JP6517403B1 - Game controller - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a game controller in which components are appropriately arranged in a substantially spherical game controller. A game controller includes a spherical casing (211), a joystick (212), operation buttons, a vibration unit, and an antenna. The housing 211 has a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere. The joystick 212 is provided on the boundary between the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere. The operation button has an operation surface 213 provided on the top of the first hemisphere. The vibrating portion is provided inside the second hemispherical portion, and generates vibration to vibrate the housing. The antenna is provided inside the first hemisphere, and transmits information regarding the operation to the joystick 212 and information regarding the operation to the operation button to the outside. [Selected figure] Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a game controller.

  Conventionally, a spherical controller has been provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-339088 A

  There is room for improvement in the arrangement of components in the spherical controller.

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to properly arrange the components in a spherical controller.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following configurations (1) to (23).

(1)
An example of the present invention comprises a spherical housing, a joystick, a game controller comprising an operation button, and antenna. The housing has a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere. The joystick is provided on the boundary of the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere. Operation buttons, that have a operating surface provided on the top portion of the first hemisphere. Antenna is provided inside the first semi-spherical portion, and transmits the information about the operation to the information and operation buttons on the operation of the joystick to the outside. The game controller may further include a vibration unit provided inside the second hemisphere to generate vibration to vibrate the housing.

  According to the configuration of the above (1), the joystick and the operation button can be arranged at a position easy for the user to operate. Further, according to the configuration of the above (1), the game controller can output the vibration by the vibration unit. Moreover, according to the configuration of the above (1), the antenna can be provided at an appropriate position.

(2)
The antenna may be provided closer to the joystick than the center of the housing.

(3)
The game controller may further comprise a first electronic substrate. The first electronic board is provided with a contact for detecting an operation on the operation surface and an antenna.

(4)
The game controller may further include a control unit and a second electronic board. The control unit causes the antenna unit to transmit information on the operation on the joystick and information on the operation on the operation button to the outside. The second electronic substrate is an electronic substrate provided with a control unit and different from the first electronic substrate.

(5)
The housing may include a hemispherical first hemispherical housing corresponding to the first hemispherical portion, and a hemispherical second hemispherical housing corresponding to the second hemispherical portion.

  According to the configuration of (5), the game controller can cause the user to recognize the direction of the game controller based on the positional relationship between the two hemispherical casings.

(6)
The housing may further include a spherical belt-like housing provided between the first hemispherical housing and the second hemispherical housing.

  According to the configuration of (6), the game controller can cause the user to recognize the direction of the game controller based on the positional relationship between the two hemispherical housings and the spherical housing.

(7)
The spherical housing may be ring-shaped.

(8)
The joystick may be provided on a ball-shaped housing.

  According to the above configuration (8), the positional relationship between the two hemispherical housings and the spherical housing facilitates the user to recognize an appropriate input direction to the joystick.

(9)
The spherical housing may have an annulus which surrounds the joystick.

(10)
The ball and belt case includes a band-like first band extending in the right direction in the direction input of the joystick from the ring, and a band-like second band extending in the left direction in the direction input of the joystick from the ring You may have a part.

  According to the configuration of the above (10), the positional relationship between the joystick and the band makes it easy for the user to recognize an appropriate input direction to the joystick.

(11)
The operation surface may be integrally formed with the surface of the housing.

(12)
The center of gravity of the game controller may be located inside the second hemisphere.

  According to the configuration of the above (12), when the game controller is placed on a horizontal surface in a state where no external force is applied, it is possible to make the side provided with the operation button not to face downward.

(13)
The game controller may further comprise an inertial sensor. The inertial sensor is provided inside the housing at a position where the distance from the center of the housing is shorter than the distance from the center to the vibrating portion.

  According to the configuration of (13), the detection accuracy by the inertial sensor can be improved.

(14)
The antenna may transmit the output information from the inertial sensor to the outside.

(15)
The game controller may further include a rechargeable battery provided inside the housing. The rechargeable battery may be provided at a position where the distance from the center of the housing is shorter than the distance from the center of the housing to the vibrating portion.

  According to the configuration of the above (15), the rechargeable battery can be protected safely.

(16)
The operation button may have a movable portion that moves in response to depression of the operation surface. The movable portion may be pivotable about a predetermined axis. The game controller may further include a detection unit that detects an operation on the operation surface according to rotation of the movable unit.

  According to the configuration of the above (16), the detection unit can easily detect the pressing operation regardless of the depressed position of the operation surface. This can reduce the possibility that the operation on the operation surface is not detected.

(17)
The predetermined axis may be substantially perpendicular to a straight line connecting the center of the housing and the center of the operation surface of the operation button.

  According to the configuration of the above (17), the possibility that the operation on the operation surface is not detected can be reduced.

(18)
The antenna may be capable of externally receiving a signal for vibrating the vibrating unit. The vibrator may vibrate based on the signal received by the antenna.

  According to the configuration of the above (18), the game controller can vibrate based on an external signal.

(19)
The vibration unit may include a voice coil motor that vibrates in response to an input signal and generates sound.

  According to the configuration of (19), the game controller can output vibration and sound.

(20)
At least one of the housing and the operation surface may be provided with a mark indicating the position of the operation surface.

According to the configuration of the above (20), the user can easily recognize where the operation surface of the surface of the housing is.

(21)
The game controller may further include a rechargeable battery and a terminal. The rechargeable battery is provided inside the housing. The terminal is electrically connected to the rechargeable battery and provided at a recessed position with respect to the surface of the housing.

  According to the configuration of (21), since the terminal is provided at a position recessed with respect to the spherical surface of the housing, the possibility of the terminal coming into contact with the surface on which the game controller is mounted can be reduced.

(22)
The vibrating portion may have a cylindrical outer shape.

  According to the configuration of (22), the space in the case can be efficiently used.

(23)
The game controller may further comprise a restart button for restarting the game controller. The operation surface of the restart button may be provided at a recessed position with respect to the surface of the housing.

  According to the configuration of the above (23), the possibility that the restart button is operated erroneously can be reduced.

  Note that another example of the present invention may be an information processing system including the game controller in the above (1) to (23) and an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with the game controller.

  According to the present invention, components can be properly arranged in a spherical controller.

A diagram showing an example of a state in which the left controller and the right controller are mounted on the main unit Figure showing an example of the main unit with the left controller and right controller removed Six views showing an example of the main unit Six views showing an example of the left controller Six views showing an example of the right controller Block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the main unit Block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the main unit, left controller and right controller A perspective view showing an example of a spherical controller A perspective view showing an example of a spherical controller Six views showing an example of the controller body Figure showing an example of a case A diagram showing an example of a user holding the controller body A diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the joystick and the operation surface A diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the joystick and the operation surface An exploded perspective view of an example of the upper unit An exploded perspective view of an example of the upper unit Cross-sectional view of an example of the upper unit Sectional view of an example of the upper unit in a state where the operation surface is pushed down An exploded perspective view of an example of the middle unit An exploded perspective view of an example of the middle unit Cross section of an example of the middle unit A perspective view showing an example of the positional relationship between the middle part housing, the light guiding part, and the main board An exploded perspective view of an example of the lower unit An exploded perspective view of an example of the upper unit and an example of the middle unit An exploded perspective view of an example of the controller body An exploded perspective view of an example of the controller body Sectional view of an example of the controller body Diagram schematically showing the vicinity of the front end portion of an example of a spherical controller Rear view of an example of the controller main body with the cover removed A diagram showing an example of how the controller body emits light The perspective view which shows an example of a light guide part Six views showing an example of a light guide A diagram schematically showing an example of how light passes through the left extending portion A diagram showing an example of the back side of the periphery Cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a cross-section of the peripheral part The figure which shows an example of arrangement | positioning of the light emitting element in a light emission part Block diagram showing an example of the electrical connection of the spherical controller

[1. Game system using spherical controller]
Before describing a spherical controller according to an example of the present embodiment, first, a game system in which the spherical controller is used will be described. An example of the game system 1 in the present embodiment includes a main device (an information processing device; functioning as a game device main body in the present embodiment) 2, a left controller 3 and a right controller 4. In the main unit 2, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are detachable. That is, the game system 1 can be used as a device integrated with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 attached to the main device 2 respectively. The game system 1 can also use the main device 2 and the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 separately (see FIG. 2). Below, the hardware constitutions of the game system 1 of this embodiment are demonstrated, and control of the game system 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated after that.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are attached to the main device 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are respectively mounted on and integrated with the main device 2. The main device 2 is a device that executes various types of processing (for example, game processing) in the game system 1. The main device 2 includes a display 12. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are devices provided with an operation unit for the user to input.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the main device 2 with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 removed. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are removable from the main device 2. In the following, “left controller 3” and “right controller 4” may be collectively referred to as “controller”.

  FIG. 3 is a six-sided view showing an example of the main device 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the main device 2 includes a substantially plate-like housing 11. In the present embodiment, the main surface of the housing 11 (in other words, the surface on the front side, that is, the surface on which the display 12 is provided) is generally rectangular.

  The shape and size of the housing 11 are arbitrary. As an example, the housing 11 may be portable in size. Further, the main device 2 alone or an integrated device in which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are mounted to the main device 2 may be a portable device. Also, the main device 2 or the integrated device may be a hand-held device. Also, the main device 2 or the integrated device may be a portable device.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the main device 2 includes a display 12 provided on the main surface of the housing 11. The display 12 displays the image generated by the main device 2. In the present embodiment, the display 12 is a liquid crystal display (LCD). However, the display 12 may be any type of display device.

  Further, the main device 2 includes a touch panel 13 on the screen of the display 12. In the present embodiment, the touch panel 13 is of a type (for example, a capacitance type) capable of multi-touch input. However, the touch panel 13 may be of any type, and for example, may be of a type (for example, a resistive film type) capable of single touch input.

  The main body device 2 includes a speaker (that is, a speaker 88 shown in FIG. 6) inside the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 3, speaker holes 11 a and 11 b are formed on the main surface of the housing 11. And the output sound of the speaker 88 is each output from these speaker holes 11a and 11b.

  Further, the main device 2 includes a left terminal 17 which is a terminal for the main device 2 to perform wired communication with the left controller 3, and a right terminal 21 for the main device 2 to perform wired communication with the right controller 4.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the main device 2 includes a slot 23. The slot 23 is provided on the upper side surface of the housing 11. The slot 23 has a shape in which a predetermined type of storage medium can be loaded. The predetermined type of storage medium is, for example, a storage medium (for example, a dedicated memory card) dedicated to the game system 1 and an information processing apparatus of the same type. The storage medium of a predetermined type stores, for example, data (for example, save data of application etc.) used by the main body device 2 and / or a program (for example, application program etc.) to be executed by the main body device 2 Used to In addition, the main device 2 is provided with a power button 28.

  The main device 2 includes the lower terminal 27. The lower terminal 27 is a terminal for the main device 2 to communicate with the cradle. In the present embodiment, the lower terminal 27 is a USB connector (more specifically, a female connector). When the integrated device or the main device 2 alone is placed on a cradle, the game system 1 can display an image generated and output by the main device 2 on the stationary monitor. Further, in the present embodiment, the cradle has a function of charging the single integrated device or main device 2 placed thereon. Also, the cradle has the function of a hub device (specifically, a USB hub).

  FIG. 4 is a six-sided view showing an example of the left controller 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the left controller 3 includes a housing 31. In the present embodiment, the housing 31 has a vertically long shape, that is, a long shape in the vertical direction (that is, the y-axis direction shown in FIGS. 1 and 4). The left controller 3 can also be gripped in a vertically long orientation in a state where it is removed from the main device 2. The housing 31 has a shape and a size that can be gripped by one hand, in particular, the left hand, when grasped in the portrait orientation. The left controller 3 can also be gripped in a horizontally long orientation. When the left controller 3 is gripped in the horizontal orientation, it may be gripped by both hands.

  The left controller 3 comprises an analog stick 32. As shown in FIG. 4, the analog stick 32 is provided on the main surface of the housing 31. The analog stick 32 can be used as a direction input unit capable of inputting a direction. By tilting the analog stick 32, the user can input in a direction corresponding to the tilting direction (and input in a size corresponding to the tilting angle). The left controller 3 may be provided with a cross key, a slide stick capable of slide input, or the like as the direction input unit, instead of the analog stick. Further, in the present embodiment, an input for pressing the analog stick 32 is possible.

  The left controller 3 has various operation buttons. The left controller 3 includes four operation buttons 33 to 36 (specifically, the right direction button 33, the down direction button 34, the up direction button 35, and the left direction button 36) on the main surface of the housing 31. Furthermore, the left controller 3 includes a recording button 37 and a − (minus) button 47. The left controller 3 is provided with a first L button 38 and a ZL button 39 at the upper left of the side surface of the housing 31. The left controller 3 also has a second L button 43 and a second R button 44 on the side of the side of the housing 31 to which the left controller 3 is attached when being attached to the main device 2. These operation buttons are used to issue instructions in accordance with various programs (for example, an OS program or an application program) executed by the main body device 2.

  The left controller 3 also includes a terminal 42 for the left controller 3 to perform wired communication with the main device 2.

  FIG. 5 is a six-sided view showing an example of the right controller 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the right controller 4 includes a housing 51. In the present embodiment, the housing 51 has a vertically long shape, that is, a vertically long shape. The right controller 4 can also be gripped in a portrait orientation in a state of being detached from the main device 2. The housing 51 is shaped and sized so that it can be gripped by one hand, in particular by the right hand, when gripped in a portrait orientation. The right controller 4 can also be gripped in a horizontally long orientation. When the right controller 4 is gripped in the horizontal orientation, it may be gripped by both hands.

  Similar to the left controller 3, the right controller 4 includes an analog stick 52 as a direction input unit. In the present embodiment, the analog stick 52 has the same configuration as the analog stick 32 of the left controller 3. Further, the right controller 4 may be provided with a cross key, a slide stick capable of slide input, or the like, instead of the analog stick. Also, the right controller 4 has four operation buttons 53 to 56 (specifically, the A button 53, the B button 54, the X button 55, and the Y button 56) on the main surface of the housing 51 in the same manner as the left controller 3. Equipped with Furthermore, the right controller 4 includes a + (plus) button 57 and a home button 58. The right controller 4 also has a first R button 60 and a ZR button 61 on the upper right of the side surface of the housing 51. Further, the right controller 4 is provided with a second L button 65 and a second R button 66 in the same manner as the left controller 3.

  A window 68 is provided on the lower side of the housing 51. Although the details will be described later, the right controller 4 includes an infrared imaging unit 123 and an infrared light emitting unit 124 disposed inside the housing 51. The infrared imaging unit 123 images the periphery of the right controller 4 through the window 68 with the lower direction of the right controller 4 (the y-axis negative direction shown in FIG. 5) as the imaging direction. The infrared light emitting unit 124 has a predetermined range centered on the lower direction of the right controller 4 (the negative direction of the y axis shown in FIG. 5) as the irradiation range, and the imaging target to be imaged by the infrared imaging unit 123 Emits infrared light. The window 68 is for protecting the lens of the camera of the infrared imaging unit 123, the light emitter of the infrared light emitter 124 and the like, and the light of the wavelength detected by the camera and the light irradiated by the light emitter are It is made of a transparent material (for example, a transparent material). The window 68 may be a hole formed in the housing 51. In the present embodiment, the infrared imaging unit 123 itself has a filter member that suppresses transmission of light of wavelengths other than light (in the present embodiment, infrared light) detected by the camera. However, in other embodiments, the window 68 may have the function of a filter.

  Although the details will be described later, the right controller 4 includes an NFC communication unit 122. The NFC communication unit 122 performs near field wireless communication based on the NFC (Near Field Communication) standard. The NFC communication unit 122 includes an antenna 122a used for near field communication and a circuit (for example, an NFC chip) that generates a signal (radio wave) to be transmitted from the antenna 122a. The NFC communication unit 122 may perform near field communication by arbitrary near field communication (also referred to as non-contact communication) instead of performing near field wireless communication based on the NFC standard. Here, the NFC standard can be used for near-field communication (non-contact communication), and "Near-field wireless communication may be performed by any near-field communication" means that the near-field according to the NFC standard is used. It is intended that near field communication may be performed by other near field communication except communication.

  In addition, the right controller 4 includes a terminal 64 for the right controller 4 to perform wired communication with the main device 2.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the main device 2. The main body device 2 includes the components 81 to 91, 97, and 98 shown in FIG. 6 in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. Some of these components 81 to 91, 97, and 98 may be mounted on the electronic circuit board as electronic components and housed in the housing 11.

  The main device 2 includes a processor 81. The processor 81 is an information processing unit that executes various types of information processing executed in the main device 2. For example, the processor 81 may be configured of only a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a CPU function, and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). ) May be configured from a SoC (System-on-a-chip) including a plurality of functions such as functions. The processor 81 executes an information processing program (for example, a game program) stored in a storage unit (specifically, an internal storage medium such as a flash memory 84 or an external storage medium installed in the slot 23). To execute various information processing.

  The main body device 2 includes a flash memory 84 and a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 85 as an example of an internal storage medium incorporated therein. The flash memory 84 and the DRAM 85 are connected to the processor 81. The flash memory 84 is a memory mainly used to store various data (which may be a program) stored in the main device 2. The DRAM 85 is a memory used to temporarily store various data used in information processing.

  The main body device 2 includes a slot interface (hereinafter abbreviated as “I / F”) 91. The slot I / F 91 is connected to the processor 81. The slot I / F 91 is connected to the slot 23 and performs reading and writing of data with respect to a predetermined type of storage medium (for example, a dedicated memory card) loaded in the slot 23 according to an instruction of the processor 81.

  The processor 81 appropriately reads and writes data to and from the flash memory 84 and the DRAM 85 and the above-described storage media to execute the above-described information processing.

  The main device 2 includes a network communication unit 82. The network communication unit 82 is connected to the processor 81. The network communication unit 82 communicates (specifically, wireless communication) with an external device via a network. In the present embodiment, the network communication unit 82 connects to a wireless LAN and communicates with an external device by a method based on the Wi-Fi standard as a first communication mode. In addition, the network communication unit 82 performs wireless communication with another main device 2 of the same type by a predetermined communication method (for example, communication according to a unique protocol or infrared communication) as a second communication mode. Note that wireless communication according to the second communication mode can be wirelessly communicated with another main device 2 disposed in a closed local network area, and directly communicates among a plurality of main devices 2 This realizes a function that enables so-called "local communication" in which data is transmitted and received.

  The main device 2 includes a controller communication unit 83. The controller communication unit 83 is connected to the processor 81. The controller communication unit 83 wirelessly communicates with the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4. Although the communication method between the main unit 2 and the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is arbitrary, in the present embodiment, the controller communication unit 83 performs Bluetooth (between the left controller 3 and the right controller 4). Communication according to the standard of registered trademark) is performed.

  The processor 81 is connected to the left side terminal 17, the right side terminal 21, and the lower side terminal 27 described above. The processor 81 transmits data to the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17 and receives operation data from the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17 when performing wired communication with the left controller 3. Further, when performing wired communication with the right controller 4, the processor 81 transmits data to the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21 and receives operation data from the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21. Further, when communicating with the cradle, the processor 81 transmits data to the cradle via the lower terminal 27. As described above, in the present embodiment, the main device 2 can perform both wired communication and wireless communication with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 respectively. Further, when the integrated device or the main device 2 alone in which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are attached to the main device 2 is attached to the cradle, the main device 2 transmits data (e.g. Data) can be output to a stationary monitor or the like.

  Here, the main device 2 can communicate with the plurality of left controllers 3 simultaneously (in other words, in parallel). Further, the main device 2 can perform communication simultaneously (in other words, in parallel) with the plurality of right controllers 4. Therefore, a plurality of users can simultaneously input to the main device 2 using the set of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 respectively. As an example, the second user uses the second set of left controller 3 and right controller 4 at the same time as the first user performs input to main device 2 using the first set of left controller 3 and right controller 4. Thus, it is possible to input to the main device 2.

  The main device 2 includes a touch panel controller 86 that is a circuit that controls the touch panel 13. The touch panel controller 86 is connected between the touch panel 13 and the processor 81. The touch panel controller 86 generates data indicating, for example, the position at which the touch input is performed, based on the signal from the touch panel 13, and outputs the data to the processor 81.

  The display 12 is also connected to the processor 81. The processor 81 displays the generated image (for example, by performing the above-described information processing) and / or an image acquired from the outside on the display 12.

  The main unit 2 includes a codec circuit 87 and a speaker (specifically, a left speaker and a right speaker) 88. The codec circuit 87 is connected to the speaker 88 and the audio input / output terminal 25 and to the processor 81. The codec circuit 87 is a circuit that controls input / output of audio data to the speaker 88 and the audio input / output terminal 25.

  The main device 2 also includes an acceleration sensor 89. In the present embodiment, the acceleration sensor 89 detects the magnitude of acceleration along the directions of predetermined three axes (for example, the xyz axes shown in FIG. 1). The acceleration sensor 89 may detect acceleration in one or two axial directions.

  In addition, the main device 2 includes an angular velocity sensor 90. In the present embodiment, the angular velocity sensor 90 detects an angular velocity around predetermined three axes (e.g., xyz axes shown in FIG. 1). The angular velocity sensor 90 may detect an angular velocity around one axis or around two axes.

  The acceleration sensor 89 and the angular velocity sensor 90 are connected to the processor 81, and detection results of the acceleration sensor 89 and the angular velocity sensor 90 are output to the processor 81. The processor 81 can calculate information on the movement and / or posture of the main device 2 based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 89 and the angular velocity sensor 90 described above.

  Main device 2 includes power control unit 97 and battery 98. The power control unit 97 is connected to the battery 98 and the processor 81. Further, although not shown, the power control unit 97 is connected to each unit of the main device 2 (specifically, each unit receiving power supply of the battery 98, the left terminal 17 and the right terminal 21). The power control unit 97 controls the power supply from the battery 98 to the above-described units based on an instruction from the processor 81.

  Also, the battery 98 is connected to the lower terminal 27. When an external charging device (for example, a cradle) is connected to the lower terminal 27 and power is supplied to the main device 2 via the lower terminal 27, the supplied power is charged to the battery 98.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the main device 2 and the left controller 3 and the right controller 4. The details of the internal configuration of the main unit 2 are omitted in FIG. 7 because they are shown in FIG.

  The left controller 3 includes a communication control unit 101 that communicates with the main device 2. As shown in FIG. 7, the communication control unit 101 is connected to each component including the terminal 42. In the present embodiment, the communication control unit 101 can communicate with the main device 2 by both wired communication via the terminal 42 and wireless communication not via the terminal 42. The communication control unit 101 controls the communication method performed by the left controller 3 with respect to the main device 2. That is, when the left controller 3 is attached to the main device 2, the communication control unit 101 communicates with the main device 2 through the terminal 42. When the left controller 3 is removed from the main device 2, the communication control unit 101 performs wireless communication with the main device 2 (specifically, the controller communication unit 83). The wireless communication between the controller communication unit 83 and the communication control unit 101 is performed, for example, in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

  The left controller 3 also includes a memory 102 such as a flash memory, for example. The communication control unit 101 includes, for example, a microcomputer (also referred to as a microprocessor), and executes various processes by executing firmware stored in the memory 102.

