JPH07281816A - Foot pointer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operation efficiency of an operator, reduce the labor, burden, etc., and saves the space of an operation field by enabling pointing in all directions only by the motion of ankle without requiring the motion of hands and feet and a space, etc., for the motion. CONSTITUTION:The foot pointer is a pointing device which outputs movement information, position information, button information, etc., to an input object device 10 such as a computer and consists of a pedal 1, a support frame 3 holding the pedal 1 rotatably in one direction, a support base 5 holding the support frame 3 rotatably in one direction orthogonal to the other direction, a detection part 6 which detects the angle of one-directional rotation of the pedal 1, a detection part 7 detecting the angle of rotation of the pedal 1 in the other direction through the support frame 3, and a button part 11 selecting and determining the angles of rotation of the pedal 1 in one direction and the other direction detected by the detection parts 6 and 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pointing device such as a computer, and more particularly to a foot pointer operated by a foot.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a conventional pointing device typified by a mouse for transmitting movement information, position information, button information, and the like to a computer device as an output is an operator's one-handed mouse movement, button operation, and the like. I was doing.

For this reason, a keyboard operator who uses both hands to input data into a computer, etc.
One hand must be removed from the keyboard, and even when the mouse is not operated, it is necessary to always check the position of the mouse by groping, visual inspection, etc. There was a problem in that the work efficiency was reduced and the work efficiency was reduced. further,
In such a conventional pointing device,
There is also a problem that a certain area of the plane must be located near the keyboard to move the mouse.

In order to solve such a problem, JP-A-62-37731, JP-A-62-44345, JP-A-62-183243, JP-A-63-255727.
No. 2, JP-A-2-27226, JP-A-3-220618
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-242818 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-242818, a large number of pointing devices such as a mouse that can be operated with a foot without using a hand have been proposed.

However, each of the pointing devices described in these publications has the same structure as the conventional mouse, and is simply operated by the foot of the operator's foot. , In addition to requiring a certain range of planes for moving the mouse at the feet, and moving the mouse to move the foot,
The posture of the operator becomes unstable, and on the contrary, the work efficiency of the operator is impaired.

Further, in the pointing devices described in each of these publications, since the operator has to move his / her foot with the knee as a fulcrum in order to move the mouse, the operator's foot has an unnatural shape. In addition, there is a problem that the posture of the operator when sitting is easily collapsed, leading to fatigue of the operator and impairment of health.

In view of this, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-107774, a flat plate attached to a support shaft and a pressure detector attached to the flat plate via a spring are provided, and the cursor is obtained by stepping on the flat plate with a foot. A pointing device that realizes the pointing function of is proposed.

[0008]

However, since the pointing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-107774 can only perform input in one direction around the support shaft, pointing in one direction (for example, Y-axis). However, there was a problem that it was not practically used as a pointing device.

Further, this pointing device has a structure in which the amount of movement (the inclination of the flat plate) is detected by a pressure detector. Generally, however, there is a straight line between the amount of movement and the pressure input to the pressure detector. There is also a problem that since there is no sex, that is, a proportional relationship, it is difficult for the operator to intuitively capture the input, and it becomes difficult to use the input in reality.

Further, when it is put into practical use as a product or the like, there is a problem that it is expected that it will be difficult to actually adopt the pressure detector because the pressure detector and the like become very expensive.

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the problems of each of the conventional techniques described above, and the movement of the ankle can be achieved without the need to move the hands and feet or the space accompanying the movement. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a foot pointer that improves the work efficiency of the operator, reduces labor and burden, and saves space on the work site by enabling pointing in all directions easily only by .

[0012]

To achieve the above object, a foot pointer of the present invention is a pointing device for inputting movement information, position information, button information and the like as outputs to an input target device such as a computer, When,
A support frame that rotatably holds the pedal in one direction, a support base that rotatably holds the support frame in another direction orthogonal to the one direction, and a rotation angle of the pedal in one direction is detected. A detection unit, a detection unit that detects a rotation angle of the pedal in the other direction via the support frame, and a button unit that selects and determines the rotation angle of the pedal in one direction and the rotation direction of the pedal detected by the detection unit. It consists of and.

