JP4122045B2 - pointing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointing device incorporated in a data processing apparatus.

  Auxiliary input that indicates coordinate data such as cursor movement data on the display when the operator manually inputs analog information in a digital data processing device equipped with a display and keyboard, such as a personal computer or word processor An apparatus having a pointing device as an apparatus is well known. In particular, a portable small data processing apparatus generally has a configuration in which a pointing device is integrated in a housing of the processing apparatus.

  As this type of pointing device, a base, an operation unit supported movably on the base, a magnetoelectric conversion element installed on the base, and a magnet installed on the operation unit in the vicinity of the magnetoelectric conversion element are provided. What to do is known. In this pointing device, the operator moves the operation unit in an arbitrary curved surface direction on the base, thereby changing the relative positional relationship between the magnet and the magnetoelectric conversion element to change the output voltage of the magnetoelectric conversion element. Thus, analog information corresponding to the moving direction and moving distance of the operation unit can be input.

  In addition to the above configuration, a pointing device is also known in which a switch mechanism is provided between the base and the operation unit, and the switch mechanism is operated by the operator pushing the operation unit toward the base ( For example, see Patent Document 1). In this pointing device, in addition to inputting analog information, a click operation can be performed in association with a pointer on a display of a target device, for example, by pressing the operation unit.

Japanese Patent Publication No.7-1117875

  In general, a magnetoelectric conversion element type pointing device requires a small amount of movement of an operation unit necessary for inputting coordinate data and has a relatively low power consumption. It is considered that it can be particularly advantageously mounted on various portable information devices that can be operated by hand. However, in the above-described conventional magnetoelectric conversion element type pointing device, since the operation unit is moved in the curved surface direction on the base, the required curvature and the mutual engagement portion between the base and the operation unit are adopted. It is necessary to form a curved surface having an area, and as a result, it has been difficult to reduce the external dimensions of the pointing device to such an extent that it can be mounted on a portable information device.

  For example, in a foldable portable information device in which the display unit and the keyboard unit are hinged to each other, it is possible to eliminate as much as possible the protrusion of the switches installed in the keyboard unit from the surface of the keyboard unit. This is desirable from the viewpoint of reducing the thickness and further improving portability. Therefore, when a magnetoelectric conversion element type pointing device is mounted on the keyboard portion of such a portable information device, it is required to reduce the dimension of the pointing device particularly in the height direction as much as possible.

  In addition, when a pointing device is mounted on a portable information device, the electrical and mechanical connection between the pointing device and the main circuit board (mounting substrate) of the information device is ensured in the narrow internal space of the device housing. It is required to be realized stably. Furthermore, when a magneto-electric conversion element type pointing device is mounted on a portable information device, handling of various components of the miniaturized pointing device becomes complicated, and there is a concern that the assembly workability of the entire information device may deteriorate. The

  Further, in a magnetoelectric conversion element type pointing device having a click function, a relative movement inevitably occurs between the magnet and the magnetoelectric conversion element as the operation unit is pressed. At this time, depending on the relative movement directions of the two, there is a concern that an analog data signal such as cursor movement data may be output from the pointing device due to fluctuations in the output voltage of the magnetoelectric transducer immediately before the click operation. Therefore, in order to perform an appropriate click operation, it is necessary to accurately push the operation unit vertically with respect to the base, and an additional guide structure is required for that purpose, or the skill of the operator is required. Will be.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a pointing device that can reduce the outer dimensions to a level that can be mounted on a portable information device without impairing the operability of the operation unit in a magnetoelectric conversion element type pointing device. It is in.

  To achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a pointing device mounted on a portable information device comprising a key panel having a plurality of key tops and a casing covering the key panel, A base, an operation unit supported on the base so as to be displaceable with respect to the base, a magnet installed on the operation unit, and a magnetoelectric conversion element installed on the base in the vicinity of the magnet, A holding unit that holds the magnet fixedly and is supported so as to be movable on the base, and an elasticity that is connected to the holding unit and returns the holding unit to the origin position of the moving range as the holding unit moves on the base. An elastic portion that exerts a force, and the elastic portion is connected to the holding portion by being extended so as to overlap the holding portion at one end of the main portion and surrounding the holding portion substantially over the entire circumference. The first connecting portion and the second connecting portion at the other end of the main portion are connected to each other. The main part is formed so as to exhibit a uniform elastic force regardless of the moving direction of the holding part on the base, and when mounted on a portable information device, the casing is made of an elastic part. The second connecting portion is fixedly held. A pointing device is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the pointing device according to the first aspect, wherein the elastic portion of the operation unit is integrated with a key panel of a portable information device.

  According to the pointing device of the present invention, the elastic portion provided in the operation portion is a main portion that surrounds the holding portion that holds the magnet over substantially the entire circumference, and is uniform regardless of the moving direction of the holding portion. Since the structure exerts an elastic force, the outer dimensions in the height direction can be reduced without impairing the operability as compared with the conventional structure in which the return spring is interposed between the base and the operation part. Moreover, since the housing of the portable information device is configured to hold the second connecting portion of the elastic portion fixedly when mounted on the portable information device, without impairing the operability of the operation unit, The external dimensions of the pointing device can be reduced to a level that can be mounted on a portable information device.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar components are denoted by common reference numerals.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device 10 according to the related art of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device 10, and FIG. 3 is an assembled sectional view of the pointing device 10. The pointing device 10 is a data processing device such as a personal computer or a personal word processor, or an auxiliary input device that indicates two-dimensional coordinate data on a display in a portable information device such as an electronic notebook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a cellular phone. It can be used in a configuration that is integrated into the device casing.

  The pointing device 10 includes a base 12, an operation unit 14 supported on the base 12 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 12, and a disk-shaped magnet (for example, a permanent magnet) installed on the operation unit 14 ) 16 and a plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements (for example, Hall elements) 18 installed on the base 12 in the vicinity of the magnet 16. The operation unit 14 holds the magnet 16 in a fixed manner and is supported on the base 12 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. The operation unit 14 is connected to the holding unit 20 and moves the holding unit 20 on the base 12 horizontally. Accordingly, an elastic portion 22 that exhibits an elastic force for returning the holding portion 20 to the origin position of the horizontal movement range is provided.

  The base 12 includes a circuit board 24 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, and a support member 26 fixedly connected to the circuit board 24. The support member 26 includes a support portion 28 that slidably supports the holding portion 20 of the operation portion 14 in an arbitrary horizontal direction at a position separated from the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24. In this embodiment, the “horizontal direction” means a direction substantially parallel to the substantially flat surface 24 a of the circuit board 24. Accordingly, the support portion 28 of the support member 26 is formed with a flat and circular support surface 28 a that extends substantially parallel to the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24 on the side away from the circuit board 24. The support surface 28a supports the holding portion 20 so as to be slidable in an arbitrary horizontal direction at a position protruding from the surface 24a of the circuit board 24.

  The support member 26 is further provided with a cylindrical wall 30 that projects the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 of the operation unit 14 so as to surround the support surface 28a. The cylindrical wall 30 protrudes to a position where the height from the surface 24a of the circuit board 24 is higher than the support surface 28a. As will be described later, the elastic portion 22 partially surrounds the cylindrical wall 210 as described later and becomes the support member 26. It is attached. The center axis of the cylindrical wall 30 passing through the center of the support surface 28a constitutes the center axis P of the pointing device 10 and defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 on the support surface 28a. A plurality (four in the figure) of elastic claws 32 projecting to the opposite side of the cylindrical wall 30 are formed on the outer edge of the support member 26. The support member 26 is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position on the circuit board 24 by snapping the elastic claws 32 into a plurality of holes 34 provided at corresponding positions on the circuit board 24.

  On the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24, a total of four magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 centered on the central axis P, etc., are formed in the void formed between the circuit board 24 and the support portion 28 of the support member 26. Implemented with distributed spacing. With such an arrangement configuration of the magnetoelectric conversion element 18, the pointing device 10 can output an analog data signal in a two-dimensional coordinate system.

  The base 12 further includes a cover member 36 that is substantially connected to the circuit board 24 while substantially shielding the outer edge region of the support member 26. The cover member 36 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 38 and an annular end wall 40 extending radially inward from one axial end of the outer peripheral wall 38, and an inner edge of the end wall 40 has an operation portion described later. A central opening 42 is defined through which the 14 main operating parts can be horizontally moved. A plurality of (four in the figure) elastic claws 44 projecting to the opposite side of the end wall 40 are integrally connected to the other axial end of the outer peripheral wall 38 of the cover member 36. The cover member 36 is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position on the circuit board 24 by snapping the elastic claws 44 to a pair of opposed outer edges of the rectangular flat circuit board 24. The cover member 36 holds the operation unit 14 so as not to drop off from the base 12 in a state where the main operation part of the operation unit 14 protrudes outward through the central opening 42.

  In the illustrated form, the holding unit 20 and the elastic unit 22 of the operation unit 14 are individually manufactured as separate members and fixedly combined with each other. The holding portion 20 is formed of a stepped cylindrical member having a rigidity that does not substantially deform during the horizontal movement operation of the operation portion 14 on the base portion 12. A recess 46 for receiving 16 is formed. The magnet 16 can be fixed to the recess 46 of the holding part 20 by using, for example, an adhesive or press-fitting. The holding portion 20 is formed on the support surface 28a in a state where the tip end (lower end in the figure) of the cylindrical outer peripheral wall 48 that defines the recess 46 is in contact with the support surface 28a of the support member 26 of the base portion 12 uniformly. It is possible to move in parallel while sliding in all directions of 360 °. Such a configuration is advantageous in that the friction between the contact surfaces of the holding unit 20 and the support surface 28a is reduced, and the horizontal movement operability of the operation unit 14 is improved.

  The elastic portion 22 is formed of a hook-like member that is relatively easily elastically deformed while the operation portion 14 is horizontally moved on the base portion 12, and the main portion 50 that extends around the holding portion 20 via a gap. The first connecting portion 52 connected to the holding portion 20 at one end of the main portion 50 and the second connecting portion 54 connected to the base portion 12 at the other end of the main portion 50 are integrally provided. The main portion 50 of the elastic portion 22 surrounds the holding portion 20 over substantially the entire circumference, and has a frustoconical or dome-like contour shape that is disposed coaxially with the holding portion 20 in an unloaded state. Accordingly, the elastic portion 22 has its main portion 50 elastically deformed along with the horizontal movement of the holding portion 20 on the base portion 12 and applies an elastic force corresponding to the deformation amount regardless of the horizontal movement direction of the holding portion 20. To demonstrate.

  The first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 protrudes from the small diameter end of the main portion 50 of the truncated cone shape in a plate shape in the axial direction and is integrally extended, and the axis of the holding portion 20 is formed in a recess formed inside thereof. A small-diameter portion 56 on the other end side in the direction is fixedly inserted. The 1st connection part 52 of the elastic part 22 can be fixed to the small diameter part 56 of the holding | maintenance part 20 with an adhesive agent, for example. The first connecting portion 52 extends so as to cover the small-diameter portion 56 of the holding portion 20, and an operation surface 58 is formed on the outer surface of the first connecting portion 52 to contact, for example, the fingertip of the hand when the operator moves the operation portion 14. .

  The second connecting portion 54 of the elastic portion 22 protrudes from the large-diameter end of the main portion 50 of the frustoconical contour in a flange shape in the radial direction and the axial direction and is integrally extended, and the thick portion thereof forms the base portion 12. The outer wall of the cylindrical wall 30 of the supporting member 26 and the outer peripheral wall 38 and the end wall 40 of the cover member 36 are fixedly sandwiched and hooked. The first and second connecting portions 52 and 54 connect the elastic portion 22 to the holding portion 20 and the base portion 12 without being substantially deformed while the holding portion 20 moves horizontally on the base portion 12. .

  The elastic portion 22 can be formed from various elastic materials such as synthetic rubber and natural rubber. In particular, considering that the reflow process is performed when the pointing device 10 is mounted on the main circuit board of the mounting target device, it is advantageous to form the material from a material that does not easily deteriorate at high temperatures, such as silicon rubber. is there.

  With the above-described various components properly combined, the operation unit 14 inserts the main portion 50 and the first connection portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 into the central opening 42 of the cover member 36 of the base portion 12 so as to be horizontally movable. At the same time, the small-diameter portion 56 of the holding portion 20 and the first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 covering the same are arranged at positions protruding outward from the end wall 40 of the cover member 36 of the base portion 12. In this state, the operator can move the holding portion 20 horizontally on the base portion 12 by operating the operation surface 58 formed on the first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 with, for example, fingers.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the elastic portion 22 of the operation portion 14 is in an equilibrium state, the central axis Q of the magnet 16 held in the holding portion 20 and its recess 46 matches the central axis P of the pointing device 10. To do. In this state, the holding unit 20 is positioned at the origin position of the horizontal movement range on the support member 26 of the base 12, and the four magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 on the circuit board 24 are arranged at an equal distance from the magnet 16. . From this state, as shown in FIG. 4, when the operator abuts the fingertip against the operation surface 58 and translates the holding portion 20 in an arbitrary horizontal direction, the main portion 50 of the elastic portion 22 moves the holding portion 20. Corresponding to the direction and travel distance, different forms of elastic deformation occur around the entire circumference. As a result, the elastic portion 22 exhibits an elastic force as a resultant force of the entire main portion 50 and biases the holding portion 20 in a direction opposite to the moving direction. Therefore, the operator moves the operation portion 14 horizontally against the spring biasing force generated by the main portion 50 of the elastic portion 22.

  When the operation unit 14 is horizontally moved from the origin position in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 4, the relative positional relationship between the magnet 16 and each magnetoelectric conversion element 18 changes, and the output voltage of each magnetoelectric conversion element 18 varies. . The fluctuation of the output voltage of each magnetoelectric conversion element 18 is processed as analog information by a CPU (not shown) on the circuit board 24 and converted into digital coordinate data, and via a connector portion (not shown) provided on the circuit board 24. , And output to a data processing circuit of a target device (not shown). In this manner, for example, the cursor or pointer on the display of the mounting target device can be moved in a desired direction by a desired distance in accordance with the moving direction and moving distance of the holding unit 20 of the operation unit 14.

  When the operator releases the operation force by releasing the finger from the operation unit 14 from the data input position in FIG. 4, the holding unit 20 is immediately integrated with the magnet 16 by the spring biasing force generated by the main portion 50 of the elastic unit 22. When the main portion 50 of the elastic portion 22 reaches an equilibrium state, the original portion returns to the original position. It should be noted that sudden fluctuations in the output voltage of each magnetoelectric conversion element 18 caused by the rapid movement of the magnet 16 while the holding unit 20 returns to the origin position are canceled by the processing flow in the CPU, for example, and the digital coordinate data It can be configured not to convert to.

  According to the pointing device 10 having the above configuration, since the holding unit 20 of the operation unit 14 is moved on the flat support surface 28a provided on the support member 26 of the base 12, a curved support surface is adopted. Compared to the conventional configuration, the outer dimension of the base 12 can be reduced. Further, since the operation unit 14 is provided with the elastic portion 22 for returning the holding portion 20 to the origin position of the horizontal movement range, the holding portion 20 can be quickly and accurately returned to the origin position, and the operability of the operation portion 14 is improved. Can be improved. In addition, the elastic portion 22 is a main portion 50 that surrounds the holding portion 20 over substantially the entire circumference, and is configured to exhibit a uniform elastic force regardless of the moving direction of the holding portion 20. Compared to the conventional configuration in which a return spring is interposed between the two, the outer dimensions in the height direction can be reduced without impairing the operability. The first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 that covers the small diameter portion 56 of the holding portion 20 forms the operation surface 58 at a position protruding outward from the cover member 36 of the base portion 12, so that the operator can There is also an advantage that the position of the operation unit 14 can be easily confirmed by touch. As described above, the pointing device 10 can be mounted on various portable information devices such as an electronic notebook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a mobile phone without impairing the operability of the operation unit 14. External dimensions can be reduced to the possible level.

  5 and 6 show a pointing device 60 according to the related art of the present invention in an exploded perspective view and an assembled sectional view, respectively. The pointing device 60 has substantially the same configuration as that of the pointing device 10 according to the related art described above except for the configuration of the support member connected to the circuit board of the base portion. Therefore, the description is omitted.

  The pointing device 60 includes a base 62, an operation unit 14 supported on the base 62 so as to be movable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 62, a magnet 16 installed on the operation unit 14, and the vicinity of the magnet 16. A plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 18 installed on the base 62. The base 62 includes a circuit board 24 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 64 fixedly connected to the circuit board 24, and substantially fixed to the circuit board 24 by shielding the support member 64. And a cover member 36 that is connected to each other.

  The support member 64 includes a hollow cylindrical wall 66 that defines a circular central opening. Further, the support member 64 has a plurality of (four in the figure) elastic claws 68 projecting on the opposite side of the cylindrical wall 66 along the outer edge thereof, and these elastic claws 68 are used to place the elastic claws 68 at predetermined positions on the circuit board 24. Fixedly assembled. On the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24, there is a flat support surface 70 that supports the holding unit 20 of the operation unit 14 slidably in an arbitrary horizontal direction in a circular region surrounded by the cylindrical wall 66 of the support member 64. It is formed.

  The cylindrical wall 66 of the support member 64 defines a horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 of the operation unit 14 within the support surface 70 formed on the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24. Further, the central axis of the cylindrical wall 66 passing through the center of the support surface 70 constitutes the central axis P of the pointing device 60 and defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 on the support surface 70. The holding portion 20 slides 360 ° in all directions on the support surface 70 in a state where the tip (lower end in the figure) of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the large diameter portion is in contact with the support surface 70 on the circuit board 24 uniformly. It can move in parallel while moving. The four magnetoelectric transducers 18 are mounted on the back surface 24b of the circuit board 24 located on the opposite side of the support surface 70 in an equally spaced manner with the central axis P as the center.

  The pointing device 60 can input analog data by horizontally moving the operation unit 14 on the base 62 in the same manner as the pointing device 10 described above. At this time, the holding portion 20 can be quickly and accurately returned to the origin position of the horizontal movement range by the action of the elastic portion 22 provided in the operation portion 14. In particular, in the pointing device 60, the holding unit 20 of the operation unit 14 is directly mounted on the front surface 24a of the circuit board 24 of the base 62, and the magnetoelectric conversion element 18 is mounted on the back surface 24b of the circuit board 24. Compared with the pointing device 10, the dimension in the height direction can be more effectively reduced.

  In the above configuration, the support member 64 defines the horizontal movement range of the holding portion 20 as described above, and cooperates with the cover member 36 to securely clamp the second connecting portion 54 of the elastic portion 22. Act on. Accordingly, the size of the center opening 42 of the cover member 36 is adjusted so that the horizontal movement range of the holding portion 20 can be defined by the center opening 42, and the second connection portion 54 of the elastic portion 22 and the cover member 36 are connected. The support member 64 can be omitted by improving the strength by, for example, integral molding.

  7 and 8 show a pointing device 80 according to the related art of the present invention in an exploded perspective view and an assembled sectional view, respectively. The pointing device 80 has substantially the same configuration as the pointing device 10 according to the related art described above, except for the configuration of the support member connected to the circuit board of the base and the configuration including the switch mechanism for adding the click function. Therefore, corresponding components are denoted by common reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The pointing device 80 includes a base 82, an operation unit 14 supported on the base 82 so as to be movable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 82, a magnet 16 installed on the operation unit 14, and a magnet 16. A plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 18 installed on the base 82 and a switch mechanism 84 disposed between the base 82 and the operation unit 14 are provided. The base 82 includes a circuit board 24 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 86 fixedly connected to the circuit board 24, and an outer edge region of the support member 86 so as to substantially shield the circuit board. 24 and a cover member 36 fixedly connected to 24. The support member 86 is a plurality of (four in the figure) elastic members that constitute a support portion that supports the holding portion 20 of the operation portion 14 slidably in an arbitrary horizontal direction at a position separated from the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24. It has a beam portion 88. On these elastic beam portions 88 of the support member 86, flat support surfaces 88a that extend substantially parallel to the surface 24a of the circuit board 24 in an unloaded state are formed on the side away from the circuit board 24, respectively.

  The plurality of elastic beam portions 88 of the support member 86 are arranged radially about the central axis P of the pointing device 80, and can be elastically displaced independently of each other with their radially outer ends as fulcrums. At the base end of each elastic beam portion 88, that is, at the radially outer end, an arc wall 90 that projects the horizontal movement range of the holding portion 20 of the operation portion 14 is provided so as to surround each support surface 88a. The The circular arc walls 90 are arranged on the same circumference with the central axis P as the center, and the central axis P defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding portion 20 on the plurality of support surfaces 88a. The holding portion 20 has a 360 ° full extension on the support surfaces 88a in a state where the tips (lower ends in the drawing) of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the large diameter portion are in contact with the support surfaces 88a of the plurality of elastic beam portions 88 uniformly. It can move in parallel while sliding in the direction.

  In addition, in one desired elastic beam portion 88 among the plurality of elastic beam portions 88, a pressing point 92 that locally protrudes on the opposite side of the support surface 88a is formed at the free end of the radially inner end thereof. The The pressing point 92 is arranged in alignment with the central axis P of the pointing device 80. The support member 86 is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position on the circuit board 24 by a plurality of (four in the figure) elastic claws 94 provided on the outer edge thereof.

  On the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24, a switch mechanism 84 for adding a click function is mounted inside a space formed between the circuit board 24 and the plurality of elastic beam portions 88 of the support member 86. . The switch mechanism 84 includes a known opening / closing structure having a movable contact and a fixed contact, and is disposed at a position where both the contacts are substantially aligned with the central axis P of the pointing device 80. That is, the movable contact of the switch mechanism 84 is positioned immediately below the pressing point 92 provided on one elastic beam portion 88 of the support member 86. The four magnetoelectric transducers 18 are mounted on the back surface 24b of the circuit board 24 located on the opposite side of the switch mechanism 84 in an equally spaced manner with the central axis P as the center. That is, the circuit board 24 of the base 82 positions and carries the switch mechanism 84 below the operation unit 14, and the magnetoelectric conversion element 18 is disposed on the opposite side of the switch mechanism 84 with the circuit board 24 interposed therebetween. Thereby, the required dimension of the space between the circuit board 24 and the support member 86 is reduced.

  The configuration of the switch mechanism 84 is arbitrary, and various types such as a mechanical switch having a movable contact carried by a spring and a membrane switch having a pair of flexible circuit boards can be adopted. Further, depending on the outer dimensions of the switch mechanism 84, the plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 can be installed in the space between the circuit board 24 and the plurality of elastic beam portions 88.

  The pointing device 80 can input analog data by horizontally moving the operation unit 14 on the base 82 in the same manner as the pointing device 10 described above. At this time, the holding portion 20 can be quickly and accurately returned to the origin position of the horizontal movement range by the action of the elastic portion 22 provided in the operation portion 14. Further, in the pointing device 80, at the origin position shown in FIG. 8, the operator presses the operation surface 58 of the operation unit 14 with, for example, a fingertip and presses the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the holding unit 20 against the plurality of elastic beam portions 88. Thus, the switch mechanism 84 positioned below the elastic beam portions 88 can be closed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, by pressing the operating portion 14, each elastic beam portion 88 is elastically bent with the radially outer end as a fulcrum, and a pressing point 92 provided on one elastic beam portion 88. Presses and operates the switch mechanism 84 immediately below.

  When the switch mechanism 84 is closed, the CPU on the circuit board 24 processes it as a click signal and outputs it to the data processing circuit of the device to be mounted. In this manner, by pressing the operation unit 14 at the origin position, for example, a click operation can be performed in relation to the pointer on the display of the target device. Then, when the operator releases the pressing force from the pressing position in FIG. 9, the plurality of elastic beam portions 88 are elastically restored, the switch mechanism 84 is opened, and the operation unit 14 returns to the origin position in FIG. To do. In order to prevent the switch mechanism 84 from being inadvertently operated by an operating force applied to the operation unit 14 during the horizontal movement operation of the operation unit 14, the material of the support member 86 and the elastic beam portion It is desirable to appropriately select the dimensions 88 and adjust the elastic force of the elastic beam portions 88.

  The pointing device having the above switch mechanism can also be realized by other configurations. FIGS. 10 and 11 show the pointing device 100 according to the related art of the present invention in an exploded perspective view and an assembled sectional view, respectively. The pointing device 100 has substantially the same configuration as the pointing device 80 according to the related art described above except for the configuration of the support member that is connected to the circuit board of the base and operates the switch mechanism. The description is abbreviate | omitted and attached | subjected.

  The pointing device 100 includes a base 102, an operation unit 14 supported on the base 102 so as to be movable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 102, a magnet 16 installed on the operation unit 14, and the vicinity of the magnet 16. A plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 18 installed on the base 102 and a switch mechanism 84 disposed between the base 102 and the operation unit 14 are provided. The base 102 is mounted on the first support member 104 via the circuit board 24 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, the first support member 104 fixedly connected to the circuit board 24, and the elastic member 106. A second support member 108 supported so as to be elastically displaceable, and a cover member 36 that substantially shields the first support member 104 and is fixedly connected to the circuit board 24 are provided.

  The first support member 104 includes a plurality of arc walls 110 arranged concentrically and at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the arc walls 110 define a circular central opening. Further, the first support member 104 has a plurality of (four in the figure) elastic claws 112 projecting on the opposite side of each arc wall 110 along its outer edge, and these elastic claws 112 allow the first support member 104 on the circuit board 24. It is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position. As an example, the elastic member 106 made of a compression coil spring is disposed concentrically around the plurality of arc walls 110 of the first support member 104.

  The second support member 108 includes a disk-like support portion 114 and a plurality of (four in the figure) flanges that are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction along the outer edge of the support portion 114 and extend radially outward. Portion 116. The support portion 114 of the second support member 108 has a size and shape that can be slidably received in the axial direction without rattling in the central opening defined by the plurality of arc walls 110 of the first support member 104. In addition, the plurality of flange portions 116 have dimensions and shapes that are each slidably received in the axial direction between the arcuate walls 110 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the first support member 104.

  In a state where the second support member 108 is properly assembled to the first support member 104, the plurality of flange portions 116 are placed on the upper ends of the elastic members 106 arranged around the plurality of arc walls 110. In this state, the support portion 114 of the second support member 108 is disposed at a position separated from the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24. The support portion 114 is formed with a flat and circular support surface 114a that extends substantially parallel to the surface 24a of the circuit board 24 in a state where the elastic member 106 is not loaded on the side away from the circuit board 24.

  The plurality of flange portions 116 of the second support member 108 each have an arc surface surrounding the support surface 114 a, and in cooperation with the plurality of arc walls 110 of the first support member 104, the holding portion of the operation unit 14. 20 horizontal movement ranges are defined. The central axes of the circular arc walls 110 passing through the center of the support surface 114a constitute the center axis P of the pointing device 100, and define the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 20 on the support surface 114a. In addition, a pressing point 118 that locally protrudes on the opposite side of the support surface 114 a on the central axis P is formed on the support portion 114 of the second support member 108. The holding portion 20 is 360 ° omnidirectional on the support surface 114a in a state in which the front end (lower end in the drawing) of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the large diameter portion is in contact with the support surface 114a of the second support member 108 uniformly. It is possible to translate while sliding.

  The pointing device 100 can input analog data by horizontally moving the operation unit 14 on the base unit 102 in the same manner as the pointing device 10 described above. At this time, the holding portion 20 can be quickly and accurately returned to the origin position of the horizontal movement range by the action of the elastic portion 22 provided in the operation portion 14. Furthermore, in the pointing device 100, at the origin position shown in FIG. 11, the operator presses the operation surface 58 of the operation unit 14 with, for example, a fingertip, and the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the holding unit 20 is supported by the support portion 114 of the second support member 108. The switch mechanism 84 located below the support portion 114 can be closed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the elastic member 106 is elastically compressed through the plurality of flange portions 116 of the second support member 108 by pressing the operation portion 14, and is provided on the support portion 114. The pressing point 118 presses and operates the switch mechanism 84 immediately below the pressing point 118.

  Then, when the operator releases the pressing force from the pressing position in FIG. 12, the elastic member 106 is elastically restored, the switch mechanism 84 is opened, and the operation unit 14 returns to the origin position in FIG. In order to prevent the switch mechanism 84 from being inadvertently operated by an operation force applied to the operation unit 14 during the horizontal movement operation of the operation unit 14, the spring constant of the elastic member 106 is appropriately adjusted. It is desirable to do.

  Various modifications and variations can be made to the pointing devices 10, 60, 80, and 100 described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the operation unit 14 has a holding unit 20 and an elastic unit, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which 22 is integrally molded from different materials. In the modification of the pointing device 10 shown in FIG. 13, the elastic portion 22 made of a rubber material is integrally molded by an insert molding process with respect to the holding portion 20 and the cover member 36 that are individually molded in advance from the same or different resin materials. ing. According to such a configuration, the connection strength between the first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 and the small diameter portion 56 of the holding portion 20 can be improved, and the elastic portion 22 is covered by the second connecting portion 54 with the cover member. 36 can be integrated, so that there is an advantage that the assembling work becomes easy.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, the holding portion 20 has a small-diameter portion 56 that passes through the first connecting portion 52 of the elastic portion 22 and protrudes to the outside, and a key top formed as a separate member on the protruding portion 120. It can also be set as the structure which mounts 122. On the outer surface of the key top 122, there is formed an operation surface 124 that contacts, for example, the fingertip of the hand when the operator moves the operation unit 14. In this configuration, as described above, the holding portion 20 and the elastic portion 22 are integrally formed to ensure sufficient connection strength between the small diameter portion 56 of the holding portion 20 and the first connection portion 52 of the elastic portion 22. can do. Further, the key top 122 can be firmly and fixedly connected to the holding portion 20 simply by press-fitting the protruding portion 120 of the holding portion 20 into the recess 126 provided on the back side of the key top 122. According to this configuration, it is possible to improve the design of the pointing device by printing various codes and designs on the outer surface of the key top 122 or coloring the key top 122.

  Or as shown in FIG. 15, the operation part 14 can also be produced by integrally molding the holding part 20 and the elastic part 22 from the same rubber material. According to this configuration, the number of parts of the operation unit 14 is reduced, and the assembly workability is improved. Moreover, since it is not necessary to consider the assembly strength with the holding part 20 in the 1st connection part 52 of the elastic part 22, size reduction of the operation part 14 can be promoted further.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 20, an auxiliary elastic part for assisting the origin position return function by the elastic part can be arranged between the base part and the operation part. For example, in the modification of the pointing device 10 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a leaf spring 128 that functions as an auxiliary elastic portion is provided between the support member 26 of the base portion 12 and the holding portion 20 of the operation portion 14. . The leaf springs 128 are arranged at regular intervals along the inner peripheral edge of the annular base portion 130 and the base portion 130, and are bent in a convex shape toward the central axis P and extend radially inward. And four arm portions 132 (in the drawing). The base portion 130 of the leaf spring 128 has a size and shape to be mounted on the support surface 28a in contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical wall 30 of the support member 26 uniformly.

  With the components of the pointing device 10 properly combined, the plurality of arm portions 132 of the leaf spring 128 are brought into contact with the outer peripheral wall 48 of the large-diameter portion of the holding portion 20 at their free ends. When both the elastic portion 22 and the leaf spring 128 are in an equilibrium state, the operation portion 14 is positioned at the origin position on the base portion 12 (FIG. 17). When the operation unit 14 is horizontally moved from the origin position in FIG. 17, the main portion 50 of the elastic portion 22 and the arbitrary arm portion 132 of the leaf spring 128 are elastically deformed corresponding to the moving direction and moving distance of the holding portion 20. Thereby, the holding part 20 is urged in the direction opposite to the moving direction (FIG. 18).

  When the operator releases the operation force by releasing the finger from the operation unit 14 from the data input position in FIG. 18, the operation is immediately held by the spring biasing force generated by the main portion 50 of the elastic portion 22 and the arm portion 132 of the leaf spring 128. The part 20 moves toward the origin position integrally with the magnet 16 and returns to the origin position when both the elastic part 22 and the leaf spring 128 reach an equilibrium state. Thus, by using the leaf spring 128 as the auxiliary elastic portion, the holding portion 20 can be returned to the origin position of the horizontal movement range more quickly and accurately. Further, a decrease in operability due to aged deterioration of the rubber elastic portion 22 can be suppressed by the action of the leaf spring 128.

  As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, a coil spring 134 wound in a flat shape can be used as an auxiliary elastic portion instead of the plate spring 128 described above. In this case, the coil spring 134 is fitted to the inner surface of the cylindrical wall 30 of the support member 26 at the outer end 136 and is fitted to the outer peripheral wall 48 of the large-diameter portion of the holding portion 20 at the inner end 138. The In addition, it is preferable to form the bead 140 which latches the inner end 138 of the coil spring 134 in the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 48 of the holding | maintenance part 20. As shown in FIG. When both the elastic portion 22 and the coil spring 134 are in an equilibrium state, the operation portion 14 is positioned at the origin position on the base portion 12 (FIG. 20). When the operation unit 14 is horizontally moved from the origin position in FIG. 20, the main portion 50 and the coil spring 134 of the elastic portion 22 are elastically deformed in accordance with the moving direction and the moving distance of the holding portion 20, thereby holding the holding portion 20. Is biased in the direction opposite to the moving direction.

  As described above, the magneto-electric conversion element type pointing device according to the present invention has the external dimensions of a handheld device such as an electronic notebook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a mobile phone without impairing the operability of the operation unit. It can be reduced to a level that can be installed in portable information devices that can be operated. By the way, when a pointing device is mounted on such a portable information device, the electrical and mechanical relationship between the pointing device and the main circuit board (mounting substrate) of the mounting target device in a narrow internal space of the device housing. There is a demand for reliable and stable connection.

  21 and 22 show a pointing device 150 according to the related art of the present invention having such a high-performance electrical connection structure and mechanical connection structure. The pointing device 150 has substantially the same configuration as the pointing device 80 according to the related art described above, except for the configuration of the electrical and mechanical connection structures, and corresponding components are denoted by common reference numerals. The description is omitted.

  The pointing device 150 includes two connectors 152 for electrically connecting the magnetoelectric transducer 18 and the switch mechanism 84 mounted on the circuit board 24 of the base 82 to the main circuit board (mounting board) M of the mounting target device. Is provided. Each connector 152 includes an insulating member 154 and a plurality of terminals 156 aligned and supported on the insulating member 154 at equal intervals. In a region near the outer edge of the rectangular flat circuit board 24, a plurality of through holes 158 correspond to the terminals 156 of the connector 152 along a pair of opposing outer edges on the side where the elastic claws 44 of the cover member 36 are not fitted. They are formed in a line at equal intervals. The through holes 158 are electrically connected to the magnetoelectric conversion element 18 and the switch mechanism 84 on the circuit board 24 through, for example, a printed circuit.

  The insulating member 154 of each connector 152 is a rectangular bar-shaped member that is integrally molded from a resin material, and is molded in a state in which a plurality of terminals 156 are embedded by, for example, an insert molding process. Each terminal 156 is formed by bending a pin-shaped metal piece punched out by a pressing process into an L shape. Each terminal 156 is fixedly supported by the insulating member 154 with one end 156 a protruding from the top surface 154 a of the insulating member 154 and the other end 156 b protruding from the side surface 154 b of the insulating member 154. On the top surface 154a of the insulating member 154 of each connector 152, positioning projections 160 are formed at both ends in the terminal arrangement direction. On the other hand, the circuit board 24 is formed with positioning holes 162 for receiving the positioning protrusions 160 on both sides in the arrangement direction of the through holes 158 of each row.

  In each connector 152, the positioning protrusion 160 provided on the insulating member 154 is inserted into the corresponding positioning hole 162 of the circuit board 24, and the one ends 156 a of the plurality of terminals 156 are individually inserted into the corresponding through holes 158 of the circuit board 24. In this state, the circuit board 24 is mounted. At this time, each connector 152 is oriented so that the other ends 116 b of the plurality of terminals 116 protrude outward from the circuit board 24. In this state, each terminal 156 is fixed to each through-hole 158 with solder 164 at one end 156 a and is electrically connected to the magnetoelectric conversion element 18 and the switch mechanism 84. Each connector 152 is mounted on the mounting board M via the solder 166 in a state where the other ends 156b of the plurality of terminals 156 are aligned with a plurality of electrodes (not shown) provided on the surface of the mounting board M, respectively. Is done.

  Thus, the connector 152 having the above-described configuration has an extremely simple configuration in which a plurality of terminals 156 are embedded in a rod-shaped insulating member 154, and thus has an advantage that it is easy to reduce the size and pitch. In addition, since each terminal 156 is fixed to the corresponding through hole 158 provided in the circuit board 24, for example, the terminal 156 is fixed on the circuit board 24 as compared with the configuration in which the terminal is soldered to the electrode pad. There is an advantage that the required area can be effectively reduced. Therefore, when the pointing device 150 is mounted on a portable information device, the electrical connection between the pointing device 150 and the main circuit board of the information device is reliably and stably realized in a narrow internal space of the device housing. Is possible.

  In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of attachment members 168 are used as a mechanical connection structure for reinforcing electrical and mechanical connection by soldering between the pair of connectors 152 of the pointing device 150 and the mounting board M. Has been. Each attachment member 168 is formed by punching and bending, for example, from a sheet metal material, and integrally includes a hook portion 170 at one end and a leg portion 172 at the other end. On the other hand, a pair of hook receivers 174 are extended from the support member 86 of the base 82 at positions facing each other along the outer edge thereof.

  When the pointing device 150 is mounted on the mounting board M, after soldering the connectors 152 as described above, the pair of mounting members 168 are hooked on the hook portions 170 to the corresponding hook receivers 174. It is attached to the support member 86. In this state, the leg portion 172 of each mounting member 168 is fixed to a desired position on the surface of the mounting board M with the solder 176. In this manner, the pointing device 150 is firmly fixed and held on the mounting board M against the force applied to the operation unit 14 by the operator.

  In the pointing device 150, a land having a special shape that can effectively increase the mounting area required to mount various electronic components on the circuit board 24 with respect to the plurality of through holes 158 formed in the circuit board 24. Can be formed. For example, as shown in FIG. 23, adjacent to the opening edge 158a of each through hole 158 of the circuit board 24, the width between the opening edge 158a and the outer edge 24c of the circuit board 24 is narrower than the other parts. The land 178 can be formed on the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24. If the land 178 having such a shape is employed, the through hole 158 can be formed as close as possible to the outer edge 24c of the circuit board 24, so that the electronic component mounting area on the circuit board 24 can be effectively expanded.

The circuit board 24 including the connector 152 connected to the through hole 158 having the land 178 having such a characteristic shape is advantageously manufactured by the following method.
First, as shown in FIG. 24, a circuit board 24 having a rectangular mounting region 180 for mounting an electronic component (not shown) and a pair of discarding regions 182 adjacent to both sides of the mounting region 180 is prepared. Such a discarded area 182 is an area where electronic components are not mounted and circuits are not formed, and is known to be used for support and positioning when a circuit board is transported in a general board mounting process. ing.

  Next, a plurality of through holes 158 with lands are formed in the mounting region 180 of the circuit board 24 so that each annular land 178 continuously extends from the mounting region 180 to the discarding region 182. It is formed along a boundary line 184 with 182. Here, each through hole 158 may be formed by a general printed circuit board manufacturing method as a double-sided plated through hole having lands 178 on both sides of the circuit board 24 as shown in FIG. 25A, for example. it can. Furthermore, it is advantageous to form grooves 186 (FIG. 25B) extending along the boundary line 184 on both surfaces of the circuit board 24 after the through holes 158 are formed.

  Next, the plurality of terminals 156 of the connector 152 are individually inserted into the plurality of through holes 158 at their one ends 156 a and soldered to the corresponding lands 178. As a result, the pair of connectors 152 are fixed to the mounting region 180 of the circuit board 24 having the discard region 182. Finally, with the connectors 152 attached to the mounting area 180, the discard area 182 is broken away from the mounting area 180 and separated along the groove 186 formed on the boundary line 184. In this way, as shown in FIG. 26, a circuit board 24 having a pair of connectors 152 attached along a pair of opposed outer edges 24c is produced.

  Note that the above-mentioned through-holes 158 with lands can be shaped so as to partially open to the outer edge 24 c of the circuit board 24 on the assumption that the terminal fixing strength by the solder 164 can be secured. In this case, a C-shaped land is formed in each through hole 158.

  As mentioned above, although the form of some related technology was demonstrated with reference to drawings, this invention can take various forms other than those illustration form. For example, the characteristic configuration of the operation unit of the pointing device according to the present invention is such that the positional relationship between the magnet 16 and the plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 18 is opposite to the configuration shown in the figure, that is, the bases 12, 62, 82 and 102. Even in a pointing device configured such that the magnetoelectric conversion element 18 installed in the operation unit 14 is displaced with respect to the installed magnet 16, it can be effectively employed, and similarly exhibits exceptional effects. The method for manufacturing a circuit board with a connector is not limited to the application to the pointing device 150 described above, but can be applied to circuit board connection structures in various other electronic devices.

  By the way, the magnetoelectric conversion element type pointing device according to the present invention can be mounted on, for example, a foldable portable information device (for example, a cellular phone) in which a display unit and a keyboard unit are hingedly connected to each other. In this case, it is desirable to reduce the amount of protrusion of various switches including a pointing device from the keyboard surface as much as possible from the viewpoint of further improving portability by reducing the thickness of the entire device when folded. 27 to 29 show a pointing device 190 according to the first embodiment of the present invention having a low-profile structure that can be suitably mounted on the keyboard portion of such a portable information device. The pointing device 190 has substantially the same basic structure as the pointing device 10 according to the related art described above.

  The pointing device 190 includes a base 192, an operation unit 194 supported on the base 192 so as to be movable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 192, and a disk-like magnet (for example, a permanent magnet) installed on the operation unit 194. 196 and a plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements (for example, Hall elements) 198 installed on the base 192 in the vicinity of the magnet 196. The operation unit 194 holds the magnet 196 in a fixed manner, and is supported on the base 192 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. Accordingly, an elastic portion 202 that exhibits an elastic force for returning the holding portion 200 to the origin position of the horizontal movement range is provided.

  The base 192 includes a circuit board 204 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, and a support member 206 fixedly connected to the circuit board 204. The support member 206 is a substantially square plate-like member in plan view, and is mounted on the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 without a gap, and the holding portion of the operation unit 194 is provided in a substantially circular concave region at the center thereof. It has a support portion 208 that slidably supports 200 in any horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the “horizontal direction” means a direction substantially parallel to the substantially flat surface 204a of the circuit board 204. Accordingly, the support portion 208 of the support member 206 is formed with a flat and circular support surface 208 a that extends substantially parallel to the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204 on the side away from the circuit board 204. The support surface 208a supports the holding part 200 slidably in an arbitrary horizontal direction at a position protruding from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204.

  Further, a cylindrical wall 210 that projects the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 of the operation unit 194 protrudes from the support member 206 so as to surround the support surface 208a. The cylindrical wall 210 protrudes to a position where the height from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 is higher than the support surface 208a, and as will be described later, the elastic portion 202 surrounds the cylindrical wall 210 at a part thereof, as described later. It is attached. The center axis of the cylindrical wall 210 passing through the center of the support surface 208a constitutes the center axis P of the pointing device 190, and defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 on the support surface 208a. Further, the support portion 208 of the support member 206 is formed with one positioning pin 212 that protrudes to the opposite side of the support surface 208a and the cylindrical wall 210 at the approximate center thereof. The support member 206 is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position on the circuit board 204 by inserting positioning pins 212 into holes 214 provided at corresponding positions on the circuit board 204. In order to firmly fix the support member 206 to the circuit board 204, an adhesive can be used supplementarily.

  A total of four magnetoelectric transducers 198 are mounted on the opposite side of the front surface 204a of the circuit board 204 (that is, the back surface 204b) in an equally spaced manner with the central axis P as the center. With such an arrangement configuration of the magnetoelectric conversion element 198, the pointing device 190 can output an analog data signal in a two-dimensional coordinate system.

  The base 192 further includes a cover member 216 that is substantially connected to the support member 206 by substantially shielding the outer edge region 206 a of the support member 206. The cover member 216 is a thin plate-like member having a substantially square shape in plan view corresponding to the support member 206, and a main operation portion of the operation portion 194 described later is inserted into the center region of the end plate portion 216a so as to be horizontally movable. A substantially circular central opening 218 is provided. On the outer edge of the cover member 216, extension pieces 220 are extended along the four sides in a direction substantially orthogonal to the end plate portion 216a, and attachment holes 222 that penetrate in the plate thickness direction are formed through each extension piece 220. The The cover member 216 snaps a plurality of claws 224 projecting laterally along the four sides of the support member 206 into the corresponding mounting holes 222 of the extension pieces 220 using elastic deformation of the extension pieces 220. By being fitted in the form, the support member 206 is fixedly assembled. The cover member 216 holds the operation unit 194 so as not to drop from the base 192 in a state where the main operation part of the operation unit 194 protrudes outward through the center opening 218. Note that the cover member 216 having such a configuration can be made of a desired sheet metal material.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the holding unit 200 and the elastic unit 202 of the operation unit 194 are individually manufactured as separate members and fixedly combined with each other. The holding unit 200 is formed of a hollow cylindrical member having a rigidity that does not substantially deform during the horizontal movement operation of the operation unit 194 on the base 192, and a magnet 196 is provided inside the cylindrical outer peripheral wall 226. Cavity 226a is formed to accommodate the. The magnet 196 can be fixed to the hollow portion 226a of the holding portion 200 by using, for example, an adhesive or press-fitting. The holding portion 200 uniformly applies the axial end surface of the flange portion 228 extending radially outward to one axial end (lower end in the figure) of the outer peripheral wall 48 to the support surface 208 a of the support member 206 of the base 192. In the contact state, it can be translated while sliding in 360 ° on all directions on the support surface 208a. Such a configuration is advantageous in that the friction between the contact surfaces of the holding unit 200 and the support surface 208a is reduced, and the horizontal movement operability of the operation unit 194 is improved.

  A yoke 230 interposed between the magnet 196 and the elastic part 202 is attached to the holding part 200. The yoke 230 is a substantially circular lid-like member in plan view, and the disc-shaped end wall portion 230a shields the magnet 196 accommodated in the holding unit 200 from one surface (upper surface in the drawing), and the end wall. A cylindrical peripheral wall portion 230 b extending from the outer edge of the portion 230 a surrounds the outer peripheral wall 226 of the holding portion 200 and is attached to the holding portion 200. The yoke 230 can be fixed to the outer peripheral wall 226 of the holding portion 200 by using, for example, an adhesive or press-fitting. The yoke 230 is made of a desired magnetic metal material, and acts to prevent magnetic leakage to the outside through the elastic portion 202 by actively closing the magnetic path between the magnet 196 and the magnetoelectric conversion element 198. . Such a yoke 230 is particularly effectively installed in the low-profile pointing device 190.

  The elastic portion 202 is formed of a bowl-shaped member that is elastically deformed relatively easily while the operation portion 194 is horizontally moved on the base portion 192, and a main portion 232 that extends around the holding portion 200 via a gap. The first connecting part 234 connected to the holding part 200 at one end of the main part 232 and the second connecting part 236 connected to the base 192 at the other end of the main part 232 are integrally provided. The main portion 232 of the elastic portion 202 has a truncated cone shape or a dome-like contour shape that surrounds the holding portion 200 over substantially the entire circumference and is disposed coaxially with the holding portion 200 in an unloaded state. Therefore, the elastic portion 202 has its main portion 232 elastically deformed along with the horizontal movement of the holding portion 200 on the base portion 192, and an elastic force corresponding to the amount of deformation is applied regardless of the horizontal movement direction of the holding portion 200. To demonstrate.

  The first connecting portion 234 of the elastic portion 202 protrudes in the shape of a plate from the small diameter end of the main portion 232 having a frustoconical outline and extends integrally, and is attached to the holding portion 200 in a recess formed inside thereof. The yoke 230 is fixedly inserted. The first connecting portion 234 of the elastic portion 202 can be fixed to the yoke 230 by using, for example, an adhesive or press-fitting. The first connecting portion 234 extends in close contact with the end wall portion 230a and the peripheral wall portion 230b of the yoke 230, and an operation surface 238 with which, for example, a fingertip of a hand is brought into contact with the outer surface of the first connecting portion 234 when the operator moves the operation portion 194. Is formed.

  The second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 extends integrally from the large-diameter end of the main portion 232 of the frustoconical contour so as to project in a flange shape in the radial direction and the axial direction, and the thick portion thereof forms the base portion 192. The outer annular groove region 210a of the cylindrical wall 210 of the supporting member 206 and the end plate portion 216a of the cover member 216 are fixedly sandwiched and hooked. The first and second connecting portions 234 and 236 connect the elastic portion 202 to the holding portion 200 and the base portion 192 without being substantially deformed while the holding portion 200 moves horizontally on the base portion 192. .

  The elastic portion 202 can be formed from various elastic materials such as synthetic rubber and natural rubber. In particular, considering that the reflow process is performed when the pointing device 190 is mounted on the main circuit board of the mounting target device, it is advantageous to form the material from a material that does not easily deteriorate at high temperatures, such as silicon rubber. is there.

  With the above-described various components properly combined, the operation unit 194 passes the main portion 232 and the first connection portion 234 of the elastic portion 202 through the central opening 218 of the cover member 216 of the base portion 192 so as to be horizontally movable. At the same time, the first connecting portion 234 of the elastic portion 202 connected to the holding portion 200 via the yoke 230 is disposed at a position protruding outward from the end plate portion 216 a of the cover member 216 of the base 192. In this state, the operator can move the holding unit 200 horizontally on the base 192 by operating the operation surface 238 formed on the first connecting portion 234 of the elastic unit 202 with, for example, fingers.

  As shown in FIG. 29, when the elastic part 202 of the operation part 194 is in an equilibrium state, the central axis Q of the magnet 196 held in the holding part 200 and the cavity part 226a matches the central axis P of the pointing device 190. To do. In this state, the holding portion 200 is positioned at the origin position of the horizontal movement range on the support member 206 of the base portion 192, and the four magnetoelectric conversion elements 198 on the circuit board 204 are arranged at an equidistant position from the magnet 196. . From this state, when the operator makes a fingertip contact with the operation surface 238 and translates the holding part 200 in an arbitrary horizontal direction, the main portion 232 of the elastic part 202 corresponds to the moving direction and the moving distance of the holding part 200. Thus, different forms of elastic deformation occur around the entire circumference. As a result, the elastic portion 202 exerts an elastic force as a resultant force on the entire main portion 232 and biases the holding portion 200 in a direction opposite to the moving direction. Therefore, the operator moves the operation portion 194 horizontally against the spring biasing force generated by the main portion 232 of the elastic portion 202.

  As described above, the pointing device 190 includes the base portion 192 and the operation portion 194 that are functionally the same as the base portion 12 and the operation portion 14 in the above-described pointing device 10, so that the operation of the operation portion 194 can be performed by the same operation as the pointing device 10. Analog information corresponding to the moving direction and moving distance can be input. In addition, since each component constituting the base 192 and the operation unit 194 is thinned and the magnetoelectric transducer 198 is mounted on the back surface 204b of the circuit board 204, the overall height is lower than that of the pointing device 10. A pointing device 190 that achieves the above is provided.

  30 to 32 show a pointing device 240 according to a second embodiment of the present invention that allows for a further reduction in height as compared to the pointing device 190. The pointing device 240 has substantially the same configuration as that of the pointing device 190 according to the first embodiment described above except for the configuration of the support member connected to the base circuit board. The description is omitted.

  The pointing device 240 includes a base 242, an operation unit 194 supported on the base 242 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 242, a magnet 196 installed on the operation unit 194, and the vicinity of the magnet 196. And a plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 198 installed on the base 242. The base 242 substantially shields and supports a circuit board 204 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 244 fixedly connected to the circuit board 204, and an outer edge region 244a of the support member 244. And a cover member 216 fixedly connected to the member 244.

  The support member 244 is a substantially square plate-like member in plan view, and is mounted on the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 without a gap. It has a support portion 246 that slidably supports 200 in any horizontal direction. The support portion 246 of the support member 244 is formed with a flat and circular support surface 246 a that extends substantially parallel to the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204 on the side away from the circuit board 204. The support surface 246a supports the holding portion 200 so as to be slidable in an arbitrary horizontal direction at a position protruding from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204.

  The support member 244 is further recessed to a position where the height from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 is lower than the support surface 246a, and a plurality of (four in the figure) grooves extending in an arc shape in a direction surrounding the support surface 246a. 248. In the illustrated form, the support portion 246 and the outer edge region 244a of the support member 244 are integrally connected to each other only by a plurality of (four in the figure) connection pieces 250 arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the support surface 246a. Thereby, a plurality of grooves 248 separated from each other via the connecting piece 250 are formed through the same circumference surrounding the support surface 246a in the plate thickness direction.

  The central axes of the plurality of grooves 248 passing through the center of the support surface 246a constitute the central axis P of the pointing device 240 and define the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 on the support surface 246a. The holding portion 200 can move in parallel while sliding in the 360 ° omnidirectional direction on the support surface 246a in a state where the end surface in the axial direction of the flange portion 228 is uniformly in contact with the support surface 246a of the support member 244.

  In addition, the support portion 246 of the support member 244 is formed with a single positioning pin 252 that protrudes to the opposite side of the support surface 246a at the approximate center thereof. The support member 244 is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position on the circuit board 204 by inserting positioning pins 252 into holes 214 provided at corresponding positions on the circuit board 204. In addition, the cover member 216 snap-fits a plurality of claws 254 projecting laterally along the four sides of the support member 244 into the corresponding attachment holes 222 of the respective extension pieces 220, thereby supporting the support member 216. 244 is fixedly assembled.

  The second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is inserted into the plurality of grooves 248 of the support member 244. That is, the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is fixedly sandwiched and hooked between the plurality of grooves 248 of the support member 244 and the end plate portion 216a of the cover member 216 at the thick portion. Therefore, the second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is formed with notches 236a for receiving the connection pieces 250 at positions corresponding to the plurality of connection pieces 250 of the support member 244. The first and second connecting portions 234 and 236 of the elastic portion 202 fix the elastic portion 202 to the holding portion 200 and the base portion 242 without substantially deforming while the holding portion 200 moves horizontally on the base portion 242. Are connected.

  The pointing device 240 can input analog data by horizontally moving the operation unit 194 on the base 242 in the same manner as the pointing device 190 described above. In particular, in the pointing device 240, a plurality of grooves 248 that are recessed to a position lower than the support surface 246a are provided in the support member 244 constituting the base portion 242 instead of the cylindrical wall 210 provided in the support member 206 by the pointing device 190. Since the second connecting portion 236 is inserted into the grooves 248 and the elastic portion 202 is attached to the support member 244, the support member 244 can be further reduced in thickness. Therefore, in the pointing device 240, the dimension in the height direction can be more effectively reduced as compared with the pointing device 190 described above.

  FIGS. 33 and 34 show a pointing device 260 according to the third embodiment of the present invention that enables a further reduction in height as compared with the pointing device 240 described above. Since the pointing device 260 has substantially the same configuration as that of the pointing device 190 according to the first embodiment described above except for the configuration of the base, the corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. .

  The pointing device 260 includes a base 262, an operation unit 194 supported on the base 262 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 262, a magnet 196 installed on the operation unit 194, and a vicinity of the magnet 196. And a plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 198 installed on the base 262. The base portion 262 includes a circuit board 264 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, and a cover member 216 for fixedly connecting the elastic portion 202 of the operation portion 194 to the base portion 262. Accordingly, the base 262 is configured not to include a support member that slidably supports the holding unit 200 of the operation unit 194.

  The circuit board 264 has a flat support surface 266 that supports the holding unit 200 of the operation unit 194 slidably in an arbitrary horizontal direction in a desired circular region of the surface 264a. The circuit board 264 further has a plurality (four in the figure) of slots 268 extending in an arc shape in a direction surrounding the support surface 266. These slots 268 are arranged separately from each other on the same circumference surrounding the support surface 266 and are formed to penetrate in the plate thickness direction. A connecting piece 270 is formed as a part of the circuit board 264 between the adjacent slots 268.

  The center axis of the plurality of slots 268 passing through the center of the support surface 266 constitutes the center axis P of the pointing device 260 and defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 on the support surface 266. The holding portion 200 can be translated while sliding in 360 ° on all directions on the support surface 266 in a state where the axial end surface of the flange portion 228 is in uniform contact with the support surface 266 on the circuit board 264. . The four magnetoelectric transducers 198 are mounted on the back surface 264b of the circuit board 264 on the opposite side of the support surface 266 in an equally spaced manner with the central axis P as the center. The cover member 216 has insertion pieces 272 instead of the attachment holes 222 (FIG. 27) in each of the extension pieces 220 extending on the four sides thereof, and these insertion pieces 272 correspond to the circuit board 264. It is fixed to the circuit board 264 by being inserted into a slit 274 penetratingly formed at a position and bent appropriately.

  The second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is inserted into the plurality of slots 268 of the circuit board 264. That is, the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is fixedly sandwiched and hooked between the plurality of slots 268 of the circuit board 264 and the end plate portion 216a of the cover member 216 at the thick portion. . Therefore, the second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is formed with notches 236a for receiving the connection pieces 270 at positions corresponding to the plurality of connection pieces 270 of the circuit board 264. The first and second connecting portions 234 and 236 of the elastic portion 202 fix the elastic portion 202 to the holding portion 200 and the base portion 262, respectively, without substantially deforming while the holding portion 200 moves horizontally on the base portion 262. Are connected.

  The pointing device 260 can input analog data by horizontally moving the operation unit 194 on the base 262 in the same manner as the pointing devices 190 and 240 described above. Particularly, in the pointing device 260, the support members 206 and 244 are omitted, and the support surface 266 is directly formed on the surface 264a of the circuit board 264 of the base portion 262 so that the holding portion 200 of the operation portion 194 is mounted. Compared with the above-described pointing devices 190 and 240, the dimension in the height direction can be more effectively reduced.

  35 to 37 show a pointing device 280 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention that has a low profile and a click function. The pointing device 280 is substantially the same as the pointing device 190 according to the first embodiment, except for the configuration of the support member connected to the circuit board of the base portion and the configuration including the switch mechanism for adding the click function. Since it has a configuration, the corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The pointing device 280 has substantially the same basic structure as the pointing device 80 according to the related art described above.

  The pointing device 280 includes a base 282, an operation unit 194 supported on the base 282 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 282, a magnet 196 installed on the operation unit 194, and a magnet 196. A plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 198 installed on the base 282 and a switch mechanism 284 disposed between the base 282 and the operation unit 194 are provided. The base 282 substantially supports and supports a circuit board 204 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 286 fixedly connected to the circuit board 204, and an outer edge region 286a of the support member 286. A cover member 216 fixedly coupled to the member 286.