  The left controller 3 is provided with each button 103 (specifically, buttons 33 to 39, 43, 44 and 47). The left controller 3 also includes an analog stick (denoted as "stick" in FIG. 7) 32. Each button 103 and the analog stick 32 repeatedly output information on an operation performed on itself to the communication control unit 101 at appropriate timing.

  The left controller 3 comprises an inertial sensor. Specifically, the left controller 3 includes an acceleration sensor 104. The left controller 3 also includes an angular velocity sensor 105. In the present embodiment, the acceleration sensor 104 detects the magnitude of the acceleration along the directions of predetermined three axes (for example, the xyz axes shown in FIG. 4). The acceleration sensor 104 may detect acceleration in one or two axial directions. In the present embodiment, the angular velocity sensor 105 detects an angular velocity around predetermined three axes (for example, xyz axes shown in FIG. 4). The angular velocity sensor 105 may detect an angular velocity around one axis or around two axes. The acceleration sensor 104 and the angular velocity sensor 105 are connected to the communication control unit 101, respectively. Then, detection results of the acceleration sensor 104 and the angular velocity sensor 105 are repeatedly output to the communication control unit 101 at appropriate timing.

  The communication control unit 101 is information related to input from each input unit (specifically, each button 103, analog stick 32, each sensor 104 and 105) (specifically, information related to operation or detection result by the sensor) To get The communication control unit 101 transmits operation data including the acquired information (or information obtained by performing predetermined processing on the acquired information) to the main device 2. The operation data is repeatedly transmitted at a rate of once per predetermined time. Note that the intervals at which the information related to the input is transmitted to the main device 2 may or may not be the same for each input unit.

  By transmitting the operation data to the main device 2, the main device 2 can obtain an input made to the left controller 3. That is, the main device 2 can determine the operation on each button 103 and the analog stick 32 based on the operation data. Further, the main device 2 can calculate information on the movement and / or attitude of the left controller 3 based on operation data (specifically, detection results of the acceleration sensor 104 and the angular velocity sensor 105).

  The left controller 3 includes a vibrator 107 for notifying the user by vibration. In the present embodiment, the vibrator 107 is controlled by a command from the main device 2. That is, when the communication control unit 101 receives the command from the main body device 2, the communication control unit 101 drives the vibrator 107 according to the command. Here, the left controller 3 includes a codec unit 106. When the communication control unit 101 receives the command, the communication control unit 101 outputs a control signal corresponding to the command to the codec unit 106. The codec unit 106 generates a drive signal for driving the vibrator 107 from the control signal from the communication control unit 101 and supplies the drive signal to the vibrator 107. The vibrator 107 thereby operates.

  More specifically, the vibrator 107 is a linear vibration motor. The linear vibration motor is driven in a predetermined direction according to the input voltage, unlike a normal motor that performs rotational movement, and therefore, can vibrate with an amplitude and frequency according to the waveform of the input voltage. In the present embodiment, the vibration control signal transmitted from the main unit 2 to the left controller 3 may be a digital signal representing frequency and amplitude for each unit time. In another embodiment, the information indicating the waveform itself may be transmitted from the main device 2, but the communication data amount can be reduced by transmitting only the amplitude and the frequency. Further, in order to further reduce the amount of data, only the difference from the previous value may be transmitted instead of the numerical value of the amplitude and frequency at that time. In this case, the codec unit 106 converts the digital signal indicating the values of the amplitude and the frequency acquired from the communication control unit 101 into a waveform of an analog voltage, and inputs the voltage in accordance with the waveform to convert the vibrator 107. Drive. Therefore, the main device 2 can control the amplitude and the frequency at which the vibrator 107 is vibrated by changing the transmitting amplitude and the frequency every unit time. The amplitude and frequency transmitted from the main device 2 to the left controller 3 are not limited to one, and two or more may be transmitted. In that case, the codec unit 106 can generate a waveform of a voltage for controlling the vibrator 107 by combining the waveforms indicated by the plurality of received amplitudes and frequencies.

  The left controller 3 includes a power supply unit 108. In the present embodiment, the power supply unit 108 has a battery and a power control circuit. Although not shown, the power control circuit is connected to the battery and to each part of the left controller 3 (specifically, each part to which the power of the battery is supplied).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the right controller 4 includes a communication control unit 111 that communicates with the main device 2. In addition, the right controller 4 includes a memory 112 connected to the communication control unit 111. The communication control unit 111 is connected to each component including the terminal 64. The communication control unit 111 and the memory 112 have the same functions as the communication control unit 101 and the memory 102 of the left controller 3. Therefore, the communication control unit 111 performs the wired communication via the terminal 64 and the wireless communication not via the terminal 64 (specifically, the communication according to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard) and the main device 2 Communication can be performed, and the right controller 4 controls a communication method performed to the main device 2.

  The right controller 4 includes the same input units as the input units of the left controller 3. Specifically, each button 113, an analog stick 52, and an inertial sensor (acceleration sensor 114 and angular velocity sensor 115) are provided. Each of these input units has the same function as each input unit of the left controller 3 and operates in the same manner.

  The right controller 4 also includes a vibrator 117 and a codec unit 116. The vibrator 117 and the codec unit 116 operate in the same manner as the vibrator 107 and the codec unit 106 of the left controller 3. That is, the communication control unit 111 operates the vibrator 117 using the codec unit 116 in accordance with the command from the main device 2.

  The right controller 4 includes an NFC communication unit 122 that performs near field communication based on the NFC standard. The NFC communication unit 122 has a so-called NFC reader / writer function. Here, in the present specification, the near-field wireless communication refers to the other device (here, a device in proximity to the antenna 122 a) by radio waves from one device (here, the right controller 4) (for example, by electromagnetic induction). A communication method that generates an electromotive force is included. The other device can operate with the generated electromotive force, and may or may not have a power supply. The NFC communication unit 122 communicates with the communication target when the right controller 4 (the antenna 122a) and the communication target approach each other (typically, when the distance between the two is less than a few tens of centimeters). It becomes possible. The communication target is any device capable of near field communication with the NFC communication unit 122, and is, for example, a storage medium having an NFC tag or an NFC tag function. However, the communication target may be another device having a card emulation function of NFC.

  The right controller 4 also includes an infrared imaging unit 123. The infrared imaging unit 123 has an infrared camera for imaging the periphery of the right controller 4. As one example, main device 2 and / or right controller 4 calculates captured information (for example, information related to the brightness of a plurality of blocks obtained by dividing at least a part of the entire area of captured image). The ambient change of the right controller 4 is determined based on the information. Moreover, although the infrared imaging part 123 may image with ambient light, in this embodiment, it has the infrared light emission part 124 which irradiates infrared rays. The infrared light emitting unit 124 emits infrared light, for example, in synchronization with the timing at which the infrared camera captures an image. Then, the infrared light emitted by the infrared light emitting unit 124 is reflected by the imaging target, and the reflected infrared light is received by the infrared camera, whereby an infrared image is obtained. By this, the infrared imaging unit 123 can obtain a clearer infrared image. The infrared imaging unit 123 and the infrared light emitting unit 124 may be provided in the right controller 4 as separate devices, or in the right controller 4 as a single device provided in the same package. It may be provided. In the present embodiment, the infrared imaging unit 123 having an infrared camera is used, but in another embodiment, a visible light camera (a camera using a visible light image sensor instead of the infrared camera as an imaging unit) ) May be used.

  The right controller 4 includes a processing unit 121. The processing unit 121 is connected to the communication control unit 111. The processing unit 121 is also connected to the NFC communication unit 122, the infrared imaging unit 123, and the infrared light emitting unit 124. The processing unit 121 executes management processing for the NFC communication unit 122 in response to an instruction from the main device 2. For example, the processing unit 121 controls the operation of the NFC communication unit 122 according to an instruction from the main device 2. Further, the processing unit 121 controls activation of the NFC communication unit 122, and controls an operation (specifically, reading and writing, etc.) of the NFC communication unit 122 with respect to a communication target (for example, an NFC tag). In addition, the processing unit 121 receives, from the main device 2, information to be transmitted to the communication target via the communication control unit 111 and passes the information to the NFC communication unit 122, and the information received from the communication target is the NFC communication unit 122 , And transmitted to the main device 2 via the communication control unit 111.

  In addition, the processing unit 121 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like, and performs a predetermined program (for example, image processing and various calculations) stored in a storage device (for example, a non-volatile memory or the like). Management processing for the infrared imaging unit 123 in accordance with an instruction from the main body device 2 based on the application program for. For example, the processing unit 121 causes the infrared imaging unit 123 to perform an imaging operation, and acquires and / or calculates information based on an imaging result (information of a captured image, or information calculated from the information, etc.) It is transmitted to the main device 2 via the communication control unit 111. The processing unit 121 also executes management processing on the infrared light emitting unit 124 in accordance with an instruction from the main device 2. For example, the processing unit 121 controls the light emission of the infrared light emitting unit 124 in accordance with the command from the main device 2. The memory used when the processing unit 121 performs processing may be provided in the processing unit 121 or may be the memory 112.

  The right controller 4 includes a power supply unit 118. The power supply unit 118 has the same function as the power supply unit 108 of the left controller 3 and operates in the same manner.

[2. Spherical controller]
Next, a spherical controller according to an example of the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the spherical controller can be used in place of each of the controllers 3 and 4 as an operating device for giving an instruction to the main body device 2, and each of the controllers 3 and / or 4 It is also possible to use it together with The details of the spherical controller will be described below.

  8 and 9 are perspective views showing an example of the spherical controller. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the spherical controller 200 as viewed from the front upper side, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the spherical controller 200 as viewed from the rear lower side. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the spherical controller 200 includes a spherical controller body 201 and a strap 202. For example, the user uses the spherical controller 200 while holding the controller main unit 201 while putting the strap unit 202 on an arm.

  Here, in the following description of the spherical controller 200 (specifically, the controller body 201), the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction are defined as follows (see FIGS. 8 and 9). That is, the direction from the center of the spherical controller body 201 to the joystick 212 is the forward direction (ie, the z-axis negative direction shown in FIG. 8), and the opposite direction is the backward direction (ie, the z-axis positive direction shown in FIG. 8) And). In addition, when viewed from the front-rear direction, the direction coincident with the direction from the center of the controller main body 201 to the center of the operation surface 213 is the upward direction (that is, the y-axis positive direction shown in FIG. 8). It is the direction (that is, the y-axis negative direction shown in FIG. 8). Furthermore, the direction from the center of the controller main body 201 to the right end when the controller main body 201 is viewed from the front side is the right direction (that is, the x-axis positive direction shown in FIG. 8). That is, the x-axis negative direction shown in FIG. The vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction are orthogonal to one another.

[2-1. External Configuration of Controller Body]
FIG. 10 is a six-sided view showing an example of the controller main body. In FIG. 10, (a) is a front view, (b) is a right side view, (c) is a left side view, (d) is a plan view, and (e) is a bottom view. , (F) is a rear view.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the controller body 201 has a spherical shape. Here, "spherical shape" means a shape that looks like a sphere in appearance. The spherical shape may be a true spherical shape, or a shape having a portion which is missing from the true spherical surface and / or a portion which protrudes to the true spherical surface. Good. The spherical shape may be a shape in which a part of the surface is not spherical. The spherical shape may be a shape in which a true sphere is slightly distorted.

(Housing)
As shown in FIG. 10, the controller main body 201 includes a spherical casing 211. In the present embodiment, the controller main body 201 (in other words, the housing 211) has a size that allows the user to hold it with one hand (see FIG. 12). The diameter of the housing 211 is set, for example, in the range of 4 cm to 10 cm.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the housing 211. In the present embodiment, among the surfaces of the housing 211, surfaces other than a portion where holes or notches described later are provided are substantially spherical. In other embodiments, the housing 211 may have a portion that protrudes or is recessed with respect to the spherical surface. Such portions may be provided, for example, for design reasons.

  Here, in the present specification, "substantially (becomes in a certain state)" is meant to include both the case in which the state is strictly and the case in which the state is substantially. For example, “(surface is substantially spherical)” may be an aspect in which the surface is strictly spherical, or an aspect in which the surface is provided substantially along a sphere even if it is not strictly spherical. It means that you may.

  In the present embodiment, the casing 211 has a shape in which a part of a sphere is cut out and a hole is formed in a part. Although details will be described later, an operation unit (for example, a joystick 212 and a restart button 214 described later) is provided on the housing 211, or another component (for example, a strap portion 202) is attached to the housing 211. For the purpose, the casing 211 is provided with a hole.

  Specifically, in the present embodiment, the front end portion of the housing 211 is flat (see (b) to (e) in FIG. 10). Hereinafter, the plane of the front end portion of the housing 211 is referred to as the “front end surface”. The housing 211 can be said to have a shape obtained by cutting a sphere at a plane including the front end face and cutting off the front end portion of the sphere. As shown in FIG. 11, an opening 211 a is provided on the front end surface of the housing 211. Although details will be described later, the joystick 212 is provided to be exposed from the opening 211a. In the present embodiment, the shape of the opening 211a is circular, but in the other embodiments, the shape of the opening 211a is arbitrary. For example, the opening 211a may have a polygonal shape (specifically, a triangle, a square, a pentagon, etc.), an elliptical shape, or a star shape.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the present embodiment, the casing 211 includes an upper partial casing 221, a middle partial casing 222, and a lower partial casing 223. The upper partial housing 221 and the lower partial housing 223 have a hemispherical shape. The middle part housing 222 is a part that includes the front end surface and in which the opening 211 a is provided. By connecting these three partial cases 221 to 223, a spherical case 211 is obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the upper part housing 221 has a hemispherical shape. The lower partial housing 223 also has a hemispherical shape, similar to the upper partial housing 221. The upper partial housing 221 and the lower partial housing 223 can each be referred to as a hemispherical housing. Here, "hemispherical shape" means a shape that looks like a hemisphere in appearance. The spherical shape may be an exact hemispherical shape, or may be a shape having a portion which is missing with respect to the hemispherical surface and / or a portion which protrudes with respect to the hemispherical surface. The hemispherical shape may be a shape in which a part of the surface is not spherical. In addition, the hemispherical shape may be a half shape of a slightly distorted true sphere.

  As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 19 described later, the middle part housing 222 has a ring shape (or may be called an annular shape). The middle part housing 222 is provided between the upper part housing 221 and the lower part housing 223. In the present embodiment, the middle part housing 222 has a spherical band shape (i.e., a band portion of a spherical surface sandwiched between two parallel spherical surfaces).

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the case 211 is configured of three partial cases. In other embodiments, the number of partial cases constituting the case 211 may be any number, may be two, or may be four or more. In addition, the entire case 211 may be integrally formed.

(About the appearance of the case)
As shown in FIG. 11, in the present embodiment, a joint is formed on the surface of the housing 211 by connecting two partial housings. That is, the upper partial casing 221 and the middle partial casing 222 form a joint, and the middle partial casing 222 and the lower partial casing 223 form a joint. Here, the joint is a spherical controller in the direction from the center of the operation surface 252c (see FIG. 13) of the joystick 212 to the center of the housing 211 (that is, the direction from the front to the back. See FIG. 10A). It includes line portions (for example, lines L1 and L2 shown in FIG. 11) that look straight when seen at 200. The joint line is a boundary between the first semi-spherical portion (for example, the upper partial case 221) and the second semi-spherical portion (for example, the middle partial case 222 and the lower partial case 223) included in the case 211. It can be said.

  Here, since the controller body 201 is spherical, the direction of the controller body 201 may be difficult for the user to recognize only from the outer shape of the controller body 201. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by forming the above-described line portion, the direction of the controller main body 201 can be easily recognized by the user. For example, in the present embodiment, the user can recognize that the direction in which the line portion extends is the left-right direction of the controller main body 201.

  Moreover, in the present embodiment, when the joystick 212 looks at the spherical controller 200 in the direction from the joystick 212 to the center of the housing 211 (that is, the direction from the front to the rear), (See FIG. 10A). According to this, the user can determine the orientation of the joystick 212 according to the direction of the line portion. For example, in the present embodiment, the user can recognize that the direction along the line portion is an input to the joystick 212 in the left-right direction.

  In the present embodiment, the line portions of the joint are formed on both sides with respect to the joystick 212 (see a of FIG. 10). According to this, the joystick 212 and the line portion can be presented to the user in an easy-to-see manner, and the relationship between the joystick 212 and the line portion can be more easily understood. For example, the user needs to recognize the relationship between the joystick 212 and the above-mentioned line portion whether viewed from one side (for example, the left side) or the other side (for example, the right side) of the joystick 212 Can.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the casing 211 includes the first partial casing (i.e., the upper partial casing 221), the second partial casing (i.e., the lower partial casing 223), and the first It has a ball-shaped third partial housing (i.e., a middle partial housing 222) provided between the housing and the second housing. Here, since the third partial housing has a spherical shape, it has a belt-like portion extending along a spherical band defined by two parallel planes intersecting with the housing 211 (see FIG. 11). The band-like portion has the same effect as the line portion at the joint. That is, in the present embodiment, the user can easily recognize the direction of the controller main body 201 by the band-like portion. For example, in the present embodiment, the user can recognize that the direction in which the strip portion extends is the left-right direction of the controller main body 201.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the joystick 212 is provided in the third partial casing (see (a) of FIG. 10). That is, when the spherical controller 200 is viewed in the direction from the joystick 212 to the center of the housing 211 (that is, from the front side to the rear side), the joystick 212 is provided on the extension of the band portion (FIG. 10). Of (a)). According to this, the user can determine the orientation of the joystick 212 according to the direction in which the strip portion extends. For example, in the present embodiment, the user can recognize that the direction in which the band portion extends is an input in the left-right direction with respect to the joystick 212.

  In the present embodiment, the strip portions are provided on both sides of the joystick 212 (see (a) of FIG. 10). According to this, it is possible to present the joystick 212 and the band portion in a legible manner to the user, and the relationship between the joystick 212 and the band portion becomes easier to understand. For example, the user should view the relationship between the joystick 212 and the above-mentioned band-like part, even when looking at the joystick 212 from one side (for example, the left side) or from the other side (for example, the right side) Can.

In the present embodiment, the casing 211 includes a hemispherical first partial casing (i.e., the upper partial casing 221) and a hemispherical second partial casing (i.e., the lower partial casing 223). .
According to this, the user can recognize the direction of the controller main body 201 based on the positional relationship between the two hemispherical partial housings. For example, in the present embodiment, the user recognizes that the side on which one partial housing is provided is the upper side of the controller main body 201, and the side on which the other partial housing is provided is the lower side of the controller main body 201. can do.

  In the present embodiment, the hemispherical upper partial housing 221 and the hemispherical lower partial housing 223 have different colors. Specifically, the surface of the upper partial housing 221 is red (in FIG. 11, red is indicated by dots), and the surface of the lower partial housing 223 is white. In other embodiments, the pattern of the upper partial housing 221 and the pattern of the lower partial housing 223 may be made different, or both of the color and the pattern may be made different. In this manner, by making at least one of the color and the pattern of the upper partial housing 221 and the lower partial housing 223 different from each other, the user can easily recognize the upper and lower sides of the spherical controller 200.

(Joystick)
The controller main unit 201 includes a joystick 212, which is an example of a direction input unit (see (a) to (e) in FIG. 10). In the present embodiment, the joystick 212 has a shaft (that is, a shaft 252 shown in FIG. 19 described later) which can be tilted by the user in any direction. Further, although details will be described later, in the present embodiment, the joystick 212 is a joystick of a type that can be operated to push down the shaft in addition to the operation to tilt the shaft. Note that in another embodiment, the joystick 212 may be another type of input device (see "[3.

  In the present embodiment, the joystick 212 is provided at the front end portion of the housing 211. As shown in FIG. 10, the joystick 212 is provided so that a part (specifically, the shaft portion) of the joystick 212 is exposed from the opening 211 a of the housing 211. The position of the joystick 212 is at the center of the spherical controller main body 201 in the vertical and horizontal directions (see (a) of FIG. 10).

  In the present embodiment, the joystick 212 is provided such that the shaft portion is disposed on a straight line passing the center of the housing 211 and parallel to the front-rear direction (specifically, a straight line L4 shown in FIG. 13 described later). . Further, in the present embodiment, the joystick 212 is provided such that the axis of the shaft portion is parallel to the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the front-rear direction of the spherical controller 200 is the direction from the center of the housing 211 to the center of the tip end surface of the shaft (that is, the surface on the front side of the tip 252b shown in FIG. I assume.

  In the present specification, in the description of the spherical controller 200, for example, the description may be made using a straight line passing a certain component, such as the above-mentioned "straight line passing the center of the housing 211". Similarly to this, in the present embodiment, a description may be made by defining a plane (for example, the plane P1 shown in FIG. 13) or a region (for example, the region R shown in FIG. 27) . Here, the above-mentioned straight lines, planes, and regions are virtually defined for the purpose of description, and need to be components that actually exist (in other words, provided by the spherical controller 200) There is no.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a portion of the joystick 212 (more specifically, a portion of the shaft portion) protrudes from a plane at the front end portion of the housing 211 ((b) and (c in FIG. 10). )reference). Therefore, the user can easily perform an operation to tilt the shaft. Note that in another embodiment, the joystick 212 may be exposed from the opening 211 a provided in the plane and may not be provided to protrude from the plane.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 has the spherical casing 211 provided with the opening 211 a on the surface, and the pivotable shaft portion 252, and at least a part of which is from the opening 211 a And an exposed joystick 212. According to this, the user can perform a direction input operation in which the shaft portion is tilted using the game controller having a spherical outer shape. That is, according to the present embodiment, more detailed operation can be performed using the game controller having a spherical outer shape.

(Operation side)
As shown in (d) of FIG. 10, an operation surface 213 is provided at the upper end portion of the housing 211. The position of the operation surface 213 is the center of the spherical controller main body 201 in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction (see (d) in FIG. 10). In the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 (in other words, the outer periphery of the operation surface 213) has a circular shape formed on the spherical surface of the housing 211. However, in other embodiments, the shape of the operation surface 213 is arbitrary, and may be, for example, a square or a triangle. Although the details will be described later, the operation surface 213 is configured to be able to be pressed from above.

  In the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 is integrally formed with the surface of the housing 211. The operation surface 213 is a part of an operation unit (also referred to as an operation button) which can be depressed. However, since the operation surface 213 is integrally formed with a portion other than the operation surface 213 in the housing 211, it can also be said to be part of the housing 211. Although details will be described later, in the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 can be deformed by being depressed. The operation unit having the operation surface 213 is input by pressing the operation surface 213 (that is, an input is performed).

(About the layout of the joystick and the operation surface)
The positional relationship between the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. 12 is a view showing an example of the user holding the controller main body. As shown in FIG. 12, the user can operate the joystick 212 with the thumb and operate the operation surface 213 with the index finger while holding the controller body 201 with one hand. In addition, in FIG. 12, the case where the user grips the controller main body 201 with the left hand is shown as an example. However, the user can operate the joystick 212 with the thumb of the right hand and operate the operation surface 213 with the index finger of the right hand, as in the case of holding the controller main body 201 with the right hand, as with the left hand. .

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 capable of the pressing operation is provided. According to this, the user can perform both the direction input operation using the joystick and the depression operation on the operation surface 213 using the game controller having a spherical outer shape. As a result, various operations can be performed using a game controller having a spherical outer shape.

  FIG. 13 is a view showing an example of the positional relationship between the joystick and the operation surface. As shown in FIG. 13, in the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 substantially includes a straight line L3 passing through the center C of the housing 211 and the operation surface 213 and a straight line L4 passing through the center C and the joystick 212. It is provided at an orthogonal position.

  According to the above, the user can easily operate the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213 with two fingers of one hand (for example, with the thumb and forefinger). Specifically, according to the present embodiment, the controller is a controller that allows the user to easily bend in the direction toward the center C of the housing 211 for both the thumb operating the joystick 212 and the forefinger operating the operation surface 213. The main body portion 201 can be gripped (see FIG. 12). Therefore, since the user can easily apply a force to the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213, the user can easily operate the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213.

  The “straight line passing through the operation surface 213” is a straight line L3 passing through the center of the operation surface 213 (see FIG. 13). Also, “a straight line passing through the joystick 212” is a straight line L4 passing through the center of the operation surface 252c of the joystick 212. Although the details will be described later, the operation surface 252c is a surface on the front side (in other words, the tip end side) of the shaft portion (more specifically, the tip portion 252b) of the joystick 212.

  The operation surface 213 is a straight line substantially orthogonal to the straight line L4 passing through the center C of the housing 211 and the joystick 212, and is provided at a position intersecting the straight line L3 passing through the center C. It can also be said. As described above, the operation surface 213 is not limited to the position where the straight line L3 and the straight line L4 are strictly orthogonal to each other, and may be provided to intersect the straight line L3 at any position of the operation surface 213, for example. . Even in this case, the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213 can be easily operated.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 is provided at a position where the direction from the center C of the housing 211 to the operation surface 213 substantially matches the upward direction in the direction input (in other words, the housing From the center C of the body 211, it can be said to be provided at a position that intersects with the upward extending straight line in the direction input. Here, “upward direction in direction input” is a direction in which the shaft portion of the joystick 212 is tilted in order to issue an upward instruction (see FIG. 13). More specifically, “the upward direction in the direction input” is a direction in which the axis portion of the joystick 212 is inclined to perform upward instruction in a state where the joystick 212 is not operated. That is, in the present embodiment, “the upward direction in the direction input” is a direction perpendicular to the direction from the center of the operation surface 252 c of the joystick 212 to the center C of the housing 211. Note that, for example, in the game application for performing operations using the spherical controller 200, an instruction for moving an object (for example, a game character or a cursor) displayed on the screen upward is the above-mentioned "upward instruction". It can be said. Specifically, in the present embodiment, “the upward direction in the direction input” is the above-described upward direction. The “downward direction in direction input”, the “leftward direction in direction input”, and the “rightward direction in direction input” are defined in the same manner as the “upper direction in direction input”.

  According to the above, the operation surface 213 is provided in the direction in which the upward input is performed on the joystick 212. Thus, when the joystick 212 is operated with the thumb, the operation surface 213 can be disposed at a position where it can be easily operated with the index finger. That is, the operability of the operation with respect to the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213 can be improved.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the joystick and the operation surface. As shown in FIG. 14, in the present embodiment, it can be said that the operation surface 213 is provided on the upper side (that is, above the dotted line shown in FIG. 14) in the direction input with respect to the joystick 212. it can. In another embodiment, the operation surface 213 may be provided at a position other than the upper end of the controller main body 201 as in the present embodiment and at a position above the “direction in direction input” than the joystick. . At this time, when operating the joystick 212 with the thumb, the user can easily operate the operation surface 213 with a finger other than the thumb (for example, the index finger or the middle finger). Therefore, by providing the operation surface 213 on the upper side of the direction input with respect to the joystick, the operability of the operation on the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213 can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 can be depressed in a direction substantially opposite to the upward direction (that is, downward direction) in the direction input. That is, in the present embodiment, the direction in which the shaft portion is tilted in order to issue an upward instruction to the joystick 212 and the direction in which the operation surface 213 is depressed are substantially opposite to each other. Thus, the operation surface 213 can be easily pushed down.

  The above "direction substantially opposite to the upward direction in the direction input" does not have to be strictly "the direction opposite to the upward direction in the direction input", and "the direction opposite to the upward direction in the direction input" It is a meaning that includes the direction that roughly coincides with Although the details will be described later, in the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 moves downward as a whole while being deformed in response to the depression. In addition, the key top 235 described later rotates in response to the depression of the operation surface 213. As described above, even in a mode in which the operation surface 213 and / or the key top 235 does not strictly move in the “direction opposite to the upward direction in the direction input”, the operation surface 213 It can be said that it is possible to push down in the opposite direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13, in the present embodiment, at least a part of the operation surface 213 (in the present embodiment, the front half) is a direction from the joystick 212 to the center C of the housing 211 (specifically In the direction from the center of the operation surface 252c of the joystick 212 to the center C of the housing 211) and is closer to the joystick 212 than the plane P1 including the center C of the housing 211. According to this, when the joystick 212 is operated with the thumb, the operation surface 213 can be disposed at a position easy to operate with the index finger, so that the operation with respect to the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213 can be facilitated. In another embodiment, the operation surface 213 may be provided at an arbitrary position closer to the joystick 212 than the plane P1. In another embodiment, the operation surface 213 may be provided at a position opposite to the joystick 212 with respect to the plane P1.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the joystick 212 is provided between the upper partial casing 221 and the lower partial casing 223 (that is, the middle partial casing 222) on the surface of the casing 211, and the operation surface 213 is , And is provided near the zenith of the upper part housing 221 (in other words, near the center of the surface of the upper part housing). In other words, the joystick 212 is a boundary (for example, the middle partial housing) between the first hemispherical part (for example, the upper partial housing 221) and the second hemispherical part (for example, the lower partial housing 223) of the spherical housing 211. The operation surface 213 is provided on the zenith which is the top of the first hemisphere. According to the above, the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213 can be arranged so as to be easily operated by the thumb and forefinger as described above. The “zenith” of a hemisphere means the vertical line from the center of the hemisphere (that is, the center of the sphere of which the hemisphere is a part) when the hemisphere is placed on a horizontal surface with the bottom of the hemisphere down. The point at which the vertical line intersects with the spherical surface of the hemisphere when (However, "zenith" may be simply referred to as "apex".)

  Here, the “boundary between the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere” refers to the first hemisphere (for example, the upper partial housing 221) and the second hemisphere (for example, the lower part) in the present embodiment. It is a component (for example, middle part case 222) provided between case 223). Thus, the boundary between the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere may be an area with a certain area. However, the boundary is not limited to the parts provided between the two hemispheres. For example, in another embodiment, the boundary may be a joint of two hemispheres or a line formed in the case 211 (e.g., a line drawn in a case). Good.

  The position of the operation surface 213 is arbitrary, and in other embodiments, the operation surface 213 is provided, for example, at another position of the upper part of the housing 211 (that is, the upper partial housing 221) It may be provided in the lower part of housing 211 (ie, lower part housing 223).

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the present embodiment, the casing 211 is provided with a sign 211 b indicating the position of the operation surface 213. In the present embodiment, the marker 211 b indicates a position corresponding to the outer periphery of the operation surface 213. Specifically, the marker 211 b is provided near the boundary between the housing 211 and the operation surface 213. The marker 211 b may be provided on the housing 211, may be provided on the operation surface 213, or may be provided straddling both the housing 211 and the operation surface 213. According to the present embodiment, the user can recognize the area (that is, the area that can be pressed) of the housing 211 that becomes the operation surface 213 by the marker 211 b.

  In the present embodiment, the mark 211 b is a linear groove (in other words, a recess) formed on the surface of the housing 211. However, the marker 211 b may be any display that allows the user to identify the position of the operation surface 213. In another embodiment, for example, the marker 211 b may be a protrusion (or a recess) provided at the center of the operation surface 213. Thus, the user can grasp the position of the operation surface 213 by touch by forming a protrusion and / or a depression on the surface of the housing 211 as the above-mentioned marker. In another embodiment, the marker 211 b may represent the area of the operation surface 213 in a color different from that of the area other than the operation surface 213 in the housing 211. However, in another embodiment, the sign 211 b may be drawn with a paint on the surface of the housing 211. Also in this case, as in the present embodiment, the user can recognize an area (that is, an area that can be pressed) in the housing 211 that becomes the operation surface 213 by the marker 211 b.

(Strap hole)
As shown in (f) of FIG. 10, a strap hole 211c for mounting the strap portion 202 is provided at the rear end portion of the housing 211. The position of the strap hole 211c is at the center of the spherical controller body 201 in the vertical and horizontal directions (see (f) in FIG. 10). Although details will be described later, the strap portion 202 is attached to the controller main portion 201 by passing the strap of the strap portion 202 through the strap hole 211c. In another embodiment, the position of the strap hole 211c is arbitrary, and may be provided at any position on the rear side of the housing 211, for example, provided at the lower end portion of the housing 211 It is also good.

(Restart button)
The controller main unit 201 includes a restart button 214. Although details will be described later, the restart button 214 is a button for giving an instruction to restart the spherical controller 200.

  As shown in (c) and (f) of FIG. 10, the restart button 214 is provided at a position on the left side of the rear end of the housing 211. The vertical position of the restart button 214 is at the center of the spherical controller body 201. The position of the restart button 214 in the front-rear direction is a position after the center of the spherical controller body 201. In another embodiment, the position of the restart button 214 is arbitrary, and may be provided at any position on the rear side of the housing 211, for example.

(Cover part)
As shown in (f) of FIG. 10, a cover portion 215 is provided under the strap hole 211 c of the housing 211. Although details will be described later, the cover unit 215 can be opened and closed with respect to a portion other than the cover unit 215 of the controller main body unit 201. Although details will be described later, a recess surface (that is, a recess surface 245d shown in FIG. 20) is provided inside the cover portion 215. The cover portion 215 is provided to cover the recessed surface in the closed state. On the other hand, when the cover portion 215 is in the open state, the recessed surface is exposed to the outside of the controller main body portion 201. As shown in (b), (c) and (e) of FIG. 10, the surface of the cover portion 215 is a spherical surface that constitutes a part of the spherical surface of the spherical controller body portion 201. Therefore, the cover unit 215 can also be said to be part of the housing 211.

[2-2. Internal configuration of controller body]
Next, the internal configuration of the controller main unit 201 will be described. In the present embodiment, the controller main unit 201 includes an upper unit including the upper partial casing 221 described above, a middle unit including the middle partial casing 222 described above, and a lower unit including the lower partial casing 223 described above (See FIGS. 24 and 25 described later). The internal configuration of each unit will be described below.

2-2-1. Upper unit]
15 and 16 are exploded perspective views of an example of the upper unit. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the upper unit as viewed from the front upper side, and FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the upper unit as viewed from the rear lower side. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the upper unit. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a cross section perpendicular to the left and right direction passing through the center of the controller main body 201.

(Upper part case)
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the upper unit 230 includes an upper partial housing 221. As described above, the upper part housing 221 has a hemispherical shape. As shown in FIG. 16, the upper partial housing 221 is open at the lower side, and does not have a surface corresponding to the bottom of a hemisphere. Therefore, it can also be said that the upper part case 221 has a hemispherical shape. The upper part housing 221 can also be said to be shaped like a spherical crown (i.e., a solid (i.e., a side portion of a solid (i.e., missing)) obtained by cutting a sphere into a plane).

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, in the present embodiment, the upper part housing 221 has a shape in which the front end portion of the hemispherical surface is cut away. Specifically, the upper part housing 221 has a shape in which the front end portion of the hemispherical surface is cut by a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The upper part housing 221 includes an edge 221 a which is a periphery of the bottom surface of the hemisphere, and an edge 221 b which is produced by cutting the front end portion of the hemisphere with the above plane. The side 221 b has a shape that looks semicircular when the upper partial housing 221 is viewed from the front side. In addition, the shape of the notch in upper part case 221 is a shape according to the shape of the above-mentioned front end which middle part case 222 has (specifically, the shape substantially corresponding to the upper side of the front end) Specifically, it is semicircular. However, the shape of the notch is arbitrary, and in other embodiments, it may be a shape other than a semicircle.

  As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, the upper partial housing 221 has a surface portion 231 and an inner wall portion 232. The surface portion 231 is a component that constitutes the outer surface of the upper partial housing 221. That is, the surface portion 231 has a hemispherical shape similar to that of the upper partial housing 221. In the present embodiment, the surface portion 231 is integrally formed with the operation surface 213. Moreover, the surface part 231 is the shape where the front-end part of the hemispherical surface was notched similarly to the upper partial housing 221.

  In the present embodiment, the surface portion 231 is made of a relatively soft (specifically, soft as compared to the inner wall portion 232 or soft as compared to the middle partial housing 222). Specifically, the material of the surface portion 231 in the present embodiment is an elastomer. The operation surface 213 integrally formed with the surface portion 231 is also made of the same material as the surface portion 231. Although the details will be described later, in the present embodiment, the surface portion 272 that constitutes the surface of the lower partial housing 223 is also made of an elastic body, like the surface portion 231. As described above, in the present embodiment, since at least a part of the surface of the housing 211 is made of an elastic body, the user can easily hold the housing 211. Further, the feel when the user grips the housing 211 can be improved. Further, the impact on the controller main body 201 can be easily absorbed, and the influence of the impact on the internal configuration of the housing 211 can be reduced.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the inner wall portion 232 is a component that constitutes the inner wall of the upper partial housing 221. The inner wall portion 232 has a hemispherical shape similar to that of the upper partial housing 221. More specifically, the inner wall portion 232 has a shape in which the front end portion of the hemispherical surface is cut out, as in the upper partial housing 221. In the present embodiment, the inner wall portion 232 is made of a material harder than the surface portion 231. For example, the material of the inner wall portion 232 is a resin harder than the elastomer forming the surface portion 231. Further, the inner wall portion 232 is connected to the inside of the surface portion 231 (see FIG. 17). The inner wall portion 232 is bonded to the inside of the surface portion 231 by, for example, an adhesive or heat fusion. The inner wall portion 232 has a size such that the outer surface of the inner wall portion 232 matches the inner surface of the surface portion 231.

  Here, in the inner wall portion 232, a hole is formed in the upper end portion of the hemispherical surface. Specifically, in the inner wall portion 232, a hole is formed in a portion corresponding to the operation surface 213. The hole formed in the inner wall portion 232 is a circular shape having substantially the same size as the circular operation surface 213. Of the surfaces inside the surface portion 231 and the operation surface 213, the region other than the back side of the operation surface 213 is joined to the inner wall portion 232, and the region on the back side of the operation surface 213 is not joined to the inner wall portion 232. Therefore, since the surface portion 231 is reinforced by the inner wall portion 232, it does not significantly deform even if a certain amount of force is applied. On the other hand, since the operation surface 213 is not reinforced by the inner wall portion 232, it deforms when a certain amount of force is applied. For example, the operation surface 213 is deformed by being pushed down from above and moves downward. As described above, in the present embodiment, the area of the operation surface 213 of the surface portion 231 and the operation surface 213 which are integrally formed can be pressed.

  In the present embodiment, the inner wall portion 232 is black. Although details will be described later, in the present embodiment, a light emitting unit (that is, the light emitting unit 248 shown in FIG. 19) is provided inside the housing 211, and light is transmitted from the opening 211a of the housing 211 to the outside of the housing 211. It is emitted. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the inner wall portion 232 is made of a black material so that the light from the light emitting portion is not transmitted through the inner wall portion 232 as much as possible.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the inner wall portion 232 is provided with a bearing portion 231 a. The bearing portion 231a has a groove into which a rotary shaft 235b of the key top 235 described later can be inserted.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, the upper part housing 221 has a shock absorbing material 233. Although details will be described later, the shock absorbing material 233 is provided on a portion of the inner side surface of the inner wall portion 232 to which a rotation axis of a key top described later contacts.

(Key top)
As shown in FIGS. 15-17, the upper unit 230 includes a key top 235. The key top 235 is an example of a movable portion that can move in response to the operation surface 213 being depressed. Although the details will be described later, in the present embodiment, the key top 235 rotates in response to the depression of the operation surface 213. Therefore, it can be said that the key top 235 is an example of a pivoting portion that pivots in response to the operation surface 213 being pushed down.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, the key top 235 has a disc-like disc portion 235 a and a rotating shaft 235 b. In the present embodiment, the rotation shaft 235b is provided on the front side of the disc portion 235a. Although the details will be described later, the key top 235 is provided rotatably around the rotation shaft 235 b. Further, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a protrusion 235c is provided below the disc portion 235a.

(Key rubber)
As shown in FIG. 15, the upper unit 230 includes a key rubber 236. The key rubber 236 is made of, for example, an elastic body such as rubber. Although the details will be described later, the key rubber 236 is deformed in response to the key top 235 (specifically, the protrusion 235 c) moving downward.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, the key rubber 236 has a disc-like disc portion 236 a. Further, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, the key rubber 236 has a cylindrical portion 236b provided on the upper side of the disk portion 236a. The cylindrical portion 236b is provided to extend upward from near the center of the disk portion 236a. Although details will be described later, the cylindrical portion 236 b is provided for the purpose of deforming the key rubber 236 according to the movement of the key top 235.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the key rubber 236 has a downwardly projecting annular portion 236c at the outer peripheral portion of the disc portion 236a. In addition, the key rubber 236 has a protruding portion 236 d that protrudes downward in the vicinity of the center of the disk portion 236 a. As shown in FIG. 17, in a state where no force is applied to the key rubber 236, the annular portion 236c protrudes below the protrusion 236d.

(Sub board)
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the upper unit 230 includes a sub substrate 237. In the present embodiment, the sub-substrate 237 is a plate-like substrate. However, the sub substrate 237 may be a bendable flexible printed circuit board. Although details will be described later, the sub substrate 237 has a contact 237a with which the key rubber 236 contacts when the operation on the operation surface 213 is performed, and a detection circuit that detects that the key rubber 236 contacts with the contact 237a. Provided. The specific configuration of the contact point 237a is arbitrary. For example, the contact 237a may be configured to have a movable contact that moves in response to the key rubber 236 moving downward, and a fixed contact that the movable contact contacts when the movable contact moves. In the present specification, a component having a movable contact and a fixed contact is referred to as a contact, but the component can also be referred to as a switch. In addition, as shown in FIG. 17, the sub substrate 237 is provided with an antenna 291. In the present embodiment, the antenna 291 is provided on the front side of the sub substrate 237.

(Sub substrate holder)
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the upper unit 230 includes a sub-substrate holder 238 that holds the sub-substrate 237. The sub substrate holding portion 238 has a planar top surface to which the sub substrate 237 is attached. In addition, the sub substrate holding portion 238 has a projecting portion 238 a that protrudes from the upper surface. The protrusion 238 a is provided at the front end of the upper surface of the sub substrate holder 238.

(Arrangement of each component)
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the components included in the upper unit 230 are, in order from the top, the upper partial housing 221, the key top 235, the key rubber 236, the sub substrate 237, and the sub substrate holding portion 238 in this order. Be placed. In the present embodiment, the components included in the upper unit 230 are fixed to each other by screws 239 (three screws 239 in the present embodiment). Specifically, on the inner side surface of the inner wall portion 232 of the upper partial housing 221, a screw hole whose lower side is opened is provided. Further, holes are provided in the sub-substrate 237 and the sub-substrate holder 238 at positions corresponding to the screw holes. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the upper partial housing is formed by screwing the screw 239 into the screw hole of the upper partial housing 221 while passing through the hole of the sub substrate 237 and the hole of the sub substrate holding portion 238. 221, the sub substrate 237, and the sub substrate holder 238 are fixed.

  The key top 235 is held by being sandwiched between the upper partial housing 221 and the sub substrate 237. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the rotation shaft 235 b of the key top 235 is sandwiched between the upper partial housing 221 and the projection 238 a of the sub substrate holder 238. Thus, the rotating shaft 235b is fixed in the vertical direction. The key top 235 is provided in a direction in which the rotation shaft 235 b is parallel to the left-right direction. Further, the rotary shaft 235b is inserted into the groove of the bearing portion 231a. The rotary shaft 235b is fixed in the left-right direction by the groove. As described above, the key top 235 is rotatably held with respect to the upper partial housing 221 about the rotation shaft 235 b.

  In the present embodiment, a shock absorbing material 233 is provided on a portion of the inner surface of the upper partial housing 221 where the rotary shaft 235 b abuts. Therefore, the rotary shaft 235 b sandwiched between the upper partial housing 221 and the sub substrate 237 is held in a state where the buffer material 233 is pressed and deformed. Thereby, rattling of the rotating shaft 235b can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the key top 235 is provided inside the upper partial housing 221. At this time, the upper surface of the disk portion 235 a of the key top 235 abuts on the back side of the operation surface 213 continuous with the surface portion 231 of the upper partial housing 221.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the key rubber 236 is attached to the lower side of the key top 235. The key rubber 236 is provided between the key top 235 and the sub substrate 237. Specifically, the protrusion 235 c of the key top 235 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 236 b of the key rubber 236 (see FIG. 17). Thereby, the key top 235 and the key rubber 236 are connected. Therefore, when the key top 235 moves, the cylindrical portion 236 b moves integrally with the key top 235, and the key rubber 236 is deformed. As shown in FIG. 17, the key rubber 236 is provided such that the annular portion 236 c abuts on the sub-substrate 237 in a state where the protrusion 235 c is inserted into the cylindrical portion 236 b. The protrusion 236 d is disposed at a position facing the contact point 237 a of the sub substrate 237.

  Here, in the state where the operation on the operation surface 213 is not performed (for example, the state shown in FIG. 17), the key rubber 236 is kept in the basic shape (that is, the shape which is not deformed). That is, in the above-described state, the annular portion 236c abuts on the sub substrate 237, and the protrusion 236d does not abut on the contact 237a of the sub substrate 237.

  FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the upper unit with the operation surface 213 pressed down. As shown in FIG. 18, when the operation surface 213 is pushed down, the operation surface 213 is deformed and moved downward (see the arrow shown in FIG. 18). As the operation surface 213 moves downward, the key top 235 pivots about the rotation shaft 235 b, and the disc portion 235 a moves downward. In response to the downward movement of the disk portion 235a, the key rubber 236 is deformed, and the projecting portion 236d is moved downward. As a result, the protrusion 236 d contacts the contact 237 a of the sub substrate 237. The detection circuit of the sub substrate 237 detects that the protrusion 236d contacts the contact 237a. As described above, the spherical controller 200 can detect that the operation on the operation surface 213 has been performed.

