US1638917A - Compound-pendulum clock - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 16,1927. ,917

- T S. CASNER COMPOUND PENDULUM CLOCK Filed June 17. 1926 wmmmmn hoenfoz Patented Aug. 16 1927.-

T KAIODEUS' STEPHENS CASNEB, OI' PLAINIIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOE TO RADIO ELECTRIC CLOCK CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, H. Y'., A COBIOBLTION OI DELA- WARE.

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Application fled June 17, 1926. Serial 10. 118,696.

This invention relates to clocksof the pendulum type and particularly to clocks of this type which receive their drivin force from electro-magnetically operated evices.

It is an object of this invention to provide improved driving mechanism for such 1 a.

clock.

Another object is to provide driving mechanism operating directly on the pendulum of the clock which shall function at intervals to give the pendulum renewed mo- :mentum, the intervals bet-ween im ulses being of such length as to maintain t e amplitude of swing of the pendulum sufiiciently long for operating the parts driven thereby and yet not so short as to interfere unnecessarily with the free swinging of the pendulum. a

Another object is to provide actuating mechanism which is so constructed and arranged that when it does operate, it shall, in

imparting renewed momentum to the pendulum, interfere onl slightly with the free swinging of the pen ulum.

Another object is to provide such an actuating mechanism which has few parts, and those of a simple nature, so that it will not readily get out of order, can be easily repaired, and which is readily accessible for inspection and oiling.

The invention will be described as applied to a master clock though it is apparent that it is adapted to other uses. One form of the I invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing by way of example, the single figure showing in front elevation a compound pendulum clock in which the invention is embodied.

Referring-to the drawings 10 indicates a frame or support which may be in the form of an angle member, having ahorizontally disposed base portion 11 and a vertically disposed back 12. A pendulum 13,.preferably of the compound type, is su orted for oscillation on a; pair of adjusta Fe pins 14 having hardened steel points which ride on corresponding 'ewels 15. The jewels are set in a horizontal y' extending support bracket 17. rigidly secured to the back 12 of the frame 10. The pendulum has a lower,weight'18 and upper weight 19 and between them an enlarged'portion 20 provided with an opening 21 to accommodate the support 17.

The pendulum carries ona pivotal pin 25 a push rod or pawl 26 which is balanced to a the pendulum makes 120 beats, or beats on eachside of a vertical line through its The operative end of the push rod 26 carries asupport, per minute, the toothed wheel through push rod 26 is moved one complete revolution. A dog 34 which is practically balanced about a pin 35 but which is slightly biased by any suitable means, as by a weighted end, so that its operative end engages the wheel, serves to prevent backward movement of the wheel when it is moved by the push rod. I a

.The wheel 30 in its rot-ation'carries with it a contact arm 37 having a contact 38. The arm 37 may be arranged in any well known manne'rto move with the wheel, being either keyed to shaft 31 or secured to the side of the wheel 30. A guide 39 on the arm 37 serves'to guide the. c0ntact38 into engage ment with a relatively fixed contact 40 sup.

ported on a light spring 41 carried on an insula'ting block 42 fast on the frame. 'The contact 38 is so related to the wheel 30 as to make connection with contact 40 when the pendulum is making a stroke to the right on abeat to the right of the support, and to break connection just beforethe stroke is com leted.

T e contacts 38 and 40 are in circuit with a sourceof electrical energy50 and an elec;'

tro-magnet 51, also carried by the frame back 12 and when the contacts connect, the electro-magnet is energized. From the nature of the mechanism described, it will be seen that the contacts connect to energize the magnet once for each revolution of the toothedwheel. 30, or once a minute;

The shaft 31 is adapted and intended to serve as a carrier for the second hand of the clock as well as to drive the minute and hour hands through the usual train of clock gear ing. The contacts 38 and 40 are likewise adapted to close a circuit 49 through one or more electro-magnetically driven devices, which may be secondary clocks.

A movable armature 55 is carried on a pivot 56 ad'acent the electro-magnet and is adapted to e attracted by the poles of the magnet when the magnet is energized. A softiron late 57 may be insertedinthe armature bar 55 to cause it to bemore strongly attracted to the electro-magnet. The whole bar 55 is not made of soft iron for the reason that it serves the further purpose of actuating the pendulum, as will be presently descri ed, and as an actuating member it should be made of a harder iron or steel.

The bar 55 is extended beyond the magnet and at its outer end pivotally supports as by pin 59, a driving member or pawl 60. The pawl has an overhanging portion 61 on one side of the pin which tends to cause the upper end of the pawl to move to the right as viewed in the drawings. To check this movement of the pawl a projection 62 which preferably is a spring riveted or soldered to the pawl, ,is provided for the other side of the pawl and engages a fixed stop, such as the lower portion of bracket 17. Ihe spring not only checks the movement or the pawl to the right of the position, shown but tends to cause the pawl to move to the left to the dotted line position when the pawl pushed up by the armature. The pawl has a projection 65 on its upper end and this projection engages the upper surface of a pin 70, when the pawl is moved to the left. The pin 70 is fixedl secured to the enlarged central portion of t e pendulum laterally of the pivot 17 of the pendulum. The pin by this arrangement has a general vertical movement while the pendulum in most of its parts may be said to have a horizontal move ment.

A spring 54 may be attached to the armature and frame to assist the action of gravity in returning the armature to its unattracted or oif position. The armature is stopped in its outward or downward movement by a stop 58 fixed to the frame. The stop 58 is located at such a point that the movement ofthe armature is halted before the pendulum has com leted its movementto the left on the right eat to carrypin 70 to its lowermost osition. This is done for the purpose of al owing the pin 70 to move away from projection 65 on pawl 60. When this occurs the pawl drops over to the right due to the unbalanced weight portion 61 thereon to take projection 65 out of the path of pin 70 until the armature is again attracted by the magnet. However, it will be understood that the contacts 38 and 40 are moved apart to allow magnet 51 to be de energized just before the pin 70 completes its upward movement, caused by the right swing of the pendulum, which leaves projection 65 resting on the pin 70. The spring 54, being unopposed by the magnet then exerts a pull on the armature and pawl to gravity and spring 54,

drive the pendulum through pin 70 to the left until thepawl is'disengaged from the above description. On each ri ht hand beat of the pendulum the push re '26 throu h the action of itspin 28 on the teeth-of t e toothed wheel 30 causes the wheel to' betrotated through the distance of one tooth space. The dog 34 holds the-wheel: from reverse movement after each ste Once for each revolution of wheel 30, an while pendulum 13'is swinging to the right ona'rlght beat, contact 38 makes connection with contact 40 causing magnet 51 to be energized. Closure of these switch contacts also energizes the magnets of secondary devices in circuit 49, in case such secondary devices are connected. Energization of magnet 51 pulls armature 55 upwardly a ainst the forces of he attracted position of the armature is indicated in dotted lines. This movement causes pawl to move upwardly and also to the left due to the action of spring 62 against the lower side of support 17. When thus moved to the left the projection 65 on the pawl comes in the path of pin as the same moves upwardly. 'Before the endof the upward movement of pin 70 the circuit is broken and the spring 54 then acts through the armature, pawl and pin to exert a driving force on the pendulum tending to move it to the left with renewed momentum. After the armature moves a certain distance it is stopped by pin 58 thus allowing pin 70 in its continued movement to release pawl 60 and permit it to drop out of the path of the pin 7 0. On the next and subsequent movements until magnet 51 is again attracted the pawl 60 remains out of the path of pin 70.

Thus it will be seen that the driving mechanism provided acts on the pendulum in such a way as to engage it, drive it, and release it, with the least interference with its free oscillation. It also acts at such intervals that what interference is interposed is so infrequent that its effect is negligible. This latter point will be more readily accepted as true when it is pointed out that it is easier to accurately measure out one large impulse than it is to measure out sixty small impulses.

While this clock has been described as being adapted to control secondary devices, it will be understood that it may be used as an independent unit apart from Such secondary devices.

It will also be understood that the various elements and component parts may be differently arranged and modified in variby Letters Patent is:

ous ways within the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured- 1. A pendulum operated device comprising, in combination, a compound pendulum pivotally supported at its mid-portion, a push rod carried by said pendulum, a rotatable toothed wheel adapted to be given a step by step movement by said push rod, a contact rotatable with said wheel and adapted to engage a second contact once in eachrevolution of the wheel, an electro-magnet situated adjacent the pendulum, an armature operated by said magnet,.adapted to engage the pendulum when moving in one direction and to drive the pendulum when moving in the other direction, said magnet being energized to move the armature when the toothed wheel has caused the contacts to engage.

2. A pendulum operated device, comprising in combination, a compound pendulum pivotally supported at its mid-portion and means for periodically imparting renewed momentum to said pendulum, said means comprising-an electro-magnet, an armature operated by the magnet, said armature having means for engaging the pendulum when moving in one direction in unison with the pendulum and imparting momentum to the pendulum on the return movement of the pendulum and armature, a stop for limiting the movement of the armature on the return movement before the pendulum has completed its movement, to causesaid armature to be disengaged from the pendulum, and

means for energizing said ma et includin a switch which is periodically closed an opened by movement of said pendulum.

'3. A device of the character described, comprising in combination, a pendulum, a pin rigid with the pendulum, and mounted on the pendulum so as to have a generally vertical movement, a periodically operated bar adapted to impart renewed momentum to said pendulum, and means on said bar adapted to engage said pin on its upstroke during one heat of the pendulum and to I) actuate the pendulum and disengage the pin on the succeeding down-stroke, said means comprising a pawl pivoted to said bar, a pro ection on the pawl for engaging the pin, a flexible projection on the pawl for'engaging a relativel immovable stop to bias the pawl toward t e pin for causing the notch to engage the in, a fixed stop to limit the movement of t e bar before the pendulum has completed its return movement, and an overhanging weight on said pawl to cause it to be disengaged from the pin when the pendulum swings to free the pin from the notch.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 in which said bar is actuated by an electro-magnet which is energized at periodic intervals by the operation of a switch which is controlled by the movements of the pendulum.

5. A device of the character described comprising in combination, a pendulum, and means for periodically imparting renewed momentum to the pendulum, said means including a pawl wh1ch is moved upwardly to engage the pendulum in unison with an upward movement of a portion of the pendulum, and is moved downwardly to actuate and release the pendulum on the downward movement of the portion, and means controlled b continued movements of the pendulum or causing said first ,mentioned means to be actuated.

6. A device of the character described, comprising in combination a com ound ndulum, a projection on the pendhlum ving approximately vertical movementdur-' ing the oscillation of the pendulum, means for engaging said projection while it is moving in one vertical direction and to give it an impulse and disen age it while it is moving in the reverse direction, and means controlled by movements of the pendulum for causing said first mentioned means to be actuated.

- In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

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