WO2024122299A1

WO2024122299A1 - Rotor unit and operation device equipped with rotor unit

Info

Publication number: WO2024122299A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/041233
Authority: WO
Inventors: 昌昭鷲見; 吉起福田; 啓之伊夫伎; 暁朗分部; 充典杉浦; 敬一戸田
Original assignee: オムロン株式会社
Priority date: 2022-12-06
Filing date: 2023-11-16
Publication date: 2024-06-13
Also published as: JP2024081369A; TW202425009A

Abstract

An MR fluid unit (12) is provided with a body (12a), a shaft (12b), and a brake mechanism. The shaft (12b) is fitted to the body (12a) so as to be rotatable. The brake mechanism has: a coil (12d) provided inside the body (12a) and annularly wound to generate a magnetic field when current flows therethrough; an MR fluid (12e) that changes in viscosity due to the magnetic field applied from the coil (12d); and an MR fluid holding part (12c) provided inside the body (12a) and disposed on the inner circumferential side of the coil (12d) to hold the MR fluid (12e). The brake mechanism changes the magnitude of rotation resistance to a rotation operation of the shaft (12b) (disk part (12ba)) in accordance with the change in viscosity of the MR fluid (12e).

Description

Rotating body unit and operating device equipped with the same

The present invention relates to a rotating body unit that is loaded into various operating devices and an operating device equipped with the same.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various operating devices equipped with a rotating body unit that performs input by a rotating operation have been adopted.
Furthermore, in recent years, operating devices equipped with rotating units have been used not only as operating devices for operating PCs and the like installed in the workplace or at home, but also as operating devices operated by creators or as operating devices for operating games such as e-Sports, and a more delicate operating feel is required.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a computer peripheral device that includes an electro-permanent magnet (EPM) assembly including a permanent magnet configured to generate a magnetic field and a magnetization assembly configured to set the strength of the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet, and a magnetorheological (MR) material coupled to an input element and whose viscosity changes in response to the magnetic field.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,104,8344

However, the above-mentioned conventional computer peripheral devices have the following problems.
That is, in the computer peripheral device disclosed in the above publication, a coil that generates a magnetic field for changing the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid is disposed at a position away from an actuator (rotating body) that is rotated.

For this reason, there is a risk that the response performance (magnetic field efficiency) will be insufficient when the magnitude of the magnetic field applied from the electric permanent magnet assembly (coil) is changed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a rotating body unit capable of improving response performance (magnetic field efficiency) according to the magnitude of the magnetic field applied from a coil, and an operating device including the same.

The rotating body unit according to the first invention is a rotating body unit that is loaded into an operating device and rotated, and includes a main body, a rotating body, and a brake mechanism. The rotating body is attached in a rotatable state relative to the main body. The brake mechanism includes a coil that is provided inside the main body and wound in an annular shape to generate a magnetic field when a current flows through it, a magnetorheological fluid whose viscosity changes depending on the magnetic field applied from the coil, and a magnetorheological fluid holding part that is provided inside the main body and is positioned on the inner side of the coil to hold the magnetorheological fluid, and changes the magnitude of the rotational resistance to the rotation operation of the rotating body according to the change in viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid.

Here, in a rotating body unit that controls the rotational resistance to the rotational operation of a rotating body by a brake mechanism including a magnetorheological fluid (MR (Magneto-Rheological) fluid) and a coil, a magnetorheological fluid holding section that holds the magnetorheological fluid is provided on the inner side of a ring-shaped coil.
Here, the operating device on which the rotating body unit is mounted includes, for example, a game controller, various control panels, a mouse, a keyboard, and the like.

The rotating unit is a device that performs operational input by a rotational operation by a user, and may be configured to perform operational input by pressing in addition to a rotational operation, for example.
The brake mechanism adjusts the rotational resistance of the rotating body to the rotational operation by utilizing the properties of a magnetorheological fluid (MR fluid), the viscosity of which changes when an external magnetic field is applied.
As a result, the magnetorheological fluid holding portion that holds the magnetorheological fluid is positioned close to the inner circumference of the annularly wound coil, which is highly susceptible to the influence of the magnetic field applied from the coil, so that the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid can be freely changed in response to changes in the magnitude of the magnetic field.
As a result, it is possible to improve the response performance (magnetic field efficiency) according to the magnitude of the magnetic field applied from the coil.

The rotating body unit of the second invention is a rotating body unit of the first invention, wherein the rotating body has a rotating shaft and a disk portion that protrudes radially around the rotating shaft and rotates while in contact with the magnetorheological fluid inside the magnetorheological fluid holding portion.
As a result, the disk portion provided inside the magnetorheological fluid holding portion increases the contact area of the configuration that rotates integrally with the rotor with respect to the magnetorheological fluid, and thus the rotational resistance applied to the disk portion that rotates integrally with the rotor shaft can be efficiently changed in response to the change in viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid as the disk portion rotates within the magnetorheological fluid.

A rotating body unit according to a third aspect of the present invention is the rotating body unit according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the disk portion is provided on the inner peripheral side of the coil.
As a result, the disk portion is disposed adjacent to the inner periphery of the coil where the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid is most susceptible to change, so that the rotational resistance to the rotation operation can be changed with high responsiveness.

The rotating body unit of the fourth invention is a rotating body unit of the first or second invention, further comprising a first sealing member provided in the main body portion and sealing the magnetorheological fluid within the magnetorheological fluid holding portion.
This makes it possible to seal the magnetorheological fluid inside the magnetorheological fluid holding portion using a first sealing member such as an O-ring.

A rotating body unit according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the rotating body unit according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein two first sealing members are provided so as to sandwich the coil in the axial direction of the rotating shaft.
As a result, for example, since a pair of coils are provided so as to sandwich the coil in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, leakage of the magnetorheological fluid in the axial direction of the rotating shaft can be effectively suppressed.

The rotating body unit of the sixth invention is a rotating body unit of the second or third invention, further comprising a second sealing member provided in the main body portion and sealing the magnetorheological fluid within the magnetorheological fluid holding portion at the sliding portion with the rotating shaft.
This makes it possible to prevent leakage of the magnetorheological fluid in the portion where the rotating shaft rotates inside the magnetorheological fluid holding portion slides, for example, by using a second sealing member having a cross-sectional shape different from that of the first sealing member.

A rotating body unit according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the rotating body unit according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, wherein the second sealing member abuts against the rotating shaft at two points in a cross-sectional view.
As a result, by using a second sealing member that abuts against the rotating shaft at two points at the sliding portion with the rotating shaft, leakage of magnetorheological fluid near the sliding portion can be more effectively suppressed compared to a configuration in which contact is made at one point.

A rotating body unit according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the rotating body unit according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, wherein the second sealing member has a substantially X-shape in cross section.
As a result, by using a second sealing member that is approximately X-shaped in cross-section, a state of contact at two points is formed at the sliding portion with the rotating shaft, thereby preventing the magnetorheological fluid from leaking outside the magnetorheological fluid holding portion.

A rotating body unit according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the rotating body unit according to the second aspect of the present invention, further comprising a bearing portion provided in the main body portion and supporting the rotating shaft.
This allows the rotating body to receive a rotation operation input by a user with the rotating shaft supported by the bearing portion.
An operating device according to a tenth aspect of the present invention includes a rotating body unit according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, and an operating main body in which the rotating body unit is loaded so as to be rotated.
This makes it possible to provide an operating device capable of improving response performance (magnetic field efficiency) according to the strength of the magnetic field applied from the coil.

(Effect of the invention)
According to the rotating body unit of the present invention, it is possible to improve the response performance (magnetic field efficiency) according to the magnitude of the magnetic field applied from the coil.

1 is an overall perspective view showing the configuration of a wheel unit including an MR fluid unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2A is a side view of the wheel unit of FIG 1, and FIG 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG 2A. 3A and 3B are a perspective view and a front view showing the configuration of an MR fluid unit included in the wheel unit shown in FIG. 2A and the like. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the MR fluid unit shown in FIG. 2 is a graph showing the relationship between the strength of a magnetic field and the viscosity of an MR fluid used in the MR fluid unit of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view showing the configuration of a mouse equipped with the MR fluid unit shown in FIG. 1 etc.; FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view showing the configuration of a dial-type operation device in which the MR fluid unit shown in FIG. 1 etc. is installed. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view showing the configuration of a keypad type operation device in which the MR fluid unit shown in FIG. 1 etc. is installed. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view showing the configuration of a controller in which the MR fluid unit shown in FIG. 1 etc. is installed.

The following will explain a magneto-rheological (MR) fluid unit (rotating body unit) 12 according to one embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG.
In this embodiment, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or duplicate explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation from becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

Furthermore, the applicant provides the accompanying drawings and the following description so that those skilled in the art can fully understand the present invention, and they are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.
The MR (Magneto-Rheological) fluid unit 12 according to this embodiment is included in the wheel unit 11 to which the operator inputs a rotation operation and a press operation. That is, the wheel unit 11 has an outer wheel 11a, an inner wheel 11b, a rotation detection magnet 11d, and an MR (Magneto-Rheological) fluid unit (rotating body unit) 12, as shown in Figures 1, 2(a) and 2(b).

As shown in Figures 1, 2(a) and 2(b), the outer wheel 11a is a substantially cylindrical member that is integrated with the inner wheel 11b and the shaft (rotating body, rotating shaft) 12b on the MR fluid unit 12 side, and rotates when rotated by the operator.
As shown in Figures 1, 2(a) and 2(b), the inner wheel 11b is a bottomed, approximately cylindrical member that is provided on the inner diameter side of the outer wheel 11a and rotates integrally with the shaft 12b when the outer wheel 11a is rotated.

That is, in the wheel unit 11 of this embodiment, the outer wheel 11a and the inner wheel 11b, together with the shaft 12b included in the MR fluid unit 12, are the rotating members that are the targets of rotational operation by the user.
1, the rotation detection magnet 11d is a rotating member fixed to the inner wheel 11b using, for example, an adhesive, etc. A Hall IC (not shown) arranged adjacent to the rotation detection magnet 11d as a fixed member detects the rotation of the rotation detection magnet 11d, thereby detecting the rotation of the shaft 12b.

As shown in Figures 1, 2(a) and 2(b), the MR fluid unit 12 is a rotating unit that constitutes the central portion of the wheel unit 11, and is provided on the inner periphery of the outer wheel 11a and the inner wheel 11b. As shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), the MR fluid unit 12 is a substantially cylindrical member with a shaft 12b inserted into its central portion, and the outer wheel 11a and the inner wheel 11b, which are arranged on the outer periphery of the MR fluid unit 12, rotate together with the shaft 12b, centered on the shaft 12b.

As shown in FIG. 4, the MR fluid unit 12 has a main body 12a, a shaft (rotating shaft) 12b, an MR fluid holding portion (magnetic rheological fluid holding portion, brake mechanism) 12c, a coil (brake mechanism) 12d, an MR (Magneto-Rheological) fluid (magnetic rheological fluid, brake mechanism) 12e (see FIG. 2(b)), a seal member (first sealing member) 12f, a seal member (second sealing member) 12g, a bearing portion 12h, a cover 12i, and

screws

12j, 12k, and 12l.

The main body 12a is provided as a fixed member in comparison with the rotating members (outer wheel 11a, inner wheel 11b, shaft 12b) that rotate when rotated by the user. As shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), the main body 12a has a substantially cylindrical outer case 12aa, a substantially disk-shaped yoke 12ab, and a push-down detection lever 12ac.

The outer case 12aa is molded using a magnetic material, has a generally cylindrical shape with a bottom, and is molded integrally with a push detection lever 12ac that protrudes from one side in the axial direction of the shaft 12b. The outer case 12aa, together with the yoke 12ab, forms a generally cylindrical internal space. The coil 12d, the

seal members

12f, 12g, etc. are arranged in this generally cylindrical internal space.

