WO2025170072A1 - Pad and woodwind instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

This pad (23) for blocking a tone hole (12) of a woodwind instrument (1) comprises: a disk-shaped base material (31); a disk-shaped center core (32) provided to the base material (31); and a coating material (33) that covers the outer surface of the base material (31) and the center core (32) and uses collagen as a main raw material.

Description

Pads and woodwind instruments

The present invention relates to pads that cover tone holes and woodwind instruments that use pads.

Various woodwind instruments have been known for some time, including the piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon. These woodwind instruments can be adjusted to the desired pitch by manipulating levers and keys with the fingers and selectively covering multiple holes in the tube with pads.

The pads used in such woodwind instruments are formed in a disk shape. For example, pads are formed by covering a core such as a backing and felt with a covering material. Also, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3216324, a technique is known for pads used in such woodwind instruments in which an elastic body made of rubber or the like is interposed between the felt and the covering material.

Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3216324

The pads mentioned above use natural hides such as animal intestines, bladders or skin as the covering material that covers the felt or other core. However, natural hides vary in strength and thickness. For this reason, pads made with natural hides may have poor durability or poor dimensional accuracy due to uneven thickness. Such pads may require high running costs and time for adjustment work.

The present invention therefore aims to provide pads and woodwind instruments that can improve durability and dimensional accuracy.

One aspect of the present invention is a pad for sealing a tone hole in a woodwind instrument, and includes a disk-shaped base material, a disk-shaped core provided in the base material, and a coating material made primarily of collagen that covers the outer surfaces of the base material and the core.

The present invention makes it possible to provide pads and woodwind instruments that have improved durability and dimensional accuracy.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a woodwind instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the woodwind instrument taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the woodwind instrument taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, showing the pads closing the tone holes. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the pad. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the configuration of the pad. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the pad. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main structure of the pad. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main structure of a pad of a comparative example.

The configuration of a woodwind instrument using pads 23 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 8. Woodwind instruments that use pads 23 include piccolos, flutes, oboes, clarinets, bass clarinets, saxophones, and bassoons, and so in this embodiment, a flute 1 will be used as an example of a woodwind instrument.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a flute 1 as an example of a woodwind instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the flute 1 taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the flute 1 taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, with the pads 23 covering the tone holes 12. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the pads 23, FIG. 5 is a side view showing the configuration of the pads 23, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the pads 23. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the outer peripheral edge of the pad 23 enlarged, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the outer peripheral edge of the pad 23 as a comparative example enlarged.

As shown in Figure 1, a flute 1, an example of a woodwind instrument, is formed in a tubular shape with one end closed and the other open. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the flute 1 comprises a tubular body 10, a lip plate 11 attached to the body 10, a plurality of tone holes 12 that protrude cylindrically from the outer periphery of the body 10, a plurality of keys 13 attached to the body 10 and capable of opening and closing each of the tone holes 12, a plurality of shafts 14 on which one or more keys 13 are rotatably attached, and a plurality of levers 15 for operating one or more of the shafts 14.

Such a flute 1 comprises a head joint 16, a body joint 17 connected to the head joint 16, and a foot joint 18 connected to the body joint 17; the head joint 16 is provided with a lip plate 11, and the body joint 17 and foot joint 18 are provided with multiple keys 13, multiple shafts 14, and multiple levers 15. The flute 1 produces a corresponding pitch by operating the keys 13 and/or levers 15 to selectively close the tone holes 12. Note that in the example shown in Figure 1, the foot joint 18 is an H-tube, but is not limited to this and may be a C-tube.

The main body 10 is formed by assembling the head joint 16, body joint 17, and foot joint 18 together. The end of the main body 10 opposite the end where the body joint 17 of the head joint 16 is connected is closed, and the end of the foot joint 18 opposite the end where the body joint 17 is connected is open, forming a tube with one closed end.

The lip plate 11 is attached to the head joint 16. The lip plate 11 has a mouthpiece 11a formed in it.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the tone hole 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape that is integral with the main body 10. The tone hole 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape that protrudes in a radial direction perpendicular to the central axis of the main body 10, and by opening, it provides fluid communication between the inside and outside of the main body 10.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the key 13 includes, for example, an arm 21, a cup 22 fixed to the arm 21, and a pad 23 attached to the cup 22. Furthermore, some of the multiple keys 13 have fasteners 24 that fix the pad 23 to the cup 22. For example, some of the multiple keys 13 may be formed as ring keys.

The arm 21 is fixed to the shaft 14's core 42 (described below) and the cup 22. By connecting the shaft 14 and the cup 22, the arm 21 is configured so that rotation of the shaft 14 can rotate the cup 22 around the shaft 14 as a rotation axis, and so that operation of the cup 22 can rotate the shaft 14.

The cup 22 is formed in a dish shape. As a specific example, the cup 22 has a disk-shaped top plate portion 22a and a tubular portion 22b provided on the top plate portion 22a. Note that here, disk-shaped includes shapes with no openings as well as shapes with an opening in the center; however, for the sake of convenience, shapes without an opening in the center will be defined as disk-shaped, and shapes with an opening in the center will be defined as annular plate-shaped.

As shown in Figure 2, the pad 23 moves away from the tone hole 12, thereby opening the opening of the tone hole 12. The pad 23 is also called a pad. As shown in Figure 3, the pad 23 comes into contact with the tip of the tone hole 12, thereby closing the opening of the tone hole 12. The pad 23 is formed in the shape of a disk, or, as shown in Figure 4, in the shape of an annular disk with an opening in the center. The pad 23 comprises a first substrate 31, a core 32, a covering material 33, and a second substrate 34.

The first substrate 31 is formed in the shape of a disk or an annular disk with an opening in the center. The first substrate 31 is formed from a resin material. The resin material forming the first substrate 31 is, for example, a material that has no or low moisture absorption, such as polyester. In addition, for example, the first substrate 31 has an adhesive layer formed from an adhesive or adhesive tape on the outer layers of both main surfaces.

The core 32 is formed in the shape of a disk, or an annular disk with an opening in the center. The core 32 is formed, for example, from felt fabric. Note that the material of the core 32 may be a material other than felt fabric, as long as it can function as the pad 23. A first substrate 31 is attached to one main surface of the core 32. Also, for example, the outer diameter of the core 32 is formed to be larger than the outer diameter of the first substrate 31. The outer diameter of the core 32 is formed to be the same as or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 22b of the cup 22. The outer diameter of the core 32 is formed to be larger than the outer diameter of the tone hole 12.

The covering material 33 is formed to a predetermined film thickness. For example, the covering material 33 covers the outer surfaces of the integrally assembled first substrate 31 and core 32. Specifically, the covering material 33 covers the main surface and outer peripheral surface of the core 32 where the first substrate 31 is not provided with a predetermined tension, and is fixed to the first substrate 31 by being attached to the first substrate 31. For example, the covering material 33 is formed in a film-like shape that is capable of covering the outer surfaces of the integrally assembled first substrate 31 and core 32. The main surface facing the tone hole 12 of the core 32 is positioned at the center of the covering material 33, and the covering material is attached to the first substrate 31 in a state where it covers the entire core 32.

Such a covering material 33 is formed from artificial leather. The covering material 33 is, for example, moisture-permeable. The covering material 33 is, for example, formed from a material whose main raw material is collagen or cellulose.

