JP2012133455A - Pointing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pointing device capable of easily responding to height changing.SOLUTION: A pointing device comprises: a substrate 3 mounted with a light emitting diode 4 and a light-receiving sensor 5; a housing 9 having a transmission region part 12 allowing radiation light from the light emitting diode 4 to pass through; a lens 8 which collects reflected light of the radiation light which is reflected by an object arranged at an opposite side of the light emitting diode 4 with the transmission region part 12 therebetween and then passes through the transmission region part 12, to the light-receiving sensor 5; and a lens base 6 for supporting the lens 8. In the pointing device, an upward end part 13 of the lens base 6 contacts with the housing 9 and a downward end part 14 of the lens base 6 contacts with the substrate 3.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical pointing device that receives input in contact or non-contact.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the pointing device disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. The light emitted from the light emitting diode 43 is transmitted to the outside of the cover glass 41 through the light source guide 45. The light transmitted through the cover glass 41 is reflected by a subject such as a finger placed on the cover glass 41. The light reflected from the subject passes through the lens 42 and the blocking film 44 and is collected on the image sensor 46. Therefore, the image sensor 46 senses a change in the collected image and converts it into an electrical signal, so that a main body (not shown) such as a personal portable terminal is based on the electrical signal. The movement of the subject on the cover glass 41 can be detected.

  The cover glass 41 is provided in the housing 49, and the lens 42 is supported by the base 48. The housing 49 and the base 48 are attached to a substrate 47 on which the light emitting diode 43 is mounted.

Special table 2008-510248 gazette

  However, in the structure of FIG. 1, when the design of the height of the housing 49 is changed for the purpose of reducing the thickness of the pointing device, the distance a between the cover glass 41 and the lens 42 changes. In order to adjust the distance b to the distance 46 in accordance with the amount of change in the distance a, the height dimension of the base 48 must also be redesigned. That is, unless the design of both the housing 49 and the base 48 is changed, it is impossible to cope with the height change of the pointing device and the adjustment of the optical distance (optical path length) of the pointing device accompanying the height change. As a result, for example, every time product variations with different heights are developed, a significant design change is required, resulting in an increase in cost.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a pointing device that can easily cope with a height change.

In order to achieve the above object, a pointing device according to the present invention comprises:
A substrate on which a light emitting element and a light receiving sensor are mounted;
A housing provided with a transmissive region portion through which radiated light from the light emitting element can be transmitted;
A lens that collects the reflected light of the radiated light reflected on the object on the opposite side of the light emitting element across the transmissive region portion and transmitted through the transmissive region portion to the light receiving sensor;
A base for supporting the lens,
An upward end portion of the base is in contact with the housing, and a downward end portion of the base is in contact with the substrate.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily cope with a height change.

It is sectional drawing of the conventional pointing device. 1 is a perspective view of a pointing device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device 100. FIG. 6 is a six-sided view of the pointing device 100. FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the pointing device 100 along YY shown in FIG. 4. 2 is a perspective view of a lens base 6. FIG. 6 is a six-sided view of the lens base 6. FIG. It is sectional drawing in YY shown in FIG. 7 of the lens base 6. FIG. It is the figure which showed that the light reception sensor 5 was visually recognizable through through-hole 20A, 20B. It is a disassembled perspective view of the pointing device 200 which is the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a pointing device 200. FIG. It is the figure which showed the state by which the back surface side of the housing 9 was colored. It is sectional drawing of the pointing device 300 which is the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the base 26 provided with the wall part 23. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a protrusion 24 of a lens 28. It is the figure which showed the state by which the protrusion 24 contact | abutted to the light reception sensor 5, and was assembled | attached. It is a perspective view from the lower part of the lens 29. FIG. It is the figure which showed the state in which the lens 29 was abutted by the light reception sensor 5. FIG. It is the figure which showed the state by which the condensing lens 29B was abutted by the light reception sensor 5. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described. A pointing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is an operation interface for detecting an operation input by an object such as an operation input assisting tool such as an operator's human body or a part thereof, an operation rod or a touch pen, and the object Is detected in a non-contact or contact manner. The part of the human body of the operator includes, for example, an arm or a part thereof (for example, a finger or a palm), a foot or a part thereof (for example, a toe or the sole of a foot), or the like. Based on the signal from the pointing device, the operation input content corresponding to the movement of the object can be grasped by the electronic apparatus in which the central processing unit is built.

