Patent GB-319240-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in electrically wound clocks with striking mechanism
IPC: G04C21/08
Filed: 1929-09-10
Abstract: 319,240. Kienzle Uhrenfabriken Akt.-Ges. Sept. 18, 1928, [Convention date]. Winding - apparatus, electric; chimes; striking-mechanism.-An electric motor which operates the quarter and hour-striking trains is also used to wind up the main-spring every quarter of an hour, the contacts for the motor being controlled from pins rigid with the hour-striking cam. At the hour the electric drive is automatically transferred from the quarter-striking to the hour-striking train, there being two independent sets of hammers. A shaft which moves laterally to effect this change also cuts a resistance out of the motor circuit so that the hour-striking is faster. The minute spindle 1 carries a minute wheel 2, minute hand 7, and a cam 47, and is rigid with the inner end of the main-spring 9 in barrel 8. The wheel 2 is connected through gears 3 - - 5 to a dead-heat escapement 6. The teeth 11 on barrel 8 mesh with a wheel 12 rigid with a wheel 13 which meshes with a pinion 14 on the arbor 31 of the gathering pallet 62 which lifts the rack 63. A wheel 15 on this arbor 31 is connected through gears 16 - - 19, pulley 20, belt 21, and pulley 22 to the electric motor 23. Wheel 12 engages a wheel 24 on the arbor 25 of a wheel 26 which drives a wheel 27 on the arbor of the striking wheels 28 for the quarter hammers 29. This arbor 25 can be moved axially against a spring 30 so as to disengage wheels 12 and 24 by means of cam 47, a pin 46 on a lever 45, 49 and a collar 44 on arbor 25. On the arbor 31 of the gathering pallet is a cam 32 coacting with a lever 33 on a spindle 34 connected to arm 35, link 36, arm 37, and shaft 38 of the hour hammer 39. The spindle 34 and lever 33 are movable axially with the spindle 25 by being connected to the latter by a cranked member 40 mounted in a double bearing 41. The arrangement is such that when wheels 12 and 24 are engaged, lever 33 is outside the path of cam 32; when the wheels are disengaged, lever 33 and carn 32 coact. The wheel 24 is acted upon axially by spring 30 so that in a certain position a hole 43 in wheel 24 takes over a fixed pin 42; this locks the quarterstriking train. The cam 47 is so shaped that in the interval between striking the hour and the first quarter the lever 45, 49 is rocked to engage wheels 12 and 24. Contacts 64, 65 in the motor circuit are closed by the following means-each quarter of an hour a pin 67 on an hour barrel rocks levers 66, 68 to remove a hook 69 from a pin 70 on lever 71 acted upon by a spring 72. The motor then drives train 18, 17, - - 12 winding up spring 9 in barrel 8 until a spring clutch 10 allows slip when the spring is fully wound. The spring barrel 8 drives train 24 - - 28 to actuate the quarter hammers 29. After striking the fourth quarter hole 43 comes opposite pins 42 and wheel 24 is locked on this pin by spring 30. This disengages wheels 12 and 24 and brings lever 33 into coaction with cam 32, so that for each revolution of arbor 31 (driven by train 11 - - 14) the bar hammer 39 is operated once and gathering pallet 62 raises rack 63 one tooth, until the correct hour strikes are completed. After the last hour strike a pin 73 on rack 63 rocks the lever 71 clockwise so that contacts 64, 65 are broken to stop the 'motor and hook 69 relatches pin 70. Between the hour and first quarter the cam 47 then re-engages wheels 12 and 24 ready for quarter-striking again. When the arbor 25 is moved axially to initiate hourstriking by cam 32, arbor 34 also moves axially to bring lever 33 into line with cam 32. This axial movement of arbor 34 is used to shortcircuit a resistance in the motor circuit, so that the speed is increased for the hour strokes. The main-spring may be replaced by a weight. If the minute hand 7 were moved for setting the lever 45 might be actuated while the hour-striking train is in operation and move the wheel 24 into partial mesh with wheel 12 while wheel 24 is still on pin 44. A rigid pin 42 would then cause damage and to prevent this an arrangement for flexibly mounting the pin is described. Wheels.-For smooth engagement of wheels 12 and 24 the teeth are wedge-shaped at the sides facing each other, as shown in Fig. 4.