US988009A - Signal-transmitter. - Google Patents

Description

J. MGPELL.'V SIGNAL TRANSMITTER. APPLICATION FILED AUG.19, 1909.

988,009. Patented Mar. 28,1911.

M6656@ "i E W?" J.. MUFELL. SIGNAL TRANSMITTER. APPLIOATIoN FILED AUG. 19, 1909.

Patented Mar. 28, 1911,

lllllqlll A L.iUiisoN MCFELL, 'or oHioAGo, /ILLINoIs i SIGNAL-TRANSMITTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mai. 28, 1911.`

Application leg August 19,1909. Serial No. 513,605.

To all whom "it may concern.

Be it known-that I, Jonson MCFELL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the count-yof Cool; and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements iii Signal-Transmitters,

of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to improvements in signal transmitters, and has for its general object to `provide a mechanism for the electrical transmission of signals, adapted to be set to transmit different selective signals at will.

My invention consists in the construction and combinations ofparts Vspecified in the claims, and may best be understood through reference to `the accompanying drawings, illustrating an embodiment' of my invention which I have found to be advantageous in practice.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation ot a transmitter embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view with parts broken away of the ini-)chanical appliances removed from their casing; Fig. 3 is a detail of a switch;

. Fig. 4E isa section on line 1 -4c of Fig. 2, Fig 5 is a section on line 5- 5 of Fig. 2,; 'Fig 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

saV

Fig. '7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 4; Fig. Sis a detached View of one of the carriers; and Fig. 9 is a detail of the positioning lever and associated parts. l

, In the drawings, 10 indicates, in general, the casing, having "secured thereto a front plate, 11wliich forms a partv of the carrying frame for the mechanism. Said frame is generallymade up of the front plate, 11, a center plate, 12, and a 'rear plate, 13, properly connected in their separated relation by a sei'ies'of suitable posts', 14 and 14. The space between the forward plates 11 and 12 l will terni the switching spacc,7 and that between plates 12 and 13, the motor space. The motor'proper may be of any desired type, preferably spring-operated and arranged to be wound foi' cach operation. 'In the .construction shown, I provide a gear train, generally indicated at '15, having a windiii arbor, 1G, driven by a main spring, 17, un governed as to' its' rate ot' motion "by a governor, 18, of suitable"construction,

he train may be wound .by depression of a handle, 20, c arried by a. rack rod, 21, engaging the primary gear of the train and guided in vertical motion by engagement of a slot, 22, in the side of said bar, with a guiding member, 23, mounted on theframe.

The motor serves to operate at a predetermined speeda power shaft, .25, which is arranged to operate the principal switching mechanism. Said power shaft extends from the rear plate 13 through the front plate 11, and a companion shaft, 25,l is arranged adjacent the opposite end of the frame, the two shafts being connected for movement in unison but in opposite directions by a pair of interme'shingspur gears, 2G and 26', mounted thereon within the switching space.

vIn general, the parts connected with these two shafts are similar, and therefore, I will describe only one thereof, characteristically like parts being indicated by the saine number but those connected with the shaft 25v bea-rinof the exponent prime In ront of the gear wheel 26, in the switching` space, is a carrier, 27, fast upon theshaft and preferably in the form of a disk or wheel havingthci'ein a hitch opening, 28, and a series of small holes, 29, which constitute part Yof the setting mechanism. Loose upon the shaft 25, beyond and normally free for both rotative and axial movenient thereon, is"an operating barrel, 30, passing through the front plate 11 and bearing on its extremity an operating head, 31.

The barrel -30 bears a collar 33, at its inner end, `carrying a projection, 34 on which is mounted a switch actuator in the form of an insulated pcripherally toothed sector, 35, the teeth ofwhich are arranged to cooperate. with a suitable switch, 3G, when the sector is rotated while iii axially innermost position in the operating plane .in which the switch is located. Aspring, shown at 3( in Fig. 7, arranged in a coil about the shaft within the barrel, constantly tends to throw the barrel to outermost position, thereby to move vthe actuator Ainto close proximity to the front plate 11, in which position-the segment is removed from the switch or ina plane'of disability. Whenever the actuator is axially moved to its operative plane, it is there latched by a latching lever, 39, pivoted, as at 40, to the rear side of the carrier 27, with one extremity forming a` tooth, 41, passing through the aperture 2S in the carricr'to latch thecollar 33 when ther actuator is pressed inward to its operative plane, and

electric switch 36 during the rotation of the f signal wheel system. Limitation stops, 47

la and 48, are provided upon the carrier for confining the free or adjusting rotary movenient of the sector with respect to the carrier to that necessary to its engagement with any one of the series of apertures 29. If additional fixed teeth are required on any signaling wheel, they may be provided on the carrier in the operating plane, asindicated at 49.

