Rotary circuit control devices with changeable graphics

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device wherein said turnable knob is detachable from said base member and wherein at least a portion of said components of said control signal producing circuit are embedded within said turnable knob and are detachable from said base member therewith.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device, wherein said image display device is a panel display of the form having x-busbars which extend in orthogonal relationship with y-busbars and which activate different combinations of image pixels at different times to provide changeable images.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device,
• wherein said image display device has a transparent cover plate at said image display area thereof, said base member being affixed to to said transparent cover plate, further including at least a pair of electrical conductors which extend along a surface of said transparent cover plate from said base member to an edge of said image display area for connecting said control device to said electrical circuit, and wiper contact means for electrically connecting said electrical conductors with components which are secured to said turnable knob, said wiper contact means being contained within said turnable knob and said base member in front of said image display device.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device,
• further including an image display device controller coupled to said image display device and which causes said image display device to present indicia at said image display area including indicia which are adjacent to said turnable knob at spaced apart locations around the perimeter thereof.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device, wherein said control device produces an initial sequence of control signal values at successive settings of said turnable knob, further including signal processing means for converting said initial sequence of control signal values to a differing sequence of assigned control signal values to compensate for deviations of said initial sequence of control signal values from a desired sequence of control signal values.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device,
• wherein said image display device has a transparent cover plate at said image display area thereof and wherein said base member is affixed to said transparent cover plate and wherein at least one opening extends into the transparent cover plate at the location of said circuit control device, said base member having a protrusion which extends into said opening.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device, wherein at least a portion of said turnable knob is formed of electrically conductive material, further including a touch sensing circuit electrically connected to said electrically conductive material and which produces a circuit control signal in response to an operator touching said turnable knob.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device,
• further including an electrically conductive body carried by said turnable knob at a location which is offset from an axis of rotation thereof, a pair of spaced apart electrical coils disposed at fixed locations which are offset from said axis of rotation, each of said electrical coils being an inductive component of the resonant circuit of a separate one of a pair of electrical oscillators, and a digital data processor conditioned to detect changes in the ratio of the frequencies of said oscillators produced by movement of said conductive body and to generate an electrical circuit control signal that varies in response to changes of the ratio.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device,
• further including an electrically conductive body disposed within said base member at a location which is offset from an axis of rotation of said knob, a pair of spaced apart electrical coils carried by said knob at locations which are offset from said axis of rotation, each of said electrical coils being an inductive component of the resonant circuit of a separate one of a pair of electrical oscillators, and a digital data processor conditioned to detect changes in the ratio of the frequencies of said oscillators produced by movement of said conductive body and to generate an electrical circuit control signal that varies in response to changes of the ratio.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device,
• further including a light source and a photoelectric light detector which are contained within said base member and turnable knob, said photoelectric light detector being positioned to detect light which travels from said light source to said photoelectric light detector along a light path, and means for altering a characteristic of the detected light in response to turning of said turnable knob to enable detection of the angular orientation of said turnable knob.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device,
• wherein said image display device has a transparent cover plate at said image display area thereof, said base member being affixed to said transparent cover plate, further including a magnet secured to said turnable knob at a location which is offset from an axis of rotation thereof, at least a first Hall effect sensor and a second Hall effect sensor disposed between said turnable knob and said transparent cover plate which Hall effect sensors are spaced apart from each other, and a signal processor electrically coupled to said Hall effect sensors and being conditioned to produce a circuit control signal that varies in response to variations of the resistances of said Hall effect sensors caused by rotary motion of said turnable knob and magnet.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device,
• further including a magnet secured to said turnable knob at a location which is offset from an axis of rotation thereof and a magnetic pad which generates an output signal in response to rotary movement of the magnet, said magnetic pad being behind said image display device.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device,
• wherein said turnable knob has an opening into which said base member extends, said base member having a circumferential groove situated within said opening and said turnable knob having a slot in a side wall thereof which bounds said opening, further including an elongate loop of resilient spring material disposed in said opening, said loop having a first end which is secured to said side wall of said turnable knob and a second end which extends into said slot, said loop being proportioned to snap engage in said groove as said turnable knob is forced into said base member.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device,
• wherein one of said base member and said turnable knob has an opening into which a peripheral portion of the other of said base member and said knob is fitted, a portion of said opening being narrower than said peripheral portion whereby said turnable knob snap engages on said base member.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device,
• wherein said turnable knob has a base with a circular opening therein that is centered on an axis of rotation of said turnable knob and wherein said base member has an annular peripheral portion which is seated in said opening and which has a diameter conforming to the diameter of said opening, further including a post extending along said axis of rotation within said turnable knob and having a flanged end which extends towards said transparent cover plate, and a socket engaging said flanged end of said post and being secured to said transparent cover plate.

A control device for an electrical circuit which control device has a base member and a turnable knob coupled thereto, the knob being turnable to any of a plurality of different angular orientations to change an electrical condition in the circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said base member being affixed to an electronic image display device which has an image display area at which instantly changeable images are displayed, said base member and knob being in front of said image display device and wherein at least a portion of said knob overlays the image display area of said image display device, wherein said image display device is a panel display having segmented electrodes which are energized to produce changeable images.