EP1686344B1 - Cases catcher for unbelted ammunition - Google Patents

Abstract

Shell catching device has conveyor (1) for conveying ammunition and ammunition feeder (7) of weapon, which has weapon-side extractor (4), ejection pipe (6) and shell dampener (8) which is functionally connected to ejection pipe. The shell (2) or ammunition ejected with high speed through ejection pipe to shell catching spring (21) which is arranged in between the ejection pipe and shell dampener. During the impingement of shell or ammunition on shell catching spring, the shell or ammunition acts upon the shell dampener and the catching energy is reduced. An independent claim is also included for the cartridge holder.

Description

The invention relates to a sleeve catcher for unbalanced ammunition for a machine gun, in particular in aircraft and anti-aircraft systems.

In today's installation systems of machine guns in aircraft and anti-aircraft systems are of great importance to a low installation volume, low weight, good handling and shortest possible upgrade times. All this is also to be examined from the standpoint of low costs and logistics.

Well-known ammunition feeds in strapped and ungurbed (unbelted) form. The unbroken ammunition is characterized by the fact that the installation volume in the ammunition magazine is generally smaller than with strapped ammunition.

So that beats DE 195 01 706 A1 a beltless ammunition feeder system for a medium caliber firearm. The ammunition feed system has a fixed spiral ramp for conveying the ammunition from the ammunition box to the loading and firing system. Each ammunition comes through its sleeve in abutment against the spiral ramp. Between the ammunition box and the system for loading and firing the weapon a conveyor is connected. A chain used here consists of a sequence of elastically designated and deformable chain links. These are each connected in pairs by web waves articulated. On these are stored recordings for the ammunition. Furthermore, the system includes two elastic side edges. During the recoil movement of the weapon, the ammunition box remains fixed: The deformable parallelogram allows the gun-side section of the conveyor to move laterally. The conveyor has an upper clamping member and a lower clamping member to dampen the vibrations of the chain. A return of the sleeves, for example, in the ammunition box is not provided.

Another ammunition supply for a beltless ammunition describes the DE 36 44 513 C2 , In addition to the ammunition container here a tear-resistant transport chain is considered closer.

A transfer unit between the transport chain and a supply chain of the weapon realizes the transfer of ammunition from the transport chain to the weapon. On the underside of the gear train of this transfer unit are identical to the ammunition transfer on the upper side of a guide wheel and slide rails attached, via which the empties of the cannon can be transferred to the ammunition system. Further details are not provided.

Also the EP 1 024 339 B1 describes an ammunition magazine for a beltless guided ammunition. The transfer of cartridges from ammunition magazine to the weapon via an ammunition feeder. The aim is that in particular when accelerating the ammunition leadership chain no lots arise. It is proposed, as a chain tensioning means, to incorporate a means for influencing the spring constants of the chain tensioning means as a function of the tensioning device and the speed of the tensioning movement. The ammunition feeder itself has an ammunition feed chain which is guided in an endless loop around two pulleys. In the vicinity of the second pulley a self-loading weapon is provided, which takes over the cartridges, shoots and in turn passes the empty cartridge case to the ammunition supply chain. The way of this return will not be described further. The ammunition supply chain of the ammunition supply device is elastic in a certain way and causes by appropriate restoring forces a reciprocating rotary movement of the transfer device or the non-driven deflection unit and the ammunition guide chain. The ammunition supply chain consists of several successive bowl-shaped receptacles.

The EP 0 337 735 A1 discloses a cartridge delivery system of beltless cartridges for delivery to a rapid-fire machine gun and the return of the remaining sleeves to an ammunition magazine. The essence of this system is that the transport device in the ammunition magazine contains a series of closely spaced cartridge carriers. Each of these carriers has a pair of opposed, hinged, interconnected carrier halves adapted to accept automatically closed, cartridge-holding relative positions while located in the rectilinear path portions of the conveyor, and to accept automatically opened, cartridge-disengaging relative positions as they enter the Turning path sections of the transport device are. At the cartridge transfer station transport gears are involved, one for slowing down on transport speed and one for accelerating to a suitable transmission speed.

From the US Pat. No. 2,855,828 , which forms the basis for the preamble of claim 1, a collecting device for a sleeve on a closing weapon is known. The collecting device is formed by a well-known for turrets extractor and a guide to the feed and ejection tray with a located behind this shell, formed as a feeder buffer. The guide is half-shell-shaped incorporated on the upper side of the closure, the ejection tray itself kept hinged around the longitudinal axis. The gun barrel is fed with the projectile from one side and the sleeve from the other side. These are placed in the guide on the closure and in the ejection tray. The later serving as a buffer feeder pushes both parts in the barrel, the shutter is guided in its upward position. After firing, the closure is again brought down, the sleeve pulled out of the barrel through the extractor attached to the gun barrel and placed along the guide on the ejection tray in an end position, the buffer braking the sleeve. Thereafter, the ejection tray is folded with sleeve around its own longitudinal axis and the sleeve ejected forward.

The invention has the object to show a return of the sleeves or a Zündversagers a gurtgellosen ammunition. This is to be achieved, in particular the shot down sleeves sorted by the system back into the ammunition container (magazine), so that no additional space is necessary. Furthermore, the loading and unloading time should be reduced by the simple handling.

The problem is solved by the features of claim 1.

The invention is based on the idea to include for the return of the sleeves (empties) in the ammunition container on the ammunition feeder a preferably weapon-side sleeve guide or sleeve discharge (ejector) and run the chain or conveyor used to transport the ammunition in interaction with this ejector in that the sleeves come to rest in the chain links of the conveyor. The proposed ejector works with catch springs, which are located between the ejection tube and sleeve damper, and has the task defined to direct the ejected at very high speed pods of fused ammunition in the ammunition chain. In this case, the sleeve is directed to a preferably mounted in the housing of a Munitionszuführers sleeve damper. The ammunition feeder is usually part of the weapon and is driven by a drum of the weapon on the drum axis. The sleeve damper dampens the ejected at very high speed pods so strong that they can be caught in the sleeve catching feathers. The sleeve catching feathers, for their part, have the task of preventing the sleeves from rebounding. This is preferably done by a latching in a Ausziehrille the sleeve. As a result, these sleeves are defined guided in the sleeve section of the ammunition chain. The sleeve damper may preferably be equipped as a hydraulic, mass or spring damping system.

In order to ensure trouble-free operation, it is provided in continuation of the invention to bring the sleeve damper after each shot to its original position.

The proposed solution is further provided with a conveyor which is flexible in nature and consists of two pairs of sprockets with bearings, a frame, U-shaped double chains connected by connecting rods and guide rails for the ammunition or sleeves. The sprockets and frame are used to transport and guide the ammunition chain. The bearings of the sprockets should be movably connected in the frame, for example, slots, so that a longitudinal compensation is possible with each weapon movement. The chain links are also preferably designed as spring elements due to their example U-shaped shape. The chain links are designed as elastic elements, wherein in particular the material properties is utilized and the elasticity results from the chain length change. The ammunition and the returned sleeves are captively guided in guide rails and in the ammunition chain at the Ausziehrand the sleeve and held axially.

The weapon-mounted gearbox drives the ammunition chain via the conveyor axis via the drum axis. The drum axis and the Conveyorachse are preferably designed as a coupling element between the weapon and ammunition feeder, so that the weapon and ammunition chain can be separated from the ammunition feeder by axial displacement of the axes. This process is usually desirable for the loading and unloading of the weapon system.

A cyclic feeding of the ammunition into the actual shot position to be taken after transfer to the weapon has the advantage that the feeder does not have to go along with the entire supply and return of the weapon for reloading.

In practice, it has been shown that for the return of the sleeve in the ammunition chain sleeve in the cartridge chamber of the weapon should have a Mindestliderung so that the ejector can build a minimum voltage. During the ejection process, the relaxation energy is used and converted accordingly when releasing the sleeve from the warehouse in speed. For this purpose, a defined groove is preferably introduced into the cartridge chamber of the weapon drum. The position of the groove in the chamber is matched to the geometry and nature of the cartridges or ammunition / sleeve. During the shot, the gas pressure in the ammunition sleeve deforms it in such a way that it engages by permanent deformation in the groove. When attaching the ejector, that is, when pulling out of the sleeve, the ejector must apply so much force or tension that the sleeve deformed into the groove is pulled out of the groove and thus the cartridge chamber via the deformation path. This construction thus ensures a cartridge chamber with a defined sleeve extraction resistance and is independent of lubrication and the surface of the cartridge chamber.

Application finds the solution u.a. in high-firearm weapons with a beltless ammunition transport system. Here, the shot down or ejected a drum cartridge bearing sleeves are caught by a buffer damped in a chain system, accurately positioned and transported into a Munitionsbox. The defined pull-out voltage avoids the otherwise known error that occurs in such systems. It is prevented that the sleeve is braked on its way to the catch position or not ejected at a minimum speed, since in such cases, the ammunition transport system, controlled by the weapon, continues to rotate in the subsequent shot before the sleeve has reached its desired position.

Reference to an embodiment with drawing, the invention will be explained in more detail.

Fig. 1

in einer Schnittdarstellung die Rückführung einer Hülse in eine Munitionskette,

Fig. 2

in einer Schnittdarstellung die Munitionsübergabe und die Hülsenübernahme zwischen Munitionskette und Waffentrommel,

Fig. 3

die Munitionskette mit Munition und Hülsen,

Fig. 4

ein Patronenlager in Schnittdarstellung ohne Hülse,

Fig. 4a

eine Ausschnittsdarstellung A aus Fig. 4,

Fig. 5

das Patronenlager mit Hülse,

Fig. 5a

eine Ausschnittsdarstellung A' aus Fig. 5.

It shows

Fig. 1

in a sectional view, the return of a sleeve in an ammunition chain,

Fig. 2

in a sectional view the ammunition transfer and the sleeve takeover between ammunition chain and weapon drum,

Fig. 3

the ammunition chain with ammunition and pods,

Fig. 4

a chamber in a sectional view without sleeve,

Fig. 4a

a detail view A from Fig. 4 .

Fig. 5

the chamber with sleeve,

Fig. 5a

a detail view A 'from Fig. 5 ,

In Fig. 1 the principle of the sleeve return is shown, with only the parts essential to the invention have been identified.
1 with a here shown excerpt conveyor is marked, which transported in this illustration pods 2 a lost ammunition 3 (not visible here). The sleeves 2 are by an arms-side extractor 4 in an ejection position 5 ( Fig. 2 ) are transferred to a discharge tube marked 6. This ejection tube 6 is preferably in the housing of a Munitionszuführers 7, which is usually part of a weapon, not shown, involved. With this ejector tube 6 in functional harmony, there is a designated 8 sleeve damper, which dampens the ejected at very high speed sleeves 2. For trouble-free operation of the sleeve damper 8 is brought after each shot in its original position. Is the sleeve damper 8 a spring damping system, this can be positively controlled by its own spring force in the starting position. This forced control is also possible via a cam wheel with control cam (not shown in detail), which can be integrated in the transmission 9 of the ammunition feeder 7 itself.

Fig. 2 shows in a view the interaction ammunition transport and sleeve removal.

In a known manner, the gearbox 9 drives by means of the drum axis 10 of the weapon on the Conveyorachse 11 the ammunition chain 1 'for the ammunition supply and sleeve discharge.

The ammunition chain 1 'conveys cartridges 3 into the ammunition feeder 7 of the weapon from an ammunition container (not shown). The cartridges or ammunition 3 is held in the chain links 12 and guided into the region of the sprocket 14 of the conveyor 1. The ammunition 3 is then handed over in the area of the sprocket 14 on the weapon side a rotor 15 of the ammunition feeder 7 and in this position by the rotor 15 to a weapon-side feed star 16. Due to the number of drums, this feed star 16 has five notches and five positions for the ammunition 3 connected thereto. Further positions are the actual firing position 17 and the ejection position 5 of the sleeve 2.

With this ejection position 5 in functionality standing, as already described, the ejection tube 6, which guides the sleeves 2 in a sleeve-catching position 18 along a sleeve lead 19. A sensor 20 is used inter alia for functional testing.

After firing the ammunition 3 from the firing position 17, the drum of the weapon rotates and the sleeve 2 is ejected, for which purpose the extractor 4 engages the edge 22 of the sleeve 2. The ejected at high speed sleeve 2 is passed through the ejection tube 6 to sleeve catch springs 21. Upon impact of the sleeve 2 on the sleeve catch springs 21 of the sleeve buffer or sleeve damper 8 is acted upon by the sleeve 2. The sleeve damper 8, here a spring system, springs in and reduces the collection energy of the sleeve 2. The stroke of the sleeve damper 8 is designed so that the sleeve 2 are caught by the sleeve catch springs 21 on the withdrawal edge 22 of the sleeve 2. The sleeve 2 is characterized defined in the ammunition chain 1 '. The next shot, the system is rotated further and the sleeve 2 is returned via the ammunition chain 1 'in the ammunition container. The reset of the sleeve damper 8 is preferably realized in this embodiment by the energy in their own springs.

In order to reduce the recoil and advance forces occurring during firing, i.e., the gun with the ammunition feeder 7 makes up to approx. 40 mm return and forward movements, the weapon is mounted damped in a return system (not shown in detail). Since the ammunition container is usually rigidly mounted, the transfer of the ammunition 3 takes place via a flexible embodiment of the conveyor 1.

An in Fig. 3 shown Conveyor 1 consists essentially of the sprocket 15 ( Fig. 2 ), from guides 23, bridges 24, Zuführbrücken 25, side walls 26 and a magazine-side sprocket 27. The bridges 24, 25 and the side walls 26 serve to stabilize the conveyor 1 and form the frame of the conveyor 1. By the storage of the bearings the sprockets 14, 27 via, for example, slots in the context of the conveyor 1 receives this additional flexibility.

In Fig. 4 is a cartridge chamber 30 of the ammunition feeder 7 or parts of the bearing are shown in a sectional view. In the cartridge chamber 30, a defined groove 31 is introduced. The position and shape of the groove 31 in the cartridge chamber 30 is matched to the geometry and nature of the cartridge 3 and its sleeve 2, not shown here. 32, the bearing housing of the cartridge chamber 30 is marked. Fig. 4 a shows an enlarged section A of Fig. 1 to clearly show the groove 31.

In Fig. 5 the cartridge chamber 30 is shown with the here indicated cartridge 3 with sleeve 2. At the bottom of the sleeve 2, the extractor 4 attacks, with the aid of the sleeve 2 is transported from the cartridge chamber 30.

Fig. 5a shows an enlarged section A 'of Fig. 5 which in principle works with the geometric cutout A Fig. 4 is identical. During the shot, the gas pressure in the cartridge case 2 causes it to be deformed on the housing 33 in such a way that it rests in the groove 31 as a result of permanent deformations 34. When attaching the ejector or extractor 4 this applies so much force or tension that the deformed in the grooves 31 housing 33 of the sleeve 2 is pulled out of the groove 31 and the cartridge chamber 30 via the deformation path X. This build-up of tension guarantees a higher, predefinable voltage level with a significantly reduced bandwidth.

The constant application of force also realizes a good interaction between the extract of the sleeve 2 from the cartridge chamber 30 and the catcher selbiger in the chain 1 '.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

ammunition chain

2

shell

3

ammunition

4

extractor

5

ejection position

6

ejector pipe

7

Munitionszuführer

8th

case damper

9

transmission

10

drum axis

11

Conveyorachse

12

chain links

14

Sprocket

15

rotor

16

feed star

17

firing position

18

Sleeve tuck position

19

sleeve derivation

20

sensor

21

Sleeve catcher

22

Ausziehrand

23

guides

24

bridges

25

Zuführbrücken

26

side walls

27

Magazine-side sprocket

30

Chamber

31

groove

32

bearing housing

33

Housing of the sleeve

34

deformation

Claims (11)

1. Case catching device for unbelted ammunition (3) which is supplied to a weapon by means of a conveyor (1) and an ammunition feed (7) having an extractor (4) on the weapon side and having an ejection tube (6) and a case damper (8) which is functionally related to the ejection tube (6), with a case (2) or munition (3) which has been ejected at high speed being passed via the ejection tube (6) to case catching springs (21) which are located between the ejection tube (6) and the case damper (8), characterized in that, when the case (2) or munition (3) strikes the case catching springs (21), the case damper (8) is acted on by the case (2) or the munition (3) and the catching energy is reduced, and the case (2) or munition (3) comes to rest in chain links on the conveyor (1).
2. Case catching apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the ejection tube (6) is included in the housing of the ammunition feed (7).
3. Case catching apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the case damper (8) is fitted in the housing of the ammunition feed (7).
4. Case catching apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the case damper (8) is a hydraulic, mass or spring damping system.
5. Case catching apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the linear movement of the case damper (8) is designed such that the case (2) or munition (3) is caught by the case catching springs (21) on an extraction rim (22) of the case (2) and therefore comes to rest in a defined manner in the ammunition chain (1').
6. Case catching apparatus according to one of the abovementioned claims, characterized in that the conveyor (1) has a sprocket wheel (14) on the weapon side and a sprocket wheel (27) on the magazine side, with the bearings for the sprocket wheels (14, 27) being held for example by means of elongated holes such that they can move for the purposes of the conveyor (1), which is formed from bridges (24, 25) and side walls (26).
7. Case catching device according to one of the abovementioned claims, characterized in that a defined groove (31) is incorporated in a cartridge chamber (30), with the position and the shape of the groove (31) being matched to the geometry and the character of the case (2).
8. Cartridge chamber according to Claim 7, characterized in that, when the ammunition (3) is fired, the case (2) is deformed such that the case (2) rests in the groove (31), as a result of permanent deformation (34).
9. Cartridge chamber according to Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, when the extractor (4) acts, it applies so much force or stress that the case (2) is pulled out of the groove (31) in the cartridge chamber (30) over a deformation distance (X) .
10. Cartridge chamber according to one of Claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the groove (31) is included in the entire internal circumference of the cartridge chamber (30).
11. Cartridge chamber according to one of Claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the groove (31) is interrupted and is therefore incorporated in places in the internal circumference of the cartridge chamber (30).

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