US 5,510,810 AGranted

Display screen control apparatus

AssigneeAlps Electric Co., Ltd.

InventorsAkio Nishijima, Naoya Iwama, Syoji Suganami, Katsutoshi Suzuki

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Abstract

A display screen control apparatus for producing a plurality of control signals in response to pressing, tilting and rotating a single operation lever, the control signals being transmitted to control circuitry for controlling the position of a cursor on the display screen in response to the control signals. The display screen control apparatus includes a base upon which are formed a plurality of control switches, the operation lever being resiliently positioned over the control switches such that pressing the operation lever actuates a first control switch, tilting the operation lever actuates one of a plurality of second control switches, and rotating the operation lever actuates one of two third control switches.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A display screen control apparatus, comprising:

a housing including a base and a cover defining an opening;
an operation lever movably supported in the housing and having a shaft projecting through the opening formed in the cover, said operation lever being rotatable around an axis and including first, second and third actuating portions positioned in a common plane, the common plane being perpendicular to the axis;
a tilt detection switch mounted on the base and accommodated in said housing adjacent an outer edge of the operation lever, the tilt detection switch being actuated by the first actuating portion of said operation lever when said shaft portion is tilted in a particular direction relative to the housing;
a rotation detection switch mounted on the base and accommodated in said housing adjacent the outer edge of the operation lever, the rotation detection switch being actuated by the second actuating portion of said operation lever when said operation lever is rotated around the axis relative to the housing;
and
a press detection switch mounted on the base and accommodated in said housing opposite the opening, the press detection switch being actuated by the third actuating portion of said operation lever when said operation lever is pressed into the housing;
wherein said operation lever includes a curved outer surface held in sliding contact with an inner wall surface of said housing by a resetting force of at least one of said tilt, rotation and press detection switches.

4 more elements

An input control device, comprising:

a housing including a base and an upper case forming an enclosed area, the base including a flat lower surface defining a plane, the upper case defining an opening;
an operation member including an actuating member movably disposed in the enclosed area and a shaft extending through the opening in the upper case, the operation member being rotatable around an axis, the axis being perpendicular to the plane defined by the base, the actuating member having first and second switch actuating portions;
a tilt detection switch mounted on the flat lower surface of the base and disposed opposite to said first switch actuating portion such that the tilt detection switch is actuated by said first switch actuating portion when said operation member is tilted in a predetermined direction relative to the housing;
a force converting member movably mounted in the enclosed area adjacent the second switch actuating portion, the force converting member having a first portion disposed to receive a horizontal force from said second switch actuating portion in response to a rotation of the operation member, and a second portion generating a vertical force in response to the horizontal force;
and
a rotation detection switch mounted on the flat lower surface of the base and disposed opposite to said second portion of said force converting member such that the rotation detection switch is actuated by said vertical force generating in response to rotation of said operation member.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/349,698Filed 5 Dec 1994 · continuation
Priority: JP 4-30126011 Nov 1992
Granted: 23 Apr 1996
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G05G 9/047
In which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously: the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks
H01H 25/008
Switches with compound movement of handle or other operating part: operating part movable both angularly and rectilinearly, the rectilinear…
H01H 25/041
Operating part movable angularly in more than one plane, e.g. joystick: having a generally flat operating member depressible at different…
H01H 2025/043
Having a generally flat operating member depressible at different locations to operate different controls: the operating member being rotatable…