Patent ID: 8169403

Claim:
An image processing apparatus, comprising: a display module for displaying a digital image; a control module, connected to the display module for controlling the display module and conducting image processing; and a five-direction scroll wheel module, connected to the control module for being operated to generate at least five control signals for controlling the control module, the scroll wheel module further comprising: a scroll wheel, which is a hollow wheel-shaped component; an optical grating, having a plurality of wheel-shaped arrays of light-transmitting slots and located coaxially with the scroll wheel at a central portion thereof; a frame, which is a U-shaped frame and provided with a hollow support on each of two lateral sides thereof for pivotally connecting with the optical grating, wherein each of two outer lateral sides thereof is provided with a sliding groove and a protrusion; a base, located under the frame and vertically provided with two opposite, hollow sliding rails which can be inserted into the sliding grooves; a sensing element, located outside each of the two sliding rails of the base and facing the optical grating in the scroll wheel through the hollow sliding rails and the hollow supports, wherein the sensing elements can detect a spin-momentum of a forward or backward rotation of the scroll wheel via the light-transmitting slots; a first touch switch, located on the base between the two sliding rails; and two second touch switches, located on two lateral sides of the first touch switch, respectively, and corresponding to the protrusions on the two lateral sides of the base, respectively; wherein the scroll wheel can be pressed vertically towards the base, so that a bottom portion of the frame touches and thereby triggers the first touch switch on the base; and when a predetermined force is applied to the scroll wheel towards either of two sides thereof, the sliding rails tilt downwards towards a direction in which the force is applied so as to cause a corresponding one of the protrusions formed on the frame to touch and thereby trigger a corresponding one of the two second touch switches on the base.