US3251024A

US3251024A - Separable depth selection drive train

Info

Publication number: US3251024A
Application number: US354942A
Authority: US
Inventors: Everett W Farmer
Original assignee: Sanders Associates Inc
Current assignee: Lockheed Corp
Priority date: 1964-03-26
Filing date: 1964-03-26
Publication date: 1966-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 1983-05-10
Also published as: GB1086121A

Description

q p @MM AW f W F INVENTOR Everett W. Farmer May 10, 1966 E. w. FARMER SEPARABLE DEPTH SELECTION DRIVE TRAIN Filed March 26, 1964 United States Patent 3,251,024 SEPARABLE DEPTH SELECTION DRIVE TRAIN Everett W. Farmer, Reeds Ferry, N.H., assignor to Sanders Associates, Inc., Nashua, N.H., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 354,942 11 Claims. (Cl. 340-2) This invention relates to a positive action separable drive train.

More specifically, this invention relates to a separable drive train for the depth selection mechanism of a sphere shaped sonobuoy. The trend in electronic packaging has advanced to the point where electronic gear for underwater surveys is now housed in small diameter sphere shaped housings. The sphere shaped housings permit the sonobuoys to be stored in a minimum of space and because of the spherical shape, the buoys have the added ability to be easily rolled from storage racks within the aircraft that carry them, to launching ports in the aircraft prior to launch. The need to vmaintain a smooth outer spherical surface while providing ready access to the buoys contents is therefore essential to the maintenance of automatic loading and launching capabilities.

These advanced designed sphere shaped sonobuoys must be serviceable prior to launching while simultaneously maintaining the capability of efiiciency releasing their contents upon water impact. The hydrophones released by the buoys are lowered to varying depths depending on a predetermined setting made externally of the buoys prior to launching. Accordingly, a portion of the spherical housing serves the multiple function of providing a cap to house the sonobuoys antenna while also being manually ,turnable to set an internally housed hydrophone depth selection mechanism. It is required of the drive train that interconnects the cap with the depth selection mechanism that the drive train while being positive acting, also be instantly separable upon water impact. Also the buoy must be easily dismantled for the adjustment of the buoys electronics prior to launch. All of these capabilities are present in the invention to be described hereafter. The aforementioned capabilities have all been accomplished with a .minimum of complex mechanisms which result in a new level of simplicity and sophistication heretofore unknown in the art. Another type drive train for a sonobuoy is :shown in a copending application of Proctor et al., filed lMarch 26, 1964, Serial No. 354,943.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a simple and efli'cient positive action separable drive train.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sonobuoy depth selection drive train having the capabilities of maintaining a positive driving linkage until water impact .where the drive train automatically separates.

Another object of this invention is to provide a compact sonobuoy drive train that maybe easily assembled .and disassembled without permanently disturbing the spherical integrity of the sonobuoy.

For a better understanding of the present invention together with other and further objects thereof, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

" .In the drawings? v FIG. 1 is a three dimensional cutaway section of a I spherical sonobuoy embodying the invention;

'FIG.'1a is a schematic showing of a sonobuoy embodying the invention in an ocean environment;

bodying the invention in a separated or released condi- IIOIL Reference is now made to FIG. 1 where there is illustrated a portion of a spherical sonobuoy 11 which has depicted a portion of the sonobuoys 11 upper shell 12. At the top of the upper shell 12 is an upper surface 13 which has mounted thereon an antenna erection spring 41 with its related coiled antenna 42, the function of which will 'be described more fully hereafter.

On the upper surface, there is also a test jack 43 which may be utilized to test the sonobuoys electronic componentstnot shown in the drawings) which are housed within the spherical sonobuoy 11. In the middle of the upper surface 13, there passes a central cavity cup 14 which houses the hydrophones and depth selection mechanism (not shown in the drawings). The central cavity cup 14 is sealed from external moisture by an O ring seal 16.

Directly above the upper surface 13 (shown removed from the upper shell 12) is a stabilizing cap 17 which has thereon a plurality of stabilizing ribs 18 which function to provide a direction stabilizing force on the buoy as it passes through the ocean after water impact. In the center of the stabilizing cap 17 is a downwardly projecting central portion 19 which has a central cap bore 2-1 which permits the passage therethrough of a collet screw 23, which has at its lower end, a threaded portion 25. At the 'base of the downwardly projecting central portion 19 is a male drive element 22' which takes the form of a down wardly projecting tang. The central cavity cup 14 has a raised central portion 24 which has an opening 26 centrally located therein. Located within the opening 26 is a split cone-shaped collet drive member 27 which has in its upper surface a grooved opening 28, which ultimately will receive the male drive element 22 of the downwardly projecting central portion 19 of the stabilizing cap 17- The split cone-shaped collet drive member has a transverse split 29 that passes entirely through the collet 27. This transverse split 29 divides the split collet drive member into two separate pieces. 1

Passing through the very center of the split collet drive member is an internally threaded bore whose function is to cooperate with the thread 25 of the collet screw 23. At the base of the split collet drive member 27 is a final drive element 32 which is designed to cooperate with a drive slot 46 and a depth selection mechanism 44 depicted separated and below the split collet drive member 27 in FIG. 1. Two different depth selection mechanisms that may be utilized in a sonobuoy of this type are fully described in copending applications of Everett W. Farmer, filed March 26, 1964, Serial No. 354,945, and Proctor et al., filed March 26, 1964, Serial No. 354,985. The split collet drive member 27 fits in a mating relationship in a tapered cone-shaped inner surface 34 of a cylindrical housing 33. Within the cylindrical housing 33, there is a compressing spring 36 which provides a constant downward force on the cylindrical housing 33 which exerts a force tending to free the cone-shaped inner surface 34 from the split coneshaped collet drive member 27.

The split collet drive member 27 while illustrated as fitting in a frictional mating relationship within said tapered cone-shaped cylinder 33 for rotation, may be keyed to said cylinder 33 (in a manner not shown) to thereby cause the cylinder to rotate with the split collet drive member 27.

With reference to FIG. 1a, there is seen illustrated therein a spherical sonobuoy 11 floating on the Water 10 after water impact and a moment after the release of its contents. The antenna erection spring 41 and coiled antenna 42 are illustrated as flipping and ejecting the cap 17 free from the upper shell 12 of the spherical sonobuoy and suspended below by a suspension cable 64 is the depth selection mechanism 44 and a hydrophone 62 which is in turn connected to a weight 63. Floating off to the left towards the bottom of the ocean is a bottom release cap 61 which has released from the bottom of the spherical buoy 11 upon water impact to permit the hydrophone 62 and related mechanism to pass into the depths of the water.

Now that the details of construction of the separable drive train have been set forth, reference is made to FIGS. 2 and 3 to explain the functional coaction of the above described parts in a normal situation when there has been an air launching of the sonobuoy with the resulting water impact that has produced the release of the hydrophone 62 and related equipment from the central cavity cup 14 of the buoy 11 after water impact.

Referring specifically to FIG. 3, there is shown schematically a portion of the stabilizing cap 17 through which passes the collet screw 23 downwardly into a threading engagement with the threaded bore 31 of the cone-shaped split collet 27.

In FIG. 2 there has been schematically depicted a spring force 52 which spring force is representative of the spring force that is constantly present on the stabilizing cap 17 by the antenna erection spring 41 which, prior to assembling, has been pressed down upon the upper surface 13 of the spherical sonobuoy 11.

There is also illustrated a spring force 51'which acts in a downwardly direction and is representative of the spring force presented by spring 36.

In FIG. 2 this spring force 51 is shown in a restricted position, that is to say, the internal mechanisms of the central cavity cup 14 have not been permitted to travel downwardly through the cylindrical housing 33.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3 where there is schematically illustrated the separable drive train in areleased condition which is typical of the drive train release an instant after water impact by the sphere shaped buoy 11, as shown in FIG. 1a and the resulting release of the aforementioned hydrophone 62 and related equipment through the bottom of the sonobuoy 11.

As soon as the depth selection mechanism 44, which determines the depths to which the hydrophone w-ill descend, has dropped free from the final drive element 32 of the cone-shaped collet drive member 27, the spring force 51 drives the cylindrical housing 33 and its integrally associated tapered cone-shaped inner surface 34 downwardly and away from the split cone shaped collet 27. In so doing, there is no longer provided any means to keep the split collet in close association with the threaded portion of the collet screw 23, and, therefore, since there is no longer any structure to hold the split collet against the threaded portion 25, the collet which is pulled upwardly via the interaction of the threaded portion 25 of the collet screw 23 upon the threaded portion 31 of the collet 27, by the antenna spring force 52, falls apart. The cap 17 is lifted free of the buoy 11 and the antenna 42 springs into an erected position ready for the transmission of information being detected by the hydrophone that has been released.

It is therefore seen that there has been provided a separable'drive train which also has the capacity to transmit rotary motion. For example, when the cap 17 is rotated clockgwise orcounterclockwise, this rotary motion is transmitted directly to the male drive element 22 which in turn is integrally mated with the grooved opening 28 of the split cone-shaped collet drive member 27. This rotary motion is likewise transmitted to a depth selection mechanism via the coaction of the final drive element 32 with the drive slot 46 of the depth selection mechanism 44.

While there has been hereinbefore described what are at present considered preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent that many and various changes and modifications may be made with respect to the embodiment illustrated, without departing from the spirit of the inventi n, It will be understood that all changes and modifications as fall fairly within the scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims, are to be considered as part of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cap release and depth selection separable drive train for a sphere shaped sonobuoys depth selection mechanism comprised of:

(A) an antenna ejected sonobuoy cap having a male drive element integral therewith, i

(B) a cone-shaped collet drive member with a centrally located split therein having a threaded opening therethrough, said threaded opening being coextensive with the central axis of said split collet,

(C) said split collet drive member being so split as to have one half of said threaded opening on each side of the split collet,

(D) a spring biased cylinder having a tapered coneshaped inner surface which matches the cone-shaped split collet, and in 'which said split collet is mounted,

(E) said split collet having a grooved opening therein to receive said caps male drive element, and

(F) a threaded screw member passing through said cap and into said split collets threaded opening to thereby drivingly interconnect said cap and said split collet.

2. 'In the combination defined in claim 1, said coneshaped collet having a final drive element at an end remote from said grooved opening to provide a final drive connection to a depth selection mechanism whereby a rotary motion imparted to said cap is translated through said split collet to a final drive element.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said cylinder is spring biased away from said cone-shaped split collet to thereby permit said cap and said threaded screw member to be freed from said drive train in a predetermined time when said split collet has separated after being urged away from said spring biased cone-shaped cylinder.

4. A separable drive train for a releasable depth selection mechanism,

(A) a control cap movable between a first and second setting,

(B) a tapered split drive member having a drive connection to said control cap, and having an opening therethrough coextensive with the central axis of said tapered split drive member,

(C) said tapered split drive member being so split as to have one-half of said opening on each side of said tapered split drive member,

(D) a cylinder having a tapered inner surface which matches the tapered split drive member and in which said tapered split drive member is mounted,

(E) a member passing through said control cap and mechanically cooperating with said tapered split drive members opening to maintain said control cap secure to said tapered split drive member whereby when said control cap is moved to said first and said second settings said drive member is moved to a corresponding first and second position.

5. The combination set forth in said claim 4 wherein said tapered split drive members opening is threaded.

6. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein said member that passes through said control cap has a threaded portion in a threaded connection to said threaded opening.

7. The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein said cylinder has a spring bias to spring bias said cylinder away from said tapered split drive member to thereby permit said control cap and said threaded screw member to be freed from said drive train at a predetermined time when said tapered split member has separated after being urged away from said spring biased cylinder.

8. The combination set forth in claim 7 wherein said tapered split drive member has a final drive element to provide a final drive connection to said depth selection mechanism whereby a rotary motion imparted to said control cap to move said cap to said first and said second settings, is translated to said depth selection mechanism to said corresponding first and second positions.

9. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein said control cap has a plurality of stabilizing fins thereon.

10. The combination set forth in claim 9 wherein said separable drive train is mounted within a substantially sphere-shaped housing and said finned control cap has a curved configuration so that when said finned control cap is in place on said housing the resulting physical configuration is that of a sphere.

6 11. The combination set forth in claim 10 wherein there is a self-erecting antenna mounted on said substan' tially sphere-shaped housing between said cap and said housing,

5 (A) said self-erecting antenna cooperating with said control cap to eject said cap at a predetermined time when said separable drive train separates.

No references cited.

10 CHESTER L. JUSTUS, Primary Examiner.

R. A. FARLEY, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

4. A SEPARABLE DRIVE TRAIN FOR A RELEASABLE DEPTH SELECTION MECHANSISM, (A) A CONTROL CAP MOVABLE BETWEEN A FIRST AND SECOND SETTING, (B) A TAPERED SPLIT DRIVE MEMBER HAVING A DRIVE CONNECTION TO SAID CONTROL CAP, AND HAVING AN OPENIG THERETHROUGH COEXTENSIVE WITH THE CENTRAL AXIS OF SAID TAPERED SPLIT DRIVE MEMBER, (C) SAID TAPERED SPLIT DRIVE MEMBER BEING SO SPLIT AS TO HAVE ONE-HALF OF SAID OPENING ON EACH SIDE OF SAID TAPERED SPLIT DRIVE MEMBER, (D) A CYLINDER HAVING A TAPERED INNER SURFACE WHICH