US3407678A - Mechanism for producing rotary output motion with harmonic displacement characteristics - Google Patents

Description

1968 .1. M. STEINKE MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING R ARY OUTPU WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEM CHARACTE Filed Dec. 19, 1965 T MOTION RISTICS 7 l0 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JAMES M. s'rsmmz ms anonusvs Oct. 29, 1968 J. M. STEINKE MECHANISM FOR PRO DUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTIO WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENT CHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19, 1966 l0 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2'

FIG. 6

INVENTOR JAMES M. STEINKE K0 5% HIS ATTORNEYS Oct. 29, 1968 J. M. STEINKE 3,407,678

MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTION WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENT CHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19, 1966 10 Sheets-Sheet :5

INVENTOR JAMES M. STEINKE ms ATTORNEY Oct. 29, 1968 J. M. STEINKE 3,407,678

MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTION WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENT CHARACTERISTICS I Filed Dec 19, 1966 10 Sheets-Sheet 4 I34J Q INVENTOR JAMES M. STEINKE 0) g 06; 1 l4 ms ATTORNEYS v 3,407,678 DUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTION SPLACEMENT CHARACTERISTICS l0 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG. 80

INVENTOR HIS ATTORNEYS J. M. STEINKE PRO FIG. 8

MECHANISM FOR WITH HARMONIC DI INPUT' ROTATION Oct. 29, 1968 Filed Dec.

R w M m s I1 n f .v m 4 m A if a 3 0 v -Q\ OXM X m f7// M m m Q y T. m 4 vm A m I W & B m

-A MAX Oct. 29, 1968 J. M. STEINKE MECHANISM FOR PRO DUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTIO WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENT CHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19, 1966 10 Sheets-Sheet 7 ROTATION FIG. ll

OUTPUT OUTPUT INVENTOR JAMES M. STEINKE HIS ATTORNEYS J M. STEINKE 3,407,678

MECHANISM FOR PREDDUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTIO WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENT CHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19. 1966 10 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR JAMES M. STEINKE HIS ATTORNEYS Oct. 29, 1968 J. M. STEINKE 3,407,578

MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTION WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENT CHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19, 1966 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 340 FIG. l6

INPUT M ZERO Q 9 OLEJTPUT ME INPUTQ FROM REST v TRACE OF 1 PATH c I (OUTPUT) I Z X 1 I I 384 s82- LJ/ f I/ I I X TRAGE OF INVENTOR PATH Q (INPUT) S M. 380

HIS ATTORNEYS Oct. 29, 1968 J. M. STEINKE 3,407,678

MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTION WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENT CHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19, 1966 10 Sheets-Sheet 10 20 FIG. 20

9+ INPUT F v 442* 30" s I A I T T mvemon as. JAMES M. STEINKE X HIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A drive mechanism which converts an input of constant rotary motion to an output of intermittent rotary motion is shown in three different embodiments, all using crank members. The crank members are rotated by belt, epicyclic, and hypocyclic connections to alter the constant rotary input to produce a dwell in the output shaft of the mechanism.

This invention, relates to input data equipment, and more particularly it relates to a drive mechanism for a card feed mechanism employed in an input data machine such as a high-speed punched card reader which provides input data to a computer system.

Recent developments in electronic digital computers have greatly increased the speeds at which the computers perform their internal operations. Often, the total computation time is governed and limited by the rate at which input data is fed into the computer. While magnetic tapes and drum inputs have facilitated the entry of data into the computer system, much of the data fed into such systems is still in the form of punched tabulating cards.

7 In an effort to reduce the time during which the computer must wait for input data to be fed to it from punched cards, the card feed mechanism shown herein was developed, so that cards could most effectively be fed to aread station Where, upon proper command from the computer, all of the data in the card could be simultaneously .read and fed to the computer. By this construction, the time for feeding the input data to the computer is greatly reduced over the existing punched card readers which employ sensing means which serially read rows of information from the punched cards as they are moved thereby. However, when all the data in the card is being read at once, special problems arise in the handling of the cards because each card must be fed to a reading station where all of the data in the card is in reading relationship therewith, and then the card is momentarily stopped during the actual reading period. Reading all the data in the card at once enables the data to be rearranged, if necessary, at the time it is fed into the computer, without the use of complicated intermediate storage devices such as butter. registers.

The drive mechanism of the present invention is used with a card feed mechanism which in turn utilizes a conveyor-like endless feed band which is movably supported and intermittently driven in one direction under a card feed hopper. The feed band is provided with picker knives which are dimensioned so as to engage only the bottomcard in the hopper :and are spaced along the feed band so as to receive the card between two adjacent picker knives and move it to the read station.

The feed band is driven by the drive means of this invention, which subject each card to a gradual acceleration when the card is removed from the card feed hopper and a gradual deceleration as the card is momentarily brought to a stop at the read station where the data contained therein is read. The drive means produce varying intermittent rotary motion output from a constant rotary motion input to drive the conveyor as mentioned above.

ice

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to produce a drive mechanism for a high-speed, card-feed mechanism which is especially adaptable for transporting punched cards from a feed hopper to an operative station, such as a read station, at which station the cards are precisely and momentarily stopped to be read and from which station the cards are subsequently moved to a stacker pocket.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drive mechanism for a high-speed card-feed mechanism which is especially adaptable for transporting punched cards from a hopper to a read station which provides input data to a computer system, the read station being such as to simultaneously read all the information in the card so as to minimize the time during which the computer is detained in receiving such information.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drive mechanism for a high-speed card-feed mechanism which transports the punched cards from a feed hopper to an operative station while subjecting the cards to a minimum of extreme accelerating and decelerating forces.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved harmonic-motion-type drive mechanism which is especially adaptable for use in a high-speed card feed mechanism.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved mechanical summing device which produces intermittent rotary motion from a continuous constant rotary input.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more readily understood in connection with the following description and the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the card feed mechanism with which the drive mechanism of this invention is used, showing, generally, the card feed hopper, the read station, the conveyor for transporting cards to the read station, the drive mechanism for driving the conveyor, and the stacker pocket for receiving cards which have been read;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the top of the card feed mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in elevation taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2, showing details of the feed hopper, the read station, and the conveyor;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in elevation, taken along the line L-4 of FIG. 3, showing details of the stacker pocket for receiving the cards from the read station, the reading head at the read station, and the conveyor belt;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the top of the card feed mechanism showing one embodiment of the driving means for driving the conveyor, and also showing the read station; the card feed hopper being omitted from this drawing to show the picker blades on the conveyor;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view, partly in section and taken along the line 66 of FIG. 5, showing details of the means for mounting and driving the feed band;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the driving means for producing intermittent rotary motion for driving the conveyor belt;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view, partly in section and taken along the line 88 of FIG. 1, showing more details of the driving means shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 8a is a plan view, partly in section and taken along the line 8a-8a of FIG. 8, showing more details of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view, partly in section and taken along the line 99 of FIG. 3, showing details of the read station;

FIG. 10 is a plan view, similar to FIG. 5, of another modification of the conveyor belt of this invention, showing a belt formed of a plurality of sections joined to- 3. gether, each section having therein an array of holes which are in registration with the holes of a fully punched tabulating card when the card is placed thereon;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of a geometrical model similar to the embodiment of the intermittent rotary drive mechanism shown principally in FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a graph showing the relationship of velocity, acceleration, and output with regard to input and output rotations of the drive mechanism shown principally in FIG. 7;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the driving means for producing intermittent rotary motion for driving the conveyor belt;

FIG. 14 is an elevational view of the second embodiment of the drive mechanism taken along the line 1414 of FIG. 13

FIG. 15 is an elevational view of the front of the drive mechanism shOWn in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is an elevational view, partly in cross section, taken along the line 1616 of FIG. 15, showing more details of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 17 is a geometrical model of the second embodiment of the driving means shown principally in FIG. 13;

FIG. 18 is a geometrical model similar to FIG. 17 but somewhat enlarged and showing the links in a different position;

FIG. 19 is an elevational view of a third embodiment of the driving means for producing intermittent rotary motion for driving the conveyor belt;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the driving means shown in FIG. 19 and is taken along the line 20-20 thereof; and

FIG. 21 is a geometrical model of the third embodiment of the driving means shown in FIGS. 19 and 20.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the card feed mechanism 20 with which the drive mechanism 28 of this invention is used. The card feed mechanism is composed of several basic elements, which are the card input feed hopper 22, the read station 24, the conveyor means 26 for delivering the cards to be read from the hopper 22 to and from the read station 24, the drive mechanism 28 for driving the conveyor, and the card-receiving pocket 30 for receiving the cards from the read station 24.

The card feed hopper 22 is of standard size to receive standard punched tabulating cards, and the hopper is secured to the feed table 32 by fasteners 34, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. There is sufficient clearance between the bottom of the hopper 22 and the feed table 32 to permit the feed band 36 to pass therebetween.

The feed table 32 is provided with a pair of spaced parallel grooves 38 (FIG. 2), which are aligned with the sprocket driving holes 40 in the feed band 36, so that they will pass thereover. Another groove 42 in the feed table 32 interconnects the parallel grooves 38 and is connected to a vacuum line 44, shown in FIG. 3, which in turn is connected to a source of vacuum (not shown). When cards are placed in the hopper 22, the lowest card in the hopper is brought into close contact with the feed band 36 due to the air being withdrawn through holes 40, which provides contact-producing forces in addition to the weight of the cards above the lowest one.

The feed band 36 is best shown in FIG. 5, in which the read station 24 and the feed hopper 22 are omitted to facilitate the showing of the feed band 36. In one embodiment, the feed band 36 itself is made of a transparent, flexible, durable plastic, such as Mylar, which is perforated along its edges, to provide aligned spaced driving sprocket holes 40. The feed band 36 may be made from a strip having its ends 46 and 48 abutting under a picker blade 50.

The picker blades 50 are mounted in spaced parallel relationship on the feed band 36 at right angles to its lateral edges, so as to receive the width of a standard tabulating card between any two adjacent picker blades 50. These blades also may be made of plastic or Mylar 4 when the belt itself is made of such material, and they are secured to the feed band 36 by suitable adhesives.

The blades have a thickness which is less than the thickness of a tabulating card to insure that only one card will be taken from the lower side of the feed hopper 22 when the feed band 36 passes thereunder. The side of the hopper 22 which is adjacent to theread station 24 is provided with a suitable, adjustable, throat-knife mechanism, designated generally as 52 (FIG. 3 which permits only one card at a time to be taken from the hopper via the feed band 36. The pickerblades 50 for the feed band 36 are notched at 53 (FIG. 5) to provide clearance for the tines 74 (FIG. 3) of the driving sprocket 72, which pass through the holes 40.

FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6 show the means for mounting the feed band 36 in the card feed mechanism. In order to eliminate some of the inertia of the mechanism, the feed band 36 is mounted to slide over stationary cylinders 54 (FIG. 3) and 56 (FIG. 6), which are secured to the feed table 32 by screws 58, as shown inFIG. 3. The cylinder 54 extends for the full width of the feed band 36, as shown in FIG. 5; however, the cylinder 56, as shown in FIG. 6, does not extend across the full width of the feed band 36 but is made shorter to accommodate the driving sprockets 72, as will be explained later.

The cylinder 56, shown in FIG. 6, has a hole 60 extending axially therethrough, and at each of the extremities of the hole 60 the cylinder 56 is provided with an annular shoulder 62, against which a suitable bearing and support member 64 abuts. The member 64 is secured to the cylinder 56 by screws 66 to concentrically support a shaft 68 for rotation in the hole 60. The outer extremities of the shaft 68 are smaller in diameter than its central portion to provide shoulders 70, which abut against the pertaining bearing and support members 64 to thereby restrain the shaft 68 against axial movement in the cylinder 56.

The driving sprockets 72 are secured to the reduced diameter portions of the shaft 68 outwardly of the bearing and support members 64 by suitable keys 73. The sprockets 72 are spaced apart on the shaft 68 to enable the tines 74 on the sprockets 72 to enter the sprocket driving holes 40 on the feed band 36 in driving engagement therewith.

One end of the shaft 68 is detachably secured to an output shaft 76 (FIGS. 5 and 6) by a connector 78. The output shaft 76 is driven by the drive mechanism 28, which will be discussed in detail later. The drive mechanism 28 is effective to deliver intermittent rotary motion to the output shaft 76, which in turn drives the feed band 36.

The driving sprockets 72 rotate counter-clockwise (as viewed in FIG. 3) to move the feed band 36 under the feed hopper 22, where the lowest card of a stack of cards 80 is forced onto the hand between a pair of adjacent picker blades 50. As the feed band 36 moves, the card just removed from the hopper 22 is moved to the read station 24. The drive mechanism 28, which rotates the sprockets 72 to move the feed band 36, is also effective to move the feed band 36 at a variable speed and also to cause the band to dwell, so that the card removed from the hopper 22 onto the feed band 36 stops momentarily under the read station 24, where it is read. The drive mechanism 28, in connection with the feed band 36, is effective to move the card to and stop it at the read station in proper registration with the read station 24 without the aid of additional stops.

The read station 24 utilizes photoelectric means to simultaneously read all columns of data in the punched card which is waiting momentarily under the read station to be read upon a signal from the computer or other device which is to receive the data. Usually, the computer or other device which receives the data operates at such high speeds that it is always ready to receive the data from the cards, and, therefore, the feed band 36 can operate continuously, repeating the process of positioning and momentarily stopping the card under the read station 24. The card feed mechanism is effective to feed cards at rates up to approximately twelve hundred cards per minute. After being read, the card is moved from the read station 24 by the feed band 36 to the card-receiving pocket 30, where the cards which have been read are collected.

The receiving pocket 30, shown principally in FIG. 3, is of standard construction and includes the usual deflector fingers 82 and deflector plate 84, which guide the card between a feed roller 86 anddiscs 88. Upon leaving the feed roller 86 and the discs 88, the card passes a deflector 90 and a pocket card guide 92, which direct the cards downwardly, where they come to rest upon a card reception plate 94, which is supported on a plate support tube 96. As the load of cards 98 on the plate 94 increases, the plate support tube 96 descends to compress a spring 100. A pressure bridge 102, mounted on cross bars 104 and a shaft 106, on which the discs 88 are mounted, varies the contact pressure of the discs 88 on the feed roller 86, between which the cards are fed.

Tension on the feed band 36 is obtained through use of a weight 108 (FIG. 3), which has an arcuate surface in sliding contact with substantially the entire width of the feed band 36. The weight 108 is supported by two arms 110, only one of which arms is shown in FIG. 3 and which arms are pivotally secured at their lower ends to opposed sides of the weight 108. The upper ends of the arms 110 are pivotally secured to opposed sides of the stationary cylinder 54.

The shaft 106 and the feed roller 86, shown in FIG. 3, are rotatably supported in suitable bearings 114 (FIG. 1), which are secured to front and rear frame support plates 116 and 118, respectively, which in turn are secured to a side plate 120 (FIG. 1), which is secured to a rear wall plate 122.

