JP2003233459A - Input device with generator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device with a generator capable of reducing the effect of variations in an input operation, and improving efficiency in power generation. <P>SOLUTION: A mouse 1 of the input device with the generator has a power spring unit 45 for storing and supplying a mechanical power, and the generator 60 for generating electricity by using the mechanical power. Further, the mouse 1 is provided with a first transmission mechanism 40 for obtaining the mechanical power from the input operation to transmit it to the power spring unit 45, and a second transmission mechanism 56 for transmitting mechanical energy supplied from the power spring unit 45 to the generator 60. Since the mechanical energy obtained by the input operation is once accumulated in the power spring unit 45, the mechanical power is accumulated even if the input operation is not constant, and the generator 60 can be driven at a stretch by the accumulated mechanical energy, thereby improving the efficiency in power generation, remarkably. <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 input device containing a generator.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART In recent years, primary batteries, rechargeable batteries and the like have been generally used as power sources for cordless electronic devices. For example, in the case of a cordless mouse used as an input device of a computer, a power source cannot be obtained from the computer body, so a battery is built in. In such a case, it is necessary to replace the battery each time it runs out of capacity.If the battery is a primary battery, replace it with a spare battery, or if it is a rechargeable battery, recharge it or use a spare rechargeable battery. Replace with a battery. However, at the time of this replacement or recharging, the work must be interrupted, and a series of work is hindered when a long work is to be performed.

In order to solve the above-mentioned inconvenience, a mouse in which a generator is incorporated has been proposed. Such conventional examples include those disclosed in JP-A-11-219257 and JP-A-2000-056922. In these, the generator is connected to the X-axis and Y-axis direction rollers that are in contact with the mouse ball, and when the X-axis and Y-axis rollers rotate as the mouse ball rotates, the rotating force drives the generator. , Electromotive force is generated.

[0004]

However, in the power generation mechanism having the above-described structure, the rotational force obtained from the roller is directly transmitted to the generator to obtain the electromotive force, and therefore, only when the ball is rotating. There is a problem in that the electromotive force cannot be obtained and the obtained electromotive force varies greatly depending on the input operation. In other words, if the mouse is moved to some distance, the ball will also rotate continuously and a certain amount of electromotive force will be obtained, but the mouse operation is not limited to this kind of operation, but may be reciprocated within a short distance. In such a case, there is a problem that the generator cannot be driven efficiently and the power generation efficiency is low. Such a problem is not limited to a mouse, and is the same when a generator is incorporated in another input device such as a trackball or a keyboard used for giving instructions and data to a processing device such as a computer. It was

An object of the present invention is to propose an input device equipped with a generator capable of reducing the influence of variations in input operation and improving power generation efficiency.

[0006]

Therefore, the present invention is intended to achieve the above object by temporarily storing the mechanical power obtained by the input operation in the mechanical energy storage section. Specifically, the input device with a generator of the present invention,
A mechanical energy storage unit that stores and supplies mechanical power and a generator that generates electric power by mechanical power are provided, and first mechanical power is transmitted from the input operation to the mechanical energy storage unit. It is characterized by comprising a transmission mechanism and a second transmission mechanism for transmitting the mechanical energy supplied from the mechanical energy storage unit to the generator. Here, the input device is used for giving instructions and data to a processing device such as a computer. Specifically, the input device is operated by an operator such as a mouse, a keyboard or a trackball. An electronic device that can be identified and provided to a processing device.

In the present invention having this structure, the mechanical power obtained by the input operation is stored in the mechanical energy storage section via the first transmission mechanism, and then continuously stored via the second transmission mechanism. Since it is supplied to the generator, the influence of variations in input operation is reduced, and power generation efficiency can be improved. That is, since the generator is not directly driven by an input operation but is temporarily stored in a mechanical energy storage unit such as a mainspring, even if the input operation is not constant, those mechanical powers are stored, Since the generator can be driven all at once by the accumulated mechanical energy, the power generation efficiency can be remarkably improved.

In this case, the mechanical energy storage unit is constructed by including a mainspring, and the generator is an AC generator having a rotor for power generation composed of a permanent magnet and a stator wound with a coil. The first transmission mechanism converts the mechanical power by an input operation into a rotational force in one direction to wind up the mainspring, and the second transmission mechanism,
It is preferable to rotate the power generation rotor by mechanical energy obtained from the mainspring.

If the mainspring is used as the mechanical energy storage unit, the space can be saved and it can be easily incorporated in a small input device such as a mouse or a trackball. If an electromagnetic induction type generator is used, the mechanical energy stored in the mechanical energy storage unit is automatically stored until it exceeds the cogging torque of the power generation rotor. Since it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for controlling, the structure can be simplified.