For convenience in setting the movable sectors, I provide upon the barrel a pointer, 50, arranged to sweep over a dial,

51, the two pointers 50 and 50 being ai'- ranged to pass each other in rotation'. .lt- 'will be apparent lfroni an inspection of the drawings, that the two sectors are so mounted relative to each other and to the Switches 36 and 36 that the sector 35 appartenant to what I may terni the tens wheel system, completes its movement through its operating angle or arc of cooperation with the switch 36 before the sector 35, appartenant to the units. wheel commences its operai" tion. Accordingly, the collocation of index and sector is such that, as the pointer is adjusted to any figure en the scale 51', a number of teeth corresponding with the index ligure are set back of the long pen vof the switch 36', so that when the wheel rotates, such number of teeth will immediately begin to pass the switch. The tripping device,- 43, for the tens wheel, may be set anywhere throughout the balance of the circle, as it is only important to release the actuator for movement to disabled position before the rotation nears its end "As to the units devices, however, a closer and more accurate tripping adjustment must be made, asthe trippin' device, 43, must be'so set -that it will trip the latch 39 and free theoperating sector for` movement to disabled positionwith respect to its switch 36,. just as the number of teeth indicated by the hand on the dial have passed the switch 36, so disabling the following teeth from operating `on the switch. Accordingly, when the pointer 50` is moved to indicate any desired number on the scale, and thevhandle 31 is then pushed `in to bring the sector to operating position, the carrier in its rotation will cause the indicated number of teeth to pass Vthe switch before the tripping end, 42', of

the latch lever 39 is brought* into contact with the stop 43; and then, before another tooth passes the switch, the sector is unlatched and thrown by its spring to disabled or outermost position for the balance of its rotation. Any fixed tooth or teeth, as 49, provided upon either wheel or carrier, will operate invariably and at each revolution of the wheel.

For insuring that the wheel will normally stand in a predetermined position, I provide a. positioning lever, 53, pivoted, as at 54, to the frame and pressed by a spring, 55, into engagement withy a fixedv abutment, 56, in which position said lever stands with a shoulder, 57, in the 'nath of movement of apin, 5S, projecting rom the under side of the gear 26. The winding stein is provided with a projection 60, so that at the termination ofthe winding movement it moves the positioning lever 53 to unlatched position, thereby freeing the signaling wheels for a complete rotation before thepin 58 again engages the spring-returned positioningle-- ver.

VUpon an insulating block, 61, on the back ot' plate 13 is mounted a spring-opening switch 62, which may suitably be connected in parallel to switches 36 and 36 to shunt i them when closed, said switch being normally held closed by a finger 63, mounted upon shaft 16 in such manner that when the said shaft is rota-ted to wind the motor, the finger is remo-ved from the switch and the latter is permitted to spring open.

Assuming that the two signaling switcher 36 and 36 are connected in series in the line `with thev switch 62 connected normally to short circuit the line switches'36 and 36, the operation of the 4transmitter will be apparent. The operator, desiring, say, to call station 46, turnsthe handle 31 of the tens wheel unt-i1 the pointer 50` points to numeral 4 on dial 51', and then pushes in upon the handle 31. The rotary movement of the handle brings the operating sector 35 around out of Contact with switch 36', to a. point where only the last four of its teeth are in rea-r of the long pen of switch 36v and then the axial ydisplacementof the handle 31 forces the sector axially inward so that its pin 46 engages one ofthe apertures l29 in the carrier, locking-the parts against further rotative displacement, while the hitch 41 engages the collar 33"of the handle barrel and holds the sector in, fas illustrated in Fig, 7, so that said sector stands in the plane of the `switch 36. In similar fashion, the units pointer 50 is set upon the numeral 6 on its dial, positioning six teeth of the sector'to pass `the switch 36 before the sector is disabled. winding handle 2O is depressed causing its rack 21 to wind the clock movement, the

Then the rotation ot its wheels under the influence ot the wound clockwork. -The unwinding of the clockwork is controlled by the governor, 18, and the relatively slow rotation imparted to the units signaling devices through the shaft 25 is transferred through the duplicate gears, 26, 26.', to the tens signaling devices. As soon as the two wheels start in motion, the tens wheel commences operation, and the four rear teeth, with reference to the direction. of rotation of the sector 35, operate the switch 36. Shortly after the operating angle or arc of the tens 4wheel has passed the switch 36, the extremity, 42', of the latch lever39 strikes the fixed trip 43 and is thrown over to release thesector and its barrel toi' spring return to its initial ldisabled position. Also justatter thel tens wheel .completes its arc of operation, the

sector ot the units wheel comes into oper-,I

ative relation with its switch and remains in operative relation until its latchiug lever 39 strikes-the releasing point 33 and frees the sector for movement to disabled position. The setting` of the pointer positions the sectors so that the number of teeth indicated by the relation of the handle to thereading scale may pass the switch 36 before the rcleasing operation occurs; and thereattenthe sector having moved to disabled position, the remaining teeth (it the. sector do not ef- `tect operations of the switch.

rl`he operating arcs 'of the tens and units wheels may, of course, be of any desired proportion with respect to the full circle ot the wheels, and l haveslmwn the sectorsns oecnpying only a small portion of the circumterence of the wheel, in order that, after the completion oll the operation ot the units see tor, the mechanism may i'un idly toi' a considerable portion ot' its cycle before the fixed tooth /l-Q opens the switch. When the cycle ot rotation is-completed, the piii '58 vrengagres the positioning bar o?) and thc mechaiiism comes to rest in the same position from which "it started..

lt, will be understood that` while l have herein described in sonieahitail `a particular embodiment of my invention, that the spociiic construction shown is illustrated Vtor purposes ot it'ull disclosure and that runnerous changes might be made in the embodiment of the invention without departure from its spirit and scope and within the scope oic the appended-claims.

That I claim is: y l. In a signal ti'aiisn'iitter, the combination ot a motor providing' a rotatable shaft;

a switch; a toothed switch-operating part movable into or out of the plane ot the switch, and when out ot the plane ot' the switch, rotarily adjustable with respect thereto; means for latching the switch-operating part in lixed relation to the shaft; and means for tripping said bitching,- means.

2. ln a signal transmitter, the combination of a motor iiiioviding' a rotatable shatt, switch; a toothed actuator for said switch rotai'ily adjust-able u-,pon said shaft in a plane of disability, and axially movable, in different positions' of rotary adjustment, into an operating plane; latchinej means tor automatically securing said operating part in saidf plane :tor rotation with the switch; trippinr means 'torsaid latehing means; and means for restoring the actuator to the plane of disability when released by the tripping means.

3. l'n a signal transmitter, a motor providing a rotatable shat't, a carrier oli-.the shaft, a toothed actuator loose upon said shaft. a spring` normally maintaining;v the actuator remote -troni the carrier in an inoperative plane, a latch toi' engagingV and retaining said actuator in its ope ative plane, automatic releasing means for said latch, and a switch arranged for coperation with said actuator only when the latter is in its operative plane.

4. in a signal transmitter, a motor having a rotatable shaft, a switch, a toothed actuator' upon the shaft rotatable to selective position to vary a signal and axially movable tooperative or inoperative relation to the switch, means for latching the actuator upon the shaft when in its operative plane, and means tor automaticallyrestorini;l the actuator to its inoperativel plane.

ln a signal transmitter, the combinav tion of a motor providing a rotatable part, a carrier thereon, a =hitchv carriedby said carrier, latchreleasing means, a toothed actuator 'for the switch upon said rotatable part, la springnormally maintaining' said e l. actuator in an numerative plane with rctive carriers, normally rotatablewith respect thereto laud in an inoperative plane, and axially movable toward the carriers to an opcmlivc plane; moins lo" 'tiugi' the a -lualors against rotativo moi'eincnls with rc-` specl lo their carriers when in the operative :lane: latchi'ug ineansraifried hy the cailriers to retain the actuators in the operative plane; tripping means for releasing said latehing means; means for automatically moving the actuators totheir normal inoperative plane, When freed by the latches; and electrical switching means associated with said actuators7 for operation thereby only. when said actuators are in their operative plane,

7. In a signal transmitter, the combination with a spring motor providing a train, a Winding handle therefor and a shaft-7 of a carrier upon the shaft, a barrel loose on said shaft; a toothed actuator carried by said barrel; a spring normally maintaining the actuator in an inoperative plane, Wherein it is rotatable to different positions of adjustment with respect to the carrier, said n barrel being movable axially to bring the actuator into an operative plane; latching means for holding said actuator in the operat'ive plane; means for automatically releasrsaid stop, controlled by the Winding handle.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand 1n the presence ot'two Witnesses..

JU'DsoN MCFELL.

In the presence of W. LINN ALLEN, MARY F. ALLEN.

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