EP1346317A1

EP1346317A1 - Unidirectional counter

Info

Publication number: EP1346317A1
Application number: EP01983748A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ernst Bürgi
Original assignee: Landis and Gyr AG
Current assignee: Landis and Gyr AG
Priority date: 2000-12-15
Filing date: 2001-11-28
Publication date: 2003-09-24
Anticipated expiration: 2021-11-28
Also published as: DE10062807C2; BR0116149A; EP1346317B1; BRPI0116149B1; DE10062807A1; DE50114404D1; AU2002215168A1; CN1489749A; WO2002048957A1; ATE410749T1; CN1237480C

Abstract

The invention relates to a unidirectional counter comprising a driven worm gear (1) and a least one numerical display (3), driven by the rotation of the worm gear (1). The worm gear (1) is connected to a first system gear (8) by means of a first ratchet-pawl system (6, 7a, b). Said first ratchet-pawl system (6, 7a, b) comprises at least a first pair of pawls (7a, b) with two connected pawls (7a, b) working in tandem. Furthermore a reverse gear (10) may be driven by the worm gear (1), which is connected to a second system gear (14) by means of a second ratchet-pawl system (12, 13a, b). Said second ratchet-pawl system (12, 13a, b) comprises a second pair of pawls (13a, b) with two connected pawls (13a, b) working in tandem. According to the invention, an exact as possible totalisation and display of used energy units even on a change in direction may be achieved, whereby at least one pawl (7a, b, 13a, b) on each of the first and second ratchet-pawl systems (6, 7a, b; 12, 13a, b) are in the engaged position, pointing towards a ratchet tooth (6, 12), or are in direct contact with a ratchet tooth (6, 12).

Description

UNIDIRECTIONAL COUNTER

The invention is in the field of meter technology. It relates to a unidirectional counter which has a display with a unidirectional direction of rotation in the event of a potential bidirectional rotation direction drive.

STATE OF THE ART

Unidirectional counters are designed in such a way that they totalize and display the purchase or consumption of water, gas or electrical energy, for example. It is particularly advantageous to use such unidirectional counters in electricity meters and there in particular in Ferraris meters. In the following, the present invention focuses on the use of unidirectional counters in Ferraris counters without the

Exclude the use of these counters in other areas, such as gas or water management.

In known Ferraris meters, due to an electrical mains voltage and an electrical consumption current

Rotor disk arrangement driven, which then drives a counter. Such counters can comprise known number rollers or number disks or have pointers that rotate in front of fixed dials. If the rotor disc arrangement and thus also the drive of the counter wrongly rotates in the opposite direction to the normal direction of rotation, then conventional unidirectional counters between the rotor disc arrangement and the display make this incorrect Direction of rotation transforms into the correct direction of rotation for this display, which is always added up.

For such a transformation of a bidirectional direction of rotation of a rotor disk arrangement into a unidirectional direction of rotation for a numbered roller arrangement, for example, pawl systems are known to be used, as are shown, for example, in US Pat. No. 4,352,979. In this publication, a unidirectional counter is described in which a pawl arrangement is rotated via a gear drive. Depending on the direction of rotation of the pawl arrangement, either a first or second intermediate toothed wheel having locking teeth is driven, this first or second intermediate toothed wheel then being provided for the correct, summing direction of rotation of the display via further toothed wheels.

On the one hand, the number of different components for the counter can be regarded as disadvantageous in such an arrangement of the prior art. In addition, this counter requires a two-sided assembly between a front wall and a rear wall of a housing arrangement arranged parallel to it, since four components rotating in the same or opposite direction are arranged side by side on a single rotating axis, namely the drive gear, the pawl arrangement and the first or second ratchet intermediate gear. A one-sided axle assembly is inconceivable due to a correspondingly large static torque influence on this axle.

