Patent Publication Number: US-10770041-B2

Title: Kick pad

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-001166, filed Jan. 9, 2018; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present invention relates to, for example, a kick pad of an electronic drum. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A kick pad of an electronic drum is mounted on a stand, for example, when used. A foot pedal is fixed to a lower end of the stand. When such an electronic drum is played, the foot pedal is operated with the foot, causing the beater to be struck against the kick pad. The stand and/or the foot pedal includes a stopper pin. The stopper pin is stuck in a vibration-proof mat put on a floor to prevent slipping. 
     With a conventional kick pad, it is difficult to obtain a natural rebound as can be obtained by an acoustic drum when the kick pad is beaten with a beater. In addition, with the conventional kick pad, when the intensity of striking of the beater is slightly varied by depressing the foot pedal with a subtly different intensity, it is difficult to output such a subtle difference as an intensity of sound. 
     SUMMARY 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a kick pad capable of obtaining a natural rebound and delicately expressing the intensity of sound. 
     To achieve the above-described object, the kick pad according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a piezoelectric element that converts a vibration generated by beating with a beater into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal; an impact-absorbing member arranged between the piezoelectric element and a surface to be beaten by the beater; and a sheet-like striking surface cover that includes a front surface including the surface to be beaten, and that wraps the impact-absorbing member, together with the piezoelectric element, on a back surface side of the striking surface cover. 
     By using the kick pad according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a natural rebound, and to delicately express the intensity of sound. 
     Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is an external perspective view showing an assembly in which a kick pad is mounted on a stand, according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the kick pad shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a pad main body of the kick pad shown in  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the pad main body as viewed from a rear side. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is an external perspective view showing an assembly  40  in which a kick pad  20  is mounted on a stand  30  via four supporters  10 .  FIG. 1  shows a state in which a foot pedal  50  is mounted on a bottom plate  31  of the stand  30 . A front surface of the kick pad  20  corresponds to a head of a bass drum of an acoustic drum, and the bottom plate  31  of the stand corresponds to a hoop of the bass drum. 
     In the description that follows, the direction in which the assembly  40  faces the foot pedal  50  will be referred to as a front side (or an anterior side) as viewed from the player, and the direction in which a beater  51  beats the kick pad  20  will be referred to as a back side (or a rear side). Since matters such as the configuration of the foot pedal  50  and the method of mounting the foot pedal  50  on the bottom plate  31  are well-known in the art, a detailed description of such matters will be omitted herein. 
     The stand  30  includes the bottom plate  31 , which is formed of a substantially rectangular metal plate and on which the foot pedal  50  is mounted. The bottom plate  31  is arranged in parallel to a floor surface F, and respectively fixes lower ends of two main frames  32  to two corner portions on the back side of the upper surface of the bottom plate  31 . The foot pedal  50  is attached to an edge portion  31   a  on the front side of the bottom plate  31 , which is distanced from the lower ends of the main frames  32 . 
     The two main frames  32  are formed of, for example, metal pipes, and extend upward from the bottom plate  31  substantially parallel to each other. The kick pad  20 , which will be described later, is attached to upper ends of the two main frames  32 . 
     A sub frame  33  is bridged between the two main frames  32 . The sub frame  33  is formed of, for example, a metal plate. Supporting frames  34  are respectively provided on the back side of the main frames  32 . Each of the supporting frames  34  has a configuration in which two elongated plates are joined at both ends thereof. Each of the supporting frames  34  is provided in such a manner that its upper end is rotatable around the corresponding main frame  32  via a rotatable sleeve  35 , at a position where the sub frame  33  is connected. 
     At a lower end of each of the supporting frames  34 , a stopper pin (not shown in the drawings), which is stuck in a vibration-proof mat (not shown in the drawings) put on the floor surface F and which is designed to prevent movement of the stand  30 , is provided so as to be protrudable therefrom. A beam frame  36  is provided between a lower end of each of the supporting frames  34  and a lower end of the corresponding main frame  32 . One end  36   a  of the beam frame  36  is rotatably attached to the supporting frame  34 . A slidable sleeve  37  is rotatably attached to the other end  36   b  of the beam frame  36 . The slidable sleeve  37  is attached so as to be slidable and rotatable around the main frame  32 . 
