JPH10254620A - Three-dimensional data input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the operability at the time of rotational angle input and to lighten the burden on the input on an operator by providing a horizontal support part which supports a housing horizontally on a measurement plane and a rotation allowing part which allows the housing to rotate on an axis while the housing is supported on the measurement plane. SOLUTION: Support shafts 14 which project outward from a bottom surface 10b to an operation plane and are able to move forward and backward while having the elasticity of springs are provided at four front and rear, and right and left places of a mouse. In the housing 10, a ball body 12 which is freely rotatable, and couples of rotary encoders, gyros, and switches are arranged. The ball body 12 is arranged while partially exposed in an opening part formed at the lower end part of the bottom surface 10b of the mouse housing 10, and this exposed part comes into contact with a mouse pad, so that the ball body rotates associatively with the movement of the mouse housing 10. The rotary encoders are arranged always in contact with the surface of the ball body 12 from the directions of two mutually orthogonal horizontal axes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a three-dimensional data input device for inputting data to a computer, for example. An example of the three-dimensional data input device is a three-dimensional mouse capable of inputting three-dimensional data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In addition to keyboards, pointing devices such as mice and digitizers are widely used as data input devices used in computers. FIG.
1 is a perspective view showing a mouse as an example of a pointing device.

In FIG. 10, a mouse M is provided with a predetermined number of operation buttons 2 (three in the illustrated example) on an upper surface of a box-shaped housing 1.
Are arranged, and a ball (not shown) is supported on the bottom surface of the housing 1 so as to freely roll. A part of the ball is exposed from the bottom surface of the housing, and on the bottom surface of the housing 1, the bottom surface and the operation plane are kept parallel to each other while the ball is in contact with an operation plane such as a mouse pad. The mechanism is such that horizontal movement of the housing 1 is allowed while being left. Usually, such a mechanism is a support leg having a low friction material or the like that protrudes from the bottom surface of the housing 1 and is slidable on an operation plane. All of the currently used mice detect the relative displacement of the mouse on the operation plane, and are limited to only two-dimensional data input. The same applies to the case where another similar data input device such as a digitizer is used.

In recent years, data input devices capable of inputting three-dimensional data have been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-7371 and Japanese Patent Application No. 8-24487). Each of these techniques suggests that three-dimensional data, particularly three-dimensional attitude angle data, can be input on a desk.

[0005]

However, in the above-described conventional three-dimensional data input device, the operability at the time of inputting a posture angle on a desk is not mentioned, and the housing shape is as shown in FIG. In addition, it cannot be imagined other than the mouse M which can be used for inputting two-dimensional data and has a flat bottom surface used on a conventional desk. Therefore, the conventionally proposed three-dimensional data input device is a device for inputting a rotation angle, particularly a roll angle (rotation angle of the housing in the left-right direction) and a pitch angle (rotation angle of the housing in the front-rear direction). It could only be used in a hollow state or tilted with the ridgeline of the bottom and side surfaces of the housing as a fulcrum. Further, when the three-dimensional data input device is lifted and operated in a hollow state, the load due to its weight is directly applied to the operator's hand, and there is a problem of fatigue in long-time work. In addition, when the operation is performed with the ridgeline as a fulcrum, there are also problems that the ridgeline portion itself is obstructed and a smooth angle input cannot be performed, and the posture of holding the device is unstable.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved three-dimensional data input device capable of improving operability at the time of inputting a rotation angle and reducing the burden on an operator at the time of inputting the rotation angle. It is in.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a displacement detecting means which is accommodated in a casing and detects displacement of the casing on a measurement plane, and rotation detecting means which detects rotation about at least one axis. It is applied to a provided three-dimensional data input device. The problem is to provide the housing with a horizontal support portion that horizontally supports the housing with respect to the measurement plane and a rotation permissible portion that allows rotation around the axis while the housing is supported on the measurement plane. Is solved by The rotation permitting portion permits rotation around the axis while the housing is supported on the measurement plane.
Therefore, rotation input can be performed with the housing arranged on the measurement plane, and it is not necessary to use the housing hollow for the rotation input.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rotation permitting portion has a convex portion formed on the outer surface of the housing and comes into contact with the measurement plane at at least one point, and the horizontal support portion measures the convex portion. One in which the convex portion is horizontally supported on a measurement plane while being in contact with a plane is exemplified. In this case, the horizontal support portion may have a support member that protrudes outward from the peripheral edge of the convex portion and whose tip can contact the measurement plane.
This support member may be a plurality of support legs that project outward from the peripheral edge of the convex portion so as to be able to freely advance and retreat and whose tips can contact the measurement plane, or one end is fixed to the peripheral edge of the convex portion. It may be a cylindrical bellows member.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention,
The housing has a bottom surface and a side surface that is in contact with the edge portion via the peripheral portion, the horizontal support portion has a flat portion formed on the bottom surface of the housing, and the rotation permitting portion is formed on the peripheral portion. One having a chamfered portion is exemplified. In this case, the chamfered portion may be formed in a convex shape or a flat shape.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional mouse according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of the three-dimensional mouse, and FIG. (B) is a diagram seen through the inside from the side direction.

