JP2005310670A - Multidirectional input device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multidirectional input device capable of automatically resetting an operating body making a slide operation, with an excellent operability and high reliability. <P>SOLUTION: A barrier rib 10d provided in a chassis 10 is partitioned into a first hollow part 21 and a second hollow part 22, in which former, a circular coil spring 14 for automatically resetting an operating body 13 is built in, and in which latter, a detection means including a pair of sliders 15, 16 capable of sliding in directions crossing each other is built in. The operating body 13 is provided with a large-diameter part 13a arranged at the first hollow part 21, a protruded part 13 protruded from an outside opening 10b to be given an operating force, and a driving part 13c extended to the second hollow part 22 for driving the sliders 15, 16. At slide operation, the large-diameter part 13a pushes in the circular coil spring 14 in the sliding direction to extend (elastically deform) it. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a multidirectional input device suitable for use in a game machine, a mobile phone, and the like, and more particularly to a multidirectional input device capable of performing a predetermined input by a slide operation.

  FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional multi-directional input device, and this multi-directional input device can perform a predetermined input by sliding an operation unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The multidirectional input device shown in FIG. 21 includes a housing 1 formed by combining an insulating upper case 2 and a lower case 3, an operating body 4 that is slidably held in the housing 1, and the operating body 4. The first slider 5 and the second slider 6 that are driven by the projections 4 a of the first slider 5 and slide in the directions orthogonal to each other inside the housing 1, and the first slider held by the first slider 5. 7, a second slider 8 held by the second slider 6, and a substrate 9 disposed on the back surface of the upper case 2. A pair of conductive patterns (not shown) in which the first and second sliders 7 and 8 are in sliding contact with each other are provided. The upper case 2 of the housing 1 is provided with an opening 2a, and an operation knob (not shown) is fixed to the upper end of the projection 4a of the operation body 4 that passes through the opening 2a, so that an operating force is applied to the projection 4a. Is to be granted. The operating body 4 is provided with a square flat plate portion 4b having the inner bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 as a receiving surface, and a protruding portion 4a is erected at the center of the flat plate portion 4b. The first slider 5 is formed with a linear engagement hole 5a that is inserted and engaged with the protrusion 4a of the operating body 4, and the first slider 5 is formed along the short direction of the engagement hole 5a. The slider 5 is movable. Similarly, the second slider 6 is formed with a linear engagement hole 6a through which the protrusion 4a is inserted and engaged. The second slider 6 extends along the short direction of the engagement hole 6a. 6 is movable. That is, the protrusion 4a is inserted and engaged at a position where the engagement hole 5a extending in a direction orthogonal to each other and the engagement hole 6a intersect, thereby moving the protrusion 4a in the horizontal direction (the radial direction of the opening 2a). Accordingly, the sliders 5 and 6 are slid and moved in directions orthogonal to each other. In the lower case 3, a guide wall 3b for guiding the sliding movement of the first and second sliders 5 and 6 is erected in a frame shape.

The conventional multidirectional input device schematically configured as described above is configured such that when the operating body 4 is slid along the longitudinal direction of the engagement hole 5a (the left-right direction in FIG. 21) via an operation knob (not shown), No operating force is applied to the first slider 5, but the second slider 6 is slid in the operating direction because it is driven by the projection 4a, so that the second slider 8 contacts the corresponding conductive pattern. The position is changed, and a detection signal corresponding to the contact position is output from a terminal (not shown). Similarly, when the operating body 4 is slid along the longitudinal direction of the engaging hole 6a (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 21), no operating force acts on the second slider 6, but the first slider 5 Is driven by the protrusion 4a and slides in the operation direction, so that the contact position of the first slider 7 with the corresponding conductive pattern is changed, and a detection signal corresponding to the contact position is not shown. Output from the terminal. When the operating body 4 is slid in an oblique direction with respect to the engagement holes 5a and 6a, the first and second sliders 5 and 6 are respectively orthogonal to each other according to the operating direction and the sliding amount. A detection signal corresponding to the position of the first and second sliders 7 and 8 is output after sliding by a predetermined amount. Accordingly, the slide direction and the slide amount of the operating body 4 can be detected by calculating these detection signals with a control unit (not shown).
JP-A-5-324184 (page 3-4, FIG. 2)

  However, since the conventional multi-directional input device described above is not provided with a return means for automatically returning the operating body 4 that has been slid to the initial position, the operating body 4 is located near the end of the area where the sliding operation is possible. When stopped, there is a problem that when the next slide operation is performed, it is almost impossible to slide in the direction of the end portion, and a good operability cannot be obtained in a game machine or the like.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to incorporate a return means such as a rubber member or a spring member in the housing 1 in order to automatically return the operating body 4 to the initial position. As detection means for detecting the slide amount, a pair of sliders 5 and 6 that slide in a direction orthogonal to each other and sliders 7 and 8 held by the sliders 5 and 6 are disposed. In order to incorporate the return means into the housing 1, it is necessary to give special consideration so that the detection operation of the detection means is not adversely affected.

  The present invention has been made in view of the actual situation of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a multidirectional input device that can automatically return an operating body that has been slid and that has good operability. is there.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the multidirectional input device of the present invention includes a first cavity and a second cavity that are partitioned by a partition wall having a communication opening, and the first cavity and A housing in which any one of the second cavities protrudes to the external opening, a large-diameter portion disposed in the first cavities, and an operation force applying unit exposed to the external opening are provided. An operating body held so as to be slidable in multiple directions, and a first slider and a second slider which are driven in accordance with the sliding operation of the operating body and slide in a direction perpendicular to each other in the second cavity portion A detecting means for detecting a sliding direction and a sliding amount of the operating body via the sliders, and a slider incorporated in the first cavity portion around the large-diameter portion; Elastic return part to automatically return to When, and a positioning means defining the return position engaged with the elastic return member, the large diameter portion when the sliding operation of the operating body is configured to elastically deform by pushing the elastic return member.

  In the multi-directional input device configured as described above, the first cavity portion and the second cavity portion in the housing are partitioned by the partition wall, and the elastic return member for automatically returning the operating body includes the first cavity portion. In addition, since the detection means including the pair of sliders is incorporated in the second cavity portion, there is no possibility that the elastic return member adversely affects the detection operation of the detection means. In addition, since the multi-directional input device can greatly elastically deform the elastic return member by the large diameter portion of the operating body during the sliding operation, a wide area (operation area) where the operating body can be slid can be taken.

  In the multidirectional input device having such a configuration, the elastic return member is an annular elastic member incorporated at a position surrounding the large diameter portion, and the inner peripheral portion of the annular elastic member is in contact with the positioning means. If the large-diameter portion pushes and extends (elastically deforms) the annular elastic member positioned in the sliding direction when the operating body is slid, the operating body is greatly slid. Even if it is made, the annular elastic member can be extended without difficulty, and there is no possibility that the operating force varies greatly depending on the sliding direction, so that the operability can be improved.

  In this case, if the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion is a circular shape in plan view, the annular elastic member can be elastically contacted with the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion over the entire circumference, so that the operating force varies depending on the sliding direction. Possibility is further reduced, which is preferable. The annular elastic member may be an annular rubber or the like. However, if the annular elastic member is an annular coil spring, it is difficult to deteriorate over a long period of time, and it is difficult to cause plastic deformation even if the sliding operation is repeated. Sex can be expected.

  In the multi-directional input device having such a configuration, a first slider is provided on one of the first slider and its opposing surface, and a first conductive pattern is provided on the other side in which the slider is in sliding contact. In addition, if the second slider and the opposite surface thereof are provided with a second slider and the second means is provided with a second conductive pattern in which the slider slides, the detection means is configured. It is preferable because simple and highly accurate detection can be performed based on the relative position change between the slider and the conductive pattern.

