US1319068A

US1319068A - System of radiodirective control

Info

Publication number: US1319068A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 1936-10-21

Description

UNITED STATES yPATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HAYS HAMMOND, JR., OF GLOCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS. l

SYSTEM OIE RA'DIODIRECTIVE CONTROL.

applicati@ med :une 15, 1912, semi Nu. 703,835.

`-To all it mag/concern.:

may be applied to the protection, of harbors" and coasts from hostile ships. In my sys tem, one central station may' be equipped with radio telegraph apparatus for-'sending v*may be under the control of a number of out electric waves to operate suitable apparatus on torpedoes or other movable bodies, and the apparatus at said central station other stations, suitably -situated to observe and direct the .torpedoes lor other movable bodies. Referring ,Ito the accompanying drawings Y Figure 1 shows, a chart or plan of a harfbor, with torpedo-control stations, ships and torpedoes.

Fig. 2 shows a diagrammatic form, several auxiliary control stations and a central l station on'my system of radio directive conground returnat E,E1, E2, E3 and E?.

trol.

In Fig. 1, a central station 0 is equipped with radio telegraph apparatus and is placed ina position protected from the gun fire of the enemy. A number of operators may be placed at different advantageous positions along the shore at stations l, 2, 3 and 4. These different operators will have either wire connection with station -O or ether wave, connection with stationnO, 4or any other form of electric connection with station O.

.As shown in Fig. 1, stations 1, 2, 3 and L are connected with central station O, by means of the common wire N N N, with T is a torpedo supply station. As willbe seen 1n the plan, station 1 would not be able to operate torpedoes against a ship in the position S1 'by reason of the'headland H- inter;l

vening.` Nor would station 2 be fable to operate torpedoes against a ship in the-.position Sfor the saine reason. Therefore, it would be suita'ble to place an o erating-base on each side of the headland Moreoven Specication pf Letters Patent.

-- of sets of apparatus,

1 Patented Oct. 21, 1919. Renewed February 15, 1918. Serial No. 217,462.

operating station 4 would be able to direct torpedo T2 against ship S2, whereas the operators at 1, 2 and 3 could not do so by reason of the' island I intervening. It is not necessary that there should be a torpedo base having dirigible torpedoes at each of these controlling stations, for it may be understood that one torpedo can be handed on from one-station to another.` However, if a number of'torpedoes be employed either simultaneously or consecutively, itis essentialvthat each of these said torpedoes shall respond to and be controlled b-y an electrical impulse or electric waves having specific characteristics'. Now, in order that each operator may control independently his own torpedo, it is essential, as has been above stated, that he shall use for the control of the said torpedo an electrical impulse of specie characteristics Therefore, y,at the central station O there should be a plurality ing ou-t electrical impulses or electric waves having specific characteristics, and all under the control of any of the auxiliary operating stations. For instance, Y'at station O there may be a number of alternators having different frequencies, and energizing, respectively, oscillatory circuits also havin different frequencies of a higher order. n this way electric waves of`various lengths, in groups or with peri'- odic amplitude variations of diiierent frequencies, can be transmitted from the central station, and each torpedo will be responsive to a specific wave length and a specic group frequency. All the sets of apparatus 'at station O can be operatively controlled from each of the stations l, 2, 3 and 4, and in order that these latter stations may operate simultaneously without interference, I have invented a method for accomplishing this result,as shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 2, l, 2 and 3 represent different auxiliary operating stations. At the other end Iof the line N is situated a central wireless station O and means for controlling cir- 4cuits containing a number of different alternators. At station 1, is shown a form of apparatus which I have devised for the purpose of obtaining a specific number of electrical'impulses or waves to be transmitted over the line. In order to obtain the best results in multiplex telegraphy with :currentwaves of different frequencies, the

currents Should be sinusoidal, and'to secure each capable of send-` this eifect I have designed the following apparatus: TV1 is a Wheel rotating at a specific speed. .Eccentrically connected ivith this wheel is a pistonlike mechanical movement P1 which effects a periodic compression of the diaphragm of microphone M1. The

compression of the microphonic contact will` vary with the position of the Wheel l/V1, and the number of complete cycles of microphoiiic action )vill depend upon the number of revolutions of the Wheel, and in this inanner, sinusoidal current Waves can be sent out over the line N. Vl5`1'representsa frequency meter for showing the frequency of the cur rent Waves sent out from station 1, and E1 is a ground connection. The speed of VP can be varied soas to send current Waves of any desired frequency over the line N. At stations 2 and 3, similar apparatus to that just described is shown at W2 and W2, P2 and P3, M2 and M2, F2 and F3, and E2 and E3, respectively.v

A battery B supplies current to stations 1, 2 and 3, and the line N connecting them With. the central station O. At station O, there are a plurality of tuned relays, R1, R2 and R3, each responsive to current impulses of a definite frequency. Taking one of these operating sets at station O as an example, when electrical impulses or current Waves of the proper frequency, (from any one of the sent over the line N, the tuned Qrelay R1 will respond, the vibratory r'eed or armature r1 Will break contact and the circuit including the battery B1 and the relay R4, which is normally closed, Will be opened; The armature r4 Will then no longer be attracted, but Will fall away by the action of gravity, (or by means of a spring or by other means), and `Will close the circuit containing the battery B1 and the solenoid D1. The solenoid Will therefore attract its core d1, which latter iyill then close the circuit containing the al- .ternator G1 and the primary coil of step-up transformer J 1. The secondary windings of J1 supply highpotential currents to condenser C1, which, when charged to the sparking voltage at spark gap K1, discharges through K1 and inductance coil L1, and induces oscillatory currents in the untuned antenna A by means of the coupling coil L4. manner, there areradiated from the 'antenna A, which is grounded at E8, electric Waves of a specic length, depending upon the periodicity of the oscillatory circuit L1 C1, and of a specific group frequency, depending upon the frequency of the alternan tor G1., the three alternators G1, G2, G2 having diffe-rent frequencies respectively. A torpedo, having suitable apparatus responsive to such Waves, Will therefore be under the control of this set of apparatus at central station O, and hence under the control of any of the auxiliary stations 1, 2 or 3, which In this,

caii put this central station apparatus in operation.

Relays R2 and R3 are timed to diiferent frequencies from R1 and from each other, and each puts in operation a set of apparatus similar to that under the control of R1, cach set including an alternator of a specific frequency, and an oscillatory circuit of a higher order of frequency, as will be evident from the drawings, and need not be more particularly described here. It may be repeated, however, that any one ofthe sets of apparatus at the central station O may' be put in operation from any one of the auxiliary stations l, 2 or 3, and thus di'erent torpedoes or other moving bodies may' be con- ;trolled and directed either consecutively or `shovvn as connected with the central station auxiliary operating stations l, 2 or 3), are "'by a Wire With ground return, but they may also be connected by a complete metallic circuit, or through the ether by means of suitable radio telegraph apparatus. selectivity in the electric Wave characteristics may also be secured through periodic variations in amplitude, instead of by group frequencies, by means of suitable apparatus such as shown and described in other applications of mine. v

It is also obvious that various other change-s and inodiications may be made in the particular apparatus and arrangements herein shown and described, without departing yfrom the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention gl. In a system of radio control, a main controlling station provided with means for transmitting a plurality of electric Waves, having different characteristics, and a plurality of local stat-ions, each being provided with means to cause the main controlling station to produce any of said Waves of predetermined characteristics.

2. ln a system of radio control, a controlling station comprising Wave transmission apparatus "adapted to emit a plurality of Waves having different characteristics, and

means for automatically controlling said apparatus to produce any of said Waves havvariable Wave transmitting apparatus and .Lampes `adapted to actuate the r. controlling ,mechaf nism at the central station.

A system of radio control, comprising-` a main station and a pluralityof local sta-- ytions, the -main station comprising a plurality of -independent means 'for transmitting groups of Waves, each group having a'. predetermined group frequency and com-iA posed of Waves having a predetermined` length, each of said transmitting means beingunder the control of anindependlent control device, and the local stations each comprising variable Wave transmitting mechanism adapted -to actuate any prede.-

termined control device at the mainstation.4

4. The method for transmission of elec- I trora'fliant energy which consists in productransmitting Waves havin 30 ing a current in a circuit, varying the current at any one of several local stations on.

said circuit, selectively. operating by means of such currentA variations an-y. of several electroradiant energy transmitters foremita plurality of series of Waveshaving tin diftgerent characteristics respectively, t

5. A system of teledynamic control, coinprising a main station-and a plurality of auxiliary stations, the main station comprising a Iplurality of independent means for predetermined characteristics, each of`said transmitting means being under thecontrol of an independent control device, andl the auxiliary stations Icomprising transmitting apparatus includin a variable speedwave transmitter adapte to actuate any ofthe control devices at the main station.

6: In a system of teledynamic control, a mainl station and a plurality of auxiliary stations, said main station comprising means for transmitting a plurality'of electric Wave trains, each `wave train having a plurality of characteristics, and each of said auxiliary stations comprising apparatus, includ-4 in a variable-speed sinusoidal Wave transmitter, adapted to cause the emission of any 'desired Wave train from themain station,

and -a frequency-indicating device connected with said variable-speed Wave transmitter. 7. In a system for the transmission of energy, the combination Withmeans. for transmitting. a plurality of series of Waves,.

of an electric'circuit, means for producing periodic variations in an electric current in said circuit and forvarying the frequency of said variations, and means selectively controlled by varying the frequency of said variations for causing said first-mentioned a plurality of "means to transmit any one of said 'series of- Waves.'

8, In a system for the transmission of energy, the combination with means for transmitting-a pluralityiof 'Waves having .diEerent wave frequencies respectively, of `an 'electric circuit, means for producing periodic-variations in an electric current in said circuit and for varying the frequency of said variations, and means selectively controlled lby varying the frequency of said .variations for causing said first-mentioned means to' transmit anyone of said series of waves.

9. Ina systemvfor transmitting energy; 'l

frequencies respectively, an electric circuit, means for periodically modifying at a variable frequency and at any. one of a plurality .of stations von said circuit. an electric current in said circuit, and means 'controlled by avariation in said frequenc at .any one of said stations for causing sai open circuit to emit any one of said series of groups of radiant oscillations selectively.

11. The method lfor the transmission of radiant energy, which consists in producing an electric vcurrent in a circuit, periodically varying said current at any one of a plurality of stations on said circuit, and at any one of a pluralityv of predetermined frequencies at each station, and selectively causin the transmission of any one of a plurality of series of'groups of Waves having different Wave frequencies and different group frequencies respectively as the result` of such variation of said current.

This specification signed and witnessed this'22nd day of May, ALD-1912. `1

'JoHNHAY-s HAMMOND, JR.

` Witnesses;

MABEL-J. COOPER, OLIVE B. KING.