The yoke 12ab is made of a magnetic material and has a generally circular disk shape. As shown in FIG. 4, the yoke 12ab is attached to the end face of the outer case 12aa by six screws 12l so as to cover the end face on the open side of the outer case 12aa.
As shown in Figures 2(b) and 3(b), the push-down detection lever 12ac is provided so as to protrude from one side surface of the MR fluid unit 12. When the outer wheel 11a is pushed down by a user, the push-down detection lever 12ac pushes down a button (not shown), and detects the push-down operation. The push-down detection lever 12ac is provided as a fixed member with respect to the rotating body including the outer wheel 11a, the inner wheel 11b, and the shaft 12b.

3(a) and 3(b), the shaft (rotation axis) 12b is provided so as to protrude from the side surface opposite the push-down detection lever 12ac of the MR fluid unit 12. The shaft 12b rotates together with the outer wheel 11a and the inner wheel 11b as the center of rotation when the wheel unit 11 is rotated by the user.
As shown in Figs. 2(b) and 4, the shaft 12b has a substantially disk-shaped disk portion 12ba that protrudes radially outward from the axial direction.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), the disk portion 12ba is disposed on the inner periphery of the coil 12d that applies the magnetic field, inside the MR fluid holding portion 12c in which the MR fluid 12e is held. Therefore, when the user rotates the outer wheel 11a, the disk portion 12ba rotates in contact with the MR fluid 12e together with the shaft 12b, which rotates integrally with the outer wheel 11a and the inner wheel 11b.

At this time, the viscosity of the MR fluid 12e with which the disk portion 12ba is in contact changes due to the influence of an externally applied magnetic field, as described below, and therefore the magnitude of the rotational resistance applied to the disk portion 12ba can be changed.
Furthermore, since the disk portion 12ba is integrally formed with the shaft 12b, the contact area between the MR fluid 12e and the member on the rotating body side is increased compared to a configuration in which the disk portion 12ba is not provided, so that a braking force can be efficiently applied to the member on the rotating side.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), the MR fluid holding unit (magnetic rheological fluid holding unit, brake mechanism) 12c is located on the inner periphery of the coil 12d that applies the magnetic field, in the space where the rotating members (outer wheel 11a and inner wheel 11b, shaft 12b) and the fixed members (main body 12a, coil 12d, etc.) slide against each other. The MR fluid holding unit 12c is filled with MR fluid 12e.

As a result, the viscosity of the MR fluid 12e changes due to a magnetic field applied from the outside (coil 12d), and this can change the rotational resistance against the rotating member at the contact portion (sliding portion) between the MR fluid holding portion 12c and the rotating member of the wheel unit 11 (shaft 12b (disc portion 12ba), etc.).
The coil (brake mechanism) 12d is disposed near the radial outside of the MR fluid holding portion (brake mechanism) 12c (see FIG. 2(b)) in which the MR fluid 12e is held, and when a current flows through it, a magnetic field is applied to the MR fluid 12e.

The MR (Magneto-Rheological) fluid (magnetic viscous fluid, brake mechanism) 12e is mainly filled in the space of the MR fluid holding portion 12c (see FIG. 2(b)) provided in the sliding portion of the rotating body (shaft 12b, etc. (see FIG. 2(b))) of the wheel unit 11. The MR fluid 12e changes its form under the influence of the magnetic field applied from the coil 12d. This makes it possible to change the rotational resistance to the rotation operation of the outer wheel 11a.

Here, the change in the viscosity of the MR fluid 12e depending on the strength of the magnetic field applied to the MR fluid 12e will be described.
FIG. 5 shows a graph illustrating the relationship between the magnitude of a magnetic field generated and the viscosity of the MR fluid 12e that changes according to the magnitude of the magnetic field.
The MR fluid 12e is a functional fluid in which ferromagnetic particles with diameters of 1 to 10 μm are dispersed in a liquid such as water or oil, and when not subjected to a magnetic field, the particles are uniformly dispersed in the liquid. When the MR fluid 12e is subjected to a magnetic field, the ferromagnetic particles are magnetized and attract each other to form clusters, and as shown in Figure 5, the viscosity increases as the magnetic field becomes stronger.

The degree of cluster formation in the MR fluid 12e can be adjusted by controlling the current flowing through the coil 12d.
As a result, in the mouse 10 of this embodiment, the viscosity of the MR fluid 12e can be controlled by controlling the current flowing through the coil 12d of the wheel unit 11 to control the magnitude of the magnetic field generated by the coil 12d. Thus, the magnitude of the rotational resistance of the wheel unit 11 can be controlled in accordance with the change in viscosity of the MR fluid 12e.

The sealing member (first sealing member) 12f is, for example, a rubber annular member (O-ring) having a substantially circular cross-section, and as shown in FIG. 2(b), two sealing members 12f are provided in a pair to seal the MR fluid 12e sealed in the MR fluid holding portion 12c so as to prevent it from leaking out to the outside.
As shown in FIG. 2B, the pair of seal members 12f are disposed to sandwich the coil 12d in the axial direction of the shaft 12b.

The seal member (second sealing member) 12g is a substantially cylindrical member provided on the main body portion 12a, and is used with the shaft 12b inserted, sealing the MR fluid 12e within the MR fluid holding portion 12c at the sliding portion with the shaft 12b. In addition, the seal member 12g abuts against the shaft 12b at two points in a cross-sectional view. More specifically, the seal member 12g has a substantially X-shaped cross-sectional view.

As a result, compared to an O-ring with a circular cross-section, the sealing member 12g can withstand the pressure generated in the sliding parts and is also resistant to twisting, and the MR fluid 12e can be stably sealed by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 12b at two points.
As shown in FIG. 2B and FIG. 4, the bearing portion 12h is a substantially cylindrical member, and rotatably supports the shaft 12b, which is a rotating member, in the vicinity of the seal member 12g.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cover 12i is a substantially disk-shaped member, and is disposed opposite the surface of the disk portion 12ba on the side where the shaft 12b is provided, with a predetermined gap (e.g., 0.2 mm) between it and the surface of the disk portion 12ba on the side where the shaft 12b is provided, and the cover 12i forms a gap that becomes part of the MR fluid holding portion 12c, as shown in FIG. 2(b).

The

screws

12j, 12k, and 12l are fastening members that connect the various components included in the MR fluid unit 12 together.
The screw 12j is fixed to the outer case 12aa so as to close two holes (an injection hole for the MR fluid 12e and an air vent hole) provided in the outer case 12aa of the main body 12a.

The screws 12k fix the cover 12i to the yoke 12ab, so that the cover 12i is disposed as a fixed member together with the yoke 12ab.
The screw 12l is screwed into a screw hole provided in the end surface of the main body portion 12a, thereby fixing the yoke 12ab to the end surface of the main body portion 12a.

<Application examples of the MR fluid unit 12>
Here, several examples of operating devices to which the MR fluid unit 12 of this embodiment is applied will be described below.
FIG. 6 shows an example in which the MR fluid unit 12 of this embodiment is included in a wheel unit 11 and is applied to a mouse (operation device) 10.
As shown in FIG. 6, the mouse 10 includes a mouse body 10 a , a switch 10 b , and a wheel unit 11 .
The mouse body 10a is the housing portion of the mouse 10, and as shown in FIG. 6, supports the wheel unit 11 in a rotatable manner with a part of the wheel unit 11 protruding from the upper surface thereof.

6, the switch 10b is disposed on the top surface of the mouse body 10a near the wheel unit 11. The switch 10b is operated, for example, when switching between a normal mode and a game mode, or when switching the power of the mouse 10 on and off.
As shown in Figure 6, by applying the wheel unit 11 including the MR fluid unit 12 of this embodiment to the mouse 10, it is possible to improve the response performance to user operations, for example, when the mouse 10 is used as a controller for e-Sports or the like.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the MR fluid unit 12 of this embodiment is applied to a dial-type operating device (operating device) 100 .
As shown in FIG. 7, the dial type operation device (operation device) 100 includes a main body 101 and a rotating body unit 102.
The main body 101 is a substantially cylindrical base portion, and a rotating body unit 102 is rotatably attached to the main body 101 .

