Multi-way input device
First Claim
1. A multi-way input device comprising:
- an upper housing having a first recess formed in a bottom surface thereof;
a lower housing having a second recess formed in a top surface thereof and opposed to the first recess;
an actuator supported rotatably within said first and second recesses and provided with a vertically extending rotatable shaft;
an operating member engaged with said rotatable shaft and adapted to rotate in three-dimensional directions of X, Y and Z axes together with rotation of said actuator;
a first switch for detecting the rotation in the X-axis direction of said operating member;
a second switch for detecting the rotation in the Y-axis direction of said operating member; and
a third switch for detecting the rotation in the Y-axis direction of said operating member.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
According to the present invention there is provided an input device capable of making input in three-dimensional directions in conformity with the human'"'"'s operating sense and easy to operate.
The input device is provided with, in addition to first and second switches disposed on a substrate and a third switch disposed on the substrate in a direction in which it can be pushed in the surface direction of the substrate, a fourth switch capable of being pushed axially of a shaft. An actuator used in the device has a slide-contact surface which is part of a predetermined spherical surface, and in the interior of a housing there is provided a slide-contact surface for sliding contact with the slide-contact surface of the actuator. An operating member used in the device has a shape bridging the upper and lower ends of a stick.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A multi-way input device comprising:
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an upper housing having a first recess formed in a bottom surface thereof; a lower housing having a second recess formed in a top surface thereof and opposed to the first recess; an actuator supported rotatably within said first and second recesses and provided with a vertically extending rotatable shaft; an operating member engaged with said rotatable shaft and adapted to rotate in three-dimensional directions of X, Y and Z axes together with rotation of said actuator; a first switch for detecting the rotation in the X-axis direction of said operating member; a second switch for detecting the rotation in the Y-axis direction of said operating member; and a third switch for detecting the rotation in the Y-axis direction of said operating member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A multi-way input device comprising:
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a housing having an outer surface and defining an inner chamber including a plurality of projections, the housing also defining first and second holes passing through the outer surface to the chamber; an actuator rotatably mounted within the chamber, the actuator including a shaft having first and second ends respectively extending through the first and second holes formed in the housing; a first plurality of switches connected to the actuator; and an operating member movably disposed adjacent the outer surface of the housing and fixedly connected to the first and second ends of the shaft; wherein movement of the operating member relative to the housing causes actuation of at least one of the plurality of switches by at least one of the plurality of projections. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification