Self-Powered Impulse Averaging Recoil Operated Machine Gun With A Rotary Lock Bolt Driven By Bimodal Cams
A weapon system comprising a receiver, a barrel, a bolt, a barrel extension, a bolt carriage, and a toggle assembly. The barrel may have a longitudinal axis. The bolt may be spaced a distance from a rearward end of the barrel along the longitudinal axis of the barrel. The barrel extension may be attached to the bolt and connecting the barrel with the bolt. The barrel extension and bolt may be adapted to move linearly with respect to the receiver in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the barrel. The bolt carriage may be movable relative to the bolt between an ammunition loading position and a firing position. The toggle assembly may be adapted to drive the bolt carriage between the loading position and the firing position in response to movement of the barrel extension and bolt relative to the receiver.
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This application is a continuation of, claims priority to, and incorporates by reference in its entirety, the following U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/531,340, entitled “SELF-POWERED IMPULSE AVERAGING RECOIL OPERATED MACHINE GUN WITH A ROTARY LOCK BOLT DRIVEN BY BIMODAL CAMS” filed Sep. 13, 2006, which claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/821,310, filed on Aug. 3, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
GOVERNMENT LICENSE RIGHTSThe U.S. Government has a paid-up license in this invention and the right in limited circumstances to require the patent owner to license others on reasonable terms as provided for by the terms of W15QKN-04-C-1093 awarded by the Department of Defense.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONEmbodiments of the invention relate to an automatic weapon. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to a recoil operated automatic weapon with a rotary lock bolt.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThroughout history, military forces have been employed in offensive, defensive, and peace-keeping roles. In all roles, these military forces have required the use of weapons, and more particularly, firearm weapons. The present invention is directed to a machine gun with a rotary lock bolt driven by bimodal cams.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne aspect of the present invention provides a weapon system comprising a receiver having at least one side plate with a bimodal cam way formed therein. The bimodal cam has an upper surface and a lower surface. A barrel extension is provided with at least a first end and at least one side plate with a cam way formed into the at least one side. A barrel is provided with a longitudinal axis and mounted to the barrel extension first end. A spring and buffer assembly is provided with a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is mounted to the barrel extension and the second end is mounted to the receiver. The mounted spring and buffer assembly are generally parallel to the barrel longitudinal axis. A bolt carriage is provided with a first end, a second end and at least one side plate, and a carriage cam way formed in the side plate. The weapon system further comprises a firing pin assembly fixed to the bolt carriage and having a bolt cam way. A rotary lock bolt having a first end, a second end, and a hollow pass-through is provided with the first end comprises a generally flat forward facing surface and a plurality of lugs radially arranged about the forward facing surface. The hollow pass-through extends through both first and second ends, and is shaped to telescopically receive the firing pin assembly. A bolt cam pin is adapted to be fixedly attached to the rotary lock bolt and simultaneously capable of sliding in and along the firing pin assembly bolt cam way. The relative movement of the bolt cam pin is relative movement along the longitudinal axis between the firing pin assembly and the rotary lock bolt causes the rotary lock bolt to rotate about the longitudinal axis due to the bolt cam pin riding in the bolt cam way. A toggle assembly having a toggle arm, a carriage cam way roller that rides in the carriage cam way, a barrel extension cam way roller that rides in the barrel extension cam way, and a receiver bimodal cam way roller to ride in the receiver bimodal cam way, the carriage cam way roller, barrel extension cam way roller and receiver cam way roller being collinear. The receiver roller rides on at least a portion of the bimodal cam way upper surface during a forward stroke of a firing cycle of the weapon system, and the receiver roller rides on at least a portion of the bimodal cam way lower surface during a rearward recoil stroke of a firing cycle of the weapon system.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
The following description is intended to convey a thorough understanding of the invention by providing a number of specific embodiments and details involving an automatic weapon system 100. It is understood, however, that the invention is not limited to these specific embodiments and details, which are exemplary only. It is further understood that one possessing ordinary skill in the art, in light of known systems and methods, would appreciate the use of the invention for its intended purposes and benefits in any number of alternative embodiments. Throughout the specification, the use of the terms “front” or “forward” refer to or toward the weapon system muzzle, and the terms “rear” or “rearward” refer to or toward the end of the weapon system 100 opposite the muzzle.
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A bimodal cam way 212 is formed in each side plate 204, 206. The two bimodal cam ways 212 are parallel to each other. Each side plate 204, 206 further comprise barrel extension rails 214 to guide the movement of the barrel extension 302 and toggles of the operating group 300, these features are discussed in greater detail herein. The side plates 204, 206 also comprise mounting surfaces for a forward feeder mount 216 for mounting the ammunition feeder 102. The left side plate 204 supports an active firing cam 220, and the right side plate supports a right cartridge guide mount 218. The active firing cam 220 is spring-loaded and biases the receiver rollers 382 to the upper surface of the bimodal cam way 212. The left and right cartridge guide mounts 208, 218 provide a platform to mount the cartridge guide 104 (see
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The round ejector 338 lies generally parallel with the axis of the barrel 304 and comprises a body 350, a longitudinal finger 352, and an ejector stop post 354. The ejector finger 352 extends through and beyond the face of the bolt 332. The ejector stop post 354 is formed at the base of the finger 352, and the ejector body 350 is formed rearward of the post 354. The body 350 is elongated and generally flat, it rides in a groove along the left circumferential side of the bolt 332. The ejector spring 340 is circumferentially arranged about the finger 352 and is compressed between the bolt and the stop post 354, biasing the finger 352 rearward keeping the finger clear of the forward surface of the bolt head 331.
The round rammer 334 is mounted in a groove formed in the top circumferential side of the bolt 332. A pin (not shown) extends through an opening 333 in the bolt 332 and through the rammer pivot 356. The rammer 334 is mounted to the bolt 332 so as to pivot about an axis that is perpendicular to the bolt axis and along a vertical plane. The rammer torsion spring 335 biases the rammer 334 in an up-pivoting position.
The round extractor 336 comprises a claw-like edge 357, a pivot 360, and a hole 362. The round extractor 336 is mounted in a groove formed in the face of the bolt 332. A pin (not shown) extends through an opening 337 in the bolt 332 and through the extractor pivot 360. The extractor 336 is mounted to the bolt 332 so as to pivot about an axis that is perpendicular to the bolt axis. A compression retainer spring (not shown) biases the extractor 336 so that it pivots in toward the bolt face 329. The claw-like edge 357 facilitates gripping a cartridge 110 when it pivots into the bolt face 329. The pivot 360 is inboard of the claw-like edge 357 thereby providing a moment about the pivot 360 to close the claw-like edge 357 against the round 110 if it pulls away from the bolt face 329. The face of the claw-like edge 357 has an angled surface 359 thereby allowing the round extractor 336 to be forced open when a round 110 is pushed toward the bolt face 329, allowing the round 110 into the bolt face 329.
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The cam pin retainer 346 comprises a cylindrical body 349 with lug 351 attached at the rear. A cam pin retainer shaft 347 extends from a forward surface of the cam pin retainer body 349 to retain the cam pin 344 in the bolt cams 368 by extending into an opening in the circumferential side of the cam pin 344. The cam pin 344 is free to slide and rotate about the cam pin retainer shaft 347. The cam pin retainer 346 forward end is threadedly received within the firing pin rear opening 367 so that the shaft 347 extends into the firing pin body 366 and the cam pin 344 is free to slide through the twisting bolt cams 368. An extraction buffer 348 is retained on the cam pin retainer body 349 between the firing pin body 366 and the lug 351.
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The toggle assembly 308 comprises left 374 and right 375 toggles, a toggle shaft 376, a carriage roller 378, barrel extension rollers 380, a receiver roller 382, and rear rollers 384. The toggle shaft 376 connects the two toggles 374, 375. A rear roller 384 is positioned between the shaft 376 and each toggle 374, 375 and allows the toggle assembly 308 to ride in the toggle track openings 318 on the barrel extension 302. The left toggle 374 extends forward and connects to a barrel extension roller 380. The right toggle 375 extends forward parallel to the left toggle 374. The right toggle 375 is attached to a collinear stack of rollers, the carriage roller 378, a barrel extension roller 380, and the receiver roller 382. The carriage roller 378 rides in the carriage cam way 330, the barrel extension rollers 380 ride in the barrel extension cam ways 320, and the receiver roller 382 rides in the receiver's bimodal cam way 212. Because these rollers are collinear, the carriage cam way, the barrel extension cam way 320 and the bimodal cam way 212 will always share an intersecting point. These rollers and cams work together to adjust the position and speed of the carriage 326 relative to the barrel extension 302 as the barrel extension 302 moves through the receiver 200 during the operating cycle. An ejector bar 390 is attached to the side of and is collinear with and free to rotate about the toggle shaft 376. The front of the ejector bar 390 is supported by a groove in the ejector 338 and the front of the ejector bar 390 rests on the ejector post 354 pushing the round ejector 338 forward.
Embodiments of the recoil system are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,536 which is incorporated herein by reference.
