Capacitive rocker
By setting a sector-shaped capacitor dielectric plate on the pivot shaft of the joystick assembly, the joystick swing is detected by the principle of capacitive induction, which solves the problems of wear and magnetic field interference of traditional joysticks and realizes a high-efficiency and low-cost non-contact joystick design.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202522062378.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-09-25
AI Technical Summary
Traditional joysticks suffer from mechanical wear, decreased accuracy, and susceptibility to external magnetic field interference, and are also relatively expensive.
Employing the principle of capacitive sensing, a sector-shaped metal capacitor dielectric plate is set on the pivot shaft of the joystick assembly. The change in capacitance between the capacitor and the plate is used to detect the swing of the joystick. Combined with a flexible circuit board and a capacitive sensing unit, non-contact signal transmission is achieved.
It avoids mechanical wear, improves anti-interference ability, reduces costs, and has a compact structure and high production efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN224682604U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of input devices, specifically to a capacitive joystick. Background Technology
[0002] Joysticks, as a common manual control input device, are widely used in game controllers, drone remote controllers, industrial control equipment, and other fields. Traditional joysticks often use potentiometers to detect the joystick's swing angle. Potentiometers change the resistance value through mechanical contact between brushes and a resistive diaphragm, thereby outputting different voltage signals. However, this contact-based wear leads to a limited lifespan for the potentiometer, issues such as decreased accuracy and poor contact, and susceptibility to dust and moisture.
[0003] To overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, non-contact sensing joysticks, such as magnetic induction joysticks, have emerged on the market. While this solves the wear problem, magnetic induction solutions are susceptible to interference from external magnetic fields, and the cost of magnets and sensors is relatively high. Another approach is to use capacitive sensing, typically employing a single-layer electrode plate design, where the emitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) are arranged on the same plane. A disadvantage of this structure is that even slight gap oscillations of the conductive spacer during rotation can significantly interfere with changes in capacitance, leading to reduced accuracy.
[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a non-contact joystick solution with optimized structure, strong anti-interference ability, and lower cost. Utility Model Content
[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, this utility model aims to provide a joystick that is based on the principle of capacitive sensing, has a compact structure, is free from contact wear, and has strong anti-interference capabilities.
[0006] To achieve this technical objective, the present invention provides a capacitive rocker, comprising a housing, a rocker assembly, a base plate, and a swing signal generating assembly. The rocker assembly includes a rocker shaft oscillatingly disposed within the housing, a first linkage member and a second linkage member linked with and oscillating with the rocker shaft, and a reset member for resetting the rocker shaft. The swing signal generating assembly includes a first capacitor dielectric plate disposed on the first linkage member and a second capacitor dielectric plate disposed on the second linkage member, and two capacitive sensing units corresponding one-to-one with the first and second capacitor dielectric plates. The first and second capacitor dielectric plates move relative to the capacitive sensing units as the first and second linkage members oscillate, changing their capacitance values to generate an electrical signal characterizing the swing position of the rocker shaft.
[0007] Preferably, the capacitive sensing unit includes a pair of capacitor plates arranged in parallel and spaced apart, and an emitter and a receiver respectively disposed on the capacitor plates, with a gap formed between the capacitor plates, and the first capacitor dielectric plate and the second capacitor dielectric plate respectively located between the gaps of the corresponding capacitor plates.
[0008] Preferably, the device also includes a flexible circuit board, which is electrically connected to both the emitter and receiver.
[0009] Preferably, the first capacitor dielectric plate and the second capacitor dielectric plate are fan-shaped metal sheets.
[0010] Preferably, a rocker arm seat is also included, on which the first and second linkage members are pivotally mounted via a pivot structure.
[0011] Preferably, the pivot structure includes a first pivot shaft located at both ends of the first linkage member, a second pivot shaft located at both ends of the second linkage member, and a support portion located on the rocker arm seat that cooperates with the first pivot shaft and the second pivot shaft.
[0012] Preferably, the first capacitor dielectric plate is disposed on the first pivot shaft; the second capacitor dielectric plate is disposed on the second pivot shaft.