Furthermore, for example, one covering material 33 is used per pad 23, and the thickness of the covering material 33 is, for example, 0.03 mm to 0.04 mm. This is because if it is thinner than the lower limit of 0.03 mm, it will not be strong enough, and if it is above the upper limit of 0.04 mm, assembly (winding process) becomes more difficult. Here, assembly refers to a method of wetting the covering material 33, wrapping it around the core 32 and first substrate 31, and then drying it with an iron, creating wrinkles on the first substrate 31 side to secure it to the first substrate 31. If the thickness of the covering material 33 exceeds the upper limit, excess material may be left over when the wrinkles are created, or the thickness of the wrinkled areas may increase. This is more noticeable with relatively small pads 23, so pads 23 for relatively large woodwind instruments may have thicknesses that exceed this upper limit.

Furthermore, taking durability into consideration, the tensile strength of the covering material 33 is set to, for example, 15 N or more, preferably greater than 15 N, and more preferably 30 N or more. The upper limit of the tensile strength of the covering material 33 is set within the strength range of artificial leather made from materials primarily made of collagen or cellulose. For example, the tensile strength of the covering material 33 is 40 N.

The second substrate 34 is formed in a disk shape or an annular plate shape with an opening in the center. The second substrate 34 is formed from a resin material. The resin material forming the second substrate 34 is, for example, a material that is non-hygroscopic or has low hygroscopicity, such as polyester. The second substrate 34 also has adhesive layers formed from adhesive or adhesive tape on the outer layers of both main surfaces. For example, the second substrate 34 has the same configuration as the first substrate 31. Note that, for example, if the core 32 is disk-shaped, the first substrate 31 and the second substrate 34 are formed in a disk shape or annular plate shape, and if the core 32 is annular plate shape, the first substrate 31 and the second substrate 34 are formed in annular plate shape. The second substrate 34 is fixed on the covering material 33 fixed to the first substrate 31.

The thickness of the second substrate 34 is, for example, 0.25 mm or more, and preferably set to 0.25 mm to 0.30 mm. The lower limit of the thickness of the second substrate 34 is a thickness that allows the wrapping process to form unevenness on the first substrate 31 due to wrinkles on the covering material 33, but when the second substrate 34 covers the uneven covering material 33, the unevenness is not reflected on the second substrate 34, resulting in a smooth surface. The upper limit of the thickness of the second substrate 34 may be any value that achieves an optimal relationship between the thickness of the pad 23 and the depth of the cup 22. The first substrate 31 is set to the same thickness as the second substrate 34. This is because sharing parts reduces manufacturing costs. The thicknesses of the first substrate 31 and the second substrate 34 include the thickness of adhesive layers, if any, provided on both main surfaces of the substrates 31 and 34.

In this type of pad 23, the thickness of the core 32 is formed to be thicker than the thickness of the first substrate 31 and the thickness of the second substrate 34, and is also thicker than the thickness when the first substrate 31 and the second substrate 34 are laminated together. Furthermore, the thickness of the pad 23 is, for example, greater than the depth of the cup 22, i.e., the height of the tubular portion 22b of the cup 22 from the top plate portion 22a. When the pad 23 is fixed in the cup 22, for example, the covering material 33 that covers part of the core 32 and the main surface of the core 32 protrudes from the cup 22.

The fixing device 24 includes, for example, a washer 24a and a screw 24b. The washer 24a is formed in the shape of a circular disk that abuts against the center of the pad 23. The head of the screw 24b is held by the washer 24a, and the tip is threaded into a female thread 22c formed in the cup 22 to which the pad 23 is fixed by the fixing device 24, thereby fixing the pad 23 placed in the cup 22 to the cup 22. Note that the pad 23 may be adhered to the top plate 22a of the cup 22 with an adhesive, sticky tape, or other adhesive material without using the fixing device 24, or a combination of the fixing device 24 and an adhesive material may be used. For example, a circular disk-shaped pad 23 that does not have an opening in the center is fixed to the cup 22 with an adhesive material rather than the fixing device 24. Even a circular disk-shaped pad 23 can be fixed to the cup 22 with an adhesive material, even if, for example, the key 13 is a ring key.

