Maus

Abstract

The present invention discloses a mouse (A) comprising a housing (100), two switching modules (200), and a base (300). The housing (100) has several mounting structures (112) on one side. Each of the switching modules (200) comprises a base plate (20), a microswitch (21), a screw (22), and an elastic damping adjustment element (23). Each of the base plates (20) is attached to the inside of the housing (100) by means of the screw (22). Each of the microswitches (21) faces a movable button (12) located on the housing (100). The elastic damping adjustment element (23) is located between the base plate (20) and the housing (100). The assembler can adjust one of the screws (22) to change a distance (H) between the microswitch (21) and the adjacent pressure structure (121).The elastic damping adjustment element (23) is elastically deformed under pressure when the fitter adjusts the screw (22) to change the distance (H).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a mouse, in particular one suitable for use as a gaming mouse.

[0002] The tactile feedback of the left and right buttons on most gaming mice is crucial for gamers and individual users. However, the feel of these buttons is not uniform or standardized across existing gaming mice. As a result, it's common for a gamer to buy two mice of the same model, but find that the left (or right) buttons on the two mice feel different.

[0003] CN 108733229 A relates to a mouse, specifically a button mouse with a suspended switching module. CN 108874182 A relates to a mouse, specifically a mouse with a height adjustment element. US 2018 / 0113521 A1 relates to a computer mouse device with a structure for adjusting the force applied to a push button. US 2011 / 0279371 A1 relates to a mouse device that can be operated with variable button actuation force. US 10,698,499 B1 relates to a mouse device that eliminates the idle travel when a button is pressed.

[0004] The present invention discloses a mouse which is intended to solve the problem with existing mice in particular that a user buys two gaming mice of the same model, but the left (or right) buttons of the two mice offer different hand feel.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a mouse according to independent claim 1 of the present disclosure. Further embodiments thereof are described in the dependent claims.

[0006] In summary, the mouse of the present invention, through the design of the switching module, allows the assembler to adjust the distance between the pressure structure and the switching element of the microswitch during assembly. In this way, it can be ensured that a user who buys the same mouse model and presses the same movable button experiences approximately the same tactile feedback.

[0007] For a better understanding of the features and technical content of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description and the drawings of the present invention, which, however, serve only for illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a mouse according to the invention. Fig. Figure 2 shows a schematic partial exploded view of a mouse according to the invention. Fig. Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of a housing and a switching module of a mouse according to the invention. Fig. 4 and Fig. Figure 5 shows schematic partial exploded views of a housing of a mouse according to the invention from different angles. Fig. Figure 6 shows a schematic partial exploded view of a housing and a switching module of a mouse according to the invention. Fig. Figure 7 shows a schematic partial section through a mouse according to the invention along section line VII-VII in Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 8 shows a partially enlarged schematic representation of Fig. 7. Fig. Figure 9 shows a schematic sectional view of a partial component of a switching module of a mouse according to the invention.

[0008] If the following description refers to a specific drawing or to the representation in a specific drawing, this serves only to emphasize that most of the relevant content described in the following description is contained in that specific drawing, but does not limit the reference in the following description to that specific drawing alone.

[0009] It will be directed to the Fig. 1 to 8 referred to, whereby Fig. 1 a schematic representation of a mouse according to the invention, Fig. 2 a schematic partial exploded view of a mouse according to the invention, Fig. 3 a schematic representation of a housing and a switching module of a mouse according to the invention, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 schematic partial exploded views of a housing of a mouse according to the invention from different angles, Fig. 6 a schematic partial exploded view of a housing and a switching module of a mouse according to the invention, Fig. 8 a partially enlarged schematic representation of Fig. 7 and Fig. Figure 9 shows a schematic sectional view of a partial component of a switching module of a mouse according to the invention.

[0010] As in Fig. As shown in Figures 1 to 5, a mouse A according to the invention comprises a housing 100, two switching modules 200, and a base 300. The housing 100 and the base 300 are detachably connected to each other. The two switching modules 200 are arranged on the inside of the housing 100 and are located in a space formed by the housing 100 and the base 300.

[0011] The housing 100 comprises a base body 10, a support structure 11, and two movable buttons 12. The base body 10 serves as the main structure of the mouse A, which is held by the user. The support structure 11 is attached to the base body 10. The support structure 11 comprises a structural body 111 and four mounting structures 112. The structural body 111 is attached to the base body 10, with the four mounting structures 112 extending from one side of the structural body 111.

[0012] The two movable buttons 12 are each movably connected to the base body 10 and each has a printed structure 121 on its inner surface. The inner surface of each movable button 12 is the side of the movable button 12 facing the base 300. The two movable buttons 12 are the left and right buttons of the mouse A. The mouse A can be equipped with a scroll wheel A1 between the two movable buttons 12.

