JP2006073249A - Portable apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress the projection of a stick part while high operability to all the directions of 360 degrees is maintained as it is and to mount a stick-type pointing device. <P>SOLUTION: A portable apparatus includes a housing 1 having an operation side 1a to a front surface, a printed circuit board 2 fixed to the operation side 1a side in the housing 1, and a pointing device 5 having a stick part 3 and a body part 4 which supports the stick part 3 inclinable and detects the inclining direction and the inclining angle of the stick part 3 as electric signals. The body part 4 is fixed to the opposite side to the operation side 1a in the housing 1. The tip of the stick part 3 is arranged to the front surface side of the housing 1 through a base plate through hole 2a and a housing through hole 6a which are formed in the printed circuit board 2 and the housing 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable device equipped with a pointing device capable of operation in all directions of 360 degrees and suitable for a mobile phone or the like.

  In general, many small portable devices such as portable information terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs, notebook personal computers, portable game consoles, navigation devices such as car navigation systems, digital cameras, and digital videos are equipped with device operations (multi-directional A pointing device for performing switch operation, two-dimensional coordinate position input, and the like) is mounted. As typical pointing devices, for example, stick-type pointing devices such as a four-way switch, a mouse, a trackball, a touch panel, and a joystick are particularly widely known.

Among small portable devices, in particular, mobile phones, as a pointing device to be mounted, for example, a four-way switch described in Patent Document 1 has become mainstream.
In addition, in desktop personal computers, a mouse with good operability is generally adopted. However, in notebook personal computers, the mouse is not suitable because of its portability, and a capacitive touch pad or the like is adopted. ing.

  In recent years, hall element type pointing devices capable of 360-degree omnidirectional operation have been adopted in some models as mobile phone pointing devices (for example, installed in NEC mobile phone N900i). Asahi Kasei Electronics hall sensor HQ-8220 pointing device). This hall element type pointing device allows an operation unit operated by a finger to be slidable with respect to the operation surface, and the movement direction and amount of movement of a magnet as a detection unit attached to the back of the operation unit It is detected by a Hall element located inside and in the vicinity of the magnet, and a two-dimensional pointing operation is performed.

JP 2000-224280 A (page 3, FIG. 7)

The following problems remain in the conventional technology.
That is, in recent years, multi-functions such as navigation, Internet connection, games, and mail have been advanced in small portable devices typified by mobile phones. Conventionally, the mainstream four-way switches are used for navigation and game operations. This is unsuitable because it cannot cope with complicated finger movements in the 360-degree direction when performing the operation, and sufficient operability cannot be obtained.
Further, as another pointing device, the touch pad needs a wide operation surface, and is not suitable for a mobile phone or the like having a small surface area. In addition, since the stick-type pointing device requires an operation stroke in order to obtain an operation force and an operation feeling, it is necessary to dispose the operation unit and the detection unit in a state where they are separated from each other by a predetermined distance. For this reason, a sufficient space is required in the mounting area, which is not suitable for a mobile phone that requires a reduction in size. In particular, the folding mobile phone is difficult to mount because the stick part hits the liquid crystal screen when folded in size.
For this reason, many mobile phone manufacturers and the like are increasing the demand for an input device having excellent operability in all directions of 360 degrees. However, the Hall element type 360-degree pointing device described above does not have a stroke feeling like a stick-type pointing device to operate by sliding the operation unit, and is inferior in operability and operation feeling compared to the stick-type. was there. For this reason, in actuality, it has to be mounted simultaneously with the four-way switch.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable device on which a stick-type pointing device is mounted while suppressing protrusion of the stick portion while maintaining high operability in all 360 degrees. And

  The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the above problems. That is, the portable device of the present invention includes a housing having an operation surface on the surface, a circuit board fixed to the operation surface side in the housing, an operation shaft portion and the operation shaft portion so that the operation shaft portion can be tilted and the operation shaft. A pointing device having a main body that detects an inclination direction and an inclination angle of the unit as an electrical signal, the main body is fixed to the side opposite to the operation surface in the housing, and the tip of the operation shaft is the circuit board And it is distribute | arranged to the operation surface of the housing | casing through the through-hole formed in the housing | casing.

