Time-interval rate meter for time measuring devices and method for checking time pieces

Claim 2

An electronic time-interval rate meter for time measuring devices including a. transducer means for converting the rhythm of a time measuring device into corresponding electric currents; b. means for processing said currents including means for amplification thereof; c. a reference clock means producing a fixed number of pulses per unit of time; d. an AND-gate having one input terminal connected to said reference clock means and another input terminal supplied with an input derived from said processing and amplifying means; e. a digital readout counter having at least five digits for numerically displaying the output of said AND-gate; and f. a plurality of cascade connected frequency dividers including switching means interposed between said processing and amplifying means and said AND-gate for selectively varying the periods of time during which said AND-gate is open.

Claim 3

An electronic rate meter as specific in claim 1 wherein said plurality of cascade connected frequency dividers is adapted to establish a band of divisors having a band width of several hundred.

Claim 4

An electronic rate meter as specified in claim 2 wherein said reference clock means has a frequency of about 10,000 pulses per second and wherein said band of dividers includes the numbers 8, 16,24,40,80,160,1,600 and 3,200.

Claim 5

An electronic rate meter as specified in claim 1 wherein said digital readout counter is a five digit instrument, wherein said reference clock means has a frequency of about 10,000 pulses per second and wherein the smallest divisor of said plurality of cascade-connected frequency dividers is selected so that when said current processing means delivers to said AND-gate gating pulses at the rate of about 3,600 per hour, said readout counter indicates about 80,000.

Claim 6

An electronic rate meter as specified in claim 1 wherein said digital readout counter is a six digit instrument and wherein said reference clock means and said plurality of cascade connected frequency dividers are calibrated in such a fashion that the last digit of said digital readout counter indicates + or - tenth of a second for a plurality of standard beat frequencies.

Claim 7

An electronic time-interval rate meter for time measuring devices which produce trains of mechanical pulse including in combination a. transducer means for converting the rythm of a time measuring device into corresponding electric currents; b. processing means for said currents including means for the amplification thereof; c. a plurality of cascade connected frequency dividers adapted to establish a band of divisors having a band width of several hundred supplied with electric currents from said processing means and having separate output terminals; d. a gate having a gating input terminal, a clock input terminal and an output terminal; e. switching means for selectively connecting each of said separate output terminals of each of said plurality of frequency dividers to said gating input terminal of said gate; f. reference clock means producing a fixed number of pulses per unit of time connected to said clock input terminal of said gate; g. a digital counter having at least five digiTs for counting the output of said output terminal of said gate; and h. a numerical display and control circuitry therefor for periodically updating the numbers displayed by said numerical display in accordance with changes of the counts of said counter.

Claim 8

An electronic time-interval rate meter for time measuring devices which produce trains of mechanical pulse including in combination a. transducer means for converting the rythm of a time measuring device into corresponding electric currents; b. processing means for said currents including means for the amplification thereof; c. a plurality of cascade connected frequency dividers adapted to establish a band of divisors having a band width of several hundred supplied with electric currents from said processing means and having separate output terminals; d. a gate having a gating input terminal, a clock input terminal and an output terminal; e. switching means for selectively connecting each of said separate output terminals of each of said plurality of frequency dividers to said gating input terminal of said gate; f. reference clock means producing a fixed number of pulses per unit of time connected to said clock input terminal of said gate; g. a digital counter having at least five digiTs for counting the output of said output terminal of said gate; and h. a numerical display and control circuitry therefor for periodically updating the numbers displayed by said numerical display in accordance with changes of the counts of said counter.

Claim 9

A rate meter as specified in claim 6 wherein said plurality of cascade connected frequency dividers and said reference clock are calibrated to allow display of a number close to 80,000 for time measuring devices which are exactly on time and having beat rates per hour of about 3,600, 10,800, 16,000, 36,000, 720,000 and 1,296,000.

Claim 10

A rate meter as specified in claim 6 wherein said digital counter has six digits of which the last digit displays approximately tenth of a second.

Claim 11

A rate meter as specified in claim 6 wherein said plurality of cascade connected frequency dividers is adapted to divide the number of electric pulses supplied to them by the numbers 8, 16, 24, 40, 80, 160, 1,600 and 3,200, and wherein said reference clock means produces about 10,000 pulses per second.