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US 5,686,911 AGranted
Contact type rotary encoder employing electrically conductive balls as switching contacts for printed circuit electrodes
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho
InventorJunichi Nakaho
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A contact type rotary encoder, comprising a printed wiring board having annular comb-shaped electrodes, and an arcuate electrode printed thereon, and a rotary member having three through-holes positioned around the center thereof at substantially equal angular intervals, and at different distances from the center of the rotary member. The contact type rotary encoder further comprises electrically conductive balls rotatably fitted in the through-holes and positioned to roll on the electrodes.
Claims4
A contact type rotary encoder comprising:
- a circular rotary member having through-holes positioned around a center of said rotary member at substantially equal angular intervals and at different distances from the center of said rotary member;
- a pair of electrically conductive balls rotatably fitted in a respective one of said through-holes of said rotary member, such that each of said pair of balls make rolling contact with each other and protrude slightly from opposing ends of said respective through-hole;
- a substrate having one of annular and arcuate printed circuit electrodes having radii corresponding to the positions of said through-holes;
- an electrode board whose entire surface is electrically conductive;
- and
- an elastic member acting said electrode board to maintain said pair of balls in said through-holes and between said electrode board and said substrate.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.