Abstract:
A setting mechanism incorporated in a digital display device which includes a movable first digit carrier; a motor driving the first digit carrier in a normal digit-advancing operation; and a movable second digit carrier. The setting mechanism has a drive member continuously driven by the motor, a clutch connected between the drive member and the second digit carrier. The clutch, when in its engaged state, couples the drive member to the second digit carrier for imparting a setting motion to the latter; and a manually operable actuator connected to the clutch for operating the same.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a setting mechanism for digital display devices used, for example, in time measuring apparatus which includes a drive motor which also serves for the adjustment (setting) of time indication. The setting mechanism includes a manual actuator with which a motorized adjustment of the time indication can be effected by actuating a clutch mechanism. 
     Setting mechanisms of the above-outlined type for digital display devices, for example digital clocks, are known by themselves. Earlier, a setting of the digit rollers was effected mostly by a manual rotation of the shaft carrying the digit rollers. For a longer setting such levers have, in most cases, a diameter which is much too small. Further, for example, in case of a 24-hour display, substantial time is needed to set the clock several hours up to 24 hours. Also, the setting mechanism for a manual setting of the digit roller in a digital clock in which the setting knobs are at the front plate, is usually of relatively complex structure. Further, motorized setting mechanisms for digital display devices are known in which a stepped advance of the time or, as the case may be, the digital display and the setting (adjustment) of the display is possible. The setting is effected, for example, by means of additional drives, carrier and locking mechanisms which have contributed significantly to the complexity, the spatial requirement and the overall expense of the apparatus. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a setting mechanism for digital display devices for a step-by-step advance and a rapid setting of display with a small number of structural components to insure a simple and inexpensive, easily mass-producible setting mechanism for digital display devices wherein, in addition to setting the digital clock display, it is also possible to set one or more additonal digital displays. 
     This object and others to become apparent as the specification progresses, are accomplished by the invention, according to which, briefly stated, in addition to the time display there are provided one or more additional digital displays in the time measuring apparatus and further, the aboe-mentioned drive motor is also used for the setting of the additional digital displays. Further, there are provided one or more actuators, one associated with each digital display, for rendering operative a clutch device for the purpose of a motorized setting of the digital displays. 
     The advantage of the invention resides particularly in that one setting mechanism is provided for adjusting several digital displays by means of one motor and that in case of digital time measuring devices, such as digital clocks or timing switches, the motor which is, in any event, a necessary part of the mechanism, can be used for the setting of the digital displays. 
     It is a further advantage of the invention that with the simplest means and only with an insignificant number of components, for example, an operating key, a pivotal lever and two rollers which are driven by a motor, a setting mechanism can be obtained for adjusting a plurality of digital displays. By using the already available motor for setting additional digital displays, the time necessary for the adjustment is significantly shortened when compared to a manual adjustment. The advantage of an embodiment of the invention resides in the fact that the setting device according to the invention makes possible a step-by-step advance and a setting of the digital time display and of one or more additional digital displays merely by means of the drive and the stepping gear for the step-by-step advance of the time display. Stated differently, the stepping mechanism for the step-by-step advance is so designed that it also serves as the drive means for the setting motion and such setting motion is effected merely by rendering a clutch device operative. Thus, the invention makes possible a step-by-step advance and a setting of a time display and one or more additional digital displays with the simplest means constituted by a very small number of inexpensive components. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a preferred embodiment in a non-operating state. 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevational view of the same embodiment in an operating state. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic top plan view of the same embodiment for the setting of several additional digital displays. 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic side elevational view of a part of another preferred embodiment of the invention adapted for the stepped advance of a time display. 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic side elevational view of a part of a further preferred embodiment of the invention for the stepped advance and setting of a time display and additional digital displays. 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of another preferred embodiment of the invention including a clutch mechanism in the disengaged state. 
     FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the same embodiment in an engaged state. 
     FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of a stepping gear shown disengaged from the digit roller of a digital time display device. 
     FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the component of FIG. 8, illustrated in a form-locking engagement with the digit roller of the time display device. 
     FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the same component during the adjustment of the digit roller of the time display device. 
     FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the same component associated with another embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Turning now to FIG. 1, the setting device according to the invention is shown therein in its disengaged, non-operating state. There is shown a front plate 1 provided with a window 2 behind which there is positioned a roller 3 carrying digits on its cylindrical periphery. The digit roller 3 is freely rotatable and is supported on a shaft 4. The front plate 1 is provided with a further opening through which projects a manually operable actuating member which may be designed as a key 5 formed of a push button and an actuating rod attached thereto. The actuating rod of the key 5 is guided and supported in a housing wall 6 and is in engagement with the end of one arm 7 of a bell crank lever 8 pivotally supported on a shaft 9. On the end of the other arm 10 of the lever 8 there is supported a freely rotatable setting roller 11. 
     The mode of operation of the setting device according to the invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     In FIG. 1 the setting roller 11 is disengaged from both the digit roller 3 and a drive roller 12, since the pivotal lever 8 is maintained by means of a tension spring 13 and an abutting relationship between the actuating rod of the key 5 and the terminus of the arm 7 at a clearance from the digit roller 3 and the drive roller 12. The tension spring 13 is attached to the arm 7 and the support 6. The drive roller 12 is keyed to a drive shaft 15 which is continuously driven, for example, by a synchronous motor 14 as illustrated in FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 2 shows the setting device in its operating state. For the purpose of shifting the setting device into the operating state, the key 5 is depressed against the force of a spring 16 which is supported by the housing component 6. As a result of the actuation of the key 5, the end of the arm 7 of the pivotal bell crank lever 8 is shifted towards the right (as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2) so that the bell crank lever 8 executes a counterclockwise rotation on its support shaft 9. At the same time, the terminus of the crank arm 10 is moved in between the digit roller 8 and the drive roller 12. Thus, the setting roller 11 is, due to the depression of the key 5, now in engagement with the digit roller 3 and the drive roller 12. Since the latter is continuously drive by the shaft 15, this rotary motion is transmitted as a setting motion to the digit roller 3 of the digital display device. As soon as the key 5 is released, the setting roller 11 is again disengaged from the digit roller 3 and the drive roller 12 and, as a result, the digit roller 3 will stop immediately, thus terminating the setting operation. It is to be understood that the key 5 may be so designed that it has a locked position which makes it possible to effect longer settings, for example, for a 24-hour digital clock, without the necessity of maintaining the key 5 continuously depressed manually. 
     The digit roller 3, the setting roller 11 and the drive roller 12 may be made of a synthetic material; the material of the setting roller 11 is expediently elastic. The setting roller 11 and the drive roller 12 may be designed as friction rollers or may be provided with meshing teeth in which case then the digit roller 3 too, is provided with complemental teeth. The inward swing of the setting roller 11 may be radial as in the embodiment illustrated, or may conceivably be axial. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a pair of setting devices in a top plan view. It is to be understood that three, four, or even more setting devices may be juxtapositioned for adjusting different digital displays. Thus, for example, either the digital clock display or the digital displays for the setting of operational periods, alarm settings, beginning and/or termination of cooking processes, cooking periods, etc., can selectively be adjusted by means of a single motor. The synchronous motor 14 continuously drives the drive rollers 12 through a step-down gear 17. The transmission ratio of the step-down gear 17 is so selected that the digits on each digit roller 3 move past the window in the front panel 1 during the depressed state of the proper key 5 with such a speed that the numerals are still visually perceptible. In the shown embodiment the setting of each digit roller 3 is effected always in one direction. It is to be understood that by providing a corresponding drive with an associated reversing mechanism, the setting of the digit rollers 3 may be effected in an opposite direction. 
     The structure illustrated in FIG. 3 combines two setting devices shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The setting of the digit rollers 3 is in each instance effected by the depression of a separate key 5 as described above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. The drive shaft 15 which is continuously driven by the synchronous motor 14 carries two drive rollers 12 for driving the one and the other setting device, respectively. In case there are provided three or four or even more setting devices in a juxtaposed orientation, there would be needed three or four or more drive rollers 12 attached to the same drive shaft 15. The arrangement of a plurality of setting devices side by side may be designed in such a manner that each key which is associated with a separate setting device for a separate function, projects separately from the front plate 1 as it may be observed in FIG. 3. It is, however, feasible to combine the switch functions of two keys associated with the operation of two setting devices for two separate displays in a sole actuating device by providing, for example, only one key which, in its pulled-out position and in its pushed-in condition, serves the one or the other setting device, respectively. It is further to be understood that the setting of several displays with a motor may be applied not only in digital displays but also in analog displays. 
     Turning now to FIG. 4, there is shown a device which is designed solely for a stepped advance of a time display. There is provided a pinion 101 which drives a stepping gear 102. The latter is provided with a stepping lug 103 which periodically engages pins 104 of a lantern gear of a digit roller 105. The latter may be, for example, the first digit roller of a digital clock. Assuming that the first digit roller indicates the minutes in a digital clock, the lantern gear comprises ten pins 104. The stepping gear 102 in such a case has a speed of 1 rpm so that the stepping lug 103 rotates the display roller 105 one step per minute by virtue of the interengagement between the stepping lug 103 and the pins 104 of the lantern gear. The drive of the stepping gear 102 may be effected, for example, by a synchronous motor with the intermediary of a step-down gear wherein the last transmission element is on the stepping gear 102. In addition to the stepping lug 103, the stepping gear 102 has, for this purpose, a second tooth assembly 106 constituting the last transmission element of the step-down gear. It is to be understood that the pinion 101 and the stepping gear 102 may be designed as friction wheels or the drive of the stepping gear 102 may be effected directly by the shaft 107 of the stepping gear. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention. The setting device illustrated therein makes possible a stepped advance and also, an adjustment of a time display and of one or more additional digital displays with the aid of a clutch device. This setting device comprises a pinion 101 which drives a stepping gear 102 supported on a shaft 107. The drive of the stepping gear 102 is effected in a manner described in connection with FIG. 4. The stepping gear 102 has a stepping lug 108 which is resiliently supported by an arm 109. The latter forms an integral part of the stepping gear 102. Expediently, the stepping gear is made of a resilient material, such as a synthetic material, adapted for mass production, for example, by means of an injection molding process. 
     The mode of operation of this embodiment will now be described in further detail with reference to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. The stepping gear 102 has two functions to perform in the setting device according to the invention. Its first function is the stepped advance of the time display and its second function is to serve as a drive member for the adjustment of the time display and of one or more additional digital displays. 
     Considering first the stepped advance of the time display, the step-by-step motion of the digit roller 105 occurs similarly to that described in connection with FIG. 4. The digit roller 105 may be again, for example, a minute roller of a digital clock and thus it carries ten pins 104 constituting a lantern gear. Thus, again, the digit roller 105 is advanced by one step every minute by means of the stepping component of the stepping gear 102. Since the arm 109 carrying the stepping lug 108 is made of an elastic and thus springing material, the stepping lug arranged at the free terminus of the arm 109 may, upon influence of corresponding forces, move either in the circumferential direction 112 of the stepping gear 102 backward or forward, or in the axial directions 113 and 113a of the stepping gear 102 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The position of rest (normal position) of the springing lug 108 is illustrated in FIG. 8 in a sectional view taken through the stepping gear 102. The arm 109 which is freely movable in a recess 114 of the stepping gear 102 illustrated in FIG. 5, positions the stepping lug 108 in its state of rest in such a manner that the lug 108 or, more precisely, a locking nose 116 provided thereon, does not touch an edge 115 of the stepping gear 102, but maintains a distance 117 between the locking nose 116 and the edge 115. If, for example, during a minute step of the stepping gear 102, a pin 104 of the lantern gear arrives into engagement with the stepping lug 108, the latter, if the stepping gear 102 rotates in the direction 118 upon stepping, is shifted by the momentarily stationary pin 104 in the direction 119 until the stepping lug 108 abuts against the edge 115 of the stepping gear 102 (FIG. 9). A motion through the distance 117 by the stepping lug 108 is possible since the arm 109 is capable to move forward and backward in the circumferential direction 112. 
     Only when the lug 108 is pressed against the edge 115 of the stepping gear 102 by the pin 104 of the momentarily stationary digit wheel 105, does the motion of the stepping gear 102 in the direction 118 cause a displacement of the pin 104 and thus a one-step shift of the digit roller 105 in the direction 118. The locking nose 116 on the stepping lug 108 serves for the lateral locking of the stepping lug 108 which means that the stepping lug 108 is prevented by the locking nose 116 from moving laterally in the axial direction 113 of the stepping gear 102. By means of the above-described design of the stepping gear 102 it is ensured that during stepping of the stepping gear 102, there will be at all times a form-locking contacting drive between the stepping lug 108 and the stepping elements (constituted by the pins 104) of the digit roller 105. Upon completion of the stepping advance of the digit roller 105, the stepping lug 108 returns, by virtue of the resilient arm 109, into its position of rest as shown in FIG. 8, so that the clearance 117 will re-appear between the stepping lug 108 or, as the case may be, its locking nose 116 and the edge 115 of the stepping gear 102. 
     It was shown above that the setting device or, more particularly, the stepping gear according to the invention makes possible a form-locking stepped advance of a digit roller in a time display device. At the same time, however, the stepping gear 102 is used not only for a stepped advance of the digit roller, but also for adjusting this time display and one or several additional digital displays. The adjustment of a time display and one or several additional digital displays is effected with the aid of a clutch pinion 110. The latter is in continuous engagement with the stepping gear 102, that is, it is driven continuously, similar to the stepping gear 102 as seen in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. The clutch pinion 110 is shiftably supported on a shaft 111 which serves simultaneously as the support shaft for the digit rollers of the digital clock or the additional digital display devices. The clutch pinion 110 may be displaced by means of an actuating element 120 in the axial directions 113 and 113a of the stepping gear 102. It is to be noted that the shaft 107 and 111 are oriented parallel to one another. In FIG. 6 there is illustrated a setting device at a moment when there occurs merely a stepped advance of the digit roller 105 by means of the stepping gear 102 or, more particularly, by the stepping lug 108; stated differently, the clutch pinion 110 is not in engagement with the digit roller 105. For purposes of better visibility there is shown only a single pin 104 of the lantern gear of the digit roller 105. The form-locking engagement during stepped advance of the stepping lug 108 in the lantern gear may be best observed in FIG. 9. 
     A setting operation for a digit roller, for example, a digit roller 105, of a digital clock is illustrated in FIG. 7. The clutch pinion 110 is brought into driving connection with the digit roller 105 by means of the actuating element 120. The drive of the digit roller 105 is effected by the clutch pinion 110 by means of a cone clutch. The digit roller 105 carries at the sides oriented towards the pinion 110, an external cone of a cone clutch, whereas the clutch pinion 110 is, accordingly, provided with an inner cone of the cone clutch. By virtue of moving the clutch pinion 110 by means of the actuating element 120 in the axial direction 113a, the digit roller 105 is coupled to the clutch pinion 110. Since the clutch pinion 110 is in continuous engagement with the stepping gear 102, that is, similar to the stepping gear 102, it rotates continuously, the digit roller 105 starts to rotate immediately with the higher speed of the clutch pinion as compared to the stepping gear 102. The transmission ratio between the stepping gear 102 and the clutch pinion 110 is selected in such a manner that the time digit rollers or the other digit rollers move with a speed which still permits a visual perception of the digits on the digit roller. 
     The precedingly described setting operation for the digit roller 105 may also be effected for one or more further digital display rollers which are also mounted on the shaft 111. By means of the actuating element 120 the clutch pinion 110 is then moved in the axial direction 113, so that, by means of a separately provided conical clutch, there is effected a coupling of a further digital display roller 121. The outer cone of the cone clutch is situated on the digital display roller, whereas the inner cone is provided on the clutch pinion 110. It is to be understood that any other arrangement may be chosen; for example, the outer and inner cones may be reversed or another type of clutch may be used altogether. By virtue of coupling a further digit roller 121 to the clutch pinion 110, the roller 121 rotates with the setting speed of the clutch pinion 110. For legibility and settability, the same criteria are set as for the time display roller 105 described above. It is possible to provide not only one, but several additional display rollers; thus, for example, the digital display rollers mounted on the shaft 111 may have a hollow axis which can be telescoped into another; in such a case the clutch pinion or the entire clutch assembly has to be designed accordingly. 
     If now during a setting operation of, for example, digital time display roller 105, the latter, by virtue of the engagement with the clutch pinion 110, rotates with a higher speed than the stepping gear 102 (both the stepping gear 102 and the digit roller 105 rotate in the same direction), the digit roller 105 or, more precisely, the lantern gear with the pins 104 begin to overtake the stepping gear 102. This occurrence is depicted in FIG. 10. Although the stepping lug 108, as a component of the stepping gear 102, also rotates in the direction 118, the stepping lug 108, by virtue of the increased speed during the setting operation, overtakes the pins 104 of the lantern gear carried by the stepping gear 102. During this occurrence, the pins 104 deflect the stepping lug 108 in the axial direction 113 of the stepping gear 102. Such a deflection is made possible by the arm 109 which is also resiliently movable in the axial direction. At the beginning of the setting operation it is of no significance whether the stepping lug 108 is in a position of rest as shown in FIG. 8, into which it can be moved in any event in the axial direction by one of the pins 104, or whether the stepping lug 108 is in engagement with the edge 115 of the stepping gear 102 as shown in FIG. 9. A setting is possible independently from the engagement of the stepping lug 108 with the lantern gear during the stepping operation. Since, as the rapid setting motion starts, the pin 104 (FIG. 9) moves more rapidly in the direction 118 than the stepping gear 102 and the lug 108, the latter may and will return into its position of rest by virtue of its arrangement on the arm 109. This means that the stepping lug 108 moves into the direction 118, so that the distance 117 between the locking nose 116 and the edge 115 of the stepping gear 102 will reappear as shown in FIG. 8. Thus, the stepping lug 108 can, at any time, be deflected in the axial direction 113 by a pin 104 during a setting operation, as illustrated in FIG. 10. 
     The above-described design of the stepping gear thus makes possible, in addition to a stepped advance of a time display, a simultaneous setting of the time display and of one or more additional digital displays with the aid of a clutch pinion driven by the stepping gear. What is of significance here is the cooperation of the above-discussed features which permit the setting device to effect a stepped advance as well as a setting of one or several additional display devices and to carry out this function with the simplest means, that is, with a stepping gear and a clutch pinion which both may be mass-produced components made of a synthetic material. In this embodiment, the features of a stepping device required for the step-by-step advance of a time display are combined in an advantageous manner with the features and measures for a setting device in a single setting mechanism. Only by means of this combination could such a simple device be obtained which carries out both functions simultaneously. 
     In a further development of the invention, the stepping lug 108 is so designed that it extends on both sides of the stepping gear 102 as illustrated in FIG. 11. For this purpose, the stepping lug 108 is complemented by a second lug 108a; these two lugs are arranged symmetrically with respect to the stepping gear 102 and are mounted on the arm 109. The dual lug 108, 108a has a locking nose 116a which cooperates with two edges 122 and 123 of the stepping gear 102. The stepping elements (lantern gears) of at least two digit rollers may be arranged on both sides of the stepping gear 102. This possibility, however, is not illustrated in the drawing. Thus, by means of the dual lug 108, 108a stepped advances of at least two digit rollers may be effected and simultaneously, similarly to the previously described embodiment, a rapid setting of the digit rollers may be carried out. In a further embodiment of the invention, in the stepping gear 102 there are arranged a plurality of stepping arms carrying stepping lugs. With the aid of stepping lugs arranged on a plurality of stepping arms there may be effected a more rapid stepping of digit rollers of a predetermined number, without limiting the settability of any of the digit rollers. 
     It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.