JP2021039474A - Operation input device and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an operation input device capable of increasing a dynamic range of pressure detection without impairing a grip feeling.SOLUTION: An operation input device is arranged on a grip part 60 of a digital camera 100, and detects operation input by a hand, a finger or the like of a user. The operation input device includes: a first elastic member 61 and a second elastic member 62 arranged outside an exterior member 65; a pressure sensor 64 arranged inside the first elastic member 61; and a capacitance sensor 63 between the first elastic member 61 and the pressure sensor 64. The pressure sensor 64 is located between the first elastic member 61 and the second elastic member 62, and the first elastic member 61 and the second elastic member 62 have different hardness or different thicknesses.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a mechanical structure of an operation input device used for operation input of an electronic device.

Electronic devices such as mobile terminal devices and imaging devices include operation input devices for users to change settings and perform specific operations. Generally, an operation member such as a mechanical button or dial is arranged on the upper surface or the back surface of an electronic device, and an operation input is detected by pressing a button or detecting rotation of the dial. Further, as an operation input means instead of a mechanical operation member, there is an electronic device equipped with a touch sensor such as a capacitance sensor or a pressure sensor.

The operation input device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an operation detection unit in which a capacitance sensor and a pressure sensor arranged in a matrix in the operation input unit are arranged in an overlapping manner. In the detection of the operator's fingers with respect to the operation input unit, acquisition of various operation input information such as the contact position with respect to the operation input unit, the contact pressure (pressing pressure), the contact area of the fingers, and the distance (or close) of the fingers. Is possible.

Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a grip button is provided on a grip portion of a camera and a pressure sensor is mounted inside the grip. After the release operation is started, the operating pressure when the grip button is pressed is detected by the pressure sensor, and the number of shooting frames during movie shooting is changed according to the pressure value. Further, after the release operation is started, it is possible to switch between moving image shooting and continuous shooting shooting, change the AF area, change the exposure compensation value, and the like according to the operating pressure on the grip button.

JP-A-2018-25848 JP-A-2004-157353

In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the dynamic range of pressure detection performed by the pressure sensor when the user holds the operation input device is small, and detection of an operation not intended by the user may occur. On the other hand, when the dynamic range of pressure detection is increased, the amount of displacement in the pressing direction becomes large, so that the grip feeling when the user grips the operation input device may be impaired.

Further, in the operation of the grip button disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is possible to change the operation mode or the parameter during shooting according to the operation pressure. However, when a mechanical operating member is arranged on the grip portion, there is a possibility that the user unintentionally presses the grip button when gripping the grip portion by applying force during shooting, or the grip feeling may be impaired. There is.
An object of the present invention is to provide an operation input device capable of increasing the dynamic range of pressure detection without impairing the grip feeling.

The operation input device according to the embodiment of the present invention is an operation input device including first and second elastic members, a first detection means for detecting pressure, and an exterior member, and is the first detection device. The means is located between the first elastic member and the second elastic member, and the first elastic member and the second elastic member have different hardness or thickness.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an operation input device capable of increasing the dynamic range of pressure detection without impairing the feeling of grip.

It is an external view of the image pickup apparatus of an embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the hardware configuration example of an image pickup apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure which increased the dynamic range of pressure detection. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the structure of the grip part of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the main part which shows the structure of the grip part of 1st Embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the structure of the grip part of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state before and after the deformation of a pressure sensor. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure which suppresses the disconnection of the conductor pattern of a pressure sensor. It is sectional drawing which shows the example which applied the structure of FIG. 8 to the curved surface shape part. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure which prevents the pressure detection accuracy decrease in the curved surface shape part.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, an image pickup device is shown as an example of an electronic device provided with an operation input device, but the present invention can be applied to various electronic devices provided with an operation input device.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a digital camera 100 as an example of an imaging device according to an embodiment. FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of the digital camera 100, and FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of the digital camera 100. The digital camera (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a camera) 100 is an interchangeable lens camera to which a lens device (not shown) can be attached to the main body thereof. An X-axis and a Z-axis orthogonal to each other are defined on the bottom surface of the camera 100, and an axis orthogonal to each of the X-axis and the Z-axis is defined as a Y-axis. The Z-axis direction is a direction parallel to the optical axis of the image pickup apparatus.

The main display unit 11 shown in FIG. 1B is provided on the back surface of the camera body unit and displays images and various information. In the case of a configuration having a touch panel on the display surface of the main display unit 11, a touch operation on the display surface (operation surface) can be detected. The sub display unit 12 is provided on the upper surface of the camera body unit, and displays various set values such as a shutter speed and an aperture value.

The camera 100 includes a peep-type finder, and the user can visually recognize the image displayed on the internal EVF (Electronic View Finder) through the eyepiece 20. The eyepiece detection unit 22 detects the approach (eyepiece) and separation (eyepiece) of the eye with respect to the eyepiece 20.

