Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
AUTOMATICALLY ARRESTABLE CURTAIN TYPE ROUTE INDICATOR
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a curtain and roller type
vehicle destination indicating sign that is operated to run and
se~k out and stop a specified segment of the marked curtain by
means of sensing and counting means responsive to a preset coded
switch associated with intermittent pulses emanating from the
rolling curtain.
In particular the invention herein provides a signal ;
conductive means associated with each of a plurality of destination
marked and segmented positions on the sign curtain of a vehicle
such as a bus or the like, to cause a pulse from each passing
destination marking on the curtain as the curtain travels backward
or forward between the rolls. Each signal or pulse, indicating
the passage of a destination indication, is counted and relayed
to a memory means. When the count in the memory corresponds to
the pre-selected total or the actual numeral on a manually set
switch means the curtain is arrested by the stopping of the roll
motor, and thereby the desired destination marking is shown
displayed on -the sign.
::
PRIOR ART
Destination signs having a curtain means with route names
and numbers that is moveably transported between two rolls to
show sequential segments of the curtain are well known. The rou~
` marked on the sign appear in rotation and are visible from the
- outside of the vehicle through a window in the frame casing
surrounding the mounting for the curtain and rolls on the front
or sides of the bus.
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The said known destination signs are manually operated by
the bus driver who must roll the curtain at the end of each route to
seek the proper marking on the curtain for his next or return trip.
There are usually a series of visual markings on the curtain visible
by the operator through a small window on the back of the sign which
he must watch to select the desired destination mark or name.
. DISADVANTAGES OF THE PRIOR ART
'
When vehicles such as city or provincial buses are to be
used on many routes it is desirable to have a destination sign which
will include all possible routes for all buses but such a sign would
have a curtain with many hundreds of routes marked on it which
would give the driver a most tedious task of changing the route name
after every run. The lost man time therefore becomes prohibitive and
a need has arisen for a destination sign with many hundreds of route
names any one of which can be selected quickly and automatically.
O~JECT OF THE INVENTION
It is the principal object of the invention to provide the
roll and curtain type destination display with a means for automatica-
lly counting the marked segments of the curtain and to arrest the
curtain to display in the window of the vehicle destination sign, a
one of the destination markings responsive to the setting or reading
of a pre-select switch which has been manually actuated to seek and
display one of the plurality of destinations corresponding to a partic-
ular setting of the switch.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
' :
; A curtain and roller type destination display for vehicles
and the like has a first switch means for actuating the motor
for transport of the curtain on the rollers either forward or
backward. The curtain is divided into parallely spaced apart
i segments and each segment has associated with it a conductive
metallic strip or patch which will complete a circuit in a pick-
off means fixed to said display means adjacent the passage of the
curtain. As a current is created by the pick-off means a signal
5~nt
isAto a memory device where it is stored and counted. A pre-select
switch having a plurality of settings corresponding to the number
i of segmented curtain destinatin markings is associated with the `~
memory means and manually set by an operator . When the destination
segment on the curtain is reached during movement over the rollers
~; the signal from it will be matched by the switch select means and
the roll motor circuit will be closed to arrest movement in the
; rolls thereby displaying the desired destination at a window
located at the position of arrest.
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; I21 THE DR~WINGS
, :
With the foregoing in view and such other ob~ects and
novel features that become apparent from consideration of this
disclosure, the present invention consists of the inventive con-
cept which is comprised, embodied and included in the method,
construction or combination of parts herein exemplified reference
being had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference
numerals refer to like parts.
Flg.l is a perspective view of the rear of a destination sign
showing the positioning of the proximity switch or metal tape
sensing means.
Fig.2 is a block diagram of the components of the electronic
switching circuits of the invention.
Description of the disclosed embodiment and
Mode of operation.
In Fig.l a destination sign as used on a city bus and enumer-
ated lO has a set of rollers 11,12,13,1~, rotatable and held
between frame members 18,18', and have a sign curtain 15 moveable
over them in either of two directions as shown by arrow "A".
' By suitable gearing means, not shown, a reversible electric motor
16 causes one of rolls ll,or 12, to wind curtain 15 in one direct-
ion and the other of rolls ll,orl2, to wind the curtain 15 in the
! opposite direction. ;
~ The curtain 15 is divided into longitudinal segments across
;l its width and each dispayable in sequence as the curtain is wound -~
from one roll to the other. A destination symbol such as a ~name
or number is marked across the front face of the segment to be ;
displayed on the front of the sign in the usual manner.
