JPH05134804A - Joystick - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the multiple control of various equipment by changing signal levels corresponding to manipulating directions by providing a pressure sensor for outputting signals at the level correlated with pressure when a manipulating rod is inclined, thereby changing a signal level corresponding to an operation direction. CONSTITUTION:The pressure-sensitive resistor element receiving plane of each pressure sensor 5 is opposed to the spherical pressing part 6 of a manipulating rod 4 and the spherical pressing part 6 to be moved with the inclining operation of the manipulating rod 4 presses the pressure receiving plane of the pressure sensor 5. Therefore, a voltages or currents impressed to the electrodes of the pressure sensors 5 are changed and these voltages or currents are outputted as direction signals. When the manipulating force of the manipulating rod 4 is further changed, the force of the spherical pressing part 6 pressing the pressure receiving planes of the pressure sensors 5 is changed, as well, and the resistance values of the pressure sensors 5 are changed. Thus, the signal values of the voltages or currents obtained from the electrodes of the pressure sensors 5 are changed and by utilizing the level change of the signal values, the multiple control is enabled to the various equipment to be controlled.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a joystick,
In particular, it relates to a joystick capable of changing the signal level at the same time as outputting a direction signal such as XY direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a joystick is used as an input device of a computer or as a control operation device of various equipment, and by moving an operation rod in a two-dimensional direction, signals in X and Y directions corresponding thereto can be obtained. Is configured to output. For example, a typical joystick is configured so that the operating rod can be tilted in arbitrary directions of XY, and micro switches are respectively arranged in four directions of X and Y of the operating rod to tilt the operating rod in XY directions. Then, the microswitch is selectively or simultaneously turned on to output signals in the X and Y directions. Such a joystick is used, for example, in a camera platform control device, and by operating the operating rod in the XY directions,
Signals and Y signals are input to the camera platform, and the motors are individually driven by these signals to control pan operation (horizontal rotation) and tilt operation (vertical rotation) of the camera platform. There is.

[0003]

However, the conventional joystick merely outputs signals in the X and Y directions, and the signal levels of the X and Y signals are always constant values. Therefore, when this joystick is used for the camera platform control device, even if the platform can be panned and tilted by tilting the operation rod, it is not possible to control the speed change. Is.

Therefore, in the conventional camera platform controller, a signal level adjuster is provided separately from the joystick, and the pan and tilt speeds are changed by operating the level adjuster simultaneously with the joystick operation. Is required. For this reason, there is a problem that the configuration of the platform control device becomes complicated and the control operation is complicated and troublesome. An object of the present invention is to provide a joystick capable of outputting direction signals and changing and adjusting the levels of these signals.

[0005]

A joystick according to the present invention comprises an operating rod tilted in at least one direction,
This operating rod is pressed when it is tilted, and is composed of a pressure sensor that outputs a signal of a level correlated with the pressing force.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a joystick of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view thereof. In these figures, 1 is a base plate, and an insertion hole 2 is opened in the central portion,
The operation rod 4 is supported in the insertion hole 2 by a ball bearing 3. The operating rod 4 can be tilted in the XY directions with the ball bearing 3 as a fulcrum by projecting the tip end of the operating rod 4 as an operating portion 4a in front of the base plate 1. Further, the rear end portion 4b of the operation rod 4 is projected from the rear surface of the base plate 1 with a small size and the spherical pressing portion 6 is integrally provided, and is moved in the symmetrical direction by the tilting operation of the operation rod 4 in the XY directions. .. The operating rod 4 is normally held at a neutral position perpendicular to the base plate 1 by a spring (not shown) or the like.

On the back surface of the base plate 1 surrounding the spherical pressing portion 6 of the rear end portion 4b of the operating rod 4, the spherical pressing portion 6 is provided.
On the other hand, four pressure sensors 5A to 5D are fixedly arranged on both sides in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively. These pressure sensors
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the pressure-sensitive resistance element 11 has a resistance value that changes when pressure is applied to the pressure-receiving surface 11 a, and the pressure-sensitive resistance element 11 is provided on the surface of an insulating plate 12 that supports the pressure-sensitive resistance element 11. It is composed of a printed electrode 13. The relationship between the pressure and the resistance value is obtained as a characteristic as shown in FIG. 4, for example.

In each of the pressure sensors 5A to 5D, when the pressure receiving surface 11a of the pressure sensitive resistance element 11 faces the spherical pressing portion 6 of the operating rod 4 and the operating rod 4 is tilted in one direction. The spherical pressing portion 6 moved in accordance with this pushes the pressure receiving surfaces of the pressure sensors 5A to 5D. In FIG. 1, the reference numeral 7 indicates
It is a decorative cover plate that is attached to the front surface of the base plate with a screw.

Therefore, according to this joystick, the operating portion 4a of the operating rod 4 is operated to operate the operating rod 4
Is tilted in any direction, the spherical pressing portion 6 which is moved symmetrically about the ball bearing 3 as a fulcrum causes the pressure sensors 5A to 5A.
The pressure receiving surface of any one of 5D or two pressure sensors arranged in parallel is pressed, and the resistance value of the pressed pressure sensor is changed. As a result, the voltage or current applied to the electrodes of the pressure sensor is changed.
It can be output as a signal in either or both of the Y directions. Further, when the force for operating the operation rod 4 is changed during operation, the spherical pressing portion 6 causes the pressure sensors 5A to 5A.
The force for pressing the pressure receiving surface of D is also changed, and the resistance value of the pressure sensor is changed according to the pressure as shown in FIG. As a result, the signal value such as the voltage or current obtained from the electrode of the pressure sensor is changed, and by utilizing the change in the signal value, other control can be performed.

5 and 6 show an embodiment in which the joystick having the above-mentioned structure is used for controlling the camera platform. In the camera platform, a pan shaft 22 is fixedly provided upright in the center of a fixed base 21 as shown in a schematic view of the driving mechanism in FIG. The pan base 23 is supported by a bearing. A tilt shaft 25 is horizontally supported on the upper portion of a cover 24 that is integral with the pan base 23, and a tilt cover 26 is integrally supported by the tilt shaft 25 so that the tilt shaft 25 can be vertically rotated, that is, tilted. .. The upper surface of the tilt cover 26 is configured as a camera receiving surface, and is equipped with a camera CA whose shooting direction is controlled.

The pan base 23 has a pan motor 27.
And the worm body structure 28 for bread is mounted, the pan motor 2
The worm 29 attached to the rotary shaft 7 is meshed with the small worm wheel 30 of the worm body structure 28 for bread. In addition, a driven worm 31 coaxial with the small worm wheel 30.
Is a large worm wheel 3 fixed to the pan shaft 22.
Meshed with 2.

Therefore, when the pan motor 27 is driven, the rotational force of the worm 29 is transmitted to the small worm wheel 30 and the driven worm 31, and further to the large worm wheel 32. The large worm wheel 32 has a pan axis. Since it is fixed to 22, the worm structure 28 for pan including the driven worm 31, that is, the pan worm 23 is mounted by the reaction thereof, and the pan base 23 is horizontally rotated around the pan shaft 22. As a result, the camera CA is panned.

On the other hand, a tilt motor 41 and a tilt worm structure 42 are also mounted on the pan base 23, and the worm 43 attached to the rotary shaft of the tilt motor 41.
Is a small worm wheel 44 of the tilt worm structure 42
Meshed with. The driven worm 45 coaxial with the small worm wheel 44 meshes with the large worm wheel 46 fixed to the tilt cover 26 coaxially with the tilt shaft 25. Therefore, when the tilt motor 41 is driven, the rotational force of the worm 43 is transmitted to the small worm wheel 44 and the driven worm 45 and further to the large worm wheel 46, and the rotation of the large worm wheel 46 causes the tilt cover 26 to move. Rotate up and down around the tilt shaft 25. As a result, the camera CA is tilted.

With respect to the camera platform having such a structure, as shown in FIG.
5D are connected to the pan motor 27 and the tilt motor 41 via the operational amplifier circuit 51. The operational amplifier circuit 51 includes a pan operation unit 52 and a tilt operation unit 53. For example, as illustrated in the pan operation unit 52, an operational amplifier 54 is provided.
And resistors R3 to R6 form a differential amplifier circuit, and the pressure sensors 5A and 5B, which are arranged opposite to each other in the joystick, are connected to the inverting input terminal and the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 54, respectively, and the pan motor 27 is used by the output. Are configured to drive. Also, the pressure sensors 5A and 5B have resistors R1 and R, respectively.
2 to the reference voltage V. The tilt calculator 53 has the same configuration, and is configured to drive the tilt motor 41 with the pressure sensors 5C and 5D.

In this configuration, in the pan control, for example, when the joystick operation rod 4 is not operated, no pressure is applied to the pressure sensors 5A and 5B, so that the pressure sensors 5A and 5B are the same. Since it becomes a resistance value and e1 = e2, the output e3 of the differential amplifier circuit becomes 0, and the pan motor 27 does not rotate. When the joystick operation rod is operated, for example, to the left in FIG. 1, a pressing force is applied to the pressure sensor 5A via the spherical pressing portion 6, so that the resistance value of the pressure sensor 5A is reduced and e1 <e
2 and e3> 0, and the pan motor 27 rotates the pan base 23 to the left.

At this time, if the operating rod is strongly pressed,
The pressing force of the spherical pressing portion 6 against the pressure sensor 5A is increased, and the resistance value is further reduced due to the pressure characteristics of the pressure sensor. As a result, e1 becomes smaller, the difference between e2 and e1, that is, e3 becomes larger, and the pan motor 27 is rotated at a high speed. As a result, the bread base 23
Is rotated to the left at high speed, and the pan operation of the camera CA can be performed at high speed. Similarly, when the joystick operation rod is operated in the opposite direction, a pressing force is applied to the pressure sensor 5B, and the pan motor 27 similarly rotates the pan base 23 to the right. Also in this case, the rotation speed of the pan motor can be increased by increasing the pressing force of the operation rod. Although the description is omitted, the same applies to the tilt operation.

Here, the above-mentioned embodiment shows an example in which the joystick of the present invention is applied to the camera platform control device, but various devices for which it is necessary to adjust the control speed or the like according to the change of the signal level. It goes without saying that it can be applied to.
Further, it can be similarly applied to a joystick which outputs a signal only in the X direction or the Y direction.

[0018]

As described above, the present invention is provided with the pressure sensor capable of outputting a signal of a level which is pressed when the operating rod is tilted and which is correlated with the pressing force, so that the operating rod is operated. A direction signal corresponding to a direction can be output and each signal level can be changed. By using this signal level change for control, various devices can be multi-dimensionally controlled.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a jostec of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view of the joystick of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a pressure sensor.

FIG. 4 is an output characteristic diagram of a pressure sensor.

FIG. 5 is a schematic internal configuration diagram of a camera platform.

FIG. 6 is a connection diagram between a camera platform and Joystick.

[Explanation of reference numerals] 1 base plate 4 operating rod 5A to 5D pressure sensor 11 pressure-sensitive resistance element

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An operating rod that is tilted in at least one direction, and a pressure sensor that is pressed when the operating rod is tilted and that outputs a signal of a level correlated with the pressing force. Characteristic joystick.