EP0128069B1 - Ammunition-feed mechanism for a semi-automatic air gun - Google Patents

Abstract

A supply mechanism for gas projectile firing devices includes: a magazine having a storage column for projectiles and a transfer slide for moving projectiles from a column to a position in line with the firing chamber; a mobile element having a transfer bar for moving the transfer slide from the column to its position next to the firing chamber, an insertion piston for moving projectiles from the transfer slide into the firing chamber and a firing pin for opening the valve connecting the compressed gas reservoir to the firing chamber; a trigger which activates the firing and prevents double insertion of a projectile, and a cocking rod which controls the mobile element and the trigger. The mechanism is applicable to training and sports weapons, and to nail and staple guns.

Description

The present invention relates to the supply devices or systems considered, in the general sense, to ensure the operation of compressed gas shooting devices in semi-automatic mode of various projectiles.

The present invention relates, indifferently, to devices for firing nails or the like, such as nail guns or staplers or, again, weapons, such as those firing projectiles based on malleable materials such as lead, for training in shooting or playing sports.

In the above technical field, there are supply systems generally designed according to the specific nature of the projectile. These devices involve, more specifically, either a gravity feed, or a feed from a strip or a collection of projectiles linked together, in order to have the consistency or mechanical strength necessary for their movement in a corridor. guide.

These two systems are not satisfactory because the first is essentially reserved for spherical type projectiles, while the second necessarily involves preconditioning the projectiles to be fired.

There are also supply systems which are more specifically reserved for particular apparatuses by constituting barrel-shaped reserves for the latter.

Such systems are not entirely satisfactory either, since the main drawback of a barrel reserve lies in the large size which it presents and in the limited capacity for storing projectiles.

Furthermore, it is necessary to provide in the barrel specific means for immobilizing projectiles which, in certain cases, may have variable external shapes, while meeting an overall criterion of the same caliber.

In patent FR-A-1,248,136, a description is given, in the example of the preamble of claim 1, of a mechanism for automatically cocking a weapon equipped with a movable carriage supporting a piston for loading projectiles sliding inside the barrel and a striker this valve. This carriage is movable under the action of a spring to simultaneously bring the projectile to the point of ejection and strike the valve. The return to the initial position is then effected under the effect of the gas pressure. It is out of the question to use this weapon with a standard reserve of gas because of the significant consumption of gas and it is impossible to envisage a safety device of double introduction.

In patent FR-A-1,113,966, a semi-automatic weapon of the type also comprising a non-elastic return valve striker whose closure and return to the initial position of the striker is ensured by compressed air is described. Of course, means are provided for supplying the barrel of the weapon with projectiles from a magazine. The operation of this weapon requires a large consumption of compressed air and no double introduction safety device can be associated with it.

In patent US-A-1 677 810, a very old weapon is described in which the supply of projectiles is ensured by means of a transfer drawer provided with a hole in which each projectile is introduced therein by gravity . The hole can be placed in coincidence with the barrel, the magazine being imperatively arranged parallel to the barrel. However, this drawer must be manually operated from the outside.

The present invention aims to remedy the above drawbacks by proposing a new supply device for the semi-automatic firing by compressed gas of projectiles of various shapes.

The object of the invention is to provide a new supply system making it possible to set up a projectile to be fired by a simple intervention on the ordinary control trigger and without there being a risk of 'a primer of double introduction of such projectiles into the launching chamber.

An additional object of the invention is to propose a supply device making it possible to obtain, during a single maneuver, the introduction or the setting in position of a projectile, then then its firing without risk of false maneuver .

Yet another object of the invention lies in the fact that it is possible to assume the various functions above with projectiles which can be considered to be of the same general caliber but which nevertheless exhibit variations in external configuration.

• - un tiroir coulissant dans la tête du magasin,
• - une barrette de transfert associée au piston et destinée à actionner le tiroir vers un alésage ménagé dans la tête du magasin,
• - un moyen de rappel élastique reliant le piston à l'équipage mobile, le piston étant monté coulissant par rapport à celui-ci,
• - une biellette d'armement reliant la détente au piston et/ou à la barrette de transfert,
• - la gachette étant actionnée par la biellette d'armement et assurant une fonction de verrouillage ou de libération de l'équipage mobile.

To achieve the above goals, the supply device for a compressed gas device for semi-automatic firing of various projectiles according to the invention comprises a mechanism housing, a launching barrel offering an open receiving chamber, a reserve of compressed gas, an elastic return valve controlling a passage between the reserve and the chamber, a supply magazine engaged in the open section of the chamber, a movable assembly supporting on the one hand a piston for introducing the projectiles sliding in the axis of the chamber being placed opposite the latter relative to the store and on the other hand a valve striker controlled from a trigger, and a trigger subjected to an elastic return member, characterized in that that he understands:

• - a sliding drawer in the head of the store,
• - a transfer bar associated with the piston and intended to actuate the drawer towards a bore formed in the head of the magazine,
• an elastic return means connecting the piston to the mobile assembly, the piston being mounted to slide relative to the latter,
• - a cocking rod connecting the trigger to the piston and / or to the transfer bar,
• - The trigger being actuated by the cocking rod and ensuring a locking or releasing function of the moving element.