[0013] Each of the fastening structures 112 comprises a column 1121, which has a locking hole 11211 at its end facing away from the structure body 111. The number of fastening structures 112 contained by the support structure 11 can be adjusted as required. Two of the columns 1121 are located approximately around the pressure structure 121 of one of the movable buttons 12, while the other two columns 1121 are arranged approximately around the pressure structure 121 of the other movable button 12.

[0014] As can be seen from Fig. As 2 results, the base 300 is equipped with a mainboard 400, a motion detection module 500, and a processor 600. The base plate 20 is a component independent of the mainboard 400. The individual microswitches 21 can be electrically connected to the processor 600 via flexible cables or wires. The motion detection module 500 primarily serves to convert a sliding motion path into an electrical signal so that the processor 600 can transmit the electrical signal, either wired or wirelessly, to an electronic device (e.g., a computer).

[0015] As in Fig. As shown in Figures 3, 6 to 8, each of the switching modules 200 comprises a base plate 20, a microswitch 21, two screws 22, and an elastic damping adjustment element 23. The base plate 20 is, for example, a circuit board and has at least two through-holes (i.e., an adjustment hole 201A and a mounting hole 201B). Each of the through-holes passes through the base plate 20. The microswitch 21 is arranged on the base plate 20.

[0016] Each of the screws 22 can engage through one of the through holes into one of the locking holes 11211 of the support structure 11. That is, the base plate 20 interacts with the two locking holes 11211 via the two screws 22 to be attached to two columns 1121 of the mounting structure 112 of the housing 100. A switching element 211 of the microswitch 21 is located accordingly below the pressure structure 121 of the movable button 12.

[0017] When the user presses the left or right button, the movable button 12 is moved relative to the base body 10 such that the pressure structure 121 moves towards the base 300. The pressure structure 121 of the movable button 12 pressed by the user can then press against the switching element 211 of the adjacent microswitch 21.

[0018] The elastic damping adjustment element 23 is arranged between the base plate 20 and one of the support structures 11 and can be elastically deformed under pressure. The screw 22 can be adjusted to change the extent of deformation of the elastic damping adjustment element 23 under pressure, thereby setting a distance H between the pressure structure 121 and the switching element 211 of the microswitch 21 (as shown in Fig. 8 shown). In one embodiment, the elastic damping adjustment element 23 can be made of silicone.

[0019] Accordingly, when assembling mouse A, the technician can simply operate the individual screws 22 to adjust the distance H between the switching elements 211 of the individual microswitches 21 and the respective adjacent pressure structure 121, so that the individual movable buttons 12 of mouse A can provide the desired pressure sensation.

[0020] It is particularly noteworthy that if the elastic damping adjustment element 23 is not present, the responsible personnel can only adjust the distance H using the pitch of the screw 22. However, due to the design of the elastic damping adjustment element 23, the distance H can be adjusted more precisely by the responsible personnel through the elasticity of the elastic damping adjustment element 23 itself.

[0021] In an embodiment where mouse A is used as a gaming mouse, the distance H can be between 0 and 0.7 millimeters (mm), the thickness of the elastic damping adjustment element 23 can be between 0.9 and 1.1 millimeters (mm), and the thread pitch of the screws 22 can be between 0.3 and 0.8 millimeters (mm).

[0022] Furthermore, it is particularly noteworthy that the switching module 200 of the mouse A according to the invention is attached to the inside of the housing 100, so that during the assembly process of the mouse A, the responsible personnel can directly change the distance H by adjusting the screws 22 after mounting the switching module 200 to the inside of the housing 100; that is, the adjustment can be carried out independently of the base plate 20. In other words, the assembler can begin adjusting the respective distance H by turning a screw 22 immediately after mounting the switching module 200 to the inside of the housing 100, without having to wait until the base plate 20 is connected to the housing 100 before adjusting the distance H. Thus, the mouse A according to the invention facilitates the adjustment of the distance H by the assembler.

[0023] Since the switching module 200 of the mouse A according to the invention is mounted directly on the housing 100, the error range of the distance H can be effectively controlled during production by checking only the manufacturing tolerances of the housing 100 and the switching module 200. If, however, the switching module were mounted on the base plate, the factors influencing the error range of the distance H would additionally increase the manufacturing tolerances of the base plate and the assembly tolerances of the housing and base plate, making it more difficult for the responsible personnel to control the error range of the distance H.

[0024] As in Fig. 6 and Fig. As shown in Figure 7, the two through-holes in the base plate 20 can be defined as an adjustment hole 201A and a mounting hole 201B, respectively. The adjustment hole 201A is located near the switching element 211 of the microswitch 21. The elastic damping adjustment element 23 is located between the adjustment hole 201A and the adjacent support structure 11. In practical application, when adjusting the distance H, the responsible personnel primarily adjust the screw 22 that is closer to the switching element 211 (in the present embodiment, this is the screw 22 that passes through the adjustment hole 201A) and generally do not adjust the other screw 22 (in the present embodiment, this is the screw 22 that passes through the mounting hole 201B).

[0025] In practice, the switching element 211 of the microswitch 21 is located essentially near one of the ends of the microswitch 21 and is not located essentially in the middle of the microswitch 21. For this purpose, in practice the base plate 20 and the housing 100 can be designed so that the responsible personnel can quickly mount the microswitch 21 in the correct position.

[0026] For example, in one embodiment, each of the support structures 11 of the base body 10 can further comprise a first positioning structure 113. According to the invention, each of the first positioning structures 113 is arranged near one of the fastening structures 112. According to the invention, each of the base plates 20 comprises a second positioning structure 202, which can snap into place with the first positioning structure 113 to jointly limit the relative position of the base plate 20 to the fastening structure 112. The first positioning structure 113 is, for example, a column structure, while the second positioning structure 202 can be a through-hole. It should be noted that both the specific shape and the arrangement of the first positioning structure 113 and the second positioning structure 202 can be designed according to the actual situation, and the figure shows only one exemplary aspect.

[0027] Furthermore, the base plate 20 may also have additional auxiliary marking structures or patterns to assist the installer in quickly and correctly mounting the base plate 20 to the mounting structure 112. For example, one of the corners of the base plate 20 may have a chamfer, while the other three corners are roughly right-angled. Alternatively, the base plate 20 may also be printed with a marking pattern so that the installer can identify the mounting direction of the base plate 20.

[0028] In one embodiment, some of the mounting structures 112 comprise a column 1121 and several ribs 1122. The outer diameter of the column 1121 is smaller than the inner diameter of the adjustment hole 201A. The several ribs 1122 are formed on the outside of the column 1121. The elastic damping adjustment element 23 is an annular structure that can be slid onto one end of the column 1121. When the screws 22 are locked to the support structure 11, the base plate 20 and the ribs 1122 together clamp the elastic damping adjustment element 23. The elastic damping adjustment element 23 is placed on the column 1121 and connected on one side to the ends of the several adjacent ribs 1122 by an adhesive element (e.g., various adhesives, double-sided tape, etc.).With the design described above, the responsible personnel can quickly and easily mount the elastic damping adjustment element 23 at the desired position during the assembly of the switching module 200. In one embodiment, one of the ribs 1122 of each of the support structures 11 can also extend to form a first positioning structure 113.

[0029] As from Fig.As can be seen from Figure 9, it is worth noting that a straight-line distance from the center of the adjustment hole 201A to the center of the switching element 211 of the microswitch 21 is defined as a first distance D1, and a straight-line distance from the center of the mounting hole 201B to the center of the switching element 211 of the microswitch 21 is defined as a second distance D2, the first distance D1 being smaller than the second distance D2. In one embodiment, the first distance D1 is less than half the length of the base plate 20. In this way, the distance H can be more easily varied by actuating the screw 22, which passes through the adjustment hole 201A.

[0030] According to the above explanations, the mouse A of the present invention, through the design of the switching module 200 and the like, enables the assembler to adjust the distance H between the pressure structure 121 of the movable button 12 and the switching element 211 of the microswitch 21 during the assembly of the housing 100 and the switching module 200, so that the manufacturer can efficiently control the pressure feel of the movable buttons of the final mouse.

[0031] It is worth noting that, in practice, the manufacturer can use additional testing equipment to press the left and right buttons of the mouse with varying degrees of downward pressure (e.g., in grams) and record the respective downward pressure when a signal is generated by the microswitch assigned to the left or right button. In this way, the gram weight associated with each mouse button (i.e., the user's perception of pressure when using the mouse) can be determined.

[0032] As mentioned above, the switching module 200 of the mouse A according to the invention is attached to the inside of the housing 100, so that after attaching the switching module 200 to the inside of the housing 100, the technician can place the housing 100 with the installed switching module 200 into a test device in order to measure the weight in grams assigned to each of the movable buttons 12 using the test device. The technician can then adjust the screws 22 as needed so that each of the movable buttons 12 provides the expected weight in grams.