  When there is no pressing operation on the operation surface 213, the key rubber 236 returns to its basic shape by its own elasticity. As a result, the protrusion 236d and the contact 237a do not come in contact with each other.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes the movable portion (that is, the key top 235) and the detection portion (that is, the detection circuit provided on the sub substrate 236). The movable portion is rotatable on a rotation axis substantially perpendicular to a straight line connecting the center of the housing 211 and the operation surface 213 (specifically, the rotation shaft 235 b parallel to the left and right direction). Pivots in response to pressing down. The detection unit detects an operation on the operation surface 213 according to the rotation of the movable unit. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even when any position on the operation surface 213 is pushed down, the movable portion rotates in one direction, and the detection portion detects an operation by the rotation by the movable portion. According to this, even when any position on the operation surface 213 is pushed down, the detection unit can easily detect the operation. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the operation on the operation surface 213 is not detected. Can.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the rotation shaft 235b of the key top 235 is provided on the front side of the disk portion 235a (see FIG. 17). In other words, the rotation shaft 235 b is provided on the front side of the center of the operation surface 213. Therefore, it can be said that the rotation shaft 235 b is provided at a position where the distance from the joystick 212 to the rotation shaft 235 b is shorter than the distance from the joystick 212 to the operation surface 213.

  By providing the rotation shaft 235b at the position as described above, when the depression operation is performed on the operation surface 213, the key top 235 moves to the rear side more than the front side. Therefore, for the user, when the position on the rear side of the operation surface 213 is pressed down, the amount of pressing down is larger than when the position on the front side is pressed down, and thus the pressing operation is easy to perform. On the other hand, when it is assumed that the user operates the joystick 212 with the thumb and operates the operation surface 213 with the forefinger (see FIG. 12), the operation is performed on the rear side of the operation of pressing down the front side of the center of the operation surface 213 It is considered that there is a high possibility of performing an operation to push down the position of. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily perform the depressing operation at a position where the user is likely to operate (ie, the position on the rear side) in the operation surface 213. It is possible to improve the quality.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the rotation axis 235 b of the key top 235 is provided in parallel in the left-right direction. Here, in another embodiment, the direction of the rotation shaft 235b is not limited to the left and right direction, and may be another direction. For example, in another embodiment, the rotation shaft 235b may be provided parallel to the front-rear direction. At this time, the rotation shaft 235 b may be provided on the left side of the center of the operation surface 213 or on the right side of the center of the operation surface 213. For example, when it is assumed that the spherical controller 200 is gripped and operated by the left hand, the rotary shaft 235b is provided on the left side of the center of the operation surface 213 to make it easy to press the right side of the operation surface 213 It is also good. Further, for example, when it is assumed that the spherical controller 200 is gripped and operated by the right hand, the rotary shaft 235b is provided on the right side from the center of the operation surface 213 to make it easy to press the left side of the operation surface 213 May be

  In addition, the structure for detecting that the operation surface 213 was pushed down is arbitrary, and is not restricted to the structure in this embodiment. For example, in another embodiment, the key top and the key rubber may be integrally formed by, for example, an elastic body. In another embodiment, the spherical controller 200 may have a configuration without the key top and the key rubber. At this time, the contact 237a of the sub substrate 237 has the depressed operation surface 213 that is the contact 237a. It may be provided at a position in direct contact with Further, in another embodiment, the ball controller 200 is provided with a movable portion capable of parallel movement in the vertical direction, instead of the rotatable movable portion (that is, the key top 235 and the key rubber 236). It is also good.

2-2-2. Central unit]
19 and 20 are exploded perspective views of an example of the middle unit. FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of the middle unit seen from the front upper side, and FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of the middle unit seen from the rear upper side. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the middle unit. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of a cross section perpendicular to the left and right direction passing through the center of the controller main body 201.

(Middle part case)
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the middle unit 240 includes a middle part housing 222. The middle housing 222 has a ring-like shape in which a part of the rear end is cut away. Specifically, the middle part housing 222 has a front part 241, a left band part 242, and a right band part 243.

  The front portion 241 is provided at the front end portion of the middle part housing 222. The front portion 241 has a flat portion on the front side. The front surface of the front portion 241 is the above-described front end surface (that is, the plane of the front end portion of the housing 211). The opening 211 a described above is provided on the front end face of the front portion 241. Therefore, it can be said that the front part 241 is an annular part surrounding the periphery of the opening 211a. In the present embodiment, the shape of the front end surface is circular. However, in other embodiments, the shape of the front end surface is arbitrary, and may be, for example, a square.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the front surface portion 241 has an attachment portion 241a extending to the inside of the housing 211 on the upper side of the front end surface. The mounting portion 241 a is provided with a hole for passing a screw for fixing a main substrate support portion described later to the middle partial housing 222.

  The two strip portions 242 and 243 are provided to extend from the left and right ends of the front portion 241. That is, the left belt-like portion 242 has a belt-like shape, and is provided to extend from the left end of the front face portion 241. In other words, the left belt portion 242 extends from the front surface portion 241 toward the left in the direction input of the joystick 212. Further, the right band portion 243 has a band shape and is provided to extend from the right end of the front portion 241. In other words, the right band portion 243 extends from the front portion 241 toward the right in the direction input of the joystick 212. Each of the strip portions 242 and 243 constitutes a part of the spherical surface of the spherical casing 211. Specifically, each band portion 242 and 243 is a spherical band when the spherical surface of the housing 211 is cut by two planes perpendicular to the vertical direction (that is, when the spherical surfaces are cut by two parallel planes, It is provided along the band portion of the spherical surface to be sandwiched. In addition, "a strip | belt-shaped part is provided along a spherical strip" is a meaning including the aspect which the surface of a strip-shaped part corresponds with a spherical strip, and the aspect which the surface of a strip-shaped part does not correspond with a spherical strip strictly . For example, in other embodiments, the surface of the strip may not be spherical but may be a curved surface similar to the side of a cylinder.

  In the present embodiment, the rear end of the left strip portion 242 and the rear end of the right strip portion 243 are not continuous. Although the details will be described later, a space generated between the rear end of the left strip portion 242 and the rear end of the right strip portion 243 is the above-described strap hole 211 c (FIG. 10). Further, in the vicinity of the rear end of each of the strip portions 242 and 243, a hole for passing a screw for fixing a main substrate support portion to be described later to the middle partial casing 222 is provided (see FIGS. 19 and 20).

  As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the right strip portion 243 has a locked portion 243a. Further, although not shown, the left belt-like portion 242 has an engaged portion similar to the engaged portion 243 a of the right belt-like portion 243. Although the details will be described later, when the middle partial housing 222 and the lower partial housing 223 are connected, the claws of the lower partial housing 223 (that is, the claws 273e shown in FIG. 23) Lock to the part. In the present embodiment, although the engaged portion is provided on the front side of the center of the controller main body 201, the position at which the engaged portion is provided is arbitrary.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the right band portion 243 has a claw portion 243 b. The claw portion 243 b is provided to extend upward from the right belt portion 243 and further to extend inside the housing 211. In addition, the left belt-like portion 242 has a claw portion similar to the claw portion 243 b of the right belt-like portion 243. Although the details will be described later, the claws are engaged with the holes provided in the light guide 254 (that is, the holes 257c shown in FIG. 31).

  As shown in FIG. 20, the left belt-like portion 242 is provided with a hole 242a. In the present embodiment, the hole 242 a is provided on the rear side of the center of the controller main body 201. The hole 242 a is provided to expose the restart button 214 described above to the outside of the housing 211.

  In the present embodiment, the middle part housing 222 is made of a material harder than the surface portion 231 of the upper part housing 221 (and the lower part housing 223). For example, the material of the middle portion housing 222 is a resin harder than the surface portion 231 (here, an elastomer). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the casing 211 is provided around the first portion (i.e., the middle portion casing 222) provided around the joystick 212, and around the first portion, from the surface of the first portion. It also has a second portion (i.e., upper partial housing 221 and lower partial housing 223) whose surface is made of a soft material. According to this, the portion around the joystick 212 (that is, the first portion) of the housing 211 is made of a hard material. Therefore, when the user is operating the joystick 212, for example, the possibility that the portion is damaged or worn due to the user's finger and / or the joystick 212 hitting the portion can be reduced.

  Further, the middle part housing 222 is made of, for example, a black material so that the light from the light emitting part does not pass through the middle part housing 222 as much as possible, similar to the inner wall part 232 of the upper part housing 221.

(Main board holder)
As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the middle unit 240 includes a main substrate holder 245. The main substrate holder 245 holds some components (for example, the rechargeable battery 244 and the main substrate 246) included in the middle unit 240.

  As shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 21, the main substrate holding portion 245 has a frame portion 245 a for attaching the rechargeable battery 244. The frame portion 245a has a shape that can accommodate the rechargeable battery 244 inside itself. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the frame portion 245a has four walls that abut the side surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped rechargeable battery 244.

  As shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 21, the main substrate holding portion 245 has a stick attachment portion 245 b for attaching the joystick 212. The stick attachment portion 245b is provided on the front side of the frame portion 245a. The front surface of the stick attachment portion 245b is formed in a planar shape perpendicular to the front-rear direction. A screw hole whose front side is open is provided in a plane on the front side of the stick attachment portion 245b. This screw hole is a screw hole for attaching the joystick 212 to the main substrate holding portion 245.

  In addition, a screw hole whose upper side is opened is provided between the frame portion 245a and the stick attachment portion 245b (see FIG. 19). The screw hole is a screw hole for fixing the main substrate holding portion 245 and the middle part housing 222.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the main substrate holding portion 245 has a strap attaching shaft 245c for attaching the strap portion 202. The strap attachment shaft 245c is provided on the rear side of the frame portion 245a. The strap attachment shaft 245c has a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. Although the details will be described later, the hole provided at the center of the strap attaching shaft 245c is a hole for passing a screw for fixing the main substrate holding portion 245 and the upper partial housing 221. As described above, the strap portion 202 can be attached to the controller main portion 201 by passing the strap of the strap portion 202 through the strap attachment shaft 245c.

  In addition, on the rear side of the frame portion 245a, screw holes opened on the upper side are provided on both left and right sides of the strap attachment shaft 245c (see FIG. 20). The screw hole is a screw hole for fixing the main substrate holding portion 245 and the middle part housing 222.

  As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the main substrate holding portion 245 has a recessed surface 245 d. The recessed surface 245 d is provided on the rear side of the frame portion 245 a and below the strap attachment shaft 245 c. In the present embodiment, the recessed surface 245 d is provided so as to be substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Although details will be described later, a hole for exposing the charging terminal provided on the main substrate 246 to the outside of the depressed surface 245d is provided in the depressed surface 245d (see FIG. 29). Further, a hole for passing a screw for fixing the main substrate holding portion 245 and the lower partial housing 223 is provided in the depressed surface 245d (see FIG. 26). Further, the recessed surface 245d is provided with a mounting hole (i.e., a hole 245f shown in FIG. 29) for mounting the above-described cover 215 (see FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIG. 20, the main board holding portion 245 has a detection circuit attachment portion 245e for attaching a button detection portion 258 described later. The detection circuit attachment portion 245 e is provided on the outer surface of the frame portion 245 a and at a position corresponding to the hole 242 a of the middle part housing 222. The detection circuit attachment portion 245e is provided at the left rear corner of the outer surface of the frame portion 245a.

  As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the main substrate holding portion 245 is fixed to the middle part housing 222. The main substrate holding portion 245 is provided at a position surrounded by the annular middle partial housing 222. In the present embodiment, the main substrate holding portion 245 and the middle partial housing 222 are fixed to each other by the screws 261 (in the present embodiment, three screws 261). As described above, the main substrate holding portion 245 is provided with three screw holes whose upper side is opened. Further, the middle part housing 222 is provided with a hole at a position corresponding to the screw hole. As shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, by screwing the screw 261 into the screw hole of the main substrate holding portion 245 while passing through the hole of the middle partial housing 222, the middle partial housing 222 and the main substrate holding portion And 245 are fixed.

(Battery)
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, middle unit 240 includes a rechargeable battery 244. The rechargeable battery 244 supplies power to each electronic component included in the spherical controller 200. The rechargeable battery 244 is electrically connected to a main substrate 246 described later. The rechargeable battery 244 is provided in the frame portion 245 a of the main substrate holding portion 245. The rechargeable battery 244 is fixed to the frame portion 245a by, for example, a double-sided tape or an adhesive.

(Main board)
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the middle unit 240 includes a main substrate 246. In the present embodiment, the main substrate 246 is a plate-like substrate. However, the main substrate 246 may be a bendable flexible printed circuit board.

  An acceleration sensor 247 is provided on the main substrate 246 (see FIG. 19). The acceleration sensor 247 is an example of an inertial sensor, and detects, for example, movement and rotation in three axial directions (specifically, the vertical direction, the left-right direction, and the front-rear direction). In another embodiment, a gyro sensor may be provided as an example of the inertial sensor. Although details will be described later, the acceleration sensor 247 is provided near the center of the top surface of the main substrate 246 so as to be disposed near the center of the controller main body 201 (see FIGS. 19 and 21).

  The main substrate 246 is provided with a light emitting unit that generates light. In the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes two light emitting units 248a and 248b (see FIG. 19). Specifically, the left light emitting portion 248 a is provided near the left end of the top surface of the main substrate 246, and the other right light emitting portion 248 b is provided near the right end of the top surface of the main substrate 246. In the present specification, the light emitting unit 248 may be described as a generic name of the left light emitting unit 248 a and the right light emitting unit 248 b. In the present embodiment, each light emitting unit 248 is provided outside the joystick 212 in the left-right direction. That is, each light emitting unit 248 is provided at a position not overlapping the joystick 212 when viewed from the front-rear direction.

  The main substrate 246 is provided with a charge terminal 249 (see FIG. 20). Charging terminal 249 is a terminal for receiving power supply for charging rechargeable battery 244 from the outside of spherical controller 200. In the present embodiment, the charging terminal 249 is provided at the rear end of the lower surface of the main substrate 246. Further, the charging terminal 249 is provided such that the rear end of the charging terminal 249 protrudes from the rear end of the main substrate 246.

  Although not shown, the main substrate 246 is provided with a control unit (in other words, a processor) for controlling the operation of the spherical controller 200. Further, the main substrate 246 is provided with a hole for passing a screw for fixing the main substrate 246 to the main substrate holding portion 245 (see FIGS. 19 and 20).

  As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the main substrate 246 is provided below the main substrate holder 245. In the present embodiment, the main substrate 246 and the main substrate holding portion 245 are fixed to each other by the screws 262 (in the present embodiment, three screws 262). Specifically, on the lower side of the main substrate holding portion 245, a screw hole whose lower side is opened is provided. In addition, as described above, the main substrate 246 is provided with holes at positions corresponding to the screw holes. As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the main substrate 246 and the main substrate holding portion 245 are fixed by screwing the screw 262 into the screw hole of the main substrate holding portion 245 while passing through the hole of the main substrate 246. Be done.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 21, in the state where the main substrate 246 is fixed to the main substrate holding portion 245, the charging terminal 249 is exposed from the hole of the depressed surface 245d of the main substrate holding portion 245. As shown in FIG. 21, the rear end of the charge terminal 249 is provided so as not to project beyond the recessed surface 245d (ie, on the front side of the recessed surface 245d).

(Joystick)
As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the middle unit 240 includes the joystick 212 described above. The joystick 212 has a base portion 251 and an axis portion 252. The base portion 251 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the shaft portion 252 is provided on the front side of the base portion 251. As shown in FIG. 21, the shaft portion 252 has a rod-like portion 252 a and a tip portion 252 b. Specifically, the rod-like portion 252a has a rod-like shape extending in the front-rear direction, and is connected to the base portion 251 at the rear end side. The tip portion 252 b has a disk shape and is provided on the front end side of the rod portion 252 a. The front surface of the tip 252 b is the operation surface of the joystick 212 (that is, the operation surface 252 c shown in FIG. 13). In the state where the shaft portion 252 is not operated, the operation surface of the tip portion 252b is disposed substantially vertically in the front-rear direction. The shaft portion 252 is provided to be able to tilt with respect to the base portion 251 in accordance with a tilting operation by the user. In addition, the shaft portion 252 is provided so as to be movable according to the pressing operation by the user. The configuration of the joystick 212 may be similar to that of a conventional analog stick unit.

  As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the joystick 212 is provided on the front side of the main substrate holder 245. Specifically, the joystick 212 is attached to the stick attachment portion 245 b of the main substrate holding portion 245. In the present embodiment, the joystick 212 and the main substrate holding portion 245 are fixed to each other by the screws 263 (two screws 263 in the present embodiment). As described above, the stick attachment portion 245b is provided with a screw hole whose front side is open. Further, holes are provided in the base portion 251 of the joystick 212 at positions corresponding to the screw holes. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the joystick 212 and the main substrate holding portion 245 are fixed by screwing the screw 263 into the screw hole of the stick mounting portion 245b while passing through the hole of the base portion 251. .

  In the present embodiment, the joystick 212 is mounted such that the rear surface of the base portion 251 faces the stick mounting portion 245b. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19, the joystick 212 is provided such that the shaft 252 (specifically, the axial direction of the shaft 252 or the operation surface of the tip 252b) faces forward. The joystick 212 is provided such that the rod-like portion 252a is substantially parallel in the front-rear direction when no operation is performed on the shaft portion 252 (see FIG. 21).

  As described above, the shaft 252 of the joystick 212 is provided so as to substantially face the center of the housing 211 when the shaft 252 is not operated. According to this, since the user can easily apply a force to the joystick 212, the user can easily operate the joystick 212. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the shaft 252 of the joystick 212 can be depressed along the axial direction of the shaft 252. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in addition to the direction input operation, the operation of pushing down the shaft portion 252 can be easily performed. That is, the operability of the joystick 212 can be improved.

(Light guide etc.)
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the middle unit 240 includes a reflection unit 253, a light guide unit 254, and a diffusion sheet 255. These units 253 to 255 are configured to emit the light emitted from the light emitting unit 248 from the opening 211 a of the housing 211.

  The light guiding portion 254 is made of a transparent material, and functions as a light guiding path for entering the light emitted from the light emitting portion 248 from the incident surface and emitting the light passing through the inside of the light guiding portion 254 from the emission surface. Specifically, the light guide portion 254 has a plate-like peripheral portion 256 in which a hole is formed at the center. The surrounding portion 256 is provided around the joystick 212. In the present embodiment, the front surface of the peripheral portion 256 functions as an emission surface. Further, the light guide portion 254 has two extending portions 257. The left extending portion 257a is provided to extend from the left end of the peripheral portion 256, and the other right extending portion 257b is provided to extend from the right end of the peripheral portion 256. In the present specification, “the extending portion 257” may be described as a generic name of the left extending portion 257a and the right extending portion 257b. Further, each tip of each extending portion 257 extending from the peripheral portion 256 functions as an incident surface. The details of the light guide 254 will be described later in “[2-3. Configuration related to light emission]”.

  The reflective portion 253 has an annular shape and is formed of a white material. Although the details will be described later, the reflection portion 253 is provided on the rear side of the peripheral portion 256 of the light guide portion 254 (in other words, the rear side of the emission surface), reflects light emitted from the rear side of the emission surface, It is provided to allow more light to be emitted from the surface. Further, in the present embodiment, the reflective portion 253 is formed of a microcell polymer sheet and also functions as a buffer material.

  The diffusion sheet 255 is made of a translucent sheet-like material, and has a property of diffusing light passing through the diffusion sheet 255. Since the diffusion sheet 255 is in the form of a thin sheet, the diffusion sheet 255 is not shown in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. The diffusion sheet 255 diffuses the light emitted from the emission surface of the light guide 254 and emits the light to the front side. In the present embodiment, the diffusion sheet 255 has an annular shape. The diffusion sheet 255 is provided around the hole provided on the exit surface of the light guide 254.

  As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the reflecting portion 253, the light guiding portion 254, and the diffusion sheet 255 are provided on the front side of the base portion 251 of the joystick 212. Specifically, the reflective portion 253 is provided in front of the base portion 251, the peripheral portion 256 of the light guide portion 254 is provided in front of the reflective portion 253, and the diffusion sheet 255 is provided in front of the peripheral portion 256. In addition, as shown in FIG. 21, the reflective portion 253, the peripheral portion 256, and the diffusion sheet 255 are sandwiched and fixed between the base portion 251 and the front portion 241 of the middle partial housing 222. Therefore, the reflective portion 253 and the peripheral portion 256 are in contact with each other, and the peripheral portion 256 and the diffusion sheet 255 are in contact with each other.

  The reflective portion 253, the peripheral portion 256, and the diffusion sheet 255 are each disposed in such a manner that the shaft portion 252 passes through a hole provided in itself. Thus, the reflective portion 253, the peripheral portion 256, and the diffusion sheet 255 are provided around the shaft portion 252. Although the details will be described later, in the present embodiment, when the controller body 201 is viewed from the front side, the diffusion sheet 255 (and its surrounding portion 256 and its rear portion 256) provided around the shaft 252 via the opening 211a. The reflective portion 253) is visible.

  In the present embodiment, the peripheral portion 256 (the same applies to the reflective portion 253 and the diffusion sheet 255) is provided on the entire periphery of the joystick 212. Here, in another embodiment, the surrounding portion 256 does not have to be provided so as to completely surround the entire circumference of the joystick 212. For example, in another embodiment, the surrounding portion 256 (as well as the reflecting portion 253 and the diffusion sheet 255) may have a shape in which a part of the ring shape is cut out.

  FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing an example of the positional relationship between the middle partial case, the light guide, and the main substrate. In FIG. 22, for the purpose of making it easy to see the positional relationship between these components, a part of the middle part case is omitted. As shown in FIG. 22, the incident surface which is the tip of the right extending portion 257 b of the light guiding portion 254 is provided in the vicinity (specifically, directly above) of the right light emitting portion 248 b provided on the main substrate 246. Similarly to this, the incident surface which is the tip of the left extension portion 257a of the light guide portion 254 is provided in the vicinity (specifically, directly above) of the left light emitting portion 248a provided on the main substrate 246.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 22, the right extending portion 257b is provided with a hole 257d. In the state in which the light guide 254 is attached to the middle partial housing 222, the claws 243b provided on the right strip part 243 of the middle partial housing 222 engage with the holes 257d. Further, similarly to the right extending portion 257b, the left extending portion 257a is provided with a hole (a hole 257c shown in FIG. 31 described later). In the state in which the light guide 254 is attached to the middle part housing 222, the claws provided on the left strip part 242 of the middle part housing 222 engage with the holes. Thus, the light guiding portion 254 is provided such that the claws are engaged with the holes of the extending portions 257. The light guide portion 254 can be firmly fixed by the claws being locked in the holes.