     When the slidable sleeve  37  is slid upward along the main frame  32  from the state shown in  FIG. 1 , to make the other end  36   b  of the beam frame  36  close to an upper end of the supporting frame  34 , the supporting frame  34  and the beam frame  36  will be made close to the state of being parallel to the main frame  32 . That is, when the slidable sleeve  37  is slid to a position closest to the rotatable sleeve  35 , the supporting frame  34  and the beam frame  36  will be substantially parallel to the main frame  32 , and the stand  30  will be folded back. 
     When the stand  30  is unfolded to the state shown in  FIG. 1  for use, a winged screw  38  is threadably fastened into the screw hole that penetrates the slidable sleeve  37 , and the slidable sleeve  37  is fixed close to the lower end of the main frame  32 . Thereby, the supporting frame  34  is fixed in an open state as shown in the drawing, and the stand  30  is stabilized. At this time, by changing the fixed position of the slidable sleeve  37  with respect to the main frame  32 , the angle of the supporting frame  34  can be adjusted, thus allowing the tilt angle of the main frame  32  to be adjusted. That is, the angle at which the kick pad  20  is supported may be varied, as in the case of tilting a bass drum of an acoustic drum. 
     The two supporting frames  34  respectively connected to the two main frames  32  have a configuration capable of adjusting the opening angle as viewed in a direction distant from each other. That is, by rotating the rotatable sleeve  35  relative to the main frame  32  and rotating the slidable sleeve  37  relative to the main frame  32 , the supporting frame  34  and the beam frame  36  can be rotated relative to the main frame  32 , and the angle of the supporting frame  34  can be adjusted. This facilitates installation of the assembly  40  in a small space around the player&#39;s feet, thereby increasing the flexibility in layout. The angle-adjusted supporting frame  34  is fixed to the adjusted angle when the winged screw  38  is fastened. 
     Hereinafter, the kick pad  20  of the present embodiment will be explained with reference to  FIGS. 2 to 4 .  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the kick pad  20 .  FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a pad main body  22  of the kick pad  20  shown in  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view of the pad main body  22  as viewed from the side of a frame  24 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the kick pad  20  includes the pad main body  22 , the frame  24 , and a rear cover  26  from the front side toward the back side. The kick pad  20  of the present embodiment is formed in the shape of a substantially rectangular block including a horizontally long striking surface  21   a , for compatibility with a twin pedal including two beaters arranged side by side. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the pad main body  22  includes a stack  5  (impact-absorbing member) formed by stacking seven substantially-rectangular foamed sheets  2  and two substantially-rectangular sponge sheets  4   a  and  4   b  (sponge layers). The seven foamed sheets  2  are arranged on the front side so as to be stacked on one another, and the two sponge sheets  4   a  and  4   b  are arranged on the back side so as to be stacked on each other. The material, the thickness, the number, the order of arrangement of the foamed sheets  2  and sponge sheets  4   a  and  4   b , etc. may be suitably varied in accordance with the sound absorption properties and the response properties of the kick pad  20  that are required when the striking surface  21   a  of the pad main body  22  is beaten by the beater  51 . 
     Each of the foamed sheets  2  is a sheet formed by spraying a foaming acrylic agent onto a non-woven fabric and applying heat to make it foam. Of the two sponge sheets  4   a  and  4   b , the sponge sheet  4   b  on the back side distant from the foamed sheets  2  includes a circular through hole  4   c , from which a wiring  65  ( FIG. 4 ) of a piezoelectric element  1  (which will be described later) is extracted to the rear side. This sponge sheet  4   b  includes four reception holes  4   d  that receive distal ends of four screws  61  designed to fix the pad main body  22  to the frame  24 . 
     A rectangular metal plate  3 , which includes a piezoelectric element  1  at its rear surface  3   a , is provided between the two sponge sheets  4   a  and  4   b . The piezoelectric element  1  converts a vibration generated by beating the kick pad  20  with the beater  51  into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal. The metal plate  3  has a size smaller than the foamed sheets  2  and the sponge sheets  4   a  and  4   b . The metal plate  3  is arranged in such a manner that the piezoelectric element  1  is oriented so as to face the sponge sheet  4   b  on the rear side, as shown in the drawing. 
     On the further front side of the foamed sheets  2 , a protective sheet  2   a  is arranged so as to be stacked thereon. On the further back side of the sponge sheet  4   b , a rear plate  6  (rear member) is arranged so as to be stacked thereon. The rear plate  6  is formed of an octagonal metal plate with its four corners chamfered, and a through hole  63  that faces a through hole  4   c  of the sponge sheet  4   b  is provided in the middle. The through hole  63  is a hole from which the wiring  65  of the piezoelectric element  1  is extracted. The rear plate  6  includes four screw holes  62 , into which the four screws  61  are threadably driven. 
     On a front surface side of the pad main body  22 , there is provided a sheet-like striking surface cover  21  equipped with a function of receiving a strike of the beater  51  and a function of containing the stack  5  on the back surface side to wrap and hold the stack  5 . The striking surface cover  21  is formed of, for example, vinyl chloride or urethane. The striking surface cover  21  is provided to wrap and cover the surface on the front side (anterior surface) and all the side surfaces of the stack  5 , and is fixedly adhered to the rear surface of the rear plate  6  at the surface (rear surface) on the back side of the stack  5 . The material, the thickness, etc. of the striking surface cover  21  is selected to achieve a desired rebound when the beater  51  beats the striking surface  21   a , which is included in the surface of the striking surface cover  21 . 
     More specifically, the striking surface cover  21  pulls the outer peripheral edge  21   b  outward while applying a tension thereto, and is fixedly adhered to a peripheral edge on the rear surface of the rear plate  6  (see  FIG. 4 ). The adhesion is provided by, for example, a double-faced tape. That is, the striking surface cover  21  is configured in such a manner that its peripheral edge portion is fixedly adhered to the rear plate  6 , with the foamed sheets  2  and the sponge sheets  4   a  and  4   b  slightly compressed in their stacking direction. Thus, an anterior edge portion of the pad main body  22 , namely, the peripheral edge portion of the striking surface  21   a  is gently curved toward the side surfaces of the pad main body  22 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the frame  24  includes a fixation plate  24   a , which contacts the rear surface of the pad main body  22  and which is fixedly screwed thereto. The fixation plate  24   a  includes, at a position opposite to the above-described piezoelectric element  1 , an opening portion  24   a - 1 , from which the wiring  65  of the piezoelectric element  1  is extracted. The fixation plate  24   a  includes four insertion holes  24   a - 2 , through which the screws  61  designed to fixedly fasten the pad main body  22  to the surface on the front side of the fixation plate  24   a  are inserted. 
     A top plate  24   b , a bottom plate  24   c , and two side plates  24   d  are continuously and integrally provided at the outer peripheral edge of the fixation plate  24   a . The top plate  24   b , the bottom plate  24   c , and the two side plates  24   d  are bent toward the rear side, so as to be substantially orthogonal to the fixation plate  24   a.    
     The pad main body  22  is stacked on the front side of the fixation plate  24   a , with the outer peripheral edge of the striking surface cover  21  interposed between the surface on the front side of the fixation plate  24   a  and the rear plate  6 . The pad main body  22  is fixedly fastened to the fixation plate  24   a  of the frame  24  by means of four screws  61  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ). The four screws  61  are inserted into the insertion holes  24   a - 2  of the fixation plate  24   a  from inside the frame  24 , and are threadably driven into the screw holes  62  of the rear plate  6  of the pad main body  22 . By fastening the four screws  61 , the outer peripheral edge  21   b  of the striking surface cover  21  is interposed between the rear plate  6  and the fixation plate  24   a , and the striking surface cover  21  is fixed to the frame  24  as well. 
     The bottom plate  24   c  of the frame  24  includes, at bent portions between the fixation plate  24   a  and the bottom plate  24   c , two opening portions  25 , through which the upper ends of the two main frames  32  of the stand  30  are inserted. The opening portions  25  are designed to have a size that does not allow the main frame  32  to contact the frame  24  of the kick pad  20  when the kick pad  20  is mounted on the stand  30 . 
     The two side plates  24   d  respectively include attachment holes  27  designed to attach two supporters  10 . Also, each of the side plates  24   d  includes an insertion hole  24   d - 1 , through which a screw  28  ( FIG. 1 ) designed to fix the corresponding side plate  26   a  of the rear cover  26  is inserted. 
     The rear cover  26  includes two side plates  26   a , which are respectively arranged inside the side plates  24   d  of the frame  24 . The side plates  26   a  are integrally provided so as to be bent toward the front side from both ends of a rear plate  26   b  as viewed in the horizontal direction. 
     Each side plate  26   a  has two notches  26   a - 1 , which are respectively aligned with the two attachment holes  27  provided in the corresponding side plate  24   d  of the frame  24 . The notches  26   a - 1  are designed to have a size (a length and a width) that does not interfere with the supporters  10  fitted into the attachment holes  27 . A supporting piece  26   a - 2 , which is bent inwards along the top plate  24   b  of the frame  24 , is provided at an upper edge of each side plate  26   a . Each side plate  26   a  has a screw hole  26   a - 3 , which is aligned with the insertion hole  24   d - 1  provided in the side plates  24   d  of the frame  24 . 
     When the rear cover  26  is attached to the frame  24 , the two side plates  26   a  of the rear cover  26  are stacked on the inside of the two side plates  24   d  of the frame  24 , and a screw  28  is threadably driven into the screw hole  26   a - 3  via the insertion hole  24   d - 1 . At this time, the rear cover  26  can be attached while the supporters  10  are fitted into the attachment holes  27  of the frame  24 . When the rear cover  26  is attached to the frame  24 , the supporting piece  26   a - 2  of the rear cover  26  is arranged below the top plate  24   b  of the frame  24 . 
     The rear cover  26  has a configuration in which the side plates  26   a  at both ends of the rear plate  26   b  are bent toward the front side. The rear plate  26   b  is slightly curved so as to bulge out in the middle toward the rear side. A plurality of supporting pieces  26   b - 1  are provided at the lower edge (as shown in the drawing) of the rear plate  26   b . Each supporting piece  26   b - 1  is bent toward the front side along the bottom plate  24   c  of the frame  24 . In each supporting piece  26   b - 1 , there is provided a hole through which a screw (not shown in the drawings) designed to fix the supporting piece  26   b - 1  to the bottom plate  24   c  of the frame  24  is inserted. 
     At an upper end of the rear cover  26 , there is provided a U-shaped attachment plate  29   b  designed to attach an LED unit  29   a . The LED unit  29   a  is fixed to an upper surface of the attachment plate  29   b  by screws (not shown in the drawings). The attachment plate  29   b  is fixedly fastened to the supporting pieces  26   a - 2  of the side plates  26   a  of the rear cover  26  via screws (not shown in the drawings). When the rear cover  26  is attached to the frame  24 , the LED unit  29   a  is covered almost entirely by the top plate  24   b ; however, a part of the LED unit  29   a  is exposed from a small gap between the lower surface of the top plate  24   b  of the frame  24  and the upper end of the rear plate  26   b  of the rear cover  26 . 
     The supporter  10  includes an elastic member (not shown in the drawings) arranged between the upper end of the main frame  32  of the stand  30  and the frame  24 . The four supporters  10  have the same configuration, and two of the supporters  10  are assigned for the two main frames  32 . According to the present embodiment, the kick pad  20  is mounted on the stand  30  via the four supporters  10 , instead of directly fixing the kick pad  20  to the stand  30 . 
