US1942961A - Electrical apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 9, 1934. J. Q. GAUBERT ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 26, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JOHN Q. GA UBERZ' Y A M MWWF/U {AQATTORNEYS 1934- J. O. GAUBERT 1,942,951

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 6, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JED/4N 0. 611405527.-

' ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES ELECTRICAL APPARATUS John Q. Gaubert, Dayton, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Radio Corporation of America, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application November 26, 1930 Serial No. 498,340

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a radio receiver and in more particular to the control mechanism for the adjustable parts therein.

An object of this invention is to provide a plurality of indicators mounted so that they may be seen through the open work of an escutcheon plate. This has been accomplished by mounting a plurality of dials on a common shaft one of which may indicate the selected signal and another the relative attenuation of the selected signal.

Another object of this invention is to construct a control mechanism that is easily constructed, accurate, and low in cost.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a fragmentary front elevation of a radio panel.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the station selector scale and the volume control indicator as seen with the panel removed.

.Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on'the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 showing the manual driving mechanism for the volume control.

' Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, the free end of a rotor shaft 12 cooperating with a tuning device carries an adjustable collar 14 which is secured thereto by a set screw 16. A reduced portion 15 of the collar 14 receives a driving disc member 18 that is held in a relatively fixed position by riveting or spinning the reduced end 15 of the collar 14. An opening 20 of suitable form in the disc 18 is partially covered with a translucent member 21 illuminated from a source of light such as an electric bulb 22. The translucent member 21 is secured to the member 18 by rivets 24 or in any other suitable manner. The translucent member 21 is provided with a scale or indicia representing the signal by its wave length, its frequency or in any other manner.

An escutcheon plate 26 carried by a panel 28 has an open work 30 that includes a pair of windows 32 and 34. The pointers or indicants 36 located in the wall of the window 32 cooperate with the indica 23 to indicate the particular selected signal. From this description it can readily be seen that the setting of the tuning elements such as condensers may be observed from the outside of the panel although all the movable parts excepting the control knobs are located wholly within the cabinet.

A knob 36 of suitable moulding material such as bakelite or the like is secured to a manually operated shaft 38 which is journalled in the bearings 40 and 42, provided by the chassis 44. The thrust in either direction is taken up by a punched out tongue 46 of the chassis, which projects into an annular groove 48 of the shaft 38.

An adjustable collar 50 is secured to the shaft 38 by a set screw 52. A pair of clamping discs 54 and 56 of flexible material such as sheet brass or the like are received by a reduced portion 58 of the adjustable collar 50 and riveted or otherwise secured thereto. These clamping discs engage the periphery of the disc like member 18 tight enough from both sides so as to drive this member 18 whenever initiated by the manually operated clamping discs 54 and 56.

A collar 60 is loosely mounted upon the rotor shaft 12 and prevented from sliding in one axial direction only, by a C-washer 62 which fits in an annular groove 64 of the shaft 12. A sector like member 66 of any suitable material with great frictional resistance is received by a reduced portion 68 of the collar 60 and riveted or otherwise secured thereto. A semi-circular sector '70 of any suitable translucent material such as celluloid or the like is secured to the member 66 by rivets I2 or in any other suitable manner. The two indicia 67, Bass and Treble are visibly marked on the sector like translucent member '70. The light of the bulb 22 also passes through'the translucent member '70, thus illuminating the indications thereon. These indicia, Bass and Treble, are arranged at the same radial distance from the center of the supporting shaft 12 which is also their center of motion, and at such a distance from this center that they appear in the middle of the window 34 whenever manually moved behind this window. A pair of pointers or indicants 57 point to the indicia found on the translucent member '70.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 4, another 100 knob 74 of the same material as the knob 36 is secured by a set screw (not shown) or in any other suitable manner to one end of a manually operated shaft '76, connected to a suitable device for changing the relative attenuations of the 105 selected signal, as fully disclosed and claimed in a copending application to Homer J. Loftis, Serial No. 428,374, filed February 14, 1930. This shaft '76 is journalled in a tubular bearing '78 which is secured to the rheostat housing 80 or the like in 110 any suitable manner. The housing 89 in turn is supported by a projection or struck out ear 84 of the chassis 44 and secured thereto by another nut 87 which cooperates with the nut 82.

An adjustable collar 88 is secured to the shaft '76 by a set screw 99. A pair of clamping, driving discs 92 and 94 of flexible material such as sheet brass or the like are received by a reduced portion 96 of the collar 88 and riveted or otherwise secured thereto. These clamping discs 92 and 94 engage the periphery of the sector like member 66 from both sides so that this member 66 is driven, whenever initiated by the manually operated driving discs 92 and 94.