(Restart button)
As shown in FIG. 20, the middle unit 240 includes the restart button 214 described above. The restart button 214 is made of, for example, an elastic material such as rubber, and is deformable in response to depression of the operation surface. The restart button 214 is provided so that the operation surface is exposed from the hole 242a of the middle part housing 222 (see (f) in FIG. 10). In the present embodiment, the restart button 214 is provided such that the operation surface is at a position where it is recessed with respect to the surface of the middle part housing 222.

  The middle unit 240 also includes a button detection unit 258 for detecting a pressing operation on the restart button 214. Although not shown, the button detection unit 258 is provided with a contact for detecting an operation on the restart button 214 and a detection circuit for detecting that the restart button 214 is in contact with the contact. The button detection unit 258 is attached to the detection circuit attachment unit 245 e of the main substrate holding unit 245.

  The button detection unit 258 is provided inside the restart button 214. Specifically, the button detection unit 258 is disposed such that the contact point is located on the back side of the operation surface of the restart button 214. Therefore, when the restart button 214 is deformed in response to depression of the restart button 214, a part of the restart button 214 contacts the contact of the button detection unit 258. The detection circuit of the button detection unit 258 detects that the restart button 214 has come into contact with the contact. Although not shown, the detection circuit of the button detection unit 258 is electrically connected to the main substrate 246.

(Cover part)
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the middle unit 240 includes the cover 215 described above. In the present embodiment, the cover portion 215 is made of a material (for example, an elastomer similar to the surface portion) softer than the middle portion housing 222 as in the surface portions of the upper partial housing 221 and the lower partial housing 223. Ru.

  As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the cover portion 215 has a spherical surface and a rod-like portion 259 provided on the back side of the surface. When the cover portion 215 is attached to the main substrate holding portion 245, the rod-like portion 259 is inserted into the attachment hole (that is, the hole 245f shown in FIG. 29) provided on the depressed surface 245d of the main substrate holding portion 245. The tip end portion of the rod-like portion 259 is slightly thicker than the portion other than the tip end. Therefore, the rod-like portion 259 inserted into the mounting hole is prevented from being detached from the mounting hole under a certain amount of force. The cover portion 215 is attached so as to cover the depressed surface 245 d in a state where the rod-like portion 259 is inserted into the attachment hole.

2-2-3. Lower unit]
FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of an example of the lower unit. FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of the lower unit 270 as viewed from the front upper side.

(Lower part case)
As shown in FIG. 23, lower unit 270 includes lower partial housing 223. As described above, lower partial housing 223 has a hemispherical shape, like upper partial housing 221. As shown in FIG. 23, the lower partial housing 223 is open at the upper side and does not have a surface corresponding to the bottom of a hemisphere. Therefore, it can also be said that lower part case 223 is hemispherical shape-like. Lower part housing 223 can also be said to be spherical coronal in shape like upper part housing 221.

  As shown in FIG. 23, in the present embodiment, the lower part housing 223 has a shape in which the front end portion of the hemispherical surface is cut away. Specifically, the lower partial housing 223 has a shape obtained by cutting the front end portion of the hemispherical surface in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. That is, the lower partial housing 223 includes a side 223a that is the periphery of the bottom surface of the hemisphere, and a side 223b that is produced by cutting the front end portion of the hemispherical surface with the above plane. The side 223 b has a shape that looks like a semicircle when the lower partial housing 223 is viewed from the front side. In addition, the shape of the above-mentioned notch in lower part case 223 is the shape according to the shape of the above-mentioned front end which middle part case 222 has (specifically, it corresponds with the lower side of the front end substantially) Shape), specifically, semicircular. However, the shape of the notch is arbitrary, and in other embodiments, it may be a shape other than a semicircle.

  In addition to the front end portion of the hemispherical surface, the lower partial housing 223 has a shape in which the rear end portion of the hemispherical surface is also cut out. Therefore, lower part case 223 contains side 223c which arises by notch of a back end portion. The shape of the notch in the rear end portion substantially matches the shape of the surface of the cover portion 215. That is, the cover portion 215 is provided so as to cover the cutout portion at the rear end of the lower partial housing 223.

  As shown in FIG. 23, lower partial housing 223 has surface portion 272 and inner wall portion 273 as in upper partial housing 221. The surface portion 272 is a component that constitutes the outer surface of the lower partial housing 223. The inner wall portion 273 is a component that constitutes the inner wall of the lower partial housing 223. The surface portion 272 and the inner wall portion 273 have a hemispherical shape similar to that of the lower partial housing 223, and like the lower partial housing 223, a shape in which the front end portion and the rear end portion of the hemispherical surface are cut out . Further, the inner wall portion 273 is connected to the inside of the surface portion 272. For example, the inner wall portion 273 is bonded to the inside of the surface portion 272 with an adhesive. The inner wall portion 273 has a size such that the outer surface of the inner wall portion 273 matches the inner surface of the surface portion 272.

  Similar to the surface portion 231 of the upper partial housing 221, the surface portion 272 of the lower partial housing 223 is made of an elastic body (for example, an elastomer) softer than the middle partial housing 222 and the inner wall 273. The inner wall 273 of the lower partial housing 223 is made of a material (for example, resin) harder than the inner wall 273 as in the inner wall 232 of the upper partial housing 221.

  Further, the inner wall 273 is formed of, for example, a black material so that the light from the light emitting unit 248 does not pass through the inner wall 273 as much as the inner wall 232 of the upper partial housing 221.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the inner wall 273 is provided with a rib 273a. The rib 273 a is provided to protrude with respect to the spherical inner wall of the lower partial housing 223. The rib 273a is provided so as not to contact the vibrating portion 271 (in other words, avoiding the position where the vibrating portion 271 is provided). In addition, the position and number in which the rib 273a is provided are arbitrary. By providing the rib 273a, the strength (in other words, rigidity) of the lower partial housing 223 can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the number of ribs provided on the inner wall of the upper partial housing 221 is smaller than the number of ribs provided on the inner wall of the lower partial housing 223 (ribs on the inner wall of the upper partial housing 221 It is the meaning including the aspect which is not provided. With regard to the upper partial housing 221, the strength can be improved by fixing the sub-substrate 237 and the sub-substrate holding portion 238 to the upper partial housing 221. That is, in the present embodiment, the upper part housing 221 can accommodate many parts by reducing the number of ribs compared to the lower part housing 223, and can accommodate the stored parts (that is, the sub substrate 237 and By fixing the sub substrate holding portion 238) to the upper partial housing 221, the strength is improved.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the inner wall portion 273 is provided with a vibrating portion attachment portion 273 b. Although only two vibrating portion attaching portions 273 b are shown in FIG. 23, four vibrating portion attaching portions 273 b are provided on the inner wall portion 273. The vibrating portion attaching portion 273b is provided with a screw hole whose upper side is opened. This screw hole is a screw hole for attaching a vibrating portion 271 described later to the lower partial housing 223.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the inner wall portion 273 is provided with a housing attachment portion 273 c. In the housing attachment portion 273c, two screw holes penetrating the housing attachment portion 273c in the front-rear direction are provided. The screw hole is a screw hole for attaching the lower partial housing 223 (in other words, the lower unit 270) to the main substrate holding portion 245 (in other words, the middle unit 240).

  As shown in FIG. 23, the inner wall 273 is provided with a projecting claw 273 d. The protruding claw portion 273 d is provided to protrude above the side 223 a of the lower partial housing 223. In the present embodiment, one protruding claw portion 273 d is provided in each of the right rear portion and the left rear portion in the side 223 of the lower partial housing 223. Although details will be described later, when the middle part housing 222 and the lower part housing 223 are connected, the protruding claw portion 273 d is engaged with the middle part housing 222.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 23, the inner wall 273 is provided with a claw 273 e. The claw portion 273 e is provided so as not to protrude further than the side 223 a of the lower partial housing 223. The claw portion 273 e is provided on the right front portion of the lower partial housing 223. Further, although not shown, a claw similar to the claw 273 e is also provided on the left front portion of the lower partial housing 223. Although the details will be described later, when the middle part housing 222 and the lower part housing 223 are connected, the claws 273e are engaged with the engaged parts 243a (see FIG. 19) of the middle part housing 222. Stop.

(Vibration part)
As shown in FIG. 23, the lower unit 270 includes a vibrating unit 271. The vibration unit 271 is a vibrator that generates vibration to vibrate the housing 211. Although not shown, the vibration unit 271 is electrically connected to the main substrate 246 (more specifically, a control unit provided on the main substrate 246).

  In the present embodiment, the vibrating unit 271 is a voice coil motor. That is, the vibration unit 271 can generate vibration in accordance with a signal input to the vibration unit 271 and can generate sound in accordance with the signal. For example, when a signal of a frequency in the audible range is input to the vibration unit 271, the vibration unit 271 generates a vibration and a sound (that is, an audible sound). For example, when an audio signal indicating the voice (or the call) of a character appearing in a game is input, the vibration unit 271 outputs the voice (or the call) of the character. In addition, when a signal of a frequency outside the audible range is input to the vibration unit 271, the vibration unit 271 generates a vibration. The signal input to the vibrating unit 271 can also be referred to as a signal indicating the waveform of the vibration to be performed by the vibrating unit 271, or can be referred to as an audio signal indicating the waveform of the sound to be output by the vibrating unit 271. The signal input to the vibration unit 271 may be a vibration signal intended to cause the vibration unit 271 to vibrate in a desired waveform, or a sound intended to cause the vibration unit 271 to output a desired sound. It may be a signal. As described above, in the present embodiment, the vibration unit 271 can output vibration and sound, so that the spherical controller 200 can output vibration and sound, and the internal configuration of the controller main unit 201 can be simplified. Can be

  As shown in FIG. 23, the vibrating portion 271 has a cylindrical outer shape. In the present embodiment, since the columnar vibration unit is disposed in the spherical casing 211, the space in the casing 211 can be efficiently used. Generally, the larger the vibrating portion 271 is, the stronger the vibration can be generated. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is easy to arrange the vibrating portion capable of generating the strong vibration.

  In the present embodiment, the vibrating portion 271 has a projecting portion 271 a that protrudes from the side surface of the cylindrical vibrating portion 271. In the present embodiment, four protrusions 271 a are provided on the upper end of the side surface of the vibrating portion 271. The protruding portion 271 a protrudes from the side surface of the vibrating portion 271 in the vertical direction. Each protrusion 271a is provided with a hole for passing a screw for fixing the vibrating portion 271 to the lower partial housing 223 (see FIG. 23).

  As shown in FIG. 23, the vibration unit 271 is attached to the inside of the lower partial housing 223. In the present embodiment, the vibrating portion 271 and the lower partial housing 223 are fixed to each other by the screws 274 (in the present embodiment, four screws 274). As described above, the vibrating portion attaching portion 273b of the lower partial housing 223 is provided with four screw holes whose upper side is opened. Further, holes are provided at the positions corresponding to the screw holes in the projecting portion 271a of the vibrating portion 271. As shown in FIG. 23, the vibrating portion 271 and the lower partial housing 223 are fixed by screwing the screw 274 into the screw hole of the lower partial housing 223 while passing through the hole of the vibrating portion 271. In the present embodiment, the vibrating portion 271 is provided in a direction in which the central axis of the cylinder (in other words, the central axis of the vibrating portion 271) is substantially parallel in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the vibrating portion 271 is provided in a direction in which its own vibration direction is substantially parallel to the vertical direction.

  In the present embodiment, the vibrating portion 271 is in contact with the lower partial housing 223 only at the portion of the protrusion 271 a screwed to the lower partial housing 223. That is, the bottom and side surfaces of the cylindrical vibrating portion 271 are not in contact with the lower partial housing 223. As described above, by limiting the portion where the vibrating portion 271 contacts the lower partial housing 223, variation in the vibration characteristic when vibration due to the vibrating portion 271 is transmitted to the lower partial housing 223 (ie, the product Each variation) can be reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the four connection points (that is, the four projecting portions 271a) of the vibrating portion 271 and the lower partial housing 223 are arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. That is, the four connection points are arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to an axis parallel to the left and right direction passing through the centers of the four connection points. Further, the four connection points are arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to an axis parallel to the front-rear direction passing through the centers of the four connection points. According to this, the vibration by the vibration unit 271 can be transmitted to the housing 211 in a well-balanced manner.

2-2-4. Connection of each unit]
The controller main unit 201 is configured by connecting the upper unit 230, the middle unit 240, and the lower unit 270 described above.

  FIG. 24 is an exploded perspective view of an example of the upper unit 230 and an example of the middle unit 240. As shown in FIG. 24, the upper unit 230 and the middle unit 240 are fixed to each other by screws 281 (three screws 281 in this embodiment). Specifically, on the inner side surface of the upper partial housing 221 (specifically, the inner wall portion 232) of the upper unit 230, three screw holes opened on the lower side are provided (see FIG. 16). Further, in the main substrate holding portion 245 of the middle unit 240, three holes are provided at positions corresponding to the three screw holes (see FIG. 19). Specifically, holes are provided one by one on the left side and the right side of the frame portion 245a, and holes are provided on the strap attachment shaft 245c (see FIG. 19). As shown in FIG. 24, the upper unit 230 and the middle unit 240 are fixed by screwing the screw 281 into the screw hole of the upper partial housing 221 while passing through the hole of the main substrate holding portion 245.

  When the upper unit 230 and the middle unit 240 are connected, the side 221 a of the upper partial casing 221 contacts the strip portions 242 and 243 of the middle partial casing 222, and the side 221 b of the upper partial casing 221 is It contacts the upper side of the front part 241 of the middle part housing 222. Thereby, the upper part housing 221 and the middle part housing 222 are connected such that no gap is substantially generated between them. However, since the rear end of the left strip portion 242 of the middle housing 222 and the rear end of the right belt portion 243 are not continuous, the rear end portion of the upper housing 221 does not contact the middle housing 222.

  25 and 26 are exploded perspective views of an example of the controller body 201. FIG. FIG. 25 is a perspective view of an upper middle unit 290 to which the upper unit 230 and the middle unit 240 are connected, and a lower unit 270 as viewed from the lower front side. On the other hand, FIG. 26 shows the upper middle unit 290 as viewed from the front lower side and the lower unit 270 as viewed from the front upper side.

  As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, lower unit 270 is further connected to upper middle unit 290 to which upper unit 230 and middle unit 240 are connected. In the present embodiment, the lower unit 270 is connected to the upper middle unit 290 by a claw and a screw.

  As described above, the lower partial housing 223 is provided with four claws (ie, two protruding claws 273 d and two claws 273 e). These claws lock to the middle part housing 222. Specifically, the projecting claws 273 d are locked to the inside of the respective strip portions 242 and 243 of the middle part housing 222. In addition, the claw portion 273e is locked to the locked portion 243a (see FIG. 19) of the middle part housing 222. By this, the lower part housing 223 and the middle part housing 222 are fixed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 26, the upper middle unit 290 and the lower unit 270 are fixed to each other by screws 282. Specifically, two screw holes penetrating the housing mounting portion 273c in the front-rear direction are provided in the housing mounting portion 273c of the lower unit. Further, in the depressed surface 245d of the main substrate holding portion 245 included in the upper and middle unit 290, two holes are provided at positions corresponding to the two screw holes. As shown in FIG. 26, the upper middle unit 290 and the lower unit 270 are fixed by screwing the screw 282 into the screw hole of the lower partial housing 223 while passing through the hole of the recessed surface 245d.

  In the present embodiment, when the upper middle unit 290 and the lower unit 270 are connected, the side 223a of the lower partial housing 223 contacts the strip portions 242 and 243 of the middle partial housing 222, and the lower portion The side 223 b of the housing 223 contacts the lower side of the front portion 241 of the middle partial housing 222 (see FIG. 25). Thus, the lower part housing 223 and the middle part housing 222 are connected such that no gap is substantially generated therebetween. However, since the rear end of the left strip portion 242 of the middle housing 222 and the rear end of the right belt portion 243 are not continuous, the rear end portion of the lower housing 223 does not contact the middle housing 222. In the present embodiment, the rear end of the left belt-like portion 242 of the middle partial casing 222, the rear end of the right belt-like portion 243, the upper partial casing 221, and the lower partial casing 223 A hole is formed at the end. This hole is the strap hole 211c (see FIG. 10) described above.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which each component of the controller main body 201 is connected by a screw, a claw or the like has been described, but a method of connecting each component is arbitrary. Also, the position and number of screws used to connect (in other words, fix) each component are arbitrary.

2-2-5. Internal arrangement]
(About the placement of the antenna)
FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the controller main body. FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of a cross section perpendicular to the left and right direction passing through the center of the controller main body 201. As described above, the antenna 291 is provided on the sub substrate 237. In the present embodiment, the antenna 291 is disposed above the center C of the housing 211 and on the front side of the center C (see FIG. 27).

  As shown in FIG. 27, in the present embodiment, the position of the antenna 291 is between the center C of the housing 211 and the operation surface 213. More specifically, the position of the antenna 291 with respect to the direction (that is, the vertical direction) parallel to the straight line passing the center C of the housing 211 and the operation surface 213 (that is, the straight line L3 shown in FIG. 13) It is between the position of the center C of the housing 211 (that is, the y-axis coordinate of the center C) and the position of the operation surface 213 in the corresponding direction (that is, the y-axis coordinate of the operation surface 213). In other words, in the present embodiment, the antenna 291 is provided on the above “upper direction in direction input” side than the center C of the housing 211, and the operation surface 213 is “in direction input than the antenna 291. It is provided on the upper side. When the antenna 291 is disposed at the position as described above, the finger operating the operation surface 213 does not easily interfere with the communication by the antenna 291, and the spherical controller 200 can perform the communication by the antenna 291 favorably.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes the electronic substrate (that is, the sub-substrate 237) on which the contact 237a for detecting the pressing operation on the operation surface 213 and the antenna 291 are provided. As described above, by sharing the substrate on which the contact 237a is provided and the substrate on which the antenna 291 is provided, the components can be efficiently arranged in the housing 211, and the weight and space of the spherical controller 200 can be reduced. Can be Further, according to the above, the antenna 291 can be disposed at a certain distance from the operation surface 213 below the operation surface 213. Therefore, a finger operating the operation surface 213 can be less likely to interfere with communication by the antenna 291, and the spherical controller 200 can perform communication by the antenna 291 favorably.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 is provided in the hemispherical upper partial casing 221, and the antenna 291 is provided inside the upper partial casing 221 (in other words, the first hemispherical portion). . Thus, in the present embodiment, the antenna 291 is provided in a partial housing provided with the operation surface 213. According to this, the antenna 291 can be disposed on the same side as the operation surface 213 in the spherical casing 211. By this, the finger operating the operation surface 213 can be less likely to interfere with the communication by the antenna 291, and the spherical controller 200 can favorably perform the communication by the antenna 291.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 is provided at the upper end of the housing 211, the joystick 211 is provided at the front end of the housing 211, and the antenna 291 is on the front side of the center C of the housing 211. It is provided on the upper side (see FIG. 27). In other words, the antenna 291 is a plane perpendicular to the straight line passing through the center C of the housing 211 and the opening 211a (ie, the straight line L4 shown in FIG. 13) and including the center C (ie, the plane shown in FIG. 13). It is provided on the joystick 212 side than P1). That is, the antenna 291 is provided on the same side as the joystick 212 (specifically, the front side) with reference to the above-mentioned plane. In addition, "the antenna 291 is provided in the front side" is a meaning including the aspect by which at least one part of the antenna 291 is provided in the front side.

  Here, assuming that the joystick 212 is operated with the thumb and the operation surface 213 is operated with the index finger, as shown in FIG. 12, between the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213 on the surface of the housing 211 The finger is not placed. Therefore, as described above, by arranging the antenna 291 on the same side as the joystick 212, the antenna 291 can be arranged at a position where a finger is unlikely to be arranged. By this, the finger holding the spherical controller 200 can be less likely to interfere with the communication by the antenna 291, and the communication by the antenna 291 can be favorably performed.

  In the present embodiment, the antenna 291 includes a line segment passing through the operation surface 213 and the center C, and an opening 211a, in a circular area of a cross section passing through the operation surface 213, the opening 211a, and the center C of the housing 211. At least a part of the antenna 291 is disposed in a fan-shaped area (i.e., an area R surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line shown in FIG. 27) whose radius is a line segment passing through and the center C Provided as. As described above, by arranging at least a part of the antenna 291 in the above region, the finger gripping the spherical controller 200 can be less likely to interfere with the communication by the antenna 291, and the communication by the antenna 291 is favorably performed. be able to

  In the present embodiment, the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213 are disposed such that the central angle of the fan-shape is 90 °. In other words, in the joystick 212 and the operation surface 213, a straight line passing through the joystick 212 (in other words, the opening 211a) and the center C of the housing 211 is orthogonal to a straight line passing through the operation surface 213 and the center C. Was placed. Here, in another embodiment, the central angle of the sector may not be 90 °. Even when the central angle of the sector does not reach 90 °, the spherical controller 200 is arranged as in the present embodiment by arranging the antenna 291 so that at least a part of the antenna 291 is included in the sector of the sector. Can be made difficult to interfere with communication by the antenna 291.

(About the composition of the operation surface)
As described above, in the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes the operation unit having the operation surface 213 formed integrally with the surface of the housing 211. According to this, since a gap can be prevented from being generated between the operation surface 213 and a portion of the housing 211 other than the operation surface 213, the appearance of the controller main body portion 201 is made to be closer to a sphere Can. By this, the touch which grasps controller body part 201 can be made good. Further, the possibility that the operation surface 213 is unintentionally operated due to another object being caught on the operation surface 213 can be reduced.

  Note that “the operation surface is integrally formed with the surface of the housing” means that a groove (that is, the sign 211 b) is formed between the operation surface and the surface of the housing as in the present embodiment. It is a meaning including an aspect. The depth and width of the grooves are arbitrary. Further, "the operation surface is integrally formed with the surface of the housing" means that at least a part of the operation surface is integrally formed with the surface of the housing. For example, in the present embodiment, the entire circumference of the operation surface 213 is configured to be continuous with the surface of the housing 211, but in another embodiment, only a part of the circumference of the operation surface 213 is the housing It may be configured to be continuous with the surface of 211. Therefore, for example, a notch is formed between a part of the circumference of the operation surface 213 and the surface of the housing 211 and is not continuous, and another part of the circumference of the operation surface 213 and the surface of the housing 211 In the case of being integrally formed (in other words, continuous), it can be said that "the operation surface is integrally formed with the surface of the housing".

