JP2000047821A - Pointing device, input device using the pointing device and computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pointing device which excels in its operating feeling and portability and can perform both comparatively simple and fast movement and delicate movement of an indicating mark and also to provide an input device using the pointing device and a computer. SOLUTION: This pointing device comprises an operating substrate 11 which can be tilted to an electrode substrate 16, a pad 12 which is placed on the substrate 11, a mobile contact 17 which can detect the tilting direction and degrees of the substrate 11 and a fixed contact pattern 18. Then an operating input signal is outputted via the substrate 16 in response to the detecting result of the contact 17 and/or the input operation given to the pad 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pointing device used as an input device of a personal computer, a word processor, various terminal devices, and the like, and an input device and a computer provided with the pointing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In input devices such as computers, word processors, and various types of terminal devices, in addition to a keyboard that has occupied the mainstream, a pointer on a display screen (display screen) has been developed with the development of a so-called graphical user interface. The importance of a pointing device having a function of moving an instruction mark such as a cursor (hereinafter simply referred to as an instruction mark) to an arbitrary position is increasing. Conventionally, as a pointing device of such an information device, a so-called mouse, which is provided separately from the device, is the most common.

[0003] However, in recent years, in particular, portable personal computers such as notebook computers, word processors, and various portable terminal devices, and moreover, various mobile communication devices such as mobile phones and car phones, etc. There is a demand for further improvement in portability, especially miniaturization and weight reduction. As part of this, a pointing device that requires a large operating area and can be integrated compactly into the device instead of a mouse with poor portability A type is required. As such a pointing device having improved portability, a rod-shaped pointing device, a pad-shaped pointing device, and the like have been used.

A rod-shaped pointing device is
A bar-shaped member to which an operating force is applied to move an indication mark such as a pointer or a cursor is provided with detection means such as a pressure-sensitive resistor, a membrane sheet, or a strain gauge at a lower portion or a side surface thereof. By applying an operating force to the vicinity of the tip of the camera, the indication mark on the display is moved. This type of pointing device facilitates the rapid movement of the pointing marks, so that relatively simple and quick pointing marks, such as, for example, a spreadsheet, word processing (word processor) operation or web browser operation, can be used. Suitable for moving operation.

[0005] A pad-type pointing device moves a finger on a sheet-like coordinate input device (so-called pad), and moves the indication mark on a display by transmitting the movement to a device body. ,
As the method, a capacitance method, a pressure-sensitive method, and the like are known. This type of pointing device can move the indicating mark relatively finely, so that it is relatively complicated and delicate (delicate and delicate), for example, for creating drawings and complicated materials. It is suitable for the moving operation of the camera.

Further, as another type of pointing device, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 3-208120 discloses a pointing device for moving a pointing mark by tilting a disc supported on a base plate via a rubber member so as to be tiltable. What was made to do is disclosed. In this pointing device, a sensor detects the tilt position of the disc and outputs a control signal corresponding to the tilt position angle, and the moving speed of the pointing mark can be changed within a certain range depending on the tilt amount of the disc. It has become.

[0007]

However, each of the conventional pointing devices has the following disadvantages. That is, in the case of a rod-shaped pointing device, the operating portion is generally small, such as a circular or spherical shape having a diameter of about 5 to 10 mm, and the pointing device itself hardly moves even when an operating force is applied. There is a drawback that the user has no feeling, is dry and tasteless, and has a very low degree of satisfaction during use by the user. In addition, this rod-type pointing device is generally arranged between keyboards, but due to its structure, it is inevitably 1-3 mm above the key top.
To the extent that it protruded, there was also the drawback that the keyboard became thicker.

On the other hand, in the case of a pad-type pointing device, the detection unit for detecting the movement of the user's finger is sheet-shaped, which is advantageous for thinning. However, an indication mark such as a pointer or a cursor is displayed on the display. In order to make large movements with the pad, the finger must be reciprocated many times on a pad completely fixed to the input device side, or must be moved a long distance from one end of this pad to the other There was a problem that it took time and effort. Further, as in the case of the rod-type pointing device, the device itself does not move even when an operating force is applied, so that there is no operational feeling and the user's satisfaction during operation is also low.

