US2437178A - Integrator - Google Patents

Description

March 2, 1948. A. WHARTON 2,437,178

INTEGRATORv Filed July 21, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 BY ma March 2, 1948. WHARTON INTEGRATOR Filed July 21, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 2, 1948. W'HARTQN 2,437,1?8

INTEGRATOR Filed July 21, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. flwzzlsz eaa warz am BY A W March 2, 1948. A. WHARTON INTEGRATOR Filed July 21, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 MU g 7E u MW AN M: w 7 i Patented Mar. 2, 1948 INTEGRATOR Armistead Wharton,

Thompsons Point,

assignor to Taylor Instrument Companies, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 21, 1944, Serial No. 546,042

1 Claim.

This invention relates to integrators.

The main feature of the invention relates to the provision of an integrator which will exhibit complicated mathematical functions, such as the extraction of the square root of a given variable.

Another feature of the invention relates to an integrator which will remain accurate during years of service, which will be reliable in operation and which is simple and economical to manufacture.

Still another feature of the invention relates to an integrator construction which requires a reduced number of parts as compared with former devices of this type. Furthermore, none of these parts have exacting manufacturing tolerances.

An additional feature of the invention relates to an integrator wherein all of the intermittently rotating parts thereof are at rest during the engagement and disengagement of the clutch. Consequently, wear on the clutch parts is greatly reduced.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic showing of the integrator of the present invention used to integrate flow;

Fig. 2 is a front View of an integrating unit;

Figs. 3 and 4 are side elevations of this unit snowing the actuator arm of the clutch in its lower and upper positions, respectively;

Fig. 5 is a top view of the integrator unit;

Figs. 6 and 7 are front views of the integrating unit with the major portion of the front plate thereof broken away. These views particularly illustrate the integrator in its clutched and unclutched positions,- respectively;

Fig. 8 is a front View of a slightly modified form of the invention wherein the driven portion of the clutch operates through a series of change gears to drive the rotation counter;

Figs. 9 and 10 are sectional views taken sub stantially on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8 particularly illustrating the construction of the clutch with the parts thereof in their clutched and unclutched positions, respectively; and

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line ll of Fig. 8.

In the drawings, Fig. l diagrammatically shows one embodiment of the integrator of the present invention used to integrate the rate of flow of a fluid through a pipe 5. In accordance with the usual practice, this pipe is provided with an orifice plate 6 across which there is determined the differential pressure, for use in measuring the rate of flow of the fluid. The pressure on the upstream side of the orifice plate 6 is applied through a pipe 7 to the interior of a bellows 8, while the pressure on the downstream side of the orifice plate is applied through a pipe 9 to the interior of a bellows it. A lug on the bellows 8 contacts the underside of the left end of the lever l2 which is mounted to swing vertically on a fixed pivot I3 and a lug on the bellows l0 engages the underside of the right end of the lever 12. Thus, the bellows 8 and i cooperate to swing the lever I2 either clockwise or counterclockwise in accordance with the differential pressure across the orifice plate. The right hand end of the lever 12 is connected by a link M to one arm of a bell crank 15 which swings on the fixed pivot is. The bell crank 55 may be a part of the pen arm bracket or it may be connected to that bracket so that the pen arm ll moves along with the hell crank l5 in response to changing differential pressures across the orifice plate 6. The pen arm terminates in a pen is which records the flow through pipe '7 on a chart l9, herein illustrated as a square root chart. It will be understood that this chart is rotated by a clock motor of which only the casing 26 is illustrated. The movement of the pen arm is communicated through a link 2! to actuate the mechanism of the integrating unit I.

This unit (Figs. 2 through 11) comprises flex ible element 22 with its hook 22a which is moved by the link 2 l to various positions approximately proportional to the mentioned differential pres sure. A sensing cam plate 23 periodically oscillates through an angle which is determined by the various positions in which the hook 22a engages an edge of this sensing cam. This edge has a contour that converts the linear function of the difierential pressure across the orifice plate 5 into a linear function of flow, represented by the angle of deviation of the sensing cam plate 23. This angle through which the sensing cam plate oscillates in any given sensing excursion, is proportional to the square root of the angle of deviation of the pen arm i! from its zero position, plus a fixed small angle necessary to free the working parts such as the hook 224: so that it can follow the pen arm ll. In effect, the hooklike element 22 and the cooperating sensing cam plate extract the square root of the differential pressure, which square root is proportional to the rate of flow.

Each deviation of the sensing cam plate 23 from a given reference position, is accumulated on a rotation counter RC which is periodically advanced an amount determined by each position of the cam plate, the accumulation being eifected when these parts are intermittently coupled together by a periodically operated clutch C. Thus, the counter adds or sets up numbers at a rate which is proportional to the square root of the angle which the pen arm I! deviates or moves with respect to its zero position.

In detail the integrating unit I comprises a front plate 25 and a rear plate 26, secured in spaced relation by the posts 21. The mentioned hook-like element 22 includes a flexible strip terminating at its lower end in the hook 22a. The upper end of the strip 22 is fixed to an arbor 3! which is mounted in suitable bearings in the front and rear supporting plates to swing the element in a plane parallel to those of the mentioned supporting plates. The front end of the arbor 3!, which extends through the front supporting plate, has clamped thereon for angular adjustment, a bracket 33. This bracket has adjustably mounted thereon, a slotted arm 34, the lower end .of which is provided with a clip 34a (Fig. 3) which receives one end of a link 2!. The other end of this link is connected to the bell crank [5 of the pen arm ll. By this construction, the pen arm and the hook-like element 22 are swung or deflected in generally horizontal arcs, the lengths of which are determined by the mentioned differential pressure across the orifice plate 6. The deflection of the hook-like element 22 is sensed by the cam plate 23 the right end of which oscillates along a generally vertical arc in substantially the plane of travel of the hook-like element 22. This sensing cam plate is adjustably secured on a bar 3% in parallel relation thereto. This bar is fixed at its left end on an arbor 31 which has its ends adapted to rotate in suitable bearings in the front and rear plates 25 and 26, respectively. The lower edge of the cam plate 23 is milled to provide teeth (Figs. 6 and 7) which are adapted to be engaged by the hook 22a so that the hook will not slip along the mentioned edge of the cam plate. This tendency toward slipping is also reduced, since the element 22 never departs from the normal to the tangent at the engaged part of this edge, by an amount greater than fifteen degrees. Actually, element 22 departs from this normal relation by an angular amount equal to amount of angular swing of the cam plate 23 during any excursion. The means of adjusting the cam plate 23 with respect to the bar 36 is best shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The arbor 3'! of the bar 36 passes through a relatively large opening 35 in the cam plate, whereas a rotatably adjustable eccentric pin 38 mounted in the cam plate engages a generally horizontal slot 40 in the bar 36. A clamping screw 39 passes through a generally vertical slot 4| in the cam plate 23 and is threaded into bar 36 to clamp these parts together. Similarly, a screw 42 passing through the right end of the bar 38 is screwed into the tapped hole L3 in the right end of the cam plate and serves as a center about which the left end of the cam plate can swing. It will be understood that by loosening the clamping screw 39 and by rotating the eccentric pin 38 from the position shown, the left end of the cam plate can be raised or lowered slightly about the screw 42 as a center. These several adjustments are usually only necessary during the calibration of the unit.

The rear surface of bar 36 carries a bracket as, the under surface of which is engaged by an eccentrically mounted roller 45 carried on one face of the cam 46, as illustrated best in Figs. 4,

5, 6 and 7. This cam is driven from a synchronous motor it through suitable gear reduction means (not shown). As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, a U-shaped bracket 49 of the clutch actuating means has the free end of its arm 49a provided with a pivot pin 5e rotatable in a bearing in the rear plate 26 and has the free end of its arm 5% provided with a pivot pin 5! alined with pin 50 and rotatable in a bearing in the front plate 25. Arm sa of the bracket has one end of a follower arm 52 secured to its lower end. The other end of the follower arm 52 is provided with a follower or roller 54 which engages the edge of the cam Qt, so that as the cam rotates, the follower arm 52 will oscillate the bracket 49 about an axis defined by the pivots 5| and 52 to engage and disengage the clutch mechanism C. The lower end of the arm 49b is provided with a lug 55 (Figs. 9 and 10), which extends through an opening in the front plate 25 to shift the driving portion of the clutch mechanism C, shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

The clutch mechanism (3 comprises a U-shaped support which is mounted on the front surface of the plate 25 and which is provided with spaced arms 5? and 58. A stub shaft 59 is provided with journals to rotate in parallel relation to the front plate 25 in alined hearings in the parts 57 and 58. There is assembled on this stub shaft a disc E2 provided with a hunts and with a rim (it. A sleeve 65 is also mounted on the shaft and has its left end (Fig. 9) engaging the hub 63. On this sleeve there is coaXially mounted for sliding movement thereon, a spool 66. This spool is provided with a groove 5? to receive the mentioned actuating lug 55 forming a part of the clutch shifting mechanism. A fiat coiled spring 68 positioned between the disc 62 and the left end of the spool 56, tends to move the spool toward the right. An actuating arm 59 has an opening in its outer end to receive the right end of the sleeve 65, this arm being retained on the sleeve in the position shown, by means of a disc it. This disc is provided with a threaded hub H which is screwed on to the threaded end of the shaft 59. The hub ll tightly engages the sleeve 65 so that the disc t2, the sleeve 65 and the disc l9 are tightly held together to rotate as a unit. A flat disc spring 13 engages the inner surface of the supporting arm 58 and the right hand surface of the disc '50, while a spring disc Id engages the right hand end of the spool 56 and the adjacent surface of the actuating arm as. The rear end of the actuating arm 59 carries a pin 89 projecting at right angles therefrom. Pin extends between two spaced pins 8i, which project at right angles from the bar 36 and also at right angles to the pin 88. By this construction, as the bar 35 is oscillated in a plane parallel to the supporting plates 25 and 26, the actuating arm 53 is oscillated in a plane perpendicular thereto for advancing the rotation counter RC through the clutch C which is engaged during each cycle.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the shaft 65 is directly connected by the coupling discs :5 to the shaft ll of the rotation counter RC. However, in the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 8 to 11, inclusive, the shaft 56 operates through the change gears 83 of a suitable gear train to drive the shaft ll of the counter. While the coupling illustrated in Figs. 1 through 5, drives the shaft ll of the rotation counter direct- 1y, that is, in a one to one ratio with respect to the shaft 6%, the gear train including the change gears 83 causes the shaft ll of the rotation counter to operate according to any desired ratio with respect to the rotation of the shaft 69.

