KR20090026479A

KR20090026479A - Information input unit

Info

Publication number: KR20090026479A
Application number: KR1020070091478A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 유현오
Original assignee: 엘지이노텍 주식회사
Priority date: 2007-09-10
Filing date: 2007-09-10
Publication date: 2009-03-13

Abstract

An information input device for an electronic device is disclosed. The information input device interposes a thrust washer between the holder and the magnet, or forms a projection in contact with the magnet in the holder. As a result, the frictional resistance between the holder and the magnet is reduced, and the support member and the holder, to which the magnet is coupled, do not contact each other at a predetermined distance from each other. Therefore, the feeling of rotation when rotating the rotary cover is improved.

Description

Information input device {INFORMATION INPUT UNIT}

1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional information input device.

2 is a cross-sectional view of an information input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view of an information input device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

110: substrate 120: base

130 holder 140 rotating cover

150: support frame 160: support member

170: magnet 180: cogging plate

191,195: 1st Thrust Washer

The present invention relates to an information input device for an electronic device.

Today, electronic devices such as mobile communication devices are provided with a button type information input device for generating a signal by a user's push operation and a wheel type information input device for generating a signal by a user's rotation operation.

A conventional wheel type information input device will be described with reference to FIG. 1. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional information input device.

As shown, a ring-shaped holder 13 is fixed to an upper surface of the substrate 11, and a ring-shaped rotating cover 21 concentric with the holder 13 is rotatably attached to the upper surface of the holder 13. Combined.

In detail, the rotation cover 21 is rotatably installed on the holder 13 since the outer circumferential surface side of the support frame 23 coupled to the inner circumferential surface side is rotatably coupled to the inner circumferential surface side of the holder 13. Then, the rotary cover 21 and the support frame 23 are coupled to each other by a support member 25 formed by injection.

The cogging plate 15 and the magnet 27 are coupled to the holder 13 and the support member 25 so as to face each other. Thus, when the rotary cover 21 is rotated, cogging torque is generated by the magnet 27 and the cogging plate 15 rotating together with the rotary cover 21, and the user feels a click due to the cogging torque.

Since the lower surface of the inner circumferential surface side of the support member 25 is supported in contact with the upper surface of the inner circumferential surface side of the holder 13, when the rotary cover 21 is rotated, a feeling of rotation is caused by frictional resistance between the support member 25 and the holder 13. Is reduced. In order to prevent this, a thrust washer 31 is interposed between the lower surface of the inner circumferential surface side of the support member 25 and the upper surface of the inner circumferential surface side of the holder 13.

In order for the user to rotate the rotary cover 21, the user must put the finger on the surface of the rotary cover 21 and rotate the rotary cover 21 in the circumferential direction. However, even in this case, since the force that presses the rotary cover 21 toward the substrate 11 acts, the rotary cover 21 is pressed against the substrate 11 to rotate.

Then, since the lower surface of the rotating magnet 27 is in contact with the upper surface of the holder 13, there is a disadvantage that the rotational feeling of the rotary cover 21 is lowered, thereby reducing the reliability of the product.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention to provide an information input device that can improve the reliability.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information input apparatus comprising: a substrate provided with a switch element and a hall element; A ring holder fixed to the substrate; A ring-shaped rotating cover rotatably installed on the holder and for driving the switch element installed on the substrate via the holder; A support frame coupled to an inner circumferential surface side of the rotating cover and rotatably coupled to an outer circumferential surface side of the holder; A support member formed on one surface of the rotary cover facing the holder to fix the rotary cover and the support frame; A ring-shaped magnet coupled to one surface of the support member facing the holder and having a gap with the holder; A cogging plate fixed to the holder to face the magnet; Means for reducing the friction between the holder and the magnet and at the same time apart from the holder and the support member.

Hereinafter, an information input device according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a cross-sectional view of an information input device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the support member and the magnet shown in FIG. 2.

