US2024855A - Power driven swing - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 17, 1935.

A. T. GOETTER POWER DRIVEN SWING Uriginal Filed June 22, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. flllan 73 67062 fer BY W7 A TTORNE Y.

Dec. 17, 1935. A. T. GOETTER POWER DRIVEN SWING Original Filed June 22, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ilfllllliii I Iunmm INVENTOR,

filial? T 6'06? 267 7 ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 17, 1935 UNITED STATES FATENT QFFIQE Application June 22, 1931, Serial No. 546,142 Renewed October 29, 1934 4 Claims.

This invention relates to amusement devices and more particularly to power operated swings, although certain features thereof may be employed with equal advantage for other purposes.

.It contemplates-more especially the provision of means for controlling the power actuation of a swing member in order to impart amusement without the display of any effort at the instance of the rider.

I Numerous types of amusement devices of the swing type have heretofore been proposed, but these are either manually motivated for the most part or else the power driving thereof is rendered so intricate and uncertain as to preclude the general adoption thereof from a commercial standpoint. In fact, it is manifest that the application of power must be automatically controlled and rendered intermittent at predetermined intervals so that the proper actuation of the swing will be effected with inexpensive, simple and dependable contrivances.

It is desirable that the power should be applied at only predetermined intervals and in a uni-direction so that a uniform impulse and swing characteristic will be imparted thereto with minimum wear on the instrumentalities and the automatic control thereof. Devices of this character are usually very cumbersome and intricate to the extent that the control is very dependable or lacking in the simplicity required of such devices so as to meet the requirements of commercial practice both from the standpoint of construction and operation economy.

One object of the present invention is to simplify the construction and improve the operation of devices of the character mentioned.

Another object is to provide simple and dependable power device for actuating a swing in a predetermined direction and along a'selected range to effect the uniform movement thereof.

Still another object is to provide a power driving device for a swing member to control the actuation thereof within predetermined limits of movement.

A further object is the provision of electric contact control means for a power swing device which is rendered responsive to the swing member.

A still further object is to provide electrical means for controlling the actuation of the swing member responsive to the movement thereof.

Still a further object is to provide a simple and dependable electrical control for a swing power driving device so as to govern the movement of a swing member to assume predetermined amusement characteristics.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an illustrated embodiment of the present invention. 5

In the drawings:

Figure l is a front View in elevation of a swing embodying features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view in elevation of the 10 device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front View of the operating mechanism employed in connection with the device shown in Figure 1.

Figure r is a sectional view taken substanl5 tially along line IV-IV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along line VV of Figure 4-.

The structure selected for illustration comprises a frame it] of any suitable construction, 0 in this instance comprising a pair of vertically spaced standards it and 52. Each of the standards H and "i2 are composed of inclined bars l3 and is which are connected at their upper extremities by means of any suitable plate or 25 bracket 55 for reinforcement by a plurality of cross members IE, it and IS, in this instance three, which are bolted or otherwise secured thereto in any suitable or approved manner. The cross members 58 are attached to the base 30 of the inclined bars i3 and i l, and the standards it and I2 are maintained in vertical spaced relation by means of bars 59 and 29 attached to the extremities thereof. It is thus apparent that a rigid frame iii is provided to stwtain 35 swing instrumentalities thereon of the character to be hereinafter described.

In order to support a swing and render such oscillatory, a shaft 2| is disposed in parallel spaced relation with the uppermost cross member IQ for vertical alignment therewith, it being journalled for support in bearings 22 and 23 carried in brackets 2e fixed to the inclined frame support bars l3 and M by means of any suitable fasteners such as the carriage bolts 25. As 45 shown, a swing member comprising a seat 26 is supported by any suitable hangers 2'! which terminate in bosses 28 for fixed attachment to the shaft 2 l, thereby sustaining the seat member 25 for oscillatory movement with the shaft 25. 50 The rider is thus supported in any comfortable posture upon the seat member 23$ for swinging conveyance along an oscillatory path about the shaft 12!. The seat member 25 together with its hangers 2! may be of any suitable construction 55 'motor 35 is. preferably supportedupon and configuration depending upon the dictates of commercial practice, and the swinging movement thereof is occasioned by power driven instrumentalities as will appear more fully hereinafter;

In order to oscillate the seat member 26 a gear segment 23 is attached about the axial hub 30 thereof to the shaft 2| immediately in front of a hanger 21." A carriage bolt=3| ex-' tends between the periphery of the gear segment 29 and the swing hanger 21 to insure the movement therewith in unison, there being a spacer collar 32 enveloping the carriage. bolt 3!: between the gear segment 29 and swing hanger 21 to maintain the relative position thereof with out any possible displacement or excessive strain thereon. Movement is imparted to thegear seg-. ment 29 through the medium of a pinion 33" which meshes therewith for support by an arma ture. shaft 34 of an electric motor 35 which, in this instance, constitutes the power'source. The a base board 36'fixed to the cross member H of the forward frame standard ll, thereby establishing an operative connection between the seat members: 26 and the driving or motion producing mechi anism 35'.

In order to control the power operation of the swingmember 25, it is preferred-to impart power movement thereto in a single direction for power drive along a predetermined range; As a con.

sequence, controlled movement of the swing member 26 is rendered possible and. the idling of the forward bearing bracket 24 through the.

medium of set screws 40.

The'energy for operating the motor 35 is'derived from .any suitable power source through.

wires 4| and 42 which are connectedv to the motor terminal 43 and frame terminal 44, respectively. The frame terminal instance, mounted on the cross. member |5 to energize a metallic shaft contacting brush 45 fixedthereto in .any .suitable manner by fasteners 451 "The metallic brush'45'is preferably sustainedby springs 41 so as to resiliently project the contact face 48 thereof .inthe path .of the shaft extension 31 having .a contact ring sector.'43 attached thereto.

The contact ring sector 49 is secured to the shaft extension 31 in any suitable manner and is insulated therefrom by means of a'fiber shaft sleeve 50.- The. peripheral .path of the brush contact..48 is rendered uniform owing to an insulator band 5| which completes and constitutes thecircumferential extension of the ring sector 49, -thereby.,closing .and opening the circuit responsive to the rotation of the shaft extension 31 without any appreciableivariation in periph- V eral' contact of the brush45. The other ter- .minal 52.of the motor 35 is connected. to a switch contact 53 fixed to the cross member I6 for responds to the swing-of the seat To this end, the shaft 2| projects.

44 is, in .this.

electrical connection through a wire 54. It is understood that the contact brush 45 and switch contact 53 are insulated from the cross member H5 in the usual manner and that the circuit is completed through a contact 55 mounted in 5 confronting relation with the contact 53 for manual control through a switch 56 connected thereto through wires 51 and 58. The wire 51 is secured :to the switch contact 55' 'while' the wire 58 connects the other terminal of the -switch to the contact brush 45 owing to the terminal .nut: 59 threadedly engaged therewith.

Inorder to control the power actuation of the swing member 26 after the manual switch 56 is closed, the automatic switch contact 55 is mounted on a bracket 60 for insulated attachment-"to the'extremitytl thereof. The bracket 60 is provided with studs 62 and 63 which extend vertically' upward therefrom on both sides of the shaft extension 31 for frictional engagementZO therewith by virtue of a confronting'clamp 54. Theconfronting clamp 54 has an arcuate inter mediate section which-envelops or embraces the shaft extension 31 having a brakeba-nd'fio" fixed to the periphery thereof for frictional 25 i grasp by the clamp section 65;The arms of the clamp 64 are'provided with apertures 61 for the reception of the bracket studs '62 and 63 and "a: resilient urge is imparted thereto" by means-of spiral springs 68.

The spiral springs 38 envelop the bracket studs 62 and 63' between the clamp arms 64 and the heads'69 thereof, thereby effecting 'a' .constant frictional engagement between-the bracket Gfi'and shaft extension 31. The frictional en-" gagement of the bracket 60 with the shaftex-J' tension 31 is maintained effective and any adjustment thereof rendered'possible by means of the stud heads 69"which are in threaded en-' gage-ment'therewith for this purpose. "LOCk'IIllltS 10 engage the studs 62 and 63 for contact'with' the'stud heads-69 so as to preclude any acci-' dental displacement or movement thereof which would have the slightest influence on the fric-" tionalreaction of the clamp 60 with the shaft 4 extension '31. I As a result the bracket 60 with its switch contact'55 will tend to move in unison with the shaft extension 31 to make'or break the circuit by the movement thereof relative to the '5 other terminal contact 53. The swing member?) 26 is thus propelled-responsive to the motor 35 controlled by the shaft extension 31 which serves as a support for the seat hangers oscillated in unison therewith.

starting from-a position of rest which brings the seat member 26 vertically beneath the shaft 2|, the manual switch 56' may be closed to the end that the swing is still inactive owing to the separation of the automatic switch terminals 53 and 55. 1 It will be necessary, therefore, to manually propel the seat member with its hang ers'21 in a counterclockwise direction (viewed from Figures 1 and 3) for a predetermined distance to the end that the bracket 60 will-swing therewith until stopped by the bent extremity 1| thereof which engages the cross member l6 serving as an obstacle to any continued movement' with the'shaft 2|. The rider then releases the-hanger 21 and'rests upon the seat member 70 Withthe arrangement abovedescribed and end of bringing the automatic switch terminal contacts 53 and 55 together.

The motor 35 will then be energized, and the swing driven for continued movement in the same direction until the metallic contact brush 48 rides off of the shaft sector ring 49 and on the insulator portion 5i thereof, thereby breaking the circuit and ole-energizing the motor 35 which will idle for movement responsive to the swing members'Zl which continue owing to the inertia effect thereon. Upon reaching the extreme position of oscillatory movement controlled by the opposed influence of gravity thereon, the seat member 26 with its hangers- 27 will reverse the directional movement to the end of separating the automatic switch terminal contacts 53 and 55 so that the motor 35 is rendered inactive until the opposite extreme position of movement is reached. Thus, the motor 35 is energized in a predetermined directional range of pivotal movement of the swing members 21.

I'hereupon the swing members 21 will be urged in the opposite direction (clockwise) responsive to the urge of gravity and the switch terminal contact 55 will be moved to again contact the terminal 53 to the end of again energizing the motor 35 for continuing the power actuation of the swing 2? until the contact brush 48 similarly rides off of the shaft sector ring 29. This cycle of power actuation of the seat member 26 with its hangers 21 continues for an indefinite period until it is desired to bring the mechanism to a stop by opening the switch 56. The manual switch 56 may be fixed to the forward standards ll within reach of the rider resting in the seat 26, thereby enabling the manual control of the swinging movement responsive to the motor 35. Obviously, the manual switch 56 may be positioned on the seat 25 or adjacent thereto for support on the hangers 2?, and this depends entirely upon the dictates of commercial practice.

Various changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention herein specifically described without departing from or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof as defined in the appended claims. 1

I claim:

1. In a power swing, the combination with a frame, of a shaft supported by said frame,

hanger members mounted for swinging movement with said shaft, a seat member carried by said hanger members, motion producing mechanism operatively connected to said hanger members, said motion producing mechanism including an electric motor, and electric timing means including .a contact member frictionally associated with said shaft, said contact member being responsive to the swinging movement of said hanger members during a predetermined range of seat movement to energize said motor and thereby impart unidirectional impulses to said hanger members within said predetermined range of seat movement.

2. In a power swing, the combination with a support of a shaft journaled in said support, hanger members mounted upon said shaft for swinging movement therewith, a seat carried upon said hanger members, electric driving means operatively connected with said hanger members to effect swinging movement thereof and rocking movement of said shaft, and contact means operated by the rocking of said shaft in one direction to energize said driving means and operated by the rocking of said shaft in the opposite direction to deenergize said driving means, thereby imparting swinging impulses to said hanger members when said hanger members are moving in one direction.

3. In a power swing, the combination with a frame, of a shaft journalled in said frame, hanger members'mounted upon said shaft for swinging movement therewith, a seat member carried by said hanger members, electric driving means operatively connected with said hanger members to effect swinging movement thereof and rocking movement of said shaft, and contact members operated by the rocking of said shaft in one direction to make contact and energize said driving means for a predetermined range of seat movement and operated by the continued displacement of said shaft beyond said predetermined range of seat movement in the same direction to break contact and de-energize said electric driving means whereby to impart swinging impulses to said hanger members in a given direction during said predetermined range of swinging movement thereof.

4. In a power swing, the combination with a frame, of a shaft journalled in said frame, hanger members mounted upon said shaft for swinging movement therewith, a seat member carried by said hanger members, electric driving means operatively connected with said hanger members to effect swinging movement thereof and rocking movement of said shaft, and pairs of confronting contact members operated by the rocking movement of said shaft, both pairs of said contact members being closed responsive to the rocking movement of said shaft during a predetermined range of seat movement in one direction to energize said driving means for imparting unidirectional impulses to said hanger members within said predetermined range of seat movement and one pair of contact members being operated by the continued rocking movement of said hanger members in the same direction for separation after displacement of said shaft beyond said predetermined range of seat movement to break contact and de-energize said electric driving means to allow said hanger members to swing in the opposite direction under the influence of gravity.

ALLAN T. GOETTER.

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