JP2002116832A - Multi-directional input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact and inexpensive multidirectional input device in which the number of components is reduced. SOLUTION: This device is provided with an operating member S held so as to be multidirectionally inclined, a plurality of conductive movable contact parts 34 arranged at the outer peripheral part of the operating member, and a plurality of insulating substrates 20 equipped with resistors 25, and arranged around the operating member S. In this case, the respective movable contact parts 34 are arranged so as to be faced to the respective resistors 25 arranged in the plurality of insulating substrates 20, and the movable contact parts 34 are moved according to the inclination of the operating member S so that the contact areas on the resistors 25 can be made variable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multidirectional input device suitably used for a joystick used for an operation section of a controller for a game machine and a joystick for moving a cursor of a display device such as a monitor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional multidirectional input device will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional multidirectional input device. In the conventional multidirectional input device, the first and second interlocking members 120 and 121 are rotatably arranged in the housing 100, and the first and second interlocking members 120 and 121 are tilted by operating the operation body 122.
The second electric components 110 and 111 are operated. Further, first and second swing members 132 and 136 are disposed below the operation body 122, and a coil spring 140 is provided.
At the same time, the operation body 122 is automatically returned to the neutral position.

[0003] A housing 1 formed by bending a metal plate.
00 is an upper surface plate 102 having a large diameter through hole 101;
A side plate 103 is bent downward from four sides of the top plate 102.

The first and second electric components 110 and 111, each of which is composed of a rotary variable resistor, are provided with a box-shaped case 112 and a resistor (not shown) attached to an open portion of the case 112. Insulating substrate 113 and the insulating substrate 11
3 and a rotating body 114 to which a slider (not shown) that slides on a resistor is attached, and each is configured as a single electric component. And
By attaching the case 112 to the adjacent side plate 103, the first and second electric components 110 and 111 are attached to the housing 100.

[0005] The first and second interlocking members 120 and 121 have slits 120a and 121a at the center, respectively.
The second interlocking members 120 and 121 are disposed so as to be cross-shaped with each other, and the opposite side plate 1
It is attached so as to be able to rotate between 03. That is, the first
Both ends of the interlocking member 120 are
And one end thereof is engaged with the rotating body 114 of the first electric component 110. Further, both ends of the second interlocking member 121 are fitted into the opposed through holes 105 of the side plate 103, and one end thereof is engaged with the rotating body 114 of the second electric component 111. When the first and second interlocking members 120 and 121 rotate simultaneously or independently, the rotating body 114 rotates in conjunction therewith, whereby the slider slides on the resistor, and the resistance value increases. And the first and second electric components 110 and 111 are operated.

The operating body 122 having the insertion hole 122a is
Slit 120 of first and second interlocking members 120 and 121
a, 121a, and is rotatably attached to the second interlocking member 121 by an insertion hole 121b provided in the second interlocking member 121 and a stop rod 123 inserted through an insertion hole 122a of the operation body 122. The upper part of the operating body 122 protrudes from the through hole 101, and a knob 124 is attached to the protruding tip.

[0007] Then, the operating body 122 is provided with a slit 121a.
When tilted in the direction of arrow X along
Operates the first electrical component 110 by pressing and rotating the first interlocking member 120. When the operating body 122 is tilted in the arrow Y direction along the slit 120a, the operating body 122 presses and rotates the second interlocking member 121,
The second electric component 111 is operated. Further, the operation body 12
When 2 is tilted between the arrow X direction and the arrow Y direction, the tilt amount of the operating body 122 is disassembled in the X and Y directions, and the first and second interlocking members 120 and 121 are pressed and rotated. ,
The first and second electric components 110 and 111 are operated.

[0008] A bottom plate 130 made of a metal plate has a bulging portion 131 provided in a middle portion.
00 is attached to the lower part of the housing 100 so as to close the opening at the lower part of the housing 100. The first swing member 132 made of a synthetic resin molded product has a cylindrical portion 134 having a bottom wall 133 and a flange 135 provided at an upper end of the cylindrical portion 134 and includes the bulging portion 131. Is guided so as to move while maintaining a horizontal state in the vertical direction. The second swing member 136 made of a synthetic resin molded product has a cylindrical portion 138 having a bottom wall 137 and is attached to the lower end of the operating body 122.

