JP4693892B2 - Multi-directional input device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a multidirectional input device suitable for use in a game machine, a mobile phone, and the like, and more particularly to a multidirectional input device capable of performing a predetermined input by a slide operation of an operating body.

  FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional multi-directional input device, and this multi-directional input device can perform a predetermined input by sliding an operation unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The multidirectional input device shown in FIG. 21 includes a housing 1 formed by combining an insulating upper case 2 and a lower case 3, an operating body 4 that is slidably held in the housing 1, and the operating body 4. The first slider 5 and the second slider 6 that are driven by the projections 4 a of the first slider 5 and slide in the directions orthogonal to each other inside the housing 1, and the first slider held by the first slider 5. 7, a second slider 8 held by the second slider 6, and a substrate 9 disposed on the back surface of the upper case 2. A pair of conductive patterns (not shown) in which the first and second sliders 7 and 8 are in sliding contact with each other are provided. The upper case 2 of the housing 1 is provided with an opening 2a, and an operation knob (not shown) is fixed to the upper end of the projection 4a of the operation body 4 that passes through the opening 2a, so that an operating force is applied to the projection 4a. Is to be granted. The operating body 4 is provided with a square flat plate portion 4b having the inner bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 as a receiving surface, and a protruding portion 4a is erected at the center of the flat plate portion 4b. The first slider 5 is formed with a linear engagement hole 5a that is inserted and engaged with the protrusion 4a of the operating body 4, and the first slider 5 is formed along the short direction of the engagement hole 5a. The slider 5 is movable. Similarly, the second slider 6 is formed with a linear engagement hole 6a through which the protrusion 4a is inserted and engaged. The second slider 6 extends along the short direction of the engagement hole 6a. 6 is movable. That is, the protrusion 4a is inserted and engaged at a position where the engagement hole 5a extending in a direction orthogonal to each other and the engagement hole 6a intersect, thereby moving the protrusion 4a in the horizontal direction (the radial direction of the opening 2a). Accordingly, the sliders 5 and 6 are slid and moved in directions orthogonal to each other. In the lower case 3, a guide wall 3b for guiding the sliding movement of the first and second sliders 5 and 6 is erected in a frame shape.

  The conventional multidirectional input device schematically configured as described above is configured such that when the operating body 4 is slid along the longitudinal direction of the engagement hole 5a (the left-right direction in FIG. 21) via an operation knob (not shown), No operating force is applied to the first slider 5, but the second slider 6 is slid in the operating direction because it is driven by the projection 4a, so that the second slider 8 contacts the corresponding conductive pattern. The position is changed, and a detection signal corresponding to the contact position is output from a terminal (not shown). Similarly, when the operating body 4 is slid along the longitudinal direction of the engaging hole 6a (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 21), no operating force acts on the second slider 6, but the first slider 5 Is driven by the protrusion 4a and slides in the operation direction, so that the contact position of the first slider 7 with the corresponding conductive pattern is changed, and a detection signal corresponding to the contact position is not shown. Output from the terminal. When the operating body 4 is slid in an oblique direction with respect to the engagement holes 5a and 6a, the first and second sliders 5 and 6 are respectively orthogonal to each other according to the operating direction and the sliding amount. A detection signal corresponding to the position of the first and second sliders 7 and 8 is output after sliding by a predetermined amount. Accordingly, the slide direction and the slide amount of the operating body 4 can be detected by performing arithmetic processing on these detection signals by a control unit (not shown).

  However, since the conventional multi-directional input device described above is not provided with a return means for automatically returning the operating body 4 that has been slid to the initial position, the operating body 4 is stopped near the end of the area where the sliding operation is possible. Then, when performing the next slide operation, it becomes almost impossible to slide in the direction of the end portion, and this impedes operability in a game machine or the like.