Further, it is preferable that the detecting section is composed of a volume, and a processing section for converting the output of the detecting section from an analog signal into a digital signal and generating a number of pulses corresponding to the digital signal is provided. In addition, the detection unit is configured by a rotation angle sensor, and a processing unit that counts the output from the detection unit and generates the number of pulses corresponding to the count is provided. In addition, the button portion is provided independently of the pedal portion, or the button portion is provided on the pedal as necessary. More preferably, the button portion is provided at the intersection of the rotation axes of the pedal in one direction and the other direction.

[0014]

According to the foot pointer of the present invention having such a structure, the pedal can be freely changed in the two directions orthogonal to each other only by the movement of the ankle of the operator, and the change in the angle of the pedal can be performed by a computer or the like. It is possible to point by inputting to the input target device.

[0015]

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. 1C is a right side view showing a foot pointer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 (a) is a front sectional view and FIG. 2 (b) is a right side view showing an operating state of the foot pointer of FIG. FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram of a foot pointer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The foot pointer of one embodiment shown in FIG.
A pedal 1 on which an operator places one foot, and a support frame 3 for holding the pedal 1 by a shaft 2 so as to be rotatable in the X-axis direction.
And a support base 5 that holds the support frame 3 rotatably in the Y-axis direction by means of a shaft 4. The central axes of the shaft 2 and the shaft 4 are orthogonal to each other at the center point of the pedal 1. With such a configuration, the pedal 1 can freely change the angle in the four quadrant directions of the center points of the central axes of the shafts 2 and 4.

At one end of the shaft 2 of the support frame 3, the X of the pedal 1 is attached.
An X-axis detector 6 for detecting the rotation angle in the axial direction is provided. Further, a Y-axis detector 7 for detecting the rotation angle of the pedal 1 in the Y-axis direction is provided at one end of the shaft 4 of the support base 5. In the present embodiment, both detection units 6 and 7 are composed of volumes 6a and 7a and constant current sources 6b and 7b which are connected in series to the volumes 6a and 7a and supply a constant current.

At the other end of the shaft 2 of the support frame 3 and the other end of the shaft 4 of the support base 5, the pedal 1 is always kept in the horizontal direction when the operator releases his foot or loosens the stepping force. An elastic member 8 for maintaining is provided. In the present embodiment, the elastic member 8 is composed of a coil spring (not shown) that exerts a biasing force in the axial rotation direction of the shaft 2 and the shaft 4, but the elastic member 8 is not limited to this, and for example, the ends of the shaft 2 and the shaft 4 are provided. Bars are installed in the horizontal direction,
It can also be configured by providing tension springs in the vertical direction at both ends of this bar. Also, the shaft 2 of the pedal 1
A constant weight may be provided at both ends of the axis line orthogonal to and the both ends of the axis line orthogonal to the axis 4 of the support frame 3 for balancing.

A processing unit 9 is connected to the X-axis detecting unit 6 and the Y-axis detecting unit 7, and the processing unit 9 causes both detecting units 6 and 6.
The detection data 7 is input to the input target device 10 such as a computer. In the present embodiment, this processing unit 9 is called A-
It is composed of a D converter 9a and a pulse generator 9b, converts an analog signal sent from the detection units 6 and 7 into a digital signal, and outputs the digital signal to the input target device 10 as a predetermined number of pulse signals. To do.

Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing unit 9 includes data on the rotation angles of the X-axis and the Y-axis of the pedal 1 detected by the X-axis detecting unit 6 and the Y-axis detecting unit 7. choose,
A button unit 11 for determining is connected, and data is selected and determined by operating the button unit 11 with a foot or a hand. The button portion 11 is generally formed on or near the keyboard, but if necessary, as shown in FIG. 4, the foot switch by the other foot that does not operate the pedal 1 of the operator. It can also be configured by.

