CN114008557B

CN114008557B - Operating device

Info

Publication number: CN114008557B
Application number: CN202080044692.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 久家祥宏; 富山达弘; 高桥未铃; 高桥一成
Original assignee: Alps Electric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Alps Alpine Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-08-28
Filing date: 2020-03-17
Publication date: 2023-04-04
Anticipated expiration: 2040-03-17
Also published as: JPWO2021038935A1; DE112020004035T5; CN114008557A; JP7297072B2; WO2021038935A1

Abstract

An operation device according to an aspect of the present invention includes: an operation unit operable in at least a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; a first driving portion that applies a driving force (first driving force) in a first direction to the operation portion; a first brake unit that applies a resistance force (first resistance force) in a first direction to the operation unit; a first position detection unit that detects a position of the operation unit in a first direction; a second driving portion that applies a driving force in a second direction (second driving force) to the operation portion; a second brake unit that applies a resistance force (second resistance force) in a second direction to the operation unit; a second position detection unit that detects a position of the operation unit in a second direction; and a control unit that adjusts the first driving force and the first resistance according to a position of the operation unit in the first direction, adjusts the second driving force and the second resistance according to a position of the operation unit in the second direction, and applies the driving force and the resistance to the operation unit that is operable at least in the first direction and the second direction, thereby providing a fine and stable operation and providing a fine operation feeling.

Description

Operating device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an operating device, and more particularly to an operating device that controls driving force and resistance to an operating portion that is operable in at least a first direction and a second direction.

Background

In an operating device used in an automobile, an industrial machine, a game machine, or the like, an intuitive operation performed by tilting a lever (rod) in each direction of the degrees of freedom of two axes, i.e., up, down, left, and right, such as the movement of a cursor (cursor) displayed as a graphic is sometimes useful. In many cases, the operation device is an interface from the operator to the operation target, and is an interface for feeding back some information reflecting the state of the operation target to the operator.

In an operating device including a joystick having two degrees of freedom in two axes, patent document 1 discloses a control handle universal joint support mechanism (control handle universal joint mechanism) for use in a joystick having tactile (tactile) feedback as a technique for controlling feedback to an operator.

Patent document 2 discloses a method and apparatus for applying haptic effects to a user interface device using a low bandwidth connection to a host computer. Patent document 3 discloses a radio control system that changes the operational feeling of a transmitter by receiving feedback from an operated object. Patent document 4 discloses a game system in which a load is effectively applied to an operation unit.

These patent documents show a demand for a lever-type operation device in which a motor and a brake mechanism are attached to a shaft, and driving force and braking force are applied to an operator via a lever by controlling these mechanisms.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 4165734

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 2010-061667

Patent document 3: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-096834

Patent document 4: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-007345

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In a lever-type operating device, an active actuator element such as a motor can give the operator a tactile sensation of pulling in and pushing back, but is not easily stabilized at a specific lever position. On the other hand, a passive element such as a brake can provide an operation feeling of stopping the operating lever without operating against the force of the operator, but cannot operate the stopped lever.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an operation device that can provide a fine and stable operation and a fine operation feeling by applying a driving force and a resistance to an operation portion that can be operated at least in a first direction and a second direction.

Means for solving the problems

One aspect of the present invention is an operation device including: an operation unit operable in at least a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; a first driving portion that applies a first driving force as a driving force in a first direction to the operation portion; a first brake portion that applies a first resistance force against movement of the operating portion in a first direction; a first position detection unit that detects a position of the operation unit in a first direction; a second driving portion that applies a second driving force as a driving force in a second direction to the operating portion; a second brake portion that applies a second resistance force against movement of the operating portion in a second direction; a second position detection unit that detects a position of the operation unit in a second direction; and a control unit that adjusts the first driving force and the first resistance according to the position in the first direction detected by the first position detection unit, and adjusts the second driving force and the second resistance according to the position in the second direction detected by the second position detection unit.

According to such a configuration, the position of the operation portion in the first direction is detected by the first position detecting portion, the position in the second direction is detected by the second position detecting portion, and the driving force in the first direction (first driving force) and the resistance force in the first direction (first resistance force) applied to the operation portion, and the driving force in the second direction (second driving force) and the resistance force in the second direction (second resistance force) are adjusted based on the positions detected by the first position detecting portion and the second position detecting portion. Thus, by switching or balancing the control of applying the driving force in each direction and the control of applying the resistance force in each direction according to the positions of the operation portion in the first direction and the second direction, it is possible to perform the control of providing a fine and stable operation and providing a fine operation feeling.

In the above-described operating device, the control unit may adjust the first driving force and the first resistance force and the second driving force and the second resistance force in consideration of a frictional force during movement of the operating unit. Since the frictional force caused by the mechanism for moving the operation portion changes depending on the position of the operation portion, control for providing a fine and stable operation and providing a fine operation feeling can be performed by adjusting the driving force and the resistance force to the operation portion based on the relationship between the position of the operation portion and the frictional force.

In the above-described operating device, the control unit may perform at least one of the following processes of adjusting the first driving force and/or the first resistance so that the reaction force of the operating unit is greater than that in the case where the preset stop position in the first direction is detected by the first position detecting unit, and adjusting the second driving force and/or the second resistance so that the reaction force of the operating unit is greater than that in the case where the preset stop position in the second direction is detected by the second position detecting unit. This allows the stop position of the operation unit with respect to the movement position to be set to an arbitrary position.

In the above-described operation device, the operation device may further include a biasing mechanism that returns an origin of the operation unit, and the control unit may perform control to adjust the first driving force and the first resistance force and the second driving force and the second resistance force such that a position different from the origin based on the biasing mechanism becomes the origin. Thus, the change in the reaction force corresponding to the position of the operation portion can be moved so that the position different from the origin point by the biasing mechanism becomes the origin point.

In the above-described operating device, the operating device may further include a biasing mechanism that returns an origin of the operating unit, and the control unit may perform control such that the first resistance and the second resistance at the origin of the operating unit are larger than the first resistance and the second resistance near the origin. Thus, when the operation unit is returned to the origin by the biasing mechanism, the resistance at the origin is larger than the resistance near the origin, and the origin can be reliably transmitted by the resistance feeling.

In the above-described operation device, the control unit may perform at least one of a process of intermittently changing at least one of the first driving force and the first resistance and a process of intermittently changing at least one of the second driving force and the second resistance. This can provide a vibrating feel to the operation portion.

In the above-described operation device, the control unit may perform at least one of a process of intermittently and gradually changing at least one of the first driving force and the first resistance and a process of intermittently and gradually changing at least one of the second driving force and the second resistance. This can provide the operating portion with a tactile sensation that the intensity of the vibration gradually changes.

In the above-described operating device, the control unit may correct the position information that becomes the stable point during the operation of the operating unit to the positions that become the stable points of the first driving unit and the second driving unit, based on the output signals from the first position detecting unit and the second position detecting unit. Thus, the driving force and the resistance can be controlled based on the position of the stable point of the operation portion obtained by considering the stable point based on the characteristics of the first driving portion and the second driving portion and the friction force during the movement of the operation portion.

