US3114214A - Production of smoke signs in the air - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 17, 1963 s. S. PIKE ETAL 3,

PRODUCTION OF SMOKE SIGNS IN THE AIR Filed June 24. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .23 2s 21 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I0 ll [213M I5l6 l7l8 l9202l22 24 26 28 --|5O I l =0 Z k 3 p0, Q 0 5 W 6 H 7 TRANSMITTER In? STOP START KEY KEY OSCILLATOR OSCILLATOR INVENTORS ROLF KROHN HANSEN NEY PIKE ATTORNEY Dec. 17, 1963 s. s. PIKE ETAL PRODUCTION OF SMOKE SIGNS IN THE AIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24, 1960 Q Q Q O Q Q o O 0 Q m l. o 0 0 Q 0 0 o w mXw o o MES. nuroznm NN X\.

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INVENTORi ROLF KROHN HANSEN BY s. smmzy PIKE ATTQRNEY United States Patent.

3,114,214 PRQDUCTION OF SMOKE SIGNS IN THE AIR Sele Sidney Pike, Howard Beach, N.Y., and Rolf K.

Hansen, Wayne, N.J., assignors to Skywriting Corporaton of America, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 24, 1950, Ser. No. 38,533 1 Claim. (Cl. 40-213) The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for skywriting by a number of planes flying forwardly in formation, and the invention is an improvement with respect to the method and apparatus set forth in our Patent No. 2,674,820, of April 13, 1954.

The characteristic of the present invention is that each one of the group of planes receives a radio signal by a master or directional plane of the group, which signal automatically starts movement of a perforated tape in each plane, the tape being driven by constant speed electric motor. The tape actuates a solar or high current photoelectric cell which in turn operates a sensitive relay, the latter serving to actuate a heavy duty relay controlling a smoke valve, and such combination of elements, briefly stated, is carried by each plane of the group. The new method and apparatus is an improvement with respect to our said Patent No. 2,674,820, in that the mechanism for each plane which operates and controls the smoke pattern of that plane continues operating without the need of any impulses except the initial starting pulse, and said mechanism continues such operation without interference by outside radio impulses.

A further utility of the present invention is that the perforated endless tape is an operating member for the production of a plurality of different sky signs, to be selected at will by energizing the appropriate illuminating lamp by means of a selector switch.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the formation by a plurality of planes according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the elements employed for transmitting the starting radio impulse.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the electronic apparatus in each of the controlled planes.

FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows the manner in which a sign is formed in the air. In that figure each letter is composed of suitably arranged short parallel lines of equal length, and the thickness of the heavy strokes in the letters may be approximately equal to the length of these short lines or a multiple thereof. The numbers to 150 in the first row of this figure indicate time intervals during which smoke may or may not be released. The numbers 1 to 7 in the first vertical row indicate the plane from which the smoke is emitted. It will be seen that any pattern composed of blank and smoke spaces may thus be ascribed to all planes, the patterns for two different planes being, in general different.

In the particular embodiment shown, the word Buy is outlined. The first plane will have to emit smoke for the time intervals 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 17, no smoke being released at any other time, and the action of each of the remaining planes is correspondingly indicated.

The construction and operation of our embodiment shown in the drawings is as follows:

Two audio oscillators 1, 2, operating at 11 kc. and kc. respectively are connected through Key 1 (start) and Key 2 (stop) to the modulating circuit of a conventional radio transmitter 3, such as normally used in airplanes, and which is installed in the master or control plane. The radio receiver 4 in each of the airplanes has two high pass filters 5, 5,,, connected to the plate of the output ice circuit through suitable coupling capacitors C1 and C2.

The 15 kilocycle filter 5 is connected through a diode to a sensitive relay 6. When a 15 kc. signal of suflicient amplitude is received relay 6 will close and latch. The contacts of relay 6 will place 12 volts DC. on magnetic clutch 7 and constant speed motor 8 will engage a tape actuating sprocket 9 which moves the endless perforated tape 10. A number of illuminating lamps 11, 11,, enclosed in housings 12 each having a small aperture are focussed on the various perforated tracks on the tape. For purposes of illustration five tracks, or longitudinal rows of perforations, are shown.

By selecting and energizing the proper lamp, light will shine on the tape in a very narrow area. A high output current photoelectric cell 14 is placed directly underneath the light aperture, but with the tape in between. When the tape is pulled by the sprocket wheel, a sensitive relay 15 will operate each time light hits the photocell through the perforations in the opaque tape. Relay 15 then energizes the coil of relay 16 which operates the smoke valve solenoid 17, permitting oil to be injected into (and thence smoke out of) the exhaust pipe of the aircraft.

In order to stop the operation of the smoke control tape, the stop key is operated and an 11 kc. signal is sent through the transmitter to the receiver on through filter 5 energizing the coil of latch relay 18. This action releases the latch 19 and the contacts of relay 6 return to normal, thereby energizing clutch 20, engaging motor 21 which will turn the tape back to start position. This is accomplished by using a second photo cell 22. It is placed under the tape in register with the fifth row of perforations and lamp 11 is on at all times. When the start position is reached, indicated by the fifth row per foration at 25, photo cell 22 energizes relay 23 which opens the circuit to clutch 20 and closes the circuit to an indicator lamp 2 which indicates starting position of the tape.

In case of a false start, the pilot in the lead plane pushes the stop key and by the means above described the tape is returned to the start position.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

Apparatus for controlling the flow of a visible trace forming substance emitted by planes flying in formation, comprising a plurality of planes, a tape in each plane formed with perforations in accordance with desired spaced ejections of a visible substance, a receiver on each plane for receiving an audio impulse, an electrical circuit including said receiver, the receiver being adapted to close said circuit upon receiving a specific audio impulse, a motor in said circuit, means operated by the motor for feeding longitudinally said tape, a discharge member for such visible substance carried by the plane, a valve for controlling the discharge of such visible substance, electrically operated means for actuating said valve including an electric circuit leading to the perforated tape, closing and opening means for said last named circuit and adapted to close the circuit as each perforation passes into register therewith, and adapted to open the circuit between successive perforations in the tape, the said audio impulse receiver being adapted to open the said first circuit upon receiving a predetermined impulse, and an electrically operated clutch for said motor the tape in each plane being formed with a first row of perforations common to all of the planes for the production of a given sign produced by all of the planes in coaction, and the tape being formed with a second and additional rows of perforations, said second row of perforations in all of the planes being adapted, in co-action of all of the planes, to produce a second sign different from the first sign, and with the same operation with respect to each of the additional rows of perforations for a distinct sign with reference to each row in all of the planes, a plurality of lamps, each for one row of perforations in the tape, and for each plane, means for selectively energizing said lamps, and a photocell for receiving light impulses from a selected lamp, said cell being in and adapted to close and open the circuit leading to the means for actuating the valve.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Remey Mar. 28, Remey 'I Mar. 28, Badgley et a1. Dec. 25, Shaw Apr. 29, Hansen et al. Apr. 13, Angel et a1. Dec. 8,

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