EP0107524A1 - Gas-operated automatic gun - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Automatic gun with gas tapping, of the type in which the mechanism (15) for locking/unlocking the arm, and which provides also the discharge of the cartridge case, and which is housed within the breech box (2) is automatically actuated at the time of unlocking under the effect of a gas tapping in the barrel (1) and is returned automatically in the locking position by a recovery spring (18) which provides also the feeding of a fresh cartridge located within a tube-magazine (3), said gun being of the type having a piston (9) driven by the force of the gases tapped from the barrel sliding within the fastening piece (6) of the barrel and surrounding the tube-magazine, said piston consisting of a cylindrical block having a section fitting within a recess of the annular piece and delimitating an annular chamber (11) for the storage of the gases, said piston (9) co-operating during the movement thereof with means (13) for transmitting the motion of the piston comprising lateral arms and permitting the operation of the mechanism (15) for the locking/unlocking of the arm through the intermediary of control means (14), characterized in that the transmission means (13) comprise two endwise juxtaposed rings coaxial rings (16-17) mounted slidably on the tube-magazine, one of which (the ring 16) is provided with two lateral longitudinal U-shaped notches (23) opening horizontally outwardly, the other one (the ring 17) being provided with two lateral longitudinal U-shaped notches (25) opening vertically upwardly, and include two flat and elongated lateral arms (19, 20) each one of which is engaged within a horizontal notch (23) and a vertical notch (25) both located on the same side of the barrel (1), the ends of said arms directed towards the breech box (5) being arranged to be associated with the intermediate means (14) for the control of the locking/unlocking mechanism (15), said means being capable of driving freely said mechanism within the breech box (2) to cause this mechanism to be locked/unlocked relative to the barrel (1).

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic gas-powered rifle of the type in which the locking / unlocking mechanism of the weapon, which also causes the ejection of the casing and which is housed in the breech box, is actuated automatically upon unlocking under the effect of a borrowing of gas in the barrel, and is brought back into the locked position by a recuperator spring which also carries out the supply of a new cartridge located in a magazine tube.

In the field of long-barreled portable firearms, such as automatic and semi-automatic rifles, the principle of borrowing gases at a point in the barrel is also used, as in the case of certain machine guns, which provides the energy needed to rearm the weapon.

In this type of weapon, the gases borrowed from the barrel are introduced into a gas chamber integral with the barrel and in which circulates a piston driven back in one direction by the action of the gases, and permanently subjected, on its other face, to the action of a recovery spring pushing the piston in the opposite direction, the piston being generally connected to a movable cylinder head by a link system with articulated rods. In addition, in these same systems, but also in general in the other transmission and / or control systems for locking / unlocking the weapon, the majority of the coagulating parts are either produced in the form of complex parts from a single holding, or made mutually integral by rigid functions such as pins, screws and / or welds.

However, this type of rigid attachment of the parts has two major drawbacks: on the one hand the interchangeability of the parts is difficult and, on the other hand, the repairs and / or maintenance of such parts are delicate, besides the fact, that in the parts used in the prior art, there appear to be significant constraints as well as phenomena of increased wear and intense efforts of friction and jamming of essential assemblies of parts of the various weapon arming mechanisms.

This is why the present invention aims to eliminate the drawbacks mentioned above, by providing, in an automatic rifle of the type indicated above, in a simple assembly without articulation, screw, nut or the like.

This problem is solved in accordance with the invention thanks to the fact that the rifle comprises a piston moved by the force of the gases borrowed from the barrel and constituted by a smooth cylindrical block sliding in a piece of attachment to the barrel and surrounding the magazine tube, and delimiting with the attachment part an annular gas storage chamber, means for transmitting the movement of the piston to the locking / unlocking mechanism, which are freely movable coaxially with the magazine tube and with the piston between the rear face of the latter and the recuperator spring, and intermediate means for controlling the locking / unlocking mechanism capable of freely driving said mechanism inside the breech box to cause it to lock / unlock relative to the barrel, the trans means. mission and the control means being respectively constituted by parts coupled exclusively to each other by connecting members of complementary shape.

Thus the different parts are connected to each other by simple reciprocal interlocking, which simplifies assembly and disassembly and allows easy interchangeability of the parts.

In addition, as will become apparent from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention; the means for transmitting the movement of the piston, the locking / unlocking mechanism and the means for controlling this mechanism are made up of several pieces as simple as possible, nested - with or without play - in each other, which in turn also allows simplified manufacturing with less complex shapes, and therefore with a reduced cost price.

• - la fig.1 représente une vue d'ensemble éclatée schématique du fusil selon l'invention, sur laquelle des traits mixtes non référencés repèrent les dispositions et direc_- tions réciproques d'assemblage des différentes pièces ;
• - les fig.2 et 3 représentent respectivement des vues en coupe partielle axiale de la partie avant du fusil de la fig.1 à l'état armé et dans un état transitoire appa _- raissant lors d'un tir.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description given below, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which;

• - fig.1 is a schematic exploded assembly view of the shotgun according to the invention, on which unreferenced phantom locate the provisions and direc _- tion reciprocal joining of the various parts;
• - Fig.2 and 3 respectively show views in partial axial section of the front part of the rifle of Fig.1 in the armed state and in a transient state appearing _- occurring during a shot.

As seen in fig.1 which represents the rifle according to the invention as a whole, apart from the stick and the wooden front or handguard masking the various parts, the reference 1 designates the barrel, the reference 2 the box of cylinder head and reference 3 a magazine tube housing the cartridges and connected to the cylinder head box opposite a lifting system 4 used to introduce the cartridge into chamber 5.

The magazine tube is fixed in a fastening part 6 of the barrel, welded to the latter and having the shape of a cylindrical sleeve crossed by the magazine tube 3 and which comprises a coaxial recess 7 (see also fig. 2 and 3) leaving a front flange 8 enclosing the magazine tube. In this recess 7 is arranged - surrounding with possibility of sliding the magazine tube 3- a smooth hollow piston 9 having the shape of a cylindrical sleeve and provided with a front collar 10 of reduced diameter abutting against the bottom of the 'recess 7 (against the flange 8), this collar 10 delimiting with the recess 7 an annular chamber 11 (fig. 2 and 3) which is connected to the inside of the barrel 1 by at least one oblique passage as marked by reference 12.

Preferably, the piston length 9 and the recess 7 are identical so that the faces arria _- res of the piston 9 and the attachment part 6 are flush when the piston 9 is fully retracted into the recess 7 .

In fig.1, there is also shown in detail the means 13 for transmitting the movement of the piston. 9 to means 14 for controlling the mechanism 15 for locking / unlocking the rifle which will be described below.

The means 13 for transmitting the movement of the piston 9 consist of two coaxial rings 16,17 juxtaposed by being slidably mounted on the magazine tube 3 while being pushed permanently towards the piston 9 by the recovery spring 18 and by two actuating arms longitudinal 19, 20. The spring 18 is a helical pressure spring mounted between the cylinder head box 2 and the rear ring 17.

The front ring 16 is in the form of a sleeve carrying a kind of upper heel 21 provided with two longitudinal and horizontal lateral wings 22 enclosing a slightly curved central surface. This ring 16 carries two longitudinal U-shaped notches 23 opening laterally outward.

The rear ring 17 is in the form of a thin ring in the longitudinal direction carrying at its upper part two lateral corner thickenings 24 carrying longitudinal U-shaped notches 25 opening vertically upwards.

The arms 19, 20 are flat and elongated lateral arms, each of which is engaged in a horizontal notch 23 and in a vertical notch 25, located on the same side of the barrel 1.

As clearly shown in FIG. 1, the arms 19, 20 are fixed, at their end situated on the side of the piston 9, to the ring 16, by means of vertical stepped portions 26 limiting a rectangular longitudinal cut 27 formed in each arms. The length of the cutouts 27 is slightly greater than the longitudinal thickness of the ring 16, while their height corresponds to the width of the notch 23, so that the edges of the stepped portions 26 enclose the ring 16 by mutual interlocking. In addition, the arms 19, 20 are fixed against any lateral displacement in the notches 25 of the ring 17.

On their other end facing the cylinder head box 5, the arms 19, 20 are connected by stud and notch assemblies - as described below - to the means 14 for controlling the locking mechanism.

To this end, the arm 19 comprises a projection 28 and a cutout 29, these two elements being directed upwards and contiguous. Furthermore, the arm 20 carries an elongated horizontal lumen 30, as well as a vertical end shoulder 31.

The means 14 for controlling the rifle locking / unlocking mechanism5 consist of two superimposed parts aligned in the breech box 2, namely a lower part 32 in the form of a plate or horizontal sole and an upper part 33 in the form of a block elongated parallelepiped, the parts 32 and 33 interpenetrating by mutual interlocking as indicated below.

The sole 32 has, on a longitudinal side of its polygonal periphery, a cutout 34 and a projection 35, horizontal, engaging by interlocking with the projection 28 and the cutout 29 of the arm 19. The sole 32 further comprises, on its opposite longitudinal side, a projection 36 and a shoulder 37, horizontal, engaging the slot 30 and the shoulder 31 of the arm 20. In addition, the sole 32 has a rectangular central cutout 38.

The upper part 33 of the control means 14 comprises a lower central tenon 89, engaged in the central cutout 38, thus being blocked against any horizontal movement in the latter. The part 33 also includes a transverse cylindrical orifice 40 into which an unlocking finger 41 can be introduced.

The locking / unlocking mechanism 15 comprises a locking block 42 of generally elongated parallelepipedal shape open at its lower part and at its upper part. This block 42 actually encloses a free space in which is housed, with a certain longitudinal play, the part 33 of the control means 14, which can move there parallel to the axis of the barrel 1 and of the magazine tube 3.

On a longitudinal side of the block 42 is formed a horizontal slot 43 in which the unlocking finger 41 can slide.

The mechanism 15 further comprises a latch 44 in the form of a tilting hammer head resting freely inside the block 42 on the part 33 of the control means 14. This lock has oblique lower surfaces of front and rear end 45, 46 with opposite slopes rising towards the middle part of the lower face and resting against the front and rear transverse edges and / or the flat upper face of the part 33.

In addition, the latch has at its upper front end a locking heel 47, capable of snapping into an opening 48 in the rear upper end of the barrel tube 1.

The operation of the rifle thus considered will be described below, with reference to FIG. 2, representing a partial axial section of the rifle in the armed state, and to FIG. 3, representing the same sectional view of the rifle in a transient state appearing when fired.

In the armed position, the rings 16 and 17 are pushed back by the recuperator spring 18 against the piston 9 which is fully retracted into the attachment part 6 (fig.2).

During the firing, a part of the gases is borrowed from the barrel 1, circulates in the passage (s) 12 by penetrating into the chamber 10, in which the said gases exert a pressure. The gases thus compressed violently push back ("hammer blow") the piston 9 backwards (to the left in the figure), which gives the necessary impetus to the rings 16,17 to make the control arms 19 move back, 20, against the force of the spring 18, in accordance with the arrows 49 in FIG. 3. In this figure, there is shown in phantom the intermediate position 50 called "exhaust" of the piston 9 when the latter emerges from the recess 7 of the attachment piece 6 and releases the compressed gases.

During the backward movement of the arms 19.20, the latter secured by interlocking with tenons and in sizes of the sole 32 of the control means 14 repel this sole, and therefore the part 33 which is fitted therein to the rear. Therefore, the front and rear edges of the part 33 retracting the latch 44 of the locking / unlocking means 15, which is supported by its inclined surfaces 45,46 on said edge, lowers forward while rising by rear, which releases the locking heel 47 from the opening 48. During this operation, the hollowed-out block 42 remains fixed in the cylinder head box 2.

Then as soon as the part 33 has passed the clearance, which it delimits with the block 42, it pushes the latter back into the cylinder head box, which is accompanied by the extraction of the sleeve by lugs 51 mounted on the front of block 42.

Simultaneously a new cartridge, not shown, is presented to the lifting system 4, in relation to the magazine tube 3.

It then occurs the retreat of the dog which comes to arm on the trigger extending the trigger tail (conventional assembly not shown here), and finally the abutment, at the end of the race, of the block 42 in the cylinder head box 2 .

In this state, the recovery spring 18 then pushes forward all of the rings 16,17 and the piston 9 in the armed position. During this operation, the arms 19,20 which are hooked to the rings 16,17 pull forward all of the means 14 for controlling the mechanism 15, which has the effect that the front edge of the block 33 pushes back towards the top of the bolt 44, by its oblique front surface-45, while the rear edge of the block 33 advances, allowing a lowering of the rear of the bolt 44. As a result, the locking heel 47 rises and goes hangs in opening 48.

During these locking operations, the cartridge is raised by the lifting system 4 and is introduced into the chamber 5.

• 1) D'une part, le piston 9 possède une forme très simple, est lisse et présente uniquement un collet ou épaulement 10 sur sa face avant, limitant avec la pièce 6 une chambre 11, et l'on note que (fig.3) dès que le piston 9 est dégagé de la pièce 6, les gaz s'échappent et ceci permet de limiter l'influence de poussées violentes susceptibles d'endommager le mécanisme de l'arme lors du tir de munitions puissantes, et ce sans aucune valve de régulation comme c'est le cas dans l'art antérieur.
• 2) d'autre part, la fixation des pièces du mécanisme-de verrouillage/déverrouillage 15, des moyens de commande 14 et des moyens de transmission 13 est simple, sans aucune fixation rigide telle que goupilles, vis, écrous ou soudures, ce qui rend l'interchangeabilité des pièces eh par le fait les réparations éventuelles facilitées.

It can therefore be seen that, according to the present invention:

• 1) On the one hand, the piston 9 has a very simple shape, is smooth and has only a collar or shoulder 10 on its front face, limiting with the part 6 a chamber 11, and it is noted that (fig.3 ) as soon as the piston 9 is released from the part 6, the gases escape and this makes it possible to limit the influence of violent thrusts liable to damage the mechanism of the weapon when firing powerful ammunition, without any regulating valve as is the case in the prior art.
• 2) on the other hand, the fixing of the parts of the locking / unlocking mechanism 15, the control means 14 and the transmission means 13 is simple, without any rigid fixing such as pins, screws, nuts or welds, which makes the interchangeability of parts eh thereby facilitating any repairs.

The friction and jamming forces of large assemblies such as the arms 19, 20 and the rings for supporting the arms are thus limited as much as possible, all the parts being free from each other, while being limited in their relative movements as a result of their tenon-notch assembly, which establishes the relative longitudinal, lateral, vertical immobilizations required and / or the respective guides on or in other parts.

Claims (8)

1 °) Automatic rifle with gas borrowing of the type in which the mechanism (15) of locking / unlocking of the weapon, which also causes the ejection of the casing, and which is accommodated in the breech box (2) is actuated automatically upon unlocking under the effect of a borrowing of gas from the barrel (1) and is automatically brought back into the locked position by a recuperative spring (18), which also supplies a new cartridge located in a magazine tube (3), characterized in that it comprises a piston (9) moved by the force of the gases borrowed from the barrel (1) and constituted by a smooth cylindrical block sliding in a fastening part (6) of the barrel and surrounding the magazine tube (3) and delimiting with the attachment part an annular chamber (11) for gas storage, means (13) for transmitting the movement of the piston to the locking / unlocking mechanism (15), which are freely movable coaxially with the magazine tube (3) and the piston (9) e ntre the rear face of the latter and the recovery spring (18), and intermediate means (14) for controlling the unlocking / unlocking mechanism capable of freely driving said mechanism inside the cylinder head box (2) for the cause it to lock / unlock relative to the barrel (1), the transmission means (13) and the control means (14) being respectively constituted by parts coupled exclusively to each other by connecting members of complementary shape. 2) rifle according to claim 1, characterized in that the means (13) for transmitting the movement of the piston (9) consist of two coaxial rings juxtaposed at the end (16,17) mounted sliding on the magazine tube (3) and one of which (16) carries two lateral longitudinal U-shaped notches (23) opening horizontally outwards and the other (17) is provided with two lateral longitudinal U-shaped notches (25) opening vertically towards the top, and by two flat and elongated lateral arms (19,20) each of which is engaged in a horizontal notch (32) and a vertical notch (25) both located on the same side of the barrel (1). 3 °) Rifle according to claim 2, characterized in that the lateral arms (19,2û) are fixed at one of their ends on the ring (16) adjoining the piston (9) by means of vertical stepped parts ( 26) limiting a rectangular longitudinal cut (27) formed in said arms, so that the length of said cut (27) is slightly greater than the longitudinal thickness of the ring (16), while its height corresponds to the width of the notch (23) so that the edges of the stepped parts (26) enclose the ring (16) by fitting the corresponding part of the arm into the associated notch. 4 °) Rifle according to claim 3, characterized in that the other ends of the lateral arms (19,20) are connected by studs and notches (28-31,34-37) to the means (14) for controlling the locking / unlocking mechanism (15). 5 °) Rifle according to claim 4, characterized in that a first (19) of the two arms of the transmission means (13) carries on its other end, a projection (28) and a cutout (29) vertical and contiguous, that the second arm (20) carries on its other end, an elongated horizontal lumen (30) as well as a vertical end shoulder (31). 6 °) Rifle according to any of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that said control means (14) consist of two parts (32,33) superimposed in the breech box (2) and fitted one in the other, the first (32) of which is formed by a flat plate or bottom sole, the periphery of which is provided, on a longitudinal side, with a cutout (34) and a horizontal projection (35) coming from, coming into engagement by interlocking with said projection (28) and cutout (29) of the first arm (19), and on the other longitudinal side, of a horizontal projection (36) and of a shoulder (37), coming in taken with said lumen (30) and said vertical shoulder (31) of the second arm (20), the second part (33) being a rectangular block, of which a lower central tenon (39) is engaged in a central cutout (38) of the sole (32) while being blocked against any horizontal displacement in the latter. 7 °) Rifle according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the locking / unlocking mechanism (15) consists of a locking block (42) of generally elongated parallelepipedal shape hollowed out and open at its part lower and at its upper part, and accommodating with a certain longitudinal play the second part (33) of said control means (14), able to move therein parallel to the axis of the barrel (1) and the magazine tube (3 ) and a lock (44) in the form of a tilting hammer head resting freely inside the locking block (42) on said second upper part (33) of the control means, and snap-in into an opening (48) from the rear upper end of the barrel (1) by means of a locking heel (47) located at the upper part of said lock. 8 °) Rifle according to claims 6 and 7 taken as a whole, characterized in that the second part (33) of the control means comprises a lateral horizontal orifice (40) in which can be engaged an unlocking finger (41) outside , that the locking block (42) is provided, on one of its sides, with a longitudinal horizontal slot (43) in which the unlocking finger can slide, and that the lock (44) has oblique lower surfaces with opposite slopes (45,46) rising towards the middle part of the lower face and serving to support said latch (44) on the second upper part (33) of the control means, which is of a length less than that of the latch (44) so that the latter is either in the tilted forward position, in which case it is lowered out of the opening (48) of the barrel (1) while being returned inside the latter, or in tilted back position, in which case it is pushed up in said open ture (48) and is blocked there against any displacement.

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