As illustrated, a substrate 110 provided with a plurality of switch elements 111, a hall element 113, and the like is provided. The switch element 111 is radially installed around a virtual vertical line perpendicular to the substrate 110 on one surface of the substrate 110 in a vertical direction, and the hall element 113 is provided on one side of the switch element 111.

The base 120 is coupled to the other surface of the substrate 110 in the vertical direction, and a plurality of brackets 121 are formed on the same circumference of the base 120 around the imaginary vertical line to one side of the substrate 110 in the vertical direction. It protrudes.

Hereinafter, one surface in the vertical direction of the substrate 110 is referred to as an 'top surface' and the other surface is referred to as a 'bottom'. In addition, the upper and lower surfaces of the other components are also named corresponding to the substrate 110.

The ring-shaped holder 130 formed of a nonmagnetic material is fixed to the upper surface of the substrate 110 to be concentric with the virtual vertical line. The holder 130 has a horizontal frame 131 parallel to the substrate and a vertical frame 131 extending upward from the horizontal frame 131 on the inner circumferential surface of the horizontal frame 131. The holder 130 is fixed to the substrate 110 because the protrusion 131a protruding from the outer circumferential surface side of the horizontal frame 131 is inserted into the bracket 121.

The upper surface side of the holder 130 is rotatably coupled to the ring-shaped rotating cover 140 concentric with the holder 130.

In detail, a ring-shaped support frame 150 is coupled to the inner circumferential surface side of the rotary cover 140, and the support frame 150 and the rotary cover 140 have a lower surface of the rotary cover 140 facing the holder 130. And it is integrally formed with the support member 160 formed by injection on the outer surface side. Thus, the rotary cover 140 and the support frame 150 and the support member 160 are coupled to each other. Then, the outer circumferential surface side of the support frame 150 is rotatably coupled to the inner circumferential surface side of the holder 130, so that the rotary cover 140 is rotatably installed on the holder 130.

The support member 160 also has a ring shape, and a ring-shaped recess 161 is formed on the bottom surface of the support member 160 facing the holder 130 with a 단면 -shaped cross section recessed toward the upper surface side. do.

A ring-shaped magnet 170 having a plurality of poles is coupled to the inner circumferential surface and the upper surface of the recess 161, and a plurality of cogging plates facing the magnet 170 are coupled to the holder 130 ( 180) are combined. Thus, when the rotary cover 140 is rotated, cogging torque is generated by the magnet 170 rotating together with the rotary cover 140 and the cogging plate 180 fixed to the holder 130, and the user is referred to as the cogging torque. I feel a click.

At this time, the horizontal frame 131 of the holder 130, the magnet 170 is opposed. In addition, the vertical frame 135 is positioned at the inner circumferential surface side of the depression 161 to have a predetermined distance from the surface of the depression 161.

A predetermined gap is formed between the horizontal frame 131 and the magnet 140 and between the upper surface of the vertical frame 130 and the upper surface of the recess 161. Then, when the user rotates the rotary cover 140 with a finger, a force that is pressed toward the substrate 110 side to the rotary cover 140 acts. That is, when the rotary cover 140 is rotated, one side of the rotary cover 140 is pressed toward the substrate 110 to rotate, so that the horizontal frame 131 and the magnet 140 contact each other, and the upper surface of the vertical frame 135 The upper surface of the depression 161 is in contact with and rotates. Therefore, the feeling of rotation for rotating the rotary cover 140 is reduced by the frictional resistance.

In the information input device according to the present exemplary embodiment, the friction force between the horizontal frame 131 and the magnet 170 of the holder 130 is reduced, and the support member 160 is spaced apart from the rotating cover 140 to form the holder 130. And spaced apart from the support member 160 are provided.

The means is interposed between the horizontal frame 131 and the magnet 170 is provided as a first thrust washer 191 in contact with the upper surface of the horizontal frame 131 and the lower surface of the magnet 170. Then, not only the frictional resistance between the magnet 170 and the holder 130 is reduced, but also the magnet 170 is supported by the first thrust washer 191, so that the recess 161 is recessed with the upper surface of the vertical frame 135. The upper surface of) is to be spaced apart.

In this case, a second thrust holder 195 may be interposed between the upper surface of the vertical frame 135 and the upper surface of the recess 161.

The operation of the information input device according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

When the magnet 170 rotates by the rotation of the rotary cover 140, the hall element 113 detects a change in magnetic flux of the magnet 170 to detect a rotation direction and the amount of rotation of the rotary cover 140. Then, according to the rotation direction and the amount of rotation of the rotary cover 140 in the control circuit of the product connected to the substrate 110, the scroll bar on the display of the product to specify the desired data. Then, by pressing the rotary cover 140, the switch element 111 is turned on, and the signal of the switch element 111 is output to the control circuit to determine the direction of the scroll and the amount of scroll.

3 is a cross-sectional view of an information input device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and only a difference from FIG. 2 will be described.

The means is provided with a plurality of protrusions 232 protruding upward from the upper surface of the horizontal frame 231 to be in contact with the lower surface of the magnet 170. Then, since the protrusion 232 and the magnet 170 contact, the contact area between the magnet 170 and the holder 230 is reduced to reduce the frictional resistance. In addition, since the magnet 170 is supported by the protrusion 232, the upper surface of the vertical frame 235 and the upper surface of the recess 161 is to be kept spaced apart. In addition, the second thrust holder 195 may be interposed between the upper surface of the vertical frame 235 and the upper surface of the recess 161.

In addition, a first thrust washer 191 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be interposed between the protrusion 232 and the magnet 170.

As described above, the information input device according to the present invention interposes a thrust washer between the holder and the magnet, or forms a projection in contact with the magnet in the holder. As a result, the frictional resistance between the holder and the magnet is reduced, and the support member and the holder, to which the magnet is coupled, do not contact each other at a predetermined distance from each other. Therefore, the feeling of rotation when rotating the rotary cover is improved.

In the above, the present invention has been described in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, but those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs and also changes and modifications within the scope without departing from the spirit of the present invention Of course.

Claims

A substrate provided with a switch element and a hall element;

A ring holder fixed to the substrate;

A ring-shaped rotating cover rotatably installed on the holder and for driving the switch element installed on the substrate via the holder;

A support frame coupled to an inner circumferential surface side of the rotating cover and rotatably coupled to an outer circumferential surface side of the holder;

A support member formed on one surface of the rotary cover facing the holder to fix the rotary cover and the support frame;

A ring-shaped magnet coupled to one surface of the support member facing the holder and having a gap with the holder;

A cogging plate fixed to the holder to face the magnet;

And means for reducing the friction between the holder and the magnet and separating the holder from the support member.

The method of claim 1,

One surface of the support member facing the holder is formed with a ring-shaped depression recessed to the other surface side,

The magnet is coupled to the inner peripheral surface side of the depression,

The holder is parallel to the substrate and is formed extending from the inner circumferential surface of the horizontal frame and the horizontal rim facing the magnet and located on the inner circumferential surface side of the recess and having a predetermined distance from the surface of the recess. With a vertical frame,

And said means is a first thrust washer interposed between said horizontal frame and said magnet.

The method of claim 1,

The magnet is coupled to the inner peripheral surface side of the depression,

The holder is parallel to the substrate and formed in the horizontal frame facing the magnet and extending from the inner peripheral surface of the horizontal frame to the depression side located on the inner inner peripheral surface of the depression and has a predetermined distance from the surface of the depression With a vertical frame,

And the means is a plurality of protrusions protruding from the horizontal frame toward the magnet and contacting the magnet.

The method of claim 1,

The magnet is coupled to the inner peripheral surface side of the depression,

And the means is a plurality of protrusions protruding from the horizontal frame toward the magnet side, and a first thrust washer interposed between the protrusion and the magnet.

The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,

And a second thrust washer interposed between the end face of the vertical frame and the recess.