JP3735919B2 - Coordinate input device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a coordinate input device which is mainly used for video equipment and game equipment, and is used for moving a cursor displayed on a cathode ray tube or a liquid crystal display device, switching modes, and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A conventional technique will be described with reference to FIG.
[0003]
FIG. 6 shows the internal structure of a trackball or mouse as a coordinate input device. In FIG. 6, 20 is a ball, 21 and 24 are shafts, 22 and 25 are light-shielding plates, and 23 and 26 are transmissive types. A photo sensor 27 is a roller.
[0004]
The shafts 21 and 24 and the roller 27 are fitted to the case in a rotatable state, and the light shielding plates 22 and 25 are fixed to the shafts 21 and 24, respectively, and rotate together with the shafts 21 and 24.
[0005]
The light shielding plates 22 and 25 are respectively provided with radial slits, and the amount of rotation of the light shielding plate can be detected by the transmission type photosensors 23 and 26 to detect the moving amount and moving direction of the ball 20. 20 is in contact with the shafts 21 and 24 and the roller 27, respectively.
[0006]
In the conventional coordinate input device configured as described above, when the ball 20 is moved, the shafts 21 and 24 and the light shielding plates 22 and 25 are interlocked, thereby detecting the moving amount and moving direction of the ball 20.
[0007]
For example, when the ball 20 is moved in the direction a in FIG. 6, only the shaft 21 rotates and the shaft 24 does not rotate. Conversely, in the direction b, only the shaft 24 rotates and the shaft 21 does not rotate. Further, when the member is moved obliquely with respect to the a direction or the b direction, the shafts 21 and 24 rotate by the a direction component and the b direction component, respectively.
[0008]
As described above, the movement of the ball 20 is detected by dividing it into two orthogonal movements.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional coordinate input device has a problem that the ball 20 and the shafts 21 and 24 slip, and if the ball 20 and the shafts 21 and 24 slip even slightly, the movement of the ball 20 is entirely the shafts 21 and 24. For example, even if the ball 20 is moved and a circle is drawn and input, the output is like an ellipse.
[0010]
As measures against this, there are methods such as making the ball 20 a rubber material that does not slip easily, or cutting knurls on the shafts 21 and 24. However, dust adheres to the ball 20 and the shafts 21 and 24 become very expensive. In view of the movement of the human hand, the ball 20 is easier to move as much as possible, but the thickness of the coordinate input device increases accordingly.
[0011]
Further, in terms of cost, the balls 20, shafts 21 and 24, bearings, light shielding plates 22 and 25, transmissive photosensors 23 and 26, and the like are expensive, so they are naturally expensive as products. Had the problem of becoming.
[0012]
The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coordinate input device that can accurately detect the movement of the hand, is thin, and has high cost performance.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention increases the size of a trackball, cuts out a part of the ball, detects its movement, and automatically returns a part of the ball to the center. There is a case with a hemispherical bulge and a circle in the center, a shaft-shaped protrusion on the lower surface of the center that penetrates the round hole in the case, and a shallow hemispherical knob that circumscribes the bulge in the case, and a round hole in the case A conical cam that sandwiches the peripheral edge between a knob and a conical slope, a spring that presses the cam against the case, a first sliding body that engages and interlocks with the lower end of the knob, and a second that is orthogonally coupled thereto And the position detector of each sliding body.
[0014]
As a result, it is possible to provide a thin and highly cost-effective coordinate input device that can accurately detect the movement of the hand and automatically return the operation unit to the center.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a hemispherical raised case having a round hole in the substantially center, a shallow hemispherical portion externally mounted on the upper surface of the case so as to freely slide back and forth, and left and right, and its center. A substantially conical cam that is guided by the shaft-shaped projection that protrudes from the bottom surface and penetrates the round hole of the case and the hemispherical portion of the knob, and sandwiches the peripheral edge of the round hole of the case. And a spring that presses the slope of the cam against the peripheral edge of the round hole of the case, and a first sliding member that engages with the lower end of the shaft-shaped protrusion and interlocks with the operation of the knob in one direction, and a first that interlocks with the first sliding body. A position detecting unit, a second sliding body that engages with the lower end of the shaft-shaped protrusion of the knob and interlocks with an operation in a direction orthogonal to the first sliding body, and a second position detecting unit that interlocks with the second sliding body The movement of the knob that slides on the spherical surface Detects the position by the moving object, knob central smoothly it is automatically returned to the, an effect that can detect the exact position of the knob.
[0016]
The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein a step is provided in the middle of the slope of the substantially conical cam, or the angle of the slope is changed in the middle. An operation feeling can be obtained.
[0017]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the tip of the shaft-like protrusion is clamped by giving elasticity to one side of the opposite side in the width direction of the hole of the sliding body with which the shaft-like protrusion of the knob is engaged. This has an effect that the hysteresis of the electric signal can be eliminated.
[0018]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the coordinate input device according to the embodiment, FIGS. 2 and 3 are front cross-sectional views showing the operation of the device, FIG. 4 is a rear view with the cover 11 removed, and FIG. 5 is a knob and a sliding body. It is a conceptual diagram explaining the interlocking | linkage state.
[0019]
1 to 5, reference numeral 3 denotes a case, which is provided with a hemispherical ridge 3 f and a round hole 3 a at substantially the center of the ridge. Reference numeral 1 denotes a knob having a shallow hemispherical collar at the top, and the inner surface of the hemispherical collar is in contact with the outer surface of the hemispherical ridge 3 f of the case 3. Reference numeral 1 a denotes a shaft-like protrusion of the knob 1 that penetrates the round hole 3 a of the case 3.
[0020]
The shaft-shaped protrusion 1a of the knob 1 is slidable in the coaxial direction with the shaft-shaped protrusion 1a and is engaged with a substantially conical cam 2 to sandwich the peripheral edge of the round hole 3a of the case 3. . Reference numeral 4 denotes a spring, and 5 denotes a shaft, which is fixed to the bottom surface of the knob-shaped protrusion 1 a of the knob by a screw 6, whereby the cam 2 is pressed against the peripheral edge of the round hole 3 a of the case 3.
[0021]
In the drawing, the shaft-like protrusion 1a and the shaft 5 of the knob 1 are shown as separate parts for ease of assembly. However, the shaft-like protrusion 1a and the shaft 5 are integrated to form the shaft-like protrusion 1a. It is possible to omit the shaft 5 and the screw 6 by providing a recess in a part of this and providing the hook of the spring 4.
[0022]
In addition, the shaft 5 fixed to the knob-shaped protrusion 1a of the knob passes through the long holes 7a and 8a provided in the sliding bodies 7 and 8, and the case 3 has two position detection units 9 and 10 therein. It is fixed and serves to replace the positions of the sliding bodies 7 and 8 with electric signals.
[0023]
Next, the operation of the coordinate input device of the present invention configured as described above will be described.
In FIG. 2, when the knob 1 is moved in the direction of arrow A in the figure, the cam 2 is also moved in the A direction. However, since the cam 2 and the peripheral lower surface 3b of the round hole 3a of the case 3 are pressed against each other by the spring 4, the cam 2 is pushed down below the knob 1 by the conical slope of the cam 2, and as a result, the spring 4 is compressed. Will be.
[0024]
When the knob 1 is further moved in the same direction A, the shaft-shaped protrusion 1a of the knob 1 hits the inner side 3c of the round hole 3a of the case 3, and the knob 1 cannot be moved any further.
[0025]
Since the spring 4 is linearly compressed by the conical shape of the cam 2, the force for returning the knob 1 to the center increases almost linearly. In this way, the knob 1 can be automatically returned to the center of the round hole 3 a of the case 3 by the cam 2 and the spring 4.
[0026]
On the other hand, since the sliding body 7 fits into the groove 3e provided in the case 3, and the vertical direction is sandwiched between the case 3 and the cover 11, the movement is restricted only in one direction. In addition, since the long hole 7a is a long hole in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding body 7, it moves only in one direction of the shaft 5, that is, in the X direction in FIG.
[0027]
In addition, the sliding body 8 fits into the groove 3d provided in the case 3 and, like the sliding body 7, the vertical direction is sandwiched between the case 3 and the cover 11, so that the sliding body 8 is in one direction orthogonal to the sliding body 7. It is arranged so that only movement is free.
[0028]
In addition, since the long hole 8a is a long hole in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding body 8, it moves only in one direction of the shaft 5, that is, in the Y direction in FIG.
[0029]
For example, in FIG. 5, when the shaft 5 moves in the upper right direction by an angle of θ with respect to the X direction, the sliding body 7 takes the movement amount of Lcosθ, and the sliding body 8 takes the movement amount of Lsinθ.
[0030]
This is the same as decomposing a vector quantity having L and θ components into an X component and a Y component.
[0031]
From the above, it can be seen that the movement of the knob 1, that is, the hand of the operator, is decomposed in the X direction and the Y direction by the two sliding bodies 7 and 8, and each is taken out as an electric signal.
[0032]
Further, by providing a step in the middle of the conical slope of the cam 2 or changing the angle in the middle, a desired operation feeling can be obtained.
[0033]
In FIG. 3, since the step 2a is provided on the conical slope, a constant click feeling can be obtained in any direction from the center.
[0034]
As for the material of each part, the knob 1 is ABS, the cam 2 is POM, the case 3 is ABS, the spring 4 is hard steel wire, the shaft 5 is ABS, the sliding bodies 7 and 8 are POM, and the cover 11 is ABS. Will.
[0035]
Further, it is desirable that the position detectors 9 and 10 are those in which the brush slides on the resistor, and the sliding is smooth and long in durability.
[0036]
In addition, grease is applied to the vicinity of the peripheral lower surface 3b of the round hole, which is a contact portion between the cam 2 and the case 3, and the contact portion between the shaft-like protrusion 1a of the knob 1 and the sliding bodies 7 and 8 in order to make the sliding smooth. It is also conceivable to use a material containing grease or fluorine for the cam 2 and the sliding bodies 7 and 8 instead of applying grease.
