Rotatable-swingable input device and electronic apparatus equipped with the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10200576-B2
Application number	US-201816013038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2018
Priority date	Nov 2, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A rotatable-swingable input device that has high reliability at low cost and that improves operability. Optical sensors, an elastically deformable holder, and switches are disposed on a wiring board. A shading member has a plurality of shading parts that are arranged in a circumferential direction and pass a space between a light projecting section and a light receiving section of the optical sensor when an operation member is rotated. A click spring contacts with a concavo-convex part of the operation member to generate click feeling. The holder has an inner annular part holding the operation member and shading member, and an outer annular part having pressure parts each of which deforms and pushes one of the switches when the operation member is swingingly operated. The optical sensors are arranged between the inner annular part and outer annular part without overlapping with the click spring to interpose one of the switches.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotatable-swingable input device comprising:
a plurality of optical sensors disposed on a wiring board each of which comprises a light projecting section and a light receiving section that receives a light flux emitted from the light projecting section;
an operation member that enables a rotating operation and swinging operations in a plurality of directions;
a plurality of switches that are disposed on the same side of the wiring board where said optical sensors are arranged, each of the switches generating a signal when being pressed by a swinging operation of said operation member; and
a shading member that has a plurality of shading parts that are arranged in a circumferential direction and pass a space between the light projecting section and the light receiving section when said operation member is rotationally operated,
wherein the shading parts do not positioned in the space in a rotation stop position of said operation member, and
wherein a circumferential width of a gap between the shading parts adjacent in the rotation direction is wider than a circumferential width of the space of each of said optical sensors.

2. The rotatable-swingable input device according to claim 1 , further comprising a click mechanism that generates click feeling when said operation member is rotationally operated, and stops said operation member at a stable position when rotation of said operation member unit stops.

3. The rotatable-swingable input device according to claim 1 , wherein a circumferential width of a gap between the shading parts adjacent in the rotation direction is wider than a circumferential width of each of the shading parts.

4. The rotatable-swingable input device according to claim 1 , further comprising an elastically deformable holder that is disposed on the same side of the wiring board and holds said operation member with said shading member so as to be rotatable and swingable,
wherein said holder is provided with an inner annular part that holds said operation member and said shading member so as to be rotatable and swingable in the plurality of directions, and an outer annular part that is arranged outside the inner annular part and has pressure parts each of which deforms elastically and pushes a corresponding switch among the plurality of switches when said operation member is swingingly operated in one direction among the plurality of directions, and
wherein a contact part that contacts with said operation member before one of the shading parts of said shading member contacts with the space of one of said optical sensors is disposed at one of a position on the inner annular part inside the shading parts of said shading member and a position on the outer annular part outside the shading parts of said shading member.

5. The rotatable-swingable input device according to claim 1 , further comprising an elastically deformable holder that is disposed on the same side of the wiring board and holds said operation member with said shading member so as to be rotatable and swingable,
wherein said holder is provided with an inner annular part that holds said operation member and said shading member so as to be rotatable and swingable in the plurality of directions, and an outer annular part that is arranged outside the inner annular part and has pressure parts each of which deforms elastically and pushes a corresponding switch among the plurality of switches when said operation member is swingingly operated in one direction among the plurality of directions, and
wherein said optical sensors are disposed between the inner annular part and the outer annular part.

6. An electronic apparatus equipped with a rotatable-swingable input device, the rotatable-swingable input device comprising:
a plurality of optical sensors disposed on a wiring board each of which comprises a light projecting section and a light receiving section that receives a light flux emitted from the light projecting section;
an operation member that enables a rotating operation and swinging operations in a plurality of directions;
a plurality of switches that are disposed on the same side of the wiring board where said optical sensors are arranged, each of the switches generating a signal when being pressed by a swinging operation of said operation member; and
a shading member that has a plurality of shading parts that are arranged in a circumferential direction and pass a space between the light projecting section and the light receiving section when said operation member is rotationally operated;
wherein the shading parts do not positioned in the space in a rotation stop position of said operation member, and
wherein a circumferential width of a gap between the shading parts adjacent in the rotation direction is wider than a circumferential width of the space of each of said optical sensors.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Yamamoto Jiro
• Iwai Keita

Classifications

• H04N23/54

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N23/50 Primary

  Constructional details · CPC title

• H04N1/00387 Primary

  Multiple functions per key · CPC title

• H04N5/2251 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N1/004

  Rocker or tumbler switches · CPC title