Patent Publication Number: US-10770247-B1

Title: Varistor type multi-directional input device

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of multi-directional input devices, and more particularly to a varistor type multi-directional input device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     With the improvement of living standards, leisure activities of people are increasingly rich and colorful. The electronic game machines that integrate leisure and entertainment, develop intelligence, cultivate emotional intelligence, and even exercise and fitness are more and more popular. As an important component of electronic game machine, the game rocker switch is an important part that people experiences video games. 
     A rocker and a switch are disclosed in the patent CN1877509, which are composed of a base, a cover, a rod, a universal assembly, a plurality of flexible films or components and a switch elastic piece. The cover has a top and a bottom. The cover has a plurality of pins and projections, and the projections extend from the bottom. The cover is mounted on the base. An opening allows the rod to pass through the cover. The cover has a plurality of walls. A plurality of slots are formed in the wall portions. A pair of semi-circular cavities are disposed in the cover. The semi-circular cavities have an inner surface. The flexible films are mounted on the inner surface of the semi-circular cavities. 
     In the rocker switch, the rod indirectly controls a flexible film provided with a resistor to generate an electrical signal indicating the position of the rod, and when the rod moves, the finger portion of the contactor moves along the resistive track of the flexible film and the conductor track to change the terminal voltage. However, the structure of the rod in the patent is complicated, which results in complicated assembly of the rocker switch, time-consuming and laborious, high cost, and requires to be moved relatively to realize the change of the terminal voltage value, and the operation is insensitive. With the development of science and technology, a miniaturized multi-direction input device with simplified structure is urgently needed. 
     SUMMARY 
     To solve the above problems, a varistor type multi-directional input device is provided by the present disclosure, with labor-saving operation, smooth use, good finger pressure touch, simple structure and easy installation. 
     The technical solution of the present disclosure is that a varistor type multi-directional input device, comprising
         a base   an upper cover, wherein an opening is provided on an upper surface of the upper cover, and the upper cover is disposed on the base to form a central cavity,   a rocker assembly, wherein the rocker assembly is mounted in the central cavity, comprising a rocking bar, an upper rocker arm, and a lower rocker arm; the upper rocker arm and the lower rocker arm are arranged in an upper and lower cross; the upper rocker arm is in a shape of an arch, the upper rocker arm comprises a first convex portion formed by a central, a first shaft end and a second shaft end disposed at two sides of the first convex portion, and a first through hole at a center of the first convex portion; the lower rocker arm comprises a second convex portion formed by a central upward convex, a third shaft end and a fourth shaft end disposed at two sides of the second convex portion, and a second through hole at a center of the second convex portion; the upper rocker arm and the lower rocker arms are respectively provided with an eccentric wheel; the rocking bar comprises an upper end, and a lower end, the lower end is riveted with the lower rocker arm, protrudes from the second through hole of the lower rocker arm and passes through the first through hole of the upper rocker arm, extends to pass through the opening of the upper cover, and the eccentric wheels of the upper rocker arm and the lower rocker arm are driven by the rocking bar to swing;   a reset assembly, wherein the reset assembly is mounted under the rocker assembly for resetting the rocker assembly after the rocker assembly is pressed;   an electrical component, wherein the electrical component controls a change in resistance, and is configured for converting a motion signal of the rocker assembly into an electrical signal; the electrical component comprises a varistor, an on-off switch, a conductive elastic piece; the on-off switch comprises a switch guide core and a conductive elastic piece; and   a terminal assembly configured to output the electrical signal, comprising a varistor terminal, and a switch terminal, wherein the varistor terminal is mounted on an outside of the varistor, and the switch terminal is mounted on an outside of the switch guide core; the switch guide core is pressed by the eccentric wheel of the upper rocker arm or the lower rocker arm when the rocking bar is pressed, to connect and disconnect the conductive elastic piece and the switch terminal.       

     Further improvements to the above technical solution are as follows: the upper rocker arm and the lower rocker arm are arranged in a cross shape. 
     Further improvements to the above technical solution are as follows: the varistor is a thin film resistor. 
     Further improvements to the above technical solution are as follows: the rocker assembly comprises a rocker arm seat; the rocker arm seat is provided with a rocker arm seat receiving groove corresponding to the second shaft end of the upper rocker arm and the fourth shaft end of the lower rocker arm; the base is provided with a base receiving groove corresponding to the first shaft end of the upper rocker arm and the third shaft end of the lower rocker arm; the rocker arm seat and the base are arranged in a staggered manner, and a first chamber of the rocking bar and the reset assembly is formed in the middle, and the rocker arm seat and the base are respectively provided with a plurality of second chambers matching with the eccentric wheels; the switch guide core and the conductive elastic piece are placed in the second chamber, and an end of the rocking bar is an inverted frustum cone. 
     Further improvements to the above technical solution are as follows: the base is provided with a second base receiving groove corresponding to the first shaft end and the second shaft end of the upper rocker arm and the third shaft end and the fourth shaft end of the lower rocker arm; a first base receiving chamber matching with a lower end portion of the lower rocker arm and a second base receiving chamber matching with the eccentric wheels of the upper locker arm and lower rocker arm are provided at a center of the base; the switch guide core and the conductive elastic piece is placed in the first base receiving chamber, the lower end of the lower rocker arm is spherical, the lower rocker arm is in contact with the reset assembly; and an elastic member is placed in the second base receiving chamber, a lower part of the second base receiving chamber is in contact with the varistor. 
     Further improvements to the above technical solution are as follows: the base is provided with a switch terminal, a lower bottom plate is disposed under the base, and the varistor terminal is arranged on the lower bottom plate; the lower bottom plate is snapped or screwed or riveted or pin fastened to the base. 
     Further improvements to the above technical solution are as follows: the eccentric wheels are a cam blocks integrally formed with the upper rocker arm and the lower rocker arm. 
     Further improvements to the above technical solution are as follows: the reset assembly comprises a reset ring and a spring. 
     Further improvements to the above technical solution are as follows: the elastic member is a reed, and the reed is disposed between the eccentric wheels and the varistor. 
     Further improvements to the above technical solution are as follows: the elastic member is a combination of a trigger piece and a spring. 
     The advantageous effects of the present disclosure are shown as below: 
     1. The pressure is transferred to the conductive elastic piece through the eccentric wheels on the rocker arms, and the deformation of the conductive elastic piece is changed due to the change of the height of the eccentric wheel in the axial direction, so that the surface of the varistor is subjected to different pressures, thus the resistance value output of the varistor is different. Thereby achieving multi-directional rocker operation, and diversified cursor brightness display, which improves user experience; 
     2. The rocker arm seat or the base structure is matched with the upper rocker arm and the lower rocker arm, so that the rocker structure is simple, the assembly is easy, and the finger pressure feel is good. 
     3. The lower rocker arm provided with the spherical end portion simplifies the rocker structure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a first embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a base according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view showing the assembly of the first embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing the use state of the rocking bar of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view showing the first embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view showing a lower bottom plate according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded view according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic view showing the assembly of the second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 11  is a lateral cross-sectional view A of the second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view showing the second embodiment of the present disclosure in use state; 
         FIG. 13  is a top view of the second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of the second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of the second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 16  is a schematic view of a base according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS IS AS BELOW 
       1  base,  11  first base receiving groove,  12  second base receiving groove,  13  first base receiving chamber,  14  second base receiving chamber,  2  upper cover,  3  rocker assembly,  30  eccentric wheel,  301  eccentric wheel axis,  31  rocking bar,  311  upper end,  312  lower end,  32  upper rocker arm,  320  upper rocker arm axis,  321  first convex portion,  322  first shaft end,  323  second shaft end,  324  first through hole,  33  lower rocker arm,  330  lower rocker arm axis,  331  second convex portion,  332  third shaft end,  333  fourth shaft end,  334  second through hole,  34  rocker arm seat,  341  first rocker seat receiving groove,  35  rivet,  41  reset ring,  42  spring,  5  electrical components,  51  first varistor,  511  first varistor positioning hole,  52  second varistor,  521  second varistor positioning hole,  53  switch guide core,  54  conductive elastic piece,  6  terminal assembly,  61  varistor terminal,  62  switch terminal,  63  lower bottom plate,  7  reed,  71  reed upper surface, d distance between the upper/lower rocker axis and eccentric wheel axis. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The present disclosure will be further illustrated with the accompanying drawings as below. 
