US1778626A - Tripod mounting for firearms - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14, 1930. M. DE BOIGNE I TRIPOD MOUNTING FOR FIREARMS Filed Jan. 21, 1929 s Sheets-Sheet 1 0a. 14, 1930. M, DE BQIGNE 1,778,626

TRIPOD MOUNTING FOR FIREARMS Filed Jan. 21, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 N N 0: 00000000000000 S QOOOOOOOO'QOOOOO c N 00000000000000 Oct. 14, 1930. M. DE OIGNE TRIPOD MOUNTING FOR FIREARMS Filed Jan. 21, 1929 s Sheets-Sheet 5 I I I!" K un Patented Oct. 14-, 1930 MAURICE DE BOIGNE, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO SOCIETE ANONYLIE DES ANCIENS ETABLISSEMENTS HOTCI'IKISS &, COMPAGNIE, OF ST. DENIS, SEINE, FRANCE, A JOINT-STOCK CQIKEPANY OF FRANCE TRIPOD MQUNTING FOB FIREARMS Application filed January 21, 1929, Serial No. 334,005, and in France August 31, 1928.

The present invention relates to a tripod mounting for machine-guns or light guns, possessing great stability and enabling very accurate firing to be achieved.

The mounting comprises, in the usual manner, a head on which the fire-arm can be either directly or indirectly mounted, and a three legged pyramid supporting the head, and it is essentially characterized by the fact that the head and the three legs are pivoted on a common axis whereby the line of fire of the piece, along which the reactions of fire occur, may be brought nearer said axis and, hence, a better stability obtained.

The centre legend the head are mounted directly on the common axis and can only rotate in a plane perpendicular to said axis whilst cardan joints are used in mounting the side legs whereby said legs can not only i be moved in planes perpendicular to the common axis but may also be drawn apart or brought together.

According to an advantageous form of construction, the common pivot axis is constituted by the forks of the cardan joints of the side legs, said forks being connected together by any suitable means which allow them to rotate one relative to the other and on which the head and the centre leg are mounted.

The head can be locked in any given augular position by clamping to the centre leg sectors which are secured to said head.

The centre leg is connected to each of the side legs by stays fixedly attached at one of their ends (for example by means of closed ring or loop) to said centre leg whilst the other end may be attached through the agency of suitable clamping or hooking means to the corresponding side leg at a variable height which may be different for each of the side legs and adjustment of which enables the angle between said two legs and, consequently, the inclination to the ground of the common pivot axis to be varied. Under these circumstances, said axis can be maintained horizontal whatever the slope of the ground may be.

According to a particular characteristic of the invention, the above mentioned stays are located at a considerable distanc from the common pivot axis in order to obtain enhanced stability.

The extent to which the two side legs can be drawn apart is limited by stops provided in the cardan joints, said two legs being stayed in close proximity to their anchoring ends by the supporting tube the length of which is slightly greater than the maximum span between the legs, so that in the firing position itholds the two legs firmly and resiliently against their respective stops, and drawn apart to the maximum extent whereby the stability is still further increased.

Said seat supporting tube is permanently fixed to one of the side legs, whilst it can hook on to the other leg in adjust-able manner, so that on closing up the mounting, said tube can be placed parallel to the three legs.

Other characteristics and peculiarities of the invention will become apparent from the description about to be given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a tripod mounting in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof but on a reduced scale.

Fig. 3. is asectional elevation on the line III-III, Fig. 1 illustrating the pivotal assemblage of the legs and the head of the mounting.

at is an elevational view illustrating the mounting in accordance with the inven tion in firing position on uneven ground and Fig. shows a fork adapted to receive a trunnion for supporting the fire-amnwhen the latter is used against air-craft.

The mounting in accordance with the invention comprises a head portion 1 and a three-legged pyramid constituted by one front leg 2 and two rear legs 3and 4.

The head 1 includes a. socket 5 accommodating a trunnion for fixing the fire-arm, said trunnion being carried, as is well known, by the fire-arm which engages, through the medium 0t any suitable projection, in the U-shaped member 6 carried by the traversing slide 7 which can slide over the sector 8 fitted to the head 1 of the mounting in the usual.

The fire-arm is thus secured directly to tl head 1 of the mounting and follows it in all its displacements. 1 may rotate about axis 9 r matcriali ed in a snner to be present described and it may be locked in any do ed angular position by clamping sectors such as 10 secured to said head 1301". tion, a ainst the. front leg 2, for example through the medium of shoes 11 actuated by means of a lever nutv 12 screwing on to a bolt 13. Said arrangement enables thefirearm to be aimed for elevation.

