AU653714B2

AU653714B2 - Device for displaying announcements, in particular prices in numerical form

Info

Publication number: AU653714B2
Application number: AU74113/91A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Harald Rosenitsch
Original assignee: Krone GmbH
Current assignee: ADC GmbH
Priority date: 1990-04-05
Filing date: 1991-04-04
Publication date: 1994-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 2011-04-04
Also published as: HU208190B; HU910996D0; DE4011251C2; DK0451528T3; CS9100927A2; NO179928C; NZ237491A; EP0451528B1; AU7411391A; DE59100354D1; DE4011251A1; EP0451528A1; ATE94301T1; CZ281915B6; NO911326L; NO911326D0; NO179928B; PL289580A1; HUT60052A; ES2045972T3

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for displaying announcements, in particular prices in digital form, comprising two winding rollers (3, 4) arranged parallel to one another for a display belt (5), and at least one drive motor (8). In order to ensure that both winding rollers (3, 4) run synchronously with one another and hence that the display belt (5) is constantly tensioned, a drive motor (8) is assigned to each winding roller (3, 4) and the drive motor (8) winding up the display belt (5) onto the one winding roller (3) is operated at a higher speed than the drive motor (8') unwinding the display belt (5) from the other winding roller (4). <IMAGE>

Description

653714 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION NAME ADDRESS OF APPLICANT: Krone Aktiengesellschaft Bieskowdamm 3-11 D-1000 Berlin 37 Germany 0$ NAME(S) OF INVENTOR(S): Harald ROSENITSCH 00* ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DAVIES COLLISON Patent Attorneys 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

S COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: Device for displaying announcements, in particular prices in numerical form The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:n The invention relates to a device for displaying announcements, in particular prices in numerical form.

0 Particularly for petrol stations, there exists a need to be capable to easily modify the displayed petrol prices. In the future, this might even be necessary several times a day, in order to show, e.g., .o from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. self-service prices, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. personnel-service prices, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. self-service prices again, and from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. automatic-service prices.

As all equipment available in petrol stations, as pet- *rol pumps, cash-desks, computers etc., are provided with such possibilities for modification of prices, it will be necessary, in order to meet the legally prescribed price indication duty, to integrate also the petrol price display device into the automatic setting procedure. Furthermore, this price modification procedure can be performed by a central station for whole regions.

From AT-A 3990/83, there is known in the art a device for displaying announcements, in particular prices in numerical form. For each numerical position of a price, a display band is provided, being each partially wound-up on two winding drums arranged parallely to each other, the area between the two winding drums representing the display field. Each winding drum is adapted as a hollow drum, and is connected over an electro-magnetic coupling with a drive shaft, which is, in turn, connected over chain wheels arranged at the ends thereof and over chains with the drive pinion of a central drive motor. For four numerical positions, four display bands extending in one plane and parallely to each other are provided, with two winding drums each at one display device. Readjustment of the numerical display of a display band is achieved by that the central drive motor is driven, and that the electro-magnetic coupling of that winding drum is activated, onto which the respective display band is to be wound up, in order to modify the numerical disp7ay. In order to avoid that the other winding drum assigned to the display band wound up onto the one winding drum will also run freely together therewith, a brake bearing is assigned to each winding drum, so that the display band remains tensioned during winding-up onto a winding drum.

It is disadvantageous, with this prior art display device, that an electro-magnetic coupling and a brake bearing have to be provided for each winding drum, that the drive shafts passing through the winding drums are required, and that, finally, relatively large space for the chain drive is required, in order to connect the drive pinion of the central drive motor with all chain wheels of the drive shafts. Finally, it may occur, in spite of the brake bearings, that the necessary tension of the display ban;l cannot be maintained, so that the band will sag loosely between the winding drums. This has disadvantages with respect to the matching accuracy of the numerical display.

The invention is based on the object, therefore, to provide a device for displaying announcements of the species mentioned above, which presents a simple construction, and in which the display band wound-up onto the winding drums and wound-off therefrom is held continuously under constant tension.

The solution for this object results from the characterizing features of claim 1. According to the invention, a drive motor is assigned to each winding drum, thus the technical and constructional expenditure being reduced already. Further, the drive motor winding-up the display band onto the one winding drum, is driven with a higher speed than the drive motor winding-off the display band from the other winding drum. Thereby, a functionally advantageous operating condition is obtained, which is characterized by that the higher-speed winding-up drive motor and the lowerspeed winding-off drive motor are forced, through the winding-up and winding-off display band, to synchronous running with constant band tension. By the connection of the two winding drums driven by drive motors through the display band, the two winding drums or the drive motors assigned thereto, resp., are eeoc combined to one mechanical unit tensionally connected.