[0013] Preferably, the device also includes a press signal generating component, which can be pressed to trigger the press signal generating component to generate a confirmation signal.
[0014] Preferably, the press signal generating component includes a movable part disposed on the rocker arm seat and a switching element disposed on the base plate; when the rocker arm shaft is pressed, it drives the movable part to move axially, thereby triggering the switching element.
[0015] Preferably, the rocker arm seat is provided with a guide groove or guide hole for guiding the movement of the movable part.
[0016] The beneficial effects of this utility model are: This rocker adopts the principle of capacitive induction, which completely avoids the problem of mechanical wear, has a long service life, and is not affected by external magnetic fields. The fan-shaped capacitor dielectric plate is integrated on the pivot shaft, and the capacitor pair plate is integrated on the rocker seat, which makes full use of space, has a compact structure, and is ingeniously designed; moreover, the overall modular design makes the capacitive induction unit easy to install, which is conducive to improving production efficiency. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;
[0018] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the present invention;
[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first linkage component in this utility model;
[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second linkage component in this utility model;
[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the capacitor pair plate and the flexible circuit board in this utility model;
[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rocker arm holder in this utility model;
[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the rocker assembly in this utility model;
[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of this utility model.
[0025] 1-Housing; 2-Rockshaft; 3-First linkage component; 31-First pivot shaft; 311-First capacitor dielectric plate; 4-Second linkage component; 41-Second pivot shaft; 411-Second capacitor dielectric plate; 5-Rockshaft seat; 51-Support part; 52-Guide hole; 53-Capacitor pair plate; 6-Reset component; 61-Rod-shaped part; 62-Elastic part; 7-Flexible circuit board; 8-Base plate; 10-Moving part; 11-Switching element. Detailed Implementation
[0026] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. To provide a clear and complete description of the technical solution, the following embodiments are selected for illustration; these embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention; other embodiments obtained based on this application without creative effort are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0027] In the following embodiments, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," "top / bottom," etc., are all based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the purpose of clearly describing this embodiment. They do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. At the same time, the terms "first" and "second" in the embodiments are only used for descriptive purposes and do not represent an indication or implication of relative importance.
[0028] like Figure 1-8 As shown, the specific embodiment of this utility model is a capacitive joystick, which mainly includes a housing 1, a joystick assembly, a base plate 8, a swing signal generating assembly, and a press signal generating assembly.
[0029] The rocker assembly includes a rocker shaft 2, a first linkage 3, a second linkage 4, and a rocker seat 5. The upper part of the rocker shaft 2 extends out of the housing 1 for user operation, while the lower part is pivotally mounted inside the housing 1. The first linkage 3 and the second linkage 4 are arranged crosswise and are linked to the bottom of the rocker shaft 2. The rocker seat 5 is fixed inside the housing 1. The first linkage 3 has a first pivot shaft 31 at both ends, and the second linkage 4 has a second pivot shaft 41 at both ends. The rocker seat 5 has a support portion 51 (preferably a U-shaped groove) that mates with these pivot shafts, thus forming a universal joint-type pivot structure that allows the linkage to swing in the X and Y directions.
[0030] The core improvement of this invention lies in the swing signal generating component, which employs the principle of capacitive sensing. A first capacitor dielectric plate 311 is disposed on the first pivot shaft 31, and a second capacitor dielectric plate 411 is disposed on the second pivot shaft 41. The capacitor dielectric plate can be a conductive sheet or an insulating sheet, which can change the capacitance between the capacitor pairs 53. The capacitor dielectric plate is preferably a fan-shaped metal sheet. On the rocker arm base 5, a capacitor sensing unit is disposed corresponding to the position of each capacitor dielectric plate. Each capacitor sensing unit includes a pair of capacitor pairs 53 disposed in parallel and spaced apart, with an emitter 531 and a receiver 532 respectively disposed on the capacitor pairs 53. A gap is formed between the two capacitor pairs 53, and the fan-shaped capacitor dielectric plate is located in this gap without contacting either capacitor pair 53. The capacitor pairs 53 are electrically connected to the capacitance detection circuit disposed on the base plate 8 through the flexible circuit board 7.
