阅读说明：本技术 输入设备 (Input device ) 是由 内田望 五十岚健 奥山功 河村佳昭 只野胜久 古川贵志 于 2020-03-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种输入设备,包括：跟踪目标部分,其外表面上设置有多个发光部分；构成跟踪目标部分的外表面的壳体；第一基板,其是设置在壳体内部的刚性基板；至少一个光源,其安装在第一基板的第一表面上；以及第一导光构件,其将来自至少一个光源的光引导到壳体的外表面上的多个发光部分的位置。(An input device, comprising: a tracking target portion having a plurality of light emitting portions provided on an outer surface thereof; a housing constituting an outer surface of the tracking target portion; a first substrate which is a rigid substrate provided inside the case; at least one light source mounted on the first surface of the first substrate; and a first light guide member guiding light from the at least one light source to positions of the plurality of light emitting parts on the outer surface of the housing.)

1. An input device, comprising:

a tracking target portion having a plurality of light emitting portions provided on an outer surface thereof;

a housing constituting an outer surface of the tracking target portion;

a first substrate which is a rigid substrate provided inside the case;

at least one light source mounted on the first surface of the first substrate; and

a first light guide member guiding light from the at least one light source to positions of the plurality of light emitting parts on the outer surface of the housing.

2. The input device of claim 1, further comprising:

an operation section operated by a user; and

a second substrate disposed in the operation part, wherein

The first substrate is separated from the second substrate.

3. The input device of claim 2, further comprising:

a main body having an operating portion; and

a handle, wherein,

the tracking target portion has an arc or ring shape, and at least a middle portion of the tracking target portion is separated from the main body.

4. The input device of claim 3,

the first substrate is bent to conform to the contour of the trace target portion.

5. The input device of claim 1,

the plurality of light emitting parts include a first light emitting part and a second light emitting part,

the first light source and the second light source are mounted on the first substrate,

the first light guide member includes a first light guide part guiding light from the first light source to the first light emitting part and a second light guide part guiding light from the second light source to the second light emitting part, and

the first light guide portion is coupled to the second light guide portion.

6. The input device of claim 5,

the first light guide member has a size corresponding to the first substrate.

7. The input device of claim 1,

the first light guide member guides light from the light source to the at least two light emitting parts.

8. The input device of claim 1, further comprising:

a light source mounted on a second surface, the second surface being a surface opposite to the first surface of the first substrate; and

a second light guide member that is provided on the opposite side of the first light guide member across the first substrate and guides light from the light source on the second surface to positions of the plurality of light emitting parts on the outer surface of the housing.

9. The input device of claim 8,

a plurality of light sources are mounted on each of the first and second surfaces of the first substrate.

10. The input device of claim 8,

the housing includes: a first wall extending along an extending direction of the tracking target portion and provided with a plurality of light emitting portions thereon; and a second wall formed along the first wall and provided thereon with a plurality of light emitting parts,

one of the first wall and the second wall is inclined with respect to the other, an

The first substrate is disposed between the first wall and the second wall.

11. The input device of claim 10,

the first surface of the first substrate faces the inner surface of the first wall, and

the second surface of the first substrate faces the inner surface of the second wall.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an input device having a tracking target portion.

Background

A technique of tracking a position or a posture of an input device by providing a light emitting unit to the input device and by detecting light from the light emitting unit with a camera has been available. Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-164932 discloses an input device for game operations, which has a spherical light-emitting unit.

Disclosure of Invention

It has been studied to provide a plurality of light emitting portions on an outer surface of an input device. When a flexible substrate is used as a substrate on which light sources (specifically, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)) corresponding to the respective light emitting portions are mounted, a high degree of freedom in the positions of the light emitting portions can be ensured, and thereby, the stability in detecting the light emitting portions with a camera can be easily ensured. However, the use of a flexible substrate is not necessarily preferable in terms of ease of assembly and cost.

