JP4699551B2 - Optical pointing device and electronic device including the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device, and more particularly to an optical pointing device that can be mounted on a portable information terminal such as a cellular phone.

  In mobile information terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), a keypad is generally employed as a user interface for inputting information. The keypad is usually composed of a plurality of buttons and direction buttons for inputting numbers and characters. In recent years, with the display of graphics and the like being possible on the display unit of a portable information terminal, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that uses the display unit in two dimensions is adopted as a method for displaying information to the user. became.

  In this way, the portable information terminal is highly functional and has a display function equivalent to that of a computer, so that the input means of the conventional portable information terminal that uses the menu key and other function keys as direction keys are expressed in GUI. It was inconvenient because it was not suitable for selecting icons. For this reason, a pointing device having the same operability as a mouse or a touch pad used in a computer has been demanded for portable information terminals.

  Therefore, as a pointing device that can be mounted on a portable information terminal, the movement of the subject is detected by observing the pattern of a subject such as a fingertip that contacts the device with an imaging device and extracting a change in the pattern of the subject on the contact surface. An optical pointing device has been proposed. Specifically, an optical pointing device irradiates a subject on a contact surface with infrared light, forms a pattern of the subject on an image sensor with a lens, and detects a change in the pattern to detect the movement of the subject. Yes.

  By the way, Patent Document 1 discloses a dielectric multilayer film that transmits infrared light, and reflects only a wavelength band of a specific color in visible light and transmits a wavelength band other than the wavelength band of the specific color. An infrared light receiving and emitting part of an electronic device having a body multilayer film on the outer surface is described. With such a configuration, the infrared light receiving and emitting unit disclosed in Patent Document 1 realizes an arbitrary appearance color while maintaining transparency in the infrared region.

JP 2008-160115 A (released July 10, 2008)

  However, no technology has been developed to show the surface portion of the optical pointing device in an arbitrary appearance color.

  Specifically, in general, the surface portion of an optical pointing device having a contact surface that transmits infrared light is often formed of dark resin in order to prevent disturbance light such as visible light from entering. . However, the dark-colored optical pointing device may not match the other parts of the electronic device due to the design of the electronic device on which the optical pointing device is mounted, which is a limitation in designing the design of the electronic device.

  Therefore, an attempt is made to apply to the optical pointing device a film capable of obtaining an arbitrary appearance color while maintaining the transparency in the infrared region described in Patent Document 1 described above. However, the film described in Patent Document 1 can be used only for a portion that transmits infrared rays. That is, it cannot be applied to a conventional optical pointing device that does not reflect infrared rays at the surface portion of the optical pointing device.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to realize a thin optical pointing device having an arbitrary appearance color without a sense of incongruity.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an optical pointing device according to the present invention includes a light source that irradiates a subject with light and a light guide unit that reflects the reflected light from the subject and guides the inside thereof. An optical pointing device including a member and an image sensor that receives light guided by the light guide type optical member, wherein the light guide type optical member has a region for detecting a subject in the light guide unit. A first reflecting film that reflects the light emitted from the light source, and a second reflecting film that reflects only light in a predetermined wavelength band out of the light in the visible light region, The first reflective film is formed so as to avoid a region for detecting the subject in the light guide unit, and the first reflective film and the second reflective film are formed from the subject side to the second reflective film. The first reflective film is arranged in this order. It is.

  According to the above configuration, the first reflection film that reflects the light emitted from the light source on the surface including the region for detecting the subject in the light guide unit, and the predetermined light among the light in the visible light region. And a second reflective film that reflects only light in the wavelength band. Further, the first reflective film is formed so as to avoid an area where the subject is detected in the light guide section. That is, there are a portion where the first reflection film is formed and a portion where the first reflection film is not formed on the surface including the region where the subject is detected in the light guide. For this reason, the appearance of the optical pointing device becomes non-uniform depending on the presence or absence of the first reflective film.

  However, according to the above configuration, the second reflective film reflects only light in a predetermined wavelength band out of light in the visible light region. Therefore, for example, when the light source irradiates infrared light, only the infrared light and the light in a predetermined wavelength band in the visible light region out of the external light such as sunlight incident on the optical pointing device from the outside. reflect. Therefore, when the optical pointing device is viewed from the subject side, the user can make the optical pointing device appear in a predetermined color.

  Therefore, even in the thin optical pointing device in which the first reflective film is formed on the surface including the region for detecting the object in the light guide unit, the appearance color of the optical pointing device is designed with a predetermined color that does not give a sense of incongruity. There is an effect that can be.

  Moreover, according to said structure, a 2nd reflection film is formed on the 1st reflection film which reflects the light irradiated from a light source. Therefore, the second reflective film functions as a protective film that protects the first reflective film from scratches and peeling. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the first reflective film from peeling off and the performance of the optical pointing device from being deteriorated.

  Further, according to the above configuration, the first reflective film is formed between the light guide type optical member and the second reflective film, and the second reflective film is exposed to the outside. is doing. Therefore, compared with the case where the first reflection film is exposed to the outside, the appearance color of the optical pointing device can be shown to the user in a predetermined color that is more comfortable.

  In addition, an optical pointing device according to the present invention includes a light source that irradiates a subject with light, a light guide type optical member that includes a light guide unit that reflects reflected light from the subject and guides the inside, and the light guide. An optical pointing device including an imaging element that receives light guided by the mold optical member, wherein the light guide optical member is formed on a surface including a region for detecting a subject in the light guide unit. A first reflective film that reflects light emitted from a light source and transmits light in a predetermined wavelength band out of light in a visible light region, and among light in a visible light region that transmits the first reflective film A second reflective film that reflects at least part of the light and transmits the light emitted from the light source, wherein the first reflective film avoids a region for detecting the subject in the light guide section. The first reflective film and the second reflective film are formed , From the object side, the first reflecting film, is characterized in that it is arranged in order of the second reflection film.

  According to said structure, on the surface including the area | region which detects the to-be-photographed object in the said light guide part, the light irradiated from the said light source is reflected, and the light of a predetermined wavelength band is permeate | transmitted among the lights of visible light area | region. And a second reflective film that reflects at least part of the light in the visible light region that passes through the first reflective film and transmits the light emitted from the light source. I have. Further, the first reflective film is formed so as to avoid an area where the subject is detected in the light guide section. That is, there are a portion where the first reflection film is formed and a portion where the first reflection film is not formed on the surface including the region where the subject is detected in the light guide. For this reason, the appearance of the optical pointing device becomes non-uniform depending on the presence or absence of the first reflective film.

  However, according to the above configuration, the second reflection film reflects only light in a predetermined wavelength band out of light in the visible light region, and transmits light emitted from the light source. Therefore, for example, when the light source irradiates infrared light, only the infrared light and the light in a predetermined wavelength band in the visible light region out of the external light such as sunlight incident on the optical pointing device from the outside. reflect. Therefore, when the optical pointing device is viewed from the subject side, the user can make the optical pointing device appear in a predetermined color.

  Therefore, even in the thin optical pointing device in which the first reflective film is formed on the surface including the region for detecting the object in the light guide unit, the appearance color of the optical pointing device is designed with a predetermined color that does not give a sense of incongruity. There is an effect that can be.

  Note that the second reflective film only needs to reflect at least a part of visible light in a predetermined wavelength band that transmits the first reflective film, and transmits the first reflective film. It may reflect all visible light.

  In the optical pointing device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the light guide type optical member is formed of a visible light absorbing resin.

  According to said structure, since the said light guide type optical member is formed from visible light absorption resin, among the external light which injects into an optical pointing device from the outside, the light of a visible light area | region is said light guide type | mold optical The member absorbs. Therefore, since unnecessary light can be prevented from entering the imaging element, the optical pointing device can operate stably without malfunctioning.

  In the optical pointing device according to the present invention, it is preferable that each of the first reflective film and the second reflective film is a dielectric film.

  According to the above configuration, since the first reflective film and the second reflective film are both dielectric films, the wavelength of light reflected by the first reflective film and the second reflective film The band or the wavelength band of transmitted light can be arbitrarily designed with high accuracy.

  In the optical pointing device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the first reflective film is a metal film.

  According to the above configuration, since the first reflective film is a metal film, the first reflective film can reflect not only light emitted from a light source but also light in the visible light region. . Since the first reflective film also reflects light in a visible light region included in external light, unnecessary light can be prevented from entering the imaging element.

  In the optical pointing device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the second reflective film has a hardness of 2H or more.

  According to the above configuration, since the second reflective film has a hardness of 2H or more, the second reflective film is stronger than protecting the first reflective film from scratches and peeling. Functions as a protective film. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the first reflective film from peeling off and the performance of the optical pointing device from being deteriorated.

  Here, “hardness” indicates scratch hardness (pencil method). That is, it can be said that it is preferable that the second reflective film has a hardness such that no scar (break or scratch) is observed in the second reflective film when a scratch test is performed with a standard pencil of 2H or more.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the electronic device according to the present invention includes the optical pointing device.

  According to the above configuration, the electronic device includes the optical pointing device. Since the appearance color of the optical pointing device can be designed with a predetermined color without a sense of incongruity, the design of the electronic device can be freely designed.

  As described above, the optical pointing device according to the present invention includes a light source that emits light to a subject, a light guide type optical member that includes a light guide unit that reflects reflected light from the subject and guides the inside thereof, An optical pointing device including an imaging device that receives light guided by the light guide type optical member, wherein the light guide type optical member is on a surface including a region for detecting a subject in the light guide unit. A first reflective film that reflects the light emitted from the light source, and a second reflective film that reflects only light in a predetermined wavelength band out of the light in the visible light region. The reflective film is formed so as to avoid a region for detecting the subject in the light guide section.

  Therefore, even in the thin optical pointing device in which the first reflective film is formed on the surface including the region for detecting the object in the light guide unit, the appearance color of the optical pointing device is designed with a predetermined color that does not give a sense of incongruity. There is an effect that can be.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional structure of an optical pointing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the transmittance | permeability and the reflectance with respect to the wavelength of the light in a reflecting film. It is a figure which shows the optical characteristic of a light source light reflection coat, a specific color reflection color coat, and a cover part containing them. It is a figure which shows typically the positional relationship of a contact surface, an image formation element, and an image pick-up element. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional structure of an optical pointing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the optical characteristic of a metal film, a specific color reflective color coat, and the cover part containing them. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional structure of an optical pointing device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the specific shape of the diffraction element in 3rd Embodiment, and the groove pattern of a diffraction element. It is a figure which shows the specific shape of the diffraction element in 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional structure of an optical pointing device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional structure of an optical pointing device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating an external appearance of a mobile phone on which an optical pointing device is mounted according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the cross-sectional structure of a thin optical pointing device.

