US1906189A - Radio apparatus - Google Patents

Description

April 25, 1933. w. s. SUTTON RADIO APPARATUS Filed April 23, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR HTS- Jullon,

ATTQRNE\Y W. S. SUTTON RADIO APPARATUS April 25, 1933.

Filed April 25, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W aauuon, BY

WITNESSES ii ATTORNEY A ril 25, 1933. w. s. SUTTON RADIO APPARATUS Filed April 25. 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR fl lfihsutton,

ATTORNEY Apr 25, 1933. w. s SUTTON 1,906,189

RADIO APPARATUS Filed April 23, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 lllllllll inmllllllllhm April 25, 1933. w, s SUTTON 1,906,189

I RADIO APPARATUS Filed April 23, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR BY W i6al6on ATTOR N EY Patented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES WILLIAM S. SUTTON, OF ROCKFORD,'ILLINOIS RADIO APPARATUS Application filed April 23,

This invention relates to radio'broadcast receiving apparatus. i

It is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide a radio frequency selector in the form of a condenser having new and novel characteristics for radio receivers, whereby the selection of stations is greatly simplified.

Another object of the invention is to provide a selector that operates independently of the sense of hearing so that disturbing noises are no disadvantage.

A further object of the invention is to provide a selector so arranged that the operatr ing leverautomatically locks the device in its tWo normal positions. Therefore, vibration such as that encountered in the operation of vehicles, will not displace the adjustment.

By use of the present invention in a radio receiving circuit, it will be seen that the circult may be tuned by associating therewith a predetermined fixed or lump capacity corresponding-with the frequency to which the circuit is to be tuned and that by the use of a fixed capacity the circuit may be quickly and accurately tuned to provide perfect registration ofthe. capacity with the frequency with which the circuit is to be tuned, thus avoiding inaccuracies of tuning which result from the use of the normal variable plate condensers in which the sense of hearing is relied upon to secure registration of capacity adjustment with the frequency of the station selected.

The above objects and advantages of the present invention are carried out by the provision of a simple, novel and improved structure, in which the combination and interrelation of parts is such that a precise and efficient capacity selector is provided.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a condenser for radio circuits which when adjusted to the desired capacity will not have included in the circuit a greater or smaller capacity than that required to provide resonance of the circuit at the selected frequency.

Numerous other objects and features of the present invention will-be apparent from a consideration of the following specification 1930. Serial No. 446,558.

taken in conjunction with the accompanyin drawings, in which lligure 1 is a side elevation of one form of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of that form of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the device showing the operating control When mounted through a panel board;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. (5 is a detail so 66 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a detail 77 of Fig. 4.;

Fig.8 is a vertical section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4; i

Fig. 9 is an enlarged section taken on the line 99 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to'the drawings, it will be seen that the form of the invention herein shown by way of illustration, is mounted upon a base board 21, which is associated with a panel board 22. The invention is, of course, in no way confined to the specific mounting herein shown, which forms no part of the present invention. In this connection, as Well as throughout the 33 specification, it will be seen, that only one form of the invention is shown and that changes, modifications, and structural variations of the invention may be resorted to M withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention.

For supporting the device from the base 21, front and rear journaling supports 23 ction taken on the line section taken on the line and 24, respectively, are provided. The apertured vjournaling ends of the supports 23 and r 24 are arranged in axial alinement with a selector dial aperture 25 of the panel board 22. Longitudinally extending brace members 26 and 27 are provided between the supr 7 ports 23 and 24. Within the operating apertures of the upper ends of the supports 23 and 24, bearing members 28 and 29, res ectively, are provided. The bearing memEers 28 and 29 are mounted upon a central shaft W 30, the bearings 28 and 29 being permanently supported in the bearing apertures of the members 23 and 24 The forward end of the shaft 30 extends through the aperture of the panel board to mount therein a selector dial 31. A. suitable tapered pin 32 may be used for securing the dial on the shaft for rotation therewith. The opposite end of shaft 30 is not connected in any way with the nut 3st except through the medium of the balls, clamp screw 33 permanently secures the outer half of ball race 29 against a shoulder at the bottom of the aperture of journal support 24. As the outer half of the ball race is secured to the journal support, while the smaller half is secured to shaft 30, no longitudinal movement can take place while free rotary movement is secured through functioning of the balls between the two races.

