Patent GB-593474-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in manual control means applicable to aircraft bomb release mechanism an d the like
IPC: B64D1/04
Filed: 1944-10-23
Abstract: 593,474. Locking levers and rods. CLEVELAND, F. J. (Boeing Aircraft Co.). Oct. 23, 1944, No. 20554. [Class 80(iii)] [Also in Group XXI] A bomb rack installation is controllable from any one of two or more control stations, e.g. bombers' and pilots'. Each control incorporates a stop member which holds the control lever in a " selective " position, thus preventing it from being rotated directly from a " safe " position to a " salvo " position. The lever is released from the stop by moving the lever radially inwards or outwards or both, which radial movements and the rotational movement of the lever are transmitted through pulleys and cables to the levers at the other stations, so that the movement of any one lever is duplicated by the levers at the other stations. The pilots' control, Figs. 2 and 6, comprises, a lever 11 pivoted by means of a slot 13 on a shaft 90 which is mounted in a supporting bracket 91, pulleys 3, 2 connected to the lever 11 by pins 33, 23, respectively, a pulley 9 mounted on the shaft 90 and connected to the lever 11 by a pin 1 and to the bomb rack by a cable 92, a quadrant 4 and a radially sliding intermediate stop 40. The bombers' control has no pulley 9 but is otherwise the same. A spring 47 urges the abutment 14 on the lever 11 into the corresponding notches in the quadrant 4 and the stop 40. The lever may be rotated about the shaft 90 or moved radially in or out to the extent of the length of the slot 13. Radial movement of the lever causes vertical movement of the pins 33, 23 resulting in opposite rotational movement of the pulleys 2, 3. Rotary movement of the lever causes the pulleys 2, 3 to move in the same direction. The pulleys 2, 3 are connected by cables to the corresponding pulleys at the bombers' station; thus a rotary or radial movement of either lever causes a corresponding movement in the other lever. The complete operation of moving a lever, e.g. the pilot's from the " safety " position to " salvo " and back to " safety " again, comprises, pulling the lever outwardly to release the abutment 14 from the notch 41 and rotating it into " selective " when the abutment 14 engages in the notch in the stop 40, depressing the lever which forces the stop down, in which position the stop is held by spring-urged claws 5 engaging teeth 45, raising the lever and rotating to " salvo," the lever may then be returned directly to " safe " as the stop remains depressed. To reset the stop the spring 46 is compressed manually and a lever in the " selective position " raised. In a modification, the stop is automatically reset. This mechanism comprises a sliding stop 50, Fig. 11, a lever 54 pivoted at 55 and having a knob which engages in a notch 53 in the stop, and a U-shape leaf spring 56 which is pivoted at 57 to the quadrant 4 and bears against the lever 54. When the stop 50 is in its operative position, see Fig. 10 (not shown), the spring 56 tends to urge the stop radially outwardly, but on depressing the lever 11 at the " selective position " the lever 54 and the spring 56 take up the position shown in Fig. 11 where the spring now exerts an inward radial pressure on the stop and thus holds it in an inoperative position, allowing the lever 11 to be moved to " salvo." When the lever 11 is returned to safe " the abutment 14 rides on the part 58 of the lever 54 and forces it inwards which returns the spring 56 to its original position where it exerts an outward radial pressure on the stop thus returning the stop to its operative position.