The input device proposed by the present disclosure includes: a tracking target portion having a plurality of light emitting portions provided on an outer surface thereof; a housing constituting an outer surface of the tracking target portion; a first substrate which is a rigid substrate provided inside the case; at least one light source mounted on the first surface of the first substrate; and a first light guide member guiding light from the at least one light source to positions of the plurality of light emitting parts on the outer surface of the housing. Therefore, the assembly work of the input device can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a system using an input device proposed by an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of an input device proposed by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a side view of an input device.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a tracking target portion included in the input device.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the substrate and the light-guiding member.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the tracking target portion taken along line VI-VI in fig. 5. And

fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the light guide member.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the input device proposed by the present disclosure will be explained. Directions indicated by Z1 and Z2 in fig. 2 are referred to as an upper direction and a lower direction, respectively, directions indicated by X1 and X2 in fig. 2 are referred to as a right direction and a left direction, respectively, and directions indicated by Y1 and Y2 in fig. 3 are referred to as a front direction and a rear direction, respectively. These directions correspond to directions seen from a user when the user is holding and using the input device 100, as shown in FIG. 1.

[ overview of the System ]

As shown in fig. 1, for example, the input device 100 is used with a Head Mounted Display (HMD) 2. The HMD2 is mounted on the user's head and the input device 100 is held by the user's right or/and left hand. The HMD2 includes a forward-pointing camera 2 a. A plurality of light emitting sections H (described later) are provided to the input device 100. The position of the light emitting section H is detected by the camera 2a, and the position and posture of the input apparatus 100 (i.e., the position and orientation of the user's hand) are calculated based on the position of the light emitting section. The input device 100 includes a plurality of operation portions (e.g., operation buttons, operation levers, touch sensors, etc.) operated by fingers of a user, as will be described later. A video image (e.g., a game image) created based on the position of the input apparatus 100, the posture of the input apparatus 100, an operation performed on the operation portion, and the like is displayed on the display portion of the HMD 2.

The position and posture of the input device 100 may be calculated by an information processing device mounted on the HMD2, or may be calculated by an external information processing device (e.g., a game device or a personal computer separate from the HMD 2). The input device 100 may include a motion sensor (e.g., an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor). The information processing apparatus can calculate the position and orientation of the input apparatus 100 based not only on the position of the light emitting portion H but also on the output from the motion sensor. Further, the video image may be created by an information processing apparatus mounted on the HMD2, or may be created by an external information processing apparatus. In a case where the external information processing apparatus calculates the position or the like of the input apparatus 100 and creates a video image, image information acquired by the camera 2a is transmitted to the external information processing apparatus wirelessly or by wire, and the created video image information is transmitted from the external information processing apparatus to the HMD2 wirelessly or by wire. Note that unlike the system shown in fig. 1, the input device 100 may be used separately from the HMD 2. In this case, a camera for tracking the position and posture of the input apparatus 100 may be attached to an external display apparatus (e.g., a television or a personal computer monitor) on which a video image created based on the position and posture of the input apparatus 100 is displayed.

[ Overall configuration of input device ]

The external shape of the input device 100 for the right hand and the external shape of the input device 100 for the left hand are symmetrical. The left input device 100 and the right input device 100 may be different from each other in the number or type of operation members arranged in the operation portion 11A. Hereinafter, the right-hand input device 100 will be described in detail.

As shown in fig. 2, the main body 10 of the input apparatus 100 includes a handle 11B and an operating portion 11A, and a plurality of operating members are arranged on the operating portion 11A. The main body 10 has an operating portion 11A at an upper portion thereof. The handle 11B extends downward from the operating portion 11A. The operating member disposed on the operating portion 11A can be operated with a thumb or an index finger in a state of holding the handle 11B. For example, the handle 11B is held by the thenar eminence, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, for example, the operation buttons 13, 14, 15 and the operation lever 16 are arranged as operation members on the operation portion 11A. The operation button 13 is disposed on the front surface 11A of the operation portion 11A (see fig. 3), and is operated by, for example, an index finger. The operation buttons 14, 15 and the operation lever 16 are arranged on the rear surface 11b of the operation portion 11A (see fig. 2), and are operated by, for example, a thumb. The operating lever 16 is an operating member that can be tilted radially or can slide. The operating members provided on the operating portion 11A are not limited to those in the embodiments described herein. For example, a touch sensor, a trigger button, and a button provided with a touch sensor may be provided on the operation portion 11A. Further, the number of the operation members provided on the operation portion 11A may be one or two, or may be four or more.

As shown in fig. 2, the input device 100 includes a trace target portion 30 on which a plurality of light emitting portions H (in fig. 2, the light emitting portions are indicated by black circles) are arranged. The tracking target portion 30 is formed separately from the main body 10. That is, the tracking target portion 30 includes a portion extending in an arc shape or a ring shape, and at least an intermediate portion thereof is separated from the handle 11B (a space exists between the intermediate portion and the main body 10). In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the tracking target section 30 is located on the right side of the main body 10, and is connected to the top of the main body 10 and the bottom of the main body 10. The tracking target portion 30 extends from the top to the lower side of the main body 10 while being bent to expand outward in the left-right direction. The middle portion of the tracking target portion 30 is separated rightward from the grip 11B.

The position and shape of the tracking target portion 30 are not limited to those in the embodiment shown in fig. 2 as long as the position of the light emitting portion H can be stably detected by the camera mounted on the HMD 2. The tracking target portion 30 may be located on the left side of the main body 10, or may be located above, below, behind, or in front of the main body 10. The shape of the tracking-target portion 30 may be a straight extended rod-like shape, or may be a ring-like shape instead of a curved rod-like shape. In the case where the tracking target portion 30 is annular in shape, the tracking target portion 30 may be arranged to surround the hand or wrist of the user who grips the grip 11B.

The light emitting part H may be disposed on the body 10. In the example of the input device 100, when the user holds the grip 11B with the right hand, the left side surface 11c of the main body 10 is not covered by the user's hand. Therefore, as shown in fig. 2, a plurality of light emitting parts H may be provided on the left side surface 11 c. Further, a plurality of light emitting parts H may be provided on the front surface 11A and the rear surface 11b of the operating part 11A.

[ tracking target portion ]

Hereinafter, the structure of the tracking target portion 30 will be described in detail. The directions set forth in the following description are used to explain the relative positional relationship between the components (parts, members, and portions) of the tracking target portion 30, and are not intended to limit the position of the tracking target portion 30 in the input device 100.

As shown in fig. 4, the tracking-target section 30 includes: a housing 31 (see fig. 3) constituting an outer shape of the tracking target portion 30; and a substrate 32 disposed within the housing 31. The housing 31 includes a rear housing 31A and a front housing 31B assembled in the front-rear direction. The substrate 32 is a rigid substrate, which is, for example, a paper phenol substrate, a paper epoxy substrate, or a glass epoxy substrate. A plurality of light sources S are mounted on the substrate 32. Specifically, the light source S is a Light Emitting Diode (LED). The plurality of light sources S are arranged along the extending direction of the tracking target portion 30. In the example of the input apparatus 100, a plurality of light sources S are mounted on one surface 32a (a surface directed to the rear side in fig. 5: referred to as a rear surface) of the substrate 32, and a plurality of light sources S are also mounted on the other surface 32b (a surface directed to the front side in fig. 5: referred to as a front surface) of the substrate 32.

As shown in fig. 2, a substrate 19 is housed in the operation portion 11A, and a switch or a sensor for detecting an operation (operation by a user) of an operation member including the operation button 13 and the like is mounted on the substrate 19. The substrate 32 in the tracking target portion 30 is a substrate separated from the substrate 19 in the operation portion 11A. That is, the substrate 32 is formed by a process different from the process of forming the substrate 19. The substrate 32 is curved to conform to the contour of the tracking target portion 30. That is, in the rear view of the input apparatus 100, the substrate 32 extends while being bent in a direction from the upper portion of the body 10 toward the lower portion of the body 10.

Light guide members 33A and 33B that guide light from the light source S to the position of the light emitting portion H on the outer surface of the housing 31 are provided inside the housing 31. In the example of the input apparatus 100, the light guide member 33B is disposed on the front side of the substrate 32, and the light guide member 33A is disposed on the rear side of the substrate 32. The light guide member 33A guides light from the light source S mounted on the rear surface 32a to the position of the light emitting part H, and the light guide member 33B guides light from the light source S mounted on the front surface 32B to the position of the light emitting part H. End surfaces (light emitting surfaces) 33B of the light guide members 33A, 33B are disposed at positions of the light emitting portions H. The housing 31 is formed of, for example, an opaque material. In this case, only the light emitting portion H of the housing 31 is formed of a light transmitting material. The housing 31 may be formed of a transparent or translucent material.

As described so far, in the input apparatus 100, the light source S is mounted on the rigid substrate 32, and light therefrom is guided to the position of the light-emitting portion H by the light guide members 33A, 33B. According to this structure, the assembly work of the input apparatus can be simplified and the cost of the input apparatus can be reduced as compared with a structure in which a flexible wiring board on which a light source is mounted is provided along the inner surface of the housing 31.

As shown in fig. 6, the housing 31 has a rear inclined wall 31a and a front inclined wall 31b located forward of the rear inclined wall 31 a. In a state of facing each other in the front-rear direction, the two inclined walls 31a and 31b extend in the same direction (extending direction of the tracking target portion 30). The two inclined walls 31a and 31b have substantially the same length. In the example of the input apparatus 100, the rear inclined wall 31A is a part of the rear housing 31A, and the front inclined wall 31B is a part of the front housing 31B. Unlike the example of the input apparatus 100, the rear inclined wall 31a and the front inclined wall 31b may be integrally formed.

The orientation of the rear inclined wall 31a is different from the orientation of the front inclined wall 31 b. One of the two inclined walls 31a and 31b is inclined with respect to the other. In the example of the input apparatus 100, the rear inclined wall 31a is directed to the inclined rear side and the right side, and the front inclined wall 31b is directed to the inclined front side and the right side. The housing 31 is curved in a region between the rear inclined wall 31a and the front inclined wall 31 b. The rear inclined wall 31a and the front inclined wall 31b may be smoothly curved. The respective widths Wa and Wb (see fig. 3) of the inclined walls 31a and 31b may be different from each other. For example, the width of the inclined surface directed to one side of the camera 2a may be wider than the width of the inclined surface directed to the other side. In the system shown in fig. 1, the camera 2a is located behind the input device 100. Therefore, for example, the width Wa of the rear inclined wall 31a may be wider than the width Wb of the front inclined wall 31 b. Therefore, when the input apparatus 100 is photographed by the camera 2a mounted on the HMD2, the detection accuracy of the light emitting portion H provided on the rear inclined wall 31a can be improved. In a system in which a camera is located in front of the input apparatus 100, unlike the system in fig. 1, the width Wb of the front inclined wall 31b may be wider than the width Wa of the rear inclined wall 31 a.

Each of the rear inclined wall 31a and the front inclined wall 31b is provided with a plurality of light emitting parts H arranged in the extending direction of the tracking target part 30. That is, the plurality of lighting sections H are arranged in two rows on the tracking target section 30.

As shown in fig. 6, the base plate 32 is disposed between the rear inclined wall 31a and the front inclined wall 31 b. The rear surface 32a of the base plate 32 faces the inner surface of the rear inclined wall 31a, and the front surface 32b of the base plate 32 faces the inner surface of the front inclined wall 31 b. The base plate 32 is inclined with respect to both the two inclined walls 31a and 31 b.

According to such an arrangement with respect to the substrate 32, the light emitting portions H on the two inclined walls 31a and 31b can be illuminated by only one substrate 32, so that the number of components can be reduced. In addition, since the light sources S are mounted on the rear surface 32a and the front surface 32b of the substrate 32, the width of the substrate 32 can be reduced as compared with a structure in which the substrate 32 is disposed to point in the left-right direction, for example.

Further, even in the case where the housing 31 is formed of a transparent or translucent material, the substrate 32 functions as a light shielding member. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the light-emitting portions H on the rear inclined wall 31a and the light-emitting portions H on the front inclined wall 31b from overlapping in the image acquired by the camera of the HMD 2. For example, when an image of the tracking target portion 30 is acquired in a state where the camera is located behind the tracking target portion 30, the light emitting portions H on the rear inclined wall 31a are included in the image, but the light emitting portions H on the front inclined wall 31b are shielded by the substrate 32 and are therefore not included in the image. As a result, the accuracy of calculating the position and orientation of the input apparatus 100 based on the position of the light emitting portion H can be improved.

Note that, in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the substrate 32 is disposed at the boundary between the rear inclined wall 31a and the front inclined wall 31 b. That is, the position of the base plate 32 in the front-rear direction substantially matches the position of the boundary between the rear inclined wall 31a and the front inclined wall 31 b. However, the position of the base plate 32 may be deviated from the boundary between the rear inclined wall 31a and the front inclined wall 31 b.

[ light-guiding Member ]

As shown in fig. 5, the light guide member 33A has a plurality of light guide portions 33A that guide light from the light source S to the light emitting portion H. The light guide portions 33a are provided to the plurality of light sources S, respectively. That is, the light sources S correspond to the light guide portions 33a one-to-one.

In the example of the input device 100, each light guide portion 33a has a cylindrical shape and extends straight from the corresponding light source S to a direction perpendicular to the substrate 32. Accordingly, each of the light guide portions 33a guides light from a corresponding one of the light sources S to a corresponding one of the light emitting portions H. According to this structure, since the light sources S correspond to the light emitting portions H one-to-one, the luminance of the light emitting portions H can be easily ensured. In addition, since the light guide portion 33a extends straight, the light from the light source S can be efficiently guided to the light emitting portion H. As shown in fig. 6, the rear inclined wall 31a is inclined with respect to the base plate 32. An end surface (light emitting surface) 33b of the light guide portion 33a may be inclined with respect to the base plate 32 to coincide with the rear inclined wall 31 a.

As shown in fig. 5, the light guide member 33A has a coupling portion 33c that couples the plurality of light guide portions 33A. The plurality of light guide portions 33a and the coupling portion 33c are integrally formed. According to this structure, the number of parts can be reduced, and thus the number of steps for assembling the input device 100 can be reduced.

As shown in fig. 5, in the input apparatus 100, the coupling portion 33c has a plate-like shape provided along the substrate 32. The coupling portion 33c extends from the base of each light guide portion 33a to the adjacent light guide portion 33 a. The light guide member 33A has a size corresponding to the substrate 32. In other words, the light guide member 33A has substantially the same length as the substrate 32. In addition, light guide portions 33A corresponding to all the light sources S mounted on the rear surface 32a of the substrate 32 are formed on one light guide member 33A.

The coupling portion 33c is fixed to the base plate 32 or the housing 31 (specifically, the rear housing 31A) with a fixing tool such as a screw. As shown in fig. 5, the coupling portion 33c includes a support portion 33d pressed on the base plate 32. Therefore, the position of the light guide member 33A with respect to the substrate 32 can be stabilized.

The light guide member 33B is disposed on the front side of the substrate 32. The front side light guide 33B has the same configuration as the rear side light guide 33A described above. That is, the light guide member 33B also has a plurality of light guide portions 33a, coupling portions 33c, and support portions 33 d. Since the position (the position in the vertical direction) of the light guide portion 33A of the front side light guide member 33B corresponds to the position of the light emitting portion H on the front inclined wall 31B, the position of the light guide portion 33A of the front side light guide member 33B may be different from the position of the light guide portion 33A of the rear side light guide member 33A in the vertical direction, as shown in fig. 5.

[ modification of light guide Member ]

The shape of the light guide member is not limited to the shape in the embodiment shown in fig. 5 and 6. The light guide member may be formed to guide light from one light source S to at least two light emitting parts H. According to this structure, the number of light sources S can be reduced.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the substrate and the light-guiding member having this structure. In fig. 7, the tracking target portion 30 includes a light guide member 133A disposed rearward of the base plate 32 and a light guide member 133B disposed forward of the base plate 32. The light guide members 133A and 133B each have a base portion 133A, and the base portion 133A has an incident surface facing one light source S. Further, the light guide members 133A and 133B each have two light guide portions 133B extending in opposite directions from the base portion 133A. An end surface (light emitting surface) 133c of the light guide portion 133b corresponds to the position of the light emitting portion H. The number of the light guide parts 133B included in each of the light guide members 133A and 133B may be more than two.

The tracking target portion 30 may include a plurality of light guide members 133A behind the base plate 32. In this case, the adjacent light guide members 133A may be coupled to each other. In other words, each of the light guide members may include a plurality of base portions 133a, a plurality of light guide portions 133b extending from the respective base portions 133a, and coupling portions coupling adjacent base portions 133 a. Similarly, the tracking target portion 30 may include a plurality of light guide members 133B in front of the base plate 32. In this case, the adjacent light guide members 133B may be coupled to each other.

[ other examples ]

The input device proposed by the present disclosure is not limited to the input device 100 described above.

For example, one light source S may be mounted on the rear surface 32a of the substrate 32. Further, a plurality of light emitting portions H may be illuminated with light from the light source S. Similarly, one light source S may be mounted on the front surface 32b of the substrate 32. Further, a plurality of light emitting portions H may be illuminated with light from the light source S.

The position of the tracking-target portion 30 is not limited to the position in the example of the input device 100. For example, the tracking target portion 30 may be located leftward, above, below, behind, or in front of the main body 10. Further, the posture and shape of the tracking target portion 30 are not limited to those in the example of the input device 100. For example, the tracking target portion 30 may be arranged to extend in the horizontal direction. In the case where the base plate 32 is disposed horizontally, one of the two light guide members 33A and 33B is disposed above the base plate 32, and the other is disposed below the base plate 32. Therefore, the above description of the tracking target portion 30 can be explained while being appropriately modified in accordance with the posture of the tracking target portion 30.

Further, in still another embodiment, the input device 100 may not include an operation member operated by a finger, such as the operation buttons 13, 14, 15 or the operation lever 16. Also in this case, by moving the input apparatus 100 while holding the handle 11B, the user can reflect the user's action on the video image displayed on the HMD 2. Further, the input device 100 may be mounted to an arm or a wrist. In this case, the input device 100 need not include the handle 11B.

A camera for tracking the position and posture of the input apparatus 100 does not have to be provided on the HMD 2. For example, as described above, in a case where a video image created based on the position and posture of the input apparatus 100 is displayed on an external display apparatus (e.g., a television or a personal computer monitor), a camera may be connected to the display apparatus.

Further, the camera for tracking the position and posture of the input apparatus 100 is not limited to a specific type. The camera may include an image sensor for detecting visible light, or may include an infrared image sensor. In addition, the camera may have a sensor mounted therein only for outputting information on pixels that have changed in the entire angle of view.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may be made depending on design requirements and other factors as long as they are within the scope of the appended claims or their equivalents.

The present disclosure contains subject matter relating to subject matter disclosed in japanese priority patent application JP 2019-050279 filed on the sun to the patent office at 18/3/2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.