Low acoustic mouse scroll wheel
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorsPeng Lip Goh, Deeder M. Aurongzeb
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An information handling system peripheral mouse accepts scroll inputs at a scroll wheel extending from the upper surface of the mouse. The scroll wheel rotates about an axis and has a chamber inside a the wheel that is filled with MR fluid having particles that interact with a magnetic field so that the viscosity of the fluid varies based upon the presence of a magnetic field. A sliding magnet carrier moves magnets relative to the scroll wheel to adjust the MR fluid viscosity and the amount of haptic feedback created at blades within the chamber that resist the passage of the MR fluid.
Claims13
An information handling system comprising:
- a housing;
- a processor disposed in the housing and operable to execute instruction to process information;
- a memory disposed in the housing and interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the information and instructions;
- a mouse interfaced with the processor, the mouse having a scroll wheel configured to rotate about an axis and defining a chamber, the chamber having plural blades and filled with magnetorheological (MR) fluid, the mouse further having one or more magnets configured to align at selectable distances to the scroll wheel to adjust resistance to rotation of the scroll wheel by interaction of the blades and MR fluid, the mouse scroll having a core magnet coupled at a central location;
- and
- a sliding carrier coupled to the mouse and to the one or more magnets, the sliding carrier configured to slide relative to the scroll wheel the adjust the magnetic field of the one or more magnets relative to the MR fluid.
A method for managing audible sounds of an information handling system mouse scroll wheel, the method comprising:
- capturing magnetorheological (MR) fluid in a chamber formed in a scroll wheel;
- rotating the scroll wheel about an axis;
- placing a core magnet at the axis;
- resisting rotation of the scroll wheel with blades formed in the chamber that work against particle chains of the MR fluid having a viscosity;
- arranging one or more magnets and the core magnet to have opposing poles directed at each other through the MR fluid, the one or more magnets coupled to a sliding carrier;
- and
- varying the viscosity of the MR fluid by sliding the one or more magnets in the sliding carrier relative to the scroll wheel to adjust the amount of magnetic flux applied to the MR fluid.
A mouse comprising:
- a chassis;
- a scroll wheel having a chamber with blades;
- plural magnets of different sizes disposed proximate the scroll wheel;
- magnetorheological (MR) fluid enclosed in the chamber and providing a variable resistance to rotation of the scroll wheel based upon an alignment of the plural magnets relative to the scroll wheel;
- and
- a current sensor interfaced with the scroll wheel and detecting changes in current associated with scroll wheel rotation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.