Control mechanism for remotely mounted motor

A control mechanism for a remotely mounted motor, such as an antenna rotator, is contained withi n a molded housing having a cover and base, and includes an indicator motor which rotates a switch assembly to a preselected location. The indicator motor is secured by a motor housing integrally molded in the housing base and a polyurethane pad cushions the motor. The motor housing includes side wall members and a cover attached thereto by an integrally molded hinge member on one side wall, and fastening means on the other side walls secures the cover and the motor within the housing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a control mechanism for a remotely mounted motor, 
such as an antenna rotator. 
The present invention is an improvement of the control mechanism shown and 
described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,218, issued Aug. 27, 1963. That Patent 
discloses a control mechanism including an indicator motor, an indicator 
dial rotatable by the motor, a switch mechanism, and a dial assembly for 
operating the switch mechanism to control the direction of rotation of the 
indicator motor all contained within a housing. 
The switch mechanism can assume one of three positions: a neutral position 
where the switch is off, a clockwise position which causes the indicator 
motor to rotate in a clockwise direction, and a counterclockwise position 
to cause the motor to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. The dial 
assembly includes a cam mechanism having two concentric cam surfaces, one 
having a larger diameter than the other. A cam follower associated with 
the cam surfaces operates the switch mechanism. When the dial is rotated 
clockwise, the cam mechanism moves the switch mechanism to cause the 
indicator motor also to move clockwise. When the indicator motor reaches 
the position set by the dial assembly, the cam follower moves the switch 
to the neutral position and the indicator motor stops. 
An antenna rotator motor is connected in parallel and rotates 
simultaneously with the indicator motor, and therefore the antenna will 
assume the position indicated by the dial mechanism. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a control mechanism of the type described 
including an improved housing, a manually positionable dial assembly, and 
mounting means for the indicator motor. 
The present invention includes a molded housing, preferably of 
polypropylene, formed in two sections, a base and a cover. The first 
section or base includes an integrally molded motor housing preferably 
including upwardly extending side walls for orienting and holding the 
indicator motor in place, interior bosses for supporting the weight of the 
motor and a motor housing cover which may be hinged to and formed integral 
with the motor housing and which includes an opening through which the 
motor shaft extends. Fastening means, such as hooks, are integrally formed 
in the side walls to secure the cover against the side walls and thereby 
hold the motor in place. As elastomeric pad, such as polyurethane, may be 
placed between the motor and the housing to provide cushioning, and 
excursion limiting means are included on each radium corner within the 
housing to limit the travel of the motor should the housing be subjected 
to shocks. The base also includes other integrally molded parts to hold 
various other components which comprise the control mechanism. 
The elastomeric member not only provides cushioning and support for the 
motor, but also reduces radiated audible noise because of its sound 
absorbent characteristics and reduces the direct transmission of sound and 
vibration to the base, thus providing a device which is quiet in its 
operation. 
The cover includes an opening through which a part of the manually 
positionable dial assembly extends and has on the exterior thereof a plate 
for indicating direction. The interior of the cover includes a pair of 
integrally formed partial hinge members which cooperate with complementary 
partial hinge members molded into and integral with the base. The cover 
and the base are therefore locked together by the hinge on one end 
thereof, and fastening means, such as hooks, are employed at the other end 
thereof to secure the cover in place, thus facilitating assembly of the 
housing. 
In the present invention, the manually positionable dial assembly is 
integrally formed from a single member and includes a knob, a lateral 
surface and a skirt. The knob is designed to extend through the opening 
formed in the housing cover and has a hollow interior into which the 
indicator dial may be placed. The upper surface of the knob is transparent 
so that the indicator dial may be viewed therethrough and compared with a 
reference mark painted or inscribed on the knob and the direction 
indications or markings on the cover. The lateral surface is provided with 
concentric cam grooves on its lower part which cooperate with the cam 
follower associated with the switch mechanism to control the operation of 
the motor. Mounted within the base are spring means which engage the skirt 
to urge the dial upwardly toward the cover. A plurality of friction pads 
are positioned between the upper part of the lateral surface and the cover 
to provide resistance to rotation of the dial assembly as the motor 
rotates the switch means. The frictional forces provided by the pads may 
be reduced when the dial assembly is pressed downwardly against the spring 
means such as when it is desired to manually reposition the dial and 
select a new direction for the exteriorly mounted antenna. 
The features and advantages described above therefore provide a simpler, 
less expensive housing, one in which the various components are easily 
installed and assembled, and which therefore results in reduced 
manufacturing costs. 
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a control 
mechanism for a remotely mounted motor, such as an antenna rotator, having 
an improved housing design of the type described, and more specifically, a 
housing including mounting means integrally formed in a base member for 
supporting an indicator motor in a conformal chamber by a resilient 
support to provide cushioning and sound absorption, a manually 
positionable dial assembly formed from a single transparent member, and a 
cover member which may be hinged and secured to the base of the housing 
without requiring external fastening means. 
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the 
following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the 
control mechanism for a remotely mounted motor, shown generally at 10, is 
contained within a housing 12 comprising a base member 13 and a cover 14. 
Mounted within the housing base are several major components including an 
indicator motor 16, a transformer 18, a switch assembly 20 including an 
indicator dial 21 having thereon a position indicating mark 22. 
The motor 16 includes a geared shaft 23 which is connected through a gear 
train, including gears 25, 26 and 27, to rotate the switch assembly 20. 
The switch assembly includes a cam follower arm 28 which cooperates with 
cam grooves formed in a manually positionable dial assembly 30. 
The dial assembly 30 is preferably made from an integrally formed 
transparent material and includes a knob 32, a lateral surface 34 and a 
skirt 36. The knob 32 extends upwardly through an opening 38 formed in the 
upper surface of the housing cover 14 and is accessible for manipulation 
by the operator. The knob includes a transparent, generally planar surface 
40 on which is included a reference mark 41. The indicator dial 21 may 
therefore be viewed through the surface 40 and the reference mark 41 
compared with the mark 22 on indicator dial 21. The azimuth ring 43 is 
included on the cover 14 to assist the operator in manually positioning 
the dial assembly 30. 
The lateral surface 34 of the dial assembly includes cam grooves 45 (FIG. 
3) on the interior part thereof which cooperate with the cam follower arm 
28 on the switch means 20 to control the position of the switch and thus 
control the operation and direction of rotation of the motor 16. 
The lower edge of the skirt 36 of the dial assembly 30 engages three curved 
springs 50 which are supported on generally equally spaced spring support 
members 52 integrally formed with the base member 13. These springs urge 
the lateral surface 34 of the dial assembly 30 toward the lower surface of 
the cover 14, as shown in FIG. 3. Positioned between the upper part of the 
lateral surface 34 and the lower surface of the cover 14 are a plurality 
of friction pads 55. These pads provide resistance to rotation of the dial 
assembly as the motor 16 repositions the switch assembly 20. The pads are 
secured to the dial assembly 30 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, but 
they could also be secured to the cover 14 and accomplish the same result. 
The resistance to turning provided by the friction pads 15 may be reduced 
by pressing downwardly on the knob against the springs 50 which will move 
the pads 55 away from the cover 14. After the dial assembly is 
repositioned, it is released, and the frictional pads then provide the 
necessary resistance to turning as the motor rotates the switch assembly 
20 and the cam follower 28 rotates to the new position determined by the 
position of the dial assembly. 
To prevent the damage to the electrical leads extending from the switch 
assembly, rotation of the switch assembly is limited to approximately 
360.degree. of rotation by means of a tab 60 integrally formed with the 
dial assembly 30. This tab engages a stop member 62 slidably mounted on an 
arcuately shaped boss 64. The stop member 62 is allowed to move through an 
angle slightly larger than the angle subtended by the tab 60 thus allowing 
the dial assembly to be rotated 360.degree. in either direction before its 
movement is arrested. 