[Assumptions and issues]
First, an optical pointing device as a premise of the present invention will be described. Since an electronic device equipped with an optical pointing device is required to be thin and small, the optical pointing device is also required to be thin and small. Therefore, the present inventor has devised an optical pointing device 300 shown in FIG. The optical pointing device 300 has not been disclosed at the time of filing this application.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of the optical pointing device 300. As illustrated, the optical pointing device 300 includes a substrate unit 260 and a cover unit (light guide type optical member) 240. The board portion 260 includes a circuit board 210, a light source 160, an image sensor 150, and transparent resins 200 and 200 '. Further, the transparent resin 200 includes a lens portion 270. The cover part 240 includes a contact surface 110, a bending element 120 that forms the inclined surface 130, an imaging element 140, and reflection surfaces 170 and 180. A subject 90 in contact with the contact surface 110 of the cover unit 240 is a subject such as a fingertip, and is an object for which the optical pointing device 300 detects a movement. Here, in order to make it easy to understand the state of the subject 90 with respect to the optical pointing device 300, the optical pointing device 300 is described in a small size for convenience.

  Here, the thickness direction (vertical direction in FIG. 13) of the optical pointing device 300 is defined as the Z axis, and the width direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 13) of the optical pointing device 300 is defined as the Y axis. A direction from the lower part to the upper part of the optical pointing device 300 is a positive direction of the Z axis, and a direction from the light source 160 to the image sensor 150 is a positive direction of the Y axis. The negative direction of the Z axis is also referred to as the vertical direction, and the positive direction of the Y axis is also referred to as the horizontal direction.

  In the optical pointing device 300, the light path from the light irradiated from the light source 160 to the object 90 reflected by the subject 90 will be described. As shown in the figure, the light M0 emitted from the light source 160 is refracted by the bending element 120 of the cover part 240 via the lens part 270 of the transparent resin 200, the traveling direction is changed, and reaches the contact surface 110. Then, the light M 0 is scattered and reflected by the surface of the subject 90 that is in contact with the contact surface 110 and is incident on the cover unit 240. The light L0 reflected from the surface of the subject 90 and incident on the cover 240 is totally reflected by the inclined surface 130 of the bending element 120, and the course changes in the horizontal direction. The light L0 totally reflected by the inclined surface 130 is reflected by the reflecting surface 170 and reaches the imaging element 140. Then, the light L 0 is reflected back by the imaging element 140, reflected one after another by the reflection surface 170, the reflection surface 180, and the reflection surface 170 and then incident on the image sensor 150.

  As described above, in the optical pointing device 300 devised by the present inventor, the light reflected from the subject 90 is changed in the horizontal direction, is repeatedly reflected inside the cover unit 240, and is incident on the image sensor 150. Therefore, it is possible to realize an optical pointing device having a short vertical length (thin shape) while taking a long path of light reflected from the subject 90.

  The surface exposed to the outside of the optical pointing device 300 is the upper surface of the cover 240 having the contact surface 110. A reflective surface 170 is provided on the upper surface of the cover 240, and the reflective surface 170 is a reflective film made of metal (for example, aluminum, nickel, gold, silver, dielectric dichroic film, etc.) in order to efficiently reflect light. Is formed by vapor deposition.

  As described above, since the upper surface of the cover part 240 is exposed to the outside, it is a part visible to the user. On the upper surface of the cover part 240, the part with and without the reflective film is conspicuous in appearance. In addition, there is a great demand for coloring the appearance (portion visible to the user) of the optical pointing device.

  Therefore, an attempt is made to apply to the optical pointing device 300 a film that can obtain an arbitrary appearance color while maintaining the transparency in the infrared region described in Patent Document 1 described above. However, the above-described film can be used only for a portion that transmits infrared light (contact surface 110 of the optical pointing device 300), and cannot be used for the reflective surface 170 of the optical pointing device 300 that reflects infrared light. That is, it cannot be applied to the optical pointing device 300 having a surface in which a region where infrared light is transmitted and a region where light is reflected are mixed. Therefore, the optical pointing device 300 has a problem that it does not feel uncomfortable in appearance and cannot obtain an arbitrary appearance color.

  Accordingly, the present inventors have invented the optical pointing device shown in the following embodiments. Each embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking an optical pointing device using an LED as a light source module as an example. The optical pointing device of the present invention detects the movement of a subject by irradiating a subject such as a fingertip with light and receiving light reflected from the subject. Hereinafter, the configuration of the optical pointing device of each embodiment will be specifically described. Moreover, about the member which shows the same function and effect | action, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an optical pointing device 30 according to the first embodiment. As illustrated, the optical pointing device 30 includes a substrate portion 26 and a cover portion (light guide type optical member) 24. The board portion 26 includes a circuit board 21, a light source 16, an image sensor 15, and transparent resins 20 and 20 ′. Further, the transparent resin 20 includes a lens portion 27. The cover 24 includes a contact surface (incident portion) 11, a bending element (reflecting portion) 12 that forms an inclined surface (slope) 13, an imaging element (imaging reflecting portion) 14, and reflecting surfaces (reflecting films) 17 and 18. And a light guide 43. The reflecting surface 17 includes a light source light reflecting coat 40 (first reflecting film) and a specific color reflecting color coat 41 (second reflecting film). The subject 10 that is in contact with the contact surface 11 of the cover unit 24 is a subject such as a fingertip, and is an object for which the optical pointing device 30 detects movement. Here, in order to make the state of the subject 10 with respect to the optical pointing device 30 easy to understand, the optical pointing device 30 is described in a small size for convenience.

  Here, the thickness direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) of the optical pointing device 30 is taken as the Z axis, and the width direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 1) of the optical pointing device 30 is taken as the Y axis. The direction from the lower part to the upper part of the optical pointing device 30 is the positive direction of the Z axis, and the direction from the light source 16 to the image sensor 15 is the positive direction of the Y axis (light guide direction). The negative direction of the Z axis is also referred to as the vertical direction, and the positive direction of the Y axis is also referred to as the horizontal direction. Although not shown, the depth direction of the optical pointing device 30 is the X axis, and the direction from the back side to the near side of the optical pointing device 30 shown in FIG. 1 is the positive direction of the X axis.

  First, the structure of the board | substrate part 26 is demonstrated. In the present embodiment, the light source 16 and the image sensor 15 are mounted on one circuit board 21. The light source 16 and the image sensor 15 are electrically connected to the circuit board 21 by wire bonding or flip chip mounting. A circuit is formed on the circuit board 21. The circuit controls the light emission timing of the light source 16 or receives an electrical signal output from the image sensor 15 to detect the movement of the subject. The circuit board 21 has a planar shape made of the same material, and is made of, for example, a printed board or a lead frame.

  The light source 16 emits light toward the contact surface 11 of the cover part 24. The light M emitted from the light source 16 is refracted by the bending element 12 of the cover portion 24 via the lens portion 27 of the transparent resin 20 and the traveling direction is changed to reach the contact surface 11. That is, the light M enters the contact surface from an oblique direction (at a certain incident angle with respect to the contact surface). As will be described later, since the cover portion 24 is made of a material having a refractive index larger than that of air, the light M that has reached the contact surface 11 partly touches the contact surface 11 when the subject 10 does not exist on the contact surface 11. The light is transmitted and the remaining part is reflected by the contact surface 11. At this time, when the incident angle of the light M with respect to the contact surface 11 satisfies the condition of total reflection, the light M does not pass through the contact surface 11 but is reflected by the contact surface 11 and travels into the cover portion 24. On the other hand, when the subject 10 is on the contact surface 11, the light M is reflected by the surface of the subject 10 in contact with the contact surface 11 and is incident on the cover unit 24. The light source 16 is realized by a light source such as an LED, for example, and is preferably realized by an infrared light emitting diode with high brightness.

  The image sensor 15 emits light reflected by the subject 10 irradiated by the light source 16 (L1 to L3 (hereinafter collectively referred to as light L1 to L3). The image on the contact surface 11 is formed based on the received light and converted into image data. Specifically, the image sensor 15 is an image sensor such as a CMOS or a CCD. The image sensor 15 includes a DSP (Digital Signal Processor: calculation unit) (not shown), and takes received light as image data into the DSP. The image sensor 15 continues to capture images on the contact surface 11 at regular intervals in accordance with instructions from the circuit board 21.

  When the subject 10 in contact with the contact surface 11 moves, the image captured by the image sensor 15 is different from the image captured immediately before. In the DSP, the image sensor 15 compares the values of the same portion of the captured image data with the immediately preceding image data, and calculates the movement amount and movement direction of the subject 10. That is, when the subject 10 on the contact surface 11 moves, the captured image data is image data indicating a value deviated from the image data captured immediately before by a predetermined amount. In the DSP, the image sensor 15 calculates the movement amount and movement direction of the subject 10 based on the predetermined amount. The image sensor 15 outputs the calculated movement amount and movement direction to the circuit board 21 as electric signals. The DSP may be included in the circuit board 21 instead of in the image sensor 15. In that case, the image sensor 15 transmits the captured image data to the circuit board 21 in order.

  To summarize the processing of the image sensor 15, the image sensor 15 captures an image of the contact surface 11 when the subject 10 is not on the contact surface 11. Next, when the subject 10 comes into contact with the contact surface 11, the image sensor 15 captures an image of the surface of the subject 10 in contact with the contact surface 11. For example, when the subject 10 is a fingertip, the image sensor 15 captures an image of a fingertip fingerprint. Here, since the image data captured by the image sensor 15 is different from the image data when the subject 10 is not on the contact surface 11, the DSP of the image sensor 15 has the subject 10 on the contact surface 11. A signal indicating that is touching is transmitted to the circuit board 21. Then, when the subject 10 moves, the movement amount and movement direction of the subject 10 are calculated compared with the image data captured immediately before by the DSP, and a signal indicating the calculated movement amount and movement direction is transmitted to the circuit board 21. .

  The light source 16 and the image sensor 15 are resin-sealed with a translucent resin, and transparent resins 20 and 20 ′ are formed around them. The shape of the transparent resins 20 and 20 'is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. However, a hemispherical lens portion 27 is formed on the upper surface (top surface) of the transparent resin 20 in the transparent resin 20. The lens unit 27 is located above the light source 16 and condenses the light M emitted from the light source 16. The bottom surfaces of the transparent resins 20 and 20 ′ are in close contact with and in contact with the upper surface of the circuit board 21, and concave portions that are in close contact with the light source 16 and the image sensor 15 are formed. The side surface on the negative side of the Y axis of the transparent resin 20 and the side surface on the positive side of the Y axis of the transparent resin 20 ′ are flush with the side surface of the circuit board 21. As the translucent resin, for example, a thermosetting resin such as a silicone resin or an epoxy resin, or a thermoplastic resin such as ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is used.

  As described above, since the light source 16 and the image sensor 15 mounted on the circuit board 21 are respectively sealed with the light-transmitting resin, the circuit board 21, the light source 16, the image sensor 15, and the transparent resins 20 and 20 ′. Is formed as a single unit. Therefore, the number of parts of the optical pointing device 30 can be reduced, and the number of assembly processes can also be reduced. Accordingly, the manufacturing cost of the optical pointing device 30 can be reduced, and the optical pointing device 30 with high subject detection accuracy can be realized. Further, the light source 16 and the image sensor 15 are individually sealed with transparent resins 20 and 20 '. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the light M emitted from the light source 16 from propagating through the transparent resin and leaking into the image sensor 15. In other words, since stray light is prevented from entering the image sensor 15, it is possible to prevent malfunction of the optical pointing device 30 due to stray light and to detect the subject 10 with high accuracy.

  Next, the structure of the cover part 24 is demonstrated. The cover part 24 protects each part and each element constituting the optical pointing device 30 such as the light source 16 and the imaging element 15. The cover part 24 is located on the upper side of the substrate part 26 and is in close contact with the side surface and the upper surface of the substrate part 26. The surface of the cover 24 that is on the negative side of the Z-axis and that is not exposed to the outside when mounted on the substrate 26 and formed as the optical pointing device 30 is referred to as the back of the cover 24. . In other words, the surface of the cover 18 that faces the substrate portion 26 is the back surface. That is, a part of the back surface of the cover portion 24 is in close contact with and in contact with the side surface and the upper surface of the substrate portion 26. The bottom surface 25 of the cover part 24 forms the same plane as the bottom surface of the substrate part 26. The upper surface of the cover portion 24 is parallel to the bottom surface 25 of the cover portion 24 and the bottom surface of the substrate portion 26, and both side surfaces of the cover portion 24 are the upper surface of the cover portion 24, and the bottom surface 25 of the cover portion 24 and the substrate portion. A surface perpendicular to the bottom surface of 26 is formed. That is, the optical pointing device 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. However, the shape is not limited to this, and it is sufficient that the upper surface of the cover portion 24 is parallel to the bottom surface 25 of the cover portion 24 and the bottom surface of the substrate portion 26, and both side surfaces of the cover portion 24 are the upper surface of the cover portion 24. In addition, a surface perpendicular to the bottom surface 25 of the cover portion 24 and the bottom surface of the substrate portion 26 may not be formed. For example, in the cross-sectional view of the optical pointing device 30 as shown in FIG. 1, the shape of the optical pointing device 30 may be trapezoidal. That is, if the side surface of the cover unit 24 is flat, the total length of the upper surface of the cover unit 24 (the top surface of the optical pointing device 30) and the bottom surface 25 of the cover unit 24 and the bottom surface of the substrate unit 26 ( (The length of the bottom surface of the optical pointing device 30) may be different.

  The contact surface 11 is a surface where the subject 10 is in contact with the optical pointing device 30. The contact surface 11 is an upper surface of the cover portion 24 and is located above the light source 16. In the present embodiment, the contact surface 11 is located on the upper surface of the specific color reflective color coat 41 that is the upper surface of the reflective surface 17.

  The bending element (prism) 12 constitutes a part of the cover portion 24, is located above the light source 16 and below the contact surface 11, and is on a portion that does not contact the substrate portion 26 on the back surface of the cover portion 24. It is formed in a recessed portion on the back surface of the cover portion 24 located. The bending element 12 is formed with an inclined surface 13, and a narrow angle formed by the inclined surface 13 and the upper surface of the cover portion 24 is defined as an inclination angle θ. The bending element 12 refracts the light M emitted from the light source 16 on the inclined surface 13 and converts the path of the light M so as to go to the subject 10. Further, the bending element 12 totally reflects the light L reflected from the subject 10 by the inclined surface 13, and converts the path of the light L in the positive direction of the Y axis inside the cover portion 24. . In other words, the bending element 12 reflects the light reflected from the subject 10 and incident on the inside of the cover portion 24 from the contact surface 11 so as to guide the light in the horizontal direction. The light L reflected from the subject 10 that has been totally reflected by the inclined surface 13 is directed to a reflection surface 17 described later. Thus, the inclined surface 13 of the bending element 12 transmits the light M and totally reflects the light L. Therefore, a material having a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the space above the light source 16 and between the cover portion 24 and the substrate portion 26 is used for the cover portion 24. For example, the cover 24 may be made of an air layer using a visible light absorption type polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin having a refractive index of about 1.5. That is, an aluminum reflective film or the like is not deposited on the inclined surface 13 of the bending element 12 in order to totally reflect the light L.

  The imaging element (lens) 14 reflects the reflected light L from the subject 10 and forms an image of the subject 10 on the imaging element 15. Specifically, the light reflected in the horizontal direction by the bending element 12 is reflected in the opposite direction to the horizontal direction (the negative direction of the Y axis) and imaged. The light imaged by the imaging element 14 exits the cover portion 24 and enters the imaging element 15. Here, a portion where the light imaged by the imaging element 14 is emitted toward the imaging element 15 is referred to as an emission portion. The emission part is a part of the back surface of the cover part 24. The imaging element 14 constitutes a part of the cover part 24, is located above the image sensor 15 and on the positive side of the Y axis from the image sensor 15, and the substrate part 26 on the back surface of the cover part 24 It is formed in a recess on the back surface of the cover portion 24 located at a portion that does not contact. The imaging element 14 is formed with a toroidal surface having different curvatures in two orthogonal directions. The imaging element 14 reflects the reflected light L so as to form an image on the imaging element 15 by the toroidal surface. In order to efficiently reflect the light L at the imaging element 14, a reflective film of metal (for example, aluminum, nickel, gold, silver, dielectric dichroic film, etc.) is deposited on the toroidal surface of the imaging element 14. .

  The reflecting surface 17 that is a characteristic configuration of the present application will be described. The reflecting surface 17 reflects the light L so that the light L totally reflected by the inclined surface 13 is incident on the imaging element 14 and the light L reflected from the imaging element 14 is incident on the imaging element 15. It is. The reflection surface 17 is located above the image sensor 15 and on the upper surface of the cover portion 24. Specifically, the reflecting surface 17 is located on the surface including the region where the subject 10 is detected in the light guide unit 43. Here, the region where the subject 10 is detected is not only the region where the light M emitted from the light source 16 is emitted toward the subject 10 in the light guide unit 43, but also the reflected light L from the subject 10 is reflected by the light guide unit. This means the entire surface area of the light guide 43 including the area incident on 43. The reflection surface 17 is formed by depositing a reflection film on the upper surface of the cover portion 24.

  As described above, the reflecting surface 17 includes the light source light reflecting coat 40 and the specific color reflecting color coat 41. As shown in the figure, in the present embodiment, the specific color reflective color coat 41 is arranged on the side exposed to the outside (positive direction side of the Z axis), and the lower side of the specific color reflective color coat 41 (negative of the Z axis). Although the light source light reflecting coat 40 is disposed on the direction side), the configuration of the reflecting surface 17 is not limited thereto. For example, the light source light reflecting coat 40 may be disposed on the side exposed to the outside, and the specific color reflecting color coat 41 may be disposed below the light source light reflecting coat 40. In summary, the light source light reflection coat 40 and the specific color reflection color coat 41 may be arranged in the order of the specific color reflection color coat 41 and the light source light reflection coat 40 from the subject 10 side. 40 and the specific color reflective color coat 41 may be arranged in this order. When the specific color reflection color coat 41 and the light source light reflection coat 40 are arranged in this order from the subject 10 side as in the present embodiment, the light source light reflection coat 40 reflects the light emitted from the light source 16, The specific color reflective color coat 41 only needs to reflect light in a predetermined wavelength band out of light in the visible light region. On the other hand, when the light source light reflecting coat 40 and the specific color reflecting color coat 41 are arranged in this order from the subject 10 side, the light source light reflecting coat 40 emits light in a predetermined wavelength band among the light in the visible light region. On the other hand, the specific color reflective color coat 41 may reflect at least a part of the light in the visible light region transmitted through the light source light reflective coat 40 and transmit the light emitted from the light source 16.

  Since the reflective film forming the reflective surface 17 is exposed to the outside and can be seen well by the user, a portion where the reflective film is present and a portion where the reflective film is not present on the upper surface of the cover portion 24 are conspicuous in appearance. Therefore, it is desirable to design the reflective film appropriately so that the reflective film is as inconspicuous as possible in appearance. For example, when the wavelength of light emitted from the light source 16 is an infrared wavelength outside the visible wavelength (for example, 800 nm or more), the light source light reflecting coat 40 constituting the reflecting surface 17 has the characteristics shown in FIG. Any infrared reflective film may be used. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the transmittance and reflectance at each wavelength, where the horizontal axis represents wavelength (nm) and the vertical axis represents transmittance and reflectance (%). The dotted line in the figure indicates the transmittance, and the solid line indicates the reflectance (hereinafter, the same applies to FIGS. 2B and 2C). As a specific example of the reflective film, the light source light reflecting coat 40 may be any one that reflects infrared light having a wavelength band of 800 nm or more irradiated from the light source 16 and transmits light having a visible wavelength band of 800 nm or less. In other words, the light source light reflecting coat 40 only needs to reflect only light in the wavelength band irradiated by the light source 16 and transmit light in other wavelength bands. As described above, the reflected light L from the subject 10 is efficiently reflected by appropriately setting the wavelength of the light emitted from the light source 16 and the reflectance and transmittance characteristics of the reflecting film forming the reflecting surface 17. And the reflective surface 17 which is not conspicuous in appearance can be formed.

