KR20180125152A - Automated gradual ammunition, particularly cartridges, assembling apparatus and method using feedback assembly control - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to automated progressive ammunition, particularly cartridges, production apparatus (1) and method (2). The automated progressive ammunition assembly 1 according to the invention comprises a conveyor subsystem 4 and at least one assembly line 5. The at least one assembly line (5) includes an actuator subsystem (8), a measurement subsystem (12) and a control subsystem (13). The actuator subsystem 8 moves components 9 such as powder or propellant 10 or launch vehicle 11 and adds components to the ammunition. The component thus changes at least one physical parameter (P) of the ammunition. The measurement subsystem 12 is adapted to measure at least one physical parameter and output a measurement signal 15 representative of at least one physical parameter. The subsystem 21 is able to adapt to very strict product specifications and at the same time to allow quick changes between the manufacture of different types of ammunition using the same device 1, . In particular, at least one assembly station 5 may be a powder filling station 18 or projectile insertion station 27 where the ammunition 10 or projectile 11 is added to the ammunition.

Description

Automated gradual ammunition, particularly cartridges, assembling apparatus and method using feedback assembly control

The present invention relates to an automated gradual ammunition assembly apparatus and method and more particularly to an apparatus and method for automatic and gradual assembly of guns for guns such as rifles, guns, revolvers and pistols. .

In an automated assembly device for ammunition, a rotatory progressive apparatus is well known. The rotating continuous apparatus includes a plurality of drums that rotate about a vertical axis. Each drum continuously carries the ammunition from the previous drum and the previous assembly stage to the next drum and next assembly stage, and at the same time performs another assembly step for the ammunition. Each drum includes several nearly identical working stations, which perform the same assembly steps in parallel on the various cartridges in the drum while the drum is rotating. European Patent No. 112193 (EP 112 193 B1) discloses such a device.

While these rotating devices can produce ammunition at very high production rates due to their successive assembly movements, it is cumbersome to apply them to various cartridge variants such as deformation using a variety of propellants or shells, It is much more cumbersome to apply fabrication to calibers. In particular, calibration of various work stations with many of these same substations is time consuming.

US 8683906 (US 8683906B2) discloses another embodiment of an ammunition loading machine. Here, the work station is arranged along the line and the shells are interlocked from the station to the station by means of a rake assembly. While the device is a simpler structural design, the output rate of a single assembly line is limited.

In addition, the production of ammunition is a sensitive process in which prevention of product bonding and quality control are very important.

In US Patent Publication No. 2014-0260925 (US 2014/0260925 A), an automated manufacturing system for manufacturing metal case ammunition has been proposed. The system includes a station for assembly of the case, propulsion filling, sealing of ammunition, and inspection prior to sorting and packaging. Inspection of ammunition is done through optical profilometers and line-scan-cameras to check the exact dimensions of the ammunition. Depending on the result of the measurement, unsuitable ammunition can be classified. However, verification takes a lot of time, and only a limited estimation of the quality of ammunition is possible.

US 6772668 (US 6772668 B2) discloses a mechanism for reloading already used ammunition. The machine includes a detection mechanism for identifying the length of the inserted shells to caliber length specifications. If a deviation from the specified length is detected, an alarm can be generated and the process can be stopped. In this regard, the sensing can prevent defects, but the mechanisms and devices are not suitable for mass production in ammunition.

US 8683906 (US 8683906 B2) also describes a classification mechanism according to the weight measurement of ammunition. In US 8683906 B2, the weight of the cartridge is measured before filling of the propellant and before and after the insertion of the projectile. Thus, the mechanism can compare the weight of the empty shell and the finished cartridge. If out of a predetermined error range, the cartridge is ejected from the machine. Although the above mechanism enables rough quality control management, it can not precisely monitor a single assembly step. Also, the discharged cartridge can not be reused, and the production yield may be lowered.

Recently, a mechanism for prevention of defects and quality control in the production process of ammunition has been proposed in the prior art. These systems have limitations in terms of process efficiency and flexibility, as well as in shipping rates and product specifications.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ammunition assembly apparatus which solves the problems of the prior art. In particular, it is an object to improve the automated gradual ammunition assembling apparatus and method to reduce labor and downtimes to meet the specification of a particular type or variant of ammunition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] In automated progressive ammunition, particularly cartridges, assembly apparatuses, it is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyor subsystem and at least one assembly station, Wherein the assembly station comprises an actuator subsystem, a measurement subsystem, and a control subsystem, wherein the conveyor subsystem includes at least one assembly station in an assembly direction, Wherein the actuator subsystem is adapted to add a component, such as a propellant or projectile, to the ammunition, wherein the component comprises at least one of the ammunition To change the physical parameter of the measurement Wherein the subsystem is adapted to measure the at least one physical parameter and output a measurement signal representative of the at least one measured physical parameter, wherein the control subsystem controls the actuator subsystem according to the measurement signal In which the first and second electrodes are connected to each other.

In automated gradual ammunition, particularly cartridges, assembling methods, the object is to modify the physical parameters of the ammunition by adding components to the ammunition, to automatically measure the physical parameters, and to add the components in accordance with the measured physical parameters And automatically calibrating it.

A known rotatory apparatus was operated in an open-loop control mode. The operational parameters are preset manually and are held constant by the device. The sample is also manually controlled and the deviation of the operating parameters is recalibrated manually by adjusting the settings.

In contrast, an apparatus according to the present invention uses feedback control to constantly control the operation of an actuator during a manufacturing process. This results in a more reliable operation of the device with less downtime. The change and movement of the operational parameters of the assembling device, which can occur in long-term operation, is automatically compensated without any further human involvement.

Starting from this concept of the present invention, the following aspects further improve the operation of the apparatus and method according to the present invention independently of each other. The various aspects described below may be combined independently of one another according to the specific application needs of the device and method.

For example, the conveyor subsystem may include a linear section, followed by the assembly stations being arranged one by one, preferably straight, in the assembly direction. Such a linearly arranged assembly system is more easily maintained and adjusted than a tightly packed rotary system. In addition, the conveyor subsystem may include a conveyor belt and a drive, which may be adapted to intermittently move the conveyor past a series of subsystems of one or more assembly stations.

According to another embodiment, the overall arrangement may be a linear arrangement in which all components are preferably arranged in series in the assembly direction without any overlap. Preferably, each specific assembly station included in the device has only one instance. These single instances perform assembly steps for each cartridge in the device. As with the rotating assembly device, a plurality of parallel assembly stations are not used for each particular assembly phase, and feedback control is facilitated. It also reduces the cost of reinstalling and maintaining the device.

With a linear, especially linear, installation, the device is easily expandable with respect to versatility as well as output rate. For example, two devices can be placed side by side on a common machine base to form an automated progressive ammunition assembly system with twice the output, or to produce the same cartridge or two different cartridges in two variations . The two adjacent devices may share a common reservoir of at least one component added during operation of each device. For example, two devices arranged in parallel may have the same powder reservoir, but may have different reservoirs for the shell and / or launch vehicle.

In order to keep the conveyor subsystem cost effective and easy to maintain, the conveyor belt may be an endless belt comprising compartments such as a niche for receiving a shell or cartridge. It is desirable that each compartment receive a single ammunition. The conveyor belt may have the shape of a toothed belt, and the space between two adjacent teeth is used as a compartment.

The conveyor belt can transport each ammunition in a standing posture. In particular, each cartridge or shell may be slidably movable on a fixed transport plane of the apparatus. The transport plane can be made of polished steel, especially hardened steel. The transport plane may be formed by a metal strip that is intended to be removed when worn. The metal strip may have an L-shaped or U-shaped cross-section so that its legs are laterally supported relative to the cartridge in the belt and / or compartment, and the cartridge may be placed on the floor. Accordingly, the transport channel may be formed by a slider bar and a retainer bar. The cartridge is moved by the belt through the transport channel.

The inner width of each compartment may be greater than the outer width of the currently manufactured cartridge, in particular, the maximum outer width. Thus, the cartridge is not clamped or otherwise restrained or secured by the compartment, but is simply received in the compartment and pushed for conveyance by the compartment. In this configuration, the cartridge is loosely received within the compartment. In particular, the cartridge can be fed into the compartment by gravity, for example, by falling into the compartment and / or out of the compartment, and can simply be removed from the compartment.

According to another embodiment, the section of the conveyor belt may surround each cartridge on three sides and open laterally, i. E. Perpendicular to the assembly direction and parallel to the transport plane.

The open side of the compartment may be covered by a fixed retainer bar that extends parallel to the conveyor belt in the section of the conveyor belt on which at least one ammunition is to be worked. The retainer bar holds the cartridge in the compartment.

