JP2009152036A - Complex operation input device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely prevent an operating member in a press-operated state from rotating to generate false signals. <P>SOLUTION: The complex operation input device 1 includes a rotary encoder 6 outputting signals accompanying rotation operation of the operating member 3, a switch mechanism 7 activated accompanying press operation of the operating member 3, and a rotation regulating means regulating rotation of the operating member 3 at press operation of the same 3. The rotation regulating means includes protruded parts 403a, 403b both formed of a material with rigidity protruded in a rotating axis line direction of the operating member 3, and housing parts 206a, 206b having shapes in accordance with outlines of the protruded parts 403a, 403b for housing the protruded parts 403a, 403b at the press operation of the operating member 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a composite operation input device, and more particularly to a composite operation input device that accepts a rotation operation and a press operation on an operation member.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a composite operation input device that includes a rotary electric mechanism that outputs a signal in accordance with a rotation operation of an operation member and a switch mechanism that operates in response to a pressing operation of the operation member, It is required that the member rotate to prevent the generation of an error signal. For example, in the composite operation input device described in Patent Document 1, the elastic dowels of the moderation springs are maintained in the recesses of the radial concavo-convex portions of the drive member when the cylindrical operation knob that is the operation member is pressed. On the other hand, by operating a push switch as a switch mechanism, the cylindrical operation knob is configured not to rotate.
Japanese Patent No. 3931532

  However, in the conventional composite operation input device as described above, when a tangential force is applied to the cylindrical operation knob during the pressing operation, the moderation spring is an elastic body, so that the elastic dowel is a radial unevenness of the drive member. There is a problem that the cylindrical operation knob rotates out of the concave portion of the part and a signal may be erroneously generated from the rotary encoder which is a rotary electric mechanism.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and provides a composite operation input device that can reliably prevent an erroneous signal from being generated due to rotation of an operation member in a pressed state. For the purpose.

  The composite operation input device of the present invention includes a rotary electric mechanism that outputs a signal in accordance with a rotation operation of the operation member, a switch mechanism that operates in accordance with a pressing operation of the operation member, and a pressing mechanism that operates when the operation member is pressed. A composite operation input device comprising a rotation restricting means for restricting the rotation of the operation member, wherein the rotation restricting means are both made of a material having rigidity and projecting in the rotation axis direction of the operation member; And a housing portion having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the projecting portion and housing the projecting portion when the operating member is pressed.

  According to the composite operation input device, the projecting portion is formed of a rigid material and is accommodated in the rigid accommodating portion having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the projecting portion when the operating member is pressed. Even when a tangential force is applied to the operating member, the operating member does not rotate. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent an erroneous signal from being generated from the rotary electric mechanism due to the operation member rotating in the pressed state.

  In the composite operation input device, a support body having a pair of holding walls rotatably holding rotation shaft portions provided at both ends on the rotation axis of the operation member, and the support body during a pressing operation of the operation member And a projection that is formed so as to protrude axially outward from at least one of the rotation shafts and at least a pair of opposed surface portions with respect to the rotation axis of the operation member. It is preferable that the accommodating portion accommodates the pair of opposed surface portions during a pressing operation of the operating member and restricts rotation of the operating member. In this case, since the pair of opposing surface portions provided in the protruding portion at the time of the pressing operation of the operating member is accommodated in the accommodating portion and the rotation of the operating member is restricted, the state where the pressing operation is reliably performed with a simple configuration Thus, it is possible to prevent the operation member from rotating, and it is possible to prevent generation of an error signal due to the rotation.

  The composite operation input device preferably includes a guide member that guides the protruding portion to the housing portion. In this case, since the protruding portion is guided to the accommodating portion by the guide member, the protruding portion can be reliably accommodated in the accommodating portion in accordance with the pressing operation on the operation member.

  In particular, in the composite operation input device, it is preferable that the guide member is made of an elastic material and generates a click feeling according to the rotation of the protruding portion accompanying the rotation operation of the operation member. In this case, the guide member can be provided with a function of guiding the protruding portion to the housing portion and a function of generating a click feeling when the operation member is rotated, thereby reducing the number of components in the apparatus. It is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost.

  In the composite operation input device, it is preferable that the housing holds the support so as to be tiltable when the end of the operation member is pressed. In this case, since the support body can be tilted according to the pressing operation of the end portion of the operation member, the end portion of the operation member can be moved by accommodating the protruding portion in the storage portion according to the tilting operation. It is possible to reliably prevent an error signal from being generated from the rotary electric mechanism by rotating the operating member in the pressed state.

  Furthermore, in the composite operation input device, the housing includes a lid portion that covers at least one of the pair of holding walls of the support and has an opening for exposing the operation member, An end surface of the holding wall covered by the lid is brought into contact with the lid at a position closer to the lid than the rotary shaft, and the end of the operation member on the opposite side of the holding wall It is preferable that an abutting point of the holding wall with respect to the lid portion is set as a tilting fulcrum of the support body during the pressing operation of the portion. In this case, since the tilting fulcrum of the support body is disposed on the lid side of the operation member and on the outer side in the axial direction of the operation member, the tilt of the operation member held by the support body is tilted. A large amount can be secured.

  In particular, in the composite operation input device, it is preferable that an end surface of the holding wall that comes into contact with the lid portion has an arc shape. In this case, since the end surface of the holding wall that comes into contact with the lid portion has an arc shape, the operation member held by the support can be smoothly tilted.

  Moreover, in the said composite operation input device, when the pressing operation of the said operation member is cancelled | released, it is preferable to provide the positioning part which contacts the end surface of the said holding wall, and positions the said support body in the said cover part. In this case, it becomes possible to easily position the support when the pressing operation of the operation member is released by the positioning portion provided on the lid portion.

  Furthermore, in the composite operation input device, a first rotating body connected to the projecting portion, a second rotating body connected to the first rotating body and connected to the rotating electrical mechanism, The rotation of the protrusion is transmitted to the rotary electrical mechanism when the operation member is rotated, and the protrusion is moved when the operation member is pressed. It is preferable to allow. In this case, when the operating member is rotated through the first and second rotating bodies, the rotation of the protruding portion accompanying the rotating operation is transmitted to the rotary electric mechanism, and when the operating member is pressed, the pressing is performed. Since the movement of the protrusion accompanying the operation is allowed, it is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which a signal is output from the rotary electric mechanism in accordance with the pressing operation on the operation member.

  Furthermore, in the above composite operation input device, the support body includes a pair of side walls along the pressing operation direction of the operation member, and a surface of one side wall and a side surface of the housing facing the side wall surface The switch mechanism is disposed between the two side walls, and a click mechanism that generates a click feeling during the operation of the support accompanying the pressing operation of the operation member is disposed in the vicinity of the other side wall. A fixed contact provided on one of the surface of the side wall and the side surface of the housing, a slider provided on the other and slidingly contacting the fixed contact, and a return elastic member for returning the support to an initial position. It is preferable that the slider selectively contacts the fixed contact during the tilting operation and the pressing operation of the support body accompanying the pressing operation of the operation member. In this case, a click mechanism is provided separately from the switch mechanism, and the click mechanism can generate a click feeling according to the operation of the support body accompanying the pressing operation of the operation member. Or it becomes possible to give a uniform click feeling to an operator, when pressing operation with respect to an edge part is performed.

  According to the present invention, the projecting portion is formed of a rigid material during the pressing operation of the operating member, and is accommodated in the rigid accommodating portion having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the projecting portion. Even if this force is applied, the operating member does not rotate. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent an erroneous signal from being generated from the rotary electric mechanism due to the operation member rotating in the pressed state.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The composite operation input device according to the present embodiment receives a rotation operation and a pressing operation from an operator via an operation member, and is applied to, for example, an operation input unit such as a mobile phone or a game machine. However, the target device to which the composite operation input device according to the present embodiment is applied is not limited to this, and can be applied to any device.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a composite operation input device (hereinafter simply referred to as “input device”) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the input device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the input device 1 shown in FIG. 1 with a cover removed. FIG. 4 is a side view of the input device 1 in the state shown in FIG. 3 and 4 show a state (initial state) in which neither rotation operation nor pressing operation is input to the input device 1 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the input device 1 according to the present embodiment has a housing 2 (housing 200, cover 220) having a generally flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the top surface of the housing 2 (cover 220). A part of the operating member 3 is exposed. In the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, the rotation operation and the pressing operation by the operator are received from the operation member 3 thus exposed. In the following, the lower left side shown in FIG. 1 is the front side of the input device 1, the upper right side is the rear side, the back side shown in FIG. 1 is the left side of the input device 1, and the near side is the right side. Shall be.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the input device 1 according to the present embodiment generally includes a housing 200 and a cover 220 constituting the housing 2, an operation member 3, a shaft 4 inserted through the operation member 3, A case 5 as a support that rotatably holds the shaft 4, a rotary encoder 6 as a rotary electric mechanism that outputs a signal in accordance with a rotation operation of the operation member 3, and a pressing operation of the operation member 3 And a click mechanism 8 that generates a click feeling in response to a pressing operation of the operation member 3. The cover 220 constitutes a lid portion of the housing 2.

  The housing 200 is made of, for example, a rigid insulating resin material, and the case 5, the rotary encoder 6, the switch mechanism 7, and the like can be disposed inside the housing 200 with the cover 220 serving as a lid. It is formed in a simple shape. The housing 200 is provided with a space 201 in which the rotary encoder 6 is accommodated on the side surface on the left side. This space 201 has a shape that opens upward.

  Posts 203a to 203d are erected from the bottom surface 202 at the end closer to the side surface on the right side than the space 201 and the end on the side surface on the right side. These support columns 203a to 203d have the same height and support the lower surface of the cover 220 that is covered from above. In addition, at a predetermined position on the front surface of the support columns 203a and 203c and a predetermined position on the rear surface of the support columns 203b and 203d, the engagement with the engagement grooves 228a to 228d of the cover 220, which will be described later. Combination pieces 204a to 204d are provided (engagement pieces 204b and 204d are not shown in FIG. 2).

  Inner wall portions 205a and 205b extending toward each other are provided between the column portion 203a and the column portion 203b. The inner wall portions 205a and 205b extend from the column portions 203a and 203b by a certain length, respectively. Thereby, between both, the accommodating part 206a which accommodates the protrusion part 403a of the axis | shaft 4 mentioned later is provided. Similarly, inner wall portions 205c and 205d extending toward each other are provided between the column portion 203c and the column portion 203d, and a protruding portion 403b of the shaft 4 described later is accommodated between these inner wall portions 205c and 205d. An accommodating portion 206b is provided. In addition, these accommodating parts 206a and 206b are designed by the width | variety substantially the same as the width | variety of a pair of opposing surface part 404a, 404b of protrusion part 403a, 403b mentioned later. Moreover, these accommodating parts 206a and 206b comprise a part of rotation control means.

  In addition, a space 207 in which the switch mechanism 7 is disposed is provided between the column portion 203b and the column portion 203d. In this space 207, the switch mechanism 7 is fixed to the bottom surface portion 202. Thus, in the state fixed to the housing 200, the outer wall surface of the wafer 701 of the switch mechanism 7 described later forms the same plane as the outer wall surfaces of the column part 203b and the column part 203d. Note that locking portions 208a and 208b for locking the ends of the torsion coil spring 10 described later are provided at predetermined positions on the upper surfaces of the column portion 203b and the column portion 203d.

  Further, an accommodating portion 209 that accommodates the click mechanism 8 is provided on the bottom surface portion 202 between the supporting column portion 203a and the supporting column portion 203c. The accommodating portion 209 has a shape that opens upward, and is configured to accommodate the click mechanism 8 from above.

  A leaf spring 9 is disposed on the inner side of the column portions 203 a to 203 d in the bottom surface portion 202 of the housing 200. The leaf spring 9 is formed, for example, by bending a metal material having elasticity. Guide members 901a and 901b made up of a pair of elastic pieces opened upward are provided at the center of the side end of the leaf spring 9. The guide members 901a and 901b are disposed at positions corresponding to the housing portions 206a and 206b of the housing 200, respectively. The upper end portions of the guide members 901a and 901b extend to the upper side of the housing portions 206a and 206b, and play a role of guiding projecting portions 403a and 403b of the shaft 4 described later to the housing portions 206a and 206b, respectively.

  The cover 220 is formed, for example, by bending a metal plate-like member. The cover 220 includes an upper surface portion 221, and a front surface portion 222, a rear surface portion 223, and side surface portions 224 and 225 that are bent downward from the end of the upper surface portion 221, and the side surface portion 224 is not shown in FIG. . An opening 226 is formed at the center of the upper surface 221 to cover side surfaces 503 and 504 as a pair of protective walls described later. A part of the operation member 3 is exposed from the opening 226. Positioning portions 227a to 227d that protrude downward are formed on the sides of the opening 226. These positioning portions 227a to 227d are in contact with part of side portions 503 and 504 of the case 5 to be described later and play a role of determining the return position of the case 5. Further, engaging grooves 228a to 228d are formed from the upper surface portion 221 to the front surface portion 222 and from the upper surface portion 221 to the rear surface portion 223. These engagement grooves 228 a to 228 d engage with the engagement pieces 204 a to 204 d of the housing 200.

  The operation member 3 is made of, for example, a resin material and has a generally cylindrical shape. In the vicinity of the center of the outer peripheral surface of the operating member 3, a rib 301 is provided for improving the operability for the operator. Further, a through hole 302 through which the shaft 4 is inserted is provided inside the operation member 3. In the through hole 302, an engaging portion 302a for rotating the operation member 3 integrally with the shaft 4 is formed.

  The shaft 4 is made of, for example, a rigid insulating resin material, and is generally provided in a bar shape. The shaft 4 is formed so as to protrude from a peripheral surface portion 401 inserted into the operation member 3, rotary shaft portions 402 a and 402 b provided on the side of the peripheral surface portion 401, and end surfaces of the rotary shaft portions 402 a and 402 b. Projecting portions 403a and 403b. An engagement portion 401 a for rotating the shaft 4 integrally with the operation member 3 is formed on the peripheral surface portion 401. The rotating shaft portions 402a and 402b have a circular shape in a side view. The protrusions 403 a and 403 b have at least a pair of opposed surface portions 404 a and 404 b with respect to the rotation axis of the shaft 4. In the present embodiment, each of the protrusions 403a and 403b has a regular hexagonal shape. In addition, the protrusion part 403a is set slightly longer than the protrusion part 403b, and is connected with the 1st rotary body 11 mentioned later. These protrusions 403a and 403b constitute a part of the rotation restricting means.

  The case 5 is made of, for example, an insulating resin material and has a shape that opens in the vertical direction. The case 5 includes a front surface portion 501 and a rear surface portion 502 as a pair of side walls along a pressing operation direction of the operation member 3, and side surface portions 503 and 504 as a pair of holding walls. A columnar protruding piece 501 a is provided at the center of the front surface portion 501. The protruding piece 501a is placed on a stem 802 of the click mechanism 8 described later, and plays a role of transmitting the operation of the case 5 to the click mechanism 8. At the center of the rear surface portion 502, a cylindrical protruding piece 502a is provided. The protruding piece 502a plays a role of holding a torsion coil spring 10 described later. A pair of rectangular engagement pieces 502b and 502c are provided on the side of the protrusion 502a. These engaging pieces 502b and 502c engage with sliders 703a and 703b of the switch mechanism 7 to be described later, and play a role of supporting a part of the torsion coil spring 10 held by the protruding piece 502a from below.

  Openings 503a and 504a that open upward are formed at the centers of the side surfaces 503 and 504, respectively. The widths of these openings 503a and 504a are set to be slightly larger than the diameters of the rotating shafts 402a and 402b of the shaft 4, and are configured to hold the rotating shafts 402a and 402b rotatably. . Further, the upper end portions 503b and 504b of the side surface portions 503 and 504 are arranged at positions higher than the upper end portions of the front surface portion 501 and the rear surface portion 502, and the end surfaces have an arc shape. The reason why the end surfaces of the upper end portions 503b and 504b are formed in an arc shape is to smoothly perform the operation when the case 5 performs the tilting operation as will be described later.

  The torsion coil spring 10 has a pair of arm portions 1001a and 1001b, and is held by the protruding piece 502a of the case 5 in a state where these arm portions 1001a and 1001b are extended to the side of the input device 1. Then, in a state where the input device 1 is assembled, both end portions of the arm portions 1001a and 1001b are locked to the locking portions 208a and 208b of the housing 200. In this state, the arm portions 1001 a and 1001 b are supported from below by the engagement pieces 502 b and 502 c of the case 5. The torsion coil spring 10 constitutes a return elastic member of the switch mechanism 7.

