JP2021157075A - Operation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an operation device with excellent sanitation and aesthetics with a simple configuration which makes volume adjustment operation easier.SOLUTION: An operation device 100 includes a plurality of individual output units 111 corresponding to each of a plurality of levels. Each individual output unit 111 can emit infrared rays, and includes an operation unit 110 arranged in a predetermined arrangement to be able to trace each individual output unit 111 by a user's finger distinguishably, and a control unit 50 which controls a volume of an output target. The control unit 50 can detect each individual output unit 111 at a position of the finger held up based on incidence of reflected light of infrared rays emitted from each individual output unit 111 by the finger, and the detected individual output unit 111 outputs imitation sound at a corresponding level of the volume.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an operating device capable of arbitrarily selecting a volume to be output from a plurality of levels according to a user's operation.

Traditionally, this type of operating device has been used in various fields. For example, in the field of an onomatopoeia generator that makes it difficult to hear the sound emitted by a user in a private toilet room, a knob-shaped volume controller is known to adjust the volume of the onomatopoeia to be generated ( See Patent Document 1).

Further, it is an acoustic generator including a receiving unit, a control unit, and a voice generating unit, and a signal transmitted from the remote controller of the warm water washing toilet seat device to the warm water washing toilet seat device is intercepted by the receiving unit, and the intercepted signal is used. Based on this, it is also known that a sound from a sound generating unit can be generated (see Patent Document 2). This sound generator uses a step-up method of pressing the "+" button to increase the volume and the "-" button to decrease the volume. By pressing both buttons, The volume was adjusted appropriately.

Further, a volume control device that controls the volume by operating the switch operation unit is also known (see Patent Document 3). This switch operation unit is provided with a plurality of switches in which unique attenuation amounts are defined, and is a large-scale switch that requires complicated software, registers, and the like to identify the operated switch.

Jitsukaisho 60-143497 Gazette Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-138112 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-221907

However, in the onomatopoeia generator equipped with the conventional operation device, in order to adjust the volume of the onomatopoeia generated in order to make the sound emitted by the user difficult to hear, the knob-shaped volume controller is pinched and rotated. It is necessary to perform an operation of pressing a button for stepping up or down, and since all of them are premised on an operation by contact, there is a problem in terms of hygiene and the like.

In addition, even in other electronic devices, in order to adjust the volume, the structure becomes complicated and the cost increases, and by providing an operator for controlling the volume, the aesthetic appearance of the entire electronic device is spoiled. There were many things that became.

The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and it is possible to easily adjust the volume of an output target such as sound to a plurality of levels, and it is possible to reduce costs with a simple configuration, and hygiene. The purpose is to provide an operating device with excellent surface and aesthetics.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one aspect of the present invention is:
In an operating device in which the volume to be output can be arbitrarily selected from multiple levels according to the user's operation.
Including a plurality of individual output units corresponding to each of multiple levels, each individual output unit can emit invisible light, and each individual output unit can be traced with a user's finger in a predetermined arrangement. The side-by-side operation unit and
A control unit that controls the volume to be output is provided.
The control unit can detect each individual output unit at the position of the finger held up based on the incident of the reflected light by the finger of the invisible light emitted from each of the individual output units, and the detected individual output unit can be detected. The output target can be output by the volume of the corresponding level of the output unit.

According to the operating device according to the present invention, it is possible to easily adjust the volume of an output target such as sound to a plurality of levels, it is possible to reduce costs with a simple configuration, and it is excellent in hygiene and aesthetics.

It is a perspective view which shows the appearance of the sound generator which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which enlarged and shows a part of the individual output part and the control input part of the operation device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line BB in FIG. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line CC in FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the whole sound generator including the operation device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the outline of the operation of the sound generator which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows the outline of the operation of the operation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the operation example of the operation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the operation apparatus which concerns on the modification of embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments representative of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 9 show an embodiment of the present invention.
The operation device 100 according to the present embodiment can arbitrarily select the volume to be output from a plurality of levels according to the operation of the user. Hereinafter, an example in which the operation device 100 is applied to the sound generator 10 that makes it difficult to hear the sound emitted by the user in the private toilet room will be described. Therefore, the output target in this embodiment is "sound".