Preferably there is no physical contact between the conveyor belt and the retainer to keep the friction low. The retainer bar shall not apply pressure to the cartridge in the compartment to reduce friction during transport. The retainer bar can be combined with the slider bar to form a U-shaped or L-shaped bar.

The return section of the conveyor belt does not require a strip or a retainer bar for the transport plane.

The conveyor belt is preferably circulated and wound about at least two pulleys, the axis of which is preferably perpendicular to the plane of transport, i.e. the axis of the pulley may be aligned with the axis of the ammunition being carried.

Preferably, the conveyor subsystem intermittently transports the cartridge alternately between a working cycle in which the cartridge is not moved and a tramsport cycle in which the cartridge is transported. The lengths of the operating and transport cycles are kept constant for at least the same type of cartridge.

In contrast to the rotary ammunition assembly, at least one assembly station of the ammunition assembly according to the invention is preferably stationary and does not move with the ammunition carried through the assembly.

The apparatus according to the invention is particularly suitable for processing shells which may have been provided with primers in advance and need to be provided with propellants such as powders and / or projectiles.

The at least one assembly station, which is controlled according to the measurement signal, may be a powder filling station.

The component added to the shell by the actuator subsystem to produce the cartridge may be a propellant such as a powder. In this case, the at least one physical parameter is the powder weight, i.e. the actual weight of the powder in the cartridge.

If the physical parameter measured by the measuring subsystem is the actual weight of the component added by the actuator subsystem, the measuring subsystem is connected to the net weighing apparatus And a gross weighing apparatus disposed in the assembly direction behind the actuator subsystem. Wherein the net weighing device and the gross gauging device are disposed immediately before and after the actuator subsystem and further operations performed by the actuator subsystem are performed between the net weighing device and the gauging device Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > cartridge. ≪ / RTI > This does not impair the result of the weighing. The actual weight of the added component can be accurately deduced by subtracting the net weight measured by the net weight measuring device from the total weight measured by the total weight measuring device. In this case, the measurement signal may correspond to this difference.

The net weight measuring apparatus and the total weight measuring apparatus may be configured in the same manner.

The measuring subsystem in another embodiment may comprise a gravimetric device having a conveyor subsystem, in particular a weighing cell aligned with the compartment of the conveyor belt. In one embodiment, the weighing device is configured to measure the weight of the cartridge without removing the cartridge from each of the compartments.

For example, the metering cell may be installed parallel to the transport plane of the conveyor subsystem. In the operation of an automated gradual ammunition assembly device, the cartridge can simply be pushed from the transfer plane into the weighing cell by the conveyor subsystem. To this end, the weighing cell must be vertically aligned with the resting position of the sub-conveyor subsystem at each work cycle with the compartment stopped.

A centering apparatus may be provided in the metering cell to avoid the metering device being distorted by physical contact between the cartridge of the metering cell and the conveyor subsystem. The centering device can be configured to automatically move ammunition from contact with the conveyor subsystem during transport to the metering cell, particularly within a time frame of the transport cycle.

For increased longevity and reliability, the centering device may be a pure mechanical device that is manually activated or actuated by the conveying movement of the conveyor subsystem. Since it is passive, there is no need for an actuator that uses external energy to move the ammunition away from contact with the conveyor subsystem.

Once the ammunition is loosely received in the compartment of the conveyor subsystem, all contact between the ammunition of the metering cell and the conveyor subsystem is released without removing the ammunition from the conveyor substemes. In this embodiment, the mere centering of the ammunition in the compartment keeps the ammunition and compartment spaced apart from one another. The centering mechanism should be part of the weighing cell so as not to affect the measurement.

In certain embodiments of the centering device, the spring drive may be provided with at least one centering bevel. The central sloped surface may provide a self-centering seat for the cartridge which automatically centers the cartridge along the assembly direction. The spring drive can be adjusted to be automatically loaded by a cartridge that is transported by the conveyor to the weighing cell. If the ammunition is in a weighted position, the ammunition is fully contained in at least one said central sloping surface. The central sloping surface may be disposed in a spring arm that is adjusted to be deflected by the cartridge that enters the central sloping surface and / or exits the central sloping surface.

The central sloped surface may be cut with a V-shaped or U-shaped recess or bottom. That is, the position of the maximum internal width is aligned with the center of the weighing cell. Due to the spring action of the swinging spring drive, when the cartridge enters the central inclined surface, it is automatically transferred to the lower portion of the inclined surface and fixed. Therefore, during the transport cycle, ammunition is automatically inserted into the spring drive and placed in the center of the clipping motion. In the next transfer cycle, again, preferably by removing the spring arm, the ammunition is pushed out of the centering mechanism.

The spring drive may include a pair of or two pairs of opposed spring arms, and the pair of at least one arm is provided with a central inclined surface. One pair may be located at the height of the neck of the cartridge and another pair may be at the height of the base of the cartridge.

When pushed by the weighing cell, at least the pair of spring arms fall until they reach the warp and the cartridge is moved by a spring force along the slope.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the automated progressive ammunition assembly apparatus includes a weighing device in which the measuring subsystem comprises a metering cell, and wherein the cartridge is detached from the conveyor subsystem for transferring the cartridge to the weighing cell And a transfer device.

In this preferred embodiment, the metering cell is preferably not installed in line with the linear conveyor subsystem in at least the section, and the metering cell is located outside the conveyor subsystem. Separation of the cartridge from the conveyor subsystem to the weighing cell is understood to mean preferably a conveying step of withdrawing the cartridge from the conveyor subsystem, i.e. the compartment of the conveyor belt. Preferably, the compartments of the conveyor belt are formed such that the shell or cartridge carried within it has a minimum gap to ensure correct alignment for different assembly steps. However, during the weighing process, contact between the cartridge and the conveyor belt should be avoided. As described above, in one embodiment, this can be accomplished by the centering device while the cartridge remains in the compartment. However, in order to further improve the accuracy of weighing, it is particularly preferred to take the cartridge out of the compartment of the conveyor belt and transfer it to a separate weighing device separate from the conveyor belt. This embodiment has proved to be particularly suitable for producing precise measurements of ammunition powder and for avoiding any factors that potentially include, for example, the transmission of vibrations of the conveyor subsystem to the weighing cell.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, an automated progressive ammunition assembly device comprises a conveyor subsystem including a conveyor belt configured to transport ammunition in a compartment, wherein a transport device receives ammunition from the compartment And at least one transport wheel configured to transfer the ammunition to the metering cell.

In a preferred embodiment, the shell or cartridge is a rotatable transportation device configured to take the cartridge out of the conveyor belt, place it in the weighing device and replace the cartridge again on the conveyor belt, Lt; / RTI > To this end, the conveying device comprises at least one rotatable transport wheel configured to receive the ammunition in a compartment or niches and to move the ammunition onto a circular transport plane towards the metering cell, . It may be preferable to use two transfer wheels for the purpose of achieving higher stability. Preferably, for example, a servo motor can be used to automatically rotate the conveying wheel so that rotation is synchronized with the movement of the conveyor subsystem. As described above, the conveyor subsystem preferably transports the cartridge intermittently, by moving the cartridge during the transport cycle and stopping the cartridge during the work cycle. Likewise, the rotation of the transfer wheel is preferably intermittent and moves the cartridge in a step-wise fashion. Also, the weighing is performed during the work cycle of the feed wheel, so that it is used for resting time when the cartridges are stationary in the weighing cell without moving. Compared with the weighing of moving cartridges, the preferred weighing is characterized with excellent precision.

It is particularly preferred that the weighing cell is not mechanically connected to the conveyor subsystem. For example, the conveyor subsystem may be mounted to a base frame or mounting plane, and the metering cell is located at the top of a mechanically independent socket. A net weighing device and a gross weighing device are installed together in a separate socket and the actuator subsystem of the ammunition charging station to which ammunition powder is added to the cartridge is placed between the net weighing device and the total weighing device . Thus, the transfer device may be able to continuously pass the cartridge through the net weighing device, the powder filling subsystem, the gross weighing device and return to the conveyor belt. The operation of these rotatable transfer devices enables a particularly synchronized and guaranteed measurement mechanism.

It is also particularly preferred that after the transfer cycle, i. E. After transferring the cartridge to the weighing cell, the transfer device is configured to perform substep reverse rotation. The sub-step reverse rotation is preferably substantially less, for example, a slight backward rotation of the transfer wheel to less than a quarter of the length of the transfer cycle. It is particularly preferred to perform a reverse rotation between the shell and the compartment of the transfer device to produce a minimum distance of between 0.5 mm and 1 mm.

Due to this movement, the shell advantageously stops contacting the transfer wheel in the metering cell. The mechanism makes it possible to isolate the weighing device particularly efficiently from the conveyor subsystem or other components capable of inducing vibration.

