Patent ID: 12228433

The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present application will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in conjunction with the embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the following, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments may be only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, but not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skilled in the art without creative effort shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

It is to be understood that, all of the directional instructions in the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure (such as top, down, left, right, front, back . . . ) can only be used for explaining relative position relations, moving condition of the elements under a form (referring to figures), and so on, if the form changes, the directional instructions changes accordingly.

In addition, descriptions such as “first” and “second” in the present disclosure may be for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the meaning of “and/or” appearing in the context means including three parallel solutions, taking “A and/or B” as an example, “A and/or B” includes only solution A, or only solution B, or both solutions A and B. In addition, the technical solutions among the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but the combinations must be based on what can be achieved by those of ordinary skill in the art. When a combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be achieved, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the protection scope claimed by the present application.

The present disclosure provides a mouse encoder100.

As shown inFIGS.1to6, the mouse encoder100includes a housing10, a rolling bearing member20, a grating member30, and a circuit board40. The housing10forms a mounting cavity113. A connection hole13is defined in an end surface of the housing10and is connected with a rotation shaft210of a scroll wheel200of the mouse encoder100. The connection hole13communicates with the mounting cavity113.

The rolling bearing member20is arranged in the mounting cavity113. An outer ring21of the rolling bearing member20is fixed to an inner wall surface of the mounting cavity113. An outer wall surface of the outer ring21is attached to the inner wall surface of the mounting cavity113, and the outer ring21is clamped in the mounting cavity113.

The grating member30includes a rotating cylinder31and a grating disk32sleeved on the rotating cylinder31. The grating disk32includes a plurality of light transmitting slots33formed along a circumference of the grating disk32at intervals. An inner ring22of the rolling bearing member20is sleeved on the rotating cylinder31. An axis of the connection hole13, an axis of the rotating cylinder31, an axis of the connection hole13, an axis of the rotating cylinder31and an axis of the rolling bearing member20all lie in the same straight line.

The circuit board40covers the mounting cavity. The circuit board40includes a light emitter41and a light receiver42. The circuit board40is electrically connected to a main board of the mouse, the light emitter41is conductive with the light receiver42to form an optical path. When the rotating cylinder31rotates, the grating disk32is driven to rotate by the rotating cylinder31, thus, the grating disk32is capable of blocking or exposing the optical path.

In this embodiment, by manually moving the scroll wheel200, a force is generated to drive the grating member30to rotate (due to the insertion connection between the rotation shaft210of the scroll wheel200and the rotating cylinder31); since the grating member30is fixed to the inner ring22of the rolling bearing member20, the inner ring22of the rolling bearing member30is capable of synchronously rotating with the grating disk32to significantly reduce the friction to be overcome when the scroll wheel200rotates, which can realize the synchronous rotation speed between the grating member30and the scroll wheel200as well as reduce the rolling friction coefficient of the scroll wheel200and provide a silent effect, thereby providing the no-damping speed rotation experience to the users.

The bearing is an important component in current mechanical equipment. The bearing is mainly used to support the mechanical rotating body, reduce the friction coefficient during the movement, and ensure the rotary accuracy. The bearings are currently divided into three categories: sliding bearings, joint bearings and rolling bearings. A rolling bearing generally includes four parts including an outer ring, an inner ring, a rolling body, and a cage. According to the shape of the rolling body, the rolling bearings are divided into two major categories including ball bearings and roller bearings.

In the present disclosure, the rolling bearing member20is a deep groove ball bearing, which is the most representative rolling bearing. Compared with other types of bearings of the same size, the deep groove ball bearing has a small friction coefficient, a high limitation speed, a simple structure, a low manufacturing cost, and a high precision, can be used without frequent maintenance, and has a large range of sizes and forms; thus, the deep groove ball bearing is the most widely used bearing. The deep groove ball bearing mainly bears radial loads and can also bear certain axial loads. When the deep groove ball bearing only bears the radial loads, a contacting angle is zero. Based on the above characteristics, the deep groove ball bearing is very suitable for the mouse encoder of the technical solution of the present disclosure. It is noted that the bearing is not limited to the deep groove ball bearing in the technical solution of the present disclosure, other types of rolling bearings can also be applied in the technical solution of the present disclosure.

