PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11298611-B2
Application Number: US-202117351840-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: User input device and related methods

Abstract:
A user input device may include a shaft carried by a housing and having a first end extending outwardly beyond the housing for manipulation by a user and a second end within the housing. A set of one or more sensors may be carried by the housing to sense shaft movement. A first contact member may be within the housing, and a spring may be coupled between the first contact member and the shaft to urge the first contact member and the shaft apart. A motor may be carried within the housing and may have a rotatable output extending therefrom. A second contact member may be coupled to the rotatable output and may be in contact with the first contact member to be selectively moveable based upon motor rotation to set a spring compression and thereby set a return-to-center bias for the shaft while being manipulated.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A user input device, comprising:
 a housing; 
 a shaft carried by the housing and having a first end extending outwardly beyond the housing for manipulation by a user and a second end within the housing; 
 a set of one or more sensors carried by the housing to sense movement of the shaft; 
 a first contact member within the housing; 
 a spring coupled between the first contact member and the shaft and urging the first contact member and the shaft apart; 
 a motor carried within the housing and having a rotatable output extending therefrom; and 
 a second contact member coupled to the rotatable output and in contact with the first contact member to be selectively moveable based upon motor rotation to set a compression of the spring and thereby set a return-to-center bias for the shaft while the first end of the shaft is being manipulated. 
 
     
     
       2. The user input device of  claim 1 , wherein the spring comprises a coil spring. 
     
     
       3. The user input device of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the shaft has a shaft passageway therethrough; and 
 the first contact member is slidable within the shaft passageway. 
 
     
     
       4. The user input device of  claim 3 , wherein the coil spring is within the shaft passageway, between the first contact member and adjacent portions of the shaft. 
     
     
       5. The user input device of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the first contact member has a contact member passageway therein; and 
 the coil spring is within the contact member passageway. 
 
     
     
       6. The user input device of  claim 1 , wherein the first end of the shaft comprises a removable contact pad. 
     
     
       7. The user input device of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a controller coupled to the set of one or more sensors and the motor; wherein, 
 the controller is configured to set the rotatable output to move the first contact member to a release position for the removable contact pad. 
 
     
     
       8. The user input device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a controller coupled to the set of one or more sensors and the motor; wherein, 
 the controller is configured to operate the motor to set the return-to-center bias using an output of the set of one or more sensors. 
 
     
     
       9. A user input device, comprising:
 a housing; 
 a shaft carried by the housing and having a first end extending outwardly beyond the housing for manipulation by a user and a second end within the housing; 
 a plurality of sensors carried by the housing to sense movement of the shaft; 
 a first contact member within the housing; 
 a coil spring coupled between the first contact member and the shaft and urging the first contact member and the shaft apart; 
 a motor carried by the housing and having a rotatable output extending therefrom; 
 a second contact member coupled to the rotatable output and in contact with the first contact member, the second contact member positioned to be selectively moved in a direction determined by a direction of motor rotation, and to set a compression of the coil spring while the first end of the shaft is being manipulated; and 
 a controller coupled to the plurality of sensors and the motor and configured to operate the motor to set a return-to-center bias for the shaft at least partially in response to outputs of the plurality of sensors. 
 
     
     
       10. The user input device of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the shaft has a shaft passageway therethrough; and 
 the first contact member is slidable within the shaft passageway. 
 
     
     
       11. The user input device of  claim 10 , wherein the coil spring is within the shaft passageway between the first contact member and adjacent portions of the shaft. 
     
     
       12. The user input device according to  claim 10 , wherein the first contact member has a contact member passageway therein; and wherein the coil spring is within the contact member passageway. 
     
     
       13. The user input device of  claim 9 , wherein the first end of the shaft comprises a removable contact pad. 
     
     
       14. The user input device of  claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to set the rotatable output to move the first contact member to a release position for the removable contact pad. 
     
     
       15. A method of making a user input device, comprising:
 mounting a shaft and associated sensors within a housing so that a first end of the shaft extends outwardly beyond the housing for manipulation by a user and a second end of the shaft is within the housing; and 
 mounting a return-to-center bias arrangement to the shaft, the return-to-center bias arrangement comprising a first contact member within the housing, 
 a spring urging the first contact member and the shaft apart, 
 a motor having a rotatable output extending therefrom, and 
 a second contact member coupled to the rotatable output and in contact with the first contact member to be selectively moved in a direction determined by a direction of motor rotation to set a compression of the spring and thereby set a return-to-center bias for the shaft while the first end of the shaft is being manipulated. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the spring comprises a coil spring. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the shaft has a shaft passageway therethrough; and 
 the first contact member is slidable within the shaft passageway. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the coil spring is within the shaft passageway between the first contact member and adjacent portions of the shaft. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 17 , wherein;
 the first contact member has a contact member passageway therein; and 
 the coil spring is within the contact member passageway. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 15 , wherein;
 the first end of the shaft comprises a removable contact pad; and 
 the motor sets the rotatable output to move the first contact member to a release position for the removable contact pad.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/915,389, filed Jun. 29, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully disclosed herein. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of electronics, and, more particularly, to the field of user input devices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A joystick is a type of user input device, for example, for use with a gaming controller. A typical joystick includes a stick or shaft that is moved by a user relative to a center position to provide input, for example, 360-degree control in two dimensions. A joystick may be self-centering, for example, and may return to the center position when user input is removed. 
     One type of joystick is a thumbstick. Similarly to a joystick, a stick or shaft is moved by a user relative to a center position to provide input. However, unlike a joystick, for example, where the user&#39;s hand is engaged with the shaft, a thumbstick includes a relatively short shaft that is operated by the user&#39;s thumb. In other words, the shaft is sized so that the user cannot typically move the shaft by engaging the user&#39;s whole hand. 
     SUMMARY 
     A user input device may include a housing and a shaft carried by the housing. The shaft may have a first end extending outwardly beyond the housing for manipulation by a user and a second end within the housing. The user input device may also include a set of one or more sensors carried by the housing to sense movement of the shaft, and a first contact member within the housing. The user input device may also include a spring coupled between the first contact member and the shaft to urge the first contact member and the shaft apart, and a motor carried within the housing and having a rotatable output extending therefrom. A second contact member may be coupled to the rotatable output and may be in contact with the first contact member to be selectively moveable based upon motor rotation to set a compression of the spring and thereby set a return-to-center bias for the shaft while the first end of the shaft is being manipulated. 
     The spring may include a coil spring, for example. The shaft may have a shaft passageway therethrough, and the first contact member may be slidable within the shaft passageway. 
     The coil spring may be within the shaft passageway between the first contact member and adjacent portions of the shaft. The first contact member may have a contact member passageway therein, and the coil spring may be within the contact member passageway, for example. 
     The first end of the shaft may include a removable contact pad, for example. The user input device may also include a controller coupled to the set of one or more sensors and the motor. The controller may be configured to set the rotatable output to move the first contact member to a release position for the removable contact pad, for example. The controller may be configured to operate the motor to set the return-to-center bias based upon the set of one or more sensors, for example. 
     A method aspect is directed to a method of making a user input device. The method may include mounting a shaft and associated sensors within a housing so that a first end of the shaft extends outwardly beyond the housing for manipulation by a user and a second end of the shaft is within the housing. The method may also include mounting a return-to-center bias arrangement to the shaft. The return-to-center bias arrangement may include a first contact member within the housing, a spring urging the first contact member and the shaft apart, and a motor having a rotatable output extending therefrom. The return-to-center bias arrangement may also include a second contact member coupled to the rotatable output and in contact with the first contact member to be selectively moved in a direction determined by a direction of motor rotation to set a compression of the spring and thereby set a return-to-center bias for the shaft while the first end of the shaft is being manipulated. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a game controller including a thumbstick user input device according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a thumbstick user input device according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of a thumbstick user input device according to another embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of a thumbstick user input device according to another embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of a thumbstick user input device according to another embodiment. 
         FIG. 6 a    is a schematic diagram of a portion of a thumbstick user input device including a removable thumb contact pad in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 6 b    is a schematic diagram of the portion of the thumbstick user input device of  FIG. 6 a    with the removable thumb contact pad removed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime and multiple prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments. 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , an input device, illustratively in the form of a gaming controller  20 , includes a controller housing  21  and a directional keypad  22  carried by the controller housing. The directional keypad  22  includes discrete pushbuttons  23   a - 23   d  corresponding to up, down, left, and right directions. The gaming controller  20  also includes pushbutton input devices  24   a - 24   d  carried by the controller housing  21  that may have different functions associated therewith based upon a game being played. The gaming controller  20  also illustratively includes first and second thumbstick user input devices  30  carried by the controller housing  21 , for example, for operation by a user&#39;s left and right thumbs. Controller circuitry  25  may be carried by the controller housing  21  and may be coupled to the directional keypad  22 , pushbutton input device  24   a - 24   d , and thumbstick user input device  30 , and may include wireless communications circuitry, for example, for wirelessly communicating with a gaming console. 
     While two thumbstick user input devices  30  are illustrated, the gaming controller  20  may include any number of thumbstick user input devices. Similarly, there may be any number of pushbutton input devices  24   a - 24   d  and a directional keypad  22  may not be included. Moreover, while a gaming controller  20  is described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, as an input device, the gaming controller may be used for other and/or additional input functions, such as non-gaming functions. 
     Referring now additionally to  FIG. 2 , the thumbstick user devices  30  each include a housing  31 . The housing  31  may include multiple portions or segments, for example, a cover  34   a , motor housing  34   c , and a housing body  34   b  coupled between the cover and motor housing. 
     A shaft  32  is carried by the housing  31 . The shaft  32  has an upper end  33  that extends outwardly beyond the housing  31 , for example, through the cover  34   a , for manipulation by the user&#39;s thumb. Accordingly, the cover  34   a  may include a flexible material to permit movement when the shaft  32  is manipulated by a user&#39;s thumb. 
     The shaft  32  has a lower end  35  that is within the housing  31 . The shaft has a passageway  36  therethrough. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a thumbstick module or yoke  38  is carried by the shaft  32 . The upper end  33  of the shaft  32  has a removable thumb contact pad  48 . 
     Sensors  41   a ,  41   b  are carried by the housing  31  to sense movement of the shaft  32 . The sensors  41   a ,  41   b  may be position sensors, for example, to sense a position or relative motion of the shaft  32 . There may be any number of sensors  41   a ,  41   b.    
     The thumbstick user input device  30  includes a first contact member  51  within the housing  31 . More particularly, the first contact member  51 , which is part of a return-to-center bias arrangement  50 , may be slidable within shaft passageway  36 . The first contact member  51  may define an actuator, for example. The first contact member  51  has a lower portion  68 , for example, not within the shaft passageway  36 , that has a generally flat or rectangular shape and has a slot  67  therein to engage a second contact member  61 , as will be described in further detail below. 
     The thumbstick user input device  30 , or more particularly, the return-to-center bias arrangement  50 , also includes a spring  37  that is coupled between the first contact member  51  and the shaft  32 , and more particularly, within the shaft passageway  36  between the first contact member and adjacent portions of the shaft. The spring  37 , which is illustratively in the form of a coil spring, urges the first contact member  51  and the shaft  32  apart. Of course, while a coil spring is described, the spring  37  may be another type of spring. More than one spring may be included. 
     A motor  45 , for example an electric motor, is carried at a bottom of the housing  31 . More particularly, the motor  45 , which is part of the return-to-center bias arrangement  50 , is carried by the motor housing  34   c . The motor  45  has a rotatable output  46  extending upwardly therefrom. The rotatable output  46  is illustratively in the form of a motor shaft  65  and threaded bushing  66  that engages the shaft. A biasing member in the form of a balance spring  47  is coupled between the motor  45  and motor housing  34   c.    
     The return-to-center bias arrangement  50  includes the second contact member  61 , which is coupled to the rotatable output  46 . The second contact member  61  is in contact with the first contact member  51  and is selectively moveable in an upward or downward direction based upon motor rotation to set a compression of the spring  37  and thereby set a return-to-center bias for the shaft  32  while the upper end  33  of the shaft is being manipulated by the user&#39;s thumb. The second contact member  61  includes a threaded lead screw  62  and a guide member  63  carried by the threaded lead screw and that engages the lower portion  68  of the first contact member  51  adjacent the slot  67 . Operation of the motor  45  causes the threaded shaft or rotatable output  46  of the motor to spin. The rotatable output  46 , by way of the threads, engages the threaded lead screw  62  to cause the threaded lead screw and guide member  63  to move in the upward or downward direction. 
     More particularly, a controller  70  may be coupled to the sensors  41   a ,  41   b  and the motor  45 . The controller  70  operates the motor to set the return-to-center bias based upon the sensors  41   a ,  41   b . For example, the sensors  41   a ,  41   b  may sense movements or manipulation of the upper end  33  of the shaft  32  by the user&#39;s thumb. The sensed position of the shaft off-center is provided as an input to the controller  70 , which in turn selectively operates the motor  45  to set the return-to-center bias. In other words, operation of the motor  45  sets the appropriate compression so that the shaft  32  returns to the center position. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , in another embodiment, the shaft  32 ′ may include a further shaft  42 ′ within the shaft passageway  36 ′. The first contact member  51 ′ may include a sleeve  43 ′ defining a contact member passageway  88 ′ that slides over the further shaft  42 ′. The spring  37 ′ surrounds the further shaft  42 ′ and the sleeve  43 ′ within the shaft passageway  36 ′. The first contact member  51 ′ has a lower portion  68 ′, for example, not within the shaft passageway  36 ′, that has a generally flat or rectangular shape and has a slot  67 ′ therein to engage the second contact member  61 ′. 
     The second contact member  61 ′ is coupled to the rotatable output  46 ′, which is in the form of a motor shaft  65 ′ and threaded bushing  66 ′ that engages the shaft. A cover  64 ′ is carried by the threaded bushing  66 ′ over the motor shaft  65 ′. The second contact member  61 ′ is in contact with the first contact member  51 ′ and is selectively moveable in an upward or downward direction based upon motor rotation to set a compression of the spring  37 ′ and thereby set a return-to-center bias for the shaft  32 ′ while the upper end  33 ′ of the shaft is being manipulated by the user&#39;s thumb. The second contact member  61 ′, similarly to the embodiments described above, includes a threaded lead screw  62 ′ and a guide member  63 ′ carried by the threaded lead screw. However, in the present embodiments, the threaded lead screw  62 ′ and a guide member  63 ′ have a diameter or are sized larger the embodiments described above. Similar to the embodiments described above, operation of the motor  45 ′ causes the threaded shaft or rotatable output  46 ′ of the motor to spin. The rotatable output  46 ′, by way of the threads, engages the threaded lead screw  62 ′ to cause the threaded lead screw, and thus the guide member  63 ′ in the upward or downward direction. Elements illustrated but not specifically described are similar to those described above. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , in another embodiment, the shaft  32 ″ may include a further shaft  42 ″ within the shaft passageway  36 ″. The first contact member  51 ″ may include a sleeve  43 ″ defining a contact member passageway  88 ″ that slides over the further shaft  42 ″. The spring  37 ″ surrounds the further shaft  42 ″ and the sleeve  43 ″ within the shaft passageway  36 ″. The first contact member  51 ″ has a lower portion  68 ″, for example, not within the shaft passageway  36 ′, that has a generally inverted trapezoidal cross-sectional shape. 
     The second contact member  61 ″ is coupled to the rotatable output  46 ″, which is in the form of a motor shaft  65 ″ and bushing  66 ″, which may be threaded, that engages the motor shaft. A cover  64 ″ is carried by the bushing  66 ″ over the motor shaft  65 ″. The second contact member  61 ″ engages the cover  64 ″ and has a frusto-conical shape defining a cavity to receive the lower portion  68 ″ of the first contact member  51 ″ therein. The second contact member  61 ″ is in contact with the first contact member  51 ″, and more particularly, the lower portion  68 ″, and is selectively moveable in an upward or downward direction based upon motor rotation to set a compression of the spring  37 ″ and thereby set a return-to-center bias for the shaft  32 ″ while the upper end  33 ″ of the shaft is being manipulated by the user&#39;s thumb. Elements illustrated but not specifically described are similar to those described above. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , in another embodiment, the first contact member  51 ′″ has a contact member passageway  88 ′″, for example, defined by a sleeve  43 ′″, similar to the embodiments described above. The spring or coil spring  37 ′″ is within the contact member passageway  88 ′″. 
     The lower portion  68 ′″ of the first contact member  51 ′″ is shaped similarly to the first contact member described above with respect to  FIG. 4 . Moreover, the second contact member  61 ′″ is also shaped similarly to the second contact member  61 ″ described above with respect to  FIG. 4 . The present second contact member  61 ′″, however, includes a protrusion  87 ″ on a bottom side or side opposite from where it engages with the first contact member  51 ″″. 
     Instead of a motor, the thumbstick user input device  30 ″ of the present embodiments may include a solenoid  80 ″. Operation of an electromagnet  81 ′ causes a shaft  82 ″ to extend. A bracket  83 ″ is coupled between the shaft  82 ′ and the protrusion  87 ″. The bracket  83 ′ is also hingably coupled to the housing  31 ″ and biased from the housing by way of a bracket spring  86 ″ so that operation of the solenoid  80 ″ or extension of the shaft  82 ″ causes compression of the bracket spring  86 ″ and the bracket to engage the protrusion  87 ′. In other words, by way of operation of the solenoid  80 ″, the first contact member  51 ′ is selectively moveable in an upward or downward direction to set a compression of the spring  37 ″ and thereby set a return-to-center bias for the shaft  32 ″ while the upper end  33 ″ of the shaft is being manipulated by the user&#39;s thumb. Elements illustrated but not specifically described are similar to those described above. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 6 a  and 6 b   , in another embodiment, the controller  70 ″″ may operate the motor to set the rotatable output  46 ″″ to move the first contact member  51 ″″ to a release position for the removable thumb contact pad  48 ″″. Operation of the motor releases detent bodies  93 ″″ so that the removable thumb contact pad  48 ″″ is positioned to a secondary retention. A user, for example, may then manually remove or separate the removable thumb contact pad  48 ″″ from the upper end  33 ″ of the shaft  32 ″″. A cover may provide a cap to the opening where the removable thumb contact pad  48 ″ is coupled to the shaft  32 ″″. To replace the removable thumb contact pad  48 ″, the user may press the removable thumb contact pad  48 ″″ into the opening to engage the detent bodies  93 ″″. Elements illustrated but not specifically described are similar to those described above. 
     A method aspect is directed to a method of making a thumbstick user input device  30 . The method includes mounting a shaft  32  and associated sensors  41   a ,  41   b  within a housing  31  so that an upper end  33  of the shaft extends outwardly beyond the housing for manipulation by a user&#39;s thumb and a lower end  35  of the shaft is within the housing. The method also includes mounting a return-to-center bias arrangement  50  to the shaft  32 . The return-to-center bias arrangement  50  includes a first contact member  51  within the housing  31 , a spring  37  coupled between the first contact member and the shaft  32  to urge the first contact member and the shaft apart, and a motor  45  carried at a bottom of the housing and having a rotatable output  46  extending upwardly therefrom. The return-to-center bias arrangement  50  also includes a second contact member  61  coupled to the rotatable output  46  and in contact with the first contact member  51  to be selectively moveable in an upward or downward direction based upon motor rotation to set a compression of the spring  37  and thereby set a return-to-center bias for the shaft  32  while the upper end  33  of the shaft is being manipulated by the user&#39;s thumb. 
     While several embodiments have been described herein, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any element or elements from one or more embodiments may be used with any other element or elements from any other embodiment or embodiments. Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20210618
Publication Date: 20220412
Grant Date: 20220412
Priority Date: 20200629
Inventors: FLORI, CALEB J.
ABRAHAM, COLIN J.
KIM, MIN C.
LIU, XUAN
Pong, Joshua J.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "A63F2300/1043", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A63F13/24", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A63F13/24", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A63F13/24", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A63F2300/1043", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 76861524