Improved Counter for Measuring Lengths of Materials, Quantities of Liquids, Revolutions Made by a Shaft or Wheel, and other like purposes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th June, 1894-Accepted, 18th Aug., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Counter for Measuring Lengths of Materials, Quantities
of Liquids, Revolutions Made by a Shaft or Wheel, and other
like purposes.
I, CARL BRUNNER, Engineer of Limbach, in the Kingdom of Saxony, German
Empire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The present invention consists of an instrument for measuring accurately lengths
of any material, quantities of liquids, or for counting the revolutions made by a
shaft wheel or the like. The instrument consists mainly of a disc having on its
surface spiral-shaped depressions or embossments such spiral commencing at about
the centre of the disc and extending about to its rim. Above the spiral on the
disc is mounted a radial arm, having a guide slot for a needle, the lower end of
which is guided in the spiral, thus it will be evident that when the spiral is rotated
the said needle will be guided along the slot of the stationary radial arm, and may
show the number of rotations of the said spiral disc on a scale on the arm, or the
spiral may be stationary and the arm rotated over the same in which case a similar
result will be attained. The said spiral disc may be rotated by means of teeth
on its rim which are adapted to engage with worm driven from the wheel disc
fan or other contrivance the revolutions of which it is required to measure.
If now a scale be applied to the rim of the rotary disc, having the spiral, such
scale can be made to show the fraction of a revolution which the disc may not
have completed when stopped whilst the position of the needle in its guide slot
will show the number of complete revolutions performed during the time which
the apparatus has been in connection with the driving power.
And in order to make the present invention more easily intelligible reference is
had to the accompanying drawing in which similar letters denote similar parts
throughout the several views:—
Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the application of the invention to an
apparatus for measuring lengths of cotton or thread or the like;
and
Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 3 a plan;
Fig. 4 a detail elevation showing the spiral disc and radial arm in side elevation,
Fig. 5 a plan of Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 shows a modified form of the needle guide and
Fig. 7 a plan of Fig. 6.
Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, d is a bobbin or spool mounted on a spindle a carried
in bearings in brackets e e and having a worm f. b and c are the thread guides
situated at each side of the bobbin, g is a standard on which is mounted to rotate
horizontally a worm wheel / having its teeth in gear with the worm and having
upon its upper surface a raised or depressed spiral impression. To the spindle
upon which the said wheel revolves is attached a radial arm m extending from
the centre of the said disc over the spiral and having a slot in which is guided by
means of a nut i a needle or downwardly projecting point k having its point
projecting into the spirally formed depressions or between the embossments. Thus
when the disc is caused to rotate, the needle k will be actuated along its guide
slot in the arm m and if the said arm m is provided with a scale (Fig. 4) and the
said pin with a pointer 1, then the latter will show on the scale the number of
revolutions which have been made by the spiral disc. The cotton or thread to be

page_text: measured is passed through the guide c (Fig. 2) round the bobbin d and taken
on through the second guide b. The worm fis advantageously geared to the teeth
of the disc h in such manner as to cause the latter to move one tooth further at
each complete revolution of the spindle a. Thus the circumference of the roll or
bobbin d multiplied by the number of teeth of the disc, h and by the revolutions
performed by the same will give the length of the thread passed through the
apparatus. The circumference of the disc h is divided into divisions indicating
the number of its teeth so that when the apparatus is stopped this scale will show
the fraction of a revolution performed last, whilst the scale on the arm m will
indicate the number of revolutions completed by the said disc h. If it is desired
that the apparatus should give a signal or throw the winding gear out of gear
after a certain length has been wound off a stop such as may be arranged in
the spiral at the corresponding position which will then arrest the needle when it
arrived at this point, or a small ball may be laid in the groove of the spiral before
the needle which may then fall through an orifice at the desired position and sound
a bell, or any other device for throwing the mechanism out of gear may be
employed in connection with the apparatus.
p
In Figs. 6 and 7 a modified arrangement of the needle is shown, in this case an
arm n¹ having a pointer at its end is shown, in the slot of which the needle is
guided by means of the frame o oo the rearwardly extending arms of which pass
through the spindle g which is produced upwardly and through a bow n secured
to the said spindle, this manner of guiding the needle does not throw so much
strain on the arm as in the case of the arrangement shown in Fig. 5.
It is evident that instead of causing the spiral disc to rotate the arm m or n
may be rotated and the disc remain stationary without departing from the nature
of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1.) In a counter the combination of a disc having the impression of a spiral
thereon and an arm having a needle adapted to slide in a slot therein, the said
parts being adjusted with regard to each other in such a manner that the rotary
motion of either one of the said arm or disc, shall cause the movement of the
needle along its guide slot in the manner and for the purpose substantially as
described.
(2.) In combination with the device covered by Claim 1 the arrangement of
suitable stops in the spiral groove for arresting the progress of the needle after the
measurement of certain desired lengths or a certain number of revolutions
substantially as described.
Dated this 6th day of Inno 1891
CASTLE SMITH,
Invention" Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.