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 and the surface of the housing 211 (that is, the surface portion 231) are formed of an elastic body. In addition, the housing 211 is provided inside the surface formed of an elastic body, and has an inner wall portion 232 harder than the elastic body. According to the above, the operation surface 213 integrally formed with the surface of the housing 211 can be configured to be able to be pushed down. Further, according to the above, by providing the inner wall portion, when the user grips the case 211 by a normal force, it is possible to prevent the part other than the operation surface 213 from being largely deformed in the case 211. it can. In the present embodiment, the surfaces of the upper partial housing 221 and the lower partial housing 223 are formed of an elastic body. However, in another embodiment, only a portion around the operation surface 213 in the surface of the housing 211 may be made of an elastic body.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the operation unit having the operation surface 213 has a movable portion (specifically, the key top 235). In addition, the spherical controller 200 includes a detection unit (specifically, a detection circuit 322). The movable portion is covered by the housing 211 and the operation surface 213, and can move in response to the operation surface 213 being depressed. The detection unit detects an operation on the operation surface 213 according to the movement of the movable unit. According to the above, the spherical controller 200 can detect that the operation surface is pushed down with a simple configuration.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the operation surface 213 has a spherical shape. Specifically, the operation surface 213 has a spherical shape that is substantially the same radius as the radius of the housing 211. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a single spherical surface is formed by the housing 211 and the operation surface 213. At this time, it can be said that the operation surface 213 is provided along the surface of the housing 211. According to the present embodiment, the appearance of the controller main body 201 can be made closer to a sphere. The operation surface 213 is different from (a) an aspect in which the housing 211 and the operation surface 213 are integrated as in the present embodiment, and (b) different from the present embodiment in that the housing and the operation surface are different. It may be any of the embodiments which are the body. For example, even in the case where the operation surface separate from the housing is a spherical surface of the same sphere as the surface of the housing, the external appearance of the controller main body 201 is made closer to the sphere as in the present embodiment. be able to.

  In another embodiment, the operation surface 213 may be provided to protrude from the surface of the housing 211. According to this, the position of the operation surface can be easily understood by the user. Even in this case, it can be said that the controller main body 201 is spherical as a whole.

  In addition, in another embodiment, the operation surface 213 may be separate from the housing 211. For example, the operation surface may be part of an operation button separate from the housing 211. Specifically, the case 211 may be provided with a button hole different from the opening 211 a, and the operation surface (in other words, the operation button) may be provided so as to be exposed from the button hole. According to this, the position of the operation button can be easily understood by the user. At this time, the operation surface may be provided along the housing 211, may be provided protruding from the housing 211, or may be provided recessed from the housing 211.

  In the present embodiment, the area of the operation surface 213 is larger than the area of the operation surface 252 c of the joystick 212. According to this, the operation surface 213 can be easily pushed by the user. In another embodiment, the size and the shape of the operation surface 213 are arbitrary, and may be smaller than the operation surface 252 c of the joystick 212.

(About the arrangement of the joystick)
FIG. 28 is a view schematically showing the vicinity of the front end portion of an example of the spherical controller. FIG. 28 is a view of the front end portion of the spherical body controller 200 as viewed in the left-right direction, schematically showing the relationship between the joystick 212 and the housing 211 and the opening 211a. In FIG. 28, the shaft 252 shown by a solid line shows the shaft 252 in a non-operated state, and the shaft 252 shown by a dotted line shows the shaft 252 in a state of being tilted to the limit.

  As shown in FIG. 28, the housing 211 has a spherical surface 211d and a front end surface 211e. The spherical surface 211 d is provided at a predetermined distance (referred to as a radial distance) from the center of the housing 211. The front end surface 211e is an opening surface in which the opening 211a is formed. The joystick 211 protrudes from the opening 211 a to the outside of the housing 211.

  The front end surface 211 e is provided at a position at which the distance from the center of the housing 211 is shorter than the radial distance. In other words, the front end face 211e is provided at a position recessed from the reference spherical surface (in other words, a position inside the reference spherical surface). Here, the reference spherical surface is a spherical surface of a spherical region whose center is the center of the housing 211 and whose radius is the above-mentioned radial distance (a dashed dotted line shown in FIG. 28). That is, the spherical surface 211 d of the housing 211 is provided along the reference spherical surface, and the front end surface 211 e is provided recessed from the reference spherical surface.

  According to the above, the portion where the joystick 212 is provided (i.e., the front end face 211e) can be provided at a position closer to the center of the housing 211 than the spherical surface 211d of the housing 211. Thus, the amount by which the joystick 212 protrudes beyond the reference spherical surface can be suppressed, and the user can easily operate the joystick 212.

  As shown in FIG. 28, in the present embodiment, the tip end 252b of the joystick 212 is provided at a position overlapping the reference spherical surface. In other words, the tip end 252b is provided at a position where the distance from the center of the housing 211 is the above-mentioned radial distance. At this time, the operation surface 252c of the joystick 212 is provided at a position along the reference spherical surface (more specifically, a position slightly outside the reference spherical surface).

  According to the above, although there is a difference according to the thickness (for example, 3 mm to 10 mm) of the tip 252 b, the finger operating the joystick 212 is disposed at substantially the same position as the spherical surface. Therefore, since the user can hold the spherical controller 200 in a feeling that the finger operating the joystick 212 is on the spherical surface, the user can operate the joystick 212 more easily.

  As shown in FIG. 28, in the present embodiment, the tip end 252 b is located at a position overlapping the reference spherical surface in both the state where the joystick 212 is operated and the state where the joystick 212 is not operated. In other words, the tip portion 252b is provided at a position at which the distance from the center of the housing 211 is the above-mentioned radial distance in both the state where the joystick 212 is operated and the state where the joystick 212 is not operated. In the present embodiment, even when the shaft 252 is at any tilt angle within the movable range, the tip 252 b is positioned to overlap the reference spherical surface. According to this, the user can operate the joystick 212 in the sense that the finger operating the joystick 212 is placed on the spherical surface regardless of the tilt state of the shaft portion 252. By this, the operation feeling of the joystick 212 can be further improved.

(About the placement of the acceleration sensor)
As shown in FIG. 27, in the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes an inertial sensor (for example, an acceleration sensor 247) provided near the center of the housing 211. According to this, the inertial sensor can perform detection under the same conditions in the three axial directions of the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction. Thereby, the detection accuracy by the inertial sensor can be improved.

(About arrangement of rechargeable battery)
As shown in FIG. 27, in the present embodiment, the rechargeable battery 244 is provided inside the housing 211, and specifically, the distance from the center C of the housing 211 to the rechargeable battery 244 is the housing 211. Is provided at a position shorter than the distance from the center of the sensor to the vibrating portion 271. Thus, the rechargeable battery 244 is provided near the center of the housing 211. This can reduce the transfer of the impact from the outside of the controller main body 201 to the rechargeable battery 244, and as a result, the rechargeable battery 244 can be protected safely.

  In the present embodiment, the main substrate holding portion 245 is provided with a hole for passing a screw for connecting the main substrate holding portion 245 to the middle partial housing 222 (see FIG. 19). Here, these holes are provided on the outside of the frame portion 245 a that accommodates the rechargeable battery 244. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the transmission of an impact from the outside of the controller main body 201 to the rechargeable battery 244 can be further reduced.

(About the arrangement of the vibration part)
In the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 has the following configuration.
・ Spherical case 211
A vibration unit 271 provided inside the housing 211 to generate vibration to vibrate the housing 211.
· An inertial sensor (specifically, an acceleration sensor 247) provided inside the housing 211 and closer to the center of the spherical housing than the vibration unit.
-It is possible to push down, and the center C is perpendicular to the opposite side of the vibrating portion 271 with respect to the center C of the housing 211 (specifically, perpendicular to a straight line passing the center C of the housing 211 and the vibrating portion 271 With respect to an operation to an operation unit and operation unit having an operation surface 213 provided at a position on the casing 211 that is the opposite side of the vibrating unit 271 in the casing 211 with reference to the plane (including the xz plane) Transmission unit (communication unit 323 described later) that transmits information and information output from the inertial sensor to the outside
The “position on the opposite side of the vibrating portion 271 with respect to the center C of the housing 211” is perpendicular to a straight line passing the center of the vibrating portion 271 and the center of the housing 211 and includes the center of the housing 211 It means a position on the opposite side of the vibrating portion 271 with reference to a plane (that is, the xz plane).

  In the above, “(inertial sensor) is provided at a position closer to the center of the spherical casing than the vibrating portion” means that the distance from the center C of the casing 211 to the inertial sensor is vibration from the center C More specifically, this means that the distance from the lower end of the inertial sensor to the center C of the housing 211 is the center of the housing 211 from the upper end of the vibrating portion 271. It means that it is shorter than the distance to C.

  According to the above configuration, by disposing the inertial sensor near the center of the housing 211, as described above, detection accuracy by the inertial sensor can be improved. Further, by disposing the inertial sensor away from the vibrating portion 271, the inertial sensor is less susceptible to the vibration of the vibrating portion 271. Thereby, the detection accuracy by the inertial sensor can be improved. Further, by arranging the operation unit and the vibration unit 271 on the opposite side with respect to the center of the housing 211, it is possible to make it difficult for the vibration of the vibration unit 271 to be transmitted to the operation unit. As a result, the operation on the operation unit is less susceptible to vibration, and the operability of the operation on the operation unit can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the “operation unit” is configured to have a movable portion (specifically, the key top 235) that can move in response to the operation surface 213 being pushed down. That is, in the present embodiment, the input device includes the movable portion. However, the "operation unit" may be any input device. For example, in another embodiment, the operation unit may be an analog stick similar to the joystick 212, a cross key, or a push button.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes the first input device including the key top 235 as the operation unit and, in addition to the first input device, the second input device (specifically, the joystick 212). Was configured. Here, in another embodiment, the sphere controller 200 may be configured to include the first input device and not include the second input device. For example, in another embodiment, an opening (that is, an opening similar to the opening 211a) is provided at the position of the operation surface 213 in this embodiment, and the joystick 212 is exposed from the opening as the operation unit. It may be provided. At this time, the spherical controller 200 may not have the operation surface 213 and the key top 235.

  In addition, when the sphere controller 200 includes the first input device as the operation unit and the second input device, the first input device and the second input device may be the same type of input device. Alternatively, as in this embodiment, different types of input devices may be used. For example, in another embodiment, the spherical controller 200 may have the operation surface 213 and a second operation surface at a position different from the operation surface 213 on the housing 211. At this time, the spherical controller 200 is provided with a first input device including the key top 235 as the operation unit, and a second input device of the same type as the first input device (ie, the second operation surface is An input device including a key top that can move in response to depression may be provided.

  The above “transmit to the outside” means to transmit to the main device 2 in the present embodiment, but may be to transmit to any device (see “[3. ).

  As shown in FIG. 27, the vibrating portion 271 is provided between the center C and the lower end B of the housing 211. The vibrating unit 271 is disposed below the center C of the housing 211. Here, in the present embodiment, the vibration unit 271 is a component (more specifically, the key top 235, the key rubber 236, the sub substrate 237, and the sub substrate holding disposed above the center C of the housing 211). Section 238, rechargeable battery 244, and joystick 212). The vibrating portion 271 may be heavier than the sum of the weights of the respective components.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the center of gravity of the spherical controller 200 (specifically, the controller body 201) is located between the center C of the housing 211 and the lower end B of the surface of the housing 211. . In the present embodiment, the lower end B of the housing 211 can be referred to as a ground portion of the surface of the housing 211. Note that “the position of the center of gravity is located between the center C and the lower end B” means that the position of the center of gravity with respect to the direction of the straight line connecting the communication C and the lower end B (that is, the vertical direction) It means that it is between the position and the position of the lower end B in the relevant direction. That is, the position of the center of gravity does not have to be located on a line connecting the center C and the lower end B. Therefore, in another embodiment, the lower end B of the housing 211 may not necessarily be the ground contact portion, and the position shifted from the lower end B may be the ground contact portion.

  According to the above, when the controller body 201 having a spherical shape is placed on a horizontal surface without applying an external force, the controller body 201 is placed with the lower end B in contact with the horizontal surface. In other words, when the controller body 201 is placed on a horizontal surface without any external force applied, the downward direction in the direction input (that is, the opposite direction to the above “direction in the direction input”) and the gravity direction Are placed in a substantially coincident posture. In addition, when the user places the controller main body 201 on a horizontal surface in a posture in which the position different from the lower end B of the housing 211 comes in contact with the horizontal surface, the controller main body 201 automatically (in other words, Naturally, the posture is changed so that the contact portion (ie, the lower end B) is in contact with the horizontal surface.

  Here, since the controller main body 201 is spherical, the user may not easily recognize the vertical direction only from the outer shape of the controller main body 201. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, since the user can check the vertical direction by placing the controller main body 201 on the horizontal surface, the vertical direction of the spherical controller 200 can be easily understood by the user. can do.

  In the present embodiment, the position of the center of gravity of the spherical controller 200 can be adjusted using the vibrating portion 271 that is heavier than the above-described components. Specifically, by providing the vibrating portion 271 between the center of the housing 211 and the ground contact portion, the position of the center of gravity can be disposed below the center. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the gravity center position of the spherical controller 200 can be set without using a weight, the configuration of the spherical controller 200 can be simplified.

  In the present embodiment, it can be said that the barycentric position of the controller main body portion 201 is located on the vibrating portion 271 side with respect to the center C of the housing 211. That is, the center-of-gravity position of the controller main body 201 is perpendicular to a straight line passing through the center C of the housing 211 and the center of the vibrating portion 271 (that is, a straight line in the vertical direction). It is located closer to the vibrating portion 271 than the plane). In another embodiment, the center-of-gravity position of the controller main body 201 may not be on the line connecting the center C and the lower end B of the housing 211, and any position that is closer to the vibrating portion 271 than the plane. It may be Also by this, as in the present embodiment, the user can check the vertical direction by placing the controller main body 201 on the horizontal surface.

  In the present embodiment, the grounding portion is a position different from the position where the joystick 212 is provided in the housing 211, and is a position opposite to the operation surface 213 with respect to the center of the housing 211. Here, "a position opposite to the operation surface 213 with respect to the center of the housing 211" is perpendicular to a straight line passing the center of the operation surface 213 and the center of the housing 211 and includes the center of the housing 211. It means a position opposite to the operation surface 213 with reference to a plane (ie, the xz plane). The vibrating portion 271 can also be said to be provided on an extension of a straight line extending from the operation surface 213 to the center of the housing 211.

  According to the above, when the controller body 201 is placed on a horizontal surface in a state where no external force is applied, the controller body 201 is placed with the operation surface 213 facing upward. According to this, when the controller main body 201 is placed on a horizontal surface, the position of the operation surface 213 can be easily understood by the user. Further, according to the above, the possibility that the operation surface 213 contacts the horizontal surface is reduced. Therefore, as a result of the operation surface 213 coming into contact with the horizontal surface, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the operation surface 213 is operated although it is not intended by the user. Further, when the controller main body 201 is placed on a horizontal surface without any external force applied, the controller main body 201 is placed in a posture in which the operation surface 213 can be operated. It can be made easy.

  In the present embodiment, the vibrating portion 271 is provided at a position facing the portion on the back side of the ground contact portion in the inner wall of the housing 211 (see FIG. 27). According to this, since the gravity center position of the controller main body 201 can be brought close to the ground contact site, when the controller main body 201 is placed on a horizontal surface without applying external force, the controller main body 201 is grounded at the ground contact site. It becomes easier to stabilize in the

  In the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes a rechargeable battery 244 provided inside the housing 211, and a charging terminal 249 provided at a position different from the ground portion and electrically connected to the rechargeable battery 244. Prepare. According to this, since the charging terminal 249 does not face downward when the controller main body 201 is placed on a horizontal surface in a state where no external force is applied, the user can easily find the charging terminal 249 and charge the charging terminal 249. It becomes easy to connect devices etc. Thus, in the present embodiment, charging of the spherical controller 200 can be facilitated for the user, and the convenience of the spherical controller 200 can be improved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the charging terminal 249 is provided at a position recessed with respect to the surface of the housing 211 (that is, the recessed surface 245 d). This can reduce the possibility of the charging terminal 249 coming into contact with the floor on which the controller body 201 is mounted. For example, even when the controller body 201 placed on the floor is rolled, the possibility that the charging terminal 249 contacts the floor is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the casing 211 has a vibrating portion attaching portion 273b on the back side of the casing 211, and the vibrating portion 271 is directly fixed to the vibrating portion attaching portion 273b (see FIG. 23). According to this, since the vibrating portion 271 is directly fixed to the housing 211 (specifically, the lower partial housing 223), the vibration by the vibrating portion 271 can be efficiently transmitted to the housing 211. . In addition, when the controller main body 201 is placed on a horizontal surface, the vibration of the vibration unit 271 can be easily transmitted to the horizontal surface via the housing 211.

  In the present embodiment, the vibration unit 271 is provided at an interval from the sensor electronic substrate (that is, the main substrate 246) on which the acceleration sensor 247 is provided (see FIG. 27). That is, the vibration unit 271 does not directly contact the substrate on which the acceleration sensor 247 is provided. According to this, the acceleration sensor 247 is less susceptible to the influence of the vibration by the vibrating unit 271. Therefore, the possibility that the acceleration sensor 247 can not accurately detect the acceleration of the controller main body 201 by detecting the vibration can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the vibration unit 271 is directly fixed to the housing 211 (specifically, the lower partial housing 223), and holds the sensor electronic substrate (that is, the main substrate 246) on which the acceleration sensor 247 is provided. The main substrate holding portion 245 is directly fixed to the casing 211 (specifically, the middle partial casing 222 and the lower partial casing 223). Therefore, the vibration unit 271 is indirectly connected to the substrate on which the acceleration sensor 247 is provided, and is not directly connected. As a result, the acceleration sensor 247 can be less affected by the vibration of the vibrating unit 271, and the possibility that the acceleration sensor 247 can not accurately detect the acceleration of the controller main body 201 can be reduced.

(About the rear side of the case)
FIG. 29 is a rear view of an example of the controller main body with the cover 215 removed. As shown in FIG. 29, the above-described recessed surface 245 d is provided in the inside of the cover portion 215. Although not shown in FIG. 29, the cover portion 215 is attached to the recess surface 245d by inserting the above-mentioned rod-like portion 259 into the hole 245f provided in the recess surface 245d. As shown in FIG. 29, a recess 222a is provided at a position adjacent to the cover portion 215 of the middle part housing 222. The recess 222 a is provided for the purpose of making it easy for the user to hook a finger or a nail on the cover portion 215 when the cover portion 215 is removed from the state of covering the recess surface 245 d.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 29, a charging terminal 249 is provided on the depressed surface 245d. That is, as described above, the charging terminal 249 is provided so as to be exposed from the hole of the depressed surface 245d. In addition, the upper middle unit 290 (specifically, the main substrate holding portion 245 having the concave surface 245d) and the lower unit 270 (specifically, the lower partial housing 223) are screwed on the concave surface 245d. Holes 245g are provided for attachment.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 is provided at a position recessed with respect to the spherical first surface of the partial housing (specifically, the surface of the lower partial housing 223). It has a depressed surface 245d. The recessed surface 245 d is formed with a hole 245 g to which a screw for fixing the lower partial housing 223 having the first surface and the recessed surface 245 d is attached (see FIG. 29). The spherical controller 200 also includes a cover 215 that covers the recessed surface 245 d and has a spherical second surface.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the screw hole for connecting the upper middle unit 290 and the lower unit 270 is covered by the cover portion 215. According to this, the controller main body 201 can be configured such that the screw hole is not provided on the surface. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the appearance of the controller main body 201 can be made closer to a sphere.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 29, strap holes 211 c to which straps can be attached are formed at the rear end of the housing 211. That is, the strap hole 211c is formed at a straight position extending in the opposite direction from the center of the housing 211 to the center of the operation surface 252c of the joystick 212 from the center of the housing 211. According to this, it is possible to attach the strap to a position that does not easily interfere with the operation on the joystick 212. Thereby, the operability of the spherical controller 200 can be improved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the operation surface of the restart button 214 shown in FIG. 29 is provided at a position recessed with respect to the surface of the housing 211. This can reduce the possibility of the restart button 214 being operated erroneously. In other embodiments, the operation surface of the restart button 214 may be provided along the surface of the housing 211 or may be provided protruding from the surface of the housing 211.

[2-3. Composition about luminescence]
Next, the configuration regarding light emission in the controller main body unit 201 will be described. FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of how the controller body emits light. As shown in FIG. 30, in the present embodiment, the joystick 212 (specifically, the shaft portion 252) is provided so as to be exposed from the opening 211a of the housing 211, and the diffusion sheet 255 provided around the joystick 212 ( In addition, the peripheral portion 256 and the reflective portion 253) at the rear thereof are provided so as to be visible from the outside of the housing 211. When the light emitting unit 248 inside the housing 211 emits light, the light having passed through the above-described light guiding unit 254 is emitted from the light exit surface of the light guiding unit 254. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 30, the surroundings of the joystick 212 appear to glow. Note that, in FIG. 30, the state of light emission around the joystick 212 is indicated by oblique lines. Hereinafter, the details of light emission in the controller main body 201 will be described focusing on the configuration of the light guide 254.

  FIG. 31 is a perspective view showing an example of a light guide. Moreover, FIG. 32 is a six-sided figure which shows an example of a light guide part. Here, in the present specification, for convenience of explanation, the light guiding portion 254 is divided into a plurality of portions to be described, and in FIGS. 31 and 32, a cross section serving as a boundary of each portion is indicated by a dotted line. There is. In the present embodiment, the light guiding portion 254 is integrally formed, and the above-described portions are not separate. However, in other embodiments, each portion of the light guide 254 may be separately configured.

  As described above, the light guide 254 includes the peripheral portion 256, the left extending portion 257a, and the right extending portion 257b. As shown in FIG. 31, the peripheral portion 256 has a rectangular plate shape. The left extension portion 257a is provided to extend from the left side surface of the peripheral portion 256, and the right extension portion 257b is provided to extend from the right side surface of the peripheral portion 256. In the present embodiment, a cross section serving as a boundary between the peripheral portion 256 and the left extension portion 257a is referred to as a third cross section S3.

  In the present embodiment, in the light guide portion 254, a flat plate-like portion provided perpendicularly to the front-rear direction is used as the peripheral portion 256, and a portion that curves and extends backward from the flat-like portion is used as the extending portion 257. (See Figure 31). However, in the other embodiment, the peripheral portion 256 may not be constituted only by the flat portion, or may not be flat as a whole.

  In the present embodiment, the light guiding unit 254 is configured to be symmetrical in the left-right direction. Therefore, the configuration of the right extension part 257b is the same as the left extension part 257a except that the right and left parts are reversed. Therefore, in the following, the left extending portion 257a will be described in detail, and the detailed description of the right extending portion 257b will be omitted.

