JP2004133953A - Portable information device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the dimensions of a pointing device and to improve the operability of its operating part in a portable information device with a magnetoelectric transducer type pointing device mounted thereon. <P>SOLUTION: This portable information device is provided with the pointing device 260 comprising a base part, an operating part supported on the base part in a displaceable way with respect to the base part, a magnet installed in the operating part and the magnetoelectric transducer installed on the base part near the magnet inside a housing 350. An operating part 194 of the pointing device is provided with a holding part 200 which fixedly holds the magnet 196 and is supported movably on the base part, and an elastic part 202 which is connected to the holding part 200 and demonstrates elastic force for returning the holding part 200 to the original position within a moving range in accordance with the movement of the holding part 200 on the base part. The housing 350 has an opening 352 for making the holding part 200 insert through in a movable way and a recessed part 352 provided toward the base part at a part surrounding the opening 252 in a recessed manner. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a portable information device equipped with a pointing device.

In a digital data processing device having a display and a keyboard, such as a personal computer or a word processor, an auxiliary input for instructing coordinate data such as cursor movement data on the display by manually inputting analog information by an operator. Devices having a pointing device as an apparatus are well known. In particular, a portable small data processing device generally has a configuration in which a pointing device is integrated into a housing of the processing device.

This type of pointing device includes a base, an operation unit movably supported on the base, a magnetoelectric conversion element installed on the base, and a magnet installed on the operation unit in proximity to the magnetoelectric conversion element. Is known. In this pointing device, the operator moves the operation unit on the base in an arbitrary curved surface direction, thereby changing the relative positional relationship between the magnet and the magneto-electric conversion element to change the output voltage of the magneto-electric conversion element. Thus, analog information corresponding to the moving direction and the moving distance of the operation unit can be input.

In addition to the above configuration, a pointing device is also known in which a switch mechanism is provided between the base and the operation unit, and an operator pushes the operation unit toward the base to activate the switch mechanism ( See, for example, Patent Document 1. In this pointing device, in addition to inputting analog information, by performing a pressing operation on the operation unit, for example, a clicking operation can be performed in relation to a pointer on a display of the mounting target device.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-117875

In general, a magneto-electric conversion element type pointing device requires a small amount of movement of an operation unit required for inputting coordinate data and has relatively low power consumption, so that it can be used in electronic notebooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, and the like. It is thought that it can be mounted particularly advantageously on various handheld portable information devices. However, in the above-described conventional pointing device of the magneto-electric conversion element type, the configuration in which the operation unit is moved in the curved surface direction on the base is adopted. It is necessary to form a curved surface having an area, and as a result, it has been difficult to reduce the external dimensions of the pointing device to such an extent that the pointing device can be mounted on a portable information device.

For example, in a foldable portable information device in which a display unit and a keyboard unit are hingedly connected to each other, it is necessary to eliminate as much as possible the protrusions of switches installed on the keyboard unit from the surface of the keyboard unit. It is desirable from the viewpoint of reducing the thickness and further improving the portability. Therefore, when a magneto-electric conversion element type pointing device is mounted on the keyboard of such a portable information device, it is required to reduce the size of the pointing device, especially in the height direction, as much as possible.

Also, when a pointing device is mounted on a portable information device, the electrical and mechanical connection between the pointing device and the main circuit board (mounting board) of the information device must be ensured in a narrow internal space of the device housing. And it is required to realize it stably. Furthermore, when a magnetic information conversion element type pointing device is mounted on a portable information device, there is a concern that handling of various components of the miniaturized pointing device becomes complicated and that the assembling workability of the entire information device is deteriorated. You.

Furthermore, in a magneto-electric conversion element type pointing device having a click function, a relative movement necessarily occurs between the magnet and the magneto-electric conversion element with the pressing operation of the operation unit. At this time, depending on the relative movement direction between the two, there is a concern that a signal of analog data such as cursor movement data may be output from the pointing device due to a change in the output voltage of the magnetoelectric conversion element immediately before the click operation. Therefore, in order to perform an appropriate click operation, it is necessary to accurately push the operation unit vertically with respect to the base, and additional guide structures for that purpose must be provided, or otherwise the skill of the operator is required. Will be.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable information device equipped with a magneto-electric conversion element type pointing device, which can reduce the external dimensions of the pointing device and improve the operability of its operation unit. Is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 includes a base, an operation unit supported on the base so as to be displaceable with respect to the base, a magnet installed on the operation unit, and a magnet near the magnet. In a portable information device equipped with a pointing device having a magneto-electric conversion element installed on a base and built in a housing structure, an operation unit of the pointing device can move onto the base while holding a magnet fixedly. A housing connected to the holding unit and having an elastic portion that exerts an elastic force for returning the holding unit to the origin position of the movement range as the holding unit moves on the base. The portable information device is characterized in that the structure has an opening through which the holding section of the operation section is movably inserted, and a recess that is recessed toward the base at a portion surrounding the opening.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the portable information device according to the first aspect, wherein the holding portion of the operation portion of the pointing device and the elastic portion are formed of separate members and are combined with each other. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the portable information device according to the first or second aspect, a key panel having a plurality of key tops is provided, and the elastic portion of the operation unit of the pointing device is integrated with the key panel. Provide portable information devices.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the portable information device which concerns on this invention, the external dimension of a pointing device can be reduced to the level which can be mounted in a portable information device, without impairing the operability of the operation part of a pointing device, and also the housing The recess provided in the structure further improves the operability of the operation unit with a finger.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical or similar components are denoted by common reference numerals.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device 10 according to the related art of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device 10, and FIG. 3 is an assembled sectional view of the pointing device 10. The pointing device 10 is an auxiliary input device for instructing two-dimensional coordinate data on a display in a data processing device such as a personal computer or a personal word processor, or a portable information device such as an electronic organizer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a mobile phone. It can be used in a configuration integrated into a device housing.

The pointing device 10 includes a base 12, an operation unit 14 supported on the base 12 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 12, and a disk-shaped magnet (for example, a permanent magnet) installed on the operation unit 14. ) 16 and a plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements (for example, Hall elements) 18 installed on the base 12 near the magnet 16. The operation unit 14 holds the magnet 16 fixedly and is supported on the base 12 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. The operation unit 14 is connected to the holding unit 20 and moves the holding unit 20 horizontally on the base 12. Accordingly, there is provided an elastic portion 22 which exerts an elastic force for returning the holding portion 20 to the origin position in the horizontal movement range.

The base 12 includes a circuit board 24 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, and a support member 26 fixedly connected to the circuit board 24. The support member 26 has a support portion 28 at a position separated from the surface 24a of the circuit board 24 to support the holding portion 20 of the operation portion 14 slidably in any horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the “horizontal direction” means a direction substantially parallel to the substantially flat surface 24 a of the circuit board 24. Accordingly, the support portion 28 of the support member 26 has a flat and circular support surface 28a that extends substantially parallel to the surface 24a of the circuit board 24 on the side remote from the circuit board 24. The support surface 28a protrudes from the surface 24a of the circuit board 24 and supports the holding unit 20 so as to be slidable in any horizontal direction.

円 筒 The support member 26 is further provided with a cylindrical wall 30 that defines the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 of the operation unit 14 so as to surround the support surface 28a. The cylindrical wall 30 protrudes from the surface 24a of the circuit board 24 to a position higher than the support surface 28a. As described later, the elastic portion 22 partially surrounds the cylindrical wall 210 and forms a support member 26 on the support member 26. It is attached. The central axis of the cylindrical wall 30 passing through the center of the support surface 28a constitutes the central axis P of the pointing device 10 and defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 on the support surface 28a. On the outer edge of the support member 26, a plurality (four in the figure) of elastic claws 32 projecting to the opposite side of the cylindrical wall 30 are formed. The support member 26 is fixedly attached to a predetermined position on the circuit board 24 by snapping the elastic claws 32 into a plurality of holes 34 provided at corresponding positions of the circuit board 24.

On the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24, a total of four magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 are arranged around the central axis P inside a space formed between the circuit board 24 and the support portion 28 of the support member 26. Implemented in an interval distributed arrangement. The pointing device 10 can output an analog data signal in a two-dimensional coordinate system by such an arrangement of the magnetoelectric conversion elements 18.

The base 12 further includes a cover member 36 which substantially shields an outer edge region of the support member 26 and is fixedly connected to the circuit board 24. The cover member 36 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 38 and an annular end wall 40 extending radially inward from one end in the axial direction of the outer peripheral wall 38, and an inner edge of the end wall 40 has an operation portion described later. A central opening 42 is defined through which the 14 main operating parts are movably inserted. A plurality (four in the figure) of elastic claws 44 protruding on the opposite side of the end wall 40 are integrally connected to the other end in the axial direction of the outer peripheral wall 38 of the cover member 36. The cover member 36 is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position on the circuit board 24 by snapping the elastic claws 44 on a pair of opposed outer edges of the rectangular flat circuit board 24. The cover member 36 holds the operation unit 14 so as not to fall off from the base 12 with the main operation part of the operation unit 14 protruding outward through the center opening 42.

In the illustrated embodiment, the holding section 20 and the elastic section 22 of the operation section 14 are separately manufactured as separate members and fixedly combined with each other. The holding portion 20 is formed of a stepped cylindrical member having a rigidity that does not substantially deform during the horizontal movement operation of the operation portion 14 on the base portion 12, and a large-diameter portion at one axial end thereof has a magnet. A recess 46 for accommodating 16 is formed. The magnet 16 can be fixed to the recess 46 of the holding section 20 by using, for example, an adhesive or press-fitting. The holding portion 20 is mounted on the support surface 28 a with the distal end (the lower end in the figure) of the cylindrical outer peripheral wall 48 defining the recess 46 uniformly contacting the support surface 28 a of the support member 26 of the base 12. Can be translated while sliding in all directions of 360 °. Such a configuration is advantageous in that the friction between the contact surface between the holding unit 20 and the support surface 28a is reduced, and the horizontal movement operability of the operation unit 14 is improved.

The elastic portion 22 is formed of a bowl-shaped member that elastically deforms relatively easily during the horizontal movement operation of the operation portion 14 on the base portion 12, and includes a main portion 50 extended around the holding portion 20 through a gap. And a first connecting portion 52 connected to the holding portion 20 at one end of the main portion 50 and a second connecting portion 54 connected to the base 12 at the other end of the main portion 50. The main portion 50 of the elastic portion 22 surrounds the holding portion 20 over substantially the entire circumference, and has a truncated conical or dome-shaped contour shape which is arranged coaxially with the holding portion 20 in a no-load state. Therefore, the elastic portion 22 has its main portion 50 elastically deformed in accordance with the horizontal movement of the holding portion 20 on the base portion 12 and has an elastic force corresponding to the amount of deformation regardless of the horizontal moving direction of the holding portion 20. Exercise.

The first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 is integrally protruded from the small-diameter end of the main portion 50 having a truncated conical shape and protrudes in the axial direction in a dish shape. The small diameter portion 56 at the other end in the direction is fixedly fitted. The first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 can be fixed to the small-diameter portion 56 of the holding portion 20 by, for example, an adhesive. The first connecting portion 52 extends so as to closely cover the small-diameter portion 56 of the holding portion 20, and an outer surface thereof is formed with an operation surface 58 for contacting, for example, a fingertip of a hand when the operator moves the operation portion 14. .

The second connecting portion 54 of the elastic portion 22 protrudes radially and axially from the large-diameter end of the main portion 50 having a truncated conical shape in a flange shape in a radial and axial direction and is integrally extended. Between the outer region of the cylindrical wall 30 of the support member 26 and the outer peripheral wall 38 and the end wall 40 of the cover member 36. The first and second connecting portions 52, 54 fixedly connect the elastic portion 22 to the holding portion 20 and the base 12, respectively, without substantially deforming while the holding portion 20 moves horizontally on the base 12. .

The elastic portion 22 can be formed from various elastic materials such as synthetic rubber and natural rubber. In particular, considering that the reflow process is performed when the pointing device 10 is mounted on the main circuit board of the device to be mounted, it is advantageous to form the material from a material such as silicon rubber, whose properties are hardly deteriorated even at high temperatures. is there.

In a state where the above-mentioned various components are appropriately combined, the operation unit 14 inserts the main portion 50 and the first connection portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 into the center opening 42 of the cover member 36 of the base 12 so as to be horizontally movable. At the same time, the small diameter portion 56 of the holding portion 20 and the first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 that covers the small portion 56 are arranged at positions protruding outward from the end wall 40 of the cover member 36 of the base 12. In this state, the operator can horizontally move the holding unit 20 on the base 12 by operating the operation surface 58 formed on the first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 with, for example, a finger.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the elastic portion 22 of the operation portion 14 is in an equilibrium state, the center axis Q of the magnet 16 held in the holding portion 20 and the recess 46 thereof coincides with the center axis P of the pointing device 10. I do. In this state, the holding unit 20 is positioned at the origin position of the horizontal movement range on the support member 26 of the base 12, and the four magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 on the circuit board 24 are arranged at positions equidistant from the magnet 16. . From this state, as shown in FIG. 4, when the operator touches the operation surface 58 with a fingertip and translates the holding unit 20 in an arbitrary horizontal direction, the main portion 50 of the elastic unit 22 moves the holding unit 20. Depending on the direction and the moving distance, different forms of elastic deformation occur over the entire circumference. Thereby, the elastic portion 22 exerts an elastic force as a resultant force on the entire main portion 50 and urges the holding portion 20 in a direction opposite to the moving direction. Therefore, the operator performs the horizontal movement operation of the operation unit 14 against the spring urging force generated by the main portion 50 of the elastic portion 22.

When the operation unit 14 is horizontally moved from the origin position in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 4, the relative positional relationship between the magnet 16 and each magneto-electric conversion element 18 changes, and the output voltage of each magneto-electric conversion element 18 fluctuates. . Fluctuations in the output voltage of each magneto-electric conversion element 18 are processed as analog information by a CPU (not shown) on the circuit board 24, converted into digital coordinate data, and transmitted via a connector (not shown) provided on the circuit board 24. Is output to a data processing circuit of a device to be mounted (not shown). In this way, for example, the cursor or pointer on the display of the device to be mounted can be moved in a desired direction by a desired distance in accordance with the moving direction and the moving distance of the holding unit 20 of the operation unit 14.

When the operator releases the finger from the operation unit 14 to release the operation force from the data input position in FIG. 4, the holding unit 20 is immediately integrated with the magnet 16 due to the spring urging force generated by the main portion 50 of the elastic unit 22. Then, when the main portion 50 of the elastic portion 22 reaches an equilibrium state, it returns to the original position. While the holding unit 20 returns to the origin position, a sudden change in the output voltage of each magneto-electric conversion element 18 caused by the rapid movement of the magnet 16 is canceled by, for example, a processing flow in the CPU, and the digital coordinate data is canceled. Can be configured so as not to be converted.

According to the pointing device 10 having the above configuration, since the holding section 20 of the operation section 14 is moved on the flat support surface 28a provided on the support member 26 of the base 12, a curved support surface is employed. The outer dimensions of the base 12 can be reduced as compared with the conventional configuration described above. Further, since the elastic portion 22 for returning the holding portion 20 to the origin position in the horizontal movement range is provided on the operation portion 14, the holding portion 20 can be quickly and accurately returned to the origin position, and the operability of the operation portion 14 is improved. Can be improved. In addition, the elastic portion 22 is a main portion 50 that surrounds the holding portion 20 over substantially the entire circumference, and is configured to exert a uniform elastic force regardless of the moving direction of the holding portion 20. As compared with the conventional configuration in which a return spring is interposed between the two, the external dimensions in the height direction can be reduced without impairing the operability. The first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 that covers the small-diameter portion 56 of the holding portion 20 forms the operation surface 58 at a position protruding outward from the cover member 36 of the base 12, so that the operator can There is also an advantage that the position of the operation unit 14 can be easily confirmed by touch. As described above, the pointing device 10 can be mounted on various portable information devices that can be operated by hand, such as an electronic organizer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a mobile phone, without impairing the operability of the operation unit 14. External dimensions can be reduced to the extent possible.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a pointing device 60 according to the related art of the present invention in an exploded perspective view and an assembled sectional view, respectively. The pointing device 60 has substantially the same configuration as the pointing device 10 according to the related art described above except for the configuration of the support member connected to the base circuit board, and the corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The description is omitted.

The pointing device 60 includes a base 62, an operation unit 14 supported on the base 62 movably in a horizontal direction with respect to the base 62, a magnet 16 installed on the operation unit 14, and a vicinity of the magnet 16. A plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements installed on the base. The base 62 includes a circuit board 24 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 64 fixedly connected to the circuit board 24, and a support member 64 substantially shielded and fixed to the circuit board 24. And a cover member 36 that is electrically connected.

The support member 64 includes a hollow cylindrical wall 66 defining a circular center opening. Further, the supporting member 64 has a plurality of (four in the figure) elastic claws 68 projecting from the opposite side of the cylindrical wall 66 along the outer edge thereof, and the elastic claws 68 allow the supporting member 64 to be positioned at a predetermined position on the circuit board 24. Fixedly assembled. On the surface 24a of the circuit board 24, a flat support surface 70 that slidably supports the holding unit 20 of the operation unit 14 in an arbitrary horizontal direction in a circular area surrounded by the cylindrical wall 66 of the support member 64. It is formed.

The cylindrical wall 66 of the support member 64 defines a horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 of the operation unit 14 within the support surface 70 formed on the surface 24a of the circuit board 24. The center axis of the cylindrical wall 66 passing through the center of the support surface 70 constitutes the center axis P of the pointing device 60 and defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 on the support surface 70. The holding portion 20 slides in a 360 ° omnidirectional direction on the support surface 70 in a state where the distal end (lower end in the figure) of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the large diameter portion is uniformly contacted with the support surface 70 on the circuit board 24. You can translate while moving. Then, the four magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 are mounted on the back surface 24b of the circuit board 24 located on the opposite side of the support surface 70 in an equidistant arrangement around the central axis P.

The pointing device 60 can input analog data by horizontally moving the operation section 14 on the base 62 in the same manner as the pointing device 10 described above. At this time, the holding section 20 can be quickly and accurately returned to the origin position in the horizontal movement range by the action of the elastic section 22 provided on the operation section 14. In particular, in the pointing device 60, the holding unit 20 of the operation unit 14 is directly mounted on the front surface 24a of the circuit board 24 of the base 62, and the magnetoelectric conversion element 18 is mounted on the back surface 24b of the circuit board 24. Compared with the pointing device 10, the dimension in the height direction can be reduced more effectively.

In the above-described configuration, the support member 64 defines the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 as described above and cooperates with the cover member 36 to fixedly hold the second connection portion 54 of the elastic portion 22. Act on. Accordingly, the size of the center opening 42 of the cover member 36 is adjusted so that the horizontal movement range of the holder 20 can be defined by the center opening 42, and the connection between the second connecting portion 54 of the elastic portion 22 and the cover member 36 By increasing the strength by, for example, integral molding or the like, the support member 64 can be omitted.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a pointing device 80 according to the related art of the present invention in an exploded perspective view and an assembled sectional view, respectively. The pointing device 80 has substantially the same configuration as the pointing device 10 according to the related art described above, except for the configuration of the support member connected to the base circuit board and the configuration incorporating a switch mechanism for adding a click function. Therefore, corresponding components are denoted by common reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

The pointing device 80 includes a base 82, an operation unit 14 supported on the base 82 movably in any horizontal direction with respect to the base 82, a magnet 16 installed on the operation unit 14, and a vicinity of the magnet 16. The device includes a plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 18 installed on the base 82 and a switch mechanism 84 disposed between the base 82 and the operation unit 14. The base 82 includes a circuit board 24 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 86 fixedly connected to the circuit board 24, and a circuit board that substantially shields an outer edge region of the support member 86. And a cover member 36 fixedly connected to the cover 24. The support member 86 has a plurality (four in the figure) of elastic portions constituting a support portion which supports the holding portion 20 of the operation portion 14 so as to be slidable in an arbitrary horizontal direction at a position separated from the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24. It has a beam portion 88. On the elastic beam portions 88 of the support member 86, flat support surfaces 88a which extend substantially parallel to the surface 24a of the circuit board 24 in a no-load state are formed on the side remote from the circuit board 24, respectively.

The plurality of elastic beam portions 88 of the support member 86 are radially arranged around the center axis P of the pointing device 80, and can be elastically displaced independently of each other with their radially outer ends as fulcrums. At the base end of each elastic beam portion 88, that is, at the outer end in the radial direction, arc-shaped walls 90 defining the horizontal movement range of the holding portion 20 of the operation portion 14 are provided so as to surround each support surface 88a. You. The arc walls 90 are arranged on the same circumference around the center axis P, and the center axis P defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 on the plurality of support surfaces 88a. The holding portion 20 is configured such that the distal end (lower end in the figure) of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the large diameter portion is uniformly contacted with the support surfaces 88a of the plurality of elastic beam portions 88, and 360 ° on the support surfaces 88a. You can translate while sliding in the direction.

In a desired one of the plurality of elastic beam portions 88, a pressing point 92 locally protruding on the opposite side of the support surface 88a is formed at the free end of the radially inner end thereof. You. The pressing point 92 is arranged in alignment with the center axis P of the pointing device 80. The support member 86 is fixedly attached to a predetermined position on the circuit board 24 by a plurality of (four in the figure) elastic claws 94 provided on the outer edge thereof.

On the surface 24a of the circuit board 24, a switch mechanism 84 for adding a click function is mounted inside a space formed between the circuit board 24 and the plurality of elastic beam portions 88 of the support member 86. . The switch mechanism 84 has a well-known opening / closing structure having a movable contact and a fixed contact, and both contacts are arranged at a position substantially aligned with the center axis P of the pointing device 80. That is, the movable contact of the switch mechanism 84 is positioned immediately below the pressing point 92 provided on one elastic beam portion 88 of the support member 86. The four magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 are mounted on the back surface 24b of the circuit board 24 located on the opposite side of the switch mechanism 84 in an equidistant arrangement around the center axis P.

The structure of the switch mechanism 84 is arbitrary, and various switches such as a mechanical switch having a movable contact carried by a spring and a membrane switch having a pair of flexible circuit boards can be employed. In addition, depending on the external dimensions of the switch mechanism 84, the plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 can be installed in a space between the circuit board 24 and the plurality of elastic beam portions 88.

The pointing device 80 can input analog data by operating the operation unit 14 horizontally on the base 82 in the same manner as the pointing device 10 described above. At this time, the holding section 20 can be quickly and accurately returned to the origin position in the horizontal movement range by the action of the elastic section 22 provided on the operation section 14. Further, in the pointing device 80, at the origin position shown in FIG. 8, the operator presses the operation surface 58 of the operation unit 14 with, for example, a fingertip, and presses the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the holding unit 20 against the plurality of elastic beam portions 88. Thereby, the switch mechanism 84 located below the elastic beam portions 88 can be closed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, when the operating section 14 is pressed, each elastic beam portion 88 is elastically bent with the radially outer end as a fulcrum, and a pressing point 92 provided on one elastic beam portion 88 is provided. Presses the switch mechanism 84 immediately below it to operate.

When the switch mechanism 84 is closed, the CPU on the circuit board 24 processes it as a click signal and outputs it to the data processing circuit of the device to be mounted. In this manner, by pressing the operation unit 14 at the origin position, for example, a click operation can be performed in relation to the pointer on the display of the device to be mounted. When the operator releases the pressing force from the pressed position in FIG. 9, the plurality of elastic beams 88 are elastically restored, the switch mechanism 84 is opened, and the operation unit 14 returns to the origin position in FIG. I do. In order to prevent the operator from inadvertently operating the switch mechanism 84 by the operation force applied to the operation unit 14 during the horizontal movement operation of the operation unit 14, the material of the support member 86 and the elastic beam portion are used. It is desirable that the dimensions of the elastic beams 88 be appropriately selected to adjust the elastic force of the elastic beam portions 88.

ポ The pointing device having the above-described switch mechanism can be realized by other configurations. 10 and 11 show the pointing device 100 according to the related art of the present invention in an exploded perspective view and an assembled sectional view, respectively. The pointing device 100 has substantially the same configuration as the pointing device 80 according to the related art described above except for the configuration of a support member connected to a base circuit board and operating a switch mechanism, and thus common to corresponding components. And the description thereof is omitted.

The pointing device 100 includes a base 102, an operation unit 14 supported on the base 102 movably in any horizontal direction with respect to the base 102, a magnet 16 installed on the operation unit 14, and a vicinity of the magnet 16. The device includes a plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 18 installed on the base 102, and a switch mechanism 84 disposed between the base 102 and the operation unit 14. The base 102 includes a circuit board 24 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a first support member 104 fixedly connected to the circuit board 24, and an elastic member 106 on the first support member 104. A second support member is supported so as to be elastically displaceable, and the cover member is fixedly connected to the circuit board by substantially shielding the first support member.

１ The first support member 104 includes a plurality of arc walls 110 concentrically arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the arc walls 110 define a circular center opening. Further, the first support member 104 has a plurality of (four in the figure) elastic claws 112 projecting to the opposite side of each arc wall 110 along the outer edge thereof. It is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position. As an example, the elastic member 106 composed of a compression coil spring is disposed so as to concentrically surround the plurality of arc walls 110 of the first support member 104.

The second support member 108 includes a disk-shaped support portion 114 and a plurality of (four in the figure) flanges arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction along the outer edge of the support portion 114 and extending outward in the radial direction. A portion 116. The support portion 114 of the second support member 108 has a size and shape that can be axially slidably received in the center opening defined by the plurality of arc walls 110 of the first support member 104 without play. Further, the plurality of flange portions 116 have a size and a shape that can be freely slidably received in the axial direction between the arcuate walls 110 adjacent in the circumferential direction of the first support member 104 without rattling.

フ ラ ン ジ With the second support member 108 properly assembled to the first support member 104, the plurality of flange portions 116 are mounted on the upper end of the elastic member 106 disposed around the plurality of arc walls 110. In this state, the support portion 114 of the second support member 108 is disposed at a position separated from the surface 24a of the circuit board 24. The support portion 114 has a flat and circular support surface 114a on the side remote from the circuit board 24, the elastic member 106 extending substantially parallel to the surface 24a of the circuit board 24 with no load.

The plurality of flange portions 116 of the second support member 108 each have an arc surface surrounding the support surface 114a, and cooperate with the plurality of arc walls 110 of the first support member 104 to form a holding portion of the operation portion 14. 20 horizontal movement ranges are defined. The center axes of the arc walls 110 passing through the center of the support surface 114a constitute the center axis P of the pointing device 100 and define the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 on the support surface 114a. The support portion 114 of the second support member 108 has a press point 118 that locally protrudes on the center axis P on the opposite side of the support surface 114a. The holding portion 20 is provided with a front end (lower end in the figure) of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the large-diameter portion uniformly abutting on the support surface 114a of the second support member 108, and 360 ° omnidirectional on the support surface 114a. Can be translated while sliding.

The pointing device 100 can input analog data by horizontally moving the operation unit 14 on the base 102 in the same manner as the pointing device 10 described above. At this time, the holding section 20 can be quickly and accurately returned to the origin position in the horizontal movement range by the action of the elastic section 22 provided on the operation section 14. Further, in the pointing device 100, at the origin position shown in FIG. 11, the operator presses down the operation surface 58 of the operation unit 14 with, for example, a fingertip, and lowers the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the holding unit 20 to the support portion 114 of the second support member 108. , The switch mechanism 84 located below the support portion 114 can be closed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, when the operation unit 14 is pressed, the elastic member 106 is elastically compressed through the plurality of flange portions 116 of the second support member 108 and provided on the support portion 114. The pressing point 118 presses and activates the switch mechanism 84 immediately below.

Then, when the operator releases the pressing force from the pressed position in FIG. 12, the elastic member 106 is elastically restored, the switch mechanism 84 is opened, and the operation unit 14 returns to the origin position in FIG. In order to prevent the operator from inadvertently operating the switch mechanism 84 by the operation force applied to the operation unit 14 during the horizontal movement operation of the operation unit 14, the spring constant of the elastic member 106 is appropriately adjusted. It is desirable to do.

修正 Various modifications and variations can be made to the pointing devices 10, 60, 80, 100 described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the operation unit 14 is different from the above-described configuration in which the holding unit 20 and the elastic unit 22 individually manufactured as different members from different materials are fixedly combined with each other. Alternatively, a configuration in which 22 is integrally formed from a dissimilar material may be employed. In a modification of the pointing device 10 shown in FIG. 13, an elastic portion 22 made of a rubber material is integrally molded with the holding portion 20 and the cover member 36 which are individually molded in advance from the same or different resin materials by an insert molding process. ing. According to such a configuration, the connection strength between the first connection portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 and the small-diameter portion 56 of the holding portion 20 can be improved, and the elastic portion 22 is covered with the second connection portion 54 by the cover member. There is an advantage that the assembling work is facilitated because it can be integrated with 36.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, the holding portion 20 projects at the small diameter portion 56 through the first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 to the outside, and the projection 120 has a key top formed as a separate member. 122 may be provided. On the outer surface of the key top 122, an operation surface 124 is formed, for example, which contacts a fingertip of a hand when the operator moves the operation unit 14. In this configuration, by forming the holding portion 20 and the elastic portion 22 integrally as described above, a sufficient connection strength between the small diameter portion 56 of the holding portion 20 and the first connection portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 is ensured. can do. Further, the key top 122 can be firmly and fixedly connected to the holding portion 20 only by press-fitting the protruding portion 120 of the holding portion 20 into the concave portion 126 provided on the back side of the key top 122. According to this configuration, the design of the pointing device can be improved by printing various codes and patterns on the outer surface of the key top 122 or coloring the key top 122.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 15, the operating section 14 can be manufactured by integrally molding the holding section 20 and the elastic section 22 from the same rubber material. According to this configuration, the number of components of the operation unit 14 is reduced, and assembling workability is improved. In addition, since it is not necessary to consider the strength of assembling the elastic portion 22 with the holding portion 20 at the first connection portion 52, the size of the operation portion 14 can be further reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 16 to 20, an auxiliary elastic portion for assisting the function of returning the origin position by the elastic portion may be arranged between the base and the operation portion. For example, in a modification of the pointing device 10 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a leaf spring 128 functioning as an auxiliary elastic part is provided between the support member 26 of the base 12 and the holding part 20 of the operation part 14. . The leaf springs 128 are arranged at equal intervals along the inner peripheral edge of the annular base portion 130 and a plurality of blade springs 128 that are convexly curved toward the central axis P and extend radially inward. (Four in the figure). The base portion 130 of the leaf spring 128 has a size and shape that is mounted on the support surface 28a in uniform contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical wall 30 of the support member 26.

With the components of the pointing device 10 properly combined, the plurality of arm portions 132 of the leaf spring 128 abut at their free ends against the outer peripheral wall 48 of the large diameter portion of the holding portion 20. Then, when both the elastic portion 22 and the leaf spring 128 are in an equilibrium state, the operation portion 14 is positioned at the origin position on the base portion 12 (FIG. 17). When the operation portion 14 is horizontally moved from the origin position in FIG. 17, the main portion 50 of the elastic portion 22 and any arm portion 132 of the leaf spring 128 are elastically deformed in accordance with the moving direction and the moving distance of the holding portion 20. Thereby, the holding portion 20 is urged in the direction opposite to the moving direction (FIG. 18).

When the operator releases his / her finger from the operation unit 14 to release the operation force from the data input position in FIG. 18, the main portion 50 of the elastic portion 22 and the arm portion 132 of the leaf spring 128 are immediately held by the spring urging force. The part 20 moves integrally with the magnet 16 toward the origin position, and returns to the origin position when both the elastic part 22 and the leaf spring 128 reach an equilibrium state. As described above, by using the leaf spring 128 as the auxiliary elastic portion, the holding portion 20 can be more quickly and accurately returned to the origin position in the horizontal movement range. Further, a decrease in operability due to aging of the rubber elastic portion 22 can be suppressed by the action of the leaf spring 128.

コ イ ル Instead of the above-mentioned leaf spring 128, a coil spring 134 wound in a flat shape can be used as an auxiliary elastic portion as shown in FIGS. In this case, the coil spring 134 is fitted at its outer end 136 to the inner surface of the cylindrical wall 30 of the support member 26, and is fitted at its inner end 138 to the outer peripheral wall 48 of the large diameter portion of the holding portion 20. You. In addition, it is preferable to form a bead 140 that locks the inner end 138 of the coil spring 134 at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the holding portion 20. Then, when both the elastic portion 22 and the coil spring 134 are in an equilibrium state, the operation portion 14 is positioned at the origin position on the base portion 12 (FIG. 20). When the operation unit 14 is horizontally moved from the origin position in FIG. 20, the main part 50 of the elastic unit 22 and the coil spring 134 are elastically deformed in accordance with the moving direction and the moving distance of the holding unit 20. In the direction opposite to the direction of its movement.

As described above, the pointing device of the magneto-electric conversion element type according to the present invention can be configured such that the external dimensions of the pointing device can be maintained without impairing the operability of the operation unit, such as an electronic notebook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, or the like. It can be reduced to a level that can be mounted on operable portable information devices. By the way, when a pointing device is mounted on such a portable information device, the electrical and mechanical connection between the pointing device and the main circuit board (mounting board) of the mounting target device in a narrow internal space of the device housing. It is required to realize the connection reliably and stably.

FIGS. 21 and 22 show a pointing device 150 according to the related art of the present invention having such a high-performance electrical connection structure and mechanical connection structure. The pointing device 150 has substantially the same configuration as that of the pointing device 80 according to the related art described above, except for the configuration of the electrical and mechanical connection structure. The corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The description is omitted.

The pointing device 150 has two connectors 152 for electrically connecting the magnetoelectric conversion element 18 and the switch mechanism 84 mounted on the circuit board 24 of the base 82 to the main circuit board (mounting board) M of the device to be mounted. Is provided. Each connector 152 includes an insulating member 154 and a plurality of terminals 156 that are aligned and supported by the insulating member 154 at regular intervals. A plurality of through-holes 158 correspond to the terminals 156 of the connector 152 in the region near the outer edge of the rectangular flat circuit board 24 along a pair of opposing outer edges of the cover member 36 on the side where the elastic claws 44 are not fitted. Are formed at regular intervals. These through holes 158 are electrically connected to the magnetoelectric conversion element 18 and the switch mechanism 84 on the circuit board 24 via, for example, a printed circuit.

The insulating member 154 of each connector 152 is a rectangular rod-shaped member integrally formed from a resin material, and is formed, for example, in a state in which a plurality of terminals 156 are embedded by an insert molding process. Each terminal 156 is formed by bending a pin-shaped metal piece punched in a pressing process into an L-shape. Each terminal 156 has one end 156a protruding from the top surface 154a of the insulating member 154 and the other end 156b protruding from the side surface 154b of the insulating member 154, and is fixedly supported by the insulating member 154. Positioning protrusions 160 are formed on the top surface 154a of the insulating member 154 of each connector 152 at both ends in the terminal arrangement direction. On the other hand, on the circuit board 24, positioning holes 162 for receiving the positioning protrusions 160 are formed on both sides in the arrangement direction of the through holes 158 in each row.

Each connector 152 has a positioning protrusion 160 provided on an insulating member 154 fitted into a corresponding positioning hole 162 of the circuit board 24, and one end 156 a of a plurality of terminals 156 individually inserted into a corresponding through hole 158 of the circuit board 24. In this state, it is mounted on the circuit board 24. At this time, each connector 152 is oriented such that the other ends 116b of the plurality of terminals 116 project outside the circuit board 24. In this state, each terminal 156 is fixed to each through hole 158 by solder 164 at one end 156 a thereof, and is electrically connected to the magnetoelectric conversion element 18 and the switch mechanism 84. Each connector 152 is mounted on the mounting board M via the solder 166 in a state where the other ends 156b of the plurality of terminals 156 are respectively aligned with the plurality of electrodes (not shown) provided on the surface of the mounting board M. Is done.

As described above, since the connector 152 having the above configuration has a very simple configuration in which the plurality of terminals 156 are embedded in the rod-shaped insulating member 154, it has an advantage that it is easy to reduce the size and the pitch. In addition, since each terminal 156 is fixed to the corresponding through hole 158 provided on the circuit board 24, it is possible to fix each terminal 156 on the circuit board 24 as compared with a configuration in which the terminal is soldered to an electrode pad, for example. There is an advantage that the required area can be effectively reduced. Therefore, when the pointing device 150 is mounted on the portable information device, the electric connection between the pointing device 150 and the main circuit board of the information device can be reliably and stably realized in the small internal space of the device housing. Becomes possible.

In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of mounting members 168 are used as a mechanical connection structure for reinforcing electrical and mechanical connection by soldering between the pair of connectors 152 of the pointing device 150 and the mounting board M. Have been. Each attachment member 168 is formed, for example, by punching and bending a sheet metal material, and integrally has a hook portion 170 at one end and a leg portion 172 at the other end. On the other hand, the support member 86 of the base 82 has a pair of hook receivers 174 extended at positions facing each other along the outer edge thereof.

When mounting the pointing device 150 on the mounting board M, after soldering the connectors 152 as described above, the pair of mounting members 168 are hooked on the respective hook portions 170 to the corresponding hook receivers 174. It is attached to the support member 86. In this state, the leg portion 172 of each mounting member 168 is fixed to a desired position on the surface of the mounting board M by solder 176. In this manner, the pointing device 150 is firmly fixed and held on the mounting board M against the force applied to the operation unit 14 by the operator.

In the pointing device 150, a plurality of through-holes 158 formed in the circuit board 24 is provided with a specially shaped land capable of effectively increasing a mounting area required for mounting various electronic components on the circuit board 24. Can be formed. For example, as shown in FIG. 23, adjacent to the opening edge 158a of each through hole 158 of the circuit board 24, a portion between the opening edge 158a and the outer edge 24c of the circuit board 24 has a smaller width than other portions. Land 178 can be formed on the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24. If the land 178 having such a shape is employed, the through hole 158 can be formed as close as possible to the outer edge 24c of the circuit board 24, so that the electronic component mounting area on the circuit board 24 can be effectively enlarged.

The circuit board 24 including the connector 152 connected to the through hole 158 having the land 178 having such a characteristic shape is advantageously manufactured by the following method.
First, as shown in FIG. 24, a circuit board 24 having a rectangular mounting area 180 for mounting an electronic component (not shown) and a pair of disposal areas 182 adjacent to both sides of the mounting area 180 is prepared. Such a discarded area 182 is an area where electronic components are not mounted or a circuit is not formed, and is known to be used for supporting and positioning when transporting a circuit board in a general board mounting process. ing.

Next, a plurality of through holes 158 with lands are formed in the mounting region 180 of the circuit board 24 so that each annular land 178 continuously extends from the mounting region 180 to the disposal region 182 in the mounting region 180 of the circuit board 24. 182 is formed along the boundary 184. Here, each through-hole 158 can be formed as a double-sided plated through-hole having lands 178 on both sides of the circuit board 24 as shown in FIG. it can. Further, after forming the through hole 158, it is advantageous to form a groove 186 (FIG. 25B) extending along the boundary line 184 on both surfaces of the circuit board 24.

Next, the plurality of terminals 156 of the connector 152 are individually inserted into the plurality of through holes 158 at their one ends 156a, and soldered to the corresponding lands 178. Thus, the pair of connectors 152 is fixed to the mounting area 180 of the circuit board 24 having the disposal area 182. Lastly, while the connectors 152 are still attached to the mounting area 180, the discarded area 182 is separated from the mounting area 180 by being separated from the mounting area 180 along the groove 186 formed on the boundary 184. In this way, as shown in FIG. 26, a circuit board 24 having a pair of connectors 152 attached along a pair of opposed outer edges 24c is manufactured.

The above-mentioned through hole with land 158 may be formed in a shape that partially opens at the outer edge 24c of the circuit board 24 on the premise that the terminal fixing strength by the solder 164 can be secured. In this case, a C-shaped land is formed in each through hole 158.

Although some preferred embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings, the present invention can take various forms other than the illustrated embodiments. For example, the characteristic configuration of the operation unit of the pointing device according to the present invention is such that the positional relationship between the magnet 16 and the plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 is the reverse configuration to the illustrated embodiment, that is, the bases 12, 62, 82, and 102. A pointing device configured such that the magnetoelectric conversion element 18 installed on the operation unit 14 is displaced relative to the magnet 16 installed on the operation unit 14 can be effectively adopted, and also has a special effect. Further, the method of manufacturing a circuit board with a connector is not limited to the application to the pointing device 150 described above, but can be applied to a circuit board connection structure in various other electronic devices.

By the way, the magnetoelectric conversion element type pointing device according to the present invention can be mounted on a foldable portable information device (for example, a mobile phone) in which a display unit and a keyboard unit are hinged to each other. In this case, it is desirable to minimize the protruding amount of various switches including the pointing device from the keyboard surface from the viewpoint of reducing the thickness of the entire device when folded and further improving portability. FIGS. 27 to 29 show a pointing device 190 according to the related art of the present invention having a low-profile structure that can be suitably mounted on a keyboard section of such a portable information device. The pointing device 190 has a functionally substantially the same basic structure as the pointing device 10 according to the related art described above.

The pointing device 190 includes a base 192, an operation unit 194 supported on the base 192 so as to be movable in any horizontal direction with respect to the base 192, and a disk-shaped magnet (for example, a permanent magnet) installed on the operation unit 194. ) 196 and a plurality of magneto-electric conversion elements (for example, Hall elements) 198 installed on the base 192 near the magnet 196. The operation unit 194 fixedly holds the magnet 196 and is supported on the base 192 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. The operation unit 194 is connected to the holding unit 200 and moves the holding unit 200 horizontally on the base 192. Accordingly, there is provided an elastic portion 202 which exerts an elastic force for returning the holding portion 200 to the origin position in the horizontal movement range.

The base 192 includes a circuit board 204 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, and a support member 206 fixedly connected to the circuit board 204. The support member 206 is a plate member having a substantially square shape in a plan view. The support member 206 is mounted on the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204 without interposing a gap, and a holding portion of the operation portion 194 is provided in a substantially circular concave region at the center thereof. It has a support portion 208 that slidably supports 200 in any horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the “horizontal direction” refers to a direction substantially parallel to the substantially flat surface 204 a of the circuit board 204. Accordingly, the support portion 208 of the support member 206 has a flat and circular support surface 208a that extends substantially parallel to the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 on the side remote from the circuit board 204. The support surface 208a slidably supports the holding unit 200 in an arbitrary horizontal direction at a position protruding from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204.

円 筒 The support member 206 is further provided with a cylindrical wall 210 that defines the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 of the operation unit 194 so as to surround the support surface 208a. The cylindrical wall 210 protrudes to a position where the height from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 is higher than the support surface 208a. As described later, the elastic portion 202 partially surrounds the cylindrical wall 210 so that the support member 206 It is attached. The central axis of the cylindrical wall 210 passing through the center of the support surface 208a constitutes the central axis P of the pointing device 190 and defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 on the support surface 208a. The support portion 208 of the support member 206 is formed with a single positioning pin 212 protruding substantially at the center from the support surface 208a and the opposite side of the cylindrical wall 210. The support member 206 is fixedly attached to a predetermined position on the circuit board 204 by fitting positioning pins 212 into holes 214 provided at corresponding positions on the circuit board 204. Note that an adhesive may be used as an auxiliary to firmly fix the support member 206 to the circuit board 204.

計 A total of four magnetoelectric conversion elements 198 are mounted on the opposite side of the front surface 204a of the circuit board 204 (that is, on the back surface 204b) in an evenly-spaced arrangement around the center axis P. With such an arrangement of the magnetoelectric conversion elements 198, the pointing device 190 can output an analog data signal in a two-dimensional coordinate system.