The shaft 14 includes multiple posts 41 and multiple cores 42, each rotatably supported by two or more posts 41. The shaft 14 also includes a spring that biases the cores 42 in one direction around a single axis.

The multiple posts 41 are fixed to the outer surface of the main body 10. Of the multiple posts 41, at least the multiple posts 41 that rotatably support the same core bar 42 are arranged side by side in one direction, for example, along the central axis of the main body 10. Also, for example, some of the multiple posts 41 are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction of the main body 10 so that they can support the core bar 42 in a position that is tangent to the outer peripheral surface of the main body 10.

The core metal 42 is formed in a columnar or cylindrical shape that is long in one direction. The core metal 42 is biased by a spring in a direction that moves the fixed key 13 away from the tone hole 12, or in a direction that presses the pad 23 against the tone hole 12. The direction in which the spring biases the core metal 42 is set based on the initial positions of the multiple keys 13, i.e., the positions that cover the preset tone holes 12 and the positions that are spaced apart from the tone holes 12.

The lever 15 is connected to the core bar 42 and is configured so that it can rotate the core bar 42 when operated. The lever 15 is formed, for example, on part of the core bar 42.

A flute (woodwind instrument) 1 constructed in this manner uses a pad 23 whose outer surface is covered with a covering material 33, which is artificial skin. Here, since the artificial skin is manufactured using manufacturing equipment, it is formed flatter than natural skin and has a uniform thickness, without any unevenness. In other words, the covering material 33 is uniform and does not have any uneven parts. In this way, by ensuring the uniformity of the thickness of the covering material 33, the covering material 33 does not become weak in parts, and durability can be improved.

By ensuring uniformity in thickness, the covering material 33 can improve the dimensional accuracy of the pad 23 using the covering material 33 relative to the cup 22, thereby improving workability and shortening the time required for assembling the pad to the cup 22 and for adjustments after assembly. Furthermore, because the cup 22 and pad 23 have an optimal dimensional relationship, twisting of the pad 23 due to being pressed into the cup 22 when inserting the pad 23 into the cup 22 can be prevented, and water intrusion due to gaps occurring between the cup 22 and the pad 23 can be prevented.

Furthermore, in the process of covering the first base material 31 and core 32 with the covering material 33 and securing the pad 23 to the cup 22, the covering material 33 is wound around the first base material 31 and core 32 while under tension. Therefore, compared to conventional natural leather, which has an uneven thickness, the covering material 33 has a uniform thickness, and therefore shrinks uniformly after being wound around and secured to the first base material 31 and core 32. As a result, the thickness of the covering material 33 after being wound around the first base material 31 and core 32 is also uniform. This allows the pad 23 to abut uniformly against the tone hole 12. Furthermore, by abutting the pad 23 uniformly against the tone hole 12, a sufficient pressure area can be secured when pressed against the tone hole 12, and the uniform applied load prevents rutting. Furthermore, the core 32 and covering material 33 are easily restored, thereby improving the lifespan of the pad 23.

Furthermore, the pad 23 is prevented from absorbing moisture and expanding because the first substrate 31 and second substrate 34, which are provided on the main surface of the core 32 facing the cup 22, are made of a resin material. This means that the thickness of the pad 23 does not change, and it is held in the cup 22 in an optimal positional relationship with the tone hole 12.

Furthermore, the pad 23 is configured such that a first substrate 31 is attached to one main surface of the core 32, a covering material 33 wrapped around the core 32 is fixed to the first substrate 31, and a second substrate 34 is attached to the covering material 33 fixed to the first substrate 31. As a result, the portion of the covering material 33 fixed to the first substrate 31 is not exposed to the outside, and is covered by the second substrate 34.