The ax s 9 about which the head 1 may swivel is likewise the pivot axis of the three legs 2, 3, 4. Said a" 9 is materialized by the male and fcma c -o 1%, of the fork o rear legs, said sockets enga ing one within the other whilst being maintained by a screw 16, which however leaves them free to rotate one relative to the other. The front leg 2 as also the head '1 are pivotally mounted directly on the sockets 14 and 15 611 the other hand, the rear legs and a are connected to the corresponding forlr 14c or 15 through the medium of stud 1% or 15, said stud forming with the associated fork a cardan joint enabling not only each-side leg to swivel about the axis 9 but likewise enabling said legs to be brought together or drawn apart. Moreover, steps such as 14 or 15 limit the extent to ch said legs can be drawn apart.

mounting the head portion and the tlirre legs on a common. axis, the latter may b brought considerably nearer the line of lire of the lire-arm. that is to sa the line I l n alonp w rich the reactions of fireare directed. L this manner the tripod is renderedmore The following arrangement has been adopted for .inaintaining the three-legged pyramid in any selected position. The front leg 2 is connected to each of the rear legs 3 or l oy a stay is or 15. Each of the latter attached to the front leg 2 by a closed ring whereas its other end may slide over the correspon rear leg and be fixed on said at a suitable height by suitable means, for example, by means of 17 which is always constrained to slide to the front under v the action of the weight of the mounting and of the llrer well as under the action of the reactions of fire whose tendency is to cause the fro" leg to swing upv. ds about the 4. 2, said ring being maintained at the del 4 sir position by any one of the pegs 18 which. prey cut it from sliding forwardly.

To obtain even greater stability, the two rear legs are themselves stayed by the seat supporting tube 19 which is hooked to the rear leg 4- by means of a closed ring 20 and to the rear leg 3 by of a hook 21. Said two rear legs being opened outin the same plane and being in their position of ,sraeae corresponding pegs 18 on the legs 3 maximum stretch limited by the stops 1 1 and 1-5 provlded on the forks 1e and 15, the

tube 19 which is of slightly greater length tion, the seat supporting tube 19 is'forward of the anchoring ends 22 of the rear legs so that the weight of the titer shall always tend to maintain the front leg on th ground.

The mounting in accordance with the invention is used as follows: When the mounting is closed up,'the three legs are laid parallel one alongside the other as also the seat supporting tube 19., the hook 21 of which has been unhoolred from the leg 3. For mounting in firing position it is only necessary to place the three legs on the ground. The rings 17 slide over the rear legs and stop at the first peg 18 (reckoning from the top). The book 21 of the tube 19 is next hooked on the rear leg 3. The mounting is then in the raised position with the two rear legs 3 and i lying in the same plane.

If the lower part of each ring 17 be pulled rearwards and upwards simultaneously, the rings are released from the first pegs 18 and can then be hooked on to the following pegs. i f e As the rings are brought nearer the lower ends of the rear legs, the unit is brought into a lower'and lower position; Obviously, between the two extreme positions (upper position, firer sitting on the seat and lower position, firer lying. down) any intermediate position may be selected.

The great distance ofthe hooking points of the stays 14- and 15 and of the seat supporting tube 19 from the common pivot axis 9, the satisfactory support always afforded If the rings 17 are both hooked on to and i, the latter are evidently inithe same plane and if the ground is horizontal, the common pivot axis 9 is likewise horizontal. Such is the case in Fig. 1. On the other hand, when the ground slopesand it isnecessary to bring the pivot axis back to the horizontal,- it is only necessary to pass the rings 17 over non-corresponding pegs of the legs 3 and i. Said rear legs then assume different inclinations with respect to the front leg and by suitably choosing the inclination, that is to say, by selecting the hooking peg, the axis 9 may be brought into the horizontal as desired. This has been illustrated in Fig. 4. As a result, the front leg 2 which is perpendicular to the axis 9 is brought back into a vertical plane which promotes stability.

This levelling of the axis 9 furthermore enables a sweeping fire to be made along a horizontal plane; besides, this axis may be given any desired lateral inclination thus enabling a sweepingfire to be carried out along a plane at a definite angle with the ground.