The cylindrical portion 13 of the first swing member 132
4 with the second swinging member 136 positioned therein,
The second rocking members 132 and 136 are arranged in the housing 100, and the bottom plate 130 and the flange 13 of the first rocking member 132 are provided.
The first and second swing members 132 and 136 are elastically pressed upward by the coil spring 140 interposed between them.

With this configuration, the second swing member 1 in which the bottom wall 137 is placed on the bottom wall 133 of the first swing member 132
36 also maintains a horizontal state. And
Normally, the operating body 122 is maintained in an upright state. However, when the operating body 122 is tilted, the second swinging member 136 is in a state where the horizontal state is broken and tilted.

When the tilting operation of the operating body 122 is released, the first swinging member 132 presses the second swinging member 136 by the coil spring 140, and the second swinging member 136 returns to a horizontal state. Together with this operation, the operation body 122
Is also returned to the upright state. That is, the first and second swing members 132 and 136 and the coil spring 140 form a return unit for automatically returning the operation body 122.

The operation of the conventional multidirectional input device having such a configuration will be described. First, when the knob 124 is pinched and the operating body 122 is tilted, the operating body 122 is
23 as a fulcrum, and as a result, the operation body 122
The interlocking member 120 or the second interlocking member 121, or both, are pressed and rotated. Then, the first and second interlocking members 120 and 121 are respectively connected to the first and second electric components 1.
By rotating the rotating bodies 114 of 10, 111, the first
The second electric components 110 and 111 are operated.

Further, the tilting operation of the operation body 122 causes
The second swinging member 136 is inclined. Next, when the tilting operation to the operation body 122 is released, the second swinging member 136 returns to the horizontal state by the coil spring 140, and the operation body 122 is returned to the original state of the upright state by this operation. .

[0014]

However, the conventional multidirectional input device has a structure in which the first and second interlocking members 120 and 121 through which the operating body 122 is inserted are rotated by the tilting operation of the operating body 122. Therefore, there is a problem that the size increases in the height direction. In addition to the operation body 122, the first and second interlocking members 120 and 121 and the first and second
The components of the oscillating members 132 and 136, the bottom plate 130, the coil spring 140, the case 112, and the rotating body 114 are required, increasing the number of components and increasing the cost, and increasing the size due to these components. was there.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an inexpensive multidirectional input device which is small in size, has a small number of components, and is inexpensive.

[0016]

As a first means for solving the above problems, a multi-directional input device of the present invention comprises an operation member held so as to be tiltable in multiple directions, and an outer peripheral portion of the operation member. A plurality of electrically conductive movable contact portions, and a plurality of insulating substrates provided with a resistor and arranged around the operating member, wherein each of the plurality of movable contact portions includes the plurality of insulating members. The movable contact portion is disposed so as to face each resistor provided on the substrate, and the movable contact portion moves in accordance with the tilting of the operating member, so that the contact area with the resistor is varied.

As a second solving means, in the multidirectional input device of the present invention, two of the plurality of insulating substrates are arranged adjacent to each other so that an angle between them is substantially a right angle,
The resistor provided on each insulating substrate is opposed to an axis of the operating member. As a third solution, in the multidirectional input device of the present invention, the plurality of insulating substrates are composed of four and are arranged adjacent to each other in a square shape, and the resistor provided on each insulating substrate is It is characterized by being opposed to the axis of the operating member.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the multidirectional input device according to the present invention, an inclined portion is formed on an upper surface of the operating member, and the inclined portion is formed on an upper surface plate of a housing holding the operating member. The operating member is configured to perform a tilting operation by moving the inclined portion by guiding the inclined portion.