  Further, when the wavelength of light emitted from the light source 16 is an infrared wavelength outside the visible wavelength (for example, 800 nm or more), the cover portion 24 is preferably formed of a material having the characteristics shown in FIG. . Specifically, the material of the cover portion 24 may be a visible light absorption type polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin that transmits only infrared light. By forming the cover part 24 with such a material, visible light components can be blocked by the cover part 24 from unnecessary light entering from the outside of the cover part 24. That is, it is possible to prevent a visible light component from entering the image sensor 15 among the unnecessary light. As described above, since the reflection surface 17 includes the light source light reflection coat 40 that reflects infrared light, the infrared light component of the unnecessary light is blocked by the reflection surface 17 (light source light reflection coat 40). can do. By blocking unnecessary light incident on the optical pointing device 30, malfunction due to the unnecessary light can be prevented.

  Furthermore, when coloring the surface of the cover 24, which is the surface of the optical pointing device 30, for example, the specific color reflective color coat 41 of the reflective surface 17 which is the upper surface of the cover 24 is shown in FIG. As long as it has a characteristic of reflecting only a wavelength band of a predetermined color (green in the illustrated example) and transmitting other wavelengths. The reflective surface 17 that is the upper surface of the cover portion 24 includes the specific color reflective color coat 41 having such characteristics, so that the surface of the optical pointing device 30 can have a desired shape without deteriorating the optical characteristics of the optical pointing device 30. Can be colored. In other words, the optical characteristics of the specific color reflective color coat 41 are appropriately designed, and the specific color reflective color coat 41 is formed on the upper surface of the cover 24, thereby designing the appearance color of the optical pointing device 30 with a specific color. be able to.

  Further, the light source light reflecting coat 40 and the specific color reflecting color coat 41, which are characteristic structures of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, a light source light reflecting coat 40 is formed on the upper part of the cover part 24 so as to be in close contact with and contact the upper side of the resin that is the light guide part 43 of the cover part 24. Furthermore, a specific color reflective color coat 41 is formed so as to be in close contact with and in contact with the upper side of the light source light reflective coat 40.

  As described above, the light source light reflecting coat 40 reflects only light in the wavelength band irradiated from the light source 16 and transmits light in other wavelength bands. The light source light reflecting coat 40 includes an opening 42. A hole is formed in the opening 42, and the opening 42 transmits not only light in the wavelength band irradiated from the light source 16 but also light in all wavelength bands. As shown in FIG. 1, the opening 42 is located below the contact surface 11 and above the light source 16 and the bending element 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the light source light reflecting coat 40 is formed on the entire upper surface of the cover portion 24 except for the opening 42, but is not limited thereto. The light source light reflecting coat 40 may be formed at least on the upper surface of the cover portion 24 on the path of the light L reflected from the subject 10 (where the light L is reflected on the upper surface of the cover portion 24). In other words, the light source light reflecting coat 40 is formed so as to avoid a region where the subject 10 is detected in the light guide unit 43, and the opening 42 is formed in a region where the subject 10 is detected in the light guide unit 43. The light source light reflecting coat 40 is formed of a dielectric film having predetermined optical characteristics.

  As described above, the specific color reflective color coat 41 reflects only visible light in a specific wavelength band and transmits light in other wavelength bands. The specific color reflective color coat 41 is formed of a dielectric film having predetermined optical characteristics. By appropriately designing the dielectric film that forms the specific color reflective color coat 41, the color (wavelength band) of the reflected light is not limited to the green color, and can be arbitrarily designed. Further, the specific color reflective color coat 41 which is the upper surface of the cover portion 24 preferably has a hard coat characteristic having a hardness (scratch hardness) of 2H or more in order to prevent scratches and the like. Specifically, a film made of an organosilicon compound, an acrylate paint, a silicone paint, or the like is usually applied to the upper surface of the specific color reflective color coat 41 in order to provide hard coat characteristics. However, if the specific color reflective color coat 41 itself has a hard coat characteristic, it is not necessary to apply the film. The specific color reflective color coat 41 is preferably formed on the entire surface exposed to the outside of the cover portion 24 including the contact surface 11.

  Next, the light reflected or transmitted by the light source light reflecting coat 40 and the specific color reflecting color coat 41 will be described with reference to FIG. Specifically, a path between external light such as sunlight incident from the outside of the optical pointing device 30 and light emitted from the light source 16 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating optical characteristics of the light source light reflecting coat 40, the specific color reflecting color coat 41, and the light guide unit 43. In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the infrared light I2 is emitted from the light source 16, and the light guide portion 43 of the cover portion 24 is formed of a visible light absorbing resin that absorbs visible light. To do. The light reflected by the specific color reflective color coat 41 is assumed to be light in the green wavelength band. It is assumed that the external light S includes green light G, light of visible light excluding the green light G (hereinafter referred to as visible light V), and infrared light I1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, among the external light S incident on the optical pointing device 30 from the outside, the specific color reflective color coat 41 reflects only the green light G, and other visible light V and infrared light I1. Is transparent.

  The infrared light I1 that has passed through the specific color reflective color coat 41 is reflected by the light source light reflective coat 40, passes through the specific color reflective color coat 41, and is emitted to the outside. However, of the infrared light I1 that has passed through the specific color reflective color coat 41, the infrared light I1 that passes through the opening 42 of the light source light reflective coat 40 is incident on the light guide 43 as it is. Note that, when the subject 10 is in contact with the contact surface 11 located above the opening 42, since the external light is reflected by the subject 10, the infrared light I1 does not pass through the opening 42. The visible light V that has passed through the specific color reflective color coat 41 passes through the light source light reflective coat 40 and is absorbed by the light guide 43.

  The infrared light I2 emitted from the light source 16 is transmitted through the light guide unit 43, reflected by the light source light reflecting coat 40, and guided through the light guide unit 43. However, when there is no subject 10 on the contact surface 11, the infrared light I <b> 2 emitted from the light source 16 passes through the opening 42. On the other hand, when the subject 10 is in contact with the contact surface 11, the infrared light I2 passes through the light guide 43, passes through the opening 42, and is in contact with the specific color reflective color coat 41. The light is reflected by the surface of the light, passes through the opening 42 again, and enters the light guide 43.

  As described above, the light source light reflecting coat 40 reflects the light emitted from the light source, so that the light L emitted from the light source 16 and scattered and reflected by the subject 10 is not emitted from the upper surface of the cover part 24. The light is guided through a predetermined path in the light guide 43 and enters the image sensor. Further, external light incident from the outside of the optical pointing device 30 can be blocked by the cover portion 24 that includes the light source light reflecting coat 40 and absorbs visible light. Since it is possible to prevent unnecessary light from entering the image sensor 15, the optical pointing device 30 can be stably operated without malfunctioning. Further, since the light of any color can be reflected by the specific color reflective color coat 41, the appearance color of the optical pointing device 30 can be arbitrarily designed.

  The reflecting surface 18 reflects the light L reflected from the imaging element 14 and reflected by the reflecting surface 17 toward the reflecting surface 17 again. The reflection surface 18 is located above the image sensor 15 and on the positive side of the Y axis from the image sensor 15, and is located on the back surface of the cover portion 24. The reflection surface 18 is formed by depositing a reflection film on the back surface of the cover portion 24. The reflective film forming the reflective surface 18 is preferably one that efficiently reflects light. For example, the reflecting surface 18 is formed by vapor-depositing a metal such as aluminum, nickel, gold, silver, or a dielectric dichroic film.

  The light guide unit 43 guides the light M emitted from the light source 16 and the light L emitted from the light source 16 and reflected by the subject 10. When the light emitted from the light source 16 is infrared light, the light guide unit 43 is formed of a visible light absorption type polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin that transmits only infrared light. The light guide unit 43 only needs to transmit at least light emitted from the light source 16, and preferably does not transmit (absorb or reflect) light other than light emitted from the light source 16. .

  Here, the path through which the light emitted from the light source 16 reflects the subject 10 and enters the image sensor 15 will be described again. First, the light M emitted from the light source 16 is refracted and transmitted by the inclined surface 13 of the bending element 12 and reaches the contact surface 11. When the subject 10 is on the contact surface 11, the light M emitted from the light source 16 is scattered and reflected on the surface of the subject 10 in contact with the contact surface 11. The light L reflected by the surface of the subject 10 is totally reflected by the inclined surface 13 of the bending element 12, and the path changes in the positive direction of the Y axis. The light L totally reflected by the inclined surface 13 is reflected by the reflecting surface 17 and reaches the imaging element 14. Then, the light L is reflected back by the imaging element 14, is reflected one after another by the reflecting surface 17, the reflecting surface 18, and the reflecting surface 17 and enters the imaging device 15.

  At this time, out of the light L irradiated from the light source 16 and reflected from the subject 10 and incident on the image sensor 15, the light incident on the center of the image sensor 15 (reflected by the subject 10 located at the center of the contact surface 11). Light) is L2, and light incident on the positive end of the Y axis of the image sensor 15 (light reflected by the subject 10 located at the negative end of the Y axis of the contact surface 11) is L1. The light incident on the negative end of the Y axis of the image sensor 15 (the light reflected by the subject 10 located at the positive end of the Y axis of the contact surface 11) is L3. As described above, by using the imaging element 14 that reflects the light L and forms an image on the imaging element 15, a difference in optical path lengths until the lights L 1, L 2, and L 3 reach the imaging element 15 is reduced. be able to. For this reason, it is possible to make it difficult for defocusing of the lights L1, L2, and L3 in the Y-axis direction in the imaging element 15 to occur. Therefore, the imaging performance of the image sensor 15 is improved, and the image of the subject 10 can be acquired clearly.

  The reason why the difference in the optical path lengths of the lights L1, L2, and L3 can be kept small while arranging the contact surface 11 and the surface of the imaging device 15 in parallel in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship among the contact surface 11, the imaging element 14 (or the imaging element 14 a), and the imaging element 15. FIG. 4 shows the optical paths of the lights L1, L2, and L3 when the center axis of the contact surface 11 and the center axis of the imaging element 14 (or imaging element 14a) are deviated. FIG. 4A shows a case where the imaging element 14 which is a reflective lens that reflects the light L is used as in this embodiment, and FIG. 4B shows a transmissive lens that transmits the light L. It is a figure which shows the case where the imaging element 14a which is is.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the case of a reflective lens, the imaging element 14 is arranged with the lens central axis inclined rather than parallel to the central axis of the contact surface 11 (perpendicular line passing through the center of the contact surface 11). Even in this case, the difference in the optical path length from the contact surface 11 to the surface of the image sensor 15 in each light L1, L2, and L3 is reduced while setting the surface of the image sensor 15 parallel to the contact surface 11. Can do. On the other hand, in the case of a transmissive lens as shown in FIG. 4B, if the lens central axis of the imaging element 14a is inclined with respect to the central axis of the contact surface 11, the contact surfaces of the lights L1, L2, and L3 In order to reduce the difference in the optical path length from 11 to the surface of the image sensor 15, the contact surface 11 and the surface of the image sensor 15 need to be arranged not in parallel but crossing each other. Therefore, in the case of a transmissive lens, it is difficult to reduce the thickness of the optical pointing device 30. That is, when the imaging element 14 is arranged with the lens central axis inclined from the central axis of the contact surface 11, the reflection type lens is used as the imaging element 14 rather than the transmission type lens while reducing the optical path length difference. It is easy to make the optical pointing device 30 thinner.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the contact surface 11, the bending element 12, and the imaging element 14 are formed integrally with the cover portion 24. Further, the reflecting surface 17 and the reflecting surface 18 including the light source light reflecting coat 40 and the specific color reflecting color coat 41 are vapor-deposited on the cover portion 24 and integrally formed. Therefore, the number of parts of the optical pointing device 30 can be reduced, and the number of assembly processes can also be reduced. Further, by forming a mold for forming the cover portion 24 with high accuracy, the inclined surface 13 and the imaging element 14 of the bending element 12 can be manufactured with high accuracy, and the contact surface 11 and the bending element 12 are manufactured. Further, the positional relationship of the imaging element 14 can be arranged with high accuracy without variation. Accordingly, the manufacturing cost of the optical pointing device 30 can be reduced, and the optical pointing device 30 with high subject detection accuracy can be realized.

  Conventionally, since the contact surface, the bending element, the imaging element, and the like are separate parts, when assembling these parts, a shape such as an assembly surface or a fitting shape is formed at a joint portion between the parts. There was a need. In addition, it is necessary to secure a spatial margin for adjusting the relative positional relationship between the components. However, when the contact surface 11, the bending element 12, and the imaging element 14 are formed integrally with the cover portion 24 as in the present application, it is not necessary to form the above shape, and if there is a minimum optical surface. It is not necessary to secure a spatial margin for adjusting the position. Therefore, by forming the contact surface 11, the bending element 12 and the imaging element 14 integrally with the cover part 24, the thickness of the cover part 24 including the contact surface 11, the bending element 12 and the imaging element 14 can be reduced. it can. Therefore, the thickness of the optical pointing device 30 can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the cover portion 24 is assembled above the substrate portion 26 using the side surface and the upper surface of the substrate portion 26 as a reference for positioning the cover portion 24. Therefore, the positional relationship between the substrate part 26 and the cover part 24 can be arranged with high accuracy. Therefore, since each part and each element constituting the optical pointing device 30 can be arranged with high accuracy, the optical pointing device 30 with high detection accuracy of the subject 10 can be realized.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the path of the light L (until it is reflected by the subject 10 and enters the transparent resin 20 ′ that covers the image sensor 15) is contained in the cover portion 24 that is one member. That is, the light L propagates through one medium (light guide type optical member). Specifically, there is one process from the incident of the reflected light L from the subject 10 to the cover 24 until total reflection in the horizontal direction by the bending element 12, reflection by the imaging element 14, and emission to the imaging element 15. This is performed in the cover 24 that is a medium. Therefore, since scattering reflection and attenuation occurring at the boundary between different media can be prevented, the imaging element 15 can capture a clear image. Therefore, the optical pointing device 30 can stably detect the subject 10 with high accuracy.

  Further, a light-shielding resin may be resin-sealed on the side surface of the transparent resin 20 and the upper surface excluding the lens portion. Further, a light-shielding resin may be resin-sealed on the side surface of the transparent resin 20 ′ and on the upper surface of the transparent resin 20 ′ excluding a portion where the reflected light L from the subject is transmitted. As the light-shielding resin, for example, a thermosetting resin such as a silicone resin or an epoxy resin or a thermoplastic resin such as ABS is used in the same manner as the light-transmitting resin. However, unlike the light-transmitting resin, the light-blocking resin includes carbon black. In this way, by sealing the light-shielding resin around the transparent resins 20 and 20 ′, the light emitted from the light source 16 is reflected directly or at a place other than the subject 10 and is reflected on the image sensor 15. The incident can be prevented. It is possible to prevent so-called stray light that is not reflected light L from the subject 10 from entering the image sensor 15. Therefore, malfunction of the optical pointing device 30 due to stray light can be prevented, and the subject 10 can be detected with high accuracy. Further, instead of resin-sealing the light-shielding resin around the transparent resins 20 and 20 ′, on the side surface of the transparent resin 20, on the upper surface excluding the lens portion, on the side surface of the transparent resin 20 ′, and from the subject The upper surface of the transparent resin 20 ′ excluding the portion through which the reflected light L is transmitted may be blackened or roughened into a ground glass shape.

  When the light shielding resin is formed around the transparent resins 20 and 20 ′, the side surface of the circuit board 21 and the surface formed of the light shielding resin are made to be the same plane. Moreover, the back surface of the cover part 24 and the surface formed of light-shielding resin are in close contact with each other. Therefore, the cover portion 24 is assembled above the substrate portion 26 with reference to the surface formed of the light-shielding resin and both side surfaces of the circuit board 21.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of an optical pointing device 30 ′ according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, a metal film 40 ′ is disposed instead of the light source light reflecting coat 40 in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment due to the arrangement of the metal film 40 ′ in the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the description of the same configuration as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cover portion 24 includes a contact surface 11, a bending element 12, an imaging element 14, reflection surfaces 17 ′ and 18, and a light guide portion 43. The reflective surface 17 ′ includes a metal film 40 ′ and a specific color reflective color coat 41.

  Similarly to the reflecting surface 17, the reflecting surface 17 ′ causes the light L totally reflected by the inclined surface 13 to enter the imaging element 14, and causes the light L reflected from the imaging element 14 to enter the imaging element 15. In addition, the light L is reflected. The reflection surface 17 ′ is located above the image sensor 15 and on the upper surface of the cover portion 24. The reflection surface 17 ′ is formed by depositing a reflection film on the upper surface of the cover portion 24. As shown in the figure, in the present embodiment, the specific color reflective color coat 41 is arranged on the side exposed to the outside (positive direction side of the Z axis), and the lower side of the specific color reflective color coat 41 (negative of the Z axis). A metal film 40 ′ is disposed on the direction side.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a metal film 40 ′ is formed on the cover portion 24 so as to be in close contact with the upper side of the resin that is the light guide portion 43 of the cover portion 24. Further, a specific color reflective color coat 41 is formed so as to be in close contact with the upper side of the metal film 40 ′.

  The metal film 40 ′ reflects light in the wavelength band and visible light emitted from the light source 16 and transmits light in other wavelength bands. The metal film 40 ′ includes an opening 42, similar to the light source light reflecting coat 40. A hole is formed in the opening 42, and the opening 42 transmits not only light in the wavelength band and light in the visible wavelength irradiated from the light source 16, but also light in all wavelength bands. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the opening 42 is located below the contact surface 11 and above the light source 16 and the bending element 12. As shown in FIG. 5, the metal film 40 ′ is formed on the entire upper surface of the cover portion 24 except for the opening portion 42, but is not limited thereto. The metal film 40 ′ may be formed at least on the upper surface of the cover portion 24 on the path of the light L reflected from the subject 10 (where the light L is reflected on the upper surface of the cover portion 24). The metal film 40 ′ is a film formed by evaporating a metal such as aluminum, gold, or tin.

  Next, the light reflected or transmitted by the metal film 40 ′ and the specific color reflective color coat 41 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Specifically, the path between external light such as sunlight that enters from the outside of the optical pointing device 30 ′ and light emitted from the light source 16 will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing optical characteristics of the metal film 40 ′, the specific color reflective color coat 41, and the cover portion 24 including them. In the example shown in FIG. 6, it is assumed that the infrared light I2 is emitted from the light source 16, and the light guide portion 43 of the cover portion 24 is formed of a visible light absorbing resin that absorbs visible light. To do. The light reflected by the specific color reflective color coat 41 is assumed to be light in the green wavelength band. It is assumed that the external light S includes green light G, light of visible light excluding the green light G (hereinafter referred to as visible light V), and infrared light I1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, among the external light S incident on the optical pointing device 30 from the outside, the specific color reflective color coat 41 reflects only the green light G, and other visible light V and infrared light I1. Is transparent.

  The infrared light I1 and the visible light V transmitted through the specific color reflective color coat 41 are reflected by the metal film 40 ', pass through the specific color reflective color coat 41, and are emitted to the outside. However, out of the infrared light I1 and visible light V transmitted through the specific color reflective color coat 41, the infrared light I1 and visible light V passing through the opening 42 of the metal film 40 ′ are incident on the light guide 43 as they are. To do. Note that, when the subject 10 is in contact with the contact surface 11 located above the opening 42, since the external light is reflected by the subject 10, the infrared light I1 does not pass through the opening 42. The visible light V transmitted through the opening 42 is absorbed by the light guide 43.

  The infrared light I2 emitted from the light source 16 is transmitted through the light guide 43, reflected by the metal film 40 ', and guided in the light guide 43. However, when there is no subject 10 on the contact surface 11, the infrared light I <b> 2 emitted from the light source 16 passes through the opening 42. On the other hand, when the subject 10 is in contact with the contact surface 11, the infrared light I2 passes through the light guide 43, passes through the opening 42, and is in contact with the specific color reflective color coat 41. The light is reflected by the surface of the light, passes through the opening 42 again, and enters the light guide 43.