The three-dimensional mouse TDM includes a housing 10 containing a sensor mechanism and the like to be described later, and an upper surface 10a of the housing 10.
Operation button 11 provided on the bottom of the housing 10
And a ball body 12 supported so as to be freely rotatable. The bottom surface 10b of the housing 10 is formed as a hemispherical convex surface. In this case, in order to maintain a stable posture at the time of installation on a desk, in other words, to facilitate movement of a mouse pad or the like on a desk along an operation plane, a three-dimensional mouse TDM is provided as shown in FIGS. The support legs 14 projecting outward from the bottom surface 10b toward the operation plane and capable of moving forward and backward with the elastic force of the spring 13 are provided for the front, rear, left and right of the mouse.
It is provided in three places.

As shown in FIG. 2, the three-dimensional mouse TDM includes a rotatable ball body 12 and a pair of rotary encoders 1 used as displacement detecting means inside a housing 10.
5, 16, a gyro 17 used as rotation detection means, and a switch 18 are arranged. The ball body 12
The mouse housing 10 is arranged such that a part thereof is exposed from an opening 10 c formed at the lower end of the bottom surface 10 b of the mouse housing 10. It is designed to rotate. The rotary encoders 15 and 16 are arranged so as to always contact the surface of the ball body 12 from two mutually orthogonal horizontal axes (front and rear, left and right), and output signals corresponding to the amount of rotation of the ball body 12 in each axis. It is supposed to.

The gyro 17 is composed of the two shafts and the two shafts.
Each is arranged on a third axis (vertical direction) orthogonal to the axis, and outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of rotation of the mouse housing 10. Each of the three switches 16 is interlocked with an operation button 11 arranged on the upper surface of the mouse housing 10, and outputs a selection signal indicating that the corresponding operation button 11 is pressed when the corresponding operation button 11 is pressed.

The rotary encoders 15 and 16 operate when a rotary slit provided on the same rotary shaft as a roller (not shown) in contact with the ball 12 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the ball 12 and blocks light. The state is detected by a photo sensor, and the amount of rotation of the ball 12 is converted into a rotation signal (pulse signal) and output.

The type of the gyro 17 is not particularly limited as long as the gyro 17 can detect the rotation angle with high accuracy. For example, it is preferable to use a piezoelectric vibrating gyroscope. Since it is lightweight and can be mounted in the mouse housing 10 and has high mass productivity, a significant reduction in manufacturing cost can be expected.

(Modification of First Embodiment) or FIG.
As shown in the figure, a bellows-shaped cylindrical rubber molded product 20 covers the semi-spherical bottom surface 10b, one of the cylinders 20 is adhered to a peripheral portion of the bottom surface 10b, and a low friction coefficient is applied to a surface in contact with the other operation plane. Resin parts (not shown).