The motor 16 is not directly mounted to the base 13 but is preferably 
supported within a motor housing shown generally at 70 in FIG. 4. This 
motor housing is integrally molded within the base member 13 and includes 
side wall means 72 extending upwardly from the base having interior 
dimensions slightly larger than the exterior dimensions of the motor 16. 
Interior bosses 73 are positioned within the housing to support the weight 
of the motor and are designed to extend under the laminations 74 of the 
motor to provide proper vertical positioning; and shorter interior bosses 
75 extend under the lower bearing bracket, not shown. Both the lower and 
upper bearing brackets 76 support the motor shaft and armature within the 
magnetic field created by windings which extend inwardly from the 
laminations 74. 
The motor housing includes a cover member 77 integrally formed with the 
side walls 72 and connected thereto by a hinge means 78. The hinge means 
may be an integral part of the molded base 13 if it is formed from a 
suitable material, such as polypropylene. 
The motor housing cover member 77 includes downwardly projecting ribs 81 
which fit within the side walls 72 and an alignment pin 83 which mates 
with an alignment hole 84 to insure proper positioning of the cover 
member. The ribs 85 are aligned with the upper bearing bracket 76. Once 
the cover member 77 is closed, it is held in place by hooks 86, 87 and 88. 
Hook 86 is so positioned with respect to the interior wall of cover 14 
that it cannot move outwardly to release the cover member 77 when the 
cover 14 is installed. The housing 70 is provided with an opening 89 for 
the electrical wires which supply power to the motor 16. 
An elastomeric member 90 having a generally "T" shaped configuration is 
placed around the motor 16 before the motor is placed into the motor 
housing. The pad 90 includes openings 92 and 93 with the opening 93 being 
placed in alignment with the motor shaft 23 and, when the cover is closed, 
the opening 95 in the cover 16. The pad 90 may be made of polyurethane and 
provides a cushion between the motor and motor housing on all sides, top 
and bottom of the motor. 
The elastomeric member 90 therefore encircles the motor and is positioned 
between the lamination 75 and the side wall and interior bosses 73 between 
the bearing brackets and the interior bosses 74 and cover member 77, to 
provide a cushioned support for the motor. Thus cushioned support not only 
reduces the radiation of audible noise due to its noise absorbent 
qualities but also isolates mechanically the motor from the housing and 
the base to prevent direct transmission of sound and vibration thereinto. 
Also included within the housing 70 are four lands 97 on the radial 
interior corners, one of which is shown in FIG. 4. These lands are 
excursion limiters and are positioned adjacent the motor laminations not 
covered by the pad 90 due to its T-shaped configuration. Under normal 
centering conditions, the laminations 74 of the motor do not contact the 
lands; however, should the control mechanism be subject to excessive 
shocks, either by dropping or during shipment, the lands engage the 
laminations 74 to limit the distance through which the motor can move. 
This prevents the shaft supporting gear 25, on the gear itself, from being 
broken by excessive force applied thereto by the pinion 23. The gear 25 is 
preferably made from a flexible material, such as polyurethane. 
The housing cover 14 is provided at its forward edge with two partial hinge 
members 100 and 101, as shown in FIG. 2, integrally formed with the cover. 
Similarly, the base 13 is provided with two partial and mating integrally 
formed hinge members 102 and 103. During assembly, the mating hinge 
members 100-103 are placed in their proper position, as shown in FIG. 5, 
and the cover is then rotated into place. The back of the cover 14 is 
provided with at least one aperture 105 which receives a hook 106 formed 
in the base 13. If desired, additional shipping screws may be inserted 
from beneath the housing and through bosses 108 to provide additional 
fastening strength to hold the cover 14 in place during shipment. 
While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred 
embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that the invention is 
not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be 
made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is 
defined in the appended claims.