  As described above, the metal film 40 ′ reflects the light emitted from the light source, so that the light L emitted from the light source 16 and scattered and reflected by the subject 10 is emitted from the upper surface of the cover portion 24 without being emitted. Is guided to the image sensor. Further, external light incident from the outside of the optical pointing device 30 can be blocked by the metal film 40 ′ or the cover portion 24 that absorbs visible light. Since it is possible to prevent unnecessary light from entering the image sensor 15, the optical pointing device 30 can be stably operated without malfunctioning. Further, since the light of any color can be reflected by the specific color reflective color coat 41, the appearance color of the optical pointing device 30 can be arbitrarily designed.

[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of an optical pointing device 30a according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, a diffractive element 12 ′ is arranged instead of the bending element 12 that totally reflects the reflected light L in the horizontal direction in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment due to the arrangement of the diffraction element 12 ′ in the third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, the description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the substrate portion 26, the transparent resin 20 is such that the negative side surface of the Y axis is not flush with the side surface of the circuit board 21, and the negative side surface of the Y axis is from the side surface of the circuit board 21. Located on the positive side of the Y-axis. The light M emitted from the light source 16 is transmitted and refracted on the back surface of the cover portion 24 via the lens portion 27 of the transparent resin 20 and reaches the contact surface 11.

  The cover portion 24 includes the contact surface 11, the diffraction element 12 ′, the imaging element 14, the reflection surfaces 17 and 18, and the light guide portion 43. The cover part 24 is located above the board part 26, and both side surfaces of the circuit board 21, the negative side surface of the transparent resin 20 on the Y axis side, and the positive side surface and upper surface of the transparent resin 20 'on the Y axis side. Is in close contact with.

  The diffractive element 12 ′ is located above the light source 16 and below the contact surface 11 and at a portion that does not contact the substrate portion 26 on the back surface of the cover portion 24. The diffractive element 12 ′ reflects the light L reflected from the subject 10, and converts the path of the light L in the positive direction of the Y axis inside the cover portion 24. The light L reflected from the subject 10 and reflected by the diffraction element 12 ′ travels toward the reflecting surface 17.

  A specific shape of the diffraction element 12 'will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8A is a schematic configuration diagram showing a cross-sectional shape of the diffraction element 12 ′. The diffractive element 12 'is a reflective diffractive element that uses + 1st order reflected diffracted light. As for the shape of the diffractive element 12 ′, for example, the cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 8A is preferably a blaze shape so that + 1st order light is strongly generated. By using the blazed diffractive element 12 ′ shown in FIG. 8A, the light use efficiency can be improved and the 0th order light, the −1st order light, and the higher order diffracted light that become stray light can be suppressed. Therefore, in the optical pointing device 30a, it is possible to prevent the imaging performance of the optical system from deteriorating.

  In order to improve the reflectance, a reflective film al (for example, aluminum, silver, gold, dielectric dichroic film, etc.) is vapor-deposited on the outer surface (surface on the negative side of the Z axis) of the diffraction element 12 ′. It is desirable. Here, as shown in FIG. 8A, the depth of the blazed groove (the length in the Z direction) of the diffractive element 12 'is t. The groove depth t is desirably a depth that maximizes the + 1st order diffraction efficiency. For example, when the refractive index n of the cover 24 and the wavelength of light emitted from the light source 16 are λ, it is desirable to set t = λ / (2n).

  Further, the blazed groove pattern of the diffractive element 12 'has a straight equal pitch as shown in FIG. 8B, and is desirably as fine as possible in order to increase the diffraction angle as much as possible. However, in terms of manufacturing, it is most advantageous in terms of cost to form and mold the groove by cutting using a cutting tool for the mold. Therefore, in consideration of the range in which the grooves can be accurately manufactured by cutting, it is desirable to design the groove pitch of the diffractive element 12 ′ between 0.8 to 3.0 μm.

  Further, in order to improve the imaging performance of capturing the image of the subject 10 projected onto the image sensor 15, the groove pattern of the diffraction element 12 ′ is curved as shown in FIG. Distortion can be corrected. Further, as shown in FIG. 8 (d), the groove pitch of the diffractive element 12 ′ is not an equal pitch but a pattern in which the pitch gradually changes, and the diffractive element 12 ′ is designed to have a lens effect in a certain direction. You may do it. In this case, it is possible to correct aberration that occurs due to the difference in focal length between the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction on the image sensor 15. Further, as shown in FIG. 8E, both the distortion of the image and the astigmatism (astigmatism) can be corrected by making the groove pattern of the diffraction element 12 ′ a curved and unequal pitch pattern. .

  As another specific example of the diffraction element 12 ', a reflection type Fresnel lens may be used for the diffraction element 12'. A specific shape of the Fresnel lens is shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a cross-sectional shape of a diffraction element 12 ′ that is a Fresnel lens, as in FIG. 8A. As shown in the figure, the cross-sectional shape of the Fresnel lens is a blaze shape. In order to improve the reflectance, it is desirable that a reflective film al (for example, aluminum, silver, gold, dielectric dichroic film, etc.) is deposited on the outer surface of the diffraction element 12 '. When a Fresnel lens is used for the diffractive element 12 ′, the thickness of the cover portion 24 can be made uniform compared to the case where a prism or a bulk lens is formed on a part of the cover portion 24. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the optical pointing device 30a while increasing the strength of the cover portion 24.

  Further, if a hologram lens is used for the diffraction element 12 ′, aberrations that cannot be corrected by a normal lens can be corrected, so that the imaging performance is improved, and the image of the subject 10 is projected clearly on the imaging element 15. Can do.

  As described above, when the diffractive element 12 ′ is used to reflect the light L reflected from the subject 10 in the horizontal direction, compared with the case where the bending element (prism) 12 is formed in the cover part 24, The thickness can be made uniform. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the thickness while increasing the strength of the cover portion 24. In addition, the light irradiated from the light source 16 can be irradiated to the contact surface 11 with uniform light intensity.

  Further, in an optical pointing device that bends the reflected light L from the subject 10 in the horizontal direction (for example, the configurations of Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3 described above), the size of the bending element 12, particularly the length in the Z-axis direction, is optical pointing. This greatly affects the thickness of the device. That is, in order to design the optical pointing device thin, it is important to reduce the length of the bending element 12 in the Z-axis direction. However, the size of the bending element 12 cannot be designed freely, and the size of the bending element 12 depends on the size of the contact surface 11. And in order to detect the pattern on the contact surface 11, the contact surface 11 must have a certain amount of area. Therefore, if the area of the contact surface 11 is to be secured, the bending element 12 inevitably increases, and the thickness of the optical pointing device 30 (size in the Z-axis direction) cannot be reduced.

  In the third embodiment, the optical pointing device 30a is made thinner than that in the first embodiment by using a diffraction element 12 ′ that can be smaller in length in the Z-axis direction than the bending element 12 instead of the bending element 12. Can be achieved.

  Further, in the third embodiment, the circuit board 21, the side surfaces on the negative side of the Y-axis of the transparent resin 20, and the side surface on the positive side of the Y-axis and the upper surface of the transparent resin 20 ′ are used as a reference. The cover part 24 is assembled above the part 26. Therefore, the positional relationship between the substrate part 26 and the cover part 24 can be arranged with high accuracy. Therefore, since each part and each element constituting the optical pointing device 30a can be arranged with high accuracy, the optical pointing device 30a with high detection accuracy of the subject 10 can be realized.

  In the third embodiment, as described above, an example in which the diffractive element 12 ′ is arranged in place of the bending element 12 of the first embodiment has been described. Similarly, the second embodiment is also applied to the second embodiment. Applicable.

[Fourth Embodiment]
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view of an optical pointing device 30b according to the fourth embodiment. In 4th Embodiment, the reflective surface 18 with which the cover part 24 is provided in 1st Embodiment is removed. That is, in the fourth embodiment, the cover portion 24 includes the contact surface 11, the bending element 12, the imaging element 14, and the reflection surface 17. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment due to the removal of the reflective surface 18 in the fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is omitted.

  In the fourth embodiment, the path of the light L in the first embodiment is different due to the absence of the reflecting surface 18. That is, in the fourth embodiment, the reflected light L from the subject 10 is totally reflected in the horizontal direction by the inclined surface 13 of the bending element 12 and travels toward the reflecting surface 17. Then, the light L is reflected by the reflecting surface 17 and reaches the imaging element 14. The light L is folded back and reflected by the imaging element 14, further reflected by the reflecting surface 17, and incident on the imaging element 15.

  As described above, in the fourth embodiment, as compared with the first embodiment, the light L reflected by the imaging element 14 is reflected by the reflecting surface 17 only once before entering the imaging element 15. Therefore, until the reflected light L from the subject 10 enters the image sensor 15, the chance of reflectance loss when reflected by each element is reduced, and the light utilization efficiency is increased. Further, since the optical path length of the light L can be designed to be relatively short, there is an effect that a bright optical system with a small F number can be realized.

  In the fourth embodiment, as described above, the case where the reflecting surface 18 is removed from the first embodiment has been described. However, the fourth embodiment is also applied to the second and third embodiments and is similarly reflected. It is also possible to remove the surface 18. In this case, it can be realized by appropriately designing the shape and position of the diffraction element 12 ′ and the positions of the imaging element 14 and the imaging element 15.

[Fifth Embodiment]
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view of an optical pointing device 30c according to the fifth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, the shape and arrangement of the imaging element 14 of the cover portion 24 in the first embodiment are changed to form an imaging element 14 ′. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment by changing the imaging element 14 to the imaging element 14 ′ in the fifth embodiment will be described. In the fifth embodiment, the description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is omitted.

  The cover part 24 includes the contact surface 11, the bending element 12, the imaging element 14 ′, the reflection surfaces 17 and 18 ′, and the light guide part 43. Unlike the first embodiment, the entire upper surface of the transparent resin 20 ′ and the back surface of the cover part 24 are in close contact with each other, and the cover part 24 is located above the transparent resin 20 ′ (the image pickup device 15). No recess is formed on the back surface of the plate.

  The imaging element 14 ′ reflects the reflected light L from the subject 10 and forms an image of the subject 10 on the imaging element 15. The imaging element 14 ′ is located above the image sensor 15 and on the positive side of the Y axis from the image sensor 15, and is located at the corner between the upper surface and the side surface of the cover portion 24. The imaging element 14 'forms a curved surface. That is, the corner between the upper surface and the side surface of the cover portion 24 on the positive direction side of the Y axis is R-processed. In order to efficiently reflect the light L in the imaging element 14 ′, a reflective film of metal (for example, aluminum, nickel, gold, silver, dielectric dichroic film, etc.) is provided on the toroidal surface of the imaging element 14 ′. Evaporate.

