US 12,260,032 B1
Knob apparatus and operation method thereof
Chun Yuan Liu, Tainan (TW); Yun-Hsiang Yeh, Hsinchu (TW); and Yen-Heng Chen, Hsinchu County (TW)
Assigned to Novatek Microelectronics Corp., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Novatek Microelectronics Corp., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Dec. 5, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/530,129.
Int. Cl. G06F 3/033 (2013.01); B60K 35/00 (2006.01); G06F 3/0362 (2013.01); G06F 3/039 (2013.01); G06F 3/041 (2006.01); B60K 35/10 (2024.01)
CPC G06F 3/0362 (2013.01) [B60K 35/00 (2013.01); G06F 3/0393 (2019.05); G06F 3/04166 (2019.05); B60K 35/10 (2024.01); B60K 2360/126 (2024.01); B60K 2360/1434 (2024.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A knob apparatus, comprising:
a touch panel, having a plurality of touch-sensing electrodes;
a touch-sensing controller, coupled to the touch-sensing electrodes of the touch panel, configured to detect a touch event of the touch panel through the touch-sensing electrodes; and
a knob, having a base and a knob cap, wherein the knob cap is pivoted on the base, the base is attached to the touch panel, a plurality of conductive electrodes are disposed at different positions of the base, and the touch-sensing controller detects the conductive electrodes of the base of the knob through the touch-sensing electrodes of the touch panel to learn a rotation direction of the knob cap on the base,
wherein the knob cap comprises:
a hand contact portion, wherein when the knob cap is operated by a hand, the hand contact portion is adapted to contact the hand; and
an electrical path, wherein a first end of the electrical path is coupled to the hand contact portion, and a second end of the electrical path is selectively coupled to one or more of the conductive electrodes of the base based on rotation of the knob cap on the base.