Casio utilizes CAE to change the keyboard structure of the electronic keyboard, its effects and prospects: CAE utilization case (page 1/4)

"Glissand playing method" is one of the piano performance techniques.It is known as a playing technique that slides the four fingers to the keyboard, connects each sound at a constant speed instead of separating each sound, and moves the scale so that it flows.It is used as a performance technique not only in authentic acoustic pianos, but also on electronic pianos and electronic keyboards that detect keyboard keystrokes and play digital sound sources.

Unlike pressing the keyboard one by one with a finger, the glissando playing method slides the finger on the keyboard in the horizontal direction, so the keyboard has a sideways force.Therefore, when the rigidity of the keyboard is low (especially on the sideways forces), the key (ken) and the key collide, and the sound is "crunchy", which significantly reduces the quality as an instrument.

The Casio Calculator (Casio), which has a history of more than 40 years in electronic instruments development, has a guide mechanism on the keyboard of the electronic keyboard that prevents the key side swing, and the inside of the keyboard and both the guide mechanism.By applying grease so that it does not rub, it has maintained the operability of glissando playing techniques.

However, grease, which reduces the friction between the interior of the keyboard and the guide mechanism, has a task such as sticking over time and reducing the effect.In addition, because the guide mechanism was applied to grease, it was not easy to make a structure that was easy to make because it was required to have a strict dimensional tolerance that fits in the end of the keyboard.

Therefore, the company has begun a new structure that pursues “ease of creating” without using guide mechanisms or grease, and can maintain high operability in glissando playing as well as the old model.In the design process, we practiced the front loading by using CAE and established a new keyboard structure.

In this paper, Masayuki Endo, the leader of the Technology Development Development Department of the Company Technology Headquarters, who is responsible for the promotion of CAE utilization in Casio, and the Development of the Development of the Development of the Company Technology Division, which is in charge of musical instrument design.We interviewed Mr. Akito Akaishi about the initiatives and effects of new keyboard structures using CAE, and future prospects.

Until now, the side swing of the keyboard, which had been reduced by the guide mechanism and grease, was caused by the rigidity of the hinge part of the keyboard (weakness against the forced force), so the improvement of the hinge shape is the key.Hold it.If a new hinge shape that is resistant to sideways can be created, the application of the guide mechanism and grease will not be required, and the ease of creating as a keyboard structure can be improved.

Mr. Akaishi, the designer, said, "If you eliminate guide mechanisms and grease based on the theme of ease of making, the degree of freedom in the design will be significantly higher, but there are many concerns about the sideways when playing glissando.I needed to determine whether the hinge shape was optimal. "

However, if the rigidity of the hinge part is blindly increased, not only the operability of the keyboard and the comfort will not be worse, but also the durability of the hinge will be significantly reduced by firmly stiffening, and the number of uses will be slightly used.It can happen that the base of the hinge breaks.

"Based on the possibility that these problems would occur, we needed to derive a well -balanced optimal hinge shape, so we decided to incorporate CAE simulations," said Endo.