Abstract: A material for a key of a keyboard instrument may include, but is not limited to, a base resin; and particles of a moisture control material that performs chemical sorption of moisture. The moisture control material increase in volume with moisture-sorption. The moisture control material decrease in volume with moisture-desorption.

Abstract: A self-calibrating key sensor system is constituted by an optical modulator, optical position transducers, a data accumulator and a data analyzer, and the optical modulator has a gray scale section to produce a key position signal varied together with the keystroke and an absolute data section to produce a calibration signal representative of a strictly adjusted distance between transparent areas of the absolute data section; the data accumulator accumulates discrete values of the calibration signal and discrete values of the key position signal together with the sampling time, and the data analyzer determines the gradient of the key position signal on the basis of peaks of the calibration signal produced at both ends of the strictly adjusted distance so as to estimate the true distance between the rest and end positions.

Abstract: A key structure includes a top plate which is formed by laminating a half-transparent resin surface layer member on a resin bottom side member using two-color injection molding, and the top plate is secured on a wooden key base. A plurality of concave grooves and protrusions, and a plurality of protrusion and troughs are respectively formed together in straight lines in the long direction of the key structure on a rear face of the surface layer member and a top face of the rear side member. Outside light is reflected from the top ends of the protrusion and the troughs, whereby a faint and natural vertically-striped pattern, which corresponds to a concave-convex part formed by the concave grooves and the protrusions, is perceived as resembling an edge grain of ivory.

Abstract: A separate automatic player is independent of a piano, and stands in front of the piano for an automatic playing; the separate automatic player includes a key driver unit, a pedal driver unit and a framework on which the key driver unit and pedal driver unit is carried; the key driver unit has an array of key actuators so as to selectively depress and releases the black and white keys, and a pair of side elevators and a rotary unit is provided between the framework and the array of key actuators; the side elevators bring the plunger heads of the key actuators into contact with the upper surfaces of the black and white keys, and the rotary unit makes the plungers vertical to the upper surfaces so that the key actuators exert force on the black and white keys at the magnitude exactly equivalent to pieces of music data.

Abstract: A data acquisition system is used in the transplantation of the piano key touch from an acoustic piano to an electronic piano, and the function thereof is broken down into a table producer, a motion controller and a servo-controller; a table, which expresses relation between current key positions and the amount of current supplied to key actuators, is stored in the table producer; the table producer supplies pieces of test data to the motion controller, which determines reference test trajectories, and the servo-controller forces the keys to travel thereon through the key actuators; sensors reports the current key positions and current key velocity to the table producer, and the table producer produces tables expressing pieces of inner force data through the analysis on these data; the tables are supplied to an inner force sense controlling system, which reproduce the key touch in the electronic piano.

Abstract: A testing system is incorporated in an automatic player piano for specifying a half pedal point of a damper pedal at which the loudness of tones is lessened, and an automatic player moves the damper pedal to the half pedal point so as to lessen the loudness of tones in an automatic playing; the testing system accumulates pieces of experimental data expressing relation between the loudness of tones and a current pedal position of the damper pedal, and searches the pieces of experimental data for points of reflection; and the testing system determines the half pedal point through an internal division on the line between the points of reflection.

Abstract: An automatic playing system is independent of acoustic pianos, and is designed to perform music tunes expressed by sets of MIDI music data codes on the acoustic pianos; since the acoustic pianos have their own individualities, control parameter table, which were prepared through experiments on a standard piano, are not optimum for most of the acoustic pianos due to the individualities: the automatic playing system can tailor the control parameter tables defining relation between the magnitude of driving signal and the MIDI velocity and relation between the magnitude of driving signal and time lag from the supply of the driving signal and the collision between the hammers and the strings for each sort of acoustic pianos before the automatic playing so that the automatic playing system reproduces the music tunes at high fidelity regardless of the sort of acoustic pianos.

Abstract: A set of formation data codes, which includes action event codes and duration codes, is loaded in an automatic player piano, and a controller interprets the action event codes for driving the solenoid-operated key actuators; since the solenoid-operated key actuators slowly push the associated keys, the hammers do not reach the strings, and any piano tone is not produced; the plungers make the keys sunk to different depth so that the keys are laid on a artistic pattern; the controller sequentially changes the artistic pattern, and offers an artistic visual expression to the audience.

Abstract: An automatic player piano is broken down into an acoustic piano and an automatic playing system, and solenoid-operated key actuators are driven to rotate the black/white keys of the acoustic piano; the space between the keyboard and the array of black/white keys is so narrow that the manufacturer provides the solenoid-operated key actuators in the space below the key bed; plunger holes are formed in the rear portion of the key bed, and the solenoids occupy the space under the key bed so that the plungers project through the plunger holes into the space beneath the rear portions of the keys; the key bed is does not lose the mechanical strength so that the tuning work is not frequently required for the key action units.

Abstract: There is provided an operator member displaceable, in response to operation by a human operator, relative to at least one displacement axis (more preferably, multi-dimensionally). Operating state of the operator member is detected and model operation information, indicative of an operating state to be taken by the operator member, is generated, so that reaction information is generated in accordance with a difference between the detected actual operating state and an operating state indicated by the model operation information. Reactive force is imparted to the operator member in accordance with the generated reaction information. In this way, a model operation amount can be informed to the human operator in the form of the reactive force. Further, by imparting separate reactive forces to a multi-axially operable operator member, appropriate information can be provided to the human operator during operation of the operator member, thereby achieving sensory feedback to the human operator.

