Patent ID: 7781686

Claim:
An operating element comprising: a control knob that is mounted in a housing or a console and moves in a swiveling manner between a home position and multiple switching or contact positions; a central momentary switch for establishing a switch actuation point of the operating element, the central momentary switch including a haptic function that is associated with the control knob, the central momentary switch being actuated each time the control knob is swiveled out of its home position by a predefined angle toward a switching or contact position; and pairs of cooperating contact elements, one half of each pair being on the shaft of the control knob and the other half of the pair on the housing, wherein one of the pairs of contact elements works together in each contact position to provide contact, wherein the contact elements are provided at a contact surface in the form of an annular and V-shaped groove, and at a wedge-shaped ring that engages into the grove.