The generator-equipped input device is arranged such that a ball which is rotated by an input operation and a ball which is rotated by the rotation of the ball and whose rotation axes are orthogonal to each other.
The first transmission mechanism includes a wheel with an eccentric pin attached to the rotation shaft of at least one roller, and a pawl lever having one end connected to the eccentric pin of the vehicle with the eccentric pin, A pawl wheel to which a pawl lever can be engaged may be provided. In a mouse or a trackball, the rotation direction of the ball rotated by the input operation is not constant, and the roller rotated by the rotation of the ball also rotates in both forward and reverse directions. At this time, in the present invention, since the first transmission mechanism having the pawl lever and the pawl wheel is used, the pawl wheel can be rotated in one direction regardless of whether the rotation axis of the roller rotates in the forward or reverse direction. , The mainspring can be wound up by rotating this ratchet wheel. Also,
As a mechanism that converts the rotation of the roller in both directions into a unidirectional rotation force, there is a one-winding type mechanism that transmits the rotation force only when the roller rotates in a certain direction, but in the present invention, by using a pawl lever. Since the rotational force can be unidirectional regardless of which direction the roller is rotating, mechanical energy can be efficiently accumulated. Furthermore, as a mechanism for converting the rotation of the roller in both directions into a unidirectional rotation force,
Although there are some which use a switching mechanism such as an idle vehicle or a heart cam, the present invention does not require such a switching mechanism, the structure is simple, and the number of parts can be reduced, so that it is easy to miniaturize the mouse, etc. Can be easily integrated into.

Further, the first transmission mechanism is a wheel with an eccentric pin attached to each rotary shaft of each roller,
It is preferable to include a pawl lever whose one end is connected to the eccentric pin of each eccentric pin-equipped vehicle, and a pawl wheel to which both of these pawl levers are engageable. Since it is necessary for a mouse or a trackball to detect movements in two directions of X and Y, two rollers that are rotated by the ball are also provided. In the present invention, the first transmission mechanism may be provided on one of the two rollers, but if the first transmission mechanism is provided on each of the two rollers, no matter what direction the ball rotates, Since the rotational force is detected by at least one of the rollers, the mechanical energy can be stored in the storage section very efficiently. Further, since the first transmission mechanism uses the pawl lever and the pawl wheel, the pawl lever needs to be arranged corresponding to each roller, but the pawl wheel is
Since only one of them is required and mechanical energy from each roller does not interfere with each other, the structure is very simple and the size can be easily reduced.

Further, the input device with a generator is provided with wheels that rotate by an input operation, and the first transmission mechanism is
A vehicle with an eccentric pin attached to the rotating shaft of the wheel,
The eccentric pin-equipped vehicle may be provided with a pawl lever having one end connected to the eccentric pin, and a pawl wheel with which the pawl lever is engageable. Also in the present invention, the mechanical energy can be stored in the storage unit regardless of the direction of rotation of the wheel that rotates in association with the input operation. Furthermore, because the rotating force of the independent wheels is used instead of the roller that rotates with the ball of a mouse or the like, no load is applied to the roller that is used to detect the amount of rotation of the ball, and detection of the amount of rotation is improved. Can be done with precision.

Further, the second transmission mechanism may include a speed increasing train wheel. If the mechanical energy from the mechanical energy storage unit is accelerated and transmitted through the speed increasing train wheel, for example, the generator rotor of the generator can be rotated at high speed, and the electromotive voltage can be improved to generate power. The efficiency can be further improved. However, when a mainspring or the like is used as the mechanical energy storage unit, the release of the mechanical energy is stopped until the mechanical energy is stored to some extent, and a certain amount of mechanical energy is released at once.
Even if the mainspring barrel car is directly meshed with the power generation rotor of the generator, the power generation rotor can be rotated at a sufficient speed, and power generation efficiency can be improved.

The input device with a power generator of the present invention may include a power storage device for storing the electric power generated by the power generator. For example, if the input device is operated continuously for a certain period of time, the generated power can be stored in the power storage device.Therefore, the surplus power not used at that time should be consumed even when the input operation is not performed. Therefore, the generated power can be used efficiently.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a mouse according to the first embodiment. In this figure, a mouse 1 includes a ball 2 that rotates with the movement of the mouse 1, and a movement amount detection means 10 that detects the movement amount (rotation amount) of the ball 2. Furthermore, the mouse 1 of the present invention includes a mainspring device 45, which is a mechanical energy storage unit that stores the mechanical power obtained by the movement amount detection means 10 as mechanical energy, and a generator 60 that generates electric power by the mechanical energy. The first transmission mechanism 40 is provided and transmits the mechanical power from the movement amount detecting means 10 to the mainspring device 45, and the second transmission mechanism 56 that transmits the mechanical energy from the mainspring device 45 to the generator 60. With.