The base 192 further includes a cover member 216 that substantially covers the outer edge region 206 a of the support member 206 and is fixedly connected to the support member 206. The cover member 216 is a thin plate member having a substantially square shape in plan view corresponding to the support member 206, and allows a main operation portion of an operation portion 194 described later to be horizontally movably inserted into a central region of the end plate portion 216a. It has a substantially circular central opening 218. At the outer edge of the cover member 216, extension pieces 220 are respectively provided along four sides in a direction substantially orthogonal to the end plate portion 216 a, and each extension piece 220 is formed with a mounting hole 222 penetrating in the thickness direction. You. The cover member 216 snaps the plurality of claws 224 projecting sideways along the four sides of the support member 206 into the corresponding mounting holes 222 of the extension pieces 220 using the elastic deformation of each extension piece 220. By being fitted in the formula, it is fixedly attached to the support member 206. The cover member 216 holds the operating portion 194 so as not to fall off from the base 192 in a state where a main operating portion of the operating portion 194 is projected outward through the center opening 218. Note that the cover member 216 having such a configuration can be manufactured from a desired sheet metal material.

In the illustrated embodiment, the holding section 200 and the elastic section 202 of the operation section 194 are separately manufactured as separate members and fixedly combined with each other. The holding unit 200 is formed of a hollow cylindrical member having such a rigidity that the operating unit 194 is not substantially deformed while being horizontally moved on the base 192, and a magnet 196 is provided inside the cylindrical outer peripheral wall 226. Is formed. The magnet 196 can be fixed to the hollow portion 226a of the holding unit 200 by using, for example, an adhesive or press-fitting. The holding portion 200 uniformly abuts the axial end face of the flange portion 228 extending radially outward at one axial end (the lower end in the figure) of the outer peripheral wall 48 against the support surface 208 a of the support member 206 of the base 192. In the state of being in contact, it can be translated while sliding in all directions of 360 ° on the support surface 208a. Such a configuration is advantageous in that the friction between the contact surface between the holding unit 200 and the support surface 208a is reduced, and the horizontal movement operability of the operation unit 194 is improved.

ヨ ー ク A yoke 230 interposed between the magnet 196 and the elastic part 202 is attached to the holding part 200. The yoke 230 is a lid-like member having a substantially circular shape in a plan view. The disk-shaped end wall portion 230a shields the magnet 196 accommodated in the holding portion 200 from one surface (the upper surface in the drawing) and has an end wall. A cylindrical peripheral wall portion 230b extending from the outer edge of the portion 230a surrounds the outer peripheral wall 226 of the holding portion 200 and is attached to the holding portion 200. The yoke 230 can be fixed to the outer peripheral wall 226 of the holding section 200 by using, for example, an adhesive or press-fitting. The yoke 230 is made of a desired magnetic metal material, and acts to prevent magnetic leakage to the outside through the elastic portion 202 by actively closing the magnetic path between the magnet 196 and the magnetoelectric conversion element 198. . Such a yoke 230 is particularly effectively mounted on the low-profile pointing device 190.

The elastic portion 202 is formed of a bowl-shaped member that is relatively easily elastically deformed during the horizontal movement operation of the operation portion 194 on the base portion 192, and includes a main portion 232 extended around the holding portion 200 through a gap. , A first connecting portion 234 connected to the holding portion 200 at one end of the main portion 232, and a second connecting portion 236 connected to the base 192 at the other end of the main portion 232. The main portion 232 of the elastic portion 202 surrounds the holding portion 200 over substantially the entire circumference, and has a truncated conical or dome-shaped contour shape which is arranged coaxially with the holding portion 200 in a no-load state. Therefore, the elastic portion 202 has its main portion 232 elastically deformed in accordance with the horizontal movement of the holding portion 200 on the base 192, and the elastic force corresponding to the amount of deformation is one regardless of the horizontal moving direction of the holding portion 200. Exercise.

The first connecting portion 234 of the elastic portion 202 is integrally protruded from the small-diameter end of the main portion 232 having a truncated conical shape to protrude in a plate-like shape in the axial direction, and is attached to the holding portion 200 in a recess formed therein. The yoke 230 is fixedly fitted. The first connection portion 234 of the elastic portion 202 can be fixed to the yoke 230 by using, for example, an adhesive or by press-fitting. The first connecting portion 234 extends while closely covering the end wall portion 230 a and the peripheral wall portion 230 b of the yoke 230, and contacts an outer surface of the operating surface 238 with which, for example, a fingertip of a hand contacts when the operator moves the operating section 194. Is formed.

The second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 protrudes radially and axially from the large-diameter end of the main portion 232 having a truncated cone shape in a flange shape in a radial direction and an axial direction, and is integrally extended. The thick portion forms the base portion 192. Between the outer annular groove region 210a of the cylindrical wall 210 of the supporting member 206 and the end plate portion 216a of the cover member 216. The first and second connecting portions 234 and 236 fixedly connect the elastic portion 202 to the holding portion 200 and the base 192, respectively, without being substantially deformed while the holding portion 200 moves horizontally on the base 192. .

The elastic portion 202 can be formed from various elastic materials such as synthetic rubber and natural rubber. In particular, considering that a reflow process is performed when the pointing device 190 is mounted on the main circuit board of the device to be mounted, it is advantageous to form the device from a material such as silicon rubber, whose properties are hardly deteriorated even at high temperatures. is there.

In a state where the above-mentioned various components are appropriately combined, the operation unit 194 horizontally and movably inserts the main part 232 and the first connection part 234 of the elastic part 202 into the center opening 218 of the cover member 216 of the base 192. At the same time, the first connection portion 234 of the elastic portion 202 connected to the holding portion 200 via the yoke 230 is disposed at a position protruding outward from the end plate portion 216a of the cover member 216 of the base 192. In this state, the operator can horizontally move the holding unit 200 on the base 192 by operating the operation surface 238 formed on the first connection portion 234 of the elastic portion 202 with, for example, a finger.

As shown in FIG. 29, when the elastic part 202 of the operation part 194 is in an equilibrium state, the center axis Q of the magnet 196 held by the holding part 200 and the hollow part 226 a thereof coincides with the center axis P of the pointing device 190. I do. In this state, the holding unit 200 is positioned at the origin position of the horizontal movement range on the support member 206 of the base 192, and the four magnetoelectric conversion elements 198 on the circuit board 204 are arranged at the same distance from the magnet 196. . From this state, when the operator abuts the fingertip on the operation surface 238 and moves the holding unit 200 in parallel in an arbitrary horizontal direction, the main part 232 of the elastic unit 202 corresponds to the moving direction and the moving distance of the holding unit 200. Thus, a different form of elastic deformation occurs over the entire circumference. Thereby, the elastic portion 202 exerts an elastic force as a resultant force on the entire main portion 232 and urges the holding portion 200 in a direction opposite to the moving direction. Therefore, the operator performs the horizontal movement operation of the operation unit 194 against the spring urging force generated by the main portion 232 of the elastic portion 202.

As described above, since the pointing device 190 includes the base 192 and the operation unit 194 which are functionally the same as the base 12 and the operation unit 14 in the above-described pointing device 10, the operation of the operation unit 194 is performed by the same operation as the pointing device 10. Analog information corresponding to the moving direction and the moving distance can be input. In addition, since the constituent elements of the base 192 and the operation unit 194 are made thinner and the magnetoelectric conversion element 198 is mounted on the back surface 204b of the circuit board 204, the overall height is lower than that of the pointing device 10. A pointing device 190 that realizes the configuration is provided.

FIGS. 30 to 32 show a pointing device 240 according to the related art of the present invention that enables a further reduction in height as compared with the pointing device 190. FIG. The pointing device 240 has substantially the same configuration as the pointing device 190 according to the related art described above except for the configuration of the support member connected to the base circuit board, and the corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The description is omitted.

The pointing device 240 includes a base 242, an operation unit 194 supported on the base 242 so as to be displaceable in any horizontal direction with respect to the base 242, a magnet 196 provided on the operation unit 194, and a vicinity of the magnet 196. A plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 198 provided on the base 242. The base 242 supports the circuit board 204 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, the support member 244 fixedly connected to the circuit board 204, and the outer edge region 244 a of the support member 244. And a cover member 216 fixedly connected to the member 244.

The support member 244 is a plate-like member having a substantially square shape in a plan view, is mounted on the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 without interposing a gap, and has a holding portion of the operation portion 194 in a substantially circular concave region at the center thereof. It has a support portion 246 that slidably supports 200 in any horizontal direction. The support portion 246 of the support member 244 has a flat and circular support surface 246a that extends substantially parallel to the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 on a side remote from the circuit board 204. The support surface 246a protrudes from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 and supports the holding unit 200 slidably in any horizontal direction.

The support member 244 is further recessed to a position where the height from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 is lower than the support surface 246a, and a plurality of (four in the figure) grooves extending in an arc shape in a direction surrounding the support surface 246a. 248. In the illustrated embodiment, the support portion 246 of the support member 244 and the outer edge region 244a are integrally connected to each other only by a plurality of (four in the drawing) connection pieces 250 equidistantly arranged in the circumferential direction of the support surface 246a. Thereby, a plurality of grooves 248 separated from each other via the connecting piece 250 are formed through the same circumference surrounding the support surface 246a in the plate thickness direction.

The central axis of the plurality of grooves 248 passing through the center of the support surface 246a constitutes the central axis P of the pointing device 240 and also defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 on the support surface 246a. The holding portion 200 can move in a parallel manner while sliding in 360 degrees on the support surface 246a on the support surface 246a in a state where the axial end surface of the flange portion 228 is uniformly in contact with the support surface 246a of the support member 244.

{Circle around (1)} A single positioning pin 252 is formed on the support portion 246 of the support member 244 at a substantially center thereof and protrudes to the opposite side of the support surface 246a. The support member 244 is fixedly attached to a predetermined position on the circuit board 204 by fitting positioning pins 252 into holes 214 provided at corresponding positions on the circuit board 204. Note that the cover member 216 is formed by snap-fitting a plurality of claws 254 projecting sideways along four sides of the support member 244 into the corresponding mounting holes 222 of the extension pieces 220, so that the support member 244 is fixedly assembled.

The second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is inserted into the plurality of grooves 248 of the support member 244. That is, the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is fixedly pinched and hooked between the plurality of grooves 248 of the support member 244 and the end plate portion 216 a of the cover member 216 at the thick portion. Therefore, a cutout 236 a for receiving the connection piece 250 is formed in the second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 at a position corresponding to the plurality of connection pieces 250 of the support member 244. The first and second connecting portions 234 and 236 of the elastic portion 202 fix the elastic portion 202 to the holding portion 200 and the base 242 without substantially deforming while the holding portion 200 moves horizontally on the base 242. To be connected.

The pointing device 240 can input analog data by operating the operation unit 194 horizontally on the base 242 in the same manner as the pointing device 190 described above. In particular, in the pointing device 240, instead of the cylindrical wall 210 provided on the support member 206 with the pointing device 190, a plurality of grooves 248 recessed to a position lower than the support surface 246a are formed in the support member 244 forming the base 242. Since the elastic member 202 is attached to the support member 244 by inserting the second connection portion 236 into the groove 248, the thickness of the support member 244 can be further reduced. Therefore, in the pointing device 240, the dimension in the height direction can be reduced more effectively than in the pointing device 190 described above.

FIGS. 33 and 34 show a pointing device 260 according to the related art of the present invention that enables a further reduction in height as compared with the above-described pointing device 240. FIG. The pointing device 260 has substantially the same configuration as that of the pointing device 190 according to the related art described above except for the configuration of the base, and the corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

The pointing device 260 includes a base 262, an operation unit 194 supported on the base 262 so as to be displaceable in any horizontal direction with respect to the base 262, a magnet 196 installed on the operation unit 194, and a vicinity of the magnet 196. A plurality of magneto-electric conversion elements 198 provided on the base 262. The base 262 includes a circuit board 264 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, and a cover member 216 for fixedly connecting the elastic portion 202 of the operation portion 194 to the base 262. Accordingly, the base 262 does not include a support member that slidably supports the holding unit 200 of the operation unit 194.

The circuit board 264 has a flat support surface 266 that slidably supports the holding unit 200 of the operation unit 194 in an arbitrary horizontal direction in a desired circular area of the surface 264a. The circuit board 264 further has a plurality of (four in the figure) slots 268 extending in an arc shape in a direction surrounding the support surface 266. The slots 268 are arranged separately on the same circumference surrounding the support surface 266, and are formed to penetrate in the thickness direction. A connection piece 270 is formed between adjacent slots 268 as a part of the circuit board 264.

The center axis of the plurality of slots 268 passing through the center of the support surface 266 constitutes the center axis P of the pointing device 260 and defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 on the support surface 266. The holding portion 200 can be translated while sliding in all directions 360 ° on the support surface 266 in a state where the axial end surface of the flange portion 228 is uniformly in contact with the support surface 266 on the circuit board 264. . Then, the four magnetoelectric conversion elements 198 are mounted on the back surface 264b of the circuit board 264 on the opposite side of the support surface 266 in an equidistant arrangement around the center axis P. The cover member 216 has insertion pieces 272 in place of the mounting holes 222 (FIG. 27) on each of the extension pieces 220 extending on the four sides thereof. It is fixed to the circuit board 264 by being inserted into a slit 274 formed through at a position and appropriately bent.

第 The second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is inserted into the plurality of slots 268 of the circuit board 264. That is, the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is fixedly pinched and latched between the plurality of slots 268 of the circuit board 264 and the end plate portion 216 a of the cover member 216 at the thick portion. . Therefore, a cutout 236 a for receiving the connection piece 270 is formed in the second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 at a position corresponding to the plurality of connection pieces 270 of the circuit board 264. The first and second connecting portions 234 and 236 of the elastic portion 202 fix the elastic portion 202 to the holding portion 200 and the base 262 without substantially deforming while the holding portion 200 moves horizontally on the base 262. To be connected.

The pointing device 260 can input analog data by horizontally moving the operation unit 194 on the base 262 in the same manner as the pointing devices 190 and 240 described above. Particularly, in the pointing device 260, the support members 206 and 244 are omitted, and the support surface 266 is formed directly on the surface 264a of the circuit board 264 of the base 262, and the holding unit 200 of the operation unit 194 is mounted. The height dimension can be reduced more effectively than the pointing devices 190 and 240 described above.

35 to 37 show a pointing device 280 having a low profile and a click function according to the related art of the present invention. The pointing device 280 has substantially the same configuration as the pointing device 190 according to the related art described above, except for the configuration of the support member connected to the base circuit board and the configuration incorporating a switch mechanism for adding a click function. Therefore, corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. The pointing device 280 has substantially the same basic structure as the pointing device 80 according to the related art described above.

The pointing device 280 includes a base 282, an operation unit 194 supported on the base 282 so as to be displaceable in any horizontal direction with respect to the base 282, a magnet 196 installed on the operation unit 194, and a vicinity of the magnet 196. It includes a plurality of magneto-electric conversion elements 198 installed on the base 282 and a switch mechanism 284 arranged between the base 282 and the operation unit 194. The base 282 supports the circuit board 204 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, the support member 286 fixedly connected to the circuit board 204, and the outer peripheral region 286 a of the support member 286 by substantially shielding. A cover member 216 fixedly connected to the member 286.

