JPH09230998A - Pointing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily manufacture a device by a new structure and to easily form the device into a pen type by detecting the electrical change by the force added to a pressure sensitive element and obtaining a cursor moving direction and moving speed. SOLUTION: When operation force is added in a direction to be moved (the A direction of a solid line) to move a cursor, strong pressure is added by the side of a plane 17 and the pressure is added to the pressure sensitive element 20 provided on the corresponding substrate 19. In the pressure sensitive element 20 to which the pressure is added, an electric resistance value is changed in inverse proportion to the pressure. A resistance value change detection circuit 26 detects the change of the resistance value added to the pressure sensitive element 20 as vector amount having a direction and a size by a change of current or voltage. The change of the resistance value detected in this resistance value change detection circuit 26 is converted into the signal for the moving direction and moving speed of the cursor according to the direction and size of the vector by a moving direction/moving speed conversion circuit 27.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pointing device used for moving a cursor position on a screen in a display device such as a computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a display device used in a personal computer, a pointing device has been used as a means for moving a cursor position. For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-283722, a lower pressure detecting element is provided on a lower substrate, an upper pressure detecting element is provided on a lower surface side of an upper substrate, and an upper pressure detecting element and an upper pressure detecting element are provided between them. There is disclosed a pointing device in which a base body for pressing is provided, and an operation shaft that penetrates the upper substrate and projects upward is provided in the base body. Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-314159, the contact resistance composed of a plurality of resistors arranged in the circumference is changed by changing the conductive position of each contact by pressing the button to change the contact resistance. There is disclosed a pointing device which determines the magnitude of the movement amount in inverse proportion to, converts it into mouse data, and outputs it. The pointing device having these structures detects an inclination caused by a load applied to the operation axis or the button.

[0003]

By the way, when the pointing device is formed into a pen type that can be held and used by hand, the pen tip portion of the central shaft must be brought into contact with a predetermined plane and moved in a fixed direction. Since it is necessary to detect the deviation of the entire central axis, it is difficult to make the pointing device having the above structure into a pen type as it is. Also, in the case of a pen-type pointing device, when a pressure-sensitive element is printed on the curved surface of the inner surface of the shaft holder around the central axis by a printing method, the processing is difficult and the yield deteriorates, increasing the manufacturing cost. There was a drawback that could not be avoided.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a pointing device which can be easily manufactured by a new structure and which can be easily formed into a pen shape.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a pointing device of the present invention includes a shaft portion having a pressing portion having a shaft side conical surface formed in the middle of the central shaft, and the insertion portion through the central shaft. A conversion portion having a pressure-receiving side conical surface that is in contact with the shaft-side conical surface and a plane orthogonal to the axis of the central axis; and a substrate provided with a pressure-sensitive element at a position corresponding to the plane of the conversion portion, And a case arranged so that the force applied to the end of the central axis is applied from the conversion unit to the pressure-sensitive element of the substrate via the pressure conversion unit, and an electrical change due to the force applied to the pressure-sensitive element is detected. The cursor moving direction and moving speed are obtained. The force applied to the end of the central axis is converted to the axial direction via the converter and detected by the pressure sensitive element placed on the plane of the substrate to obtain the moving direction and moving speed of the cursor. A pointing device that can be easily manufactured can be provided.

Further, a shaft portion having a pressing portion having a shaft side conical surface formed in the middle of a center shaft having a sharp pen tip portion on one tip side, and a shaft portion conical surface inserted through the center shaft. A conversion portion having a pressure receiving side conical surface to be abutted and a plane orthogonal to the axis of the central axis, a substrate provided with a pressure sensitive element at a position corresponding to the plane of the conversion portion, and a pen tip portion of the central axis. A case where the force applied to the converter is applied from the converter to the pressure-sensitive element of the substrate via the pressure converter, and a pen tip portion of the central shaft is projected from the tip side to accommodate the case A pen holder that supports the other end of the shaft on the rear side, and is formed in a pen shape that detects an electric change due to a force applied to the pressure-sensitive element and obtains a cursor moving direction and moving speed. It is what The force applied to the pen tip is converted to the axial direction via the converter and is detected by the pressure-sensitive element arranged on the plane of the substrate to obtain the moving direction and moving speed of the cursor. It can be placed on a flat surface, making it easy to print using printing methods.
The yield is good and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

It is preferable that the converting portion is formed with slits that are radially cut at a constant angle with respect to the shaft center because pressure can be separated and effectively transmitted to the pressure sensitive element.

