KR20040049400A - Portable joystick - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A portable joystick is provided to perform an interface operation with one hand conveniently and efficiently by connecting to a portable device such as a cellular phone, a PDA(Personal Digital Assistant), and a notebook computer through a wire/wireless communication tool without a separated supporting space while keeping a basic function of the joystick. CONSTITUTION: A main body is operated by being gripped with one hand. A control lever(12) installed to the outside of the main body is operated by one of the thumb or the first finger. A trigger switch(13) installed to the outside of the main body is operated by another one of the thumb or the first finger. The communication tool transfers a signal to the portable device(101) by connecting between the main body and the portable device. A signal processing circuit(18) transmits/receives the signal from the portable device through a communication cable by processing the signal from the control lever and the trigger switch.

Description

Portable Joystick {Portable joystick}

The present invention relates to a joystick, and to a portable joystick which is a user interface device that a user can use for a game or the like with one hand without a separate supporting device.

The joystick is one of the representative user interface devices along with a keyboard and a mouse. Joysticks are widely used as user interfaces, especially for games, through the popularization of computers and the development of the game industry.

In general, a joystick is a position control lever which is held by a user and controls the operation of a computer screen, a main body provided with the position control lever and various auxiliary switches, and a signal from the lever and the switch to an electronic device such as a computer. And a signal processing circuit to provide.

Until now, joysticks were designed to be fixed on a desk with a computer or game console, or to be held and held with both hands. However, since the volume is relatively large, they are used in mobile devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PDAs, and portable game consoles. There was a problem in securing the support space, portability, and the like.

That is, the existing joystick is designed to be used in a fixed position or to be held with both hands, so that it is easy to operate and portable to be used as a user interface in portable devices such as laptops, PDAs, and mobile phones, which are widely used in recent years Constraints on use, such as sex, expose a number of disadvantages.

The present invention is to solve this problem, wired or wireless to a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, PDA, notebook, etc., without a separate support space, while maintaining the basic functions (position control, auxiliary switch signal input) of the existing joystick It is an object of the present invention to provide a more convenient and efficient portable joystick that can be connected to communication means so that a user can perform a user interface operation with one hand.

In addition, the present invention is provided with a vibration motor or a lamp that is driven by receiving a signal from the portable device in the joystick body to perform a two-way communication between the portable device and the joystick to perform various additional functions through the vibration signal or light emission signal Another purpose is to provide a portable joystick.

In addition, the present invention is to form at least one ring-shaped ring on the joystick body to pinch at least one finger of the middle finger, ring finger and the finger is fixed in the palm to be manipulated to position or direction by thumb or index finger to perform a more stable joystick operation Another object is to provide a portable joystick.

1 is a side view for explaining an embodiment of a portable joystick according to the present invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the position control lever of the portable joystick according to the present invention,

3 is a perspective view for explaining a method of using a portable joystick according to the present invention;

4 is a block diagram illustrating a signal processing circuit of a portable joystick according to the present invention;

5 is a side view for explaining a modified example of a portable joystick according to the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

11 joystick body, 12 position control lever

13 ... trigger switch, 14 ... auxiliary switch

15 ... communication cable, 16 ... connector,

18.Signal processing circuit 19 ... Lamp

In order to achieve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a portable joystick of one embodiment of the present invention, comprising: a joystick main body which can be operated by one hand; A position control lever installed outside of the joystick body and operated by one of a thumb or an index finger; A trigger switch installed outside the joystick body and operated by the other of the user's thumb or index finger; Communication means connected between the joystick body and the portable device to transmit a signal to the portable device; And a signal processing circuit for processing signals from the position control lever and trigger switch to transmit and receive signals to and from the portable device through the communication means.

Preferably, the position control lever is installed on the front of the joystick body and the user's thumb, the trigger switch is installed on the rear of the joystick body is characterized in that the user's index finger is operated.

Preferably, it further comprises an auxiliary switch connected to the main body of the joystick and operated by one of a thumb or an index finger.

Preferably, the apparatus further includes a vibration motor driven by receiving a signal from a portable device through a communication means.

Preferably, the method may further include a lamp driven by receiving a signal from the portable device through a communication means.

Preferably, the communication means is a wired communication means or a wireless communication means, the wired communication means is composed of a cable and a connector interconnecting the joystick and the portable device, the wireless communication means each of the joystick and the portable device is a wireless signal transceiver Characterized in having.

In addition, the present invention is characterized by achieving a more stable fixing by forming a fixing ring fitted to at least one finger on the rear end of the joystick body.

The present invention in one embodiment allows the user to wrap the lower part of the joystick body with the user's middle finger (third finger), ring finger (fourth finger), holding (fifth finger) and the like, the existing joystick and Is characterized in that it can be operated by holding with one hand of the user without a separate support space or device.

In addition, the present invention is designed to operate the position control lever by the user's thumb and the trigger switch to operate by the index finger and stop the position control lever and the trigger switch by the stop, ring finger, holding, etc. of the joystick It is attached to the main body so that it can be operated with one hand while maintaining the function of the existing joystick.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the configuration and operation of the portable joystick according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view for explaining an embodiment of a portable joystick according to the present invention. In the embodiment of the present invention, a cable and a connector, which are wired communication means, are used as the mutual communication means of the portable joystick and the portable device.

The portable joystick of FIG. 1 includes a joystick body 11, a position control lever 12, a trigger switch 13, an auxiliary switch 14, a connecting cable 15 and a connector 16, a signal processing circuit 18, and vibrations. It comprises a motor 17 and a lamp 19.

In Figure 1, the joystick body 11 is formed in a substantially cylindrical or square column shape is configured to be gripped and manipulated with only one finger of one hand. The position control lever 12 is provided on the outside of the joystick body 11 and in this embodiment, is installed on the front upper portion of the joystick body 11 so as to be easily operated by the thumb. However, the joystick body 11 It may be installed on the upper rear side to be easily operated by the index finger. The trigger switch 13 is installed on the rear of the joystick body 11 to be easily operated by the user's index finger. However, like the position control lever 12 described above, the trigger switch 13 may be installed on the front surface of the joystick body 11 so as to be easily operated by the thumb. The communication cable 15 and the connector 16 are connected between the output terminal of the joystick body 11 and the input terminal of the portable device 101 to transmit a signal manipulated by a user from the joystick to the portable device 101. The joystick body 11 processes the operation signals of the position control lever 12 and the trigger switch 13 to signal the portable device 101 through the communication cable 15 and the connector 16. A signal processing circuit 18 for transmitting and receiving is built in. The portable device 101 to which the joystick of the present invention is applied is shown as a block in the drawing, but this means not only a small computer terminal such as a portable computer, a mobile phone, a PDA, a portable game machine, but also a general personal computer. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the method and function of the portable device and the portable joystick will not be described in detail.

In addition, the portable joystick of the present invention further includes an auxiliary switch 14 connected to the front surface of the joystick body 11 and operated by a thumb. Similarly, the auxiliary switch 14 may be installed at the rear of the joystick body 11, in which case it is easy to operate with the index finger.

In addition, the portable joystick of the present invention further includes a vibration motor 17 which is driven by receiving a signal from the portable device 101 through the communication cable 15 and the connector 16 inside the joystick body 11.

In addition, the portable joystick of the present invention further includes a lamp 19 driven by receiving a signal from the portable device 101 through the communication cable 15 and the connector 16.

2 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the position control lever of the portable joystick according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a perspective view for explaining a method of using the portable joystick according to the present invention.

As shown in Figure 2, the position control lever 12 is applied to the front of the joystick body 11 is applied to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to be manipulated in the up, down, left and right directions by the thumb 31. . However, although not shown in the figure, it would be more advantageous to operate with the index finger or another finger when the position control lever is installed on the rear top of the joystick body 11. The position of the position control lever 12 is recognized through a position sensor or a switch installed in the joystick body 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the portable joystick of the present invention is configured such that the joystick body 11 is gripped by a palm by the middle finger 33, the ring finger 34, and the holder 35 of the user. The joystick body 11 may be manufactured in a cylindrical or square column shape, but the shape may be variously manufactured according to the designer's design matter. In FIG. 3, the position control lever 12 is installed on the front upper portion of the joystick main body 11 to be operated by the thumb 31, and the trigger switch 13 is installed on the rear side of the joystick, the index finger 32. It is supposed to be operated by. In the embodiment of Figure 3 the position control lever 12 is protruded in the upper front of the joystick body is configured to be easily manipulated in the vertical, left and right direction by the thumb 31, the trigger switch 13 is the index finger 32 It is made of a slightly concave structure in a shape that is easy to contact, but protrudes rather than the surface of the part gripped by other fingers, and the overall shape of the joystick body 11 tends to be slightly oblique to the lower part with respect to the longitudinal axis. Operational advantage of each finger.

