Roller module and mouse device

Abstract

The present application relates to a scroll wheel module for an input device, which comprises a scroll wheel support, a scroll wheel, a motor, a rotation sensor and a control circuit board. The scroll wheel is rotatably arranged on the scroll wheel support. The motor is connected to the scroll wheel to drive the scroll wheel to rotate. The rotation sensor is arranged on at least one side of the scroll wheel to detect the rotation direction of the scroll wheel when the scroll wheel is forced to rotate. The control circuit board is electrically connected to the motor and the rotation sensor. According to the rotation direction detected by the rotation sensor, the control circuit board outputs a reverse rotation driving signal to the motor to drive the motor to apply a reverse rotation torque to the scroll wheel within a preset time. The present application not only improves the input control accuracy and rotation operation feel of the scroll wheel, but also effectively solves the problems of the mechanical resistance mechanism in the prior art, such as easy failure due to wear and tear, complex mechanism design and occupation of too much internal space of the mouse, thereby greatly improving the configuration flexibility of the internal elements of the mouse and facilitating the lightweight design of the mouse.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a scroll wheel module and a mouse device, and more particularly to a scroll wheel module and a mouse device that drives a motor to rotate in the opposite direction based on the detection result of the scroll wheel rotation direction by a rotation sensor. Background Technology

[0002] With the advancement and development of technology, computers have been widely used in everyone's daily life. Currently, the mouse is an indispensable input device for personal computers. For example, users can perform corresponding input operations, such as scrolling web pages, by rotating the scroll wheel (e.g., by flicking it with their fingers). In previous technologies, the mouse contained a rotation sensor and a processor. The rotation sensor detected the rotation of the scroll wheel, and the processor kept the rotation sensor continuously sensing. Once the rotation sensor detected any rotation of the scroll wheel, the processor would process and send a signal about the current degree of rotation of the scroll wheel to the computer, allowing the computer to scroll the web page or document appropriately based on the current rotation angle of the scroll wheel.

[0003] In practical applications, to allow users to effectively control the scroll wheel's rotation, mice typically incorporate a resistance mechanism that provides tactile feedback as the scroll wheel rotates. Users can sense the changes in resistance through touch, thus controlling the actual rotation angle. Currently, most mouse resistance mechanisms generate tactile feedback through contact interference between internal components. However, after a period of use, these mechanisms wear down due to frequent contact interference, causing them to fail and lose their intended tactile feedback. Furthermore, the numerous internal components used to generate resistance result in a complex mechanism design that occupies excessive internal space, limiting the flexibility of internal component placement and hindering slim and lightweight mouse designs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to provide a scroll wheel module and mouse device that drive a motor to rotate in the opposite direction based on the detection result of the scroll wheel rotation direction of a rotation sensor, so as to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a roller module is provided for an input device, the roller module comprising:

[0006] Roller bracket;

[0007] The roller is rotatably mounted on the roller bracket;

[0008] A motor is connected to the roller to drive the roller to rotate;

[0009] A rotation sensor, disposed on at least one side of the roller, is used to detect the direction of rotation of the roller when the roller is subjected to force and rotates; and

[0010] The control circuit board is electrically connected to the motor and the rotation sensor. Based on the rotation direction detected by the rotation sensor, the control circuit board outputs a reverse rotation drive signal to the motor to drive the motor to apply reverse rotation torque to the roller within a preset time.

[0011] As an optional technical solution, the preset time is between 1ms and 5ms.

[0012] As an optional technical solution, the rotation sensor can be a Hall effect sensor, a grating encoder, or a mechanical encoder.

[0013] As an optional technical solution, the motor is a DC brushless motor.

[0014] As an optional technical solution, the output shaft of the motor is directly coupled to the center of the roller; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a driveable manner; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a gear drive manner; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a belt drive manner; or the motor is coupled to the rim of the roller.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention also provides a mouse device comprising:

[0016] The mouse body has grooves formed; and

[0017] The scroll wheel module, located within the mouse body, comprises:

[0018] Roller bracket;

[0019] A roller, which is rotatably mounted on the roller bracket and protrudes from the slot;

[0020] A motor connected to the roller to drive the roller to rotate;

[0021] A rotation sensor, disposed on at least one side of the roller, is used to detect the direction of rotation of the roller when the roller is subjected to force and rotates; and

[0022] A control circuit board is electrically connected to the motor and the rotation sensor. The control circuit board outputs a reverse rotation drive signal to the motor according to the rotation direction detected by the rotation sensor, so as to drive the motor to apply reverse rotation torque to the roller within a preset time.

[0023] As an optional technical solution, the preset time is between 1ms and 5ms.

[0024] As an optional technical solution, the rotation sensor can be a Hall effect sensor, a grating encoder, or a mechanical encoder.

[0025] As an optional technical solution, the motor is a DC brushless motor.

[0026] As an optional technical solution, the output shaft of the motor is directly coupled to the center of the roller; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a driveable manner; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a gear drive manner; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a belt drive manner; or the motor is coupled to the rim of the roller.

[0027] In summary, compared to the prior art's mechanical resistance design that uses the contact interference between internal mouse components to generate tactile resistance, the scroll wheel module of this invention employs a motor control design that drives the motor to rotate in the opposite direction based on the scroll wheel rotation direction detection result of the rotation sensor. This provides the required tactile resistance accurately and in real time during the user's operation of pushing the scroll wheel with their finger. As a result, this invention not only improves the accuracy of scroll wheel input and the feel of rotation operation, but also effectively solves the problems mentioned in the prior art, such as the mechanical resistance mechanism being prone to wear and failure, and the complex mechanism design occupying too much internal space of the mouse. This greatly improves the flexibility of the configuration of internal mouse components and is conducive to the design of a thinner and lighter mouse.

[0028] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but this is not intended to limit the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a mouse device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A 3D schematic diagram of the middle roller module.

[0031] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Functional block diagram of the middle roller module. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following description, accompanied by illustrations, illustrates the technical content of the present invention through specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different embodiments. Various details in this specification can also be modified and changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In particular, the structural designs of various elements in the drawings (such as the appearance structure design of the mouse body) are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the actual implementation of the present invention.

[0033] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 , Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a mouse device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the middle roller module 14. Figure 3 for Figure 2 The functional block diagram of the scroll wheel module 14 shows that the scroll wheel module design proposed in this invention is best suited for use in mouse devices (but not limited thereto; it can also be used in other common input devices, such as keyboards, drawing tablets, game controllers, etc.) for users to perform scrolling input operations. Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the mouse device 10 includes a mouse body 12 and a scroll wheel module 14. The mouse body 12 has a slot 13 to provide space for the scroll wheel. The mouse body 12 may include common mouse components, such as mouse buttons and mouse shells. The relevant descriptions are common in the prior art and will not be repeated here.

[0034] The scroll wheel module 14 is disposed in the mouse body 12 and includes a scroll wheel bracket 16, a scroll wheel 18, a motor 20, a rotation sensor 22, and a control circuit board 24. The scroll wheel 18 is rotatably disposed on the scroll wheel bracket 16 and protrudes from the slot 13, allowing the user to rotate the scroll wheel 18 forward and backward by pushing it with their finger (e.g., controlling the vertical scroll bar of the window operation interface to move up and down). The motor 20 is preferably a DC brushless motor (but not limited thereto) and is connected to the scroll wheel 18 to drive the scroll wheel 18 to rotate, thereby providing a reverse rotational torque to the scroll wheel 18 to generate tactile resistance. In this embodiment, the output shaft of the motor 20 can be directly fixed to the center of the scroll wheel 18 (e.g., the hub), but this is not a limitation in actual operation. For example, the motor 20 can also be coupled to the scroll wheel 18 by means of transmission such as gears (sets) or belts, or the motor 20 can be coupled to the rim of the scroll wheel 18 (e.g., through a ring gear and a pinion). The rotation sensor 22 is preferably a common sensing device used to detect the direction of rotation of a roller when the roller is subjected to force and is disposed on at least one side of the roller 18. Figure 2Only one side is shown, but this is not a limitation; its configuration depends on the sensor detection method. For example, the rotation sensor 22 can be a mechanical encoder, used to detect the rotation direction of the roller 18 by rotating the mechanical encoder disc through the rotation of the roller. Alternatively, the rotation sensor 22 can be a grating encoder, used to detect the rotation direction of the roller 18 by blocking and conducting the light signal through the roller grating structure when the roller rolls. Or, the rotation sensor 18 can be a Hall effect sensor (or other sensor capable of sensing magnetic fields), used to detect the rotation direction of the roller 18 by sensing the change in the magnetic field of the roller's magnetic components when the roller rolls. The type of rotation sensor used depends on the actual manufacturing application requirements of this invention. The control circuit board 24 can be a circuit board commonly used in mouse signal transmission and control (its related descriptions are common in the prior art and will not be repeated here) and is electrically connected to the motor 20 and the rotation sensor 22 (e.g., Figure 3 As shown), it is used to drive the motor 20 to rotate in the opposite direction based on the detection result of the rotation direction of the roller by the rotation sensor 22.

[0035] With the above design, when the user pushes the scroll wheel 18 with their finger to rotate it forward and backward (for example, to control the vertical scroll bar of the window operation interface to move up and down), the rotation sensor 22 can detect the rotation direction of the scroll wheel 18 in real time and transmit the detection result to the control circuit board 24. In this way, the control circuit board 24 can output a reverse rotation drive signal to the motor 20 during the rotation of the scroll wheel 18 according to the rotation direction detected by the rotation sensor 22. This drives the motor 20 to apply a reverse rotation torque to the scroll wheel 18 within a preset time (preferably between 1ms and 5ms, but not limited to this, the drive time can be determined according to the user's actual operation needs to generate different levels of tactile resistance). This generates tactile resistance in real time, allowing the user to accurately control the actual rotation angle of the scroll wheel 18 by feeling the change in resistance when the scroll wheel 18 rotates.

[0036] For example, when a finger pushes the roller 18 forward (i.e., the roller rotates forward), the rotation sensor 22 detects that the roller 18 is rotating forward and generates a first signal to the control circuit board 24. The control circuit board 24 knows from the first signal that the roller 18 is rotating forward. Thus, the control circuit board 24 outputs a signal to the motor 20 to rotate backward (i.e., a reverse rotation drive signal) to the motor 20. After receiving the signal, the motor 20 instantly rotates backward (i.e., reverse rotation), thus giving the roller 18 a reaction force, which allows the user to feel a tactile resistance.

[0037] For example, when a finger pushes the scroll wheel 18 to rotate backward (i.e., the scroll wheel rotates backward), the rotation sensor 22 detects that the scroll wheel 18 is rotating backward and generates a second signal (different from the first signal) to the control circuit board 24. The control circuit board 24 knows from the second signal that the scroll wheel 18 is rotating backward at this time. Thus, the control circuit board 24 outputs a signal to the motor 20 to rotate forward (i.e., reverse rotation drive signal) to the motor 20. After receiving the signal, the motor 20 instantly rotates forward (i.e., reverse rotation), thus giving the scroll wheel 18 a reaction force, so that the user can feel a tactile resistance.

[0038] In one embodiment, for every unit angle the finger pushes the scroll wheel 18 forward, the rotation sensor 22 detects a first signal, and the speed at which the rotation sensor 22 detects the first signal matches the speed at which the finger pushes the scroll wheel. For every unit angle the finger pushes the scroll wheel 18 backward, the rotation sensor 22 detects a second signal, and the speed at which the rotation sensor 22 detects the second signal matches the speed at which the finger pushes the scroll wheel. The reverse rotation speed of the motor 20 also matches this, so that the user continuously feels tactile resistance while pushing the scroll wheel 18. In one embodiment, the tactile resistance provided by the motor 20 can be adjusted according to actual needs. For example, different users can set the magnitude of the tactile resistance according to their actual usage needs, and the motor 20 can also be set to provide different tactile resistance when the speed at which the finger pushes the scroll wheel 18 is different.

[0039] In summary, compared to the prior art's mechanical resistance design that uses the contact interference between internal mouse components to generate tactile resistance, the scroll wheel module of this invention employs a motor control design that drives the motor to rotate in the opposite direction based on the scroll wheel rotation direction detection result of the rotation sensor. This provides the required tactile resistance accurately and in real time during the user's operation of pushing the scroll wheel with their finger. As a result, this invention not only improves the accuracy of scroll wheel input and the feel of rotation operation, but also effectively solves the problems mentioned in the prior art, such as the mechanical resistance mechanism being prone to wear and failure, and the complex mechanism design occupying too much internal space of the mouse. This greatly improves the flexibility of the configuration of internal mouse components and is conducive to the design of a thinner and lighter mouse.

[0040] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made within the scope of the claims of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A roller module for an input device, characterized in that, The roller module includes: Roller bracket; The roller is rotatably mounted on the roller bracket; A motor is connected to the roller to drive the roller to rotate; A rotation sensor is disposed on at least one side of the roller to detect the rotation direction of the roller when the roller is rotated under force; as well as The control circuit board is electrically connected to the motor and the rotation sensor. Based on the rotation direction detected by the rotation sensor, the control circuit board outputs a reverse rotation drive signal to the motor to drive the motor to apply reverse rotation torque to the roller within a preset time.

2. The roller module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preset time is between 1ms and 5ms.

3. The roller module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotation sensor can be a Hall effect sensor, a grating encoder, or a mechanical encoder.

4. The roller module according to claim 1, characterized in that, This motor is a DC brushless motor.

5. The roller module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The output shaft of the motor is directly coupled to the center of the roller; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a driveable manner; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a gear drive manner; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a belt drive manner; or the motor is coupled to the rim of the roller.

6. A mouse device, characterized in that, It includes: The mouse body has grooves formed; and The scroll wheel module, located within the mouse body, comprises: Roller bracket; A roller, which is rotatably mounted on the roller bracket and protrudes from the slot; A motor connected to the roller to drive the roller to rotate; A rotation sensor is disposed on at least one side of the roller and is used to detect the rotation direction of the roller when the roller is rotated under force. as well as A control circuit board is electrically connected to the motor and the rotation sensor. The control circuit board outputs a reverse rotation drive signal to the motor according to the rotation direction detected by the rotation sensor, so as to drive the motor to apply reverse rotation torque to the roller within a preset time.

7. The mouse device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The preset time is between 1ms and 5ms.

8. The mouse device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The rotation sensor can be a Hall effect sensor, a grating encoder, or a mechanical encoder.

9. The mouse device according to claim 6, characterized in that, This motor is a DC brushless motor.

10. The mouse device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The output shaft of the motor is directly coupled to the center of the roller; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a driveable manner; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a gear drive manner; or the motor is coupled to the roller in a belt drive manner; or the motor is coupled to the rim of the roller.

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