Single turn potentiometer with direct rotor-to-housing seal
US5059940A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 24, 1990 |
| Grant date | Oct 22, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 24, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01C10/005
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In a miniature, single-turn potentiometer, a fluid-tight seal is formed between the rotor and the housing by the interference fit between an annular ridge on the peripheral edge of the rotor and a conforming groove in the interior wall surface of the housing cavity in which the rotor is installed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there are two parallel ridges and grooves, and they are configured to form a "chevron" seal, in which the ridges have a substantially saw-tooth shape in axial cross-section, with the grooves having a complementary shape. The chevron seal provides a direct, rotor-to-housing seal that is fluid-tight, without the use of an O-ring, while also restraining the rotor from axial movement with respect to the housing.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.