WO2011089466A1

WO2011089466A1 - Sensor device, input device, and game ball firing device

Info

Publication number: WO2011089466A1
Application number: PCT/IB2010/001567
Authority: WO
Inventors: 糸長　雅文; 徳浩位田
Original assignee: パナソニック電工株式会社
Priority date: 2010-01-19
Filing date: 2010-06-29
Publication date: 2011-07-28

Abstract

Provided is a sensor device that can detect the position of a linearly-displaceable object-to-be-detected regardless of the movement pattern thereof. The sensor device includes: a detection coil (21) arranged in a manner such that the axial direction of the coil is oriented in a predetermined linear direction; a conductive cylindrical element (31) arranged to be movable in the axial direction of the coil in accordance with the displacement of the object-to-be-detected and in a manner such that the amount by which the detection coil (21) is inserted into the cylinder can be changed; and a control board (4) that outputs a positional signal proportional to the displacement of the object-to-be-detected based on a change in the inductance of the detection coil (21), which change corresponds to the displacement of the conductive cylindrical element (31).

Description

Description Sensor device and input device, game ball launcher Technical Field

The present invention relates to a sensor device that detects a displacement amount or a position of a detection target object that is linearly displaced, an input device that uses the sensor device, and a game ball launch device that uses the input device. Background art

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various types of sensor devices that detect the displacement amount or position of a detection target object that is linearly displaced have been provided. For example, Patent Document 1 includes a shift lever of an automobile as an object to be detected, and includes a magnet provided on a shift lever and a plurality of magnetoresistive elements arranged so as to correspond to each position of the shift lever. The sensor device is described. Each magnetoresistive element outputs a binary signal of “0” or “1” depending on the position of the magnet. The combination of the output signals of these magnetoresistive elements causes the shift lever to The operation position, that is, the shift position can be identified.

Here, the position of an operating body operated by a person is detected by a sensor device, and an input device using the detection output of the sensor device as an operation input, and a game ball (for example, with a force corresponding to the operation input input by the input device) Various game ball launching devices that launch pachinko balls are also provided (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2 0 0 7-2 7 8 7 2 0 (paragraph [0 0 1 6] — [0 0 3 2] and FIG. 1 to FIG. 9)

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2 0 0 3-1 5 9 3 8 6 (Refer to the eighth embodiment)

In the sensor device shown in Patent Document 1 described above, the shift position can be identified by the combination of output signals of the magnetoresistive elements. However, if the shift patterns are different, the magnetoresistive elements are arranged according to the shift pattern. There was a need to change.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to provide a sensor device capable of detecting the position of a detection target object regardless of the motion pattern of the detection target object that is linearly displaced. An input device and a game ball launching device are also provided.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a detection coil arranged so that the winding axis direction is a predetermined linear direction, and winding according to the displacement of the detection target object so that the amount of insertion of the detection coil into the cylinder changes. A conductive cylinder that is movably disposed in the axial direction, and a detection coil in accordance with the displacement of the conductive cylinder. And a signal output means for outputting a position signal proportional to the displacement of the object to be detected based on the change in conductance.

The invention of claim 2 is the invention of claim 1, wherein a plurality of detection coils and conductive cylinders are respectively arranged in one moving direction, and the signal output means is at least one detection coil. A position signal is output based on the change in inductance. The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, the detection coil is wound, and a coil pobbin in which both ends in the winding axis direction of the detection coil are supported by the support means is provided.

The invention of claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the detection coil, the conductive cylinder, the signal output means, and the conductive cylinder are supported and movable together with the conductive cylinder. The movable body and the case each include guide means for guiding the movable body when the movable body is moved.

The invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 4, the case is provided with a stopper for restricting movement of the movable body by the contact of the movable body.

The invention of claim 6 is the invention of any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising two sets of detection parts each comprising a detection coil and a conductive cylinder corresponding to the detection coil, The parts are arranged so that the moving directions of the conductive cylinders relative to the detection coil intersect each other. In order to achieve the above object, a seventh aspect of the present invention is directed to the sensor device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, an operation unit that is operated by a human hand to displace the conductive cylinder of the sensor device, and a sensor. And a signal processing unit that converts a position signal output from the signal output means of the apparatus into an operation signal corresponding to the displacement and position of the operation unit.

The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claim 7, wherein the signal processing unit outputs an operation signal having a signal level corresponding to the position of the conductive cylinder on a one-to-one basis. In addition to being divided into sections, the correspondence relationship between the position in each section and the signal level of the operation signal is expressed by a linear relationship having different rates of change.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 9 is directed to the input device of claim 7 or 8, a launching unit for launching by applying an external force to the game ball, and a signal level of an operation signal input from the input device. And a control unit for controlling the magnitude of the external force applied to the game ball from the launch unit.