The rotating body unit 102 is attached to the top surface of the main body 101 in a state in which it can rotate in a substantially horizontal direction, and includes the above-mentioned MR fluid unit therein. The rotating body unit 102 mainly receives operational inputs such as pushing, turning, and tilting.
This makes it possible to improve the response performance of the dial-type operating device for performing various adjustments.

FIG. 8 shows an example in which the MR fluid unit 12 of this embodiment is applied to a keypad type operating device (operating device) 110.
As shown in FIG. 8, the keypad type operation device (operation device) 110 includes a main body 111, a rotating unit 112, a keypad 113, and a pad 114.
The main body 111 is a base portion, and a rotating body unit 112 is attached in a rotatable state.

The rotating body unit 112 is attached to the upper surface of the main body 111 in a rotatable state in a horizontal direction, and includes the above-mentioned MR fluid unit therein.
The keypad 113 is an operation device including a plurality of input keys, and is integrated with the rotating unit 112 and the like.
The pad 114 is provided in front of the rotating unit 112 and the keypad 113 so that the user can operate the rotating unit 112 and the keypad 113 with the user's left hand placed thereon, for example.

This makes it possible to improve the response performance to rotation operations in an operating device that allows various adjustments to be made by rotation operations and also allows key input.
FIG. 9 shows an example in which the MR fluid unit 12 of this embodiment is applied to a controller (operation device) 120.
As shown in FIG. 9 , the controller (operation device) 120 includes a main body 121 , a rotating unit 122 , and a display unit 123 .

The main body 121 is a base portion, and is provided on the upper surface with various input buttons and a display unit 123 for performing various displays, and a rotating body unit 122 is attached in a rotatable state.
The rotating body unit 122 is provided near the center of the top surface of the main body 121, and accepts horizontal operation such as forward/backward and left/right, tilting operation such as forward/backward and left/right, pushing up and down, and rotation operation input.
This makes it possible to improve the response performance to rotation operations in an operating device in which various adjustments can be made by rotation operations and also input to various input buttons.

<Main features>
As shown in Fig. 2B etc., the MR fluid unit 12 of this embodiment includes a main body 12a, a shaft 12b, and a brake mechanism. The shaft 12b is rotatably attached to the main body 12a. The brake mechanism includes a coil 12d that is provided inside the main body 12a and wound in an annular shape to generate a magnetic field when a current flows therethrough, an MR fluid 12e whose viscosity changes depending on the magnetic field applied by the coil 12d, and an MR fluid holding portion 12c that is provided inside the main body 12a and is disposed on the inner periphery of the coil 12d to hold the MR fluid 12e. The brake mechanism changes the magnitude of the rotational resistance against the rotational operation of the shaft 12b (disk portion 12ba) in response to the change in viscosity of the MR fluid 12e.

As a result, the MR fluid holding portion 12c that holds the MR fluid 12e is positioned close to the inner circumference of the annularly wound coil 12d, which is highly susceptible to the influence of the magnetic field applied from the coil 12d, and therefore the viscosity of the MR fluid 12e can be freely changed in response to changes in the magnitude of the magnetic field.
As a result, it is possible to improve the response performance (magnetic field efficiency) according to the magnitude of the magnetic field applied from the coil 12d.

[Other embodiments]
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention.
(A)
In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the disk portion 12ba is provided integrally with the shaft 12b as a member on the rotating body side in order to increase the contact area with the MR fluid 12e sealed in the MR fluid holding portion 12c, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the member on the rotating body side that comes into contact with the magnetorheological fluid may be a configuration other than a disk portion, or a configuration that makes it easy to transmit rotational resistance may be adopted by processing the surface of the shaft, etc.

