Multidirectional input device

Abstract

To provide a multidirectional input device that reduces the directional dependency of the click feeling of a push switch when a tilt operation and a press operation are performed on an operating axis and that can be made low-profile.SOLUTION: A multidirectional input device 1 includes a first rotating member 81 and a second rotating member 82, an operating shaft 83 that rotates the first rotating member 81 and the second rotating member 82 and displaces downward, a holding mechanism 7 that elastically holds the operating shaft 83 in a neutral state, a push switch 4 provided so as to be located directly below the operating shaft 83, and an actuator 51 that is provided between the operating shaft 83 and the push switch 4 and is pressed down by the operating shaft 83 to press the push switch 4. The holding mechanism 7 includes a lifting slider 72 that supports the operating shaft 83 from below. A guide shaft 512 of the actuator 51 is inserted into a guide hole 723 of the lifting slider 72.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a multi-directional input device, and more specifically to a multi-directional input device that provides input of directional information and pressing information in response to tilting operations and pressing operations, respectively, on an operating axis. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a multi-directional input device capable of tilting an operating axis has been known as a multi-directional input device used in electronic devices such as game machines. In this type of multi-directional input device, called a joystick or stick controller, a user can input directional information according to the tilting operation of the operating axis by tilting the operating axis from a neutral state in any direction.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a multi-directional input device 500 shown in Fig. 1. The multi-directional input device 500 includes a housing 520 fixed on a bottom plate 510, a first rotating member 530 held by the housing 520 so as to be rotatable around a first axial direction (Y direction), a second rotating member 540 held by the housing 520 so as to be rotatable around a second axial direction (X direction) perpendicular to the first axial direction, and a second rotating member 540 inserted through a slit hole 531 of the first rotating member 530 and a slit hole 541 of the second rotating member 540, and rotating the first rotating member 530 and the second rotating member 540 in response to a tilting operation applied by a user. and an operating shaft 550 which can be displaced downward in response to a user's pressing operation, an actuating member 560 which is provided at the lower end of the operating shaft 550 so as to be movable along the axial direction of the operating shaft 550, a coil spring 570 provided between the operating shaft 550 and the actuating member 560, a sensor 580 provided on the housing 520 for detecting the rotation angles of the first rotating member 530 and the second rotating member 540, and a push switch 590 provided within a component mounting portion 510a which protrudes outward from one side wall of the bottom plate 510.

[0004] When the user applies a tilt operation to the operating shaft 550 in any direction, the first rotating member 530 and the second rotating member 540 rotate in accordance with the tilt operation of the operating shaft 550. The rotation angles of the first rotating member 530 and the second rotating member 540 are detected by the sensor 580, and an input of directional information corresponding to the user's tilt operation on the operating shaft 550 is provided. When the user applies a pressing operation to the operating shaft 550, the second rotating member 540 engaged with the operating shaft 550 is displaced downward, and the second rotating member 540 presses the push switch 590. This provides an input of pressing information corresponding to the user's pressing operation on the operating shaft 550.

[0005] A user may simultaneously apply a tilt operation and a press operation to the operation axis 550. When the multi-directional input device 500 is used in a controller of a game device, it is required that the click feeling of the push switch 590 does not change depending on the tilt direction of the operation axis 550. However, in the multi-directional input device 500, the push switch 590 is provided in a component mounting portion 510a that protrudes outward from one side wall of the bottom plate 510. Therefore, when the operation axis 550 is pressed in a state in which the operation axis 550 is tilted toward the push switch 590, a good click feeling is obtained. On the other hand, when the operation axis 550 is pressed in a state in which the operation axis 550 is tilted toward the opposite side of the push switch 590, a sufficient click feeling is not obtained.

[0006] To address the problem of the directional dependency of the click feeling when tilting and pressing operations are applied, Patent Document 2 discloses a multi-directional input device 600 shown in Fig. 2. The multi-directional input device 600 includes a housing 610 fixed on a substrate, a first rotating member 620 held by the housing 610 so as to be rotatable around a first rotating axis (X direction), a second rotating member 630 held by the housing 610 so as to be rotatable around a second rotating axis (Y direction) perpendicular to the first rotating axis, an operating shaft 640 that tilts in response to a tilting operation by the user and can be displaced downward in response to a pressing operation by the user, a holding mechanism 650 that elastically holds the operating shaft 640 in a neutral state within the housing 610, and a push switch 700 provided on the substrate so as to be located directly below the operating shaft 640. The holding mechanism 650 includes a coil spring 660 and a lift slider 670 that is placed on the coil spring 660 and supports the operating shaft 640 from below.

[0007] In the configuration of the multi-directional input device 600, the push switch 700 is positioned directly below the operating shaft 640, so that the directional dependency of the click feeling of the push switch 700 when the operating shaft 640 is tilted and pressed is significantly reduced. However, in the configuration of the multi-directional input device 600, even if the operating shaft 640 is tilted, in order to enable a vertical pressing force to be applied to the push switch 700, it is necessary to provide the actuator 710 and the spacer 720 between the operating shaft 640 and the push switch 700 to prevent the actuator 710 from tilting. The actuator 710 is supported by the spacer 720 so as to be displaceable in the height direction. Furthermore, the actuator 710 is prevented from tilting by the engagement between the actuator 710 and the spacer 720. In addition, in order to reliably prevent the actuator 710 from tilting by the engagement between the actuator 710 and the spacer 720, it is necessary to ensure a certain level of height for the actuator 710 and the spacer 720. As a result, it was necessary to secure space between the operating shaft 640 and the push switch 700 to accommodate the spacer 720 and the actuator 710 protruding upward from the spacer 720, which resulted in the problem of the height of the multi-directional input device 600 increasing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-305650 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-103253 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional art, and its object is to provide a multi-directional input device that reduces the directional dependency of the click feeling of a push switch when tilting and pressing an operating axis, and that can be made low-profile. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] Such an object can be achieved by the present invention as defined by the following (1). (1) a housing fixed onto a substrate; a first rotating member having a first slit hole and held by the housing so as to be rotatable about a first axial direction; a second rotating member having a second slit hole and held by the housing so as to be rotatable about a second axial direction perpendicular to the first axial direction; an operation shaft that is inserted through the first slit hole and the second slit hole, rotates the first rotation member and the second rotation member in response to a tilt operation applied by a user, and is further displaced downward in response to a pressing operation applied by the user; a holding mechanism provided within the housing and configured to elastically hold the operating shaft in a neutral state; a detection mechanism for detecting a rotation angle of each of the first rotation member and the second rotation member; A push switch provided on the substrate so as to be located directly below the operation shaft; an actuator provided between the operation shaft and the push switch, the actuator being pressed by the operation shaft when the operation shaft is displaced downward to press the push switch; the holding mechanism includes an elastic member provided on the substrate, and a lifting slider placed on the elastic member and supporting the operation shaft from below, The lift slider includes a plate-shaped main body on which the operating shaft is placed, and a guide hole formed to penetrate the main body in a height direction, the actuator includes a pressing portion facing the push switch and a guide shaft extending linearly upward above the pressing portion, A multi-directional input device, characterized in that the guide shaft of the actuator is inserted into the guide hole of the lift slider. Effect of the Invention

[0011] In the multi-directional input device of the present invention, the guide shaft of the actuator provided between the operating shaft and the push switch provided directly below the operating shaft is inserted into the guide hole of the lift-up slider, and the actuator can be prevented from tilting inside the housing by engaging the guide shaft of the actuator with the guide hole of the lift-up slider. Therefore, in the multi-directional input device of the present invention, there is no need to provide a spacer on the board to prevent the actuator from tilting, as in the prior art, and the multi-directional input device can be made low-profile. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional multi-directional input device. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another conventional multi-directional input device. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of a multi-directional input device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a vertical sectional view of the multi-directional input device shown in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the multi-directional input device shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the push switch shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the actuator assembly shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the actuator shown in FIG. 7, seen from a different angle. [Figure 9] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the actuator assembly shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 10]6 is a perspective view of the lower housing shown in FIG. 5, seen from a different angle. [Figure 11] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining a state in which an actuator assembly is fixed to a substrate. [Figure 12] 6 is a perspective view of the upper housing shown in FIG. 5, seen from a different angle. [Figure 13] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lift slider shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 14] 14 is a perspective view of the lift slider shown in FIG. 13 as seen from a different angle. [Figure 15] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the operating shaft assembly shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 16] 16 is a perspective view of the operating shaft shown in FIG. 15, seen from a different angle. [Figure 17] 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining in detail an operation when a pressing operation is applied to the operating shaft in an upright state. FIG. [Figure 18] 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining in detail an operation when a pressing operation is applied to the operating shaft in a tilted state. FIG. [Figure 19] 4 is a graph showing feeling curves of a push switch when an operating shaft is tilted in various directions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The multi-directional input device of the present invention will be described below based on the preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. The drawings referred to below are schematic diagrams prepared for the purpose of describing the present invention. The dimensions (length, width, thickness, etc.) of each component shown in the drawings do not necessarily reflect the actual dimensions. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for the same or corresponding components in each drawing. In the following description, the positive direction of the Z axis in each drawing may be referred to as "upward" and the negative direction of the Z axis may be referred to as "downward."

