EP0418645B1 - Electromechanical counter mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

The electromechanical counter mechanism has numerical cylinders (4) which are accommodated in a housing (3) and are moved by a drive (2). The drive (2) is connected to a switch armature (8) by means of which an indexing wheel (7) can be operated to move the numerical cylinders (4) onwards. The drive (2) furthermore has a first and a second pivoting arm (10, 11) which are not mechanically coupled to one another and each have a coil (28, 29). The two pivoting arms (10, 11) can be pivoted synchronously, at right angles to the pole surface of the permanent magnet (38), in opposite directions in order to move the numerical cylinders (4). The permanent magnet (38) is located between the pivoting arms (10, 11). Both pivoting arms (10, 11) are supported in a sprung manner on the housing (3). The pivoting arms (10, 11) cannot pivot inadvertently with respect to one another and hence also cannot inadvertently initiate a movement process. In consequence, the electromechanical counter mechanism can be used where impacts occur and a relatively large magnetic influence can take place. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to an electromagnetic counter according to the preamble of claim 1.

In a known counter of this type (EP-A-0 247 556) the two swivel arms are mechanically coupled to one another via levers. The magnetic field is formed by two opposing magnets. The swivel arms with their coils swivel in and out of the magnetic field when energized. Due to the mechanical connection of the swivel arms, one swivel arm is swiveled in the impact direction in the event of a blow to the housing, wherein it swivels the other swivel arm in opposite directions synchronously with the mechanical coupling. This will trigger an unintentional switching process.

In another known counter (EP-A-0 078 787) the coil is located in the force field between two permanent magnets arranged fixed to the housing. This counter is not secured against external shocks. If such impacts occur, the swivel arm can be swiveled unintentionally and thus trigger a counting process. In addition, the swivel arm can get caught by external magnetic exposure during the counting process, so that the counter no longer works properly.

The invention has for its object to design the generic electromagnetic counter so that it is safe against shock or impact stress and its function cannot be impaired even by external magnetic influences.

This object is achieved with the generic electromagnetic counter according to the invention with the characterizing features of claim 1.

In the counter according to the invention, the two pivot arms are pivoted in opposite directions synchronously perpendicular to the pole face of the magnet during a counting process. However, the swivel arms do not perform such a swivel movement when the counter according to the invention is subjected to impact or impact, since both swivel arms are not mechanically coupled to one another and are resiliently supported on the housing. Since impacts only act on the counter in one direction, it is impossible for both swivel arms to pivot simultaneously in opposite directions, synchronously. As a result of the resilient support, the impact or the impact coming from outside is damped, as a result of which an unintentional swiveling of the swivel arms and thus unintentional switching operations are reliably prevented. There is also no fear of the swivel arms getting caught during the counting process due to external magnetic influences.

Further features of the invention result from the further claims, the description and the drawings.

Fig. 1

ein erfindungsgemäßes elektromechanisches Zählwerk in einer Ansicht gemäß Pfeil I in Fig. 2,

Fig. 2

einen Schnitt längs der Linie II-II in Fig. 1,

Fig. la und 2a

Darstellungen entsprechend den Fig. 1 und 2 mit dem Zählwerk in Schaltstellung,

Fig. 3

in Ansicht die Ziffernrollen und die Antriebsräder des erfindungsgemäßen Zählwerkes gemäß Fig. 1,

Fig. 4

einen Schnitt und eine Ansicht in Richtung des Pfeiles IV in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 und 6

jeweils im Schnitt die Art der Befestigung einer Spule auf einem Schwenkarm des erfindungsgemäßen Zählwerkes.

The invention is explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

an inventive electromechanical counter in a view according to arrow I in Fig. 2,

Fig. 2

2 shows a section along the line II-II in FIG. 1,

Figures la and 2a

1 and 2 with the counter in the switch position,

Fig. 3

in view the number wheels and the drive wheels 1 according to the invention,

Fig. 4

2 shows a section and a view in the direction of arrow IV in FIG. 3,

5 and 6

each in section the type of attachment of a coil on a swivel arm of the counter according to the invention.

