EP0826133A1

EP0826133A1 - Pneumatic harpoon gun for underwater hunting

Info

Publication number: EP0826133A1
Application number: EP95936390A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jury B. Kozlovtzev
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-06-06
Filing date: 1995-10-31
Publication date: 1998-03-04
Also published as: WO1996039607A1; AU3836595A

Abstract

The present invention relates to equipment for underwater hunting, in particular, to pneumatic guns. The object of the present invention is to create a light-weight, reliable and convenient in use gun for underwater hunting with good fighting qualities. According to the present invention the pneumatic harpoon gun for underwater hunting comprises a receiver equipped with a cap arranged on its end and a barrel with a piston and a harpoon therein, positioned inside of said receiver, a tie-rod with a trigger and a gripper consisting of a coupling connected with the tie-rod, said coupling having the inner surface in the form of a cylinder going into the cone, and said coupling is arranged on the barrel with the possibility of axial movement and a return spring, spring-loaded bushing and three equally disposed balls, the barrel is arranged along the whole length of the receiver, presents one of the elements of the gripper and has holes made for air passing from the receiver.

Description

Pneumatic Harpoon Gun For Underwater Hunting

Background Of The Invention

The present invention relates to underwater hunting equipment, in particular, to pneumatic guns. The known pneumatic harpoon gun (see USSR Author's Certificate N 1215000, IPC 4: F41B11/08, published in 1986) contains a receiver with a barrel and a piston inside of it, a tie-rod with a trigger and a gripper.The tie-rod controls the disk hammer catch of the gripper.The hammer catch locks the coupling with the inner cone through the catch, said coupling is positioned in the receiver with the possibility of axial movement. Separator with balls, interacting with the inner cone surface of the coupling by one side, is positioned concentrically on the coupling in the receiver. By the other side said balls interact with the surface of the harpoon rod. The balls keep the harpoon inside the barrel. The given gun is characterized by poor reliability and short service life because of the intensive wear of the separator balls which is the result of constant friction against the surface of the harpoon in the process of loading and shot. The trigger mechanism and the gripper are suscepted to corrosion because of absence of the sealing which is another cause of short service life of the gun. Besides, this gun has poor serviceability mainly because the trigger mechanism of the gripper is located in the front part of the gun. This makes the front part of the gun heavier and results in "nose-diving", which makes it inconvenient to handle the gun while shooting. Prior to inserting the harpoon into the barrel, it is necessary to press the protruding end of the coupling, thus the time, necessary for reloading of the gun during the shooting, increases.

Another known the pneumatic harpoon gun for underwater hunting (see application N 2050502, France, IPC : A01K 81/00, published in 1971) containes a receiver, equipped with a cap , a barrel with a piston and a harpoon, a tie- rod with a trigger, a gripper all arranged inside of said receiver. The gripper keeps the piston in operating position and automatically releases said harpoon during a shot. The gripper is comprises the coupling, connected with the tie-rod, said coupling length is partly arranged on the barrel with the possibility of axial movement. The other part of the coupling is arranged on spring-loaded bushing, the front end of which is set against the barrel and the back one is set against the cap of the receiver. The coupling and the bushing are provided with the possibility of independent movement. Said coupling moves under the action of the tie-rod while pulling the trigger. The gripper also comprises balls, arranged in cone holes of the bushing with the possibility of radial movement. The bushing and the coupling are equipped with holes to provide air passing from the receiver to the barrel during a shot. The balls roll along the working surfaces four times within one cycle of a shot-loading. This is the reason of balls wear alongside with the wear of the working surfaces of the piston along which the balls roll. Short service life of the gun is an outcome of this wear. Besides the gun is characterized by a decreased impact force. During a shot the air passes from the receiver to the barrel through the channel where the shank of the piston is positioned at loading. The shank of the piston is thinner than the piston itself and, consequently, the channel section is less than the section area of the barrel. This results in "throttling", which decreases the impact force.

Complex configuration of the coupling and the bushing alongside with relatively large size of these elements complicates the production process and increases specific material consumption and weight of the gun. Another known is a harpoon (see USSR Author's Certificate N 294387, IPC: A01K 81/06, published in 1971) provided for guns for underwater hunting, comprising a tip rod with pivoted bushing and grooves as well as hinged wire cramp with interconnected ends.

The drawback of the given harpoon is its complexity, poor manufacturability, and, consequently, impossibility of production of small size harpoons. Maintainability of the harpoon is also poor; the harpoon repair is possible only within a repair shop. Harpoon is inconvenient in use as it is necessary to make complex movements to put the fish off the harpoon, i.e. to pull the tip forward, release spring tabs serving as stops, rotate the bushing by 45 or 90 degrees and open the cramps.

Summary Of The Invention

The invention solves the problems and avoids the drawbacks of the prior art.

In this invention the parts of the gun mechanism are arranged on the barrel, which, besides its main function, presents an element of the gripper and is equipped with holes for air passing.

This original interposition of the gun mechanism parts provides a short distance movement of said parts during the loading and shot. Such position of the elements significantly reduces the wear of the gun and increases its service life and reliability.

Besides, there is the possibility to reduce the length of the coupling and the bushing as well as the gun weight. The balls, evenly arranged in the barrel holes at an angle of 120° , securely align the piston with the harpoon inside the barrel. Thus the piston misalignment, resulting in barrel surface wear as well as in wear of the rubber seal rings, and consequently the seal failure of the gun, is eliminated.

The invention satisfies the condition when the area of the holes which serve for air passing from the receiver to the barrel, is equal or exceeds the section area of the barrel. This eliminates "throttling" and provides greater impact force and, consequently, greater firing range is provided with the same length of the gun.

Convenience in use of this gun is also provided by harpoon which uses spring properties of its cramp. The given invention makes it possible to put the catch off the harpoon quickly. Besides, the given invention may be used with reference to singletooth and multitooth harpoons of different diametre.

Brief Description Of The Drawings

Fig. 1 is a pneumatic gun in full bent, section view A-A. Fig. 2 is a same gun at the moment of a shot. Fig. 3 is a harpoon in retracted position.

Fig. 4 is a harpoon in retracted position, view A in

Figure 3.

Fig. 5 is a harpoon in position for putting the catch off.

Detailed Description

Pneumatic harpoon gun for underwater hunting as shown in Fig. 1, 2 comprises a receiver 1 with a barrel 2 arranged inside of said receiver 1. Harpoon 3, piston 4 and bushing 5 with spring 6 are positioned inside of the barrel 2 with the possibility of axial movement. The back end of the receiver 1 is closed by cap 7. The barrel 2 is positioned along the length of the receiver 1 with its back end being connected with the cap 7 by means of threaded connection. The walls of the barrel 2 and bushing 5 are equipped with holes 8 and 9 respectively for air passing from the receiver 1 to the barrel 2 . The walls of the barrel 2 are equipped with holes 10 for location of balls 11. The coupling 12 is arranged on the barrel 2 with the possibility of axial movement so that the inner surface of said coupling , having cylindrical and cone areas, closes the balls 11. The front end of the coupling 12 is set against the return spring 13 also positioned on the barrel 2. The second end of the return spring rests against the thrust ring 14 secured to the barrel. The front end of the coupling 12 is also linked with the tie-rod 15, connected by its other end with the upper shoulder of the trigger 16. The trigger 16 is positioned on the grip 17 and linked with the line release mechanism 18. The cap 7 is equipped with the valve 19 and plug 20 to provide an excessive air pressure in the receiver 1. The piston 4 has an extending cone shank 21, said piston 4 is sealed in the barrel 2 with rubber rings 22. The grip 17 is secured to the body 23 which is positioned in the middle part of the gun on the barrel 2. Inside the body 23 opposite to grip 17 there is provided a groove 24 parallel to the axis of the gun. Inside of said groove 24 there is a longitudinally moving regulator 25 which is connected with the additional tie-rod 26. The tie-rod 26 is linked with additional coupling 27, positioned with the possibility of axial movement on the barrel 2 between holes 8 and cap 7.

The harpoon 3 as shown Fig. 3 comprises a sharpened rod 28 with a hole 29 through which passes the cramp 30. The cramp 30 is made in the form of a spiral which envelopes the surface of the rod 28 clockwise or anticlockwise at an angle of 90 degrees. The ends of the cramp 30 are spread apart at a distance exceeding the diametre (d) of the rod 28 as shown in Fig. 4, for instance , at a distance equal 2d. The length of the cramp ends may be, for instance, 4d. The harpoon of the type may be singletooth as it is shown in the example as well as multitooth ( not shown ) and may be of different size.

In unloaded state the piston 4 under the action of air pressure in the barrel 2 rests against the absorber bushing 31, positioned in the muzzle tip 32. The upper part of the muzzle tip 32 is equipped with two holes 33 for water passing, and in the lower part of said muzzle tip 32 there is a cramp 34 for reeling up a line.The muzzle tip 32 is equipped with a fin assembly 35 secured by clamps 36 relative to muzzle tip 32. Under the action of return spring 13, the coupling 12 rests against the balls 11 with the cone part of its inner surface. The bushing 5 is put forward under the action of spring 6 and closes the holes 10 with the balls 11, thus preventing said balls 11 from falling inside the barrel 2. To prepare the gun for a shot, it is necessry to insert the fin assembly 35 into the muzzle tip 32, then to input the tail part of the harpoon 3 into the barrel 2, set it against the piston 4 and, applying an axial loading force to the harpoon 3, forward the piston 4 along the gun. Thus the fin assembly 35 secures the harpoon 3 in the process of loading. The harpoon 3 is linked with the piston 4 by means of a shank (not shown). Thus the piston 4 slides inside the barrel 2, and the air which was in the barrel 2, moves into the receiver 1 through the holes 8 and 9. Then the shank 21 of the piston 4 is set against the bushing 5. Overcoming the spring 6 ,the piston 4 moves the bushing 5 towards the back end of the barrel 2 until it is pushed from under the balls 11 and until the piston 4 takes up the place of said bushing 5. The balls 11 rotate about the axis in the corresponding holes 10. When moving along the extending cone shank 21 of the piston 4 under the balls 11, the cone inner surface of the coupling 12 prevents the pushing out of the balls into the receiver 1. Under the pressure, applied to harpoon 3, the piston 4, pushed by said harpoon, moves inside the barrel 2 until the area of less dimetre of the piston 4 is under the balls 11. The balls 11 under the action of cone part of the inner surface of the coupling 12 move to the axis of the barrel 2 and then to the area of less diametre of the piston 4. The coupling 12 under the action of the return spring 13 moves backwards thus closing the holes 10 by cylindrical area of its inner surface and preventing the balls from moving back. So three balls 11 stop the piston 4 and keep it in the barrel well aligned, preventing it from moving forward. This eliminates the distortion of mirrored inner surface of the barrel 2 and the wear of the sealing rings 22, providing the tightness of the gun. When the coupling 12 moves backwards, the tie-rod 15 connected with said coupling, pulls the upper shoulder of the trigger 16. The trigger 16 turns around its axis and comes into retracted position. The lower shoulder of the trigger secures the line release machanism 18 thus making it possible to keep the line (not shown) from reeling out. The second end of the line is clamped to the fin assembly 35.

The cramp 30 of the harpoon 3 is turned in the hole 29 so that its ends are directed towards the tail part of the harpoon 3 as shown in Fig. 3. Cramp 30 latches around the rod 28 because of its spring properties and because it envelopes the surface of the rod 28 at an angle of 90 degrees.

In the loaded state there is water between the harpoon 3 and the inner walls of the barrel 2. To make a shot, it is necessary to pull the trigger 16. The latter turns around its axis and pulls forward the tie-rod 15 by its upper shoulder. The tie-rod 15 overcomes the action of the return spring 13 and shifts the coupling 12. Thus, the holes 10 open and the balls 11 under the action of the shank 21 of piston 4 are pushed outside resting against the cone area of the inner surface of the coupling 12, releasing the shank 21. Under the action of compressed air, coming from the receiver 1 through holes 8 and 9, the piston 4 slides inside the barrel 2 (see Fig. 2) pulling the harpoon 3 till said piston is set against the absorber bushing 31. The shank of the harpoon 3 knocks the fin assembly 35 out of the muzzle tip 32 and the harpoon 3 moves to the target together with the fin assembly 35. The water is dislpaced outside from the inside of the barrel 2 by means of the piston 4 through the holes 33 in the muzzle tip 32. So, the water moves upwards thus partially equalizing the recoil. Under the action of the compressed spring 6 the bushing 5 slides forward taking the place of the piston 4 and preventing the balls from falling into the barrel 2. So the path, covered by the balls 11 when rocking from the bushing 5 to the piston 4 and vice versa, is very short and comprises 7-10 mm. The wear of the balls 11 as well as the piston 4 and the bushing 5 is decreased and the service life of the gun increases.

When the regulator of the impact force 25 is shifted backwards, the holes 8 in the barrel 2 are fully opened and the area of said holes is equal or exceed the section area of the barrel and thus the impact force will be maximal. When the regulator 25 moves forward, the additional coupling 27 is shifted by means of the tie-rod 26 and said additional coupling 27 closes the holes 8, that is the throttling takes place. Depending on the position of the regulator 25, the holes 8 are closed to a considerable or to a lesser extent. The area of the holes 8 decreases relative to the section area of the barrel 2 and the impact force decreases. When the trigger 16 is pulled, the line release mechanism 18 revolves and releases the line. The harpoon 3 pushed by the piston 4 moves to the target reeling out the line thus providing the return of the harpoon 3 after a shot either with a catch or empty. The fin assembly 35 provides the movement of the harpoon 3 along the straight line. When the target is hit, the sharpened end of the rod 28 of the harpoon 3 breaks the catch so that the cramp 30 comes through it. The ends of the cramp 30 prevent the catch from sliding off the harpoon 3. To take the catch off the harpoon 3, it is necessary to press one of the ends of the cramp 30, swing the cramp 30 out and turn in the hole 29 by 180 degrees. The ends of the cramp 30 will be directed forward and will provide the possibility to take the harpoon 3 out of the catch.

Claims

1. A pneumatic harpoon gun for underwater hunting comprising a receiver, equipped with a cap, arranged on the end of said receiver, and a barrel with a piston and a harpoon therein, a tie-rod with a trigger and a gripper consisting of a coupling connected with a tie-rod, said coupling having inner surface in the form of a cylinder going into the cone, said coupling is arranged on the barrel with the possibility of axial movement, a return spring connected with said coupling, spring-loaded bushing and three equally disposed balls, characterized by the barrel, arranges along the whole length of the receiver, the barrel presents one of the elements of the gripper and the barrel has holes therein for air passing from the receiver.

2. A pneumatic harpoon gun recited in claim 1, wherein the end of the barrel being directly connected with the cap, for instance, by threaded connection.

3. A pneumatic harpoon gun recited in claim 1, further comprising the holes for arrangement of the balls of the gripper made in the walls of the barrel.

4. A pneumatic harpoon gun recited in claim 1, further comprising spring-loaded bushing of the gripper positioned inside the barrel.

5. A pneumatic harpoon gun recited in claim 1, further comprising the return spring of the gripper arranged on the barrel.

6. A pneumatic harpoon gun recited in claim 1, further comprising the holes in the barrel for air passing from the receiver made so that the area of said holes is equal or exeed the section area of the barrel.

7. A harpoon for pneumatic gun for underwater hunting comprising a sharpened rod with a hole through which goes a hinged wire cramp characterized by cramp is made in the form of a spiral; this spiral envelopes the rod surface clockwise or anticlockwise at an angle of 90° and the ends of the cramp are spread apart at a distance bigger than the diametre of the rod.