EP3169966B1 - Weapon transport system for a submarine - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a weapon transport system for a submarine with the features specified in the preamble of claim 1.

At the beginning and during the deployment of military submarines, it is often necessary to transport weapons from one device for supporting and / or guiding the weapon to another device for supporting and / or guiding the weapon. Examples of this include the taking place when submerged submarine weapon intake and the reloading of the weapon tubes stored in the interior of the submarine reserve weapons, as shown in the GB 1 468 601 is described.

The weapon intake can be made via the upper gun tubes of the submarine, which are located with appropriate trim of the submarine above the water surface. In this state of the submarine, a so-called weapons transfer platform with a weapon mounted thereon, z. B. a torpedo, so placed in front of the corresponding gun barrel, that the weapon can be moved from the weapons transfer stage in the barrel. There, the weapon may remain or it is, if it is a reserve weapon, spent on the barrel into the interior of the barrel, where it is stored on a gun barrel. When reloading a gun barrel with a reserve weapon, the gun pit on which the weapon to be loaded is stored, so positioned in front of the inner opening of the gun barrel that the weapon can be moved from the gun barrel into the gun barrel.

Most of the transport of weapons in submarines is associated with a relatively large amount of time and personnel. In this regard, one stands out EP 2 281 742 A1 known storage and feeding device for a weapon in a submarine, which is provided for reloading of weapon tubes with stored in the pressure hull of the submarine weapons troughs weapons, an improvement. This storage and charging device has a transport device in the weapon trough in the transport direction the weapon is placed behind the weapon. Within the gun well, the transport device with the weapon located in front of it is movable up to the front in the transport direction of the gun barrel, where the weapon can be completely pushed into the weapon barrel with a telescopic cylinder of the transport device. A disadvantage of this storage and loading device, however, is that the transport device is driven by an electric motor and the telescopic cylinder is hydraulically actuated, so that two different forms of energy for the operation of the storage and Loading device must be provided. Another disadvantage of this device is its relatively complex structure as a whole.

Against this background, the present invention seeks to provide a weapon transport system for a submarine with a simple technical structure with which a weapon can be transported reliably and with little time and effort.

This object is achieved by a weapon transport system having the features specified in claim 1. Advantageous developments of this weapon transport system will become apparent from the dependent claims, the following description and the drawings. In this case, the features specified in the dependent claims in each case, but also in a suitable combination with each other, the inventive solution according to claim 1 further develop.

The weapons transport system according to the invention for a submarine is intended for transporting a weapon from a device for storing the weapon to another device for supporting the weapon. D. h., The weapon transport system is used to transfer a weapon from a device in which a weapon is stored in another device in which the weapon is then stored. In this case, at least one further device for guiding the weapon can be arranged between these two devices, via which the weapon is guided during a transport. The weapon storage devices each form part of the weapon transport system. They may all be located within the submarine, or both partially within and partially outside the submarine.

To transport the weapon, the weapon transport system has a movable carriage. This can be moved by means of a drive which is integrated directly in the carriage. Preferably, however, the carriage is operatively connected to a drive arranged outside the carriage, which is preferably an electromotive, but alternatively also a pneumatic or hydraulic drive. For releasably securing the carriage to the weapon, the carriage has corresponding coupling means. The nature of this coupling agent is basically arbitrary, as long as a releasable, positive connection of carriage and weapon can be created with them.

The peculiarity of the weapon transport system according to the invention is that the carriage is movable together with the weapon from a start position in one of the means for supporting the weapon in an end position in another means for supporting the weapon. This allows a comparatively simple construction of the weapon transport system according to the invention, wherein the weapon transport system can be operated exclusively by means of electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic energy. Another advantage of this weapon transport system consists in that the transport of the weapon at best, only one person is required for moving the carriage. In the weapon transport system according to the invention is in principle only to ensure that a continuous travel for the carriage from the starting position of the carriage-containing means for supporting the weapon to the end position of the carriage forming means for supporting the weapon.

On the individual weapon storage devices forming part of the weapon transport system, the carriage is conveniently slidably mounted. In order to ensure a controlled movement of the carriage and, consequently, a controlled movement of the weapon from the device forming the starting position of the carriage to the device forming the end position of the carriage, according to the invention each of the devices for supporting the weapon has a guide profile for the form-fitting guidance of the carriage , wherein the guide profiles of the weapons storage support means for weapons transport form a continuous guide for the carriage. In connection with the attachment of the weapon to the carriage via the coupling means provided on the carriage, the positive guidance of the carriage in the guide profiles also serves to secure the weapon in the weapon transport system.

Preferably, the carriage is coupled for movement with a drive which is arranged fixed in one of the means for supporting the weapon. Here, the individual case decides on which of the devices for storing the weapon the drive is arranged, d. h., That the drive can in principle be arranged on each of the means for supporting the weapon. In a weapon transport system, which in addition to a arranged in the pressure hull of the submarine device for storing the weapon also has one or more guided by the pressure hull or located outside of the pressure hull facilities for storing the weapon, the drive is expediently arranged on the inside of the pressure hull device for Storage of the weapon arranged where it is well accessible for a weapon transport system controlling crew member of the submarine to operate the weapon transport system but also for the purpose of maintenance and possibly necessary repairs.

The carriage is preferably motion-coupled to the drive via an elongate push-pull element. The length of this push-pull element typically depends on the maximum possible travel distance of the carriage in the weapon transport system. Otherwise, the push-pull element can be any component which, however, must be suitable both for transmitting tensile and shear forces on the slide. As a motion-coupled drive with the push-pull element, a linear drive as well as a rotary drive can be provided. The latter is preferred in development of the invention, in which case a Gear for converting the rotational movement of the motor shaft is provided in a linear movement of the push-pull element.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the push-pull element is guided in the guide profiles of the means for supporting the weapon from the outside environment of the weapon transport system shielded. In this respect, the carriage and the weapon are essentially the only freely accessible moving components of the weapon transport system. The guidance of the push-pull element in the guide profiles is advantageously such that the guide profiles stabilize the push-pull element transversely to its longitudinal extent.

Structurally simple can be provided as a push-pull element in the direction of the guide rails linearly movable rod. However, the use of a rod as a push-pull element may cause the weapon transport system to take up a large space if necessary. In this respect, it is more advantageous to use such a push-pull element, which is substantially rigid in the longitudinal direction or rigidly guided and is designed to be flexible transversely to its longitudinal extent. Due to this configuration, the push-pull element on the one hand for transmitting the necessary to move the carriage thrust or tensile forces, on the other hand allows its flexibility transverse to its longitudinal extent a bending of the push-pull element outside the guide profiles, resulting in the space required significantly lower for the push-pull element.

In this context, a further advantageous embodiment of the weapon transport system according to the invention can be seen, according to which in the means for supporting the weapon, in which the drive is arranged, a preferably elongated and aligned parallel to the guide profile of the carriage magazine for the push-pull element is. In this arrangement of the magazine for the push-pull element is expediently to provide a push-pull element which is deflected at an angle of 180 ° transverse to its longitudinal extent. Advantageously, a chain or a toothed belt can form such a push-pull element. Further advantageously, a push chain can be provided as a push-pull element. Here, a chain is to be understood as such a chain, the chain links connect under load in the thrust direction such that they are rigid to each other, but behave flexibly in a tensile load and are bendable relative to each other.

The weapon transport system according to the invention serves to spend a stored on a arranged in the pressure hull of the submarine weapon trough weapon in a run through the Druckkörperwandung gun barrel and possibly from there into the outer environment of the submarine. According to the invention, one of the devices for storing the weapon is a weapon trough. At this gun well is advantageously designed in the direction of the longitudinal extent of the gun trough extending guide profile for the carriage.

According to the invention, another of the means for supporting the weapon is expediently a weapon barrel guided through the pressure hull of the submarine. Also, the gun barrel is equipped with a guide profile for the carriage, which is aligned with the formed on the gun trough guide profile, so that there is a continuous guidance of the gun trough to the gun barrel for the slide.

As a rule, it is not possible to arrange the weapon trough directly in front of the opened weapon barrel, so that the guide tread formed on the weapon trough and the guide profile formed in the weapon barrel form a continuous guide for the carriage. In order to meet this, it is advantageous to provide another means for guiding the weapon in the form of a bridge to connect the weapon trough with the gun barrel, which also has a guide profile, which in alignment with the guide profile of the gun trough and the guide profile of the gun barrel can be brought.

Another use of the weapon transport system of the invention may be to spend weapons from outside the submarine into the interior of the gun barrel. In this case, expediently next to the gun barrel on the output side of the gun barrel in the water-flooded forecastle of the submarine gun control and positioned in front of a trained on the outside of the submarine ejection opening for the weapon weapons transfer plane further facilities for storage and / or leadership of the weapon.

The weapon transport system according to the invention is preferably intended for use in a submarine. In this respect, the invention also relates to a submarine, which has a weapon transport system with the features described above.

• Fig. 1 ein erstes Waffentransportsystem für ein Unterseeboot in einer Draufsicht,
• Fig. 2 einen Teilbereich des Waffentransportsystems gemäß Fig. 1 in einer Seitenansicht,
• Fig. 3 einen weiteren Teilbereich des Waffentransportsystems gemäß Fig. 1 in einer Seitenansicht,
• Fig. 4 ein zweites Waffentransportsystem für ein Unterseeboot in einer Draufsicht,
• Fig. 5 einen Teilbereich des Waffentransportsystems gemäß Fig. 4 in einer Seitenansicht und
• Fig. 6 einen Antrieb der Waffentransportsysteme nach den Figuren 1 und 4.

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawing. In the drawing, each show in a schematically greatly simplified schematic representation and in different scales:

• Fig. 1 a first weapon transport system for a submarine in a plan view,
• Fig. 2 a portion of the weapons transport system according to Fig. 1 in a side view,
• Fig. 3 another portion of the weapons transport system according to Fig. 1 in a side view,
• Fig. 4 a second weapon transport system for a submarine in a plan view,
• Fig. 5 a portion of the weapons transport system according to Fig. 4 in a side view and
• Fig. 6 a drive of weapons transport systems after the FIGS. 1 and 4 ,

This in Fig. 1 shown weapon transport system 2 is arranged completely in a submarine, not shown in the drawing. The main components of the weapon transport system 2 are arranged in the pressure hull of the submarine gun trough 4, a bow side of the submarine through the wall of the pressure hull guided gun barrel 6, which then, if it is not loaded with a weapon or if no weapon is ejected from it at his arranged in the interior of the pressure hull opening and its arranged outside the pressure hull opening with hinged lids is pressure-tight, arranged between the gun trough 4 and the barrel 6 pivoted lid of the submarine bridge 8 and an output side of the gun barrel 6 arranged gun guide 10 in the water-flooded forecastle of the submarine.

The weapon trough 4 is used to store a weapon 12 and corresponds in terms of the particular for the storage and management of the weapon construction of a substantially DE 10 2009 020 323 A1 known weapons trough. In the area of their end facing away from the gun barrel 6, a drive 14 for a carriage 16 slidably mounted in the gun barrel 4 is arranged on the gun barrel 4. The carriage 16 has in the drawing, for reasons of clarity, not shown coupling means with which the carriage 16 is releasably secured to the arranged in the direction of the gun barrel 6 in front of the carriage 16 weapon 12.

At the gun trough 4, a guide profile 18 is formed, which serves to guide the carriage 16. The guide profile 18 extends in the gun trough 4 linearly to the end of the gun trough 4, which faces the gun barrel 6. The arranged between the gun trough 4 and the barrel 6 bridge 8 forms a guide for the weapon 12, which corresponds to the leadership of the weapon 12 in the gun trough 4. On the bridge 8, a guide profile 20 is formed for the carriage 16, which is aligned with the formed on the gun trough 4 guide profile 18 and in terms of its cross section corresponds to the guide profile 18 at the gun trough 4.

Another guide profile 22 for the carriage 16 is formed in the interior of the gun barrel 6 and extends linearly over its entire length, wherein it is aligned with the guide section 20 on the bridge 8 and with respect to its cross section corresponds to the guide sections 18 and 20. Finally, also in the gun guide 10, a guide profile 24 corresponding in position and cross-sectional shape with the guide profiles 18, 20 and 22 is provided, which extends from the end of the weapon barrel 6 to the outside of the submarine. Together, the guide profiles 18, 20, 22 and 24 form a linearly oriented guide for the carriage 16, in which the carriage 16 can be moved from a starting position in the weapon trough 4 into the weapon guide 10 arranged in the forecastle of the submarine, the cross-sectional contour of the guide profiles 18, 20, 22 and 24 prevents movement of the carriage transversely or obliquely to the longitudinal extent of the guide profiles 18, 20, 22 and 24.

The carriage 16 is operatively connected to the drive 14 via a transverse in its direction transverse to its longitudinal extension flexible push-pull element 26. The push-pull member 26 may be as shown in FIG Fig. 6 shown to act a timing belt or a simple link chain or a push chain. The push-pull element 26 is, when the carriage 14 is in its starting position in the weapon trough 4, arranged largely in an elongated magazine 28. The magazine 28 is arranged in the weapon trough 4 directed parallel to the guide profile 18 and has two juxtaposed guide tracks 30 and 32 and a deflection 34, which is formed on a side facing away from the drive 14 end of the magazine ( Fig. 2 and 3 ).

From the magazine 28, the push-pull element 26 is guided to the drive 14. In the in the FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrated drive 14 is the push-pull element 26 with a on a motor shaft of an electric drive motor (not shown) arranged drive wheel 36 in positive contact, adjacent to which a guide wheel 38 is arranged, by means of which the push-pull element 26 in the guide profile 18 is deflected. In addition to the guide profile 18, the guide profiles 20 formed on the bridge 8, the guide profile 22 formed on the weapon barrel 6, and the guide rail 24 formed on the outside of the weapon barrel 6 form a guide for the push-pull element 26.

As an alternative to the drive 14, the in Fig. 6 illustrated drive 14 'can be used. Like the drive 14, this also has a drive wheel 36, which is arranged on a motor shaft of an electric drive motor (not shown) and which is combed by a toothed belt which forms the push-pull element 26. Instead of the deflection wheel 38 of the drive 14, the drive 14 'has two deflection wheels 40 and 42, which are arranged such that the push-pull element 26 is guided on the drive wheel 36 and the deflection wheels 40 and 42 in the form of an omega wrap ,

The functioning of the in the FIGS. 1 to 3 shown weapon transport system 2 is in particular from the Figures 2 and 3 clear. First, the weapon is 12, at which it is is a torpedo, stored in the gun trough 4, wherein it is connected via the coupling means, not shown, with the carriage 16 ( Fig. 2 ). From this starting position in the gun trough 4 of the carriage 16 is pushed together with the weapon 12 in an uninterrupted motion and, consequently, comparatively quickly by operating the drive 14 of the push-pull member 26 via the bridge 8 in the barrel 6. In this case, the carriage 16 moves so far into the weapon barrel 6 until a retaining pawl 44 arranged in the weapon barrel 6 detects a retaining peg arranged on the outer circumference of the weapon 12, so that the weapon 12 is fixed in the weapon barrel 6. Now, the compound of the carriage 16 is released with the weapon 12 and the carriage 16 is moved back out of the barrel 6 out over the bridge 8 in the gun trough 4 in its starting position.

If, for example, the weapon 12 is an underwater mine, the carriage 16 with the weapon 12 may also be of the type described in US Pat Fig. 2 shown start position on the bridge 8 and the gun barrel 6 so far in the gun guide 10 in the forecastle of the submarine are moved that the weapon 12 can be sold in the outer environment of the submarine.

The main components of the in the FIGS. 4 and 5 shown weapons transport system 2 'are a bow-side of the submarine through the wall of the pressure hull guided gun barrel 6', which is normally pressure-tight at its arranged in the interior of the pressure hull opening and its arranged outside the pressure hull opening with hinged lids, an output side of the gun barrel 6 ' arranged weapon guide 10 in the water-flooded forecastle of the submarine and a weapons transfer platform 46, which is positioned in front of a formed on the outside of the submarine discharge opening for the weapon.

The arranged in the forecastle of the submarine gun guide 10 corresponds to the gun guide 10 in the FIGS. 1 to 3 The weapon tube 6 'differs from the gun barrel 6 in the FIGS. 1 to 3 shown weapon transport system 2 to the effect that the guide profile 18 'does not extend over the entire length of the gun barrel 6' and in the gun barrel 6 'adjacent to the located in the interior of the pressure hull end of the gun barrel 6' a drive 14 is arranged. Furthermore, a magazine 28 'for a push-pull element 26 are arranged in the gun barrel 6', via which the carriage 16 is operatively connected to the drive 14. The structure of the magazine 28 'is basically the same as that of the magazine 28. At the weapons transfer platform 46, a guide profile is formed, which coincides in terms of position and cross-sectional shape with the formed on the gun guide 10 guide profile 20.

