JP5517846B2 - Multi-directional operation member and electronic device including the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a multidirectional operation member operable in a plurality of directions and an electronic apparatus including the multidirectional operation member.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, input devices that can be operated in multiple directions have been used in electronic devices such as in-vehicle devices, mobile phones, and acoustic devices. As an input device that can be operated in multiple directions, for example, a so-called touchpad type input device (see, for example, Patent Document 1) or a joystick-shaped input device (see, for example, Patent Document 2) is known. It has been. In the input device described in Patent Literature 1, the user can touch the operation plate lightly and can perform operations in multiple directions according to the touched position. Further, in the input device described in Patent Document 2, the user can operate in multiple directions according to the movement of the input member by tilting the joystick-shaped input member back and forth and left and right.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-083819 US Pat. No. 5,521,596

  Depending on the user's viewpoint, there are cases where it is desired to operate in multiple directions by lightly touching, and cases where it is desired to operate in multiple directions by physically moving the input member. In order to meet such a user's request, it is also possible to provide both of these two input devices in an electronic device. However, under recent circumstances in which downsizing of electronic devices and downsizing of the operation area are progressing, it is desired that the input device described in Patent Document 1 and the input device described in Patent Document 2 be one input device. ing.

  The present invention is an input device that achieves such a demand, and a multidirectional operation member that can selectively use both a multidirectional operation function according to a touched position and a multidirectional operation function according to the movement of the input member, and the same An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device including the above.

  In order to achieve the above object, an embodiment of the multidirectional operation member of the present invention includes an input member that can move substantially horizontally to the operation surface and that can detect at least a position touched by a user's finger, A substrate that can move together with the input member, and a sensor unit that is provided to face the side surface of the input member or the outer peripheral edge of the substrate, and that is elastically deformed by the movement of the input member or the substrate.

  Further, the sensor unit may be disposed to face the side surface of the substrate, and at least one sensor unit may be provided to face at least one side surface of the substrate.

  A switch member that detects pressing of the operation surface may be further provided between the input member and the substrate.

  Moreover, one Embodiment of the electronic device of this invention is taken as the electronic device provided with the above-mentioned multidirectional operation member.

  Furthermore, the multidirectional operation member may be provided adjacent to the keyboard.

  The present invention provides an electronic device that provides a multidirectional operation member that can selectively use both a multidirectional operation function according to a touched position and a multidirectional operation function according to the movement of an input member, and an electronic device including the same. it can.

In an electronic device provided with a multidirectional operation member concerning an embodiment of the invention, it is a perspective view showing a state where a user puts a hand in a home position. It is a disassembled perspective view of the multidirectional operation member which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view at the time of seeing the multidirectional operation member which concerns on embodiment of this invention from the operation surface side. It is sectional drawing at the time of cut | disconnecting the multidirectional operation member shown in FIG. 3 by the AA line. FIG. 4 is a plan view seen from the operation surface side when the touch pad of the multidirectional operation member shown in FIG. 3 is moved in the west direction. It is sectional drawing at the time of cut | disconnecting the multidirectional operation member shown in FIG. 5 by the BB line. FIG. 4 is a plan view seen from the operation surface side when the touch pad of the multidirectional operation member shown in FIG. 3 is moved in the northwest direction.

  Next, an embodiment of a multidirectional operation member according to the present invention and an electronic apparatus including the multidirectional operation member will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a laptop computer 1 which is an example of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the laptop computer 1 includes a keyboard 2 composed of a plurality of keys and a multidirectional operation member 3. The multidirectional operation member 3 is a member that can be operated in multiple directions and also functions as a touch pad. The multidirectional operation member 3 is provided adjacent to the keyboard 2. In FIG. 1, a keyboard for character input such as a so-called QWERTY layout or a JIS layout is illustrated as the keyboard 2, but the keyboard 2 is not limited to this form and may be used for any purpose. In this specification, “adjacent to the keyboard 2” includes a case where a part or all of the keyboard 2 is surrounded, and a case where the keyboard 2 is adjacent to the keyboard 2 with a gap. The laptop computer 1 has a control unit (not shown) that processes information input from the keyboard 2 and the multidirectional operation member 3 and controls each unit.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the multidirectional operation member 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the multidirectional operation member 3 as viewed from the operation surface side. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the multidirectional operation member 3 cut along a line AA in FIG. 3 along a plane perpendicular to the operation surface. In FIG. 3, the thickness ratio of each member is changed for easy viewing. In the drawings other than the cross-sectional views, illustration of the elastic member (described later) is omitted for easy viewing. 3, 5, and 7, the upper side is referred to as “north”, the right side as “east”, the lower side as “south”, and the left side as “west”.

  The multidirectional operation member 3 has a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape having a rectangular operation surface having a long side of 3 to 10 cm and a short side of 2 to 7 cm. The multidirectional operation member 3 mainly includes the touch pad 10, the buffer layer 20, the substrate 30, and the accommodating portion 40.

  The touch pad 10 as an input member is exposed on the operation surface side of the multidirectional operation member 3. Any touch pad 10 may be used as long as the touched position can be detected when a user's finger or object touches the touch pad 10. For example, a touch pad such as a capacitance type, a resistance film type, or an infrared type can be used. Among these, it is preferable to use a capacitive touch pad 10 suitable for operation with a finger. The capacitive touch pad 10 can detect the position of the finger or the conductor based on a change in the capacitance that occurs when the user's finger or conductor touches the touch pad 10. The touch pad 10 is formed by laminating a protective layer 11, a conductive film layer 12, and a reinforcing layer 13 in order from the operation surface side.

  The protective layer 11 is a layer provided for protecting the touch pad 10, improving the appearance, and controlling the friction coefficient of the surface of the touch pad 10. The protective layer 11 also functions as a dielectric layer between the conductive film layer 12 and the finger (considered as an electrode). As the protective layer 11, for example, a thermoplastic silicone resin layer can be used.

  The conductive film layer 12 functions as an electrode. Detection units (not shown) are provided at the four corners of the conductive film layer 12 and a very weak current is continuously supplied from each detection unit (not shown). When a conductor such as a human finger touches the touch pad 10, the current flowing through the conductive film layer 12 changes due to the change in capacitance. The amount of change in the current is inversely proportional to the distance from each detection unit (not shown) to the touched point. Therefore, the control unit (not shown) can obtain the coordinates of the position touched by a conductor such as a finger from the current value detected by each detection unit (not shown).

  The reinforcing layer 13 is a layer for reinforcing the touch pad 10. For example, the reinforcing layer 13 is made of a resin such as polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin, acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene resin, or polyethylene terephthalate resin. Further, the reinforcing layer 13 may be provided to adjust the color of the touch pad 10 visually recognized from the operation surface.

  The buffer layer 20 is a layer that cushions an impact when the touchpad 10 is operated. The buffer layer 20 is preferably made of an elastic and elastic member, for example, a sponge mainly made of silicone. In addition, the buffer layer 20 has a hole 21 in the approximate center when viewed from the operation surface. When the user presses the touch pad 10, the touch pad 10 is pushed down, a switch member 32 described later is pushed in, and the switch can be turned on or off. The buffer layer 20 is a member that supports the touch pad 10 by connecting the touch pad 10 and the substrate 30 so that the touch pad 10 and the substrate 30 can be interlocked when the touch pad 10 is moved from east to west, south, and north. Also serves as.

  The substrate 30 electrically connects the switch member 32. A flexible printed circuit board (not shown) is disposed on the side surface of the substrate 30 as viewed from the operation surface. The flexible printed circuit board has a contact 31 at a position facing a sensor unit 44 described later. Note that the flexible printed circuit board may be bent from the front surface side of the substrate 30 along the side surface of the substrate 30. In such a case, the flexible printed circuit board may have a contact point 31 and a switch member 32 described later. Further, the flexible printed circuit board may be provided on the back side of the substrate 30. Since the substrate 30 is connected to the touch pad 10 by the buffer layer 20, the substrate 30 can move integrally with the touch pad 10 when the touch pad 10 moves horizontally with respect to the operation surface. In addition, another resin plate may be attached to the back side of the substrate 30 so that the substrate 30 can easily move horizontally inside the housing portion 40. In such a case, the other resin plate may be fitted to a guide rail provided inside the housing portion 40 and moved along the guide rail.

  The contact 31 has a function of detecting a change in the amount of parallel movement of the touchpad 10 by the user via the sensor unit 44. As the contact 31, for example, a pair of comb-like electrodes can be used. When the sensor unit 44 is brought into contact with such a contact 31, first, the electrodes are energized from the time when both of the pair of comb-shaped electrodes are touched. Furthermore, the electrical resistance value between both electrodes decreases as the contact area between the sensor unit 44 and the contact 31 increases. That is, when a horizontal force is applied to the substrate 30 by the user, the electrical resistance value between the pair of electrodes constituting the contact 31 is reduced according to the force.

