Capacitor coupled potentiometer

• US 5,525,955 A
• Filed: 03/30/1994
• Issued: 06/11/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Copal Company Limited (Nidec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Copal Company Limited (Nidec Corporation)
• Inventors: Tonogai, Yoshihide, Takagi, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Easthom, Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US08/211,361
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 338/75, 338/92, 338/140, 338/173, 338/178, 338/185, 338/187, 338/188, 338/189, 338/202, 361/277, 361/278, 361/279, 361/287
• US Class Current: 338/185
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/30 for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/165 by relative movement of a point of contact or actuation and a resistive track
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2412 by varying overlap
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 10/32 the contact moving in an arcuate path

Abstract

An annular resistor member having two non-contact ends is overlaid and adhered on the surface of a base, and a rotational shaft located at the central portion of the resistor member is pivotally axially supported via a bearing. A bent electrode arm is fitted on the rotational shaft, and is connected to an output terminal via the rotational shaft or a connection means. A movable electrode, which opposes to the resistor member via a gap, is integrally formed on the end portion of the electrode arm, and a capacitor is formed between the movable electrode and the resistor member. In the above structure, when an AC power supply is flowed across the two ends of the resistor member, the capacitor is formed between the movable electrode and the resistor member, and an attenuated voltage is generated on the movable electrode. The voltage generated on the movable electrode increases/decreases in accordance with the displacement of the movable electrode upon rotation of the rotational shaft, and when this voltage is extracted as a resistance dividing ratio from the output terminal, the rotational angle or displacement amount of the rotational shaft can be detected.

Claims

1. A potentiometer comprising:

a resistor member having two ends to which a predetermined AC input voltage is applied;

a movable electrode located along said resistor member between the two ends, said movable electrode facing said resistor member and separated by a predetermined interval therefrom;

an insulator layer of a uniform thickness inserted between said resistor member and said movable electrode; and

an AC output voltage corresponding to a dividing ratio of said resistor member divided by said movable electrode, said AC output voltage being output from said movable electrode via a resistance dividing capacitor formed by said movable electrode and said resistor member facing said movable electrode.

2. A potentiometer according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first stationary electrode connected to one of the two ends of said resistor member;

a second stationary electrode facing said first stationary electrode and separated by a predetermined interval therefrom to form a temperature compensation capacitor having the same capacitance as the resistance dividing capacitor; and

compensation arithmetic means for calculating and outputting a signal indicating a temperature-compensated position of said movable electrode by using said AC output voltage output from said movable electrode and an AC second output voltage output from said second stationary electrode.

3. A potentiometer according to claim 1, wherein said resistor member is formed in an arcuated shape or an annular shape having two non-contact ends.

4. A potentiometer according to claim 1, wherein said resistor member is formed in a linear shape.

5. A potentiometer according to claim 2, wherein said first stationary electrode is constituted by a portion of said resistor member.

6. A potentiometer comprising:

a resistor member having two ends to which a predetermined AC input voltage is applied;

a movable electrode located along said resistor member between the two ends, said movable electrode facing said resistor member and separated by a predetermined interval therefrom;

a first output electrode fixed to said movable electrode and moving together with said movable electrode;

a second output electrode formed to extend in a moving direction of said movable electrode so as to oppose the first output electrode and be separated by a predetermined interval therefrom;

a first AC output voltage corresponding to a dividing ratio of said resistor member divided by said movable electrode, said first AC output voltage being output from said movable electrode via a resistance dividing capacitor formed by said movable electrode and said resistor member facing said movable electrode; and

a second AC output voltage output from said movable electrode being extracted via an output capacitor formed by said first and second output electrodes.

7. A potentiometer according to claim 6, further comprising a conductive member located by the side of said second output electrode so that said second output electrode is located between the conductive member and the resistor member,

one end of said conductive member being connected to one end of said resistor member, and another end of said conductive member being connected to an input terminal for the predetermined AC input voltage.

8. A potentiometer according to claim 6, further comprising a grounded conductive shield member located between said resistor member and said second output electrode.

