JP2002073274A - Mouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mouse that also functions as the interface device of a storage medium. SOLUTION: This mouse 10 provided with a case 11, a movement detecting means 12 provided inside the case and at least two operation buttons 14 and 15 arranged on the side or top face of the case is further provided with a housing part 22 having an opening part 22a on the case surface to receive the storage medium 21 capable of storing data, doors 24, 25 and 26 for closing the opening part to the case surface of the housing part in an openable and closable way, a connector 23 to be electrically connected to a terminal part provided at the edge of the storage medium when the storage medium is received by the housing part, and a data processing part which is connected to the connector and writes/reads data to/from the storage medium.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coordinate input device, and more particularly to a mouse.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a coordinate input device, for example,
A so-called mouse that performs an input operation while moving on a plane is widely used. Such a mouse may be, for example, a mechanical movement detection unit configured to detect a rotation direction and a rotation amount of a ball rotatably supported in a case therein, or may be configured to optically detect a horizontal movement of a case. Optical movement detecting means.

[0003] According to the mouse constructed as described above, the case is moved horizontally, and the X or X is moved by mechanical or optical movement detecting means in accordance with the amount of movement.
The amount of movement in the Y direction is detected, and a detection signal is output to a connected personal computer or the like. Thus, coordinate input is performed, and various input operations can be performed by appropriately operating a plurality of operation buttons.

[0004]

In recent years, such a mouse having a USB standard interface has become widespread, and is commonly used with other keyboards and various peripheral devices provided in a personal computer or the like. USB connectors have become available.

On the other hand, in recent years, with the spread of digital cameras and the like, small storage media such as Compact Flash (registered trademark), smart media, and memory sticks have been used, and these storage media have been used. By using a medium, data captured by a digital camera or the like can be easily transferred to a personal computer, and data can be edited on the personal computer.

[0006] However, personal computers and the like which are frequently used at present do not often have an interface for directly accessing these storage media. Therefore, in order to use the storage medium in such a personal computer or the like, it is necessary to add an interface device for interconnecting the storage medium and the personal computer.

[0007] As such an interface device,
For example, an adapter to be inserted into a PC card slot is known. However, if such an adapter is used, the PC card slot is dedicated, which hinders the addition of other peripheral devices. There was a problem. Further, when the storage medium insertion unit is externally attached to a personal computer, it is necessary to newly secure a space for installing the insertion unit around the personal computer, and to connect the insertion unit to the adapter. There is a problem that a cable is required and the area around the personal computer becomes complicated.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a mouse that also functions as an interface device for a storage medium.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a case (11), a movement detecting means (12) provided in the case (11), and a side or upper surface of the case (11). At least two operation buttons (1
Mouse (10), (30) provided with 4) and (15)
A housing (22) having an opening (22a) on the surface of the case (11) for receiving a storage medium (21) capable of holding data, and a surface of the case (11) of the housing (22). Doors (24), (25), (26), (31), (3) for opening and closing the opening (22a) of the
2) and a connector (23) that is electrically connected to a terminal provided at an edge of the storage medium (21) when the storage medium (21) is received in the storage section (22). Mouse (10), (30), characterized by comprising data processing means connected to the connector (23) and for writing and / or reading data to / from the storage medium (21). Is achieved by

[0010] The mouse (10), (30) according to the present invention
Preferably, the door is a pair of left and right doors (25), (2) that respectively close the opening (22a) from both sides.
6), (31) and (32).

Mice (10), (30) according to the present invention
Preferably, the door is a pair of left and right doors (25) that close the opening (22a) from both sides and the upper side, respectively.
(26), (31), (32) and the upper door (24).

The mouse (10) according to the present invention is preferably provided with protrusions (25) inside the left and right doors (25) and (26).
b) and (26b) are provided, and when the upper door (24) is closed with respect to the left and right doors (25) and (26) in the closed state, the inner end of the upper door (24) The projections (25b) and (26b) are locked.

