U.S. patent number 3,621,439 [Application Number 05/044,160] was granted by the patent office on 1971-11-16 for variable resistor.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Instrument Corporation, Newark, NJ. Invention is credited to Meigs W. Newbery.
United States Patent |
3,621,439 |
|
November 16, 1971 |
VARIABLE RESISTOR
Abstract
A variable resistor in which a resistive strip is mounted on a
base, a threaded member is mounted on the base adjacent and
parallel to the resistive strip, and a sliding contact element is
wound about, and received within, the threads of the threaded
member, a part of the element being in constant electrical
engagement with the resistive strip. The free ends of the sliding
contact element extend from the threaded member and engage the base
on opposite sides thereof. Rotation of the threaded member urges a
free end against the base, thereby relaxing the winding
sufficiently for the contact to be moved along the threaded member
within the threads.
Inventors: |
Meigs W. Newbery (East
Longmeadow, MA) |
Assignee: |
General Instrument Corporation,
Newark, NJ (N/A)
|
Family
ID: |
21930833 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/044,160 |
Filed: |
June 8, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
338/180;
338/202 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01C
10/40 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01C
10/00 (20060101); H01C 10/40 (20060101); H01c
009/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;338/180,181,202 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Thomas J. Kozma
Assistant Examiner: D. A. Tone
Attorney, Agent or Firm: James and Franklin
Claims
1. In a variable resistor comprising a base and resistive means on
said base, a contact assembly which comprises a threaded member
rotatably mounted relative to said base adjacent and parallel to
said resistive means, a conductive contact element wound about said
threaded member and a part of which is closely received within said
threads, a part of said element extending from said threaded member
and slidably engaging said resistive means and making electrical
connection therewith, and means for connecting said contact element
to an external circuit, whereby rotation of said threaded member
moves said contact element along said threaded member, thereby
sliding along said resistive means, in which said contact element
is wound about said threaded member for at least one complete turn,
is resilient, normally tends to wind itself tightly around said
threaded member, and has free ends which engage said base, whereby
upon rotation of said threaded member one or another of said ends,
depending upon the direction of rotation, acting upon said base,
relaxes the winding
2. In the variable resistor of claim 1, means operatively connected
to said threaded member for urging it downwardly toward said
resistive means, thereby to urge said extending part of said
contact element against said
3. In the variable resistor of claim 1, resilient means operatively
connected to said threaded member for urging it downwardly toward
said resistive means, thereby to urge said extending part of said
contact
4. The variable resistor of claim 1, in which said threaded member
comprises a beveled part, and resilient means acting on said part
urging said threaded member axially, thereby to remove lost motion
of said
5. The variable resistor of claim 1, in which said threaded member
is electrically conductive and comprises said external circuit
connecting
6. The variable resistor of claim 1 in which said free ends of said
contact
7. In the variable resistor of claim 6, means operatively connected
to said threaded member for urging it downwardly toward said
resistive means, thereby to urge said extending part of said
contact element against said
8. In the variable resistor of claim 1, resilient means operatively
connected to said threaded member for urging it downwardly toward
said resistive means, thereby to urge said extending part of said
contact
9. The variable resistor of claim 1, in which said threaded member
comprises a beveled part, and resilient means acting on said part
urging said threaded member axially, thereby to remove lost motion
of said
10. The variable resistor of claim 6, in which said threaded member
is electrically conductive and comprises said external circuit
connecting
11. In a variable resistor comprising a base and resistive means on
said base, a contact assembly which comprises a threaded member
rotatably mounted relative to said base adjacent and parallel to
said resistive means, a conductive contact element wound about said
threaded member and a part of which is closely received within said
threads, a part of said element extending from said threaded member
and slidably engaging said resistive means and making electrical
connection therewith, and means for connecting said contact element
to an external circuit, whereby rotation of said threaded member
moves said contact element along said threaded member, thereby
sliding along said resistive means, and means operatively connected
to said threaded member for urging it downwardly toward said
resistive means, thereby to urge said extending part of said
contact
12. The variable resistor of claim 11, in which said contact
element is
13. The variable resistor of claim 12, in which said
downward-urging means
14. In a variable resistor comprising a base and resistive means on
said base, a contact assembly which comprises a threaded member
rotatably mounted relative to said base adjacent and parallel to
said resistive means, a conductive contact element wound about said
threaded member and a part of which is closely received within said
threads, a part of said element extending from said threaded member
and slidably engaging said resistive means and making electrical
connection therewith, and means for connecting said contact element
to an external circuit, whereby rotation of said threaded member
moves said contact element along said threaded member, thereby
sliding along said resistive means, and resilient means operatively
connected to said threaded member for urging it downwardly toward
the said resistive means, thereby to urge said extending part
of
15. In a variable resistor comprising a base and resistive means on
said base, a contact assembly which comprises a threaded member
rotatably mounted relative to said base adjacent and parallel to
said resistive means, a conductive contact element wound about said
threaded member and a part of which is closely received within said
threads, a part of said element extending from said threaded member
and slidably engaging said resistive means and making electrical
connection therewith, and means for connecting said contact element
to an external circuit, whereby rotation of said threaded member
moves said contact element along said threaded member, thereby
sliding along said resistive means, in which said threaded member
comprises a beveled part, and resilient means acting on said part
urging said threaded member axially, thereby to remove lost motion
of said
16. The variable resistor of claim 15, in which said contact
element is wound about said threaded member for at least one
complete turn.
Description
The present invention relates to a variable resistor capable of
extremely fine adjustment, usable as such or as a
potentiometer.
Variable resistors are well known in the art. In a common form, a
resistive wire is wrapped around a core, and a contact is moved
along the length of the core making electrical contact with the
individual coils of the wire. This form is rather difficult of
precise adjustment, since resistance is a function of the length of
wire, and adjustments in the quantum of resistance are limited to
those increments which correspond to the length of an individual
coil of wire. Devices in this form are not readily adaptable to the
highly sophisticated circuits in use today which require small
increments of adjustment.
In another form, a contact is moved along a resistive strip or
element making contact with an infinite number of points along the
surface of the strip. While precise adjustments of resistance are
possible with such a device, they are often cumbersome and
complicated of assembly, as there must be sufficient structure to
(1) maintain the contact in electrical engagement with the
resistive strip, and (2) to move the contact along the strip with a
high degree of precision.
The present invention provides a variable resistor which is capable
of extremely precise adjustment, and which has a structural
simplicity which reliably maintains electrical contact, and affords
ease of manipulation. As such, the present invention is highly
adaptable for use in sophisticated devices such as television
tuning assemblies, and in general any device which requires
precision, simplicity, reliability, and miniaturization.
It is a prime object of the present invention to provide a variable
resistance assembly which is capable of precise adjustment of the
quantum of resistance.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a variable
resistance assembly the structural simplicity of which makes it
readily adapted for use with sophisticated electromechanical
devices.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
variable resistance assembly which is useful in devices in which
miniaturization is required.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a
variable resistance assembly which is inexpensive and reliable in
operation.
The present invention provides a resistive element or strip mounted
on a base. A threaded member is mounted adjacent and parallel to
the resistive strip, and has a sliding contact wound about, and
closely received within, the threads. The free ends of the sliding
contact extend toward the resistive strip and contact the base on
opposite sides thereof. A part of the winding of the sliding
contact extends between the threaded member and the resistive
strip. As the threaded member is rotated, depending upon the
direction of rotation, one or another of the free ends act upon the
base and relax the winding sufficiently for the contact to be
readily moved along the threaded member within the threads. A first
end of the threaded member is retained in the base; the second end
of the threaded member is received in a slot in the base, and
terminates in a beveled collar. A spring is placed over the beveled
collar and urges the threaded member toward the resistive strip,
which urging is opposed only by the contact engaging the base. The
axial position of the threaded member must be precisely maintained,
and this is accomplished by the interaction of the spring and the
bevel on the threaded member collar.
To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as
may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to a variable
resistor as defined in the appended claims and as described in the
specification taken together with the accompanying drawings
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a partially cross sectioned elevational view of a
variable resistor of the present invention; and
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG.
1.
Referring to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the present
invention is illustrated, generally designated by the numeral 10. A
base 12 is closely received in a recess 14 in the drum 16 (shown
best in FIG. 2) and extends out therefrom. A retaining washer 18 is
inserted in the recess 19 in the drum 16, which washer retains the
base 12 in the recess 14, preventing motion of that base relative
to the drum 16. A resistive means in the form of a strip 20 is
mounted on, secured to, and supported along its length by the base
12. One end of that resistive strip extends over the retaining
washer 18, and the other end 22 is received in an opening 24 in an
upstanding part 26 of the drum 16.
