Automatic testing apparatus

Claim 2

An automatic apparatus for performing a plurality of electrical tests on an article, including a plurality of test stations, a carrier means for moving said article to said stations, a control means electrically connected to said carrier means for selectively providing the plurality of tests on said article, a memory means connected to said carrier means and operatively connected to said control means including a memory element having at least two levels of memory with one of said memory levels operative for selectively initiating said tests on said articles and the second level for bypassing a test, and a memory control means connected to at least one of said stations and electrically connected to said control means for selectively transferring said memory means from one memory level to another memory level in response to one of the operations on said article.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, and including a record means removably connected to said carrier means, and a marking means connected to at least one of said stations and electrically connected to said control means for selectively establishing a record on said record means in response to the operation of said memory control means.

Claim 4

An automatic apparatus for performing a plurality of electrical tests on a plurality of articles, including a plurality of test stations, a plurality of carrier means for moving said articles to said stations, a control means electrically connected to said carrier means for selectively providing the plurality of tests on said articles, a plurality of memory means connected respectively to said plurality of carrier means and operatively connected to said control means, each of said memory means including a memory element having at least two levels of memory with one of said memory levels operative for initiating said tests on said article and the second level for bypassing a test, and a memory control means connected to at least one of said stations and electrically connected to said control means for selectively transferring said memory means from one memory level to another memory level in response to an operation on one of said articles.

Claim 5

An automatic apparatus for performing a plurality of electrical tests on a plurality of articles, including a plurality of test stations, a plurality of carrier means for moving said articles to said stations, a control means electrically connected to said carrier means for selectively providing the plurality of tests on said articles, a plurality of memory means connected respectively to said plurality of carrier means and operatively connected to said control means, each of said memory means including a memory element having at least two levels of memory with one of said memory levels operative for initiating said tests on said article and the second level for bypassing a test, and a memory control means connected to at least one of said stations and electrically connected to said control means for selectively transferring said memory means from one memory level to another memory level in response to an operation on one of said articles.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 3, and including a tabulating means operatively connected to said plurality of memory means for counting the number of memory level transfers.

Claim 7

An automatic apparatus for performing a plurality of tests on an electric motor, including a plurality of motor testing stations, a carrier means for moving said electric motor to said stations, a test control means electrically connected to said carrier means for selectively providing the plurality of tests on said electric motor, a memory means connected to said carrier means and operatively connected to said test control means including a memory element having a first memory level for initiating a motor test and a second memory level for by-passing a motor test, and a memory control means connected to at least one of said motor testing stations and electrically connected to said test control means for selectively transfErring said memory means between the first memory level and the second memory level in response to the test results of said electric motor.

Claim 8

An automatic apparatus for performing a plurality of tests on an electric motor, including a plurality of motor testing stations, a carrier means for moving said electric motor to said stations, a test control means electrically connected to said carrier means for selectively providing the plurality of tests on said electric motor, a memory means connected to said carrier means and operatively connected to said test control means including a memory element having a first memory level for initiating a motor test and a second memory level for by-passing a motor test, and a memory control means connected to at least one of said motor testing stations and electrically connected to said test control means for selectively transfErring said memory means between the first memory level and the second memory level in response to the test results of said electric motor.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 5, and including a record means removably connected to said carrier means, and a marking means connected to at least one of said stations and operatively connected to said test control means for selectively establishing a record of the test results on said record means in response to the operation of said memory control means.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 5, and including a plurality of carrier means for moving a plurality of electric motors to be tested to said stations, said test control means electrically connected to said plurality of carrier means for selectively providing the plurality of tests on said plurality of electric motors, a plurality of memory means each connected respectively to a corresponding one of said plurality of carrier means and operatively connected to said test control means, each of said memory means including a memory element having a first memory level and a second memory level, and a plurality of memory control means connected to said plurality of motor testing stations and electrically connected to said test control means for selectively transferring said memory means between the first memory level and the second memory level in response to the testing results of said electric motors at each of said stations.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 7, and including a tabulating means operatively connected to said plurality of memory means for counting the number of memory level transfers.

