JPH08221182A - Keyboard integrated type pointing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the operability of both character input and coordinate input by moving the cursor on a display screen horizontally and vertically by moving the right and left hands only forward and backward. CONSTITUTION: This pointing device is equipped with a base 2, a rotary table 3 which is arranged on the base and supported relatively rotatably to the base by having its rotary shaft 12 at a nearly intermediate position on a keyboard 6, a slide mechanism which is arranged on the rotary table and can be displaced only in the front-rear direction, a keyboard support table 5 which is supported by the slide mechanism, the keyboard 6 which is arranged on the keyboard support table, a neutral return mechanism 7 which is arranged between the base 2 and keyboard support table 5 and returns the relative displacement between both the tables 2 and 5 to the neutral position, a slide quantity detecting means which detects the quantity of the sliding of the keyboard 6 from the base 2 in the front-rear direction, a rotation angle detecting means which detects the relative rotation angle of the keyboard 6, and a cursor control signal generating means which generates a control signal for the cursor on the display screen according to the output signals of the slide quantity detecting means and rotation angle detecting means.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pointing device which is used in a computer, a word processor or the like (hereinafter referred to as a computer etc.) and indicates arbitrary coordinates on a display screen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a keyboard has been generally used as a character input device for a computer or the like, and a pointing device such as a mouse, a trackball or a joystick is used as a pointing device for moving a cursor on a display to indicate coordinates. However, since the keyboard and the pointing device are separate devices independent of each other, when the character input and the coordinate input are frequently repeated, the operator may use the keyboard and the pointing device. There was a problem in that the operator had to reciprocate his hands and the operator's burden and fatigue were great. Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, for example, JP-A-59-1239.
As described in Japanese Patent No. 16 publication, a keyboard portion which is configured to be relatively displaceable on a base is displaced in a predetermined direction, and the displacement is detected, whereby the operator maintains the home position of the keyboard and coordinates. There is known one configured to perform an input operation.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
In the one described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 9-123916, since the keyboard portion is displaceable in all directions within a horizontal plane parallel to the base, the keyboard portion is easily shaken in all directions such as front, rear, left and right when a character is input. The operability at the time of input might be reduced. Also, as a result of the survey,
It was found that the sliding operation of the keyboard portion in the left-right direction tends to be more difficult to operate than the sliding operation in the front-rear direction. Therefore, both operability of character input and coordinate input may be deteriorated. Therefore,
In the present invention, it is possible to move the cursor vertically and horizontally on the display screen only by moving the both hands in the front-back direction, eliminate the horizontal sliding of the keyboard, and improve the operability of both character input and coordinate input. To aim.

[0004]

In view of the above circumstances, a pointing device such as a computer according to the present invention is
It is placed on the base and has a center of rotation at a position corresponding to an intermediate position between the right hand and the left hand when both hands are placed at the home position of the keyboard, and is supported so as to be rotatable relative to the base. A rotary table, a slide mechanism disposed on the rotary table and displaceable only in the front-rear direction, a keyboard support table supported by the slide mechanism, and an arrangement between the base table and the keyboard support table. A neutral return mechanism provided, a keyboard integrally provided on the keyboard support, a slide amount detecting means for detecting a slide amount of the keyboard in the front-rear direction with respect to the base, and the keyboard with respect to the base. Rotation angle detection means for detecting a relative rotation angle of the keyboard, and signal generation for generating a control signal of a cursor on a display screen according to output signals of the slide amount detection means and the rotation angle detection means Characterized by comprising a stage.

[0005]

According to the above structure, in the pointing device such as a computer according to the present invention, the slide amount of the keyboard in the front-rear direction is detected by the slide amount detecting means, and the relative rotation angle in the horizontal direction with respect to the base of the keyboard is the rotation angle. The signal generating means detects a control signal which is detected by the detecting means and moves the cursor on the display screen up and down and left and right based on the slide amount in the front-rear direction and the relative rotation angle in the horizontal direction detected by the both detecting means. Caused by. Since the center of rotation of the turntable is located approximately at the middle position between the right hand and the left hand when both hands are placed at the home position of the keyboard, the keyboard slides back and forth by moving both hands back and forth in the same direction, The cursor moves up and down. Further, by moving both hands back and forth in opposite directions, the keyboard rotates in the horizontal direction in the horizontal plane parallel to the base, and the cursor moves in the horizontal direction.