[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a multi-directional input device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the multi-directional input device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the multi-directional input device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the push switch shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the actuator assembly shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the actuator shown in FIG. 7 from another angle. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the actuator assembly shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the lower housing shown in FIG. 5 from another angle. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the actuator assembly is fixed to the board. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the upper housing shown in FIG. 5 from another angle. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the lift slider shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the lift slider shown in FIG. 13 from another angle. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the operation shaft assembly shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the operation shaft shown in FIG. 15 from another angle. Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view for explaining in detail the operation when a pressing operation is applied to the operating shaft in an upright state. Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view for explaining in detail the operation when a pressing operation is applied to the operating shaft in a tilted state. Fig. 19 is a graph showing the feeling curves of the push switch when the operating shaft is tilted in various directions.

[0015] The multi-directional input device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 3 to 5 is mounted on a board of any electronic device. When a user applies a tilt operation and a press operation to the multi-directional input device 1, the multi-directional input device 1 inputs directional information corresponding to the tilt operation and press information corresponding to the press operation to the electronic device. Typically, the multi-directional input device 1 is used as a joystick for a handheld controller of a game device.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 5, the multi-directional input device 1 includes a lower cover 2L that is placed on a board of an arbitrary electronic device, an upper cover 2U that is connected to the lower cover 2L, a board 3 on which electronic components of the multi-directional input device 1 are mounted, a push switch 4 provided on the board 3, an actuator assembly 5 provided on the board 3 to be located above the push switch 4, a lower housing 6L and an upper housing 6U, and includes a housing 6 fixed on the board 3 and a housing 6 to be located above the actuator assembly 5. The touch panel includes a holding mechanism 7 provided in the housing 6, a first rotating member 81 held in the housing 6 so as to be rotatable about a first axial direction (Y direction), a second rotating member 82 held in the housing 6 so as to be rotatable about a second axial direction (X direction) perpendicular to the first axial direction, and an operating shaft assembly 8 including an operating shaft 83 held in a neutral state by the holding mechanism 7 and to which a tilting operation and a pressing operation are applied by the user, and a detection mechanism 9 for detecting the respective rotation angles of the first rotating member 81 and the second rotating member 82. Note that the "neutral state" of the operating shaft 83 here refers to a state in which the operating shaft 83 is stationary in a normal position in an upright position in which the axial direction of the operating shaft 83 is substantially aligned with the height direction.

[0017] The lower cover 2L supports the board 3 from below, and together with the upper cover 2U, supports the internal structure of the multi-directional input device 1 from above and below. The lower cover 2L is made of a hard non-magnetic material such as stainless steel. The lower cover 2L includes a bottom plate 21, a plurality of insertion holes 22 formed on the bottom plate 21, and four welding pieces 23 extending upward from the bottom plate 21. The bottom plate 21 is a plate-shaped part and supports the board 3 from below. When the multi-directional input device 1 is mounted on the board of the electronic device, the bottom plate 21 is located between the board 3 and the board of the electronic device. The plurality of insertion holes 22 are formed to pass through the bottom plate 21 in the height direction. The lower cover 2L is attached to the board 3 from below by any fixing means such as an adhesive so that each of the plurality of terminal pins 31 of the board 3 passes through the corresponding insertion hole 22.

[0018] The four weld pieces 23 are plate-like portions extending linearly upward from two pairs of opposing sides of the bottom plate 21. The four weld pieces 23 are respectively connected to the four weld pieces 26 of the upper cover 2U by welding and engagement, and the lower cover 2L and the upper cover 2U are firmly integrated. Each of the four weld pieces 23 has a weld surface 231 that is welded to the weld surface 261 of the weld piece 26 of the upper cover 2U, and a hook 232 that engages with the engagement recess 262 of the weld piece 26. The weld surface 231 is the inner side surface of the weld piece 23, and is a flat surface perpendicular to the lateral direction (X direction or Y direction). The hook 232 is a protruding piece that protrudes inward and is formed by bending one lateral end of the upper end of the weld piece 23 inward. The inward protrusion amount of the hook 232 is approximately equal to the thickness of the weld piece 26. The lower cover 2L and the upper cover 2U are firmly integrated together by welding the welding surface 231 of each welding piece 23 to the welding surface 261 of the corresponding welding piece 26 and further by engaging the hook 232 of each welding piece 23 with the engaging recess 262 of the corresponding welding piece 26. In this way, the internal structure of the multi-directional input device 1 is supported from above and below by the firmly integrated lower cover 2L and upper cover 2U, so that the internal structure of the multi-directional input device 1 can be reliably prevented from shaking (wobbling) in the height direction.

[0019] The upper cover 2U supports the housing 6 from above, and has the function of supporting the internal structure of the multi-directional input device 1 from above and below together with the lower cover 2L. The upper cover 2U includes an upper plate 24, an opening 25 formed on the upper plate 24, and four welded pieces 26 extending downward from the upper plate 24. The upper plate 24 is a plate-shaped portion having a planar shape corresponding to the upper surface of the main body portion 66 of the upper housing 6U, and supports the housing 6 from above. The opening 25 is a circular opening formed in the center of the upper plate 24. The opening 25 has an outer diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the annular protrusion 662 formed on the upper surface of the main body portion 66 of the upper housing 6U. The opening 25 also includes four positioning recesses 251 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening 25. As shown in FIG. 3, when the upper cover 2U is attached to the upper housing 6U from above, the annular projection 662 protrudes upward from the opening 25, and the four positioning projections 663 of the upper cover 2U are positioned within the four positioning recesses 251, respectively.

[0020] Returning to FIG. 5, the four welding pieces 26 are plate-like portions extending linearly downward from the outer edge of the upper plate 24 at equal angular intervals of 90 degrees. Each of the four welding pieces 26 has a welding surface 261 to be welded to the welding surface 231 of the welding piece 23 of the lower cover 2L, and an engagement recess 262 to be engaged with the hook 232 of the welding piece 23. The welding surface 261 is an outer surface of the welding piece 26, and is a flat surface perpendicular to the lateral direction (X direction or Y direction). The engagement recess 262 is a recess formed on one of a pair of sides extending linearly downward of the welding piece 26 so as to extend inward. As described above, the welding surface 261 is welded to the welding surface 231 of the corresponding welding piece 23, and further, the engagement recess 262 engages with the hook 232 of the corresponding welding piece 23.

[0021] The substrate 3 is a flat circuit board formed of a material and a structure known in the field of electronic devices. Typically, a rigid circuit board can be used as the substrate 3, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a circuit board formed by insert molding so as to integrate a resin material with a circuit or a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) may be used as the substrate 3. The substrate 3 includes a plurality of terminal pins 31 that pass through the substrate 3, a circuit pattern 32 formed on the substrate 3, and three openings 33 formed on the substrate 3. Two magnetic sensors (e.g., Hall IC sensors) 91 of the detection mechanism 9 and a push switch 4 are mounted on the substrate 3, and the two magnetic sensors 91 and the push switch 4 are electrically connected to the corresponding terminal pins 31 via the circuit pattern 32. In addition, the terminal pins 31 corresponding to the two magnetic sensors 91 and the push switch 4 are connected to the corresponding terminals of the circuit board of the electronic device. With this configuration, the electronic device can receive input from the multi-directional input device 1. The three openings 33 are through holes provided to fix the actuator assembly 5 on the substrate 3.

[0022] The push switch 4 is a switch that is pressed in response to the downward displacement of the operating shaft 83. When the user applies a pressing force to the operating shaft 83 that exceeds the operating force of the push switch 4, the push switch 4 turns on. When the pressing force applied by the user is subsequently released, the push switch 4 turns off. As shown in FIG. 4, in a state in which the multi-directional input device 1 is assembled, the push switch 4 is provided on the substrate 3 so as to be located directly below the operating shaft 83, and is pressed when the operating shaft 83 is displaced downward in response to a pressing operation applied by the user.