The movement amount detecting means 10 is arranged in the substantial center of the mouse 1 and rotates with the input operation.
Cylindrical rollers 11 and 13 that are in contact with the roller, and the roller 1
Roller shafts 12 and 14 that rotatably support 1 and 13;
Rotary encoders 15 and 16 for detecting the rotation of the roller shafts 12 and 14 are provided. Each roller shaft 12, 14 is
The rotary encoders 15 and 16 are arranged along two axes that are orthogonal to each other, that is, the X axis and the Y axis, and detect the X component and the Y component of the rotation of the ball 2 to detect the moving direction and the moving amount of the mouse 1, respectively. It is configured for detection.

The first transmission mechanism 40 is a vehicle 4 with an eccentric pin which is axially supported by the X-axis and Y-axis roller shafts 12 and 14, respectively.
1X, 41Y and one pawl wheel (ratchet wheel) 43 having pawl levers 42X, 42Y connected to the eccentric pin-equipped wheels 41X, 41Y, and in which the pawl levers 42X and 42Y are engageable. The spur gear 44, which is provided and fixed to the rotary shaft 43A of the ratchet wheel 43, meshes with the pinion 50 of the mainspring device 45 to transmit mechanical power.

Wheels 41X and 41Y with eccentric pins are disk-shaped members pivotally supported by the roller shafts 12 and 14, and eccentric pins 47X projecting to the opposite side of the roller shafts 12 and 14 at positions eccentric from the center. Has 47Y. Claw lever 42X,
42Y is a rod-shaped member, one end of which is an eccentric pin 47X, 47Y.
Is rotatably connected to the other end, and the other end is bifurcated.
Each tip has pawls 48X and 48Y. One of the pawls 48X and 48Y is a hook that is bent in a hook shape, that is, a hook that is bent at an acute angle with respect to the levers 42X and 42Y so that the respective tips can be engaged with the pawl wheel 43. The other pawl does not have a hook-like shape, that is, it is a detent having a shape bent at an obtuse angle with respect to the levers 42X and 42Y. The ratchet wheel 43 is a gear that transmits intermittent unidirectional rotation motion and prevents reverse rotation.
The wall thickness, that is, 2 so that the pawls 48X and 48Y of the pawl levers 42X and 42Y can be engaged from two directions of the axis and the Y axis.
The claw levers 42X and 42Y are formed to have a thickness equal to the sum of the respective thicknesses. In addition, each pawl lever 42X, 4
Two pawl wheels 43 may be fixed to the rotary shaft 43A corresponding to 2Y. As shown in FIG. 2, a spur gear 44 fixed to the rotary shaft 43A is arranged below the ratchet wheel 43.

The mainspring device 45 stores mechanical energy so that the generator 60 can be continuously driven.
A pinion 50 that meshes with the spur gear 44 is provided on the upper side, and a cylindrical barrel wheel 51 is provided on the lower side. The barrel complete 51 includes a band-shaped mainspring 53 housed inside, and a slipping attachment 54 which is a sliding support plate provided on the inner peripheral surface.
Have and. An inner end of the mainspring 53 is fixed to a barrel barrel 52 that rotates together with the pinion 50, and an outer end thereof is crimped to an inner face of the barrel wheel 51 by a slipping attachment 54. A barrel wheel 55 is engraved on the outer surface of the barrel wheel 51.

The generator 60 is formed in a substantially annular shape, and is provided with a stator 62 having a coil 63 wound around an intermediate portion thereof, and a rotor 62 for power generation made of a permanent magnet is rotatably provided in a stator hole of the stator 62. It is an electromagnetic induction type AC generator. A rotor pinion 46 meshed with the barrel wheel 55 is provided on the rotating shaft of the power generation rotor 61. Therefore, the second transmission mechanism 56 is composed of a speed increasing gear train including the rotor pinion 46 and the barrel wheel 55.

Here, in order to enable the generator 60 to efficiently generate power according to the mechanical energy accumulated in the mainspring 53 set by the cogging torque of the generator rotor 61, etc. The size of the gap, the material of the permanent magnet forming the power generation rotor 61, the thickness of the coil 63 and the number of turns are appropriately set. Further, the module of each gear, the reference pitch circle size, the number of teeth, etc. are set so that the rotation speed of the roller shafts 12 and 14 and the rotation speed of the power generation rotor 61 are increased at a predetermined speed increase ratio. ing.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a generator 60
Includes a rectifier circuit 70 for rectifying the generated power, a power storage device 80 for storing the rectified power, and an information processing unit 9 for transmitting the detected input information of the mouse 1 to the personal computer body.
0 and 0 are connected. The rectifier circuit 70 includes two field effect transistors (FETs) 7 as shown in FIG.
This is a simple synchronous rectification circuit using 3, 74 and two diodes 71, 72. Field effect transistor 74
Is a Pch (P-channel) field effect transistor whose gate is connected to the AC output terminal MG2 of the coil 63, and the field effect transistor 73 is the coil 6
Pch whose gate is connected to the AC output terminal MG1 of 3
It is a (P-channel) field effect transistor.

