阅读说明：本技术 输入装置 (Input device ) 是由 小川敏生 上町孝志 武藤真也 胁田祥嗣 都军安 木村涉 于 2019-02-13 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供小型化的输入装置。输入装置包括：基座构件；马达,其安装于基座构件；旋转轴,其被马达驱动而旋转；蜗轮,其与旋转轴一体地旋转；第一齿轮,其设置为相对于基座构件而旋转自如,且与蜗轮卡合；第二齿轮,其与第一齿轮同轴地设置,且设置为相对于基座构件而旋转自如；弹性构件,其设置在第一齿轮与第二齿轮之间,且朝向使得第一齿轮与第二齿轮的旋转方向上的自基准角度状态起的相对角度减小的方向产生作用力；转子,其具有与第二齿轮卡合的第三齿轮,且由操作者进行旋转操作,第三齿轮设置为相对于基座构件而旋转自如；角度检测部,其对第一齿轮的第一旋转角度与第二齿轮的第二旋转角度进行检测；以及控制部,其根据第一旋转角度与第二旋转角度的相对角度来进行马达的驱动控制,以使得经由转子而给予操作者的力感发生变化。(The invention provides a miniaturized input device. The input device includes: a base member; a motor mounted on the base member; a rotating shaft that is driven by a motor to rotate; a worm wheel that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft; a first gear which is provided to be rotatable with respect to the base member and is engaged with the worm wheel; a second gear provided coaxially with the first gear and rotatably provided with respect to the base member; an elastic member that is provided between the first gear and the second gear and generates a force in a direction in which a relative angle from a reference angle state in a rotation direction of the first gear and the second gear is reduced; a rotor having a third gear engaged with the second gear and rotated by an operator, the third gear being provided to be rotatable with respect to the base member; an angle detection unit that detects a first rotation angle of the first gear and a second rotation angle of the second gear; and a control unit that performs drive control of the motor so that a force feeling given to the operator via the rotor is changed according to a relative angle between the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle.)

1. An input device, comprising:

a base member;

a motor mounted to the base member;

a rotating shaft that is driven to rotate by the motor;

a worm wheel that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft;

a first gear that is provided rotatably with respect to the base member and that engages with the worm wheel;

a second gear provided coaxially with the first gear and rotatably provided with respect to the base member;

an elastic member that is provided between the first gear and the second gear and generates a force in a direction such that a relative angle from a reference angle state in a rotation direction of the first gear and the second gear decreases;

a rotor that has a third gear engaged with the second gear and is rotated by an operator, the third gear being provided to be rotatable with respect to the base member;

an angle detection unit that detects a first rotation angle of the first gear and a second rotation angle of the second gear; and

and a control unit that performs drive control of the motor so that a feeling of force given to the operator via the rotor changes according to a relative angle between the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle.

2. The input device of claim 1,

the angle detection unit includes:

a first angle detection unit that detects the first rotation angle; and

and a second angle detection unit that detects the second rotation angle.

3. The input device of claim 1 or 2,

the rotor is hollow, and the third gear is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the rotor along a rotation direction.

4. The input device of any one of claims 1 to 3,

the elastic member is a torsion spring having one end engaged with the first gear and the other end engaged with the second gear, and generates a biasing force in a direction to decrease the relative angle from the reference angle state.

5. The input device of any one of claims 1 to 4,

the motor and the rotating shaft are disposed perpendicular to a rotation center axis of the rotor.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an input device.

Background

Conventionally, there is a force sensation generation input device including: a shaft portion that holds the operation knob and is rotatably held by the bearing portion; a motor having a motor shaft; and a rotation detection mechanism that detects rotation of the operation knob, wherein the force sensation generation input device includes the shaft portion and the motor shaft arranged in line, and the force sensation generation input device includes: a first gear attached to the shaft portion so as to be rotated by the operation knob; and a second gear that is rotated by the first gear and is attached to the motor shaft, wherein the force sensation generation input device transmits a force sensation from the motor to the operation knob via the first and second gears (see, for example, patent document 1).

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the conventional force sensation generation input device, the force sensation transmitted to the operator is generated only by the torque generated by the motor, and therefore, the motor needs to generate a large torque in order to transmit the force sensation to the operator. Therefore, there is a problem that the apparatus is large.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a miniaturized input device.

Means for solving the problems

An input device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a base member; a motor mounted to the base member; a rotating shaft that is driven to rotate by the motor; a worm wheel that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft; a first gear that is provided rotatably with respect to the base member and that engages with the worm wheel; a second gear provided coaxially with the first gear and rotatably provided with respect to the base member; an elastic member that is provided between the first gear and the second gear and generates a force in a direction such that a relative angle from a reference angle state in a rotation direction of the first gear and the second gear decreases; a rotor that has a third gear engaged with the second gear and is rotated by an operator, the third gear being provided to be rotatable with respect to the base member; an angle detection unit that detects a first rotation angle of the first gear and a second rotation angle of the second gear; and a control unit that performs drive control of the motor so that a feeling of force given to the operator via the rotor changes according to a relative angle between the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle.

Effects of the invention

The invention can provide a miniaturized input device.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing an input device 100 of an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure in which the substrate 125 is removed from the input device 100.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a structure in which the rotor 150 is removed from fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a structure in which the base 110 is removed from fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a structure in which a part of the gear unit 140 is removed from the input device 100.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a structure in which a part of the gear unit 140 is removed and the torsion spring 160.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a structure in which a part of the gear unit 140 is removed and the torsion spring 160.

Fig. 8A is a diagram showing a structure in which a part of the gear unit 140 is removed and the torsion spring 160.

Fig. 8B is a diagram showing the gear 142.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the angle sensor 170.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the angle sensor 170.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a control system of the input device 100.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a modification of the embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an input device to which the present invention is applied will be described.

< embodiment >

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing an input device 100 of an embodiment. The input device 100 includes a base 110, a pedestal 120, a base plate 125, a motor 130, a worm gear 135, a gear unit 140, and a rotor 150.

Hereinafter, the description will be made with reference to fig. 2 to 10 in addition to fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure in which the substrate 125 is removed from the input device 100. Fig. 1 shows a section corresponding to the section a-a in fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a structure in which the rotor 150 is removed from fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a structure in which the base 110 is removed from fig. 3.

The input device 100 includes a torsion spring 160 (see fig. 5, 6, and 7), an angle sensor 170 (see fig. 9), and a control unit, in addition to the above-described components. The control unit will be described after the components of each unit are described with reference to fig. 1 to 10.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a structure in which a part of the gear unit 140 is removed from the input device 100. Fig. 6 to 8B are views showing a structure in which a part of the gear unit 140 is removed and the torsion spring 160. Fig. 9 and 10 are views showing the angle sensor 170.

The following description will be given using XYZ coordinates common to the respective drawings. The XZ plane is referred to as a plan view. In the following description, the positive Y-axis direction is sometimes referred to as "up" and the negative Y-axis direction is sometimes referred to as "down", but the general vertical relationship is not shown. For convenience of explanation, the position in the Y direction may be expressed in terms of height. The position on the most positive direction side in the Y-axis direction is the upper portion, and the position on the most negative direction side in the Y-axis direction is the bottom portion.

Hereinafter, the central axis C (see fig. 1) is a central axis common to the base 110, the pedestal 120, and the rotor 150. These members are circular in plan view such that the central axis C passes through the center. The central axis C is parallel to the Y axis.

The input device 100 is an input device used for remote operation of an operation unit or the like of a GUI (graphical User interface) displayed on a display panel mounted on a vehicle and arranged around an instrument panel, for example, and the GUI is displayed as an operation screen of various devices such as a navigation device and an air conditioner. The input device 100 is disposed at the hand of the driver or the passenger in the front passenger seat, for example, like a center console of a vehicle. However, the use of the input device 100 is not limited to such use.

The base 110 is a part of a base of the input device 100, and is an annular member having a central axis C as a central axis in a plan view. The base 110 has: a cylindrical portion 111 provided on the outermost periphery side in a plan view; and a cylindrical portion 112 which is concentric with the cylindrical portion 111 in a plan view and is provided inside. The cylindrical portions 111 and 112 are cylindrical members having a central axis C as a central axis.

The cylindrical portion 112 is held by a connecting portion 111A extending radially inward from the lower end (end on the negative direction side in the Y-axis direction) of the cylindrical portion 111, and the height of the cylindrical portion 112 is higher than the height of the cylindrical portion 111. Four connection portions 111A are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and a gap is provided between adjacent connection portions 111A.

The base 110 rotatably supports the rotor 150 between the cylindrical portions 111 and 112. The cylindrical portions 111 and 112 allow the rotor 150 to rotate about the central axis C as a rotation central axis. Such a base portion 110 is made of, for example, a molded resin.

The pedestal 120 is disposed inside the base 110 in a plan view, and has a height in the Y-axis direction equal to the bottom of the base 110. The base 120 includes a base plate 121 and an extending portion 122. Such a chassis 120 is made of, for example, a molded resin. The base 120 is an example of a base member. The pedestal 120 may be integrally formed with adjacent peripheral members such as the base 110. The base 120 itself may be formed of a plurality of separate members.

The substrate portion 121 is a disk-shaped member located at the center in a plan view, and has fixing portions 121A and 121B. The motor 130 is fixed to the fixing portion 121A, and the substrate 125 is fixed to the fixing portion 121B.

Two extending portions 122 are connected to the base plate portion 121. One extending portion extends out in a plane toward one side of the X-axis positive direction and the Z-axis positive direction with respect to the base plate portion 121. The other extending portion extends out in a plane toward one side of the X-axis negative direction and the Z-axis negative direction with respect to the base plate portion 121.

The extending portions 122 each have two protruding portions 122A protruding in the Y-axis direction at the outermost side in plan view. Therefore, there are four projections 122A. The protruding portion 122A engages with the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 112 of the base 110. Thereby, the pedestal 120 is mounted to the base 110. The other extension portion 122 has a columnar shaft portion 122B protruding in the positive Y-axis direction. That is, the base 120 has a shaft portion 122B. The gear unit 140 is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 122B (see fig. 5).

The motor 130 is fixed to a fixing portion 121A provided on the upper surface (surface on the Y-axis positive direction side) of the substrate portion 121 of the base 120. A drive shaft 130A of the motor 130, which is driven to rotate by the motor 130 itself, extends in the X-axis direction, and is connected to the rotation shaft 135A so as to rotate integrally. The drive shaft 130A and the rotation shaft 135A of the motor 130 are perpendicular to the center axis C. In the present embodiment, the drive shaft 130A and the rotation shaft 135A are separate bodies, but may be integrally formed.

The worm wheel 135 is press-fitted to the rotation shaft 135A to rotate integrally with the rotation shaft 135A and the drive shaft 130A extending in the X-axis direction. The worm wheel 135 is a molded resin or metal gear formed spirally along the X axis. The gear 142 of the gear unit 140 meshes (engages) with the worm wheel 135. In the present embodiment, the worm wheel 135 and the rotary shaft 135A are separate bodies, but may be integrally formed.

The gear unit 140 is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 122B of the extension portion 122 of the base 120. The gear unit 140 has a gear 141 and a gear 142. A torsion spring 160 is provided between the gear 141 and the gear 142, and the torsion spring 160 is made of a metal wire having a circular cross-sectional shape, and has linear end portions extending in a tangential direction of a circle at both ends of a circular winding portion.

The gear 141 is a gear that meshes (engages) with the worm wheel 135, and is an example of a first gear. Gear 141 is a helical gear having a substantially cylindrical shape and an outer diameter smaller than gear 142, and includes a hole 141A provided on the central axis, and substantially fan-shaped notches 141B1 and 141B2 formed by notching the ends on the Y-axis positive direction side and the Y-axis negative direction side radially outward from hole 141A, respectively.

Gear 141 is pivotally supported coaxially with gear 142 by being inserted into hole 141A through shaft 142B of gear 142. The straight end 161A of the torsion spring 160 is engaged with the notch 141B1 of the gear 141, and the straight end 161B of the torsion spring 160 is engaged with the notch 141B2 of the gear 141. The width of the notch 141B1 and the notch 141B2 in the circumferential direction is larger than the diameter of the wire of the torsion spring 160, and the end 161A and the end 161B can move in the circumferential direction. End 161A is an example of one end of the torsion spring, and end 161B is an example of the other end of the torsion spring.

The gear 142 has: a hole portion 142A provided on the central axis; a shaft portion 142B extending in the positive Y-axis direction on the center side of the spur gear 142; and substantially fan-shaped notch portions 142C1 and 142C2 that are formed by cutting the hole portion 142A radially outward and that are continuous from the end portion on the Y-axis positive direction side to the end portion on the Y-axis negative direction side of the shaft portion 142B. The straight end 161A of the torsion spring 160 is engaged with the notch portion 142C1 of the gear 142, and the straight end 161B of the torsion spring 160 is engaged with the notch portion 142C2 of the gear 142. The gear 142 meshes (engages) with a gear 152A of the rotor 150. The gear 142 is an example of a second gear.

The hole 142A of the gear 142 is inserted through the shaft 122B, and the gear 142 is rotatably supported. Shaft portion 142B of gear 142 is a cylindrical member, and rotatably supports hole portion 141A of gear 141 coaxially with gear 142. The shaft portion 142B is provided with a receiving portion 142B1 that receives the wound portion of the torsion spring 160 on the center axis. The receiving portion 142B1 is a cylindrical space having an inner diameter matching the outer diameter of the wound portion of the torsion spring 160. The inner diameter of the winding portion of the torsion spring 160 is set larger than the shaft portion 122B.

In the present embodiment, the angle formed by the end 161A and the end 161B of the torsion spring 160 is set to be wider than the free state, and a force is generated in a direction to close both ends. However, the present invention is not limited to this setting, and may be set in a manner such that the angle formed by both ends is kept narrower than the free state, and a force is generated in a direction in which both ends are widened.

In the initial state, the notch 141B1 of the gear 141 and the notch 142C1 of the gear 142 are arranged in a straight line, and the circumferential positions of the radially extending walls of the notches coincide with each other in a plan view. The notch 141B2 of the gear 141 and the notch 142C2 of the gear 142 are arranged in a straight line, and the circumferential positions of the radially extending walls of the notches coincide with each other in a plan view. A state in which the circumferential positions of the walls are aligned on a straight line and aligned with each other is defined as a reference angular state of the gears 141 and 142. In the reference angle state, since the straight end portions 161A and 161B of the torsion spring 160 can simultaneously come into contact with the walls of the respective cutout portions, the same magnitude of biasing force is applied to both the gear 141 and the gear 142, and the walls of the respective cutout portions are operated so as to maintain the linearly aligned reference angle state. In the initial state and in a state where the rotation operation of the rotor 150 and the rotational driving of the motor 130, which will be described later, are released, the gears 141 and 142 are returned from the relative angular state to the reference angular state by the biasing force of the torsion spring 160.

The bearing 143 is a substantially L-shaped member having two intersecting surfaces provided between the shaft portion 142B of the gear 142 and the lower surface of the substrate 125, and is pivotally supported by one surface facing the shaft portion 142B of the gear 142, and covers the positive Y-axis direction side of the accommodating portion 142B1 in which the torsion spring 160 is accommodated. The bearing portion 143 is configured to rotatably support the distal end portion of the rotating shaft 135A by a recess not shown on the other surface, and to hold the rotating shaft 135A on the X axis. Thus, even if worm wheel 135 receives a reaction force from gear 141, rotation shaft 135A is not warped, and worm wheel 135 can be reliably engaged with gear 141.

The rotor 150 has a cylindrical portion 151 and a cylindrical portion 152. The central axes of the cylindrical portions 151 and 152 are the central axis C. Such a rotor 150 is made of, for example, a molded resin. The diameter of the rotor 150 is about 50 mm. The rotor 150 is a hollow rotor having a hollow cylindrical portion 151 and a hollow cylindrical portion 152.

The rotor 150 is a rotor that is directly touched by an operator of the input device 100 to be operated. Therefore, the rotor 150 is a member used as a knob. Here, although the description is given of the mode in which the operator directly contacts the rotor 150 to operate, another member in a cover shape covering the rotor 150 may be provided, or another movable member may be engaged with the rotor, and in these cases, the operator indirectly operates the rotor 150 by contacting the other member.

The cylindrical portion 151 is located above the cylindrical portion 152 (on the positive Y-axis direction side), and has an outer diameter and an inner diameter larger than the cylindrical portion 152. The cylindrical portion 151 is connected to the upper side of the cylindrical portion 152. The cylindrical portion 151 is a portion of the rotor 150 that is directly contacted by an operator.

The outer circumference of the cylindrical portion 152 is larger than the inner circumference of the cylindrical portion 151 and smaller than the outer circumference of the cylindrical portion 151. The thickness of the cylindrical portion 152 is substantially the same as that of the cylindrical portion 151. In a cross-sectional view, there is a step between the cylindrical portion 152 and the cylindrical portion 151.

The cylindrical portion 152 is fitted into the gap between the cylindrical portions 111 and 112, and is pivotally supported rotatably with respect to the base portion 110. When the cylindrical portion 152 is fitted into the gap between the cylindrical portions 111 and 112, the engaging portion 112A provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 112 engages with the step between the cylindrical portion 152 and the cylindrical portion 151, and the rotor 150 is fitted into the base 110.

A gear 152A is formed in a circumferential (rotational) range at a lower end of an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 152. The gear 152A is a spur gear provided on the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 152 within a range of one revolution. The gear 152A is an example of a third gear.

The gear 152A is exposed between the four protruding portions 122A when viewed from the inside of the cylindrical portion 112 of the base portion 110. The gear 152A meshes (engages) with the gear 142 of the gear unit 140. Therefore, when the operator applies a force to rotate the rotor 150, the rotational force is transmitted from the gear 152A to the gear 142, and the rotational force is transmitted from the gear 142 to the gear 141 via the torsion spring 160, and further to the worm wheel 135.

The torsion spring 160 is a torsion coil spring having end portions 161A, 161B and wound in a spiral shape between the end portions 161A, 161B. The torsion spring 160 is an example of an elastic member. The torsion spring 160 is attached to the shaft portion 142B such that the end portions 161A and 161B are located in the notch portions 142C1 and 142C2, respectively, and the winding portion is housed inside the housing portion 142B 1. The end portion 161A engages with the notch portion 141B of the gear 141 axially supported by the shaft portion 142B, and the end portion 161B engages with the notch portion 141C of the gear 141 axially supported by the shaft portion 142B.

The angle sensor 170 has two angle sensors 170A, 170B. The angle sensors 170A and 170B are, for example, magnetic sensors. The angle sensor 170 is an example of an angle detection unit. The angle sensors 170A and 170B are examples of the first angle detection unit and the second angle detection unit, respectively.

As shown in fig. 9, the angle sensor 170A is mounted on the lower surface of the substrate 125. The position of the angle sensor 170A in the plan view is a position near the rotation center of the gear 141. This is to detect the rotation angle (an example of the first rotation angle) of the gear 141 by detecting a change in magnetic flux of a magnet (not shown) that rotates integrally with the gear 141 by the angle sensor 170A.

As shown in fig. 10, the angle sensor 170B is disposed near the shaft portion 122B of the base 120. The position of the angle sensor 170B in the plan view is a position near the rotation center of the gear 142. This is for detecting the rotation angle (an example of the second rotation angle) of the gear 142 by detecting a change in magnetic flux of a magnet (not shown) that rotates integrally with the gear 142 by the angle sensor 170B. Since the rotor 150 rotates in a state of always engaging with the gear 142, the data of the rotation angle of the gear 142 detected by the angle sensor 170B may be transmitted to the control unit, and the control unit may calculate the rotation angle of the rotor 150 based on the gear ratio between the gear 142 and the rotor 150.

In the input device 100 having the above-described configuration, when the operator applies a force to rotate the rotor 150, the rotational force is transmitted from the gear 152A to the gear 142 of the gear unit 140, and the rotational force is transmitted to the gear 141 via the torsion spring 160. At this time, due to the self-locking effect of the worm wheel such that the worm wheel cannot be driven to rotate from the worm wheel side, if the worm wheel 135 is not driven to rotate by the motor 130, the worm wheel 135 cannot be rotated even if the gear 141 attempts to rotate. Therefore, from an initial state (reference angle state) in which the relative angle between the gear 141 and the gear 142 is zero, to a relative angle state in which the gear 142 rotates relative to the gear 141, the angle formed by both end portions of the torsion spring 160 is further widened, and a restoring force is generated in a direction in which the angle formed by both end portions of the torsion spring 160 is narrowed. In addition, the magnitude of the restoring force varies in proportion to the magnitude of the relative angle of the gear 142 and the gear 141. The restoring force is an example of the acting force.

When the operator attempts to rotate the rotor 150 to apply a force, the rotational force is transmitted from the gear 152A to the gear 142, and the rotational force is transmitted to the gear 141 via the torsion spring 160, if the worm wheel 135 is driven by the motor 130 to rotate in the direction opposite to the rotational direction of the gear 141 at the same moving speed as the rotational speed of the gear 141, the gear 141 is rotated through the gear 142 and via the torsion spring 160 without a load. Therefore, the gear 141 and the gear 142 can rotate while maintaining the initial state (reference angle state) in which the relative angle is zero, and the angle formed by both end portions of the torsion spring 160 does not change, so that the torsion spring 160 does not generate restoring force.

When the operator attempts to rotate the rotor 150 to apply a force, the rotational force is transmitted from the gear 152A to the gear 142, and the rotational force is transmitted to the gear 141 via the torsion spring 160, if the worm wheel 135 is driven by the motor 130 to rotate in the direction opposite to the rotational direction of the gear 141 at a movement speed slower than the rotational speed of the gear 141, the rotation of the gear 141 is delayed by the difference between the movement speeds from the initial state (reference angular state) in which the relative angle between the gear 141 and the gear 142 is zero, and the relative angular state in which the relative angle between the gear 141 and the gear 142 is present is established. Therefore, compared to the case where the worm wheel 135 is not driven to rotate by the motor 130, the relative angle is small, and the angle formed by the both end portions of the torsion spring 160 is small and wide, and the torsion spring 160 generates a small restoring force according to the relative angle.

The restoring force of the torsion spring 160 acts on the gear 142 as a rotational torque in a direction to return the relative angle of the gear 141 and the gear 142 to an initial state (reference angular state) of zero degrees, and is applied to the rotor 150 as a rotational torque via the gear 152A.

As described above, by controlling the rotational driving of the worm wheel by the motor 130, a desired state can be achieved from a state without a relative angle to a state in which the relative angle is various magnitudes, that is, from a state without a restoring force to a state in which the restoring force is various magnitudes.

Further, since the control unit can calculate the magnitude of the relative angle when the torsion spring 160 is stretched based on the rotation angles of the gear 141 and the gear 142 detected by the angle sensor 170A and the angle sensor 170B, the control unit can control the driving of the motor 130 based on the magnitude of the detected relative angle, and can control the magnitude of the restoring force of the torsion spring 160.

Therefore, when the operator applies a force to rotate the rotor 150, a rotational torque based on the restoring force of the torsion spring 160 whose magnitude is controlled is applied to the hand of the operator who performs the rotation operation of the rotor 150, and the rotational torque acts as a force sense.

At this time, the control unit drives the motor 130 in a direction (a direction in which the relative angle is zero degree) in which the restoring force of the torsion spring 160 is assisted or in a direction (a direction in which the relative angle is increased) in which the restoring force is restricted, thereby giving a sense of force to the hand of the operator who operates the rotor 150.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a control system of the input device 100. Fig. 11 shows the host apparatus 10 in addition to the control unit 180, the motor 130, and the angle sensors 170A and 170B of the input apparatus 100.

In fig. 11, the structure between the motor 130 and the angle sensors 170A and 170B (the worm wheel 135 and the gear unit 140) is omitted, but when the motor 130 is driven to rotate, the driving force is transmitted to the rotor 150 via the worm wheel 135 and the gear unit 140, and the angle sensors 170A and 170B detect the rotation angles of the gears 141 and 142 of the gear unit 140.

The host device 10 is an ECU (electronic control Unit) of various devices such as a navigation device and an air conditioner mounted in a vehicle, for example. The host device 10 is implemented by a computer including a cpu (central Processing unit), a ram (random Access memory), a rom (read Only memory), an hdd (hard Disk drive), an input/output interface, an internal bus, and the like.

The host device 10 stores data indicating a force sense command corresponding to a force sense provided when the input device 100 is operated according to the input mode of the input device 100 in the memory, and the host device 10 outputs the force sense command corresponding to the selected input mode to the control unit 180. The input mode is, for example, a mode in which any one of the navigation device and the air conditioner is operated, and the display content of the display provided on the instrument panel is switched to the navigation device and the air conditioner by the input mode. The force sense commands corresponding to these input modes provide a strong click sense, a weak click sense, or a continuous predetermined rotational load torque, for example.

The control unit 180 includes a force pattern generation unit 181, a torque control unit 182, and an angle tracking control unit 183.

The force pattern generating unit 181 obtains the angles of the gears 141 and 142 with respect to the reference angle from the rotation amounts detected by the angle sensors 170A and 170B, respectively, and obtains the relative angles of the gears 141 and 142 with respect to the reference angle. The force sense pattern generation unit 181 generates a torque command based on the force sense command and the relative angle input from the host device 10, and outputs the torque command to the torque control unit 182.

The Force pattern generating unit 181 performs switching using a predetermined FS (Force-Stroke) characteristic when generating a torque command for the rotor 150 at a predetermined angle using the relative angle. The force sense pattern generating unit 181 converts the torque at a predetermined angle to the rotor 150 according to the type of the force sense command into a stroke, applies the converted stroke to the FS characteristic, and converts the stroke into a relative angle to a reference angle, thereby generating the torque command.

The torque control unit 182 generates an angle command by performing conversion processing for converting a relative angle with respect to a reference angle indicated by the torque command input from the force sense pattern generation unit 181 into a rotation angle of the rotary shaft 135A of the motor 130. The torque control unit 182 outputs the angle command to the angle tracking control unit 183. The torque control unit 182 generates an angle command of the rotation angle of the rotary shaft 135A of the motor 130 so that the relative angle moves in a direction to assist the restoring force of the torsion spring 160 or a direction to restrict the restoring force.

The angle tracking control unit 183 obtains the current angle of the rotor 150 with respect to the reference angle from the rotation angle detected by the angle sensor 170B, and obtains the current relative angle between the gear 141 and the gear 142 from the angle sensor 170A and the angle sensor 170B. The angle tracking control unit 183 performs feedback control based on a target relative angle to the rotor 150 at a predetermined angle based on the angle command input from the torque control unit 182 and the current relative angle between the gear 141 and the gear 142, thereby generating a drive signal for controlling the drive of the motor 130.

The angle tracking control unit 183 generates a drive signal so that the relative angle between the gear 141 and the gear 142 matches the angle indicated by the angle command. The drive signal is, for example, a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signal, and the angle tracking control unit 183 determines the duty ratio by feedback control.

As described above, the input device 100 includes: a gear unit 140 (gear 141, gear 142) and a worm wheel 135 that rotate as the rotor 150 rotates; and a torsion spring 160 generating a restoring force for suppressing an increase in the relative angle of the gears 141 and 142, wherein the input device 100 includes a motor 130 for driving a worm wheel 135 to rotate, and the worm wheel 135 changes the relative angle of the gears 141 and 142 so as to assist or restrict the restoring force.

When the rotor 150 is operated, the motor 130 controls the rotation of the worm wheel 135 to assist or restrict the restoring force of the torsion spring 160 according to the relative angle of the gears 141 and 142.

The force feeling provided to the hand of the operator by the input device 100 having such a configuration is realized by the rotational torque applied along with the change in the restoring force of the torsion spring 160. The torque of the motor 130 that drives the worm wheel 135 to rotate in order to assist or limit the restoring force of the torsion spring 160 can be significantly reduced compared to a case where the motor is directly coupled to the rotor as in the conventional device and the force feeling is realized by the change in the rotation torque of the motor itself.

Therefore, the input device 100 is configured using the motor 130 smaller than the conventional device, and can provide a force feeling.

Therefore, according to the embodiment, the miniaturized input device 100 can be provided.

Further, since the rotation control of the motor is performed based on the angle sensor 170 provided at a place other than the motor, it is not necessary to provide a rotation angle detection mechanism or the like with high accuracy to the motor itself, and therefore, it is not necessary to provide a structure necessary for the rotation control of the motor to the motor, and the structure of the motor can be simplified, so that the motor 130 can be downsized.

Further, since the worm wheel 135 is used, when the motor 130 generates a torque for restricting a restoring force by utilizing a self-locking effect of the worm wheel 135, a holding torque of the motor 130 may be small. From such a viewpoint, the motor 130 can be downsized, and the input device 100 can be downsized. Further, the restoring force of the torsion spring 160 is connected to the gear 152A of the rotor 150 having a large number of teeth via the gear unit 140. Therefore, a large reduction ratio can be obtained when viewed from the torsion spring 160 side, and therefore, even if the torque generated by the restoring force of the torsion spring 160 is small, a sufficient feeling of force can be provided. From such a viewpoint, the input device 100 can be downsized.

Further, by changing the drive torque of the motor 130 in time series, various force sensations can be realized. For example, if the driving mode of the motor 130 is set so that the feeling of force differs depending on the kind and the operation content of various devices such as a navigation device and an air conditioner, the operator can perceive the confirmation of the operation content and the end of the operation only by the feeling of force.

Although the drive shaft 130A and the rotation shaft 135A of the motor 130 are described above as being perpendicular to the central axis C, the drive shaft 130A and the rotation shaft 135A of the motor 130 may not be perpendicular to the central axis C.

Further, the embodiment in which the input device 100 includes the worm wheel 135, the gear unit 140 (the gear 141 and the gear 142), and the gear 152A has been described above, but the configuration of these gears or teeth is not limited to the above configuration, and may be another configuration.

In addition, although the embodiment using the torsion spring 160 has been described above, it may be modified as shown in fig. 12 and 13. Fig. 12 and 13 are views showing modifications of the embodiment.

As shown in fig. 12, a structure may be adopted in which a base 120M1 is included instead of the base 120 shown in fig. 1 to 10, and a torsion spring 160M1 shown in fig. 13 is included instead of the torsion spring 160.

The base 120M1 includes a shaft portion 122M1B instead of the shaft portion 122B of the base 120 shown in fig. 10. The shaft portion 122M1B has a cutout 122M1B1 that mates with the torsion spring 160M1 and retains the torsion spring 160M1 to the cylindrical member.

The torsion spring 160M1 is a spring obtained by bending a metal rod into a crank shape, and is attached to the shaft portion 122M1B as shown in fig. 13. If the lower end of the torsion spring 160M1 is engaged with the gear 141 and the gear 142 and the upper end is engaged with the gear 141 and the gear 142, the same operation as in the case of using the torsion spring 160 can be achieved. That is, the urging force caused by the restoring force of the torsion spring 160M1 can be generated toward the direction such that the relative angle of the gear 141 and the gear 142 decreases.

Although the input device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiment, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is noted that the international application claims priority based on japanese patent application 2018-051381 filed on 3/19/2018 and is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Description of the reference numerals

100 input device

110 base

120. 120M1 base (base component)

130 motor

135 worm wheel

135A rotary shaft

140 gear unit

141. 142 gear

150 rotor

151. 152 cylindrical part

152A gear

160 torsion spring

160M1 torsion spring

170. 170A, 170B angle sensor

180 control unit.