As a fifth solution means, in the multidirectional input device of the present invention, a concave portion is provided on a lower surface of the operating member, and a coil spring is provided below the operating member so as to engage with the concave portion. The tilting operation of the operating member is performed in a state where the operating member is elastically supported on the upper surface plate of the housing by the coil spring.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the multidirectional input device of the present invention, the operating member includes an operating body having the movable contact portion provided at least on an outer peripheral portion and having a through hole formed in the center; A driving body that is inserted through the hole to hold the operating body and has an insertion hole formed in the center, and an operating body that is spline-coupled to the insertion hole, and when the operating body is tilted, the driving body is The movable body is driven via the movable body to press the movable contact portion against the resistor.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the multidirectional input device according to the present invention, the inclined portion is formed on an upper surface of a driving body of the operation member, and the coil spring represses the operation member from below to cause the operation. A tilting operation of the operating member is enabled by bringing the inclined portion and the inclined portion into contact with each other and moving the driving body using the inclined portion of the housing as a guide.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the multidirectional input device of the present invention, a push switch is disposed below the operating member, and the push switch is operated by a downward pressing operation of the operating member. It is characterized by.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A multidirectional input device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of the multidirectional input device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state where a housing is removed, FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG.
7 is a plan view of the operating body, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a plan view of the driving body, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the operating body, FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 10, FIG. 12 is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 13 is a line EE of FIG. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a tilted state.

The multi-directional input device according to the present invention mainly includes an operating member S having a movable contact portion 34 disposed on the outer peripheral portion, and a plurality of insulating substrates 20 provided with a resistor 25 and disposed around the operating member S. And the like are stored surrounded by the insulating base 10 and the housing 60, and the movable contact portion 34 moves with the tilting of the operation member S, so that the contact area with the resistor 25 is changed so that the By changing the resistance value, a desired voltage value is output.

The insulating substrate 10 is made of a synthetic resin molded article, and is particularly formed as a rectangular flat plate as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and has four concave portions 11 provided on each side of the outer peripheral portion and a central portion. And a pair of arc-shaped protruding walls 12 provided on the front side. First fixed contact 14 and second fixed contact 15 made of a metal plate
Are embedded and attached to the insulating base 10 by insert molding.

The first fixed contact 1 buried in this way
In 4, the contact portion 14 a is exposed at a central portion in the protruding wall 12, and the terminal portion 14 b protrudes from the outer peripheral portion of the insulating base 10. The second fixed contact 15 is exposed in a state in which the second fixed contact 15 surrounds the contact portion 14a of the first fixed contact 14 in the protruding wall 12, and the terminal portion 15b protrudes from the outer peripheral portion of the insulating base 10. I have.

As shown in FIG. 1, a dome-shaped movable contact 16 made of a metal spring is arranged in the protruding wall 12, and the first and second fixed contacts 14 and 15 constitute a push switch P. are doing. The movable contact 16 is in a state where the lower end of the peripheral portion always contacts the contact portion 15a of the second fixed contact 15 and the central portion faces the contact portion 14a of the first fixed contact 14. When the central portion of the movable contact 16 is pressed, the central portion is reversed while generating a click feeling and comes into contact with the contact portion 14a to turn on the first and second fixed contacts 14 and 15. On the other hand, when the pressing of the movable contact 16 is released, the movable contact 16 self-returns and the first and second fixed contacts 1 are released.
The interval between 4 and 15 is OFF.

The insulating substrate 20 is, as shown in FIGS.
It has a rectangular base 21 and a projection 22 projecting from one side of the base 21, and a recess 23 is formed on one side of the projection 22. The insulating substrate 20 includes a pair of metal members 24, which are located on four sides of the outer periphery of the insulating substrate 10 and are embedded in both ends of the insulating substrate 20 and the insulating substrate 10 by insert molding, respectively. , And the insulating base 10.

One end of the pair of metal bodies 24 buried in the insulating substrate 20 is exposed from the surface of the insulating substrate 20, and the surface is coated with a resistor 25 by a method such as coating or spraying. And both ends of the resistor 25 are in contact with one end of the metal body 24, respectively.

Each insulating substrate 20 having such a configuration
Is mounted perpendicular to the insulating base 10. That is, the metal body 24 is bent so as to protrude outward, the protrusion 22 is fitted into the recess 11 of the insulating base 10, and the side surface of the base 21 is placed on the surface of the insulating base 10, and the resistance is reduced. The body 25 is perpendicular to the surface. When each insulating substrate 20 is mounted in a vertical state with respect to the insulating base 10, the surface of each resistor 25 faces the center of the insulating base 10, that is, the axis G of the operating member S.
And the bent metal body 24
Serves as a terminal.

As described above, the insulating substrate 20 is
Are arranged adjacent to each other in a square shape. The space 13 is present between the insulating substrates 20 at the corners of the insulating base 10. In the present embodiment,
Although the description has been made on the case where the four insulating substrates 20 are arranged adjacent to each other in a square shape, it is also possible to arrange the two insulating substrates 20 adjacently in a right angle. Further, the insulating base 10 may be formed in an octagonal shape, and the insulating substrate 20 may be arranged adjacent to the octagonal shape.

Next, a method for manufacturing the insulating base 10 and the insulating substrate 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. The insulating base 10 includes
First and second fixed contacts 14 and 15 and metal body 24 formed by bending or pressing a single metal plate into a predetermined shape
Is insert molded. One end of the metal body 24 is insert-molded on the insulating substrate 20. The molding of the insulating base 10 and the insulating substrate 20 is performed simultaneously.

The four formed insulating substrates 20 are connected to each other by a pair of metal bodies 24 while being separated from the insulating base 10. Next, each insulating substrate 20
Is formed on the surface of the substrate by a method such as coating.
Thereafter, each metal body 24 is bent so as to protrude outward, so that the convex portion 22 is fitted into the concave portion 11 and the base portion 21 is bent.
Is placed on the surface of the insulating base 10 and the resistor 25
The insulating substrate 20 is attached to the insulating substrate 10 so that the surface of the
0 and the insulating substrate 20 are completed.

The operating member S is held on the insulating base 10 and the insulating substrates 20 arranged in a quadrangular shape so as to be tiltable. The operating member S mainly includes an operating body 30 in which a movable contact portion 34 is provided on an outer peripheral portion and a through hole 31 is formed in the center, an operating member 30 which is inserted through the through hole 31 to hold the operating body 30 and has an insertion hole 43 in the center. Are formed, and an operating body 50 which is spline-coupled to the insertion hole 43.

The operating body 30 is made of a rubber material. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a substantially square ring-shaped portion 32 having a rectangular through hole 31 in the center portion, Four legs 33 extending radially, and a ring-shaped portion 32
Each of the outer peripheral portions has a movable contact portion 34 formed integrally therewith. The ring-shaped portion 32 and the leg 33 are made of an insulating rubber material, and the movable contact portion 34 is made of a conductive rubber material. When molding, they are molded and integrated at the same time.

The driving body 40 is made of a molded article of synthetic resin having a flat circular shape. An oval insertion hole 42 is formed in the center, and a circular recess 43 is formed in the lower surface. The recess 43 communicates with the insertion hole 42. In addition, a groove 44 is formed in the outer peripheral portion in a circumferential shape, and an inclined portion 41 which is inclined so as to form a spherical surface is provided at an edge of the upper surface (upper right and upper left in FIG. 9). . The operating body 30 is attached to the driving body 40.
That is, the through-hole 31 of the operating body 30 is extended to
0 is inserted, and the ring-shaped portion 32 is fitted into the groove portion 44 to perform the mounting.

The operating body 50 is made of a synthetic resin molded product, and is a flat, circular base 51, an oval-shaped shaft 53 projecting upward from the center of the base 51, and a lower portion of the shaft 53. And a spherical projecting portion 54 projecting downward by being connected to the projection. A circular concave portion 52 is provided below the base portion 51.
Are formed. The operating body 50 is spline-coupled to the drive unit 40. That is, the shaft 53 is inserted into the recess 43 and the insertion hole 42 from below the driving body 40, and the base 51 is housed in the recess 43. When the base 51 is housed in the recess 43, the shaft 53 projects above the insertion hole 43. Since the shaft portion 53 and the insertion hole 42 are engaged with each other in the oval shape, the operating body 50 can be moved up and down, but is held non-rotatably.

The operation member S having such a configuration is held in the housing 60 in a tiltable manner while being elastically supported by the housing 60 by the coil spring 45. The coil spring 45 is formed by winding a thin metal rod, and is interposed between the insulating base 10 and the operation member S. And
The upper end of the coil spring 45 is housed in the recess 52 of the operating body 50, and urges the operating member S from below.

The housing 60 is formed by bending a metal plate or the like. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the housing 60 is formed by bending a rectangular upper surface plate 61 and bending the upper surface plate 61 downward from four sides. A through hole 62 is formed in the center of the upper surface plate 61, and an inclined portion 63 inclined from the outer edge of the through hole 62 to form a spherical surface is provided. Have been. The side plate 64 is formed by bending outward from the lower end thereof, and is provided with a mounting piece 65 serving as a mounting portion to a printed circuit board (not shown). A mounting portion 66 extending downward is provided.

Then, the housing 60 having such a configuration is formed.
With the operating member S housed in the housing 60, the mounting portion 66 is positioned in the concave portion 23 provided in the convex portion 22 of the insulating substrate 20,
Attached to When the housing 60 is attached in this manner, the upper surface of the driving body 40 is exposed to the through hole 62 and the shaft 53 of the operating body 50 is in a protruding state. Further, the operating member S is resiliently pressed from below by the coil spring 45, and the inclined portion 63 of the housing 60 and the inclined portion 41 of the driving body 40 come into contact with each other. By moving, the operation member S can be tilted. A push switch P is located below the operation member S, and the protrusion 54 of the operation body 50 is
The operating member S is also pressed upward by the spring property of the movable contact 16.

In this state, the operating member S is
Is stored, the leg portion 33 of the operating body 30 is placed in the space 13 of the insulating base 10 and the ring-shaped portion 32 is attached to the insulating base 10, as shown in FIG. 10
In the height direction. Further, at this time, the movable contact portion 34 faces the resistor 25 in a slightly separated state, and each constitutes an electric component D. That is, the operating member S is guided so as to be tiltable in multiple directions. For example, when the operating member S is tilted in the direction of arrow A1 shown in FIG. The leg portion 33 extending radially from the shape portion 32 is deformed, and the movable contact portion 34 is pressed against the resistor 25. Then, the contact area of the movable contact portion 34 with the resistor 25 changes depending on the amount of tilt of the operation member S, and as a result, the resistance value between the pair of metal bodies 24 as terminals becomes variable. Note that arrows A2, A
Even when the operating member S is tilted in the direction A3 or A4, the resistance value of each single resistor 25 can be varied according to the same principle as described above. That is, in the present embodiment, four electric components are formed. Further, when the operating member S is tilted in the radial direction between the adjacent insulating bases 10, the two movable contact portions 35 are pressed against the respective resistors 25, and as a result, the contact with the two resistors 25 is made. The area is varied simultaneously so that two electrical components can be operated.

The distal end of the leg 33 of the operating body 30 has a rectangular shape, and as shown in FIG. 2, is sandwiched between the adjacent insulating substrates 20 to restrict the movement of the operating member S in the plane direction. In addition, when the housing 60 is attached, the distal end of the thick leg 33 is pressed against and supported by the insulating base 10 by the upper surface plate 61, so that the distal end of the leg 33 is prevented from moving. Crosspiece and leg 33 of ring-shaped part 32
Is easy to deform.

Further, when the shaft 53 of the operating body 50 is pressed, the movable contact 16 is pushed and reversed, and the push switch is turned on. When this pressing operation is released, the movable contact 1 is released.
The operating body 50 returns to the original position by the spring pressure of the coil spring 45 and the spring pressure of the coil spring 45.

Next, the operation of the multidirectional input device of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. First, when the operator inclines the shaft portion 53 of the operating body 50 in the direction of arrow A1 in the figure, the inclined portion 41 of the driving body 40 is guided by the inclined portion 63 of the upper surface plate 61 along with the operating body 50. The moving body 40 presses the cross section of the ring portion 32 of the operating body 30 to deform the cross section of the ring portion 32 and the leg 33 formed along the moving direction. At this time, the coil spring 45 is also tilted along the tilt direction. Then, the movable contact portion 34 is pressed against the resistor 25, and the movable contact portion 3
4 changes the contact area with the resistor 25, and as a result, the resistance value between the pair of metal bodies 24 as terminals becomes variable. When the tilting operation of the operating body 50 is released, the operating member S returns to the state before the movement due to the elasticity of the operating body 30 and the elasticity of the coil spring 45, and the movable contact portion 34 is not in contact with the resistor 25. The contact state is returned to the state before the movement. The reason why the coil spring 45 is provided is to more reliably return the operation member S.

