Improvements in and relating to Sound Locating Devices.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1899--Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by ALFRED MONTGOMERY GOODALE, of Waltham,
County of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, United States of America,
Manufacturer.]
Improvements in and relating to Sound Locating Devices.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and așcertained in and by the following statement;
-
The present invention relates to a sound locating device, and is intended mainly
for use on board ship, to aid in distinguishing sounds, and determining from
what point the said sounds proceed, so that the whistles or audible signals on
other vessels, or at points along the shore, may be distinguished in case of fog
when nothing can be seen.
The officers of a ship when proceeding through a dense fog are constantly on
the alert for sounds, and it is essential that the sounds should be located with
the greatest possible exactness, and without some means for collecting the sound
and determining its direction of approach, there is a severe strain upon the nerves
which is very exhausting; while it is obviously necessary to reduce speed since
the sounds cannot be heard until they are within dangerous proximity.
To collect the sounds, and make them more readily distinguishable, therefore,
it is desirable to use some device in the nature of a sound collector or concentra-
tor, such as a megaphone or sound lens, it being obvious, however, that with such
a device sounds will only be heard to the best advantage if the sound collector is
turned to the direction of the point from which the sound proceeds. If, there-
fore, a single megaphone, ear trumpet, or sound lens were used, it would be neces-
sary in order to locate the sound to keep changing the position thereof until the
sound were observed, it being obvious that sounds of short duration might
frequently be missed altogether. It is further desirable, in order that the sound
collector may be placed in the most advantageous position, to provide means for
transmitting the sounds therefrom to a convenient place of observation, as for
example, the pilot house.
The present invention aims to render the use of sound collecting devices prac-
tical and convenient, and consists mainly in arranging a number of such devices,
pointed in different directions, so that a sound proceeding from any quarter will
be concentrated and brought in by one or the other of these instruments, and it
further consists in the combination with such an instrument of means for trans-
mitting the sounds from one or more of such instruments to the ear of the person
whose duty it is to act upon information derived in this way, so that a sound
coming from any point will be at once perceived.

page_text: In order to determine the locality of the sound, the instrument is provided with
means for determining which collector of a number pointed in different directions
has received the sound or the greater part thereof, and consequently from what
direction the sound proceeds.
In carrying out the invention, for example in connection with a ship, a number
of sound concentrating devices are preferably employed and fixed in
any suitable
position, and arranged to point in different directions; for example, one pointing
straight ahead, one towards the port side, and one towards the starboard side;
and the instrument is provided with means for transmitting the sound from each
or all of said instruments to a common point, telephone transmitters being pre-
ferably used, and in conjunction with each transmitting device is a cut-off, so that
by the manipulation of said cut-offs, the comparative effect of a sound on each
of the collectors may be observed, and the direction from which it proceeds may
be readily determined.
Figure 1 is a plan view of a sufficient portion of a vessel to indicate a con-
venient arrangement of sound collectors or concentrating devices; Fig. 2 is a
diagram view of a telephone circuit whereby the sound may be transmitted from
said devices to a common point, and a switch for controlling the circuits to
determine from which collector the sound proceeds.
As herein shown, the sound collecting and concentrating devices a, a² and a³,
which are shown as the well-known megaphones, are arranged over the top of the
pilot house b, the device a, pointing towards the bow of the ship, the one a, point-
ing diagonally towards the port, and the one a³ towards the starboard.
It is obvious that any number of these collectors may be used, it being mainly
essential, however, that sounds which proceed from somewhere ahead of the
vessel should be perceived and located, there being three collectors shown, there-
fore, as a practical illustration of the invention.
In order that a sound within the range of any of the collectors may be perceived,
the instrument is provided with means for transmitting the sounds from any
or all of the collectors to a common point, so that any sound will be perceived
by the attendant at this point, the arrangement being such, however, that after_a
sound is perceived it is possible to determine from which collector is mainly
proceeds. This may be accomplished by means of a sound transmitting device
leading from each of the said collectors to a common point, telephone trans-
mitters c, and 3 being herein indicated, each of said transmitters corresponding
to and being located at the apex of one of the said collectors. The said trans-
mitters are herein shown as all connected in multiple arc to the primary coil of
a transformer d, the secondary of which is connected with a receiving instrument e,
which may be of any suitable kind, said instrument being herein shown as pro-
vided with a band or holding device e², by which it may be secured to the head
of the attendant after the manner of receivers employed for continuous use, as
for example at central telephone offices.
It is obvious, therefore, that any sound which is received and concentrated by
any of the collectors a, a² and a³, is transmitted through the telephone circuit,
and at once perceived by the person using the device. After a sound is perceived,
however, it becomes necessary to locate the same, and this may be evidently
accomplished by determining from which collector the sound mainly proceeds.
To this end the instrument is provided with means for cutting off the transmis-
sion of sound from the said collectors successively, it being obvious that if the
Bound ceases upon cutting off any one of the said collectors it must have proceeded
wholly from that collector, the cutting off of which has caused its cessation ;
while in the case of a sound coming from an intermediate point, its direction
can be ascertained by a comparison of its effect upon the several collectors
respectively.
When the telephone transmitters are used, it is obvious that this may be accom-
plished by means of a suitable switch f, such a switch being herein shown as provided

page_text: with contacts, 1, 2 and 3, respectively connected with one member of the trans-
mitters, 2 and 3, the other members of which are connected through the local
battery d², with one terminal of the primary of the transformer d, the other
terminal of which is connected to the movable switch member f. The said-switch
member, which is pivoted at få normally stands in the position shown in Fig. 2,
the main portion of said switch member being of such shape as to bridge the
contacts 2 and 3, while a supplemental switch member f³, hinged to the mem-
ber f, is also in contact with the switch terminal 1.
With the switch in this position, therefore, all three of the terminals are con-
nected with the receiver e, so that a sound coming from any direction will be
perceived, by the person using the device. When a sound is perceived, however,
the operator, in order to determine the location of the sound may manipulate the
switch as follows:
By means of a handle or knob f the member f³ may be turned upon the
hinge f, against the stress of a suitable restoring spring f6, and it is lifted out of
contact with the terminal 1, which is connected to the transmitter c at the col-
lector a, and it is obvious that if upon thus manipulating the member f³ the
sound ceases or is largely diminished in volume, it must proceed from directly
ahead or nearly so, having been mainly gathered and concentrated by the
collector a.
If such manipulation of the switch, however, does not result in a cessation or
material decrease of the sound, it is obvious that it must proceed mainly from one
of the other two collectors, a² or a³, and to determine which of these it proceeds
from, the handle f4 may be moved to the right or to the left, thus swinging the
member fupon its pivot f2, so as to cut off either the terminal 2 or the terminal 3.
If, for example, the member f is moved to the right and cuts off the terminal 2, it
is obvious that if the sound ceases it proceeds from the collector a², while if it
continues, it proceeds from the collector a³, no further manipulation of the switch
being necessary.
By the use of an instrument of the kind described as embodying the invention,
it is obvious that sounds proceeding from a long distance off can be easily and
clearly distinguished, without straining the attention, and their location deter-
mined by a simple manipulation of a suitable device, such as the switch herein
before described.
If desired, the switch mechanism or other controlling device for the several
sound transmitters may be caused to cooperate with a visual signal which will
indicate, at a distance, the direction from which the sound proceeds, as deter-
mined by the attendant who is in charge of the apparatus.
It is not intended to limit the invention to the specific construction and arrange-
ment of the devices herein shown to illustrate the same, since it is obvious that
the construction or nature of the several instrumentalities which are combined
to produce an operative device in accordance with the invention, may be varied,
and the specific arrangement modified without departing from the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. Locating sounds by the use of several sound collecting and concentrating
devices each of which is positioned to mainly receive sounds coming in a direction
different from that of the sounds mainly received by the others, transmitting all
the sounds collected to a common point, and separately controlling the transmis-
sion of sounds from each collecting and concentrating device to determine from
which the sound mainly proceeds.
2. A sound locating device, comprising the combination of two or more sound-
collecting devices, a telephone transmitter for each of such devices, a telephone
receiver connected with all of the several transmitters, and a switch interposed

page_text: between the said transmitters and the receiver and adapted to be operated by the
user of the receiver to ascertain the relative activity of the transmitters, sub-
stantially as described.
Dated this 4th day of August 1899.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.