US2682373A

US2682373A - High-speed counter

Info

Publication number: US2682373A
Application number: US142396A
Authority: US
Inventors: Opocensky Willard John; Brandon Chester
Original assignee: Librascope Inc
Current assignee: Librascope Inc
Priority date: 1950-02-04
Filing date: 1950-02-04
Publication date: 1954-06-29
Anticipated expiration: 1971-06-29

Description

June 1954 w. .1. OPOCENSKY ETAL 2,682,373

HIGH-SPEED COUNTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 4, 1950 Ennentcrs MLLA PD doH/v OFOCE/VS/(V C'Hss TE'R BRA NEON June 29, 1954 w. J. OPOCENSKY ET AL 2,682,373

HIGH-SPEED COUNTER Filed Feb. 4, 1950 I5 Sheets-$heet 5 3nnentors MLLA/PD JoH/v OPOCE/VSKV {5 06095751? BRANDON (Ittorneg Patented June 29, 1954 HIGH- SPEED COUNTER Willard John Opocensky, Glendale, and Chester Brandon, La Canada, Calif., assignors to Librascope, Incorporated, Glendale, Calif., a corporation of California Application February 4, 1950, Serial No. 142,396

6 Claims.

The'present invention relates to counters and is concerned more particularly with the provision of a counter constructed for high-speed operation.

The mechanical counting of operations such as shaft rotations at high speeds presents difficult problems because of the fact that the lowest order registering wheel, if intermittently actuated, and, in any event, the higher order numeral wheels, are actually in motion during only about onetenth of the cycle of rotation of the driving shaft. Very severe shock loads are imposed by the sudden starting and stopping of the parts involved, and these loads are increased where the parts are so constructed and arranged as to have high inertia.

The present invention makes possible the provision of a counting mechanism for counting operations such as shaft rotations at speeds of the order of 4000 revolutions per minute without the imposition of shock loads exceeding those en countered at very much lower speeds in previously known devices of the same kind.

This is accomplished by the provision of a novel intermittent-actuation device in which a Geneva drive having the desirable characteristic of gradually accelerating the driven parts is combined with a resilient coupling which is effective as the speed of operation rises, to decrease the peak speed which they attain. The device may I.

be employed either as the actuator for the lowest order wheel of an intermittently actuated counter,

or for actuating the next higher order wheel of a counter in which the lowest order wheel is continuously driven by a shaft the revolutions of which are to be counted. Preferably it is employed in conjunction with a counter design in which the inertia of the moving parts is as low as feasible.

In the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in which this'novel intermittent-actuation device is employed for driving the next to lowest order wheel of a counter in which the lowest order wheel is directly driven as above described. In this embodiment:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the counter;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the counter at the input end thereof;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the counter as mounted in place on a framework;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view with the parts shown in developed relation for clear illustration of the drive train from the input shaft to the counting mechanism;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the line 5--5 in Figure 4 showing the relation of the Geneva transfer pinion to its cooperating parts;

Figure 6 is an elevational view from the right of the parts shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is an elevational View of the resilient or flexible drive coupling employed to minimize shock loads; and

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the line 88 in Figure '7.

In the embodiment of the counter selected for illustration, it is shown as used, for example, in counting or indicating range which is input in units of yards per rotation of the input shaft and which may be read with reference to calibrations in two-yard units. Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the counter includes a base plate In, respective end plates II and [2 (Figure 4) and respective side plates I3 and [4 suitably secured together. A cover [6 is shown having a sight opening I! in conjunction with an input dial [8 and sight openings I9 for the respective counting dials 2|, as described hereinafter. The counter may be mounted on a frame 23 as shown in Figure 3, for example, by securing means engaging respective sets of ears 22 with the sight openings of the counter cover IS in alignment with a sight opening 24 of a suitable cover plate 25. The particularly mounting shown is merely for illustrative purposes and any other desired mounting may be provided.

The counter is provided with an input shaft 31 (Figure 4) which is journalled by a pair of bearings 32 in a cylindrical bearing retainer 33 having a press fit within the end wall I l of the case. At its inner end the input shaft 3| is splined to a hub 34 on which the input indicator dial IB is fixedly mounted and to which a drive gear 36 is secured. The drive gear 36 meshes with a gear 31 suitably secured on a hub 38 rotatably mounted on a shaft 39. The hub 38 is journalled in a bearing 41 carried by a bearing block 42 suitably secured in place on the base by means of cap screws 43 (Figure 2).

As seen in Figure 4, the drive from the

gears

36 and 31 is through a flexible shock coupling 46, a Geneva drive 41 and speed reducing gearing 48 to the units order counter-dial 21 as described in greater detail hereinafter. The gear ratio provided in the drive connection effects a one increment advance (which, in the illustrated embodiment, is one-tenth of a revolution) of the dial 2| for each complete revolution of the input.-

The resilient coupling 46, illustrated in detail in Figures 7 and 8, comprises an input disc and an output disc 52 having bonded therebetween a resilient coupling disc or block 53 of suitable material such as synthetic rubber. Synthetic rubber having a durometer reading of 40-45 has been found suitable for this purpose. The disc 5|, the disc 52 and the block 53 have an aligned central aperture 54 therethrough, three circumferentially spaced apertures 56, each having a reduced end 56a in the input disc 5|, and three circumferentially spaced recesses 51 extending inwardly from the plate 52 and terminating short of the disc all to receive taper connecting pins 53 which are bonded to the material of block 53 just as are discs 5| and 52. Referring to Figure '7, it will be seen that the three sets of

apertures

56 and 57 are arranged alternately with respect to each other and symmetrically with respect to the central aperture 54.

As seen in Figure 4, the apertures 56 provide clearance apertures through the plate 52 and block 53 to receive screws 59 which pass through apertures 56a in disc 5| and are threaded into the hub 38 of the drive gear 3i with the plate 5| received in a central recess in the gear 3?. As a result, the gear 31 is secured in place with respect to its hub 38 and the coupling M5 is similarly secured in place by the screws 59; internal flange 31a of the gear it? being clamped between a flange 38a of the hub and the disc 5|.

The shock-absorbing disc assembly 38 is freely rotatable on the shaft 39 and the disc 52 is provided with an aperture 52a to receive a drive pin 6| (Figures 3 and 4) carried by a Geneva drive element 62 which may be formed integrally with the shaft 39 and also with a locking cam F33 of the Geneva drive. A shaft extension 64 of this assembly is carried by bearing 56 in an intermediate mounting bracket El suitably secured on the base Ill. The opposite end of the pin 6| to that engaged with the shock absorbing assembly 46 provides the driver of the Geneva drive as seen most clearly in Figure 3. Driven element H (Figures 3 and i) of the Geneva drive comp-rises a three-slot member having slots Fla at 120 intervals and arcuate recessed portions 'Hb to receive the locking cam Q3. The recessed portion 63a of this disc provides for release of the driven element H at the time that the drive pin 6i moves into engagement with one of the slots i la in the conventional manner. The driven clement (Figure 4) is carried by a shaft 12 mounted by spaced bearings it in the bracket til and having a splined portion We at its opposite end on which a drive pinion M is secured by means of a suitable lock washer. The pinion "i l meshes with an idler gear 76 secured to a shaft l"! having a spaced pair of support bearings 78 in the bracket 61. The pinion it in turn meshes with the drive gear 19 of the units order dial 2| of the counter.

This arrangement is such that as pin 61 engages in one of the slots l|a of the driven element 1|, the driven parts will be gradually accelerated from their position of rest instead of being suddenly brought to the same speed as that at which the driving member is moving. As the pin 6| moves radially inward of member 1| along the slot Ha, such acceleration continues until the speed of the driven member exceeds that of the driving member by an amount sufficient to make their speeds, averaged over the period of engagement, equal.

Thus the peak speed of the driven member may become twice or more that of the driving member in a simple Geneva arrangement, or in the present arrangement at speeds of opertaion insufficient to deform the rubber of the resilient coupling 46 to any appreciable degree. However, as the speed of operation of the present device is increased, an increasing amount of deformation of the rubber of the resilient coupling takes place as an incident to the engagement of a slot Ha by pin 5|. This has the effect of cutting down the peak speed which the driven member 1| otherwise would attain and, since the deformed rubber restores to its original form during the time the pin 6| is withdrawing from the slot and the driven member 1| is decelerating, the effect of such restoration is to partially offset such deceleration and maintain the driven member I at a speed slightly higher than it would otherwise be moving during such Withdrawal. Since the Geneva action. decelerates the driven parts smoothly to zero speed, the fact that they are decelerated at a slightly greater rate than they were accelerated is not disadvantageous.

The gear 79 is secured to a sleeve 82 having an enlarged, or hub, portion 82a at one end, which has a shoulder 821) against which gear 19 is held, as by spinning the hub portion over the opposite side of the gear. Sleeve 82 has: milled therein, keyways 82c and 82d which are of different widths; the wider keyway 820 being adapted to receive keys formed in the dial shell 2| which, being preferably of light metal such as Duralumin, requires a larger key for strength, and the narrower keyway 82d being adapted to receive the keys of a two-toothed transfer gear 9| and of a locking cam, or disc, 92 which are separated by a conventional spacer, as shown, and secured to sleeve 82, as by spinning the metal of the: latter over the outside of gear 9|.

Sleeve 82 and the similar sleeves 826 of the higher orders which, however, lack the enlarged hub portion 82a, are rotatably mounted on a shaft 83 secured at one end in the end plate I? and supported at the other end Within. a recess within hub 34; a bearing 84 being interposed to permit free rotation of the hub thereon.

The employment of the intermittent-actuation device of the present invention to drive the first intermittently moved order of a counting mechanism of the kind described makes possible the employment of conventional type of mutilatedgear transfer mechanism in superior orders. It is preferable, however, that this transfer mechanism be designed so that its moving parts have low inertia and so that the peripheral speeds of the intermittently engaging elements are maintained as low as feasible.

Referring. to Figures 5 and 6 it will be noted that a partially mutilated transfer pinion 93" is carried by stub shaft 94' in an upstanding car 96 of a mounting block or bracket 91 having a threaded aperture 98 for bolting to the plate I3- by means of a suitable screw 99 (Figure 3)"; the positioning of pinion S3 being such that its full tooth portion is engaged by the two-toothed gear 9| of a lower order and engages the drive gear: I 0| of the next higher order, while the mutilated portion of pinion 93 is engaged by the locking cam 92 in the manner usual in the mutilated gear type of transfer mechanisms. Drive gears |0| for the second and third order dials 2| are positioned just within. the adjacent edge of the next lower order dial 2| for cooperation withthe full-tooth portion of the Geneva transfer pinion 93 in the manner described. This arrangementds such that the weight of the transfer mechanism is concentrated somewhat nearer the center of rotation of the dials than has been previously the practice, and the impact of the parts is also materially reduced because of the lower peripheral speeds involved.

While we have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that the invention is capable of both variation and modification therefrom, so that its scope should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A high speed counter comprising a series of numeral dials arranged in ordinal relation, and a drive for said dials comprising an input shaft, a Geneva drive mechanism connected to one of said dials, and a flexible, shock-absorbing drive connection between said input shaft and said Geneva mechanism, said connection comprising a resilient disc having a drive connection with said input shaft and with said Geneva mechanism.

2. A high speed counter comprising a series-of numeral dials arranged in ordinal relation, and a drive for said dials comprising an input shaft, a Geneva drive mechanism connected to one of said dials, and a flexible, shock-absorbing drive connection between said input shaft and said Geneva mechanism, said connection comprising a pair of spaced plates having a body of resilient material bonded therebetween.

3. A high speed counter comprising a series of numeral dials arranged in ordinal relation, and a drive for said dials comprising an input shaft, a Geneva drive mechanism connected to one of said dials, and a flexible, shock-absorbing drive connection between said input shaft and said Geneva mechanism, said connection comprising a pair of spaced apart plates having a body of resilient material bonded therebetween, each of said plates having a radially projecting element engaged within said body of resilient material.

4. A high speed counter comprising a series of numeral dials arranged in ordinal relation, and a drive for said dials comprising an input shaft," a Geneva drive mechanism connected to one of said dials, and a flexible, shock-absorbing drive connection between said input shaft and said Geneva mechanism, said connection comprising a pair of spaced apart plates having a body of resilient material bonded therebtween, each of said plates having a series of circumferentially spaced radially projecting elements engaged within said body of resilient material.

5. In a high speed shaft rotation counter having a series of intermittently operable, ordinally arranged, decimally calibrated dials; a drive mechanism comprising a continuously rotatable driving element having a driving pin eccentric of its axis of rotation, an intermittently operable rotary driven element having three intersecting radial slots equi-angularly spaced thereon; said slots having walls paralleling throughout their effective length a radius of said driven element; and gearing interconnecting said driven element and the lower order one of said dials; said gearing being proportioned to rotate said dial one-tenth of a revolution for each one-third of a revolution of said driven element; the axes of rotation of said driving and driven elements being so spaced apart that the center lines of two adjacent slots on said driven element are respectively tangent to the circular path of the center of the driving pin when the pin is disengaged from the slots, so that said pin remains engaged with the parallel walls of a slot during substantially of rotation of said driving element, engaging said parallel walls prior to completion of 324 of movement and remaining engaged therewith upon completion of 360 of movement of said driving element from a zero position from which a count is begun.

6. The invention according to claim 5 in which a flexible: shock absorbing drive connection is disposed in series with said drive mechanism.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 257,775 Snelling May 9, 1882 549,631 Davis Nov. 12 1895 609,938 Keyes Aug. 30, 1898 719,198 Cyr Jan. 2'7, 1903 1,012,607 Degener Dec. 26, 1911 1,185,566 Wright May 30, 1916 1,469,932 Adams Oct. 9, 1923 2,117,024 Helgeby et a1. May 10, 1938 2,184,420 Fraser Dec. 26, 1939 2,336,307 Slye Dec. 7, 1943 2,514,174 Adshead July 4, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 160,204 Switzerland Feb. 28, 1933