US2397554A - Handling device - Google Patents

Description

Amin 2, 19.46, D. M. mm1

` HANDLING DVICE Filed Dec. 15, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dudley M Lcmtz prl 2, 3946.

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D M. LQNTZ HANDLNG DEVICE Filed Deo. 13, 1944 2 Shees-Smei 2 l Dudley M Lvnmz 'MMMf/Mm Patented Apr. 2, 1946 UNITED STATES VPATENT f OFFICE j! Dudley M. Lontz, Georgetown,v Conn.

Application December 13, 1944, Serial No. 568,027

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O'. G. 757') 6 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon. y

This invention relates to a device for picking up or depositing articles in conned spaces where the gripping and releasing of the object must be automatically brought about.

The invention is exemplied in a vdevice more particularly designed and intended for the purpose of removing projectiles from Within large mortars and lowering projectiles into the tubes of such mortars. While the invention thus finds a useful application in the field of military supplies, it is to be understood that it is not to behlimited thereto but is applicable to the handling of other objects, especially under comparable' circumstances.

While projectile handling devices embodying the invention can be made for use with mortars of any caliber, the particular device hereinafter described in detail is designed for use with a inch mortar, the projectile for which may weigh in the neighborhood of 250 pounds.

It is sometimes necessary to remove from within a mortor a projectile which has been loaded into it. For example, an order to cease firing or to change the powder charge may be received after the mortar has been loaded. According to the present invention a device is provided which is designed to be suspended from a single' cable and which, when lowered into the tube f a mortar, will automatically grip a projectile thereinso that the projectile can be lifted out therewith.

Conversely, the device can be employed to lower a projectile into the tube of a mortar and to release it automatically when it reaches the bottom. Ordinarily, a projectile can be dropped into the mouth of the mortar, its fall being amply cushioned by the compression of air beneath it, but if a gradual lowering of the projectile in thetube is desired, the. device can be used for this purpose also.

The device hereinafter described comprises a housing consisting of two telescoping parts which move relatively to operate a set of grippers mounted therein.I The two parts are arranged so thatI when the device is resting on the ground or other equivalent support, the lower member acts as a base and the upper member tends to telescope therewith by reason of its Weight. The cable for lifting the device is attached to the upper member so that it is the rst part to be raised. The lower member starts to rise when the upper member hasr reached the limit of relative movement between the members. As hereinafter explained, the function to be perfumed `by the device, that is, gripping a projectile or releasing it, is determined by regulation of the extent of relative movement of the members.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof, and to the drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevational View of an embodiment of the invention.

Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are half-views of the same, showing the parts in different relative positions.

The device illustrated in the drawings includes a cylindrical housing consisting of an upper part Iil which slides telescopically in a lower part I2. The upper part I0 is provided with an integral top I4 from the centerfof which a ring or hook I6 projects upward and a fixed shank I8 projects downward. The ring I6 is adapted to be secured to a suitable single-cable purchase by which the entire device may be raised and lowered.` The shank I8 terminates at its lower end in a cam member 20 which has the shape of an inverted saucer. To the inner wall of the housing Dart I0 is' secured a ring 22. This ring has a bevelled cam face 24 which forms an edge 25 with the to-p face of the ring and is situated slightly above the level ofthe cam member 20 for a purpose hereinafter described.

Vertically slidable on the shank I8 is a collar 30 which has an annular bottom face 32 and an inner inclined or frusto-conical cam face 34. This collar is held in either one of two positions on the shank by a bell-crank 36 which is rockably mounted at 38 to a bracket 40 secured to the inner wall of the housing part II). The horizontal arm 42 of the bell-crank is forked tol embrace half of the collar 30. At the ends of forked arm 42 are lugs or rollers 44 which ride in a circumferential -groove 46 in the collar to control the position of the collar on the shank. The collar and bellcrank constitute control means for the device, as hereinafter explained.

