US3808905A - Worm drive for electrically wound clock - Google Patents

Worm drive for electrically wound clock Download PDF

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Publication number
US3808905A
US3808905A US00293319A US29331972A US3808905A US 3808905 A US3808905 A US 3808905A US 00293319 A US00293319 A US 00293319A US 29331972 A US29331972 A US 29331972A US 3808905 A US3808905 A US 3808905A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
spring
shaft
worm gear
worm
turns
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
Application number
US00293319A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
L Metzinger
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Bunker Ramo Corp
Original Assignee
Bunker Ramo Corp
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Bunker Ramo Corp filed Critical Bunker Ramo Corp
Priority to US00293319A priority Critical patent/US3808905A/en
Priority to CA177,823A priority patent/CA985054A/en
Priority to GB3687673A priority patent/GB1436006A/en
Priority to DE19732340659 priority patent/DE2340659A1/de
Priority to JP48099756A priority patent/JPS4973174A/ja
Priority to FR7332209A priority patent/FR2201494A1/fr
Priority to ES418558A priority patent/ES418558A1/es
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3808905A publication Critical patent/US3808905A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
    • G04C1/00—Winding mechanical clocks electrically
    • G04C1/04—Winding mechanical clocks electrically by electric motors with rotating or with reciprocating movement
    • G04C1/06—Winding mechanical clocks electrically by electric motors with rotating or with reciprocating movement winding-up springs
    • G04C1/067—Winding mechanical clocks electrically by electric motors with rotating or with reciprocating movement winding-up springs by stepping rotating movement
    • 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
    • G04B13/00—Gearwork
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
    • G04C3/00—Electromechanical clocks or watches independent of other time-pieces and in which the movement is maintained by electric means
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T74/00—Machine element or mechanism
    • Y10T74/19—Gearing
    • Y10T74/19642—Directly cooperating gears
    • Y10T74/19698—Spiral
    • Y10T74/19828—Worm

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT For an electrically wound clock, a worm and worm gear drive, wherein the worm is a space-wound helical wire spring, frictionally fitted on a motor shaft, extending beyond the end of the shaft, and unsupported at its outboard end. Engagement with the worm gear takes place at a point beyond the end of the shaft.
  • a tiny motor is used to wind the mainspring at uniform intervals, and a motor of suitably small size for use in a clock must run at rather high speed to have sufficient power output.
  • a molded or machined metal or plastic worm engaging the circumferential worm wheel teeth.
  • the cut or molded worm must be held to close tolerances for diameter, pitch of teeth, smoothness, and concentricity or'run-out.
  • This invention involves the provision of a worm consisting of a helical wire spring, tightly fitted onto the driving shaft, extending beyond the end of the shaft, unsupported at its outboard end, and engaging a worm gear at a point beyond the end of the shaft.
  • the spring in the small sizes involved in battery-operated clocks, the spring can be assembled to the shaft with the aid of simple fixtures, or even by hand, the inherent resilience of the spring serving to retain it on the driving shaft. No special machining or grooving of the driving shaft is required.
  • the pitch of the spring is made the same as that of the worm gear with which it meshes; this gives a quiet, long-wearing low friction drive, particularly suitable for service in a clock mechanism.
  • the spring can be simply and economically fabricated on automatic spring coiling machines, with no initial investment such as the cost of molds for a plastic worm.
  • FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a drive construction embodying my invention
  • FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1, and partly broken away, illustrating the feature of the construction by which the worm is retained on the driving shaft.
  • the motor 10 has an output shaft 12, over which is fitted a straight helical open wound coil spring 14, a substantial portion of which extends beyond the outer end 16 of the shaft 12.
  • the portion 18 of the spring which thus extends beyond the shaft engages with the teeth 20 of a worm gear 22, which is mounted for rotation on a shaft 24, being part of the winding mechanism of a clock, not otherwise shown.
  • the spring is a friction fit on the shaft 12, and therefore when the motor is energized and the shaft 12 rotates, the spring is rotated about its axis, and serves asa worm to drive the worm wheel.
  • This construction has a number of advantages over the conventional worm gear drive.
  • a suitable spring can be manufactured much more cheaply than a machined worm. Where a material such as bright music wire is used for the spring, a very smooth surface is presented, which contributes to quiet operation and has long-wearing characteristics.
  • the spring may be mounted on the driving shaft 12 with a minimum of preparation. No grooving, threading or special preparation of the shaft is required, except that a chamfer 26 may be provided to assure that there is no burr at the end of the shaft, and to aid in centering and leading the spring when it is pressed onto the shaft.
  • the spring as originally manufactured can be straight, i.e., of uniform diameter throughout.
  • the internal diameter of the spring relative to the diameter of the shaft 12 must be controlled to provide a slight interference fit. That is, the coils of the spring which are slipped onto the shaft must experience some expansion in internal diameter beyond the normal internal diameter of the spring.
  • FIG. 2 which shows a cross section through the driving shaft 12 looking toward the spring.
  • the numeral 28 designates a coil of the spring surrounding the shaft. A portion of the figure is broken away, to reveal another coil of the spring, such as 30, one of those in the portion 18 beyond the end of the shaft. Both figures of the drawing show, in exaggerated fashion, that the coil 30 is of smaller diameter than the coil 28.
  • the spring 14 is thus retained on the shaft 12 by its own inherent resilience, which is adequate to keep it in place, meeting the torque requirements of a clock wind drive such as has been described, or of similar light duty applications.
  • the wire worm was made of bright music wire
  • the last column shows the computed values of ampere-hours per year required for the total number of winds in that time, for each of the worm-gear combinations listed. It is obvious that the nominal pitch of 1.66 mm. provides the conditions for the lowest battery consumption and that the spring should be sufficiently stiff to maintain this pitch throughout the range of torque encountered in the wind operation.
  • Drive apparatus for winding a spring in an electrically-powered clock, operative to wind said spring in short wind cycles, said wind cycles being separated by relatively long non-operative periods, wherein power is transmitted from a rotatable shaft to a worm gear, and characterized by a worm comprising a helical wire spring secured to said shaft coaxially therewith by the gripping of several turns of said spring on said shaft, said spring extending beyond the end of said shaft, and engaging said worm gear at a point beyond the end of said shaft, said spring having a pitch the same as that of said worm gear, and being sufficiently rigid axially so that the pitch of the spring does not vary with the varying torque imposed on said spring by said worm gear during said wind cycle,and the number of teeth of said worm gear embraced between adjacent turns of the spring remains constant.
  • a worm comprising an open-wound helical wire spring of normal internal diameter less than the diameter of said shaft, said spring having a portion of its length surrounding said shaft and retained thereon by its inherent elasticity, and having another portion of its length extending beyond the end of said shaft, said spring engaging the worm gear in driving relationship at a point beyond the end of said shaft.
  • Means for transmitting energy from an intermittently operated clock motor having an output shaft, to a worm gear comprising a worm in the form of an open-wound helical wire spring of normal internal diameter less-than the diameter of said shaft, the spacing between turns of said spring being sufficient so that when the spring is compressed, its internal diameter increased enough to permit the turns so compressed to pass onto said shaft, the turns gripping the shaft when compression is released and thereby retaining the spring in driving engagement with the shaft, said spring when so retained having a portion including a plurality of turns extending beyond the end of the shaft, and said portion operably engaging the worm gear.
  • Drive apparatus intermittently operable to wind a clock spring, comprising a motor having an output shaft, a worm in the form of an open-wound helical wire spring having one end secured to said shaft and another end extending beyond said shaft and operatively engaging a womi gear, whereby said spring is laterally resilient at the point of contact with said worm gear; but sufficiently rigid axially that the pitch of the spring does not vary with the amount of variation in load imoperation.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Gears, Cams (AREA)
  • Gear Transmission (AREA)
  • Fittings On The Vehicle Exterior For Carrying Loads, And Devices For Holding Or Mounting Articles (AREA)
US00293319A 1972-09-29 1972-09-29 Worm drive for electrically wound clock Expired - Lifetime US3808905A (en)

Priority Applications (7)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00293319A US3808905A (en) 1972-09-29 1972-09-29 Worm drive for electrically wound clock
CA177,823A CA985054A (en) 1972-09-29 1973-07-31 Worm drive for electrically wound clock
GB3687673A GB1436006A (en) 1972-09-29 1973-08-02 Worm drive for electrically wound clock
DE19732340659 DE2340659A1 (de) 1972-09-29 1973-08-10 Treibschnecke
JP48099756A JPS4973174A (es) 1972-09-29 1973-09-06
FR7332209A FR2201494A1 (es) 1972-09-29 1973-09-06
ES418558A ES418558A1 (es) 1972-09-29 1973-09-07 Perfeccionamiento en dispositivo accionadores para relojes electronicos.

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00293319A US3808905A (en) 1972-09-29 1972-09-29 Worm drive for electrically wound clock

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3808905A true US3808905A (en) 1974-05-07

Family

ID=23128603

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US00293319A Expired - Lifetime US3808905A (en) 1972-09-29 1972-09-29 Worm drive for electrically wound clock

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US3808905A (es)
JP (1) JPS4973174A (es)
CA (1) CA985054A (es)
DE (1) DE2340659A1 (es)
ES (1) ES418558A1 (es)
FR (1) FR2201494A1 (es)
GB (1) GB1436006A (es)

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0236422A1 (en) * 1985-08-13 1987-09-16 Square D Co REMOTE CONTROL SWITCH.
WO1993000693A1 (en) * 1991-06-28 1993-01-07 Square D Company Remote control circuit breaker
US6523645B1 (en) * 1998-03-26 2003-02-25 Aktiebolagel Electrolux Pumping device for lubrication of saw chain
US20050102774A1 (en) * 2001-12-17 2005-05-19 Michael Drossler Toothbrush drive shaft and method for production thereof
US20060071742A1 (en) * 2004-03-29 2006-04-06 Roger Castonguay Circuit breaker configured to be remotely operated
US20100074711A1 (en) * 2008-09-19 2010-03-25 Igus Gmbh Finely adjustable adjusting screw arrangement with arresting means and plain bearing with bearing play adjustment
US20150167830A1 (en) * 2013-12-17 2015-06-18 Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Power transmission device
CN108533688A (zh) * 2018-06-29 2018-09-14 柴丽华 一种具有缓解冲击力防卡顿的蜗轮蜗杆传动装置

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1497003A (en) * 1975-05-15 1978-01-05 Landis & Gyr Ag Clock or time switch drives

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2151191A (en) * 1938-05-19 1939-03-21 Lawrence J West Typewriter
US3049936A (en) * 1960-06-20 1962-08-21 Deere & Co Worm gearing
US3163054A (en) * 1960-12-09 1964-12-29 Golde Gmbh H T Driving device for sliding windows
US3238804A (en) * 1964-02-20 1966-03-08 James R Goodykoontz Variable speed transmission

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2151191A (en) * 1938-05-19 1939-03-21 Lawrence J West Typewriter
US3049936A (en) * 1960-06-20 1962-08-21 Deere & Co Worm gearing
US3163054A (en) * 1960-12-09 1964-12-29 Golde Gmbh H T Driving device for sliding windows
US3238804A (en) * 1964-02-20 1966-03-08 James R Goodykoontz Variable speed transmission

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0236422A1 (en) * 1985-08-13 1987-09-16 Square D Co REMOTE CONTROL SWITCH.
EP0236422A4 (en) * 1985-08-13 1990-02-22 Square D Co REMOTE CONTROL SWITCH.
WO1993000693A1 (en) * 1991-06-28 1993-01-07 Square D Company Remote control circuit breaker
US5180051A (en) * 1991-06-28 1993-01-19 Square D Company Remote control circuit breaker
US6523645B1 (en) * 1998-03-26 2003-02-25 Aktiebolagel Electrolux Pumping device for lubrication of saw chain
US20050102774A1 (en) * 2001-12-17 2005-05-19 Michael Drossler Toothbrush drive shaft and method for production thereof
US20060071742A1 (en) * 2004-03-29 2006-04-06 Roger Castonguay Circuit breaker configured to be remotely operated
US7342474B2 (en) * 2004-03-29 2008-03-11 General Electric Company Circuit breaker configured to be remotely operated
US20100074711A1 (en) * 2008-09-19 2010-03-25 Igus Gmbh Finely adjustable adjusting screw arrangement with arresting means and plain bearing with bearing play adjustment
US20150167830A1 (en) * 2013-12-17 2015-06-18 Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Power transmission device
US9605750B2 (en) * 2013-12-17 2017-03-28 Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Power transmission device
CN108533688A (zh) * 2018-06-29 2018-09-14 柴丽华 一种具有缓解冲击力防卡顿的蜗轮蜗杆传动装置
CN108533688B (zh) * 2018-06-29 2020-05-29 黄海英 一种具有缓解冲击力防卡顿的蜗轮蜗杆传动装置

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2201494A1 (es) 1974-04-26
GB1436006A (en) 1976-05-19
ES418558A1 (es) 1976-04-16
JPS4973174A (es) 1974-07-15
DE2340659A1 (de) 1974-04-11
CA985054A (en) 1976-03-09

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