JPH1195924A - Mouse with additional function operating mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mouse equipped with a scroll function operating mechanism of a simple structure and high operability. SOLUTION: Corresponding to two tact switches 16-1 and 16-2 for up and down scroll control provided on a circuit board 14 while facing the side wall of a main body case 11 of the mouse 1, two scroll operating buttons 13-1 and 13-2 are provided on the side wall of the main body case, the scroll operation in each direction can be controlled from the outside of the main body case by a different finger, and a scroll mode changeover switch 17 provided on the circuit board can be operated by a 3rd button 13-3 provided on the top of the main body case.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mouse as an input device of a computer to which Windows is applied, and more particularly to a mouse having an additional function operation mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a computer to which Windows is applied, an indication mark called an icon is displayed on a screen of a display, and an operation such as opening a desired program or document is designated by selecting and specifying the icon with a cursor. can do. A mouse is used to move the cursor and select and specify an icon. That is, the mouse has a movement detection mechanism for detecting the movement, and the detection signal controls the movement of the cursor in accordance with the movement of the mouse.
As the movement detecting mechanism, there is a mechanism having a photodetector for reading a rotating ball light reflection pattern, or a mechanism having an optical coupler for detecting rotation of a rotating ball and an encoder including a perforated rotating plate. Further, the mouse includes a click switch mechanism for moving the cursor and designating the selected icon. The click switch mechanism has a micro switch provided on a circuit board and a click operation button for manually operating the micro switch from outside. The click operation button is exposed on the outer surface of the mouse body case. In some cases, two or three click switches and click operation buttons are provided.

On the other hand, there is a bitmap memory image as an image displayed in a window on a display, and this image is scrolled to continuously move and display a display unit on the display. Conventionally, this scroll has been performed by selecting an icon called a scroll bar with a cursor by operating a mouse and operating a click switch.

Recently, for example, US Pat.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 530,455 or the like, a mouse provided with an additional function of controlling scrolling has been put to practical use so that the scrolling operation can be performed with the mouse. The mouse additionally has a scroll function selection switch and a control wheel for controlling the amount of scrolling. The control wheel is rotatably provided in the main body case in a state where a part of its outer surface is exposed so as to protrude from the main body case. An electrical signal indicating the direction and amount of rotation of the control wheel is generated as a scroll signal by a photoelectric encoder including an optical coupler for converting the rotation of the control wheel into an electric signal and a perforated rotating plate. The rotation support mechanism of the control wheel is elastically floated, and the scroll function selection switch can be driven by depressing the control wheel.

[0005] As the mouse with the above-mentioned scroll control additional function operation mechanism, there is a mouse sold as "IntelliMouse" by Microsoft Corporation in the United States. In this "IntelliMouse", press the control wheel to operate the scroll function selection switch, select the up / down scroll mode, and then rotate the control wheel with your finger. In the direction of rotation according to the amount of rotation. Note that in the scroll operation mode, when the mouse is moved in a certain distance and in any direction, the signal detected by the movement detector indicates the bitmap memory image on the display in the moving direction of the mouse (ie, up and down). It is also used as a signal for scrolling at low speed at a speed proportional to the distance (to the left and right). In the case of the movement detection scroll operation mode, a mark serving as a reference for the movement direction and the distance of the mouse is displayed at the position of the cursor at that time by pressing the control wheel and selecting the movement detection scroll operation mode, and thereafter, By moving the mouse, the cursor is moved away from the mark in response, so that the moving direction and the distance can be visually recognized.

[0006]

