JPH0583838U - Trackball - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To realize a trackball in which water is unlikely to enter the detection circuit and noise can be suitably removed. [Structure] A rubber 32 provided in the opening of the lid portion 24 seals the gap between the opening of the lid portion 24 and the ball 10. Infiltration of water into the case 22 is reduced. Alternatively, a magnetic disk that rotates with the rotation of the detection shaft 12 is provided, and the rotation is detected from outside the case 22 by a magnetic sensor. Alternatively, a means for detecting the rotation of the detection shaft 12 is provided in a room separate from the case 22. Even if water enters the case 22, the water does not enter the detection circuit. Then, the ball 28 is urged upward by the spring 28 arranged below the ball 10, and the output of the rotation signal is permitted only when the urging force is overcome. Noise is reduced. [Effect] Water resistance and vibration resistance are improved.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an improvement of a trackball which is a kind of device for inputting position information.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Conventionally, trackballs have been used as two-dimensional position information input devices in radar pointing devices mounted on ships and the like. The trackball is a device having a configuration as shown in FIG. 5, for example, and is used for inputting movement of a cursor or the like on the radar indicator screen.

FIG. 5A shows a state in which a lid portion of a trackball according to a conventional example is removed, and FIG. 5B shows an AA cross section thereof. As shown in these figures, the trackball comprises a ball 10. The ball 10 is supported by two detection shafts 12 at its lower portion. A fixing jig 14 is also used to assist the support by the detection shaft 12.

A rotary disk 16 is attached to one end of the detection shaft 12. Although not shown, the rotary disk 16 has a predetermined number of slits on its peripheral edge. Below the rotating disk 16, a light emitting element 18 and a light receiving element 20 are arranged to face each other, and the light emitting element 18, the light receiving element 20 and the rotating disk 16 constitute a photo interrupter.

In the figure, reference numeral 22 is a case, 24 is a lid, and 26 is a substrate. The lid 24 is fixed to the case 22 with screws or the like, and the substrate 26 has a light emitting element 18 and a light receiving element 20. Etc. are fixed, and an opening having a predetermined radius is provided at the center corresponding to the ball 10.

When operating the trackball having such a configuration, the user places his / her hand on the upper portion of the ball 10 and moves the hand in the direction in which the cursor or the like is desired to be moved. Then, the ball 10 rotates, and the detection shaft 12 that is in contact with the ball 10 also rotates. When the rotary disk 16 rotates due to the rotation of the detection shaft 12, the light beam emitted from the light emitting element 18 toward the light receiving element 20 is blocked by the rotary disk 16. That is, the space between the light emitting element 18 and the light receiving element 20 is blocked by the rotary disk 16 having a slit, and the output of the light receiving element 20 enables the amount and direction of rotation of the ball 10 to be obtained as a signal. The radar indicator moves a cursor or the like on the screen according to the output of these photo interrupters.

[0007]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in the conventional trackball having such a configuration, since the detection means such as a photo interrupter and the circuit for processing the detection result are not separated, water may enter the circuit side. There was a problem. Especially, when a trackball is used in a ship or the like, such a problem becomes a problem.

The conventional trackball also has a problem in vibration resistance. That is, since the ship etc. sways, the ball, the detection shaft, the rotating disk, etc. sway with it. Since the track ball is made of a material such as plastic having low rigidity to reduce its weight, the track ball may bend, and electrical noise may be superimposed on the output of the photo interrupter.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a track ball capable of detecting excellent position information without ingress of moisture into the circuit side. The purpose is to do. Furthermore, the present invention aims to more suitably remove noise from the output from the trackball.

[0010]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve such an object, the trackball according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided with a seal member for sealing a gap between the opening and the ball at an opening edge of a lid portion that restricts upward movement of the ball. It is characterized by being provided.

The trackball according to a second aspect of the invention is characterized in that the means for detecting the amount and direction of rolling of the ball is separation detecting means for detecting the rotation of the detection shaft from the outside of the case.

In the trackball according to a third aspect of the present invention, at least one end of the detection shaft is extended to the outside of the case while keeping the watertightness, and the detection means detects the rotation of the detection shaft at the end. ..

A trackball according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a spring member that biases the ball upward so that the upper portion abuts on the opening of the lid and the lower portion is spaced from the detection shaft, and a lower portion of the spring member. It is characterized in that it is provided with a switch which is provided and is turned on when the upper part of the ball is pressed, and means for permitting the output of the rotation signal only when the switch is turned on.

[0014]

[Action]

 According to the first aspect of the present invention, the sealing member provided at the opening edge of the lid prevents moisture from entering the inside of the case. That is, since the gap between the opening and the ball is sealed, even if water is splashed on the opening edge of the lid, it is difficult for water to enter the inside of the case. Therefore, moisture will not affect the circuit through the case.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the detection shaft that indicates the amount and direction of rolling of the ball is detected separately from the outside of the case. Therefore, the case can be made to have a sealed structure with respect to the circuit, so that moisture will not affect the circuit.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the detection shaft is detected at the end of the detection shaft extended to the outside of the case. At this time, since water-tightness is maintained at the position where the detection shaft is pulled out to the outside of the case, moisture does not affect the circuit outside the case.

Further, in claim 4 of the present invention, when the user's hand or the like is not placed on the upper part of the ball, the upper part of the ball is brought into contact with the opening of the lid part by the urging force of the spring member, and the lower part is detected. It is separated from the axis. Therefore, in this state, the switch provided under the spring member is not turned on, and the output of the rotation signal is not permitted. On the other hand, when the user's hand or the like is placed on the upper part of the ball, the force of the hand or the like overcomes the biasing force of the spring member, the switch is turned on, and the output of the rotation signal is permitted. As described above, since the rotation signal is not output unless the force applied to the ball exceeds the urging force of the spring member, noise or the like does not occur even when vibration is applied.

[0018]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the same components as those of the conventional example shown in FIG.

FIG. 1A shows an appearance of the trackball according to the first embodiment of the present invention with the lid portion 24 removed, and FIG. 1B shows an AA cross section. Has been done. As shown in these figures, in this embodiment, a spring 28 is provided at the lower portion of the ball 10, and a switch 30 that is turned on when the spring 28 bends downward is provided. Further, a rubber 32 is provided at a portion of the lid portion 24 that comes into contact with the upper portion of the ball 10.

That is, when the user rotates the ball 10 in this embodiment, when the user places his / her hand on the ball 10, the spring 28 bends downward and the switch 30 is turned on. Further, when the user is not touching the ball 10, the ball 10 contacts the rubber 32 by the urging force of the spring 28, and the rubber 32 seals the gap between the ball 10 and the opening of the lid 24. Further, in this state, a minute gap is generated between the ball 10 and the detection shaft 12.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the output circuit in this embodiment. As shown in this figure, in the present embodiment, the output of the photointerrupter composed of the rotating disk 16, the light emitting element 18, and the light receiving element 20, that is, the rotation pulse is input to the AND 34. The output of the switch 30 is also input to the AND 34. Therefore, only when the switch 30 is on, the rotation pulse is output to the outside, for example, a radar pointing device.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the noise of the output of the photo interrupter is removed by the AND 34. That is, when the user is not operating the ball 10, the switch 30 is not turned on and the output of the rotation pulse is blocked. Further, when the user is not operating the ball 10, the ball 10 is not in contact with the detection unit 12, so that noise due to the shaking of the ship is prevented. In addition, since the rubber 32 seals the space between the lid 24 and the ball 10, the ingress of water is suppressed and the reliability is further improved when the track ball is used in a ship or the like. Become.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of a trackball according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 3A shows a state in which the lid portion 24 is removed, and FIG. 3B shows a cross section taken along the line AA.

As shown in these figures, in the present embodiment, the photo interrupter having the configuration shown in FIG. 5 is not used. In this embodiment, the magnetic disk 35 that rotates with the rotation of the detection shaft 12 and the magnetic sensor 36 arranged in the vicinity thereof are used. The magnetic sensor 36 is arranged outside the case 22.

In this embodiment, when the rolling of the ball 10 is to be detected as the rotation of the detection shaft 12, the magnetic sensor 36 detects the rotation of the magnetic disk 35. Magnetic marks are provided at a predetermined pitch on the periphery of the magnetic disk 35, and the magnetic sensor 36 reads this mark from the outside of the case 22 in a spaced manner. As a result, the same action as that of the conventional slot of the rotary disk 16 can be obtained.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of a trackball according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1A and FIG. 4B is a diagram corresponding to FIG.

In this embodiment, the detection shaft 12 is extended to the outside of the case 22, and the photo interrupter is arranged in a room separate from the case 22. The principle of rolling detection of the ball 10 in this embodiment is the same as that of the conventional example. A member (packing or the like) for ensuring watertightness is provided at a portion 38 where the detection shaft 12 is pulled out to the case 22.

Therefore, according to these embodiments, the inside and the outside of the case 22 can be separated. That is, even if moisture enters the inside of the case 22, the moisture does not enter the chamber (third embodiment) that houses the magnetic sensor 36 (second embodiment) or the photointerrupter. Therefore, a trackball suitable for mounting on a ship is realized.

Further, in the third embodiment, the magnetic sensor 36 is used as the separating means. When adopting such means, the case 22 needs to be formed of a material such as plastic. Further, an optical sensor may be used as the separation detecting means instead of the magnetic sensor 36. In this case, it is necessary to use a disk having a reflecting mirror as the magnetic disk 28 and to make the case 22 a transparent member capable of transmitting light rays. Further, a capacitance type sensor may be used as the separation detecting means.

Although not shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, it is preferable to provide a drain hole for letting out moisture that has entered the case 22 to the outside so as not to affect the circuit.

[0031]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the sealing member provided at the opening edge of the lid prevents water from entering the inside of the case. It is difficult to penetrate and prevents moisture from affecting the circuit through the case.

Further, according to claim 2 of the present invention, since the rotation of the detection shaft is detected to be separated from the outside of the case, the case can have a sealed structure with respect to the circuit, and the water resistance is also improved. To do.

Further, according to claim 3 of the present invention, since the portion for pulling out the detection shaft to the outside of the case is subjected to the treatment for keeping the watertightness, the water resistance is also improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the rotation signal is not output unless the force applied to the ball overcomes the biasing force of the spring member, noise or the like does not occur even when vibration is applied. ..

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a configuration of a trackball according to a first embodiment of the present invention, (a) showing a state in which a lid is removed,
(B) is a figure which shows each AA cross section.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit in this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a trackball according to a second embodiment of the present invention, (a) showing a state in which a lid portion is removed,
(B) is a figure which shows each AA cross section.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a trackball according to a third embodiment of the present invention, (a) showing a state in which a lid portion is removed,
(B) is a figure which shows each AA cross section.

5A and 5B are views showing a configuration of a trackball according to a conventional example, where FIG. 5A is a state in which a lid is removed, and FIG.
It is a figure which shows each -A cross section.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ball 12 detection axis 16 rotating disk 18 light emitting element 20 light receiving element 22 case 24 lid 28 spring 30 switch 32 rubber 34 AND 35 magnetic disk 36 magnetic sensor

Claims (4)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A ball, a plurality of detection shafts arranged to rotate as the ball rolls, and detection means for detecting rotation of the detection shaft and outputting a signal indicating the amount and direction of rolling of the ball. A trackball including at least a case for accommodating the ball and the detection shaft, and a lid portion having an opening with a predetermined diameter so as to restrict upward movement of the ball, in the opening edge of the lid portion A trackball provided with a seal member for sealing a gap. 2. A ball, a plurality of detection shafts arranged to rotate with the rolling of the ball, and detection means for detecting rotation of the detection shaft and outputting a signal indicating the amount and direction of rolling of the ball. In a trackball having at least a case for accommodating the ball and the detection shaft and a lid having an opening having a predetermined diameter so as to restrict the upward movement of the ball, the detection means prevents the detection shaft from rotating from the outside of the case. A trackball, which is a separation detecting means for detecting a separation. 3. A ball, a plurality of detection shafts arranged to rotate in accordance with rolling of the ball, and detection means for detecting rotation of the detection shaft and outputting a signal indicating the amount and direction of rolling of the ball. In a trackball provided with a case for accommodating at least a part of the ball and the detection shaft and a lid part having an opening of a predetermined diameter so as to restrict the upward movement of the ball, at least one end of the detection shaft is watertight. A trackball which is extended to the outside of the case while keeping it, and wherein the detection means detects the rotation of the detection shaft at the end. 4. The trackball according to claim 1, wherein a spring member biases the ball upward so that an upper portion abuts an opening of the lid and a lower portion is spaced from the detection shaft, and a lower portion of the spring member. A trackball, comprising: a switch that is provided on the switch and that is turned on when the upper portion of the ball is pressed; and a means that permits the output of a rotation signal only when the switch is turned on.