The magazine has a storage column associated with an elevator and opening in the head containing the sliding drawer offering a housing for receiving a projectile, the drawer being movable transversely against the action of an elastic member into a position. where the housing coincides with the bore opposite the barrel receiving chamber.

The magazine has a keying and coding window.

The piston slides, against the action of the elastic return means constituted by a spring, in the carriage guided in translation in the housing, and the transfer bar slides relatively on a shank formed by the piston being disposed between the latter and the cart.

The elastic return means biases the piston in the withdrawal position relative to the magazine and in the opposite direction to the action of the cocking rod to which the piston is connected, the spring having a force less than that of a spring. when closing the valve.

The transfer bar consists of a coping core with the tail of the piston and of a branch provided with an inclined ramp offset laterally relative to the axis of the barrel to cooperate with the transfer drawer of the magazine head.

The trigger is controlled in rotation against its return member by a branch of the cocking rod brought to the end of the controlled movement.

The trigger comprises a lug formed to cooperate with the front face of the carriage and with the rear face of the web of the bar associated with the insertion piston, so as to engage between the carriage and the bar in the sliding phase independent of the piston and the bar relative to the carriage.

The invention also relates to an apparatus for projecting or firing various projectiles of all types, applying the device of the invention.

Various other details will emerge from the description given below with reference to the appended drawings which show, by way of nonlimiting example, an embodiment of the subject of the invention.

• FIG. 1 is a sectional side elevation of the supply device according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a side elevation illustrating, on a larger scale, a detail constituting the device,
• FIG. 3 is a plan view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2,
• FIG. 4 is a partially cut away cross section taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1,
• Figures 5 and 6 are schematic views taken along lines V-V and VI-VI of Figure 4 and illustrating two particular phases of operation of the object of the invention.

Figure 1 shows the carcass 1 of a semi-automatic compressed gas firing device firing non-explosive projectiles, for example of the type of those made of malleable metal. Such an apparatus can be of the type of nail guns or, again, that of training or sporting weapons. In the latter case, they may be rifles or pistols within the meaning of the definition of weapons.

The carcass 1 supports a housing 2 containing the entire mechanism as well as a launching barrel 3 offering, inside the housing, a chamber 4. The housing 2 comprises, for example at its upper part, a connector 5 for mounting a reserve of compressed gas 6 which may consist of a cartridge of any suitable type. The connector 5 opens into a transfer capacity 7 which communicates via a conduit 8 with the chamber 4. The conduit 8 is controlled by a shutter 9 of the valve or piston type permanently urged to close by an elastic member 10. The shutter 9 is extended by a control needle 11 opening into a bore 12 formed in the housing 2. The bore 12 is reserved for the passage of a striker 13, of the launched type, which is carried by a movable assembly 14 disposed in the 'axis of the barrel 3 at a distance from the rear part of the latter, that is to say that offering the chamber 4. The crew 14 comprises a carriage 15 guided in axial sliding in a slide 16 presented by the housing 2. The carriage 15 supports a cylindrical rod 17 whose rear end is provided with a stop 18. A spring 19 is mounted concentrically on the rod 17 between the stop 18 and the front part 20 of the carriage 15, so as to always stress the rod 17 moving in the direction of the arrow f _l . The spring 19 has a force less than that of the spring 10. The rod 17 represents the tail of an introduction piston 21 which is oriented towards the chamber 4 of the barrel 3. The piston 21 is associated, at its base, to a transfer bar 22 comprising a core 23 which is free to slide axially on the shank 17 while being disposed between the base of the piston 21 and the front face of the carriage 15. The transfer bar comprises a branch 24 extending in the direction of the barrel 3 parallel to the axis of the latter, being offset laterally. The branch 24 forms an introduction ramp 25 whose function will appear in the following.

The supply device further comprises a trigger 26 mounted articulated by a pin 27 on the housing 2. The trigger 26 is extended inside the housing by a lever 28 articulated by a pin 29 to a cocking rod 30 appearing in dashed lines in FIG. 1 and, more precisely illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The cocking rod 30 is, moreover, mounted on a pin 31 formed by the core 23 of the transfer bar 22. Beyond the pin 31, the cocking rod forms a branch 30a extending rearward in alignment with a stud 32 formed by a trigger 33 mounted free to pivot on an axis 34 carried by the housing 2. The trigger 33 is arranged below the piston 21 and comprises a lug 35 intended to come to cooperate, as a retaining stop, with the front part of the carriage 15 The trigger 33 is associated with an elastic member 36 urging it permanently in pivoting in the direction for which the lug 35 is placed on the path of the carriage 15. FIGS. 2 and 3 show that the cocking rod extends laterally to the branch 24 of the bar 22 which it partially overlaps, so as to constitute a guide and stop element opposing the rotation of the core 23 on the tail 17 of the piston 21.

The device further comprises a storage magazine 37 intended to be mounted and maintained, for example by a lever 38, in a housing 39 presented by the carcass 1 and / or the housing 2. The magazine 37, as illustrated schematically by fig. 4, is shaped to internally delimit a storage column 40 intended to contain projectiles 41 which can be introduced into the column 40 by a packing window 42. FIG. 1 shows that this window can be executed to assume a keying function in the case where the projectiles used are not symmetrical in relation to a median transverse plane.

Column 40 is associated with a spring elevator 43 which can be operated manually during the packing operation. The elevator 43 is responsible for pushing the stack of projectiles 41 occupying the column 40 towards a drawer 44 for transfer and presentation occupying the upper part or head of the magazine 37. The drawer 44 is capable of occupying, against the action an elastic member 45 of the pin type, two stable positions in which it has a housing 46, either in the axis and above the open section of the column 40, or in coincidence with a telescope 47 formed in the head of the magazine 37, along an axis perpendicular to that of the column 40 and offset laterally relative to the latter.

The housing 39 is provided so that the telescope 47 is permanently placed coincident with the open section of the chamber 4 and so that the drawer 44 occupies a plane corresponding substantially to that of the branch 24 of the transfer bar 22. In addition , this housing 39 is arranged so that the head of the magazine is placed between the open section of the chamber 4 and the piston 21.

The feeding device described above operates as follows.

In consideration of fig. 1, the spring 36 maintains the trigger 33 in its upwardly tilted position in which the lug 35 bears on the core 23 and represents a stop for the carriage 15. The movable assembly 14 is held in the rear recoil position in which the introduction piston 21 is set back from the magazine 37.

The magazine 37, suitably packed with projectiles 41, is immobilized in a stable position by the lever 38. In this state, the transfer drawer occupies the position according to FIG. 4 by offering the housing 46 in the axis of the column 40. Under the action of the elevator 43, the first projectile 41 is introduced into the housing 46.

If the shooter exerts an action in the direction of the arrow f ₂ , on the trigger 26, the branch 28 urges the cocking rod in the direction of the arrow f ₃ . Through the pin 31, the cocking rod moves the piston 21 and the tail 17 relative to the carriage 15 immobilized in the waiting position by the lug 35 of the trigger 33. The sliding of the piston 21 and the rod 17 is performed in the opposite direction to that of the arrow f _i , causing the elastic member 19 to be placed under compression.

The displacement of the piston 21 and of the transfer bar 22 has the effect of causing the ramp 25 to act on the slide 44 to move it in the direction of the arrow f ₄ (fig. 4). This has the effect of bringing the housing 46 lined up coincident with the telescope 47, at the moment when the piston 21 arrives in an introduction phase The projectile 41, lining the housing 46, is in this way suitably presented facing the chamber 4 then introduced into the latter by the piston 21 urging it in axial thrust, as appears in FIG. 5.

As soon as the measurement of axial displacement of the core 23 of the bar 22 is sufficient, the lug 35 engages between it and the front face of the carriage 15 by rotation of the trigger 33 under the action of the spring 36.

Assuming that in this state the shooter releases its action on the trigger 26, the piston 21 is biased in the direction of the arrow f ₁ by the work restitution stored by a known return spring not shown. The recoil of the piston cannot however intervene beyond the stop represented by the lug 35 bearing against the carriage 15. In this way, the piston 21 remains engaged, at least in part, in the housing 46 of the drawer 44 maintained by the ramp 25 in the position of presentation of a projectile facing the chamber 4, as appears in FIG. 6.

This represents positive security opposing any risk of attempt to present and introduce two successive projectiles, when the firing of the first has not occurred as a result of an action of too low amplitude on the trigger 26.

Assuming that the shooter continues his action in the direction of the arrow f ₂ on the trigger 26, the branch 30a of the cocking rod 30 makes contact with the lug 32 and then requests the trigger 33 in reverse pivoting against the action of the spring 36. This has the effect of erasing the lug 35 relative to the front face of the carriage 15 which is thus slidably launched by the spring 19 until it finds the positive support in contact with the web 23 of the bar 22. The striker 13 is thus moved in the same direction in the bore 12 and strikes the needle 11 of the shutter 9. This percussion occurs when the projectile 41 is completely introduced into the chamber 4. The opening of the shutter 9 then delivers a charge of compressed gas supplied by the conduit 8, in the rear part of the chamber 4 closed by the head of the magazine 37 and by the piston 21. This charge of compressed fluid produces the launch of the projectile required to follow canon 3.

The charge of compressed fluid from the reserve 6 is delivered for a short time, since the spring 10 has a force greater than that of the spring 19. As soon as the kinetic energy resulting from the launching of the crew 14 has been absorbed , the spring 10 pushes the shutter 9 which interrupts the communication between the reserve 6 and the chamber 4.

In the above operating phase, it is indicated that the operator acts, firstly, to produce the presentation and introduction of a projectile, then, secondly, to launch and fire this last. It must be considered that these two successive phases actually take place in continuous sequence, from the moment when the operator exerts an equally continuous action on the trigger 26, with the aim of making it travel the entire useful travel which is devoted to it .

When the user releases its action on the trigger 26, the return spring, not shown, urges the rod 17, the piston 21 and the core 23 in the direction of the arrow f, and brings the mobile assembly 14 back to the extreme position. rear view, as illustrated in fig. 1. The core 23 is again applied against the front face of the carriage 15, so that the piston 21 is released from the housing 46, while the ramp 25 is erased relative to the drawer 44. The spring 45 returns the drawer in the loading position of a new projectile pushed by the elevator 43 into the housing 46.

The return to the rear recoil position of the mobile assembly 14 authorizes the pivoting of the trigger 33 under the action of the spring 36, so as to bring the lug 35 in the abutment position relative to the front face of the carriage 15 and in contact with the soul 23.

The entire supply device is then ready to operate again, as described above as soon as the operator acts on the trigger 26.

Operation in semi-automatic mode is therefore possible, from a storage magazine stocked with projectiles with independent characters from each other and from a reserve of compressed fluid.

The supply device represents a reliable, robust, inexpensive assembly capable of supplying, in the general sense, projectiles of various external shapes, but of the same caliber, without the risk of double introduction and of entrainment as a result of false maneuver.

The feeding device is particularly intended to be used for feeding weapons firing balls of malleable material and which are used for the practice of sport shooting or training, as well as for training in handling. combat arms.

Claims (8)

1. Feed device for a semi-automatic gas powered gun firing a plurality of projectiles, of the type having one mechanism casing (2), one barrel (3) having one reception chamber (4), one power cartridge (6) of compressed gas, one valve (9) with spring recall, controlling a passage (8) between said cartridge (6) and the chamber (4), one supply magazine (37) engaged in the open section of said chamber (4), one mobile assembly (14) supporting one insertion piston (21) sliding the projectiles into the axis of said chamber (4), being placed opposite said chamber with respect to the magazine, and one valve pin (13) driven by a detent (26), and one spring-recalled trigger (33), wherein it includes:

- one spool (44) sliding in the magazine head

- one transfer bar (22) associated with the piston (21) and used to drive said spool (44) toward a bore (47) provided in the head of the magazine,

- one spring recall means (19) connecting the moving assembly piston (14), with piston (21) being slidally mounted with respect to this piston,

- one cocking rod (30) connecting the detent (26) to the piston and/or to the transfer bar (21),

- trigger (33) being driven by said cocking rod (30) and latching or releasing the mobile assembly (14).

2. Device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said magazine (37) includes a storage column (40) associated with a raising device (43) and opening into the head containing said sliding spool (44) offering an opening (46) to receive a projectile, the spool being transversely mobile against the action of a spring element (45) up to a position where the opening (46) coincides with the bore (47) opposite the reception chamber (4) of barrel (3).

3. Device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the magazine (37) includes one packing and location window (42).

4. Device according to any claim to 3, wherein the piston (21) slides against the action of spring recall means (19) in bolt (15), guided in its translational motion in casing (2), and wherein transfer bar (22) slides relative to an extension (17) formed by the piston (21) placed between said piston and bolt (15).

5. Device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the spring recall means drives the piston (21) to a position recessed with respect to magazine (37) and in the opposite direction to the action of cocking rod (30) to which the piston (21) is connected, the spring (19) having a force less than that of a recall spring (10) the valve closes.

6. Device as claimed in any claim 1 to 5, wherein the transfer bar (22) consists of a core (23) cooperating with the extension of piston (17) and one branch (24) fitted with an inclined ramp (25) offset laterally with respect to the barrel axis, to cooperate with transfer spool (44) of the magazine head.

7. Device as claimed in any claim 1 to 6, wherein the trigger (33) is controlled in rotation against its recall element (36) by a branch (30a) on the cocking rod (30) brought to the end of controlled displacement.

8. Device according to claim 7, wherein the trigger (33) includes one peg (35) of a shape so as to cooperate with the front face of bolt (15) and with the rear face of the core (23) on bar (22) associated with introduction piston (21) so as to engage against the block and bar in the sliding phase independent of the piston and of the bar with respect to the bolt.

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