The rectifier circuit 70 includes a brake circuit 7
9 is provided. The brake circuit 79 includes a first switch 78 connected to an AC input terminal MG1 to which an AC signal (AC current) generated by the coil 63 is input,
The second switch 77 connected to the AC input terminal MG2 to which the AC signal is input. First switch 7
8 is configured by connecting a field effect transistor (FET) 74 and a field effect transistor 76 having a gate to which a chopping signal (chopping pulse) CH is input, connected in parallel. The second switch 77 is configured by connecting a field effect transistor (FET) 73 and a field effect transistor 75 whose gate receives the chopping signal CH in parallel.

The power storage device 80 is composed of a capacitor and the like, and is connected in series with the rectifier circuit 70 so as to charge the DC signal rectified by the rectifier circuit 70.

As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing section 90 receives a control signal from each circuit and processes the control circuit 91.
A detection circuit 92 for receiving an input signal of the mouse 1 from the movement amount detecting means 10 and transmitting it to the control circuit 91; and data for receiving an input signal from the control circuit 91 and transmitting it to the computer body (personal computer body). A transmission circuit 93 and a charging control circuit 94 that controls power supply for charging a portable information device other than a computer, such as a watch, by an electromagnetic induction method, are provided in parallel, and each of these circuits 91 to 94.
Are connected in parallel to the power storage device 80 and are operated by the electric power.

The mouse 1 having such a configuration operates as follows. First, when the mouse ball 2 is rotated by an input operation of the mouse 1, this rotation causes the rollers 11 and 13 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions to rotate the roller shafts 12 and 14, respectively.
Rotate with. This rotation amount is determined by the roller shafts 12, 14
It is detected by the rotary encoders 15 and 16 provided in the and is converted into an electric signal.

At the same time, the eccentric pin-equipped wheels 41X and 41Y provided on the roller shafts 12 and 14 also rotate and the eccentric pin 47 is rotated.
The pawl levers 42X and 42Y connected to X and 47Y move forward and backward. When the pawl levers 42X, 42Y move in a direction away from the pawl wheel 43, the forked pawls 48X, 48
One of the Y-shaped hooks (hook)
48X and 48Y are engaged with the teeth carved on the ratchet wheel 43, and are moved so as to pull the teeth, whereby the ratchet wheel 43 is intermittently rotated. At this time, the other claw (press) 48
X and 48Y pass over the tooth and are engaged with the next tooth. Further, when the pawl levers 42X and 42Y move in the direction of approaching the pawl wheel 43, the other pawl (pressing) 48
The X and 48Y are moved so as to push the teeth of the ratchet wheel 43 and are intermittently rotated. Also at this time, one pawl (claw) 48
X and 48Y pass over the tooth and are engaged with the next tooth.

The intermittent rotary motion of the ratchet wheel 43 is caused by the spur gear 4
4, the spring 53 is wound up while being accelerated through the kana 50 and the barrel 52, and stored as mechanical energy. Once the mechanical energy stored in the mainspring 53 becomes larger than the cogging torque of the power generation rotor 61, the mechanical energy stored in the mainspring 53 is passed through the barrel gear 55 to the rotor pinion 4.
In addition to this, the rotor 61 for power generation is rotated by this, and an electromotive force is generated in the coil 63. Here, if the brake circuit 79 is not operated, the mechanical energy of the mainspring 53 will be for the rotor at once.
In addition to the above, the rotor 61 for power generation rotates at a high speed at a stretch, and the electromotive voltage of the coil 63 also increases.

On the other hand, when the brake circuit 79 is actuated, the rotational speed of the power-generating rotor 61 can be maintained substantially constant, so that mechanical energy from the mainspring 53 can be controlled to be gradually released. The power generation rotor 61 can be rotated at a substantially constant speed for a long time, and a stable electromotive voltage can be maintained for a long time. That is, the brake circuit 79 provided in the rectifier circuit 70 includes the transistors 73 and 74.
Field-effect transistor 7 connected in parallel to each
5 and a field effect transistor 76, which are on / off controlled by the same chopping signal CH. Therefore, when the transistors 75 and 76 are turned on at the same time by the chopping signal CH, the AC input terminals MG1 and MG2 are closed due to a short circuit or the like regardless of the states of the transistors 73 and 74 which are rectifying switches. The short brake is applied to the generator 60. The control circuit 91 detects the rotation speed of the power generation rotor 61 by the electromotive voltage of the power generator 60 and the like, and uses the brake circuit 79 to adjust the speed of the power generation rotor 61 to a substantially constant speed. As a result, the mainspring 53 is prevented from being unwound at a stretch, and the generator 60 is rotated at a substantially constant speed for a long period of time so that the generator 60 can generate a predetermined electromotive voltage for a long period of time. . Since power can be generated without rotating the power-generating rotor 61 at a substantially constant speed, the brake circuit 79 is not used for the purpose of speed control, but is controlled by chopping the generator 60. It may be used for the purpose of increasing the voltage.

