US2603887A - Time study training apparatus - Google Patents

Description

July 22 1952 P. CARROLL, JR 2,603,887v

TIME STUDY TRAINING APPARATUS Filed Nov. l. 1947 i 4: l I i 5. Y PHIL CARROLL, JR. T I mp/'Gm Patented July 22, 1952 ig-*UNITED 'STATE Phil Carroll,` Jr.; Maplewood, N. .A u Application Novemberi, 1947, serial No. 783,601

'I'heinventionvrelates to educational apparatus foruse lin training timestudy engineers to enable'- them to'v read a decimal-minute watch or similar short time sweep hand indicator correctly.

It is the present practice with timestudyengie y neers to observe' andmake atime chart ofthe actions of a skilled or average workman -doing a piece of routine work. The performance of operations onv apiece-of work not infrequently involves' J a .number of separate acts or` movements, known inthe artv as elements, and which total number of elements'is hereinafter sometimes referredrto f as .an operation. Ordinarily the timestudy en-` gineer holds in the palm of his lefthand a padv of paper. and between his fingers a decimal min-y ute stop watch or equivalent shorttime sweep handindicator, and in his right hand he holds. ay pencil poised on the pad. He observes the termination of each act, step, hand movement, event or element performed by the workman in completing the operation under. observationvwhile he holdsy the watchin line with his eye and with the work under observation. The engineer presses the 4watch starter button at the end of each precedingA event or element and thus at the beginning'of `each subsequent element;.notes the reading `of the watch sweep hand and jots down on the pad the number of hundredthsl of a minute consumed. durlngeach particularevent or element of theycomplete operation. The Awatch of course snapsvback to: its zero-position `at eachr pressing of its starter button and immediately startsagain on its travel about the watch dial. TheA stop-start button is again pressed at the termination of a second step, event or element and so on, the engineer pressing the :watch controlling button at the end of each element in the completev sequence of steps until` the operation under .observation is completed. Usually this is done several'times to obtain the' correct answer tov the 'basic inquiry as tohow much time was consumedy in performing the several elements whiclrmade upkthe complete operation.l

.It :has been found in practice thatthere is a material variation in the observations of different engineers or other testers while observing and recording identicallythe same operation even under those conditions where the operation isperformed mechanicallyand without human effort.v Also the l accuracy of observation varies from time totime among different observers and is apparently de'- pendent largelyupon the skill of the tester iny his abilityfto coordinate the actual instant'oftime when an observed element terminates, with-such terminations as are indicated by his watch readings. The highly skilled tester is quitel accurate,

even to the hundredth of a minute in noting theY lapsedtime duration-of elements` and this in turn.

is dependent upon'the observers skill in mentally anticipating the-termination of each'step or ele-k ment, so that he is able to press the watch button, u

more or less. exactly at the termination of each step and the' greater the skill developed in anticipating the actual termination of each elementthe less becomes anytime lag which he himself might introducebefore'he operateshis Watch'and thus` unintentionally introduced into' his chart.-

It iis 'appreciated' that different complete opera-I tions -may involve al large number of steps, events or elements; sometimes only four orlve, usuallyV twentyltorthirty, and not .infrequently several*- hundred elements are .performed by the mechanic;y oftenquickly-one after the. other and in effecta's. a continuous movementu Itis.E also appreciated that .thetime length or time `lapseA durationzof anyone of the several elements arene'ver; korat v least very seldom, ofthe Sametime duration. and this' tendsV to. introduce .a3 factor of uncerta'intyfr into the minds Vof the testers and tends .to constitute. a source of. error in the recorded times.. y For an illustration suppose thelfirst. step,.eveni' or element of--the mechanic isto, pick up a. Work l blank; the second step is to insertLthe blank ina fth step is. to .remove thefinishedy workifro'm thel jig, -work holderor. other: machine part; thef'third stepis .to drill the blank; the fourthv stepis to withdraw the tool from the nishedworkand the Suppose asan actualimattler of fact'andignoring any errors due to any personal equation, thatV it actually takes a total of 0.47 of a minute to complete one operation, divided as V`fol1ow's:f0.06 7 minute to pick up the blank, 0-.07 minute to place it in the machine, 0.15- minute tov drill it; 021-3 minutetor withdraw the' toolfrom theworkfand sible'margin of error,"say .0025'of a minute.- l 7 .Tneprimary object-ofthe invenuonjis; to' pio: 1 videV apparatus for. use in a course of training for' the initiallyunskilled tester 'or ystudent so`-1zliatV eventually in usingthe apparatus as herein" dise' closed he willnbecome so skilled and accurate in ascertainling'v timea'lapsesf the' different steps,Y events or` elementsf'of an: observation*operation i that his readings will be.correctglorfdiiferently exi pressedhe will be able toiininimizey errorsiwhich might otherwise be introduced into his readings due to his personal mental lag or to delay between theinstant an event actually occurs due to his muscular reaction or otherwise caused to stop the the running of his stop watch.

