US2463717A

US2463717A - Impulse sender

Info

Publication number: US2463717A
Application number: US724030A
Authority: US
Inventors: Theodore C Riebe
Original assignee: Automatic Electric Laboratories Inc
Current assignee: Automatic Electric Laboratories Inc
Priority date: 1947-01-24
Filing date: 1947-01-24
Publication date: 1949-03-08
Anticipated expiration: 1966-03-08

Description

T. C. REEBE IMPULSE SENDER March 8, 3.949.

Filed Jan. 24, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l EIJVENTOR, THEODORE C. RI EBE ATTOR NE! T. C. REEBE IMPULSE SENDER March 8, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 24, 1947 I N VEN TOR. THEODORE C. RIEBE ATTO RNEY Patented Mar. 8, 1949 IMPULSE SENDER Theodore (J. Riebe, Chicago, 111., assignor to Automatic Electric Laboratories, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application January 24, 1947, Serial No. 7242030 Claims. (Cl. 177-380) The present invention relates in general to impulse transmitters using an impulser similar to the well known calling device used in automatic teiephone systems, but modified therefrom.

The illustrated embodiment discloses the invention as used in a telephone system for identifying the calling station on a multi-station line.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an impulse transmitter of simple and rugged construction adapted for use in identifying the calling station in various communication and signalling systems.

Another object is to provide a push button controlled impulse transmitter for transmitting a predetermined number of impulses for the purpose of identifying the calling station on a multistation line and in which the mechanism of the transmitter is so designed that regardless of the manipulations of the push button, the transmitter can only transmit a number of impulses corresponding to the calling station.

A feature of the invention relates to the arrangement whereby impulses will only be transmitted in response to a full stroke operation of the push button, whereas, partial operations are ineffective to operate the impulse transmitting mechanism.

Another feature of the invention relates to the mechanism, whereby, in response to a full stroke of the push button, the impulse cam wheel of the transmitter always makes one full revolution and no more.

Another feature of the invention relates to the interlocking arrangement, whereby, after initiation of the impulse cam it is impossible to mac,- tuate the push button until the impulse cam has completed its full revolution, thus preventing a calling station from sending a false calling Sta tion identification signal.

The objects and features set forth above are attained in accordance with the present invention by providing an impulse transmitting device comprising a main rotatable shaft, a spring motor mounted over the shaft, a drive gear mounted on the shaft and free to turn about the shaft in one direction, but locked to the shaft during movement in the opposite direction, a finger-operated push bar operatively connected to the shaft, whereby as the push bar is moved inward, the shaft is rotated in one direction and the spring motor is wound, after the push bar has restored to normal the spring motor unwinds and the shaft is rotated in the opposite direction, an auxiliary shaft geared directly to the drive gear and containing an impulse wheel mounted thereon,

whereby, the impulse wheel is rotated as the drive gear turns, the device also comprises a holding means consisting of three holding pawls functioning at different intervals during a cycle of operation for preventing incomplete operation and false transmission signals.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanyings drawings, comprising Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, which are described as follows:

Figure 1 is a side view as shown from the left.

Figure 2 is a side view as shown from the right.

Figure 3 is a partial end view as shown from the front.

Figure 4 is an exploded view showing the relative positions of the mechanism on the right side.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view showing the push bar moved to its limit and also showing the dotted portion shown in Figure 2.

It will be noted that some of the illustrated mechanisms such as the governor, spring motor, shunt springs, impulse springs, and cam, are shown in U. S. Patent 1,642,822 granted September 30, 1927 to Herbert F. Obergfell.

Referring now to the drawings showing the impulse transmitter, Figure 1 shows the frame I, upon which is mounted contact arm support 2, impulse wheel support 3, spring motor support 4, and worm gear support 5. Impulse springs I4 and I5, and shunt springs II, I2 and I3 are mounted on support 2. Impulse wheel l'I, containing teeth such as I8, is mounted on support 3. Shunt spring cam 8 is secured to one end of spring motor 9 and the two are placed over and secured to a slot in rotatable shaft 28. The other end of spring I! is hooked to a raised catch 58 on support 4. Insulating control member I0 actuated by cam 8, is carried on shunt spring II. Worm gear I, meshing with teeth on governor I6, is mounted on a shaft and rotatably secured to support 5.

In Figure 2, push bar I9 is slidably mounted at one end to frame I through a slot provided in frame I. The other end slides through a slot in plate 41 which is secured to the frame I. Push bar l9 contains stops 51 and 59, a release pin 29, and a notch 55. Holding pawl 22 is mounted on pivot 38 which is secured to frame I, and biased by spring 23, one end of which is secured to support post 35. A notch 34" is provided in push bar is for pawl 22 to engage. A linkage plate 30 is rotatably mounted on shaft 28 by means of screw 53, and hub 54. It carries linkage pin 4n, linkage spring 24, and spring support post 46. The other end of spring 24 is fastened to support post 38 on frame I. Linkage pin 40 engages notch 55 of push bar it. Governor brake drum 8 is secured to governor support 26, which is fastened to frame I. Bracket 27, secured to frame l, is the support for the worm gear and impulse wheel shaft. Holding pawl is mounted on pivot 39 which is secured to frame l, and biased by spring one end of which is secured to support post 37!. Holding pawl 20 includes a notch which may en gage a tooth such as 50 in holding gear 49. Holding pawl 2i is mounted on pivot at which is secured to frame i, and is biased by spring so one end of which is secured to support post 6%. Control plate at is mounted over and secured to shaft 28 and is located underneath linkage plate 39. Control plate 36 contains release pin 5i for actuating holding pawl 2 l, mounting pivot at for mounting pawl 43 on plate 3i, support post 65 for biasing pawl 43, release finger for releasing pawl 22, and an indentation in a portion of its periphery to allow linkage plate til to return to normal independent of plate 8i.

In Figure i, drive gear 32 is located below holding gear 49, which is below movable pawl gear 52, all of them constituting an integral unit mounted over shaft 28 andiree to rotate thereon. Movable pawl 43 is mounted on pivot 62 which is secured to control plate ill and biased by spring 44, one end of which is secured to support post 45. Teeth such as 56 in movable pawl gear are provided for the engagement therewith by the movable pawl d3.

Having given a description as to construction of the various parts oi the impulse transmitter, a brief description will now be given of the operations which take place in response to the depression and restoration of the push bar Referring mainly to Figures 2 and 5, as push bar l9 starts its depression to the right, its release pin 29 moves away from holding pawl it, and allows the pawl it to be actuated by spring 25 to drop into a tooth such as Ed in holding gear 49, but it does not mesh tightly and leaves a space between the two as shown in figure 5; Linkage pin 40 in linkage plate 30 stays within notch as of push bar ill at all times, therefore, a depression of the push bar is will cause the linkage plate 30 to rotate clockwise. Linkage pin also extends down and bears against a side of the indented portion of the periphery of control plate 3| so that a rotation of linkage plate 38 will cause a similar rotation of the control plate 3!]. its control plate 31 is rotated, shaft 28 rotates, and shunt cam 8 no longer bears against insulating control member ill, thereby allowing shunt springs ll, l2 and ill to be operative. As the push bar is continues to be depressed, linkage plate 30 and control plate 3i continue to rotate clockwise until the release pin 58 in the control plate 3| strikes against holding pawl 20. The push bar is now depressed until stop til rests against plate 4?, at the same time release pin 5i pushes holding pawl it out of engagement with a tooth such as in holding gear 49. Simultaneously, with the rotation of control plate 3i, movable pawl 43 is rotated, and it engages a tooth such as 56 in movable pawl gear 52 at the same time that the push bar reaches its limit when holding pawl 2i is disengaged from tooth 50 in holding gear 49. Spring motor 9 is now wound and locked, as the rotation of control plate 3| rotates shaft 28 which is fastened to one end of the spring motor. Movable pawl 43 and holding pawl 20 have locked the spring motor in its present state. Release finger 33 has also rotated away from holding pawl 22, so that the 4 holding pawl now rests on the upper edge of push bar I8. At the very instant of the initiation of the restoration of the push bar l9, while release pin 5| is keeping holding pawl 2| disengaged from tooth 50, holding gear 49 is allowed to rotate counter clockwise only a short distance and mesh tooth 50 tightly with the notch in holding pawl 20. As the push bar I9 is restored further, release pin 5! no longer bears against holding pawl 2i, but the small amount of the aforementioned rotation has prevented holding pawl 21 from engaging holding gear 39 and the pawl now rests on the outer periphery of holding gear 49. Biasing spring 2% continues to exert force on linkage plate 30 and rotate it in a counterclockwise direction to restore push bar it due to the linkage connection between release pin 4B and notch Release pin ill travels along the indentation of control plate St. Just before stops 59 on push bar it strike frame 0, release pin 29 strikes against holding pawl At the instant stops 59 strike the frame, release pin it has forced holding pawl all back and disengaged its notch with the tooth at in holding gear d9, thereby releasing the mechanism for operation. At

the same instant of release, holding pawl 22 engages notch Sit in push bar iii, and thereby pre vents a reoperation of. push bar iii until control plate 3i is fully restored. a result of the op eration of pawl as spring motor 9 now causes drive bear 32, holding gear at, movable pawl gear 52, and control plate ill to rotate counter clockwise. As impulse wheel ill is mounted on an auxiliary shaft and geared to the drive gear 32, it will rotate also. The teeth, such as t8 on the impulse wheel, will strike impulse arm it, resulting in the opening and closing of the contacts on impulse arms id and it, which thereby cause pulses to be transmitted in accordance with the number of teeth on the impulse wheel. Release finger 33 is rotated back with control plate 3i and at the instant the mechanism stops, after one complete rotation of the impulse wheel, finger 33 forces holding pawl 22 out of engagement with notch 34, releasing push bar H9 in preparation for a future operation.

Four teeth have been illustrated on the impulse wheel, but a lesser or greater number may be used, depending on the desired signal.

In the foregoing description, in order to start the operational cycle, the push bar is must be completely depressed so that stop 51 rests against plate 4']. An incomplete depression or number of incomplete depressions of the push bar is will not lock the spring motor or cause a transmission of pulses.

Assuming that the push bar 99 has been de-= pressed completely, then only partially restored and depressed again and repeated a number of times, no additional winding of the spring motor will occur, and no additional pulses will be transmitted, because the push bar must be completely restored to allow the release mechanism to function and permit the spring motor to unwind. If an attempt is made to depress the push bar l9, while the release mechanism and spring motor are functioning, it is stopped because release finger 33 has rotated away from its contact with holding pawl 22 and allowed the pawl to engage notch 34, thereby preventing further depression of the push bar until the mechanism has completed its operation and release finger 33 has rotated back and disengaged holding pawl 22 from notch 34.

It will be noted that the above arrangements rotating said shaft, a finger operated push bar,

a control plate mounted on and secured to said shaft and rotated in response to the manual operation of said push bar for rotating said shaft to wind said spring motor, a first holding pawl normally engaging said gear to prevent rotation of said gear and operated in response to full depression of said push bar to disengage said holding pawl from said gear, a second holding pawl operated in response to the manual depression of said push bar for holding said gear and plate after the disengagement of said first holding pawl from said gear and for releasing said gear and plate in response to the restoration of said push bar to normal to permit said spring motor to rotate said plate, said gear, and said impulse wheel, a third holding pawl operated in response to the restoration of said push bar to normal for locking said push bar in normal position to prevent its reoperation, and a finger on said plate for releasing said third holding pawl to unlock said push bar in response to the rotation of said plate to normal.

2. In an impulse transmitter comprising a rotatable shaft, a driving gear mounted on and free to rotate in only one direction about said shaft, an impulse wheel connected to said gear and rotatable therewith, a spring motor for rotating said shaft, a finger operated push bar, a control plate mounted on and secured to said shaft and rotated in response to the manual operation of said push bar for rotating said shaft to wind said spring motor, a first holding pawl normally engaging said gear to prevent rotation of said gear and operated in response to full depression of said push bar to disengage said holding pawl from said gear, a second holding pawl operated in response to the manual de pression of said push bar for holding said gear and plate after the. disengagement of said first holding "pawl from said gear and for releasing said gear and plate in response to the restoration of said push bar to normal to permit said spring motor to rotate saidplate, said gear, and said impulse wheel.

' 3. In an impulse transmitter comprising a rotatable shaft, a driving gear mounted on and free to rotate in only one direction about said shaft, an impulse wheel connected to said gear and rotatable therewith, a spring motor for rotating said shaft, a finger operated push bar, a control plate mounted on and secured to said shaft and rotated in response to the manual operation of said push bar for rotating said shaft to wind said spring motor, a first holding pawl normally engaging said gear to prevent rotation of said gear and operated in response to full depression of said push bar to disengage said holding pawl from said gear, a second holding pawl having a normal position and a holding position and-operated from its normal position to its holding position in response to the manual operation of said push bar, said spring motor effective after disengaging said first holding pawl from said gear and at the initiation of therelease of said push bar to partially rotate said gear until held by said second holding pawl in its holding position, said partial rotation rendering said first pawl ineifective to hold said gear until after a predetermined rotation of said gear, and means on said push bar for restoring said second holding pawl from its holding position to its normal position to permit said spring motor to rotate said plate, gear and wheel to transmit impulses.

4. In an impulse transmitter, a finger operated push bar, a control plate, a linkage device operatively connecting said control plate to said push bar in response to only the depression of said push bar to rotate said control plate, a spring motor wound to store energy in response to the rotation of said plate, a driving gear, a. movable pawl for coupling said gear to said plate after rotation of said plate, means for holding said gear to prevent its rotation, and release means effective in response to the full restoration of said push bar for releasing said holding means to permit the energy stored in said spring motor to rotate said plate and said gear.

5. In an impulse transmitter, a finger operated push bar, a control plate rotated in response to the manual depression of said push bar, a spring motor wound to store energy in response to said depression, a driving gear coupled to said plate in response to the full depression of said push bar, means for delaying rotation of said plate and gear until said push bar is fully restored, means for operating said delaying means in response to the full restoration of said push bar to permit rotation of said gear and plate, a holdme pawl efiective on restoration of said push bar for preventing a reactuation of said push bar after its restoration, and a release finger on said control plate for operating said pawl to permit reactuation of said push bar in response to the completed rotation of said control plate.

6. In an impulse transmitter, a finger operated push bar, a spring motor wound to store energy in response to the manual depression of said push bar, a driving gear rotated by said spring motor in response to the restoration of said push bar, a holding pawl efiective on restoration of said push bar for preventing a reactuation of said push bar after its restoration, and a release finger responsive to the rotation of said gear for operating said pawl to permit reactuation of said push bar.

7. In an impulse transmitter, an impulse wheel having a variable number of teeth, an energy storing device, a controlled finger operated push bar manually depressed for transmitting energy to said storing device, means for connecting said storing device with said impulse wheel, and means effective after full restoration of said push bar for releasing said ener to rotate said impulse wheel to transmit pulses accord nce with the number of teeth on said wheel.

8. In an impulse tra itter, an impulse wheel containing a variabl number of teeth, a driving gear geared to sai wheel, a finger operated push bar, a spring otor wound to store energy in response to a epression of said push bar, means for delaying the rotation of said gear and said wheel until said push bar is fully restored, means eifective in response to the full restoration of said push bar for causing said spring motor to rotate said gear and turn said wheel one complete revolution, an means controlled by the number 'of teeth on said wheel for transmittin a corresponding number of pulses in response to the complete revolution of said wheel.

9. In an impulse transmitter, a finger operated push bar, a spring motor wound to store energy in response to the manual depression of said push bar, a holding pawl effective after depression of said push bar for preventing said spring motor from unwinding, a release means operative on restoration of said push bar for operating said holding pawl to release said energy, a first limiting means on said push bar to limit the amount of said depression, a second limiting means on said push bar to limit the amount of said restora tion, said first limiting means determining the amount that said spring motor is to be Wound, and said second limiting means stopping the restoration of said push bar at the instant said release means has operated. g

10. In an impulse transmitter, a finger operated push bar, a slot on said push bar and a tooth on each side of said slot, a control plate having an indented portion of its periphery, a linkage plate for operatively connecting said push bar with said control plate, a linkage pin mounted on said linkage plate, said linkage pin meshed between said teeth on said push bar and protruding into said indentation of said control plate, a biasing spring connected to said linkage plate, means effected by the depression of said push bar for moving said linkage pin against said control plate and rotating said plate, and means responsive to the action of said biasing spring for exerting force on said linkage plate and cause it to rotate to move said linkage pin along said indented portion of said control plate for restoring said push bar to normal.

THEODOREC. RIEBE.

Name Date Stewart Fen. it, 1932 Number