JPS58172736A - Multiple-item input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To take in and out cards speedily, by providing an assembly of partition plates for storing numbers of cards in parallel, and staring numbers of cards with less capacity, reducing the angle of rotation of the assembly, and realizing a small-sized structure. CONSTITUTION:Numbers of partition plates SP1 and SP2 are stacked in parallel with an enough gap for taking in and out one card and the gap is closed at one end to constitute the assembly AS of partition plates. At the gap-closed side of the assembly AS, the partition plates SP1 and SP2 are supported pivotally on parallel shafts 2, and a card taking-in and taking-out slit 3 is formed at a specific poistion while facing the opposite side. This assembly AS is provided with a clamp disk 6 engaged pivotally with a main body T and the crank pin of this disk 6 is fitted in the slit 3. The disk 6 is operated by a control signal from a keyboard B on the top surface of the main body T to oppose the gap of the assembly AS to the slit 3, and consequently while the mechanical structure of this device is reduced in size, the taking-in and taking-out operation of cards is speeded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to a multi-item input device for electronic equipment and the like.

As a method for inputting more items than the number of keys by key operations on a keyboard equipped with a certain number of keys, there is a method using card selection. In other words, prepare a number of cards with windows that match the key arrangement of the keyboard and write the item names corresponding to each key, select one of them, place it over the keyboard, and press the keys according to the items displayed by that card. Perform operations. At this time, depending on the card selection operation, an instruction is given to the control device as to which key operation should be performed according to the correspondence between keys and items specified by which card. determines the meaning and performs control action. In this type of multi-item input device, a large number of cards are stored in a fixed order, and the user pulls out any one card from among them and returns it to its original position. , it is required that the item can be returned easily and that it is possible to return it to the wrong place, and it is also desirable that the required space be as small as possible.

A book-based system has traditionally been used as the multi-item input device described above, but this system had the disadvantage that it required a person to turn over the cards one by one, and it took time to draw out the cards. .

There are also types in which partitions are provided radially around one rotating shaft, one card is stored in each partition, and the entire partition is rotated to bring the required card to the entrance. There are some that have a large number of cards shifted little by little and wrapped around a cylinder and then rotated to pull out the desired cards, but the upper rotating part requires a large space, which makes it difficult to use in terms of volume and weight. Since it is large and the rotating lid is also large, it is mechanically bulky, making it difficult to operate at high speed, and it is also expensive.

The present invention solves the drawbacks of the conventional example as mentioned above, and aims to provide a compact multi-item input device that allows easy and quick card selection/input operations. One end is closed and a card is inserted into and out of each partition from the opposite end, and the partition plate assembly is pivotally supported at the closed end, and one Two card entry/exit slits are provided, and the partition plate assembly is rotated by an angle corresponding to the designated card number, so that the space between the partition plates in which the designated card is inserted is at a position facing the above-mentioned slit. This provides an item input device. The present invention will be explained below with reference to Examples.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of an embodiment of the present invention.

B is the keyboard and K is the key. A gap S is provided on the bottom side of the keyboard B into which a selected card is inserted. When the card is inserted into the gap S, a through hole is provided at a position directly below each key, and item names are written above the through hole. Keyboard B is transparent and the item names written on the cards can be seen through, allowing the user to know the function of each key.

KS is a switch arranged below the card insertion gap S for each key, and is activated by pressing the key.

A61 is a partition plate assembly, and Spl', S'p2, etc. are partition plates. Each partition plate has the same rectangular shape and is stacked parallel to each other with a gap large enough to allow one card to enter and exit with ease, and the gap is closed at the left end. A downward hook-shaped protrusion 1 is protruded from the left end of the partition plate assembly As and engages with a horizontal shaft 2 attached to the device main body T, and the partition plate assembly As as a whole rotates around the shaft 2. It is now possible to do so.

One card entry/exit slit 3 facing the right end of the partition plate assembly As, that is, the end on the side where the gap between the partition plates is open.
is attached to the main body T of the device.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a frame for receiving the partition plate assembly As, which is pivotally supported by a shaft 2. As shown in FIG. The crank pin 6a of the crank disc 6 is engaged with this slit, and the rotation of the crank disc 6 causes the frame 4 to move toward the shaft 2.
Accordingly, the partition plate assembly As supported by the frame 4 rotates around the shaft 2. The crank disk 6 is a gear and meshes with a pinion 7, which is driven by a pulse motor (not shown). When the card number is entered on the keyboard of the control device (not shown), the pulse motor rotates in response to a command from the control device 7, and the partition plate gap in which the desired card is inserted is at the height of the slit 3 at the right end of the partition plate assembly As. When it comes to this point, it stops, and the card feed mechanism (described later)
is activated and the required card is withdrawn. The card that has been pulled out is guided by a semicircular guide G and fed into a gap S on the bottom surface of the keyboard. When replacing a card, by inputting another card number through the control device, the card feeding mechanism operates in the opposite direction to return the card to the original gap between the partition plates, and then pulls out another card and feeds it into the gap S.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the keyboard and the like removed. C is a card, and Sp is a partition plate.

The card is rectangular in the same shape as the partition plate, with a notch C on the right edge of both sides.
1 is made, and the right end side is cut out in a concave shape so that it does not hit the slit 3 when moving up and down on the partition plate assembly As. Reference numeral 8 denotes card punching claws which are pivotally connected to the main body T by vertical shafts 9 on both sides of the partition plate assembly As. As will be explained in detail later, the claws 8 are located at the same height as the card entry/exit slit 3, and are rotated in the direction of the arrow in the figure, engaging with notches on the left and right sides of the card stopped at the height of the slit 3, and removing the card. Launch to the right. As shown in FIG. 1, there are card feeding rollers 10 above and below the rear of the slit 3, and the card ejected by the claw 8 enters between these rollers 10, is pulled out by the rollers 10, and is fed by the feeding rollers 11, 12 and sent into the gap S sequentially. When the card is returned, the rollers 10, 11, 12, etc. rotate in the opposite direction to when the card is withdrawn.

A mechanism for controlling the pawl 8 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The claw 8 is loosely fitted into a pillar 9 erected on the main body T and is pushed by springs 13 from above and below. Therefore, the claw 8 has its height and the column 9
It has a certain degree of freedom regarding the slope. Claw 8
A long hole 8a is provided in the pin 14, which is driven left and right.
are engaged, and the claw 8 is rotated by the left and right movement of the pin 14. Reference numeral 15 denotes a guide, and during one linear motion, the tip of the claw 8 is caused to enter between predetermined partition plates 1 by this guide. The right end portion 15a of the guide 15 is located at the same height as the slit 3, and is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 16 extending on both sides of the slit 3. A downward extension 15b from the right end 15a of the guide 15 and the left end of the frame 4 are connected by a connecting rod 17. Guide 15 as shown in FIG.
The length r from the pivot shaft 16 of the extension part 15b to the connecting rod connecting point is equal to the length r from the horizontal axis 2 of the frame 4 to the connecting rod connecting point, so the frame 4 and the guide 15 are at the same angle. tilt only. With this mechanism, the guide 15 always maintains a parallel relationship with the frame 4, and the claw 8 can be guided between the partition plates whose right end height matches the slit 3.

The keyboard B can be pulled up around the pin 18 at the left end in FIG. , when the keyboard B is raised, the partition plate assembly As can be easily taken out and taken out, and a group of cards can be exchanged with the partition plate assembly in a cassette style. Further, the mechanism for driving the frame 4 is not limited to the engagement between a slit and a crank pin, and a wire 19 may be used as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the above-described device. When the control device is started, it is detected in determination operation (a) whether or not a card is being withdrawn. This card withdrawal operation is performed by manually inputting the card number using a keyboard provided in the control device (separate from the input device of the present invention mentioned above). If this manual operation is not detected in judgment operation A, the judgment operation port detects whether or not there is an input from keyboard B of the multi-item input device, and if not, returns to point X, and if there is, multi-item input is performed Inquire the number of the card drawn out from the bottom of the keyboard on the device (memorize it at a predetermined address in the memory of the control device).Secondly, check the key switch and item contents for each card registered in the control device. The content of the current input operation is determined from the corresponding data, and a predetermined operation is controlled in E. When the card drawer operation is detected in judgment operation A, the check mark is already checked to see if there are any cards that have been drawn out. If there is, a flag is set at a predetermined address in the memory. Reverse the card ejection/ejection mechanism to return the card to its original position.Next, move the space between the partition plates containing the card with the specified number to the height of the slit 3, and then rotate the card ejection/ejection mechanism forward using N to specify the number. Insert the card into the bottom surface of the keyboard B. In addition, input the card number into the specified address of the memory in step B to prepare for the inquiry operation in block (c), and in step 2, set a flag indicating that there is a card to be withdrawn. ) in preparation for the determination operation.

The multi-item input device of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration and stores a large number of cards in parallel, compared to a case where the cards are arranged radially or wound around a cylinder with slight shifts. A large number of cards can be stored in a small volume,
Amount of movement of the card assembly when inserting and removing cards (rotation angle)
Since the amount of movement is very small, that is, it is sufficient to move only the thickness of the card assembly, the mechanical structure is compact and the cards can be moved in and out quickly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of an embodiment of the device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an inner side view of the frame 4, Fig. 3 is a plan view with the keyboard removed, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the card ejecting mechanism. Figure, 5th
This figure is a side view of the same mechanism, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the above embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a side view of main parts of another embodiment of the present invention. B... Keyboard, T... Main body, As... Partition plate assembly, 2... Shaft, 3... Card entry/exit slit, S
pl, Sp2...partition plate. Agent Patent Attorney Kosuke Agata

Claims (1)

[Claims] A large number of partition plates are stacked in parallel with each other with a gap that allows a single card to enter and exit, and one end of each partition plate is placed facing each other with card entry/exit slits provided at fixed positions. A partition plate assembly drive mechanism that moves the designated partition plate gap of the partition plate assembly to the height of the card insertion/exit slit, and a card inserted between the partition plates facing the card insertion/exit slit shown in -h is inserted/extracted. A multi-item input device characterized by being provided with a card entry/exit mechanism.