In order to obtain the desired constant band tension or to guarantee synchronous running of the two drive motors, resp., the winding-off drive motor is driven with a smaller speed than the winding-up drive motor.

Thus, the winding-up motor will pull, through the winding drum assigned thereto and the display band, 0 the winding-off drive motor on, through the winding drum as-signed thereto, and holds the display band thus in synchronous running condition with constant band tension. After arriving at the desired position, the two drive motors are switched off simultaneously.

s..s The display band stops in tensioned condition, since possible run-on travels of the drive motors are forcedly identical to each other.

In the preferred embodiment, the drive motors are electro-motors, the voltage of which is controlled for effecting the desired different drive speeds. The voltage of the electro-motor winding-up the display band onto one winding drum is the supply voltage of the operating network, and the voltage of the electromotor winding-off the display band from the other winding drum is smaller than the supply voltage of the operating network. In the particularly preferred embodiment, the two electro-motors are d.c. motors connected in parallel, in particular geared motors, to each of which resistors are connected in series and, parallelly thereto, diodes with opposite blocking direction. By simple reversal of polarity of the supply voltage of the two d.c. motors, the one or the other winding drum can be activated as winding-up or as winding-off winding drum. The application of geared motors with high gear ratio prevents rewinding of the winding drums, thus a constant band tension being achieved in standstill condition. The electro-motors are adapted particularly as geared motors integrated in the winding drums.

In the following, the invention is described in more detail, based on an embodiment shown in the drawings of a device for displaying announcements, in particular prices in numerical form. There are: Fig. 1 a view of the device for displaying prices in numerical form, Fig. 2 a cross section through the device accord- *V'o ing to line II-II in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 an enlarged cross section through two tubular winding drums arranged in a common axis and 00*** driven each by a geared motor, Fig. 4 a partial view of the device according to Fig. 1 without housing, Fig. 5 a cross section according to line V-V in Fig. 4, Fig. 6 a cross section according to Fig. through a device in another embodiment, and Fig. 7 the circuit diagram of two geared motors of a winding unit.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a devive for displaying announcements in the form of a petrol price display in numerical form. The device comprises a box-type housing 1, wherein on the front and on the non-shown rear two groups each of three winding units 2 each are supported, being each formed of an upper winding drum 3 and of a spaced lower winding drum 4, onto which a display band 5, in particular a plastic band of transparent or clear material is wound up at its two ends, or is wound up and off, resp. Above each group of winding units 2, there are display dields 6 for the product designations, as, "Diesel" and S' "Super". The symbols on the individual display bands, in particular the numbers, are not represented.

S

S..

Fig. 2 shows the arrangement of one plane each of winding units 2 on front and rear of the display device. Fig. 3 shows, in an enlarged representation, the exact construction and the exact arrangement of the winding drums 3, 3' in the housing 1. The housing 1 comprises, between each winding unit 2 or between two winding drums 3, 3' arranged in one axis one behind the other, one side plate 10 each, on which for each winding drum 3, a bearing ring 12 is flanged on, under interposition of one bronze spring disc 13 each, serving also as a protection for the motor 8. Flanging-on takes place by screw connection elements 11.

The peripheral surfaces of the bearing rings 12 are circular and concentrical with the axis, and guide the tubular winding drums 3, 3' being provided, at their front end, with flanges 14 representing a lateral limitation for the respective wound-up display band Within each winding drum 3, a geared motor is flanged on by means of a motor plate 9 and several stay bolts 15 on a bearing ring 12, so that the geared motor 8 is supported by the side plates 10 of the housing 1. A driving disc 17 is non-rotatably mounted on the driver pin 16 of the geared motor 8, said driving disc filling, with its peripheral surface, accurately the interior diameter of the tubular winding drum 3, Over pin screws 18, the driving disc 17 is positively connected with the tubular winding drum 3, During operation of a geared motor 8, thus, over the driving disc 17, the respective tubular winding drum 3, 3' is driven, which is rotatable on the peripheral surfaces of two bearing rings 12, and which is guided at the side plates 10 over the bronze spring discs 13. For connecting the individual side plates tensionsing bars 19 and spacer tubes 20 aro provided in horizontal direction according to Figs, 2 and 3, and variable connection rods 21 in vertical direction, which can be seen in Figs. 1, 4 and In Fig. 5, the guiding of a display band 5 of a winding unit 2 between an upper winding drum 3 and a boo lower winding drum 4 is shown. For this purpose, both side plates 10 carry, spaced to the axes of the two winding drums 3, deflection drums 22 with lateral guide bushings 23, about which the display band 5 is

