US3080792A - Warmup contactor for missile-booster type weapon - Google Patents

Description

3,080,792 WARMUP CONTACTOR FOR MISSILE-BOOSTER TYPE WEAPON Filed April 27, 1961 March 12, 1963 c. T. JOHNSON 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IIVVENTOI? CARL Z' JOHNSON ATTORNEYS 'Marflifiz, 1963 c. T. JOHNSON WARMUP CONTACTOR FOR MISSILE-BOOSTER TYPE WEAPON Filed April 27, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CARL 7.' JOHN$ 01V @v u o t? v9 2 m: 2 m9 Qw m 6F BY QW 6 ATTORNEYS atent 3,080,792 Patented Mar. 12, 1953 fitice 3,080,792 WARMUP CQNTACTOR FGR MISSILE-BGOSTER TYPE WEAPGN Geri T. Johnson, Minneapolis, Minn, assignor, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Apr. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 106,421 7 Claims. Cl. 891.7)

This invention relates generally to ordnance loaders, and more particularly to a transport pawl for electrically contacting a missile-booster weapon during loading movement thereof in a missile launching system.

Modern missile-booster type weapons require electrical warmup and circuit checking as a prefiring condition for proper operation thereof. It has been found desirable, as a time saving measure, to perform the warmup and checking operations during the time the weapon is being conveyed on a loader from a storage magazine to a launcher.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combination conveyer pawl and electrical contact arangement which mechanically and electrically en gage a missile weapon along a conveyer track.

Another object of this invention is to provide a conveyer pawl which automatically extends an electrical contactor when a booster shoe of a missile-booster type weapon is engaged by the pawl.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an electrical contactor device or assembly having individually aligning electrical contacts for aligning of the assembly with its contactor pad.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an electrical contactor device which is self leveling with respect to a contact or pad with which electrical connection is to be established.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical guided missilebooster type weapon.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the novel combination conveyor pawl and warmup contactor of the instant invention and which may be used with a missile-booster type weapon of the type illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation, partly broken away and partly in section, of the device illustrated in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the warmup contactor in a lowered position in engagement with a booster of a missile-booster type weapon.

Referring now to the details of the drawings, a typical missile-booster type weapon or missile-booster combination 10, as shown in FIG. 1, is handled and. transported by means of launching shoes 14 and 16 secured, respectively, forward and aft on the booster 12 of weapon 10. The entire weight of the weapon It) is supported by the forward shoe 14 which is shaped to slide horizontally along tracks of a conveyor, not'shown. The aft shoe 16 of booster 12 engages and moves on this conveyor track and additionally serves as the attachment point for a drive chain and pawl arrangement to be described subsequently. Directly behind the aft launching shoe 16, each booster 12 is provided with a plurality of warmup contact points 18, shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, which electrically connect to the various electronic components of weapon 10.

A warmup contactor for making connection to these contact points 18 and for engaging the aft launching shoe 16. is designated generally by reference numeral 20*. in

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4.. This: warmup contactorZO includes a main frame 22- having a rounded forward ram face 24.

In a cavity 26in this ram face 24, a curviform drive crank 28 is pivotally mounted at'one end on a shaft'30. A roller 32 is mounted by meansof a pin 34 on the other end of the crank 28.

A yoke 40 is pivotally fastened on spin. 42 intermediate the ends of drivecrank 28. This yoke 40. is" part. of a drive rod piston assembly 36, shown best in FIG. 3, which includes a compression coiled spring 54 and a cylinder 33 having a piston 46therein. The cylinder 38 is secured to'the yoke 40 atone end' thereof. The piston 46 is arranged to havelimited longitudinal movement which is determined by a cross pin 48 therethroughand which extends into a pair of. diametrically opposite slots 50 in the cylinder 38.

The end of piston 46 which extends from the cylinder 33 is provided with an eye bolt 58. A nut 56 on eye bolt 58 secures a washer type flange 52 to the end of the piston 46. The previously mentioned spring 54 is coaxialy mounted over the cylinder'38between flange 52 and a similar flange 44 provided on yoke 40'.

The eye bolt 58 is secured by a pin 66 to a short arm 68 of a bell crank 62. Thisbell crank 62 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 64 carried by the side walls 66 of main frame 22. The long arm 70 of bell crank 62 is pivotally fastened by means of a pin 72 to a pair of bosses 76 of a contactor assembly 74, as shown'best in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The short arm 63 of bell crank 62 is attached to one end of a return piston 82 by means of a pin 86. This return piston 82 is reciprocally guided in a support which is attached to the roof 78 of the main frame 22. A compression coil spring 84 urges the piston 82 forward and thereby tends to rotate the short arm 68 of hell crank 62 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the bell crank 62 normally supports the contactor assembly 74 in a raised position and, through the intermediate agency of drive rod piston assembly 36, the end of drive crank 28 which carries roller 32 is extended beyond the ram face 24 to the left, as viewed in FIG. 3.