It is preferable that a signal conversion circuit for detecting an electric change due to the force applied to the pressure-sensitive element to obtain a cursor moving direction and a moving speed is housed in the holder in order to improve operability. .

It is preferable that the case is integrally formed in the holder because the number of parts can be reduced.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. 1 is a sectional view of a pointing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the pointing device of the embodiment of the present invention.

In these figures, a pointing device 10 of the present embodiment is an input device for moving a cursor position of a display device, a shaft portion 11 to which an operation force for moving the cursor is applied, and this shaft. A conversion unit 15 that converts and transmits the direction of the force applied to the unit 11,
Pressure-sensitive element 2 for detecting the force transmitted from the converter 15.
The board 19 on which 0 is arranged, the shaft 11, the converter 15, the case 21 for adjusting and housing the board 19 to function properly, and the signal conversion circuit for generating the cursor movement signal by the force detected by the pressure sensitive element 20. It has 25 mag.

The shaft portion 11 is formed by integrally molding a pressing portion 13 in the middle of the central shaft 12 from a plastic material or the like. The central shaft 12 is formed into an elongated cylindrical rod shape,
An operation force for moving the cursor is applied to one end a side. The pressing portion 13 is composed of a columnar body and a conical body which are connected to each other at a substantially central portion in the middle of the central shaft 12 with a common axis, and the end portion a side to which the operation force is applied and the end portion b side opposite to the end portion a side. A conical surface (axial side conical surface) 14 of a conical body whose outer diameter decreases toward the front is formed.

The conversion portion 15 is made of a plastic material or the like, and is formed in a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical body of the pressing portion 13. One end side of the cylindrical body is the pressing portion 13. Is formed in a concave conical surface (pressure receiving side conical surface) 16 that abuts on the shaft side conical surface 14, and the other end side end surface is formed in a plane 17 perpendicular to the axis. A hole 18 communicating with the pressure-receiving side conical surface 16 side is formed in the central portion. In the conversion portion 15, the hole 18 has the central axis 12
Is formed sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of
Side is inserted into the hole 18, and the shaft side conical surface 1 of the pressing portion 13
The pressure receiving side conical surface 16 is brought into contact with the pressure roller 4. The shaft side conical surface 14 of the pressing portion 13 and the pressure receiving side conical surface 16 of the conversion portion 15 are formed to have the same inclination angle, and are subjected to a material or surface treatment to reduce the friction coefficient of mutual contact surfaces. Is preferred. That is, as will be described in detail later,
The conversion portion 15 has a function of converting an operation force applied to the end portion a side of the central shaft 12 in a direction perpendicular to the axial center from the axial conical surface 14 to the axial conical surface 16 via the pressure receiving conical surface 16. It is a thing.

The substrate 19 is made of a rigid material, and has a hole 19 in the center portion which is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the central shaft 12.
a is provided in the shape of a disc, and a plurality of (4) senses are radially formed at a constant angle at a constant distance from the axis facing the flat surface 17 of the conversion section 15 on one surface thereof. The pressure element 20 is arranged. Then, in the substrate 19, the end portion b side of the central shaft 12 is inserted into the hole 19a, and the conversion portion 15
The flat surface 17 is brought into contact with the pressure sensitive element 20. Pressure-sensitive element 20
Is a sheet-like thin and flexible FSR (Force Sensing Regist) whose resistance value changes in response to pressure changes.
or) element or the like, and each element is arranged in association with the X-axis and Y-axis directions of cursor movement on a plane to which an operating force is applied.

The case 21 is, for example, a substantially cylindrical body made of a plastic material or the like, in which a cylindrical portion 22 is formed, a hole 24 is formed in the center of one end, and the other end is opened. The stepped portion 23 is formed around the opening, and the shaft portion 11, the conversion portion 15, and the substrate 19 are assembled and housed so as to function. The cylindrical portion 22 is formed such that the inner diameter thereof is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical body of the conversion portion 15 and is loosely fitted so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the length thereof makes the pressing portion 13 and the conversion portion 15 contact each other. It is formed so that it can be stored in the open state. Further, the hole 24 is formed to be sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the central shaft 12, and the step portion 23 is fitted with the outer diameter of the substrate 19 to cover the opening side of the case 21 and is housed in the cylindrical portion 22. The conical surfaces of 11 and the conversion portion 15 are formed so as to be in contact with each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, in the case 21, the pressing portion 11 and the converting portion 15 are housed in the cylindrical portion 22 with their conical surfaces in contact with each other, and one end of the central shaft 12 is accommodated. Part a
The side is protruded from the hole 24, and the substrate 19 is protruded from the hole 19a on the other end b side of the central shaft 12 to be fitted into the step 23 and fixed by an adhesive or the like.

The signal conversion circuit 25 is connected to the pressure-sensitive element 20 provided on the substrate 19 via a signal line 29, and the pressure transmitted from the shaft portion 11 to the pressure-sensitive element 20 via the conversion portion 15. A resistance value change detection circuit 26 for detecting an electric resistance value that changes with, and a moving direction / moving speed for converting the electric resistance value detected by the resistance value change detecting circuit 26 into a moving direction and a moving speed as a vector amount. Conversion circuit 27
And an interface circuit 28 for connecting the moving direction and moving speed to a mouse port or the like of a computer (not shown).

According to the pointing device 10 having the above-described structure, first, in order to move the cursor, one end a side of the central axis 12 of the shaft portion 11 is moved in a direction desired to move along the XY plane perpendicular to the axis ( For example, when an operation force is applied in the solid line A direction), a force is applied so that the pressing portion 13 is displaced in the A direction, and the force is applied from the shaft side conical surface 14 to the pressure receiving side conical surface 16, thereby converting A force is transmitted so that the portion 15 moves in the cylindrical portion 22 of the case 21 in the axial direction. Converter 15
Is loosely fitted to the cylindrical portion 22 in the case 21, so that a stronger pressure is applied to the flat surface 17 side corresponding to the side (B side) where the shaft portion 11 is displaced in the A direction, and the pressure corresponds. It is added to the pressure sensitive element 20 provided on the substrate 19. Also,
A direction different from the A direction at the end portion a of the central axis 11 (A ′ in the dotted line
When an operating force is applied to the side (direction), the side is similarly displaced (B '
Side) to the pressure sensitive element 20 provided on the substrate 19. The pressure-sensitive element 20 to which pressure is applied changes its electric resistance value in inverse proportion to the pressure. The resistance value change detection circuit 26 detects a resistance value change applied to the pressure sensitive element 20 as a vector amount having a direction and a magnitude according to a current or voltage change. The resistance value change detected by the resistance value change detecting circuit 26 is converted by the moving direction / moving speed converting circuit 27 into a signal for the moving direction and moving speed of the cursor according to the direction and size of the vector. . The signal for the moving direction and the moving speed converted by the moving direction / moving speed converting circuit 27 is input to the mouse port of the computer through the interface circuit 28, and the cursor of the display device is moved in a predetermined direction. It becomes possible to move at speed. That is, a pointing device for moving the cursor can be realized by a new structure different from the conventional one.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a modification of the conversion part of the pointing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The conversion portion 30 is made of a hard plastic material or the like, and its shape is the same as that of the above-described embodiment.
1, the flat surface 32 and the hole 33 are formed, and a plurality of slits 34 (8 places) corresponding to the pressure sensitive element 20 and radially cut at a constant angle around the axis are formed. There is. Such a slit 34 may be formed so that the conversion portion 30 is completely separated into eight pieces so that the force transmitted from the pressing portion 13 is effectively transmitted independently to the corresponding pressure-sensitive element 20. Alternatively, there may be a slight connection around the hole 33. Other configurations are the same as those of the above embodiment.

