Patent ID: 8796566

Claim:
A device comprising: a knob package having a knob, a touchpad, a sensor, and a touchpad PC board wherein the sensor is associated with the touchpad and further wherein the sensor detects a user gesture wherein the touchpad PC board is located within the knob and further wherein the knob has an opening in which the touchpad PC board is located wherein the touchpad PC board generates a signal indicative of the user gesture applied to the touchpad as measured by the sensor and further wherein rotation of the knob package does not rotate the touchpad and does not rotate the touchpad PC board; an encoder package having an encoder housing, an outer shaft, and an encoder PC board wherein the encoder PC board is located within the encoder housing and further wherein the outer shaft is located at least partially within the encoder housing wherein the outer shaft is rotatably connected to the encoder housing and fixedly connected to the knob and further wherein the encoder PC board is fixedly connected to the encoder housing wherein the encoder PC board generates a signal indicative of a rotary position of the knob; and an electronics package having a housing base, a base shaft, a base PC board and an actuator shaft wherein the base shaft extends from the housing base and further wherein the base PC board is located within the housing base under the base shaft wherein the actuator shaft is located at least partially within the base shaft wherein the base PC board generates a signal indicative of an axial position of the knob wherein the base shaft extends through the outer shaft into the interior of the knob package to connect the knob package, the electronics package and the encoder package to each other.