Patent ID: 7600444
Filing Date: 2009-10-13
Classification: G05G,H01H,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An operating device comprising: a rotary knob; and rotation-detecting means for detecting a rotated angle of the rotary knob and providing a rotary position output, wherein the rotary knob includes a small-diameter component to facilitate a user quickly rotating the rotary knob and a large-diameter component to permit the user to slowly rotate the rotary knob so as to finely adjust a rotary position of the rotary knob, the rotation- detecting means includes determining means for determining a rotated position of the rotary knob when the rotary knob is rotated by the user, wherein the small-diameter component and the large-diameter component of the rotary knob are arranged coaxially on a shaft, and the rotation-detection means provides the rotary-position output when the rotary knob is pressed in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the shaft of the rotary knob, and wherein the rotation-detecting means includes a disk affixed to the shaft of the rotary knob and a sensor unit facing the disk and mounted on a support element.