US2581870A - Total transfer mechanism - Google Patents

Description

TOTAL TRANSFER MECHANISM Filed Aug. 4, 194'? INVENTOR ATTORNEYJ Patented Jan. 8, 1952 TOTAL TRANSFER MECHANISM Fridthiof Oscar Valdemar Larsen, Gentofte, Denmark, assignor to Aktiebolaget Duba, Stockholm, Sweden,

Sweden a joint-stock company of Application August 4, 1947, Serial No. 765,997 In Denmark April 29, 1946 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to an electric calculating system comprising a set of registering units, means for setting the units of said set to any desired position, a second set of registering units and means for the transfer of the record from the first set of registering units to the second set of registering units.

One object of the invention is to devise an electric calculating system of the kind referred to above in which the transfer of the record from one set of registering units to a second set of registering units is effected electrically without disturbing or displacing the setting of the units of the first of said sets.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective control of the transfer to which end setting members arranged to cooperate mechanically with the registering units of the set from which the record is to be transferred to another set are mounted on a shaft adapted to be rotated synchronously with the means for setting the units of the said second set during the operation of transfer.

A still further object is in electric calculating systems of the kind referred to to arrange means for selective transfer of the setting of any of the units of the first set of registering units to any desired one of the units of the second set of register units.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the description hereinafter given of a preferred embodiment of an electric. calculating system, which embodiment may be modified in several respects without departing from spirit and principle of the invention. Thus, e. g., the second set of registering units are in the said embodiment combined with means for printing the record transferred to same, but these last-mentioned means might be dispensed with.

The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically the said preferred embodiment of an electric calculating system according to the present invention.

In the system illustrated I are registering units which units are arranged to be rotated about a common shaft 2 in direction of the arrow P1. Friction members, not shown, are arranged to prevent the units I to rotate in the opposite direction P2 together with the shaft 2 when the shaft is rotated in direction indicated by the arrow P2.

Each of the units I is rigidly attached to a gear manner described below, in positions in which desired numerals on the circumferential faces of said units are visible in a display opening in a casing, not shown, which surrounds the registering set comprising the units I. In the embodiment shown the registering units are shaped as drums but if desired they may be given any other suitable, well-known shape, e. g., that of a disc or a sector. For the sake of simplicity, only two registering units I are represented on the drawing, but there may be any desired number of such units rotatably mounted on the common shaft.

Each gear wheel 5 is adapted to be coupled to an individual gear wheel 26 on a shaft 2'! by means of-an intermediate gear wheel 8 which meshes with the appurtenant gear wheel 26 and is arranged to be displaced by means of a coupling magnet I3 from the position shown on the drawing in which the wheel 8 meshes with the gear wheel 26 only to a position in which the wheel 8 meshes not only with the wheel 25 but besides with the appurtenant wheel 5, thus causing the registering unit I attached to the wheel 5 in question to be rotated from the driving shaft 21 which is driven by an electric motor 25. Each coupling magnet I3 has an armature I2, which upon energization of the coupling magnet I3 displaces the wheel 8 in its own plane to engage the wheel 5 Without disengaging the wheel 26. A spring, not shown, individual to each armature 2, re-displaces the wheel 8 from the coupling position when the magnet I3 is de-energized.

On a shaft 300, the control shaft which, if desired, might be an integral part of the shaft 21 and which is arranged to be driven by the motor 25 simultaneously with the shaft 21, there is rotatably mounted a cylinder or drum 3I having a number of radially projecting cams 32 arranged along a helical line. The purpose of these cams is, during rotation of the cylinder 3|, when coupled to the shaft 300 by means of an electromagnetic controlled coupling 63, 64 successively or alternately to disengage a number of mutually insulated movable contacts I'I arranged in a row parallel to the shaft of the cylinder 3I from a stationary contact member I6 arranged along the cylinder 3| at some distance from its circumference and e. g. in a position parallel to the row of the contacts II. Each of the contacts I1 is connected with a bank contact I8 of a selector switch I8, I 9 the wiper arm I 9 of which is earthed through the energizing coil 40 of a relay more especially referred to below.