Mounted upon the shaft 30, between the bearings 28 and 29, a cylindrical drum 36 is provided, preferably formed of aluminum. The ends of the drum engage the shaft 30, as indicated, a pin 37 being provided for securing the drum on the shaft 30 for rotation therewith. The drum 36 includes a plurality of radially extending arcuate parallel flanges 36 extending from the upper portion of its surface. Mounted upon the forward side of each of the flanges 36 and resting upon a thickened portion 36 of the drum 36, semi-circular slotted rotor elements 38 are mounted. Each of the elements 38 is secured to its associated flanges by suitable screws, as indicated at 39. The outer edges of the flanges 36 are forwardly turned, as at 36, to provide an engaging shoulder for maintaining proper position of the plates 38 upon the flanges 36. The forward faces of the plates 38 are slotted as at 38", to provide for the reception in the slots of primary plates, as will be hereinafter described.

The primary plates are secured to a longitudinally movable base or platen 40, which is semi-circular in cross section, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Throughout the body of the base 40, reinforcing beads 40, as shown in Fig. 1, may be provided. The base 40 extends longitudinally under the drum 36, its edges including extensions 40 having horizontal flanges dO The horizontal portions 40 extend over offset portions 26' and 27' formed on extending portions at the top edges of the braces 26 and 27, respectively. The flanges 40* are recessed on their under surfaces to receive an upper ball receiver 41, within which a ball bearing 42, as shown in Fig. 6, is provided. The lower portion of the ball 42 is received within a companion receiver ll carried on a channel formed in the upper face of the portions 26 and 27. F or retaining the ball within the recesses, a centrally apertured gear 43 is provided, the ball being received through the aperture thereof and forming an axis therefor. The

gear 43 has peripheral teeth, which engage a rack 4% carried by the base 40, while the opposite side of the gear engages a rack 44 carried by the port-ion 27. The arrangement is such that by longitudinal movement of the base a0, the gear will be revolved and will retain the ball in its power relative position to provide an anti-friction roller therefor.

The inner concave surface of the base 40 is provided with shoulders 40", between which the lower portions of annular rings l5 are mounted. In the form of the present invention here shown, four such rings are utilized, which are adapted to extend from their support in the base 40 upwardly around the shaft 30 and the drum 36. The rings 45 are formed of suitable insulating material, such as bakelite. their lower portions being secured between the shoulders 40" by screws or the like, as indicated at 46. The upper portions of the rings -15 which encircle the elements 38 outwardly thereof, are slotted as shown in Figure 2 at 45, the slots 45 being adapted to register with the slots of rotor 38" of the elements 38. Mounted within the slots 45, a series of metal plates 47, constituting the primary plates of the apparatus are provided. The plates 47 may be of various sizes and shapes as required. The plates 47 have upper bifurcated portions and inwardly extending surfaces which co-operate with the rotor slots to form capacitive relation therewith. A longitudinal movement of base 40 locates the inwardly projecting portion of the primary plates 47 in two longitudinal positions with reference to the rotor slots, the on position in which the total area. of a selected number of plates is wholly engaged within a like number of rotor slots, and the off position in which all the plates are wholly disengaged from the rotor slots, the number of plates selected being controlled by rotation of shaft 30 in response to manipulation of dial 31. It is to be understood that the total effective area of the number of plates selected determines the capatance for that location of the dial.