According to the first aspect of the invention, since the linear position signal corresponding to the displacement of the detection target object is output, the external device to which the position signal is input is used to identify the position. By changing the threshold value, it is possible to cope with any operation pattern, and as a result, the detection part can be shared. In addition, since the output from the sensor device is a linear output, the operation of the detection target object can be constantly monitored, and as a result, the operation direction of the detection target object can be predicted. is there.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there are provided a plurality of detection means including the detection coil and the conductive cylinder, and the difference exceeds the predetermined reference range by comparing the detection results of the detection means. In this case, it can be determined that any of the detection means is broken, so that it is possible to prevent the detection means from continuing to be used with the failure. In addition, when position detection is performed based on the detection result of one detection means, even if one of the detection means fails, the remaining position can be detected by the remaining detection means, thus preventing erroneous detection. There is an effect that can be done.

According to the invention of claim 3, by supporting the coil pobbins at both ends in the winding direction of the detection coil, the parallelism between the detection coil and the conductive cylinder is ensured, and the gap between the two is dispersed. Since it can be suppressed, the linearity of the coil output can be secured.

According to the invention of claim 4, by providing the guide means on the case and the movable body, the movable body can be moved smoothly along the guide means, and rattling caused by disturbances such as vibrations. As a result, the fluctuation in the output of the detection coil caused by the above can be suppressed.

According to the invention of claim 5, by providing the stopper, the movement of the movable body can be regulated within a predetermined range, and the movable body comes into contact with the stopper, and an excessive force is applied. Even when it is applied, this force is received by the movable body, so that there is an effect that the conductive cylinder can be prevented from being damaged without excessive force being applied to the conductive cylinder. According to the sixth aspect of the invention, by arranging the two detection units so that the moving directions of the conductive cylinders of the detection units intersect with each other, the position detection in the two directions intersecting each other from the detection results of the detection units. As a result, it is possible to provide a sensor device capable of detecting a position on a plane.

According to the invention of claim 7, since the operation position of the operation unit is detected by the non-contact type sensor device, there is an effect that it is possible to provide an input device with little deterioration over time.

According to the invention of claim 8, for example, if the rate of change in a certain section is made smaller than the rate of change in other sections, the signal level of the operation signal can be adjusted more finely in the former section. There is.

According to the invention of claim 9, there is an effect that it is possible to provide a game ball launching device with little deterioration over time.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a sensor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] (a) is a perspective view of the above, and (b) is a perspective view of the cover with the cover removed.

[Figure 3] Same as above, (a) is a front view with the cover removed, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a bottom view, (d) is a rear view, and (e) is X 1 — X 1 sectional view.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing Embodiment 2 of the sensor device according to the present invention.

5A is a perspective view of the same, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the same with the cover removed. [Fig.6] Same as above, (a) Front view with cover removed, (b) Cross section taken along line X2-X2, (c) Cross section taken along line X3-X3, (d) FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line X4-X4.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the input device and the game ball launcher according to the present invention.

[Fig. 8] (a) to (c) are diagrams showing output characteristics of the input device in the same as above.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the above input device.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the above input device.

Fig. 11 shows the input device. (A) is a front view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 11 (a). BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(Embodiment 1)

First, Embodiment 1 of the sensor device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The sensor device according to the present invention is a linear motion used for detecting a linear displacement amount of an object to be detected (for example, a shift lever of an automobile, an operation unit of an input device used for a game ball launching device to be described later). This is a sensor device of the type.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor device of the first embodiment. This sensor device accommodates two sets of coil blocks 2, a pipe block 3, a control board (signal output means) 4, and these. Case 1 is provided.

The case 1 is attached to the case body 10 so as to block the opening of the case body 10 having a vertically long rectangular box whose one surface (the upper surface in FIG. 1) is open and the case body 10. It is composed of 1 and 1. The case body 10 is, for example, a synthetic resin molded product, and a rectangular box in which a connector (not shown) is inserted and connected to one end side of the case body 10 in the longitudinal direction (the lower side of FIG. 3B). The connector connector 1 2 is provided on the body, and the connector port 1 2 is connected to the lower surface of the connector connector 1 2 (the surface opposite to the case body 10). (See Fig. 2 (a) and Fig. 2 (b)).

In addition, a vertically long rectangular opening window 1 O c is opened at the center of the bottom surface of the case body 10 (see FIG. 3 (d)). Guide ribs 1 O a and 10 a protruding to the (cover 1 1 side) are provided along the longitudinal direction of the opening window 10 c. Further, stoppers 10 b and 10 b projecting upward are provided along the width direction of the opening window 10 c at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the opening window 10 c.

