Adjustable potentiometer assembly

An adjustable potentiometer assembly including in combination:

• a multiple segment resistive element fabricated in the form of a circular arrangement of arcs of resistive material, each arc thereof forming a different segment of said resistive element, and an insulating support member to which said resistive material is attached;
• means attached to the insulating support member for applying direct current operating potential across each segment of said resistive element;
• adjustable tap means having at least one tap member mounted in said potentiometer assembly for selecting any desired available voltage from any of said segments of said resistive element out of the full range of voltages each segment is capable of producing by locating said tap member in contact with the surface of a resistive segment at the point from which the desired voltage is available;
• means for adjusting the relative position of said tap member and said resistive element;
• means coupled with said tap member for providing an output voltage from said adjustable potentiometer assembly;
• and
• a plurality of arcs of conductive material attached to said insulating support member, each of said arcs of conductive material corresponding with an arc of said resistive material and each of said arcs of conductive material having substantially the same number of degrees of arc thereof as the corresponding arc of resistive material, and means selectively coupled with said arcs of conductive material for indicating the segment of resistive material from which said adjustable tap means is supplying said desired voltage.

A potentiometer assembly capable of producing output voltages from a plurality of preset taps including in combination:

• an elongated, resistive element in said potentiometer assembly;
• means for applying direct current operating potential across said resistive element;
• a plurality of potentiometer tap members mounted in said potentiometer assembly adjacent said resistive element for engagement therewith, each of said tap members arranged to engage a predetermined portion of said resistive element for obtaining a voltage therefrom variable in a limited range relative to the full range of voltage appearing across said resistive element, adjacent ones of said tap members being capable of overlapping common resistance portions of said resistive element;
• and
• means in said assembly for coupling said tap members with an output terminal.

An adjustable potentiometer assembly for deriving tuning voltages for a multi-band radio frequency receiver, such as a television receiver, comprising in combination:

• a base member for said potentiometer assembly;
• an insulating support member mounted for limited rotational movement about a central shaft opening therein on said base member;
• a plurality of arcuate resistive elements mounted on said support member concentrically about the opening therein, each of said resistive elements corresponding with a predetermined frequency band capable of receipt by said receiver, said resistive elements each having a predetermined width;
• means for applying a direct current potential across each of said elements of resistive material;
• a control shaft rotatably supported by said base member and extending through the opening in said support member;
• a detented rotary selector member attached to said shaft and carrying thereon a brush member rotatably movable therewith for engaging said resistive elements as said selector member is rotated to different detented positions;
• adjustable cam surface members on said rotatable selector member for effecting fine tuning adjustments at different detented positions thereof;
• cam follower means coupled with said support member and engaging said cam surfaces for effecting limited rotation of said support member, and therefore said resistive elements, relative to said base member and said selector member in accordance with the cam surface presented thereto.

An adjustable potentiometer assembly for deriving tuning voltages for a multi-band radio frequency receiver, such as a television receiver, comprising in combination:

• a base member for said potentiometer assembly;
• a substantially circular insulating support member mounted on said base member;
• a plurality of arcuate resistive elements mounted on said support member in a circle having its center at the center of said support member, each of said resistive elements corresponding with a predetermined band of frequencies capable of receipt by said receiver, said resistive elements each having a predetermined width defined by inside and outside edges of different radii;
• means for applying a direct current potential across each of said resistive elements;
• a plurality of potentiometer wiper elements mounted in said assembly and each having one end thereof in contact with the surface of one of said resistive elements, said wiper elements each being mounted for movement linearly along paths tangential to circles concentric with said resistive elements, such circles having a radius less than the radius of the outside edge of said resistive elements, adjacent ones of said wiper elements being arranged for overlapping electrically common portions of said resistive elements to permit selection of overlapping output voltages therefrom;
• and
• means for adjusting the positions of said wiper elements relative to said resistive elements along said paths.