Programmers

Claim 1

In a programmer for machines of the class of automatic washing machines, of the type comprising constant-speed driving means, a reversing cam continuously driven by said driving means; an operating cam unit driven from said reversing cam in stepwise manner; a movable member operatively interposed between said reversing cam and said operating cam unit in order to selectively actuate said operating cam unit and adapted to selectively permit the stepwise driven rotational movement of said operating cam unit or to block said movement, and a program cam rigidly fixed to said operating cam unit for actuating the movable member and having short-radius portions and long-radius portions, said movable member including a feeler finger engaging said program cam, said movable member being capable of taking up three positions of whicH the first and second positions are respectively defined by the program cam when said feeler finger engages a short-radius portion and a long-radius portion of said program cam, said movable member normally being biased by elastic restoring means towards said first position; a mechanism for counting the time of interruption of step-by-step forward movement, said mechanism comprising a rotatable time wheel, a restoring spring for returning said time wheel to a zero position, blocking means for selectively retaining said time wheel against such return movement and a lug for intermittent driving of said wheel; a moving system carrying said lug and adapted for rotational movement in conjunction with the movement of the reversing cam; a first stop secured to said time wheel for defining the origin of rotation of said time wheel, which angle is proportional to the selected time interval; cam means rigidly fixed to the time wheel and adapted to engage said movable member on expiration of the selected time interval to move said movable member to its third position, said movable member when in said third position moving said blocking means out of engagement with said time wheel to thereby permit said time wheel to return to its zero position; a second stop which can be rotationally displaced concentrically with the time wheel so as to carry the origin of the angle of said time wheel and to select the times of interruption of the step-by-step pulses, a control wheel which is coaxial with the time wheel and on which said second stop is mounted; and selecting means for said control wheel comprising a control knob and an intermediate gear train operatively connecting said control knob and control wheel, whereby said control wheel and said second stop may be rotated to a desired position by means of said control knob, and a leaf spring adapted to engage recesses in the periphery of said control wheel to thereby maintain the control wheel in a selected stationary position to permit the proper initial engagement of the intermittent-drive lug therewith.