In the powder filling station, the actuator subsystem is adapted to fill the powder with the shell. To this end, the actuator subsystem may include a dosing mechanism adapted to separate the partial injection volume from the propellant reservoir and to transfer the dispensed volume to the shell. In particular, the implant may include a threaded arbor. The number of rotations of the arbor determines the amount of powder transferred to the shell. The injection mechanism operates intermittently in synchronization with the conveying and / or operating cycle of the conveyor subsystem.

The assembly station, in this case the powder filling station, may also have a control subsystem configured to control the actuator subsystem. For example, the control subsystem of the powder filling station may control the operation of the metering mechanism. This can be accomplished by controlling the number of revolutions of the arbor. When the amount of powder in the cartridge needs to be changed, the amount of rotation of the arbor is changed accordingly.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the actuation of the injection mechanism is controlled according to the actual powder weight of the cartridge or a signal indicative of the actual powder weight determined by joint operation of the net weighing device and the total weighing device.

The control subsystem may include a storage member adapted to hold a target value for a physical parameter to be maintained by the assembly station. In the powder filling station, the target value can be determined by the powder weight in the cartridge defined by the specifications for the particular cartridge, or can be determined by ballistic tests performed on samples of the production process in progress.

The action of the injection mechanism can be adjusted by the difference between the actual weight of the powder in the cartridge and the target value. If the actual weight is too low, the amount of powder provided by the injection mechanism increases. If the actual weight is too large, the amount of powder provided by the injection mechanism is reduced.

In a further embodiment, it may be desirable to generate an initial set of sample ammunition, e.g. a series of 20 or fewer cartridges, at a slower operating speed, for precise initial fine tuning of the actuator subsystem, e.g., the injection mechanism . Once the feedback control is in a state where the actual weight of the powder in the cartridge is firmly in agreement with the target weight, the speed of ammunition assembly increases. By operating the apparatus at a slower initial output speed to finely adjust the actuator subsystem, ammunition must be removed less in the initial calibration step.

Loose acceptance of the cartridge in the compartment and vertical transport of the cartridge may require a special configuration of the powder filling station, particularly the actuator subsystem, to avoid spillage of the powder. For example, the actuator subsystem may include two hollow concentric tubes, which are in contact with the shell present under the actuator subsystem in the operating cycle.

The outer hollow tube may be a centering tube having an inner bevel. The center tube, each inner inclined surface, is in mechanical contact with the shell, along with the shoulder of the outer periphery of the shell or, preferably, the upper rim of the shell. The beveled surface is dimensioned such that its peripheral surface is seated against the shell such that the shell is centered automatically.

The inner tube may be a feeder tube in which the propellant is guided to the shell. The feeder tube may be tightly coupled to the centering tube or may be driven independently of the feeder tube along a common axis.

The at least one assembly station may be a launcher insertion station that may be used in the apparatus and / or method in addition to the powder filling station or any other type of assembly station described above. In the case of the launch vehicle insertion station, at least one physical parameter may be the length of the cartridge including the inserted launch vehicle.

At the projectile insertion station, the projectile can be pressed into the shell using a press-in tool that can be moved from above onto the projectile of the erected shell. The length of the cartridge is preferably determined by the end position of the indenting tool after applying a press-in force determined to act in the longitudinal direction of the shell relative to the projectile.

When the at least one physical parameter to be determined by the measurement subsystem is the length of the cartridge, the measurement subsystem may use a measurement apparatus to contact the tip of the cartridge.

For example, the length measurement apparatus may include a guiding tube having a measurement pin. To measure the length of the cartridge, the cartridge can be positioned below the guide tube, and the side tube goes down until it comes into contact with the cartridge. Thus, the length of the cartridge positioned can be determined by measuring the change in the measurement pin until it comes into contact with the tip of the cartridge, i.e. the tip of the projectile. Such a mechanical mechanism for the detection of the cartridge length may be desirable. However, other detection means such as optical detectors are likewise possible. The length measuring device is preferably installed along the assembly direction behind the actuator subsystem for insertion of a projectile.

The control subsystem of the launcher insertion station may be adapted to compare the actual length of the cartridge thus determined to the target length stored in the control subsystem. Depending on the deviation of the actual length from the target length, the maximum stroke and / or maximum insertion force of the actuator subsystem that pushes the projectile into the shell may be automatically adjusted during operation of the apparatus .

Using at least one physical parameter, such as the actual powder weight for controlling the powder filling station and / or the actual cartridge length for controlling the launcher insertion station, the apparatus may include a distribution of powder and / or a feedback loop The pressure and / or stroke being applied into the cartridge.

According to another embodiment, another length measuring subsystem can be used in the assembly direction behind a crimping station where the shell is crimped onto the projectile. The crimping station may be adapted to adjust the crimping process according to the measured length of the cartridge after crimping.

In particular, the control subsystem may be adapted to hold an array of such values and the type of cartridge associated with those values. Thus, if an assembly station is used to manufacture a new type or modified cartridge, the latest adjustment for the previous type of cartridge is saved. When production of a previous type of cartridge is resumed, the stored adjustment value may be used as an initial value to begin manufacturing the previous type of cartridge. This ensures fast convergence to the desired value of the physical parameters in the new manufacturing process.

Preferably, the at least one physical parameter of the actual cartridge is not determined by a single momentary measurement value, but a plurality of subsequent momentary values, such as 100, 1,000, 20,000 or more subsequent values, And a sliding average of the first and second frames. A large number of samples contributing to the measurement reduce the effect of rogue results, for example, where large powder fragments or single deformed bullets may appear in the entire powder manufacturing process.

In another embodiment, the apparatus may have a control and storage section that tracks selected physical characteristics of all individual cartridges currently being conveyed by the conveyor subsystem. To this end, the control and storage is configured to store an image of an ongoing manufacturing process in a memory, wherein each cartridge has at least one position in the assembly direction, an ID number, a physical parameter and a reject flag, do.

As described above, the weight of the cartridge can preferably be measured by a weighing apparatus, and the cartridge length can be measured by a cartridge length measurement apparatus. The measured parameters are compared to a preset tolerance range for each physical parameter. Cartridges whose measured physical parameters are outside the predetermined tolerance range do not meet specifications and are marked with a reject flag.

Thus, the control and storage may be adapted to track a cartridge marked as rejected. This can eliminate the need for a plurality of individual reject stations along the assembly direction to remove reject cartridges from the conveyor subsystem behind each assembly station. As you can track which cartridges are rejected, only one reject station is required at the end of the assembly line.

While a cartridge, preferably indicated by a bad flag, is labeled towards a waste container, a suitable cartridge, i.e., a cartridge not marked with a reject flag, passes through the reject station to collect Move it to the collector container.

The control and storage may further be configured to display a cartridge for special processing, such as blank cartridges, in its memory and correspondingly control the station along the conveyor belt.

It may be easy to extract the cartridge from the conveyor subsystem when loosely locking the cartridge in the conveyor subsystem and transporting the cartridge in a stationary transporting plane. To eject the cartridge, an opening in the transport plane may be provided. When the cartridge is loosely secured, the cartridge automatically falls through the opening when it is pushed over the opening during the transfer cycle.

At the reject opening, a closure mechanism such as an actuator-controlled flap or a blind can be used. The closure can only be activated if the cartridge marked bad in the control and storage of the device is transported onto the opening.

According to another preferred embodiment, the automated gradual ammunition assembly apparatus is provided with a horizontal bulkhead which preferably acts as a dust-tight barrier to prevent the propellant or powder from falling to the bottom of the apparatus. Thus, the horizontal bulkhead comprises an upper manufacturing space in which the apparatus is located, as well as a measuring subsystem and a reservoir for the component, as well as the conveyor subsystem and at least one assembly station, Into a lower space. The lower space may be configured to receive supply equipment such as electric supply units. The horizontal bulkhead may form a massive seal between the manufacturing space and at least one lower space below the horizontal bulkhead. The partition is preferably located below the transport plane. At least some of the subsystems may be mounted to the frame of the assembly device such that they are spaced from the partition. For example, the subsystem may be mounted on a mounting plane of the assembling device. The transport plane may be spaced from the partition. Thus, all the mechanical devices are disposed at a distance above the partition wall. The propellant falling from the subsystem falls into a clearly visible bulkhead. The horizontal barrier may be made of metal to avoid static discharges.

Preferably, there is no unsealed opening in the horizontal bulkhead connecting the manufacturing volume to at least one lower space.

Advantageously, the conveyor subsystem and each assembly station are located above the horizontal bulkhead, and preferably there is an empty space between them (the conveyor subsystem and each assembly station) and the horizontal bulkhead. The only exception could be a weighing device, in which a weighing cell can be located at least partially below the bulkhead on the machine and a base is provided which is distinct from the base of the remaining device All vibrations of the conveyor subsystem can be isolated.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an automated gradual ammunition, particularly a cartridge assembly apparatus, comprises a mounting plane to which at least one assembly station and a conveyor subsystem are attached, The subsystem and the at least one assembly station are located in a horizontal bulkhead and an empty space is defined between the conveyor subsystem and the surfaces of the at least one assembly station and the horizontal bulkhead Remains. It may be particularly desirable that the mounting plane together with the septum form an L-shaped support for the conveyor subsystem and the at least one assembly station. By attaching the conveyor subsystem and the at least one assembly station to the mounting plane of the apparatus, advantageously the void space is formed between the transport plane of the cartridge or shell and the upper surface of the bulkhead. The void space can be advantageously applied by changing the attachment of the conveyor subsystem and the assembly station to the mounting plane. The void space provides good accessibility, and in particular enables rapid and efficient cleaning of the bulkhead surface, thereby enabling removal of unsuitable ammunition powder from the apparatus. The formed void also minimizes vibrations between the rotating conveyor belt and the assembly station, thereby increasing the stability of the device during operation.

In addition, attaching the assembly station to the mounting plane also enables modular design of the ammunition assembly apparatus. In particular, in this preferred embodiment, the assembly station can be easily mounted on or removed from the ammunition assembly apparatus. For example, the ammunition assembly apparatus may include two assembly stations, a powder filling station and a projectile injection station. This can constitute a minimal ammunition assembly station. For example, if a crimp station is required for a particular application, the crimp station can be easily mounted in the mounting plane behind the projectile injection station in the direction along the assembly line. Likewise, certain subunits or elements of the assembly station can be easily replaced in the preferred modular embodiment.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the automated gradual ammunition, particularly the cartridge, assembly device, is characterized in that the conveyor subsystem comprises a plurality of assembly stations, wherein in the automatic progressive ammunition assembly the conveyor subsystem is at least sectionwise straight and the lip stations are arranged linearly one by one in the assembling direction.

At least a sectionwise arrangement of the conveyor subsystem, preferably a conveyor belt, and a linear arrangement of the lips station leads to a specific space efficient arrangement of the apparatus. In addition, due to the linear arrangement of the assembly station, the cartridges can be densely worked to increase productivity.

In a further preferred embodiment the present invention relates to an automatic progressive ammunition assembly system comprising at least two automated progressive ammunition assemblies in which at least two devices are attached to the same side of the mounting plane and are arranged in parallel and in parallel . It may also be desirable for the device to share, for example, a reservoir for ammunition powder or a shell, thereby enabling cost-effective use of the component.

In a further preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a system comprising at least two automatic progressive ammunition devices in which the first of the two devices is attached to one side of the mounting plane and the second of the two devices is mounted on the opposite side of the mounting plane And more particularly to an automated progressive ammunition assembly system. To this end, the mounting plane and the horizontal bulkhead preferably form a T-shaped support for the assembly system. On each side of the mounting plane, it may be more preferable that the two or ammunition assembly devices are arranged in parallel and side by side. This compact structure of the system for ammunition assembly is possible and enables increased productivity compared to the prior art.

Also, due to the modular design that results from attaching the assembly station to the mounting plane, the preferred system allows for high flexibility. For example, different assembly stations may be mounted on the system on each side for the production of different ammunition. Advantageously, it is possible to manufacture different types of ammunition and / or diameters using the same system. In a preferred embodiment, each device in the system can be independently controlled and adjusted. It is also possible, for example, to repair, clean and / or reassemble at least one device on one side of the mounting plane, and at least one other device on the other side of the mounting plane continues to produce ammunition. This reduces production downtime.

In a further preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to an automated gradual ammunition, in particular a cartridge, a method of assembly, comprising the steps of adding to the ammunition a component that alters the physical parameters of the ammunition, automatically measuring the physical parameters, And automatically correcting the addition of the components according to the measured physical parameters.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method according to the present invention is preferably carried out using an automated progressive ammunition assembly according to the invention or a preferred embodiment thereof. The preferred embodiments, technical features and advantages disclosed for the device according to the invention apply equally to the method according to the invention. For example, a preferred apparatus according to the present invention comprises a gravimetric device for determining the net weight and total weight of the shell before and after filling with ammunition powder to deduce the weight of the powder. Based on the measurements, it is more desirable that the control subsystem adjusts the amount of ammunition powder added to the shell. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the method according to the present invention preferably measures the weight of the powder by weighing the shell before and after filling, and that it is desirable to automatically modify the addition of the powder have.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an ammunition assembly apparatus which solves the problems of the prior art. In particular, there is an effect of improving the automated gradual ammunition assembly apparatus and method to reduce labor and downtimes for meeting the specific type or variant specification of the ammunition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 schematically depicts an automated progressive ammunition assembly apparatus and method in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an automated progressive ammunition assembly according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a detailed schematic view of FIG. 2. FIG.
Figures 4-6 illustrate a schematic representation of a preferred measuring subsystem for cartridge weighing of the apparatus and method according to the present invention.
7 is a perspective view of a blast charging station according to the present invention.
Figure 8 shows a perspective view of a system comprising two devices according to the present invention.
Figure 9 shows a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention in which the assembly station and the conveyor system are mounted on a mounting plane.
Figure 10 shows a schematic view of a further preferred measuring subsystem for weighing a cartridge comprising a rotatable moving device.

In the following, the present invention is described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for elements corresponding to design and / or function.

It is also clear that in the various advantageous implementations described above, the combination of the features shown in the figures and the features described below can vary depending on the particular application. For example, although not shown in the drawings, the features mentioned above can be added if the technical effects of the features are required for a particular application. Conversely, features shown in the figures may be omitted if technical effects are not required for a particular application.

First, the basic design and function of the automated progressive ammunition assembly apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In Fig. 1, each step performed by the device 1 is indicated by a block. As each step is performed by a specific dedicated structure of the device 1, the block of Fig. 1 also schematically shows the structure of the device 1.

The apparatus 1 as shown produces cartridges 3 using a shell 2. [ To this end, the shell 2 is filled with a propellant, i.e. an ammunition powder and a projectile 11. In general, the shell 2 containing the end product, i.e., the propellant and projectile 11, is referred to as the cartridge 3. However, in the context of the present invention, the shell may be referred to as a cartridge that is not fully assembled. For simplicity, the terms shell and cartridge are preferably used as synonyms unless a clear distinction is more appropriate.

In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus 1 comprises a conveyor subsystem 4, and the conveyor subsystem 4 is schematically represented by arrows between the blocks.

The conveyor subsystem 4 transports the shell 2 and the cartridge 3 linearly from one assembly station 5 to the next. In each station 5, a single manufacturing and / or control step is carried out on the shell 2 or the cartridge 3.

The conveyor subsystem 4 is adapted to move in a straight line, i.e. from one assembly station 5 to the next, in a straight line. Thus, the assembly station 5 is linearly aligned with the assembly direction 6 in which the cartridge 3 is transported. The conveyor subsystem 4 switches between the transport cycles in which the cartridges 3 are moved and the working cycle in which the cartridges 3 are waiting and working, intermittently. The transfer cycle and the working cycle are constant over the manufacturing process of the cartridge 3 of at least one deformation or type. The assembly stations 5 are spaced from each other in the assembly direction 6 by an integer multiple of the step width of the transfer cycle.

Each assembly station 5 may comprise a plurality of subsystems. One such sub-system may be an actuator subsystem 8, which may include, for example, a component 9, such as a propellant or powder 10 or projectile 11, Thereby performing a specific assembly step.

The assembly station 5 is provided with a measuring subsystem 5 capable of measuring the physical parameter P of the cartridge 3, such as the weight W or length L, and a measurement subsystem 12.

The assembly station 5 also comprises a control subsystem 8 configured to control the actuator subsystem 8, particularly its actuator 14, in which the component 9 performs the movement added to the cartridge 3, (13).

A measurement signal 15 may be input from the measurement subsystem 12 to the control subsystem 13. The control subsystem 12 may be configured to control the actuator subsystem 8 in accordance with the measurement signal 15. The measurement signal 15 may be represented by an analog or digital of the physical parameter P. [

1, the first assembly station 5 is a powder filling station 18 in which the powder 10 is filled into the cartridge 3. This step is performed by a filler sub- subsystem (19).

Typically, the cartridge 3 must meet very stringent specifications. Cartridges that do not meet specifications are not allowed. For example, the weight (W) of the propellant 10 of the cartridge should be within ± 15 mg for a 7.62 mm NATO cartridge. Too much or too little of the cartridge 3 can not be used. The exact amount of propellant 10 is determined by the gas pressure to be produced in the chamber. The gas pressure depends not only on the amount of powder in the shell but also on the quality and granularity of the powder. Thus, the manufactured cartridge needs to be continuously controlled during the manufacturing process by ballistic tests of production samples.

The powder filling station 18 is designed to maintain the weight of the propellant 10 added by the filling station 18 as a new component 9 to maintain the correct filling of the powder throughout the manufacturing process over a very long production period And a measurement subsystem 12 configured to measure the wafer W. The measurement subsystem 12 of the powder filling station 18 includes a net weighing apparatus 20a and a gross weighing apparatus 20b. The net weighing device 20a is arranged in the assembly direction 6 in front of the actuator subsystem 8 which actually fills the propellant 10 into the shell 2. In the powder filling station 18, the actuator subsystem 8 includes a dosing mechanism 21 for dispensing powder as an actuator 14 and delivering it into the shell 2.

The gross weighing device 20b is preferably arranged in the assembling direction 6 immediately after the actuator subsystem 8.

The net weighing device 20a determines the weight W _N of the shell 2 before powder filling and the total weighing device 20b determines the weight W _G of the shell 2 after powder filling . The difference (W _G -W _N ) between the two weight measurements (W _G , W _N ) by the net weighing device 20a and the total weighing device 20b is determined by the actual Calculate the weight.

The control subsystem 13 of the powder filling station 18 is configured to control the dosing operation of the injection mechanism 21 in accordance with the measurement signal 15.

The measurement signal 15 may be a single momentary measurement value or an average of a plurality of subsequent or randomly selected instantaneous measurements, for example, as calculated using a sliding average. a plurality of subsequent or randomly picked momentary measurement values. The amount of sample used for the sliding average may vary, for example, between 100 and 10,000. This corresponds to a relatively short time window for calculating the average, assuming that the device according to the invention is capable of assembling about 120 to 200 rounds of ammunition per minute.

More specifically, a storage member 22 holding a representation of a target value T of a particular physical parameter P determined by the measurement subsystem 13 is stored in the control subsystem < RTI ID = 0.0 > 13). The target value T corresponds to the value of the physical parameter P specified by the specification for the cartridge 3. [ The storage member 22 may be any of digital or analog electric or electronic memory or may be a manipulator manipulated mechanically at a specific position indicative of a target value T, It can be the same mechanical device.

In the case of the powder filling station 18, the storage member 22 may store the target weight W _T for the powder in the shell as the target value T. [ This target value T can be changed manually during the manufacturing process. For example, ballistic tests of the sample product may require a change in the target powder weight (W _T ) to maintain the specific gas pressure of the cartridge 3.

)가 사용될 수 있다. 이것은 간단한 PID 제어 알고리즘(PID-control algorithm) 이나 다른 제어 알고리즘(any other control algorithm)으로 수행할 수 있다.When a deviation (W _T - (W _G - W _N) ) or a sliding average of a powder in a single shell from a target value (W _T ) is used, by the actuator subsystem (8) N The average actual deviation of the previous shell (2) (

) Can be used. This can be done with a simple PID-control algorithm or any other control algorithm.

A reject station 23 can be placed in the assembly direction 6 behind the assembly station 18 to remove reject cartridges that do not meet specifications from the assembly process .

However, the storage and control subsystem 24 of the device preferably maintains a memory representation 26 of all cartridges being conveyed by the conveyor subsystem 4. In the memory display, the ID, the at least one physical characteristic P, the reject flag R and / or the position in the device 1 may be assigned to the specific cartridge 3. [ The handling of a particular cartridge 3 may depend on one or more values of the indicia 26.

For example, when the measurement subsystem 13 measures a physical parameter P out of specification, each cartridge 3 can be marked as bad by setting a bad flag R and the end of the assembly Lt; / RTI > The apparatus 1 can be adapted not to perform any operation on the cartridge 3 marked as bad. In addition, the indicia 26 of the array of cartridges in the conveyor subsystem 4 is deliberately manufactured, but some subsequent assembly steps such as projectile insertion or crimping need not be performed or performed differently It can be marked with certain types of cartridges, such as the blanks that are needed.

In addition or as an alternative to the powder filling station 18, the apparatus 1 may comprise a projectile insertion station 27 as an assembly station 5.

In the projectile insertion station 27, the projectile 11 is inserted into the shell 2 filled with the propellant 10 in advance.

The launch vehicle insertion station 27 includes a measurement subsystem 13 configured as a cartridge length measurement apparatus 28. The cartridge length measuring device 28 outputs an indication of the actual length L of the cartridge 3 as the measurement signal 15.

The projectile insertion station 27 further includes a press-in subsystem 29 as an actuator subsystem 8. In the push-in subsystem 29, the projectile is delivered to the cartridge 3 with the aid of the actuator 14 and is press-fit. The actuator 14 can terminate the press-in process once the external force can be controlled or the path can be controlled and once the target force or target stroke is reached.

The projectile insertion station 27 has a control subsystem 13 configured to control the force and / or stroke of the push-in subsystem 29 in accordance with the deviation of the actual cartridge length L measured by the cartridge measuring device 28 . The deviation is calculated according to the deviation from the target value T stored in the storage member 22 of the control subsystem 13 of the projectile insertion station 27, here the target length L _T will be. For example, if the cartridge 3 produced by the push-in subsystem 29 is too short, the control subsystem 13 of the control device 20 may be configured such that the projectile 11 is less pressed into the shell 2 than before. The stroke of the actuator can be changed.

Again, deviations from the mean formed by a single measurement or a number of subsequent measurements can be used to control the actuator subsystem 8. The various control signals and lines are denoted by reference numeral 30 in Fig.

It is to be understood that each step of measuring the physical properties P of the cartridge 3 and removing the cartridge 3 is performed during the operating cycle of the conveyor subsystem, in addition to the above-described components 9.

Starting from the above general description of the automated gradual ammunition assembly 1 and method, further design and function are described with reference to the remaining figures.

Figure 2 shows a schematic perspective view of an automated progressive ammunition assembly 1. The apparatus 1 preferably has a reservoir 40 for shells with a powder reservoir 39 and an already primer.

2, the conveyor subsystem 4 includes a conveyor belt 41 that extends linearly through the device 1 in the assembly direction 6. Along the conveyor belt 41, the assembly station 5 is arranged in a straight line in the assembly direction 6. Again, each assembly station 5 completes one assembly step. There is exactly one assembly station 5 for each assembly step.

The conveyor belt 41 is provided with compartments 42. Each compartment 42 is adapted to loosely receive a single cartridge 3 in a standing position. The lower portion 43 of the cartridge 3 is slidably moved in the transport plane of the apparatus 1. [ Therefore, the cartridge 3 is simply pushed in the assembling direction 6 by the conveyor belt 41. [ Each compartment 42 is separated from the compartment 42 adjacent in the assembly direction 6 by a vertical rib 45. The conveyor belt 41 and the ribs 45 are preferably made of rubber and / or resin material. Vertically, the compartment 42 is preferably open so that the shell 2 can fall through the compartment 42. Each compartment 42 forms a niche-shaped receptacle for the cartridge 3.

The conveyor belt 41 is spaced vertically from the transport plane 44 so that the cartridge 3 can project vertically below and above the conveyor belt 41. [ The compartments 42 can surround each of the cartridges 3 only in three sides, that is, inside and opposite the direction of assembly 6, perpendicular to the direction of assembly 6 and on the transport plane 44 And is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 46 of the erected cartridge 3. This can be confirmed in FIG.

A tapered slider bar 47 made of hardened and polished steel is placed on the transport plane 44 below the conveyor belt 41 to avoid worn of the transport plane 44, Lt; / RTI > The slider bar 47 can be replaced when worn.

At least one stationary retainer bar extending parallel to the conveyor belt 41 and facing the compartment 42 and closing the compartment 42 with the cartridge 3 positioned within each compartment, retainer bar 48 may be used. The retainer bar 48 is preferably located a short distance from the conveyor belt so that pressure is applied between the cartridge 3, the conveyor belt 41 and the retainer bar 48 during conveyance of the cartridge 3 in the assembly direction 6 Or a pressure or friction-generating force does not occur. The distance 49 between the retainer bar 48 and the conveyor belt 41 is small enough to prevent the cartridge from moving out of the compartment. The distance 49 is preferably smaller than half of the outer width Ds of the shell 2 and preferably less than 1/4 of the outer width Ds.

The slider bar 47 and the retainer bar 48 may be monolithically joined to form a U-shaped or L-shaped profile for guiding the cartridge 3 to at least two sides.

In the conveyor subsystem 4 the conveyor belt 41 is arranged so that the axis 51 is parallel to the longitudinal axis 46 of the cartridges 3 upright, And is looped around two oriented pulleys 50. [ A loop 55 of the conveyor belt 41 forms a plane 56 extending parallel to the transport plane 44, respectively.

The drive 57 of the conveyor subsystem 4 is positioned above the transport plane 44. Thus, there is no need for openings that extend through the transport plane 44 and that the powdery propellant can collect during the longer operation of the device 1. [

In the embodiment of Figure 2, in the first step, the shell 2, which may have been provided with primers in advance, is fed into the compartment 42 of the conveyor belt 41 and disposed. This is done at a shell-feeding station 58. A feeder tube 59 extends from a shell reservoir 40 to a position where the compartment 42 lies between two subsequent transport cycles of the conveyor subsystem 4 Lt; / RTI >

The shell 2 is fed through the supply tube 59 manually by gravity and simply falls into the compartment 42. [ To enable this, the inner width D _c of the compartment 42 should be wider than the largest outer width D _s of the shell.

The feeding rhythm of the shell feeding station 58 is synchronized with the intermittent motion of the conveyor subsystem 4. [

The shell 2 is conveyed in the assembly direction 6 along a straight path to the powder filling station 18. Here, a net weighing apparatus 20a determines the weight W _N of each shell 2. The weight W _N may be stored in the control subsystem 13 of the powder filling station 18 and / or represented in the storage and control system 24 of the device 1. assembly process.

Then, the shell 2 is transferred to the filler subsystem 19, and the powder of the injection amount is filled with the shell. The shell is then conveyed along the assembly direction 6 to a gross weighing apparatus 20b so that the weight W _G of the powder-filled shell 2 . The weight W _N may be stored in a powder filling station 18 or in a storage and control system 24.

The net weight W _N previously measured from the net weighing device 20a is the total weight W _G measured by the total weighing device 20b to determine the actual weight of the powder in the shell 2. [ . The difference W _G -W _N of the calculated weight values is compared with the target weight W _T as described above and correspondingly the injection mechanism 21 of the powder filling station 18 Adjusted in feedback loop control.

The shell 2 filled with the powder can be passed through any reject station 23 which removes the shell 2 filled with powder which does not meet the specifications for the particular cartridge 3 to be manufactured have. Such a reject station 23 may be omitted if the conveyor control subsystem 24 keeps track of all cartridges currently in the assembly process, as described above.

The powder-filled shell 2 is then conveyed along the assembly direction 6 to the projectile insertion station 27. In the projectile insertion station 27, a projectile (not shown) is formed by two successive transfer cycles of the conveyor subsystem 4, in which the shell 2 filled with powder from the projectile reservoir 60 lt; / RTI > transport cycles. If the cartridge beneath the launcher insertion station 27 is marked as containing a non-reject powder-filled shell to which the launch vehicle should be provided in the storage and control subsystem 24, 27) presses the projectile with a powder-filled shell.

In the assembly direction 6, preferably immediately after the projectile insertion station 27, the cartridge length measuring device 28 can be located. The cartridge length measuring device 28 determines the length L of the cartridge 3 with the pressed-in projectile. This actual length is compared with the target length (L _T ) required for the specification for the cartridge 3 to be manufactured. If there is a deviation from the target value, the stroke of the projectile insertion station 27 is adjusted to compensate for the deviation as described above.

The cartridge 3 that is too long or too short to meet a particular specification may be removed from the conveyor subsystem 4 by the reject station 23 located downstream of the launcher insertion station 27. It may be marked as bad in the storage and control subsection 24 by setting a bad flag R for that cartridge 3. [

A crimp station 65 may be provided, wherein the shell is crimped onto the projectile 11. The crimp station 65 may be positioned between the launch vehicle insertion station 27 and the length measuring device 28 as shown.

Optionally or additionally, another length measuring device 28 is positioned in the assembly direction 6 behind the crimp station 65 to control whether the length requirements are met by a crimped cartridge 3. [ . If the crimping process affects the length L of the cartridge 3, it can be compensated by adjusting the insertion stroke at the projectile insertion station 27. Before and after crimping the cartridge 3, to separate the projectile insertion effect from the crimp effect and provide appropriate feedback control of the projectile insertion station 27 before and after crimping, And the length L of the light-emitting element.

As shown in FIG. 2, all stations and subsystems are located above the transport plane 44 of the device 1 or system 24, respectively. The apparatus 1 may include a dust-tight bulkhead 66 that separates the manufacturing space 67 from the bottom space 68. The partition 66 may be formed of a large steel or metal sheet plate. The weighing apparatus 20a, 20b, in particular the frame of the weighing apparatus, may extend below the transport plane 44 in one embodiment. The partition wall 66 is spaced a distance 61 from the transport plane so that the assembly station 5 of the apparatus 1 and all the subsystems are mounted on the mounting plane 62 of the apparatus 1 . The mounting plane (62) extends perpendicularly and upwardly to the partition (66). An empty space 63 is provided between the assembly station 5 and the other sub-system of the apparatus 1 and the partition 66 so as to be easily accessible to the partition 66, . If a separate socket 100 is required to separate the weighing device from the other components of the device 1, then only the weighing device can extend into the void space.

Next, the structure and function of the weighing apparatuses 20a and 20b will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 6. Fig. The following description applies to a net weighing apparatus 20a and a gross weighing apparatus 20b which may be constructed identically.

The weighing devices 20a and 20b include a weighing cell 69 that occupies a base area of a compartment 42. The weighing cell 69 includes a weighing cell 69, The bottom plate 70 of the metering cell 69 is aligned horizontally with the transport plane 44. The shell 2 simply slides off the slider bar 47 and the slider bar 47 is positioned on the lower plate 70 during the transport cycle so that an opening is provided Or blocked at that location.

The transport channel 64 formed by engagement with the slider bar 47 and the retainer bar 48 and through which the shells 2 are transported can be clearly seen in Fig.

Any other part of the device 1 such as the slider bar 47 or the retainer bar 48 which does not belong to the weighing devices 20a and 20b or the compartment 42 is used for the accurate measurement of the weight, It is important that they do not come into contact with each other. To this end, the shell 2 is automatically moved away from contact with the compartment 42 and the shell 2 is moved to the lower plate (not shown) of the weighing cell, preferably without moving the cartridge out of the compartment 42 A centering mechanism 71 is provided for concentrating the centering mechanism 71 at the center. This is preferably done automatically and passively, i.e. in the absence of actuators which require external power during the transport cycle. The centering mechanism 71 may include a spring drive 72 that is automatically loaded and operated by the transfer of the shell 2 onto the metering cell 69.

3 and 4, the spring drive 72 includes at least one spring arm 73, the spring arm 73 is parallel to the transport plane 44, 69 so as to be elastically deflected in a direction perpendicular to the assembling direction 6 by the shell 2. The spring arm 73 may be configured to be resiliently flexed upon deflection or may be hinge-coupled using a spring-mounted joint. The spring arm 73 is provided with a centering bevel 74 which may be V-shaped or U-shaped in cross section parallel to the bottom plane. The bottom 75 having the widest width of the central inclined surface 74 is positioned vertically above the center of the bottom plate 70. The lower portion 75 may be rounded and may be complementarily formed in the shell 2 to allow for a particularly snug fit.

A spring arm 73 of one pair or two pairs may be provided on the opposite side of the conveyor belt 41 and each spring arm may be provided with a central ramp 74 . The conveyor belt 41 may extend between the spring arms 73 of each pair. The upper pair 76 of spring arms can be engaged with the neck 77 of the shell 2 and the other lower pair 78 of spring arms can be engaged with the shell 77. [ To engage the shell at the bottom of the shell just above the lower rim 79 of the shell 2.

The metering cell 69 and the centering mechanism 71 operate as follows.

When the shell 2 is pushed from the previous resting position 81 to the weighing cell 69 in the conveying period of the conveyor subsystem 4 the spring arms 73 are separated by the shell 2 from each other Thereby generating a force to move the spring arms 73 backward toward each other. The central inclined surface 74 is widened with respect to the assembling direction 6 and the central inclined surface 74 is sharpened in the assembling direction 6 so that the shell 2 can easily enter the central inclined surface 74 between the spring arms 73 An entry bevel 82 may be provided that provides an entrance opening 83 which is narrowed until the entrance opening 83 is narrowed.

The force exerted by the open spring arm 73 causes the central inclined surface 74 to move to the lower portion 75 having the largest internal width Automatically push out the shell. This occurs in a quick snapping motion of the spring arm 73.

At the lower portion 75 of the central slope 74, the shell is kept spaced from the compartment 42 when the conveyor subsystem 4 reaches the next working cycle. To this end, the metering cell 69 with at least one spring arm 73 should be aligned with the resting position 81 of the compartment 42 at the position of the metering cell 69.

If the shell 2 is seated in the lower portion 75 of the centering mechanism 71, weighing can occur during the working period of the conveyor subsystem 4. Since the spring arm 73 is part of the metering cell 69, it does not modulate the weight measurement.

In the next transport cycle, the conveyor belt 41 first moves until it abuts the shell 2 at its surface away from the assembly direction 6. The shell 2 is then pushed out of the centering mechanism 71 from the metering cell 69 by detaching the spring arm 73 once more. An exit bevel 84 having an exit opening 85 that widens in the assembling direction 6 is provided so as to enable the smooth ejection of the shell 2 from the centering mechanism 71 . The geometry of the exit ramp 84 may be the same as for the entry bevel 82 except that the direction is reversed.

The transition region between the two can be rounded to allow smooth transition from the entry bevel 82 or the exit bevel 84 to the centering bevel 74.

The net weighing device 20a and the total weighing device 20b acquire the weights of two different shells 2 during the same working period. At the same time, other shells can be filled with powder. In order to determine the actual powder weight of the shell 2, only the net weight and total weight of the particular shell may be considered. This is possible by using an indication 26 of the current manufacturing process in the control and storage subsystem 24.

7, a portion of the powder filling station 18 is shown. The injection mechanism 21 of the powder filling station 18 includes an outer centering tube 86 having an inner centering bevel 87 and an inner feeder tube 88 . The center tube 86 and the supply tube 88 may be coaxially aligned and rigidly connected to move together. In the illustrated embodiment, however, the supply tube 88 is fixed relative to the shell 2, and the center tube 86 can be moved vertically independently of the supply tube 88.

Until the center sloping surface 87 strikes the upper rim 89 of the shell within the formula 42 under the injection mechanism 21 to fill the shell 2 with the propellant 10, (86) is moved vertically. The center slope 87 automatically positions the shell centered beneath the center tube 86. To this end, the outer diameter D _BO of the central sloping surface 87 may be greater than the inner width D _c of the compartment. The inner diameter D _BI of the central slope 87 corresponds to the outer width D _s of the shell 2 so that the center tube 86 slides over the shell 2, it is possible to provide dust-tight sealing during the filling process. Of course, the outer diameter of the center tube 86 and the center sloping surface 87 correspond to the inner diameter of the shell 2, respectively, so that the center tube 86 may be slightly contained in the shell.

Once the shell 2 is inserted into the center tube 86 and centered in the compartment 42, the propellant 10 falls into the shell 2 through the supply tube 88.

The amount of propellant 10 is determined by the size of the dosing chamber 90. The size of the injection chamber 90 is adjusted by an injection mechanism 21 that moves one wall 92 of the injection chamber 90 using a stepper motor 91. The stepper motor 91 moves with reciprocating motion 93 along with the injection chamber 90 and the reciprocating motion causes the powder reservoir 39 for filling the injection chamber 90 with powder To the supply tube 88 for discharging it into the shell 2. The size of the injection chamber 90 is adjusted as described above according to the values W _N , W _O and W _T.

In Figure 8, a system 110 is shown consisting of two paired devices 1 with parallel mounting orientation.

Since the layout of the device 1 can group two or more devices 1 together in parallel, the system 110 is easily scalable in terms of its output and versatility. In system 110, some devices 1 may include a common powder reservoir 39, a common shell reservoir 40, and / or a common projectile reservoir 60). The assembly direction 6 is preferably the same so that the assembly station 5 is at the same position with respect to the assembly direction 6 of the parallel apparatus 1. [ The device 1 may be arranged so that the transport plane 44 is at the same distance from the partition 66. [

Figure 9 shows another preferred embodiment of the device 1 according to the invention for the production of ammunition. The apparatus 1 shown in Figure 9 corresponds to the preferred embodiment of the apparatus shown in Figure 2 but the apparatus station 5 and the conveyor subsystem 4 are alternatively mounted on the mounting plane 62 of the apparatus 1 Lt; / RTI > The operating principle of the device 1 is the same as that described above for the device shown in Fig. The shell 2 is supplied from the shell reservoir 40 to the compartment 42 of the conveyor belt 41. At the powder filling station 18 the ammunition powder is filled with shell 2. The amount of powder is controlled by a feedback control mechanism based on the weighing of the shell 2 prior to and after powder using the weighing devices 20a, 20b. The cartridge 3 is then operated by an additional assembly station 5 which is moved along a linear conveyor belt 41 in the direction of the section and arranged in a linear fashion along the assembly direction 6. The projectile insertion station 27 serves to press the projectile 11 to the shell 2. [ For this purpose, the projectile 11 is prepared in advance in the shell 2 and then press-in using a press-in subsystem 29. By cartridge length measurement apparatus 28, projectile insertion can be monitored and adjusted by feedback control. 9, the assembly station 5 and the conveyor system 4 are attached to the mounting plane 62 so that these components of the device 1 and the upper surface of the horizontal bulkhead 66 An empty space 63 is formed. The assembly station 5 and the conveyor system 4 are thus located in the manufacturing space 67 above the bottom space 68 of the apparatus. The horizontal partition 66 is preferably made of metal and is preferably constructed in a dust-tight manner: only the weighing devices 20a and 20b are arranged in the lower space 68, Lt; / RTI > However, the weighing cells 69 are also concealed in a dust-tight manner. In the preferred embodiment, the ammunition powder will remain on the upper surface of the partition 66 and can be easily removed due to the empty space 63. [ By attaching the assembly station 5 to the mounting plane 62, the assembly station 5 can be quickly mounted and dismounted. Thus, the preferred embodiment of the device 1 is characterized by a modular design that allows for a high degree of functional flexibility.

Figure 10 shows a schematic view of another preferred measurement subsystem 12 for measuring the weight of a cartridge comprising a rotatable transport device. In Figure 10, two measurement subsystems 12 are shown side by side since this is the preferred case for two conveyor subsystems 4 arranged side-by-side with respect to a system of two parallel and side-by-side devices. However, the illustrated mechanism of the preferred measuring subsystem 12 including the rotatable conveying device 121 applies equally to the device 1 having a single conveyor subsystem 4. In a preferred embodiment, the conveyor subsystem 4 comprises a conveyor belt 41 comprising a compartment 42 for receiving a shell 2 separated by vertical ribs 45. The shell 2 is moved in the apparatus by the conveyor belt 41 pushing the shell 2 in a transport guide 48. 4 to 6, in one embodiment of the present invention, the weighing cell 69 is also installed in line with the conveyor subsystem 4, and is used to convey the cartridge from the conveyor subsystem 4 It is preferable to use a centering apparatus for separating. Figure 9 shows a particularly preferred alternative solution for high precision weighing. Instead of installing the metering cell 69 in line with the conveyor subsystem 4, i. E. In line with the conveyor belt 41 and the conveying guide 48, the weighing devices 20a, 20b ) Embodiment comprises a metering cell 69 whose measurement location is outside of the conveyor belt 41. [ To move the shell 2 from the conveyor belt 41 to the respective metering cell 69, the measurement subsystem 12 preferably includes a rotatable transport device 121. The rotatable transfer device 121 includes a lower transport wheel 123 and an upper transport wheel 122 that include niches or compartments configured to receive the shell 2, ) Is particularly preferable. In a preferred embodiment, the weighing procedure is performed as follows.

The shell 2 is conveyed in the conveying guide 48 toward the conveying device 121 including the upper and lower conveying wheels 123 and 122 which can be conveyed by the conveyor belt 41. [ The rotation of the conveying wheels 122 and 123 is synchronized with the movement of the conveyor belt 41 so that the single shell 2 moves from one of the compartments 42 of the conveyor belt 41 to the corresponding To the corresponding compartment. In the case of a linear movement of the conveyor belt 41, it is preferable that the rotation of the conveying wheels 122 and 123 intermittently include a conveying period and a working cycle. By intermittent rotation, the shell 2 is moved to the top of the transport plane towards the first metering cell 69 of the net weighing device 20a. It is preferred that the metering cell 69 is not mechanically connected to the conveyor subsystem 4. For example, the conveyor subsystem 4 may be mounted to a base frame or mounting plane (not shown in FIG. 10), while the metering cell 69 may be mounted on a free standing socket is placed on top of a support (120) mounted on a standing socket (100). Therefore, the vibration of the conveyor subsystem 4 or the base frame can be effectively avoided from being transmitted to the weighing device.

To this end, after the shell 2 has been moved to the measuring position of the weighing cell 69, the transferring device 121 is rotated slightly backward and the shell 2 does not contact the transferring wheels 122, 123 Is particularly preferable. This procedure has proven to be able to accurately measure the net weight of the shell 2. After the measurement, the conveying device 121 continuously moves the shell 2 to the charging position of the ammunition powder. In this position, a filler subsystem (not shown in FIG. 10) of the powder filling station adds ammunition powder to the shell 2. The transfer wheels 122 and 123 then continue to move the shell 2 filled with ammunition powder towards the second weighing cell 69 of the total weighing device 20b. It is also desirable to move the feed wheels 122, 123 slightly backward prior to gross weighing to ensure accurate measurements that are not disturbed by the shell 2 in contact with the feed wheels 122, 123. Thus, through the operation of the apparatus, the feed wheels 122, 123 rotate intermittently along the direction of rotation of the feed and work cycles, and the rotation is returned shortly before the work cycle (and measurement) begins. The shell 2 is then further moved by a rotating transport device 121 and transferred to the conveyor belt 41 and the transport guide 41 to continue the assembly process along the assembly line.

The rotation of the transfer wheel is preferably achieved by a servomotor that allows certain precise operations. 10, each weighing cell 69 is provided with separate supports 120, which can be mounted on a common socket for the weighing devices 20a, 20b, Is particularly preferable. In the case of the embodiment having two conveyor subsystems 4, four weighing devices 69 of two net weighing devices 20a and two total weighing devices 20b are installed on the same socket 100 . The socket 100 is preferably mechanically separated from the remainder of the base frame for the apparatus described above, which includes a bulkhead and a mounting plane (not shown in FIG. 10).

1: Automated gradual ammunition assembly
2: Shell
3: Cartridge
4: Conveyor subsystem
5: Assembly station
6: Assembly direction
8: Actuator subsystem
9: Components
10: Propellant / Powder
11: Projectile
12: Measurement subsystem
13: Control Subsystem
14: Actuator
15: Measurement signal
18: Powder filling station
19: filler substation
20a: Net weight measuring device
20b: Total weight measuring device
21: Infusion mechanism
22: Storage member of the control subsystem
23: Reject Station
24: Storage and control subsystem
25: Storage section of conveyor subsystem
26: indication of the cartridge located in the storage section of the conveyor subsystem
27: Projectile injection station
28: Cartridge length measuring device
29: Abatement subsystem
30: control signal
39: Powder storage part
40: Shell storage part
41: Conveyor belt
42: Conveyor belt compartment
43: Lower part of cartridge or shell
44: Transfer plane
45: Lip between compartments
46: longitudinal axis of the cartridge
47: Slider bar
48: Retainer bar
49: Distance between the retainer bar and the conveyor belt
50: Pulleys for conveyor belts
51: Axis of the pulley
55: Conveyor Belt Loop
56: Conveyor belt loop plane
57: Driving section of the conveyor subsystem
58: Shell feed station
59: Feed tube
60: projectile storage unit
61: Distance between the transport plane and the bulkhead
62: Mounting plane
63: empty space
64: Feed channel
65: Crimp Station
66:
67: Manufacturing space of the device
68: Lower space of the device
69: Weighing cell
70: Lower plate of weighing cell
71: Centering mechanism
72: Spring Drive
73: spring arm
74: center slope of centering mechanism
75: Lower part of the central inclined surface
76: upper pair of spring arms
77: Neck of shell
78: Lower pair of spring arms
79: primer rim
80: Primer of cartridge
81: seat position
82: entrance slope of centering mechanism
83: inlet opening of inlet slope
84: exit slope of the centering mechanism
85: exit opening of the exit slope
86: center tube
87: inner central inclined surface of the center tube
88: Feed tube
89: upper rim of the shell
90: injection chamber
91: Stepper motor
92: injection chamber wall
93: reciprocating motion
100: Socket for measuring device
110: a system comprising at least two devices
120: Support for weighing cell
121: Feeding device
122: upper feed wheel
123: Lower feed wheel
124: Servo motor for feeder
D _C : Inner width of compartment
D _S : Outer width of shell
D _BI : center slope inner diameter of center tube
D _B0 : central slope of the center tube Outside diameter
L _T : Cartridge target length
L: Cartridge measuring length
ID: Cartridge identification number
P: Cartridge physical parameter
R: bad flag
T: Target value
W: Weight
W _G : Gross weight
W _N : net weight
W _T : Target weight

Claims (19)

Comprising a conveyor subsystem (4), at least one assembly station (5), at least one assembly station (5)
The at least one assembly station (5) comprises an actuator subsystem (8), a measurement subsystem (12) and a control subsystem (13)
The conveyor subsystem (4) is adapted to convey ammunition (2, 3) through the at least one assembly station along an assembly line (6)
The actuator subsystem (8) allows the component (9) to be added to the ammunition,
Said component varying in at least one physical parameter (P) of said ammunition,
The measurement subsystem (12) is adapted to measure the at least one physical parameter and to emit a measurement signal (2) indicative of the at least one physical parameter,
Wherein the control subsystem (13) controls the actuator subsystem (8) according to the measurement signal.
The method according to claim 1,
The control subsystem (13) comprises a storage element (22) in which an indication of at least one target physical parameter (T) is stored,
Characterized in that the control subsystem (13) is adapted to control the actuator subsystem (8) according to an error of the at least one measured physical parameter (P) from the at least one target physical parameter One).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The conveyor subsystem (4) comprises a conveyor belt (4)
The conveyor belt (4) comprises a compartment (4) adapted to receive the ammunition (2, 3)
Wherein said conveyor belt (4) extends linearly in at least one section for conveying ammunition through said at least one assembly station (5).
In the previous claim,
The conveyor belt 4 is assembled as a loop 55 surrounding two pulleys 50,
Wherein said pulley is placed on an axis and rotated by a drive part (57).
5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The at least one assembly station (5) is a powder filling station (18).
6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The component 9 is a propellant 10,
Wherein the at least one physical parameter (P) is the powder weight (W) in the cartridges (2, 3).
The method according to any one of the preceding claims,
The measuring subsystem 12 includes a net weighing device 20a arranged in the assembly direction 6 in front of the actuator subsystem 8 and a total weight measuring device 20b arranged in the assembly direction 6 behind the actuator sub- And a measuring device (8).
The method according to any one of the preceding claims,
Wherein the measuring subsystem (12) comprises a weighing device (20a, 20b) having a metering cell (69) arranged in series with the conveyor subsystem (4).
The method according to any one of the preceding claims,
Characterized in that the metering cell (69) is fixed horizontally to a transport plane (44) on which the ammunition (2,3) is waiting while being pushed by the conveyor subsystem (4) .
10. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
The metering cell 69 is adapted to automatically move the ammunition 2, 3 to the metering cell 69 away from contact with the conveyor subsystem 4 during transport of the ammunition 2, Mechanism (71). ≪ / RTI >
11. The method of claim 10,
The centering device 71 comprises a spring drive 72 having at least one central plane 74,
Wherein the spring drive is automatically loaded by the ammunition (2, 3) carried by the conveyor subsystem (4) in the metering cell (69).
The method according to claim 10 or 11,
The centering device 71 comprises a spring drive 72 having at least one central plane 74,
Wherein the center plane is a space in which the ammunition is kept spaced apart from the conveyor subsystem during a working cycle of the conveyor subsystem. ).
The method according to any one of the preceding claims,
The measuring subsystem 12 includes weighing devices 20a and 20b,
The weighing device 20a, 20b includes a metering cell 69,
Wherein the apparatus comprises a transfer device (120) for separating the ammunition (2,3) from the conveyor subsystem (4) to send the ammunition to the metering cell (69) One).
In the previous claim,
And a conveyor belt (41) configured to convey the conveyor subsystem (4) to the compartment (42) of the ammunition (2,3)
The transfer device 120 includes at least one transfer wheel 122, 123 for receiving the ammunition 2, 3 from the compartment 42 and for transferring the ammunition 2, 3 to the weighing cell (1). ≪ / RTI >
The method according to any one of the preceding claims,
The apparatus includes a projectile insertion station (27)
The component 9 is a projectile 11,
Wherein the at least one physical parameter (P) is the length (L) of the cartridge (3) into which the projectile (11) is inserted.
The method according to any one of the preceding claims,
The apparatus (1) comprises a plurality of assembly stations (5)
The conveyor subsystem (4) extends at least linearly in each section of the automated gradual ammunition assembly (1)
Wherein said assembly stations (5) are arranged in a straight line immediately behind each other in an assembly line (6).
The method according to any one of the preceding claims,
The device 1 further comprises a horizontal partition 66,
The horizontal partition 66 separates into an upper production space 67 in which the conveyor subsystem 4 and at least one assembly station 5 are arranged and a lower space 68 in a dust- , An automated incremental assembly device (1).
Characterized in that it comprises at least two automated gradual ammunition assembly devices (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 17,
The conveyor subsystem (4) of the apparatus is arranged side by side in parallel,
Wherein at least one assembly station (5) of one automated gradual ammunition assembly (1) shares at least one reservoir (39, 90, 91) with an adjacent automated progressive ammunition assembly (1) Automated gradual ammunition assembly apparatus (1).
Adding to the ammunition (2, 3) a component (9) that alters the physical parameter (P) of the ammunition (2, 3);
Automatically measuring the physical parameter; and
And automatically adjusting the addition of the component in accordance with the measured physical parameter.

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