KR20020061842A - push button switch and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A push button switch and method for controlling operation of the same is provided to achieve improved use convenience and simplify structure of switch, by detecting intensity of pressing button and on/off state of switch through a single switch. CONSTITUTION: A push button switch comprises a housing(40); a button(50); reaction members(60,70) interposed between the button and the housing, and which have two or more spring constants; sensor elements(LED1,LED2,LED3,PT1,PT2,PT3) arranged within the housing so as to sense the vertical movement of the button; an operating member(52) for operating sensor elements in accordance with the vertical movement of the button; and a control unit for outputting different signals indicating intensity of pressing button, by comparing the time interval between the detection of the first signal from sensor elements and the detection of the second signal from sensor elements, with a reference time.

Description

Push button switch and control method

The present invention relates to a switch and a control method thereof that can be used to detect and output the ON / OFF state of the switch and the strength of pressing the button at the same time, and more particularly, to detect the strength of pressing the button, The present invention relates to a push button switch and a method of controlling the same, which can be used mainly for game machines (e.g., DDR game machines, martial art game machines), operation switches of various industrial and home appliances, and keyboards of digital pianos.

In general push button switch operation, when the user presses the button, the switch is turned on or off as the contact is attached or dropped, and when applied to the circuit, the voltage at one terminal of the switch becomes a high level potential (binary). Data "0") or two low-level potentials (binary data "1") are detected.

However, since the conventional push button switch can detect only two states such as "0" or "1", when it is applied to a game machine, several buttons are arranged and used according to the complexity of the operation. There was a burden of skillful manipulation of the various buttons arranged on the keyboard for the correct movement of the character.

That is, when the conventional push button switch is applied to a competitive game, for example, a switch for selecting the strength of the punch and a switch for selecting the type of punch must be separately provided, thus requiring a large number of switches. There was a problem that the structure of the panel is complicated.

In addition, since there is no choice but to select an operation method that is far from the actual behavior of the person operating the switch, the user wastes a considerable amount of time learning the operation method of the game and acts as a deterrent to expanding the game user.

In other words, when manipulating an action that simulates a person's behavior in a competitive game or other game, for example, hitting an opponent with a punch, the player actually extends the arm toward the opponent and adjusts the strength of the punch. The operation was inconvenient because the operation method was to select the punch type using two or more buttons and then select the strength of the punch using the other buttons. It needed a device that could.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the object of the switch and the switch that can output a signal according to the intensity by measuring the intensity of the switch as well as the "ON" or "OFF" state when the switch is pressed To provide a control method.

Recoil means having at least two spring constants installed between the button and the housing to achieve the object of the present invention; Sensor means provided at a predetermined distance inside the housing to sense movement of the button; Operating means for operating the sensor means in accordance with the shanghai movement of the button; And a control unit configured to output the intensity of pressing the button as different signals by comparing the time from the detection of the primary signal to the secondary signal after the detection of the primary signal by the operation means. .

According to one embodiment according to the present invention, when the shading time is less than the reference time, the shading time is less than the reference time, it is determined that the button is pressed strongly, and if the shading time is more than the reference time, the button is pressed lightly. After determining and outputting the signal according to the strength and weakness, the switch is output to the "ON" state, and when the light emission state is restored, the switch is configured to output the "OFF" state to provide a control method of the switch.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a push button switch according to the present invention

Figure 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a push button switch according to the present invention

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a push button switch according to the present invention

4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of a push button switch according to the present invention.

* Explanation of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings *

40 housing 50 button

H1, h2: Free height 60,70: Spring

LED1, LED2, LED3: Light emitting element PT1, PT2, PT3: Light receiving element

52: light shield plate 30: control unit

54: guide rib 44: guide groove

LS1, LS2, LS3: Micro Switch 80: Triplex Spring

90: push rod

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 are cross-sectional views and a plan view showing the configuration of a push button switch according to the present invention, which is installed between the button 50 and the housing 40 as recoil means, respectively, as shown in FIG. Two springs 60, 70 having a height H1, h2, and three light emitting elements LED1 (LED2) (LED3) which are installed to face each other at a predetermined distance inside the housing 40 as a sensor means. ) And a light receiving element PT1 (PT2) (PT3), which are formed at the lower end of the button 50 as the sensor means, that is, the actuation means of the light emitting and light receiving element, and move together with the button 50 to emit the light emitting element LED1. After the primary shading is detected at the light blocking plate 52 and the light receiving elements PT1 (PT2) and PT3 which block the optical path between the LED2 and the light receiving elements PT1 and PT2 and PT3, The control unit 30 outputs the intensity of pressing the button 50 as different signals by comparing the shading time until the shading is detected with the reference time. Configured.

The springs 60 and 70 are installed at the inner and outer sides in the concentric state, respectively, and the spring 60 positioned at the inner side is in constant contact with the button 50, and the spring 70 positioned at the outer side has the switch " It was installed on the spring seat portion 45 protruding from the inner wall surface of the housing 40 so as to be spaced apart from the button 50 in the OFF "state.

That is, the spring 70 located on the outside is fixed on the seat 40, the upper end is spaced apart from the button 50.

Four guide ribs 54 are radially formed on the outer circumferential surface of the button 50, and four guide grooves 44 are radially formed inside the housing 40 to linearly guide the button 50. .

On the other hand, Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the push button switch according to the present invention, as shown in the light emitting element (LED1) (LED2) (LED3), for example, consisting of a light emitting diode, in front of the focusing In order to increase the efficiency, a collimating lens is installed, and a current limiting resistor for limiting the current flowing to each of the light emitting elements LED1, LED2, and LED3 is provided at the anode terminals of the light emitting elements LED1, LED2, and LED3. (R1) (R2) and (R3) are connected, and when power is supplied, all the light emitting elements LED1 (LED2) (LED3) are turned on to emit light.

Further, the light receiving elements PT1, PT2, PT3, which are installed to face the light emitting elements LED1, LED2, and LED3, are constituted of, for example, phototransistors, in front of the light emitting elements LED1, LED2, and LED3. A lens for condensing light from the light source and increasing sensitivity is provided, and pull-up resistors R4, R5, and R6 connected to the power supply are connected to the collector terminal, and the light receiving elements PT1, PT2, and PT3 are connected. The connecting terminal of the collector terminal and the pull-up resistors R4, R5, and R6 is connected to the input ports IP0, IP1, and IP2 of the controller 30.

Then, when the light receiving elements PT1, PT2, and PT3 are turned off, the input ports IP0 and IP1 of the controller 30 are pulled off from the power supply via the pull-up resistors R4, R5, and R6. IP2) is input with a high level potential (binary data " 1 "), and when light is incident on the light receiving elements PT1, PT2, PT3, the base terminal is activated and turned on to turn on the pull-up resistor ( R4) (R5) (R6), current flows through the light receiving elements (PT1) (PT2) (PT3) to the ground terminal, and the collector terminals of the light receiving elements (PT1) (PT2) (PT3) At the same time, the input port IP0 (IP1) IP2 of the control unit 30 is also configured to fall to a low level potential (binary data " 0 ").

At least two light emitting devices LED1, LED2, and LED3 and light receiving devices PT1, PT2, and PT3 should be installed.

As described above, the housing 40 and the button 50, the light emitting device LED1 (LED2) (LED3) and the light receiving device PT1 (PT2) (PT3) and the control unit 30 is composed of a single switch module.

For example, the controller 30 may be configured as an embedded microcontroller having a program memory (ROM), a data memory (RAM), an input / output interface circuit, a counter, a timer, and the like. Output port (OP0) that can output the ON / OFF state of the switch in the state of "1" or "0", and for outputting the intensity signal pressing the button 50 in the state of "1" or "0". An output port OP1 and an output port OP2 for outputting a normal / error signal in a state of "1" or "0" are provided.

In addition, the control unit 30 compares the shading time with the reference time and determines that the button is pressed strongly when the shading time is less than the reference time, and outputs it. After outputting the signal according to the configuration, it is configured to output that the switch is in the "ON" state.

When the user keeps pressing the button 50, it is configured to output an error signal when the time until the light emission state is restored exceeds a time limit in order to determine that a problem has occurred.

In the figure, reference numeral X-Tal denotes an oscillation element connected to the clock input terminal of the controller 30, and C1 and C2 denote capacitors.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment shown in FIG. 5, instead of the two springs 60 and 70 shown in FIG. 1, the triplex coil spring 80 having three spring constants is applied as the recoil means. This spring 80 consists of three parts 80A, 80B and 80C, each having a different spring constant, as shown.

That is, the spring 80 is composed of an upper end portion 80A having a smaller diameter of the spring coil than the middle portion 80B, an intermediate portion 80B, and a lower portion 80C gradually decreasing in diameter from the middle portion 80B. Therefore, compared with the middle portion 80B, the upper portion 80A has a smaller coil constant because the diameter of the coil is smaller, and the lower portion 80C has a smaller radius of the spring so that the spring constant becomes larger.

Further, according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 6, instead of the light emitting element LED1 (LED2) (LED3) and the light receiving element PT1 (PT2) (PT3) used in the above embodiment as the sensor means The micro switches LS1, LS2, and LS3 are applied thereto, and thus, the push rod 90 is used in place of the light shielding plate 52.

At this time, the micro switch (LS1) (LS2) (LS3), as shown in Figure 6, is a limit switch that is switched ON / OFF by the push rod 90, made of a flexible elastic material that is easy to bend and restore It is arranged up and down at regular intervals along the inner peripheral surface of the housing (40). In addition, the push rod 90 extends downward from the bottom surface of the button 50 so as to turn on / off the micro switches LS1, LS2 and LS3 according to the movement of the button 50.

The push button switch according to the present invention can be applied to, for example, a dance dance revolution (DDR) music game machine, a shooting game machine, a sports game machine, an adventure game machine, a martial arts game machine, a keyboard of a digital piano, or various industrial devices and home appliances.

Hereinafter, the operation according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

When the user presses the button 50 when the switch is in the "OFF" state, as shown in FIG. 1, the light blocking plate 52 is lowered together with the button 50, and the light blocking plate 52 is first When passing between the light emitting device LED1 and the light receiving device PT1, the optical path between the first light emitting device LED1 and the light receiving device PT1 is blocked.

At this time, when the user presses the button hard or weakly, there is a difference in the speed at which the button 50 moves according to the intensity of the pressing. The controller 30 uses the speed difference as the first light emitting device (LED1) and the second light emitting device. It is regarded as the light shielding time between the LEDs.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when the optical path between the first light emitting device LED1 and the light receiving device PT1 installed at the top is blocked, the phototransistor which is the light receiving device PT1 is turned off and at the same time the collector terminal. Becomes a high level potential and a high level potential (binary data " 1 ") is input to the input port OP0 of the controller 30.

At this time, the control unit 30 determines that the primary shading is detected in step S10 of FIG. 4. In this case, the control unit 30 starts the measurement of the shading time by operating the built-in timer in step S12. 52) When the optical path between the second light emitting element LED2 and the light receiving element PT2 is blocked, the phototransistor, which is the second light receiving element PT2, is turned off at the same time, and the collector terminal becomes a high level potential. Another input port OP1 of the controller 30 is input with a high level potential (binary data “1”).

In this process, the controller 30 determines that the secondary shading is detected in step S14, and finishes measuring the shading time, and compares the shading time measured in step S16 with the magnitude of the predetermined reference time. In this case, when the light shielding time is smaller than the reference time, it is determined that the user presses the button 50 strongly and outputs a signal of, for example, binary data "1" through the output port OP1 of the controller 30 in step S20. If the shading time is equal to or greater than the reference time, it is determined in step S18 that the user presses the button 50 lightly, and through the output port OP1 of the controller 30, for example, a signal of binary data " 0 " Will print.

Thereafter, the controller 30 outputs a signal of binary data “1” through another output port OP0 to inform that the switch is in the “ON” state in step S22.

On the other hand, the control unit 30 performs a step for determining if the user keeps pressing the button 50 more than necessary as an error signal. First, all the light emitting devices with a very short delay time in step S24 The number of times is counted in step S28 while repeatedly irradiating until the optical paths of (LED1) (LED2) (LED3) and light receiving element PT1 (PT2) (PT3) are restored. If it is equal to or exceeds the predetermined limit, it is determined that the button 50 is pressed for a long time, and an error signal is output through the output port OP2. When the optical paths of the elements LED1 (LED2) (LED3) and the light receiving elements (PT1) (PT2) (PT3) are restored, the binary data "0" is output through the output port OP0 in step S30, and the switch is again " Restored to the OFF "state Is output.

That is, the restoration of the switch to the light-transmitting state can be detected in various ways. As the light paths of all the light emitting devices LED1, LED2, and LED3 and the light receiving devices PT1, PT2, and PT3 are restored, When a signal detected at the collector terminals of all the light receiving elements PT1, PT2, and PT3 has a low level signal, all the optical paths can be regarded as being restored, and another method is the third located at the lowermost level. When the potential of the collector terminal of the phototransistor, which is the light receiving element PT3, becomes high and then returns to the low level, the error can be detected by determining whether the time limit is exceeded. .

In addition, according to another embodiment shown in FIG. 5, even when only one spring 80 is used as the recoil means, since the spring itself has a triple spring constant that gradually increases from the top to the bottom, the spring is counted in the embodiment of FIG. When the button 50 is hit by a weak force, the upper portion 80A of the spring 80 having the smallest spring constant is mainly compressed and deformed, so that the first light emitting device ( Only LED1) is shielded and is compressed to the middle portion (80B) by the middle force, and to the lower portion (80C) by the strong force to shield between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, so the number of elements to be blocked and By combining the light shielding time difference, more various control signals can be output.

In addition, instead of the light-emitting and light-receiving elements, as a sensor means, a limit switch composed of micro switches LS1, LS2, LS3 as shown in FIG. 6 and a push rod 90 for sequentially switching these switches is used. It is possible to output the same various control signals as by the recoil means applied to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 5 described above.

As described above, the present invention is configured to detect and output both the strength of pressing a button and the ON / OFF state of the switch through a single modular switch. It is more convenient to use and at the same time has the effect of simplifying the structure of the switch, as it can be operated with a single button without using multiple buttons as in the past, there is an effect that can learn the operation method more quickly and easily.

Claims (8)

In a switch having a housing 40 and a button 50, Reaction means (60) (70) having at least two spring constants installed between the button (50) and the housing (40); Sensor means (LED1) (LED2) (LED3) (PT1) (PT2) (PT3) installed at a predetermined distance inside the housing (40) so as to sense the movement of the button (50); Operating means 52 for actuating the sensor means LED1, LED2, LED3, PT1, PT2, PT3 according to the movement of the button 50; And Based on the time from the detection of the primary signal in the sensor means LED1 (LED2) (LED3) (PT1) (PT2) (PT3) operated by the operating means (52) to the detection of the secondary signal. And a control unit (30) for outputting the intensity of pressing the button (50) in comparison with time as different signals. The method of claim 1, wherein the recoil means are respectively installed on the inner and outer sides in the concentric state, the spring 60 is located in the inner contact with the button 50 at all times, the spring 70 is located on the outside of the switch And a plurality of springs (60) (70) each having a different free height (H1) (h2) installed so as to be spaced apart from the button (50) when in the "OFF" state. 2. A switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the recoil means is a multiplexed spring (80) having at least two spring constants due to the difference in coil thickness or winding radius. The light emitting device (LED1) (LED2) (LED3) and the light receiving device (PT1) (PT2) (PT3) of claim 1, wherein the sensor means are provided to face each other at a predetermined distance inside the housing (40). And the operating means is moved along the button 50 to block light while passing between the light emitting device LED1 (LED2) (LED3) and the light receiving device PT1 (PT2) (PT3). (52), wherein the control unit 30 is configured to compare the shading time until the second shading is detected after the first shading is detected by the light receiving elements PT1, PT2, PT3. Featuring switch. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor means is composed of a plurality of micro switches (LS1) (LS2) (LS3) provided at a predetermined distance along the inner peripheral surface of the housing 40, the operating means is the micro switch ( The push rod 90 extends from the outer circumferential surface of the button 50 so as to turn on / off LS1) LS2 and LS3, and the controller 30 is set to 2 after the primary micro switch LS1 is turned on. And the time until the difference microswitch LS2 is turned on is compared with the reference time. The method of claim 1, wherein a guide rib 54 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the button 50, and a guide groove 44 for linearly guiding the button 50 is formed inside the housing 40. Featuring switch. When the shading time is less than the reference time, comparing the shading time with the reference time, it is determined that the button is pressed strongly and output.If the shading time is more than the reference time, it is determined that the button is pressed lightly. Outputs the state of "ON", and outputs that the switch is in the "OFF" state when the light emission state is restored. 8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein an error signal is outputted when the time until the light emission state is restored exceeds a time limit.