Further, in the case of both of these types of pointing devices, the rod-type pointing device is not suitable for a complicated and delicate moving operation, although a simple and quick moving operation of the indication mark can be easily performed. The reverse is true for the pad system. In other words, for any type, the movement of the indication mark is monofunctional (that is, the movement of the indication mark is only one of the simple and quick movement or the complicated and delicate movement). ), And it was practically impossible to perform both types of movement operations with a single pointing device.

Further, the pointing device using the inclined disk disclosed in the above-mentioned conventional publication is suitable for thinning the input device because the operating portion is plate-shaped, and the disk is connected via a rubber member. Since the disk is supported by the base plate, a certain operation feeling can be obtained by the reaction force of the rubber member when the disk is tilted by applying an operation force. However, also in this type, the movement of the indication mark is a single function with only a relatively simple and quick movement, and the simple and quick movement of the indication mark and the complicated and delicate movement with one pointing device. The movement operation of both modes of movement could not be performed well.

The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problem, and it is an object of the present invention to perform a simple and quick movement of a pointing mark and a complicated and delicate movement of a pointing mark with a single pointing device. Can also be
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pointing device capable of achieving further reduction in thickness and obtaining a good operation feeling, an input device including the pointing device, and a computer.

[0012]

Therefore, a pointing device according to the first invention of the present application is a pointing device that can move an instruction mark such as a pointer or a cursor displayed on a display screen, and includes a base device. An operation board provided to be tiltable with respect to the member, a sheet-like coordinate input unit provided on the operation board, a tilt detection mechanism capable of detecting a tilt direction and a tilt amount of the operation board, and the tilt detection mechanism And / or a signal output mechanism that outputs an operation input signal in accordance with the detection result of the above and / or an input operation to the sheet-like coordinate input unit.

A pointing device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the pointing device according to the first aspect, wherein the base member has an electrode pattern, and a fixed contact pattern is provided on the electrode pattern. A movable contact facing the fixed contact pattern at a predetermined interval is provided between the operation board and the fixed contact pattern, and the movable contact comes into contact with the fixed contact pattern according to the tilting operation of the operation board. The tilt direction and the tilt amount of the operation board are detected based on the contact state when the operation is performed, and an operation input signal corresponding to the detection result is output via the electrode pattern.

Further, in the pointing device according to a third invention of the present application, in the pointing device according to the second invention, the fixed contact pattern is constituted by a plurality of fixed contacts, and the tilt amount of the operation board is reduced. The larger the number is, the larger the number of fixed contacts that are short-circuited with the movable contact is, and the setting is such that the moving speed of the instruction mark on the display screen is increased.

Still further, a pointing device according to a fourth invention of the present application is the pointing device according to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the pointing device according to any one of the first to third inventions responds to the tilting operation with the inclination of the operation board. A reaction force generating mechanism for generating a force is provided.

Still further, a pointing device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the pointing device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the reaction force generating mechanism is provided between the base member and the operation board. When the operation board is not operated, the operation board is held by the elastic member, so that the movable contact is separated from the fixed contact pattern by a predetermined interval, while the operation board is tilted. In this case, the movable member comes into contact with the fixed contact pattern by compressing the elastic member in accordance with the tilt direction and the tilt amount of the operation board.

Still further, a pointing device according to a sixth invention of the present application is the pointing device according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the operation board is formed in a substantially circular shape in plan view. It is characterized by having.

Still further, a pointing device according to a seventh invention of the present application is the pointing device according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, wherein the pointing device is located on the outer peripheral side of the operation board at a position indicated by an instruction mark. A switch for executing an instruction is provided.

Still further, an input device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is characterized by including the pointing device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects.

Further, the input device according to a ninth invention of the present application is the input device according to the eighth invention, wherein the input device has a key input unit, and the pointing device is a key input unit of the key input unit. The maximum height from the reference surface of the input device is set to be substantially equal to or lower than that of each key.

