US3905318A - Integral multifinger contact and method of making - Google Patents

Integral multifinger contact and method of making Download PDF

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Publication number
US3905318A
US3905318A US447616A US44761674A US3905318A US 3905318 A US3905318 A US 3905318A US 447616 A US447616 A US 447616A US 44761674 A US44761674 A US 44761674A US 3905318 A US3905318 A US 3905318A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
portions
adjacent
shearing
shear
fingers
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US447616A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Stephen Verner Andersen
Edwin Grant Swick
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Illinois Tool Works Inc
Original Assignee
Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Illinois Tool Works Inc filed Critical Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority to US447616A priority Critical patent/US3905318A/en
Priority to CA220,763A priority patent/CA1019814A/en
Priority to AU78647/75A priority patent/AU493461B2/en
Priority to DE2508773A priority patent/DE2508773C3/de
Priority to SE7502333A priority patent/SE402373B/xx
Priority to BR1233/75A priority patent/BR7501233A/pt
Priority to FR7506616A priority patent/FR2263621B1/fr
Priority to CH266175A priority patent/CH597679A5/xx
Priority to JP50025696A priority patent/JPS5814724B2/ja
Priority to ES435293A priority patent/ES435293A1/es
Priority to GB8874/75A priority patent/GB1478734A/en
Priority to NLAANVRAGE7502537,A priority patent/NL176817C/xx
Priority to IT20897/75A priority patent/IT1033399B/it
Priority to US05/560,420 priority patent/US3940198A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3905318A publication Critical patent/US3905318A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H11/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches
    • H01H11/04—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01C—RESISTORS
    • H01C1/00—Details
    • H01C1/12—Arrangements of current collectors
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T29/00—Metal working
    • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
    • Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
    • Y10T29/49117—Conductor or circuit manufacturing
    • Y10T29/49204—Contact or terminal manufacturing

