Title of Invention

UNIDIRECTIONAL COUNTER

Abstract

Unidirectional counting mechanism with a driven worm gear (1) and one or more numerical indicators (3) driven by the rotation of the worm gear (1), where the worm gear (1) is linked by a first ratchet-pawl system (6, 7a, b) to a first system gear(8), characterized in that said first ratchet-pawl system (6, la, b) comprises one or more first pairs of pawls (7a, b) with two linked pawls (7a, b) working in tandem, said worm gear (1) drives a reverse gear (10), which is linked by a second ratchet-pawl system (12, 13a, b) to a second system gear (14), said second ratchet-pawl system (12, 13a, b) comprises one or more second pairs of pawls (13a, b) with two linked pawls (13a, b) working in tandem, and one or more pawls (la, b, 13a, b) of each of the first and second ratchet-pawl systems (6, 7a, b; 12, 13a, b) is in a meshing position in the direction of a ratchet tooth (6, 12) or meshes directly with a ratchet tooth (6, 12).

Full Text

FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT 1970 [39 OF1970) COMPLETE SPECIFICATION [See Section 10 ; rule 13] "UNIDIRECTIONAL COUNTER" LANDIS+GYR AG [formerly Siemens Metering AG] of Feldstrasse 1, CH-6300 Zug, Switzerland, The following specification particularly describes the nature of the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:- UNIDIRECTIONAL COUNTING MECHANISM The invention falls within the subject area of counters. It relates to a unidirectional counting mechanism that, given the possibility of being driven bidirectionally, exhibits an indication with an unidirectional sense of rotation. STATE OF THE ART Unidirectional counting mechanisms are designed to totalize and indicate the imported supply or consumption of water, gas or electrical energy for example. The use of such unidirectional counting mechanisms is of particular advantage in electricity meters and especially in Ferraris meters. In what follows, the submitted invention focuses on the use of unidirectional counting mechanisms in Ferraris meters without the exclusion of their use in other areas, for example gas or water supply. In familiar Ferraris meters, a rotor disk arrangement is driven by an electrical line voltage and an electrical consumption current, and in turn drives a counting mechanism. Such counting mechanisms can comprise familiar number drums or number disks or exhibit pointers that turn in front of stationary dials. Should the rotor disk arrangement and in turn the drive of the counting mechanism erroneously rotate opposite to the proper direction, conventional unidirectional counting mechanisms between the rotor disk arrangement and the means of indication transform this incorrect sense of rotation into the correct direction for constant totalizing and indication. For such transformation of a bidirectional sense of rotation of a rotor disk arrangement into a unidirectional sense of rotation for a number drum arrangement for example, the use of pawl systems is familiar, as exemplified in US 4,352,979. This publication describes a unidirectional counting mechanism in which a pawl arrangement is turned by a gear drive. Depending on the sense of rotation of the pawl arrangement, either a first or second intermediate gear wheel with ratchet teeth is driven, where this first or second intermediate gear wheel provides for the correct, totalizing direction of the indication through further gear wheels. The number of different components for the counting mechanism can be cited as one disadvantage of such a state-of-the-art arrangement. Furthermore, this counting mechanism calls for two-ended mounting between a front wall and a parallel rear wall of an enclosure, because four components rotating in the same or opposite direction are arranged next to one another on a single rotary axis, namely the drive gear wheel, the pawl arrangement and the first and second intermediate gear with ratchet teeth. Single-ended axis mounting is inconceivable because of the comparatively high, static torque influence on the axis. Furthermore, a static torque acts on the counting mechanism even without external driving if the pawl arrangement is turned out of its unstable or stable equilibrium. Explained in terms of a clock, this means that a static torque without external driving also appears as soon as the pawl arrangement leaves the 12 or 6 o'clock position. The consequently unbalanced pawl arrangement can thus, in the event of a - inadmissible it should be said - periodically changing reversal of the sense of rotation, have a certain influence on the speed of changeover, so that a markedly incorrect indication of consumption would be possible. PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION The purpose of the invention is consequently to further develop a unidirectional counting mechanism of the above named kind, one that is more accurate compared to the indicated state of the art, especially in terms of quasi-immediate recognition of fraudulent manipulation, i.e. reversal of the sense of rotation. The emphasis is on correct detection of consumption and correct totalizing of consumer items. Furthermore, it is a purpose of the invention to produce a balanced counting mechanism, free of static torque and thus more accurate, with a smaller number of different components and involving less installation effort. Aside from the familiar two-ended mounting between a front wall and a parallel rear wall of an enclosure, this counting mechanism is preferably to be mounted only single-ended, i.e. either on the front wall or on the rear wall. The counting mechanism according to the invention is also intended to be more compact in comparison, and able to compensate electromagnetically influenced speed deviations of a driving rotor disk arrangement upon reversal of the sense of rotation. The purpose of the invention is fulfilled by the features of claim 1. Further advantageous variants of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims. The essence of the invention consists in the fact that two ratchet-pawl systems linked by a worm gear and an intermediate gear are arranged next to one another in a counting mechanism, the two ratchet-pawl systems differing in that each of them only meshes spontaneously and effectively in one sense of rotation, i.e. either clockwise or counterclockwise. Through the interaction between a pair of pawls and the associated ratchet teeth of a ratchet-pawl system, the counting mechanism according to the invention, compared to the state of the art, allows substantially faster changeover if there is an incorrect change in the sense of rotation of a drive unit. Even inadmissibly manipulated, periodic changes in sense of rotation thus lead to a quasi-direct changeover from the one meshed ratchet-pawl system to the other ratchet-pawl system, so that the counting mechanism indication continues to be driven and to totalize unidirectionally without interruption. The expression ratchet-pawl system is to be understood as an arrangement in which pawls on a component turning in one direction either mesh with ratchet teeth of another rotating component or, because of the opposite sense of rotation, do not mesh and thus idle. A worm gear in the sense used here is to be understood as a link from the counting mechanism to a driving worm, as very familiar in conjunction with a rotor disk arrangement in a Ferraris meter. The immediate driving of the number drums is produced by the socalled intermediate gear. It should be said that this intermediate gear is by no means essential in its nature to the invention. A specialist in the engineering of counting mechanisms is quite capable of eliminating this intermediate gear even without without being inventive. What is essential to the invention, for both ratchet-pawl systems, is that in each case one or more pawls is in a meshing position in the direction of a ratchet tooth or meshes directly with a ratchet tooth. The decisive advantage of this can be seen in the quasi-spontaneous meshing capability of the ratchet-pawl system that is not meshed at this time, if the sense of rotation of the driving worm changes. In the case of that ratchet-pawl system that is not meshed but instead idling, the pawls act on one another in relation to the opposite ratchet teeth like rockers, pushing one another into a meshing position with these ratchet teeth so that at least one of the two pawls is always in the meshing position. It proves to be a special advantage if the two pairs of pawls on the two system gears are arranged in phase opposition and consequently rotate in opposite phase. This means that the first pair of pawls of the first system gear are at 12 o'clock when the second pair of pawls of the second system gear are at 6 o'clock. Consequently, when both system gears - coupled by the intermediate gear - rotate, the torque of the two system gears with the pawls acting on the intermediate gear is fully compensated. This balanced arrangement is thus free of such torque in every position, which is solely a result of the arrangement itself and acts when the counting mechanism is at a standstill, i.e. statically. The counting mechanism according to the invention presents the further advantage of a very compact arrangement because the worm gear and the first system gear or the reverse gear and the second system gear are coaxial on one axis. The bending moments between these axes are thus infinitely small, even for single-ended mounting. Mounting of this kind is also simple and inexpensive to implement. Furthermore, compared to the indicated state of the art, fewer different components are used for the counting mechanism, which is a cost-cutting factor. A special advantage is that, through suitable matching of the tooth count ratio between the worm gear and the reverse gear or between the system gear i linked to the reverse gear and the intermediate gear driving the indication, i differences in speed of rotation for identical consumption are enabled between the forward drive and the reverse drive of the counting mechanism. If- for identical electricity consumption - a rotor disk arrangement turns faster forwards than in a manipulated reverse direction for electromagnetic reasons for example, it is very simple to undertake a correction of speed through the said tooth count ratio so that a number drum indication of the counting mechanism turns equally fast in the correct forward mode as in an incorrect reverse mode. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The drawings show examples of implementation schematically and simplified. The senses of rotation of the illustrated gear wheels are indicated by arrows. Fig. 1 is a developed illustration of a counting mechanism according to the invention with a number drum for indication and a driving worm; Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the counting mechanism along the line B-B' in Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3a, b, c are further sectional views through the counting mechanism along the line B-B' in Fig. 1. WAYS TO IMPLEMENT THE INVENTION Fig. 1 shows a unidirectional counting mechanism in a sectional, developed illustration. Developed means that all counting mechanism axes are drawn in one plane, although in fact they are not arranged in this way. To make it clear which gear wheels of the counting mechanism mesh direct, i.e. drive one another, two linking arrows 22 and 23 have been inserted. The counting mechanism shown in Fig. 1 is a drum type, where, for the sake of simplicity, only one number drum indicator 3 is drawn in, symbolizing a number of drums in a coaxial arrangement next to one another. The counting mechanism is suitable for totalizing and indicating the consumption or delivery of units in electricity, gas or water utilities. In what follows, the emphasis is on the totalizing and indication of electrical energy, and especially on the consumption of such energy units. Under no circumstances should the invention be reduced to the form shown and described, because any other use of the counting mechanism is conceivable without departing from the essence of the invention. This was also the premise for illustration by number drums; without departing from the idea of the invention, number disks or pointers in front of a dial are imaginable for indication instead of number drums. The counting mechanism according to the invention is driven by a driving worm 20, joined coaxially to a familiar rotor disk arrangement, not shown here. Together with Fig. 1, Fig. 2 illustrates the arrangement of the driving worm 20 with the counting mechanism, showing a sectional view along the line B-B' of Fig. 1. The driving worm 20 drives a worm gear 1 counterclockwise on a first spur gearing 2. Coaxially to the first spur gearing 2, the worm gear 1 exhibits a cylinder attachment 5. The inner side of the cylinder attachment 5 is provided with a number of ratchet teeth 6, while the outer side of the cylinder attachment 5 bears a further, second spur gearing 9 of the worm gear 1. This second spur gearing 9 turns a reverse gear 10 clockwise, driven by a spur gearing 18 of the reverse gear 10. This spur gearing 18 is arranged on the outer side of a cylinder attachment 11 of the reverse gear 10, with ratchet teeth 12 on the inner side of the cylinder attachment 11. One of these ratchet teeth 12 meshes with a pawl 13b, which is arranged with a swivel bearing on a system gear 14. A further pawl 13a is likewise swivel mounted on the system gear 14, and both pawls 13a and 13b are arranged to interact. Due to the fact that one pawl 13b meshes with a ratchet tooth 12, the system gear 14 likewise turns clockwise. Connected by a spur gearing 16 on the system gear 14 is an intermediate gear 4, which drives a number drum 3 direct. The intermediate gear 4 is driven counterclockwise and the number drum 3 clockwise. As long as the worm gear 1 turns counterclockwise, the ratchet teeth 6 on the inner side of the cylinder attachment 5 pass a pair of pawls 7a, 7b of another system gear 8, and such that these interacting pawls 7a, 7b in conjunction with the ratchet teeth 6 of the worm gear 1 are alternately swiveled to mesh with one of the ratchet teeth 6. The other system gear 8 is connected by a spur gearing 15 arranged on it to the counterclockwise rotating intermediate gear 4 and consequently turns clockwise. The ratchet-pawl system 6, 7a, 7b between the worm gear 1 and the system gear 8 is ready to mesh while the worm gear 1 is turning counterclockwise, so that one or more pawls 7a, 7b can immediately mesh with a ratchet tooth 6 if the worm gear 1 changes in direction to clockwise (not shown). In this case the worm gear 1 and the system gear 8 would turn clockwise. Consequently the intermediate gear 4 would turn counterclockwise and the number drum 3 clockwise. At this point the reverse gear 10 turns counterclockwise, so that the pawls 13a, 13b of the system gear 8 are simply passed by the ratchet teeth 12 and alternately swivel to mesh. What is essential to the invention is that only one of the two ratchet-pawl systems 6, 7a, 7b, 12, 13a, 13b is meshed while the other is permanently ready to mesh. This arrangement of two ratchet-pawl systems 6, 7a, 7b, 12, 13a, 13b in one counting mechanism enables spontaneous changeover in a simple fashion for every change in direction of the worm gear 1, so that highly precise totalizing and indication of energy consumption are provided. Compared to the state of the art, the counting mechanism consists of a small number of different components, enabling inexpensive production and assembly. Installation is simplified and speeded up by the fact that the entire counting mechanism is installed on only one side of an enclosure wall. Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show a complete rotation of the worm gear 1 in the correct counterclockwise direction. Starting with Fig. 2, the first ratchet-pawl system 6, 7a, 7b between the worm gear 1 and the first system gear 8 is at 6 o'clock, and the second ratchet-pawl system 12, 13a, 13b between the reverse gear 10 and the second system gear 14 at 12 o'clock. If the worm gear 1 is now turned in the correct counterclockwise direction, the first ratchet-pawl system 6, 7a, 7b shifts to 9 o'clock, while the second ratchet-pawl system 12, 13a, 13b goes to 3 o'clock, as can be seen in Fig. 3a. It can also be seen that the one leading pawl 7a is swiveled ready to mesh by the adjacent, lagging pawl 7b passing a ratchet tooth 6, and immediately after this how the leading pawl 7a, by passing another ratchet tooth 6, would swivel the lagging pawl 7b ready to mesh, which is not shown here, however, for the sake of simplicity. Fig. 3b and Fig. 3c are virtually self-explanatory in showing how the first ratchet-pawl system 6, 7a, 7b is turned through 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock and the second ratchet-pawl system 12, 13a, 13b through 6 o'clock to 9 o'clock. What should be particularly noticed in the sequence illustrated by Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 is the fact that the first ratchet-pawl system 6, 7a, 7b is arranged in opposite phase in relation to the second ratchet-pawl system 12, 13a, 13b. This means that the two ratchet-pawl systems 6, 7a, 7b, 12, 13a, 13b run through all positions of a rotation in opposite phase to one another. The decisive advantage of this is that no static torque , which means a torque stemming from the geometric arrangement, acts on the intermediate gear linking the two ratchet-pawl systems 6, 7a, 7b, 12, 13a, 13b. It is this balanced arrangement in terms of static torque that enables the spontaneous meshing of a ratchet-pawl system ready to mesh when the sense of rotation changes. A further variant of the invention is characterized by how very simply the speed of rotation of the counting mechanism can be different when changing from forward to reverse mode when the sense of rotation changes and there is a remaining, constant amount of consumption. Experience shows, namely, that rotor disk arrangements exhibit a set, calibrated speed in one direction for correct operation, but that they can exhibit a differing speed from the correct case of operation if the reversal of direction is manipulated and there is a constant, remaining amount of consumption. The invention counters this problem very simply in that the tooth count ratio of forward running to backward running gearwheels can be matched appropriately, which is not explicitly shown however. What is suitable here is setting of the tooth count ratio between the spur gearing 9 of the worm gear 1 and the driven spur gearing 18 of the reverse gear 10 from 1 to smaller than 1, and setting of the tooth count ratio between the spur gearing 15 of the first system gear 8 and spur gearing 16 of the second system gear 14 from 1 to smaller than 1. If a rotor disk arrangement should turn faster in the incorrect sense than in the correct sense however, the invention will also allow appropriate matching of the tooth count ratios, because it is simple to set one of the above tooth count ratios to greater than 1. It is also conceivable to increase the number of interacting pawls per ratchet-pawl system to three or more, thus increasing the number of possibilities for meshing with the ratchet teeth. The invention is thus consistent in allowing sophistication of the possibilities for meshing upon an incorrect change of direction. REFERENCES 1 Worm gear 2 First spur gearing on 1 3 Number drum 4 Intermediate gear 5 Cylinder attachment on 1 6 Ratchet teeth on 1 7a, b Pair of pawls on 8 8 First system gear 9 Second spur gearing on 1 10 Reverse gear 11 Cylinder attachment on 10 12 Ratchet teeth on 10 13a, b Pair of pawls on 14 14 Second system gear 15 Spur gearing on 8 16 Spur gearing on 14 17 Inner side of 5 18 Spur gearing on 10 20 Driving worm 21 Enclosure wall 22 Link 23 Link WE CLAIM : 1. Unidirectional counting mechanism with a driven worm gear (1) and one or more numerical indicators (3) driven by the rotation of the worm gear (1), where the worm gear (1) is linked by a first ratchet-pawl system (6, 7a, b) to a first system gear(8), characterized in that said first ratchet-pawl system (6, la, b) comprises one or more first pairs of pawls (7a, b) with two linked pawls (7a, b) working in tandem, said worm gear (1) drives a reverse gear (10), which is linked by a second ratchet-pawl system (12, 13a, b) to a second system gear (14), said second ratchet-pawl system (12, 13a, b) comprises one or more second pairs of pawls (13a, b) with two linked pawls (13a, b) working in tandem, and one or more pawls (la, b, 13a, b) of each of the first and second ratchet-pawl systems (6, 7a, b; 12, 13a, b) is in a meshing position in the direction of a ratchet tooth (6, 12) or meshes directly with a ratchet tooth (6, 12). Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein a number of ratchet teeth (6) are arranged on a first cylinder attachment (5) of the worm gear (1), and that the one or more first pairs of pawls (7a, b) are arranged on the first system gear (8). Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein a number of ratchet teeth (12) are arranged on a second cylinder attachment (11) of the reverse gear (10), and that the one or more second pairs of pawls (12a, b) are arranged on the second system gear (14). Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first system gear (8) and the second system gear (14) are connected by the intermediate gear (4), with the first pair of pawls (7a, b) arranged in opposite phase to the second pair of pawls (12a, b). Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in one of the preceding claims 2 through 4, wherein the number of ratchet teeth (6) of the worm gear (1) is arranged on an inner side (17) of the first cylinder attachment (5). 6. Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in one of the preceding claims 3 through 5, wherein the number of ratchet teeth (12) of the reverse gear (10) is arranged on an inner side (19) of the second cylinder attachment (11). 7. Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in one of the preceding claims 1 through 6, wherein the worm gear (1) and the first system gear (8) are arranged coaxially. 8. Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in one of the preceding claims 1 through 7, wherein the reverse gear (10) and the second system gear (14) are arranged coaxially. 9. Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in one of the preceding claims 1 through 8, wherein the worm gear (1) and the reverse gear (10) are arranged in parallel. 10. Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in one of the preceding claims 1 through 9, wherein the tooth count ratio between the spur gearing (9) of the worm gear (1) and the driven spur gearing (18) of the reverse gear (10) equals 1. 11 Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in one of the preceding claims 1 through 9, wherein the tooth count ratio between the spur gearing (9) of the worm gear (1) and the driven spur gearing (18) of the reverse gear (10) is other than 1. 12. Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in one of the preceding claims 1 through 9, wherein the tooth count ratio between the spur gearing (15) of the first system gear (8) and the spur gearing (16) of the second system gear (14) equals 1. 13. Unidirectional counting mechanism as claimed in one of the preceding claims 1 through 9, wherein the tooth count ratio between the spur gearing (15) of the first system gear (8) and the spur gearing (16) of the second system gear (14) is other than 1. Dated this 20th day of June, 2003. (NALINI K&ISHNAMURT1) OF REMFRY & SAGAR ATTORNEY FOR THE APPLICANTS

Documents:

627-mumnp-2003-cancelled pages(20-06-2003).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-claims(granted)-(20-06-2003).doc

627-mumnp-2003-claims(granted)-(20-06-2003).pdf

627-MUMNP-2003-CORRESPONDENCE(23-2-2012).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-correspondence(30-09-2004).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-correspondence(ipo)-(10-11-2004).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-drawing(20-06-2003).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-form 1(20-06-2003).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-form 13(01-10-2004).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-form 19(09-07-2003).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-form 2(granted)-(20-06-2003).doc

627-mumnp-2003-form 2(granted)-(20-06-2003).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-form 3(01-10-2003).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-form 3(01-10-2004).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-form 3(20-06-2003).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-form 5(20-06-2003).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-form-pct-ipea-409(20-06-2003).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-form-pct-isa-210(20-04-2003).pdf

627-MUMNP-2003-OTHER DOCUMENT(23-2-2012).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-petition under rule 137(01-10-2004).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-petition under rule 138(01-10-2004).pdf

627-MUMNP-2003-POWER OF ATTORNEY(23-2-2012).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-power of authority(01-10-2004).pdf

627-mumnp-2003-power of authority(30-01-2003).pdf

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