DEVICE FOR LOADING A BARRELED WEAPON WITH AMMUNITION BODIES

Abstract

A device (1), and a barreled weapon (10) including the device, for loading the barreled weapon (10) with ammunition bodies (2), in particular with artillery projectiles, includes a rammer for moving an ammunition body (2) along a loading path (L) from a loading position outside of the loading chamber (12) into a rammed position in the loading chamber (12) of the barreled weapon (10), wherein a correction rammer (4) connected downstream of the rammer in the loading path is used to correct ramming errors if necessary. A method for loading the barreled weapon includes correcting ramming errors with a correction rammer (4) downstream of the rammer of the barreled weapon in the loading path of the weapon.

Claims

1. A device for loading a barreled weapon (10) with ammunition bodies (2), in particular with artillery projectiles, the device comprising: a rammer for moving an ammunition body (2) from a loading position outside a loading chamber (12) of the barreled weapon (10) along a loading path (L) into a rammed position in the loading chamber (12) of the barreled weapon (10); and a correction rammer (4) downstream of the rammer in the loading path for correcting ramming errors as required.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the correction rammer (4) is movable along the loading path (L) at multiple speed levels, in particular at two speed levels.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the correction rammer (4) is a guided rammer, in particular a telescopic rammer.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the correction rammer (4) is movable transversely to the loading path (L).

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the correction rammer (4) is disposed on a loading arm that is rotatably supported around an elevation axis of the barreled weapon.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a return latch (5), which prevents ammunition bodies from slipping out of the barrel weapon (10) in the event of a ramming error.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the return latch (5) is disposed at a loading-side end of the barreled weapon (10).

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a ramming quality sensor (6) for detecting a ramming quality of a rammed ammunition body (2) and/or for detecting ramming errors in the barreled weapon.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the ramming quality sensor (6) is embodied as a distance sensor.

10. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the ramming quality sensor (6) is disposed on a propellant rammer.

11. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the rammer and/or the correction rammer (4) and/or the ramming quality sensor (6) are disposed in the manner of a revolver drum.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a force sensor for determining the force acting on the correction rammer (4).

13. A barreled weapon (10) for firing ammunition, in particular artillery rounds, the weapon comprising: a device (1) for loading the barreled weapon (10) as claimed in claim 1.

14. The barreled weapon as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a return latch (5) that includes a ramming quality sensor (6) for detecting a ramming quality of a rammed ammunition body (2) and/or for detecting ramming errors.

15. A method for loading a barreled weapon (10) with ammunition bodies (2), in particular with artillery projectiles, with a rammer for moving an ammunition body (2) from a loading position outside a loading chamber (12) along a loading path (L) to a rammed position in the loading chamber (12) of the barreled weapon (10), the method comprising: correcting ramming errors as required with a correction rammer (4) downstream of the rammer in the loading path (L).

Description

[0029] Further details and advantages of a device according to the invention, a corresponding barreled weapon as well as the associated method are explained below with the assistance of the attached drawings of an exemplary embodiment. In each figure in a schematic view:

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a barreled weapon according to the invention with an ammunition body in the loading position,

[0031] FIGS. 2-9 show multiple views of the barreled weapon from FIG. 1 to illustrate the processes when a ramming error occurs.

[0032] In the military field, large-caliber missiles in the form of guns, artillery weapons, howitzers, etc. are often operated with split ammunition, in which the projectile and the propellant are present as separate ammunition bodies 2.

[0033] In contrast to cartridge ammunition, the loading of the barreled weapon 10 is therefore carried out in two separate steps. In a first step, the projectile is transferred to the loading chamber 12 of the weapon, after which the projectile is located in a rammed position in the loading chamber of the weapon 10. In this position, the projectile is held in a defined position in the loading chamber 12 of the weapon 10, wherein a free space remains behind the rammed projectile on the load side, into which the propellant is introduced in a second step. These two processes usually run separately from each other and the type and quantity of the propellant can influence the acceleration of the projectile according to a previously defined fire control solution.

[0034] To ram the ammunition body 2, which is in the form of a projectile, automated ramming devices 1 are often used.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows schematically the loading-side end of a barreled weapon 10 according to the invention, before the weapon 10 is loaded with an ammunition body 1. For example, the barreled weapon 10 may be an artillery weapon, the weapon of a battle tank, or another barreled weapon. As an essential component, the barreled weapon 10 comprises a barrel 11, which can be oriented in azimuth and elevation, from which the ammunition body 2 can be fired and which is shown in the figures only in a shortened form. Inside the loading-side region of the barrel 11 is the loading chamber 12 of the barreled weapon 10, in which the ammunition body 2 can be rammed pressure-tight in a clamping manner.

