US1940416A - Rear sight for machine guns - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 19 1933.

W. C. L. HAUBROE REAR SIGHT FOR MACHINE GUNS Filed July 31, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 "WOR YS 33 GEQMETWOAL. msTr-wMEN 1933' ROE 1,940,416

REAR SIGHT FOR MACHINE GUNS Filed July 31, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 Ti 9 L METRIOA... lNSTF-ZUMENTS.

Patented Dec. 19, 1933 UNITED STATES @FFHUZ Werner Christian Lassen Haubroe, Copenhagen, Denmark Application July 31, 1931, Serial No. 554,235, and in Denmark August 29, 1930 4 Claims.

The invention relates to a sight device for machine guns or the like for firing against aircraft or the like.

The sight device consists of a front sight and a rear sight member which latter is formed as a wire cross supported in a circular ring, the point of intersection of the wires of the said cross forming the rear sight while during the sighting the ring always occupies a horizontal position. The ring is supported by a lateral arm connected to a rotatable rod disposed in a circular casing, thesaidrod being caused by means of a pendulum to-remairilq Stantly in vertical positionmduring the sighting, and being adjustable as to length/"so "that the level of the ring relatively to the axis of the casing and, thereby,

. to the bore of th@,,.gun-cah be adjusted'fThe vertical adjiistiiient of the ring i's efiected in that a roll disposed on a pin on the rod engages a curve-shaped slot in an adjusting disc in rigid connection with a rotatable handle which is fitted with a pointer pointing on a scale the divisions of which correspond to the various heights of flight, in such a manner that the pin with the roll, when the adjusting disc is moved by rotation of the handle, is shifted either upward or downward in the casing and, thereby, either lengthens or shortens the rod supporting the ring.

On the drawings Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically the sight device according to the invention applied to a machine gun,

Fig. 2 diagrammatically the use of the sight devices during sighting,

Fig. 3 the casing of the rear sight device viewed from the side facing away from the gun.

Fig. 4 a vertical section of the same taken approximately on the line IVIV of Fig. 6,

Figs. 4a, 4b and 4c are transverse sectional views taken respectively on the line Iva-Iva, IVbIVb and IVcIVc of Fig. 4,

Fig. 5 the same in front elevation, and

Fig. 6 a vertical cross-section of the same, taken approximately on the line VIVI of Fi 4.

1 is the front sight supported by a clip 2 attached to the machine gun 3. The rear sight device is similarly supported by a clip 4 attached to the machine gun, in such a manner that there will be a certain definite distance between the two sight devices.

The rear sight device consists of a circular ring 5, Figs. 2 and 5, in which a wire cross 6 is stretched out, the point of intersection of the wires of the cross forming the rear sight, while the extreme top of the other sight forms the front sight. The ring 5 is supported by an arm '7 connected to a rod 8, which is adapted to rotate in a circular casing 9 about a pin 10 attached therein, Fig. 6. The casing 9 is firmly connected to the clip 4 and occupies a position alongside the gun and parallel to the vertical central plane of the same, in such a manner that the arm 7 supporting the ring 5 projects over the gun. The rod 8 consists of two telescoping parts 8 and 8a, the part 8 supporting a lateral tap l2 fitted with a roller 11, and the part 8a a pendulum 13, which during the sighting operation tends to cause the rod 8, 8a to occupy always a vertical position in the casing 9. The pendulum 13 is adapted to be shifted along the rod member 8a, in such a manner that when the sight device is not attached to the gun the said pendulum can be moved into the casing 9. The clip 4 is rotatably connected to the casing 9, in such a manner that it can be swung up against the latter, and the supporting arm 7 of the ring 5 is detachably connected to the rod 8, in such a manner that the ring and the supporting arm can be separated from the casing. The parts of the rear sight will therefore only occupy little space when not attached to the gun. The roll 11 engages a curve-shaped slot 14, Fig. 4, in a guide disc 15 attached to the end of a pin 16, which is journaledin the wall of the casing 9 facing away from the gun and, beyond this wall, supports a handle 17 fitted with a pointer 18, Fig. 3, which points on a scale 19 on the wall of the casing. The divisions of this scale correspond to various heights of flight. The handle 17 is connected to the pin 16 but is free to slide along the axis of the same and is actuated by a helical spring 20, which tends to maintain a check-tooth 21, on the side of the handle facing the casing, in engagement with a toothed ring 22 provided on the Wall of the casing, the distance between the tooth intervals on the said ring corresponding to the distance between the divisions on the scale 19.

The sighting device is used in the following manner.

After the height of flight for the aircraft to be fired at has been measured or estimated the pointer 18 of the handle 17 is adjusted to the division on the scale 19 corresponding to the measured or estimated height of flight. The gun is then directed towards the aircraft, the gunner sighting along the point of intersection of the wire cross 6 and the point of the front sight 1. The gun has now acquired the elevation corresponding to the height of flight of the aircraft, see Fig. 1. After the gunner has thus adjusted the elevation of the gun he maintains the line of sight some suitable distance in front of the aircraft, in such a manner that the latter will be directed towards the centre of the wire cross, and when he then sees the aircraft becoming visible inside of the ring 5, see Fig. 2, he begins to fire. The trajectory of the projectiles will then be situated in such a manner that the flying machine while moving forward must necessarily pass through the said trajectory and, therefore, cannot avoid being hit by one or more of the projectiles fired in succession.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:--

1. In a rear sight for machine guns, a casing supported on the rear of the gun barrel, a rod composed of two portions one pivotally mounted in said casing, a pendulum carried by the pivotal portion of said rod and adapted tomaintain the rod in a vertical position, the other portion of said rod being longitudinally adjustable on the first portion to correspond to the height of the target, and an annular member supported on said second portion and carrying a pair of crossed wires the intersection of which constitutes the rear gun sight.

2. In a rear sight for machine guns, a casing supported on the rear of the gun barrel, a telescoping rod carried by said casing, one of the telescoping portions of said rod being pivotally supported, a pendulum carried by said pivotally supported portion, a disk supported in said casing and provided with a curved guide slot, a

roller disposed laterally on the other telescopic portion of the rod in engagement with said guide slot, an operating handle rigidly secured to said disk and carrying a pointer, the wall of said casing being provided with a scale cooperating with pointer to indicate adjustments corresponding to the height of the target, and an annular member supported on said rod and carrying a pair of crossed wires the intersection of which constitutes the rear gun sight.

3. In a rear sight for machine guns, a casing supported on the rear of the gun barrel, a rod composed of two portions one pivotally mounted in said casing, a pendulum carried by the pivotal portion of said rod and adapted to maintain the rod in a vertical position, the other portion of said rod being longitudinally adjustable on the first portion to correspond to the height of the target, and an annular member supported on said second portion and carrying a pair of crossed wires the intersection of which constitutes the rear gun sight, said pendulum being slidable on said rod into and out of said casing.

4. In a rear sight for machine guns, a casing supported on the rear of the gun barrel, a rod composed of two portions one pivotally mounted in said casing, a pendulum carried by the pivotal portion of said rod and adapted to maintain the rod in a vertical position, the other portion of said rod being longitudinally adjustable on the first portion to correspond to the height of the target, and an annular member detachably supported on said second portion and carrying a pair of crossed wires the intersection of which constitutes the rear gun sight.

WERNER CHRISTIAN LASSEN HAUBROE.

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