Patent GB-191015920-A (GB)
Title: Improved Means for Corelating a Desired Operation on a Travelling Carriage with the Distance Travelled, and for Transmitting Adjustments between Travelling Instruments.
Filed: 1910-07-04
Granted: 1911-06-29
Abstract: 15,920. Gattie, A. W., Cox, H. A., and New Transport Co. July 4. Mechanical dispatch apparatus.-Relates to apparatus of the kind described in Specification 17,344/08, for controlling the distribution of parcels to various destinations in a clearing- house, and comprises an improved controller for effecting the discharge of the trays from a trucker to a boy or from one trucker to another. In the construction shown in Fig. 2, the ratchetwheel 2 is operated by a pawl 5 mounted on a lever 6 pivoted at 7. The lever carries the armature 8 of an electro-magnet 9, which, on being energized and de-energized, oscillates the lever against the influence of a spring 10 to move the wheel 2 through one tooth, the wheel being locked by a pawl 23. Rotating with the wheel 2 are arms, each formed of a conductor part 14 and insulated part 17. Pairs of contact strips 18, 20, only one of each pair being shown, are arranged so that normally the pair 18 are engaged and the pair 20 separated. In the zero position of the controller, an arm engages the contacts, the conductor part bridges the strips 20, and the insulator part breaks contact between the strips 18. In a modification the pawls 5, 23 are made of bent strips. A setting may be given to the controller on a travelling carriage as follows: Referring to Fig. 13, the carriage wipers 25, 32<1> engage contacts at a station. Consider the contacts connected to a source of direct current through a make-and-break switch. At each make and break a momentary current passes through the wiper 32', leads 32, 31, magnet coils, leads 30, 29, and wiper 25, and the controller on the carriage is moved through one tooth. Say the carriage ratchet is displaced T teeth in this way. Other wipers and contacts are so arranged that, as the carriage passes a station, a current passes to its magnet through the strips 18 and the ratchet is advanced one tooth. If there are T + U teeth on the ratchet, it will be brought to zero when U stations have been passed. In this position the strips 18 are separated by the insulator, and the magnet 9 is cut out, while the strips 20 are bridged by a conductor and the device W is energized to perform the required operation. Means by which a setting can be transferred from the controller on one carriage to a controller on another carriage are shown in Fig. 10. Let a carriage "a" be given a setting T by the operator, there being U teeth left to the zero position. Let this carriage pass another carriage "b" fitted with similar strips and wipers, and let circuits of the two magnets be formed in series with a source of alternating or intermittent current. The current passes from the source of supply by leads 62, 46 wiper, leads 32, 31 to magnet coils and on by strips 18, leads 38, wiper lead 49, and other magnet coils 9<b> back to supply. Both magnets advance their ratchets synchronously until the ratchet of the carriage " a " reaches zero when the strips 18 break contact. The ratchet of the carriage " b " has been advanced U teeth. This setting may be transferred to give a reading T to a third ratchet, which then would have U stations to pass before coming to the zero position. Fig. 6 shows a construction of controller which may be set at any time previous to the arrival of a carriage at the operator's strips, and by which the controller on the carriage will then be set. A base 81 of insulating material carries the piece 66 and conductor 67 furnished with contacts 68. Fixed to the base is an electro-magnet 69 operating a pawl 72 against the influence of a spring 73. A handlever 74, fixed to the shaft 75, is provided with ratchet teeth 76 engaged by the pawl 72. The lever carries a brush 78 moving over the contacts 68, and also a pointer 79 moving over a graduated scale 80. Three terminals 82, 83, 84 are provided, of which the terminals 82, 83 are connected to the magnet, and the terminals 83, 84 to the brush 78 and conductor 67 respectively. The operator moves the lever 74 to set the pointer to the number of stations to be passed, the lever being held by a pawl 72 against the influence of a spiral spring 86. On the arrival of the carriage the circuit of the magnet 69 is made and the pawl 72 lifted. The lever 74 now moves back to zero and the brush 78 in moving over its contacts imparts the desired number of impulses to the magnet on the carriage. In the form shown in Fig. 13, the operator's controller is set by a switch 27, the switch 106 being moved to the left. The switch 106 is then moved to the right, and, when a carriage arrives, the setting is transferred by the alternating circuit, as described in connexion with Fig. 10.