Abstract
A sear assembly for a weapon, the weapon comprising a hammer adapted to contact with the sear assembly and a trigger disconnected from the sear assembly, the sear assembly comprises a sear for mechanically engaging a sear surface on the hammer, a lever mechanically coupled by one end to the sear, the lever comprising a contact surface that causes the rotation of the sear, an actuator that actuates the lever by means of a cam, and a trigger sensor that is configured to determine if the trigger is pulled. In this regard, the trigger sensor is a coil. The sear assembly comprises a firing state and a safe state.
Claims
1. A sear assembly for a weapon, the weapon comprising a hammer adapted to contact with the sear assembly and a trigger disconnected from the sear assembly, wherein the sear assembly comprises: a sear for mechanically engaging a sear surface on the hammer; a lever mechanically coupled by one end to the sear, the lever comprising a contact surface that causes the rotation of the sear; an actuator that actuates the lever by means of a cam; and a trigger sensor that is configured to determine if the trigger is pulled, wherein the trigger sensor comprises a coil, wherein the sear assembly comprises: a firing state, wherein the actuator actuates the lever by means of the cam such that the contact surface of the lever causes the rotation of the sear in a counterclockwise direction, such that the sear disengages the sear surface on the hammer allowing at least a shot to be fired when pulling the trigger; a safe state, wherein the actuator actuates the lever by means of the cam such that the contact surface of the lever causes the rotation of the sear in a clockwise direction, such that the sear engages the sear surface on the hammer impeding a shot to be fired when pulling the trigger.
2. The sear assembly of claim 1, which further comprises a selector operable at least between the firing state and the safe state of the sear assembly.
3. The sear assembly of claim 2, which further comprises a selector sensor for identifying the position of the selector.
4. The sear assembly according of claim 3, wherein the selector sensor comprises a coil.
5. The sear assembly of claim 3, wherein the trigger sensor and/or the selector sensor further comprises a coil core of a ferromagnetic material.
6. The sear assembly of claim 3, wherein the trigger sensor and/or the selector sensor are at least partially located in a grip of the weapon.
7. The sear assembly of claim 1, which further comprises means for identifying the position of the cam.
8. The sear assembly of claim 7, wherein the means for identifying the position of the cam comprises one or more magnetic field sensors, preferably hall sensors, associated with one or more magnetic elements established on the cam, preferably magnets or electromagnets.
9. The sear assembly of claim 1, wherein the actuator is a motor or an electromagnet.
10. The sear assembly of claim 1, wherein the actuator is located in the grip of the weapon.
11. The sear assembly of claim 1 for firing a weapon in an automatic mode.
12. The sear assembly of claim 1 for firing a weapon in a semi-automatic mode.
13. A weapon comprising the sear assembly of claim 1.
14. A method for selecting between a firing state or a safe state of a sear assembly for a weapon, the weapon comprising a hammer adapted to contact with the sear assembly and a trigger disconnected from the sear assembly, the sear assembly comprising: a sear for mechanically engaging a sear surface on the hammer; a lever mechanically coupled by one end to the sear, the lever comprising a contact surface that causes the rotation of the sear; an actuator that actuates the lever by means of a cam; and a trigger sensor that is configured to determine if the trigger is pulled, wherein the trigger sensor comprises a coil, the method comprising: selecting the firing state of the sear assembly, wherein in the firing state, the actuator actuates the lever by means of the cam such that the contact surface of the lever causes the rotation of the sear in a counterclockwise direction, such that the sear disengages the sear surface on the hammer allowing at least a shot to be fired when pulling the trigger; or selecting the safe state of the sear assembly, wherein in the safe state, the actuator actuates the lever by means of the cam such that the contact surface of the lever causes the rotation of the sear in a clockwise direction, such that the sear engages the sear surface on the hammer impeding a shot to be fired when pulling the trigger.
15. The sear assembly of claim 4, wherein the trigger sensor and/or the selector sensor further comprises a coil core of a ferromagnetic material, preferably steel.
16. The sear assembly of claim 4, wherein the trigger sensor and/or the selector sensor are at least partially located in a grip of the weapon.
17. The sear assembly of claim 5, wherein the trigger sensor and/or the selector sensor are at least partially located in a grip of the weapon.
18. The sear assembly of claim 1, configured for enabling firing of the weapon in both an automatic mode and in a semiautomatic mode.
