Bell-striking clock

US4276625A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Kundo-Kieninger & Obergfell · DE

Inventors

• Rudolf Broghammer · Dunningen, DE
• Franz Kaser · St. Georgen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 10, 1980
• Grant date: Jun 30, 1981
• Expiry date: Mar 10, 2000

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G04C21/30
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An electronic clock emitting half-hourly time signals corresponding to the strokes of ships' bells comprises an electromagnetic striker driven by a normally blocked astable multivibrator whenever the closure of contacts operated by an associated clockwork, stepped by a crystal-controlled square-wave generator, coincides with a half-circle of predetermined polarity of the generated square wave. The multivibrator has a period of approximately 3/4 the duration of a half-circle of the square wave whereby not more than two pulses energizing the striker mechanism can be emitted by it during an unblocking half-circle so that strokes occurring at the ends of a second, third and fourth hour of a four-hour watch will appear in distinct pairs while those on the preceding half-hours will form one or more pairs followed by a single stroke after a larger time interval. The total number of strokes produced in each instance is determined by a comparator receiving the output of an electronic counter, advanced by the multivibrator pulses, together with binary signals generated by a multibank rotary switch entrained by the clockwork.