JP7366080B2 - Rotary operation unit and radio control transmitter - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rotary operation unit that generates a control signal in a radio control transmitter and a radio control transmitter equipped with the same, and in particular, the present invention relates to a non-contact magnetic force detection method for detecting the position of a magnetic force generating section that rotates together with the operation section. The rotary operation unit has a long lifespan because it is a mechanism that detects the magnetic force at the central part, and has a structure that allows the magnetic force generating part and the magnetic force detecting part to be precisely set in a predetermined arrangement relationship with high detection accuracy. This relates to a radio control transmitter.

Patent Document 1 discloses an invention of a radio control transmitter. An operation unit 10 that rotatably supports a steering wheel 4, which is an operation section for operation, is removably provided on the main body attachment section 2a of the radio control transmitter. The operation unit 10 has a potentiometer (variable resistor) therein for detecting the amount of rotation of the steering wheel 4. When the steering wheel 4 is rotated, the potentiometer outputs a voltage signal according to a resistance value corresponding to the amount of rotation of the steering wheel 4 as an angle signal.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-325994

In the conventional radio control transmitter as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a contact potentiometer is often used as a means for detecting the amount of rotation of the steering wheel. This contact type potentiometer includes, for example, an annular resistor and a slider that slides in contact with the annular resistor, and outputs an angle signal according to a resistance value corresponding to the position of the slider. However, because the resistor and the slider are in mechanical contact, there is a limit to the number of times they can be used, and their lifespan is never long.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional technology described above, and has a long life because it is a non-contact mechanism that uses a magnetic force detection section to detect the position of a rotating magnetic force generation section. The object of the present invention is to provide a rotary operation unit having a structure in which a magnetic force generating section and a magnetic force detecting section can be precisely set in a predetermined arrangement relationship with high detection accuracy, and a radio control transmitter equipped with the same. .

The rotary operation unit according to claim 1 includes:
A rotary operation unit that is attached to a radio control transmitter that transmits a control signal to a controlled object and generates the control signal,
a base portion attached to the radio control transmitter;
a shaft portion rotatably provided on the base portion;
an operating section provided at one end of the shaft to rotate the shaft;
a magnetic force generating section provided on the shaft;
a magnetic force detection unit that detects the magnetic force of the magnetic force generation unit;
a holding part fixed to the base part and holding the magnetic force detection part at a predetermined position near the shaft part and the magnetic force generation part;
Equipped with
The holding part includes a penetrating holding hole that holds the magnetic force detection part,
The magnetic force detection section exposed from the holding hole is arranged to face the magnetic force generation section .

The rotary operation unit according to claim 2 is the rotary operation unit according to claim 1 , comprising:
The holding part is fixed to the base part at two points on both sides of the shaft part and at one point which together with the two points is a vertex of a triangle when viewed from a line of sight parallel to the axis of the shaft part. It is characterized by

The radio control transmitter according to claim 3 comprises:
A radio control transmitter comprising a rotary operation unit that generates a control signal to be transmitted to a controlled object, the radio control transmitter comprising:
The rotary operation unit is
a base portion attached to the radio control transmitter;
a shaft portion rotatably provided on the base portion;
an operating section provided at one end of the shaft to rotate the shaft;
a magnetic force generating section provided on the shaft;
a magnetic force detection unit that detects the magnetic force of the magnetic force generation unit;
a holding part fixed to the base part and holding the magnetic force detection part at a predetermined position near the shaft part and the magnetic force generation part;
Equipped with
The holding part includes a penetrating holding hole that holds the magnetic force detection part,
The magnetic force detection section exposed from the holding hole is arranged to face the magnetic force generation section .

According to the rotary operation unit according to claim 1 and the radio control transmitter according to claim 3 , the operation can be performed by rotating the rotary operation unit attached to the radio control transmitter. In particular, the following effects can be obtained when generating and transmitting signals to the steered object. In the rotary operation unit, a magnetic force detection section is held by a holding section at a predetermined position near the shaft section and a magnetic force generation section provided on the shaft section, and is positioned at a desired position. Here, when the operator rotates the operating section, the magnetic force generating section provided on the shaft changes the distance from the magnetic force detecting section while maintaining the desired positional relationship with the magnetic force detecting section. Thereby, the magnetic force detection section detects a change in the position of the magnetic force generation section due to rotation of the operating section, and generates an angle detection signal. In this way, the holding part achieves a high level of precision required for the arrangement of the magnetic force generating part and the magnetic force detecting part, so it is possible to obtain a good response when controlling the controlled object using the radio control transmitter. In addition, by adopting a non-contact type mechanism that uses magnetism to detect the amount of rotation of the operating section, it has become possible to extend the life of the device semi-permanently.