The support member 286 is a substantially square plate-like member in a plan view, and functions as a support portion that slidably supports the holding portion 200 of the operation portion 194 in an arbitrary horizontal direction in a substantially circular concave region at the center thereof. A plurality (four in the figure) of elastic beam portions 288 are provided at positions separated from the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204. Each of the elastic beam portions 288 of the support member 286 has a flat support surface 288a that extends substantially parallel to the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 in a no-load state on a side away from the circuit board 204. The supporting surfaces 288a cooperate with each other to support the holding unit 200 slidably in any horizontal direction at a position protruding from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204.

The plurality of elastic beam portions 288 of the support member 286 are arranged radially around the center axis P of the pointing device 280, and can be elastically displaced independently of each other with their radially outer ends as fulcrums. In particular, in this embodiment, since each elastic beam portion 288 extends in the radial direction from each apex portion of a substantially square contour in the plan view of the support member 286, the elastic beam portion 288 in the downsized and thinned support member 286 is provided. The maximum length can be secured. As a result, it is possible to increase the elastic force of the elastic beam portion 288 and reduce the pressing operation force when the switch is operated.

The mounting member 290 is further formed on the support member 286 between the elastic beam portions 288 adjacent to each other so as to spread in a fan shape. An arc-shaped wall 292 that defines the horizontal movement range of the holding section 200 of the operation section 194 is provided so as to surround the support surface 288a of each elastic beam section 288 at the radial inner edge of the mounting section 290. Each arc wall 292 protrudes to a position where the height from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 is higher than each support surface 288a, and as described later, the elastic portion 202 connects all the arc walls 292 with the second connecting portion 236. Around and attached to support member 286. The arc walls 292 are arranged on the same circumference around the central axis P, and the central axis P defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 on the plurality of support surfaces 288a. The holding unit 200 slides 360 ° in all directions on the support surface 288a with the axial end surface of the flange portion 228 uniformly abutting on the support surface 288a of the plurality of elastic beam portions 288. Can be translated.

In a desired one of the plurality of elastic beam portions 288, a pressing point 294 which locally protrudes on the opposite side of the support surface 288a is formed at the free end of the radial inner end thereof. You. The elastic beam portion 288 having the pressing point 294 is slightly longer than the other elastic beam portions 288 and extends to a position beyond the center axis P of the pointing device 280. As a result, the pressing point 294 is aligned with the center axis P of the pointing device 280.

位置 決 め Furthermore, positioning pins 296 project from the pair of mounting portions 290 of the support member 286 facing each other on the side opposite to the arc wall 292. The support member 286 is fixedly attached to a predetermined position on the circuit board 204 by fitting the positioning pins 296 into holes 298 provided at corresponding positions on the circuit board 204. Note that the cover member 216 is formed by fitting a plurality of claws 300 projecting sideways along four sides of the support member 286 into the corresponding mounting holes 222 of the extension pieces 220 in a snap-type manner. 286 is fixedly assembled.

The second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is fixedly pinched and hooked at its thick portion between the outer annular groove region 292a of each arc wall 292 of the support member 286 and the end plate portion 216a of the cover member 216. Is stopped. The first and second connecting portions 234 and 236 of the elastic portion 202 fix the elastic portion 202 to the holding portion 200 and the base 282 without substantially deforming while the holding portion 200 moves horizontally on the base 282. To be connected.

On the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204, a switch mechanism 284 for adding a click function is mounted inside a space formed between the circuit board 204 and the plurality of elastic beam portions 288 of the support member 286. . The switch mechanism 284 has a well-known opening / closing structure having a movable contact and a fixed contact, and both contacts are arranged at a position substantially aligned with the central axis P of the pointing device 280. That is, the movable contact of the switch mechanism 284 is positioned immediately below the pressing point 294 provided on one elastic beam portion 288 of the support member 286. The four magnetoelectric conversion elements 198 are mounted on the back surface 204b of the circuit board 204 located on the opposite side of the switch mechanism 284 in an equidistant arrangement around the center axis P.

The structure of the switch mechanism 284 is arbitrary, and various switches such as a mechanical switch having a movable contact carried by a spring or a membrane switch having a pair of flexible circuit boards can be employed. Further, depending on the external dimensions of the switch mechanism 284, the plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 198 can be installed in a space between the circuit board 204 and the plurality of elastic beam portions 288.

In the pointing device 280 having the above-described configuration, the operator presses the operation surface 238 of the operation unit 194 with, for example, a fingertip at the origin position illustrated in FIG. 37 to press the flange portion 228 of the holding unit 200 against the plurality of elastic beam portions 288. Thus, the switch mechanism 284 located below the elastic beam portions 288 can be closed. In this embodiment, when the operation section 194 is pressed, each elastic beam portion 288 is elastically bent with the radially outer end as a fulcrum, and a pressing point 294 provided on the long elastic beam portion 288 is directly below the switch mechanism. Press 284 to activate.

As described above, since the pointing device 280 includes the base 282 and the operation unit 194 which are functionally the same as the base 82 and the operation unit 14 of the above-described pointing device 80, the operation of the operation unit 194 is performed by the same operation as the pointing device 80. Analog information corresponding to the moving direction and the moving distance can be input, and, for example, a click operation can be performed in relation to a pointer on a display of the device to be mounted. In addition, since the constituent elements of the base 282 and the operation unit 194 are made thinner, the pointing device 280 is provided which is lower in height overall than the pointing device 80.

FIGS. 38 to 40 show a pointing device 310 according to the related art of the present invention that enables a further reduction in height as compared with the pointing device 280. FIG. The pointing device 310 has substantially the same configuration as the pointing device 280 according to the related art described above, except for the configuration of the support member connected to the base circuit board, and the corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The description is omitted.

The pointing device 310 includes a base 312, an operation unit 194 supported on the base 312 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 312, a magnet 196 installed on the operation unit 194, and a vicinity of the magnet 196. A plurality of magneto-electric conversion elements 198 installed on the base 312. The base 312 supports the circuit board 204 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, the support member 314 fixedly connected to the circuit board 204, and the outer edge region 314 a of the support member 314 by substantially shielding. And a cover member 216 fixedly connected to the member 314.

The support member 314 is a plate member having a substantially square shape in a plan view, and functions as a support portion that slidably supports the holding portion 200 of the operation portion 194 in an arbitrary horizontal direction in a substantially circular concave region at the center thereof. A plurality of (four in the figure) elastic beam portions 316 are provided at positions separated from the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204. The elastic beam portions 316 of the support member 314 are each formed with a flat support surface 316a that extends substantially parallel to the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 in a no-load state on a side away from the circuit board 204. The support surfaces 316a cooperate with each other to support the holding unit 200 slidably in an arbitrary horizontal direction at a position protruding from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204.

The plurality of elastic beam portions 316 of the support member 314 are radially arranged around the center axis P of the pointing device 310, and can be elastically displaced independently of each other with their radially outer ends as fulcrums. In particular, in this embodiment, since each elastic beam portion 316 extends in the radial direction from each apex portion having a substantially square contour in plan view of the support member 314, the elastic beam portion 316 in the downsized and thinned support member 314 is provided. The maximum length can be secured. As a result, it is possible to increase the elastic force of the elastic beam portion 316 and reduce the pressing operation force when the switch is operated. In this embodiment, all the elastic beam portions 316 have the same length and are symmetrically arranged around the central axis P.

取 付 The support member 314 is further formed with a mounting portion 318 that spreads in a fan shape between the adjacent elastic beam portions 316. A plurality of (four in the figure) grooves 320 extending in an arc shape in a direction surrounding the support surface 316a of each elastic beam portion 316 are formed in the radial outer edges of the attachment portions 318. Each groove 320 is recessed to a position where the height from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 is lower than the support surface 316a. The grooves 320 are arranged on the same circumference around the center axis P, and the center axis P defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 on the plurality of support surfaces 316a. The holding unit 200 slides 360 degrees on all the support surfaces 316a in a state where the axial end surfaces of the flange portions 228 are uniformly abutted on the support surfaces 316a of the plurality of elastic beam portions 316. Can be translated.

In a desired one of the plurality of elastic beam portions 316, a pressing point 322 which locally protrudes to the opposite side of the support surface 316a is formed at a free end of a radially inner end thereof. You. The pressing point 322 is arranged at a position radially displaced from the central axis P of the pointing device 310. Then, the switch mechanism 284 mounted on the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204 is positioned immediately below the pressing point 322 provided on one elastic beam portion 316 of the support member 314.

位置 決 め Furthermore, positioning pins 324 protrude from the pair of mounting portions 318 of the support member 314 facing each other on the opposite side of the groove 320. The support member 314 is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position on the circuit board 204 by fitting the positioning pins 324 into holes 298 provided at corresponding positions on the circuit board 204. The cover member 216 is formed by snap-fitting a plurality of claws 326 protruding laterally along the four sides of the support member 314 into the corresponding mounting holes 222 of each extension piece 220 in a snap manner. 314 is fixedly assembled.

The second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is inserted into the plurality of grooves 320 of the support member 314. That is, the second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is fixedly sandwiched and latched between the plurality of grooves 320 of the support member 314 and the end plate portion 216a of the cover member 216 at the thick portion. Therefore, a cutout 236 a that receives a part of the elastic beam portion 316 is formed in the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 at a position corresponding to the plurality of elastic beam portions 316 of the support member 314. The first and second connecting portions 234 and 236 of the elastic portion 202 fix the elastic portion 202 to the holding portion 200 and the base 312 without substantially deforming while the holding portion 200 moves horizontally on the base 312. To be connected.

The pointing device 310 having the above configuration can input analog data by horizontally moving the operation unit 194 on the base unit 312 in the same manner as the above-described pointing device 280, and can input analog data by pressing the operation unit 194, for example. A click operation can be performed in relation to the pointer on the display of the device to be mounted. In particular, in the pointing device 310, instead of the plurality of arc walls 290 provided on the support member 286 by the pointing device 280, the support member 314 forming the base 312 has a plurality of grooves recessed to a position lower than the support surface 316a. The elastic member 202 is attached to the supporting member 314 by inserting the second connecting portion 236 into the groove 320 and the supporting member 314 can be further reduced in thickness. Therefore, in the pointing device 310, the dimension in the height direction can be reduced more effectively than the pointing device 280 described above.

In the pointing device 310, as shown in FIG. 39, each elastic beam portion 316 and each mounting portion 318 of the support member 314 define a horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 of the operation unit 194 on the support surface 316a. Alternatively, an arcuate rib 328 may be protruded. Since these ribs 328 do not participate in fixing the elastic portion 202, the height of the ribs 328 protruding from the support surface 316a can be reduced as much as possible, so that the thickness of the support member 314 is not prevented.

Further, in the pointing device 310, since the plurality of elastic beam portions 316 provided on the support member 314 are all formed in the same size and shape and are arranged around the central axis P, the operator presses the operation unit 194. The repulsive force from the elastic beam portion 316 when a force is applied is balanced, and as a result, an advantage that an accurate switch pressing operation can be performed can be obtained. In particular, as shown in FIG. 41, a position where the pressing point 322 for pressing the switch mechanism 284 is superimposed on the flange portion 228 of the holding unit 200 at the origin position of the horizontal movement range on one elastic beam portion 316. , The pressing force applied from the holding portion 200 of the operation portion 194 to the plurality of elastic beam portions 316 can be transmitted to the switch mechanism 284 without waste. As a result, the pressing operation force by the operator is reduced, and the switch operability is improved.

In the configuration in which the pressing point 322 is arranged at a position deviated from the center axis P of the pointing device 310 as described above, there is a direction between the support member 314 and the circuit board 204 that should match each other during assembly. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 42, a pressing point 322 is provided on a pair of elastic beam portions 316 opposed to each other (FIG. 42 (a)), or a pressing point 322 is provided on all elastic beam portions 316 (FIG. 42 ( b)) is advantageous from the viewpoint of improving the assembly workability.

In the above-mentioned pointing devices 280 and 310 having a click function, when the operation unit 194 is pressed, the operation unit 194 is moved vertically with respect to the bases 282 and 312 and the switch mechanism 284 (ie, the horizontal direction of the operation unit 194). Displacement in a direction substantially perpendicular to the movement direction) is important in avoiding unintended input of analog data such as cursor movement data. Therefore, it is advantageous to provide the pointing devices 280 and 310 with a guide portion for guiding the operation unit 194 in the vertical direction with respect to the switch mechanism 284.

FIGS. 43 and 44 show a modification of the pointing device 310 having such a guide portion. In this modification, a guide portion 330 that extends in a fan shape radially inward is integrally formed with each of the plurality of attachment portions 318 provided on the support member 314. The guide portions 330 are arranged on the same circumference centered on the central axis P of the pointing device 310, each inner peripheral edge 330a having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the flange portion 228 of the holding portion 200. You. The surface 330b of each guide portion 330 is disposed on the same plane as the support surface 316a of the elastic beam portion 316 when no load is applied, and cooperates with the plurality of support surfaces 316a to move the holding portion 200 to an arbitrary horizontal position. It is slidably supported in the direction.

According to such a configuration, when the operation unit 194 is pressed down when the holding unit 200 is at the origin position of the horizontal movement range, the flange portion 228 of the holding unit 200 is switched by the plurality of guide portions 330 of the support member 314. 284 is accurately guided in the vertical direction. During this time, no relative movement in the horizontal direction occurs between the magnet 196 and the plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 198, so that unintended input of analog data such as cursor movement data is avoided. Further, while the holding unit 200 is moving from the origin position in the horizontal movement range, even if a pressing force is applied to the operation unit 194, the flange portion 228 of the holding unit 200 interferes with the guide portion 330 of the support member 314. Therefore, the elastic beam portion 316 cannot be pushed down. Therefore, according to this configuration, the switch operation position at the time of performing the click operation or the like can be specified only to the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200.

By the way, when the magneto-electric conversion element type pointing device according to the various forms described above is mounted on a portable information device such as a mobile phone, handling of various components of the downsized pointing device becomes complicated, and the entire information device becomes complicated. It is feared that the assembling workability is deteriorated. FIGS. 45 to 52 show a portable information device equipped with such a pointing device, which has a structure for improving its own assembling workability, according to various embodiments of the present invention. Is shown.

FIG. 45 shows a circuit board 340 and a key panel 342 which are components of a portable information device (for example, a mobile phone) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This portable information device is shown as having a pointing device 260 according to the related art described above mounted under a structure that improves assembling workability, and corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 45A, the circuit board 340 has a plurality of switches 344, which are main input units of a portable information device, mounted on a front surface 340a thereof in a predetermined arrangement. Further, in the circuit board 340, a plurality (four in the figure) of arc-shaped slots 346 for attaching the elastic portions 202 of the pointing device 260 are formed at predetermined positions on the front surface 340a. The slots 346 correspond to the slots 268 of the circuit board 264 shown in FIG. 33, and the holding section 200 of the operation section 194 is slidable in any horizontal direction in a circular area surrounded by the slots 346. A supporting flat support surface 266 is defined. On the back surface 340b of the circuit board 340, four magneto-electric conversion elements 198 are mounted at positions corresponding to the support surface 266 in an equidistantly distributed arrangement around the center axis P of the pointing device 260 (FIG. 45 ( b)).