Claim 12

An automatic apparatus for testing an electric motor including a continuous closed-loop track having an electrical energy transferring circuit connected therewith, a plurality of motor testing stations defined at preselected locations on said track, a carrier apparatus movably connected to said track for carrying said electric motor to said testing stations and including conductive means for selectively electrically connecting said motor to said electrical track circuit, a test control means electrically connected to said electrical track circuit for selectively providing a plurality of tests on said electric motor, a memory arm pivotally connected to said carrier apparatus having a reflector assembly connected thereto, said arm having an upper position and a lower position, a plurality of photoelectric transducers located at said plurality of testing stations and electrically connected to said test control means and positioned to be selectively actuated by said reflector assembly with said arm in the upper position for initiating a testing sequence at each corresponding station, and a plurality of memory arm control means located at said plurality of testing stations and electrically connected to said test control means for selectively transferring said arm between said upper and lower positions in response to the test results of said electric motor.

Claim 13

An automatic apparatus for testing an electric motor including a continuous closed-loop track having an electrical energy transferring circuit connected therewith, a plurality of motor testing stations defined at preselected locations on said track, a carrier apparatus movably connected to said track for carrying said electric motor to said testing stations and including conductive means for selectively electrically connecting said motor to said electrical track circuit, a test control means electrically connected to said electrical track circuit for selectively providing a plurality of tests on said electric motor, a memory arm pivotally connected to said carrier apparatus having a reflector assembly connected thereto, said arm having an upper position and a lower position, a plurality of photoelectric transducers located at said plurality of testing stations and electrically connected to said test control means and positioned to be selectively actuated by said reflector assembly with said arm in the upper position for initiating a testing sequence at each corresponding station, and a plurality of memory arm control means located at said plurality of testing stations and electrically connected to said test control means for selectively transferring said arm between said upper and lower positions in response to the test results of said electric motor.

Claim 14

The automatic testing apparatus of claim 9, wherein a portion of said memory arm provides an electrical conductor, and said carrier apparatus including a pair of electrical contacts spring-biased toward each other and adapted to receive said memory arm portion with said arm in the upper position, said pair of contacts and said arm portion connected to said conductive means for completing the electrical circuit between said motor and said electrical track circuit with said arm in said upper position and disconnecting said circuit with said arm in the lower position.

Claim 15

The automatic testing apparatus of claim 9, wherein said memory arm control means are located at the terminating end of said testing stations and each of said memory arm control means includes a retractable piston having a projection positioned within the traveling path of said memory arm, said piston being retracted in response to said test control means upon the conclusion of a successful test to allow said memorY arm to pass to the succeeding test station in said upper position.

Claim 16

The automatic testing apparatus of claim 9, and including a record card removably connected to said carrier apparatus, and a plurality of stamping pistons located at said plurality of testing stations and operatively connected to said test control means with each of said pistons having an axially movable punch connected thereto and adapted to selectively perforate said record card at a preselected location in response to a test failure at a corresponding test station.

Claim 17

The automatic testing apparatus of claim 9, and including a pass and a failure photoelectric transducers located adjacent to said closed-loop track and adjacent to the terminating end of the final testing sequence and electrically connected to said test control means, said transducers selectively actuated by said reflector assembly in accordance with the positioning of said memory arm in said upper or lower positions respectively.

Claim 18

The automatic testing apparatus of claim 13, wherein said automatic testing apparatus includes a plurality of said carrier apparatus mounted for sequential movement around said track and each of said carrier apparatus having said memory arm and reflector assembly, said test control means further including first and seond tabulating counters connected respectively to said pass and failure transducers for providing an indication of the number of said electric motors passing and failing the plurality of tests at said plurality of testing stations.

Claim 19

The automatic testing apparatus of claim 14, wherein said second tabulating counter includes an automatically resettable counter for tabulatingthe number of consecutive testing failures up to a predetermined number, said second counter being reset in response to a successful motor test, and an alarm actuated by said first counter in response to said predetermined number of consecutive testing failures.