In the pointing device using the conversion unit 30, the operating force applied to the shaft 11 is applied to the pressing unit 1.
3 is converted into pressure on the flat surface 32 side through the pressure-receiving side conical surface 31 from the shaft-side conical surface 14, but since it is radially cut by the slit 34, it corresponds to the side on which the shaft portion 11 is displaced. The flat surface 32 effectively transmits the pressure, and the force can be separated and transmitted to the pressure sensitive element 20 as compared with the case where the slit is not formed. In this way, when the conversion portion 30 is molded of a hard plastic material or the like, since the deformation is small, the pressure can be separated and transmitted to the pressure sensitive element 20 by forming the slit 34, and the cursor movement can be performed. The direction / moving speed detection accuracy can be improved. Further, the conversion unit 30 is divided into eight by the slit 34, and the substrate 19 is provided with four pressure-sensitive elements 20, so that the conversion unit 30 is relatively rotated with respect to the substrate 19 during assembly or the like. Also, since any one of the planes 32 divided into eight is located on the pressure sensitive element 20, there is no hindrance to the transmission of force. Note that four slits may be provided as long as the conversion unit 30 is prevented from rotating. Further, in the case of a soft material, it is not necessary to form the slit if the pressure can be effectively transmitted by the deformation to the side that is displaced.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a pen-shaped structure of the pointing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The parts and members corresponding to those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals.

In the figure, a pen-type pointing device 40 of this embodiment is a pen-shaped structure of the pointing device 10 described above. That is, a component of a pointing device including a shaft portion 41, a conversion portion 15, a substrate 19 on which the pressure sensitive element 20 is arranged, and a case 21, a signal conversion circuit 25, a battery 43 that supplies power to each portion, and the like are holders. It is stored in 42.

In the shaft portion 41, the pressing portion 13 is the same as that of the above embodiment except that the central shaft 12 'is formed to be slightly longer and one end a side thereof is formed into a pointed pen tip portion. Is. It is preferable that the pen tip portion on the side of the end portion a is subjected to a surface treatment for increasing frictional force in order to effectively transmit the operating force. The holder 42 is, for example, molded from a material such as plastic, and is formed in a cylindrical shape with a truncated cone that becomes thinner toward the tip side, and the end portion a of the central shaft 12 ′ can penetrate the tip portion relatively loosely. A pen tip holder portion 42b having a hole 42a, and this pen tip holder portion 42
A cylindrical member accommodating portion 42c, which is connected to b and has a case 21 in which the shaft portion 41, the converting portion 15, and the substrate 19 are assembled.
A cylindrical circuit accommodating portion 42e in which a board on which the signal conversion circuit 25 is mounted and which is connected to the member accommodating portion 42c via a partition wall 42d is arranged; and a battery accommodating in which the battery 43 is arranged and which is connected to the circuit accommodating portion 42e. And a portion 42f. The case 21 in which the shaft portion 41, the conversion portion 15, and the substrate 19 are assembled is provided in the pen tip holder portion 42 of the member storage portion 42c.
It is arranged in a portion close to b and has one end a of the central shaft 12 '.
Is projected from the hole 42a at the tip of the pen tip holder portion 42b,
The other end of the center shaft 12 'is supported by a hole formed in the center of the partition wall 42d. In addition, the signal line 29 extending from the pressure sensitive element 20 is connected to the signal conversion circuit 25 through the member housing portion 42c and the partition wall 42d.

According to the pen-shaped pointing device 40 having the above structure, the holder 42 is held by hand and the central axis 1
When the pen tip portion on the end a side of 2 ′ is brought into contact with a predetermined surface 44 and the cursor is moved along the surface 44 in the desired direction, the central axis is the same as described in the above embodiment. A force is applied in the direction in which 12 'is displaced, and this force is converted into a force in the axial direction by the converter 15, and this force is applied to the substrate 1
A signal for detecting the pressure-sensitive element 20 provided on the display device 9 and moving the cursor in a required direction at a predetermined moving speed is obtained by the signal conversion circuit 25. The conversion unit 15 has an axis 1
Since the force in the direction in which 1 is displaced is converted to the axial direction,
Since the pressure-sensitive element 20 can be arranged on the plane of the substrate 19, printing processing by a printing method or the like is facilitated, and as a result, the yield is improved and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, since the signal conversion circuit 25 is housed in the holder 42, handling is facilitated and operability is improved.

