JP4192388B2 - Pressure sensor for touch control of electronic keyboard instruments - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pressure sensor for touch control of an electronic keyboard instrument such as an electronic piano or an electric tone.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, musical instruments equipped with a keyboard device control the sound generation and duration by pressing the key.In addition, the rise of the sound can be achieved by changing the pressure applied to the key when the key is pressed or during the key pressing state. Some have a control function that changes the intensity of sound in time and duration, or generates and changes a vibrato effect, tremolo effect, or the like, that is, an after touch control function.
[0003]
In order to realize such an aftertouch control function, a pressure sensor for aftertouch control that senses the key pressing pressure is provided in the keyboard device.
[0004]
FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a conventional pressure sensor. The pressure sensor 2 includes a sensor body 20, a case 24 that accommodates the sensor body 20, and a buffer member 25 that is fixed to the upper surface of the sensor body 20 and protrudes outside the case. The sensor body 20 includes a belt-like lower sensor component member 21, a spacer 22 fixed on the lower sensor component member 21 along both longitudinal side edges, and a belt-like upper portion spanned between the tops of the spacers 22 and fixed. And a sensor component 23. The case 24 has an opening 241 on the upper surface, and the sensor body 20 is sandwiched between an upper wall and a bottom wall located on both sides of the opening. The buffer member 25 protrudes from the opening 241 to the upper side of the case 24, and transmits the key pressing pressure to the sensor body 20 while buffering the hitting of the member interlocked with the key. The pressure sensor 2 is generally configured with a certain length so that one pressure sensor is used corresponding to a plurality of keys.
[0005]
There are various types of sensor body 20. Most commonly, the lower sensor component 21 is an electrode substrate made of a good electrical conductor, and the upper sensor component 23 is an elastic conductor made of conductive rubber having a resistance value. Are separated by. When the key is pressed, the buffer member 25 is pressed downward in FIG. 18 by a member (not shown) interlocked with the key. The upper sensor component 23 is deformed together with the buffer member 25 when receiving the pressing force, and the lower surface contacts the lower sensor component 21. Therefore, the contact area with the lower sensor constituent member 21 increases or decreases depending on the magnitude of the pressing force applied to the buffer member 25, and the conductivity between the two changes. This makes it possible to control current, voltage, and the like for aftertouch control.
[0006]
In another general form of the sensor body, the lower sensor constituent member 21 has two elongated electrodes spaced apart from each other and extending in the longitudinal direction on the upper surface, and the upper sensor constituent member 23 is made of pressure-sensitive conductive rubber or titanium. A pressure-sensitive member made of a material that changes conductivity according to pressure, such as barium acid, is provided on the lower surface. This is because when the key pressing pressure is applied through the buffer member, the upper sensor constituent member 23 is deformed and contacts the electrode of the lower sensor constituent member, and the conductivity of the upper sensor constituent member 23 changes according to the key pressing pressure. Therefore, the current flowing between the electrodes of the lower sensor constituent member 21 changes.
[0007]
As another type of sensor, a belt-like film is folded in two at a fold extending in the longitudinal direction, and pressure-sensitive conductive ink is printed on each of the overlapping opposing surfaces, and the two conductive ink layers are mutually connected. Some lead wires extend in the longitudinal direction of the film along the edges on different sides and reach the terminals at the end of the film. This is because the conductive ink layer that receives the pressing force accompanying the key pressing reduces the resistance value and changes the current value flowing between the two conductors, thereby obtaining a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force. It is.
[0008]
Further, there is a type in which two strip-shaped metal plates are separated by an insulating spacer and a voltage is applied between them to detect a capacitance between the metal plates. This is to obtain a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force by utilizing the fact that the metal plates that have received the pressing force accompanying the key pressing approach each other and change the capacitance.
[0009]
Also, the insulating plate and the metal plate are spaced apart by a spacer, and a spiral coil is printed on the surface of the insulating plate to cause current to flow, generating eddy current in the metal plate, resulting from the eddy current. There is a type that detects the current loss of the spiral coil generated as a result. This is because the plates that have received the pressing force associated with the key pressing approach each other and increase the induced eddy current of the metal plate and the accompanying coil current loss, thereby obtaining a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force. Is.
[0010]
In addition to this, there are various types of sensors that exhibit a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force accompanying the key press in order to enable control of current, voltage, and the like for after-touch control.
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, this type of conventional pressure sensor has a problem due to the fact that the cross-sectional shape of the sensor constituent member differs depending on the location.