  In the multidirectional input device having such a configuration, the large-diameter portion is formed in a plate shape, and at least one of the external opening and the communication opening is closed at the initial position by the large-diameter portion. If so, the risk of foreign matter entering the inside of the housing through the external opening is reduced. Further, when both the external opening and the communication opening are closed by the large-diameter portion at the initial position, even if a foreign object enters the one cavity on the side protruding to the external opening, the communication opening Since the risk of reaching the other cavity via is extremely reduced, it is preferable to improve the reliability.

  In the multidirectional input device configured as described above, it is preferable that the positioning means includes a jetty portion protruding from an inner wall of the first cavity portion. That is, if the partition wall or the like that protrudes from the first cavity is used, it is easy to form a jetty that can hold an elastic return member such as an annular coil spring at a predetermined position, and the number of parts increases. Can be avoided. In this case, if the jetty portion is formed in an annular shape, the position of the annular elastic member can be regulated under the same conditions over the entire circumference, so the possibility that the operating force varies depending on the sliding direction is further reduced. Preferably, the movement of the annular elastic member with respect to the jetty can be made smooth.

  In the multidirectional input device having such a configuration, it is preferable that a guide wall for guiding the sliding movement of the first and second sliders is provided on the inner wall of the second cavity. That is, if the partition wall or the like that protrudes from the second cavity is used, it is easy to form a guide wall for guiding a pair of sliders that slide in a direction orthogonal to each other.

  In the multidirectional input device of the present invention, the first cavity portion and the second cavity portion in the housing are partitioned by a partition wall, and an elastic return member for automatically returning the operating body is incorporated in the first cavity portion. In addition, since the detection means including the pair of sliders is incorporated in the second cavity, there is no possibility that the elastic return member adversely affects the detection operation of the detection means. Further, when the operating body is slid, the elastic return member is pushed into the large diameter portion and is elastically deformed, so that a wide area where the operating body can be slid can be taken. In particular, when the elastic return member is formed of an annular elastic member such as an annular coil spring, there is no possibility that the operating force varies greatly even if the sliding direction is different. Therefore, it is possible to provide a highly reliable multidirectional input device that can automatically return the operating body that has been slid and has good operability.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a multidirectional input device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the multidirectional input device, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the multidirectional input device, FIG. 5 is a side view of the multidirectional input device viewed from a different angle from FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the multidirectional input device. 7 is a perspective view of the multi-directional input device as seen from the bottom side with the bottom cover and the substrate removed, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the multi-directional input device as seen from the top side, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the multi-directional input device as viewed from the top surface side, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the multi-directional input device as viewed from the top surface side. FIG. 12A to FIG. 12C are explanatory views showing a method for forming the annular coil spring, showing the annular coil spring of the direction input device.FIGS. 13 to 18 are explanatory views of the operation of the multidirectional input device. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the positions of the operating body and the annular coil spring when not operated, and FIG. 14 is the same state as FIG. 15 is a bottom view showing the position of each slider, FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the positions of the operating body and the annular coil spring when sliding is performed along one side of the housing, and FIG. 16 is a diagram of each slider in the same state as FIG. FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the positions of the operating body and the annular coil spring when the casing is slid in the diagonal direction, and FIG. 18 is a bottom view showing the position of each slider in the same state as FIG. FIG. 19 and 20 are explanatory views showing a method of assembling the multidirectional input device. FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a state in which the annular coil spring is temporarily held by an assembly jig. FIG. It is sectional drawing of the multidirectional input device of the assembly process shown in FIG.

  The multi-directional input device shown in these figures includes an insulating upper case 11 and lower case 12 that are components of the housing 10, and a protrusion 13b and a drive at the center of both sides of the disk-shaped large-diameter portion 13a. An operating body 13 formed by projecting a portion 13c, an annular coil spring 14 incorporated in a position surrounding the large-diameter portion 13a in the upper case 11, and a sliding movement in a direction perpendicular to each other in the lower case 12 The first slider 15 and the second slider 16, the first slider 17 held by the first slider 15, the second slider 18 held by the second slider 16, and these The first and second sliders 17 and 18 are mainly composed of a substrate 19 provided with first and second conductive patterns 25 and 26 with which the first and second sliders 17 and 18 come into sliding contact, respectively, and a sheet metal bottom cover 20.

