Feb-'1, 1949

LE ROY si .JEssEN
TARGET EXCHANGER

2,460,294

Filed June 24, 1944

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INVENTOR.

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BY

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Patented Feb. l, 1949

46,294
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EXCHANGER

Le Roy S. Jessen, Dayton, Ohio. ApplieatnLE-iie 24g-1944, Serial No. 541,979

5 Claims. (ci. 27s-105.3) v

(Granted underxthe act of-March 3, 11883, as. amended April 30; 1928; 370 r.. Gr. '757).
. l

The invention described herein may be manu factured and used-by or for the' Government for

changer i8 carrying a replacement target lo is

shown supported en the cable t3. Prior tothe:

releasev of the targ'eti', a plurality oi exchangers
i8` (not shown) vare strung on the tow cablefi'

governmental purposes, without the payment to

me of any royalty thereon.

This` invention relates to automatic tow target

releasers or exchangers.

andare retained' thereon adj acent the guide tubeY

As seen in Figs. 2 and 6 the Aterr-ninal member
ifi may comprise a member 22 having a

One objectof the present invention is tol pro.

vicle an automatic tow target release whichV willi
sever the target lead cable.. ' ' 1

Another object is to provide a target exchang . .

mechanism which will minimize the danger of. the tow cable breaking accidentally. A further object is to simplify the construction oi target releasers or exchangers by reducing vthe

conica-1i recess 23' therein which communicates withA 'an axial bore Ell adapted toY receive' the 'cabi-e. i3. A conical plug 25, having the same taper as the recess 23, has a continuous-groove 2S. forme on two or' the' sides and across the base. The l'3l .extends through the. bore* 2i, around'v the

number of moving parts therein.

Other objects will become apparent uponf c'on-

hery of the-*plug 5 inthe groove 215, and' is

reta ed in the recess 23 by the wedging action'. between the plug 25 and the recess 23. A spri .Ig 28. is retained: inl the recessv Z-S'by a capl Q91' screw threaded on to the body 22'. The spring 2B tends. toi wedge' the plug` 25 intov the recess` and insures retention of they cablel i-l in the recess 23a The exterior oi the'term'inal member ifi lis pro vided with. an anvil 3i! (Figs. 2i, Li, andv el which is

sidering the fcliowing specification which, when

taken in connection with> the accompanying drawings illustrate preferred types of the in~ vention. Broadly, the invention comprises av terminal
member xed to tow cable, said yterrrnnal meine
ber having an anvil thereon across. which is;> stretched a lead cable to a >towed target and; an

provided witrl four holes

substantially axially

exchanger including an anvil adapted' to receive

a target' lead cable and-a cutter on'sai'di eX'

changer adapted to engage the first named anvil and shear the cable thereacross. In the drawings: Fig. l is an elevational view of ay target tow plane with an exchange target on the tow cable',v
cer-tain parts being lshown enlarged; for purposes .

therethrough. The holes' receive- a pair of lead ropes 3% each oi which passes through> two of' the: holes 32 as seen in yFigs. 2 and'. 4. Af cutter guide' 3iv is formed on.l thetorn/ard` orV

leading end. of the body 22, aiidcxten'd's liront the

anvil face` forward' toward the airnla-lfie> for a 11i-ur pose more fully set forth below.

of illustration; Fig. 2 is a view ci the target end oi?v the'.` tow cable showing `the terminal member and an ex La Cll change target on the tow cable; 1Fig. 3 is a longitudinal" cross. section through two successive exchangers on the tow cabl ; Fig. l is an eno". View of the terminal member or the exchanger; Fig. 5 is an end view oi they cutter end of an
ex ch ang er ;

llhe exchanger i8 is 'best shown in Figs'. 2', 3, di, and Er, Fig.. 4: 'bei-ng a view ofv either exchanger i8 or theftermirra-l- member it. As best seenv in Fie 3, the exchanger comprises a body portionv @il h' ing; an aperti-ire 'ai therein which receives. the> cutter guide Ail of another exchanger iii. The
rear- encl o the bodyl porti-ori 4@ is provided with . a cutter which mayk comprise> four blades i2 as seen in Figs; Sand 5 or may'ccmprise a cyiindrij.
cal'y blade' or> chisel; i3:v as seen in "

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal cross sectional View of

By providing' ioni" chisel-shaped cutter blades dan as.seen iniFig.l 5,. then passing thele'ad ropes or

cables 35 over the end' oi? the anvil as seen in' Fig. 7 is a longitudinal view, parti-yin cross sec' A " 4, it will be assured that at least two of the cutter tion showing a modified form of the invention; blades willy strike the. two portions oi- the- lead and ropes which pass over the' faoe'oi the' anvil. Fig. 8 is an end View of the Vcutter end of the will be noted in the case of the cylindrical blade modification shown in Fig. '.7. , i3 that the diameter of the cutting edge is less Referring rst to Fig. 1, an airplane Hi has a than the diameter upon which the holes Si? in the guide tube i2 iixed in the bottom thereof, through anvil on the terminal member i@ are set, but is which is strung a tow cable i3. The tow cable I3 great enough to insure complete severance of the is provided with a terminal member I4 (to be de lead cable 35 'byI `the cutter. scribed more fully below), to which a sleeve tar The body portion 4D has an anvil 45 formed get i5 is attached by a target cable I6. An ex 55 thereon, which terminates in a cutter guide 41,

the terminal member;

2,460,294 3
which are identical to the anvil 30 and cutter

4
anvil, an exchanger slidable rearwardly on said tow cable, a second target carried by said ex

guide 31 respectively of the terminal member I4. Each anvil 45 has holes 46 arranged exactly like holes 32 in anvil 30 and adapted to receive lead cables 35. In practice, the cable I3 is threaded through
the guide tube I2 and a number of exchangers I8
are threaded on the cable I3 and secured on or

changer, said exchanger including a rearwardly directed knife edge engageable with the forward
face of said anvil positioned to engage and sever

the lead cable where it extends transversely across the forward face of said anvil and thereby release the rst target.

3. In combination, a tow cable having its for adjacent the guide tube. The tow cable I3 is then threaded through the cutter guide 31 on the 10 ward end adapted to be secured to an airplane, a terminal member secured to the other end of terminal member I4 and secured therein by the
conical wedge 25. '

A target I5 is secured to the terminal member I4 by passing the lead cables 35 through the holes
32 and across the anvil 30 as seen in Fig. 4, and the cable I3 payed out through a Winch (not shown) in the plane. When it is desired to change targets a bundled target I9 is connected to an exchanger I8 by
means of cables 35 in a manner similar to the -

said cable, an anvil on the forward end of said terminal member, a target lead cable, a target

towed by said lead cable, said lead cable being connected with said terminal member by ex
tending transversely across the forward face of said anvil, an exchanger slidable rearwardly on said tow cable, a second target carried by said

connection between terminal member and the

exchanger, said exchanger including a plurality of radially extending knives on its rearward face adapted by impact with said anvil to sever said
lead cable where it extends transversely across the forward face of said anvil and thereby release

target I5 and the target is launched from the

plane. The relative speed of the air and the plane I0 carries the exchanger out along the tow cable I3 until the cutter passing over the cutter guide 31 engages and severs the lead cable 35, releasing the target I5 which oats to the earth and is recovered by a ground crew.

said rst named target. 4. In combination, a tow cable having its for
ward end adapted to be secured to an airplane, a terminal member secured to the rearward end of said cable, an anvil on the forward end of said terminal member, a target lead cable, a target

The jar of the exchanger striking the terminal

member breaks the ties of the target and permits :5. towed by said lead cable, said lead cable being secured to said terminal member by extending it to billow out to normal length. Subsequent targets are supplied on the tow transversely across the forward face of said anvil, cable I3 by attaching them to exchangers I8 in an exchanger slidable on said tow cable, a second target attached to said exchanger, said exchanger a similar manner. As each exchanger strikes the previous exchanger it cuts the lead cable carried Y ' including an annular knife on its rearward face adapted by impact to engage said anvil to sever thereby, releasing the old target and substituting the lead cable where it extends transversely across the new target. the forward face of the said anvil to release the Having thus described the invention, it will be towed target from the terminal member. realized that the forms thereof shown and de 5. In an airplane tow target arrangement in scribed represent preferred embodiments and cluding a tow plane and a tow cable having its that various changes in size, shape, and arrange forward end attached to said tow plane, a ter ment of parts may be made without departing minal member retained on the rearward end of from the spirit of the invention as defined by the

appended claims.
What is claimed and desired to secure by Let ters Patent is: 1. In combination, a tow cable having one end adapted to be secured to an airplane, a terminal member secured to the other end of said cable,

said cable, an anvil on the forward face of said

terminal member, a cutter guide integral with the terminal member and extending forward from said anvil, a target lead cable, a target towed by said lead cable, said lead cable being secured to said terminal member by extending an anvil on the forward end of said terminal 50 transversely across the forward face of said anvil, and cutting means movable along the tow cable member, a tow target, a target lead cable secured and over the cutter guide and co-operating with to the tow target and being connected with said said anvil by impact therewith to sever the lead terminal member by extending transversely cable and release said target. across the forward face of said anvil, land. rear LE ROY S. JESSEN. wardly directed cutting means mounted on and movable rearwardly along the tow cable and en REFERENCES CITED gageable with the forward face of said anvil to sever the lead cable where it extends transversely The following references are of record in the across said anvil and release said target. iile of this patent: 2. In combination, a tow cable having its for 00 UNITED STATES PATENTS ward end adapted to be secured to an airplane, a terminal member secured to the other end of Number Name Date said cable, an anvil on the forward end of said Re. 18,007 Lamkey _________ __ Mar. 24, 1931 terminal member, a target lead cable, a target 1,971,340 Foulk ___________ __ Aug. 28, 1934 towed by said lead cable, said lead cable being 2,310,249 Maskey ___________ __ Feb. 9, 1943 connected with said terminal member by extend 2,376,754 Brickman _______ __ May 22, 1945 ing transversely across the forward face of said