US2112274A - Revolution counting apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Mam}! 138. L. F. UGRESETT REVOLUTION COUNT ING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Affoxwegm Filed Dec. 3, 1955 REVOLUTION COUNTING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 3D Me Patented Mar. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REVOLUTION COUNTING APPARATUS Application December 3, 1935, Serial No. 52,648

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in revolution-counting apparatus.

One object of this invention is to provide improved revolution-counting apparatus in which an interval-timer and a revolution-counter are both under a single control.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved revolution-counting apparatus in which an interval-timer and a revolution-counter are both under a single control and in which the revolution-counter drives a tachometer.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved revolution-counting apparatus formed of rugged elements readily manufactured and readily assembled to produce a durable efficient construction.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention includes all improvements over the prior art which are disclosed in this application.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one Way of carrying out the invention is shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan View illustrating the chassis of one embodiment of the improved revolution-counting apparatus with the electric wiring illustrated diagrammatically;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the chassis;

Fig. 3 is .a rear elevation of the left-hand portion of the chassis;

0 Fig. 4 is an enlarged front elevation of the revolution-counter or central unit, with the front panel, dial, and most of the parts mounted forward of the front movement-plate omitted; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of part of Fig. 4 on line 5-5 thereof.

In the description and claims, the Various parts are identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the prior art will permit.

Referring to the drawings, the improved revolution-counting apparatus includes three main units I0, I l and I2, mounted on a panel or mounting-plate Ill to form the chassis. The chassis may be mounted in any suitable case. The ceni5 tral unit I!) is a revolution-counter and includes indicating-means in the form of a dial l3 and pointers l4 and 15, a drivable mechanism 16 including a rotary shaft-end l'l adapted to be connected by means of the slot I l to a rotary member (not shown), the revolutions of which are to be counted, and a clutch consisting of a fixed clutch-element l8, and a slidable clutch-element [9 adapted to be moved into engagement with the fixed clutch-element l8 by means of an electromagnet 20 electrically controlled by the wires 2| and 22. The indicating elements l3, I4 and P5 of the revolution-counter, the various parts and gearing for driving the pointers I 4, IS, the clutchelements l8 and IS, the electromagnet 20, and the supporting-plates for the said parts, are substantially identical with corresponding parts fully described in my patent on timing instruments No. 2,069,876 granted February 9, 1937.

Among certain of the minor differences of the present construction over corresponding parts in 10 the said patent may be mentioned the clutch-operating fork 23, which in the present construction is in the form of a flat leaf-spring hinged at 24 to the armature 25. 26 is a fiat leaf-spring which may be provided with a pad 2'! of leather or other 15 suitable material and adapted to engage against the movable clutch-element l9 when the latter is moved to open position (Fig. 5), to act in con junction with the sheet-metal spring-washer 28 to limit the overrun of the pointer.

The flat spring 29 (Fig. l) frictionally presses against the side of the gear 30 to produce a constant drag. Shaft 3! is pivotally mounted in the movement- plates 32 and 33 and has an arm 34 carrying a roller 35 adapted to press against the heart-shaped resetting-cam 36 to reset the pointer l5 secured to the sleeve 31, which in turn is connected to the heart-shaped cam 36. The shaft 3i also has an arm 38 carrying a roller 39 adapted to press against the edge of the resetting-cam 40, which latter is fixed to the center-arbor or shaft 4 I, which in turn is secured to the pointer l4, thus providing for resetting the pointer M to zero.

The arm 38 has its outer end pivotally connected to a link 12, which in turn is pivotally connected 35 to the outer end of a lever-arm 43 which is secured to a shaft 44 pivoted in the movementplates 32 and 33 and carries at its end a thumblever 45 to permit of manual resetting of the pointers H5 and i5, as described. 40

A spring 48 has its upper end connected to a pin 41 secured to the movement-plate 32 and has its lower end connected in an opening 48 in the lever-arm 38 to normally hold the lever-arm 38 pulled upwardly against the limit-pin 49 which 5 is fastened to the movement-plate 32. The fixed clutch-element [8 has a gear 56 formed thereon or secured thereto, which gear meshes with a driving-gear 5! secured on a shaft 52 mounted in the movement- plates 32 and 33, which shaft 52 extends rearwardly through the rear movementplate 33 and has secured on its end a bevel-gear 53 which is in driven relationship with a bevelgear 54 secured on a shaft 55 mounted for rotation in bearing-brackets 56 and 51 secured to 55 the plate 58, which plate 58 is secured to movement- plates 32 and 33 by means of pillars 59, 60. The shaft 55 has secured thereto a worm-wheel 6| in driven relation with a worm 62, which is secured to or formed on a shaft 63 mounted in bearings 64 and 65, said shaft 63 being extended to provide the shaft-end portion I1 and adapted to be connected by the slot I1 to a rotary member (not shown), the revolutions of which are to be counted.

A three-legged bracket or brace 66 is secured to the rear of the plate 58 and has a supportingbearing 61 for the end-portion ll of the shaft 63. The bracket 66 also has an internally-threaded portion 68 adapted to have engaged therein a corresponding threaded portion of a member such, for example, as a casing of a flexible shaft (not shown), which shaft is to be connected to the shaft-end I1.

Secured to the shaft 63 is a bevel-gear 69 in driving relationship with another bevel-gear 18, which latter is secured on one end of a shaft II rotatably mounted in bearings 12 and 13 of a bracket I4 secured to the rear face of the plate 58 by screws 15 or any other suitable means. The shaft I I, on its opposite end, has secured another bevel-gear I6, which in turn is in driving relation with still another bevel-gear 11, which in turn is secured on a shaft I8 of a tachometer unit II of one of the well-known types, such, for example, as the magnetic type illustrated in the drawings.

The pointer I9 and the dial 89 constitute indicating-means for giving a visual indication of the approximate number of revolutions being made by the shaft 63 and the end I! thereof at any given instant. The interval-timer or time-indicator unit I2 has pointers 8| and 82 and a dial 83, in conjunction with clutch-mechanism including fixed and movable clutch-elements 84, 84, and an electromagnet 85, for actuating the clutch-mechanism by electricity supplied through wires 86 and 81. 88 constitutes a resetting thumblever. The pointers I5 and 82 are preferably so geared as to respectively move over one graduation on the inner circles of the dials I3 and 83 for each complete rotation or revolution of the pointers I4 and BI.

All the parts of unit I2 just described are substantially identical with the corresponding parts of unit I0, which have been more particularly hereinbefore set forth and it will, therefore, be unnecessary to describe this part of the construction of the unit I2 in further detail. The gear 89 formed on the fixed clutch-element 84 is in driven engagement with a gear 99 driven from the synchronous motor 9I which receives its operating current from the wires 92, 93.

In operation, a rotary part such as a flexible shaft having one end connected to, say, for example, an internal combustion engine (not shown) has its other end connected to the shaftend I1, and the engine is started in operation, and has its speed of rotation increased until the pointer I9 of the unit I I indicates a desired speed on the dial 88, say, for example, two thousand revolutions per minute. Wires 92 and 93 are connected to a suitable source of electric-current supply such as an alternating-current, whereupon since the current is directly fed to the synchronous alternating-current motor 9I, the latter starts rotating and through the gears 99 and 89 rotates the fixed clutch-element 84.

The switch 94 is now closed, thus sending electric current through wires 2I, 22 and 86, 81 to the electromagnets 28 and 85, whereupon the electromagnets simultaneously move the movable clutch-elements I9 and 84 into clutching engagement with the fixed clutch-elements I8 and 84, to thus start the pointers of the units I8 and I2 in operation, the element I8 indicating the actual number of revolutions made by the shaftend I1, and the element I2 indicating the corresponding time during which such revolutions are made.

After the lapse of any desired length of time such, for example, as a minute, the switch 94 is opened, with the consequence that both of the clutches of the units I8 and I2 are simultaneously thrown open, and the pointers of these units come to a simultaneous stop. It is, therefore, a simple matter to read directly upon the dials I3 and 83 the exact number of revolutions shown on the dial I3 which have occurred in the interval of time shown on the dial 83. If the number of revolutions thus accurately measured is lower than, say, the two thousand revolutions per minute which the pointer I9 indicates roughly, then the finger- levers 45 and 88 are pressed down to reset all of the pointers I4, I5, 8I and 82 back to their original zero position, and the speed of the engine which is being measured is then increased to bring the pointer I9 to a point beyond the two thousand mark, to a point that is estimated to be the number of revolutions desired in the engine, the speed of which is being measured. When the pointer 19 becomes stationary at the desired point, the switch 94 is again closed, whereupon the clutches of the units I and I2 are simultaneously closed and the pointers I4, I and 8|, 82 thereof simultaneously start their travel about their respective dials.

