JP2000056919A - Controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a controller which can give the operating load to an operating object with small power consumption. SOLUTION: A brake member 3 which has a rake part 22 and rounds along the surface of a spherical body 14 is placed at the upper side of the equator line of the body 14 formed on an operating object 4, and the brake part 22 is attached so that one of both ends of the member 3 can turn. A part 25 to be pressed is formed at the other end of the member 3 and a pressing member 5 is placed in a turnable way to touch and rotate the part 25 in the direction where the part 22 presses the body 14. When the member 5 turns via a drive part 6, the part 25 turns and also the part 22 moves in the direction where the part 22 presses the body 14.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a controller used as operating means for a game or the like, and more particularly to a controller capable of changing the operation of an operating body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation mechanism of a conventional controller. The controller 50 shown in FIG. 5 is provided with an operation body 51 that is manually operated, and is provided with a magnetic attraction unit that sucks the operation body 51 and an urging unit that urges the operation body 51. As shown in FIG. 5, the operating tool 51 includes a stick 53 touched by a hand and a sphere 52.
And the leg 54 are integrally formed and arranged in a housing (not shown).

Around the spherical body 52, a cylindrical friction member 55 for holding the spherical body 52 is provided. The friction member 55 and the sphere 52 are formed of a material having a large friction coefficient. Further, the friction member 55 has a smaller diameter at the lower portion than at the upper portion of the cylindrical portion, and has a curved surface on the lower side surface 61a of the friction member 55 in which the spherical body 52 fits, that is, a curved surface having the same curvature as the curved surface of the spherical body 52. Formed sphere 52
Can fit without gaps. Also, the friction member 55
The upper side surface 61b is formed in a cylindrical shape so that the sphere 52 can move in the vertical direction. The sphere 52 is formed of a magnetic material such as iron.

The leg 54 is connected to a coil spring 58 attached to a support piece 59 protruding from the bottom 60 of the housing.
The operating body 51 is constantly urged downward. As a result, an urging force acts in a direction in which the sphere 52 is pressed against the lower side surface 61a of the friction member 55. The controller 50
In the figure, an electromagnet coil 56 is provided near the operating body 51, and a yoke 57 is provided from the electromagnet coil 56 toward the sphere 52.

[0005] In the controller 50 shown in FIG.
No suction force is generated to suck the coil spring 5
8 is pressed against the lower surface 61a of the friction member 55 by the urging force in the Z minus direction. Thereby, the operating body 51
The load acting on the operating tool 51 increases, and when the operating tool 51 is operated with a finger or the like, the movement of the operating tool 51 becomes heavy.

When the energization of the electromagnet coil 56 is on, a suction force for attracting the sphere 52 to the yoke 57 is generated, and the sphere 52 is moved from the lower surface 61 a of the friction member 55 against the urging force of the coil spring 58. Leave. Then, the sphere 52 is lifted up to the upper side surface 61b of the friction member 55 which is formed linearly. At this time, the frictional force generated between the sphere 52 and the upper side surface 61b becomes small, the operation load of the operating body 51 is reduced, and the movement of the operating body 51 becomes light when the operating body 51 is operated with a finger or the like.

[0007]

However, the conventional controller 50 has the following problems.
That is, when the electromagnet coil 56 is not energized, a large frictional force is constantly generated between the friction member 55 and the sphere 52, and an operating load is applied to the operating body 51. , The current must be kept flowing through the electromagnet coil 56, and the power consumption is large. Further, even if the operation load is applied to the operation body 51 using the electromagnet coil 56 and the yoke 57 even if the configuration is reversed so that an operation load is applied when the electromagnet coil is energized, power is consumed. It consumes a lot, and more power is required when an operating load is continuously applied.