  The reflection surface 17 reflects the light L totally reflected by the inclined surface 13 toward the reflection surface 18 ′, and images the light L reflected from the imaging element 14 ′ and reflected by the reflection surface 18 ′. The light L is reflected so as to enter the element 15. The reflection surface 17 is located above the image sensor 15 and on the upper surface of the cover portion 24. The reflection surface 17 is formed by depositing a reflection film on the upper surface of the cover portion 24. Since the reflective film forming the reflective surface 17 is exposed to the outside and can be seen well by the user, it is desirable to make the film as inconspicuous as possible in appearance.

  In the present embodiment, the light source light reflecting coat 40 and the imaging element 14 ′ included in the reflecting surface 17 are shown as separate members in FIG. 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the light source light reflecting coat 40 and the imaging element 14 'may be formed of the same material such as a dielectric film to form a single member.

  The reflecting surface 18 ′ reflects the reflected light L from the subject 10 reflected by the reflecting surface 17 toward the imaging element 14 ′, and reflects the light L reflected from the imaging element 14 ′. It reflects toward the 17. The reflective surface 18 ′ is located above the image sensor 15 and on the positive side of the Y axis from the image sensor 15, and is located on the back surface of the cover portion 24. The negative end of the reflecting surface 18 ′ on the Y axis may be above the positive end of the Y axis of the image sensor 15. The reflection surface 18 ′ is formed by depositing a reflection film on the back surface of the cover portion 24. The reflective film forming the reflective surface 18 'is preferably one that reflects light efficiently. For example, the reflective surface 18 ′ is formed by depositing a metal such as aluminum, nickel, gold, silver, or a dielectric dichroic film.

  Here, a path in which light emitted from the light source 16 reflects the subject 10 and enters the image sensor 15 will be described. The light L reflected by the surface of the subject 10 is totally reflected by the inclined surface 13 of the bending element 12, and the path changes in the positive direction of the Y axis. The light L totally reflected by the inclined surface 13 is reflected by the reflecting surface 17 and the reflecting surface 18 ′ and reaches the imaging element 14 ′. Then, the light L is reflected back by the imaging element 14 ′, reflected one after another by the reflecting surface 18 ′ and the reflecting surface 17, and enters the image sensor 15.

  In the fifth embodiment, as compared with the first embodiment, the imaging element 14 ′ is not formed on the back surface of the cover portion 24, but the upper surface and side surfaces of the cover portion 24 on the positive direction side of the Y axis. And formed at the corner. Therefore, it is not necessary to make a shape in which the back surface of the cover portion 24 is greatly dug, and the cover portion 24 can be easily manufactured by molding. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to form a recess in the back surface of the cover part 24 located above the image sensor 15, the thickness of the cover part 24 can be made uniform. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the optical pointing device 30c while increasing the strength of the cover portion 24.

  In the present embodiment, the cover portion 24 is assembled above the substrate portion 26 with the side surface and the upper surface of the substrate portion 26 as a reference. Therefore, the positional relationship between the substrate part 26 and the cover part 24 can be arranged with high accuracy. Therefore, since each part and each element constituting the optical pointing device 30c can be arranged with high accuracy, the optical pointing device 30c with high detection accuracy of the subject 10 can be realized.

  Although the fifth embodiment has been described as an example in which the first embodiment is modified, the fifth embodiment can be similarly applied to the second and third embodiments. For example, specifically, the size and arrangement of each part and each element are appropriately designed by replacing the imaging element 14 of the third embodiment with the imaging element 14 'and the reflecting surface 18 with the reflecting surface 18'. Thus, the same effect can be achieved. Furthermore, by applying to the third embodiment, no recess is formed on the back surface of the cover portion 24, and the back surface of the cover portion 24 can be formed as a flat surface. Therefore, the strength of the cover part 24 can be further increased, the cover part 24 and the substrate part 26 can be assembled with higher accuracy, and the optical pointing device 30c can be further reduced in thickness.

[Sixth Embodiment]
Finally, an electronic device equipped with an optical pointing device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the mobile phone 100 on which the optical pointing device 107 is mounted. 12A is a front view of the mobile phone 100, FIG. 12B is a rear view of the mobile phone 100, and FIG. 12C is a side view of the mobile phone 100. Although FIG. 12 shows an example in which the electronic device is a mobile phone, the present invention is not limited to this. The electronic device may be, for example, a PC (particularly a mobile PC), a PDA, a game machine, a remote controller such as a television, or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the mobile phone 100 includes a monitor side casing 101 and an operation side casing 102. The monitor-side casing 101 includes a monitor unit 105 and a speaker unit 106, and the operation-side casing 102 includes a microphone unit 103, a numeric keypad 104, and an optical pointing device 107. Any of the optical pointing devices 30, 30 ′ 30 a, 30 b, and 30 c described in the first to fifth embodiments can be applied to the optical pointing device 107 mounted on the mobile phone 100.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12A, the optical pointing device 107 is arranged on the upper part of the numeric keypad 104. However, the arrangement method and the direction of the optical pointing device 107 are not limited thereto. It is not done.

  The speaker unit 106 outputs audio information to the outside, and the microphone unit 103 inputs audio information to the mobile phone 100. The monitor unit 105 outputs video information. In the present embodiment, the monitor unit 105 displays input information from the optical pointing device 107.

  Note that, as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C, the cellular phone 100 according to this embodiment includes an upper casing (monitor-side casing 101) and a lower casing (operation-side casing 102). As an example, a so-called foldable mobile phone 100 is connected to each other via a hinge. Since the folding type is mainstream as the cellular phone 100, the folding type cellular phone is given as an example in this embodiment, and the cellular phone 100 on which the optical pointing device 107 can be mounted is foldable. It is not limited.

  In recent years, a folding mobile phone 100 having a thickness of 10 mm or less in a folded state has appeared. If the portability of the mobile phone 100 is taken into consideration, its thickness is an extremely important factor. In the operation-side casing 102 shown in FIG. 12, components that determine the thickness of the operation-side casing 102 except for an internal circuit board (not shown) are a microphone unit 103, a numeric keypad 104, and an optical pointing device 107. Among these, the thickness of the optical pointing device 107 is the largest, and the thinning of the optical pointing device 107 directly leads to the thinning of the mobile phone 100. Therefore, the optical pointing device of the present invention that can be thinned as described above is a preferred invention for an electronic device that needs to be thinned, such as the cellular phone 100.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[Modification]
It can be said that the present invention has the following configuration.

  The light guide type optical member according to the present invention reflects the light incident from the incident portion so as to guide the light incident in the light guide direction, and further reflects the reflected light in the opposite direction to the light guide direction. And an imaging reflection part that forms an image, and the light imaged by the imaging reflection part is emitted from the emission part.

  In addition, the light guide method according to the present invention reflects the light incident from the incident portion to guide the light in the light guide direction, further reflects the reflected light in the opposite direction to the light guide direction, and forms an image. Then, the reflected and imaged light is emitted from the emission part.

  According to the above configuration, since the light guide type optical member includes the reflection part and the image formation reflection part, the light guide type optical member, the reflection part, and the image formation reflection part can be configured by one component. it can. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts constituting the optical pointing device including the light guide type optical member. Therefore, the number of assembling steps can be reduced in the manufacturing process of the optical pointing device. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an assembly error that occurs when assembling each component. Also, by creating a mold for forming the light guide type optical member with high accuracy, the reflecting portion and the imaging reflecting portion can be manufactured with high accuracy, and the incident portion, the reflecting portion and the imaging reflecting portion can be manufactured. Can be arranged with high accuracy without variation. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the optical pointing device including the light guide type optical member, and it is possible to realize an optical pointing device with high subject detection accuracy.

  In order to solve the above problems, an optical pointing device according to the present invention receives a light source that irradiates a subject and reflected light from the subject from an incident portion, guides the incident light, and exits from an exit portion. An optical pointing device comprising a light guide type optical member and an image sensor that receives light emitted from the light guide type optical member, wherein the light guide type optical member guides light incident from the incident part. Reflecting to guide light in the light direction, reflecting the reflected light in the opposite direction to the light guide direction and forming an image, and emitting the reflected and imaged light from the emitting portion. It is a feature.

  According to said structure, the said light guide type optical member reflects in order to guide the light which injected from the said incident part to a light guide direction, and this reflected light is further made into the opposite direction with respect to the said light guide direction. The reflected and imaged light is emitted, and the reflected and imaged light is emitted from the emitting portion. That is, apart from the light guide type optical member, there is no need to provide a component that reflects to guide light in the light guide direction or a component that reflects in the opposite direction to the light guide direction and forms an image. For this reason, the number of parts constituting the optical pointing device can be reduced. Therefore, the number of assembling steps can be reduced in the manufacturing process of the optical pointing device. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an assembly error that occurs when assembling each component. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the optical pointing device and to realize an optical pointing device with high subject detection accuracy.

  In the optical pointing device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the light guide type optical member is formed integrally with a cover portion for protecting the imaging element.

  According to said structure, since the cover part and the light guide type optical member are shape | molded integrally, the number of parts which comprise an optical pointing device can be reduced. Therefore, the number of assembling steps can be reduced in the manufacturing process of the optical pointing device. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an assembly error that occurs when assembling each component. Moreover, the light guide type optical member can be manufactured with high accuracy by forming the mold for forming the cover portion with high accuracy. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the optical pointing device can be reduced, and an optical pointing device with high object detection accuracy can be realized.

  In the optical pointing device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the light source and the imaging element are arranged on a substrate and each is sealed with a transparent resin.

  According to said structure, the said light source, the said image pick-up element, and the said board | substrate are integrally formed. For this reason, the number of parts constituting the optical pointing device can be reduced. Therefore, the number of assembling steps can be reduced in the manufacturing process of the optical pointing device. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an assembly error that occurs when assembling each component. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the optical pointing device can be reduced, and an optical pointing device with high object detection accuracy can be realized.