     As described above, according to the present embodiment, by arranging a plurality of foamed sheets  2  and sponge sheets  4   a  so as to be stacked on one another between the surface (striking surface  21   a ) struck by the beater  51  and the piezoelectric element  1 , and wrapping and covering them with the striking surface cover  21  in a tensioned state, the pad main body  22  of the kick pad  20  is configured. That is, the striking surface cover  21  functions not only as a holding cover that holds the stack  5  of the foamed sheets  2  and the sponge sheets  4   a  and  4   b , but also as a drumhead that constitutes the striking surface  21   a  beaten by the beater  51 . Thus, the number of components constituting the kick pad  20  can be reduced, resulting in a lower manufacturing cost of the kick pad  20 . 
     Moreover, according to the present embodiment, since a plurality of foamed sheets  2  and sponge sheets  4   a  are arranged between the piezoelectric element  1  and the striking surface cover  21 , the vibration generated when the beater  51  is struck against the striking surface  21   a  can be moderately absorbed and transmitted to the piezoelectric element  1 . Thereby, the intensity of vibration generated when the striking surface  21   a  is beaten by the beater  51  can be transmitted to the piezoelectric element  1  with high accuracy and precision, and it is possible to cope with a delicate performance with a subtle difference in intensity. 
     In this case, by suitably varying the material, the thickness, the number, the order of arrangement, etc. of the foamed sheets  2  and the sponge sheet  4   a  arranged between the striking surface  21   a  and the piezoelectric element  1  and the sponge sheet  4   b  arranged on the rear side of the piezoelectric element  1 , the striking sensation of the kick pad  20  can be changed. Basically, by arranging a plurality of foamed sheets  2  and sponge sheets  4   a  between the striking surface  21   a  and the piezoelectric element  1 , the impact sound generated when the striking surface  21   a  is beaten with the beater  51  can be absorbed, thus suppressing the problem of noise. 
     In other words, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the trouble of producing an unexpectedly loud sound as a result of overreaction of the kick pad  20 , even though the player wants to produce a soft sound by depressing the foot pedal  50  with a weak force. On the other hand, with the use of the kick pad  20  of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the noise to some degree, even when the foot pedal  50  is depressed with a strong force. That is, the kick pad  20  of the present embodiment can be played with a striking sensation similar to that of an acoustic drum, and the intensity of sound can be delicately expressed. 
     Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, since the pad main body  22  is configured in such a manner that the striking surface cover  21 , which includes, on its front surface, a striking surface  21   a  against which the beater  51  is struck, is fixed to the rear plate  6  in a tensioned state, a natural rebound as can be obtained by a head of an acoustic drum can be obtained when the beater  51  is struck. Thus, with the use of the kick pad  20  of the present embodiment, it is possible to play an electronic drum with almost the same sensation as that of an acoustic drum. 
     Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiment shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     For example, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been explained where foamed sheets and sponge sheets are used as an impact-absorbing member arranged between the piezoelectric element  1  and the striking surface  21   a , against which the beater  51  is struck; however, the impact-absorbing member is not limited thereto, and other impact-absorbing members such as rubber sheets or an air-filled bag may be used. 
     Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been explained where vinyl chloride or urethane is used as the striking surface cover  21  including the striking surface  21   a  of the kick pad  20 ; however, the striking surface cover  21  is not limited thereto, and other striking surface covers such as a mesh material may be used. 
     Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been explained where the present invention is applied to a kick pad  20  of an electronic drum including a piezoelectric element  1 ; however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be applied to a kick pad not including a piezoelectric element  1 . In this case, a tightly-stretched striking surface cover  21  is provided, and a striking sensation and a rebound similar to those of an acoustic drum can be obtained, while ensuring the quietness. 
     In the above-described embodiment, a case has been explained where the present invention is applied to a kick pad  20  beaten with a beater  51  operated by a foot pedal  50 ; however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be applied to drums other than a bass drum (such as a snare drum and tom-toms), as well as drum pads for practice.