[2-3-1. Stretching section]
As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the left extending portion 257a has an arm shape. Note that “the extending part has an arm-like shape” means that the extending part is thinner than the surrounding part 256 at least in a predetermined direction. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the left extension portion 257a is thinner than the peripheral portion 256 in the vertical direction and extends. The extension portion 257 has a shape having a portion in which the width in the vertical direction is gradually narrowed as it extends from the peripheral portion 256 (in other words, as it is separated from the peripheral portion 256). Therefore, the extending portion 257 can also be referred to as an arm provided in the peripheral portion 256. In the present embodiment, since the left extending portion 257a has an arm-like shape, the left extending portion 257a can be made less likely to interfere when disposing other components inside the housing 211. In other embodiments, the left extension portion 257a may not be configured to become thinner as it extends from the peripheral portion 256. For example, the cross-sectional area of the cross section perpendicular to the direction extending from the peripheral portion 256 is constant. It may be.

  In addition, as shown in (d) of FIG. 31 and FIG. 32, the left extension portion 257a extends from the peripheral portion 256 and is warped toward the inside of the housing 211. By this, the incident surface 306 can be disposed on the inner side of the housing 211 than the peripheral portion 256. In the present embodiment, the entire left extension portion 257a is bent toward the inside of the housing 211. However, in another embodiment, a part of the left extension portion 257a is the housing 211. It may have a shape that is warped inward. That is, the left extending portion 257a may be configured to have a portion extending from the peripheral portion 256 and curving toward the inside of the housing 211.

  In the present embodiment, the left extension portion 257a has a portion extending from the peripheral portion 256 and curving toward the inside of the housing 211, and has an arm-like shape. However, in the other embodiment, the left extension portion 257a may have an arm shape without the warped portion, or may have a shape having the warped portion instead of the arm shape. Good. In addition, the shape of the left extension portion 257a is arbitrary, and in another embodiment, it may not have an arm-like shape without having the warped portion.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 22, the left extending portion 257a is provided to extend toward the left light emitting portion 248a. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the tip of the left extending portion 257a extends to the vicinity of the left light emitting portion 248a (more specifically, the vicinity above the left light emitting portion 248a). Therefore, the incident surface 306 provided at the tip is disposed in the vicinity of the left light emitting portion 248a. By this, the incident surface 306 can be easily disposed at a position where the light from the left light emitting unit 248a can be efficiently received.

  As shown in FIG. 31, the left extension portion 257a includes a first light guide path 301, a second light guide path 302, and a third light guide path 303. The first light guide path 301 is a portion from the incident surface 306 shown in FIG. 32 to the first cross section S1 in the left extension portion 257a. The second light guide path 302 is a portion from the first cross section S1 to the second cross section S2 in the left extension portion 257a. The third light guide path 303 is a portion from the second cross section S2 to the third cross section S3 in the left extension portion 257a.

  The first cross section S1 includes a position (position p shown in FIG. 31) in which the normal direction in the outer surface on the upper side of the left extension portion 257a is upward, and is a cross section substantially perpendicular to the incident surface 306 is there. In the present embodiment, the incident surface 306 is provided substantially in parallel with the vertical direction. The second cross section S2 is a cross section substantially perpendicular to the light incident surface 306, between the first cross section S1 and the third cross section S3 in the left extension portion 257a.

  The first light guide path 301 has a downward incident surface 306 (see FIG. 32). In the present specification, the direction of a surface refers to the direction of the normal direction of the surface. In the present embodiment, the incident surface 306 is provided at a position facing the left light emitting portion 248 a provided on the main substrate 246 (see FIG. 22). Specifically, the incident surface 306 is provided above the left light emitting portion 248 a and spaced apart from the left light emitting portion 248 a.

  In the present embodiment, the left extension portion 257a has a protrusion 304. As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the protrusion 304 protrudes from the side (here, the right side) of the incident surface 306 with respect to the incident surface 306. Here, the amount of protrusion of the protrusion 304 is larger than the amount of protrusion of the left light emitting portion 248 a. That is, the length by which the protrusion 304 protrudes from the incident surface 306 is longer than the length by which the left light emitting unit 248 a protrudes from the main substrate 246. The protrusion 304 may or may not be in contact with the main substrate 246.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, if the light guiding portion 254 moves in the housing 211 and the incident surface 306 moves in the direction approaching the left light emitting portion 248 a, the projecting portion 304 contacts the main substrate 246 And the incident surface 306 does not contact the left light emitting portion 248a. That is, in the present embodiment, if the incident surface 306 is moved in the direction approaching the left light emitting portion 248a, the incident surface 306 contacts the main substrate 246 before coming into contact with the left light emitting portion 248a. The projection 304 plays a role. According to this, even if the light guide 254 is displaced in the housing 211 for some reason, the possibility that the light guide 254 contacts the light emitting unit 248 and damages the light emitting unit 248 is reduced. Can.

  As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the first light guide path 301 is in the shape of a curved rod. Specifically, the first light guide path 301 extends upward from the incident surface 306 while bending forward. In other words, the first light guide path 301 has a shape that extends upward from the incident surface 306 and curves in the forward direction. Therefore, the inner wall surface 307 of the upper side surface of the side surface of the first light guide path 301 (that is, the surface connecting the incident surface 306 and the first cross section S1) is forward and downward (see FIG. reference). Note that the cross-sectional area of the first light guide path 301 (specifically, the cross-sectional area in a cross section parallel to the normal direction of the side surface of the first light guide path 301. In other words, the direction extending from the incident surface 306 to the first cross section S1. The cross-sectional area in the cross section perpendicular to is substantially constant. Further, the cross section is a square substantially the same as the incident surface 306.

  As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the second light guide path 302 is in the shape of a curved rod. Specifically, the second light guide path 302 extends in the front direction while bending slightly downward from the first cross section S1. In other words, the second light guide path 302 has a shape that curves downward while extending in the forward direction from the first cross section S1. Therefore, the inner wall surface 308 of the upper side surface of the side surface of the second light guide path 302 (that is, the surface connecting the first cross section S1 and the second cross section S2) faces downward and back ( See 33). The cross-sectional area of the second light guide path 302 (specifically, the cross-sectional area in a cross section parallel to the normal direction of the side surface of the second light guide path 302. In other words, it extends from the first cross section S1 to the second cross section S2. The cross-sectional area in the cross section perpendicular to the direction is almost constant. Further, the cross section is a square substantially the same as the incident surface 306.

  As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the third light guide path 303 has a shape in which the width in the vertical direction becomes wider as it extends forward. It can be said that the third light guide path 303 has a plate shape whose front side is widened. In addition, the third light guide path 303 is bent to the right as it extends forward.

  In the third light guide path 303, a hole 257c is formed. The hole 257 c is a hole that penetrates the plate-like third light guide path 303 in the left-right direction (which can also be referred to as the front-rear direction). As shown in FIG. 31, in the present embodiment, the hole 257 c has a pointed rear side.

  FIG. 33 is a view schematically showing an example of how light passes in the left extension portion. In the present specification, “in a schematic manner” means the size and shape of the component or the component for the purpose of making the component (for example, the left extension portion in FIG. 33) to be described easily visible. It is meant that the positional relationship between them is shown differently from other drawings. In the present embodiment, the left extension portion 257a extends forward from the incident surface 306 and bends to the right. However, in FIG. 33, for the purpose of describing how the light travels in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction, The description will be given by ignoring the bending of light in the left-right direction (in other words, assuming that the left extending portion 257a is not bent in the left-right direction).

  As shown in FIG. 33, the light emitted from the left light emitting part 248a enters the inside of the first light guide path 301 of the left extending part 257a through the incident surface 306 (see the arrow shown in FIG. 33). In FIG. 33, the direction of travel of light is indicated by the dotted arrow, but the direction of travel of light in the left extension portion 257a is not uniform, but in a direction different from the dotted arrow shown in FIG. There is also light going on.

  The light incident from the incident surface 306 travels generally upward in the first light guide path 301. Here, on the upper inner wall surface 307 of the first light guide path 301, the normal direction (see the arrow shown in FIG. 33) is forward and downward (more specifically, it is gradually downward as it goes upward) Turn to Therefore, when light is reflected to the inner wall surface 307, the reflected light changes its traveling direction to the front side (in other words, to approach the front) (see the dotted arrow shown in FIG. 33). Since the first light guide path 301 is curved by 90 ° (in other words, the incident surface 306 and the first cross section S1 are substantially perpendicular), the light is incident from the incident surface 306 of the first light guide path 301 Most of the light is reflected at any position of the inner wall surface 307 to change the traveling direction. As described above, in the first light guide path 301, the light incident from the incident surface 306 travels in the first light guide path 301 while changing the traveling direction from the upper direction to the forward direction. Then, the light in the first light guide path 301 enters the second light guide path 302 through the first cross section S1.

  In the second light guide path 302, light entering from the first cross section S1 travels generally in the forward direction. Here, the upper inner wall surface 308 of the second light guide path 302 has the normal direction (see the arrow shown in FIG. 33) directed downward and directed rearward. Therefore, when light is reflected by the inner wall surface 308, the reflected light changes its traveling direction downward (in other words, it approaches the lower direction) (see the dotted arrow shown in FIG. 33) . As described above, in the second light guide path 302, the light incident from the first cross section S1 generally travels forward, and part of the light is reflected by the inner wall surface 308 and travels downward. And advance in the second light guide path 302. Then, the light in the second light guide path 302 enters the third light guide path 303 through the second cross section S2.

  In the third light guide path 303, since the width in the vertical direction is wide, light is emitted from the third cross section S3 which is longer in the vertical direction than the second cross section S2. Here, the third light guide path 303 is provided with a hole 257 c. Therefore, the light reflected on the inner wall surface which becomes the periphery of the hole 257c changes the traveling direction to the upper side or the lower side of the hole 257c (see the dotted arrow shown in FIG. 33). The light traveling in the third light guide path 303 is divided into light passing through the upper side of the hole 257c and light passing through the lower side of the hole 257c, and enters the peripheral portion 256 through the third cross section S3. Although FIG. 33 shows a dotted arrow pointing in a direction perpendicular to the third cross section S3, the traveling direction of light passing through the third cross section S3 is not limited to the direction of the arrow.

  Here, when light travels in the curved light guide path as in the left extension portion 257a, the amount of light traveling outside the curved light guide path is larger than the amount of light traveling inward. Therefore, assuming that the upper inner wall surface 308 does not face rearward in the second light guide path 302 (that is, it faces directly downward or faces forward), the upper side of the third light guide path 303 There is more light going on, and less light going down. As a result, much light enters the peripheral portion from the upper side of the third cross section S3, and only a small amount of light enters the peripheral portion 256 from the lower side of the third cross section S3. At this time, on the emission surface of the peripheral portion 256, the light emission amount is different between the upper side and the lower side. As a result, only the upper side of the exit surface is strongly illuminated, and there is a possibility that the exit surface can not emit light uniformly.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the upper inner wall surface 308 of the second light guide path 302 is configured to be directed downward and rearward. Thus, the light traveling downward in the third light guide path 303 can be increased, so that the amount of light emitted from the lower side of the exit surface of the peripheral portion 256 can be increased.

  In the case where the upper inner wall surface 308 of the second light guide path 302 is downward and directed backward, the amount of light traveling on the lower side in the third light guide path 303 is increased, and as a result, the light traveling on the upper side is relatively small. May be On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the hole 257 c is provided in the third light guide path 303. Thus, the light reflected on the inner wall surface on the upper side of the hole 257c in the third light guide path 303 changes its traveling direction to the upper side, so that the light traveling on the upper side in the third light guide path 303 can be secured. Therefore, in the present embodiment, light can be made to enter the peripheral portion 256 uniformly from the upper side and the lower side of the third cross section S3, and as a result, the emission surface can be made to emit light uniformly.

2-3-2. Peripheral part]
As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, in the peripheral portion 256, a hole 256a penetrating the peripheral portion 256 in the front-rear direction is formed. In the present embodiment, a region around the hole 256a in the surface (that is, the front surface) of the peripheral portion 256 is visible from the outside of the controller main body 201, and thus the region becomes an emission surface.

  FIG. 34 is a view showing an example of the back side of the peripheral portion 256. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 34, a notch (specifically, a slit 309) is formed on the back surface (that is, the rear surface) of the peripheral portion 256. In the present embodiment, the slit 309 is formed in an annular region which is within a predetermined distance from the hole 256a. Specifically, the slit 309 is a linear groove extending in the vertical direction. Although the details will be described later, the slits 309 are provided for the purpose of increasing the light emitted from the emission surface.

  FIG. 35 is a cross sectional view schematically showing an example of a cross section of the peripheral part. FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a cross section perpendicular to the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 35, light entering the peripheral portion 256 from the third cross section S3 is emitted from the emission surface 256b. Specifically, of the light that has entered the peripheral portion 256 from the third cross section S3, light traveling forward is emitted from the emission surface 256b as it is (that is, without being reflected) (indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG. 35) See A). On the other hand, of the light entering the peripheral portion 256 from the third cross section S3, the light traveling backward is reflected by the back side surface 256c. Here, in the present embodiment, the slit 309 (slits 309a and 309b in FIGS. 34 and 35) is formed on the back side surface 256c. Therefore, among the light that has entered the peripheral portion 256 from the third cross section S3, light traveling backward can be easily reflected forward by being reflected by the slit 309 (see dotted arrows B and C shown in FIG. 35). . Therefore, by providing the slit 309, light emitted from the emission surface 256b can be increased.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the peripheral portion 256 is reflected toward the emission surface 256 b by the back side surface 256 c of the emission surface 256 b after being incident on the incident surface and guided through the extending portion 257. Do. That is, it is said that the surrounding portion 256 has a reflecting surface on the back side of the emitting surface 256b in the surrounding portion 256 for reflecting light incident on the incident surface and guided through the extending portion 257 toward the emitting surface 256b. be able to. The spherical controller 200 can increase the light emitted from the emission surface by this reflection surface. In other embodiments, the reflective surface may not necessarily have the notch. Even when the notch is not provided, the reflective surface has a function of reflecting light toward the emission surface 256b.

  Further, in the present embodiment, one or more notches (specifically, the slits 309) are formed on the reflection surface. By this, it is possible to increase the light that is reflected on the reflection surface and emitted from the emission surface 256b. In the present embodiment, although a plurality of linear slits 309 are formed as the above-mentioned notches, the shape and the number of notches are arbitrary. For example, in another embodiment, the notch may be a dot-like notch (specifically, a hemispherical notch whose cross section is semicircular), and the dot-like notch is a reflection. A plurality of surfaces may be formed.

  In the present embodiment, since the extending portions 257a and 257b are provided on the left and right sides of the peripheral portion 256, light enters from both the left and right sides in the peripheral portion 256, and the light is emitted from the emission surface 256b.

  Here, the slit 309 is formed in a direction that intersects the traveling direction (here, the left and right direction) of the light which is incident on the incident surface and is guided to the peripheral portion 256 through the extending portion 257. Specifically, the extending portion 257 extends from a predetermined portion (that is, the left and right ends) on the outer side surface of the peripheral portion 256, and the slit 309 is perpendicular to the direction from the center of the peripheral portion 256 to the predetermined portion It is formed in the direction which has the component of a certain direction (namely, up-and-down direction). According to this, it is possible to efficiently reflect the light from the extending part 257 to the slit 309, and as a result, it is possible to increase the light emitted from the emission surface 256b.

  In the present embodiment, the slits 309 are formed to extend substantially parallel to the direction parallel to the side surface of the peripheral portion 256 (specifically, the vertical direction), but in the other embodiments, the slits 309 are formed. Alternatively, they may be formed in any orientation that intersects a straight line (that is, a straight line extending in the left-right direction) perpendicular to the side surface of the surrounding portion 256. In other words, the slit 309 may be formed to extend in any direction having a component in the vertical direction. For example, the slits 309 may be formed to extend obliquely upward. This also makes it possible to increase the light emitted from the emission surface 256b as in the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 34 and FIG. 35, the distance between the slits 309a provided in the outer region of the emission surface is wider than the distance between the slits 309b provided in the inner region. Note that the outer region is a region near the extending portion (more precisely, the closer extending portion of the extending portions 257a and 257b provided on the left and right of the peripheral portion 256) in the exit surface, and more specifically In fact, it is an area that is within a predetermined distance from the extension part. In the present embodiment, since the extending portions are provided on the left and right sides of the peripheral portion 256, the region near the left and right sides of the surface of the peripheral portion 256 is the outer region. The inner area is an area which is sandwiched between the left and right two outer areas of the emission surface.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the inner region apart from the left and right extending portions 257a and 257b of the peripheral portion 256, the density at which the slit 309 is formed rather than the outer region closer to one of the extending portions 257a and 257b. Is high. Here, since the light from the extended portion is less likely to reach the inner region compared to the outer region, if the density of the slits 309 is the same between the inner region and the outer region, the direction from the outer region is more than the inner region. A lot of light is emitted. As a result, the light emission amount differs between the outer region and the inner region, and it becomes difficult to make the light emitting surface emit light uniformly. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by making the density of the slits 309b in the inner region higher than the density of the slits 309a in the outer region, light reflected by the slits 309b and emitted from the emission surface 256b (FIG. The arrow C shown in is reflected by the slit 309a and increased with respect to the light (see arrow B shown in FIG. 35) emitted from the emission surface 256b. As a result, the light emission amount of the outer region and the light emission amount of the inner region can be made close to each other, and the light emission surface can be easily emitted uniformly.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the reflective surface includes the first region in which the notches are formed at the first interval (specifically, the region in which the slits 309 b are formed), and the notches in the first region. And a second region (specifically, a region in which the slit 309a is formed) which is formed at a second distance narrower than the distance of one. By this, it is possible to adjust the amount of light emitted from the emission surface for each area. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the distance from the second region to the extending portion 257 is shorter than the distance from the first region to the extending portion 257. By this, it becomes easy to make spherical controller 200 emit light uniformly on an outgoing radiation side.

  In the present embodiment, the density at which the notch is formed in the peripheral portion 256 is divided into two stages of the first area and the second area. Here, in another embodiment, the density at which the notch is formed in the peripheral portion 256 may be divided into three or more stages. In another embodiment, the slits may be formed so that the density changes continuously. In the embodiment in which the density is divided into three or more steps, one of three or more regions having different densities corresponds to the first region, and the other corresponds to the second region. Moreover, in the aspect in which the density changes continuously, the position where the density is a certain value (in other words, the area) corresponds to the first area, and the position where the density is lower than the certain value is It corresponds to the second area. That is, "the reflective surface includes the first region and the second region" means including the aspect in which the density is divided into three or more steps and the aspect in which the density changes continuously.

  Although not shown in FIG. 35, in the present embodiment, a white reflecting portion 253 is provided on the back side surface of the peripheral portion 256 (in other words, the surface facing the inside of the housing 211) (see FIG. 19). ). Therefore, the white reflective portion 253 can reduce the light transmitted from the back side of the peripheral portion 256 to the rear of the peripheral portion 256 and the light absorbed by the reflective portion 253. As a result, it is possible to increase the light emitted from the emission surface 256b.

  FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of light emitting elements in the light emitting unit. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 36, the left light emitting unit 248a includes three light emitting elements (for example, LEDs) 311 to 313. The light emitting elements 311 to 313 emit light of different colors. Specifically, the light emitting element 311 emits red light, the light emitting element 312 emits green light, and the light emitting element 313 emits blue light. The light from the light emitting elements 311 to 313 of the left light emitting unit 248 a travels in the light guiding unit 254 through the incident surface 306 and is emitted from the emitting surface 256 b. At this time, since the light of each color by the light emitting elements 311 to 313 is mixed and emitted from the emission surface 256 b, the mixed light is emitted from the emission surface 256 b. Thus, the spherical controller 200 can emit light of various colors.

  In the present embodiment, the left light emitting portion 248 a is provided such that the light emitting elements 311 to 313 are arranged side by side along the lateral direction of the incident surface 306 (see FIG. 36). Here, the lateral direction of the incident surface is the direction closer to the lateral direction of the controller main body 201 among the directions of the two sides of the rectangular incident surface. In the present embodiment, the lateral direction of the incident surface does not coincide with the lateral direction of the controller main body 201, but in the other embodiments, the lateral direction of the incident surface is the lateral direction of the controller main body 201 And may match.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the left extension portion 257a of the light guide portion 254 has a shape which is curved when viewed from the lateral direction of the incident surface 306 (see FIG. 35). Therefore, assuming that the light emitting elements 311 to 313 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the incident surface 306 (that is, the direction perpendicular to the lateral direction of the incident surface 306), light of each color by the light emitting elements 311 to 313 Is likely to be incident from different positions in the longitudinal direction of the incident surface 306. At this time, the light of each color easily passes through different paths in the second light guide path 302 and the third light guide path 303 in the vertical direction, so that the lights are not sufficiently mixed in the left extension portion 257a. As a result, light of different colors is emitted at the upper side and the lower side in the third cross section S3, and the color of the light emitted at the emission surface 256b at the peripheral portion 256 may be different between the upper side and the lower side is there.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the light emitting elements 311 to 313 are arranged in the lateral direction of the incident surface 306. That is, since the respective light emitting elements 311 to 313 are arranged at substantially the same position in the vertical direction of the incident surface 306, the light of each color by the respective light emitting elements 311 to 313 is the second light guiding path 302 and the third light guiding path 303. It is possible to easily pass the same path in the vertical direction in the above, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the colors of light emitted at the exit surface 256b in the peripheral portion 256 will be different on the upper side and the lower side.

  Although the arrangement of the light emitting elements 311 to 313 in the left light emitting unit 248a is described in FIG. 36, the arrangement of the light emitting elements in the right light emitting unit 248b is the same as that of the left light emitting unit 248a. That is, the right light emitting part 248b includes three light emitting elements that emit red, green and blue light, and the three light emitting elements are arranged side by side in the incident plane of the right extending part 257b. Thus, when the light from the right light emitting unit 248b is emitted from the emission surface 256b, the possibility that the colors of the light appear different between the upper side and the lower side can be reduced.

2-3-3. Composition about luminescence]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 has the following configuration.
・ Case 211 where the opening 211a is formed
· An operation unit at least a part of which is exposed from the opening 211a (specifically, the joystick 212)
· A light emitting unit 248 provided inside the housing 211 and generating light
· An incident surface (for example, the incident surface 306) on which the light generated from the light emitting unit 248 is incident, and an exit surface (that is, the exit surface 256b) that emits the light incident on the incident surface to the outside of the housing 211 Light guide 254 having
Here, the light guiding part has an emitting surface, and is provided extending from the peripheral part 256 and the peripheral part 256 provided so as to surround the periphery of the operation part, and the tip part (more specifically, the peripheral part And an extending portion 257 having an incident surface on the side opposite to the side continuous to the side 256).

  According to the above configuration, by providing the extension portion 257 with the light guide portion 254, the entrance surface can be disposed at a position different from the exit surface. Thereby, the degree of freedom regarding the arrangement of the light emitting unit 248 can be improved. For example, the light emitting unit can be disposed at a position distant from the operation unit.

  Note that the above “(peripheral part) is provided so as to surround the periphery of the operating part” is not limited to the aspect in which the peripheral part completely surrounds the entire periphery of the operating part, and a gap is formed around the operating part It is a meaning including the aspect by which a peripheral part is provided. Moreover, the above-mentioned "(peripheral part is provided so as to surround the periphery of the operation part" does not mean to define the distance between the peripheral part and the operation part, but an aspect in which the peripheral part and the operation part are in contact And an aspect in which the peripheral portion and the operation portion are not in contact with each other.

  In the present embodiment, the extending portion 257 has a curved portion (for example, the first light guiding path 301 and the second light guiding path 302), but may have a bending portion. That is, the extension part 257 may be configured to have at least one of a curved part and a bent part. According to this, since the entrance plane can be disposed at a position different from the exit plane, the degree of freedom regarding the arrangement of the light emitting units can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the incident surface faces in a different direction (i.e., downward) from the direction opposite to the direction in which the outgoing surface faces (i.e., the forward direction) (see FIG. 32). In other words, the entrance surface faces in a direction other than parallel to the direction in which the exit surface faces. It can also be said that the incident surface is provided in a direction in which the plane along the incident surface intersects the plane along the output surface. In addition, the incident surface is provided in such a direction that the angle between the normal direction (that is, the lower direction) of the incident surface and the normal direction (that is, the forward direction) of the output surface is an angle other than 180 degrees. It can also be said. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the exit surface is provided substantially perpendicular to the entrance surface. That is, in the present embodiment, the exit surface faces forward while the entrance surface faces downward. In other embodiments, the incident surface does not necessarily have to be provided substantially perpendicular to the output surface. For example, in another embodiment, the normal direction of the incident surface may be oriented at 45 ° or 120 ° with respect to the normal direction of the exit surface.

  According to the above, the degree of freedom in the direction in which the light emitting unit 248 is disposed can be improved. For example, in the case of emitting light in the forward direction as in the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 248 can be arranged to emit light in the upward direction.

  In the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes an electronic substrate (i.e., the main substrate 246) on which the light emitting unit 248 is provided, and the electronic substrate has an orientation different from the emission surface (i.e., inside the housing 211). Facing upward) (see FIG. 19). Specifically, in the present embodiment, the electronic substrate is provided substantially perpendicular to the emission surface. As described above, in the case where the light emitting unit 248 is provided on the electronic substrate, the light guide unit can improve the degree of freedom of the arrangement of the electronic substrate. In the present embodiment, the electronic substrate can be provided so as to face up and down while the exit surface faces forward.

  In the present embodiment, the extending portion 257 extends from the outer periphery (specifically, the left and right side surfaces) of the peripheral portion 256 toward the outside from the outer periphery and in the direction toward the inside of the housing 211. (See FIG. 19 and FIG. 31). In other words, the extension portion 257 extends from the outer periphery of the peripheral portion 256 to the outside of the outer periphery and in the direction toward the inside of the housing 211. According to this, it is possible to arrange a component different from the light emitting unit 248 on the back side of the peripheral portion 256 (in other words, the back side of the emission surface). In the present embodiment, a base portion 251 of the joystick 212 is provided on the back side of the surrounding portion 256. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the degree of freedom of arrangement of components in the housing 211 can be further improved.

In the present embodiment, the extending portion 257 has the following portions (a) to (c).
(A) A first light guide portion (e.g., the first light guide path 301) from the incident surface to the cross section (e.g., the first cross section S1) of the extended portion perpendicular to the direction of the incident surface
(B) a second light guide portion (for example, the second light guide path 302) continuous with the first light guide portion
(C) A width in a direction parallel to the direction of the incident surface (that is, the vertical direction) as one end continues to the second light guide portion and the other end continues to the peripheral portion and goes from the one end to the other end A third light guide portion (for example, the third light guide path 303)
The second light guiding portion is a wall surface (for example, the inner wall surface shown in FIG. 33) in which the inner angle with the above cross section is less than 90 ° in the wall surface on the opposite side to the direction of the incident surface 308).

  According to said structure, the advancing direction of light can be changed by the said wall surface in a 2nd light guide part to the same side as the direction of an entrance plane. Thereby, the light entering the peripheral part from the third light guiding part can be made to approach uniformly in the direction parallel to the direction of the incident surface.

  In the present embodiment, the extending portion 257 is formed with a hole (for example, the hole 257c) capable of changing the path of the light incident from the incident surface. By this hole, it is possible to adjust the path of light entering the peripheral portion 256 from the extending portion 257. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the hole is a light guide portion (e.g., the third light guide path 303) in which the width in the direction perpendicular to the incident surface in the extension portion 257 becomes closer to the peripheral portion 256. Have. According to this, the light traveling through the light guide portion can be divided into the light passing through one side of the hole and the light passing through the other side by the hole. As a result, light entering the peripheral portion from the third light guiding portion can be made to approach uniformly.

  In the present embodiment, the hole (for example, the hole 257c) formed in the light guide portion has a shape in which the end farther from the peripheral portion 256 becomes thinner toward the tip (see FIG. 33). ). According to this, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the light reflected by the wall surface of the hole travels toward the incident surface. As a result, the amount of light emitted from the exit surface can be increased.

  In the present embodiment, the housing 211 has an engaging portion (for example, the claw portion 243b shown in FIG. 19) engaged with the hole (for example, the hole 257c) formed in the light guide portion. According to this, it is possible to make the light entering the peripheral part from the third light guiding part uniform by the above-mentioned holes, and to reduce the possibility of the position of the light guiding part 254 being shifted with respect to the housing 211. Can.

  In the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes, as the light emitting unit 248, a first light emitting unit (ie, the left light emitting unit 248a) and a second light emitting unit provided at a position different from the first light emitting unit (ie, the right And a light emitting unit 248 b). The light guide 254 includes, as the extension 257, a first extension (that is, the left extension 257a) and a second extension (that is, the right extension 257b). The first extending portion is provided so as to extend from the peripheral portion 256, and the first incident surface (that is, the incident surface 306) is provided at a position facing the first light emitting portion. The second extending portion is provided so as to extend from the peripheral portion 256, and a second incident surface is provided at a position facing the second light emitting portion (see FIG. 22). As described above, in the present embodiment, the extending portions corresponding to each of the two light emitting portions are provided, and the light from the two extending portions can be emitted from one emission surface, so the light is emitted from the emission surface The amount of light can be increased.

  In the present embodiment, the first extending portion is provided extending from one side (specifically, the left side) in the predetermined direction of the peripheral portion 256, and the second extending portion is the predetermined portion of the peripheral portion 256. It extends from the other side in the direction (specifically, the right side). According to this, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the light emitted from the exit surface is biased.

  In the present embodiment, the first extending portion and the second extending portion are provided with the operation portion (i.e., the joystick 212) interposed therebetween (see FIG. 19). That is, the first extending portion and the second extending portion are provided such that the operation portion is positioned between the first extending portion and the second extending portion. According to this, the extension part and the operation part can be efficiently arranged in the housing 211. For example, in the present embodiment, while avoiding the joystick 212, the extension portion 257 can be disposed at a position where it does not easily get in the way of other components.

  In the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 is provided on the emission surface so as to overlap at least a part of the emission surface, and diffuses the light emitted from the emission surface (specifically, a diffusion sheet) Equipped with This makes it possible to make the light emitted from the exit surface uniform. For example, in the present embodiment, the portion of the slit 309 provided on the back side of the emission surface may appear brighter than the other portions other than the slit 309, but the diffusion portion may reduce this possibility. it can.

  In the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 248 includes a first light emitting element that generates light of a first color, and a second light emitting element that generates light of a second color that is different from the first color. The light guiding unit 254 emits, from the exit surface, light in which the light of the first color and the light of the second color, which are incident on the incident surface, are mixed. Therefore, the spherical controller 200 can increase the variation of the color of the light emitted from the emission surface. In the present embodiment, one light emitting unit 248 includes three light emitting elements. However, in another embodiment, one light emitting unit 248 includes two or more arbitrary number of light emitting elements. It may have, or it may have only one light emitting element.

  In the present embodiment, the extension portion 257 has a curved portion (which may be a refractive portion) as viewed from a predetermined direction (that is, the lateral direction of the incident surface). At this time, the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element are arranged side by side in the predetermined direction. According to this, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the color emitted from the emission surface looks different depending on the position of the emission surface.

[2-4. Configuration of strap section]
Next, the strap portion 202 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the strap portion 202 has a strap cord 401. The strap cord 401 is a rope-like or belt-like cord-like member, and is configured in an annular shape. The straps 401 are used to pass the straps 202 through the wrist when the user grips the controller body 201.

  In the present embodiment, the strap portion 202 is fixedly attached to the controller main body portion 201. Although details will be described later, a strap attachment shaft (that is, a strap attachment shaft 245c in FIG. 20) is provided inside the controller main body 201. Further, as shown in (f) of FIG. 10, a strap hole 211c is provided on the surface of the casing 211 of the controller main body 201. The strap cord 401 is provided so as to extend from the strap hole 211 c to the outside of the housing 211 in a state where the strap cord 401 passes through the strap attaching shaft. By this, in the present embodiment, the strap portion 202 can be fixedly attached to the controller main body portion 201. According to the present embodiment, the strap portion 202 can be firmly attached to the controller main body portion 201.

  In another embodiment, the spherical controller 200 may have a configuration in which the strap portion can be attached detachably. For example, in another embodiment, a strap may be removably attached to the strap attachment axis.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the strap portion 202 has an adjusting portion 403. The adjustment unit 403 is a member for adjusting the size of the loop by the straps 401. Specifically, the adjusting unit 403 is provided with two holes, and the straps 401 are passed through the holes. The adjusting unit 403 fixes the strap 401 to the adjusting unit 403 by pressing a portion of the strap 401 passing through the hole of the adjusting unit 403. Thereby, a ring is formed by the strap cord 401 on the side opposite to the side attached to the controller main body 201 with reference to the adjustment unit 403. When the user uses the spherical controller 200, the user grips the controller main body 201 with the hand passing through the ring.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the adjustment unit 403 has an adjustment button 403 a (see FIG. 9). Although the specific mechanism of the adjustment unit 403 is arbitrary, in the present embodiment, the adjustment unit 403 presses a portion of the strap cord 401 passing through the hole while the adjustment button 403 a is not pressed. In the state where the adjustment button 403a is pressed, the strap cord 401 is not pressed. Therefore, the user can easily move the adjusting unit 403 with respect to the strap string 401 in a state where the adjusting button 403 a is pressed, and the adjusting unit 403 with respect to the strap string 401 in a state where the adjusting button 403 a is not pressed. Can be fixed (in other words, difficult to move).

  As described above, the user can adjust the size of the ring formed by the straps 401. For example, the user uses the adjusting unit 403 to adjust the size of the ring by the strap cord 401 so that the strap unit 202 does not come off the wrist of the hand gripping the controller main body unit 201.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the strap portion 202 has a finger hook portion 404. The finger hook portion 404 has a shape in which a part of a ring shape is cut out. The finger hook portion 404 is attached to the strap 401. Specifically, the finger hook portion 404 is provided between a portion attached to the controller main body portion 201 and a portion attached to the adjustment portion 403 in the strap cord 401. The finger hook portion 404 is movably attached between the two parts.

  The user passes any finger (for example, the middle finger or ring finger) of the hand holding the controller main body 201 through the finger hook 404. As a result, even when the user erroneously releases the controller main body 201, the possibility that the controller main body 201 is separated from the hand can be reduced by holding the finger on the finger hook portion 404. .

[2-5. Electrical configuration]
FIG. 37 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection of the spherical controller 200. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 37, the spherical controller 200 includes a control unit 321. The control unit 321 is provided on the main substrate 246. The control unit 321 has a processor and a memory for storing data. In the present embodiment, the control unit 321 controls communication processing with the main device 2, and controls power supply to each electrical component shown in FIG. The memory may store data used for the control operation, or may store data used in an application (for example, a game application) using the spherical controller 200, which is executed in the main device 2. Good.

  The control unit 321 is electrically connected to input means included in the spherical controller 200. In the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes the joystick 212, the detection circuit 322, the acceleration sensor 247, and the button detection unit 258 as input means. The detection circuit 322 is a detection circuit that detects that the key rubber 236 has come into contact with the contact 237a when the operation on the operation surface 213 described above is performed. The control unit 321 acquires information (in other words, data) related to the operation performed on the input unit from each input unit.

  The control unit 321 is electrically connected to the communication unit 323. The communication unit 323 includes the above-described antenna 291 and performs wireless communication with the main device 2. That is, the control unit 321 transmits information (in other words, data) to the main device 2 using the communication unit 323 (in other words, via the communication unit 323), or using the communication unit 323 Information (in other words, data) is received from the device 2. For example, the control unit 321 transmits information acquired from the joystick 212, the detection circuit 322, and the acceleration sensor 247 to the main device 2 via the communication unit 323. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 323 (and / or the control unit 321) functions as a transmission unit that transmits information related to the operation on the joystick 212 to the main device 2. Further, the communication unit 323 (and / or the control unit 321) functions as a transmission unit that transmits information related to an operation on the operation surface 213 to the main device 2. The communication unit 323 (and / or the control unit 321) functions as a transmission unit that transmits information output from the acceleration sensor 247 to the main device 2. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 323 communicates with the main device 2 in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

  In another embodiment, the communication unit 323 may perform wired communication with the main device 2 instead of wireless communication. The communication unit 323 may have both the function of performing wireless communication with the main device 2 and the function of performing wired communication.

  The control unit 321 is electrically connected to the output means included in the spherical controller 200. In the present embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes the vibration unit 271 and the light emitting unit 248 as output means. The control unit 321 controls the operation of the output unit. For example, the control unit 321 may control the operation of the output unit according to the operation on the input unit by referring to the information acquired from the input unit. For example, the control unit 321 may vibrate the vibrating unit 271 or cause the light emitting unit 248 to emit light in response to pressing of the operation surface 213. Further, for example, the control unit 321 may control the operation of the output unit based on the information received from the main device 2 via the communication unit 323. That is, the control unit 321 may vibrate the vibrating unit 271 or cause the light emitting unit 248 to emit light in accordance with a control command from the main body device 2. In addition, the main device 2 may transmit a signal indicating a waveform for vibrating the vibrating unit 271 to the spherical controller 200, and the control unit 321 may vibrate the vibrating unit 271 according to the waveform. That is, the antenna 291 of the communication unit 323 receives a signal for vibrating the vibrating unit 271 from the outside (that is, the main device 2), and the vibrating unit 271 vibrates based on the signal received by the antenna 271. It is also good. In the present embodiment, since the vibration unit 271 is a voice coil motor capable of outputting sound, the control unit 321 can also output sound from the vibration unit 271 according to the above waveform.

  Control unit 321 is electrically connected to rechargeable battery 244. The control unit 321 controls power supply from the rechargeable battery 244 to each input unit, each output unit, and the communication unit. The rechargeable battery 244 may be directly connected to each input unit, each output unit, and the communication unit. In the present embodiment, the control unit 321 controls the power supply based on the information acquired from the button detection unit 258 (that is, information indicating whether the restart button 214 is pressed). Specifically, when the restart button 214 is pressed (in other words, while being pressed), the power supply from the rechargeable battery 244 to each input unit, each output unit, and the communication unit is stopped. In addition, when the restart button 214 is not pressed (in other words, while it is not pressed), the control unit 321 supplies power from the rechargeable battery 244 to each input unit, each output unit, and the communication unit. . As described above, in the present embodiment, the restart button 214 is a button for giving an instruction to restart (in other words, reset) the spherical controller 200. The restart button 214 can also be said to be a button for instructing the spherical controller 200 to control power on / off.

  In addition, the rechargeable battery 244 is electrically connected to the charging terminal 249 described above. The charging terminal 249 is a terminal for connecting a charging device (for example, an AC adapter etc.) not shown. In the present embodiment, the charging terminal 249 is a USB connector (more specifically, a female connector). In the present embodiment, when the charging device to which commercial power is supplied is electrically connected to the charging terminal 249, power is supplied to the charging battery 244 via the charging terminal 249, whereby the charging battery 244 is charged. Be done.

[3. Modified example]
(Modification of joystick)
In the above embodiment, the spherical controller 200 is configured to include the joystick having the tiltable shaft portion as the direction input portion. Here, in another embodiment, the spherical controller 200 may include, as a direction input unit, any input device capable of performing direction input. For example, in the modification in the above embodiment, the direction input unit may be an input device (specifically, a slide stick) having a slidable slide. That is, the spherical controller 200 may have a slidable slide portion, and may include a direction input portion at least a part of which is exposed from the opening 211a. According to the modification, the user can perform a direction input operation of sliding the slide portion using the game controller whose outer shape is a spherical shape. As a result, as in the above embodiment, the convenience of the game controller having a spherical outer shape can be improved also in the above modification. In another embodiment, the direction input unit may be a cross key. In the present embodiment, the opening 211 a of the housing 211 can be made smaller by using a joystick having an inclinable shaft portion. Thus, the appearance of the controller main body 201 can be made closer to a sphere.

(Modified example regarding shape of game controller)
In the above embodiment, the game controller (that is, the spherical controller 200) whose outer shape is spherical has been described as an example. Here, in another embodiment, the outer shape of the game controller may be any shape. For example, the configuration in which light is emitted to the outside of the game controller by the above-described light guiding unit 254 can be applied to a game controller of any shape. That is, even when the light guide unit is used in any game controller whose outer shape is not spherical, the effect of being able to improve the degree of freedom regarding the arrangement of the light emitting units can be achieved as in the above embodiment.

(Modification about communication)
In the above embodiment, the spherical controller 200 includes a transmission unit (that is, the communication unit 323) that transmits information (for example, information on an operation to a joystick and information on an operation to an operation surface) to the outside. Here, “sending information to the outside” includes a mode of transmitting information to any other device different from the spherical controller 200 as well as the real device 2. That is, in the modification of the above embodiment, the spherical controller 200 may be capable of communicating with another type of information processing apparatus different from the main apparatus 2. For example, the spherical controller 200 may be capable of wireless communication with a smartphone and / or a tablet, and may perform wireless communication with another type of portable game machine different from the main device 2 May be In addition, the spherical controller 200 may communicate with another game controller (for example, the above-mentioned left controller 3 or right controller 4). At this time, the information from the sphere controller 200 may be transmitted to the information processing apparatus (for example, the main device 2) via the other game controller. In the above-described modification, communication between the spherical controller 200 and another device may be wireless communication or wired communication.

(Modified example of controller)
In the above embodiment, the spherical controller 200 has been described as an example of the game controller used for the game application. Here, the spherical controller 200 may be used not only for game applications but also for other applications. For example, when an information processing program (for example, a browser) different from the game program is executed in the main device 2, the spherical controller 200 is a controller used to perform an operation related to the information processing program (in other words, the operation Device).

  The above-described embodiment can be used, for example, as a game controller, for the purpose of, for example, appropriately arranging components in a substantially spherical controller.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 main body apparatus 200 spherical controller 201 controller main body part 202 strap part 211 housing 211a opening 212 joystick 213 operation surface 214 restart button 215 cover part 221 upper partial housing 222 middle partial housing 223 lower partial housing 235 key top 237 sub Substrate 241 front portion 242 left belt portion 243 right belt portion 244 rechargeable battery 245 main substrate holding portion 246 main substrate 247 acceleration sensor 248 light emitting portion 249 charging terminal 252 shaft portion 253 reflecting portion 254 light guiding portion 255 diffusion sheet 256 peripheral portion 257 stretching Part 271 Vibration part 291 antenna

Claims (24)

A spherical housing having a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere;
A joystick provided on the boundary between the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere;
An operation button having an operation surface provided on the zenith of the first hemisphere ;
Before SL provided in the first hemisphere, and an antenna for transmitting information about the operation to the information and the operation buttons on the operation to the joystick to the outside, the game controller.   The game controller according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is provided closer to the joystick than a center of the housing.   The game controller according to claim 1, further comprising: a first electronic board on which a contact for detecting an operation on the operation surface and the antenna are provided. The antenna, and a control unit for transmitting information about the operation to the information and the operation buttons on the operation to the joystick to the outside,
The game controller according to claim 3, further comprising: a second electronic substrate different from the first electronic substrate, provided with the control unit.   The said housing | casing contains a hemispherical 1st hemispherical housing corresponding to a said 1st hemispherical part, and a hemispherical 2nd hemispherical housing corresponding to a said 2nd hemispherical part. 5. A game controller according to any one of clauses 4.   6. The game controller according to claim 5, wherein the case further includes a spherical belt-like casing provided between the first hemispherical casing and the second hemispherical casing.   The game controller according to claim 6, wherein the ball and belt case is ring-shaped.   The game controller according to claim 6, wherein the joystick is provided on the spherical belt-like housing.   The game controller according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the spherical ribbon case has an annular portion surrounding the joystick.   The spherical belt-like housing is a band-like first band-like part extending from the annular part toward the right in the direction input of the joystick, and a band-like form extending from the annular part toward the left in the direction input of the joystick The game controller according to claim 9, comprising a second band.   The game controller according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the operation surface is integrally formed with a surface of the housing.   The game controller according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a center of gravity of the game controller is located inside the second hemisphere. The operation button has a movable portion that moves in response to the operation surface being depressed.
The movable portion is rotatable about a predetermined axis,
The game controller is
The game controller according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , further comprising: a detection unit that detects an operation on the operation surface according to rotation of the movable unit. The game controller according to claim 13 , wherein the predetermined axis is substantially perpendicular to a straight line connecting the center of the housing and the center of the operation surface of the operation button. The game controller according to any one of claims 1 to 14 , wherein at least one of the housing and the operation surface is provided with a mark indicating the position of the operation surface. A rechargeable battery provided inside the housing;
The game controller according to any one of claims 1 to 15 , further comprising: a terminal electrically connected to the rechargeable battery and provided at a recessed position with respect to the surface of the housing. The game controller further comprises a restart button for restarting the game controller,
The game controller according to any one of claims 1 to 16 , wherein the operation surface of the restart button is provided at a position recessed with respect to the surface of the housing.   The game controller according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising: a vibration unit provided inside the second hemispherical portion to generate a vibration to vibrate the casing.   The game controller according to claim 18, further comprising an inertial sensor provided inside the housing, wherein a distance from a center of the housing is shorter than a distance from the center to the vibrating portion.   The game controller according to claim 19, wherein the antenna transmits output information from the inertial sensor to the outside.   The battery further comprises a rechargeable battery provided inside the housing,
  The game according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the rechargeable battery is provided at a position where the distance from the center of the case is shorter than the distance from the center of the case to the vibrating portion. controller.   The antenna can receive a signal for vibrating the vibration unit from the outside, and
  The game controller according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the vibration unit vibrates based on the signal received by the antenna.   The game controller according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein the vibration unit includes a voice coil motor that vibrates and generates a sound according to an input signal.   The game controller according to any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein the vibrating portion has a cylindrical outer shape.

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