US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Roy A Zangrando

William Burgermeister

An air, land, or sea vehicle may include a gun and a rotatable turret ring. An autoloader may be disposed in a basket fixed to the turret ring. The autoloader may include a turntable that rotates independently of the turret ring. An elevator having a track may rotate with the turntable. A carriage may be linearly translatable on the track of the elevator in directions toward and away from the plane of the turntable. A transfer device may be rotatably fixed to a pivot of the carriage. The transfer device may include a rail and a gripper that is linearly translatable on the rail.

Large caliber autoloader

The loader assist for mortars allows for the automated loading of ammunition through the muzzle. The invention assists soldiers by transporting the shell into the muzzle from a lower position near the base of the mortar tube thus reducing exposure to enfilade enemy fire and the effects of muzzle blast. The loader assist comprises a frame surrounding the mortar and attached thereto. The frame is supported on pivots mounted to a turntable such that both the invention and mortar move as a unit. A lift device is positioned at the center of the frame and parallel to the mortar axis. A carriage comprising a transfer device is positioned on top of said frame. Said elevator is comprised of two linear actuators which are positioned opposite each other, allowing the jaws on each shuttle to act in pairs with the respective jaws on the other, to grip the shell in two places. An actuator lifts the shell above the frame to hand it off to the transfer assembly, said shell displacing the elevator jaws until they fully engage and capture the shell, whereupon the lift actuator retracts to its starting position. The transfer assembly shuttles then raise the shell beyond the muzzle, translates it to the axis of the mortar, and inserts it into the tube. When the fins of the mortar are fully inserted in the mortar, the cam followers engage the cams. As the downward gravity travel of the shell continues, the contour of the cam causes the jaws to begin disengaging the shell in time for the jaws to clear the end of the mortar. As both jaws disengage, the shell falls under the influence of gravity.

Automated loader assist for mortars

An ammunition transfer system, for large caliber artillery ammunitions of varying dimension, using a shuttle moveable through the transfer device's housing to transfer a projectile into or out of the said device. The said shuttle has gripping devices to engage the rotating band and base area of the projectile to release it according to biasing cams adjacent to the path of travel. The remainder of the projectile is supported by roller devices in the housing of the transfer device. A multiplicity of storage cavities provide the means to store projectiles. The said transfer device may be mounted to a positioning system capable of aligning it with any particular storage cell and transporting it to other destinations.

Automated ammunition transfer device

An autoloader for loading ammunition from plural cavities of a magazine to breech of a gun, comprises a base having a pair of jointed links pivotally connected thereto. Actuators are connected to the links for pivoting the links from a low storage position near the magazine to an extended loading position near the breech. A loading head is fixed to the end of the links and carries a slidably mounted carriage assembly. A gripper assembly is connected to the end of the carriage assembly for receiving and gripping the flange of a round so that it can be extracted from a cavity of the magazine. With movement of the carriage assembly, the round is pulled onto the load head and guided by a guide tube fixed to the load head. The jointed links are then moved to bring the load head near the breech whereupon the carriage assembly is slid forwardly to introduce the round into the breech. Near the end of the load head which is closest to the breech, cams are provided for interacting with the gripper assembly to release the assembly's grip on the round so that the round is free to remain in the breech. The round can also be reengaged by the gripper assembly by moving the carriage assembly toward the round, whereby the round can be extracted from the breech and returned to the cavity of the magazine.

Robotic autoloader

A bolt of a dead bolt lock is moveable between a locking position and an ocking position by application of a pressurized fluid. In both the locking and unlocking positions a plurality of locking balls are urged into locking engagement with a locking groove and are maintained in such locking engagement by a resiliently urged locking cam without the necessity for maintaining the pressurized fluid once the required condition is attained. Application of the pressurized fluid unlocks the bolt, displaces it to its alternate position and locks it in place.

Dead bolt lock operable by pressurized fluid

A pneumatically-operated unlocking system suitable for use on the door of a igh security building such as a military weapons storage structure, in which each one of a pair of unlocking keys is provided with a different combination of holes and no holes arranged in an n-position pattern to define an n-bit binary code. An encoder outside of the building pneumatically reads the said binary codes on the two unlocking keys in sequence and transmits the resulting pneumatic binary codes through conduits in the building walls to a logic device inside thereof where the binary codes are compared to two n-bit reference pneumatic binary codes derived from a pair of reference keys located inside of said building. If the codes on the two unlocking keys match those on the reference keys, a pneumatic output is produced which can be used to unbolt the door from the building.

Pneumatic key lock

There is disclosed a gun operated firing device which utilizes the kinetic nergy of a gas-operated gun to generate, store and discharge voltage to fire electrically primed ammunition. The firing device contains a magnetic circuit comprised of a coil, a capacitor across the output of the coil, a diode between said capacitor and coil, a resistor in parallel with the capacitor and a switch in the form of a firing pin which connects the circuit to the primer. The circuit is in the bolt carrier of the gun which slides on an upper receiver tube containing a magnet causing the flux created to link with the coil.

Gun operated electrical firing device

An electromechanical coded actuator, upon receipt of the proper combination f electrical pulses, will unlock and cause angular displacement of an output shaft. The device comprises a rotatable notched flange integral with the output shaft, the former being keyed to the housing by a series of flat blades axially movable against a bias. A first solenoid sequentially positions a rotatable index arm over each blade, whereupon a second solenoid actuates the index arm to displace and lock selected blades in a manner to align a notch in each blade with the flange. The latter is then free to be rotated via a clutch-type coupling with the first solenoid. Additional actuation of the rotary solenoid releases the clutch allowing the flange and shaft to be returned to its original position by a spring bias, and also releases the displaced blades to lock the flange. An electrical switch actuated by the index arm defines the zero position.

Coded actuator

A coded switching device having a plurality of actuator dial knobs will, n set to a predetermined combination, provide electrical continuity between terminals on the device. Setting the dial knobs to another predetermined combination will enable the combination to be changed. The device consists of a number of stations, each comprising an actuator, a switch, and a detent mechanism, equal to the number of digits desired in the combination. Each switch is wired such that only one position will provide continuity through that switch. The switch rotors are connected to the actuators in a manner which will allow their angular relationship, and hence, the particular combination which will close all switches, to be changed by withdrawing the dial knobs in a direction outward from the device. A grooved rod extending transverse to the actuators gangs all of the actuators together for this combination change movement. Additionally, this rod restrains the switch rotors from angular rotation until the dial knobs are depressed and the actuators re-engaged with the switches.

Growing community of inventors

Boonton, NJ, United States of America

Roy A Zangrando