In addition, a plurality (four in this embodiment) of L-shaped connector terminals 5 are arranged side by side inside the connector connecting portion 12 2 such that one end thereof faces the connection port 1 2 a. (See Fig. 3 (c)), and the other end of each connector terminal 5 is soldered to a predetermined position on the control board 4 described later (Fig. 2 (b), Fig. 3 (a) and Fig. 3). 3 (see Θ). These connector terminals 5 are formed simultaneously with the case main body 10 together with the connector connecting portion 12.

The cover 1 1 is a synthetic resin molded product similar to the case body 10, and the case body 1 0 is opened. It is set to approximately the same size as the mouth dimension, and can be attached to the case body 10 by a method such as adhesion or ultrasonic welding. In addition, a vertically long rectangular opening window 1 1 a is opened at the center of the cover 1 1 1, and both ends of the opening window 1 1 a in the width direction are below (case body 10 side). Protruding ribs 11 b and 11 b are provided along the longitudinal direction of the opening window 11 a. Here, these ribs 11 b, 11 b are in contact with a movable body 30 of a pipe block 3 described later, and prevent the movable body 30 from rattling.

The coil block 2 includes a coil bobbin 20 made of a synthetic resin made of a straight cylindrical body, a detection coil 21 wound around a winding body 20 a provided on the right half of the coil bobbin 20, and A pair of coil terminals 2 2, 2 2 disposed on one end side of the coil bobbin 20 and electrically connected to both ends of the detection coil 21, and one end in the longitudinal direction of the coil bobbin 20 It consists of coil holder 2 3. In addition, a guide portion 20 b having a diameter larger than that of the winding body portion 20 a is provided in about half of the left side of the coil bobbin 20. One end of each coil pobin 20 is supported by the case body 10 by the coil holder 1 3 and the coil terminals 2 2 and 2 2 provided on the other end of the coil pobin 20 are connected to the control board 4 Thus, the other end is also supported. Each coil block 2 is arranged on both sides in the width direction of the case body 10 so that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the longitudinal direction of the case body 10 (FIGS. 2 (b) and 3). (See (a)). Here, in the present embodiment, the coil terminals 2 2, 2 2 and the coil holder 23 3 constitute a supporting means.

The pipe block 3 includes a movable body 30 that is movably disposed with respect to the coil block 2 housed in the case body 10, and conductive cylinders 3 1, 3 supported by the movable body 30. It consists of 1. The movable body 30 is, for example, a synthetic resin molded product, and cylindrical holding bodies 3 O b and 30 b are integrally provided on both sides in the width direction of the rectangular plate-shaped movable body main body 30 a. ing. The holding bodies 3 O b and 3 O b hold the conductive cylinder 31 at the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the conductive cylinder 31 (see FIG. 1). In addition, an oval through hole 30 d is provided at the center of the movable body 30 a, and a detection target object (not shown) such as a shift lever has one end on the side. The movable body 30 can be attached in a state of being inserted into the through hole 30 d. Further, guides 10 a and 10 a provided on the case body 10 side are respectively provided on the lower surface of the movable body body 30 a (surface facing the bottom surface of the case body 10). Grooves 30 c and 30 c are provided. Here, in this embodiment, the guide means is constituted by the guide ribs 10 a and 10 a, the guide grooves 30 c and 30 c, and the ribs 11 b and 11 b.

The conductive cylindrical body 3 "I is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape by interfacial bonding of two semi-cylindrical bodies bent from, for example, a thin aluminum plate, and the movable body 30 is connected via the holding body 30b. In the present embodiment, both are formed at the same time in order to improve the positional accuracy of the movable body 30 and the conductive cylinder 31. Note that the inner diameter of each conductive cylinder 31 is Is set to a size that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the guide portion 20 b of the coil bobbin 20 and that does not interfere when the conductive cylinder 3 1 moves relative to the corresponding detection coil 21. . The control board 4 is composed of a horizontally-long rectangular board-like printed circuit board 40, and through holes 41 are provided in the portions corresponding to the connector terminals 5 described above, and also correspond to the coil terminals 22. Each part has through holes 42 (see Fig. 1). Furthermore, electronic components such as a microcomputer are mounted on the printed circuit board 40. In this microcomputer, a position proportional to the displacement of the object to be detected based on the inductance change of the detection coil 21. A signal is created, and the created position signal is output to an external device (not shown) via the connector terminal 5. The longitudinal dimension of the control board 4 is set to be approximately the same as the width dimension of the case body 10, and the case body 10 is closed in the form of a partial opening on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the case body 10. It is mounted (see Fig. 2 (b) and Fig. 3 (a)).