  The support member 286 is a substantially square plate-like member in plan view, and functions as a support portion that supports the holding portion 200 of the operation portion 194 slidably in an arbitrary horizontal direction in a substantially circular concave region at the center thereof. A plurality of (four in the figure) elastic beam portions 288 are provided at positions separated from the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204. On the elastic beam portions 288 of the support member 286, flat support surfaces 288a that extend substantially parallel to the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 in an unloaded state are formed on the side away from the circuit board 204, respectively. The support surfaces 288a cooperate with each other to support the holding portion 200 slidably in an arbitrary horizontal direction at a position protruding from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204.

  The plurality of elastic beam portions 288 of the support member 286 are arranged radially about the central axis P of the pointing device 280 and can be elastically displaced independently from each other with their radially outer ends as fulcrums. In particular, in this embodiment, each elastic beam portion 288 is extended in a radial direction from each apex portion of a substantially square outline in a plan view of the support member 286. The maximum length can be secured. As a result, it is possible to increase the elastic force of the elastic beam portion 288 and reduce the pressing operation force when the switch is activated.

  The support member 286 is further provided with a mounting portion 290 that extends in a fan shape between adjacent elastic beam portions 288. An arc wall 292 that defines the horizontal movement range of the holding portion 200 of the operation portion 194 is projected from the radially inner edge of the attachment portion 290 so as to surround the support surface 288 a of each elastic beam portion 288. Each arc wall 292 protrudes to a position where the height from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 is higher than each support surface 288a, and as will be described later, the elastic portion 202 has all the arc walls 292 at the second connecting portion 236. It is enclosed and attached to the support member 286. The circular arc walls 292 are arranged on the same circumference with the central axis P as the center, and the central axis P defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 on the plurality of support surfaces 288a. The holding portion 200 slides in all 360 ° directions on the support surfaces 288a in a state where the end surfaces in the axial direction of the flange portions 228 are in uniform contact with the support surfaces 288a of the plurality of elastic beam portions 288. Can translate.

  In addition, in one desired elastic beam portion 288 among the plurality of elastic beam portions 288, a pressing point 294 that locally protrudes on the opposite side of the support surface 288a is formed at the free end of the radially inner end thereof. The The elastic beam portion 288 having the pressing point 294 is slightly longer than the other elastic beam portions 288 and extends to a position exceeding the central axis P of the pointing device 280. Thereby, the pressing point 294 is arranged in alignment with the central axis P of the pointing device 280.

  Further, a positioning pin 296 protrudes from the pair of mounting portions 290 of the support member 286 facing each other on the opposite side of the arc wall 292. The support member 286 is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position on the circuit board 204 by inserting the positioning pins 296 into holes 298 provided at corresponding positions on the circuit board 204. In addition, the cover member 216 snap-fits the plurality of claws 300 protruding sideways along the four sides of the support member 286 into the corresponding mounting holes 222 of the respective extension pieces 220, thereby supporting the support member 216. It is fixedly attached to 286.

  The second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is a thick portion, and is fixedly sandwiched and hooked between the outer annular groove region 292a of each arc wall 292 of the support member 286 and the end plate portion 216a of the cover member 216. Stopped. The first and second connecting portions 234 and 236 of the elastic portion 202 fix the elastic portion 202 to the holding portion 200 and the base portion 282 without substantially deforming while the holding portion 200 moves horizontally on the base portion 282. Are connected.

  A switch mechanism 284 for adding a click function is mounted on the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 inside a space formed between the circuit board 204 and the plurality of elastic beam portions 288 of the support member 286. . The switch mechanism 284 has a known opening / closing structure having a movable contact and a fixed contact, and the both contacts are arranged at a position substantially aligned with the central axis P of the pointing device 280. That is, the movable contact of the switch mechanism 284 is positioned immediately below the pressing point 294 provided on one elastic beam portion 288 of the support member 286. The four magnetoelectric conversion elements 198 are mounted on the back surface 204b of the circuit board 204 located on the opposite side of the switch mechanism 284 in an equally spaced manner with the central axis P as the center. That is, the circuit board 204 of the base 282 positions and supports the switch mechanism 284 below the operation part 194, and the magnetoelectric conversion element 198 is disposed on the opposite side of the switch mechanism 284 with the circuit board 204 interposed therebetween. Thereby, the required dimension of the space between the circuit board 204 and the support member 286 is reduced.

  The configuration of the switch mechanism 284 is arbitrary, and various types such as a mechanical switch having a movable contact carried by a spring and a membrane switch having a pair of flexible circuit boards can be adopted. Further, depending on the external dimensions of the switch mechanism 284, the plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 198 can be installed in the space between the circuit board 204 and the plurality of elastic beam portions 288.

  In the pointing device 280 having the above-described configuration, the operator presses the operation surface 238 of the operation unit 194 with, for example, a fingertip and presses the flange portion 228 of the holding unit 200 against the plurality of elastic beam portions 288 at the origin position shown in FIG. Thus, the switch mechanism 284 positioned below the elastic beam portions 288 can be closed. In this embodiment, when the operation unit 194 is pressed, each elastic beam portion 288 is elastically bent with the outer end in the radial direction as a fulcrum, and the pressing point 294 provided on the long elastic beam portion 288 is a switch immediately below it. The mechanism 284 is pressed to operate.

  As described above, the pointing device 280 includes the base unit 282 and the operation unit 194 that are functionally the same as the base unit 82 and the operation unit 14 in the above-described pointing device 80, and thus the operation of the operation unit 194 can be performed by the same operation as the pointing device 80. Analog information corresponding to the moving direction and the moving distance can be input, and for example, a click operation can be performed in association with a pointer on the display of the target device. In addition, since the respective constituent elements constituting the base 282 and the operation unit 194 are thinned, the pointing device 280 that realizes a low profile as a whole compared to the pointing device 80 is provided.

  38 to 40 show a pointing device 310 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention that enables a further reduction in height as compared with the pointing device 280. FIG. The pointing device 310 has substantially the same configuration as that of the pointing device 280 according to the fourth embodiment described above except for the configuration of the support member connected to the circuit board of the base portion. The description is omitted.

  The pointing device 310 includes a base 312, an operation unit 194 supported on the base 312 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 312, a magnet 196 installed on the operation unit 194, and a magnet 196. And a plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 198 installed on the base 312. The base 312 substantially shields and supports a circuit board 204 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 314 fixedly connected to the circuit board 204, and an outer edge region 314a of the support member 314. And a cover member 216 fixedly connected to the member 314.

  The support member 314 is a substantially square plate-like member in plan view, and functions as a support portion that supports the holding portion 200 of the operation portion 194 to be slidable in an arbitrary horizontal direction in a substantially circular concave region at the center thereof. A plurality of (four in the figure) elastic beam portions 316 are provided at positions separated from the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204. On the elastic beam portions 316 of the support member 314, flat support surfaces 316a that extend substantially parallel to the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 in an unloaded state are formed on the side away from the circuit board 204, respectively. The support surfaces 316a cooperate with each other to support the holding portion 200 slidably in an arbitrary horizontal direction at a position protruding from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204.

  The plurality of elastic beam portions 316 of the support member 314 are arranged radially about the central axis P of the pointing device 310 and can be elastically displaced independently from each other with their radially outer ends as fulcrums. In particular, in this embodiment, each elastic beam portion 316 is extended in a radial direction from each apex portion of the substantially square outline in a plan view of the support member 314. The maximum length can be secured. As a result, it is possible to increase the elastic force of the elastic beam portion 316 and reduce the pressing operation force when the switch is activated. In this embodiment, all the elastic beam portions 316 have the same length and are arranged symmetrically around the central axis P.

  The support member 314 is further formed with a mounting portion 318 that extends in a fan shape between adjacent elastic beam portions 316. A plurality (four in the figure) of grooves 320 extending in an arc shape in the direction surrounding the support surface 316a of each elastic beam portion 316 are formed in the outer periphery in the radial direction of the attachment portions 318. Each groove 320 is recessed to a position where the height from the surface 204a of the circuit board 204 is lower than the support surface 316a. The grooves 320 are arranged on the same circumference with the central axis P as the center, and the central axis P defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200 on the plurality of support surfaces 316a. The holding portion 200 slides in all 360 ° directions on the support surfaces 316a in a state where the end surfaces in the axial direction of the flange portions 228 are uniformly in contact with the support surfaces 316a of the plurality of elastic beam portions 316. Can translate.

  Further, a desired elastic beam portion 316 among the plurality of elastic beam portions 316 is formed with a pressing point 322 that locally protrudes on the opposite end of the support surface 316a at the free end at the radially inner end thereof. The The pressing point 322 is disposed at a position shifted in the radial direction from the central axis P of the pointing device 310. The switch mechanism 284 mounted on the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204 is positioned immediately below the pressing point 322 provided on one elastic beam portion 316 of the support member 314.

  Further, a positioning pin 324 protrudes from the pair of mounting portions 318 of the support member 314 facing each other on the opposite side of the groove 320. The support member 314 is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position on the circuit board 204 by inserting the positioning pins 324 into holes 298 provided at corresponding positions on the circuit board 204. The cover member 216 is snapped into the corresponding mounting holes 222 of the extension pieces 220 by snapping a plurality of claws 326 projecting laterally along the four sides of the support member 314. 314 is fixedly assembled.

  The second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is inserted into the plurality of grooves 320 of the support member 314. That is, the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is fixedly sandwiched and hooked between the plurality of grooves 320 of the support member 314 and the end plate portion 216a of the cover member 216 at its thick portion. Therefore, the second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is formed with a notch 236 a that receives a part of the elastic beam portion 316 at a position corresponding to the plurality of elastic beam portions 316 of the support member 314. The first and second connecting portions 234 and 236 of the elastic portion 202 fix the elastic portion 202 to the holding portion 200 and the base portion 312 respectively without substantially deforming while the holding portion 200 moves horizontally on the base portion 312. Are connected.

  The pointing device 310 having the above-described configuration can input analog data by horizontally moving the operation unit 194 on the base 312 in the same manner as the pointing device 280 described above, and by pressing the operation unit 194, for example, A click operation can be performed in association with the pointer on the display of the target device. In particular, in the pointing device 310, a plurality of grooves that are recessed to a position lower than the support surface 316a are provided in the support member 314 constituting the base 312 instead of the plurality of arc walls 290 provided on the support member 286 by the pointing device 280. Since 320 is formed, and the second connecting portion 236 is inserted into the grooves 320 to attach the elastic portion 202 to the support member 314, the support member 314 can be further reduced in thickness. Therefore, in the pointing device 310, the dimension in the height direction can be more effectively reduced as compared to the pointing device 280 described above.

  In the pointing device 310, as shown in FIG. 39, the horizontal movement range of the holding portion 200 of the operation portion 194 on the support surface 316a is defined for each elastic beam portion 316 and each attachment portion 318 of the support member 314. An arcuate rib 328 can also be provided. Since these ribs 328 do not participate in the fixing of the elastic portion 202, the protruding height from the support surface 316a can be reduced as much as possible, and therefore the thickness of the support member 314 is not hindered.

  Further, in the pointing device 310, since the plurality of elastic beam portions 316 provided on the support member 314 are all formed in the same size and shape and arranged around the central axis P, the operator presses the operation unit 194. When the force is applied, the repulsive force from the elastic beam portion 316 is balanced, and as a result, an advantage that an accurate switch pressing operation can be performed is obtained. In particular, as shown in FIG. 41, a position where the pressing point 322 for pressing the switch mechanism 284 is superimposed on the flange portion 228 of the holding portion 200 at the origin position of the horizontal movement range on one elastic beam portion 316. If it arrange | positions to, the pressing force applied to the some elastic beam part 316 from the holding | maintenance part 200 of the operation part 194 can be transmitted to the switch mechanism 284 without waste. As a result, the pressing force by the operator is reduced and the switch operability is improved.

  In the configuration in which the pressing point 322 is disposed at a position shifted from the central axis P of the pointing device 310 as described above, the directivity to be matched with each other during assembly is generated between the support member 314 and the circuit board 204. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 42, the pressing points 322 are provided on the pair of elastic beam portions 316 facing each other (FIG. 42A), or the pressing points 322 are provided on all the elastic beam portions 316 (FIG. b)) is advantageous from the viewpoint of improving the assembly workability.

  In the pointing devices 280 and 310 having the click function, when the operation unit 194 is pressed down, the operation unit 194 is accurately placed in the vertical direction (that is, the horizontal direction of the operation unit 194 is determined with respect to the base units 282 and 312 and the switch mechanism 284). Displacement in a direction substantially orthogonal to the movement direction is important in avoiding unintended input of analog data such as cursor movement data. Therefore, it is advantageous to provide the pointing devices 280 and 310 with a guide portion that guides the operation unit 194 relative to the switch mechanism 284 in the vertical direction.

  43 and 44 show a modification of the pointing device 310 having such a guide portion. In this modification, a guide portion 330 that extends in a radial shape in a fan shape is integrally formed on each of the plurality of attachment portions 318 provided on the support member 314. The guide portions 330 are arranged on the same circumference around the central axis P of the pointing device 310 with the inner peripheral edge 330a having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the flange portion 228 of the holding portion 200. The In addition, the surface 330b of each guide portion 330 is disposed on the same plane as the support surface 316a of the elastic beam portion 316 when no load is applied, and in cooperation with the plurality of support surfaces 316a, the holding unit 200 can be placed in an arbitrary horizontal direction. Supports slidable in the direction.

  According to such a configuration, when the operation unit 194 is pressed when the holding unit 200 is at the origin position of the horizontal movement range, the flange portion 228 of the holding unit 200 is switched by the plurality of guide portions 330 of the support member 314. It is accurately guided in the vertical direction with respect to 284. During this time, no relative movement in the horizontal direction occurs between the magnet 196 and the plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 198, so that unintended input of analog data such as cursor movement data is avoided. Further, while the holding unit 200 is moving from the origin position of the horizontal movement range, the flange portion 228 of the holding unit 200 interferes with the guide portion 330 of the support member 314 even if a pressing force is applied to the operation unit 194. Therefore, the elastic beam portion 316 cannot be pushed down. Therefore, according to this configuration, the switch operation position when performing a click operation or the like can be specified only at the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 200.

  By the way, when the magnetoelectric transducer type pointing device according to the various related technologies of the present invention described above is mounted on a portable information device such as a mobile phone, handling of various components of the miniaturized pointing device becomes complicated. There is a concern that the assembly workability of the entire information equipment will deteriorate. 45 to 55 show a main part of a portable information device equipped with a pointing device according to the present invention and having a structure for improving its own assembly workability.

  FIG. 45 shows a circuit board 340 and a key panel 342 that are components of a portable information device (for example, a mobile phone) in which a pointing device according to an embodiment of the present invention can be mounted. This portable information device is illustrated as having the pointing device 260 according to the third embodiment described above mounted under a structure that improves assembly workability, and corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Therefore, the description is omitted. It should be understood that the illustrated portable information device can also be configured by mounting the pointing device 280 according to the above-described fourth embodiment instead of the pointing device 260.

  As shown in FIG. 45A, the circuit board 340 includes a plurality of switches 344, which are main input portions of the portable information device, mounted on the surface 340a in a predetermined alignment. Further, a plurality of (four in the figure) arc-shaped slots 346 for attaching the elastic portion 202 of the pointing device 260 are formed in the circuit board 340 at predetermined positions on the surface 340a. Each slot 346 corresponds to the slot 268 of the circuit board 264 shown in FIG. 33, and the holding part 200 of the operation part 194 is slidable in an arbitrary horizontal direction in a circular region surrounded by the slot 346. A supporting flat support surface 266 is defined. On the back surface 340b of the circuit board 340, four magnetoelectric transducers 198 are mounted at positions corresponding to the support surface 266 in an equally spaced manner with the central axis P of the pointing device 260 as the center (FIG. 45 ( b)).

  The key panel 342 is a thin plate-like member integrally formed from an elastic material such as rubber, for example, and a plurality of key tops 348 protrude from the surface 342a at positions corresponding to the plurality of switches 344 on the circuit board 340. The Further, the elastic portion 202 of the pointing device 260 is integrally formed on the key panel 342 at a position corresponding to the support surface 266 of the circuit board 340. That is, the elastic portion 202 is integrally connected to the key panel 342 having the plurality of key tops 348 at the second connecting portion 236. The main portion 232 and the first connection portion 234 of the elastic portion 202 are projected from the surface 342a of the key panel 342, and the plurality of thick portions 236b of the second connection portion 236 are formed on the back surface 342b of the key panel 342. Is projected.

  As shown in FIG. 46A, the elastic portion 202 formed on the key panel 342 has a holding portion 200 that houses the magnet 196 and a yoke 230 attached to the holding portion 200 on the back side of the first connecting portion 234. Fixedly received in the recess. In this state, the key panel 342 is assembled to the circuit board 340 in a predetermined relative positional relationship in which the key tops 348 and the switches 344 are aligned with the back surface 342b of the key panel 342 being in contact with the front surface 340a of the circuit board 340. At this time, the plurality of thick portions 236b formed in the second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 are respectively inserted into the corresponding groove holes 346 of the circuit board 340. Accordingly, the holding unit 200 is appropriately positioned and slidably mounted on the support surface 266 of the circuit board 340. Furthermore, the second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 is fixed between the circuit board 340 and the casing 350 by covering the key panel 342 assembled to the circuit board 340 with the casing 350 of the portable information device. It is pinched and hooked (FIG. 46B). In this way, the pointing device 260 integrated into the portable information device is completed.

  According to the above-described configuration, the elastic portion 202 and the circuit board 264 that are the original components of the pointing device 260, and the key panel 342 and the circuit board 340 that are essential components of the portable information device on which the pointing device 260 is mounted. In addition, since they are integrated, the number of independent components of the pointing device 260 itself is reduced. Moreover, when assembling the pointing device 260, other small components can be combined with the large key panel 342 and the circuit board 340 equipped with the main parts of the portable information device. The assembling workability of the pointing device 260 itself and the assembling workability of the portable information device equipped with the pointing device 260 are remarkably improved.

  The above-described portable information device has a configuration in which the housing 350 is attached after the circuit board 340 and the key panel 342 are combined. First, the housing is attached to the key panel, and then the key panel is assembled to the circuit board. Procedures may be taken. FIG. 47 shows a key panel 342 and a casing 350 as modified examples that can cope with such a procedure.

  In this modification, the elastic portion 202 integrally formed with the key panel 342 includes a thick portion 236b of the second connecting portion 236 protruding from the surface 342a of the key panel 342 (FIG. 47 (a)). )). Correspondingly, a plurality of grooves 354 for receiving the thick portions 236b of the second connecting portions 236 are formed on the back surface 350a of the casing 350 around the openings 352 into which the elastic portions 202 are inserted. (FIG. 47B). Therefore, the key panel 342 is assembled to the housing 350 while the elastic portion 202 and the plurality of key tops 348 are inserted into the opening 352 and the plurality of key holes 356 provided in the housing 350, respectively. At this time, the plurality of thick portions 236 b formed in the second connection portion 236 of the elastic portion 202 are respectively inserted into the corresponding grooves 354 of the housing 350.

  The key panel 342 to which the casing 350 is attached in this manner is such that the back surface 342b is brought into contact with the front surface 340a of the circuit board 340 in a state where the magnet 196, the holding unit 200, and the yoke 230 are received in the elastic portion 202. The key top 348 and the switches 344 are assembled to the circuit board 340 in a predetermined relative positional relationship. As a result, the holding unit 200 is appropriately positioned and slidably mounted on the support surface 266 of the circuit board 340, and the second connection portion 236 of the elastic unit 202 is connected to the circuit board 340 and the housing 350. It is pinched and latched between them (FIG. 48). In this way, the pointing device 260 integrated into the portable information device is completed.

  49 to 51 show a circuit board 360, a key panel 362, and a housing 364, which are components of a portable information device (for example, a mobile phone) according to the related art of the present invention. This portable information device includes a pointing device 366 having a configuration similar to that of the pointing device 10 according to the related art described above under a structure that improves assembly workability, and is a component corresponding to the pointing device 10. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. It should be understood that the portable information device shown in the figure is configured by mounting a pointing device similar to the above-described pointing device 80 according to the related art of the present invention instead of the pointing device 10.

  As shown in FIG. 49, the circuit board 360 includes a plurality of switches 368, which are main input portions of the portable information device, mounted in a predetermined alignment on the surface 360a. In addition, the key panel 362 is a thin plate member integrally formed from an elastic material such as rubber, for example, and a plurality of key tops 370 protrude from the surface 362a at positions corresponding to the plurality of switches 368 on the circuit board 360. Established.

  The housing 364 is a thin plate-like member integrally formed from a resin material, and a plurality of key holes 372 are formed through the positions corresponding to the plurality of key tops 370 of the key panel 362. Further, the housing 364 is provided with a concave region at a predetermined position on the surface 364a, and the support member 26 of the pointing device 366 is integrally formed at the bottom of the concave region. That is, the support member 26 is integrally connected to the housing 364 having the plurality of key holes 372 in the outer region of the cylindrical wall 30. The support surface 28 a and the cylindrical wall 30 of the support member 26 are disposed on the surface 364 a side of the housing 364.

  As shown in FIGS. 50 and 51, the support member 26 formed on the housing 364 has a holding part 20 that houses the magnet 16 and an elastic part 22 attached to the holding part 20 at the end in the axial direction of the holding part 20. It is mounted in a state where the edge is slidably mounted on the support surface 28a. Further, by attaching the annular cover member 36 to the housing 364 so as to cover the second connection portion 54 of the elastic portion 22, the second connection portion 54 of the elastic portion 22 is fixed on the housing 364. It is hooked.

  In this state, the circuit board 360, the key panel 362, and the housing 364 are assembled to each other in a predetermined relative positional relationship in which the respective switches 368, the key tops 370, and the key holes 372 are aligned with each other. At this time, the key panel 362 has a contour shape that does not overlap the support member 26 formed on the housing 364, and the back surface 360 b of the circuit board 360 has a position 4 corresponding to the support surface 28 a of the support member 26. The individual magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 are mounted in an equally spaced distribution centered on the central axis P of the pointing device 366. In this way, the pointing device 366 integrated into the portable information device is completed.

  According to the above configuration, the support member 26 and the circuit board 24 that are the original components of the pointing device 366 are replaced with the housing 364 and the circuit board 360 that are the essential components of the portable information device in which the pointing device 366 is mounted. In addition, since they are integrated, the number of independent components of the pointing device 366 itself is reduced. Moreover, when assembling the pointing device 366, other small components can be combined with the large-sized housing 364 and the circuit board 360 equipped with the main parts of the portable information device. The assembling workability of the pointing device 366 itself and the assembling workability of the portable information device equipped with the pointing device 366 are remarkably improved.

  Furthermore, in the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 51, a space can be formed between the surface 360a of the circuit board 360 and the support member 26 formed on the housing 364, so that the electronic components on the circuit board 360 can be mounted. There is an advantage that the possible area is expanded. In addition, in the above configuration, when a switch mechanism having a click function is added to the pointing device 366, instead of the support member 26, as shown in FIG. The support member 314 may be formed integrally with the housing 364.

  53 to 55 show a lower panel 380, a membrane sheet 382, a switch panel 384, and a key top 386, which are components of a portable information device (for example, a portable keyboard) according to another related technology of the present invention. This portable information device is constructed by mounting a pointing device 388 having a configuration similar to the pointing device 10 according to the related art described above under a structure that improves assembly workability, and is a component corresponding to the pointing device 10. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. It should be understood that the portable information device shown in the figure is configured by mounting a pointing device similar to the above-described pointing device 80 according to the related art of the present invention instead of the pointing device 10.

  As shown in FIG. 53, the switch panel 384 is a thin plate-like member integrally formed from a resin material, and a plurality of openings 390 at positions corresponding to a plurality of switches (not shown) formed on the membrane sheet 382. Is formed through. Further, the switch panel 384 is provided with a convex region at a predetermined position on the surface 384a, and the support member 26 of the pointing device 388 is integrally formed at the bottom of the convex region. That is, the support member 26 is integrally connected to the switch panel 384 having a plurality of openings 390 in the outer region of the cylindrical wall 30. The support surface 28 a and the cylindrical wall 30 of the support member 26 are disposed on the surface 384 a side of the switch panel 384.

  As shown in FIGS. 54 and 55, the support member 26 formed on the switch panel 384 has a holding portion 20 containing the magnet 16 and an elastic portion 22 attached to the holding portion 20 at the end in the axial direction of the holding portion 20. It is mounted in a state where the edge is slidably mounted on the support surface 28a. Further, the cover member 36 is attached to the switch panel 384 so as to cover the second connection portion 54 of the elastic portion 22, so that the second connection portion 54 of the elastic portion 22 is fixedly hooked on the switch panel 384. Is done.

  In this state, the membrane sheet 382 and the switch panel 384 are assembled to each other in a predetermined relative positional relationship in which the respective switches and the opening 390 are aligned with each other, and placed on the lower panel 380. At this time, the circuit board 24 on which the magnetoelectric conversion element 18 is mounted is inserted between the membrane sheet 382 and the switch panel 384 in the space formed on the opposite side of the support surface 28a of the support member 26. It is arranged in the state. Further, a key top 386 corresponding to a switch operating mechanism (not shown) installed in each opening 390 of the switch panel 384 is assembled, and a key top 392 is attached to the elastic portion 22 of the pointing device 388. In this way, the pointing device 388 integrated into the portable information device is completed.

  Also in the above configuration, since the support member 26 that is an essential component of the pointing device 388 is integrated with the switch panel 384 that is an essential component of the portable information device in which the pointing device 388 is mounted, the pointing device 388 itself The number of independent components is reduced, and the assembling workability of the pointing device 388 itself and the assembling workability of the portable information device equipped with the pointing device 388 are remarkably improved.

  By the way, the pointing devices 80, 100, 150, 280, 310 according to various forms having the click function described above push the operation units 14, 194 to the bases 82, 102, 282, 312 in the vertical direction. Thus, the switch mechanisms 84 and 284 are configured to operate. In this configuration, the magnets 16 and 196 held by the holding units 20 and 200 are moved against the plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 18 and 198 on the bases 82, 102, 282, and 312 in accordance with the pressing operation of the operation units 14 and 194. Inevitably move. When the moving direction of the magnets 16 and 196 at this time includes a horizontal component with respect to the plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 and 198, the output voltage of the magnetoelectric conversion elements 18 and 198 is immediately before the click operation. There is a concern that analog data signals such as cursor movement data may be output from the pointing devices 80, 100, 280, and 310 due to fluctuations in the above. Therefore, in order to perform an appropriate click operation, it is necessary to push the operation units 14 and 194 accurately in the vertical direction with respect to the bases 82, 102, 282, and 312. Otherwise, operator skill is required.

  On the other hand, the pointing device 400 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 56 to 58 has a low profile and a structure that allows a proper click operation to be performed very easily. The pointing device 400 includes a base portion 402, an operation portion 404 supported on the base portion 402 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base portion 402, and an annular magnet (for example, a permanent magnet) installed on the operation portion 404. 406, a plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements (for example, Hall elements) 408 installed in the base 402 in the vicinity of the magnet 406, and a switch mechanism 410 disposed between the base 402 and the operation unit 404. The operation unit 404 holds the magnet 406 in a fixed manner and is supported on the base 402 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. The operation unit 404 is connected to the holding unit 412, and the horizontal movement of the holding unit 412 on the base 402. Accordingly, the elastic portion 414 that exerts an elastic force to return the holding portion 412 to the origin position of the horizontal movement range and the base portion 402 can be moved in the vertical direction substantially orthogonal to the horizontal direction independently of the holding portion 412. And an actuating part 416 arranged at the top.

  The base 402 includes a circuit board 418 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, and a support member 420 fixedly connected to the circuit board 418. The support member 420 is a plate-like member having a substantially square shape in plan view, and an annular support that supports the holding portion 412 of the operation unit 404 slidably in an arbitrary horizontal direction in a substantially circular concave region at the center thereof. The switch mechanism 410 is inserted into a circular opening 424 formed at the center of the support portion 422 and has a portion 422, and is mounted on the surface 418a of the circuit board 418 without a gap. In this embodiment, the “horizontal direction” means a direction substantially parallel to the substantially flat surface 418a of the circuit board 418. Accordingly, the support portion 422 of the support member 420 is formed with a flat and annular support surface 422a that extends substantially parallel to the surface 418a of the circuit board 418 on the side away from the circuit board 418. The support surface 422a supports the holding portion 412 so as to be slidable in an arbitrary horizontal direction at a position protruding from the surface 418a of the circuit board 418.

  The support member 420 is further provided with a cylindrical wall 426 that defines the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 412 of the operation unit 404 so as to surround the support surface 422a. The cylindrical wall 426 protrudes to a position where the height from the surface 418a of the circuit board 418 is higher than the support surface 422a. As will be described later, the elastic portion 414 partially surrounds the cylindrical wall 426 and becomes the support member 420 as described later. It is attached. The central axis of the cylindrical wall 426 passing through the center of the opening 424 constitutes the central axis P of the pointing device 400 and defines the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding portion 412 on the support surface 422a. The support member 420 is fixedly assembled at a predetermined position on the circuit board 418 using, for example, an adhesive.

  On the surface 418a of the circuit board 418, a switch mechanism 410 having a substantially circular outline in plan view is mounted with the central axis P as the center. In addition, a total of four magnetoelectric transducers 408 are mounted on the back surface 418b of the circuit board 418 in an equally spaced manner with the central axis P as the center. With such an arrangement configuration of the magnetoelectric conversion element 408, the pointing device 400 can output an analog data signal in a two-dimensional coordinate system. That is, the circuit board 418 of the base portion 402 positions and holds the switch mechanism 410 below the operation unit 404, and the magnetoelectric conversion element 408 is disposed on the opposite side of the switch mechanism 410 with the circuit board 418 interposed therebetween. Thereby, the required dimension of the space between the circuit board 418 and the support member 420 is reduced.

