REAR MOUNTED INTEGRATED ROTARY ENCODER INCLUDING A PUSHBUTTON SWITCH
First Claim
1. A mechanical portion of rear-mount integrated rotary encoder for use with a circuit board having an encoder contact pattern formed thereon, comprising:
- a housing having a rear surface, a side surface, and a substantially open front area;
a rotatable shaft extending substantially orthogonally through said open front area of said housing;
a rotatable circuit contacting member mechanically connected to said shaft; and
a securing device for securing said mechanical portion to said circuit board;
said rotatable shaft being passed through an aperture in said circuit board such that said rotatable circuit contacting members contact said encoder contact pattern;
a knob adapted to be slidably mounted to said shaft for rotating said shaft;
an elastomeric button having an aperture for receiving said shaft, said elastomeric button being adapted for mounting between said circuit board and said knob, and when so mounted exerting a force against an underside of said knob; and
a pair of switch contacts adapted to be mounted between an underside of said elastomeric button, and said circuit board;
said switch contacts being changed between an open state and a closed state by sliding said knob along said shaft.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A rear-mount integrated rotary encoder comprises a mechanical portion and a printed circuit board portion. The mechanical portion of a rear mount integrated rotary encoder comprises a housing including a bushing for receiving one end of a rotatable shaft. The rotatable shaft passes through an open front portion of the housing and is mechanically connected to exposed rotatable circuit contacting members. The printed circuit board portion has an encoder contact pattern formed thereon. The printed circuit board has an area larger than the cross sectional area of the housing. The encoder contact pattern surrounds (or is at least concentric with respect to) an aperture in the circuit board. The rotatable shaft of the rotary encoder is passed through the aperture such that the rotatable circuit contacting members contact the encoder contact pattern on the circuit board. An elastomeric button is mounted on the front surface of the circuit board and surrounds the shaft of the rotary encoder to provide a spring-like action. The rotatable shaft is keyed to allow movement orthogonal to the plane of the circuit board while preventing rotation of the knob with respect to the rotatable shaft. When the knob is pressed, the elastomeric button is compressed and a pair of switch contacts, mounted below the elastomeric button, contact each other. In one embodiment, the housing includes projections, substantially orthogonal to the circuit board, for engaging a feature of the circuit board for securing the integrated encoder in an assembled state. In another embodiment of the invention, the housing is attached to the circuit board by means of an adhesive applied to the front surface of the housing. A further feature of the subject rear-mount integrated rotary encoder including a pushbutton switch is that it is substantially cylindrical in shape to reduce the required spacing between adjacent encoders.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A mechanical portion of rear-mount integrated rotary encoder for use with a circuit board having an encoder contact pattern formed thereon, comprising:
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a housing having a rear surface, a side surface, and a substantially open front area;
a rotatable shaft extending substantially orthogonally through said open front area of said housing;
a rotatable circuit contacting member mechanically connected to said shaft; and
a securing device for securing said mechanical portion to said circuit board;
said rotatable shaft being passed through an aperture in said circuit board such that said rotatable circuit contacting members contact said encoder contact pattern;
a knob adapted to be slidably mounted to said shaft for rotating said shaft;
an elastomeric button having an aperture for receiving said shaft, said elastomeric button being adapted for mounting between said circuit board and said knob, and when so mounted exerting a force against an underside of said knob; and
a pair of switch contacts adapted to be mounted between an underside of said elastomeric button, and said circuit board;
said switch contacts being changed between an open state and a closed state by sliding said knob along said shaft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A rear-mount integrated rotary encoder, comprising:
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a mechanical portion; and
a circuit board portion having an aperture formed therein;
said mechanical portion including;
a housing having a rear surface, a side surface, and a substantially open front area;
a shaft extending substantially orthogonally through said open front area of said housing;
rotatable circuit contacting members mechanically connected to said shaft; and
a securing device for securing said mechanical portion to said circuit board;
said circuit board portion having an area larger than a cross sectional area of said housing, and having an encoder contact pattern formed thereon;
said encoder contact pattern being concentric with respect to said aperture in said circuit board;
said rotatable shaft being passed through said aperture such that said rotatable circuit contacting members contact said encoder contact pattern on said circuit board;
a knob adapted to be slidably mounted to said shaft for rotating said shaft;
an elastomeric button having an aperture for receiving said shaft, said elastomeric button being adapted for mounting between said circuit board and said knob, and when so mounted exerting a force against an underside of said knob; and
a pair of switch contacts adapted to be mounted between an underside of said elastomeric button, and said circuit board;
said switch contacts being changed between an open state and a closed state by sliding said knob along said shaft. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification