Ammunition Delinker for a Firearm

Abstract

A delinker (150) for a firearm may feature a modular delinker shaft (152) such that individual components may be replaced when they fail, rather than replacing a whole shaft. Push rods (164) may be keyed to guides (162) to counter centrifugal, inertial, force. Lock rods (170) may be used to accomplish the keyed interaction. Firing bolts may also utilize the keyed construction.

Claims

1. A delinking apparatus for linked ammunition, the apparatus comprising: a delinker shaft having a feed spindle on one end and a feed sprocket proximate a middle of the delinker shaft; a guide sleeve on an end of the delinker shaft opposite the feed spindle, the guide sleeve being removable from the delinker shaft and further comprising a plurality of guide troughs; a drive gear residing on the guide sleeve; a plurality of push rods, one residing in each guide trough and interfacing with the guide sleeve in a manner to allow longitudinal motion along an axis of the delinker shaft such that each push rod may extend through the drive gear.

2. The delinking apparatus of claim 1, the push rods being keyed against centrifugal forces within the guide troughs.

3. The delinking apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of guide rods, at least one for each push rod, the guide rods and push rods interacting to cam the push rods within the guide troughs.

4. The delinking apparatus of claim 3, the plurality of guide rods numbering two for each push rod and each guide rod is mounted upon a side of one push rod, interfacing with said side of each one push rod and a wall of one guide trough.

5. The delinking apparatus of claim 2, each push rod having a trapezoidal shape, with a longer side closer to the axis of the delinker shaft and the guide troughs having a corresponding shape being wider at a point closest to the axis of the delinker shaft than at the circumference of the guide sleeve.

6. A delinking apparatus for linked ammunition, the apparatus comprising: a delinker shaft having a feed spindle on one end and a feed sprocket proximate a middle of the delinker shaft; a guide sleeve on an end of the delinker shaft opposite the feed spindle, the guide sleeve further comprising a plurality of guide troughs; a drive gear residing on the guide sleeve; a plurality of push rods, one residing in each guide trough and interfacing with the guide sleeve in a manner to allow longitudinal motion along an axis of the delinker shaft such that each push rod may extend through the drive gear the push rods being keyed against centrifugal forces within the guide troughs

7. The delinking apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of guide rods, at least one for each push rod, the guide rods and push rods interacting to cam the push rods within the guide troughs.

8. The delinking apparatus of claim 7, the plurality of guide rods numbering two for each push rod and each guide rod is mounted upon a side of one push rod, interfacing with said side of each one push rod and a wall of one guide trough.

9. The delinking apparatus of claim 6, each push rod having a trapezoidal shape, with a longer side closer to the axis of the delinker shaft and the guide troughs having a corresponding shape being wider at a point closest to the axis of the delinker shaft than at the circumference of the guide sleeve.

10. A push rod in a rotary firearm, said rotary firearm comprising a rotating shaft defining an axis of rotation with a plurality of guide troughs and residing within a casing having a helical cam track on its interior surface; the push rod comprising: an elongate body which fits within one of the plurality of guide troughs, being keyed against centrifugal forces within the one of the plurality of guide troughs; and a cam head at a far end of the elongate body, said head interacting with the helical cam track.

11. The push rod of claim 10, further comprising at least one guide rod, the at least one guide rod and the push rod interacting to cam the push rod within the guide trough.

12. The push rod of claim 11, the at least one guide rod numbering two, with each guide rod mounted upon a side of one push rod, interfacing with said side of the push rod and a wall of one guide trough.

13. The push rod of claim 10 having a trapezoidal shape, with a longer side closer to the axis of rotation and the guide troughs having a corresponding shape being wider at a point closest to the axis of rotation than at the circumference of the rotating shaft.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a rotary firearm.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the rotary firearm of FIG. 1.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rotor and a delinker shaft for the rotary firearm of FIG. 1.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a delinker shaft for the rotary firearm of FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a rear elevation of the delinker shaft of FIG. 4, with the drive gear removed.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the delinker shaft of FIG. 5, taken along line VI-VI.

[0018] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a push rod of the delinker shaft of FIG. 4.

[0019] FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the delinker shaft.

[0020] FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the delinker shaft of FIG. 8.

[0021] FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the shaft sleeve of the delinker shaft of FIG. 8.

[0022] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the delinker rod and guide rods of the delinker shaft of FIG. 8

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0023] With reference now to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the firearm bolt is herein described. It should be noted that the articles a, an, and the, as used in this specification, include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

[0024] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a representational M134 is depicted. As can be seen, this firearm embodiment features six barrels (10) mounted on a rotor (20) driven in turn by a motor (30). Belt-linked ammunition is fed into the weapon by first entering the delinker/feeding system (50), which strips individual rounds of ammunition from connecting links and advances individual rounds of ammunition onto one of six rotating slots (22) in the rotor, each corresponding to one barrel 10 and each having one bolt (40). As the rotor (20) rotates, a cam head on each bolt 40 interfaces with a helical track (12) in the casing (14), which causes the bolts to advance and retract relative to the casing (14). Ammunition is then advanced along the cam track (12) with the bolt (40) until it is chambered in a barrel (10) and ignited. After which the bolt (40) retracts, releasing the spent ammunition casing for ejection.