19. The weapon of claim 14, wherein the weapon comprises an only sear for firing in automatic or semiautomatic mode.
20. The weapon of claim 14, the weapon comprising an electromechanical firing mechanism, the electromechanical firing mechanism comprising: the sear assembly; electronics comprising selection means for performing selection between the firing state and the safe state of the sear assembly; a processing unit to control the actuator based on said selection; and a battery.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0044] For the purpose of aiding the understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred practical embodiment thereof and in order to complement this description, the following figures are attached as an integral part thereof, having an illustrative and non-limiting character:
[0045] FIG. 1 shows an example of a grip and a lower receiver for a weapon on which the sear assembly of the invention can be mounted.
[0046] FIGS. 2A and 2B show the internal part of the grip and the main components of sear assembly according to the present invention, from the left side and the right side of the weapon, respectively.
[0047] FIGS. 3A and 3B are exploded perspective views of some of the elements of the sear assembly of the present invention, according to a preferred embodiment.
[0048] FIGS. 4A and 4B show left side views of some of the elements of the sear assembly of the present invention, according to a preferred embodiment.
[0049] FIGS. 5A and 5B show left side views of the trigger sensor of the present invention.
[0050] FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross sections along the lines VIA-VIA and VIB-VIB of FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively.
[0051] FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C show right side views of the selector sensor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0052] FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are cross sections along the lines VIIIA-VIIIA, VIIIB-VIIIB and VIIIC-VIIIC of FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C, respectively.
[0053] FIGS. 9A and 9B show a perspective view of the means for identifying the position of the cam when the sear assembly is in the safe state (FIG. 9A) and when the sear assembly is in the firing state (FIG. 9B).
[0054] FIG. 10 shows a left side view with the electromechanical firing mechanism comprising the sear assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0055] FIG. 11 shows a left side view of a weapon comprising the sear assembly according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0056] A detailed description of the sear assembly, the electromechanical firing mechanism for a firing weapon, as well as a method for selecting between a firing state and a safe state using the proposed sear assembly according to the present invention.
[0057] As previously described, in the context of the present invention, when we refer to left side or right side of the weapon, we refer to it from the shooter point of view while firing, being the barrel of the weapon the front part and the backstrap of the weapon the back part.
[0058] Moreover, in the context of the present invention, when we refer to clockwise or counterclockwise direction, we refer to it looking to the weapon from left side of the weapon.
[0059] FIG. 1 shows an example of a grip (103) and a lower receiver (104) for a weapon on which the sear assembly (100) of the invention can be mounted. Also, a trigger (102) and a hammer (101) are shown. FIGS. 2A-B show the internal part of the grip (103) for illustrative purposes and the main components of the sear assembly (100) of the invention. FIG. 2A is a view from the left side of the weapon and FIG. 2B is a view from the right side of the weapon, both being, the barrel the front part of the weapon, and the backstrap the back part.
[0060] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the proposed sear assembly (100) comprises a sear (110) for mechanically engaging a sear surface (110a) on the hammer (101), a lever (120) mechanically coupled by one end to the sear (110), the lever (120) comprising a contact surface (120a) that causes the rotation of the sear (110), an actuator (130) that actuates the lever (120) by means of a cam (140), and a trigger sensor (150) that is configured to determine if the trigger (102) is pulled. As can be seen as an example in FIGS. 2A, 5 and 6, the trigger sensor (150) comprises a coil.
[0061] FIGS. 3 and 4 shows some of the elements of the sear assembly (100) of the present invention in a safe state (FIGS. 3A and 4A), and a firing state (FIGS. 3B and 4B). FIGS. 3A and 3B are exploded perspective views of sear assembly (100) of the present invention from the left side of the weapon, while FIGS. 4A and 4B are left side views of the sear assembly (100) of the present invention.
[0062] FIGS. 3A and 4A shows the safe state of the sear assembly (100), wherein the actuator (130) actuates the lever (120) by means of the cam (140) such that the contact surface (120a) of the lever (120) causes the rotation of the sear (110) in a clockwise direction, such that the sear (110) engages the sear surface (110a) on the hammer (101) impeding a shot to be fired when pulling the trigger (102).