  The housing 10 of the multidirectional input device is configured by combining and integrating an upper case 11, a lower case 12, and a bottom cover 20. The top plate portion of the upper case 11 corresponds to the top plate portion 10a of the housing 10, and a large circular external opening 10b through which the protruding portion 13b of the operation body 13 is slidably inserted is inserted into the top plate portion 10a. Are opened, and four small jig insertion holes 10c are formed at substantially equal intervals on the same circumference around the opening 10b. These jig insertion holes 10c are for inserting a pin-shaped assembly jig 30 described later at the time of assembly. The top plate portion of the lower case 12 corresponds to the partition wall 10d of the housing 10, and a large circular communication opening 10e through which the drive unit 13c of the operating body 13 is slidably inserted is opened in the partition wall 10d. ing.

  The internal space of the housing 10 is partitioned into an upper first cavity portion 21 and a lower second cavity portion 22 through a partition wall 10d. In the first cavity 21 defined by the upper case 11 and the partition wall 10d, the large-diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13 and the annular coil spring 14 are arranged, and the upper case 11 and the bottom cover 20 are arranged. The drive unit 13c of the operating body 13, the first and second sliders 15 and 16, and the like are arranged in the second cavity portion 22 defined by the substrate 19 placed on the substrate. Further, the outer wall of the large-diameter portion 13a at the time of non-operation (initial position) shown in FIG. 2 is formed on the inner wall (top plate portion 10a) on the ceiling side and the inner wall (partition wall 10d) on the floor surface side of the first cavity portion 21. Ring-shaped jetty portions 10f and 10g are formed at positions facing the portion. The four jig insertion holes 10c described above are arranged so as to surround the jetty portions 10f and 10g in a plan view.

  Further, connecting pins 11a are projected downward at the four corners of the bottom surface of the upper case 11, and the connecting holes 12a, 19a, 20a are formed at the four corners of the lower case 12, the substrate 19, and the bottom cover 20, respectively. ing. Each connecting pin 11a is inserted into the corresponding connecting hole 12a, 19a, 20a and fixed to the bottom surface of the bottom cover 20 by heat welding or the like, and the caulking pieces 20b erected at the four corners of the bottom cover 20 are The upper case 11, the lower case 12, the substrate 19, and the bottom cover 20 are integrated by caulking at the four corners of the top surface of the case 11. For the sake of compactness, the upper case 11, the lower case 12, the substrate 19, and the bottom cover 20 are all formed in a substantially square shape in plan view. However, in this embodiment, an incorrect orientation is obtained when these are integrated. In order not to be assembled to each other, the shape and size of the connecting pin 11a and the corresponding connecting holes 12a, 19a, and 20a are different depending on the location so that the mounting direction is uniquely defined. .

  The operating body 13 is held by the housing 10 so as to be slidable in multiple directions within the plane, and the projection 13b extends upward through the external opening 10b. An operation knob (not shown) is fixed to the upper end of the protrusion 13b, and an operating force is applied to the protrusion 13a via the operation knob. The large diameter portion 13 a of the operating body 13 is disposed in the first cavity portion 21. The large diameter portion 13a is formed in a disk shape larger in diameter than the external opening 10b and the communication opening 10e. At least at the initial position of the operating body 13, the external opening 10b and the communication opening 10e are closed by the large diameter portion 13a. It has come to be. It should be noted that the external opening 10b can also be configured to be always closed by the operation knob. The drive portion 13c of the operating body 13 extends through the communication opening 10e and extends to the second cavity portion 22, and the first and second sliders 15 and 16 are driven by the drive portion 13c. Yes.

