Patent ID: 6492976
Filing Date: 2002-12-10
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A multiple-wheel input device, comprising:a housing, said housing having an opening formed therethrough; an internal circuit unit disposed in said housing; and, a multiple-wheel signal module disposed in said housing and connected to said internal circuit unit, said multiple-wheel signal module including: a positioning plate having a bottom edge with at least one gap hole formed in a predetermined position thereof, at least two inclined surfaces being formed at a top edge of said gap hole, a pair of fixing boards being respectively installed at two sides of said gap hole, and a fixing bar being installed adjoining to a bottom edge of said gap hole; at least two light-penetrating type encode wheels, said encode wheels being respectively pivotally installed at two sides of said positioning plate, each of said encode wheels having a plurality of transparent portions annularly spaced on a circumference thereof with an opaque portion disposed between each adjacent pair of said transparent portions; a circuit board, said circuit board joining said fixing bar of said positioning plate, said circuit board having a light-emitting device installed in correspondence with said inclined surfaces, said circuit board including a pair of light-receiving devices respectively installed at two sides of said light-emitting device, each light-receiving device receiving light through said transparent portions of a respective one of said encode wheels; and at least two hollow rollers, said hollow rollers being respectively installed at two sides of said positioning plate, each of said rollers having a through hole formed therein, an interior surface of said through hole being rotatably supported between an outer side of a corresponding pair of said fixing boards and a perimeter of a corresponding encode wheel; whereby when one of said rollers is turned, said corresponding encode wheel will be jointly turned synchronously therewith, light from said light-emitting device being reflected by a respective inclined surface of said positioning plate to pass through said transparent portions of said corresponding encode wheel to form light variation signals received by a corresponding one of said light-receiving devices, the light variation signals being converted to current variation signals of said light-receiving device, wherein directional movements of the input device can thus be detected by the light variation signals from said encode wheels.