Further, a computer according to a tenth aspect of the present invention includes the input device according to the eighth or ninth aspect.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a computer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the computer 1 is, for example, a portable notebook type, and a cover 4 is attached to a housing 2 of a main body.
Input device 3 provided with a large number of keys 9 and a pointing device 10 in the main body housing 2.
Is provided. On the other hand, the lid 4 is provided with a display unit 5 (display panel) having a liquid crystal panel, for example.

The pointing device 10 is provided on the input device 3 on a side closer to an operator (not shown) than a key input unit including a large number of keys 9, and as shown in FIG. An operation board 11 for operating an instruction mark (not shown) such as a pointer or a cursor displayed on the upper side, a pad 12 for inputting coordinates provided on an upper surface side of the operation board 11, and an outer peripheral side of the operation board 11. First and second two switches 13 for executing a command at a designated position of a designated mark such as a pointer or a cursor,
14 is provided.

The two switches 13 and 14 are more preferably set to have a considerably larger area than the second switch 14 where the first switch 13 which is usually used frequently is used relatively infrequently. Is located on the near side. Thus, the first switch 13 can perform an input operation without stress even in a rough operation state. Further, as described above, the switches (the first and second switches 13 and 14) for executing the command at the position indicated by the indication mark are provided on the outer peripheral side of the operation board 11, thereby providing the operation board. It is possible to execute a command at the designated position of the designated mark without hardly moving the arm from the position where the tilting operation of 11 is performed, and good operability is secured.

As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, on the lower surfaces of these two switches 13 and 14, a tact switch 19, for example, a so-called micro switch, fixed on the electrode pattern of the electrode substrate 16 of the input device 3 is provided. Each tact switch 19 is turned on (O) by clicking the first and second switches 13 and 14.
N), and a control signal is output to a control unit (not shown) of the input device 3 via the electrode substrate 16.

The first switch 13 is set so that its top is about the same height as the upper end surface of the operation board 11 in a non-operation state in order to prevent careless erroneous operation. Further, the height of the top of the first switch 13 is
The height is such that the operator can easily operate by touching with the belly of the thumb. In addition, an inclined portion 6a is provided on the front surface side of the case 6 of the input device 3 so as to go down toward the first switch 13, so that the operability of the first switch 13 is improved.

On the other hand, the second switch 14 is a keyboard
(The group of keys 9), which is located immediately in front of the so-called space key 9s (as viewed from the operator), and whose top is set to be approximately the same height as the upper end surface of the operation board 11 in the non-operation state That is, the operator can easily operate by touching with the belly of the thumb. Accordingly, quick operation can be easily performed, for example, while the setting of the property or the like can be quickly browsed while hitting the keyboard (key group 9).

The upper end of the operation board 11 of the pointing device 10 or the first and second switches 13, 1
4 has a maximum height from the reference surface of the input device 3 (for example, the reference surface of the case 6 or the bottom surface of the input device) substantially equal to each key of the key input unit (key group 9). Alternatively, the input device 3 is set low and the pointing device 10 is provided in addition to the key input unit.
There is no increase in thickness.

The operation board 11 is formed in a substantially circular shape (having a diameter of about 40 mm) in plan view using, for example, a synthetic resin as a material, and has upper and lower surfaces projecting upward and downward by predetermined amounts, respectively. Ring-shaped upper and lower protrusions 11u,
11s is provided along the outer periphery of the substrate. The material of the operation board 11 is not limited to resin, but may be any other suitable material such as hard rubber.

As described above, by forming the operation board 11 in a substantially circular shape in plan view, the operation of moving the indication mark and the operation of positioning the indication mark become smooth, and the operation feeling can be further improved. The disk diameter of the operation board 11 is about 40 mm and is not a small stick. Therefore, the operation is easy, and there are few operation errors such as the pointer or the cursor largely deviating from the target direction or going too far. I can do it. Furthermore, since the operation board 11 which is a basic operation member has a plate shape, the height of the pointing device 10 can be suppressed, and the input device 3 and the computer 1 having the pointing device 10 can be made thinner. And improvement of portability.