As described above, a large current is required to energize the electromagnet coil 56 and attract the sphere 52 by the electromagnet coil 56 and the yoke 57. For this reason, for example, when a power supply required to apply an operation load must be provided separately from the game machine body, a power supply such as a battery must be attached to the controller before use. However, such a power supply is
If the battery is used for a controller that requires large power consumption, such as using the battery and the yoke 57, the battery will run out immediately with a small capacity battery and the load cannot be applied to the operating body, and the battery must be replaced frequently. The handling was complicated. Therefore, it is necessary to attach a large-capacity battery to the controller, which makes the controller itself heavy and reduces operability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a controller which can apply an operation load to an operating body and can apply the load with small power consumption. And

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a controller having an operating body, a support section for supporting the operating body, and a detecting section for detecting an operation of the operating body, wherein an operation load on the operating body is reduced. A brake member to be changed and a drive unit formed by a motor and a gear are provided, and the driving force of the drive unit is transmitted to the brake member via the gear to operate, and the operating body and the brake member The frictional force is changed.

In the above-mentioned means, for example, the brake member is operated via a gear using a motor as a power source. In this case, the brake member operates in a direction to press the operating body, so that a gap between the operating body and the brake member is generated. Generates frictional force,
When operating the operation tool, an operation load can be applied to the operation tool. In this case, by forming a gear train for deceleration using a plurality of gears, a large operation load can be applied to the operating body even when a small motor having a small driving force is used. In addition, it is possible to apply a large operating load to the operating body with extremely small power consumption compared to the power consumption required in the case of the combination of the electromagnetic coil and the yoke, and it is easy to continuously apply the operating load. is there.

As described above, since power saving can be achieved, even if a power supply for giving an operating load to the controller, for example, a battery is installed, the battery runs out immediately and the load is applied to the operating body. It is prevented that giving is impossible. Further, it is possible to use the battery for a long time without mounting a large capacity and heavy battery.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the operating body is formed of metal and the brake member is formed of resin. With the above configuration, a load having a large frictional resistance can be easily generated at a portion where the operating body and the brake member are in contact with each other. Any combination that can increase the frictional resistance may be a combination of a resin and a resin, a combination of a metal and a metal, or a resin coated with a metal.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the operating body is constituted by a sphere and a stick operated by hand, and that the rotation of the sphere around at least two axes is detected by the detecting unit. For example, by providing a detection unit that detects movement in two directions including the X axis and the Y axis around the operating body, it is possible to detect movement in two directions.
By operating the X-axis and the Y-axis simultaneously, it is possible to move an object or the like on the screen in a direction (oblique direction) deviating from the X-axis and the Y-axis.

In the present invention, the brake member facing the operating body is rotatable around one end in a direction of pressing the operating body, and is provided with a pressing member for pressing the other end of the brake member. Preferably, the pressing member is driven by the gear. According to the above means, when an operation load is applied to the operating body, the pressing member is driven via the gear, and a part of the brake member that is in contact with the pressing member is moved in a direction in which the operating body is pressed. Press and rotate.

According to the present invention, not only the type of detecting the rotation about two axes by the detection unit as operating the operation body back and forth and right and left as described above, but also the rotation continuously rotating in one direction. A body may be provided, and a detection unit capable of detecting a rotation amount, a rotation speed, and the like of the rotating body may be provided.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a controller according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the controller of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of the controller, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the controller, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an internal structure.

In the controller 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a brake member 3 is mounted on an upper portion of a housing 10, and a cover 2 is mounted so as to cover the brake member 3. Further, an operation body 4 that is operated by hand is provided in the interior covered by the housing 10, the cover 2, and the brake member 3.

The operating body 4 has a stick 15 which is a part to be manually operated on the upper end side of the sphere 14, and a shaft portion 16 on the lower end side (the part facing the upper surface side) of the sphere 14, respectively. They are integrally formed of the same material. In this case, the shaft portion 16 of the operation body 4 slides on the curved surface portion 10 a formed on the housing 10, and the sphere 14 of the operation body 4 is supported while sliding on a part of the cover 2. The body 4 can be moved three-dimensionally.