Furthermore, the magnetic force detection section is fitted into a holding hole provided through the holding section and is securely held. By positioning this holding part at the desired position, the positional relationship between the magnetic force detection part exposed from the holding hole and the magnetic force generation part facing it can be set to the desired state, and the magnetic force detection Detection of the magnetism of the magnetic force generating part by the part becomes reliable and precise. The magnetic force detection section is provided on the surface of the board, and can stably send an angle detection signal to the radio control transmitter via the board and external wiring led out from the board.

According to the rotary operation unit described in claim 2 , the holding part is stably fixed to the base part at three points in total, two points on both sides of the shaft part and one other point, so that the holding part can be held easily. The positioning of the magnetic force detection unit held by the unit is reliable and accurate, and the positioning relationship between the magnetic force generation unit and the magnetic force detection unit, which is necessary to achieve precise angle detection, can be achieved with a high degree of precision. Ta.

It is a front view of the radio control transmitter of an embodiment provided with the wheel unit which is a rotary operation unit. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a trigger unit that is a rotary operation unit provided in the radio control transmitter of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of a wheel unit that is a rotary operation unit provided in the radio control transmitter of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG . 3 of the wheel unit provided in the radio control transmitter of the embodiment. Partial view (a) is a perspective view of the wheel unit provided in the radio control transmitter of the embodiment as seen from the rear side, and part view (b) shows the components from the same perspective as part view (a). FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the back side of the wheel unit provided in the radio control transmitter of the embodiment, in which partial view (a) shows a board to which a magnetic force detection section is attached, and partial view (b) shows a magnetic force detection section. A diagram showing a state in which the holding part holding the detection part is fixed to the base part, and a diagram (c) showing a state in which the magnetic force generating part is attached to the end of the shaft part.

A radio control transmitter according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.
As shown in FIG. 1, the radio control transmitter 1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as the transmitter 1) of the embodiment is used to control, for example, various models (cars, motorcycles, aircraft, ships, etc.) and industrial machines such as cranes. By using a predetermined frequency band to transmit control signals (radio waves) to the controlled object according to the operation of the rotary operation unit such as the wheel or trigger, This is a device for remote control. In the embodiment, it is assumed that the controlled object is a model car and that an engine is used as the power source for the controlled object, but of course the controlled object may be other than a model car, and the power source may be other than the engine. (for example, a motor).

As shown in FIG. 1, the transmitter 1 includes a casing roughly composed of a grip part 2, a base part 3, and a head part 4, and each part of the casing is made of thermoplastic resin (for example, general-purpose plastic). It is formed of.

The grip portion 2 is integral with the base portion 3 at its lower end, and is integral with the head portion 4 at its upper end. The shape of the grip portion 2 in a horizontal cross section is an ellipse whose major axis gradually decreases from the base portion 3 side toward the head portion 4 side. The grip section 2 functions as a grip section that is held by the operator when remotely controlling the controlled object.

The base portion 3 is a substantially rectangular portion provided on the lower end side of the grip portion 2. The base part 3 regulates the lower limit position of the hand that grips the grip part 2, and prevents the hand from slipping off from the grip part 2, and also allows the transmitter 1 to be placed upright on the ground, for example, when not in use. It also functions as a leg part. Although not shown, the base portion 3 has a built-in battery.

The head section 4 is provided on the upper end side of the grip section 2, and includes a wheel 6 that is a rotary operation section and a trigger 5 that is a rotation operation section.

The wheel 6 is an operation unit that functions as a steering wheel for controlling the direction of movement of the steered object. As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel 6 is rotatably supported by the head portion 4 by a rotating shaft whose axis coincides with the center of the approximately disk shape and which extends perpendicularly to the plane of the paper. By rotating the wheel 6 counterclockwise and clockwise from a predetermined reference position, the traveling direction of the steered object, for example, a model car, can be controlled.

The trigger 5 is an operation unit for controlling the power source of the steered object, for example, the engine of a model car, and adjusting the moving speed of the steered object. The trigger 5 is configured as a trigger unit 8 as shown in FIG. 2, and is incorporated into the head section 4. The trigger 5 has a trigger shape as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and rotates around a rotation shaft (not shown because it is inside the unit 8) coaxially connected to the shaft 7 as shown in FIG. move. A magnetic force generating section 30 is provided on the shaft 7 via an arm 32, and a magnetic force detecting section 31 is provided on the outer surface of the unit at a position facing the magnetic force generating section 30. The trigger 5 includes two levers: a throttle lever 5a for accelerating the steered object, and a brake lever 5b for decelerating the steered object. When the operator operates the throttle lever 5a or the brake lever 5b to rotate the trigger 5 around the rotation axis, the magnetic force generation section 30 rotates around the axis 7, and the magnetic force detection section 31 rotates around the rotation axis. Detects movement and outputs an angle signal.

In a typical operating position of the radio control transmitter 1 by a right-handed operator, the operator is positioned on the left side of the transmitter 1 facing right in FIG. , operates the trigger 5 with some fingers of the hand holding the grip part 2, and rotates the wheel 6 with the fingers of the dominant hand.
If the operator is left-handed, the wheel 6 is placed on the back side of the radio control transmitter 1 in FIG.

3 is a front view of the wheel unit 10, which is a rotary operating unit, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3 .
As shown in these figures, the wheel unit 10 includes a base portion 11 attached to the housing of the radio control transmitter 1, a shaft portion 12 rotatably provided on the base portion 11, and one end of the shaft portion 12. It is provided with a substantially cylindrical wheel 6 which is an operating section provided in the section and rotates the shaft section 12. Note that the shaft portion 12 of the wheel 6 may have a structure in which two shaft portions 12, 12 are integrated by a connecting portion 13 as shown in FIG. 4, or may have an integral structure consisting of one shaft. Further, the wheel unit 10 is provided with a plurality of switches 14, 15, 16 at different positions on the circumference, which can be operated by the operator while rotating the wheel 6.

FIG. 5(a) is a perspective view of the wheel unit 10 seen from the back side (the side of the housing of the transmitter 1), and FIG. FIG.
As shown in these figures, an angle detection section that is assembled from a plurality of components and generates an angle signal is provided inside the base section 11 on the rear side of the wheel unit 10 and covered with a cover 17. It is being This angle detection section includes a magnetic force generation section 20 provided at the end of the shaft section 12, a magnetic force detection section 22 that is fixed to a substrate 21 and detects the magnetic force of the magnetic force generation section 20, and three sensors on the base section 11. It has a holding part 24 that is fixed with a fixing screw 23 and has a holding hole 25 that holds the magnetic force detection part 22 at a predetermined position near the shaft part 12 and the magnetic force generation part 20. The magnetic force generating section 20 includes a cylindrical or cubic magnet 20a and a case 20b that covers the magnet 20a (see FIG. 4). The magnetic force detection section 22 is a non-contact type potentiometer that detects the magnetic force generated by the magnet of the magnetic force generation section 20 and outputs the position of the magnet as an angle signal. When the wheel 6 is rotated, the magnetic force generating section 20 rotates, and the magnetic force detecting section 22 detects the position of the magnetic force generating section 20 and outputs an angle signal.

The details of the structure of the angle detection section described above will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the center of the rear side of the wheel unit 10, and in order to show the structure of the angle detection section, each overlapping part is appropriately disassembled and shown. It does not provide assembly instructions.
FIG. 6A shows the magnetic force detection section 22 in a state in which the holding section 24 is not shown (or in a state in which the holding section 24 that holds the magnetic force detection section 22 is removed). The magnetic force detection unit 22 is fixed by soldering to the lower edge of the surface of the substantially square substrate 21, and is connected to a plurality of external wirings 26 led out from the substrate 21. Although details are not shown in FIG. 6A, when the wheel unit 10 is attached to the head section 4 of the transmitter 1 as shown in FIG. 10 into the head section 4 of the transmitter 1, and is connected to a control section inside the head section 4. Further, as shown in FIG. 6(a), a through hole 27 is provided at approximately the center of the substrate 21, so that one of the three fixing screws 23 of the holding portion 24 mentioned above comes into contact with the hole 27. It is designed so that it can be inserted without any problems. Although the holding part 24 is not fixed in FIG. 6(a), three fixing screws 23 are shown for fixing the holding part 24, and one of them is inserted through the escape hole 27 of the board 21. In order to clearly show that the three fixing screws 23 are attached to the base portion 11, all three fixing screws 23 are shown attached to the base portion 11.

FIG. 6(b) shows a state in which the holding part 24 holding the magnetic force detection part 22 is fixed to the base part 11. The holding portion 24 is a substantially isosceles triangular plate, and a substantially square holding hole 25 is provided in the center thereof. The magnetic force detection section 22 mounted on the substrate 21 is fitted into the holding hole 25 and held therein. Furthermore, when viewed from a line of sight parallel to the axis of the shaft portion 12, both ends of the base of the isosceles triangular holding portion 24 are located on both sides of the shaft portion 12, and these two points and the above two points The holding part 24 is stably fixed to the base part 11 of the wheel unit 10 with three fixing screws 23 at one point which is the vertex of the triangle. Since the holding part 24 can be manufactured extremely precisely using a mold and is fixed to the base part 11 at three points, the positioning of the magnetic force detection part 22 held by the holding part 24 is reliable and accurate. That is, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 4 which is a cross-sectional view, the magnetic force detection unit 22 of the embodiment can detect the distance from the shaft portion 12 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the shaft portion 12 and the direction of the axis of the shaft portion 12. The arrangement is set accurately so that the distance from the magnetic force generating unit 20 (particularly the magnet 20b) to the magnet 20b falls within a predetermined range.
The substrate 21 on which the magnetic force detection section 22 is mounted and the holding section 24 are assembled by fitting the magnetic force detection section 22 of the substrate 21 into the holding hole 25 of the holding section 24, and then fixing the holding section 24 to the base section 11 with the screws. The procedure is to fix it in step 23.

When detecting the position of the rotating magnetic force generating section 20 using a non-contact magnetic sensor such as the magnetic force detecting section 22, the arrangement of the magnetic force detecting section 22 and the magnetic force generating section 20 needs to be set precisely. . This is because the output characteristics of the magnetic force detection section 22 are generally non-linear, so the output of the angle signal with respect to the change in distance between the rotating magnetic force generation section 20 and the magnetic force detection section 22 is close to linear, and an appropriate arrangement relationship is required to enable highly accurate detection. This is because the range is narrow. That is, if the center-to-center distance between the center of the magnetic force detection section 22 and the center of the shaft section 12, which is the rotation center of the magnetic force generation section 20, is large, the magnetic force generation section 20 and the magnetic force detection due to the rotation of the magnetic force generation section 20 are large. Although the change in the distance of the portion 22 is nearly linear, if the center-to-center distance is too large, the change becomes non-linear. For this reason, the magnetic force detection section 22 needs to be accurately positioned and fixed within an appropriate range, both relative to the shaft section 12 and in the axial direction. In this respect, according to the wheel unit 10 of the embodiment, the arrangement relationship between the magnetic force generating section 20 and the magnetic force detecting section 22 necessary for realizing precise angle detection can be set with high precision.

Note that it is also possible to directly fix the substrate 21 to which the magnetic force detection section 22 is attached to the base section 11 with screws, but in that case, the fixing force of the screws may distort the substrate 21 or cause the substrate 21 to rotate. Therefore, the position of the magnetic force detection section 22 cannot be accurately positioned and fixed at the desired position. Furthermore, since the distortion of the substrate 21 also affects the magnetic force detection section 22, there is also a problem that the accuracy of the detected angle signal decreases. On the other hand, according to the structure of the embodiment in which the magnetic force detection part 22 is fitted into the holding hole 25 of the holding part 24 and held, and the holding part 24 is fixed to the base part 11, the positioning of the magnetic force detection part 22 is difficult. It is accurate and also excellent in that no harmful external force is applied to the magnetic force detection section 22.

As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), among the three fixing screws 23, the central one passes through the escape hole 27 of the board 21 and is fixed to the base part 11. is not fixed to the base portion 11 by the fixing screw 23. That is, the holding part 24 holds the magnetic force detection part 22 in the holding hole 25, and is fixed to the base part 11 with the fixing screw 23, thereby positioning the magnetic force detection part 22 at the above-mentioned predetermined position. However, the board 21 is not particularly fixed by the holding part 24, and its position is regulated by the holding part 24 as long as the holding part 24 holds the magnetic force detection part 22 fixed to the board 21. It's nothing more than that.

As shown in FIG. 6(c), a magnetic force generating section 20 is attached to the end of the shaft section 12. As a result, the magnetic force detection section 22 exposed from the holding hole 25 shown in FIG. 6(b) is placed facing the magnetic force generation section 20 as shown in FIG. 6(c), and the magnetic force detection section 22 is , as described above, is accurately positioned at a predetermined position near the shaft portion 12 and the magnetic force generating portion 20. In addition, since the magnetic force detection section 22 is in a state in which it is generally in contact with the magnetic force generation section 20, the distance between the magnetic force detection section 22 and the magnet in the magnetic force generation section 20 in the direction of the axis of the shaft section 12 is set to the predetermined narrow distance described above. Set accurately within range.

In the wheel unit 10 of the embodiment described above, when the operator rotates the wheel 6, the magnetic force generating section 20 provided on the shaft section 12 rotates. The magnetic force detection section 22 detects a change in the position of the magnetic force generation section 20 and generates an angle detection signal. In the embodiment, the precision required for the positional relationship between the magnetic force generating section 20 and the magnetic force detecting section 22 is achieved at a high level by the holding section 24, and the positional relationship between the magnetic force generating section 20 and the magnetic force detecting section 22 is adjusted as desired. Since it is precisely set so as to fall within the period range, a good response can be obtained when the radio control transmitter 1 controls the controlled object. In addition, since a non-contact magnetic element is used as the angle detection means for the wheel 6, the life of the device is semi-permanent.

In the embodiment described above, the wheel unit 10 is taken up as a rotary operation unit of the radio control transmitter 1, but the trigger unit 8 (see FIG. 2) described above is also a rotary operation unit, and the trigger unit 8 is The configuration of the present invention can also be applied. Specifically, in FIG. 2, the size of the arm 32 is adjusted appropriately, the magnetic force detection section 31 is held via the holding section 24 having the above-mentioned holding hole 25, and the holding section 24 is attached to the main body of the trigger unit 8. It should be fixed to .

In this way, the present invention can be applied to any rotary operation unit that generates a control signal in a radio control transmitter, regardless of the name such as the wheel 6 or the trigger 5, for example, a stick, etc. The present invention can be suitably applied to even a so-called operating device if the mechanical structure for outputting a control signal has a rotating part.

1...Radio control transmitter (transmitter)
5...Trigger as an operating section 6...Wheel as an operating section 8...Trigger unit as a rotary operating unit 10...Wheel unit as a rotary operating unit 11...Base section 12...Shaft section 20...Magnetic force generating section 21...Substrate 22... Magnetic force detection part 24... Holding part 25... Holding hole

Claims (3)

A rotary operation unit that is attached to a radio control transmitter that transmits a control signal to a controlled object and generates the control signal,
a base portion attached to the radio control transmitter;
a shaft portion rotatably provided on the base portion;
an operating section provided at one end of the shaft to rotate the shaft;
a magnetic force generating section provided on the shaft;
a magnetic force detection unit that detects the magnetic force of the magnetic force generation unit;
a holding part fixed to the base part and holding the magnetic force detection part at a predetermined position near the shaft part and the magnetic force generation part;
Equipped with
The holding part includes a penetrating holding hole that holds the magnetic force detection part,
A rotary operation unit characterized in that the magnetic force detection section exposed from the holding hole is disposed facing the magnetic force generation section . The holding part is fixed to the base part at two points on both sides of the shaft part and at one point which together with the two points is a vertex of a triangle when viewed from a line of sight parallel to the axis of the shaft part. The rotary operation unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: A radio control transmitter comprising a rotary operation unit that generates a control signal to be transmitted to a controlled object, the radio control transmitter comprising:
The rotary operation unit is
a base portion attached to the radio control transmitter;
a shaft portion rotatably provided on the base portion;
an operating section provided at one end of the shaft to rotate the shaft;
a magnetic force generating section provided on the shaft;
a magnetic force detection unit that detects the magnetic force of the magnetic force generation unit;
a holding part fixed to the base part and holding the magnetic force detection part at a predetermined position near the shaft part and the magnetic force generation part;
Equipped with
The holding part includes a penetrating holding hole that holds the magnetic force detection part,
A radio control transmitter , wherein the magnetic force detection section exposed from the holding hole is disposed facing the magnetic force generation section.

Images