The electromechanical counter has a housing 3 in which a drive 2 for the digit rollers 4 is accommodated. 3 and 4 in particular, the number rollers 4 sit next to one another on an axis 5 in a known manner. Adjacent number rollers 4 are in engagement with drive wheels 6 which are seated on an axis 1 lying parallel to the axis 5, which is also like the axis 5 is mounted in the housing walls. With the drive wheels 6, adjacent digit rollers 4 are driven in a known manner. The drive connection between the drive 2 and the number rollers 4 is likewise carried out in a known manner by means of a ratchet wheel 7 seated on the axis 5, which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the first adjacent number roller 4a. With the ratchet wheel 7, a shift armature 8 is engaged (FIGS. 1 and 2), which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a shift hub 9, and is preferably formed in one piece with it. It is in drive connection with swivel arms 10 and 11 of the drive 2, as will be explained in more detail below. The shift hub 9 is rotatably seated on an axis 9a lying parallel to the axes 1 and 5, which is also mounted in the housing side walls.

The swivel arms 10 and 11 are mirror-symmetrical to one another arranged. Therefore, only one swivel arm 11 is described in more detail below. It has an approximately rectangular plate 12 (FIG. 2) which is perpendicular to the axes 1, 5, 9a and is triangularly extended at its one corner region 13 facing away from the bottom of the housing 3 (FIG. 2). On the front side of this triangular corner area 13 there is a widened end section 14 (FIG. 1), which is preferably formed in one piece with the plate 12. 1, it has an approximately triangular shape with rounded corners and protrudes with its upper half Fig. 2 upwards over the plate 12 in the direction of the digit rolls 4. In this end section 14 there is 15 directly above the upper edge of the plate corner area 13 (FIG. 2) is provided a link guide 16 designed as a passage opening, into which a link block 17 of the shift hub 9 protrudes as a pin.

The swivel arm 11 has two tabs 18 and 19 (FIG. 2) projecting downwards over the plate 12, which are spaced apart and parallel to one another and each carry a plug pin 21 and 22 on their side facing the housing bottom 62, which is perpendicular to the Axes 1, 5, 9a runs and engages in housing-side plug openings 20, 24. The plug pins 21, 22 form swivel axes for the swivel arm 11 which are perpendicular to the axes 1, 5, 9a.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the mutually facing sides 25, 25 'of the plates 12 of the swivel arms 10 and 11 there is a preferably centrally arranged, preferably cylindrical extension 26 and 27 which carries a coil 28 and 29. 5 and 6 for the swivel arm 10, the coil 28 is riveted to the extension 26. The coil 28 is first arranged on the extension 26 so that it rests on the inside of the plate 25 of the swivel arm 10. In this position, the extension 26 still protrudes slightly over the coil 28. The protruding part of the extension 26 is then plastically deformed in a hot riveting process, so that the extension 26 with the plastically deformed part 31 engages over the coil 28 and thus it holds absolutely securely on the swivel arm 10.

In the preferred embodiment shown, the two coils 28 and 29 are connected in series. The winding wire 33 runs from a connecting pin 32 (FIG. 1) to the coil 28, from there to the coil 29 and from there to the further connecting pin 37. This series connection of the coils 28, 29 has the advantage that the individual coils 28, 29 become low resistance.