The weapon transport system 2 ', as in Fig. 4 shown, can serve to load the submarine with weapons 12. For this purpose, the weapons transfer platform 46 is positioned with a weapon mounted thereon 12 in front of a provided at the bow of the submarine discharge opening that the guide profile of the weapons transfer platform 46 is aligned with the guide profile 20 of the gun guide 10 in the forecastle of the submarine. Now the carriage 16 is moved from the gun barrel 6 'via the gun guide 10 to the weapons transfer platform 46 where the carriage 16 is attached to the weapon 12 via its coupling means, not shown. Subsequently, the carriage 16 is withdrawn together with the weapon 12 by means of the push-pull element 26 in the barrel 6 '. Without using the weapons transfer platform 46, the weapon transport system 2 'can also be used to a in the gun barrel 6' mounted weapon 12, in which it is z. B. may be an underwater mine, as in Fig. 5 shown to deploy from the submarine.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

2, 2 '

Weapons transport system

4

weapons dump

6, 6 '

barrel

8th

bridge

10

Force Command

12

weapon

14, 14 '

drive

16

carriage

18

guide profile

20

guide profile

22

guide profile

24

guide profile

26

Thrust-train element

28, 28 '

magazine

30

guideway

32

guideway

34

redirection

36

drive wheel

38

guide wheel

40

guide wheel

42

guide wheel

44

retaining latch

46

Weapons acquisition stage

Claims (11)

1. Weapons transportation system (2, 2') for a submarine for transportation of a weapon (12) from a facility for the storage of the weapon to another facility for the storage of the weapon (12), in which a carriage (16) is provided which exhibits coupling means via which the carriage (16) can be secured to the weapon (12) and which can be moved along with the weapon (12) from a starting position in a facility designed as a weapon cradle (4) for the storage of the weapon (12) into a final position in a facility designed as a weapon tube (6) for the storage of the weapon (12), wherein the weapon tube is conducted through the pressure hull of the submarine, characterized in that each of the facilities for the storage of the weapon (12) has a guide profile (18, 20, 22, 24, 48) for the form-fitting guidance of the carriage (16), wherein the guide profiles (18, 20, 22, 24, 48) of the facilities for the storage of the weapon (12) during weapons transportation form a continuous guide for the carriage (16) .
2. Weapons transportation system (2, 2') according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carriage (16) is movement-coupled to a drive (14, 14') which is arranged in a fixed manner in one of the facilities for the storage of the weapon (12).
3. Weapons transportation system (2, 2') according to Claim 2, characterized in that the carriage (16) is movement-coupled to the drive (14, 14') via an elongated push/pull element (26).
4. Weapons transportation system (2, 2') according to Claim 3, characterized in that the push/pull element (26) is guided in the guide profiles (18, 20, 22, 24, 48) of the facilities for the storage of the weapon (12) .
5. Weapons transportation system (2, 2') according to one of Claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the push/pull element (26) is configured substantially rigidly or is rigidly guided in the longitudinal direction and is flexibly configured transversely to its longitudinal extent.
6. Weapons transportation system (2, 2') according to one of Claims 3 to 5, characterized in that a magazine (28, 28') for the push/pull element (26) which is preferably elongate and oriented parallel to the guide profile (18, 20, 22, 24, 48) is provided in the facility for the storage of the weapon (12) in which the drive (14, 14') is arranged.
7. Weapons transportation system (2, 2') according to one of Claims 3 to 6, characterized in that a push chain is provided as the push/pull element (26).
8. Weapons transportation system (2, 2') according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a further facility for the guidance of the weapon (12) is provided in the form of a bridge (8) for connecting the weapon cradle (4) to the weapon tube (6).
9. Weapons transportation system (2, 2') according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a further facility for the storage and/or guidance of the weapon (12) is provided in the form of a weapon guide (10) arranged on the outside of the weapon tube (6) in the bow of the submarine.
10. Weapons guidance system (2, 2') according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a further facility for the storage and/or guidance of the weapon (12) is provided in the form of a weapon take-up platform (46) that can be positioned in front of an ejection opening for the weapon (12) configured on the outside of the submarine.
11. Submarine, characterized in that it has a weapons transportation system (2, 2') according to one of Claims 1 to 9.

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