[0037]
In addition, a certain amount of clearance is required for sliding between the long holes 7a and 8a of the sliding bodies 7 and 8 and the shaft 5, and the result is due to the movement of the knob 1 and the sliding bodies 7 and 8 being shifted. Specifically, hysteresis occurs in the electric signal.
[0038]
Depending on the equipment used, this is not a problem for tasks such as selecting menus on the screen, but it will have an effect when drawing with this coordinate input device on the screen, and it should have drawn a freehand circle. May shift slightly.
[0039]
In order to eliminate this, it is important to eliminate the gap between the long holes 7a and 8a of the sliding body and the shaft 5. If this means is adopted, one side of the side in the width direction of the long holes 7a and 8a is removed. A method in which the shaft 5 is pressed against one side of the hole by the elastic force of the hinge of the resin so that it can be moved, or a pressing portion and a spring of another piece are fixed to each sliding body, and the shaft 5 is also a long hole. This can be solved by a method of pressing against one side.
[0040]
The coordinate input device moves the cursor on the screen according to the absolute position coordinate system in which the position of the knob 1 corresponds to the position of the cursor, and the direction and amount of the movement of the knob 1 by the microcomputer software to be connected. It can be used in both the relative position coordinate system in which the direction of movement and the moving speed change.
[0041]
The radius of curvature of the knob 1 that slides back and forth and right and left on the ridge 3f of the case 3 is about 40 to 60 mm in view of the size of the hand, for example, when placed as a navigator of an automobile. Think. Further, when the input device is incorporated in a part of the system controller, the radius of curvature is considered to be 20 to 30 mm because it is controlled by the fingertip rather than the inside of the hand.
[0042]
However, at this time, it is desirable to provide a recess for receiving the finger on the outside of the knob 1 so that the finger and the knob 1 are smoothly interlocked.
[0043]
Further, the radius of curvature of the protrusion 3f of the case 3 can be made infinite for convenience. The fact that the radius of curvature of the protrusion 3f of the case 3 is infinite indicates that the surface of the case 3 is a flat surface. That is, the knob 1 moves on the flat flat case 3, and the bulge 3f of the case 3 disappears.
[0044]
Although the embodiment has been described as a combination of the hemispherically raised case 3, the round hole 3a, and the conical cam 2, a square hole is provided in a case approximated to a box shape as necessary. A combination with a cam having a shape in which the ridge line of the slope of the pyramid is blurred by a round shape, or an intermediate combination between the two is also possible.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
As apparent from the above embodiment, the present invention converts the movement of the knob sliding on the spherical surface into the movement of two sliding bodies to detect the position, and smoothly returns the knob to the center smoothly. Therefore, the accurate position of the knob can be detected.
[0046]
Moreover, it has the advantage that a favorite operation feeling can be obtained with the shape of the slope of a cam.
[0047]
Furthermore, since most parts are formed of molded products that do not require post-processing, there is an effect that a coordinate input device with high cost performance can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a coordinate input device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the device. FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating a central return state of the device. [Fig. 5] A back view showing a state in which the cover of the device is removed. [Fig. 5] Fig. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the interlocking state between the knob and the sliding body. [Fig. Plan view shown [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Knob 1a Knob shaft protrusion 2 Cam 3 Case 3a Case round hole 3b Case round hole surrounding lower surface 3c Case round hole inside 3d Case groove 3e Case groove 3f Case ridge 4 Spring 5 Shaft 6 Screw 7 1st sliding body 7a 1st sliding body long hole 8 2nd sliding body 8a 2nd sliding body long hole 9 1st position detection part 10 2nd position detection part 11 Cover

Claims (3)

A hemispherical raised case with a round hole in the center, a shallow hemispherical part on the upper surface of the case so that it can slide freely forward and backward, left and right, and a shaft that protrudes from the center lower surface and penetrates the round hole of the case A substantially conical cam that is guided by the knob-shaped protrusion and the shaft-shaped protrusion of the knob and sandwiches the peripheral edge of the round hole of the case between the hemispherical part of the knob, and the slope of the cam is the peripheral edge of the circular hole of the case A first pressure member that engages with a lower end of the knob-like protrusion of the knob and is linked to the movement of the knob in one direction, a first position detector that moves in conjunction with this, and a lower end of the knob-like protrusion of the knob. A coordinate input device comprising: a second sliding body that engages with the first sliding body and interlocks with an operation in a direction orthogonal to the first sliding body; and a second position detection unit that interlocks with the second sliding body. The coordinate input device according to claim 1, wherein a step is provided in the middle of the inclined surface of the substantially conical cam, or the angle of the inclined surface is changed in the middle. The coordinate input device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the end of the shaft-shaped protrusion is held by providing elasticity to one side of the opposite side in the width direction of the hole of the sliding body with which the shaft-shaped protrusion of the knob is engaged.

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