An embodiment is also possible in which the two coils 28, 29 are connected in parallel. In this case, however, a thinner winding wire and a larger number of windings are required.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2a in particular, there is a permanent magnet 38 between the two coils 28, 29, which is held between arms 61, 61 'projecting vertically over a rear wall 62 of the housing. If the two coils 28, 29 are excited, then they are attracted in opposite directions synchronously to the permanent magnet 38 (FIG. 1a), whereby a switching process is triggered and the respective numerical roller is rotated. It is only possible to advance the digit rollers 4, 4a if both swivel arms 10, 11 are swiveled in opposite directions synchronously. Such training ensures high shock resistance of the electromechanical counter reached. Since impacts only act on the counter in one direction, it is impossible for the two swivel arms 10, 11, which are not mechanically coupled to one another, to pivot in opposite directions at the same time. Even strong impacts will not cause the counter to switch unintentionally.

The two swivel arms 10, 11 are each provided on their sides facing away from each other with a spring arm 40 and 41 (Fig. 1), which rest with their free ends in the rest position of the counter on an adjacent inner wall 42, 43, while they are spaced during the switching process have the housing inner walls (Fig. 1a). The spring arms 40, 41 are preferably flat webs, each of which connects to the plate 12, preferably at its lower edge 39 (FIG. 2), via an intermediate piece 44, 45 lying approximately at right angles to them. The spring arms 40, 41 are preferably formed in one piece with the plate 12 of the swivel arms 10, 11 and extend almost over the entire height of the plate 12, as a result of which they have a high degree of elasticity. The spring arms 40, 41 ensure that the swivel arms 10, 11 are not inadvertently pivoted so that a switching operation takes place when impacts occur. Without the spring arms, the right swivel arm 11 would swivel to the left, for example, if the left housing wall in FIG. 1 were hit, while the left swivel arm 10 would swivel to the right due to the rebound effect. Both pivot arms 10, 11 would thus pivot synchronously in opposite directions and thus trigger a switching process. Such an unintentional pivoting of the swivel arms 10, 11 is definitely excluded by the spring arms 40, 41. The spring arms 40, 41 dampen the impact or the impact coming from the outside by elastic deformation, so that an unintentional counter-rotating pivoting movement of the pivot arms 10, 11 does not take place.

The two pivot arms 10, 11 are oppositely loaded by a spring 36. It presses the swivel arms 10, 11 opposite to each other next to the outside, so that they are pressed with their spring arms 40, 41 against the adjacent housing walls. The swivel arms 10, 11 are provided on their sides facing away from the housing base 62 with L-shaped suspension parts 34, 35, in which the ends of the spring 36 are suspended. The suspension parts 34, 35 are open towards each other so that the spring 36 can be easily assembled. It has an approximately U-shape (FIG. 1) and extends from the suspension parts 34, 35 to deflection bolts 58, 59, which are located on the side of the brackets 19 opposite the socket bolts 22 and are aligned with the socket bolts 22 (FIG. 2 ). In this way, both swivel arms 10, 11 are loaded in the direction of their rest position (FIG. 1) with the single spring 36. The free ends of the spring 36 are preferably bent opposite to one another, so that the spring can be prevented from inadvertently slipping out of the suspension parts 34, 35.

The link guides 16 of the swivel arms 10, 11 each have a section 46 which runs approximately parallel to the longitudinal center line A of the axis 9a and which merges into a section 47 adjoining it at an obtuse angle. Since the end sections 14 of the two swivel arms 10, 11 project in the direction towards one another over the plate inside 25, 25 '(FIG. 1), the link guides 16 can be made sufficiently long to enable a reliable switching operation in the inclined section 47 or approximately parallel section 46 to reliably prevent an unintended switching operation. The sloping sections connect to the opposite ends of the approximately axially parallel sections 46 of the link guides 16. The two sections 46, 47 of each link guide 16 are approximately the same length.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and la, 2a, the link guides 16 widen outwards from the shift hub 9, preferably continuously. In the starting position (FIG. 1), the sliding blocks 17, which are preferably in the form of cylindrical pins, lie in the axially parallel sections 46 of the sliding guides 16. The sliding blocks 17 are at a distance from the adjacent slot end 49, 49 'of sections 46. This has the advantage that a shock load of the counter is a sufficient way for the pivoting movement of the pivot arms 10, 11 is available. The pivot arms can pivot by this distance between the slot end 49, 49 'and the sliding blocks 17 in the direction of the adjacent housing walls. As long as the sliding blocks 17 are within the sections 46, the shift hub 9 is not rotated during this pivoting process, so that the shift armature 8 is also not pivoted. Thus, no switching process takes place as long as the sliding blocks 17 are within the sections 46.

Only when the link blocks 17 reach the area of the inclined sections 47 of the link guides 16 (FIGS. 1 a, 2 a) is the shift hub 9 rotated when the pivot arms 10, 11 are pivoted. As a result, the shift armature 8, which is formed in a rotationally fixed manner, preferably in one piece with the shift hub 9, engages with the shift wheel 7, as a result of which the numbered rollers 4, 4a are rotated in a known manner.

Since the sliding blocks 17 are guided in the sliding guides 16, relatively narrow tolerances must be maintained both in the manufacture and in the assembly of the swivel arms 10, 11 and the shift hub 9. In order to ensure easy assembly and safe switching, the ratchet 7 has a special shape. Between the mutually adjacent teeth 50 of the ratchet wheel 7 there are approximately radially extending recesses 51 (FIG. 2), into which the shift armature 8 projects with a finger-like attachment 52 at the free end 53 of the one shift claw 54. Depending on the tolerance, the switch armature 8 can engage more or less far between the teeth of the switching wheel 7 with this attachment 52. This ensures an exact indexing of the ratchet wheel 7 regardless of the respective installation and / or manufacturing tolerance. The finger-shaped extension 52 is only provided on the one switching claw 54. The other shifting claw 55 does not have such an approach, because after the end of the shifting process (FIG. 2a), due to the contact of the sliding blocks 17 on the lower edge 60, 60 'of the oblique sections 47, they securely rest against the respective tooth 50 of the Shift wheels 7 is coming.

When the two swivel arms 10, 11 are pivoted towards each other for the switching process and the switching claw 55 comes to rest on the respective tooth 50 of the switching wheel 7, so that the numerical roller (s) is (are) switched accordingly, the sliding blocks 17 still have Distance from the end 48, 48 'of the inclined sections 47 (Fig. 1a, 2a). This also allows tolerances in the assembly and / or manufacture of the swivel arms to be easily taken into account and compensated.

The oblique sections 47 of the link guides 16 are arranged obliquely such that when the pivot arms are pivoted 10, 11 in the direction of each other, the shift hub 9 is rotated sufficiently far on the axis 9a so that the shift armature 8 can rotate the shift wheel 7 accordingly for the shifting process.

In the starting position of the swivel arms 10, 11 (FIG. 1), in which the coils 28, 29 are not excited, the sliding blocks 17 of the shift hub 9 lie in the axially parallel sections 46 of the sliding block guides 16 on the edge facing away from the coils 28, 29 56 (Fig. 2). Fig. 2 can be seen that in this starting position, the sliding blocks 17 have a small distance from the lower edge 56 'of the axially parallel sections 46. Since the axially parallel sections 46 are continuously expanded from the shift hub 9 and the sliding blocks 17 are formed by cylindrical pins, these rest only on the edge 56 of the sections 46 with point contact, if necessary only with slight line contact. If the coils 28, 29 are excited and consequently the swivel arms 10, 11 are pivoted in the direction of one another, the sliding blocks 17 reach the oblique sections 47, in which they then on the edge 60, 60 ′ of the oblique sections 47 facing the coils 28, 29 apply (Fig. la, 2a). Since the sections 47 lie obliquely to the axis of the shift hub 9, the shift hub is rotated by the sliding blocks 17 lying in the oblique sections when the pivot arms 10, 11 are pivoted in the direction of one another, as a result of which the shift armature 8 executes the described pivoting movement for rotating the shift wheel 7. As soon as the ratchet wheel 7 has been rotated to a sufficient extent and the coils 28, 29 are no longer energized, the swivel arms 10, 11 are in turn pivoted in opposite directions synchronously outward by the spring 36, the shift hub 9 initially remaining stationary. After a short swivel path of the swivel arms 10, 11, the edge 57, 57 'of the coils 28, 29 facing away inclined sections 47 in contact with the sliding blocks 17 of the shift hub 9, so that when the pivot arms 10, 11 are pivoted back further, the shift hub 9 is turned back again until the starting position according to FIG. 1 is reached.