The discs 88 are fixed to rotate with the shaft 106, which has a drive pulley 124 fixed to one end thereof, as shown in FIG. 2. A suitable belt 126 drivingly connects the pulley of a motor 130 with the drive pulley 124 to rotate the discs 88. A mounting plate 132 is used to secure the motor 130 to the rear wall plate 122 and the frame rear plate 118.

The details of the read station 24 using photoelectric means are shown in FIGS. 3 and 9. The feed table 32 is provided with an opening 134, through which light from a flash tube 136 may pass when the flash tube is energized. The flash tube 136 is secured in position by mounting brackets 138, which are fastened to supports 140 (FIG. 9) depending from the feed table 32. A suitable light shield 142 is used to confine the light within the opening 134. The flash tube 136 is of the xenon type, which is similar to a strobe light, and is energized by suitable external circuitry connected with the computer or device to which the data in the cards is fed. 7

At the time that the flash tube 136 is energized, a punched card bearing the information to be read is positioned over the opening 134 in proper registration with the read head 144. Suitable guides 146 (FIG. 9) are secured to the feed table 32 to maintain the card to be read and the feed band 36 in proper registration with the read head 144 in the direction of the width of the feed band 36. The card being read is maintained on the feed band 36 between two adjacent picker blades 50', and the drive mechanism is effective to position the card to be read in proper registration with the read head 144 along the length of the feed band 36.

With the card on the feed band 36 in proper registration with the read head 144, and with a signal from the computer, the flash tube 136 is energized, and light therefrom passes up through the opening 134 in the feed table, through the punched holes in the card being read, and to the read head 144.

The read head 144 is made of a layer of glass which is opaque to light except for a plurality of window area's areas 148 are arranged in the read head 144 in an array which permit light to pass therethrough. These window which is identical to the array of rows and columns of areas available for punching in a standard tabulating card. When a punched card is positioned in proper registration under the read head 144, and the flash tube is energized, light passes through the feed band 36, through the holes in the punched card, and through the pertaining window areas 148 in the read head 144. Each window is provided with a photo-responsive means which can generate a signal when light is received thereby.

In the embodiment shown, the side of the read head 144 which is opposite to the card being read has a thin layer of photoconductive material thereon. This photoconductive material is formed into discrete areas 150, FIG. 3, with one such area convering each window area 148 of the read head 144. Contact leads such as 152 are used to individually connect each such discrete area with the computer or external device to which the information is fed. Thus, when a hole is present in the card being read, the light passes through the: feed band 36, the pertaining hole in the card, and the pertaining window area 148 to the particular discrete area 150 of photoconductive material to generate an electrical signal therein. By this arrangement, all the holes in the card are simultaneously read to produce individual signals for each hole appearing therein.

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the feed band used in this invention, in which the belt, designated generally as 154, is made from metal, such as stainless steel which is approximately .003 inch thick. The belt 154 is made of a plurality of sections 156, which have therein holes 157, which are formed in the pattern of a fully punched tabulating card with which the belt 154 is used. The joining edges 158 and 160 of the individual adjacent sections 156 are secured to a common picker blade 162, which performs the dual function of joining the sections 156 and also of acting as a picker blade for transporting the punched cards.

When the belt 154 is used, the feed table 32 is provided with a groove 164 (FIG. 10), which is located centrally of the belt passing thereover. The groove 164 communicates with the vacuum line 44 (shown in FIG. 3) to assist in the transfer of cards from the feed hopper 22 to the belt 154.

Intermittent rotary drive mechanism FIGS. 5 to 8 and 8a show one embodiment of the drive mechanism of this invention, which is designated generally as 28. The drive mechanism 28 is essentially a mechanical summing-up device which utilizes a continuous uniform-speed input to produce variable-speed intermittent rotary output. This input is used to provide two separate motion components; one component remains a constant rotational motion, and the second generates a motion very similar to harmonic motion. Both of these motions are algebraically added together by the drive mechanism 28 to produce usable, variable-speed, intermittent output motion having specific characteristics at the output shaft 76. The intermittent rotary drive mechanism 28 is:

(a) A novel harmonic motion generator whose displacement, velocity, and accelerations are coincident at azero point.

(b) A low-cost, mechanical device comprising rotating components producing intermittent rotary motion from an input of constant, uniform rotation.

(c) A motion-generating device whose output is instantaneously at rest, increases in speed according to harmonic motion characteristics, achieves an instantaneous value twice that of the input velocity, and returns to the instantaneous zero velocity according to harmonic motion characteristics.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 8 and 8a, the drive mechanism 28 comprises an input motor 166, whose output shaft 168 (FIG. 5) is connected to a clutch 170. The

output shaft 172 (FIG. 8) of the clutch 170 is rotatably supported in a sleeve-type bearing 174, which is supported in a planar support member 176, which is part of the housing 178 of the drive mechanism 28.

The output shaft 172 (FIG. 8) of the clutch 170 drives a dual input gear 180, which is fixed at one side to rotate therewith. The other side of the input gear 180 is provided with an annular recess 182, which is concentric with the shaft 172. A bearing 184 (which is rotatably supported on a stub shaft 186) is inserted in the recess 182 to rotatably support the input gear 180. The stub shaft 186 is secured to the planar support member 188 of the housing 178.

The dual input gear 180 has a large spur gear 190 and a small spur gear 192 formed thereon, as shown most clearly in FIGS. 7, 8, and 811. An endless, timing, chaintype belt 194 passes over the large spur gear 190 to drive the cranks 196 and 198. These cranks 196 and 198 are identical, and each has a shaft 200, which is rotatably mounted in bearings 202 and 204, respectively, which bearings are mounted in the planar support member 176. Each shaft 200 of the cranks 196 and 198 passes through an aperture adjacent one end of the belt-tensioning brackets 206, which are located next to the planar support member 176 (FIG. 7). Each bracket 206 is provided with a belt-tensioning roller 208, whose axis of rotation is parallel to the axis of rotation of the dual input gear 180. The bracket 206 is also provided with an arcuate slot 209 (FIG. 7), through which an adjusting screw 211 passes. By pivoting the brackets 206 about their lower ends, through which the shafts 200 pass, the tensioning rollers 208 provide for an adjustment in the tension of the belt 194, and the brackets are locked in the adjusted positioning by tightening the adjusting screws 211.

The belt 194 drives the gear 210 (FIG. 8a) of each of the cranks 196 and 198, and each gear 210 is concentric with its shaft 200. Each crank 196 and 198 is provided with an eccentrically-positioned crank shaft 212 (FIG. 8a), on which a bearing 214 is mounted. A gear 216 is then rotatably mounted on the bearing 214 and is separated from the gear 210 by a flange 218, which is integrally formed on the respective crank (196 and 198).

Each of the cranks 196 and 198 is provided with a second shaft 220 (FIG. 8a), which is concentric with the shaft 200 and which is rotatably mounted in a bearing 222, which in turn is mounted in an annular recess in the planar support member 188 to thereby support the crank.

The output shaft 76 of the drive mechanism 28 is rotatably supported in bearings 224 and 226 (FIG. 8) and is provided with a flange 228, which abuts against the bearing 226 to restrain axial movement of the shaft in one direction. The shaft 76 is restrained against axial movement in the opposite direction by a shoulder 230, on the shaft 76, which abuts against the bearing 224. An output gear 232 is positioned against the flange 228 and is secured to the shaft 76, to rotate therewith, by a screw 234.

