Patent ID: 7342186

Claim:
A knob assembly comprising: a housing, the housing having a front face; a circuit board located in the housing, the circuit board having a front and a rear; a rotary knob extending from the front face of the housing, the rotary knob being located in front of the circuit board; a rotary actuated potentiometer connected to the rear of the circuit board; and a rotation assembly for mechanically transferring a rotation force of the rotary knob to the rotary actuated potentiometer, wherein the rotation assembly comprises a shift gear engaged with the rotary actuated potentiometer and a longitudinal gear extending through the circuit board, and the shift gear includes first teeth; the longitudinal gear includes second teeth and third teeth; and the rotary knob includes fourth teeth; and the first teeth engage the second teeth and the third teeth engage the fourth teeth to transmit rotary force from the rotary knob to the rotary actuated potentiometer.