US1040378A - Electric signaling system. - Google Patents

Description

W. 1.. MILLER.

ELI-mmc SIGNAMNG SYSTEM. APPLIUATION IXLED JUNE 1G', 1011. 1,04%3'73 tatented Oct. 8, 1912.

2 SHEETS'SHBET 1.

W. L. MILLER.

ELECTRIC SIGNALNG SYSTEM,

APPLIUATION FILED JUNI: 16, 1911 1,040,378. Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

2 BHBBTS-SHBBT 2.

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VVVILLIIAIVI L. MILLER, F MADISON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 GISHOLT MACHINE COMPANY, OF MADISN,

WISCONSIN. A CORPGRATION OF WISCONSIN.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification et' Letters Patent.

Yltatented Oct. 8, 1912.

Application tiled June 1S, 1911. Serial No. 633,479.

To all uf/0m 'it may concern Be it known, that i, VJLMAM L. Ivlinnnn, a citizen of the United States. residing at Madison, in. the county oi Dane and State ot Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signaling Systems, oit which the following is a specilication. -Y

.This invention relates to the general art oi electric signaling devices, and has reference more particularly to a device or system applicable and constituting an attachment. 4to automatic machines of any and all kinds, such, for instance, as automatic lathes, to indicate, hy a signal, to the operator when a given job has been completed hy the Inachine.

The main .object of the invention is to render `more letlieient and economical the service by a single operator ot' a nlunher ot automatic machines; and this the invention accomplishes by means of a reliable and improved signaling mechanism which promptly notifies the operator the instant the .machine has completed a joh and reuires the operators attention to remove the nished4 Work and supply a fresh blank or stock.

Another object of the invention is to provide a signaling system of the character and for the purpose described such that, altcr the signal has been given, the operation ot' opening the circuit to interrupt the signal will put the system in condition to automatically signal Athe completion o' the next joh on the saine machine.

The invention, its mode of use, and the advantages secured thereby will be lmore readily understood when considered in conneetion with the Iaccompanying drawings which iilustrate one practical embodiment thereof, and in which,-`

Figure .1 is a sectional view through a tion of the machine to which the signaling' device is applied, more particularly showing the machine-actuated switch .and the actuating mechanism thereof. Fi. 2 is a sectional View on the line 2-2 or Fig. 1. Fig.y 3 is e sectional detail on the line 3-3 ol Fig. 1 and Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are diagrams of the signal circuit and `parts contained therein.

Referring to the drawings, designates a shaft constituting either a constantly or intermittently moving element of an automatic machine, such as an automatic lathe, to which is geared, by spiral gears l1 and if? on7 one of the side walls hed frame. Keyed on the outer end of shaft 113 is a disk 1G, in one or more holes 17 of which is secured an inwardly projecting pin orpins 1S.

"Journaled in a hearingblock 19 secured to or integral with the wall of the frame is a rotary shaft Q0, conveniently confined against endwise displacement stud 21 engaging an annular groove 22 in said shaft. The outer end of the shaft is given a star-wheel formation, the teeth or points Q3 oi" which are successively engaged by the pin or stud 1S as the latter successively engages the starnvheel during the rotation of the disk 1G. The star-wheel is herein shown formed with six points or teeth, and-the (lisl: 16 is provided with a singie pin or stud 18, so that, in the instance shown, the shaft 20 is given one-sixth of a turn at each complete revolution of the disk 1.6, but, ot' course, the number of teeth or points on the starfwhcel 'and the number of actuatin pins or studs may be varied as desired. ecured to the inner end of the shaft Q0 by a binding-screw Q4, and suitably insulated from said shaft, is a switch-blade E herein. shown as taking the form of a threepointed star having spring arms disposed one hundred and twenty degrees apart. Secured in and insulated from the frame adjacent to the inner end of the shaft 20 are two contact plugs or binding- posts 26 and 27, the Contact ends of which lic in the paths of the free ends ot' the arms of the switeh-blade 25, said contact plugs being disposed sixty degrees apart in the circular path of the free ends of the spring arms of the switch-blade, so that the successive sixty degree turning movements of the shaft 20 a shaft 13 journaled in ahearing-boss 14` 15 of the maclnneby a threaded.

l5 may conveniently be included if desired),

a circuit wire 3G extending from the other pole ott the generator to a common contact 31 of a manually operable switch, a pair of alternately operative circuit branches 32 and connecting two individual contacts S-l and'35 otsaid manually operable switch with the insulated contact plugs 26 and Q7, respectively, and the switch-blade or bar 36 ot' said manually operable switch that is shittable to connect either ot the individual contacts 34 and. with the common Contact :'51, as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6. At any suitable or convenient point in the cir` cuit lines 2S or 30 (herein shown as in the latter) is interposed a signal, herein shown as a light 3T, but which, ot course, may be a bell, a horn, a light, a display target, or any electrically energized signaling device desired within the purview ot the invention.

The operation will be readily understood Afrom the foregoing description, Abut vmay be briefly described as tollows: Assuming that the circuit and circuit devices are as shown in Fig. 'l, it is manifest that the` circuit is interrupted at the manually operable switch, and no signal is displayed by the light 37. ',lhe machine having been started in operation upon a given job, it continues in operation until the job has been completed,v at which time the dislel has made a complete rotation, thereby, at the completion ot such rotation, ell'ecting a artial turning move- 'ment oit the shatt 2O uy the engagement oty the pin 1S with onrol the teeth 23 oit the star-wheel. This shifts the switch-blade Q5 out of engagement with the contact 2T and brine the next ,-iuccccding arm of the switchblade into engagement with the contact 2li, as shown in Fig. 5, thereby closing the circuit and displaying the signal at the lamp 25T. 'lhis notities the operator that the machine has completed its work. The operator then manually throws the switch-blade 3G to the other position shown in Fig. 6, which opens the circuit, interrupts the signal, and at the same time primes the circuit tor display of the signal upon the completiol'i of the next job by the shitting ot the switch-blade 25 to the next position in which the circ-uit is clot-:ed throiiigh the contact 2T and branch 33. it will thus be seen that, in the arrangement shown, the opening ot the circuit by Loaders the operator to cut out the signal sets or primes the system for the automatic display or sounding et the signal at the completion ot the nest job, which renders the manipulation of thesignaling system onthe part of the operator a very simple matter. Of. course, the number ot teeth 2 3 on the starwheel of the switch-shaft 2O and the number et arms on the spring switch-blade E25 are immaterial, as is also the number of actuating pins or studs 18 carried by the disk 16 or the extent o t rotary movement of said disk between successive actuations of the switch-shaft 20, so long as the feature of the alternating engagement ot the switch-blade 25 with the contacts 26 and 27 is preserved in connection with a manually operable switch which'directs the current alternately through the branches 32 and 83 of the circuit.

l claim 1- l. .ln an electric signaling system tor application to automatic machines, the combination ot a switch comprising a rotary switch-blade actuated always in the same d1- rection from a moving part of the machine and two contact-s alternately engaged by said switch-blade, an electric circuit connected at one end to said switch-blade and connected at its other end, by alternately operative branches, to said contacts, respectively a. generator and a signal in said circuit, and a manually operable switch in said circuit adapted to render either of said. contacts and branches operative in the circuit, substantially as described.

ln an electric signaling system for application to automatic machines, the combination ol a switch@ comprising a rotary switch-blade intermittently actuated always in the same direction from a moving part of the machine and two contacts alternately engaged by said switch-blade, a manually operable switch having two individual contacts and a common contact andl a switchblade shi ttable to connect cit-her of said individual. contacts with said common contact, circuit wires connecting said first-named contacts with the indivi manually operable switch, respectively, a circuit wire connecting said common contact with said machine-actuated switch-blade, and a generator and signal operatively connected in said last named circuit wire, substantially as described.

3. ln an electric signaling system for apdualcontacts ot said l movable member, an insulated switcl1-blude carried by said rotary shaft, two insulated contacts alternately engaged by said switchblade, an electric clrcuit connected nt one end to said switch-blade and connected at its other end, by alternately operative branches,to said insulated contacts, respectively, a, generator and a signal in said. cr-

cuit, and u manually operable switch in said circuit adapted to render either of said in- 10 sulated contacts and branches operative in the circuit, substantially as described.

WILLIAM L. MILLER. lVtnesses RALPH J. MILLER, M. E. (oECKs.

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