  In this portable device, the main body is fixed to the opposite side of the operation surface in the housing, and the tip of the operation shaft portion is arranged on the operation surface of the housing through a through hole formed in the circuit board and the housing. Therefore, compared to mounting a pointing device on the circuit board, the stability and accuracy of the operation can be improved, and the protrusion of the operating shaft can be suppressed while maintaining the operability. Space can be increased.

Further, in the portable device of the present invention, the casing is composed of the upper casing on the operation surface side and the lower casing opposite to the operation surface, the circuit board is fixed to the upper casing, and the main body portion is It is fixed to the lower housing.
That is, in this portable device, since the circuit board is fixed to the upper casing and the main body is fixed to the lower casing, the operation shaft portion is provided between the lower casing and the upper casing even in a thin casing. The stroke can be secured.

  Further, the portable device of the present invention includes an elastic cap member disposed so as to cover the tip of the operation shaft portion, and the elastic cap member is attached with its edge portion sandwiched between the housing and the circuit board. It is characterized by. That is, in this portable device, since the elastic cap member is attached with its edge sandwiched between the housing and the circuit board, the tip of the operation shaft is protected, and the tip of the operation shaft and the housing By eliminating the gap, it is possible to make it dustproof and waterproof.

  In the portable device of the present invention, the pointing device has a movable electrode plate fixed to the proximal end of the operation shaft portion, and a fixed electrode plate provided on the main body portion so as to face the movable electrode plate, and is movable. It is a capacitance-type pointing device that detects a change in capacitance between the electrode plate and the fixed electrode plate. That is, in this portable device, by using a capacitive pointing device, it is possible to perform highly accurate operation in all directions of 360 degrees.

    The portable device of the present invention is characterized in that the movable range is limited by the movable electrode plate coming into contact with the circuit board. That is, in this portable device, the circuit board is diverted so that the circuit board has a function of restricting the movable electrode plate, and the moving range of the movable electrode plate (that is, the inclination range of the operation shaft portion) is limited to a constant by the circuit board. Thus, a space can be secured as compared with the case where a regulating member is separately provided in the main body, and the movement range of the movable electrode plate and the inclination range of the operation shaft portion are increased, thereby further improving the operational feeling. Thus, the maximum operability (the amount of movement of the operation shaft portion) can be ensured in a limited space.

The present invention has the following effects.
That is, according to the portable device according to the present invention, the main body is fixed to the side opposite to the operation surface in the housing, and the tip of the operation shaft portion is connected to the circuit board and the through hole formed in the housing. Since it is arranged on the operation surface, the protrusion of the operation shaft portion can be suppressed while maintaining the operability, and the mounting area of the circuit board can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to gain a feeling of operation stroke even in a thin portable device, and it is possible to obtain a good feeling of operation with a sufficient amount of movement. As a result, it is possible to mount a stick-type pointing device that can support 360 degrees in all directions even in a small portable device such as a mobile phone that has been difficult to mount due to a size problem.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a portable device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

  In the portable device of the present embodiment, a display unit equipped with a liquid crystal screen (not shown) and an operation unit equipped with an operation button (not shown) or a pointing device are connected by a hinge, and the display unit and the operation unit are connected from the hinge part. Is a mobile phone that can be folded to face each other. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the operation unit of the mobile phone, and includes a housing (housing) 1 having an operation surface 1a on the surface, and a printed circuit board (circuit board) 2 fixed on the operation surface 1a side in the housing 1. And a pointing device 5 having a main body portion 4 that supports the stick portion (operation shaft portion) 3 and the stick portion 3 so as to be tiltable and detects an inclination direction and an inclination angle of the stick portion 3 as an electric signal. .

  The housing 1 includes an upper housing (upper housing) 6 having an operation surface 1a facing the liquid crystal screen when folded, and a lower housing (lower housing) 9 in which a battery 7 is housed in a battery housing portion 8. It consists of The battery storage unit 8 is closed by the lid member 10 in a state where the battery 7 is stored. The battery 7 is electrically connected to a circuit (not shown) on the printed circuit board 2 and the main body 4 of the pointing device 5 to supply power.

