JPH1021003A - Coordinate input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform accurate coordinate input over a wide range even when the rotational quantity is small as to a coordinate input device which does not require a large rotational quantity like a mouse and a track ball and is usable as a joy stick. SOLUTION: A detecting means arrayed on the peripheral surface of a rotary body or a ring surface facing it performs coordinate input corresponding to the rotational attitude or rotational quantity of the rotary body to actualize the new coordinate input device which is superior in operation feeling. A reflection body 10 is fitted onto the peripheral surface of the rotary body 2 to constitute a ring-shaped reflecting surface 10a. In its periphery, a circuit board 8 is arranged and many photointerrupters 9 are mounted on the inside end part of the circuit board 8. The photointerrupters 9 are provided with light emitting diodes which face the reflecting surface 10a and two upper and lower photodiodes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coordinate input device, and more particularly to a coordinate input device suitable for designating a position of a cursor or the like of a computer, wherein the input is based on a rotation posture of a rotating body housed therein. The present invention relates to a structure of a device configured to determine coordinates.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various coordinate input devices for detecting a rotation posture of a rotating body housed so as to be rotatable by an external operation and designating a cursor position of a computer, that is, generally a mouse and a mouse. What is called a trackball, what is called a trackball, and what is called a joystick are variously developed.

As a rotating body used for a mouse or a trackball, a resin sphere is generally used, and the rotation of this sphere is detected by the rotation of a roller arranged so as to be in contact with the spherical surface. It is configured. These coordinate input devices are configured to detect the amount of coordinate movement based on the amount of rotation of the rotating body and input the detected amount to a computer.

On the other hand, what is called a joystick rotates a rotating body by tilting an operating rod fixed to the rotating body back and forth and right and left, and detects the operating rod by detecting means such as a limit switch formed around the rotating body. The tilt direction is detected, and a coordinate change in a predetermined direction is input to the computer according to the tilt time.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional coordinate input device, since input devices such as a mouse and a trackball are configured so that the sphere rotates freely to some extent, accurate coordinate input cannot be performed. There is an advantage that there is no limitation on the amount of rotation and a wide range of coordinate input can be performed.

On the other hand, with a joystick, the limit switch detects the tilt direction of the operating rod,
The on / off control of the presence / absence of a coordinate change with respect to the tilt of the operating rod is performed, and the coordinate change amount is input according to the tilting time of the operating rod. Therefore, the coordinate input cannot be performed according to the tilt angle. There is a problem that the operation feeling of the user does not correspond to the actual coordinate input.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problem. Therefore, a coordinate input device which does not require a large rotation amount like a mouse or a trackball and can be used as a joystick has a small rotation amount. Also realizes a novel coordinate input device that has an input accuracy capable of accurately inputting a wide range of coordinates and performs an input operation according to the rotation posture or the amount of rotation of the rotating body, thereby having an excellent operational feeling. It is in.

[0008]

Means taken by the present invention for solving the above problems are a rotating body housed so as to be rotatable by an external operation, and a ring-shaped member provided on a peripheral surface of the rotating body. A first detection position provided, and a second detection position set in a ring shape facing the peripheral surface of the rotating body, and provided at one of the first detection position and the second detection position. Providing a plurality of detecting means arranged along the peripheral surface of the rotating body or opposed to the peripheral surface of the rotating body, and setting the detecting means to one of the first detection position and the second detection position. It is configured to detect whether or not the other detection position exists at the opposing position, and to input coordinates corresponding to the rotation posture or the rotation amount of the rotating body by a plurality of detection outputs of the detection unit. A coordinate input device characterized in that That.

According to this means, since the relative positional relationship between the first detection position and the second detection position, each of which is set in a ring shape, is changed by the rotation of the rotating body, the first detection position and the second detection position are changed. By detecting whether or not the other detection position exists at the opposing position, by the detection means provided at any one of the detection positions, the rotation posture or the rotation amount of the rotating body can be detected, It is possible to input coordinates according to the rotation posture or the rotation amount of the rotating body.

Here, it is preferable that the arrangement plane of the first detection position and the arrangement plane of the second detection position are configured to substantially coincide with each other in the reference posture of the rotating body.

