JP2016173946A - Slide operation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable touch detection with a simple configuration and also improve durability.SOLUTION: The slide operation apparatus includes: a metal guide shaft 40; a control lever 50 moving along the guide shaft; and a slider 90 provided so as to electrically connect between the guide shaft and the control lever, move along with the control lever, and slide the guide shaft. Thus, when the control lever is moved through a finger operation, a conduction path for electrically connecting from the control lever through the guide shaft is always formed. The conduction path can be used as a conduction path of a touch detection function for detecting that a finger is brought into contact with the control lever.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a slide operation device that slides an operation lever.

  This type of slide operation device is used as a fader for adjusting the volume or the like in an audio mixer or an electronic piano, for example. In recent years, for example, there is a demand for a “touch detection function” that includes a plurality of slide operation devices and can grasp which slide operation device is currently operated. According to this function, for example, in an audio mixer, a channel corresponding to a slide operation device operated by an operator can be activated, and data can be rewritten according to an operation, which is convenient. Patent Document 1 describes a slide operation device having such a “touch detection function”. The slide operation device of Patent Document 1 is provided with a hum noise detection line that has the same potential as the operator that the operator slides and is not grounded. Then, by detecting the hum noise generated on the hum noise detection line when the operator's finger touches the operation element, the touch on the operation element of the slide operation device is detected.

JP 2008-235832 A

  However, in the above-described conventional slide operation device, it is necessary to install a dedicated wiring or the like for touch detection like the hum noise detection line in the device, which complicates the device configuration. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and one of its purposes is to provide a slide operation device capable of touch detection with a simple configuration.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an aspect of the slide operation device according to the present invention includes a metal guide shaft, a conductive operation lever that moves along the guide shaft, and a space between the guide shaft and the operation lever. And a slider provided to slide along the guide shaft by moving together with the operation lever.

According to the present invention as described above, the guide shaft and the operation lever are electrically connected by the slider provided to move together with the operation lever and slide while contacting the guide shaft. . As a result, when the operating lever is moved and operated with a finger, a conduction path is formed which is always conducted from the operating lever through the guide shaft. For this reason, this conduction | electrical_connection path | route can be used as a conduction | electrical_connection path | route of the touch detection function which detects that a finger touched the operation lever. Thus, by configuring the conduction path of the touch detection function via the guide shaft, the wiring for the touch detection function connected to the operation lever becomes unnecessary, and the touch detection function can be realized with a simple configuration.
In the above aspect, the slider is made of a nonmetallic conductive material. According to this, since the slider serving as the sliding contact with the guide shaft is made of a non-metallic conductive material, the metal does not slide between each other, so that no abnormal noise is generated and mechanical Durability can also be improved.

  In the said aspect, a slider is arrange | positioned at the leaf | plate spring with which the operation lever was mounted | worn, and is pressed against a guide shaft with a leaf | plate spring. According to this, a slider can be urged | biased so that it may contact a guide shaft stably. In this case, by adjusting the urging force of the leaf spring, the slider can be urged so as to stably contact the guide shaft with a weak elastic force, so that the mechanical durability can be further improved. it can.

  In the above aspect, the leaf spring is formed with a hole into which the slider is inserted to regulate the position of the slider. According to this, it is possible to prevent the slider from moving when sliding on the shaft.

  In the above aspect, the slider is columnar or cylindrical, and the slider has an axis of the slider that intersects the axis of the guide shaft, and the side surface of the slider contacts the side surface of the guide shaft. Placed in. According to this, the contact area of a guide shaft and a slider can be made very small. For this reason, there is also a small friction coefficient and it can slide smoothly. Further, since the contact area between the guide shaft and the slider is small, even if dust adheres to these contact portions, it can be easily removed by moving the operating lever and sliding the slider on the guide shaft. Such self-cleaning action can further enhance durability.

  In the above aspect, the slider is a carbon-based conductive material. The carbon-based material constituting the slider has a low friction coefficient and high electrical stability. Therefore, by configuring the slider with such a carbon-based material, the operation lever can be moved more smoothly while the slider is in contact with the guide shaft, and the conductivity between the operation lever and the guide shaft can be increased. The property is also good.

  Further, the present invention may be an electronic device including any one of the slide operation devices described above. As an example of the electronic device, for example, an audio mixer, an electronic musical instrument, an illumination light amount adjusting device, and the like can be given.