  The annular coil spring 14 is formed in an annular shape by connecting both end portions 23a and 23b of a linear coil spring 23 having a predetermined length as shown in FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12B, one end 23a of the coil spring 23 and the other end 23b having a smaller coil diameter than the one end 23a are opposed to each other, and the other end 23b is By inserting the screw into the one end 23a, both ends 23a and 23b can be easily and reliably locked as shown in FIG. 12 (c). An annular coil spring 14 is obtained. The coil diameter (outer diameter) of the other end portion 23b of the linear coil spring 23 is set to be larger than the inner diameter of the one end portion 23a and smaller than the coil diameter (outer diameter) of the one end portion 23a. Yes. Further, since the linear coil spring 23 is formed to have a substantially constant coil diameter except for the other end portion 23b, the annular coil spring 14 formed by connecting the both end portions 23a and 23b is coiled over the entire circumference. The diameter is almost constant. Therefore, it is not necessary to position the annular coil spring 14 in the circumferential direction during assembly.

  The annular coil spring 14 is disposed in the first cavity 21 in the housing 10 and is wound around the large-diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13 in a resilient contact state. The diameter portion 13a pushes and extends (elastically deforms) the annular coil spring 14 positioned in the sliding direction. Therefore, after the sliding operation, the large-diameter portion 13a can be automatically returned to the initial position by the restoring force of the annular coil spring 14. However, since the jetty portions 10f and 10g provided on the upper and lower inner walls of the first cavity portion 21 are in contact with the inner peripheral portion of the annular coil spring 14 and are regulated in position, the annular coil spring 14 is provided with the jetty portion 10f, It does not move radially inward from 10 g.

  The first slider 15 and the second slider 16 are disposed in the second cavity 22 in the housing 10, and the first slider 17 is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface of each slider 15, 16. The second slider 18 is fixed. The first slider 15 is formed with a linear engagement hole 15a that is inserted through and engaged with the drive portion 13c of the operating body 13, and the first slider 15 is formed along the short direction of the engagement hole 15a. The slider 15 is movable. Similarly, the second slider 16 is formed with a linear engagement hole 16a that is inserted through and engaged with the drive portion 13c, and the second slider is formed along the short direction of the engagement hole 16a. 16 is movable. That is, by inserting and engaging the driving portion 13c at a position where the engaging hole 15a and the engaging hole 16a extending in directions orthogonal to each other intersect, the sliders 15 and 16 are moved along with the sliding movement of the driving portion 13c. Each slides in a direction orthogonal to each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a guide wall 12 b that guides the sliding movement of the first and second sliders 15 and 16 protrudes in a frame shape on the bottom surface of the lower case 12.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the first slider 17 is slidable on the top surface side of the substrate 19 along the short direction of the engagement hole 15 a (longitudinal direction of the engagement hole 16 a). A first conductive pattern 25 made of a resistor and a conductor, and a resistance that allows the second slider 18 to slide along the short direction of the engagement hole 16a (longitudinal direction of the engagement hole 15a). And a second conductive pattern 26 made of a conductor and a conductor. In addition, a plurality of terminals 24 for connecting the first and second conductive patterns 25 and 26 to an external circuit (not shown) are disposed on one end of the substrate 19.

  When the annular coil spring 14 is directly wound around the large-diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13 when assembling the multi-directional input device configured as described above, the assembly work becomes complicated and the annular coil spring 14 is deformed or lost. Accidents are more likely to occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, a pin-shaped assembly jig 30 is inserted into the jig insertion hole 10 c of the housing 10 during assembly, and the assembly jig 30 is annular. An assembly method is adopted in which the operating body 13, the lower case 12, and the like are sequentially incorporated into the upper case 11 while the coil spring 14 is wound and temporarily held. By doing so, the large-diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13 can be accommodated in the first cavity portion 21 without being obstructed by the annular coil spring 14, and then the assembly jig 30 is inserted into the jig insertion hole 10c. If it is extracted from, the annular coil spring 14 is wound around the large-diameter portion 13a by its own elasticity. Therefore, the work of assembling the annular coil spring 14 and the operating body 13 can be performed smoothly, and a multidirectional input device with good assemblability can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment example, since the four jig insertion holes 10c are provided in the casing 10 so as to surround the jetty portions 10f and 10g at substantially equal intervals, each jig insertion hole is provided. Even if 10c is relatively close to the jetty portions 10f and 10g, the annular coil spring 14 is wound around the assembly jig 30 inserted through these jig insertion holes 10c, as shown in FIG. The annular coil spring 14 can be temporarily held at a position where it does not interfere with the large diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13. Therefore, there is no concern that the miniaturization of the multidirectional input device is hindered by improving the assemblability.

  Next, the operation of the multidirectional input device according to the present embodiment will be described mainly based on FIGS. This multi-directional input device is such that the operating body 13 is planarly operated in an arbitrary direction via an operating knob (not shown), but the annular coil spring 14 is not operated when no operating force is applied. 2, 13, and 14, the protrusion 13 b and the driving portion 13 c of the operating body 13 are located at the center of the external opening 10 b and the center of the communication opening 10 e, respectively, as shown in FIGS. positioned. At this time, since the drive portion 13c is engaged with the central portions of the engagement holes 15a and 16a, both the first and second sliders 15 and 16 are held in the neutral position.

  In the state shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, when the operating body 13 is slid along the longitudinal direction of the engaging hole 15a via the operating knob, no operating force acts on the first slider 15, but the second Since the slider 16 is driven by the drive unit 13c, the slider 16 slides in the operation direction, and shifts to the state shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, for example. In this case, the contact position of the first slider 17 with respect to the first conductive pattern 25 does not change, but the contact position of the second slider 18 with respect to the second conductive pattern 26 changes. Moreover, since the large diameter part 13a integral with the protrusion part 13b and the drive part 13c slides, as shown in FIG. 15, the annular coil spring 14 is extended on the side where the large diameter part 13a moves.

  Similarly, when the operating body 13 is slid along the longitudinal direction of the engagement hole 16a in the state shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, no operating force acts on the second slider 16, and therefore the second Although the contact position of the second slider 18 with respect to the conductive pattern 26 does not change, the first slider 15 is driven by the drive unit 13c and thus slides in the operating direction, so that the first slider 15 is in contact with the first conductive pattern 25. The contact position of the slider 17 changes. Although not shown, in this case, the annular coil spring 14 extends in the left-right direction in FIG.

  In the state shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, when the operating body 13 is slid in the diagonal direction of the housing 10 via the operation knob, the first and second operations are performed according to the operating direction and the sliding amount. The sliders 15 and 16 slide and move in a direction orthogonal to each other by a predetermined amount, for example, shift to a state as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, and the annular coil spring 14 extends on the side where the large diameter portion 13a moves. Therefore, a detection signal according to the contact position of the first slider 17 with respect to the first conductive pattern 25 and a detection signal according to the contact position of the second slider 18 with respect to the second conductive pattern 26 are obtained. The sliding direction and the sliding amount of the operating body 13 can be detected by outputting to the external circuit via the terminal 24 and performing arithmetic processing by a control unit (not shown).

  When the operating force is removed after the operating body 13 is slid in this manner, the annular coil spring 14 that has been pushed into the large-diameter portion 13a and extended tends to return to its original shape by its own elasticity. The large-diameter portion 13a is pushed back by the restoring force of the annular coil spring 14, and the operating body 13 is automatically returned to the initial position shown in FIGS.

  As described above, in the multidirectional input device according to the present embodiment, when the operating body 13 is slid, the annular coil spring 14 that is in elastic contact with the outer peripheral surface of the disk-shaped large-diameter portion 13a over the entire circumference is provided. Since it is pushed into the large diameter portion 13a and extends in the sliding direction, the annular coil spring 14 can be extended without difficulty even if the operating body 13 is largely slid. Moreover, since the position of the inner peripheral portion of the annular coil spring 14 is regulated by the annular jetty portions 10f and 10g formed to protrude from the inner wall of the first cavity portion 21, the annular coil spring 14 is equivalent over the entire circumference. The position can be restricted under the conditions. Therefore, a wide area (operation area) where the operating body 13 can be operated by sliding can be taken widely, and there is almost no variation in operating force even if the sliding direction is different. Further, when the operating force is removed, the large diameter portion 13a is pushed back by the restoring force of the annular coil spring 14 that has been extended, so that the operating body 13 can be automatically returned to the initial position. Therefore, the operability of this multidirectional input device is very good.

  Further, the annular coil spring 14 used in this multi-directional input device can be easily formed by simply locking both end portions 23a and 23b of the coil spring 23 having a predetermined length, so that the component cost can be suppressed. . In addition, since the annular coil spring 14 is only elastically deformed to temporarily increase or decrease its inner diameter, it is difficult to cause plastic deformation even if the sliding operation is repeated, so that it is possible to maintain good operability over a long period of time. .

  Further, in this multidirectional input device, the outer opening 10b and the communication opening 10e of the housing 10 are closed at least at the initial position of the operating body 13 by the disk-shaped large-diameter portion 13a. There is little risk of foreign matter entering the first cavity portion 21 and the second cavity portion 22 through these openings 10b and 10e. Therefore, malfunctions of the annular coil spring 14 and the sliders 15 and 16 due to the intrusion of foreign matter are unlikely to occur, and foreign matter adheres to the sliders 17 and 18 and the conductive patterns 25 and 26, resulting in detection failure. Risk is reduced and reliability is increased.

  The multidirectional input device also includes a first cavity 21 that houses the annular coil spring 14 and a second means that houses detection means such as the sliders 17 and 18 and the conductive patterns 25 and 26. Since the cavity 22 is partitioned by the partition wall 10d, there is no possibility that the annular elastic member (annular coil spring) 14 adversely affects the detection operation of the detection means.

  Further, when assembling the multidirectional input device, the annular coil spring 14 is wound around the assembly jig 30 inserted through the jig insertion hole 10c of the housing 10 so that the operation body 13 incorporated thereafter is assembled. Since the annular coil spring 14 can be temporarily held at a position where it does not interfere with the large-diameter portion 13a, there is no fear that the assembly performance is impaired by the annular coil spring 14.

  In the above embodiment, the first cavity portion 21 is the casing 10 that protrudes from the external opening 10b. However, the arrangement of the first and second cavities is reversed, and the detection means The stored second cavity portion 22 may protrude from the external opening 10b. In this case, it is only necessary to integrally provide only the protrusion 13b extending from the large diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13 accommodated in the first cavity to the external opening through the communication opening, and the second cavity. The portion of the protruding portion 13b located in the portion functions as a driving portion that drives the pair of sliders 15 and 16.

  Further, it is possible to restrict the position of the inner peripheral portion of the annular coil spring 14 by only one of the jetty portions 10f and 10g. Furthermore, in addition to the detection method in which the sliders 17 and 18 are slid on the conductive patterns 25 and 26, a light detection method using a light receiving and emitting element, a magnetic detection method, a capacitance detection method, and the like are adopted. Is also possible.

  Further, instead of the annular coil spring, an annular rubber member, an elastomer, or the like may be used as the return means, and a non-annular wire spring or the like may be used, but the return is performed as in the above embodiment. When an annular coil spring is used as the means, it is difficult to deteriorate over a long period of time, and it is difficult to cause plastic deformation even if the slide operation is repeated.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a multidirectional input device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of this multidirectional input device. It is a top view of this multidirectional input device. It is a side view of this multidirectional input device. It is the side view which looked at this multidirectional input device from the angle different from FIG. It is a bottom view of the multidirectional input device. It is the perspective view which removed the bottom part cover and the board | substrate and saw this multidirectional input device from the bottom face side. It is the perspective view which looked at this multidirectional input device from the top side. It is the perspective view which removed the upper case and the bottom cover and looked at the multidirectional input device from the top side. It is the perspective view which looked at a pair of slider and board | substrate of this multidirectional input device from the top | upper surface side. It is a top view which shows the annular coil spring of this multidirectional input device. It is explanatory drawing which shows the formation method of this annular coil spring. It is a top view which shows the position of the operation body and annular coil spring at the time of non-operation. It is a bottom view which shows the position of each slider in the same state as FIG. It is a top view which shows the position of the operation body and cyclic | annular coil spring when it slides along one side of a housing | casing. It is a bottom view which shows the position of each slider in the same state as FIG. It is a top view which shows the position of the operation body and cyclic | annular coil spring when sliding operation is carried out to the diagonal direction of a housing | casing. It is a bottom view which shows the position of each slider in the same state as FIG. It is a top view which shows the state which hold | maintains the annular coil spring temporarily with an assembly jig. It is sectional drawing of the multidirectional input device of the assembly process shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the multidirectional input device which concerns on a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Case 10a Top plate part 10b External opening 10c Jig insertion hole 10d Bulkhead 10e Communication opening 10f, 10g Jetty part (positioning means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Upper case 12 Lower case 12b Guide wall 13 Operation body 13a Large diameter part 13b Protrusion part (operation force provision part)
13c Drive unit 14 Annular coil spring 15 First slider 16 Second slider 17 First slider (detecting means)
18 Second slider (detection means)
19 Substrate 20 Bottom Cover 21 First Cavity 22 Second Cavity 23 Coil Spring 23a, 23b End 24 Terminal 25 First Conductive Pattern (Detection Means)
26 Second conductive pattern (detection means)
30 Assembly jig

Claims (9)

A first cavity part and a second cavity part partitioned by a partition wall in which a communication opening is formed, and one of the first cavity part and the second cavity part is exposed to the external opening; A housing with
An operating body that is provided with a large-diameter portion disposed in the first cavity portion and an operating force applying portion that is exposed to the external opening, and is held so as to be slidable in multiple directions;
A first slider and a second slider which are driven in accordance with a sliding operation of the operating body and slide in a direction perpendicular to each other in the second cavity, and the sliding of the operating body is performed via the sliders; Detection means for detecting the direction and the slide amount;
An elastic return member incorporated around the large-diameter portion in the first cavity and automatically returning the large-diameter portion to an initial position;
Positioning means for engaging the elastic return member and defining its return position;
The multi-directional input device is configured such that the large-diameter portion pushes the elastic return member to be elastically deformed when the operating body is slid.   2. The annular elastic member according to claim 1, wherein the elastic return member is incorporated in a position surrounding the large-diameter portion, and an inner peripheral portion of the annular elastic member is in contact with the positioning means and is regulated. A multi-directional input device, wherein the large-diameter portion is configured to push and extend the annular elastic member positioned in the sliding direction when the operating body is slid.   The multidirectional input device according to claim 2, wherein an outer shape of the large-diameter portion is circular in a plan view.   4. The multidirectional input device according to claim 2, wherein the annular elastic member is an annular coil spring.   5. The first slider according to claim 1, wherein a first slider is provided on one of the first slider and its opposing surface, and the slider is in sliding contact with the other. A conductive pattern is provided, and a second slider is provided on one of the second slider and its opposing surface, and a second conductive pattern is provided on the other side where the slider is in sliding contact. A featured multi-directional input device.   The large-diameter portion according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the large-diameter portion is formed in a plate shape, and at least one of the external opening and the communication opening is closed at the initial position by the large-diameter portion. A multi-directional input device characterized in that it is configured as described above.   7. The multidirectional input device according to claim 1, wherein the positioning unit includes a jetty portion protruding from an inner wall of the first cavity portion.   The multidirectional input device according to claim 7, wherein the jetty portion is formed in an annular shape. 9. The guide wall according to claim 1, wherein a guide wall for guiding the sliding movement of the first and second sliders is provided on the inner wall of the second cavity portion. Multi-directional input device.

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