Next, the operation of the foot pointer of this embodiment having such a configuration will be described. The operator performing the input puts one foot on the pedal 1 and changes the angle of the ankle, so that the X of the pedal 1 is moved through the shaft 2 and the shaft 4.
The angles in the axial direction and the Y-axis direction are changed. Since the X-axis detection unit 6 is installed on the shaft 2 and the Y-axis detection unit 7 is installed on the shaft 4, the change in the angle of the pedal 1 with respect to the X-axis is detected by the X-axis detection unit 6.
Further, a change in the angle of the pedal 1 with respect to the Y axis is detected as a change in the resistance value in the Y axis detecting section 7. As a result, a voltage proportional to this resistance value is generated as the output of the X-axis detection unit 6 and the Y-axis detection unit 7.

The voltage output as the detection data of the X-axis detecting unit 6 and the Y-axis detecting unit 7 is connected to the processing unit 9 connected thereto.
Is input to the A-D converter 9a and is converted from an analog signal to a digital signal. Specifically, the output voltage of the X-axis detection unit 6 and the Y-axis detection unit 7, which are analog signals, is set to 8 bi.
In the A / D converter 9a having a resolution of about t, conversion is performed by substituting a digital signal suitable for this.

After that, the digital output of the A / D converter 9a is input to the pulse generator 9b, and the pulse generator 9b generates a number of pulses corresponding to the input digital signal, and the pulse signal is input to the input target device 10. Output. The A-D converter 9a and the pulse generator 9b are provided in each of the X-axis system and the Y-axis system.

The input target device 10 detects the tilt amount of the pedal 1 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions by counting the number of pulses output from the pulse generator 9b for each of the X-axis system and the Y-axis system. . The data input to the input target device 10 is selected and determined by the button operation of the connected button unit 11.

After the button operation of the button portion 11 is completed, the operator releases the foot on the pedal 1 or loosens the stepping force so that the pedal 1 is horizontally moved by the urging force of the elastic member 8. By returning to the state, the operator can perform a new pointing operation.

In this way, the foot pointer of the present embodiment operates as a pointing device by treating the amount of inclination of the pedal 1, that is, the change in the rotation angle, in the same manner as the amount of movement of the conventional pointing device. That is, when the operator depresses the pedal 1 in an arbitrary direction, the cursor, the icon, etc. on the screen of the input target device 10 moves to an arbitrary position, and the button portion 11 is used to select or determine the position of the cursor or the like. Done.

In the present embodiment, the detection units 6 and 7 are
By adopting the potentiometers 6a and 7a, it is possible to secure linearity (proportional relationship) between the angle change of the pedal 1 and the output (change in resistance value), and the operator can easily perceive the pedal input intuitively and at a low cost. There is an effect that it can be manufactured.

Further, by converting the output of the A / D converter 9a representing the inclination amount of the pedal 1 into a pulse by the pulse generator 9b, the number of terminals of the interface with the input target device 10 is reduced, and the structure is reduced. It is possible to simplify the number of cores of the connection cable, and it is possible to reduce the cost of the cable and improve the installation property.

Next, a second embodiment of the foot pointer of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows a circuit diagram of a foot pointer according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the X-axis detecting section 6 and the Y-axis detecting section 7 are respectively constituted by rotation angle sensors 6c and 7c, and the processing section 9 is provided with a counter 9c which counts the outputs from the rotation angle sensors 6c and 7c. It is provided. Rotation angle sensor 6c, 7
The center of c is fixed to the shaft 2 and the shaft 4, and
A disk-shaped slit plate provided with slits at equal intervals circumferentially, and the slits of this slit plate are sandwiched between,
It is composed of a light emitting portion such as an LED and a light receiving portion such as a phototransistor that intermittently detects light from the light emitting portion through a slit.

According to the foot pointer of this embodiment having such a structure, the slit plate rotates about the shafts 2 and 4 as the angle of the pedal 1 changes. Light between the light section and the light receiving section is repeatedly passed and blocked, and the output of the light receiving section is output ON / OFF, that is, with / without the pulse. By counting the output pulse from the light receiving unit by the counter 9c of the processing unit 9, the tilt amount of the pedal 1 is detected. After that, the pulse generator 9b generates a number of pulses corresponding to the count number of the counter 9c and outputs the pulses to the input target device 10.

As described above, in the foot pointer according to the present embodiment, since the angle change of the pedal 1 is directly output as a pulse, the operator can more easily perceive the pedal input, and the processing unit 9 Since it is not necessary to provide the -D converter 9a, the device can be downsized and simplified. The output pulses of the rotation angle sensors 6c and 7c may be directly output to the input target device 10, and in this case, the rotation angle sensors 6c and 7c function as a pulse generator.

According to the foot pointer of the present invention,
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the button portion 11 is configured to be independent of the pedal 1, but as shown in FIG.
Can also be provided on the pedal 1. In this case, it is preferable to provide the button portion 11 at the center point where the central axes of the shaft 2 and the shaft 4 of the pedal 1 intersect so that the pedal 1 does not move when the button is operated. By doing this, the structure of the entire foot pointer is reduced in size,
In addition to the simplification, the operator can perform all pointing operations with only one foot, so that it is possible to improve work efficiency and reduce the burden on the operator such as fatigue and labor.

In the above embodiment, the rotation of the pedal 1 in the X-axis direction is held by the support frame 3 and the rotation of the pedal 1 in the Y-axis direction is held by the support base 5. However, this is held by the support base 5 in the X-axis direction. , Y-axis direction may be held by the support frame 3. Even in this case, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained.

As the X-axis detecting section 6 and the Y-axis detecting section 7, other than the analog type and the digital type described above,
Various rotation angle sensors can be used.

[0035]

As described above, according to the foot pointer of the present invention, the pointing in all directions can be easily performed only by the movement of the ankle without any movement of the hands and feet or the space accompanying it. This makes it possible to improve the work efficiency of the operator, reduce labor, burden, etc., and save space at the work site.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. 1C is a right side view showing a first embodiment of a foot pointer of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an operating state of the foot pointer of FIG. 1 (a).
Is a front view and (b) is a right side view.

FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram of a first embodiment of a foot pointer of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the button portion of the foot pointer of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the button portion of the foot pointer of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a circuit diagram of a second embodiment of the foot pointer of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Pedal 2 ... Shaft 3 ... Support frame 4 ... Shaft 5 ... Support stand 6 ... X-axis detector 6a ... Volume 6b ... Constant current source 6c ... Rotation angle sensor 7 ... Y-axis detector 7a ... Volume 7b ... Constant current source 7c ... Rotation angle sensor 8 ... Elastic member 9 ... Processing part 9a ... A / D converter 9b ... Pulse generator 9c ... Counter 10 ... Input target device 11 ... Button part

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A pointing device for inputting movement information, position information, button information, etc. as an output to an input target device such as a computer, and a pedal, and a support frame for holding the pedal rotatably in one direction. A support base that rotatably holds the support frame in the other direction orthogonal to the one direction, a detection unit that detects a rotation angle of the pedal in one direction, and another direction of the pedal via the support frame. And a button section for selecting and deciding the rotation angle of the pedal in one direction and the other direction detected by the detection section. 2. The detection section is constituted by a volume, and a processing section is provided for converting the output from the detection section from an analog signal into a digital signal and generating a number of pulses corresponding to the digital signal. Foot pointer described in 1. 3. The foot pointer according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is composed of a rotation angle sensor, and a processing unit that counts the output from the detection unit and generates the number of pulses corresponding to the count is provided. 4. The foot pointer according to claim 1, wherein the button portion is provided independently of the pedal portion. 5. The foot pointer according to claim 1, wherein the button portion is provided on the pedal. 6. The button portion is provided at a portion where the rotation axes of one direction and the other direction of the pedal intersect.
The foot pointer described in 2, 3, or 5.