US2806095A - Time control mechanism - Google Patents

Description

P 10, 1957 w. E. STILWELL, JR 2,806,095

TIME. CONTROL MECHANISM Filed April 2'1, 1955 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR.

Maj/1m IjZ ZZWtZZ T Mir/q Sept. 10, 1957 w. E. STILWELL, JR

TIME CONTROL MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet Ila-I Filed April 2?, 1955 ited States Patent Ofifice TIME CONTROL MECHANISM William E. Stilwell, .lr., Glendale,

Murray Corporation of America, poration of Delaware Ohio, assignor to The Detroit, Mich., a cor- This invention relates to electric time control mechanisms, and particularly to a time control mechanism which may be started at any point and which may be interrupted at any subsequent point.

While the present time control device may be utilized for any machine requiring a sequence of operations, primarily the timer is herein illustrated as being employed for a laundering operation where the fabrics are washed and completely dried in a single container.

It has been the practice in the art to employ a separate washing machine and a separate drying machine, each one having a timer thereon to perform the particular cycles of operation. In the washing machine, the cycles of washing, rinsing and extracting were employed, while in the drying machine it was necessary to set the temperature to produce a desired heat to conform to the fabrics being laundered and to terminate the operation at the end of a selected period of time conforming to the pre sumed water content of the fabrics. When performing the complete laundering operation in a single machine, it is only necessary to employ the two timers, interconnecting a contact of the washing timer to the timer motor of the drying timer at the end of the washing operation to provide the same controls as heretofore employed when the washing and drying operations were performed in separate laundering devices.

The present invention pertains to a time control device which produces sequential operations through the cycle of complete laundering of the fabrics, including the dry stage, thereby eliminating one of the two time control devices heretofore employed. Not only is a time control device eliminated by this arrangement, but more flexibility is provided to the control of the device. In other words, any operation may be started at any point and may be terminated thereafter at a desired point or time interval.

Accordingly, the main objects of the invention are: to provide a time control device with control means by which operation may be started at any sequence or any point therein and interrupted at any point or length of time thereafter; to provide a control dial for a time control device having a knob which operates a shaft to start an operation and a lever adjustable to any position at which it moves the knob outwardly to interrupt a circuit and complete the operation of the device, and, in general, to provide a timing device which may operate through any number of sequences or any part thereof, which is simple in construction, positive in operation, and economical of manufacture.

Other objects and features of novelty of the invention will be specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for a better understanding of the invention, to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of a dial having an operating knob and control lever thereon, embodying features of the present invention;

2,806,095 Patented Sept. 10, 1957 Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on the line 22 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on the line 33 thereof, with the device in operative position;

Fig. 4 is a broken view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 3, showing the knob when cammed outwardly to interrupt the operation of the device, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2, taken on the line 55 thereof.

In the figures, a timer 10 of conventional form is i1- lustrated, having a shaft 11 carrying any number of cam plates 12 which operate contacts, such as 13 and 14, as illustrated in Fig. 5. Terminals 15 are provided on the device by which connection is made to the wiring harness of the machine to be controlled. The shaft 11 has a pair of notches 16 and 17 which retain the shaft in adjusted longitudinal position. A hairpinshapcd spring 18 has its two arms engaged in one of the notches 16 or 17, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 3, respectively, for retaining the shaft in inward or outward position, as illustrated in the figures. In the figures, it will be noted that a spring arm 19 has a finger 21 thereon which is engaged by the adjacent cam plate 12 when the shaft 11 is pulled outward! j to move a contact 22 carried on the end of the spring ann away from a fixed contact 23 which is secured to the wall of the device. The contacts 22 and 23 are separated when the shaft 11 is pulled outwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and engage each other when the shaft 11 is moved inwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

A dial 24 is provided for the timer device, having around the peripheral edges thereof areas indicating time and operations to be performed by the time control device when driven. A knob 25 is secured to the shaft 11 and a lever 26 is secured to the dial plate 24 by the reversely bent fingers 27 in concentric position to the shaft. The inner face of the dial has semicylindrical cam surfaces 28 and 29 provided thereon at different radial distances from the center of the dial so that both will engage balls 31 and 32 carried by the lever 25 at one point in 360 movement of the dial. The dial plate 24 has an upstanding flange 33 at the peripheral edge containing a series of notches 34 engaged by a nib 35 extending downwardly from the lever 26 for retaining the lever in set position while permitting its adjustment.

