Wheel Button Structure With Stopper And Barrier Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wheel buttons in electronic devices lack a stopper function to indicate when they have reached maximum or minimum focal length, making it difficult for users to recognize when the button is not rotated, and they do not provide tactile feedback during rotation.
Innovation Solution
A wheel button structure with a serration structure and a stopper mechanism, where the stopper moves along a guide hole and the serration structure provides tactile feedback, allowing users to recognize when the wheel has stopped and rotated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a conventional wheel button is connected to a transfer device through a shaft and gear, then the wheel button can operate the transfer device, but the user cannot immediately recognize when the wheel button stops rotating
Solution Approach 1:
A stopper member is introduced as an intermediary element between the wheel button and transfer device. The stopper includes a lower portion that engages with the barrier wall on the wheel button and an upper portion that moves along a guide hole in the transfer device. This intermediary component transmits rotational information from the wheel button to the user through tactile feedback, solving the problem of user recognition without requiring direct modification of the existing shaft and gear connection.
2Loss of information
If a wheel button rotates without tactile feedback features, then the wheel button can rotate freely, but the user does not feel the rotation of the wheel button
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel button is equipped with a barrier wall formed on its surface, creating a localized tactile feature with alternating high and low points. This local quality modification allows the stopper member to engage with specific portions of the barrier wall during rotation, generating tactile feedback for the user. The barrier wall wraps around the rotation axis multiple times, providing continuous tactile information throughout the rotation range without requiring complex mechanical feedback mechanisms.
3Loss of information
If the wheel button has no stopper function, then the structure is simple, but the user cannot recognize when the wheel has reached maximum or minimum focal length
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper mechanism is segmented into distinct functional portions: a lower portion that engages with the barrier wall on the wheel button and an upper portion that moves along the guide hole in the transfer device. The barrier wall itself is segmented into multiple wraps around the rotation axis, creating discrete engagement points. This segmentation allows the stopper to provide clear tactile feedback at specific rotational positions (maximum and minimum focal lengths) while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A wheel button structure is provided. The wheel button structure includes a case part including an upper case through which a guide hole is formed, a wheel part rotating in the case part with respect to a rotation axis fixed to one side of the case part, connected to a transfer device operated while interlocked with the wheel part, and including a barrier wall formed on a surface facing the guide hole to wrap a plurality of times around the rotation axis, and a stopper including a lower portion inserted between a first part of the barrier wall and a second part of the barrier wall adjacent to the first part of the barrier wall and an upper portion inserted into the guide hole, wherein the stopper moves along the guide hole when the wheel part rotates.