  The switch member 32 is a member for turning on or off the switch by pressing the touch pad 10. The switch member 32 is disposed on the surface of the substrate 30 and inside the hole of the buffer layer 20. For example, the switch member 32 includes a conductive dome member (not shown) that protrudes in a reverse saddle shape toward the surface side in order to realize a switch operation with a click feeling. A fixed contact (not shown) and a conductive part (not shown) are formed on the substrate 30 as a wiring pattern, and the dome member is disposed on the substrate 30 so as to cover the fixed contact. The dome member is electrically connected to the conductive portion. In such a case, when the user presses the touch pad 10, the buffer layer 20 contracts, and the touch pad 10 pushes the dome member, so that the dome member bends and the apex of the dome member contacts the fixed contact. And the conductive portion are electrically connected. On the other hand, when the user releases the press of the touch pad 10, the buffer layer 20 is elastically returned to the original shape, the dome portion is separated from the fixed contact, and the fixed contact and the conductive portion are in a non-conductive state. By such conduction / non-conduction, ON / OFF of the switch is switched.

  The accommodating portion 40 has a bottom surface 41 and a side wall 42. The side wall 42 is a frame-like member that extends from the end of the bottom surface 41 in the operation surface direction. Inside the concave portion formed by the bottom surface 41 and the side wall 42, the touch pad 10 and the substrate 30 connected by the buffer layer 20 are disposed so as to be horizontally movable with respect to the operation surface. The inner circumference formed by the side wall 42 of the accommodating portion 40 is larger by 0.2 to 1 mm in each direction of east, west, south, and north than the outer circumferences of the touch pad 10, the buffer layer 20, and the substrate 30. Accordingly, the touch pad 10, the buffer layer 20, and the substrate 30 can move in any direction at 360 degrees as long as the direction is horizontal to the operation surface inside the concave portion of the housing portion 40.

  The elastic member 43 has one end fixed to the side surface of the touch pad 10 and the other end fixed to the inner peripheral side of the side wall 42. The elastic member 43 is preferably composed of a flexible elastic body, for example, a sheet made of thermosetting elastomer such as urethane resin, thermoplastic elastomer, silicone rubber, or natural rubber. Among these materials, it is preferable to use a bellows-like member made of a urethane elastomer that is a kind of thermoplastic elastomer and has excellent durability. In addition, when the elastic member 43 is comprised from the member which can be expanded and contracted enough to follow the parallel movement of the touchpad 10, the elastic member 43 does not need to be bellows shape. Further, when the elastic member 43 is made of a material rich in elasticity, it can be biased so as to return to the home position after the touch pad 10 has moved.

  One sensor unit 44 is provided on each side on the inner peripheral side of the side wall 42. The sensor unit 44 is a member that protrudes from the side wall 42 toward the substrate 30. As the sensor unit 44, a substantially hemispherical member having a diameter of 2 to 10 mm made of a conductive elastic body having a relatively high resistance can be used. Specifically, it is preferable to adjust the electrical resistance value of the sensor unit 44 so that the electrical resistance value detected at the contact point 31 changes according to the contact area between the contact point 31 and the sensor unit 44. The sensor unit 44 is made of a flexible material so that the substrate 30 can be elastically deformed according to the amount of movement when the substrate 30 is moved. For example, the Shore hardness A of the sensor unit 44 is preferably 50 degrees to 90 degrees. In addition, a conductive material is dispersed in the sensor unit 44 in order to impart conductivity. As the conductive material dispersed in the sensor unit 44, for example, carbon black or metal particles can be used. Particularly, those having a small particle diameter (for example, nano-sized particles), particularly easy to handle. It is preferable to use carbon black. Moreover, as a base material which comprises the sensor part 44, a silicone rubber, a urethane resin, a thermoplastic elastomer, or natural rubber can be used, and among these, a silicone rubber is preferable. The mixing amount of the conductive material is preferably 5 to 50% by weight based on the total weight of the silicone rubber material and the conductive material, from the viewpoint of enhancing the conductivity and maintaining the elasticity of the silicone rubber. Is more preferably 15 to 35% by weight.

  The sensor unit 44 is provided to face the contact 31. Therefore, when the substrate 30 moves toward the sensor unit 44, the sensor unit 44 and the contact 31 on the moving direction side come into contact with each other, so that the electrodes constituting the contact 31 are electrically connected. Further, when the sensor unit 44 is pressed against the contact 31 by the movement of the substrate 30, the sensor unit 44 increases the contact area between the contact 31 and the sensor unit 44 while being elastically deformed. Therefore, the electrical resistance value between the sensor unit 44 and the contact 31 decreases as the contact area increases. When such a multidirectional operation member 3 is used, when the touch pad 10 is moved horizontally with respect to the operation surface, the moving direction can be easily detected.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view when the user moves the touch pad 10 in the west direction. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the multidirectional operation member 3 shown in FIG. 5 taken along line BB.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the user moves the touch pad 10 in the west direction, the contact 31 and the sensor unit 44 are electrically connected with an electric resistance value corresponding to the amount of elastic deformation of the sensor unit 44. The control unit (not shown) can identify that the touch pad 10 has been moved to the west side by detecting that the electrical resistance value between the contact 31 and the sensor unit 44 has decreased by a predetermined amount.

  FIG. 7 is a front view when the touch pad 10 is moved in the northwest direction. As shown in FIG. 7, when the touch pad 10 is moved in the northwest direction, the sensor unit 44 on the west side and the sensor unit 44 on the north side come into contact with the contact 31 and the contact 31 that face each other while being deformed to the same extent. The control unit (not shown) can detect that the sensor unit 44 on the west side and the sensor unit 44 on the north side have the same electrical resistance value, and can identify that the touch pad 10 has moved in the northwest direction. .

  When the multidirectional operation member 3 as described above is used, the user can selectively use the multidirectional operation according to the touched position on the touchpad 10 and the multidirectional operation according to the horizontal movement amount of the touchpad 10 itself. . For example, the user can use the multidirectional operation member 3 as a touch pad by moving the position of the hand from the home position and touching the finger on the touch pad 10. Here, when the multidirectional operation member 3 is used as a touch pad, the user needs to change the position of the hand in order to touch the touch pad 10 from the position where the keyboard is operated (so-called home position). is there. On the other hand, the user can perform a multi-directional operation without moving the hand position from the home position using the multi-directional operation member 3 by horizontally moving the touch pad 10 to the operation surface.

  As mentioned above, although the embodiment of the multidirectional operation member according to the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the laptop computer 1 is exemplified as the electronic device. However, the electronic device may be a device other than the laptop computer 1, such as a mobile computer, a music playback terminal, a portable TV, and an in-vehicle device. It may be an audio device or a remote controller for operating each of the above devices. The multidirectional operation member 3 may be provided in an electronic device that does not have the keyboard 2. However, the multidirectional operation member 3 is more preferably provided in an electronic device having the keyboard 2. This is because the multidirectional operation member 3 is provided at a position adjacent to the keyboard 2 and can perform multidirectional operation without moving the hand from the home position. In particular, when the multi-directional operation member 3 is placed within 5 cm from the tip of the thumb when the hand is placed at the home position of the keyboard 2, it is touched using the thumb without moving the hand from the home position. The pad 10 can be operated. For example, in order to move the touch pad 10 easily, irregularities may be formed on the operation surface of the touch pad 10. Further, an anti-slip edge may be provided on the outer peripheral portion of the touchpad 10.

  In the above-described embodiment, the multidirectional operation member 3 has a rectangular shape, but is not limited to such a form. A square shape, a circular shape, or a ring shape may be used as viewed from the operation surface, and a triangular shape or a polygon shape that is a quadrangle or more may be used. Further, the operation surface of the touch pad 10 may be three-dimensional, such as having an uneven shape instead of a flat surface.

  In the above-described embodiment, one sensor unit 44 is provided for each side. However, two or more sensor units 44 may be provided, or there may be sides where the sensor unit 44 is not provided. It should be noted that at least three sensor units 44 are required to detect the moving direction when the moving direction is 360 degrees with respect to the operation surface. However, it is more preferable that the sensor units 44 are arranged at equally spaced center angles with respect to a center axis that vertically penetrates the center of the operation surface of the touch pad 10. This is because it is easy to detect the moving direction in any direction of 360 degrees with respect to the operation surface. Note that the multidirectional operation member 3 may not detect all 360 degrees of moving direction, but may detect only one direction or two or more directions and movement in a predetermined direction.

