JP2008059210A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To configure a compact and thin input device, and to prevent excess force from acting on its connection part to a substrate due to an operation force in detecting the deformation of an operating member by operating an operation part. <P>SOLUTION: In the input device, an operating member 4 is housed in a recess 24 of a lower case 2, and a cover body 3 is fixed. An operating member 4 is formed with fixture parts 42 at four corners, and the fixture part 42 is fixed so as to be held between a bottom face 24a of the recess 24 of the lower case 2 and the cover body 3. The operating member 4 is formed with deformation parts 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d whose thickness dimensions are thinner than that of the fixture part 42 in the peripheral four directions of the operating member 41, and a distortion detection element is mounted on the deformation parts. When the deformation parts are deformed by operating an operation knob 41a, the force is made to act only on the inside of the case so that any excessive force can be prevented from acting on the connection parts of connection terminals 61, 62, 63 and 64 to the substrate or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device including an operation member that is deformed by an operating force applied from the outside, and a detection element that detects the deformation of the operation member.

  In the operation unit of the personal computer, an input device with a stick-like operation unit protruding is mounted together with a keyboard device. In this input device, a deformable portion extending in four directions is provided around a rod-shaped operation portion, and a strain detection element is attached to the deformable portion. When the operation part is tilted with a finger, one of the deformation parts extending in four directions is deformed, the amount of deformation is detected by the strain detection element, and the load applied to the operation part and the direction in which the operation part is tilted Can be output as XY coordinate data.

  The conventional input device has an operation portion, a deformation portion, and a fixing portion, and the fixing portion is fixed to a support plate formed of a sheet metal, and this support plate is a board of a keyboard device in the operation portion of a personal computer. Etc. are fixed. For this reason, the input device itself becomes large, and the support plate has to be individually designed and manufactured so as to correspond to the structure of the keyboard device substrate on which the support plate is mounted.

In input devices described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 below, an operation unit, a deforming unit, and a fixed unit are integrally formed, and a strain detecting element is attached to the deforming unit. And the member in which the operation part, the deformation | transformation part, and the fixing | fixed part were integrally formed can be directly mounted on a board | substrate etc. now.
JP 2001-331270 A JP 2001-331271 A JP 2000-267803 A

  As described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, if the member in which the operation part, the deformation part, and the fixing part are integrally formed can be directly mounted on a substrate or the like, the input device can be reduced in size, and the input device can be reduced. It can be used in common for a plurality of types of keyboard devices.

  However, in any of the input devices described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the fixing portion of the member is directly fixed to the substrate. For this reason, when the operating portion is operated to give strain to the deformed portion, stress also acts on the fixing portion, which may break the fixing structure between the fixing portion and the substrate. In the devices described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, since the fixing portion is simply fixed to a substrate or the like by soldering, the soldered portion is easily broken when the operation portion is operated. Moreover, since the thing of patent document 2 requires the exclusive metal fitting which fixes an input device, the fixing structure which fixes an input device, such as a board | substrate, becomes complicated.

  In each of Patent Documents 1 to 3, since the deformable portion and the fixed portion are integrally formed with the same thickness, the distortion is concentrated on the deformable portion when the operation portion is operated. It is difficult, and the operating force acts directly on the fixed part, and the connecting part between the fixed part and the substrate is easily broken.

  Further, in the conventional input device, the deformed portion is exposed to the outside. Therefore, if an external component or mechanism hits the deformed portion and a force acts on the deformed portion, the detection element may malfunction.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an input device that is small in size, easy to mount, and less likely to cause a mounting portion to be destroyed by operating force.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide an input device in which an external force is unlikely to act on the deformed portion by mistake without exposing the deformed portion to the outside.

The present invention includes a case, an operation member housed in the case, and a detection element that detects deformation of the operation member,
The operation member is formed integrally with an operation portion, a fixed portion, and a deformation portion that can be deformed by an operation force acting on the operation portion, and the detection element is provided in the deformation portion,
The fixing part is fixed in the case, and the operation part and the deforming part are movable in the case.

