Control lever with partially enclosed rotary wheel

Abstract

A control lever assembly having a moveable lever and a knob mounted on an end of the lever. The knob has a hollow housing which is removably attached to a cylindrical base. The housing has a cylindrical side wall which forms an opening. A wheel is received in and partially enclosed by the housing for rotation therein. A portion of the housing completely surrounds an outer surface of one end of the wheel. A rotary encoder generates a rotary position signal and is coupled to the wheel by a stiff wire or shaft. The shaft extends through the wheel to a first end which is received by an alignment recess formed on an inner surface of the housing and to a second end which is coupled to the encoder. The shaft extends through a bore in the base and through a bore in the lever.

1 . In a control lever assembly having a lever with a first end pivotally mounted in a housing and a second end projecting away from the first end, a knob mounted on the second end of the lever, a wheel rotatably mounted on the knob, and a rotary encoder coupled to the wheel, the improvement wherein: 
 the knob includes a hollow knob housing having a side wall, the side wall forming an opening therein; and    the wheel is received in the knob housing for rotation therein about a rotation axis which is substantially parallel to an axis which extends between the ends of the lever, the wheel being accessible to an operator through said opening.    
     
     
         2 . The control lever assembly of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a coupling member couples the wheel with the encoder, the coupling member having an end which is received by an alignment recess formed on an inner surface of the knob housing.    
     
     
         3 . The control lever assembly of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a coupling member couples the wheel with the encoder, the coupling member extending through the wheel to a first end which is received by an alignment recess formed on an inner surface of the knob housing and to a second end which is coupled to the encoder.    
     
     
         4 . The control lever assembly of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the housing comprises a cylindrical base attached to an end of the lever and the knob housing is removably attached to the base.    
     
     
         5 . The control lever assembly of  claim 4 , wherein: 
 a coupling member couples the wheel with the encoder, the coupling member extending through a bore in the base.    
     
     
         6 . The control lever assembly of  claim 4 , wherein: 
 a coupling member couples the wheel with the encoder, the coupling member extending through the wheel, through a bore in the base and through a bore in a portion of the lever.    
     
     
         7 . The control lever assembly of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a portion of the knob housing completely surrounds an end of the wheel.    
     
     
         8 . The control lever assembly of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the knob housing includes a lip portion which defines one end of the opening and which partially covers an end of the wheel.    
     
     
         9 . The control lever assembly of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the rotary encoder is mounted on the lever and spaced apart from the knob.    
     
     
         10 . The control lever assembly of  claim 9 , wherein: 
 a bracket projects from the lever and the rotary encoder is mounted in a bore in the bracket.    
     
     
         11 . The control lever assembly of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the side wall of the knob housing is generally cylindrical.    
     
     
         12 . In a control lever assembly having a lever with a first end pivotally mounted in a housing and a second end projecting away from the first end, a knob mounted on the second end of the lever, a wheel rotatably mounted on the knob, and a rotary encoder coupled to the wheel, the improvement wherein: 
 the knob includes a hollow knob housing having a side wall, the side wall forming an opening therein;    the wheel is received in the knob housing for rotation therein;    a portion of the knob housing completely surrounds an outer surface of one end of the wheel; and    the wheel is accessible to an operator through said opening.    
     
     
         13 . The control lever assembly of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a coupling member couples the wheel with the encoder, an end of the coupling member is received by an alignment recess formed on an inner surface of the housing.    
     
     
         14 . The control lever assembly of  claim 12 , wherein: 
 a coupling member couples the wheel with the encoder, the coupling member extending through the wheel to a first end which is received by an alignment recess formed on an inner surface of the housing and to a second end which is coupled to the encoder.    
     
     
         15 . The control lever assembly of  claim 12 , wherein: 
 the housing comprises a cylindrical base attached to an end of the lever and the side wall is removably attached to the base.    
     
     
         16 . The control lever assembly of  claim 15 , wherein: 
 a coupling member couples the wheel with the encoder, the coupling member extending through a bore in the base.    
     
     
         17 . The control lever assembly of  claim 12 , wherein: 
 a coupling member couples the wheel with the encoder, the coupling member extending through the wheel and through a bore in the base to a first end which is received by an alignment recess formed on an inner surface of the housing and to a second end which is coupled to the encoder.    
     
     
         18 . The control lever assembly of  claim 12 , wherein: 
 a coupling member couples the wheel with the encoder, the coupling member extending through the wheel, through a bore in the base and through a bore in a portion of the lever.    
     
     
         19 . The control lever assembly of  claim 12 , wherein: 
 the knob housing includes a lip portion which defines one end of the opening and which partially covers an end of the wheel.    
     
     
         20 . The control lever assembly of  claim 12 , wherein: 
 the rotary encoder is mounted on the lever and spaced apart from the knob.    
     
     
         21 . The control lever assembly of  claim 20 , wherein: 
 a bracket projects from the lever and the rotary encoder is mounted in a bore in the bracket.    
     
     
         22 . In a control lever assembly having a lever with a first end pivotally mounted in a housing and a second end projecting away from the first end, a knob mounted on the second end of the lever, a wheel rotatably mounted on the knob, and a rotary encoder coupled to the wheel, the improvement wherein: 
 the knob includes a hollow knob housing having a side wall, the side wall forming an opening therein;    the wheel is received in the knob housing for rotation therein about a rotation axis which is substantially parallel to an axis which extends between the ends of the lever;    a portion of the knob housing completely surrounds an outer surface of one end of the wheel; and    the wheel is accessible to an operator through said opening.