US 4,357,692 AGranted

Bell-striking clock

AssigneeFabrik fur Technische Laufwerke und Apparate Kundo Kieninger & Obergfell

InventorsRudolf Broghammer, Franz Kaser

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Abstract

An electronic clock emitting half-hourly time signals corresponding to sh' bells comprises an electromagnetic striker driven by a crystal-controlled oscillator via a multistage binary frequency divider whose last several stages, with the exception of the penultimate stage, have outputs interconnected by a logical coincidence gate to generate a succession of output pulses occurring in pairs during the first half of every cycle of a square wave emitted by the final stage. This square wave steps a motor which drives an associated clockwork entraining a multibank rotary switch and alternately closing, for short periods on the full hour and on the half hour, respective contacts which transmit the square wave to a control circuit including an electronic pulse counter. The control circuit, on being triggered by the second half of a wave cycle, emits an enabling signal which unblocks another gate in cascade with the coincidence gate to pass one or more output pulses to the striker for operating same, with simultaneous stepping of the pulse counter which terminates the enabling signal when its count matches a signal code generated by the rotary switch.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An electronic clock emitting time signals corresponding to the strokes of ships' bells, comprising:

a clockwork provided with driving means;
normally open switch means briefly closed by said clockwork every thirty minutes;
first pulse-generating means for producing a square wave with interleaved first and second half-cycles of different voltage levels;
second pulse-generating means synchronized with said first pulse-generating means for producing a pulse train with a cadence equaling four times that of said square wave;
a coincidence circuit with inputs connected to respective outputs of said first and second pulse-generating means for producing pairs of output pulses only during said first half cycles of said square wave;
a striker mechanism connected via a normally blocked gate to said coincidence circuit for sounding a stroke in response to each output pulse passed by said gate in an unblocked state thereof;
a control circuit connected to said first pulse-generating means via circuitry including said switch means for receiving several cycles of said square wave during each time of closure of said switch means, said control circuit being triggerable by said second half-cycle into emitting an enabling signal unblocking said gate;
and
timing means coupled with said clockwork and connected to said control circuit for establishing progressively longer durations for said enabling signal, spanning from one output pulse to eight output pulses, during times of closure of said switch means at the ends of successive half-hour intervals of a four-hour operating period.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.