US2190572A

US2190572A - Rack and pinion operating means

Info

Publication number: US2190572A
Application number: US234486A
Authority: US
Inventors: Elmon A Schottenberg
Original assignee: Truscon Steel Co
Current assignee: Truscon Steel Co
Priority date: 1938-10-11
Filing date: 1938-10-11
Publication date: 1940-02-13
Anticipated expiration: 1957-02-13

Description

3, E. A. SCHOTTENBERG- I 5 5 BACK AND .PIN'ION OPERATING MEANS Filed 001. '11, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet I lllll lill mw grwwvtom .EbnonLfz-Jcholienber y,

1 1940- E. A. SCHOTTENBERG RACK AND PINION OPERATING MEANS V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 11, 1938 PatentedFeb,'13,1 940' h i i 1, 2 1 57 uni-rho s STATES PATENT j OF CE Eimon A. Schottcnberg, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to Truscon Steel Company, Youngstown,

Ohio, a corporation of Michigan Application October 11, 1938, Serial No. 234,486

r 7 Claims. (out-as) This invention relates to operatingmeans for the invention vhas particular application to in movable elements of various different kinds, and stallations in places where chemicals frequently has particular reference toimprovements in 'opexplode in the sense that they create excessive crating means of the type'comprising a rack on gas pressures, which while not sufficient to wreck 5 the element to be moved and a pinion cooperatthe entire building; often blow out many panes 5 ing with said rack for moving thesa'me and thereof glass if the window is stationary; I by moving the movable element. l A'speoial object of the invention is to provide a While the operating means comprising the inr si ple, pr c c means f r holding he ack yie1d-. vention is capable of a wide range of uses, it has ably in mesh with the pinion and to ernbody in special, utility as .a means for opening and'closing ai means Provision for regulating t y e d- 10 windows, doors, transoms, ventilators and the y. ofll y ooadaptthe ope ating like, either singly or in banks or series. In any ns b t serve s p rpo e in various difiercase, the general object or the invention is to t in al a ions of the same. j provide an operating means of the'type men- Another special object of the invention isto tioned in which the rack is held yieldably in mesh pr de, for pt us h t e y eldable rack with the pinion, whereby, in the eventof ob holding me simple: means or loc ng the struction to movement of the movable element k against disengagement f the p o n while; power is being applied to the pinion, or' in any desired position of the rack relative to the the event of force being applied to the movable pinion, thus to lockthe movable element ains element to move same while the pinion is stationmovement r any desired Position thereof 9 ary, disengagementof the rack from the pinion s Pinion remains y-Q will occur and damage or harm to the operating Another special object of the invention is to means, or 130 the movable glement, or to what- PIOVidG alocking means 38 stated Which bBCOmS ever might obstruct movement of the movable p ti automatically p s ve to movement e1 t,th r b 111 b v ided, h t is t say, of the movable element to a selected position the present invention is particularly concerned y ECW317101! 0f h p with providing a safety operator for swinging t he'f r s s and'othel bj in Vi w, sash and the like which will prevent loss of life'or WhiCh Will become more fully ppa ent as the injury in certain installations, and, also permit nature of the invention is better understood, the the window to be forced open from within by same consists in the novel features of oonstruce pressure resulting from an explosion. For extion, combination and arrangement o part as ample, many windows or transoms, particularly Will h hereinafter more fully sc d 111115- in factories or warehouses, may be operated in trailed the accompanying d w ngs and deseries or in multiple by a common operating shaft fi in the appended C a si driven from a motor controlledat a central staaccompanying d i g wherein like tion. Frequently the windows may Open t on characters of reference denote corresponding to a roof, and if a man *is cleaning the inside Parts in the different Views! of the windows while he is standing on the roof, Figure 1 it atransverse section h o h anorit is possible that someone at the control station 151011 of a WiHdQW Ventilator q pped with so may set the closure operating means in motion, operating means constructed in accordance with 40 not knowing the position of the man at work, one practical embodiment of the invention; the and trap him or push him into the s ace below. parts o the operating eans being shown in their If that contingency occurs with the present innormal, Operative positionsvention, the man can resistthe closing of the Figure 2 i a ew Similar o Fig. 1 illustrating window'causing the rack to slip relative to the anabnolmal position O he p rts of the operat- 45" Pinion regardless of the force applied to the rack ing'meahsby theclosure operating mechanism and thus Figure 3 is a plan view of aportion' oi the not be injured. 1 t operating means. i

On the other hand, if all of the windows are Figure 4 is a cross section on the line i -4 of r j closed and a pressure exists within theplace Fig. 1. I r 50 where the windows are installed, the foroeof the Figure 5 is a cross section on theline 5--5of w explosion-can push the windows open without Fig. 1. i r

damage or injury to the glass in the sash, and, Figure 6 is across section on the line 6-'-6 of also, tend to prevent excessive injury to the plant Fig. 1. i e or shop as well as its occupants. aIn this aspect Figure '7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating 55 means; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the locking element.

While the present operating means may, as aforesaid, be employed for operating various different movable elements, it has special utility when employed for operating windows, ventilators and the like. Accordingly, there is'illustrated in the present instance a movable element in the form of a window or ventilator, designated as It, which is assumed to be hinged for inward and outward movement between closed and open positions. It is to be understood, however, the'window illustrated merely is representative'of various other movable elements which may be mounted for, movement in various different ways and which may be operated by operating means embodying the features of the invention.

Primarily, the present operating means comprisesa rack bar it and a cooperating pinion l2. The rack bar H is pivoted at one end, as at I3, to the window or other movable element N to be operated and the pinion I2 is fixed on a shaft I4 which is rotatable but which otherwise is stationary. Normally the teeth of the rack bar and the pinion are in mesh with each other. Consequently, rotation of the shaft and pinion in one direction is effective to shift the rack bar longitudinally in one direction to move the movable element in one direction, and rotation of the shaft and pinion in the opposite direction is efiective to shift the rack bar longitudinally in the opposite direction to move the movable element in the opposite direction, all inaccordance With common and well knownmechanics.

Now, in' accordance with the invention, the

rack bar H is'urged toward and is maintained normally in mesh with the pinion l2 by yieldable means. In this connection it is, of course, inherent to a rack and pinionoperating means, due to. the wedging cooperation of the teeth of the rack and pinion, that rotation of the pinion, or longitudinal movement of the rack, tends to move the rack away from the pinion. Consequently, if, during rotation of the pinion in either direction to move the movable element in either direction, movement of the movable element should, for any reason he obstructed, the rack bar is free to move away from or to be disengaged from the pinion and the latter is free to continue rotating without damaging or harming the operating means, the movable element or whatever may be obstructing movement of the. latter.

' Moreover, should the pinion be held against rotationand should there be applied to the movable element a force sufficiently strong to move same, the same result will occur; viz., the rack bar first will be moved away from and then harmlessly across the pinion and damage to the movable element or to the operating means will not occur. In various manufacturing plants explosions are not uncommon, and air pressure-due to an explosion is an example of a force which might act {upon a movable element in the form of a window, ventilator or the like to move the same while the pinion is stationary.

The particular means illustrated in the present instance for yieldably urging the rack bar ll toward and maintaining it normally in mesh with the pinion l2, comprisesa U-shaped yoke I5 embracing the hub of the pinion IE or, alternatively, the shaft l6, and rockable with respect thereto;

' a roller 16 mounted on a pin l'i carried by one of the arms I 8 of saidyoke andengaging theedge of the rack bar H remote from the pinion 2; a rocker arm l9 pivotally connected at one end with the arm l8, preferably through the instrumentality of the pin [1, and overlying the edge of the rack bar H remote from the pinion l2 and having its other end extending beyond the other arm 2!] of the yoke I5; a roller 2! carried by the last mentioned end of said rocker arm and also engaging the edge of the rack bar remote from the pinion; and a spring 22 reacting from the arm 20 of the yoke upon the second mentioned end of the rocker arm l9, thereby urging the latter constantly toward the rack bar and tending to rock the yoke to maintain the roller H5 engaged with the rack bar and, consequently, urging the rack bar constantly toward or into mesh 'with' the pinion l2. In other words, whether the ment of the movable element Ill and if, at the same time, the pinion l2 isrotated, the wedging coaction of the teeth of the pinion with the teeth of the rack bar will result in the rack bar being moved away from the pinion. In other words, outward pressure exerted upon the rack bar will result in a combined rocking movement of the yoke l5 about the hub of the pinion it or about the shaft M, as the case may be, and outward swinging movement of the rocker arm l9 about its pivot all against the force of the spring 22, until the teeth of the rack bar are completely disengaged from the teeth of the pinion. Accordingly, if the pinion continues to rotate it will be inefiective to move the rack bar. If, then, rotationof the pinion l2 ceases, the spring 22 obviously will act to restore the parts to their normal positions in which the teeth of the rack bar are in mesh with the teeth of the pinion. On the other hand, if the pinion is held against rotation as, for example, by a motor or other means employed for rotating the shaft M, and if, at the same time, a force is exerted upon the movable element In to move the same, the same ultimate result as just described will occur, the only difference being that separation of the rack bar from the pinion will take place due to longitudinal movement of the rack bar.

Preferably means is provided to regulate the compression or force normally exerted by the spring 22 so as to predetermine the amount of resistance that must be offered to longitudinal movement of the rack bar II when the pinion I2 is rotated, and to predetermine the force which must be exerted longitudinally upon the rack bar when the pinion is held against rotation,'to effect disengagement of the rack bar from the pinion. In the present instance this means comprises a screw 23 threaded into the arm 2!! of the yoke I 5 and constituting an adjustable stop or abutment for the outer end of the spring 22. Obviously, by adjustment of said screw the force of the spring maybe varied to best adapt the op erating means to function under various different conditions of installation of the same.

Preferably means also is provided to positively limit outward or disengagement movement of the rack bar H relative to the pinion l2. In the. present instance this means comprises a strut element 24 interposed between the rocker arm l9 and an outer end portion of the arm of the yoke l 5, said strut element beingin theform of a tube-engaged over the screw 23 and thespringjz wherebyit .is held in place by theformer and serves as a protective shield for the latter.

WhiIethe yoke l5 may be of any su1table-construction, it preferably is formed from a single length of stock material bent to provide the arms l8 and 2t each comprised by opposite side pormay be of any suitable construction. Preferably,

however, said rocker arm is formed from suitable sheet material bent into U-shapecross sectionally whereby it is both light and strong,,there being preferably a tongue Z Estruck outwardly from its bottom wall to enter the inner end of the spring 22 and to serve as a centering and holding means for the said inner end of said spring.

Under some conditions of installation of, the operating meansv it may be desirable to provide means to lock the rack baragainst separation from the pinion when the movable element is in some predetermined position, thus to lock the movable element in its predetermined position. For example, when the movable element isin the form of a window or ventilator it may be desirable to provide means to lock the same in a closed position. A simple means forthis purpose,automatically operable upon operation of the operating means to move the movable element to a predetermined position, may element 26 to be mounted on therack bar II to engage the roller 2| to lift the rocker arm l9 to its limit of outward swinging movement, as determined by the strut element 24, when the movable element has reached its predetermined position. Obviously, when the cam element 26 is in a position holding the rocker arm 19 at or near its limit of outward swinging movement it is not possible, by longitudinal movement of the rack.

bar, to effect disengagement of the rack bar from the pinion i2. Accordingly, the movable element is locked against movement insofar as concerns any force acting directly upon the movable element or the rack bar. Therefore, the movable element can be moved only by rotation of the pinion 12.

As illustrated in the present instance the cam element 26 may appropriately comprise a bladelike portion to rest against bar I l remote from the pinion i2 and having an inclined end to cause the roller 2| to ride upon the top thereof when the rack bar reaches apre determined position relative to the pinion; while to facilitate fastening of said cam element to the rack bar said element may be provided with arms 21 to straddle the rack bar and to have passed through any of a plurality of pairs of holes 28 therein a bolt 29 to lie in the space between a selected pair of teeth of the rack bar, thereby to hold said element in assembly with the rack bar and against longitudinal movement relative thereto.

Manifestly, one of the present operating means may be employed for operating only a single movable element, or a plurality of said operating means, to which a shaft I3 is common, may be employed for operating a plurality of movable elements. In either case, the shaft l3 may be manually rotatable by any suitable means, such as a crank, or it may be motor driven.

comprise a cam the edge of the rack Inany case where a plurality oftheoperating means are employed in association with a single, shaft l3 for the operation of a plurality of: movable elements, the teeth of the rack barsmaybe so terminated as to cause all of the movable elements to assume desired similar positionsupon actuation of the shaft l4 and pinions i2. For

example, the last tooth a. may have a plain por f tionywadjacent thereto which permits the actuating mechanism to urge all of the closuresto their open position for picking up the teeth which are closing.