9. A potentiometer according to claim 6, further comprising an insulator layer of an uniform thickness inserted between said resistor member and said movable electrode.

10. A potentiometer according to claim 6, further comprising:

a first stationary electrode connected to one of the two ends of said resistor members;

a second stationary electrode facing to said first stationary electrode to be separated by a predetermined interval thereform to form a temperature compensation capacitor having the same capacitance as the resistance dividing capacitor; and

compensation arithmetic means for calculating and outputting a signal indicating a temperature-compensated position of said movable electrode by using said first AC output voltage output from said movable electrode and said second AC output voltage output from said second stationary electrode.

11. A potentiometer according to claim 10, wherein said first stationary electrode is constituted by a portion of said resistor member.

12. A potentiometer according to claim 6, wherein said resistor member is formed in an arcuated shape or an annular shape having two non-contact ends.

13. A potentiometer according to claim 6, wherein said resistor member is formed in a linear shape.

14. A potentiometer comprising:

a base consisting of an insulating material;

a resistor member formed on said base in an annular shape having two non-contact ends, the two ends of the resistor member being connected to input terminals for applying a predetermined AC input voltage;

a rotational shaft pivotally supported by said base, and located at substantially the center of said resistor member; and

a support member having two ends, the first end of the support member being fixed to said rotational shaft to support a movable electrode at the second end of the support member, the movable electrode facing said resistor member and maintaining a predetermined interval therebetween,

an AC output voltage, corresponding to a dividing ratio of said resistor member divided by said movable electrode in accordance with rotation of said rotational shaft, said AC output voltage being output from said movable electrode via a resistance dividing capacitor formed by said movable electrode and said resistor member facing said movable electrode.

15. A potentiometer according to claim 14, wherein said rotational shaft is supported by said base via a bearing.

16. A potentiometer according to claim 14, further comprising an insulator layer of a uniform thickness adhered on an upper surface of said resistor member, wherein said movable electrode slidably moves in contact with said insulator layer.

17. A potentiometer according to claim 14, further comprising an insulator layer of a uniform thickness adhered on a lower surface of said movable electrode,

wherein said movable electrode slidably moves so as to contact with said resistor member via said insulator layer.

18. A potentiometer according to claim 14, wherein said support member comprises an electrode arm made of a conductive material, said potentiometer further comprising a conductive slip ring having a recess groove on an outer circumferential surface thereof which is fitted on said rotational shaft, and wherein said AC output voltage output from said movable electrode is extracted via a conductive wire which slidably contacts the recess groove.

19. A potentiometer according to claim 18, wherein a portion near a distal end of said electrode arm is bent in a direction of said base, and said movable electrode is supported on the distal end.

20. A potentiometer according to claim 14, further comprising a stationary electrode facing said resistor member near one of the two ends of said resistor member so as to be separated by predetermined interval therefrom and to form a temperature compensation capacitor having substantially the same capacitance as the resistance dividing capacitor.

21. A potentiometer according to claim 20, wherein the insulator layer inserted between said resistor member and said movable electrode is also inserted between said stationary electrode and said resistor member.

22. A potentiometer according to claim 14,

wherein said support member includes an annular first output electrode connected to said movable electrode connected to said movable electrode, said potentiometer further comprising an annular second output electrode formed on said base to oppose said first output electrode and be separated by a predetermined interval therefrom, and

said AC output voltage output from said movable electrode is extracted from said second output electrode via output capacitor formed by said first and second output electrodes.

23. A potentiometer according to claim 22, further comprising an insulator layer inserted between said first and second output electrodes.

24. A potentiometer according to claim 22, wherein an annular conductive pattern having two non-contact ends is formed on said base inside of said second output electrode, the first end of said annular conductive pattern is connected to one end portion of said resistor member, and the second end of said annular conductive pattern is connected to the input terminal for the predetermined AC input voltage.

25. A potentiometer according to claim 22, further comprising a grounded annular conductive shield pattern located between said second output electrode and said resistor member, the grounded annular conductive shield being formed on the base.