JP2003207518A - Acceleration sensor and game controller using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an acceleration sensor having high durability to impact, and capable of reducing the cost. <P>SOLUTION: This acceleration sensor A comprises a base 100 provided with a first electrode 110 on its rear face and a second electrode 120 on its front face, a tilting part 200 vertically and tiltably mounted on the base 100 and having conductivity, and an elastic body 300 energizing the tilting part 200 in the vertical direction, and abutted on a tip of the tilting part 200 at its one end, and abutted on the second electrode 120 at the other end. In a case when the acceleration is not added to the tilting part 200, and the tilting part 200 is in a state of vertical to the base 100, a rear end of the tilting part 200 and the first electrode 110 are kept in a conductive state, and in a case when the acceleration is added to the tilting part 200 and the tilting part 200 is tilted to the base 100, the tilting part 200 and the first electrode 110 are kept in a non-conductive state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an acceleration sensor and a game controller using the acceleration sensor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many acceleration sensors use a ceramic diaphragm, and such an acceleration sensor has a disk-shaped piezoelectric ceramic plate 1 as shown in FIG.
0 and the vibration plate 1 attached to the piezoelectric ceramic plate 10.
1 and a cushion body 1 that sandwiches the piezoelectric ceramic plate 10.
2 and 12 and the lead wire 13 attached to the piezoelectric ceramic plate 10. When acceleration is applied to the vibration plate 11, the piezoelectric ceramic plate 10 is distorted, and electromotive force generated at this time is transmitted through the lead wire 12. It is designed to output.

[0003]

However, the acceleration sensor is vulnerable to shock because the piezoelectric ceramic plate 10 cannot be undone when the shock is applied to the piezoelectric ceramic plate 10 from the outside. It has the drawback of

In addition to this, since the piezoelectric element of the acceleration sensor has an elongated shape and is larger than the board-mounted parts, a large board is indispensable, and the cost of the parts is increased in this respect. Also, if the process of attaching the vibration plate 11 to the piezoelectric ceramic plate 10 is not done carefully,
Since variations occur in the acceleration sensor, not only the parts cost of the piezoelectric element but also the processing cost will increase.
It also has a drawback that it is difficult to reduce the cost as a whole.

The present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an acceleration sensor which is resistant to impact and can be manufactured at low cost, and a game controller using the same. To do.

[0006]

An acceleration sensor according to the present invention includes a substrate having a first electrode on at least one surface thereof, and a tilting portion having conductivity and attached to the substrate vertically and tiltably. , An elastic body that urges the tilting portion in a vertical direction, and when acceleration is not applied to the tilting portion and the tilting portion is in a vertical state with respect to the substrate, When the rear end of the tilting portion and the first electrode are brought into conduction, acceleration is applied to the tilting portion, and the tilting portion is tilted with respect to the substrate, the tilting portion The rear end and the first electrode are brought out of conduction.

According to another acceleration sensor of the present invention, a substrate having a first electrode provided on at least one surface thereof, a tilting portion having conductivity which is vertically and tiltably attached to the substrate, and the tilting portion. And an elastic body for urging the tilting portion in the vertical direction, when no acceleration is applied to the tilting portion and the tilting portion is in a vertical state with respect to the substrate, When the rear end and the first electrode are in a non-conduction state and acceleration is applied to the tilting part and the tilting part is tilted with respect to the substrate, the rear end of the tilting part And the first electrode becomes conductive.

More preferably, the tilting portion has a shaft inserted into a hole provided in the substrate, a head portion provided at the tip of the shaft, and a projection portion provided at the rear end of the shaft. Is preferred.

More preferably, the elastic body is a helical spring having conductivity, and one end of the elastic body is in contact with the head portion and the other end is in contact with a second electrode provided on the other surface of the substrate. It is better to be.

More preferably, the protrusion is a substantially circular flat plate that is larger than the first electrode provided annularly around the hole.

More preferably, the head portion is preferably covered with a cushion body.

A game controller using the acceleration sensor has a case in which the acceleration sensor is housed, and a substantially cylindrical restricting portion into which the tip of the tilting portion is inserted is provided in the case. There is.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an acceleration sensor, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a game controller incorporating the same sensor, and FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the same sensor. FIG. 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sensor when it receives a shock, and FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the acceleration sensor when it receives a shock in the vertical direction.