[0036] When loading the barreled weapon 10, an ammunition body 2 is introduced into the loading chamber 12 by a device 1 for loading the barreled weapon 10 and thus into the barrel 11 of the barreled weapon 10. For this purpose, the ammunition body 2 is first positioned in a loading position outside the loading chamber 12. This positioning can be carried out, for example, by a loading arm that is not shown that is pivotally linked around the elevation axis of the barreled weapon 10. By a pivotal movement of the loading arm, an ammunition body 2 provided by an ammunition feeder or a magazine is automatically brought into the loading position that is aligned with the barrel's bore axis, regardless of the elevation of the barreled weapon 10.

[0037] From the loading position, a rammer that is not shown in the figures transfers the ammunition body 2 along a loading path L into the loading chamber 12. For reasons of an overall view, the rammer is not shown, but usually the rammer is part of the device 1.

[0038] Various types of rammers can also be used as the rammer, for example guided rammers, with which the ammunition body 2 is pushed into the rammed position thereof by a sliding rammer element or a rammer chain. With guided rammers, design-related ramming errors are rather unlikely, but they have the disadvantage of comparatively long loading times, since the sliding rammer element or the rammer chain must be moved out of the barrel 10 again after ramming before another ammunition body 2 can only then be rammed.

[0039] Significantly shorter loading times can be achieved with so-called free-flying rammers. Such free-flying rammers accelerate the ammunition body 2 outside the barreled weapon 10 to a sufficiently high ramming speed, so that the ammunition body 2 enters the loading chamber 12 of the barreled weapon 10 virtually in free flight and thus reaches the rammed position. Since the free-flying rammer does not move into the barrel 11 of the barreled weapon 10 and thus does not have to be moved out of it again, favorable loading times result. The occurrence of ramming errors is also very rare with such rammers, but somewhat more likely than with guided rammers.

[0040] In the event of a ramming error, the ammunition body 2 does not remain in the rammed position after the automatically running rammer process but slips back along the loading path L towards the loading end of the barreled weapon 10.

[0041] Such a situation is illustrated in FIG. 2. As can be seen in particular, the ammunition body 2 that is sliding back is prevented by a return latch 5 from completely sliding out of the barreled weapon 10. In this way, the danger to the operator of a sliding ammunition body 2 is prevented, but the ammunition body 2 must be rammed again.

[0042] In order to be able to correct the ramming error automatically, it is first necessary that the incorrectly rammed ammunition body 2 is also recognized as such. FIG. 3 shows a ramming quality sensor placed in the loading path L for this purpose. Said ramming quality sensor 6 is embodied here as a distance meter and is for example in the form of a laser distance meter or an ultrasonic distance meter and measures the distance from the ammunition body 2 as a measure of the ramming quality. Said distance is used to determine whether a ramming error occurred when ramming the ammunition body 2, as is the case in the example shown. The ramming quality sensor 6 can also be part of the device 1.

[0043] In order to bring the ramming quality sensor 6 into the loading path L, the sensor may be linked to the device 1 or to the barreled weapon 10. Likewise, it is also conceivable to dispose the ramming quality sensor 6 on the loading arm, the rammer, a propellant rammer that is not shown and/or the correction rammer 4 to reduce the number of components required for the movements. It is precisely disposal on the rammer or on the correction rammer 4 that is advantageous here, since the ramming quality sensor 6 is already located in the loading path L after the ramming by the rammer or the correction rammer 4 and does not have to be brought into the loading path L. Furthermore, it is also conceivable to dispose the ramming quality sensor 6 not outside, but within the barreled weapon 10, in particular in or on the return latch 5. Thus for example, the ramming quality sensor 6 does not have to be first brought into the loading path L and there would be other possibilities available for detection of the ramming quality, such as contact measurements or inductive measuring methods for detecting the location of the ammunition body 2.

[0044] In the next step, after a ramming error has been detected and the ramming quality sensor 6 is removed from the loading path L, a correction rammer 4 is positioned in the loading path L, as shown in FIG. 4. The positioning of the correction rammer 4 in the loading path L that is not shown is preferably carried out transversely to the loading path L. Thus, the spatial region parallel to the loading path L is used in order to store the correction rammer 4 in its standby position without further restricting the limited area behind the barreled weapon 10. In a similar way as with the ramming quality sensor 6, the correction rammer 4 can also be disposed on the loading arm, on the ramming quality sensor 6 and/or on the rammer.

[0045] The correction rammer 4 can be a free-flying rammer, a guided rammer or a combination of both. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the correction rammer 4 is in the form of a telescopically extendable rammer as a type of loading slider. Equally conceivable are other types of rammers, such as chain rammers.

[0046] To correct the ramming error, the correction rammer 4 is first moved along the loading path L up to the contact shown in FIG. 5 with the ammunition body 2. This approach movement of the correction rammer 4 to the ammunition body 2 takes place at different speed levels of the correction rammer 4. During the approach movement a measurement means that is not shown registers the distance between the correction rammer 4 and the ammunition body 2. The speed level of the correction rammer 4 is controlled using the distance. A first, preferably larger part of the feeding movement takes place in a fast speed stage. In this way, the required approach time is kept short. A second part of the approach movement is carried out at a slow speed level until the correction rammer 4 contacts the ammunition body 2. In this way, damage to the ammunition body 2 by the correction rammer 4 is avoided.

[0047] A force sensor that is also not shown determines the force acting on the correction rammer 4. For this purpose, the force sensor can be disposed between components in the force flow or at the barrel-side end of the correction rammer 4. The contact between the correction rammer 4 and the ammunition body 2 is detected using the measured force. In addition, when ramming the ammunition body 2 into the rammed position, a predefined force limit is exceeded, for example when the driving band that is not shown is deformed. Thus, when using a guided rammer as a correction rammer 4, the force sensor can be used to determine the force that occurs when the ammunition body 2 has correctly taken up its rammed position.

[0048] After the correction rammer 4 has come into contact with the ammunition body 2, the correction rammer 4 accelerates the ammunition body 2 along the loading path L away from the loading end of the barreled weapon. Preferably, this acceleration is carried out at a faster speed level of the correction rammer 4, which is in particular faster than the fast speed level of the approach movement. In this way, the time required for the ramming process is further reduced.

[0049] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the acceleration of the ammunition body 2 is carried out until the correction rammer 4 has reached a position shown in FIG. 7 on the rammer side before the rammed position. At this position, the telescopically extendable correction rammer 4 shown decelerates, reverses its direction of movement and begins to concertina towards the loading-side end of the barreled weapon 10. Due to the inertia thereof, the accelerated ammunition body 2 continues the movement thereof independently of the correction rammer 4 in a virtually free flying manner until reaching the rammed position.

[0050] While the ammunition body 2 is travelling along the remaining section of the loading path L to the rammed position, the correction rammer 4 is already moving back along the loading path L to its initial position. Thus, the correction rammer 4 takes up the starting position shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 8 again in a time-saving way, since moving the correction rammer 4 out of the barrel 11 of the barreled weapon 10 takes place temporally in parallel with the ramming movement of the ammunition body 2.

[0051] In the next step, the correction rammer 4 is removed from the loading path L and the ramming quality sensor 6 is reintroduced into the loading path L as described above. As the representation in FIG. 9 shows, the ramming quality sensor 6 again determines the ramming quality of the ammunition body 2. If a correctly rammed ammunition body 2 is detected in the rammed position, as shown in FIG. 9, the operation of the barreled weapon 10 is continued in the standard manner. Thus, the ammunition body 2 can be fired or further ammunition bodies 2 can be loaded into the barreled weapon 10. If, on the other hand, the ramming quality sensor 6 again detects a ramming error, the correction ramming is carried out again from the step shown in FIG. 4.

[0052] By using the device described above, the risk to the operator can be significantly reduced, since an automatic correction of a ramming error without the manual intervention of the operator is enabled. For this purpose, the operator therefore no longer has to leave his protected operating position and therefore does not expose himself to an increased risk of danger.

REFERENCE CHARACTER LIST

[0053] 1 Device [0054] 2 Ammunition body [0055] 4 Correction rammer [0056] 5 Return latch [0057] 6 Ramming quality sensor [0058] 10 Barreled weapon [0059] 11 Barrel [0060] 12 Loading chamber [0061] L Loading path