Multiple position switches and specifically in-line multiple position switches where a user has definitive points of on and off switching which are used to turn multiple redundant internal circuit switches on and off. This can provide for increased reliability of switch operation.

A joystick has a lever and a housing. The lever is pivotable around a pivot axis. The joystick has a support plate carrying at least one sensor. The sensor has at least one coil generating a magnetic field. An eddy current is induced into the coil. At least one metal flag is movable relative to the coil. The motion of the metal flag coincides with the tilting motion of the lever.

The problem to be addressed is to provide a highly safe and compact switch that is adapted to improvements in portability, weight reduction and size reduction of machines, or the like. An operating part has a button covering the upper part of a cylindrical housing that receives a downward pushing operation and a rotational operation. A contact unit part has contacts which open by being coupled to the downward pushing operation of the button. A twisting coil spring is disposed on the interior of the button, one end being joined to the housing, and the other end being joined to the button. A latch part disposed to the interior of the twisting coil spring, has a plunger coil spring that expands and contracts in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the downward pushing operation, and when a downward pushing operation is performed on the button, causes a sliding rod to slide along an inner wall of the housing while being displaced in the direction of the downward pushing operation.

Disclosed is a multi-directional input device. The device includes: an upper case, defining an opening part in a center of a top part; a first operating member, protruding from the opening part and including a flange; a first sliding member, defining a first opening; an elastic piece, arranged on an outer periphery of the first sliding member and configured to push the first sliding member back to an origin position; a second and third sliding members sliding in X and Y directions, respectively; a first and second movable contacts provided on the second the third sliding members, respectively; a circuit board, including a first and second fixed contacts; a push member including a flat part in contact with the flange and a boss; a coil spring, pushing the push member upward; a first support, configured to hold the push member at an upper limit position; and a lower case.

An input device includes: an operation part being slidable in a first direction along a reference plane and in a second direction along the reference plane; and a slide detector detecting that the operation part slides. The slide detector includes a rocking body and a rocking motion detector, the rocking body is inclined with respect to the reference plane in accordance with a sliding movement of the operation part, and the rocking motion detector detects that the rocking body is inclined.

A switch assembly including a socket, a top cap, and an intermediate cart located in the socket. The intermediate cart is slidable with the socket. The top cap is in a spherical or pivot engagement with the intermediate cart. An activation force of the sliding movement is lower than an activation force of the spherical or pivot movement.

A switch device includes an operating knob on which a tilting operation is performed, a detected portion that tilts with the tilting operation of the operating knob, a detection portion that detects movement of the detected portion, and a substrate on which the detection portion is arranged. The detection portion is aligned in an in-plane direction of the substrate and performs a switching operation upon detection of movement of the detected portion in the in-plane direction.

An electronic watch may include a tactile switch and/or one or more sensors for detecting rotational and translational inputs. The watch may include a display configured to produce graphical outputs that may change in response to rotational inputs, translational inputs, and/or touch inputs received at the display. The watch include a crown positioned along an exterior of the watch enclosure and a shaft coupled to the crown and extending into the enclosure. The tactile switch and/or the one or more sensors may be used to detect rotational and/or translational inputs provided at the crown.

A joystick has a lever and a housing. The lever is pivotable around a pivot axis. The joystick has a support plate carrying at least one sensor. The sensor has at least one coil generating a magnetic field. An eddy current is induced into the coil. At least one metal flag is movable relative to the coil. The motion of the metal flag coincides with the tilting motion of the lever.

A switch operation mechanism includes: a knob configured to be rotatable about a first rotation axis; a rotor configured to be rotatable about a second rotation axis; a first transmission mechanism configured to transmit rotation of the knob to the rotor and including a slide mechanism configured to allow displacement of the knob in a first direction intersecting with the second rotation axis; and a second transmission mechanism configured to convert the displacement of the knob in the first direction into an operation of a switch.