Improvements in Sighting Apparatus for Ordnance.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left. 8th May. 1890-Accepted. 2sth June, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sighting Apparatus for Ordnance.
I, JOHN EDWARD COMPTON-BRACEBRIDGE of 3 Whitehall Place, in the City of
Westminster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In cases where the sights are fitted to a vibrating bar, as described in Patent
No. 14579 of 1888 there is a difficulty in getting a sight when the gun is mounted in a
turret, owing to the line of sight being ionled by the roof of the turret, especially when
firing at objects situated at a great distance above the level of the turret, and not far
distant from it horizontally; and there are also occasions when it is desirable to have
the line of sight as close as possible to the roof of the turret, or in guns fitted in
harbette towers or firing over parapets to the top edge of the armour or parapet in
order to expose the man laying the gun as little as possible.
I propose therefore, instead of fixing the foresight and the socket for the tangent
scale to the bar immoveably, to make these sockets slide vertically in suitable guides
and to move them together by means of gearing and racks, or in any other suitable
way.
Thus the line of sight, however the sockets are moved is always parallel to the axis
of the piece when the tangent scale is lowered, as both the tangent scale socket, and
that of the foresight, are moved up or down equal distances.
Dated this Eighth day of August 1889.
J. E. COMPTON-BRACEBRIDGE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sighting Apparatus for Ordnance.
1, JOHN EDWARD COMPTON-BRACEBRIDGE, of 3 Whitehall Place, in the City of
Westminster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be perforined to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
In cases where the sights are fitted to a vibrating bar, as described in Patent
No. 14579 of 18SS there is a difficulty in getting a sight when the gun is mounted in a
turret, owing to the line of sight being fouled by the roof of the turret, especially
when firing at objects situated at a great distance above the level of the turret, and
not far distant from it horizontally; and there are also occasions when it is desirable
to have the line of sight as close as possible to the roof of the turret, or in guns fitted
in barbette towers or firing over parapets to the top edge of the armour or parapet in
order to expose the man laying the gun as little as possible.
I propose therefore, instead of fixing the foresight and the socket for the tangent
scale to the bar immoveably, to make these sockets slide vertically in suitable guides
and to move them together by means of gearing and racks, or in any other suitable
way.
Thus the line of sight, however the sockets are moved is always parallel to the axis
of the piece when the tangent scale is lowered, as both the tangent scale socket, and
that of the foresight, are moved up or down equal distances.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an elevation and shows the general arrangement of the apparatus.
Figure 2 is an elevation showing parts of the apparatus to a larger scale.
Figure 3 is an horizontal section.
Figure 4 is a front elevation.
Figure 5 shows automatic locking gear to retain the sight carriers in any position
in which they may be placed.
a is the vibrating bar upon which both the sights are carried. a' a' are trunnions
by which it is held. bare bearings for these trunnions fixed say to the roof of the
turret over either side of a hole up through which the foresight projects. a² is an
eye in the bar a by which the bar is linked with the gun mounting so that the bar a
is at all times parallel to the axis of the gun. c is a guide also fixed say to the roof
of the turret and which serves to sieady the bar at its rear end. a is a guide passage
at the fore end of the bar a in which the socket to receive the stem e of the fore
sight e¹ is held.
a is a guide on which the socket for the stem g of the tangent
sight slides. The sockets d and f have rack teeth d' and f' formed upon them and
into these teeth gear pinions ¹² upon an axis h. The axis is carried in bearings
upon the bar a
By turning the axis the sockets d and fare raised or lowered
equally and consequently without affecting the inclination of the line of sight to the
axis of the gun. The sights e' and y' their supports e and g and the gear connected
there with may be of any approved pattern; the invention involves no alteration in
these parts and further description of them is unnecessary.
Automatic locking gear to which I make no claim is provided in connection with
the axis to retain it so that the weight of the sights and parts connected therewith
may not cause it to turn. a is a bracket fixed to the bar a it is provided with a
grooved boss surrounding the axis h. ³ ³ are arms on this axis carrying the frie-
tional pawls and a spring which presses the pawls into the groove of the boss
and so locks the axis fast. is a piece carried by a disc i which is free to turn about
the shaft ; this piece has cam slots *i* in it which when the disc is turned by hand
operate upon pins fixed in the tails of the pawls and these pawls are thus lifted out
of gear the axis can then be turned but as soon as the disc i is released the axis is
again automatically lockod.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
olaim is :-
1. The combination substantially as described with a vibrating sight bar linked with
a gun mounting in such manner as to cause the bar to conform to the movements of
the gun; of sockets or holders to carry the sights and gear for simultaneously raising
and lowering these sockets or holders without altering the inclination of the sight line
to the axis of the gun.
2. Sighting apparatus for ordnance substantially as described and illustrated by the
annexed drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of Nov 1900