Patent ID: 6849812

Claim:
Input device for inputting at least two control commands into an electronic system, having a housing ( 10 ) accommodating a combined switching and encoding circuit device ( 13 ) with a switching control means ( 15 ) and an encoding control means ( 16 ); and first and second manually accessible operating elements ( 19 , 20 ) for operating said switching control means ( 15 ) and said encoding control means ( 16 ), respectively; characterized in that a separation means ( 22 ) defining two separate levels is formed with a through hole ( 23 ) and being in parallel with a rotary control knob ( 20 ) of said encoding control means ( 16 ) arranged in a first one of said two levels and facing an inner surface ( 27 ) of said separation means ( 22 ), and said first operating element ( 19 ) for said switching control means is formed by an operating lever ( 15 , 18 ) which extends through said through hole ( 13 ) so that said separation means ( 22 ) surrounds said operating lever ( 15 , 18 ) like a ring and so that a manually accessible portion ( 17 ) of said operating element ( 19 ) is arranged in a second one of said two levels so as to clearly separate the operations of the elements from each other.