The camera 100 includes an operating member used by the user for various operations, and an example thereof is shown below.
(Upper surface of camera)
-Main electronic dial 31: A rotation operation member, and instructions such as changing set values such as a shutter speed and an aperture value are given by the rotation thereof.
Power switch 32: An operating member that switches the power of the camera 100 on and off.
-Sub electronic dial 33: A rotation operation member, and instructions such as movement of a selection frame and image feed are given by rotation thereof.
-Movie button 36: Used to instruct the start and stop of movie shooting (recording).
-Mode changeover switch 41: An operation member for switching various modes.
-Shutter button 42: An operating member arranged on the subject side for giving a shooting instruction.
(Back of camera)
-Cross key 34: A cross key (4-way key) that can be pushed into each part of up, down, left, and right.
-SET button 35: A push button, which is mainly used for determining a selection item or the like.
-AE lock button 37: Pressed in the shooting standby state, the exposure state can be fixed.
-Enlargement button 38: An operation member for turning on / off the enlargement mode in the live view display.
-Play button 39: An operation member for switching between a shooting mode and a playback mode.
-Menu button 40: An operation member for displaying a menu screen for various settings on the main display unit 11.
An operation input device is provided inside the grip portion 60, and includes the capacitance sensor 63 and the pressure sensor 64 shown in FIG. The details will be described later.

The lid 50 of the slot in which the recording medium 300 (see FIG. 2) is stored is arranged on the side surface of the camera body. The communication terminal 51 is a terminal for the camera 100 to communicate with the lens device. The terminal cover 52 is arranged on the side surface of the camera body and protects a connector (not shown) such as a connection cable that electrically connects the external device and the camera 100.

The grip portion 60 is a grip portion having a shape that makes it easy for the user to grip the camera body with his / her right hand. The shutter button 42 and the main electronic dial 31 are arranged at positions that can be operated by the index finger of the right hand while the user holds the camera 100 by holding the grip portion 60 with the little finger, ring finger, and middle finger of the right hand. In this state, a sub electronic dial 33, a cross key 34, a SET button 35, an AE lock button 37, an enlargement button 38, and a play button 39 are arranged at positions that can be operated with the thumb of the right hand.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the digital camera 100. The camera body includes a system control unit 80, the lens unit 200 includes a lens system control circuit 203, and both can communicate with each other.

First, the configuration of the camera body will be described. The eyepiece detection unit 22 has an infrared proximity sensor or the like, and detects eyepieces and eye separations with respect to the eyepiece unit 20 of the finder. The system control unit 80 switches between the display state and the non-display state of the main display unit 11 and the EVF 21 according to the detection state by the eyepiece detection unit 22. Specifically, at least in the shooting standby state and in the case of automatic switching, the display of the main display unit 11 is turned on and the EVF 21 is hidden during non-eye contact. Further, the display of the EVF 21 is turned on during the eyepiece, and the main display unit 11 is hidden.

The operation unit 30 is used by the user when inputting various instructions to the system control unit 80, and includes various operation members as an input unit for receiving the user operation. The operation members have already been described in FIG. 1. For example, when the menu button 40 is pressed, the menu screen is displayed on the main display unit 11, and the user intuitively uses the cross key 34 and the SET button 35 while looking at the menu screen. Can be set to. Further, by operating the main electronic dial 31 after turning on the enlargement mode with the enlargement button 38, it is possible to give an instruction to enlarge or reduce the live view image, and to give an instruction to enlarge the reproduced image in the reproduction mode.

The operation unit 30 includes a capacitance sensor 63 and a pressure sensor 64 that the grip unit 60 has inside. In the grip portion 60, the capacitance sensor 63 and the pressure sensor 64 are arranged in the area where the user grips the camera body portion, and the gripping state of the camera 100 and the movement of the finger by the user can be detected.

The system control unit 80 switches the operation mode to the still image shooting mode, the moving image shooting mode, the playback mode, or the like by the signal from the mode changeover switch 41. The first shutter switch 43 and the second shutter switch 44 are step switches that are turned on and off by operating the shutter button 42. The first shutter switch 43 is turned on by a so-called half-press (shooting preparation instruction) during the operation of the shutter button 42, and the first shutter switch signal SW1 is generated. The system control unit 80 starts shooting preparation operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (autoexposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing by SW1. The second shutter switch 44 is turned on when the operation of the shutter button 42 is completed, so-called full pressing (shooting instruction), and the second shutter switch signal SW2 is generated. The system control unit 80 uses SW2 to start a series of shooting processes from reading a signal from the imaging unit 84 to writing the captured image as an image file on the recording medium 300.

The AE sensor 81 measures the brightness of the subject through the lens unit 200 and outputs the photometric result to the system control unit 80. The focus detection unit 82 detects the focus state of the imaging optical system and outputs information on the amount of defocus to the system control unit 80. The system control unit 80 controls the lens unit 200 based on the information and performs phase difference AF. The focus detection unit 82 has a dedicated phase difference sensor, or performs focus detection by using an image pickup element (imaging surface phase difference sensor) included in the image pickup unit 84. The shutter 83 is a focal plane shutter, and is a device that controls the exposure time of the imaging unit 84 by a command from the system control unit 80.

The image pickup unit 84 includes an image pickup element that photoelectrically converts an optical image formed through the image pickup optical system into an electric signal. An image sensor using a CCD (charge-coupled device) or CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) is used. The A / D converter 85 converts the analog signal output by the imaging unit 84 into a digital signal. The output data of the A / D converter 85 is written directly to the memory 88 via the image processing unit 86 and the memory control unit 87, or via the memory control unit 87.

The image processing unit 86 performs resizing processing, color conversion processing, etc. on the data from the A / D converter 85 or the data from the memory control unit 87, and also performs a predetermined calculation using the captured image data. Perform processing. The system control unit 80 performs exposure control and distance measurement control based on the calculation result, and performs TTL (through-the-lens) AF processing, AWB processing, AE processing, EF processing, and the like.