  In the input device of the present invention, the operating member is held inside the case, and this case is mounted on the substrate of the keyboard device. Therefore, when the operating force acts on the operating portion of the operating member and the deformed portion is distorted, the case is difficult to peel off from the substrate or the like. In addition, by reducing the size of the case, it is easy to configure a small input device. Furthermore, the same input device can be mounted on a plurality of types of substrates in common.

  In the present invention, the case includes a lower case having a recess and a lid that covers the recess, the operation member is inserted into the recess, and the fixing portion of the operation member is A structure that is sandwiched and fixed between the bottom of the recess and the lid is preferable.

  This input device is easy to assemble, and can fix the fixing portion of the operating member firmly in the case.

  In this case, in the present invention, the operation member is provided with the operation portion at a central portion, and the fixing portion is provided at a plurality of locations outside the central portion or around the central portion. It is preferable that the fixing portion is formed thicker than the deformation portion.

  By configuring the deforming portion of the operating member to be thinner than the fixed portion, it is possible to concentrate strain on the deforming portion when an operating force is applied to the operating portion, and to obtain a large detection output from the strain detecting element. . And it can prevent that a big stress is given to a fixing | fixed part by operating force.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the deformation portion of the operation member is sealed inside the case. Since the deforming portion is housed in the case and preferably sealed, it is possible to prevent an external force from acting on the deforming portion by mistake.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that a flexible substrate is attached to the operation member, and the detection element is mounted on a portion of the flexible substrate overlapped with the deformed portion.

  In this structure, the strain detection element can be mounted on the deformed portion only by attaching the flexible substrate to the operating member. In the present invention, the detection element may be directly attached to the deformation portion of the operating member, or the detection element is directly formed on the deformation portion in a printing process or the like. It may be a thing.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that a terminal protruding to the outside is fixed to the case, and the detection element is connected to the terminal.

  By providing the terminal with the case, the input device can be easily mounted on the board of the keyboard device or the like.

  In this case, it is preferable that the tip of the terminal is located on the same plane as the bottom surface of the case. In this structure, when the tip of the terminal is soldered to a land portion or the like on the surface of the substrate, the bottom surface of the case contacts the surface of the substrate. Therefore, the force when the operating portion is operated is received by the contact portion between the case and the substrate, and it is easy to prevent a large stress from acting on the soldering portion between the terminal and the land portion.

  In the present invention, the case is provided with a switch mechanism at a position facing the operation portion in the case, and the operation member is provided with a knob attached to the operation portion so as to be movable forward and backward. The deformation portion can be deformed and the switch mechanism can be operated by pressing the knob.

  Further, according to the present invention, a circuit unit in which a circuit for processing the output of the detection element is mounted may be provided in the case.

  Alternatively, a circuit having an interface for exchanging signals with a host device such as a personal computer may be mounted in the case instead of the circuit unit or together with the circuit unit.

  The input device of the present invention can be configured in a small size and can be mounted in common on a plurality of devices. In addition, when an operating force is applied to the operating unit, a destructive force is unlikely to be applied to the attachment portion of the keyboard device with respect to the substrate. Further, it is possible to prevent an external force from acting on the deformed portion when not being operated.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an input device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the input device 1, and FIG. 3 shows an operation member 4 and a flexible substrate 5 from the back side. FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the input device 1, and FIG. 5 is a half sectional view of the input device 1.

  As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 2, the input device 1 according to the first embodiment includes a lower case 2 and a lid 3 that is an upper case. The case is composed of. An operation member 4 and a flexible substrate 5 are accommodated between the lower case 2 and the lid 3.

  The lower case 2 is made of an electrically insulating synthetic resin material. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the lower case 2 has a lower surface 21 and an upper surface 22 that are flat, and the lower surface 21 and the upper surface 22 are parallel to each other. The first outer surface 2a and the second outer surface 2b are planes parallel to each other, and the third outer surface 2c and the fourth outer surface 2d are planes parallel to each other. The first outer surface 2a and the second outer surface 2b, and the third outer surface 2c and the fourth outer surface 2d are orthogonal to each other. Therefore, the lower case 2 is a thin shape whose planar shape is substantially square and whose height dimension is smaller than the width dimension. A protrusion for positioning the input device 1 may be integrally formed on the lower surface 21 of the lower case 2.

  Projections 23 for fixing the lid 3 are provided at the four corners of the upper surface 22 of the lower case 2. Each protrusion 23 has a cylindrical shape and is integrally formed with the lower case 2 by a synthetic resin.

  The lower case 2 is formed with a bottomed recess 24 that opens to the upper surface 22. In the recess 24, a central region surrounded by the inner side surface 24b, the inner side surface 24c, and the bottom surface 24a facing each other in parallel is a storage region in which the operation member 4 is stored. The recess 24 includes a holding area 25a extending from the storage area toward the first outer surface 2a, and a holding area 25b extending from the storage area toward the second outer surface 2b. ing. The bottom surface 24a is a flat surface that continues from the storage area toward the holding area 25a and the holding area 25b.

  Connection terminals 61, 62, 63, 64 are attached to the lower case 2. The connection terminals 61, 62, 63, 64 are inserted when the lower case 2 is molded.

  The connection terminals 61, 62, 63, 64 are formed of a conductive metal plate. The connection terminals 61 and 62 include connection pieces 61a and 62a exposed in substantially the same plane as the bottom surface 24a of the recess 24 and clamp pieces 61b and 62b bent vertically from the connection pieces 61a and 62a in the holding region 25a. Have. The connection terminals 63 and 64 include connection pieces 63a and 64a that are exposed on the same surface as the bottom surface 24a in the holding region 25b, and clamp pieces 63b and 64b that are bent vertically from the connection pieces 63a and 64a. Yes.

  Further, FG terminals 66 and 66 are inserted into the lower case 2. The FG terminals 66 and 66 are for countermeasures against static electricity, and a part 66 a and 66 a thereof are exposed on the upper surface 22 of the lower case 2.

  The lid 3 is a metal plate, and its shape substantially matches the planar shape of the lower case 2. Fixing holes 31 are formed in the lid 3 at positions corresponding to the protrusions 23 formed at four locations of the lower case 2. An operation hole 32 is opened at the center of the lid 3.

  The operating member 4 is integrally formed of a synthetic resin material. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the operating member 4 has a substantially square planar shape, and has opposing side surfaces 4 a and 4 b and opposing side surfaces 4 c and 4 d. The distance between the side surface 4 c and the side surface 4 d is substantially the same as the distance between the inner side surface 24 b and the inner side surface 24 c of the recess 24 of the lower case 2, and the operating member 4 is held without moving in the storage area of the recess 24. The

  In FIG. 3, an axis passing through the midpoint between the side surface 4c and the side surface 4d of the operating member 4 and parallel to the side surface 4c and the side surface 4d is shown as the X axis, and passing through the midpoint between the side surface 4a and the side surface 4b of the operating member 4 An axis parallel to 4a and the side surface 4b is shown as a Y axis.

  The operation member 4 has an operation portion 41 at the center thereof, and the operation portion 41 is integrally formed with an operation knob 41a extending upward. The four corners of the operating member 4 are fixed portions 42. The fixing part 42 is arranged with a distance on both sides of the X axis, and the fixing part 42 is arranged with a distance on both sides of the Y axis. As shown in FIG. 3, each fixing portion 42 is integrally formed with a lower support surface 42 a that protrudes through a step on the back surface side. Each lower support surface 42a is located on the same plane. As shown in FIG. 2, each fixing portion 42 is integrally formed with an upper support surface 42 b protruding from the surface side through a step. Each upper support surface 42b is located on the same plane.