In the mouse (10) according to the present invention, the left and right doors (25) and (26) are preferably swingably supported and urged to open.

In the mouse (30) according to the present invention, the left and right doors (31) and (32) are preferably swingably supported and urged to close.

Mice (10) and (30) according to the present invention
Preferably, the movement detecting means (12) and the data processing means are connected to various devices via a cable.

The mouse according to the present invention (10), (30)
Preferably, the movement detecting means (12) and the data processing means are wirelessly connected to various devices.

According to the above arrangement, the user moves the case in the X and Y directions, for example, on a desk, and the movement detecting means (12) detects the moving direction and the moving amount. Output. Thus, coordinate input is performed. In addition, a predetermined input operation can be performed when the user operates at least two operation buttons (14) and (15) disposed on the side surface or the upper surface of the case (11).

Further, an opening (22) is provided in a storage portion (22) provided in the case (11) of the mouse (10), (30).
By inserting the storage medium (21) from (a), the terminal portion at the edge of the storage medium (21) is connected to the data processing means via the connector (23), and the data processing means is connected to the storage medium ( 21) Write and read data. Thereby, the mouse (10), (3
0) can use the storage medium (21) as an auxiliary storage means, and connect the mouse (10), (30) to the various devices, thereby enabling the storage medium (21) to be connected. Can also be connected to various devices.

The storage portion (22) for inserting the storage medium (21) has an opening (22a) having a door (2).
4), (25), (26), (31), and (32) can prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering the inside from the opening (22a), and can prevent the mouse ( 10) and (30) when the storage medium (2
Since 1) does not protrude from the surface of the case (11), the operability of the mice (10) and (30) is not impaired. When removing the storage medium (21), the doors (24), (25), (26), (31),
By opening (32), the storage medium (21) can be easily taken out of the storage section (22).

When the door is composed of a pair of left and right doors (25) and (26) for closing the opening (22a) from both sides, respectively, or the door is provided with the opening (2).
2a) is composed of a pair of left and right doors (25), (26), (31), (32) and an upper door (24) which are respectively closed from both sides and the upper side.
4), (25), (26), (31), and (32) are each configured to be small, so that the amount of protrusion of the door when the door is opened can be reduced, thereby facilitating the handling.

Protrusions (25b) and (26b) are provided inside the left and right doors (25) and (26), and the upper door (25) and the left and right doors (25) and (26) are closed. When the inner end of the upper door (24) locks the projections (25b) and (26b) when the upper door (24) is closed, the left and right doors (25) and (26) are connected to the upper door. (2
4), the entire structure can be simplified, the cost can be reduced, and each door (2) can be locked.
4), (25) and (26) can be easily opened and closed, and the storage medium (21) can be easily taken out.

When the left and right doors (25) and (26) are swingably supported and urged to open, the left and right doors (25) and (26) are closed. By releasing the lock in the state, the left and right doors (25),
Since (26) is opened by the urging force and is automatically opened, the opening and closing operations of the doors (24), (25), and (26) are simplified, and the storage medium (21) is easily taken out.

When the left and right doors (31) and (32) are swingably supported and urged to close, the left and right doors (31) and (32) are closed. By being pushed from the state to the open position, the left and right doors (3
1) and (32) are released.

When the movement detecting means (12) and the data processing means are connected to various devices via a cable (19), they can be used similarly to a conventional cable-connected mouse. it can.

When the movement detecting means (12) and the data processing means are wirelessly connected to various devices, they can be used as a wireless mouse, and no connection cable is required. As a result, operability is improved and portability is further improved. It should be noted that the reference numerals in the parentheses are provided for easy understanding, are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of a mouse according to the present invention. FIG.
4 to 4, a mouse 10 includes a case 11, an optical movement detecting unit 12 disposed in the case 11, an LED 13 as a light emitting unit, and two operation buttons 14 provided on an upper surface of the case 11. 15, switches 14a and 15a arranged in the case 11 and operated by these two operation buttons, a wheel 16 provided between the operation buttons 14 and 15, an optical lens system 17, and a storage medium. Storage media adapter unit 20 for receiving
And is composed of Incidentally, the optical movement detecting means 1
2. The LED 13 is provided on a substrate 18 provided in the case 11.
Implemented above. Case 11 is actually
It is composed of a lower case 11a and an upper case 11b.