  The rotary encoder 6 is fixed to the bottom surface portion 202 inside the space 201 of the housing 200. The rotary encoder 6 is disposed so as to face a contact pattern of a wafer 601 in which a contact pattern made of a metal plate connected to an external output terminal is insert-molded, and the contact pattern of the wafer 601, and responds to the rotation of a second rotating body 12 described later. And a slider 602 that slides on the contact pattern. The rotary encoder 6 is configured to be able to output a signal to the outside in accordance with the contact state between the slider 602 and the contact pattern corresponding to the rotation of the shaft 4 accompanying the rotation operation of the operation member 3. .

  A first rotator 11 and a second rotator 12 are disposed inside the rotary encoder 6. The 1st rotary body 11 and the 2nd rotary body 12 are formed with an insulating resin material, for example. The second rotating body 12 has a generally disk shape, and is attached to the rotary encoder 6 by the mounting member 13 in a state where the slider 602 is fixed to the surface on the rotary encoder 6 side. A groove 1201 that accommodates the first rotating body 11 itself is formed on the inner surface of the second rotating body 12. The first rotating body 11 is also slidable along the groove 1201.

  The first rotating body 11 has a generally rectangular shape and is accommodated in the groove 1201 of the second rotating body 12. A groove 1101 that accommodates the protruding portion 403 a of the shaft 4 is formed on the inner surface of the first rotating body 11. Further, the protruding portion 403a is slidable along the groove 1101. The groove 1101 is formed in a direction orthogonal to the groove 1201 in a state where the first rotating body 11 is accommodated in the groove 1201 of the second rotating body 12. The projecting portion 403 a is accommodated in the groove 1101 of the first rotating body 11, and the first rotating body 11 is accommodated in the groove 1201 of the second rotating body 12, whereby the shaft 4, the first rotating body 11, and the first rotation. The body 11 and the second rotating body 12 are connected. By connecting in this way, the rotation of the projecting portion 403a of the shaft 4 rotates the second rotating body 12 disposed with the rotation axis being shifted from the shaft 4 via the first rotating body 11. Thus, the protruding portion 403a of the shaft 4 moves up and down via the first rotating body 11 by a pressing operation so that the second rotating body 12 is not rotated. That is, the first rotating body 11 and the second rotating body 12 constitute a so-called Oldham joint. By providing such an Oldham coupling, as will be described in detail later, when the operation member 3 is rotated, the rotation of the protrusion 403a accompanying the rotation operation is transmitted to the rotary encoder 6, and the operation member 3 During the pressing operation, the protrusion 403a is allowed to move with the pressing operation. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which a signal is output from the rotary encoder 6 in accordance with a pressing operation on the operation member 3. As for the Oldham coupling, in the present embodiment, the first rotating body 11 and the second rotating body 12 are connected by housing the first rotating body 11 itself in the groove 1201 of the second rotating body 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the second rotating body 12 is provided with a protrusion instead of the groove, and the groove provided in the first rotating body 11 is movably fitted to the protrusion so as to face the protrusion. It is also possible to connect them. In addition, the rotary electric mechanism is described as the rotary encoder 6 in the present embodiment. However, the rotary electric mechanism is not limited to this, and a rotary variable resistor may be formed by using a contact pattern as a resistor pattern.

  The switch mechanism 7 includes a wafer 701 in which fixed contacts 701a and 701b connected to external output terminals are insert-molded, and a fixed contact 701a and 701b of the wafer 701. The switch mechanism 7 is slidably contacted with the fixed contacts 701a and 701b. The moving elements 702a and 702b, the sliders 703a and 703b to which the sliders 702a and 702b are fixed, the mounting members 704 for attaching the sliders 703a and 703b to the wafer 701, and the torsion coil spring 10 described above are included. Has been. The sliders 703 a and 703 b are provided with engaging portions 703 c that engage with the engaging pieces 502 b and 502 c of the case 5, and slide in the vertical direction as the case 5 moves. The switch mechanism 7 can output a signal to the outside according to the contact state between the sliders 702a and 702b and the fixed contacts 701a and 701b according to the pressing operation of the case 5 accompanying the pressing operation of the operation member 3. It is configured.

  The click mechanism 8 includes a generally dome-shaped rubber 801 that is housed in the housing portion 209 of the housing 2 and a stem 802 that covers the rubber 801 from above. In a state where the input device 1 is assembled, the stem 802 is disposed with a part thereof exposed from the housing portion 209. And the protrusion piece 501a of case 5 is mounted in the upper surface. The click mechanism 8 plays a role of generating a click feeling as the case 5 moves due to a pressing operation on the operation member 3.

  When the input device 1 having such a configuration is assembled, as shown in FIG. 3, the case 5 holding the shaft 4 inserted through the through-hole 302 of the operation member 3 becomes the column portions 203 a to 203 d of the housing 200. Housed inside. In this case, the rotation shaft portions 402 a and 402 b of the shaft 4 are rotatably held in the openings 503 a and 504 a of the case 5. At this time, the upper end portions 503b and 504b of the side surface portions 503 and 504 of the case 5 are arranged at positions above the rotating shaft portions 402a and 402b. Further, the projecting portions 403a and 403b of the shaft 4 are in a state of entering the guide members 901a and 901b, respectively. Further, the protruding portion 403 a of the shaft 4 is connected to the rotary encoder 6 via the first rotating body 11 and the second rotating body 12.

  The protruding piece 501 a provided on the front surface portion 501 of the case 5 is placed on the upper surface of the stem 802 of the click mechanism 8 accommodated in the accommodating portion 209 and is lifted slightly upward by the elastic force of the rubber 801. It is said that. On the other hand, the protruding piece 502 a provided on the rear surface portion 502 of the case 5 holds the torsion coil spring 10. The ends of the arm portions 1001a and 1001b of the torsion coil spring 10 are in a state of being locked to the locking portions 208a and 208b of the case 5 and are lifted upward by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 10. It is said that. Further, the engagement pieces 502b and 502c provided on the rear surface portion 502 of the case 5 are arranged to face the switch mechanism 7 fixed to the housing 200, and are engaged with the engagement portions 703c of the sliders 703a and 703b. The

  In a state where neither the rotation operation nor the pressing operation is input to the input device 1, the protruding portion 403b guides at a position above the inner wall portions 205c and 205d of the housing 200 as shown in FIG. It is held by the member 901b and is not in the accommodating portion 206b. At this time, the protruding portion 403b is held in a state where the pair of opposed surface portions 404a and 404b are sandwiched between the guide members 901b by the biasing force of the guide member 901b. The same applies to the protruding portion 403a.

  In the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, a rotating operation and a pressing operation are received from the initial state shown in FIGS. In particular, in the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, as the pressing operation, a pressing operation on the central portion of the operation member 3 (hereinafter referred to as “central pressing operation” as appropriate) and an end portion of the operating member 3 (hereinafter referred to as appropriate). It is configured to be able to accept a pressing operation for “end pressing operation”. Hereinafter, in the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, a state of the input device 1 when a rotation operation, an end pressing operation, and a center pressing operation are received will be described.

  5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining the state of the input device 1 when a rotation operation is accepted. 7 and 8 are diagrams for explaining the state of the input device 1 when the end pressing operation is received. 9 and 10 are diagrams for explaining the state of the input device 1 when a center pressing operation is received. 5, 7 and 9 show perspective views of the input device 1 in each state, and FIGS. 6, 8 and 10 show side views of the input device 1 in each state. 5 to 10 show a state in which the cover 220 is removed for convenience of explanation.

[Rotation operation]
When the rotation operation is received from the initial state, the operation member 3 is maintained in a state where the height of the operation member 3 is maintained by the elastic force of the rubber 801 of the click mechanism 8 and the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 10 as shown in FIG. 3 rotates. At this time, the operation member 3 rotates in a state where the rotary shaft portions 402a and 402b are supported by the end surfaces of the openings 503a and 504a of the side surface portions 503 and 504 of the case 5. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that a rotation operation from the rear side to the front side of the input device 1 is input to the operation member 3.

  When the operating member 3 rotates in the arrow direction shown in FIG. 5, the protruding portion 403b of the shaft 4 rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. At this time, the protruding portion 403b rotates while the apex portion retracts the guide member 901b in the front-rear direction of the input device 1. In this case, since the protruding portion 403b is disposed at a position above the housing portion 206b, the inner wall portions 205c and 205d of the housing 200 do not restrict the rotation of the protruding portion 403b. The same applies to the protruding portion 403a. When the protrusion 403a rotates according to the rotation operation of the operation member 3, the rotation is transmitted to the rotary encoder 6 through the first rotating body 11 and the second rotating body 12 connected to the protrusion 403a. A signal corresponding to the contact mode between the contact pattern 601 and the slider 602 is output to the outside.

  When the protruding portion 403b rotates in this way, if the contact between the guide member 901b and the apex portion of the protruding portion 403b is exceeded, the pair of adjacent opposing surface portions are again sandwiched between the guide members 901b. Since the guide member 901b is a part of the leaf spring 9 and has an urging force, the guide member 901b generates a click feeling when moving from the pair of opposed surface portions 404a and 404b to the adjacent pair of opposed surface portions. . Therefore, the operator can rotate the operation member 3 while obtaining a click feeling.

  As described above, in the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, the guide members 901a and 901b have a function of guiding the protruding portions 403a and 403b to the housing portions 206a and 206b, and a click feeling is generated when the operation member 3 is rotated. Therefore, the number of parts in the input device 1 can be reduced, and the cost required for manufacturing can be reduced.

[End pressing operation]
When the end pressing operation is received from the initial state, the operation member 3 is pushed downward against the elastic force of the rubber 801 of the click mechanism 8 and the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 10 as shown in FIG. . Here, as shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that an end pressing operation to the right side end of the operation member 3 is input. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, the right side end of the operating member 3 is tilted downward, and the right side end of the case 5 is tilted downward accordingly. Yes. The detailed state of the operation member 3 and the case 5 tilted in this way will be described later.

  When the case 5 is tilted in this way, the stem 802 of the click mechanism 8 is pushed down by the protruding piece 501a provided on the front surface portion 501 of the case 5, and the rubber 801 is elastically deformed. Further, since only the engaging piece 502c provided on the rear surface portion 502 of the case 5 moves downward, only the slider 703b of the switch mechanism 7 that engages with the engaging piece 502c moves downward. As a result, the slider 702b fixed to the slider 703b comes into contact with the fixed contact 701b provided on the wafer 701, and a signal corresponding thereto is output to the outside.

  When the right side end of the operation member 3 is pressed downward as shown in FIG. 7, the protruding portion 403b of the shaft 4 sandwiches the opposed surface portions 404a and 404b by the guide member 901b as shown in FIG. In this state, it is guided downward and is accommodated in the accommodating portion 206b. In this case, as described above, since the widths of the facing surface portions 404a and 404b and the width of the storage portion 206b are designed to be substantially the same width, the protruding portion is accommodated in the storage portion 206b. 403b does not rotate. At this time, since the protruding portion 403b is guided to the accommodating portion 206b by the guide member 901b, the protruding portion 403b can be reliably accommodated in the accommodating portion 206b in response to a pressing operation on the operation member 3. .

  In this case, the protruding portion 403a of the shaft 4 has moved upward as opposed to the protruding portion 403b. When the protrusion 403a moves in this way, the first rotating body 11 connected to the protrusion 403a slides upward in the groove 1201 of the second rotating body 12, as shown in FIG. The moving force is not transmitted to the second rotating body 12. For this reason, even when the end pressing operation is input to the operation member 3, the movement of the protrusion 403 a is not transmitted to the rotary encoder 6.

  In addition, when the end pressing operation to the left side end of the operation member 3 is input, the protruding portion 403a of the shaft 4 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 206a in the same manner as described above. Rotation is regulated. In this case, the first rotating body 11 connected to the protruding portion 403a slides downward in the groove 1201 of the second rotating body 12. For this reason, as in the case described above, the movement force is not transmitted to the second rotating body 12, so that the movement of the protrusion 403 a is not transmitted to the rotary encoder 6.

[Center pressing operation]
When the center pressing operation is received from the initial state, the operation member 3 is pushed downward against the elastic force of the rubber 801 of the click mechanism 8 and the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 10 as shown in FIG. When the central portion is pressed downward in this way, the operation member 3 moves downward while maintaining the horizontal state in the initial state. In response to this, the case 5 also moves downward while maintaining the horizontal state.

  When the case 5 moves downward as described above, the stem 802 of the click mechanism 8 is pushed down by the protruding piece 501a provided on the front surface portion 501 of the case 5 in the same manner as when the case 5 is tilted, and the rubber 801 is Elastically deformed. Further, since the engagement pieces 502b and 502c provided on the rear surface portion 502 of the case 5 move downward, the sliders 703a and 703b of the switch mechanism 7 that engage with the engagement pieces 502b and 502c are on the lower side. Move to. As a result, the sliders 702a and 702b fixed to the sliders 703a and 703b come into contact with the fixed contacts 701a and 701b provided on the wafer 701, and signals corresponding thereto are output to the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the operation member 3 is pressed downward, the projecting portions 403a and 403b of the shaft 4 are sandwiched between the opposing surface portions 404a and 404b by the guide members 901a and 901b as shown in FIG. In this state, it is guided downward and is accommodated in the accommodating portions 206a and 206b. In this case, as described above, the widths of the facing surface portions 404a and 404b and the widths of the storage portions 206a and 206b are designed to be substantially the same width, and thus are stored in the storage portions 206a and 206b. In the state, the protrusions 403a and 403b do not rotate.

  Here, the state of the operation member 3 and the case 5 tilted with the end pressing operation will be described. In the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, the upper end portions 503b and 504b of the side surface portions 503 and 504 of the case 5 are brought into contact with the lower surface of the cover 220, and the contact point is set as a tilting fulcrum. A large amount of tilt is secured. Hereinafter, a structure for securing the tilt amount in the operation member 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIGS. 11 to 14 are a top view and a cross-sectional view of an initial state of the input device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a top view of the initial state of the input device 1 according to the present embodiment. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along one-dot chain line A shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a top view of the input device 1 shown in FIG. 11 with the cover 220 removed. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along one-dot chain line B shown in FIG.

  FIGS. 15 to 18 are a top view and a cross-sectional view when an end pressing operation is input to the input device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 15 is a top view when an end pressing operation is input to the input device 1 according to the present embodiment. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along one-dot chain line C shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is a top view of the input device 1 shown in FIG. 15 with the cover 220 removed. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along one-dot chain line D shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, in the initial state, the operation member 3 is held on the side surfaces 503 and 504 of the case 5 via the shaft 4 with the upper end exposed from the opening 226 of the cover 220. ing. The case 5 that holds the operation member 3 is held in a state in which it is kept horizontal with respect to the housing 200 by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 10 and the like. In this case, the case 5 is held in a state where the upper end portions 503b and 504b of the side surface portions 503 and 504 are in contact with the lower surface of the cover 220, as shown in FIG. The space in which the case 5 held in this way can tilt is limited to the space S1 between the guide member 901a and the side surface portion 503 (between the guide member 901b and the side surface portion 504).

  Positioning portions 227a and 227c provided on the cover 220 are disposed at positions on the side of the upper end portions 503b and 504b of the side surface portions 503 and 504, respectively. The positioning portions 227a and 227c are arranged with a very small gap between the upper end portions 503b and 504b, and the positions of the upper end portions 503b and 504b that have been released by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 10 are released. The case 5 is positioned by regulation.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, in the initial state, the shaft 4 inserted through the operation member 3 is held in a state of being maintained in a horizontal state with respect to the case 5. The protruding portion 403a of the shaft 4 is connected to the first rotating body 11 arranged on the outer side in the axial direction. In this case, the projecting portion 403a is disposed so as to face the end surface of the projecting portion 403a in parallel with the plane of the groove 1101 of the first rotating body 11. Note that the space in which the shaft 4 (operation member 3) held in this manner can tilt is limited to the space S2 between the end surface of the protruding portion 403a and the plane of the groove portion 1101. The space S2 is set narrower than the space S1 described above.

  When the end pressing operation (the pressing operation on the right side end) is input from the state shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the right side end of the operation member 3 is pushed down as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. It is done. In this case, as shown in FIG. 16, the upper end portion 503 b of the side surface portion 503 of the case 5 and the lower surface of the cover 220 are in contact with the operation member 3, and the operation member 3 is tilted with the contact point as the tilt fulcrum. That is, only the side surface portion 504 moves downward while maintaining the position of the upper end portion 503b of the side surface portion 503 from the initial state. In this manner, by moving only the other side surface portion 504 downward while maintaining the position of one side surface portion 503, the limited amount of the space S1 is effectively used to increase the tilting amount of the operation member 3. Secured.

  As described above, the space S2 in which the shaft 4 (operation member 3) can tilt is set narrower than the space S1 in which the case 5 can tilt. For this reason, when the case 5 tilts the space S1 to the maximum extent, the tilting operation of the shaft 4 is restricted. In the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, the restriction of the tilting operation of the shaft 4 is absorbed by the movement of the first rotating body 11. That is, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the tilt amount of the shaft 4 can be reduced by sliding the first rotating body 11 upward in the groove 1201 of the second rotating body 12 according to the tilting amount of the shaft 4. Secured. Accordingly, even when the shaft 4 can be tilted in the space S2 narrower than the space S1 in which the case 5 can tilt, the tilting amount of the operation member 3 is ensured to be large.

  Next, operation | movement of the click mechanism 8 which the input device 1 which concerns on this Embodiment has is demonstrated. As described above, in the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, when the end pressing operation or the center pressing operation is input to the operation member 3, the protruding piece 501a of the case 5 moves downward, The rubber 801 is configured to be elastically deformed via the stem 802. The click mechanism 8 generates a click feeling according to the elastic deformation of the rubber 801. Hereinafter, the operation of the click mechanism 8 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIGS. 19-21 is sectional drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the click mechanism 8 which the input device 1 which concerns on this Embodiment has. FIG. 19 is a sectional view of an initial state of the input device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view when an end pressing operation is input to the input device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view when a center pressing operation is input to the input device 1 according to the present embodiment. 19 to 21, a cross section at the center of the click mechanism 8 is shown when viewed from the front side of the input device 1.

  As shown in FIG. 19, in the initial state, the protruding piece 501 a provided on the front surface portion 501 of the case 5 is placed on the upper surface of the stem 802 of the click mechanism 8. At this time, the rubber 801 is in a state where the stem 802 is lifted upward.

  When the end portion pressing operation is input from the initial state shown in FIG. 19, the case 5 moves downward as the operation member 3 moves downward as shown in FIG. 20. As a result, the protruding piece 501a provided on the front surface portion 501 of the case 5 also moves downward to push down the stem 802. The rubber 801 is inverted at a predetermined position in accordance with the downward movement of the stem 802, and a click feeling is generated at the time of the inversion. Therefore, the operator can perform the end pressing operation while obtaining a click feeling.

  Similarly, when a center pressing operation is input from the initial state shown in FIG. 19, the case 5 also moves downward as the operation member 3 moves downward as shown in FIG. 21. As a result, the protruding piece 501a provided on the front surface portion 501 of the case 5 also moves downward to push down the stem 802. The rubber 801 is inverted at a predetermined position in accordance with the downward movement of the stem 802, and a click feeling is generated at the time of the inversion. Therefore, the operator can perform the center pressing operation while obtaining a click feeling.

  As described above, in the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, the click mechanism 8 is provided separately from the switch mechanism 7, and the click mechanism 8 clicks according to the operation of the case 5 accompanying the pressing operation of the operation member 3. Since the touch is generated, for example, unlike the case where the click feeling is generated by the reversing operation of the switch mechanism 7 or the like, even when the center pressing operation or the end pressing operation of the operation member 3 is performed, the touch feeling is uniform. A click feeling can be given to the operator.

  As described above, according to the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, the projecting portions 403a and 403b of the shaft 4 are formed of a rigid material when the operating member 3 is pressed, and according to the outer shape of the projecting portions 403a and 403b. The operation member 3 is not rotated even when a tangential force is applied to the operation member 3 because the operation member 3 is accommodated in the rigid accommodating portions 206a and 206b having different shapes. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent the operation member 3 from rotating in the pressed state and generating an erroneous signal from the rotary encoder 6.

  In particular, in the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, when the operating member 3 is pressed, the pair of facing surface portions 404a and 404b provided on the protruding portions 403a and 403b of the shaft 4 are accommodated in the accommodating portions 206a and 206b. Since the rotation of the operating member 3 is restricted, it is possible to prevent the operating member 3 from rotating in a state where the pressing operation is reliably performed with a simple configuration, and to prevent the generation of an erroneous signal due to the rotation. It becomes possible.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change and implement variously. In the above-described embodiment, the size, shape, and the like illustrated in the accompanying drawings are not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed within a range in which the effect of the present invention is exhibited. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the object of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the support (case 5) can be tilted left and right by pressing the left and right end portions of the operation member 3 has been described, but either one may tilt, In that case, it is only necessary that the holding walls (side surfaces 503 and 504) of the support (case 5) on the side serving as the tilting fulcrum are covered with the lid (cover 220).

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the operation member 3 and the axis | shaft 4 are comprised as a separate member is demonstrated, it is not limited to this about the structure of the operation member 3, It can change suitably. It is. For example, the operation member 3 and the shaft 4 described above may be configured integrally. In this case, the number of parts in the input device 1 can be reduced, and the time and cost required for the assembly can be reduced.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the composite operation input device which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the composite operation input device according to the embodiment. It is a perspective view of the state which removed the cover from the composite operation input device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the composite operation input device in the state shown in FIG. 3. In the composite operation input device according to the embodiment, it is a perspective view when a rotation operation is received. In the composite operation input device according to the embodiment, it is a side view when a rotation operation is received. In the composite operation input device according to the embodiment, it is a perspective view when an end portion pressing operation is received. It is a side view at the time of receiving edge part press operation in the composite operation input device which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a perspective view at the time of receiving center pressing operation in the composite operation input device which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a side view at the time of receiving center pressing operation in the composite operation input device which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a top view of the initial state in the composite operation input device which concerns on the said embodiment. It is sectional drawing in the dashed-dotted line A shown in FIG. It is a top view of the state which removed the cover from the composite operation input device shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing in the dashed-dotted line B shown in FIG. It is a top view at the time of edge part pressing operation being input into the composite operation input device which concerns on the said embodiment. It is sectional drawing in the dashed-dotted line C shown in FIG. FIG. 16 is a top view of the composite operation input device illustrated in FIG. 15 with a cover removed. It is sectional drawing in the dashed-dotted line D shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the initial state in the composite operation input device which concerns on the said embodiment. It is sectional drawing when edge part press operation is input into the composite operation input device which concerns on the said embodiment. It is sectional drawing when a center pressing operation is input into the composite operation input device which concerns on embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Combined operation input device (input device)
2 Housing 200 Housing 201 Space 202 Bottom surface portion 203a to 203d Post portion 204a to 204d Engagement piece 205a to 205d Inner wall portion 206a, 206b Housing portion (rotation restricting means)
207 Space 208a, 208b Locking part 209 Storage part 220 Cover (lid part)
221 Upper surface portion 222 Front surface portion 223 Rear surface portion 224, 225 Side surface portion 226 Opening portion 227a to 227d Positioning portion 228a to 228d Engaging groove 3 Operation member 301 Rib 302 Through hole 4 Shaft 401 Peripheral surface portion 402a, 402b Rotating shaft portion 403a, 403b Protrusion (rotation restricting means)
404a, 404b Opposing surface part 5 Case (support)
501 Front (side wall)
501a Protruding piece 502 Rear surface (side wall)
502a Projection piece 502b, 502c Engagement piece 503, 504 Side surface (holding wall)
503a, 504a Opening 503b, 504b Upper end 6 Rotating encoder (Rotating electrical mechanism)
601 Wafer 602 Slider 7 Switch mechanism 701 Wafer 701a, 701b Fixed contact 702a, 702b Slider 703a, 703b Slider 704 Mounting member 8 Click mechanism 801 Rubber 802 Stem 9 Leaf spring 901a, 901b Guide member 10 Torsion coil spring Elastic member)
1001a, 1001b Arm portion 11 First rotating body 1101 Groove portion 12 Second rotating body 1201 Groove portion

Claims (10)

A rotary electric mechanism that outputs a signal in response to a rotation operation of the operation member, a switch mechanism that operates in response to a pressing operation of the operation member, and a rotation restriction that restricts the rotation of the operation member during the pressing operation of the operation member A composite operation input device comprising means,
The rotation restricting means is formed of a material having rigidity, and has a protruding portion protruding in the rotation axis direction of the operating member, and a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the protruding portion, and the protruding when the operating member is pressed. A composite operation input device comprising: a housing portion for housing the portion.   A support body having a pair of holding walls rotatably holding rotation shaft portions provided at both ends on the rotation axis of the operation member; and a housing for holding the support body so as to perform a pressing operation when the operation member is pressed. And the protrusion is formed to protrude axially outward from at least one of the rotation shafts and has at least a pair of opposed surface portions with respect to the rotation axis of the operation member. The composite operation input device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of opposed surface portions are accommodated to restrict rotation of the operation member during a pressing operation of the operation member.   The composite operation input device according to claim 1, further comprising a guide member that guides the protruding portion to the housing portion.   The composite operation input device according to claim 3, wherein the guide member is made of an elastic material, and generates a click feeling according to the rotation of the protruding portion accompanying the rotation operation of the operation member.   5. The composite operation input device according to claim 2, wherein the casing holds the support body so as to be capable of tilting when the end of the operation member is pressed. 6.   The housing includes a lid portion that covers at least one of the pair of holding walls of the support body and has an opening portion for exposing the operation member, and is covered with the lid portion. The end surface of the wall on the side of the lid is brought into contact with the lid at a position closer to the lid than the rotary shaft, and the end of the holding wall is pressed during the pressing operation of the end of the operating member opposite to the holding wall. 6. The composite operation input device according to claim 5, wherein a contact point with respect to the lid portion is an inclination fulcrum of the support.   The composite operation input device according to claim 6, wherein an end surface of the holding wall that comes into contact with the lid portion has an arc shape.   The positioning part which contacts the end surface of the said holding wall when the pressing operation of the said operation member is cancelled | released and positions the said support body was provided in the said cover part, The Claim 6 or Claim 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. Combined operation input device.   A first rotator coupled to the projecting portion; and a second rotator coupled to the first rotator and coupled to the rotary electrical mechanism; The rotation of the protrusion accompanying the rotation operation is transmitted to the rotary electric mechanism, and the movement of the protrusion accompanying the pressing operation is allowed during the pressing operation of the operation member. The composite operation input device according to claim 8.   The support body includes a pair of side walls along the pressing operation direction of the operation member, and the switch mechanism is disposed between a surface of one of the side walls and a side surface of the casing facing the surface of the side wall. A click mechanism that generates a click feeling when the support is operated in accordance with a pressing operation of the operating member is disposed in the vicinity of the other side wall, and the switch mechanism includes a surface of the side wall of the support and the housing. A fixed contact provided on one of the side surfaces; a slider provided on the other side that is in sliding contact with the fixed contact; and a return elastic member that returns the support to an initial position. 10. The composite operation input device according to claim 2, wherein the slider selectively contacts the fixed contact at the time of the tilting operation and the pressing operation of the support in accordance with the operation. .

Images