In addition, a static torque acts on the counter even without an external drive when the pawl arrangement is rotated out of its unstable or stable balance. Described in positions of a clock hand, this means that a static torque without external drive always occurs as soon as the pawl arrangement leaves the 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock position. This pawl arrangement, which is consequently not balanced, can therefore have a certain influence in the case of a periodically changing reversal of the direction of rotation, which is not permitted take the changeover speed so that a noticeably incorrect display of consumption would be possible.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to further develop a unidirectional counter of the type mentioned above, which is comparatively more precise than the prior art shown, in particular with regard to a quasi-immediate detection of a reversal of the direction of rotation manipulated in terms of fraud. The focus is on the correct acquisition and totalization of consumer goods. In addition, it is an object of the invention to provide a balanced counter that is free of static torques and thus more precise with a smaller number of different components and with less assembly effort. In addition to the known two-sided mounting between a front wall and a rear wall of a housing arrangement arranged parallel to this front wall, this counter should preferably only be mountable on one side, which means that it should be mountable either on the front wall or on the rear wall. Furthermore, the counter according to the invention is intended to be comparatively more compact and to be able to compensate for electromagnetic speed deviations of a driving rotor disk arrangement when the direction of rotation has been reversed.

The object of the invention is achieved by the features of claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

The essence of the invention is to be seen in the fact that two ratchet-pawl systems connected via a worm wheel and an intermediate wheel are arranged next to one another in a counter, the two ratchet-pawl systems differing in that they only look at themselves in one direction of rotation - i.e. either clockwise or counter-clockwise - spontaneously effective intervention. In the interplay between a pair of pawls and the associated ratchet teeth of a ratchet tooth-ratchet system, the counter according to the invention enables a switchover that is erroneously much faster than that of the prior art

Change of direction of rotation of a drive unit. Even inadmissibly manipulated, periodic changes in the direction of rotation thus lead to a quasi-direct switch from the one ratchet-ratchet system in engagement to the other ratchet-ratchet system, so that the counter display continues to drive unidirectionally, adding up.

The term “ratchet teeth-ratchet system” is to be understood as an arrangement in which ratchets on a component rotating in one direction either engage on ratchet teeth of another rotating component or just do not engage due to the opposite direction of rotation and run empty.

In the above sense, a worm wheel is to be understood as a link of the counter to a drive worm, such as is sufficiently known, for example, in connection with a rotor disk arrangement in a Ferraris counter. The direct drive of the number rollers is accomplished by the so-called idler gear. It should be noted that this idler gear is by no means essential to the invention. A person skilled in the field of counter technology is of course able to eliminate this idler gear without inventive intervention.

It is essential to the invention that in the case of both ratchet-pawl systems, at least one pawl is in the engagement position in the direction of a ratchet tooth or in direct engagement with a ratchet tooth. The decisive advantage that comes into play here is the quasi-spontaneous possibility of engagement of the ratchet-pawl system, which is not currently engaged, if the Direction of rotation of the driving worm changes. In the case of the ratchet-tooth-pawl system, which is not in engagement at one point in time, but is idle, the pawls act in relation to one another in connection with the opposing ratchet teeth, such as rockers, which mutually abut one another in relation to these ratchet teeth, so that at least one of these two The pawl is always in this engaged position.

It proves particularly advantageous if the two pairs of pawls on the two system wheels are arranged in phase opposition to one another and consequently rotate in opposite phase. That means the first one

The pair of pawls of the first system wheel is in the 12 o'clock position when the second pair of pawls of the second system wheel is currently in the 6 o'clock position. Then when both system wheels - which are coupled to one another via the intermediate wheel - rotate, the torques acting on this intermediate wheel of the two system wheels are completely compensated for by the pawls. This balanced arrangement is therefore free in any position of those torques that are exclusively due to the arrangement itself and thus when the counter is at a standstill, that is to say also act statically.

The counter according to the invention has the further advantage of a very compact arrangement, since the worm wheel and the first system wheel or the reversing wheel and the second system wheel are each coaxially mounted on one axis. As a result, even with one-sided mounting of the axles, there are only negligibly small bending moments between these axles. Such an assembly is also simple and inexpensive to carry out.

Furthermore, in comparison to the prior art shown, fewer different components are used for the counter, which also has a cost-effective effect.

It is particularly advantageous that by suitably adapting the number of teeth ratio between the worm wheel and the reversing wheel or between the system wheel that is operatively connected to the reversing wheel and the intermediate wheel that drives the display, the speed differences are made possible with an identical amount of consumption between the forward drive and the reverse drive of the counter. If, for example - with an identical electrical consumption amount - a rotor disc arrangement rotates faster for forward running than for manipulated reverse running, the number of teeth ratio can be used to make a speed correction in the simplest way, so that, for example, a numerical roller display of the counter rotates as fast in correct forward operation as in incorrect reverse operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Exemplary embodiments are shown schematically and in simplified form in the drawing. The directions of rotation of the gears shown are indicated by arrows. Show it:

Fig. 1 is a developed representation of an inventive

Counter with a number roller as display and driving screw;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the counter along the section line B-B 'in Fig. 1, and

3a, b, c further sectional views through the counter along the line B-B 'in Fig. 1st

WAYS OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 shows a unidirectional counter in a cut, developed view. A developed view means that all index axes are drawn in one plane, although they are are actually not arranged in one. In order to make it clear which gears of the counter mesh directly with each other, that is to say drive each other, two active connection arrows 22 and 23 are shown.

The counter shown in FIG. 1 is a roller counter, and for the sake of simplicity only a single number roller 3 is shown as a symbol for a plurality of number rollers arranged coaxially next to one another. The counter is generally suitable for totalizing and displaying when purchasing or supplying energy units in the electricity, gas or water industries. In the following, however, the focus will be on totalizing and displaying electrical energy, and in particular the relation of such energy units will be highlighted. Under no circumstances should the invention be reduced to the embodiment shown and described, since any other use of the counter is conceivable without leaving the core on which the invention is based. This type of presentation also includes the type of representation using number rolls; Without departing from the idea of the invention, instead of number rolls, number disks or pointers in front of a dial are conceivable as a display.

The counter according to the invention is driven by a drive worm 20, which is connected coaxially to a known rotor disk arrangement, not shown here. FIG. 2 illustrates in connection with FIG. 1 the arrangement of the drive worm 20 with the counter. For this purpose, a sectional view along the section line BB 'in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2. The drive worm 20 drives a worm wheel 1 in a counterclockwise direction on a first spur gear toothing 2. This worm wheel 1 has a cylindrical extension 5 coaxial with the first spur gear teeth 2. The inside of the cylinder extension 5 is provided with a number of locking teeth 6, while the outside of the cylinder extension 5 carries a further, second spur gear toothing 9 of the worm wheel 1. A reversing gear 10 is rotated clockwise via this second spur gear toothing 9, the drive being effected via a spur gear toothing 18 of the reversing gear 10. This spur gear toothing 18 is arranged on the outside of a cylinder shoulder 11 of the reversing wheel 10, 11 latching teeth 12 being located on the inside of this cylinder shoulder. One of these locking teeth 12 is in engagement with a pawl 13b which is pivotally mounted on a system wheel 14. Another pawl 13a is also pivotally attached to the system wheel 14, both pawls 3a and 13b being arranged in operative connection with one another.

Because the one pawl 13b is in engagement with a locking tooth 12, the system wheel 14 also rotates clockwise. An intermediate gear 4 is connected via a spur gear toothing 16 on the system gear 14, which in turn directly drives a number roller 3. The intermediate wheel 4 is driven counterclockwise and the number roller 3 clockwise.

As long as the worm wheel 1 rotates counterclockwise, the ratchet teeth 6 brush past a pair of pawls 7a, 7b of another system wheel 8 on the inside of the cylinder shoulder 5, in such a way that these pawls 7a, 7b, which are mutually operatively connected to each other, each in connection with the Locking teeth 6 of the worm wheel 1 can be pivoted alternately into the engagement position with respect to one of these locking teeth 6. The further system wheel 8 is connected via a spur gear toothing 15 arranged thereon to the counterclockwise rotating intermediate wheel 4 and consequently rotates clockwise.

The ratchet teeth-pawl system 6, 7a, 7b between the worm wheel 1 and the system wheel 8 is in the potential engagement position when the worm wheel 1 rotates counterclockwise, so that at a

Reversal of the direction of rotation of the worm wheel 1 in the clockwise direction (not shown) immediate engagement of at least one pawl 7a, 7b with a locking tooth 6 can take place. In this case, the worm wheel 1 and the system wheel 8 would turn clockwise. As a result, that would Turn idler gear 4 counter-clockwise and number wheel 3 clockwise. At this point in time, the reversing wheel 10 then rotates counterclockwise, so that the pawls 13a, 13b of the system wheel 8 are only brushed by the locking teeth 12 and are pivoted alternately into the engagement position.

It is essential to the invention that only one of the two ratchet-pawl systems 6, 7a, 7b, 12, 13a, 13b is in engagement while the other is permanently in the potential engagement position. This arrangement of two ratchet teeth-pawl systems 6, 7a, 7b, 12, 13a, 13b in a counter enables a spontaneous switchover in a simple manner each time the direction of rotation of the worm wheel 1 changes, so that a highly precise totalizing and display of an energy consumption is provided.

In addition, the counter is made up of a small number of different components compared to the prior art, which enables inexpensive manufacture and assembly. To simplify matters further, the entire counter is installed on only one side of a housing wall for this counter, which makes assembly easier and quick to carry out.

2 and 3, a complete rotation of the worm wheel 1 in the correct direction of rotation is shown in the counterclockwise direction. Starting with Fig. 2, the first ratchet-pawl system 6, 7a, 7b is between the worm wheel 1 and the first system wheel 8 in the 6 o'clock position and the second ratchet-pawl system 12, 13a, 13b between the reversing wheel 10 and the second system wheel 14 in the 12 o'clock position. If the worm wheel is now rotated counterclockwise in the correct direction of rotation, the first ratchet-pawl system 6, 7a, 7b shifts to the 9 o'clock position, while the second ratchet-tooth pawl system 12, 13a, 13b to 3 o'clock Position goes, as Fig. 3a illuminates. It is clear here that the leading pawl 7a is pivoted into engagement position by the adjacent, lagging pawl 7b as a result of a ratchet tooth 6 sliding past, and immediately afterwards the leading pawl 7a as a result of slipping past another ratchet tooth 6, the trailing pawl 7b would be pivoted into the engaged position, which, however, is not shown here in a simplified manner.

3b and 3c show quasi self-explanatory how the first locking teeth-pawl system 6, 7a, 7b via the 12 o'clock position in the 3 o'clock position, or how the second locking teeth-pawl System 12, 13a, 13b is rotated via the 6 o'clock position to the 9 o'clock position. When considering the sequence of the representations in FIGS. 2 and 3, it should be particularly emphasized that the first ratchet-pawl system 6, 7a, 7b is arranged in opposite phase with respect to the second ratchet-tooth-pawl system 12, 13a, 13b , This means that the two ratchet-pawl systems 6, 7a, 7b, 12, 13a, 13b pass through all positions of one revolution in phase opposition to one another. The decisive advantage here is that no static torque, that is to say based solely on the geometric arrangement, acts on the intermediate wheel connecting the two ratchet-pawl systems 6, 7a, 7b, 12, 13a, 13b. Only this balanced arrangement with regard to static torques enables the spontaneous intervention of a locking teeth-pawl system when the direction of rotation is reversed.

A further embodiment of the invention is characterized in that, in the simplest way, when the direction of rotation is reversed and the constant amount of consumption remains, the speed of the counter can be different when changing from forward operation to reverse operation. The

Experience teaches that rotor disc arrangements generally have a set, calibrated speed in one direction of rotation when operated correctly, whereas they can have a different speed when the direction of rotation is manipulated and the amount of consumption remains constant than in the correct operating case.

According to the invention, this problem can be countered very simply in that the number of teeth ratio of forward-running to reverse-running gears can be adjusted accordingly, although this is not explicit is shown. For this purpose, on the one hand the setting of the number of teeth ratio between the spur gear teeth 9 of the worm wheel 1 and the spur gear teeth 18 of the reversing gear 10 which can be driven thereby is adjusted from the ratio one to the ratio less than one, and on the other hand the setting of the number of teeth ratio between the spur gear teeth 15 of the first system wheel 8 and a spur gear toothing 16 of the second system wheel 14 from the ratio one to the ratio less than one. If, on the other hand, a rotor disk arrangement rotates faster with an incorrect direction of rotation than with a correct one, a corresponding adaptation of the number of teeth ratio is also conceivable in the sense of the invention, because one of the above-described number of teeth ratios can also be set to a ratio greater than one. Of course, it is also conceivable to increase the number of pawls in operative connection with each other for the ratchet teeth ratchet system to three or more ratchets, thus increasing the number of possible engagements with the ratchet teeth. This consequently results in a refinement of the intervention options in the event of an incorrect change in the direction of rotation.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

Worm gear first spur gear teeth on 1

counting wheel

idler

Cylinder attachment on 1

Locking teeth on 1 a, b pawl pair on 8

System gear second spur gear teeth on 1 0 reversing gear 1 cylinder shoulder on 10 2 ratchet teeth on 10 3a, b ratchet pair on 14 4 system gear 5 spur gear teeth on 8 6 spur gear teeth on 14 7 inside of 5 8 spur gear teeth on 10 0 drive worm 1 housing wall 2 active connection 3 active connection

Claims

1. Unidirectional counter with a drivable worm wheel (1) and at least one numerical display (3) which can be driven by the rotation of the worm wheel (1), the worm wheel (1) being connected via a first ratchet tooth-ratchet system (6, 7a, b) a first system wheel (8) is operatively connected, characterized in that

- that this first ratchet-tooth-pawl system (6, 7a, b) comprises at least one first pair of pawls (7a, b) with two pawls (7a, b) which are operatively connected to one another and have the same effect,

- That with the worm wheel (1) a reversing wheel (10) can be driven, this reversing wheel (10) via a second ratchet-pawl system (12, 13a, b) to a second system wheel (14) is operatively connected,

- That this second ratchet-tooth-pawl system (12, 13a, b) comprises at least one second pair of pawls (13a, b) with two pawls (13a, b) that are operatively connected to one another, and

- That at least one pawl (7a, b, 13a, b) of the first and second ratchet-pawl system (6, 7a, b; 12, 13a, b) is in

Engagement position in the direction of a locking tooth (6, 12) or in direct engagement with a locking tooth (6, 12).

2. Unidirectional counter according to claim 1, characterized in that a number of locking teeth (6) on a first cylinder shoulder (5) of the

Worm wheel (1) is arranged, and that the at least one first pawl pair (7a, b) is arranged on the first system wheel (8).

3. Unidirectional counter according to claim 2, characterized in that a number of locking teeth (12) on a second cylinder shoulder (11) of the reversing wheel (10) is arranged, and that the at least one second pawl pair (12a, b) on the second system wheel ( 14) is arranged.

4. Unidirectional counter according to claim 3, characterized in that the first system wheel (8) and the second system wheel (14) via the intermediate wheel (4) are connected, wherein the first pair of jacks (7a, b) to the second pair of jacks (12a, b ) is arranged in phase opposition.

5. Unidirectional counter according to one of the preceding claims 2 to 4, characterized in that on the worm wheel (1) the number of locking teeth (6) on an inner side (17) of the first cylinder extension (5) is arranged.

6. Unidirectional counter according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the number of locking teeth (12) of the deflection wheel (10) is arranged on an inside (19) of the second cylinder extension (11).

7. Unidirectional counter according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the worm wheel (1) and the first system wheel (8) are arranged coaxially.

8. Unidirectional counter according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the reversing wheel (10) and the second pawl system wheel (14) are arranged coaxially.

9. Unidirectional counter according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the worm wheel (1) and

Reversing wheel (10) are arranged parallel to each other.

10. A unidirectional counter according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the number of teeth ratio between a spur gear toothing (9) of the worm wheel (1) and a spur gear toothing (18) of the reversing wheel (10) which can be driven thereby is equal to 1.

11 unidirectional counter according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the number of teeth ratio between a spur gear toothing (9) of the worm wheel (1) and a spur gear toothing (18) of the reversing gear (10) which can be driven thereby is not equal to 1.

12. Unidirectional counter according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the number of teeth ratio between a spur gear toothing (15) of the first system wheel (8) and a spur gear toothing (16) of the second system wheel (14) is equal to 1.

13. Unidirectional counter according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the number of teeth ratio between a spur gear toothing (15) of the first system wheel (8) and a spur gear toothing (16) of the second system wheel (14) is not equal to 1.