The contacts I6 and I1 combine with the cylinder! to form a timing device determining the duration of the setting movement of a registering unit I the coupling magnet I3 of which has been energized by being connected up in an operating circuit by means of one of the contacts 56 in a manner described below.

Each of the contacts I? is provided with an insulating actuating piece 33 which engages the circumferential surface of the cylinder 3i in the zone of movement of one of the cams 32. The contact bar It is by way of a conductor t5 connected to the wiper arm 34 of a selector switch 34,35. Each of the stationary contacts 35 of this selector switch is connected to one end of the winding of one of the coupling magnets I3. The other ends of the energizing coils of all of the coupling magnets I3 are connected to one terminal of a current source 22, the other terminal of which is earthed.

M is the energizing coil of an electromagnet for stepping the wiper I9 over the contacts I8.

' A device of this kind is Well known in the art and its energizing coil is connected up in a circuit including the current source 22, the said coil, the conductor 42 and an interrupter not shown of a well known kind located at the remote operating place and arranged to be operated manually to cause the said circuitto be alternately closed and interrupted in order that current impulses are produced setting the arm I9 by means of the magnet 4|. The wiper 34' of the switch as, is

adapted to be swept in a stepwise manner over the contacts '35 by means of an electromagnetic setting'member, the energizing coil d3 of which is connected up in a circuit including the circuit source 22, the coil 43, a conductor 4%! leading to an interruptor not shown arranged at the remote place from which the apparatus described s to be operated, and adapted to alternately close and interrupt the said circuit to cause current impulses to be created in'same by the current source 22 for'the purpose of setting the wiper 34.

How the said circuits including the coils ll and 43 respectively are to be operated in the manner described and how the interruptors referred to may be arranged would be'evident to an expert in the art.

The operation of the device represented on the drawing is as follows:

Suppose a registering unit l is to be set in a desired position, i. e., in such a manner that a desired numerical on the circumferential surface of the registering member, say the numeral 6,

is visible in the aperture 3, not shown, referred to above, then the Wiper 34 of the switch 34, 3.5 is to be set on that one of the contacts which is connected to the coupling magnet I3 of the registering unit in question through a conductor 23. This setting is effected by means of current pulses produced as described above in the circuit of the energizing coil 43 of the setting magnet, not shown of the wiper 34. At the same time the wiper I9 is set by means of impulses produced in the manner described above in the circuit. of the coil 4| until the wiper I9 is moved to engage that one of the contacts it which represents the numeral 6. When this occurs the said contact I8 is connected to earth through the coil 4t and the wiper I9 and accordingly a circuit is completed from earth via the source 22, the energizing coil' of the coupling magnet I3 belonging to the registering unit I in question, the conductor 23, the appurtenant contact 35, the wiper 34, the conductor 45, the contact I6, the contact I? connected to the contact I8 on which. the Wiper I9 was set, the contact arm I 9, the energizing coil of the relay 4!] and earth.

Consequently, the coupling magnet I3 is energized and displaces the gear wheel 8 so as to intercouple the gear wheels 5 and 26 and at the time the relay it operates to close a contact iiia. in the circuit of the energizing coil 65 of the electromagnetically controlled coupling 63, 64, thus causing the cylinder 3! to be coupled to the shaft 308 so as to be rotated together with the gear wheel 28. The registering unit I, the coupling, magnet I3 of which was energized, is thereby caused to move synchronously with the cylinder 3I. During the rotation of the latter the cams 32 on the circumferential surface of the cylinder will successively and alternately disengage the various contacts I'l' from the contact I6, and when the individual contact ll which is connected to a contact I8 on which the contact arm 59 was set as described above, in this manner is disengaged from the contact It, the current passing the energizing coil of the relay ail in series with the wipers I9 and 34 and the energizing coil of the coupling magnet IS in the circuit referred to is interrupted, whereby the spring biased armature t2 of the coupling magnet It is released to move the gear wheel 8 out of engagement with the gear wheel 26. The rotation of the registering unit in ques-' tion is consequently stopped, namely when this unit has been rotated through an angle corresponding to the angle through which the cylinder 3i was rotated in the movement, it has disengaged the contact I! in questionfrom the contact bar I5. In this manner the registering unit is to show the numeral in question in casu 6" is visible in the aperture not shown, referred to above.