[0012]
FIG. 19 shows the upper sensor component 23 in the conventional pressure sensor 2. As shown in A, B, and C in FIG. 19, the upper sensor constituent member 23 is not strictly flat but has a shape distorted in a cubic surface in an initial state before being pressed. In such an initial state, the process in which the upper sensor constituent member 23 is pressed and deformed differs depending on the place pressed by the member interlocked with the key, resulting in disturbance of sensor output characteristics. In particular, when the concave and convex portions of the cubic surface are reversed and deformed such that the upwardly convex curved portion shown in FIG. In some cases, the output characteristic changes, and control that accurately responds to the player's intention may not be obtained. For example, when a delicate and delicate expression such as a pianissimo sound is used, or when the pressing force applied to the key is reduced by the lever ratio, the difference in the pressing force applied to the pressure sensor 2 is output up to several gf. This is especially a problem when it is necessary to reflect the sound.
[0013]
The buffer member that receives the pressing force from the operating member when the key is pressed may have the same problem when it takes a sheet-like form. Since the buffer member serves to transmit the pressing force to the sensor component member, the non-uniformity of the deformation process of the buffer member also affects the sensor component member. Therefore, the buffer member is also required to operate stably.
[0014]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and by uniformizing the process of deforming the upper sensor constituent member or the buffer member, the pressure sensor for touch control of an electronic keyboard instrument with stable operation is provided. The purpose is to provide.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The object of the present invention is a pressure sensor for touch control of an electronic keyboard instrument comprising a sensor component that exhibits a sensor output corresponding to a pressing force when receiving a pressing force from a portion interlocked with the key by the key pressing. The sensor constituent member has a sheet shape and is given a bending force by the holder of the sensor constituent member so as to have a curved shape convex toward one side of the sheet-like surface. This is achieved by the featured pressure sensor.
[0016]
Further, the object of the present invention is to provide a pressure for touch control of an electronic keyboard instrument provided with a sensor component that exhibits a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force when a pressing force is received from a portion interlocked with the key by the key pressing. It is a sensor, and the sensor constituent member is formed in a sheet shape, and is achieved by a pressure sensor characterized in that a shape is given in advance in a curved shape that is convex toward one side of the sheet-like surface. .
[0017]
Preferably, the sensor component is formed in the curved shape by applying a shrink material on one surface and curing.
[0018]
Alternatively, the sensor constituent member has an elongated shape, and is formed in a curved shape corresponding to a part of a cylindrical surface whose axis is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sensor constituent member.
[0019]
In addition, the object of the present invention is to provide a sensor component that receives a pressing force from a part of a key or a part of a member interlocked with the key when the key is pressed, and presents a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force, and the sensor component A pressure sensor for touch control of an electronic keyboard instrument comprising a buffer member disposed on the pressure-receiving surface side of the sensor component so as to buffer the pressing force received by the sensor component, wherein the buffer member has a sheet shape This is achieved by a pressure sensor characterized by having a curved shape that protrudes toward one side of the cage sheet-like surface.
[0020]
Preferably, the plurality of sensor constituent members are stacked in layers.
[0021]
Further, the object of the present invention is to provide a pressure for touch control of an electronic keyboard instrument provided with a sensor component that exhibits a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force when a pressing force is received from a portion interlocked with the key by the key pressing. It is a sensor, The said sensor component is formed in the convex shape equivalent to a part of spherical surface which makes a convex in the action direction of pressing force for every location corresponding to one key, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. This is achieved by a pressure sensor.
[0022]
Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sensor component that receives a pressing force from a part of a key or a part of a member interlocked with the key when the key is pressed, and exhibits a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force. And a pressure sensor for touch control of an electronic keyboard instrument comprising a buffer member fixed to the sensor component, wherein the sensor component has a sheet shape, and the buffer member is the sensor component The shock-absorbing member can be a pressure sensor characterized in that the buffer member has a curved surface that is convex on the side in contact with the sensor constituent member.
[0023]
In addition, the up-down direction in the said description means the up-down direction on drawing. That is, the pressure sensor may be pressed from above or from below depending on the mounting position thereof, so the vertical direction on the drawing is the vertical direction when the pressure sensor is used. Does not necessarily match.
[0024]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments described below, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same numbers.
[0025]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pressure sensor 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the pressure sensor 1 of the present embodiment includes a sensor main body 10, a case (holding body) 14 that accommodates the sensor main body 10, and a buffer member 15 that is fixed to the upper surface of the sensor main body 10 and protrudes outside the case. It has. The sensor body 10 includes a belt-shaped lower sensor component member 11, a spacer 12 fixed on the lower sensor component member 11 along both side edges in the longitudinal direction, and a belt-shaped upper portion spanned and fixed between the tops of the spacers 12. A sensor component 13. The case 14 has an opening 141 on the upper surface, and the sensor body 10 is sandwiched between an upper wall 142a and a bottom wall located on both sides of the opening. The buffer member 15 protrudes from the opening 141 to the upper side of the case 14, and transmits the key pressing pressure to the sensor body 10 while buffering the hitting of the member interlocking with the key. The pressure sensor 1 is configured with a certain length so as to use one pressure sensor in correspondence with a plurality of keys.