[0033] In summary, the mouse of the present invention, inter alia, through the design of the switching module and the housing, enables the assembler to adjust the distance between the pressure structure of the movable button and the switching element of the microswitch as needed by actuating the screws of the switching module during assembly, in order to effectively control the pressure feel of the left and right buttons of the mouse at the time of leaving the factory.

[0034] The above description merely represents preferred possible embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the claims of the present invention, so that all equivalent technical modifications made by applying the content of the description and the drawings of the present invention are included in the scope of protection of the present invention. Reference symbol list A mouse A1 Scroll wheel 100 cases 10 basic shapes 11 Support structure 111 structural bodies 112 Mounting structure 1121 Column 11211 Locking hole 1122 rib 113 First positioning structure 12 Movable buttons 121 Print structure 200 switching module 20 Base plate 201A Adjustment hole 201B Mounting hole 202 Second positioning structure 21 microswitches 211 Switching element 22 screw 23 Elastic damping adjustment element 300 base 400 motherboard 500 motion detection module 600 processor H distance D1 First gap D2 Second gap

Claims

[1] Mouse (A), comprising: - a housing (100) comprising the following: - a base body (10) comprising several fastening structures (112), each of which has a locking hole (11211); - two movable keys (12) which are each movably connected to the base body (10), each of the movable keys (12) having a printing structure (121) on its inside; - two switching modules (200), each comprising the following: - a base plate (20) having at least two through holes; - a microswitch (21) arranged on the base plate (20), wherein when the movable button (12) is pressed the pressure structure (121) can press against the adjacent microswitch (21); - two screws (22), each of which can engage through one of the through holes into one of the locking holes (11211), the base plate (20) interacting with two of the locking holes (11211) through the two screws (22) to be attached to the base body (10) and being located accordingly below the movable button (12); - an elastic damping adjustment element (23) arranged between the base plate (20) and one of the mounting structures (112) and which can be elastically deformed under pressure, wherein the screw (22) can be adjusted to change the extent of the deformation of the elastic damping adjustment element (23) under pressure in order to adjust a distance (H) between the pressure structure (121) and a switching element (211) of the microswitch (21); - a base (300) fixed to the housing (100) and equipped with a mainboard (400), a motion detection module (500) and a processor (600), wherein the base plate (20) is a component independent of the mainboard (400) and the individual microswitches (21) can be electrically connected to the processor (600) via flexible lines or wires, wherein the base body (10) further comprises several first positioning structures (113) arranged near the mounting structure (112), while each of the base plates (20) comprises a second positioning structure (202) which can snap into the first positioning structure (113) to jointly limit the relative position of the base plate (20) to the mounting structure (112). [2] Mouse (A) according to claim 1, wherein the distance (H) is between 0 and 0.7 millimeters and the thickness of the elastic damping adjustment element (23) is between 0.9 and 1.1 millimeters. [3] Mouse (A) according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the distance (H) is between 0 and 0.7 millimeters and the thread pitch of the screws (22) is between 0.3 and 0.8 millimeters. [4] Mouse (A) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the two through holes of the base plate (20) are defined as an adjustment hole (201A) and a mounting hole (201B), respectively, wherein - the adjustment hole (201A) is located near a switching element (211) of the microswitch (21); - the elastic damping adjustment element (23) is located between the adjustment hole (201A) and the adjacent mounting structure (112); - a straight-line distance from the center of the adjustment hole (201A) to the center of the switching element (211) of the microswitch (21) is defined as a first distance (D1) and a straight-line distance from the center of the mounting hole (201B) to the center of the switching element (211) of the microswitch (21) is defined as a second distance (D2), wherein the first distance (D1) is smaller than the second distance (D2). [5] Mouse (A) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first distance (D1) is less than half the length of the base plate (20). [6] Mouse (A) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein some of the fastening structures (112) comprise a column (1121) and several ribs (1122), wherein - the outer diameter of the column (1121) is smaller than the inner diameter of the adjustment hole (201A); - the several ribs (1122) are formed on the outside of the column (1121); - the elastic damping adjustment element (23) is a ring-shaped structure that can be pushed onto one end of the column (1121); - the base plate (20) and the ribs (1122) together can clamp the elastic damping adjustment element (23) when the screws (22) are locked with the fastening structures (112). [7] Mouse (A) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic damping adjustment element (23) is placed on the column (1121) and is connected on one side by an adhesive element to the ends of the several adjacent ribs (1122). [8] Mouse (A) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in each of the fastening structures (112) one of the ribs (1122) also extends to a first positioning structure (113), while each of the base plates (20) comprises a second positioning structure (202) which can snap into the first positioning structure (113) to jointly limit the relative position of the base plate (20) to the fastening structure (112). [9] Mouse (A) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic damping adjustment element (23) is made of silicone.

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