The plates 47 are electrically connected by a conductor ring 48 which is received within the central recess d7 forming the configuration of the upper ends of the plates. Simila rly shaped retaining rings 49 are positioned against the outer faces of the plates and may be soldered or otherwise secured thereto after the plates have been individually calibrated by radial adjustment in the slots 45. The rings 48 are electrically connected in suitable manner to a desired portion of the receiving circuit. By this arrangement, it will be seen that a. single capacity, the Value of which is determined by the number of primary plates engaged in the rotor slots, is available for insertion in the radio circuit, thus avoiding the difiiculty involved in the use of a multiplate condenser in which an infinity of capacity relations results through the turning of the plates thereof.

For rotating the drum 36, the dial 31 is provided, which is adapted for manipulation by a forwardly extended flange 50, which may be readily grasped by the fingers of'the operator. The edge of the dial 31 is provided with a pair of co-operating annularly arranged semi-circular members 51, 51. The member 51 is provided with-a scale having a graduation for each primary plate, hence it follows that the graduations correspend with the nulnber of rotor slots, as well as the slots in the index plate 72. With a graduation of the scale registering with the index-slot 54, the rotor slots will be aligned central to the primary plates, and the corres onding slot of the index plate will be a igned central to the pawl, with the dial in this position, the number of graduations be:

tween the index slot and 0, indicates the number of plates in alignment with a like number of rotor slots. The figures appearing on the dial are arbitrary and may be expressed in wave length or other characteristics.

As illustrated in Fig. 7 ,the extremities of the lower portion 51 are offset as at 51", to

overlap the adjacent ends of the upper porbers 51 and 51 by a securing band 53 intion, on which is supported a transparent plate '54 overlying the scale of the dial. The plate 54 is apertured at 54 to provide for the display therethrough of the indicia of the graduated scale. The casting 55 is mounted upon the forward end of the brace member 27 and extends through a co-operating aperture of the panel 22.

For longitudinally moving the base 40, the brace member 27 is provided with a depending lug 59, to which is pivoted a link 58, the upper end 58 of which is connected to the forward end of a link 57, the rear end of the link 57 being secured in a bracket 56 mounted upon a rear extension of the base 40. Associated with the lower end 58 of the link 58, a forwardly extending operating link 60 is provided, the forward end of which is eccentrically mounted on a disk 61 which is journaled upon an axle 62 carried by the casting 55. Motion is imparted to the disk 61 through an operating lever 64, the end of which is flattened to form an indicia bearing surface 64. The end 64 extends through the casting 55 for limited movement. The arrangement is such that upon movement of the lever 64, the disk 61 will be partially rotated whereby the link 60 will be moved forward upon upward movement of the lever 64 and rearward upon downward movement of the lever 64. F or locking the rotor slots against rotation when the primary plates 47 are enmeshed therein, an aligning and locking disc or index plate 72 is provided and secured to the drum 36. The peripheral edge of the'plate 72 is provided with'the same nu1n berofslots 72 and the same angularspacing as the rotor slot-s; located on the bracket 56 which is integral with the base 40, is a pawl 71 which engages the teeth 72 of the plate 72; the relative position of the motor slots with reference to index plate slots in such that with the pawl engaging a slot of the index plate the rotor slots will be central to the primary plates. Locking the base in normal operating position is automatically performed by manipulation of the operating lever 64 to impart longitudinal movement to the base 40; the locking mechanism consists of a link 73 having a common axle with links 58 and 60; link 73 is provided with a cam 73' in tractive relationship with roller 74; pressure of cam 7 3 against roller 74 is applied by tension of spring 75, the other end of which is attached to end 24 by stud 76;

through the linkage 58, 58, 58 and 57 tractive effort of spring 75 is imparted tobracket 56. Bracket 56 carries a lug or web 65 into which is screwed the stop screw 66; a jam nut 68 on the inner end of the stop screw 66 serves to lock it in position when the shoulder 69 has been properly adjusted with reference'to lug 65; the stop screw 66 passes through a retaining lug 67 which is integral with'the journal support 24. The free end of the stop screw 66 is provided with a pair of locknuts 68 which impinge the rearward surface of the lug 67 limiting the forward movement of the base 40; this position is maintained by tension of the spring longitudinal rearward movement is limited by the shoulder 69 of the stop screw 66 impinging the forward surface of the lug 67, the spring 75 cooperating through the cam and linkage to securely lock the base 40 and attached parts in thatv ing lever 64 is elevated to its maximum or u on POSltlOIl.