A modified form of use of the mounting according to the invention is shown in Fig. 5, in which the fire-arm is not directly mounted on the head 1, said mounting being obtained, for example, for anti-aircraft fire, through the medium of a trunnion receiving fork 23 of a well-known type. This fork comprises a trunnion 24; similar to the trunnion carried by the fire-arm and which engages, in the same manner, in the socket 5 of the head 1. Likewise, this fork is engaged in and maintained by the Ushaped member 6 of the traversing slide 7. The fire-arm proper is mounted at the end of the fork by means of a trunnion carrying support in a well-known manner. The gunmounting, in this case, as previously, permits the common axis 9 to be horizontal.

Obviously, various constructional forms can be given to the device which has first been described. F or instance, the stays 14 and 15 could be fixed to the rear legs by any device differing from the one shown, for example, by means of teeth or of clamping sleeves sliding on the said rear legs. Likewise, the modifications in height of the head relatively to the ground and the direction given to the pivot of the fire-arm can be effected concomitantly or separately. Finally, according to uses, the above described device can be constructed either with one front leg and two rear legs, as shown, or with two front legs and one rear leg.

What I claim is:

l. Tripod mounting for fire arms comprising, in combination. a head and three legs supporting said head, the said head and legs being pivoted on a common axis.

2. Tripod mounting for fire arms comprising, in combination, a head, a central leg and two side legs supporting said head, a pin on which the head and the central leg are directly pivoted and pivotal joints between said pin and said side legs.

3. Tripod mounting for fire arms comprising, in combination, a head, a central leg and two side legs supporting said head, a pin on which the head and the central leg are directly pivoted, and forked pivotal joints between said pin and said side legs, said pin prisingin' combination, ahead, :1 central'leg and two side legs supporting said head, the said head and legs being pivoted on a com mon axis, and means for adjustably clamping the head relatively to the central leg.

6. Tripod mounting for fire arms, compris ing, in combination, a head, a central leg and two side legs supporting said head, the said head and legs being pivoted on a common axis, and clamping sectors on said head adapted to be clamped against the central leg.

7. Tripod mounting for fire arms comprising, in combination, a head, a central leg and two side legs supporting said head, the said head and said legs being pivoted on a common axis, stays connecting the central leg to both side legs, each stay being secured to the central leg at a fixed point, and means for securing each stay on the respective legs at variable heights.

8. Tripod mounting for fire arms comprising in combination, a head, a central leg and two side legs supporting said head, two forked pivotal joints on the two side legs, a pin formed by the forks of each pivotal joint, said head and said central leg being directly pivoted on said pin. and a lug on each of said side legs for limiting the outward move ment of said side legs.

9. Tripod mounting for fire arms compris ing, in combination, a head, a central leg and two side legs supporting said head, two forked pivotal joints on the two side legs, a pin formed by the forks of each pivotal joint, said head and said central leg being directly pivoted on said pin, a lug on each of said side legs for limiting the outward movement of said side legs. and a seat sup porting tube interconnecting the two side legs in close proximity to their anchoring ends.

10. Tripod mounting for fire arms CUiIlprising, in combination, a head, a central leg and two side legs suppo 'ting said head, two forked pivotal joints on the two side legs, a pin formed by the forks of each pivotal joint, said head and said central leg being directly pivot-ed on said pin, a lug on each of said side legs for limiting the out ward movement of said side legs, stays connecting the central leg to both side legs, each stay being secured to the central log at :1 fixed point, means for securing each stay on the, respective side leg at variable insights, and a seat supporting tnloe interconnecting the two side legs in close proximity to their anchoring ends, said ,tube being slightl longer than the maxi n inn stretching distance of the side legs and being; pern anently iv ed to one of the side legs whilst it isreniova ly fixed to the other side leg.

11. Tripod mounting for lire arms, comprising in con'lhination, a head, a central leg and two side legs supporting said head, a commonpin for said head and said pin consisting in two members rotatably mounted one within the other and including forked extensions, and pins carried by said forked extensions and on which said side le s are pivotally mounted the'head and central leg being directly pivoted on said ooinnion pin;

12. Tripod mounting for fire-arms, comprising in combination, a head, three legs supporting said head, common pin on which said legs and head are mounted, and

pivotal joints between two of said legs and said common pin for permitting, in cooperation with said common pin, rotation of eaeh of said two legs about two different axes.

MAURICE DE BOIGNE.

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