An integrated finger wheel structure capable of rotation and sideways pressing

Abstract

The present invention discloses an integrated finger wheel structure capable of rotation and side pressing, comprising a fixed base having a base bottom plate, a front side vertical plate and a rear side vertical plate; a roller assembly having a roller component, a dividing turntable, a turntable shaft, a roller sleeve and a limit pin, wherein the roller component, the dividing turntable, the turntable shaft, the roller sleeve and the limit pin have a common axis and the axis extends in the front-rear direction; a micro switch, which is placed on the base bottom plate; and a support assembly. The present invention has the beneficial effect of integrating the dividing turntable into the interior of the roller component, thereby reducing the overall volume of the product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a thumb wheel structure, in particular to an integrated thumb wheel structure capable of rotating and being pressed laterally. Background Art

[0002] At present, the traditional thumbwheel fixes the roller and the indexing plate on a shaft respectively, and installs a plunger mechanism on the housing to cooperate with the indexing plate to realize the indexing function when the thumbwheel is rotated, and the pressing function is realized by rotating at the hinge of the shaft end when pressed. This structure is large in size because the thumbwheel parts are separated from the indexing plate. When pressed, the indexing plate and the plunger mechanism on the housing are in an unstable contact state, which affects the tactile feedback effect during operation and reduces the operating comfort. In order to solve this problem, it is urgent to design an integrated thumbwheel structure that can be rotated and pressed laterally. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems in the prior art and to provide a novel integrated finger wheel structure capable of rotation and sideways pressing.

[0004] In order to achieve this purpose, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows: an integrated finger wheel structure capable of rotation and sideways pressing comprises:

[0005] A fixed base, comprising a base bottom plate, a front side vertical plate and a rear side vertical plate, wherein the front side vertical plate and the rear side vertical plate are opposite to each other, a U-shaped notch opening upward is formed on the front side vertical plate, and a long waist hole extending in the up-down direction is formed on the rear side vertical plate;

[0006] The roller assembly comprises a roller component, a dividing turntable, a turntable shaft, a roller sleeve and a limit pin, wherein the roller component, the dividing turntable, the turntable shaft, the roller sleeve and the limit pin have a common axis and the axis extends in the front-rear direction, a turntable chamber is formed inside the roller component, the dividing turntable is accommodated in the turntable chamber, the turntable chamber has a dividing surface corresponding to the dividing turntable, the dividing surface cooperates with the dividing turntable, the turntable shaft is placed between the front side vertical plate and the roller component, and the front end of the turntable shaft extends forward to the inside of the U-shaped notch, The U-shaped notch supports the front end of the turntable shaft, the rear end of the turntable shaft penetrates the roller component backwards and extends into the turntable chamber to be fixedly connected to the indexing turntable, the roller sleeve surrounds the outer side of the turntable shaft and is placed between the front side vertical plate and the roller component, the roller sleeve has a sleeve front section and a sleeve rear section, the rear end of the sleeve rear section is fixedly connected to the roller component, the limit pin has a pin front section and a pin rear section, the pin front section extends into the turntable chamber and is fixedly connected to the indexing turntable, the pin rear section extends to the inside of the elongated waist hole;

[0007] A micro switch is placed on the bottom plate of the base, the button portion of the micro switch is directly below the rear section of the sleeve, and the rear section of the sleeve abuts against or faces the button of the micro switch; and

[0008] A support assembly is placed on the base bottom plate and is located directly below the front section of the shaft sleeve, and the support assembly is used to support the front section of the shaft sleeve.

[0009] As a preferred solution of an integrated finger wheel structure that can be rotated and pressed laterally, the roller component has a wheel body and a wheel cover, the wheel body is formed with a accommodating groove opening toward the rear, the wheel body is fixedly connected to the wheel cover and the wheel cover seals the opening of the accommodating groove, and the wheel cover and the accommodating groove jointly define the turntable chamber.

[0010] As a preferred solution of an integrated finger wheel structure capable of rotation and sideways pressing, the indexing turntable comprises a disc, a spring and a steel ball, the outer circumference of the disc is formed with a radially extending blind hole, the number of the blind holes is two, and the blind holes are arranged opposite to each other in the radial direction, the spring and the steel ball are arranged inside the blind holes, wherein the spring is at the radial inner end and the steel ball is at the radial outer end. The spring always provides a radially outward elastic force to the steel ball.

[0011] As a preferred solution of an integrated finger wheel structure capable of rotation and laterally pressing, the dividing surface has crests and troughs alternately arranged along the circumferential direction.

[0012] As a preferred solution for an integrated finger wheel structure that can rotate and press laterally, the supporting assembly comprises a fixed cylinder seat, a supporting vertical rod and a pressing spring, the supporting vertical rod comprises a vertical rod head and a vertical rod shaft below the vertical rod head, the vertical rod shaft is disposed inside the fixed cylinder seat and the two slide in cooperation with each other up and down, the pressing spring surrounds the periphery of the fixed cylinder seat, and the pressing spring always provides an upward elastic force to the vertical rod head.

[0013] As a preferred solution for an integrated finger wheel structure that can be rotated and pressed laterally, a connecting ear is further formed on the front side vertical plate, a connecting through hole is formed on the connecting ear, a connected through hole is formed at the front end of the turntable shaft, the connecting through hole and the connected through hole have a common axis and the axis extends in the left-right direction, and a connecting pin is inserted between the connecting through hole and the connected through hole.

[0014] As a preferred solution for an integrated finger wheel structure that can be rotated and pressed laterally, the front end of the base bottom plate is formed with an upper step, a middle step and a lower step arranged in sequence from front to back, wherein the upper step is the highest and the lower step is the shortest, the front side vertical plate is placed on the upper step, the support assembly is placed on the middle step, and the micro switch is placed on the lower step.

[0015] As a preferred solution for an integrated finger wheel structure that can be rotated and pressed laterally, the interior of the middle step has a fixing screw extending in the front-to-back direction, and the fixing screw passes through the micro switch to fix the micro switch.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are at least that the indexing turntable is integrated inside the roller component, reducing the overall volume of the product. Moreover, during the operation process of rotation and pressing, the two do not affect each other, the button switch function and the rotation function are effectively isolated, and the failure of any function does not affect the normal operation of the other function, thereby improving the working reliability. In addition, the design of the pressing spring can adjust the pressing force as needed to improve the operating comfort. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention (assembled state).

[0018] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention (exploded state).

[0019] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a fixed base in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the roller assembly in one embodiment of the present invention (assembled state).

[0021] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the roller assembly in one embodiment of the present invention (exploded state).

[0022] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of a wheel body in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present invention is further described in detail below by means of specific embodiments connected with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the description of these embodiments is used to help understand the present invention, but does not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0024] See also Figure 1 and 2, the figure shows an integrated thumbwheel structure that can be rotated and pressed laterally, which can be applied to a thumbwheel encoder. The integrated thumbwheel structure is mainly composed of a fixed base 1, a roller assembly 2, a micro switch 3 and a support assembly 4.

[0025] See also Figure 3 The fixed base 1 has a base bottom plate 11, a front side vertical plate 12 and a rear side vertical plate 13. The base bottom plate 11 extends forward and backward. The front end of the base bottom plate 11 is formed with an upper step 111, a middle step 112 and a lower step 113 arranged in sequence from front to back. Among them, the upper step 111 is the highest and the lower step 113 is the lowest. The front side vertical plate 12 extends upward from the top surface of the upper step 111. The rear side vertical plate 13 extends upward from the top surface of the rear end of the base bottom plate 11. The front side vertical plate 12 and the rear side vertical plate 13 are opposite to each other front and back. A U-shaped notch 120 opening upward is formed on the front side vertical plate 12. A long waist hole 130 extending in the up-down direction is formed on the rear side vertical plate 13.

[0026] See also Figures 4 to 6 The roller assembly 2 comprises a roller component 21, a dividing turntable 22, a turntable shaft 23, a roller sleeve 24 and a stop pin 25. The roller component 21, the dividing turntable 22, the turntable shaft 23, the roller sleeve 24 and the stop pin 25 have a common axis and the axis extends in the front-rear direction.

[0027] The roller component 21 comprises a wheel body 211 and a wheel cover 212. A receiving groove with an opening facing backward is formed on the wheel body 211. The wheel body 211 is fixedly connected to the wheel cover 212 and the wheel cover 212 seals the opening of the receiving groove. The wheel cover 212 and the receiving groove jointly define a turntable chamber. The indexing turntable 22 is placed in the turntable chamber. The indexing turntable 22 comprises a disc 221, a spring 222 and a steel ball 223. A radially extending blind hole is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the disc 221. There are two blind holes, which are arranged opposite to each other in the radial direction. The spring 222 and the steel ball 223 are arranged inside the blind hole. The spring 222 is at the radial inner end and the steel ball 223 is at the radial outer end. The spring 222 always provides a radially outward elastic force to the steel ball 223. The turntable chamber has a dividing surface 2110 (i.e., the inner circumferential surface of the accommodating groove) corresponding to the dividing turntable 22. The dividing surface 2110 has crests and troughs that alternate along the circumferential direction. The steel ball 223 abuts against the dividing surface 2110. When the dividing turntable 22 is rotated, the steel ball 223 rolls circumferentially along the crests and troughs, forming tactile and sound feedback during operation. The dividing turntable 22 is integrated inside the roller component 21 to reduce the overall volume of the product. In addition, during the operation process of rotation and pressing, the two do not affect each other, the button switch function and the rotation function are effectively isolated, and the failure of any function does not affect the normal operation of the other function, thereby improving the working reliability.

[0028] The turntable shaft 23 is placed between the front side vertical plate 12 and the roller component 21. The front end of the turntable shaft 23 extends forward to the inside of the U-shaped notch 120. The U-shaped notch 120 supports the front end of the turntable shaft 23. The rear end of the turntable shaft 23 penetrates the wheel body 211 backward and extends into the turntable chamber. The rear end of the turntable shaft 23 is fixedly connected to the indexing turntable 22.

[0029] A connecting ear 121 is also formed on the front side vertical plate 12. The connecting ear 121 in this embodiment extends forward. A connecting through hole is formed on the connecting ear 121. A connected through hole 230 is formed at the front end of the turntable shaft 23. The connecting through hole and the connected through hole 230 have a common axis and the axis extends in the left-right direction. When an external force in a downward (upward) direction acts on the roller component 21, the connecting pin 5 forms a fulcrum, and the roller shaft 23 can be flipped downward (upward) by the connecting pin 5.

[0030] The roller sleeve 24 surrounds the outer side of the turntable shaft 23 and is placed between the front side vertical plate 12 and the roller component 21. The roller sleeve 24 has a sleeve front section 241 and a sleeve rear section 242. The outer diameter of the sleeve front section 241 is smaller than the outer diameter of the sleeve rear section 242. The sleeve rear section 242 is fixedly connected to the wheel body 211. In this embodiment, the sleeve rear section 242 and the wheel body 211 can be combined into a component.

[0031] The limiting pin 25 is placed between the roller component 21 and the rear side vertical plate 13. The limiting pin 25 has a pin front section 251 and a pin rear section 252. The pin front section 251 penetrates forward into the wheel cover 212 and extends into the turntable chamber. The pin front section 251 is fixedly connected to the indexing turntable 22. The pin rear section 252 extends backward to the inside of the elongated waist hole 130. The pin rear section 252 can be displaced up and down along the elongated waist hole 130.

[0032] The micro switch 3 is placed on the top surface of the lower step 113. The middle step 112 has a fixing screw 31 extending in the front-to-back direction. The fixing screw 31 passes through the micro switch 3 to fix the micro switch 3. The button portion of the micro switch 3 is located directly below the sleeve rear section 242. The sleeve rear section 242 abuts against or faces the button portion of the micro switch 3 to ensure that when an external force presses down the roller component 21, the sleeve rear section 242 can press the button portion to change the working state of the micro switch 3.

[0033] The support assembly 4 is placed on the top surface of the middle step 112. The support assembly 4 is directly below the sleeve front section 241. The support assembly 4 supports the sleeve front section 241, that is, the support assembly 4 supports the entire roller assembly 2. The support assembly 4 has a fixed cylinder seat 41, a supporting vertical rod 42 and a pressing spring 43. The fixed cylinder seat 41 extends upward from the top surface of the middle step 112. The supporting vertical rod 42 has a vertical rod head and a vertical rod shaft below the vertical rod head. The vertical rod shaft is placed inside the fixed cylinder seat 41 and the two slide up and down. The pressing spring 43 surrounds the outer periphery of the fixed cylinder seat 41. The pressing spring 43 always provides an upward elastic force to the vertical rod head. The vertical rod head is against the sleeve front section 241, thereby supporting the sleeve front section 241. When the external force presses down the roller component 21, the roller component 21 tilts downward as a whole, the pressing spring 43 is further compressed, and the supporting vertical rod 42 moves downward along the fixed cylinder seat 41. When the external force is removed, the supporting vertical rod 42 moves up to the original position along the fixed cylinder seat 41 by the restoring force of the pressing spring 43, so that the roller component 21 is restored.

