US1663575A - Antiaircraft fire-control apparatus - Google Patents

Description

March 27, 192& 1,663,575

S. J. VAN DEN BERGH ANTIAIRCRAFT FIRE CONTROL APPARATUS Filed July 19. 1926 Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

I ED i ES PATENT OFFICE,

SAMUEL J'OHANNESVAN'DENBERGH, 01F H AAG, NETHERLANDS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM:

N. V. 'NEDERLANSGHE INSTRUMENTEN GOMPAGN-IE, 0F HAAG, NETHERLANDS.

. ANTIAIBCRAFT FIRE-CONTROL APPARATUS.

Application filed -Ji11y 19, 192E}, Serial No. 123,516, and in Germany July 25, 1925.

The invention relates to an antiaircraft fire control apparatus which is provided with a telemeter and a sighting telescope, both being adjustable in elevation and azimuth and so coupled to each other that a lateral adjustment of the one always entails the same lateral adjustment of the other, whereby the sighting telescope is conn'ected with an] arm of a triangle-device, corresponding to the hypotenuse of a reeftangul'ar triangle, andis further adjusted in elevation by altering the length of the cathetus of this triangle correspondingtothe height and the chart-distance of an aircraft.

According to, the present invention the arrangement is made in such a way that the adjustment of the telemeter inele'vation is independent of the adjustment in elevation of the sighting telescope. This arrangement aliords the advantage over the one hitherto used, in which the sighting telescope is rigidly connected to the telemeter, that the operator of the telemeter is independent of accidental incorrect adjustments in elevation of the sighting telescope which may be due to the temporarily incorrect adjustment of the length of the one or the I other of the two catheti of the said rectangu;

lar triangle.

Figs. 1 and 2 show in an elevation and a plan respectively a fire control apparatus constructed according to the present invention. r

On a casing 1, which is assumed to be rotatably supported about a vertical axis X-X and in which the mechanisms for ascertaining the various data of firing are assumed to be located, there is disposed a telemeter 2 rotatable about a horizontal axis YY. 3 denotes a window on which the heignt at any one time of the object to which the telemeter is adjusted is indicated, and 4 a scale on which an index 5' fixed on the casing 1 indicates the angle which the measuring plane of the telemeter embraces with the horizontal plane.

On the casing 1 there are further rotatably supported two screw spindles 6 and 7 of like pitch, perpendicularly intersecting the axis of rotation Y-Y of the telemeter, which spindles are coupled to each other for uniform rotation by means of two pairs of bevel wheels 8 and 9 and a shaft 10. The actuation is effected from a hand wheel 11 fixed on the spindle 6. A rotation of the two spindles entails a displacement of two nut-pieces along the spindles, the one of these nut-pieces, '12, resting on the spindle 6 and the other, '13, on the spindle 7, On these nut-pieces there is rotatably supported a screw-spindle 14, parallelto the axis Y-Y.

which is actuated by means of a bevel 1'5, fixed thereon andabevel wheel lfi from a grooved shaft 17 parallel to thespindles 6 and 7,. along which shaft the wheel 16 is displa'ceably disposed and which may be rotated by a" hand'f wheel 18. "The wheel 16 is continuously kept in mesh with the ti'ons ofnut 20 about the axis of the spindl'e 1 1a The nut 20 carries a pivot 22 parallel to the axis X -X, in which engages" an arm 23' with a groove 245supported on the casing 1 rotatable about the axisZZ,paralleltc the axis On a scale 25, ninnbe'red according to heights and fixed on the guide rod21, the left-hand edgeof the nut piece 20.indi'cates the components a falling into the direction of the axis Y-.Y,f of the distance of the pivot 22 from the axis of rota tion ZZ of the arm 23. The component of this distance, falling into the direction of the screw-spindles 6 and 7, is denoted by b. A fixed index 26 indicates on'a scale 27 of the arm 23 the angle a by which the arm is displaced out of its zero position in which it is parallel to the spindles 6 and 7. By means of a pivot 28 and a pair of bevel wheels 29 the arm 23 is so connected to a sighting telescope 30 supported rotatable about an axis TT, parallel to the axis of rotation Y-Y of the telemeter 2, that the said telescope is always inclined to the horizontal plane at the same angle a by which the arm 23 is displaced out of its Zero position.

The above described device is assumed to be coupled to the mechanisms, disposed inside the casing 1, in such a manner that the rotations of the telescope about the axis TT, corresponding to the variations of the angle of height of the aircraft, and the displacement of the pivot 22 along the spindles 6 and 7 (corresponding the variation of the chart-distance of the air-craft) and along the spindle 14 (corresponding to the Variation of the height of the aircraft) are suitably transmitted to these mechanisms.

The operation of the apparatus takes place in the following manner. By rotating the using 1 about the axis XX and by rotating the hand wheels 11 and 18 ot the telescope 30 an observer at the telescope 30 adjusts to the aircraft for which the data of firing are to be obtained, and follows, by continuous readjustment, the course of the aircraft. The operator of the telemeter 2 thereupon adjusts the teleineter by rotating it about the axis Y Y in such a way that the index 5 indicates on the scale t the same angle or which is indicated by the index 26 on the scale 2?. Owing to the above arrangenient'the teleineter isthen adjusted to the same target as the telescope 80. The op erator of the telemeter is now continuously taking measurements and a third individual permanently adjusts, by rotating the hand wheel 18, the nut-piece 20 along the spindle 14 in such a way that the leftedge of the nut-piece 20 indicates on the scale 25 the same height which is indicated on the window 3 of the teleineter. Thereby the observer at the telescope 30 is bound to permanently adjust, by rotating the hand wheel 11, the component 6, corresponding to the chart-distance of the aircraft, of the distance of the pivot 22 from the axis of rota tion ZZ in such a Way that the telescope remains adjusted to the aircraft.

I claim:

1. In. an antiaircraft fire control apparatus a telenieter and a sighting telescope, these two instruments being adjustable in eleva tion and azimuth, a carriage guide, a sliding carriage displaceable along this carriage guide, a second carriage guide fixed on the said sliding carriage and being perpendicular to the first carriage guide, a second sliding carriage displaceable along the second carriage guide, means for displacing the two sliding carriages in the carriage guides, a ruler, rotatable in a plane parallel to the two carriage guides, means adapted to keep the second sliding carriage in contact with this ruler, means for coupling the ruler to the said sighting telescope, so that the sighting telescope rotates in elevation with a rotation of the ruler through the same angle, and means for coupling the sighting telescope and the telemeter, so that both always laterally rotate through the same angle.

2. In an antiaircrafttire control apparatus a base plate rotatable about a vertical axis, a te-lenieter, supported on the base plate rotatable about a horizontal axis, a sighting telescope, supported on the base plate rotatable about a horizontal axis parallel to the horizontal axis of the telemeter, a carriage guide fixed on the base plate, a sliding carriage displaceable along this carriage guide, a second carriage guide fixed on the said sliding carriage and being perpendicular to the first carriage guide, a second sliding carriage displaceable along the second carriage guide, means for displacing the two sliding carriages in the carriage guides, a ruler supported on the base plate rotatable in a plane parallel to the two carriage guides, means adapted to keep the second sliding carriage in contactwith this ruler, and means for coupling the ruler to the said sighting telescope, so that the sighting telescope rotates in elevation with arotation of the ruler through the same angle.

SAMUEL JOHANNES van den BERGH.

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