According to this means, since the arrangement plane of the first detection position and the second detection position in the reference posture of the rotating body coincides with each other, one of the first detection position and the second detection position in the reference posture. Since all the detecting means provided on the other side are opposed to the other, and the rotation posture and the amount of rotation of the rotating body can be detected with reference to the reference posture in which all the detection means are in the same state, coordinate input can be performed. Conversion processing becomes easy.

The detecting means may include a first detecting means and a second detecting means which are arranged so as to be shifted from each other in a direction intersecting an arrangement plane of one of the first detecting position and the second detecting position. Preferably, means are provided.

According to this means, the first detection means and the second detection means are provided so as to be displaced in a direction intersecting the arrangement plane of any of the detection positions formed in a ring shape. Even if the position and the arrangement plane of the second detection position coincide, the detection states of the two first detection means and the second detection means are changed at the two detection positions on both the forward and reverse sides with respect to the rotation direction of the rotating body. Since it is different, the rotation direction of the rotating body can be reliably determined.

Further, an arrangement plane of the first detection position,
Preferably, the arrangement plane of the second detection position is arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in the reference posture of the rotating body.

According to this means, even if the arrangement plane of the first detection position and the arrangement plane of the second detection position are parallel to each other, they are displaced at a predetermined interval. It is possible to reliably determine the forward / reverse rotation direction of the rotating body without providing the detecting means.

[0016] Further, a supporting shaft is provided so as to protrude from a lower portion of the rotating body, and a concave portion for supporting a lower end portion of the supporting shaft is provided. Is configured to have only one stable contact position at the bottom of the rotating body, and when no external operating force acts on the rotating body, the rotating body naturally returns to a reference posture corresponding to the stable contact position. It is preferred that

According to this means, the rotating body is supported by contact between the supporting shaft projecting downward and the concave portion supporting the lower end thereof. Since it is configured to have only one stable contact position at the bottom, it always returns to the reference posture of the rotating body if it is not operated, so it is possible to eliminate coordinate changes during non-operation, further improving operability. Can be.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a coordinate input device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the overall configuration of the present embodiment belonging to a category called a joystick. In the present embodiment, the rotating body 2 is fixed to the lower end of the stick 1, and the rotating body 2
Are slidably supported by an upper receiving frame 4 and a lower receiving frame 5 accommodated in the casing 3.

A ball plunger 6 as a support shaft projects from the lower end of the rotating body 2 in a state where the ball plunger 6 is urged downward. A ball portion 6 a formed at the lower end of the ball plunger 6 Concave curved surface 7 formed as a concave portion on the upper surface of plunger receiver 7 attached to the bottom surface
a. The concave curved surface 7a is formed into a smooth curved surface so as to be deepest at the center.

An annular gap is formed between the upper receiving frame 4 and the lower receiving frame 5, and a ring-shaped circuit board 8 is disposed in this gap. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of photo interrupters 9 are mounted on the inner peripheral end of the circuit board 8 so as to be arranged along the inner edge of the circuit board 8.

As shown in FIG. 3, the photo-interrupter 9 is mounted so as to face the peripheral surface of the rotator 2 and is displaced from the light emitting diode 9a above and below the plane on which the circuit board 8 is disposed. Two photodiodes 9b,
9c.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reflector 10 has a reflection surface 10a provided so as to circulate along a plane on which the photointerrupter 9 is disposed, so that the stick portion 1 can be set up vertically. In the reference posture (posture shown) of the corresponding rotator, the arrangement plane of the photointerrupter 9 and the arrangement plane of the reflection surface 10a substantially coincide with each other, so that all the photointerrupters 9 face the reflection surface 10a. It has become.

The ball portion 6a of the ball plunger 6 is always pressed against the concave curved surface 7a of the plunger receiver 7 by a built-in elastic member. Is in contact with the center of the concave curved surface 7a which can protrude most, that is, naturally, returns to the state in which the stick portion 1 stands vertically as shown in FIG.

