Application and Validation of a Linear Electromagnetic Actuator within a Haptic Piano Key

Using a linear actuator in a digital keyboard allows to reproduce the touch of an acoustic piano action. This work consists in the design of a one-key prototype actuated by a linear electromagnetic voice coil. A presizing step along with a Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis produced a custom-made actuator satisfying the design requirements, in particular the touch dynamics performances. Force high peaks up to 50 (N) are reachable with low power consumption. Compared to previous solutions, the key physical characteristics are preserved. In addition, experimental validation of the actuator within the prototype is developed and confirms the proof-of-concept.