US1507209A - Apparatus for controlling firing on board warships - Google Patents

Description

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING FIEPLENG ON BOARD WARSHIPS Fileii Jazz. 5, 1922 3 $hae1ia-$hae 1 E. SCHNEIDER APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING FIRING ON BOARD WARSHIPS F1186 Jan. 5, 1922 3 Sheets-Shaw Z Wilm i I I l I l I l I I l I I I l I I l I I l I l I l I I I I I I I I I l l I I I I I I I I I I I l I I I I l I I l I l E. SCHNEHDER APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING FIRING OHCBOARD WARSHIPS s Sheets-Shaw 5 Filed Jan. 5. 1922 Patent Sept. 2, 1924a 'EUG-ENE SCHNEIDER, O'F PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO SCHNEIDER & CIEL, OF PARIS,

FRANCE, A LIMITED JOINT STOCK COMPANY OF FRANCE, AND JOSEPH LOUIS ROUTIN', OF PARIS, FRANCE.

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING FIRING ON BOARD WARSHIPS.

Application filed January 5, 1922. Serial No. 527,277.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE a citizen of the Republic of France, at 42 Rue dAnjou, Paris, France,

SOHNnIDER, residing have 1n- 5 vented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling Firin on Board Warships, which is fully set orth in the following specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved apparatus for controlling filed Jan. 5, 1922, there is described an apparatus for controlling the firing on land against aerial targets. This apparatus which is hereinafter referred to by the expression corrector comprises means for continuously indicating, at points adjacent a gun, or guns, the proper angles of train and elevation to which the gun must be laid in order that a particular target may be destroyed when the gun is fired. The appa ratus is such'that no sighting telescopes are it being only necessary,

required at the gun,

and elevating in order for the training pointers to properly perform their duties, to train and elevate the gun to such a position that the needles of an angle of train voltmeter and an angle of elevation voltmeter are brought to predetermined positions, 1. e zero position. The apparatus automatically transmits readings corrected for the zenithaliand azimuthal speeds of the target, range and windage. The correotor also transmits, fuse settings which makes it necessary to maintain a regular rate of fire in order that the projectiles may be fired at the exact moment corresponding to the mechanical predetermination of the value of the fuse settings.

In my copending application, Sr. No. 527,276, filed Jan. 5, 1922, there is described an apparatus for automatically and continuously correcting the training of mounted on board. a vessel, in acco ance with the inclinations of the trunnions of said uns produced by the pitching of the vessef This apparatus comprises a gyroscope which controls a movable member,

.tion, correc-tors of. the

deviation due to gun barrel encloses with the horizon the uns,

means being interposed between said gyroscope and member for moving the latter through an angular distance proportional to the product of the angle of inclination, relative to a horizontal plane, of the trunnions of said guns and the tangent of the angle of elevation of the guns.

The present invention is ployed in combination with the corrector and apparatus for correcting the angle of train in accordance with the inclination of the gun trunnions. It may, however, be employed in combination with any other suit able follow the pointer system.

When the, fire control apparatus forming the subject-matter of this invention is employed in combination with the apparatus described in my two applications referred to above, it allows of:

1. Employing on board warships, notwithstanding their rolling and pitching mokind described in the aforesaid application.

2; Regulating the rhythm of the firing in accordance with the rhythm of the correctors. i

3. Where the firing takes place when reaching proper elevation, correcting the the angular displacement of the gun barrel during the time which lapses between the firing of the gun and the instant when the projectile leaves the gun barrel.

4. Efi'ecting automatically in a continuous manner the correction of the aiming necessitated by the inclination of the gun trunmons. j

The invention consists essentially in the combination of a corrector mounted ona roscopic support, with gun barrels provided each on the one hand with a gyrosco pic preferably emdevice for effecting automatically the firing of the gun at the momentwhen the axis of the '95 proper angle determined by the corrector, and on the other hand with a device for effecting an automatic and continuous compensation for the deviation due to the inclination of the gun trunnions.

It has already been proposed to employ certain devices for the automatic firing of under the control of an electric firing switch which forms part of the corrector. In order that the firing shall have the greatest possible intensity, it is important to aim continuously and to fire as exactly as possible with the frequency compelled by the -use of the corrector, and which, if t, is the number of seconds that are necessary for setting the fuse and loading the gun, will be shots per minute. For this purpose, therefore, it is advisable not only to connect the special switch with which the corrector is in series with the corresponding automatic switch of each gun, in such a manner that the firing can only two switches are closed simultaneously, but also. to provideon the gun a mechanism actuated by a gun server who is specially appointed to control the firing. The function of this gun server is to maintain the gun barrel in the immediate vicinity of the position corresponding to automatic firing in order that hetcan release the firingmechanism as soon as he-shall have been notified by, an optical or an acoustic signal of the circumstance when the switch of the corrector has just been closed temporarily, because in order that the fuse settin shall remain practically utilizable this 0 osing 'of the switch cannot be maintained for longer than one to two seconds as a maximum.

en the firing is controlled, as above stated, the deviation in elevation due, to the absolute angular velocity of the gun barrel in its rocking movements, may be rendered negligible by utilizing in the proper manner the mechanism which is actuated by the un server appointed. to control the firing. %or this purpose it is suflicient to limit to a very smal amount the absolute an lar velocity of the gun barrel in space at t e moment of the projectile leaving the gun.

When the duration T of oneoscillation of the ship is greater than t,, the apparatus forming the subject matter of the present invention may also be emplo ed b imparting to the corrector for die r ythm of the firing, a periodic rhythm adjustedto the frequency of the oscillations of the ship, and controlling the firing in an entirely auto-j maticmanner.

The gun being such a manner as to enclose constantly with a line of ori 'n marked on its carria e, the angle of inc ination i transmitted y the corrector the firing must then take place at the instant when the line of origin marked b if tdh ee ec e W 1 firing it will then be assumed to be handledin on the gun carriage encloses with the horizon an angle equal to:

the correction being the variation of the an le of rolling): during the constant time 'w w 'ich lapses tween the firing and the instant when the projectile leaves the gun barrel.

Now if R is the maximum amplitude, of the rolling motion I get the equation r=R sin 2 and u %=u2 R cos It will thus be perceived that the correction to'be made is proportional to the maxinium amplitude R of the rollin motion. In order to make the necessary a vance in the suflicient to et automatically the measure of R for eac oscillation of the ship, and to shift the firing pointer, alwaysautomaticall and proportionately to the value thus ound.

vThe obtaining of this result is one of the essential characteristic features of this invention.

Figs. 1 and 2 are diagrammatic figures illustrating the correctoi" combined with a gyroscopic support similar to that employed in the aforesaid apparatus for correcting the angle of train of the guns in accordance with the inclinationof the gun trunnions.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic figure illustrat-- which must be taken into consideration when firing by assin properelevation.

In Figgll an? illustrating throng h 2 whic respectively the front elevation and the side elevation of the corrector mounted on a gyroscopic support, 1 is a casing containing a. gyrosco with vertical axis, whose rotation. is mamtained for instance by means of an electric motor. This casing is suspended by means of a Garden joint around two axes 2 and 3 at ri ht angles o each other, from the fork 4 which serves are. two elevations structed as to produce neutral equilibrium.

5 is a casing containing'all the parts of the corrector and it is mounted on 1 in such a manner as to be capable of being trained relatively to the latter. 6 is a ring suspended from the lower art of 5 by four arms 7; it is designed to balance'the combination 1, 5, 6, 7 relatively to the suspensory arrangement.