  The upper housing 6 is formed with a housing through hole 6a through which the tip of the stick portion 3 is inserted. The printed circuit board 2 is formed with a substrate through hole 2a having the same axis as the housing through hole 6a through which the stick portion 3 is inserted. That is, the tip of the stick portion 3 is disposed on the operation surface 1a of the upper housing 6 through the housing through hole 6a and the substrate through hole 2a. Both the housing through hole 6a and the substrate through hole 2a have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the stick part 3 so that the stick part 3 can be inclined at a predetermined angle required for operation.

The main body portion 4 of the pointing device 5 is bonded and fixed to a holding portion 31 formed on the partition wall of the battery housing portion 8 of the lower housing 9. The holding portion 31 is formed as a surface substantially parallel to the operation surface 1a, and is provided at a rigid portion to receive an external force when the stick portion 3 is operated. The main body 4 and the circuit of the printed circuit board 2 are electrically connected via a flexible substrate 11.
A rubber cap (elastic cap member) 12 that covers the tip of the stick portion 3 is disposed in the housing through hole 6a. The rubber cap 12 includes a support hard portion 12b having a recess 12a formed at the bottom of the center portion, and the tip of the stick portion 3 is fitted and supported in the recess 12a. The rubber cap 12 is attached with its edge portion sandwiched between the upper housing 6 and the printed circuit board 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pointing device 5 includes a movable electrode plate 13 fixed to the proximal end of the stick portion 3 and a fixed electrode plate 14 provided to face the movable electrode plate 13. This is a capacitance-type pointing device that detects a change in capacitance between the electrode plate 13 and the fixed electrode plate 14.
The movable electrode plate 13 includes a resin key top portion 15 fixed to the base end of the stick portion 3 and a conductive silicon rubber portion 16 bonded and fixed to the lower surface of the key top portion 15. The key top portion 15 and the conductive silicon rubber portion 16 are formed in a substantially disc shape with the base end of the stick portion 3 as the center. The outer diameter of the conductive silicone rubber portion 16 is set larger than that of the key top portion 15.

The fixed electrode plate 14 is a printed circuit board having electrode films 14 a and 14 b facing the conductive silicon rubber portion 16 on the surface. The electrode film 14a is arranged in four directions with the stick portion 3 as the center. By arranging the electrode film 14a in four directions in this way, the change in capacitance corresponding to the inclination direction and the inclination angle (distance between the conductive silicon rubber part 16 and the electrode film 14a) of the stick part 3 can be obtained. And can be detected separately in the Y direction component. Each electrode film 14a has a predetermined potential, and an insulating film (not shown) is provided on the surface of the electrode film 14a so that the electrode film 14a is not in direct contact with the conductive silicon rubber portion 16 and short-circuited. On the other hand, the electrode film 14b is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the electrode film 14a with the stick portion 3 as a center. The electrode film 14b is connected to the ground, and abuts against a convex portion 16b provided on the conductive silicon rubber portion 16 described later, thereby connecting the conductive silicon rubber portion 16 to the ground during operation.
The conductive silicon rubber portion 16 is formed with support convex portions 16a projecting downward from the outer edge portion and the radial intermediate portion so as to avoid directly above the electrode film 14a, and these support convex portions 16a are fixed electrode plates. 14, the conductive silicon rubber portion 16 and the electrode film 14a are set so as to be separated from each other by a predetermined distance when not operated. Further, a convex portion 16b that protrudes downward is formed between the support convex portions 16a and immediately above the electrode film 14b. The protruding length of the convex portion 16b is set smaller than that of the supporting convex portion 16a, and is separated from the electrode film 14b when not operated, and abuts on the electrode film 14b when operated.

