Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.

Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Alps Alpineco., Ltd.

Nobuyuki Ninomiya

Tatsuaki Kawase

Shuji Fujiwara

Makoto Hayashi

Hiroki Oba

Tomoya Endo

Hidekazu Kato

Tomoyasu Nagano

Takayuki Itabashi

A multi-directional input device has: a housing; a tiltable manipulation member that swings around an axis; a linked member, which has a pivotally supported section supported by the housing so as to be swingable around the axis and also has a connecting portion in contact with the manipulation member, the linked member swinging in response to a tilting motion applied to the manipulation member; and a swing detection section that detects the swing of the linked member. The linked member has a flexible portion, located between a connecting portion and the pivotally supported section, that serves as a flexural fulcrum for the flexure of a first portion including the connecting portion with respect to a second portion including the pivotally supported section. The flexure of the first portion due to an external force applied to the connecting portion from the manipulation member is detected by a flexure detection unit.

Multi-directional input device

A multidirectional input apparatus includes a housing including an opening portion; an operation member including an operation portion provided outside the housing and configured to be operated, and a shaft portion extending from the operation portion and inserted into the opening portion, the operation member being configured to receive an operation to be tilted with respect to the housing and an operation to be pushed into the housing; and a cover member that covers a portion surrounding the shaft portion, the cover member being configured to come into contact with the housing when the operation of pushing the operation member is performed.

Multidirectional input apparatus

An operation device includes a housing, a tiltable cylindrical operation member having a step portion on an inner circumferential surface, a first holding member which is held by the housing and rotatable in a first direction in accordance with a tilting operation of the operation member, a first detecting portion for detecting a rotation of the first holding member, and a returning mechanism disposed inside the operation member to return the tilted operation member to an initial position, wherein the returning mechanism includes an actuator, a slide member having a first cam surface at one end, a cam member having a second cam surface at one end which faces the first cam surface, a first elastic member, and a second elastic member.

Operation device

A power generation device includes a push member configured to move back and forth in a first pushing direction and a second pushing direction to push a rotating body to move between a first stable attitude and a second stable attitude, an operation member configured to move in a first direction and a second direction, and a switching spring member arranged between the operation member and the push member. The switching spring member is configured to urge the push member in the first pushing direction to cause the rotating body to move toward the second stable attitude when the operation member moves in the first direction, and the switching spring member is configured to urge the push member in the second pushing direction to cause the rotating body to move toward the first stable attitude when the operation member moves in the second direction.

Power generation device

In electronic equipment which includes a casing, a lid body which is rotatably supported on the casing, a hinge member which is formed by mounting a frame body on one of the lid body and the casing and by making a shaft body projected from the frame body rotatably support the other of the lid body and the casing, and a switch which detects rotation of the lid body, the switch is formed of an individual rotary switch which accommodates a rotary manipulation body having a hollow shaft hollow hole, a movable contact which is integrally rotated with the rotary manipulation body and a stationary contact which is brought into slide contact with the movable contact inside a housing, wherein the shaft body of the hinge member is inserted into the hollow shaft hole of the rotary manipulation body, and the rotation of the lid body is detected in response to the slide contact between the movable contact and the stationary contact which is generated along with rotation of the shaft body.

Lid open/close detection device of portable electronic equipment

A battery holder structure for a flat battery allows the battery, when it is to be inserted into the battery holder, to be readily inserted and, at the same time, to be firmly engaged and to be prevented from springing out of the case or its contacts from becoming disconnected when any vibration or impact from outside is suffered. In a case having in its top face an opening through which a battery is to be inserted, protruding barriers are formed toward one end of the opening to engage with the top face of the inserted battery to prevent the battery from coming off, and a battery holding section having elastically deformable elastic arms is formed toward the other end of the opening in the case opposite these protruding barriers the arms turning toward the bottom plate along with the insertion of the battery and pressing the peripheral face of the battery toward the peripheral wall

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi, Japan

Nobuyuki Ninomiya