyboard instrument, wherein key operation information is generated based on a detection signal of the key operation detection means, and driving of the second vibration generator is controlled according to the generated key operation information. The key operation information includes information related to at least one of the pitch of a sound generated when the key is pressed, the timing of the key operation, and the moving speed of the key,
2. The electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein the vibration control means controls the magnitude or timing of vibration generated by the second vibration generator according to the key operation information. The vibration control means includes
When the key operation information includes information on a plurality of key pressing operations, it is determined whether or not the plurality of key pressing operations correspond to simultaneous key pressing. Group key pressing actions, detect the lowest sound among the sounds corresponding to each key pressing action included in the group,
3. The drive of the second vibration generating device is controlled according to only the key operation corresponding to the detected lowest sound for a plurality of key pressing operations included in the group. Electronic keyboard instrument described in 1. 4. The electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, further comprising biasing means for biasing the second vibration generating device with respect to the pedal. Pedal operation detecting means for detecting the operation of the pedal;
Driving means for generating a reaction force according to the operation of the pedal by a driving force;
Storage means for storing a force sense application table for force sense control of the pedal;
Haptic control means for controlling reaction force against the pedal by controlling the driving means, and
The force sense control means includes:
5. The electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein a reaction force against the pedal is controlled based on the force sense application table and the operation of the pedal detected by the pedal operation detecting unit. . Pedal operation detecting means for detecting the operation of the pedal;
Driving means for generating a reaction force according to the operation of the pedal by a driving force;
Storage means for storing a force sense application table for force sense control of the pedal;
Haptic control means for controlling reaction force against the pedal by controlling the driving means, and
The biasing means biases the second vibration generating device in the same direction as a reaction force applied to the pedal from the driving means ,
The force sense control means includes:
The electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 4 , wherein a reaction force against the pedal is controlled based on the force sense imparting table and the pedal motion detected by the pedal motion detecting means .

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