In FIG. 3, the auxiliary switch 14 is installed near the position control lever 12 on the front side of the joystick body 11 to be operated by the thumb 31. As a result, it is difficult to operate the position control lever 12 and the auxiliary switch 14 simultaneously with the thumb 31. This auxiliary switch 14 is a control signal of the screen desired by the user, in addition to the position control signal by the operation of the position control lever 12 and the trigger signal according to the operation of the trigger switch 13, as necessary, and the speed of the screen and the game. Mode setting, screen setting signal, screen saving command signal and the like can be transmitted.

4 is a block diagram for explaining the signal processing circuit of the portable joystick according to the present invention, wherein the signal processing circuit 18 is constructed using a microcontroller. The microcontroller 18 receives the input signal from the position control lever 12, the trigger signal of the trigger switch 13, and the auxiliary signal of the auxiliary switch 14 to communicate with the communication protocol of the communication terminal of the external portable device 101. The signal is processed into a signal suitable for the transmission to the portable device 101. In addition, by receiving a signal from the portable device 101 to drive the vibration motor 17 and / or the lamp 19 to perform a two-way communication between the joystick and the portable device, adjusting the settings of the joystick or other additional functions Can be done.

1 and 4 have been described as a wired connection between the signal processing circuit 18 and the portable device 101 through a connection cable 15 and a connector 16, but converts wired communication into a wireless communication module. In this case, the user's convenience can be increased. The joystick and the portable device may be configured to include a wireless signal transceiver as a wireless communication module, respectively, which will be fully understood by those skilled in the art, and thus the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

5 is a perspective view for explaining a modified example of a portable joystick according to the present invention. In FIG. 5, the portable joystick according to another embodiment of the present invention provides a more stable operation by forming fixing rings 51, 52, and 53, which are fitted to the fingers of the middle finger, ring finger, and the holder, at the rear end of the joystick body 11. Promote. In other words, the joystick body is fixed to the user's hand by simply inserting a finger into the fixing ring without the user holding the joystick body, thereby achieving a more convenient and stable operation of the joystick. Fixing ring may be used to stop, ring finger, possession, as shown in Figure 5, but in some cases to provide only one or two fixing rings to perform a minimum fixing function for fixing to the user's hand It may be.

Therefore, as described above, the present invention provides a portable joystick suitable for use in a portable device without the need for a separate support space or device. The utility can be maximized.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can make various changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be appreciated that modifications or variations may be made. Therefore, changes in the future embodiments of the present invention will not be able to escape the technology of the present invention.

Claims (7)

Joystick body that can be manipulated with one hand; A position control lever installed outside of the joystick body and operated by one of a thumb or an index finger; A trigger switch installed outside the joystick body and operated by the other of the user's thumb or index finger; Communication means connected between the joystick body and the portable device to transmit a signal to the portable device; And a signal processing circuit for processing signals from the position control lever and trigger switch to transmit and receive signals to and from the portable device through the communication cable. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the position control lever is installed at the front of the joystick main body and operated by the user's thumb, and the trigger switch is installed at the rear of the joystick main body and operated by the user's index finger. Joystick. The portable joystick of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary switch connected to the main body of the joystick and operated by one of a thumb and an index finger. The portable joystick according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a vibration motor driven by receiving a signal from a portable device through the communication means. The portable joystick according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a lamp driven by a signal from a portable device through the communication means. According to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the communication means may be implemented as a wired communication means or a wireless communication means, the wired communication means is composed of a cable and a connector interconnecting a joystick and a portable device And said wireless communication means comprises a joystick and a portable device each having a wireless signal transceiver. The portable joystick according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a fixing ring fitted to at least one finger is formed at the rear end of the joystick body to achieve more stable fixing.