Patent ID: 8368644

Claim:
An operation feeling giving input device comprising: an operation member that is displaced to an arbitrary operational position according to the operation of an operator; an actuator that changes the operational position of the operation member separately from the operation of the operator by applying an operational force to the operation member; operational position detecting means that detects the operational position of the operation member; storage means that stores information about display area of a button displayed on a predetermined display screen; and control means that outputs a control signal for displaying a pointer on the display screen at an indicated position (x, y) corresponding to the operational position of the operation member, the control means driving the actuator to generate a lead-in force that changes the operational position of the operation member to move the pointer toward the inside of the button displayed on the display screen, wherein the length of a display area of the button in a vertical direction is different from the length of the display area of the button in a horizontal direction, wherein if a position in respect of a longitudinal central axis of the indicated position (x, y) of the pointer is positioned in a range corresponding to the display area of the button and satisfies (x 0 −W)≦x≦(x 0 +W), W being a distance from a central position (x 0 , y 0 ) to a boundary of the display area of the button along the longitudinal central axis, the indicated position (x, y) of the pointer is changed to a changed position by changing the x coordinate (x) of the indicated position (x, y) into the x coordinate (x 0 ) of the central position (x 0 , y 0 ), wherein if the indicated position is positioned outside a range corresponding to the display area of the button and satisfies (x 0 +W)<x, the indicated position (x, y) is changed to a changed position by shifting the indicated position (x, y) toward the central position (x 0 , y 0 ) by a predetermined distance along the longitudinal central axis, and wherein the control means calculates a magnitude of the lead-in force based on a distance between the central position of the display area of the button and the changed position of the pointer.