Therefore, conventionally, a multidirectional input device incorporating an O-ring or a wire spring has been proposed as a return means for automatically returning the operating body to the initial position (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Such a conventional multidirectional input device includes, for example, an O-ring having a substantially elliptical cross-section in an annular space existing between a large-diameter portion of an operating body arranged inside a casing and the inner wall of the casing. When the operating body is inserted and the operating body is slid, the large diameter portion crushes the O-ring in the sliding direction, and when the operating force is removed, the operating body is pushed back to the initial position by the restoring force of the crushed portion of the O-ring. It has become. Alternatively, the other end of a plurality of wire springs, one end of which is supported by the inner wall of the housing, is brought into elastic contact with the outer peripheral surface of the operation body, so that the wire spring bends when the operation body is slid to remove the operation force. Then, the operating body is pushed back to the initial position by the restoring force of the wire spring.
JP-A-5-324184 (page 3-4, FIG. 2) JP 2003-84916 (page 4-8, FIG. 3)

  As described above, the conventional multi-directional input device shown in FIG. 21 is not provided with a return means for automatically returning the operating body 4 that has been slid to the initial position, so that there is a problem that good operability cannot be obtained. there were. On the other hand, in the conventional example in which an O-ring is incorporated as a return means for automatically returning the operating body to the initial position, it is difficult to slide the operating body greatly even if an O-ring having a large elastic deformation is used. Therefore, there is a problem that a wide area (operation area) where the operation body can be slid cannot be taken. In the conventional example in which a wire spring is incorporated as a return means for automatically returning the operating body to the initial position, the reaction force of the wire spring varies greatly depending on which direction the operating body is slid. There was a problem that the force varied greatly depending on the sliding direction.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a state of the art, and an object of the present invention is to automatically return an operating body that has been slid, and to provide a wide operating area and to vary the operating force depending on the operating direction. An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-directional input device with a small amount of noise.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an operating body having a casing having an opening, an operating force applying portion exposed from the opening, and being slidable in multiple directions inside the casing. And a return means for automatically returning the operating body to an initial position. The multi-directional input device includes a first opening in which the opening is formed. And a second wall portion formed so as to be opposed to the first wall portion via a cavity portion and formed with a circular protrusion portion protruding toward the first wall portion side. The operating body is provided with a circular movable portion that is opposed to the projecting portion in a non-operating state and is slidable in the cavity, and the return means includes the projecting portion and the circular movable member. An annular elastic member disposed on the outer periphery of the portion, and When the body is slid, the circular movable member pushes the other side of the annular elastic member in a state where one side of the annular elastic member located on the opposite side of the sliding operation direction is restricted by the protruding portion. It was configured as follows.

  In the multi-directional input device configured as described above, when the operating body is slid, the annular elastic member disposed on the outer periphery of the circular movable portion is pushed into the circular movable portion and extends in the slide operation direction. Therefore, even if the operating body is largely slid, the annular elastic member can be extended without difficulty, and a wide area (operation area) where the operating body can be slid can be taken, and the sliding operation direction can be changed. Even if they are different, there is no risk that the operating force will vary greatly. Further, when the operating force is removed, the circular movable portion is pushed back by the restoring force of the annular elastic member that has been extended, so that the operating body can be automatically returned to the initial position. Moreover, the position of the annular elastic member is regulated by a circular protrusion formed on the second wall portion of the housing, and the circular movable portion slides in the hollow portion of the housing when the operating body slides. Since the inner peripheral portion of the annular elastic member is pushed into the circular elastic member, the circular movable portion can be smoothly slid to improve the operability.

  In the multidirectional input device having such a configuration, the annular elastic member may be an annular rubber or the like, but if the annular elastic member is an annular coil spring in which both ends of a predetermined length of the coil spring are engaged, High reliability can be expected because the plastic deformation hardly occurs even if the slide operation is repeated for a long time.

  In this case, it is preferable that the coil diameter of the other end is set smaller than the coil diameter of the one end of the coil spring, and the other end is inserted so as to be screwed into the one end to lock the both ends. .

  Moreover, in the multidirectional input device having such a configuration, the housing includes an upper case having the first wall portion and a lower case having the second wall portion, and the back surface side of the lower case A substrate on which the detection means is mounted is preferably provided.

  In this case, it is preferable that a bottom cover is disposed on the back surface side of the substrate, and the upper case and the lower case are integrated by the bottom cover.

  Further, in the multidirectional input device configured as described above, the operation force applying unit is integrally provided in the circular movable unit, and the opening is covered by the circular movable unit at least when the operation body is not operated. If it is configured to be closed, it is preferable that a foreign object can be prevented from entering the housing through the opening at an initial position where no operating force is applied to the operating body (during non-operation).

  In the multidirectional input device of the present invention, when the operating body is slid, the annular elastic member is pushed into the circular movable portion and extends in the sliding operation direction. In addition, there is no risk that the operating force will vary greatly even if the sliding operation direction is different, and when the operating force is removed, the operating body can be automatically returned to the initial position by the restoring force of the annular elastic member, and the housing The position of the annular elastic member is regulated by a circular protrusion formed on the second wall portion of the second wall portion, and the circular movable portion moves in the slide operation direction in the cavity of the casing when the operating body slides. Since the inner peripheral portion of the annular elastic member is pushed in, the operability can be improved by smoothly sliding the circular movable portion.

  An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a multidirectional input device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the multidirectional input device, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the multidirectional input device, FIG. 5 is a side view of the multidirectional input device viewed from a different angle from FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the multidirectional input device. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the multidirectional input device viewed from the bottom side with the bottom cover and the substrate removed, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the multidirectional input device viewed from the top side, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the multidirectional input device as seen from the top surface side after removing the case and the bottom cover, FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the pair of sliders and the substrate of the multidirectional input device as seen from the top surface side, and FIG. The top view which shows the annular coil spring of this multidirectional input device, Fig.12 (a)-(c) shows the formation method of this annular coil spring. It is a bright view. FIGS. 13 to 18 are explanatory views of the operation of the multidirectional input device. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the positions of the operating body and the annular coil spring when not operated, and FIG. 14 is the same state as FIG. 15 is a bottom view showing the position of each slider, FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the positions of the operating body and the annular coil spring when sliding is performed along one side of the housing, and FIG. 16 is a diagram of each slider in the same state as FIG. FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the positions of the operating body and the annular coil spring when the casing is slid in the diagonal direction, and FIG. 18 is a bottom view showing the position of each slider in the same state as FIG. FIG. 19 and 20 are explanatory views showing a method of assembling the multidirectional input device. FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a state in which the annular coil spring is temporarily held by an assembly jig. FIG. It is sectional drawing of the multidirectional input device of the assembly process shown in FIG.

  The multi-directional input device shown in these figures includes an insulating upper case 11 and lower case 12 that are components of the housing 10, and a protrusion 13b and a drive at the center of both sides of the disk-shaped large-diameter portion 13a. An operating body 13 formed by projecting a portion 13c, an annular coil spring 14 incorporated in a position surrounding the large-diameter portion 13a in the upper case 11, and a sliding movement in a direction perpendicular to each other in the lower case 12 The first slider 15 and the second slider 16, the first slider 17 held by the first slider 15, the second slider 18 held by the second slider 16, and these The first and second sliders 17 and 18 are mainly composed of a substrate 19 provided with first and second conductive patterns 25 and 26 with which the first and second sliders 17 and 18 come into sliding contact, respectively, and a sheet metal bottom cover 20.

  The housing 10 of the multidirectional input device is configured by combining and integrating an upper case 11, a lower case 12, and a bottom cover 20. The top plate portion of the upper case 11 corresponds to the top plate portion of the housing 10 and forms the first wall portion 10a, and the projection portion 13b of the operating body 13 slides on the first wall portion 10a. A large circular external opening 10b that is movably inserted is opened, and four small jig insertion holes 10c are formed at substantially equal intervals on the same circumference around the opening 10b. ing. These jig insertion holes 10c are for inserting a pin-shaped assembly jig 30 described later at the time of assembly. Further, the top plate portion of the lower case 12 corresponds to the partition wall of the housing 10 and forms the second wall portion 10d, and the drive portion 13c of the operating body 13 slides on the second wall portion 10d. A large circular communication opening 10e that is movably inserted is opened.

  The internal space of the housing 10 is partitioned into an upper first cavity portion 21 and a lower second cavity portion 22 via a second wall portion 10d. Then, a first cavity portion 21 defined by the first wall portion 10a of the upper case 11 and the second wall portion 10d of the lower case 12 has a large-diameter portion 13a that is a circular movable portion and will be described later. An annular coil spring 14 is disposed, and the operating body 13 is formed in the second cavity portion 22 defined by the second wall portion 10d of the lower case 12 and the substrate 19 placed on the bottom cover 20. The drive unit 13c, the first and second sliders 15, 16 and the like are arranged. In addition, the first wall portion 10a and the second wall portion 10d that are vertically opposed to each other via the first cavity portion 21 include an outer peripheral portion of the large-diameter portion 13a that is not operated (initial position) shown in FIG. The annular projecting portions 10f and 10g are formed at positions facing the. The four jig insertion holes 10c described above are arranged so as to surround the protrusions 10f and 10g in a plan view.