After each setting operating the cylinder or drum BI must be restored to a definite neutral position, or, in other words, the motor 25 must continue to rotate until the cylinder 3| has been rotated a full revolution and again occupies a certain initial position, which means a position allowing all of the contacts IT to simultaneously engage the contact bar 16. As appears from the explanation set forth above the relay 40 is deenergized simultaneously with the coupling magnet I3 of the registering unit, being set, and the contact 40a of the said relay will consequently be opened. In order to avoid that this should cause the coil 65 of the coupling magnet of the coupling 63, 64 to be de-energized, which would cause the coupling 63, 64 to disconnect the cylinder 3| from the rotating shaft 300 the contact 4641 is shunted with a current passage including two co-operating contacts 49 and 50, which are controlled by a cam disc 41 which disc is mounted on the shaft 300 or 21 so as to be rotated synchronously with the motor 25 and the cylinder 3i. The circumference of the disc 4'1 is mainly circular and co-operated with the contact 49 to cause this contact to engage the contact 50, thus short circuiting the contactv 40a until a recess 58 in the edge of the disc 47 is moved onto the contact 49. Then a projection 5| on this contact is received in the recess 8. The position of the disc it relatively to the shaft 21 is so adapted, that this occurs when the cylinder 3| is moved into its said initial position. Thus the disc 4? causes the'contacts l9 and to shortcircuit the contact 40a immediately after the initial starting motion of the motor 25. Consequently the de-energization of the coil does not cause the rotation of the cylinder 3| to stop, but when the cam 4'! and thereby the cylinder 3I have been advanced to the initial position shown on the drawing. namely, when the projection 5| is in axial alignment with the notch 48 causing the contact 49 to disengage the contact 50, the cylinder 3| is disengaged from the rotating shaft 300.

The selector switch 34, 35 may be dispensed with if the timing device is provided with a plurality of sets of contacts I! and appurtenant contact bars I6, each set of contacts I6 and I1 serving the purpose of controlling the setting of an individual registering member in a group. On the drawing I are registering units of a second set of such units to which a record set up in the registering units I is to be transferred. In the embodiment shown the units I00 are adapted to be used for recording the registered indications transferred to same in a printing device, but this is not essential to the invention which means that the units I00 may be used for other purposes if desired. 7

Each registering unit I is provided at one side with a projection II situated in the path of movement of a projection I2 of a transfer member I3 adapted to be rotated by means of the shaft 2 on which the registering unit I is rotatably mounted. The member 13 is in the form of a circular disc which at one point of its circumference has an incision I4 formed by punching a tongue I2 out of the plane of the disc and bending such tongue through 90 in an axial direction. The shaft 2 is to be rotated by a motor 96 arranged to operate synchronously with a motor 95 more especially referred to below.

The circumference of each of the discs I3 is engaged by a projection I5 on a contact I6. As long as the projection I5 engages with the circular portion of the circumference of the disc 13, the contact I6 engages simultaneously with a contact 11 which by way of a change-over contact I8 is connected with the movable contact member I9 of a selector or switch 19, 80, the bank contacts 80 of which are connected to one end of the energizing windings on a number of coupling magnets 90 each of which is adapted to couple a gear wheel 94 mounted on a shaft 92, which is continuously rotated by a motor 95, to a gear wheel 9I by displacing a gear wheel 93 meshing with the wheel 94 to a position in which said wheel 93 engages the gear wheel 9I. The gear wheels 9I are each attached to one of the registering members I00 arranged to freely rotate about the shaft 99.

29 is a reversing gear which may be magnetically controlled by means of a coil 29. The shaft 99 is to be coupled to the shaft 92 by means of gearing 91, 98, I91, which is caused to operate by means of an electromagnetically controlled coupling magnet I I2. This control is more especially referred to below.

To effect a transfer of the setting of a registering member I brought about by the motor 25 to the registering unit I00, the driving motor 96 of the shaft 2 is started whereby the discs I3 are rotated from a predetermined normal position in which the projection I5 on the contact I6 is in axial alignment with the notch or incision I4 and is received in same. In this nor mal position, the contact connection I6, 71 is interrupted. In the drawing, for the sake of better illustration, the projections I5 are shown as engaging with the circular edge, so that the contact connections I6, 11 are closed, but normally the discs are in their position of departure, and the said contact connection is, therefore, interrupted. This interengagement of the contacts I6 and IT is effected as soon as the shaft 2 caused to couple the appurtenant gear wheel 9I of a registering unit I00 to the shaft 92 rotated by the motor 95 synchronously with the motor 96.

