US3288950A

US3288950A - Clutch apparatus for counter switch mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3288950A
Application number: US370733A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ashman John Robert
Original assignee: Plessey UK Ltd
Current assignee: Plessey UK Ltd
Priority date: 1963-05-31
Filing date: 1964-05-27
Publication date: 1966-11-29
Anticipated expiration: 1983-11-29
Also published as: NL6406039A; DE1272420B; GB1081616A

Description

Nov. 29, 1966 J, R. ASHMAN 3,288,950

CLUTCH APPARATUS FOR COUNTER SWITCH MECHANISM Filed May 27. 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l wm Hannynnj7 221 f mmm@ Nov. 29, 1966 J. R. AsHMAN 3,288,950

CLUTCH APPARATUS FOR COUNTER SWITCH MEGHANISM Filed May 27, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 29, 1966 J. R. AsHMAN 3,288,950

CLUTCH APPARATUS FOR COUNTER SWITCH MECHANISM Filed May 27, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 29, 1966 J. R. AsHMAN 3,288,950

CLUTCH APPARATUS FOR COUNTER SWITCH MECHANISM Filed May 27, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR A MAN F| 6 JOHN ROBERT SH United States Patent C) 3,2ss,9so CLUTCH APPARATUS non COUNTER SWITCH MECHANTSM .lohn Robert Ashman, Fareham, England, assignor to This invention relates to switches.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact multi-position switch construction which is capable of enabling a rapid selection of a particular series of switching settings or positions.

According to the invention we provide an electric switch comprising a plurality of switch units, each unit having a selectively operable set of switch contacts, and first and second control means, the first control means being operable to select any one of the switch units and the second control means being operable to cause selective actuation of the switch contacts of the selected switch unit.

The foregoing `and further features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of two preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the drawings accompanying the specification, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of a portion of a switch construction,

FIGURE 2a is an elevation of the said portion of the switch incorporating a housing for the switch,

FIGURE 2b is a section on the line II-II of FIG- URE 1,

FIGURE 3a is a fragmentary elevation similar to that of FIGURE 2a but showing a modified detail,

FIGURE 3b is a fragmentary section similar to that of FIGURE 2 illustrating a modified detail,

FIGURES 4 and 5 are perspective views indicating the positions of the controls of the switches of FIGURE 2 and as modified by FIGURE 3 respectively,

FIGURE 6 shows, partly in section, a Idetail of the construction of FIGURE 1, on an enlarged scale, and

FIGURE 7 shows a section of the detail of FIGURE 6 taken on the line III-III.

Referring now to FIGURES 1, 2, 6 and 7, the switch assembly includes a fixed shaft 1 on which are mounted a series of drums 2, only two drums are shown. In a particular constructional form five drums are employed. Each drum includes a sleeve 3 which is rotatably journalled on the shaft 1, and an indicator ring 4, of larger diameter than the sleeve 3, and integral therewith. Each indicator ring 4 carries a series of information symbols, conveniently the numbers 1 to 9 and 0.

A series of axial grooves, or shallow recesses 5, are equiangularly spaced around the interior of the sleeve 3. These grooves are intended to be engaged by spring loaded balls 6, housed in a bore in the shaft 1. The engagement of the balls 6 in the groove 5 provides a means of indexing the sleeve, and thus the ring 4, relative to the shaft 1.

A ring gear 7 is provided adjacent each indicator ring 4. Each gear 7 meshes with a gear 8 which is mounted for free running on a rotatable shaft 9.

Each gear 8 is integral with a driven dog 10 of a dog clutch 11, so that the dogs 10 are likewise mounted for free running on shaft 9. Each dog clutch 11 comprises in addition to its driven dog 10, a `driving dog 12, and the driving dogs 12 are keyed t0 the shaft 9 to rotate therewith -but `are movable axially with respect to said shaft 9. As seen in FIGURE 1 the

dogs

10 and 12 of each dog clutch 11 are normally disengaged from each other, for example with the aid of a spring urging them ICC apart. Engagement of a dog clutch 11 can be effected selectively by urging the respective dog 12 axially towards the respective dog 10, and this is achieved with the aid of a bracket 13, shown most clearly in FIGURE 7, and capable of engaging and axially displacing the respective dog 12. Each dog clutch 11 is associated with a bracket 13 and the brackets are slidably mounted on a further shaft 14 and spring urged by load springs 17 towards a position in which the dog clutches 11 are disengaged. Movement of any one bracket 13 :against the pressure of the associated load spring 17 causes said bracket to move the associated dog 12 4axially on the shaft 9 into engagement with the associated dog 10.

The shaft 14 carries a plurality of clutch operating discs 15, one for each dog clutch 11, and the discs 15 are constrained to rotate with said shaft 14. Each disc 15 is provided near its periphery with a detent 16 facing the associated bracket 13, and as can be seen most clearly in FIGURE 7 the detent 16 overlies the bracket 13 only during a minor portion of one complete revolution of the shaft 14. The arrangement is such that during this minor portion the detent 16 urges the bracket 13 against the loading of the .associated load spring 17, by an axial distance sufiicient to cause the associated

dogs

10 and 12 to engage with each other.

The detents 16 associated with the various dog clutches 11 are so angularly positioned around the shaft 14 that only one of the clutches 11 can be engaged Iat any one time. In FIGURE 6 one of the clutches, namely on the left hand side of the figure, is shown engaged, and the other clutch visible is shown disengaged. As can be seen in FIGURES 2 and 7 the line joining the axes of shafts 9 and 14 is not colinear with the line joining the axes of shafts 9 and 1. The view in FIGURE 1 is looking orthogonally onto a plane containing the axes of shafts 1 and 9, Whereas the View in FIGURE 6 is taken looking orthogonally onto a plane containing the axes of shafts 9 and 14, so that the details of the clutch mechanism are more clearly evident.

The drums 2, carried upon the shaft 1, each carry five cam rings 18, each having a cam riser 19. The cam rings 18 are constrained to rotate with the sleeve 3. The risers 19 are equiangularly spaced relative` to each other in such manner that each riser passes through a reference position only once for each complete revolution of the sleeve 3.

The cam risers 19 are arranged to operate a spring contact system, including a movable contact set 20 for each riser 19 and a common fixe-d contact 21 of stiffer material to ensure stability. The contact sets 21 are deflected permanently against the surfaces of the cam rings 18 to ensure stability under vibration and acce1eration conditions.

The contact sets 20 and the common contacts 21 are carried by .a pair of electrically insulating rails 22 mounted from a main frame or housing 23 of which only a small portion is illustrated.

A glass window element 24 is mounted in the housing 23. The element has a number of rectangular cut-outs (FIGURES 4 and 5) which align with the indicator rings 4. A lamp 25 serves to illuminate the window element.

The shaft 14 is, via gearing (not shown), rotated by means of a control rotor 26 (FIGURE 4). This has six positive operational positions, one for each cam position and the off position. The shaft 9 is rotated by a control rotor 27, via gearing (not shown).

It will be noted that the

rotors

26 and 27 are, as shown in FIGURE 4, .at the opposite ends of the switch assembly. If it is desired to have the control rotors on the front panel of the housing 23, as is shown in FIGURE 5, the modification of FIGURE 3 is used. This modification includes a suitable gearing 28 to turn the drives to the shafts 9 and 14 through a right angle.

The above ldescribed apparatus is actuated as follows.

Initially the rotor 26 is turned until the shaft 14 moves the disc 15 suiciently to cause its detent 16 to engage the clutch 11 of a required indicator ring. On attaining this engagement the rotor 27 is turned through the required number of positions until the required character aligns with the window in the glass element 24. If required the rotor 26 is then rotated until the clutch 11 associated with another required indicator ring is engage-d. It will be understood that when the rotor 26 is turned, the previously engaged clutch will be released, thereby interrupting drive from the shaft 9 to the sleeve 3.

On engagement of the second clutch the rotor 27 is again rotated until the required character aligns with the associated glass element window.

With the gearing arrangements provided between the

rotors

26 and 27 it is readily possible to arr-ange for a quarter turn of the rotor 27 to turn the sleeves 3 through one length of a character.

Each

rotor

26 or 27 is tted with a suitable detent mechanism. It will be seen that the above described switch assembly operates on a switching matrix basis in that changing a particular order digit involves the selection of a column-vizz the digit orderand the selection of a particular line or row in the column-viz: the digit required.

What I claim is:

1. A `switch mechanism having a plurality of switch units, a plurality of clutch means, one for each switch unit, rst and second engageable clutch elements in each clutchmeans, means urging said lirst and second clutch elements of each clutch means to a disengaged position, means mechanically coupling the first clutch element of each clutch means to an associated switch unit, a first rotatable member carrying the second clutch element of all of said clutch means, a second rotatable member, a plurality of clutch actuating members, one for each clutch means, mounted on said second rotatable member, means coupling each clutch actuating member to one of the rst and second clutch elements of the associated clutch means and means on each of said clutch actuating members, angular-1y distributed about the axis of rotation of the second rotatable member, for producing sequential engagement of the first and second clutch elements of said clutch means through said coupling means in response to rotation of said second rotatable member.

`2. Mechanism according to claim 1 comprising a rotatable shaft means coupling the second clutch elements to said shaft so that they rotate with sai-d shaft and are slidable axially with respect to said shaft, and means mounting the first clutch elements for free running with respect to said shaft.

3. Mechanism according to claim 1 comprising a plurality of brackets, one for each clutch means, means resiliently urging each bracket to a position in which the first and second clutch elements of the respective clutch means are disengaged, and means mounting said brackets for slidable movement on said second rotatable member and positioned so that each bracket is engageable by means on a clutch actuating member to urge said bracket against said resiliently urging means to cause said bracket to move the respective second clutch element into engagement with the respective rst clutch element.

4. Mechanism according to claim 3 comprising detent members for urging said brackets against said resiliently urging means, on said clutch actuating members and the Idetent members of the different clutch actuating members are angularly distributed about said second rotatable member and said brackets are so shaped that only one detent member is in engagement with its associated bracket at a time.

5. A switch mechanism according to claim 1 comprising a switch contact actuator in each switch unit.

6. A switch mechanism according to claim 1 comprising an indicator coupled to each switch unit to give a visual indication of the position of said `switch unit.

7. A switch mechanism according to claim 6 comprising a separate character drum in each indicator.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,475S,384 12/1923 Dorsch.

2,493,738 1/1950 Cuttat.

2,859,290 11/1958 Grinage 200-18 2,890,299 6/1959 Adams et al. 20G-18 2,927,168 3/1960 Brown 200--1'8 2,973,144 2/1961 Clyde et al. 23S- 110 X 3,140,377 7/1964 Koci et al 200--167 ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner.

KATHLEEN H. CLAFFY, Examiner.

J. R. SCOTT, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A SWITCH MECHANISM HAVING A PLURALITY OF SWITCH UNITS, A PLURALITY OF CLUTCH MEANS, ONE FOR EACH SWITCH UNIT, FIRST AND SECOND ENGAGEABLE CLUTCH ELEMENTS IN EACH CLUTCH MEANS, MEANS URGING SAID FIRST AND SECOND CLUTCH ELEMENTS OF EACH CLUTCH MEANS TO A DISENGAGED POSITION, MEANS MECHANICALLY COUPLING THE FIRST CLUTCH ELEMENT OF EACH CLUTCH MEANS TO AN ASSOCIATED SWITCH UNIT, A FIRST ROTATABLE MEMBER CARRYING THE SECOND CLUTCH ELEMENT OF ALL OF SAID CLUTCH MEANS, A SECOND ROTATABLE MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF CLUTCH ACUTATING MEMBERS, ONE FOR EACH CLUTCH MEANS, MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND ROTATABLE MEMBER, MEANS COUPLING EACH CLUTCH ACTUATING MEMBER TO ONE OF THE FIRST AND SECOND CLUTCH ELEMENTS OF THE ASSOCIATED CLUTCH MEANS AND MEANS ON EACH OF SAID CLUTCH ACTUATING MEMBERS, ANGULARLY DISTRIBUTED ABOUT THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE SECOND ROTATABLE MEMBER, FOR PRODUCING SEQUENTIAL ENGAGEMENT OF THE FIRST AND SECOND CLUTCH ELEMENTS OF SAID CLUTCH MEANS THROUGH SAID COUPLING MEANS IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF SAID SECOND ROTATABLE MEMBER.