The cover 2 is formed of a resin member, and has an insertion hole 17 formed at the center thereof, the insertion hole 17 being large enough to allow the stick 15 of the operating body 14 to be inserted.
The periphery of 7 protrudes upward. As shown in FIG. 3, the edge 2 a of the insertion hole 17 is in contact with the sphere 14 and supports the operating body 4. The edge 2a is preferably formed of a member having low frictional resistance with the spherical body 14. In this case, the edge 2a
Only the portion a may be formed of a material having low frictional resistance with the spherical body 14, or the entire cover 2 may be formed using a material having low frictional resistance.

The cover 2 has a projecting portion 19 projecting upward from the periphery of the insertion hole 17. A concave portion 26 is formed on the back surface of the protruding portion 19 due to the shape. The inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 17 is tapered upward from the edge 2a so that the operating body 4 can take a large inclined posture when the operating body 4 is operated. The cover 2 is attached so as to cover the upper part of the housing 10 and is screwed to the housing 10 with screws 21 and 21. The fixing method in this case is not limited to screwing, but may be fixed using an adhesive, and can be appropriately selected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the brake member 3 is formed of a resin member, and has a circular insertion hole 1 at the center thereof.
8 are formed. Further, a projecting portion 20 is formed upward from the periphery of the insertion hole 18, and the projecting portion 20 is disposed such that an upper portion of the projecting portion 20 enters into a concave portion 26 formed on the back surface of the cover 2 (FIG. 3). The insertion hole 18
Is formed by a circular hole having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the equator portion of the sphere 14, and the braking portion 22 extends from the insertion hole 18 toward the equator and near the equator. This braking unit 22
Is formed into a curved surface having substantially the same curvature as the surface of the spherical body 14. When no load is applied to the operating body 4, the braking unit 22 is in light contact with the surface of the sphere 14. The brake member 3 has a rotation shaft 23 formed at one end thereof toward the side, and the rotation shaft 23 is inserted into a shaft hole 24 formed on a side surface of the housing 10 (the same applies to the opposite side of the drawing). The brake member 3 is mounted so as to be vertically movable with the rotation shaft 23 as a fulcrum. Also, at the other end of the brake member 3,
The pressed portion 25 is formed integrally, and a pressing member 5 described below is in contact with the pressed portion 25.

The pressing member 5 has a pressing portion 28 formed at the tip thereof for pressing the pressed portion 25, and is disposed at a position where the lower surface of the pressing portion 28 contacts the upper surface of the pressed portion 25. At the base end, a rotary shaft 5a is provided so as to protrude laterally. The rotary shaft 5a is inserted into a shaft hole 27 formed on the side surface of the housing 10, and the pressing portion 28 is vertically moved with the rotary shaft 5a as a fulcrum. It is movably mounted. Further, a gear 5 meshing with the reduction gear train G of the drive unit 6 is provided at one end opposite to the pressing unit 28.
g is formed.

The drive section 6 is composed of a motor M and a reduction gear train G. The reduction gear train G includes large-diameter gears g2, g
4, g6 and the small diameter gears g3, g5, g7 are integrally formed, and the driving force from the gear g1 provided on the main shaft of the motor M is reduced and transmitted to the small diameter gear g7 via the reduction gear train G. Then, the small-diameter gear g7 and the gear 5g of the pressing member 5 mesh with each other, and rotational power is transmitted to the pressing member 5. The reduction ratio of the reduction gear train G can be appropriately changed depending on the usage.

