US 5,007,159 AGranted

Method of manufacturing an electrical component, e.g. a digital contacting encoder

AssigneeHamilton Standard Controls, Inc.

InventorsKenneth Brown, Richard E. Riley

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Abstract

A rotary digital contacting encoder (FIG. 1) including a base (5), comprising--a base epoxy disk (501) with three external, pre-molded in place, connector pins (P.sub.1 -P.sub.3) on its exterior side extending through it, and a conductive layer in the form of two concentric layer rings (502 & 503; FIG. 4); and--an encoder element made of a "Kapton" insulating substrate (510) carrying two, like concentric cog rings (511A & 511B; FIGS. 3 & 7) on its top side. Conductive vias (512 & 513) electrically interconnect each respective cog ring with its respective conductive layer ring and its respective external connector pin, the vias forming conductive paths through the insulating substrate between the conductive layer and the cog rings. The presence of the conductive layer 502/503, which can be screen printed on the base disk, greatly simplifies the relative alignment of the encoder element, conductor pads and terminals. Using the conductive layer the encoder element can be positioned at almost any angular location, while still obtaining proper electrical contact with the terminal pins.

A method of manufacturing an electrical component which component includes

a rigid base having an exterior side and an interior side;
at least two, externally exposed electrical contacts on the exterior side of said base, one of them being a common contact and the other being a strip contact;
an electrical signal varying element, including
a relatively rigid substrate having a top side and an underside, and
at least one, longitudinally extended strip of signal affecting, conductive material located on the top side of said substrate;
a movable, bridging member electrically connected to said common contact and associated with said strip, movably sweeping along said strip causing an electrical signal imposed across said common contact and said strip contact to vary due to the changing relative position of said bridging member with respect to the length of said longitudinally extended strip;
comprising the steps of:
(a) forming a longitudinally extended, affixed conductive layer on the interior side of said base in physical and electrical connection with said strip contact, with said conductive layer providing a serial link in said conductive path, the presence of said conductive layer allowing greater tolerance in positioning said strip in relation to said strip contact;
(b) interfacing said conductive layer to the underside of said substrate, with the conductive layer located between said substrate and said base substantially coincident in alignment with said longitudinally extended strip, so that said conductive layer is electrically connected with said strip and said strip contact, and so that there is only one conductive path from said external strip contact to said strip within the component, the presence of said conductive layer allowing relatively great latitude in the alignment and placement of said strip with respect to said external strip contact;
and
(c) joining said substrate and said base together and using said conductive layer so that said conductive layer provides a serial link in the only conductive path from said external strip contact to said strip.

8 more elements

Abstract

Claims7