The memory 88 stores the digital image data converted by the A / D converter 85 and the image data to be displayed on the main display unit 11 and the EVF 21. The memory 88 has a storage capacity sufficient for storing a predetermined number of still images, moving images and audio data for a predetermined time, and also serves as a video memory for displaying images.

The D / A converter 89 converts the image display data stored in the memory 88 into an analog signal and supplies it to the main display unit 11 and the EVF 21. The display image data written in the memory 88 is displayed by the main display unit 11 and the EVF 21. The live view display is performed by analog-converting the digital signal stored in the memory 88 with the D / A converter 89 and sequentially transferring the digital signal to the main display unit 11 or the EVF 21 for display. The sub-display unit drive circuit 90 displays set values such as the shutter speed and the aperture value on the screen of the sub-display unit 12 according to the command of the system control unit 80.

The non-volatile memory 91 is a memory such as an EEPROM that can be electrically erased and recorded, and stores constants, programs, and the like for the operation of the system control unit 80. The system control unit 80 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the entire digital camera 100. The CPU realizes each process by executing the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 91. For the system memory 92, for example, a RAM (random access memory) is used, and constants and variables for the operation of the system control unit 80, a program read from the non-volatile memory 91, and the like are developed. The system timer 93 measures the time used for various controls and the time of the built-in clock.

The power supply control unit 94 detects whether or not a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. Using the operation signal of the power switch 32 as a trigger, the power control unit 94 controls the internal DC-DC converter according to the detection result and the command of the system control unit 80, and supplies power to each unit including the recording medium 300. .. The power supply unit 95 includes a primary battery, a secondary battery, an AC adapter, and the like.

The recording medium I / F (interface) unit 96 connects the recording medium 300 and the system control unit 80. The recording medium 300 for recording captured image data and the like is composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, and the like. For example, when the user presses the play button 39 during the shooting mode, the mode shifts to the play mode, and the latest image among the images recorded on the recording medium 300 can be displayed on the main display unit 11.

The communication unit 97 can be connected to the network when transmitting and receiving video signals and audio signals. The communication unit 97 can transmit the image data captured by the image pickup unit 84 and the image data recorded on the recording medium 300 to an external device, and can receive the image data and various information from the external device.

The posture detection unit 98 includes an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and the like, and detects the posture of the camera 100 with respect to the direction of gravity. For example, based on the posture detected by the posture detection unit 98, it is possible to determine whether the user is holding the camera 100 horizontally or vertically, and it is possible to detect a state such as panning or a stationary state.

Next, the configuration of the lens unit 200 will be described. The lens unit 200 includes a lens group such as a zoom lens and a focus lens, and is simply shown as one lens 201 in FIG. The lens unit 200 includes a communication terminal 202 that communicates with the digital camera 100. The lens unit 200 can communicate with the system control unit 80 via the communication terminals 51 and 202. The lens system control circuit 203 controls the aperture drive circuit 204 and the AF drive circuit 206 according to the command of the system control unit 80. The aperture 205 is controlled via the aperture drive circuit 204, and the focus adjustment control is performed by displacing the position of the focus lens in the lens 201 via the AF drive circuit 206.

Next, the operation input device of the present embodiment will be described in comparison with the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1. The operation input device shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1 has an operation detection unit in which a capacitance sensor (120) and a pressure sensor (130) arranged in a matrix in the operation input unit are arranged in an overlapping manner. When pressure is applied to the pressure sensor through the capacitance sensor, the pressure sensor is rolled.

The cross-sectional area of the conductor pattern of the pressure sensor is referred to as A, and its length is referred to as L. The cross-sectional area A and the length L change before and after the deformation of the pressure sensor due to rolling. When the electrical resistivity peculiar to a conductor is expressed as ρ and the electric resistance value is expressed as R, the relationship between R and ρ, L, and A is expressed by the following equation (1).

When the pressure sensor receives pressure from a pressing body such as a finger, the cross-sectional area A becomes small and the length L becomes large, so that the electric resistance value R becomes large. Therefore, the greater the deformation of the conductor when a constant pressure is applied, the greater the change in the electrical resistance value R. In this case, it is possible to make the pressure detection more sensitive, that is, to increase the dynamic range of the pressure detection by making the conductor easily deformable.

In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the deformation allowance (white) of the pressure sensor depends on the amount of crushing due to rolling of the pressure sensor (hereinafter, referred to as crushing amount Δt). If this crushing amount Δt is small, it is not easy to increase the dynamic range of pressure detection.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example in which the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 is improved and the dynamic range of pressure detection of the pressure sensor 64 is simply increased. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state before applying pressure to the pressure sensor 64. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which pressure is applied to the pressure sensor 64.

Both ends of the pressure sensor 64 are fixed, and a space 69 that serves as a deformation allowance for the pressure sensor 64 is provided in the deformation direction of the pressure sensor 64 at a position where pressure is expected. As shown in FIG. 3B, since the pressure sensor 64 can be deformed by the amount of pressure received in the space 69, the dynamic range of pressure detection can be increased. When such a configuration is applied to the grip portion 60 of the image pickup apparatus of the present embodiment, it is necessary for the user to have high grip performance in order to maintain the shooting posture and suppress blurring of the captured image. .. Therefore, it is preferable that the shape difference of the grip portion 60 is small between the state before the pressure is applied and the state in which the user grips the grip portion 60 and the pressure is applied. In particular, the smaller the amount of deformation in the direction in which the user applies force, that is, the smaller the stroke amount, the more preferable, but it is difficult to achieve high grip with the configuration of FIG.