For accurately adjusting the knob on the shaft relative to the balls 31 and 32, a thread 37 on the shaft is engaged by a thread of an aperture located on the center of the knob. A screw driver slot 39 is preferably provided in the end of the shaft so that it may he maintained against rotation when the knob is adjusted on the threads to have the cam surfaces 28 and 29 set relative to the balls 31 and 32 in position to move the knob outwardly. This movement is sufilcient to shift the shaft to have the notch 17 released from engagement with the spring 18 which engages the notch 16. Thereafter, a setscrew 41 is tightened to maintain the adjustment and a cap screw 42 is threaded into the aperture 38 of the knob to cover the aperture.

By offsetting the semicylindrical cam surfaces 28 and 2h on the knob 25, force is applied on opposite sides of the knob to urge the shaft and knob outwardly, thereby eliminating any binding which would occur if the cam were employed on one side only. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the cam surface 29 is not engaged by the ball 31, which is also true of the cam surface 28 and the ball 32, so that a complete revolution of the knob may be made before the surfaces engage the balls, as illustrated in Fig. 4. A pointer 43 is provided on the knob to indicate the point of starting of an operation, while a window 44 on the lever 26 provides visual indication of the point at which the operation will stop. With this arrangement,

an operation may be started at any point in a sequence of operations and may be terminated thereafter at any point within the sequence or in any following sequence, thus providing complete flexibility of control for a machine. It is to be understood that the time control device it) may be operated for any duration of time, depending upon the speed of operation of the shaft ill by the motor 45, from a fraction of an hour to several hours, to conform to the cycle of operation of the machine on which the time control device is to be employed.

When the timer is in the position illustrated in Fig. 4 after an operation has been stopped, it is only necessary to advance the knob to a point where an operation is to start and push the knob inwardly to start the operation. For stopping the operation, the lever 26 is moved to the point at which the operation is to be stopped, and after the knob has been advanced by the motor, until the camsurfaces 2S and 29 ride up over the balls 31 and 32, for moving the knob outwardly, the operation will thereby be terminated. By advancing the knob and pushing it inwardly, a new cycle of operation may be started which will be terminated either by manually pulling the knob outwardly or by having it moved outwardly by the balls 31 and 32;. A stop as is provided on the flange 33 to limit the position of the lever 26.

A similar timer of the linear type is illustrated, described and claimed in the copending application of W. E. Stilwell, In, Serial No. 472,917, filed December 3, 1954. It is to be understood further that the invention is not limited to the timer having the shaft movable axially to interrupt the circuit thereto as the rotatable shaft would produce the actuation of the switch. In this arrangement, the switch would be of a snap type to provide a quick break for the separation of the contacts and the cam for actuating the switch would be adjustable about the shaft but driven therewith.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a timer having a driven means for operating contacts for making and breaking electric circuits, of additional contact means on said timer, and adjustable means on said timer for shifting the driven means to a new position for operating said additional contact means by the operation of said driven means at any point of adjustment of said adjustable means.

2. The combination with a rotary timer operated by a driven shaft and having a plurality of contacts operated thereby, of additional contact means on said timer, a knob on said shaft for advancing said shaft to a starting position, driving means for rotating said shaft, and means arcuately shiftable about said shaft to a selected position for causing said additional contact means to be operated by the axial movement of said driven shaft by said driving means.

