Mouse wheel encoder and mouse

Abstract

The utility model discloses a mouse wheel encoder and a mouse, the encoder comprises a gear code disc shaft, a bearing, a shell, a code disc body, a photoelectric encoder chip and a PCB, one end of the gear code disc shaft is provided with an inner hexagonal hole used for being connected with a mouse wheel; the code disc body is mounted at the other end of the gear code disc shaft, and the surface of the code disc body is provided with periodically distributed bright and dark stripes; the photoelectric encoder chip is integrated on the PCB and comprises an LED light source and a receiving chip. Non-contact mechanical-optical-electric signal conversion is constructed, mechanical motion of the roller is converted into high-density electric pulse output, compared with a traditional encoder contact mode, signal errors and part abrasion caused by physical friction are eliminated, the defects that the roller is low in detection precision and prone to failure after long-term use are overcome, and meanwhile, due to the fact that contact resistance is avoided, the detection precision is improved. The roller can support damping-free fast rolling, thereby significantly prolonging the service life of the encoder and optimizing the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of mouse technology, and in particular to a mouse wheel encoder and a mouse. Background Technology

[0002] As a crucial device for human-computer interaction, the performance and accuracy of the mouse directly impact the user experience. The mouse encoder, a key component within the mouse, is responsible for converting the mouse's mechanical movements (such as scrolling and moving) into electrical signals, which are then interpreted by the computer system as corresponding cursor actions on the screen.

[0003] Traditional mouse wheel encoders primarily rely on a spring-contact mechanical structure to detect and output scrolling signals. These encoders typically consist of a metal spring, a rotating shaft, and conductive contacts. Their working principle depends on the periodic contact and separation of the spring and contacts, generating pulse signals through mechanical friction. Due to the inherent characteristics of physical contact, these encoders generally have a low pulse count per revolution (e.g., 12 or 24 pulses), resulting in insufficient signal resolution when the wheel rotates. This is especially problematic when browsing long documents or performing high-precision design work, requiring users to frequently scroll to reach the target position, leading to low operational efficiency. Furthermore, long-term use of the contact structure causes wear on the spring and contacts, leading to signal jitter, false triggering, or even complete failure, severely impacting the encoder's lifespan. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art and provides a mouse scroll wheel encoder and a mouse.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: a mouse wheel encoder, comprising: a gear code disk shaft, a bearing, a housing, a code disk body, a photoelectric encoder chip, and a PCB board, characterized in that:

[0006] One end of the gear encoder shaft has an internal hexagonal hole for connecting to the mouse scroll wheel;

[0007] The code disk body is mounted on the other end of the gear code disk shaft, and its surface is provided with periodically distributed light and dark stripes.

[0008] The photoelectric encoder chip is integrated on the PCB board and includes an LED light source and a receiving chip; the LED light source is used to emit light toward the code disk body, and the receiving chip is used to detect the light signal reflected by the code disk body and convert it into electrical pulses;

[0009] The housing encloses the gear encoder shaft, the bearing, the encoder body, and the PCB board. The bearing is installed in the middle of the gear encoder shaft to support the rotation of the gear encoder shaft.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the photoelectric encoder chip has a reflective structure, the LED light source and the receiving chip are located on the same side of the code disk body; the inner ring of the bearing is fixed to the side of the gear code disk shaft, and the outer ring is fixed to the inner side of the housing.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the receiving chip includes a photodiode array and a signal processing module, wherein the smallest detection unit of the photodiode array is at the micrometer level.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, one end of the gear encoder shaft is fixed with a mounting post, the middle part of the encoder body is connected to the mounting post by snap-fit ​​or threaded fixing, and the light and dark stripes are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the PCB board is fixed to the inner wall of the housing by screws, and the mounting position of the photoelectric encoder chip is perpendicularly aligned with the rotation plane of the code disk body.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, a connecting strip is installed on the side of the housing facing the gear encoder shaft, and an elastic sheet is fixed to the top of the connecting strip. The top of the elastic sheet is located between adjacent teeth of the gear encoder shaft to provide a tactile feedback when the roller rotates.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the connecting strip is fixed to one side of the housing by a pin or screw.

[0016] This utility model provides a mouse, including a mouse wheel encoder as described in any of the preceding descriptions.

[0017] This utility model solves the defects existing in the background technology, and has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] (1) This utility model provides a mouse wheel encoder and mouse. The encoder uses a gear code disk shaft to cooperate with a code disk with light and dark stripes on the surface. Combined with a reflective photoelectric encoder chip integrating LED light source and photodiode array, a contactless mechanical-optical-electric signal conversion is constructed. The gear code disk shaft is directly connected to the mouse wheel, driving the code disk to rotate synchronously. The photoelectric encoder chip detects the changes in light signals reflected alternately by the light and dark stripes of the code disk and converts the mechanical motion of the wheel into high-density electrical pulse output. Compared with the traditional encoder contact method, it eliminates signal errors and component wear caused by physical friction and solves the defects of low detection accuracy and easy failure after long-term use of the wheel. At the same time, because there is no contact resistance, the wheel can support undamped fast scrolling, thereby significantly extending the encoder life and optimizing the user experience.

[0019] (2) In this utility model, by installing a connecting strip on one side of the housing, when the gear encoder shaft rotates, it can periodically mesh with the teeth of the gear encoder shaft through the cooperation of the elastic sheet at the top of the connecting strip, thereby generating regular resistance. This not only retains the advantages of high precision and no wear of the photoelectric encoder, but also gives the mouse scroll wheel an appropriate damping feel when rotating, so that the user can feel a similar jerky feel when using it, thus taking into account both functional upgrades and the continuity of the operating experience. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments;

[0021] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the mouse wheel encoder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the mouse wheel encoder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a half-sectional view of the mouse wheel encoder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] In the diagram: 1. Gear encoder shaft; 11. Socket hexagonal hole; 12. Mounting post; 2. Bearing; 3. Housing; 4. Encoder body; 5. PCB board; 6. Connecting strip; 61. Elastic sheet. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, which are only used to illustrate the basic structure of the present invention in a schematic manner, and therefore only show the components related to the present invention.

[0026] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a mouse wheel encoder includes: a gear encoder shaft 1, a bearing 2, a housing 3, an encoder body 4, a photoelectric encoder chip, and a PCB board 5. One end of the gear encoder shaft 1 has an internal hexagonal hole 11 for connecting to the mouse wheel. The encoder body 4 is installed at the other end of the gear encoder shaft 1, and its surface is provided with periodically distributed light and dark stripes. The photoelectric encoder chip is integrated on the PCB board 5 and includes an LED light source and a receiving chip. The LED light source is used to emit light toward the encoder body 4, and the receiving chip is used to detect the light signal reflected by the encoder body 4 and convert it into electrical pulses. The housing 3 covers the gear encoder shaft 1, the bearing 2, the encoder body 4, and the PCB board 5. The bearing 2 is installed in the middle of the gear encoder shaft 1 to support the rotation of the gear encoder shaft 1.

[0027] It should be noted that the photoelectric encoder chip has a reflective structure, with the LED light source and the receiving chip located on the same side of the code disk body 4; the inner ring of the bearing 2 is fixed to the side of the gear code disk shaft 1, and the outer ring is fixed to the inner side of the housing 3; one end of the mouse scroll wheel is inserted and connected through the internal hexagonal hole 11 at one end of the gear code disk shaft 1, and the rotation of the scroll wheel drives the gear code disk shaft 1 to rotate. Since the other end of the gear code disk shaft 1 is equipped with the code disk body 4, the code disk body 4 will rotate simultaneously with the mouse scroll wheel. When the bright stripe of the code disk body 4 moves to the position illuminated by the LED light source, the light emitted by the LED light source will be reflected by the bright stripe on the code disk body 4 to the receiving chip. When the dark stripe of the code disk body 4 moves to the position illuminated by the LED light source, the light emitted by the LED light source will be reflected by the bright stripe on the code disk body 4 to the receiving chip. When the light source illuminates a location, the light from the LED light source is absorbed by the code disk body 4. As the code disk body 4 rotates with the roller, the bright and dark stripes pass sequentially through the locations illuminated by the LED light source. The receiving chip can receive light and not receive light sequentially according to the rotation speed of the code disk body 4. The receiving chip converts the presence and absence of light into electrical signals through signal processing, thereby converting the mechanical motion of the roller into high-density electrical pulse output. Compared with the traditional encoder contact method, this eliminates signal errors and component wear caused by physical friction, and solves the defects of low detection accuracy and easy failure after long-term use of the roller. At the same time, because there is no contact resistance, the roller can support undamped fast rolling, thereby significantly extending the encoder life and optimizing the user experience.

[0028] In some implementations, the receiving chip includes a photodiode array and a signal processing module. The smallest detection unit of the photodiode array is at the micrometer level. The preferred model of the receiving chip is Op-ASIC, with an operating temperature of -40°C to 110°C, single-voltage power supply, a range of 4.2-5.5V, and a response frequency of less than 200KHz. The micrometer-level detection unit size can reach tens of micrometers (e.g., 50μm), which significantly increases the number of pulses per revolution. It can increase the number of pulses per revolution of the mouse wheel to more than 500. Thus, the mouse wheel can generate 500 signals per revolution, compared to 12 or 24 signals per revolution of traditional encoders. This enables high-precision detection of changes in the light signal reflected by the code disk body 4. The signal processing module filters and amplifies the photoelectric signal to output high-density electrical pulses, improving the accuracy of the wheel position detection.

[0029] In some embodiments, a mounting post 12 is fixed to one end of the gear code disk shaft 1, and the middle part of the code disk body 4 is connected to the mounting post 12 by snap-fit ​​or threaded fixing, and the bright and dark stripes are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction; the connection between the mounting post 12 and the code disk body 4 ensures that the code disk body 4 can rotate synchronously with the gear code disk shaft 1, while maintaining the stability and positional accuracy of the code disk body 4; the even distribution of bright and dark stripes along the circumferential direction provides a stable signal source for the photoelectric encoder chip.

[0030] In some embodiments, the PCB board 5 is fixed to the inner wall of the housing 3 by screws, and the mounting position of the photoelectric encoder chip is perpendicularly aligned with the rotation plane of the code disk body 4. The PCB board 5 is fixed to the inner wall of the housing 3 by screws, which ensures its stability and reliability. The photoelectric encoder chip is perpendicularly aligned with the rotation plane of the code disk body 4, which ensures that the light emitted by the LED light source can accurately illuminate the code disk body 4, and the receiving chip can effectively receive the reflected light signal, thereby achieving high-precision rotation detection.

[0031] like Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, a connecting strip 6 is installed on the side of the housing 3 facing the gear encoder shaft 1, and an elastic piece 61 is fixed to the top of the connecting strip 6. The top of the elastic piece 61 is located between adjacent teeth of the gear encoder shaft 1 to provide a tactile feedback of the roller rotation.

[0032] It should be noted that the connecting strip 6 is fixed to one side of the housing 3 by a pin or screw; when the mouse scroll wheel drives the gear encoder shaft 1 to rotate, since the top of the elastic piece 61 is located between the adjacent teeth of the gear encoder shaft 1, it can periodically mesh with the teeth of the gear encoder shaft 1 to generate regular resistance. In this way, it retains the advantages of the encoder's high precision and no wear, and also gives the mouse scroll wheel an appropriate damping feel when rotating, so that the user can feel a similar tactile feedback to the rotation of a traditional mouse scroll wheel, thus balancing functional upgrades and the continuity of the operating experience.

[0033] A mouse, comprising a mouse wheel encoder as described above.

[0034] It should be noted that the mouse wheel encoder is the same as the mouse wheel encoder disclosed in the above embodiments. Therefore, the mouse with the mouse wheel encoder also has all the above-mentioned technical effects, which will not be described in detail here.

[0035] In use, the user rotates the mouse wheel. Since one end of the wheel is inserted into the internal hexagonal hole 11 at one end of the gear encoder shaft 1, it drives the gear encoder shaft 1 to rotate. Simultaneously, the other end of the gear encoder shaft 1 is fitted with an encoder body 4, whose surface has periodically distributed bright and dark stripes. The encoder body 4 rotates synchronously. At this time, the reflective photoelectric encoder chip integrated on the PCB board 5 operates, and its LED light source emits light towards the encoder body 4. When the bright stripe of the encoder body 4 moves to the position illuminated by the LED light source, the light is reflected to the receiving chip. When the dark stripe moves to that position, the light is absorbed by the encoder body 4. As the encoder body 4 rotates with the mouse wheel, the bright and dark stripes sequentially pass through the positions illuminated by the LED light source. The receiving chip receives light and does not receive light sequentially according to the rotation speed of the encoder body 4, and processes the signal to distinguish between light and no light. The phenomenon is converted into an electrical signal output, transforming the mechanical motion of the roller into high-density electrical pulses. Simultaneously, the photodiode array (with the smallest detection unit size reaching the micrometer level) contained in the receiving chip can accurately detect changes in the reflected light signal from the code disk body 4. After filtering and amplification by the signal processing module, high-density electrical pulses are output, improving the accuracy of roller position detection. Furthermore, when the user rotates the roller, the elastic plate 61 on the top of the connecting strip 6 installed on the side of the housing 3 facing the gear code disk shaft 1 is located between adjacent teeth of the gear code disk shaft 1. It periodically meshes with the teeth to generate regular resistance, providing the user with a jerky feel when the roller rotates. This achieves both high-precision detection and a good operating experience. Compared with traditional encoder contact methods, it eliminates signal errors and component wear caused by physical friction, solves the defects of low detection accuracy and easy failure after long-term use of the roller, thus significantly extending the encoder's lifespan and optimizing the user experience.

[0036] Based on the above description and the preferred embodiments of this utility model, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this utility model is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that it can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of this utility model. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects. The scope of this utility model is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and thus all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within this utility model. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0037] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A mouse wheel encoder, comprising: The gear encoder shaft (1), bearing (2), housing (3), encoder body (4), photoelectric encoder chip and PCB board (5) are characterized by: One end of the gear encoder shaft (1) is provided with an internal hexagonal hole (11) for connecting to the mouse scroll wheel; The code disk body (4) is installed at the other end of the gear code disk shaft (1), and its surface is provided with periodically distributed light and dark stripes; The photoelectric encoder chip is integrated on the PCB board (5) and includes an LED light source and a receiving chip; the LED light source is used to emit light toward the code disk body (4), and the receiving chip is used to detect the light signal reflected by the code disk body (4) and convert it into an electrical pulse; The housing (3) covers the gear encoder shaft (1), the bearing (2), the encoder body (4) and the PCB board (5). The bearing (2) is installed in the middle of the gear encoder shaft (1) to support the rotation of the gear encoder shaft (1).

2. A mouse wheel encoder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The photoelectric encoder chip has a reflective structure, and the LED light source and the receiving chip are located on the same side of the code disk body (4); the inner ring of the bearing (2) is fixed to the side of the gear code disk shaft (1), and the outer ring is fixed to the inner side of the housing (3).

3. A mouse wheel encoder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The receiving chip includes a photodiode array and a signal processing module, and the smallest detection unit of the photodiode array is in the micrometer range.

4. A mouse wheel encoder according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the gear encoder shaft (1) is fixed with a mounting post (12), and the middle part of the encoder body (4) is connected to the mounting post (12) by snap-fit ​​or threaded fixing, and the light and dark stripes are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction.

5. A mouse wheel encoder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The PCB board (5) is fixed to the inner wall of the housing (3) by screws, and the mounting position of the photoelectric encoder chip is perpendicularly aligned with the rotation plane of the code disk body (4).

6. A mouse wheel encoder according to claim 1, characterized in that: A connecting strip (6) is installed on the side of the housing (3) facing the gear encoder shaft (1). An elastic piece (61) is fixed to the top of the connecting strip (6). The top of the elastic piece (61) is located between adjacent teeth of the gear encoder shaft (1) to provide a tactile feedback of the roller rotation.

7. A mouse wheel encoder according to claim 6, characterized in that: The connecting strip (6) is fixed to one side of the housing (3) by a pin or screw.

8. A mouse, characterized in that, Includes a mouse wheel encoder as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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