Next, when the operating member S is tilted in an oblique direction which is a direction between the adjacent insulating substrates 20, the cross section of the ring-shaped portion 32 and the leg 33 are simultaneously deformed via the driving body 40, The two movable contact portions 34 are pressed against the respective resistors 25, and as a result, the two resistors 25
At the same time, the area of contact with
The resistance value between the four components is varied, and the two electric components D are operated. When the tilting operation of the operating body 50 is released, the operating member S returns to the state before the movement, and the movable contact portion 34 also returns to the state before the movement in a non-contact state with the resistor 25, as described above. .

Next, when the operating body 50 is pressed downward, the operating body 50 is guided downward by the insertion hole of the driving body 40 and moves downward, and the protrusion 54 presses the movable contact 16 so that the movable contact 16 is pressed. 16 is inverted. Then, the push switch P is turned ON, and conduction between the first and second fixed contacts 14 and 15 is established. When the pressing operation is released, the operating body 50 is returned to the original position by the spring pressure of the movable contact 16, the push switch is turned off, and the first and second fixed contacts 14, 1 are turned off.
No. 5 is in a non-conductive state. The push switch can be operated even when the operation member S is tilted.

Although the multidirectional input device of the present invention has the above-described configuration and operation, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the operating member S includes the operating body 30, the driving body 40, and the operating body 50.
Has been described as consisting of three separate parts,
These three parts may be integrally formed of a rubber material to constitute the operation member S. The tilting operation and the vertical operation can be performed by the operation member S. In the above-described embodiment, the movable contact portion 34, the ring-shaped portion 32, and the leg portion 33 have been described as being made of different materials. However, the movable contact portion 34 may be integrally and simultaneously formed of one conductive rubber material. good. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the push switch P is provided on the insulating base 10 has been described. However, a single push switch P may be used. Further, the push switch P may be omitted as necessary.

[0048]

According to the present invention, there is provided a multidirectional input device comprising: an operating member held so as to be tiltable; a plurality of conductive movable contact portions;
A plurality of insulating substrates provided with resistors, wherein each of the plurality of movable contact portions is disposed so as to face each resistor provided on the plurality of insulating substrates, and the movable contact portion is tilted as the operating member is tilted. Is moved so that the contact area with the resistor can be varied, so that the height direction is significantly smaller than in the conventional case where the tilt of the operating body is transmitted to the interlocking member. Can be provided. Further, the case 122, the rotating body 114, and the like in the conventional example can be omitted, and the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the conventional example, and a small-sized multidirectional input device with good productivity and low cost can be provided.

In the multidirectional input device of the present invention, two of the plurality of insulating substrates are arranged adjacent to each other so that the angle between them is substantially a right angle, and the resistor provided on each insulating substrate is Because it is configured to face the axis of the operation member,
Since the resistor can be easily arranged and the configuration can be simplified, a multi-directional input device with high productivity and low cost can be provided.

In the multidirectional input device according to the present invention, the plurality of insulating substrates are composed of four and are arranged adjacent to each other in a square shape, and the resistor provided on each insulating substrate is opposed to the axis of the operating member. With this configuration, the resistor can be easily arranged and the configuration can be simplified, so that a multi-directional input device with high productivity and low cost can be provided.

In the multidirectional input device of the present invention, an inclined portion is formed on the upper surface of the operating member, and an inclined portion is formed on the upper surface plate of the housing. Since the tilting operation is performed by guiding and moving the unit, the tilting operation of the operating member is guided and ensured, so that a multi-directional input device with good operability and high reliability is provided. Can be provided.

In the multidirectional input device of the present invention, a coil spring is arranged below the operation member so as to engage with the concave portion. The operation is performed in a state where the operation is performed, so that there is no backlash between the operation member and the housing, and the operation member is reliably guided, so that the operability is further improved and the multi-directional operation is highly reliable. An input device can be provided.

The operating member in the multidirectional input device of the present invention includes an operating body provided with a movable contact portion and having a through hole, and a driving body holding the operating body and having an insertion hole formed in the center. And an operating body spline-coupled to the insertion hole, and when the operating body is tilted, the operating body is driven via the driving body to press the movable contact portion against the resistor. As a result, the operation members can be formed by simple combination, so that a multidirectional input device with good productivity can be provided.

In the multidirectional input device of the present invention, the inclined portion is formed on the upper surface of the driving body, and the coil spring resiliently presses the operating member from below, thereby bringing the inclined portion into contact with the inclined portion. By moving the driver with the guide as a guide, the tilting operation of the operating member is enabled, so that there is no backlash between the driver and the housing,
Since the operation member is reliably guided, it is possible to provide a multi-directional input device with better operability and high reliability.

In the multidirectional input device of the present invention, a push switch is disposed below the operating member, and the push switch is operated by a downward pressing operation of the operating member. small,
A small multidirectional input device with a push switch can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of a multidirectional input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state where a housing is removed from the multidirectional input device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the multidirectional input device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a method for manufacturing an insulating substrate in the multidirectional input device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an operating body in the multidirectional input device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a driving body in the multidirectional input device of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of an operating body in the multidirectional input device of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a housing in the multidirectional input device of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a tilted state of the multidirectional input device of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional multidirectional input device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Insulating base 11 Concave part 12 Protrusion wall 13 Space part 14 First fixed contact 15 Second fixed contact 16 Movable contact 20 Insulating substrate 22 Convex part 23 Concave part 24 Metal body (terminal) 25 Resistor 30 Working body 31 Through-hole 32 Ring shape Part 33 leg part 34 movable contact part 40 driving body 41 inclined part 42 insertion hole 45 coil spring 50 operation body 53 shaft part 54 projecting part 60 housing 61 upper surface plate 62 through hole 63 inclined part D electric component G axis line S operation member P push switch

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01C 10/36 H01C 10/36 H01H 13/52 H01H 13/52 Z 25/04 25/04 DF term ( Reference) 2C001 CA00 CA06 3J070 AA04 BA74 DA61 EA12 5B087 BC02 BC11 5E030 AA20 BA29 CA02 CA05 CB04 CC09 CE07 EA04 GA02 5G006 AA01 AB01 AB25 AC03 AZ01 BA01 BA02 BB03 BC04 DB03

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An operating member which is held so as to be tiltable in multiple directions, a plurality of conductive movable contact portions disposed on an outer peripheral portion of the operating member, and a resistor provided around the operating member. A plurality of insulating substrates arranged, wherein each of the plurality of movable contact portions is arranged so as to face each resistor provided on the plurality of insulating substrates, and the movable contact portion is tilted with the operation member. A multi-directional input device, wherein a portion moves to change a contact area with the resistor. 2. The two of the plurality of insulating substrates are disposed adjacent to each other so that an angle between them is substantially a right angle, and the resistor provided on each of the insulating substrates is connected to an axis of the operating member. The multidirectional input device according to claim 1, wherein the input device is opposed to the input device. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of insulating substrates are formed of four pieces, are arranged adjacent to each other in a square shape, and the resistor provided on each of the insulating substrates faces an axis of the operating member. The multidirectional input device according to claim 1, wherein: 4. An inclined portion is formed on an upper surface of the operating member, and an inclined portion is formed on an upper surface plate of a housing holding the operating member, the inclined portion being in contact with the inclined portion. The multidirectional input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tilt portion performs a tilting operation by moving while guiding the tilt portion. 5. A concave portion is provided on a lower surface of the operating member, and a coil spring is disposed below the operating member so as to engage with the concave portion. The multi-directional input device according to claim 4, wherein the multi-directional input device is configured to perform the operation while being elastically supported by the upper surface plate of the housing. 6. The operating member, wherein the movable contact portion is provided at least on an outer peripheral portion, and an operating body having a through hole formed at a center, and an operating body inserted through the through hole to hold the operating body, and A driving body having an insertion hole formed therein, and an operating body spline-coupled to the insertion hole, wherein when the operating body is tilted, the operating body is driven via the driving body to form the movable contact. The multidirectional input device according to claim 4, wherein a portion is pressed against the resistor. 7. The inclined portion is formed on an upper surface of a driving body of the operating member, and the coil spring resiliently presses the operating member from below, thereby bringing the inclined portion into contact with the inclined portion, The multidirectional input device according to claim 6, wherein the operation member is tilted by moving the driving body using the inclined portion of the housing as a guide. 8. The push switch according to claim 1, wherein a push switch is arranged below the operating member, and the push switch is operated by a downward pressing operation of the operating member. Multi-directional input device.