The pad 12 is formed in a sheet shape, disposed inside the upper protrusion 11u of the operation board 11, and fixed to the upper surface of the operation board 11 using, for example, an adhesive. The pad 12 is, for example, a flexible printed wiring board 20 (so-called F-type) inserted through a through hole provided in a part (for example, the center) of the operation board 11.
(PC) through the flexible printed wiring board 20 and the electrode substrate 16, and the control unit of the input device 3 is connected to the electrode substrate 16 via the PC. (Not shown). The pad 12 serving as the sheet-like coordinate input device can move an instruction mark such as a pointer or a cursor relatively finely, so that it is relatively complicated and delicate, for example, for creating drawings and complicated materials. It is used for a moving operation of a simple instruction mark. Incidentally, the pad 12 itself is basically
The sheet-like coordinate input device is similar to a conventionally well-known coordinate input device, and a detailed illustration and description of the configuration will be omitted.

On the other hand, an elastic body 15 having a substantially cylindrical shape and a predetermined height is provided inside the lower protrusion 11s. The elastic body 15 is formed of, for example, silicon rubber having a predetermined elastic coefficient, and the upper end thereof is fixed to the lower surface of the operation board 11 using, for example, an adhesive or by welding. Incidentally, the elastic body 15 is not limited to the above-mentioned cylindrical body made of silicon rubber, but may be a cylindrical body made of another material or a spring material having elasticity suitable for the application. For example, various other types of materials or shapes can be applied.

The lower end of the elastic body 15 is fixed on the electrode substrate 16 of the input device 3 using, for example, an adhesive or by welding. That is, the operation substrate 11 has its lower surface fixed to the electrode substrate 16 via the elastic body 15 and moves the operation substrate 11 in an arbitrary direction to an arbitrary direction within a range allowed by the elasticity of the elastic body 15. Can only be tilted. At this time, the operation board 11 basically performs a tilting operation with a straight line passing through a substantially central portion thereof as an axis.

The operator pushes a certain position of the operation board 11 to tilt the operation board 11 in order to move an instruction mark such as a pointer or a cursor displayed on the display unit (display) 5. At this time, the elastic portion corresponding to the direction of the tilting operation is compressed, and a reaction force corresponding to the amount of compression is generated. Thereby, the operator can feel a feedback for the input operation.

That is, the elastic body 15 is
And a reaction force generating mechanism for generating a reaction force to the tilting operation in accordance with the inclination of the operation board 11. By providing such a reaction force generation mechanism, when an operation force is applied to the operation board 11, The user can feel the reaction force generated by the reaction force generation mechanism as a feedback feeling for the tilting operation of the operation board 11, and conventionally, in a rod-type or pad-type pointing device, there is no operation feeling and the taste is dry. It is possible to obtain a much better operation feeling as compared with the case where there is.

An annular movable contact 17 made of a conductive material such as conductive rubber is fixed to the lower surface of the lower protrusion 11 s of the operation board 11. Fixed contact pattern 1 fixed to substrate 16
8 is provided facing the movable contact 17. This fixed contact pattern 18 is formed by arranging a large number of strip-shaped contact members 18a radially as shown in FIG. 5 so as to form a ring-shaped pattern corresponding to the movable contact 17 in plan view as a whole. Is formed.

The lower projection 11s of the operation board 11, the movable contact 17, the fixed contact pattern 18, and the elastic body 15
The dimensional relationship in the vertical direction is set so that a constant gap is maintained between the movable contact 17 and the fixed contact pattern 18 when the operation board 11 is not operated. That is, the elastic body 15 functions as a reaction force generating mechanism that generates a reaction force when the operator pushes a certain position of the operation board 11 and tilts the operation board 11, and when the operation is not performed, The movable contact 17 is fixed contact pattern 1
A function of keeping the two contacts in a non-short-circuit state by floating them by a predetermined amount from 8 is achieved.

As described above, the elastic body 15 as a reaction force generating mechanism supports the operation board 11 and supports the movable contact 1 when not operating.
Since the function of separating the fixed contact pattern 7 from the fixed contact pattern 18 by a predetermined distance is also performed, the structure of the pointing device 10 can be simplified. When the operation board 11 is tilted, the movable body 1 is compressed while the elastic body 15 is compressed in accordance with the direction and amount of tilt of the operation board 11.
Since 7 contacts the fixed contact pattern 18, a smooth and reliable contact state can be obtained.

For the operation of moving the indication mark by the operator,
When an arbitrary part on the operation substrate 11 is pressed, the conductive rubber 17 (movable contact) under the operation substrate 11 comes into contact with the electrode substrate 16 in the direction corresponding to the part, and the fixed contact pattern 18
Is moved from the center to the same direction as the direction toward the contacted electrode position. At this time, since the fixed contacts 18a on the electrode substrate 16 are arranged in a strip-like pattern, the number of short-circuits (short-circuits) of the fixed contact pattern 18 according to the magnitude of the pressure (operating force) for pressing the operation substrate 11 Changes. That is, when a strong pressure is applied to the operation board 11, the number of short patterns is large, and when the pressure is low, the number of short patterns is small.

As described above, the tilt detecting mechanism for detecting the tilt state of the operation board 11 by the movable contact 17 and the fixed contact pattern 18 is constituted, and based on the contact state of the movable contact 17 with the fixed contact pattern 18. , Operation board 1
This makes it possible to accurately and reliably detect the tilt direction and the tilt amount of the first. In particular, when the operation board 11 is tilted, as described above, the elastic body 15
Since the movable contact 17 comes into contact with the fixed contact pattern 18 while being compressed in accordance with the inclination direction and the amount of inclination, a smooth and reliable contact state can be obtained.

The contact state of the movable contact 17 with the fixed contact pattern 18 based on the tilting operation of the operation board 11 (that is, the detection result of the tilt detection mechanism) and / or the pad 1
2 and / or an operation input signal based on an input operation to the first and second switches 13 and 14, the electrode substrate 1 as a signal output mechanism.
The output is transmitted to the control unit of the input device 3 via the control unit 6.

In the present embodiment, the moving speed of the indication mark such as the pointer or the cursor on the display screen is:
The number is determined by the number of short-circuited fixed contact patterns 18. The larger the number of short patterns, the faster the speed, and the smaller the number, the slower the speed. When the application of the operation force to the operation board 11 is stopped, the movement of the indication mark is also stopped.

As described above, the fixed contact pattern 18 is constituted by the plurality of fixed contact members 18a, and the number of the fixed contacts 18a short-circuited with the movable contact 17 increases as the amount of inclination of the operation board 11 increases. Since the moving speed of the instruction mark on the display screen is set to be faster, the moving speed of the instruction mark can be changed within a certain range depending on the manner of tilting the operation board 11, and the operability is further improved. Have been.

The operation of moving the instruction mark by tilting the operation board 11 as described above is, for example, a relatively simple (simplified) and quick operation of the instruction mark, such as the operation of a spreadsheet, a word processor, or the operation of a Web browser. Applies to moving. On the other hand, for example, complicated and delicate (delicate and delicate) operations such as creation of drawings and complicated presentation materials are performed by performing coordinate input operations with the pads 12 provided inside the operation board 11 as described above. In this case, the operation is smoothly performed. At this time, the pad 12 serving as the sheet-like coordinate input unit is operated by the operation board 1.
Since the operation board 11 is provided integrally with the operation board 1, the operation board 11 is tilted. This makes it possible to continuously perform a delicate movement operation and a complicated movement operation of the instruction mark, which is far more than the conventional case where the sheet-like coordinate input unit is completely fixed to the input device of the computer. It provides convenient and comfortable operability.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when moving the pointing mark such as the pointer or the cursor displayed on the display unit 5 (display), a relatively simple and quick moving operation is performed. Is the operation board 1
1 is performed by tilting operation, while the relatively complicated and delicate movement operation is performed by the pad 12 as a sheet-like coordinate input unit.
It can be made to be performed by input operation to. In other words, a single pointing device 10 can perform both simple and quick movement of the indication mark and complicated and delicate movement of the indication mark, thereby greatly improving the convenience.

Although the above embodiment has been described with reference to a portable notebook computer and its input device as an example, the present invention is not limited to such a case. The present invention can be effectively applied to a computer of the above type, a word processor or various information terminal devices, or input devices thereof. As described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes or design improvements can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0047]

According to the pointing device of the first aspect of the present invention, an operation board provided to be tiltable with respect to the base member, a sheet-like coordinate input section provided on the operation board, A tilt detection mechanism capable of detecting a tilt direction and a tilt amount of the operation board, and a signal output mechanism that outputs an operation input signal in accordance with a detection result of the tilt detection mechanism and / or an input operation to the sheet-like coordinate input unit. Therefore, when moving an instruction mark such as a pointer or a cursor displayed on a display, a relatively simple and quick moving operation such as operation of a spreadsheet, a word processor, or a web browser is performed as described above. While the tilting operation of the operation board is performed, relatively complicated and delicate movement operations such as the creation of drawings and convoluted materials are described above. It is possible to perform an input operation to the preparative-like coordinate input unit. That is, a single pointing device can perform both a relatively simple and quick movement of the indication mark and a complicated and delicate movement of the movement of the indication mark, thereby greatly improving the convenience.
In this case, since the sheet-like coordinate input unit is provided integrally with the operation board, when the operation board is tilted, the coordinate input unit also tilts integrally with the operation board, and the tilting operation to the operation board is performed. They will be linked. This allows
The delicate and complicated moving operations of the instruction mark can be performed continuously, which is far more than the conventional case where the sheet-like coordinate input unit is completely fixed to the input device of the computer. And convenient operability is obtained. In addition, since the operation board, which is a basic operation member, can be formed in a plate shape, the height of the pointing device can be suppressed, and the input device and information equipment having such a pointing device can be further thinned. Can contribute.

According to the pointing device of the second aspect of the present invention, the same effect as that of the first aspect can be obtained. In particular, the base member has an electrode pattern, and a fixed contact pattern is provided on the electrode pattern, and a movable contact opposed to the fixed contact pattern at a predetermined interval is provided between the operation board and the fixed contact pattern. The inclination direction and the amount of inclination of the operation board are detected by the contact state when the movable contact contacts the fixed contact pattern according to the tilt operation of the operation board, and the operation according to the detection result is performed. An input signal is output via the electrode pattern. That is, the tilt detection mechanism specifically includes the fixed contact pattern and the movable contact, and accurately and reliably determines the tilt direction and the tilt amount of the operation board from the contact state of the movable contact with the fixed contact pattern. Can be detected.

Further, according to the pointing device of the third aspect of the present invention, the same effect as that of the second aspect of the invention can be obtained. In particular, the fixed contact pattern is composed of a plurality of fixed contacts, and the greater the inclination amount of the operation board, the larger the number of fixed contacts that are short-circuited with the movable contacts, and the speed of movement of the instruction mark on the display screen Is set to be faster, the moving speed of the instruction mark can be changed depending on the manner of tilting the operation board, and the operability is further improved.

Further, according to the pointing device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the same effects as those of any one of the first to third aspects can be obtained. In particular, since a reaction force generating mechanism for generating a reaction force to the tilting operation with the inclination of the operation board is provided, when the operation force is applied to the operation board, the operator generates the reaction force. The reaction force generated by the mechanism can be felt as a feedback feeling to the tilting operation of the operation board.Conventionally, in a rod-type or pad-type pointing device, there is no operation feeling, compared to a case where the drying is tasteless. A much better operation feeling can be obtained.

Further, according to the pointing device of the invention of claim 5 of the present application, the same effect as that of the invention of claim 4 can be obtained. In particular, the reaction force generating mechanism is specifically constituted by an elastic member disposed between the base member and the operation board, and when the operation board is not operated, the operation board is By being held by the member, while the movable contact is spaced a predetermined distance from the fixed contact pattern, when the operation board is tilted,
The movable contact comes into contact with the fixed contact pattern when the elastic member is compressed in accordance with the tilt direction and the tilt amount of the operation board. That is, since the elastic member as the reaction force generating mechanism also serves to support the operation substrate and separate the movable contact from the fixed contact pattern by a predetermined distance when not operating, the structure of the pointing device can be simplified. it can. Further, when the operation board is tilted, the movable contact comes into contact with the fixed contact pattern while the elastic member is compressed according to the tilt direction and the amount of tilt of the operation board, so that a smooth and reliable contact state is obtained. Obtainable.

Further, according to the pointing device according to the invention of claim 6 of the present application, the same effect as that of any one of the inventions of claim 1 to claim 5 can be obtained. In particular, since the operation board is formed in a substantially circular shape in plan view, the operation of moving the indication mark and the operation of positioning the indication mark are smooth, and the operation feeling is further improved.

Further, according to the pointing device of the invention of claim 7 of the present application, the same effects as those of any one of the inventions of claims 1 to 6 can be obtained. In particular, since the switch for executing the command at the position indicated by the instruction mark is provided on the outer peripheral side of the operation board, the instruction mark can be designated without moving the arm almost from the position where the operation board is tilted. It is possible to execute a command at a position, and good operability can be secured.

Further, according to the invention of claim 8 of the present application, the pointing device incorporated in the input device can exhibit the same effect as any one of the inventions of claims 1 to 7, In addition, the thickness of the input device can be further reduced.

Further, according to the input device of the ninth aspect of the present invention, the same effect as that of the eighth aspect can be obtained. In particular, the input device includes a key input unit, and the pointing device has a maximum height from the reference plane of the input device that is substantially equal to or lower than each key of the key input unit. In addition, it is possible to reliably prevent the thickness of the input device from increasing due to the provision of the pointing device.

Further, according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the same effects as those of the eighth or ninth aspect can be obtained for an input device incorporated in a computer. Can be further reduced in thickness and portability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a computer including a pointing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the pointing device.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device taken along line Y3-Y3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device taken along line Y4-Y4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory plan view showing a fixed contact pattern of the pointing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 computer, 3 input devices, 5 display unit, 9 keys, 10 pointing device, 15 elastic body, 1
6 electrode substrate, 17 movable contacts, 18 fixed contact patterns.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hideto Iwamoto 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo F-term (reference) 5B087 AA06 AA09 AB00 BC01 BC12 BC31 DD03

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A pointing device capable of moving an instruction mark such as a pointer or a cursor displayed on a display screen, comprising: an operation board provided to be tiltable with respect to a base member;
A sheet-shaped coordinate input unit provided on the operation board, a tilt detection mechanism capable of detecting a tilt direction and a tilt amount of the operation board, and a detection result of the tilt detection mechanism and / or an input to the sheet-shaped coordinate input unit. A signal output mechanism for outputting an operation input signal in response to an input operation. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the base member has an electrode pattern.
A fixed contact pattern is provided on the electrode pattern, and a movable contact opposed to the fixed contact pattern at a predetermined interval is provided between the operation board and the fixed contact pattern. Depending on the contact state when the movable contact contacts the fixed contact pattern according to
2. The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein a tilt direction and a tilt amount of the operation board are detected, and an operation input signal corresponding to the detection result is output via the electrode pattern. 3. The fixed contact pattern is composed of a plurality of fixed contacts, and the number of fixed contacts short-circuited with the movable contact increases as the tilt amount of the operation board increases,
The pointing device according to claim 2, wherein the moving speed of the instruction mark on the display screen is set to be high. 4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a reaction force generating mechanism for generating a reaction force with respect to the tilting operation in accordance with the tilt of the operation board. Pointing device. 5. The reaction force generating mechanism is constituted by an elastic member disposed between the base member and the operation board,
When the operation board is not operated, the operation board is held by the elastic member, so that the movable contacts are spaced apart from the fixed contact pattern by a predetermined distance, and when the operation board is tilted, the elastic member is The pointing device according to claim 4, wherein the movable contact comes into contact with the fixed contact pattern by compressing the movable contact according to the inclination direction and the amount of inclination of the operation board. 6. The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the operation substrate is formed in a substantially circular shape in a plan view. 7. The switch according to claim 1, wherein a switch for executing a command at a designated position of the designated mark is provided on an outer peripheral side of the operation board. Pointing device. 8. An input device comprising the pointing device according to claim 1. Description: 9. The input device includes a key input unit, and the pointing device has a maximum height from a reference surface of the input device that is substantially equal to or lower than each key of the key input unit. 9. The input device according to claim 8, wherein: 10. A computer comprising the input device according to claim 8.