The first embodiment and its modification, the three-dimensional mouse TDM, are used as a normal mouse, and the mouse housing 10 is horizontally moved on the operation plane to detect the planar movement. , 16 output a signal corresponding to the movement. By inputting the signal to a computer, it is possible to control a cursor or the like. on the other hand,
When the mouse housing 10 is tilted in each of the yaw / roll / pitch axes, the gyro 17 outputs angle data corresponding to the applied angle to the computer. FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a characteristic operation method of the present embodiment. When a slight force is applied to the mouse housing 10 to apply an angle in the roll direction (the direction of the arrow in the figure), the mouse housing 10 is half-mounted. The spherical bottom surface 10b is tilted along the operation plane, and transmits angle data according to the tilt. When the force is released, the spring 13 or the bellows-like rubber molded product 20 returns to the original stable posture due to the restoring force. Similarly, an angle can be applied in the pitch direction and angle data can be transmitted.

Accordingly, the three-dimensional mouse T according to the present embodiment
The DM can control, for example, the viewpoint (posture) of the three-dimensional model drawn on the display of the computer without lifting the mouse housing 10 high on an operation plane such as a desk. At the same time, since the desk also has a normal mouse function, cursor control on the display can be performed. On the other hand, the three-dimensional mouse TDM of the present embodiment uses a gyro 1 for angle detection.
7 to detect and perform angular velocity as inertia force,
It is also possible to operate the mouse housing 10 on the hollow and control the viewpoint with the angle data applied at that time. Furthermore, since the bottom surface 10b is semi-spherical and has the supporting leg 13 or the bellows-like rubber molded product 20, it can be returned to the original stable posture without the operator being particularly conscious. .

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional mouse according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In addition,
In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be simplified. In the present embodiment, the bottom surface 10 d and the side surface 1 d of the mouse housing 10
0e is formed on a flat surface, and the peripheral portion 10
f is formed in a convex shape without a gentle step. The device configuration inside the mouse housing 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

When the three-dimensional mouse TDM of the second embodiment is used as a normal mouse, the mouse housing 10 is horizontally moved on an operation plane, and when the planar movement is detected, the rotary encoders 15 and 16 are used. Since a signal corresponding to the movement is output, the cursor can be controlled by inputting the signal to a computer. On the other hand, the mouse housing 10
Is tilted to each axis of yaw / roll / pitch, the gyro 17 outputs angle data corresponding to the applied angle to the computer. FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a characteristic operation method of the present embodiment. When an angle is applied in the roll direction, the mouse housing 10 rotates with the peripheral portion 10f in contact with the operation plane, and the gyro 17 Sends angle data corresponding to the inclination at this time. Similarly, an angle can be applied in the pitch direction and angle data can be transmitted.

Accordingly, the three-dimensional mouse TDM of the present embodiment
According to this, for example, the viewpoint (posture) of the three-dimensional model drawn on the display of the computer can be controlled while the mouse housing 10 is not lifted high but on an operation plane such as a desk. At the same time, since the desk also has a normal mouse function, cursor control on the display can be performed. on the other hand,
The three-dimensional mouse TDM of the present embodiment uses the gyro 17 for angle detection and detects and performs an angular velocity as an inertial force. Therefore, the mouse housing 10 is operated on a hollow, and the angle data applied at that time is used to obtain a viewpoint. Control can also be performed.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional mouse to which a three-dimensional data input device according to a third embodiment of the present invention is applied. In the present embodiment, the bottom surface 10d and the side surface 10e of the mouse housing 10 are formed as flat surfaces, and the peripheral portion 10g, which is a connection portion thereof, is formed as a flat chamfered portion. The device configuration inside the mouse housing 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

When the three-dimensional mouse TDM of the third embodiment is used as a normal mouse and the mouse housing 10 is horizontally moved on an operation plane, and its planar movement is detected, the rotary encoders 15 and 16 are used. Since a signal corresponding to the movement is output, the cursor can be controlled by inputting the signal to a computer. On the other hand, the mouse housing 10
Is tilted to each axis of yaw / roll / pitch, the gyro 17 outputs angle data corresponding to the applied angle to the computer. FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a characteristic operation method of the present embodiment. The mouse housing 10 is rotated with the peripheral portion 10g in contact with the operation plane, and the gyro 17 is rotated at an angle corresponding to the inclination at this time. Send data. Similarly, an angle can be applied in the pitch direction and angle data can be transmitted.

Accordingly, the three-dimensional mouse TDM of the present embodiment
According to this, for example, the viewpoint (posture) of the three-dimensional model drawn on the display of the computer can be controlled while the mouse housing 10 is not lifted high but on an operation plane such as a desk. At the same time, since the desk also has a normal mouse function, cursor control on the display can be performed. on the other hand,
The three-dimensional mouse TDM of the present embodiment uses the gyro 17 for angle detection and detects and performs an angular velocity as an inertial force. Therefore, the mouse housing 10 is operated on a hollow, and the angle data applied at that time is used to obtain a viewpoint. Control can also be performed.

[0025]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, when inputting three-dimensional data, it is possible to input data while keeping the housing on the operation plane without holding the housing in the air. It is possible to improve the operability at the time of the angle input and reduce the burden on the operator at the time of the input.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional mouse according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing an internal configuration of the three-dimensional mouse of the first embodiment, wherein FIG.
(B) is the figure which saw through the inside from the side surface direction.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a support leg.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional mouse which is a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a use state of the three-dimensional mouse shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional mouse according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a use state of a three-dimensional mouse according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional mouse according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a use state of the three-dimensional mouse according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a conventional mouse.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Mouse housing 10b Bottom surface 10e Side surface 10f, 10g Perimeter 12 Ball 13 Spring 14 Support leg 15, 16 Rotary encoder 17 Gyro 20 Bellows-like rubber molding

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masaaki Ando 2-26-10 Tenjin, Nagaokakyo-shi, Kyoto Inside Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A three-dimensional data input device that is housed in a housing and includes a displacement detection unit that detects a displacement of the housing on a measurement plane, and a rotation detection unit that detects rotation about at least one axis. A horizontal support portion that horizontally supports the housing with respect to the measurement plane, and a rotation allowance portion that allows rotation around the axis while the housing is supported on the measurement plane. Three-dimensional data input device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rotation permitting portion is formed on an outer surface of the housing and has a convex portion that contacts the measurement plane at at least one point, and the horizontal support portion contacts the convex portion with the measurement plane. The three-dimensional data input device according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is horizontally supported on the measurement plane in a state where the three-dimensional data is formed. 3. The three-dimensional data input device according to claim 2, wherein the horizontal support portion has a support member that protrudes outward from a peripheral edge of the convex surface portion and a tip of which can contact the measurement plane. apparatus. 4. The support member according to claim 3, wherein the support member is a plurality of support legs that protrude outward from a peripheral edge of the convex surface portion so as to be able to advance and retreat, and a tip of which can contact the measurement plane. 3D data input device. 5. The three-dimensional data input device according to claim 3, wherein said support member is a cylindrical bellows member having one end fixed to a peripheral portion of said convex portion. 6. The housing has a bottom surface and side surfaces in contact with the bottom surface via an edge, the horizontal support portion has a flat portion formed on the bottom surface of the housing, and the rotation permitting portion. 6. The three-dimensional data input device according to claim 1, further comprising a chamfer formed on the edge. 7. The three-dimensional data input device according to claim 6, wherein the chamfered portion is formed in a convex shape. 8. The three-dimensional data input device according to claim 6, wherein said chamfer is formed in a planar shape.