A dielectric plate is secured between a pair of side Walls 88 of the contactor assembly 74, as shown in FIG. 3. Upon the underside of this dielectric plate 90, a plurality of contact fingers 92 are mounted in a row at intervals spaced to correspond with the spacing of and to register with the contact points 18 of the booster 12. Each contact finger 92 is horizontally pivoted on a separate shaft 98 secured to the dielectric'plate 9t) and is held thereon by cotter keys 102 which are visible through apertures 160 provided in the side walls 88. A compression coiled spring 96 is mounted'in a'spring well 94 which is bored in the dielectric plate 90, and'spring'96lurges each contact finger 92 independently downwardly.

A link block 106 of a conveyor drive chain. 104 is secured to the aft end of thermain frame 22 by means of a transverse connecting pin 108 and the end ofa multiconductor warmup cablelltl is clarnpe'd thereto by means of clamp plate 116andfasteners 118 A' ground conductor 114 of "a warmup cable isattached tothe main frame 22 and the remaining conductors 112 are terminated at a terminal board 120" fastened to'the bottom'of the block 166- with fasteners 122.

Separate flexible conductors-124 lead. from the terminal board 120 to each contact finger 92. The block 1061s, supported in the conveyor chain track (not shown) by two pairs of guide rollers 126 at each end, with the forward pair of guide rollers'126 being-mounted on the previously mentioned connecting pin 108.

Asbest shown in FIG. 2, astrike-downpawl 128 is pivoted at one end by means of a shaft 138 between a pair of upstanding ears 132 which extend from the side walls 66 of the main frame 22. The forward end of the pawl 12? is formed with a downwardly extending hook 134. Above the hook 134, a protuberance 136 is provided which extends from the pawl 128 and upon which is mounted a pair of guide rollers 138'on a shaft 140. Intermediate the ends of pawl 1284's a slot 143, visible in FIGS. 3 and 4, through which passes shaft'144 secured on each side thereof through holes in upstanding ears 142 of the forward ends of both side walls 66. The extended ends of shaft 144 are provided with chain track rollers 146.

It should be understood that the conveyor or loader chain 1&4 can apply thrust toward the left or pull toward the right as viewed in the drawings. Furthermore, by means not shown, the weapon is lifted in a transfer process from the magazine to the loader track. With the weapon 10 so raised, the aft launching shoe 16 of the booster 12 is presented between the hook 134 of pawl 128 and the ram face 24. The roller 32 strikes the aft shoe 16 to rotate the drive crank 28 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4. The drive rod piston assembly 36 overcomes the thrust of spring 84 and bell crank 62 rotates clockwise. Thelong arm 70, therefore, lowers the contactor assembly 74 and the fingers 92 make individual spring-urged contact with their respective warmup contact points 18 on the booster 12 to apply electric power thereto.

The contactor assembly 74 automatically levels to parallelism with the surface of the booster 12, and it is spring held in this position with any tolerance absorbed by the spring 54. Leftward thrust against the aft shoe 16 to move the weapon 10 along the conveyor tracks is now through the agency of the ram face 24, as shown in FIG. 4. j

When the leftward conveyance of the missile weapon 10 is completed, the pawl 128 is raised, by means not shown, to clear the top of the shoe 16. Rightward movement in retract of the chain 104 disengages the roller 32 from the shoe 16, allowing the spring 84 to rotate the bell crank 62 back to the position shown in FIG. 3. 'This action raises the contactor assembly 74 away from the booster contact points 18, allowing the warmup contactor 20 to be completely retracted from the weapon 10.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that Within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A missile conveyor pawl and warmup contactor device connectable to a conveyor chain and comprising, in combination, a main frame having a ram face engageable with a missile shoe, means for connecting said frame to a conveyor chain, means pivotally secured at one end thereof to said frame and having a missile shoe securing hook at the other end thereof, an electrical contactor assembly pivotally connected to said frame and normally in a raised position and contained within said frame, and means for lowering and raising said assembly respectively to make and break electrical contact with a missile in response to the missile shoe being engagedand disengaged, respectively, by said'ram face, said hook assuring maintenance of an engaged condition between said ram face and missile shoe during movement of the conveyor chain.

