US2267480A - Sound direction indicator - Google Patents

Description

Dm. 23, 94. M, w, TALCOTT 2,267,480

SOUND y DIRECTION INDICATOR Filed June 7, les

Patented Dec. 23, 1941 UNHTED STATES vPATENT .OFFICE 2,267,480 SOUND DIRECTION INDICATOR Mancel W. Talcott, Providence, R. I.

Application June 7, 1939, Serial No. 277,747

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for determining the direction of an audible sound and is primarily for use on boats or aeroplanes.

One of the objects of this invention is to pick up and amplify audible sounds in connection with the determination of the direction from which the sounds are approaching.

Another object of the invention is, by the use of some amplifying means, to increase the intensity of the audible sounds reaching the operator so that `these sounds may be detected at a greater distance and with suflicient accuracy so that the direction from which they emanate may be located.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is an elevation of a yacht showing my improved device as mounted in position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a portion of a navigating table in the pilot house.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View illustrating a portion of the device.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic lay-out of the wiring for the invention.

Many small boats and yachts without the aid of a radio direction nder in foggy Weather, or weather where the visibility is of limited extent, rely largely upon fog horns, bells and other audible sounds which are placed at the entrance to harbors as aids to navigation for the entry in safety of such harbors or navigable rivers. Under certain conditions it is very difficult to pick up an audible sound in a manner which will enable one to determine the direction from which it emanates. Should the navigator of such craft be to the Windward of such an audible sound, he may approach very close to the point from which it emanates without being able to detect with his ear the source of the sound. Under certain fog conditions a sound may seem to come from more than one direction, and in order to assist the navigation of small as well as larger craft, I have provided a megaphone which may be swung about thru a suitable arc and which, when pointed at the source from which the sound emanates, will pick this sound up louder than when pointed in any other direction, and in order that the sound picked up by this megaphone may be transmitted to the navigator with the desirable intensity, I have mounted a microphone within this megaphone or pick-up device and have amplified the sound picked up by the microphone in the transmission to ear phones used by the navigator and I have arranged for a convenient handle for operation in the direction where the megaphone is pointed so that the navigator may easily and quickly, within the pilot house and at a location close by the steering wheel, pick up the sound and by moving the handle determine the direction in which it is loudest, thereby determining its location, and the following is a more detailed description of the present embodiment of this invention, illustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished.

With reference to the drawing, I9 designates generally a yacht having a pilot house II and navigating table I2. A tube or hollow rod I3 is rotatably positioned to extend from the navigating table thru the roof of the house as at I4 with a pick-up device I5 mounted at its upper end.

This pick-up device comprises essentially a megaphone I6 which is secured in a bracket I'I having a suitable arm support I3 for maintaining it in a desired position and which bracket is telescopedover the end of the tube I3 as at I9. Within this megaphone I have provided a microphone 20 or electrically operated device, for picking up audible sounds, which is connected by wires 2| extending downwardly thru the tube I3 and into the casing 22 located on the navigating table I2. A dial 23 is mounted upon this casing (see Fig. 4), while a pointer 24 is Xed upon the tube by set screw 25 to move over the dial as the tube I3 is rotated by means of handle 26 which is secured in position by set screw 2l. The wires 2| are connected to a suitable amplifying unit hooked up with batteries in the casing 22 so as to amplify the sound and transmit it to ear phones designated generally 2'I which may be placed upon the head of the operator so that the sound which is picked up by the megaphone and transmitted by the microphone'and electric circuit to the ear phones may be heard. A suitable control 28 is provided to adjust the volume of the amplified sound.

With the above arrangement provided the electrical hook-up may be variously arranged. While the electrical hook-up here shown is not part of the invention for the sake of complete disclosure of an operative structure I have illustrated diagrammatically the hook-up provided, the supply of power being from any source of Voltage available 35, grounded as at 36. In order to provide the voltage desired, a transformer 31 is provided in the hook-up which is supplied by means of a Vibrator 38 with an intermittent current to step up suciently the voltage in the induced circuit 39 to provide the desired voltage such as about 250 volts at the terminal 4i). From this terminal .two stages 4| and 42 of audio amplification are provided, the high voltage being supplied to the plate 43 while the lower Voltage is supplied to grids 44 thru resistances 45. The iilaments 46 are each supplied from a low Voltage of six volts from the battery 35. The receiving circuit 41 of the microphone is supplied by baty tery 48 and a fluctuating current by reason of the usual transmitter is provided in this circuit to be supplied thru the transformer 49 to the ampliiication circuit and there picked up by the phone receiver circuit 50 for transmission to the ears of the observer. This circuit may, of course, be varied within the realm of electrical knowledge.

The navigator may remain within the pilot house with the ear phones 21 placed upon his head and over his ears in a position where he can reach handle 26. As he is approaching an audible signal such as a horn, a bell buoy, or gong which is struck by clappers due to the rocking of the buoy by the waves, .he may turn the handle 26, and the pick-up device l5 with it, until he hears the audible signal loudest. He will then know by means of the finder 24 and dial 23 the direction from which the sound comes the loudest and knows that this is the direction of the audible signal and the ships course may be altered if necessary, with reference to the location of this definite aid to navigation.

A device of this character which, by reason of the ear phones, excludes all of the engine noises of the boat, permits one to hear only that which he would hear if located outside of the pilot'house and which amplifies the sound so picked up and enables a very deiinite location of an aid to navigation with reference to the ship and a x of the line of the ships position, and is especially desirable for small yachts and pleasure craft where such expensive equipment as radio direction finders are not available for navigation purposes, and is also exceedingly desirable for the entrance of small harbors and navigable rivers where radio direction equipment is not intended for operation.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being deiined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for determining the direction of audible sound in air media comprising a casing having an electrical sound amplifier unit therein and a bearing secured thereto, a tube journaled in said bearing to rotate about its own axis, a handle xed to said tube for manually rotating the same, a graduated dial secured to said casing adjacent to said tube, a megaphone secured to the upper end of said tube to move therewith to pick up the sound loudest when directed toward the sound, a microphone in said megaphone, wires in said tube connecting said microphone to said amplier, a receiver connected to said amplifier unit, and a pointer on said tube movable therewith and over said dial to indicate in which direction the megaphone is directed.

2. A device for determining the direction of audible sound in air media, a casing having an electrical sound amplier unit therein, a graduated dial secured to said casing and provided with a bearing thereon, a tube journaled in said bearing to rotate about its own axis, a handle xed to said tube for manually rotating the same, a megaphone secured to the upper end of said tube to move therewith to pick up the sound loudest when directed toward the sound, a microphone in said megaphone, wires in said tube connecting said microphone to said ampliiier, ear phones connected to said amplifier to receive the ampliiied sound, and a pointer on said tube movable therewith and over said dial to indicate in which direction the megaphone is directed.

MANCEL W. TALCOTT.

Images