  For example, the display of instructions such as cursors and pointers that appear on screens that are mounted on or connected to electronic devices such as mobile terminals such as mobile phones, game machines, personal computers, and electrical appliances are moved according to the operation content intended by the operator. Can be made.

  Hereinafter, a specific example of a pointing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2A is a perspective view from above of the pointing device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the pointing device 100 from below. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the pointing device 100. FIG. 4 is a six-sided view of the pointing device 100. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the pointing device 100 taken along YY shown in FIG. As shown in these drawings, the pointing device 100 includes at least a substrate 3, a housing 9, a lens 8, and a lens base 6.

  A light emitting diode 4 and a light receiving sensor 5 are mounted on the upper surface of the substrate 3. The housing 9 is provided with a transmissive region portion 12 that can transmit radiated light (typically infrared rays) from the light emitting diode 4. The lens 8 receives the reflected light transmitted from the light emitting diode 4 by reflecting the light emitted from the light emitting diode 4 on the object (in the case of the figure) on the opposite side of the light emitting diode 4 across the light transmitting diode 12. It is a condensing member collected in the sensor 5. The light receiving sensor 5 is an image sensor, for example. Infrared rays radiated from the light emitting diode 4 are reflected on the convex surface of the finger (including reflection inside the finger), and an image of the finger is reflected on the light receiving sensor 5 through the transmissive region portion 12 and the lens 8. On the other hand, infrared rays do not strike the concave surface of the finger, and no image of the finger is reflected on the light receiving sensor 5.

  The lens base 6 is a pedestal that supports the lens 8. An upward upper end surface 13 of the lens base 6 is in contact with the housing 9, and a downward lower end surface 14 of the lens base 6 is in contact with the substrate 3.

  Therefore, since the upper end surface 13 of the lens base 6 is in contact with the housing 9 and the lower end surface 14 of the lens base 6 is in contact with the substrate 3, the pointing device 100 can be used without changing the design of the housing 9. By simply changing the design of 6, it is possible to easily cope with a change in the dimension of the height H from the lowest end of the substrate 3 to the highest end of the housing 9. That is, the height H can be changed only by changing the thickness h (the height from the lower end surface 14 to the upper end surface 13) of the lens base 6 (if the thickness h is reduced, the height H is reduced). If the thickness h can be reduced, the height H can be increased), and the degree of freedom in changing the height H is high. Therefore, for example, if the lens base 6 and the housing 9 are molded products, a plurality of types of products having different heights can be obtained by changing the mold for the lens base 6 without changing the mold for the housing 9. Can be manufactured at low cost. Also, assembly is easy. Since the housing 9 is brought into contact with the lens base 6 which is harder and less flexible than the flexible substrate 2 without being brought into contact with the flexible flexible substrate 2 which will be described later, the assembly variation of the height H can be suppressed. it can.

  Further, the housing 9 provided with the transmissive region portion 12 is not attached to the substrate 3 as in the conventional pointing device illustrated in FIG. 1, but is in contact with the lens base 6 that supports the lens 8. Therefore, the assembly variation of the distance c between the transmission region portion 12 and the lens 8 and the distance d between the lens 8 and the light receiving sensor 5 can be easily reduced only by improving the finished dimensional accuracy of the lens base 6. As a result, variations in optical characteristics can be easily suppressed, and as a result, operation stability can be easily achieved. On the other hand, in the structure of FIG. 1 in which the base 48 and the housing 49 are attached to the substrate 47, in order to suppress variations in optical characteristics, not only the finished dimensional accuracy of the base 48 is increased, but also the housing to the substrate 47. Since the mounting accuracy of 49 must also be increased, it is not easy to suppress variations in optical characteristics.

  Furthermore, since the lens 8 is supported by the lens base 6, it is possible to easily cope with the adjustment of the optical path length accompanying the change in the dimension of the height H. That is, even if the distance c changes due to the design change of the height H, the distance c and the distance d can be easily reduced by simply changing the shape and / or dimensions of the portion of the lens base 6 that supports the lens 8. Can be adjusted. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with the change in the height H and the adjustment of the optical path length accompanying the change in the height H.

  Next, each component of the pointing device 100 will be described in more detail.

  The substrate 3 has a mounting surface on which the light emitting diode 4 and the light receiving sensor 5 are mounted. The light emitting diode 4 and the light receiving sensor 5 are arranged apart from each other in a reference direction parallel to the XY plane of the orthogonal coordinate system determined by the X, Y, and Z axes. The substrate 3 preferably has a light shielding property in order to prevent external light, light from the light emitting diodes 4 and the like from passing through the substrate 3. Further, when a printed board made of resin (for example, a glass epoxy board in which a copper foil is attached to FR4) is used as the board 3, it is advantageous in terms of weight reduction and ease of mounting. The lens base 6 is mounted on the mounting surface of the substrate 3, and the mounting surface of the substrate 3 comes into contact with the lower end surface 14 of the lens base 6. The lower end surface 14 of the lens base 6 is fixed to the mounting surface of the substrate 3 by thermosetting with an epoxy resin adhesive, thereby improving the dimensional accuracy of the lens base 6 assembled to the substrate 3. Further, the substrate 3 and the lens base 6 may be screwed in a state where the mounting surface of the substrate 3 and the lower end surface 14 of the lens base 6 are in contact with each other.

  FIG. 6A is a perspective view from above of the lens base 6. FIG. 6B is a perspective view from below of the lens base 6. FIG. 7 is a hexahedral view of the lens base 6. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the lens base 6 along YY shown in FIG.

  The lower end surface 14 is a flat portion formed over the entire periphery of the edge portion of the lower surface of the lens base 6. The lower end surface 14 may be formed on a part of the edge portion of the lower surface of the lens base 6. A downward opening 17 is formed in the inner part of the edge of the lower surface of the lens base 6. The downward opening 17 is formed to surround the light emitting diode 4 and the light receiving sensor 5 in a state where the lens base 6 is fixed to the substrate 3 so as to prevent noise from entering. The light emitting diode 4 and the light receiving sensor 5 are separated from each other by a partition 18 that divides the downward opening 17 into a first downward opening 17A and a second downward opening 17B. . With the lens base 6 fixed to the substrate 3, the light emitting diode 4 is covered by the first downward opening 17A except for the optical path through which the radiated light should pass, and the light receiving sensor 4 should pass through the incident light. Except for the optical path, it is covered by the second downward opening 17B.

  Similarly to the lower end surface 14, the upper end surface 13 is also a flat portion formed over a part or the entire circumference of the edge of the upper surface of the lens base 6. An upward opening 16 is formed in an inner portion of the edge of the upper surface of the lens base 6. As shown in FIG. 5, the lens 8 is accommodated in the upward opening 16. The lens base 6 supports the lens 8 on the bottom of the upward opening 16. A diaphragm 19 for adjusting the transmitted light of the lens 8 is formed at the bottom of the upward opening 16. That is, the diaphragm 19 is a hole formed in the lens base 6 so that the upward opening 16 and the second downward opening 17B pass through. The light transmitted through the lens 8 is condensed by the diaphragm 19 and collected by the light receiving sensor 5.

