US2985073A

US2985073A - Fuse-setting mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2985073A
Application number: US754856A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sidney J Finn
Original assignee: United Shoe Machinery Corp
Current assignee: United Shoe Machinery Corp
Priority date: 1944-02-09
Filing date: 1947-06-16
Publication date: 1961-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 1978-05-23
Also published as: US2988962A

Description

May 23, 1961 s. J. FINN FUSE-SETTING MECHANISM 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Feb. 9, 1944 [nvenfor stage, Jam

May 23, 1961 5. J. FINN FUSE-SETTING MECHANISM 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Feb. 9, 1944 [nven Sidney JF'Z'I'UZ B May 23, 1961 s. J. FINN 2,985,073

FUSE-SETTING MECHANISM Original Filed Feb. 9, 1944 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 [nueizfor Sidney JFL nn May 23, 1961 Original Filed Feb. 9, 1944 S. J. FINN FUSE-SETTING MECHANISM 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 H By hi 142%:285

United States Peter 1 2,985,073 FUSE-SETTING MECHANISM 18 Claims. (Cl. 89-6) This invention relates to shell-handling mechanisms and more particularly to mechanisms for automatically setting the fuses of shells. This application is a division of application Serial No. 521,668, filed February 9, 1944 in my name.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved automatically operated fuse-setting mechanism. In accordance With one feature of the invention the fuse-setting mechanism includes a fuse cutter head movable into engagement with the nose of a shell atthe fuse setting station at the completion of a firing cycle. The operation of the fuse setting is initiated by the operator causing rotation of the fuse cutter head a predetermined amount to impart a predetermined setting to the fuse as determined by a remote control mechanism. At the completion of the setting ofthefuse, the fuse cutter head is withdrawn from the nose of the shell and is turned back to its initial position and moved into operative relation to another shell.

In "accordance with a further feature of the invention the fuse cutter head is snapped at high velocity onto the nose of the shell in order that the fuse-cutting knives will penetrate the fuse ring of the shell sufficiently to turn the fuse ring in the fuse-setting operation. In the event, however, that no shell is positioned to be engaged by the fuse cutter head the means for snapping the head at high velocity onto the nose of the shell is rendered inoperative.

Further features of the invention comprise novel means for locking the fuse cutter head against further rotation after the fuse has been set to a predetermined value; and novel means for resetting the fuse cutter head after the completion of the fuse-setting operation.

The above and other features of the invention including various novel combinations of parts and details of construction will now be more particularly described by reference to the accompanying drawings and thereafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of fnse cutter head and associated mechanism in which the invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the fuse cutter head and driving mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of'the fuse cutter head driving mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV-Wot Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line V-V of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a section .on the line VI--VI of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line VIIVI I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a left :end elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 7;

Fig. :9 is a section on the line IX--IX of Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line X-X1of 'Fig. 7-;

:Fig. 11 is a section on the line XI-.XI of Fig. 7;

Fig. 12 is a section on the line .XII-XII of Fig. 6;

Fig. 13 is a section on the line XIII-XIII of .Fig. 12;

' Fig. 14 is a partial side elevation of the fuse cutter control mechanism;

Fig. 1.5 .is an elevation of a portion of the mechanism of Fig. 14 looking from the left;

ice

Fig. 16 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 15;

Fig. 17 is a section along the line XVIIXVII of Fig. 14, and

Fig. 18 is a section on the line XVIIlI-XVIIH of Fig. 17.

The fuse-setting mechanism is supported by a plate 10 which is in turn carried by a plate 12 which may be suitably secured to a gun carriage. The plate 19 is arranged for limited movements on the plate 12 to permit self-alinement of the fuse-setting mechanism with the shell at the fuse-setting station. For this purpose a hinge 14 (Fig. 3) is secured to the forward end of the plate 10, the hinge being pivotally connected by a screw 16 to the plate 12 thereby providing a universal connection between the plates. A leaf spring 18 secured within a recess in the plate 12 acts upon the rearward portion of the plate 10 to support it slightly above the plate 12. Movements of the rearward end of the plate 19 are limited by a recessed holddown 20 (Figs. 3 and 4) secured to the plate 12 by a screw 22 and by a second holddown 24 ('Figs. 3 and 5 pivotally secured by a screw 26 to the plate 12. The holddown 24 is movable into the broken line position shown in Fig. 3 to permit the fusesetting apparatus to be removed from the carriage and into the full line position in which the plate 10 is held for limited movement relatively to the plate 12. As noted in Fig. 3, slight clearance is provided between the holddowns and the plate It) to permit the plate to be swung about the axis of the screw 16 to a limited extent and also to permit some vertical movement of the plate so that the fuse setter may be accurately alined with the nose of the shell carried by a suitable supporting means 27. The holddown 24 is provided with a spring pressed plunger 28 engageable with a hole in the plate 12 to lock the holddown in the full line position.

The fuse setter includes a fuse cutter head 39 (Figs. 1 and 2) which is splined on a shaft 3 2 journaled in bearings 34 (Fig. 12) in walls 36 extending upwardly from the plate 10. The fuse cutter head is hollowed to receive the nose of a shell as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and at its outer end has a flange 33 provided with spaced rearwardly extending ears 44 between which are journaled fuse cutter knives 42. The head 30 is movable along the shaft 32 from a position in which it is located forwardly of the nose of a shell into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in which the knives 42 are in engagement with the fuse ring 'F of a shell S. The inner end of the head 30 is provided with spaced flanges 44 between which are received rolls 46 (Fig. l) at the upper ends of arms 43 carried by a rockshaft 5i) journaled in bearings 52 in the plate 12. Upon movement of the rockshaf-t by mechanism to be described, the fuse cutter head 3!} is moved along the shaft 32 into or out of engagement with the nose of a shell in accordance with the direction of movement of the rocksha'ft.

The'mechanism for thus operating the shaft 5% is best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Secured to the shaft is a crank 54 the upper end of which is pivoted to a rod 56 which is telescopically received by :a sleeve 58. The rod is urged outwardly of the sleeve by a heavy compression spring 66 acting between the end of the sleeve 58 and a collar 62. on the rod 56. The rod 56 carries a pin 64 which extends through slots '66 in the sleeve 58 thereby maintaining the rod and sleeve in assembled relationship while permitting limited sliding movement of the rod within the sleeve. The outer end of the sleeve 58 is pivotally connected to a lever 68 fulcrumed between brackets 70 extending upwardly from the plate 12. The lever carries a cam roll '72 received by a groove 74 in a cam 76 carried by a drive shaft 78. The upper end of the crank 54 is also connected to one link 80 of a toggle, the other link 82 of which is pivoted to an arm 84 journaled on the shaft 50. This arm has a depending portion arranged for engagement with a block 86 when the parts are in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the fuse cutter head in engagement with the nose of the shell. The

toggle links

80, 82 are urged toward straightened positions by a spring 88 acting between a pin 90 extending upwardly from the link 80 and an arm 92 pivoted at 94 to the outer end of the sleeve 58. The rearward end of the arm 92 has (a slot 96 to receive a pin 98 carried by the toggle link 80.

The shaft 78 is arranged to be rotated at the termina- 72 drops from a high portion of the cam track 74 causing the lever 68 to pivot in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, thereby to move the rod 56 to the right. The arm 92 is also moved toward the right by the lever 68 whereupon the spring 88 acts to straighten the

toggle links

80 and 82 and the crank 54 is moved rapidly in a clockwise direction to turn the rockshaft 50 and move the fuse cutter head 30 out of engagement with the nose of the shell. Subsequently at the end of a firing cycle and after a new shell has been moved into fuse-setting position with respect to the fuse cutter head, the head 30 is moved into engagement therewith in readiness for the next cycle of operation. The lever 68 is moved by the cam 76 in a counterclockwise direction and operates through sleeve 58, rod 56 and crank 54 to move the shaft 50 in a counterclockwise direction. At the same time the arm 84 supporting the lower toggle link rotates on the shaft 50 from a position in which it is out of engagement with the block 86 until it strikes the block, the toggle links during this time being in straightened positions. Upon furthe movement of the .lever 68 the spring 60 is compressed but additional movement of the crank 54 is prevented by the toggle links which are in alinement at this time. During this compression of the spring 60 the arm 92 moves relatively to the crank 54. After suflicient movement of this arm the end of the slot 96 engages the pin 98 in the upper toggle link 80 and breaks the toggle. This allows the heavy spring 58 which has been compressed to snap the crank 54 toward the round whereupon the cutter head 30 is snapped with considerable force over the nose of the round causing the knives 42 to cut deeply into the fuse ring.

To prevent wear on the various parts which would otherwise take place, mechanism is provided to prevent loading of the spring 60 and the snapping of the cutter head in the event that no round is positioned at the fusesetting station. For this purpose mechanism is provided for moving the block 86 to such a position that it is out of the path of movement of the arm 84 supporting the lower toggle link 82. When this block is so moved the supporting arm 84 is in sufliciently limited in its movement around the shaft 50 to cause compression of the spring 60. Accordingly the arm 92 is not moved relatively to the toggle links to break them and the fuse cutter head is not snapped rapidly into its fuse-setting position. The block 86 is carried by a slide 100 movable in guides 102 carried by the plate 12. The slide 100 is provided with a pin 104 engageable by the forked end of an arm 106 carried by and depending from a shaft 108 journaled in a bracket 110 which may be suitably secured toa side wall of the carriage on which the fuse-setting mechanism may be mounted. The shaft 108 is normally moved in a direction to cause withdrawal of the block 86 by a spring 112 acting on an arm 114 secured to the shaft 108, the movement of which arm is limited by a pin 116 in the bracket 110. A feeler arm 118 is secured to the shaft 108 and is normally held in a depressed position by the action of the spring 112 on the shaft. This feeler arm has a portion 120 engageable with and cammed upwardly by the shell when the shell is moved into fusesetting position thereby to rock the shaft 108 against tion of a f'use-setting eperation whereupon the cam roll links.

the force of the spring 112, whereby the block 86 is moved under the toggle-supporting arm 84. With no shell in the fuse-setting position the spring 112 maintains the shaft 108 in a position in which the block 86 is not engageable by the arm 84.

The fuse cutter head is in engagement with the nose of the shell at the beginning of a cycle of operations which may be initiated in a suitable manner to start rotation of the shaft 32 a predetermined amount to set the fuse of the shell to a predetermined time. The shaft 32 is rotated in one direction or the other by a motor (Fig. 3) mounted on a plate 152 (Fig. 2) having at its lower portion inclined slots 154 to receive screws 156 a wall extending upwardly from the plate 10. A screw 158 threaded through a bracket 160 on the plate 152 engages the wall supporting the plate and facilitates adjustment of the plate and motor when the screws 156 are loosened thereby to adjust the tension on belts which are driven by the motor. The motor includes a shaft 162 on which is mounted a pair of drive pulleys 164, 166 (Fig. 3) to receive respectively a V-belt 168 and a crossed round belt 170. These belts drive a shaft 172 journaled in bearings 174 carried by the plate 10, the shaft being connected selectively to the belts for rotation in one direction or the other through a reversing clutch 176, the construction of which is shown in Figs. 3 and 6. This clutch includes a pair of outer plates 178 pinned to the shaft 172 and a central member 180 slidable along the shaft. This central member is mounted on a slide 182 and is splined to the shaft by a pin 184 passing through a slot 186 in the shaft. The central member 180 includes a pair of

inner plates

188, 190 arranged to be moved into engagement respectively with either the round belt or the V-belt 168. These belts ride on idlers 192 mounted on roller bearings 194 slidable with the central member along the shaft 172. When the member 180 is in its neutral position, as shown in Fig. 6, the plates 188 and are out of engagement with the

belts

170 and 168 and no movement is imparted by either of the belts to the shaft 172. Upon movement of the member 180 axially along the shaft in one direction or the other, one or the other of the belts is squeezed against the adjacent outer plate keyed to the shaft so that rotative movement is imparted to the shaft by one or the other of the belts. Since the round belt 170 is crossed, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the shaft 172 may be turned in either direction depending upon which belt is acted upon by the member 180.

The shaft 172 carries a worm 196 which drives the shaft 32 carrying the fuse cutter head in one direction or the other depending upon which belt is engaged by the member 180 of the clutch 176, by the following mechanism. Rotatably mounted on the shaft 32 is a worm gear segment 198 (Figs. 6, 12 and 13) which meshes with the worm 196. Within a recess in the gear segment is secured an insert 200 by means of a pin 202. This insert is recessed to provide

shoulders

204, 206 between which is received a crank 208 rotatably mounted on a hub 210 of the gear segment 198. A spring 212 carried by the insert 200 acts upon the crank 208 normally to hold it against the shoulder 204. The crank 208 is connected by toggle links 214 (Fig. 6) to a second crank 216 keyed to shaft 32. The toggle links are normally maintained in nearly straightened positions by a spring pressed plunger 218 carried by the crank 216 and acting upon a depending portion 220 of one of the toggle A pin 222 carried by the crank 216 limits the movement of the toggle links by the plunger 218. When the gear segment 198 is turned in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 6 the shoulder 204 of the insert 200 acts upon the crank 208 which drives the crank 216 through the toggle links 214 to turn the shaft 32 in a direction to set the fuse of a shell engaged by the fuse cutter head. As soon as the fuse has been set the desired amount the by whichthe plate and motor are adjustablysupported on a ency's shaft 32 is stopped positively as will be described and the member 180 of the clutch 176 is shifted into neutral position. During this time over-running of the worm 196 is permitted, as the toggle links 214 will be broken by the crank 208 against the force exerted by the spring pressed plunger 218. During the reverse rotation of the shaft 172 during which the fuse cutter head is returned to initial position the crank 208 is driven by the shoulder 206 of the insert 200 of the gear segment through the spring 212 (Fig. 13). When the shaft 32 reaches the limit of its reverse travel the spring 212 is compressed thus allowing a slight amount of over travel of the worm 196. A dragging action is exerted upon the worm 196 by a friction brake v224 (Fig. 6) held against the hub of the worm by a spring .226 acting between the brake and one of the bearing members 174.

For stopping the rotation of the shaft 32 carrying the fuse cutter head, the mechanism illustrated in Figs. 14 to ,18 is provided. The shaft 32 extends outwardly of the forward bearing 34 as shown in Fig. 12 and carries a timing arm 230 which is substantially U-shaped to embrace a toothed timing segment or ratchet 232 extending upwardly of and secured to the plate 10. A pair of pawls 234 are pivoted on a pin 236 at the upper portion of the arm .230 and are arranged to be moved at the proper time into engagement with the teeth of the segment 232. These pawls are spaced a half a tooth apart so that one or the other will engage between a pair of teeth on the segment .232 whenever they are moved into engagement with the segment thereby stopping the shaft 32 carrying the arm 230 almost instantly. The pawls include upwardly extending arms 238 received by spring hooks 240 at the upper end of a lever 242 pivoted at 244 on the timing arm 230. A spring 246 (Fig. 17) acts upon the lever 242 to hold it in engagement with a pin 248 on the arm 230 in which position the pawls 234 are out of engagement with the segment 232. When the lever 242 is rocked in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 17 relatively to the arm 230 the pawls are moved into engagement with the ratchet teeth on the segment 232 to lock the arm 230 thereto and to stop rotation of the shaft 32.

For thus operating the lever 242, during the fusesetting operation, a self-synchronous transmission system of well-known construction is employed. This system includes a transmitter 249 (Fig. 2) positioned for convenient operation by the gunner and a repeater 250 (Fig. 14) on the plate 10. The shaft of the repeater carries a contact arm 252 the upper end of which is engageable with a stop 254 at the lower end of the lever 242. it willibe understood that when the armature of the transmitter is set by operation of a control handle 251 the arm 252 of the repeater will be turned to a corresponding position. Accordingly, upon operation of the clutch 176 to rotate the shaft 32 the shaft will rotate to set the fuse until the stop at the lower end of the lever 242 engages the upper end of the arm 252 of the repeater whereupon the pawls 234 are moved into engagement with the seg ment 232. Provision must be made for preventing movement of the repeater shaft when the arm 252 is engaged by the stop 254 on the lever 242 inasmuch as the repeater is incapable of exerting sufficient torque unless such provision is made.