Broadly this objective is attained by causing Y the student under training as hereinafter featured to operate a decimal minute or stop watch, hour aftervhour, while he observes ,andv make record of prepared ventsz'or elements'iwlfii'ch*A take place before"- him;y and thet'rue time'lapse of which elements is known to theinstructor, so that it is possible for the instructor to compare the chartL of time intervals presented by the'rstudent with the correct answers known to the instructor, and in this way ascertain the progress Vmade by the. student as he progressively becomesfmoreand more skilled in his approach to accuracy ob-V serving the simulated sequence of events.`

The primary object of the invention insofar as its apparatus aspectiis concerned is to provide a simple form of lapsed time. indicatingmachine, characterized inthatafmovable indicator is Vdividedinto distinctive.y areas dimensionedinthe;V

direction of travel .of the4 indicator to represent lapsed time ina series of simulated events or elements and which indicator may be replaced inr ferently coloredsections, and Fig. 5 is a view 'L-largely in vertical section of portions of an apvfp aratus resembling a motion picture projector for advancing a film and employing the film of Fig. 4."y

y vReferring rst tothe disclosure of the preferred form of apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 3, there the-machine fromtime to time to vary Athe problem presented to thestudent. Y v There is. disclosed herewithv two Ysuggested forms of such apparatus. In the preferred form,

ofapparatus the movable. indicator is in the form-` of a revolving disk, motor driven through speed'l controlled elements and in whichy the diskis madeup of a plurality of colored segments'preferably segmentsA of coloredglass, with, different arc lengths anddisposed :to form `a circular disk mounted to move pastfand in momentary registry;v with a fixed indicator hereinafter: sometimes re-v ferred to as a zero indicator.

In V`the other form of apparatus themovable indicator is one. ofi aset of flexible strips resemblingv motion picture iilms' and provided with v colored areas vfed pastV axed indicator. alsov referred to as a Zero indicator.V In this. case the iilm4 is advanced by a film :advancing` machine resembling a. motion picture projector also provided with speedcontrollingfeatures.

Variousi otherobjects and advantages of the invention willbe in part` obvious from a con.- sideration ofthe method featuresA of the dis-` closureandfromr ancinspectionV of the accom- Darwins drawing andvinf part will be. morefully.` set forth in the followingparticular description ofv one method of practicing the invention, and the` invention also consistsin certain-newpand novel modifications ofthe preferred ,method and of y other features of construction and combination oiparts, hereinafter set forth and-claimed.

In the accompanyingdrawings:

j Fig. 1 is a composite view includingv a perspective showing of one formofapparatus` for' use in practicing the method aspect ofk thisdis- :.ilosure,vr and which apparatus` is f shown in ythe form of a portable box Varrangedto *.beicarried` about conveniently 'from place to place and with parts ofits rotating time indicating diskfbroken awayy to *show normally hidden details of; construction, and there lisalso. disclosed a decimal; minutewatch for use therewith;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical. sectional .viewv taken through theapparatusof Fig.z1 in its-longitudinal medial plane'. and I with the parts therein* shown somewhatdiagrammatically; Y

is'disclsed a box-like container l0 provided on its upper side with a handle Il by means of which the apparatus. may be conveniently portedjahout from ,place toplace Where needed. y 'Ihe znear-f` right side of the container asshown-ingFig. Lisi;

recessed and the bottom-0f the recess defined by" an upstanding, inset panel Vboard l2 formingpne side of a rectangular mechanism.containinggcom- Y partment |3'within the-container.I The recessis closedrby a hinged cover AIll andthe c overiis-.se-`

cured, in` closedA position by Yaf spring@k catch .15," :The `frontside i6 of. the'containerl0 formsrva.. light screen and is providedV at' its upper portion withI a narrow vertically extending slot'zll.4 dis# posed tov direct a beam vofjlight from an incan descent lamp I8 contained within the housingzand coacting therewith to form. a highly illuminated slot isV hereinafter. sometimes referredit'ni` as af zero indicator. A parabolic reector I91secured to theV rear wall, 20. of theA container actstocol-f. lect light from the source I8 and 'to project ay highly luminous beamof light through the. narrow crack-,like slot Il.V It is th'eintentfhereto` present `a bright .line ofi light: as the fixed. zero" indicator at the twelve oclock position'of thel disk hereinafter described and which indicator will be easily visibleV through the colored disk which at all times is illuminated bythefenviron` mental light in lthe room inwhich the apparatusi operates so'as to be visible to the student.V

A multi-color disk 20. is mounted to rotatelin advanceof the front side 4I6 and. itsfzercforming--r slot l1 and is designed .to-be exposed to viewand visible to the studentl located in front of the yap= disk 2l is provided at its center withna squareaperture 2liV fitted over the squaredlshaft-'end 22. The support 2| is. demountably held.: in places by a retractile spring 25;:flttedfin and normally projecting from the shaft end'22.. Thesshafti23 extends through. and is supported from -theffr'ont^` side I6 by means of ananti-frictionmountingff 26. The shaft 23 andwith `it the'disk.2|lJ is driven'L from van electric motor 2J -mountedffwi'thin -th'e`- compartment i 3 and .the yspeed' of which motor-fis* g controlled bya'rheostatrZBz. Thel'control knob- 2liJN of the rheostat.v is mounted inthe panel' board-I 25- and zreadily.;y accessible for. manipulation byv ther instructor when the cover is in the open posit-,1911; showninFig. 1.-,v y

Figs isa fragmentary view largelyA infirme-mf: As the motor castrated-iis' .preferstiy?A fl-a high speed type; and itis desredintheinstantcase to Arotate the, disk 2 3 at relativelylow speed a reducing geardrivefis locatedbetween the motor and the disk shaft V23. In the-case.

illustrated the motor `shaft ,30 -iscconnectedto an intermediate shaft 3l through aworm gear drive 32 .and the intermediate shaft 3l `is con-- nected to the disk' shaft 23 by means .ofa reducing gear drive 33. Itis understood from this construction that the motor vspeed can be regulated and changed from time to timeby vthe instructor manipulating therheostat so that the disk A20 willbe rotated at that- Speed Whichis best suited for the skill ofthe student for, the

segments permanently fixed thereto and tore-v place the disk in use from time to time with other similar disks but with different arrangements-y ofthe colored segment so as to form different patterns andin this way to vary the problem presented to the student. It is preferable,'how ever, to arrange the disk so that the segments maybe replaced or rearranged from timepto time as may be desired by theinstructon purpose the front of the plastic support 2I is provided with an outer retaining rim 35 which is Z-shaped lin cross-section. The rim 35 includes an outwardly projecting flange 36 and an inwardly facing flange 31 dimensioned for overlapping Iand thus engaging the outer edges of the segments- 34 andwhich rim 35 is demountably secured in position by screws 38 passing through the flange 36 and, into the marginal edge of the supporti 2l. Similarly at the hub or center of thesupport is an inner rim 39 likewise Z-shaped in cross-section. The rim A32! includes an outstanding annular ange 40 for underlapping and thus engaging the inner perimeters of the segments 34 and which rimv 39 is secured in place by screws v4I passed through an inwardly extending ,angej42 and into the support 2l outwardly of its aperture 24. Y

Itis a feature of this disclosure that the segments be if dierent arc lengths andthat they be'of different colors and are Ausually arranged with highly distinctive colors abutting to form very definite and easily visualized lines of de-y For this position in advance of the disk similar tothat occupied by theA skilled engineerin observinganv marcationnldening the joints between each ad 1 jacent pairs of segments and hereinafter sometimes called time factors. For instance in the fragmentary; viewshown in Fig. 3 and considering they segments clockwise, vsegment-43 is blue; 44 is red, 45 is yg`reen,\and 4611s brown. These segments are sufficiently transparent `and so arranged relative `to the slot I1 forming the zero indicator that the several indicators will be at all timesvisible to they student as he looksat the yrevolving, disk. .The lines of demarcatiomsuch as the radial -line 41 between the blue segment' 43 and the red segment 44, are so proportioned in their lengthdimensionsthat when they'freach. their twelve oclock position theywill register exactly o ne after the other, in

line of demarcation reaches, coincides with yand isabouf'to pass .the same-Y AS thev 11net. 0i def marcati@ .are :formed y by the jointure @i .the

contrasting colors `ofthe adjacent blan spaces it follows that the lines have no width .dimenf slotsfl'l Aand 52` must havefsufl'cient width to permit lthe light beam to pass therethroughfte form the desired bright, fixed indicator. v Viliile the intent here is to make the slots of the least practical Width toA form Hthe' indicator, the slots,

and thus the xed indicator, are ofcourse of' greater Width than the lines of'n'o width-'diimension.v 1t follows then thatv at aninstant of time each line o fdemarcatin 7is moreI or; less, centered between opposite,. vdefinitelyv forrrie'd edges of .the fixed luminous indicator Ythe highly skilled operator, Watching for the phenomenon,.

can often detect theinstant simultaneous appearance of .two streaks of light, one oneach sidey of the. momentarily registering linev of den marcation. Another and very important f eature of this d the time being at thetwelve .oclock position or at least' its'terminal line yof demarcation appreaching the zero indicator be visible to the student so that he can clearly see the approach of eachline vof demarcation for 'sometimebefo're it actually reaches the zero 'mark orindicator at l1. The motor 2 1 with its rheostat 28,the lamp I8, thecontrol switch SWl and socket S- are in# eluded in a wired circuitv (not shown) In operation and assuming that the apparatus I has been plugged into the house current at the socket S, and that the rheos'tatknob/ZS hasv been A set to give the speed desiredby the instructor` for the particular studentv for the time using the apparatus, and that one of a selected set of disks 20 is in position, the student assumes va operation in actual practice,` inthatthe student likewise holds a padiof paper'and a decimal minute watch DM in one handl and alperic'il or'A pen in the other hand. 'The'disk 2B will be' set in motion by,closing the main switch SW oirth'e panel board and permitted to rotate until it reaches constant'speed. 'The student starts the Watch and observes each succeeding radial line. of demarcation`4'1 as it approaches its twelveV oclock position, and when 'it exactlycoincide'sf with the slot of light forming the zero indicator he presses 'the watch controlbutton B, readingv the indicatorsweep hand SH at the instant it stops advancing and notes on his pad the exact time as indicated by the advance ofthe sweep hand which the current segment took to reach the zero indicator. This is repeated foreach succeedingsegment to thatv finally Vthe sevtion in his readings both for each'V eventand for the complete operation `'assuresv'himl that he is at least approaching `the correctly' timed observations. The instructor compares the students readings lso produced with/theA chart-'of y known correcttimes for that vparticular disk,

and notes whenever the student varies from a f true reading. For instance, in the illustration above noted when the true total lapsed ltime should be.0.37 of a minute the'students observed Y alimen? with /;h e zre1- f indieatoigll` as each- .75 readings should .correspond quite closely to the is; closure is that preferably theen'tire segment for 9 lapsed time since the next preceding line coincided with the'xed indicator.

2; The'device defined in-'claim 1 in which :the two spaces Abetween at least;one set of three of the succeeding lines are differently colored and of'different widths measured` in the direction of travel of said traveling indicator and in which the T,two colored spaces at their 'jointure form the middle of the three lines asa'distinct thin `line of demarcation having practically no width dimension and functioning as a deiinite reading' line to indicate the termination of` one event and the start of the succeeding event.

3. In a device for training students under the guidance of an instructor to improve their accuracy irl-making a chart ofstop watch readings of the succeeding events of a simulatedfoperation and in which the events are greater than four, the combination of means4 forming a beam'of light constituting a fixed, luminousy indicator, an'indicator of transparent.materialguided for movement in one direction across' the luminous indicator, provided with a plurality ofV indicants each designating the termination 'f :one event and the start of the succeeding event, said indicants being spacedapart variableldistancesin their direction of movement and the distancestherebetween being indicative of the relative time lapses which the events consume inpassing the luminous indicator, said indicants being of less dimension than that of the luminous indicator as both are measured in the direction of movement of the indicator, means forming an instructors station including means for driving the movable indicator and a control easily accessible to the operator for varying at will the speed of the movable indicator.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a container having a long, narrow slot opening throughrone wall thereof, a shaft Journaled in said wall, extending therethrough adjacent the slot and provided at its outer end with means for replaceably mounting a disk thereonv to be driven thereby, mechanism housed within the container for driving the shaft selectively at one of a plurality of constant speeds, a flat disk of transparent material located in advance of said wall and connected by said mounting means to the shaft to be rotated thereby, said disk divided into a plurality of segments with all the segments exposed to View at all times, each adjacent pair of segments being of contrasting colors and forming therebetween straight, thin lines of demarcation extending radially of the disk and successively registering with the slot as the disk rotates, at least one of the segments having an arc distance different from the arc distance of one of its next adjacent segments, and means housed within the container for projecting a beam of light through the slot and through the segments as they move past the slot to form a bright,luminous, denitely deiined fixed indicator visible through the segments as they move past the fixed indicator.

5. Apparatus for use in training time-study students to improve their accuracy in reading a stop watch,including a container, an annular disk carried by the container exteriorly thereof, extending vertically and mounted for rotary movement about a horizontal axis, said disk comprising differently colored transparent segments in edge-to-edge abutting relation and the entire distinctive and easily followed radial line vof demarcation having such width dimension as would area of each segment being at all times exposed be formed by ay joint between the different abutting segments, said container including a yWall located back of the disk, saidV wall provided with a long, narrow slot with which' the lines of demarcation exactly register 1in 'parallelism one after the other as the disk is rotated, means within the container for directing abeam of light throughthe slot to form a bright, luminous, .ilxed indicator visible through thev several colored segments as they pass the same,'an electric motor for driving the disk, and a control for resetting said motor speed to provide at will fora dierentdisk speed. if 'l l 6. Apparatus for.v use .in training time-study students to improvertheir accuracy in'reading a stop'watchto measure the vtime durationof'a plurality of elements .or events which go Ato make up an operation, said apparatus including a structural wall forming a. iixedopaque screen provided with a long,` narrow slot, a movable indicator fashioned to pass in front of the slot and presenting a plurality of colored areas each representing by its length in the direction of travel of ,the movable indicator the lapsed time of one of the events of a simulated operation and collectively representing the sum of the lapsed time duration of all of the events which go to make up the simulated operation, the areas forming adjacent pairs being of kcontrasting colors and forming therebetween straight, easily visible lines of demarcation of less width than theslot, means in rear of the wall for directing a beam of light through the slot to form a long, flat, xed, luminous indicator visible as a line through the movable indicator, said lines of the movable indicator, one after the other, vregistering with the slot for an instant time, and power means for advancing the movable indicator through said beam of light.

'7. The article defined in claim 6 in vwhich the movable indicator is a multi-colored disk whose blank colored areas are of segmental form and of various arc lengths and whose lines of demarcation extend in relatively radial directions.

8. Apparatus for use in preparing a record in fractions of a standard unit of time, of the time lapses of a series of elements of a simulated operation in the training of students to read and operate a stop watch, which is calibrated into fractionsI of a standard unit of time for direct reading, said apparatus including a display de- 'vice for simulating the time duration of the elements of an operation, said device including a screen provided with a long slot opening therethrough, a movable indicator of transparent material formed with a plurality of blank areas of different colors in edge-to-edge relation with adjacent blank areas being differently colored to provide lines of demarcation, means for directing a beam of light through the slot and through the indicator to form a luminous, fixed indicator visible from a position in advance of the display device as athin, bright line, means for moving the indicator and with it the colored areas at l`agpreset speed across the beam'of light from thefslot, each colored area dimensioned in its direction of travel when at such speed to passthe slot inaA 9. An article of manufacture `constituting a movable indicator for use as areplaceable unit in a projection machine of the type in which the indicator moves across a narrow. ilat beam of parallelle: each .othenm spaeeclba'part relatif-m `ad; rightzanglegto .the :leegte f Y Y ""PHILiQARBOUeyR Number 1,-1993980 A1,351,562 5 11,423,089

vl0 51,851,587 1,931,445 1,948,633 1,953,954 2307.1284 1m-804 K Name Y A Det/ef Gilbretih- "Oct.'3=, 1916 lostorA Aug. k311, 11920 Cushman Ju1y.1\8=,1922 "Doane Sept-.19,19% Jones- Apr. 28,"1'925 *'O-{Gradyf Y 1Mar. i3, l1931 Liltbleeld fMay 10, 1932 Darling IVIEa-yY 10, 111932 Smith Nov-.'25, 1933 "Rogers fEeb. *27", 1934 Constable 1 Apr. 1:011'934 'Hyland -1"ebv."16, 21937 Neville oct. 3, 1939 'Silva Dec. 10p-15%() `'Brown Get; '28, :1941 V'Gandl June 30, 1942 ,"Kornei Feb. 27,1945 Konei Feb. L9, 11946 PATENTS @mmm :Date

Enaneeinwm1w .Semx-M, 19.2.9"

OTHER REFERENCES Popular VAMieellenica. Magazine, page 4.0, .lune

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