US2029347A

US2029347A - Means and method of distance finding

Info

Publication number: US2029347A
Application number: US383025A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Edwin E Turner
Original assignee: Submarine Signal Co
Current assignee: Submarine Signal Co
Priority date: 1927-09-20
Filing date: 1929-08-02
Publication date: 1936-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 1953-02-04

Description

Feb 4, 1936.' TURNERLJR 2,029,347

MEANS AND METHOD OF DISTANCE FINDING Original Filed Sept. 20, 1927 STANDARD INDICATOR FDJ'US'IABLE |MPEDANCE INDICATO' INVENTOR. Eowm E. TURNER JR.

ATTOfRNEY.

Patented-Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE 2,029,347 MEANS AND METHOD OF DISTANCE FINDING Original application September 20, 1927, Serial No. 220,719. Divided and this application August 2, 1929, Serial No. 383,025

4 Claims. (01. 177452) The present application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 220,719, filed September 20, 1927, Patent No. 1,991,430, and relates in particular to the system and method described m me specification in connection with Figure 3 therein. a

The present invention relates to the means and method of controlling the restoration of a relay circuit of the general type herein shown, as well asthe types of circuits shown in my copending United States patent application Serial No. 200,086, filed June 20, 1927, Patent No. 1,775,073. In my application just referred to the circuit of the last tube is restored to normal, preoperating condition by the fact that the grid return is connected to the positive side of the filament and that after the phenomenon has passed the grid assumes the positive potential of the positive side of the filament. Since this is substantially instantaneous, the circuit is brought back to normal condition immediately after operation. In the modification of Figure 3, in application Serial No. 200,086, the circuit is restored to normal condition by operation of the switch 25, which brings the potential of the-grid to that of the filament.

The present invention is chiefly concerned with the regulation or the restoration of the circuit to normal conditions automatically but not instantaneously.

Not only is it possible to adjust the interval between operation and restoration to any desired .value, but it is also possible, by the methods of the present invention, to vary this interval by proper controlling devices. If, for instance, it is desired to insure that the circuit remain inoperative for one second, certain electrical constants may be so adjusted, as will be explained later, as

to accomplish this result. A device of this nature is particularly useful in recording sound phenomena which are followed by other phenomena not desired and which, therefore, are eliminated .by making the circuit remain inoperative during the necessary interval to exclude the undesired phenomena.

Another useful purpose to which the present invention may be put is the measurement of a time interval. If the values of the constants of the restoration circuit are known relative to the time interval, then theinterval between two operations of the circuit occurring directly at-the beginning and at the restoration of the circuit can be measured by the constants of the circuit. Theinvention will be described with reference to the drawing, in which: I

Figure 1 shows schematically the circuit of the present system; 7

Figure 2, the application of the circuit to a time regulating system; and

Figure 3, the application of the circuit to the 5 measurement of distance.

In Figure 1, l is a sound or other receiver capable of receiving an impulse or the signal for operating the relay l2 of. the output circuit l3. In place of the relay in the output circuit, the im- 10 pulse or the signal in the transformer winding I I may be made to operate any kind of indicating circuit which may be desired, as, for instance, a discharge tube such as indicated in my copending application mentioned above.

The impulse from the receiver I may be put through a filter or an implifler 2 and thereafter of the potential upon the grid of the tube I within 25 the range of the voltage used for the filaments.

The plate of the tube 7 is maintained at a potential positive with respect to the filament by means of the battery 6, which has its positive side connected to the plate and its negative side con- 30 nected through the resistance 9 to the filament of the tube 7. In shunt with the resistance 9 is a condenser III, the operation of which will be explained a little later. The plate circuit of the tube I is coupled to the tube 8 by means of the grid lead l8 connecting from the upper end of the Y resistance 9 to the grid of the tube 8. A fila-- ment battery of necessary power is indicated between the taps It and I5 and is used to supply the filaments with heating current while the plate voltage of the second tube is supplied by the power source between the terminals 16 and II.

The operation of the circuit is as follows: When an impulse is first received by the receiver I, it

is transmitted through the amplifier or filter 2,

point A and the tendency in ,tube 8 will be for the grid to prevent the flow of electrons from the filament to the plate of that tube.

As shown in my copending application mentioned before, this effect may be made so rapid that the current will be sharply broken in the plate circuit of the tube 8. This sharp interruption of the plate filament current of the tube is readily useable for the operation of any desired signal or indicator.

As has been stated in the copending application, however, when such circuit has been used it has not restored itself automatically to normal conditions; but in the present invention, by the use of the condenser I0 and an extremely high resistance 9, it is possible to control the restoration of the circuit by suitably selecting the time constant due to the presence of resistance and capacity in the circuit. The operation of the circuit of the first vacuum tube causes an increase in its plate current and therefore an increase in potential between the points A and B in Figure 1. The condenser l0, which has its charge thereby increased, remains charged until the potential between the points A and B has again dropped after the phenomenon has passed and coil II has been energized. When this has occurred the charge upon the condenser I 0 begins to leak off and discharge through the resistance 9, thus allowing the point B to return to its normal, preoperating condition with respect to the point A. The rate of discharge of the condenser l0 through the resistance 9 controls the period of restoration of the circuit.

By selecting proper values of resistance and capacity in the present circuit, it has been possible to delay the normal restoration of the circuit from a very small fraction of a second to a number of seconds. It is thus possible to allow one operation of the circuit and prevent any further operation until it is restored to normal conditions by means of the condenser and resistance. which may be adjusted for practically any desired time interval.

In Figure 2 is shown an application of the circuit for the method of measuring the accuracy of a timing mechanism, such as a watch or clock, against a given standard.

A standard clock or chronometer is indicated at 20 and the watch to be tested at 2|; Individual microphones 22 and 23, associated respec-' tively with the standard and'the watch to be tested, are connected in circuit with the

transformers

24 and 25 forming the input to the time control circuit of the same type as indicated in Figure 1, with the exception that the condenser l0 and the resistance 9 are variable and adjustable. Also, in addition to the relay coil II and the relay |2, an indicator 26 is shown, as well as

switches

21 and 28, the former for operating the circuit in connection with the coil II- and the relay l2 and the latter for operating a neon or discharge tube 29 through the transformer 30.

The method of operation of the circuit in Figure 2 is as follows: The microphone 22 is placed over the standard time piece and the ticks are transmitted from the time piece through thecircuit either to the neon tube or the indicator, either causing a flash of the former or some sort of an indication in the indicator. The ticks of the standard will. therefore be repeated in the same unifornrinterval. The watch to be compared, 2| in Figure 2, will then be placed beneath the microphone 23. Presumably the ticks of the standard and the watch will be out of phase and follow one another with some definite interval between, which interval will gradually change if the watch to be adjusted is not going properly. The condenser III and the resistance 9 are therefore adjusted to the point which will just allow the ticks of both the standard and the watch 2| to come through to the indicator. If, now, after a short time, only one tick comes through, it is evident that the time interval between the ticks of the standard and the watch 2| has decreased.

A second adjustment may again be made and, knowing the calibration of the condenser and resistance for the equivalent time interval, the loss or gain of the watch over the period is easily determined. If the interval increases so that both ticks continue to appear, a second adjustment can still be made to the point where both ticks will just appear. This increased time interval will also give a measure of the change of the watch with respect to the standard. If, of course, the interval continues to remain the same, the watch 2| and the standard are going alike.

It will be readily understood that if the time interval from the ticking of the standard to that of the watch is increasing, the complementary time interval from the tick of the watch to that of the standard is decreasing, and that if it is desired in the measurement and adjustment to have one tick disappear, the observation can always be made on the decreasing time interval. In this manner, instead of waiting a long time, days for instance, to determinethe rate 01 change of a watch with a standard, it may be made much quicker with accuracy.

Another important use of the present invention is in connection with the determination of distance by sound and electromagnetic waves. In Figure 3 is shown such an arrangement.

Simultaneous signals are sent out by the radio antenna and the submarine oscillator 3| by means of the cams 32 and 33 respectively operating in synchronis m to connect the generator 34 therewith. The signals are received on the receiving antenna 35 and the hydrophone 36, the radio signal on the former and the submarine on the latter. The radio signal is transmitted, through the transformer 31, to the time control circuit, and the submarine signal through the transformer 38 to the same circuit.

An adjustable impedance 39, in place of the condenser and resistance of Figures 1 and 2, is provided for measuring the time interval between the receipt of the radio and the submarine signals. This impedance may be calibrated in units of distance as shown in Figure 3.

The measurement may be made either by adjusting the impedance 39 until the submarinesignal disappears or by adjusting the impedance until it just appears. A good method to follow is to make the measurement in both ways and then take a mean value for the distance.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. In a system for measuring the distance with the aid of radio and submarine compressional waves sent simultaneously and repeatedly from a sending station, a receiving system includin a radio and submarine receiver, a receiving circuit, means for impressing said signals upon the same receiving circuit said receiving circuit including a plurality of vacuum tubes having adjustable impedance means coupled between vacuum-tube stages for delaying the recovery of the tube connected in circuit after said impedance means following the operation of the circuit by the signal, an indicator operably connected in the output of said receiving circuit, and a scale'for indicating distances, whereby after initial operation of the indicator said im pedance may be adjusted so that the second signal will just not operate said indicator.

2. In a system for measuring distance with the aid otradio and submarine compressional wave signals sent simultaneously and repeatedly from a sending station, means for measuring the interval between the receipt of the two signals comprising means for receiving a radio signal, means for receiving a submarine signal, a single receiving circuit, means for impressing both said signals upon the receiving circuit and adjustable means included in the receiving circuit for making the circuit inoperative for a desiredtime after the receipt of a signal and a scale associated with the adjustment of said means whereby. the distance may be determined.

3. In a method for measuring the distance with a the time interval between the receipt or two signals which comprises impressing the signals upon the receiving system and allowing them to operate the indicator, varying the time of delay in the time-delay circuit until only one signal is indicated and measuring by the amount of delay the time interval. I

4. In a system for measuring distance with the aid of radio and submarine compressional wave signals sent simultaneously and repeatedly from a sending station, means for measuring the interval between the receipt of the two signals comprising means for receiving a radio signal, means for receiving a submarine signal, a single receiving circuit, means for impressing both said signals upon the receiving circuit, indicating means operated by said receiving circuit upon