In the above-described operating device, the first brake unit and the second brake unit may include a magnetic field generating unit that applies a magnetic field to the magnetic viscous fluid and a magnetic viscous fluid. In this way, the resistance of each of the first brake section and the second brake section can be adjusted by the magnetic field applied to the magnetic viscous fluid.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an operation device capable of giving a fine and stable operation and a fine operation feeling by applying a driving force and a resistance to an operation portion that can be operated at least in a first direction and a second direction.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of an operation device according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 (a) and (b) are perspective views illustrating the brake unit.

Fig. 3 (base:Sub>A) and (b) are cross-sectional views taken along the linebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A in fig. 3 (base:Sub>A).

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration block of the operation device of the present embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration block of the control device.

Fig. 6 (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating examples of adjustment of the driving force during tilting.

Fig. 7 (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating an example of adjustment of the driving force at the time of return.

Fig. 8 (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating examples of adjustment of the driving force and the resistance force at the time of tilting.

Fig. 9 (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating examples of adjustment of the driving force and the resistance force at the time of return.

Fig. 10 (a) to (c) are diagrams illustrating examples of adjustment of the driving force and the resistance.

Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of adjustment of the reference position.

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of adjustment of the driving force and the resistance force at the neutral position.

Fig. 13 (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating examples of adjustment of intermittent driving force and resistance.

Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of adjustment of the movable range.

Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of adjustment of the stable point.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an application example of the operation device according to the present embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the members that have been described once is appropriately omitted.

(construction of the operating device)

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an operation device according to the present embodiment.

The operation device 1 of the present embodiment is an interface device including a lever-type operation unit 10. In the present embodiment, the first direction is defined as the X direction, the second direction is defined as the Y direction, and the third direction is defined as the Z direction. The X direction, the Y direction and the Z direction are orthogonal to each other.

The various forces used in the following description are defined as follows.

The operation force is a force required to operate (move, stop) the operation unit 10.

The reaction force is a force transmitted from the operation unit 10 to an operator (for example, a finger) when the operation unit 10 is operated.

The driving force refers to a force (assisting force) for driving, which is applied from the driving portion to the operation portion 10.

The resistance refers to a force (braking force) applied from the brake unit to the operation unit 10 to hinder the movement of the operation unit 10.

The biasing force is a force that attempts to return the operation unit 10 to a predetermined origin by biasing the operation unit 10 by the biasing mechanism. The origin is a place where the operation unit 10 is located when no operation force is applied to the operation unit 10.

The frictional force is a frictional force generated in association with the movement of the operation unit 10. The frictional force acts to keep the operation unit 10 at the predetermined position, and interferes with the operation of the operation unit 10.

Here, when the urging mechanism is provided, when the operation unit 10 is moved in a direction away from the origin, the reaction force transmitted from the operation unit 10 to the operator is "the urging force generated by the urging mechanism + the frictional force". On the other hand, when the operation unit 10 is moved in the direction to return to the origin, the reaction force transmitted from the operation unit 10 to the operator is "the urging force generated by the urging mechanism + the frictional force — the frictional force" because the frictional force acts so that the operation unit 10 is continuously located at the predetermined position.

Further, of the driving forces acting on the operation unit 10 when the operation unit 10 is operated, a driving force acting in a direction opposite to the direction in which the operation unit 10 is pushed back to the origin by the urging force is positive (+) and a driving force acting in the same direction in which the operation unit 10 is pushed back to the origin by the urging force is negative (-) respectively.

Therefore, when a positive (+) driving force is applied to the operation portion 10, the reaction force becomes weak, and when a negative (-) driving force is transmitted to the operation portion 10, the reaction force becomes strong.

The operation device 1 includes an operation unit 10, a first driving unit 21, a first braking unit 31, a first position detection unit 41, a second driving unit 22, a second braking unit 32, a second position detection unit 42, and a control unit 50. The operation unit 10 is provided so as to be operable at least in two directions, i.e., the X direction and the Y direction. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 10 is provided above the universal joint mechanism 11, and can tilt in the X direction (rotational movement about the Y axis) and tilt in the Y direction (rotational movement about the X axis) by the universal joint mechanism 11. In this embodiment, the tilting in the X direction is included in the movement in the X direction, and the tilting in the Y direction is included in the movement in the Y direction. The operation unit 10 may be movable in the Z direction (forward and backward movement in the Z direction). When the operation unit 10 is moved in the X direction or the Y direction, a position where further movement is not possible is set as a stop position. The stop position is set by a mechanical stopper or by the action of a driving part and a braking part.

The operation unit 10 may be provided with a biasing mechanism (not shown). As the urging mechanism, for example, a coil spring is used. For example, when the operation unit 10 is tilted in one direction, the coil spring contracts, and the tilt is released or weakened to extend the coil spring, thereby returning the operation unit 10 to the neutral position. The neutral position is an example of the origin.

The first driving unit 21 applies a driving force in the X direction to the operation unit 10. The forward driving force is a positive (+) driving force acting in a direction away from the neutral position, and the backward driving force is a negative (-) driving force acting in a direction back to the neutral position. The first driving unit 21 includes, for example, a motor, and transmits a rotational force of the motor from the motor shaft to the universal joint mechanism 11 to transmit a driving force in the X direction to the operation unit 10. The first driving unit 21 may have a gear box for reducing the rotational force of the motor. By rotating the motor of the first driving unit 21, a driving force is applied to the rotational movement of the universal joint mechanism 11 about the Y axis, and a positive (+) or negative (-) driving force is applied to the tilting movement of the operation unit 10 in the X direction.

The first brake portion 31 applies resistance against the movement (tilting action) of the operation portion 10 in the X direction. The first brake unit 31 includes, for example, a magnetic viscous fluid and a magnetic field generating unit. The magnetic viscous fluid can be adjusted in viscosity by a magnetic field applied from a magnetic field generating unit. In the present embodiment, the first brake portion 31 is provided outside the first drive portion 21, and the resistance generated by the viscosity of the magnetic viscous fluid of the first brake portion 31 is transmitted to the universal joint mechanism 11. Therefore, the resistance increases when the viscosity of the magnetic viscous fluid increases, and decreases when the viscosity of the magnetic viscous fluid decreases.

As a result, when the resistance of the first brake unit 31 increases, resistance is applied to the rotation of the universal joint mechanism 11 about the Y axis, and a resistance feeling is given to the tilting movement of the operation unit 10 in the X direction. On the other hand, when the resistance of the first brake portion 31 decreases, the resistance applied to the rotation of the universal joint mechanism 11 about the Y axis decreases, and the resistance feeling of the tilting motion of the operation portion 10 in the X direction decreases.

