Patent Publication Number: US-2023161370-A1

Title: Input Device

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This application is a Continuation of International Application No. PCT/JP2021/019145 filed on May 20, 2021, which claims benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-138794 filed on Aug. 19, 2020. The entire contents of each application noted above are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an input device. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     An input device has been developed that when an operating unit is moved in a lateral direction, a drive unit that slides in the lateral direction along with the operating unit engages with the upper end of the tilting body to rotate the tilting body, and the movement of a magnet on the lower end of the tilting body in the rotation direction is detected by a magnetic sensor (refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-212004). 
     In existing input devices, because the length from the rotation center of the tilting body to the operating unit is the same as the length from the rotation center to the magnet, it is difficult to detect minute movements of the operating body in the lateral direction. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention provides an input device capable of reliably detecting fine operation in the lateral direction of an operating body. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, an input device includes an operating body configured to move through an operation performed by an operator, a movable portion configured to slide in accordance with movement of the operating body, a lever including a first end portion that engages with the movable portion, a rotation center, a second end portion located on an opposite side of the rotation center from the first end portion, and a magnet provided on the second end portion, where the lever rotates in accordance with sliding of the movable portion, and a magnetic sensor disposed facing the magnet. A second length from the rotation center of the lever to the magnet is greater than a first length from the rotation center to the first end portion of the lever. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    illustrates the cross-sectional structure of an input device; 
         FIG.  2    is an enlarged view of a portion of the input device illustrated in  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is an enlarged view of a portion of the input device illustrated in  FIG.  2   ; 
         FIG.  4 A  illustrates an operation performed by the input device; 
         FIG.  4 B  illustrates an operation performed by the input device; 
         FIG.  5 A  illustrates an operation performed by the input device; 
         FIG.  5 B  illustrates an operation performed by the input device; and 
         FIG.  6    illustrates an operation performed by the input device. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments to which an input device according to the present invention is applied are described below. 
     EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG.  1    illustrates the cross-sectional structure of an input device  100 .  FIG.  2    is an enlarged view of a portion of the input device  100  illustrated in  FIG.  1   .  FIG.  3    is a further enlarged view of a portion of the input device  100  illustrated in  FIG.  2   .  FIG.  3    illustrates an enlarged view of the portion enclosed by a dashed square in  FIG.  2   . While the description below is made with reference to the up-down direction and the left-right direction in  FIG.  1   , the directions do not represent a universal vertical relationship. In addition, the up-down direction is the longitudinal direction, and the left-right direction is the lateral direction. Moreover, the term “plan view” refers to a view seen from above. 
     The input device  100  includes a frame  110 , an O-ring  120 , a slider base  125 , a movable portion  130 , a lever  140 , a magnetic sensor  150 , a coil spring  160 , a holder  165 , a holding portion  170 , and a knob  180 . Furthermore, the input device  100  includes a substrate  101  and a cover  102 . The substrate  101  is, for example, a plate-shaped substrate made of resin and is located in the lower section of the input device  100 . The cover  102  is made of, for example, resin and is a plate-shaped member that covers a portion of the input device  100  other than the knob  180 . Although  FIG.  1    also illustrates constituent elements other than those described herein, description of the constituent elements is omitted. The input device  100  is a device including the knob  180  that can be moved in any left-right direction throughout 360 degrees by an operation performed by an operator. The knob  180  is, for example, a cylindrical member. The stroke of the knob  180  is set only to the extent that the O-ring  120  provided around the knob  180  serving as a stopper is squeezed in accordance with the movement of the knob  180 , so that the stroke is extremely small.  FIG.  1    illustrates the initial positions of the elements when the knob  180  is not operated and, thus, does not move. 
     The frame  110  includes a base portion  111 , a support portion  112 , a groove portion  113 , and a fixing portion  114 . For example, the outer shape of the frame  110  in plan view is circular, and the outer shape of the base portion  111  in plan view is also circular. The base portion  111  is a portion that extends in the planar direction below the movable portion  130  (described below), and the support portion  112  is provided to the left of the center of the knob  180  in the lateral direction. The fixing portion  114  extending upward is provided at the outer end portion of the base portion  111 . 
