Wind direction indicator

Claim 2

In a wind direction indicating arrangement for a sailboat, said wind-direction-indicating arrangement of the type having a wind direction detection means for detecting the direction of the wind and generating an information signal having a magnitude proportional to the angular difference between the detected wind direction and a predetermined alignment direction corresponding to the fore-and-aft centerline of the sailboat, the improvement comprising, in combination: an indicating means comprising a visual display means comprising an electric meter having a dial face and a needle movable relative to said dial face and said needle moving in response to said information signal and said dial face having: first scale means for indicating said angular difference between said detected wind direction and said predetermined alignment direction for said detected wind direction between 0* and 180* in a clockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction and for said detected wind direction between 0* and 180* in a counterclockwise direction from said predetermined alignMent direction; and said meter having a first arcuate portion on the order of 6* centered to correspond to said 0* direction and said 0* direction corresponding to dead ahead for said sailboat and said display means reading 0* for wind direction corresponding to 0* to 3* in a clockwise direction and 0* and 3* in a counterclockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction; said said dial face of said display means further comprises: a second scale means for providing a second indication for indicating said measured wind direction within a predetermined first angular range of less than 180* in a clockwise direction and in a counterclockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction, and said needle moving relative to said dial face in a first mode of operation for indicating wind directions on said first scale and in a second mode of operation for indicating wind direction on said second scale; and said needle moving relative to said dial face substantially the same for full scale deflection on said first scale and on said second scale; and means for switching from said first mode of operation to said second mode of operation and from said second mode of operation to said first mode of operation.

Claim 3

The arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein: said wind direction detection means further comprises: a housing means having walls defining a cavity therethrough extending from a base portion thereof to a spaced-apart top portion thereof, and said cavity having a potentiometer-receiving chamber adjacent said base portion and a bearing-receiving chamber adjacent said top portion; a low-torque potentiometer positioned in said potentiometer-receiving chamber and having a drive shaft extending a predetermined distance into said bearing receiving chamber; a coupling shaft drivingly engaging said potentiometer drive shaft and rotatingly mounted in said bearing-receiving chamber of said cavity for rotating said potentiometer drive shaft; a cover means for covering said top portion of said cavity; base means coupled to said housing for sealingly closing said cavity at said base portion thereof; weather vane shaft drivingly coupled to said coupling shaft and extending away therefrom for rotating said coupling shaft; weather vane means having a transverse shaft means coupled to said weather vane shaft, body means coupled to said transverse shaft for positioning said transverse shaft in a first alignment direction parallel to the wind direction, and a nose counterweight, and said weather vane means rotating said weather vane shaft to rotate said potentiometer to a predetermined position corresponding thereto to generate said information signal.

Claim 4

The arrangement defined in claim 2 wherein: said body means of said weather vane further comprises: a first side member and a second side member and said first side member and said second side member are substantially identical and each define a vertically disposed airfoil section, and said body means is coupled to said transverse shaft adjacent to an aft end thereof; and said nose counterweight coupled to said transverse shaft adjacent a forward end thereof; said cover means is coupled to said coupling shaft and rotates therewith, and said cover means is spaced a predetermined distance from said top portion of said cavity; a bearing mounted in said bearing receiving chamber; said coupling shaft is rotatingly supported in said bearing mounted in said bearing-receiving chamber of said cavity; said bearing-receiving chamber and said potentiometer-receiving chamber each further comprise an oil reservoir storage portion; and oil in said oil reservoir portion and said oil having a specific gravity greater than the specific gravity of water for lubricating said potentiometer and said bearing.

Claim 5

A wind direction indicator coMprising, in combination: a housing means having walls defining a cavity therethrough extending from a base portion thereof to a spaced-apart top portion thereof, and said cavity having a potentiometer-receiving chamber adjacent said base portion and a bearing-receiving chamber adjacent said top portion; a low-torque potentiometer positioned in said potentiometer-receiving chamber and having a predetermined alignment direction and having a drive shaft extending a predetermined distance into said bearing-receiving chamber; a coupling shaft drivingly engaging said drive shaft of said potentiometer and rotatingly mounted in said bearing-receiving chamber of said cavity for rotating said drive shaft; cover means for covering said top portion of said cavity; base means coupled to said housing for sealingly closing said cavity at said base portion thereof; a weather vane shaft drivingly coupled to said coupling shaft and extending therefrom for rotating said coupling shaft; weather vane means comprising: a transverse shaft means coupled to said weather vane shaft; a body means coupled to said transverse shaft for positioning said transverse shaft in first alignment directions parallel to the wind direction; and a nose counterweight coupled to said transverse shaft in spaced-apart relationship to said body means; and said weather vane means rotating said weather vane shaft to rotate said potentiometer into predetermined positions corresponding thereto and said potentiometer generating an information signal having a magnitude proportional to the angular separation between said first alignment direction and said predetermined alignment direction; indicating means for receiving said information signal and having a display means for providing visual display proportional to the magnitude of said information signal; and said indicating means comprising a display means, and said indicating means having a first mode of operation for providing a first indication on said display means for indicating said first alignment direction for the condition of said first alignment direction between 0* and 180* in a clockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction, and a second indication on said display means for indicating said first alignment direction, and a second indication on said display means for indicating said first alignment direction for the condition of said first alignment direction, between 0* and 180* in a counterclockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction, and further means providing a second mode of operation for providing a third indication on said display means for indicating said first alignment direction for the condition of said first alignment direction within a first predetermined angular range less than 180* in a clockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction, and a fourth indication on said display means for indicating said first alignment direction for the condition of said first alignment direction within said predetermined angular range in a counterclockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction.

Claim 6

A wind direction indicator coMprising, in combination: a housing means having walls defining a cavity therethrough extending from a base portion thereof to a spaced-apart top portion thereof, and said cavity having a potentiometer-receiving chamber adjacent said base portion and a bearing-receiving chamber adjacent said top portion; a low-torque potentiometer positioned in said potentiometer-receiving chamber and having a predetermined alignment direction and having a drive shaft extending a predetermined distance into said bearing-receiving chamber; a coupling shaft drivingly engaging said drive shaft of said potentiometer and rotatingly mounted in said bearing-receiving chamber of said cavity for rotating said drive shaft; cover means for covering said top portion of said cavity; base means coupled to said housing for sealingly closing said cavity at said base portion thereof; a weather vane shaft drivingly coupled to said coupling shaft and extending therefrom for rotating said coupling shaft; weather vane means comprising: a transverse shaft means coupled to said weather vane shaft; a body means coupled to said transverse shaft for positioning said transverse shaft in first alignment directions parallel to the wind direction; and a nose counterweight coupled to said transverse shaft in spaced-apart relationship to said body means; and said weather vane means rotating said weather vane shaft to rotate said potentiometer into predetermined positions corresponding thereto and said potentiometer generating an information signal having a magnitude proportional to the angular separation between said first alignment direction and said predetermined alignment direction; indicating means for receiving said information signal and having a display means for providing visual display proportional to the magnitude of said information signal; and said indicating means comprising a display means, and said indicating means having a first mode of operation for providing a first indication on said display means for indicating said first alignment direction for the condition of said first alignment direction between 0* and 180* in a clockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction, and a second indication on said display means for indicating said first alignment direction, and a second indication on said display means for indicating said first alignment direction for the condition of said first alignment direction, between 0* and 180* in a counterclockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction, and further means providing a second mode of operation for providing a third indication on said display means for indicating said first alignment direction for the condition of said first alignment direction within a first predetermined angular range less than 180* in a clockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction, and a fourth indication on said display means for indicating said first alignment direction for the condition of said first alignment direction within said predetermined angular range in a counterclockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction.

Claim 7

The arrangement defined in claim 4 wherein: said first predetermined angular range is on the order of 30* and comprises a range of 20* to 50* in the clockwise direction and counterclockwise direction from said predetermined alignment direction. 6 The arrangement defined in claim 5 and further comprising: a damping means connected to said potentiometer and to said display means for damping said information signal to damp out small time duration changes in said first alignment direction; and switch means operatively connected to said display means for switching said display means from said first mode of operation to said second mode of operation.

Claim 8

The arrangement defined in claim 4 wherein said weather vane means comprises a body means having a firSt side member and a second side member, and said first side member and said second side member substantially identical and each define a vertically disposed airfoil section and are coupled to said transverse shaft adjacent to an aft end thereof; and a nose counterweight coupled to a forward end of said transverse shaft.

Claim 9

The arrangement defined in claim 7 wherein: said cover means is coupled to said coupling shaft and rotates therewith and is spaced a predetermined distance from said top portion of said cavity; said coupling shaft is rotatingly supported in said bearing-receiving chamber of said cavity by a bearing; said bearing-receiving chamber of said cavity and said potentiometer-receiving chamber of said cavity each further comprise an oil reservoir portion; oil having a specific gravity greater than the specific gravity of water in said oil reservoir portions for lubricating said bearing and said potentiometer; and said first side member and said second side member of said body means of said weather vane means each comprise a thin-walled shell means.

Claim 10

A wind direction indicator comprising, in combination: a housing means having walls defining a cavity therethrough extending from a base portion thereof to a spaced-apart top portion thereof, and said cavity having a potentiometer-receiving chamber adjacent said base portion and a bearing-receiving chamber adjacent said to portion, and said bearing-receiving chamber and said potentiometer receiving chamber each further comprising an oil reservoir storage portion, and in said oil reservoir portion and said oil having a specific gravity greater than the specific gravity of water for lubricating said potentiometer and said bearing; a low-torque potentiometer positioned in said potentiometer-receiving chamber and having a predetermined alignment direction, and having a drive shaft extending a predetermined distance into said bearing-receiving chamber; a baring mounted in said bearing-receiving chamber; a coupling shaft drivingly engaging said drive shaft of said potentiometer, and said coupling shaft rotatingly mounted in said bearing in said bearing-receiving chamber of said cavity, for rotating said drive shaft; cover means for covering said top portion of said cavity, and said cover means coupled to said coupling shaft and rotating therewith, and said cover means spaced a predetermined distance from said top portion of said cavity; base means coupled to said housing for sealingly closing said cavity at said base portion thereof; a weather vane drivingly coupled to said coupling shaft and extending therefrom for rotating said coupling shaft; weather vane means comprising: a transverse shaft means coupled to said weather vane shaft; a body means coupled to said transverse shaft for positioning said transverse shaft in first alignment directions parallel to the wind direction; and a nose counterweight coupled to said transverse shaft in spaced-apart relationship to said body means; and said weather vane means rotating said weather vane shaft to rotate said potentiometer into predetermined positions corresponding thereto, and said potentiometer generating an information signal having a magnitude proportional to the angular separation between said first alignment direction and said predetermined alignment direction; and said body means comprising: a first side member and a second side member and said first side member and said second side member substantially identical and each defining a vertically disposed airfoil section, and said body means coupled to said transverse shaft adjacent an aft end thereof; and and said nose counterweight coupled to said transverse shaft adjacent a forward end thereof; and indicating means for receiving said information signal and having a display means for providing a visual display proportional to the magnitude of said information signal.

Claim 11

A wind direction indicator comprising, in combination: a housing means having walls defining a cavity therethrough extending from a base portion thereof to a spaced-apart top portion thereof, and said cavity having a potentiometer-receiving chamber adjacent said base portion and a bearing-receiving chamber adjacent said to portion, and said bearing-receiving chamber and said potentiometer receiving chamber each further comprising an oil reservoir storage portion, and in said oil reservoir portion and said oil having a specific gravity greater than the specific gravity of water for lubricating said potentiometer and said bearing; a low-torque potentiometer positioned in said potentiometer-receiving chamber and having a predetermined alignment direction, and having a drive shaft extending a predetermined distance into said bearing-receiving chamber; a baring mounted in said bearing-receiving chamber; a coupling shaft drivingly engaging said drive shaft of said potentiometer, and said coupling shaft rotatingly mounted in said bearing in said bearing-receiving chamber of said cavity, for rotating said drive shaft; cover means for covering said top portion of said cavity, and said cover means coupled to said coupling shaft and rotating therewith, and said cover means spaced a predetermined distance from said top portion of said cavity; base means coupled to said housing for sealingly closing said cavity at said base portion thereof; a weather vane drivingly coupled to said coupling shaft and extending therefrom for rotating said coupling shaft; weather vane means comprising: a transverse shaft means coupled to said weather vane shaft; a body means coupled to said transverse shaft for positioning said transverse shaft in first alignment directions parallel to the wind direction; and a nose counterweight coupled to said transverse shaft in spaced-apart relationship to said body means; and said weather vane means rotating said weather vane shaft to rotate said potentiometer into predetermined positions corresponding thereto, and said potentiometer generating an information signal having a magnitude proportional to the angular separation between said first alignment direction and said predetermined alignment direction; and said body means comprising: a first side member and a second side member and said first side member and said second side member substantially identical and each defining a vertically disposed airfoil section, and said body means coupled to said transverse shaft adjacent an aft end thereof; and and said nose counterweight coupled to said transverse shaft adjacent a forward end thereof; and indicating means for receiving said information signal and having a display means for providing a visual display proportional to the magnitude of said information signal.

Claim 12

The arrangement defined in claIm 9 wherein said first side member and said second side member of said body means comprise thin-walled shell means.