The first position detection unit 41 detects the position of the operation unit 10 in the X direction. The first position detecting unit 41 includes, for example, a magnetic detection type encoder. The first position detecting unit 41 is provided, for example, between the first driving unit 21 and the universal joint mechanism 11, and detects a rotation angle (position in the rotation direction) of the universal joint mechanism 11 about the Y axis to detect a position of the operating unit 10 in the X direction. The first position detecting unit 41 may be a variable resistance type or optical type encoder.

The second driving portion 22 applies a driving force in the Y direction to the operation portion 10. The forward driving force is a plus (+) driving force acting in a direction away from the neutral position, and the backward driving force is a minus (-) driving force acting in a direction back to the neutral position. The second driving unit 22 includes, for example, a motor, and transmits a rotational force of the motor from the motor shaft to the universal joint mechanism 11 to transmit a driving force in the Y direction to the operation unit 10. The second driving unit 22 may have a gear box for reducing the rotational force of the motor. By rotating the motor of the second driving unit 22, a driving force is applied to the rotational movement of the universal joint mechanism 11 about the X axis, and thus a positive (+) or negative (-) driving force is applied to the tilting movement of the operation unit 10 in the Y direction.

The second brake portion 32 applies resistance against the movement (tilting action) of the operating portion 10 in the Y direction. The second brake 32 includes, for example, a magnetic viscous fluid and a magnetic field generating unit. The magnetic viscous fluid can adjust viscosity by a magnetic field applied from a magnetic field generating unit. In the present embodiment, the second brake 32 is provided outside the second driving unit 22, and the resistance generated by the viscosity of the magnetic viscous fluid in the second brake 32 is transmitted to the universal joint mechanism 11. Therefore, the resistance increases when the viscosity of the magnetic viscous fluid increases, and decreases when the viscosity of the magnetic viscous fluid decreases.

As a result, when the resistance of the second brake unit 32 increases, resistance is applied to the rotation of the universal joint mechanism 11 about the X axis, and a resistance feeling is given to the tilting movement of the operation unit 10 in the Y direction. On the other hand, when the resistance of the second brake portion 32 is reduced, the resistance applied to the rotation of the universal joint mechanism 11 about the Y axis is reduced, and the resistance feeling of the tilting motion of the operation portion 10 in the X direction is reduced.

The second position detecting unit 42 detects the position of the operation unit 10 in the Y direction. The second position detecting unit 42 includes, for example, a magnetic detection type encoder. The second position detecting unit 42 is provided between the second driving unit 22 and the universal joint mechanism 11, for example, and detects the rotation angle (position in the rotational direction) of the universal joint mechanism 11 around the X axis to detect the position of the operating unit 10 in the Y direction. The second position detecting unit 42 may be a variable resistance type or optical type encoder.

The control unit 50 controls the first driving unit 21, the first braking unit 31, the second driving unit 22, and the second braking unit 32. That is, the control unit 50 controls the first driving unit 21 and the first braking unit 31 so as to change the driving force (first driving force) and the resistance force (first resistance force) in the X direction based on the output signal from the first position detecting unit 41. The control unit 50 controls the second driving unit 22 and the second braking unit 32 so as to change the driving force (second driving force) and the resistance force (second resistance force) in the Y direction based on the output signal from the second position detecting unit 42.

Here, a specific example of the first brake unit 31 and the second brake unit 32 will be described. The first brake 31 and the second brake 32 have the same structure.

Fig. 2 (a) and (b) are perspective views illustrating the brake unit. Fig. 3 (base:Sub>A) and (b) are cross-sectional views taken along the linebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A of fig. 2 (base:Sub>A), and fig. 3 (b) is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustratingbase:Sub>A magnetic field generated by the excitation coil.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the first brake unit 31 and the second brake unit 32 include a holding unit 420 and a brake operation unit 4100. The holding portion 420 is a substantially cylindrical housing, and houses each portion. The shape of the holding portion 420 may be substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The brake operation unit 4100 includes a shaft portion 4110 and a magnetic disk 4120, and is supported by the holding portion 420 so as to be rotatable in both directions about a central axis 411 (rotation axis). The brake operation unit 4100 is rotatably supported by the holding unit 420 via a support member 4140 and a radial bearing 4150. The gap 480 provided in the brake unit 40 is filled with the magnetic viscous fluid 4160.

The shaft portion 4110 of the brake operation unit 4100 is connected to the driving units (the first driving unit 21 and the second driving unit 22) (see fig. 1).

The holding part 420 includes a first yoke 430, a second yoke 440, an exciting coil 450 as a magnetic field generating part, a ring-shaped member 460, and a third yoke 470 as an upper case. The first yoke 430, the second yoke 440, and the third yoke 470 are formed by separately processing. However, any one of the first, second, and

third yokes

430, 440, and 470 may be combined and integrally formed.

The first yoke 430 includes: a circular ring portion 431; and a cylindrical portion 432 integrally provided so as to extend upward from the upper surface of the annular portion 431 concentrically with the annular portion 431. The annular portion 431 and the cylindrical portion 432 have circular shapes centered on the central axis 411 in a plan view, and the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 432 is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular portion 431. Due to the difference in outer diameters of the annular portion 431 and the cylindrical portion 432, a stepped portion 433 is formed outside the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 432. The first yoke 430 has an inner circumferential surface 434 having a circular shape in plan view about the central axis 411. The inner circumferential surface 434 penetrates the annular portion 431 and the cylindrical portion 432 along the center axis 411, and the inner diameter thereof is set to vary depending on the position in the vertical direction.

As shown in fig. 3 (a), an excitation coil 450 as a magnetic field generating unit is disposed on the step portion 433 of the first yoke 430. The inner periphery of the excitation coil 450 is annular along the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 432, and the outer periphery of the excitation coil 450 is located radially outward of the outer peripheral surface of the annular portion 431. Therefore, the excitation coil 450 overlaps the annular portion 431 as an extension portion in a plan view. The excitation coil 450 is a coil including a wire wound around the center axis 411. The connection member 451 is electrically connected to the excitation coil 450, and supplies a current to the input portion 451a of the connection member 451 exposed from the upper portion of the third yoke 470 through a path not shown. The exciting coil 450 generates a magnetic field when supplied with current.

A ring member 460 is fixed to the annular portion 431 of the first yoke 430 along the outer circumferential surface thereof. The ring member 460 is annular and made of a nonmagnetic material such as a synthetic resin. The annular member 460 fixed to the first yoke 430 has a circular shape having substantially the same outer diameter as the exciting coil 450 disposed on the step portion 433 in a plan view.

Note that the planar shape of the

yokes

440 and 470 may not necessarily be circular. Note that the yoke may be divided into two parts, that is, the third yoke 470 and the second yoke 440 may be combined with each other, and the divided parts may have a rectangular planar shape.

The magnetic viscous fluid 4160 is a substance whose viscosity changes when a magnetic field is applied, and is, for example, a fluid in which particles (magnetic particles) made of a magnetic material are dispersed in a nonmagnetic liquid (solvent).

