JPH0850532A - Three-dimensional direction joystick - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a joystick capable of detecting the input in three- dimensional six directions. CONSTITUTION:This joystick is provided with a manipulation rod 1 which is inclined in one direction at least and expanded/compressed in any direction different from this inclining direction, a pressure sensitive element 10 which is pressed when the manipulation rod 1 is inclined, senses its pressure and outputs a signal correlated to that pressure, and an elastic supporting part 6 for supporting the manipulation rod 1 and for expanding/compressing the manipulation rod 1 in any direction different from the inclining direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a joystick which is used as an input device for game machines or the like or as a control operation device for various machines and which is configured to output a signal corresponding to the tilt direction of an operation rod. , Especially for joysticks where the operating rod has three-dimensional degrees of freedom.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional joystick is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
-134804, two operation rods that are tilted and two pressing rods are arranged in the x direction and the y direction so as to surround the pressing portion of the operation rod. And a pressure sensor that outputs a signal of a level that correlates to the pressing force. By moving the operating rod in the two-dimensional direction, the x-direction and y-direction signals corresponding to this are output. Was configured.

[0003]

However, in the conventional joystick, as described above, the operating rod can be moved only in the two-dimensional four-direction, and in order to detect the input in the three-dimensional six-direction, x In addition to the direction and the y direction, two sensors corresponding to the z direction must be arranged with the pressing portion in between, and as a result, six sensors are required. For this reason, the number of parts is increased, which is not suitable for downsizing the device, and at the same time, it is costly.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a joystick capable of detecting inputs in three-dimensional six directions by a total of four pressure sensors arranged in the x and y directions.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the three-dimensional joystick according to the present invention is tilted in at least one direction, and is extended and compressed in a direction different from the tilting direction. A rod, a pressure-sensitive element that is pressed when the operating rod is tilted, senses the pressing force, and outputs a signal that correlates to the pressing force, and supports the operating rod. It has an elastic support portion for enabling extension and compression operations in a direction different from the tilting direction. The tilt direction may be any direction. Further, the extension and compression directions may be directions perpendicular to the tilt direction.

Alternatively, in the joystick according to the present invention, an operating rod tilted about a fulcrum in a plane defined by the first and second axial directions intersecting with each other, and the operating rod having the first and second operating rods. A support means for extending and contracting in a third axial direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and a first sensor pair including two pressure sensors facing each other in the first axial direction with the operating rod interposed therebetween, A second sensor pair composed of two pressure sensors facing each other across the operation rod in the second axial direction, and four pressure sensors of the first and second sensor pairs follow the tilting of the operation rod. And a pressing unit for applying a pressure.

[0007]

In the three-dimensional joystick according to the present invention, the operating rod is fixed and supported by the elastic supporting portion, and compression, extension and tilting operations are possible. When the operation rod is tilted or / and expanded / contracted, the pressure sensitive element is pressed by the pressing portion connected to the operation rod, and the pressure sensitive element senses the pressing force and correlates with the pressing force. Output a signal.

Alternatively, in the joystick according to the present invention, since the first and second sensor pairs are arranged as described above, the operation rod extends depending on which of the first and second sensor pairs outputs. It is possible to determine whether the operation rod is contracted, and thus it is possible to detect the movement of the operation rod in the three-dimensional direction including the expansion / contraction direction.

[0009]

1 is a schematic perspective view showing the construction of a three-dimensional joystick according to an embodiment of the present invention. The three-dimensional joystick according to the present embodiment has an operating rod 1 that is tilted in the xy directions and extended and compressed in the z direction, and a grip portion 2 for operating the operating rod 1.
And the operating rod 1, which is connected to the housing 11 and the operating rod 1 and is composed of an elastic portion 3, a slide 4 and a link 5, and which expands and contracts in the z direction (here, the link 5
Supports the operating rod 1 and serves as a fulcrum of circular motion when the operating rod 1 is tilted. ), A pressing arm 7 extending from the body of the operating rod 1 in four directions perpendicular to the operating rod 1, and a pressing portion 8 installed at the end of the pressing arm 7 and made of a spherical elastic body. And a seat 9 which is installed in each of the four directions in which the pressing portion 8 extends so as to easily come into planar contact with the pressing portion 8, and a portion of the seat 9 which is pressed by the pressing portion 8. The pressure-sensitive element 10 that is attached and outputs a signal of a level that correlates with the pressing force from the pressing unit 8.
It has and. Further, instead of the pressing arm 7, a board having a surface perpendicular to the operation rod 1 may be attached to the operation rod 1 and the pressing portions 8 may be installed on the four edges thereof.