The electromotive force thus generated is an AC signal obtained by alternating the magnetic poles of the power-generating rotor 61, and this signal is rectified by the rectifying circuit 70 into a DC signal. In the rectifier circuit 70, in the field-effect transistors 73 and 74, one of the AC input terminals MG1 and MG2 of the generator 60 that is connected to the terminal of the polarity “−” is turned on, and the other is turned off. It
Therefore, when the AC input terminal MG1 is "-", a current flows through the field effect transistor 73, and when the AC input terminal MG2 is "-", a current flows through the field effect transistor 74. The AC signal from 60 is converted into a DC signal and stored in the power storage device 80.

In the first and second transmission mechanisms 40 and 56, when the rotor 61 for power generation does not move due to some trouble, or when the pinion 46 for the rotor and the barrel gear 55 are inoperable, Mainspring 53
When a torque larger than a predetermined value is applied in a state in which is completely wound, the slipping attachment 54 slides on the inner surface of the barrel wheel 51, and avoids the transmission of the torque to the rotor pinion 46. As a result, the mainspring device 45 plays the role of an escape mechanism, and damage to each gear can be prevented.

The information processing unit 90 uses the electric power stored in the power storage device 80 to perform the following processing. That is, when the movement amount detection means 10 detects the input operation of the mouse 1, this detection signal is transmitted to the detection circuit 92 and output to the control circuit 91. The control circuit 91 outputs a transmission command to the data transmission circuit 93 to transmit this signal to the computer main body. As a result, the computer main body detects the amount of movement of the mouse 1, the movement direction, etc., and performs processing such as moving the cursor on the screen according to the movement.

The stored electric power is supplied to the charging control circuit 9
Also used to drive the 4. That is, the charging control circuit 94 receives power from the power storage device 80, receives commands such as charging start and charging end from the control circuit 91, and contacts a portable information device such as an external clock with a non-contact method such as an electromagnetic induction method. It is charged according to the method.

According to this embodiment as described above, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The mechanical power obtained by the input operation of the mouse 1 is temporarily stored in the mainspring device 45, which is a mechanical energy storage unit, via the first transmission mechanism 40, and the energy is stored after a certain amount of energy is stored. The second transmission mechanism 56
Since the generator 60 can be driven by being supplied to the generator 60 via the
In addition, the electromotive voltage can be increased and the power generation efficiency can be improved. That is, even if the input operation of the mouse 1 varies, the mechanical energy by each operation is stored in the mainspring device 45 and then released, so that the power generation efficiency of the power generator 60 can be improved.

(2) Since the rotational movements of the rollers 11 and 13 are transmitted to the ratchet wheel 43 via the pawl levers 42X and 42Y by the first transmission mechanism 40, the rotation of the mouse ball 2 causes the rollers 11 and 13 to rotate. Even if 13 rotates in both forward and reverse directions, it can be taken out as one direction of rotation, so the power transmission efficiency is good, and the power generation efficiency of the generator 60 can be improved accordingly. Further, since such a mechanism for taking out as one-direction rotation can be constituted by the pawl levers 42X and 42Y and the pawl wheel 43, a switching mechanism or the like can be eliminated, and the structure is simple and the size can be easily reduced. Therefore, it can be easily incorporated in the mouse 1. In addition, if the pawl levers 42X and 42Y and the pawl wheel 43 constitute the first transmission mechanism 40, the rotation of each of the rollers 11 and 13 on the X and Y axes is transmitted to the one pawl wheel 43, and the mechanical energy thereof is transmitted. Can be easily supplied to the mainspring device 45. Therefore, the rotational force of the mouse ball 2 in both the X and Y directions is generated by one generator 6.
Therefore, it is not necessary to provide two generators that can be separately operated by the rotational force of the X and Y axes, and further miniaturization can be achieved.

(3) Since the mainspring device 45 is used as the mechanical energy storage unit, it can be easily miniaturized and can be easily incorporated in a small input device such as the mouse 1. Further, since the mainspring device 45 is provided with the escape mechanism by the slipping attachment 54, the slipping attachment 54 slips on the inner surface of the barrel wheel 51 even when the rotational motion is not transmitted due to some trouble. Therefore, damage to each gear can be prevented.

(4) As the generator 60, the rotor 6 for power generation
Since the electromagnetic induction type generator provided with 1 and the coil 63 is used, the amount of mechanical energy accumulated in the mainspring device 45 can be controlled only by adjusting the cogging torque of the power generation rotor 61, and the configuration is simplified. Cost can also be reduced.