The 'elevating'of this lever 'causes the following sequence of events.

Very slight upward movement of the lever starts longitudinal rearward movement of base 40 integral with which is the bracket 56 with pawl 71; due to this movement, the pawl 71 engages a slot of the index plate 7 2, after which engagement, no rotary movement can take place. Further movement of the lever 64% slides the pawl "1 through the slot, at the same time starting engagement of the primary plates 47 in rotor slots 38, and causing the cam 78 in traversing the roller 74 to store up energy in the spring 75. Continued motion of the lever 64 past the central point- H causes the cam 73 to traverse the roller 74' on the adjacent angle transmitting the storedup energy of spring 75 through intervening linkage to pawl b 'acket 56. Further longitudinal movement actuated by the spring 7 5 is continued until the limiting point is reached which is determined by the shoulder 69 of stop screw 66 engaging the forward surface of lug 67, which completes the operation, locking the primary plates in operative relationship to rotor slots 38. In the above operative position, the electrostatic capacity of the device is the sum of the capacity of the total number of primary plates 47 engaged within the rotor slots 38.

From the foregoing it will readily be seen that the present invention provides anovel and improved means for associating a selective definite capacitance in a radio circuit. It will be seen that the structure provides ease of operation and also provides means for locking the device in adjusted position. It will be understood that the invention is not specifically confined to the structural details herein presented, but that numerous changes, modification and the full use of equivalents may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. A radio frequency selector comprising a condenser element having a plurality of slots, a plurality of condenser plates, one or more of which may be engaged in said slots, a selector dial indicating the relative number of plates engaged, an index plate having slots corresponding to the number of said condenser plates and a pawl engaging the slots of said index plate to insure perfect registration of the condenser plates in the slots of the condenser element, each plate and associated parts representing a calibrated frequency.

2. A radio receiving device, including a rotatable drum, grooved conducting members carried by said drum, and longitudinally movable plates adapted for capacitive relation within the grooves of said conducting plates, said drum being rotatable to move certain of said grooves out of alignment with certain of said plates, and means carried by said drum for preventing contact of said plates with said conducting members.

3. A radio receiving device, including a rotatable drum, grooved conducting members carried by said drum, longitudinally movable plates adapted for capacitive relation within the grooves of said conducting members, said drum being rotatable to move certain of said grooves out of alignment with certain of said plates, means carried by said drum for preventing contact of said plates with said conducting members, said means including a toothed disk connected to said drum and a plate coacting with the teeth of said disk for locking said drum in rotated position.

4. A device of the character set forth, including a rotatable drum, recessed condenser elements mounted on said drum, longitudinally movable plates adapted to be received within said recesses for capacitive relation thereto, and means for longitudinally moving said plates, said means being operable to lock said drum against rotation when said plates are received within the recesses of said condenser elements.

5. A device of the character set forth, including a rotatable drum, recessed condenser elements mounted on said drum, longitudinally movable plates adapted to be received within said recesses for capacitive relation thereto, means for longitudinally moving said plates, said means being operable to lock said drum against rotation when said plates are received within the recesses of said condenser elements, and resilient means for securing said plates in maximum and minimum longitudinally moved positions.

6. A variable condenser device, including a semi-cylindrical recessed condenser element, and a plurality of semi-cylindrically arranged plates adapted for selective capacitive relation to said element, said element being rotatable to vary the number of plates having capacitive relation thereto.

7. A variable condenser device, including a semi-cylindrical recessed condenser element, and a plurality of somi-cylindrically arranged plates adapted for selective capacitive relation to said element, said element being rotatable to vary the number of plates having capacitive relation thereto, said plates being longitudinally movable for entry within the recesses of said element.

8. A variable condenser device, including a semi-cylindrical recessed condenser element, 7

a plurality of semi-cylindrically arranged plates adapted for selective capacitiv'e relation to said element, said element being rotatable to vary the number of plates having capacitive relation thereto, said plates being longitudinally movable for entry within the recesses of said element, and means operable by longitudinal movement of said plates for locking said element against rotation.

9. A radio frequency selector, including a panel board, a dial mounted in an opening formed in said panel board, a shaft extending rearwardly from said dial, a condenser element mounted on said shaft, a second condenser element mounted for movement into and from co-operative relation with said first named condenser element, a locking disk mounted on said shaft, said first named condenser element being rotatably adjustable relative to said second named condenser element by rotation of said dial, means for moving said second named condenser element into co-operative relation with said first named condenser elementafter the selective setting of the same, and a plate operable with said means and engageable with said locking disk to secure the condenser elements and dial in set position.

10. A radio frequency selector including a rotatable condenser element having a plurality of radially disposed slots, a primary element having a plurality of primary plates, the rotatable element being adapted to rotatably move until the slots therein are in alignment with one or moreof the primary plates, said rotatable condenser element having the same number of slots as the primary element has plates, and means for longitudinally moving said primary element into maximum electrostatic relationship with said rotatable element.

11. A radio frequency selector comprising a primary element having a plurality of condenser plates a rotor element having a plurality of slots, said rotor element being positioned for free rotatable movement to a selected position with respect to the primary plates, said primary element being adapted for longitudinal movement into maximum electrostatic engagement with the rotor slots in the selected position.

12. A radio frequency selector comprising a primary element having a plurality of condenser plates arranged to engage the slots of a rotor element, a rotor shaft, a rotor element secured to said shaft having a plurality of slots equal in number to the primary plates, an index plate secured to said rotor shaft, said index plate having a like number of slots with the same angular spacing as the rotor slots, and a pawl to engage the slots of the index plates to maintain fixed selected relative position of the rotor slots with reference to the primary plates.

13. A radio frequency selector including primary plates, a slotted rotor element including a rotor shaft, an indicating dial secured to said shaft having graduations thereon which correspond in number to the number of slots in the rotor element, an index plate having alike number of slots with the same angular spacing as the rotary element permanently secured to said rotary shaft, said dial having its graduations exactly in alignment with the slots in the rotary element to indicate the correctrelative alignment of the slots in the index plate with the slots in the rotary element and with the primary plates, and means for imparting longitudinal movement to said primary plates for capacitive engagement of primary plates in the rotor slots.

14. A radio frequency selector including a longitudinal movable base, a stator element mounted on said base, an operating lever with cooperating mechanism to longitudinally move the base to a maximum from a zero position or to a zero position from a maximum position, and locking means operable with the operating lever to permanently maintain either the zero or maximum longitudinal position.

15. A radio frequency selector comprising a rotor having a plurality of rotatably mounted condenser elements, each of said elements having a plurality of slots, a like number of primary elements having a plurality of condenser plates equal in number with the rotor slots, a longitudinally movable base carrying said plates and movable into capacitive relationship with said slots, means for rotatably moving the elements carrying said slots so that the slots may move into alignment with a selected number of primary plates, means for longitudinally moving said elements into capacitive relationship in the selected position, a dial to indicate the number of plates selected, an index plate and cooperating pawl to permanently locate said slots in the selected position, an operating lever to engage the elements while in an operating position, and a locking device to permanently retain the two elements either in the position of zero engagement or gagement in which the number of plates selected is in maximum electrostatic engagement.

WILLIAM S. SUTTON.

the position of maximum en-

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