Patent · US Expired

Direct contact rotary attenuator

US4001736A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
3References
14Claims
0Family size

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 30, 1975
Grant dateJan 4, 1977
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 30, 1995

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01P1/227
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A rotary step attenuator having a housing and a rotor rotatably mounted in the housing. An array of attenuator elements is mounted on the rotor, appearing in an end view as chords of a circle whose center is at the axis of rotation of the rotor. Each attenuator element has a first surface bearing an electrically conductive pad facing the axis of rotation of the rotor, and additionally there is a blade contact member having a first surface facing away from the axis of rotation mounted in a fixed position relative to the housing and operable to touch a selected one of the conductive pads as the rotor is rotated within the housing. There are no spring biased signal contacts other than the blade contact member itself for effecting electrical coupling between the attenuator elements and the electrical connections to the rotary step attenuator.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.