The circuit board is connected to the main board of the mouse to reach the conductive state, and then the rotation shaft210of the scroll wheel200is inserted into the rotating cylinder31from the connection hole13; at this time, the scroll wheel200, the rolling bearing member20and the grating member30are coaxial.

Therefore, when the scroll wheel200is driven to rotate forwards by the user, the scroll wheel200can drive the grating disk32connected thereto to synchronously rotate through the rotation shaft210. At this time, the grating disk32can first block the optical path formed between the light emitter41and the light receiver42and then re-expose the optical path. The circuit board40can detect a change of an optical signal of the optical path and thus identify that the scroll wheel200rotates forwards, therefore, the mouse can complete the work of inputting the corresponding command according to the scroll wheel200. It is noted that in some embodiments, the light receiver42can include two units integrated in the same component, including a first receiving unit corresponding to “forwards” and a second receiving unit corresponding to “backwards”. When the scroll wheel200is driven by the user to rotate backwards, the scroll wheel200can drive the grating disk32connected thereto to simultaneously rotate. At this time, the grating disk32can first block the optical path formed between the light emitter41and the light receiver42and then re-expose the optical path, the circuit board40can detect the change of the optical signal of the optical path, and then identify that the scroll wheel200rotates backwards, so that the mouse can complete the work of inputting the corresponding command according to the scroll wheel200. In the present disclosure, since the outer part of the rotating cylinder31is fixed to the inner ring of the rolling bearing member20, the rotating cylinder31has a synchronous rotation speed with the rolling bearing member20, thus, the scroll wheel200has the same friction coefficient and silent effect as the rolling bearing member20when rotating backwards and forwards.

The housing10can be made of plastic, or metal, or a combination of plastic and metal. When being made of plastic, the housing10is relatively light and is beneficial to reducing the overall volume of the mouse, which facilitates the using of the mouse. When being made of metal, the housing10has a relatively high strength and is beneficial to extending the service life of the housing10. Therefore, in some embodiments, the housing10can be partly made of metal and partly made of plastic.

The light emitter41and the light receiver42may be fixed to the circuit board40by soldering in order to achieve an electrical connection as well as a mechanical connection. In some embodiments, the light emitter41and the light receiver42can also be fixedly inserted to the circuit board40.

Referring toFIGS.3to6, the grating member30further includes a connection platform34radially protruding from an outer wall surface of the rotating cylinder31. A side wall of the connection platform34adjacent to the rolling bearing member20is in contact with the end surface of the inner ring22of the rolling bearing member20, and a side wall of the connection platform34away from the rolling bearing member20is connected with the grating disk32. In this embodiment, the outer wall surface of the rotating cylinder31is tightly fastened to a hole of the inner ring22of the rolling bearing member20. The connection platform34is attached to the inner ring22of the rolling bearing member20to achieve synchronous rotation of the rotating cylinder31and the rolling bearing member20; moreover, the inner ring22of the rolling bearing member20is not in contact with the housing10, thus, no frictional interference is generated between the housing10and the rolling bearing member20.

A diameter of the connection platform34is greater than an outer diameter of the inner ring22of the rolling bearing member20and is less than an inner diameter of the outer ring21of the rolling bearing member20, which ensures that the grating member30is only fixed to the inner ring22and is not in contact with the outer ring21and other assembly components, and thus significantly improves the smoothness of the rotation of the inner ring of the rolling bearing member20.

Furthermore, referring toFIGS.4to7, the rotating cylinder31and the grating disk32may be integrally formed; in some other embodiments, the rotating cylinder31may be detachably connected with the grating disk32to facilitate the replacement of the grating disk32with a different number of light transmitting slots33. It is noted that the connection platform34may be formed on the outer wall of the rotating cylinder31or in the middle of the grating disk32. When the rotating cylinder31and the grating disk32are integrally formed, the connection platform34connects the rotating cylinder31and the grating disk32; when the rotating cylinder31and the grating disk32are independently formed, the connection platform34can be located on the rotating cylinder31or the grating disk32. In some embodiments, the connection platform34can be partly arranged on the rotating cylinder31and partly arranged on the grating disk32.

