JP2011192413A - Operation switch and portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To strike a balance between miniaturization and superior operability, thereby enhancing satisfaction of a user. <P>SOLUTION: The operation switch 9, 9a includes a key top 15 bearing-supported in free rotation by a switch body 9b, and a contact point 23 for detecting rotation of the key top 15, contacts 26, 27, 28 and an FPC 45. The operation switch also includes an attachment 10 rotating around a sub rotating axis G2 arranged in parallel with a position of a main rotation axis G1 of the key top 15 at a surface 14 side of the key top 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation switch used for an HMI unit (Human Machine Interface) such as a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a digital camera, etc., and a portable terminal equipped with the operation switch. The present invention relates to an operation switch capable of rotating input and a portable terminal used for searching and the like.

  Conventionally, a multifunction switch has been proposed as an operation switch capable of detecting rotation (see Patent Document 1). This multifunction switch is described for the center switch, peripheral rotation detection and multi-directional input. Here, the multi-directional input device at the lower part of the rotation detection mechanism accepts inputs in five directions, up and down, left and right, and the center. In order to realize such multi-function input, it is necessary to have a certain size in size including the purpose of ensuring user operability.

  On the other hand, in the HMI part of a mobile device such as a mobile phone or a digital camera, the area of the LCD represented by the liquid crystal on the back is one of the expansions, and there is a problem of the arrangement place with the HMI part arranged in the vicinity. Has occurred. For this reason, downsizing of the HMI part is required.

  However, if the switch capable of rotating operation described above is downsized as it is, there is a problem that operability is deteriorated and it is difficult to use.

JP 2003-296006 A

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to realize both miniaturization and good operability and improve user satisfaction.

  The present invention is an operation switch including a rotation input body rotatably supported by a switch body, and a rotation detection unit that detects the rotation of the rotation input body, and on the surface side of the rotation input body, The operation switch includes a rotation operation body that rotates on a sub rotation shaft that is arranged in parallel at a position different from the main rotation shaft of the rotation input body.

The rotation detection unit can be configured by an appropriate detection unit such as a rotary encoder or a plurality of push switches arranged in a circle.
According to the present invention, both miniaturization and good operability can be realized, and user satisfaction can be improved.

As an aspect of the present invention, the rotary operation body can be disposed at a height at which the operating surface to be operated is different from the surface of the rotary input body.
Thereby, the user can operate a rotary operation body more easily and can obtain a favorable rotational operation feeling.

  In addition, as an aspect of the present invention, the rotation input body includes a guide holding unit that holds the rotation input body in a displacement-permissible posture from an operation standby posture to a depression sinking posture, and includes a depression detection unit that detects the depression of the rotation input body. it can.

  As a result, in addition to rotation detection, pressing detection is performed. For this reason, an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, such as menu selection and decision, parameter change and decision, and image selection and enlargement, is used in a small size. Can be offered at.

  As another aspect of the present invention, the press detection unit detects a center detection unit that detects that the center of the rotation input body is pressed, and detects the tilt pressing direction when the rotation input body is tilted and pressed. And a plurality of direction detectors.

  As a result, three types of inputs such as rotation input, direction input, and center press input are possible, and a wide variety of operation inputs can be detected in a small size.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable terminal including the operation switch, a control unit that executes a control operation according to an input signal input by the operation switch, and an output unit that outputs information according to a control signal of the control unit. can do.

  As a result, it is possible to provide a portable terminal equipped with a small-sized operation switch with good rotational operability, and it is possible to realize both various inputs to the portable terminal and downsizing of the operation switch.

  According to the present invention, both miniaturization and good operability can be realized, and user satisfaction can be improved.

The front view of the digital camera provided with the operation switch. The external appearance perspective view of an operation switch. The exploded perspective view which looked at the operation switch from the upper part. The exploded perspective view which looked at the operation switch from the lower part. The block diagram which shows the structure of the digital camera provided with the operation switch. The disassembled perspective view which isolate | separated the operation switch according to the unit. The exploded perspective view which looked at the operation switch of Example 2 from the upper part. The disassembled perspective view which looked at the operation switch of Example 2 from the downward direction. The disassembled perspective view which isolate | separated the operation switch of Example 2 according to the unit.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a digital camera 1 having an operation switch 9. The digital camera 1 is provided with a shutter button 3 for starting shooting on the right side of the upper surface, and a camera lens on the rear surface (not shown).

  A display device 2 is provided on the front surface of the digital camera 1, and an operation switch 9 is provided adjacent to the right side thereof. The operation switch 9 is used as a switch for setting shooting conditions of the digital camera 1 and a switch for selecting a stored photograph. A menu button 4 for displaying a menu screen or the like on the display 2 is provided above the operation switch 9, and a playback button 5 for displaying a photographed image is provided below the operation switch 9. .

  Next, the configuration of the operation switch 9 will be described. 2 is an external perspective view of the operation switch 9, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the operation switch 9 as viewed from above, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the operation switch 9 as viewed from below.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the operation switch 9 includes, in order from the top, an attachment 10 serving as a rotating operation body, a key top 15 serving as a rotation input body, a plate C substrate 20 serving as a movable contact plate for an encoder, a conductive piece, Contacts 26, 27, 28, a holder 30, a dome switch unit 40, and a metal base 55.

  Of these, the plate C substrate 20, the contacts 26, 27, 28, the holder 30, the dome switch unit 40, and the metal base 55 constitute a switch body 9b, and an attachment of the key top 15 to the switch body 9b. 10 is provided, and an operation switch 10 is configured.

The attachment 10 is formed in a disc shape from a synthetic resin material, and an operation surface 11 is provided on the upper surface. The operation surface 11 is preferably configured to have an uneven shape and increase the frictional force when a finger is placed on the operation surface 11. A mounting protrusion 12 shown in FIG. 4 is provided on the lower surface of the attachment 10 along the axis.
Note that the surface (the upper surface in the drawing) of the attachment 10 may be configured to prevent slipping by performing knurling.

  The key top 15 is formed in a disc shape from a synthetic resin material and has an annular cap shape. On the upper surface of the key top 15, a circular recess 16 is formed at a position between the center and the outer periphery as shown in FIG. An attachment attachment hole 17 is penetrated in the center of the recess 16 in the axial direction. The attachment protrusion 12 of the attachment 10 is inserted into the washer 13, and the attachment protrusion 12 is inserted into the attachment mounting hole 17 of the recess 16 of the key top 15, and is rotatably retained by the E-ring 18.

  On the lower surface of the key top 15, as shown in FIG. 4, an annular concave portion 15b surrounded by an annular flat portion, a support convex portion 19a projecting downward, and an outer peripheral flange 15c is formed. In addition, a disc-shaped support projection 19a protruding in the axial direction is provided at the center of the lower surface of the key top 15, and a smaller disc-shaped mounting projection 19b is provided on the lower surface of the support projection 19a. Yes. A pressing protrusion 19d for turning the switch ON / OFF is provided at the center lower end of the mounting protrusion 19b.

  The support convex portion 19a is provided with a plurality of concave portions 19c arranged on the lower surface in a circumferential shape. A ball 29 described later is fitted into the recess 19c. The mounting projection 19b has a lower end protruding toward the outer periphery.

  Further, a locking projection 15a is provided on the lower surface of the key top 15 at a position near the wall portion provided on the outer periphery.

  The plate C substrate 20 is fitted and attached to the annular recess 15 b formed on the inner surface of the key top 15. Here, the locking recess 21 of the plate C substrate 20 is engaged with the locking protrusion 15a of the key top 15, and the key top 15 and the plate C substrate 20 are fixed so as not to rotate relatively.

