EP0022430B1

EP0022430B1 - Expendable type weapon system

Info

Publication number: EP0022430B1
Application number: EP19800850083
Authority: EP
Inventors: Karl-Erik Annerfalk
Original assignee: Foerenade Fabriksverken AB
Current assignee: Foerenade Fabriksverken AB
Priority date: 1979-07-06
Filing date: 1980-06-10
Publication date: 1983-12-07
Also published as: DE3065815D1; SE7905931L; SE430923B; EP0022430A3; EP0022430A2

Description

The present invention relates to an expendable or non-recurrent type weapon system comprising an ammunition part, and a weapon part which is releasably mounted on the ammunition part and which comprises the firing mechanism and the sighting mechanism of the weapon system.
Weapons of the expendable type are previously known, for instance from the German Patent publication DOS 24 46 176, in which the weapon is made ready for shooting only in that one or several safety catches are released. After the shot is launched the entire weapon is discarded.
Such weapons are disadvantageous from several view points. In order to give a weapon sufficient safety of handling and accuracy in firing the firing mechanism and the sighting mechanism must be made of rather a high class material and with relatively high precision and therefore the said weapon parts become very expensive as compared with the remaining parts of the weapon. An expendable type weapon of the said previously known kind is therefore relatively expensive. Attempts to reduce the costs have resulted in an impaired handling safety and accuracy in firing.
There is also a risk that an expendable type weapon of the said previously known type easily comes into the wrong person's hands or can be launched by misadventure. In order to eliminate such disadvantages some vital part of the weapon ought to be exluded while storing and transporting the weapon as well as during movements of the marksman or soldier from one point to another.
In order to eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages it has been suggested that the weapon system is designed with a separate weapon part which is releasably mounted on the ammunition part and which is re-used for a large number of ammunition parts. Since the weapon part is saved, whereas the ammunition part is discarded, the firing mechanism and the sighting mechanism of the weapon system can be manufactured for high accuracy and still the weapon system as a whole can be manufactured at low costs. A weapon system of the above mentioned type is known for instance from the U.S. patent 2 972 933. The said known weapon systems, however, are disadvantageous in that the firing mechanisms are formed with safety catches which are not completely safe or which are engaged at the same time as the weapon part is mounted on the ammunition part. In such weapon systems there is a risk of accidental firing when the weapon part is mounted on the ammunition part.
The object of the invention is to solve the above problem and to provide a weapon system of the expendable type which can be manufactured and used at low costs and which have good quality firing mechanism and sighting mechanism, and especially in which the weapon system is formed with safety catches which are safely locked during the whole operation of mounting the weapon part on the ammunition part, and in which the weapon system cannot be armed until the weapon part is completely and safely mounted on the ammunition part.
Further, the weapon should give a comfortable levelling at different positions, both when laying and when standing or standing on knee. Also the weapon should be useful both for left-handed and right-handed marksmen and it should be possible to transport one or more misiles (weapons) at the same time, for instance, on a support frame of the rucksack of the soldier.
The weapon is formed as a separate firing handle comprising the expensive and vital parts of the weapon like the firing mechanism and the sighting mechanism. The firing handle thereby provides the actual weapon whereas the ammunition is provided by the launch tube together with the shell, the firing means and other relatively simple and cheap parts. The marksman consequently gets one single firing handle which is used for a large number of ammunition, and thereby the firing mechanism and the sighting mechanism can be made by high class material and with high accuracy.
By making the firing mechanism separatable from the ammunition as mentioned above a safety is also obtained in that the weapon is fired by misadventure, and it is not considered particularly dangerous if the ammunition should come into the wrong person's hands.
The invention is mainly characterized in that the weapon part is formed with a safety mechanism, which automatically secures the weapon when the weapon part is connected to the ammunition part.
Further characteristics of the invention will be evident from the following detailed specification in which reference will be made to the accompanying drawings. It is, however, to be understood that the embodiments of the invention described in the specification and shown in the drawings are only illustrating examples and that all kinds of modifications may be presented within the scope of the appended claims.
In the drawings figure 1 shows a weapon system according to the invention seen from above. Figure 2 is a cross-section through the firing handle of the weapon system illustrated in figure 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the in- circled part of figure 2 illustrating the appearance of the firing mechanism in the prepared position before shooting. Correspondingly figure 4 shows the different parts of the firing mechanism after the shot is launched. Figure 5 shows the biassing mechanism after the shooting is over.
As mentioned above figure 1 shows a weapon system according to the invention comprising an ammunition part 1 and a weapon part 2 which is releasably mounted thereon. The ammunition part 1 comprises a barrel 3 of a conventional type which at the rear end is formed with a combustion chamber 4 and a funnel shaped end nozzle 5. At the rear end of the combustion chamber there are non-illustrated means for mounting a shell or similar which is not illustrated either. At the cylindrical part of the barrel tube a shoulder support is mounted which is normally colapsed and which is folded out in a previously known way when the weapon is made ready for shooting. On the cylindrical part of the barrel tube also a spacer cushion 7 is mounted which is used as a support cushion resting on the shoulder of the marksman when shooting in a standing or knee- standing position, and by means of which the weapon is raised so that the sight comes into a suitable alignment with the eye when shooting in such position. At the front end a barrel 3 is preferably formed with a muzzle cover 8 to prevent solid particles from entering the barrel. On the barrel also a connection means 9 for the weapon 2 is mounted. To the said connection means also a fuze, for instance a non-electric fuze is connected which comprises a detonator which is mounted in the connection means, a fuze wire 11 extending rearwardly along the barrel and a non-illustrated ignitor which is connected to the shell or similar means. For this purpose the fuze wire 11 extends through the funnel nozzle 5 and as far as to the shell.
All the above described parts of the ammunition are relatively simple parts which can be manufactured of a relatively cheap material and to a relatively low cost. The barrel 3 together with the combustion chamber 4 and the end funnel 5 can be made of some cheap material like glass fibre reinforced plastic or some simple plate material. The shoulder support 6 can be formed as moulded plastic parts and extendable simple ribbons, the spacer cushion 7 can be made of plastic, rubber or any other material, the muzzle cover 8 can be made of rubber, plastic or any other material, and the connection means 9 can be made of plastic, metal or any other material.
As mentioned above the releasable weapon part 2 contains the vital and expensive parts of the weapon system and it generally comprises a firing mechanism 12 and a sighting mechanism 13. For mounting of the weapon part 2 on the ammunition part 1 the connection means 9 has a T-formed groove 14 in which a correspondingly T-formed bar 15 can be introduced and secured. At the rear end the connection means 9 is formed with a head 16 in which the detonator 10 is mounted and which has a groove 17 for a catch bar of the weapon part 2. To the groove 17 extends a sloping surface 18 over which the catch bar slides before snapping down into the groove 17. The weapon part 2 is formed as a holder 19 in which both the firing mechanism 12 and the sighting mechanism 13 are mounted, and which provides a handle and a cock loop and for this purpose the holder 19 is formed with a handle hole 20 and a cock loop hole 21. The sighting mechanism 13 which is indicated with dotted lines in the drawings can be of a high class kind and can be formed as a telescopic sight having means known perce for correcting the sighting of the weapon system.
The shooting mechanism comprises a biassing mechanism 22 at one end of the weapon and a catch and release means 23 at the other end of the weapon. Between the biassing mechanism 22 and the catch mechanism 23 there is a striking bar 24 having a striking pin 25, an end head 26 and a collar 27. For putting the striking pin 25 under tension there is a striking spring 28 which with one end contacts the collar 27 of the striking pin 25 and with the other end contacts a biassing piston 29 of the biassing mechanism. The biassing piston 29 is mounted movable in the longitudinal direction in the holder 19, and the head 26 of the striking bar 24 is movable in a bore 30 of the biassing piston 29, so that the biassing spring is tensioned when the biassing piston is withdrawn into the holder. The biassing piston is forced to an extended position by a pressure spring 31 but it can be secured in the withdrawn position by means of a rotatably mounted catch 32 having an end hook 33 which engages with a corresponding groove 34 of the biassing 29 when withdrawn in the holder.
As best evident from figures 3 and 4 the catch and release mechanism comprises a trigger 35 which is rotatably mounted on a pin 36 and which has a projecting shoulder 37 which extends through a slot 38 into the path of movement for the striking bar 24 thereby preventing the striking pin to move out of the holder 19 before the trigger 35 is pressed to the bottom. On the second lever of the trigger 35 a maneuvre bar 39 is rotatably mounted, and round the said maneuvre bar 39 there is a pressure spring 40 which keeps the trigger in a secured position. The maneuvre bar 39 extends towards a support mechanism comprising the previously mentioned locking bar 41 and a catch 42. The said two parts are mounted inside a catch housing which is covered by a lid 43. The locking bar 41 is cruciformed, and the lower part of the locking bar provides a guide and by means of its laterally extending arms 44 an actuation handle, and with the upper part the locking bar provides a release groove 45 for the maneuvre bar 39. The catch 42 is made as a U-formed loop which with its branch engages the groove 45 of the locking bar 41, and in which one branch 46 provides an actuation handle and the other, inner branch 47 likewise provides a catch for the maneuvre bar 39. For this purpose the inner branch 47 is formed with a bore through which the maneuvre bar 39 can be moved when the catch 42 is in one of two predetermined positions. The said two positions are defined by a ball-spring catch 48 and corresponding ball receiving races in the inner catch branch 47. In order to provide a biassed snapping down of the locking bar 41 into the groove 17 of the connection means the locking bar 41 is formed with a shelf 49 at the upper part thereof. A spring 50 contacts the said shelf and biasses the locking bar 41 in the direction upwards as illustrated in the figures. The locking bar 41 and the catch 42 are designed so that the locking bar forces the catch 42 to its secured end position as illustrated in figure 2 when the weapon part 2 is introduced in the connection means 9, whereby the locking bar 41 is pressed into the catch 42. The said position is maintained also after the locking bar 41 has snapped down into the groove 17 of the connection means 9 and as long as until the catch is manually moved to its unlocked position which is illustrated in figure 4. Not until the catch bore of the catch is in alignment with the maneuvre bar 39 and also in alignment with the release groove 45 of the locking bar 41 the trigger can be pulled so that the shoulder 37 thereof releases the collar 27 and the striking pin 25 can move out. Thereby the shoulder 37 is moved on to the periphery of the collar 27 which thereby locks the trigger in its pressed in position. The maneuvre bar 39 thereby prevents the locking bar 41 from being released from the groove 17 of the connection means 9. Consequently the weapon part can not be removed from the connection means 9 of the ammunition part until special operations have been made. The said operations include the step of pulling the catch 32 of the biassing mechanism 22, so that the biassing piston 29 is released and returns to the non-armed position illustrated in figure 2. Thereby the trigger 35 is returned to its initial position and the maneuvre bar 39 is moved out of its locking position, whereby the locking bar 41 can be pulled into the catch and release means and the weapon part 2 can be released from the connection means 9.
The function of the weapon system is the following:

The marksman or the soldier is equipped with a separate weapon part 2 and several ammunition parts 1 of the above described types. Under movements the weapon part 2 is preferably kept in a suitable slide from which the weapon part can quickly and easily be released. The weapon part is with its bar 50 moved into the corresponding groove 14 of the connection means 9, and when the weapon part has been moved so far that the locking bar 41 starts to slide along the sloping surface 18 of the connection means the locking bar 41 is moved into the catch and release means at the same time as it pushes the catch 42 to its secured position, whereupon the locking bar 41 snaps down into the groove 17 of the connection means 9. Since the catch 42 now is in its secured position the trigger 35 is by its maneuvre bar 39 secured and the trigger cannot be pulled. Now the striking spring 28 is tensioned in that the biassing piston 29 is introduced as far as to a position in which the hook 33 of the catch 32 engages the groove of the biassing piston 29 thereby maintaining the biassing piston in its inner position. Thereby the striking spring 28 is stretched. Only by a manual movement of the catch 42 to its non-secured position illustrated in figure 4 the trigger 35 can be pulled whereby the shoulder 37 of the trigger releases the striking pin 25, whereby the striking pin moves out and hits the detonator 10 and the ammunition is fired. In this position the shoulder 37 of the trigger is supported on the periphery of the collar 24 of the striking pin 25 and it cannot be returned to its initial position until the striking pin 25 is returned to its initial position. Since the trigger is now in its pulled in position the maneuvre bar 39 thereof makes a movement of the locking bar 41 into the catch and release means 23 impossible and the weapon part cannot be released from the ammunition part 1 until the striking bar 24 is returned to its initial position. This is made by pulling the catch 32 so that the biassing piston 29 returns to its initial position while bringing the striking bar 24, whereby the shoulder 37 of the trigger 35 drops down behind the collar 27. In this position the maneuvre bar 39 is withdrawn from the locking bar 41 and the locking bar 41 can be withdrawn and the weapon part 2 can be released from the connection means 9.

It should be observed that the weapon part includes several different and co-operating catches.
The striking spring 28 cannot be extended while the weapon part is introduced in the connection means 9 both depending on the fact that the biassing piston 29 is not introduced and the striking spring 28 is consequently not stretched, and also depending on the fact that the locking bar 41 while sliding along 18 of the connection means 9 moves the catch 42 thereby securing the weapon;
the weapon part 2 cannot be released from the connection means 9 when the striking pin is extended and a releasing of the weapon part is only possible after the catch 32 is pulled and the biassing piston 29 together with the striking pin 25 is returned to its initial position;
the shot cannot be launched by misadventure but only after the catch 42 has been manually returned from its secured position to its shooting position;
the weapon part cannot be mounted in the connection means 9 with the striking pin 25 in its extended position since in this case the maneuvre bar 39 is introduced in the catch 42 thereby preventing the locking bar 45 from being introduced and consequently it will lock the weapon part in its not introduced position.

Claims

1. Expendable type weapon system comprising an ammunition part (1) and a weapon part (2) which is releasably mounted thereon, and in which the weapon part (2) comprises the firing mechanism of the weapon system, and the sighting mechanism (13), characterized in that the weapon part (2) is formed with a safety mechanism (39-42), which automatically secures the weapon when the weapon part (2) is connected to the ammunition part (1).

2. Weapon part system according to claim 1, characterized in that the safety mechanism comprises a locking bar (41) and a catch (42) which is actuated by the locking bar (41) and which is moved to a secured position when the locking bar (41) is moved while the weapon part (2) is connected to the ammunition part (1).

3. Weapon system according to claim 2, characterized in that the locking bar (41) is formed with a release groove (45) and in that the catch (42) has a release bore and in that the trigger (35) of the weapon part (2) is formed with a maneuvre bar (39) which must be moved both through the groove of the locking bar (41) and the bore of the catch (42) for the trigger (35) to be pulled.

4. Weapon system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the weapon part (2) comprises a biassing mechanism having a biassing piston (29) which is kept in an inner stretched position by a rotatable catch (32) and which by being moved into said inner position provides a stretching of a striking spring (28) for a striking pin (25).

5. Weapon system according to claim 4, characterized in that the striking pin (25) has a collar (27) and in that the trigger (35) has a shoulder (37) which engages behind the collar (27) of the striking pin (25) thereby preventing the striking pin (25) for being extended until the maneuvre bar (39) of the trigger (35) can be moved through the bore of the catch (42) and the groove (45) of the locking bar (41).

6. Weapon system according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the collar (27) of the striking pin (25) and the shoulder (37) of the trigger (35) are designed so that the shoulder (37) upon shooting comes into contact with the periphery of the collar (37) thereby preventing the trigger (35) together with the maneuvre bar (39) from being returned to their initial positions until the striking pin (25) is returned to its initial position, and whereby also the locking bar (41) is prevented from being moved and from releasing the weapon part (2) from the ammunition part (1).