GB1405162A - Method and apparatus for resetting and reading out a counter - Google Patents

Abstract

1405162 Position encoders KIENZLE APPARATE GmbH 16 Nov 1972 [24 Nov 1971] 53072/72 Heading H3H [Also in Division G4] A counter having for each number wheel 2 a snail cam 41 for resetting to zero is provided with means for sensing the position of the cam prior to resetting and thus giving a read out of the position reached by the wheel. The counter may for instance form the value or quantity register of a liquid dispensing apparatus. At the end of each dispensing operation a cam assembly 15, 18 rigid with shaft 17 is rotated through one complete turn. Cam 18 normally holds a set of slides 26 away from the number wheels; as it is rotated, manually or by a motor, the slides are moved by springs towards the wheels until rollers 28 engage with the snail cams 41. Further rotation causes cam 15 to lift transfer wheels 8 clear of the number wheels 2 which are then driven back to zero by the action of the slides 26 on the snail cams 41. As shown in Fig. 1 the slides 26 carry pointers moving over scales. In Fig. 5 the slides comprise toothed racks 31 which drive pinions 32 to rotate a printing drum 33. This may also carry printed contacts 35 co-operating with a plurality of contacts 34 to give a coded output representing the value on the number wheels. Alternatively (Fig. 6, not shown) the slide carries a plurality of contacts which move over a fixed printed circuit to give a binary coded output. Means (not shown) is provided to align the lowest order number wheel to the nearest whole number position before sensing.