US 12,032,760 B2
Motorized scroll wheel for an input device
Maxim Vlasov, Geneva (CH); Jan Stoeckli, Jongly (CH); Baptiste Merminod, Dommartin (CH); Cyril Yves Anthony Drezet, Dommartin (CH); Nicolas Ramond, Chalet les Castor Laprau Lugrin (FR); and Jean-Claude Dunant, Fey (CH)
Assigned to Logitech Europe S.A., Lausanne (CH)
Filed by Logitech Europe S.A., Lausanne (CN)
Filed on Sep. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/957,755.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/294,020, filed on Dec. 27, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0280847 A1, Sep. 7, 2023
Int. Cl. G06F 3/0362 (2013.01); G05G 1/08 (2006.01); G06F 3/0354 (2013.01)
CPC G06F 3/0362 (2013.01) [G05G 1/08 (2013.01); G06F 3/03543 (2013.01); G05G 2700/02 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A peripheral device, comprising:
a body;
a scroll wheel rotatably coupled with the body, the scroll wheel comprising a ferromagnetic rotor, wherein:
the ferromagnetic rotor is generally annular and defines an open interior; and
the ferromagnetic rotor defines a first plurality of teeth arranged about a periphery of the open interior;
a stator disposed within the open interior of the ferromagnetic rotor, the stator defining a second plurality of teeth that are at least substantially alignable with the first plurality of teeth, wherein the stator comprises at least one permanent magnet and a plurality of electro-permanent magnets, wherein each of the plurality of electro-permanent magnets is disposed within a conductive coil;
a position sensor that is configured to detect an angular position of the ferromagnetic rotor; and
control circuitry that is configured to:
deliver one or more pulses of current to the plurality of electro-permanent magnets of the stator to alter a magnetic field exhibited between the first plurality of teeth of the rotor and the second plurality of teeth of the rotor, thereby causing a net attractive or repulsive magnetic field to rotate the rotor and scroll wheel relative to the body, wherein:
the control circuitry is configured to:
determine a first speed of the scroll wheel from a user input based on a plurality of measurements from the position sensor;
identify a range of scroll wheel speeds of a plurality of scroll wheel speed ranges the first speed falls within, wherein each of the plurality of scroll wheel speed ranges is associated with a unique drive speed; and
deliver one or more pulses of current to the plurality of electro-permanent magnets of the stator to drive rotation of the scroll wheel at the drive speed associated with the identified range of scroll wheel speeds.