EP0405177A1 - Device for feeding with cartridges a gun which is moveable in elevation - Google Patents

Abstract

During the feed of cartridges (16) to a gun (11) moveable in elevation from a fixed cartridge magazine (14), it is customary to use a deflecting device, by means of which the cartridges (16) can be fed reliably to the gun (11) in any position of the latter. According to the invention, the cartridges (16) are fed to the gun (11) in the telescopic guide channel (20). At a high elevation of the gun (11), this guide channel (20) is pushed together; at a low elevation of the gun (11), the guide channel (20) is extended. Arranged in the guide channel (20) is a bucket chain (17) for transporting the cartridges (16). The individual buckets (21) of this bucket chain (17) are connected to one another via toggle joints (22-24), so that the bucket chain (17) too can be drawn apart and pushed together in conjunction with the guide channel (20). One end of this guide channel (20) is fastened to the cartridge magazine (14) and the other end is fastened to the gun (11). The drive of the bucket chain (17) takes place at both ends of the guide channel (20) and, because the bucket chain (17) is of variable length, does not have to be carried out synchronously. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device for feeding cartridges to a height-adjustable firearm from a stationary cartridge magazine with a cartridge feed channel in which the ammunition is transported to the firearm.

When supplying cartridges to a height-adjustable firearm from a stationary cartridge magazine, it is common to use a deflection device which swivels the cartridges in accordance with the weapon elevation and feeds them to the firearm. A disk channel, for example, is suitable as a deflection device. A disk channel is described in DE-A-32 04 499. The individual discs of the disc channel are rotatably mounted at three points. In addition, the disks are connected to one another by a gearbox, the transmission ratio of which decreases from disk to disk. Furthermore, these disks are connected to each other with the weapon and with a fixed channel by elastic connecting links.

A flexible channel can be used instead of a disk channel. A flexible delivery channel is described in US-A-34,37,005. The ammunition is removed from the stationary container through a flexible delivery channel of a rapid-fire weapon, e.g. fed to a Gatling cannon, this flexible delivery channel being exposed to strong bends and twists.

• a) Durch einen Scheibenkanal ist der Elevationsbereich eingeschränkt. Die Waffe kann z.B. nur aus einer Mittelstellung nach oben und nach unten geschwenkt werden. Somit ergeben sich beim Schiessen entweder im Horizont oder im Zenit Probleme.
• b) Ein Scheibenkanal benötigt viel Platz und besitzt eine relativ grosse Masse, die beschleunigt und verzögert werden muss.
• c) Flexible Förderkanäle sind einem grossen Verschleiss ausgesetzt. Ausserdem sind sie oft lang und daher störend.

These known feeding devices all have serious disadvantages:

• a) The elevation range is restricted by a disc channel. For example, the weapon can only be swiveled up and down from a central position. Thus, problems arise when shooting either in the horizon or in the zenith.
• b) A disc channel takes up a lot of space and has a relatively large mass that must be accelerated and decelerated.
• c) Flexible delivery channels are subject to great wear. In addition, they are often long and therefore annoying.

The object to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a device for supplying cartridges to a height-adjustable firearm, which takes up as little space as possible and does not require any additional drive power and enables reliable supply of the cartridges in any position of the weapon.

The device for feeding cartridges with which this object is achieved is characterized in that
that this cartridge feed channel is curved in a circular arc and the center of curvature lies in the axis of elevation,
that the tips of the cartridges located in this cartridge feed channel are directed against the elevation axis and the cartridge axes are radial to the elevation axis,
that this cartridge feed channel is arranged approximately parallel to the swivel plane of the firearm during the elevation,
- That an endless conveyor chain is arranged in this feed channel, with which the cartridges are transported to the cartridge entry opening of the firearm, and
- That the conveyor chain can be expanded and contracted when the weapon is being raised, depending on the position of the firearm in the elevation plane.

• Fig.1 eine Seitenansicht eines Panzerturmes mit einer Feuerwaffe und einem Munitionsmagazin sowie der Patronenzuführvorrichtung teilweise im Schnitt;
• Fig.2 einen Grundriss des in Fig.1 gezeigten Panzerturmes;
• Fig.3 eine Ansicht des in Fig.1 gezeigten Panzerturmes von vorne teilweise im Schnitt;
• Fig.4 eine Becherkette zum Zuführen der Patronen aus dem Magazin zur Feuerwaffe in Seitenansicht;
• Fig.5 die in Fig.4 dargestellte Becherkette im Grundriss;
• Fig.6 eine teleskopartige Führungsvorrichtung für die Becherkette in Ansicht und
• Fig.7 einen Schnitt nach Linie VII - VII in Fig.6.

An embodiment of the inventive device for feeding cartridges to a height-adjustable firearm is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing. It shows:

• 1 shows a side view of an armored turret with a firearm and an ammunition magazine and the cartridge feeder, partly in section;
• 2 shows a plan view of the tank tower shown in FIG. 1;
• 3 shows a view of the armored turret shown in FIG. 1, partly in section;
• 4 shows a cup chain for feeding the cartridges from the magazine to the firearm in a side view;
• 5 shows the cup chain shown in Figure 4 in plan;
• 6 shows a telescopic guide device for the cup chain in view and
• 7 shows a section along line VII - VII in FIG. 6.

1, there is a firearm 11 on the armored turret 10, which is partially protected by an armored hood 12. Below this armored hood 12 is a container 13 which contains a cartridge magazine 14 below.

According to FIG. 3, the personnel for operating the firearm 11 are located partly in the armored hood 12 and partly in the container 13. The armored turret 10 is rotatably mounted in a tank vehicle, not shown, in a manner known per se. Both in the cartridge magazine 14 and in the cartridge feed device 15, the cartridges 16 are arranged in cup chains 17 (see also FIGS. 4 and 5). With these cup chains 17, the cartridges can be conveyed out of the magazine 14 on the one hand and can be transported from the magazine 14 to the firearm 11 on the other hand. The firearm 11 can be pivoted about an elevation axis 50. In Fig.1 three different positions of the weapon 11 are indicated. In a first position, the weapon 11 is arranged horizontally; in a second position the weapon is shown inclined by + 45 ° and in a third position by - 10 °. The supply of ammunition to the weapon 11 must be ensured in each of these positions and also in all intermediate positions.

The subject of the present invention is a cartridge feed device 15 which allows the feed of cartridges 16 at any inclination, i.e. Elevation of the firearm 11 enables, as described below.

2 and 3, the cartridge magazine 14 is divided into two halves 18 and 19. A first cartridge feeder 15 'promotes the cartridges 16 from one half 18 of the cartridge magazine 14 from the right to the firearm 11, and a second cartridge feeder 15˝ promotes the cartridges 16 from the other half 19 of the cartridge magazine 14 from the left to the firearm 11. This makes it possible to optionally supply two different types of ammunition to firearm 11. According to Figure 1, the two conveyors 15 'and 15˝ have an arcuate guide channel 20. The center of curvature of this arcuate guide channel 20 coincides with the Elevation axis 50 together, such that in each position of the firearm 11, the cartridges 16 can be fed to the entry opening, not shown, of the firearm 11 in the guide channel 20 (see FIG. 1). As described further below, this guide channel 20 can be telescopically extended and shortened in such a way that the end of the guide channel 20 is in the region of the aforementioned entry opening of the weapon 11 in any position of the weapon 11.

So that the cup chain 17 located therein can be lengthened and shortened when the guide channel 20 is lengthened and shortened, it is designed accordingly, as will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 4 and 5, the cup chain 17 is composed of a number of cups 21. These cups 21 are of conventional design and are therefore not described in detail here. Each cup 21 serves to hold a cartridge 16, as can be seen in particular from FIG. The cups 21 are connected to one another via three tabs 22, 23 and 24 in the form of a knee joint. Of these three tabs 22-24, only two tabs 22 and 23 are visible in FIG. 4, since the third tab 24 is located behind the second tab 23 in this view. 5 that the two tabs 23 and 24 are articulated on a cup 21 and the first tab 22 is articulated on the next cup 21 and forms a joint with the other two tabs 23 and 24. With the help of these tabs 22-24, the distance between adjacent cups 21 can be increased and decreased. According to FIG. 4, the maximum distance a can be reduced to the minimum distance b. The tabs 22-24 are designed such that the cup chain 17 can be curved in different planes. In particular, the cup chain 17 can be adapted to the arcuate curvature of the guide channel 20, as can be seen from FIG. 5.

The structure of the guide channel 20 will be explained in detail below with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. According to Figure 6, the guide channel 20 consists of three groups A, B and C of rails that can be telescopically pushed into one another. The first group A is composed of four outer guide rails 25-28 and two inner guide rails 29 and 30. The second group B is also composed of four outer guide rails 31-34 and two inner guide rails 35 and 36. The third group C is also composed of four outer guide rails 37-40 and two inner guide rails 41 and 42. 7 shows all eighteen rails 25 - 42 in section. The twelve outer rails 25 - 28; 31-34 and 37-40 serve to guide the cartridges 16 and the six inner rails 29, 30; 35, 36; 41, 42 serve to guide two cup chains 17, of which only two cups 21 are shown in FIG. Each of the three groups A, B and C of outer guide rails 25-28; 31-34 and 37-40 is able to guide cartridges 16. Likewise, two of the three groups A and B of inner guide rails 29, 30 and 35, 36 are able to guide the cups 21. On the other hand, the two inner guide rails 41, 42 of the third group C according to FIG. 7 are unable to guide the cups 21. For this reason, a further inner guide rail 43 is required, which can guide the cups 21 with the guide channel 20 fully extended, see FIG. 6.

According to FIGS. 4 and 7, each cup 21 has four guide bolts 44-47, only the two bolts 44, 45 being visible in FIG. 4 and only the two bolts 44 and 46 being visible in FIG. 7, while the other two are in the current view are behind it. With the four inner guide rails 29, 30 and 35, 36, the outer ends of the bolts 44-47 are guided and with the further inner guide rail 43, the inner ends of the bolts 44-47 are guided, as can be seen from FIG. 7 are located in Guide channel 20 two cup chains 17 side by side, one of which brings the cartridges 16 to the firearm 11, while the other returns the cartridges 16 to the cartridge magazine. At the upper end, these two cup chains 17 are connected to one another, as can be seen from FIG. The upper end of the cartridge guide channel 20 is connected to the firearm and the lower end is connected to the stationary cartridge magazine, such that when the firearm 11 is pivoted about its elevation axis 50, the cartridge guide channel automatically shortens or lengthens, depending on whether the elevation angle is increased or is reduced.

The operation of the described device for feeding cartridges is as follows:

In a series fire of the firearm 11, for example, the cup chain 17 at the upper end of the guide channel 20 is driven directly by the firearm 11, in synchronism with the cadence of the weapon 11. At the lower end of the guide channel 20 of the feed device 15, the cup chain 17 is driven by a Booster motor 44, the booster motor 44 not having to rotate exactly in synchronism with the cadence of the firearm 11 due to the length of the cup chain 17. The two booster motors 44 not only drive the two cup chains 17 on the right and left of the firearm 11, but also all the cartridges 16 which are located in both halves 18 and 19 of the cartridge magazine 14 of the container 13. The cartridges 16 pass from the cartridge magazine 14 onto the cup chain 17 and from there into the firearm 11, as can be seen in particular from FIG. The guide channel 20 can be shortened and lengthened during a series fire in accordance with the elevation of the firearm 11. If the weapon 11 is inclined downwards by an angle of -10 °, the guide channel 20 must be fully extended, see Fig. 1. However, it is Firearm 11 directed upwards by an angle of + 45 °, the guide channel 20 must be completely pushed into one another, since the cartridge entry opening of the firearm 11 is then in its lowest position. The distance a between the individual cups 21 of the cup chain 17 is then reduced to the distance b, see FIG. 4. The three groups A, B and C of guide rails 25-40 are completely pushed into one another at this maximum elevation, see FIG. 6, in which these three groups A, B and C of guide rails 25-40 are shown completely pulled apart. 3, the cup chain 17 moves upward on the inner side of the guide channel 20, as indicated by arrows. The cup chain 17 thus moves downward on the outer side of the guide channel 20. Cartridges 16 can be filled into the cartridge magazine 14 with this part of the cup chain 17 moving downward.

Claims (4)

1. Device for feeding cartridges (16) to a height-adjustable firearm (11) from a stationary ammunition container (14), with a cartridge feed channel (20) in which the ammunition is transported to the firearm (11), characterized in that it Cartridge feed channel (20) is curved in a circular arc and the center of curvature lies in the elevation axis (18), that the tips of the cartridges (16) located in this cartridge feed channel (20) are directed against the elevation axis (18) and the cartridge axes are radial to the elevation axis (18). stand that this cartridge feed channel (20) is arranged parallel to the swivel plane of the firearm (11) during the elevation, that a conveyor chain (17) is arranged in this feed channel with which the cartridges (16) are transported to the cartridge entry opening of the firearm (11) , and that this conveyor chain can be expanded and contracted when the weapon (11) is elevated, accordingly the respective position of the firearm (11) in the elevation plane. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor chain (17) has cups (21), which are connected by joints, which are formed by two hinged plates (22, 23), one of which plate (22 ) is articulated on a cup (21) and the other tab (23) is articulated on the adjacent cup (21), and the two tabs (22, 23) form a knee joint with one another. 3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the circular arcuate cartridge feed channel (20) is designed as a telescopic channel which can be expanded and contracted during the elevation of the firearm (11) in accordance with the respective position of the firearm (11) in the elevation plane. 4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the cartridge feed channel (20) has guide rails (25-43) which can be telescoped and pulled apart.

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