In the above embodiment, the pressure sensitive element 2
Although the example in which the FSR element is used is described as 0, it is an element whose resistance value changes in response to a pressure change,
Alternatively, a material having conductive rubber interposed between electrodes can be used. Further, an example in which the pressure sensitive elements 20 are arranged at four places on the surface of the substrate 19 has been described, but the sensitivity can be improved by providing a larger number of them, and the number of embodiments is not limited. Further, the converting portion 15 is only required to be able to convert the force in the axial direction through the pressure-receiving side conical surface 16 that is in contact with the shaft-side conical surface 14 of the pressing portion 13. The angle and material of the converting portion 15 can be arbitrary and friction of the conical surface is It is preferable that the material or the surface treatment is reduced. Further, the shaft portion 11, the conversion portion 15, and the substrate 19 are arranged in the case 21, but at least the case 21 may be arranged so that each member functions, and for example, a portion corresponding to the case 21 is integrated with the holder 42. It is possible to reduce the number of parts by forming it. Furthermore, although an example in which the holder 42 is formed in a cylindrical shape has been described,
The cross-sectional shape may be formed into an elliptical shape or other shape so that the holding direction is constant.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0026]

As described above, in the pointing device of the present invention, the force applied to the end portion of the central axis is converted in the axial direction through the conversion portion and detected by the pressure sensitive element arranged on the plane of the substrate. By obtaining the moving direction and the moving speed of, it is possible to easily manufacture with a new structure, and by using this structure, it becomes easy to form into a pen mold.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a pointing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an exploded perspective view of the pointing device of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of a pointing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a modified example of the conversion unit of the pointing device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a pen-shaped configuration of the pointing device according to the embodiment of the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Pointing Device 11 Shaft Part 12 Center Axis 13 Pressing Part 14 Shaft Side Cone Surface 15 Conversion Part 16 Pressure Reception Side Cone Surface 17 Plane 18 Hole 19 Substrate 19a Hole 20 Pressure Sensitive Element 21 Case 22 Cylindrical Part 23 Step 24 Hole 25 Signal Conversion Circuit 26 Resistance change detection circuit 27 Moving direction / moving speed conversion circuit 28 Interface circuit 30 Conversion unit 31 Pressure receiving side conical surface 32 Flat surface 33 Hole 34 Slit 40 Pointing device 41 Shaft portion 42 Holder 43 Battery 44 Surface

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A shaft portion, in which a pressing portion having a shaft-side conical surface is formed in the middle of the center shaft, and a pressure-receiving side conical surface and a center shaft which are inserted into the center shaft and abut against the shaft-side conical surface. A converter having a plane orthogonal to the axis, a substrate provided with a pressure sensitive element at a position corresponding to the plane of the converter, and a force applied to the end of the central axis from the converter via the pressure converter. And a case arranged to be added to the pressure-sensitive element of the substrate,
A pointing device which detects an electric change due to a force applied to the pressure-sensitive element to obtain a cursor moving direction and a moving speed. 2. A shaft portion having a pressing portion having a shaft-side conical surface formed in the middle of a center shaft having a sharp pen tip portion on one tip side; and a shaft-side conical surface that is inserted through the center shaft. A conversion portion having a pressure receiving side conical surface to be abutted and a plane orthogonal to the axis of the central axis, a substrate provided with a pressure sensitive element at a position corresponding to the plane of the conversion portion, and a pen tip portion of the central axis. A case where the force applied to the converter is applied from the converter to the pressure-sensitive element of the substrate via the pressure converter, and a pen tip portion of the central shaft is projected from the tip side to accommodate the case A pen holder that supports the other end of the shaft on the rear side, and is formed in a pen shape that detects an electric change due to a force applied to the pressure-sensitive element and obtains a cursor moving direction and moving speed. And pointing device. 3. The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the conversion portion is formed with slits radially cut at a constant angle around the axis. 4. A signal conversion circuit for detecting an electric change due to a force applied to the pressure sensitive element to obtain a cursor moving direction and a moving speed is housed in the holder. Pointing device. 5. The pointing device according to claim 2, wherein the case is integrally formed in the holder.