The key panel 342 is a thin plate member integrally formed of an elastic material such as rubber, for example. A plurality of key tops 348 are provided on a surface 342 a of the circuit board 340 at positions corresponding to the plurality of switches 344. You. Further, the elastic portion 202 of the pointing device 260 is integrally formed on the key panel 342 at a position corresponding to the support surface 266 of the circuit board 340. That is, the elastic portion 202 is integrally connected to the key panel 342 having the plurality of key tops 348 at the second connection portion 236. The main portion 232 and the first connection portion 234 of the elastic portion 202 are projected from the front surface 342a of the key panel 342, and the plurality of thick portions 236b of the second connection portion 236 are connected to the back surface 342b of the key panel 342. It is protruded.

As shown in FIG. 46A, the elastic portion 202 formed on the key panel 342 is provided with the holding portion 200 containing the magnet 196 and the yoke 230 attached to the holding portion 200 on the back side of the first connecting portion 234. It is fixedly received in the recess. In this state, the back surface 342b of the key panel 342 is brought into contact with the front surface 340a of the circuit board 340, and the key panel 342 is assembled to the circuit board 340 in a predetermined relative positional relationship where each key top 348 and each switch 344 match. At this time, the plurality of thick portions 236b formed in the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 are fitted into the corresponding slots 346 of the circuit board 340, respectively. Thus, the holding unit 200 is appropriately positioned and slidably mounted on the support surface 266 of the circuit board 340.

Furthermore, by covering the key panel 342 attached to the circuit board 340 with the housing structure of the portable information device, that is, the housing 350, the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is connected to the circuit board 340 and the housing 350. Are fixedly clamped and hung between them (FIG. 46 (b)). Here, the housing 350 includes an opening 352 through which the holding unit 200 of the operation unit 194 is movably inserted together with the first connection portion 234 of the elastic unit 202, and a direction surrounding the opening 352 toward the base circuit board 340. And a concave portion 353 that is concavely formed in a curved surface. Thus, the pointing device 260 integrated into the portable information device is completed.

According to the above configuration, the elastic part 202 and the circuit board 264, which are essential components of the pointing device 260, are replaced with the key panel 342 and the circuit board 340, which are essential components of a portable information device on which the pointing device 260 is mounted. However, since they are integrated, the number of independent components of the pointing device 260 itself is reduced. In addition, when assembling the pointing device 260, other small component groups can be combined with the large key panel 342 and the circuit board 340 equipped with main components of the portable information device. The assembling workability of the pointing device 260 itself and the assembling workability of a portable information device equipped with the pointing device 260 are significantly improved. Further, the recess 353 provided in the housing 350 further improves the operability of the operation unit 194 with the operator's finger.

The portable information device described above has a configuration in which the housing 350 is attached after the circuit board 340 and the key panel 342 are combined. The housing is first attached to the key panel, and then the key panel is attached to the circuit board. Procedures may be taken. FIG. 47 shows a key panel 342 and a housing 350 as a modification capable of coping with such a procedure.

In this modification, the elastic portion 202 integrally formed with the key panel 342 has a thick portion 236b of the second connecting portion 236 projecting from the surface 342a of the key panel 342 (see FIG. )). Correspondingly, a plurality of grooves 354 are formed on the back surface 350a of the housing 350, around the opening 352 in which the elastic portion 202 is inserted, for receiving the thick portion 236b of the second connecting portion 236, respectively. (FIG. 47 (b)). Therefore, the key panel 342 is assembled to the housing 350 while the elastic portion 202 and the plurality of key tops 348 are inserted into the openings 352 and the plurality of key holes 356 provided in the housing 350, respectively. At this time, the plurality of thick portions 236b formed on the second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 are fitted into the corresponding grooves 354 of the housing 350, respectively.

The key panel 342 to which the housing 350 is attached in this manner has the back surface 342b contacting the front surface 340a of the circuit board 340 in a state where the magnet 196, the holding unit 200 and the yoke 230 are received in the elastic portion 202, and The key top 348 and the switches 344 are assembled to the circuit board 340 in a predetermined relative positional relationship where they match. As a result, the holding unit 200 is properly positioned and slidably mounted on the support surface 266 of the circuit board 340, and the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic unit 202 connects the circuit board 340 to the housing 350. It is fixedly clamped and latched therebetween (FIG. 48). Thus, the pointing device 260 integrated into the portable information device is completed.

FIGS. 49 to 51 show a circuit board 360, a key panel 362, and a housing 364, which are components of a portable information device (for example, a mobile phone) according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this portable information device, a pointing device 366 having a configuration similar to the pointing device 10 according to the related art described above is mounted under a structure that improves the assembling workability, and components corresponding to the pointing device 10 are provided. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 49, the circuit board 360 has a plurality of switches 368, which are main input units of the portable information device, mounted on a front surface 360a thereof in a predetermined arrangement. The key panel 362 is a thin plate member integrally formed of an elastic material such as rubber, for example. A plurality of key tops 370 project from a surface 362 a of the circuit board 360 at positions corresponding to the plurality of switches 368. Is established.

The housing 364 is a thin plate member integrally formed from a resin material, and has a plurality of key holes 372 formed at positions corresponding to the plurality of key tops 370 of the key panel 362. Further, the housing 364 is provided with a concave region including an opening 352 and a concave portion 353 at a predetermined position on the surface 364a, and the support member 26 of the pointing device 366 is integrally formed at the bottom of the concave region. . That is, the support member 26 is integrally connected to the housing 364 having the plurality of key holes 372 in an area outside the cylindrical wall 30. Then, the support surface 28 a of the support member 26 and the cylindrical wall 30 are arranged on the surface 364 a side of the housing 364.

As shown in FIGS. 50 and 51, the support member 26 formed in the housing 364 is provided with the holding portion 20 that accommodates the magnet 16 and the elastic portion 22 attached to the holding portion 20. It is mounted with the edge slidably mounted on the support surface 28a. Further, by attaching the annular cover member 36 to the housing 364 so as to cover the second connecting portion 54 of the elastic portion 22, the second connecting portion 54 of the elastic portion 22 is fixed on the housing 364. Hanged.

In this state, the circuit board 360, the key panel 362, and the housing 364 are assembled to each other in a predetermined relative positional relationship where the respective switches 368, key tops 370, and key holes 372 are aligned with each other. At this time, the key panel 362 has an outline shape that does not overlap with the support member 26 formed on the housing 364, and the key panel 362 has four contours on the back surface 360b of the circuit board 360 at positions corresponding to the support surface 28a of the support member 26. The magneto-electric conversion elements 18 are mounted in an equidistantly distributed arrangement around the center axis P of the pointing device 366. Thus, the pointing device 366 integrated into the portable information device is completed.

According to the above configuration, the support member 26 and the circuit board 24, which are essential components of the pointing device 366, are replaced with the housing 364, which is an essential component of a portable information device on which the pointing device 366 is mounted, and the circuit board 360. However, since they are integrated, the number of independent components of the pointing device 366 itself is reduced. Moreover, when assembling the pointing device 366, other small component groups can be combined with the large-sized housing 364 and the circuit board 360 equipped with main components of the portable information device. The assembling workability of the pointing device 366 itself and the assembling workability of a portable information device equipped with the pointing device 366 are significantly improved.

Furthermore, in the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 51, a space can be formed between the front surface 360a of the circuit board 360 and the support member 26 formed on the housing 364, so that mounting of electronic components on the circuit board 360 can be achieved. There is an advantage that the possible area is expanded. In the above configuration, when a switch mechanism having a click function is added to the pointing device 366, the pointing device 310 has a plurality of elastic beam portions 316 in the above-described pointing device 310, as shown in FIG. The support member 314 may be integrally formed with the housing 364.

53 to 55 show a lower panel 380, a membrane sheet 382, a switch panel 384, and a key top 386, which are components of a portable information device (for example, a portable keyboard) according to the related art of the present invention. In this portable information device, a pointing device 388 having a configuration similar to that of the pointing device 10 according to the related art described above is mounted under a structure that improves assembling workability, and components corresponding to the pointing device 10 are provided. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 53, the switch panel 384 is a thin plate member integrally formed of a resin material, and has a plurality of openings 390 at positions corresponding to a plurality of switches (not shown) formed on the membrane sheet 382. Are formed through. Further, the switch panel 384 is provided with a convex region at a predetermined position on the surface 384a, and the support member 26 of the pointing device 388 is integrally formed at the bottom of the convex region. That is, the support member 26 is integrally connected to the switch panel 384 having the plurality of openings 390 in the outer region of the cylindrical wall 30. Then, the support surface 28 a of the support member 26 and the cylindrical wall 30 are disposed on the surface 384 a side of the switch panel 384.

As shown in FIGS. 54 and 55, the support member 26 formed on the switch panel 384 includes the holding portion 20 that accommodates the magnet 16 and the elastic portion 22 attached to the holding portion 20. It is mounted with the edge slidably mounted on the support surface 28a. Furthermore, the cover member 36 is attached to the switch panel 384 so as to cover the second connection portion 54 of the elastic portion 22, so that the second connection portion 54 of the elastic portion 22 is fixedly hooked on the switch panel 384. Is done.

In this state, the membrane sheet 382 and the switch panel 384 are assembled together in a predetermined relative positional relationship where the respective switches and the openings 390 are aligned with each other, and are mounted on the lower panel 380. At this time, between the membrane sheet 382 and the switch panel 384, the circuit board 24 on which the magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 are mounted is inserted into a space formed on the opposite side of the support surface 28a of the support member 26. It is arranged in the state where it was done. Further, a key top 386 corresponding to a switch operation mechanism (not shown) provided in each opening 390 of the switch panel 384 is attached, and a key top 392 is attached to the elastic portion 22 of the pointing device 388. Thus, the pointing device 388 integrated into the portable information device is completed.

Also in the above configuration, the support member 26, which is an essential component of the pointing device 388, is integrated with the switch panel 384, which is an essential component of a portable information device on which the pointing device 388 is mounted. In addition, the number of independent components can be reduced, and the assembling workability of the pointing device 388 itself and the assembling workability of a portable information device equipped with the pointing device 388 are significantly improved.

By the way, the pointing devices 80, 100, 150, 280, and 310 having various forms having the above-described click function perform a pressing operation of the operation units 14, 194 on the bases 82, 102, 282, and 312 in the vertical direction. Thus, the switch mechanisms 84 and 284 are configured to operate. In this configuration, the magnets 16, 196 held by the holding units 20, 200 move with respect to the plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 18, 198 on the bases 82, 102, 282, 312 in accordance with the pressing operation of the operation units 14, 194. Move inevitably. If the moving directions of the magnets 16 and 196 at this time include components in the horizontal direction with respect to the plurality of magneto-electric conversion elements 18 and 198, the output voltages of the magneto-electric conversion elements 18 and 198 immediately before the click operation are performed. There is a concern that analog data signals such as cursor movement data may be output from the pointing devices 80, 100, 280, and 310 due to fluctuations in the data. Therefore, in order to perform an appropriate click operation, it is necessary to accurately push the operation units 14 and 194 into the bases 82, 102, 282 and 312 in the vertical direction. Otherwise, the skill of the operator is required.

On the other hand, the pointing device 400 according to the related art of the present invention shown in FIGS. 56 to 58 has a low profile and a structure that allows a proper click operation to be performed extremely easily. The pointing device 400 includes a base 402, an operation unit 404 supported on the base 402 so as to be displaceable in any horizontal direction with respect to the base 402, and an annular magnet (for example, a permanent magnet) installed on the operation unit 404. 406, a plurality of magneto-electric conversion elements (for example, Hall elements) 408 installed on the base 402 near the magnet 406, and a switch mechanism 410 arranged between the base 402 and the operation unit 404. The operation unit 404 holds the magnet 406 fixedly and is supported on the base 402 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. The operation unit 404 is connected to the holding unit 412 and moves the holding unit 412 horizontally on the base 402. Accordingly, the elastic portion 414 which exerts an elastic force to return the holding portion 412 to the origin position of the horizontal movement range, and can be moved on the base 402 in the vertical direction substantially orthogonal to the horizontal direction independently of the holding portion 412. And an operating part 416 arranged at the same position.

The base 402 includes a circuit board 418 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, and a support member 420 fixedly connected to the circuit board 418. The support member 420 is a substantially square plate-shaped member in a plan view, and has an annular support that slidably supports the holding portion 412 of the operation portion 404 in an arbitrary horizontal direction in a substantially circular concave region at the center thereof. With the switch mechanism 410 inserted into the circular opening 424 formed at the center of the support portion 422 while having the portion 422, the switch mechanism 410 is mounted on the surface 418 a of the circuit board 418 without interposing a gap. In this embodiment, the “horizontal direction” means a direction substantially parallel to the substantially flat surface 418 a of the circuit board 418. Accordingly, the support portion 422 of the support member 420 has a flat and annular support surface 422a that extends substantially parallel to the surface 418a of the circuit board 418 on the side away from the circuit board 418. The support surface 422a supports the holding portion 412 slidably in any horizontal direction at a position protruding from the surface 418a of the circuit board 418.

(4) The support member 420 further has a cylindrical wall 426 that defines the horizontal movement range of the holding section 412 of the operation section 404 so as to surround the support surface 422a. The cylindrical wall 426 protrudes to a position where the height from the surface 418a of the circuit board 418 is higher than the support surface 422a, and an elastic portion 414 partially surrounds the cylindrical wall 426 to support the support member 420 as described later. It is attached. The central axis of the cylindrical wall 426 passing through the center of the opening 424 constitutes the central axis P of the pointing device 400 and defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 412 on the support surface 422a. The support member 420 is fixedly attached to a predetermined position on the circuit board 418 using, for example, an adhesive.

A switch mechanism 410 having a substantially circular contour in plan view is mounted on the front surface 418a of the circuit board 418 with the center axis P as a center. On the back surface 418 b of the circuit board 418, a total of four magneto-electric conversion elements 408 are mounted in an evenly-spaced arrangement around the central axis P. With such an arrangement of the magnetoelectric conversion elements 408, the pointing device 400 can output an analog data signal in a two-dimensional coordinate system.

The base 402 further includes a cover member 428 which substantially shields the outer edge region 420 a of the support member 420 and is fixedly connected to the support member 420. The cover member 428 is a thin plate member having a substantially square shape in plan view corresponding to the support member 420, and allows a main operation portion of an operation portion 404 described later to be horizontally movably inserted into a central region of an end plate portion 428a. It has a substantially circular center opening 430. At the outer edge of the cover member 428, extension pieces 432 are respectively provided along four sides in a direction substantially orthogonal to the end plate portion 428a, and each extension piece 432 is formed with a mounting hole 434 that penetrates in the thickness direction. You. The cover member 428 snaps the plurality of claws 436 projecting sideways along the four sides of the support member 420 into the corresponding mounting holes 434 of the extension pieces 432 by utilizing the elastic deformation of each extension piece 432. By being fitted in the formula, it is fixedly attached to the support member 420. The cover member 428 holds the operation unit 404 so as not to fall off from the base 402 with the main operation part of the operation unit 404 protruding outward through the center opening 430. Note that the cover member 428 having such a configuration can be manufactured from a desired sheet metal material.

In the illustrated embodiment, the holding section 412 and the elastic section 414 of the operation section 404 are separately manufactured as separate members and fixedly combined with each other. The holding unit 412 is formed of an annular member having such a rigidity that the operating unit 404 is not substantially deformed while being horizontally moved on the base 402. An annular concave portion 442 for accommodating the magnet 406 is formed between the inner peripheral wall 438 and the intermediate wall 440 that are protruded concentrically on one axial end surface (the upper end surface in the figure) of the holding portion 412. The magnet 406 can be fixed to the annular concave portion 442 of the holding portion 412 by using, for example, an adhesive or press-fitting. The holding portion 412 can move in parallel with 360 ° omnidirectional sliding on the support surface 422a with the other end surface in the axial direction uniformly abutting on the support surface 422a of the support member 420 of the base 402.

The elastic portion 414 is formed of a bowl-shaped member that elastically deforms relatively easily during the horizontal movement operation of the operation portion 404 on the base portion 402, and includes a main portion 444 extending around the holding portion 412 via a gap. , A first connecting portion 446 connected to the holding portion 412 at one end of the main portion 444, and a second connecting portion 448 connected to the base 402 at the other end of the main portion 444. The main portion 444 of the elastic portion 414 surrounds the holding portion 412 over substantially the entire circumference, and has a truncated conical or dome-shaped contour shape which is arranged coaxially with the holding portion 412 in a no-load state. Therefore, the elastic portion 414 has its main portion 444 elastically deformed in accordance with the horizontal movement of the holding portion 412 on the base portion 402, and has an elastic force corresponding to the amount of deformation, regardless of the horizontal moving direction of the holding portion 412. Exercise.

The first connecting portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 is integrally and integrally extended radially inward from the small-diameter end of the main portion 444 having a truncated cone shape, and holds the magnet 406 in a recess formed inside the first connecting portion 446. The inner peripheral wall 438 and the intermediate wall 440 of the holding portion 412 are fixedly fitted. The first connection portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 can be fixed to the holding portion 412 by using, for example, an adhesive or by press-fitting. Further, the first connecting portion 446 has a cylindrical receiving hole 450 formed at the center thereof so as to be formed concentrically with the inner peripheral wall 438 and the intermediate wall 440 of the holding portion 412. The first connection portion 446 extends while closely covering one end surface in the axial direction of the holding portion 412 and the magnet 406, and has an operation surface 452 for contacting, for example, a fingertip of a hand when the operator moves the operation portion 404 on the outer surface. Is formed.

The second connecting portion 448 of the elastic portion 414 protrudes from the large-diameter end of the main portion 444 having a truncated cone shape in a flange shape in the radial and axial directions and is integrally extended, and the thick portion forms the base 402. The support member 420 is fixedly held and latched between the outer annular groove region 426 a of the cylindrical wall 426 of the supporting member 420 and the end plate portion 428 a of the cover member 428. The first and second connecting portions 446 and 448 fixedly connect the elastic portion 414 to the holding portion 412 and the base 402, respectively, without substantially deforming while the holding portion 412 moves horizontally on the base 402. .

The elastic portion 414 can be formed from various elastic materials such as synthetic rubber and natural rubber. In particular, considering that the reflow process is performed when the pointing device 400 is mounted on the main circuit board of the device to be mounted, it is advantageous to form the device from a material such as silicon rubber, whose properties are hardly deteriorated even at high temperatures. is there.

The actuating section 416 is formed of a columnar member having such a rigidity that it does not substantially deform while being vertically moved on the base 402. A protruding edge portion 416a is integrally extended radially outward from one end (the lower end in the drawing) in the axial direction of the operating portion 416. In addition, a pressing operation surface 454 is formed at the other end of the operating portion 416 in the axial direction, for example, when the operator presses the operating portion 416, a fingertip of a hand is brought into contact. The operating portion 416 is separated from the elastic portion 414 and is received in a receiving hole 450 provided in the first connecting portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 via a gap. At this time, the operating portion 416 is configured such that the protruding edge portion 416a can engage with the shoulder portion 438a slightly protruding radially inward from the inner peripheral wall 438 of the holding portion 412 on the side opposite to the magnet 406. Oriented. With the protruding edge portion 416 a of the operation portion 416 engaged with the shoulder portion 438 a of the holding portion 412, the pressing operation surface 454 of the operation portion 416 is slightly raised at the center of the operation surface 452 of the elastic portion 414. You.

A pressing point 456 that locally rises is formed at the center of one end surface (lower end surface in the figure) of the operating portion 416 in the axial direction. The pressing point 456 is arranged in alignment with the center axis P of the pointing device 400. With the operation unit 404 properly assembled to the base 402, the operating unit 416 pushes its pressing point 456 against the switch mechanism 410 arranged in the opening 424 of the support member 420, and It is supported by the switch mechanism 410 so as to be movable in the direction.

The structure of the switch mechanism 410 is arbitrary, and various structures such as a mechanical switch having a movable contact carried by a spring and a membrane switch having a pair of flexible circuit boards can be employed. Further, depending on the external dimensions of the switch mechanism 410, a plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 408 can be installed in the opening 424 of the support member 420.

In a state in which the various components described above are appropriately combined, the operation unit 404 includes a portion including the main portion 444 and the first connection portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 and a pressing operation surface 454 of the operation portion 416, and a cover member of the base 402. The cover member 428 is inserted at a position protruding outward from an end plate portion 428 a of the cover member 428 while being horizontally movably inserted into the center opening 430 of the cover member 428. In this state, the operator can operate the operation surface 238 formed on the first connection portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 with, for example, a finger to horizontally move the holding portion 412 on the base 402 and operate the operation portion 416. The pressing unit 416 can be vertically moved on the base 402 by, for example, pressing the pressing operation surface 454 with a finger.

As shown in FIG. 58, when the elastic portion 414 of the operation portion 404 is in an equilibrium state, the center axis Q of the holding portion 412 and the magnet 406 held by the annular concave portion 442 and the operating portion 416 are aligned with the center of the pointing device 400. It matches the axis P. In this state, the holding unit 412 is positioned at the origin position of the horizontal movement range on the support member 420 of the base 402, and the four magnetoelectric conversion elements 408 on the circuit board 418 are arranged at the same distance from the magnet 406. . From this state, when the operator touches the fingertip on the operation surface 452 and moves the holding portion 412 in parallel in an arbitrary horizontal direction, the main portion 444 of the elastic portion 414 corresponds to the moving direction and the moving distance of the holding portion 412. Thus, different forms of elastic deformation occur over the entire circumference (FIG. 59 (a)). Thus, the elastic portion 414 exerts an elastic force as a resultant force on the entire main portion 444, and urges the holding portion 412 in a direction opposite to the moving direction. Therefore, the operator performs the horizontal movement operation of the operation unit 404 against the spring urging force generated by the main portion 444 of the elastic portion 414.

Further, at the origin position shown in FIG. 58, the operator presses down the pressing operation surface 454 of the operation unit 416 of the operation unit 404 with, for example, a fingertip, and presses the pressing point 456 of the operation unit 416 against the switch mechanism 410, thereby switching the switch mechanism 410. 284 can be closed (FIG. 59 (b)). At this time, since the holding unit 412 is statically supported on the support surface 422a of the support member 420, even if the pressing operation force of the operator is applied to the operation surface 452 of the elastic unit 414, the holding unit 412, that is, the magnet 406 Vertical movement is reliably avoided.

As described above, in the pointing device 400, by applying the operation force in the substantially horizontal direction to the operation unit 404, the analog information corresponding to the moving direction and the moving distance of the holding unit 412 can be input, and the pointing device 400 is located at the origin position. By applying a substantially vertical pressing operation force to the operation unit 404, for example, a click operation can be performed in relation to a pointer on a display of a device to be mounted. In addition, since the vertical movement of the holding portion 412 with respect to the base 402 can be reliably prevented during the pressing operation, the relative movement between the magnet 406 and the plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 408 is eliminated. Therefore, with the pointing device 400, an appropriate click operation can be performed extremely easily.

Also, in the pointing device 400, similarly to the pointing device 280 according to the related art described above, since the constituent elements of the base 402 and the operation unit 404 are thinned, the overall height can be reduced. Note that, similarly to the pointing device 310 according to the related art, an annular groove for attaching the second connecting portion 448 of the elastic portion 414 is formed in the support member 420 instead of the cylindrical wall 426, thereby further reducing the height. You can also.

FIGS. 60 and 61 show a pointing device 460 according to the related art of the present invention, which is a low-profile type and can perform a proper click operation very easily. The pointing device 460 has substantially the same configuration as the pointing device 400 according to the related art described above, except for the configuration of the operation unit of the operation unit. Therefore, the corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described. Omitted.

The pointing device 460 includes a base 402, an operation unit 462 supported on the base 402 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 402, a magnet 406 installed on the operation unit 462, and a vicinity of the magnet 406. A plurality of magneto-electric conversion elements 408 installed on the base 402 and a switch mechanism 410 disposed between the base 402 and the operation unit 462 are provided. The base 402 supports a circuit board 418 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 420 fixedly connected to the circuit board 418, and an outer edge region 420a of the support member 420 that is substantially shielded. A cover member 428 fixedly connected to the member 420.

The operation unit 462 includes a holding unit 412 that holds the magnet 406 and is supported on the base unit 402 so as to be able to move horizontally, an elastic unit 414 that returns the holding unit 412 to the origin position of the horizontal movement range, and a holding unit 412. Independently, on the base 402, an operating portion 464 is provided so as to be movable in a vertical direction substantially orthogonal to the horizontal direction. The operation part 464 is integrally connected to the first connection part 446 of the elastic part 414, and is housed in the receiving hole 450. More specifically, the operation portion 464 has a receiving hole 450 of the first connection portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 at a protruding edge portion 464a extending radially outward at one end (the lower end in the figure) in the axial direction. The inner peripheral wall to be defined is formed integrally from, for example, the same material as the elastic portion 414.

A pressing operation surface 466 is formed at the other end of the operating portion 464 in the axial direction, for example, to contact a fingertip of a hand when the operator presses the operating portion 464. When the pressing force is not applied to the operating portion 464, the pressing operation surface 466 of the operating portion 464 is slightly raised at the center of the operating surface 452 of the elastic portion 414. In addition, when a pressing force is applied to the operating portion 464, the operating portion 464 moves vertically in the receiving hole 450 of the elastic portion 414 while the interconnecting region between the elastic portion 414 and the operating portion 464 is elastically deformed. . As shown in the drawing, the inner peripheral wall 438 of the holding portion 412 (FIG. 56) so that the interconnecting region between the elastic portion 414 and the operating portion 464 can be elastically deformed without obstacle when a pressing force is applied to the operating portion 464. ) Is desirably omitted.

A pressing point 468 that locally rises is formed at the center of one end surface (lower end surface in the figure) of the operating portion 464 in the axial direction. The pressing point 468 is aligned with the center axis P of the pointing device 460. With the operation unit 462 properly assembled to the base 402, the operation unit 464 pushes its pressing point 468 against the switch mechanism 410 arranged in the opening 424 of the support member 420, and It is supported by the switch mechanism 410 so as to be movable in the direction.

The pointing device 460 having the above-described configuration applies a substantially horizontal operation force to the operation unit 462 in the same manner as the above-described pointing device 400, thereby moving and holding the holding unit 412 on the base 402. Analog information corresponding to the distance can be input (FIG. 62 (a)). In addition, at the origin position shown in FIG. 61, the operator presses the pressing operation surface 466 of the operation unit 464 of the operation unit 462 with, for example, a fingertip, and presses the pressing point 468 of the operation unit 464 against the switch mechanism 410. Can be operated (FIG. 62 (b)). At this time, since the vertical movement of the holding unit 412 with respect to the base 402 is reliably prevented, an appropriate click operation can be extremely easily performed, for example, in relation to a pointer on a display of a device to be mounted. In particular, in the pointing device 460, the elastic part 414 of the operation part 462 and the operating part 464 are integrated, so that the number of parts is reduced and the advantage of improving the assembling workability is obtained.

In the pointing devices 400 and 460 having the operation units 416 and 464 dedicated to the pressing operation, not only can the operation units 416 and 464 be accurately moved in the vertical direction at the time of the pressing operation, but also the holding unit 412 can support the supporting member 420. It is important to prevent the user from unintentionally moving the cursor horizontally in order to avoid unintended input of analog data such as cursor movement data. Therefore, it is advantageous to provide the pointing devices 400 and 460 with guide portions for guiding the operating portions 416 and 464 in the vertical direction only at a limited position immediately above the switch mechanism 410.

FIG. 63 shows a modification of the pointing device 460 having such a guide portion. In this modification, the opening 424 provided in the support member 420 is formed so as to have a slightly larger diameter than the outer diameter of the protruding edge portion 464a of the operating portion 464. Further, when the pressing force is not applied to the operating portion 464, the bottom surface of the operating portion 464 is formed so as to be located at a position slightly further from the surface 418a of the circuit board 418 than the support surface 422a of the support member 420. .

According to such a configuration, when the operation unit 462 is horizontally moved so as not to apply a pressing force to the operation unit 464, the holding unit 412 is supported on the support surface 422a without the operation unit 464 interfering with the support member 420. , And smoothly slide in a desired horizontal direction (FIG. 63 (a)). Even if a pressing force is applied to the operation part 464 while the holding part 412 is moving horizontally, the switch part 410 cannot be operated because the operation part 464 collides with the support surface 422a of the support member 420. When the operation portion 464 is pressed down while the holding portion 412 is at the origin position of the horizontal movement range, the protruding edge portion 464 a of the operation portion 464 is vertically moved directly above the switch mechanism 410 by the opening 424 of the support member 420. (FIG. 63 (b)). During this time, even if the operation unit 462 is unconsciously loaded with a horizontal component force, the holding unit 412 does not move in the horizontal direction because the operating unit 464 collides with the support member 420 in the opening 424. Therefore, according to this configuration, the switch operation position at the time of performing a click operation or the like can be specified only to the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 412, and unintended input of analog data such as cursor movement data at the time of switch operation can be performed. Can be avoided reliably.

In the pointing device 460 having the operating portion 464 integrally formed with the elastic portion 414, as shown in another modified example in FIG. 64, the operating portion 464 is provided with a keytop 470 independent of the elastic portion 414. can do. In this case, the operating portion 464 integrally molds only the region near the protruding edge portion 464 a connected to the elastic portion 414 with the elastic portion 414, and forms the integrally molded portion on the operation surface 452 side of the elastic portion 414. The key top 470 can be fixed (FIG. 65A). On the key top 470, a pressing operation surface 472 for pressing the operating portion 464 in the vertical direction is formed on an end face in the axial direction near the operation surface 452.

According to this configuration, by providing the key top 470 made of a material different from the elastic portion 414, the visibility and the pressing operability of the operating portion 464 and the design of the entire operating portion 462 can be improved. it can. In particular, as shown in the figure, a pressing pin 474 is protruded from the center of the other end face in the axial direction of the key top 470, and this pressing pin 474 is inserted into a through hole 464b provided in the center of the integrally formed portion of the operating portion 464. It is preferable that the tip protrudes from the operation part 464 toward the switch mechanism 410. According to this configuration, the switch mechanism 410 can be accurately operated by the pressing pin 474 of the key top 470 formed of a material harder than the elastic portion 414.

Further, when the increase in the size of the operation unit 462 can be tolerated, as shown in FIG. 65 (b), the key top 478 having the pressing operation surface 476 having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the magnet 406 is used. You can also equip it. With this configuration, the visibility and pressing operability of the operation unit 464 can be further improved.

FIGS. 66 and 67 show a pointing device 480 according to the related art of the present invention having an operation section dedicated to a pressing operation. The pointing device 480 has substantially the same configuration as the pointing device 400 according to the related art described above, except for the configuration of the operation unit. Corresponding components have the same reference characters allotted, and description thereof will not be repeated.

The pointing device 480 includes a base 402, an operation unit 482 supported on the base 402 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 402, a magnet 484 provided on the operation unit 482, and a vicinity of the magnet 484. A plurality of magneto-electric conversion elements 408 provided on the base 402 and a switch mechanism 410 disposed between the base 402 and the operation unit 482 are provided. The base 402 supports a circuit board 418 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 420 fixedly connected to the circuit board 418, and an outer edge region 420a of the support member 420 that is substantially shielded. A cover member 428 fixedly connected to the member 420. The switch mechanism 410 is mounted on the circuit board 418 at a position shifted from the center axis P of the pointing device 480, and the support member 420 has an opening 424 at a position corresponding to the switch mechanism 410.

The operation unit 482 includes a holding unit 486 that holds the magnet 484 and is supported on the base 402 so as to be horizontally movable, an elastic unit 488 that returns the holding unit 486 to the origin position of the horizontal movement range, and a holding unit 486. An operating unit 490 is provided independently on the base 402 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The holding portion 486 is a plate-shaped member having a housing groove 492 at the center, and an opening 494 having a size corresponding to the opening 424 of the support member 420 is formed at a position close to the housing groove 492. The opening 494 of the holding unit 486 is aligned with and overlapped with the opening 424 of the support member 420 when the holding unit 486 is at the origin position of the horizontal movement range on the base 402. The holding portion 486 fixedly accommodates the disk-shaped magnet 484 in the accommodation groove 492 and is attached to the elastic portion 488. The holding portion 486 can move in parallel with 360 ° omnidirectional sliding on the support surface 422a in a state where its end surface in the axial direction is uniformly in contact with the support surface 422a of the support member 420.

The elastic portion 488 includes a main portion 496 extending around the holding portion 486 through a gap, a first connecting portion 498 connected to the holding portion 486 at one end of the main portion 496, and a second connecting portion 498 at the other end of the main portion 496. The second connecting portion 500 connected to the base 402 is integrally provided. The elastic portion 488 has its main portion 496 elastically deformed in accordance with the horizontal movement of the holding portion 486 on the base 402, and the elastic force corresponding to the amount of deformation is uniform regardless of the horizontal moving direction of the holding portion 486. Demonstrate. An operation surface 502 for contacting, for example, a fingertip of a hand when the operator moves the operation unit 482 is formed on the first connection portion 498 of the elastic portion 488. Further, the first connecting portion 498 has a cylindrical receiving hole 504 at a position corresponding to the opening 494 of the holding portion 486.

The operation portion 490 is integrally connected to the first connection portion 498 of the elastic portion 488 at a protruding edge portion 490a extending radially outward at one end (the lower end in the figure) in the axial direction, and is provided with the receiving hole 504. Housed within. At the other end in the axial direction of the operation unit 490, a pressing operation surface 506 is formed, for example, which makes a fingertip of a hand contact when the operator presses the operation unit 490. Further, a pressing point 508 that locally protrudes is formed at the center of one end surface (lower end surface in the figure) of the operating portion 490 in the axial direction. With the operation part 482 properly assembled to the base 402, the operating part 490 makes its pressing point 508 abut against the switch mechanism 410 arranged in the opening 424 of the support member 420, and It is supported by the switch mechanism 410 so as to be movable in the direction.

The pointing device 480 having the above-described configuration applies a substantially horizontal operation force to the operation unit 482 in the same manner as the above-described pointing device 460, thereby moving and holding the holding unit 486 on the base 402. Analog information corresponding to the distance can be input. Further, at the origin position shown in FIG. 67, the operator presses down the pressing operation surface 506 of the operation unit 490 of the operation unit 482 with, for example, a fingertip, and presses the pressing point 508 of the operation unit 490 against the switch mechanism 410. Can be activated. At this time, since the vertical movement of the holding unit 486 with respect to the base 402 is reliably prevented, an appropriate click operation can be performed extremely easily, for example, in relation to a pointer on the display of the device to be mounted. In particular, in the pointing device 480, since the operating portion 490 is arranged at a position shifted from the center axis P, an advantage that a simple disk-shaped magnet 484 can be used is obtained. In addition, since a plurality of switch mechanisms 410 are mounted on the circuit board 418 and a plurality of operation units 490 corresponding to the switch mechanisms 410 can be provided on the operation unit 482, various functions can be added to the pointing device 480. can do.

In the pointing devices of the various forms described above that have a click function, a guide part that enables accurate vertical movement of the operation unit is provided, so that unintended input of analog data can be avoided at the time of switch pressing operation by structural ingenuity can do. However, in place of or in addition to such a guide structure, an unintended input of analog data at the time of a switch pressing operation can be avoided by devising a signal processing output from the pointing device. FIG. 68 shows a signal processing method according to the related art of the present invention in which such a measure is taken.

For example, in the pointing device 400 according to the related technology described above, when the operating unit 416 is pressed to operate the switch mechanism 410, the CPU mounted on the circuit board 418 processes the ON signal received from the switch mechanism 410 as a click signal. Then, the data is output to the processing mechanism of the data processing apparatus equipped with the pointing device 400. Here, as shown in FIG. 68, while the switch mechanism 410 is in the ON state, a signal processing program is set so that the CPU does not output a cursor movement data signal even if the holding unit 412 moves horizontally. . This makes it possible to avoid an unintended analog data input when the switch is pressed.

In the pointing device 400, even when the pressing operation of the operation unit 416 is released, a cursor movement data signal may be output when an unconscious horizontal movement occurs in the holding unit 412. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 68, after the switch mechanism 410 is turned off, the CPU does not output the cursor movement data signal so that even if the holding unit 412 moves horizontally for a predetermined time T, even if the holding unit 412 moves horizontally. It is advantageous to set up a signal processing program. This makes it possible to avoid unintended analog data input even after the switch depression operation is released. The time T in this configuration can be set variously in consideration of the operability of the pointing device. For example, during a double-click operation frequently used in a personal computer or the like, the time can be set to a time that allows the pointer to be easily held at a fixed position on the display screen.

Although the preferred embodiments mainly for reducing the height and improving the operability have been described above, various embodiments other than the illustrated configuration can be adopted in these embodiments. For example, in the characteristic configuration of the low-profile pointing device described above, the positional relationship between the magnet and the plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements is opposite to the configuration shown in the illustrated embodiment, that is, the magnet is installed on the base, and is installed on the operation unit. The present invention can be effectively adopted even in a pointing device configured so that the magnetoelectric conversion element is displaced, and also has a special effect. Further, the above-described method of manufacturing a circuit board with a connector can be applied to the various low-profile pointing devices described above. Furthermore, the output signal processing method of the pointing device described above can be applied not only to the magneto-electric conversion element type pointing device according to the illustrated embodiment but also to a pointing device having various other analog data input structures.

The present invention is applicable to various portable information devices that can be operated by hand, such as an electronic organizer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a mobile phone.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device taken along a line III-III in FIG. 2, showing a state where an operation unit is at an origin position. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3, showing a state in which an operation unit is horizontally moved. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 5, showing a state where an operation unit is at an origin position. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 7, showing a state where an operation unit is at an origin position. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 8, showing a state where an operation unit is pressed down. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 10, showing a state where an operation unit is at an origin position. FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 11, showing a state where an operation unit is pressed down. It is a longitudinal section exploded view of the pointing device by a modification. FIG. 11 is an exploded longitudinal sectional view of a pointing device according to another modification. FIG. 11 is an exploded vertical cross-sectional view of a pointing device according to still another modification. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to still another modification. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 16, showing a state in which the operation unit is at an origin position. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 17, showing a state in which the operation unit is horizontally moved. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to still another modification. FIG. 20 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 19, showing a state in which the operation unit is at the origin position. FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view showing a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention mounted on a mounting board. FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. 21. FIG. 22 is a plan view of a circuit board with a connector in the pointing device of FIG. 21. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of the circuit board in FIG. 23, and is a plan view of the circuit board before a connector is attached. 25A is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the circuit board of FIG. 24, and FIG. FIG. 24 is a sectional view of the circuit board taken along line XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 23. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 28 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. 27. FIG. 29 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device along the line XXIX-XXIX in FIG. 28, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a support member in the pointing device of FIG. 30. FIG. 31 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 30, showing a state where the operation unit is at an origin position. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 34 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 33, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 36 is a view of a support member in the pointing device of FIG. 35, (a) a perspective view seen from above, and (b) a perspective view seen from below. 36 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 35, (a) of FIG. 36 taken along line XXXVIIA-XXXVIIA, and (b) of FIG. 36 taken along line XXXVIIB-XXXVIIB. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 39 is a view of a support member in the pointing device of FIG. 38, (a) a perspective view seen from above, and (b) a perspective view seen from below. FIG. 43 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 38, (a) a view taken along line XXXXA-XXXXA of FIG. 41, and (b) a view taken along line XXXXB-XXXXB of FIG. 41. FIG. 39 is a bottom view of a support member in a modification of the pointing device of FIG. 38. FIG. 39 (a) is a plan view of a support member in another modification of the pointing device of FIG. 38, and (b) is a plan view of a support member in still another modification. FIG. 39 is a plan view of a support member in a modification of the pointing device of FIG. 38. FIG. 44 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pointing device according to a modification including the support member of FIG. 43. 1A is an exploded perspective view showing main components of a portable information device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1A is a diagram viewed from above, and FIG. FIG. 45 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the main components of FIG. 45 during assembly, showing (a) a state before assembling the housing and (b) a state after assembling the housing. It is the exploded perspective view which shows the main component of the portable information device by other embodiment of this invention, (a) The figure seen from the upper part, and the figure seen from (b) below. FIG. 48 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main component of FIG. 47 at the time of assembly. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing main components of a portable information device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 50 is a perspective view showing a state where components of the pointing device are attached to the housing shown in FIG. 49. FIG. 51 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line XXXXXI-XXXXXI of FIG. 50 when the main components of FIG. 49 are assembled. FIG. 50 is an enlarged perspective view of a modification of the housing shown in FIG. 49. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing main components of a portable information device according to a related technology of the present invention. FIG. 54 is a perspective view of the main component of FIG. 53 at the time of assembly. FIG. 56 is a drawing of the main component in FIG. 53 at the time of assembly, and is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line XXXXXV-XXXXXV of FIG. 54. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 57 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. 56. FIG. 58 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device along the line XXXXXVIII-XXXXXVIII in FIG. 57, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. FIG. 56 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 56, showing a state at the time of (a) a horizontal movement operation and a state of (b) a pressing operation. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 61 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. 60. FIG. 61 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 60, showing a state at the time of (a) a horizontal movement operation and a state at the time of (b) a pressing operation. FIG. 61 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified example of the pointing device of FIG. 60, showing a state at the time of (a) a horizontal movement operation and a state at the time of (b) a pressing operation. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 67 (a) is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 64, and (b) is a longitudinal sectional view of a modification. 1 is an assembled perspective view of a pointing device according to the related art of the present invention. FIG. 67 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 66, taken along line XXXXXXVII-XXXXXXVII. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a signal processing method according to a related technique of the present invention.

Explanation of reference numerals

10, 60, 80, 100, 150, 190, 240, 260, 280, 310, 400, 460, 480 ... Pointing device 12, 62, 82, 102, 192, 242, 262, 282, 312, 402 ... Base 14 , 194, 404, 462, 482 ... operation parts 16, 196, 406, 484 ... magnets 18, 198, 408 ... magnetoelectric conversion elements 20, 200, 412 ... holding parts 22, 202, 414, 488 ... elastic parts 24, 204 , 418 ... circuit boards 26, 64, 86, 206, 244, 286, 314, 420 ... support members 28, 208, 422 ... support portions 28a, 70, 88a, 114a, 208a, 288a, 316a, 422a ... support surface 36 , 216, 428 ... cover member 50, 232, 444, 496 ... main part 52, 234, 446 498 first connection portions 54, 236, 448, 500 second connection portions 58, 238, 452, 502 operation surfaces 84, 284, 410 switch mechanisms 88, 288, 316 elastic beam portions 104 first support Member 106 Elastic member 108 Second support members 122, 470, 478 Key top 128 Plate spring 134 Coil spring 152 Connector 154 Insulating member 156 Terminal 158 Through holes 164, 166, 176 Solder 168 Attachment member 178 Land 180 Mounting area 182 Discard area 184 Boundary lines 416, 464, 490 Operating part

Claims (3)

A base, an operation unit supported on the base so as to be displaceable with respect to the base, a magnet installed on the operation unit, and a magnetoelectric conversion element installed on the base near the magnet. In a portable information device including a pointing device built in a housing structure,
The operation unit of the pointing device includes a holding unit fixedly holding the magnet and movably supported on the base, and connected to the holding unit, and configured to move the holding unit on the base. With an elastic portion that exerts an elastic force to return the holding portion to the origin position of the movement range,
The housing structure has an opening through which the holding unit of the operation unit is movably inserted, and a recess that is recessed toward the base at a portion surrounding the opening,
A portable information device characterized by the following. The portable information device according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion and the elastic portion of the operation unit of the pointing device are formed of separate members and are combined with each other. 3. The portable information device according to claim 1, further comprising a key panel having a plurality of key tops, wherein the elastic portion of the operation unit of the pointing device is integrated with the key panel.

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