According to the controller 1 of the present invention, as the combination of the braking unit 22 and the sphere 14, the braking unit 22
It is preferable that the BS resin and the sphere 14 are formed of an aluminum material. In this case, the sphere 14 may be hollow inside. Further, the surface of the resin sphere 14 may be coated with a hard film. Note that the combination of the braking unit 22 and the sphere 14 is not limited to the above-described combination, and can be appropriately changed as long as the operation of the operating body 4 can be braked.
Further, the controller 1 of the present invention is provided with detection units (detection means) 30 and 40 for detecting the movement of the operating tool 4.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, arcuate bridges 7 extending downward from the sides of the sphere 14 extend in the X-axis direction in FIG. The shafts 38a, 38a are pivotally mounted around the X axis. In this case, a pair of holes 29a are formed in the brake member 3 so that the bridge 7 is attached thereto, and the shafts 38a, 38a are exposed from the holes 29a.

The bridge 8 on the side of the detecting section 40 is disposed orthogonal to the bridge 7 in the Y-axis direction in FIG.
It is pivotally mounted around the Y axis. Also in this case, similarly to the above, a pair of holes 29b are formed in the brake member 3 so that the bridge 8 is attached.
The bridge 8 is rotatably supported inside the.

Further, each of the bridges 7 and 8 has band-shaped through holes 37 and 47 formed in the center thereof along the longitudinal direction. The shaft 16 is inserted into the through holes 37 and 47,
When the operating body 4 is operated, the shaft 16
It is formed in such a size that it can move inside 7, 47. When the operating body 4 rotates in the X-axis direction, the shaft portion 16
The bridge 8 is rotated around the Y axis while moving in the through hole 37 of the bridge 7. When the operating body 4 is rotated in the Y-axis direction, the shaft portion 16 becomes the through hole 47 of the bridge 8.
And the bridge 7 is rotated about the X axis.

Further, a fan gear 33 is provided on one shaft 38a side.
Is formed integrally with the bridge 7 and detects the operation of the fan gear 33 with the shafts 38a and 38a as fulcrums.
0 is provided. The detecting unit 30 is provided with a circular slit plate 31 as shown in FIG.
1 is a shaft 3 provided at the center of the slit plate 31 with a plurality of slits 32 cut out at regular intervals in a peripheral portion thereof.
6 is attached to the housing 10 and is rotatably mounted on the shaft. A gear 35 provided integrally with the slit plate 31 with the same shaft 36 meshes with the fan gear 33, and when the operating body 4 is operated and the bridge 7 rotates around the X axis, the slit plate is rotated. 31 is rotated.

A photo sensor 34 is provided at a part of the peripheral edge of the slit plate 31, and continuously emits light from one surface side of the slit plate 31 to the slit 32, and transmits the light to other portions of the slit plate 31. The amount of movement of the operating tool 4 in the Y-axis direction is detected by detecting the light using the light receiving unit on the surface side. Similarly, the bridge 8 is provided with a detection unit 40 having a slit plate 41 and a photosensor (not shown) in the same manner as described above, and the amount of movement of the operating body 4 in the X-axis direction, that is, the rotation of the bridge 8 around the Y-axis. Motion is detected by the photo sensor.

That is, when the operating body 4 is moved in the Y-axis direction, the shaft 16 rotates the bridge 7 around the X-axis. In this case, by moving the stick 15 in the forward direction (Y-axis minus direction), the bridge 7 rotates in the opposite direction (Y-axis plus direction), and the stick 1
By moving 5 in the plus direction of the Y axis, the bridge 7 becomes Y
The shaft rotates in the minus direction. Further, with respect to the movement of the operating body 4 in the X-axis direction, the bridge 8 rotates in the X-axis minus direction by moving the stick 15 in the X-axis plus direction. By moving the stick 15 in the X-axis minus direction, the bridge 8 rotates in the X-axis plus direction. When the stick 15 is operated in a direction inclined with respect to both the X-axis and the Y-axis, both the bridge 7 and the bridge 8 rotate, and a detection signal is obtained from both the detection units 30 and 40.

Next, the operation load on the controller 1 of the present invention will be described. In the controller 1 of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, when no operating load is applied to the operating body 4, the gap between the braking portion 22 of the brake member 3 and the surface of the sphere 14 is slightly spaced. Or the brake unit 22 is positioned so as to lightly contact the sphere 14. In this case, no frictional force that gives an operation load is generated between the braking unit 22 and the sphere 14, and the operator operates the operating body 4.
Can be operated without feeling the load.