Associated with each segment is a metal foil strip 17 situated - ;
in series over the length of the curtain from top to bottom. A
proximity switch or other electric sensing means 1~ is attached to
the sign frame 18 adjacent the~moving curtain carrying the foils 17.
The sensing means will send a signal to the processor 36 and the
storage memory 20 to which it is connected by a count input line,
as each foil 17 passes it during movement of the curtain. In the
sensor shown a pair of fingers 21,22, of conductive metal of spring
like character ride along the curtain back as it moves and will
complete a circuit whenever the foil 17 passes between them. The
count circuit is energized and will therefore send a pulse to the
memory and processor whenever the curtain 15 carries a foil across
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the sensing fingers 21,22. The processor 36 counts each pulse and
stores the count in the memory 20. The number position of the
segment and display shown on the curtain and the "count" of the
memory will correspond at all times.
The reversible motor 16, is connected to a D.C. battery such as
the bus battery 40 and a live connection is also made between the
processor and the battery. The current required by the processor 36
the memory 20 and the manually operable thumbwheel set switch 35 is
of a very low order to insure that very little drainage is made on the
battery when the vehicle is not being run. Since the memory will loose
its count if the current in the battery fails provision must be made
to reset the sign position when the power fails to the processor to
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insure that the sign~-count position and the storage count correspond.
A run light 41 is provided to indicate to the opera-tor that the
processor is under power. To reset the store count to correspond to
the sign count it is necesarry to bring the curtain back to "0" and
to wind it up to the required display segment to allow the processor
to count and store the proper number. After a power failure the
operator will actuate a reset switch 25 which will have the motor
bring the curtain 15 back to "0" and then reverse and count pulses
from the sensing fingers until the comparator in the processor arrives
at the count set on the thumbwheel switch 35 when the curtain will be
arrested to show the sign corresponding to *he setting on 35. The
counts on the switch 35, the storage 20 and the actual curtain will
be all the same and the operation will stop and await a new setting for
35 before resuminy the movement.
To change a destination displayed on the sign face of the curtain
the operator resets the thumbwheel switch 35 which is connected to the
processor. The switch 35 has units, tens and hundreds positions which
are manually set by the operator and displayed by numerals on a dial for
his obser~ation. Each Setting has a connection to the processor and
suitable comparator lines to the memory. Let us say for example that
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the storage has a count of 55 and the switch shows 055 prior to the
resetting with the curtain displaying a destination marking corresp-
onding to 55. The thumbwheel switch is then set for 012 and the start
switch 27 actuated which starts the motor. At the time of switching
on of the motor the processor is alerted that 012 position is back of
the 055 position the motor is alerted to reverse rather than to
proceed to the end of curtain and then reverse. When reversing the
storage will subtract the "counts" of the pulses until a count of
012 corresponding to the reading of 35 is arrived at when a signal to
arrest the curtain is sent to the motor which is awitched off upon
displaying the 12 position on the sign. Since there are 999 plus a 0
position or segment possible on the sign it is a great saving in time
to have the processor seek the segment of the curtain required by the
shortest route.
Since for speed of operation the motor must wind the curtain
at the fastest time allowed by the materials available and to change
for example from position 12 to 875, it must wind much faster than
would be possible manually. A means is provided to brake the momentum
of the curtain and to allow over-run of the display required and then
for reversal to the required position to protect the curtain from
destruction which an instantaneous arrest of the motor and ~urtain
roll may cause. Upon arrival at thè designated segment of the curtain,
therefore a signal is sent to the motor by the processor for reversal.
Upon over-run of the position the motor will slowly reverse the
curtain until the position to be displayed is centred upon the front
of the sign when it finally stops the curtain. The curtain and rolls
dissipate their momentum during the arrest and reversal motion of the
motor and the said action is controlled by the processor by the signal
from the proximity switch 19.
The ends of the curtain have an end of curtain proximity switch 28
similar to switch 19 to protect the curtain from over-ride and to
signal the motor to reverse. On the bloc]c diagram the end of curtain
signal is shown as an input to the processor where the signal is
directed to the motor contro71 for reversing the motor.
It is understood that variations can be made to the invention
, disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the claims
.. attached hereto.
In particular the applicants envisage the use of discrete
; markings on the curtain with such markings being different for each
destination and having the sensor an optical reader which reads the
markings at each station on the curtain and senses and sends a
~. pulse reading of the destination thus opticaly sensed and read.
.i~ A tensioning means (not shown) is provided to maintain a uniform
. tension in the portion of the curtain extending be-tween the roller ~ .
reels.
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