It is a figure for demonstrating the audio mixer which can apply the slide operation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a top view which shows a part of operation panel. It is a top view which shows the structure of the slide operation apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view of the slide operation device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the slide operation device shown in FIG. 2. It is a disassembled perspective view of the moving body shown in FIG. It is AA sectional drawing shown in FIG. It is BB sectional drawing shown in FIG. It is CC sectional drawing shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the control part of the slide operation apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a slide operation device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The slide operation device according to the present embodiment is used as, for example, a fader that is used side by side on an operation panel of an audio mixer. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an audio mixer 1 to which a slide operation device according to the present invention can be applied, and is a plan view showing a part (fader section) of an operation panel 2 thereof. The audio mixer 1 is a digital mixer having N channels CH1 to CHN. For example, a vocal sound signal is input to the channel CH1, a piano sound signal is input to the channel CH2, and a guitar sound signal is input to the channel CHN. The audio mixer 1 performs signal processing such as volume adjustment, panning, equalizing, etc. for each channel on N sound signals input from the outside to perform mixing processing.

  In the operation panel 2 shown in FIG. 1, N slide operation devices 10 are provided side by side as faders used for volume adjustment of the channels CH1 to CHN. Specifically, the operation panel 2 is formed with N slits 3 extending in the vertical direction (the positive and negative directions of the Y-axis) in the figure, and the operation elements 4 of the slide operation devices 10 are provided on the operation panel 2. It is provided so as to be movable along the slit 3. The slide operation devices 10 here are arranged side by side on the back side of the operation panel 2 (within the housing of the audio mixer 1), as indicated by broken lines in FIG. The operator can adjust the acoustic signal of the corresponding channel to an arbitrary volume by sliding the operation element 4 in the vertical direction in the figure.

  Here, the case where the slide operation device according to the present embodiment is provided as a volume fader for adjusting the volume of each channel of the audio mixer 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a pitch fader. Alternatively, the audio mixer 1 may be provided as a crossfader.

(Configuration example of slide operation device)
Next, a configuration example of each slide operation device 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. Since each slide operation device 10 has the same configuration, one slide operation device 10 will be described as a representative. FIG. 2 is a top view of the slide operation device 10 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a side view thereof. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the slide operation device 10 according to the present embodiment. The slide operating device 10 here is configured as a motor fader that not only moves the operating element 4 by manual operation but also can automatically move the operating element 4 by driving a motor.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the slide operation device 10 includes a case 11 that extends in one direction (Y-axis direction). The case 11 includes a box-shaped case main body 20 whose upper surface is opened, and an upper plate 30 that closes the opening of the case main body 20 and constitutes the upper surface of the case main body 20. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the case main body 20 is made of a thin metal plate, and has a rectangular bottom plate 21 extending in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) and upward (Z-axis positive) from each side of the bottom plate 21. A first side surface 22, a second side surface 23, a first end surface 24, and a second end surface 25, which are bent so as to stand on the side).

  The first side surface 22 and the second side surface 23 of the case body 20 face each other and are parallel to the Y axis. The first end surface 24 and the second end surface 25 face each other and are parallel to the X axis. The height of the first side surface 22 (dimension in the Z-axis direction) is higher than that of the second side surface 23. As a result, the upper portion 22 a of the first side surface 22 extends upward from the case body 20 when the upper surface of the case body 20 is closed by the upper plate 30.

  The upper plate 30 is made of a rectangular thin metal plate, and has a side surface 31 bent so as to stand upward (Z-axis positive side) from one side edge (X-axis positive side edge) along the longitudinal direction. Have. The side surface 31 opposes the upper portion 22 a of the first side surface 22 that extends upward from the case body 20 when the upper surface of the case body 20 is closed by the upper plate 30. The other side edge of the upper plate 30 (X-axis negative side edge) has a notch 32 formed along the longitudinal direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, when the upper surface of the case body 20 is closed by the upper plate 30, one side of the upper surface (upper plate 30) of the case body 20 (X-axis negative side) A slit 32a extending in the Y-axis direction surrounded by the end face of the notch 32 and the first side face 22 is formed. The operation element 4 moves along the slit 32a.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a guide shaft 40 that extends along the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the case 11 is provided in the case body 20. A movable body 50 is supported on the guide shaft 40 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction. The guide shaft 40 is a cylindrical metal rod. One end (Y-axis negative side) of the guide shaft 40 is fixed to a hole 24a formed in the first end surface 24 via a bush 41, and the other end (Y-axis positive side) of the guide shaft 40 is fixed to the first end surface 25. It is fixed to the hole 25a formed through the bush 42. The bushes 41 and 42 are made of an insulator such as resin.

  The moving body 50 includes an operation lever 51 that stands upward (Z-axis positive side). The operation lever 51 is for sliding the moving body 50 and is disposed so as to protrude upward from the slit 32 a of the upper plate 30. The above-described operation element 4 is attached to the distal end portion 51 a of the operation lever 51. As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3, the operation element 4 is formed in a shape that can be easily operated with fingers or the like.

  The positional relationship among the guide shaft 40, the moving body 50, and the operation lever 51 is summarized as follows. The guide shaft 40 is disposed at one side end (side end on the X-axis negative side) in the width direction of the case body 20. The moving body 50 is supported by the guide shaft 40 at one side end (X-axis negative side end) in the width direction of the case main body 20 and the other side end (X in the width direction of the case main body 20). It extends toward the side end on the positive axis side. The operation lever 51 is disposed above the guide shaft 40 (Z axis positive side).

  According to such an arrangement, the moving body 50 extends away from the guide shaft 40 in the width direction, and the operation lever 51 is arranged close to the axis of the guide shaft 40. For this reason, the force (the moment around the axis of the guide shaft 40) for rotating the operation lever 51 (moving body 50) around the axis of the guide shaft 40 can be reduced. Thereby, rattling of the operation lever 51 around the axis of the guide shaft 40 can be suppressed, and the moving body 50 can be easily slid along the guide shaft 40 smoothly.

  The operation lever 51 is provided with an inclined portion 51b inclined inward in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the case body 20 at a portion protruding upward from the slit 32a, so that the distal end portion 51a of the operation lever 51 is based. It is configured to deviate from the end 51c. According to this, as shown in FIG. 1, the slit 32a into which the proximal end 51c of the operation lever 51 is inserted and the slit 3 of the operation panel 2 of the audio mixer 1 into which the distal end 51a is inserted are arranged in the width direction ( (X-axis direction). Thereby, it is possible to make it difficult for dust that has entered from the slit 3 of the operation panel 2 to enter the case body 20 of the slide operating device 10 from the slit 32a.

  Although the case where the operation element 4 is provided separately from the operation lever 51 is described here as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the upper portion of the operation lever 51 may function as the operation element 4. A specific configuration example of such a moving body 50 will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the operation lever 51 is attached to an annular belt 35 disposed on the upper side of the upper plate 30 so as to be drivable along the longitudinal direction. The belt 35 is made of a flexible material such as synthetic resin or rubber, and is stretched between a driving pulley 36 and a passive pulley 37 provided on the upper plate 30 so as to be rotatable. The drive pulley 36 is attached to a motor 38. According to such a configuration, when the belt 35 is moved by rotating the motor 38, the operation lever 51 moves in the longitudinal direction together with the moving body 50. Thereby, the moving body 50 can be slid along the guide shaft 40 by the motor 38.

  The slide operation device 10 according to the present embodiment has a position detection function for detecting the slide position of the moving body 50 in the longitudinal direction. Here, as an example of the position detection function, a case where an electrostatic sensor that detects the position of the moving body 50 based on a change in electrostatic capacitance accompanying the sliding movement of the moving body 50 is used will be described. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the fixed electrode plate 33 as a position detection plate has a detection surface (a surface for detecting the position of the moving body 50 facing the moving body 50, Then, the movable electrode plate 60 is fixed to the lower surface of the upper plate 30 so that the surface on which the electrode is formed faces downward, and slides while pressing (pressing) the fixed electrode plate 33 through an insulator. Is provided on the moving body 50.

  The fixed electrode plate 33 is a long rectangular plate extending in one direction (here, the longitudinal direction of the case 11 (Y-axis direction)). The fixed electrode plate 33 is a printed circuit board on which a planar electrode is formed, and is covered with an insulator. The fixed electrode plate 33 is arranged so that the planar electrode faces downward.