(5) When the rotation speed of the power generation rotor 61 is controlled by the brake circuit 79 provided in the rectification circuit 70, the power generation rotor 61 can be rotated at a substantially constant speed for a relatively long time. A stable electromotive voltage can be maintained for a long time.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description will be simplified or omitted. In the second embodiment, instead of the mechanical power obtained from the rollers 11 and 13 contacting the mouse ball 2 in the first embodiment, mechanical power is obtained by a wheel provided separately from the mouse ball 2. It is a thing.

As shown in FIG. 5, in addition to the mouse ball 2, the mouse 1 is provided with two cylindrical wheels 20 which are rotated by an input operation. The two wheels 20
A part of the side surface is exposed from the bottom of the mouse 1, and the axle 2
1 rotatably and coaxially supports the Y-axis direction. Further, a wheel 41 with an eccentric pin is fixed to one end of the axle 21, and the wheel 41 with an eccentric pin has first and second transmission mechanisms 40 and 56 similar to those of the first embodiment and a generator 60. And are connected.

When the mouse 1 having the above-described structure performs an input operation, the wheel 20 turns Y simultaneously with the rotation of the mouse ball 2.
It rotates by the amount of movement in the axial direction. This rotational movement is the axle 2
1, wheel 41 with eccentric pin, pawl lever 42, pawl wheel 4
3. The electromotive force is generated by being transmitted to the rotor 61 for power generation of the power generator 60 via the mainspring device 45. The generated electromotive force is rectified by the rectifier circuit 70 and stored in the power storage device 80.

In the above embodiment, the above (1)-
In addition to the same effect as (5), the following effect can be obtained. (6) Since the wheel 20 is provided in a portion different from the mouse ball 2 and mechanical power can be obtained from the wheel 20 by an input operation, the first and second transmissions to the movement amount detecting means 10 and the mouse ball 2. It is not necessary to connect the mechanisms 40 and 56 and the generator 60, and the load applied to these can be reduced.
Therefore, the detection accuracy of the movement amount of the mouse ball 2 by the movement amount detection means 10 can be easily improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes modifications and improvements as long as the object of the present invention can be achieved. For example, in the first embodiment, the movement amount detecting means 1 in the two directions of the X axis and the Y axis is used.
Although the mechanical power is obtained from 0, the mechanical power is not limited to this, and the mechanical power may be obtained from the movement amount detecting means 10 in either one of the X axis and the Y axis. Further, although the wheel 20 that is rotatable in the Y-axis direction is provided in the second embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be a wheel that is rotatable in the X-axis direction, and may be in both the X-axis and Y-axis directions. Each wheel 20 may be provided.

In the first embodiment, the mechanical power is obtained by connecting the vehicles 41X and 41Y with the eccentric pin to the movement amount detecting means 10. However, in addition to this, mechanical power can be obtained by an external input. May be added. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the mouse 1 is provided with a power generation mechanism similar to that of the first embodiment, but apart from this, the dial 30 is partially exposed from the side surface of the cover of the mouse 1. May be provided. This dial 30
Has a dial pinion 33 above, and a gear 31 is meshed with the dial pinion 33. The gear 31 has a pawl lever support shaft 34 formed at a position eccentric from the rotary shaft, and a pawl lever 32 is rotatably supported at one end thereof on the pawl lever support shaft 34. Claw lever 3
The other end of 2 is provided with a forked pawl 35 engageable with the pawl wheel 43.

In the mouse 1 having such a structure, mechanical power is generated by an input operation to generate an electromotive force, and in addition to rotating the dial 30, the rotational movement can be transmitted to the ratchet wheel 43. Electromotive force can also be obtained from power. As a result, the following effects can be obtained. (7) The dial 30 is provided in a portion other than the movement amount detecting means 10, and the generator 60 can be driven by rotating the dial 30, so that the mouse 1 is not operated and the dial is not operated when the amount of stored electricity is small. It is possible to easily store electricity by rotating 30. The power storage device 80 discharges over time even if it is stored, and the amount of stored power decreases. Therefore, if the auxiliary power generation mechanism using the dial 30 is provided, it is particularly useful when starting after being left for a long time. There is.

The first and second transmission mechanisms 40 and 56 are
The present invention is not limited to the so-called train wheel by combining gears, the pawl wheel 43, the pawl lever 42, and the like, but may be a transmission mechanism including a friction wheel, a belt and a pulley, a chain, or the like. In particular, the first transmission mechanism 40 includes the rollers 11, 1
Regardless of the rotation direction of 3, the rotation may be converted into one direction and transmitted to the mainspring device 45. For example, when the dial 30 of FIG. 6 is provided, an idler wheel is provided between the dial 30 and the mainspring device 45, and only the rotational force in one direction of the dial 30 is transmitted to the mainspring device 45. May be. A similar configuration may be provided between the roller shafts 12 and 14 and the mainspring device 45.