The fixed electrode plate 14 and the movable electrode plate 13 are supported by a metal case member 17 at the outer edge portion, and the inclination range of the movable electrode plate 13 is regulated by the case member 17. That is, the outer edge portion of the key top portion 15 inclined by the operation of the stick portion 3 is set so as not to be inclined more than a predetermined angle by contacting the inner side of the upper plate portion 17a of the case member 17.
On the fixed electrode plate 14, a click dome 18, which is an ultrathin plate spring switch, is fixed immediately below the stick portion 3. That is, when the stick part 3 is pushed vertically, the click dome 18 is pushed through the deformed conductive silicone rubber part 16, the switch is turned on, and a signal such as a decision operation is transmitted.
As shown in FIG. 3, the pointing device 5 is provided with a CV conversion IC 19 as a signal processing circuit. In the CV conversion IC 19, the capacitance value is converted into a voltage value and output. The

  Next, a method for operating the portable device will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, when the tip of the stick portion 3 is pushed through the rubber cap 12 in a direction in which the tip of the stick portion 3 is desired to be operated (for example, the right direction in FIG. 4), the stick portion 3 tilts with the base end as a fulcrum. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, as the stick portion 3 is tilted, a force is applied through the key top portion 15 in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and the conductive silicon rubber portion 16 is deformed. Thereby, according to the inclination direction and the inclination angle, first, the convex part 16a of the conductive silicon rubber part 16 and the electrode film 14b are in contact with each other, the conductive silicon rubber part 16 is grounded, and the conductive silicon rubber part in four directions. The distance between the electrodes 16 and the electrode film 14a of the fixed electrode plate 14 changes, and the capacitance changes. The change in capacitance is divided into an X-direction component and a Y-direction component, converted into a voltage value by the CV conversion IC 19, and the signal is output in two axes, thereby detecting the tilt direction and tilt angle of the stick unit 3. be able to.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the printed board 2 is fixed to the upper housing 6, the main body 4 is fixed to the lower housing 9, and the tip of the stick portion 3 is formed on the printed board 2 and the housing 1. Since it is arranged on the operation surface 1a of the housing 1 through the through-hole 2a and the housing through-hole 6a, the force applied to the stick portion 3 during operation is greater than when the pointing device 5 is mounted on the printed circuit board 2. The main body 4 does not move and the stroke of the stick portion 3 can be secured between the upper housing 6 and the lower housing 9 even in the thin housing 1. Accordingly, the stick 3 can be prevented from protruding while maintaining operability.

Further, since the rubber cap 12 is attached with its edge sandwiched between the upper housing 6 and the printed circuit board 2, the tip of the stick portion 3 is protected, and the tip of the stick portion 3 and the upper housing 6 are By eliminating the gap, dust and water resistance can be achieved.
Furthermore, by adopting the capacitive pointing device 5, it is possible to perform highly accurate operation in all directions of 360 degrees, and it is possible to cope with complicated movements of the fingertips that were difficult with the conventional switch system. . In other words, since the XY output component corresponding to the magnitude of the output by the finger pressing force and 360 degrees in all directions can be taken out as an analog output, complicated and delicate control by the fingertip becomes possible. Thereby, it is possible to easily and comfortably operate complicated contents without stress on the mobile phone.

  Next, 2nd Embodiment and 3rd Embodiment of the portable apparatus which concerns on this invention are described, referring FIG.5 and FIG.6. In the following description, the same constituent elements described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that, in the first embodiment, the key top portion 15 is in contact with the case member 17 so that the tilt range of the stick portion 3 is restricted. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the tilt range of the stick portion 3 is restricted by the key top portion 15 coming into contact with the printed circuit board 2.
That is, in the second embodiment, when the upper plate portion 27a of the case member 27 does not reach the key top portion 15 and the outer edge portion of the key top portion 15 is lifted upward by the inclination of the stick portion 3, the key The top portion 15 contacts the inner side of the printed circuit board 2 without contacting the upper plate portion 27a.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the printed circuit board 2 is used to give the printed circuit board 2 a function of restricting the movable electrode plate 13, and the movable range of the movable electrode plate 13 on the printed circuit board 2 (that is, the inclination range of the stick portion 3). By restricting to a certain value, a space can be secured as compared with the case where the upper plate portion 27a of the case member 27 restricts, the inclination range of the stick portion 3 is increased, and the operational feeling can be further improved. Thus, the maximum operability of the stick part 3 can be ensured in a limited space. In addition, the pointing device 5 can be disposed in close contact with the printed circuit board 2, and the space for placement can be further reduced.
Note that the outer edge of the key top portion 15 does not contact the inside of the printed circuit board 2, but the central convex portion of the key top portion 15 contacts the inner peripheral edge of the substrate through hole 2 a at a predetermined inclination angle of the stick portion 3. The same effect can be obtained even if the movement range is restricted in contact.