The acceleration sensor A listed here is used for the game controller B mounted on each of both hands and feet of the experience game. The game controller B is adapted to transmit to the game machine main body (not shown) whether or not both hands and feet have moved.

As shown in FIG. 1, the acceleration sensor A is a substrate 100 having a first electrode 110 on the back surface and a second electrode 120 on the front surface, and a conductive member vertically and tiltably attached to the substrate 100. And an elastic body 300 that biases the tilting unit 200 in the vertical direction and has one end contacting the tip of the tilting unit 200 and the other end contacting the second electrode 120.
It has and. Hereinafter, each part will be described in detail.

The substrate 100 is provided with a hole 130 into which the tilting portion 200 is inserted. On the front surface side of the substrate 100,
The second electrode 120 is annularly formed around the hole 130, and the first electrode 110 is annularly formed on the back surface side as a part of the conductive pattern.

The hole 130 is formed to be slightly larger than the shaft diameter of the shaft 210, which will be described later, so that the tilting portion 200 can tilt.

The tilting portion 200 is a substantially cylindrical shaft 210.
And a protrusion 220, which is a substantially circular flat plate larger than the first electrode, and a substantially disk-shaped head portion 230. A protrusion 220 is integrally formed at one end of the shaft 210, and the head 230 is attached to the other end of the shaft 210 by caulking or screws. The tilting unit 200
Is made of inexpensive brass here, but may be anything as long as it has conductivity.

When no acceleration is applied to the protrusion 220 and the tilting unit 200 and the tilting unit 200 is in a vertical state with respect to the substrate 100, it is in a conductive state with the first electrode 110, When acceleration is applied to the tilting unit 200 and the tilting unit 200 is tilted with respect to the substrate 100, the first electrode 110 is brought out of conduction. This is the most characteristic part of the present invention.

A weight 231 is provided inside the head portion 230. By adjusting the weight 231, the tilting of the tilting portion 200 that has received the acceleration can be adjusted, and the input acceleration can be adjusted. . The outer peripheral surface of the head portion 230 is covered with a cushion body 232, and the head portion 2 is provided in a case 400 of the game controller B described later.
It is designed to absorb the impact when 30 hits.
It should be noted that the shape of the head portion does not need to be substantially disc-shaped, and can be arbitrarily changed in design.

The elastic body 300 is a helical spring inserted into the outer side of the shaft 210 of the tilting section 200, and the head section 230 is separated from the substrate 100, that is, the tilting section 200 is vertically attached to the substrate 100. Energize. Further, the elastic body 300 has conductivity, and one end thereof contacts the head portion 230 and the other end thereof contacts the second electrode 120. This electrically connects the first electrode 120 to the protrusion 220, the shaft 210, the head portion 230, the elastic body 300, and the second electrode 120.

By adjusting the weight of the elastic body 300 in addition to the weight of the weight 231 of the head portion 230,
The input acceleration can be adjusted.

The acceleration sensor A as described above is
It is housed between an upper case 410 and a lower case 420 of the game controller B, which is a resin molded product as shown in FIG. On the inner surface side of the upper case 410, the protrusion 2
A substantially cylindrical restricting portion 411 into which 20 is inserted is provided, and the tilting portion 2 is provided even if an impact of a predetermined amount or more is applied.
00 is regulated not to tilt too much.

The operation of the acceleration sensor A when the game controller B is operated will be described below.

When the game controller B is moved in the lateral direction, the tilting unit 200 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), the projection 220 is tilted in the lateral direction and is separated from the first electrode 110 of the substrate 100 to be in a non-conductive state. The change from the conducting state to the non-conducting state is detected as the magnitude of acceleration and transmitted to the game machine main body (not shown).

When the game controller B is moved upward, the substrate 100 moves upward, whereas the tilting portion 200 moves downward due to the inertial force of the head portion 230 as shown in FIG. 3B. The protrusion 220 moves away from the first electrode 110 of the substrate 100, and becomes non-conductive. This is detected and transmitted similarly to the above.

