Piano-action keyboard
AssigneeARP Instruments, Inc.
InventorPhilip V. W. Dodds
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A piano-action keyboard for an electronic musical instrument or the like wipes a switch actuator (or other mechanical component of electric signal translation means) across switch contacts on a printed circuit board to generate signals indicative of the position and motion of a key when played. The keyboard provides a highly realistic piano "feel" through an array of paired depressable playing keys and arms. Each such arm supports a switch actuator or the like, with varying force transmission at different stages of depression of its corresponding key, the overall electrical-mechanical combination affording a response in terms of both actual results and kinesthetic feedback simulating a manual piano action.
Claims12
A piano-action keyboard for an electronic musical instrument comprising
- a plurality of elongated keys,
- a supporting base,
- each of said keys being pivotally mounted on said supporting base,
- a plurality of arms pivotally mounted on said base, each arm being adjacent one end of a key and arranged so that when the key is pivoted, a driving force is imparted to the adjacent arm by direct striking of the arm by the key at a strike point,
- electrical signal means comprising a mechanical component mounted on each said pivoted arm and plural portions of said signal means each of which is responsive to movement of one said arm to generate an electrical signal as the associated arm moves including response to rate of movement of the arm
- means defining an interface between each key and pivot-arm pair which varies the force resolution components of the force transmitted to the arm by key pivoting so that an initial stage of key pivoting from an at rest position produces lower Fy and higher Fx components where y is the direction of movement of the arm portion at the strike point and y is the orthogonal to x compared to Fx and Fy at a later stage of key depression.
A piano-action keyboard for an electronic musical instrument comprising,
- a plurality of elongated keys,
- a supporting base,
- each of said keys being pivotally mounted on said supporting base,
- a plurality of hammer-like arms pivotally mounted on said base, each arm being adjacent one end of a key and arranged so that when the key is pivoted, a driving force is imparted to the adjacent arm by direct striking of the arm in a strike region thereof by the key,
- each arm having a heavily weighted portion relating to other portions thereof,
- electrical signal means comprising an actuating component mounted on each said pivoted-arm and plural portions of said signal means each of which is responsive to movement of one said arm to generate an electrical signal as the associated arm moves including response to rate of movement of the arm and to travel of the arm,
- a spring means mounted on said base and connected to each arm to apply to each such arm, when loaded by a corresponding key strike and resultant transmission of force to the arm, a restoring force in opposition to the force so applied,
- means pivotally mounting each such arm, the said strike region and distribution of weight of each arm being arranged so that the weight distribution applies an inertial force (as an unbalanced net weight) on said arm in opposition to the force applied to the arm by the key,
- the combination of spring and weight affording a kinesthetic feedback to the keys simulating that of a manual piano.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.