US1237046A - Stop and recoil mechanism for motion-picture apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

s. HOWELL.

STOPAND RECOIL MECHANISM FOR MOTION PICTURE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I3, 1915.

,2317,046. Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

'/9 1 5 @IIIILI d3 y? ALBERT S. HOWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BELL 8c HOWELL COMPANY,

- OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION F ILLINOIS.

STOP AND RECOIL MECHANISM FOR MOTION-PICTURE APPARATUS. l

Specication of Letters Patent.;

Patented Aug. 1a, i917.

Application filed February 13, 1915. Serial No. 7,932.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT S. HOWELL, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Stop and Recoil Mechanism for Motion-Picture Apparatus,

` of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to a stop or brake mechanism for the main driving or power shaft of cinematographic machinery. More particularly my invention has reference to a recoil or cushion device whereby the brake will effectively operate without causing unnecessary jar to the apparatus nor a too sudden stoppage thereof which would place a dislocating and wrecking strain .uponthe mechanism and upon the ifilm actuated thereby. In the art of cinematography it is often necessary to stop the film actuating shuttle instanter in order to avoid spoiling the film or for other purposes.

My invention is applicable to any mechanism for actuating or moving a ribbon'film and I have therefore not shown it as applied to any particulartype of mechanism lor actuating shuttle.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of means .that will cushion the shock incident to the sudden stoppage' of the mechanism in order to prevent the parts getting out of adjustment. "Another object is the provision of a brake that will stop the mechanism always in apredeter.- mined position-relative to the film it is actuating. And further objects are to construct a device 'of thecharacter mentioned' that is effective in operation, easy to manipulate, and economical to manufacture.

I prefer to accomplish the objects of my invention through the means and in the manner hereinafter fully described and as more particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a `part hereof, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sec.- tional view of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section thereof taken on line 2-2,Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.`

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on\the` same vertical plane as Fig. 2 looking in the opposite direction as indicated by' the arrows.

In the drawings similar reference characters indicate Ithe same parts throughout the various figures. For the purpose of convenience I have not illustrated the particular type of machine to which'my invention has been herein applied and have shown the lower portion of the casing 5 thereof'that` 1s conveniently provided with a vertically disposed shuttle chamber 6 the lower portion of which communicates with a transversely bored bearing 7 in which the shuttle actuating shaft 8 is journaled. Shaft .8 preferably extends beyond its bearings at its outer end where it is provided with a reduced end portion 9, (the purpose of which will hereinafter more fully appear) and is surrounded by a sleeve r` bushing 10 that is ooextensive with the thickest portion thereof and which likewise extends outside the bearing 7 the same distance thereas.

This bushing is secured in the bearing by a` pin w driven through the bearing into the same thatl prevents its rotation .in or accidental removal from said bearing. The inner end of shaft 8 is provided with a disk shaped head 1l carrying a crank pin 12 to lwhich the adjacent lower end of a `shuttle actuating pitman orlever (notshown) is mounted. j y

The outer reduced end portion of shaft,v 8 is grooved .longitudinally to. provide a splineway 13 for the purpose of securing one of"'the members, of a friction clutch thereto. This clutch member preferably comprises a hollow sleeve 14' that surrounds the outer end of the shaft 8 vand is splined thereto by a'key 15 fitting into the spline- -way 13 above mentioned` and is secured to the interior groove of the' sleeve by means of a transverse pin .16. l,The inner end of the sleeve is enlarged toprovide a head 17 that is cup-shaped and fits over the extended end of the bushing 10 and has au 'ear 18 formed upon its outer periphery. Secured by pins or gotherwise to the outer vertical face of the head is an annular friction ring 19, the central opening of which fits over the inner portion of the sleeve is mounted loosely on the sleeve 14 the central boss 21 of which is grooved' and is adapted to bear against the outer face of the friction ring 19 and is held against the same by any suitable means, preferably the structure herein shown. This structure comprises a friction ring 22 mounted on and 14. A pulley 20 trans-axial headed pin 237` the head of which projects into a longitudinal groove 24 in the outer periphery of said sleeve so as to permit its removal longitudinally therefrom. An expansion spring 25 is coiled around the sleeve 14 between its outer end and said friction ring 22 and is kept under tension by a cup shaped cap 26 mounted upon the outer portion of the sleeve and inclosing said spring. i

The pulley 20 is driven by a beltor other means through the medium of a suitable motor and it will be obvious that the pressure exerted by spring 25 will frictionally hold the pulley under ordinary conditions between the friction rings 19 and 22 in order to rotate the latter and through the other instrumentalities will drive the shaft 8 at the same speed as said pulleyT 20. lVhen, however, the shaft is suddenly stopped the pressure of the spring and the friction of the rings is not sufficient to overcome the momentum of the pulley', the latter will continue to revolve independently thereof `between said rings.