Mechanism for this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 18 and is shown to comprise a lever 258 carrying a brake pad 260 urged into engagement with the disk 262 on the repeater shaft by a spring 264 acting between an arm of the lever and a frame member 266. When the fuse setter is in zero position which is illustrated in Fig. 17, the brake pad is held out of engagement with the repeater shaft by a cam surface 268 on the timing arm 230. This permits initial setting of the repeater by the transmitter but at the beginning of the fuse-setting operation the arm 230 carries the cam surface 268 out of engage ment with the lever 258 whereupon the spring 264 moves 5 the brake pad 260 into engagement with the disk 262 onflthe repeater shaft, to hold the arm 252 in fixed position to act upon the lower end of the lever 242 after the fuse has beense't in accordance with the setting of the repeater.

A plate 270 (Fig. 14) carried by the timing arm 230 carries contacts 272, 27 4 for engagement respectively with a fixed contact 276 and a contact 278 on the repeater contact arm 252. The contact arm 252 also carries a contact 280 engageable with a fixed contact 282, the fixed

contacts

276, 282 being connected to

wires

284, 286 respectively. The

contacts

272, 280 coincide with the axes of the shaft 32 and the repeater shaft respectively, so that they always remain in engagement with the fixed

contacts

276, 282. Before .the fuse-setting operation the contact 278 is moved .away from the contact 274 carried by the arm 270 as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 17 to a position depending upon the desired fuse-setting time determined by the setting of the transmitter. After the fuse has been properly set the contact 274 carried by the timing arm 230 moves into engagement with the contact 278 thereby to connect the

wires

234, 286 thus establishing a circuit through a solenoid to be described which shifts the clutch 176 (Fig. 6) into neutral position to interrupt the drive to the shaft 32.

Carried by the upper extremity of the segment 232 are switches 290 and 292 (Figs. 15 and 16). These switches are controlled by

buttons

294, 296 respectively which are in turn acted upon by a plow 298 carried by the upper end of the timer arm 230. With this arm in its initial position, which is the zero fuse-setting position, both buttons are depressed by the plow. In this position of the timing arm,

wires

300, 302 of the switch 290 are electrically connected but the circuit through these wires is broken upon movement of the timing arm at the beginning of the'fuse-setting operation. The switch 292 is a double-throw switch in which wires 304, 306 are connected when the timing arm is inits initial position but upon movement of the arm away from this position during the fuse-settingoperation the circuit through these wires is interrupted and a second circuit is closed through

wires

306, 308. The purpose of these switches will appear .as the description proceeds.

For shifting the clutch 176, the pin 184, by which the central member is splined to the shaft 172-, passes through a stub shaft 310 slidable in the shaft 172 and extending outwardly thereof. The outer end of the stub shaft 310 carries a collar 312 (Figs. 2 and 3) from which extends pins 314 embraced by the upper ends of spaced arms 316 of a lever 318 pivoted at 320: on a portion of the fuse setter frame. The lower end of the lever 318 is slotted to receivea crank pin 322 (Figs. 7 and 8) carried by a shaft 324 journaled in bearings 326 and extending forwardly "and rearward-1y of the fuse setter. This shaft is arranged to be indexed in steps of and always in the same direction. Upon the first step the clutch is shifted from a neutral position into position to squeeze one of the belts and drive the fuse setter shaft 32 in a direction to set the fuse in a shell. Upon the next 90 of movement of the shaft 324 the clutch returns to neutral position, and upon the third 90 of rotation the clutch is shifted to squeeze the other belt and rotate the shaft 32 to return the fuse cutter head to its zero position, after which the shaft 324 is'rotated another 90 back to its original position thus shifting the clutch back to neutral position. For holding the shaft 324 exactly in its four different positions of rest, a spring detent 328 (Fig. 8) is arranged to engage V-shaped recesses 330 in a collar 332 on the shaft 324.

The shaft 324 is turned 90 from its initial position to efiect the fuse-setting operation by a solenoid 334 (Fig. 12) carried between spaced walls .36 extending vertically from the plate 10. The armature of the solenoid is connected by a link 336 (Fig. 9) to a rack 338 slidable in a sleeve 340 directly below the shaft 324. The rack 338 engages teeth of a gear segment 342 rotatable on the shaft 324 but provided with an upwardly extending U-shaped bracket 344 between the parallel walls of which is provided a pawl 346 (Fig. This pawl is pressed by a spring 348 into engagement with a ratchet 350 pinned to the shaft 324. Upon energization of the solenoid 334 the rack 338 is moved to the right as viewed in Figs. 9 and 10 whereupon the pawl 346 acts upon the ratchet 350 to turn the shaft 324 through 90 of rotation. Rearward movement of the shaft 324 is prevented by a pawl 352 carried by the housing of one of the bearings 326 and moved into engagement with the ratchet by a spring 354. Thus upon energization of the solenoid 334, the shaft 324 is turned 90 thereby to shift the clutch 176 causing rotation of the shaft 32 to set the fuse of the shell engaged by the fuse cutter head. The circuit through the solenoid 334 is closed manually by the operator, the

circuit including wires

300, 302 of switch 290. Thus the circuit is again opened as soon as the plow 298 carried by the timing arm 230 moves away from the button 294 (Fig. 16).

After the fuse has been properly set the circuit closed by the contacts 274, 278 (Fig. 14) energizes a solenoid 356 (Figs. 2 and 7). This solenoid circuit includes the

wires

306, 308 which are connected at the switch 292 by movement of the plow 298 away from the button 296. The armature of this solenoid is connected by a link 358 (Figs. 7 and 11) to a member 360 carrying a pawl 362 spring-urged into engagement with a ratchet 364 fixed to the shaft 324. Thus the shaft is again turned 90 to move the crank pin 322 (Fig. 8) into its lowermost position thus shifting the clutch back to neutral position.

The third movement of the clutch-operating shaft 324 in order to move the fuse-timing arm 230 back to its initial position is effected by the cam 76 ('Fig. 2) after the fuse cutter head 30 has been withdrawn by operation of this cam as heretofore described. The arm 68 carrying the cam follower 72 is connected by an adjustable link 368 to an arm 370 of a lever 372 carried by a bracket 374 supported on the plate 10. The lever 372 includes a second arm 376 on the outer end of which is pivoted a latch 378 (Fig. 3) one end of which is held, by a spring 380, in engagement with a pin 382 on the arm 376 of the lever. The other end of the latch 378 carries a I011 384 adapted upon movement of the lever 372 in a clockwise direction by the cam 76 to engage the end of a lever 386 pivoted at 388 to the fuse-setter frame, and having an end 390 engageable with the outer extremity of the rack 338 (Fig. 9) operated by the solenoid 334. The lever 386 is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 3 by a torsion spring 392 (Fig. 8). Shortly after the main cam shaft 78 starts rotating after the fuse cutter head 30 is withdrawn from the nose of the shell, as described in the aforementioned application, the lever 372 is turned sufficiently to cause the roll 384 of the latch 378 to act upon the lever 386 thereby moving the armature of the solenoid 334 inwardly, thus rotating the shaft 324 90 in the manner heretofore explained. This causes the clutch 126 to be shifted to cause rotation of the shaft 32 in a reverse direction, thus moving the fuse timer arm back to its original zero position. The roll 384 carried by the latch 378 is permitted to ride past the end of lever 386 by the yielding of the spring 380 after the clutch-operating shaft has turned the proper amount. This permits the arm of lever 386 to return to its starting position under the action of the torsion spring 392 and the spring latch 378 allows the lever 372 to be moved by the cam 76 back to its starting position without causing further movement of the lever 386. After the fuse timer arm 230 has returned to its starting position the solenoid 356 is again energized by the operation of switch 292 through wires 304, 306 to cause the shaft 324 (Fig. 7) to move 90 back to its starting position with the clutch in neutral position.

, From the above it will be seen that the operation of the fuse setter is entirely automatic and accurate, and

when embodied in a shell-handling and gun-loading mechanism as described in the aforementioned application, it is possible to attain a very high rate of fire.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a rotatable shaft, a fuse-cutter head splined to said shaft, means for rotating said shaft to turn the fuse-cutter head in the fusesetting operation, means for moving said head axially of said shaft, and means for automatically operating said rotating means to move the fuse-cutter head out of engagement with the shell at a predetermined time in the fuse-setting operation.

2. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a rotatable shaft, a fuse-cutter head splined to said shaft, means for rotating said shaft to turn the fuse-cutter head in the fusesetting operation, means for moving said head axially of said shaft, and means controlled by said shaft for operating said moving means to move the fuse-cutter head out of engagement with a shell at a predetermined time in the fuse-setting operation.

3. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a rotatable shaft, 21 fuse-cutter head splined to said shaft, means for rotating said shaft to turn the fuse-cutter head in the fusesetting operation, means for moving said head axially of said shaft, and means controlled by said shaft for terminating operation of said rotating means at a predetermined time in the fuse-setting operation and for initiating operat'on of said moving means to move the fuse-cutter head out of engagement with a shell.

4. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a rotatable shaft, a fuse-cutter head splined to said shaft, means for rotating said shaft to turn the fuse-cutter head in the fusesetting operation, means for moving said head axially of said shaft, means controlled by said shaft for terminating operation of said rotating means at a predetermined time in the fuse-setting operation and for iniating operation of said moving means to move the fuse-cutter head out of engagement with a shell, and means for thereafter operating said rotating and said moving means to return the fuse-cutter head to an initial position.

5. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, fuse-cutter knives carried by said head, a rotatable drive shaft on which said head is splined for rotative movement and for axial movement into and out of engagement with a shell, means for moving said head axially along said shaft, said means including a snap-action mechanism to drive said head onto the nose of the shell at high velocity, and means for rotating said shaft.

6. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, fuse-cutter knives carried by said head, a rotatable drive shaft on which said head is splined for rotative movement and for axial movement into and out of engagement with a shell, means for moving said head axially along said shaft, said means including a snap-action mechanism to drive said head onto the nose of the shell at high velocity, and means rendering said snap-action mechanism inoperative in the event that no shell is positioned to be engaged by said head.

7. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, fuse-cutting knives carried by said head, a rotatable drive shaft on which said head is splined for rotative movement and for axial movement into and out of engagement with a shell, means for supporting a shell for engagement by said fuse-cutter head, means for moving said head axially along said shaft, said means including a snap-action mechanism to drive said head onto the nose of a shell at a high velocity, a feeler arranged to be engaged by a shell when the shell is in fuse-setting position, and means operated by said feeler when no shell is in fuse-setting position for rendering said snap-action mechanism inoperative.

8. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, fuse-cutting knives carried by said head, a rotatable drive shaft on which said head is splined for rotative movement and for axial movement into and out of engagement with a shell, a rockshaft connected to said head for moving said head axially along said drive shaft, means including a compression spring for turning the rockshaft in a direction to move the head onto the nose of a shell, and means opposing turning of the ro'ckshaft until the spring has been compressed a substantial amount whereupon the spring is effective to snap the head onto the nose of the shell at a high velocity.

9. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, fuse-cutting knives carried by said head, a rotatable drive shaft on which said head is splined for rotative movement and for axial movement into and out of engagement with a shell, a rockshaft connected to said head for moving said head axially along said drive shaft, means including a compression spring for turning the rockshaft in a direction to move the head onto the nose of a shell, means opposing turning of the rockshaft until the spring has been compressed a substantial amount whereupon the spring is eiiective to snap the head onto the nose of the shell at a high velocity, and means rendering said lastnamed means ineflective when no shell is positioned to be engaged by the head whereupon the rockshaft is turned at a relatively low velocity.

10. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, means for rotating said head to set the fuse of a shell, a ratchet, a pawl engageable therewith, an arm movable with said head carrying said pawl, means normally maintaining said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet, and means for moving said pawl into engagement with the ratchet at a predetermined position of the fuse-cutter head in the fuse-setting operation thereby to lock the head against rotation.

11. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, driving means for rotating said head to set the fuse of a shell, an arm movable with said head, a pawl carried by said arm, a ratchet engageable by said pawl, means normally maintaining said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet, and means operative at a predetermined position in the rotation of the fuse-cutter head in the fuse setting operation for interrupting said driving means and for moving said pawl into engagement with the ratchet, thereby to lock the fuse-cutter head against further rotation.

12. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, driving means for rotating said head to set the fuse of a shell, electrically operated means controlling said driving means and arranged when energized to interrupt the operation of the driving means, means movable with the fuse-cutter head for completing a circuit through said electrically operated means at a predetermined position in the rotation of the fuse-cutter head, and means operative upon energization of said electrically operated means for locking the fuse-cutter head against further rotation.

13. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, driving means for rotating said head to set the fuse of a shell, electrically operated means controlling said driving means and arranged when energized to interrupt operation of the driving means, means for controlling the energization of said electrically operated means comprising a contact movable with the fuse-cutter head, a second contact arranged to be engaged by the first-named contact at a predetermined point in the rotation of the fuse-cutter head, and remote control means for positioning said lastnamed contact.

14. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, driving means for rotating said head to set the fuse of a shell, electrically operated means controlling said driving means and arranged when energized to interrupt operation of the driving means, means for controlling the energization of said electrically operated means comprising a contact movable with the fuse-cutter head, a second contact arranged to be engaged by the first-named contact at a predetermined point in the rotation of the fuse-cutter head, remote control means for positioning said lastnamed contact, said last-named means comprising a selfsynchronous transmission system including a transmitter and a repeater, and an arm moved by said repeater carrying the last-named contact.

15. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, driving means for rotating said head to set the fuse of a shell, electrically operated means controlling said driving means and arranged when energized to interrupt operation of the driving means, means for controlling the energization of said electrically operated means comprising a contact movable with the fuse-cutter head, a second contact arranged to be engaged by the first-named contact at a predetermined point in the rotation of the fuse-cutter head, remote control means for positioning said lastnamed contact, said last-named means comprising a selfsynchronous transmission system including a transmitter and a repeater, an arm moved by said repeater carrying the last-named contact, and means for locking said arm against movement at the beginning of the fuse-setting operation.

16. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, driving means for rotating said head to set the fuse of a shell, electrically operated means controlling said driving means and arranged when energized to interrupt operation of the driving means, means for controlling the energization of said electrically operated means comprising a contact movable with the fusecutter head, a second contact arranged to be engaged by the first-named contact at a predetermined point in the rotation of the fuse-cutter head, remote control means for positioning said last-named contact, said last-named means comprising a self-synchronous transmission system including a transmitter and a repeater, an arm moved by said repeater carrying the last-named contact, means engageable with said arm for locking the fuse-cutter head against further rotation upon engagement of said contacts, and means for locking the arm of the repeater against movement at the beginning of the fuse-setting operation.

17. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, driving means for rotating said head to set the fuse of a shell, an arm rotatable with said head, a pawl carried by said arm, a ratchet concentric with the axis of rotation of said head and arranged to be engaged by said pawl at a predetermined time in the rotation of the head to lock the head against fiurther rotation, a lever pivoted to said arm and connected at one end to said pawl, means urging said lever in a direction to maintain the pawl out of engagement with said ratchet, and means engaging said lever at a predetermined point in the rotation of the fusecutter head for rocking said lever in a direction to move the pawl into locking engagement with the ratchet,

18. Fuse-setting apparatus comprising a fuse-cutter head, driving means for rotating said head to set the fuse of a shell, an arm rotatable with said head, a pawl carried by said arm, a ratchet concentric with the axis of rotation of said head and arranged to be engaged by said pawl at a predetermined time in the rotation of the head to lock the head against further rotation, a lever pivoted to said arm and connected at one end to said pawl, means urging said lever in a direction to maintain the pawl out of engagement with said ratchet, means engaging said lever at a predetermined point in the rotation of the fusecutter head for rocking said lever in a direction to move the pawl into locking engagement with the ratchet, and remote control means for adjusting the position of said last-named means to predetermine the amount the fuse is set.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,351,743 Chappell et a1 June 20, 1944 2,436,424 Eastman Feb. 24, 1948 2,438,165 Haas Mar. 23, 1948