  The operation member 4 is formed with notches 43 at four locations. Each notch 43 is a through-hole penetrating the operation member 4 up and down. The notch portion 43 is formed between each fixed portion 42 and the operation portion 41. That is, the notch 43 is formed at a position spaced apart on both sides of the X axis, and is formed at a position spaced apart on both sides of the Y axis.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the operating member 4 has a first X-direction deforming portion 44a formed in a region sandwiched between the notch 43 and inside the side surface 4a, and inside the side surface 4b and the notch portion. A second X-direction deforming portion 44 b is formed in a region sandwiched by 43. Further, a first Y-direction deforming portion 44c is formed in the region sandwiched between the cutouts 43 inside the side surface 4c, and the second Y is formed in the region sandwiched between the cutouts 43 inside the side surface 4d. A direction deforming portion 44d is formed.

  The thickness of the operating member 4 is constant at locations other than the operation portion 41 and the four fixed portions 42. Therefore, each deformation | transformation part 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d has a thickness dimension smaller than each fixing | fixed part 42. As shown in FIG. Further, the thickness dimension is uniform on the X axis from the first X-direction deforming portion 44a to the side surface 4a, and the thickness dimension is constant on the X-axis from the second X-direction deforming portion 44b to the side surface 4b. is there. The thickness dimension is uniform on the Y axis from the first Y-direction deforming portion 44c to the side surface 4c, and the thickness dimension is constant on the Y-axis from the second Y-direction deforming portion 44d to the side surface 4d.

  The flexible substrate 5 is bonded and fixed to the back surface of the operation member 4. However, the flexible substrate 5 is bonded and fixed to a position excluding the four lower support surfaces 42 a on the back surface of the operation member 4.

  Strain detecting elements Ra, Rb, Rc, Rd are fixed and mounted on the back surface of the flexible substrate 5. The strain detection elements Ra, Rb, Rc, and Rd have electrical resistances that change in accordance with the amount of strain in the extension direction. The strain detection element Ra is attached to the back surface of the first X-direction deforming portion 44a. Similarly, the strain detection elements Rb, Rc, and Rd are attached to the back surfaces of the second X-direction deforming portion 44b, the first Y-direction deforming portion 44c, and the second Y-direction deforming portion 44d, respectively. When the strain detection element Ra is attached to a position slightly offset toward the side surface 4a on the back surface of the first X-direction deformation portion 44a, the deformation amount of the first X-direction deformation portion 44a can be detected effectively. The same applies to the strain detection elements Rb, Rc, and Rd.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the flexible substrate 5 is formed with a protruding portion 55 protruding from the side surface 4 a of the operation member 4, and the pair of conductive lands 51 and 52 are exposed to the protruding portion 55. Yes. Similarly, a protrusion 56 protruding from the side surface 4 b of the operation member 4 is formed on the flexible substrate 5, and a pair of lands 53 and 54 are exposed at the protrusion 56. On the surface of the flexible substrate 5, conductive patterns are formed to electrically connect the respective lands 51, 52, 53, 54 and the respective strain detection elements Ra, Rb, Rc, Rd. The circuit configured on the flexible substrate 5 is as shown in FIG.

  In the method of assembling the input device 1, after the flexible substrate 5 is attached to the back surface of the operation member 4, the operation member 4 is accommodated in the recess 24 of the lower case 2. At this time, the land 51 formed on the flexible substrate 5 is opposed to the connection piece 61 a of the connection terminal 61, and the land 52 of the flexible substrate 5 is opposed to the connection piece 61 a of the connection terminal 62. Similarly, the lands 53 and 54 formed on the flexible substrate 5 are opposed to the connection pieces 63 a and 64 a of the connection terminals 63 and 64. Further, the clamp piece 61b of the connection terminal 61 and the clamp piece 62b of the connection terminal 62 are bent to hold the protruding portion 55 of the flexible substrate 5, and the lands 51 and 52 and the connection pieces 61a and 62a are electrically connected. Similarly, the clamp piece 63b of the connection terminal 63 and the clamp piece 64b of the connection terminal 64 are bent to hold the protrusion 56, and the lands 53 and 54 and the connection pieces 63a and 64a are electrically connected.

  Thereafter, the lid 3 is put on the lower case 2, the respective protrusions 23 provided on the lower case 2 are inserted into the fixing holes 31 of the lid 3, and the tip portions of the respective protrusions 23 are pressurized or heated. The lid 3 is fixed to the lower case 2 by pressing and crushing.

  At this time, the lid 3 is fixed in close contact with the upper surface 22 of the lower case 2. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower support surface 42 a formed to protrude from the lower surface of the fixed portion 42 of the operation member 4 is pressed against the bottom surface 24 a of the recess 24 of the lower case 2, and the lid 3 is operated. The member 4 is pressed against the upper support surface 42 b formed to protrude from the upper surface of the fixing portion 42. The operation member 4 is fixed so that the fixing portions 42 provided at the four corners are not moved by being sandwiched between the bottom surface 24 a of the lower case 2 and the lid 3. On the other hand, the deforming portions 44 a, 44 b, 44 c, 44 d are separated from the bottom surface 24 a of the concave portion 24 of the lower case 2 and are also separated from the lid 3. Therefore, each deformation | transformation part 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d can be deform | transformed within a case. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation knob 41 a provided in the operation unit 41 is located at a distance from the inner peripheral edge of the operation hole 32 of the lid 3 and is operated so as to tilt the operation knob 41 a. It is possible.

  In the input device 1, a power supply voltage is applied to the connection terminal 62 and the land 52, and the connection terminal 63 and the land 53 are set to the ground potential. The FG terminals 66 and 66 are connected to a grounding unit on the apparatus main body side on which the input device 1 is mounted. When the operation knob 41a is tilted in the direction toward the first outer surface 2a of the lower case 2 or tilted in the direction toward the second outer surface 2b, the first X-direction deforming portion 44a and the second X The direction deforming portion 44b is deformed, and the resistance values of the strain detecting elements Ra and Rb attached to this portion are changed. As a result, the potential at the midpoint between the strain detection element Ra and the strain detection element Rb shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. 4 changes, and this change in potential is output from the land 51 via the connection terminal 61.

  When the operation knob 41a is tilted toward the third outer surface 2c of the lower case 2 or tilted toward the fourth outer surface 2d, the first Y-direction deforming portion 44c and the second The Y-direction deforming portion 44d is deformed, and the resistance values of the strain detection elements Rc and Rd provided in this portion are changed. Therefore, the potential at the midpoint between the strain detection element Rc and the strain detection element Rd changes, and this change in potential is output from the land 54 via the connection terminal 64.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in this input device 1, the deformation portions 44 a, 44 b, 44 c, 44 d provided on the operation member 4 are thinner than the fixing portions 42 provided at the four corners. When the knob 41a is operated, the deforming portions 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d are easily deformed. As shown in FIG. 3, the first X-direction deforming portion 44 a is sandwiched between the cutout portions 43, 43, and the first X-direction deforming portion 44 a is formed thinner than the fixed portion 42, The same thickness is formed from the first X-direction deforming portion 44 a toward the side surface 4 a of the operation member 4. Therefore, a large amount of deformation can be secured when the operation knob 41a is tilted. The same applies to the second X-direction deforming portion 44b, the first Y-direction deforming portion 44c, and the second Y-direction deforming portion 44d.

  Therefore, when an operating force is applied to the operation knob 41a, a highly sensitive detection output can be obtained from the connection terminals 61 and 64.

  In this embodiment, the fixing portions 42 are provided at the four corners of the operating member 4. However, the fixing portions 42 are formed continuously on the entire outer periphery of the operating member. Also good.

  Since the input device 1 is configured within the range of the size of the lower case 2, the entire device is small and thin. The input device 1 can be mounted by soldering the connection terminals 61, 62, 63, 64 and the FG terminals 66, 66 to a conductive pattern formed on the board of the keyboard device. As described above, when the operation knob 41a is operated so as to be tilted, the stress acts on the deformed portions 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d of the operation member 4 provided in the case. A large stress does not act on the soldering portion between the extending connection terminals 61, 62, 63, 64 and the substrate. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the soldering portion from being broken by the operation force for operating the operation knob 41a.

  FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the input device 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing connection terminals attached to the lower case of the input device 101 according to the second embodiment. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views of the input device 101 according to operation.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the input device 101 according to the second embodiment can obtain a detection output by deforming the deforming portions 144a, 144b, 144c, and 144d of the operating member 104. The input device 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the input device 101 has a lower case 102, and a recess 124 is formed in the lower case 102. Protrusions 123 are integrally formed at the four corners of the upper surface of the lower case 102, and the protrusions 123 are inserted into connection holes 131 formed in the lid body 103 to fix the lower case 102 and the lid body 103. The

  The operation member 104 is accommodated in the recess 124 of the lower case 102. As in the case of the operation member 4 of the first embodiment, the operation member 104 has an operation portion 141 formed at the center, and fixed portions 142 provided at the outer four corners. The lower support surface 142a and the upper support surface 142b are integrally formed. The lower support surface 142a and the upper support surface 142b are sandwiched and fixed between the bottom surface of the recess 124 of the lower case 102 and the lid 103.

  The operating member 104 is formed with notches 143 on the inner side of the respective fixed portions 142, and four deformed portions 144 a, 144 b, 144 c, and 144 d are integrally formed at a portion sandwiched between the notches 143. Is formed.

  An operating portion 141 that protrudes upward is integrally formed at the center of the operating member 104, and a sliding hole 141 a that passes vertically is formed at the center of the operating portion 141. In this embodiment, the operation knob 146 is formed separately from the operation member 104. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8A and 8B, the operation knob 146 is located inside the operation hole 132 of the lid 103, and a flange portion 146b formed around the base of the operation knob 146 includes: The lid 103 is located in the raised portion 133 at the center. The operation knob 146 is slidably attached to the outer peripheral portion of the operation portion 141 of the operation member 104, and a pressing protrusion 146 a formed at the center of the operation knob 146 is a slide hole 141 a of the operation member 104. It is slidably inserted in.

  The flexible substrate 105 shown in FIG. 6 is bonded to the back surface of the operation member 104, and the same strain detection elements Ra, Rb, Rc, and Rd as shown in FIG. 3 are mounted on the flexible substrate 105. ing. The respective strain detection elements Ra, Rb, Rc, Rd are attached to the lower surfaces of the deformed portions 144a, 144b, 144c, 144d of the operating member 104.

  A hole 105a is formed in the central portion of the flexible substrate 105, and a pressing protrusion 146a formed on the operation knob 146 passes through the hole 105a.

  In the input device 101, a switch mechanism is provided at the bottom of the recess 124 of the lower case 102. This switch mechanism has a reversing plate 171 formed in a dome shape by a conductive and springy plate material. An outer electrode 172 and an inner electrode 173 are provided on the bottom surface of the recess 124 of the lower case 102, and the outer peripheral edge of the reversing plate 171 is electrically connected to the outer electrode 172.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a switch terminal 172 a integrated with the outer electrode 172 and a switch terminal 173 a integrated with the inner electrode 173 are embedded in the lower case 102. The respective switch terminals 172a and 173a protrude outward from the side surface of the lower case 102.

  As shown in FIG. 7, connection terminals 161, 162, 163, and 164 are embedded in the lower case 102, which are connected to the connection terminals 61 and 61 provided in the input device 1 of the first embodiment. 62, 63, 64. Also, the FG terminals 166 and 166 shown in FIG. 7 are the same as the FG terminals 66 and 66 of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, in the input device 101, when no pressing force is applied to the operation knob 146, the operation knob 146 is pushed upward by the elastic force of the reversing plate 171. 8B, when the operation knob 146 is pressed, the reverse plate 171 is deformed by the pressing protrusion 146a formed on the operation knob 146, and the central portion of the reverse plate 171 becomes the inner electrode 173. The outer electrode 172 and the inner electrode 173 are electrically connected.

