JPS60156125A - Controller - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a control device having at least one rotary control knob, and more particularly to a control device having at least one rotary control knob. It is applied to a type of control device called a valuator that is used to input.

[Prior Art] In the past, valuators have received little attention to ergonomics and have usually simply consisted of a number of rotary control knobs mounted on one side of the housing.

Addison-vesley Publishing
“Fundamentals of Intera” co-authored by Foley and VanDan, published by Company.
"control di
This valuator uses only one type of manual operation, the traditional method of pinching and turning the knob with the thumb and forefinger;
This means that although there are varying degrees of performance, it is difficult to use if the computer and router are not directly facing the user.0 Normal graphics terminals have a large number of input/output devices (1), such as display monitors, keyboards, data, etc. Such valuators are often inconvenient because a tablet or the like occupies the user's operating surface.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] It is an object of the present invention to have a control knob that has two or more modes of manual operation and that can be easily operated from various positions, and that The object of the present invention is to provide a control device that does not restrict the control to a limited range.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The control device of the present invention includes at least one externally symmetrical control knob mounted in a recess in the housing surface for rotation about an axis of symmetry. It is something. The above-mentioned knob has a peripheral edge partially exposed from the housing, a tip having a small axial protrusion perpendicular to the peripheral edge, and at least a substantial portion of the outer surface of the knob between the tip and the peripheral edge. is characterized by being inclined outward in the direction from the tip to the periphery.

This slope is concave and continuous from the tip to the periphery;
Preferably, the knob is recessed to substantially the entire depth of the periphery.

In an embodiment of the invention, the control device is a valuator of an interactive graphical terminal, and a plurality of the above-mentioned knobs are embedded in a common surface of the housing and are provided along two parallel sides of the housing, each knob A portion of the periphery of the housing is exposed from the side of the housing. Additionally, the housing has a precise buffer protrusion that protrudes in a direction opposite to the sloped surface of each knob. This protrusion is concentric with the periphery of the knob and is orthogonal or slightly larger.

[Advantages of the invention] An advantage of the invention is that the special structure of the knob defined above allows several types of manual operations.

[Operation] The knob constituting the present invention can be rotated by pinching it between the thumb and forefinger in a conventional manner to finely adjust the knob. This knob can also be finely adjusted by gently manipulating the exposed edge, especially if it is mounted in a low-friction manner, or by moving the exposed part quickly with your finger. This allows for rough adjustments. Finally, this knob can be rotated by running the length of your finger along an inclined surface, which is fast due to the knob's coarse adjustment;
It can also be done slower for fine-tuning. Furthermore, by raising or lowering the position of the finger on the ramp, the "gear" ratio between the finger and the knob can be changed.

This knob is recessed into the housing surface, so
The sides are low, so that when a large number of knobs are provided, as is usually the case, the user can operate a particular knob without interfering with the settings of other knobs. It is therefore clear that the present invention makes it possible to create a control device with a control knob that can be easily operated by a user from various positions and orientations of the control device.

[Example] To explain with reference to the figure, the valuator is usually base 1
1 and a cover 12 fixed to the base in a suitable manner (not shown). A plurality of control knobs 13 are provided within circular recesses 30 in the top surface 14 of the housing cover 12, said knobs 13 being located in parallel opposing sides 15 of the housing.
．． Four pieces are provided along each of the 16 lines. Each knob is circularly symmetrical, at least externally, and is mounted for rotation about an axis of symmetry on the spindle 17 of each potentiometer 18 in FIGS. 4 and 5. A potentiometer 18 is mounted on the underside of the cover 12, the spindle 17 projects from the cover 12, and the potentiometer is fixed in place in a conventional manner by a nut 19 mating with a threaded collar 20 of the potentiometer. . The cross-section in FIG. 4 is partially exploded to explain these details. The lower surface of the potentiometer 18 is fixed to a printed circuit board 21,
The printed circuit board electrically connects the potentiometer to an external cable (not shown). Details of the electrical circuitry are not shown or described, as they are entirely conventional and are not relevant to the present invention, which concerns only the physical structure.

Each knob 13 has a periphery 22, substantially periphery 22.
The entire depth of is recessed into the top surface 14 of the housing 10. However, a portion 22' of the peripheral edge 22 of each knob is
It is exposed from the side surface 15 or 16 of the housing. Each knob further has an axially projecting projection on the surface 14 terminating in a smaller tip 23 which is substantially more orthogonal than the peripheral edge 22 . Both the tip portion 23 and the peripheral portion 22 are notched as shown in the figure.

Each knob 13 has a concave surface that slopes continuously downward and outward from the tip 23 to the peripheral edge 22. As mentioned above, the exposed edge 22', tip 23, and ramp 24 allow each knob 13 to be operated in three different modes.
Can be rotated manually. In practice, the valuator can be mounted flat on the operating surface or, if necessary, mounted at one end inclined to the stand.

To avoid accidental rotation of the knob 13 by hitting the exposed portion 22' when operating adjacent knobs on the operating surface, each exposed portion 22' is separated from the side surface 15 or 16 of the housing cover 12. It is protected by an arcuate buffer 25 that protrudes directly below the knob. arc-shaped buffer 25
The outer surface of the buffer 25 is concentric with the peripheral edge 22 of the knob 13, but the diameter is slightly larger than the peripheral edge 22.
protrudes slightly beyond the exposed edge 22' to prevent it from hitting the exposed edge.

The present invention is not limited in its application to the above-described graphical valuator, but can be broadly applied to control devices having one or more rotary control knobs, such as hi-fi devices. Additionally, the cross-section of the ramp 24 may have a different shape than that shown. Therefore, depending on the design of the knob, the curvature can be increased or decreased by one, and the knob does not necessarily have to be curved over its entire length from the tip 23 to the peripheral edge 24 as shown. For example, a portion of the annular portion of the outer surface of the knob adjacent to edge 22 may be planar, and sloped surface 24 may be formed.

Starting at a distance consisting of the edge 22, also the part of the outer surface of the knob adjacent to the tip 23 is cylindrical;
An outwardly sloping surface 24 may begin at a distance from the tip.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a valuator which is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the above valuator. FIG. 3 is a side view of the above valuator. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2. Applicant International Business Machines
Corporation Agent Patent Attorney Takashi Tonmiya - (1 other person) Procedural Amendments February 2, 1985 Manabu Shiga, Commissioner of the Patent Office1, Indication of Case 1982 Patent Application No. 2021652, Invention Name control device 3, Relationship with the person making the amendment Patent applicant 4, agent January 29, 1985 6, Column 7 for detailed explanation of the invention in the specification subject to the amendment, Specification of contents of the amendment No. Correct page 2, lines 7 to 10 as follows. “Addison-Wesley
sley Publishing Co+5pany
) published by Foley and Pandan (Va
co-authored ``Fundamentals of Interactive Computer Graphics'' by nDan)
nteractiveComputerGraphy
cs)”, page 25, Figure 1.14, as the control dial.

Claims (1)

Claims: A control device comprising a housing and at least one circular knob embedded in the surface of the housing and arranged to rotate about an axis of symmetry. The above knob has a peripheral portion partially exposed from the housing and a
a protrusion having a tip with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the periphery, and characterized in that the outer surface between the tip and the periphery is inclined outward in the direction from the tip to the periphery. control device.