Adjustable intervalometer including self-testing means

Claim 2

An intervalometer for controlling release of weapons, comprising: means for providing a pulse train including manually operable switching means for passing a constant level signal and other manually operable switching means connected to the first mentioned switching means for passing and blocking the constant level signal to respectively start and stop the pulse train; weapons release means connected to the pulse train means and responsive to each of the pulses in the train provided thereby for releasing a weapon; control means for controlling the interval between weapons releases and including means for providing control pulse trains, each pulse train having a different interval between pulses, and means connected to the control pulse train means for manually selecting a pulse train having a desired pulse interval; means connected to the other switching means in the pulse train means, to the weapons release means and to the control means for modulating the constant level signal passed by said switching means to apply the pulse train from the pulse train means to the releasing means in accordance with the control pulse train; and means connected to the pulse train means and to the control means for testing both of said means to determine if the actual pulse interval corresponds to the desired pulse interval.

Claim 3

An intervalometer as described by claim 1, including: the release means providing a signal while there are weapons remaining to be released; the pulse train means providing a signal at the end of a pulse train; means for indicating the operative status of the pulse train means and the release means, said indicating means having switching means connected to the release means and to the pulse train means for providing a signal in response to the signals from both of said means, and display means connected to the switching means and responsive to the signal therefrom for providing a display indicating that the pulse train has terminated and there is still a weapon to be released; and the switching means in the indicating means having a flip-flop, an AND gate connecting one input of the flip-flop to the release means and to the pulse train means and passing the signal from the pulse train means to the flip-flop when the signal from the release means is present to cause the flip-flop to provide a signal to the display means, and blocking the signal from the pulse train means when the signal from the release means is absent, and an inverter connecting another input of the flip-flop to the release means so that the termination of the signal from the release means causes the flip-flop to remove the signal applied to the display means.

Claim 4

An intervalometer of the kind described in claim 1 in which the other switching means includes a switch for momentarily passing a direct current signal in response to manual operation thereof, a counter connected to the control means for counting the number of pulses in the selected control pulse train and providing an output when the number of pulses equals the number of weapons to be released, another switch connected to the modulating means and controlled by a command signal to pass the direct current signal to the modulating means, and a flip-flop connected to the momentary switch and to the counter and responsive to the direct current signal from the momentary switch for providing the command signal to start the pulse train and responsive to the output from the counter for removing the command signal to stop the pulse train after the weapons have been released.

Claim 5

An intervalometer of the kind described in claim 3 further comprising time delay means for delaying the signal from the momentary switch to provide noise immunization.

Claim 6

An intervalometer of the kind described in claim 1 in which the control means includes a source connected to the pulse train means and controlled by the pulse train means to provide timing pulses, and means for dividing the timing pulses to provide the different control pulse trains.

Claim 7

An intervalometer of the kind described in claim 5 in which the test means includes manually operative switching means for passing a signal, means connected to the switching means for disabling the pulse train means in response to a passed signal so as to prevent the application of a pulse train to the release means during test, and means connected to the switching means and to the control means and controlled by the passed signal from the switching means for indicating the occurrence of pulses in the control pulse train so that the time interval between pulses can be determined.

Claim 8

An intervalometer of the kind described in claim 6 in which the pulse indicating means includes second switching means connected to the first mentioned switching means and responsive to a passed signal from the first mentioned switching means for passing the control pulse train from the control means and blocking the control pulse train during an absence of a passed signal from the first mentioned switching means, and a light responsive to the passed control pulse train from the second switching means for indicating the pulses in the passed control pulse train.