JP2000208001A - Multidirectional input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a capacitive multi-directional input device enabling the final state of switching operation to be sensorially grasped by enlarging the stroke for switching. SOLUTION: This multi-directional inputting device is equipped with an operation knob 1 and a moved operation member 4 for switching between set up distances between first electrodes 7 and second electrodes 8, these working on a capacitance basis, by being elastically deformed following the movement of the operation knob 1, and a coil spring 5 is fitted/mounted from the outside over a downward shaft part 1A of the operation knob 1 and an upward operating shaft part 4A of the moved operation member 4. When switching the input, the operation knob 1 is tilted in a desired direction, the coil spring 5 is consequently bent, and the moved operation member 4 is elastically deformed by bending of the coil spring 5, and therefore the amount of movement of the operation knob 1 can be made large.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a video game machine,
The present invention relates to a multidirectional input device used for a computer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a multidirectional input device, a device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-151623 has been known. The summary is as follows. That is, the operation member is attached to the substrate on which the first electrode is provided, and the operation member is provided with a vertically-oriented operation rod portion and a flat plate-like leg portion extending from the operation rod portion in four directions along the substrate, A second electrode is provided on a surface of the leg portion facing the substrate so as to face the first electrode. When the tilting operation is performed in one direction with the operation rod portion of the operation member, the leg portion is elastically deformed in a wavy shape, and the second electrode on the side of the swing operation is brought into a predetermined proximity state to the first electrode, Perform switch operation.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention employs a configuration in which a leg is integrally formed with an operation rod portion is elastically deformed to change a distance between a first electrode and a second electrode so as to be slightly closer to each other, thereby causing a switch operation. As a result, the amount of operation on the operation rod portion is suppressed, and the operation on the operation rod portion is performed, but it is possible to sensibly grasp whether or not the operation is sufficient to operate the switch. I couldn't do that. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-directional input device that can grasp the operated state intuitively and can expect a reliable switch operation.

[0004]

[Structure] A feature of the present invention according to claim 1 is that the first structure attached to the fixed side is the first structure.
A driven operation member including a second electrode that relatively moves with respect to the electrode and performs a switch operation in a predetermined proximity state, and an operation knob that artificially drives the driven operation member, and controls an operation amount of the operation knob. The present invention is characterized in that a linkage mechanism for transmitting the reduced operation member to the driven operation member is provided, and its operation and effect are as follows.

[Operation] When the operation knob is operated in a desired operation direction, a linkage mechanism provided between the operation knob and the driven operation member is actuated.
The operation starts in response to the operation of the operation knob, and in a state where the link mechanism reaches a certain amount of operation, the link mechanism drives the driven operation member, and the second electrode is switched to a predetermined proximity state to the first electrode. change. Thereby, the switch operation is performed. The link mechanism reduces the amount of operation on the operation knob and transmits it to the driven operation member. Therefore, it is necessary to operate the operation knob largely to drive the driven operation member, and this is sensed sensuously It will be done.

[Effect] Accordingly, a multidirectional input device capable of reliably performing a switch operation can be provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the link mechanism is an elastic member that links the operation knob and the driven operation member. In one respect, the operation and effect are as follows.

When the operating knob is operated to a desired operating position, the elastic member moves with the operating knob. However, the elastic member is elastically deformed by the resistance of the driven operating member. On the other hand, the operation force is transmitted to deform the driven operation member. The operation amount of the operation knob is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the elastic member, and corresponds to a part of the operation amount to deform the driven operation member. As a result, the operation amount of the operation knob is reduced and transmitted to the driven operation member. Moreover, since the linking mechanism is an elastic member, even if the operation knob is operated rapidly, the elastic member absorbs the impact of the rapid operation elastically and the impact force is less transmitted to the driven operation member. The switch operation by the driven operation member is stabilized.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the linking mechanism includes a shaft of the operation knob and an operation shaft of the driven operation member. And the coil spring is fitted in a state where the coil spring is bent at an intermediate position in the axial direction with the operation of the operation knob. It is.

When the operation knob is operated to a desired operation position, a bent portion is formed in an arc shape from an intermediate portion of the coil spring, and the operation shaft portion of the driven operation member is inclined to elastically deform the driven operation member. , Switch operation is performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the operation knob is supported by a holder provided with the first electrode and the holder is provided with the first electrode. Is configured so as to be swingable along the guide surface, and the operation and effect thereof are as follows.

[Operation and Effect] Although the operation knob is not directly supported by the driven operation member, it is supported by the holder, so that the operation when the swing operation is performed along the guide surface of the holder is stabilized, and the operation knob is operated. Less mistakes.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the driven operation member is supported on a substrate provided with the first electrode. It is configured to be elastically displaced by receiving the driving force from the operation knob and to displace the relative position between the first electrode and the second electrode. The operation and effect are as follows.

[Function and Effect] Since the driven operation member is supported on the substrate provided with the first electrode, it becomes easy to set the relative position between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the switch is operated. The turning on / off operation is ensured.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A capacitance-type multidirectional input device used for a remote control device for a video game machine or a car navigation system will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, an input device A includes an operation knob 1 that receives an artificial operation force, a holder 2 having a guide surface 2A that guides and supports swinging of the operation knob 1 in an arbitrary direction. A first substrate 3 provided with a first electrode 7 fixed to a bottom surface by screwing; a second substrate 3 mounted and supported on the first substrate 3 by caulking processing and forming a capacitance-type switch in cooperation with the first electrode 7; The driven operation member 4 provided with the electrode 8, the operation knob 1
Downward shaft portion 1A and upward operation shaft portion 4 of the driven operation member 4
A coil spring 5 (an example of a linking mechanism) that is fitted over A and a second substrate 6 provided below the holder 2 and provided with the press-contact electrode 9 are combined.

The holder 2 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper half has a dome-shaped guide surface 2A, the lower half has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and the first substrate 3 is screwed to the bottom surface. The bottom wall of the holder 2 is formed with a recess 2B that is recessed upward, and an opening 2C communicating with the holder internal space is provided at the center of the recess 2B.
An opening 2D is also provided at the center of the dome-shaped guide surface 2A.

The operation lever 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a dome-shaped lower end 1B that moves along the guide surface 2A of the holder 2 in the lower half, and a cylindrical portion 1C provided continuously above the lower end 1B are provided. The knob 1D is provided on the upper surface of 1C, and the shaft 1A is provided downward at the center position of the knob 1D to form the operation lever 1.

The driven operation member 4 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a flat plate portion 4B extending in four directions orthogonal to each other is formed at the lower end of the upwardly operating shaft portion 4A of the driven operation member 4, and the tip of the flat plate portion 4B is formed by bending. A portion 4C is formed, and the leg 4C is swaged and held on the first substrate 3. Electrodes are provided on the opposing surfaces of the flat plate portion 4B and the first substrate 3 extending in all directions, respectively, and the second electrode 8 and the first electrode 7 are provided on the flat plate portion 4B.

The coil spring 5 as a link mechanism will be described. As shown in FIG.
Is attached to the shaft 1A of the operation knob 1 in a state of being in close contact therewith, and is held by the shaft 1A. The lower end portion of the coil spring 5 is fitted to the operation shaft 4A of the driven operation member 4 without being in close contact with the operation shaft 4A. The coil spring 5 is bent as shown in FIG. 3B in response to the operation movement of the operation knob 1, and tilts the operation shaft 4A of the driven operation member 4, and the flat plate portion is tilted by the operation shaft 4A. 4B is elastically deformed. Then, the distance between the first electrode 7 and the second electrode 8 becomes narrow, and the switching operation is performed.

The moving speed of the game character or the cursor can be arbitrarily set in accordance with the degree of tilt of the operation knob 1 or the degree of change in tilt. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the capacitance generated between the four pairs of the first electrode 7 and the second electrode 8 provided on the flat plate portion 4B and the first substrate 3, respectively, Each time the distance between 7 and the second electrode 8 becomes smaller than d ₁ to d ₂ and d ₃ ,
Change. The change in the capacitance appears as a change in the voltage value from each pair of electrodes, and the tilt direction and the degree of tilt of the operation knob 1 are computer-processed based on the voltage values from the four pairs of electrodes at each set time. become.

As a specific operation mode, there are a method of setting the moving speed of a character or the like according to the degree of tilt, and a method of setting the moving speed of a character or the like according to the degree of change of the tilt. Examples are possible. In the case where the tilt is greatly increased from the “first state” in which the electrode interval is d ₁ shown in FIG. 5A to the “third state” in which the electrode interval is d ₃ shown in FIG. Set the character and cursor to move quickly. That is, there is a method of changing the moving speed of the character or the cursor depending on the degree of the tilt. On the other hand, it is slowly tilted from the “first state” where the electrode interval is d ₁ shown in FIG. 5A to the “second state” where the electrode interval is d _{2 as} shown in FIG. 5B. If so, you can set the character and cursor to move slowly. That is, there is a method of changing the moving speed of the character or the cursor depending on the degree of the tilt change.

The support structure of the holder 2 will be described.
As shown in FIG.
The holder 2 is supported so as to be able to swing around the swing axis X via the support shaft 10, and the second substrate 6 is attached and fixed to the support frame 10. A press-contact electrode 9 is provided on the second substrate 6, and a press-contact piece 2E provided at one end of the holder 2 is formed. When the operation knob 1 is pushed in, the holder 2 swings around the pivot axis X, and the press-contact piece 2E Acts on the press contact electrode 9 to perform a switching operation. A torsion spring 12 for urging the holder 2 to the standby position is provided at the position of the swing axis X, and the pressing piece 2E is separated from the pressing electrode 9 before the pressing operation.

The operation procedure with the above configuration will be described. From the state before the operation as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), when operated in the direction of the arrow, the shaft portion 1A
Moves to bend the coil spring 5, tilts the operating shaft 4A at the lower half of the bent coil spring 5, and elastically deforms the flat plate portion 4B by tilting the operating shaft 4A. The switch operation is performed by bringing the first electrode 7 and the second electrode 8 close to each other at a predetermined interval. Next, when the operation on the operation knob 1 is released, the state returns to the state shown in FIG. Then, when the operating knob 1 is pushed down again, the operating knob 1 swings around the swing axis X together with the holder 2 as shown in (c), and the pressing electrode 9 is pressed by the pressing piece 2E. The input state selected by the switch operation of the first electrode 7 and the second electrode 8 can be determined.

As an operation method for determining the input state, as shown in FIG. 4, a method of pushing the operation knob 1 downward while maintaining the state shown in FIG. Also in this case, the operation knob 1 swings around the swing axis X together with the holder 2, and presses the press-contact electrode 9 with the press-contact piece 2 </ b> E to select the first electrode 7 and the second electrode 8 by a switch operation. The entered input state is determined. As a method of releasing the input state after the input state is determined, there are a method of operating the press contact electrode 9 again and a method of releasing the operation knob 1 when the operation knob 1 is operated to switch the input state.

Another embodiment will be described below. [1] A rubber pipe may be used as the link mechanism 5. As shown in FIG. 6, the rubber tube 5 is connected to the shaft 1 of the operation knob 1.
A in close contact with A, and the operation shaft 4A of the driven operation member 4
(Corresponding to claims 1 to 3). [2] As shown in FIG. 7, as the linking mechanism 5, a plurality of cuts 5 a are provided in a metal pipe, and the plurality of wall portions 5 A divided by the cuts 5 a function as leaf springs. May be taken. [3] It can be said that the linking mechanism 5 may be an elastic member from the above alternative embodiments. [4] The link mechanism 5 has been described as being an elastic member. However, in order to satisfy the function as the link mechanism for reducing the amount of operation on the operation knob and transmitting the operation to the driven operation member, a reduction gear is required. A mechanism having a mechanism may be provided (a configuration included in claim 1). [5] Although the description has been given of the setting of the moving speed of the game character or the like based on the tilt angle and the tilt speed of the operation lever 1, it may be simply used to switch the on / off operation of the switch. In this case, a configuration may be adopted in which the state shown in FIG. 3A is set to the “off state” and the state shown in FIG. 3C is set to the “on state”.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the overall configuration.

FIG. 2 is an overall exploded perspective view.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an operation state.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another embodiment when an operation state is determined.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a distance between a first electrode and a second electrode changes.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another embodiment using a rubber tube as a linking mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another embodiment in which a linkage mechanism having a leaf spring function is used.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 operation knob 1A shaft portion 2 holder 2A guide surface 3 substrate 4 driven operation member 4A operation shaft portion 5 linkage mechanism 7 first electrode 8 second electrode

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A driven operation member including a second electrode that moves relative to a first electrode attached to a fixed side and performs a switching operation in a predetermined proximity state, and artificially drives the driven operation member. A multidirectional input device comprising: an operation knob; and a linkage mechanism for reducing an operation amount of the operation knob and transmitting the operation amount to the driven operation member. 2. The multi-directional input device according to claim 1, wherein the link mechanism includes an elastic member that links the operation knob and the driven operation member. 3. The operation mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the linking mechanism is a coil spring externally fitted over a shaft portion of the operation knob and an operation shaft portion of the driven operation member. 2. The multi-directional input device according to claim 1, wherein the multi-directional input device is mounted so as to be bent at an intermediate position in the axial direction. 4. The multi-directional input device according to claim 1, wherein the operation knob is supported by a holder provided with the first electrode and is swingably operated along a guide surface of the holder. apparatus. 5. The driven operation member is supported by a substrate on which the first electrode is provided, elastically displaces by receiving a driving force from the operation knob, and causes the first electrode and the second electrode to move elastically. The multi-directional input device according to claim 1, wherein the multi-directional input device is configured to shift the relative position.