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an electrical contact member and more particularly of the type used in a variable resistance device having a movable contact or wiper, such as a potentiometer.
  • One such method of producing a multifinger contact involves the winding of a conductive wire about a mandrel, plating the wound wire with conductive material and selectively removing the plating to produce severable contacts having a plurality of fingers and a base portion. This method necessarily involves several complicated and expensive steps.
  • Atypical method of producing an inexpensive multifinger contact involves merely slotting and removing material in a strip to produce a plurality of finger members extending from the base which are spaced from one another. This method will not provide a plurality of densely arranged slender fingers necessary to maximize the number of fingers over a given area to be contacted. Efforts have also been made to shear adjacent finger portions from one another. This tends to leave the fingers in lateral contact with one another and, thus, restricts the capability of each finger to flex independently.
  • the present invention basically utilizes a shearing process in which the shearing of one portion of a stock from another is accomplished with a stroke large enough to elongate the sheared portion beyond its elastic limit.
  • the fingers When the fingers are returned to a coplanar position, they will, thus, include a slight lateral spacing between adjacent side edges.
  • One embodiment of the invention utilizes the elongation of adjacent finger portions to be particularly adapted in use as a wiper in a rotary-type potentiom eter.
  • a succession of arcuate shears are performed on a sheet of conductive material.
  • Each adjacent shearing step being such a depth as to elongate the material beyond its elastic limit.
  • Another embodiment of the invention again utilizes the elongation of adjacent finger portions but is particularly adapted for use in a rectilinear potentiometer.
  • a plurality of parallel linear fingers are sheared from one another, each being sheared downwardly to a point which is beyond the elastic limit of the material thereby causing at least a portion of the length of the finger to be diminished in width as a result of the elongation.
  • the fingers when returned to a-coplanar position, will thus be capable of individually flexing as a result of the diminishment in width of the fingers.
  • Another object of the invention is to elongate, while shearing, the finger portions from a sheet of material thus allowing a dense arrangement of such fingers on a relatively small contact member and yet allow the fingers to flex independently.
  • An additional object of the invention is to provide a procedure for forming relatively small integral multifinger electrical contact members which utilizes a series of punch and die stations contributing to reduction of manufacturing costs.
  • FIG. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a strip following a first shearing step in the operation.
  • FIG. 2 is a plan view of the portion of the strip of FIG. 1 showing the first sheared portion returned to the coplanar position and showing a second shearing step in the material.
  • FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the punch and die set at a first station in the invention and showing the punch at the bottommost position of a stroke.
  • FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a second punch and die station showing the punch at the bottommost position of its stroke in a shearing operation following that shown by FIG. 3.
  • FIG. 5 is a partial plan view of a multifinger contact made in accordance with the invention.
  • FIG. 6 is an end view of the contact member shown in FIG. 5.
  • FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of a strip of material de formed in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of a punch and die set used to form the alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 7.
  • FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a multifinger contact made in accordance with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.
  • FIG. 10 is a partial plan view of an individual finger deformed in accordance with the alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 8.
  • Integral multifinger contact members in which each finger is capable of independent action may be efficiently made with the method of the present invention.
  • the method utilizes shearing operations in each of the to be described embodiments and relies on the elongation of thin strips of material beyond their elastic limits to insure this independent action.
  • the finger member is moved out of the plane of the strip a depth which is sufficient to deform that particular portion beyond its elastic limit so that it will not return to its original dimension.
  • the actual depth of each shearing stroke to go beyond the elastic limit of the material will depend on the length of material being deformed as well as the characteristics of the material itself.
  • One embodiment of the invention utilizes a differential elongation in adjacent finger portions to produce a slight lateral space between adjacent and opposing side edges of the fingers. While extremities of an arcuate shear line are retained from elongation, a slender portion of the material is elongated beyond the elastic limit of the material and out of the plane of the strip. When each finger portion is returned to the plane of the strip, the difference in length will be reflected in a crescent shaped space between adjacent fingers.
  • Yet another embodiment of the invention utilizes the change in a lateral dimension in a slender finger portion as a result of elongation to insure that adjacent finger portions will not contact one another.
  • a portion of a strip of conductive material may be sheared along an arcuate shear line 12.
  • the portion 14 on the convex side of the shear line will be deformed out of the plane of the strip.
  • the shear line 12 will lie on one side of an imaginary line interconnecting the extremities 11 and the portion of the strip in the sectors outside of the sector defining the sheared portion will be clamped and retained in a coplanar position while the portion 14 is transversely deformed.
  • FIG. 3 represents a punch and die set which may be utilized, in accordance with the principles of the invention, to shear an arcuate shaped portion 14 from a strip such as that depicted in FIG. 1.
  • An upper punch 30 which will have an arcuate shaped cutting or shearing edge conforming to the desired configuration of the shear line 12, will be associated with a lower spring loaded pressure pad 36.
  • a lower die portion 34 will also be associated with an upper spring loaded pressure pad 32.
  • the portions 34 and 32 will serve to support and clamp the portions of the strip 10 outside of the arc of shear as well as supporting and clamping portions of the strip within the are of the shear and on the concave side of the shear line 12.
  • the punch 30 will sever a predetermined portion 14 from the body of the strip and move portion 14 downwardly to a predetermined maximum depth A. This maximum depth A will be sufficient to elongate the portion 14 beyond its elastic limit.
  • FIG. 2 will now show that when the sheared portion 14 has been returned to be coplanar with the strip 10 the difference in lengths between the adjacent edges of the body 10 on the inner or concave side of the shear line and the portion 14 on the outer or convex side of the shear line will provide a crescent shaped gap 18 therebetween.
  • a succession of similar shearing operations will thereafter be performed on the strip.
  • a subsequent shear will thus be made on the previously deformed portion 14 and is shown a shear line 12a similar to the arcuate shaped initial shear line 12. In this step, however, a slender finger portion 16 remains in the plane of the strip I0 while a segment 14a.
  • a contact member as shown in FIG. 5 will result.
  • a plurality of individual fingers 16 will be formed, each being spaced slightly from the adjacent fingers by a crescent shaped gap 18. The spacings will thus allow fingers 16 to flex relatively independent of one another and yet maintain an extremely dense array of contact members along a predetermined short line of contact.
  • the strip 10 may further be deformed by a provision ofa cut-out 20.
  • the portion of the body on the concave side of cut-out 20 may thereafter be deformed in accordance with the particular requirements of attachment or may be deformed to provide a collector brushing element which would cooperate with the plurality of members 16 for particular use in a potentiometer environment.
  • the centermost portions of the arcuate fingers 16 may also be de formed further to provide a radiused tip 22 to localize the contacting portion of each individual finger.
  • FIG. 7 shows a strip 39 which has been deformed utilizing the principles of this invention to provide a plurality of fingers 42 merging with and along one edge of a base portion 40. It will be noted that each finger 42 is substantially out of lateral contact with each other and is separated from each other by spaces 44. This configuration will thus allow the fingers 42 to flex independent of one another.
  • FIG. 8 describes a punch and die station which may be utilized to provide the deformation of a strip as shown in FIG. 7.
  • a punch 50 having a generally curved advancing edge is associated with a lower spring loaded pressure pad 52.
  • Upper spring loaded pressure pad por tions 56 cooperate with lower stationary die members 54 to retain the strip at the extremities of the fingers to be formed.
  • the maximum depth of deformation of portions 42 from the plane of the stock will be such that the elastic limit of the material is exceeded.
  • the finger portions 42 will thus be elongated and deformed so as to diminish in width towards an intermediate portion of the fingers.
  • each finger 42 will include a necked down or portion of diminished width 46 and wider portions 48 merging with the strip material 39.
  • An integral multifinger contact member 38 shown in FIG. 9, may subsequently be formed from a plurality of such deformations on a strip.
  • the fingers may be severed along cut lines a or I) or positions intermediate thereof.
  • a severing along line b at portion 48 is shown in phantom in FIG. 9 and would represent a dense arrangemcnt of individually flexing contact points along a given line of contact.
  • the contact made by severing along out line b would produce fingers with narrowed portions 44 to facilitate twisting about their own longitudinal axis, which capability may be advantageous in certain environments. Severing along cut line a at the area of diminished width 44 results in the most efficient use of material since a pair of elements 38- could be produced from a set of elongated fingers 42.
  • a method of producing unitary multifinger electrical brush contact members having slight clearance between adjacent slender fingers comprising the steps of shearing and elongating a plurality of adjacent portions along a nonlinear shear line with substantial portions of the shear line being disposed on one side of an imaginary straight line interconnecting the extremities of the sheared portions, the shearing and elongating being performed on a sheet of conductive material in a direction transverse the plane of the sheet, each next adjacent portion, in a given direction laterally of the sheet, being elongated beyond its respective elastic limit to a greater amount than the previous portion, returning each adjacent elongated portion to a coplanar position generally in the plane of the sheet wherein the adjacent portions are spaced slightly from each other over a substantial extent of their length, the method further including the step of deforming downwardly a limited length of each slender portion to form laterally aligned small radius contact points intermediate the extremities of the sheared portions, wherein a plurality of densely arranged, independently flex

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Adjustable Resistors (AREA)
  • Manufacturing Of Electrical Connectors (AREA)
  • Details Of Resistors (AREA)
  • Shaping Metal By Deep-Drawing, Or The Like (AREA)
  • Punching Or Piercing (AREA)
US447616A 1974-03-04 1974-03-04 Integral multifinger contact and method of making Expired - Lifetime US3905318A (en)

Priority Applications (14)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US447616A US3905318A (en) 1974-03-04 1974-03-04 Integral multifinger contact and method of making
CA220,763A CA1019814A (en) 1974-03-04 1975-02-25 Integral multifinger contact and method of making
AU78647/75A AU493461B2 (en) 1975-02-27 Integral multifinger contact and method of making
DE2508773A DE2508773C3 (de) 1974-03-04 1975-02-28 Verfahren zur Herstellung eines einstückigen Schleifkontaktelementes für Potentiometer oder andere einstellbare Widerstände
CH266175A CH597679A5 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png) 1974-03-04 1975-03-03
FR7506616A FR2263621B1 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png) 1974-03-04 1975-03-03
SE7502333A SE402373B (sv) 1974-03-04 1975-03-03 Elektrisk kontaktborste
BR1233/75A BR7501233A (pt) 1974-03-04 1975-03-03 Processo para a producao de elementos de contato eletrico com uma pluralidade de linguetas que tem um intervalo livre entre as linguetas adjacentes e escova de contato eletrico
ES435293A ES435293A1 (es) 1974-03-04 1975-03-04 Escobilla de contacto electrico que incluye una porcion de base adaptada para estar montada en un soporte.
GB8874/75A GB1478734A (en) 1974-03-04 1975-03-04 Integral multifinger contact brushes
JP50025696A JPS5814724B2 (ja) 1974-03-04 1975-03-04 イツタイテキタフインガコンタクトトソノ セイゾウホウホウ
NLAANVRAGE7502537,A NL176817C (nl) 1974-03-04 1975-03-04 Werkwijze voor het vervaardigen van een elektrisch contactorgaan.
IT20897/75A IT1033399B (it) 1974-03-04 1975-03-04 Contatto a dita multiple in un sol pezzo e procedimento per la sua produzione
US05/560,420 US3940198A (en) 1974-03-04 1975-03-20 Integral multifinger contact and method of making

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US447616A US3905318A (en) 1974-03-04 1974-03-04 Integral multifinger contact and method of making

Related Child Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US05/560,420 Division US3940198A (en) 1974-03-04 1975-03-20 Integral multifinger contact and method of making

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3905318A true US3905318A (en) 1975-09-16

Family

ID=23777048

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US447616A Expired - Lifetime US3905318A (en) 1974-03-04 1974-03-04 Integral multifinger contact and method of making

Country Status (12)

Country Link
US (1) US3905318A (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)
JP (1) JPS5814724B2 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)
BR (1) BR7501233A (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)
CA (1) CA1019814A (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)
CH (1) CH597679A5 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)
DE (1) DE2508773C3 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)
ES (1) ES435293A1 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)
FR (1) FR2263621B1 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)
GB (1) GB1478734A (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)
IT (1) IT1033399B (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)
NL (1) NL176817C (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)
SE (1) SE402373B (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4003235A (en) * 1974-03-04 1977-01-18 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Apparatus for making a multifinger contact
US4184140A (en) * 1978-12-14 1980-01-15 Allen Bradley Company Two-piece trimming potentiometer

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6034003A (ja) * 1983-08-04 1985-02-21 北陸電気工業株式会社 可変抵抗器用摺動子の製造方法
DE19821529C2 (de) * 1998-05-13 2001-05-17 Peter Hille Abriebfester elektrischer Schleifer für Potentiometer und Verfahren zu seiner Herstellung

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US805247A (en) * 1905-06-10 1905-11-21 George L Thompson Deflector for fans.
US979130A (en) * 1908-04-11 1910-12-20 Norris Elmore Clark Expanded-metal manufacture.
US2692019A (en) * 1945-03-14 1954-10-19 Albert M Zalkind Expanded sheet and method for making same
US3149406A (en) * 1958-11-10 1964-09-22 Eisler Paul Method of making electrical heating and conducting devices
US3279043A (en) * 1962-03-07 1966-10-18 Garrett Corp Permeable sheet metal and method of making same
US3569897A (en) * 1968-10-03 1971-03-09 Bourns Inc Potentiometer multifinger contact assembly
US3585697A (en) * 1969-07-28 1971-06-22 Warwick W Butler Process for forming apertures in ductile strips
US3722053A (en) * 1971-07-26 1973-03-27 Dresser Ind Method of making well pressure sealing cup reinforcing structure

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5229825Y2 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png) * 1971-03-02 1977-07-07

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US805247A (en) * 1905-06-10 1905-11-21 George L Thompson Deflector for fans.
US979130A (en) * 1908-04-11 1910-12-20 Norris Elmore Clark Expanded-metal manufacture.
US2692019A (en) * 1945-03-14 1954-10-19 Albert M Zalkind Expanded sheet and method for making same
US3149406A (en) * 1958-11-10 1964-09-22 Eisler Paul Method of making electrical heating and conducting devices
US3279043A (en) * 1962-03-07 1966-10-18 Garrett Corp Permeable sheet metal and method of making same
US3569897A (en) * 1968-10-03 1971-03-09 Bourns Inc Potentiometer multifinger contact assembly
US3585697A (en) * 1969-07-28 1971-06-22 Warwick W Butler Process for forming apertures in ductile strips
US3722053A (en) * 1971-07-26 1973-03-27 Dresser Ind Method of making well pressure sealing cup reinforcing structure

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4003235A (en) * 1974-03-04 1977-01-18 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Apparatus for making a multifinger contact
US4184140A (en) * 1978-12-14 1980-01-15 Allen Bradley Company Two-piece trimming potentiometer

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS5814724B2 (ja) 1983-03-22
NL176817C (nl) 1985-06-03
GB1478734A (en) 1977-07-06
DE2508773C3 (de) 1979-09-20
FR2263621B1 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png) 1978-09-29
BR7501233A (pt) 1975-12-02
NL7502537A (nl) 1975-09-08
SE402373B (sv) 1978-06-26
CH597679A5 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png) 1978-04-14
IT1033399B (it) 1979-07-10
SE7502333L (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png) 1975-09-05
FR2263621A1 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png) 1975-10-03
CA1019814A (en) 1977-10-25
DE2508773B2 (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png) 1979-01-25
NL176817B (nl) 1985-01-02
JPS50125249A (US06815460-20041109-C00097.png) 1975-10-02
AU7864775A (en) 1976-09-02
DE2508773A1 (de) 1975-09-11
ES435293A1 (es) 1977-04-01

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