JP2012128634A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device which reduces visual line movement and facilitates an input operation.SOLUTION: The input device 1 includes: a housing 10 which has an input opening 121 formed on the surface 120 thereof; a slide plate 2 as a slide member which has a larger surface area than that of the input opening 121 and is supported so as to be slidable on the housing 10; and a detection section 6 as a movement amount detection section which detects the movement amount of the slide plate 2 and outputs detection information as movement amount detection information.

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device.

  As a conventional technique, a touchpad device including a cover member having a touch surface on the upper side and a detection unit provided with a detection electrode for detecting an operation performed on the touch surface is known (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

  The touch pad device outputs information on the position of the finger of the operator who touched the touch surface from the detection unit, and by using this position information, it is possible to operate the air conditioner device, the navigation device, and the like.

JP 2010-128854 A

  However, the conventional touch pad device has a problem that the operator must always operate while looking at the display unit.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an input device that reduces line-of-sight movement and facilitates an input operation.

  One embodiment of the present invention includes a housing having an input opening formed on a surface thereof, a slide member having a surface area larger than the area of the input opening and supported so as to be slidable with respect to the housing, and movement of the slide member There is provided an input device including a movement amount detection unit that detects an amount and outputs movement amount detection information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce line-of-sight movement and facilitate an input operation.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the input device according to the embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a development view of the input device. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the input device according to the embodiment, (b) is a top view of the input device, and (c) is a side view of the slide plate. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the interior of the vehicle on which the input device according to the embodiment is mounted. FIG. 4 is a block diagram relating to the input device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5A is a top view of the input device according to the embodiment before the power is turned on, and FIG. 5B is a top view of the input device after the power is turned on. 6A to 6C are schematic diagrams relating to selection of the second icon by the pointer. 7A to 7C are top views showing a state of operation input performed on the input device according to the embodiment.

[Summary of Embodiment]
An input device according to an embodiment includes a housing having an input opening formed on a surface thereof, a slide member having a surface area larger than the area of the input opening, and slidably supported with respect to the housing, and a slide member A movement amount detection unit that detects the movement amount of the movement amount and outputs movement amount detection information.

[Embodiment]
(Configuration of input device 1)
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the input device according to the embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a development view of the input device. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the input device according to the embodiment, (b) is a top view of the input device, and (c) is a side view of the slide plate. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the interior of the vehicle on which the input device according to the embodiment is mounted. In the following description, up, down, left, and right indicate top, bottom, left, and right in the drawings to be cited unless otherwise specified. In each of the following drawings, the ratio of the sizes of the members may be different.

  For example, the input device 1 detects the amount of movement of the slide plate 2 by operating the slide plate 2 exposed to the input opening 121 shown in FIG. 1A, and as movement amount detection information based on the detected amount of movement. The detection information is output.

  The input device 1 mainly includes a casing 10 having an input opening 121 formed on a surface 120, and a slide having a surface area larger than the area of the input opening 121 and slidably supported with respect to the casing 10. A slide plate 2 as a member and a detection unit 6 as a movement amount detection unit that detects the movement amount of the slide plate 2 and outputs detection information are schematically configured.

  The input device 1 includes an electromagnet group 40 including a plurality of electromagnets 4 and a substrate 5 on which the electromagnet group 40 is disposed.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, the housing 10 includes a lower housing 11 having a box shape whose upper surface is an opening, and an upper housing 12 serving as a lid that covers the upper surface of the lower housing 11. In general, it is structured. As an example, the housing 10 is provided in a center console 70 between a driver seat and a passenger seat of the vehicle 7 as shown in FIG. The housing 10 is housed in an opening formed in the center console 70 so that no step is generated between the surface of the center console 70 and the surface 120 of the upper housing 12, for example. The input device 1 may use the center console 70 as the housing 10. At this time, the input opening 121 is formed in the center console 70. In addition, the input device 1 may use, for example, a housing of an electronic device in which the input device 1 is mounted as the housing 10.

