Abstract:
A controller includes a case body, a vibration motor for vibrating the case body, a slide switch operated by a side button disposed on a side face of the case body, a contact board of the slide switch and a wiring board, including a holder holding the vibration motor and the contact board. The slide switch and the holder is provided on a first face of the wiring board.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to a controller and, more particularly, to a controller for use in a game, which has a vibration motor for generating vibrations, and a side button, such as a trigger button, provided on a case side.  
           [0002]    Such a kind of a related controller is described hereinbelow with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In FIG. 3, key holes  2 , to which a plurality of key switches for performing various kinds of operations are attached, are dug in an upper case  1  of the connector. The upper case  1  is fitted into a lower case  3  to thereby compose the controller case.  
           [0003]    In FIG. 4, wires of the controller are printed on the top and bottom faces of a wiring board  4  to be accommodated in the upper case  1 . Further, slide switches  5  to be operated by side keys, such as trigger switches  5 , provided on a side face of the case are disposed on the bottom face of the wiring board  4 . Moreover, a connector  6  for connecting wires provided on the wiring board  4  to external wires is provided on the bottom face of the wiring board  4 .  
           [0004]    Further, in FIG. 4, a vibration motor  8  is disposed in a front portion of a central part of a wiring board  7  to be accommodated in the lower case  3  by being fixed to the lower case  3 . Incidentally, another related controller having a configuration, in which the vibration motor  8  is fixed to the wiring board  7  by a holding member, has been known.  
           [0005]    Furthermore, contact boards  9  of the side keys are respectively disposed on the left side and the right side of this vibration motor  8  by being held by the lower case  3  in such a way as to perpendicularly extend.  
           [0006]    Thus, a wire extended from the vibration motor  8 , and a wire extended from one of the contact boards  9  are connected to a wiring pattern printed on the top face of the wiring board  7 . Further, a cable terminal  11  of a connecting cable  10  is connected to the bottom face of the wiring board  7 . A connector  12  is connected to the other end of the connecting cable  10 . The connector  12  is connected to the connector  6  provided on the wiring board  4 .  
           [0007]    In the controller, wiring boards  4  and  7  are respectively accommodated in the upper case  1  and the lower case  3 . The wire extended from the vibration motor  8 , and the wire on the contact board  9  of the side key are connected to the wiring board  7  accommodated in the lower case  3 . the wiring board  7  of the lower case  3  is connected to the wiring board  4  accommodated in the upper case  1  through the connecting cable  10 .  
           [0008]    However, in the case of the controller, because the wiring boards  4  and  7  are accommodated in the upper case  1  and the lower case  3 , respectively, the configuration of the controller becomes complex. Moreover, because the connecting cable  110  is used for connecting the wiring boards  4  and  7  to each other, this connecting cable  10  impedes assembling operations.  
           [0009]    Furthermore, this connecting cable  10  cannot be elongated due to structural causes. Thus, the connecting cable  10  is set to be as short as possible. When such a short cable is used, it is extremely difficult to connect a connector thereto. Thus, the related controller has a problem that this makes it difficult to perform an assembling operation thereof.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a controller, in which the configuration of the controller is simple and an assembling operation of the connector is facility.  
           [0011]    In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a controller comprising:  
           [0012]    a case body;  
           [0013]    a vibration motor for vibrating the case body;  
           [0014]    a slide switch operated by a side button disposed on a side face of the case body;  
           [0015]    a contact board of the slide switch; and  
           [0016]    a wiring board, including a holder holding the vibration motor and the contact board;  
           [0017]    wherein the slide switch and the holder is provided on a first face of the wiring board.  
           [0018]    In this configuration, the vibration motor and the contact board are held by the wiring board through the holder, and can be connected directly to a wiring pattern provided on the wiring board. Consequently, there is no need for using the connecting cable and the connector as provided in the related controller. Thus, the controller can be simplified. Moreover, the assembling thereof can be facilitated.  
           [0019]    Further, the necessity for the connecting cable, which connects between the upper case and the lower case, is eliminated. Moreover, the invention eliminates the need for connecting the connecting cable to the wire when the upper case and the lower case are fitted to each other. Consequently, the assembling of the controller is extremely easily achieved.  
           [0020]    Preferably, the holder includes a motor holding portion which holds the vibration motor and a contact board holding portion which holds the contact board; and  
           [0021]    wherein the motor holding portion is formed so as to protrude from the wiring board in a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the wiring board.  
           [0022]    Preferably, the motor holding portion has a protruding portion protruded in a direction parallel with the extending direction of the wiring board, and the protruding portion located away from the wiring board; and  
           [0023]    wherein a space is formed between the wiring board and the protruding portion for accommodating a part of a cable connected to the wiring board.  
           [0024]    In this configurations, a part of the cable to be connected to the wiring board can be loosely fitted into and accommodated in between the protruding portion and the wiring board. Further, even when the cable is externally pushed thereinto, the protruding portion restrains the cable from being pushed thereinto. Moreover, the cable can be prevented from being entangled and twisted in the case.  
           [0025]    Here, it is preferable that the controller further comprises a wiring locking portion provided on the wiring board, the wiring locking portion located at a vicinity of the motor holding portion; and  
           [0026]    wherein the wire locking portion locks a wire connecting the vibration motor to the wiring board.  
           [0027]    In this configuration, the wire connecting this vibration motor to the wiring board can be locked by the wire locking portion. Thus, the wire can be prevented from being entangled and twisted.  
           [0028]    Here, it is preferable that the wire locking portion is a hook member.  
           [0029]    In this configuration, the wire can reliably locked by the hook-like wire locking portion. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0030]    The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the invention, which is taken from a leftward and downward direction of a wiring board of a controller;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the embodiment of the invention, which is taken from a rightward and downward direction of the wiring board of the controller;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating an assembled state of a controller case of a related controller; and  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a wiring board of the related controller. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0035]    An embodiment of the invention is described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Incidentally, for convenience of description, each of constituent parts thereof, which is the same as the corresponding part of the related controller, is designated by the same reference numerals used for denoting the latter part of the related controller. Further, the description of such constituent parts are omitted. Moreover, the state illustrated in FIG. 3 used for describing the related controller is also common to the embodiment of the invention. Thus, this figure is described, simultaneously with the description of FIGS. 1 and 2.  
         [0036]    In FIGS. 1 and 3, a holder  14  for holding a vibration motor  8  and contact boards  9  for a side button is provided on the bottom face of a wiring board  13  to be accommodated in an upper case  1   
         [0037]    A vibration motor holding portion  15  for press-holding an upper half portion of the vibration motor  8  is provided in this holder  14  in such a way as to extend in a protruding direction in which the portion  15  protrudes from the wiring board  13 . Contact board holding portions  16  for holding the contact boards  9  in a perpendicular direction are disposed on the lateral sides of this vibration motor holding portion  15  in such a manner as to extend in a protruding direction in which the holding portions  16  protrudes from the wiring board  13 , similarly as the vibration motor holding portion  15 . Furthermore, each of slide switch holding portions  17  for holding a corresponding one of slide switches  5  are respectively provided nearly at a middle portion between the vibration holding portion  15  and a corresponding one of the contact board holding portions  16 .  
         [0038]    Thus, the controller is configured so that most of wiring boards are accommodated in the upper case  1 , that other wiring boards are accommodated in this upper case  17 , and that no wiring boards are accommodated in the lower case  3 .  
         [0039]    Incidentally, rubber  18  is wound around the outer periphery of the vibration motor  8 . This vibration motor  8  is held by the holder  14  through the rubber  18 . Moreover, a lower portion of the vibration motor  8  is supported by the lower case  3  so as to come into contact therewith. Further, the vibration of the vibration motor  8  is transmitted to the lower case  3  through the rubber  18 .  
         [0040]    Thus, the vibration motor  8  and the contact board  9  can be wire-connected directly to the wiring pattern provided on the wiring board  13 . Therefore, there is no need for using the connecting cable and the connector, which are used in the related controller. Consequently, the configuration of the controller is simplified. Moreover, the assembling thereof is facilitated. Thus, the invention can contribute to reduced cost.  
         [0041]    Further, the wiring board  13  is accommodated in the upper case  1 . No wiring board is accommodated in the lower case  3 . Thus, even in the case that the vibration motor  8  and the bottom portions of the contact boards  9  are provided in such a way as to protrude to the lower case  3 , the vibration motor  8  and the bottom portions of the contact boards  9  do not touch an obstacle when the upper case  1  is fitted into the lower case  3 . Further, a cable for connecting between the upper case and the lower case is not used. This eliminates the necessity for connecting the wire to the connector.  
         [0042]    Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, a protruding portionl 9  is provided at a predetermined place on the vibration motor holding portion  15  of the holder  14  in such a way as to be located at a predetermined distance from and in parallel to the wiring board  13 . This protruding portion  19  is configured so that a part of a cable  20  to be connected to the wiring board  13  is accommodated into between the protruding portion  19  and the wiring board  13  by being loosely fitted thereinto. Thus, even when this cable  20  is externally pushed into the controller, the cable  20  can be restrained by the protruding portion  19  from being pushed thereinto. Moreover, the cable  20  can be prevented by the protruding portion  19  from being entangled and twisted in the case.  
         [0043]    Further, in FIG. 2, a wire locking portion  21  is provided in the vicinity of the vibration motor holding portion  15  of the holder  14 , and is formed like a hook. A wire  22  connecting the vibration motor  8  to the wiring board  13  is reliably locked by the wire locking portion  21 . Thus, the wire  22  is prevented from being entangled and twisted.  
         [0044]    Incidentally, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Further, the invention covers such modifications as a matter of course.