  The plate C board | substrate 20 is formed in the cyclic | annular form of the magnitude | size which can be fitted in the said annular recessed part 15b. In the center of the plate C substrate 20, a through hole 22 is formed through which the support convex portion 19a of the key top 15 is inserted. A locking recess 21 for engaging with the locking projection 15 a of the key top 15 is provided on a part of the outer periphery of the plate C substrate 20.

  In order to detect an encoder signal, a plurality of contacts 23 formed of a metal member are circumferentially arranged on the lower surface of the plate C substrate 20. The upper contacts 26a, 27a, 28a of the contacts 26, 27, 28 come into contact with the contact 23 and are energized to detect the rotation operation. Therefore, the lower surface of the plate C substrate 20 becomes the sliding contact surface 24. For this reason, the lower surface of the plate C substrate 20 is formed so as to have no unevenness or less. Thereby, the stable contact property of the upper contacts 26a, 27a, 28a with respect to the sliding contact surface 24 is ensured.

The contacts 26, 27, and 28 are formed of a conductive metal plate.
Among these, the contact 26 serving as a common conductive piece has, for example, three attachment holes 26c at the base end portion. Then, it is divided into two forks from the base end portion to the free end side, and one of them is an upper contact 26a extended upward with an elastic force, and the other is extended downward with an elastic force. The lower contact 26b is taken out.

  The contact 27 serving as the first conductive piece is provided for detecting the first signal, and has a mounting hole 27 c at the base end as in the case of the contact 26. One of the free ends divided into two forks from the base end is an upper contact 27a that extends upward with elasticity and the other is a lower contact that extends downward with elasticity It is a child 27b.

  The contact 28 serving as the second conductive piece is provided for detecting the second signal, and has a mounting hole 28 c at the base end portion, like the contact 26. One of the free ends divided into two forks from the base end is an upper contact 28a that extends upward with elasticity and the other is a lower contact that extends downward with elasticity Child 28b.

  Then, the upper contacts 26a, 27a, 28a of these contacts 26, 27, 28 are in sliding contact with the above-described sliding contact surface 24 with a certain elastic force. Moreover, the free end side of each contact 26,27,28 is extended long in parallel with the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side. These three contacts 26, 27 and 28 are held by a holder 30 which will be described later and three are arranged in the circumferential direction.

  The contact 23 of the slidable contact surface 24 is a ring-shaped common contact side where the outer peripheral side is always conductive and a constant signal is obtained, and the inner peripheral side protrudes inward and a pulse signal output side from which an intermittent signal is obtained. Become. For this reason, the contact 26 becomes an upper contact 26 a on the outer peripheral side, and the upper contact 26 a becomes a common contact that always conducts on the rotation locus of the sliding contact surface 24. The contacts 27 and 28 have upper contacts 27 a and 28 a on the inner peripheral side, and the upper contacts 27 a and 28 a intermittently contact with the protrusions of the contact 23 on the rotation locus of the sliding contact surface 24. It becomes a contact which outputs a pulse signal as a rotary encoder.

  Further, the contacts 27 and 28 further divide the free end side of the upper contacts 27a and 28a into two parts. Thereby, a stable elastic action is obtained by the divided contacts, and a smooth contact action is obtained when contacting the contact.

  The holder 30 is formed in an annular body having the same size as the key top 15 by a soft material such as POM resin (POM: polyoxymethylene), ABS resin (ABS: acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), or a mixed resin thereof. Has been. The holder 30 is supported by a metal base 55, which will be described later, so that it can move up and down without rotation. On the upper surface of the holder 30, three protrusions 31 for fitting and fixing the contacts 26, 27, 28 are projected in the circumferential direction. The contacts 26, 27, 28 are attached to the upper surface of the holder 30 by fitting the mounting holes 26 c, 27 c, 28 c of the contacts 26, 27, 28 to the protrusions 31. Thereby, the upper contacts 26a, 27a, 28a are attached in a state of extending obliquely upward suitable for contact. Further, on the upper surface of the holder 30, three arc-shaped lower contactor insertion holes 32 opened in the circumferential direction are opened. The lower contacts 26b, 27b, 28b are inserted downward into the lower contact insertion hole 32. Accordingly, the lower contacts 26 b, 27 b, 28 b extend obliquely downward suitable for contact from the lower surface of the holder 30.

  On the inner peripheral side of the upper surface of the holder 30, an annular protrusion 36 that protrudes in an annular shape is formed. The annular convex portion 36 corresponds to the bottom surface of the support convex portion 19 a of the key top 15. A part of the annular convex portion 36 is cut out in a U-shape to form an elastic support portion 38. A ball receiving recess 38a is provided on the upper surface of the elastic support portion 38, and the ball 29 is held by the ball receiving recess 38a so as to be movable up and down. Accordingly, when the key top 15 rotates, the ball 29 is repeatedly fitted, pulled out, fitted,... Into the plurality of concave portions 19 c on the lower surface of the support convex portion 19 a provided to the annular convex portion 36. A good click feeling in the rotation operation can be obtained by this fitting and coming out.

  A mounting hole 35 is provided in the center of the annular convex portion 36 of the holder 30. A mounting protrusion 19b of the key top 15 is inserted into the mounting hole 35, and the mounting protrusion 19b is rotatably prevented from being attached to an annular disk-shaped connecting plate 39 disposed below. Thereby, the outer peripheral lower end of the key top 15 and the upper surface of the holder 30 can be in close contact with each other, and the grease injected into the annular recess 15b can be prevented from leaking in order to maintain smooth contact.

  In addition, on the outer peripheral surface of the holder 30, four holding pieces 34 projecting outward are arranged every 90 degrees in the circumferential direction. The holding piece 34 is held by a metal base 55 described later.

A dome switch unit 40 is provided below the holder 30.
The dome switch unit 40 is a unit in which a dome sheet 41, a dome contact 43, and an FPC 45 serving as a substrate are stacked and integrated in this order. The dome switch unit 40 is mounted on the upper surface of the metal base 55 by attaching the lower layer FPC 45 to the upper surface of the metal base 55.

  The FPC 45 is a printed circuit board, and has a contact 49a to be a center fixed contact 49 and a constant contact 49b at the center. Further, three common fixed contacts 46, first fixed contacts 47, and second fixed contacts 48 are provided in the circumferential direction so as not to overlap the central fixed contact 49.

  A dome contact 43 is mounted so as to correspond to one central fixed contact 49, and the upper surface is covered with a dome sheet 41 so that the dome contact 43 is stuck to a fixed position of the FPC 45. Thus, a central switch S1 is provided which is installed corresponding to the pressed position where the center of the key top 15 is pressed.

  In the dome contact 43, the central contact is the apex, the outer common contact is located at the lower end, and is always in contact with the contact 49b. The contact at the apex is spaced apart from the contact 49a with a sufficient clearance (clearance) in a normal state where the pressing operation is not performed, and when the pressing strength exceeds a predetermined strength, the contact is reversed to contact the contact 49a and energize. .

  The metal base 55 is formed of a metal disc that is slightly larger than the key top 15. On the outer peripheral side of the metal base 55, an up-down guide piece 56 having an inverted concave shape is erected and protruded from its four bottom surfaces. The lifting guide piece 56 engages the holding piece 34 of the holder 30 described above in a reverse concave shape. Thereby, the pressing stroke length can be raised and lowered. When the holding pieces 34 are respectively engaged and held by the four raising / lowering guide pieces 56, the key top 15 held by the holder 30 descends from the operation standby posture in the pressed direction and is depressed. Become posture. Accordingly, the key top 15 functions as a switch by depression of the central switch S1 by sinking by a certain pressing stroke amount as the entire key top 15.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the digital camera 1 including the operation switch 9 configured as described above.

  The digital camera 1 is connected to a control unit 92 and is provided with a low-pass filter 91, operation buttons 3, 4, 5, a power supply unit 96, a display 2, a flash 93, a camera unit 94, and a storage unit 95.

