Mechanically Variable Patents (Class 361/287)
  • Patent number: 5077635
    Abstract: A capacitive position sensor includes a capacitor arrangement assembled of a stator (5) and a rotor (6). The stator supports at least three coplanar electrodes (21, 22, 23) having the shape of circle sectors 120.degree.. The rotor supports at least a counterelectrode (25) having the shape of a circle sector of 240.degree.. An oscillator (30) applies two a.c. voltage (u1, u2) of equal amplitude and opposite phase to two of the stator electrode (21, 22). The range of rotation of the rotor is such that the remaining third electrode on the stator is always overlapped by the counterelectrode. Voltage induced on the counterelectrode by means of the a.c. voltages on the stator electrodes is inverted and fed back as a neutralizing voltage (uR) to the third stator electrode (23) until the induced voltage on the counterelectrode reaches zero value. The neutralizing voltage is rectified and integrated into a d.c. voltage (UA) which serves as a measure of the angular position of the rotor (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1991
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Heins-Erdam Bollhagen, Siegbert Steinlechner, Berthold Wocher
  • Patent number: 4977481
    Abstract: A plate to support an earth terminal of a trimmer condenser constitutes a characteristic feature of a supporting device. One side of a plate is fixed by a screw on a fixing portion higher than the floor of a chamber for an electric parts unit of a frame. On the other side of the plate is formed a leg, the lower end of which is on the floor when the plate is fixed by a screw on the fixing portion. Consequently the plate is supported by the fixing portion and the floor which enables to resist the pressure on the trimmer condenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 11, 1990
    Assignee: Stack Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Kawada, Yuichi Oiwa
  • Patent number: 4543564
    Abstract: Apparatus for suppressing interference in a capacitive keyboard. Unconditioned operating signals from receiving lines are passed into a subtractor, which establishes the difference between the signal present on a reference line in the keyboard and supplies, at the output, a conditioned operating signal which is free from any unwanted electromagnetic component which may have entered the structure. In addition, in order to determine which of several keys is supplying the highest signal, operating signals corresponding to particular receiving lines are scanned in sequence to determine which has the highest amplitude. As the operating signal corresponding to each successive key is scanned, its voltage is compared with a previously-stored voltage for an earlier-scanned key. If a higher voltage is detected, the voltage and key address are stored in place of the previously-stored values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1985
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique
    Inventors: Marcel Audoin, Jean-Marc Fedeli, Robert Poujois
  • Patent number: 4251849
    Abstract: A trimmer capacitor comprises a metallic plate member which is generally U-shaped, and an elongate conductor member which is to be located inside the metallic plate. Both the metallic plate member and the conductor member can be fixed to a printed circuit board. By bending the conductor member to displace it inside the metallic plate member, the electrostatic capacitance formed between the metallic plate member and the conductor member can be varied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1978
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1981
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Kawai
  • Patent number: 4199800
    Abstract: A brushless tachometer is disclosed which provides a DC output voltage which is a direct function of an instrumented shaft's rotational velocity. The DC voltage is bi-directional, changing sign when the shafts direction of rotation is reversed. The disclosed tachometer preferably utilizes a brushless printed circuit resolver having a large number of poles. The sine and cosine outputs from the resolver are fed to a phase shifting circuit which provides two output signals whose frequencies are related to the speed of rotation of the shaft being instrumented. The frequency of one of the signals increases as the shaft speed increases while the frequency of the other signal decreases as the shaft speed increases. These two signals having frequencies related to shaft speed are fed to frequency to voltage converters. The outputs from the frequency to voltage converters are fed to a differential amplifier whose output is the DC signal which is indicative of the direction and the speed of rotation of the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1978
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1980
    Assignee: Contraves Goerz Corporation
    Inventor: James G. Weit
  • Patent number: 4095263