<Overview of sound generator 10>
First, an outline of the sound generator 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the sound generator 10 is a device capable of outputting a sound that makes it difficult to hear the sound emitted by the user in the private toilet room. Here, the sound emitted by the user corresponds to, for example, the excretion sound during defecation / urination, the work sound of rubbing clothes, and the like. Further, the sound output by the sound generator 10 is mainly a synthesized onomatopoeia, and the onomatopoeia will be described below as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sound generator 10 includes a flat rectangular box-shaped case 11, and related parts are housed inside the case 11. The case 11 is attached, for example, to a base plate (not shown) installed on the wall of a private toilet room or the like so as to cover the case body 12. Inside the case 11, in addition to the operation device 100 that adjusts the volume of the onomatopoeia, the sensor 20 that detects the user, the stop switch 31 that the user operates, the speaker 40 that outputs the onomatopoeia, and the operation of the entire device. A control board 50 for controlling the above, a battery as a power source, and the like are housed in the control board 50.

The front wall of the case body 12 forms an operation panel. On this operation panel, in addition to the operation device 100 described later, a sensor 20 and a stop switch 31 are arranged, for example, in the layout shown in FIG. Further, in the operation panel, a slit 41 for sound transmission is provided at a position where the speaker 40 is located inside.

The sensor 20 is sufficient as long as it can detect that a user has entered the private toilet room. For example, an infrared sensor that detects a change in infrared rays due to the approach of a human body is suitable.
The stop switch 31 intentionally stops the output of the onomatopoeia by the operation of the user. Here, the user's "operation" on the stop switch 31 may include, for example, a mechanical push button operation, a touch operation by contact, and a non-contact operation.

As the speaker 40, a general small speaker may be used. The cone paper on the front side of the speaker 40 is arranged along the inside of the front wall of the case body 12, and the slit 41 described above is provided at the location.

The "onomatopoeia" output from the speaker 40 may be anything as long as it camouflages the sound emitted by the user (for example, excretion sound, work sound, etc.) and makes it difficult to hear. .. Of course, the speaker 40 may be configured to output sounds other than onomatopoeia. In the present embodiment, the volume of the onomatopoeia can be adjusted by the operating device 100.

<Overview of operating device 100>
Next, the outline of the operation device 100 will be described.
The operation device 100 can arbitrarily select the volume of the onomatopoeia to be output from a plurality of levels according to the operation of the user. The operation device 100 includes an operation unit 110 in which the user performs a non-contact operation with a finger, and a control board 50 for controlling the operation of the device.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the front wall of the case body 12, the operation unit 110 is arranged between the stop switch 31 and the slit 41. It is advisable to add pictograms, characters, etc. for explanation to the side of the operating device 100, if necessary. The control board 50 is housed inside the case main body 12, and as will be described later, controls the operation of not only the operation device 100 itself but also the sound generator 10 as a whole. Here, the control board 50 corresponds to an example of the "control unit" of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 110 includes a plurality of individual output units 111 corresponding to each of a plurality of levels of onomatopoeia volume, and one integrated input unit 121. In this embodiment, there are, for example, eight individual output units 111, and the eight individual output units 111 are arranged in a line in the left-right direction at regular intervals so that they can be distinguished by the user's finger. It is arranged in. The individual output units 111 are distinguished from the individual output units 111a, 111b, 111c to 111h in order from the left in FIG. 2, but are collectively referred to as individual output units 111.

3 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a view taken along the line CC in FIG. In FIGS. 3 and 5, the reference numeral "F" indicates a user's finger. As shown in FIG. 3, each individual output unit 111 has an infrared LED 112 provided on the substrate 101, and a light guide plate 114 for guiding infrared rays and visible light emitted from the visible light LED 113, respectively.

Here, the infrared LED 112 corresponds to an example of the "invisible light emitting device" of the present invention. Further, the visible light LED 113 corresponds to an example of the "visible light emitting element" of the present invention. The emission color (wavelength) of the visible light LED 113 is a design item that can be arbitrarily determined. The operation unit 110 is configured to also serve as a "display unit" that visibly emits light for each individual output unit 111 by the visible light LED 113.

Thus, the visible light emitted from the visible light LED 113 and the infrared rays emitted from the infrared LED 112 are emitted to the outside (in front of the apparatus) through the light guide plate 114, respectively. Here, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 3, the light guide plate 114 does not diffuse in the left-right direction but diffuses in the vertical direction so as to spread at a predetermined angle in a state where visible light and infrared light are mixed. It is molded into a shape that forms a shape.