The axes of the shafts 172, 200, and 76 (FIGS. 8 and 8a) are parallel to one another, and the axes of the shafts 200 for the cranks 196 and 198 are equidistantly spaced from the axes of the output shafts 172 and 76. In the specific embodiment shown, the input gear 192, the gears 216 on the cranks 196 and 198, and the output gear 232 all have the same number of teeth and pitch diameter (FIGS. 7 and 8a). A timing, chain-type belt 236 is used to interconnect the input gear 192, the gears 216, and the output gear 232, as shown in FIG. 7.

When the drive mechanism 28 is driven, the output shaft 172 (FIG. 8) of the clutch 170 rotates both the large input gear 190 and the small input gear 192 at a constant rpm. The belt 194, in turn, rotates the cranks 196 and 198 at a constant r.p.m. As these cranks rotate the crank shafts 212 (on which the gears 216 are rotatably mounted), the gears 216 are also rotated at a con- 8 stant rate with respect to the axis of rotation of the shafts 200.

As previously stated, the small input gear 192 is rotated at a constant rate and is used to drive the belt 236. The belt 236 engages the teeth of the input gear 192, the output gear 232, and the gears 216, as shown in FIG. 7. The cranks 196 and 198 are aligned so that identical points on the cranks will bear the same angular relationship to an imaginary line joining the axes of rotation of the shafts 220 as these cranks are rotated :by the belt 194. The gears 216 rotate on the crank shafts 212 as the cranks 196 and 198 are rotated.

If the cranks 196 and 198 (FIG. 7) were to remain stationary and only the 'belt 236 were to be driven, then the gears 216 would simply rotate on the eccentric shafts 212, and the output delivered to the output gear 232 would be simply constant rotary motion, the same as the input motion. Also, if the input gear 192 were uncoupled from the large input gear 190, so that the input gear 192 could rotate freely with respect to the shaft 172, and if the cranks 196 and 198 alone were driven, then the motion imparted to the output gear 232 by the belt 236 would cause an oscillation of the output shaft 76. The oscillation would be simple harmonic motion, and one complete rotation of the cranks 196 and 198 would cause one oscillation of the output shaft 7 6. The number of oscillations per complete revolution of the large input gear 190 would be dependent upon the ratio of the number of teeth in the large input gear 190 compared to the number of teeth in the gears 210 on the cranks 196 and 198. The angular displacement of the output shaft 76 in turn would be dependent upon the throw of the cranks 196 and 198, which for each crank is the distance which the axis of the shaft 212 is offset from the axis of rotation of the shaft 200.

However, when the drive mechanism is treated as a composite unit, the output shaft 76 (FIG. 7) senses the algebraic sum of the constant rotary motionsupplied by the belt 236 from the small input gear 192 and the simple harmonic motion generated by the cranks 196 and 198 via the belt 194. By a proper combination of dimensions and spacing (to be described later) for the various elements in the drive mechanism, the desired motion characteristics are obtained at the output shaft 76 to drive the feed band 36, which feeds the tabulating cards to the read station 24.

When a card is being fed to the read station 24, it is desirable to subject the card to a gradual acceleration from the rest position in the feed hopper 22 to maximum velocity while it is traveling on the feed band 36. The deceleration of the feed band 36 should also be gradual when the card carried thereby is brought to a stop under the read station 24, where the card is read upon proper signal from the computer or other utilization device with which the read station is operatively connected. The drive mechanism 28 ofthis application is designed to drive the feed band 36 so as to produce such desired motion in transporting the cards while :still performing the feeding operation at rates up to approximately 1,200 cards per minute.

The drive mechanism 28 itself is utilized to position and stop the feed band 36 without the aid of additional stops, so that the cards carried by the feed 'band 36 will be properly positioned under the read station 24. In order to produce a dwell in the rotation of the output shaft 76 of the drive mechanism, it is necessary at some point in its cycle to have the components of constant velocity motion and harmonic motion cancel or offset each other, so as to produce the dwell or zero velocity in the output shaft 76.

This offsetting of motions is shown in the graph in FIG. 12, which shows a family of curves relating to the operating characteristics of the drive mechanism 28. In this graph, the input rotation of the dual input gear is plotted along the horizontal axis, and the output rotation of the output shaft 76 is plotted along the vertical axis. The value of the component of constant uniform velocity -9. (marked U. V. on the curve marked UNIFORM COM- PONENT) is equal and opposite to the value of the component of harmonic motion (marked H. V. on the curve marked HARMONIC'COMPONENT) at degrees of input rotation, so that both components offset each other to produce 0 degrees of output rotation of the output shaft 76. Note, too, on FIG. 12, that the curves marked OUT- PUT VELOCITY, OUTPUT DISPLACEMENT, and OUTPUT ACCELERATION of the output shaft 76 are all zero when the offsetting of motions, previously mentioned, occurs at 0 degrees of output rotation. This graph will be later discussed in more detail in connection with the geometrical model shown in FIG. 11, [from which certain formulas were obtained in designing the drive mechanism 28.

The formulas for obtaining the relationships of the various elements used in the drive mechanism 28 shown principally in FIG. 7 were derived in connection with the geometrical model shown in FIG. 11.

In deriving the formulas, the following stipulations were made with regard to FIG. 11:

(1) The points M and N, which represent the rotational axes of the cranks, are equidistantly spaced from the axes of rotation of the INPUT and OUTPUT members.

(2) The crank arms R are equal in length and travel at the same synchronized angular rate about their respective axes M and N relative to a fixed line; line X, for example.

(3) The gears 192, 232, and 216, shown in FIG. 7, all have the same pitch diameter; the geometrical model does not shown such gears but uses points marked as INPUT, OUTPUT, and M and N, respectively, as equivalents.

(4) The lengths A, B, C, D, and E of FIG. 11 represent changing lengths of the belt drive means 236 between adjacent gears 192, 232, and 216, as shown in FIG. 7, as the crank arms R rotate counter-clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 11. t

(5') The geometrical model of FIG. 11 is shown with the crank arms R rotating in a counter-clockwise direction, marked Q, and being displaced 'at an angle a from line X.

From the geometrical model shown in FIG. 11, A, B, C, and D represent changing lengths of belt as the crank arms R rotate counter-clockwise about their centers M and N. When the crank arms R have rotated through an angle a, the lengths of A, B, C, and D are derived from the geometry of FIG. 11 as follows:

Comparing the geometrical model to the mechanism shown in FIG. 7, the'points M and N represent the axes of rotation of the cranks 196 and 198, which axes are the shafts 200 of the respective cranks 196 and 198. The shown in FIG. 11 represent the distances which the centers of the shafts 212 are displaced from the centers of the shafts 200 of the respective cranks 196 and 198. The INPUT, OUTPUT, and points V, U are shown merely as points on the geometrical model; however, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, these elements are shown as gears 192, 232, 216, and 216, respectively, all having the same number of teeth and pitch diameter. It follows, then, that the length of the belt 236 shown in FIG. 7 is equal to the various lengths of the belt between the last-named gears plus a length of belt necessary to travel around portions of the same four gears. As all of the four gears named above are of the same size, and as the belt engages one fourth of the circumference of each gear, the length of the belt portion engaging all four gears is equal to the circumference of one of the gears.

In the geometrical model shown in FIG. 11, the belt length (L) is obtained as follows:

in which S=the circumference of a gear or sprocket having a radius (r).

Continuing with the geometrical model, and rearranging the equation for the belt length (L), the following expression evolved:

From the geometrical model of FIG. 11, an approximation of K in terms of L and S was found by letting R=0.