In a state where the stick portion 1 is erected vertically as shown in FIG. 1, all of the plurality of photo interrupters 9 mounted on the circuit board 8 face the reflecting surface 10a, and the light emitted from the light emitting diode 9a is The light is reflected by the reflecting surface 10a and is received by the photodiodes 9b and 9c.
9c are both on.

On the other hand, when the stick portion 1 is gripped and tilted in any direction, the rotating body 2 rotates, and first, the photodiode 9b above the photo interrupter 9 in the tilt direction of the stick portion 1 As the inclination angle of the stick portion 1 increases, the photodiodes 9b of the photointerrupters 9 adjacent to both sides thereof sequentially turn off, and the photodiodes 9c below the photointerrupters 9 become off. It also goes off with a slight delay.

The transition of the photodiodes 9b and 9c to the off state proceeds to the photointerrupters 9 adjacent on both sides sequentially as indicated by arrows F1, F2, F3 and F4 in FIG. The number of photointerrupters 9 having the photodiodes 9b and 9c in the off state increases according to the angle.

In the case described above, the tilt direction of the stick 1 is detected as the position of the photointerrupter 9 at the center position among the photointerrupters 9 having the photodiodes 9b and 9c turned off. Here, the discrimination between the tilt direction and the position rotated 180 degrees with respect to the tilt direction (the position on the opposite side) determines the periphery of the range in the off state (two positions are formed at positions rotated 180 degrees from each other). In some photo interrupters, the photodiode 9
This is performed depending on which of b and 9c is in the off state and which is in the on state.

That is, if the photodiode 9b of the photo-interrupter 9 disposed at the peripheral portion in one of the above-mentioned ranges is in the off state and the photodiode 9c of the same photo-interrupter 9 is in the on state, the reflection surface on the side of the range Since 10a has moved below the photointerrupter 9, it is determined that the stick unit 1 is inclined in the direction of the photointerrupter 9 at the center of the range.

The inclination angle of the stick 1 is detected by the number or range of the photointerrupter 9 or the photodiodes 9b and 9c in the off state.
This is because if the inclination angle of the stick portion 1 is large, the number and range of the photodiodes in the off state increase, and if the inclination angle is small, the number and range of the photodiodes in the off state decrease.

It should be noted that while the stick 1 is tilted,
Even if the precession movement, that is, the head dropping movement, is performed, the direction of the tilt detected as the tilt direction of the stick portion 1 rotates also rotates, so that the tilt direction (direction) and the tilt angle of the stick portion 1 do not hinder. Is detected.

In order to detect the tilt direction (direction) of the stick unit 1 from the on / off state of the photodiodes 9b and 9c, the center position of the range of the photodiodes 9b and 9c that have been turned off as described above is determined. , The signal indicating the direction. Here, with respect to the above-mentioned two ranges in the off state, the photodiodes 9b and 9b of the photointerrupter 9 arranged at the periphery of the ranges are respectively set.
By determining the direction based on the ON / OFF state of c, the reliability of the direction detection can be improved. That is,
In one range, the peripheral photodiode 9b is turned on,
If 9c is off, the photodiode 9b at the periphery must be off and 9c must be on in the other range. By confirming this point and determining the direction, the certainty of the direction determination can be improved. Can be.

On the other hand, in order to detect the tilt angle of the stick 1, it is necessary to convert the number or range of the photodiodes 9b and 9c which are turned off as described above into a signal indicating the tilt angle. Here, since the two photodiodes 9b and 9c are vertically arranged in the respective photointerrupters 9, the on / off states of these upper and lower photodiodes are separately counted to detect the number of photodiodes according to the number of photodiodes. Accuracy can be obtained. That is, the detection accuracy of the tilt angle is two times smaller than the case where the on / off state is counted for each photo interrupter 9.
As a result, the same detection accuracy can be obtained as when the installation interval of the photointerrupter 9 on the horizontal plane is halved.

The signal conversion performed in the above-described direction detection and tilt angle detection is performed by a circuit (not shown) mounted on a circuit board 8 formed in a ring shape. This conversion function can be realized by a normal wired logic circuit or an integrated circuit in which data such as a predetermined conversion table is written, or by performing conversion processing by software executed by a microprocessor unit. Is also possible. In addition, the photo interrupter 9
The on / off signals output from the photodiodes 9b and 9c can be directly transmitted in parallel or serially to an output device such as a computer, and can be processed by the output device.

In this embodiment, since the direction and angle of inclination of the stick portion 1 can be reliably and accurately detected, the amount of coordinate movement is controlled only by the inclination time without depending on the inclination angle as in a conventional joystick. Since the coordinate change speed can be made variable according to the inclination angle, for example, as compared with a device that performs the operation, it is possible to configure a coordinate input device that does not make the operation feeling strange. In addition, the sensors can be arranged by mounting them on a substrate, and since the reflecting plate is integrated with the rotating body that forms the joint of the joystick, the configuration can be made at low cost and the size can be easily reduced.

FIG. 4 shows a case where the semiconductor chip 11 comprising the light emitting diode 11a and the photodiode 11b is directly surface-mounted on the circuit board 8. In this case, by mounting the semiconductor chip 11 on the front surface and the back surface of the inner end of the circuit board 8, the same function as in the above embodiment can be obtained. In addition, the light emitting diode chip and the photodiode chip, each configured as a single unit, may be separately mounted.

In this structure, the thickness of the circuit board 8 including the mounted components can be made thinner by directly mounting the chip components on the circuit board 8 by surface mounting.
Since the sensors were separately mounted on the front and back of the circuit board 8,
Stray light can be reduced, and detection accuracy at the upper and lower detection positions can be increased.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view (a) and a transverse sectional view (b) showing the surrounding structure of the rotating body 2, showing another embodiment having a configuration slightly different from the above embodiment. In this embodiment, the photo interrupter 12 mounted on the inner end of the circuit board 8 is provided with one light emitting diode and one photodiode. The arrangement plane of the reflector 10 circling the central part of the rotating body 2 is set at a position shifted downward by the distance d from the arrangement plane of the circuit board 8 on which the photo interrupter 12 is installed.

In this embodiment, the distance d is adjusted so that the photointerrupter 12 faces the upper part of the reflection surface 10a in the reference posture of the rotating body 2 in which the stick unit 1 (not shown) stands vertically. I have. Therefore, in the reference posture of the rotating body 2, all of the photo interrupters 12 are in the ON state.

As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 5, when the stick unit 1 (not shown) is tilted to the left in the figure, the rotating body 2 rotates counterclockwise, and the portion of the reflecting surface 10a located on the left side of the rotating body 2 is: When the rotator 2 is slightly rotated, the rotator 2 is separated from the opposing position of the photointerrupter 12, which has been opposing so far.

On the other hand, the portion of the reflection surface 10a located on the right side of the rotator 2 does not deviate from the position facing the photo interrupter 12 when the rotator 2 is slightly rotated. Remains on.

FIG. 5B shows such a state. The photointerrupter 12 on the left side in the drawing, in which the rotator 2 is arranged in an inclined direction, shifts to the off state, and as the inclination angle increases, the adjacent photointerrupters 12 sequentially shift to the off state as shown by arrows F5, F6 in the figure. I will do it. On the other hand, the photo-interrupter 12 at a position rotated by 180 degrees with respect to the photo-interrupter 12 which has first shifted to the off state is in the on state as it is, and the rotator 2
After the tilt angle further increases, the state shifts to the off state.

As described above, in this embodiment, the on / off state of the photointerrupter 12 does not appear symmetrically on the inclined side and on the side (opposite side) rotated by 180 degrees with respect to the inclined side. When detecting the inclination direction of the section 1, there is no need to provide a photointerrupter having two photodiodes as in the previous embodiment.

In the above structure, the distance d between the plane where the reflecting surface 10a is arranged and the plane where the photointerrupter 12 is arranged is further increased so that the reflecting surface 10
a and the photo interrupter 12 may not be opposed to each other, and all of the photo interrupters 12 may be turned off. In this case, when the rotating body rotates, the tilt direction can be detected by first turning on the photointerrupter on the side opposite to the tilt direction of the stick 1. However, the distance d between the arrangement planes needs to be suppressed to such an extent that the initial sensitivity of the inclination angle is not reduced.

The arrangement plane of the reflection surface and the arrangement plane of the photo-interrupter may be reversed, and the arrangement plane of the reflection surface may be set higher than the arrangement plane of the photo-interrupter. In this case, the photo-interrupter 12 on the opposite side of the tilt direction of the rotating body 2 is first turned off. In this case as well, the distance d is set slightly larger as described above, and all the photointerrupters 1 in the reference posture are set.
2 may be turned off.

In each of the above embodiments, a magnetic sensor or other various sensors or switches may be used as the detecting means using an optical sensor. Further, it is a matter of course that a sensor may be attached to the rotating body and a reflection plate may be provided around the sensor. Furthermore, a plurality of detection sections may be provided both on the rotating body and on the periphery thereof. For example, a plurality of light receiving elements may be provided on the rotating body, and a plurality of light emitting elements may be arranged around the plurality of light receiving elements. The rotating body does not have to have a spherical surface as described above, but may have any shape as a result of which the rotation attitude can be detected.

In the above embodiment, the direction of inclination is not particularly limited, and a rotating body that is rotatable around an infinite rotation axis is used. However, the number of rotation axes may be limited to a finite number. Absent. Furthermore, a so-called joystick-type device has been described above, but in the above embodiment, although the rotation range is limited, the rotating body is directly operated like a mouse or a trackball without using an operation rod. It can also be used for those configured as above.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention, the relative positional relationship between the first detection position and the second detection position, each of which is set in a ring shape, changes with the rotation of the rotating body. By detecting whether or not the other detection position is located at the opposing position by detecting means provided at one of the first detection position and the second detection position, the rotation posture or the rotation amount of the rotating body is detected. Can be detected,
It is possible to input coordinates according to the rotation posture or the rotation amount of the rotating body. Therefore, it is possible to increase the accuracy of inputting coordinates by securing a certain number of detection means. In addition, it is possible to input coordinates not according to on / off control but according to the rotation posture or the amount of rotation of the rotating body. Since it is possible, the sense of incongruity in the operation feeling can be eliminated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a coordinate input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a rotating body in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a configuration of a photo interrupter according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state where different photointerrupters are mounted.

5A and 5B are a vertical sectional view and a horizontal sectional view near a rotating body in different embodiments.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stick part 2 Rotating body 6 Ball plunger 7 Plunger receiver 7a Concave curved surface 8 Circuit board 9 Photointerrupter 9a Light emitting diode 9b, 9c Photodiode 10 Reflector 10a Reflecting surface

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A rotating body accommodated rotatably by an external operation, a first detection position set in a ring shape on a peripheral surface of the rotating body, and a ring shape opposed to the peripheral surface of the rotating body. A second detection position set at the first detection position and the second detection position, at one of the detection positions along the peripheral surface of the rotating body or facing the peripheral surface of the rotating body. A plurality of detection means arranged in a line, and the detection means is connected to the first detection position and the second detection position.
It is configured to detect whether one of the other detection positions is at the opposite position, and input coordinates corresponding to the rotation posture or the rotation amount of the rotating body by a plurality of detection outputs of the detection means. A coordinate input device characterized in that it is configured to perform 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an arrangement plane of the first detection position and an arrangement plane of the second detection position are configured to substantially coincide with each other in a reference posture of the rotating body. Coordinate input device. 3. The first detecting means according to claim 2, wherein said detecting means is arranged so as to be displaced from each other in a direction intersecting an arrangement plane of one of said first detecting position and said second detecting position. A coordinate input device, comprising: means and a second detecting means. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement plane of the first detection position and the arrangement plane of the second detection position are arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in a reference posture of the rotating body. A coordinate input device, characterized in that: 5. A supporting shaft according to claim 1, further comprising a support shaft attached to a lower portion of said rotating body so as to protrude therefrom, and a concave portion for supporting a lower end of said supporting shaft, said supporting body being supported by its own weight. The shaft is configured to have only one stable contact position at the lowermost part of the concave portion, and when no external operation force acts on the rotating body, the rotating body naturally assumes a reference posture corresponding to the stable contact position. A coordinate input device configured to return.