    Abstract: Adjustable capacitors for incorporation with any substrate design, and for other general or specific capacitor uses, comprising a dielectric housing means, having base and sidewall eminating therefrom, a rotatable rotor (within said housing means), constructed from a highly conductive metal, having a cylindrical hub and at least one contoured blade plate emanating from the base of said hub, and a metallic retainer, coaxial with and encompassing said rotor hub, to captivate itself against said sidewall in a convex-concave relation to cover and to seal said capacitor assembly and to abut the inner portions of said blade plates to uniformly distribute plate pressure upon the active surface of said dielectric housing base. Displaced from the rotor blade plate by the dielectric housing base are contoured conductive metallized receptive stator electrode layers deposited upon or within said base for connection with receptive substrate circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1976
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1978
    Assignee: Johanson Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: John E. Johanson
  • Patent number: 4092579
    Abstract: A brushless printed circuit resolver for converting a shaft angular position to a voltage signal, defined by the envelope of a carrier, which indicates the mechanical angle. The brushless resolver includes a stationary member having two conducting foils formed thereon which are capactively coupled to associated foils on a movable member. The capacitive coupling between these input foils remains constant as the movable member is moved. A pair of output foils are also disposed on a movable member and each is electrically connected to one of the movable input foils. A pair of shaped stationary output foils are mounted with a small separation from the movable output foils so that the capacitive coupling between the movable and stationary output foils varies as a determinable function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1976
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1978
    Assignee: Contraves Goerz Corporation
    Inventor: James G. Weit
  • Patent number: 4039906
    Abstract: A variable capacitor having a ceramic stator with a flat major surface for engaging a flat conductive rotor plate mounted on a shaft extending through the stator. The other major surface of the stator has a transverse slot having a capacitance forming electrode over the bottom portion that is substantially parallel to the flat major surface. A spring biased rotor terminal is affixed to the end of the shaft extending through the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1975
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1977
    Assignee: E. F. Johnson Company
    Inventors: Chander M. Wahi, Robert J. Baumler
  • Patent number: 4039982
    Abstract: A tuning circuit having a coaxial cavity with a movable toroidal section to effect inductive tuning. The outer conductor is tapered to effect capacitive tuning by movement of the toroidal section axially within the cavity due to varying of the width of the annular space between the outer conductor and the toroidal section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1976
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1977
    Assignee: Continental Electronics Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: James O. Weldon
  • Patent number: 4035697
    Abstract: A motor driven magnetically coupled variable capacitor including a follower magnet arranged internally of the capacitor and fixedly coupled to a rotatable shaft, a follower magnet drive magnetically coupled to the follower magnet for rotating the follower magnet and therefore the rotatalbe shaft, a plurality of stationary capacitive elements fixedly mounted at one end of the capacitor, and a plurality of movable capacitive elements mechanically coupled to the rotatable shaft for axial movement therealong in response to rotation of the rotatable shaft by the follower magnet. The movable capacitive elements coacting with the stationary capacitive elements to vary the capacitance of the capacitor in response to activation of the follower magnet drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1975
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1977
    Assignee: Photocircuits Division of Kollmorgen Corporation
    Inventor: Frank Arnold, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4021708
    Abstract: A vertical adjustable capacitor assembly includes a tubular dielectric body n which are embedded two diametrically opposed cylindrically curved electrically conductive plates. One plate serves as a stator plate and extends through one end of the tubular body to contact a terminal element at the bottom thereof. The other plate extends through both ends of the tubular body with one end of the plate contacting another terminal element at the bottom of the tubular body and the upper end of this plate is in direct electric circuit with the head of an electrically conductive rotary rotor having a shaft rotatably fitted in the axial, cylindrical bore of the tubular body. An arcuate member mounted on top of the tubular body prevents the rotor from axial movement while permitting rotation of the rotor. Rotation of the rotor through 180.degree. in either direction from a center position of minimum capacitance, tunes the capacitor assembly through its entire range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1975
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1977
    Assignee: American Technical Ceramics, Division of Phase Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Victor Insetta, Harry V. Seaman