Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02465946 2004-04-30
JOYSTICK HOUSING AND MOUNTING BRACKET
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of joystick and joystick housing mounting
brackets, and in particular to an improved mounting bracket allowing
adjustment of the
orientation of the joystick for the comfort of the user.
Background of the Invention
In the prior art, applicant is aware of United States Patent No. 5,675,359
which
issued October 7, 1997 to Anderson for a Joystick Controller. As set out
therein, it is known
in the prior art that Joystick controllers are used to translate operator
manipulations to
electrical control signals. At least a direction and often velocity of motion
are controlled.
Typical applications are found in industrial equipment and construction
equipment, such as
forklift trucks and excavating equipment, where a joystick can provide one-
hand operation of
direction and speed in order to free the operator's other hand for controlling
other aspects of
the machine. Other typical applications for joysticks are in booms, trenching
equipment,
jetways, and the like. It is important that joysticks used in such industrial,
construction and
transportation devices be dependable and accurate in their response to
operator inputs. In this
regard, it is desirable that a joystick include rugged mechanical structure
for receiving the
operator manipulation, and means for translating the operator input into
control signals which
are accurate and cannot be abused or damaged by such operator inputs.
What is set out as being provided in the device of Anderson is a joystick
controller for omnidirectional pivoting manual displacement by an operator to
produce
electrical control signals, comprising a mounting plate and a joystick shaft
extending through
the mounting plate and gimbal mounted to the mounting plate intermediate its
length. The
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joystick shaft has an operator's knob on one end thereof, and a gauge plate is
mounted to the
other end of the joystick shaft.
What is neither taught nor suggested, and which it is an object to provide, is
an
improved joystick controller mounting bracket allowing for simplified angular
adjustment of
the joystick orientation for the comfort of the user.
Summary of the Invention
T'he joystick housing and mounting bracket of the present invention may
include a rigid upstanding member pivotally mounted into an upper end of a
housing which is
shaped around its exterior as a three-dimensional curvilinear body, the
housing mounted or
mountable in a snug ball-and-socket fit between a pair of annular rings
sandwiching
therebetween in a pinch fitment the girth-band around the housing having the
largest
circumference. Releasable fastening means for clamping the pair of annular
rings together are
adapted for release by a user so as to release the pinch-fit of the rings
clamping the girth-band
therebetween. Once so released, the housing may be rotated in the manner of a
ball within the
socket formed between the pair of annular rings so as to incline or angle the
upstanding
member, when in its at-rest position generally orthogonal to the top of the
housing, so that,
when a handle for grasping by the user is mounted on the member, the handle is
correspondingly inclined to a comfortable position for use by the user. Once
so inclined, the
housing may be clamped into the inclined orientation by the user re-fastening
or re-clamping
together the pair of annular rings by the fastening means.
It is not intended that the illustrated truncated sphere or ball shape of the
housing be limiting. Other three-dimensional curvilinear shaped bodies will
work, for
example those which are other zones of a sphere or ellipsoids or other
spheroids, whether
truncated or not, so long as they may be inclined in a base or releasably
fixed or otherwise
engaged in the inclined position in the base by a releasable engaging means.
Collectively they
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are referred to herein as spheroids. The pair of annular rings are but one
example of such an
engaging means, wherein the base, such as the lower annular ring, is mountable
to a rigid
supporting surface such as a consol or arm-rest.
In summary, the joystick according to the present invention includes a handle,
a
base shaft having opposite upper and lower ends, and a curvilinear housing.
The handle is
mounted on the upper end of the base shaft. The lower end of the base shaft is
mounted into
the curvilinear housing.
T'he curvilinear housing has an outer curvilinear surface formed so as to
include
at least a clamp support portion of a zone of a spheroid between two generally
horizontal and
parallel planes. The zone includes a portion of the spheroid having the
maximum
circumference of the spheroid so that the curvilinear housing may be braced by
clamped
support of the portion. A releasable clamp having at least two cooperating
clamp members is
releasably mountable by releasable fasteners onto the clamp support portion
along a clamp-
member interface so as to support and clamp therebetween the portion of the
spheroid having
the maximum circumference of the spheroid.
In one embodiment, the clamp-member interface may be substantially vertical.
In another embodiment the clamp-member interface may be substantially
horizontal.
In a preferred embodiment not intended to be limiting, the spheroid or
curvilinear housing is a sphere and the clamp support portion of the zone is a
continuous
curvilinear band around the spheroid or sphere or curvilinear housing.
Where the interface is horizontal, the clamp members may be plates each
having apertures sized to snugly mate onto the spheroid. The releasable
fasteners may be
threaded fasteners releasably mating the plates together so as to sandwich
therebetween the
zone containing the maximum circumference. The fasteners may be vertical.
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Where the interface is vertical, clamp members may be a pair of C-shaped
channelled brackets mounted in opposed facing relation so as to form a snug
ring around the
band. Because the band contains the maximum circumference, the spheroid is
thereby
clamped and supported within the ring. The channel brackets may have contact
channels
contacting the spheroid around the snug ring. The contact channels may be
concave in cross-
section. The releasable fasteners may be threaded fasteners releasably mating
the channelled
brackets together so as to sandwich the band therebetween. The threaded
fasteners rnay be
horizontal.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is an environmental view of the joystick according to the present
invention with a control handle and flexible boot installed thereon.
Figure 2 shows the joystick of Figure 1 in a vertical position in relation to
the
mounting brackets.
Figure 3 shows the joystick of Figure 2 in an inclined position in relation to
the
mounting brackets.
Figure 4 is a top view of the mounting brackets of Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view through the shaft and housing of Figure 2.
Figure 6 is, in perspective view, a further embodiment of the joystick housing
and mounting bracket according to the present invention.
Figure 7 is a sectional view along line 7-7 in Figure 6.
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Figure 8a is, in right side elevation view, the device of Figure 6.
Figure 8b is, in rear elevation view, the device of Figure 6.
Figure 8c is, in plan view, the device of Figure 6.
Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention
With reference to the drawings wherein similar characters are referenced and
denote corresponding parts in each view, in Figure 1 the joystick according to
the present
invention has a control handle 10 and a flexible boot or casing 12 mounted
thereon.
As illustrated in Figure 2, casing 12 and control handle 10 may be removed to
expose the joystick supporting structure according to the present invention. A
shaft 14 is
pivotally mounted, for example with two degrees of freedom, to, so to protrude
from, a
curvilinear housing 16 and which rnay be deflected in direction B inclined out
of an initial rest
position orthogonal to the top of the housing. Shaft 14 is resiliently biased
by a spring 28 so as
to urge from inclined positions to its rest position. Sensors (not shown) are
provided in
housing 16 to sense the different angular positions of shaft 14 relative to
housing 16 and to
generate an output signal which may be used to control and operate a machine,
vehicle, vehicle
functions, or the like.
Base 18 is mounted to the lower end of curvilinear housing 16. Curvilinear
housing is releasably clamped between a pair of mounting brackets 22 and 24
having a
generally horizontal planar clamping or clamp-member interface zone
therebetween. In this
embodiment the interface zone is a continuous band around the sphere of the
curvilinear
housing, although this is not intended to be limiting. Lower mounting bracket
22 snugly fits
around housing 16 and is snugly attached by a plurality of bolts through
apertures such as
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aperture 22a to a surface 20 such as an armrest, dashboard or the like, so
that part of housing
16 is above surface 20 and the other part is underneath surface 20. Upper
angular mounting
bracket 24 snugly fits around housing 16 and above lower angular mounting
bracket 22. A
plurality of screws 26 are journalled through apertures in upper mounting
bracket 24 and into
lower mounting bracket 22 so as to fix housing 16 in place. In particular,
housing 16 may be
shaped as a ball or sphere or other three dimensional body of revolution
(herein also
collectively referred to as a spheroid) truncated top and bottom by top plate
l da and base 18
respectively, wherein the maximum girth, or alternatively circumference, of
the housing is
supported by, and sandwiched in a socket formed between, annular brackets 22
and 24
collectively to form a spheroid-and-socket mounting between the housing and
brackets. Thus
the housing 16 may be rotated relative to the sandwiching of the two brackets
when the
brackets are separated to release the frictional mounting of the brackets
tightened onto the
maximum girth of the housing.
In Figure 2, housing 16 is fixed in a vertical orientation such that shaft 14
is
parallel with axis A, where axis A is perpendicular to mounting brackets 22
and 24. By
loosening screws 26, brackets 22 and 24 are separated and the angle and
orientation of housing
16 may be adjusted. Housing 16 may then be realigned to a comfortable position
for the
operator, and anchored in a new position by the tightening of screws 26. For
example, as
illustrated in Figure 3, housing 16 is aligned such that the rest position of
shaft 14 lies 15
degrees from axis A. The spheroid -and-socket form of mounting provides
greater flexibility
in designing work environments, and allows operators to easily adjust the
position and
orientation of housing 16, and thus handle 10, to suit their particular
preferences and to be
most comfortable at rest.
In the alternative embodiment of Figures 6, 7, 8a-8c the interface between the
pair of clamping brackets or members is a generally planar interface zone 30.
Left and right
mounting brackets 32a and 32b releasably clamp tightly together around the
maximum
circumference 34 or girth of at least a portion of the spheroid-shaped
curvilinear housing 36 of
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the joystick. The brackets, when tightened securely to each other, hold the
housing 36 in a
band 36a containing the maximum circumference 34. The contact channels of the
brackets are
concave in at least the cross-section of Figure 7. When the two clamping
screws 38 are
loosened, the housing may be repositioned for example approximately to a
maximum of
twenty-four degrees about any of the x, y, z principal axes. The screw holes
40 are used to
fasten the brackets to a consol or seat arm-rest (not shown).
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing
disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of
this invention
without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of
the invention is
to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following
claims.
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