US1273897A - Counter for moving objects. - Google Patents

Description

G. F. MATTESON.

COUNTER FOR MOVING OBJECTS. APPLICATION FILED 056.11, I9I5.

1 ,273,897. Patented July 3o, 1918.

A TTOAR/VEYS their passage over conveyers,

UNITED "STATES PAT OFFICE.

GEORGE FRANKLYN MATTESON, OF RIDLEY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA', ASSIG'NOR T0 THE VEEDER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORA- "rIoN or CONNECTICUT.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. MAT'rEsoN, a citizen `of the United States, residing in Ridley Park, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Counters for Moving Objects, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to a counter operated automatically by a succession of moving objects, such as separate sheets of paper in as when sheets are passing into a calender` roll. The invention has been designed with especial reference to its use with sheets of paper under the condition stated, although it will be evident, as this description proceeds that the invention is equally adaptable to usesV in other fields wherein there is a succession of moving objects. For convenience, in the description and claims, an embodiment will be described in which the counter is employed-for the counting of a succession of separate sheets of paper.

Sheets of paper are carried into ancalender roll by conveyer strips or bands which grip the successive sheets and draw them forward into the calender roll in spaced relationship to one another. In practice, the sheets are fed into the conveyer rapidly by the attendant thatthey are separated by only a slight space, amounting in some instances, to only a quarter of an inch, or thereabout. Advantage has been taken of this relative dispos'tion of the sheets at the time that they are thus traveling through the conveyer band, in providing a counter which shall be actuated mechanically by each successive sheet and through .such actuation be caused to count. properly the number of sheets passing into the calender roll. Other objects conveyed forward in an equivalent mechanical sense may be counted by the improved devices. object to providea counter` which shall be certainty to count correctly every object and to make this counter of such simple construction as to permit its ready attachment to any machine and insure its correct registration under all conditions of use. In accordance with the invention the counter is set in motion by contact of each sheet of paper with suitable fingers the spaces `between the successive bands so 4 4The invention has for its Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 4July 30, 1918. Application ledDecember 11, 1915. Serial No. 66,261. l I

which rest lightly on the surface of the sheet `and drop into the space 'between successive sheets to restore the counting devices to their normal condition. Of course, in practice, the fingers rest within thel space between successive sheets for only a fraction of a second, since this space is often as small as a quarter of an inch and the Ysheets are drawn forwardly rapidly, but the improved construction is so simple in its character that the, change of condition in the counting mechanism effected by this slight tripping movement is suiicient for the purpose. n the improved form of the invention the movement of these fingers into and out of sheets of paper is not relied upon to drive the counter, but the driving power is derived from an independent source, the eifect of the tripping movement of the lingers as described being merely to operate an escapement device or its equivalent and thereby permitthe independent driving power to be transmitted through suitable clutch elements to the counter shaft. In this way the sheets of paper are relieved from all undue stresses and their liability tearing by the counting mechanism is minimize The invention is further concerned with many advantageous de- -tails of construction by which the stated oball of which details will be specifically in vconnection with the description of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation and partly in section, showing the application of the improved counter toa machine tinuously into a calender..-v roll, this. last named mechanism being indicated conventionally.

Fig. 2 is a view of so much of the apparatus as is shown in Fig. 1 looking down on the machine of Fig. 1 at an angle of 45 from the upper right hand side thereof las indicated by the arrow.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the escapement device, showing particularly the relation of the holding pawls to the escapement Wheel.

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary detail View in section taken on the plane indicated by lthe line -l-i of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

The path of movement ofthe sheets of jects are realized, pointed out more for feeding sheets of paper conporting bar d, as through a clamp c', this guide c constituting conveniently a plate with a serrated end 02 for a purpose which will hereinafter appear; The supporting bar d may be journaled in side brackets e which are secured in turn to suitable frame members f. By the disposition of the parts described, each sheet of paper will be drawn over the fingers 02 of the guide-plate c.

On the upper ends of the side brackets e may be secured a second supporting rod g,

which extends between the brackets in parallelism to the lower supporting bar d for the paper-guide c. On the upper bar vg there 1s fixed releasably a sup orting arm k, as through a set screw L, or the support, at its free end, of a reduction pulley z' to which rotation is imparted from any available source of power and from which power is transmitted, as through a belt 7c, to the shaft of the counter Z, as will be explained.

The counter Z is supported removably on the upper supporting bar g by means of suitable brackets m arranged to be clamped to the bar g as through set screws m. The counter Z may be of any usual and approved form and inasmuch as the invention is not concerned with the construction of the counter itself none of the elements thereof will be referred to specifically with the exception of the driving shaft Z shown most clearly in Fig. 4. rlfhe end of this shaft Z is formed with a ball-race Z2 in which are disposed the balls Z3 for the support of a drive pulley n for the counter. This drive pulley carries in its front face a removable ball-cup n whereby assembling and disassembling are facilitated. On the inner face of the drive pulley n is supported as through spring-pressed pins o, a friction disk p through which the counter shaft'Z extends loosely. In juxtaposition to the friction disk p and abutting against the face thereof is a friction Washer g of suitable material, such as wood, the other face of which is held in frictional engagement with an escapement wheel 7- which is keyed to the counter-shaft Z. Of course, the engagement of the friction disk p with the washer g and the engagement of the latter with the escapement wheel r, is frictional, the degree of pressure depending entirely upon the tension of the springs 0. inasmuch as power is transmitted continuously during operation These sheets pass belt lo and the number of sheets of paper or moving objects correctly counted.

The escapement mechamsm comprlses generally a double esca ement pawl-lever s,-

the fingers s and s2 o which act alternately upon a single tooth r formed on the periphery of they escapement wheel r. The pawl-lever s is carrled on a rock shaft t which may bejournaled conveniently in the supporting brackets m, for the counter Z, and subJected to the action of a light torsional spring t in engagement with the shaft and with one of the brackets m. Between the ends of the shaft t is fixed a controlling arm, illustrated in the present embodiment, as formed of a series of light lingers t2, the ends of which are intended to rest on the surface of the successive sheets of paper or other moving objects and drop into the space esA between such sheets or objects under the infiuence of the torsional spring t. Each time the fingers t2 drop into the space between the successive sheets of paper, the escapement lever s is rocked so that one or the other of the fingers s', s2 thereon releases the tooth r on the escapement wheel and permits this wheel to rotate through the drive-of the friction washer g until the tooth comes into engagement with the other of the fingers s', 82.

In operation, it may be supposed that the ends of the fingers t2 rest in a space between two successive sheetsof paper or other objects. In this position, the pawl-lever s will be rocked so as to bring the finger s thereof into engagement with the tooth r on the escapement wheel r. During the forward travel of the paper, the ends of the fingers Z2 will ride up on the surface of the sheet thereby rocking the pawl-lever s and disengaging its finger s from the ratchet tooth r. Immediately upon this release, the power from the belt c is impressed u on the escapement wheel r through t e friction washer g and the counter-shaft Z is accordingly rotated until the ratchet tooth 7" is moved into engagement with the other finger s2 on the pawl-lever s. As soon as the engagement is effected, the drive pulley n rotates idly. When the fingers t2 ride ofi' the surface of the sheet and drop into the succeeding space, the paWl-lever 8 is rocked again so as to move the finger s2 out of the engagement with the ratchet tooth r. As the space between successive sheets of paper will usually be very small and thev rate of travel of the sheets is relatively great, the lingers t2 will remain in the space for only a small unit of time and then ride up on the surface of the sheet'following, thereby rocking the paWl-lever s again into the position shown in Fig. 3 and permitting the escapement Wheel 11 with the counter-shaft l* to have a 'full revolution.

It will Ibe appreciated that the invention is in nowiselimited to the character ofthe machine to which the improved mechanical counter is applied nor to the details of construction by Which the desired relationship between the counter and the objects to be counted is effected. F urther,'the described action of the paWl-lever s with respect to -the fingers t2 and the ratchet tooth r may be brought about by the substitution of mechanical equivalents and the phase relation of operations changed. Again, the degree of friction between the friction Washer q and the abutting elements may be adjusted `to suit particular conditions of use by the adjustment of the springs 0 of the lsupporting pins o for 'the friction disk p. Other departures from the illustrated'embodiment may be made Without departing from the spirit 0f this invention provided the advantages described are4 realized and the modified structures fall Within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of means for effecting movement of a succession of objects, a supporting device over which the objects move, a controlling arm pivotall mounted above the path of travel of the objects and adapted to rest at its free end lightly on the moving objects in proximity to the supporting device, a counter, continuously acting driving means for the counter, a slipping friction clutch interposed between the driving means andthe counter, and an escapement coperating-With the slipping friction clutch and controlled by said controlling arm.

2. The combination of means foifeii'ecting movement of a succession of objects, a supporting device'overwhich the objects move.

a shaft mounted above the path of travel of the objects and transverse thereto, a controlling arm carried by the shaft and resting at its free end lightly on the moving objects in proximity to the supporting device,

'a counter, continuously acting driving means for the counter, a slipping friction clutch interposed between the driving means and the counter, and an escapement coperating with the slipping friction clutch and controlled by said shaft. l

This specification signed this 4 day of December, A. D. 1915.

GEORGE FRANKLYN MATTEsoN.

Images