Mounted adjacent and parallel the resistive strip 20 is an
electrically conductive threaded member 28 which is capable of
being connected to an external circuit. That threaded member has at
one end thereof a collar 30, which is received in a countersunk
hole 32 in a second upstanding part 34 of the drum 16. The other
end of the threaded member 28 is received in a slot 36 in the part
26, and extends beyond that slot. A beveled collar 38 is mounted
thereon, preferably rotatably. A spring 40 is resiliently
downwardly active on the beveled collar 38 and bears against that
collar and the part 26. The threaded member 28 is rotatable in the
hold 32 and slot 36, and also preferably rotates in beveled collar
38.
A contact element generally designated 42 is wound around the
threaded member 28. This contact consists of a resilient conductive
wire winding 44 which is closely received within the threads. As
seen best in FIG. 2, the winding 44 preferably is wound around the
threaded member 28 for at least one complete turn. Electrical
contact is made between the winding 44 and the resistive strip 20
by the part 46 which extends out beyond the threads of member 28
and is urged into strip 20 by the spring 40. The free ends 48a and
48b of the winding 44 extend down and contact the base 12 on
opposite sides thereof. Rotation of the threaded member 28 causes
the winding 44 to relax sufficiently to be driven along that
threaded member by, and within, the threads thereof. For example,
if the threaded member is rotated in a clockwise direction (when
looking along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1), the free end 48b bears
against the base 12. Since there is friction between the threads
and the winding 44, that winding will tend to rotate along with the
threaded member 28. Since the free end 48b bears against the base
12 at the same time, the winding 44 tends to expand by increasing
the distance between the free ends 48a and 48b. This expansion
relaxes the winding 44 about the threaded member 28 sufficiently
for the threads to drive the winding 44 in one direction.
Similarly, if the threaded member 28 is rotated in a
counterclockwise direction, the free end 48a bears against the base
12, and the winding 44 is again relaxed allowing the threads to
drive the winding 44 in the other direction. Upon termination of
the rotation (in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction) of
the threaded member 28, the winding 44 resiliently returns to its
normally tightly wound position, in which the free ends 48a and 48b
each contact the base 12 on opposite sides thereof.
The action of the spring 40 on the beveled collar 38 serves a
twofold purpose: (1) it urges the threaded member 28 toward the
resistive strip 20, which urging is resisted only by the bearing of
the part 46 on the resistive strip 20, thus providing a constant
electrical engagement between that part 46 and that resistive strip
20; and (2) it eliminates all longitudinal lost motion between the
threaded member 28 and the drum 16, whereby the winding 44 will
remain stationary on the resistive strip 20 until that threaded
member is deliberately rotated.
To effect rotation of the threaded member 28, any suitable drive
mechanism will suffice. For use in tuning assemblies and like
devices, it is found convenient to attach a pinion 50 to the
threaded member 28 near the collar 30. A gear 52 which is suitably
connected to any external manual or automatic control (not shown),
may be moved into driving engagement with the pinion 50, thereby
rotating the threaded member 28. The rotational motion imparted to
that threaded member is directly and easily converted into the
translational motion of the winding 44 along that threaded
member.
Referring to FIG. 2, three variable resistor assemblies are
illustrated. The adaptability of the structure herein disclosed
allows for any number of assemblies to be used as may be required
by any apparatus. It is possible to assemble these variable
resistor assemblies closely adjacent to each other without
interference between the adjoining assemblies, since each assembly
acts totally independent of all other surrounding assemblies. For
devices such as television tuners, several resistor assemblies 10
can be arranged on the periphery of a drum 16. A stationary contact
54 can be connected to tuner circuitry (not shown, and which forms
no part of the present invention), and extend laterally over the
drum 16. Upon rotation of the drum 16, the individual resistor
assemblies (corresponding to the several tuner stations) are
positioned adjacent the stationary contact 54. That contact
electrically engages the threaded member 28 of the adjacent
assembly 10. Since there can be one assembly 10 for each tuning
station, the resistance of each assembly 10 will remain fixed while
the drum is rotated to other stations.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the variable
resistance herein described provides a novel structure which can be
utilized to great advantage in devices where very precise
adjustments of resistance are necessary. Its compact construction
makes it particularly useful in devices where a plurality of
variable resistors are necessary.
While but a single embodiment of the present invention is here
disclosed, it will be appreciated that many variations may be made
in the details thereof, without departing from the spirit and scope
of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *