Patents by Inventor Udo Weinfurth

Udo Weinfurth has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6000313
    Abstract: A carrier vehicle (1) for a tube weapon (2) having a resiliently arranged undercarriage (3) and a support arrangement (5) which in the combat-ready position is arranged between the vehicle (1) and the ground (4), with the support arrangement comprising at least one support (6). To avoid manual readjustment of the support arrangements (5), even when firing from a position with a soft underground, the supports (6), which are disposed at the tail of the vehicle (1), are arranged so as to be slidable in the direction of their longitudinal axes (7) via a positioning motor (15). The positioning motor (15) is connected to an electronic control device (16) which actuates the positioning motor (15) in a manner such that the support (6) is pressed against the ground (4) with a definable force before a shot is fired and compensation is provided for the gap (18) which occurs between the support (6) and the ground (4) after a shot has been fired because of the resilient yielding and rebounding of the undercarriage (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Rheinmetall Industrie AG
    Inventors: Wilfried Becker, Hans-Ulrich Desgranges, Uwe Eisenkolb, Heinz Haas, Udo Weinfurth
  • Patent number: 5880395
    Abstract: A weapon assembly for an armored vehicle includes a turret; a turret cage attached to and being disposed underneath the turret; a weapon supported in the turret and having a barrel; and a belt magazine received in part in the turret and in part in the turret cage. The belt magazine has a loading belt and a plurality of horizontally disposed, ammunition-accommodating container tubes attached to the loading belt. The belt magazine further has a frontal receiving position above the turret cage and laterally of the turret. A loading tube is swingably supported behind the weapon for movement between a first position and a second position. In the first position the loading tube is in alignment with the container tube when the latter is in the frontal receiving position. In the second position the loading tube is in alignment with the weapon barrel in a rearward receiving position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Rheinmetall Industrie AG
    Inventors: Herbert Krumm, Wilfried Becker, Udo Weinfurth
  • Patent number: 4714004
    Abstract: An installation to horizontalize a weapon platform, consisting of two hollow bodies which telescope into one another, is mounted on a vehicle body or vehicle roof which serve as a stationary base. Thereby, a cylindrical inner surface of the first external hollow body, and a cylindrical outer surface of the second internal hollow body, enclosed by the surface, are parallel to each other, and form an inclined plane which is inclined at an angle, relative to a bearing surface of the outer surface of the first hollow body, which is adjusted in the vehicle body or the vehicle roof. A bearing, which is mounted in the surface, is fixed in an annular member which preferably can be detached from the vehicle body or vehicle roof. The installation is suitable for high angle fire arms, and enables both manual and automatic horizontalization, and, in addition, permits an all-directional load bearing capability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1987
    Assignee: Rheinmetall GmbH
    Inventor: Udo Weinfurth
  • Patent number: 4562768
    Abstract: An empty belt clip and empty cartridge casing discharge arrangement for use with a machine cannon which can, for example, be mounted in the gun turret of an armored vehicle. The arrangement includes a cradle and built-in gun barrel which is pivotally mounted in a gun mount about an axis which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the gun barrel for control purposes. An alternate ammunition belt feeder is also pivotally mounted in the gun mount about a second axis which is also parallel to the longitudinal axis of the gun barrel and is adapted to assume an upper or lower operative position or a middle SAFETY position. The alternate ammunition belt feeder has an upper and lower outlet for empty belt clips. An upper and lower discharge duct are mounted in the arrangement so that their respective inlets confront the upper and lower outlets of the alternate ammunition belt feeder. A middle duct serves to receive the empty cartridge casings from the cradle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1984
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1986
    Assignee: Rheinmetall GmbH
    Inventors: Udo Weinfurth, Helmut Fischer, Walter Sauerwald