  Further, connecting pins 11a are projected downward at the four corners of the bottom surface of the upper case 11, and the connecting holes 12a, 19a, 20a are formed at the four corners of the lower case 12, the substrate 19, and the bottom cover 20, respectively. ing. Each connecting pin 11a is inserted into the corresponding connecting hole 12a, 19a, 20a and fixed to the bottom surface of the bottom cover 20 by heat welding or the like, and the caulking pieces 20b erected at the four corners of the bottom cover 20 are The upper case 11, the lower case 12, the substrate 19, and the bottom cover 20 are integrated by caulking at the four corners of the top surface of the case 11. For the sake of compactness, the upper case 11, the lower case 12, the substrate 19, and the bottom cover 20 are all formed in a substantially square shape in plan view. However, in this embodiment, an incorrect orientation is obtained when these are integrated. In order not to be assembled to each other, the shape and size of the connecting pin 11a and the corresponding connecting holes 12a, 19a, and 20a are different depending on the location so that the mounting direction is uniquely defined. .

  The operating body 13 is held by the housing 10 so as to be slidable in multiple directions within the plane, and a protruding portion 13b, which is an operating force applying portion, extends upward through the external opening 10b. An operation knob (not shown) is fixed to the upper end of the protrusion 13b, and an operation force is applied to the protrusion 13b via the operation knob. The large diameter portion 13 a of the operating body 13 is disposed in the first cavity portion 21. The large diameter portion 13a is formed in a disk shape larger in diameter than the external opening 10b and the communication opening 10e. At least at the initial position of the operating body 13, the external opening 10b and the communication opening 10e are closed by the large diameter portion 13a. It has come to be. It should be noted that the external opening 10b can also be configured to be always closed by the operation knob. The drive portion 13c of the operating body 13 extends through the communication opening 10e and extends to the second cavity portion 22, and the first and second sliders 15 and 16 are driven by the drive portion 13c. Yes.

  The annular coil spring 14 is a return means for automatically returning the operating body 13 to the initial position, and connects both end portions 23a and 23b of a linear coil spring 23 having a predetermined length as shown in FIG. An annular elastic member formed in an annular shape. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12B, one end 23a of the coil spring 23 and the other end 23b having a smaller coil diameter than the one end 23a are opposed to each other, and the other end 23b is By inserting the screw into the one end 23a, both ends 23a and 23b can be easily and reliably locked as shown in FIG. 12 (c). An annular coil spring 14 is obtained. The coil diameter (outer diameter) of the other end portion 23b of the linear coil spring 23 is set to be larger than the inner diameter of the one end portion 23a and smaller than the coil diameter (outer diameter) of the one end portion 23a. Yes. Further, since the linear coil spring 23 is formed to have a substantially constant coil diameter except for the other end portion 23b, the annular coil spring 14 formed by connecting the both end portions 23a and 23b is coiled over the entire circumference. The diameter is almost constant. Therefore, it is not necessary to position the annular coil spring 14 in the circumferential direction during assembly.

  The annular coil spring 14 is disposed in the first cavity 21 in the housing 10 and is wound around the large-diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13 in a resilient contact state. The diameter portion 13a pushes and extends (elastically deforms) the annular coil spring 14 positioned in the sliding direction. Therefore, after the sliding operation, the large diameter portion 13a can be automatically returned to the initial position by the restoring force of the annular coil spring 14. However, the protruding portions 10f and 10g provided on the first wall portion 10a and the second wall portion 10d that are vertically opposed to each other through the first cavity portion 21 are in contact with the inner peripheral portion of the annular coil spring 14. Since the position is restricted, the annular coil spring 14 does not move radially inward from the projecting portions 10f and 10g.

  The first slider 15 and the second slider 16 are disposed in the second cavity 22 in the housing 10, and the first slider 17 is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface of each slider 15, 16. The second slider 18 is fixed. The first slider 15 is formed with a linear engagement hole 15a that is inserted through and engaged with the drive portion 13c of the operating body 13, and the first slider 15 is formed along the short direction of the engagement hole 15a. The slider 15 is movable. Similarly, the second slider 16 is formed with a linear engagement hole 16a that is inserted through and engaged with the drive portion 13c, and the second slider is formed along the short direction of the engagement hole 16a. 16 is movable. That is, by inserting and engaging the driving portion 13c at a position where the engaging hole 15a and the engaging hole 16a extending in directions orthogonal to each other intersect, the sliders 15 and 16 are moved along with the sliding movement of the driving portion 13c. Each slides in a direction orthogonal to each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a guide wall 12 b that guides the sliding movement of the first and second sliders 15 and 16 protrudes in a frame shape on the bottom surface of the lower case 12.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the first slider 17 is slidable on the top surface side of the substrate 19 along the short direction of the engagement hole 15 a (longitudinal direction of the engagement hole 16 a). A first conductive pattern 25 made of a resistor and a conductor, and a resistance that allows the second slider 18 to slide along the short direction of the engagement hole 16a (longitudinal direction of the engagement hole 15a). And a second conductive pattern 26 made of a conductor and a conductor. In addition, a plurality of terminals 24 for connecting the first and second conductive patterns 25 and 26 to an external circuit (not shown) are disposed on one end of the substrate 19.

