Patent ID: 6892597

Claim:
A multifunctional joystick controller comprising: a. a shaft; b. a base for receiving the distal end of said shaft and movably supporting said shaft, said base including an operation detection mechanism for detecting the incline and angle of said shaft on a first axis and a second axis; c. a housing fixedly attached to the proximal end of said shaft, said housing having a recessed central section therein for receiving a potentiometer, and an internal channel communicating between said recessed central section and the proximal end of said shaft for receiving wires traveling from said potentiometer along said shaft to said base; d. a handle mechanism rotatably deployed around said housing such that said handle engages an operable tab on said potentiometer for imparting rotational movement thereto, and e. a slot in said housing and a tab in said handle corresponding to said slot for limiting the rotation of said handle relative to said housing wherein said operation detection mechanism comprises: a. a first rotatable axle mounted inside said base, said axle having an axial central slotted opening therein for receiving the distal end of said shaft; b. a second rotatable U-shaped axle mounted inside said base adjacent and perpendicular to said first axle, said second axle also having an axial central slotted opening therein for receiving the distal end of said shaft; c. a first potentiometer mounted on the outside of said base in communication with said first rotatable axle for detecting motion along the first axis, and d. a second potentiometer mounted on the outside of said base in communication with said second rotatable axle for detecting motion along the second axis.