Low noise precision resistor
AssigneeBeltone Electronics Corporation
InventorBernard Greenstein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A low noise miniature potentiometer utilizes thick film deposits of resistive material which extend adjacent to deposits of conductive material. The conductive region is sliced into a plurality of spaced-apart conductive elements. Electrical paths through resistive elements can be lengthen by laser trimming of the resistive material thereby providing for very precise incremental resistances between pairs of spaced apart conductive elements. If desired, an increased range of resistivity can be achieved by utilizing a second deposited thick film region extending along the conductive region and in contact therewith. Laser trimming can be used to increase conductive path lengths in the second resistive element thereby providing a broader range of resistance values.
Claims34
A variable resistance device comprising:
- an elongated, substantially continuous resistive element;
- a substantially continuous, elongated, conductive member , extending in contact with said resistive element, at least in predetermined regions, with said conductive member interrupted by a plurality of discontinuities defined thereon with at least some of said discontinuities extending a predetermined amount into adjacent respective portions of said resistive element and wherein an elongated portion of said conductive member is not covered by said resistive element.
A low wear variable resistance unit comprising:
- a first resistive element;
- a second resistive element displaced from said first element;
- a conductive member having a base portion and an extending portion in electrical contact with each of said elements;
- and
- a plurality of spaced apart interruptions in said extending portion with at least some of said interruptions selectively extending into at least one of said elements to provide a plurality of resistive paths between said base portion and a plurality of intermediate regions of said extending portion with a different resistance parameter associated with each said path.
A planar resistive device comprising:
- a planar insulating base;
- at least a first resistive element carried on said base;
- a planar conductor carried on said base, adjacent to said element, and overlapping same at least in part;
- a first plurality of spaced apart interruptions in said conductor with each pair of adjacent ones of said interruptions defining a respective region therebetween in said conductor;
- a second plurality of spaced apart interruptions extending into at least some parts of said element with some of said members of said second plurality associated with corresponding members of said first plurality thereby defining a plurality of different conductive paths between a first part of said conductor and said plurality of regions.
A method of providing different resistance values between first and second contact regions comprising:
- providing a conductive element;
- providing an elongated substantially continuous resistive element;
- placing the resistive element into contact with the conductive element with an elongated region of said conductive element not covered by said resistive element;
- selecting a path between the first and second regions which includes part of the conductive element and part of the continuous resistive element in accordance with a predetermined resistance value;
- and
- selecting another, longer, path between the first region and another region displaced from the second region which includes part of the conductive element and a longer part of the continuous resistance element in accordance with a higher predetermined resistance value.
A method of making a precision, low noise resistance element comprising:
- depositing an elongated, substantially continuous resistance member;
- depositing an elongated substantially continuous conducting element in electrical contact with the resistance member with an elongated region of the conducting element not covered;
- creating a plurality of spaced apart interruptions in the conducting element;
- creating a plurality of conducting paths which include portions of the conducting element and portions of the resistance member defined by a plurality of interruptions in the resistance member with at least some of the paths having different resistance values.
A variable resistance device comprising:
- a substrate;
- an elongated, substantially continuous resistive element carried on said substrate;
- a substantially continuous, elongated, conductive member carried on said substrate and extending in contact with said resistive element, wherein an elongated region of said conductive member, extending along said resistive element, is not covered thereby, and wherein said conductive member is interrupted by a plurality of spaced apart dicontinuities therein, such that an electrical path is established between first and second of said discontinuities through an adjacent portion of said resistive element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.