On the other hand, when an operation load is applied to the operating body 4, the motor M is driven and the pressing member 5 is driven via the reduction gear train G. Due to the driving force, the pressing portion 28 of the pressing member 5 rotates downward. At this time, the pressing portion 28 presses the pressed portion 25, so that the brake member 3
It rotates downward (counterclockwise) around 3 as a fulcrum. Thereby, the sphere 14 is pressed by the braking unit 22,
A frictional force is generated on the sliding surface between the braking unit 22 and the sphere 14 to apply an operation load, and the operator needs a large operation force to operate the operation body 4.

At this time, if the drive to the motor M is stopped by stopping the power supply to the motor M, a backlash occurs and the braking unit 22
The frictional force on the sliding surface of the operating body 4 is reduced or the load is not generated. In the present invention, the sphere 14 is merely stopped by applying a load to the sphere 14 after the braking unit 22 applies a load.
The load on the system decreases. With this load reduced,
When the motor M is energized again, the pressing portion 28 presses the pressed portion 25 again, and the load on the sphere 14 increases. By intermittently energizing the motor M in this manner, control for increasing or decreasing the operation load can be performed.

Alternatively, in order to prevent the backlash, the current supply to the motor M is stopped and then a current weaker than the current supply state is continued to flow, or the current is supplied in a pulse shape at a constant duty ratio. It is possible to continuously maintain the operation load of the same level as the state (initial state). With this control, the pressing portion 28
Keep pressing the pressed portion 25, and the operation load is continuously applied to the spherical body 14.

In order to return to a state where no load is applied to the sphere 14 after performing the load reduction control using the backlash or the continuous load application operation, the motor M is rotated in the reverse direction and the pressing member 5 is rotated counterclockwise, the pressing portion 28 of the pressing member 5 rotates upward (counterclockwise), and the frictional force between the braking portion 22 and the sphere 14 disappears. 4 can be operated without feeling a load.

The magnitude of the load on the operating body 4 can be changed by changing the drive amount of the motor M. When the controller 1 as described above is used, for example, as a controller for a game, when an object to be operated enters underwater from the land, in deep snow, when the speed of a car increases, or when an object to be operated When the person is a person, the load on the operating body is increased when the physical strength of the person is reduced, and the sense of reality of the game can be enhanced.

FIG. 4 shows a modification of the controller according to the present invention. The controller 11 shown in FIG. 4 can be applied to, for example, a reel of a fishing game. In FIG. 4, FIG.
The operating body 4 is basically a reel-shaped operating body 4
4 and the detection units 30 and 40 are changed to detection units 48 corresponding to the reels. The other cover 2, the driving unit 6, the pressing member 5, and the like can be formed in the same manner as the controller 1.
Can be formed in substantially the same shape as the controller 1.

The operating body 44 has a shaft 4 at the center of the hemisphere 46.
7, and a handle 45 is formed on the side facing the shaft portion 47. The handle 45 is further provided with a grip portion 45a capable of rotating the grip operating body 44 by hand.
In addition, the operating body 44 is supported by the edge 2 a of the insertion hole 18 formed in the cover 2, with a part of the hemisphere 46.
The shaft portion 47 is fitted into the concave portion 10a formed at the bottom and is rotatably supported. The cover 2 and the housing 10 that slide on the hemisphere 46 and the shaft portion 47 are preferably formed of a material that can slide smoothly and has durability. In this case, the operating body 44 may be supported only on the shaft portion 47 side, or a bearing may be provided around the shaft portion 47 so that the rotation is smooth.

A detecting section 48 for detecting the rotation of the operating body 44 is provided on the shaft section 47 side. A circular slit plate 49 in which a plurality of slits 49 a are formed at regular intervals in the peripheral portion is attached to the shaft portion 47 so as to be rotatable about the shaft portion 47 as a central axis, and a part of the peripheral portion of the slit plate 49. A photo sensor 49b is attached to the housing 10 and disposed.