2. A conveyor-carried warmup contactor for a missile, said missile having at least one shoe and a plurality'of warmup contact points comprising, in combination, a frame connected to the conveyor, a conveyor connecting means mountedv on said frame for releasably securing a missile to said conveyor for movement therewith, an electrical contact assembly having contact points correspondingly positioned with'respect tothose on the missile, and linkage means connecting; said assembly to'said fr'ame'for moving said assembly between a warmup position in which the missile and assemblycontact points-are in en- Z- gagement and a position remote therefrom in which said missile and assembly contact points are disengaged, said linkage means having a drive assembly mounted on said frame for contacting a missile and cooperating with said conveyor connecting 'means whereby said assembly is moved to said warmup position when said missile is secured and to said remote position when said missile is released. 3. The device set forth in claim 2 wherein said connecting means for releasably securing a missile to the conveyor comprises a ram secured to said frame and engageable with one side of a missile shoe, and a pawl member pivotally secured at one end thereof to said frame and having a hook at the other end thereof engageable with the other side of the missile shoe to thereby secure the missile to the conveyor for movement therewith,

4. The device set forth in claim 2 wherein said linkage means comprises a bell crank having two arms rotatably mounted on said frame, said contact assembly being pivotally connected to one of said arms and said drive assembly being pivotally connected to the other of said arms, and bias means interposed between said other arm and said frame for urging said contact assemblytoward said remote position whereby engagement of said drive assembly with said shoe will rotate said bell crankagainst the bias of said bias means and move said contact assembly to said warmup position and disengagement of said drive assembly from said shoe will allow said bias means to move said contact assembly to said remote position.

5. The device set forth in claim 4 wherein said'drive assembly comprises a, drive crank for engaging saidshoe rotatably mounted on said frame, a cylinder 'pivotally connected to said drive crank, a piston slidably mounted in said cylinder and pivotally connected to said other arm, and bias means interposed between said piston and said cylinder for urging said piston out of said cylinder whereby discrepancies in positioning of the-missile are compensated for by coaction of said biasameans, said piston, and said cylinder. 2

6. A warmup contactor for a missileicompris'ing a frame, a bell crank having first and second arms rotatably mounted on said frame, an electrical contactassembly connected to said first arm and movable by means of said bell crank between a warmup positionli'ncontact with a missile and a remote position removed therefrom, a drive crank pivotally mounted on said frame, said crank having a free end portion for contacting a missile,

.a drive assembly connected at one'end to said drive crank and at the other end to said second arm, and bias means interposed between said frameefind said bell crank and normally urging said assembly into 'said remote position, whereby engagement of said free end portion with a missile causes said dfive assembly to rotate said crank against the bias of said bias means and move said as sembly to warmup-position.

7. The device set-forth in claim 6 wherein said electrical contact assembly comprises an elongated housing having a top and side and end walls, a mounting plate secured within said housing and having an inverted U- shaped groove, said mounting plate being composed of dielectric material, a plurality of shafts secured in said mounting plate transverse to and spanning said U-shaped groove, said shafts being spaced at predetermined intervals, a plurality of contact fingers pivotaily mounted on said shafts, each of said contact fingers being carried by a shaft individual thereto, and resilient means disposed .between the mounting plate and each of said fingers for urging each finger independently in a downward direction.

Matthews et al Mar. 27, .1928 Grimes et al; Aug; 22, 1961

Claims (1)

1. A MISSILE CONVEYOR PAWL AND WARMUP CONTACTOR DEVICE CONNECTABLE TO A CONVEYOR CHAIN AND COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A MAIN FRAME HAVING A RAM FACE ENGAGEABLE WITH A MISSILE SHOE, MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID FRAME TO A CONVEYOR CHAIN, MEANS PIVOTALLY SECURED AT ONE END THEREOF TO SAID FRAME AND HAVING A MISSILE SHOE SECURING HOOK AT THE OTHER END THEREOF, AN ELECTRICAL CONTACTOR ASSEMBLY PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID FRAME AND NORMALLY IN A RAISED POSITION AND CONTAINED WITHIN SAID FRAME, AND MEANS FOR LOWERING AND RAISING SAID ASSEMBLY RESPECTIVELY TO MAKE AND BREAK ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH A MISSILE IN RESPONSE TO THE MISSILE SHOE BEING ENGAGED AND DISENGAGED, RESPECTIVELY, BY SAID RAM FACE, SAID HOOK ASSURING MAINTENANCE OF AN ENGAGED CONDITION BETWEEN SAID RAM FACE AND MISSILE SHOE DURING MOVEMENT OF THE CONVEYOR CHAIN.

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