  Further, the control unit (not shown) may specify the moving direction of the touch pad 10 by vector calculation. For example, first, an electrical resistance value is measured at each contact point 31 almost simultaneously, and each vector is generated based on the electrical resistance value. Specifically, the control unit generates a vector whose absolute value increases as the electrical resistance value detected at each contact 31 decreases. Next, the obtained vectors are added to obtain a combined vector. The direction and the magnitude of the obtained combined vector are determined as the moving direction and moving amount of the touch pad 10, respectively. By combining each vector in this way, even when the touch pad 10 is moved in an arbitrary direction that does not coincide with the direction in which the contact 31 is arranged (four directions in the above-described embodiment), the movement direction is also obtained. Can be identified. Further, when performing the vector calculation, the electric resistance value may be converted into a point or the like. Further, the control unit may specify only the moving direction of the touch pad 10 or may specify both the moving amount or the magnitude of the force of the touch pad 10.

  In the above-described embodiment, one contact 31 corresponds to one sensor unit 44. However, the present invention is not limited to such a form. For example, the sensor unit 44 may be one or a plurality of sensor units 44 that are not independent for each direction and are common to two or more contacts 31. Further, the sensor unit 44 may be opposed to any one of the side surfaces of the touch pad 10, the buffer layer 20, and the substrate 30 instead of facing the side surface of the substrate 30. However, it is easier to provide the contact 31 when the sensor unit 44 is opposed to the substrate 30. The substrate 30 is preferable as a medium for elastically deforming the sensor unit 44 because the substrate 30 is thicker and harder than other members (touch pad 10, buffer layer 20).

  In the above-described embodiment, the sensor unit 44 is formed from a rubber-like elastic body, but is not limited to such a form. For example, it may be a molded body made of conductive resin or metal (preferably relatively soft).

  In the above-described embodiment, the contact 31 is a pair of comb-shaped electrodes. However, the present invention is not limited to such a form. The contact point 31 may be formed not by a comb-shaped electrode, but by a semicircular electrode obtained by dividing a circle into approximately half or a fan-shaped electrode obtained by dividing a circle by approximately a quarter. However, when the contact 31 made of comb-shaped electrodes is used, the detection sensitivity is excellent even when the amount of movement of the touch pad 10 is small.

  In the above-described embodiment, the amount of movement of the touch pad 10 can be determined based on the electrical resistance value detected at the contact 31 according to the contact area between the sensor unit 44 and the contact 31. It is not limited to any form. For example, when using a member whose electrical resistance value of the sensor unit 44 changes due to compressive deformation of the sensor unit 44 itself, the contact 31 is not necessary. In such a case, the movement amount of the touch pad 10 can be detected by detecting a change in the electrical resistance value of the sensor unit 44 itself. Note that the control unit may detect a voltage value or a current value without detecting the electrical resistance value itself.

  Although the above-described multidirectional operation member 3 includes the switch member 32, the switch member 32 and the buffer layer 20 are not essential. However, by providing the multidirectional operation member 3 with the buffer layer 20 and the switch member 32 provided in the hole 21 of the buffer layer 20, a click operation can be performed by pushing the touch pad 10.

  The present invention can be used, for example, for input devices of various electronic devices.

1 Laptop computer (electronic equipment)
2 Keyboard 3 Multidirectional operation member 10 Touch pad (input member)
32 Switch member 30 Substrate 44 Sensor part

Claims (5)

An input member that can move substantially horizontally to the operation surface and that can detect at least a position touched by a user's finger;
A substrate movable with said input member,
Together provided opposite to the side surface of the outer peripheral edge of said input member or said substrate, and a sensor unit for elastically deformed by the movement of the input member or the substrate,
I have a,
The sensor unit is disposed to face the side surface of the substrate,
At least one sensor portion is provided opposite to at least one side surface of the substrate;
A switch member for detecting the pressing of the operation surface is further provided between the input member and the substrate,
A contact point for detecting a change in the parallel movement amount of the input member via the sensor unit at a position facing the sensor unit on a side surface of the substrate;
The contact is a pair of electrodes, and the electrical resistance value between the electrodes decreases as the contact area with the sensor portion increases .   The multidirectional operation member according to claim 1,
  The multi-directional operation member, wherein the contact is a pair of comb-like electrodes that are energized via the sensor unit.   The multidirectional operation member according to claim 1 or 2,
  A telescopic member made of an elastic material, wherein one end side is fixed to the side surface of the input member and the other end side is fixed to the inner peripheral side of the side wall facing the side surface of the input member; A multi-directional operation member characterized.   The electronic device which has a multidirectional operation member of any one of Claims 1-3. The electronic device according to claim 4,
The multi-directional operation member is provided adjacent to a keyboard.

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