The optical movement detecting means 12 is configured as a semiconductor chip, and has a light receiving surface 12a on the lower surface. The optical movement detecting means 12 is commercially available as an optical sensor. Based on the reflected light incident from the light receiving surface 12a, the optical movement detecting means 12 determines a change in the surface state of the reflective surface, A relative movement direction and a movement amount in two directions are detected.

The LED 13 is mounted horizontally on the substrate 18 and emits light downward through the optical lens system 17. The switches 14a and 15a are attached to the lower case 11a of the case 11, and are turned on and off by pressing two operation buttons 14 and 15 provided on the upper surface. The wheel 16 is similarly attached to the lower case 11a of the case 11, and the amount of rotation is detected by a sensor (not shown).

The detection signal detected by the optical movement detecting means 12, the on / off state of the switches 14a and 15a, and the rotation amount of the wheel 16 are determined by an appropriate processing circuit (not shown) formed on the substrate 18. After being processed through a USB control circuit (not shown), the signal is converted into a signal corresponding to the USB interface, and is further transmitted from a USB hub (not shown) via a cable 19 or by a wireless method such as infrared transmission. , To a personal computer or the like. In the case of the wireless system, a power supply battery can be built in the case 11.

The optical lens system 17 is disposed below the optical movement detecting means 12 between the substrate 18 and the bottom of the lower case 11a of the case 11. Then, the optical lens system 17 acts as a reflecting surface for the LED 13 and a convex lens for the light receiving surface 12a.
The light from the ED 13 is reflected downward and collected, and the light reflected from a reflecting surface (not shown) such as a desk surface is collected on the light receiving surface 12a of the optical movement detecting means 12. It has become.

The storage medium adapter unit 20 includes a storage portion 22 for receiving the storage medium 21, a connector 23 provided at the innermost portion of the storage portion 22, and data processing means (not shown) connected to the connector 23. ). Here, the data processing means corresponds to a USB interface, and is connected to the USB hub.

The accommodation section 22 defines a flat rectangular parallelepiped internal space corresponding to the shape of the storage medium 21 (a memory stick in the case of the drawing), and is located on the front side of the upper case 11 b of the case 11. An opening 22a is provided. Here, the storage section 22 releases the storage medium 21 at both sides so that the storage medium 21 can be grasped by hand on both sides of the front end of the storage medium 21 in a state of receiving the storage medium 21. It is configured as follows.

The opening 22a is a door, in the illustrated case,
The upper door 24 and the left and right doors 25 and 26 can be closed. The upper door 24
Has substantially the same width as the accommodation portion 22, and FIG.
Are swingably supported around a horizontal axis 24a shown in FIG. 2, and are configured to swing between a closed position shown by a solid line and an open position shown by a chain line.

The left and right doors 25 and 26 are each formed at substantially the same height as the storage section 22.
It is formed to cover both sides of the front end of 2,
At its innermost edge, it is swingably supported with respect to the rotating shafts 25a and 26a, and swings between a closed position shown by a solid line and an open position shown by a chain line, and a spring 2 respectively.
7, 28 urge the front side to open left and right.

Further, the left and right doors 25 and 26 have inwardly protruding projections 25b and 26 on inner surfaces facing each other.
b. When the left and right doors 25 and 26 are in the closed position, the projections 25b and 26b lock the upper door 24 by the inner end of the upper door 24 locking the projections 25b and 26b. To be locked.

When the upper door 24 is urged toward the open position by a spring or the like (not shown) and can be locked when closed, the opening / closing operation becomes more convenient. Further, in the present embodiment, the upper door 24 and the left and right doors 25 and 26 are configured so as to be able to be closed, but are configured so that only the left and right doors 25 and 26 can be closed. May be.

The mouse 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above.
USB plug (not shown) attached to the tip of
It is connected to a personal computer by connecting to a USB connector provided on the personal computer. The mouse 10 functions as a mouse when placed on the surface of a desk or the like. At this time, the LED 13 emits light, and the emitted light illuminates, via the optical lens system 17, a surface area of a desk or the like on which the light receiving surface 12 a of the optical movement detection means 12 faces. As a result, the light reflected by the surface region enters the light receiving surface 12a of the optical movement detecting means 12 via the optical lens system 18.

From this state, the user can move the small mouse 10
When the case 11 is moved horizontally on the surface of a desk or the like, the reflected light incident on the light receiving surface 12a of the optical movement detecting means 12 changes with the relative movement of the surface area, and The movement detecting means 12 detects a relative moving direction and a moving amount with respect to the surface region based on the change of the reflected light. When the user operates the operation buttons 14 and 15, the switches 14 a and 15 a are operated by the operation buttons 14 and 15. When the user operates the wheel 16, a sensor (not shown) rotates the rotation amount. Is detected.

Accordingly, the detection signal of the optical movement detecting means 12, the on / off of the switches 14a and 15a, and the rotation amount of the wheel 16 are processed by an appropriate processing circuit, and further, the USB control circuit, the USB hub and the cable 1
9 to a personal computer or the like.
Thus, the cursor and the like are moved on the screen of the display device (not shown) of the personal computer in accordance with the moving direction and the moving amount of the case 11, and the appropriate operation is performed by operating the operation buttons 14, 15 and the wheel 16. Processing is performed.

The mouse 10 also functions as an adapter unit for the storage medium 21. In this case, first, the user opens the upper door 24 of the mouse 10 upward, and then opens the left and right doors 25 and 26 left and right.
The user pushes the storage medium 21 into the opening 22a.
Then, in a state where the storage medium 21 is completely pushed in, the terminal portion at the edge of the storage medium 21 is electrically connected to the connector 23. Here, the user closes the left and right doors 25 and 26 again, closes the upper door 24, and places the opening 22a of the mouse 10 in the state where the storage medium 21 is mounted in the mouse 10 and the upper door 24 and the left and right. Doors 25, 26
As the storage medium 21 does not protrude from the surface of the case 11 when the mouse 10 is used, the operability of the mouse 10 Is not damaged, and data is written to and read from the storage medium 21. Next, when taking out the storage medium 21 in the mouse 10, the above operation is repeated to open the upper door 24 and the left and right doors 25 and 26, and after the storage medium 21 is pulled out, the upper door 24 and the left and right doors 25 and 26 are pulled out. 26 is closed.

In this case, in this embodiment, the door is configured to be covered by the upper door 24 and the left and right doors 25 and 26. However, depending on the shape of the mouse 10, the left and right doors may be used. Alternatively, only the upper door may be used.

In the present embodiment, the left and right doors 25 and 26 are swingably supported with respect to the rotation shafts 25a and 26a, and have a closed position indicated by a solid line and an open position indicated by a chain line. While swinging between the springs 27,
The left and right doors 25, 26 are provided with protrusions 25b, 26b protruding inward on inner surfaces facing each other, and these protrusions 25b, 26b are When the left and right doors 25 and 26 are in the closed position, the inner end of the upper door 24 locks the protrusions 25b and 26b, thereby forming the upper door 2.
4 is locked in the closed position, the user opens the upper door 24 upward, and at the same time, the inner end of the upper door 24 is disengaged from the projections 25b and 26b.
The left and right doors 25, 26 of the mouse 10 are opened to the left and right against the tension of the springs 27, 28, and the opening of the housing 22 is opened over the entire width of the housing 22.

From this state, the user pushes the storage medium 21 into the storage section 22 from the opening. Then, in a state where the storage medium 21 is completely pushed in, the terminal portion at the edge of the storage medium 21 is electrically connected to the connector 23. Here, the user swings the right and left doors 25 and 26 to the closed position again against the tension of the springs 27 and 28, swings the upper door 24 to the closed position, and moves the left and right doors 2.
5 and 26, the left and right doors 25 and 26
Of the projection 25
b, 26b engage the inner end of the upper door 24. This locks the upper door 24 in the closed position,
The left and right doors 25, 26 are held in the closed position while resisting the tension of the springs 27, 28.

The storage medium 21 received in the storage section 22 in this manner is connected to the USB connector of the personal computer from the connector 23 via the USB hub and further via the cable 19, and The data processing means writes and / or reads data to and from the storage medium 21 based on a command from the computer.

When the storage medium 21 is taken out of the storage section 22, the upper door 24 is opened and the left and right doors 25,
26 is expanded right and left by the tension of springs 27 and 28,
The storage medium 21 can be easily taken out of the storage section 22 by grasping the ends exposed on both sides of the storage section 22 of the storage medium 21 from both sides and pulling out the storage medium 21 toward the user.

In this case, the storage medium adapter unit 20
Is connected to the personal computer at the same time without occupying the PC card slot and connecting the connection cable of the mouse 10 to the USB connector of the personal computer as in the prior art. It is possible to easily and easily connect to a personal computer without any trouble. Further, when the storage medium 21 is not used and when it is used, the openings of the storage section 22 of the storage medium adapter unit 20 are closed by the doors 24, 25, and 26. The storage medium 21 does not protrude from the surface of the case 11 when the mouse 10 is used, so that the operation of the mouse 10 does not feel uncomfortable.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the mouse according to the present invention. In FIG. 5, the mouse 30 corresponds to FIG.
4 is basically the same as the mouse 10 shown in FIG.
The configuration differs from that of the first embodiment only in that the first and second components are provided.

The left and right doors 31 and 32 are supported at their innermost edges so as to be swingable with respect to vertical rotating shafts 33 and 34, and the front sides thereof are springs 35 and 36. It is biased to open left and right. Further, the left and right doors 31, 32 have projections 31b, 32b protruding outside the rotation shafts 33, 34, respectively. These projections 31b, 32b are provided behind the rotation shafts 33, 34 by levers 37, 3 pivotally supported by pivot shafts 37a, 38a.
8 engages with hooks 37c, 38c provided at the tip of one of the arms 37b, 38b. These levers 3
The other arm 37d, 38d of 7, 38 has a spring 39,
While being urged outward by 40, the push buttons 41 and 42 projecting from both sides of the case 11 are pushed inward by the tips of the open buttons 41 and 42.

According to the small mouse 30 having such a configuration, as in the case of the mouse 10 described above, the small mouse 30 operates as a mouse and as an adapter unit of the storage medium 21 and, at the same time, pushes the release buttons 41 and 42, thereby When the levers 37 and 38 swing against the tension of the springs 39 and 40, the hooks 37c and 38c are moved to the doors 31 and 3 respectively.
2 are disengaged from the projections 31b and 32b,
2 swings to the open position by the tension of the springs 35 and 36. With this, the upper door 24 swings to the open position by the tension of a spring (not shown) with the opening of the doors 31 and 32, so that the opening 22a of the storage section 22 is opened,
The storage medium 21 can be inserted into and removed from the storage section 22.

When closing the doors 31, 32, and 24, the user first swings the upper door 24 to the closed position against the tension of the spring, and then closes the left and right doors 31. ,
32 is swung to the closed position against the tension of the springs 35 and 36. Thus, the left and right doors 31 and 32 are locked in the closed position by the levers 37 and 38, and the upper door 24 and the left and right doors 25 and 26 shown in the first embodiment described above. Engage with protrusions 25b, 26b provided on the side surfaces of the left and right doors 25, 26. As a result, the upper door 24 is also locked in the closed position.

In the embodiment described above, the mouse 1
At 0,30, the operation buttons 14,15, wheel 1
6 is provided on the upper surface or side surface of case 11, but is not limited to this, and operation buttons may be provided at any position on the case to improve operability. Also,
In the above embodiment, the mouse 10 is provided with the two operation buttons 14 and 15, but is not limited thereto, and it is apparent that the mouse 10 may be provided with three or more operation buttons.

Further, in the above embodiment, the optical movement detecting means 12 and the LED 13 are mounted on the board 18, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the board 18 may be omitted. In this case, each component, that is, the optical movement detecting means 1
2. The LED 13 is attached to a predetermined position on the inner surface of the lower case 11a or the upper case 11b of the case 11. In the above embodiment, the mouse 10 is a so-called US
The mouse is configured as a B interface mouse, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured as a PS / 2 standard mouse, or may be configured as a so-called wireless mouse using infrared rays or the like.

Further, in the above embodiment, the mouse 10 is configured to optically detect the horizontal movement of the mouse 10 by the optical movement detecting means 12 and the LED 13, but the present invention is not limited to this. The ball and the direction and amount of rotation of the ball are mechanically detected.
It is clear that the present invention can be applied to a mouse having a so-called mechanical movement detecting means.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention, by inserting the storage medium into the storage portion provided in the mouse case from the opening, the terminal portion at the edge of the storage medium is connected via the connector. Connected to the data processing means
Data processing means writes and reads data to and from the storage medium. Thereby, various devices to which the mouse is connected can use the storage medium as the auxiliary storage means, and by connecting the mouse to the various devices, the storage medium can also be connected to the various devices. it can.

The storage section for inserting the storage medium can prevent foreign substances such as dust from entering the inside of the storage section by closing the opening section by a door, and can also use a mouse. Since the storage medium does not sometimes protrude from the surface of the case, the operability of the mouse is not impaired. In addition, when the storage medium is taken out, the storage medium can be easily taken out of the storage section by opening the door.

Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an extremely excellent mouse that also functions as a storage medium interface device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a first embodiment of a mouse according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the mouse of FIG. 1, wherein (A) is a schematic plan view and (B) is a schematic side view.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view showing the mouse of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the mouse of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partially broken plan view showing a second embodiment of the mouse according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 30 mouse 11 case 12 optical movement detection means 13 LED 14, 15 operation button 14a, 15a switch 16 wheel 17 optical lens system 18 substrate 19 cable 20 storage medium adapter unit 21 storage medium 22 housing 22a opening 23 connector 24 Upper door 24a Horizontal axis 25,26,31,32 Left and right door 25a, 26a, 33,34 Rotation axis 25b, 26b Projection 27,28,35,36,39,40 Spring 37,38 Lever 41,42 Release button

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A mouse having a case, a movement detecting means provided in the case, and at least two operation buttons provided on a side surface or an upper surface of the case. An accommodating portion having an opening on the case surface for receiving the same, a door for opening and closing the opening of the accommodating portion to the case surface, and an end of the storage medium when the accommodating portion receives the storage medium. A connector electrically connected to a terminal portion provided on an edge; and data processing means connected to the connector and writing and / or reading data to / from a storage medium. Features a mouse. 2. The mouse according to claim 1, wherein the door comprises a pair of left and right doors each of which closes an opening from both sides. 3. The mouse according to claim 1, wherein the door comprises a pair of left and right doors and an upper door that respectively close the opening from both sides and an upper side. 4. A projection is provided inside the left and right doors, and when the upper door is closed with respect to the left and right doors in a closed state, the inner end of the upper door locks the projection. The mouse according to claim 3, characterized in that: 5. The left and right doors are swingably supported and urged to open.
The mouse according to any one of claims 2 to 4. 6. The left and right doors are swingably supported and urged to close.
The mouse according to any one of claims 2 to 4. 7. The coordinate input device according to claim 1, wherein said movement detecting means and said data processing means are connected to various devices via a cable. 8. The coordinate input device according to claim 1, wherein said movement detecting means and said data processing means are connected to various devices wirelessly.