Patent GB-557684-A (GB)
Abstract: 557,684. Supply meters. LANDIS & GYR SOC. ANON. Dec. 18, 1942, No. 17994. Convention date, Dec. 24, 1941. [Class 37] In a mean value indicating apparatus with a number of overlapping recording periods, a counting mechanism for the duration of the overpassings of the tariff limit is coupled to a time element. The worm 1 of the meter armature drives through gearing 2, 3, 4, 5, the counting mechanism 6 indicating the total consumption and also, through a shaft 3a and pinion 3b, a system of five shafts of which two only, 7, 9, are visible. On each shaft are mounted two wheels 7a, 7b, 9a, 9b and two levers 7c, 7d, 9c, 9d, the wheels being coupled by two wheels 12a, 12b on a central shaft 12 to form two rings of wheels. The wheels 7b, 9b belonging to the levers 7d, 9d each act through a friction coupling 13 on the shafts 7, 9, so that these are turned when the wheels are turned, whilst the wheels 7a, 9a belonging to the levers 7c, 9c are mounted to turn freely on their shafts. The levers 7c, 9c, 7d, 9d are fixed on the shafts 7, 9, the levers 7c. 9c each acting on a driving pin 7e, 9e on the wheels 7a, 9a. The wheel 9a drives, through bevel gearing 14, 15, a shaft 16a on which is mounted a driver arm 16b in the form of a pointer. The driver arm 16b is acted on by a spring 16c which tends to return it and its associated gearing to its initial position. The driver arm 16b drives a frictionally held maximum pointer 16d. Assuming the recording period is 15 minutes, each of the five drivers 7c, 9c and levers 7d, 9d is set back to its initial position periodically every three minutes by acting on the levers 7d, 9d whereby the corresponding shafts 7, 9 and also the drivers 7c, 9c are successively set back to zero. This is effected by means of a returning device 17 driven through a shaft 19 by a synchronous motor 18 and serving as a time element for determining the duration of the recording period. The shaft 16a, which is driven from the wheel 9a in accordance with the mean value of the energy consumption, is coupled through gear-wheels 23, 21 to one sun wheel 22 of a differential gear, the second sunwheel 24 of which is connected through gearing 25 to a device for setting the tariff limit. This consists of two scale discs or dials 26, 27 for coarse and fine adjusting respectively, the dial 26 being in the form of a gear-wheel coupled through a pinion 28 with the graduated disc 27 which is formed of transparent material. The velocity ratio between the discs 26, 27 is preferably 1 - :3. The desired tariff limit is set by means of a handle 27a on the dial 27, the discs 26, 27 being frictionally held. The planet-wheel shaft 29 carries a cam disc 30 which coacts with a contactor 31 in the circuit of an electromagnet 32. The armature 33 of this electromagnet is acted on bv a spring 34 and carries two pawls 35, 36 which control' the connection of a counting mechanism 37 with the synchronous motor 18 during the time the mean value is exceeded. The motor 18 is connected through a wheel 38 to the nlanet-wheel shaft 38a of a differential gear. One sun-wheel 40 of this gear bears a ratchet wheel 41 and a pinion 39 gearing with a wheel 45 of the counting mechanism 37. The other sun wheel 42 is fixed to a ratchet-wheel 43 and runs freely on the shaft 38a. Setting of the tariff limit by the handle 27a causes the cam 30 to take up a corresponding angular position relativelv to the contactor 31. When the shaft 16a has turned through the same angle owing to the mean value of the energy consumption having reached the tariff limit, the contactor 31 is closed and the magnet 33 energized. The armature 33 thereupon moves the pawls 35, 36 into the lefthand position shown wherein the sun-wheel 42 is locked and the sun-wheel 41 released, so that the synchronous motor 18 drives the counting mechanism 37 through the differential gear. So long as the shaft 16a does not rotate through a sufficient angle to close the contact 31 and energize the magnet 32 the nawl 36 locks the ratchetwheel 41 with the pinion 39 and therewith the sun-wheel 40 and counting mechanism 37. At the same time the pawl 35 releases the ratchet-wheel 43 and the sun-wheel 42. which turns freely on the shaft 38a and nermits the motor 18 to run for driving the setting-back device 17. The contactor 31 and electromagnet 32 may be renlaced bv a mechanical relay. Instead of the synchronous motor 18 that drives the setting-back mechanism 17 being also employed as the time element, a senarate member. such as an indenendent motor controlled by a clock, may be used for this purpose.