     The support portion  112  supports the lever  140  that rotates as the movable portion  130  slides while being in rotatable contact with the lever  140 . The support portion  112  extends below the base portion  111  and is provided on the inner side of the groove portion  113 . The support portion  112  is connected to the base portion  111  via the groove portion  113 . The support portion  112  has an arched surface  112 A that supports a spherical surface  141 A of a base portion  141  of the lever  140 . Note that the spherical surface  141 A is an example of a curved surface. The arched surface  112 A may be provided continuously throughout 360 degrees so as to surround the base portion  141  of the lever  140  in plan view. However, according to the present embodiment, the arched surface  112 A is provided at every predetermined angle interval, and the shape of the arched surface  112 A is matched with the shape of the spherical surface  141 A of the base portion  141 . In this way, the support portion  112  holds the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  with the entire arched surface  112 A so that the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  is rotatable in any direction around 360 degrees. 
     The groove portion  113  extends under the base portion  111  and is an annular groove in plan view. The bottom surface of the groove portion  113  is connected to the support portion  112  located inwardly in the radial direction. The coil spring  160  is provided inside of the groove portion  113 , and the lower end of the coil spring  160  is in contact with the bottom surface of the groove portion  113 . Note that the coil spring  160  is an example of an elastic member. 
     The fixing portion  114  is connected to the outer end of the base portion  111  and extends upward. The fixing portion  114  is, for example, a cylindrical portion, and the cover  102  is fixed to the upper end of the fixing portion  114 . Herein, the movement of the movable portion  130  and the knob  180  relative to the frame  110  and the rotation of the lever  140  are described assuming that the frame  110  is fixed inside of the input device  100 . However, for example, the frame  110  may be movable and vibratable relative to, for example, the substrate  101  together with the cover  102 . Even in this case, the relative positional relationship between the movement of the movable portion  130 , the knob  180 , and the like relative to the frame  110  and the rotation of the lever  140  remain unchanged. 
     The O-ring  120  is, for example, an annular member made of rubber. In  FIG.  1   , a circular cross-section of the O-ring  120  is illustrated. The O-ring  120  is fitted into and fixed to a recess  132 A provided in the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical wall portion  132  of the movable portion  130  that slides as the knob  180  moves. The outer peripheral surface of the O-ring  120  is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fixing portion  114  of the frame  110 , and the knob  180  is held at the initial position without backlash. When the knob  180  is operated to move in the lateral direction, a portion of the O-ring  120  on the movement direction side is pressed and deformed so as to be squeezed. Thus, the movable portion  130  is moved in the lateral direction relative to the frame  110 . The amount of deformation due to the squeezing of the O-ring  120  is the lateral stroke of the movable portion  130  and the knob  180 . 
     The slider base  125  is a member provided between the upper surface of the base portion  111  of the frame  110  and the lower surface of a base portion  131  of the movable portion  130 . The slider base  125  has an annular shape in plan view. The slider base  125  enables the movable portion  130  to move laterally relative to the frame  110 . The slider base  125  is made of metal or resin, for example. 
     The movable portion  130  includes the base portion  131  and the wall portion  132 . For example, the outer shape of the movable portion  130  in plan view is circular, and the base portion  131  is a portion located in the center of the movable portion  130  in plan view. The base portion  131  has a cam surface  131 A and an opening  131 B provided in a portion located above the lever  140 . 
     The cam surface  131 A is provided along the inner surface of the circular opening  131 B so as to surround the opening  131 B. That is, the cam surface  131 A is formed such that the inner peripheral surface of the base portion  131  facing the opening  131 B and the upper and lower surfaces of the base portion  131  are continuously connected at a portion around the opening  131 B and are curved. The cam surface  131 A serves as an engaging portion with which a conical portion  142  of the lever  140  engages. The cam surface  131 A has a shape that enables a side surface  142 A of the conical portion  142  to remain in contact with the cam surface  131 A when the lever  140  rotates about the base portion  141  of the lever  140  so that the conical portion  142  tilts. The cam surface  131 A only needs to be able to remain in contact with the side surface  142 A of the conical portion  142  when the conical portion  142  is tilted. For this reason, the shape is not limited to a shape that continuously curves from the upper end to the lower end of the opening  131 B, and any section of the shape from the upper end to the lower end may be linear. 
     The wall portion  132  is, for example, a cylindrical portion and is a wall-shaped portion extending upward from the base portion  131  on the outermost side of the movable portion  130  in plan view. As described above, the wall portion  132  has the recess  132 A on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The recess  132 A is provided in the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall portion  132  so as to extend in the circumferential direction all the way around the wall portion  132 . The outer diameter of the portion of the outer peripheral surface of the wall portion  132  other than the recess  132 A is greater than the inner diameter of the O-ring  120 , and the outer diameter of the recess  132 A is slightly greater than the inner diameter of the O-ring  120 . Thus, the O-ring  120  is fitted into and fixed to the recess  132 A while being slightly stretched. 
     The lever  140  includes the base portion  141 , the conical portion  142 , a leg portion  143 , and a magnet  144 . The base portion  141  is a portion that is located in the center of the lever  140  in the up-down direction and has the spherical surface  141 A, a rotation center  141 B, and arm portions  141 C. The base portion  141  has a circular shape centered at the rotation center  141 B in plan view and has a shape obtained by cutting a spherical shape formed of a spherical surface  141 A, which has a certain radius from the rotation center  141 B, at a point near the upper end so as to have an upper end flat plane. A conical portion  142  is connected to the upper end flat plane of the base portion  141  above the rotation center  141 B, and the leg portion  143  is connected to the lower end of the base portion  141  below the rotation center  141 B. 
     The arm portions  141 C are four rod-shaped protrusions provided on the outer side of the spherical surface  141 A of the base portion  141  at intervals of 90 degrees in plan view. That is, the four arm portions  141 C are provided at equal intervals in plan view and protrude in the horizontal direction at substantially the same height as the rotation center  141 B of the spherical surface  141 A. The lower surfaces of the arm portions  141 C are in contact with the upper end of the coil spring  160 . In the lever  140 , the conical portion  142  is in contact with the cam surface  131 A of the movable portion  130 , and the arm portions  141 C are urged from below toward the movable portion located above the arm portions  141 C by the coil spring  160 . At the initial position illustrated in  FIG.  1   , the spherical surface  141 A is set so as to be slightly separated from the arched surface  112 A of the frame  110 . 
     The conical portion  142  is continuously provided on the upper end flat surface of the base portion  141  and is located as the upper end portion of the lever  140 . The upper end portion of the lever  140  is an example of a first end portion. The conical portion  142  is continuously provided above the rotation center  141 B of the base portion  141  in plan view. According to the present embodiment, the entire upper end portion of the lever  140  is the conical portion  142 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and part of the upper end portion may be the conical portion. 
     The conical portion  142  has a shape obtained by rounding off the upper end of a circular cone, and the side surface  142 A of the conical portion  142  is in contact with the cam surface  131 A. Since the lever  140  is urged upward toward the movable portion by the coil spring  160 , the conical portion  142  is pressed against the cam surface  131 A. 
     The leg portion  143  is a portion that extends downward from the base portion  141  and is located as a lower end portion of the lever  140 . The lower end portion of the lever  140  is an example of a second end portion and is on the opposite side of the rotation center  141 B from the first end portion. A space is provided between the lower end of the leg portion  143  and the upper surface of the substrate  101 . This is to prevent the lower end of the leg portion  143  from contacting the upper surface of the substrate  101 , since the lever  140  rotates. An outer shape of the leg portion  143  is, for example, cylindrical. The leg portion  143  has a recess  143 A that is concave upward from the bottom surface. The magnet  144  is provided in the recess  143 A. 
     The magnet  144  is fixed inside the recess  143 A of the leg portion  143  by bonding or the like. The magnet  144  is a permanent magnet having an N pole and an S pole. For example, the magnet  144  is disposed such that the N pole is located on the upper side, and the S pole is located on the lower side. The magnet  144  is provided to detect rotation of lever  140  by using magnetic sensor  150 . 
     In the lever  140  having the above-described structure, the longitudinal length from the rotation center  141 B to the lower end of the magnet  144  is set to a value greater than the longitudinal length from the rotation center  141 B to a part of the conical portion  142  that contacts the cam surface  131 A. For example, the longitudinal length from the rotation center  141 B to the lower end of the magnet  144  is set to about twice the longitudinal length from the rotation center  141 B to the part of the conical portion  142  that contacts the cam surface  131 A. The longitudinal length from the rotation center  141 B to the part of the conical portion  142  that contacts the cam surface  131 A is an example of a first length, and the length from the rotation center  141 B to the lower end of the magnet  144  that faces the magnetic sensor  150  is an example of a second length. 
     The lever  140  is a member that converts lateral movement of the knob  180  into rotational movement. Lateral movement of knob  180  is transmitted to the movable portion  130  via the holding portion  170 . When the movable portion  130  is slid in the lateral direction, the conical portion  142  in contact with the cam surface  131 A moves in the lateral direction, causing the lever  140  to rotate about the rotation center  141 B. Thus, the magnet  144  rotates about the rotation center  141 B. At this time, the lever  140  operates as a lever having the conical portion  142  serving as the point of effort, the spherical surface  141 A serving as the fulcrum, and the magnet  144  serving as the point of load. For this reason, if the length between the fulcrum and the point of load is set to a value greater than the length between the fulcrum and the point of effort, the lever  140  can be used as an amplifying device that amplifies the amount of movement of the point of load. That is, by amplifying the amount of movement of the magnet  144  at the point of load, the amount of change in the magnetic flux due to the movement of the magnet  144  can be amplified. If the amount of change in magnetic flux can be amplified, the magnetic sensor  150  can reliably detect a slight amount of movement of the knob  180 . The lever  140  has the above-described configuration to amplify a minute lateral movement of the conical portion  142  for detection by the magnetic sensor  150 . 
     For example, the magnetic sensor  150  is fixed to the lower surface of the substrate  101 . The magnetic sensor  150  is disposed to face the magnet  144  with the substrate  101  therebetween and detects a change in the magnetic flux that has passed through the substrate  101  when the lever  140  rotates about the rotation center  141 B and the magnet  144  moves. By detecting the amount of rotation of the magnet  144  using the magnetic sensor  150 , a slight amount of operation of the knob  180  can be detected. 
     The coil spring  160  is provided inside the groove portion  113  of the frame  110 . As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , when the lower end of the coil spring  160  is in contact with the bottom of the groove portion  113  and the upper end of the coil spring  160  is in contact with the lower surfaces of the four arm portions  141 C of the lever  140 , the coil spring  160  is compressed to a length less than its natural length. The coil spring  160  urges the conical portion  142  of the lever  140  toward the cam surface  131 A of the movable portion  130 . 
     The holder  165  is a member that is annular in plan view and is in slidable contact with the upper surface of the wall portion  132  of the movable portion  130  provided on the base portion  111  of the frame  110  via the slider base  125 . The holder  165  is made of, for example, metal and is fixed to the fixing portion  114  of the frame  110 . Since the upper surface of the wall portion  132  of the movable portion  130  is slidably pressed by the holder  165 , the slider base  125  and the movable portion  130  are laterally movable between the base portion  111  of the frame  110  and the lower surface of the holder  165  without shifting their positions in the up-down direction. 
     The holding portion  170  has a central part that engages with a central part  133  of the movable portion  130  and holds the knob  180 . The holding portion  170  is a member that transmits lateral movement of the knob  180  to the movable portion  130 . 
     The knob  180  is an example of an operating body that is moved in the lateral direction by an operation performed by an operator. The knob  180  is a cylindrical member. The shape of the knob is not limited to a cylindrical shape and may have any shape. The knob  180  is exposed to the outside of the cover  102  through an opening  102 A of the cover  102 . 
     The operation performed by the lever  140  of the input device  100  is described below with reference to  FIGS.  4 A to  6   .  FIGS.  4 A to  6    illustrate the operation performed by the input device  100 .  FIGS.  4 A,  4 B,  5 A,  5 B, and  6    illustrate the operation performed by the lever  140  when the knob  180  (refer to  FIG.  1   ) is gradually pushed to the right from the initial position illustrated in  FIG.  1   . More specifically,  FIGS.  4 A,  4 B,  5 A,  5 B, and  6    illustrate the operation statuses of the lever  140  when the knob  180  is moved right from the initial position by 0.1 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, and 0.9 mm, respectively. 
     In addition,  FIGS.  4 A,  4 B,  5 A,  5 B, and  6    illustrate the configurations in which part of the upper end side of the cam surface  131 A is a linear section. 
     Furthermore, when the knob  180  is moved laterally, the movable portion  130  also moves laterally via the holding portion  170  by the same amount. Therefore, hereinafter, the operation performed by the lever  140  caused by lateral movement of the knob  180  is described with reference to the operation performed by the lever  140  caused by the lateral movement of the movable portion  130 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  4 A , when the movable portion  130  moves right from the initial position by 0.1 mm, the left side of the side surface  142 A of the conical portion  142  is pressed by the cam surface  131 A, and the conical portion  142  is shifted from the position at which the conical portion  142  is initially in contact with the cam surface  131 A (refer to  FIGS.  1  and  2   ). More specifically, the position where the left side of the side surface  142 A is in contact with the cam surface  131 A shifts downward of the conical portion  142 , and the position where the right side of the side surface  142 A is in contact with the cam surface  131 A shifts upward of the conical portion  142 . As a result, the lever  140  as a whole moves slightly downward from the initial position and slightly rotates clockwise about the rotation center  141 B. At this time, the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  and the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112  are slightly separated. By providing this gap, dimensional variations and accumulated tolerances in the manufacture of parts can be adjusted, which enables the lever  140  to rotate smoothly. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  4 B , when the movable portion  130  moves right from the initial position by 0.3 mm, the left side of the side surface  142 A of the conical portion  142  is further pressed by the cam surface  131 A, and the position where the conical portion  142  is in contact with the cam surface  131 A in  FIG.  4 A  is shifted. More specifically, the position where the left side of the side surface  142 A is in contact with the cam surface  131 A is shifted further downward of the conical portion  142 , and the position where the right side of the side surface  142 A is in contact with the cam surface  131 A is shifted further upward of the conical portion  142 . As a result, the lever  140  as a whole moves further downward as compared with in  FIG.  4 A , and the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  is in contact with the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112 . Thus, the lever  140  rotates clockwise about the rotation center  141 B with the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  being in close contact with the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112  at least during rotation. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  5 A , when the movable portion  130  moves right from the initial position by 0.5 mm, the left side of the side surface  142 A of the conical portion  142  is further pressed by the cam surface  131 A, and the position where the conical portion  142  is in contact with the cam surface  131 A in  FIG.  4 B  is shifted. More specifically, the position where the left side of the side surface  142 A is in contact with the cam surface  131 A is shifted further downward of the conical portion  142 , and the position where the right side of the side surface  142 A is in contact with the cam surface  131 A is shifted further upward of the conical portion  142 . As a result, since the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  is in close contact with the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112 , the lever  140  further rotates clockwise about the rotation center  141 B while maintaining its position in the up-down direction substantially the same as in  FIG.  4 B . At this time, the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  rotates clockwise along the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112 , as compared with the position in  FIG.  4 B . Note that the situation where as illustrated in  FIG.  5 A , the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  is in close contact with the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112  is the same as the situation illustrated in  FIG.  4 B , so that the distance between the rotation center  141 B and the magnetic sensor  150  is the same as in  FIG.  4 B . Thus, in either situation, the distance between the rotation center  141 B and the magnetic sensor  150  remains unchanged. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  5 B , when the movable portion  130  moves right from the initial position by 0.7 mm, the left side of the side surface  142 A of the conical portion  142  is further pressed by the cam surface  131 A, and the position where the conical portion  142  is in contact with the cam surface  131 A in  FIG.  5 A  is shifted. More specifically, the position where the left side of the side surface  142 A is in contact with the cam surface  131 A is shifted further downward of the conical portion  142 , and the position where the right side of the side surface  142 A is in contact with the cam surface  131 A is shifted further upward of the conical portion  142 . As a result, since the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  is in close contact with the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112 , the position of the lever  140  in the up-down direction is substantially the same as in  FIG.  5 A . However, the lever  140  further rotates clockwise about the rotation center  141 B. At this time, the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  rotates clockwise along the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112  as compared to in  FIG.  5 A . Note that the situation where, as illustrated in  FIG.  5 B , the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  is in close contact with the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112  is the same as the situation illustrated in  FIG.  4 B , so that the distance between the rotation center  141 B and the magnetic sensor  150  is the same as in  FIG.  4 B . Thus, the distance between the rotation center  141 B and the magnetic sensor  150  remains unchanged. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  6   , when the movable portion  130  moves right from the initial position by 0.9 mm, the left side of the side surface  142 A of the conical portion  142  is further pressed by the cam surface  131 A, and the position where the conical portion  142  is in contact with the cam surface  131 A in  FIG.  5 B  is shifted. More specifically, the position where the left side of the side surface  142 A is in contact with the cam surface  131 A is shifted further downward of the conical portion  142 , and the position where the right side of the side surface  142 A is in contact with the cam surface  131 A is shifted further upward of the conical portion  142 . In  FIG.  6   , since the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  is in close contact with the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112 , the position of the lever  140  in the up-down direction is substantially the same as compared with in  FIG.  5 B . However, the lever  140  is further rotated clockwise about the rotation center  141 B. At this time, the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  rotates clockwise along the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112  as compared with in  FIG.  5 B . Note that the situation where the spherical surface  141 A of the lever  140  is in close contact with the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112  is the same as the situation illustrated in  FIG.  4 B . Thus, the distance between the rotation center  141 B and the magnetic sensor  150  is the same as in  FIG.  4 B , and the distance between the rotation center  141 B and the magnetic sensor  150  remains unchanged. 
     In the situation illustrated in  FIG.  6   , the amount of movement of the knob  180  reaches the maximum stroke of the knob  180 , which is the situation where the O-ring  120  is pressed by the movable portion  130  and is deformed to the elastic limit. Even in this situation, the right arm portion  141 C moves until just before contacting the upper end of the support portion  112 , and the left side of a flat portion moves until just before contacting the lower surface of the movable portion  130 . However, the arm portion  141 C and the flat portion are configured so as not to contact the support portion  112  and the movable portion  130 , respectively, even when the maximum stroke is reached. As a result, even when the maximum stroke is reached, the knob  180  is provided with only elastic touch feeling due to the elasticity of the O-ring  120  serving as the stopper. This is because if the arm portion  141 C or the flat portion is brought into contact with the support portion  112  or the movable portion  130 , an operator feels stronger resistive forces on the knob  180  during operation, and abnormal noise is generated. 
     As described above, the longitudinal length of the lever  140  from the rotation center  141 B to the lower end of the magnet  144  is greater than the longitudinal length of the lever  140  from the rotation center  141 B to the portion of the conical portion  142  that contacts the cam surface  131 A. Consequently, even if the amount of lateral movement of the knob  180  is slight, the amount of movement of the magnet  144  can be amplified, and the amount of change in magnetic flux can be increased. Therefore, even if the amount of lateral movement of the knob  180  is slight, a change in magnetic flux can be detected by the magnetic sensor  150 . 
     As a result, it is possible to provide the input device  100  capable of reliably detecting minute manipulations of the knob  180  in the lateral direction. Furthermore, since the lever  140  has the spherical surface  141 A, and the spherical surface  141 A is rotatably supported by the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112 , the lever  140  can be supported in a rotatable manner in multiple directions with a simplified structure. 
     In addition, the movable portion  130  has a cam surface  131 A that is in contact with the conical portion  142  of the lever  140 , and the conical portion  142  is urged against the cam surface  131 A by the biasing force of the coil spring  160 . By pressing the conical portion  142  against the cam surface  131 A, the rotation operation performed by the lever  140  can be stabilized. 
     In addition, since the lever  140  has the conical portion  142  that is in contact with the cam surface  131 A, the cam surface  131 A and the side surface  142 A of the conical portion  142  are stably fitted, and the lever  140  is not easily rotated even when an external force, such as impact or vibration, is applied to the lever  140 . Thus, it is possible to prevent an erroneous rotation operation of the lever  140  from being detected when the knob  180  is not operated. 
     In addition, when the knob  180  is not operated, the lever  140  is urged upward by the coil spring  160 , the spherical surface  141 A is separated from the arched surface  112 A of the support portion  112 , and the conical portion  142  is fitted to and held by the cam surface  131 A. When the knob  180  is operated, the conical portion  142  of the lever  140  is pressed down by the cam surface  131 A, the spherical surface  141 A is supported by the support portion  112 , and the spherical surface  141 A slides on the support portion  112  and rotates. As a result, when the knob  180  is operated, the lever  140  can be rotated in multiple directions while the distance between the rotation center  141 B of the lever  140  and the magnetic sensor  150  remains unchanged. This eliminates variation of the detection result of the magnetic sensor even when the operation is performed repeatedly, and the rotation operation performed by the lever  140  can be accurately detected at all times. 
     In the above description, the lever  140  has the conical portion  142  on the upper end side, and the conical portion  142  is engaged with the cam surface  131 A of the movable portion  130 . However, the shape of the first end portion of the lever  140  that engages with the cam surface  131 A is not limited to the conical portion  142 . The first end portion may have any shape that can be engaged with the cam surface  131 A when the operations illustrated in  FIGS.  4 A to  6    are performed. 
     In the above description, the knob  180  and the movable portion  130  are integrally slid in the same lateral direction. However, the operation performed by the knob  180  is not limited to lateral sliding. For example, the knob  180  may tilt, and the movable portion  130  may slide in accordance with the tilt. 
     In addition, the shape of the cam surface  131 A is not limited to the shape illustrated in  FIGS.  1  to  6   . The shape may be any shape that can be engaged with the first end portion of the lever  140  when the operations illustrated in  FIGS.  4 A to  6    are performed. 
     In addition, in the above description, the base portion  141  of the lever  140  has the spherical surface  141 A and is supported by the arched surface  112 A of the frame  110 . However, if the operations illustrated in  FIGS.  4 A to  6    can be performed, the shapes of the spherical surface  141 A and the arched surface  112 A are not limited to the shapes described above. For example, if the lever  140  is rotatable in only one specific direction, the shape of the base portion  141  of the lever need not be a spherical surface and can be a curved surface having a curvature that varies in the specific direction. 
     In addition, while the embodiment in which the lever  140  has four arm portions  141 C has been described above, the number of the arm portions  141 C and the structure of the arm portions  141 C are not limited to the number of arm portions and the structure described above. For example, the lever  140  may have an annular protrusion that is in contact with the upper end of the coil spring  160  instead of the arm portion  141 C. Such a protrusion is a protrusion that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the base portion  141  in the horizontal direction in an annular shape. 
     While the input device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.