  The movable electrode plate 60 is a rectangular plate and moves so as to slide while being pressed against the planar electrode on the lower surface of the fixed electrode plate 33 via an insulating sliding sheet 61 (for example, pressed against magnetic force). Arranged upward on the body 50. The movable electrode plate 60 is obtained by forming a planar electrode on a printed circuit board and is covered with an insulator. The sliding sheet 61 is affixed on the surface of the insulator on the fixed electrode plate 33 side (Z-axis positive side). As the sliding sheet 61, a material having a low friction coefficient and high durability (for example, foamed high molecular weight polyethylene) is used.

  Since the fixed electrode plate 33 is fixed to the lower surface of the upper plate 30, the guide shaft 40 that guides the movement of the moving body 50 is disposed below the fixed electrode plate 33 along the fixed electrode plate 33. Become. Thereby, the movable body 50 slides along the guide shaft 40, so that the movable electrode plate 60 slides while being crimped to the planar electrode of the fixed electrode plate 33 via the sliding sheet 61. At this time, since the electrostatic capacitance between the movable electrode plate 60 and the fixed electrode plate 33 changes, the position of the moving body 50 can be detected by detecting this. Details of such position detection of the moving body 50 will be described later.

  Next, a specific configuration example of the moving body 50 will be described. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the moving body 50, and FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the moving body 50, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. The moving body 50 includes a base 52 that is connected to the operation lever 51. A plate spring 80 and a guide shaft 40 are disposed on the base 52, and these are fixed by screws Na and Nb so as to be sandwiched by the support member 70 from above.

  The operation lever 51 and the base 52 are integrated and are made of a metal plate. The operation lever 51 extends vertically to the guide shaft 40 (Z-axis positive side) and the base 52 extends vertically to the guide shaft 40 in the width direction (X-axis direction). The plate is bent at a right angle. The base 52 and the operation lever 51 may be configured separately. The base 52 includes two base portions 52a and 52b that are separated in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) and extend in the X-axis direction.

  The support member 70 includes two support portions 71a and 71b that are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) on the base portions 52a and 52b, and a connection that connects these support portions 71a and 71b. Part 71c. Curved surfaces covering the cylindrical members 43a and 43b rotatably inserted into the guide shaft 40 are formed on one side end surfaces (X-axis negative side end surfaces) 72a and 72b in the width direction of the support portions 71a and 71b, respectively. Has been. Cylindrical members 43a and 43b arranged at corners of the base portions 52a and 52b and the operation lever 51 are fixed by the end surfaces 72a and 72b of the support portions 71a and 71b, respectively. The cylindrical members 43a and 43b may be bonded with an adhesive. As a result, the guide shaft 40 is slidably supported via the cylindrical members 43a and 43b almost directly below the operation lever 51. The inner sides of the cylindrical members 43a and 43b are processed with a fluororesin (PTFE, FEP, PFA, etc.). Thereby, the guide shaft 40 can be slid smoothly, and the cylindrical members 43a and 43b and the guide shaft 40 can be insulated.

  One support portion 71a is formed with a rotation stop portion 73 that protrudes from the other end surface in the width direction (side end surface on the X-axis positive side). The rotation stopper 73 may be provided on the other support 71b. The rotation stopper 73 prevents the moving body 50 from rotating around the axis of the guide shaft 40 when the moving body 50 slides. A guide groove 74 is formed in the rotation stopper 73. The guide groove 74 is inserted into a guide claw 23 a that protrudes inside the second side surface 23 of the case body 20 and is provided in the longitudinal direction. Here, the guide claw 23 a is formed by being bent from the second side surface 23 of the case body 20 so as to be cut out and protrude inward.

  According to such a configuration, the moving body 50 is guided by the guide shaft 40 at one side end in the width direction (X-axis negative side end), and the other side end in the width direction (X-axis). It is possible to move along the guide claw 23a while being inserted into the guide groove 74 at the side end portion on the positive side. Thereby, it can suppress that the operation lever 51 (moving body 50) rotates around the axis | shaft of the guide shaft 40, regardless of which slide position the moving body 50 exists.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the guide groove 74 is formed short on a part of the sliding direction (Y-axis direction) on the end surface of the rotation stopper 73, thereby forming a guide groove on the entire end surface of the moving body 50. Compared with the case where it does, the area which the guide groove 74 contacts the guide nail | claw 23a in a slide direction can be decreased. Thereby, when the moving body 50 is slid with the operation lever 51, it is possible to suppress the tilting in the sliding direction and difficulty in sliding.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a magnet 62 supported by a support 64 is provided above the support member 70 (Z-axis positive side). The magnet 62 is a rectangular parallelepiped ferrite magnet. The magnet 62 is supported by the support 64 and is fixed to the lower surface of the movable electrode plate 60. The support body 64 is supported on the upper surface of the support member 70 so as to move up and down. Specifically, support pins 75a and 75b are formed on the upper surfaces of the support portions 71a and 71b, and the support pins 75a and 75b are inserted into support holes 64a and 64b formed in the support body 64, respectively. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, the magnet 62 is supported by the support body 64 so as to be integrated with the movable electrode plate 60 so as to move up and down with respect to the support portions 71a and 71b.

  The upper plate 30 is made of a magnetic material, such as a galvanized steel plate, to which a magnet is adsorbed, and the case body 20 is made of a material that is not adsorbed by a magnet, for example, a lightweight and high strength material such as SUS304. According to this, the movable electrode plate 60 is pressed against the fixed electrode plate 33 by being attracted to the upper plate 30 by the magnetic force of the magnet 62. At this time, the movable electrode plate 60 is supported so as to be freely movable up and down while being regulated in the sliding direction by the support pins 75a and 75b.

  For this reason, even if the movable electrode plate 60 is always crimped to the fixed electrode plate 33 thereabove, the magnet 62 supported by the support body 64 and the movable electrode plate 60 move upward together, so the moving body 50 It does not lift itself. Thereby, the movable body 50 can be smoothly slid while the movable electrode plate 60 is in contact with the fixed electrode plate 33. The upper plate 30 may be a magnet, and the magnet 62 may be a magnetic body. However, in this embodiment, since the magnet is arranged inside the case body 20, no magnetic flux leaks to the outside of the case body 20. The influence on other parts can be suppressed.

  The operation element 4 shown in FIG. 3, the operation lever 51, the leaf spring 80, and the guide shaft 40 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are electrically conductive and electrically conductive. When the button is operated, a conduction path for a touch detection function for detecting that the operator's finger touches (touches) the operator 4 is configured. The conductive operation element 4 and the operation lever 51 referred to here may be entirely a conductor (for example, made of metal), or a part thereof includes a conductive material, and the portion of the conductive material is It may be electrically conductive. For example, a conductive material may be included in part, for example, conductive plating may be applied to the surface of the non-conductive material. The touch detection function is a function for causing a control device (not shown) of the audio mixer 1 to grasp which of the plurality of slide operation devices 10 provided in the audio mixer 1 shown in FIG. With this function, for example, in the audio mixer 1, the channel corresponding to the slide operation device 10 operated by the operator in contact with the operation element 4 is activated, or the data corresponding to the operation is rewritten. .

(Touch detection function)
Next, such a touch detection function will be described with reference to the drawings. 7 is a BB cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a CC cross-sectional view shown in FIG. In the touch detection function according to the present embodiment, the static formed between the operator's finger and the operator 4 when the operator's finger touches the operator 4 (operation lever 51) and when the operator's finger leaves the operator. Take advantage of the different capacities. Since the capacitance increases as the finger approaches the operation element 4, a conduction path that conducts with the operation element 4 (operation lever 51) is provided, and a change in the capacitance of the conduction path (for example, a change in voltage or current). By detecting this, it is detected whether or not the finger touches the operation element 4.

  The conduction path for touch detection in this embodiment is such that the operating lever 51 on which the operating element 4 is mounted is connected to the guide shaft 40 and the voltage or current of the guide shaft 40 is detected, so that the operator's finger is connected to the operating element 4. Detects touching. This eliminates the need for touch detection lead wires and the like.

  However, in this case, if the sliding between the operation lever 51 and the guide shaft 40 is a sliding between metals, an abnormal noise is generated when the metals are rubbed with each other, and mechanical durability is reduced. There is a possibility of malfunction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the operation lever 51 and the guide shaft 40 are electrically connected via a slider made of a nonmetallic conductive material such as a carbon-based conductive material.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, a plate spring 80 is provided on the base 52 of the operation lever 51, and a slide made of a carbon-based conductive material (eg, graphite) is provided on the plate spring 80. A moving element 90 is arranged so as to come into contact with the guide shaft 40 via the slider 90. According to this, the operation lever 51 is electrically connected to the base 52 and the leaf spring 80, and further electrically connected to the guide shaft 40 via the cylindrical slider 90. Thereby, when the operation lever 51 is slid by the operation element 4, the metals do not slide, so that no abnormal noise is generated and the mechanical durability can be improved.

  Here, a specific configuration example of the leaf spring 80 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the leaf spring 80 is made of a thin elastic plate made of metal, and includes a spring portion 81 on which the slider 90 is disposed and support portions 82a and 82b supported by the base portions 52a and 52b. Prepare. The spring part 81 is disposed between the base parts 52a and 52b so as to face the guide shaft 40. The spring portion 81 is formed with a position restricting hole 83 for restricting the position of the slider 90 so as not to deviate from a predetermined position below the guide shaft 40 (Z-axis negative side). The position restricting hole 83 is, for example, substantially rectangular and has a size that protrudes upward when the cylindrical slider 90 is placed on the edge of the position restricting hole 83. Thereby, it can prevent that the slider 90 moves, when sliding the guide shaft 40. FIG. The position restricting hole 83 may be a recess instead of a hole. Further, the shape of the slider 90 is not limited to a columnar shape, and may be a cylindrical shape, for example.

  Arm portions 84a and 84b are formed on both sides of the portion where the position restricting hole 83 of the spring portion 81 is formed. The arm portions 84a and 84b are folded along a direction (for example, an orthogonal X-axis direction) intersecting the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the guide shaft 40. According to such a leaf spring 80, the slider 90 can be urged so as to come into contact with the guide shaft 40 stably with a weak elastic force. Thereby, mechanical durability can be improved more.

  In order to weaken the elastic force of the leaf spring 80, the spring constant of the leaf spring 80 may be reduced. Therefore, the arm portions 84a and 84b may be lengthened in the Y-axis direction without being folded back in the X-axis direction. Conceivable. However, the longer the arm portions 84a and 84b are in the Y-axis direction, the larger the movable body 50 must be in the Y-axis direction. In this regard, as in the present embodiment, the arm portions 84a and 84b are configured to be folded back along the X-axis direction, thereby reducing the elastic force of the leaf spring 80 without increasing the moving body 50 in the Y-axis direction. can do.

  Further, the slider 90 is disposed so as to intersect (here, orthogonal) the guide shaft 40. Specifically, the slider 90 is disposed such that the axis of the slider 90 intersects the axis of the guide shaft 40 and the side surface of the slider 90 is in contact with the side surface of the guide shaft 40. According to this, the guide shaft 40 and the slider 90 have the cylinder axes intersecting and the side surfaces (curved surfaces) are in contact (point contact), so the contact area is very small. Can do. For this reason, there is also a small friction coefficient and it can slide smoothly. Further, since the contact area between the guide shaft 40 and the slider 90 is small, even if dust adheres to these contact portions, the operation lever 51 is moved to slide the slider 90 on the guide shaft 40. It becomes easy to be removed. Such self-cleaning action can further enhance durability.

  Further, the carbon-based conductive material constituting the slider 90 has a low coefficient of friction and high electrical stability. Therefore, by configuring the slider 90 with such a carbon-based conductive material, the operation lever 51 can be moved more smoothly while the slider 90 is in contact with the guide shaft 40. The conductivity between the guide shaft 40 and the guide shaft 40 is also improved. Further, for example, thin rubber may be attached to the leaf spring 80 as a damper for suppressing generation of sound due to natural vibration. Such a damper is attached in the vicinity of the slider 90 of the spring portion 81.

  According to such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 8, the leaf spring 80 is bent slightly downward (Z-axis negative side), and the slider 90 is biased so as to come into contact with the guide shaft 40. Thereby, the slider 90 is always pressed against the guide shaft 40 by the urging force of the leaf spring 80. Thereby, a conduction path of the touch detection function is formed from the operation element 4 to the connection terminal 44 through the operation lever 51, the leaf spring 80, the slider 90, and the guide shaft 40. A connection terminal 44 is connected to the guide shaft 40, and the connection terminal 44 is connected to the touch detection unit 45.

  The touch detection unit 45 detects a change in the capacitance of the operation element 4 (for example, a change in the voltage or current of the connection terminal 44) via the conduction path of the touch detection function described above, whereby a finger for the operation element 4 is detected. Detects contact. Since the guide shaft 40 is fixed to the case body 20 via the bushes 41 and 42 made of an insulator such as resin as described above, the guide shaft 40 is electrically connected to the case body 20. Absent. Thus, the conduction path of the touch detection function described above is not affected by the potential of the case body 20.

(Position detection function)
Next, the position detection function of the moving body 50 in the slide operation device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the position detection function of the moving body 50. In the present embodiment, a case where the position of the moving body 50 is detected using the electrostatic sensor composed of the fixed electrode plate 33 and the movable electrode plate 60 described above is taken as an example.

  The slide operating device 10 determines the position of the movable electrode plate 60 based on the electrostatic capacity between the power supply unit 65 that supplies power to the fixed electrode plate 33 and the fixed electrode plate 33 and the movable electrode plate 60. An analysis unit 66 that detects the position, a motor drive unit 67 that sends a drive signal to the motor 38, and a control unit 68 are provided.

  The control unit 68 controls the respective units of the slide operation device 10 in an integrated manner, and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The control unit 68 can control the position of the operation lever 51, that is, the position of the moving body 50 by driving the belt 38 by controlling the motor 38 by the motor driving unit 67.

  The fixed electrode plate 33 includes a first induction electrode 33a, a second induction electrode 33b, a potential detection electrode 33c, and a potential detection electrode 33d. The first induction electrode 33a and the second induction electrode 33b are planar electrodes that are long in the longitudinal direction of the slide operation device 10 and formed in a rectangular shape. The potential detection electrode 33c and the potential detection electrode 33d are disposed in a region between the first induction electrode 33a and the second induction electrode 33b.

  The potential detection electrode 33c and the potential detection electrode 33d are planar electrodes whose electrode patterns change along the longitudinal direction of the slide operation device 10, and are arranged close to each other in a point symmetry. In FIG. 9, a right triangle electrode pattern is taken as an example. The longitudinal lengths of the potential detection electrode 33c and the potential detection electrode 33d are the same as the longitudinal lengths of the first induction electrode 33a and the second induction electrode 33b.

  The first induction electrode 33 a and the second induction electrode 33 b are each connected to the power feeding unit 65. The potential detection electrode 33c and the potential detection electrode 33d are each connected to the analysis unit 66. By causing the control unit 68 to output, for example, a transmission signal (rectangular wave) whose voltage changes in a pulse shape from the power supply unit 65, the voltage can be applied to the induction electrode 33a and the induction electrode 33b. When a voltage is applied from the power feeding unit 65 to the induction electrode 33a and the induction electrode 33b, an electric charge is induced to the movable electrode plate 60 by the action of electrostatic induction.

  When charges are induced in the movable electrode plate 60, charges are further induced in the potential detection electrode 33c and the potential detection electrode 33d by the action of electrostatic induction. The amount of charge induced in the potential detection electrode 33c and the potential detection electrode 33d depends on the area of the portion facing the movable electrode plate 60, respectively. Accordingly, for example, the closer the movable electrode plate 60 is to the motor 38 side, the larger the amount of charge induced to the potential detection electrode 33c, and the farther the movable electrode plate 60 is from the motor 38, the more it is guided to the potential detection electrode 33d. The amount of charge to be increased.

  The analysis unit 66 detects the current position (absolute position) of the movable electrode plate 60 by acquiring a difference value of the magnitude of the current based on the amount of charge induced in the potential detection electrode 33c and the potential detection electrode 33d. . Information on the detected position is output to the control unit 68, and is output from the control unit 68 to a control unit (not shown) of the audio mixer 1. Thus, the slide position of the movable electrode plate 60, that is, the slide position of the movable body 50 can be detected.

  In the electrostatic sensor according to the present embodiment, the fixed electrode plate 33 and the movable electrode plate 60 are pressure-bonded by the magnetic force of the magnet 62 as shown in FIG. it can. Thereby, the movable electrode plate 60 can be slid while keeping the distance between the electrodes constant without using precision mechanism parts or parts having complicated shapes.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the two potential detection electrodes 33c and the potential detection electrode 33d having a right triangle shape are arranged is shown, but the arrangement pattern of the potential detection electrodes is not limited to this.

  As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the guide shaft 40 and the operation lever 51 are moved by the slider 90 provided to move together with the operation lever 51 and slide while contacting the guide shaft 40. Are electrically connected to each other. As a result, a conduction path that conducts from the operation lever 51 via the guide shaft 40 is always formed when the operation lever 51 is moved with fingers. For this reason, this conduction | electrical_connection path | route can be used as a conduction | electrical_connection path | route of the touch detection function which detects that the finger | toe touched the operation lever 51. FIG.

