US2044471A - Time recorder - Google Patents

Description

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TIME RECORDER Filed may 13, 1932 INVENTRS Mie/wf Elim/m1? au WMM/AM Mmm ffE/a Patented June 16, 1936 Ara FFICE 'rum ancona Laurence Ellsworth Dodd and William Win'ck Harper, Los Angeles, Ca

Application May 13, 1932, Serial No. 611,225

2 Claims.

This invention relates to time recorders, and has for its primary object the provision oi means for utilizing a light beam to actuate an electrical circuit and effect recordation of the time required 5 for the movement of an object from one place to another and for denitely indicating and re= cording with precision the elapsed time between two successive signals to be measured or for indicating and recording the exact time oi a single signal.

The invention is particularly, but not necesl sarily, designed for use in recording the time re quired for the passage of a moving object over a race course, say from a starting line to the finishing line of the course, and an important object of the invention resides in the provision of positively and accurately functioning means for timing each individual runner at selected points in the course in such manner that the history of the individual participants will be re-j corded separately and becom'e a permanent rec=1 ord that will be clearly legible.

A further object of the invention is to provide a recording system employing separate light beams for causing actuation of corresponding circuits and an operation of a printing chronograph in succession, with an actuation of any particular circuit upon the interception of a beam, and means for automatically resetting each of said circuits following the interception of the light beam thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the -following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View of the recorder;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation ci a por tion of a mechanically controlled circuit breaker adapted to be employed in the circuit of the recorder;V

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic View showing the recorder installed for use upon a race course.

In carrying the invention into practice, use is made of a printing chronograph P which is partly characterized by a motor-actuated type Wheel 33, a recording tape 42, a transfer ribbon dit and an oscillatory printing hammer d8. Said ham mer 40 is pivotally supported at 4l so that it may operatively coact with the ribbon 44 to cause an impression to be formed on the tape d2 at a time and under conditions hereinafter to be referred In Figure 1 is illustrated an actuating circuit A for said printing chronograph P; a control cuit B for the actuating circuit; a direct current relay iI in said control circuit, the same having an armature l2 urged to one position in which the actuating circuit is closed and adapted to be moved by eld energization of the aforel mentioned relay so as to assume another position in which the actuating circuit is opened. In order that the current flow through therelay can be normally reduced suiiciently to prevent movement of the armature I2 to open the actul0 ating circuit, we provide a resistance 4 in said control circuit and the functioning thereof will be fully appreciated as the description proceeds.

A branch circuit C of said control circuit is provided with a normally open, manually con- 15 trolled switch it for shunting current flow around said resistance il to thereby suiiicientlyincrease energization of the relay BI to cause it to operate the armature l2 and thus open the actuating circuit., y 26 A second branch circuit D in said control circuit is so controllable by said armature I2 that when the relay 'il is fully energized and the switch ld is opened, said resistance 4 will remain shunted to thereby maintain the relay fully en- 25 ergized.

The lead 2l of the actuating circuit A connects at one end with the armature I2 and at its other end with an electro-magnet E. The other lead il@ of the actuating circuit, which is arranged in a source of potential F, connects at one end with a contact device Id which is spaced apart from a similar contact device I5 Aof the secondary branch circuit D, and it will be observed that the armature I2 is interposed between said contact 85 devices and that same is in normal engagement with the contact device I4. The other end of the lead 2d passes to said electro-magnet E, as shown.

The relay Ii connects with the plate 'I of a three element vacuum tube through the lead l 40 ci the control circuit B, and the lead 12 of the control circuit passes to the filament 9 o1' said tube, the said filament being supplied with current through the battery 13.

The grid ii of the vacuum tube connects 45 through the lead dul of a second control circuit with the electrode 8b of a light sensitive tube i' which latter constitutes means for reducing the omtrent dow through the aforementioned control circuit B. The electrode 8c of the device I con- 50 nects through. the lead 8d with a source of potential 2 in said circuit B', and said lead connects ms; the primary control circuit B, as shown. 'Extending across from the lead 8a to the lead 8d a resistance t. 55

1n. the control circuit E is a battery for supn plying current to the plate l through a rheostat 5. 'A manually actuated switch i il in the control circuit B coacts with a contact device lila in said circuit, and, as illustrated, said switch connects with a Contact member il vand the contact member l9a connects with a contact member it and between the latter and said Contact member lll is a bridge strip 2l of conducting material, which is adapted to be 'removed from the control cir cuit, preferably by percussion when the pistol shownsin Figure 2 is red at the starting of a race.- It will be noted that the contact devices lll and I8 which are shunted acrossthe switchv i9 are adapted to be connected with. the metallic clips 28 and 29 at the muzzle of said pistol. Said clips 28 and 29 are suitably connected with the muzzle by binding posts illb and tilt and the liree extremities thereof normally engage the bridge strip 2l as shown in Figure 2. It is under--` stood that contact members il! and il@ are insulated from the muzzle of the pistol and that the spring clips 2t and 2Q do not contact the muzzlevwhen the strip 2l is disengaged, thereby enabling the circuit B to be disrupted as intended. When the pistol is red the said bridge strip is disengaged from the clips 2t and 2t so as to dis rupt the control circuit B. This causes de-energization of the magnet it so that the armature i2 will return against said contact device ifi, at which time, the actuating circuitwill be closed and the magnet E energized to cause the hammer dil to strike against the ribbon GG 'and thereby eect recordation of a signaL As previously stated, the switch l@ is manually controlled in the form of the inventionfas herein illustrated, but it should be clearly understood that same may be automatically actuated in any suitable well known manner without departing from the scope of the hereto appended claims,I

lin the diagrammatic illustration (Figure 3) nu merals 3u and 3l indicate the starting line oif race course and numerals d2 and 33 the finishing line, along which latter a beam of light isdirected toward the light responsive device or means il from a light projecting system La Said system L includes a lamp 3ft and a lens 35 by means of to attract the armature l2 away from the t which parallel light rays will be made to impinge on said device l so that actuation will be set up in the secondary control circuit B and iina'lly Ain the actuating circuit A to operate the printing chronograph P and thereby record the elapsed time between the starting ,signal and the interval which marks the'i'nterruption of the respective circuits the moment the light beam is intercepd by the movement of 'an object acro'ss same, The sound actuated means in the control circuit B is intended to occupy a position in close proxu imityto the starting line .3Q-3l, and while we have described that the aforementioned light beam is positioned at the line it obviously follows that said beamvcan be projected across any selected intermediate portion of said course.

Having described the essential features oi construction of the apparatus, the operation thereof is as 1"ollows:4

Upon reference to Figure l of the drawing, will be assumed that a steady light beam is being projected onto the cell i. The armature iii of the relay ii is normally closed against the contact device it, and it follows that when the switch is momentarily closed a shorting o the resist#- ance il is eiiected to thereby increase the flow oi plate current through said relay il! sufdciently when the light beam is next interrupted or ini7 tercepted. A switch l5" in the circuit A is pro= device Ill and draw same against the contact de vice i5. Subsequent release of the switch it will now have no effect on the relay because the resistance l is shorted through the contact device l5 and the armature l2. A steady condition now 5 exists in the primary and secondary control circuits to constitute a set condition of the apparatus. For the purpose of recording time signals, the just referred to steady condition of said circuits may be disturbed, rst by opening the primary control circuit between the terminals l1 and i8 in the manner aforestatecl, and secondly, by interrupting the steady beam of light falling upon the cell i. 'When the condition is disturbed by opening the primary control circuit as just l5 stated, current iow in the primary control circuit is interrupted and the electro-magnet il is deenergized and the armature l2 is drawn back against the contact device it, thus closing the actuating circuit and eiecting an operation of 20 the printing chronograph to record the rst time signal, as indicative of the starting time of a race. ihe circuits are restored to their normal condition by closing the switches iii and (i9, providing, oi course, there exists an open condition 22S between the contact devices il and M3.

With the circuits re-set afteran initial operation oi the apparatus, to record said rst sign nal7 a second signal will be recorded the in stant the light beam is intercepted by an object, 30 in this case the runner or contestant. This A changes the potential of the grid t to a relatively high negative value, causing a corresponding drop in the plate current, and likewise in the current dow through the relay i i, at which time the armature i2 is returned against the contact device ifi@ Obviously, subsequent restoration of the light beam and a closing of the switch it prepares the apparatus for recordation oi another time signal vided in order that said circuit may be broken 'when the apparatus is not in use.

What we claim as our invention is:

l.l In an electrical system for controlling an instrument actuating circuit, a control circuit have ing a relay whose armature isadapted to be cons nectecl in an actuating circuit to respectively open and close same and said armature being biased to a closed position; a resistance in said control circuit for normally reducing current flow through the .relay and thus maintain said normal biased position of said armature; a branch circuit in the control circuit vhaving a switch normally open but manually operable to shunt current ow around said resistance and suiciently to increase energization of the relay to cause it to move the armature from said normal biased position; a second branch circuit in the control circuit so controllable by said armature that when the relay is fully energized and the switch is open, said resistance will remain shunted to maintain the relay iully energized; and means for disrupting the control circuit at such point therein as to deenergize the relay.

2., in an electrical system for controlling an instrument actuating circuit, a primary control cirhavi: a relay whose armature is biased to a closed position and movable by full energication of the relay to an open position; a resistance in the primary control circuit normally ree ducing current iiow through the relay suiiciently to prevent movement of the armature from said biased position; a branch circuit in the primary ica-trol circuit having a switch biased to open 75 poaition'but manually movable to shunt current now around the resistance and thereby increase enersization of the relay -sumciently to cause it to operate the armature a second branch circuit so controllable by said armature that when the relay is fully energized and the switch is open, said resistance will remain shunted to maintain the relay fully energized; `means for disrupting the primary control circuit at such point therein as to de-energize the relay a second control circuit including a part o! said primary control circuit and havinga separate source of current; a current control device in the two control circuits and connected with said separate source 'of current; and means for reducing current flow in the secondary control circuit, to thus cause operation ot the current control device to reduce currentflow in the primary control circuit suiliciently to e'ect deenergization oi.' said relay.

LAURENCE ELLsWoR'rH Donn. WILLIAM WIRICK HARPER.

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