For example, when R=0 in FIG. 11, the belt length A decreases until the point W on the extremity of the radius -R coincides with the point N. When the coincidence of the points W and N occurs, the length of A becomes:

yields L-S=4K and, rearranging,

L S K T72 yields K=.176777 (L-S) By the above formula, an approximation of K is obtained when L and S are known. In actual practice, the above approximation of K proved satisfactory in determining the crank radius (R) from the following derived in which r=the gear radius which is equal to the gear radius of the gears 192, 232, and 216 of FIG. 7.

The following calculation illustrates how the dimensions of the various elements of the driving mechanism shown in FIG. 7 are determined:

( 1) Assume a belt length of (L)=10.000 inches.

(2) Assume large input gear having 34 teeth.

(3) Assume gears 192, 232, and 216 as having:

(a) radius (r)=.541 inch (b) circumference S=21rr=3.400 inches (c) 17 teeth, /5 pitch. (4) Approximate the value of K from the formula:

K=.17677 (L-S) K=.l7677 (10000-1400) K=1.1667 inches. (5) Solve for R (the crank arm) from the formula:

(6) Determine the phase shift of the crank arm R for an angle 5 (not shown) with respect to the output shaft; this will be described later. The output shaft of the mechanism delivers inermittent rotary motion with harmonic motion characteristics to transport the cards on the feed belt as previously mentioned. To produce this output motion, the constant rotary motion which. is delivered to the input shaft of the drive mechanism is divided into two components. One component produces a motion of constant velocity; the other component produces a motion having harmonic motion characteristics.

In order to produce a dwell in the output shaft which will momentarily position and stop the conveyor so that a card carried thereby will be positioned at the read station as previously explained, it is necessary at some point to have the value of the constant uniform velocity motion (H. V. of FIG. 12) and the value of the harmonic velocity motion (U. V.) cancel or offset each other, as shown in FIG. 12.

In the geometrical model shown in FIG. 11, the olfsetting of motions mentioned in the previous paragraph occurs when a is equal to ninety degrees. In the physical embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the dwell in the output shaft 76 occurs when the cranks 196 and 198 are each rotated ninety degrees clockwise from the position shown, so that the axis of each shaft 212 lies directly above the axis of the respective crank 196 and 198, as viewed in FIG. 7.

When the dwell in the output shaft 76 occurs, the card carried by the feed band 36 is positioned at the read station 24. Upon proper command from the computer or other utilization device with which the card reader is used, all the data in the card will be read simultaneously, as explained previously. Upon completion of the reading operation, the clutch 170 is actuated, and the card feed mechanism positions the next card to be read at the read station 24. By the time this next card is positioned at the read station 24, the computer is ready for reading it, so that the clutch 170, in essence, remains in the actuated state, and the card feed mechanism alone continues to position the cards to be read at the read station 24. The means for actuating the clutch 170 is identical to the means for actuating the clutch 170a, which is shown in FIG. 13 and which will be described later.

The OUTPUT VELOCITY curve (also shown in FIG. 12) for the output shaft 76, which drives the feed band 36 in the card feed mechanism, indicates that the card being fed will be gradually accelerated from zero velocity at the card hopper 22 to a maximum OUTPUT VE- LOCITY of two times input velocity at ninety degrees of INPUT ROTATION, and then it will be gradually decelerated until it comes to a stop under the read station 24. By this construction, the cards being moved are subjected to a minimum of abrupt changes in velocity while still being fed at rates up to approximately 1,200 cards per minute.

The clutch 170 (FIG. is provided with means (to be later described) to disconnect the input motor 166 from the drive mechanism 28 when the drive mechanism is in the dwell portion of its cycle. Once the drive mechanism 28 is energized, it alone Will accurately position the cards being carried by the feed band 36 under the read station 24, one after another, to be read there.

FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the drive mechanism of this invention, which is designated generally as 300,'and the clutch 170a, which will be later described in more detail.

The drive mechanism 300, in general terms, comprises frame means for rotatably mounting the input means, which are rotated at a constant rate. There are first connecting means, which operatively connect the input means with the output means, which in turn are also rotatably mounted in said frame means. The first connecting means also include crank members which are rotatably mounted thereon. There are also second connecting means, which operatively connect the crank members with the first connecting means. As the crank members are rotated, they are effective to alter the motion delivered to the out-put means, so as to.produce zero velocity or a dwell at said output means at least once for a predetermined rotation of said input means. The output means are operatively connected to the feed band 36 to drive it, and the dwell produced is effective to position a card, being moved by thefeed band, under the read station 24.

The drive mechanism 300, shownin FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive, receives its constant rotational input from the 12 output shaft 302 of the clutch a, which is similar to the clutch 170 except for the output shaft 302. The shaft 302 is provided with a portion 304 (square in cross-section), which fits into a mating square recess on a tubular bearing member 306 (FIG. 16).

The bearing member 306 has a reduced portion 307 (square in cross-section), which fits into a mating recess 308 in a carrier 310 and abuts therein against a shoulder 312, as shown in FIG. 16. The end of the square portion 307 is flattened out to secure the carrier 310 to the bearing 306, which are both rotated by the shaft 302.

As the shaft 302 turns, it rotates the carrier 310 and the tubular bearing 306 at a constant rate; the bearing 306 rotates and is supported in a hub 313 of a fixed gear 314. The hub of the fixed gear 314 is inserted in an opening 316 (FIG. 13) in a planar support member 1760 and is fixed against rotation therein by a pair of projections 318 on the support member 176a, which projections mate with a pair of complementary grooves 320 diametrically positioned on the periphery of the hub 313 of the gear 314.

The carrier 310 has secured thereto a pair of generally arcuate, planar members 322, which are maintained in spaced parallel relation to one side of the carrier 310 by spacers 324 and fasteners 326 (FIGS. 13 and 15). The planar members 322 provide support for cranks 328 and 330 and for 'gears 332 and 334 (FIG. 14), which operatively connect the cranks 328 and 330, respectively, to the fixed gear 314.

The cranks 328 and 330 are identical, and each is provided with a shaft 333, which is rotatably mounted in suitable openings in the carrier 310 and the arcuate planar member 322, as particularly shown in FIG. 16. A gear 335 is fixed to rotate with the shaft 333, which is also provided with suitable spacers to provide running clearance for the gear 335 between the carrier 310 and the arcuate planar member 322.

Each gear 335 is so positioned on the carrier 310 as to be out of mesh with the teeth of the fixed gear 314. As mentioned earlier, each of the gears 335 for the cranks 328 and 330 utilizes a separate gear 332 and 334, respectively, to operatively connect it with the fixed gear 314, the gears 335 being rotatably supported between the carrier 310 and the arcuate planar members 322.

When the clutch 170a is actuated, its shaft 302 rotates the carrier 310 counter-clockwise (as viewed in FIG. 13) about the fixed gear 314. As the carrier310 rotates, the gears 332 and 334, carried thereby, are rotated and, in turn, drive the gears 335 of the cranks 328 and 330, respectively. Each of the shafts 333 of the cranks 328 and 330 is provided with a clearance shoulder 338 (FIG. 16) and a reduced end portion 340 (square in cross-section), which is inserted into a complementary square opening in one end of a crank arm 342 to thereby rotate the crank arm. Each of the crank arms 342 has an annular recess, into which a screw 344 is positioned to secure one end of the crank arm 342 to the pertaining shaft 333.

The remaining end of each crank arm 342 is pivotally joined to one end of a separate drag link 346 by a pin 348, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 15. The remaining ends of the drag links 346 are pivotally secured to opposed ends of an output drive plate 350 by a pin 352. The drive plate 350 is secured at a right angle to an output shaft 354, and its axis lies on a line midway between the pins 352. The output shaft 354 is supported for rotation in a support member 356, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 16, and it is in axial alignment with the shaft 302 of the clutch 170a.

The clutch 170a may be of a conventional type or of a type which has a rotating shell 360, which rotates counter-clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 13, to drive the clutch output shaft 302 when the clutch is energized. The clutch 170a is provided with a pair of equally-spaced abutment stops 362 on its periphery, which are engaged by one leg 364 of a pawl 366, which is pivotally supported on a shaft 368 secured to a planar support member 370.

13 The remaining leg, 372, of the pawl 366 is spring-urged clockwise (FIG. 13).by a spring 374. i

. Whenever a group of cards is to ;be read, a solenoid 376 is energized to drive an operating plunger 378 upwardly, as viewed in FIG. 13, to move the pawl 366 counterclockwise, thereby disengaging the leg 364 from the abutment step 362, which in turn permits the input motor 166 (FIG. 1) to drive the clutch 1700. As long as the pawl 366 is disengaged from the abutment stops 362, the clutch is effective to rotate the clutch shaft 302 at a constant rate counter-clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 13, and the drive mechanisms disclosed herein are effective to convert constant rotational input to intermittent variablespeed rotary motion output to drive the feed band 36, as previously explained. The drive mecahnism 300 is a mechanical motion summing device of two separate motions, which are derived from a common source of constant rotational input (shaft302, FIG. 13). One of the motions is a constant rotary motion supplied by the carrier 310 and linkage comprising the cranks 328 and 330, the links 346, and the output drive plate 350. As long as the cranks are not rotated relative to the carrier 310, the output shaft 354 will be driven at aconstant rate; however, when the cranks 328 and 330 are driven by the coupling of the gears 335 to the fixed gear 314, the motion at the output shaft 354 becomes a variablespeed intermittent rotary motion with the necessary dwells for intermittently driving the feed band 36, which positions the cards carried thereby under the read station 24.

A geometrical description of the drive mechanism 300 is illustrated in the geometrical model shown in FIG. 17. While the drive mechanism shown in FIGS. '13 to 16 inclusive is shown as having a stationary gear with external teeth, the mechanism could employ a stationary gear having internal teeth, with the gears driving the cranks in mesh with the internal teeth.

There are certain relationships which exist among the various elements shown in the geometrical model in FIG. 17 and the embodiment shown FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive. They are: r h (a) The pitch diameter of the fixed gear 314 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive) is twice that of the planet gears 332 and 334, which revolve around the fixed gear 314.

(b) The distance R (FIG. 17) may be any selected length and represents the distance between the axes of rotation of the carrier 310 and the crank arms 342 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive).

(c) The distance r' (FIG. 17) is less than R but greater than zero and represents the length of the crank arms 342 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive).

(d) The length T (FIG. 17) is equal to 21 and represents the length of the'drive plate 350 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive) as measured between the axes of the ontput shaft 354 and the pins 352.

(e) The length 8 (FIG. 17) is equal to /R --r and represents the length of the drag links 346 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive).

f) The input and output shafts of FIG. 17 are located at M, and the input shaft 302 and the output shaft 354 in the embodiment of FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive are on a common center line of rotation.

(g) The input carrier 310 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive) is rotated at a constant speed.

FIG. 17 is a geometrical model of the second embodiment of the drive mechanism 300, which is shown principally in FIG. 13, and, as previously stated, the elements shown in FIG. 17 have counterparts in the physical embodiment shown in FIG. 13. For example: as the input carrier R (carrier310) is rotated counter-clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 17, the crank arm r (arm 342) is rotated clockwise about the outer end q of R; and the point Q, the input, will trace the elliptical path shown by the long dash lines 380. After a certain angular rotation of the 14 input carrier R, the model shown in FIG. .17 will assume the general configuration shown in FIG. 18.

The output of the drive mechanism (FIG. 17 is represented by the point C, which travels in the circular pat-h shown by the short dash lines 382. As the input carrier R an dthe smaller crank arm r are rotated, a condition will be reached during which the clockwise rotation of the crank arm 1' will oppose or offset the counterclockwise rotational effect on the point C caused by the input carrier R. This offsetting of motions will cause the point C to become stationary or to dwell during a portion of a revolution of the input carrier R. This dwell is utilized to stop the feed band 36, so that a card carried thereby will be accurately positioned under the read head 24.

During the dwell or the time that the point C is stationary, the drag link S may be considered as rotating about the point C, as represented by the circular path 384 in FIG. 17. The extent of the dwell is determined by that succession of points defining a substantially common path (C-P) or are for the point Q as the point Q travels along the elliptical path 380 and the circular path 384, as shown in FIG. 17. This common path GP in FIG. 17 occurs for an angle of about thirty degrees of input rotation, and, during this time, the common portions of both the elliptical and circular paths mentioned match each other to within .001 inch, which is well within the normal variables induced by practical machining tolerances of the parts involved in the actual embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive.

The continuation of the elliptical and circular curves above and below the range shown by the common path C-P of FIG. 17 indicates a smooth advance into and away from the dwell position with a minimum of abrupt changes in force or direction.

From a graphical solution, the optimum values of the relationship among R, r, S, and T (FIG. 17) are believed to be the following:

From the above, the values of r, T, and S develop as proportionality constants, so that, for a given radius R, these values can be readily determined.

The values of r, T, and S are not necessaritly restricted to the above proportionality constants; however, when they are changed, the output displacement of the drive mechanism will also change. In order to increase the versatility of the drive mechanism, displacement prediction formulas were developed, so as to predict hte output displacement with diiferent values of R. r, T. and S.

The formulas used for obtaining output displacement of the drive mechanism with different combinations of values for the elements R, r, T, and S are derived in connection with the geometrical model shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, with the point Q of FIG. 17 being rotated clockwise (when viewed as being on the crank arm r) to the position shown in FIG. 18. The angle [3 is the included angle between R and T. The angle a is the included angle between r and R. The angle at is the included angle between R and a line P drawn from the center of rotation M to the point Q on the end of r, and the angle -1 is the included angle between T and the line P.

From the point Q in FIG. 18, a line b is drawn perpendicular to R at Z to produce the short segment A,

"15 which is equal to r cos a, while the line b is equal to r sin a. Referring to the triangle formed by Q, Z, and M, Equation 1 P =b (R-A) Equation 2 P =(r sin u) +(Rr cos at) Referring to the triangle formed by X, Z, and Q, Equation 3 r =A +b Equation 4 b =r A From Equation 1, P =b +(R-A) and substituting Equation 4 above in Equation 1,

Equation 5 yields: P =R -2AR+r The value of A=r cos a when substituted in Equation 5 yields:

Substituting the value of P determined in Equation 6, and P= /P into Equation 7 yields:

2Tx/TF-I-fl-2Rr cos (1 Similarly, substituting the value of P determined in Equation 6, and the value of P= /P into Equation 8, yields after simplification:

Equation 10 cos 1 R-r cos a Referring to FIG. 17, the following relationships exist:

(a) R may be any value not zero.

(b) The crank arm r is greater than zero but less than R.

(c) T is equal to 2r.

((1) S is equal to \/R r (e) The output is equal to (0-B).

(f) The angle 18 is equal to (p-l-n).

The values of R, r, T, and S selected for a specific physical embodiment would naturally be dependent upon the particular application in which the drive mechanism is used. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive, the values of R and r were selected to be one inch and .4142 inch, respectively, with the values of T and S determined to be .8284 inch and .91018 inch, respectively. With these values, smooth accelerations and decelerations were obtained. While the drive mechanism 300 technically has one instantaneous zero point, the mechanism has a practical or effective dwell for about thirty degrees of input rotation.

The method of securing the drive mechanism 300 to the clutch 170a (FIG. 13) so as to obtain the desired dwell is as follows. The square end 304 of the clutch shaft 302 is inserted into the mating recess 308 of the carrier 310, and the carrier is rotated counter-clockwise (as viewed in FIG. 13) until an abutment stop 362 on the rotating shell 360 of the clutch 170a engages the leg 364 of the pawl 366 to stop the carrier 310. Each crank arm 342 is then positioned with respect to an imaginary line joining the axes of the cranks 328 and 330, so that the included angle therebetween is equal to 122.4 degrees. In the geometrical model shown in FIG. 17, the included angle of the previous sentence is equal to a, which is the included angle between 1' and R. In the drive mechanism 300, the crank arms 342 are positioned on opposite sides of the imaginary line previously mentioned as shown in FIG. 13. Once the angle a is set for each crank 328 and 330, the carrier 310 is pushed towards the clutch a, so that the gears 332 and 334 engage the teeth on the ring gear 314 and thereby operatively connect the cranks 328 and 330 respectively to the fixed gear 314.

After the drive mechanism 300 is connected to the clutch 170a in this manner, the output shaft 354 is then connected to the shaft 68 of the conveyor 26 via the connector 78 (FIG. 6), so that a card carried by the feed belt 36 will be positioned at the reading station 24 in reading relationship therewith. Upon command from the computer or other utilization device with which the card read mechanism is associated, the solenoid 376 (FIG. 13) will be energized to begin the cycle for the drive mechanism 300, and the card will be read while at the read station 24. At the completion of the read operation, the drive mechanism 300 moves the feed band 36 to deliver another card at the read station 24. In general, the computer can receive the data faster than the card feed mechanism can feed the cards to the read station 24, so that the computer will be waiting to receive the data in the next card. If the computer is not ready to receive the data in the next card to be read, an abutment stop 362 (FIG. 13) on the rotating shell 360 of the clutch 170a engages the leg 364 on the pawl 366 to stop the drive mechanism 300, and at this time the card to be read will be positioned at the read station 24. If the computer is ready to receive the data, the solenoid 376 of the pawl 366 will be energized to clear the leg 364 from the stop 362, and the rotating shell 360 of the clutch 170a will not be stopped thereby. The dwells produced by the drive mechanism 300 will then alone be effective to position the card to be read at the read station 24.

A third embodiment of the drive mechanism, designated generally as 400, is shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 and is similar in construction to the drive mechanism 300 shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive; however, the drive mechanism 400 is generally hypocyclic, whereas the drive mechanism 300 is epicyclic.

The drive mechanism 400 includes an input shaft 40?. (FIG. 20), which is rotatably mounted in a bearing 40?, which is retained in a shouldered bearing sleeve 406, which in turn is mounted in an opening in a circular housing plate 408. The end 410 of the shaft 402 is square in cross-section and fits into a complementary square opening in an input carrier 412, and a fastener (not shown; secures the carrier 412 to the shaft 402 to rotate therewith.

The output shaft 414 of the drive mechanism 400 is rotatably mounted in a bearing 416, which is mounted in a shouldered bearing sleeve 418, which in turn is mounted in an opening in a circular housing plate 420. The end portion 422 of the shaft 414 is square in cross section and fits into a complementary square opening in an output drive plate 424, and a fastener (not shown) secures the output drive plate 424 to the shaft 414 to rotate therewith.

The input shaft 402 of the drive mechanism 400 of FIG. 20 is driven by a clutch (not shown) which is identical to the clutch 170a shown in FIG. 13 in connection with the second drive mechanism 300. As the input shaft 402 is rotated at a constant rate, the carrier 412 is also rotated and carries with it the cranks designated generally as 426 and 428. The cranks 426 and 428 are identical, and their axes of rotation are equidistantly spaced from the axis of rotation of the shaft 402. Each crank 426 and 428 (FIGS. 19 and 20) has a shaft 430, which is rotatably mounted in bearings 432 and 434, which are secured in aligned apertures in the input carrier 412 and the respective planar support member 436, respectively, Each support member 436 is secured to the input carrier 412 and is maintained in spaced parallel relationship therewith by spacer studs 438.

Each crank 426 and 428 has a gear 440 fixed to rotate with its respective shaft 430, and the gear is positioned between spacer discs 442, which in turn are positioned between thecarrier 412 and the respective support member 436, as shown in FIG. 20. Each gear 440 is in mesh with an internally toothed ring gear 444, which has circular spacer rings 446 and 448 (FIG. 20) (square in crosssection) positioned on opposed sides thereof. The circular housing plates 408 and 420, the spacer rings 446 and 448, and the ring gear 444 all have aligned holes spaced along their perimeters, through which screws 450 (FIG. 19) are inserted to secure the named units together and form the housing for the drive mechanism 400. I I

The shafts 430 (FIG. 20) of the cranks 426 and 428 are each provided with a cam shaft 452 extending from one end thereof, the. axis of which is offset from the axis of its respective shaft 430 by a distance r (not shown), which represents the length of the crank arm for the crank members. The geometry of the drive mechanism 400 will be later discussed in relation to the geometrical model shown in FIG; 21. a r

. The cam shafts 452 mentioned above are operatively connected to the output shaft 414 as follows. Each cam shaft 452 is provided with a bearing 454, which is inserted over the end thereof and abuts against a portion of the end of the shaft 430, as shown in FIG. 20. A drag link 456 is provided for each crank 426 and 428, each link having in one end thereof a hole which fits over the bearing 454 of the respective cranks 426 and 428. The remaining ends of the drag links 456 are pivotally secured to the drive plate 424 by screws 458 (FIG. 19) at points which are e'quidistantly spaced from the axis of rotation of the drive plate 424 and which are positioned along a diametral line thereof. I

When the input shaft 402 of the drive mechanism 400 (FIGS. 19 and 20) is rotated at a constant rate, intermittent rotary motion is produced atthe output shaft 414 in the same general manner as was produced by the drive mechanism 300 shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive. As the input shaft,402 is rotated, the input carrier 412 also rotates counter-clockwise, as viewed in FIG,.19. While the cranks 426 and 428 are being carried counter-clockwise with the carrier 412, the gears 440 thereof which are in mesh with the ring gear 444 are rotated clockwise about the axis of their respective shafts 430, thereby rotating the cranks 426 and 428 clockwise.

If the gears 440 of the cranks 426 and 428 were temporarily disconnected from the ring gear 444, and if the input shaft 402 (FIG. 20) were rotated at a constant rate, then the output drive plate 424 would also be rotated at a constant rate by the carrier 412 and the drag links 456. However, when the gears 440 of the cranks 426 and 428 are in mesh with the ring gear 444, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the clockwise rotation of the cranks 426 and 428, as mentionedin the previous paragraph, will oppose or offset the counter-clockwise rotation imparted to the output drive plate 424 by the input carrier 412 and cause a dwell in the output drive plate 424 and the output shaft 414. As previously explained, a dwell in the'output shaft such as the shaft 414 is effective to stop the feed band 36, so that a card carried thereby will be momentarily positioned at the reading station 24, where the data in the card will be read.

FIG. 21 represents a geometrical model of the drive mechanism 400 shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, which model was used for determining certain mathematical relationships among the various elements of the drive mechanism '400 as follows. The length R of FIG. 21 represents the length of the input carrier 412 (FIG. 20) as measured between the axes of rotation of the input shaft 402 and the shaft 430 of one of the cranks 426 and 428. The length r of FIG. 21 is the crank member and represents the distance which the axis of the cam shaft 452 is offset from the axis of the shaft 430, as shown in FIG. 20. The length S of FIG. 21 represents the length of a drag link 456 (FIG. 19) as measured between the centers of its mounting holes on opposed ends thereof. The length T of FIG. 21 represents the length of the output drive plate 424 (FIG. 19) as measured from its axis of rotation to the axis of the screw 458, which pivotally secures the last-named drag link 456 to the drive plate 424. The INPUT to the geometrical model rotates R'counter-clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 21, and for an input angle of 0, the OUTPUT will be rotated counter-clockwise for an angle of [3. Both R and T are rotated about 0 (FIG. 21), and r is rotated clockwise about Q from the position shown in FIG. 21 as R is rotated counter-clockwise. One end of the links is pivotally joined to one end of r, and the other end of the link S is pivotally joined to one end of T, as shown in FIG. 21.

To simplify'the construction, the means for rotating about point Q on R (FIG. 21) are not shown; however, in the drive mechanism 400 (FIGS. 19 "to 20) these means primarily include the ring gear 444 and the gears 440 of the cranks 426 and 428, which are carried on the input carrier 412."The number of cycles per input revolution in the drive mechanism 400 is dependent upon the number ofteeth in the gears 400 relative to the number of teeth in the ring gear 444.

In the geometrical model (FIG. 21), N equals the number of cycles per input revolution; also, R is greater than r, which is greater than zero. As a practical relationship, r should be less than R/N.

From the geometry of the model of FIG. 21,

Equation 11 and Equation 12 y=R cos 0+r cos a Given an input rotation of 0 and an output of B and from fi= -x; the following values for x and p of FIG. 21 can be determined from the following equations:

x=R sin 6r sin a The Equations 11 to 14 inclusive mentioned previously can be used for either epicyclic-type crank members, as shown in the drive mechanism 300, or hypocyclic-type crank members, as shown in the drive mechanism 400. These equations are especially adaptable for computer programming to determine output rotation, velocity, acceleration, and torque on the output shaft of the drive mechanisms 300 and 400 with respect to a given input rotation 0.

The drive mechanism 400 may be connected to the clutch a shown in FIG. 13 by the technique previously discussed in relation to the drive mechanism 300.

What is claimed is:

1. A mechanism for producing intermittent motion comprising:

frame means;

input means having constant rotation and being rotatably mounted in said frame means;

output means rotatably mounted in said frame means;

first connecting means to operatively connect said input means with said output means so as to supply a constant rotational motion to said output means, and including crank means;

and second connecting means to operatively connect said crank means with said input means to thereby rotate said crank means;

rotary '19 said crank means, when rotated, being effective to alter the motion of said first connecting means so as to produce zero velocity at said output means relative to said input means at least once for a predetermined rotation of said input means; said second connecting means including belt means. 2. A mechanism for producing intermittent rotary motion comprising:

frame means; input means having constant rotation and being rotatably mounted in said frame means; output means rotatably mounted in said frame means; first connecting means to operatively connect said input means with said output means so as to supply a constant rotational motion to said output means, and including crank means; and second connecting means to operatively. connect said crank means with said input means to thereby rotate said crank means; said crank means, when rotated, being effective to alter the motion of said first connecting means so as to produce zero velocity at said output means relative to said input means at least once for a predetermined rotation of said input means; said first connecting means including belt means, and said crank means comprising two crank members with each said crank member having an axis of rotation which is equidistantly spaced from the axis of rotation of said input means and said output means. 3. The mechanism as claimed in claim 2 in which said crank members are operatively connected to said belt means so as to be rotated at the same angular velocity and displacement relative to a line joining the axes of IO- tation of said crank members.

4. A mechanism for producing intermittent rotary motion comprising: frame means; input means having constant rotation and being rotatably mounted in said frame means; output means rotatably mounted in said frame means; first connecting means to operatively connect said input means with said output means so as to supply a constant rotational motion to said output means, and including crank means; and second connecting means to operatively connect said crank means with said input means to thereby rotate said crank means; said crank means, when rotated, being effective to alter the motion of said first connecting means so as to produce zero velocity at said output means relative to said input means at least once for a predetermined rotation of said input means; said input means having constant rotation comprising first and second input members rotatably mounted in said frame means and fixed to rotate together on a common axis; said output means comprising a shaft rotatably mounted in said frame means and having an axis of rotation spaced from and parallel to said common axis, and an output member fixed to rotate with said shaft; said crank means of said first connecting means comprising first and second crank members rotatably mounted in said frame means with each crank member having an axis of rotation which is equidistantly spaced from said common axis and said axis of said shaft of said output means; each said crank member having a crank shaft eccentrically positioned thereon and a rotatable member rotatably mounted on said crank shaft; said first connecting means further comprising first belt means operatively connecting said input member, said rotatable members of said first and second crank members, and said output member to form a closed loop therearound; said second connecting means comprising second belt '20 means operatively connecting said second input member with said first and second crank members so as to rotate said crank'members in timed relation with said first input member. 5. A mechanism for producing intermittent rotary'motion comprising:

frame means; input means having constant'rotationand being rotatably mounted in said frame means; output means rotatably mounted in said frame means; first connecting means to operatively connect said input means with'said output means so as to supplya-constant rotational motion to said output means, and including crank means; and'second connecting means to operatively connect said crank means with said input means to thereby rotate said crank means; i said crank means, when rotated, being effective to alter the motion of said first connecting means so as to produce zero velocity at said outputrne'ans relative to said input means at least once for a predetermined rotation of said input means; said first connecting means comprising a carrier means fixed to said input means to be rotated thereby and link means operatively connecting said carrier means with said output means and including said crank means rotatably mounted on said carrier means. 6. A mechanism for producing intermittent rotary motion comprising:

frame means; constant rotational input shaft means, and output shaft means rotatably mounted in said frame means; first connecting means to connect said input shaft means with said output shaft means so as to supply a constant rotational motion to said output shaft means and comprising:

carrier means secured to said input shaft means to be rotated thereby, link connecting means operatively connecting said carrier means with said output shaft means so as to rotate the latter at a constant speed and including crank means rotatably mounted on said carrier means, second connecting means operatively connecting said crank means with said input shaft means and comprising:

a stationary gear fixed to said frame means and having the axis thereof concentric with the axis of said input shaft means, 7 gear means carried by said carrier means and operatively connected to said crank means so as to rotate said crank means as said carrier means is rotated relative to said stationary gear, said second connecting means being effective to alter the motion of said link connecting means so as to produce zero velocity at said output shaft means relative to said input shaft means at least once for a predetermined rotation of said input shaft means. 7. The mechanism as claimed in claim 6 in whichsaid input shaft means and output shaft means are axially aligned in said frame means.

8. The mechanism as claimed in claim 6 in which the gear means carried by said carrier means and said stationary gear form an epicyclic connection; said stationary gear having external teeth operatively connected to said gear means.

9. The mechanism as claimed in claim 6 in which the gear means carried by said carrier means and said stationary gear form a hypocyclic connection; said stationary gear having internal teeth operatively connected to said gear means.

10. A mechanism for producing intermittent rotary motion comprising:

frame means,

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