As the driving discs 92 and 94 are always in engagement with the periphery of the member 66, it is obvious that these discs prevent the member 66 and its supporting collar 60 from endwise sliding upon the rotor shaft 12 It can be readily seen that as the knob '14 is rotated so as to change the relative attenuation of the incoming selected signal, that the indicia 67 are caused to move along the indicants 5'7 so as to visually indicate the relative attenuation or the quality of the tone output of the receiver.

Another knob 98 is in any suitable manner fastened to a rheostat shaft 100 of a second rheostat. The shaft 100 is journalled in a tubular bearing 102 which is secured to the rheostat housing 104 in the same manner as the tubular bearing 78. The rheostat itself is also supported by a struck out ear 106 of the chassis 44 and secured thereto by nuts 108.

This second knob 98 is symmetrically arranged with the knob '74.

In the modification disclosed, as best seen by referring to Fig. 3, a gang condenser 110 is shown in a cradle 112. It is to be understood that any type of a gang condenser instead of the preferred one, or any other tuning element such as variometers, could be used as it does not form part of my invention. Further description of the condenser is therefore deemed unnecessary.

While the form of embodiment of the visible control means, as disclos d, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that certain deviations therefrom can be instituted which are within the nature of my invention.

Instead of arranging the station selector scale variably as preferred, I could arrange this scale on the translucent segmental ring stationary in any suitable manner and have an indicant fastened to the driven member 18. This variable indicant then would have to be adjusted to any desired wave length of the stationary selector scale.

A similar arrangement could be provided for causing a relative movement between the indicia and the indicant that indicates the relative attenuation of the selected signal.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A control mechanism for a radio instrument said instrument being provided with an escutcheon plate having a pair of windows, comprising in combination, a shaft, a dial having indicia, said dial being fixedly attached to said shaft for indicating the setting thereof, said indicia being aligned wth one of said win ows, a second shaft eccentric to the first shaft, a plate carrying a second dial having indicia for indicating the adjustment of said second shaft, said second dial being rotatably mounted on said first shaft and in front of said first named dial and the indicia on said second dial being aligned with the other window in said escutcheon plate so that both of said dials are visibly indicated in relatively close association through said windows and flexible means carried by said second named shaft and in front of the plane of said first named dial for frictionally engaging said plate to cause r0- tation thereof upon rotation of said second shaft.

2. In a control mechanism for a radio receiver, a dial having a translucent portion marked with indicia for indicating the selected signal, a source of light mounted behind said dial, a second dial having indicia for indicating the relative attenuation of said receiver, said dials being concentrically mounted, and a pair of indicators aligned radially with the axis of dials and cooperating with said indicia for indicating the selected signal and the relative attenuation.

3. In a control mechanism for a radio receiver, an open work escutcheon plate having a pair of windows radially spaced from a common center, a dial having indicia, and a cut out or open portion, an indicant cooperating with said indicia, means for causing a relative movement between the indicia and the indicant for indicating the selected signal, a second dial mounted in front of said first named dial and having indicia in front of said open portion, a second indicant cooperating with the second indicia, means for causing a relative movement between the second indicia and its indicant so as to indicate the relative attenuation of the receiver, and means locating the movement causing means concentric with the said common center, each of said indicia being aligned each with a window in said escutcheon plate whereby the indicated selected signal and the indicated attenuation may be seen through said windows.

4. In a control mechanism for a radio receiver, an open work escutcheon plate, a dial having indicia graduated for indicating selected signals, an indicant cooperating with said indicia, means for causing a relative movement between the indicant and the dial, said relative movement being responsive with the adjustment of the tuning elements on the radio receiver, a second dial having indicia concentric with the indicia of said first dial for indicating the relative attenuation of the receiver, a second indicant cooperating with said second dial, means for causing a relative movement between the second dial and its indicant for registering a change in attenuation, means mounting said movement causing means on a common axis, and a source of light for illuminating each of said dials, the dials, the indicants and the source of light being so arranged that the selected signal and the relative attenuation may be seen through the open work in said escutcheon plate.

5. In a control mechanism for a radio receiver, a disc, said disc having a translucent sector carrying indicia, a second disc having a 6. In a control mechanism for a radio receiver according to claim 5 in which the disc carrying the circumscribed indicia is provided with a slot adjacent to the inscribed indicia, said slot permitting said source of light to illuminate the last indicia.

'7. In combination in a control mechanism, a device to be adjusted, a disc connected to said device, said disc having indicia marks and an open portion, a second disc mounted parallel to said first named disc and in front thereof, said second disc having a, translucent portion marked with indicia, means for passing a beam of light through the open portion of said first named disc onto the indicia of said second disc and sep- JOHN Q. GAUBERT.

Images