(B)
In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the two types of

seal members

12g and 12f having different cross-sectional shapes (circular or X-shaped) are used to suppress leakage of the MR fluid 12e held in the MR fluid holding portion 12c to the outside, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the seal members for preventing leakage of the magnetorheological fluid may be of the same type and have the same cross-sectional shape, or may have a cross-sectional shape other than a circular or X-shaped cross-section.

(C)
In the above embodiment, the MR fluid unit (rotating body unit) 12 of the present invention is applied to a mouse 10, a dial-type operation device 100, a keypad-type operation device 110, a controller 120, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the rotating body unit of the present invention may be applied to operation devices other than a mouse, a dial type operation device, a keypad type operation device, and a controller.

Specifically, the rotating body unit of the present invention may be applied to a controller for adjusting color, sound, etc., used by creators such as illustrators and cartoonists.
Even in this case, by using a controller with high response performance, it is possible to accommodate delicate adjustments by users such as creators.

The rotating body unit of the present invention has the effect of improving response performance (magnetic field efficiency) according to the strength of the magnetic field applied by the coil, and is therefore widely applicable to various operating devices.

10 Mouse 10a Mouse body (operation body part)
10b switch 11 wheel unit 11a outer wheel 11b inner wheel 11d rotation detection magnet 12 MR fluid unit (rotating body unit)
12a Main body 12aa Outer case 12ab Yoke 12ac Press detection lever 12b Shaft (rotating body, rotating shaft)
12ba: Disk portion 12c: MR fluid holding portion (magnetic rheological fluid holding portion, brake mechanism)
12d Coil (brake mechanism)
12e MR fluid (magnetic rheological fluid, brake mechanism)
12f sealing member (first sealing member)
12g: sealing member (second sealing member)
12h Bearing portion 12i Cover 12j, 12k, 12l Screw 100 Dial type operating device (operating device)
101 Main body 102 Rotating unit 110 Keypad type operation device (operation device)
111 Main body 112 Rotating unit 113 Keypad 114 Pad 120 Controller (operation device)
121 Main body section 122 Rotating body unit 123 Display section

Claims

A rotating body unit that is loaded into an operating device and rotated,
A main body portion,
A rotating body attached to the main body in a state in which the rotating body can rotate relatively to the main body;
a coil wound in an annular shape within the main body that generates a magnetic field when a current flows through it; a magnetorheological fluid whose viscosity changes depending on the magnetic field applied from the coil; and a magnetorheological fluid holding section disposed inside the main body on the inner periphery of the coil and holding the magnetorheological fluid; and a brake mechanism that changes the magnitude of the rotational resistance against the rotational operation of the rotating body in response to the change in viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid;
A rotating body unit comprising:
The rotating body has a rotating shaft and a disk portion that protrudes in a radial direction centered on the rotating shaft and rotates while contacting the magnetorheological fluid inside the magnetorheological fluid holding portion.
The rotating body unit according to claim 1 .
The disk portion is provided on the inner circumferential side of the coil.
The rotating body unit according to claim 2 .
The magnetorheological fluid storage device further includes a first sealing member provided in the main body portion and configured to seal the magnetorheological fluid in the magnetorheological fluid holding portion.
The rotating body unit according to claim 1 or 2.
The first sealing member is provided in two pieces so as to sandwich the coil in the axial direction of a rotation shaft included in the rotor.
The rotating body unit according to claim 4.
The magnetorheological fluid may be further provided with a second sealing member provided in the main body portion and configured to seal the magnetorheological fluid in the magnetorheological fluid holding portion at a sliding portion with respect to the rotating shaft.
The rotating body unit according to claim 2 or 3.
The second sealing member abuts against the rotation shaft at two points in a cross-sectional view.
The rotating body unit according to claim 6.
The second sealing member has a substantially X-shaped cross-sectional view.
The rotating body unit according to claim 7.
The rotating shaft is further supported by a bearing provided in the main body.
The rotating body unit according to claim 2 .
A rotating body unit according to claim 1 or 2,
an operation main body portion in which the rotating body unit is loaded in a state in which the rotating body unit is rotated;
An operating device comprising: