Automatic cannon with carbioid-shaped shell chamber path

Abstract

An automatic cannon, especially for cylindrical, telescoped shells, comprises a receiver in which is rotatably mounted an interconnected gun barrel and barrel extension or rotor. The rotor is connected to a power source, which may be an external source, for being driven at a relatively uniform rotational velocity for firing. A chamber having two laterally spaced apart, feed through, shell-holding cavities, is radially slidably mounted in a centrally located, transverse rotor aperture. Three cooperative camming means, responsive to rotor rotation, cause shell feeding, firing and ejection. Shell camming means simultaneously transport shells from an associated feeder into the chamber cavities and fired shell casings from the chamber cavities to a receiver ejection port. Chamber camming means cause the chamber to slide radially, while rotating, so that each of the shell holding cavities trace out a preferably cardioid-shaped path, the cavities being aligned with the barrel for shell firing at the cusp of the path so that a preselected firing dwell time of the cavities at the firing position is provided. Shells are fed into the cavities and fired casings are pushed from the cavities when the cavities are out of alignment with the barrel. Firing pin camming means operate a rotor-mounted firing pin in a manner that shells are fired as soon as they are moved by the chamber into the firing position. Preferably first and second camming means are generally symmetrical so that the gun can be operated in either rotor rotational direction, with shells being fed forwardly for one rotational direction and rearwardly for the opposite rotational direction.