  The base 402 further includes a cover member 428 that substantially shields the outer edge region 420 a of the support member 420 and is fixedly coupled to the support member 420. The cover member 428 is a thin plate-like member having a substantially square shape in plan view corresponding to the support member 420, and a main operation portion of the operation portion 404 described later is inserted into the center region of the end plate portion 428a so as to be horizontally movable. It has a substantially circular central opening 430. At the outer edge of the cover member 428, extension pieces 432 are extended along the four sides in a direction substantially perpendicular to the end plate portion 428a, and attachment holes 434 that penetrate in the plate thickness direction are formed through each extension piece 432. The The cover member 428 snaps a plurality of claws 436 projecting laterally along the four sides of the support member 420 to the corresponding mounting holes 434 of the extension pieces 432 using elastic deformation of the extension pieces 432. By being fitted in the form, the support member 420 is fixedly assembled. The cover member 428 holds the operation unit 404 so as not to drop from the base 402 in a state where the main operation part of the operation unit 404 protrudes outward through the central opening 430. The cover member 428 having such a configuration can be made from a desired sheet metal material.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the holding unit 412 and the elastic unit 414 of the operation unit 404 are individually manufactured as separate members and fixedly combined with each other. The holding portion 412 is made of an annular member having a rigidity that does not substantially deform during the horizontal movement operation of the operation portion 404 on the base portion 402. An annular recess 442 that accommodates the magnet 406 is formed between the inner peripheral wall 438 and the intermediate wall 440 that are concentrically projected on one end surface in the axial direction of the holding portion 412 (upper end surface in the drawing). The magnet 406 can be fixed to the annular recess 442 of the holding portion 412 by using, for example, an adhesive or press-fitting. The holding portion 412 can move in parallel while sliding in the 360 ° omnidirectional direction on the support surface 422a in a state where the other end surface in the axial line direction is in contact with the support surface 422a of the support member 420 of the base portion 402 uniformly.

  The elastic portion 414 is formed of a hook-like member that is relatively easily elastically deformed while the operation portion 404 is horizontally moved on the base portion 402, and is extended to the main portion 444 around the holding portion 412 via a gap. The first connecting portion 446 connected to the holding portion 412 at one end of the main portion 444 and the second connecting portion 448 connected to the base portion 402 at the other end of the main portion 444 are integrally provided. The main portion 444 of the elastic portion 414 has a frustoconical or dome-like contour shape that surrounds the holding portion 412 over substantially the entire circumference and is disposed coaxially with the holding portion 412 in an unloaded state. Therefore, the elastic portion 414 has its main portion 444 elastically deformed along with the horizontal movement of the holding portion 412 on the base portion 402, and the elastic force corresponding to the deformation amount is equal regardless of the horizontal movement direction of the holding portion 412. To demonstrate.

  The first connecting portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 is integrally extended in an annular shape radially inward from the small diameter end of the main portion 444 having a frustoconical contour, and holds the magnet 406 in a recess formed inside thereof. The inner peripheral wall 438 and the intermediate wall 440 of the holding part 412 are fixedly inserted. The first connecting portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 can be fixed to the holding portion 412 by using, for example, an adhesive or press-fitting. Further, the first connecting portion 446 has a cylindrical receiving hole 450 formed concentrically with respect to the inner peripheral wall 438 and the intermediate wall 440 of the holding portion 412 at the center thereof. The first connecting portion 446 extends so as to closely cover one end surface in the axial direction of the holding portion 412 and the magnet 406, and an operation surface 452 with which, for example, a fingertip of a hand is brought into contact with the outer surface when the operator moves the operation portion 404. Is formed.

  The second connecting portion 448 of the elastic portion 414 protrudes in a flange shape from the large diameter end of the main portion 444 of the truncated cone shape in the radial direction and the axial direction, and is integrally extended. The outer annular groove region 426a of the cylindrical wall 426 of the supporting member 420 and the end plate portion 428a of the cover member 428 are fixedly sandwiched and hooked. The first and second connection portions 446 and 448 fixedly connect the elastic portion 414 to the holding portion 412 and the base portion 402 without substantially deforming while the holding portion 412 moves horizontally on the base portion 402. .

  The elastic portion 414 can be formed of various elastic materials such as synthetic rubber and natural rubber. In particular, considering that the reflow process is performed when the pointing device 400 is mounted on the main circuit board of the mounting target device, it is advantageous to form the material from a material that does not easily deteriorate at high temperatures, such as silicon rubber. is there.

  The actuating portion 416 is formed of a cylindrical member having a rigidity that does not substantially deform while being vertically moved on the base portion 402. A projecting edge portion 416a is integrally extended outward in the radial direction at one axial end (lower end in the figure) of the operating portion 416. Further, at the other end in the axial direction of the operating unit 416, a pressing operation surface 454 is formed to contact the fingertip of the hand, for example, when the operator presses the operating unit 416. The actuating part 416 is separated from the elastic part 414 and received in the receiving hole 450 provided in the first connection portion 446 of the elastic part 414 through a gap. At this time, the actuating portion 416 can be engaged with the shoulder portion 438a of which the protruding edge portion 416a slightly protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral wall 438 of the holding portion 412 on the side opposite to the magnet 406. Oriented. In a state where the protruding edge portion 416a of the operating portion 416 is engaged with the shoulder portion 438a of the holding portion 412, the pressing operation surface 454 of the operating portion 416 is disposed so as to slightly protrude at the center of the operating surface 452 of the elastic portion 414. The

  A pressing point 456 that locally bulges is formed at the center of one end surface (the lower end surface in the drawing) of the operating portion 416 in the axial direction. The pressing point 456 is arranged in alignment on the central axis P of the pointing device 400. In a state where the operation unit 404 is properly assembled to the base unit 402, the operation unit 416 abuts the pressing point 456 against the switch mechanism 410 disposed in the opening 424 of the support member 420, and moves vertically in the operation unit 404. The switch mechanism 410 is supported so as to be movable in the direction.

  The configuration of the switch mechanism 410 is arbitrary, and various devices such as a mechanical switch having a movable contact carried by a spring and a membrane switch having a pair of flexible circuit boards can be adopted. Further, depending on the external dimensions of the switch mechanism 410, a plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements 408 can be installed in the opening 424 of the support member 420.

  In a state where the above-described various components are appropriately combined, the operation unit 404 includes a portion including the main portion 444 and the first connection portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 and the pressing operation surface 454 of the operation portion 416 as a cover member of the base portion 402. The cover member 428 is inserted into the center opening 430 so as to be horizontally movable, and is disposed at a position protruding outward from the end plate portion 428a of the cover member 428. In this state, the operator can operate the operation surface 238 formed on the first connection portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 with, for example, fingers to horizontally move the holding portion 412 on the base portion 402, and the operation portion 416. The operation unit 416 can be vertically moved on the base 402 by pressing the pressing operation surface 454 with a finger, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 58, when the elastic portion 414 of the operation portion 404 is in an equilibrium state, the central axis Q of the holding portion 412, the magnet 406 held in the annular recess 442 and the operating portion 416 is the center of the pointing device 400. Matches the axis P. In this state, the holding portion 412 is positioned at the origin position of the horizontal movement range on the support member 420 of the base portion 402, and the four magnetoelectric conversion elements 408 on the circuit board 418 are arranged at equidistant positions from the magnet 406. . From this state, when the operator makes a fingertip contact with the operation surface 452 and translates the holding portion 412 in an arbitrary horizontal direction, the main portion 444 of the elastic portion 414 corresponds to the moving direction and moving distance of the holding portion 412. Thus, different forms of elastic deformation occur over the entire circumference (FIG. 59 (a)). As a result, the elastic portion 414 exhibits an elastic force as a resultant force of the entire main portion 444, and biases the holding portion 412 in a direction opposite to the moving direction. Therefore, the operator moves the operation portion 404 horizontally against the spring biasing force generated by the main portion 444 of the elastic portion 414.

  58, the operator presses the pressing operation surface 454 of the operating unit 416 of the operating unit 404 with, for example, a fingertip and presses the pressing point 456 of the operating unit 416 against the switch mechanism 410, so that the switch mechanism 284 can be closed (FIG. 59 (b)). At this time, since the holding unit 412 is stationaryly supported on the support surface 422 a of the support member 420, the holding unit 412, that is, the magnet 406, even if the pressing operation force of the operator is applied to the operation surface 452 of the elastic unit 414. The vertical movement of is reliably avoided.

  As described above, the pointing device 400 can input analog information corresponding to the moving direction and moving distance of the holding unit 412 by applying an operation force in a substantially horizontal direction to the operation unit 404 and is at the origin position. By applying a pressing operation force in a substantially vertical direction to the operation unit 404, for example, a click operation can be performed in association with a pointer on the display of the device to be mounted. Moreover, during the pressing operation, the vertical movement of the holding portion 412 with respect to the base portion 402 can be reliably prevented, so that the relative movement between the magnet 406 and the plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 408 is eliminated. Therefore, the pointing device 400 can perform an appropriate click operation very easily.

  Further, in the pointing device 400, as in the case of the pointing device 280 according to the fourth embodiment described above, the respective components constituting the base 402 and the operation unit 404 are thinned, so that the overall height can be reduced. . Similar to the pointing device 310 according to the fifth embodiment, an annular groove for attaching the second connecting portion 448 of the elastic portion 414 is formed in the support member 420 instead of the cylindrical wall 426, thereby further reducing the height. Can also be realized.

  60 and 61 show a pointing device 460 according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention that is low-profile and that can perform a proper click operation very easily. The pointing device 460 has substantially the same configuration as that of the pointing device 400 according to the above-described sixth embodiment except for the configuration of the operating unit of the operation unit. Description is omitted.

  The pointing device 460 includes a base 402, an operation unit 462 supported on the base 402 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 402, a magnet 406 installed on the operation unit 462, and a magnet 406. A plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 408 installed in the base 402 and a switch mechanism 410 disposed between the base 402 and the operation unit 462 are provided. The base 402 substantially supports and supports a circuit board 418 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 420 fixedly connected to the circuit board 418, and an outer edge region 420a of the support member 420. A cover member 428 fixedly connected to the member 420.

  The operation unit 462 includes a holding unit 412 that holds the magnet 406 and is supported on the base unit 402 so as to be horizontally movable, an elastic unit 414 that returns the holding unit 412 to the origin position of the horizontal movement range, and a holding unit 412. Independently, the base portion 402 is configured to include an operating portion 464 arranged to be movable in a vertical direction substantially orthogonal to the horizontal direction. The operating portion 464 is integrally connected to the first connecting portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 and is received in the receiving hole 450. More specifically, the operating portion 464 has a receiving hole 450 of the first connecting portion 446 of the elastic portion 414 at a protruding edge portion 464a extending radially outward at one axial end (lower end in the drawing). For example, the inner peripheral wall to be defined is integrally formed from the same material as that of the elastic portion 414.

  At the other end in the axial direction of the operating portion 464, a pressing operation surface 466 is formed, for example, when the operator presses the operating portion 464 to contact the fingertip of the hand. In a state in which the pressing force is not applied to the operating portion 464, the pressing operation surface 466 of the operating portion 464 is disposed so as to slightly protrude at the center of the operation surface 452 of the elastic portion 414. Further, when a pressing force is applied to the operating portion 464, the operating portion 464 moves in the vertical direction within the receiving hole 450 of the elastic portion 414 while the interconnection region between the elastic portion 414 and the operating portion 464 is elastically deformed. . In addition, when a pressing force is applied to the operating portion 464, the inner peripheral wall 438 of the holding portion 412 (see FIG. 56) so that the interconnection region between the elastic portion 414 and the operating portion 464 can be elastically deformed without hindrance. ) Is desirable.

  A pressing point 468 that locally bulges is formed at the center of one end surface (the lower end surface in the drawing) of the operating portion 464 in the axial direction. The pressing point 468 is arranged in alignment on the central axis P of the pointing device 460. In a state where the operation unit 462 is properly assembled to the base unit 402, the operation unit 464 abuts on the switch mechanism 410 disposed in the opening 424 of the support member 420 with the pressing point 468, and moves vertically in the operation unit 462. The switch mechanism 410 is supported so as to be movable in the direction.

  In the same manner as the pointing device 400 described above, the pointing device 460 having the above-described configuration applies the operation force in the substantially horizontal direction to the operation unit 462, thereby moving the holding unit 412 in the moving direction and the movement on the base unit 402. Analog information corresponding to the distance can be input (FIG. 62 (a)). 61, the operator presses the pressing operation surface 466 of the operating unit 464 of the operating unit 462 with, for example, a fingertip and presses the pressing point 468 of the operating unit 464 against the switch mechanism 410 at the origin position shown in FIG. Can be operated (FIG. 62B). At this time, since the vertical movement of the holding portion 412 with respect to the base portion 402 is reliably prevented, an appropriate click operation can be performed very easily in relation to the pointer on the display of the device to be mounted, for example. In particular, in the pointing device 460, since the elastic portion 414 and the operating portion 464 of the operation portion 462 are integrated, there is an advantage that the number of parts is reduced and assembly workability is improved.

  In the above pointing devices 400 and 460 having the operation parts 416 and 464 dedicated to the pressing operation, not only the operation parts 416 and 464 are accurately moved in the vertical direction during the pressing operation but also the holding part 412 is supported by the support member 420. In order to avoid unintentional input of analog data such as cursor movement data, it is important to prevent it from moving unintentionally in the horizontal direction. Therefore, it is advantageous to provide the pointing device 400, 460 with a guide portion that guides the operating portions 416, 464 in the vertical direction only at a limited position directly above the switch mechanism 410.

  FIG. 63 shows a modification of the pointing device 460 having such a guide portion. In this modification, the opening 424 provided in the support member 420 is formed to have a diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the protruding portion 464 a of the operating portion 464. Further, in a state where no pressing force is applied to the operating portion 464, the bottom surface of the operating portion 464 is formed to be disposed at a position slightly farther from the surface 418a of the circuit board 418 than the support surface 422a of the support member 420. .

  According to such a configuration, if the operation unit 462 is horizontally moved without applying a pressing force to the operation unit 464, the operation unit 464 does not interfere with the support member 420, and the holding unit 412 is placed on the support surface 422a. Smoothly slides in the desired horizontal direction (FIG. 63 (a)). Even if a pressing force is applied to the operating part 464 while the holding part 412 is moving horizontally, the operating part 464 collides with the support surface 422a of the support member 420, and thus the switch mechanism 410 cannot be operated. Further, if the operating portion 464 is pressed down when the holding portion 412 is at the origin position of the horizontal movement range, the projecting edge portion 464a of the operating portion 464 is vertically moved directly above the switch mechanism 410 by the opening 424 of the support member 420. Is accurately guided to (Fig. 63 (b)). During this time, even if a horizontal component force is unintentionally applied to the operation unit 462, the operation unit 464 collides with the support member 420 in the opening 424, and thus the holding unit 412 does not move in the horizontal direction. Therefore, according to this configuration, the switch operation position at the time of performing the click operation or the like can be specified only at the origin position of the horizontal movement range of the holding unit 412 and unintended input of analog data such as cursor movement data can be performed at the time of the switch operation. It can be avoided reliably.

  Further, in the above-described pointing device 460 having the operating portion 464 integrally formed with the elastic portion 414, as shown in FIG. 64 as another modified example, the operating portion 464 is equipped with a key top 470 independent of the elastic portion 414. can do. In this case, the operating portion 464 integrally molds only the region in the vicinity of the protruding portion 464a connected to the elastic portion 414 with the elastic portion 414, and on the operation surface 452 side of the elastic portion 414 of this integrally formed portion. The key top 470 can be fixed (FIG. 65 (a)). The key top 470 is provided with a pressing operation surface 472 for pressing the operating portion 464 in the vertical direction on the end surface in the axial direction close to the operation surface 452.

  According to this configuration, by providing the key top 470 made of a material different from that of the elastic portion 414, it is possible to improve the visibility of the operating portion 464, the pressing operability, and the design of the entire operating portion 462. it can. In particular, as shown in the drawing, a pressing pin 474 protrudes from the center of the other end surface in the axial direction of the key top 470, and the pressing pin 474 is inserted into a through hole 464b provided at the center of the integrally formed portion of the operating portion 464. Thus, it is preferable to project the tip from the operating portion 464 toward the switch mechanism 410. According to this configuration, the switch mechanism 410 can be accurately operated by the pressing pin 474 of the key top 470 formed of a material harder than the elastic portion 414.

  Further, when the increase in the size of the operation portion 462 can be allowed, as shown in FIG. 65B, the key top 478 having the pressing operation surface 476 having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter size of the magnet 406 is replaced with the operation portion 464. Can also be equipped. With this configuration, the visibility and the pressing operability of the operating unit 464 can be further improved.

  66 and 67 show a pointing device 480 according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention having an operating part dedicated to a pressing operation. The pointing device 480 has substantially the same configuration as that of the pointing device 400 according to the above-described sixth embodiment except for the configuration of the operation unit. Therefore, corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. To do.

  The pointing device 480 includes a base 402, an operation unit 482 supported on the base 402 so as to be displaceable in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 402, a magnet 484 installed on the operation unit 482, and a magnet 484. A plurality of magnetoelectric transducers 408 installed in the base 402 and a switch mechanism 410 disposed between the base 402 and the operation unit 482 are provided. The base 402 substantially supports and supports a circuit board 418 on which electronic components such as a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 420 fixedly connected to the circuit board 418, and an outer edge region 420a of the support member 420. A cover member 428 fixedly connected to the member 420. The switch mechanism 410 is mounted on the circuit board 418 at a position shifted from the central axis P of the pointing device 480, and the support member 420 has an opening 424 at a position corresponding to the switch mechanism 410.

  The operation unit 482 includes a holding unit 486 that holds the magnet 484 and is supported on the base unit 402 so as to be horizontally movable, an elastic unit 488 that returns the holding unit 486 to the origin position of the horizontal movement range, and the holding unit 486. Independently, the base unit 402 is configured to include an operating unit 490 arranged to be movable in the vertical direction. The holding portion 486 is a plate-like member having an accommodation groove 492 in the center, and an opening 494 having a size corresponding to the opening 424 of the support member 420 is formed at a position close to the accommodation groove 492. The opening 494 of the holding portion 486 is disposed so as to be aligned and overlapped with the opening 424 of the support member 420 when the holding portion 486 is at the origin position of the horizontal movement range on the base 402. The holding portion 486 is attached to the elastic portion 488 with the disc-shaped magnet 484 fixedly received in the receiving groove 492. The holding portion 486 can move in parallel while sliding in the 360 ° omnidirectional direction on the support surface 422a in a state where the end surface in the axial line direction is in uniform contact with the support surface 422a of the support member 420.

  The elastic portion 488 includes a main portion 496 extending around the holding portion 486 via a gap, a first connecting portion 498 connected to the holding portion 486 at one end of the main portion 496, and the other end of the main portion 496. A second connecting portion 500 connected to the base portion 402 is integrally provided. The elastic portion 488 has its main portion 496 elastically deformed with the horizontal movement of the holding portion 486 on the base portion 402, and the elastic force corresponding to the deformation amount is uniform regardless of the horizontal movement direction of the holding portion 486. Demonstrate. The first connection portion 498 of the elastic portion 488 is formed with an operation surface 502 that contacts, for example, the fingertip of the hand when the operator moves the operation portion 482. Further, the first connecting portion 498 has a cylindrical receiving hole 504 at a position corresponding to the opening 494 of the holding portion 486.

  The actuating portion 490 is integrally connected to the first connecting portion 498 of the elastic portion 488 at a protruding edge portion 490a extending radially outward at one end in the axial direction (lower end in the drawing). Housed inside. At the other end in the axial direction of the operating unit 490, a pressing operation surface 506 is formed to contact, for example, the fingertip of the hand when the operator presses the operating unit 490. In addition, a pressing point 508 that locally protrudes is formed at the center of one end surface (the lower end surface in the drawing) of the operating portion 490 in the axial direction. In a state in which the operation unit 482 is properly assembled to the base unit 402, the operation unit 490 abuts the pressing point 508 on the switch mechanism 410 disposed in the opening 424 of the support member 420, and moves vertically in the operation unit 482. The switch mechanism 410 is supported so as to be movable in the direction.

  In the same manner as the pointing device 460 described above, the pointing device 480 having the above-described configuration applies the operation force in the substantially horizontal direction to the operation unit 482, thereby moving and moving the holding unit 486 on the base unit 402. Analog information corresponding to the distance can be input. 67, the operator presses the pressing operation surface 506 of the operating unit 490 of the operating unit 482 with, for example, a fingertip and presses the pressing point 508 of the operating unit 490 against the switch mechanism 410 at the origin position shown in FIG. Can be activated. At this time, since the vertical movement of the holding portion 486 with respect to the base portion 402 is reliably prevented, an appropriate click operation can be performed very easily in relation to the pointer on the display of the device to be mounted, for example. In particular, in the pointing device 480, since the operating portion 490 is disposed at a position shifted from the central axis P, an advantage that a simple disk-shaped magnet 484 can be used is obtained. In addition, since a plurality of switch mechanisms 410 can be mounted on the circuit board 418 and a plurality of operation units 490 corresponding to the switch mechanisms 410 can be provided in the operation unit 482, various functions can be added to the pointing device 480. can do.

  In the pointing device according to the above-described various embodiments having a click function, an unintended input of analog data can be performed when a switch is pressed by structural measures such as providing a guide portion that enables an accurate vertical movement operation of the operation unit. It can be avoided. However, instead of or in addition to such a guide structure, unintentional input of analog data can be avoided when the switch is pressed by means of signal processing output from the pointing device. FIG. 68 shows a signal processing method according to the related art of the present invention to which such a device is applied.

  For example, in the pointing device 400 according to the sixth embodiment described above, when the switch mechanism 410 is operated by depressing the operating unit 416, the CPU mounted on the circuit board 418 receives the ON signal received from the switch mechanism 410 as a click signal. The data is processed and output to the processing mechanism of the data processing apparatus on which the pointing device 400 is mounted. Here, as shown in FIG. 68, while the switch mechanism 410 is in the ON state, even if the holding unit 412 moves horizontally, the signal processing program is set so that the CPU does not output the cursor movement data signal. . Thereby, unintended analog data input can be avoided when the switch is pressed.

  Further, the pointing device 400 may output a cursor movement data signal when an unintentional horizontal movement occurs in the holding unit 412 even after the pressing operation of the operation unit 416 is released. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 68, after the switch mechanism 410 is turned off, even if the holding unit 412 moves horizontally for a predetermined time T, the CPU does not output a cursor movement data signal. It is advantageous to set up a signal processing program. Thereby, unintended analog data input can be avoided even after the switch pressing operation is released. Note that the time T in this configuration can be variously set in consideration of the operability of the pointing device. For example, it is possible to set the time so that the pointer can be easily held at a certain position on the display screen during a double click operation frequently used in a personal computer or the like.

  As mentioned above, although several suitable embodiment mainly aiming at low profile and operability improvement was described, various forms other than illustration composition can be taken also in those embodiments. For example, the characteristic configuration of the low-profile pointing device according to the present invention is such that the positional relationship between the magnet and the plurality of magnetoelectric transducers is opposite to that in the illustrated embodiment, that is, the operation unit Also in the pointing device configured such that the magnetoelectric conversion element installed in the device is displaced, it can be effectively employed, and similarly exhibits special effects. Further, the above-described method for manufacturing a circuit board with a connector can be applied to the various low-profile pointing devices described above. Further, the above-described output signal processing method of the pointing device is not limited to application to the magnetoelectric conversion element type pointing device according to the illustrated embodiment, but can be applied to other pointing devices having various analog data input structures.

  The present invention can be applied to various portable information devices that can be hand-held, such as electronic notebooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and mobile phones.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to a related technique of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device taken along line III-III in FIG. 2, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3, showing a state where the operation unit is moved horizontally. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to a related technique of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device in FIG. 5, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to a related technique of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 7, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 8 and shows a state where the operation unit is pressed. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to a related technique of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 10, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 11 and shows a state where an operation unit is pressed. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional exploded view of the pointing device by a modification. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional exploded view of the pointing device by another modification. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional exploded view of the pointing device by another modification. It is a disassembled perspective view of the pointing device by another modification. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 16, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 17 and shows a state where the operation unit is moved horizontally. It is a disassembled perspective view of the pointing device by another modification. FIG. 20 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device in FIG. 19, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. It is an assembly perspective view which shows the pointing device by the related technique of this invention in the state mounted in the mounting board | substrate. It is a disassembled perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. It is a top view of the circuit board with a connector in the pointing device of FIG. It is a figure explaining the manufacturing process of the circuit board of FIG. 23, and is a top view of the circuit board of the stage before attaching a connector. It is the (a) partial expanded sectional view of the circuit board of FIG. 24, and (b) the partial enlarged plan view. FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the circuit board along the line XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 23. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 28 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. 27. FIG. 29 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device along line XXIX-XXIX in FIG. 28, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. It is a disassembled perspective view of the pointing device by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the supporting member in the pointing device of FIG. FIG. 31 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 30, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. It is a disassembled perspective view of the pointing device by 3rd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 34 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 33, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. It is a disassembled perspective view of the pointing device by 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure of the supporting member in the pointing device of FIG. 35, (a) The perspective view seen from upper direction, (b) The perspective view seen from the downward direction. FIG. 37 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 35, (a) a view taken along line XXXVIIA-XXXVIIA in FIG. 36, and (b) a view taken along line XXXVIIB-XXXVIIB in FIG. 36. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure of the supporting member in the pointing device of FIG. 38, (a) The perspective view seen from upper direction, (b) The perspective view seen from the downward direction. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 38, (a) A figure shown along line XXXXA-XXXXA of FIG. 41, and (b) A figure shown along line XXXXB-XXXXB of FIG. It is a bottom view of the supporting member in the modification of the pointing device of FIG. (A) The top view of the supporting member in the other modification of the pointing device of FIG. 38, (b) The top view of the supporting member in another modification. It is a top view of the supporting member in the modification of the pointing device of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the pointing device by the modification provided with the supporting member of FIG. It is the disassembled perspective view which shows the main components of the portable information device by the related technology of this invention, (a) The figure seen from upper direction, (b) The figure seen from the downward direction. 45 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the main components shown in FIG. 45 when assembled, and shows a state before (a) assembling the casing and (b) after assembling the casing. It is the disassembled perspective view which shows the main components of the portable information device by the related technology of this invention, (a) The figure seen from upper direction, (b) The figure seen from the downward direction. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view at the time of the assembly of the main components of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the main components of the portable information device by the related technique of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the component of the pointing device to the housing | casing shown in FIG. FIG. 50 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line XXXXXI-XXXXXI in FIG. It is an expansion perspective view of the modification of the housing | casing shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the main components of the portable information device by the related technique of this invention. FIG. 54 is a perspective view of the main components shown in FIG. 53 when assembled. FIG. 55 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line XXXXXV-XXXXXV in FIG. 54 when the main components in FIG. 53 are assembled. It is a disassembled perspective view of the pointing device by 6th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 57 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. 56. 57 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device along the line XXXXXVIII-XXXXXVIII in FIG. 57, showing a state where the operation unit is at the origin position. 56 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 56, showing a state when (a) a horizontal movement operation and (b) a pressing operation. It is a disassembled perspective view of the pointing device by 7th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 61 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. 60. 60 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 60, showing a state when (a) a horizontal movement operation and (b) a pressing operation. 60 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a modified example of the pointing device of FIG. 60, showing a state when (a) a horizontal movement operation and (b) a pressing operation. FIG. 61 is an exploded perspective view of another modification of the pointing device of FIG. 60. (A) The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the modification of FIG. 64, (b) The longitudinal cross-sectional view of another modification. FIG. 10 is an assembled perspective view of a pointing device according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 67 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pointing device of FIG. 66 taken along line XXXXXXVII-XXXXXXVII. It is a diagram which shows the signal processing method by the related technique of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

190, 240, 260, 280, 310, 400, 460, 480 Pointing device 192, 242, 262, 282, 312, 402 Base 194, 404, 462, 482 Operation unit 196, 406, 484 Magnet 198, 408 Magnetoelectric conversion element 200, 412 Holding part 202, 414, 488 Elastic part 204, 340, 360, 418 Circuit board 206, 244, 286, 314, 420 Support member 216, 428 Cover member 232, 444, 496 Main parts 234, 446, 498 1 connection part 236, 448, 500 2nd connection part 238, 452, 502 Operation surface 284, 410 Switch mechanism 350, 364 Case 470, 478 Key top

Claims (2)

A pointing device mounted on a portable information device having a key panel having a plurality of key tops and a casing covering the key panel,
A base, an operation unit supported on the base so as to be displaceable with respect to the base, a magnet installed on the operation unit, and a magnetoelectric conversion element installed on the base in the vicinity of the magnet. ,
The operation unit is configured to hold the magnet fixedly and to be supported so as to be movable on the base. The operation unit is connected to the holding unit, and the holding unit moves as the holding unit moves on the base. An elastic part that exhibits an elastic force to return the part to the origin position of the movement range,
The elastic portion includes a main portion that surrounds the holding portion over substantially the entire circumference, and a first connection portion that is extended to overlap the holding portion at one end of the main portion and connected to the holding portion. And a second connecting portion at the other end of the main portion, and the main portion so as to exert a uniform elastic force regardless of the moving direction of the holding portion on the base portion. Formed into
When mounted on the portable information device, the housing holds the second connecting portion of the elastic portion fixedly;
Pointing device featuring.   The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion of the operation unit is integrated with the key panel of the portable information device.

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