[0025] The delinker (50) (FIG. 3) centers on its own delinker shaft (52) within its casing (not shown). The delinker shaft (52) supports a feed spindle (54) at its head, a two-piece feed sprocket (56) towards its middle, and a guide sleeve (58) at its rear. A drive gear (60) is fitted over the guide sleeve (58) towards the middle of the delinker shaft. This drive gear (60) interfaces with the delinker gear (28) of rotor (20) and thereby keeps the delinker in time with said rotor (20). Drive gear (60) may be removable from the guide sleeve (58) and keyed (59) to interface therewith. A preference given to providing bosses (59) on the exterior surface of the guide sleeve (58) to provide the interface between the drive gear (60) and guide sleeve (58). Preferred placement of said bosses (59) is towards the front of each ridge that defines the guides trough (or guides) (62).

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, the guide sleeve (58) provides guides (62) for push rods (64). Each push rod (64) is biased forward in turn, through the drive gear (60) and against a cartridge of ammunition 15. The push rods (64) bias each cartridge 15 forward while the feed sprocket (56) and casing maintains the next cartridge 15 in the same general location. This not only strips the cartridge from the belt link 17 that holds it to the next cartridge, but also advances the cartridge towards the feed spindle (54) so that it may then be fed into the firing system. Push rods have historically been square, but the preferred embodiment has each rod (64) keyed to the guide (62) in a manner to counter centrifugal forces imparted on the rods (64) by the rapid spinning of the shaft (52). The easiest method to do so being forming each rod as a trapezoid (FIG. 5), with a broader side positioned towards the axis of rotation and making the guides (62) keyed to hold the trapezoidal push rods (64) in place, specifically having a broader base side closest to the axis of rotation of the delinker shaft and a narrower opening along the circumference of the guide sleeve.

[0027] The interior surface of the guide sleeve (58) is ideally keyed to the delinker shaft (52) by imparting some camming surface on the shaft (52) and a corresponding surface on the guide sleeve (58). For simplicity, this is shown by imparting a hexagonal shape to both surfaces. It should be realized that any shape with enough camming interaction will suffice. Preference is given to regular polygons, such as the depicted hexagon, due to the even distribution of camming forces resulting from the regular shape. A regular and symmetrical shape also makes assembly easier in high-stress situations when a delinker component could fail. Any non-circular shape would, however, be usable. The drive gear (60) may also be of one piece with the guide sleeve (58), as is shown in FIG. 6. Two separate pieces is preferred as it allows for replacement of one discrete part (either the guide sleeve (58) or the drive gear (60)) should it break and not the entire guide sleeve (58). Following this logic, individual parts of the delinker shaft (52), namely the feed spindle (54) and feed sprocket (56), may also be made as separate pieces. It should also be noted that the guide sleeve (58) may also interface with part of the feed sprocket (56) as it naturally abuts the structure when the delinker (50) is assembled.

[0028] Feed spindle (54) is located at the head of the delinker shaft (52) and collects cartridges for feeding into the firing system. The feed spindle (54) features a plurality of feed grooves (in this case 6 to match the number of barrels) into which each cartridge is pushed by the push rods (64). As the delinker shaft (52) rotates, the cartridges interface with a hook structure in the casing (not shown) which draws each cartridge into the feed system. The feed spindle (54) may feature weight reducing cuts between the feed grooves.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 7, the push rods (64) each have a cam head (66) like that of the bolts (40) on the main rotor (20) and are guided by a helical cam track in the casing of the delinker in similar fashion. In each case, a bearing (68) is mounted on a post (67) at the hind end of push rod (64) and secured with a grommet (69). This allows for free rotation of the bearing (68) as the delinker shaft (52) rotates and forces the bearing to move within the helical track, thereby moving the push rods (64) forward and backwards.

[0030] In an alternate embodiment (150), shown in FIGS. 8-11, guide sleeve (158) may accommodate guide rods (170) to either side of the push rods (164) in each guide (162). Each guide rod (170) may be made of hardened stainless steel and provides a lower friction surface on which the push rods (164) may glide. Divots on the sides of each push rod (164) and guide (162) accommodate these guide rods (170) and allow the guide rods (170) to act as individual bosses which cam the push rods (164) in position against any centrifugal forces from the rotating delinker shaft (152). While this does increase the number of pieces for which a user would need to account, the simplicity of the shapes coupled with the lower friction of the arrangement may provide a benefit above the inconvenience of having two additional pieces in a maintenance setting. The general shape of the push rods (164) may or may not continue to mimic the trapezoidal shape previously described as the guide rod interaction is enough to cam the push rods (164) in place. However, it may be beneficial to still have a, mostly, trapezoidal shape as well as the guide rods (170).

[0031] In the preferred embodiment, the delinker shaft should be constructed of durable materials, such as metals, as these can withstand the heat of a rapid firing system, as well as from the explosions of each cartridge. Hardened steel would be an ideal choice for most of the components. However, as sufficiently durable materials are later discovered and developed, any such material may be used.

[0032] It should be noted that firearm bolts are analogous structures to push rods, especially in the context of rotary firearms. Both are elongate structures designed to move ammunition cartridges through a firearm. In the case of a rotary firearm, both utilize a cam head to move along a helical path along a rotary axis of a shaft. As such, one could consider a firearm bolt to be a slightly more specialized push rodone with a firing pin contained within and a triggering mechanism for the firing pin. Therefore, the camming strategies discussed herein could also be applied to a firearm bolt, especially in a rotary firearm and the term push rod should be read to include a bolt in a rotary firearm.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0033] The present invention is a part used in a firearm and is capable of being used and made in industry. Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, numerous modifications and variations can be made and still the result will come within the scope of the invention. No limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred.