Printed circuit rotary switch with decoder
First Claim
1. A rotary switch for use with electrical equipment, comprising:
- a panel with an opening therein;
a printed circuit board disposed beneath the panel, the printed circuit board having four printed wiring contacts with are disposed along a circular path at 90°
intervals.a knob member having a handle portion which extends through the opening in the panel and having a base portion which is positioned between the panel and the printed circuit board, the knob member being rotatable through a plurality of different angular positions;
a plurality of contactor elements disposed above the circular path;
means, movable by the knob member, for selectively bringing the contactor elements into electrical contact with the printed wiring contacts when the knob member is rotated, the means for selectively bringing including means for bringing a single printed wiring contact into electrical contact with a contactor element at a predetermined one of the angular positions of the knob member, for bringing a pair of the printed wiring contacts into electrical contact with contactor elements at another predetermined one of the angular positions of the knob member, and for bringing three of the printed wiring contacts into electrical contact with contactor elements at a further predetermined one of the angular position of the knob member; and
decoder means for determining which printed wiring contacts are in electrical contact with a contactor member and for providing more than four output states as a function of the angular position of the knob member.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A rotary switch which cooperates with a printed circuit board employs a knob member having a handle portion that protrudes through an opening in a panel of an equipment housing. The printed circuit board is spaced beneath the panel and has printed wiring contacts that are disposed along a circular path beneath the knob member. Switches which include the printed wiring contacts are opened and closed when the knob member is rotated. In one embodiment, four pairs of printed wiring contacts are disposed on the PCB at 90° intervals and a spacer sheet having openings positioned at the contact pairs rests on the PCB. A contactor sheet rests on the spacer sheet and supports contactor elements that are positioned to protrude through the openings and bridge the contactor pairs when the appropriate region of the contactor sheet is depressed. Such depression is accomplished by contactor legs extending from a contactor member affixed to the underside of the knob member. A decoder circuit connected to the contact pairs provides output signals corresponding to the angular position of the knob member. Such a rotary switch is particularly useful for setting the time for appliances such electrical clocks or video cassette recorders.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A rotary switch for use with electrical equipment, comprising:
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a panel with an opening therein; a printed circuit board disposed beneath the panel, the printed circuit board having four printed wiring contacts with are disposed along a circular path at 90°
intervals.a knob member having a handle portion which extends through the opening in the panel and having a base portion which is positioned between the panel and the printed circuit board, the knob member being rotatable through a plurality of different angular positions; a plurality of contactor elements disposed above the circular path; means, movable by the knob member, for selectively bringing the contactor elements into electrical contact with the printed wiring contacts when the knob member is rotated, the means for selectively bringing including means for bringing a single printed wiring contact into electrical contact with a contactor element at a predetermined one of the angular positions of the knob member, for bringing a pair of the printed wiring contacts into electrical contact with contactor elements at another predetermined one of the angular positions of the knob member, and for bringing three of the printed wiring contacts into electrical contact with contactor elements at a further predetermined one of the angular position of the knob member; and decoder means for determining which printed wiring contacts are in electrical contact with a contactor member and for providing more than four output states as a function of the angular position of the knob member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A rotary switch for use with electrical equipment, comprising:
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a panel; a printed circuit board spaced apart from the panel; a switch assembly having a plurality of switches, each switch including a respective printed wiring contact which is affixed to the printed circuit board, the printed wiring contacts being disposed along a circular path; a knob member having a handle portion and having a base portion which is disposed between the panel and the printed circuit board, the knob member being rotatable via its handle portion through a plurality of different angular positions; closure means, mounted on the base portion of the knob member and extending toward the circular path, for closing a single switch at one angular position of the knob member and for closing a pair of switches at another angular position of the knob member; and decoder means connected to the switches for providing a greater number of output states than the number of switches in the switch assembly, the decoder means providing the output states in accordance with which switches of the switch assembly are closed, and without reference to prior output states. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification