ES2672133T3 - Howitzer manipulation device for artillery piece - Google Patents

Abstract

Handling device (1) of shells (10) for artillery piece (100) comprising a weapon (103), handling device comprising an arm (2) articulated in elevation and in azimuth and provided with a gripping means ( 107) of shells (10) intended to transport the howitzer (10) from an intermediate area to a load support (105), device (1) characterized by the fact that the arm (2) can move around the azimuth axis (110) of the weapon (103) and by the fact that the device includes a transfer means (3) for howitzers (10) comprising an elevator (4) in which a howitzer (10), elevator (4) is deposited ) that moves from an initial position to an intermediate position by a movement combined with a rotation of the elevator (4), rotation of the elevator (4) intended to orient the fuze (10a) of the howitzer (10) in a direction suitable for load, the displacement of the elevator (4) being carried out along a rail (11) so that the howitzer (10) is positioned in the intermediate position accessible by clamping (107) of the articulated arm (2), rail (11) comprising a fixed rail portion (11a) and a tilting rail portion (11b) with the in order to be able to tilt the elevator (4) in the intermediate position to place the longitudinal axis of the elevator (4) substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis (107a) of the gripping means.

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Howitzer manipulation device for artillery piece

[0001] The technical field of the invention is that of howitzer handling devices for artillery pieces.

[0002] Artillery shells are large and therefore difficult to handle. Thus, to more easily feed an artillery piece, US5604327 describes the use of a manipulator arm that allows moving the shells from howitzer boxes to a load carrier. In order that the shells are accessible for a gripping means located at one end of the arm, the boxes of the artillery piece are made movable and placed at a certain distance from the artillery piece so that they are located in the radius of arm action.

[0003] The displacement of the boxes with complete ammunition is a difficult and expensive operation in terms of the time of installation and uninstallation of the piece. In addition, after each shot, the gripping means must look for a new projectile at the height of a new compartment of the box, which implies a precise repositioning of the gripping means at the height of this new compartment and, therefore, an increase in the recharge time of the piece and a decrease in the maximum firing rate.

[0004] US4947728 discloses a howitzer manipulation device comprising an articulated arm and a means for transferring shells located in the same plane that is different from the aiming angle of the weapon. The articulated arm is a complex and fragile organ. To grasp the howitzer with such a device, an articulated gripping means is needed that adapts both to the angular position in elevation of the howitzer in its storage area and to the angular position of the chamber of the weapon to be fed. These angular variations of the gripping means make the articulated arm even more complex and therefore fragile. The invention makes it possible to suppress angular variations of the gripping means with respect to the articulated arm, thus limiting the complexity and risks on the reliability of the articulated arm.

[0005] The invention proposes to make faster the loading of shells of an artillery piece and to reduce the duration of installation or removal of the piece in / from its firing position. The invention also allows a load without the intervention of an operator.

[0006] In this way, the invention is about a device for manipulating shells for artillery pieces comprising a weapon, handling device comprising an articulated arm in elevation and azimuth and provided with a means for gripping howitzers intended for transporting the howitzer from an intermediate zone to a loading support, a device characterized by the fact that the arm can move around the azimuth axis of the weapon and by the fact that the device includes a means for transferring howitzers comprising a elevator in which a howitzer is deposited, elevator that moves from an initial position to an intermediate position by a movement combined with a rotation of the elevator, rotation of the elevator intended to orient the fuze of the howitzer in a direction suitable for loading, the elevator travel being carried out along a rail in order to position the howitzer in the intermediate position to the gripping means of the articulated arm, where the rail comprises a fixed rail portion and a tiltable rail portion so that the elevator can be tilted in the intermediate position to place the longitudinal axis of the elevator substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the grip medium.

[0007] Advantageously, the rotation of the elevator is carried out in 180 degrees.

[0008] The transfer means may comprise a carriage that can be moved on the rail, carriage carrying a first motorization means that cooperates with a rail rack.

[0009] The transfer means may comprise a second motorization means that allows the elevator to rotate relative to the car.

[0010] According to a particular embodiment, the tilting rail portion may be tilted along an inclination axis that will form, in a plane parallel to the rail plane, an angle with the longitudinal direction of travel defined by the rail.

[0011] According to a particular embodiment, the arm is attached to a support base that can slide on a curved rail centered on the azimuth axis of the weapon.

[0012] The invention will be better understood by reading the following description, description made in reference to the attached drawings, drawings in which:

Figure 1 represents a view of the rear of an artillery piece.

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 Figure 2 depicts howitzer manipulation

 a detail view of an artillery piece during a first stage of

 Figure 3 depicts howitzer manipulation

 a detail view of an artillery piece during a second stage of

 Figure 4 represents

 a detail view of an artillery piece during a third stage of

Howitzer manipulation

Figure 5 represents a view of the rear of an artillery piece during a fourth stage of manipulation of a howitzer.

Figure 6 depicts a view of the rear of an artillery piece during a fifth stage of manipulation of a howitzer.

Figure 7a represents a detail view of a device rail alone, without the rest of the device.

Figure 7b represents a detail view of a device rail in an inclined position without the rest of the device.

Figure 8 represents a schematic detail view in partial cross-section of a transfer means according to the invention.

[0013] According to Figure 1, an artillery piece 100 includes boxes of shells 102 arranged laterally to the piece 100. The artillery piece comprises a platform 108 carried by a vehicle, such as a truck (only a rear wheel is visible here 109 of the truck). Platform 108 also carries boxes of shells 102. Such an artillery piece is described, for example, in FR2893710.

[0014] Toward the rear of part 100, a weapon 103 is mounted on a spindle 104 in order to make the weapon 103 elevation and azimuth orientable. A handling device 1 is disposed between the spindle 104 and the canister boxes 102 in order to transport shells from the boxes 102 to a loading support 105 of the weapon 103 fixed to the azimuth weapon. The boxes 102 are arranged along the platform 108. The axes of the shells placed in the boxes are perpendicular to a direction of advance of the vehicle or, in other words, substantially parallel to the axes of the axles of the vehicle. Thus, the shells can be easily introduced into the boxes 102 by operators from the sides of the platform 108.

[0015] The handling device 1 includes, on the one hand, an arm 2 articulated in elevation and in azimuth and, on the other hand, a transfer means 3 for the shells.

[0016] As can be seen in more detail in Figure 2, the transfer means 3 includes an elevator 4 having a cylinder portion shape and intended to receive a howitzer 10 from a box 102 of shells located in its vicinity .

[0017] The howitzer is placed on the elevator 4 according to an orientation that is the same as that occupied by the howitzer inside the box 102. The elevator 4, thus, is placed parallel to the direction of storage of the shells in the boxes in order to facilitate the storage of the howitzer 10 in the elevator 4. The shells, therefore, are deposited in their storage direction, that is, with the fuze 10a directed towards the outside of the piece.

[0018] The howitzer 10 is carried from the box 102 to the elevator 4 either manually by an operator, or with the help of a manipulator arm (not shown) that is attached to the box 102 and which can remove a howitzer 10 from the box 102 with the help of a clamp and drive it to the elevator 4. It would also be possible to manually position on the elevator 4 shells coming from a box located near the artillery piece 100.

[0019] Such a manipulator arm is of relatively simple design, since it only moves in two orthogonal directions: a vertical direction to raise and lower the clamp in the box 102 or above the elevator 4 and a horizontal direction to approximate the howitzer. 10 to elevator 4. During these movements, howitzer 10 retains its orientation in box 102.

[0020] Thanks to motor means 31 and 32, the elevator 4 is able, on the one hand, to rotate about an axis 4a perpendicular to its longitudinal axis 10b and, on the other hand, it can move along a transfer rail 11 thanks to a sliding coupling. The rail 11 determines a longitudinal direction of travel A for the elevator 4. This direction here forms an angle that is substantially equal to 45 ° with the direction of travel of the vehicle.

[0021] Thus, in Figure 8, it can be seen that the transfer means 3 includes a carriage 33 comprising wheels 34 intended to roll along the rail 11 thus forming a sliding type coupling. The carriage 33 includes a first motorization means 31 comprising a pinion that engages with a rack 35 attached to the rail 11 in order to propel the carriage 33 along the rail 11.

[0022] The carriage 33 carries the elevator 4 which can rotate around the elevator pivot axis 4a which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 10c of the howitzer 10 and the elevator 4. A second motorization means 32 allows the pivoting of the elevator 4 to be activated. regarding car 33.

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[0023] As can be seen in Figures 7a and 7b, the rail 11 includes a first fixed rail portion 11a which allows the elevator 4 to move along the longitudinal direction of travel A from an initial position (Figure 2) which it is close to the boxes 102 of howitzers to a position that is close to the spindle 104.

[0024] According to Figure 3, during the movement on the rail 11a, the elevator 4 and the howitzer 10 that it carries carry out a rotation of 180 degrees with respect to the initial position of the howitzer 10.

[0025] In this way, the fuze 10a of the howitzer 10 is progressively oriented towards the inside of the piece 100. The progressive orientation of the fuze fuze 10a towards the inside of the piece 100 makes the howitzer suitable for insertion into the weapon 103 with its fuze 10a forward, as will be seen later.

[0026] The carriage 33 of the transfer means 3 passes from the fixed rail portion 11a to the tiltable rail portion 11b. The length of the carriage 33 is less than the length of the tilting rail 11b. Thus, after positioning the carriage 33 in the tilting rail portion 11b, this rail portion can be effectively tilted (Figure 7b). For this, this tilting rail portion 11b is articulated with respect to the fixed portion 11a at the height of a joint 36.

[0027] The inclination is driven by a motor means, such as a hydraulic jack 20 visible in Figure 7b. This inclination allows to position the axis of the howitzer 10c following a direction that facilitates its loading by the articulated arm 2, which is also inclined and can approach the howitzer to grasp it as will be seen later.

[0028] According to Figure 4, the howitzer is thus on the elevator 4 in an inclined position, with the fuze oriented towards the piece 100, in a position called intermediate position. It will be seen in Figures 7a and 7b that the rail 11 is rectilinear and is arranged according to the longitudinal direction of travel A, which is a direction that connects in a straight line the initial position of the howitzer with a terminal position anterior to the inclination of the elevator on the intermediate position, such that the howitzer travels the shortest distance between these two positions in order to save the travel time.

[0029] According to Fig. 7b, the inclination of the tilting rail to the intermediate position 7a is done by means of articulation 36 around axis 11c and by means of jack 20. The inclination axis 11c is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the part and it forms, in a plane parallel to the plane of rail 11, an angle a of approximately forty-five degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction of travel A defined by rail 11.

[0030] The person skilled in the art will adapt this angle to according to the relative provisions of the withdrawal position and the intermediate position, taking into account the deviation from the intermediate position due to the inclination adopted by the tilting rail 11 b to reach the position intermediate.

[0031] According to Figure 5, the articulated arm 2 is movable in elevation and in azimuth. The arm 2 is connected to a support base 37 that is mounted in a sliding manner on a curved rail 14 centered on the azimuth axis 110 of the spindle 104. A motorization (not shown) allows the base 37 that carries the arm to move length of the rail 14, which allows the arm 2 to move in azimuth between the intermediate position described previously and the azimuth position of the load support 105 which depends on the aiming angle in azimuth of the weapon 103.

[0032] The arm 2 is orientable in elevation thanks to a joint 106. The arm 2 includes at one of its ends a gripping means 107 of howitzers 10, such as a clamp 107, for example, gripping means 107 that is visible better in figure 4. The clamp 107 includes jaws that cover and imprison the howitzer. A clamp 107 of that type is known, for example, from patent application FR15-02026. Other types of tweezers could be adopted. For example, those described by patent application FR3015017.

[0033] The inclination of the elevator 4 by means of the tilting rail 11b allows to previously place the howitzer 10 in its position, which allows to favor its grip by the articulated arm 2, by placing in particular the longitudinal axis 10c of the howitzer 10 substantially parallel to a position that can be occupied by the longitudinal axis 107a of the gripping means 107 when the arm 2 is positioned in azimuth above the elevator 4.

[0034] When the howitzer 10 is arranged in the elevator 4 positioned in its intermediate position, the gripping means 107 can grip the howitzer 10 located in the elevator 4 and can then pivot in elevation and in azimuth to transport the howitzer 10 to the load support 105 for depositing the howitzer 10 as seen in Figure 6.

[0035] It will be noted that, as soon as the howitzer 10 held by the gripping means 107 leaves the elevator 4, the elevator 4 can make a return path to its initial position by performing the reverse path to that made to bring the howitzer 10 to the Intermediate position. A new howitzer can then be deposited on the elevator during the loading phase of the previous howitzer in the gun chamber.

[0036] In this way, the howitzer manipulation device makes howitzer loading faster in an artillery piece by allowing a simple movement of the arm 2, which always grabs the howitzer again in the same place, that is, in the intermediate position.

5 [0037] In addition, the duration of installation or removal of the part in its firing position is reduced, because no

it is necessary that there be a pivoting of the boxes of shells.

[0038] The invention also allows a load without the intervention of an operator between the storage of the howitzer in the initial position of the elevator and the storage of the howitzer in the load support.

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[0039] In addition, if the storage of a howitzer in the elevator is carried out thanks to a manipulator arm between howitzer boxes and elevator, the automation of the howitzer load can be carried out completely from the box of howitzers to the placement of the Howitzer in the gun chamber.

Claims (6)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 35 1. Handling device (1) for howitzers (10) for artillery piece (100) comprising a weapon (103), handling device comprising an arm (2) articulated in elevation and in azimuth and provided with a means of Grip (107) of howitzers (10) intended to transport the howitzer (10) from an intermediate area to a load support (105), device (1) characterized by the fact that the arm (2) can move around the axis of azimuth (110) of the weapon (103) and by the fact that the device includes a transfer means (3) for howitzers (10) comprising an elevator (4) in which a howitzer (10), elevator is deposited (4) that moves from an initial position to an intermediate position by a movement combined with a rotation of the elevator (4), rotation of the elevator (4) intended to orient the fuze (10a) of the howitzer (10) in a suitable direction for loading, the movement of the elevator (4) being carried out along a rail (11) of man was that the howitzer (10) is positioned in the intermediate position accessible by clamping (107) of the articulated arm (2), rail (11) comprising a fixed rail portion (11a) and a tiltable rail portion (11b) with in order to be able to tilt the elevator (4) in the intermediate position to place the longitudinal axis of the elevator (4) substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis (107a) of the gripping means. 2. Handling device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotation of the elevator (4) is carried out in 180 degrees. 3. Handling device (1) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the transfer means (3) comprises a carriage (33) that can move on the rail (11), carriage carrying a first motorization means (31) cooperating with a rail rack (11). 4. Handling device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the transfer means (3) comprises a second motorization means (32) which allows the elevator to pivot with respect to the carriage (33). 5. Handling device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the tilting rail portion (11b) can be tilted along an inclination axis (11c) that forms, in a plane parallel to the plane of the rail, an angle with the longitudinal direction of travel (A) defined by the rail (11). 6. Handling device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the arm (2) is connected to a support base (37) that can slide on a curved rail (14) centered on the azimuth axis (110) of the weapon (103). image 1 Figure 1 image2 Figure 2 image3 Figure 3 image4 Figure 4 image5 Figure 5 image6 Figure 6 image7 Figure 7b image8 Figure 8