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The barrel extension 302 continues rearward driving the receiver roller 382 into top portion of the bimodal cam 212 to sear the carriage 326. The barrel extension 302 continues rearward until the buffer assembly 400 stops it. The barrel extension 302 will then sear up or continue forward to repeat the firing cycle, depending on the operating mode and the orientation of the trigger 108. The sear position is illustrated in
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Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
Claims
1. A weapon system comprising:
- a receiver;
- a barrel having a longitudinal axis;
- a bolt spaced a distance from a rearward end of the barrel along the longitudinal axis of the barrel;
- a barrel extension attached to the bolt and connecting the barrel with the bolt, the barrel extension and bolt adapted to move linearly with respect to the receiver in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the barrel;
- a bolt carriage movable relative to the bolt between an ammunition loading position and a firing position; and
- a toggle assembly adapted to drive the bolt carriage between the loading position and the firing position in response to movement of the barrel extension and bolt relative to the receiver.
2. The weapon system of claim 1, wherein the bolt is spaced a fixed distance from a rearward end of the barrel.
3. The weapon system of claim 2, wherein and the barrel is adapted to move relative to the receiver in conjunction with the bolt and barrel extension.
4. The weapon system of claim 1, wherein the bolt assembly moves linearly relative to the bolt in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the barrel.
5. The weapon system of claim 4, wherein when the bolt assembly is in the firing position, the bolt assembly overrides the space between bolt and the rearward end of the barrel, capturing a round of ammunition in the space between the bolt and the rearward end of the barrel.
6. The weapon system of claim 4, wherein when the bolt assembly is in the ammunition loading position, the bolt assembly overrides at least a portion of the bolt, opening the space between the bolt and the rearward end of the barrel.
7. The weapon system of claim 6 further comprising a load pawl and a load pawl cam surface that drives the load pawl through a range of movement in response to movement of the bolt and barrel extension.
8. The weapon system of claim 7 wherein the movement of the load pawl includes lifting a round of ammunition into the space between the bolt and the rearward end of the barrel as the bolt assembly moves from the ammunition loading position to the firing position.
9. The weapon system of claim 7 wherein the movement of the load pawl includes sweeping the opening between the bolt and the rearward end of the barrel to remove a spent ammunition cartridge as the bolt assembly moves from the firing position to the ammunition loading position.
10. The weapon system of claim 1, wherein the toggle comprises a cam follower, and the firearm further comprises a cam surface for guiding movement of the cam follower.
11. The weapon system of claim 10, wherein the cam surface is attached to an interior surface of the receiver.
12. The weapon system of claim 10, wherein the cam surface is integrally formed with an interior surface of the receiver.
13. The weapon system of claim 1, wherein the toggle comprises a forward toggle and a rearward toggle.
14. A recoil operated firearm comprising:
- a barrel having a longitudinal bore axis;
- a bolt being collinear with the bore axis;
- a bolt assembly comprising a ammunition-holding cavity formed therethrough, the ammunition-holding cavity having a longitudinal axis collinear with the bore axis;
- the bolt assembly being adapted for linear movement between a charged position and a firing position,
- wherein the linear bolt assembly movement is relative to the barrel and collinear with the bore axis,
- wherein, when in the bolt assembly charged position:
- the bolt assembly is positioned rearward end of the barrel,
- the forward end of the bolt assembly is spaced a distance away from the rearward end of the barrel, and
- the bolt assembly overrides at least a portion of the bolt such that the bolt occupies at least a portion of the ammunition-holding cavity; and
- wherein, when in the bolt assembly firing position:
- a forward surface of the bolt assembly sealingly contacts a rearward surface of the barrel, and
- a forward end of the bolt sealingly contacts a rearward end of the bolt assembly.
15. The firearm of claim 14 wherein, when in the bolt assembly charged position, a forward surface of the bolt is generally coplanar with a forward surface of the bolt assembly.
16. The firearm of claim 14 further comprising a barrel extension, wherein the barrel is removably attached to the barrel extension.
17. The firearm of claim 16 further comprising a receiver, wherein:
- the receiver at least partially houses the barrel extension, the barrel extension being adapted for linear movement relative to the receiver between a charged position and a firing position
18. The firearm of claim 17 wherein, the receiver further comprises one or more barrel extension rails to guide movement of the barrel extension relative the receiver.
19. The firearm of claim 17 further comprising a toggle assembly.
20. The firearm of claim 19 wherein, the toggle assembly comprises:
- a first toggle arm; and
- a second toggle arm;
- wherein the first toggle arm is pivotally connected to the bolt assembly, the second toggle arm is pivotally connected to the barrel extension; and the
- first toggle arm is pivotally connected to the second toggle arm.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 15, 2008
Publication Date: May 14, 2009
Applicant:
Inventors: Davkd L. Steimke (Burlington, VT), Parke R. Warner (Burlington, VT)
Application Number: 12/334,880
International Classification: F41A 19/06 (20060101);