Lever handle type haptic input apparatus equipped with electromagnetic brake

• US 7,176,892 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2002
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Ayumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Ramesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Norton; Jennifer L.
• Application Number:
  US10/283,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20030080939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 700/83, 700/85, 700/260, 700/264, 700/275, 345/156, 345/161, 345/184, 715/701, 715/702, 434/45, 434/445, 463/30, 463/38, 335/3, 335/38, 348/221.7, 348/211.7, 744/71.XY, 738/620.8, 738/621.7, 738/621.8
• US Class Current: 345/161
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04766 providing feel, e.g. indexing means, means to create counterforce
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04781 with additional rotation of the controlling member
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20201 Control moves in two planes

Abstract

A haptic input apparatus includes: a supporting member having a spherical bearing; a lever handle having a spherical portion to be supported by the spherical bearing; an electromagnetic coil arranged opposite to a lower end surface of the lever handle; detection means for detecting an operating state of the lever handle; and control means for taking in an output signal a from the detection means to output a driving signal b of the electromagnetic coil based on the output signal a. The control means reads outs a control signal c from the electromagnetic coil corresponding to an output signal a to be inputted from the detection means from a first storage to output to a first driver circuit. The first driver circuit D/A converts the control signal c outputted from the CPU for amplifying, and outputs a driving signal b from the electromagnetic coil.

Claims

1. A haptic input apparatus, comprising:

a lever handle for an operator to operate manually;

a support of the lever handle;

an electromagnetic brake comprising a magnetic plate provided on a lower end portion of the lever handle through a leaf spring, and a lining material and an electromagnetic coil arranged opposite to the lower end portion of the lever handle, that directly applies an external force to the lever handle;

a detector that detects an operating state of the lever handle; and

a controller that controls driving of the electromagnetic brake on the basis of an output signal from the detector.

2. The haptic input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an amount of rocking and a rocking direction of the lever handle with respect to the support and an amount of rotation and a direction of rotation of the lever handle with respect to the support are detected by the detector, and wherein on the basis of an output signal from the detector corresponding to the amount of rocking and the rocking direction of the lever handle and the amount of rotation and the direction of rotation, driving of the electromagnetic brake is controlled.

3. The haptic input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein between the support and the lever handle, there is provided an elastic member that automatically returns the lever handle to a center position set in the support.

4. The haptic input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic brake is an off-brake type electromagnetic brake that applies an external force to the lever handle during non-energization of the electromagnetic coil.

5. The haptic input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein as the detector, there is used a non-contact type optical position sensor that irradiates an end surface of the lever handle with detection light to detect reflected light from the end surface of the lever handle, and that detects an operating position and an operating direction of the lever handle, and wherein the non-contact type optical position sensor is arranged opposite to the end surface of the lever handle.