Adjustment operating apparatus

• US 5,745,057 A
• Filed: 09/24/1996
• Issued: 04/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Makoto, Shinada, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US08/710,945
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 341/13, 341/35, 345/184, 345/167, 381/104, 381/109, 250/231.14, 200/24
• US Class Current: 341/35
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 1/0088 using discontinuously variable devices, e.g. switch-operated
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/001 Digital control of analog signals

Abstract

An adjustment operating apparatus for adjusting an adjusting object, such as sound volume, through an operation by the user which includes an operation device for adjusting an adjusting object so as to increase or decrease through an operation and for inputting an adjustment change amount proportional to the amount of the operation, and a control device for generating an adjustment control signal for adjusting and controlling the adjusting object in response to a signal in accordance with the operation from the operation device, wherein the control device varies the speed of change in which the adjustment change amount is increased from the speed of change in which the adjustment change amount is decreased, making it easy to perform a sound volume adjustment operation.

Claims

1. An adjustment apparatus, comprising:

operation means having a knob for adjusting a sound volume so as to increase or decrease said sound volume by rotating said knob clockwise or counterclockwise, respectively, and for producing an adjustment change signal in proportion to a speed and a direction of rotation of said knob; and

control means for generating a sound volume adjustment control signal for adjusting and controlling said sound volume in response to said adjustment change signal from said operation means, wherein said control means varies a first rate of change at which said sound volume is increased and a second rate of change at which said sound volume is decreased in accordance with said speed and said direction of rotation of said knob, and wherein said second rate of change is equal to said first rate of change when said speed of rotation is less than a predetermined speed, and wherein said second rate of change is greater than said first rate of change when said speed of rotation is greater than or equal to said predetermined speed.

2. The adjustment operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said operation means further comprises a pulse encoder for generating a number of pulses corresponding to said speed of rotation of said knob, and wherein said control means calculates said speed of rotation based on a time interval between two of said pulses.

3. A sound volume controller for an electronic apparatus, comprising:

a pulse encoder, including;

a volume control knob, and

means for generating, in response to a rotation of said knob, output pulses and a binary rotation direction signal indicating a direction of rotation of said knob, whereby a rotational speed of said knob is inversely proportional to an interval between two of said output pulses; and

control means for generating a volume adjustment signal based on said rotational speed and said direction of rotation, whereby said volume adjustment signal increases the sound volume when said knob is rotated in one direction and decreases the sound volume when said knob is rotated in an opposite direction, and whereby when said rotational speed is slower than a predetermined speed the sound volume is increased at a same rate than when it is decreased, and whereby when said rotational speed is faster than said predetermined speed the sound volume is decreased at a faster rate than when it is increased.