[0006]

EXAMPLES Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a keyboard-integrated pointing device according to the present invention. The rotary base 3 is supported on the base 2 by a shaft 12 so as to be rotatable relative to the base 2. The position of the shaft 12, that is, the center of the rotary shaft of the rotary base 3 is at a substantially intermediate position between the right hand and the left hand when the operator places both hands at the home position of the keyboard 6 in a normal use state of the keyboard-integrated pointing device 1. Is set. Of course, the center of the rotary shaft of the turntable 3 may be at least in the middle of both hands of the home position, and need not be in the exact middle of both hands. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a thrust bearing or the like may be interposed between the base 2 and the rotary base 3. A slide rail 4 is attached to the upper surface of the turntable 3 integrally with the turntable 3. Slide rail 4
Is attached to the operator in a direction in which the keyboard-integrated pointing device 1 slides in the front-rear direction in a normal use state. The keyboard support 5 is arranged so as to be slidable relative to the rotary base 3 via the slide rails 4, and the keyboard 6 is arranged on the upper surface thereof. Instead of the keyboard 6, a notebook computer or the like. Can also be used. A neutral return mechanism 7 is provided between the base 2 and the keyboard support 5. When the operator does not perform a coordinate input operation, the neutral return mechanism 7 causes the keyboard support 5 to move to the base 2. It is designed to be returned to the neutral position.

2 and 3 are sectional views schematically showing the structure of the neutral return mechanism 7 in this embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the neutral position and FIG. 3 shows the relative displacement. There is. The tubular member 15 of the neutral return mechanism 7 is fixed to the base 2. A spherical support 16 is slidably fitted inside the tubular member 15, and a spring 19 is housed in a compressed state between the spherical support 16 and the base 2. A sphere 18 is supported on the sphere support 16 while being in contact with a dish-shaped member 17 fixed to the keyboard support 5.
The dish-shaped member 17 has a conical recess, and when the keyboard support 5 is displaced in the horizontal direction with respect to the base 2, FIG.
As shown in, the sphere 18 is formed along the conical surface of the dish-shaped member 17.
The spherical support 16 is pushed down and the spring 19 is compressed, so that the restoring force to the neutral position is generated. And
Since the amount of compression of the spring 19 increases as the horizontal displacement increases, the restoring force to the neutral position also increases. It is also possible to arrange the spacer 20 having an arbitrary height between the base 2 and the spring 19 to adjust the restoring force of the spring 19. Further, in this embodiment, one neutral return mechanism is used to perform neutral return of both the slide displacement and the rotational displacement of the keyboard support 5 with respect to the base 2, but the base 2 and the turntable 3 An independent neutral return mechanism may be provided between the turntable 3 and the keyboard support 5.

In this embodiment, the linear displacement sensor 8 is used as the slide amount detecting means, and the rotation angle sensor 9 is used as the rotation angle detecting means. Linear displacement sensor 8
Has its main body integrally attached to the keyboard support 5, and its mover is connected to the member 10 integrally attached to the rotary base 3. As a result, the turntable 3
The relative displacement between the keyboard support 5 and the keyboard support 5 is detected. 4 and 5 are a front view and a top view, respectively, showing a rotation angle detecting mechanism of the rotation angle detecting means in the present embodiment. The rotation angle detection mechanism includes a fork-shaped arm 11 integrally attached to the turntable 3, a rotation angle sensor 9, and an arm 13 attached to the rotation shaft of the rotation angle sensor 9 so as to be rotatable. A projecting portion 14 is provided at the tip portion of the arm 13, and the projecting portion 14 is sandwiched by a notch portion provided at the tip portion of the fork-shaped arm 11. FIG. 6 shows a state when the turntable 3 rotates. The rotation angle of the turntable 3 is enlarged according to the ratio of the length from the center of the turntable of the turntable 3 to the notch of the fork-shaped arm 11 and the length from the center of the turn axis of the arm 13 to the protrusion 14. Since it is transmitted to the rotation shaft of the rotation angle sensor 9, it is possible to reliably detect a minute rotation angle of the turntable 3. Further, the slide amount detecting means and the rotation angle detecting means are not limited to those described in this embodiment, and a detecting means using a known link mechanism, a sensor or the like can be used.

The relative displacement of the keyboard support 5 with respect to the base 2 detected by the above-mentioned slide amount detecting means and rotation angle detecting means becomes output signals of the linear displacement sensor 8 and the rotation angle sensor 9, and a cursor control signal (not shown) is generated. Entered into the means. The cursor control signal generating means determines the direction and amount of relative displacement of the keyboard support 5 from the neutral position with respect to the base 2 based on the input signal. Then, when the displacement amount of the relative displacement from the neutral position is small, the moving speed of the cursor is slowed down, and a signal for increasing the moving speed of the cursor as the displacement amount increases is generated, and is used as a control signal of the cursor for a computer or the like. Output.