S

guided and between which the display band 5 is freely visible. The display bands 5 drawn off from the upper sides of the winding drums 3, 4 are provided with lat- Goes eral perforations 24, which circulate in the area of a band scan device 25 shown at the lower side plate and whereby the accurate positioning of the display band 5 and thus of the symbol existing thereon is adjusted. The display bands 5 of plastic extend in a manner not shown in detail behind plexiglass covers held in the housing 1, and are illuminated from inside over daylight lamps 26 disposed between the front and rear winding units 2.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the display bands 5 of the front and rear winding units 2 are each guided behind the front or rear plexiglass cover, resp. The upper and lower winding drums 3, 4 of the front and rear winding units 2 are disposed, with their axes, in a common horizontal plane.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 6, the axes of the upper and lower winding dr'~ns 3, 4; 4" are offset vertically to each other, and the display band of the rear winding unit 2' with a larger distance of its axis is guided towards front, and extends in parallel and in a smaller distance in front of the display band 5 of the front winding unit 2. For the winding band thus additional deflection drums 22' are necessary. In this embodiment of the display device, the front display band 5' of the rear winding unit 2' is fully or partially transparent, in order that through the front display band the symbols existing on the rear display band 5 are visible.

0 In Fig. 7, the circuit diagram of the two geared motors 8, 8' of each winding unit 2 is shown. The geared motors 8, 8' are d.c. motors, having connected resistors 27, 27' in series, and diodes 28, 28' with opposite blocking direction in parallel to said resistors. When applying a positive voltage to the upper terminal 29, the diode 28 of the geared motor 8 will be conductive, whereas the diode 28' of the geared motor 8' will be blocked. Thus, the geared motor 8 is 0000 operated with the supply voltage of the operating network applied to the terminals 29, 30. The geared motor 9:00 however, is operated only with the supply voltage conducted over the resistor 27', i.e. with a smaller voltage, so that the drive speed of the geared motor 8' is smaller than the drive speed of the geared motor 8. The geared motor 8, being, arranged in the upper winding drum 3 of the winding unit 2, winds the respective display band 5 up, whereas the geared motor 8' being then arranged in the lower winding drum 4 of the same winding unit 2, winds the display band with a smaller speed off, so that the display band 5 is held continuously under tension. The two geared motors 8, 8' are operated in opposite direction of rotation.

8 After arriving at the desired position 8, 8' of the display band 5, both geared motors 8, 8' are switched off by a manual control unit or by a microprocessor circuit.

The reference numerals in the following claims do not in any way limit the scope of the respective claims.

*00 0 06 0 *s000* *0000 000 0

~S.S

0 0 00* LIST OF REFERENCES 1 housing 2 winding unit 3,3' upper winding drum 4 lower winding drum display band 6 display field 8 geared motor 9 motor plate side plate 11 screw connection eler )nts 12 bearing ring 13 bronte spring disc 14 flange 15 stay bolt 16 drive pinion 17 driving disc 18 pin screw 19 tensioning rod spacer tube 21 connection rod 22 (flection drum 23 guide bushing iL4 perforation 25 band scan device 26 daylight lamp 27 resistor 28 diode 29,30 terminal

Claims

1. A device for displaying announcements, in particular prices in numerical form, comprising two winding drums for a display band disposed parallelly to each other, and a plurality of drive motors, characterized by that a first drive motor is assigned to one winding drum and a second drive motor is assigned to the other winding drum, and that the drive motor winding-up the display band onto the one winding drum, is driven with a higher speed than the drive motor winding-off the display band from the other winding drum,

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized by that the drive motors are adapted as electro-motors, and that the voltage of the two drive motors is controlled.

3. A device according to claim 2, characterized by that the voltage of the electro- 15 motor winding-up the display band onto one winding drum is the supply voltage of the operating network, and that the voltage of the electro-motor winding-off the display band from the other winding drum is smaller than the supply voltage of the operating network, 20

4. A device according to claim 3, characterized by that the two electro-motors are d.c. motors connected in parallel, to each of which resistors are connected in series and, parallelly thereto, diodes with opposite blocking direction.

A device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the motors are geared motors integrated in the winding drums.

6. A device according to claim 5, characterized by that the winding drums are tubular, and are guided on bearing rings fixed in the frame, and that the geared motors integrated in the tubular winding drums are flanged-on at the front to the bearing rings, and are provided with driving discs mounted on the drive shaft, said driving discs being rigidly connected with the tubular winding drums. 940615,ppckat,ON.RES,10 11

7. A device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by that two winding units of two winding drums each with one display band each are provided, so that both display bands guided about deflection drums extend parallelly and closely relative to each other, the front display band being of transparent or clear material.

8. A device for displaying announcements substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to :he drawings. Dated this 15th day of June, 1994 Krone Aktiengesellschaft By its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE o ft a 94061p:'opcOA1KRNE1RS, II