8 and 9 are two spirit levels employed for correcting "the small deviations due to the precession of the gyroscope. For-this purpose two gun servers exert temporarily upon the member 10 a couple at right angles to the movement which must be made in order to bring back the spirit level bubbles between'their marks. 11 and 12' are the two telescopes of the corrector; their eye pieces are fitted with very-supple rubber fittings 1'3 and 14 in order to prevent the gun servers from exerting a disturbing action upon the equilibrium of the apparatus. With the sameobject the different parts for manoeuvring the corrector are to be actuated by means of very supple flexible shafts or pref erably by means of small electric motors mounted on the corrector casing.v

15 is a circular rail composed of steel tubing intended to afford a point of support for the gun aimers and the operators of the apparatus, and upon which may be mounted the handles for controlling the flexible shafts or parts controlling the electrical motors acting upon the corrector. This rail is fixed in one direction to the fork 4, and in the other direction to the fork 16, that is fixed to 4.

Instead of adjusting the horizontal direction of the casing 5 relatively to 1, it is. obvious that it can be moved by rotating the fork 4 relatively to the axis of its support, by merely shifting 5 relatively to 1 through the angle of drift or deviatio The correctors? intended to be mounted,

upon gyrosco ic supports must be so constructed tha t e centre of gravity of each rotatingpart in the axis of rotation.

In the dia' ammatic Fig. 3 it has been assumed that t e transmission of the an le of inclination to be iven to the gun arrel was effected by utllizin 'll be situate are two rheostats arranged in the form of an arc of a circle and. located on the corrector and the gun carriage respectively.

19 is a storage battery feeding 17 and 18: 20 and 21 are two movable contacts connected in series by a circuit that'includes a voltmeter 22. The contact 20 is moved automatically by the corrector through an angle proportional to the inclination to be given to the gun barrel. The contact 21,

the known prin-' ciple of the Wheatstone ridge. 17 and I8 to a worm wheel 23, is kept constantly vertical by means of a gyrescopic device shown in detail in Fig. 4. The rheostat18 is carried by a wheel 24 mounted loose on the shaft of the gyroscope, and upon which shaft there is said worm wheel 23. 25 is a worm meshing with worm wheel 23 and journalled in two bearings 26 and 27 mounted upon 24. This worm is act means of a hand crank 28. I

The orders transmitted by the correcf tor are executed by the elevating -gun server whose duty is to move' 18 and consequently 24 relatively to 21, by acting upon 28 in such a manner that the ointe'r of the voltmeter 22 shall be constant y maintained at zero.

. The gyroscopic device situated near the gun barrel, is mounted on the gun carriage in such a manner that the wheel 24, like the whole composed of the arts shown in Fig. 3, will remain constant y in planes parallelto the plane of the firing.

29 represents the projection of the axis of one of the trunnions of the gun barrel or of the un cradle. 30 is a toothed sector fixed to t e trunnions 29, meshing with a worm 31 journalled in two bearings fixed to the gun carriage; this sector is rotated by means of the hand crank 32.-

33 is a leaf spring arranged alon one of the radii of the sector" 30 and electrically insulated from the latter; 34 is a pointer carried by a parallel motion 35-36-37--38 jointed at 35 on an axle pin fixed to the gun carriage, at 37 on an axle pin fixed to I revolutions per minutev (t,,, being the number of seconds required for setting the fuse and loadin the gun).

The deve opment of the rotary sector that assures the contact and the connections of the interrupter with the other members of the corrector, are such that contact will be established automatically one second before the exact instant when the firing should be effected theoretically, and is broken only one second after the said instant.

40 is an electric lamp which receives cur- 24, and at 38- on the centre of the" ated by rent from the battery 19 during the entire period'when 39 remains closed. 41 is an electro-magnet which produces the firing and comes into operation only on condition that 33 shall be brought into contact with without abruptness so as to reduce to a minimum the absolute angular velocity of the gun barrel in space at the instant of firing the shot.

In Fig. t which illustrates the details of the mounting of the wheels 23 and 24' and of the parts carried'by them, 42 is a casing containing a gyroscope'with vertical axis whose motion is maintained for instance by means of an electric motor. This casing is suspended in neutral equilibrium around two axle pins 43 and 44 at right angles to each other from the fork 45 which serves it as a support and which is fixed to the gun carriage in such a manner that 44 will be parallel to the axis of the gun barrel trun-' nions. 4-6 is a spirit level mounted on the casing 42; it is employed for maintaining the axle pin 43 horizontal.

In Fig. 5 which illustrates diagrammatically by way of example the manner in which may be constructed the apparatus for giving automatically the correction which must be taken into consideration when firing by passing through proper elevation, that is, when firing on the roll, 47 is a supporting plate fixed to the n carriage parallel to the lane of the ring. 48 1s a shaft mounted on 47 and around which a toothed wheel 49, fixed to a ratchet wheel 50, is capable of rotating freely. 51 is a pawl which is capable of rotating around an axle pin 52 and which a returnin spring 53 has a constant tendency to keep earin against 50. 54 is a lever fixed to 4:9, an

which a returning spring has a tendency to keep bearing against a stop 56. 57 and 58 are two shafts fixed on 47; around them is adapted to rock the jointed parallelogram 57-585960. 61 is a pinion fixed to the lever 57-59. 62 is a gearing pinion for imparting to &9 a rotational motion in the same direction as that of 61 but reduced to a suitable ratio. 63 is a stop rod fixed to the lever 59-60. 64 is a lever fixed to a9; it carries at its end an insulated metal strip 65 which shares all the movements of the guncarriage. 66 is a rod which carries a second insulated metal strip 67, and which is connected to a gyroscopic apparatus in such a manner that the line uniting 48 to 66 will be constantly directed along the vertica 68 is a lever fixed to 51 and arranged in such a manner as to move 51 away from when 68 strikes 66. The firing is efiected automatically by the closing of an electric circuit each time the movable contact 65 in rotating in the .direction of the arrow meets the contact 67. g

It is eas to prove that at the moment when the ring takes place the contact 65 will have been shifted in advance through an angle proportionate'to the maximum amplitude of the rolling motion of the ship thereby allowing of effecting automatically the correction of the determined deviation, as hereinbefore stated. Namely, if we consider what has taken place between the half period that has preceded thiscontact, it will e perceived that when the plate 47 in rotating in the opposite direction to that of the arrow (Fig. 5) has passed through the vertical position, 63 having been arrested against 66, the parallelogram 57-58- 5960 has become deformed and the pinion 61 is thus rotated in the direction of the arrow relatively to 47, through an angle equal to R, thereby producinga proportional dis lacement of 65 in'the same direction aroun 48.

As the rocking motion continues, the plate 4:7 is moved back again in the direction of the arrow whilst the dis lacement of 65 was maintained by the paw 51, and the firing has thus been effected with the requisite advance.

Immediately after contact has been made between 65 and 67, the lever 68 strikes 66, which action, b moving 51 temporarily away from 50, al owe the spring to return 54 on to 56 so that will have been ,brou ht into the position which this member shou d occupy in order that the same series of effects shall be able to be repeated on the next oscillation.

The improved apparatus just hereinbefore described produces only one fire for each complete oscillation. It is, however. obvious that this firing can he produced in an ascending or descending period according as to whether the apparatus is mounted on the gun carriage to the left or to the right of the gun barrel assuming the latter to be viewed from the ridge end). It is then very easy to fire two shots for every complete oscillation by employing two identically similar apparatus mounted on either side of the gun barrel, and connecting in parallel the circuits of their electric interrupters.

in the case where the target is not an aeriai target, the sighting station which of firing are still applicable to this case but,

it is preferable to employ the firing when reaching proper .elevation and it is to be noted that in such a case the automatic corrector illustrated in Fig. 5 may have considerable importance because with guns of large calibre the deviation may reach and even exceed the magnitude of one degree.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,,I declare that what I claim is l. Ordnance apparatus comprising, in

combination with a gun, a corrector for.

transmitting angles of train and elevation to said gun, and means forcorrecting the angle of train of the gun in accordance with the angle of inclination of the trunnions of the same, a parallelogram mounted adjacent to said gun, a contact for the firing circuit of the gun operatively connected to said parallelogram for actuation thereby, a. second contact for completing said firing circuit when engaged by said first named contact, and a gyroscope for controlling the movement to be imparted to'said first named contact by said parallelogram.