When a desired lapse of time has occurred, the switch 94 is opened, whereupon the clutches open simultaneously by the action of the springs 95, 96 connected to the armatures 25 and 98 of the electromagnets 20 and 85, and the number of actual revolutions is counted on the dial I3, and by calculation in connection with the time interval represented on the dial 83, the exact number of revolutions that the engine is making can be readily determined. When the engine is finally found to be making a sufliciently close number of revolutions to that desired, then any proceedings such as measuring the quantity of gasoline consumed by the engine at the given speed can be found. If desired, the exact number of actual revolutions made by the engine throughout the entire period of the test, together with the exact duration of the same, can be determined by having the units I9 and I2 in operation during the period of test. The switch 94 can be mounted in any desired way, such, for example, on the end of a two-wire electric cord that can be operated at any distance desired from the apparatus.

The springs 95 and 96 can be adjusted, as more fully explained in my said patent, to equalize the underrun and overrun of the pointers, to secure maximum accuracy.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than that herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A revolution-counting apparatus comprising: a revolution-counter including indicatingmeans, drivable-means adapted to be connected to a rotary member, the revolutions of which are to be counted, and a clutch interposed between said indicating-means and said drivablemeans; an electrically-driven stop-timer having indicating-means; and single electric controlmeans connected to said counter and said timer and adapted to be actuated to engage the clutch of the counter to start the counter-indicatingmeans and simultaneously start the stop-timer indicating-means, and adapted to be actuated todisengage the clutch of the counter to stop the counter-indicating-means and simultaneously stop the stop-timer indicating-means.

2. A revolution-counting apparatus comprising: a revolution-counter including indicatingmeans, drivable-means adapted to be connected to a rotary member, the revolutions of which are to be counted, and a pair of normally-unclutched clutch-members interposed between said indieating-means and said drivable-means with one of said clutch-members normally driven by said rotary member just prior to a counting operation; a stop-timer including indicating-means, a motor, and a pair of normally-unclutched clutch-members interposed between said indieating-means and said motor with one of said clutch-members normally driven by said motor just prior to a counting operation; and single control-means connected to said counter and said timer and adapted to be actuated to simultaneously engage the pairs of clutch members of the counter and stop-timer to simultaneously start the counter and stop-timer indicatingmeans, and adapted to be actuated to simultaneously disengage both said pairs of clutch members to simultaneously stop both said indicatingmeans.

3. A revolution-counting apparatus comprising: a revolution-counter including indicatingmeans, drivable-means adapted to be connected to a rotary member, the revolutions of which are to be counted, and a pair of normally-unclutched clutch-members interposed between said indicating-means and said drivable-means with one of said clutch-members normally driven by said rotary member just prior to a counting operation; a stop-timer including indicatingmeans, an electric motor, and a pair of normallyunclutched clutch-members interposed between said indicating-means and said motor with one of said clutch-members normally driven by said motor just prior to a counting operation; and single electric control-means connected to said counter and said timer and adapted to be actuated to simultaneously engage the pairs of clutchmembers of the counter and stop-timer to simultaneously start the counter and stop-timer indicating-means, and adapted to be actuated to simultaneously disengage both said pairs of clutch-members to simultaneously stop both said indicating-means.

4-. A revolution-counting apparatus comprising: a revolution-counter including indicatingmeans, drivable-means adapted to be connected to a rotary member the revolutions of which are to be counted, a pair of clutch-members interposed between said indicating-means and said drivablemeans with one of said clutch-members normally driven by said rotary member just prior to a counting operation, yieldable-means adapted to normally yieldably hold said clutch-nembers in unclutched relation, and electromagneticmeans adapted to clutch said clutch-members together; a stop-timer including indicatingmeans, an electric motor, a pair of clutch-members interposed between said indicating-means and said motor with one of said clutch-members normally driven by said motor just prior to a counting operation, yield-able-means adapted to normally yieldably hold said clutch-members in unclutched relation, and electromagnetic-means adapted to clutch said clutch-members together; and single electric control-means connected to the electromagnetic-means of said counter and said stop-timer and adapted to be actuated to simultaneously engage the pairs of clutch-members of the counter and stop-timer to simultaneously start the counter and stop-timer indicating-means, and adapted to be actuated to simultaneously disengage both said pairs of clutchmembers to simultaneously stop both said indicating-rneans.

LEONARD P. DORSETT.

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