[0031] When the joystick is moved, for example, when the first linkage 3 swings, it causes the first pivot shaft 31 and its first capacitor dielectric plate 311 to move in the gap between the two capacitor plates 53. The movement of the capacitor dielectric plate significantly alters the electric field distribution between the two capacitor plates 53, thus causing a change in their capacitance. The capacitance detection circuit detects this change in capacitance and calculates the swing angle and position of the joystick in the corresponding direction. Two independent capacitance sensing units detect the swing in the X-axis and Y-axis directions respectively, jointly determining the two-dimensional coordinates of the joystick.
[0032] The reset component 6 is used to automatically return the joystick to the center position when no force is applied. The reset component 6 includes a rod-shaped part 61 (connecting rod) nested in the joystick shaft 2 and an elastic part 62 (elastic base of silicone) located at its bottom end.
[0033] The press signal generating component is used to realize the pressing function of the rocker arm. A guide hole 52 is provided on the rocker arm base 5, and a movable member 10 is installed in the guide hole 52 and can slide up and down. The top end of the movable member 10 abuts against the bottom of the first pivot shaft 31 (or the second pivot shaft 41). On the base plate 8, directly below the movable member 10, a switch element 11 (a tactile switch for a dome switch) is provided. Pressing the rocker arm shaft 2 triggers the switch. When the rocker arm shaft 2 is released, the switch element 11 automatically returns to its original position.
[0034] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any minor modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the technical solution of the present utility model.
Claims
1. A capacitive joystick, comprising a housing, a joystick assembly, a base plate, and a swing signal generating assembly, wherein the joystick assembly includes a joystick shaft oscillatingly disposed within the housing, a first linkage member and a second linkage member linked with and oscillating along the joystick shaft, and a reset member for resetting the joystick shaft; characterized in that: The swing signal generating component includes a first capacitor dielectric plate disposed on the first linkage member and a second capacitor dielectric plate disposed on the second linkage member, as well as two capacitor sensing units corresponding one-to-one with the first capacitor dielectric plate and the second capacitor dielectric plate. The first capacitor dielectric plate and the second capacitor dielectric plate move relative to the capacitor sensing unit as the first linkage and the second linkage swing, changing the capacitance value between them to generate an electrical signal characterizing the swing position of the rocker shaft.
2. The capacitive joystick according to claim 1, characterized in that: The capacitive sensing unit includes a pair of capacitor plates arranged in parallel and spaced apart, and an emitter and a receiver respectively disposed on the capacitor plates. A gap is formed between the capacitor plates, and the first capacitor dielectric plate and the second capacitor dielectric plate are respectively located between the gaps of the corresponding capacitor plates.
3. The capacitive rocker arm according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a flexible circuit board, which is electrically connected to the emitter and receiver, respectively.
4. The capacitive rocker arm according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first capacitor dielectric plate and the second capacitor dielectric plate are fan-shaped metal sheets.
5. The capacitive joystick according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: It also includes a rocker arm base, on which the first linkage and the second linkage are pivotally mounted via a pivot structure.
6. The capacitive rocker arm according to claim 5, characterized in that: The pivot structure includes a first pivot shaft located at both ends of the first linkage member, a second pivot shaft located at both ends of the second linkage member, and a support portion located on the rocker arm seat that cooperates with the first pivot shaft and the second pivot shaft.
7. The capacitive rocker arm according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first capacitor dielectric plate is disposed on the first pivot shaft; the second capacitor dielectric plate is disposed on the second pivot shaft.
8. The capacitive rocker arm according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a press signal generating component, the joystick axis of which can be pressed to trigger the press signal generating component to generate a confirmation signal.
9. The capacitive rocker arm according to claim 8, characterized in that: The press signal generating component includes a movable part disposed on the rocker arm seat and a switching element disposed on the base plate; when the rocker arm shaft is pressed, it drives the movable part to move axially, thereby triggering the switching element.
10. The capacitive rocker arm according to claim 9, characterized in that: The rocker arm base is provided with a guide groove or guide hole for guiding the movement of the movable part.