  An operation switch 9 is connected to the low-pass filter 91. When the low pass filter 91 receives a signal due to momentary energization (for example, 1 μs or less) from the dome contact 43 of the operation switch 9, this signal is cut so as not to be detected, and a signal due to energization for a longer time than that. Only to the control unit 92. This prevents malfunctions when the operation switch 9 is momentarily pressed down due to a collision or the like.

The operation buttons 3, 4, and 5 (the shutter button 3, the menu button 4, and the playback button 5 illustrated in FIG. 1) transmit a pressing signal that is pressed by the user to the control unit 92.
The power supply unit 96 supplies power to each unit.

  The display 2 displays an image according to the control signal from the control unit 92. This image can be an image captured by the camera unit 94, an image captured and stored in the storage unit 95, a menu image, or the like.

The flash 93 emits strobe light in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 92.
The camera unit 94 captures an image according to the control signal from the control unit 92 and transmits the captured image to the control unit 92.

  The storage unit 95 reads and writes data according to the control signal from the control unit 92. The data may be appropriate data such as captured image data captured by the camera unit 94 and a program for displaying a menu screen.

  With this configuration, the digital camera 1 operates in accordance with the operation of the operation switch 9 and the operation buttons 3, 4, 5, and is used for shooting such as illumination by the flash 93, shooting by the camera unit 94, and display of the shot image on the display 2. Necessary operations can be performed.

Next, an operation when the operation switch 9 is operated by a user using the digital camera 1 will be described.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the state in which the operation switch 9 is separated into the operation side unit U1, the intermediate unit U2, and the base unit U3.

  Here, the operation side unit U <b> 1 includes the attachment 10, the key top 15, and the plate C substrate 20.

  The intermediate unit U <b> 2 includes contacts 26, 27, 28 and a holder 30.

  The base unit U3 includes a dome switch unit 40 and a metal base 55.

  As shown by an arrow Y3, the operation side unit U1 rotates freely in a forward and reverse direction relative to the intermediate unit U2 around the main rotation axis G1. Further, the attachment 10 in the operation side unit U1 rotates freely in a forward and backward direction relative to the key top 15 around the auxiliary rotation axis G2, as indicated by an arrow Y2. Thus, when the user places a finger on the operation surface 11 of the attachment 10 and rotates in the direction of the arrow Y3, the attachment 10 is not rotated relative to the finger, and the attachment 10 is placed on the key top 15. The operation side unit U1 rotates relative to the intermediate unit U2 while rotating relative to the intermediate unit U2.

  At this time, the contact 23 provided in the operation side unit U1 rotates, and by this rotation, contact / non-contact between the contact 23 and the contacts 26, 27, 28 is switched, so that a rotation operation is detected and a rotation signal is output. it can.

  The intermediate unit U2 is attached to the operation side unit U1 so as not to move relative to the pressing direction (the vertical direction in the figure) and to be relatively rotatable. The intermediate unit U2 is attached to the base unit U3 so as to be movable up and down.

  Therefore, when the center of the operation side unit U1 (the center of the key top 15) is pressed, the intermediate unit U2 moves downward together with the intermediate unit U2 and moves in the proximity direction relative to the metal base 55. When the pressing of the center of the operation side unit U1 is released, the intermediate unit U2 moves upward together with the operation side unit U1, and moves in the separation direction relative to the metal base 55. During this up and down movement operation, the pressing protrusion 19d that protrudes from the center of the bottom surface of the key top 15 presses / releases the central switch S1 of the dome switch unit 40 to turn on / off the switch, and output a pressing signal.

  Since the rotation signal and the press signal detected in this way are transmitted to the control unit 92 through the low-pass filter 91 described above, they are cut so as not to become operation signals if they are instantaneous signals due to collision.

  Upon receiving the rotation signal, the control unit 92 executes the instructed operation. The instructed operation is an appropriate operation, for example, sequentially switching the reproduced images displayed on the display 2, switching a shooting mode such as the presence or absence of a flash or white balance, and performing a setting operation such as time setting. be able to.

  Further, the control unit 92 that has received the press signal executes the instructed operation. The instructed operation can be an appropriate operation such as a determination operation of a menu screen or an enlargement operation of an image being reproduced and displayed.

  Further, when the operation side unit U1 is rotated, the ball 29 is urged by the elastic support portion 38 to the recess 19c (see FIG. 4) of the key top 15, so that the ball 29 is moved into the plurality of recesses 19c. By repeating the fitting / removal in order, the rotation operation is clearly transmitted to the operator's hand, and a good click feeling can be obtained.

With the above configuration and operation, it is possible to achieve both miniaturization and good operability, and improve user satisfaction.
Since the attachment 10 rotates relative to the key top 15, the key top 15 can be easily rotated even when the size of the operation switch 9 is reduced and the key top 15 becomes smaller. That is, when the key top 15 is pressed directly with a finger and the key top 15 is rotated without changing the direction of the finger, it is necessary to rotate the key top 15 while sliding the finger. And if the key top 15 becomes small, the area where a frictional force is generated between the finger and the key top 15 becomes relatively large, and it becomes difficult to slide the finger, which makes it difficult to turn. However, in the first embodiment described above, since the attachment 10 can freely rotate with respect to the key top 15 without sliding the finger pressing the attachment 10, the same effect as sliding the finger with respect to the key top 15 is achieved. Thus, even if the key top 15 is small, it can be rotated smoothly.

  Further, since the height of the surface 14 (see FIG. 3) of the key top 15 and the operation surface 11 of the attachment 10 are different, the user can easily distinguish the key top 15 and the attachment 10 and rotate them with a good feeling of operation. Can do. In particular, in this embodiment, since the surface of the attachment 10 is higher than the surface of the key top 15, the user can easily place a finger on the attachment 10 and can perform a rotation operation with a very good operational feeling.

  In addition, since the dome switch unit 40 also detects a pressing operation, the rotation operation and the pressing operation can be intuitively understood according to the operation content such as menu selection and determination, parameter change and determination, or image selection and enlargement. An easy-to-use interface can be provided in a small size.

  Further, since the attachment 10 is arranged in such a size that the outer periphery does not cover the main rotation axis of the key top 15, no matter where the user places the finger on the attachment 10, the finger 10 can be placed on the rotation axis of the key top 15. Can be prevented from being positioned and difficult to rotate, and a satisfactory rotating operation can be realized at any time.

  Further, since the operation switch 9 can detect the rotation operation and the center press, it can function as a rotary JOG / unidirectional input composite switch.

Next, the operation switch 9A according to the second embodiment configured to be able to detect the direction will be described.
7 shows an exploded perspective view of the operation switch 9A as viewed from above, and FIG. 8 shows an exploded perspective view of the operation switch 9A as viewed from below.

  The operation switch 9A includes an attachment 10 serving as a rotation operation body, a key top 15 serving as a rotation input body, a plate C substrate 20 serving as a movable contact plate for an encoder, contacts 26, 27, and 28 serving as conductive pieces, a holder 30A, dome switch unit 40A, metal base 55A, direction dome switch unit 60, and metal base 80 are provided.

  Of these, the attachment 10, the key top 15, the plate C substrate 20, the contacts 26, 27, and 28, the holder 30A, and the dome switch unit 40A are the same as those in the first embodiment except for the differences described below. Since it is a structure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same element and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

The holder 30 </ b> A is different from the first embodiment in that four holding pieces 33 are provided on the outer periphery, and other configurations are the same as those of the holder 30 of the first embodiment.
The FPC 45A of the dome switch unit 40A is provided with a connecting portion L as a difference from the first embodiment, and the other configuration is the same as the FPC 45 of the dome switch unit 40 of the first embodiment.
The metal base 55A is different from the first embodiment in that a fulcrum protrusion 58 is provided at the center of the lower surface, and four pressing protrusions 57 are provided around the metal base 55A. Is the same. The four pressing projections 57 are all arranged at positions facing the apex of the dome contact 65, and are configured to have a projection amount smaller than the fulcrum projection 58.

  The direction dome switch unit 60 is formed by stacking and integrating a dome sheet 61, four dome contacts 65, and an FPC 70 serving as a substrate in this order. By attaching the lower layer FPC 70 to the upper surface of the metal base 80, the direction dome switch unit 60 is mounted on the upper surface of the metal base 80.

  The FPC 70 is a printed wiring board, and includes a contact 71a and a constant contact 71b, which are directional fixed contacts 71, which are equally arranged in a circumferential manner at four locations.

  Then, four dome contacts 65 are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence corresponding to the four direction fixed contacts 71, and the upper surface is covered with the dome sheet 61 so that the dome contact 65 does not move to a fixed position of the FPC 70. Is pasted. Thereby, the direction switch S2 installed corresponding to the pressed position where the top, bottom, left and right of the key top 15 are pressed is configured.

  The FPC 70 has a connecting portion L, and is physically and electrically connected to the FPC 45 by the connecting portion L. That is, the FPCs 45 and 70 are one EPC, and are configured to bend at the connecting portion L so that the FPC 45 and the FPC 70 face each other, and the metal base 55A, the dome sheet 61, and the dome contact 65 are sandwiched between the facing surfaces.

  The dome contact 65 has a central contact as the apex, and the outer peripheral common contact is located at the lower end and always contacts the contact 71b. The contact at the apex is spaced apart from the contact 71a with a sufficient clearance (clearance) in a normal state where the pressing operation is not performed, and when the pressing strength exceeds a predetermined strength, the contact is reversed to contact the contact 71a and energize. .

  The metal base 80 is formed of a metal disc that is slightly larger than the key top 15. On the outer peripheral side of the metal base 80, up-down guide pieces 81 having an inverted concave shape are provided in a protruding manner from the bottom surfaces of the four sides. The lifting guide piece 81 engages the holding piece 33 of the holder 30 </ b> A described above in a reverse concave shape. Thereby, the holder 30A can be tilted. When the holding pieces 33 are respectively engaged and held by the four raising / lowering guide pieces 81, the key top 15 held by the holder 30A is lowered in the pressed direction. Accordingly, when the center is pressed, the key top 15 sinks by a certain pressing stroke amount as the entire key top 15 and presses the center switch S1, and when the surrounding is pressed, the key top 15 has a certain pressing stroke amount. Only one of the direction switches S2 (or two adjacent ones) is depressed and functions as a switch. When two adjacent directional switches S2 are pressed, it can be detected as an oblique input.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the operation switch 9A is separated into the operation side unit V1, the intermediate unit V2, the intermediate base unit V3, and the bottom base unit V4.

  Here, the operation side unit V <b> 1 includes the attachment 10, the key top 15, and the plate C substrate 20.

  The intermediate unit V2 includes contacts 26, 27, and 28 and a holder 30A.

  The intermediate base unit V3 includes a dome switch unit 40A and a metal base 55A.

  The bottom base unit V4 includes a directional dome switch unit 60 and a metal base 80.

  The operations of the operation side unit V1, the intermediate unit V2, and the intermediate base unit V3 are the same as those of the operation side unit U1, the intermediate unit U2, and the base unit U3 described in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. .

  The bottom base unit V4 is attached to the intermediate unit V2 so as to be tiltable. Then, between the bottom base unit V4 and the intermediate unit V2, as shown in FIG. 8, an intermediate base unit V3 having a pressing projection 57 on the bottom surface is sandwiched.

  When the operation side unit V1 is pressed in any of the four directions as indicated by the arrow Y4, the operation side unit V1, the intermediate unit V2, and the intermediate base unit V3 are integrally tilted and provided on the bottom base unit V4. The direction switch S2 is pressed to output a direction pressing signal.

  Thereby, in addition to the rotation operation and the center pressing operation described in the first embodiment, a direction pressing operation can be detected.

  With the above configuration and operation, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, it is possible to detect a direction input. That is, three types of input such as rotation input, direction input, and center press input are possible, and various operation inputs can be detected in a small size.

  Further, the operation switch 9A functions as a five-way switch by the dome contact 43 in the central direction and the dome contact 65 in the four directions, and functions as a rotation switch by the plate C substrate 20 and the contacts 26, 27, 28. Can function as a formula JOG / multidirectional input composite switch.

  In this way, the operation switch 9A serving as a rotary JOG / multidirectional input composite switch can be reduced in area and functioned without impairing the rotational operation feeling.

  Note that the operation switches 9 described in the first embodiment can be concentrated in only one central direction (decision key) instead of the five directions as in the second embodiment, and can be specialized in a selection function of only rotation and determination. .

  As described above, in both the first and second embodiments, the structure can be easily rotated with a small area, and the key top 15 that is a component that inherently rotates the attachment 10 that is a finger pad component can be used. On the other hand, it is possible to make the surface structure easy to rotate by making the rotation free structure completely free of rotation.

  In addition, the attachment 10 is free from the key top 15 by the structure in which the center (rotation axis) of the small radius radius 10 is eccentric with respect to the center (rotation axis) of the key top 15 having a large radius. Can be rotated.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The portable terminal of the present invention corresponds to the digital camera 1 of the embodiment,
Similarly,
The output means corresponds to the display device 2,
The rotary operation body corresponds to the attachment 10,
The surface of the rotary input body corresponds to the surface 14,
The rotary input body corresponds to the key top 15,
The rotation detector corresponds to the contact 23, the contacts 26, 27, 28, and the FPCs 45, 45A.
The guide holding part corresponds to the lifting guide piece 56 and the lifting guide piece 81,
The control means corresponds to the control unit 92,
The pressing detection unit corresponds to the central switch S1 and the direction switch S2,
The center detector corresponds to the center switch S1,
The direction detector corresponds to the direction switch S2,
The present invention is not limited only to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many embodiments can be obtained.

  The present invention can be used in mobile devices such as mobile phones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and digital cameras, or HMI units (Human Machine Interfaces) such as remote controllers, and in particular, search and determination of music, image data, and content. It can be used for operation switches that can be used for multi-function input.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital camera, 2 ... Display, 9, 9A ... Operation switch, 9b ... Switch main body, 10 ... Attachment, 11 ... Operation surface, 14 ... Surface, 15 ... Key top, 23 ... Contact, 26, 27, 28 ... Contact, 45, 45A ... FPC, 56, 81 ... Elevating guide piece, 92 ... Control unit, S1 ... Central switch, S2 ... Direction switch, G1 ... Main rotating shaft, G2 ... Sub rotating shaft

Claims (5)

An operation switch including a rotation input body rotatably supported by the switch body, and a rotation detection unit that detects rotation of the rotation input body,
An operation switch comprising a rotation operation body that rotates on a surface of the rotation input body by a sub rotation shaft arranged in parallel at a position different from the main rotation axis of the rotation input body. The rotary operation body is:
The operation switch according to claim 1, wherein an operation surface to be operated is disposed at a height different from a surface of the rotary input body. A guide holding unit for allowing the rotation input body to be displaced from an operation standby posture to a depressed sinking posture;
The operation switch according to claim 1, further comprising a press detection unit that detects the sinking of the rotary input body. The pressing detection unit
A center detection unit for detecting that the center of the rotating input body has been pressed;
The operation switch according to claim 3, further comprising: a plurality of direction detection units that detect a tilt pressing direction when the rotation input body is tilted and pressed. An operation switch according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Control means for executing a control operation in accordance with an input signal operated by the operation switch;
A portable terminal comprising output means for outputting information according to a control signal of the control means.

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