When the disc I3 has moved through a certain angle about the shaft 2 the projection I2 will strike the lateral projection II of the adjacent registering unit I. Now, the disc I3 is arranged to be resilient 0r slidable in the axial direction, e. g., the disc I3 may consist of a circular resilient diaphragm which owing to its own resiliency tends to occupy the axial position, shown on the drawing, relatively to the projection I5, or may comprise a non-resilient disc which is slidably mounted on the axle 2 and kept in position towards an annular abutment 13a on the axle by means of a helical spring, not shown, against the action of which the disc may be slided axially in a direction away from the member I, when the projection I2 strikes the lateral projection II. Then the circumferential portion of the disc I3 or the disc I3 as a whole is axially displaced relatively to the shaft 2 against the action of the resiliency of the disc I3 itself or of the said spring whereby the circumferential face or edge of the disc I3 is displaced axially relatively to the projection I5 engaging said circumferential edge so that the said edge is removed from the projection IE to allow said projection to move radially in relation to the axle 2 inwardly behind the circumferential edge of the disc I3 so as to prevent same from returning to its normal axial position shown on the drawing, when the projection I2 during continued rotation of the disc I3 has disengaged the projection II until the notch I4 as mentioned below has been moved to a position in axial alignment with the projection I5.

The said radial movement of the projection I5 causes the contact member 16 to disengage the contact member 11. As a consequence of this, the connection between the contacts I6 and I1 is interrupted so that the circuit of the coupling magnet in question is opened, thus causing the setting movement of the registering unit I00 individual thereto to cease.

From this it will be understood that the duration of the setting movement of the registering unit I00 depends on the time elapsing until, in the course of the rotary movement of the disc I3, the projection I2 strikes the projection II, and this time again depends on the position to which the registering unit I has been set in advance. In other words, the registering unit I00 is set in dependence on the registering unit I, and, as will be easily understood, this dependence may be selected in such a manner that the two registering units are set in full conformity with one another.

By means of the selector switch I9, 80, the energizing coil of the coupling magnet 90 of any of the registering units I 00 may be selectively coupled to the contact I6, 1! controlled b any of the registering units I.

A cam disc IN is mounted on the shaft 99 and is engaged by a roller I02 at the end of an arm I03 attached to a shaft I04.- The latter carries other arms I05 each-forming a hammer having a head I 06 serving to knock a paper strip or sheet I! fed between the registering units I00 and the hammer-heads I06 against the circumference of the registering units I00, whereby the indications on the'circumference of the registering units I00 set in a position opposite the hammer heads are printed on the paper when the hammers I06 are caused to strike the paper and thereby to press the latter against the types on the circumference of the registering units.

These striking movements of the hammer heads Hi6 against the paper It! are controlled by the cam. MI and are automatically initiated when the motor 96" has turned the shaft 2 through one" revolution, and having thus caused the setting of the registering units I to be transferred to the registering units I00, this transfer being completed in the moment the projection I2 strikes the projection II thereby causing the circumferential edge of disc to disengage the projection 55 as described above to allow the contact member 56 to interrupt the operation circuit of the coupling magnet 98 when the disc I3 has been rotated through 360", i. e., back'to the position of departure, therecess M has been m'ovedto a position in axial alignment with the projection 15 and then the member 13 which, as stated, was axially displaced by means of the projection 7|, is allowed to slide automatically back to its normalaxial position causing the projection-Tito be .received in the recess It. The return movement of the projection 15 or of the transfermember I3 is to be utilized in a simple manner (not shown) to complete a control circuit for a relay H0 which by attracting its contacts II! to complete a circuit through the energizing coil of a coupling magnet H2 which engaged the gear wheel 98 with the gear wheel 91 whereby the cam I (II is caused to rotate. At the same time, the relay IIO locks overa contact H3 in a circuit extending over a contact M held in its closed position by the camdisc I05 until, in the course of the rotation of the cam, the notch IE8 'is moved to a position opposite the contact IM'whereby the latter is opened and interrupts the circuit through the relay 5 Hi. It should be remarked that during a' transfer to the registering units It!!! of a numeral recordedin the units I these unit'sare not removed from the positions'to which theywere set prior to the transfer. A re-setting of these units after a transfer has been effected is consequently not required.