[0026]
As described above, the sensor body 10 includes the lower sensor constituent member 11 and the upper sensor constituent member 13 and can take various forms in which the conductivity of these members is changed by the contact pressure between them. In this embodiment, the upper sensor constituent member 13 is formed by forming a conductive ink layer 131 whose conductivity is changed by pressure on the lower surface of a polyester film, and joining a lead L1 along the sensor longitudinal direction to the edge of the layer. It is said that. The lower sensor component 11 is obtained by depositing a metal layer 111 on the upper surface of a polyester film. Connection wires L <b> 2 and L <b> 3 to the output sound control unit are joined to the lead wire L <b> 1 of the upper sensor constituent member 13 and the metal layer 111 of the lower sensor constituent member 11.
[0027]
The buffer member 15 can be formed from various materials that can buffer the pressing force applied to the upper end and transmit it to the lower end, and the buffer member 15 of this embodiment is made of felt.
[0028]
The upper wall 142a of the case 14 that is in contact with both side portions of the upper sensor component 13 descends from the side wall side of the case 14 toward the inside in the case width direction. Thereby, before the buffer member 15 is pressed, the upper sensor constituent member 13 is already curved downward in the width direction cross section. Accordingly, when the key is depressed, the upper sensor constituent member 13 does not pass through the singular point, and is deformed further in a convex shape in a stable state, so that the operation of the pressure sensor 1 is stabilized. . The degree of curvature for obtaining stable operation may be slight. For example, a sensor constituent member using a polyester film having a width of 8 mm and a thickness of 0.2 mm may swell about several μm to 0.1 mm.
[0029]
In the sensor according to this embodiment, it is possible to adopt a form in which the case is omitted. In this case, the upper surface of the spacer 12 is inclined instead of the upper wall 142a of the case. That is, the upper surface of the spacer 12 is inclined so as to descend from the outer side in the width direction toward the inner side. The spacer 12 applies a bending force to the upper sensor constituent member 13 by the inclined surface so that the upper sensor constituent member 13 has a downwardly convex curved shape. The spacer 12 has an appropriate hardness so that such a bending force can be applied.
[0030]
As described above, the upper sensor component 13 has a curved shape that protrudes downward (convex in the direction in which the pressing force is applied), thereby eliminating the passage of the singular point as described above and obtaining stable operation. . However, even if the upper sensor component 13 has a curved shape that protrudes upward (convex to the side opposite to the direction in which the pressing force acts), the lower sensor component 1 1's When the height of the contact surface (metal layer 111) is increased and the upper sensor constituent member 13 keeps a curved shape that is convex upward even when a pressing force is applied, a result that does not pass through a singular point is obtained. Operational stability can be obtained.
[0031]
Furthermore, even when the upper sensor component 13 has a curved shape that protrudes upward (convex to the side opposite to the direction of action of the pressing force) and passes through the singular point, it contacts the lower sensor component 11. By intentionally unifying the convex direction in the longitudinal direction of the sensor component, the operational stability is clearly obtained as compared with a state in which the convex direction remains indefinite.
[0032]
The stability of the operation obtained by the curved shape applied to the sensor constituent member and the relationship between the direction of the curve and the operational stability are similarly applied to the following embodiments.
[0033]
In addition, the up-down direction in the said description means the up-down direction on drawing. In other words, the pressure sensor 1 may be pressed from above or from below depending on the mounting position thereof, so that the vertical direction on the drawing indicates when the pressure sensor 1 is used. It does not necessarily coincide with the vertical direction at. This point is the same for all the embodiments described below.
[0034]
Next, a pressure sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the pressure sensor 1 of the present embodiment also includes a sensor main body 10, a case 14, and a buffer member 15, similarly to the pressure sensor 1 according to the first embodiment described above. The sensor body 10 includes a lower sensor constituent member 11 having a metal layer 111 deposited on the upper surface, a spacer 12, and an upper sensor constituent member 13b having a conductive ink layer 131 formed on the lower surface.
[0035]
Unlike the first embodiment, the upper wall 142b of the case 14 forming the opening 141 has a substantially flat shape. Therefore, the upper wall 142b only holds the upper sensor constituent member 13b, and does not apply a pressing force that makes it curved.
[0036]
The shape of the upper sensor component 13b is given in advance so as to form a downwardly convex curved shape in the cross section in the width direction. Therefore, when the buffer member 15 is pressed, the upper sensor constituent member 13b tends to be uniformly deformed as a whole, and the operation of the pressure sensor 1 is stabilized. The cross-sectional shape of the upper sensor constituent member 13b in the present embodiment is desirably a uniform cross-sectional shape throughout the entire member, but as shown in FIG. 3, it may actually have a certain degree of non-uniformity (see FIG. 3). Then, exaggerated the convex shape). However, the deformation mode is not different or the unevenness is not reversed, and the deformation process at the time of key pressing does not vary greatly depending on the location, so that the pressure sensor as a whole can be operated stably.
[0037]
Next, a pressure sensor according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the pressure sensor 1 of the present embodiment also includes a sensor body 10, a case 14, and a buffer member 15 c, similarly to the pressure sensor 1 according to the second embodiment described above. The sensor body 10 includes a lower sensor constituent member 11 having a metal layer 111 deposited on the upper surface, a spacer 12, and an upper sensor constituent member 13 having a conductive ink layer 131 formed on the lower surface.
[0038]
The lower surface of the buffer member 15c has a curved surface that protrudes downward in the cross section in the width direction, and the upper sensor component member 13 protrudes downward along with the curved surface of the buffer member 15c fixed to the upper sensor component member. It is curved. Therefore, when the key is depressed, the upper sensor constituent member 13 is further deformed downward in a stable state, and the operation of the pressure sensor 1 is stabilized. The curved curvature varies depending on the material of the lower portion of the buffer member 15c, particularly the hardness, and is large when the flexibility is high, and is small when it is hard. When felt, red felt, or the like that receives the contact of the lower surface of the key of the acoustic piano is used as the buffer member 15c, the degree of curvature may be about the degree of winding of a roll having a diameter of 20 to 50 cm.
[0039]
Next, a pressure sensor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor 1 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the pressure sensor 1 of the present embodiment also includes a sensor main body 10, a case 14, and a buffer member 15, similarly to the pressure sensor 1 according to the second embodiment described above. The sensor body 10 includes a lower sensor constituent member 11 having a metal layer 111 deposited on the upper surface, a spacer 12, and an upper sensor constituent member 13d having a conductive ink layer 131 formed on the lower surface.
[0040]
The upper sensor constituent member 13d is formed in a curved shape that protrudes downward in the cross-section in the width direction by applying and curing the conductive shrinkable material 132 on the upper surface. Therefore, when the buffer member 15 is pressed, the upper sensor constituent member 13d tends to be uniformly deformed as a whole, and the operation of the pressure sensor 1 is stabilized.
[0041]
As the conductive shrinkable material 132, for example, shrinkable ink can be used, and this is applied to the upper surface of the upper sensor constituting member 13d by printing means, so that it is easy to manufacture and has a stable convex upper sensor constituting member. 13d is formed. As the shrink ink, various inks such as those using an epoxy thermosetting resin, a silicon thermosetting resin, or the like can be used.
[0042]
Next, a pressure sensor according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor 1 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the pressure sensor 1 of the present embodiment also includes a sensor main body 10, a case 14, and a buffer member 15, similarly to the pressure sensor 1 according to the fourth embodiment described above. The sensor body 10 includes a lower sensor constituent member 11 having a metal layer 111 deposited on the upper surface, a spacer 12, and an upper sensor constituent member 13e having a conductive ink layer 131 formed on the lower surface.
[0043]
As shown in FIG. 7, the upper sensor constituent member 13e is formed in a curved shape corresponding to a part of a cylindrical surface having an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the upper sensor constituent member 13e and projecting downward. . That is, the sensor component is curved in the width direction. According to this pressure sensor 1, since the upper sensor component 13e is deformed further downward in a stable state, the operation of the pressure sensor 1 is stabilized.
[0044]
FIG. 8 shows an example of a method for manufacturing the upper sensor constituent member 13e. As shown in FIG. 8, in manufacturing the upper sensor constituent member 13e, first, a thin plate-like member from which a plurality of sensor constituent members can be cut out is pressed by the forming roll 3, and a roll hook of the forming roll is attached. . Next, the thin plate-like member with the roll collar is die-cut to a predetermined length and width to form individual upper sensor constituent members 13e.
[0045]
As shown in FIG. 9, the deformation at the time of pressing the upper sensor constituent member 13e is dominated by the width direction component, and the longitudinal direction N is pulled along with the deformation in the width direction H and stays close. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, the upper sensor constituent member 13e is formed in a curved shape corresponding to a part of a cylindrical surface that protrudes downward, with the axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction N of the upper sensor constituent member 13e. As a result, the upper sensor component 13e is easily deformed uniformly as a whole, and the operation of the pressure sensor 1 is stabilized.
[0046]
However, the upper sensor constituent member 13e corresponds to a cylindrical surface in a direction substantially orthogonal to the above, that is, a part of a cylindrical surface having an axis substantially parallel to the width direction H of the upper sensor constituent member 13e and projecting downward. Even if the sensor body is accommodated in the case, the width direction H is maintained in order to maintain the downward convex shape when the sensor body is accommodated in the case and the curved shape in the longitudinal direction N is straightened. To curve. This is because, after the sensor component is given a curved shape (bending wrinkle) in the longitudinal direction N, when the curved shape is extended straight by sandwiching both sides from above and below, the free part that is not sandwiched is This is thought to be due to the tendency to deform toward the convex side of the original curve. The curvature obtained in this way is not as much as when the cylindrical surface shown in FIG. 7 is provided from the beginning, but the upper sensor component 13e is easily deformed as a whole, and the operation of the pressure sensor 1 Is effective.
[0047]
Next, a pressure sensor according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor 1 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, the pressure sensor 1 of this embodiment also includes a sensor main body 10, a case 14, and a buffer member 15, similarly to the pressure sensor 1 of the fifth embodiment described above. The sensor body 10 includes a lower sensor constituent member 11f having a metal layer 111 deposited on the upper surface, a spacer 12, an upper sensor constituent member 13f having a conductive ink layer 131 formed on the lower surface, and a central sensor constituent member 100. ing.
[0048]
The lower sensor constituting member 11f is formed in a curved shape by applying and shrinking the conductive shrinkable material 112 on the upper surface.
[0049]
The central sensor constituent member 100 is formed in a curved shape by applying and shrinking a conductive shrinkable material 112 on the upper surface, and further a metal layer 111 is deposited on the upper surface thereof. A conductive ink layer 131 is formed on the lower surface. Thereby, the central sensor constituent member 100 functions as both an upper sensor constituent member and a lower sensor constituent member. That is, it functions as an upper sensor component in the relationship with the lower sensor component 11f, and functions as a lower sensor component in the relationship with the upper sensor component 13f. As a result, the sensor body 10 is formed with two pairs of the upper sensor constituent member and the lower sensor constituent member. Although the sensor main body 10 of this embodiment is formed by two pairs of sensor constituent members, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be formed by a plurality of pairs greater than two pairs.
[0050]
As described above, when a plurality of pairs of the lower sensor constituent member and the upper sensor constituent member are provided, by making the sensitivity of each pair of sensor constituent members different, a wide range of pressure sensors can be obtained. A wide range of pressures can be detected and reflected in the output sound. Also, use each output from multiple pairs of sensors for various touch controls such as volume, tone, control start timing, etc., or different standards for the same control target. Can do.
[0051]
Next, a pressure sensor according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor 1 according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, the pressure sensor 1 of the present embodiment also includes a sensor main body 10, a case 14, and a buffer member 15, similarly to the pressure sensor 1 according to the fifth embodiment described above. The sensor body 10 includes a lower sensor constituent member 11 having a metal layer 111 deposited on the upper surface, a spacer 12, and an upper sensor constituent member 13g having a conductive ink layer 131 formed on the lower surface.
[0052]
As shown in FIG. 12, the upper sensor constituting member 13g is formed in a convex shape corresponding to a part of a downwardly convex spherical surface at each position (indicated by L in the figure) corresponding to one key. Yes. Therefore, when the key is depressed, the upper sensor constituent member 13g does not pass through the singular point and is deformed further in a convex shape in a more stable state. As a result, the operation of the pressure sensor 1 is stabilized.
[0053]
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram comparing the deformation process of the upper sensor constituent member 13g of the present embodiment and the upper sensor constituent member 13h formed in a concave shape corresponding to a part of a spherical surface concave downward. As shown in FIG. 13, in the upper sensor constituent member 13g of this embodiment, the periphery of the convex portion is easily deformed in the strain pressing direction. On the other hand, the upper sensor constituent member 13h formed in a concave shape downward is not preferable as the upper sensor constituent member 13g of the pressure sensor 1 because it has excellent shape retention and hardly deforms.
[0054]
FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pressure sensor 1 according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. Similarly to the pressure sensor 1 according to the second embodiment described above, the pressure sensor 1 according to the present embodiment also includes a sensor main body 10, a case 14, and a buffer member 15. In this embodiment, the buffer member 15 has a sheet shape, and has a curved shape that protrudes toward the sensor body 10. The curved surface of the buffer member 15 causes the upper sensor constituent member 13 bonded thereto to follow the curved direction in the same direction as illustrated.
[0055]
The curved shape of the buffer member 15 has the same effect as the curved shape of the above-described sensor constituent member. That is, when receiving the pressing force, the buffer member 15 is easily deformed uniformly as a whole, and the operation of the pressure sensor 1 is stabilized. Although the cross-sectional shape of the buffer member is desirably a uniform cross-sectional shape throughout the entire member, it may actually have a certain degree of non-uniformity, as shown in FIG. Exaggerated convexity). However, even in such a case, since the buffer member 15 is provided with a curved shape, the deformation process at the time of key depression does not vary greatly depending on the location, so that the pressure sensor as a whole can be operated stably. Even if the cross-sectional shape of the sensor constituent member is uniform, if the cross-sectional shape of the buffer member is not uniform, the operation of the pressure sensor becomes unstable as a whole. Therefore, the stability of the operation when the buffer member is depressed is also important. This stabilization effect can be obtained even if the convex direction of the curved shape faces either the opposite side or the away side of the sensor body, as described with respect to the sensor constituent member. By making the convex toward the main body, a more stable operation can be obtained.
[0056]
The curvature of the curved shape for obtaining this effect varies depending on the material of the buffer member 15, particularly the hardness, and may be large when the flexibility is high and small when it is hard. For example, when felt, red felt or the like that receives the contact of the lower surface of the key of the acoustic piano is used as the buffer member 15, the degree of curving may be about the degree of winding of a roll having a diameter of 20 to 50 cm.
[0057]
Next, a pressure sensor according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor 1 according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. In this example and the following examples, the case of the pressure sensor is not provided, but it can be housed in a case similar to the above-described example. In this example, a pair of gap forming members 16 are bonded to the upper surface of the upper sensor constituting member 13 along both side edges, and a buffer member 15 is bonded thereon. The gap forming member 16 can be formed of various materials such as plastic, rubber, and foams thereof, and is hard, elastic, or large in accordance with the sensitivity required for the sensor. Etc. are selected. The gap forming member can be formed of a material that is somewhat hard, or can be formed of a soft material. In the former case, if there is no elastic deformation of the buffer member, the gap forming member is formed of a material that does not elastically deform when pressed so that the buffer member does not contact the upper sensor component member. The arrival is obtained mainly by deformation of the buffer member. In the latter case, the gap forming member is arranged so as to be elastically deformed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the pressure-sensitive surface of the sensor constituent member when pressed, and the reaching of the pressing force to the sensor constituent member is mainly obtained by deformation of the buffer member.
[0058]
In this sensor, when the pressing force is not applied, the buffer member is separated from the upper sensor constituent member 13. When the pressing force is applied, the buffer member is deformed and the lower surface is bent to come into contact with the upper sensor constituent member 13. Convey pressure. Thus, since the buffer member 2 is mounted on the surface of the upper sensor constituent member 13 with the gap forming member 16 interposed, there is a disadvantage when the buffer member is directly bonded, that is, dust, oil, The inconvenience of adverse effects such as non-uniform pressure sensor sensitivity due to the presence of air, soot and the like is eliminated. Note that the buffer member may be fixed to the operating portion instead of being fixed to the sensor component member, and this point is the same in the following embodiments.
[0059]
The buffer member 15 has a curved shape protruding downward in the cross section in the width direction. Accordingly, when the key is depressed, the buffer member 15 is further deformed downward in a stable state, and the operation is stabilized.
[0060]
FIG. 16 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the pressure sensor 1 according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention. This pressure sensor includes, as the buffer member 15, a first buffer member 15a located on the sensor component side and a second buffer member 15b located on the operation part side such as a key or its interlocking part. The 1st buffer part 15a is comprised with the viscoelastic material which shows large deformation resistance, so that the pressing speed of an operation | movement part is large. As such a viscoelastic material, various materials exhibiting viscoelasticity such as a resin foam such as urethane foam (for example, trade name “Zulen” manufactured by Bridgestone Corporation) can be used. The second buffer member 15b is for buffering the contact of the operating portion with the first buffer member 15a to relieve the feeling of resistance when the key is depressed, and can be made of various materials already described. . As described above, the buffer member 15 may be fixed to the operating portion, or may be separated, and the first buffer member 15a is fixed to the upper sensor constituent member and the second buffer member 15b is fixed to the operating portion. May be. Furthermore, when the buffer action by the first buffer member 15a is sufficient, the second buffer member 15b can be omitted.
