Protective Exploratory Projectile For Law Enforcement Maneuvers

Abstract

A protective exploratory signalling projectile adapted to be manually thrown within a darkened area from one location to another during law enforcement maneuvers. The projectile is provided with a light source, means for supplying energy to the source, trigger means operable to control the energy supply to the source, and time delay means for postponing the energy supply for a time interval immediately following the operation of the trigger whereby the triggered projectile may be thrown without illuminating the location of the party throwing it.

Description

This invention relates to safety devices and more especially to an exploratory projectile for use in law enforcement maneuvers.

Law enforcement officers are required from time to time to explore remote darkened areas for the purpose of locating and apprehending dangerous criminal offenders. To illuminate these darkened areas, the officers often employ a flashlight or similar illuminating means to project an exploratory beam in advance of their path, but in doing so, the officers also reveal their location to an offender if hiding in the area. Moreover, the surprise element under such conditions operates in favor of the suspected criminal since the officers' location is revealed to the suspect the instant the light beam is projected, whereas, the position of the suspect is revealed to the officers only after the beam is directed upon the suspect.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a time-delayed illuminable projectile which may be triggered and thrown within a darkened area from one location to another prior to its illumination thereby concealing the location of the party throwing it.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device of the class described in which the light source within the projectile comprises means for producing a high-intensity light flash designated to temporarily blind or impair the dark-adapted vision of a suspect who might be hiding in the darkened area thereby giving the party throwing the projectile an initial advantage in making a capture.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a device such as described in the immediately preceding paragraph in which the light source also includes an intermittently operable flashing light and a continuously and concurrently illuminable light, each of the lights having a relatively lesser light intensity than that of the initial high-intensity light flash. The intermittently flashing light and the continuous light will respectively serve the dual purpose of further disconcerting the suspect and of providing continuous illumination restricted mainly to the explored area.

Some of the objects of invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an exploratory projectile embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view looking at the right-hand side of FIG. 1 and showing the activating key pin 19 in cocked or releasable position;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view similar to FIG. 1, but with the translucent top section thereof removed;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of FIG. 1, but showing the activating key pin in latched position, and

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing the electrical connections between the several components within the projectile.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 denotes broadly a manually castable or throwable exploratory projectile having a protective illuminable signalling system arranged therein according to the present invention. The housing of projectile 10 comprises an opaque bottom section 11 made of high-impact butyrate or similar plastic, and a transparent or translucent top section 12 also made of the same material, said sections being detachably secured to one another by any suitable means such as wedge locks 14. Each lock 14 consists of a projection 14a integral with the lower outer periphery of top section 12, and a spiralled groove or cam 14b in the upper inner periphery of bottom section 11 (FIGS. 1--4).

Mounted within united sections 11 and 12 are illuminable signalling components such as a single-flash high-intensity light bulb 15, an intermittently operable flash bulb 16, and a continuously illuminable bulb 17, the latter two bulbs having relatively low light intensities. The illumination of these bulbs is controlled by a time delay circuit schematically illustrated in FIG. 6 and as hereinafter described, said circuit including triggering or actuating switch 18, unijunction transistor Q1, silicon-controlled rectifier Q2, batteries B1, capacitor C1 and resistances R1, R2 and R3.

An epoxy circuit carrier board 20 has a sponge rubber layer 21 attached to its lower side and a flow-soldered layer on its upper side. The board and attached layers are adapted to removably fit between bottom and top projectile sections 11 and 12 and over battery compartment 23 in the bottom section. The sponge rubber layer 21 yieldingly contacts and holds the batteries B1 in the compartment, while the flow-soldered layer 22 serves to reflect the light of bulbs 15, 16 and 17 upwardly through transparent section 12.

It will be observed in FIGS. 1 and 4 that the flow-soldered layer 22 is etched to clear the components 15, 16, 17, Q1, Q2, C1, R1, R2 and R3.

The time delay circuit per se is conventional as will be apparent from the SCR Manual published by General Electric Company, pp. 76 and 77, and also in the Seventh Edition of the General Electric Transistor Manual, pp. 320 and 321. A selected predetermined time interval of the desired duration may be obtained by choosing the proper types of components R1 and C1 according to instructions in the manuals.

Conductors 25 through 33 (FIG. 6) are printed or otherwise suitably mounted on carrier board 20. Suitable terminals 34 and 35 of batteries B1 are connected to conductors 25 and 28 by means of conductors 36 and 37 respectively, the latter conductor having pin switch 18 therein. Switch 18 is normally held in open position by means of a flexible plastic activating key pin 19 (FIGS. 2 and 4), said pin having a key portion 19a integral therewith and insertable into a keyhole 19b in bottom section 11. In FIGS. 2--4, the pin 19 is shown in cocked or withdrawable position within the keyhole; and when withdrawn, the switch 18 will automatically close to initiate operation of the time delay device preparatory to the illumination of signalling elements 15, 16 and 17 at the expiration of the predetermined time interval. In FIG. 5, the pin 19 is shown in "safe" position at which time the pin handle 19c snugly rests in a recess 19d formed in the outer surface of bottom section 11.

The components of projectile 10 are so constructed and arranged as to be self-righting after being thrown and while coming to rest in the position shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the transparent section 12 will normally tend to assume an upright position to transmit light horizontally and vertically from the bulbs 15, 16 and 17.

Briefly stated, the operation of the exploratory projectile is as follows:

Immediately before throwing the projectile into a darkened area to be explored, an officer removes activating pin 19 to permit switch 18 to close. At this time, current flows through conductors 36, 25, 26 and 27 and resistance R1 to charge capacitor C1. After voltage reaches the trigger voltage of unijunction transistor Q1, the Q1 source conducts through R3, conductors 29, 28 and 37 to the negative terminal 35 of batteries B1. Concurrently, a positive impulse is fed from Q1 through conductor 31 to the gate of silicon-controlled rectifier Q2, which impulse switches on the rectifier to its conductive mode thereby completing the circuit from the positive side of the batteries through the signalling lamps 15, 16 and 17 through the closed activating switch 18 to the negative side of the batteries.

The bottom of projectile section 11 is provided with a circular cavity 38 therein for the reception of a spare key pin 19. The cavity 38 has an undercut or reentrant annular groove 38a in which the opposite ends of the pin are confined. Since the diameter of groove 38a is slightly less than the length of the pin, the latter will bow upwardly when inserted as shown in FIG. 3 and become wedged in position. A centrally disposed circular depression 38b forms a part of cavity 38 and permits insertion of the operator's finger or other pointed object to remove the spare key pin 19'.

When the officer removes the firing pin 19 from keyhole 19b preparatory to throwing the projectile, he ordinarily does not retain the pin, but instead, will discard it in order to free his hand for other action. The extra key pin 19' within recess 38 may be used by the officer to open switch 18 and to stop operation of the lights after the exploratory operation is concluded.

Holes 39 are provided adjacent cavity 38 for attachment of a long thin cord 40 when the device 10 is used to explore inaccessible locations for the purpose of retrieving the device.

Claims

I claim:

1. A protective signalling exploratory projectile for use in law enforcement maneuvers, said projectile adapted to be manually thrown within a darkened area from one location to another, comprising: a translucent casing; a light source in said casing, said source comprising a high-intensity flash bulb, an intermittently operable bulb of relatively low light intensity, and a third bulb continuously and concurrently illuminable with the aforementioned bulbs; a source of electricity; and electrical circuit connecting said last-named course to said bulbs; a switch in said circuit; and time delay means responsive to the closing of said switch for deferring the energization of said circuit and the light source therein for a time interval immediately following said closing whereby the location of the thrower may be concealed during said interval.

2. A protective signalling exploratory projectile for use in low enforcement maneuvers, said projectile adapted to be manually thrown within a darkened area from one location to another, comprising: a translucent casing; a light source in said casing; an electrical power source; an unijunction transistor; means including a circuit and said power source for rendering said transistor conductive; a second circuit connecting said power source and said light source; a time delay means including a silicon-controlled rectifier responsive to the conductivity of said transistor for energizing said second circuit and the light source therein; and a pin-actuated switch controlling said circuits.

3. An exploratory projectile as defined in claim 2 wherein said time delay actuating means includes a capacitor for triggering said rectifier.

4. A protective signalling exploratory projectile for use in law enforcement maneuvers, said projectile adapted to be thrown within a darkened area from one location to another, comprising: a translucent casing; a light source in said casing, said source comprising a high intensity flash bulb and an intermittently operable bulb of relatively low light intensity; an electrical power source; an unijunction transistor; means including said circuit and said power source for rendering said transistor conductive; a second circuit connecting said power source and said light source; a time delay means including a silicon-controlled rectifier responsive to the conductivity of said transistor for energizing said second circuit and the light source therein; and a manually operable switch for controlling said circuits.

5. An exploratory projectile as defined in claim 4 wherein said time delay actuating means includes a capacitor for triggering said rectifier.

6. A protective signalling exploratory projectile for use in law enforcement maneuvers, said projectile adapted to be manually thrown within a darkened area from one location to another, comprising: a translucent casing; a light source in said casing; means for illuminating said source; time delay means for actuating said illuminating means whereby the illumination of the location of the thrower may be deferred at least for a time interval immediately following the throwing of the projectile; means including the eccentric distribution of theprojectile mass for normally self-righting said casing in a predetermined position; means including a removable pin for actuating said time delay means; and means including a cavity in the bottom exterior surface of said self-righted projectile for releasably retaining a spare actuating pin substantially identical to said first pin.

7. A protective signalling exploratory projectile for use in law enforcement maneuvers, said projectile adapted to be manually thrown within a darkened area from one location to another, comprising: a translucent casing; a light source in said casing; an electrical power source; an unijunction transistor; means including a first circuit and said power source for rendering said transistor conductive; a second circuit connecting said power source and said light source; time delay means including said transistor; means including a rectifier responsive to the conductivity of said transistor for automatically energizing said second circuit and the light source therein; and a switch for controlling said first and second circuits.