In the embodiment shown, the relay II!) is not controlledby the return motion of the disc 13 or of the projection I5 as suggested above, but is arranged for remote control through the conductor E75, but for the operation of the transfer system described it is or no significance whether the relay H0 is remote controlled or is controlled as suggested above. As the relay H0 is energized the cam disc I0! is coupled to the motor 95, which is always driven synchronously with the motor 95. During the rotation of the disc I0! the notch its will in a predetermined position of the said disc be moved past the roller I02 causing the latter to move into this notch under the influence of a spring I 09 surroundingtheshaft I04 and connected at one end to the latter and at its other end to a fixed point. This spring forces the shaft I04 to turn in the moment the roller I02 passes into the notch I08, and thereby thehammer heads I06 are knocked against the paper I07. The cam continues its movement and moves the notch I08 away'from the roller I02, e. g. by rotation in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, until the notch I88 has been moved to a position opposite a shoe H5 engaging the surface of the cam IilI at a resilient pressure and normally keeping the contact II l closed. When the notch I08 is opposite the shoe M5 the contact H4 is opened, and the circuit through the relay is interrupted, so that the couplin magnet H2 is de-energized, whereby a spring, not shown, disengages the coupling connection between the gear wheels 91' and 98.

The said spring and the correspondingsprings in the coupling connections between the gear wheels 26 and 8 are for the sake of simplicity not shown in the drawing, but it will be easily understood by those skilled in the art, how-these springs are to be mounted.

The contact spring 18 is arranged 'for remote control by means of a relay II6, so that by the completion of a circuit through the latter, the said contact spring is switched over so as to connect the selector switches 55, to a contact II'I arranged to be operated by the coupling magnet I3 for the considered registering unit I. Accordingly, when this couplingg magnet is operated to set the registering unit I individual thereto, the coupling magnet will at the same time complete a circuit connection from earth by way of the contacts Ill to the contact I8 and if this contact is switched over, to the switch #9, 80 and the coupling magnet 95] of one of the registering units I00, so that this registering unit is set synchronously with the registering unit I in question.

The motors 95 and 96 are started in exactly the same manner as the motor 25, viz. by remote control, and, like the motor 25 the motors 95 and so may be controlled in such a manner as to beautomatically disengaged from the respective shafts 92 and 2, respectively, when these shafts have been rotated through 360. The motor 25 is shown coupled directly to the shaft 27, but this is to be understood only diagrammatically as in practice a transmission may be interposed between the shaft and the motor 25, if desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In an electric calculating system. comprising a set of registering units, freely rotatable about a comm-on shaft, 2. driving shaftyeleotromagnetically controlled members for coupling any of said units to said driving shaft so as to be rotated by same, a timing device for determining the duration of such intercoupling and comprising a rotatable cam cylinder and a number of spaced movable contacts engaging a common counter contact and arranged to be operated successively by said cylinder, and selectors for connecting one of said movable contacts and the energizing means of one of said electromagnetically controlled members simultaneously up in an operating circuit, a control shaft arranged to be rotated synchronously with the driving shaft of the registering unit, an electromagnetically controlled clutch for coupling said cam cylinder to said control shaft, when the said operating circuit is closed by the said selector,

means for disconnecting the clutch between the said cylinder and said control shaft auto-math cally when'the cylinder has been rotated through 360", a second set of registering units, freely rotatable about a common axis, a second driving shaft, electromagnetically operated couplings for coupling any registering units of the lastmentioned set to the said second driving shaft, means for driving the shaft, on which the registering units of the first-mentioned set are rotatably mounted, independently of said units and synchronously with the said second shaft, a number of setting members arranged to be rotated by the shaft of the first-mentioned registering units and adapted to transfer the setting of these units to the registering units of the said second set of registering units, which setting members are mounted on the shaft to partake in the rotation of same and situated on this shaft alternately with the registering units mounted on same and arranged each to control a contact in the operating circuit of one of the electromagnetic couplings of the registering units of the said second set, so as to close said circuit immediately when caused to rotate and to interrupt said circuit when rotated through an angle depending on the angle through which the registering unit at which the setting member in question is located, has previously been set.

2. In an electric calculating system according to claim 1, means for coupling the shaft on which the registering units of the second set of registering units are mounted to the driving shaft of said second set of registering units so as to be rotated by same, and a printing device arranged to be operated by said units when rotated, so as to take a print of the indication of the said registering units when set.

3. In an electric calculating system accordin to claim 1 in which a selector switch for selectively connecting the energizing means of the electromagnetic coupling means of the registering units of the second set of such units up in a circuit including in series the said switch, one of the contacts controlled by a setting member on the shaft of the first set of registering units and a current source.

4. In an electric calculating system comprising a set of registering units freely rotatable about a common shaft, a driving shaft, electromagnetically controlled members for coupling any of said units to said driving shaft so as to be rotated by same, a timing device for determining the duration of such intercoupling comprising a number of spaced contacts cooperating with a common counter contact, a selector for simultaneously connecting up in an operating circuit one of said spaced contacts, the said common contact and the energizing means of one of said electromagnetically controlled members, a rotatably mounted member arranged to be rotated synchronously with the driving shaft of the registering units for causing relative movement of said common contact and said spaced contacts, an electromagnetically controlled clutch for coupling said rotatably mounted member to the driving shaft when the said operating circuit is closed by the said selector, means for disconnecting the clutch between the said rotatably mounted member and the driving shaft automatically when the said rotatably mounted member has been rotated through 360, a second set of registering units, freely rotatable about a common axis, a second driving shaft, electromagnetically operated couplings for coupling any registering units of the last-mentioned set to the said second driving shaft, means for driving the shaft on which the registering units of the first-mentioned set are rotatably mounted independently of said units and synchronously with the driving shaft of the second set of registering units, a number of setting members arranged to be rotated by the common shaft of the first-mentioned registering units and adapted to transfer the setting of these units to the registering units of the said second set of registering units, which setting members are so attached to the said shaft as not to be rotated relatively to same and are situated on this shaft alternately with the registering units mounted on same and arranged each to control a contact in the operating circuit of one of the electromagnetic couplings of the registering units of the said second set, so as to close said circuit immediately when caused to rotate, and to interrupt said circuit when rotated through an angle depending on the angle through which the registering unit at which the setting member in question is located has previously been set.

5. An electrical calculating system according to claim 1 in which the control shaft on which the cam cylinder is mounted forms an integral part of the driving shaft of the registering units of the first-mentioned set of said units.

6. In an electric calculating system according toclaim 4 the provision of a separate selector switch for remote selection of any of the electromagnetically operated couplings of the registering unit of the first set of such units which at any time is to be connected up in the energizing circuit including any selected movable contact of the timing device.

'7. In an electric calculating system according to claim 4 in which means are provided for driving the driving shafts of the two sets of registering units synchronously.

FRIDIHIOF OSCAR VALDEMAR LARSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 348,437 Weiss Aug. 31, 1886 1,208,288 Carlin Dec. 12, 1916 1,307,740 Lake June 24, 1919 1,534,531 Lake Apr. 21, 1925 1,723,499 Bryce Aug. 6, 1929 1,775,117 Bryce Sept. 9, 1930 1,848,106 Carroll Mar. 8, 1932 1,902,035 Lake Mar. 21, 1933 1,911,863 Webner May 30, 1933 1,950,480 Carroll Mar. 13, 1934 1,982,722 Zimmer Dec. 4, 1934 2,096,429 Johnstone Oct. 19, 1937 2,113,229 Bryce Apr. 5, 1938 2,126,621 Daly Aug. 9, 1938 2,236,795 Furber Apr. 1, 1941 2,239,892 Johnstone et al. Apr. 29, 1941 2,244,241 Bryce June 3, 1941 2,250,108 Johnstone et al. July 22, 1941 2,416,369 Avery Feb. 25, 1947

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