The difference between the third embodiment and the first embodiment is that, in the first embodiment, no mounting component is mounted in the vicinity of the pointing device 5 on the printed circuit board 2, whereas in the third embodiment, FIG. As shown, a plurality of mounting components 20 are mounted on the upper and lower surfaces of the printed circuit board 2 near the pointing device 5.
That is, in the third embodiment, since the pointing device 5 is fixed to the lower housing 9 that is separated from the printed circuit board 2, the pointing device 5 and the printed circuit board 2, in particular, are arranged between the lower housing 9 and the printed circuit board 2. It is possible to secure a mounting space between the two, and it is possible to mount a large number of mounting components 20 by increasing the mounting area on the printed circuit board 2.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in each of the above embodiments, the pointing device 5 includes the CV conversion IC 19, but the CV conversion IC 19 may be separately mounted on the printed board 2. Further, in each of the above embodiments, the pointing device 5 is arranged on the partition wall in the battery housing portion 8 of the lower housing 9, but if the main body portion 4 can be firmly fixed against an external force during operation, It may be placed on the wall.
Further, as a pointing device, other methods, for example, a method of detecting the tilt direction and tilt angle of the stick portion based on the resistance change (or voltage change) of the conductive silicon rubber portion may be adopted. In addition, it is possible to perform detection with higher accuracy by adopting the capacitance type.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, although applied to the mobile telephone as a portable apparatus, you may employ | adopt this invention in another portable apparatus. For example, personal digital assistants such as PDAs, notebook personal computers, portable game machines, navigation devices such as car navigation systems, digital cameras, digital videos, portable audio players, small electronic musical instruments, various devices (for example, televisions, etc.) The present invention may be applied to a wired or wireless remote controller of a household electrical appliance).

It is sectional drawing which shows the portable apparatus of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a pointing device in a mobile device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view showing a pointing device in a mobile device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing at the time of making a stick part incline in the portable apparatus of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. In the portable device of 2nd Embodiment which concerns on this invention, it is sectional drawing at the time of making a stick part incline. It is sectional drawing which shows the portable apparatus of 3rd Embodiment which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Housing (housing | casing), 2a ... Board | substrate through-hole, 2 ... Printed circuit board (circuit board), 3 ... Stick part (operation shaft part), 4 ... Main-body part, 5 ... Pointing device, 6 ... Upper housing (upper housing) Body), 6a ... housing through hole, 9 ... lower housing (lower housing), 12 ... rubber cap (elastic cap member), 13 ... movable electrode plate, 14 ... fixed electrode plate, 20 ... mounting component

Claims (5)

A housing having an operation surface on the surface;
A circuit board fixed to the operation surface side in the housing;
A pointing device having an operation shaft portion and a main body portion that supports the operation shaft portion so as to be tiltable and detects an inclination direction and an inclination angle of the operation shaft portion as an electrical signal;
The main body is fixed to the side opposite to the operation surface in the housing, and the tip of the operation shaft portion is connected to the operation surface of the housing via a through hole formed in the circuit board and the housing. A portable device characterized by being arranged in. The housing is composed of an upper housing on the operation surface side and a lower housing opposite to the operation surface,
The circuit board is fixed to the upper housing;
The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the main body is fixed to the lower housing. An elastic cap member arranged to cover the tip of the operation shaft portion;
The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic cap member is attached with an edge thereof sandwiched between the casing and the circuit board.   The pointing device includes a movable electrode plate fixed to a base end of the operation shaft portion, and a fixed electrode plate provided on the main body portion so as to face the movable electrode plate, and the movable electrode plate and the The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the portable device is a capacitance-type pointing device that detects a change in capacitance between the fixed electrode plate and the fixed electrode plate.   The mobile device according to claim 4, wherein the movable electrode plate is in contact with the circuit board and has a limited movement range.

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