BE484094A - - Google Patents

Description

       

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  International Business Machines Corporation
The object of the invention is a device for controlling the execution of a program. First of all, this device is suitable for being used in conjunction with the automatic control of electrical circuits, with a view to the execution of a predetermined program, for example to close or cut one or more of these circuits. certain moments of advance,

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 over the course of a day or a week, in order to operate electrical signals.

   A device of this type is admirably well suited for use in schools, offices, trading houses, shipping houses, etc., for operating bells, operating relays and generally turning off or shutting off telephones. electrical circuits in order to carry out various operations grouped according to a certain planned program. The present device for controlling the execution of a program is suitable for being actuated under the influence of a setting device, so that the program is executed in a day or in a week, as desired, and the component (s) of the device controlling the circuits can be adjusted or modified, so as to allow modification of the daily program or that of the various days of the week.



   However, the present device can be used for other uses and, if desired, be employed, with or without modifications, in a large number of different cases, for example to operate an instrument at determined times of a - advance or to control or electrically start certain functions, whatever their nature, according to a coordinated program. However, the essential features of the invention are always preserved in all the special uses to which the present device may be subject.



   The device according to the invention for controlling the execution of a program comprises an organ capable of turning, carrying at least one tooth, in the passage of which there is a pair of contacts, normally open and clean. to be closed by it, when it passes, driven by the rotation of said organ;

   this device further comprises at least one second tooth also carried by the member capable of

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 to turn at least one movable stop finger from a position in which it is outside the passage from said second tooth to another, in which it is in this passage and stops said second tooth by preventing said member to rotate, a means for rotating said member and a means controlled by a chronometric adjustment for bringing said stop finger on the passage of said second tooth and away therefrom.



   In one embodiment of the device, the invention may relate to a program for one day, the device then comprising a series of normally open circuits and each arranged to close with a view to accomplishing, directly or indirectly, the desired electrical function, for example in order to give a signal perceptible by hearing or by sight for a timetable in a classroom or an office.



  Each circuit can be associated with contacts to complete it, the various contacts being arranged to close automatically at times determined in advance by the character of a drum carrying a program and capable of rotating, and by the movements printed. to this drum, this character being, like these movements, a function of the particular program chosen for the day.



   In its general arrangement, the program-carrying drum may comprise a series of sixty program bars, arranged radially and arranged around a circumference, in a removable and interchangeable manner, these bars bearing breakable fingers or protuberances for close contacts and intended to engage with the closing contacts of the circuits, passing in front of them like cams. The movements of the drum are controlled by the cooperation or non-cooperation of a series of protuberances or breakable teeth, formed on the bars

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 program and a series of stop fingers, which are brought at defined and regular time intervals over the passage of the teeth on the program bars.



   Torsional moment pulses may be applied in one minute intervals to the drum carrying the program; they can be regulated by a master clock forming part of a clock system synchronized at regular intervals of one minute and by mechanical means, and tend to advance this drum in steps of one sixtieth of a. tower. So usually the drum could make one revolution on time.



   The stop fingers and the teeth carried by the various program bars and cooperating with the fingers can function in the manner of a permutation system, following the distribution of the teeth on the bars, to allow be for the torsional moment pulses to come into action to turn the drum or to prevent it, as the case may be. The various stop fingers can be projected onto the normal path of the teeth, which advance with the various program bars, and they can be coordinated to move so that by the distribution of the teeth, o est-to- Saying the presence or absence of a tooth at one or more places of a particular program bar, the drum is or is not started at the particular moment when a torque application is made to it.

   It is obvious that, if the drum is not started, it may remain stationary and the protuberances of the program bars not come into action to engage and close the contacts and their respective circuits. Conversely, if the drum is started, it can move one step and, if a particular program bar carries a projection for closing contacts, it can come into engagement.

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 with its respective contacts and close them in passing, during the movement of starting the drum. It is also evident that, if there is no contact closure protrusion on a particular program bar, no circuit closure function will be able to take place, regardless of whether the drum is running. starting movements or not.



   It may be convenient that the various stop fingers, as well as the corresponding teeth, carried by the program supports, be arranged in groups to simplify the work of an operator or to help him to choose exactly teeth for the purpose of making them. remove, in order to set up the desired program. For one-day program operation, the fingers and teeth of each program bar can be grouped and operate as follows.



   A group comprising ten pairs of teeth and fingers working in cooperation can represent minutes, the stop fingers of this group being adapted to be projected successively at intervals of one minute on the passage of the teeth carried by the program bar. moving forward. Each stop finger can remain in a locked position, in engagement with the corresponding tooth, for a whole minute, before being withdrawn and the neighboring finger in the series projected in its place. If, after it has been removed, no other finger from another group is in a locked position as a result of its engagement with a tooth on the same program bar, the drum may advance, when an impulse is applied to it. Otherwise the drum will not be able to move forward at this time.

   All of the stop fingers in that group may have been thrown within a ten minute interval.

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   Another group comprising six cooperating teeth and fingers can represent ten minute intervals and can function, in general, like the elements of the first group, except that its stop elements could be. successively projected onto the passage of the teeth of the advancing program bars, for ten minute intervals, and remain so for such a period. Thus all the stop fingers in this group may have been thrown once in an hour.



   A third similar group comprising twelve cooperating elements may represent hourly intervals and the fingers of this group being thrown successively at hourly intervals, each of them remaining thrown for a full hour before being thrown. be withdrawn.



   A fourth group can comprise two pairs of elements cooperating together and represent the time elapsing respectively before noon (AM) and after noon (PM), the stop fingers of this group coming into action alternately. , at twelve hour intervals and each actuated once in a full day.



   When considering operations corresponding to a week-long program, the device may include a fifth group consisting of seven pairs of cooperating elements, each pair representing a day of the week. The stop fingers of this group may come into action one after the other for locking purposes at twenty-four hour intervals, each of these fingers remaining in action for twenty-four hours, until with that the following enters itself in action. The fingers of this group can thus each be aotated once in a week.

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   When it comes to operations for a one day program, that is to say when it comes to identical daily programs for five or six days of a week, the stop fingers of the last mentioned group can be removed and replaced by a series of seven contacts, normally open, which are arranged in parallel with each other and in series with each of the contacts of the circuits. In the same relative positions as the stop fingers in the other embodiment, there can be placed seven driving fingers, which normally keep their respective contacts open, but which can be actuated by the same means as the stop fingers of the other embodiment of the device according to the invention, that which can be used for a week.

   The drive fingers can be used to suocessively close their respective contacts at one-day intervals and keep them closed for a twenty-four hour period.



   When it comes to adapting the invention to a program of one week, a program defined for that period is adopted and a program bar can be provided for each of the ringing and other operations. The teeth of the bars, which are related to the chosen program, can be broken and removed from the bars and the protuberances which make contacts and which one does not want to keep on the bars can also be broken. The prepared program bars can be inserted into the program-carrying drum, and after the start of the program execution, a drive pulse can be applied to the drum at one-minute intervals throughout the duration of the program. the week.

   However, real drum movement cannot

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   will only be done if a particular combination of the stop fingers and the teeth carried by the program bars allows it and this only happens when the moment arrives when the desired circuit closes. Thus, although the drum tends to rotate once an hour (since each start-up operation, when it kicks in, moves it forward six degrees), in reality it will not succeed. its starting point before the end of the full week program. During the interval, the drum will inevitably be delayed by various combinations of permutations between the stop fingers and the teeth carried by the program bars, until such time as a particular signal is to be given.

   At this moment, thanks to the absence of all the teeth, which would usually prevent the drum from moving, a program bar corresponding to the desired signal will be released and the next impulse will kick in to advance. the drum and give the desired signal.



   In the embodiment of the device adapted to a program for one day, the operation is generally the same, but, since some operations of the program must be repeated every day (during working days, for example), the preparation Program bars may be such as to allow the drum carrying the program to rotate once a day so that on those working days each program bar can repeat its circuit closing operations. These bars can be stripped of their teeth in the section that corresponds to working days, but wear one in this section to correspond to Sunday.

   Likewise, in the preparation of the program bar (s), which must come into action only on Sunday, teeth may be provided.

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 in the section corresponding to working days, but no teeth appearing in this section, to correspond to Sunday. Therefore, although the drum will complete one revolution once a day for the duration of the week, the circuit closing operations will be repeated during working days, while on Sunday they will be suppressed. On Sunday, the opera- tions to close circuits on working days will be canceled, while only the Sunday program will operate.



   The main object of the invention is to create a device having the general character outlined above, it also has another object, which is to obtain a device of this nature in which the means for driving the drum carrying the program can be operated by a normal circuit of a master clock in the same way as an instrument with an ordinary secondary clock.

   In other words, an object of the invention may be to provide the drum carrying the program with apparatuses which function to automatically maintain the drum in synchronism with the master clock for the major part of each one hour period, and to retain the application to the drive pulse drum or to apply a rapid series of pulses to it for a limited period of synchronization during each hour, in order to ensure a coincidence between the drum and the master clock at the start of each one hour period.



   Another object of the invention may also be to obtain a device of this type, which should be constructed in three main or general parts, in particular a base part or envelope, a part comprising a drum.

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 carrying the program and a part comprising the stop fingers and the components which make them function, the three parts being capable of being assembled or disassembled quickly with respect to each other and the three parts constituting, when assembled, a complete device for controlling the execution of a program.

   A similar object, co-ordinated with the preceding one, is to provide such a device in which the three parts can be assembled or disassembled suitably by simple manual operations, without using tools, and in which the various cooperating parts, once assembled, are maintained or firmly fixed in their cooperative relationship and prevented from leaving it.



   The invention also aims to create a device having the character described above and comprising a drum provided with interchangeable program bars, and in which these bars can be removed and replaced quickly in order to adapt the program, without having to 'It is necessary to disassemble the drum or to make another disassembly of the device.



   The invention has yet another object, which is to provide a program bar carrying permutation teeth and contact closing protrusions, intended to be used in the manner outlined above, and in which both the teeth and the teeth. protrusions are breakable, for removal, so that an operator can quickly adapt a particular bar to a desired program.



  In this way, one can stick to a uniform production of the bars and the user can adapt them to his individual needs.

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   Provide a device which is of relatively simple construction and efficient in its operation, which is composed of a minimum number of moving parts and which consequently cannot be easily disturbed, a device which is robust and durable and which , consequently, has a relatively long duration, the parts of which can be easily assembled, which would contribute to lowering the costs of its manufacture, and a device which, on the other hand, is well suited to rendering the services required From it, are so many desiderata which came to mind during the preparation and development of the present invention.



   The nine sheets of the appended drawings represent, by way of example, two embodiments of the device according to the invention.



   Fig. 1 is a plan of a first embodiment, of which the cover and the part comprising the drum, which carries the program, have been removed, and other parts cut away to make it possible to represent certain parts more clearly. of the device.



   The f ig. 2 is an end view, part in section taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 3, with the drum in place.



   Fig. 2a is a partial view, on a smaller scale, of certain details associated with those of FIG. 2 and representing the principle of the operation of the device.



   Fig. 3 is a section passing approximately through line 3-3 of FIG. 2.



   Fig. 3a is a plan of a program bar used in connection with the present invention and showing its operation with a series of stop fingers with which it forms a permutation system.



   Fig. 4 is a partial section passing approximately through line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

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   Fig. 5 is a partial section passing approximately through line 5-5 of FIG. 1.



   Fig. 6 is an end view of the device with the cover in place and showing certain locking members by which the parts of the device are held in place.



   Fig. 7 is a section passing approximately through line 7-7 of FIG. 3.



   Fig. 8 is a plan, seen from above, of the elements shown in FIG. 7.



   Fig. 9 is a section passing approximately through line 9-9 of FIG. 3.



   Fig. 10 is an end view of the device partially disassembled, showing how the parts of this device are made removable.



   FIG. 11 is a view on an enlarged scale showing in perspective a set of stop fingers and showing these separate fingers.



   Fig. 12 is an enlarged section passing approximately through line 12-12 of FIG. 4.



   Fig, 13 is a partial section, similar to fig.



  1 and showing part of another embodiment of the device according to the invention, intended to be applied to control the execution of a program for a week, in which the program for a day varies from day to day. the other.



   Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a contact assembly employed in connection with the present invention.



   FIG. 15 is a diagram of the electrical circuits associated with the device, also showing the drive mechanism of this device, which is synchronized and regulated by chronometric means, and also showing its electrical circuits.

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   Fig. 16 shows schematically the arrangement of certain program bars in a drum for carrying out a program for a day, determined in advance, and
Fig. 17 is a schematic view similar to that of FIG. 16, in which the program bars execute a program for one week, determined in advance.



   In all of the figures designated above, like references are used to designate the same parts throughout.



   Let us now consider the drawings and in particular fig. 1, 2 and 4, in more detail.



   The device shown by these latter figures comprises in its general construction a base plate 10 in one piece in the form of an elongated cup and carrying side parts 12 raised, a front part 14 curved generally upwards, a pair of angled uprights 16 directed upwards and placed at the rear of the base plate and a rearwardly extending fixing flange 18 which practically integrates with the posterior part of the base plate. base and which extends between the two uprights 16. The base plate also carries three pairs of ribs or ribs 20, which have the general shape of a triangle (fig. 3, 4 and 9) and which are intended for oven - Nil a support to a series of clamps supporting mechanisms comprising members, the nature and operation of which will now be described.



   The base plate is preferably made of a suitable insulating material, such as bakelite, and carries, attached at its opposite ends as at 22 by rivets or otherwise, a pair of metal plates or posts.

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 side 24, directed upwards, the profile of which is irregular and the shape of which is clearly shown in FIG.



  10. The uprights 24 each carry parts 25 going in decreasing upwards and provided at their upper end with a notch 26, open upwards. The notches 26 are arranged to removably receive the ends of a central axis 28 of an assembly comprising a drum intended to carry a program, this assembly being designated as a whole by 30. A protection 32, mon - tee for pivoting at each end of the device, serves to fix the drum in the assembly position between the uprights 24 and can be pushed aside by hand to allow the entire assembly to be removed one time. drum.



   The part carrying the program has been shown as being able to count six output circuits which, as has been explained in the foregoing, can be used to control corresponding ringing circuits according to a determined daily program. in advance. These six output circuits are shown in fig. 15 and are described in detail in the following, but for the moment it has seemed sufficient to say that they are arranged to come into action after the closing of corresponding pairs of contacts a, b, c, d, e and f under the influence of the drum assembly 30. Additional pairs of contacts a ', b', c ', d', e 'and f' are interposed in the various ringing circuits and arranged to be closed by hand, as will now be explained.



   The pairs of contacts a, a ', b, b', c, c ', etc., are visible in fig. 1, 3a, 4 and 15 and each respectively has the form of a group of contacts in two directions, A ', B', C ', D', E 'or F', the group F being represented as

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 detail in fig. 4. Each group of contacts comprises an intermediate contact lever 34, and levers 36 and 38, one upper and the other lower, intended respectively to cooperate with the intermediate lever to allow the contacts a or a 'to be closed selectively. , as the case may be.



  Levers 34 and 36 are flexible, while lever 38 is substantially rigid, and it can be seen that bending lever 36 downwards will engage contacts f, while bending lever 34 downwards will close. contacts f '. The levers 34, 36 and 38 are supported by the flange 18 of the base plate 10, by means of insulating strips 40, all of the contacts A to F, inclusive, being held in place by means of fixing screws 42 (fig.

   1 and 4). On each of the levers 36 is fixed, as at 44, a raised finger 46, which normally advances on the passage of a tooth 48 formed on each of the bars or inserts 50 forming a series corresponding to a program and associated with the assembly of the drum 30, and the levers 36 are arranged to be lowered by the teeth 48, which pass by functioning as oames, in order to close, as the case may be, their respective contacts a, b, c, d, e or f.



   The base plate 10 and all the instruments which it carries or associated with it, such as the contact groups A 'to F' inclusive, as well as a certain ratchet mechanism for starting the drum and still other elements to be described, can be regarded as parts of a complete assembly of a base plate, which is denoted as a whole by 52 (fig. 10).



