US1463678A - Aircraft lamp - Google Patents

Description

Jul 31, 1923- A. L. DAVIS AIRCRAFT LAMP Original Filed Aug. 8, 1922 Patented July 31, 1923.

UNTTED 8E3 itans at orrics.

ALBERT LEWIS DAVIS, OF KINGSWAY, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND.

AIRCRAFT LAMP.

Original application filed August 8, 1922, Serial No. 580,480. Divided and this application filed May 26,

T 0 all whom it may conoem:

Be it known that I, ALBERT LEWIS Dav s, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at the Air Ministry, Alexandra House, Kingsway, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Aircraft Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of appl1- cation Serial No. 580,480, filed August 8, 1922.

' This invention relates to improvements in electric navigation lights for aircraft and more particularly to out-of-control lamps, that is to say, lamps which are intended to signal to observers in any direction the fact that the aircraft is out of control. Such lamps are required to be suspended and to show two distinct lights, one under the other, and the chief object of the present invention is to provide a double suspended lamp device suitable for use on a1rcraft.

According to this invention two lights, one suspended below the other and each com-- prising an electric lamp within a trans parent dome and mounted on a body piece providing for a maximum angle of visibility are suspended from a plug and socket unit carrying electric cables passing to the two lamps. The plug and socket unit is preferably provided with two conduits for the electric cables, one passing directly to the .upper lamp and the other passing from a branch conduit at one side through a guide along the side of the upper light tothe lamp body of the lower light, a supporting cable also leading from the unit to the upper light at the opposite side to the electric cable and passing thence to the lower light. The electric and supporting cables are attached together below the upper light.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 2-- Fig. 1 is a view showing the two suspended lights, the upper one being shown in cross section,

Figures 2 and 3 are respectively an elevation and a sectional view of a weatherproof Serial No. 641,758.

plug and socket union for the suspended lights.

Each light comprises a lamp body piece 16 having a screw threaded socket 17, a

glass dome 18, screw threaded at 19 and engaging the socket 17, which is provided with an india rubber seating ring 20. 21 is a tubular support for a lamp holder 22 within which is the filament lamp 23. The tubular support 21 extends from the body piece 16 through a centralizing plate 27 which maintains the lamp in central position in the dome 18. The dome as shown is of cylindrical form with a rounded lower end and the lamp is placed well down in the lower part of the dome so that the body piece offers the minimum obstruction to the visibility of the light, the filament 37 of which is intended to be seen in all possible directions.

Referring to the plug and socket unit employed for the support of the lights and for the leading in of the electric cables. 44 is a union plug unit and 45 a so ket unit, the two units being secured together by the union nut 46 which engages a flange 47 and screw threads 48 on the two units. 49, 49 are position pins to ensure the fitting to gether of the parts in the proper manner and 50 are conduits for the electric cables 51- and 51 one of which conduits is coaxial with the unit, while the other projects at an angle.

- The body piece of the two lights are suspended by the supporting cable 52, which is secured at 53 to the plug and socket unit at the lower side and at 54 to the body pieces 16 of the two lights. In passing to the lower light the cable 52 extends through a guide tube 55 passing alongside of the upper light and connected to its body piece. The side or branch electric cable 51 passes through the guide tube 56 extending longitudinally along the side of the dome 18 apposite to the guide tube 55. The guide tubes 55 and 56 are spaced by a gauge ring 57 at their lower ends and the cables 52 and 51 are separated by a stretcher 58 between the two lights below the gage ring, the cables being brought together as shown at the bottom of 51 and at the upper end of the lower light.

The plug and socket unit is provided with a single conduit 50 at the upper side,

through which pames the single cable 51 leading from the current supply and an extension 52 ofthe supporting cable passes from the upper side of the plug and socket union along with the electric cable 51 to which it is bound.

The lower light is protected from injury by guard rods 59 extending downwardly from the carrier or gallery 60, which is secured at 61 to the body piece 16 of this light.

lhe two lights are suspended from an convenient fixed member on the aircra t through the supporting cable 52 and the current is led to the pair of lamps through the cable 51 and the upper member of the plug and socket union, to the lower member of which is electrically connected the central and the branch cables 51 and 51 The fittings of the two lights ofier as little obstruction as possible, the lamps being visible in all directions excepting within a comparatively small cone immediately above the lights, where they are obscured by the holders and body pieces.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a navigation light for aircraft comprising lights arranged one above the other, the upper light having a body piece carrying a dome and lamp, guide tubes carried by said body piece, a gauge ring secured to the guide tubes adjacent the lower ends thereof, and cables passing through said guide tubes for suspending the lower light.

2. In a navigation light for aircraft comprising lights arranged one above the other, the upper light having a body piece carrying a dome, an electric lamp and vguide tubes, a gauge ring secured to the guide tubes adjacent the lower ends thereof, the lower light having a body piece carrying a dome and an electric lamp, and cables passing through said guide tubes for suspending the lower light and supplying electric energy to the electric lamp.

3. In a navigation light for aircraft comprising lights suspended one above the other, the upper light being provided with a body piece adapted to support a. dome, an electric lamp and guide tubes, a gauge ring encircling the dome secured to the guide tubes adjacent the lower ends thereof, the lower light having a body piece carrying a dome and an electric lamp, a pair of plug and socket units arranged above the upper light serving to connect the lamps to electric cables, the upper unit of which is provided with one conduit and the lower unit with a plurality of conduits, one of which conduits extends in the direction of the upper end of one of the guide tubes, and an electric conductor extending through this last mentioned conduit and through the guide tube for supplying electrical energy tothe lower lamp.

4. In a navigation light for aircraft comprising lights suspended one from the other, the upper light having a body piece carrying a dome, a lamp and guide tubes, the lower light having a body piece carrying a dome, and an electric lamp, cables passing through the guide tubes for suspending the lower light and supplying electrical energy to the electric lamp, and means within the domes for rigidly supporting the lamps a distance from the body pieces at least equal to the diameter of the respective body pieces wherebya large angle of substantially uninteirupted visibility is provided.

ALBERT LEWIS DAVIS.

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