US3294198A - Spring-operated constant torque transmission for electric clocks - Google Patents
Spring-operated constant torque transmission for electric clocks Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US3294198A US3294198A US417384A US41738464A US3294198A US 3294198 A US3294198 A US 3294198A US 417384 A US417384 A US 417384A US 41738464 A US41738464 A US 41738464A US 3294198 A US3294198 A US 3294198A
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- spring
- members
- driving wheel
- barrel
- rotation
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G04—HOROLOGY
- G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
- G04C1/00—Winding mechanical clocks electrically
- G04C1/10—Protection against overwinding
- G04C1/12—Protection against overwinding of the spring
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G1/00—Spring motors
- F03G1/02—Spring motors characterised by shape or material of spring, e.g. helical, spiral, coil
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16F—SPRINGS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION
- F16F1/00—Springs
- F16F1/02—Springs made of steel or other material having low internal friction; Wound, torsion, leaf, cup, ring or the like springs, the material of the spring not being relevant
- F16F1/04—Wound springs
- F16F1/10—Spiral springs with turns lying substantially in plane surfaces
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16F—SPRINGS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION
- F16F1/00—Springs
- F16F1/02—Springs made of steel or other material having low internal friction; Wound, torsion, leaf, cup, ring or the like springs, the material of the spring not being relevant
- F16F1/04—Wound springs
- F16F1/12—Attachments or mountings
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G04—HOROLOGY
- G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
- G04B1/00—Driving mechanisms
- G04B1/10—Driving mechanisms with mainspring
- G04B1/18—Constructions for connecting the ends of the mainsprings with the barrel or the arbor
- G04B1/20—Protecting arrangements against rupture or overwinding of the mainspring located in the barrel or attached to the barrel
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G04—HOROLOGY
- G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
- G04B1/00—Driving mechanisms
- G04B1/10—Driving mechanisms with mainspring
- G04B1/22—Compensation of changes in the motive power of the mainspring
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G04—HOROLOGY
- G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
- G04C1/00—Winding mechanical clocks electrically
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G04—HOROLOGY
- G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
- G04C1/00—Winding mechanical clocks electrically
- G04C1/10—Protection against overwinding
Definitions
- This invention relates to clocks, and particularly to a winding barrel arrangement for transmitting torque from a power source, such as an electric motor, to the clockwork mechanism proper.
- An object of the invention is the provision of a transmission, including a winding barrel, which has a constant output torque regardless of irregular operation, and even temporary stoppage of the motor which furnishes primary operating power.
- Another object is the provision of a transmission of the type described which avoids the use of ratchets and the operating noise of such devices.
- a further object is the provision of a very simple constant torque transmission for operating a clockwork or the like.
- the transmission of this invention may include a barrel and a shaft coaxially and rotatably mounted on the barrel.
- a spiral spring is interposed between the barrel and shaft in such a manner that it winds and unwinds with corresponding changes in the spring stress when the barrel and shaft rotate relative to each other.
- a clutch normally connects a driving wheel to the shaft in response to rotation of the latter in a predetermined direction by a motor whereby the spring is wound.
- the clutch is disengaged by a control device in repsonse to a predetermined minimum stress of the spring during the rotation of the driving Wheel, and the control device causes the barrel to be locked to the driving wheel when the shaft and barrel have been rotated relative to each other under the driving force of the spring through a number of revolutions greater than one while the driving wheel stands still.
- FIG. 1 shows a constant torque transmission of the invention in section on the axis of its winding barrel
- FIG. 2 illustrates the apparatus of FIG. 1 in a fragmentary axial end view.
- a barrel consisting of a gear Wheel 1, a short cylindrical drum 2 coaxial and integral with the wheel 1, and a cover 4 releasably attached to the drum 2 for closing the barrel cavity which holds a leaf spring 3 wound into a spiral.
- the two ends of the spiral spring 3 are respectively attached to claws 6, 7 on the drum 2 and on a shaft which is received in respective openings of the wheel 1 and the cover 4 for free rotation about the barrel axis.
- An enlarged portion of the shaft in the barrel cavity prevents axial movement of the shaft 5 when the barrel is closed.
- the shaft 5 is journaled in bearing portions 22, 23 of a supporting structure, not otherwise shown, and carries the barrel.
- An arbor 8 is journaled in the cover 4 for rotation about an axis parallel to that of the shaft 5, but radially spaced from the same.
- the tubular hub 10 of a Maltese cross cam 9 is mounted on the arbor 8 and secured thereon by a spring clip 12.
- a radial arm 11 is axially spaced from the earn 9 on the hub 10, and integral with the hub and cam.
- a bushing 16 is fixedly mounted on the portion of the shaft 5 adjacent the outer face of the cover 4 and has a fixed flange 15.
- An axial pin 13 fastened near the periphery of the flange 1S and a shoulder 14 on the bushing 16 cooperate with the Maltese cross cam 9 in a conventional manner to turn the cam through a quarter of a turn once during each revolution of the bushing 16.