The vertical arm 50 of the bell crank projects up throughr a slot 52 in the housing top I4 and serves as a manually operable lever for raising or lowering the collar' 30 from one position to the other. The two positions of the collar may conveniently be determined by a pair of notches 54 and 56 which receive a pawl 58 carried by the lever 50 and operable in a manner generally employed and well known in the art.

As previously stated, the upper housing part Ill` slides telescopically within the lower part I2, the extent!! of such vmovement Abeing limited, when Apawl 58 is in the notch 56, by a stop element face 32 of the collar` 30 when the latter is in its lower position with respect to the housing part I0. The collar thus serves to limit the range of telescoping movement between the housing parts. When the collar is elevated, however',tl1e\ telescoping movement is limited by thelstop'. In such case, the additional telescoping movement permitted by the elevated position ofL the: collar allows the notches 69 in the gripping levers tol catch over the edge 25 of the cam ring 22?, thus locking the levers ifrr the open position. Ther levers can be released: from 'this locked position by movin-g' the'collar 30 to its lower position. The tops of the levers are engaged by the camfsurface 34 and movedE inward todisengage the notches 69 from the edge 25'-, Each lever G2 is provided at its lower end with a gripping elementor claw'- 'F21 which is adapted to engagein a corresponding Vrecess in the object to bel handled byl the app-aratus. In the device illustrated the' clawsv 1'2 arearranged toenter a peripheralgroove T4 in'` a projectile T6 near the nose 16 thereof. `Fu-rtli-ermore, the bottom rim ofthe lower housing part t2' is turned in and up to- Vforni a iian'ge` 80 adapted 1 to seat against the nose 18 of af projectile when Vthe Aclaws T2 are'- at'the'level of the groove T41 Each lever 62 projects through a slot 82' in the flange 80which limits the inward and outward movements of the claws'l.` Springs 84 which' extend from the ange 80` to adjacent points of the' levers ten-dto' maintain theilevers'in the closed position in which the clawsl are as near to` theaxis of the device as the' slots 82 permit.

To' retrieve' a projectile fromv the barrelof' a mortar, the device ist operated as follows: The

hand-lever is set with the pawl 5'8i`n the inner notch 54, which means'th'at thegcoll'ar is in its l l lower position. The whole device, which issuspended `by the ring I6, is' lowered into the barrel i of the mortar in which the yprojectile 1'6 is located. Wlien the claws T2` engage the conical surface of the nose ofthe projectiler they-tend to take the weight of' the lower housing partr [2 andv also to swing the lower parts of. the levers out- 1 ward. This results-iny a. downward movement of the upper part i0 relative to the lower part l2', an'd the engagement` of the cam face. 24 on they cam edges 68' helps. to rock' the levers against the l tension of the springs. 8'4 so that the claws. 12 can enter the groove TI as illustrated in Figure 2. When the collar 3U is in- 1ower.position its bottom surface 32 is engaged by the nose'll of each lever. before the notchfi'l can rise high. enough to catch overtheedgel of. the ringY 22`.. Thus, whenthe upper partY |30. is lifted by thering I6", the camr surface 2f moves up 'from the cam edges 68, the cam 'member 201 bears-on the edges 'IITy and',J with thesprings 84, operates tohold the claws 12 tightly engaged in the groove 14 ofthe projectile as the latter is .lifted with the device. When the projectile is clear' of the mortar,V it is W isshifted to itsv outer position, moving the colscoping movement of the upper part l0 beingy prevented by the Vstop 60. In this position the claws I2 are spread so that they are clear of the groove 14, and the device can be lifted from the deposited: projectile. The hand lever 50 can now be shifted to its inner position as shown in Figure 5'. This moves the collar 30 downward and causes the cam. surface 34 to engage the upper portions of the cam edge 68, thus disengaging the notches 69. from the edge 25 and permitting the lower housing part [2 to drop to the relative position shown in Figure 1. The device is now ready toretri'eve another projectile orto be attached to aprojectile for thenext loading. Y

If iltifs desiredto usex the device to lower a projectile into the interior of a mortar, or other confined' space', the; hand lever 50-`,is set its inward position after having been shifted tosuch position when the device was suspended, and theprojectile is gripped as shownn Figure 2 and hereinbeforedescribed. When the projectile is lifted, the lever'5U is shifted outward, and the projectile is then lowered into the.' mortar until it reachesl the bottom o-f the barrel.' Y The upper housing part' f then descends further until the claws are' j swung out and lockedi asin Figure 4. The devi-ceA can then be raised out of the mortar, leaving thev proj'etile therein.

'It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular embodiment herein described but may include such modifications and' changes asY come within the-scope of the appended claims.

I claim:`

li. An object-handling device comprising upper and lower parts whichy are relativelyl movable through a limited range, a set of gripping levers rockably mounted o'n one of said partsand operable .by relative, movement between said. parts. to rock between a gripping position and an open. or.

releasing position, control means selectively opgageable by the other part to rock. sa-id leversby relativemovement between the parts from a gripping position to an open or releasing positiom.

a. control. member carried by said other part and movable` from^ a position in which it acts asa stop to-,limitl relative. movement between said parts to a position. which permitsv additional relative movement and means responsive' to-said additionalrelativev movement to lock said leversjin the open v position.v

3. An object-handling device comprising upper and-lower parts which are relatively movable' through a limited. range, a set of gripping. levers rockahly mounted. on the lower partv andv engageable' by the upper part to rockr said levers by relative movement between the parts from a gripping position to an open or releasing position, a control member carried by said upper part and movable relatively thereto from a position in which it acts as a stop to limit relative movement between said parts to a position which permits additional relative movement between the parts, and means responsive to said additional relative movement to lock said levers in the open position, said control member including means for releasing said levers from their locked position.

4. An object-handling device comprising a housing consisting of upper and lower cylindrical parts in telescoping relation, a set of gripping levers pivotally mounted within the lower part and rockable between a gripping position and an open position, said levers having gripping claws at their lower ends and cam edges and notches adjacent to their upper ends, la cam ring within said upper part engageable by said levers to rock the same when said upper part moves downward with respect to said lower part, a stop member carried by said upper part and engageable by the upper ends of said levers to stop telescoping movement between said parts before said notches in the levers can catch on said ring, and means for elevating said stop member to permit additional telescoping movement suflicient to cause said notches to catch on said ring to maintain the levers in open position.

5. An object-handling device comprising a housing consisting of upper and lower telescoping parts, a set of gripping levers pivotally mounted within the lower part, said levers having gripping claws at their lower ends and cam edges and notches adjacent to their upper ends, a cam ring w mounted within the upper said part, said ring having a surface engageable by cam edges of said levers to rock said levers to their open position, said ring also having an edge on which said notches may catch to lock the levers in open position, and control means carried by said upper part, said control means including a collar vertically movable with respect to said upper part and a hand lever operatively connected to said collar, said collar having an annular bottom surface engageable when in lowered position by the upper ends of the levers to stop telescoping movement of the parts before the notches catch on said ring, said collar when elevated permitting said notches to catch on said ring, said collar having a cam surface adapted to disengage said notches from said ring when the collar is lowered.

6. An object handling device comprising upper and lower cylindrical telescoping parts, means on the upper part to receive a hoisting line, a set ofy gripping levers pivotally mounted on the lower part to rock between a gripping position and an open position, spring means pressing said levers toward their gripping position, cam edges and notches adjacent to the upper ends of said levers, a cam ring mounted Within said upper part and engageable by said levers during telescoping movement of said upper part to rock said levers to the open position, said ring having an upper edge upon which said notches may catch to lock the levers in open position and control means carried by the upper part, said control means comprising a coll-ar vertically movable to upper and lower positions with respect to said upper part and a manual lever operatively connected with said collar, said collar having a bottom surface adapted to engage the upper ends of said levers to act as a stop when the collar is in its lowered position to prevent said notches from catching over the edge of said cam ring, said collar also having a cam surface adapted to engage the upper ends of the locked levers when the collar is lowered to disengage the notches from said ring.

DUDLEY M. LONTZ.

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