Manually operated angle pickup

#The present invention relates to a manually operated angle pickup or detector having a rotatably mounted and manually movable transmitter element, a sensor scanning the transmitter element and a magnetic coupling releasably holding the transmitter element in selected angular positions.

#In a known angle detector disclosed in DE 43 11 496 C2, the transmitter element is a disk. The disk exterior margin or border area is formed by tongues that are bent in such a manner that they engage along a part of their length in a cylindrical surface concentric to the rotary axis of the transmitter element. Concentric to this cylindrical surface and at quite a small radial spacing therefrom, north and south poles of a magnet associated with the second part of the detent mechanism are provided, one after the other in sequence around its periphery.

#One disadvantage of that arrangement is that, with predetermined spacing and dimensions, it is of certain very small dimensions which are predetermined in absolute terms on the basis of the pole spacing required.

#Other objects, advantages and salient features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses preferred embodiments of the present invention.

#Referring to the drawings which form a part of this disclosure:

#FIG. 1 is a side elevational view in section of a manually operated angle detector according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 1 shows a manually operated angle detector 1 with an adjustment or presetting disk or adjusting wheel 3. Adjusting wheel 3 is introduced from the exterior by means of a shaft 5, and is mounted in a housing 7. Altogether, the rotatably mounted parts rotated by means of shaft 5 are indicated in their entirety as transmitter element 8. Housing 7 has a housing cover 9 and a cup-shaped bottom portion 11. Housing cover 9 projects with formation of an axially symmetric flange 13 to the side, outwardly over bottom part 11. With the aid of flange 13, angle detector 1 can, for example, be mounted in a panel, switchboard or keyboard.

#Within housing interior chamber 15, housing cover 9 has a discoid or plate-like reinforcement 17. The exterior contour of reinforcement 17 corresponds essentially to the configuration of the opening of bottom part 11. On its other side, housing cover 9 has another discoid or plate-shaped reinforcement 19. In the middle of housing cover 9, a perpendicular passage borehole 21 extends through the reinforcements 17 and 19. Shaft 5 is mounted in borehole 21 and is retained radially and axially by means of bearings 23 and 25.

#The exterior 29 of a tube 27 forms a cylindrical extension of the exterior contour of reinforcement 19. On the interior 31 of tube 27, two disks 33 and 35 are arranged at some axial distance from one another with corresponding interior teeth 37 and 39 without angular displacement.