Next, the assembly procedure of the sensor device will be described. In the following description, it is assumed that each coil block 2 and pipe block 3 are assembled in advance. First, after passing each coil bobbin 20 around which the detection coil 21 is wound around the winding body 20 a through the corresponding conductive cylinder 31, a coil holder is provided at each end of each coil pobbin 20. Install 1 2 3. Thereafter, the coil blocks 2, 2 and the pipe block 3 assembled together are accommodated in the case body 10 such that the coil blocks 2 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the case body 10. At this time, each coil holder 23 is fixed to the case main body 10 by a method such as bonding or ultrasonic welding. Furthermore, after the control board 4 is arranged at a predetermined position, each connector terminal 5 and each coil terminal 22 are fixed to the predetermined positions of the control board 4 by soldering (see FIG. 2 (b) and FIG. 3 (a)). . Finally, when the cover 11 is attached to the case body 10 so as to close the opening of the case body 10, the assembly of the sensor device is completed (see FIG. 2 (a)).

In this state, the guide grooves 30 c, 30 c of the movable body 30 engage with the guide ribs 10 a, 10 a of the corresponding case body 10, respectively, The ribs 1 1 b and 11 b are in contact with the upper surface of the movable body 30. Accordingly, by providing the guide ribs 10 a, 10 a, the guide grooves 30 c, 30 c and the ribs 11 b, 11 b (guide means), a guide is provided when the movable body 30 is moved. It can be moved smoothly along the means, and output fluctuations of the detection coil 21 caused by rattling due to disturbances such as vibration can be suppressed.

Next, the operation of this sensor device will be described. A detection target object (not shown) such as a shift lever attached to the movable body 30 or an operation unit of the input device is in a predetermined direction (a direction along the longitudinal direction of the opening window 1 1 a provided in the cover 11 1). When moved to, the moving object 30 moves in conjunction with the movement of the object to be detected. At this time, the amount of insertion of the detection coils 2 1 and 2 1 inserted into the both conductive cylinders 3 1 and 3 1 by the movement of the both conductive cylinders 3 1 and 3 1 together with the movable body 30 As a result, the inductance of each detection coil 21 changes. The control board 4 detects these inductance changes via the coil terminals 2 2 and 2 2, creates a position signal proportional to the displacement of the object to be detected based on the detected inductance changes, and then connects the connector terminal 5 The position signal is output to an external device via. Here, in the present embodiment, two sets of detection means composed of the detection coil 21 and the conductive cylinder 31 are provided, and the detection result of each detection means (that is, the inductance change of the detection coil 21) is obtained. By comparing, if the difference exceeds the predetermined reference range, it can be determined that one of the detection means has failed. Can do. In addition, when position detection is performed based on the detection result of one detection means, even if one detection means fails, position detection can be performed by the remaining detection means, so that erroneous detection can be prevented. .

In the present embodiment, stoppers 1 O b and 10 0 b are provided at both ends in the moving direction of the movable body 30 (the winding direction of the detection coil 21), and the movable body 30 is positioned at the end. In this state, the end of the movable body 30 and one of the stoppers 1 Ob contact each other, so that the further movement of the movable body 30 is restricted. Therefore, even when an excessive force is applied to the end of the movable range, this force is received by the movable body 30, so that no excessive force is applied to each conductive cylinder 31, It is possible to prevent the damage to the cylindrical member 31. Thus, according to the present embodiment, since it is configured to output a linear position signal corresponding to the displacement of the detection target object such as a shift lever, in the external device to which this position signal is input By changing the threshold value for identifying the position, it is possible to cope with an arbitrary operation pattern, and as a result, the detection part (the coil block 2 and the pipe block 3) can be shared. In addition, by making the output from this sensor device a linear output, it is possible to constantly monitor the movement of the detection target object, and as a result, it is possible to predict the movement direction of the detection target object. Furthermore, by supporting the coil bobbin 20 at both ends in the longitudinal direction (the winding axis direction of the detection coil 21), the parallelism between the detection coil 21 and the conductive cylinder 31 is ensured, and the gap between the two is secured. Variation of the coil can be suppressed, and the linearity of the coil output can be secured.

In this embodiment, two detection coils 21 and two conductive cylinders 31 are provided (that is, two sets of detection means), but the number of these is not limited to this embodiment. There may be one, for example, or three or more. However, the number of detection coils 21 and the number of conductive cylinders 31 need to be the same. Further, the movable range of the movable body 30 may be set as appropriate according to the detection target object to be attached, and the shape of the apparatus may be other shapes as long as the position on the straight line can be detected.

(Embodiment 2)

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor device according to the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the case where the displacement direction of the detection target object is one direction has been described, but in this embodiment, the displacement direction of the detection target object is two. A sensor device when the direction, that is, the detection target object is displaced on a plane will be described. Other basic configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. In addition, in FIGS. 4 to 6, illustration of the connector connection portion and the connector terminal is omitted, but in reality, a position signal proportional to the displacement of the detection target object is transmitted to the external device (not shown) via the connector terminal. ). As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor device of the present embodiment includes four sets of coil blocks 2, two sets of pipe blocks 3, a control board (signal output means) 4, and a case 1 for storing them. It is equipped with.

Case 1 has a rectangular box-shaped case body 10 whose one side (front surface in FIG. 4) is open, and a cover 1 which is attached to case body 10 so as to close the opening of case body 10. It consists of 1. A rectangular opening window 1 O c is opened at the center of the bottom of the case body 10 (the rear face in FIG. 4). The opening edge of the opening window 1 O c has a front (cover 1 1 side). The guide ribs 10 a projecting to) are provided along the four sides. Here, the two opposing guide ribs 1 O a, 1 O a are set to the same height dimension (projection dimension from the case body 10), and adjacent guide ribs 1 O a, 10 a are set to different height dimensions.

Cover 1 1 is a synthetic resin molded product, similar to case body 10, and is set to approximately the same dimension as the opening dimension of case body 10, and the case body can be bonded or ultrasonically welded. Can be attached to 1 0. Further, a rectangular opening window 1 1 a is opened at the center of the cover 1 1 1, and the opening edge of the opening window 1 1 a protrudes rearward (case body 10 side). Ribs 1 1 b are provided along the four sides. Here, the two opposing ribs 1 1 b and 1 1 b are set to the same height (projecting dimension from the cover 1 1), and adjacent ribs 1 1 b and 1 1 b are set to different height dimensions. The cover 1 1 has the ribs 1 1 b and 1 1 b having relatively small heights opposed to the guide ribs 1 O a and 10 a having relatively large heights on the case body 10 side. In this way, it is attached to the case body 10. Here, as in the first embodiment, the rib 11 b is in contact with a movable body 30 of a pipe block 3 to be described later, and prevents the movable body 30 from rattling. .

The coil block 2 includes a coil pobbin 20, a detection coil 2 1 wound around the winding body 20 a of the coil pobbin 20, and a pair of coil terminals 2 2 electrically connected to both ends of the detection coil 2 1. , 2 2 and coil holder 1 2 3. Each coil bobbin 20 is supported by the case body 10 at one end by the coil holder 1 3 and the coil terminals 2 2 and 2 2 provided at the other end of the coil bobbin 20 are connected to the control board 4 Thus, the other end is also supported. Each coil block 2 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is along the four sides of the case body 10 (see FIG. 5 (b) and FIG. 6 (a)). Here, in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the coil terminals 2 2, 2 2 and the coil holder 23 3 constitute a supporting means.

The pipe block 3 includes a movable body 30 and conductive cylinders 3 1 and 3 1 as in the first embodiment. The movable body 30 is, for example, a synthetic resin molded product. At both ends in the longitudinal direction of a horizontally long rectangular plate-shaped movable body main body 30 a, cylindrical holding bodies 3 O b and 30 b Is provided. These holding bodies 3 O b and 3 O b hold the conductive cylinder 31 at the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the conductive cylinder 31 (see FIG. 4). In addition, the movable body 3 0 a An oval through hole 30d is provided in the center, and one end side of a detection target object (not shown) such as a shift lever is movably disposed in the through hole 30d. It will be. In other words, the through hole 30 d is a movable range of the detection target object in one direction. Furthermore, guide grooves 30 c and 30 c that engage with the guide ribs 10 a and 10 a are provided on the lower surface of the movable body 30 a (the surface facing the bottom surface of the case body 10) ( (See Figure 6 (b) and Figure 6 (c)). Here, in the present embodiment, the guide means is constituted by the guide ribs 1 O a, 10 a, the guide grooves 30 c, 30 c, and the ribs 1 1 b, 1 1 b as in the first embodiment. . In addition, one detector is constituted by the two coil blocks 2 and 2 and one pipe block 3, and in this embodiment, two sets of detectors are provided. Since the conductive cylinder 31 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

The control board 4 is made of a rectangular board-like printed board 40, and an opening window 40a is opened at the center of the printed board 40. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted here.

Next, the assembly procedure of the sensor device will be described. In the following description, it is assumed that each coil block 2 and pipe block 3 are assembled in advance. First, after passing the coil bobbins 20 each having the detection coil 21 wound around the winding body 20a through the corresponding conductive cylinders 31, the coil holders 23 are respectively attached to the ends of the coil bobbins 20. Assemble one detector. Similarly, the other detection unit is assembled. After that, each detector block is accommodated in the case body 10 so that each coil block 2 is along the two opposite sides of the case body 10, and each coil block 2 is further left in the case body 10. The other detector is housed in the case body 10 along the two sides. As a result, the two detection units are arranged at different height positions, and the moving direction of the movable body 30 of both detection units is set to a direction orthogonal to each other (FIGS. 5B and 6A). reference). Each coil holder 23 is fixed to the case main body 10 by a method such as bonding or ultrasonic welding as in the first embodiment. Further, the control board 4 is accommodated in the case body 10 so that the opening of the case body 10 is closed, and each coil terminal 22 is soldered to the control board 4 (FIGS. 6B and 6). (See (c) and Figure 6 (d)). Finally, when the cover 11 is attached to the case body 10 so as to close the opening of the case body 10, the assembly of the sensor device is completed (see FIG. 5A). Here, in a state where the detection target object is attached to the sensor device, one end of the detection target object is passed through the through holes 30 d and 30 d of the movable bodies 30 and 30 that are arranged orthogonal to each other. In other words, the detection target object moves along both through holes 30 d and 30 d.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, each guide groove 30 c. 30 c of the movable body 30 engages with the corresponding guide rib 10 0 a, 10 0 a of the corresponding case body 10, and the cover 1 1 ribs 1 1 b and 1 1 b are in contact with the upper surface of the movable body 30. Therefore, by providing the guide ribs 10 a, 10 a, the guide grooves 30 c, 30 c and the ribs 1 1 b, 1 1 b (guide means), the guide means can be used when the movable body 30 is moved. Move smoothly along In addition, fluctuations in the output of the detection coil 21 caused by rattling due to disturbances such as vibration can be suppressed.

Next, the operation of this sensor device will be described. The object to be detected such as a shift lever passed through the through holes 30 d, 30 d of both movable bodies 30, 30 is within a predetermined range (in this embodiment, the opening of the cover 11 1 If the object is moved within the range of the window 11a, the movable bodies 30 move in directions orthogonal to each other in conjunction with the movement of the detection target object. Here, in one of the detection units, the detection coil 21 inserted into each of the conductive cylinders 31 by moving the two conductive cylinders 31 and 31 supported by the movable body 30. As a result, the inductance of each detection coil 21 changes. The control board 4 detects the inductance change of each detection coil 2 1 via the coil terminals 2 2 and 2 2, and provides position information proportional to the displacement of the detection target object based on each detected inductance change. calculate. Similarly, the control board 4 calculates position information proportional to the displacement of the detection target object for the other detection unit. After that, the control board 4 creates a position signal indicating the position in the X direction and the position in the Y direction of the object to be detected from these pieces of position information, and sends the created position signal to the outside via a connector connection (not shown). Output to the device.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, two sets of detection units each including the detection coils 2 1 and 21 and the conductive cylinders 3 1 and 3 1 corresponding to the detection coils 2 1 and 2 1 are provided. By setting the movement direction of the conductive cylinders 3 1, 3 1 of one detection unit and the movement direction of the conductive cylinders 3 1, 3 1 of the other detection unit to directions orthogonal to each other, It is possible to provide a sensor device that can detect positions in two orthogonal directions from the detection results of each detector, and as a result, can detect the position on a plane. In the present embodiment, the case where there are two detection coils 21 and two conductive cylinders 31 constituting each detection unit has been described as an example. However, these numbers are limited to the present embodiment. Instead, for example, it may be one by one, or three or more. However, the number of detection coils 21 and the number of conductive cylinders 31 need to be the same. Also in the present embodiment, a stopper for restricting the movement of the movable body 30 may be provided, and damage to the conductive cylindrical body 31 can be prevented as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the movable range of the movable body 30 may be appropriately set according to the detection target object to be attached, and the shape of the apparatus may be other shapes as long as the position on the plane can be detected.

(Embodiment 3)

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an input device using the sensor device of Embodiment 1 and a game ball launching device using the input device will be described.

This type of game ball launcher is mainly used as a launcher for pachinko balls (game balls) on electric pachinko machines. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the game ball launching apparatus of the present embodiment. This game ball launching device includes an input device W, a touch sensor 150, a control unit D, and a launching unit X. For example, the launch unit X is one that applies a striking force to a pachinko ball using a solenoid and fires, or an electromagnetic force that is applied to a pachinko ball using an electromagnet. In addition, the control unit D drives the launch unit X according to the operation input input from the input device W, and This adjusts the external force applied to the ball (the impact force of the solenoid and the electromagnetic force of the electromagnet). However, since such launching part X and control part D are well known in the art, the detailed illustration and description of the configuration will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the input device W includes the sensor device S of the first embodiment, the position signal output from the sensor device S, and the signal level (DC voltage) corresponding to the operation position of the operation unit 110 described later. And a signal processing unit H for converting into an operation signal. In addition, the input device W includes a case 100, an operation unit 110, and a shaft 120 as shown in FIGS. In the following description, the vertical and horizontal directions and the front and rear directions of the input device W are defined in FIG.

The case 100 is made of a synthetic resin molded body, and is formed in a flat box shape having a substantially trapezoidal shape when viewed from above and below. The case 100 is configured by vertically connecting an upper case 101 whose bottom surface is open and a lower case 102 whose top surface is open. On the upper surface of the upper case 101, a narrow groove 103 extending in the left-right direction is provided in the up-down direction.

