Electric braking system

A controller for an electric braking system and the like comprising:

• a generally cylindrical insulator core having spaced apart transversely extending depressions with plateaus therebetween arranged generally longitudinally of its surface, a circumferentially wound electrical conducting wire over the generally cylindrical surface of said insulator with coils alternately passing over said plateaus and depressions and with the coils overlying said depressions being radially beneath those passing over said plateaus, a longitudinally extending contact element supported for successive contact with the coils on successive plateaus starting adjacent one end and proceeding to the other end, a power supply terminal for said contact element, a power outlet terminal on said other end of said circumferential electrical conducting wire, and actuating means for causing said contact element to successively contact the coils of successive plateaus.

A controller for an electric braking system and the like comprising:

• a longitudinally extending electrical resistor element, a longitudinally extending contact element supported for initial contact at one end of said resistor element and thereafter for progressive contact along the resistor element toward the other end, first electrical terminal means connected to said longitudinally extending contact element and second electrical terminal means connected to said other end of said electrical resistor element, and a diode connected between said other end of said resistor element and ground.

A controller for an electric braking system and the like comprising:

• a circumferentially wire wound resistance element having a generally cylindrical insulator over which said resistance wire is coiled, said insulator having spaced apart depressions with plateaus therebetween and said resistance wire being wound over successive plateaus and depressions with coils in said depressions being positioned radially inwardly of the coils on said plateaus, a longitudinally extending contact element supported for initial contact at one end and for progressive contact thereafter with successive plateaus spaced along the resistor element toward the other end, first electrical terminal means connected to said longitudinally extending contact and second electrical terminal means connected to said other end of said electrical resistor element, and whereby said contact element successively engages the coils on one plateau after another.

A controller for an electric braking system and the like comprising:

• a generally cylindrical insulator core having spaced apart transversely extending depressions with plateaus therebetween arranged generally longitudinally of its surface, a circumferentially wound electrical conducting wire over the generally cylindrical surface of said insulator with coils alternately passing over said plateaus and depressions and with the coils overlying said depressions being radially beneath those passing over said plateaus, there being at least one and no more than three coils on successive plateaus, and a longitudinally extending contact element supported for successive contact with the coils on successive plateaus starting adjacent one end and proceeding to the other end.

In a controller for electric braking systems and the like of the type having a wound resistor element providing successive coils against which a contact element makes successive contact when actuated, the improvement comprising:

• a longitudinally extending electrical insulator form for supporting said coils on its exterior surface, said insulator form having a longitudinally extending portion of its external surface having alternate plateaus and valleys, said valleys supporting coils of the wound resistor element thereon beneath the level of coils supported on said plateaus, and whereby the contact element passes over the coils in the valleys.

A method of causing the output characteristics of a wound variable resistor to match a desired output curve, comprising:

• providing an electrical insulator form with spaced apart valleys in its surface for supporting coils of the wound resistor below the level of the coils on the remainder of the variable resistor, and designing the width of the valleys so that the increase in electrical output when the contact moves between coils on opposite sides of a valley corresponds to the increase in output of the desired output curve.