Rotary Input Device and Electronic Equipment

• US 20100271342A1
• Filed: 04/21/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fukoku Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd., Pro-Tech Design Corporation
• Inventors: Kodaira, Takeshi, Takahashi, Kazuhiro, Suzuki, Takahiko, Nagashima, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 9,158,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

Disclosed is a rotary input device, including: a rotary operation device; a rotation detecting section; a rotation driving section; a display control section to scroll an image under display by rotation of the rotary operation device; a judging section to judge whether the detected rotation angle reaches a critical angle corresponding to an end part of a range of the displayed image or not; and a rotation controlling section to reversely rotate the rotary operation device to an initial position or a reference position when it is judged that the rotation angle reaches the critical angle and the rotary operation is released, wherein the display control section displays the image displayed on the display section at a display position corresponding to the initial position or the reference position when the rotary operation device is reversely rotated to the initial position or the reference position.

Claims

1. A rotary input device, comprising:

a rotary operation device rotatable around an axis by receiving a rotary operation of an operator;

a rotation detecting section to detect a rotation angle of the rotary operation device;

a rotation driving section to apply a rotary force to the rotary operation device;

a display control section to scroll an image under display on a display section by rotation of the rotary operation device;

a judging section to judge whether the rotation angle of the rotary operation device detected by the rotation detecting section reaches a critical angle corresponding to an end part of a range of the image displayed on the display section or not; and

a rotation controlling section to reversely rotate the rotary operation device to an initial position or a reference position when the judging section judges that the rotation angle of the rotary operation device reaches the critical angle and the rotary operation of the operator to the rotary operation device is released, wherein

the display control section displays the image displayed on the display section at a display position corresponding to the initial position or the reference position when the rotary operation device is reversely rotated to the initial position or the reference position by the rotation controlling section.

2. The rotary input device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a force sense presenting section to present a force sense to the operator operating the rotary operation device by applying a loaded rotary force to the rotary operation device by the rotation driving section according to the rotation angle of the rotary operation device detected by the rotation detecting section.

3. The rotary input device according to claim 2, wherein the force sense presenting section informs the operator of impossibility of further rotation by applying rotary forces in a forward direction and a backward direction periodically to the rotary operation device by the rotation driving section when the judging section judges that the rotation angle of the rotary operation device reaches the critical angle.

5. Electronic equipment, comprising:

a rotary input device according to claim 1; and

a display section.

4. A rotary input device, comprising:

a rotary operation device rotatable around an axis by receiving a rotary operation of an operator;

a rotation detecting section to detect a rotation angle of the rotary operation device;

a rotation driving section to apply a rotary force to the rotary operation device;

a display control section to scroll an image under display on a display section by rotation of the rotary operation device;

a judging section to judge whether the rotation angle of the rotary operation device detected by the rotation detecting section reaches a critical angle corresponding to an end part of a range of the image displayed on the display section or not;

a force sense presenting section to present a force sense to the operator operating the rotary operation device by applying a loaded rotary force to the rotary operation device by the rotation driving section according to the rotation angle of the rotary operation device detected by the rotation detecting section; and

a rotation controlling section to reversely rotate the rotary operation device to an initial position or a reference position when the judging section judges that the rotation angle of the rotary operation device reaches the critical angle and the rotary operation of the operator to the rotary operation device is released, wherein

the force sense presenting section informs the operator of impossibility of further rotation by applying rotary forces in a forward direction and a backward direction periodically to the rotary operation device by the rotation driving section when the judging section judges that the rotation angle of the rotary operation device reaches the critical angle; and

the display control section displays the image displayed on the display section at a display position corresponding to the initial position or the reference position when the rotary operation device is reversely rotated to the initial position or the reference position by the rotation controlling section.