Patents Assigned to Rheinmetall W & M GmbH
  • Patent number: 6019217
    Abstract: A packaging container for cartridge ammunition includes a box for accommodating the cartridge ammunition and an adapter sleeve disposed in the box and having a rear portion formed as a centering sleeve for surrounding a rearward sabot flange of the cartridge ammunition when situated in the packaging container. The rear portion of the adapter sleeve is affixed to an inner wall of the box. The adapter sleeve further has a forwardly conically tapering front portion having a frontal terminus for engaging a rearwardly oriented side of a frontal sabot flange of the cartridge ammunition when situated in the packaging container. The front portion of the adapter sleeve is provided with elongated apertures oriented along the box length and extending to and breaking through the frontal terminus for dividing the front portion of the adapter sleeve into radially resilient fingers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2000
    Assignee: Rheinmetall W & M GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Melan, Stefan Thiesen
  • Patent number: 6006645
    Abstract: A large-caliber weapon includes a barrel having a longitudinal barrel axis; a cradle supporting the barrel; a breech ring mounted on an end of the barrel; a breech wedge disposed in the breech ring for linear displacements transversely to the barrel axis; a control lug affixed to the breech wedge; and an opening lever pivotally mounted on the cradle for angular displacements about a lever axis oriented perpendicularly to the barrel axis. The opening lever is disposed externally of the breech ring and has an initial position and an actuated end position. The opening lever is engaged by the control lug of the breech wedge in a position of rest of the barrel such that upon motion of the opening lever from its initial position to its actuated end position, the breech wedge is moved from a closed position into an open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: Rheinmetall W & M GmbH
    Inventors: Heinz-Gunter Breuer, Hans Hulsewis
  • Patent number: 5988070
    Abstract: A plasma injection device in combination with a projectile includes a reusable multi-part propellant case which has a cartridge base and an electrically insulating case body directly attached to the cartridge base. The case body has an interior, a front end and an opposite rearward end. The rearward end of the case body is directly attached to the cartridge base. The case body has an outer surface for engaging an inner surface of a weapon tube whereby the case body constitutes an obturator. An electrode is held in the cartridge base in direct contact therewith. The electrode extends into the electrically insulating material and is exposed to the interior of the case body. The device further includes a plasma-receiving container having a front end and a rearward end; the rearward end is attached to the front end of the case body. The case body and the plasma-receiving container are substantially consecutively disposed end-to-end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Rheinmetall W & M GmbH
    Inventors: Herbert Krumm, Thomas Weise, Frank Venier, Gunter Stoffler
  • Patent number: 5965835
    Abstract: A front loading weapon includes a barrel for firing ammunition therefrom; a breechblock arranged at a rear terminal portion of the barrel; a firing pin carried by the breechblock; and an apparatus for monitoring load conditions of the barrel. The apparatus includes a body sound sensor mounted on the weapon and emitting a first signal representing body oscillations of the weapon; an electronic evaluating device connected to an output of the sensor for emitting a second signal characteristic of an impacting of a cartridge on a region of the breechblock upon loading the cartridge into the barrel; and a warning device connected to the electronic evaluating device for being actuated by the second signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1999
    Assignee: Rheinmetall W & M GmbH
    Inventor: Karl Gartz
  • Patent number: 5959238
    Abstract: A subcaliber projectile with a penetrator (4) and a cap (7) that surrounds the front of the penetrator (4) to form an air space therebetween and is tapered toward the penetrator point (6). The cap surface has at least two groove-shaped predetermined break locations (10-12) that extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis (9) of projectile (2). To achieve a secure feeding of the projectile during the firing with automatic weapons on the one hand, and a good strike capability on the other hand, at least one radial recess (15-18) is arranged in each of the groove-shaped predetermined break locations (10-12) in the region of the base half of cap (7), and extends completely through the jacket (14) of cap (7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Rheinmetall W & M GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Bisping, Jurgen Kolodzey, Wolfgang Stein, Alfons Sackarndt, Martin Podes
  • Patent number: 5945625
    Abstract: A tank turret comprising a turret housing (2), a moveable solid front armor (3) and a weapons system including a gun barrel (4) that can be pivoted and displaced in the longitudinal direction of the gun barrel, with the front armor (3) being mounted for rearward horizontal movement and connected with the gun barrel (4) in order to increase the recoiling mass, and with a damping element (11) being disposed between the front armor (3) and the turret housing (2). In order for the vertical energy component that occurs when the weapon is elevated to be substantially compensated without any reactive influence on the weapon, a recoil brake (7,7') is provided as the connection between the gun barrel (4) and the front armor (3) and the trunnions (6) of the gun barrel cradle tube (5) are mounted within the turret housing (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: Rheinmetall W & M GmbH
    Inventor: Erich Zielinski
  • Patent number: 5945624
    Abstract: In order to accommodate the ammunition (7) in an ammunition magazine (1) in a space- and mass-saving manner without an external drive, and to subsequently remove the ammunition quickly from the magazine, the individual ammunition bodies (7) are disposed, with the aid of holders (10), on the chain links (8, 9) of a rigid-backed chain (6) (ammunition chain) seated to be displaced in two rails (3, 4). In such an arrangement, the ammunition (7) can be removed quickly from the magazine (1) through the withdrawal of the chain (6) and the pivoting of the individual chain links (8, 9) toward the rear side (15) of the chain (6), and stowed again when the chain (6) is pushed back into the magazine frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: Rheinmetall W&M GmbH
    Inventors: Wilfried Becker, Hans-Ulrich Desgranges, Heinz Haas, Uwe Eisenkolb
  • Patent number: 5929363
    Abstract: A method of destroying hidden land mines includes steps of providing a hole in the ground of a mine-contaminated area; placing into the hole a device which generates a shock wave by wire explosion; connecting the device to a switchable current source; and applying a current pulse from the current source to the device for causing a wire explosion thereof to generate a shock wave in the ground for destroying mines hidden in the area within the effective range of the shock wave. The device has a plastic tube filled with a liquid; a wire passing through the liquid; and electrodes disposed at opposite ends of the tube. The wire is connected to the electrodes, and the electrodes are connectable to a current source for applying a current pulse from the current source to the wire to effect explosion thereof for generating the shock wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignees: Rheinmetall W & M GmbH, TZN Forschungs- und Entwicklungszentrum Unterluss
    Inventors: Helmut Neff, Alexei Voronov, Dirk Kilfitt
  • Patent number: 5836540
    Abstract: A projectile having a longitudinal axis, a sensor disposed in the substantially pointed front end of the projectile for detecting a respective target, and electronics connected to the output of the sensor for igniting a correction charge to effect a correction of the flight path of the projectile by a predetermined angle (.delta..sub.0). In order to install the apparatus for flight-path correction into the respective projectile completely and in a space-saving manner, so that, unlike in known projectiles, corresponding evaluation and signal-transmission units in the respective weapon carrier can be omitted and complicated gyroscopic systems in the projectile can be omitted, the sensor determines the angle (.delta.) between the longitudinal axis of the projectile and the line (target line) connecting the projectile and the target, and when an angle (.delta..sub.0) is reached that is identical in size/magnitude to the deviation caused by the respective correction charge, the electronics ignite this charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: Rheinmetall W & M GmbH
    Inventors: Rudolf Romer, Gerd Wollmann