In the magnetic viscous fluid 4160, the magnetic particles are dispersed in the solvent when the magnetic field generated by the exciting coil 450 is not generated. Therefore, when the shaft 4110 is operated, the holding part 420 does not receive a large resistance and rotates relative to the brake operation part 4100.

On the other hand, when a current is applied to the exciting coil 450 to generate a magnetic field, as shown in fig. 3 (b), a magnetic field in the vertical direction is applied to the magneto-viscous fluid 4160. Due to this magnetic field, the magnetic particles dispersed in the magnetic viscous fluid 4160 are concentrated along the magnetic lines of force, and the magnetic particles aligned in the up-down direction are magnetically linked to each other to form clusters. In this state, when a force is applied to rotate the shaft portion 4110 in a direction about the central axis 411, a shearing force acts on the connected magnetic particles, and a resistance (torque) is generated by the magnetic particles. Therefore, the resistance becomes larger than that in a state where no magnetic field is generated.

(construction frame of operation device)

Next, a configuration block of the operation device 1 of the present embodiment will be explained.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration block of the control device.

The operation device 1 includes the operation unit 10, the first driving unit 21, the first braking unit 31, the first position detecting unit 41, the second driving unit 22, the second braking unit 32, the second position detecting unit 42, and the control unit 50, which have been described above. The control unit 50 includes a first drive control circuit 51, a first brake control circuit 52, a second drive control circuit 53, a second brake control circuit 54, a calculation unit 55, a storage unit 56, and a power supply circuit 57.

The first drive control circuit 51 is, for example, a motor driver. The first drive control circuit 51 outputs driving power (voltage control, PWM control, etc.) to be applied to the motor of the first drive unit 21 based on the calculation result of the calculation unit 55. The first brake control circuit 52 is, for example, a magnetic field control circuit. The first brake control circuit 52 outputs electric power for braking to be applied to the first brake unit 31 based on the calculation result of the calculation unit 55.

The second drive control circuit 53 is, for example, a motor driver. The second drive control circuit 53 outputs driving (voltage control, PWM control, and the like) electric power to be applied to the motor of the second drive unit 22 based on the calculation result of the calculation unit 55. The second brake control circuit 54 is, for example, a magnetic field control circuit. The second brake control circuit 54 outputs braking electric power to be applied to the second brake unit 32 based on the calculation result of the calculation unit 55.

The calculation unit 55 calculates output values for the driving force and the resistance based on data transmitted from the external system 500 and received by the communication unit 58. That is, the information of the position in the X direction of the operation unit 10 output from the first position detection unit 41 is transmitted to the external system 500 via the communication unit 58. The calculation unit 55 calculates output values for obtaining the driving force and the resistance according to the position of the operation unit 10 in the X direction based on data transmitted from the external system 500. The information on the position of the operation unit 10 in the Y direction output from the second position detection unit 42 is transmitted to the external system 500 via the communication unit 58. The calculation unit 55 calculates output values for obtaining the driving force and the resistance according to the position of the operation unit 10 in the Y direction based on data transmitted from the external system 500.

The calculation unit 55 may calculate the output values corresponding to the driving force and the resistance by using predetermined calculation expressions having the positions of the operation unit 10 in the X direction and the Y direction as parameters, or may calculate the output values for obtaining the driving force and the resistance corresponding to the movement position by referring to table data set in advance.

The storage unit 56 stores the calculation (function) or the calculation parameter used in the calculation unit 55.

The power supply circuit 57 is a circuit that generates electric power to be supplied to each unit. The communication unit 58 inputs and outputs information to and from the external system 500 by wire or wireless. The calculation parameters may be acquired from the external system 500 via the communication unit 58 and stored in the storage unit 56. The first drive control circuit 51, the first brake control circuit 52, the second drive control circuit 53, and the second brake control circuit 54 receive the output value of the arithmetic unit 55, and output electric power for obtaining a predetermined driving force and resistance.

In the operation device 1 having such a configuration, the control unit 50 calculates output values for obtaining the driving force and the resistance force to be adjusted, based on the position of the operation unit 10 in the X direction detected by the first position detection unit 41. The calculation result is transmitted to the first drive control circuit 51 and the first brake control circuit 52 via the communication unit 58, and the driving force applied from the first driving unit 21 to the operation unit 10 and the resistance applied from the first brake unit 31 to the operation unit 10 are adjusted. The control unit 50 calculates output values for obtaining the driving force and the resistance to be adjusted, based on the position of the operating unit 10 in the Y direction detected by the second position detecting unit 42. The calculation result is transmitted to the second drive control circuit 53 and the second brake control circuit 54 via the communication unit 58. The driving force applied from the second driving unit 22 to the operation unit 10 and the resistance applied from the second braking unit 32 to the operation unit 10 are adjusted. Accordingly, by switching or balancing the control of applying the driving force from the first driving unit 21 and the second driving unit 22 and the control of applying the resistance force from the first braking unit 31 and the second braking unit 32 according to the respective positions of the operating unit 10 in the X direction and the Y direction, the control of providing a fine and stable operation and providing a fine operation feeling can be performed.

(operation of the operation device)

Next, the operation of the operation device 1 will be described.

First, when power is input from the power supply circuit 57 to each unit, initial setting is performed. At the stage before the initial setting, since neither the driving force nor the resistance is applied, the operation unit 10 is biased to be located at the origin (neutral position) by the biasing mechanism. In the case of setting a mode of a reference position different from the origin (in the case of receiving a mode command from the external system 500 via the communication unit 58), the first driving unit 21 and the second driving unit 22 move the operation unit 10 to the reference position and the first braking unit 31 and the second braking unit 32 apply a resistance corresponding to the reference position to the operation unit 10 in the initial setting.

Next, when the operation unit 10 is operated, the output values for obtaining the driving force and the resistance based on the data transmitted from the external system 500 are calculated by the calculation unit 55 in accordance with the positions in the X direction and the Y direction detected by the first position detection unit 41 and the second position detection unit 42.

The output value for obtaining the driving force in the X direction calculated by the calculation unit 55 is transmitted to the first drive control circuit 51, and the output value for obtaining the resistance in the X direction is transmitted to the first brake control circuit 52. In the first drive control circuit 51, based on the output value sent thereto from the arithmetic unit 55, electric power for obtaining a driving force corresponding to the output value is sent to the first drive unit 21. In the first brake control circuit 52, based on the output value sent thereto from the arithmetic unit 55, electric power for obtaining the resistance corresponding to the output value is sent to the first brake unit 31.

The first driving unit 21 receives the electric power transmitted from the first drive control circuit 51, rotates the motor, and transmits the driving force to the operation unit 10. The first brake unit 31 receives the electric power sent from the first brake control circuit 52, and applies a magnetic field for obtaining a predetermined viscous force to the magnetic viscous fluid, for example. Thereby, the viscous force generated by the first brake unit 31 is transmitted as resistance to the operation unit 10.