The input opening 121 has a shape corresponding to the aspect ratio (for example, 16: 9) of the display screen 71a of the display device 71, for example. That is, if the width in the longitudinal direction of the input opening 121 is W ₁ , the width in the lateral direction is H ₁ , and the aspect ratio of the display screen 71a is 16: 9, W ₁ : H ₁ is 16: 9.

  The slide plate 2 is a plate having a rectangular shape, for example, as shown in FIG. On the front surface 200 of the slide plate 2, for example, as shown in FIG. 2C, a plurality of irregularities are formed so that the friction coefficient is higher than that of the back surface 201. Therefore, when the slide plate 2 is slid by the operator's finger, the slide plate 2 follows the finger and slides relative to the housing 10 by the frictional force between the finger and the surface 200 of the slide plate 2. To do.

  Further, on the back surface 201 of the slide plate 2, as shown in FIG. 2A, a magnet 202 as a magnetic field response member that responds to at least either an attractive force or a repulsive force according to the magnetic field generated from the electromagnet 4. Is provided. The magnet 202 is a permanent magnet having a cylindrical shape, for example, and is disposed at the center of the slide plate 2. For example, the polarity of the end of the magnet 202 facing the electromagnet 4 is the S pole, and the polarity of the end contacting the slide plate 2 is the N pole. The polarity of the magnet 202 may be reversed. Here, hereinafter, when the magnet 202 is located at the center of the input opening 121, it is assumed that the slide plate 2 is located at the home position. Note that the slide plate 2 may be provided with a convex portion or a concave portion on the surface 200 on the magnet 202 that is different from other regions that can be discriminated by the operator's finger.

  For example, the position of the pointer with respect to the display screen 71 a of the display device 71 corresponds to the position of the magnet 202 with respect to the input opening 121. That is, the input opening 121 and the display screen of the display device 71 have a 1: 1 correspondence. The magnetic field response member may be a member that responds to at least either the attractive force or the repulsive force due to the magnetic field of the electromagnet group 40, and may be an electromagnet or a ferromagnetic material, for example. When the magnetic field response member is a ferromagnetic material, no repulsive force is generated between the ferromagnetic material and the magnetic field, so that the pointer 711 points to a selectable selected image displayed on the display device 71 by the pulling force. Can be pulled in.

Here, the slide plate 2 is, for example, a width in the longitudinal direction of the slide plate 2 so that the edge of the slide plate 2 is not exposed to the input opening 121 when the operator's finger is operated at the corner of the input opening 121. W ₂ is larger than 2 × W _{1 and} the width H _{2 in the} lateral direction is larger than 2 × H ₁ . That is, since the position of the pointer 711 and the position of the magnet 202 correspond, when the pointer 711 is positioned at the corner of the display screen 71a, the magnet 202 is also positioned at the corner of the input opening 121 and is positioned at the opposite corner. When the pointer is moved, since the magnet 202 is also moved to the opposite corner, the magnet 202 does not move to the outside of the input opening 121. Therefore, the size of the slide plate 2 is sufficient.

  Moreover, the slide plate 2 is supported by the support part 3 shown in FIG.1 (b) as an example. The support 3 supports, for example, the slide plate 2 so as to be slidable from the back side, and includes four bearings 30 and four bearing support portions 31 that support the four bearings 30. It is roughly structured. Note that the support unit 3 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and is configured using, for example, a structure that supports the slide plate 2 by a guide provided on the upper housing 12 or a structure that uses a slide bearing. May be. Here, “supporting to be slidable” means, for example, supporting so as not to restrict movement of the slide plate 2 in the plane within a range in which the magnet 202 and the support portion 3 do not contact each other.

  The bearing 30 has, for example, a quadrangular prism shape and is roughly configured to include a main body 300 having openings 301 at both ends and a plurality of balls 302. The bearing 30 is formed using, for example, a metal material, and a ball 302 is inserted into an opening formed in a straight line on the main body 300. Further, for example, in accordance with the shape of the input opening 121, a bearing corresponding to the length in the longitudinal direction is arranged on the side in the longitudinal direction of the input opening 121, and the bearing 30 has a longitudinal direction in the lateral direction. A shorter bearing than the bearing is arranged.

