US2428391A

US2428391A - Insulator protecting device

Info

Publication number: US2428391A
Application number: US645670A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold J Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-02-05
Filing date: 1946-02-05
Publication date: 1947-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 1964-10-07

Description

Oct.7, 1947. H J SM;TH 2,428,391

INSULATOR PROTEC'ZQ ING DEVICE File'd Feb. 5, 1946 INVENTOR. v HAROLD J, SMITH Patented Oct. 7, 1 947 INSULATOR PRQTECTING DEVICE Harold J. Smith, Long Branch, N. J assignor to the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of War Application February 5, 1946, Serial No. 645,670

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 4 Claims.

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

The present invention relates to antennas and more particularly to means for protecting antenna insulators against breakage during erection.

Certain types of antennas, and particularly portable types used in the field for military communications, are made up of an antenna element which is sustained upon, and electrically separated from, a base by means of an insulator. In erecting such an antenna, the usual procedure is to assemble the parts upon the ground and then raise the assembled antenna through an angle of 90. This practice puts an undue strain upon the insulator which results, all too frequently, in the breakage thereof. Efforts have been made to strengthen the insulators sufficiently to preclude breakage but so far these efforts have not been too successful.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a means of protecting an antenna insulator against breakage during erection of the antenna, which means will not interfere with the operation of the antenna.

It is a further object to provide such a means which is nonseparable from the antenna and which may be operated simply and quickly.

These and other objects and advantages of my present invention, which will be better understood as the detailed description thereof progrosses, are obtained in the following manner:

I provide a housing or barrel which surrounds the insulator and grips the lower end of the antenna element above the insulator and the upper end of the antenna base below the insulator. Said housing is tightened into such gripping position when the antenna is being assembled upon the ground and is removed from about the insulator as soon as the antenna is in its upright position and there is no longer any undue strain upon the insulator. The housing is so arranged that, after erection of the antenna, it may be loosened and dropped to a lower position about the upper end of the antenna base where it, in no way, interferes with the operation of the antenna.

In the accompanying specification there is described, and in the annexed drawings shown, what is at present considered a preferred embodiment of my present invention. It is however to be clearly understood that it is not limited to said embodiment inasmuch as changes therein may be 2 made within the true spirit and scope of the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portable antenna insulator assembly which embodies the present invention, the gripping barrel being shown in the position taken by it when the antenna is in operation;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, the parts being shown in the positions taken by them during erection of the antenna, part of the barrel being broken away for clarity; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal section taken along the line 33 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown an insulator assembly for a portable antenna. It includes an insulator element ll of dielectric material which is generally cylindrical in shape and has a fluted outer surface. Secured to the ends of said insulator element II are upper and lower insulator retainers l3, 15, which are metal cups encompassing the opposite ends of said insulator element l l.

A downwardly extending base ferrule ll, of tubular metal, provided with an outwardly extending flange [9 is secured to the bottom of the lower insulator retainer [5. Said base ferrule I! is receivable to a suitable antenna base or standard (not shown) of any suitable type.

An upwardly extending antenna ferrule 2i, also of tubular metal, is secured to the top of the upper insulator retainer I3. Said ferrule 21 is receivable to an antenna element (not shown) of any conventional or desired type. The said antenna ferrule 21 and upper insulator retainer 13 may be provided, respectively, with a wiping electrical contact 23 and a binding post 25, for electrical connection between the antenna element (not shown) and a radio set (not shown).

Encircling the insulator retainers l3, l5 and the insulator II is a gripping barrel 2'! which is a split sleeve of metal provided with a pair of inwardly extending tabs 29 at its lower end. Said gripping barrel 2'! is provided with two locking members, each of which includes an arcuate shaped lever arm 3!, one end of which is pivotably secured to the barrel 21 by means of a fulcrum pin 33. Each locking member also includes a bow spring 35, which is an arcuate shapedstrap ofspringy metal, terminating at each end in a loop. A pivot pin 31, extending through one of said loops, is secured to the barrel 21, on the opposite side of the split of said barrel from the fulcrum pin 33. Another pin 39, extending through the other loop of said spring 35, is

fastened to the lever arm 3| a short distance out from the fulcrum pin 33.

In the operation of the structure just described, when an antenna incorporating the said structure is being assembled upon the ground, the gripping barrel 2? is positioned as shown in Figure 2 so that its opposite ends surround the upper and lower insulator retainers I3, l and the tabs 29 abut the bottom of the lower insulator retainer IS. The locking members are then closed by snapping the two lever arms 3| inwardly against the gripping barrel 2'! (as shown in Figure 2). This causes the interior of said barrel 21 to tightly grip the upper and lower retainers l3, l5. When the assembled antenna is then raised from the ground to an upright position, all of the strain of the antenna element secured to the antenna ferrule 21 is carried by the gripping barre} 21 and there is no strain at all upon the insulator element ll itself.

After the antenna is finally fixed in its upright operating position, the two lever arms 3| may be snapped outwardly to the positions (shown in Figures 1 and 3), whereupon the gripping barrel 21' no longer "rips the insulator retainers l3, l5 and it may be slid downwardly until the tabs 29 abut the upper surface of the flange [9 (as shown inFigure 1). The locking barrel 21, in that lowered position, will not interfere with the operation of the antenna.

What is claimed is:

1. In an antenna, an antenna base, an insulator element secured to the upper end of said base,

an antenna element secured to the upper end of said insulator element, a split gripping barrel adapted in its operating condition to be positioned about the insulator element and in its nonoperating condition to be slid longitudinally away from said insulator element, means to cause the split gripping barrel to tightly grip the upper end of the antenna base and the lower end of the antenna element when said barrel is in its operating condition.

2. In an antenna, an antenna base, a base ferrule adapted to be attached to said base, an insulator element secured to the upper end of said base ferrule, an antenna ferrule secured to the upper end of said insulator element, a split gripping barrel adapted to surround said insulator element and securely grip both of said ferrules, means to release the gripping barrel from said ferrules so that it may be slid downwardly about the base ferrule.

3. The combination of an insulator element, an antenna base secured to one end thereof, an antenna element secured to the opposite end thereof, a stiii gripping member adapted to extend between said antenna base and antenna element and rigidly grip both of them, and means to release said gripping member from said antenna base and antenna element.

4. In an antenna, an insulator element, a pair of insulator retainers secured respectively to the opposite ends of said insulator element, a split gripping barrel adapted in its operating condition to encircle said insulator element and both of said retainers and to tightly grip both of said retainers and in its nonoperating condition to be slidable longitudinally away from said insulator element and at least one of said retainers, means upon said barrel for reducing its inside size to enable it to grip the retainers aforesaid, said means including a locking member comprising a lever arm pivotably secured to the barrel to one side of its split, a bow spring one end of which is pivotably secured to said barrel at the opposite side of said split and the other end of which is pivotably secured to said lever arm a short distance out from the barrel.

HAROLD J. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the his of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 204,770 Smith June 11, 1878 1,369,913 Brunhoif Mar. 1, 1921 1,949,162 Bodendieck Dec. 19, 1933 1,751,827 Marshall Mar. 25, 1930 1,144,471 Gustafson June 21, 1915 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 74,175 Switzerland Feb. 1, 1917