  Further, by providing one or more through holes 20 with the downward opening 17 at the bottom of the upward opening 16, the lens base 6 is assembled to the substrate 3, and then the light receiving sensor 5 is attached to the substrate 3. It can be visually recognized from the hole 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the corners of the light receiving sensor 5 can be seen from the through holes 20A and 20B. Confirmation of the mounting position of the light receiving sensor 5 may be made by visual observation, or may be performed by image processing executed when adjusting the mounting position in the XY direction (plane direction) in the process of mounting the lens 8 in the upward opening 16. As a result, it is possible to easily improve the mounting accuracy of the light receiving sensor 5 and the lens 8 in the XY direction (plane direction). The shape of the through hole 20 is not limited and may be circular or polygonal.

  Further, after the substrate 3 on which the light receiving sensor 5 is mounted is sealed with the lens base 6 and the mounting position of the light receiving sensor 5 is confirmed from the through hole 20, the through hole 20 is made of resin (for example, epoxy resin, UV resin, etc.). Alternatively, the through hole 20 may be closed by attaching the lens 8 to the upward opening 16 as it is without filling the through hole 20.

  Further, when the substrate 3 and the lens base 6 are thermally cured with an epoxy resin adhesive, the lens base 6 is prevented from being pushed up due to thermal expansion of the sealed space surrounding the light receiving sensor 5 with the lens base 6. The through hole 20 can also act as an air escape.

  The upward opening 16 also houses the light guide lens 7 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9. The lens base 6 supports the light guide lens 7 on the bottom of the upward opening 16. The light guide lens 7 is a light guide that guides the radiated light from the light emitting diode 4 to the transmission region 12 of the housing 9.

  Examples of the material of the lens base 6 include liquid crystal polymer (LCP). Examples of the material of the lens 8 and the light guide lens 7 include a cycloolefin polymer (specific example: ZEONEX (registered trademark)).

  The housing 9 has a transmission region portion 12 that can transmit light in a predetermined wavelength range from the light emitting diode 4 (for example, infrared rays having a wavelength of 0.8 μm to 1.0 μm). The transmissive region portion 12 is provided on the uppermost surface of the housing 9 so that the movement of the detection target object can be easily detected. Examples of the material of the housing 9 and the transmission region 12 include ABS resin, AS resin, a compound thereof, and PMMA alloy. The transmission region portion 12 may be an integrally molded product with the housing 9 or may be a separate part attached to the housing 9. The lens base 6 and the substrate 3 are covered with a housing 9 so that the side surfaces thereof are not exposed.

  The upper end surface 13 of the lens base 6 comes into contact with a downward step surface (see FIG. 12 described later) of the step 15 provided on the inner corner of the housing 9 and the periphery of the transmission region portion 12. The downward step surface of the step 15 is fixed to the upper end surface 13 of the lens base 6 by thermosetting with an epoxy resin adhesive, thereby improving the assembling accuracy of the housing 9 to the lens base 6. Further, the housing 9 and the lens base 6 may be screwed in a state where the downward step surface of the step 15 and the upper end surface 13 of the lens base 6 are in contact with each other.

  Further, the housing 9 including the lens 8, the light guide lens 7, and the transmission region portion 12 is made of a heat-resistant lens material (for example, epoxy resin, refractive index 1.3 to 1.7, Abbe number 20 to 75, transmittance). By generating from (visible light region) ≧ 60%), the heat resistance is improved and reflow mounting becomes possible.

  The housing 9 itself may be provided with a light-shielding film that cuts visible light, coloring, or the like by surface treatment such as vapor deposition or sputtering. Thereby, disturbance light is cut, and as a result, the operability of the pointing device is improved. Moreover, it is effective in design by coloring. By performing a surface treatment that cuts visible light, the degree of freedom in setting the wavelength region to be shielded, transmittance, coloring, and the like is increased. By adjusting the surface treatment method, it is possible to widen the setting range of optical characteristics and the selection range of designs.