However, in the above-described mouse with the conventional scroll control additional function operation mechanism, a wheel is used for scroll control, and scrolling is performed by rotating the wheel with a finger. Although there is an advantage that the scroll amount can be adjusted by adjusting the rotation amount of the wheel, it is necessary to continuously reciprocate the finger to repeatedly rotate the wheel during scrolling. This reciprocating movement of the finger is very troublesome for the user.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a scroll signal generation operation button and a scroll mode switching operation button that can stably continue a scroll signal without requiring reciprocation of a finger. both,
Operation buttons for generating up and down scroll signals are provided separately for up scroll and down scroll to prevent erroneous operation.
An object of the present invention is to provide a mouse having a scroll function operation mechanism that is easy to operate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mouse having an additional function operation mechanism that can be used for controlling not only the scroll function but also other additional functions.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a main body case, a movement detecting mechanism provided to be exposed to the outside in the main body case for detecting movement of a mouse for controlling cursor movement, and a click operation. An icon click switch mechanism having a button on the outer surface of the main body case, a circuit board, and the additional function operation mechanism, the mouse including:
A mouse with an additional function operation mechanism as an input device of a computer associated with a display for displaying the cursor and the icon on the screen and displaying a desired image, wherein the additional function operation mechanism is provided on the substrate by the main body case. A first switch and a second switch, which are arranged to face the inner surface of the side wall; and the first and second switches on the substrate.
The third switch and the first and second switches, which are arranged at positions distant from the first switch and the first and second switches, are respectively provided on the side wall of the main body case so as to be movable toward the inside of the case. First and second operation buttons respectively having an operation unit which contacts and operates a corresponding switch when pressed, and a body inwardly corresponding to the third switch on an upper wall of the main body case. Provided movably,
A mouse with an additional function operation mechanism, comprising: a third operation button having an operation section that is operated by contacting a third switch when pressed inward.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the first and second switches are arranged side by side along an inner surface of one side wall of the main body case, and the first and second operation buttons are provided on the one side wall. They are provided adjacent to each other. In this case, the main body case may include an upper case and a lower case that are fitted to each other, and the first and second operation buttons may be provided on the upper case and the lower case, respectively.

According to another aspect, the first and second switches are arranged opposite to each other on inner surfaces of the side walls of the main body case, and the first and second operation buttons are provided on the opposite side walls. , Respectively.

According to another aspect of the present invention, two click operation buttons of the icon click switch mechanism are provided in parallel on the main body case, and the third switch operation button is It is arranged between the two click operation buttons.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the additional function is a function of scrolling an image displayed on the display, and the third switch outputs a switching signal for switching an operation mode of the scroll function. The first and second switches are for supplying a scroll signal for scrolling the display image upward and downward, respectively, in the up-down scroll operation mode.

In the operation mode of the scroll function, the first and second switches are for generating a continuous scroll signal for the upward and downward continuous scroll, and the movement detection mechanism is provided. And a scroll signal for scrolling the image in the moving direction of the mouse.

The main body case has a generally elongated oval shape as a whole in a top view, and the two click operation buttons are provided at the end of the elongated egg shape having a larger curvature in the elongated direction. May be provided in parallel.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a mouse 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a main body case 11 made of a synthetic resin comprising an upper case 11a and a lower case 11b,
It has two click operation buttons 12-1 and 12-2 exposed on the outer surface of the upper case 11a.
Scroll operation buttons 13-1 and 13-2, which are exposed on the outer surface of 1a and operate a scroll function as an additional function, are provided on the side walls of the upper case 11a and the lower case 11b so as to be movable inward. The mode switching operation button 13-3 is provided on the upper case 11a. The main body case 11 has a generally slender oval shape as a whole in a top view, and two click operation buttons 12-1.
And 12-2 are provided in parallel with the elongated direction at the end of the elongated egg shape having the larger curvature, and the scroll mode switching operation button 13-3 is a two-click operation button 12-1. And 12-2.

Referring to FIG. 2, in body case 11,
A circuit board 14 mounted in the lower case, and two microswitches 12a and 12b fixed on the circuit board 14 as icon click switches
And These micro switches 12a and 1
2b, each of the click operation buttons 12-1 and 12-2 is driven so that its movable contact is driven by pressing down the click operation buttons 12-1 and 12-2.
It is located below. In order to detect the movement of the mouse that controls the movement of the cursor, a known movement detection mechanism 1
5 are provided. The movement detection mechanism 15 includes a ball 15a installed in the lower case 11b so as to be rotatable by friction with the surface by moving the mouse on a desk or other surface, and a rotation of the ball in the x and y directions. It has two well-known photoelectric encoders 15-1 and 15-2 for converting the speed into an electric signal. These photoelectric encoders 15-1 and 15-2 are arranged on the circuit board 14.

Scroll operation buttons 13-1, 13-2
And the switch part of the school function operation mechanism operated by the scroll mode switching operation button 13-3,
On the circuit board 14, first and second switches 16- spaced apart from each other along the side wall of the case 11;
1 and 16-2, and a third switch 17 disposed between two micro switches 12a and 12b clicks as an icon click switch. The first and second switches 16-1 and 16-2 are shown as tact switches in the illustrated example. On the other hand, the third switch 17 is shown as a micro switch. The tact switch and the micro switch are in contact with and pressed by the operation protrusions (13a) of the operation buttons, and the contact pieces (16a, 1) made of an insulator that drive the movable contact when pressed.
7a) is elastically protruded from the switch housing, so that when the pressing force from the operation button is lost, the operation is automatically restored, which is convenient.

Scroll operation buttons 13-1 and 13
-2 has contact projections 13a protruding into the main body case 11 so as to contact the contact pieces 16a of the corresponding switches 16-1 and 16-2. In the figure, only the contact protrusion 13a of the second scroll operation button 13-2 is shown. In FIG. 2, since the upper case 11a is removed, the contact protrusion of the first scroll operation button 13-1 is not shown. However, upper case 1
When 1a is combined, the contact protrusion of the first scroll operation button 13-1 is the same as the contact protrusion 13a of the second scroll operation button 13-2 shown in FIG. It is positioned in contact with one contact piece 16a. This can be easily understood by those skilled in the art even if not shown. The scroll mode switching operation button 13-3 includes the click operation buttons 12-1 and 12-1.
Similarly to 2-2, it is attached to the upper case 11a so as to be able to be pushed down, and has a contact projection on its inner surface, and when pushed down, it pushes the corresponding contact piece 17a of the microswitch 17.

The operation of the mouse according to the embodiment will be described.

Click operation buttons 12-1 and 12-
2 and the operation of the movement detection mechanism 15 are the same as those in the related art, and a description of these operations will be omitted.

When the scroll mode switching operation button 13-3 on the top of the main body case 11 is pushed inward, the contact projection pushes the contact piece 17a of the third switch 17, so that the switch is turned on and an electric signal is generated. Is done. This electric signal is used as a mode switching signal. Thus, the control circuit (CPU) built in the mouse and the computer and display connected thereto are switched to the movement detection scroll operation mode. Further, the scroll mode switching operation button 13-
When the mode switching signal is generated by pressing 3, the scroll function becomes the up-down scroll mode.

In the up / down scroll mode of the scroll function, when the scroll operation button 13-1 is pressed, the contact projection 13a is brought into contact with the contact piece 16a of the first switch 16-1.
, And the first switch 16-1 is turned on, and an electric signal is generated during the on state. This first switch 16
Using the signal from -1 as an upward continuous scroll signal, the display image on the display can be continuously scrolled upward. When the pressing force of the scroll operation button 13-1 is released, the first switch 16-1 is turned off, and the generation of the upward continuous scroll signal is stopped.

In the up / down scroll mode of the scroll function, when the scroll operation button 13-2 is pressed, the contact projection 13a is brought into contact with the contact piece 16a of the second switch 16-2.
, The second switch 16-2 is turned on, and an electric signal is generated during the on. This second switch 16
Using the signal from -2 as a continuous downward scroll signal, the display image on the display can be continuously scrolled downward. When the pressing force of the scroll operation button 13 is released, the second switch 16-2 is turned off, and the generation of the downward continuous scroll signal is stopped.

The continuous control of scrolling is only required to operate the scroll operation button 13-1 or 13-2 lightly. When scrolling is continued, it is not necessary to reciprocate the finger quickly to rotate the wheel. Since only the button 13-1 or 13-2 needs to be pressed lightly, continuous scrolling can be performed easily and stably, and the operation is not troublesome. In addition,
In the movement detection scroll operation mode, scrolling can be performed by moving the mouse 1 in response to an output signal from the movement detection mechanism 15 in the same manner as in the related art, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, scroll operation buttons 13-1 and 13-2 are provided on upper case 11a and lower case 11b, respectively, on one side of the main body case. The operation surface on the upper surface of the scroll mode switching operation button 13-3 is elongated forward and backward. However, the present invention is not limited to these configurations, and some modifications are possible.

As shown in FIG. 3, the two scroll operation buttons 13-1 and 13-2 can be provided on both opposing side walls of the main body case. At this time, the first and second switches 16-1 and 16-2
It will be apparent that one of them is provided at a position facing the opposite side wall in FIG. According to this arrangement of the two scroll operation buttons 13-1 and 13-2, the upward scroll and the downward scroll can be operated with different fingers (for example, thumb and ring finger).

Scroll mode switching operation button 13-
3 may have a circular upper surface as illustrated in FIG. Of course, the central portion may be a concave surface 13a or a protruding surface.

In the above, the case where the additional function operating mechanism of the mouse according to the present invention is used for scroll control has been described. Needless to say, it can be used for other controls such as the control of.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a mouse with an additional function operation mechanism capable of stably generating control signals for additional functions.
There is an advantage that continuous scrolling can be performed stably. Further, since the scroll mode switching operation button is separated from the scroll operation button, malfunction is prevented, and the scroll operation button is divided into upward scroll and downward scroll, so that there is an advantage that usability is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a mouse according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a)
Is a plan view, and (b) is a side view.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the mouse of FIG. 1 with an upper case removed.

FIG. 3 shows a mouse according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a)
Is a perspective view, and (b) is a side view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 mouse 11 body case 12-1, 12-2 click operation button 13-1, 13-2 scroll operation button 13-3 scroll mode switching operation button 14 circuit board 15 movement detection mechanism 16-1 first switch 16-2 2 switch 17 3rd switch

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A main body case, a movement detecting mechanism provided to be exposed to the outside in the main body case for detecting movement of a mouse for controlling movement of a cursor, and a click operation button on an outer surface of the main body case. An input device for a computer, comprising: a mouse for providing an icon click switch mechanism, a circuit board, and an additional function operation mechanism, the display being used to display the cursor and icons on a screen and to display a desired image. In the mouse with the additional function operation mechanism as described above, the additional function operation mechanism comprises: a first switch and a second switch arranged on the substrate so as to face an inner surface of a side wall of the main body case; A third switch disposed at a position away from the first and second switches, and a first switch and a second switch, respectively. First and second operation units respectively provided on the side wall of the main body case so as to be movable toward the inside of the case, and each of which has an operation unit that contacts and operates with a corresponding switch when pressed inward. An operation button, and an operation unit provided on the upper wall of the main body case corresponding to the third switch so as to be movable inward of the case, and operated by contacting the third switch when pressed inward. A mouse with an additional function operation mechanism, comprising: a third operation button. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second switches are arranged side by side along an inner surface of one side wall of the main body case, and the first and second operation buttons are provided adjacent to each other on the one side wall. The mouse with an additional function operation mechanism according to claim 1, wherein 3. The main body case comprises an upper case and a lower case which are fitted to each other, and the first and second operation buttons are respectively provided on the upper case and the lower case.
The mouse with an additional function operation mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the mouse is provided. 4. The first and second switches are disposed opposite to each other on the inner surfaces of the side walls of the main body case, and the first and second operation buttons are provided on the opposite side walls, respectively. The mouse with an additional function operation mechanism according to claim 1, wherein 5. A click operation button of the icon click switch mechanism is provided on the main body case in parallel.
The mouse with an additional function operation mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the mouse is provided, and the third operation button is disposed between the two click operation buttons. 6. The additional function is a function of scrolling an image displayed on the display.
The switch is for supplying a switching signal of an operation mode of a scroll function, and the first and second switches are a scroll signal for scrolling the display image upward and downward in a vertical scroll mode of a scroll function, respectively. The mouse with an additional function operation mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the mouse is provided for supplying a mouse. 7. In the operation mode of the scroll function, the first and second switches are for generating a continuous scroll signal for the continuous upward and downward scroll, and the movement detection is performed. 7. The mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the mechanism provides a scroll signal for scrolling an image in a moving direction of the mouse.
2. A mouse with an additional function operation mechanism according to 1. 8. The main body case has a generally elongated oval shape as a whole in a top view, and the two click operation buttons are provided at the end of the elongated egg shape having a larger curvature. The mouse with an additional function operation mechanism according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the mouse is provided in parallel with the direction of (1).