Raytheon Company

Stephen M Bagg

Jeremy C Danforth

David G Garrett

Matthew H Summers

Dmitry V Knyazev

Gaines S Gibson

An electrical device has device electrical contacts that are initially shunted together, to prevent accidental triggering or damage to the device, such as by electrostatic forces. The device is configured to be inserted into a receptacle, with parts of the receptacle disengaging the shunt and making electrical connection within the receptacle, such as with a shunt cutter. The receptacle may also include a pair of receptacle electrical contacts the electrically connect to the device electrical contacts. The configuration, where the shunt is only cut as part of the installation process, enables safer handling of initially-shunted devices, and can also facilitate making blind electrical connections. Making blind connection directly with parts of the receptacle also avoids the need to thread wires through the electrical receptacle and make electrical connections in another way.

Electrical device with shunt, and receptacle

A projectile, such as a railgun-launched projectile, includes a single-piece body that is additively manufactured. The single piece body includes fuel within it, and one or more cavities for receiving an oxidizer. The body also defines one or more combustion chambers therein for combustion of the fuel and oxidizer as part of a divert thruster system. Thus the projectile is able to fully contain the divert thruster system within the single-piece body without using any hot gas seals as part of the system. The body may also define a cavity for receiving a pressurized fluid, used as part of a cold-gas attitude control system of the projectile. The body may also define passages between the pressurized fluid cavity and other parts of the attitude control system, such as valves and/or nozzles that are outside of the body, for example being aft of the one-piece body.

Projectile with single-piece main body

A method of making an electrical connection includes soldering using channels in a receptacle to direct hot air (or another hot gas) to effect soldering where the electrical connection is to be made. The connection may be made between device electrical contacts of an electrical device, and other contacts, such as receptacle contacts of the receptacle. The connection may be a blind connection, one in which the connected ends of the contacts are hidden or unable to be directly physically accessed, when the connection is made. The electrical connection may be made between device contacts of an electrical device that is inserted into the receptacle, and receptacle electrical contacts that are part of the receptacle. The channels for directing the hot gas to where the soldering occurs may be parts of the receptacle, for example being produced during additive manufacture of the receptacle.

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Boston, MA, United States of America

Stephen M Bagg