US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Robert H Wood

Charles H Robinson

Thinh Q Hoang

Mark R Gelak

Ryan R Knight

Gabriel L Smith

David Hollingsworth

Oliver M Barham

Apparatus for generating energy and a method of operating the apparatus to generate energy, where the apparatus comprises a coil assembly of a pair of coils circumscribing a magnet assembly that is held in a first position until, upon an acceleration event, the magnet moves from the first position to a second position, which imparts inductive energy into the coils.

Dual coil inductive energy generator

A safety fuze includes a magneto striker generator (MSG) as its a power generation source. The MSG provides energy to energize an electronic unit and a safety and arming device. The safety fuze allows safety and arming of military hand grenades, with a fully out-of-line explosive initiator and an integrated power generation means, for improving safety and performance. The MSG includes a striker and a receiving bobbin that houses a conductive coil. The striker comprises a permanent magnet that is mounted on a pivot mechanism for allowing a rotational displacement of the permanent magnet, into the bobbin, in order to generate an electrical current. As the permanent magnet is being inserted inside the bobbin, the magnetic flux change induces an electric current in the coil, creating the necessary energy for the fuze operation.

Electro-mechanical fuze for hand grenades

A safety and arming device may include a substrate and a frame fixed to the substrate. The frame may include a travel slot, a head socket, first and second gas expansion chambers having respective first and second nozzles, and first and second safety catch surfaces disposed adjacent to the respective first and second nozzles. A slider may be translatably disposed in the travel slot in the frame. The slider may include a latching head operable to latch in the head socket in an armed position of the device, a storage cavity for storing an explosive charge, first and second cantilevered arms disposed axially apart from each other and angled outwardly from the slider, and first and second deactivation cavities disposed adjacent to the respective first and second cantilevered arms. A spring may bias the slider away from the head socket.

Non-inertial safe and arm device

An ultra-miniature, electro-mechanical, MEMS type safe and arming (S&A) device for medium- or large-artillery rounds, including, three sequenced S&A interlocks: a setback slider which provides a 1interlock with respect to an arming slider which moves due to the round's spin; a stop and release mechanism that holds the arming slider until a release command signal is initiated by the fuze circuit, triggering a spot charge which generates an expanding gas wave that flexes the latch arm from contact with the safety catch, unlocking the 2interlock, thereby freeing the arming slider to continue its motion into an arming position, unlocking the 3interlock, and aligning the parts of the firetrain within the device, such that upon signal from the fuze circuit to an output charge, the device will ignite the acceptor charge within the round.

Ultra-miniature electro-mechanical safety and arming device

A ultra-miniature, electro-mechanical, MEMS type safe and arming (S&A) device for medium- or large-artillery rounds, including, three sequenced S&A interlocks: a setback slider, which is positioned partially within and partially extending from an arming slider, such that, upon firing acceleration, the setback slider will compress into a channel within the arming slider (unlocking the 1interlock); freeing the arming slider to move toward its arming position under urging of the round's spin; a stop and release mechanism formed by a flexible latch arm which impacts upon a safety catch located within the frame in which the arming slider is mounted, such that the arming slider is stopped until a release command signal is initiated by the fuze circuit, triggering a spot charge which generates an expanding gas wave that flexes the latch arm from contact with the safety catch (unlocking the 2interlock), thereby freeing the arming slider to continue its motion into an arming position (unlocking the 3interlock) and aligning the parts of the firetrain within the device, such that upon signal from the fuze circuit an output charge from the device will ignite the acceptor charge within the round.

A fuze for a submunition comprises a fuze housing with a stabilizer ribbon for aerodynamic orientation, a fuze slider released by tension on the stabilizer ribbon, an air-powered electric generator extended into the airstream by the fuze slider and powered in flight by high-speed airflow, a MEMS safety and arming device, a fuze circuit board including an explosive fireset, and an electrically initiated firetrain. The fuze is fixed to and communicates explosively with the end of a grenade warhead.

Air-powered electro-mechanical fuze for submunition grenades

A microscale firetrain for a safe and arm device having a safe position and an armed position, the firetrain including an input explosive column having a longitudinal axis; a transfer charge having a longitudinal axis and first and second ends and movable from a safe position to an armed position; a receptor charge having a longitudinal axis that is non-collinear with and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the input explosive column; wherein, in the safe position, the transfer charge is remote from both the input explosive column and the receptor charge; and wherein, in the armed position, the input explosive column is adjacent the first end of the transfer charge to thereby initiate the transfer charge, the longitudinal axis of the input explosive column is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the transfer charge, the second end of the transfer charge is adjacent the receptor charge to thereby initiate the receptor charge and the longitudinal axis of the receptor charge is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the transfer charge.

Micro-scale firetrain for ultra-miniature electro-mechanical safety and arming device

A MEMS type safety and arming device includes a substrate; a frame disposed on the substrate; a setback slider disposed in the frame, the setback slider moving linearly in response to a setback acceleration; an arming slider disposed in the frame, the arming slider moving linearly in an arming direction perpendicular to the direction of the setback acceleration and in response to spin; a setback lock lever disposed in the frame, the setback lock lever engaging the arming slider to prevent linear motion of the arming slider until the setback slider contacts and moves the setback lock lever; and a command lock rocker disposed in the frame, the command lock rocker engaging the arming slider to prevent full arming motion of the arming slider until after the command lock rocker is actuated.

Miniature MEMS-based electro-mechanical safety and arming device

An ultra-miniature, monolithic, mechanical safety and arming (S&A) device for projected munitions operates in accordance with a double interlock feature. Acceleration of the projected munition moves a delay slider into a final position, causing an arming slider and a safety interlock slider (in a first embodiment) or a command slider (in a second embodiment) to become partially disengaged. In the first embodiment, a command received by the safety interlock slider then moves it out of the way of the arming slider, thereby permitting the arming slider to move into its armed position. In the second embodiment, a command received by the command slider then moves it out of the way of the arming slider, thereby permitting the arming slider, under spring force, to move into its armed position.

Growing community of inventors

Laurel, MD, United States of America

Robert H Wood