When the game controller B is moved downward, when the hand is stopped after the movement, the substrate 100 stands still, whereas the tilting portion 2 is caused by the inertial force of the head portion 230.
00 moves downward as shown in FIG. As a result, the protrusion 220 causes the first electrode 11 of the substrate 100.
It separates from 0 and becomes non-conductive. This is detected and transmitted similarly to the above.

When the acceleration sensor A as described above is used,
Since the tilting unit 200 is biased in the vertical direction with respect to the substrate 100 by the elastic body 300, the tilting unit 200 is strong against an external impact and is less likely to fail. Also, the tilting unit 200
Since it is attached to the substrate 100 in the vertical direction, the large substrate 100 is not required and the component cost is not required. In addition, the tilting portion 200 is provided in the hole 130 of the substrate 100.
Since it is inserted and attached, the attachment process is easy and the process cost is not required unlike the conventional case. Therefore, cost reduction can be achieved.

Another acceleration sensor C of the present invention will be described below.

The structure of the acceleration sensor C is almost the same as that of the acceleration sensor A, and the description of the same parts will be omitted. The difference from the acceleration sensor A is that a spacer 140 is provided as shown in FIG.

In the acceleration sensor C, when acceleration is not applied to the tilting section 200 and the tilting section 200 is in a vertical state with respect to the substrate 100, the protrusion 230 is supported by the spacer 140 to make the first position. When the tilting portion 200 is tilted with respect to the substrate 100 due to the acceleration applied to the tilting portion 200, the electrode 110 of FIG. First electrode 110
And come into contact with each other and become conductive.

The acceleration sensors A and C may be modified in design as follows.

Although the first electrode 110 and the second electrode 120 are formed on both surfaces of the substrate 100 here, the design may be changed so that the electrodes are formed on only one surface. In such a case, it is better to provide a conducting part separately from the elastic body 300 and connect it to the electrode.

Although the tilting portion 200 is assumed to be inserted and attached to the hole 130 of the substrate 100 here,
It may be attached to the end portion of 0 and may be tilted only for acceleration in one direction. In such a case, the shaft 210 is preferably a substantially prism or a flat plate rather than a substantially cylindrical shape, and the protrusion 220 is a substantially circular flat plate and is substantially protruded in only one direction from the shaft 210. It is better to have a long flat plate or bar. By changing the design so as to tilt only in one direction, the size of the substrate 100 can be reduced, which is advantageous in reducing cost.

Although the elastic body 300 is a spiral spring here, an elastic body such as rubber may be used. When sharing this rubber elastic body and the conducting part,
It is advisable to pass the conducting portion inside the rubber elastic body.

Although the case 400 is composed of the upper case and the lower case here, the case 400 may be modified so that the acceleration sensor A is inserted through the hole provided at the end.

The acceleration sensor A is not only used for the game controller B, but can be naturally used for a pedometer, a start switch, a shock sensor, or the like.

[0038]

According to the acceleration sensor of claim 1 of the present invention, a substrate having a first electrode provided on at least one surface thereof, and a tilting portion having conductivity and attached to the substrate vertically and tiltably. , An elastic body for urging the tilting portion in a vertical direction, when no acceleration is applied to the tilting portion and the tilting portion is in a vertical state with respect to the substrate, When the rear end of the tilting portion and the first electrode are brought into conduction, acceleration is applied to the tilting portion, and the tilting portion is tilted with respect to the substrate,
The rear end of the tilting portion and the first electrode are brought out of electrical conduction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the acceleration sensor, a substrate having the first electrode provided on at least one surface thereof, and a tilting portion having conductivity which is vertically and tiltably attached to the substrate. , An elastic body for urging the tilting portion in a vertical direction, when no acceleration is applied to the tilting portion and the tilting portion is in a vertical state with respect to the substrate, When the rear end of the tilting portion and the first electrode are in a non-conductive state and acceleration is applied to the tilting portion so that the tilting portion is tilted with respect to the substrate, the tilting is performed. The rear end of the portion and the first electrode are brought into conduction.

Therefore, in the case of the acceleration sensor according to the first and second aspects, since the tilting portion is biased in the vertical direction with respect to the substrate by the elastic body, the acceleration sensor is strong against an external impact and this Makes it harder to break down. Further, since the tilting portion is attached to the substrate in the vertical direction, a large substrate is not required and the cost of parts is not required. This is advantageous in reducing costs.

