Potentiometer contact springs |
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| 申请号 | US3733573D | 申请日 | 1971-05-24 | 公开(公告)号 | US3733573A | 公开(公告)日 | 1973-05-15 |
| 申请人 | DIETERICH F; | 发明人 | DIETERICH F; | ||||
| 摘要 | A method of manufacturing miniature potentiometer contact springs by winding a substantial length coil of a single layer of fine, heat-treatable precious metal alloy wire on a generally cylindrical form, masking spaced strips longitudinally of the wire coil, plating the wire coil between the masked strips, removing the strips and cutting the strip-plated wire band from the mandrel as a sheet, cutting the wire sheet to produce contact strip blanks of various forms severable into individual contacts. A multi-layer masking system is used to photographically define the spaced strips. An adherent support about the wire coil permits the coil to be removed before masking and processed in sheet form. Contact springs using wire of a reduced lateral diameter are produced by flattening the wire prior to winding on the form. | ||||||
| 权利要求 | 1. An intermediate product comprising: a contact strip blank for spring contacts comprising a plurality of side-by-side, relatively fine wire fingers, said wire fingers being joined by plural, spaced, continuous bonded strips of conductive metal, said strip blank including a plurality of end-to-end connected spring contacts severable therefrom by cuts perpendicular to said wire fingers. 2. An intermediate product as defined in claim 1, wherein said wire fingers are of a precious metal alloy substantially 0.002-0.005 inches in diameter. 3. An intermediate product as defined in claim 1, wherein said strips of conductive metal are formed from the group including silver, copper, or nickel plating. 4. An intermediate product as defined in claim 1, wherein said blank further includes a plurality of side-by-side connected ones of said contacts severable therefrom by cuts parallel to said wire fingers. 5. An intermediate product as defined in claim 1, wherein the portions of said wire fingers between said strips of conductive metal are covered by a non-conductive, protective mask. 6. An intermediate product as defined in claim 1, wherein the cross-section of said wire fingers is barrel-shaped, the barrel height being less than the barrel diameter, with the barrel height aligned to position the relatively flat wire finger surfaces in side-by-side relation. 7. A potentiometer contact spring, comprising: a plurality of relatively fine wire fingers positioned side-by-side in a lateral direction, said fingers having a small-area, electrical contacting surface near one end thereof, said fingers having a reduced diameter in said lateral direction between opposing lateral sides of each finger. 8. A potentiometer contact spring as defined in claim 7, wherein said opposing sides are relatively flat. 9. A potentiometer contact spring as defined in claim 7, wherein the cross-section of said fingers is barrel-shaped, said opposing sides are connected by top and bottom arcuate, circumferential finger surfaces, one such circumferential surface forming said small-area electrical contacting surface. 10. A potentiometer contact spring as defined in claim 9, wherein the height of said barrel is said reduced diameter and the diameter of said barrel is the distance between said top and bottom surfaces, the barrel height being less than the barrel diameter. 11. A potentiometer contact spring as defined in claim 10, wherein said wire fingers are formed by flattening originally round cross-section wire, said barrel height being less than and said barrel diameter being greater than the original diameter of said round wire. 12. A potentiometer contact spring as defined in claim 10, wherein said wire fingers are shaped in the axial direction of said fingers to form said small-area electrical contacting surface. 13. A potentiometer contact spring as defined in claim 12, wherein the shaping in the axial direction provides a radiused contact area. 14. A potentiometer contact spring as defined in claim 10, and further including: lateral support means for joining said fingers at the end thereof opposite said one end to provide electrical interconnection therebetween, said fingers extending freely in independent flexure relation from said lateral support means. 15. A potentiometer contact spring is defined in claim 14, wherein said support means is a metal layeR selected from the group of silver, copper, or nickel. 16. A potentiometer contact spring as defined in claim 10, wherein said barrel height is less than about 0.002 inches. 17. A potentiometer contact spring as defined in claim 16, wherein said barrel height is less than about 0.001 inches. |
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