Back to results
US 4,479,107 AGranted
Precision linear potentiometer sensor
AssigneeCTS Corporation
InventorWilliam F. Bleeke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeCTS Corporation
InventorWilliam F. Bleeke
Estimating the term…
A potentiometric linear position sensor including a housing (10) made of extruded aluminum which may be cut to preferred lengths (15). The sensor includes a Kapton film substrate (32) having first a uniform coating of resistive material (34) disposed thereon, and then distinct islands formed by laser sculpting. Conductive material (50, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58), screen printed upon the resistive material before or after the laser sculpting, is connected to terminal means (62, 68, 70) for the respective electrical elements (48, 51, 55). The flexible Kapton film substrate (32) is inserted endwise into the housing (10) with the side edges of the substrate curled upwardly and captured within longitudinal housing slots (28, 29) disposed along opposite housing walls (14, 16). The housing (10) is sealed by end closure means (60, 90), one closure means (60) having the termination means (62, 68, 70) connected to conductive paths (53, 56, 60) disposed on the respective electrical elements (48, 51, 55), and the other end closure means (90) providing securement for an extension spring (104) and journalling for a shaft (116) attached to a combination slider-and-contactor (76, 77) disposed within the housing. Displacement of the shaft (116) stretches the extension spring (104) and effects a corresponding longitudinal movement of the contactor (77) along the resistive element (48) and collector path (51). An alternative embodiment includes an exterior magnetic actuator (134) located exteriorly of the housing (10) and coupled magnetically with the interiorly disposed slider (176) for movement therewith.
A potentiometer comprising a flexible inert substrate having an accurately configured series of electrical elements thereon and which are isolated one from the other by said substrate, said elements having been effected by laser sculpting to produce an accurately defined resistance path and collector path, conductive material disposed on the isolated elements to provide electrical connections with respective termination means, a housing having longitudinally formed slot means disposed on opposite interior walls of said housing and receiving the curled edges of said substrate which has a width greater than the interior width of said housing, said housing providing a flat interior base which the substrate engages, and combination slider-and-contactor means movable longitudinally within said housing and with the contactor means engaging the resistor and collector paths to transduce the change in the longitudinal position of said slider to a voltage output.
A linear position sensor, comprising a flexible electrically nonconductive substrate having a distinct laser sculpted electrical element thereon, said sculpted electrical element having uniform thickness effected by mier rod application and in electrical isolation with respect to other electrical elements, said sculpted electrical element comprising an electrical resistance path of uniform thickness and precise dimensions, the other elements comprising a conductive material coating forming a collector and an electrically conductive lamination forming a return path, a housing, and a slider means having contactor means in engagement with said resistance path and collector whereby a change in a longitudinal position of said slider means effects a change in output voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.