GB844726A - Improvements in article counting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

844,726. Counting-apparatus. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Aug. 12, 1958 [Aug. 14, 1957], No. 25837/58. Class 106 (1). Article - counting apparatus comprises a differential mechanism with two input shafts, escapement means normally preventing movement of one of said shafts and article-sensing means adapted on the absence of an article to cause said escapement means to permit limited rotation of said one shaft, the output shaft of the differential being thereby temporarily brought to rest. As described, for counting tabulating cards, the cards 12, Fig. 1, are retained on a carrier-wheel 11 by equidistant clips 14. A gear 18 moving with the wheel 11 meshes with a gear 19 fixed to a shaft 20 which drives through reduction gearing 24, 26 a gear 27 which constitutes one input to a differential mechanism 28 and is fixed to a hollow input shaft 29 which surrounds an output shaft 31. A second input to the differential mechanism 28 is via a gear 37 driven by a pinion 38 fast on a shaft 39 normally stationary but which may be driven through a belt 41 by the shaft 20, the shaft 39 being provided with an escapement wheel 45 controlled by a latch 46 biased to engage the escapement wheel to prevent it from rotating unless the latch 46 is released.. The. latch 46 is fixed to a shaft 47 to which is also attached a finger 49 adapted to engage the cards 12 and so arranged that only when a card 12 is absent will the finger 49 pivot to disengage the latch 46, allowing escapement of one tooth of the wheel 45. A second finger 50 also fixed to the shaft 47 is then brought into position for engagement by an extension 16 of the clips 14 and allows escapement of one further tooth of the wheel 45 before re-engaging the latch 46. The differential mechanism 28 is so arranged that if the inputs from the gears 27, 37 are equal there is no output, but if there is an input from one side only, the output equals the input. A cam 57, Fig. 1, fixed to the output shaft, rocks an arm 58 once each revolution to indicate that a predetermined number of cards 12 has been counted. The operation is such that when a clip 14 holds a card 12, the tip of the finger 49 is engaged to hold the escapement wheel 45, preventing rotation of the shaft 39, and the output 31 of the differential mechanism 28 rotates to rotate the cam 57 by an amount representing one card 12 when a card 12 is missing, however, the finger 49 is urged clockwise by a spring 48, Fig. 3, to allow the escapement of one tooth, a second tooth being allowed to escape by rocking of the second finger 50. The gear 37 is therefore driven and reduces the output of the differential mechanism to zero for the missing card. In a modification (Fig. 7, not shown), the second finger 50 is replaced by a finger cooperating with a cam fixed to the shaft 20.