The input device is not limited to the mouse 1, and may be a trackball or the like. As the input device, a steering wheel type input device such as an automobile used in a game machine, a joystick or a cross-shaped movement button is used. It is sufficient that mechanical power can be applied in accordance with various input operations of the input device (controller) provided with. Further, the key input device may be provided with a power generation mechanism. In this case, for example, the reciprocating motion by key input of the keyboard,
Rotate the shaft in one direction through a ratchet, store this rotary motion in the mechanical energy storage unit, and then use the stored mechanical energy to rotate the generator rotor of the generator to generate electricity. Just configure it. When incorporated in a keyboard, mechanical energy may be supplied to one generator, that is, one mechanical energy storage unit, by inputting one specific key. Mechanical energy may be supplied by an input operation of any one of the plurality of keys.

In the above embodiment, the brake circuit 79 is provided so that the unwinding speed of the mainspring 53 can be controlled. However, the brake circuit 79 is not necessarily provided. In the case where the brake circuit 79 is not provided, when the torque accumulated in the mainspring 53 exceeds the cogging torque of the power generation rotor 61, the mainspring 53 is released.
The power generation rotor 61 can be rotated at a high speed by unwinding at once, so that the power generation efficiency can be improved.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the amount of energy stored in the mechanical energy storage unit is the rotor 6 for power generation.
Although it was controlled by the cogging torque of 1, a stopper or the like that can be engaged with the barrel gear 55 or the like is separately provided, the amount of stored energy is measured, and the stopper is released according to the value, and mechanical energy is generated by the generator. It may be configured to supply to 60.

The mainspring device 45 was provided with an escape mechanism by the slipping attachment 54, but the mainspring device 45 without it can also achieve the object of the present invention. The slipping attachment 54 is a safety mechanism for preventing the mainspring device 45 and the rotor pinion 46 from being damaged when the barrel barrel 52 rotates at a high speed, and does not function under normal use. It does not necessarily have to be provided.

The rectifier circuit 70 is not limited to the simple synchronous rectifier circuit described in each of the above embodiments, but may be a half-wave rectifier circuit, a full-wave rectifier circuit, a simple synchronous boost rectifier circuit, a transistor synchronous rectifier circuit, or the like.

The generated electric power is used for driving the information processing unit 90 and charging other devices in the above-described embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the mouse 1 may be provided with a light emitting body such as an LED. It may be used for driving the same, or may be used for driving the indicator when the indicator showing the charge amount of the power storage device 80 is provided. Further, the mouse 1 of the above-described embodiment is a cordless type, and the generated electric power is used when the data transmission circuit 93 transmits data to the personal computer main body. The present invention is not limited to wireless communication with the main body by using, and can also be used in a wired mouse 1. In this case, for example, a part of the electric power generated by the mouse 1 may be supplied to the personal computer main body side to save energy in the personal computer main body. In the above embodiment,
Although the charging control circuit 94 is provided and the charging power is used for charging the other device, the charging control circuit 94 does not necessarily have to be provided.

The generator is not limited to the electromagnetic induction type generator, but may be one using a piezoelectric element or the like. In short, any generator that can generate electricity by the mechanical energy stored in the mechanical energy storage section can be used as the generator of the present invention. The mechanical energy storage unit is not limited to the mainspring 53, but the mainspring 53 is usually most suitable in terms of space efficiency, and is particularly suitable for being incorporated in a small mouse 1 or the like.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, one generator and one mechanical energy storage unit are provided in the input device, but a plurality of these may be provided. For example, in the mouse 1, the X-direction movement amount detecting means 10 and the Y-direction movement amount detecting means 10 supply mechanical energy to different mechanical energy storage units, and each mechanical energy storage unit drives each generator. You may. Further, when the dial 30 is provided, another power generator may be provided and the power may be separately generated without connecting the auxiliary power generation mechanism by the dial 30 to the power generator 60. Further, a plurality of generators driven by one mechanical energy storage unit may be provided. In short, in the present invention, mechanical energy obtained by some operation may be temporarily stored in the mechanical energy storage unit, and the stored mechanical energy may drive the generator. Input operation unit for supplying mechanical energy (mouse 1, trackball ball 2, dial 30, keyboard key, etc.), mechanical energy storage unit, number of generators, and one-to-one combination thereof Whether to combine in a many-to-one manner or the like may be appropriately set in implementation.

That is, the generator-equipped input device has a mechanical energy storage unit for storing and supplying mechanical power, and a generator for generating mechanical power to generate electric power. A first transmission mechanism that obtains mechanical power and transmits the mechanical energy to the mechanical energy storage unit; and a second transmission mechanism that transmits mechanical energy supplied from the mechanical energy storage unit to a generator May be used. Here, one or two or more input operation units may be provided, and the number thereof is not limited. For example, in the mouse 1 in each of the above-described embodiments, one mouse ball 2 or wheel 20 is connected to the generator 60 via the transmission mechanisms 40 and 56, but both are provided and connected to one generator. Power may be generated by any input operation. Alternatively, the above-mentioned dial 30 may be further provided on this, and one of the three input operation sections may be operated to generate power from one generator.