[0010]

In the keyboard-integrated pointing device according to the present invention, the center of the rotation axis is arranged near the intermediate position of the right hand and the left hand when both hands are placed on the base position of the keyboard and arranged on the base. Have,
A rotary table that is supported so as to be able to rotate a small amount relative to the base, a slide mechanism that is disposed on the rotary table and that can be slightly displaced in the front-rear direction, and a keyboard support table that is supported by the slide mechanism. A neutral return mechanism disposed between the base and the keyboard support, a keyboard integrally disposed on the keyboard support, and a slide of the keyboard in the front-rear direction with respect to the base. A slide amount detecting means for detecting an amount, a rotation angle detecting means for detecting a relative rotation angle of the keyboard with respect to the base, and a slide amount detecting means on the display screen according to output signals of the slide amount detecting means and the rotation angle detecting means. By the configuration including the cursor control signal generating means for generating the control signal of the cursor, it is necessary for the operator to perform a lateral slide operation of the keyboard which is difficult for the operator to operate. Not, it is possible to move the cursor on the display screen freely only in the front-rear direction of the movement of the left and right hands.
That is, the left and right hands are moved back and forth in the same direction to perform a slide operation in the front and rear direction of the keyboard, and the left and right hands are moved in opposite directions to perform a left and right rotation operation of the keyboard. Thus, the cursor on the display screen can be moved in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Since the keyboard does not slide in the left-right direction, the feeling of wobbling of the keyboard at the time of character input is small, and the operability at the time of character input is also improved. Furthermore, the slide amount of the keyboard in the front-rear direction and the rotation angle in the left-right direction are set to be very small, and by providing a neutral return mechanism, unnecessary movement of the keyboard at the time of character input is suppressed, and operability at the time of character input is further improved. Is improving. Further, the neutral return mechanism is configured such that the restoring force increases as the displacement from the neutral position increases, and the cursor control signal generating means is detected by the slide amount detecting means and the rotation angle detecting means. Since the moving speed of the cursor is increased as the displacement amount of the keyboard support base relative to the base increases, the displacement amount is small when the operator applies a small force to the keyboard. The cursor slowly moves in the direction of applying the force, and when a large force is applied, the amount of displacement is large, so that the cursor moves quickly in the direction of applying the force. That is, since it is easy to intuitively grasp the movement of the cursor on the display screen in response to the operation at the time of inputting coordinates, no special habituation to the operation is required.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a keyboard-integrated pointing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a neutral return mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a neutral return mechanism in a state of relative displacement.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a rotation angle detection mechanism of a rotation angle detection means.

FIG. 5 is a top view showing a rotation angle detection mechanism of a rotation angle detection means.

FIG. 6 is a top view showing a rotation angle detection mechanism of a rotation angle detection means in a state of relative displacement.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1. Keyboard integrated pointing device 2. Base 3. Turntable 4. Slide rail 5. Keyboard support 6. Keyboard 7. Neutral return mechanism 8. Linear displacement sensor 9. Rotation angle sensor 11. Fork type arm 12. Axis 15. Cylindrical member 16. Sphere support 17. Plate-shaped member 18. Sphere 19. Spring 20. Spacer

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A base, a rotary base disposed on the base and supported so as to be rotatable relative to the base in a horizontal plane parallel to the base, and the rotary base on the rotary base. A slide mechanism that is disposed and can be displaced only in the front-rear direction, a keyboard support base that is supported by the slide mechanism, a keyboard that is integrally disposed on the keyboard support base, the base and the keyboard support base. And a neutral return mechanism that generates a restoring force to a neutral position according to a relative displacement of the base and the keyboard support, and is integrally provided on the keyboard support. A keyboard, a slide amount detecting means for detecting a slide amount of the keyboard in the front-back direction with respect to the base, a rotation angle detecting means for detecting a relative rotation angle of the keyboard with respect to the base, and a slide amount detecting means. The rotation angle Keyboard integrated pointing device is characterized in that a cursor control signal generating means for generating a control signal of a cursor on the display screen in accordance with the output signal of the detecting means. 2. The keyboard-integrated pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the center of the rotation axis of the turntable is located substantially in the middle between the right hand position and the left hand position of the home position of the keyboard. . 3. A tubular member in which the neutral return mechanism is fixed to a surface of the base that faces the keyboard support,
A spherical support that slidably fits inside the tubular member;
A spherical body supported on the spherical support, a dish-shaped member fixedly provided on the surface of the keyboard support facing the base, and having a conical recess at the portion where the spherical body contacts, and the cylinder The keyboard according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the keyboard is formed of a spherical support and an elastic body that urges the spherical body into a conical recess of the dish-shaped member. Integrated pointing device.