  The ball 302 is formed in a spherical shape using a metal material, for example. The ball 302 is inserted into the opening of the main body 300 so as to be rotatable with respect to the main body 300. As shown in FIG. 2A, a part of the ball 302 protrudes from the surface of the main body 300, and the protruding part is in contact with the slide plate 2. The ball 302 rotates in the moving direction of the slide plate 2 by the frictional force with the slide plate 2 as the slide plate 2 moves. By this rotation, the slide plate 2 slides smoothly with respect to the support portion 3.

  Further, the bearing support portion 31 has, for example, an L shape, and a protrusion 310 is formed at each end thereof. The protrusion 310 is inserted into the opening 301 of the bearing 30, and the bearing 30 is attached to the bearing support portion 31. The bearing support portion 31 is attached to the lower housing 11, for example. The four bearings 30 and the four bearing support portions 31 form the support portion 3, and the slide plate 2 is placed on the four bearings 30. The slide plate 2 is supported and slid. In addition, the support part 3 shall be arrange | positioned in the position where the magnet 202 provided in the slide plate 2 does not contact.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram relating to the input device according to the embodiment. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the input device 1 includes an electromagnet controller 100 that controls a plurality of electromagnets 4.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2A, the electromagnet 4 is disposed on the substrate 5 in accordance with the input opening 121. The electromagnet 4 is configured such that an end in contact with the substrate 5 and an end on the input opening 121 side have polarity by power supplied from the power supply unit 72 shown in FIG. 4 via the electromagnet control unit 100. Has been. For example, the power supply unit 72 converts the voltage supplied from the battery of the vehicle 7 into a voltage suitable for the input device 1 or the like and supplies the converted voltage.

  The electromagnet control unit 100 switches the connection between a control unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like, and the power supply unit 72 and an arbitrary electromagnet 4. It is schematically configured with a switch part that can be used. The ROM stores, for example, firmware including position information of the electromagnet 4 necessary for operating the electromagnet control unit 100, information for controlling the electromagnet 4, and the like. For example, the RAM temporarily stores data when the CPU of the electromagnet control unit 100 operates, and also stores the position of the magnet 202 corresponding to the detection information.

  For example, the control unit of the electromagnet control unit 100 controls the switch unit based on a control signal output from the control unit 700 of the vehicle 7, and the polarity of the electromagnet 4 according to the display image displayed on the display device 71. Control the generation and disappearance of the magnetic field 41. Specifically, the control signal includes, for example, position information of a selected image that can be selected by the pointer 711, and the control unit switches the switch unit based on the position information and the detection information output from the detection unit 6. Is switched to control the electromagnet 4. The polarity switching by the electromagnet controller 100 is performed by changing the direction of the current supplied to the electromagnet 4 to the opposite direction.

  Further, the electromagnet control unit 100 can form a region that cannot be selected by controlling the movement of the slide plate 2 by controlling the attractive force and the repulsive force by the electromagnet 4, for example.

  The substrate 5 is, for example, a printed wiring board, and is disposed at the bottom of the lower housing 11. The substrate 5 has, for example, a connector (not shown), and inputs and outputs signals and the like through this connector.

  The detection unit 6 includes, for example, a light sensor that emits light toward the slide plate 2 based on electric power supplied from the power supply unit 72 and a light receiving element that receives light reflected from the slide plate 2. It is. For example, the detection unit 6 is disposed on a substrate 5 that can irradiate the slide plate 2 with light.

  In addition, the vehicle 7 is schematically configured to include a power supply unit 72 and a control unit 700 that controls the display device 71 as shown in FIG. 4, for example. For example, the control unit 700 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like. For example, the control unit 700 is configured to generate a display signal for causing the display device 71 to display a display image including the pointer 711 based on the pointer position information output from the input device 1, and to output the display signal to the display device 71. Has been. In addition, the control unit 700 generates a control signal for controlling the electromagnet 4 according to the position information of the selected image selected by the pointer 711 included in the display image displayed on the display device 71, for example. It is configured to output to the device 1. The control unit 700 may be a vehicle ECU (Electric Control Unit) of the vehicle 7, or may be a control unit of an electronic device such as a car navigation device, an audio device, and an air conditioner mounted on the vehicle 7. good.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the input device 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Operation of the embodiment)
FIG. 5A is a top view of the input device according to the embodiment before the power is turned on, and FIG. 5B is a top view of the input device after the power is turned on. In the following, for example, regarding the electromagnets of the electromagnet group 40 shown in FIG. 5A, the lower left electromagnet 4 is (1, 1), the upper left electromagnet 4 is (1, 5), and the lower right electromagnet 4 is ( 5, 1), and the upper right electromagnet 4 are indicated by coordinates such as (5, 5). First, the movement of the slide plate 2 to the home position where the magnet 202 moves to the center of the input opening 121 after the vehicle 7 is turned on will be described.

(About the operation to move the slide plate 2 to the home position)
For example, the input device 1 is assumed to be in a state where the pointer 711 is operated at the corner of the display screen, that is, the magnet 202 of the slide plate 2 is positioned at the corner of the input opening 121.

  After the vehicle 7 is turned on, the electromagnet controller 100 reads, for example, the position information of the magnet 202 before the vehicle 7 is turned off from the RAM and moves the magnet 202 to the center. Electric power is supplied to the electromagnets 4 (4, 4) and (4, 3) located between the electromagnets 4 at the center (3, 3).

  With this power supply, the electromagnets 4 (4, 4) and (4, 3) generate a magnetic field 41. The polarities of the electromagnets 4 at this time are N poles on the end side facing the slide plate 2. That is, since the polarity of the magnet 202 on the electromagnet 4 side is N-pole, an attractive force is applied to the magnet 202 in the direction of the electromagnets 4 (4, 4) and (4, 3). Therefore, the slide plate 2 moves in the direction of the electromagnets 4 (4, 4) and (4, 3).

  Subsequently, the electromagnet control unit 100 eliminates the magnetic field 41 of the electromagnets 4 (4, 4) and (4, 3) based on the detection information output from the detection unit 6, and newly (3, 3). Electric power is supplied to the electromagnet 4 to generate an attractive force for the magnet 202.

  The magnet 202 moves immediately above the electromagnet 4 of (3, 3) by the attractive force of the electromagnet 4 of (3, 3). By this movement, the slide plate 2 moves to the home position as shown in FIG.

(About operations that give the operator a sense of operation)
Next, the operation | movement which gives an operation feeling to an operator by the attractive force and the repulsive force which the magnet 202 of the slide plate 2 receives is demonstrated.

  6A to 6C are schematic diagrams relating to selection of the second icon by the pointer. 7A to 7C are top views showing a state of operation input performed on the input device according to the embodiment. When the pointer 711 is in the position shown in FIG. 6A, the magnet 202 is in the position shown in FIG. 7A, and when the pointer 711 is in the position shown in FIG. 7B, when the pointer 711 is at the position shown in FIG. 6C, the magnet 202 is assumed to be at the position shown in FIG. 7C. Hereinafter, an operation of selecting the second icon 713 using the pointer 711 illustrated in FIG. 6A will be described.

  Note that the first icon 712 to the third icon 714 displayed on the display image 710 shown in FIG. 6A are selected images that can be selected by overlapping the pointer 711. For example, the electromagnet control unit 100 uses the (1, 3) electromagnet 4a as the N pole in order to generate an attractive force that attracts the pointer 711 at the center of the first icon 712. In addition, the electromagnet control unit 100 sets the (3, 3) electromagnet 4b as the N pole in order to generate an attractive force that attracts the pointer 711 at the center of the second icon 713, for example. Furthermore, the electromagnet control unit 100 sets the electromagnet 4c of (5, 3) as an N pole in order to generate an attractive force that attracts the pointer 711 at the center of the third icon 713, for example. Furthermore, the electromagnet controller 100 assumes that the polarities of the electromagnets 4 other than the electromagnets 4a to 4c are, for example, the S pole. The electromagnet control unit 100 may perform control not to supply power to the electromagnets 4 other than the electromagnets 4a to 4c.

  In addition, the electromagnet controller 100 supplies the electromagnet 4a to the electromagnet 4c with electric power larger than that of the other electromagnets 4 in order to make the magnetic fields of the electromagnets 4a to 4c corresponding to the icons larger than the magnetic fields of the other electromagnets 4. To do.