  Further, in the optical pointing device according to the present invention, the transparent resin in which the light source and the imaging element are respectively resin-sealed has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and one side surface of the transparent resin in which the light source is resin-sealed is: One side surface of the other transparent resin disposed on the same plane as the one side surface of the substrate and resin-sealing the imaging element is disposed on the same plane as the other side surface of the substrate, The cover portion using the upper surface, both side surfaces of the substrate, and one side surface of the transparent resin in which the light source and the image pickup device in the same plane as the resin are sealed as the reference for positioning the light guide type optical member Is preferably disposed on the upper side of the substrate.

  According to the above configuration, the upper surface of the transparent resin, both side surfaces of the substrate, and one side surface of the transparent resin that is disposed on the same plane as the light source and the image sensor, Is used as a reference for positioning the light guide type optical member, and the light guide type optical member is arranged on the upper side of the substrate. Therefore, each positional relationship of a light source, an image pick-up element, a board | substrate, and a light guide type optical member can be arrange | positioned with high precision. Therefore, an optical pointing device with high subject detection accuracy can be realized.

  In the light guide type optical member according to the present invention, a concave portion is formed on the back surface of the light guide type optical member having the emitting portion, and the reflecting portion has a slope formed in the concave portion. It is preferable.

  According to said structure, a reflection part is a recessed part which has an inclined surface located in the back surface with the output part of the said light guide type optical member. Therefore, since the shape of the mold for forming the light guide type optical member becomes simple, the light guide type optical member can be easily manufactured, and the manufacturing cost of the light guide type optical member can be easily reduced. It is.

  In the light guide type optical member according to the present invention, the reflection part may be formed on a back surface of the light guide type optical member having the emission part, and the reflection part may be a reflection type diffraction element. preferable.

  According to said structure, the said reflection part is a reflection type diffraction element located in the back surface with the said output part of the said light guide type optical member. That is, the light guide type optical member including the function of the reflection part can be formed without forming a recess for forming the reflection part in the light guide type optical member. Therefore, the thickness of the light guide type optical member can be made more uniform than that of the light guide type optical member including the reflection part of the concave portion, and the light guide type optical member can be increased while increasing the strength of the light guide type optical member. Thinning of the member can be realized.

  Further, in the light guide type optical member according to the present invention, a concave portion is formed on the back surface of the light guide type optical member having the emitting portion, and the imaging reflection portion is formed in the concave portion. It is preferable to have a toroidal surface in which the curvature of the surface in the light guide direction and the curvature of the surface orthogonal to the light guide direction are different.

  According to said structure, the said imaging reflection part has the toroidal surface formed in the recessed part of the back surface in which the said output part of the said light guide type optical member exists. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily correct astigmatism (astigmatism) generated due to a difference in focal length between the light guide direction and the direction orthogonal to the light guide direction. Therefore, the imaging performance of the imaging reflection unit is improved, and the image sensor can clearly capture the image of the subject.

  In the light guide type optical member according to the present invention, the reflection part is formed on a back surface of the light guide type optical member having the emission part, and the reflection part is a reflection type Fresnel lens. Is preferred.

  According to said structure, the said reflection part is a reflection type Fresnel lens located in the back surface in which the said output part of the said light guide type optical member exists. That is, the light guide type optical member including the function of the reflection part can be formed without forming a recess for forming the reflection part in the light guide type optical member. Therefore, the thickness of the light guide type optical member can be made more uniform than that of the light guide type optical member including the reflection part of the concave portion, and the light guide type optical member can be increased while increasing the strength of the light guide type optical member. Thinning of the member can be realized.

  In the light guide type optical member according to the present invention, the reflection part is formed on a back surface of the light guide type optical member having the emission part, and the reflection part is a reflection type hologram lens. Is preferred.

  According to said structure, the said reflection part is a reflection type hologram lens. Therefore, it is possible to correct aberrations that cannot be corrected with a normal lens. Accordingly, the imaging performance of the imaging reflection unit that reflects the reflected light of the reflection unit is improved, and the imaging element can clearly capture the image of the subject.

  In addition, the light guide type optical member according to the present invention further includes a reflection film that totally reflects the light reflected by the reflection portion and emits the light to the imaging reflection portion, and the reflection film has the incident portion. It is preferable that it is a part of the surface of the light guide type optical member and is located at a place other than the incident part.

  According to said structure, the said reflecting film is a part of surface of the said light guide type optical member with the said incident part, is located in places other than the said incident part, and all the lights reflected by the said reflection part are reflected. It is a reflection. The surface of the light guide type optical member having the incident portion may be in contact with the subject, the subject is in contact with a portion other than the incident portion, and is reflected by the reflection portion at the location where the subject is in contact. When the reflected light is reflected, the light reflected by the reflecting portion is not reflected by the surface of the light guide type optical member, but is reflected by the surface of the subject. Reflecting on the surface of the subject at a place other than the incident portion causes a shift in the path of light reflected by the reflecting portion. Therefore, by disposing a reflective film that totally reflects the light reflected by the reflecting portion, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a shift in the path of the light reflected by the reflecting portion. Accordingly, the imaging performance of the imaging reflection unit is improved, and the image sensor can clearly capture the image of the subject.

  In the light guide type optical member according to the present invention, it is preferable that the wavelength of light incident from the incident portion is a non-visible wavelength, and the reflective film transmits light having a visible wavelength.

  According to said structure, since the said reflecting film permeate | transmits the light of visible wavelength, the reflecting film formed in the surface of a light guide type optical member cannot be visually recognized with the naked eye. Therefore, even when a reflective film is formed on the surface of the light guide type optical member, the appearance of the light guide type optical member is not affected.

  In addition, the light guide type optical member according to the present invention has a path of light incident from the incident part until the light incident from the incident part is emitted from the output part. It is preferable to pass through.

  According to said structure, the path | route of the light which injected from the said incident part has passed through the said light guide type optical member until the light incident from the said incident part is radiate | emitted from the said output part. That is, the reflected light from the subject passes through the incident portion and enters the light guide type optical member, and then is reflected by the reflecting portion, reflected by the imaging reflecting portion, and the emitting portion. Until it is further emitted, the light incident from the incident part propagates in one medium. Therefore, scattering reflection and attenuation occurring at the boundary between different media can be prevented.

  In the light guide type optical member according to the present invention, the light incident from the incident part includes a surface of the light guide type optical member having the incident part and a back surface of the light guide type optical member having the emitting part. It is preferable that the light is reflected between and emitted from the emission part.

  According to the above configuration, the light incident from the incident part is reflected between the surface of the light guide type optical member with the incident part and the back surface of the light guide type optical member with the emission part, The light is emitted from the emission part. For this reason, it is possible to design a long light path from the incidence from the incidence part to the emission from the emission part.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the electronic device according to the present invention includes the optical pointing device.

  According to the above configuration, the electronic device includes the optical pointing device that can be easily reduced in thickness. When the optical pointing device is mounted, the thickness of the optical pointing device greatly affects the thickness of the electronic device. Therefore, even if the optical pointing device is provided, the electronic device can be thinned.

  As described above, the light guide type optical member according to the present invention includes a reflection part that reflects light incident from the incident part in the light guide direction, and further reflects the reflected light with respect to the light guide direction. An image forming reflection unit that reflects in the opposite direction and forms an image is formed, and light formed by the image forming reflection unit is emitted from the emission unit.

  Therefore, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the optical pointing device including the light guide type optical member, and it is possible to realize an optical pointing device with high subject detection accuracy.

  The present invention can be used for an input device such as a PC or a cellular phone, and can be suitably used for a portable device that is particularly required to be small and thin.

10 Subject 11 Contact surface (incident part)
12 Bending element (reflection part)
12 'Diffraction element (reflection part)
13 Inclined surface (slope)
14, 14 'imaging element (imaging reflection part)
15 Image sensor 16 Light source 17, 17 ′, 18, 18 ′ Reflecting surface (reflective film)
20, 20 'Transparent resin 21 Circuit board (board)
24 Cover (light guide type optical member)
25 Bottom surface 26 Substrate part 27 Lens part 30, 30 ', 30a, 30b, 30c Optical pointing device 40 Light source light reflection coat (first reflection film)
40 'metal film (first reflective film)
41 Specific color reflective color coat (second reflective film)
42 Opening part 43 Light guide part 100 Mobile phone 101 Monitor side case 102 Operation side case 103 Microphone part 104 Numeric keypad 105 Monitor part 106 Speaker part 107 Optical pointing device L, L1, L2, L3 Reflected light from subject M From light source Illuminated light y1 Y-axis length of the contact surface center and imaging element center y2 Y-axis direction length of the contact surface center and imaging element center z1 Z-axis length of the contact surface center and imaging element center z2 Cover Thickness of the part z3 Z-axis direction length of the contact surface and imaging element surface θ Inclination angle

Claims (7)

A light source that irradiates light to the subject, a light guide type optical member having a light guide part that reflects the reflected light from the subject and guides the inside thereof, and receives light guided by the light guide type optical member An optical pointing device comprising:
The light guide type optical member includes a first reflective film that reflects light emitted from the light source on a surface including a region for detecting a subject in the light guide unit, and a predetermined light among visible light region light. A second reflective film that reflects only light in the wavelength band of
The first reflective film is formed so as to avoid a region for detecting a subject in the light guide unit,
The optical pointing device, wherein the first reflective film and the second reflective film are arranged in order of the second reflective film and the first reflective film from the subject side. A light source that irradiates light to the subject, a light guide type optical member having a light guide part that reflects the reflected light from the subject and guides the inside thereof, and receives light guided by the light guide type optical member An optical pointing device comprising:
The light guide type optical member reflects light emitted from the light source on a surface including a region for detecting a subject in the light guide unit, and emits light in a predetermined wavelength band out of light in the visible light region. A first reflective film that transmits, and a second reflective film that reflects at least part of light in the visible light region that transmits through the first reflective film and transmits light emitted from the light source And
The first reflective film is formed so as to avoid a region for detecting a subject in the light guide unit,
The optical pointing device, wherein the first reflective film and the second reflective film are arranged in order of the first reflective film and the second reflective film from the subject side.   The optical pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide type optical member is formed of a visible light absorbing resin.   4. The optical pointing device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first reflective film and the second reflective film is a dielectric film. 5.   The optical pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the first reflective film is a metal film.   The optical pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the second reflective film has a hardness of 2H or more.   An electronic apparatus comprising the optical pointing device according to claim 1.

Images