The driving force and the resistance are switched or the balance between the driving force and the resistance is adjusted by the control of the control unit 50. As a result, a driving force and a resistance force corresponding to the operation position of the operation unit 10 in the X direction are applied to the operation unit 10, and a fine and stable operation is obtained and the operation feeling of the operation unit 10 is finely adjusted.

Similarly to the case of the X direction, the output value for acquiring the driving force in the Y direction calculated by the calculation unit 55 is transmitted to the second drive control circuit 53, and the output value for acquiring the resistance in the Y direction is transmitted to the second brake control circuit 54. In the second drive control circuit 53, based on the output value sent thereto from the arithmetic unit 55, electric power for obtaining a drive force corresponding to the output value is sent to the second drive unit 22. In the second brake control circuit 54, based on the output value sent thereto from the arithmetic unit 55, electric power for obtaining the resistance corresponding to the output value is sent to the second brake unit 32.

The second driving unit 22 receives the electric power transmitted from the second drive control circuit 53 to rotate the motor, and transmits the driving force to the operation unit 10. The second brake unit 32 receives the electric power transmitted from the second brake control circuit 54, and applies a magnetic field for obtaining a predetermined viscous force to the magnetic viscous fluid, for example. Thereby, the viscous force generated by the second brake 32 is transmitted to the operation unit 10 as a resistance.

The driving force and the resistance are switched or the balance between the driving force and the resistance is adjusted by the control of the control unit 50. As a result, a driving force and a resistance force corresponding to the operation position of the operation unit 10 in the Y direction are applied to the operation unit 10, and a fine and stable operation is obtained and the operation feeling of the operation unit 10 is finely adjusted.

(adjustment example of Driving force and resistance)

Next, an example of adjusting the driving force and the resistance in the operation device 1 of the present embodiment will be described. In the following adjustment examples, for convenience of explanation, the X direction and the Y direction are not described separately unless otherwise specified, but the operations in the X direction and the Y direction are performed independently in the operation device 1.

(adjustment example: first)

In this adjustment example, the control unit 50 adjusts the driving force according to the movement position in consideration of the friction force of the tilting of the operation unit 10. In the following example, since the frictional force depends on the dimensional accuracy, the assembly state, the use temperature, and the like of each member constituting the operation device 1, it is preferable to acquire individual data in advance and store the data in the storage unit 56.

Fig. 6 (a) and (b) illustrate an example of adjustment of the driving force during tilting.

The horizontal axis of the graph shown in fig. 6 (a) represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the vertical axis represents the reaction force of the operation unit 10.

The horizontal axis of the graph shown in fig. 6 (b) represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the vertical axis represents the driving force.

The operation unit 10 is provided with an urging mechanism such as a coil spring and returns to the neutral position C1 in a state where the operation is not performed. Since the reaction force from the biasing mechanism is generated when the operation unit 10 is moved, the reaction force increases as the distance from the neutral position C1 increases (see Fs1 in the drawing). When the operation unit 10 is tilted, a frictional force Ff1 is generated by a mechanism (the universal joint mechanism 11 or the like) related to the movement, and the frictional force Ff1 changes depending on the movement position of the operation unit 10. Therefore, the actual reaction force (see Fr1 in the figure) applied from the operation unit 10 to the operator is a value obtained by adding the friction force Ff1 to the reaction force Fs1 due to the acting force.

In order to cancel the increased portion of the reaction force due to the frictional force Ff1, a positive (+) driving force is applied as shown in fig. 6 (b). Since the frictional force Ff1 changes depending on the position of the operation portion 10, the control portion 50 adjusts the positive (+) driving force applied from the driving portions (the first driving portion 21 and the second driving portion 22) to the operation portion 10 in accordance with the position of the operation portion 10 detected by the position detecting portion (the first position detecting portion 41 and the second position detecting portion 42). Thereby, the increase amount of the reaction force due to the frictional force Ff1 is cancelled, and only the reaction force Fs1 due to the reaction force can be imparted to the operator from the operation unit 10.

The horizontal axis of the graph shown in fig. 7 (a) represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the vertical axis represents the reaction force of the operation unit 10.

As shown in fig. 7 (a), when the tilting force is reduced to return the operation unit 10 in the direction of the neutral position, the reaction force due to the biasing force of the biasing means is reduced as the operation unit 10 returns (see Fs1 in the figure). When the operation unit 10 is returned, a frictional force Ff2 is generated by a mechanism (the universal joint mechanism 11 or the like) related to the movement, and the frictional force Ff2 changes depending on the movement position of the operation unit 10. When the operation unit 10 is returned, the influence of the frictional force Ff2 acts in a direction opposite to the direction in which the operation unit 10 is tilted. Therefore, the actual reaction force (see Fr2 in the figure) applied to the operator from the operation unit 10 is a value obtained by subtracting the friction force Ff2 from the reaction force Fs1 due to the reaction force.

In order to supplement the reduced portion of the reaction force due to the frictional force Ff2, a negative (-) driving force is applied as shown in fig. 7 (b). Since the frictional force Ff2 changes according to the position of the operation unit 10, the control unit 50 adjusts the negative (-) driving force applied from the driving units (the first driving unit 21 and the second driving unit 22) to the operation unit 10 according to the position of the operation unit 10 detected by the position detecting unit (the first position detecting unit 41 and the second position detecting unit 42). Thereby, the amount of reduction in the reaction force due to the frictional force Ff2 is supplemented, and only the reaction force Fs1 due to the reaction force can be imparted to the operator from the operation unit 10.

By such adjustment, the difference in the operation feeling between the reaction force when the operation portion 10 is tilted and the reaction force when the operation portion 10 is returned is eliminated, and the same reaction force (operation feeling) is obtained when the operation portion 10 is tilted and the reaction force when the operation portion 10 is returned.

(adjustment example: the second)

In this adjustment example, the control unit 50 adjusts the driving force and the resistance force so as to obtain an operation feeling in which the reaction force of the operation unit 10 is constant when the operation unit 10 is tilted and when the operation unit 10 is returned.

The horizontal axis of the graph shown in fig. 8 (a) represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the vertical axis represents the reaction force of the operation unit 10.

The horizontal axis of the graph shown in fig. 8 (b) represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the vertical axis represents the driving force and the resistance.

As shown in fig. 8 (a), when the operation unit 10 is tilted, the more the biasing force generated by the biasing means increases, and the actual reaction force Fr1 is given to the operator by adding the frictional force on the mechanism according to the movement position of the operation unit 10. The control unit 50 adjusts the driving force and the resistance force so that the reaction force applied from the operation unit 10 to the operator becomes the target value Ft.