The sensor device S is a type that detects only one direction as described in the first embodiment, and the groove 103 of the upper case 101 overlaps with the opening window 1 1a in the center of the cover 1 1 in the vertical direction in the case 100. Stored. Although not shown in the figure, four posts project downward from the inner bottom surface of the upper case 101, and four mounting pieces 1 O d projecting from the case body 10 side surface of the sensor device S are provided. The sensor device S is fixed to the upper case 101 by being screwed to each boss.

The operation unit 110 is a synthetic resin molded body having a substantially truncated pyramid shape as a whole, provided with a semi-cylindrical recess 11 1 1 on the upper surface, and a screw hole 1 12 passing through the center of the bottom surface of the recess 1 1 1. Become. The surface of the operation unit 110 is coated with a conductive coating agent (for example, a conductive polymer).

The shaft 120 is made of metal, and a column-shaped shaft main body 121 and a male screw portion 122 protruding downward from the lower end side of the shaft main body 121 are integrally formed. In addition, a screw hole 121a opened on the upper surface is provided in the upper part of the shaft body 121.

The touch sensor 150 is a conventionally known capacitance type touch sensor, and as shown in FIG. 10, a sensor main body 151 in which a signal processing circuit (sensor circuit) is housed in a rectangular parallelepiped package, an electrode plate 152, The sensor body 151 and a flexible lead wire 153 for connecting the electrode plate 152 are provided. The electrode plate 152 is made of an annular metal plate, and the male screw portion 122 of the shaft 120 is passed through the central hole 152a as will be described later. The sensor body 151 is fixed to the upper bottom surface of the upper case 101 (see FIG. 11 (c)).

The input device is assembled in the following procedure. First, the operation unit 110 and the shaft 120 are fixed by screwing the screw 130 threaded through the screw insertion hole 1 1 2 of the operation unit 110 into the screw hole 121 a of the shaft body 121. Then, the shaft 120 is inserted into the groove 103 on the upper surface of the upper case 101 and the opening window 11a of the sensor device S, and the male screw portion 122 of the shaft 120 is passed through the hole 152a of the electrode plate 152 of the touch sensor 150. A nut 131 is screwed into the male threaded portion 122. Finally, by assembling the upper case 101 and the lower case 102, the assembly of the input device W is completed (see FIG. 9 and FIG. 11). In addition, illustration Is omitted, but the signal processing unit H is accommodated in the case 100.

Here, since the conductive coating layer on the surface of the operation unit 110 and the electrode plate 152 of the touch sensor 150 are electrically connected via the shaft 120 and the screw 130, the player's hand is connected to the operation unit 110. Touch sensor 150 can detect touching. The touch sensor 150 outputs a detection signal to the control unit D only when the player's hand is touching the operation unit 110.

Next, operations of the input device W and the game ball launching device of the present embodiment will be described. When the player operates (translates) the operation unit 1 10, the operation amount (displacement position) is detected by the sensor device S, and an operation signal having a signal level (DC voltage) corresponding to the operation amount (displacement position) is detected. Input to control unit D from input device W. The control unit D drives the launch unit X when the detection signal is output from the touch sensor 150 (when the player's hand is touching the operation unit 110), and the detection signal is output from the touch sensor 150. When there is not (when the player's hand is not touching the operation unit 110), the launching unit X is not driven. If the detection signal is output from the touch sensor 150, the control unit D is applied to the pachinko ball as the signal level of the operation signal input from the input device W is higher (the operation amount of the operation unit 110 is larger). Drive the launcher X so that the external force (striking force and electromagnetic force) increases.

By the way, as a feature of the game ball launching device, it is better that the external force (striking force and electromagnetic force) applied to the pachinko ball by the launching part X is not less than a predetermined lower limit value (a value sufficiently larger than zero). In other words, if the external force applied to the pachinko ball is less than the lower limit, the fired pachinko ball will not reach the effective position of the pachinko machine and will be wasted (collected by the pachinko machine). Because. Therefore, the magnitude of the external force applied to the pachinko ball from the launch unit X increases rapidly near the lower limit of the operation amount of the operation unit 110, and then gradually decreases as the operation amount of the operation unit 110 increases. It is desirable to increase it. However, the detection characteristic of the sensor device S (correspondence between the displacement position of the pipe block 3 and the detection value) does not have the above characteristic. Therefore, in the input device W of the present embodiment, the correspondence (output characteristics) between the operation amount (detected value) of the operation unit 110 detected by the sensor device S and the signal level of the operation signal output to the control unit D is expressed as a signal. Signal processing by processor H corrects the desired correspondence (output characteristics).