- the cylindrical hub 18 of a toothed drive wheel 17 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 5 and is secured axially adjacent the bushing 16 by a spring clip 19.
- a helical spring 20 envelops respective coaxial cylindrical face por tions of the bushing 16 and of the hub 17 which have the same diameter and are axially adjacent each other.
- One end of the spring 20 is fastened in a recess of the shoulder 14, the other end 21 is bent radially outward from a portion of the hub 18 adjacent the wheel 17, and thence axially toward the cover 4 and into the path of the arm 11.
- the wheel 17 meshes with the pinion 24 of an electric motor, not otherwise shown, which will be understood to be equipped with a unidirectional clutch preventing backward rotation of its rotor by the spiral spring 3.
- the afore-described apparatus transmits torque from the pinion 24 to a non-illustrated device, such as the hands of a clock, connected to the barrel by meshing engagement with the gear wheel 1, in the following manner.
- the pinion 24 continuously turns the drive wheel 17 clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, as long as the non-illustrated, associated motor is energized.
- the resulting relative rotation of the wheel 17 and of the shaft 5, initially assumed to stand still, causes the helical spring 20 to be tightened about the hub 18 and the bushing 16 as long as the arm 11 does not abuttingly engage the end portion 21 of the spring 20, FIG. 2 illustrating a position of the spring just short of engagement with the arm 11.
- the pinion 24 moves at a speed precisely corresponding to the speed of the gear wheel 1, the relative position of all parts of the transmission remains the same. If the pinion 24 rotates faster than at the corresponding speed, as is preferred in normal operation, the end portion 21 of the spring 20 is moved against the arm 11 and stopped thereby, so that further rotation of the wheel 17 at a speed greater than that of the barrel 1, 2, 4 causes the spring 20 to be loosened, permitting the hub 18 to slip. Torque is transmitted from the pinion 24 to the shaft 5 through the slipping clutch 16, 18, 29. Excess energy stored in the spring 3 during fast movement of the pinion 24 while the clutch was engaged is released at this stage through the gear wheel 1 to the connected load, thereby moving the arbor 8 away from the spring end 21 to restore the original relative position of the transmission elements.
- This cycle is repeated as long as the pinion 24 moves at a higher speed than that corresponding to the output speed of the gear wheel 1 which may be determined by the connected clockwork mechanism in a conventional manner.
- the transmission provides a source of substantially constant torque, the cyclic deviations of the torque from precise uniformity being determined by the characteristics of the clutch 16, 18, 20, and those of the spring 3, and capable of being held to a minimum.
- the spring 3 particularly is effective in holding the output torque of the transmission practically constant.
- the spring 3 operates as a temporary power source by unwinding while the shaft 5 is held stationary by the clutch 16, 18, 20 and the afore-mentioned nonillustrated unidirectional clutch in the motor attached to the pinion 24.
- Relative rotation of the shaft 5 and the barrel 1, 2, 4, is not impeded by abutting engagement of the arm 11 and the spring end 21 while the barrel makes four revolutions on the shaft 5.
- the arm 11 is swung out of the path of the spring end 21 by the Maltese cross cam 9 during the initial half turn of the barrel, and is not placed again into the path of the arm 11 until the barrel has made four turns.
- the arm 11 then strikes the end 21 of the spring 20, and thereby stops the gear wheel 1, ultimately locking the barrel to the driving wheel 17.
- Unwinding of the spring 3 during emergency operation of a connected clockwork during a power failure is thus limited to a period in which the spring 3 may readily be designed to operate at constant torque. When this period passes without restoration of electric power to the pinion 24, the clock is stopped.
- the transmission of the invention thus can bridge short periods of power failure without significant change in output torque, but cannot cause erroneous readings on an attached clock by running down of the spring 3 until its output torque declines to a significant extent.
- the illustrated transmission thus provides constant drive torque for an attached apparatus, such as a clockwork, and provides standby power for operation of the apparatus during temporary power failures, important features in the operation of electric clocks.
- the transmission of the invention replaces more complicated known constant torque devices and standby power sources.
- a spring-operated source of constant torque comprising, in combination:
- clutch means normally responsive to rotation of said driving wheel in said direction for drivingly connecting the same to one of said members and for thereby winding said spring
- clutch control means operative to disengage said clutch means in response to a predetermined minimum stress of said spring while said driving wheel is rotated in said direction, and to lock the other one of said members to said driving wheel in response to relative rotation of said members under the driving force of said spring through a number of revolutions greater than one, when said driving wheel stands still.
- said moving means include a Maltese cross cam mounted on said barrel member for rotation about an axis spaced from the axis of said barrel member, and cooperating engaging means on said shaft member for turning said cam, said stop member being mounted on said cam.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Operated Clutches (AREA)
- Springs (AREA)
- Measurement Of Unknown Time Intervals (AREA)
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CS8164 | 1964-01-06 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US3294198A true US3294198A (en) | 1966-12-27 |
Family
ID=5332316
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US417384A Expired - Lifetime US3294198A (en) | 1964-01-06 | 1964-12-10 | Spring-operated constant torque transmission for electric clocks |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US3294198A (xx) |
FR (1) | FR1421776A (xx) |
GB (1) | GB1090187A (xx) |
NL (1) | NL6500051A (xx) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5573198A (en) * | 1995-02-02 | 1996-11-12 | Pitney Bowes | Tape roll rewind device and method for rewinding tape on a tape roll |
US20050249045A1 (en) * | 2003-12-08 | 2005-11-10 | Lange Uhren Gmbh | Spring-barrel arrangement for a timepiece |
EP1846720B1 (de) * | 2005-02-03 | 2020-12-23 | MAHLE Behr GmbH & Co. KG | Abgaswärmeübertrager, insbesondere für kraftfahrzeuge |
EP3805868A1 (de) * | 2019-10-11 | 2021-04-14 | Armin Strom AG | Federhaus mit unbegrenzten aufzugsumdrehungen, uhrwerk sowie eine uhr |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN108150563B (zh) * | 2017-12-26 | 2019-06-18 | 吴增金 | 没有半离合过程的蜗卷离合器 |
JP6626594B1 (ja) * | 2018-07-02 | 2019-12-25 | セイコーインスツル株式会社 | 渦巻ばね、トルク発生装置、時計用ムーブメント及び時計 |
Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1022087A (en) * | 1911-06-22 | 1912-04-02 | Charles D Jenney | Automobile-starter. |
US1332870A (en) * | 1919-06-18 | 1920-03-02 | Charles H Gill | Automatic winding mechanism for springs |
US1562051A (en) * | 1922-06-23 | 1925-11-17 | Gen Electric | Constant-torque winding mechanism |
US1799454A (en) * | 1929-07-26 | 1931-04-07 | Reynolds Watch Corp | Self-winding timepiece |
US2318453A (en) * | 1941-12-23 | 1943-05-04 | Clarence J Gilbert | Spring motor |
US2614672A (en) * | 1947-12-26 | 1952-10-21 | Electric Auto Lite Co | Overload release for load actuator |
US2759561A (en) * | 1952-06-26 | 1956-08-21 | Bolsey Jacques | Power arrangements for cinematographic cameras |
US2933882A (en) * | 1955-12-30 | 1960-04-26 | Sonobe Shiro | Motor clock provided with a spring automatically wound |
-
1964
- 1964-12-10 US US417384A patent/US3294198A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1964-12-21 GB GB51789/64A patent/GB1090187A/en not_active Expired
- 1964-12-31 FR FR645A patent/FR1421776A/fr not_active Expired
-
1965
- 1965-01-05 NL NL6500051A patent/NL6500051A/xx unknown
Patent Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1022087A (en) * | 1911-06-22 | 1912-04-02 | Charles D Jenney | Automobile-starter. |
US1332870A (en) * | 1919-06-18 | 1920-03-02 | Charles H Gill | Automatic winding mechanism for springs |
US1562051A (en) * | 1922-06-23 | 1925-11-17 | Gen Electric | Constant-torque winding mechanism |
US1799454A (en) * | 1929-07-26 | 1931-04-07 | Reynolds Watch Corp | Self-winding timepiece |
US2318453A (en) * | 1941-12-23 | 1943-05-04 | Clarence J Gilbert | Spring motor |
US2614672A (en) * | 1947-12-26 | 1952-10-21 | Electric Auto Lite Co | Overload release for load actuator |
US2759561A (en) * | 1952-06-26 | 1956-08-21 | Bolsey Jacques | Power arrangements for cinematographic cameras |
US2933882A (en) * | 1955-12-30 | 1960-04-26 | Sonobe Shiro | Motor clock provided with a spring automatically wound |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5573198A (en) * | 1995-02-02 | 1996-11-12 | Pitney Bowes | Tape roll rewind device and method for rewinding tape on a tape roll |
US20050249045A1 (en) * | 2003-12-08 | 2005-11-10 | Lange Uhren Gmbh | Spring-barrel arrangement for a timepiece |
US7318669B2 (en) * | 2003-12-08 | 2008-01-15 | Lange Uhren Gmbh | Spring-barrel arrangement for a timepiece |
EP1846720B1 (de) * | 2005-02-03 | 2020-12-23 | MAHLE Behr GmbH & Co. KG | Abgaswärmeübertrager, insbesondere für kraftfahrzeuge |
EP3805868A1 (de) * | 2019-10-11 | 2021-04-14 | Armin Strom AG | Federhaus mit unbegrenzten aufzugsumdrehungen, uhrwerk sowie eine uhr |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
FR1421776A (fr) | 1965-12-17 |
NL6500051A (xx) | 1965-07-07 |
GB1090187A (en) | 1967-11-08 |
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