[0061]
The sensor according to this embodiment operates as follows. The first buffer member 15a is made of a viscoelastic material having a high viscosity so that the first buffer member 15a is deformed after the second buffer portion is deformed when the pressing force is applied and is in contact with the sensor constituent member. Therefore, for a shocking contact (high-frequency contact pressure) when the key is stopped, a rigid reaction force is exhibited without following the deformation. On the other hand, the pressing operation during after-touch control is slower than when the key is stopped, and such pressure (low frequency contact pressure) is deformed and bent following the pressure. Therefore, if a gap is formed between the first buffer member 15a and the upper sensor constituting member 13 by the gap forming member 16, the first buffer member 15a acts rigidly against impact contact. Therefore, the gap does not reach with the upper sensor component 13 or the pressing force transmitted is small even if it reaches. On the other hand, for the press for after-touch control applied after the key is stopped, it is compressed following the press to bend while reducing the thickness, reaches the upper sensor component 13 and corresponds to the key pressing pressure Transmit the pressing force. This enables appropriate aftertouch control according to the player's intention. Further, when the key belonging to the common sensor is pressed in addition to the key already pressed and in the after touch control state, the first buffer member 15a shows the same response to the impact force at the time of the subsequent key pressing. Therefore, in this case as well, it is possible to prevent a musical sound that is not intended. Thus, since the impact force when the key is stopped is not transmitted to the sensor body as it is, the sensor body is prevented from being damaged by a large pressing force, and the service life can be extended. In particular, in the case of a highly sensitive sensor, since the durability against a large pressing force is often low, the effect is great.
[0062]
FIG. 17 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the pressure sensor 1 according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. In this example, an example in which the sensor body 10 is accommodated in the case 14 is shown. The case 14 has a belt-like bottom wall 140 extending in the longitudinal direction of the sensor body and a pair extending on the bottom wall and extending in the longitudinal direction of the bottom wall. And an opposing wall 141 that forms an opening, and accommodates the sensor body 10. In this example, the gap forming member 16 is fixed on the opposing wall 141 of the case 14, and the buffer member 15 is bonded thereon. The portion 160 closer to the sensor body 10 in the gap forming member 16 is composed of a pair of narrow and elongated portions as in the above example, and the portion closer to the buffer member 161 is necessary to support the buffer member. It extends in the longitudinal direction of the member with a constant width. In this example, the pressing force applied to the buffer member deforms the buffer member to project downward from between the pair of gap forming members, and acts as a pressing force to the upper sensor constituent member 13. On the other hand, the pressing force transmitted from the buffer member to the gap forming member 16 is transmitted from the buffer member closer portion 161 having a width supporting the buffer member to the opposing wall 141 of the case through the narrow sensor body closer portion 160. Therefore, there is almost no pressing force transmitted from the gap forming member to the sensor constituent member, and accurate aftertouch control can be realized.
[0063]
Also in this example, the buffer member 15 has a curved shape protruding downward in the cross section in the width direction. Therefore, when the key is depressed, the buffer member 15 is further deformed in a convex shape downward in a stable state, and a stable operation is obtained.
[0064]
In the above description, a sensor that accommodates a sensor main body in a case can be directly fixed to a substrate or a frame without using the case.
[0065]
The present invention also provides sheet-like members and plate-like members that can provide a curved shape, such as those illustrated in the description of the prior art, in addition to the above-described upper sensor provided with conductive ink and the lower sensor provided with a metal layer. The present invention can be applied to various types of sensors used as sensor constituent members.
[0066]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the pressure sensor according to the present invention, since the convex direction of the sensor constituent member is constant, the deformation process is made uniform and a stable pressure sensor can be obtained. In addition, when the buffer member is formed in a sheet shape and has a curved shape that is convex toward one side of the sheet-like surface, the stability of the operation of the buffer member can be obtained, so the pressure sensor via the buffer member The pressure transmission to is stabilized. The stability of the sensor operation based on these is the number applied to the pressure sensor, especially in the case of subtle and delicate expressions such as pianissimo sounds, or when the pressing force applied to the key is reduced by the lever ratio. This is extremely effective when it is necessary to reflect the difference in the pressing force of about gf in the output sound.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pressure sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view showing an upper sensor constituent member of the pressure sensor shown in FIG. 2 and a longitudinal sectional view of a part thereof. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a perspective view showing an upper sensor constituent member of the pressure sensor shown in FIG. 6. FIG.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an example of a method for manufacturing the upper sensor constituent member shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a deformed state of the upper sensor constituent member shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a perspective view showing an upper sensor constituent member of the pressure sensor shown in FIG. 11 and a convex explanatory view of the upper sensor constituent member. FIG.
