Abstract:
A rotational operation mechanism for a DJ apparatus enables smooth rotation to be achieved using a simple configuration. A rotational operation mechanism has a base, a display window member fixed onto the base, a ring member positioned on the display window member and holding a plurality of rotatable balls, and a rotation operation portion positioned on the ring member and operated by an operator. Mutually facing surfaces of the display window member and the rotation operation portion are provided with grooves that have substantially the same diameter as the ring member. The ring member is sandwiched between the display window member and the rotation operation portion such that the plurality of balls are received in the groove of the display window member and the groove of the rotation operation portion, and the ring member is rotatable in a peripheral direction. One of the rotation operation portion and the base is provided with magnets and the other of the rotation operation portion, and the base is provided with metal portions at positions facing the magnets.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a rotational operation mechanism that performs a rotation movement in response to the operation of a user, and more particularly relates to a rotational operation mechanism that can be preferably employed as a portion of what is known as a disc jockey (DJ) apparatus.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    In what is known as a DJ apparatus, a disc such as a compact disc (CD) is inserted into the DJ apparatus via a disc insertion opening. A round operation portion known as a jog dial is provided on an operation panel. When the jog dial is manually rotated by a user, various playback instructions such as playback and search are input.  
           [0005]    In the rotational operation mechanism of a conventional jog dial, a sliding face known as a jog stay is fixed to the DJ apparatus body and a ring-shaped sliding member known as a jog ring is formed integrally with the jog dial and positioned so as to face the jog stay. When the user rotates the jog dial, the sliding face of the jog stay and the jog ring slide reciprocally, thereby enabling the jog dial to rotate.  
           [0006]    In order to allow the jog dial to rotate smoothly, it is necessary to bias the jog ring in a vertical direction against the jog stay with an appropriate degree of force. If the biasing force is too strong, the friction generated between the jog ring and the jog stay is too great and rotation becomes difficult. If, on the other hand, the biasing force is too weak, then looseness is occurred in the vertical direction and in the peripheral direction between the jog ring and the jog stay, and smooth operation becomes impossible. Therefore, in a conventional DJ apparatus, the jog ring is biased against the jog stay by employing a configuration in which the jog stay is vertically sandwiched between two jog rings using a combination of screws and springs.  
           [0007]    In the above conventional configuration, however, since the jog ring is biased against the jog stay using the springs, it is necessary to employ a configuration in which both the top and bottom faces of the sliding face of the jog stay are sandwiched by two jog rings forming sliding members. As a result, the rotational operation mechanism becomes complicated, giving rise to the problem that the assembly process is quite complicated. In addition, there is such a tendency in rotational operation mechanisms utilizing a sliding member that the frictional resistance at the sliding face is relatively large, giving rise to the problem that smooth rotation cannot be obtained.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention has been achieved in order to solve the above problems. It is an object of this invention to provide a rotational operation mechanism for a DJ apparatus that enables smooth rotation to be achieved using a simple configuration.  
           [0009]    According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotational operation mechanism, including: a base member; a ring member that is positioned on the base member and that holds a plurality of rotatable balls; and an annularly shaped rotation operation portion positioned on the ring member and operated by an operator. Mutually facing surfaces of the base member and the rotation operation portion are provided with grooves that have substantially the same diameter as the ring member. The ring member is sandwiched between the base member and the rotation operation portion such that the plurality of balls of the ring member are received in the groove of the base member and the groove of the rotation operation portion and such that the ring member is rotatable in a peripheral direction. One of the rotation operation portion and the base member is provided with magnets and the other of the rotation operation portion and the base member is provided with metal portions at positions facing the magnets.  
           [0010]    According to the above rotational operation mechanism, ring shaped grooves are provided in the base member and in the rotation operation portion, and the ring member is sandwiched between the base member and the rotation operation portion such that the plurality of balls are received between these grooves. Since the plurality of balls provided in the ring member are able to rotate, the rotation operation portion positioned on the ring member is rotated when operated by a user. In addition, magnets are provided in one of the rotation operation portion and the base member and metal portions are provided in the other of the rotation operation portion and the base member. The rotation operation portion is thus kept in a state of being biased towards the base member by an appropriate biasing force generated by the attraction force between the magnets and the metal portions. As a result, a smooth rotation is achieved by the rotation operation portion through this biasing force and the rotation of the balls on the ring member.  
           [0011]    In the above rotational operation mechanism, the magnets may be provided equidistantly at a plurality of positions on the rotation operation portion or the base member, and these positions may also correspond to the circumference of the rotation operation portion. In an embodiment, the magnets may have a ring shape that corresponds to the circumference of the rotation operation portion. As a result, the biasing force between the base member and the rotation operation portion is made uniform over the circumference of the rotation operation portion, thereby enabling a smoother rotation to be achieved. Moreover, the magnets may be provided on either the rotation operation portion or the base member such that a gap is provided between the magnets and the metal portions.  
           [0012]    In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of teeth may be formed continuously at positions on the circumference of the rotation operation portion, and the rotational operation mechanism may further be provided with a rotation detection unit for detecting a rotation of the rotation operation portion by counting the plurality of teeth. As a result, it becomes possible to accurately detect the rotation of the rotation operation portion.  
           [0013]    The base member may be provided with a holding member that engages with a portion of the rotation operation portion and holds the rotation operation portion such that the rotation operation portion can be freely engaged and disengaged. As a result, the rotation operation portion can be easily removed and the replacement of the rotation operation portion is made possible.  
           [0014]    The base member may include a base and an annular member fixed onto the base, and the groove may be formed on the annular member. As a result, after the groove is formed in the annular member, the base member can be easily manufactured by assembling the annular member together with the base.  
           [0015]    According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a music playback apparatus including: a base member; a ring member that is positioned on the base member and holds a plurality of rotatable balls; an annularly shaped rotation operation portion positioned on the ring member and operated by an operator; a playback unit for playing back music discs; and a control unit for controlling playback of the playback unit in accordance with output from a rotation detection unit, wherein mutually facing surfaces of the base member and the rotation operation portion are provided with grooves that have substantially the same diameter as the ring member, the ring member is sandwiched between the base member and the rotation operation portion such that the plurality of balls of the ring member are received in the groove of the base member and the groove of the rotation operation portion so as to allow rotation of the ring member in a peripheral direction, one of the rotation operation portion and the base member is provided with magnets and the other of the rotation operation portion and the base member is provided with metal portions at positions facing the magnets, a plurality of teeth are formed continuously at positions on the circumference of the rotation operation portion, and the rotational operation mechanism is further provided with the rotation detection unit for detecting a rotation of the rotation operation portion by counting the plurality of teeth. According to this music playback apparatus, the rotation of the rotation operation portion is detected and the playback of the music disc is controlled in accordance with the result of the detection.  
           [0016]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a music playback apparatus including: a base member; a ring member that is positioned on the base member and holds a plurality of rotatable balls; an annularly shaped rotation operation portion positioned on the ring member and operated by an operator; a playback unit for playing back music discs; and a display section provided in a center portion of the annular member, wherein mutually facing surfaces of the base member and the rotation operation portion are provided with grooves that have substantially the same diameter as the ring member, the ring member is sandwiched between the base member and the rotation operation portion such that the plurality of balls of the ring member are received in the groove of the base member and the groove of the rotation operation portion so as to allow rotation of the ring member in a peripheral direction, one of the rotation operation portion and the base member is provided with magnets and the other of the rotation operation portion and the base member is provided with metal portions at positions facing the magnets, the base member includes a base and an annular member fixed onto the base, and the groove is formed on the annular member. As a result, a user is able to operate the rotation operation portion while viewing information displayed on the display section.  
           [0017]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a music playback apparatus including: a base member; a ring member that is positioned on the base member and holds a plurality of rotatable balls; an annularly shaped rotation operation portion positioned on the ring member and operated by an operator; a playback unit for playing back music discs; and an operating switch member provided in a center portion of the annular member, wherein mutually facing surfaces of the base member and the rotation operation portion are provided with grooves that have substantially the same diameter as the ring member, the ring member is sandwiched between the base member and the rotation operation portion such that the plurality of balls of the ring member are received in the groove of the base member and the groove of the rotation operation portion so as to allow rotation of the ring member in a peripheral direction, and one of the rotation operation portion and the base member is provided with magnets and the other of the rotation operation portion and the base member is provided with metal portions at positions facing the magnets, the base member includes a base and an annular member fixed onto the base, and the groove is formed on the annular member. As a result, the user is able to simultaneously operate, with ease, the rotational operation mechanism and the operating switch member located at the center of the rotational operation mechanism.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIGS. 1A and 1B are views showing an exterior of a DJ apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIGS. 2A and 2B are views showing the rotational operation mechanism of the DJ apparatus shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 3A and 3B are views showing members forming the rotational operation mechanism shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIGS. 4A and 4B are other views showing members forming the rotational operation mechanism shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 is another view showing members forming the rotational operation mechanism shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIGS. 6A and 6B are views schematically showing the rotation detection mechanism of the DJ apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]    Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings.  
         [0025]    The exterior of the DJ apparatus according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The DJ apparatus  1  is formed as a case substantially in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. FIG. 1A shows an operation panel  2  formed at the top face of the DJ apparatus  1 , while FIG. 1B shows a front face panel  5  formed at a side face of the DJ apparatus  1 .  
         [0026]    A pair of disc insertion openings  6  are provided at the front face panel  5 , and music discs such as CDs are inserted into each disc insertion opening  6 . The operation panel  2  is made of metal, and various switches and buttons for controlling playback of the music disc are provided on the operation panel  2 . A pair of jog dials  3  are also provided at the left and right area of the operation panel  2 . Playback of the music disc is controlled by a user rotating a jog dial  3  in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction. Each jog dial  3  is formed as an annular rotation operation member with a display section  4  provided inside the ring thereof. Information such as the track number, playback time and playback tempo of the music disc is displayed on the display section  4 . The display section  4  is formed by a transparent display window member (described below) and a display panel positioned under the display window member.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIGS. 2A and 2B show the jog dial rotational operation mechanism. FIG. 2A is an exploded view of the jog dial rotational operation mechanism, while FIG. 2B is a cross sectional view in the diametral direction of the jog dial rotational operation mechanism taken along the line X-X′ in FIG. 1A. Round holes are formed on the operation panel  2  shown in FIG. 1A at the position of the jog dials  3 . The respective members shown in FIG. 2A are mounted in the sequence shown on the hole portion so as to form the jog dial rotational operation mechanism. Firstly, a jog sheet  25  is adhered by double-sided tape or the like on the top surface of the operation panel  2 . The planar configuration of the jog sheet  25  is shown in FIG. 3A.  
         [0028]    An annular display window member  20  is provided at the inner side of the inner diameter of the jog sheet  25 . The planar configuration of the display window member  20  is shown in FIG. 3B. As shown, a circumferential groove  21  is provided on the top of the display window member  20 . In addition, claws  22  are provided in the lower face as seen in FIG. 2A of the display window member  20  and, as is shown in FIG. 2B, the claws  22  engage with a support member  30  provided below the operation panel  2  thereby fixing the display window member  20  to the operation panel  2 . Claws  23  are also provided at the upper face as seen in FIG. 2A of the display window member  20 . As previously mentioned, the center portion of the display window member  20  is transparent, and the display panel located below this center portion can be seen by a user from above the operation panel.  
         [0029]    A retainer  15  is provided above the display window member  20 . The retainer  15  is a ring shaped member, such as that shown in FIG. 4A, and has a plurality of rotatable steel balls  16  spaced equidistantly in the circumferential direction. The shape and diameter of the retainer  15  substantially match the groove  21  provided in the display window member  20 , and the retainer  15  is placed on the display window member  20  such that the steel balls  16  are received by the groove  21  of the display window member  20 . Since the steel balls  16  are rotatable, the retainer  15  itself is able to rotate on the groove  21  of the display window member  20 . It is to be understood that the number of steel balls  16  provided on the retainer  15  is not limited to the number shown in the drawings.  
         [0030]    The jog ring  10  and the jog dial  3  are placed integrally with each other on the retainer  15 . Note that the member formed when the jog ring  10  is made integral with the jog dial  3  may on occasion be referred to as “jog 7”. The planar configuration of the jog ring  10 , which is seen from the bottom side thereof in FIG. 2A, is shown in FIG. 6B, while the planar configuration of the jog dial  3 , which is seen from the top side thereof in FIG. 2A, is shown in FIG. 5. Teeth  12  that are used for detecting the rotation at the circumference are provided on the lower face as seen in FIG. 2 of the jog ring  10 . The bottommost portions of the teeth  12  locate above the bottommost portion of the outer peripheral end portion  10   a  of the jog ring  10 . Namely, the teeth  12  are formed such that they are not damaged if the jog ring  10  is placed by itself on a workbench or the like during the assembly of the rotational operation mechanism. The rotation detection mechanism will be described later.  
         [0031]    A circumferential groove  13  is also provided at the lower face as seen in FIG. 2A of the jog ring  10 . The shape of the groove  13  substantially matches the ring shape of the retainer  15  and when the jog ring  10  is placed on the retainer  15 , the groove  13  receives the plurality steel balls  16  provided on the retainer  15 . As a result, the retainer  15  is sandwiched between the display window member  20  and the jog ring  10 , and the retainer  15  is able to rotate due to the steel balls  16  moving in the ring shaped passage formed by the groove  13  of the jog ring  10  and the groove  21  of the display window member  20 .  
         [0032]    Protrusions  9  are provided at a plurality of locations on the circumference of the jog dial  3 . The jog dial  3  is made integral with the jog ring  10  by these protrusions  9  being fitted inside the holes  11  (see. FIG. 4B) formed on the jog ring  10 . As is shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 5, a plurality of magnets  8  are embedded in the outer peripheral end portion of the jog dial  3 . As a result of the attraction force generated between the magnets  8  and the metal operation panel  2 , the magnets  8  bias the jog  7  toward the operation panel  2 . However, a gap is provided between the magnets  8  and the operation panel  2  so that they do not come into contact with each other. As a result of the biasing force of the magnets  8 , the jog ring  10  is biased towards the display window member  20  with an appropriate degree of force. The number of magnets provided in the jog dial  3  is not limited to the number shown in the drawings. However, in order to enable the jog  7  to rotate smoothly, it is desirable that a plurality of magnets be disposed equidistantly on the circumference of the jog dial  3 . This allows the biasing force of the jog  7  towards the display window member  20  to be distributed uniformly around the circumference of the jog  7 . Alternatively, in order to distribute the biasing force of the jog  7  towards the display window member  20  even more uniformly, it is desirable that a ring shaped magnet be embedded in the outer periphery of the jog dial  3 . This results in the attraction force generated by the magnet between the operation panel  2  and the jog  7  being distributed evenly across all points on the outer periphery of the jog  7 , and allows the rotation of the jog  7  to be made even smoother. Because the biasing force between the jog  7  and the display window member  20  is generated in this way by the magnets  8 , it is possible to bias the jog  7 , which forms a rotating portion, towards the operation panel  2 , which forms a fixed portion, without the two coming into contact with each other.  
         [0033]    As is shown in FIG. 2A, an inner peripheral end portion  10   b  of the jog ring  10  is held under the claws  23  formed on the upper face of the display window member  20 . This prevents the jog  7  from detaching in the upward direction as seen in FIG. 2A if the DJ apparatus  1  is made upside down or the like. It is to be understood that the biasing force biasing the jog  7  towards the display window member  20  is fully supplied by the magnets  8 , therefore, it is not necessary for the claws  23  of the display window member  20  to have any action biasing the jog  7  downwards and it is sufficient if the jog  7  is prevented from being slipped off.  
         [0034]    By employing this configuration, the jog  7  can be easily removed and reattached. Namely, since the jog  7  is attached to the operation panel  2  by the engagement between the claws  23  of the display window member  20  and the inner peripheral end portion  10   b  of the jog ring  10 , and by the attraction force generated between the magnets  8  in the jog dial  3  and the operation panel  2 , by forming the claws  23  of the display window member  20  with the appropriate hardness, it is possible for the jog  7  to be easily removed from and reattached to the display window member  20 . Therefore, it is possible for a variety of types of jog dial  3  having different external configurations and colors to be used with the same DJ apparatus  1  if the configuration of the engagement thereof with the jog ring  10  is made the same, thereby enabling a user to employ the user&#39;s favorite jog dial.  
         [0035]    Next, the rotation detection mechanism will be described with referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B. FIG. 6A is a side view of the jog ring  10 , while FIG. 6B is a plan view typically showing the rotation detection mechanism. Referring to FIG. 6B, the rotation detection unit  40  is a type of mechanism that optically detects the passage of the teeth  12  provided on the jog ring  10 , and is provided with a light emitting unit  41  and a light receiving unit  42 . The light emitting unit  41  and the light receiving unit  42  are positioned at the same height as the teeth  12 . When a user rotates the jog  7 , the teeth  12  pass between the light emitting unit  41  and the light receiving unit  42 , and the light traveling from the light emitting unit  41  to the light receiving unit  42  is interrupted. By converting the light reception state in the light receiving unit  42  into an electrical signal, the rotation of the jog  7  can be detected. The electrical signals thus obtained are sent to an electrical control system (not shown) and are used as instruction input signals for the playback of a music disc. In the present embodiment, an optical rotation detection mechanism is used in the example, however, it is to be understood that various other known rotation detection mechanisms can be employed instead of this.  
         [0036]    Moreover, in the above described embodiment, a configuration is employed in which the operation panel is made of metal and the magnets are disposed on the jog side. However, instead of this, it is also possible to employ a configuration in which the magnets are disposed on the operation panel side and metal is provided on the jog side so as to generate an attraction force between them.  
         [0037]    Furthermore, in the above example, the display window member is attached to the operation panel. However, instead of this, it is also possible to fix an annular member having an annular groove but not having a display window member onto the operation panel, and to provide a display window member on the rotation operation portion side facing this annular member. It is also possible to form an annular groove on the operation panel itself and incorporate this with a rotation operation portion having a display window member.  
         [0038]    Moreover, in the above example, a display section is provided at the center portion of the jog dial. However, instead of this, it is also possible to provide an operating switch member in which a plurality of operating switches are formed at the center portion of the jog dial.  
         [0039]    As has been described above, according to the rotational operation mechanism of the present invention, since a biasing force biasing the jog dial towards the operation panel is generated by magnets, it is possible to bias the jog without making the jog come into contact with the operation panel. In addition, because the rolling action of steel balls is used for rotation, no sliding resistance is generated, and a jog that has remarkably smooth rotation can be achieved.  
         [0040]    Furthermore, since the removal or reattachment of the jog only needs to be performed from the upper side of the operation panel and is thus a simple operation, the configuration may be simplified and the assembly process may be streamlined. In addition, it is possible for a user to easily switch between various types of jog in accordance with the user&#39;s preferences.  
         [0041]    The invention may be embodied on other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to embraced therein.  
         [0042]    The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Applications No. 2001-148442 filed on May 17, 2001 including the specification, claims, drawings and summary is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.