[0034] The above only expresses the implementation mode of the present invention, and its description is relatively specific and detailed, but it cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this field, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, which all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be based on the attached claims.

Claims

1. An integrated finger wheel structure capable of rotation and sideways pressing, characterized in that: Contains: A fixed base, comprising a base bottom plate, a front side vertical plate and a rear side vertical plate, wherein the base bottom plate extends forward and backward, the front side vertical plate and the rear side vertical plate are opposite to each other front and back, a U-shaped notch opening upward is formed on the front side vertical plate, and a long waist hole extending in the up-down direction is formed on the rear side vertical plate; The roller assembly comprises a roller component, a dividing turntable, a turntable shaft, a roller sleeve and a limit pin, wherein the roller component, the dividing turntable, the turntable shaft, the roller sleeve and the limit pin have a common axis and the axis extends in the front-rear direction, a turntable chamber is formed inside the roller component, the dividing turntable is accommodated in the turntable chamber, the turntable chamber has a dividing surface corresponding to the dividing turntable, the dividing surface cooperates with the dividing turntable, the turntable shaft is placed between the front side vertical plate and the roller component, and the front end of the turntable shaft extends forward to the inside of the U-shaped notch, The U-shaped notch supports the front end of the turntable shaft, the rear end of the turntable shaft penetrates the roller component backwards and extends into the turntable chamber to be fixedly connected to the indexing turntable, the roller sleeve surrounds the outer side of the turntable shaft and is placed between the front side vertical plate and the roller component, the roller sleeve has a sleeve front section and a sleeve rear section, the rear end of the sleeve rear section is fixedly connected to the roller component, the limit pin has a pin front section and a pin rear section, the pin front section extends into the turntable chamber and is fixedly connected to the indexing turntable, the pin rear section extends to the inside of the elongated waist hole; A micro switch is placed on the bottom plate of the base, the button portion of the micro switch is directly below the rear section of the sleeve, and the rear section of the sleeve abuts against or faces the button of the micro switch; and A support assembly is placed on the base bottom plate and is located directly below the front section of the shaft sleeve, and the support assembly is used to support the front section of the shaft sleeve.

2. The integrated rotatable and laterally pressable finger wheel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The roller component comprises a wheel body and a wheel cover, the wheel body is formed with a accommodating groove opening backwards, the wheel body is fixedly connected to the wheel cover and the wheel cover seals the opening of the accommodating groove, and the wheel cover and the accommodating groove jointly define the turntable chamber.

3. The integrated rotatable and laterally pressable finger wheel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The indexing turntable comprises a disc, a spring and a steel ball. A radially extending blind hole is formed on the outer circumference of the disc. The number of the blind holes is two and they are arranged opposite to each other in the radial direction. The spring and the steel ball are arranged inside the blind hole, wherein the spring is at the radial inner end and the steel ball is at the radial outer end. The spring always provides radially outward elastic force to the steel ball.

4. The integrated rotatable and laterally pressable finger wheel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The indexing surface has wave crests and wave troughs alternately arranged along the circumferential direction.

5. The integrated rotatable and laterally pressable finger wheel structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The supporting assembly comprises a fixed cylinder seat, a supporting vertical rod and a pressing spring. The supporting vertical rod comprises a vertical rod head and a vertical rod shaft below the vertical rod head. The vertical rod shaft is placed inside the fixed cylinder seat and the two slide up and down in cooperation with each other. The pressing spring surrounds the outer periphery of the fixed cylinder seat and the pressing spring always provides an upward elastic force to the vertical rod head.

6. The integrated rotatable and laterally pressable finger wheel structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: A connecting ear is also formed on the front side vertical plate, a connecting through hole is formed on the connecting ear, a connected through hole is formed at the front end of the turntable shaft, the connecting through hole and the connected through hole have a common axis and the axis extends in the left and right direction, and a connecting pin is passed through the connecting through hole and the connected through hole.

7. The integrated rotatable and laterally pressable finger wheel structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The front end of the base bottom plate is formed with an upper step, a middle step and a lower step arranged in sequence from front to back, wherein the upper step is the highest and the lower step is the lowest, the front side vertical plate is placed on the upper step, the support assembly is placed on the middle step, and the micro switch is placed on the lower step.

8. The integrated rotatable and laterally pressable finger wheel structure according to claim 7, characterized in that: A fixing screw extending in the front-to-back direction is provided inside the middle step, and the fixing screw passes through the micro switch to fix the micro switch.

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