2. An apparatus for contrcllinggun fire on board ship comprising, in combination with a corrector, stabilizing means positioned adjacent one of the guns to be controlled, a jointed parallelogram, an element operatively connected with said parallelogram and controlled by said stabilizing means, and a contact element operatively connected with the carriage of said gun.

3. A firing mechanism for guns comprising, in combination with a gun, a firing circuit, stabilizing means positioned adjacent said gun, means including a ointed parallelogram maintained in a plane parallel to the plane of fire of said gun and having operative engagement with said stabilizing means, and a contact for closing s'aid circuit operatively connected to said parallelogram.

4. A firing mechanism for a gun comprising a plate secured to the carriage of said gun, a plurality of gear wheels rotatably mounted on said plate, means for rotating said gears through an angular distance proportional totheangle of roll of the ship on which said mechanism is mounted, a stabihzer for controlling the movement of said means, a contact member secured to said stabilizer, and a second contact member operatively connected to one of said ears.

5. A device of the class describe comprising, a stabilizer positioned adjacenta gun, a contact point mounted on said stabilizer, a second contact point, and means including a jointed parallelogram positioned on the mount of said gun operatively connected to said last-named contact point for rotating the latter, through an angular distance proportional to the angle through which said gun moves between the instant of firing the gun and the instant when a projectile leaves the gun barreL.

6. A device of the class described comprising, in combination with a gun and an electric circuit for firing said a stabilizer, a contact controlled by said stabilizer, a movable contact, and mechanical means for automatically moving said last-named contact through an angular distance proportional to the maximum amplitude of the rolling motion of a ship on which said gun is mounted.

7. Ordnance apparatus for use aboard a ship comprising, 1n combination,a gun, a corrector for transmitting angles of train and elevation to said gun, a gyroscope for stabilizing said corrector, and firing mechanism for said gun including a jointed parallelogram, a firing contact for closing the electrical circuit ofsaid firing mechanism and adapted to be moved by said parallelogram and means for controlling the movement of said parallelogram.

8. Ordnance apparatus for use aboard a ship comprising in combination, a gun, a

corrector for transmitting angles of train and elevation to said gun, a support for said corrector, a gyroscope for stabilizing said support, and means for automatically firing said gun at the instant the latter reaches the desired inclination including a movable contact, and means for automatically advancing said contact through an angle proportional to the angle through which the gun moves between the instant of firing the gun and the instant when the projectile leaves the gun.

9'. Ordnance apparatus for use on board ship comprising, in combination with one or more guns, a corrector, and means for firing said gun or guns including an electric circuit breaker, a gyroscope for stabilizing one of the contacts of said circuit breaker, a parallelogram mounted for engagement with the support of said stabilized contact, a ratchet mechanism and gearing for imparting the movement of said parallelogram to said ratchet mechanism, the second contact of said circuit breaker being shifted by said ratchet mechanism through an angular distance corresponding to the maximum am ligagement of said contaots shall be effected tude of the rolling motion of the ship be ore to fire the gun when said gun is at the each time of firing. propen angle notwithstanding the rolling of 10. Ordnance apparatus for use on board e IP- 5 ship comprising, in combination, a gun, and In test mony whereof I have slgned th1s 15 firing means for said gun including relasp clficatlon.

tively movable contacts, a gyroscope, and a E E SCHNEIDER. parallelogram mounted adjacent said gun Witnesses: and cooperating with said gyroscope to 110- ANDRE Mos'rionnn,

0 sition one of said contacts so that the on- Loms GARDET.

Images