US2695342A

US2695342A - Time switch

Info

Publication number: US2695342A
Application number: US259758A
Authority: US
Inventors: Junghans Helmut; Schlenker Hans; Bauerle Kurt
Original assignee: Gebr Junghans AG
Current assignee: Gebr Junghans AG
Priority date: 1951-12-04
Filing date: 1951-12-04
Publication date: 1954-11-23
Anticipated expiration: 1971-11-23

Description

Nov. 23, 1954 Filed Dec. 4, 1951 H. JUNGHANS ETAL 2,695,342

TIME SWITCH 3 Sheets-Sheet l- Zinnen/7042;

Nov. 23, 1954 H. JUNGHANS ETAL 2,695,342

TIME SWITCH Filed Dec. 4, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 16 16 F|G .8. LEES Fles. H610. l

Nov. 23, 1954 H. JUNGHANS :TAL

TIME SIIICH 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 4, 1951 iff:

United States Patent O THVIE SWITCH Helmut Junghans, Schramberg-Sulgen, Hans Schlenker, Schramberg, and Kurt Buerle, Sehramberg-Sulgen, Germany, assignors to Gebruder Junghans A. G., Schramberg-Schwarzwald, Germany Application December 4,` 1951, Serial No. 259,7 58 11 Claims. (Cl. 20G- 38) The invention relates to time switches for the actuation of electric circuits, for example, of signal installations or lighting installations, and has for its object to provide an arrangement which permits of short switching intervals with a simple and'inexpensive construction and also a simple method of manipulation, the switch memlers being so arranged and fashioned that they cannot e lost.

According to the invention, a number of disengageable switch members corresponding to the predetermined time graduation of the time switch is arranged on a setting drum.

In this arrangement, the switch members are advantageously riders consisting of thin sheet metal which are arranged axially or radially on the switch drum and can be brought into and out of the operative position by rotation or by longitudinal displacement.

Embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example in the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view of a irst embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line a`B of Fig. l;

Figs. 3 and 4 show details of said lirst embodiment;

Figs.V 5 and 6 are front and side elevations of a second embodiment ofthe invention; Fig. 6 being taken on line C1-D of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 represents diagrammatically the switching operation with the embodiment according to Figs. 5 and 6;

Figs., 8, 9 and 10 illustrate dilerent constructions of riders; and

Figs. ll and l2 show diagrammatically a change-over device for Sundays and holidays as applied to the time switchesaccording to Figs. l to 4 or Figs. 5 to 10.

In the` embodiment illustrated in Figs. l to 4, 1 represents a rotatably mounted setting disc or setting drum, on which are secured the switch members which are preferably constructed in the form of movable blades or riders and which are arranged closely alongside one another. In Fig. 2, such a rider is shown in the rest position., In Fig. 3, the rider 2 is swung toward the left, so that its downwardly projecting arm 2a can become operative with a finger 3a onk a` mercury switch 3. In Fig. 4, the rider 2. is swung to the right, so that its arm 2a can corne into engagement with the nose 4a of a lever 4 pivotally mounted at 4. In the rest position of the riders shown in Fig, 2,` it is not possible for these to come into contact either with the nger 3a of the mercury switch, or with the nose, 4a of the lever 4, as the setting drum 1 is rotated.

As indicated in Fig. l, the mercury switch 3 is mounted to pivot about a pin 3 and has a stud 5 which is acted upon by an arm 4b carried by the lever 4 so that the switch 3 is swung in a clockwise direction and the two electrodes of the mercury tube are bridged over by the mercury.

For securing the position of the mercury switch 3 at any time, said switch is provided with a nger 3b which engages with a projection 6a of a securing lever 6 which is under the action of a springf 7. The projection 6a of the lever 6' thus bearsalternately on the right ank and the left ilank of the linger 3b.

In order to secure the riders 2 in the rest position, in the switched-out position or in the switched-in position, a spring 9 is associated with each of the riders and engages in tooth-like notches 8 of the latter.

The koperation of this embodiment is as follows 1 when aV rider is swungy to the right (Fig. 4), it will, in passing through the central position (Fig. l), come into contact with the bevelled surface of the nose 4a on the lever 4 and.wil1 thus force this lever in a. downward direction. Because of the downwardly projecting arm 4b which is carried by the lever 4 and which acts on the sutd 5 of the mercury tube switch 3, the latter is swung in the clockwise direction (Fig. 1)., so that the two electrodes olf th: mercury tube are bridged over. andthe circuit is c ose In the switched-.on position, the finger 3a is thus again in the range of the rider. When the next rider displaced to the left, in passing through the middle position (Fig. 1), strikes against the finger 3a, the mercury switch is swung in the opposite. direction and the two electrodes are interrupted.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. S to lt), slidable riders 15 are employed instead of the oscillatable or tiltable riders 2.

The setting drum in this form consists of a plurality of drawn parts, for example, the

outer discs

10 and 11 which preferably have turned-over rims. which abut on one another in the middle. Located between these two discs is a disc 12 which is preferably provided on each of its two sides with three grooves arranged one above the other and in which rest the noses 16 on the ends of the riders 15 for securing purposes. The rim of the intermediate disc I2, which is preferably turned over, serves to secure the riders I5 in the radial direction. Milled in the discs-10 andvll are

radial slots

13 and 14 into whichl the riders 15 may be introduced. The minimum spacing of these slots is expediently so selected that in the switching action by one rider (switching on or switching off), the next following rider is not impeded.

In this embodiment, the riders 15 on the intermediate disc 12 of the setting drum can be displaced to an outer position, a middle position and an inner position. In Fig. 6, one rider 1S is shown in its outer position in full lines. The middle position and the inner positions in this figure are indicated by broken lines. If a rider 15 is'in its middle position, it does not coact with the mercury switch. If it is in its outer position, a switching in of the mercury switch is effected, whereas in the inner position of the rider, the mercury switch is switched out. This is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 7. In this embodiment, the mercury switch 3 is mounted on a bearing pin 20' to which is secured a lever 19 which is provided with laterally projecting arms 17, i3. When a rider is in its inner position and runs on the arm 17, the lever 19V is swung in the clockwise direction (Fig. 5) and the mercury switch 3 is tilted and switched oi If the rider is in its outer position, it comes into engagement with the other arm 18 of the lever 19, so that the mercury switch is switched in. In Fig. 5 of the drawing, the mercury tube switch is shown in the inoperative position. For securing the switch positions of the mercury tube switch, the lever 19 is provided with a downwardly projecting arm 21 which cooperates with one of the two anks of a nose 22a carried by a locking level` 22. The locking lever 22 in this form is under the action of a spring 23;

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 to l0, the riders 15 can be completely withdrawn and inserted in another slot of the disc 12. Naturally, riders may be fitted in all the slots of the setting drum in order to render unnecessary an interchange of the riders.

In the embodiment illustrated, a ring 24 is provided for securing the riders in the operative position, said ring being milled or cut through at 24a. As will be apparent from Fig. 6, the inserted rider, which is provided with a suitable recess 25 for the accommodation of the ring 24, is secured in its position by the said ring 24.

If it is desired to remove a rider completely and to insert it in another slot of the setting drum, the. ring 24 is turned to such an extent that its slot opening 24a is positioned exactly radially of the rider. The rider can then be extracted and the ring 24 with its slotted opening can be rotated until the said opening is in alignment with a new slot of the

discs

16 and 11, into which rider can then be inserted.

If it is assumed that the time interval from stot to slot is equal to l5 minutes, it is possible to effect a further division when a special rider, such as that shown in completes one revolution Fig. 8, is employed. Provided on the head of such a rider are

noses

26, 27, of which for example the nose 26 can be bent over somewhat, so that the release takes place sooner or later. This rider is preferably provided with an indication, for example, the Figure (Figure 8). This indicates that by a suitable bending over of the nose 26, the release takes place five minutes earlier or later, according to the side to which the nose is bent over. Y

Figs. 9 and l0 illustrate two further bendings for releases ive and ten minutes sooner or later.

As will be seen from Fig. 5 of the drawings, the disc 10 is provided with a scale, the figures marked thereon indicating the hours. One hour is subdivided into four parts, and therefore includes four slots, so that the time intervals between two slots is equal to fifteen minutes. A further time division is effected by the last-mentioned rider with bent-over nose 26.

28 indicates a minute disc and 29 a setting knob. When the setting knob is rotated manually in the direction indicated by the arrow (Fig. 5), the discs 1) and 11 are moved in the same direction. The setting knob 29 and the disc 10 are rigidly connected with one another and are secured on a shaft 30. The disc 10 makes one revolution in twenty-four hours and in the same time the disc 28 carries out twenty-four revolutions. 4The disc 10 and the

discs

11 and 13 are secured relatively to one another on a bushing 32 by means of a screw 31. The shaft 30 and the bushing 32 are driven by a suitable transmission from the clock mechanism.

It should be noted that the nose 27 located opposite the nose 26 carries out no switching functions. The two noses are merely provided for the sake of symmetry and so that they can be grasped better when removing the rider. It is also not necessary to take care as to the side on which the unbent rider is inserted.

The embodiment shown in Figs. ll and 12 is intended for a change-over arrangement for Sundays and holidays. In this example, a can or control disc 33 is secured on the bushing 32 of Fig. 6 and the said disc is rotated with the bushing 32 in a counter-clockwise direction and in twenty-four hours. This control disc 33 acts on a lug 34a of a two-armed lever 34 which is pivotally mounted at 35, the other arm of said lever having secured thereon by means of a screw 38, a locking cone 37 which in turn acts on a star 39. The star 39 is formed on its periphery with seven teeth corresponding to the number of days in a week. The lever 34 is under the action of a helical spring 36. Rigidly connected with the star 39 is a further disc 40 which, in accordance with the number of days in a week, is provided with seven threaded holes 41, each of which is adapted to receive a threaded pin 42. The star 39 also has rigidly connected with it a further disc 45 which is preferably provided with an indication according to the day of the week.

The setting of the control disc 33 is in this case carried out in such a manner that the dropping of the twoarmed lever 34 or the lug 34a thereof takes place at twenty-four hours, so that the lever 34 turns under the action of its spring 36 and the star with the discs mounted thereon is advanced by one tooth.

Wires

43 and 44 are secured on a shaft 46 which is rotatably mounted in plates of the frame, and the wire 43 engages on the threaded pin 42 which is inserted in one of the holes 41 of the disc 40. The holes of the disc will be indicated by Mo, Tu, We, etc., that is to say, to represent Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. Therefore, if for example on Sunday or on any other desired week-day, no signal is to be made, a threaded pin 42 is screwed into the associated threaded hole 41, so that during operation the wire 43 is lifted and consequently the wire 44 comes into engagement by its bent end 44a with the mercury switch 4S or the surface 47a of the mercury tube holder 47 and tilts the mercury switch 48 to the right and brings it into the switched-off position (Fig. 1l). After twenty-four hours, the wire 43 is released again by the threaded pin 42, since the star 39 has been advanced by one tooth.

The disc 45 rigidly connected with the star 39 also bears an indication of the days of the week. This is necessary, in order that the disengaging arrangement for Sundays or holidays can be set to the correct day of the week when setting the clock in operation or when making a time adjustment to the clock.

49 is a stop spring which serves for maintaining the position of the star 39. When the holder 47 of the mercury tube has been brought by the wire 44 into the off position, the mercury tube switch is displaced simultaneously by the inclined portion of the bent end 44a of the wire axially in the direction indicated by the arrow E, whereupon a coil spring 50 (Fig. 12) is compressed. When the threaded pin 42 frees the wire with the further movement of the star, the mercury switch is brought back into the old position by the tensioned coil spring 50. Due to this axial displacement, the switch lever 51, which corresponds to the lever 19 in Fig. 7, is no longer disposed in an engagement position with the riders 52. With the switching out of Sundays and holidays, the mercury switch remains for the whole of twenty-four hours in the switched-oli position, owing to the fact that, as already explained above, the switch lever 51 is rigidly connected with the mercury switch.

The essential features of the embodiments of the time switch which have been described are as follows:

l. Since the riders are oscillatably or displaceably guided in slots in the setting drum, they may be arranged close to one another, which is not the case, for example, with the known threaded pins. The close arrangement of theriders is also assisted by the fact that the riders are made of thin sheet metal.

2. Each rider can be used for switching on or switching off.

3. When not being used, it is not necessary for the riders to be removed, as they can be brought into a rest position.

4. The riders are secured against being lost, since they always remain on the setting drum and do not have to be stored at some other place.

5. With the construction according to Figs. 1 to 4, the riders are threaded on a circular wire, the ends of which are, for example, soldered together. In the embodiment according to Figs. 5 to l0, the individual riders are secured by a ring which is slotted at one point.

The embodiments described may be selectively combined, that is to say, the switching-out arrangement for Sundays and holidays can be built into the time switches according to Figs. l to 4 and according to Figs. 5 to 10. Moreover, the arrangement of the accurate adjustment with minute disc and hour disc, which is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, can also be employed with the construction according to Figs. l to 4.

It is to be further mentioned that the fixed pointer 2 (Fig. 5) serves for the time-setting of the time switch. In Fig. 5, the time switch is set at exactly 24 hours.

As already mentioned, the switch drum is driven by a clock mechanism. For this purpose, it is possible to use a mechanical clockwork mechanism, a clock mechanism with electrical spring winding or even a synchronous clock mechanism with or without reserve movement. Moreover, the present switch arrangement may also be driven by an auxiliary clock mechanism driven from a main clock.

Many clock installations, for example, exterior clocks, are used with a lighting system. For the purpose of switching on the illumination, a time switch driven by an auxiliary clock is particularly expedient, since this is constantly operating without supervision and is accurately controlled as regards time by the main clock. With the switching off of the lighting of the main or master clocks, it is naturally also possible to switch off at the same time other lighting systems, such as street lighting, night lighting, etc.

What we claim is:

l. In a time switch comprising a Vclock controlled rotatable setting drum, means for rotating the drum, said drum carrying a plurality of closely spaced adjustable switching elements arranged peripherally on said drum to extend therefrom in radial planes and adjustable in three positions namely a neutral position, a switching-on and a switching-off position, and an oscillatable electrical mercury switch, means for retaining the mercury switch in stable on and off positions comprising a spring controlled pawl and a lever mechanism actuatable by the adjustable switching elements to shift the mercury switch from its on-position to its oit-position and vice versa.

2. Time switch according to claim l, characterized in that the elements are mounted to be swung in radial planes of the setting drum and each of them has two arms extending therefrom, one of said arms, upon swinging of the element in one direction, coming into engagement with a nger extending from the mercury switch.

3. Time switch according to claim 2, characterized by notches on the elements and a holding spring coacting with the notches.

4. Time switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the mercury switch is provided with a nose cooperating with a nose of a spring-loaded locking lever.

5. Time switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the elements are mounted on a closed ring.

6. Time switch according to claim 5, characterized in that the ring has a slot at one point.

Time switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the elements are arranged on the setting drum so as Y.

to be displaceable radially.

8. Time switch according to claim 7, characterized in that the displaceable elements comprise a pair of limbs extending radially inward of the drum, the drum including a supporting disk having grooves engageable by the limbs. i

9. Time switch according to claim 8, characterized by a ring which engages in a recess on the end of the element opposite to the limbs.

10. Time switch according to claim 1, characterized by a circuit closing arm extending from the elements, said arm being deformable out of its own plane thereby to vary the circuit closing time as the drum rotates.

11. Time switch according to claim 1, comprising a control cam operatively connected to the drum rotating means and having a portion extending therefrom to move the mercury switch periodically to open circuit position as the cam rotates.

References Cited in the Jrile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 878,416 Venner Jan. 14, 1908 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 105,720 Sweden Oct. 20, 1942 124,586 Germany Oct. 18, 1901 278,141 Germany Sept. 21, 1914