JPH0686134U - Trackball coordinate information input device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide a trackball coordinate information input device in which assembling and cost can be improved by combining one component for electrostatic countermeasures. [Structure] A ring-shaped portion 6 formed by bending a wire having elasticity and conductivity in a housing portion 22 of a frame 20 and arranged so as to surround an upper end peripheral portion 22a of the housing portion 22.
5a and G of the printed wiring board 50 which is bent downward from the ring-shaped portion 65a and is arranged below the frame.
A single static electricity countermeasure member 65 having a lead-out portion 65b brought into contact with the ND is attached.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a trackball coordinate information input device used as an external input device in a personal computer or the like for easily and sophisticated inputting / instructing operations of information about XY coordinate positions.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, such a trackball coordinate information input device (hereinafter, abbreviated as a trackball) accommodates the coordinate information input ball 3 and the ball 3 as shown in FIG. 10 (cross-sectional view). The frame 2 and the ring-shaped retainer 15 detachably attached to the frame 2 to prevent the balls 3 inserted into the frame 2 from falling off. In the frame 2, a pair of drivers 4 and 5 contacting the ball 3 in two directions orthogonal to each other, and the amount of rotation of the ball 3 through the drivers 4 and 5 are respectively set to the X coordinate and the Y coordinate. Two displacement detectors 6 and 7 which detect the coordinate information of the above are provided.

The detectors 6 and 7 are connected to a printed wiring board (not shown) having a predetermined conductive pattern housed in the frame 2, and the frame is placed on the printed wiring board. A micro switch for deciding and releasing the coordinate position, which is operated by a push button integrally formed on the upper lid of 2, is mounted.

Further, the ball 3 is accommodated in an accommodating portion 8a which is provided at the center of the frame member 8 made of synthetic resin and has an upwardly opening circular section, and the ball 3 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 8a. In order to rotatably support the lifted state, a plurality of (here, five) support spheres 9 are freely rotatable in a state in which a part of the outer surface is exposed inward from the spherical inner wall surface of the accommodation portion 8a. Held in.

Therefore, the ball 3 does not contact the spherical inner wall surface of the accommodating portion 8a and the retainer 15 but only makes a point contact with the supporting sphere 9, so that the ball 3 can be smoothly rotated with an extremely light operating force.

According to such a trackball 1, the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the ball 3 are detected by the detection units 6 and 7 via the rollers 4 and 5, and the signal from the detection unit is connected to the connection cable or the like. It is input to a personal computer or the like via the, and thus the cursor or the like is moved on the screen of the display connected to the computer. At that time, by pressing the input button on the frame 2, the cursor position at that time is moved. Will be decided or canceled.

By the way, in the trackball coordinate information input device 1, in order to rotatably press the drivers 4 and 5 onto the ball 3, the following measures are taken.

That is, the pair of drivers 4 and 5 are pivotally supported on the upper ends of the bearings 13 and 14 which are erected on the frame member 8 made of synthetic resin, and the lower ends of the swingable ends of the levers 11 and 12 are swingable. It is rotatably suspended on the side by bearings 11a and 12a.

This will be described with respect to one of the drivers 5. As shown in FIG. 4, one end of the lever 12 is fixed near the upper end of the lever 12 and the other end of the frame 12 is connected to the frame member 8 as shown in FIG. A fixed tension spring 12c is stretched, so that the driver 5 attached to the swing end side of the lever 12 is constantly urged toward the ball 3 side.

On one end side of the rotary shaft 5a to which the driver 5 is fixed, a disc-shaped encoder 7a having a large number of radial slits, which constitutes the detection unit 7, is attached. The rotational displacement will be detected as rotational motion of the Y coordinate, for example.

[0011]

By the way, in the conventional trackball 1 as described above, a human hand or the like is attached to the signal processing IC mounted on the printed wiring board 50 attached to the lower side thereof. If static electricity from the battery is charged, problems such as malfunction and IC destruction may occur. To avoid this, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, a copper foil 71 is attached to the frame 2 around the balls 3. A coil spring 72 is attached between the copper foil 71 and the printed wiring board 50 arranged on the lower side of the frame 2 so that the copper foil 71 and the GND of the printed wiring board 50 are connected to each other. The coil spring 72 conducts electricity.

However, the use of a plurality of parts (for example, the copper foil 71 and the coil spring 72) as a countermeasure against static electricity as described above has a drawback that the assemblability is poor and the cost is high.

In view of the above point, the present invention has an object to provide a trackball coordinate information input device in which assembling parts and a cost can be improved by using only one component for preventing static electricity.

[0014]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the coordinate information input device according to the present invention basically comprises a ball for inputting target information, a frame in which an accommodating portion for accommodating the ball is formed, and a frame inside the frame. A ring-shaped retainer that is detachably attached to the frame to prevent the inserted ball from falling off, with the ball exposing a part of its outer surface from the central opening of the retainer to the outside. It is housed in the frame and detects the coordinate information based on the rotation amount and the rotation direction of the ball.

Then, a ring-shaped portion that is formed by bending a wire having elasticity and conductivity in the above-mentioned housing portion and is arranged so as to circulate around the upper end peripheral portion of the above-mentioned housing portion, and from this ring-shaped portion. It is characterized in that a single static electricity countermeasure member having a lead-out portion which is bent downward and is elastically brought into contact with GND of a printed wiring board arranged on the lower side of the frame is attached. To do.

[0016]

[Action]

 In the trackball coordinate information input device according to the present invention configured as described above, since a single member manufactured by bending a wire rod is used as a countermeasure against static electricity, it is assembled. It will be easier and the cost of parts will be reduced.

[0017]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 show an embodiment of a trackball coordinate information input device of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a front perspective view, FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view with a substrate removed, and FIG. 3 is a plan view. FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a bottom view, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

The trackball coordinate information input device 10 of the present embodiment shown in the figure is basically a ball 35 for inputting coordinate information and a hemispherical shape that opens upward to accommodate this ball 35. The frame 20 having the accommodating portion 22 is provided, the annular retainer 15 mounted on the outer peripheral edge portion 22b of the upper end of the accommodating portion 22 of the frame 20 to prevent the balls 35 from slipping off, and the accommodating portion 22 for the balls 35. A plurality of supporting spheres 25 rotatably held in a state in which a part of the outer surface of the accommodating portion 22 is exposed inward from the spherical inner wall surface of the accommodating portion 22 so as to be rotatably supported therein; Is arranged on the back surface side of the housing 22 so that a part of the outer surface of the housing 22 faces the inside of the housing 22 and abuts the ball 35 in two directions orthogonal to each other. Facing the encoder 30a and the encoder 30a having a large number of disk-shaped radial slits attached to the rotary shafts 26a and 27a of the pair of drivers 26 and 27. A pair of light emitting portions 30b and a light receiving portion 30c which are arranged, and a detecting portion 30 for detecting the rotation amount of the ball 35. Reference numeral 50 in the figure indicates a printed wiring board having a predetermined conductive pattern.

The trackball 10 with respect to the printed wiring board 50 has the lower protrusions 51 a and 52 a of the two legs 51 and 52 protruding from the side of the frame 20 and the lower end of the accommodating portion 22. The convex portion 22a provided on the base plate 50 is inserted into the insertion holes 50a, 50b, 50c provided on the substrate 50, and the L-shaped locking piece portion 20a protruding downward on the lower surface of the frame 20 is provided on the substrate. It is fixed by being engaged with a locking hole 50d provided in 50 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

Further, when one end of the rotary shafts 26a, 27a of the drivers 26, 27 is seen from the bottom side of the frame 20 (see FIG. 4), the support protrusions integrally formed on the frame 20 are formed at the upper right and lower left corners. 55 and pressing protrusions 56, which are loosely inserted and supported in supporting holes 36 and 37, respectively, and the other ends thereof are erected downward in the vicinity of the lower left corner of the frame 20, respectively. It is held by a pair of levers 46, 46 mounted rotatably above and below the shaft 39, and the driver 26, 27 is pressed against the ball 35 by a single torsion coil spring 40 via the levers 46, 46. Biased in the direction.

Here, the pair of levers 46, 46 has the same shape, and the other is inverted with respect to the other and is vertically stacked and is externally inserted onto the support shaft 39 in a state of being opened about 90 °. It The levers 46 and 46 are provided with a tubular portion that is loosely inserted in the support shaft 39, an arm portion that extends laterally from the upper half of the tubular portion, and a link that is connected to the tip of the arm portion. And a semi-circular fitting groove for holding the other end of the rotating shafts 26a, 27a of the drivers 26, 27 is formed above and below the outer periphery of the engaging part. Locking pieces 48a and 48b for receiving both ends of the torsion coil spring 40 are provided.

The pair of levers 46, 46 and the torsion coil spring 40 are locked by a flanged pin 49 press-fitted into the common support shaft 39 from its lower end.

Therefore, the rotary shafts 26a, 27a of the drivers 26, 27 are made to oscillate in a direction in which they approach and separate from the ball 35 with one end portion on the side of the support holes 36, 37 as a fulcrum. At the same time, the other ends of the levers 46, 46 are urged by the action of the torsion coil spring 40 in the direction of pressing the drivers 26, 27 against the balls 35, and the rotary shaft 26a. , 27a are attached to the fulcrum side of the encoder 30a.

In the trackball coordinate information input device 10 of the present embodiment having such a configuration, the encoder 30 a is attached to one end side of the rotary shafts 26 a, 27 a of the drivers 26, 27, and the rotary shaft 26a and 27a are configured to oscillate in a direction toward and away from the ball 35 with one end of the rotary shafts 26a and 27a to which the encoder 30a is attached as a fulcrum, so that the drivers 26 and 27 are eccentric. Even if the rotary shaft performs a pendulum motion while rotating, the shake of the encoder 30a is suppressed to a minimum.

Therefore, the positional displacement between the encoder 30a and the light emitting unit 30b and the light receiving unit 30c is less likely to occur, the amount of rotation of the ball 35 is accurately detected, and the reliability of the device can be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, around the upper end peripheral portion 22b of the housing portion 22 of the frame 20, as shown in detail in FIG. Also, an electrostatic protection member 65 formed by bending a conductive wire is attached.

The antistatic member 65 includes a ring-shaped portion 65a arranged so as to circulate around the upper end peripheral portion 22b of the accommodating portion 22 and a lower portion of the frame 20 which is bent downward from the ring-shaped portion 65a. And a drawn-out portion 65b whose lower end is curled in a semicircular shape and which is brought into contact with the GND of the printed wiring board 50 arranged in the above. The ring-shaped portion 65a is notched at a portion where the drawn-out portion 65b is bent downward. The insertion hole 65c is elastically expanded and reduced in diameter, and the front and rear of the notched portion are bent to present an L shape, and an insertion hole 65c for inserting one end into the insertion hole, The lead-out portion 65b is inserted into a separately provided insertion hole to form a holding portion 65d. The holding portions 65c and 65d hold and fix the insertion locking portion 22c of the housing portion 22 of the frame 20. Has become.

Therefore, the electrostatic protection member 65 uses the elasticity of the ring-shaped portion 65a to hold the insertion locking portion 22c by the holding portions 65c and 65d. The ring-shaped portion 65a is attached to the upper edge portion 22b in an exposed state. In addition, locking projections 22d for pressing the ring-shaped portion 65a are provided at three locations on the upper edge portion 22b of the housing portion 22.

In addition, a ring-shaped ball holder 60 is interposed between the lower surface of the retainer 15 and the upper peripheral edge portion 22b of the accommodating portion 22 to prevent the ball from floating.

In the trackball 10 of the present embodiment configured as described above, since the antistatic member 65 manufactured by bending the wire rod is used, the assembly is easy and the cost of the parts is low. It will be suppressed.

[0031]

[Effect of device]

 As is clear from the above description, since the trackball coordinate information input device according to the present invention uses a single member manufactured by bending a wire rod as a countermeasure against static electricity, it can be easily assembled. The effect is that the cost of parts can be kept low.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a trackball coordinate information input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the example.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an arrangement state of an electrostatic protection member of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an arrangement state of an electrostatic protection member of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of an electrostatic protection member of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of an example of a conventional trackball coordinate information input device.

10 is a sectional view of the conventional example shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Trackball Coordinate Information Input Device 20 Frame 22 Housing 22a Upper Edge Peripheral 25 Bearing Sphere 26, 27 Driver 26a, 27a Driver Rotating Shaft 30 Detector 30a Encoder 30b Light Emitting Section 30c Light Receiving 35 Ball 36, 37 Support Hole 39 Support Shaft 40 Torsion coil spring 46 Lever 47a, 47b Fitting groove 49 Collar pin 50 Wiring board 65 Electrostatic countermeasure member 65a Ring-shaped portion 65b Draw-out portion

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A ball for inputting coordinate information, a frame in which an accommodating portion for accommodating the ball is formed, and a ball detachably attached to the frame to prevent the ball inserted into the frame from falling off. And a ring-shaped retainer that is housed in the frame with a part of the outer surface of the retainer exposed to the outside from the central opening of the retainer. In a trackball coordinate information input device configured to detect coordinate information based on the above, in the accommodating portion, a wire having elasticity and conductivity is formed by bending, and the upper end peripheral portion of the accommodating portion is circulated. A ring-shaped portion arranged and a lead-out portion bent downward from the ring-shaped portion and brought into contact with the GND of the printed wiring board arranged below the frame. Trackball coordinate information input apparatus characterized by a single ESD protection member is attached to the.