  When the annular coil spring 14 is directly wound around the large-diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13 when assembling the multi-directional input device configured as described above, the assembly work becomes complicated and the annular coil spring 14 is deformed or lost. Accidents are more likely to occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, a pin-shaped assembly jig 30 is inserted into the jig insertion hole 10 c of the housing 10 during assembly, and the assembly jig 30 is annular. An assembly method is adopted in which the operating body 13, the lower case 12, and the like are sequentially incorporated into the upper case 11 while the coil spring 14 is wound and temporarily held. By doing so, the large-diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13 can be accommodated in the first cavity portion 21 without being obstructed by the annular coil spring 14, and then the assembly jig 30 is inserted into the jig insertion hole 10c. If it is extracted from, the annular coil spring 14 is wound around the large-diameter portion 13a by its own elasticity. Therefore, the work of assembling the annular coil spring 14 and the operating body 13 can be performed smoothly, and a multidirectional input device with good assemblability can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment example, since the four jig insertion holes 10c are provided in the casing 10 so as to surround the protruding portions 10f and 10g at substantially equal intervals, each jig insertion hole is provided. Even if 10c is relatively close to the protrusions 10f and 10g, the annular coil spring 14 is wound around the assembly jig 30 inserted through these jig insertion holes 10c, as shown in FIG. The annular coil spring 14 can be temporarily held at a position where it does not interfere with the large diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13. Therefore, there is no concern that the miniaturization of the multidirectional input device is hindered by improving the assemblability.

  Next, the operation of the multidirectional input device according to the present embodiment will be described mainly based on FIGS. This multi-directional input device is such that the operating body 13 is planarly operated in an arbitrary direction via an operating knob (not shown), but the annular coil spring 14 is not operated when no operating force is applied. 2, 13, and 14, the protrusion 13 b and the driving portion 13 c of the operating body 13 are located at the center of the external opening 10 b and the center of the communication opening 10 e, respectively, as shown in FIGS. positioned. At this time, since the drive portion 13c is engaged with the central portions of the engagement holes 15a and 16a, both the first and second sliders 15 and 16 are held in the neutral position.

  In the state shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, when the operating body 13 is slid along the longitudinal direction of the engaging hole 15a via the operating knob, no operating force acts on the first slider 15, but the second Since the slider 16 is driven by the drive unit 13c, the slider 16 slides in the operation direction, and shifts to a state as shown in FIGS. In this case, the contact position of the first slider 17 with respect to the first conductive pattern 25 does not change, but the contact position of the second slider 18 with respect to the second conductive pattern 26 changes. Further, since the large-diameter portion 13a integral with the protrusion 13b and the drive portion 13c moves in the sliding direction between the projecting portions 10f and 10g, as shown in FIG. 15, the inside of the annular coil spring 14 positioned in the sliding direction The peripheral part is pushed and extended by the large diameter part 13a.

  Similarly, when the operating body 13 is slid along the longitudinal direction of the engagement hole 16a in the state shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, no operating force acts on the second slider 16, and therefore the second Although the contact position of the second slider 18 with respect to the conductive pattern 26 does not change, the first slider 15 is driven by the drive unit 13c and thus slides in the operating direction, so that the first slider 15 is in contact with the first conductive pattern 25. The contact position of the slider 17 changes. Although not shown, in this case, the annular coil spring 14 extends in the left-right direction in FIG.

  In the state shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, when the operating body 13 is slid in the diagonal direction of the housing 10 via the operation knob, the first and second operations are performed according to the operating direction and the sliding amount. The sliders 15 and 16 slide and move in a direction orthogonal to each other by a predetermined amount, for example, shift to a state as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, and the annular coil spring 14 extends on the side where the large diameter portion 13a moves. Therefore, a detection signal according to the contact position of the first slider 17 with respect to the first conductive pattern 25 and a detection signal according to the contact position of the second slider 18 with respect to the second conductive pattern 26 are obtained. The sliding direction and the sliding amount of the operating body 13 can be detected by outputting to the external circuit via the terminal 24 and performing arithmetic processing by a control unit (not shown).

  When the operating force is removed after the operating body 13 is slid in this manner, the annular coil spring 14 that has been pushed into the large-diameter portion 13a and extended tends to return to its original shape by its own elasticity. The large-diameter portion 13a is pushed back by the restoring force of the annular coil spring 14, and the operating body 13 is automatically returned to the initial position shown in FIGS.

  As described above, in the multidirectional input device according to the present embodiment, when the operating body 13 is slid, the annular coil spring 14 that is in elastic contact with the outer peripheral surface of the disk-shaped large-diameter portion 13a over the entire circumference is provided. Since it is pushed into the large diameter portion 13a and extends in the sliding direction, the annular coil spring 14 can be extended without difficulty even if the operating body 13 is largely slid. In addition, annular projecting portions 10f and 10g for restricting the position of the annular coil spring 14 are formed to project from the first wall portion 10a and the second wall portion 10d facing each other through the first cavity portion 21. Since the large-diameter portion 13a moves in a sliding direction between the projecting portions 10f and 10g and pushes the inner peripheral portion of the annular coil spring 14 when the operating body 13 is slid, the annular coil spring 14 is moved around the entire circumference. In addition, the position can be restricted under the same conditions, and the large-diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13 can be smoothly slid. Therefore, a wide area (operation area) where the operating body 13 can be operated by sliding can be taken widely, and there is almost no variation in operating force even if the sliding direction is different. Further, when the operating force is removed, the large diameter portion 13a is pushed back by the restoring force of the annular coil spring 14 that has been extended, so that the operating body 13 can be automatically returned to the initial position. Therefore, the operability of this multidirectional input device is very good.

  Further, the annular coil spring 14 used in this multi-directional input device can be easily formed by simply locking both end portions 23a and 23b of the coil spring 23 having a predetermined length, so that the component cost can be suppressed. . In addition, since the annular coil spring 14 is only elastically deformed to temporarily increase or decrease its inner diameter, it is difficult to cause plastic deformation even if the sliding operation is repeated, so that it is possible to maintain good operability over a long period of time. .

  In this multidirectional input device, the large-diameter portion 13a of the operating body 13 has a disk shape, and a pair of projecting portions 10f, 10g for regulating the position of the annular coil spring 14 are formed in an annular shape, At least at the initial position of the operating body 13, the external opening 10b and the communication opening 10e of the housing 10 are closed by the large-diameter portion 13a, so that these openings 10b and 10e are used when the multidirectional input device is transported or not operated. The risk of foreign matter entering the first cavity portion 21 and the second cavity portion 22 through the gap is reduced. Therefore, malfunctions of the annular coil spring 14 and the sliders 15 and 16 due to the intrusion of foreign matter are unlikely to occur, and foreign matter adheres to the sliders 17 and 18 and the conductive patterns 25 and 26, resulting in detection failure. Risk is reduced and reliability is increased.

  The multidirectional input device also includes a first cavity 21 that houses the annular coil spring 14 and a second means that houses detection means such as the sliders 17 and 18 and the conductive patterns 25 and 26. Since the cavity portion 22 is partitioned by the second wall portion 10d, there is no possibility that the annular elastic member (annular coil spring) 14 adversely affects the detection operation of the detection means.