3. The combination with a rotary timer having an operating shaft and a plurality of contacts operated thereby, of contact means operated when said shaft is moved axially, means for driving said shaft in rotation, means on said shaft having camming means thereon, and means arcuately adjustable about said shaft having camming means thereon for moving said shaft axially when said camming means are relatively moved into engagement with each other by said driving means,

4. The combination with a rotary timer having an operating shaft and a plurality of contacts operated thereby, of contact means operated when said shaft is moved axially, means for driving said shaft in rotation, means on said shaft having camming means thereon, means arcuately adjustable about said shaft having camming means thereon for moving said means and shaft axially when said camming means are relatively moved into engagement with each other by said driving means, and means for retaining said rotatable means in adjusted rotatable position.

5. For use with a rotary timer driven by motor means,

a dial plate having indications thereon of sequences of operation to be performed, a knob advanced by said timer providing visual indications of the operation being performed, a lever concentric with said knob and dial plate for adjustment relative thereto, and cam means on said knob and lever for moving said knob outwardly of the dial plate when the cam means are moved into engagement with each other by said motor means.

6. For use with a rotary timer driven by motor means, a dial plate having indications thereon of sequences of operation to be performed, a knob advanced by said timer providing visual indications of the operation being performed, a lever concentric with said knob and dial plate for adjustment relative thereto, and cam means on said knob and lever for moving said knob outwardly of the dial plate when the cam means are moved into engagement with each other by said motor means, said cam means being disposed on opposite sides of the center of said knob and lever.

7. The combination with a rotary timer having a shaft which is rotatable and movable axially, means for driving said shaft in rotation, a dial plate indicating sequences of operation to be performed by the timer, a lever supported by said plate for arcuate adjustment about the axis of the shaft, a knob secured to said shaft outwardly of said lever, said knob being adjustable to any starting position and said lever being adjustable to any desired stopping position, and cam means on said knob and lever for moving said knob and said shaft axially as the cam means are moved into engagement by said driving means.

8. The combination with a rotary timer having a shaft which is rotatable and movable axially, a dial plate indicating sequences of operation to be performed by the timer, a lever supported by said plate for rotation about the axis of the shaft, a knob secured to said shaft outwardly of said lever, said knob being adjustable to any starting position and said lever being adjustable to any desired stopping position, a switch on said timer operated by the axial movement of the shaft, cam means on said knob and lever for moving said knob and said shaft axially as the shaft is rotated by said driving means, and means on said plate for securing said lever in any of its adjusted positions.

9. The combination with a rotary timer having cams on a shaft which operate contacts for controlling a plurality of electric circuits connected thereto, of means for driving said shaft andcams, a knob on said shaft for adjusting the shaft in rotation to set the cams to any desired starting position, a lever adjustable to another position, and means on said shaft and lever for moving the shaft axially at the position of adjustment of the lever by the operation of said driving means. 10. The combination with a rotary timer having cams on a shaft which operate contacts for controllin a plurality of electric circuits connected thereto, of means for driving said shaft and earns in rotation, a knob on said shaft for adjusting the shaft and earns in rotation to any desired starting position, a set of contacts on said timer, and means on said timer adjustable to any desired position for operating said set of contacts for stopping said driving means.

11. The combination with a rotary timer having a shaft which controls a plurality of electric circuits connected thereto, of means for driving said shaft and timer, a knob on said shaft for adjusting the shaft in rotation to any desired starting position, a lever adjustable to another position, means on said knob and lever for moving the knob and shaft axially at the position of adjustment of the lever by the advancement of the knob and shaft, and contact means on the timer operated by the axial movement of said shaft.

12. The combination with a rotary timer having a shaft which controls a plurality of electric circuits connected thereto, of means for driving said shaft and timer, a knob on said shaft for adjusting the shaft in rotation to any desired starting position, additional contact means on said timer, and means on said timer adjustable to any desired position for operating said additional contact means by the advancement of said timer by said driving means to said desired position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,394,142 Breckenridge Feb. 5, 1946 2,521,693 Coultrip Sept. 12, 1950 2,619,557 Illian Nov. 25, 1952

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