  This assembly 52 constitutes one of the three main elements of the machine, which cooperate to form the complete device used to control the execution of a program.

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  The assembly comprising the drum and described in the above constitutes the second main element. A third main element having the form of an assembly 54 comprising a stop finger and a drive means, is arranged to be removably associated with the other two elements and its nature and its nature. operation will be explained in detail in what follows.



   The assembly 30 comprising the drum, with in addition the axis 28 described above, comprises in its general construction an actual drum 56 (fig. 2 and 3), having the general shape of a reel and composed of elements of right and left separated on the axis 28 by means of a serrated collar 58, the three parts being fixed on the axis by means of conical plugs 60. End flanges 62 of the coil-shaped drum are provided with opposing notches 64, disposed radially inside the coil, and into which the program bars 50 mentioned above are inserted in a removable manner.



   While in the present example, for purposes of illustration, sixty of these radial notches have been shown to accommodate sixty of these program bars, a larger or smaller number can be employed if desired. For reasons which will now appear, sixty program bars have been used, so that each bar may represent an interval of one minute, when the drum is started at the speed of one revolution per hour.



   An individual bar 50 is shown in detail in FIG. 3a and its radial arrangement in the drum 56 is illustrated by FIGS. 2 and 4. Each program bar has the shape of a flat metal strip with profiles

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 irregular extremes, as shown in Figs. 3 and 3a, which match the sides and bottoms of the radial notches 64 and are shaped such that the bars can be inserted into the various pairs of opposing notches in one position only.

   As shown to the right of fig. 3, a protrusion 66 on each bar serves to secure one end of the bar in its place in the drum, while at the other end a circular plate 68 is pressed against the end of the drum by means of a part. elastic 70, curved outwards and bearing against a lever 72, turned inwards and provided on the upright 24.



  A series of openings 74, arranged in a circle, are provided near the periphery of the plate 68 and are arranged to receive protrusions 76, which are formed on the ends of the plates 50. From the foregoing description it can be seen that the various program bars 50 are stopped and fixed securely in their position on the assembly comprising the drum and that the latter is itself placed or centered in a precise manner by means of the curved elastic parts. 70, which compensate for any slippage.



   The drive teeth 48, mentioned in the above, which cooperate with the contacts a, b, c, etc., are provided, with various spacings, along an edge of the program bar and each of them is provided with a notched line, by means of which it is easy to break it when it is not necessary to fulfill a useful function in connection with the desired program. The positions of the various teeth have been labeled in fig. 3a according to the particular circuit whose operation they control.



  In this view, the teeth for output circuits 1, 2, 4,5 and 6, have been broken, while only the tooth for circuit 3 remains intact.

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   Chaoune of the program bars 50 also carries additional teeth 78, along the same edge as the teeth 48 and these teeth are intended to cooperate with corresponding stop fingers 80, introduced into the assembly 54 in the manner of a a permutation system to stop the starting movements of the drum 56 at certain times and to allow this rotation to occur at other times.



  Instead of being intended to cooperate with stop fingers such as those shown at 80, a group of teeth 78 at the left end of the program bar is intended to cooperate with a series of levers. 82 (fig. 5, 11 and 14), which control the opening and closing movements of a pair of contacts D, called in what follows the contacts of the days, all so as to achieve a goal that will now be described.



   To facilitate their identification by the operator, the teeth 78 are divided into five groups, which, reading from left to right in FIG. 3a, are as follows:
1) A group for the days, consisting of seven teeth designated by D, L, Ma, Me, J, V and S, to represent the seven days of the week.



   2) An AM-PM group consisting of two teeth representing morning and afternoon. The two teeth are denoted by A and P.



   3) A group of hours, consisting of twelve teeth designated by 12, 1, 2,3, 4,5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10 and 11, to represent the twelve hours of each day and each night.



   4) A tens of minutes group, consisting of six teeth denoted by 0, 1, 2, 3,4 and 5, to represent the number of tens of minutes in each hour.

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   5) A group of minutes, consisting of ten teeth, denoted by 0, 1, 2, 3,4, 5,6, 7, 8 and 9, to represent the minutes of each hour.



   The first group of teeth is intended to cooperate with the levers 82 of FIG. 5, which actuate contacts, while all the other groups are intended to cooperate with the stop fingers 80 of FIG. 4.



   As indicated above, means are provided for applying a torque to the assembly comprising the drum 30 at intervals of one minute each and each minute of each day and each day of the week. , this application of a torque normally tending to advance the drum one step or sixtieth of a turn. When there is no program bar in the drum assembly, such a process would normally cause the drum to rotate, which would make one revolution per hour.

   However, if a program for one day is to be executed, and if a single clamp representing a single ringing operation per day or if several clamps representing the same number of ringing operations which are all to be performed in a day, is or are present in the drum, then the movements of the drum will be stopped so that the operations of applying a twisting moment cannot have any effect at certain times, but only when ringing operations are in the program. In this case, although a torque is applied to the drum every minute, the drum will only make one full revolution per day. This will become clear when the nature and function of the various stop fingers 80 are fully known.

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   The stop fingers 80 form part of the movable assembly 54 and the latter comprises a base or shell 84 with a front piece 86 and side pieces 88, which are suitably secured at its ends. A pair of ears or ankles 90 (Figs. 6,10 and 11) are provided on the outside of the side pieces 88 and are arranged to be received in notches 92, one of which is formed in an extension. 94 of side plates 24 and the other in a separate bracket 100, at opposite ends of the device.

   The console 100 is formed of a metal sheet, light and flexible, and as a result, by moving the ends of it apart by hand, the pegs 90 are released and the device can be tilted. entire assembly of the stop fingers of the position shown in fig. 6 to that of FIG. 10, after which the assembly can be released from the notches 92.



   The side pieces 88 of the assembly 54 of the stop fingers carry notches 102, into which the opposite ends of a pin 104, the function of which is threefold, removably engage. The axle 104 can be designated as carrying a cam, as actuating a cam and as driving the drum, since it serves to carry a series of four sleeves linked to each other and carrying cams, which, by reading left to right in fig. 3, are denoted by 106, 108, 110 and 112, and to impart movement to these sleeves, as well as increases in movement to the drum assembly,. one minute intervals.



   For drum drive operations, a ratchet wheel 114 (Figs. 2, 3 and 10) is attached to axle 104, near one end of the latter and just inside. side piece 88, and this ratchet wheel is

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 intended to cooperate with a double ratchet assembly, pressed by a spring, and comprising a driven pawl 116 and a pawl 118 actuating the drum, the latter pawl being loaded by a spring 120 which normally serves to press the pawl 116 engaged with the ratchet wheel 114 and the pawl 118 engaged with the toothed periphery of a drive ratchet wheel 122, mounted on a short axle 124, which extends inwardly from side plate or post 24.



   The ratchet wheel 122 is integral with a sleeve 126, at the same time as a toothed drive wheel 128, the latter meshing with a toothed wheel 130, mounted on a shaft 28 carrying the drum and fixed to this shaft, when the various assemblies 30, 52 and 54 are in the working position in the device.



   Near its end opposite to that which carries the ratchet wheel 114, the axle 104 carries a bevel gear 132, which meshes with a similar bevel gear 134, mounted on the end of an axle 136. The axle 104 is arranged to be periodically driven or actuated to rotate through an angle of thirty-six degrees at one-minute intervals, during each twenty-four hour period without interruption, by mechanical means shown schematically in f ig. 15.

   Such a means is suitable for functioning under the control of a normal system of clocks, master and secondary, such as for example the system described and shown in patent No. 1,687,491, issued to Bryce on October 16, 1926, or by any other suitable system including means, which may be adapted to synchronize the periodic movements of axis 104 with a master clock such as that shown in the Bryce patent,

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 and also comprising means which may be adapted to synchronize the movements of the assembly of the drum 30 with time, as represented by the rate of a master clock.

   The nature of the synchronizing system and of the mechanical drive means will be described succinctly in what follows, but for the moment it has seemed sufficient to say that the periodic pulses emanating from the master clock are applied as torque pulses. to the axis 104 at regular intervals of one minute to rotate this axis by a tenth of a turn, in order to actuate the parts 114, 116 and 118 of the catch and to rotate the drum of a stage, when it is free and sensitive, of such impulses.



   An examination of fig. 2 and 3 will show that, when the drum is free to rotate, a forward movement of the ratchet wheel 114 will cause the tooth of the corresponding pawl 116 to slide outward on one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel. ratchet, thereby causing the tooth of the drive pawl 118 to fall behind one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel 122. After the tooth of the ratchet 116 disengages from the end of the tooth of the ratchet wheel 114, spring 120 causes pawl 116 to move counterclockwise to advance the drum assembly.

   If, however, the latter is not free to move, because one of the stop fingers 80 engages with the corresponding tooth 78 on one of the program bars, the entire assembly pawls 116 and 118 will be delayed and subsequent operations of starting the ratchet wheel 114 will have no effect.



   The stop fingers 80, mentioned in the foregoing, as well as the levers 82 closing the contacts,

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 are preferably all formed in one piece, as seen in FIG. 11. This part can be made of solid copper and it is fixed as at 138 (fig. 2 and 11) against the inside face of the anterior part 86. The fingers protrude inside the assembled device and placed in parallel. to each other, their free ends being raised as in 140 and adapted to be placed on the passage of the teeth 78 carried by the various program bars 50. A series of elastic elements 142 are supported on the stop fingers 80 and the fingers 82 operating the contacts and normally push them down.

   Each of the stop fingers 80 and of the fingers aotionning the contacts 82 carries in the middle of its length a protuberance 144 in the form of a cam and adapted to cooperate with the respective cam fingers 146 formed on the various cam sleeves 106, 108, 110. and 112.



   The cam sleeve 112 is fixed to the shaft 104 and supports the extreme group or minutes comprising ten stop fingers (see also fig. 3a) and the cam fingers 146 carried by this manohon are arranged in a helix. at the periphery of the cam sleeve, the spacing of adjacent fingers being such that, when the sleeve makes one complete revolution during the duration of each ten minute period, together with the shaft 104 on which it is mounted, the stop fingers of the group in question are raised successively from left to right, looking at FIGS. 3a and 11 and kept raised for a full period of one minute, then lowered again and clear of the passage of teeth 80.



   The cam sleeve 110 carries the following group of teeth 80, which represents tens of minutes, and this sleeve is mounted loose on the shaft 104 and arranged to be

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 driven by the sleeve 112 by means of a known transfer mechanism 148, comprising a cross member (see also Fig. 12), of the type employed to effect the movements of the wheels of a counter of a rotary system , for example of the type shown in a Ward Leathers patent. It is obvious that other types of transfer mechanisms can be employed, and it suffices that for each revolution of the sleeve 112 in a ten minute period, the sleeve 110 is pushed forward or driven a step of thirty degrees.



  In other words, the sleeve 110 will make a full revolution once in two hours. The cam fingers 146 on the sleeve 110 are arranged in a helix, in two groups of six fingers each, and they are spaced 30 apart, so that, every hour, the stop fingers 80 are lifted successively. cessively from left to right and kept raised for a full period of ten minutes, after which they are lowered again and removed from the passage of the teeth 78.



   The cam sleeve 108 carries the group of hours of the stop fingers 80; it is mounted f or on the axis and arranged to be driven by a known cross-wheel mechanism 150, which causes it to make an angle of 30 (that is to say one twelfth of a turn) once an hour. As the neighboring sleeve 110 makes a complete revolution in only two hours, it is obvious that the mechanism 150 will bear two transfer notches 152, 180 apart, so as to initiate transfer operations at each half of the turn of the sleeve 110. .

   The cam fingers 146 carried by the sleeve 108 are twelve in number, arranged in a helix and spaced so that the stop fingers 80 are raised one after the other from hour to hour, each finger remaining raised during a full hour on the passage of teeth 78.

 <Desc / Clms Page number 25>

 



   The cam sleeve 106 carries the group of day contacts and a cross mechanism 154 is arranged to advance the sleeve one seventh of a turn (i.e. 510 3/7) every twelve. hours. A series of cam fingers 146 carries each of the two stop fingers 80 of the AM-PM group and the fingers of the two series are staggered as seen in FIG. 3 and separated so that each operation of driving the sleeve 106 the two fingers are projected alternately on the passage of the teeth 78, which the program bars 50 carry, and remain in this passage for a complete period of twelve hours.



   The various transfer mechanisms 148, 150 and 154 are carried by supports 155, similar to elastic grippers, which are made in one piece with a metal strip 157, fixed as in 159 to the base or envelope 84 of the the assembly 54 of the stop fingers (fig. 11). The elements 155 find a support in the assembled device by resting on the triangular ribs 20 which, as has been said previously, are arranged in pairs, the ribs of each pair allowing the proper transfer mechanisms to pass.



   A series of seven cam fingers 146, arranged in a helix, is provided on the sleeve 106 and these fingers are intended to cooperate with levers 82 actuating contacts, which for their part cooperate with the teeth 78 of the group of days which carry the program bars. The spacing of these latter fingers is such that the various levers 82 are raised one after the other day by day and remain raised for a full twenty-four hour period, before being lowered again.

 <Desc / Clms Page number 26>

 



   Referring now to Figs. 5, 11 and 15, we see that the single pair of D day contacts, mentioned in the above, is common to all the levers 82 and that the latter have the form of elastic fingers, which are supported by the base or the envelope 84 of the assembly 54 of the stop fingers and pushed downwards by elastic elements 142. These levers 82 bear downwardly against the shoulders 156 formed on a series of levers 158, which support contacts and are fixed by screws 42 to the flange 18 of the base part 10.

   The levers 158 carry cam-shaped protuberances 160 and legs 162, facing downward and rearward, the latter serving to individually support an insulating strip 164, carrying at the outer end of a contact arm 166 fork-shaped.



   The outer end of the arm 166 is fixed as at 168 to the insulating strip 164 and carries a contact bead 170, forming an element of the pair of contacts D; the other contact element 172, cooperating with this end, is carried at the extreme end of a contact arm 174, fixed to the edge, by means of the screws 42. The contacts D of the openings are normally maintained or pushed. in their open position by the natural elasticity of the arms 166 and 174 and likewise the elasticity of the arms 142 can let them remain normally open. The arms 142 support the shoulders 156 of their respective arms 158 and keep these arms lowered to allow the contact bead 170 to move away from the contact element 172.



   It should be understood that although the contacts D are loaded so as to tend to remain open, they will nevertheless close, when in the group of teeth of the

 <Desc / Clms Page number 27>

 days there are no teeth on a conjugate program bar, seen, that one of the seven contact fingers 146 will always be lifted and meshed with one of the cam protrusions 144. In other words, throughout Monday, the Monday lever 82 will remain raised for twenty-four hours and subsequently the corresponding lever 158 will be raised so that the leg 162 of the latter lifts the insulating strip 164 and the contact bead 170 to close contacts D days. Likewise, every Tuesday the Tuesday lever will perform a similar close operation and it will be the same for all days of the week.

   If it is desired that the contacts D of the days do not remain closed on a certain day of the week, in order to suppress a particular circuit closing operation, it suffices for the particular program bar controlling this function to have in the place corresponding to that day a tooth which, in passing, engages with the protuberance 160 of the lever 158 and keeps this lever lowered, despite the antagonistic effect of the cam finger 146 and of the protuberanoe 144 to prevent the closing of the contacts D of the days.



   Now, according to fig. 1, 3, 4 and 14, a pair of H contacts, normally open, are supported by the rim 18 of the casing 10 and are arranged to be closed periodically by the effect of an arm 174 (see also fig.



  2) attached to the driven pawl 116. This last contact guarantees that the various output circuits a, b, c, d, e and f will remain open at all times, except when they are actually turned on and closed for ringing operations by the action of their respective teeth 48, carried by the bars 50.



   Means are provided by which any of the

 <Desc / Clms Page number 28>

 six output circuits controlled by contact groups A ', B', C ', D', E 'and F' can be selectively closed at will. To this end, each of the middle levers 34 of the contact groups (fig. 4) carries an insulating part or finger 175, / which is on the passage of a finger 177 carried by a lever 179 (see also fig. 1 and 9). The various levers 179 are mounted to rotate on the cam sleeves 106, 108, 110 and 112, at points suitably distributed along the length thereof, so that they are positioned to align with the respective groups of contacts, whose operation they control.

   The free ends of the levers 179 rest on the front part 86 of the stop finger assembly 54 and carry finger-shaped pieces 181 which, when lifted by hand, serve to close. the corresponding contacts a ', b', c ', etc. and activating the corresponding circuits for ringing operations.



   Let us now refer to fig. 15, in which is shown the driving mechanism for applying, by means of the bevel gears 132 and 134, periodic pulses to the axis 104 carrying the cams, and in which the diagram can also be seen circuits of the device for controlling the execution of a program. An electric motor M includes a motor shaft 200, which actuates a worm gear 202 and 204 to apply periodic pulses of torque to an axis 136 and thereby impart motion to the axis 104. periodic.



   The electric motor is arranged to be operated periodically by means of its circuit, which leads from a terminal of an electric current source S through a wire k, the motor M, a wire 1, a pair of contacts 206, normally

 <Desc / Clms Page number 29>

 open, and a wire m, to the other terminal of the source S. The contacts 206 are suitable for being closed periodically by periodic electrical pulses applied to an electromagnet 208 from sources A or B, as the case may be. , these latter sources being associated with a normal system of clocks, master and secondary, of the type shown and described in the Bryce patent mentioned above and the nature of which will now be explained.



   The electromagnet is provided with an armature 210, which is retained by a spring, as at 211, and which carries, hinged on it, a lever or a rod 212 actuating contacts and forming a shoulder 214. When the electromagnet 208 is not energized, the lever 212 is arranged to assume an elevated position, in which its upper end is not engaged with a finger 215, associated with the contacts 206, and in which the lever 212 bears against a stop pin 216. Normally the lever is pushed to this position by means of a member 218 actuated by a cam, which is mounted in guides 219 and pushed by a spring 220 and of which one end presses against one side of lever 212 immediately below shoulder 214.

   The other end of the member 218 is bent at 222 and bears against the surface of a cam 224 mounted on the axis 136.



  A spring 226 connects the lever 212 and the member 218. After energization of the electromagnet 208 as a result of the application thereto of an electric pulse from either one or the other. sources A and B, the frame 210 is drawn and the lever 212 lowered enough so that the shoulder 214 disengages from the end of the member 218 and takes a position directly below it. , with the end of the lever 212 lying under the finger 215. The pulse

 <Desc / Clms Page number 30>

 applied to the electromagnet is only of short duration and after the excitation of the electromagnet has ceased the lever 212 is carried upwards, thus closing the contacts 206 and with them the circuit of the engine.

   When the motor begins to operate, it rotates the cam carried by the shaft 136 in the direction indicated by the arrow and the tip of the member 218 slides outwardly on the surface of the cam, which drives the member 218 towards the end. right, looking at fig. 15, and at the same time tilting the lever 212 to the right, until it engages the stopper 218, after which the tip of the member 218 is moved away from the shoulder 214, descends and rests on the stopper 218, with its end bearing against the side of the lever 212 below the level of the shoulder. Cam 224 is provided with a protrusion 230 and, when the end of member 218 meets this protrusion, the various parts of the system are returned to their normal positions, with the tip of lever 212 released from finger 215, so that the contacts 206 can be opened.

   During this time, between the initial application of a pulse to the electromagnet 208 and the recall of the various parts to their normal positions, the axis 136 will have performed one revolution and this movement will be impressed on the axis. 104 of the cams, which also makes a turn. Except for certain operations carried out during a synchronization period, as will now be described, the pulses applied to the electromagnet 208 are carried out at regular intervals of one minute.



   Now, according to fig. 3, 4 and 15, the cam sleeve 112, associated with the group of cam fingers 80 of the minutes, carries a notch 232, serving as a cam, while the cam sleeve 110, associated with the group of fingers of the minutes. - zaines of minutes, wears a pair of notches 234 holding

 <Desc / Clms Page number 31>

 instead of cams, and diametrically opposed.

   The notches 232 and 234 are intended to cooperate with the free ends 236 and 238 of a fork-shaped member 240, which is mounted to pivot on a pin 242, carried by the casing 10, and which is pressed by. a spring at 244, so as to normally load the member 240 to cause it to move in the same direction as the needles of the clock, as shown in FIG. 4, in order to force the free ends of this member to press against the surfaces of the cam sleeves 110 and 112. The member 240 is provided with an extension or finger 246, which cooperates with a group of oon- tacts J comprising contacts j normally closed and contacts j 'normally open.

   It will be seen that the contacts j remain closed when one or the other of the free ends of the fork-shaped member 240 occupies a position at the periphery of the surfaces of the cam sleeves 110 and 112.



  When, however, one of the two cam notches 234 provided in the sleeve 110 is in alignment with the notch 232 provided in the sleeve 112, the two ends 236 and 238 can enter these notches, thus allowing that the member 240 rocks in the direction of the movement of the hands of the watch, looking at FIG. 4, and thus moving the group of contacts J so that the contacts j 'close.



   The arrangement of the cam sleeves 110 and 112, with their respective notches 234 and 232, amounts to providing a synchronization cam 23 shown and described in the Bryce patent mentioned above, while the group of contacts J corresponds to the group of contacts 25 and 26 of the patent. Earthing C and circuit points A and B in the diagram in fig. 15 also correspond to 8. grounding 0 and points A and B of the patent.

   The functions of

 <Desc / Clms Page number 32>

 synchronization performed by these various parts of the present specification are similar to the synchronization functions of the patent, in which normal pulses are applied to the electromagnet 208 to maintain the various cam sleeves 106 to 112 inclusive in synchronism with the master clock and by which fast pulses can be applied to this electromagnet to increase the operating speed of the cam sleeves, if they have been found to be too slow at the start of what This is called a synchronization period, or by which normal pulses may be retained during the synchronization period, if they are found ahead of the master clock.



   And now it is necessary to describe first of all, referring to the diagram of fig. 15, the normal pulse operations to control the operation of axis 104 and therefore of the various cam sleeves 106-112 non-exclusively. During a time when there is no synchronization, pulses lasting one minute are transmitted from the two points A and B, as described in the patent, and hence the position contacts j and j 'is of no consequence and these pulses will reach the electromagnet 208 through the n or o wires and the common wire p. This supply of one minute pulses to the solenoid 208 continues for each one hour period until the synchronization period begins.



   Assuming that the various cam sleeves are ahead of the master clock, the two ends 236 and 238 of the fork-shaped member 240 will come into alignment with the notches 232 and 234 of the sleeves 112 and 110, respec- tively, before the normal time and consequently the contaots

 <Desc / Clms Page number 33>

 j 'will close and the contacts j will open. During the synchronization period, it is only the source A which will transmit normal pulses and therefore no other normal pulses of one minute can reach the electromagnet 208 through the n wire. The axis 104 and hence the cam sleeves will remain stationary until the end of the synchronization period.



   If it is assumed that the cam sleeves are slow in relation to the master clock, the contacts j will close at the start of the synchronization period and as a result of the fast pulses emanating from the source A will reach the electro. magnet 208 thereby rapidly advancing the axis 104, until the ends 236 and 238 of the fork-shaped member 240 enter into the notches 232 and 234 to move the contacts of the group J. After this displacement contacts, the circuit from the source A of fast pulses will open and normal pulses passing through the line 0 from the source B will reach only the electromagnet.



   If it is assumed that the cam sleeves are in sync with the master clock at the start of the synchronization period, as described in the Bryce patent, the contacts j will remain open, so that Fast pulses from source A will not be able to reach the electromagnet 208 and only normal one minute pulses from line B will be able to come into action.



   According to fig. Again, the various ringing circuits are arranged in parallel and include rings designated Ba, Bb, Bc, Bd, Be and Bf. These bells are actuated from the secondary winding S of a transformer T having a primary winding P. The circuit

 <Desc / Clms Page number 34>

 for each particular bell, for example for the bell ring Bc, led from a terminal of the winding S by a common wire q, contacts of a relay electromagnet Ro, a bell Bc and a common wire r , to the other terminal of winding S.



   The electromagnet Rc is placed in the output circuit of the device to control the execution of a program and operates under the control of a group of contacts C (see also fig. 1), ie for operate automatically, by means of the drum carrying the program, using the contacts c, or to operate by hand, using the finger-shaped part 181 and the contacts c '. When manual operation is used, the circuit used leads from a terminal of the secondary winding S, through a common wire s, contacts c ', a relay electromagnet Rc and a common wire q , at the other terminal of winding S.

   For automatic operation, the circuit for the relay solenoid Ro leads from a terminal of the secondary winding S, by a pair of contacts of duration K controlled by a cam, contacts D of the days , safety contacts H, a common wire t, a relay electromagnet Rc and the common wire q to the other terminal of the secondary winding S.



   The contacts of duration K, which have just been mentioned, are arranged in series with the contacts H of the levers and the various contacts of the group A, B, C, eto., And they are arranged to be closed momentarily at intervals d 'one minute to adjust the closing time of the various output circuits and to make this time uniform for all the circuits involved. For this purpose, the contacts K operate under the control of a cam 250 mounted on an axis 252, the rotation of which is in turn regulated chronometrically in an appropriate manner by the master clock of the synchronization system.

 <Desc / Clms Page number 35>

 



   It should of course be understood that the device described in detail in the foregoing was intended to control the execution of a program for one day. By this is meant a program in which each pattern of a day is identical or in which, among the seven days of the week, at least some days have an identical program.



   A typical program of this kind is given below:
 EMI35.1
 
<tb> Daily <SEP> schedule <SEP> of <SEP> Monday <SEP> Saturday <SEP> Sunday
<tb> to <SEP> Friday
<tb>
<tb> 8. <SEP> 00 <SEP> A.M. <SEP> 9.00 <SEP> A.M. <SEP> @
<tb>
<tb> 12.15 <SEP> P <SEP>. <SEP> M. <SEP> 1. <SEP> 00 <SEP> P.M. <SEP> -----
<tb>
<tb> 1. <SEP> 00 <SEP> P.M. <SEP> ------ <SEP> @
<tb>
<tb> 5. <SEP> 00 <SEP> P.M. <SEP> ------ <SEP> -----
<tb>
 
Such a schedule may well represent an ordinary normal schedule for employees of an office in which a six-day week is applied with full working days from Monday to Friday and half a day on Saturday. The working day begins at 8.00 a.m. A.M. and ends at 5.00 p.M. Monday to Friday, with a three-quarter hour break at 1.15 p.m. at 1.00 h.P.M. for the meal.

   On Saturdays the working day begins at 9.00 a.m. A.M. and ends at 1.00 h.P.M. It is assumed that at the times indicated above, it is desired to ring at various points in a building a series of bells including Ba, Bb, Bc, Bd and Be, but not Bf (fig. 15).



   To carry out the operations required by the program given above, you must first prepare four program bars for the four implementations of the program during the days of the week when it is repeated, and where it is necessary to do so. ring all five rings simultaneously

 <Desc / Clms Page number 36>

 at 8:00 a.m., 12.15 p.m., 1.00 h.P.M. and 5.00 h.P.M. from Monday to Friday. Since it is also desired to ring these bells on Saturdays at 1.00 hPM, the program bar, which serves the other five working days, can also be used to ring on Saturday and so there is no doesn't need an extra bar to kick in on Saturday. However, it is necessary to prepare a fifth bar to perform a ringing operation on Saturday at 9.00 am A.M.

   Thus five program bars must be prepared to perform the six ringing operations represented in the program and set differently.



  However, it should be remembered that four of these differently set operations repeat Monday through Friday, so that in all during the week twenty-two separately set ring operations are used, including the closure of one hundred and twenty ring circuits, these operations being carried out by the five bars which have been prepared according to the program.



   The prepared bars are introduced into the various radial notches 64 of the end flanges 62 of the actual drum 56, placing them one after the other, in the daily chronological order of their use.



   It will be recalled that sixty of these radial notches 64 are available and that small torque pulses are applied to the drum assembly 30, which usually in the absence of any. program bars, would result in the drum making one full revolution every hour. Since, in the timetable indicated above, each operation in which several rings are ringing is separated from the previous operation by at least sixty minutes, it is irrelevant for the

 <Desc / Clms Page number 37>

 proper implementation of the device that the various bars are placed in one place rather than another, provided, of course, that they are placed in the chronological sequence of daily operations.

   If you want, you can place the five bars in any five adjacent notches or spread them wide apart. However, to facilitate their identification during an inspection, it is preferable that they are placed at distances substantially equal to about 72 around the drum and arranged radially as shown schematically in FIG. 16. From this point of view, the schedule in the preceding table has been established by designating the various program bars and, in their order of succession at the periphery of the drum, these bars have been designated by 1, 2,3, 4 and 5.



   The program bar 1, which controls the operation of the five bells Ba, Bb, Bc, Bd and Be from Monday to Friday at 8.00 am, will be prepared by breaking the teeth 48 closing oontaots, placed at the end on the right, and leaving the other five teeth 48 remaining on the bar.



  The teeth 78 A.M. of the A.M.-P.M. will be broken and teeth marked 0 in the tens and minute groups will be broken. In addition, the teeth representing the days from Monday to Friday will be broken, while those representing Saturday and Sunday will remain on the bar.



   Bar 3 which controls the operation of the bells at 12.15 h.P.M. Monday to Friday, will be prepared in the same way, except that in the AM-PM group, the PM tooth will be removed, instead of the AM tooth. Similarly, in the hours, tens and minutes, the teeth designated respectively by 12.1 and 5 will be removed.

 <Desc / Clms Page number 38>

 



   Bar 4, which controls the bells at 1.00 h.P.M. during working days, including Saturday, will differ from the previous bars in that, in the hour, tens and minute groups, the teeth designated 1, 0 and 0 respectively will be removed, while in at the same time, the tooth representing Saturday in the group of days will be removed.



   Bar 5 to control the bells at 5. 00 h.P.M. during five working days will be prepared by removing the teeth designated respectively by 5.0 and 0 in the hour, tens and minute groups and the teeth representing the days from Monday to Friday in the day group.



   Program bar 2 to control the operation of a bell at 9. 00 h.A.M. Saturday will not have broken teeth representing the days Monday through Friday, or Sunday, in the days section, but only the tooth representing Saturday in this group will be removed. From this bar will also be removed the teeth designated 9,0 and 0 respectively in the hours, tens and minutes groups.



   Since there are no ringing operations on Sunday, a program bar will not be introduced for that particular day.



   After the various program bars have been prepared, as outlined above, and fed into the program drum, and the machine has been started by applying small pulses to the spindle 104, a succession of facts will unfold as follows.

 <Desc / Clms Page number 39>

 



    @
If we admit that the device for controlling the realization of the program is prepared and started on a late Saturday evening, so that the time given above is observed day by day the following week, the small pulses applied to the drum will advance the latter gradually for a few minutes, until the first program bar 1, which is to perform the 8.00 hAM bell operation. on Monday, arrives at a point just in front of the position where it is to operate the bells.

   At this point, it is prevented from continuing its movement by the presence of teeth 78, which it carries, and which are blocked by combinations, constantly moving, of stop fingers 80 erected in the A.M.-P.M. groups. hours, tens and minutes. This blocking operation will continue, as the various stop fingers 80 are raised and lowered in succession in the various groups, until it is exactly Sunday at 8:00 am.



  A.M. At this time, the tooth combinations 80 will be such as to let the drum advance, when a torque is applied to it. As the drum advances in a step, the five output circuits 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are virtually closed due to the presence of teeth 48 on the program bar, but since there has a tooth representing Sunday in the days section, this tooth engages with the protuberance 160 (FIG. 5) of the lever 158 and maintains the contact D of the days open.



  Since this D contact is in series with each of the output circuits, these circuits will not effectively close and no bell will operate on Sunday at 8:00 a.m.A.M.



   After the first program bar 1 has been

 <Desc / Clms Page number 40>

 released by stopper fingers 80, each of the successive small applications of torque to the drum kicks in to advance the drum and this operation continues at small intervals, until a few minutes later, when second program bar 2, which controls bells to operate on Saturdays at 9.00 am, arrives at a point just in front of the position where it sounds the bells.

   Again the combinations of upright stop fingers in the AM-PM, hours, tens and minutes groups provide an obstacle moving constantly, but periodically in advance of the drum, and the latter is blocked against any advance, until it is exactly Sunday at 9.00 a.m.



  A.M., where the combinations of the various teeth will let it advance. However, although the same five bell output circuits virtually close again, the presence of a tooth in the position corresponding to Sunday in the day group will keep these circuits open, as before, and no operation. ringtone will be on Sunday at 9.00 a.m.



   It would now be obvious that Sunday at 12.15 p.m.



  P. M., 1.00 h.P.M. and again at 5.00 hPM, a similar situation will exist, with the third, fourth and fifth program bars taking the lead in operations virtually effecting circuit closures, which would usually tend to operate bells. at these times, but actually preventing this virtual operation from becoming effective by opening the contacts D of the days, due to the presence of teeth in the positions corresponding to Sunday in the group of days among the teeth that these bars carry. program.

 <Desc / Clms Page number 41>

 



   On Sunday at 1.00 p.m., the last program bar will be released by the stop finger and tooth combinations and the drum will be released to effectively receive small pulses or torque applications. For a period of a few minutes, depending naturally on the particular spacing of the program bars, these pulses will cause the drum to advance to a point where the first program bar is again in the presence of the stop fingers 80 and fingers 82 operating the contacts. The various combinations of stop fingers and teeth will remain in action for the rest of Sunday and the first part of Monday, until 8:00 a.m.A.M. exactly.

   At this time, the stopper fingers 80 again release the drum, when the torque pulse of 8. 00 h.A.M. is applied to it, and the drum is pushed one step forward and, during this movement, the five teeth 48, which cooperate with the circuits A, B, C, D and E, will engage with the corresponding fingers 46 and will close contacts a, b, c, d and e (fig. 15) and thus start the operation of the bells as described in the above, to make the bells Ba, Bb, Bc, Bd and Be work on Monday at 8.00 a.m. Since the program bar 1 does not carry a tooth to cooperate with the sixth circuit F, the bell Bf will remain silent at this time.



   After the release of the drum Monday at 8.00 a.m.A.M. and the operation of the five rings, which results therefrom according to the program, the drum will be pushed forward at small intervals until the moment when the program bar 2 arrives in its place and is blocked against further movement by the various stop finger combinations. At 9.00 a.m. this bar is released by the stop fingers, but, since it

 <Desc / Clms Page number 42>

 carries in the day section a tooth representing Monday (as do teeth representing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday), this tooth will engage with protuberance 160 (fig. 5) and maintain open contact D for days and prevent the bells from functioning at that time.



   When Monday at 9.00 am A.M. the drum is released without the bells working, it progresses under the action of small impulses until bar 3 arrives in its place and is stopped by stop fingers 80. Monday at 12.15 h.P.M. it will again be released by the combinations of stop fingers and teeth and this time, after being released, it will operate the bells, since the teeth 48 that it carries will cooperate with the fingers 46 of the contacts of the circuits 1 , 2, 3, 4 and 5 to close these circuits and start the operation of the bells on Monday.



  12.15 h.P.M.



   Monday at 1.00 hPM, program bar 4 will operate in a way, which by now should be obvious, to cause output circuits 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to close, in order to activate the bells. , Bb, Bc, Bd and Be, and at 5.00 hPM bar 5 will perform a similar function.



   After the release of bar 5, Monday at 5.00 hPM, which is accompanied by the desired operation of the bells, the drum will advance by the effect of small pulses of torque, and in a few minutes it will reach a position. in which the first program bar 1 returns to its place and is stopped by the stop fingers 80. The drum will be kept in its place for the rest of Monday and the first part of Tuesday, until 8.00 a.m. after which

 <Desc / Clms Page number 43>

 operations substantially the same as those of Monday will be repeated throughout the duration of Tuesday.



   The same operations will also be repeated on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but on Saturday at 8 a.m. A.M., 12.15 p.m. P.M., 1.00 h.P.M. and 5.00 h.P.M., the bell circuits will not work, since in the day section there will be a tooth 48 representing Saturday on the first, third, fourth and fifth bars of the series. The second bar 2 will however come into action on Saturday at 9.00 a.m. A.M. to close the five ring circuits, since in the day section there is no tooth representing Saturday. It will be remembered that this particular bar 2 will not work on other working days, nor on Sundays, because in the days section it has teeth representing those particular days.



   Since the drum does not include a bar representing Sunday, no bells will sound on that day. In addition, when on Saturday at 1.00 h.P.M. the last program bar 5 is released, the drum will progress immediately by the effect of small pulses to a position in which bar 1 of 8. 00 h.A.M. occupies a position where she is ready to play the bells again in the same manner the following Monday, after being released at 8:00 a.m. by stopper fingers 80. The drum will remain stopped in this position on Saturday, throughout the afternoon, evening and night, all Sunday and Monday until 8. 00 h. A.M.

   Obviously the operation of the device is repeated from week to week, until changes are made to the program by modifications or substitutions of bars or by both means.

 <Desc / Clms Page number 44>

 



   In order to adapt the device, which has been described above, to its use for controlling the realization of a program for a week, in which the schedule of each day differs from that of the other days, it is possible to have recourse to a slight modification of the electrical and mechanical characteristics of the invention. The electrical modifications consist in eliminating the contact D of the days and the organs which make it function, while the mechanical modifications consist in replacing these organs with a set of stop fingers intended to cooperate with the group of days of the days. teeth carried by the program bars, following the same permutation principle, which exists in conjunction with the AM-PM, hours, tens and minutes tooth groups.



   An embodiment of the device, thus modified, has been shown in FIG. 13, and a partial transverse section of this device, close to the group of openings of the stop fingers, would appear substantially in the same manner as that of FIG. 4, except that instead of seeing contact group F, we would see group A.



   In fig. 1 to 12, inclusive, showing a device suitable for use in a one-day program, and in fig. 13 which represents another adapted to a one week program, similar references have been applied to corresponding parts. An examination of fig. 13 will show that the contacts D of the days have been removed, as well as the series of fingers 82, which actuate them, and that these latter have been replaced by a series of stop fingers 80. Dahs both embodiments, the character of the program bars remains the same.

 <Desc / Clms Page number 45>

 



   The circuit diagram of fig. 15 will suit both embodiments and at its end is shown a plug connection P, intended to remove D contacts from days, when operations relating to a program for a week are used.



   The table below gives a typical program for a week, in which the daily schedule differs from day to day.
 EMI45.1
 
<tb>



  Sunday <SEP> Monday <SEP> Tuesday <SEP> Wednesday <SEP> Thursday <SEP> Friday <SEP> Sameche <SEP> Sun
<tb>
<tb> --- <SEP> 8.00 <SEP> AM <SEP> 8. <SEP> 30 <SEP> AM <SEP> 7.30 <SEP> A. <SEP> M. <SEP> 8.15 <SEP> AM < SEP> 9. <SEP> 00 <SEP> AM <SEP> ----
<tb>
<tb> --- <SEP> 12.15 <SEP> PM <SEP> 11.30 <SEP> AM <SEP> 10.30 <SEP> AM <SEP> 11.00 <SEP> AM <SEP> 1. <SEP> 00 <SEP> PM <SEP> ----
<tb>
<tb> --- <SEP> 1.00 <SEP> PM <SEP> 1. <SEP> 30 <SEP> PM <SEP> 12.15 <SEP> PM <SEP> 1. <SEP> 00 <SEP> PM <SEP > --- <SEP> ----
<tb>
<tb> --- <SEP> 5.00 <SEP> PM <SEP> 4. <SEP> 30 <SEP> PM <SEP> 3. <SEP> 00 <SEP> P. <SEP> M. <SEP> 4 . <SEP> 00 <SEP> PM

   <SEP> --- <SEP> ----
<tb>
 
For such a program, a separate program bar is prepared for each of the ringing operations and thus a total of eighteen bars are used and fed into the drum carrying the program, in an order corresponding to the number of rings. time of each operation during the week. Since there are no ringing operations on either Saturday or Sunday, no program bar needs to be prepared for these days. As previously, it is irrelevant for the implementation of the device that the various program bars are placed in one place rather than another, provided that they are arranged in the order indicated above. Fig. 17 schematically represents the program for a week indicated above.



   In the preparation of the program bars 50, all those which are intended to be used on Monday will be deprived of the tooth representing Monday in the

 <Desc / Clms Page number 46>

 day section of these bars. All those which must function on Tuesday will be deprived of the tooth representing Tuesday in this same section of the days. It will be the same for the following days, until Friday. It will not be prepared bars for Saturday and Sunday. All the bars are also prepared in the manner which has been described in connection with the other embodiment, in order to operate the hours, tens of minutes and minutes.



  For example, since we want to close the output circuits for the bells that should operate Tuesday at 1.30 hPM, the seventh program bar 7, in addition to the tooth representing Tuesday in the days section will be removed, n Nor will there be any teeth representing PM, 1, 3 and 0 respectively in the AM-PM, hours, tens and minutes sections.



   If, as in the case of the program for one week, the device is prepared and put into operation during the end of a week to operate the following week, for example on Friday after 1.00 hPM, the drum will advance immediately. thereafter, until the first program bar 1 arrives in its place and is blocked by a combination of stop fingers including the erect stop finger, representing Friday in the days section of the device. Friday at midnight this stop finger will be lowered, but immediately after that the stop finger representing Saturday will be raised and will remain raised throughout the day of Saturday to prevent the first bar, of which only the Monday tooth was removed from the day section, not be released.

   Saturday at midnight, the stop finger representing Sunday in the days section of the device will be lifted to continue the obstruction.

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 stop finger will remain in action throughout the day on Sunday. It will only be Monday at 8.00 a.m. that the combination will be in a state such that program bar 1 can be released to operate the bells and within a few minutes, when the second program bar 2 arrives, the associated permutation system in the AM-PM sections, the hours, tens and minutes in the device will be such that this second bar is stopped. Although the permutation system will vary for each of the following minutes, it will not release the second bar until 12.15 pm.

   PM, when the absence of a tooth 78 representing Monday, of an erect stop finger 80 representing time PM, of tooth 12 in the hours section, of tooth 1 in the tens section and tooth 5 in the minute section will help release the bar and therefore advance the program drum. When the drum has advanced, the various teeth 48 closing circuits will cooperate with the corresponding contact fingers 46 to effect the desired closing of the output circuits.



   Pushing the above description to its logical conclusion, it will be realized that each of the bars of the program for an entire week remains stationary in its position, until the moment when it is needed for circuit closing operations. . Friday at 1.00 a.m., the eighteenth and final bar in the program will be released and the drum will advance to a position in which the first bar is stopped and waiting to be released the following Monday at 8.00 a.m.



   It seems that from the above description one can easily see the construction, the setting

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 work and many advantages of the device described and used to control the realization of a program and understand that there is no need for special skills, nor a deep knowledge of mathematics to prepare the various bars and insert them in the drum, in order to combine any program for a day or a week. However, for the installation of the device with a view to its implementation, it is necessary to take some simple precautions, based on common sense and common judgment.



   For example, although it is usually immaterial to place the prepared bars in one place rather than another on the periphery of the drum, provided that, of course, the natural order of succession of the hours of the day or of the hours of the day. times of the week is observed, where it is expected that two circuit closing operations will occur within a few minutes of each other, it is necessary to ensure that the two bars having to perform these operations tions are close enough to each other on the drum for the second to arrive at its closed circuit position in time to perform its function.

   If, for example, you want to ring a bell at 9.00 a.m., then again at 9.05 (which could very well be the case for a military school program including callback and muster signals) , it will be necessary that the second bar is placed in the margin of the five radial notches immediately following on the drum. Otherwise, this bar would not reach its ringing position in time to perform its function.

   Likewise, if the device has been prepared on Saturday at midnight and you wish to activate a bell at 12.08 h.A.M. Sunday morning (which

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 could very well be the case for a program in a parish institution), it will be necessary that the first bar in the daily or weekly schedule be inserted in one of the first eight notches of the program.



  It can be introduced, if desired, in the very first notch, and in this case it will be retained by the permutation system for the next seven minutes, or else in the eighth notch so that it arrives in place at the precise moment when it is to sound the bells, but it should not be introduced in the ninth size or in one further behind, as it would not be available in time to perform what we expect from her.



   The choice of the form of execution, which is best suited to a given program, may be determined by the provisions of the program itself. It should be remembered that with the device for a one-week program, in which the drum rotates every day, the device is able to perform up to sixty separate and coordinated circuit closures (in using multiple or single circuits), for the duration of each day.



  Thus, eighty of these closings is the maximum possible for the entire week using the device shown here. If it is desired to carry out on a certain day special operations for closing circuits which differ from the repeating series of functions, a separate program bar and a notch in the drum must be reserved to give the necessary space for each of these functions. functions, thus reducing in a corresponding way the maximum number of possible functions each day and consequently during the week.

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   With the arrangement for a week-long program, in which the drum makes one revolution per week, a separate bar must be used for each of the coordinated circuit closing operations. With a sixty-notch drum, only eight bars, representing eight individual coordinated operations, are available for each day's circuit closing operations. This leaves four bars, which can be used to increase the ringing capacity of the device on one or more days of the week.



   In the embodiment of the device according to the invention shown here, means is provided for periodically moving or advancing the drum at one-minute intervals, so that if there is no Obstruction, the drum usually completes one revolution at the end of each sixty minute period. It is evident that, since the arrangement of the teeth on the bars of the drum and the movements, ohronometrically regulated, of the various stop fingers are the controlling factors to obtain a good coordination of the closing of the circuits, the rapidity of the The advance of the drum is not fixed.

   If desired, the drum may be advanced at more frequent intervals, or it may be driven continuously at any speed with suitable provision for allowing the stop fingers to interrupt its movement. ment without damaging the motor means.



   Obviously, if greater capacities are required for any given program, the drum can be modified to carry a greater number of bars, and the device can be modified otherwise within the limits of the invention to be

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 able to render all the services, whatever they are, expected of him.



   While here the new, fundamental features of the invention have been shown, described and pointed out, applied to a preferred embodiment of the device, it must be understood that various omissions, substitutions and modifications can be made by skilled professionals in the form and details of the device shown and its implementation, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended to be limited only by the following characters.



   CLAIMS.



   1. Device for controlling the execution of a program, characterized by a member capable of turning, carrying at least one tooth in the passage of which is a pair of contacts normally open and suitable for being closed by it. , when it passes driven by the rotation of said organ, by at least one second tooth carried by the organ capable of rotating, by at least one stop finger, movable from a position in which it is outside the passage of said second tooth, to another in which it is in this passage and stops said second tooth by preventing said organ from rotating, by means for rotating said organ and by means controlled by a chronometric adjustment to bring said finger stop on the passage of said second tooth and remove it.


    

Claims (1)

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for causing said stop finger to move is controlled by a cam. <Desc / Clms Page number 52> 3. Device according to claim, characterized in that the tooth intended to actuate contacts and carried by the member capable of rotating is liable to be broken and removed to modify the program. 4. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the member capable of rotating carries additional teeth and, for each of them, a stop finger normally occupying a retracted position, out of the passage of. this tooth, and suitable for being advanced on this passage to stop said tooth and prevent said member from rotating. 5. Device according to claims 1 and 4, characterized in that the various stop fingers and the various teeth are arranged in several groups cooperating with each other and operate in the manner of a permutation system to put. out of action, the means driving the member capable of rotating, when at least one of said stop fingers and one of said teeth are engaged, and to let said member rotate, when there are none which are in take. Claim 1 constitutes the summary within the meaning of ar-