  Thus, by configuring the conduction path of the touch detection function via the guide shaft 40, the wiring for the touch detection function connected to the operation lever 51 becomes unnecessary, and the touch detection function can be realized with a simple configuration. . In addition, since the slider 90 serving as a sliding contact with the guide shaft 40 is made of a non-metallic conductive material, the metal does not slide, so that no abnormal noise is generated and mechanical. Durability can also be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a slide operation device that detects the position of the moving body 50 using an electrostatic sensor including the fixed electrode plate 33 and the movable electrode plate 60 will be described as an example. Although the case where the fixed electrode plate 33 is provided as the position detection plate of the body 50 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a slide operation device configured as a slide-type variable resistor. In this case, as the position detection plate of the moving body, for example, a resistor substrate having a resistor on the lower surface of the insulating substrate can be used. A resistor substrate as a position detection plate is fixed to the lower surface of the upper plate 30 so that the detection surface (here, the surface on which the resistor is formed) faces downward, and a slider that contacts the resistor substrate is provided. You may make it provide in the mobile body 50. FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a slide operation device that detects the position of the moving body 50 using an electrostatic sensor including the fixed electrode plate 33 and the movable electrode plate 60 will be described as an example. Although the case where the fixed electrode plate 33 is provided as the position detection plate of the body 50 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a slide operation device configured as a slide-type variable resistor. In this case, a resistance substrate having a resistor on the lower surface of the insulating substrate is used as the position detection plate of the moving body, and a slider that slides while contacting the resistor is provided on the upper side of the moving body 50. Also good.

  Also, the slide operation device according to the present invention may be mounted on an electronic musical instrument such as an electronic piano or an electronic organ so that the volume, pitch, etc. can be changed continuously. In addition, the slide operation device according to the present invention may be mounted on an illumination light amount adjustment device so that the brightness of the illumination can be changed continuously. Further, the number of slide operation devices mounted on these electronic devices is not limited to a plurality and may be one.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Audio mixer, 2 ... Operation panel, 3 ... Slit, 4 ... Operator, 10 ... Slide operation apparatus, 11 ... Case, 20 ... Case main body, 21 ... Bottom plate, 22 ... 1st side surface, 22a ... Upper part, 23 ... 2nd side surface, 23a ... guide claw, 24 ... 1st end surface, 24a ... hole, 25 ... 2nd end surface, 25a ... hole, 30 ... upper plate, 31 ... side surface, 32 ... notch, 32a ... slit, 33 ... fixed electrode Plate, 33a ... first induction electrode, 33b ... second induction electrode, 33c ... first potential detection electrode, 33d ... second potential detection electrode, 35 ... belt, 36 ... drive pulley, 37 ... passive pulley, 38 ... motor, 40 ... Guide shaft, 41, 42 ... Bush, 43a, 43b ... Cylindrical member, 44 ... Connection terminal, 45 ... Touch detection part, 50 ... Moving body, 51 ... Operating lever, 51a ... Tip part, 51b ... Inclined part, 51c ... group , 52 ... base, 52 a, 52 b ... base part, 60 ... movable electrode plate, 61 ... sliding sheet (insulator), 62 ... magnet, 64 ... support, 64a, 64b ... support hole, 65 ... power feeding part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 66 ... Analysis part, 67 ... Motor drive part, 68 ... Control part, 70 ... Support member, 71a, 71b ... Support part, 71c ... Connection part, 72a, 72b ... End surface, 73 ... Anti-rotation part, 74 ... Guide groove, 75a, 75b ... support pins, 80 ... leaf springs, 81 ... spring parts, 82a, 82b ... support parts, 83 ... position restricting holes, 84a, 84b ... arm parts, 90 ... sliders.

Claims (5)

A metal guide shaft,
A conductive operating lever that moves along the guide shaft;
A slider that is electrically connected between the guide shaft and the operation lever, moves with the operation lever, and slides on the guide shaft;
A slide operation device comprising: The slider is made of a non-metallic conductive material,
The slide operation device according to claim 1. The slider is disposed on a leaf spring attached to the operation lever, and is pressed against the guide shaft by the leaf spring.
The slide operation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above. The slider is columnar or cylindrical,
The slider is disposed such that the axis of the slider intersects with the axis of the guide shaft, and the side surface of the slider contacts the side surface of the guide shaft.
The slide operation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The slider is a carbon-based conductive material.
The slide operation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the slide operation device is provided.

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