SELECTIVE ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR PERCUSSIVE PHOTOFLASH LAMP ARRAY

For a photoflash assembly comprising a plurality of percussively-ignitable flashlamps arranged in an array with respectively associated reflectors and preenergized striker springs, a self-energized selective actuating mechanism for sequentially releasing the striker springs to fire respective flashlamps in response to successive indexing. The actuating mechanism includes a coplanar train of intermeshing spur gears having a number of circumferentially spaced projecting ramps. The lamps and striker springs are supported on the end surfaces of shafts upon which the gears are mounted, with the strikers radially projecting over the surrounding gear to lie in the path of travel of the ramps. A spring-loaded, sliding rack gear is enmeshed with one of the spur gears and is position-controlled by a spring-loaded, pivoted arm having a pin engaging a sawtooth slot cam in the rack gear. To flash a lamp, the pivoted arm is raised so that the cam-engaging pin clears a vertical portion of the sawtooth slot and thereby releases the spring-loaded rack gear to rotationally index the gears while the cam-engaging pin rides down a ramp portion of the sawtooth slot. The gear indexing permitted by the pitch of the sawtooth slot causes one of the ramps to release a striker.