Abstract: Upon request for retrofitting, workers bring a gadget and a marking tool and other tools to the user's home; the workers attach the marking tool to a keyboard, mark locators on a key bed by using the marking tool, form locating recesses therein, and bore reference seal holes by using a template, counter holes of which are aligned with the locating recesses; subsequently, the workers relate the gadget with the reference seal holes, bore through-holes in the key bed at target spots exactly below the black and white keys under the guide of the reference seal holes, and assemble a key drive unit with the key bed so that plungers pass through the through-holes; since the reference seal holes have been related with the keyboard, the gadget sequentially positions a drill at the target spots also related to the keyboard.

Abstract: A key structure includes a top plate which is formed by laminating a half-transparent resin surface layer member on a resin bottom side member using two-color injection molding, and the top plate is secured on a wooden key base. A plurality of concave grooves and protrusions, and a plurality of protrusion and troughs are respectively formed together in straight lines in the long direction of the key structure on a rear face of the surface layer member and a top face of the rear side member. Outside light is reflected from the top ends of the protrusion and the troughs, whereby a faint and natural vertically-striped pattern, which corresponds to a concave-convex part formed by the concave grooves and the protrusions, is perceived as resembling an edge grain of ivory.

Abstract: A light emitting device includes an optical fiber plug formed with a through-hole into which a bundle of optical fibers is inserted and a light-emitting device holder formed with a through-hole in which a condenser lens and a light emitting device are accommodated, and the optical fiber plug is assembled with the light-emitting device holder so that the light emitting device is optically coupled to the optical fiber through the condenser lens; a positioning device, a hyperboloid lens surface or a reflecting surface is formed in the optical fiber plug/light emitting device holder, condenser lens or the inner surface of the light-emitting device holder so that the light incident on the light input end is increased by virtue of the exact positioning between the optical fiber and optical axis, reduction of aberration or increase of light directed to the condenser lens.

Abstract: Operating section provided on a base is displaceable, in response to operation by a human operator, relative to the base with respect to at least one displacement axis, such as one linear-displacement axis and two rotary-displacement axes. A plurality of pivot axes are provided in corresponding relation to the displacement axes of the operating section. Different pieces of reactive force information are generated in correspondence with the individual pivot axes, and a plurality of motors, provided in corresponding relation to the pivot axes, are driven on the basis of the respective reactive force information, to thereby impart a separate or different reactive force to the operating section for each of the displacement axes. Displacement of the operating section is detected for at least one parameter from among parameters including a position, angle, velocity and acceleration, to output a detection signal corresponding to the detected parameter.

Abstract: Reed includes a proximal end section, and an extension section extending straight in a forward direction from the proximal end section. The extension section has a distal end section and a thin plate portion, and the distal end section has a mass portion where much of the mass of the reed concentrates. The entire reed is formed of a single material, such as an SK material, by MIM molding. Small-thickness tuning piece 16 is provided integrally with the mass portion and extending downward from a front underside area of the mass portion. Tuning or tone pitch adjustment is carried out by cutting off a part of the tuning piece.

Abstract: A self-calibrating key sensor system is constituted by an optical modulator, optical position transducers, a data accumulator and a data analyzer, and the optical modulator has a gray scale section to produce a key position signal varied together with the keystroke and an absolute data section to produce a calibration signal representative of a strictly adjusted distance between transparent areas of the absolute data section; the data accumulator accumulates discrete values of the calibration signal and discrete values of the key position signal together with the sampling time, and the data analyzer determines the gradient of the key position signal on the basis of peaks of the calibration signal produced at both ends of the strictly adjusted distance so as to estimate the true distance between the rest and end positions.

Abstract: A pedaling aid is combined with an acoustic piano, and assists a physically handicapped person in performing a piece of music on the acoustic piano; the pedaling aid includes a human interface, a pedal actuator and a controller, and the pedal actuator is equipped with a locator and a coupling device; a user moves the pedal actuator in the vicinity of the acoustic piano, and couples the pedal actuator to the acoustic piano at a proper position with the assistance of the locator and coupling device; while the physically handicapped person is fingering on the acoustic piano, the human interface is kept around the head so that the physically handicapped person manipulates the human interface with the chin, mouth, teeth or tongue; since the human interface produces a signal representative of a target position, the controller makes the pedal actuator to move the pedal to the target position.

Abstract: An optical position transducer is provided for each of the black/white keys incorporated in a composite keyboard musical instrument; the optical position transducer includes a photo-coupler radiating a light beam, an optical filter moved across the light beam, a recess formed in the black/white key at a proper position where the optical filter is aligned with a target trajectory crossing the light beam and an elastic coupler pressed to an inner surface defining the recess and secured to the optical filter so that a worker assembles the optical filter with the key by inserting the elastic coupler into the recess.

Abstract: An optical sensor array includes light-emitting devices and sensor heads remote from the light-emitting devices, and each light-emitting device is optically coupled to plural sensor heads through optical fibers; the light-emitting device is optically connected to the optical fibers by means of a multicore optical fiber connector, and the multicore optical fiber connector keeps the optical axes of the optical fibers equally spaced from the optical axis of the light-emitting device; even though the light intensity is isotropically dispersed on the cross section of the light beam, the total amount of light incident on each optical fiber is equal to the total amount of light incident on any one of the other optical fibers so that a strict calibration is not required for the optical sensor array.

Abstract: A data acquisition system is used in the transplantation of the piano key touch from an acoustic piano to an electronic piano, and the function thereof is broken down into a table producer, a motion controller and a servo-controller; a table, which expresses relation between current key positions and the amount of current supplied to key actuators, is stored in the table producer; the table producer supplies pieces of test data to the motion controller, which determines reference test trajectories, and the servo-controller forces the keys to travel thereon through the key actuators; sensors reports the current key positions and current key velocity to the table producer, and the table producer produces tables expressing pieces of inner force data through the analysis on these data; the tables are supplied to an inner force sense controlling system, which reproduce the key touch in the electronic piano.