Patent ID: 8003871
Filing Date: 2011-08-23
Classification: G10C,G10H

Abstract:
1. A keyboard apparatus comprising: a frame having hammer supports and integrally formed by resin, said frame being adapted to be supported on a musical instrument main body; a plurality of white and black keys mutually juxtaposed on said frame and forming one key unit by having key main bodies thereof each connected to its base end via a thin plate-like hinge, each of the key main bodies being pivotable about the base end as a key fulcrum in key depression and release directions; a plurality of hammers mutually juxtaposed so as to correspond to respective ones of said keys and supported by the hammer supports of said frame at locations below respective ones of said keys so as to each pivot about a corresponding one of the hammer supports in conjunction with the corresponding key and impart inertia to a pivotal motion of the key, each of said hammers being driven at its front half located forward of the hammer support such that a rear end portion of the hammer is moved upward in a key-depression forward stroke; detection, devices each adapted to be depressed by a corresponding one of said keys and detect an operation of the key; and detection-device mounting portions integrally formed on said frame and respectively mounted with said detection devices, wherein said keys are mounted to said frame by being fastened to a fastening part of said frame by a fastener, with the base ends of said keys stacked one upon another, the hinges of said keys are formed to extend in a direction to cross key depression surfaces of the key main bodies and parallel to a key arrangement direction, said hammers have their rear ends located forward of rearmost positions of visible parts of said black keys, the visible parts being visible during performance, the hammer supports are located rearward of frontmost positions of the visible parts of said black keys, and said detection-device mounting portions are located forward of the rearmost positions of the visible parts of said black keys and upward of the fastening part of said frame.