I have illustrated one manner of stopping the Arotation of shaft 8 which comprises a pin 27 tted transversely in the headvportion of the sleeve so that one end thereof projects beyond the same into the space between said head and the adjacent portion of the supporting frame 5 of the machine. The pulley '20, gear 18 and shaft 8 are adapted to be rotated in the direction indicated'by` the arrow, in, Fig. 2 and the two latter elements (the gear and shaft) are adapted to be stopped by means of al suitable reciprocable plunger rod 28 the end of which is movable with the path of said pin 27 (Fig. 2). Plunger 28 is mounted in a transverse horizontal bore 29 in the frame of the machine in a plane below and in substantially vertical alinement with the axis of shaft 8 and said plunger is kept normally pressed toward the path of Said pin 27 by a coiled expansion spring 30 surrounding said plunger between a collar 31 fixed thereon and agbushing 32 journaling the outer end thereof. A hand grasp 33 is secured to the end of plunger 28 adjacent the 'spring 30 the central hub of which hand grasp isI engaged by the upper arm 34 of a bellcrank lever pivotally mounted below the plunger 28. rI`he free end 35 of the bellcrank carries a metallic disk 36 adapted to be attracted by the core 37 of a magnet 38 vwhen the latter is energized. It is unnecessary to herein discuss the manner or means 4employed for energizing magnet 38 as the same formsv no part of this invention. Suffice it to say, however, that said magnet is in circuit with a contact device engaged by the edge of a standard film which at predetermined points is operated by'saidlm to close the circuit and energize the magnet.

Instantly the magnet becomes energized the 27. As soon as said pin contacts the end of v plunger 28 the rotation of gear 18 and shaft 8 will be stopped and in order to prevent the pin rebounding away from the end of the plunger I mount a spring pressed pawl 39 (Fig. 2) in a recess 40 formed in the face of gear 18. This pawl is kept normally pressed outwardly toward the circumference of the gear 18 by a spring 41 and is provided with a laterally disposed wedgeshapedv lug or boss 42 the outer inclined face of which will ride over the end of the plunger and as soon as it has moved past the plunger will again assume its normal position and thereby prevent the rebound of the gear and its connected elements.

In order to cushion or recoil the sudden stoppage of the shaft as just discussed I provide a suitable mechanism which will now be described. A substantially pearshaped recoil plate or arm 43 has a central opening 44 in its wider portion so that the sameJ may be inserted over the bushing 10 in which shaft 8 is journaled. The bushing is preferably provided with an annular rib 45 that fits into an annular recess 46 cut in said recoil arm around one edge of the opening 44 so that after said arm has been placed upon said bushing it will be held in position bythe rib 45. The lower pendent portion of the arm is tapered and its lower end 47 is flattened transversely and is provided with two vertically alining transverse. openings 48, 48. These openings afford bearings for the respective ends of oppositelyyeXtended horizontal rods 49 and 50 that are prevented from slipping through said openings by nuts or heads 49aN and 502L on their adjacent ends. The outer ends of said rods are supported in horizontally bored guide bosses 51 and 52 mounted upon the frame of the machine on their respecfor the purpose of adjusting-'the tension'of suitable expansion springs 55 and 56 that are coiled around rods 49 and 50 between the flattened portion 47 of the recoil arm and said adjusting nuts. Suitable adjusting screws 57 and 58 are tapped into the outer opposite ends lof the. guide lugs 51 and 52 for the purpose of limiting the sliding movement of the rods 49 and 50. An opening 59 is bored through the arm 43 that registers with the bore end of the plunger 28 and through which said plunger is adapted to move to permit its end 'to engage the pin 27. i

- From the above it will be seen thatas soon i as the end of the plunger 28 is engaged by the pin 27 the pawl 39 will prevent the rebound of the same therefroml and at the same time the impact of the moving pin will be imparted to the plunger which in turn transmits it to the recoil arm causing a slight vibratory movement of.the latter. The vibration of the arm is cushioned in the -one direction and then in the other by the compression and expansion of the springs 55 and 56 thus absorbing the shock caused by the sudden impact of the pin against the end ofl the plunger. In order to permit of the slight lateral movement that is necessary for 'the plunger' at the moment of contact I prefer to provide a small amount of clearance between the collar 31 thereon and the inner face of the bore and bushing 32 in the end of said bore is slightly tapered internally Which has been shown as exaggerated in the drawing. Y

IVhile I have illustrated and described certain instrumentalties for carrying out my invention it of course Will be obviousto others skilled in the art that numerous modilications or refinements thereof are possible Without materially departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore desire it understood that all such changes are contemplated Within the scope of my invention as expressed in the following claims.

Having describedv` my invention, vv'hat'I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A recoil mechanism comprising a shaft, a drive pulley thereon, a friction clutch connecting said shaft and pulley, a lateral member projecting from said clutch, a plunger movable into and out of the path of said member, and a cushioned vibratory arm supporting the adjacent end of saidplunger.

2. A recoil mechanism comprising a shaft, a drive pulley thereon, a friction clutchlconnee'ting said shaft and pulley, a lateral member projecting from said clutch, a plunger movable into and out of the path of'said member, a vibratory arm supporting the adjacent end of said plunger, 'and a cushioning de vice'disposed upon opposite sides of said arm.

3. A recoil mechanism comprising a suit-v able s'upport, a shaft journaled therein and extended beyond its bearings, a drive pul-' ley mounted on the extended end of said shaft, a friction clutch connecting said shaft ing the end of said arm.

and pulley, a member carried by said clutch and .projecting laterally toward said 'supp port, a longitudinally reciprocable plunger journaled in said support and movable into- 4and out of the path of said member, and a pulleynmounted on the extended end of said shaft, a friction clutch connecting said shaftand pulley, a member carried by vsaid clutch and projecting laterally toward said supL port, a plunger journaled in said support and adapted to be moved into the path of and be engaged by .said member, and arcushioned vibratory arm journaled concentrir-r cally with said shaft and supporting the adjacent end of said plunger.

5. A recoil mechanism comprising a ,.shaft, a drive pulley thereon, a friction-clutch'connecting said shaft and pulley, a lateralmember projecting from said clutch, a plunger movable into and out of the path of said melnber, a vibratory arm in which thel ad jacent end of said plunger is supported, oppositzely disposed rods engaging the end of said arm, and springs carried by said rods and bearing on said arm.

6. A recoil mechanism comprising a suitable support, a shaft journaled therein one end of which is extended beyond its bearings, a drive pulley mounted on said shaft, a friction clutch connecting said shaft and pulley, a lateral member rotatable ivith said shaft,/a plunger journaled in said support and adapted to be moved into the path of and be engaged by said member to stop said shaft, and a cushioned arm supporting the end of said. plunger adjacent said member.

7. A recoil mechanism comprising a suitable support, a shaft journaled therein one end of Which is extended beyond its bearings, a drive pulley mountedon said shaft, a -friction clutch eonnectingsaid shaft and pulley, a lateral member lrotatable with, said shaft, a plunger journaled in said support and adapted to be moved into the path of and be engaged by said member to stop said shaft,` an arm supporting the end of said plunger adjacent said-member, and a cushioning de` vice]y disposed upon opposite-sides of said' armf.

8. A recoil mechanism comprising a suitable support, a shaft journaled A therein one end of which is extended beyond its bearings,

a drive pulley mounted on said shaft, a friction clutch connecting said shaft and pulley,

a. lateral member rotatable with said shaft, a plunger journaled 1n said support and adapted to be -moved into the path of and be engaged by said member to stop said shaft, an arm supporting the end of said plunger adjacent said member, and a spring engagshaft, an arm supporting the end of said plunger adjacent said member, oppositely disposed rods the adjacent ends of which engage said arm and the' opposite ends of which are' supported by lugs projecting from said support, and springs surrounding said rods between said lugs and said arm.

10. A recoil mechanism comprising a suitable support, a shaft journaled therein one end of which is extended beyond its bear ings, a drive pulley mounted on said shaft, a

friction clutch connecting said shaft and pulley, a lateral member rotatable with said shaft, a plunger j-ournaled in said support and adapted to be moved into the path of and be engaged by said member to stop said shaft, an arm supportingthe end of said plunger adjacent said lmember, op ositely disposed rods the adjacent ends o which engage said arm, guide lugs on said support in which the outer ends of said rods are carried, springs surrounding said rods between said arm and said lugs,and means for adjusting the movement of said rodsin relation to said lugs.A

11. A recoil mechanism comprising a shaft, a drive pulley thereon, al friction Vend of which is extended beyond its bearings, a drive pulley mounted on said shaft, a

friction clutch connecting said shaft and pulley, a lateral member rotatable with said shaft, a plunger journaled in said support and adapted to be moved into the path of and be engagedl by said member to stop said shaft, an arm supporting the end of said plunger adjacent said member, and springs disposed upon opposite sides of said arm and engaging the end thereof.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 11 day of February, 1915. v v

ALBERT S. HOWELL.

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