  In addition, a colored coat may be applied to the front surface, back surface, or both surfaces of the housing 9. By coating, it is possible to prevent the device from being deteriorated due to friction caused by contact with a detection target such as a finger or external impact. Further, the coloring of the device appearance prevents internal components such as the light receiving sensor 5 and the lens 8 from being seen through, thereby improving the design. The colored coating can be carried out, for example, by a method such as vapor deposition, sputtering, painting, or kneading a coloring material into a molding material. In order to prevent the colored coat from being peeled off due to friction of an object such as a finger, the colored coat may be applied only to the rear surface side of the housing 9.

  The cover 11 is fixed by an adhesive tape 10 on the upper surface of the flange portion of the housing 9. The cover 11 is used as a fixing member for a main body (not shown) such as a mobile phone, and has an effect of improving the design of the main body. Examples of the material of the cover 11 include ABS resin. The cover 11 may be omitted.

  The flexible printed circuit board (FPC) 2 is a member that connects the wiring of the substrate 3 and a main body (not shown). The substrate 3 is mounted on a land electrode 31 provided on the FPC 2. The land electrode 31 is wired to an external electrode 32 connected to a main body (not shown). By providing the FPC 2, the design of the FPC 2 can be changed (for example, the wiring configuration between the land electrode 31 and the external electrode 32 can be changed) without changing the design of the substrate 3, so that the terminal functions can be different from each other. It becomes possible to connect.

  The dome switch 1 is a switch for detecting on / off of an operation input from above the transmission region 12 of the housing 9. At the center of the dome switch 1, a click spring 30 that gives a click feeling to the operator is provided with its apex downward. In the case of this configuration, the pointing device 100 is used in a state where the vertex of the click spring 30 is in contact with the base surface of another component (not shown). A load applied downward to the transmission region portion 12 of the housing 9 is transmitted to the click spring 30 via the lens base 6, the substrate 3 and the FPC 2. As a result, the click spring 30 is deformed, and its apex portion contacts an electrode formed on the back side of the FPC 2. By electrically detecting this contact, the main body (not shown) can detect that the housing 9 has been pushed downward. Examples of the material of the dome switch 1 include a spring stainless steel strip.

  FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the pointing device 200. The description of the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment is omitted. The pointing device 200 includes a filter 21 for preventing stray light.

  The filter 21 is disposed in the clearance between the transmission region portion 12 and the lens 8. By inserting the filter 21 into the clearance created by providing the step 15, excess light (stray light) emitted from the light emitting diode 4 can be easily blocked and the fingerprint capture stability is improved. Can do. The filter 21 is fixed to the lower surface of the transmission region portion 12.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the back surface of the transmission region 12 of the housing 9 may be colored with black 22 or the like as a countermeasure against stray light. For example, it is colored like a donut. Examples of the coloring method include vapor deposition, sputtering, and coating. Moreover, you may shape | mold the back surface of the transmissive area | region part 12 of the housing 9 in the shape which can interrupt | block stray light. For example, the surface may be roughened such as a satin finish.

  FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a pointing device 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The description of the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment is omitted. The pointing device 300 includes a lens base 26 having a wall portion 23 that separates the light guide lens 7 and the lens 8. By providing the wall portion 23, it is possible to prevent the emitted light from the light emitting diode 4 from entering the lens 8 before passing through the transmission region portion 12.

  FIG. 14A is a perspective view of the lens base 26 provided with the wall portion 23. FIG. 14B is a perspective view showing a state in which the light guide lens 7 is placed on the lens base 16 in contact with the substrate 3. FIG. 14C is a plan view of FIG. The wall portion 26 extends from the bottom of the upward opening 16 so as to divide the upward opening 16 into a first upward opening that accommodates the light guide lens 7 and a second upward opening that accommodates the lens 8. It has a protruding shape.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications, improvements, and modifications can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Substitutions can be added.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a protrusion 24 (24 </ b> A, 24 </ b> B) may be provided on the lower surface of the lens 28 for focusing on the light receiving sensor 5. The protrusions 24 (24A, 24B) pass through the through holes 20 (20A, 20B) of the lens base 6 and come into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the light receiving portion 33 provided on the surface of the light receiving sensor 5. The light receiving unit 33 is an imaging area. Thereby, the dispersion | variation in the distance between the light reception sensor 5 and the lens 28 can be suppressed, and the dispersion | variation in an optical characteristic can further be reduced.

  Further, the projection 24 provided on the lower surface of the condensing lens 28 for condensing on the light receiving sensor 5 may be one or three or more. For example, as shown in FIGS. , 24D, 24E may be provided. In FIGS. 17 and 18, the lens 29 is integrally formed with a light guide lens 29 </ b> A that guides the light of the light emitting diode 4 to the transmission region portion 12 and a condensing lens 29 </ b> B that collects the light transmitted through the transmission region portion 12 in the light receiving sensor 5. Is. Thereby, the number of parts is reduced and the assemblability is improved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the protrusion provided on the lower surface of the condenser lens 29 </ b> B may be cylindrical. If the front diaphragm structure is employed using a lens base (not shown) that supports the condensing lens 29B by abutting the cylindrical protrusion 24F against the surface of the light receiving sensor 5, the light receiving portion 33 of the light receiving sensor 5 can be completely covered. As a result, it is possible to eliminate imaging defects caused by dust.

  In addition, the end portion of the lens base that is actually in contact with the housing (corresponding to the upper end surface 13 in the above-described embodiment) is not limited to the uppermost end portion of the lens base. May be. The end of the lens base that is actually in contact with the substrate (corresponding to the lower end surface 14 in the above embodiment) only needs to face downward, and may not be the lowest end of the lens base. Good. Further, the contact form is not limited to surface contact but may be point contact. The fitting form of a convex part and a recessed part may be sufficient.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dome switch 2 Flexible board 3 Board | substrate 4 Light emitting diode 5 Light receiving sensor 6,26 Lens base 7 Light guide lens 8,28 Lens 9 Housing 10 Adhesive tape 11 Cover 12 Transmission area part 13 Upper end surface 14 Lower end surface 15 Step 16 Upward opening part 17 (17A, 17B) Downward opening 18 Partition 19 Restriction 20 (20A, 20B) Through hole 21 Filter 22 Black 23 Wall 24 (24A-24F) Projection 29 Lens 30 Click spring 31 Land electrode 32 External electrode 33 Light receiving portion 100, 200, 300 pointing device

Claims (13)

A substrate on which a light emitting element and a light receiving sensor are mounted;
A housing provided with a transmissive region portion through which radiated light from the light emitting element can be transmitted;
A lens that collects the reflected light of the radiated light reflected on the object on the opposite side of the light emitting element across the transmissive region portion and transmitted through the transmissive region portion to the light receiving sensor;
A base for supporting the lens,
A pointing device, wherein an upward end portion of the base is in contact with the housing, and a downward end portion of the base is in contact with the substrate.   The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the upward end is located at an upper edge of the base.   The pointing device according to claim 2, wherein the lens is accommodated in an upward opening formed inside the upper edge.   4. The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the upward end portion abuts on a step provided inside the housing. 5.   The pointing device according to claim 4, wherein the step is provided on a peripheral edge of the transmission region portion.   The pointing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the downward end portion is located at a lower edge portion of the base.   The pointing device according to claim 6, wherein the light emitting element and the light receiving sensor are surrounded by a downward opening formed inside the lower edge.   The pointing device according to claim 7, wherein the light emitting element and the light receiving sensor are separated by a partition that divides the downward opening.   The pointing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the base includes a diaphragm unit that adjusts the reflected light transmitted through the lens.   The pointing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a filter in a clearance between the transmission region portion and the lens.   The pointing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the base includes a wall portion that separates the lens from an optical path through which the emitted light passes before passing through the transmission region portion.   The pointing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a protrusion provided on the lens penetrates a hole formed in the base and contacts the light receiving sensor.   The pointing device according to claim 12, wherein the protrusion abuts on the light receiving sensor around a light receiving portion of the light receiving sensor.

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