The light guide plate 114 corresponds to an example of the "light emitting member for emission" of the present invention. The individual output unit 111 mainly comprises the front surface of the light guide plate 114. Further, the front wall of the case body and the front surface of the light guide plate 114 are connected to each other on the same plane, and a slit for exposing the front surface of the light guide plate 114 to the outside is provided at a corresponding portion of the front wall. It is also possible to slightly project the front side of the light guide plate 114 from the front wall of the case body so that infrared rays and visible light can be more easily emitted to the outside (front of the device).

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, on the front wall of the case main body 12, a general input unit 121 is arranged below each individual output unit 111. As shown in FIG. 4, the integrated input unit 121 includes one light receiving element 122 and one light guide plate 123, and the light guide plate 123 corresponds to each individual output unit 111 and has a finger. It has eight receiving portions 124 for incident light reflected from the light. The light receiving element 122 is provided on the same substrate 101 as the LEDs 112 and 113.

As shown in FIG. 4, the eight receiving portions 124 are integrally connected to the focusing portion 125 that focuses the reflected light incident on each of them and guides them to the light receiving element 122. Each of the receiving portions 124 is arranged in a row in the left-right direction at regular intervals on the lower side thereof corresponding to the individual output portions 111. Each receiving portion 124 is distinguished from receiving portions 124a, 124b, 124c to 124h in order from the left in FIG. 2, but is collectively referred to as receiving portion 124.

In the light guide plate 123, the reflected light incident on the receiving portion 124 that receives the infrared reflected light from the finger F is guided by the focusing portion 125 and focused, and is collectively input to the light receiving element 122 on the substrate 101. It is configured. Here, the light guide plate 123 corresponds to an example of the "light guide member for incident" of the present invention. The light receiving element 122 outputs a voltage signal according to the light receiving level of the reflected light. Further, a light blocking plate 126 is provided between the light guide plate 114 and the light guide plate 123 to prevent the infrared rays emitted from the infrared LED 112 from being received by the light receiving element 122.

As shown in FIG. 1, the surface of the front wall of the case body 12 of the sound generator 10 and the tip surface of each receiving portion 124 are connected on the same plane, and each receiving portion is located on the corresponding portion of the front wall. A small hole is provided to expose the tip surface of the portion 124 to the outside. It is also possible to slightly project the front end surface side of each receiving portion 124 from the front wall of the case main body 12 so that the reflected light can be more easily received.

According to the above operation unit 110, the infrared rays from the infrared LED 112 are emitted to the outside in the individual output unit 111. Then, the reflected light reflected by the finger held in front of the individual output unit 111 is incident on each receiving unit 124 in the integrated input unit 121, focused by the focusing unit 125, and guided to the light receiving element 122. Thus, when the voltage signal output by the light receiving element 122 is larger than a predetermined threshold value, it can be identified that the finger F is held over the individual output unit 111.

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory view of an operation example of the “display unit” in which a plurality of individual output units 111 (only 111a to 111d are shown) display the volume level. For example, assuming that the volume level is "3", in order to illuminate the third individual output units 111a to 111c from the left end with visible light, three visible light LEDs 113 corresponding to each of these are used. Make it emit light.

As a result, the visible light emitted by the visible light LED 113 is guided to the light guide plate 114 corresponding to each of the three visible light LEDs 113 and emitted to the outside (front of the device), so that the front side of the case body 12 When viewed from the above, the three individual output units 111 are in a lit lighting state, and the volume level display indicating the volume level "3" is obtained.

<Overview of control system>
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a control system mainly composed of the control board 50. The control board 50 controls the operation of not only the operation device 100 but also the entire sound generator 10, and is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like. It consists of a microcomputer. The CPU performs various operations and controls, and the ROM stores programs and data related to various operations and control processes. Further, the RAM includes a work area of the CPU including a storage area such as output data of onomatopoeia. Here, the control board 50 corresponds to an example of the "control unit" of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, in addition to the components of the operating device 100, the sensor 20 and the stop switch 31 described above are connected to the control board 50, and the speaker 40 described above is connected via the amplifier 42. , An external sound data storage memory 51 is connected separately from the ROM.