A configuration example in which the dynamic range of pressure detection of the pressure sensor 64 is improved in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the grip portion 60, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the grip portion 60. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state before applying pressure to the pressure sensor 64. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which pressure is applied to the pressure sensor 64.

In FIG. 4, the first elastic member 61, the capacitance sensor 63, the pressure sensor 64, the second elastic member 62, and the exterior member 65 are shown in order from the appearance surface. The external surface is the external surface of the operation input device. That is, the first elastic member 61 is arranged on the outermost side, and the exterior member 65 is arranged on the innermost side.

The first elastic member 61 has a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the exterior member 65, and is made of an elastic material such as an elastomer. As the capacitance sensor 63, a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as FPC) in which a metal conductor pattern is wired on a base material such as polyimide is used. Alternatively, housing wiring in which the metal conductor pattern is wired to the first elastic member 61 itself may be used. The capacitance sensor 63 detects that the pressing body 70 has touched by detecting a change in capacitance due to the pressing body 70 (fingers of the operator or the like). For example, when the pressing body 70 touches the grip portion 60, a change in capacitance in the metal conductor pattern on the FPC arranged in the grip portion 60 is detected. Desirable processing can be performed by various operations according to the detection signal at this time.

The pressure sensor 64 is a sensor for detecting the strength of the touch operation, and detects the strength of the pressure received from the pressing body 70 with respect to the grip portion 60. When the grip portion 60 is pressed by a touch operation, the pressure sensor 64 can continuously detect the strength of the pressing. As the pressure sensor 64, an FPC in which a metal conductor pattern is wired on a base material such as polyimide is used. Alternatively, a stretchable stretchable conductor pattern may be wired to the stretchable fibrous base material. The pressure sensor 64 detects pressure by utilizing the piezoresistive effect in which the electric resistance value changes according to the strain when stress is applied to the metal conductor pattern. That is, when a load is applied to the pressure sensor 64 to deform the conductor pattern, the applied load can be calculated back by reading the change in the electric resistance value of the conductor. For example, one or more threshold values are set for the electric resistance value (or the detection signal corresponding to the electric resistance value) of the conductor. The detection unit compares the electric resistance value of the conductor with the threshold value, and the system control unit 80 performs a predetermined control when the resistance value changes in a direction in which the resistance value becomes smaller than the predetermined threshold value. The predetermined control is, for example, a control for turning on / off the power of an electronic device, calling a predetermined function according to an operation input, or the like. The operation input can be discriminated from the detection result by the pressure sensor 64, and the process intended by the user can be executed.

Alternatively, the capacitance sensor 63 provided in parallel with the grip portion 60 can detect the distance and detect the pressure corresponding to the distance. The distance in this case is the distance between the pressing body 70 on the grip portion 60 and the capacitance sensor 63 due to the operating surface being distorted by the pressing force of the pressing body 70 against the grip portion 60, and is the capacitance value. Can be calculated from. There is a method of calculating the pressure based on this distance, or a method of treating the distance as equivalent to the pressure.

As for the pressure sensor 64 in the present embodiment, another type of sensor may be used as long as the strength of pressing against the grip portion 60 can be detected. It is possible to detect the intensity (pressure) of a touch operation using different methods and different sensors, or a combination of multiple sensors (eg, combining output signals by weighted average).

Like the first elastic member 61, the second elastic member 62 has a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the exterior member 65, and is made of an elastic material such as an elastomer. The second elastic member 62 has a higher rigidity than the first elastic member 61.

The exterior member 65 is a member that forms the grip shape of the grip portion 60, and has a higher rigidity than the second elastic member 62. The exterior member 65 has a plurality of recesses 65a (FIG. 5), and a space 69 is formed in a region surrounded by the recess 65a and the second elastic member 62.

In the present embodiment, when the user grips the grip portion 60, one or a plurality of capacitance sensors 63 and a pressure sensor 64 are installed at least in a portion where the pressing body 70 comes into contact with the grip portion 60. By detecting the change in the capacitance by the capacitance sensor 63, it is possible to identify the part touched by the user. Then, the pressing force on the grip portion 60 can be detected by the output value of the pressure sensor 64. In this way, by combining the capacitance sensor 63 and the pressure sensor 64, it is possible to detect at what position and how much pressure is received by the operation input unit. For example, even if the same pressure is received, if there is a difference in the received position, control or processing can be performed so that the function to be called differs for each position. In addition, various operations such as a slide operation, a tap operation, and a touch operation can be performed by the pressing body 70.

When the first elastic member 61 is pressed by the pressing body 70, the pressure sensor 64 sandwiched between the first elastic member 61 and the exterior member 65 is rolled and crushed. Before and after the deformation of the pressure sensor 64 due to pressing, the cross-sectional area A and the length L of the conductor pattern of the pressure sensor 64 change. Further, since the second elastic member 62 in contact with the pressure sensor 64 also has elasticity, a part of the pressure sensor 64 sinks into the space 69 together with the second elastic member 62 by pressing. As a result, the amount of deformation of the pressure sensor 64 becomes equal to the sum of the amount of crushing due to rolling of the pressure sensor 64 Δt and the amount of deformation due to bending of the pressure sensor 64 (denoted as Δd). Compared with the configuration in which the space portion 69 is not provided, the amount of deformation of the pressure sensor 64 is larger by the amount of deformation Δd due to the deflection of the pressure sensor 64, so that the structure is such that the amount of displacement is locally generated in the pressure sensor 64. it can. Therefore, while expanding the dynamic range of pressure detection, it is possible to reduce the shape difference between the state of FIG. 5 (A) before the pressure is applied and the state of FIG. 5 (B) where the pressure is applied.

Next, the relationship between the pressing body 70 and the space portion 69 will be described. In the gripped state of the grip portion 60, the range in which the pressing body 70 contacts the grip portion 60 is defined as the contact width of the pressing body 70, the contact width of the pressing body 70 with respect to the first elastic member 61 is described as L1, and the exterior member 65. The width of the recess 65a is referred to as L2.

In order to ensure that the pressure when the user grips the grip portion 60 can be detected by the pressure sensor 64, the width L2 of the recess 65a needs to be larger than the contact width L1 of the pressing body 70 (L2). > L1). If the width L2 of the recess 65a is made smaller than the contact width L1 of the pressing body 70, the pressing body 70 straddles the recess 65a and covers it. Therefore, the pressure sensor 64 is less likely to bend, and the deformation amount Δd becomes smaller than in the case where the width L2 of the recess 65a is larger than the contact width L1 of the pressing body 70. In some cases, there is a possibility that “Δd≈0”. In the present embodiment, since the relationship between L1 and L2 is “L2 / L1> 1”, it is possible to avoid the deformation amount Δd from becoming extremely small. However, the relationship is not limited to this, and the relationship between L1 and L2 may be “L2 / L1 ≧ 0.5”.

Further, the depth of the recess 65a is equal to or greater than the maximum amount of deformation that the second elastic member 62 can bend. When the second elastic member 62 comes into contact with the bottom of the recess 65a of the exterior member 65 when pressed by the pressing body 70, the pressure sensor 64 is rolled against the intention of the user, and appropriate pressure detection can be performed. It may disappear.

The pressing body 70 is, for example, a user's finger, and the user performs a slide operation or a tap operation with the finger in the gripped state of the grip portion 60. At this time, it is assumed that the fingertips of the ring finger and the middle finger come into contact with the grip portion 60, and the shape of the contact portion at that time is substantially circular. In the case of Japanese, the width of the fingertip of the ring finger of an adult has a minimum value of 10.2 mm and a maximum value of 17.7 mm, and the width of the fingertip of the middle finger has a minimum value of 10.7 mm and a maximum value of 18.6 mm. Is. Since the contact width of the grip portion 60 at the time of gripping is at most the width of a finger or less, it is designed as a value of 10 mm or more, which is the minimum value thereof. Further, in order to enable reliable detection by the pressure sensor 64 even for a person with a large finger, the contact width when gripping the grip portion 60 should be designed assuming that the contact width at the time of gripping is 30 mm, which is about 1.5 times the maximum value. Just do it. From the above, a range of 10 mm <L1 <30 mm is desirable, but in order to achieve the effect of the present embodiment, a range of 5 mm ≦ L1 <30 mm may be used.

The first elastic member 61 is made of a material softer than the second elastic member 62. The reason is to improve the detection accuracy of the pressing position. When the first elastic member 61 is pressed by the pressing body 70, the second elastic member 62, which is harder than the first elastic member 61, functions to support the entire first elastic member 61. The first elastic member 61 is supported by the second elastic member 62, but the first elastic member 61, which is softer than the second elastic member 62, sinks in the pressed portion and its vicinity. Therefore, in the pressure sensor 64 sandwiched between the first elastic member 61 and the second elastic member 62, only the pressed portion and its vicinity are rolled. This makes it possible to accurately detect the pressing position by the pressing body 70.

The hardness of the elastic member can be set by the following method.
The thickness of the first elastic member 61 and the second elastic member 62 are set to be the same, and the second elastic member 62 is used as the first elastic member due to the difference in hardness of the material used for the elastic member. How to make it harder than 61.
-The same material is used for the first elastic member 61 and the second elastic member 62, and the hardness is made different by changing the thickness, and the thickness of the second elastic member 62 is changed to the first elastic member 61. How to make it harder by making it larger than the thickness of.

In the present embodiment, the example in which the first elastic member 61 and the second elastic member 62 each have one layer has been described, but a multi-layer structure may also be used. For example, the first elastic member 61 has one layer, and the second elastic member 62 has two layers. The second elastic member 62 composed of two layers is harder than the first elastic member 61. The combination of hardness, thickness, and number of layers of each elastic member does not matter. The relationship of hardness is not limited to the above, and the first elastic member 61 may be made harder than the second elastic member 62, if necessary.

When viewed from the pressing direction of the pressing body 70, the conductor pattern of the pressure sensor 64 is not wired in the region where the support portion (not shown) of the second elastic member 62 and the exterior member 65 overlap. The reason is that when an excessive pressure is received from the pressing body 70, the pressure applied to the local pressure sensor 64 may lead to damage, and proper detection may not be possible.