Referring toFIGS.4to6, the housing10includes a mounting housing11and a fixing housing12spaced from the mounting housing11. The mounting housing11includes a mounting plate111and a mounting portion112protruding from the mounting plate111in a direction away from the fixing housing12. The mounting cavity113is formed in the mounting portion112, and the connection hole13is defined in an end surface of the mounting portion112away from the fixing housing12. In the embodiment, the mounting housing11is stretched to form the mounting portion112which further forms the mounting cavity113, that is, the mounting portion112is integrally formed with the mounting plate111. The overall shape of the mounting cavity113is the same as the overall shape of the rolling bearing member20, and the rolling bearing member20is riveted in the mounting cavity113(an outer peripheral wall of the outer ring21tightly engages with the inner side wall of the mounting cavity113), and the end surface of the rolling bearing member20is coplanar with the inner surface of the mounting portion112, such that the rolling bearing member20can be fixed and the inner ring22of the rolling bearing member20can rotate freely. Specifically, a radial size of the connection hole13is greater than or equal to a radial size of the inner ring22of the rolling bearing member20, so that the mounting portion113avoids the end surface of the inner ring facing away from the fixing housing12; the radial size of the connection hole13is less than or equal to a radial size of the outer ring21of the rolling bearing member20, so that the end surface of the outer ring21facing away from the fixing housing12abuts the inner wall of the mounting cavity113(i.e. the end surface of the outer ring22of the rolling bearing member20adjacent to the connection hole13abuts the inner side wall of the mounting cavity113, that is, abuts the inner wall forming the connection hole13). Since the rolling bearing member20is coaxial with the connection hole13, when the radial size of the connection hole is greater than or equal to the radial size of the inner ring22of the rolling bearing member20, the end surface of the inner ring22facing away from the fixing housing12is not in contact with the mounting portion113and is exposed through the connection hole13, so that the inner ring22does not receive damping from the mounting portion113in rotation, which facilitates the inner ring22and the rotating cylinder31to rotate smoothly. When the radial size of the connection hole13is less than or equal to the radial size of the outer ring21of the rolling bearing member20, the end surface of the outer ring22facing away from the fixing housing12abuts the inner wall of the mounting cavity113, that is, the mounting portion113can limit the position of the outer ring21, which improves the installation stability of the rolling bearing member20and as well facilitates the rolling bearing member20to be mounted at the preset position conveniently and accurately (when the rolling bearing member20is mounted into the mounting cavity113and one end surface of the outer ring21abuts the mounting portion112, the rolling bearing member20is mounted at the preset position). Since the end surface of the outer ring22abuts the inner wall of the mounting portion, dust and mosquitoes, etc., can be prevented from entering the mouse encoder through the engaging position between the outer ring21and the mounting portion112.

The housing10also has an assembly cavity communicating with the mounting cavity113. The grating disk32is located in the assembly cavity, and the rotating cylinder31is partly located in the assembly cavity and is partly located in the mounting cavity113. The assembly cavity is formed by enclosing the fixing housing12and the mounting housing11. A rotating space121is formed in the fixing housing12, and the rotating space121can be a part of the assembly cavity. The grating disk32is rotatably arranged within the rotating space121.

The fixing housing12may have many forms. In some embodiments, the fixing housing12may be formed with a light transmitting cavity122for receiving the light emitter41and the light receiver42. In some embodiments, the fixing housing12may be further formed with a through hole125; the through hole125is concentric with the connection hole13such that the rotation shaft of the mouse can be connected to the rotating cylinder through the through hole125. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the light transmitting cavity122may communicate with the through hole125to form a large space, which can be a part or all of the avoidance hole mentioned hereinafter, which is given in detail as follows.

The rotating space121is formed in the fixing housing12, and the grating disk32is rotatably arranged in the rotating space121. The light transmitting cavity122is formed in a lower part of the fixing housing12, and the light transmitting cavity122communicates with the rotating space121. The light emitter41and the light receiver42are arranged in the light transmitting cavity122and are located on both sides of the light transmitting slot33. An end surface of a side of the fixing housing12away from the mounting housing11defines the through hole125which is concentric with the connection hole13. With the connection hole125, the rotation shaft210of the scroll wheel200can be inserted to the rotating cylinder31from two different directions according to actual needs. The grating disk32can rotate in the rotating space121under the action of the rotating cylinder31. When the circuit board40is mounted to the fixing housing12, both the light emitter41and the light receiver42on the circuit board40are located in the light transmitting cavity122of the fixing housing12, and the light transmitting cavity122communicates with the rotating space121. In this way, the circuit board40can be arranged outside the housing10, and the light emitter41and the light receiver42cooperate with the grating disk32through the light transmitting cavity122.

