Patent GB-755538-A (GB)
Abstract: 755,538. Transfer mechanism. ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE-SERVICE NATIONAL - DIRECTION DES ETUDES ET RECHERCHES. Jan. 5, 1954 [Jan. 8, 1953; Dec. 31, 1953] No. 296/54. Class 106 (1). - A transfer mechanism for counters for use in calculating machines in which the results of operations are registered on toothed counter wheels, comprises a transfer control shaft constantly driven in rotation synchronously with the control shaft of the machine, transfer pinions mounted on the transfer control shaft equal in number to the number of toothed wheels less one, each one of said transfer pinions co-operating with one of said toothed wheels and capable of causing the registration of transfers on to said toothed wheel, the peripheral speed of the transfer pinions being at least equal to that of the toothed wheels with which they co-operate, and means assigned to each pinion and controlled each by the toothed wheel of the next lower order to that with which said transfer pinion co-operates for making said transfer pinion active and cause it to register one unit on the toothed wheel with which it co-operates while the toothed wheel of the next lower order registers one unit more than its maximum capacity, i.e. ten units in the case of the decimal system. In the first embodiment, Figs. 1, 2, 3, the toothed counter wheels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, are mounted on a shaft 1, and each wheel has fixed to it, by a spacing washer, an unlocking ring 7, 8, 9 and 10. Friction washers 16, 17, 18 and 19, having pins 20 engaging with a groove 21 in a shaft 11 driven by the control shaft of the machine, constantly tend to rotate transfer pinions 12, 13, 14 and 15 which are free on the shaft 11 and kept in contact with the washers by springs 22. Each transfer pinion has two sets of teeth spaced apart laterally, one set consisting of two diametrically opposite teeth 25, and the other of two diametrically opposite pairs of teeth 27. In operation, here described with particular reference to the counter wheel 4, one of the teeth 25 always normally bears on the locking ring 9 which prevents the pinion 14 rotating, but when the wheel 4 passes from " 9 " to " 0," these two positions of the wheel being shown in Figs. 2 and 3 respectively, a recess 26 in the ring 9 allows the pinion 14 to rotate through 180 degrees to cause the pair of teeth 27 to engage with the next higher order counter wheel 5 and rotate it one unit, two teeth of the counter wheels corresponding to one unit. In a second embodiment, Figs. 4 and 5, where the wheels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are further apart, the constant retardation of the locking rings by the transfer pinions except during an actual transfer operation is eliminated by locking the pinions with bars 28 mounted on a shaft 29. Springs 30 retain the bars in contact with a lip on the pinions and during a transfer operation the appropriate bar is forced back against the action of the spring by a tooth 32 on the ring 8 engaging with a projection 31 on the bar. When this happens the pinion rotates through 180 degrees and turns the wheel of next higher order as before. In a third embodiment, Figs. 6, 7, 8, each counter wheel 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 is carried on a hub 52, integral with which is a spacing ring 53, together with a ratchet wheel 50 having teeth 51. Concentric with the hub 52 is a second hub 54 integral with a ring 55 and a crown 56 which overhangs the ratchet wheel of the counter wheel of next higher order. The crown 56 houses a spring 57, Fig. 7, continually urging a rectangular member 60 carrying teeth 58 radially outwards, and is driven by the head 62 of a stud 72 fixed to the counter wheel, the head 62 engaging with a hole 63 in the ring 55 so that the ring 55 can advance slightly on the counter wheel. In operation when a counter wheel passes from " 9 " to " 0," these positions being shown in Figs. 7 and 8 respectively, the teeth 58 of the member 60 mesh with a pinion wheel 59, on a shaft 60 driven slightly faster than the control shaft of the machine, which forces the member 60 radially inwards against the pressure of the spring 57 to cause it to engage with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 50 of the next higher order and thus transfer one unit. During the actual transfer the crown 56 is driven by the pinion 59, and in fact the crown slightly gains on its counter wheel and thus no energy has to be provided by the counter wheels to effect a transfer. Washers 64 having extensions 65 engaging with a groove in the shaft 1 isolate each counter wheel and its associated ratchet and crown wheels from neighbouring wheels, and washers 67 suitably space the crown wheels from their counter wheels. In a modification, Fig. 10, of the third embodiment suitable for negative as well as positive transfer operations, the ratchet teeth are replaced by symmetrical teeth 74. In this modification also the transfer teeth 68 are carried by a member 70 which has an oval-shaped hole and is mounted on the shaft 1.