JP2008146679A - Input device and electronic device equipped therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device excellent in an operating feeling of a switch function by adding an on/off switch function to a portion with an analog switch input function in addition to a function of detecting magnitude of continuous analog input. <P>SOLUTION: A first membrane sheet 13 is composed of sheets comprising one or more resistors or electrodes in pairs, and a second membrane sheet 12 is composed by arranging the pair of electrodes to face each other with a space. These membrane sheets are laminated, and a metal contact piece 25 is inserted between them. An operating member 7 having a protruding part for pressing the first or second sheet or the metal contact piece partially to deform it to thereby bring the pair of resistors built in the membrane sheets, into contact with each other, is disposed outside the membrane sheets. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device suitable as an input device for a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone, and more particularly to an input device capable of inputting an operation direction and a strength of an operated force when a sheet is pressed.

In an input device for a portable electronic device such as a cellular phone, as shown in FIG. 10, a four-direction input unit 105 in which four resistors 100, 101, 102, 103 are arranged on the left, right, top and bottom, and aligned vertically and horizontally. A sheet including a sheet 107 such as a printed circuit board having a plurality of (3 × 4 in FIG. 10) switch input units 106 is known.
For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the switch input unit 106 has fixed contacts 108, 109, 108 provided on a sheet 107 such as a printed circuit board, and a dome so as to bridge the fixed contacts 108, 108. A metal contact piece 110 made of a metal piece of a mold is provided, and a contact sheet 111 and a key top 112 are laminated on the metal contact piece 110 to constitute a switch contact 115. A convex portion 113 is formed on one side of the metal contact of the previous key top 112, and the key top 112 is configured to be movable up and down. Therefore, the user presses the key top 112 with a finger so that the key top 112 can be moved through the convex portion 113. Then, the metal contact piece 110 is elastically deformed, and the deformed metal contact piece 110 is connected to the fixed contacts 108 and 109 so that the switch is turned on, that is, the switch is in a conductive state.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the four-direction input unit 105 is provided in a state where a protruding conductive rubber 115 is supported by an elastic layer 116 and a key top 117 on a resistor 101 of a sheet 107 such as a printed circuit board. When the user presses the key top 117 with a finger and presses the conductive rubber 115 against the resistor 101, conduction is made, and the contact area between the conductive rubber 115 and the resistor 101 changes according to the pressing force. As a result, the resistance values at both ends of the resistor 101 change. As the force pressing the key top 117 increases, the contact area between the conductive rubber 115 and the resistor 101 increases, and when the contact area increases, the amount of change in resistance value between the both ends of the resistor 101 (reduction) Therefore, by detecting the amount of change in the resistance value, the force for pressing the key top 117 can be continuously calculated in an analog manner.
JP-A-1-221828 JP 59-151029 A JP 2000-348574 A

In the above-described input device, the switch input unit 106 allows the user to feel the operation feeling when the metal contact piece 110 bends and deforms at the moment when the switch input is about to enter. Has the advantage that can be provided.
However, in the previous input device, the resistance force due to the elastic deformation of the conductive rubber 115 is only transmitted to the user in the four-direction input unit, and the input feeling at the time of analog input is difficult to be transmitted to the user, and the operation feeling is poor. It was a switch mechanism.

An object of the present invention is to provide an input device having an excellent switch function operation feeling by adding an on / off switch function to a portion having an analog switch input function in addition to continuous analog input size detection. And
In addition, the object of the present invention is to add an on / off switch function to the part having the analog switch input function in addition to the continuous detection of the size of the analog input, so that the switch can be arranged as much as possible in addition to the excellent operational feeling of the switch function. An object of the present invention is to provide an input device that can be housed in a small area and can be made compact.
Furthermore, the object of the present invention is to provide an excellent on-switch operation feeling by adding an on / off switch function to a portion having an analog switch input function in addition to continuous analog input size detection, and to control the analog switch function. An object of the present invention is to provide an input device having a configuration in which an input mode and a sleep mode are introduced to save power in the sleep mode.

  In order to solve the above problems, an input device of the present invention is an input for performing an input operation to the electronic device while displaying an image corresponding to various input operations of the electronic device on a display panel included in the electronic device. A device comprising: a first sheet having a plurality of resistors or electrodes; and a second sheet having a plurality of electrodes or resistors, which are paired with each other at a distance from each other; A first membrane sheet formed by facing electrodes, a third sheet having a plurality of electrodes, and a fourth sheet having a plurality of electrodes are mutually spaced apart from each other. A second membrane sheet having a pair of electrodes opposed to each other, a contact point between a resistor and an electrode serving as a pair of the first membrane sheet, and an electrode serving as a pair of the second membrane sheet Align the contact points between the two The first membrane sheet and the second membrane sheet are laminated, and are disposed on the first membrane sheet, and partially press the position overlapping the aligned contacts in plan view. And an operation member having a plurality of protrusions made of an elastic body, and pressing the switch input part of the operation member, the protrusions are The first membrane sheet is bent while being elastically deformed by being pressed against the first membrane sheet to bring the resistor and the electrode to be paired with the first membrane sheet into contact with each other, and the protruding portion is connected to the first membrane sheet. An analog in which the contact area between the resistor and the electrode paired with the first membrane sheet can be adjusted by the magnitude of the pressing force on the one membrane sheet By controlling the movement of the display screen or the cursor displayed on the display panel by force, and further increasing the pressing force against the operation member from this state, the first and second membrane sheets are bent, Selection at a specific position on the display screen is controlled by a switch input for bringing the pair of electrodes of the second membrane sheet into contact with each other.

  In order to solve the above problems, the input device of the present invention controls the movement of the cursor on the map by the analog input and displays the map by the switch input when a map is displayed on the display screen of the display panel. By controlling the selection of the specific position above, an enlarged map of the specific position is displayed on the display screen.

  In order to solve the above problems, the input device of the present invention is respectively inserted in a position overlapping the aligned contact point between the first membrane sheet and the second membrane sheet in plan view, The first and second membranes include a plurality of dome-shaped metal contact pieces with a convex side facing the first membrane sheet side, and simultaneously with the analog input operation, a pressing force on the operation member is increased. The sheet is bent and elastically deformed so that the metal contact piece protrudes downward, and a click feeling associated therewith is obtained.

  In order to solve the above problems, the input device according to the present invention has at least a circumference around a point symmetrical position in which the contact point between the resistor and the electrode forming a pair of the first membrane sheet surrounds the reference position in a plan view. Are arranged at 90 ° intervals, and the contacts of the electrodes of the second membrane sheet pair are at least four points at 90 ° intervals around the circumference in a point-symmetrical position surrounding the reference position in plan view. The first membrane sheet and the second membrane sheet are laminated so that the positions of the contact points are aligned with each other.

  In order to solve the above problems, the input device of the present invention is provided with a control unit including first and second output terminals and an analog voltage input terminal, and the pair of resistors and electrodes or resistors are connected to each other. 4 switch input parts are bridge-connected, the first output terminal is connected to a part of the bridge connection part, the second output terminal is connected to the electrode or resistor, and a resistor is provided. And the other part of the bridge connection part is grounded, and the analog voltage input terminal is connected to another part of the bridge connection part.

  In the input device of the present invention, in order to solve the above problem, the control unit makes contact between the paired resistor and the electrode or the resistor by comparing the applied voltage of the output terminal and the voltage from the analog input terminal. And a sleep mode in which the first output terminal is grounded and the output terminal is used as an interrupt input, and the sleep mode is determined by a waveform generated by contact between the resistor and the electrode or the resistor. And the operation mode can be switched freely.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the input device according to any one of the preceding claims on the bottom side of the operation button.