The braking portion 22 of the brake member 3 is disposed on the spherical surface of the hemisphere 46 with a slight gap. One end of the brake member 3 has a rotating shaft 23 protruding therefrom, and is inserted through a shaft hole 24 (similar to FIG. 1) formed in the housing 10, and the other end is formed with a pressed portion 25. Also,
The pressing member 5 can be brought into contact with the pressed portion 25 in the same manner as described above, and the driving force from the driving portion 6 rotates the gear 5g formed on the pressing member 5 so that the pressing portion 28 is pressed. 25
Press the upper surface of. By the operation described above, when the braking unit 22 of the brake member 3 presses the surface of the hemisphere 46, a frictional force is generated between the braking unit 22 and the hemisphere 46, and an operation load is generated on the operating body 44.

The controller 11 of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the operating body 44, the brake member 3, the shape of the housing 10, and the mounting position of the detecting section 48 can be variously changed. Controller 11 as described above
Is used as a game for fishing, for example, when a fish is hit, the hemisphere 46 is pressed by the brake unit 22 to apply an operation load to the operating body (reel) 44, thereby increasing the sense of reality of the game. . Also, the operating load applied to the operating body can be adjusted for the controller 11 by changing the drive amount of the drive unit 6.

In the controllers 1 and 11 of the present invention,
Once the operating load is applied to the operating bodies 4 and 44, the gear can be reversely rotated from the state where the load is applied to return to the state where the operating load is not applied. When adjusting the driving force of the driving unit 6, it is preferable to change the DUTY ratio to adjust the operation load (braking force). In this case, it is preferable to control the DUTY ratio by PWM.

The controllers 1 and 11 of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the portion to be pressed 25 of the brake member 3 is formed by a leaf spring, and the leaf spring is pressed by the pressing member 5. You may do so.

[0045]

The controller of the present invention can apply an operation load to the operating body and can adjust the magnitude of the operation load or can continuously maintain the operation load. In this case, the sense of reality of the game can be further enhanced. Moreover, the operation load can be applied to the operation body with very little power consumption, and the operation load can be continuously applied.
Even if power such as batteries must be secured on the controller side separately from the power supply of the game console itself, it is possible to prevent the batteries from running out immediately and eliminate frequent battery replacement, eliminating inconvenience. You.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a controller according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of the controller of the present invention,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a controller of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a modification of the controller of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining load varying means of a conventional controller;

[Explanation of symbols]

 G Reduction gear train M Motor 2 Cover 2a Edge 3 Brake member 4 Operating body 5 Pressing member 6 Drive unit 10 Housing 14 Spherical body 15 Stick 16 Shaft 17, 18 Insertion hole 22 Braking section 5a, 23 Rotating shaft 25 Pressed section 30, 40 detector

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C001 BC00 BC10 BD00 BD07 CA00 CA06 5B087 AA03 AA07 BC02 BC11 BC12 BC13 BC22 BC26 BC32 DD03

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A controller having an operating body, a supporting portion for supporting the operating body, and a detecting section for detecting an operation of the operating body, a brake member for changing an operation load on the operating body, a motor, and A drive unit formed of a gear is provided, and the driving force of the drive unit is transmitted to the brake member via the gear to operate the brake unit, and the frictional force between the operation body and the brake member is changed. Controller that features. 2. The operation body is formed of metal, and the brake member is formed of resin.
Controller described. 3. The operation body according to claim 1, wherein the operation body includes a sphere and a stick portion operated by hand, and rotation of the sphere around at least two axes is detected by the detection unit. controller. 4. The brake member facing the operation body is rotatable around one end in a direction of pressing the operation body, and a pressing member for pressing the other end of the brake member is provided. 4. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is driven by the gear.