FR3020762A1 - CONTROL INPUT DEVICE HAVING CONTROL BUTTON WITH ADJUSTABLE RUNNING - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a control input device (100) for controlling an electronic / computer game, said device comprising: - a frame (102), - at least one control button (104) comprising an actuator element (106) provided to be actuated by the finger (s) of a user and movable between a first position, said start, and a second position, said arrival; and - at least one means (108-112, 118-122) for adjusting said starting position and / or said arrival position; characterized in that the at least one adjustment means (108-112, 118-122) comprises an adjusting member (108, 118) fitting into an opening (110, 120) provided in said frame (102) and abutting against said actuator element (106).

Description

The present invention relates to a control input device for an electronic / computer game equipped with a control button whose stroke is controlled by a control button. adjustable. The field of the invention is the field of control input devices for a game console or a computer, such as a joystick.

STATE OF THE ART Most electronic / computer games are controlled by control input devices, also known as joysticks. Each handle comprises at least one button, also called trigger, movable between a starting position and a position of 'arrival. Such a button can be used either to enter a binary command, or to enter a command whose intensity depends on the amount of movement of the button relative to the starting position. For example, the speed of movement of a virtual object of the electronic game is adjusted according to the stroke of the button relative to its starting position. However, to enter commands in a faster way it is sometimes desirable to reduce the stroke of the button by changing the starting position and / or the finish position. US 8,480,491 B2 proposes a handle provided with means for adjusting the starting position and / or the arrival position of a control button. To adjust the starting position or the arrival position, it is proposed a screw abutting against one end of a rotating part, said abutment, integral with the control button and positioned around an axis of rotation of the knob of control, and changing the maximum angle of rotation of the stop piece. However, such adjustment means does not allow a precise adjustment. Indeed, the angle of rotation of a control button being low, the rotation angle of the abutment piece also remains low, especially since the abutment piece is smaller than the control button. Therefore, a small change in the maximum rotation angle results in a greater change in the stroke of the control knob, which does not allow for an accurate adjustment. In addition, a change in the position of the stop piece relative to the control knob, due to wear or malfunction of the stop piece changes the adjustment made. In addition, such a proposed adjustment requires providing a stop piece in addition to the control button, which increases the cost of manufacture. Moreover, when the stop piece has to be changed, it is necessary to disassemble the frame of the handle and the control knob, which is complex, expensive and presents a risk for the handle. Finally, the proposed adjustment means is only suitable for rotary control knobs. As regards the position of arrival the document US Pat. No. 8,480,491 B2 proposes an alternative which is to insert an adjustment means directly on the control button, this adjustment means abutting against the chassis of the joystick. Such adjustment means weakens the control button. In addition, such adjustment means modifies the balance and the weight of the control button, and alters the ergonomics of the button for the user. In addition, such adjustment means can only be used for adjusting the arrival position.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. Another object of the invention is to provide a control input device providing a more precise adjustment of the stroke of a control knob. Another object of the invention is to provide a control input device proposing a stroke adjustment of a control button, whether it is rotary or not. Finally, it is another object of the invention to provide a control input device which provides a less expensive and less complex control stroke of a control knob to manufacture and maintain. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention proposes to achieve at least one of the aforementioned objects by a control input device for controlling an electronic / computer game, said device comprising: a chassis; a control button comprising an actuator element intended to be actuated by the finger (s) of a user and movable between a first position, said starting position, and a second position, said arrival, and - at least means for adjusting said starting position and / or said arrival position; characterized in that the at least one adjustment means comprises an adjustment member inserted into an opening in the frame and abutting against said actuator element.

The invention therefore proposes to perform an adjustment of the starting position, and / or the arrival position, of a control button with an adjustment element disposed on the frame of the device and coming to interact directly with the actuator of the control knob. Thus, according to the invention, the adjustment is not made relative to a stop piece in addition to the actuator of the control button. Consequently, the control input device makes it possible to make an adjustment while being less complex and less expensive to manufacture compared with the devices of the state of the art, and in particular with the device described in document US Pat. No. 8,480,491 B2.

Since it is not necessary to provide a stop piece inside the frame, the maintenance of the adjustment means can be carried out without having to open the frame, which allows easier, less expensive and less expensive maintenance. risk for the control device.

In addition, the device according to the invention allows to provide an adjustment for a rotary control button but also for a translative control button. On the other hand, when the control knob is rotatable about an axis of rotation, it is possible to arrange the adjustment element away from the axis of rotation of the control knob, allowing adjustment more precise. Advantageously, the control button may be a progressive control rotary knob or a progressive control translative control knob. Preferably, the control input device according to the invention may comprise, for a control button 10 - means for adjusting the starting position, and - means for adjusting the arrival position; each adjustment means comprising an adjustment member inserted in an opening in the frame and abutting against said actuator element. Thus, the starting position and the ending position can be adjusted with less expensive, less complicated to manufacture, simpler to maintain adjustment means and allowing for a more precise adjustment than the devices of the state of the art. the technique. Advantageously, when the actuator is movable about an axis of rotation, the or each adjustment member may be positioned to abut against said actuator at a distal end, or a distal edge. , said actuator relative to said axis of rotation. Thus, it is possible to achieve a more precise adjustment. Indeed, when the actuator is rotatable, its distal end (or distal edge) travels the greater distance when it is rotated between its starting position and its arrival position. Positioning the starting position adjusting member, respectively the arrival position adjusting member, to abut the actuator at the distal end provides a greater distance, or even greater distance, traveled by the actuator to achieve the adjustment of the starting position, respectively the arrival position. Preferably, the device according to the invention may further comprise at least one means for indicating one or each adjusted position. Such an indicator makes it possible to make the adjustment of the starting position, is especially of the arrival position, faster. Indeed, the user does not have to manipulate the actuator to determine whether the desired position is reached or not during the adjustment, unlike the device of US 8,480,491 B2 with which it is obliged to make successive presses on the actuator to determine whether or not the starting position, and especially the finish position, is the desired position. In addition, such an indicator makes it possible to make the adjustment of the starting position, especially of the arrival position, easier. Indeed, as the user does not need to press the actuator during the adjustment, both hands are free for the adjustment operation, which is then performed more quickly. According to an exemplary embodiment, the indicating means may comprise an opening allowing visual access to an end of the or each adjustment element abutting against the actuator.

Such an architecture makes it possible to inform the user on the adjusted position in a simple and inexpensive way. Preferably, the indicating means may comprise at least one, in particular two, graduation (s) indicating an adjustment value of the starting position and or an adjustment value of the arrival position. In particular, the indicating means may comprise a graduation dedicated to the starting position and a graduation dedicated to the arrival position, to facilitate the reading of the adjustment made for each position.

Alternatively a single graduation can be used for the starting position and the finishing position. According to a non-limiting embodiment, the or each adjustment means consists of a single adjustment element inserted in an opening in the frame and abutting against said actuator element. This version makes it possible to further reduce the complexity and the manufacturing cost of the control input device according to the invention.

For example, the element or each adjustment element may be a screw. In this case, the opening provided on the frame is a thread intended to accommodate the screw. The rotation of the screw in the tapping makes it possible to adjust the depression of the screw in the tapping and thus the adjustment of the starting position, respectively of the arrival position. Tapping can be done directly in the chassis. Alternatively, the tapping can be performed in an intermediate piece that is fixed on / in the frame, in particular in the opening provided on the frame. This embodiment has the advantage of being able to use, at the tapping, another material than the material in which the frame is manufactured so as to obtain a more robust adjustment means. According to a particular embodiment, the or each adjustment element may be substantially parallel / tangential to the trajectory of the actuator on the side of the starting position, respectively of the arrival position. Such positioning of the adjustment member allows easier access to the adjustment member, without disturbing the user when using the control button, particularly when soliciting the actuator. More particularly, the initial position adjustment element, respectively the adjustment element of the end position, can be positioned in a direction parallel to a plane passing through the starting position and the position of arrival. Such positioning allows a simplified architecture for the control device, while providing an adjustment of the starting position, respectively the arrival position, more intuitive and therefore more ergonomic.35 -7 Other advantages and features will appear at the examination of the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments, and the accompanying drawings in which: - FIGURE 1 is a partial schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention in a view from above; and FIG. 2 is a partial schematic representation of the example of FIG. 1 in a view from below; FIG. 3 is a partial schematic representation in which the control button of the device of FIG. 1 is in the starting position; - FIGURE 4 is a partial schematic representation in which the control button of the device of FIGURE 1 is in the arrival position; and FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a second example of a device according to the invention. It is understood that the embodiments which will be described in the following are in no way limiting. It will be possible, in particular, to imagine variants of the invention comprising only a selection of characteristics described subsequently isolated from the other characteristics described, if this selection of characteristics is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention with respect to the state of the art. This selection comprises at least one feature preferably functional without structural details, or with only a part of the structural details if it is this part that is only sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the state of the prior art. In particular, all the variants and all the embodiments described are combinable with each other if nothing stands in the way of this combination at the technical level. In the figures and in the following description, the elements common to several figures retain the same reference. FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a nonlimiting exemplary embodiment of a control input device according to FIG. the invention according to a view from above and FIGURE 2 is a partial schematic representation of the example of FIGURE 1 in a view from below. FIG. 3 is a partial schematic representation in which the control button of the device of FIG. 1 is in the starting position and FIG. 4 is a partial schematic representation in which the control button of the device of FIG. 1 is in the position of FIG. 'arrival.