For example, when the actual reaction force Fr1 is smaller than the target value Ft (in the B region in fig. 8 (a)), the reaction force when the operation unit 10 is tilted is insufficient, and therefore the control unit 50 adjusts the resistance to be applied to the operation unit 10. Since the difference between the actual reaction force Fr1 and the target value Ft varies depending on the movement position of the operation unit 10, the control unit 50 adjusts the resistance applied from the braking units (the first braking unit 31 and the second braking unit 32) to the operation unit 10 in accordance with the position of the operation unit 10 detected by the position detection units (the first position detection unit 41 and the second position detection unit 42). As a result, the reaction force when the operation unit 10 is tilted increases due to the resistance, and the reaction force applied from the operation unit 10 to the operator becomes the target value Ft.

When the actual reaction force Fr1 is larger than the target value Ft (region a in fig. 8 a), the control unit 50 adjusts the application of the positive (+) driving force to the operation unit 10 because the reaction force when the operation unit 10 is tilted is excessively large. Since the difference between the actual reaction force Fr1 and the target value Ft varies depending on the movement position of the operation unit 10, the control unit 50 adjusts the positive (+) driving force applied from the driving units (the first driving unit 21 and the second driving unit 22) to the operation unit 10 in accordance with the position of the operation unit 10 detected by the position detection unit (the first position detection unit 41 and the second position detection unit 42). As a result, the reaction force when the operation unit 10 is pushed down is suppressed by the positive (+) driving force, and the reaction force applied from the operation unit 10 to the operator becomes the target value Ft.

The horizontal axis of the graph shown in fig. 9 (a) represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the vertical axis represents the reaction force of the operation unit 10.

The horizontal axis of the graph shown in fig. 9 (b) represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the vertical axis represents the driving force and the resistance.

As shown in fig. 9 (a), when the tilting force is reduced to return the operation unit 10 to the neutral position, the urging force generated by the urging means is reduced as the operation unit 10 returns, and the influence of the frictional force on the mechanism corresponding to the movement position of the operation unit 10 acts in a manner opposite to the case of tilting the operation unit 10, so that the actual reaction force Fr2 is applied to the operator. The control unit 50 adjusts the driving force and the resistance force so that the reaction force applied from the operation unit 10 to the operator becomes the target value Ft.

For example, when the actual reaction force Fr2 is larger than the target value Ft (region a in fig. 9 (a)), the control unit 50 adjusts the resistance to the movement of the operation unit 10 because the reaction force when the operation unit 10 is returned is excessively large. Since the difference between the actual reaction force Fr2 and the target value Ft varies depending on the movement position of the operating unit 10, the control unit 50 adjusts the resistance applied from the braking units (the first braking unit 31 and the second braking unit 32) to the operating unit 10 based on the movement position of the operating unit 10 detected by the position detecting unit (the first position detecting unit 41 and the second position detecting unit 42). As a result, the reaction force when returning the operation unit 10 is suppressed by the resistance, and the reaction force applied from the operation unit 10 to the operator becomes the target value Ft. As a method of reducing the reaction force in the a region, a positive (+) driving force generated by the driving units (the first driving unit 21 and the second driving unit 22) may be used, or a resistance generated by the braking units (the first braking unit 31 and the second braking unit 32) may be combined with the positive (+) driving force generated by the driving units (the first driving unit 21 and the second driving unit 22).

When the actual reaction force Fr2 is smaller than the target value Ft (in the region B in fig. 9 (a)), the reaction force when returning the operation unit 10 is insufficient, and therefore the control unit 50 adjusts the operation unit 10 to apply a negative (-) driving force. Since the difference between the actual reaction force Fr2 and the target value Ft varies depending on the movement position of the operation unit 10, the control unit 50 adjusts the negative (-) driving force applied from the driving units (the first driving unit 21 and the second driving unit 22) to the operation unit 10 based on the position of the operation unit 10 detected by the position detecting unit (the first position detecting unit 41 and the second position detecting unit 42). As a result, the reaction force when returning the operation unit 10 is increased by the negative (-) driving force, and the reaction force applied from the operation unit 10 to the operator becomes the target value Ft.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, the target value Ft of the reaction force is set to a constant value regardless of the movement position of the operation unit 10, and thus a constant reaction force (operation feeling) can be given to the operator regardless of whether the operation unit 10 is tilted or returned when the operation unit 10 is returned.

The target value Ft of the reaction force may be linearly changed, curved, or stepwise changed according to the movement position of the operation unit 10. In either case, the control unit 50 can provide the operator with a desired reaction force (operation feeling) at the target value Ft by adjusting the driving force or the resistance force so as to cancel out the difference between the target value Ft and the actual reaction force with respect to the movement position of the operation unit 10.

(adjustment example: third)

In this adjustment example, the control unit 50 adjusts the driving force and the resistance force so as to obtain a preset reaction force.

The horizontal axis of the graph shown in fig. 10 (a) to (c) represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the vertical axis represents the reaction force of the operation unit 10.

First, an adjustment example shown in fig. 10 (a) will be described. When the operation unit 10 is tilted, the operation unit 10 can be tilted to the stop position. The stop position is, for example, a position determined by a mechanical stopper, or a position set by application of a driving force or a resistance. On the other hand, when the tilting force is weakened, the operation portion 10 tries to return in the direction of the neutral position in accordance with the biasing force of the biasing mechanism. Then, the operation unit 10 is stopped at a position where the biasing force of the biasing mechanism becomes zero, and the stop position becomes the origin. In this case, the reaction force becomes particularly low from the vicinity of the origin, and the position where the reaction force is zero becomes the origin.

When no driving force or resistance is applied to the operation portion 10, a reaction force as shown by the solid line of the graph L1 is generated. That is, when the operation unit 10 is tilted from the position C1 (neutral position) at which the reaction force becomes zero, the operation unit 10 becomes the stop position when the position reaches S1, and the reaction force increases.

When the driving force and/or the resistance are adjusted by the control of the control unit 50, a reaction force as shown by a broken line of the graph L1 can be applied. That is, when the operation unit 10 is tilted from the position C1 in the same manner as before, the driving unit (the first driving unit 21 and the second driving unit 22) and/or the braking unit (the first braking unit 31 and the second braking unit 32) are/is operated to rapidly increase the reaction force at the stage S2 before the position of the operation unit 10 reaches S1 (for example, the position of the mechanical stopper). This makes it possible to apply a reaction force for bringing a predetermined position S2, which is different from the stop position S1 of the mechanical stopper, into the stop position, for example. By applying a reaction force by the driving force, a feeling of sudden rebound when the vehicle is tilted to the predetermined position S2 can be obtained. In addition, the resistance can also provide a feeling like a mechanical stopper.

Next, an adjustment example shown in fig. 10 (b) will be explained. In this adjustment example, as shown by a graph L2, the reaction force applied to the operation portion 10 is changed in a stepwise manner. This makes it possible to provide the operator with a tactile sensation of transmitting the reaction force in stages when operating the operation unit 10.

Next, an adjustment example shown in fig. 10 (c) will be explained. In this adjustment example, as shown by a graph L3, a reaction force is applied in a pulse shape in the middle of the operation position of the operation portion 10. The reaction force applied in a pulse shape may be applied at a plurality of positions of the operation position or may be applied at a predetermined one position. Thus, when the operation unit 10 is operated, the operator can feel a click feeling at a position where the pulse-like reaction force passes. When a pulse-like reaction force is applied to a plurality of portions, a multistage click feeling can be provided.

(adjustment example: the fourth)

In this adjustment example, the control unit 50 performs control to change the reference position of the operation unit 10.

The horizontal axis of the graph shown in fig. 11 represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the vertical axis represents the reaction force applied to the operation unit 10. The operation unit 10 is provided with an urging mechanism by a coil spring, for example, and an origin return position C1 is set near the center of the movement.

When the driving force and the resistance force are not applied to the operation portion 10, the reaction force is as shown by a graph L4. That is, the position of the operation portion 10 is C1, the neutral position is obtained, and the reaction force is minimum. The position (neutral position) C1 of the operation unit 10 is the origin of the operation unit 10.

When the driving force and the resistance are adjusted by the control of the control unit 50, a reaction force as shown by a graph L4b can be applied. That is, when the operation unit 10 is moved in the same manner as before, the driving force and the resistance force are adjusted so that the reaction force is minimized at the position C2 different from the position C1. This allows the change in the reaction force to be moved so that the position C2 different from the position C1 becomes the reference (neutral position).

(adjustment example: the fifth of the invention)

In this adjustment example, the control unit 50 performs control to make the resistance at the origin of the operation unit 10 larger than the resistance near the origin.

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of adjustment of the driving force and the resistance force at the neutral position. The horizontal axis of the graph shown in fig. 12 represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the vertical axis represents the reaction force applied to the operation unit 10. The operation unit 10 is provided with a biasing mechanism, for example, by a coil spring, and a position C1 at which the origin is returned is set near the center of the movement.

When the driving force and the resistance are not applied to the operation portion 10, the reaction force is as shown by a graph L5. That is, when the operation unit 10 is located at the position C1 where the origin is returned, the forces generated by the urging mechanisms are balanced and the reaction force is minimized. However, since the reaction force is minimum at the position C1 at which the origin is reset, the position of the operation portion 10 becomes unstable in the state in which the origin is reset.

When the driving force and the resistance are adjusted by the control of the control unit 50, a reaction force as shown by a graph L6 can be applied. That is, when the position of the operation unit 10 is at the position C1 where the origin is returned, the driving force and the resistance force are adjusted so that a reaction force larger than a reaction force near the origin is applied. Thus, when the operation unit 10 is located at the position C1 where the origin is returned, the operation position can be fixed in a stable state by a large reaction force. For example, it is preferable that a reaction force is applied so as to fix the position by resistance when the position is at the position C1, and a driving force is applied in a direction to return to the origin when the position is to be changed from the position C1.

(adjustment example: its six)

In this adjustment example, the control unit 50 controls the first and

second driving units

21 and 22, or the first and

second braking units

31 and 32 so that at least one of the driving force or the resistance in the X direction and the driving force or the resistance in the Y direction is intermittently applied.

The horizontal axis of the graphs shown in fig. 13 (a) and (b) represents time, and the vertical axis represents driving force or resistance.

In the adjustment example shown in fig. 13 (a), the control portion 50 continues to apply a constant driving force or resistance to the operation portion 10 at constant time intervals (for example, 10ms intervals). As an example of applying a constant driving force at constant time intervals, the application of the driving force is applied/stopped at a constant cycle (or the direction of the driving force is switched at a constant cycle) while the operation unit 10 is continuously held at a predetermined position. This can impart a predetermined vibration feeling to the operation unit 10 which is continuously held at a predetermined position.

As an example of applying a constant resistance at constant time intervals, when an operation of tilting the operation unit 10 from a neutral position is performed or when the operation unit 10 is returned from the tilted position to the neutral position, the application of the resistance is applied/stopped at a constant cycle. This can give a tactile sensation of vibration of a constant cycle to the moving operation unit 10.

In the adjustment example shown in fig. 13 (b), the control portion 50 applies a driving force or a resistance to the operation portion 10 in such a manner that it becomes gradually larger with time and becomes gradually narrower at intervals with time. As an example of applying the driving force gradually with the gradually narrowed intervals, the driving force is applied gradually with the gradually narrowed intervals in a state where the operation unit 10 is continuously held at a predetermined position (or the direction of the driving force is reversed when the application of the driving force is stopped). This can impart a tactile sensation of gradually increasing vibration to the operation unit 10 that is continuously held at a predetermined position.

As an example of applying the resistance gradually increasing at the gradually narrowed intervals, when an operation of tilting the operation unit 10 from the neutral position is performed or the operation unit 10 is returned from the tilted position to the neutral position, the resistance is applied gradually increasing at the gradually narrowed intervals. This can provide the moving operation unit 10 with a tactile sensation that gradually changes from weak vibration to strong vibration.

The type of the control unit 50 intermittently applying the resistance to the operation unit 10 is at least one of the time interval (pitch) of the applied resistance, the width (pulse width) of the applied resistance, and the intensity of the applied resistance. The change in the persistence of the applied resistance is at least one of a change in the time interval (pitch) of the applied resistance, a change in the width (pulse width) of the applied resistance, and a change in the intensity of the applied resistance. By combining these, various vibration modes can be applied to the operation portion 10.

(adjustment example: seven)

In this adjustment example, the control unit 50 controls the first brake unit 31 and the second brake unit 32 to adjust the movement range of the operation unit 10.

Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of adjustment of the movable range. The abscissa of the graph shown in fig. 14 represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the ordinate represents the reaction force applied to the operation unit 10.

When no resistance is applied to the operation unit 10, the movement range W1 of the operation unit 10 is a range in which the mechanical stopper (stop position) collides. Here, the movement range W2 of the operation unit 10 can be arbitrarily set by applying resistance to the operation unit 10 from the first brake unit 31 and the second brake unit 32 under the control of the control unit 50. That is, when the operation unit 10 reaches each end (stop position) of the movement range W2, a resistance greater than that at positions other than the stop position is applied from the first brake unit 31 and the second brake unit 32. This makes it possible to set a movement range W2 different from the movement range W1 limited by the mechanical stopper. That is, by controlling at least one of the first brake unit 31 and the second brake unit 32, the operation range of the operation unit 10 can be adjusted.

(adjustment example: its eight)

In this adjustment example, the control unit 50 corrects the position information that becomes a stable point in the movement of the operation unit 10 based on the output signals from the first position detection unit 41 and the second position detection unit 42.

Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of adjustment of the stable point.

The horizontal axis of the graph shown in fig. 15 represents the movement position of the operation unit 10, and the vertical axis represents the driving torque. For example, when a stepping motor is used as the first drive unit 21 and the second drive unit 22, a motor-specific stable point exists as shown by a graph L7. On the other hand, since the operating unit 10 is acted upon by a biasing force of, for example, a coil spring as a biasing means, the motor stability point does not necessarily coincide with the stability point of the operating unit 10 (see the line L8). Therefore, the position P1 which becomes the stable point of the motor is corrected to a position P2 at which the driving torque of the stepping motor and the urging force generated by the urging mechanism are balanced (cancelled).

For example, when the biasing force of the operation unit 10 is taken into consideration, the actual position of the stable point of the operation unit 10 is P2. Since the calculated reference position set in the control unit 50 is the position P1 of the stable point of the motor, a deviation occurs between the position P2 of the stable point and the actual position of the operation unit 10. Therefore, the control unit 50 corrects the information on the positions detected by the first position detecting unit 41 and the second position detecting unit 42 by the difference between the position P1 and the position P2. This allows the control reference to be matched with the position P2 of the stable point of the operation unit 10 in consideration of the force acting on the movement of the operation unit 10, thereby enabling highly accurate control.

(example of application)

Next, an application example of the operation device 1 of the present embodiment will be explained.

An application example applied to a lever type controller is shown in fig. 16. In the lever controller 100, the operation device 1 according to the present embodiment is applied to, for example, an upper surface position of the controller main body 110. In the example shown in fig. 16, the operation portion 10 of the operation device 1 is formed by a single lever provided on each of the left and right sides of the upper surface of the controller main body 110.

In the case where the operation device 1 is applied to the lever type controller 100, the reference position may be moved over time so as to transmit an appropriate action of the lever type controller 100 to the operator. That is, the following may be used: in fig. 11, C2, which is the reference position of the reaction force, moves with time, so that the operator can easily recognize the position where the lever should be. For example, by adjusting the outputs of the driving unit and the braking unit of each shaft in accordance with the direction of operation of the operation unit 10 (lever), the force corresponding to the direction of each shaft can be distributed. If the reaction force can be applied in the same direction as the motion direction by distributing the force proportionally along the motion direction, an arrangement can also be made in which the force is applied in a direction different from the motion direction, for example, in a direction orthogonal to the motion direction, by changing the ratio. In this case, it is felt for the operator that the lever is guided in such a way as to pass through a specific trajectory. Such actions are suitable for use in a teaching mode of the game. In the teaching mode, since the operation unit 10 is guided so as to pass through a specific trajectory, the reaction force increases when the operator moves the operation unit 10 outside the specific trajectory, and it is possible to learn to move the operation unit 10 along the specific trajectory.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the operation device 1 capable of providing a fine and stable operation and a fine operation feeling by applying the driving force and the resistance to the operation portion 10 that can be operated at least in the first direction and the second direction.

The present embodiment has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above example. For example, a person skilled in the art can appropriately add, delete, and modify the design of the components of the above-described embodiments, or appropriately combine the features of the configuration examples of the respective embodiments, so long as the person is within the spirit of the present invention, the scope of the present invention is also included. For example, when the position C2 shown in fig. 11 is set as the neutral position, the current position of the operation unit 10 may be held when no operation force is applied to the operation unit 10, and the reaction force that pulls in to the position C2 may be generated only when an operation force is applied to the operation unit 10. In fig. 13, the tactile sensation of vibration is given by controlling the resistance, but the electric vibration may be given by the driving force, or the resistance and the driving force may be combined to be given.

Description of the reference numerals

1: operating device, 10: operation unit, 11: universal joint mechanism, 21: first drive portion, 22: second driving portion, 31: first brake portion, 32: second brake section, 41: first position detection unit, 42: second position detection unit, 50: control unit, 51: first drive control circuit, 52: first brake control circuit, 53: second drive control circuit, 54: second brake control circuit, 55: calculation unit, 56: storage unit, 57: power supply circuit, 58: communication unit, 100: lever type controller, 110: controller main body, 411: center shaft, 420: holding part, 430: first yoke, 431: circular ring portion, 432: cylindrical portion, 433: step portion, 434: inner peripheral surface, 440: second yoke, 450: excitation coil, 451: connecting member, 451a: input section, 460: ring member, 470: yoke, 480: gap, 500: external system, 4100: brake operation portion, 4110: shaft portion, 4120: magnetic disk, 4140: support member, 4150: radial bearing, 4160: magnetic viscous fluid, a, B: region, C1: neutral position, C2: position, ff1, ff2: friction force, fr1, fr2, fs1: reaction force, ft: target values, L1 to L8: graph, L4b: graph, S1: stop position, S2: predetermined position, W1, W2: the range of movement.

Claims

1. An operating device, characterized in that,

the operation device is provided with:

an operation unit operable in at least a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;

a first driving portion that applies a first driving force as a driving force in the first direction to the operation portion;

a first brake portion that applies a first resistance force against movement of the operating portion in the first direction;

a first position detection unit that detects a position of the operation unit in the first direction;

a second driving portion that applies a second driving force as a driving force in the second direction to the operating portion;

a second brake portion that applies a second resistance force against movement of the operating portion in the second direction;

a second position detection unit that detects a position of the operation unit in the second direction; and

a control unit that adjusts a first driving force and a first resistance according to the position in the first direction detected by the first position detecting unit, and adjusts a second driving force and a second resistance according to the position in the second direction detected by the second position detecting unit,

the control unit corrects the position information of the stable point during the operation of the operation unit to the position of the stable point of the first drive unit and the second drive unit based on the output signals from the first position detection unit and the second position detection unit.

2. The operating device according to claim 1,

the control unit adjusts the first driving force and the first resistance force and the second driving force and the second resistance force in consideration of a frictional force during movement of the operation unit.

3. The operating device according to claim 1 or 2,

the control unit performs at least one of the following processes,

wherein the first driving force and/or the first resistance force are/is adjusted so that a reaction force of the operating portion becomes larger than that in a case where a position other than the stop position in the first direction is detected by the first position detecting portion,

when the predetermined stop position in the second direction is detected by the second position detecting unit, the second driving force and/or the second resistance force are/is adjusted so that the reaction force of the operating unit is greater than in the case of a position other than the stop position in the second direction.

4. The operating device according to claim 1 or 2,

the operating device further includes a biasing mechanism that returns the operating unit to an original position,

the control unit adjusts the first driving force and the first resistance and adjusts the second driving force and the second resistance so that a position different from an origin based on the urging mechanism becomes the origin.

5. The operating device according to claim 1 or 2,

the control unit increases the first resistance and the second resistance at an origin of the operation unit to be larger than the first resistance and the second resistance near the origin.

6. The operating device according to claim 1 or 2,

the control unit performs at least one of the following processes,

intermittently changing at least one of the first driving force and the first resistance,

intermittently changing at least one of the second driving force and the second resistance.

7. The operating device according to claim 1 or 2,

the control unit performs at least one of the following processes,

intermittently and gradually changing at least one of the first driving force and the first resistance,

at least one of the second driving force and the second resistance is intermittently and gradually changed.

8. The operating device according to claim 1 or 2,

the first brake part and the second brake part have a magnetic viscous fluid and a magnetic field generating part that applies a magnetic field to the magnetic viscous fluid.