AU2007200105A1 - Platform for an opto-electronic supplementary aiming appliance - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant: Photonic Optische Gerate GmbH. Co. KG Invention Title: PLATFORM FOR AN OPTO-ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY AIMING

APPLICANCE

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: The present invention relates to a platform for an opto-electronic, optic or photo-electric supplementary aiming appliance on a, particularly military, portable firearm, preferably an assault gun or rifle, equipped with a daylight telescope sight located in a handle of the portable firearm, which is arranged on braces in spaced relationship above a barrel or a breech housing, a bore being situated within said breech housing of the firearm in front of the handle including the daylight telescope sight and below the optical axis of the daylight telescopic sight, said bore being provided for receiving a detachable mounting bolt for a shoulder strap of the firearm.

Such known portable firearms or military assault guns have been used for decades, and since no nightviewing telescope sights, nightviewing attachments, laser target marking appliances or the like were available at the time of the early development of these firearms, no constructive preparations were made to be able to mount such appliances on these firearms.

However, it is necessary for the operative use of a portable firearm in darkness or during the night to use a nightviewing appliance that is, for example, equipped with a low-level image intensifier tube, to be able to register the target, to recognise it and to aim at it.

In order to attain a hit probability as high as possible using a nightviewing aiming appliance mounted on a portable firearm, one has to provide a stable attachment on the firearm and an adjustment of the line of sight using a mechanical adjustment devices for the lateral adjustment as well as in height of the line of sight of the nightviewing aiming appliance.

Such adjustment devices may be formed in an opto-electronic aiming appliance as adjustment devices for the reticule or as a mechanical X/Y spindle gear between the receiver device on the firearm and the nightviewing aiming appliance. Furthermore, when mounting an aiming appliance on a firearm, it is necessary to arrange the appliance next to the barrel as much as possible.

However, all these technical measures cannot be realised with a firearm comprising a handle and a daylight telescope sight built into it, as is described above. The abovementioned firearm could only be equipped with a nightviewing aiming appliance, if the firearm were mechanically treated or remodelled to ensure at least stable mounting of the nightviewing aiming appliance.

For this firearm, it has already been suggested to replace the breech housing, which includes the handle and the daylight telescopic sight, by a breech housing without a handle, a mounting rail, for example for a nightviewing aiming appliance, being provided on this breech housing instead of the handle.

Such remodelling works, however, are costly and expensive and, therefore, have been carried out for special military or police special forces only. Since, however, the firearm described is a universal gun or rifle in many armies, it is desirable to be able to mount nightviewing appliances, laser target marking appliances or the like in a cost effective and stable manner without being forced to realise mechanical changes, treatments or replacements of components.

At least preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a platform which enables mounting of a supplementary aiming appliance, such as a nightviewing appliance, a laser target marking appliance, an aiming searchlight or the like, on the firearm described at the outset without requiring a mechanical treatment of the firearm or a replacement of parts of the firearm.

According to the present invention, the platform may comprise a support plate that is fastened to the outer surface of the handle by a strap, and is supported by a fastening pin on the breech housing within the bore for the mounting bolt of the shoulder strap, the support plate being equipped with a receiving device for, preferably detachably, holding the supplementary aiming appliance, the optical axis of which being at least approximately aligned with the optical axis of the daylight telescope sight arranged within the handle of the firearm. In this way, a very stable mounting, for example of a nightviewing attachment to the daylight telescope sight is achieved in an advantageous manner, wherein neither a mechanical treatment of the firearm nor a replacement of an expensive component of the firearm has to be realised. Moreover, the handle may be further used as a carrying handle.

The strap for fastening on the handle may be offset in height relative to the support plate.

By this embodiment of the present invention, it may be achieved in an advantageous manner that fastening of the supplementary aiming appliance can be effected on its bottom surface, the platform changing the position of the centre of gravity of the firearm to a minimum extent only.

Preferably, the support plate, at its end facing the handle of the firearm, comprises two projections formed as support arms which are connected to the strap in a non-positive way, for example by screwing. In this way, a symmetrical connection between the support plate and the strap can be achieved in an advantageous manner at both sides of the braces for the handle. This fork-shaped construction contributes to a high stability of the platform, wherein the weight of the support plate is kept advantageously small.

The platform may be produced in a simple and cost effective manner, if according to a further preferred feature of the present invention, the support plate comprises a horizontal portion and an angled portion, the horizontal portion being equipped with the receiving device for the supplementary aiming appliance, while the projections are formed on the angled portion.

In order to be able to mount a platform according to the present invention in a stable way to the handle of firearms which, for example, stem from different production lots or have been produced by means of different casting moulds, thus often showing distinctive differences of dimension, the strap preferably has a prismatic inner cross-section.

Preferably, the strap comprises two shells detachable from one another. In this way, simpie mounting to the handle of the firearm and to the support plate or to the projections is possible.

In order to be able to mount the platform to the firearm in a most simple and very stable way, preferably each projection is formed as a support arm which is connected to the support plate, on the one hand, and to the strap, preferably by screwing, in a non-positive way.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is proposed that the fastening pin, provided for supporting within the bore of the breech housing, is fixed to the platform, preferably by screwing. By this construction, it can be ensured in an advantageous manner that the fastening pin can neither be lost prior to mounting the platform to the firearm nor after dismounting from the firearm.

In a further preferred embodiment of the platform according to the present invention, the fastening pin may be fixed in the breech housing of the firearm in the same way as the mounting bolt for the shoulder strap of the firearm. In this way, the construction expenses of the platform are kept small, and changes of the firearm are avoided.

Preferably, the fastening pin of the platform is covered by plastic material, which is preferably heat resistant and elastic, such as Teflon or the like. In this way, a stable support of the platform in the bore of the breech housing of the firearm can be achieved in an advantageous manner, even if this bore shows large work tolerances, wear by the mounting bolt for the shoulder strap in the case of a long use of the firearm and so on.

Preferably, the platform comprises a bore for the mounting bolt of the shoulder strap, this bore being preferably situated in the support plate or in the projections formed as support arms of the support plate near the bore in the breech housing. This design according to the invention permits in an advantageous manner the further use of the shoulder strap of the firearm.

In the drawings, several preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown as examples in a schematic way, wherein Fig. 1 is a portable firearm which may be equipped with a platform according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a platform according to the invention for the portable firearm according to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 illustrates a lateral view of the platform according to the invention in accordance with Fig. 2; Fig. 4 illustrates a plan view of the platform according to the invention in accordance with Fig. 2; Fig. 5 represents a lateral view of a second embodiment of the platform according to the invention; Fig. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the platform according to the invention in accordance with Fig. 5; and Figs. 7 to 11 illustrate mounting the platform according to Figs. 5 and 6 to a portable firearm in accordance with Fig. 1.

6 In Fig. 1, a firearm, formed as a military universal gun or as an assault gun or rifle, is designated 1. It comprises substantially a breech housing 3, a barrel 4 and a rifle butt 5. To the breech housing 3, a handle 6 is connected which is formed as a tubular carrier grip and is rigidly connected to the breech housing 3 by braces 7 and 8. The breech housing 3, the braces 7 and 8 and the handle 6 are integrally formed as an aluminium casting.

The handle 6 is hollow, and in the cavity, which is cylindrical, a daylight telescope sight 9 is inserted and held in position by a fixing screw not shown. This daylight telescope sight 9 is equipped with a reticule, which is adjustable with respect to its X/Y position to the optical axis 10 of the daylight telescope sight 9 by the marksman by means of adjusting devices also not shown. Adjusting is effected during testing the firearm.

This military portable firearm according to Fig. 1 shows no constructional feature in order to be able to mount a, for example opto-electric, aiming appliance, such as a nightviewing aiming appliance, a laser target marking appliance or the like. Such an opto-electronic aiming appliance would have to be mounted in the position of the handle 6 which, however, is not possible, because the handle 6, comprising the integrated daylight telescopic sight 9, is integrally formed with the breech housing 3. Arranging, for example, a night viewing aiming appliance to the handle 6 cannot be effected, because the ocular would then be positioned much too high above the axis of the barrel 4 of the firearm 1, as compared with the ocular of the daylight telescopic sight 9, and, moreover, the handle 6 could no longer be used by the marksman as a carrier handle, while the balance of the firearm were be very much affected, which would reduce drastically the hit probability.

However, by mounting the platform 11 according to Fig. 2, it can be easily realised to equip the firearm 1 according to Fig. 1 in a practicable way with a nightviewing appliance.

As a nightviewing appliance, an opto-electronic nightviewing attachment 12 for the daylight telescopic sight 9 may be mounted to the platform 11, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The embodiment of the platform 11 according to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 comprises a support plate 13 which includes a horizontal portion 14 and an angled portion 15. Two projections 16, 17 are formed at that end of the angled portion 15 of the support plate 13, which is remote from the horizontal portion 14, and are connected to a strap, formed as a tubular strap 18, by screwing in a non-positive way. On the angled portion 15 of the support plate 13, a fasting pin 19 is provided. The tubular strap 18 and the fastening pin 19 are provided for mounting the platform 11 to the firearm 1 according to Fig. 1. The nightviewing attachment 12 is fastened to the horizontal portion 14 of the support plate 13.

As may be seen from Fig. 1, the shoulder strap 2 is fastened to the firearm 1 at the breech housing 3. To this end, the shoulder strap 2 is passed through a ring 20 which is movably connected to a mounting bolt 21. This mounting bolt 21 is inserted and detachably held in a bore (not shown) of the breech housing 3, which is situated in front the foremost brace for the handle 6.

This bore for the mounting bolt 21 of the shoulder strap 2 is used for receiving the fastening pin 19, that protrudes from the platform 11, after the mounting bolt 21 has been removed from the breech housing 3. The tubular strap 18 is fastened by clamping to the tubular handle 6 of the firearm 1. The fastening pin 19 of the platform 11 is detachably supported in the breech housing 3 in a similar manner as the mounting bolt 21 equipped with the ring 20 for the shoulder strap 2, and is, for example, secured by a fixing pin, which is inserted into a lateral bore of the breech housing 3 and projects into a bore or groove of the fastening pin 19 of the platform 11.

In order to be able to arrange the tubular strap 18 on the handle 6 between the two braces 7 and 8, the strap 18 is preferably formed in two parts. The inner wall of the strap 18 may have a circular or a prismatic cross-section. Screws 22 are provided both for a non-positive connection of the tubular strap 18 to the support plate 13, and for nonpositively clamping to the circumference of the handle 6.

For mounting the nightviewing attachment 12, according to Figs. 3 and 4, a bar 23 is mounted to the platform 11 which comprises a groove (not shown), that is open to the front in the direction to the muzzle of the barrel 4 and has a dovetail cross-section. The nightviewing attachment 12 comprises at its bottom side a rail (not shown), the crosssection of which corresponds to the cross-section of the groove of the bar 23 for holding it in the groove. In order to be able to fix the nightviewing attachment 12 in a shot-proof manner to the platform 11, an eccentrically supported, pivotal clamping lever 24 is provided, which detachably stops the rail (not shown) of the nightviewing attachment 12 in the groove of the bar 23. These components, thus, form a receiving device for the nightviewing attachment 12.

Orienting and fastening of the bar 23 to the platform 11 has to be effected in such a manner that the optical axis 22a of the nightviewing attachment 12 is, at least approximately, aligned to the optical axis 10 of the daylight telescopic sight 9. Adjusting the line of sight of the nightviewing attachment 12 to the line of sight of the daylight telescopic sight is not 8 necessary, if the optical system of the nightviewing attachment 12 has a magnification of 1:1 and the axial orientation of all its optical components, including the integrated lowlevel image intensifier tube, does not deviate from each other by clearly less than 1 mrad.

A second embodiment of the platform 11 is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and comprises the flat support plate 13 which is screwed together with two projections 26 and 27. In this embodiment, the projections 26, 27 are constructed in the shape of support arms, the function of the projections 26, 27 corresponding to the function of the projections 16 and 17 according to Figs. 2 to 4. The projections 26, 27 formed as support arms comprise each an opening 28 for reducing the weight. At that end of the projections 26, 27 which is opposite the support plate 13, they are connected by screwing to the tubular strap 18, which has a prismatic cross-section. The tubular strap 18 is formed of several parts.

The platform 11 is fastened in a non-positive way to the tubular handle 6 by means of the tubular strap 18. Furthermore, the platform 11 is equipped at its surface, which faces the breech housing 3, with a fastening pin not shown in Figs. 5 and 6. This fastening pin, as has been described with reference to the function of the fastening pin 19 according to Figs. 2 and 3, is inserted instead of the mounting bolt 21 for the shoulder strap 2 into the bore, designated 25 in Fig. 5, in the breech housing 3 and is held in this bore 25 by a securing pin.

However, in order to be able to fasten the shoulder strap 2 to the firearm even after mounting the platform 11, according to Figs. 5 and 6, a bore (not shown) is formed in the platform 11 at that surface, which is oriented towards the barrel 3 of the firearm 1, for receiving the mounting bolt 21 including the ring 20 for the shoulder strap 2. At this bore in the platform 11 too is a securing pin provided for holding the mounting bolt 21, as is illustrated in Fig. 7.

Before mounting the platform 11 to the firearm 1, the mounting bolt 21 including the ring 20 for the shoulder strap 2, having removed the securing pin 29, is removed according to Fig. 7 from the bore 25 in breech housing 3. As may be seen from Fig. 8, the mounting bolt 21 is then inserted into the bore 30 of the platform 11 below the support plate 13, and is fixed by the securing pin 29. According to Fig. 9, the platform 11, without the tubular strap 18, is put onto the breech housing 3 in the direction of arrow 31, the fastening pin 19, provided at the bottom side of the platform 11, being inserted into the bore 25 of the breech housing 3.

As may be seen from Fig. 10, the platform 11 is put onto the breech housing 3 in such a O manner that the foremost brace 7 of the handle 6 is between the projections 26, 27. For N' fastening the platform 11 to the firearm in a non-positive way, the tubular strap 18, which Cconsists of two shells 32 and 33, is put around the tubular handle 6 according to Fig. 11, and is screwed to the projections 26, 27, formed as support arms, by screws 34, 35. The shells 32, 33 have preferably a prismatic cross-section.

Deviating from the illustration of Figs. 5 and 6, a manually actuated clamping screw 37, Sprovided with a knurl, is arranged according to Figs. 9 to 11 for detachably fixing the nightviewing attachment in the groove 36.

SThe invention is not restricted to the embodiments described. For example, the individual components may be produced either from steel or from aluminium. The fastening pin 19 of the platform 11 may be covered by a heat resistant plastic material in its region, which projects into the bore 25 of the breech housing. Furthermore, this plastic cover may be produced from an elastic material in order to ensure a stable support of the platform in the breech housing 3, even with an enlargement or a change of shape or the like of the bore that may, in some cases, develop by wear of the material or by a material degradation.

In principle, a variety of appliances may be mounted on the platform. For aiming very precisely an object, an optical magnification attachment for the daylight telescopic sight 9 may be mounted on the platform 11 so that a high magnification of the target image is achieved, if desired.

Since the described construction of the platform 11 enables mounting of appliances in proximity of the barrel 4 of the firearm 1, even laser target marking appliances for precision shots may be fastened in a stable way. Mounting aiming searchlights is also possible. In the case where a special receiving device for a certain type of appliance is not integrally formed with the support plate 13, the platform may be equipped with different receiving devices according to the needs.

Within the scope of the invention, it is possible to mount even several receiving devices; for example, additional receiving devices may be provided on the support arms 26, 27 according to Fig. 6, i.e. laterally of the support plate 13. In this way, it is possible, for example, to mount an infrared-target marking appliance and/or an infrared aiming searchlight in addition to the nightviewing attachment 12. Furthermore, the invention embraces also a firearm, such as a, particularly military, gun or rifle, with the features of claim 1, and it relates also to the platform itself before being mounted on a firearm.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, ie. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims (12)

1. A platform for an optical, opto-electronic or photo-electric supplementary aiming ap- pliance on a, particularly military, portable firearm, preferably an assault gun, equipped with a daylight telescope sight located in a handle of the portable firearm, which is ar- ranged on braces in spaced relationship above a barrel or a breech housing, a bore being situated within said breech housing of the firearm in front of the handle including the day- light telescope sight and below the optical axis of said daylight telescope sight, said bore being provided for receiving a detachable mounting bolt for a shoulder strap of the fire- arm, wherein the platform comprises a support plate that is fastened to the outer surface of the handle by a strap, and is supported by a fastening pin on the breech housing within the bore for the mounting bolt of the shoulder strap, the support plate being equipped with a receiving device for, preferably detachably, holding the supplementary aiming appli- ance, the optical axis of which being at least approximately aligned with the optical axis of the daylight telescope sight arranged within the handle of the firearm.

2. A platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein the strap for fastening on the handle is off- set in height relative to the support plate.

3. A platform as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the support plate, at its end facing the handle of the firearm, comprises two projections formed as support arms which are connected to the strap in a non-positive way, preferably by screwing.

4. A platform as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the support plate comprises a horizontal portion and an angled portion, the horizontal portion being equipped with the receiving device for the supplementary aiming appliance, while the projections are formed on the angled portion.

A platform as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the strap has a pris- matic inner cross-section.

6. A platform as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the strap comprises two shells detachable from one another.

7. A platform as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, 5 and 6 wherein each projection is formed as a support arm which is connected to the support plate, on the one hand, and to the strap, preferably by screwing, in a non-positive way.

8. A platform as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the fastening pin, pro- vided for supporting within the bore of the breech housing, is fixed to the platform, pref- erably by screwing.

9. A platform as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the fastening pin is fixed in the breech housing of the firearm, preferably the same way as the mounting bolt for the shoulder strap of the firearm.

10. A platform as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the fastening pin of the platform is covered by plastic material, which is preferably heat resistant and elastic, such as Teflon or the like.

11. A platform as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the platform comprises a bore for the mounting bolt of the shoulder strap, said bore being preferably situated in the support plate or in the projections formed as support arms of the support plate near the bore in the breech housing.

12. A platform for an optical, opto-electrical or photo-electrical supplementary aiming appliance on a portable firearm equipped with a daylight telescope sight located in a han- dle of the portable firearm, the platform being substantially as herein described with refer- fence to the accompanying drawings. ence to the accompanying drawings.