The sound data storage memory 51 stores, for example, sound data having a plurality of levels of volume related to onomatopoeia that can be output from a single sound source or a combination of a plurality of sound sources. Here, as the sound source, not only the volume thereof but also a plurality of types of sound sources having different sound quality, frequency and the like may be prepared.

The amplifier 42 includes a D / A conversion circuit (digital to analog converter), and converts an onomatopoeic signal (digital signal) related to onomatopoeia read from the sound data storage memory 51 according to an instruction from the CPU into an analog signal. The onomatopoeia is output from the speaker 40, and the onomatopoeia can be amplified or reproduced.

As a typical function, the control board 50 outputs an onomatopoeia of a volume of a level selected by the operating device 100 from the speaker 40. Here, the onomatopoeia output from the speaker 40 is set to stop after a lapse of a predetermined time, for example, but if the stop switch 31 is operated before the lapse of a predetermined time, the onomatopoeia from the speaker 40 is forcibly output. The onomatopoeia output is set to stop.

Further, the control board 50 controls each of the infrared LEDs 112a to 112h corresponding to the eight individual output units 111 to individually emit infrared rays. Further, the control board 50 controls each visible light LED 113 (only one is shown in FIG. 6) corresponding to the eight individual output units 111 to individually emit visible light. The light receiving element 122 transmits a voltage signal according to the light receiving level to the control board 50.

<Operation of operating device 100 and sound generator 10>
Next, the operation of the sound generator 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the sound generator 10. FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing an outline of the operation of the operating device 100. When the control board 50 executes the program, the required operations of the sound generator 10 and the operation device 100 are realized.

In FIG. 7, first, in step S100, the control board 50 repeatedly determines whether or not the detection signal from the sensor 20 has been received. If the control board 50 does not receive the detection signal from the sensor 20 (N in step S100), the standby state is maintained in step S100 as it is. On the other hand, if the detection signal is received (Y in step S100), it is determined that the user has entered the private toilet room, and the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S110, the control board 50 performs light emission control in which the infrared LEDs 112a to 112h are sequentially repeated for each individual output unit 111 to emit light for a predetermined time. In the light emission control here, as shown in FIG. 8, the control board 50 causes each of the infrared LEDs 112a to 112h to sequentially and repeatedly emit light for a predetermined time (for example, 5 msec).

More specifically, the control board 50 first causes the infrared LED 112a to emit light for only 5 msec, and then stops the light emission. Next, the control board 50 causes the infrared LED 112b to emit light only for 5 msec, and then stops the light emission. Next, the control board 50 causes the infrared LED 112c to emit light only for 5 msec, and then stops the light emission. The control board 50 performs such a process from the infrared LED 112a to the infrared LED 112h, and after the light emission of the last infrared LED 112h is stopped, a series of light emission control is repeatedly executed from the first infrared LED 112a in the same manner.

Then, only within the time (5 msec) during which the infrared LEDs 112a to 112h are emitted, the control board 50 is output from the light receiving element 122 to which the infrared reflected light emitted from the infrared LEDs 112a to 112h by the finger is incident. Detects the received voltage. As a result, erroneous detection can be prevented and detection accuracy can be improved. Returning to FIG. 7, in step S120, the control board 50 determines whether or not the voltage signal output from the light receiving element 122 exceeds a preset threshold value (step S120).

If the voltage signal output from the light receiving element 122 does not exceed the preset threshold value (N in step S120), the process returns to step S110. On the other hand, when the voltage signal output from the light receiving element 122 exceeds a preset threshold value (Y in step S120), it is recognized that infrared rays are reflected by the finger held up, and the process proceeds to step S130. Determine the position of the finger you hold over.

That is, when the voltage signal of the light receiving element 122 exceeds the threshold value, the control board 50 identifies which infrared LED 112 is emitting infrared rays at that time, so that the individual output unit 111 over which the finger is held is held. Can be identified. For example, if the voltage signal from the light receiving element 122 exceeds the threshold value at the time when the infrared LED 112a is made to emit light, it is identified that the finger is held over the individual output unit 111a.

Further, for example, when the voltage signal from the light receiving element 122 exceeds the threshold value at the time when the infrared LED 112d is made to emit light, it is identified that the finger is held over the individual output unit 111d. In this way, the control board 50 sequentially and repeatedly emits the infrared LEDs 112a to 112h, and when the voltage signal of the light receiving element 122 exceeds the threshold value, the infrared LED 112 corresponding to the infrared reflected light that generated this voltage signal is generated. By grasping, it is determined that the corresponding individual output unit 111 is at the position where the finger is held.