Further, in the present embodiment, the capacitance sensor 63 is arranged on the outside of the pressure sensor 64 (appearance surface side), but in other embodiments, it is arranged on the inside of the pressure sensor 64 (exterior member side). The capacitance sensor 63 detects the contact position based on the change in capacitance when the user's finger touches. When the capacitance sensor 63 detects a change in capacitance, if a current flows between the user's finger and the capacitance sensor 63, the capacitance changes and erroneous detection occurs. sell. Further, the capacitance sensor 63 can be improved in detection performance when it is as close as possible to the user's finger. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange the capacitance sensor 63 on the finger side of the user rather than the pressure sensor 64 through which the current flows.

Further, in the assembled state of the operation input device, the pressure sensor 64 is in a state of being deformed to some extent between the first elastic member 61 and the exterior member 65. The reason is that the collapse amount Δt of the pressure sensor 64 in the assembled state may differ due to the variation in parts or the variation in manufacturing, and the electric resistance value detected in the initial state may differ. Calibration is performed so that the detected load becomes 0 [N] in the initial deformed state when the assembly is completed.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an operation input device capable of increasing the dynamic range of pressure detection without impairing the grip feeling when the user grips the operation input device.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10. In this embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the same items as those in the first embodiment will be omitted in detail by using the symbols and symbols already used. In this embodiment, only the elastic member 61 is shown.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the components of the grip portion 60 of the present embodiment. From the external aspect, the elastic member 61, the exterior member 65, the capacitance sensor 63, the pressure sensor 64, and the base member 66 are configured in this order.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the state before and after the deformation of the pressure sensor 64. For the pressure sensor 64, an FPC in which a metal conductor pattern 170 is wired on a base material 169 such as polyimide is used. Alternatively, the stretchable stretchable conductor pattern 170 may be wired to the stretchable fibrous base material 169. The pressure sensor 64 detects pressure by utilizing the piezoresistive effect in which the electric resistance value changes according to the strain when stress is applied to the metal. That is, since the conductor pattern 170 is deformed when a load is applied to the pressure sensor 64, the applied load can be calculated back by reading the change in the electric resistance value of the conductor pattern 170. For example, when the electric resistance value of the conductor pattern 170 changes with respect to one or more threshold values, the electronic device controls the corresponding function. The user can give a desired instruction to the electronic device by using the operation input device.

FIG. 7A shows a state before the pressure sensor 64 is deformed, and FIG. 7B shows a state after the pressure sensor 64 is deformed by receiving pressure. Before and after the deformation of the pressure sensor 64, the cross-sectional area A and the length L of the conductor pattern 170 change. When the electrical resistivity peculiar to the conductor is ρ, the electrical resistance value R is represented by the above equation (1). That is, when the conductor pattern 170 is deformed, the cross-sectional area A becomes small and the length L becomes large, so that the electric resistance value R becomes large. Further, the larger the amount of deformation of the conductor pattern 170 when a constant pressure is applied, the larger the change in the electric resistance value R becomes. By adopting a structure in which the conductor pattern 170 is more deformable, it is possible to perform detection from a small pressure to a large pressure, that is, to expand the dynamic range of pressure detection. The capacitance sensor 63 also has the same configuration as in FIG. 7A.

The operation input device of the prior art has a configuration in which the pressure applied by the user is directly transmitted to the capacitance sensor and the pressure sensor. For example, in the case of the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a strong impact is applied, a pressure sensor is arranged between the member to which the impact is applied and the member to receive the impact. Therefore, the conductor pattern wired to the pressure sensor is sandwiched between the member that has applied the impact and the member that receives the impact, and there is a concern that disconnection may occur. In particular, mobile devices such as digital cameras have a risk of dropping the device while the user is carrying it.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration for suppressing disconnection of the conductor pattern 170 of the pressure sensor 64. The elastic member 61 has a plurality of protrusions 72. When the elastic member 61 receives pressure from the outside, the protrusion 72 deforms the pressure sensor 64, so that the pressure can be detected. The elastic member 61 may be made of a homogeneous material, or may be made of a material in which the rigidity of the protrusion 72 is increased in consideration of the transmission of pressure to the pressure sensor 64.

The elastic member 61 has a plurality of regulating portions 162 in contact with the exterior member 65. The regulating portion 162 is a portion for preventing the entire elastic member 61 from being deformed by pressure, in other words, has a role of regulating shape deformation so that only the portion provided with the protrusion 72 is deformed. When the user applies pressure, the elastic member 61 is locally deformed, so that the change in the feel transmitted to the user can be minimized.

The base member 66 is provided with a plurality of pockets 71 as recesses. The pocket 71 serves as a deformation allowance for the pressure sensor 64 when pressure is applied. FIG. 8 shows an example of a hemispherical pocket 71, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a through hole may be used.

When a strong impact is applied to the electronic device due to dropping or the like, the impact is applied to the exterior member 65 via the elastic member 61. Therefore, the pressure sensor 64 is arranged inside the exterior member 65. The exterior member 65 is reinforced with ribs (not shown) or the like in order to enhance impact resistance. The conductor pattern 170 of the pressure sensor 64 is wired at a position where it is projectedly overlapped with the pocket 71 when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the exterior surface. Even if a strong impact is applied due to dropping or the like, the conductor pattern 170 of the pressure sensor 64 is only affected by the deformation within the range in which the elastic member 61 can be deformed. Therefore, the force applied to the conductor pattern 170 of the pressure sensor 64. A limit is set for. Therefore, the maximum amount of deformation of the elastic member 61 is set so that a force sufficient to break the conductor pattern 170 of the pressure sensor 64 is not applied, and the possibility that the conductor pattern 170 of the pressure sensor 64 is broken is low.

