Automatic control devices for use in cyclic processes

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING IN A CYCLIC PROCESS THE DURATIONS OF TWO DISTINCT PARTIAL PROCESS PERIODS WITHIN A PROCESS CYCLE OF CONSTANT DURATION, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, FIRST TIMING MEANS FOR FURNISHING PERIODICALLY AT TIME INTERVALS EQUAL TO THE CONSTANT TOTAL DURATION OF THE PROCESS CYCLE A FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL ADAPTED TO START THE FIRST ONE OF SAID DISTINCT PARTIAL PROCESS PERIODS, SAID FIRST TIMING MEANS INCLUDING A NORMALLY OPEN STATIONARY SWITCH MEANS ADAPTED TO CAUSE SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL WHEN MOVED TO CLOSED POSITION, A ROTARY ACTUATOR MEMBER ARRANGED TO MOVE SAID STATIONARY SWITCH MEANS TO CLOSED POSITION ONCE DURING EACH REVOLUTION OF SAID ROTARY MEMBER, AND FIRST MOTOR MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ROTARY MEMBER AT A SPEED AT WHICH THE TIME PERIOD OF ONE FULL REVOLUTION IS EQUAL TO THE CONSTANT DURATION OF THE PROCESS CYCLE; SECOND, VARIABLE TIMING MEANS FOR FURNISHING A SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL ADAPTED TO START THE SECOND ONE OF SAID DISTINCT PARTIAL PROCESS PERIODS A VARIABLE TIME PERIOD AFTER SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL, SAID SECOND TIMING MEANS INCLUDING SECOND NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH MEANS ADAPTED TO CAUSE SAID SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL WHEN MOVED TO CLOSED POSITION, A SECOND ROTARY MEMBER CARRYING SAID SECOND SWITCH MEANS ALONG A CIRCULAR PATH COAXIAL WITH THE ROTATION OF SAID ROTARY ACTUATOR MEMBER AND ARRANGED TO CAUSE SAID SECOND SWITCH MEANS TO BE MOVED TO CLOSED POSITION WHEN SAID ROTARY ACTUATOR MEMBER MEETS SAID SECOND SWITCH MEANS, AND SECOND MOTOR MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SECOND ROTARY MEMBER AT A SPEED SUBSTANTIALLY SLOWER THAN SAID SPEED OF SAID ROTARY ACTUATOR MEMBER; MEANS FOR DETECTING A MEASURABLE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CYCLIC PROCESS; AND MEANS FOR COMPARING THE VALUE OF SUCH DETECTED CHARACTERISTIC WITH A PREDETERMINED VALUE OF SAID CHARACTERISTIC AND FOR CONTROLLING, DEPENDING UPON AN EXISTING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID VALUES, SAID VARIABLE TIMING MEANS SO AS TO VARY SAID VARIABLE TIME PERIOD, WHEREBY THE RATIO OF SAID DURATIONS OF SAID PARTIAL PROCESS PERIODS IS MODIFIED AUTOMATICALLY DEPENDING UPON AN EXISTING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID PREDETERMINED AND SAID DETECTED VALUE OF SAID CHARACTERISTIC.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING IN A CYCLIC PROCESS THE DURATIONS OF TWO DISTINCT PARTIAL PROCESS PERIODS WITHIN A PROCESS CYCLE OF CONSTANT DURATION, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, FIRST TIMING MEANS FOR FURNISHING PERIODICALLY AT TIME INTERVALS EQUAL TO THE CONSTANT TOTAL DURATION OF THE PROCESS CYCLE A FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL ADAPTED TO START THE FIRST ONE OF SAID DISTINCT PARTIAL PROCESS PERIODS, SAID FIRST TIMING MEANS INCLUDING A NORMALLY OPEN STATIONARY SWITCH MEANS ADAPTED TO CAUSE SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL WHEN MOVED TO CLOSED POSITION, A ROTARY ACTUATOR MEMBER ARRANGED TO MOVE SAID STATIONARY SWITCH MEANS TO CLOSED POSITION ONCE DURING EACH REVOLUTION OF SAID ROTARY MEMBER, AND FIRST MOTOR MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ROTARY MEMBER AT A SPEED AT WHICH THE TIME PERIOD OF ONE FULL REVOLUTION IS EQUAL TO THE CONSTANT DURATION OF THE PROCESS CYCLE; SECOND, VARIABLE TIMING MEANS FOR FURNISHING A SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL ADAPTED TO START THE SECOND ONE OF SAID DISTINCT PARTIAL PROCESS PERIODS A VARIABLE TIME PERIOD AFTER SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL, SAID SECOND TIMING MEANS INCLUDING SECOND NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH MEANS ADAPTED TO CAUSE SAID SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL WHEN MOVED TO CLOSED POSITION, A SECOND ROTARY MEMBER CARRYING SAID SECOND SWITCH MEANS ALONG A CIRCULAR PATH COAXIAL WITH THE ROTATION OF SAID ROTARY ACTUATOR MEMBER AND ARRANGED TO CAUSE SAID SECOND SWITCH MEANS TO BE MOVED TO CLOSED POSITION WHEN SAID ROTARY ACTUATOR MEMBER MEETS SAID SECOND SWITCH MEANS, AND SECOND MOTOR MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SECOND ROTARY MEMBER AT A SPEED SUBSTANTIALLY SLOWER THAN SAID SPEED OF SAID ROTARY ACTUATOR MEMBER; MEANS FOR DETECTING A MEASURABLE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CYCLIC PROCESS; AND MEANS FOR COMPARING THE VALUE OF SUCH DETECTED CHARACTERISTIC WITH A PREDETERMINED VALUE OF SAID CHARACTERISTIC AND FOR CONTROLLING, DEPENDING UPON AN EXISTING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID VALUES, SAID VARIABLE TIMING MEANS SO AS TO VARY SAID VARIABLE TIME PERIOD, WHEREBY THE RATIO OF SAID DURATIONS OF SAID PARTIAL PROCESS PERIODS IS MODIFIED AUTOMATICALLY DEPENDING UPON AN EXISTING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID PREDETERMINED AND SAID DETECTED VALUE OF SAID CHARACTERISTIC.