Sensing device
AssigneeTooling & Productions Systems, Inc.
InventorsDean L. Bentzien, Hermann Dohl, Armin Dohl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sensing device for monitoring the presence of a tool or other object on an automatic machine comprises a sensing head adapted to be mounted on the machine. The sensing head has a sensing needle mounted on the output shaft of a reversible motor actuated on each cycle of the automatic machine for movement through a swing angle such that the sensing needle will either contact the monitored object or complete the full swing angle movement resulting in a cycle continue or cycle stop signal to the automatic machine control. The swing angle is manually adjustable by a setting ring on the sensing head for either clockwise or counterclockwise initial rotation of the sensing needle through any desired angle up to 180.degree. degrees.
Claims9
A sensing device including a sensing head comprising a housing, a reversible motor mounted therein, a drive shaft rotatably driven by said motor and having a portion projecting from one end of said housing;
- a movable electrical contact element carried by said drive shaft within said housing, at least one fixed electrical contact element carried by said housing for engagement by said movable contact element in response to rotation of said drive shaft in one direction;
- a sensing needle attached to said projecting portion of said drive shaft and extending generally radially therefrom, said sensing needle being adapted to contact an object to be detected in response to rotation of said drive shaft in said one direction from a starting position;
- and
- means for selectively setting the angular displacement of said starting position relative to said fixed contact element, said setting means comprising a stop movable with said drive shaft, a setting ring rotatably supported within said housing radially outwardly of said drive shaft and concentrically therewith, at least one abutment fixed to said setting ring in the path of rotary movement of said stop, manually operable adjusting means carried by said setting ring externally of said housing for rotatably positioning said setting ring and abutment relative to said fixed contact element, and locking means for fixing the position of said setting ring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.