JPH08146028A - Device for inputting motion-speed - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a motion-speed inputting device which is used in game machines and can detect the speed of the delicate human motion. CONSTITUTION: An operation button 13 is accommodated in a case 11 to be movable up and down. An accelerometer 17 having an input axis in the up-and- down direction is set within the operation button 13. A coil spring 15 is interposed between the bottom face of the operation button 13 and a bottom plate of the case 11, thereby pushing the operation button 13 upward. A lower part inside the case 11 is made airtight with an O ring 25. Thin holes 26 are formed at a bottom plate of the cylindrical operation button 13 to constitute an air brake to the motion of the operation button 13. The up-and-down movement of the operation button 13 is detected by an accelerometer 17.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a motion speed input device which is used for operation input of various game machine simulation systems and can detect and input the speed of motion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional operation input device of this type uses a switch mechanism to detect the speed of human movement in combination with a detector whose contact resistance changes depending on the contact area between a metal rod and a conductive rubber, that is, a load sensor. Had detected.

[0003]

Since the conventional motion input device uses a load sensor and the motion is transmitted through gears, the gears have backlash and the speed of delicate motion of human beings is reduced. There is a problem that it cannot be detected, and the load sensor has poor linearity in detection characteristics.

[0004]

According to the present invention, the operation button is vertically movably housed in the case, and the operation button is projected to the outside through the upper opening of the case, and the bottom surface of the operation button and the inner surface of the bottom plate of the case. A coil spring is interposed between and, the operation button is biased upward, an accelerometer having an up-down direction as an input shaft is attached in the operation button, and the detection output of this accelerometer is led out of the case.

[0005]

[Operation] When the operation button is pushed into the case, this is detected by the accelerometer, and the movement of the operation button, that is, the speed of human movement is detected by this detection output.

[0006]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. Case 11
Has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a circular opening 12 is formed on the upper surface in this example. An operation button 13 is housed in the case 11 so as to be vertically movable, and protrudes from the opening 12 of the case 11 to the outside. In this example, the operation button 13 is a cylindrical body, and the inside of the case 11 is a cylindrical chamber having the same axis as the opening 12 except for the upper part of the case 11, and the inner wall surface 14 of the cylindrical chamber has an operation button 13. Constitutes the guide surface.

The bottom surface of the operation button 13 and the bottom plate 11 of the case 11
The coil spring 15 is interposed between the coil spring 15 and
As a result, the operation button 13 is biased upward. A brim 16 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the upper portion of the operation button 13, and the brim 16 prevents the operation button 13 from coming off. In the operation button 13,
An accelerometer 17 having an input axis in the vertical direction is attached. As the accelerometer 17, for example, a small-sized and high-sensitivity one in which an overlap is held by a flexure from a single crystal silicon plate on a supporting portion and the acceleration received by the overlap can be detected can be used. The operation button 13 has a cylindrical shape, and the accelerometer 17 is housed and fixed therein. The connection terminal 18 is attached to the peripheral wall of the operation button 13, and the connection terminal 18
The fixed contact piece 19 slidingly contacting with the guide surface 14 of the case 11.
Mounted on The contact portion of the connection terminal 18 elastically contacts the fixed contact piece 19. There are a pair of connection terminals 18 and fixed contact pieces 19, and the detection output terminal of the accelerometer 17 is connected to the connection terminal 18. In this example, one end of a connection cable 21 is connected to the fixed contact piece 19, the connection cable 21 is led out of the case 11, and is connected to a case 22 in which an AD converter is housed. The connector 23 for connecting to is attached. The connection cable 21 may be omitted, and the connector connected to the fixed contact piece 19 may be attached to the case 11. In this case, the AD converter may be built in the case 11.

Further, in this embodiment, an O-ring 25 is attached to the inner periphery of the upper portion of the guide surface 14 so as to elastically contact with the peripheral surface of the operation button 13, and a portion below the O-ring 25 in the case 11 is an airtight chamber. A small hole 26 is formed in the bottom surface of the operation button 13 so that the operation button 13 can be pressed into the case 11 to provide an air braking action when the operation button 13 is pulled out. When the operation button 13 is pushed into the case 11 in such a structure, the accelerometer 17 responds to detect the pushing acceleration of the operation button 13, and the detected acceleration is converted into a digital signal in the AD converter case 22. It is converted and output.
The speed of the operation button 13 can be obtained by integrating the acceleration of this digital signal. Similarly, when the operation button 13 moves up, the acceleration is detected by the accelerometer 17, and the rising speed of the operation button 13 can be detected.

When the operation button 13 moves up and down, it may vibrate due to the action of the coil spring 15 and it may take some time to settle at a predetermined position. Since the small holes 26 are formed,
An air damper (air braking) action is obtained, and the vibration is absorbed.

[0010]

As described above, according to the present invention, the movement of the human being transmitted to the operation button 13 is detected by the accelerometer 17, and the accelerometer 17 is a non-contact type and has no friction portion. The speed of delicate movement of can be detected, there is no backlash, and the linearity of the detection characteristics is good.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A case having an opening on an upper surface, an operation button housed in the case so as to be vertically movable and protruding from the opening to the outside of the case, and between a bottom surface of the operation button and a bottom plate of the case. A coil spring for biasing the operation button upward, an accelerometer mounted in the operation button and having an up-down direction as an input shaft, and means for deriving a detection output of the accelerometer out of the case. A motion velocity input device. 2. The lower portion of the case is airtight, the inside of the operation button is hollow, a small hole is formed in the bottom plate of the operation button, and air braking is performed with respect to the vertical movement of the operation button. The motion velocity input device according to claim 1, characterized in that.