     Embodiment One 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-6 ,  FIGS. 1-6  are perspective view, exploded view, exploded view, and cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively. A varistor type multi-directional input device includes a base  1 ; a upper cover  2 , wherein an opening is provided on an upper surface of the upper cover  2 , and the upper cover  2  is disposed on the base  1  to form a central cavity. A rocker assembly  3  is mounted in the central cavity, including a rocking bar  31 , an upper rocker arm  32 , and a lower rocker arm  33 . The upper rocker arm  32  and the lower rocker arm  33  are arranged in an upper and lower cross. The upper rocker arm  32  is in a shape of an arch, the upper rocker arm  32  includes a first convex portion  321  formed by a central upward convex, a first shaft end  322  and a second shaft end  323  disposed at two sides of the first convex portion  321 , and a first through hole  324  at a center of the first convex portion  321 . The lower rocker arm  33  includes a second convex portion  331  formed by a central upward convex, a third shaft end  332  and a fourth shaft end  333  disposed at two sides of the second convex portion  331 , and a second through hole  334  at a center of the second convex portion  331 . The upper rocker arm  32  and the lower rocker arm  33  are respectively provided with an eccentric wheel  30 . The rocking bar  31  includes an upper end  311  and a lower end  312 , and the lower end  312  is riveted with the lower rocker arm  33 , protrudes from the second through hole  334  of the lower rocker arm  33  and passes through the first through hole  324  of the upper rocker arm  32 , extends to pass through the opening of the upper cover  2 , and the eccentric wheels  30  of the upper rocker arm  32  and the lower rocker arm  33  are driven by the rocking bar  31  to swing. 
     A reset assembly  4  is mounted under the rocker assembly  3  for resetting after the rocker assembly  3  is pressed. 
     An electrical component  5  is electrically connected to the rocker assembly  3 , to configure for converting a motion signal of the rocker assembly  3  into an electrical signal. The electrical component  5  includes a varistor  51 , a switch guide core  52 , a conductive elastic piece  53 . The eccentric wheel  30  is in contact with the varistor  51 , the switch guide core  52 , and the conductive elastic piece  53  through the elastic member. 
     The terminal assembly  6  is configured to output an electrical signal, including a varistor terminal  61 , and a switch terminal  62 , wherein the varistor terminal  61  is mounted on an outside of the varistor  51 . The varistor  51  is in contact with the switch guide core  52  via the rocker assembly  3 , and the conductive elastic piece  53  is electrically connected to the varistor terminal  61 . The switch terminal  62  is mounted on an outside of the switch guide core  52 . 
     In this embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the upper rocker arm  32  and the lower rocker arm  33  are arranged in a cross shape, so that the rocking bar can flexibly realize the shaking in the directions of X-axis and Y-axis. 
     In this embodiment, the varistor  51  is a thin film resistor, so that a lighter rocker switch is realized. 
     In the first embodiment, the rocker assembly  3  includes a rocker arm seat  34 . The rocker arm seat  34  is provided with a rocker arm seat receiving groove  341  corresponding to the second shaft end  323  of the upper rocker arm  32  and the fourth shaft end  333  of the lower rocker arm  33 . The base  1  is provided with a base receiving groove  11  corresponding to the first shaft end  322  of the upper rocker arm  32  and the third shaft end  332  of the lower rocker arm  33 . The rocker arm seat  34  and the base  1  are arranged in a staggered manner, and a first chamber  35  of the rocking bar  31  and the reset assembly  4  is formed in the middle, and the rocker arm seat  34  and the base  1  are respectively provided with a plurality of second chambers  36  matching with the eccentric wheels  30 . The switch guide core  52  and the conductive elastic piece  53  are placed in the second chamber  36 , and an end of the rocking bar  31  is an inverted frustum cone to perform a locking function, so that the rocking bar  31  will not pull away from the upper rocker arm  32  and the lower rocker arm  33  when the user operators the rocking bar, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     Working process: as shown in  FIGS. 1-4 : the user presses the rocking bar  31 , the pressing force is transferred to the switch guide core  52  through the rocking bar  31 , so that the conductive elastic piece  53  is deformed, and then the switch terminal  62  is turned on. And when the eccentric wheel  30  on the upper rocker arm  32  and the lower rocker arm  33  is rotated driven by the operation of the rocking bar  31 , so that different positions of the eccentric wheel  30  are in contact with the elastic member at different heights, so as to apply different pressures to the varistor  51 , thereby different resistance value of the varistor  51  can be realized. Specifically, the elastic member may be a reed, or a combination of the trigger piece and the spring. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the eccentric wheel  30  abuts against the upper surface  71  of the reed  7 , and the eccentric wheel  30  may be buffered the pressure applied directly to the varistor  51  to perform a protective function. In this embodiment, the first varistor  51  is provided with a first varistor positioning hole  511  for riveting with the base to realize electrical connection of the varistor terminal. The second varistor  52  is provided with a second varistor positioning hole  521  for riveting with the base to realize electrical connection of the varistor terminal. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , when the rocking bar  31  is rotated by the user, the eccentric wheel  320  on the upper rocker arm and the eccentric wheel  330  on the lower rocker arm are rotated to the left, the reed  7  is subjected to a small pressure and the resistance value of the varistor is large. And the reed  7  is subjected to a large pressure and the resistance value of the varistor is small when it is rotated to the right. d is the distance between the upper/lower rocker arm axis and the eccentric wheel axis  301 , and d varies with the rocking of the rocking bar  31 . 
     Embodiment Two 
     As shown in  FIGS. 7-17 , the base  1  is provided with a second base receiving groove  12  corresponding to the first shaft end  322  and the second shaft end  323  of the upper rocker arm  32  and the third shaft end  332  and the fourth shaft end  333  of the lower rocker arm  33 . A first base receiving chamber  13  matching with a lower end portion of the lower rocker arm, and a second base receiving chamber  14  matching with the eccentric wheels  30  of the upper locker arm  32  are provided at a center of the base. The switch guide core  52  and the conductive elastic piece  53  are placed in the first base receiving chamber  13 , the lower end of the lower rocker arm  33  is spherical, the lower rocker arm  33  is in contact with the reset assembly  4 . and an elastic member is placed in the second base receiving chamber  14 , a lower part of the second base receiving chamber is in contact with the varistor  51 . 
     In this embodiment, the base  1  is provided with the switch terminal  62 , a lower bottom plate  63  is disposed under the base  1 , and the varistor terminal  61  is arranged on the lower bottom plate  63 . The lower bottom plate  63  is snapped or screwed or riveted or pin fastened to the base  1 . 
     In this embodiment, the eccentric wheels  30  are cam blocks integrally formed with the upper rocker arm  32  and the lower rocker arm  33 , which simplifies the crank mechanism setting in the existing technology. 
     In this embodiment, the reset assembly  4  includes a reset ring  41  and a spring  42 . 
     In this embodiment, the reed is disposed between the eccentric wheels  30  and the varistor  51 . 
     In this embodiment, a trigger piece and a spring  42  are disposed in sequence between the eccentric wheel  30  and the varistor  51  from top to bottom. 
     In the above embodiment, the on-off switch is optional which can meet the product requirements. 
     Working process: as shown in  FIGS. 5-17 : the user presses the rocking bar  31  and the pressure is transferred to the switch guide core  52  located inside the first base receiving chamber  13  in the center of the base  1  through the lower rocker arm  33  having a spherical shape at the lower end. And then, the conductive elastic piece  53  is deformed, the switch terminal  62  is electrically connected, and when the eccentric wheels  30  on the upper rocker arm  32  and the lower rocker arm  33  are rotated driven by the operation of rocking bar  31 , so that different positions of the eccentric wheel  30  are in contact with the elastic member provided in the second receiving chamber  14  in the base  1  at different heights, so as to apply different pressures to the varistor  51 , thereby different resistance value of the varistor  51  can be realized, which are output through the varistor terminal  61  provided on the lower bottom plate  63 , so that diversified cursor display brightness is achieved. Specifically, the elastic member may be a reed, or a combination of the trigger piece and the spring, which can buffer the pressure applied directly to the varistor  51   by  the eccentric  30  to perform a protection. When the rocking bar  31  is rotated by the user, when the eccentric wheel  320  on the upper rocker arm and the eccentric wheel  330  on the lower rocker arm rotate to the left, the reed  7  is subjected to a small pressure, and the resistance value of the varistor is large. When it is rotated to the right, the reed  7  is subjected to a large pressure, and the resistance value of the varistor is small. The above-mentioned embodiments are merely illustrative of several embodiments of the present disclosure, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that variations and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should be determined by the appended claims.