1. An actuation device for a control cable for a bicycle gearshift, comprising:
a casing, configured for attachment on an end of a handlebar of the bicycle,
a bobbin on which to wind the cable, angularly mobile in the casing around a main axis of the device,
a drive mechanism, acting on the bobbin to rotate the bobbin in a first and in a second angular direction around the main axis of the device,
indexing means to removably hold the bobbin in predetermined angular positions,
the drive mechanism comprising:
a lever that is biased towards a neutral position, angularly mobile with respect to the casing around the main axis of the device, in the first or in the second angular direction from the neutral position to obtain downward or upward gearshifting,
an internally toothed crown, non-rotatably mounted to the bobbin and angularly mobile in the casing,
elastic means acting between the lever and the casing that bias the lever into the neutral position, and
a ratchet mechanism between the lever and the toothed crown
that comprises:
two opposite rocker arms, hinged on the lever according to two pivot axes parallel to one another and to the main axis of the device, each of said rocker arms having an arched shape wrapping around the main axis of the device and extending from a first end to a second end, wherein the first end of the first rocker arm is proximal to the first end of the second rocker arm and the second end of the first rocker arm faces towards the second end of the second rocker arm,
a toothed sector, formed on each rocker arm on an outer side thereof, proximal to the respective second end, said sector having a toothing profile for engaging the toothing of the toothed crown, wherein the crown is in an axial position corresponding to that of the toothed sectors along the main axis of the device,
a cam profile, formed on each rocker arm on an inner side thereof, adjacent to the respective first end,
a thruster to thrust each rocker arm around a pivot axis of the rocker arm to thrust the second end of each of the rocker arms away from the main axis of the device,
a pointer that is stationary with respect to the casing and facing radially outwards with respect to the main axis of the device, engaged with at least one cam profile on the rocker arms,
each cam profile is configured such that:
when the pointer is engaged with the cam profile of one of the rocker arms, the toothed sector of the one rocker arm is positioned away from the toothed crown, and
when the pointer is disengaged from the cam profile, the toothed sector of the one rocker arm is thrust into engagement with the toothed crown by the thruster.
2. The actuation device according to claim 1, wherein the thruster is a spring that is compressed between the second end of each of the two rocker arms.
3. The actuation device according to claim 1, wherein when the lever is in the neutral position the pointer is engaged with a first portion of the cam profile of both of the rocker arms.
4. The actuation device according to claim 3, wherein the elastic means comprise a spring acting between the casing and the lever to take the lever into the neutral position.
5. The actuation device according to claim 1, wherein each of the rocker arms is hinged to the lever by a respective pin.
6. The actuation device according to claim 1, wherein the pivot axis of each rocker arm is positioned closer to the first end of each rocker arm than the second end of each rocker arm.
7. The actuation device according to claim 1, wherein the toothing profile of the toothed sector and of the toothed crown promote snap disengagement, one tooth at a time, when the toothed sector moves with the lever back into the neutral position of the lever while the toothed crown remains stationary.
8. The actuation device according to claim 7, wherein the toothing profile of the toothed sector comprises teeth with a thrusting side facing towards the second end of each rocker arm and an oppositely situated release side, in which the thrusting side is oriented with reference to a cross section with respect to the main axis of the device so that a first half-line tangent to the thrusting side and oriented towards the outside of the device forms an angle greater than or equal to 90\xb0 with a second half-line from the thrusting side that points towards the pivot axis of each rocker arm.
9. An actuation device for controlling a cable associated with a bicycle gearshift comprising:
a casing configured for attachment on an end of a bicycle handlebar to secure a body of the device;
a cable winding bobbin mounted within the casing and having an internally toothed crown;
an indexer that holds the bobbin in a predetermined angular position;
a drive mechanism that includes a lever that is actionable from a neutral position to obtain downward or upward gearshifting and rotates the bobbin to achieve the predetermined angular position;
a ratchet mechanism, located between the lever and the toothed crown, that includes opposite rocker arms that comprise arched cams with profiles that curve away from each other, and a toothed sector on each respective rocker arm for engaging the toothed crown;
a pointer that is stationary with respect to the casing and is selectively engaged by both of the rocker arms;
a thruster that urges each of the rocker arms towards respective neutral positions with respect to the pointer;
whereby engagement between a respective cam profile and the pointer causes one rocker arm’s toothed sector to move away from the toothed crown, and the other rocker arm’s toothed sector to move toward engagement with the toothed crown.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for synchronizing the motion sequences of at least one main pile and at least one auxiliary pile in a feeder or delivery device of a printing material processing machine, the method comprising:
moving the main pile using a drive and a main pile controller associated with the drive;
moving the auxiliary pile using an additional drive and an auxiliary pile controller associated with the additional drive; and
receiving a start signal at the auxiliary pile controller to move the auxiliary pile, the start signal being received from the main pile controller or from a further, higher-level machine controller, the start signal simultaneously initiating a movement of the main pile.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the moving of the main pile and the moving of the auxiliary pile include moving the main pile and the auxiliary pile a same distance within a same time using the main pile controller and the auxiliary pile controller.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising storing at least one of a last-reached position of the auxiliary pile and a last-reached position of the main pile in at least one of the main pile controller, the auxiliary pile controller and the further, higher-level machine controller.
4. The method as recited in claim 3 further comprising moving at least one of the auxiliary and main piles as a function of the at least one of a last-reached position of the auxiliary pile and a last-reached position of the main pile.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising transmitting a travel path of the main pile or a travel path of the auxiliary pile as a setpoint value to the main pile controller or the auxiliary pile controller, respectively.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising transmitting the start signal via a communication device between the auxiliary pile controller and the main pile controller.
7. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising compensating for delays occurring during signal transmission via the communication device.
8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising measuring disturbances and taking into account the disturbances in the control of the drive and additional drive.
9. A feeder or delivery device of a printing material processing machine having synchronized motion sequences of at least one main pile and at least one auxiliary pile comprising:
a drive for moving the main pile;
a main pile controller associated with the drive;
an additional drive for moving the auxiliary pile; and
an auxiliary pile controller associated with the additional drive, the auxiliary pile controller receiving a start signal to move the auxiliary pile, the start signal being received from the main pile controller or from a further, higher-level machine controller, the start signal simultaneously initiating a movement of the main pile.
10. The feeder or delivery device as recited in claim 9 wherein the device is part of a printing press or a folding machine.