[0063] FIGS. 3B and 4B shows the firing state of the sear assembly (100), wherein the actuator (130) actuates the lever (120) by means of the cam (140) such that the contact surface (120a) of the lever (120) causes the rotation of the sear (110) in a counterclockwise direction, such that the sear (110) disengages the sear surface (110a) on the hammer (101) allowing at least a shot to be fired when pulling the trigger (102).
[0064] As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the actuator (130), which in a preferred embodiment is a motor located in the grip (103) of the weapon, causes the rotation of the cam (140) in the direction of rotation (R), visible in FIGS. 3A and 3B, which is preferably perpendicular to a shaft (121) of the lever (120). The rotation of the cam (140) causes, by direct physical contact, the rotation of the lever (120) around its shaft (121) in a counterclockwise direction (safe state) or a clockwise direction (firing state). The rotation of the lever (120) causes, through the contact surface (120a) of the lever (120), the rotation of the sear (110) around a shaft (111), parallel to the shaft (121) of the lever (120), in a clockwise direction (safe state) or a counterclockwise direction (firing state), which, in turn, through the sear surface (110a) on the hammer (101), impedes (safe state) or allows (firing state) the rotation of the hammer (101) around a shaft (1101), parallel to the shaft (111) of the sear (110), impeding (safe state) or allowing (firing state) a shot to be fired.
[0065] It is extremely important to know if the trigger is pulled in order to allow (firing state) or impede (safe state) a shot to be fired, reducing the risk of accidents.
[0066] FIGS. 5-6 show in detail the trigger sensor (150) of the sear assembly (100), according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The trigger sensor (150) is configured to determine if the trigger (102) is pulled. As previously described, the trigger sensor (150) comprises a coil. FIGS. 5A and 5B are left side views of the trigger sensor (150). FIG. 6A is a cross section along the line VIA-VIA of FIG. 5A, and FIG. 6B is a cross section along the line VIB-VIB of FIG. 5B.
[0067] FIGS. 5A and 6A show the trigger sensor (150) when the trigger (102) is not pulled and FIGS. 5B and 6B show the trigger sensor (150) when the trigger (102) is pulled. As can be seen, the trigger sensor (150) is a coil.
[0068] As may be seen as an exemplary embodiment in FIG. 5A, the trigger sensor (150) comprises a coil and a coil core (151) of a ferromagnetic material, preferably steel. Optionally, the trigger sensor (150) additionally comprises a coil core cap (153) and an elastic element, preferably a compression spring (152) between the coil core cap (153) and the grip (103), to bias the movement of the coil core cap (153) and the coil core (151). As illustrated in FIGS. 5-6 there is a direct physical contact between the trigger (102) and the coil core (151). In this way when the trigger (102) is pulled, the movement of the trigger (102) causes the movement of the coil core (151), while the trigger sensor (150) remains stationary, causing a variation in the core of the coil. As may be seen in FIG. 6A, when the trigger is not pulled, the coil core (151) is in its lowest position, the trigger sensor (150) having a value of inductance. When the trigger is pulled, shown in FIG. 6B, the coil core (151) moves to its highest position, being less coil core (151) inside the trigger sensor (150), causing a decrease in the inductance of the coil, making it possible to determine when the trigger (102) is or not being pulled. As shown for example in FIG. 5A, in a preferred embodiment, trigger sensor (150) is at least partially located in a grip (103) of the weapon.
[0069] As it will be described in relation to FIGS. 7-8, another important optionally characteristic of the present invention is that comprises a selector (160) operable at least between the firing state and the safe state of the sear assembly (100), and a selector sensor (170) for identifying the position of the selector (160), wherein the selector sensor (170) comprises a coil. As it has been described previously, the sear assembly (100) of the present invention comprises a safe state and a firing state. This firing state can be a semiautomatic firing state wherein the weapon releases only a shot when the trigger is pulled, or an automatic firing state, wherein the weapon releases multiple shots while the trigger is pulled.
[0070] The addition of the selector sensor (170) permits to know if the weapon is in the safe state, semiautomatic firing state or in the automatic firing state. In this way, the proposed invention allows to control the release of shots in both, the semiautomatic and the automatic firing state. A particularly important advantage of the present invention is that it allows, by controlling the interaction between the sear (110) and the hammer (101), to control and/or reduce the firing rate of the weapon.
[0071] As previously introduced, FIGS. 7-8 show in detail the selector sensor (170) for identifying the position of the selector (160). FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C are right side views of the selector sensor (170). FIG. 8A is a cross section along the line VIIIA-VIIIA of FIG. 7A, and FIG. 8B is a cross section along the line VIIIB-VIIIB of FIG. 7B, and FIG. 8C is a cross section along the line VIIIC-VIIIC of FIG. 7C. FIGS. 7A and 8A show the selector sensor (170) when the selector (160) is in the safe state, FIGS. 7B and 8B show the selector sensor (170) when the selector (160) is in the semiautomatic firing state, and FIGS. 7C and 8C show the selector sensor (170) when the selector (160) is in the automatic firing state. As seen, the selector sensor (170) is a coil.
[0072] As can be seen as an exemplary embodiment in FIG. 7A, the selector sensor (170) comprises a coil and a coil core (171) of a ferromagnetic material, preferably steel. Optionally, the selector sensor (170) additionally comprises a selector detent (173) and an elastic element, preferably a compression spring (172) between the coil core (171) and the grip (103) to bias the movement of the coil core (171) and the selector detent (173). As it is illustrated in FIGS. 7-8, there is a direct physical contact between the selector (160) and the selector detent (173). Then, any movement in the selector (160) is transferred to the selector detent (173). Moreover, the selector detent (173) is in direct physical contact with the coil core (171) and translates any movement to it with the help of the compression spring (172). In this way, any movement of the selector (160) is transferred to a movement on the coil core (171). As the trigger sensor (150) remains always stationary, any movement of the selector (160) causes a variation in the core of the trigger sensor (170), that is to say, in the core of the coil and, as a result, in the inductance of the coil, making it possible to identify the position of the selector in any case. As may be seen in FIG. 8A, where the selector (160) is in the safe state of the sear mechanism (100), the coil core (171) is in its highest position. When the selector (160) is in the semiautomatic firing state, FIG. 8B, the coil core (171) is in a lower position than in the safe state, causing an increment in the value of the inductance of the selector sensor (170). Finally, when the selector (160) is in the automatic firing state, FIG. 8C, the coil core (171) is in its lowest position, being the position with the highest value of the inductance of the selector sensor (170). In this way, it is possible to know the position of the selector and to act in consequence. As shown for example in FIG. 7A, in a preferred embodiment, selector sensor (170) is at least partially located in a grip (103) of the weapon.
[0073] FIGS. 9A and 9B show that the present invention comprises means for identifying the position of the cam (140) by means of a hall sensor (141) associated with a magnet (142) established on the cam (140). FIG. 9A shows the hall sensor (141) and the magnet (142) when the sear assembly (100) is in the safe state, and FIG. 9B shows the hall sensor (141) and the magnet (142) when the sear assembly (100) is in the firing state. As may be seen, the position of the magnet (142) in the safe state changes respect to the position of the magnet (142) in the firing state, causing a variation in the intensity of the magnetic field that it is measured by the hall sensor (141), that remains stationary.
[0074] FIG. 10 shows an electromechanical firing mechanism (1100) according to the present invention suitable for a weapon. In the electromechanical firing mechanism (1100), the actuator (130) is powered by a power supply (such as a battery) housed in a grip (1110) of a weapon, where the rest of the control electronics (1120) are housed. The electronics (1120) can comprise selection means for performing selection between the firing state and the safe state of the sear assembly (100) and a processing unit to control the actuator (130) of the sear assembly (100) based on said selection. The electromechanical firing mechanism (1100) can comprise a battery.
[0075] FIG. 11 shows the weapon (1200) comprising the electromechanical firing mechanism (1100) according to the present invention that includes the sear assembly (100). Particularly it is shown the sear (110), the lever (120) mechanically coupled by one end to the sear (110) and the actuator (130) that actuates the lever (120) by means of a cam (140). It is also shown the electronics (1120) housed in the grip (1110). FIG. 11 also shows as part of the weapon (1200) the hammer (1210) and the trigger (1220).
[0076] In this text, the term comprises and its derivations (such as comprising, etc.) should not be understood in an excluding sense, that is, these terms should not be interpreted as excluding the possibility that what is described and defined may include further elements, steps, etc. The invention is obviously not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but also encompasses any variations that may be considered by any person skilled in the art within the general scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