As a result, the pad 23 can be fixed to the cup 22 in a preferred position. This effect will be explained in detail below using the comparative example shown in Figure 8. First, for example, in the pad 23A of the comparative example shown in Figure 8 as conventional technology, a backing 31A made of a paper base material is attached to one main surface of the core 32, and a covering material 33A made of natural leather is attached to the outer surface of the backing 31A. In this configuration, the backing 31A absorbs moisture and expands. Furthermore, because the portion of the covering material 33A attached to the backing 31A is exposed to the outside, the surface of the pad 23 facing the top plate portion 22a of the cup 22 is uneven rather than flat. Furthermore, if the backing 31A expands, there is a risk that the covering material 33A will further deform. For this reason, it can be difficult to position the pad 23A in the desired position relative to the cup 22, i.e., so that the main surface of the pad 23A that contacts the tone hole 12 is aligned in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 22b of the cup 22, and adjustment can take time.

In contrast, the pad 23 has a disk- or annular-plate-shaped second substrate 34 made of a resin material on the outer surface of the covering material 33 fixed to the first substrate 31, which abuts against the top plate 22a of the cup 22, so that it abuts against the top plate 22a on a flat surface or against an adhesive material provided on the top plate 22a. This allows the pad 23 to be fixed to the cup 22 in a preferred position.

Furthermore, by setting the thickness of the covering material 33 to 0.03 mm to 0.04 mm, it is possible to obtain suitable strength and to facilitate the assembly of the covering material 33 to the first base material 31 and core 32. Conventional pads using natural leather used two covering materials each approximately 0.02 mm thick, which required them to be assembled simultaneously to the core and backing board. This resulted in low strength per sheet, and not only did strength decrease due to thickness variations and irregularities, but the combination of the two covering materials during assembly could also result in greater thickness variations and irregularities. However, by using a single artificial leather covering material 33 with a thickness of 0.03 mm to 0.04 mm, as in this embodiment, assembly is facilitated, the strength of each covering material 33 is improved, and thickness variations are reduced, making this preferable compared to conventional covering materials.

Furthermore, by making the first substrate 31 and the second substrate 34 the same configuration, it is possible to reduce manufacturing costs. Furthermore, by making the thickness of the second substrate 34 0.25 mm or more, any irregularities that arise when the covering material 33 is wrapped around it are not reflected, and the surface facing the cup 22 is a smooth surface. Therefore, the pad 23 can be fixed to the cup 22 with high precision.

As described above, the pad 23 and woodwind instrument 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can improve durability and dimensional accuracy.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. As mentioned above, the pad 23 can be applied to various woodwind instruments 1, and the woodwind instrument 1 is not limited to a flute. Furthermore, the thickness of the covering material 33 described above can be set appropriately depending on the type of woodwind instrument 1 to which it is applied.

In other words, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the various embodiments may be implemented in appropriate combinations, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combining selected elements from the multiple elements disclosed. For example, if the problem can be solved and the desired effect can be obtained even if some elements are deleted from all elements shown in the embodiments, then the configuration from which these elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

1...flute (woodwind instrument), 10...body, 11...lip plate, 11a...mouthpiece, 12...tone hole, 13...key, 14...shaft, 15...lever, 16...head joint, 17...body joint, 18...foot joint, 21...arm, 22...cup, 22a...top plate portion, 22b...tubular portion, 23...pad, 23A...pad, 24...fixing device, 24a...washer, 24b...screw, 31...first base material, 31A...mounting cardboard, 32...core, 33...covering material, 33A...covering material, 34...second base material, 41...post, 42...core wire.

Claims (4)

A pad that covers the tone holes of a woodwind instrument,
A disk-shaped substrate;
a disk-shaped core provided on the substrate;
a coating material made primarily of collagen that covers the outer surfaces of the base material and the core;
Equipped with a tampon. the substrate is a first substrate,
the coating material is fixed to the first substrate;
The pad of claim 1 , further comprising a second substrate covering the covering material secured to the first substrate. The pad according to claim 2, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are formed from a resin material. The pad according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
a cup to which the pad is fixed;
a main body having a tone hole formed therein and closed by the cup;
A woodwind instrument that includes: