US1660173A - Telegraphic sending key - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21, 1928. 1,660,173

N. WQM LACHLAN TELEGRAPHIC SENDING KEY Filed April 19, 1923 NORMAN W. McLACHLAN gmvemtoz 7 wheel.

the automatic sender'and may conveniently.

Patented Feb. 21, 1928.

UNITED. STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

NORMAN WILLIAM MoLACI-ILAN, OF CHELM SFOIRD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOB TO RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TELEGRAPHIO snNnInG KEY.

Application filed April 19, 1923, Serial No. 633,045, and in Great Britain April 20, 1922.

This invention relates to the sending keys used in telegraphy and its object isto provide a key in which a'small movement due to an automatic sender, such as a Wheatstone transmitter, shall produce a large movement of a contact arm.

According to this invention I make fastwith a fly wheel, which can be rapidly rotated, one member of a clutch, the other member of which can be moved into and out of engagement with the first member by an automatic sender, and I mount on this second member a contact arm so that a small movement of translationof the second member causes it to engage the first member and therefore to be carried round rapidly and with considerable force by the fly wheel, while on its being disengaged it is brought back to its normal position by a spring. Preferably the first member consists of a female cone formed in or on the fly wheel, and the second member consists of a male cone mounted so that it is free to rotate but cannot move longitudinally upon a' rod which passes through an axial hole in the fly This rod is moved longitudinally by be connected to a band carrying a shoe in contact with a continuously rota-ting drum provided with a coil through which a current is sent according to the signals to .be transmitted. Y I

Insome cases I may provide in the female cone a coil, current in which is controlled by the automatic sender, to cause magnetic attraction between the two parts of the clutch, or there may be a coil in both members of the clutch, and aconstant. current can flow through one coil while a current reversed by the automatic sender may flow through the other.

My invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectionof a con tact arm and the operating mechanism therefor,

Figure 2 is an end view of the apparatus shown in Figurel,

Figure 3 1s a sectional vlew of a modified form of the apparatus shown in Figure 1,

And Figure 4 is an end view of the apparatus shown in Figure 3.

In Fig. 1, A is a fly wheel fast with a belt pulley B by which it'can be rotated at a high constant speed. In the fly wheel is formed a female cone G into which fits a male cone D mounted so that it can rotate between collars E on a rod F connected at one end through a spring G to a fixed sup port H and at the other to'a band I suclias is described in my British specification No. 176,932 March 22, 1922. This band passes round a constantly rotating drum J and carries shoes K which bear upon the surface of the drum, while the end of the band is connected through a spring L to a fixed support When a current passes through the coil in the drum J the shoes are momentarily attracted to the drum and the'refore'the rod F is moved to the right, bringing the cone D into engagement with the cone C, so that the cone D is turned by the rotation of the fly wheelA; i

The cone D has fast upon it acontact arm N which, as shownin Figure 2, is adapted to make contact with a fixed contact 0.

P is a spring which restores the arm to its normal position as soon as the rod F is, on the cessation of the current through the coil in the drum J, moved to the left by the spring G, thus freeing cone D from cone C.

Q, R, are coils arranged in the cones C, D, respectively, through one of which a constant current can flow, other can flow a current controlled by the automatic sender, so that when the cones-engage one another their frictional engagement may be increased by magnetic attraction.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a modified form of clutch in which the interior surface of the fly wheel is provided with a coned groove into which fit coned segments S, S, pivoted to the ends of arms, T, T, pivoted to a sleeve on the rod F. When the rod is moved to the right the arms T cause the segments S to engage in the groove in the'fly wheel and therefore the segments are carried round with the fly wheel until an arm N fast on one of them comes as before against a fixed contact.

Having described my invention,.what I claim is: r

1. In a telegraphic sending key, the combination of a fly wheel, a clutch, one member of which is fast with the fly wheel, and

while through the 7 ment of the two members of the clutch by magnetic attraction.

3. In radio transmitting apparatus,a key comprising a fixed contact member, a movable contact member cooperating therewith and mounted for rotation, a rotating member for driving said movable contact mem ber by frictional engagement and rotatable means for effecting engagement between said movable contact member and said driving member in accordance with keying. 7

4. In radio transmitting apparatus, a key comprising a fixed contact member, a movable contact member arranged for rotation, a rotatable driving member for rotating said contact member in one direction by frictional engagement therewith, means for rotating said movable contact member in the other direction and rotatable means for causing frictional engagement between said movable contact member and said driving member in accordance with keying;

5. In radio transmitting apparatus, a key comprising a'fixed contact member, a movable contact member rotatable into and out of contact therewith, means for normally maintaining said membersout of contact, a rotatable driving member for rotating said movable contact member by frictional engagement therewith to engage said contact members and rotatable means for causing frictional engagement between said driving member and said movable contact member in accordance with keying.

6. In radio transmitting apparatus, a key comprising a fixed contact member, a movable contact member rotatable into and out of contact therewith, means for normally maintaining said members out of contact, a rotatable driving member for rotating said ..movable contact member by frictional engagement therewith to engage said Contact members and means for causing frictional engagement between said driving member and said movable contact member in accordance with keying, said last mentioned means compris ng means for effecting axial.

motion between said movable contact member and said driving member for eifectlng frictional engagement of the former by the latter.

7. In radio transmitting apparatus, a key 8. In a radio transmitting apparatus, a

key comprising a fixed contact member, a

movable contact member cooperating there" with and mounted for rotation, a clutch for intermittently rotating said movable contact member, means for normally maintaining sa1d clutch in the disengaged positlon, and a continuously rotating drum cooperating with said clutch to impart movement'to the aforesaid movable contact member in accordance with signal impulses impressed on the drum.

9. In a, radio transmitting apparatus, a key comprising a fixed contact member, a

movable contact member cooperating therewith, a clutch comprising relatively movable members one of said last mentioned members being associated with said movable contact member, means normally-to maintain said clutch members in spaced relation and continuously rotatable means associated in frictional relation with one of said clutch members to give the said member axial move-.

ment, whereby it may be brought into engagement with the other clutch member to rotate the movable contact member.

10. In a radio transmitting apparatus, a fixed contact, a pair of complementary clutch members, means for rotating one of said clutch members, a contact member on the' other clutch member, and means for engag- 111g and disengaging sa1d clutch member in accordance with keying. V V

11. In a radio transmitting apparatus, a fixed contact, a pair of complementary clutch members, means for rotating one of said clutch members, a contact member on the other clutch member, and frictional means including a continuously rotating drum for engaging and disengaging said bers.

NORMAN WILLIAM MQLACHLAN;

clutch mem-I

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