Referring toFIGS.3and4, the grating disk32includes a connecting disk321and a light transmitting disk322. The connecting disk321is rotatably arranged on the rotating cylinder31. The light transmitting disk322extends axially from an outer edge of the connecting disk321in a direction away from the rolling bearing member20, and the light transmitting slots33are formed in the light transmitting disk322at intervals. The light emitter41and the light receiver42are located on inner and outer sides of the light transmitting disk322, respectively, so that when the grating disk32rotates, the optical path between the light emitter41and the light receiver42can be blocked or exposed by the light transmitting disk322.

Since the connection platform34is connected between the end surface of the inner ring22of the rolling bearing members20and the connecting disk321, thus, a gap is formed between the connecting disk321and the rolling bearing member20, which ensures that the grating disk32is only in contact with the rotating part of the rolling bearing member20, namely the inner ring22, and also forms a gap between the grating disk32and the inner wall surface of the housing10. Therefore, the grating disk32and the rolling bearing member20can have a synchronous rotation speed, the service life of the mouse encoder can be extended, and the mouse encoder can provide a silent effect.

Please refer toFIGS.3to6, the mounting housing11can engage with the fixing housing12in a number of ways, for example, the mounting housing11and the fixing housing12can be fixed together through fasteners, can be clamped together through buckle portions, which is given in detail as follows.

A mounting hole115is defined in the mounting housing11, and the side wall of the fixing housing12facing the mounting housing11is provided with a mounting post126engageable with the mounting hole115. In the embodiment, the mounting post126on the fixing housing12engages with the mounting hole115in the mounting housing11such that the fixing housing12is detachably connected to the mounting housing11. In some embodiments, the engagement between the mounting post and the mounting hole may be used to position the mounting housing and the fixing housing (i.e., to achieve accurate positioning of the mounting housing and the fixing housing), and the mounting housing11and the fixing housing12can be fastened together through the engagement between a buckle portion and a boss. Specifically, the mounting housing11further includes at least one buckle portion114arranged on a side and/or a bottom of the mounting housing11, and the buckle portion114engages with a corresponding boss arranged on the fixing housing12. The buckle portion can be in various forms, such as a buckle slot and a buckle hole, etc. In this embodiment, the mounting housing11includes two buckle portions114protruding from both sides of the mounting housing11towards the fixing housing12and buckle holes are defined in protruding parts of the buckle portions. When the mounting housing11engages with the fixing housing12, the mounting housing11and the fixing housing12are accurately positioned through the engagement between the mounting hole115and the mounting post126, and then the mounting housing11and the fixing housing12are fastened together through engagement between the buckle portion114and the boss. In some embodiments, another buckle portion114is arranged at the bottom of the mounting housing11, which extends from the bottom of the mounting housing11towards the bottom of the fixing housing12. A notch is formed at the bottom of the fixing housing12, and a boss is arranged inside the notch to correspondingly engage with the buckle portion114. In this way, the buckle portion114at the bottom of the mounting housing11can engage with the boss in the notch; the buckle portion114can be received into the notch after the buckle portion114is engaged with the boss, which can hide the buckle portion114. In some embodiments, the positions of the buckle portion114and the boss in the above embodiment can be interchanged.

It is noted that the fixing housing12and the mounting housing11can be made of many materials, such as plastic and metal. The mounting housing11also includes a fixing leg12aconnected to the main board of the mouse and a supporting portion129abutting the main board. The number of the fixing leg12ais two, and the supporting portion129is located between the two fixing legs12a. The fixing leg12aincludes a support structure12cand a plugging structure12b, and the plugging structure12bis used to be inserted into the main board. The bottom of the support structure12cis coplanar with the bottom of the supporting portion129, and both the support structure12cand the supporting portion129abut the board surface of the main board after the assembly. The buckle portion114at the bottom of the mounting housing11can be formed by bending a part of the supporting portion129(the supporting portion129is stamped or processed through other ways to form the buckle portion114bent toward the mounting housing11, the supporting portion129which forms the buckle portion114has the same process port as the buckle portion114).

Referring toFIGS.7to11, there are many possible locations and mounting forms for the circuit board40, which are exemplarily described below.

The mouse encoder100further includes a fixing plate500arranged in parallel with the housing10, the circuit board40is arranged between the housing10and the fixing plate500, the fixing plate500is fixed to the housing10to clamp at least a part of the circuit board40between the fixing plate500and the housing10.

In this embodiment, the fixing plate500can be a plastic fixing plate500or a metal fixing plate500and so on, which is not limited herein. Taking the fixing plate500being a metal fixing plate as an example, the metal fixing plate500can be made thinner to ensure a load-bearing capacity thereof. The fixing plate500being in parallel with the housing10means that a surface of the fixing plate500is arranged substantially in parallel with the housing10, and the overall shape of the housing10is flat. In this way, when the fixing plate500and the housing10clamps the circuit board40, an area of the circuit board40which is clamped can be significantly increased, thereby significantly increasing the stability and reliability of the installation of the circuit board40. At the same time, by arranging the circuit board40outside the housing10, the circuit board40does not occupy the space inside the housing10, so that the structural arrangement (the engagement between the rolling bearing member20, the rotating cylinder31and the grating disk32) inside the housing10can be more compact. The fixing plate500and the housing10can be connected in many ways, such as through fasteners like screws and through buckling connections, which is not limited herein.

In this embodiment, by setting the fixing plate500in parallel with the housing10, when the circuit board40is arranged in parallel between the fixing plate500and the housing10, the circuit board40can be clamped between the fixing plate500and the housing10by fastening the fixing plate500to the housing10, so that the circuit board40can be stably and reliably mounted outside the housing10. Furthermore, the circuit board40is located adjacent to the housing10inside the grating disk32, thus, the grating disk32can conveniently engage with the light emitter41and the light receiver42, which significantly improves the stability of the installation of the circuit board40and the compactness of the structure of the mouse encoder100.

It is noted that the light emitter41and the light receiver42can be electrically connected with the circuit board40in a number of ways, for example, the light emitter41and the light receiver42can be soldered or inserted to the circuit board40. In some embodiments, the light emitter41and the light receiver42can also be electrically connected to the circuit board40through wires and other electrical connections.

On this basis, in order to further improve the compactness of the mouse encoder100, the light emitter41and the light receiver42are mounted on the board surface of the circuit board40facing the housing10; the housing10forms the rotating space121in which the grating disk32is rotatably arranged. An avoidance hole12dis defined in a side wall of the housing10on which the circuit board40is mounted, the avoidance hole12dcommunicates with the rotating space121, the light emitter41and the light receiver42engage with the grating disk32through the avoidance hole12d.

In this embodiment, the light emitter41and the light receiver42are directly mounted on the board surface of the circuit board40, which can simplify the connection circuit between the light emitter41and the light receiver42and the circuit board40. The avoidance hole12dcan be a round hole, oval hole, square hole, triangular hole and so on, which is not limited herein. The avoidance hole12dis mainly used to avoid the light emitter41and the light receiver42, therefore, the avoidance hole12dat least needs to ensure that the light emitter41and the light receiver42can enter the rotating space121to engage with the grating disk32. In some embodiments, the avoidance hole12dcan also be used to avoid the rotation shaft210of the mouse (when the rotation shaft210is inserted into the rotating cylinder from the side of the fixing plate500), thus, the shape and position of the avoidance hole12dneed to be configured for realizing the installation of the rotation shaft210. In this embodiment, in order to facilitate the processing of the avoidance hole12d, the avoidance hole12dis a circular hole, and the avoidance hole12dis coaxial with the rotating space (i.e. the rotating space is in the shape of a cylinder). In this embodiment, by setting the avoidance hole12d, the light emitter41and the light receiver42arranged on the circuit board40can enter the rotating space121from the nearest position to engage with the grating disk32. In this way, the structure of the mouse encoder100is greatly simplified, and the compactness of the structure inside the housing10and the mouse encoder100is improved.

The circuit board40can have many forms, for example, the circuit board40can be a traditional printed circuit board or a flexible circuit board. In this embodiment, the circuit board40is a flexible circuit board. The flexible circuit board40includes a board body43and a flexible cable45connected to the board body43. On end of the flexible cable45away from the board body43is configured to be inserted into the main board, and the board body43is clamped between the fixing plate500and the housing10. Compared with the traditional printed circuit board, the board body43has a certain degree of flexibility. The main material of the board body43can be rigid rubber, and a circuit is formed in the board body43. When the board body43is clamped, a certain elastic deformation can occur, such that the board body43can be better attached to the fixing plate500and the housing10. Thus, the light emitter41and the light receiver42arranged on the board body43can better engage with the light transmitting disk322, and the board body43can be more stably clamped. The flexible cable45is flexible and conductive, and one end of the board body43is provided with a plug which can be directly inserted into a power port of the main board of the mouse. The end of the board body43can be pulled out of the power port in the disassembly process. Thus, compared with the traditional printed circuit board, the flexible circuit board40in this embodiment can be very conveniently and reliably connected with the main board of the mouse, and the reliability problems and risks caused by welding and other processes can be avoided, which significantly simplifies the electrical connection process between the mouse encoder100and the main board of the mouse.

In some embodiments, to further improve the mounting stability of the circuit board40, the board body43has a first board surface431facing the housing10and a second board surface432facing the fixing plate500. The first board surface431is attached to an outer surface of the housing10, and the second board surface432is attached to the surface of the fixing plate500. In this embodiment, the first board surface431of the board body43facing the housing10is a flat surface or is substantially a flat surface, so that the first board surface431can be attached to the outer surface of the housing10to improve the attachment between the housing10and the board body43. The second board surface432facing the fixing plate500is a flat surface or is substantially a flat surface, so that the second board surface432can be attached to the surface of the fixing plate500to improve the attachment between the board body43and the fixing plate500. In this way, the fixing plate500can better press the circuit board40to the surface of the housing10.

In some embodiments, in order to improve the working stability of the flexible cable45and improve the compactness of the mouse encoder100, one end of the flexible cable45is connected to a connection end of the board body43, and the avoidance notch520through which the flexible cable45passes is formed in the fixing plate500at a position corresponding to the connection end of the board body43. In this embodiment, taking the overall shape of the board body43being rectangular as an example, the board body43is in parallel with the fixing plate500, and the connection end of the board body43is adjacent to the main board of the mouse. The avoidance notch520is formed in one end of the fixing plate500adjacent to the main board of the mouse, corresponding to the connection position of the flexible cable45and the board body43, so that the flexible cable can conveniently pass through the fixing plate500without being squeezed by the fixing plate500. In this way, the risk of damage to the flexible cable45caused by squeeze can be reduced; meanwhile, because the avoidance notch520is located adjacent to the main board of the mouse, the flexible cable45can extend to the wring port of the main board directly without too much bending and winding. When the mouse encoder100is mounted on the main board, the avoidance notch520and the main board are enclosed to form a space to limit the flexible cable45, which improves the stability of the installation of the flexible cable45. It is noted that in some embodiments, the flexible printed circuit board40can be mounted at other positions, for example, the flexible printed circuit board40can be mounted on one side of the rolling bearing member30; correspondingly, the flexible cable45can extend outwards from the side on which the mounting plate111is located. The flexible cable45is inserted to the main board of the mouse after extending outwards through the avoidance notch520. In some embodiments, the flexible cable45can be inserted to the main board of the mouse after passing through the through hole defined in the supporting portion129. In other embodiments, the flexible cable45can directly pass through the through hole defined in the supporting portion129without passing through the avoidance notch520.

The connection of the fixing plate500to the housing10is exemplarily described below.

One side of the housing10facing the circuit board40is provided with a positioning post127, a first positioning hole is defined in the circuit board40corresponding to the positioning post127, and a second positioning hole550is defined in the fixing plate500corresponding to the positioning post127. The number of the positioning posts127can be more than one, such as 2, 3, and 4, etc. For example, the number of the positioning posts127is four, and the four positioning posts127are arranged on the four corners of the side of the housing10. The number of the first positioning holes and the second positioning holes550respectively correspond to the number of the positioning posts127; when the number of the positioning posts127is four, the number of the first positioning holes and the second positioning holes550are also four respectively. During the installation of the circuit board40, the circuit board40engages with the positioning posts127through the first positioning holes, and the fixing plate500engages with the positioning posts127through the second positioning holes550. In some embodiments, the positioning post127can further be used to fix the fixing plate500and the housing10, for example, the positioning post127can be a threaded post with external threads, the fixing plate500and the circuit board40can be connected to the housing10through the engagement between the nut and the positioning post127. In some embodiments, the positioning post127can be used only to position the fixing plate500and the housing10, and the fixing plate500can be connected to the housing10through other structures, such as screws and buckles, etc., which is exemplarily illustrated below.

At least one fastener530is arranged on a side of the fixing plate500, at least one clamping protrusion128corresponding to the fastener530is arranged on a side of the housing10, and the fastener530engages with the clamping protrusion128. In some embodiments, the positions of the fastener530and the clamping protrusion128can be interchanged, for example, the fastener530is arranged on a side of the housing10and the clamping protrusion128is arranged on a side of the fixing plate500. The fastener530can have many forms such as a fastening hole and a fastening slot, etc. The clamping protrusion128can have many forms such as a protruding block. In this embodiment, two fasteners530are arranged on both sides of the fixing plate500and two clamping protrusions128are arranged on both sides of the housing10. The fasteners530extend from both sides of the fixing plate500in the direction towards the housing10, and the clamping protrusions128protrude from both sides of the housing10. The fixing plate500and the housing10can be detachably fastened together through the engagement between the clamping protrusion128and the fastener530. The circuit board40is clamped between the fixing plate500and the housing10through the engagement between the fixing plate500and the housing10.

In some embodiments, in order to improve the compactness of the structure of the mouse encoder100, the housing10includes a mounting housing11and a fixing housing12spaced from the mounting housing11. The mounting housing11further includes at least one buckle portion114arranged on a side of the mounting housing11. The buckle portion114engage with a corresponding boss123arranged on the fixing housing12. In this embodiment, the mounting housing11further two buckle portions114arranged on both sides of the mounting housing11and two bosses123arranged on the fixing hosing12. The clamping protrusions128and the bosses123are arranged along a height direction of the fixing housing12, and the buckle portions114and the fasteners530are staggered. In this embodiment, the clamping protrusions128and the bosses123are arranged on the fixing housing12at intervals along the height direction of the fixing housing12. The arrangement order of clamping protrusions128and the bosses123can be adjusted; in some embodiments, the bosses123can be located in an upper part of the fixing housing12and the clamping protrusions128can be located in a lower part of the fixing housing12; at this time, the fasteners530engaging with the clamping protrusions128are located in a lower part of the fixing plate500and the buckle portions114engaging with the bosses123are located in an upper part of the mounting housing11. In other embodiments, the clamping protrusions128can be located in the upper part of the fixing housing12and the bosses123can be located in the lower part of the fixing housing12; correspondingly, the fasteners530engaging with the clamping protrusions128are located in the upper part of the fixing plate500and the buckle portions114engaging with the bosses123are located in the lower part of the mounting housing11. In this way, by arranging the clamping protrusions128and the bosses123along the height direction of the fixing housing12, both the fixing plate500and the mounting housing11can engage with the fixing housing12(with the fasteners530and the buckle portion114, respectively), which fully utilizes an upper space and a lower space on both sides of the fixing housing12. Thus, the stable assembly of the fixing plate500, the fixing housing12, and the mounting housing11can be ensured while making reasonable utilization of space, and the utilization of space and the compactness of mouse encoder100can be improved.

In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the assembly of the mouse encoder, for example, to facilitate the assembly of the mounting housing11and the fixing housing12, a first guiding slope12eis formed on a side of the boss123facing the mounting housing11and is used to guide the buckle portion114to engage with the boss123. With the first guiding slope12e, the buckle portion114can be guided to move to the buckling position along the first guiding slope12eduring the assembly process, which improves the efficiency of the assembly. In order to facilitate the assembly of the fixing plate500and the fixing housing12, a second guiding slope12fis formed on a side of the clamping protrusion128facing the fixing plate500and is used to guide the fastener530to engage with the clamping protrusion128. With the second guiding slope12f, the fastener530can be guided to move along the second guiding slope12fto the buckling position of the clamping protrusion128during the assembly process, which improves the efficiency of the assembly.

It is noted that during the assembly process, the sequence regarding the engagement of the buckle portion114and the boss123and the engagement of the fastener530and the clamping protrusion128can be variously adjusted, for example, the buckle portion114engages with the boss123at first, and then the fastener530engages with the clamping protrusion128; at this time, the fastener530can cover the extended side wall on which the buckle portion114is arranged.

In some embodiments, the fastener530can engage with the clamping protrusion128at first, and then the buckle portion114engages with the boss123. In this embodiment, a sink12gis formed at the position of the clamping protrusion128, and the clamping protrusion128is located on a bottom of the sink12g. The fastener530is shaped as a lug, and when the fastener530engages with the clamping protrusion128, the fastener530is received in the sink12g. The buckle portion114is formed on a covering sidewall116of the fixing housing12, and the covering sidewall116extends from an edge of the mounting plate111towards the fixing housing12. The buckle portion114engages with the boss123, and two covering sidewalls116cover both sides of the fixing housing12and the engaging positions of the fasteners530and the clamping protrusions128. Meanwhile, with the sink12g, the covering sidewall116can be attached to the side wall of the housing (the fastener530engages with the clamping protrusion128and the two are hidden in the sink12g), so that the overall width of the mouse encoder100is significantly reduced, and the compactness of the structure of the mouse encoder100is improved.

The fixing plate500can have many forms, such as a fully-enclosed plate and a plate with via, as explained below.

In the case where the fixing plate500is fully enclosed, there are two working conditions; in one working condition the circuit board40has a first via46; in the other working condition, the circuit board40is a complete board without a first via46. In some embodiments, the circuit board40is a complete board blocking the avoidance hole12d; in other embodiments, the circuit board40has a first via46, the circuit board40covers the avoidance hole12dand the fixing plate500blocks the first via46. In this embodiment, the fixing plate500is a complete board, and a region of the fixing plate500corresponding to the avoidance hole12dis not formed with a hole structure such as a second via510. On this basis, the circuit board40can be formed with or without the first via46. When the circuit board40is formed with the first via46, the first via46corresponds to the avoidance hole12dand the fixing plate500blocks the first via46, so that the side of the housing10facing the fixing plate500is covered, which avoids dust, mosquitoes, and water, etc. of the external environment of from entering into the housing10. It is noted that the circuit board40can be also used in the case where the rotation shaft210is inserted from both sides of the mouse encoder100, so that the adaptability of the circuit board40can be greatly improved. When the circuit board40is not formed with the first via46, the circuit board40covers the avoidance hole12dand the fixing plate500presses the circuit board40, thus, the side of the housing10facing the fixing plate500is covered.

In the case where the fixing plate500is not fully enclosed, the circuit board40is provided with the first via46and the fixing plate500is provided with the second via510corresponding to the first via46. The first via46and the second via510communicate with the rotating space121and the mounting cavity113through the avoidance hole12d, so that the rotation shaft210of the scroll wheel200can be connected to the rolling bearing member20through the first via46, the second via510, the avoidance hole12dand the rotating space121. In this embodiment, with the first via46and the second via510, the space inside the housing10can communicate with the external environment through the avoidance hole12d, the first via46, and the second via510, thus, the rotation shaft210can reach into the housing10to be inserted to the rotating cylinder31, or the end of the rotating cylinder31away from the connection hole13can extend to the avoidance hole12d, the first via46, and the second via510, such that the rotation shaft210can be inserted to the rotating cylinder31. At this point, the rotation shaft210can be connected to both sides of the mouse encoder100, which allows the mouse encoder100to be applied to more working conditions and significantly improves the adaptability of the mouse encoder100.

Referring toFIG.8, the present disclosure further provides a mouse and the mouse includes the mouse encoder100and the scroll wheel200. Since the mouse includes the mouse encoder100, the mouse employs all of the technical solutions of all of the above embodiments of the mouse encoder100and therefore has at least all of the beneficial effects of the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated herein. It will be appreciated that the mouse also includes other parts, such as a housing, etc.

The above descriptions are only optional embodiments of the application, and do not limit the scope of the patents of the present application. All the equivalent structural transformations made by the content of the specification and drawings of the present application under the creative concept of the present application, or directly/indirectly used in other related technical fields are all included in the protection scope of the patents of the present application.