Patent ID: 9606632
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: G01B,G06F

Claim:
1. An operation input device comprising: an operation body including an operation body movable part and a movable part driver; a case holding the operation body; at least three flexible bodies, each having a connector at one end, a fixing portion at the other end, and a middle portion between the connector and the fixing portion; strain gauges, and a processor, wherein the operation body movable part has a touch surface to which a user applies a pressing operation, the touch surface having a predetermined touch surface region, the movable part driver causes the operation body movable part to move a touch surface position where the touch surface region is flush with a remaining region of the touch surface and a button position located above or below the touch surface position, the connector is connected to an outer edge of the operation body, the fixing portion is connected to the case, the middle portion has a displacement-transmitting surface configured to be displaced according to a pressing operation force applied to the operation body by the pressing operation to the touch surface, each strain gauge is fixed to the displacement-transmitting surface of a corresponding flexible body to detect distortion of the displacement-transmitting surface caused by displacement of the flexible body, when the pressing operation is applied to the touch surface except the touch surface region of the operation body movable part in the button position, the processor calculates a position and force of the pressing operation force, and when the pressing operation force is applied to the touch surface region of the operation body movable part in the button position, the processor determines a presence of the pressing operation.