When the generator-equipped input device is a key input device, one power generation mechanism is provided for a plurality of keys,
By providing a linear energy conversion unit for converting reciprocating motion (linear motion) into a rotary motion by a key input and a mechanical energy storage unit such as a mainspring between these units, power is generated by an input operation of any of a plurality of keys. The machine may be driven. The generator-equipped input device of the present invention is not limited to a device for inputting data or the like to a computer or the like,
It may be various electronic devices that perform an input operation to drive the built-in generator. For example, in a toy or a radio, a mechanical energy storage unit, a generator, first and second transmission mechanisms are provided, and an input operation unit such as a dial, a ball, a handle, and a button for giving mechanical power is provided. It can be applied to various electronic devices, and is particularly suitable for electronic devices used for portable applications.

[0057]

According to the present invention as described above, the mechanical power obtained from the input operation is temporarily stored in the mechanical energy storage section as mechanical energy, and the stored mechanical energy is used to generate electric power. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to reduce the influence of variations in the input operation and improve the power generation efficiency.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing a mouse according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a mainspring device and a part of a transmission mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an information processing unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a rectifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing a mouse according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing a modified example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Mouse as input device, 2 ... Mouse ball, 10
... movement amount detecting means, 20 ... wheels, 30 ... dial, 40
... First transmission mechanism, 41X, 41Y ... Vehicle with eccentric pin,
42X, 42Y ... Pawl lever, 43 ... Pawl wheel, 45 ... Mainspring device, 53 ... Mainspring, 54 ... Slipping attachment, 56 ... Second transmission mechanism, 60 ... Generator, 6
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Power generation rotor, 62 ... Stator, 63 ... Coil, 70 ... Rectifier circuit, 79 ... Brake circuit, 80 ... Power storage device, 90 ... Information processing part, 91 ... Control circuit.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) F16H 33/02 F16H 33/02 B 37/12 37/12 Z 37/14 37/14 G06F 3/02 310 G06F 3/02 310A 390 390Z H02K 7/116 H02K 7/116 (72) Inventor Kiyoto Takeda 3-5 Yamato, Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Seiko Epson Corporation F-term (reference) 3J062 AA60 AB01 AB16 AB31 AC01 AC06 AC09 BA31 CB18 CB44 CG01 CG95 5B020 DD00 KK00 5B087 AA02 AA10 BB12 5H607 AA12 BB02 BB07 BB14 CC01 CC03 CC05 DD01 DD03 DD19 EE31 EE59 FF01 FF21 JJ05

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A mechanical energy storage unit that stores and supplies mechanical power, and a generator that generates electric power by mechanical power, and obtains mechanical power from an input operation to the mechanical energy storage unit. An input device with a generator, comprising: a first transmission mechanism that transmits power; and a second transmission mechanism that transmits the mechanical energy supplied from the mechanical energy storage unit to a generator. 2. The input device with a generator according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical energy storage unit includes a mainspring, and the generator includes a rotor for power generation including a permanent magnet and a coil wound around the rotor. And an AC generator having a stator, the first transmission mechanism converts mechanical power by an input operation into a unidirectional rotational force to wind up the mainspring, and the second transmission mechanism is a mainspring. An input device with a generator, characterized in that the rotor for power generation is rotated by mechanical energy obtained from. 3. The generator-equipped input device according to claim 2, wherein the generator-equipped input device rotates with an input operation, the balls rotate as the balls rotate, and the axes of rotation are orthogonal to each other. The first transmission mechanism has a vehicle with an eccentric pin attached to the rotation shaft of at least one of the rollers, and one end of which is connected to the eccentric pin of the vehicle with the eccentric pin. An input device with a generator, comprising a ratchet lever and a ratchet wheel with which the ratchet lever is engageable. 4. The generator-equipped input device according to claim 3, wherein the first transmission mechanism is an eccentric pin-equipped vehicle that is attached to a rotation shaft of each roller, and an eccentric pin of each eccentric-pin-equipped vehicle. An input device with a generator, comprising: a pawl lever having one end connected to and a pawl wheel in which both pawl levers are engageable. 5. The input device with a generator according to claim 2, wherein the input device with a generator includes wheels that rotate by an input operation, and the first transmission mechanism is attached to a rotation shaft of the wheels. An eccentric pin-equipped vehicle, a pawl lever whose one end is connected to the eccentric pin of the eccentric pin-equipped vehicle, and a pawl wheel with which the pawl lever is engageable. apparatus. 6. The generator-equipped input device according to claim 1, wherein the second transmission mechanism includes a speed increasing train wheel. Input device with machine. 7. The input device with a generator according to claim 1, further comprising a power storage device that stores the electric power generated by the generator.