As described above, according to the input device of the present invention, it is possible to obtain an analog input operation due to a change in the contact area of the resistor due to the pressing force to the operating member, and at the same time increase the pressing force to the operating member. Thus, it is possible to obtain a click feeling due to vibration associated with the deformation of the metal contact piece, thereby obtaining a good operational feeling during analog input. In addition, the switch input function can be achieved by contacting the pair of electrodes of the second membrane sheet on the lower side through the metal contact piece deformed by increasing the pressing force to the operation member.
Accordingly, it is possible to obtain a switch input operation feeling having both a good analog input feeling and a switch input feeling.
Further, according to the input device of the present invention, by controlling the movement of the display screen or cursor displayed on the display panel by the analog input, and by controlling the selection at a specific position of the display screen by the switch input, An electronic device having functions of moving a display screen and selecting a display portion in a display panel can be provided.

The present invention is described in further detail below.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a mobile phone (portable electronic device) provided with an input device according to the present invention. The mobile phone 1 of this embodiment is a base of the upper surface of a vertically long thin box-like case body 2 ( An operation panel unit 3 is formed on the front side, and a display panel unit 4 made of a liquid crystal panel or the like is provided on the top end side (hand side) of the case body 2.
The input device according to the present embodiment is built in the operation panel unit 3. On the lower side of the operation panel unit 3, a total of 15 operation buttons (operation bodies) 5 in three rows of five in the vertical direction are provided. Provided on the upper side of the operation panel section 3 are four operation buttons (operation members) 6 spaced apart from left to right and up and a donut board type four-way operation button (at a position surrounded by these four operation buttons 6 ( An operation member) 7 is provided, and an operation button (operation member) 8 is separately provided at the center of the four-direction operation button 7.

The planar shape of the switch sheet 10 arranged on the bottom side of each operation button of these operation panel units 3 is shown in FIG. 2, the unfolded state of the switch sheet 10 is shown in FIG. One cross-sectional structure of the input device disposed on the peripheral bottom side is shown in FIG. 4, and the cross-sectional structure on the bottom peripheral side of the four-way operation button 7 is shown in FIG.
The switch sheet 10 is a vertically long second membrane sheet 12 having a size that can substantially cover the bottom side of the operation panel 3 and a first membrane having a length of about 1/3 of the second membrane sheet 12 and the same width. The sheet 13 is connected to be foldable, and is configured by overlapping the first membrane sheet 13 on the upper side of the second membrane sheet 12.

  The second membrane sheet 12 is formed with switch input portions 15 shown in FIG. 2 that are individually positioned below a plurality of operation buttons 5 provided on the mobile phone 1, and the second membrane sheet 12 In the portion where the first membrane sheet 13 is overlapped, the switch input section 16 shown in FIG. 2 is formed individually below the four operation buttons 6, and further, four switch inputs are provided below the operation buttons 7. A switch input unit 18 is provided below the operation button 8.

The four switch input portions 17 are shown in FIG. 2 or 3 at 90 ° intervals around the circumference of the operation button 7 in a point-symmetrical position around the center of the donut board-like operation button 7 in plan view. The cross-sectional structure thereof is the structure shown in FIG.
A holding layer 20 made of an elastic material such as rubber is provided on the lower surface side of the operation button 7, and a protrusion 21 is formed in the holding layer 20 so as to be aligned with the position where the switch input portion 17 is formed. The distal end portion 21a has a tapered shape with a trapezoidal cross section. Note that the shape of the tip 21a is not particularly limited to this shape, and various shapes such as a round cross-section and an elliptical cross-section can be applied.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lower portion of the projection 21 is interposed between the upper first sheet 13a and the lower second sheet 13b, and the sheets 13a and 13b are spaced apart from each other. A first membrane sheet 13 made of a spacer sheet 13c to be disposed is provided, and a hole portion 13d is formed in a portion of the spacer sheet 13c aligned with the protruding portion 21, and the first portion is formed through the hole portion 13d. The sheet 13a and the second sheet 13b are arranged to face each other, and an electrode (conductor) 22 made of an Ag pattern or the like having a rectangular shape in plan view is provided on the surface of the first sheet 13a on the hole 13d side. A resistor (resistive layer) 23 such as a carbon resistor having a rectangular shape in plan view is provided on the surface of the second sheet 13b on the hole 13d side, and the electrode 22 and the resistor 23 are disposed between the electrode 13 and the resistor 23 through the hole 13d. In are allowed to face each.

  Next, on the lower side of the first membrane sheet 13, the upper third sheet 12a and the lower fourth sheet 12b are interposed between the sheets 12a and 12b with a space therebetween. A second membrane sheet 12 composed of a spacer sheet 12c to be disposed to be opposed is provided, and a hole 12d is formed in a portion of the spacer sheet 12c aligned with the protruding portion 21, and a third portion is formed through the hole 12d. The sheet 12a and the fourth sheet 12b are opposed to each other, and a rectangular electrode (conductor) 22B in a plan view is formed on the surface of the third sheet 12a on the hole 12d side. An electrode (conductor) 23B having a rectangular shape in plan view is formed on the surface on the hole 12d side, and the electrodes 22B and 23B are arranged to face each other at a predetermined interval via the hole 12d.

Next, between the first membrane sheet 13 and the second membrane sheet 12, for example, a metal contact piece 25 formed by punching a metal plate into a dome shape has its convex side facing the first membrane sheet 13 side. The center of the holes 12d and 13d is aligned with the center thereof. Although not shown in the drawings, the metal contact piece 25 is supported and fixed on the upper surface of the third sheet 12a by a transparent adhesive sheet with an adhesive layer that is stacked on the upper surface side of the third sheet 12a.
In addition, switch input portions 15 are individually provided below the plurality of operation buttons 5 provided in the mobile phone 1 in the second membrane sheet 12, and each switch input portion 15 is connected to the second membrane sheet. It consists only of the sheet 12 and the metal contact piece 25. Further, a switch input unit 16 is individually provided below the plurality of operation buttons 6, and a switch input unit 18 is also provided below the operation buttons 8, but the switch input units 16 and 18 are the second ones. It is comprised from the membrane sheet 12, the metal contact piece 25, and the 1st membrane sheet 13 piled up on them. Here, the first membrane sheet 13 overlaid on the metal contact piece 25 is not particularly provided with a hole 13d, an electrode 22 or a resistor 23, that is, the first sheet 13a and the second sheet 13a. A portion where the sheet 13b and the spacer sheet 13c are simply laminated is disposed.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing only one of the four switch input units 17, and therefore the switch input unit 17 having the cross-sectional structure as shown in FIG. Are arranged at intervals of 90 °.

In the above-described configuration, the user of the cellular phone 1 can perform various operations such as transmission / reception of the cellular phone, operations such as image input, and operations such as selection of various functions by pressing necessary operation buttons.
Here, when the operation button 5 or a desired one of the operation buttons 6 and 8 is pressed, the second membrane sheet 12 via the first membrane sheet 13 is formed by a protrusion formed at the lower part of each operation button. The metal contact piece 15 is pressed. That is, if the pressing force against the pressed button is increased, the metal contact piece 25 is deformed and bent so as to protrude downward, so that the third contact on the second membrane sheet 12 side through the metal contact piece 25. The electrode 12B and the electrode 23B can be brought into contact with each other by bending the sheet 12a, and thus, switch input is performed by switching on. Here, when the metal contact piece 25 is deformed and bent, the vibration generated by the deformation of the metal contact piece 25 is transmitted to the user's finger, so the switch input operation is completed by grasping this vibration with the fingertip. Can be grasped, and an excellent key input feeling and key click feeling can be obtained.

  Next, when the user presses a part of the circumferential portion of the operation button 7, the protruding portion 21 comes into contact with the first membrane sheet 13 from the state shown in FIG. The electrode 22 on the sheet 13 side is pressed against the resistor 23 side, and the contact area between the electrode 22 and the resistor 23 can be changed according to the change in the pressing force of the operation button 7. It is possible to calculate the pressing force of the operation button 7 by detecting the amount of change in the resistance value between the two end portions 23 and use it as an analog input device. That is, it is possible to obtain an analog input output corresponding to the magnitude of the pressing force on the operation button 7.

  Next, when the pressing force of the operation button 7 is further increased, the protrusion 21 bends the metal contact piece 25 via the first membrane sheet 13, and when the bending deformation of the metal contact piece 25 is increased, the metal contact piece 25 is 2 so as to be convex toward the membrane sheet 12 side. Since the vibration accompanying the deformation is transmitted to the user's finger during this deformation, the user pressing the operation button 7 perceives that the analog input value by the operation button 7 is sufficiently large and the metal contact piece 25 is deformed. Can do. Thereafter, since the metal contact piece 25 presses the electrode 22B on the second membrane sheet 12 side against the electrode 23B, a switching function can be achieved by the action of the electrode 22B and the electrode 23B coming into contact with each other. Therefore, the operator who uses the operation button 7 obtains an analog input operation by the contact function of the electrode 22 of the first membrane sheet 13 and the resistor 23 in the first stage, and thereafter the metal contact piece 25 It is possible to obtain a switch input function with a good feeling of use having a so-called tactile feeling that can obtain a switch input feeling of the electrodes 22B and 23B accompanied by vibration accompanying deformation.

Since the operation button 7 can perform analog input operations at four positions at intervals of 90 ° around the circumference of the operation button 7, the operation button 7 can be used as a four-way analog switch, and the operation button 7 is further pushed in deeply. It can also have a four-way switch function.
When the load applied to the operation button 7 is released, the operation button 7 returns to the original parallel state by the elastic restoring force of the operation button holding layer 20, and the electrode 22 and the resistor 23 are also returned to their original positions. It is restored and the input state is released. Thus, in the above configuration, since the holding layer 20 made of an elastic body such as rubber is provided, the reliability is high and the product life is long. In addition, since the protruding portion 21 is configured to contact the electrode 22 and the resistor 23 via the first sheet 13a, it is difficult to wear out, has high reliability, and has a long life.

In the embodiment described above, since the first membrane sheet 13, the second membrane sheet 12, and the metal contact piece 25 are overlapped and arranged at the same position in plan view, the analog input function portion and the switch input function portion are planar. In comparison with the configuration in which the devices are arranged at different positions, the device area can be reduced and the size can be reduced.
Further, if the mobile phone 1 has the four-direction operation button 7 having the above configuration, for example, a map or the like is displayed on the display panel unit 4 in a GPS mobile phone or the like, and the cursor position on the map is moved along the map. If you move to a specific position and change the area to another enlarged map screen, etc., move the cursor by analog input according to the change in the contact area between the electrode 22 and the resistor 23. If the position is selected and the position is selected, the pressing force to the operation button 7 is increased to bend the metal contact piece 25 and bring the electrodes 22B and 23B of the second membrane sheet 12 into contact with each other. An operation method such as inputting a switch can be selected. Therefore, by adopting the configuration of this example, it is possible to provide the mobile phone 1 having functions of moving the display screen and selecting a display portion in the display panel 4.

By the way, in this embodiment, since the switch input unit 17 is applied to the operation button 7 having the four-way switch function, the four switch input units 17 are provided. However, a two-way, three-way, six-way, or eight-way switch or the like is provided. When the configuration of the present invention is applied to an operation button having a multi-directional switch function, a necessary number of switch input sections 17 corresponding to those functions may be provided.
In addition, the electronic device to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the mobile phone as in the previous embodiment, but a personal computer such as a portable small-sized information terminal or a notebook computer, or operation buttons used by being connected thereto, Or, it is an operation button of a remote controller for a television, a video recording / reproducing device, and the like, and of course can be widely applied to these electronic devices.

FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the input device according to the present invention. In the input device of this embodiment, the operation button 7 and the protrusion 21 are provided for constituting the analog input portion described in the previous embodiment. The portion 30 where the holding layer 20 and the first membrane sheet 13 are overlapped is a point-symmetrical position (in this example, 90 ° apart in the circumferential direction) surrounding a specific point at the center of the sheet body 31 having a rectangular shape in plan view. A switch sheet 32 having a switch contact 115 equivalent to the structure shown in FIG. 11 on the outer side thereof is formed in a point-symmetrical position (in this example) surrounding a specific point at the center of the sheet body 31. In this case, the switch contacts 115 are stacked so as to be arranged at intervals of 90 ° in the circumferential direction.
By arranging as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to obtain a switch that can be downsized in plan view in a configuration including a portion 30 including a resistor that performs four-direction input and a switch that performs switch input. Moreover, the effect of the part 30 which comprises an analog input part is equivalent to the analog input part which consists of the projection part 21 and 1st membrane sheet 13 of previous embodiment. Further, with respect to the switch contact 115, it is possible to obtain a switch input feeling with a feeling of key click and a good operation feeling.

FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of the input device according to the present invention. In the input device of this embodiment, the operation button 7 and the protrusion 21 for configuring the analog input portion described in the previous embodiment are provided. The portion 30 where the holding layer 20 and the first membrane sheet 13 are overlapped is a point-symmetrical position (in this example, 90 ° apart in the circumferential direction) surrounding a specific point at the center of the sheet body 34 having a rectangular shape in plan view. 11 and a switch seat 32 having a switch contact 115 equivalent to the structure shown in FIG. The switch contacts 115 are laminated so as to be arranged at point-symmetrical positions surrounding one point (in this example, at intervals of 90 ° in the circumferential direction).
With the arrangement shown in FIG. 8, a switch that can be downsized in plan view can be obtained. Moreover, the effect of the part 30 which comprises an analog input part is equivalent to the analog input part which consists of the projection part 21 and 1st membrane sheet 13 of previous embodiment. Further, with respect to the switch contact 115, it is possible to obtain a switch input feeling with a good operational feeling that has a key click feeling accompanying the deformation of the metal contact piece 110.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a circuit suitable for use in detecting the resistance value of the resistor 23 of the four-direction switch input unit 17 of the first embodiment described above.
In the description of this circuit, among the four switch input units 17 provided at the point target positions in the first embodiment, the resistor of the right switch input unit 17 is 23X +, the electrode 22X, the resistor of the left switch input unit 17 is 23X-, the electrode 22b, the resistor of the upper switch input unit 17 is 23Y +, the electrode is 22c, and the resistor of the lower switch input unit 17 is 23X. -It demonstrates below by making an electrode 22d.
That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the detection circuit of this embodiment includes four resistors 23X +, 23X−, 23Y +, 23Y− assembled as a bridge circuit, and four electrodes 22a to 22d corresponding to them. A control unit (CPU) 50 connected to them is provided.

The control unit 50 includes analog voltage input terminals A / D1 and A / D2 to which an analog voltage is input, and output terminals OUT1 (first output terminal) and OUT2 (second output) for outputting a high level or low level voltage. Output terminals) and the like.
The resistors 23X + and 23X− and the resistors 23Y + and 23Y− are connected at one end so as to be connected in series. The other ends of the resistor 23X + and the resistor 23Y + are connected to the output terminal OUT1 of the control unit 50, and the other ends of the resistor 23X− and the resistor 23Y− are connected to the ground. The connection point between the resistor 23X + and the resistor 23X- is connected to the analog voltage input terminal A / D1, and the connection point between the resistor 23Y + and the resistor 23Y- is connected to the analog voltage input terminal A / D2. ing.

  The electrodes 22a to 22d are connected to the output terminal OUT2 of the control unit 50 through the same line via backflow prevention diodes D1, D2, D3, and D4, respectively. These backflow prevention diodes D1 to D4 are provided in order to prevent the generated voltage from reaching other electrodes when a voltage is applied to an electrode by bringing any electrode into contact with a resistor. Yes. Further, a resistor R is connected in parallel through a branch line in the middle of the line to which the backflow prevention diode D4 and the output terminal OUT2 are connected, and the branch line is connected to the power supply side.

  In a state where none of the switch input units 17 is operated, the resistance values of the resistors 23X +, 23X−, 23Y +, and 23Y− are all equal, so that both analog input terminals A / D1 and A / D2 have predetermined values. A voltage that is ½ of the voltage Vcc is input. For example, in the circuit shown in FIG. 9, if the resistance R is set to a high resistance value of about 10 MΩ and each resistor is 1.5 kΩ, the resistance of the output terminal OUT1 (GPIO) is 5 V at the time of analog detection. 5V is applied to the connection point between the resistor 23X + and the resistor 23Y +, the connection point between the resistor 23X− and the resistor 23Y− is 0V, and a voltage of 2.5V is applied to both the analog input terminals A / D1 and A / D2. can get.

When one of the switch input units 17 is pushed in and the contact area between any electrode and the resistor is increased or decreased, the amount of change in the resistance value can be detected based on the size of the contact area between the electrode and the resistor. If the change in resistance due to the size of the contact area is measured and grasped, the amount of change in resistance and the force applied to the electrode have a roughly proportional relationship. The strength of the applied force can be calculated, and the control unit 50 can output the calculation result from an output terminal (not shown).
For example, when the resistance values of the resistors 23X +, 23X−, 23Y +, and 23Y− are all 1.5 kΩ, the analog input terminals A / D1 and A / D2 both have an output of 2.5V. For example, when the resistance value of the resistor is decreased by pressing the electrode of any one switch input unit 17 against the resistor, the analog input terminal changes from 2.5 V to match the decrease in the resistance value. Since voltage is input, an analog output can be obtained according to the ratio.

In the circuit shown in FIG. 9, the sleep mode can be switched, and power can be saved by preventing current from flowing through the circuit in the sleep mode.
In the sleep mode, the output terminal OUT1 (GPIO) is set to GND, the output terminal OUT2 (INTGPIO) is set to an interrupt input, and is pulled up from the resistor R to the power supply side. Here, by setting both A / D1 and A / D2 to be open (OPEN), the sensor resistors 23X ± and 23Y ± are all GND, and the electrodes 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d are on the power supply side. When the electrode 22 and the resistor 23 are in contact with each other, there is a falling waveform input at the output terminal OUT2 (INTGPIO), which is handled as an interrupt signal.
Here, the relationship “resistance value of resistor R >> resistance value of resistors 23X and 23Y” is required. By setting the output terminal OUT1 (GPIO) to the power supply side by this interrupt signal input, the normal input detection state described above can be set.
In the previous sleep mode, there is substantially no current consumption to the sensor, and a low power consumption state corresponding to the consumption of the high resistance R can be achieved.

On the other hand, when the diagonally upper right direction (the direction between the electrode 23X + and the electrode 23Y +) is pressed among the four switch input units 17, the electrode 23X + and the resistor 22a are in contact with each other, and further the electrode 23Y + and the resistance The body 22c comes into contact. Then, the force PX applied to the electrode 23X + and the force PY applied to the electrode 23Y + are calculated.
In this case, the force P applied to the switch input unit 17 is calculated from P = PX + PY.
Next, when the positive direction of the X-axis (direction of the resistor 23X +) in the direction in which the resistor 23X + and the resistor 23X− are arranged is 0 °, the pressed direction of the switch input unit 17 is θ (°). Then, θ is obtained from tan θ = PY / PX, and even if the pressed position is an oblique direction, the pressed direction and the strength of the pressed force can be calculated. The result is output from an output terminal (not shown).
In the portable electronic device, the cursor moving direction and scroll direction are controlled from the output direction, and the cursor moving speed and scroll speed can be controlled from the output force strength. Since the cursor can be moved or scrolled in an oblique direction, the device is easy to use for the user.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a mobile phone provided with an input device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the membrane sheet of the input device employed in the mobile phone shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a partial section of the input device. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a membrane sheet provided in the input device. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a folded state of the membrane sheet provided in the input device. FIG. 6 is a partial development view of the membrane sheet. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the structure of the membrane sheet according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a third embodiment of the structure of the membrane sheet according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a circuit for measuring the resistance value of the resistor suitable for use in the input device of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a printed circuit board provided in a conventional input device. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a switch portion provided in a conventional input device. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an analog switch portion provided in a conventional input device. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the analog switch portion shown in FIG. 12 is pressed.

Explanation of symbols

  6, 7, 8 ... operation buttons (operation members), 10 ... switch sheet, 12 ... second membrane sheet, 12a ... third sheet, 12b ... fourth sheet, 13 ... first membrane sheet, 13a ... 1st sheet, 13b ... 2nd sheet, 13c ... spacer sheet, 17 ... switch input part, 20 ... holding layer, 21 ... projection part, 21a ... tip part, 22 ... electrode, 23 ... resistor, 22B, 23B ... Electrode, 25 ... Metal contact piece, 115 ... Switch contact, OUT1 ... First output terminal, OUT2 ... Second output terminal, 50 ... Control unit, A / D1 ... First analog input terminal, A / D2 ... Second analog input terminal, R, resistor, 23X +, 23X−, resistor, 23Y +, 23Y−, resistor.

Claims (7)

An input device for performing an input operation to the electronic device while displaying an image corresponding to various input operations of the electronic device on a display panel included in the electronic device,
A first sheet having a plurality of resistors or electrodes and a second sheet having a plurality of electrodes or resistors are opposed to each other with a pair of resistors and electrodes facing each other. A first membrane sheet,
A second membrane in which a third sheet having a plurality of electrodes and a fourth sheet having a plurality of electrodes are arranged with a pair of electrodes facing each other with a space therebetween. Sheet,
The first membrane sheet and the second contact point are aligned with the contact points between the resistor and the electrode paired with the first membrane sheet and the contact points between the electrodes paired with the second membrane sheet. And a switch input unit for partially pressing a position that is disposed on the first membrane sheet and overlaps each of the aligned contacts in a plan view. And an operation member having a plurality of protrusions made of an elastic body,
By pressing one of the switch input portions of the operation member, the first membrane sheet is bent while the protrusion is pressed against the first membrane sheet and elastically deformed, and the first membrane sheet is bent. A contact area between the resistor and the electrode paired with the first membrane sheet is brought into contact with the resistor and the electrode paired with the membrane sheet, and the magnitude of the force pressing the protrusion against the first membrane sheet. Is controlled by an analog input that can be adjusted to control the movement of the display screen or cursor displayed on the display panel,
By further increasing the pressing force against the operating member from this state, the display is performed by a switch input that causes the first and second membrane sheets to bend and contacts the electrodes of the second membrane sheet. An input device for controlling selection at a specific position on a screen.   When a map is displayed on the display screen of the display panel, the movement of the cursor on the map is controlled by the analog input, and the selection of a specific position on the map is controlled by the switch input. The input device according to claim 1, wherein an enlarged map of a position is displayed on the display screen. A dome having a convex side facing the first membrane sheet side, each inserted in a position overlapping with the aligned contact point between the first membrane sheet and the second membrane sheet in plan view With multiple metal contact pieces of the mold,
Simultaneously with the analog input operation, by increasing the pressing force on the operation member, the first and second membrane sheets are bent, and the metal contact piece is elastically deformed so as to protrude downward. The input device according to claim 1, wherein a click feeling associated with is obtained.   Four contact points between the resistor and the electrodes, which form a pair of the first membrane sheet, are arranged at 90 ° intervals at least around the circumference at a point-symmetrical position surrounding the reference position in plan view. Four contact points between the electrodes forming a pair of membrane sheets are arranged at 90 ° intervals at least around the circumference in a point-symmetrical position surrounding the reference position in plan view, and the first contact point is aligned with each other. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the membrane sheet and the second membrane sheet are laminated.   A control unit having a first and second output terminal and an analog voltage input terminal is provided, and four switch input units each including the pair of resistors and electrodes or resistors are bridge-connected, and the first One output terminal is connected to a part of the bridge connection portion, the second output terminal is connected to the electrode or the resistor, and is connected to a power source via the resistor, and the other one of the bridge connection portions. 5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the analog voltage input terminal is connected to another part of the bridge connection portion.   The control unit detects an analog input due to contact between the paired resistor and the electrode or the resistor by comparing the voltage applied to the output terminal and the voltage from the analog input terminal, and the first mode It has a sleep mode in which the output terminal is grounded and the output terminal is used as an interrupt input, and the sleep mode is canceled by the waveform generated by the contact between the resistor and the electrode or the resistor, and the operation mode can be switched freely. The input device according to claim 5.   An electronic apparatus comprising the input device according to claim 1 on the bottom side of an operation button.

Images