When the pressed portion of the operation input device has a planar shape, the capacitance sensor or the pressure sensor is not deformed more than a certain amount due to the structure shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to protect the wiring of the capacitance sensor or the pressure sensor from a strong impact load. However, if the corresponding portion of the pressing in the operation input device is a curved surface-shaped portion having a curvature, further ingenuity is required. In this case, if a wiring member such as an FPC is used for the pressure sensor, the wiring member may have strength with respect to the pressure direction, or an operation of changing the curvature to the opposite side when pressure is applied may occur. The relationship between the pressure and the amount of deformation of the wiring member may be disrupted. When the portion of the external surface having the pressure detection function has a shape having a curvature, there is a problem that the pressure detection accuracy is lowered as a result of improving the impact resistance performance. Therefore, the structure for the curved surface shape portion will be described below.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view when the configuration shown in FIG. 8, that is, the configuration for suppressing disconnection of the conductor pattern 170 of the pressure sensor 64 is applied to the curved surface shape portion. The plurality of protrusions 72 are in contact with the pressure sensor 64 in a state of penetrating the plurality of holes 65b formed in the exterior member 65.

If, for example, the user drops the digital camera 100, the load at the time of impact may be concentrated on the portion having the curved appearance surface. It is necessary to take more sufficient measures against disconnection of the conductor pattern 170 against the concentrated load.

The pressure sensors 64 shown in FIG. 9 are arranged at regular intervals with respect to a curved surface which is an external surface (outer surface of the operation input device). The pressure sensor 64 is also arranged with a predetermined curvature. The FPC or the like used for the pressure sensor 64 has flexibility, but when it is rolled into an arc shape as shown in FIG. 9, the mechanical strength from the external direction is increased. That is, the pressure sensor 64 arranged with respect to the curved surface shape is less likely to be deformed as compared with the case where the pressure sensor 64 is arranged in a plane shape. When the amount of deformation of the pressure sensor 64 is small, the change in the electric resistance value R of the conductor pattern 170 of the pressure sensor 64 becomes small. In particular, when the pressure applied by the user is small, even if the protrusion 72 presses the pressure sensor 64, the amount of deformation of the pressure sensor 64 is small, so that the electrical resistance value R of the conductor pattern 170 of the pressure sensor 64 is too large. It does not change. In some cases, pressure may not be detected.

Further, in FIG. 9, when the protrusion 72 does not press the pressure sensor 64, the pressure sensor 64 is deformed to a convex shape, and this state is defined as “upwardly convex”. When the user applies pressure from the outside, the protrusion 72 applies a force in the direction of deforming the pressure sensor 64 "downwardly convex". During this deformation, only a change in the convex direction (change in the direction of the convex) occurs, and it is possible that the length L of the conductor pattern 170 of the pressure sensor 64 and the electric resistance value R do not change. .. Therefore, the relationship between the pressure actually applied and the electric resistance value R may be broken.

Although not shown, the same applies to the case where the external surface has a spherical shape, and it is particularly difficult to arrange the FPC or the like using the pressure sensor 64 in a spherical shape. In the present specification, the spherical shape is included in the "curved surface shape". When the configuration of FIG. 9 is applied due to a plurality of factors, there is a problem that the pressing force of the operation intentionally performed by the user is not correctly detected or the detection accuracy is lowered. A solution to this problem will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration for preventing a decrease in pressure detection accuracy in the curved surface shape portion. The plurality of protrusions 72 are basically erected substantially perpendicular to the external surface of the elastic member 61. This is to accurately transmit the force applied by the user in the direction perpendicular to the external surface of the elastic member 61 to the pressure sensor 64. The tip of the protrusion 72 is in contact with the pressure sensor 64 in a state where the plurality of protrusions 72 penetrate the plurality of holes 65b formed in the exterior member 65, respectively. A predetermined area in the surface where the tip of the protrusion 72 and the pressure sensor 64 are in contact with each other serves as a pressure detection area of the pressure sensor 64. In the pressure detection area, the pressure sensor 64 has a substantially planar shape rather than a curved surface shape corresponding to an external shape having a curvature. The pressure sensor 64 in the pressure detection area is not arranged at a position having a certain offset from the elastic member 61, and has a layout in which the radius of curvature is made as large as possible with respect to the curved surface shape of the elastic member 61 and is close to a flat surface. .. That is, in the pressure sensor 64, the radius of curvature in the pressure detection area is larger than the radius of curvature of the curved surface corresponding to the appearance shape.

By laying out the shape of the pressure sensor 64 closer to a flat surface, the pressure sensor 64 has the same deformability as the configuration shown in FIG. 8 when the pressure sensor 64 receives pressure from the protrusion 72. .. In this case, since the pressure sensor 64 is always deformed in the "downwardly convex" direction, the relationship between the actually applied pressure and the electric resistance value R is not broken. That is, the cross-sectional area A and the length L of the conductor pattern 170 change according to the pressure received by the pressure sensor 64.

FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view showing the pressure of the protrusion 72 decomposed into two components. The elastic member 61 has a plurality of protrusions 72 on the curved surface portion, and the pressure sensor 64 is not arranged at an offset position corresponding to the appearance shape having curvature. Since the pressure sensor 64 in the pressure detection area has a substantially planar shape, the angle formed between at least one protrusion 72 and the pressure sensor 64 is not vertical. FIG. 10B shows an example of three protrusions 721, 722, and 723.

The protrusion 721 is perpendicular to the pressure sensor 64 and extends in the normal direction at the contact position of the pressure sensor 64. On the other hand, both the protrusions 722 and 723 are not perpendicular to the pressure sensor 64, but are inclined with respect to the normal direction at the contact position of the pressure sensor 64.

The pressure 73 indicated by the arrow in FIG. 10B represents the pressure transmitted by the protrusion 722 that is not perpendicular to the pressure sensor 64, and is decomposed into two components 74 and 75. The first component 74 is a component in the direction perpendicular to the pressure sensor 64, that is, a component in which the pressure 73 is projected in the normal direction of the pressure sensor 64. The second component 75 is a component in the direction parallel to the pressure sensor 64, that is, a component in which the pressure 73 is projected in the tangential direction of the pressure sensor 64. The component that contributes to the deformation of the conductor pattern 170 wired to the pressure sensor 64, that is, the component that can be detected by the pressure sensor 64 is the component 74 in the direction perpendicular to the pressure sensor 64. Therefore, the detected value of the pressure sensor 64 is a value corresponding to the component 74 in the direction perpendicular to the pressure sensor 64, and the value of the pressure 73 transmitted by the protrusion 722 can be calculated from the detected value.

The protrusion 722 of FIG. 10B operates at an angle (denoted as θ) with respect to the normal direction on the surface of the pressure sensor 64. The value of the pressure 73 applied by the user with a finger or the like is referred to as F, and the value of the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 64 when the pressure is applied to the elastic member 61 on the protrusion 722 is referred to as f. The value F of the pressure 73 is represented by the following equation (2) by the detected pressure value f and the cosine function cosθ.

The value of the pressure applied by the user can be derived by converting f detected by the pressure sensor 64 into F according to the angle θ formed by the protrusion 72 and the normal direction at the pressing position of the pressure sensor 64. .. Since the pressure sensor 64 is arranged in a plane shape, the relationship between the pressure and the change in the electric resistance value is unique as compared with the case where the pressure sensor 64 has a curved surface shape. Therefore, it is possible to detect the pressure value with higher accuracy even in the spherical appearance portion where it is difficult to arrange the FPC.

When the above configuration is applied to the grip portion 60 of the camera 100, the contact position of the user's fingers or the like can be detected by arranging the capacitance sensor 63 between the exterior member 65 and the pressure sensor 64. ..

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an operation input device that is strong against impact and can detect a pressing force with higher accuracy even if the external surface has a curved surface shape.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and modifications can be made within the scope of the gist thereof.

60 Grip part 61 First elastic member 62 Second elastic member 63 Capacitance sensor 64 Pressure sensor 65 Exterior member 65a Recess 69 Space part 70 Pressing body 100 Digital camera

Claims (14)

With the first and second elastic members,
The first detecting means for detecting the pressure and
An operation input device having an exterior member and
The first detecting means is located between the first elastic member and the second elastic member, and the first elastic member and the second elastic member have different hardness or thickness. An operation input device characterized by. The first aspect of the present invention, wherein the first elastic member, the first detection means, the second elastic member, and the exterior member are arranged in this order from the outer surface of the operation input device. Operation input device. Claim 1 or claim 2 characterized in that a second detecting means for detecting a capacitance is provided between the first elastic member and the first detecting means or the second elastic member. The operation input device described in. The operation input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second elastic member is harder or thicker than the first elastic member. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the exterior member has a recess, and the depth of the recess is larger than the maximum amount of deformation when the second elastic member is deformed. Operation input device. The operation input device according to claim 5, wherein the width of the recess is larger than the contact width when the first elastic member is pressed by the pressing body. The first elastic member has a curved surface shape and has a protrusion on the side of the first detecting means.
A conductor is wired in the first detection means.
The operation input device according to claim 1, wherein the first detecting means detects a change in the electric resistance value of the conductor when the protrusion presses against the first detecting means. The direction in which any of the plurality of protrusions presses against the first detecting means is a direction at an angle with respect to the normal direction at the pressing position in the first detecting means. The operation input device according to claim 7. The portion of the first detecting means, which corresponds to the range in which the plurality of protrusions press against the first detecting means, has a larger radius of curvature than the curved surface shape of the first elastic member. The operation input device according to claim 8. The operation input device according to claim 8, wherein the first detecting means detects a pressure value corresponding to the angle. The operation input device according to claim 10, wherein when the pressure value applied to the first elastic member is constant, the pressure value detected by the first detecting means is smaller as the angle is larger. .. From the outer surface of the operation input device, the first elastic member, the exterior member, and the first detection means are arranged in this order.
The operation according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein a second detecting means for detecting the capacitance is arranged between the exterior member and the first detecting means. Input device. The operation input device according to claim 12, wherein the first elastic member has a regulating portion in contact with the exterior member. An electronic device comprising the operation input device according to any one of claims 1 to 13 in a grip portion.

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