Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F41—WEAPONS
  • F41A—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE
  • F41A27/00—Gun mountings permitting traversing or elevating movement, e.g. gun carriages
  • F41A27/06—Mechanical systems
  • F41A27/22—Traversing gear
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F41—WEAPONS
  • F41A—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE
  • F41A27/00—Gun mountings permitting traversing or elevating movement, e.g. gun carriages
  • F41A27/06—Mechanical systems
  • F41A27/08—Bearings, e.g. trunnions; Brakes or blocking arrangements
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F41—WEAPONS
  • F41G—WEAPON SIGHTS; AIMING
  • F41G5/00—Elevating or traversing control systems for guns
  • F41G5/14—Elevating or traversing control systems for guns for vehicle-borne guns
  • F41G5/24—Elevating or traversing control systems for guns for vehicle-borne guns for guns on tanks

Definitions

• the technical sector of the present invention is that of the pointing systems of a weapon ensuring its stabilization.
• a first method consists in measuring the disturbing angular speed, for example by a gyrometric type means, and in using it to control the speed of rotation of the motorization system placed between the support and the weapon. It is therefore an anticipation command placed in parallel with a servo control of the position of the weapon on an inertial reference whose efficiency is low to attenuate the amplitude of the angular disturbances for medium frequencies.
• a gyrometric type means for example by a gyrometric type means
• Another method consists in providing a motorization making it possible to control the torque applied to the load. This principle is used to improve the efficiency of reducing the effects of angular velocity disturbances. This method is suitable for disturbances of angular velocities around the axis of rotation in the direction of the turret. Reference may be made, for example, to US Pat. No. 4,387,624.
• Yet another method consists in measuring the gyrometric roll speed and in controlling an angular speed of the turret proportional to this speed, through a coefficient depending on the site of the weapon.
• the object of the present invention is to propose a system which makes it possible to exceed the limits imposed by the orientation in bearing of the weapon and to significantly increase the range of possible compensation for roll disturbances.
• the subject of the invention is therefore a point pointing system for a weapon secured to a frame articulated in point relative to a support according to a large deflection in point around a first axis of rotation.
• Gl characterized in that it comprises a means for positioning the weapon secured to the frame or turret to ensure a small lateral movement of the weapon around a second axis of rotation (G2) passing through the center of gravity of the weapon and perpendicular respectively to the longitudinal axis of the weapon and to the axis of orientation in elevation.
• the first axis of rotation (Gl) is located behind the center of gravity of the weapon.
• the lateral movement around the second axis is of the order of 2 °.
• the positioning means comprises a mask supporting the weapon and secured to the frame and a means for controlling the rotation.
• the weapon is mounted by means of an articulation relative to the mask, the positioning means ensuring the rotation of the weapon relative to the mask around the second axis (G2).
• the joint is of the mechanical or elastic type.
• the mechanical articulation consists of a pin secured to a cradle interposed between the weapon and the mask and bearings secured to the mask.
• control means is a jack whose body is integral with the mask and whose rod is connected to the weapon.
• control means is a jack whose body is secured to the weapon and whose rod is connected to the mask.
• the elastic articulation consists of two journals integral with the cradle and connected to the mask by an elastic means having a low angular stiffness around the axis G2 and a great stiffness around the axis of site S.
• the secondary articulation means around the axis G2 is obtained by the displacement in the opposite direction of two eccentrics.
• the control means consists of two jacks working in opposite directions, the bodies of which are fixed on the cradle and the rods respectively on each of the eccentrics, the minimum elasticity of this motorization being produced by the radial stiffnesses of crowns elastomer.
• a very first advantage of the system according to the invention lies in meeting the requirements for absolute orientation quality to be imposed on the weapon by the adoption of a second articulation at the center of gravity allowing lateral angular displacement of the weapon relative to the turret.
• Another advantage lies in controlling the orientation of the weapon's location without disturbing the order on site.
• Another advantage lies in the fact that the disturbing torques applied between the mask and the weapon via the second axis of rotation G2 are limited to the rolling torque and to the torque caused by the sealing system between the mask and the cradle of the 'armed.
• An additional advantage corresponds to the fact that maintaining the orientation of the weapon on the target no longer requires the precise rotation of the turret with the associated constraints, on the quality of the command and on the maximum available torque.
• Another advantage corresponds to being able to use, for motorizing the additional axis of rotation G2, the principle described in the US patent with the associated advantages on the quality of positioning of the weapon.
• the corresponding motorization can be either electric or hydraulic.
• Another additional advantage of the invention is that the quality of the stabilization of the turret in deposit can be degraded, the residual errors of the turret being taken up by the additional lateral orientation system.
• FIG. 1 is a section of the weapon in side view
• FIG. 2 is a section along the longitudinal axis of the weapon seen from above,
• FIG. 3 is a section of the weapon showing another example of articulation
• FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an elastic articulation
• FIG. 5 is a section of the weapon along the axis longitudinal XX 'showing another example of elastic articulation
• a weapon mounted on an armored vehicle conventionally comprises a cradle mounted fixed relative to a mask itself articulated around a journal axis ent relative to the turret or frame.
• the weapon therefore comprises a retreating mass which slides longitudinally into the cradle with each shot.
• the tilt of the weapon increases in elevation, the angular movements of the vehicle around the roll axis have a direct effect on the orientation of the weapon.
• the sensitivity of the residual error with respect to the disturbance is relatively high and, on the other hand, the limitation imposed by the dimensioning is quickly reached in maximum acceleration torque of the turret motorization.
• secondary lateral angular mobility is provided between the cradle and the mask which connects it to the turret.
• This structure offers a possibility of rotation around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the weapon and to the axis of rotation in elevation, because one separates the weapon from the roll drive by the turret and one gives oneself the means of accessing the stabilization performance accessible to a system which can benefit from inertial stabilization.
• the motorization of the main turret deposit being limited in acceleration torque, when this saturation is reached, stabilization can be kept within the limit of the travel set up at the level of the second articulation allowing angular mobility secondary lateral mentioned above.
• the secondary articulation axis is placed axially at the center of gravity of the laterally articulated mass to limit the disturbance given by the radial acceleration and to limit the dimensioning of the secondary motorization.
• the invention consists in providing an additional articulation of the weapon relative to its frame.
• a first articulation, or main articulation allows the weapon to be oriented in a conventional manner. This articulation makes it possible to position the weapon without any angular limitation.
• a second articulation makes it possible to orient the weapon, in a limited travel, into a zero site deposit and more generally laterally.
• the advantage of such a system according to the invention lies in the fact that the secondary movement between the weapon and the mask for example is limited to stabilization errors around the first axis, which results in a simple embodiment.
• the dimensioning of the second motorization being linked only to the inertia of the weapon to be aimed, an efficient torque control can be carried out without specific constraints.
• FIG 1 there is shown schematically in vertical section a weapon 1 mounted on a frame 2 itself mounted on a support 3 via a bearing 4 of large diameter.
• the support 3 is represented for example by the roof of an armored tracked or wheeled vehicle.
• the frame 2, or turret constitutes the interface between the weapon and the support and it supports the weapon by means of a pin 5 whose location is visible in the figure.
• the weapon is mounted in a mask 6a with respect to which it slides with each shot inside a cradle 6b.
• the weapon is therefore connected to this mask by a certain number of mechanisms, in particular brakes, known in themselves and which it is not necessary to describe more fully for the understanding of the invention.
• the weapon is movable in site in a known manner with respect to the pin 5 for example using a jack 7 connecting the mask to the frame 2. It is also movable in bearing around a main axis Gl with respect to the support 3.
• the weapon 1 is movable in rotation about an axis G2 relative to the mask 6a.
• the axis G2 is shown passing through the center of gravity of the weapon and the axis Gl is located behind the center of gravity.
• This arrangement is preferably chosen, but it goes without saying that the axis Gl can occupy any intermediate position.
• Figure 2 there is shown a top view of the weapon 1 along a section made along its longitudinal axis XX '.
• the trace 8 of the raceway of the frame 2 or turret relative to the support This turret can be movable in bearing rotation around the axis Gl at an angle of 360 °.
• the turret therefore drives the weapon 1 to orient it in a zero site deposit or laterally.
• a motor 9 drives the turret 2 via a reduction gear 10.
• the weapon 1 is therefore mounted on the frame 2 by means of a mask 6a itself connected to the frame using of two bearings 11a and 11b.
• the bearings 11a and 11b define a site axis S of the weapon around which the latter is rotated by means of a geared motor.
• the second bearing axis G2 is provided around which the weapon will be actuated in order to orient it very finely.
• An articulation is therefore provided between the weapon 1 and the mask 6a and the said weapon is rotated by means of a rotation control means 14.
• This means may for example be a motor or a jack.
• the body of the jack can be secured to the mask and its stem is connected to the weapon or else the body of the jack is secured to the weapon and its stem to the mask.
• FIG 3 there is shown a schematic view of the lateral secondary articulation means of the weapon 1 relative to the frame 2 and the bearings 11a and 11b for connecting the mask.
• the figure illustrates the articulation between the cradle 6b and the mask ⁇ a.
• the cradle 6b supporting the weapon 1 is connected to the mask 6a by means of an articulation 15 to ensure the secondary rotation of said weapon relative to the mask around the second axis G2.
• the articulation is of the mechanical type and comprises a pin 16 engaged in two bearings 17 and 18.
• the joint can be of the elastic type.
• Figure 4 there is shown an embodiment of an elastic joint.
• This consists of a metal cylinder 19 in which the cradle is fixed and which is connected by elastomer plates 20 to the mask 6a by means of an appropriate complementary part 21.
• the part 21 is produced in two separate parts 21a and 21b for mounting questions and which are rigidly fixed to the mask 6a.
• the elastic plates 20 are defined by their material on the one hand to present a great stiffness and a great resistance to support the axial forces of recoil of the weapon and, on the other hand to present a stiffness reduced relative to the angular displacement in bearing up to approximately 2 °.
• the stiffness associated with this degree of freedom corresponds approximately to a maximum effort which must be limited between 10 and 20% of the maximum effort of the associated secondary motorization. It also specifies a lateral radial stiffness, parallel to the axis of journaling of the mask, sufficient to minimize its effect on the torque setting dynamics of the secondary lateral motorization.
• any articulation means could be provided between the cradle and the mask allowing a small angular rotation to be authorized around the axis G2.
• This means must have a limited torque in the range of movement around this axis, and must be capable of transmitting to the mask the force of recoil of the weapon and of exhibiting great angular stiffness around the site axis between the mask and cradle.
• FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the lateral orientation system of the weapon 1 .
• Figures 5 and 6 which are sections along the longitudinal axis XX 'of the weapon illustrate this embodiment.
• the weapon 1 is mounted on a turret 25 using a cradle / mask 26 by means of two bearings 27 and 28 separated by an eccentric 29.
• the outer bearing 27 is large and surrounds the bearing internal 28.
• the bearing 28 makes it possible to connect the cradle 26 by means of the journal 30, the bearing 28 itself being supported by the bearing 27 fixed to the turret 25 by means of a ring 31 of elastomer.
• This elastic crown works in shear to allow the axis of the bearings 27 and 28 to remain in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the weapon.
• the relatively greater radial stiffness of these elastic connections than the tangential stiffness is used to impose an angular functional stiffness in the relative lateral motorization chain between the weapon and the turret.
• the eccentric is in the form of an annular part whose external wall constitutes the internal cage of the bearing 27 and whose internal wall constitutes the external cage of the bearing 28.
• an inertial absolute position sensor consisting of a gyroscope which serves as a reference for the line of sight, the weapon and the mask.
• the gyroscopic sensor is preferably mounted on the mask and can be replaced by a gyrometer which measures the angular speed of the mask, speed which is integrated to materialize the gyroscopic reference position.
• the absolute position of the cradle is calculated from a linear position measurement carried out in the vicinity of the actuator making it possible to exert a torque on the weapon.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Aiming, Guidance, Guns With A Light Source, Armor, Camouflage, And Targets (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)
• Variable-Direction Aerials And Aerial Arrays (AREA)
• Motorcycle And Bicycle Frame (AREA)
• Telescopes (AREA)
• Geophysics And Detection Of Objects (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=8865592

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (13)

Family Cites Families (10)

• 2001
  • 2001-07-17 FR FR0109509A patent/FR2827667B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2002
  • 2002-07-15 IL IL15971102A patent/IL159711A0/xx unknown
  • 2002-07-15 DE DE60209763T patent/DE60209763T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-07-15 AT AT02770026T patent/ATE319975T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-07-15 WO PCT/FR2002/002506 patent/WO2003008894A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-07-15 EP EP02770026A patent/EP1407215B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-07-15 US US10/483,781 patent/US6886448B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2003
  • 2003-03-12 ZA ZA200301999A patent/ZA200301999B/en unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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