13 is an explanatory diagram comparing the deformation process of the upper sensor constituent member shown in FIG. 12 and the upper sensor constituent member formed in a concave shape corresponding to a part of a downwardly concave spherical surface. FIG. .
FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure sensor according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a conventional pressure sensor.
FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing an upper sensor constituent member of the pressure sensor shown in FIG. 18;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Pressure sensor
10 Sensor body
11, 11f Lower sensor component
12 Spacer
13, 13b, 13d, 13e, 13f, 13g Upper sensor constituent member
14 cases
15 cushioning member

Claims (9)

A pressure sensor for touch control of an electronic keyboard instrument that receives a pressing force from a part of a key or a part of a member interlocked with the key when the key is pressed, and presents a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force . A pressure-receiving-side sensor constituent member positioned on the side receiving the pressing force and a fixed-side sensor constituent member spaced from the pressure-receiving sensor constituent member, and the current or voltage between both sensor constituent members is changed according to the pressing force being configured to, the pressure side sensor component is in the form a sheet, the bending force by the holding member of the pressure receiving side sensor component such that a curved shape forming a convex to one side of a sheet-like surface It is granted, the stationary sensor components and the pressure receiving side sensor component is tangent to said fixed side sensor component without the pressure-side sensor component which receives the pressing force changes the convex direction of the curved A pressure sensor, wherein the convex direction and away from the distance of the pressure-receiving side sensor components are determined such that. A pressure sensor for touch control of an electronic keyboard instrument that receives a pressing force from a part of a key or a part of a member interlocked with the key when the key is pressed, and presents a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force . A pressure-receiving-side sensor constituent member positioned on the side receiving the pressing force and a fixed-side sensor constituent member spaced from the pressure-receiving sensor constituent member, and the current or voltage between both sensor constituent members is changed according to the pressing force The pressure-receiving-side sensor constituent member has a sheet shape, and is given a shape in a curved shape that is convex toward one side of the sheet-like surface, and the fixed-side sensor constituent member and The pressure-receiving-side sensor constituent member receives the pressing force so that the pressure-receiving-side sensor constituent member contacts the fixed-side sensor constituent member without changing the convex direction of the curve. A pressure sensor, characterized in that the fine separating distance are determined. A pressure sensor for touch control of an electronic keyboard instrument that receives a pressing force from a part of a key or a part of a member interlocked with the key when the key is pressed, and presents a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force . A pressure-receiving-side sensor component located on the pressure-receiving side, a fixed-side sensor component separated from the pressure-receiving sensor component, and the pressure-receiving side so as to buffer the pressure received by the pressure-receiving sensor component A buffer member disposed on the pressure receiving surface side of the sensor component member, and configured to change a current or a voltage between the two sensor component members according to the pressing force, the buffer member is configured to change the pressure receiving side. A curved surface that protrudes toward the sensor component ; the pressure-receiving sensor component forms a sheet; and a curve that protrudes toward the fixed sensor component along with the curved surface of the buffer member None of the Jo A pressure sensor, characterized in that there.   The pressure sensor according to claim 2, wherein the sensor component is formed in the curved shape by applying a shrink material on one surface and curing.   3. The sensor constituent member has an elongated shape, and is formed in a curved shape corresponding to a part of a cylindrical surface whose axis is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sensor constituent member. The described pressure sensor.   The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the sensor constituent members are stacked in layers. A pressure sensor for touch control of an electronic keyboard instrument that receives a pressing force from a part of a key or a part of a member interlocking with the key when the key is pressed, and exhibits a sensor output corresponding to the pressing force , A pressure-receiving-side sensor constituent member positioned on the side receiving the pressing force and a fixed-side sensor constituent member spaced from the pressure-receiving sensor constituent member, and the current or voltage between both sensor constituent members is changed according to the pressing force The pressure-receiving-side sensor constituent member is formed in a convex shape corresponding to a part of a spherical surface that protrudes toward the fixed-side sensor constituent member for each location corresponding to one key. A pressure sensor. The pressure sensor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pressure-receiving-side sensor constituent member has a curved shape that protrudes toward the fixed-side sensor constituent member. The pressure-receiving-side sensor constituent member has a curved shape that protrudes toward the side that receives the pressing force, and the pressure-receiving-side sensor constituent member that has received the pressing force does not change the convex direction of the bending. 3. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein a separation distance between the pressure-receiving-side sensor constituent member and the fixed-side sensor constituent member is determined so as to contact the member. Nsa.

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