, Without further description it is thought that" the features and advantages of the invention will out of line and aligning the complete series "for be readily apparent to those skilled in the art,

and it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resortedto, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope .of the appended claims. l

I claim? i 1. In a window operator, a rack bar, a pinion, a shaft carrying said pinion, a yoke supported by said shaft and having a pair of arms extending across said rack bar at points spaced longitudinally therealong, a roller'carried by one of-said arms and engaging the edge of the rack bar remote from the pinion, a rocker arm pivotally,

connected at one end to; said yoke arm, and extending at its other end toward the other 'yokej arm, a roller on said rocker arm spaced fromsaid first mentioned roller and engaging the edge of the rack bar remote from the pinion, and a spring reacting from the second mentioned arm of the yoke upon said rocker arm to urge the latter toward the rack bar.

2. In a window operator, a rack bar, a pinion, a shaft carrying said pinion, a yoke supported by said shaft and having a pair of arms extending across said rack bar at points spaced longitudinally therealong, means carried by one of said arms engaging the edge of the rack bar remote from the pinion, a rocker arm pivotally connected at one end-to said yoke arm and extending toward the other yoke arm,.;means on said rocker arm spaced from said first mentioned yoke arm and engaging the edge of. the rack bar remote .from the pinion, and spring means reacting from the second mentioned yoke arm upon said rocker arm to urge the latter toward the rack bar.

iii

3. In a window operator, a rack bar, a pinion,

a shaft carrying said pinion, a yoke supported by said shaft and having a pair of arms extending across sair rack bar at points spaced longitudinally therealong, means carried by one of said arms engaging the edge of the rack bar remote from the pinion, a rocker arm pivotally connected at one end to said yoke arm and extending toward theother yoke arm, means on said rocker arm spaced from said first mentioned yoke arm and engagingthe edge of the rack bar remote from the pinion, an element mounted in the second mentioned arm of said yoke for inward and outward adjustment relative thereto, and spring means reacting from said element upon said rocker arm to urge the latter toward the rack bar.

4. In a window operator, a rack'bar, a pinion, a shaft carrying said pinion, a yoke supported by said shaft and having a pair of arms extending across said rack bar at points spaced longitudinally therealong, means carried by one of said arms engaging the edge of the rack bar remote from the'pinion, a rocker arm pivotally conrocker arm spaced from said first mentioned yoke arm and engaging the edge of therack bar remote from the pinion, spring means reacting from'the second mentioned yoke arm upon said rocker arm to urge the latter toward the rack bar, and means interposed between said rocker arm and the second mentioned yoke arm to positively limit movement of. the rack baraway from the pinion.

5. In a window operator, a rack bar, a pinion,

I a shaft carrying said pinion, a yoke supported by said shaft and having a pair of arms extend- .ing across said rack bar at points spaced longitudinally therealong, a roller carried by one of said arms andengaging the edge of the rack bar remote from the pinion, a rocker arm pivotally connected atone end to said yoke arm, and extending at its other end beyond the other yoke arm, a roller on the last mentioned end of said. rocker arm engaging the edge of the rack bar remote from the pinion, a screw threaded in the second mentioned yoke arm for inward and outward adjustment relative thereto, and a spring reacting from said screw upon said rocker arm to urge the latter toward the rack bar.

6. In a window operator, a rack bar, a pinion, a shaft carrying said pinion, a yoke supported by said shaft and having a pair of arms extendnected at one end to said yoke arm and extend- .ing toward the other yokearm, means on said ing across said rack bar at points spaced longitudinallytherealong, a roller carried by one of said arms'and engaging the edge of the rack bar remote from thepinion, a rocker arm pivotaily 'connectedat one end to said yoke arm, and extending at its other end beyond the other yoke arm, a roller on the last'mentioned end of said rocker arm engaging the edge of the rack bar remote from the pinion, a screw threaded in the second mentioned yoke arm for inward and outward adjustment relative thereto, a spring reacting from said screw upon said rocker army to urge the latter toward the rack bar, and a tubular strut element between the rocker arm and an outer end" portion of the second mentioned yoke arm for limiting outward movement of the rack bar relative to the pinion, said strut element being disposed inprotective surrounding relationship to said spring and being engaged over said screw whereby it is retained in operative assembly with the yoke and the rocker arm.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 1 including means on the rack bar for engagement with the roller on the rocker arm to move said rocker arm to a position locking the rack bar against movement away from the pinion when the rack bar reaches a predetermined position relative to the pinion.

ELMON A. SCHOTTEN'BERG.