Firing device for firing cartridge ammunition

Abstract

A firing device for firing cartridge ammunition comprising a case head, which has on its outer circumference at least one peripheral, groove-shaped depression. In order to achieve secure arrestment of the ammunition in the firing device when the firing device is loaded from the muzzle end, a head piece and a tubular ammunition receiving-device is provided, wherein the ammunition receiving-device is arranged such that it can be moved axially in the direction of the head piece against the pressure of a restoring element. In this case, the head piece includes an annular guiding element, which extends axially into the ammunition receiving-device and has multiple guiding openings, which extend through the wall of the guiding element and are in each case of a form that is angled from the outer side of the guiding element in the direction of the opening of the ammunition receiving-device.

Claims

1. A firing device for firing cartridge ammunition with a case head, having on its outer circumference at least one circumferential, groove-shaped depression, the firing device comprising: a head piece; and a tubular ammunition receiving-device fixed to a front-side of the head piece; wherein the ammunition receiving-device is slidably mounted against the pressure of a restoring element, axially in the direction of the head piece; and wherein the head piece has an annular guiding element, which axially extends inside of the ammunition receiving-device, such that when the firing device is loaded with the ammunition, the groove-shaped depression of the ammunition is at least partially enclosed by the annular guiding element.

2. The firing device according to claim 1, wherein the annular guiding element includes multiple guiding openings, in each of which a locking element is slidably disposed, and which are arranged distributed over the periphery and which extend through a wall of the guiding element.

3. The firing device according to claim 2, wherein the guiding openings are each obliquely directed from the outside of the guiding element to a muzzle of the ammunition receiving-device.

4. The firing device according to claim 2, wherein the locking elements are acted upon by spring elements, on the side facing away from the ammunition receiving-device, such that when the firing device is loaded with the ammunition, the locking elements of the spring elements are pressed into the groove-shaped depression of the ammunition to lock the ammunition.

5. The firing device according to claim 4, wherein the locking elements are displaceably arranged by the ammunition receiving-device in such a way that upon an axial displacement of the ammunition receiving-device in the direction of the head piece, the locking elements are slidable against the pressure of the spring elements from the groove-shaped depression of the ammunition into the guiding openings of the guiding element, so that the locking of the ammunition is lifted by the locking elements.

6. The firing device according to claim 4, wherein the spring elements acting on the locking elements are wave springs.

7. The firing device according to claim 6, wherein the wave springs circumferentially surround the annular guiding element and abut against a first side of a movable ring that is slidably mounted on the annular guiding element, wherein a second side of the movable ring, that opposes the first side, abuts the locking elements, such that the wave springs act on the locking elements via the movable ring.

8. The firing device according to claim 4, wherein the locking elements are cylindrical pins, wherein the cylindrical pins each have a cylindrical body portion and two end faces, and wherein the cylindrical body portion contacts the groove-shaped depression when the ammunition is locked.

9. The firing device according to claim 2, wherein the locking elements are pin-shaped.

10. The firing device according to claim 2, wherein the locking elements are cylindrical pins.

11. The firing device according to claim 10, wherein the cylindrical pins are each slidable in a direction that is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical pins.

12. The firing device according to claim 1, wherein the head piece and the ammunition receiving-device are detachably interconnected.

13. The firing device according to claim 12, wherein the head piece and the ammunition receiving-device are interconnected via a bayonet connection.

14. The firing device according to claim 1, wherein the restoring element is a spring.

Description

(1) Further details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following, explained in the exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures.

(2) Shown are:

(3) FIG. 1 shows the side view of a firing device according to the invention, loaded with ammunition;

(4) FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-section along the intersection line, labeled as II-II in FIG. 1, and

(5) FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the section, identified in FIG. 2 as III;

(6) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the arresting device of the firing device.

(7) In FIGS. 1 and 2, a launching device according to the invention is denoted by 1, which is a firing device or a weapon launch system, etc., for firing cartridge ammunition, for example, pyrotechnic ammunition 2 (also submunitions with effective masses). On its rear side, the ammunition 2 has a case head 20 with at least one, groove-shaped depression 3, revolving on its outer circumference.

(8) The firing device 1 comprises a head piece 4 and a tubular ammunition receiving-device 5, which is attached to the head piece 4 by its front side. The head piece 4 and the ammunition receiving-device 5 are detachably interconnected via a connection 14, preferably a bayonet connection. The ammunition receiving-device 5 is in turn slidably and axially disposed in the direction of the head piece 4 against the pressure of a spring 6, which is indicated in FIG. 1 by an arrow 100.

(9) The head piece 4 comprises an annular guiding element 7 (FIG. 3), which axially extends into the ammunition receiving-device 5, such that the groove-shaped depression 3 of the ammunition 2 is at least partially enclosed by the annular guiding element 7 after loading.

(10) The annular guiding element 7 preferably contains two openings 9 which are uniformly and laterally disposed on the circumference and extend transversely through the wall 8 (FIG. 4) of the guiding element 7. In this exemplary embodiment, the openings 9 extend obliquely rearward to the head piece 4.

(11) Each opening 9 of the guiding element 7 serves for receiving a cylindrical pin 10 which is slidably integrated along the sloped path toward the head piece 4. These cylindrical pins 10 are acted upon by a wave spring 11 that is integrated in the guiding element 7 (FIG. 4), such that during loading, the cylindrical pins 10 are pressed by the wave spring 11 into the openings 9 and thus into the groove-shaped depression 3 of the ammunition 2, thereby locking the munition into position. The wave spring 11 thereby is supported by a movable ring 15, which abuts the cylindrical pins 10.

(12) The cylindrical pins 10 can be displaced by the ammunition receiving-device 5, such that when an axial displacement of the ammunition receiving-device 5 against the pressure of the wave springs 11, 12, in the direction of the arrow 100 (i.e. toward the head piece 4) takes place, the cylinder pins 10 are moved out from the groove-shaped depression 3 of the ammunition 2 into the guiding openings 9 of the guiding element 7, so that the locking of the ammunition 2 is lifted by the cylinder pins 10, and the ammunition 2 can be discharged.

(13) The procedure is as follows:

(14) For loading or loading up the firing device 1, the pyrotechnic ammunition 2 is inserted into the muzzle 12 of the ammunition receiving-device 5. By pushing the ammunition 2 into the ammunition receiving-device 5, the front edge-side portion 21 of the case head 20 of the ammunition 2 reaches the cylindrical pins 10 protruding into the loading area 13 of the firing device 1. These are then pushed against the pressure of the wave springs 11, 12 into the guiding openings 9 of the guiding elements 7, so that the ammunition can be axially pushed further into the firing device 1 until the cylindrical pins 10 engage in the groove-shaped depression 3 of the ammunition and arrest the ammunition 2 in the firing device 1. The guiding element 7 and the wave spring 11 then prevent the ammunition 2 from moving towards the muzzle 12 of the ammunition receiving-device 5.

(15) To unload the ammunition 2, the ammunition receiving-device 5 is pressed in the direction of the arrow 100. This urges both the spring 6 and the cylindrical pins 10 axially toward the head piece 4. The guiding openings 9 of the guiding element 7 then guide the cylindrical pins 10 outwards, so that the arresting of the ammunition 2 is canceled and discharge on the muzzle side can be achieved.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(16) 1 firing device, grenade launcher 2 (pyrotechnic) ammunition 3 groove-shaped depression 4 head piece 5 ammunition receiving-device 6 restoring element, spring 7 guiding element 8 wall 9 guiding opening 10 (pin-shaped) locking element, cylindrical pin 11 spring element, wave spring 12 muzzle 13 loading area 14 connection 15 ring (support for wave spring) 20 case head 21 edge-side area 100 arrow