For example, the operation unit 110 is operated (translated) from the reference position where the operation amount is zero to the limit position where the operation amount is maximum, and the signal processor H detects the detection value (detection signal of the detection signal) during that time. The detected value data is obtained by performing AZD conversion on the signal level, and the detected value data is stored in a memory (not shown) in association with the operation amount of the operation unit 110 (the signal level of the operation signal) This process is called calibration.) Then, the signal processing unit H divides the detection value data into a plurality of sections, and the correspondence relationship between the detection value data and the signal level of the operation signal in each section has a linear relationship with different rates of change. Map the signal level of the operation signal as follows. FIG. 8 shows the output characteristics corrected by the mapping. The horizontal axis represents the detection value of the sensor device S, and the vertical axis represents the signal level of the operation signal. For example, in the output characteristics shown in Fig. 8 (a), the signal level of the operation signal changes linearly with a large slope when the detected value data Y ranges from 0 to Y1, and the detected value data Υ ranges from Υ1 to Υ2. Signal level of the operation signal in the interval The signal level of the operation signal becomes constant when the detected value data Y is Y 2 or more. In the output characteristics of Fig. 8 (b), the detected signal data level changes to linear with a constant slope when the detected value data Y is Y> 0 and Y≤Y 3, and the detected value data Υ is Υ> Υ The signal level of the operation signal is constant in section 3. Furthermore, in the output characteristics of Fig. 8 (c), the detected signal data Υ changes to linear with a constant slope in the interval where the detected value data Υ is> 0 and 且つ ≤ Υ 4, and the detected value data Υ is Υ> Υ In section 4, the signal level of the operation signal changes linearly with a larger slope. The output characteristics (correspondence between the detected value data and the signal level of the operation signal) as shown in FIGS. 8 (a) to 8 (c) are stored in the memory of the signal processing unit H.

The signal processing unit H obtains the signal level data of the operation signal corresponding to the detection value data of the sensor device S with reference to the output characteristics stored in the memory, and performs DZ A conversion on the data. To output an analog operation signal to the control unit D. As a result, the magnitude of the external force applied to the pachinko ball from the launch unit X increases rapidly near the lower limit of the operation amount of the operation unit 110, and then gradually increases as the operation amount of the operation unit 110 increases. Can be made. Even if the operation amount of the operation unit 110 is zero, as soon as the detection signal is output from the touch sensor 150, the control unit D drives the launch unit X to apply a predetermined external force to the pachinko ball. It doesn't matter.

While the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, various changes, modifications, and modifications within the spirit of the present invention and the scope of the appended claims may be included in the technical field. The description and drawings should not be construed as limiting the technical idea of the present invention but should be construed as illustrative of the present invention.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[Claim 1]

A detection coil arranged so that the winding axis direction is a predetermined linear direction, and freely movable in the winding axis direction according to the displacement of the detection target object so that the amount of insertion of the detection coil into the cylinder changes. A conductive cylinder disposed; and a signal output means for outputting a position signal proportional to the displacement of the object to be detected based on the change in the inductance of the detection coil in accordance with the displacement of the conductive cylinder. A sensor device.

[Claim 2]

A plurality of the detection coils and conductive cylinders are respectively arranged in one moving direction, and the signal output means outputs the position signal based on an inductance change of at least one of the detection coils. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein:

[Claim 3]

3. The sensor device according to claim 1, further comprising a coil bobbin around which the detection coil is wound, and both ends of the detection coil in the winding axis direction are supported by support means.

[Claim 4]

The detection coil, the conductive cylinder, the signal output means, and a case that accommodates at least a movable body that supports the conductive cylinder and is movably disposed together with the conductive cylinder, 4. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the body and the case each include guide means for guiding the movable body when the movable body moves.

[Claim 5]

5. The sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the case includes a stopper that restricts the movement of the movable body when the movable body abuts.

[Claim 6]

Two sets of detection units each including the detection coil and the conductive cylinder corresponding to the detection coil are provided so that the movement directions of the conductive cylinder with respect to the detection coil intersect each other. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sensor device is disposed on the surface.

[Claim 7]

A sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, an operation unit that is operated by a human hand to displace the conductive cylindrical body of the sensor device, and a position signal output from a signal output means of the sensor device. An input device comprising: a signal processing unit that converts an operation signal corresponding to the amount and position of the displacement.

[Claim 8]

The signal processing unit outputs an operation signal having a signal level one-to-one corresponding to the position of the conductive cylinder, and divides the position into a plurality of sections and positions and operation signals in the respective sections. 8. The input device according to claim 7, wherein the correspondence relationship with the signal level is expressed by a linear relationship having different rates of change. [Claim 9]

The input device according to claim 7 or 8, a launching unit that fires by applying external force to the game ball, and an external force that is applied from the launching unit to the game ball according to a signal level of an operation signal input from the input device. A game ball launcher comprising: a control unit that controls a size of the game ball launcher.