The mechanism of the operating rod 1 will be described in more detail. In this embodiment, the operating rod 1 is tilted about a fulcrum in a plane defined by the xy axial directions orthogonal to each other, and the operating rod 1 is xy. An elastic coupling portion 6 which is supported so as to be capable of expanding and contracting in the z-axis direction orthogonal to the plane, and two pressure-sensitive elements 10b ₁ and 10b facing each other with the operating rod 1 interposed therebetween in the x-axis direction.
₂ and a first sensor pair 10b consisting of two pressure-sensitive elements 10a ₁ and 1a ₁ facing each other across the operating rod 1 in the y-axis direction.
0a ₂ , the second sensor pair 10a, and the first and second
The sensor pair 10b includes a pressing portion 8 that applies pressure to the four pressure-sensitive elements of the sensor pair 10b and 10a according to the tilt of the operating rod, and the sensor pair 10a presses when the operating rod 1 moves in the z-axis extending direction. The sensor pair 10b is arranged at a position where the pressure from the pressing portion 8 is released when it is pressed by the portion 8 and moves in the contracting direction, and the sensor pair 10b presses the pressing portion 8 when the operating rod 1 moves in the contracting direction in the z-axis direction. It is arranged at a position where the pressing from the pressing portion 8 is released when it is pressed by and is moved in the extending direction.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the joystick of FIG. 1 viewed from the direction A, and FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view viewed from the direction of B. One operation example of the joystick in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When the operating rod 1 is not operated, the pressing portions 8 are in light contact with the pressure sensitive elements 10, respectively. When the grip portion 2 is tilted in the + y direction, the pressing portion 8 tries to start to move along a circular fox centered on the link 5 like the dotted line, and a force in the direction of the arrow is applied to each of them (provided that α> β. If you do). Then, this force is decomposed in the direction perpendicular to the surface to be pressed of the seat 9 and the force A is applied to the pressure sensitive element 10a ₁ , so that the pressure sensitive element 1
A signal of a level corresponding to this force A is output from 0a ₁ . When the grip portion 2 is tilted in the + y direction and pulled in the + z direction, the force A and the + z force are applied to the pressure-sensitive element 10a _1.
The combined force A + B of the force B in which the force in the direction is decomposed in the direction perpendicular to the pressed surface is added, and the combined force B-A of the force B and the force −A is added to the pressure sensitive element 10a _2. Be done. The expansion and contraction in the z direction is, for example, about 1 to 2 mm, and the tilt angle is, for example, about 5 to 6 degrees from the z axis.

Next, another operation example of the joystick in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. + X gripping part 2
When pushed in the -z direction while tilting in the direction, the pressure sensitive element 10b
₂ includes a force A that decomposes the movement of the pressing portion 8 along the circular fox in the direction perpendicular to the pressed surface and a force B that decomposes the force in the −z direction in the direction perpendicular to the pressed surface. The combined force A + B is applied, and the combined force B of the force B and the force −A is applied to the pressure sensitive element 10b _1.
-A is added. In addition, when the grip portion 2 is tilted in the intermediate direction between + y and −x with the same force as described above, the pressure sensitive element 10
The a ₁ of A / √2, the sensitive element 10b ₁ force A / √2 are added, respectively. Here, when the grip portion 2 is tilted along the y-axis and pulled in the + z direction, B−A>
Must be 0, tilting along the x-axis
When pushing in the z direction, B−A> 0 must be satisfied. Because, for example, when moving in + y direction and + z direction,
If B-A = 0, the pressure-sensitive element 10a ₁ does not sense pressure, and as a result, the pressure-sensitive element 10 among the four pressure-sensitive elements 10 is detected.
Since only a ₂ senses the pressure, it may not be possible to determine that the grip portion 2 is tilted only in the + y direction and the displacement in the z direction is 0.

FIG. 5 is a table showing the correlation between the direction of force applied and the magnitude of the force applied to each pressure-sensitive element when operating in each direction as described above, for example. Four pressure sensitive elements 10
There are 26 combinations of outputs of b ₁ , 10b ₂ , 10a ₁ , and 10a ₂ in total, and FIG. 5 shows a part of the combinations. Thus, the output of the pressure sensitive element in the conventional four-dimensional joystick is 8
That's right, but in the present invention, one more
Since 8 kinds of outputs are possible, the function of the device is increased,
The game is more entertaining.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the mechanism for detecting the input of the joystick according to the present invention. Pressing part 8
When the pressure is applied from, the resistance value of the pressure sensitive element 10 changes,
As a result, the voltage or current applied to the electrodes of the pressure sensitive element 10 changes, and this is output as a signal in the x direction or the z direction. The resistance value of the pressure sensitive element 10 changes substantially in proportion to the applied pressure, and the signal value of voltage or current changes accordingly. This resistance value is the voltage conversion device 21.
The voltage converter 21 converts a resistance value into a voltage value so that the electronic device can perform subsequent signal processing. The voltage converter 21 includes a low current circuit and a voltage detection circuit.
A constant current is constantly supplied from the voltage conversion device 21 to the pressure sensitive element 10, and a voltage detection circuit detects a change in voltage.

Thereafter, this voltage value is sent to the correction circuit 22, and the zero point and the linearity are corrected. The zero point correction means that the pressure applied from the pressing portion 8 is set to 0 when the operating rod 1 is not operated, and the linearity correction means that the resistance value is completely the pressure. Since it is not proportional to, it is to be perfectly proportional, and is performed to facilitate the next table conversion process. The corrected signal value is sent to the A / D converter 23,
It is converted from an analog signal to a digital signal. Then, this digital signal is sent to the table conversion device 24, converted into a signal indicating either direction according to the table in the table, and sent to a game machine, an electronic device, or the like.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the joystick according to the present invention. A rubber seat corresponding to the elastic coupling part 6 is fixed to the bottom surface of the housing.
Is extended and a spherical grip portion 2 is attached to the tip thereof, and pressing arms 7 extend in four directions from the body portion of the operating rod 1, and a rubber is attached to the tip of each pressing arm 7. A spherical pressing portion 8 is attached. Each pressing part 8
A seat 9 having an inclined surface is fixed to the housing 11 around the position of, and a sheet-like pressure-sensitive element 10 is attached on the inclined surface of the seat 9, and the signal line is connected from the pressure-sensitive element 10. 12 extends and the signal line is connected to the voltage conversion device 21.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention, not only the operation rod is tilted to move only in two dimensions of xy, but also expanded and compressed in the z direction perpendicular to the xy plane. Since three-dimensional movement is possible without increasing the number of pressure-sensitive elements, the types of control can be increased accordingly, and an inexpensive and multifunctional game machine or electronic device can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a three-dimensional directional joystick according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the joystick of FIG. 1 viewed from a direction A.

3 is a schematic plan view of the joystick of FIG. 1 viewed from a direction B. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an input detection mechanism of a three-dimensional directional joystick according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a chart showing a correlation between a pressing direction and a magnitude of force applied to each pressure-sensitive element, which the table conversion device has.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the configuration of a three-dimensional directional joystick according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Operation Rod 2 Gripping Part 3 Elastic Part 4 Slide 5 Link 6 Elastic Coupling Part 7 Pressing Arm 8 Pressing Part 9 Seat 10 Pressure Sensing Element 11 Case 12 Signal Line 21 Voltage Converter 22 Correction Circuit 23 A / D Converter 24 Table Converter

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An operating rod which is tilted in an arbitrary direction and is extended and compressed in a direction different from the tilting direction, and when the operating rod is tilted, it is pressed and the pressing force is sensed. A pressure-sensitive element that outputs a signal that correlates to the pressing force of the lever, an elastic support portion that supports the operation rod, and that enables the operation rod to be expanded and compressed in a direction different from the tilt direction, A three-dimensional directional joystick having. 2. The three-dimensional joystick according to claim 1, wherein the extending and compressing directions are directions perpendicular to the tilting direction. 3. An operating rod tilted about a fulcrum in a plane defined by the first and second axial directions intersecting each other, and the operating rod orthogonal to the first and second axial directions. 3, a support means for supporting the shaft 3 to extend and contract in the axial direction, and a support means 2 that faces the first axial direction with the operating rod interposed therebetween.
A first sensor pair composed of two pressure sensors, and a second sensor pair facing each other in the second axial direction with the operating rod interposed therebetween.
A second sensor pair including two pressure sensors, and a pressing portion that applies pressure to the four pressure sensors of the first and second sensor pairs according to the tilt of the operating rod, the first and second One of the pair of sensors is pressed by the pressing portion when the operation rod moves in the extending direction of the third axial direction, and released from the pressing portion when moving in the contracting direction. The other sensor pair of the first and second sensor pairs is pressed by the pressing portion when the operation rod moves in the contracting direction of the third axial direction, and moves in the extending direction. A three-dimensional direction joystick, wherein the three-dimensional joystick is arranged at a position where the pressing from the pressing portion is released in the case of performing.