Claims (11)

1. An electromagnetic counting mechanism comprising a housing (3) in which are arranged number wheels (4) rotatable by a drive comprising a permanent magnet (38) and a first swivel arm (10 or 11), by means of which a switching wheel (7) for advancing the number wheels (4) is rotatable via a switching lever (8), and comprising a second swivel arm (11 or 10) pivotable synchronously with the first swivel arm (10 or 11) in the opposite direction and wherein the swivel arms (10, 11) each carry a coil (28, 29), characterised in that the two swivel arms (10, 11) are synchronously pivotable in opposite directions perpendicularly to the pole face of the permanent magnet (38), in that the swivel arms (10, 11) are not mechanically connected to one another and both are resiliently supported against the housing (3), and in that the single permanent magnet (38) is arranged between the two swivel arms (10, 11).
2. A counting mechanism according to claim 1, characterised in that the swivel arms (10, 11) each have a spring arm (40, 41) provided for support against the housing (3) and preferably formed in one piece with the swivel arms (10, 11).
3. A counting mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the swivel arms (10, 11) are in engagement with a switching hub (9) of the switching lever (8), and in that the switching lever (8) is connected in a rotationally fixed manner, preferably integrally, to a switching hub (9) rotatably mounted on a spindle (9a) fixed in the housing (3).
4. A counting mechanism according to claim 3, characterised in that the switching hub (9) is attached to the swivel arms (10, 11) and has at least two insertion members (17) projecting into insertion openings (16) in the swivel arms (10, 11), the insertion openings (16) preferably widening out from the switching hub (9).
5. A counting mechanism according to claim 4, characterised in that the insertion openings (16) have a first slotted portion (46), arranged substantially parallel to the spindle (9a) of the switching hub (9), and a second, inclined slotted portion (47).
6. A counting mechanism according to claim 5, characterised in that the longitudinal axis of the first slotted portions (46) is arranged substantially at the level of, preferably slightly below the longitudinal axis (A) of the switching hub (9), and in that the longitudinal axis of the inclined slotted portions (47) is arranged at an obtuse angle to, preferably at an angle of approximately 145° to the longitudinal axes of the first slotted portions (46).
7. A counting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the swivel arms (10, 11) are formed mirror symmetrically to one another and are spring-loaded towards their starting position in opposition to one another.
8. A counting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the insertion members (17) of the switching hub (9) are located on the upper edges (56, 56') of the first slotted portions (46) when the swivel arms (10, 11) are in the starting position, and in the inclined slotted portions (47) when the switching lever (8) is shifted, and in that they come to rest against the lower edges (60, 60') of the inclined slotted portions (47) when the swivel arms (10, 11) are pivoted.
9. A counting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that one claw arm (54) of the switching lever (8) has a protruding, finger-like projection (52), by means of which it engages with the switching wheel (7), and in that the switching wheel (7) has a preferably substantially radially extending recess (51) between its teeth (50), the projection (52) of the switching lever (7) [sic - 8] extending into the recess (51).
10. A counting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the swivel arms (10, 11) have hub-type extensions as coil carriers (26, 27) which are preferably formed in one piece with the associated swivel arms (10, 11).
11. A counting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the coils (28, 29) are riveted, preferably hot-riveted to the coil carriers (26, 27), and in that the coils (28, 29) are preferably connected in series.

Images