In the acceleration sensor according to a third aspect of the present invention, the tilting portion includes a shaft inserted into a hole provided in the substrate, a head portion provided at a tip of the shaft, and a rear end of the shaft. And a protrusion provided.

Therefore, in the case of the acceleration sensor of claim 3,
Since the tilting portion 200 is inserted and mounted in the hole 130 of the substrate 100, the mounting process is easy,
Since the processing cost is not as high as the conventional piezoelectric ceramic plate, the cost can be reduced.

In the acceleration sensor according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the elastic body is a helical spring having conductivity, and one end is provided on the head portion and the other end is provided on the other surface of the substrate.
It comes in contact with the electrodes of.

Therefore, in the case of the acceleration sensor of claim 4,
Since it is possible to omit the conductive portion necessary for conducting with the second electrode, there is an advantage in achieving cost reduction.

In the acceleration sensor according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the protrusion is a substantially circular flat plate larger than the first electrode provided annularly around the hole.

Therefore, in the case of the acceleration sensor of claim 5,
Since the rear end of the tilting portion tilted in the arbitrary direction is in the conductive state / non-conductive state with the first electrode, it is possible to detect the acceleration in the arbitrary direction.

In the acceleration sensor according to claim 6 of the present invention, the head portion is covered with a cushion body.

Therefore, in the case of the acceleration sensor of claim 6,
Since the shock from the outside can be absorbed by the cushion body, it becomes stronger against the shock from the outside and is less likely to malfunction due to this.

A game controller according to a seventh aspect of the present invention has a case in which the acceleration sensor according to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth aspect is housed, and the tilting portion is provided in the case. Is provided with a substantially cylindrical restriction portion into which the tip of is inserted.

Therefore, in the case of the game controller according to claim 7, when the tilting portion in the previous period tilts by a predetermined amount or more, the tilting portion comes into contact with the restricting portion, so that the tilting portion does not break down by tilting by a predetermined amount or more. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an acceleration sensor.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a game controller incorporating the same sensor.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for exercising the operation of the sensor, and FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sensor when a lateral impact is applied. (B) is a schematic sectional view of the same sensor when it receives an impact in the vertical direction.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of another acceleration sensor.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of an acceleration sensor using a ceramic diaphragm.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 substrates 110 First electrode 120 Second electrode 200 Tilt unit 210 shaft 220 protrusion 230 head 300 elastic body

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A substrate having a first electrode provided on at least one surface thereof, a conductive tilting unit vertically and tiltably attached to the substrate, and a biasing unit for vertically tilting the tilting unit. An elastic body, no acceleration is applied to the tilting portion, and the tilting portion is in a vertical state with respect to the substrate, the rear end of the tilting portion and the first
When the tilting portion is tilted with respect to the substrate due to acceleration applied to the tilting portion, the rear end of the tilting portion and the first electrode are connected to each other. The acceleration sensor is characterized by being in a non-conducting state. 2. A substrate having a first electrode provided on at least one surface, a conductive tilting unit vertically and tiltably attached to the substrate, and a biasing unit for vertically tilting the tilting unit. An elastic body, no acceleration is applied to the tilting portion, and the tilting portion is in a vertical state with respect to the substrate, the rear end of the tilting portion and the first
When the tilting portion is tilted with respect to the substrate due to acceleration applied to the tilting portion, the rear end of the tilting portion and the first electrode An acceleration sensor characterized by being electrically connected to and. 3. The acceleration sensor according to claim 1, wherein the tilting portion includes a shaft inserted into a hole provided in the substrate, a head portion provided at a tip of the shaft, and a rear portion of the shaft. An acceleration sensor having a protrusion provided at an end thereof. 4. The acceleration sensor according to claim 3,
The elastic body is a helical spring having conductivity, one end of which is in contact with the head portion and the other end of which is in contact with a second electrode provided on the other surface of the substrate. Acceleration sensor. 5. The acceleration sensor according to claim 3, wherein the protrusion is a substantially circular flat plate that is larger than the first electrode annularly provided around the hole. . 6. The acceleration sensor according to claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the head portion is covered with a cushion body. 7. A substantially cylindrical shape having a case in which the acceleration sensor according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 is housed, and the tip of the tilting portion is inserted into the case. A game controller characterized by being provided with a restriction section.