[0023] As shown in Figure 6, the push switch 4 includes a central contact 41 formed so as to be exposed on the substrate 3, a circular outer contact 42 formed so as to surround the central contact 41 while being spaced apart from the central contact 41 on the substrate 3, a dome-shaped movable contact 43, and a cover tape 44 that covers the movable contact 43 from above and fixes the movable contact 43 on the substrate 3.

[0024] The central contact 41 and the outer contact 42 are formed on the substrate 3 so as to be insulated from each other. The central contact 41 is formed to have a circular shape in the approximate center of the substrate 3, and is arranged so as to be concentric with the outer contact 42. The push switch 4 is in an OFF state when the central contact 41 and the outer contact 42 are not electrically connected. On the other hand, the push switch 4 is in an ON state when the central contact 41 and the outer contact 42 are electrically connected via the movable contact 43. The movable contact 43 is a dome-shaped member that is upwardly convex and formed of a conductive material. For example, the movable contact 43 is obtained by performing a punching process and a bending process on a thin metal plate. The movable contact 43 includes a central movable portion 431 and an outer edge portion 432 that surrounds the outer edge of the central movable portion 431.

[0025] The central movable part 431 has a circular dome shape that is convex upward in a natural state, and is a part that elastically deforms to become convex downward when a pressing force is applied from above. The outer edge part 432 is an annular part that extends linearly from the edge part of the central movable part 431 outward and downward. The outer edge part 432 has an outer diameter that is equal to or larger than the inner diameter and equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the outer contact 42 in a plan view from the height direction. The movable contact 43 is provided on the substrate 3 so as to be concentric with the central contact 41 and the outer contact 42, and so that the outer edge part 432 comes into contact with the outer contact 42.

[0026] The cover tape 44 is a tape with an adhesive applied to its underside, and fixes the movable contact 43 on the substrate 3 in a state where it covers the movable contact 43 from above. The cover tape 44 is made of an elastic material, and elastically deforms following the elastic deformation of the central movable part 431 of the movable contact 43. The cover tape 44 includes a central part 441 having a circular dome shape corresponding to the movable contact 43, and a flange part 442 extending linearly from the edge of the central part 441 toward the outside. The lower surface of the central part 441 adheres to the upper surface of the movable contact 43, and further, the lower surface of the flange part 442 adheres to the substrate 3, thereby fixing the movable contact 43 on the substrate 3. The central contact 41, the outer contact 42, the movable contact 43, and the cover tape 44, which are the components of the push switch 4, are all configured rotationally symmetrically and are all arranged concentrically.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4, when the operating shaft 83 is in a neutral state, the outer edge 432 is in contact with the outer contact 42. The central movable part 431 faces the central contact 41 with a gap therebetween and is not in contact with the central contact 41. Therefore, when the operating shaft 83 is in a neutral state, the central contact 41 and the outer contact 42 are not electrically connected, and the push switch 4 is in an OFF state. On the other hand, when the user applies a pressing operation to the operating shaft 83, a downward pressing force is applied to the central movable part 431 via the operating shaft 83 and the actuator assembly 5. When the pressing force applied to the central movable part 431 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined magnitude, the central movable part 431 is suddenly elastically deformed so as to be convex downward, and comes into contact with the central contact 41. In this state, the movable contact 43 functions as an electrical path between the central contact 41 and the outer contact 42, and the central contact 41 and the outer contact 42 are electrically connected. This operation causes the push switch 4 to be in an ON state.

[0028] 5, the actuator assembly 5 has a function of applying a uniform pressing force to the central movable portion 431 of the movable contact 43. As shown in Fig. 7, the actuator assembly 5 includes an actuator 51 that presses the push switch 4, and an elastic support member 52 that is fixed on the substrate 3 and is located above the push switch 4 to elastically support the actuator 51.

[0029] The actuator 51 is a member made of a hard non-magnetic material, and when the operating shaft 83 is displaced downward in response to a pressing operation applied by a user, the actuator 51 is pressed down by the operating shaft 83 to press the push switch 4. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the actuator 51 includes a disk-shaped main body 511, a guide shaft 512 protruding upward from the upper surface of the main body 511, a pressing portion 513 protruding downward from the lower surface of the main body 511, three extension portions 514 extending from the main body 511 in the radial direction of the main body 511, a base portion 515 extending from the lower surface of the tip of the extension portion 514 in the circumferential direction of the main body 511, and a locking protrusion 516 protruding upward from the base portion 515.

[0030] The main body 511 is a disk-shaped portion located between the movable contact 43 and the operating shaft 83 of the push switch 4. The upper and lower surfaces of the main body 511 are flat surfaces perpendicular to the height direction. The diameter of the main body 511 is smaller than the diameter of the central portion 441 of the cover tape 44. The actuator assembly 5 is fixed onto the substrate 3 so that the main body 511 and the cover tape 44 are concentric.

[0031] The guide shaft 512 is a cylindrical portion extending linearly upward from the upper surface of the main body 511. The guide shaft 512 is provided so as to be concentric with the main body 511. The outer diameter of the guide shaft 512 is smaller than the outer diameter of the main body 511. The upper surface of the guide shaft 512 is a flat surface perpendicular to the height direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the height of the guide shaft 512 is set so that the upper end of the guide shaft 512 is inserted into the guide hole 723 of the lift slider 72 of the holding mechanism 7 when the operating shaft 83 is in a neutral state. The upper surface of the guide shaft 512 faces the operating shaft 83 via a gap. The engagement between the guide shaft 512 and the guide hole 723 prevents the actuator 51 from tilting in the housing 6. As shown in Figures 17 and 18, when the user applies a pressing operation to the operating shaft 83 and the operating shaft 83 is displaced downward, the lift slider 72 is displaced downward along the guide shaft 512, and the operating shaft 83 presses against the guide shaft 512.

[0032] Returning to FIG. 8, the pressing portion 513 is a cylindrical portion extending linearly downward from the lower surface of the main body portion 511. The pressing portion 513 is provided so as to be concentric with the main body portion 511. The outer diameter of the pressing portion 513 is smaller than the outer diameter of the main body portion 511 and larger than the outer diameter of the guide shaft 512. The lower surface of the pressing portion 513 is a flat surface perpendicular to the height direction. Note that the positioning between the actuator 51 and the elastic support member 52 is performed by fitting the pressing portion 513 into the circular opening 522 (see FIG. 7) of the elastic support member 52, so the pressing portion 513 has a cylindrical shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. When positioning between the actuator 51 and the elastic support member 52 is performed by another method, the pressing portion 513 may have a flat shape that does not protrude downward from the underside of the main body portion 511, or may have any shape (e.g., an elliptical cylinder shape, a polygonal cylinder shape) that protrudes downward from the underside of the main body portion 511.

[0033] 4, in a state in which the multi-directional input device 1 is assembled, the pressing portion 513 faces the push switch 4, and when the operating shaft 83 is displaced downward and presses the guide shaft 512, the pressing portion 513 applies a pressing force to the central movable portion 431 of the movable contact 43 via the cover tape 44. Since the lower surface of the pressing portion 513 is a flat surface perpendicular to the height direction, the pressing portion 513 comes into point contact with the central movable portion 431 via the cover tape 44 and applies a uniform pressing force to the central movable portion 431. With this configuration, the deformation characteristics of the movable contact 43 can be stabilized.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the three extensions 514 are parts that extend from the outer peripheral surface of the main body 511 at equal angular intervals of 120 degrees along the radial direction of the main body 511. The extensions 514 have a tapered shape in which the width gradually increases from the base end side connected to the main body 511 toward the tip side. The thickness of the extensions 514 is the same as the thickness of the main body 511, and therefore the upper and lower surfaces of the extensions 514 are continuous with the upper and lower surfaces of the main body 511, respectively. The base 515 is an arcuate part that extends in an arc shape along the circumferential direction of the main body 511. The base 515 is provided on the lower surface of the tip of the extensions 514, and a part of the upper surface of the base 515 is exposed upward. The upper surface of the base 515 is a flat surface perpendicular to the height direction. The locking projection 516 is a projection that projects upward from the upper surface of the base portion 515. The locking projection 516 includes a cylindrical portion 5161 that extends linearly upward from the upper surface of the base portion 515, and a tapered portion 5162 that projects upward from the cylindrical portion 5161. The cylindrical portion 5161 has a constant diameter along the height direction. The tapered portion 5162 extends upward from the cylindrical portion 5161 and has a truncated cone shape with a diameter that gradually decreases along the height direction. The upper surface of the tapered portion 5162 is a flat surface that is perpendicular to the height direction.

[0035] The elastic support member 52 is a member that elastically supports the actuator 51 from below between the cover tape 44 and the operating shaft 83 of the push switch 4. The elastic support member 52 is made of a non-magnetic spring material such as stainless steel, and functions as a leaf spring that elastically supports the actuator 51 from below. As shown in FIG. 7, the elastic support member 52 includes a plate-shaped main body 521, a circular opening 522 formed in the main body 521, three leg portions 523 extending outward from the main body 521, and three mounting portions 524 extending outward from the main body 521. The main body 521 is a plate-shaped portion having a shape corresponding to the main body 511 of the actuator 51, and supports the main body 511 from below. The circular opening 522 has a diameter that is approximately equal to the diameter of the pressing portion 513 of the actuator 51.

[0036] The three legs 523 extend outward at equal angular intervals of 120 degrees from the outer circumferential surface of the main body 521. The legs 523 include an outer extension portion 5231 that extends linearly from the main body 521, a downward extension portion 5232 that extends linearly downward and outward from the outer extension portion 5231, and a locking portion 5233 that extends linearly from a lower end portion of the downward extension portion 5232 toward the outside.

[0037] The outer extension 5231 is a plate-like portion that extends linearly from the outer peripheral surface of the main body 521 toward the outside. The width of the outer extension 5231 is constant along the extension direction of the outer extension 5231. The upper and lower surfaces of the outer extension 5231 are continuous with the upper and lower surfaces of the main body 521. The downward extension 5232 is a plate-like portion that extends obliquely from the tip of the outer extension 5231 toward the outside and downward. The locking portion 5233 is a plate-like portion that extends linearly from the tip of the downward extension 5232 toward the outside. As shown in FIG. 11, in a state in which the multi-directional input device 1 is assembled, the downward extension 5232 is inserted into the opening 33 of the substrate 3, and further, the locking portion 5233 is sandwiched between the bottom plate 21 of the lower cover 2L attached to the substrate 3 from below and the lower housing 6L. With this configuration, the actuator assembly 5 can be fixed to the substrate 3.

[0038] 7, the three mounting parts 524 extend outward from the outer circumferential surface of the main body part 521 at equal angular intervals of 120 degrees, and are parts that connect the elastic support member 52 and the actuator 51. Each mounting part 524 is located between two leg parts 523 on the outer circumferential surface of the main body part 521. Therefore, the three leg parts 523 and the three mounting parts 524 are alternately arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the main body part 521. The mounting portion 524 includes a first outer extension portion 5241 extending outward from the main body portion 521, an upward extension portion 5242 extending upward and outward from the first outer extension portion 5241, a second outer extension portion 5243 extending outward from the upward extension portion 5242, a mounting portion 5244 formed at the tip of the second outer extension portion 5243, and a locking hole 5245 formed in the mounting portion 5244.

[0039] The first outer extension portion 5241 is a plate-like portion that extends linearly from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 521 outward on the same plane as the main body portion 521. The upper and lower surfaces of the first outer extension portion 5241 are continuous with the upper and lower surfaces of the main body portion 521. The length of the first outer extension portion 5241 is set so that the length from the center of the main body portion 521 to the tip of the first outer extension portion 5241 is greater than the diameter of the main body portion 511 of the actuator 51. The upward extension portion 5242 is a plate-like portion that extends obliquely from the tip of the first outer extension portion 5241 upward and outward. The upward extension amount of the upward extension portion 5242 is approximately equal to the thickness of the base portion 515 of the actuator 51. The second outer extending portion 5243 is a plate-like portion extending linearly outward from the tip of the upward extending portion 5242. The mounting portion 5244 is a plate-like portion provided at the tip of the second outer extending portion 5243. The mounting portion 5244 has a shape corresponding to the exposed upper surface of the base portion 515, and is placed on the base portion 515. The locking hole 5245 is a circular through-hole formed on the base portion 515. The locking hole 5245 has a diameter approximately equal to that of the cylindrical portion 5161 of the locking projection 516 of the actuator 51, and the locking projection 516 is inserted through the locking hole 5245.

[0040] 9 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the elastic support member 52 is attached to the actuator 51. As shown in FIG. 9, the elastic support member 52 is attached to the actuator 51 from below. In this state, the pressing portion 513 of the actuator 51 is inserted through the circular opening 522 of the elastic support member 52 from above, and further, the three locking projections 516 of the actuator 51 are inserted through the three locking holes 5245 of the elastic support member 52 from below. With this configuration, the elastic support member 52 elastically supports the actuator 51 so that the actuator 51 can be displaced in the height direction.

[0041] Returning to FIG. 5, the housing 6 is fixed on the substrate 3 and has a function of holding the holding mechanism 7 and the operating shaft assembly 8. The housing 6 includes a lower housing 6L fixed on the substrate 3 and an upper housing 6U attached to the lower housing 6L from above. Each of the lower housing 6L and the upper housing 6U is made of a hard non-magnetic material such as polybutylene terephthalate. As shown in FIG. 10, the lower housing 6L includes a disk-shaped main body 61, a circular recess 62 formed on the upper surface of the main body 61, an insertion hole 63 formed to penetrate the circular recess 62 in the height direction, four guide pieces 64 extending upward from the upper surface of the main body 61, and four bearing parts 65 protruding upward from the upper surface of the main body 61.

[0042] The main body 61 is a disk-shaped portion placed on the substrate 3. The upper and lower surfaces of the main body 61 are flat surfaces perpendicular to the height direction. The main body 61 includes a tapered surface 611 extending obliquely downward from the upper end of the main body 61, an arc surface 612 extending downward with a constant diameter from the tapered surface 611, four receiving portions 613 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 61, two storage portions 614a and 614b formed on the +Y direction side and the -X direction side of the main body 61, respectively, three fitting portions 615 protruding inward from a region adjacent to the through hole 63 on the lower surface of the main body 61, three rotation prevention portions 616 protruding upward from the tips of the three fitting portions 615, and a relief portion 617 formed on the -Y direction side of the upper surface of the main body 61.

[0043] The four receiving portions 613 are recesses formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 61 at equal angular intervals of 90 degrees and open toward the outside. The upper and lower ends of the receiving portions 613 are not closed and are open toward the outside. The bottom surface (the surface facing the outside) of the receiving portion 613 is a flat surface perpendicular to the lateral direction (X direction or Y direction). As shown in FIG. 3, when the multi-directional input device 1 is assembled, the welding piece 26 of the upper cover 2U and the welding piece 23 of the lower cover 2L are located inside the receiving portion 613. The bottom surface of the receiving portion 613 is in surface contact with the inner surface of the welding piece 26, so that the upper cover 2U holds the lower housing 6L from the outside. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the lower housing 6L from swinging (loosening) in the lateral direction on the board 3. Furthermore, within the receiving portion 613, the welding surface 261 of the welding piece 26 and the welding surface 231 of the welding piece 23 are in surface contact and are further welded to each other, whereby the upper cover 2U and the lower cover 2L are firmly integrated.

[0044] Returning to FIG. 10, the storage section 614a is an opening formed to penetrate the +Y direction side portions of the main body section 61 and the circular recess 62 in the height direction. Similarly, the storage section 614b is an opening formed to penetrate the -X direction side portions of the main body section 61 and the circular recess 62 in the height direction. The magnet holder 817 (see FIG. 15) of the first rotating member 81 is stored in the storage section 614a so as to be rotatable around the Y axis. Similarly, the magnet holder 826 of the second rotating member 82 is stored in the storage section 614b so as to be rotatable around the X axis.

[0045] The three fitting portions 615 are plate-like portions that protrude inward at equal angular intervals of 120 degrees in an area adjacent to the insertion hole 63 on the lower surface of the main body portion 61 and are partially exposed within the insertion hole 63. As shown in Fig. 11, the fitting portions 615 have a shape corresponding to the opening 33 of the substrate 3, and the fitting portions 615 are fitted into the opening 33 to position the lower housing 6L relative to the substrate 3 and prevent the lower housing 6L from rotating relative to the substrate 3. In addition, the locking portions 5233 of the elastic support member 52 are clamped between the fitting portions 615 and the bottom plate 21 of the lower cover 2L attached to the substrate 3 from below, so that the actuator assembly 5 is fixed to the substrate 3.

[0046] The three rotation prevention parts 616 are arc-shaped parts that protrude upward from the tip surfaces of the three fitting parts 615. As shown in FIG. 11, the rotation prevention parts 616 protrude upward from the opening 33 of the substrate 3. The locking part 5233 and the tip of the downward extension part 5232 of the elastic support member 52 are located between the rotation prevention parts 616 and the inner surface of the opening 33, and the rotation of the actuator assembly 5 on the substrate 3 is prevented by the engagement between the rotation prevention parts 616 and the tip of the downward extension part 5232. Returning to FIG. 10, the escape part 617 is a recess formed in the -Y direction side part of the upper surface of the main body part 61 and is open upward. When the multi-directional input device 1 is assembled, the lower end of the downward extension part 815 (see FIG. 15) on the -Y direction side of the first rotating member 81 is located in the escape part 617 so as to be rotatable around the Y axis.

[0047] The circular recess 62 is formed concentrically with the main body 61 at the center of the upper surface of the main body 61. The insertion hole 63 is a circular opening formed to penetrate the approximate center of the circular recess 62 in the height direction. The four guide pieces 64 are arc-shaped parts provided to protrude upward at equal angular intervals of 90 degrees from an area adjacent to the circular recess 62 on the upper surface of the main body 61. The guide pieces 64 have a function of preventing the lift slider 72 from tilting. The guide piece 64 includes an arc-shaped upward extension portion 641 that extends linearly upward from the upper surface of the main body 61, and a guide groove 642 formed on the inner surface of the upward extension portion 641. The upward extension portion 641 has an arc-shaped inner surface that is continuous with the inner surface of the circular recess 62. The guide groove 642 is an arc-shaped groove that extends linearly in the height direction from the upper end of the upward extension portion 641 to the bottom surface of the circular recess 62. When the multi-directional input device 1 is assembled, the guide rail 7242 (see FIG. 5) of the lift slider 72 is positioned within the guide groove 642, thereby preventing the lift slider 72 from tilting and allowing the lift slider 72 to be raised and lowered parallel to the height direction.

[0048] The four bearings 65 are parts that protrude upward at equal angular intervals of 90 degrees from a region adjacent to the tapered surface 611 on the upper surface of the main body 61. Each bearing 65 is located between two guide pieces 64. Therefore, the four guide pieces 64 and the four bearings 65 are alternately arranged along the circumferential direction of the main body 61. The bearing 65 located on the +Y direction side and the bearing 65 located on the -Y direction side face each other with a gap therebetween. Similarly, the bearing 65 located on the +X direction side and the bearing 65 located on the -X direction side face each other with a gap therebetween.

[0049] The bearing portion 65 includes an engagement protrusion 651 that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the main body portion 61, and a lower receiving portion 652 formed on the engagement protrusion 651. The engagement protrusion 651 is a block-shaped portion that extends linearly upward from the upper surface of the main body portion 61. The upper surface of the main body portion 61 is a flat surface perpendicular to the height direction. The lower receiving portion 652 is an arc groove that extends linearly in the radial direction of the main body portion 61 on the engagement protrusion 651. The outer end and inner end of the lower receiving portion 652 are open toward the outside.

[0050] Returning to FIG. 5, the upper housing 6U is a member attached to the lower housing 6L from above. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 12, the upper housing 6U includes a cylindrical main body 66, an insertion hole 67 formed on the upper surface of the main body 66, and four bearings 68 formed on the lower end of the main body 66. The main body 66 is a cylindrical part that has an upper plate and opens downward, and is placed on the main body 61 of the lower housing 6L. The upper surface of the main body 66 is a flat surface perpendicular to the height direction. The main body 66 includes four receiving portions 661 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 66, a circular ring protrusion 662 formed on the upper surface of the main body 66, four positioning protrusions 663 protruding outward from the circular ring protrusion 662, and four abutting portions 664 protruding inward from the inner peripheral surface of the main body 66.

[0051] The four receiving portions 661 are recesses formed on the outer circumferential surface of the main body 66 at equal angular intervals of 90 degrees. An upper end of the receiving portion 661 is open toward the top, and a lower end of the receiving portion 661 is open toward the bottom. As shown in FIG. 3, the four receiving portions 661 are formed at positions corresponding to the four receiving portions 613 of the lower housing 6L, respectively. When the multi-directional input device 1 is assembled, the four welding pieces 26 of the upper cover 2U are positioned in the four receiving portions 661, respectively.

[0052] Returning to FIG. 5, the annular projection 662 is an annular portion projecting upward from the upper surface of the main body 66. The annular projection 662 is formed in a region adjacent to the insertion hole 67 so as to completely surround the insertion hole 67. The four positioning projections 663 are portions formed so as to project outward from the outer circumferential surface of the annular projection 662. As shown in FIG. 3, the annular projection 662 is fitted into the opening 25 of the upper cover 2U, and further, the upper cover 2U is attached to the upper housing 6U so that the four positioning projections 663 are respectively positioned in the four positioning recesses 251 of the upper cover 2U, thereby positioning the upper cover 2U with respect to the upper housing 6U and preventing it from rotating.

[0053] Returning to FIG. 12, the four abutment portions 664 are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the main body portion 66 at equal angular intervals of 90 degrees and are portions that protrude inward. The four abutment portions 664 are formed at positions corresponding to the four receiving portions 661, respectively. The inner surfaces of the abutment portions 664 are arcuate surfaces. When the upper housing 6U is attached to the lower housing 6L, the four abutment portions 664 come into contact with the four guide pieces 64 of the lower housing 6L from the outside, respectively, and support the four guide pieces 64 from the outside.

[0054] The insertion hole 67 is a circular opening formed at the center of the upper surface of the main body 66. The insertion hole 67 is formed concentrically with the main body 66. The four bearings 68 are recesses formed at equal angular intervals of 90 degrees on the lower end of the outer circumferential surface of the main body 66. The bearings 68 include a rectangular engagement recess 681 extending upward from the lower end of the outer circumferential surface of the main body 66, and an upper receiving portion 682 formed on the engagement recess 681. The engagement recess 681 has a shape corresponding to the engagement protrusion 651 of the bearing portion 65 of the lower housing 6L. When the upper housing 6U is attached to the lower housing 6L, the engagement protrusion 651 fits into the engagement recess 681. The upper receiving portion 682 is a circular arc groove formed on the engagement recess 681. The outer end and the inner end of the upper receiving portion 682 are open toward the outside. As shown in FIG. 3, when the upper housing 6U is attached to the lower housing 6L, the upper receiving portion 682, together with the lower receiving portion 652 of the lower housing 6L, forms a bearing hole that receives the pivot shaft 816 of the first rotating member 81 or the pivot shaft 825 of the second rotating member 82.

[0055] Returning to FIG. 5, the holding mechanism 7 has a function of elastically holding the operating shaft 83 in a neutral state in the housing 6. The holding mechanism 7 includes an elastic member 71 placed on the substrate 3 and an elevation slider 72 placed on the elastic member 71. The elastic member 71 is not particularly limited as long as it has a cylindrical shape and can elastically support the elevation slider 72 from below. Typically, a coil spring made of a non-magnetic spring material can be used as the elastic member 71. In addition to the coil spring, a wave spring formed by winding a plate-shaped steel wire in a spiral shape and applying a wave may be used as the elastic member 71. In this case, the inclination of the elastic member 71 can be eliminated, and the inclination of the elastic member 71 and the directionality of the pushing load can be eliminated. As shown in FIG. 4, the elastic member 71 has an outer diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the insertion hole 63 of the lower housing 6L and an inner diameter longer than the outer diameter of the outer contact 42. When the elastic member 71 is placed on the substrate 3 , the push switch 4 and the actuator assembly 5 are located inside the elastic member 71 .

[0056] Returning to FIG. 5, the lift slider 72 has a function of supporting the operating shaft 83 from below. As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the lift slider 72 includes a disk-shaped main body 721 on which the operating shaft 83 is placed, a storage recess 722 formed on the upper surface of the main body 721, a guide hole 723 formed to penetrate the main body 721 and the storage recess 722 in the height direction, four guide pieces 724 protruding upward from the outer part of the main body 721, and an annular receiving part 725 formed on the lower surface of the main body 721. As shown in FIG. 4, the main body 721 is a disk-shaped part having an outer diameter larger than the diameter of the insertion hole 63 of the lower housing 6L and smaller than the diameter of the circular recess 62 of the lower housing 6L. The upper and lower surfaces of the main body 721 are flat surfaces perpendicular to the height direction. Also, the lower end of the part of the lower surface of main body portion 721 that is outer than receiving portion 725 is cut out in the height direction. Therefore, the lower end of the part of the lower surface of main body portion 721 that is outer than receiving portion 725 is located higher than the lower end of the part of the lower surface of main body portion 721 that is inner than receiving portion 725. Also, main body portion 721 is provided, on its outer circumferential surface, with tapered surface 7211 whose diameter gradually increases from the top to the bottom, and arc surface 7212 that extends linearly downward from tapered surface 7211 with a constant diameter.

[0057] Returning to FIG. 13, the storage recess 722 is a circular recess formed on the upper surface of the main body 721. The storage recess 722 is formed concentrically with the main body 721. The bottom surface of the storage recess 722 is a flat surface perpendicular to the height direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the diameter of the storage recess 722 gradually decreases from the top to the bottom, and the connection between the side wall and the bottom surface of the storage recess 722 is arc-shaped. When the multi-directional input device 1 is assembled, the operating shaft 83 is placed on the bottom surface of the storage recess 722.

[0058] 13 and 14, guide hole 723 is a circular through-hole formed in the center of the bottom surface of storage recess 722 so as to penetrate in the height direction. As shown in Fig. 4, guide hole 723 has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of guide shaft 512 of actuator 51, and guide shaft 512 is inserted into guide hole 723. Since guide shaft 512 is inserted into guide hole 723 in this manner, the engagement between guide shaft 512 and guide hole 723 prevents actuator 51 from tilting.

[0059] Returning to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the four guide pieces 724 cooperate with the four guide pieces 64 of the lower housing 6L to prevent the lift slider 72 from tilting. The four guide pieces 724 are formed to extend upward from the outer part of the main body part 721 at equal angular intervals of 90 degrees. The guide piece 724 includes an upward extension part 7241 extending upward from the outer part of the main body part 721, and a guide rail 7242 formed on the outer surface of the upward extension part 7241. The upward extension part 7241 is an arc-shaped part that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the main body part 721, the tapered surface 7211, and the arc surface 7212. The guide rail 7242 is a protruding part that extends linearly in the height direction from the upper end to the lower end of the outer surface of the upward extension part 7241 and is elongated in the height direction and protrudes outward.

[0060] In a state where the multi-directional input device 1 is assembled, the lift slider 72 is provided in the lower housing 6L such that the four guide pieces 724 face the four guide pieces 64 of the lower housing 6L with a gap therebetween. More specifically, the upward extension 7241 faces the upward extension 641 of the guide piece 64 with a gap therebetween, and the guide rail 7242 is located in the guide groove 642 of the guide piece 64 while being spaced apart from the guide groove 642. When the lift slider 72 tilts, the guide rail 7242 comes into contact with the guide groove 642, and the tilt of the lift slider 72 is corrected. With this configuration, the lift slider 72 is prevented from tilting.

[0061] In the illustrated embodiment, the lift slider 72 is provided with a storage recess 722, and the operating shaft 83 is placed on the bottom surface of the storage recess 722, but the present invention is not limited to this. An embodiment in which the storage recess 722 is omitted and the guide shaft 512 of the actuator 51 is inserted into the guide hole 723 with the operating shaft 83 placed on the upper surface of the main body 721 is also within the scope of the present invention. In this case, the guide hole 723 is formed in the center of the upper surface of the main body 721 so as to penetrate the main body 721 in the height direction, and the main body 721 has a generally plate-like shape.

[0062] 5, the operating shaft assembly 8 is configured to rotate the first rotating member 81 and the second rotating member 82 in response to a tilting operation applied to the operating shaft 83 by the user, and further to displace the operating shaft 83 downward in response to a pressing operation applied to the operating shaft 83 by the user. As shown in Fig. 15, the operating shaft assembly 8 includes a first rotating member 81 held by the housing 6 so as to be rotatable about a first axial direction (Y direction), a second rotating member 82 held by the housing 6 so as to be rotatable about a second axial direction (X direction) perpendicular to the first axial direction, and an operating shaft 83 to which a tilting operation and a pressing operation are applied by the user.

[0063] The first rotating member 81 comprises a plate-shaped main body 811 extending linearly in the Y direction, a slit hole 812 formed on the main body 811, a pair of insertion holes 813 formed on both X-direction side surfaces of the main body 811 and communicating with the slit hole 812, a shaft 814 supported by the pair of insertion holes 813 and crossing the slit hole 812 in the X direction, a pair of downward extension portions 815 extending downward from both Y-direction end portions of the main body 811, a pair of rotating shafts 816 each protruding outward from the outer surfaces of the pair of downward extension portions 815, and a magnet holder 817 extending downward from the lower end portion of the downward extension portion 815 on the +Y-direction side.

[0064] The main body 811 is a plate-like portion elongated in the Y direction. The slit hole 812 is a through hole formed so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the main body 811 and penetrate in the height direction. The operation shaft 83 is inserted into the slit hole 812, and the tilting movement of the operation shaft 83 along the longitudinal direction of the main body 811 is permitted. The pair of insertion holes 813 are formed so as to penetrate the side surface of the main body 811 in the X direction in a linear manner in the X direction. The cylindrical shaft 814 is inserted through the pair of insertion holes 813 and the long hole 833 of the operation shaft 83, so that the operation shaft 83 is supported by the first rotating member 81. The pair of downward extension parts 815 are parts extending linearly downward from both ends of the main body 811 in the Y direction.

[0065] The pair of rotation shafts 816 are cylindrical portions that extend linearly outward from the outer surfaces of the pair of downward extending portions 815. The pair of rotation shafts 816 are formed so that their axial centers are located on the same straight line. The pair of rotation shafts 816 are sandwiched between the bearings 65 located on the +Y and -Y sides of the lower housing 6L and the bearings 68 located on the +Y and -Y sides of the upper housing 6U, and function as rotation shafts of the first rotation member 81. In addition, the pair of rotation shafts 816 are sandwiched between the bearings 65 and the bearings 68, so that the first rotation member 81 is rotatably held by the housing 6.

[0066] The magnet holder 817 is a plate-like portion that extends linearly downward from the lower end of the downward extension portion 815 located on the +Y direction side. The magnet holder 817 holds the magnet 92 of the detection mechanism 9 therein. When the multi-directional input device 1 is in an assembled state, the magnet holder 817 is stored in the storage portion 614a of the lower housing 6L so as to be rotatable around the Y axis.

[0067] The second rotating member 82 comprises an upwardly convex arch portion 821, a slit hole 822 formed in the arch portion 821, a pair of horizontal extension portions 823 extending from both ends of the arch portion 821, a pair of downward extension portions 824 extending downward from the pair of horizontal extension portions 823, a pair of rotating shafts 825 each protruding outward from the outer surfaces of the pair of downward extension portions 824, and a magnet holder 826 extending downward from the lower ends of the downward extension portions 824 on the -X direction side.

[0068] The arch portion 821 is a portion that is long in the X direction and has a curved shape that is convex upward. The slit hole 822 is a long through hole that extends along the longitudinal direction of the arch portion 821 and is formed to penetrate in the height direction. The operating shaft 83 is inserted into the slit hole 822, and the tilting movement of the operating shaft 83 along the longitudinal direction of the arch portion 821 is permitted. Each of the pair of horizontal extension portions 823 is a plate-shaped portion that extends linearly from the end portion of the arch portion 821 toward the outside. Each of the pair of downward extension portions 824 is a plate-shaped portion that extends linearly downward from the end portion of the horizontal extension portion 823.

[0069] The pair of rotation shafts 825 are cylindrical portions that extend linearly outward from the outer surfaces of the pair of downward extending portions 824. The pair of rotation shafts 825 are formed so that their axial centers are located on the same straight line. The pair of rotation shafts 825 are sandwiched between the bearings 65 located on the +X direction side and the -X direction side of the lower housing 6L and the bearings 68 located on the +X direction side and the -X direction side of the upper housing 6U, and function as rotation shafts of the second rotation member 82. In addition, the pair of rotation shafts 825 are sandwiched between the bearings 65 and the bearings 68, so that the second rotation member 82 is held by the housing 6.

[0070] The magnet holder 826 is a plate-like portion that extends linearly downward from the lower end of the downward extending portion 824 located on the -X direction side. The magnet holder 826 holds the magnet 92 of the detection mechanism 9 therein. When the multidirectional input device 1 is in an assembled state, the magnet holder 826 is stored in the storage portion 614b of the lower housing 6L so as to be rotatable around the X axis.

[0071] The operation shaft 83 has a function of rotating the first rotating member 81 and the second rotating member 82 in response to a tilt operation applied by the user, and further displacing downward in response to a pressing operation applied by the user. As shown in Figs. 15 and 16, the operation shaft 83 is a rod-shaped member extending in the height direction. The operation shaft 83 includes an operation section 831 that protrudes upward from the insertion hole 67 of the upper housing 6U and to which the user applies a tilt operation and a pressing operation, an octagonal prism-shaped connection section 832 that extends downward from the lower end of the operation section 831, an elongated hole 833 formed to penetrate both side surfaces of the connection section 832 in the X direction, a lower surface 834 having a spherical shape, and a skirt section 835 that extends outward from the lower part of the connection section 832.

[0072] The operating section 831 is a columnar section extending linearly in the height direction. The connecting section 832 is connected to the lower end of the operating section 831. The connecting section 832 is an octagonal columnar section extending linearly downward from the lower end of the operating section 831. The long hole 833 is a through hole that is long in the extension direction (height direction) of the connecting section 832 and is formed so as to penetrate both side surfaces of the connecting section 832 in the X direction. The shaft 814 of the first rotating member 81 is inserted into the long hole 833, and the operating shaft 83 is supported by the first rotating member 81. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the width of the long hole 833 in the height direction is larger than the diameter of the shaft 814. Therefore, the operating shaft 83 is supported by the first rotating member 81 so as to be displaceable along the longitudinal direction of the long hole 833.

[0073] Returning to FIG. 16, the lower surface 834 is the lower surface of the connection portion 832, and is a curved surface that protrudes downward. More specifically, the lower surface 834 has a spherical shape in which the amount of downward protrusion gradually decreases from the center toward the outside. Therefore, even if the operating shaft 83 is tilted in any direction, the height of the lowest point of the lower surface 834 of the operating shaft 83, that is, the point closest to the upper surface of the guide shaft 512 of the actuator 51, is constant. Therefore, the amount of downward displacement of the operating shaft 83 required to turn on the push switch 4 when the operating shaft 83 is in an upright neutral state is approximately equal to the amount of downward displacement of the operating shaft 83 required to turn on the push switch 4 when the operating shaft 83 is tilted.

[0074] The skirt portion 835 is an annular portion extending outward from the lower portion of the connection portion 832. The lower surface 834 is located in the internal space of the skirt portion 835. The lower surface of the skirt portion 835 has a spherical shape with an outer diameter gradually decreasing from the top to the bottom. The inner diameter of the skirt portion 835 gradually increases from the top to the bottom, and the internal space of the skirt portion 835 has a tapered shape extending outward and downward. As shown in FIG. 18, the internal space of the skirt portion 835 is configured so that the inner peripheral surface of the skirt portion 835 does not come into contact with the guide shaft 512 of the actuator 51 even when the operating shaft 83 is tilted to the maximum tilt angle.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 4, when the operating shaft 83 is in a neutral state, the lower surface of the skirt portion 835 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the storage recess 722 of the lift slider 72. When the user applies a tilting operation or a pressing operation to the operating shaft 83, the skirt portion 835 presses the lift slider 72 downward to displace it. When the user releases the tilting operation applied to the operating shaft 83, the storage recess 722 pushes up the lower surface of the skirt portion 835 from below. At this time, due to the spherical shape of the lower surface of the skirt portion 835, a torque is generated that returns the operating shaft 83 from a tilted state to an upright state. Note that if the storage recess 722 of the lift slider 72 is omitted, the lower surface of the skirt portion 835 comes into contact with the upper surface of the main body portion 721 of the lift slider 72 when the operating shaft 83 is in a neutral state.

[0076] 5, the detection mechanism 9 has a function of detecting the respective rotation angles of the first rotation member 81 and the second rotation member 82. The detection mechanism 9 has two magnetic sensors 91 provided on the substrate 3, and two magnets 92 embedded in the magnet holder 817 of the first rotation member 81 and the magnet holder 826 of the second rotation member 82, respectively, so as to face the two magnetic sensors 91 when the operating shaft 83 is held in a neutral state.

[0077] When the first rotating member 81 rotates, the positional relationship between the magnet 92 embedded in the magnet holder 817 of the first rotating member 81 and the corresponding magnetic sensor 91 changes. This allows the corresponding magnetic sensor 91 to detect the rotation angle of the first rotating member 81. Similarly, when the second rotating member 82 rotates, the positional relationship between the magnet 92 embedded in the magnet holder 826 of the second rotating member 82 and the corresponding magnetic sensor 91 changes. This allows the corresponding magnetic sensor 91 to detect the rotation angle of the second rotating member 82.

[0078] Next, the operation when the user applies a pressing operation to the operation shaft 83 of the multi-directional input device 1 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described in detail. FIG. 17 shows the operation when the pressing operation is applied to the operation shaft 83 in an upright state. As shown in FIG. 17, when the user applies a pressing operation to the operation shaft 83, the skirt portion 835 of the operation shaft 83 presses the bottom surface of the storage recess 722 of the lift-up slider 72, and the lift-up slider 72 is displaced downward. After that, the lower surface 834 of the operation shaft 83 comes into contact with the upper surface of the guide shaft 512, displacing the actuator 51 downward. As a result, the pressing portion 513 of the actuator 51 presses the cover tape 44 of the push switch 4 downward. When the pressing force applied from the pressing portion 513 to the movable contact 43 of the push switch 4 via the cover tape 44 exceeds the operating force of the push switch 4, the movable contact 43 is suddenly elastically deformed to be convex downward. As a result, the center contact 41 and the outer contact 42 of the push switch 4 are electrically connected via the movable contact 43, and the push switch 4 is turned on. When the user releases the depression applied to the operating shaft 83, the restoring force of the elastic member 71 and the shape of the underside of the skirt portion 835 cause the operating shaft 83 to return to the neutral state.

[0079] FIG. 18 shows the operation when a pressing operation is applied to the operating shaft 83 in a state in which the operating shaft 83 is tilted by a tilting operation. As shown in FIG. 18, when a tilting operation is applied to the operating shaft 83 by the user, the operating shaft 83 is tilted, and the skirt portion 835 of the operating shaft 83 presses the bottom surface of the storage recess 722 of the lift-up slider 72. At this time, the lift-up slider 72 is displaced downward in parallel along the guide shaft 512 due to the action of the guide piece 724 of the lift-up slider 72 and the guide piece 64 of the lower housing 6L. In this state, when a pressing operation is applied to the operating shaft 83 by the user, the operating shaft 83 is displaced along the longitudinal direction of the long hole 833 (the axial direction of the operating shaft 83), and the lower surface 834 of the operating shaft 83 presses the upper surface of the guide shaft 512. As a result, a pressing force is applied from the operating shaft 83 to the guide shaft 512 in an oblique direction, but because the guide shaft 512 of the actuator 51 is inserted into the guide hole 723 of the lift-up slider 72, the actuator 51 is prevented from tilting and is displaced downward in parallel. When the pressing force applied from the pressing portion 513 of the actuator 51 to the movable contact 43 of the push switch 4 exceeds the operating force of the push switch 4, the push switch 4 is turned on. When the tilting and pressing operations applied to the operating shaft 83 by the user are released, the restoring force of the elastic member 71 and the effect of the shape of the underside of the skirt portion 835 return the operating shaft 83 to its neutral state.

[0080] Furthermore, as described above, when a pressing operation is applied to the operating shaft 83 in a state in which the operating shaft 83 is tilted by a tilting operation, the operating shaft 83 is displaced downward along the longitudinal direction (axial direction of the operating shaft 83) of the long hole 833. Therefore, the displacement direction of the operating shaft 83 when a tilting operation and a pressing operation are applied is limited to the longitudinal direction of the long hole 833, and the displacement motion of the operating shaft 83 is stabilized.

[0081] FIG. 19 shows the feeling curve (FS characteristic) of the push switch 4 when the operating axis 83 is tilted at various angles. As shown in FIG. 19, the +Y direction is the tilt direction of 0 degrees, the -X direction is the tilt direction of 90 degrees, the -Y direction is the tilt direction of 180 degrees, and the +X direction is the tilt direction of 270 degrees. As shown in the graph of FIG. 19, even when the operating axis 83 is tilted in various tilt directions, the shape of the feeling curve does not change significantly. This means that the dependency of the click feeling of the push switch 4 on the tilt direction of the operating axis 83 is significantly reduced. Furthermore, the shape of the feeling curve when the operating axis 83 is tilted in various tilt directions is similar to the shape of the feeling curve when only a pressing operation is applied. This means that even when a tilt operation and a pressing operation are applied to the operating axis 83, it is possible to provide a click feeling equivalent to the click feeling when only a pressing operation is applied to the operating axis 83.

[0082] In this way, in the multi-directional input device 1 of the present invention, the guide shaft 512 of the actuator 51 is inserted into the guide hole 723 of the lift slider 72. Therefore, even when the tilt operation and the press operation are applied to the operation shaft 83, the actuator 51 is prevented from tilting, and the actuator 51 is displaced downward in parallel. As a result, even when the operation shaft 83 is tilted, the pressing part 513 of the actuator 51 can uniformly press the movable contact 43 of the push switch 4, and the deformation characteristic of the movable contact 43 can be stabilized. With this configuration, even when the tilt operation and the press operation are applied to the operation shaft 83, a click feeling equivalent to the click feeling when only the press operation is applied to the operation shaft 83 can be provided.

[0083] Furthermore, in the multi-directional input device 1 of the present invention, the actuator 51 can be prevented from tilting within the housing 6 by the engagement between the guide shaft 512 of the actuator 51 and the guide hole 723 of the lift slider 72. Therefore, in the multi-directional input device 1 of the present invention, there is no need to provide a spacer on the substrate 3 to prevent the actuator 51 from tilting, as in the prior art, and the multi-directional input device 1 can be made low-profile.

[0084] In the multi-directional input device 1 of the present invention, the lower cover 2L and the upper cover 2U are firmly integrated by welding the welded piece 23 of the lower cover 2L to the welded piece 26 of the upper cover 2U. Therefore, the lower cover 2L and the upper cover 2U can firmly support the housing 6 from the top and bottom, and the housing 6 can be reliably prevented from swinging (wobbling) in the height direction. Since the housing 6 is prevented from swinging in the height direction, the distance from the lower surface 834 of the operating shaft 83 to the upper surface of the guide shaft 512 of the actuator 51 is stabilized, and the feeling curve of the push switch 4 can be stabilized. Furthermore, by preventing the housing 6 from swinging in the height direction, the product life of the multi-directional input device 1 can be extended.

[0085] Although the multi-directional input device of the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. Each component of the embodiment of the present invention can be replaced with any component that can exert a similar function, or any component can be added to each component of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0086] A person skilled in the art in the field and technology to which the present invention pertains would be able to modify the configuration of the multi-directional input device of each of the described embodiments of the present invention without significantly departing from the principles, concepts, and scope of the present invention, and a multi-directional input device having a modified configuration is also within the scope of the present invention.

[0087] 3 to 18 are merely examples for the purpose of explanation, and the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Within the scope of the principles and intent of the present invention, any embodiment in which any component is added or combined, or any component is deleted, is also within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1...Multi-directional input device 2L...Lower cover 21...Bottom plate 22...Through hole 23...Welding piece 231...Welding surface 232...Hook 2U...Upper cover 24...Upper plate 25...Opening 251...Positioning recess 26...Welding piece 261...Welding surface 262...Engagement recess 3...Substrate 31...Terminal pin 32...Circuit pattern 33...Opening 4...Push switch 41...Central contact 42...Outer contact 43...Moving contact 431...Central movable part 432...Outer edge part 44...Cover tape 441...Central part 442...Flange part 5...Actuator assembly 51...Actuator 511...Main body part 512...Guide shaft 513...Pressing part 514...Extension part 515...Pedestal part 516...Engagement projection 5161...Cylindrical part 5162...tapered portion 52...elastic support member 521...main body portion 522...circular opening 523...leg portion 5231...outer extension portion 5232...downward extension portion 5233...engagement portion 524...mounting portion 5241...first outer extension portion 5242...upward extension portion 5243...second outer extension portion 5244...placement portion 5245...engagement hole 6...housing 6L...lower housing 61...main body portion 611...tapered surface 612...circular arc surface 613...receiving portion 614a...storage portion 614b...storage portion 615...fitting portion 616...rotation prevention portion 617...relief portion 62...circular recess 63...insertion hole 64...guide piece 641...upward extension portion 642...guide groove 65...bearing portion 651...engagement protrusion 652...lower receiving portion 6U...upper housing 66...main body portion 661...receiving portion 662...annular protrusion 663...positioning protrusion 664...contact portion 67...insertion hole 68...bearing portion 681...engagement recess 682...upper receiving portion 7...holding mechanism 71...elastic member 72...lift slider 721...main body portion 7211...tapered surface 7212...arc surface 722...storage recess 723...guide hole 724...guide piece 7241...upward extension portion 7242...guide rail 725...receiving portion 8...operation shaft assembly 81...first rotating member 811...main body portion 812...slit hole 813...insertion hole 814...shaft 815...downward extension portion 816: Rotating shaft 817: Magnet holder 82: Second rotating member 821: Arch portion 822: Slit hole 823: Horizontal extension portion 824: Downward extension portion 825: Rotating shaft 826: Magnet holder 83: Operation shaft 831: Operation portion 832: Connection portion833...long hole 834...lower surface 835...skirt portion 9...detection mechanism 91...magnetic sensor 92...magnet 500...multi-directional input device 510...bottom plate 510a...part mounting portion 520...housing 530...first rotating member 531...slit hole 540...second rotating member 541...slit hole 550...operation shaft 560...actuating member 570...coil spring 580...sensor 590...push switch 600...multi-directional input device 610...housing 620...first rotating member 630...second rotating member 640...operation shaft 650...holding mechanism 660...coil spring 670...lift slider 700...push switch 710...actuator 720...spacer

Claims

1. A housing fixed on the substrate; a first rotating member having a first slit hole and held by the housing so as to be rotatable about a first axial direction; a second rotating member having a second slit hole and held by the housing so as to be rotatable about a second axial direction perpendicular to the first axial direction; an operation shaft that is inserted through the first slit hole and the second slit hole, rotates the first rotation member and the second rotation member in response to a tilt operation applied by a user, and is further displaced downward in response to a pressing operation applied by the user; a holding mechanism provided within the housing and configured to elastically hold the operating shaft in a neutral state; a detection mechanism for detecting a rotation angle of each of the first rotation member and the second rotation member; A push switch is provided on the substrate so as to be located immediately below the operation shaft; an actuator provided between the operation shaft and the push switch, the actuator being pressed by the operation shaft when the operation shaft is displaced downward to press the push switch; the holding mechanism includes an elastic member provided on the substrate, and a lifting slider placed on the elastic member and supporting the operation shaft from below, The lift slider includes a plate-shaped main body on which the operating shaft is placed, and a guide hole formed to penetrate the main body in a height direction, the actuator includes a pressing portion facing the push switch and a guide shaft extending linearly upward above the pressing portion, A multi-directional input device, characterized in that the guide shaft of the actuator is inserted into the guide hole of the lift slider.

2. The multi-directional input device according to claim 1 , further comprising an elastic support member fixed to the substrate and elastically supporting the actuator.

3. the first rotating member includes a shaft that crosses the first slit hole in a direction perpendicular to the height direction, the operation shaft includes an operation section to which the user applies the tilt operation and the press operation, a connection section extending linearly downward from the operation section, and a long hole penetrating the connection section in the direction perpendicular to the height direction and long in the height direction, a width in the height direction of the long hole of the operation shaft is greater than a diameter of the shaft of the first rotating member, 2. The multi-directional input device according to claim 1, wherein the shaft of the first rotating member is inserted into the long hole of the operating shaft, so that the operating shaft is supported by the first rotating member so as to be displaceable along the longitudinal direction of the long hole.

4. The operating shaft further includes an annular skirt portion extending outward from a lower portion of the connecting portion, The lower surface of the skirt portion has a spherical shape, The multi-directional input device according to claim 3 , wherein the lower surface of the skirt portion is in contact with the main body portion of the lift slider.

5. The multi-directional input device according to claim 4 , wherein when the user applies the tilt operation or the press operation to the operation shaft, the skirt portion presses the lift slider downward.

6. A lower surface of the connection portion is located within the internal space of the skirt portion, The multi-directional input device according to claim 4 , wherein when the user applies the pressing operation to the operation shaft, the lower surface of the connection portion presses the guide shaft of the actuator downward.

7. the housing includes a lower housing fixed onto the substrate and an upper housing attached to the lower housing from above, The lower housing includes a plate-shaped main body and a guide piece extending upward from the main body, The lift slider further includes a guide piece extending upward from the main body portion, 2. The multi-directional input device according to claim 1, wherein the lift-up slider is provided in the lower housing such that the guide piece of the lower housing and the guide piece of the lift-up slider face each other with a gap therebetween.

8. a lower cover supporting the substrate from below, and an upper cover supporting the housing from above, The lower cover includes a bottom plate and a weld piece extending upward from the bottom plate, The upper cover includes an upper plate and a welding piece extending downward from the upper plate, The multi-directional input device according to claim 1 , wherein the welded portion of the lower cover is connected to the welded portion of the upper cover.

Images