  Further, when the operation knob 146 is tilted while the switch mechanism is OFF as shown in FIG. 8A or when the switch mechanism is ON as shown in FIG. 8B, the deformed portions 144a and 144b of the operation member 104 are moved. 144c, 144d are deformed, the midpoint potential of the strain detection elements Ra and Rb is changed, and the midpoint potential of the strain detection elements Rc and Rd is changed.

  Also in this input device 101, the operation member 104 is fixed with the fixing portions 142 provided at the four corners being sandwiched between the bottom surface of the recess 124 of the lower case 102 and the lid 103, and operating the operation knob 146. Then, the deformation portions 144a, 144b, 144c, and 144d are deformed in the case. Therefore, when an operation force is applied to the operation knob 146, it is possible to prevent an excessive force from acting on the soldering portion between the connection terminals 161, 162, 163, 164 and the like and the conductive pattern of the substrate.

  8A, when the operation knob 146 is tilted while the switch mechanism is OFF, and when the switch mechanism is ON as shown in FIG. 8B, the operation knob 146 is tilted. It is possible to generate separate input signals at different times.

  9 is an exploded perspective view showing an input device 201 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a circuit portion and a flexible substrate, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the input device 201. .

  In the input device 201 of the third embodiment, the same components as those of the input device 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the height dimension of the lower case 202 is slightly larger than that of the lower case 2 of the first embodiment. On the upper surface 22 of the lower case 202, projections 23 are integrally formed at four locations, and these projections 23 are inserted into the fixing holes 31 of the lid 3 so that the lower case 202 and the lid 3 are fixed. The

  A first recess 224 is formed in the lower case 202, and support bases 224a are integrally projected at the four corners at the bottom of the first recess 224. The operation member 4 is accommodated in the first recess 224 of the lower case 202. At this time, a lower support surface 42a protruding from the lower surface of the fixed portion 42 of the operation member 4 is installed on each of the support bases 224a. Then, the lid 3 pressurizes the upper support surface 42 b protruding from the upper surface of the fixing portion 42. Thereby, in the case, the action | operation member 4 is reliably fixed in the state which the fixing | fixed part 42 of the four corners was pinched from the upper and lower sides.

  The lower case 202 is provided with a second recess 225 formed deeper than the first recess 224 inside the first recess 224. The circuit portion 207 is accommodated in the second recess 225. The circuit unit 207 is an integrated circuit element in which an active element or the like is formed as a thin film on each surface of a multilayer substrate. The circuit portion 207 is square, and the second recess 225 is also square. The circuit portion 207 is accommodated in the second recess 225 without moving.

  A flexible substrate 205 is bonded to the lower surface of the operation member 4. The strain detection elements Ra, Rb, Rc, and Rd shown in FIG. 3 are mounted on the surface of the flexible substrate 205 opposite to the surface to be bonded to the operation member 4, and each strain detection element Ra is mounted. , Rb, Rc, Rd are attached to the lower surfaces of the deforming portions 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d of the operating member 4.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the flexible substrate 205 is provided with an extension substrate 215 formed integrally with the same flexible substrate. The circuit unit 207 is mounted on the extension board 215. As shown in FIG. 9, in a state where the flexible substrate 205 is adhered and fixed to the lower surface of the operation member 4, the extension substrate 215 is folded so as to be inverted 180 degrees so as to overlap the flexible substrate 205. As a result, the circuit unit 207 can be stored in the second recess 225.

  The extension board 215 is provided with a connector portion 215a extending in three directions. A conductive pattern is formed on the extension substrate 215, and each electrode of the circuit portion 207 is electrically connected to each land portion of the connector portion 215a through this conductive pattern. Each of the plurality of connection terminals 260 provided on the lower case 202 is connected to the land portion by soldering or the like.

  The circuit unit 207 includes a circuit that detects the midpoint potential of the strain detection elements Ra and Rb in the circuit diagram of FIG. 4 and outputs a change in the potential as an X coordinate output, and the midpoint potential of the strain detection elements Rc and Rd. And a circuit having an interface for communicating with a host side device such as a personal computer are stored. Accordingly, when the input device 201 shown in FIG. 9 to FIG. 11 is mounted on a keyboard device or the like, data equivalent to mouse output data including XY coordinate data is output from each connection terminal 260 of the input device 201. Can do. Alternatively, the output of the input device 201 can be converted into data equivalent to mouse output data by the circuit unit 207 and a driver installed in the personal computer.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an input device 301 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
In this input device 301, operation protrusions 341 a are integrally formed at four positions on the upper surface of the operation member 304, and the operation protrusions 341 protrude upward from each of the four operation holes 332 formed in the lid 303. ing. In the operation member 304, the operation protrusion 341a is formed on the deformed portion, and when any one of the operation protrusions 341 is pressed, the lower deformable portion is deformed. This deformation is detected by the strain detection element.

The perspective view which shows the input device of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, The disassembled perspective view of the input device of 1st Embodiment, The perspective view which shows the action | operation member and flexible substrate of the input device of 1st Embodiment from the back side, Circuit diagram of the input device, Sectional drawing of the input device of 1st Embodiment, The disassembled perspective view of the input device of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, The perspective view of the terminal embed | buried in the lower case of 2nd Embodiment, (A) (B) is sectional drawing which shows the input device of 2nd Embodiment according to operation | movement, The disassembled perspective view of the input device of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, The perspective view which shows the circuit part and flexible substrate which were provided in the input device of 3rd Embodiment, Sectional perspective view which shows the input device of 3rd Embodiment, The disassembled perspective view of the input device of the 4th Embodiment of this invention,

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Input device 2 Lower case 3 Lid 4 Operation member 5 Flexible board 24 Recess 41 Operation part 41a Operation knob 42 Fixing part 42a Lower support surface 42b Upper support surface 43 Notch part 44a 1st X direction deformation part 44b 1st Two X-direction deforming portions 44c First Y-direction deforming portion 44d Second Y-direction deforming portions 61, 62, 63, 64 Connection terminals Ra, Rb, Rc, Rd Strain detecting element 171 Reversing plate 172 Outer electrode 173 Inner electrode 202 Lower case 205 Flexible substrate 207 Circuit portion 215 Extension substrate 224 First recess 224a Support base 225 Second recess

Claims (9)

A case, an operation member housed in the case, and a detection element for detecting deformation of the operation member,
The operation member is formed integrally with an operation portion, a fixed portion, and a deformation portion that can be deformed by an operation force acting on the operation portion, and the detection element is provided in the deformation portion,
The input device, wherein the fixing portion is fixed in the case, and the operation portion and the deformable portion are movable in the case.   The case includes a lower case having a recess and a lid that covers the recess, the operation member is inserted into the recess, and the fixing portion of the operation member is connected to the bottom of the recess. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input device is fixed by being sandwiched between the lid body.   The operation member is provided with the operation portion at a central portion, the fixing portion is provided at a plurality of locations outside the central portion or around the central portion, and the fixing portion is provided by the deformation portion. The input device according to claim 2, wherein the input device is formed thick.   The input device according to claim 1, wherein the deforming portion of the operating member is sealed inside the case.   5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein a flexible substrate is attached to the operation member, and the detection element is mounted on a portion of the flexible substrate overlapped with the deforming portion. .   The input device according to claim 1, wherein a terminal projecting to the outside is fixed to the case, and the detection element is connected to the terminal.   The input device according to claim 6, wherein a tip portion of the terminal is located on the same plane as a bottom surface of the case.   In the case, a switch mechanism is provided at a position facing the operation unit, and the operation member is provided with a knob attached to the operation unit so as to freely advance and retract, and the deformation unit is deformed by the knob. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the switch mechanism can be operated by pressing the knob.   The input device according to claim 1, wherein a circuit unit on which a circuit for processing the output of the detection element is mounted is provided in the case.

Images