JP2023014625A - Position detection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a position detection device for detecting a position of a magnetic object moving in an intersecting direction of a sensing surface of a magnetic sensor without a major structural change.SOLUTION: A position detection device 12 includes a magnetic body 13 that is interlocked with a movable object to be operated by a user and a magnetic sensor 14 that detects an orientation of a magnetic field E of the magnetic body 13 detected on a detection surface 17. The magnetic sensor 14 is an MRE sensor. The magnetic sensor 14 is arranged so that the detection surface 17 of the magnetic field E intersects a moving direction A of the magnetic body 13. The magnetic body 13 is arranged so that a magnetic pole direction R is inclined with respect to an intersection direction B of the detection surface 17.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a position detection device that detects the position of a movable body based on magnetic field changes.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a position detection device that detects the position of an object operated by a user using a magnet and a magnetic sensor is well known (see Patent Document 1, for example). In this type of magnetic position detection device, for example, a magnet is attached to an object operated by a user, and a magnetic sensor is attached to a housing that supports the object. When the object moves, the magnetic field applied from the magnet to the magnetic sensor changes according to the movement. This magnetic field change is detected by a magnetic sensor to determine the position of the object operated by the user.

JP-A-2002-81903

By the way, Patent Document 1 adopts a structure in which the magnet moves along the plane direction of the detection surface of the magnetic sensor when the object operated by the user moves. However, this type of position detection device may require a position detection device in which the magnet moves along the direction intersecting the detection surface of the magnetic sensor, for example. Therefore, there is a need to develop a technology for a position detection device that can detect the position of an object that moves along the intersecting direction of the detection plane without significantly changing the structure of the position detection device.

A position detecting device for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a magnetic body that interlocks with a linearly moving movable body, and a magnetic field detection plane that is arranged so that a magnetic field detection plane intersects the moving direction of the magnetic body, and the magnetic field is detected by the detection plane. and a magnetic sensor that outputs a detection signal corresponding to the direction of the magnetic field of the magnetic body, wherein the magnetic pole direction of the magnetic body is inclined with respect to the crossing direction of the detection surface. are placed.

According to the present invention, the position of a magnetic body that moves in the direction intersecting the sensing surface of the magnetic sensor can be detected without significant structural changes.

1 is a perspective view of a switch device according to one embodiment; FIG. (a) is a state diagram of the switch device when the movable body is in the first position, and (b) is a state diagram of the switch device when the movable body is in the second position. Explanatory drawing which shows the moving amount|distance at the time of push operation of a movable body. (a) is a state diagram of the position detection device when the movable body is at the first position, and (b) is a state diagram of the position detection device when the movable body is at the second position. FIG. 2 is an electrical configuration diagram of the position detection device; FIG. 4 is a front view of the position detection device when the movable body is at the first position; FIG. 4 is a side view of the position detection device when the movable body is at the first position; The front view of a position detection apparatus in case a movable body is a 2nd position. The side view of a position detection apparatus in case a movable body is a 2nd position. FIG. 11A is a state diagram of a conventional position detection device for positioning, and FIG. 1B is a state diagram of when the movable body is at the first position;

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the switch device 1 includes a switch body 2 forming a housing portion of the switch device 1 and a movable body 3 movable with respect to the switch body 2 . The switch body 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an opening 4 at the top, and the movable body 3 is attached to the opening 4 so as to be linearly movable along the height direction of the switch body 2 (the Z-axis direction in FIG. 1). It is Movable body 3 is used as knob 5 of switch device 1 . The switch device 1 is of a push type in which the movable body 3 is pushed.

The switch device 1 is arranged, for example, in a driver's seat in the vehicle in the case of a vehicle. The switch device 1 is preferably used as a switch for, for example, an air conditioner device, an audio device, a car navigation device, or the like. The switch device 1 is of a momentary type in which the movable body 3 returns to its original initial position when the hand is released after the movable body 3 is operated, or an alternate type in which the operated position is held when the movable body 3 is operated. Either is fine.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the movable body 3 includes a body portion 8 and a boss portion 9 projecting from the back surface of the body portion 8 . In the case of this example, the body portion 8 is, for example, formed in a substantially disc shape. The movable body 3 uses the surface of the main body 8 as an operation surface that is touched by the user during operation. The boss portion 9 is formed in an annular shape to match the shape of the switch body 2 .

The movable body 3 takes the first position before being operated (see FIG. 2(a)). The first position is the initial position before the movable body 3 is pushed. The movable body 3 assumes the second position (see FIG. 2(b)) after being operated. The second position is the push position when the movable body 3 is pushed all the way.

The switch device 1 includes a position detection device 12 that detects the position of the movable body 3 . The position detection device 12 is a device that detects ON/OFF of the push operation of the movable body 3 . The position detection device 12 is of a magnetic type that detects the position of the movable body 3 based on changes in the magnetic field. In this case, the position detection device 12 includes a magnetic body 13 interlocking with the movable body 3 and a magnetic sensor 14 whose output changes according to the direction of the magnetic field E applied from the magnetic body 13 . The magnetic body 13 is preferably a magnet 15, for example. The magnetic body 13 is arranged on the inner surface of the boss portion 9 . The magnetic body 13 is arranged on the side of the magnetic sensor 14 mounted on the substrate 16 . The substrate 16 is arranged inside the switch body 2 and arranged laterally with respect to the switch body 2 (the XY plane in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b)).

The magnetic sensor 14 is an MRE sensor (Magneto Resistive Element) that detects the direction of the magnetic field E, for example. The magnetic sensor 14 has, for example, a magnetic circuit in which four magnetoresistive elements are assembled in a bridge shape, and outputs the difference between the midpoint voltages of the paired half-bridge circuits as a detection signal Sout (see FIG. 5). do. Further, the magnetic sensor 14 outputs a detection signal Sout corresponding to the detected direction of the magnetic field E. FIG. The magnetic sensor 14 detects the direction of the magnetic field E with the detection surface 17 on the upper surface. The magnetic sensor 14 is arranged so that the detection surface 17 of the magnetic field E intersects the moving direction of the magnetic body 13 (direction of arrow A in FIG. 2A). A detection signal Sout corresponding to the direction of the magnetic field E is output.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the magnetic body 13 takes a motion to move on the side of the magnetic sensor 14 when interlocking with the movable body 3 . The movable body 3 (magnetic body 13) moves within a moving amount W when it is operated from the first position before the operation to the second position after the operation.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the amount of movement W of the magnetic body 13 accompanying the operation of the movable body 3 varies from the first position (initial position) where the movable body 3 is before operation to The value is set such that the direction of the magnetic field E applied from the magnetic body 13 to the magnetic sensor 14 changes by 90 degrees when the movable body 3 switches to the second position (push position) positioned after the operation. That is, the direction θa of the magnetic field E applied from the magnetic body 13 to the detection surface 17 when the movable body 3 is at the first position and the magnetic field E applied from the magnetic body 13 to the detection surface 17 when the movable body 3 is at the second position are The angle formed with the orientation θb is set to approximately 90 degrees.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the magnetic body 13 is arranged such that the magnetic pole direction R is inclined with respect to the intersecting direction of the sensing surface 17 (direction of arrow B in FIG. 7). In this manner, the magnetic body 13 is arranged to be inclined by a predetermined amount with respect to the movable body 3 which reciprocates along the intersecting direction B of the detection surface 17 of the magnetic sensor 14 . The cross direction B is preferably perpendicular to the sensing surface 17, for example. The inclination angle θx formed by the magnetic pole direction R and the intersecting direction B preferably has one value in the range of 30 to 60 degrees, for example, preferably about 45 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the position detection device 12 has a determination section 20 that determines the position of the movable body 3 based on the detection signal Sout input from the magnetic sensor 14 . The determination unit 20 is preferably an IC (Integrated Circuit) provided on the substrate 16, for example. The determination unit 20 detects, for example, two positions, ie, whether the movable body 3 is on or off. That is, the determination unit 20 determines whether the movable body 3 is in the OFF state of the initial position or in the ON state of the push position.

Next, the operation of the position detection device 12 of this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the switch device 1 is not operated, the movable body 3 assumes the first position, ie the initial position. At this time, the tilted magnetic body 13 is positioned above the magnetic sensor 14 . When the movable body 3 assumes the first position, the magnetic field E radiated mainly from the lower portion of the magnetic body 13 is applied to the magnetic sensor 14 .

As shown in FIG. 4(a), when the movable body 3 takes the first position, a magnetic field in the oblique lower left direction of the paper surface (in the direction of "θa" shown in the figure) is mainly applied to the sensing surface 17 of the magnetic sensor 14. It costs E. Therefore, the magnetic sensor 14 outputs a detection signal Sout corresponding to the detected magnetic field E in the direction of “θa” to the determination section 20 . Therefore, the determination unit 20 determines that the movable body 3 is in the first position, that is, in the push-off state by inputting the detection signal Sout.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the switch device 1 is pushed, the movable body 3 assumes the second position, that is, the pushed position. At this time, the obliquely arranged magnetic body 13 is arranged at a lower position with respect to the magnetic sensor 14 . When the movable body 3 assumes the second position, the magnetic field E radiated mainly from the upper portion of the magnetic body 13 is applied to the magnetic sensor 14 .

As shown in FIG. 4(b), when the movable body 3 takes the second position, the detection surface 17 of the magnetic sensor 14 mainly has an oblique lower right direction on the paper surface (orientation "θb" shown in the figure). of magnetic field E is applied. Therefore, the magnetic sensor 14 outputs the detection signal Sout corresponding to the detected magnetic field E in the direction of “θb” to the determination section 20 . Therefore, the determination unit 20 determines that the movable body 3 is in the second position, that is, in the push-on state by inputting the detection signal Sout.

10(a) and 10(b) show a conventional position detecting device 12 for positioning. In the case of this position detection device 12, the moving direction A' of the movable body 3 is the direction along the plane direction of the substrate 16 (the XY plane direction in the figure), and the magnetic body 13 is arranged without being tilted. The magnetic pole direction R of the magnetic body 13 is parallel to the intersecting direction B of the sensing surface 17 of the magnetic sensor 14 . In the case of this configuration, if the movable body 3 is moved linearly, that is, moved in the XY plane direction, the direction of the magnetic field can be sufficiently changed at the start and end of the movement of the movable body 3. Position detection of the movable body 3 is possible.

By the way, there is a case where it is desired to use the conventional position detecting device 12 for the switch device 1 having a structure in which the movable body 3 linearly reciprocates in the Z-axis direction, for example, a structure in which a push operation is performed. However, if the conventional position detection device 12 is simply applied to the push-operated switch device 1, the change in the direction of the magnetic field sufficient to detect the position of the movable body 3 cannot be detected between the start and end of movement of the movable body 3. Therefore, there is a current situation where the push operation of the movable body 3 cannot be detected.

Therefore, in the case of this example, the magnetic body 13 is arranged to be inclined with respect to the intersecting direction B (shown in FIG. 7 and the like) of the detection surface 17 of the magnetic sensor 14 . As a result, when the movable body 3 is pushed, the magnetic field E applied from the magnetic body 13 to the magnetic sensor 14 can change in the magnetic field direction sufficiently to detect the position. Specifically, when the movable body 3 is switched from the first position to the second position, the direction of the magnetic field E applied from the magnetic body 13 to the magnetic sensor 14 can be changed by approximately 90 degrees. Therefore, in the case of the push operation type switch device 1, it is possible to detect the on/off state of the push operation.

According to the position detection device 12 of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The position detection device 12 includes a magnetic body 13 that interlocks with the movable body 3 and a magnetic sensor 14 that outputs a detection signal Sout corresponding to the direction of the magnetic field E of the magnetic body 13 detected by the detection surface 17. ing. The magnetic sensor 14 is arranged so that the detection surface 17 of the magnetic field E intersects the moving direction A of the magnetic body 13 . The magnetic body 13 is arranged such that the magnetic pole direction R is inclined with respect to the intersecting direction B of the sensing surface 17 .

According to the configuration of this example, even if the magnetic body 13 moves in a direction intersecting the detection surface 17 of the magnetic sensor 14, the tilted magnetic body 13 sufficiently changes the direction of the magnetic field. It becomes possible to apply the magnetic field E to the magnetic sensor 14 . Therefore, it is possible to detect the position of the magnetic body 13 moving in the direction intersecting with the detection surface 17 of the magnetic sensor 14 without making a significant structural change.

(2) The magnetic body 13 moves to the side of the magnetic sensor 14 when interlocking with the movable body 3 . With this configuration, it is possible to secure a sufficient moving space for the magnetic body 13 when the movable body 3 moves, so that the magnetic field E suitable for position detection is applied from the magnetic body 13 to the magnetic sensor 14. becomes possible. Therefore, it contributes to the improvement of the position detection accuracy of the position detection device 12 .

(3) The magnetic body 13 is the magnet 15 . With this configuration, it is possible to apply the strong magnetic field E of the magnet 15 to the magnetic sensor 14 , which further contributes to improving the position detection accuracy of the position detection device 12 .

(4) The movable body 3 includes a body portion 8 and a boss portion 9 projecting from the back surface of the body portion 8 . The magnetic body 13 is arranged on the inner surface of the boss portion 9 . According to this configuration, it is possible to arrange the magnetic body 13 at a position close to the magnetic sensor 14 and apply a strong magnetic field E to the magnetic sensor 14 . This further contributes to improving the accuracy of position detection by the position detection device 12 .

(5) The amount of movement W of the magnetic body 13 accompanying the actuation of the movable body 3 is determined when the movable body 3 is switched from the first position before the operation to the second position after the operation. , the direction of the magnetic field E applied from the magnetic body 13 to the magnetic sensor 14 is set to change by 90 degrees. According to this configuration, it is possible to generate a sufficient change in the direction of the magnetic field from the magnetic body 13 to the magnetic sensor 14 when detecting the position. This further contributes to improving the accuracy of position detection by the position detection device 12 .

In addition, this embodiment can be changed and implemented as follows. This embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.
- The movable body 3 is not limited to a member that moves linearly.

- The movable body 3 is not limited to the knob 5, and may be connected to an object operated by the user.
- The position detection device 12 may include a bias magnet that increases the magnetic field E applied to the magnetic sensor 14 .

- The attachment location of the magnetic body 13 is not limited to the boss portion 9 of the movable body 3 . For example, it may be attached to a predetermined position of the movable body 3 or may be attached to another member that interlocks with the movable body 3 .

- The magnetic body 13 is not limited to being arranged on the side of the magnetic sensor 14, and may be arranged above or below the magnetic sensor 14, for example.
- The magnetic body 13 is not limited to a ferromagnetic body, and may be a weak magnetic body.

- The magnetic body 13 is not limited to the magnet 15, and may be changed to another member having a magnetic pole.
The magnetic sensor 14 is not limited to the MRE sensor, and may be any sensor that produces an output corresponding to the direction of the detected magnetic field E.

The movement amount W of the magnetic body 13 is not limited to a range in which the direction of the magnetic field E applied from the magnetic body 13 to the magnetic sensor 14 changes by approximately 90 degrees. It is good also as a value exceeding a degree. That is, the movement amount W of the magnetic body 13 can be appropriately changed to another value according to the required position detection range.

- The crossing direction B is not limited to the direction perpendicular to the detection surface 17 of the magnetic sensor 14, and may be a direction inclined by a predetermined amount with respect to the perpendicular direction. As described above, the movement direction A of the magnetic body 13 is not limited to the direction perpendicular to the detection surface 17, and may be a direction deviated from the perpendicular direction by a predetermined amount.

- The position detection device 12 is not limited to a device that detects two positions of the movable body 3 . For example, it may be a device that detects the continuous position of the movable body 3, that is, at which position the movable body 3 exists within the movement range.

- The switch device 1 is not limited to a push switch, and can be changed to other switches such as a lever switch and a rotary switch.
- The position detection device 12 is not limited to vehicle-mounted devices, and may be applied to other devices and devices.

- Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to examples, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to such examples or structures. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within the equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and configurations, as well as other combinations and configurations, including single elements, more, or less, are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

3 Movable body 8 Main body 9 Boss 12 Position detector 13 Magnetic body 14 Magnetic sensor 15 Magnet 17 Detection surface A Moving direction B Intersecting direction R... Magnetic pole direction, E... Magnetic field, Sout... Detection signal, W... Movement amount.

Claims (5)

A magnetic body that interlocks with a movable body and a magnetic field detection surface that intersects the movement direction of the magnetic body, and detection according to the direction of the magnetic field of the magnetic body detected by the detection surface A position detection device comprising a magnetic sensor that outputs a signal,
The position detecting device, wherein the magnetic body is arranged such that the magnetic pole direction is inclined with respect to the intersecting direction of the sensing surface. 2. The position detection device according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic body moves laterally of the magnetic sensor when interlocking with the movable body. 3. The position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic body is a magnet. The movable body includes a main body and a boss projecting from the back surface of the main body,
The position detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the magnetic body is arranged on the inner surface of the boss portion. The amount of movement of the magnetic body associated with the operation of the movable body is the amount of movement of the magnetic body when the movable body is switched from a first position before the operation to a second position after the operation. 5. The position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the direction of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic sensor is changed by 90 degrees from .

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