US2591555A - Indicator - Google Patents

Description

J' A. KLO PF INDICATOR April l, 1952 Filed May 25, 1949 h ON F U w as W 1 M q n 0. mm l w N y 0 v H A. mm W 3% m L 3% k 6L 4 M S 0? GM. I Hul .1 Hnnunuunw -nlfl lu- H Huh H H U m 93 Q8 2 8 M x mm 8 W n. A. v 0 0 0 o om HIS ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 1 1952 INDICATOR- James A. Klopf, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to The National Cash Register Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Maryland Application May 25, 1949, Serial No. 95,360

12 Claims.

This invention relates to an indicating device and more particularly pertains to one in which electrical sensing means is employed to stop a visually observed legend-bearing member normally moving step by step past a viewing station.

In certain calculating devices, electrical digitrepresenting units are operated sequentially in data-entering operations, the operated condition of the digit-representing units representing the accumulated amount.

If only one digit-representing unit of a sensed group is operating at any given time the problem of sensing electrical contacts representing such devices of a group is relatively simple. Such an indicator is shown in United States Patent No. 2,404,739, issued on the application of Robert E. Mumma. In that indicator it is only necessary for a sensing member to distinguish one contact by its electrical potential, all other contacts having a different potential.

When it is desired to sense the accumulation of data in a calculating machine having a plurality of electrical digit-representing units wherein one or more of the units may be operating at a given instant, the sensing means must be able not only to sense the electrical potential of a contact but its potential with reference to other contacts and their elecric potential. Such a calculating device is disclosed in an application for U. S. Letters Patent Serial No. 71,062, filed jointly by Ernest V. Gulden and this applicant on J anuary 13, 1949. In that application a device is shown in which from one to half of the digit-representing devices may be operating at a given instant, the last device to become operating being the one representing the final numerical accumulation.

This invention provides a scanning type of indicator which will work either with the type of accumulator that has but one digit-representing device operating for registering an accumulation of data, or one that has one or more digit-representing devices operating at a given instant to register an accumulation of data.

In essence the novel indicator comprises a scanner having two brush contacts which are staggered so as to rest on two digit-representing contacts at any instant, said two contacts representing adjacent digits in a denominational order, a mechanism moving the brushes step by step in a direction over the contacts that is opposite to the direction of their becoming sequentially energized on data being entered thereinto, means to stop the step by step scanning when the contacts encounter the situation wherein the leading brush senses a live contact and the trailing brush senses a dead contact, and a visual indicator coupled to and moving with the brush.

As an example, if ten contacts represent the (IO/I; K1,) (K2,); M3,): N4), ((5,!) ((6,)! 7, !8))) and 9" of the decimal system and the energization of the 5, 6 and '7 contacts represents the accumulation or registration of a value of 7, then the leading brush in its travel would come to scan the 9, "8 and 7 contacts in succession, in that order, and the trailing brush would then rest on a deenergized contact "8. In such a situation the stepping means would cease operating and the number 7 would be visually indicated. The indicator of this invention requires the sensing of a condition where the leading brush makes contact with a relatively energized or live contact and the trailing brush makes contact with a relatively deenergized or dead contact before the sensing movement comes to rest.

The calculating devices to which reference has been made employ electron tubes as digit-representing elements. These tubes are employed in circuit networks that cause them to become conducting in sequence. In these devices there is a cathode resistor for each tube which results in a positive rise in potential of a cathode asthe associated tube becomes conducting. The cathodes are the potential points scanned by the indicator and a contact is said to be live when the associated tube is conducting and dead when the tubeis not conductnig.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an indicator for use with accumulating devices wherein one or more digit-representing units is in operating or energized condition to represent an accumulated digit amount.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an indicator wherein multiple scanning brushes are provided to sense the relative positions of energized and deenergized digit-representing units.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, a preferred form or embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference to the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram of the novel indicator, its drive means, and its drive control means, all representing the invention with respect to one bank of a decimal calculating device.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic showing of the two brush scanning system as applied to a condition where more than one digit-representmg device of these scanned has a live contact.

Fig. 3 represents another condition of the device of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic showing of a situation in the Mumma type of calculating device wherein only one digit-representing device is operating, and the two brush scanning system.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a shield having a viewing aperture 2| through which numbers on an indicator disc 22 are brought consecutively to view as disc 22 is rotated step by step in 36 movements by shaft 23, shown diagrammatically, as ratchet 24 is given a step by step movement by pawl 25 driven backwardly and forwardly by spring 26 in combination with magnet 21. Magnet 21 is normally energized by an electric circuit extending from ground 28, through the magnet coil, armature 29, contacts 30, conductor 3| and normally closed contacts 32 to potential source 33. As the armature 29 is attracted to the magnet, contacts 30 are opened breaking the circuit and allowing spring 26 to draw the armature away, which recloses contacts 30. This action is repetitive as long as contacts 32 are closed.

Secured on shaft 23 and rotating with it are brushes 34 and 35 each wiping over a set of ten contacts, numbered to 9, inclusive, and zero, brush 35 leading brush 34 by one contact and both scanning the contacts in a retrograde manner, that is from higher value to lower value, as indicated by the arrows. The contacts scanned by brushes 34 and 35 are, for the purpose of this diagram, supposed to be connected to the oathodes of tubes in electron tube counting devices, as described, and register conduction in the associated tubes by a positive rise in potential as compared to contacts representing non-conducting tubes.

When leading brush 35 strikes a contact with a positive potential rise and trailing brush 34 is, at the same time, on a contact with a potential indicative of a non-conducting tube contacts 32 are caused to be opened stopping the indicator which displays the number representing the contact on which brush 35 stands.

The control is effected in the following manner. A double triode vacuum tube of the 6J6 type with both cathodes grounded, has anode connected to a 180 volt positive potential source 4| through a 10,000 ohm resistor 42. Anode 43 is connected to the same source 4| through 10,000 ohm resistor 44. Point 45 is connected through the coil of magnet 46 and rectifier 41 to point 48. Rectifier 41 is oriented to pass current only from point 45 to point 48. Such would occur if current was flowing from anode 40 to ground and current was not flowing from anode 43 to ground. Grid 49 is connected through point 50 and 500,000 ohm resistor 5| to negative 75 volt source 52. Grid 53 is connected through point 54 and 500,000 ohm resistor 55 to negative 75 volt source 55. Point 50 is connected to brush 35 and point 54 is connected to brush 34. A 75 volt change toward the positive of point 50 would cause conduction from anode 40 to ground, and a similar change on point 54 would cause conduction from plate 53 to ground. Under the circumstances of conduction or non-conduction in both sides of the tube no current flow will occur in coil 46. Nor will current flow in coil 45 if there is conduction from only anode 43 to ground, even though point 45 will then be highly negative with respect to point 48, as the rectifier assi ts will block current flow from point 48 to point 45. If current is flowing from anode 40 to ground, and not from anode 43 to ground, current will flow through coil 46 opening contacts 32 and stopping the movement of the indicator. This condition prevails when brush 35 scans a conducting cathode and brush 34 does not. The indicator is correlated to brush 35 and is shown registering 7.

The circuit constants, tube characteristics, and applied potentials are such that, for instance, a 100 volt positive potential rise on point 50 will stop the movement of the indicator. The system may, of course, be made responsive to potential changes of greater or lesser amount, such adjustment being well within the capacity of those skilled in the electronic art.

Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrammatic showings of the condition of conductivity in the electron tubes of the device shown in the Klopf-Gulden application, Serial No. 71,062, when representing the numbers "8 and 9 respectively. The shaded circles represent conducting tubes and the unshaded circles represent non-conducting tubes. In each instance the brush 35 is in contact with the highest conducting tube and brush 34 trails by one contact.

If the calculating device is operated to represent another digit the scanning will commence again as contacts 32 close.

Fig. 4 represents the situation of one tube only conducting as would be the case in the Mumma type of calculating device shown in United States Patent No. 2,404,739.

The indicator is entirely automatic in its action and may be used with any digital calculating device which will furnish an indication of the accumulated data in the form of electric potentials representing digit devices in their operating state.

What is claimed is:

1. An indicating device for scanning a plurality of electric contacts each of which has one or the other of two possible electric potentials, including, in combination, scanning means including two brushes and an operating drive to drive both brushes together for scanning the contacts, said brushes being staggered so that two adjacent contacts are sensed at the same time as the brushes are moved thereover, one brush trailing the other by one contact; and drive control means connected to both brushes and controlled to stop the scanning means operating drive only when a predetermined one of the brushes is on a contact having a predetermined one of the two possible potentials and at the same time the other brush is on a contact having the other of the two possible potentials.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the drive control means for the operating drive causes the drive to operate when the stopping condition no longer exists upon the contacts.

3. In an indicator for indicating the amount standing in a denominational order of an electric impulse counter of the type having digitrepresenting tubes which represent digit values by conducting and non-conducting condition of the tubes, which tubes are connected in a circuit by which they are rendered conducting one after another in a succession in response to received impulses impressed thereon and by which a tube will produce one potential if it is conducting and another potential if it is non- 'conducting, the combination of a contact for each tube connected in circuits thereof so the potentials of a contact indicates the conducting or non-conducting condition of the associated tube; sensing means including two brushes and a brush operating means to drive the brushes past the contacts in descending digit value from the highest end of the order towards the beginning thereof, said brushes being arranged so that the contacts connected to two adjacent tubes are sensed at the same time, one by each brush; and control means connected to the brushes for stopping the sensing means when the brushes first encounter contacts having different potentials caused by the lower digit value one of two adjacent tubes being conducting and the other being non-conducting.

4. The device of claim 3 in which the sensing means is coupled to and moves a display member to display characters representing the tubes sensed by the brush which senses the lower digit value tube of the pair being sensed at the same time, so that, when stopped, the ,member will show the character corresponding to the lower value conducting tube encountered.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein one of the brushes leads the other and wherein the control means includes means which is eflective only if the conducting tube is adjacent a non-conducting tube which succeeds it in the order.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the control means includes uni-directional controls which will cause stopping only if the leading brush senses a contact connected to a conducting tube and the trailing brush engages a contact connected to a non-conducting tube but will not cause stopping if both brushes engage contacts connected to conducting tubes or nonconducting tubes, or if the leading brush engages a contact connected to a non-conducting tube when the trailing brush engages a contact connected to a conducting tube so that the sensing means repeats its scanning movement if it fails to be stopped on any given scanning operation.

7. In a device for indicating the value standing in a denominational order of an electronic accumulator made up of a plurality of digitrepresenting tubes and circuits interconnecting the tubes for sequential operation in response to input signals whereby the selective conducting condition of one or more tubes can represent various ones of the several digits of a notation, said circuits enabling each tube to produce one potential when conducting and another potential when non-conducting, the combination of a plurality of contacts; circuits connecting the contacts to related ones of said tube circuits so that each contact will have one potential if its related tube is conducting and another potential if its related tube is non-conducting; means to sense the potential of said contacts including a pair of brushes and means to drive the brushes together past the contacts to sense the contacts according to the digits in sequence, the relation between the brushes and the contacts being such that the brushes simultaneously sense contacts related to two adjacent tubes; control means connected to the brushes and controlled by the potential of the sensed contacts for stopping further movement of the sensing means when, and as long as, the brushes engage contacts having different potentials caused by one of two adjacent tubes being conducting and the other being non-conducting; and means operable under control of 6 thesensing'means to indicate the value of the digit corresponding to the position in which the sensing means has been stopped.

8.In a device of the class described, the combination of a plurality of contacts each of which has one or the other of two possible potentials selectively applied thereto to represent data; an indicator for indicating said data; means for driving said indicator, said driving means including a step-by-step operating means operated by a solenoid in a self-operating, make-andbreak circuit which also includes an arrestor switch; scanning means, also driven by the driving means, for scanning the plurality of contacts to sense the potentials which have been supplied thereto, and including two brushes which are driven together over the contacts and are staggered so that one brush trails the other by one contact, thereby enabling two adjacent contacts to be sensed at the same time; and drive control means connected to both brushes to be controlled thereby and containing an arrestor-switch-operating means which is operated only when one of said two brushes is on a contact which has a predetermined one of said potentials applied thereto and the other of said two brushes is on a contact which has the other of said potentials applied thereto; said switchoperating means, when operated, operating the arrestor switch to prevent further operation of the driving means to drive the indicator and the sensing brushes.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a plurality of contacts, each of which has one or the other of two possible potentials selectively applied thereto to represent data; scanning means for scanning the contacts to determine the data represented by the potentials applied to the contacts, and including two brushes and a driving means to drive the brushes together over the contacts, said brushes being staggered so that one'brush trails the other one by one contact, thereby enabling two adjacent contacts to be sensed at the same time; and drive control means connected to both brushes and controlled thereby to stop the driving means only when the leading brush engages a contact having a predetermined one of the two possible potentials applied thereto and the trailing brush engages a contact having the other of the two possible potentials applied thereto.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination of a plurality of contacts, each of which has one or the other of two possible potentials selectively applied thereto to represent data; scanning means for scanning the contacts to determine the data represented by the potentials applied to the contacts, and including two brushes and a driving means to drive the brushes together over the contacts, said brushes being staggered so that one brush trails the other one by one contact, thereby enabling two adjacent contacts to be sensed at the same time, and said driving means including an operating circuit having a normally closed contact therein; and drive control means connected to both brushes and controlled thereby to open the normally closed contact to stop the driving means only when the leading brush engages a contact having a predetermined one of the two possible potentials applied thereto and the trailing brush engages a contact having the other of the two possible potentials applied thereto.

11. In a device of the class described, the combination of a plurality of contacts, each of which has one or the other of two possible potentials selectively applied thereto to represent data; scanning means for scanning the contacts to determine the data represented by the potentials applied to the contacts, and including two brushes and a driving means to drive the brushes together over the contacts, said brushes being staggered so that one brush trails the other one by one contact, thereby enabling two adjacent contacts to be sensed at the same time; and drive control means including a pair of triodes, each having an anode, a cathode, and a control electrode and each having its control electrode connected to a different one of the brushes to be controlled thereby, one of said two possible potentials, when sensed, enabling conduction to occur in a triode and the other of said two potentials when sensed preventing conduction in a triode, and including means jointly controlled by the triodes to stop the driving means only when the leading brush engages a contact having a predetermined one of the two possible potentials applied thereto and the trailing brush engages a contact having the other of the two possible potentials applied thereto.

12. In a device of the class described, the combination of a plurality of contacts, each of which has one or the other of two possible potentials selectively applied thereto to represent data;

scanning means for scanning the contacts to 30 determine the data represented by the potentials applied to the contacts, and including two brushes and a driving means to drive the brushes together over the contacts, said brushes being staggered so that one brush trails the other one by one contact, thereby enabling two adjacent contacts to be sensed at the same time, and said driving means including an operating circuit having a normally closed contact therein; and drive control meansincluding a pair of triode electron tubes, each having an anode, a cathode, a control grid, and an operating circuit including an anode impedance and each having its control grid connected to one of said brushes, one of said two possible potentials, when sensed, enabling conduction in a triode and the other of said potentials preventing conduction in a triode, and including a magnet connected in a circuit between the anodes of the triodes and energized only when a particular one of the triodes is conducting and the other is non-conducting, said magnet when energized opening the normally-closed contact in circuit of the driving means to stop the drive.

JAMES A. KLOPF.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,430,113 Handley Nov. 4, 1947 2,444,065 Pouliart June 29, 1948

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