Hosiden Corporation

Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Nokia Corporation

Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha

Mitsuhiro Asano

Junji Takamoto

Takanori Okamura

Kazuo Yoneyama

Hitoshi Nakai

Daisuke Nishiuchi

Masato Shimizu

Yasuhiro Yamamoto

Ryokei Aikawa

Michael Göllnitz

Toshikazu Iwaki

A multi-directional input device includes an operating member that protrudes from a case and can be tilted, a compression coil spring that returns the operating member to an initial state before a tilting operation, a magnet holding member that is relatively movable with respect to the operating member only in a direction along a protruding direction and is interlocked only in a tilting direction, a magnet arranged in the magnet holding portion, and magnetic sensors that are each disposed at a position facing the magnet and detect a movement of the magnet. The magnetic sensors are each disposed on a side of the magnet and can detect magnetic components in three axial directions orthogonal to one another.

Multi-directional input device

A multi-directional input device includes an operating member that can be tilted and pushed in, a metal dome that functions as a push-in operation detector that detects a push-in operation of the operating member, a magnet holding member that is relatively movable with respect to the operating member only in a direction along a push-in direction and is interlocked only in a tilting direction, a magnet held by the magnet holding member, and a magnetic sensor that is disposed at a position facing the magnet and detects a movement of the magnet.

A linking structure including an interlocking member pivotable in a second direction, and a lever tiltably linked to the interlocking member. The interlocking member includes a blind elongated hole extending in a first direction; first to fourth edges of the elongated hole; a bottom closing the elongated hole and being contiguous with the edges; and first and second shaft holes in the first and second edges to extend communicatingly from the elongated hole to opposite sides in the second direction. The lever includes a base in the elongated hole; first and second juts extending from the base, being swingably received in the elongated hole, and being in abutment with, or opposed with a narrow clearance to, the first and second edges; and first and second rotation shafts extending from the base and being supported in the first and second shaft holes such as to be rotatable in the first direction.

Linking structure of operation lever, and input device including the linking structure

In a multi-directional input device, an upward convex spherical trapezoidal portion is provided at a lower end of an operation shaft projecting downward of a lower arm, a receiving portion for the upward convex spherical trapezoidal portion is provided in a case, the receiving portion has a receiving surface configured with a spherical surface having a radius of curvature identical to a radius of curvature of a spherical zone of the upward convex spherical trapezoidal portion, the receiving surface against which the spherical zone of the upward convex spherical trapezoidal portion is pressed downward by a compression coil spring, and the operation shaft is supported to be rotatable around the center of curvature of the receiving surface.

An operating memberhas a shaft portionand a fulcrum portion. A first swinging memberhas a concave fitting portion. Inside the fitting portion, engaging surfaces and guide surfacesare included. The engaging surfaces are formed to be engageable with the fulcrum portion. The guide surfaces allow the fulcrum portion to swing with respect to the first swinging member. The second swinging memberincludes an engaging portionwhich includes a long hole, and which covers the fulcrum portion while passing the shaft portion through the long hole in a manner that the shaft portion is movable in the longitudinal direction of the long hole, in such a manner that the engaging portion and the fitting portion cooperate to sandwich the fulcrum portion. The engaging portion is coupled with the second swing shaft, and configured to be engageable with the shaft portion.

A multidirectional input device includes a mount, an operation lever, first and second interlocking members, and first and second detectors. The mount includes a support face of generally spherical convex shape. The operation lever is slidably supported on the support face. The first interlocking member receives the operation lever therethrough and is movable in a first direction in an arc-like manner in accordance with movement in the first direction of the operation lever. The second interlocking member crosses the first interlocking member, receives the operation lever therethrough, and is movable in a second direction in an arc-like manner in accordance with movement in the second direction of the operation lever, the second direction crossing the first direction. The first detector can detect a direction and an amount of movement of the first interlocking member. The second detector can detect a direction and an amount of movement of the second interlocking member.

Multidirectional input device

Multi-directional input apparatus

A holder for a mobile electronic device includes first and second clamping jaws, at least the first clamping jaw being displaceable toward the second clamping jaw to clamp the mobile electronic device. The holder also includes a stop element and an entraining element connected to the first clamping jaw, the entraining element being shaped so that it is displaceable with respect to the stop element, namely jointly with the clamping jaw connected to it, in which case at least one extreme position corresponding to the maximum opening of the clamping jaw is defined in the displacement path by the impact of the stop element against the entraining element. The holder includes a damper element, which is mounted on the stop element and damps the stopping of the stop element against the entraining element.

Growing community of inventors

Yao, Japan

Mitsuhiro Asano