In calibrating the unit, the left end of the cam plate 23 is raised or lowered as the case may be until zer integration is obtained with the toothed edge of the plate resting on the hook 22a when the element 22 is in registry with the reference mark 86, Fig. 2. Zero integration results with element 22 in the mentioned position when the cam plate 23 oscillates up and down without its pins 8| raising or lowering the pin 89 which is adjustably secured on the actuatin arm 69. The pin 89 is then adjusted along the slot in the actuator arm 69 until one hundred per cent integration is obtained, when the element 22 is in registry with the reference mark 9'1, Fi 2, and when the hook 22a engages the right hand portion of the toothed edge of the cam plate 23.

A simple adjustment is provided on the arm 34 for correlating the position of the flexible member 22 with the position of the pen arm ll. The arm 34 with its pivot and clip 3411 can be adjusted lengthwise thereof, and also rotated angularly relative to the arbor 3|, so that the flexible element 22 travels from the index mark 88 to index mark 8! as the pen [8 is moved from the graduation on this chart (Fig. 1) to the 10 graduation on this chart. In this case graduation 10 indicates one hundred per cent integration.

In the operation of the device, the synchronous motor 5-8 rotates the cam 46 at the rate of two complete cycles or rotations per minute. For purposes of description, the cycle may be considered as progressing from the point X on the high part of the cam 49 in its top position (Fig. 6), thence this point descends to a bottom position (Fig. 7) from which it rises to the top position or starting position. While point X on the cam is descending, the eccentric roller 45 carried by this cam raises the bracket 44 to swing the right end of the oscillating bar 36 upward about its arbor 31. Bar 35, which carries the sensing cam plate 28, likewise moves this plate upward. The upward movement of this sensing plate frees the hook 22a of the flexible element 22, so that this element can assume a position proportional to the differential pressure across the orifice plate 6. 'Whi1e the sensing cam plate is rising, the clutch C will be in engagement so that the upward travel of the cam plate, the amount of which is determined by the last position of hook 22a, efiects a corresponding rotation of the counter BC. This rotation is effected by pins 8| on this plate 23 which engage the pin 80 on the actuator arm 69. With the clutch engaged, arm 69 will rotate the shaft 68 and, in turn, the shaft 11 of the counter either through the direct coupling of the embodiment of Fig. 2 or through the gear train 83 in the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. It will be understood that during the period just referred to, the clutch will be engaged since roller 54 on th left end of arm 52 (Fig. 6) will be engaging the low portion of cam 46, and arm 52 has rotated the bracket 49 to swing the lug 55 to the position shown in Fig. 9 where the spool 58 is shifted to the right, engaging the clutch parts. As point X on cam starts to rise, roller 54 on arm 52 swings this arm clockwise so that the bracket 59 and lug 55 shift the spool of the clutch toward the left to disengage the clutch parts. Thus, the clutch will be disengaged so that the rotation counter will not be actuated while the sensing cam plate 23 is descending until it is stopped by the hook 22a engaging the toothed edge of this plate. It will be understood that the hook 22a which is carried on the flexible element 22 will be in a position proportional to the difierential pressure across the orifice plate 6. This completes a cycle which is repeated twice a minute.

I claim:

In a mechani m for integrating a variable quantity with respect to time having a means for introducin a uniform time factor and instrumentalities responsive to a second variable factor, a sensing means periodically operated by said time factor introducin means, a pivoted element substantially inextensibly connected with said variable factor responsive instrumentalities for oscillation thereby, and an elongated member rigidly attached to said pivoted element for oscillation therewith and having an abutment portion at the free end thereof cooperating with said sensing means, said element being flexible in the direction of its movement substantially along its length, whereby said pivoted element be adiusted by said variable factor responsive means while the abutment of said elongated member is engaged and retained by said sensing means.

ARMSTEAD WHARTGN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,515,988 Armstrong et a1. Nov. 18, 1924 2,098,685 Harrison Nov. 9, 1937 2,121,082 Harrison June 21, 1938 2,123,978 Wagner July 19, 1938 2,264,370 Harrison Dec. 2, 19 .1 2,266,839 Ackley Dec. 23, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 60 18,709 Great Britain Aug. 15, 1914

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