The control input device 100 shown in FIGURES 1-4 is a joystick for entering control commands for an electronic / computer game run by a computer or game console. The control input device 100 includes, inter alia, a frame or shell 102, a rotary control knob 104 which can be controlled via a rotary actuator 106. To enter a command via the control knob 104, the actuator 106 of the control button 104 can be moved between: - a starting position corresponding to a position in which the user applies no pressure on the actuator 106, and - an arrival position beyond which the Actuator 106 can no longer be depressed. Of course, depending on the desired command, the user can depress the actuator 106 to an intermediate position between the starting position and the arrival position. In the example shown in FIGURES 1-4, the control input device 100 is provided with means for adjusting both the starting position of the actuator 106 and the arrival position of the actuator. 106. In order to adjust the starting position, the control input device 100 comprises a screw 108 which is inserted into an opening 110 provided in the frame 102 of the device 100 via an anchoring piece 112. The screw 108 is positioned so that the end of the screw 108 engages the actuator 106 at a distal end (or edge) 114 of the actuator 106 relative to the the axis 116 of rotation of the actuator 106. When the screw 108 is depressed, the end of the screw 108 comes to apply a pressure on the distal end 114 of the actuator 106 which results in driving more or minus the actuator 106, without the user applying any pressure on the actuator 106. , the starting position of the actuator 106 is adjusted by adjusting the depression of the screw 108. To adjust the arrival position, the control input device 100 comprises a screw 118 inserted into an opening 120 arranged in the frame 102 of the device 100 via an anchor 122. The screw 118 is positioned so that the end of the screw 118 is a limit stop against the distal end 114 of the actuator 106 relative to its axis of rotation R. Thus, by adjusting the depression of the screw 118, the end stop position constituted by the end of the screw 118 is also adjusted, which modifies the end of the stroke of the actuator 106 and therefore its arrival position. The anchor 112, respectively 122, is anchored in the opening 110, respectively 120, of the frame 102 of the device 100 so that it is not free to rotate. This anchor 112, respectively 122, has on its inner surface a tapping cooperating with the thread of the screw 108, respectively 118, to modify the depression of the screw 108, respectively 118. The anchor 112, respectively 122, is made of a material, for example metal, more mechanically resistant than the material of which the shell of the control device 100 is made, which is generally made of plastic, thus providing increased strength. The control input device 100 also includes means for indicating the adjusted start position and the adjusted arrival position. These means of indication comprise an opening 124 arranged in the frame 102 of the device 100 and allowing to have a visual access on the end of each adjustment screw 108 and 118 which comes into contact with the actuator 106. a scale 126 made on the edge of the opening 124 on the starting position side makes it possible to follow and to facilitate, on the one hand, the adjustment of the starting position and, on the other hand, to read, at any time, the starting position adjusted. In a similar manner, a graduation 128 made on the edge of the opening 124 on the arrival position side makes it possible to follow and facilitate on the one hand the adjustment of the arrival position and on the other hand of read, at any time, the adjusted finish position. Each screw 108, respectively 118, is arranged in a direction: - substantially tangential to the trajectory of the actuator 106 on the side of the starting position, respectively of the arrival position; and substantially parallel to a plane passing through the starting position and the arrival position of the actuator 106.

Of course, the use of the anchor 112, respectively 122, is optional and the screw 108, respectively 118, can be rotatably inserted directly into the opening 110, respectively 120, without using an intermediate piece.

In addition, in the example shown the control input device 100 provides adjustment of the start position and the arrival position of the control button. Of course, according to the invention, it is possible that the device comprises only an adjustment of the starting position or the arrival position.

Further, in the example shown the control input device 100 provides two individual graduations to indicate the adjustment of the starting position and the adjustment of the arrival position of the control knob. Of course, according to the invention, it is possible for the device to comprise a common graduation to read the adjustment of the starting position and the arrival position, or a graduation indicating only the starting position or the position of the 'arrival. Alternatively, it is also possible for one or the graduations to be positioned on the actuator so as to be visible through the opening 124, and not on the chassis.

FIGURE 5 is a schematic representation of a second example of a control input device according to the invention.

The controller 500 shown in FIGURE 5 is a joystick for a game console or a computer. The device 500 comprises two progressive control rotary knobs 1041 and 1042 disposed on an upper face 502 of the device 500 and each being controllable with the index of a user's hand. The device 500 comprises means for adjusting the starting position and the arrival position of each control button 1041 and 104, namely: a screw, respectively 1081 and 1082, for adjusting the starting position; a screw, respectively 1181 and 1182, for adjusting the arrival position; an opening, respectively 1241 and 1242, of indication of the adjusted positions; and - graduations, respectively 1261, 1262 and 1281, 1282 for reading the adjusted positions. All the examples described relate to a rotary control button.

Of course, the invention also relates to the translative control buttons. In addition, each adjustment element described comprises a screw making a continuous adjustment of the starting position, respectively of the arrival position. Alternatively, at least one adjustment may not be a screw. In addition, at least one adjustment element can realize a discrete fit. Naturally, the invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described.

Claims (10)

REVENDICATIONS1. A control input device (100; 500) for controlling an electronic / computer game, said device comprising: - a frame (102), - at least one control button (104) comprising an actuator element (106) intended to be actuated by the finger (s) of a user and movable between a first position, said start, and a second position, said arrival; and - at least one means (108-112, 118-122) for adjusting said starting position and / or said arrival position; characterized in that the at least one adjustment means (108-112, 118-122) comprises an adjusting member (108, 118) fitting into an opening (110, 120) provided in said frame (102) and abutting against said actuator element (106). 2. Device (100; 500) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises - an adjustment means (108-112) of the starting position, and - an adjustment means (118-122) of the finish position; each adjusting means comprising an adjusting member (108, 118) fitting into an opening (110, 120) provided in the frame (102) and abutting against the actuator element (106). 3. Device (100; 500) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, when the actuator (106) is movable about an axis of rotation (R), the or each adjustment element ( 108,118) is positioned to abut against said actuator (106) at a distal end (114) or a distal edge side of said actuator (106) with respect to said axis of rotation (R). 4. Device (100; 500) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises and at least one indicating means (124-128) of one or each adjusted position. - 5. Device (100; 500) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the indicating means comprises an opening (124) allowing visual access to one end of the or each adjustment element (108, 118) coming from abutment against the actuator (106). 6. Device (100; 500) according to any one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the indicating means further comprises at least one, in particular two, graduation (s) (126,128) indicating a value of adjustment of the starting position and / or an adjustment value of the arrival position. 7. Device (100; 500) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the or each adjustment means consists of a single adjustment element (108,118) inserted in an opening (110,120) arranged in the frame (102) and abutting against said actuator element (106). 8. Device (100; 500) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one adjustment element is a screw (108,118). 9. Device (100; 500) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the or each adjustment element (108,118) is substantially parallel / tangential to the trajectory of the actuator (106) on the side of the starting position, respectively of the finish position. 10. Device (100; 500) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, the adjustment element (108) of the starting position, respectively the adjustment element (118) of the position of arrival, is positioned in a direction parallel to a plane passing through the starting position and the arrival position.