  Further, when assembling the multidirectional input device, the annular coil spring 14 is wound around the assembly jig 30 inserted through the jig insertion hole 10c of the housing 10 so that the operation body 13 incorporated thereafter is assembled. Since the annular coil spring 14 can be temporarily held at a position where it does not interfere with the large-diameter portion 13a, there is no fear that the assembly performance is impaired by the annular coil spring 14.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the jig insertion hole 10c is provided in the first wall portion 10a of the housing 10 has been described, but instead of providing the jig insertion hole in the first wall portion 10a, an annular shape is provided. A similar jig insertion hole may be provided in the second wall portion 10d that protrudes into the space (first cavity portion 21) in which the coil spring 14 and the large diameter portion 13a are disposed. In the above-described embodiment, the detection method in which the sliders 17 and 18 are slid on the conductive patterns 25 and 26 has been described. However, a light detection method using other light emitting and receiving elements and a magnetic detection method have been described. It is also possible to adopt a method, a capacitance detection method, or the like. Furthermore, the detection means may detect only the direction of slide movement of the operating body 13. Further, instead of the annular coil spring, an annular rubber member, an elastomer, or the like can be used as the return means.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a multidirectional input device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of this multidirectional input device. It is a top view of this multidirectional input device. It is a side view of this multidirectional input device. It is the side view which looked at this multidirectional input device from the angle different from FIG. It is a bottom view of the multidirectional input device. It is the perspective view which removed the bottom part cover and the board | substrate and saw this multidirectional input device from the bottom face side. It is the perspective view which looked at this multidirectional input device from the top side. It is the perspective view which removed the upper case and the bottom cover and looked at the multidirectional input device from the top side. It is the perspective view which looked at a pair of slider and board | substrate of this multidirectional input device from the top | upper surface side. It is a top view which shows the annular coil spring of this multidirectional input device. It is explanatory drawing which shows the formation method of this annular coil spring. It is a top view which shows the position of the operation body and annular coil spring at the time of non-operation. It is a bottom view which shows the position of each slider in the same state as FIG. It is a top view which shows the position of the operation body and cyclic | annular coil spring when it slides along one side of a housing | casing. It is a bottom view which shows the position of each slider in the same state as FIG. It is a top view which shows the position of the operation body and cyclic | annular coil spring when sliding operation is carried out to the diagonal direction of a housing | casing. It is a bottom view which shows the position of each slider in the same state as FIG. It is a top view which shows the state which hold | maintains the annular coil spring temporarily with an assembly jig. It is sectional drawing of the multidirectional input device of the assembly process shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the multidirectional input device which concerns on a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

10 Housing 10a First Wall 10b External Opening (Opening)
10c Jig insertion hole 10d 2nd wall part 10e Communication opening 10f, 10g Projection part 11 Upper case 11a Connection pin 12 Lower case 12a Connection hole 12b Guide wall 13 Operation body 13a Large diameter part (circular movable part)
13b Protruding part (operation force applying part)
13c Drive unit 14 Annular coil spring (annular elastic member)
15 First slider 16 Second slider 17 First slider (detection means)
18 Second slider (detection means)
19 Substrate 20 Bottom Cover 21 First Cavity 22 Second Cavity 23 Coil Spring 23a One End 23b Other End 24 Terminal 25 First Conductive Pattern (Detecting Means)
26 Second conductive pattern (detection means)
30 Assembly jig

Claims (6)

A housing having an opening, an operating body having an operation force applying portion exposed from the opening and being held in the housing so as to be slidable in multiple directions, and detecting means for detecting the sliding movement of the operating body And a multi-directional input device comprising return means for automatically returning the operating body to an initial position,
The housing has a first wall portion in which the opening is formed, and a circular projecting portion that is disposed opposite to the first wall portion via a cavity and projects toward the first wall portion side. A circular movable portion that is opposed to the projecting portion in a non-operating state and is slidable within the cavity portion, and The return means comprises an annular elastic member disposed on the outer periphery of the projecting portion and the circular movable portion,
When the operating body is slid, the circular movable member moves the other side of the annular elastic member in a state where one side of the annular elastic member located on the opposite side to the sliding operation direction is restricted by the protruding portion. A multi-directional input device characterized by being configured to push and spread.   2. The multidirectional input device according to claim 1, wherein the annular elastic member comprises an annular coil spring in which both ends of a coil spring having a predetermined length are engaged.   3. The coil spring according to claim 2, wherein the coil diameter at the other end is set smaller than the coil diameter at the one end of the coil spring, and the other end is inserted so as to be screwed into the one end to lock the both ends. A multidirectional input device characterized by that.   The said housing | casing is provided with the upper case which has the said 1st wall part, and the lower case which has the said 2nd wall part in description of any one of Claims 1-3, The back surface of the said lower case A multi-directional input device, wherein a substrate on which the detection means is mounted is disposed on the side.   5. The multidirectional input device according to claim 4, wherein a bottom cover is disposed on the back side of the substrate, and the upper case and the lower case are integrated by the bottom cover.   The operation force applying portion is integrally provided in the circular movable portion according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and the opening is movable in the circular shape at least when the operation body is not operated. A multi-directional input device configured to be closed by a section.

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