Rotary pushbutton and touchpad device and system and method for detecting rotary movement, axial displacement and touchpad gestures

A system for detecting rotary movement, axial displacement and touchpad gestures, the system comprising:

• a knob top having an opening;
• a knob bottom fixedly connected to the knob top;
• a touchpad located at least partially within the opening wherein a user manipulates the touchpad to perform the touchpad gestures;
• an encoder housing from which an outer shaft extends wherein the outer shaft has a top end, a bottom end, an interior and an exterior and further wherein the top end of the outer shaft is fixedly connected to the knob bottom;
• shutters located within the encoder housing wherein the shutters extend outward from the outer shaft into the exterior of the outer shaft at the bottom end of the outer shaft;
• an encoder PC board located within the encoder housing on one side of the shutters wherein the encoder PC board detects an intensity of light;
• a housing base from which a base shaft extends wherein the base shaft extends through the interior of the outer shaft to a position between the knob bottom and the knob top wherein the knob bottom slides on the base shaft in a direction toward the housing base and slides on the base shaft in a direction away from the housing base;
• an actuator shaft which slides in the base shaft in a first direction toward the housing base and perpendicular to the housing base and slides in a second direction away from the housing base and perpendicular to the housing base;
• and
• a base PC board located within the housing base wherein an elastically deformable dome is located on the base PC board and between the actuator shaft and the base PC board and further wherein the elastically deformable dome has a base and a center wherein the base of the elastically deformable dome is fixedly connected to the base PC board and further wherein the base PC board generates a signal indicative of the axial displacement of the knob in response to depression of the knob pushing the actuator shaft downward into the elastically deformable dome so that the center of the elastically deformable dome contacts the base PC board.

A method for detecting rotary movement, axial displacement and touchpad gestures, the method comprising the steps of:

• performing the rotary movement by a user rotating a knob wherein rotation of the knob rotates an outer shaft fixedly connected to the knob and further wherein shutters extending outward from the outer shaft are rotated by rotation of the knob;
• emitting light from at least one encoder PC board;
• using an intensity of the light which travels past the shutters to generate a signal indicative of the rotary movement of the knob wherein the at least one encoder PC board uses the intensity of the light which travels past the shutters to generate the signal indicative of the rotary movement of the knob;
• performing axial displacement of the knob by pushing the knob downward wherein the user pushing the knob downward moves an actuator shaft fixedly connected to the knob downward;
• generating a signal indicative of the axial displacement of the knob wherein the base PC board generates the signal indicative of the axial displacement of the knob in response to downward movement of the actuator shaft moving a portion of the dome into contact with the base PC board;
• and
• applying the touchpad gestures to a touchpad located at least partially within the knob wherein a touchpad PC board generates a signal indicative of the touchpad gestures in response to application of the touchpad gestures to the touchpad.