  When the operator confirms that the pointer 711 is positioned at the position shown in FIG. 6A, the operator makes a finger contact with the slide plate 2 exposed to the input opening 121 shown in FIG. Operate towards.

  During this operation, the operator feels the reaction force through the slide plate 2 by applying a repulsion force mainly from the electromagnets 4 of (2, 3) and (2, 4). Further, the operator moves the pointer 711, and the magnet 202 is positioned between the electromagnets 4 of (2, 3) and (3, 3) as shown in FIGS. 6 (b) and 7 (b). At this time, the attraction force by the electromagnet 4b of (3, 3) is applied and the retraction force to the second icon 713 is felt through the slide plate 2.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 6 (c) and 7 (c), the operator moves the center of the second icon 713, that is, the slide plate 2 by the pulling force of the electromagnet 4b (3, 3). The slide plate 2 is moved so that the magnet 202 is positioned immediately above the electromagnet 4b. By this movement, the pointer 711 is positioned on the second icon 713.

(Effect of embodiment)
According to the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, the line-of-sight movement with respect to the input device 1 and the display device 71 can be reduced. In addition, the input device 1 can impart an appropriate operational feeling (feedback) to the operator by generating an attractive force and a repulsive force in an arbitrary region by the electromagnet 4. Further, the input device 1 has fewer constituent members than the input device that gives an operator a feeling of operation using a motor or an actuator, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Note that the input device 1 can pull the pointer 711 between the electromagnet 4 and the electromagnet 4 by controlling the power supplied to the electromagnet 4, for example.

  Further, the input device 1 is not limited to an electronic device mounted on the vehicle 7, for example, and various inputs such as a computer, a stationery, a mobile phone, an ATM (Automated teller machine), and an electronic device such as an appliance are exemplified. It can be installed in the required equipment.

  The input device 1 is, for example, an absolute coordinate operation in which the aspect ratios of the display screen and the input opening coincide with each other. However, the input device 1 is not limited to this, and may be used for a relative coordinate operation.

  The input device 1 may be configured to output a signal based on a push operation performed on the slide plate 2, for example.

  As mentioned above, although some embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is only an example and does not limit the invention which concerns on a claim. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, changes, and the like can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in these embodiments are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. Furthermore, these embodiments are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Input device, 2 ... Slide board, 3 ... Support part, 4, 4a-4c ... Electromagnet, 5 ... Board | substrate, 6 ... Detection part, 7 ... Vehicle, 10 ... Housing | casing, 11 ... Lower housing | casing, 12 ... Upper part Housing, 30 ... bearing, 31 ... bearing support, 40 ... electromagnet group, 41 ... magnetic field, 70 ... center console, 71 ... display device, 71a ... display screen, 72 ... power supply, 100 ... electromagnet controller, 120 ... Front surface 121 ... Input opening 200 ... Front surface 201 ... Back surface 202 ... Magnet 300 ... Main body 301 ... Opening 302 ... Ball 310 ... Protrusion 700 ... Control part 710 ... Display image 711 ... Pointer 712 ... first icon, 713 ... second icon, 714 ... third icon

Claims (3)

A housing with an input opening formed on the surface;
A slide member having a surface area larger than an area of the input opening and slidably supported with respect to the housing;
A movement amount detection unit that detects a movement amount of the slide member and outputs movement amount detection information;
An input device with. At least one electromagnet provided opposite to the back surface of the surface exposed to the input opening of the slide member;
A magnetic field response member that is provided on the back surface of the slide member and responds to at least either an attractive force or a repulsive force according to a magnetic field generated from the electromagnet;
An electromagnet controller that controls the polarity of the electromagnet, the generation and disappearance of the magnetic field, and
The input device according to claim 1, comprising:   The electromagnet control unit obtains display image information including a selectable selected image displayed on a display screen and position information of a selected image for selecting the selected image, and the acquired display image information The input device according to claim 2, wherein the slide member is moved via the magnetic field response member by controlling the at least one electromagnet so as to draw the selected image into the selected image based on the selected image.

Images