Next, in step S140, the control board 50 causes the visible light LEDs 113 of the number of individual output units 111 corresponding to the positions of the fingers to emit light. That is, when the control board 50 emits the Nth (N = 1 to 8) infrared LED 112 from the left end, it knows whether the voltage signal of the light receiving element 122 exceeds the threshold value, so that the leftmost visible light LED 113a Therefore, N visible light LEDs 113x (x = a to h) of visible light LEDs 113 are made to emit light. As a result, the individual output unit 111 also functions as a display unit that emits and displays the level selected by the user.

Then, in step S150, the control board 50 determines the volume of the onomatopoeia. The control board 50 controls the volume to a level corresponding to the determined finger holding position. For example, "level 1" to "level 8" may be associated with the individual output units 111a to h. At this time, the control board 50 transmits a control signal corresponding to the volume level to the amplifier 42 in order to control the volume. Thus, the amplification factor of the amplifier 42 is adjusted, and the volume of the onomatopoeia is controlled.

Then, in step S160, the control board 50 temporarily stores the onomatopoeic signal in the RAM from the sound data storage memory 51. Further, in step S170, the control board 50 executes a sounding process. Specifically, the control board 50 transmits an onomatopoeic signal temporarily stored in the RAM to the amplifier 42. The onomatopoeia signal is converted into an analog signal by the amplifier 42, and the onomatopoeia is output from the speaker 40.

Then, in step S180, the control board 50 determines whether or not the stop switch 31 has been operated. When the control board 50 determines that the stop switch 31 has been operated (Y in step S180), it stops the output of the onomatopoeia and returns to step S100. On the other hand, when the control board 50 determines that the stop switch 31 is not operated (N in step S180), the process returns to step S170 in order to continue the output of the onomatopoeia.

As described above, the volume of the onomatopoeia to be output is arbitrarily selected from a plurality of levels under the control of the control board 50 according to the operation of the user by the operating device 100, and is output from the speaker 40. Can be made to.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an operation example by the operation device 100. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the finger F is not yet held over the operating device 100 (finger non-detection). Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, when a finger is held over the leftmost individual output unit 111a, the position is detected (finger detection). Then, as shown in FIG. 9C, the leftmost visible light LED 113a (not shown in FIG. 9) emits light, and the individual output unit 111a is in a lit state (level display).

Next, from the state shown in FIG. 9 (d) (finger non-detection), as shown in FIG. 9 (e), for example, when a finger is held over 111 g of the "7th" individual output unit from the left end, the position is detected. Be done (finger detection). This time, the "7th" visible light LED 113g (not shown in FIG. 9) from the left end emits light, and the individual output units 111a to 111g from the leftmost individual output unit 111a to the "7th" individual output unit 111g are put together. It becomes a shining lighting state (level display).

<Effect of operating device 100>
As described above, according to the operating device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the volume can be operated without contact, which is excellent in hygiene, and a knob for adjusting the volume and the like are provided. It also has the advantage that it is not necessary and the device is aesthetically pleasing.

Moreover, since the light guide plate 114 of the visible light LED 113 and the infrared LED 112 is shared, the light guide plate 114 also serves as a display unit for displaying the volume level, so that the configuration can be simplified. Further, since the area of the black infrared ray transmitting resin that inputs and outputs infrared rays can be significantly reduced, it is possible to realize an aesthetically pleasing device from this point as well.

<Modification example of operating device 100>
FIG. 10 shows an operating device 100A according to a modified example of the present embodiment.
In the operation device 100A, the receiving portion 124A is configured as a horizontally long continuous piece. Even in this configuration, the infrared reflected light from the finger held up is guided to the light receiving element 122 by the light guide plate 123. In this way, instead of providing the receiving portions 124 individually, the receiving portions 124 may be connected to form a single receiving portion 124.

Further, instead of providing the light guide plate 114 for each of the individual output units 111a to 111h, although not shown, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which one light guide plate is provided for each of the individual output units 111a to 111h. be. Further, if necessary, the configuration realized by software may be realized by hardware such as an electronic circuit. In the operating device 100A, duplicate description will be omitted for the same type of configuration as the operating device 100 described above.

<Structure and Action of the Present Invention>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention derived from the above-described embodiment will be described below.

[1] First, the present invention
In the operation device 100 in which the volume to be output can be arbitrarily selected from a plurality of levels according to the operation of the user.
It includes a plurality of individual output units 111 corresponding to each of a plurality of levels, each individual output unit 111 can emit invisible light, and each individual output unit 111 can be traced with a user's finger. The operation units 110 arranged in a predetermined arrangement and
A control unit 50 for controlling the volume to be output is provided.
The control unit 50 can detect each individual output unit 111 at the position of the finger held up based on the incident of the reflected light by the finger of the invisible light emitted from each individual output unit 111, and the detection thereof. The output target can be output by the volume of the corresponding level of the individual output unit 111.

According to the operation device 100, the user can arbitrarily select the volume to be output from a plurality of levels by simply holding a finger over a plurality of individual output units 111 arranged in the operation unit 110 and tracing the volume. The control unit 50 detects each individual output unit 111 at the position of the finger held up based on the incident of the reflected light by the finger of the invisible light emitted from each individual output unit 111.

Then, the control unit 50 outputs an output target such as sound or light by the volume of the level corresponding to the individual output unit 111 detected from the position of the user's finger. As described above, according to the operating device 100, non-contact operation is possible, which is excellent in terms of hygiene. Further, it is not necessary to provide a contact-type operator such as a knob for adjusting the volume, which not only makes it possible to reduce the cost but also makes the device aesthetically pleasing.

[2] Further, in the present invention,
The operation unit 110 includes a non-visible light light emitting element 112 corresponding to each individual output unit 111, and a visible light light emitting element 113 corresponding to each individual output unit 111, from the visible light light emitting element 113. Each of the individual output units 111 also serves as a display unit that emits visible light by the emitted visible light.

In this way, when the operation unit 110 also serves as the display unit, the user can easily visually grasp the selected level. Further, it is not necessary to separately provide the operation unit 110 and the display unit, and the number of parts and the arrangement space can be reduced.

[3] Further, in the present invention,
When each of the individual output units 111 is detected based on the incident light of the reflected light, the control unit 50 uses the visible light to generate the individual output units 111 for the number of levels corresponding to the detected individual output units 111. It is possible to control the light emission.

In this way, not only the individual output units 111 corresponding to the selected level but also the individual output units 111 corresponding to the selected level are collectively emitted to emit light, so that the user can grasp the level more easily. Can be done.

[4] Further, in the present invention,
The operation unit 110 emits invisible light emitted from the invisible light emitting element 112 corresponding to each individual output unit 111 and emitted from the visible light emitting element 113 corresponding to each individual output unit 111. Each of the individual output units 111 is provided with a plurality of light emitting light guide members 114 for irradiating the visible light from the front surface to the outside.

According to such a configuration, not only invisible light but also invisible light can be guided by one emitting light guide member, so that the structure can be simplified.

[5] Further, in the present invention,
The operation unit 110 includes a general input unit 121 that collectively receives the reflected light from the fingers of each individual output unit 111.
The integrated input unit 121 includes one incident light guide member 123 and one light receiving element 122.
The incident light guide member 123 focuses a plurality of receiving portions 124 for incident reflected light from a finger corresponding to each individual output portion 111 and reflected light continuously incident on each receiving portion 124. It has a focusing portion 125, which is led to the light receiving element 122.

In this way, the reflected light from the fingers of each individual output unit 111 can be collectively received by one integrated input unit 121. In the general input unit 121, the reflected light can be reliably received by the plurality of receiving units 124 corresponding to each individual output unit 111, and the reflected light received by each receiving unit 124 can be focused by the focusing unit 125. can. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost by using only one light receiving element 122, and it is possible to detect the position of the finger without using complicated software or the like.

[6] Further, in the present invention,
By the control unit 50, each of the invisible light emitting elements 112 is sequentially repeatedly emitted light within a predetermined time.
The control unit 50 can identify each individual output unit 111 at a position where the finger is held, based on the timing when the light receiving element 122 receives the reflected light from the finger for each individual output unit 111.

According to this configuration, the number of light receiving elements can be one, and the position of the finger (each individual output unit 111) can be detected without using complicated software or the like.

[7] Further, in the present invention,
The control unit 50 can identify each individual output unit 111 at a position where a finger is held up based on the light receiving level of the light receiving element 122 within the predetermined time and a preset threshold value.

According to such a configuration, the voltage signal of the stable light receiving element can be detected in a stable state, and the accuracy of detecting the position of the finger (each individual output unit 111) can be improved.

<Structure and action of another invention>
Furthermore, the following inventions can also be derived from the above-described embodiments.
[8] Further, the output target is an onomatopoeia that makes it difficult to hear the sound emitted by the user in the private toilet room, and the volume of the output target is the volume of the onomatopoeia. With this configuration, it can be applied to the onomatopoeia generator 10 that outputs an onomatopoeia that makes it difficult to hear the sound emitted by the user in the private toilet room.

[9] A detection unit (sensor 20) for detecting the user in the private room of the toilet is provided.
The control unit 50 starts the detection of each individual output unit 111 at the position of the finger held by the user in response to the detection of the user by the detection unit. According to this configuration, the energization time of the invisible light emitting element 112 can be reduced, and as a result, the life of the invisible light emitting element 112 can be extended.

[10] The invisible light is infrared rays. As a result, the invisible light emitting element 112 can be easily realized by a commercially available infrared light emitting element, so that the cost can be reduced.

Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and any changes or additions within the scope of the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention. For example, the number of individual output units 111 is not limited to eight and is a design item that can be appropriately determined. Further, the predetermined arrangement of the individual output units 111 is not limited to the form of arranging the individual output units 111 in a line in the left-right direction at regular intervals, and may be arranged in a matrix or a circle, for example.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the operation device 100 is applied to the onomatopoeia generator 10 so that the volume of the onomatopoeia to be output can be selected. It can also be applied to a switch that can select the amount (volume) of the illumination light that is the output target.

10 ... Sound generator 11 ... Case 12 ... Case body 20 ... Sensor 31 ... Stop switch 40 ... Speaker 50 ... Control board 51 ... Sound data storage memory 100 ... Operating device 110 ... Operation unit 111 ... Individual output unit 112 ... Infrared LED
113 ... Visible light LED
114 ... Light guide plate 121 ... General input unit 122 ... Light receiving element 123 ... Light guide plate

Claims (7)

In an operating device in which the volume to be output can be arbitrarily selected from multiple levels according to the user's operation.
Including a plurality of individual output units corresponding to each of multiple levels, each individual output unit can emit invisible light, and each individual output unit can be traced with a user's finger in a predetermined arrangement. The side-by-side operation unit and
A control unit that controls the volume to be output is provided.
The control unit can detect each individual output unit at the position of the finger held up based on the incident of the reflected light by the finger of the invisible light emitted from each of the individual output units, and the detected individual output unit can be detected. An operation device characterized in that the output unit can output the output target with a volume of a corresponding level. The operation unit includes a non-visible light emitting element corresponding to each individual output unit and a visible light emitting element corresponding to each individual output unit, and the visible light emitted from the visible light emitting element is used. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein each of the individual output units also serves as a display unit that emits light so as to be visible. When each of the individual output units is detected based on the incident light of the reflected light, the control unit controls to emit light of the individual output units corresponding to the number of levels corresponding to the detected individual output units by the visible light. The operating device according to claim 2, wherein the operating device is feasible. The operation unit includes invisible light emitted from the invisible light emitting element corresponding to each individual output unit and visible light emitted from the visible light emitting element corresponding to each individual output unit. The operating device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein each of the individual output units is provided with a plurality of light emitting light members for emitting light to the outside from the front surface. The operation unit includes a general input unit that collectively receives the reflected light from the fingers of each individual output unit.
The general input unit includes one light guide member for incident light and one light receiving element.
The light guide member for incidence is a plurality of receiving portions for incident reflected light from a finger corresponding to each individual output portion, and the light receiving portion by focusing the reflected light continuously incident on each receiving portion. The operating device according to claim 4, further comprising a focusing portion that leads to an element. By the control unit, each of the invisible light emitting elements is sequentially repeatedly emitted light within a predetermined time.
The claim is characterized in that the control unit can identify each individual output unit at a position where the finger is held up based on the timing at which the light receiving element receives the reflected light from the finger for each individual output unit. Item 5. The operating device according to item 5. 6. The control unit can identify each individual output unit at a position where a finger is held, based on the light receiving level of the light receiving element within the predetermined time and a preset threshold value. The operating device described in.

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