GAU-21 TRIGGER
A mechanism configured to be coupled to a gun to electronically fire the gun, such as a GAU-21 machine gun, from a location remote from the gun. The mechanism includes a lifter configured to be inserted into a rear portion of the gun proximate the gun's bolt latch bar. A lever is coupled to the lifter and is configured to lift the lifter and the bolt latch bar as the gun reciprocates during firing. An electronic actuator, such as a solenoid, is configured to drive the lever to responsively lift the lifter bar, wherein the mechanism is configured to reciprocate with the gun as it is firing.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 62/061,680 filed Oct. 8, 2014 entitled GAU-21 TRIGGER, the teachings of which are incorporated herein in their entirely.
TECHNICAL FIELDThis disclosure is directed to an electronic trigger mechanism for a gun, and more particularly for a GAU-21 gun.
BACKGROUNDA legacy mount for some weapons, such as a GAU-21 belt fed .50 caliber machine gun, only allows the weapon to be fired mechanically by a user. This may be because the gun reciprocates during firing. The GAU-21 gun is a machine gun typically used in aircraft or on vehicles.
SUMMARYThis disclosure provides a mechanism configured to be coupled to a gun to electronically fire the gun, such as a GAU-21 gun, from a location remote from the gun. The mechanism includes a lifter configured to be inserted into a rear portion of the gun proximate the gun's bolt latch bar. A lever is coupled to the lifter and is configured to lift the lifter and the bolt latch bar as the gun reciprocates during firing. An electronic actuator, such as a solenoid, is configured to drive the lever to responsively lift the lifter bar, wherein the mechanism is configured to reciprocate with the gun as it is firing.
Referring to
Referring to
A bolt latch pawl 40 is pinned to the lifter 30 and is spring loaded by a torsion spring 42 in the forward direction. As the lifter 30 moves upward, the bolt latch pawl 40 moves upward with it, pushing the limit of travel pawl 46 out of the way and lifting the gun's bolt latch bar 48, as shown in
Spring 52 is the solenoid's return spring. Spring 52 forces the mechanism 20 to return back to its resting position, which is when the bolt latch lifter 30 is at its lowest position. The spring 52 must be strong enough to return the mechanism 20 to its resting position, which is not firing, but not so strong as to create too much resistance when the solenoid 22 is pulling against the spring force.
The foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as being given by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of the present disclosure being limited solely by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A mechanism configured to be coupled to a gun having a bolt and a bolt latch bar, comprising:
- a lifter configured to be inserted into a rear portion of the gun proximate the bolt latch bar;
- a lever coupled to the lifter and configured to lift the lifter and the bolt latch bar as the gun reciprocates during firing; and
- an electronic actuator configured to drive the lever to responsively lift the lifter bar and the bolt latch bar, wherein the mechanism is configured to reciprocate with the gun as it is firing.
2. The mechanism as specified in claim 1 wherein the mechanism comprises a body having a slot, wherein the mechanism comprises a member configured to slide in the slot when the lifter is lifted.
3. The mechanism as specified in claim 2 wherein the member is configured to lift in the slot when the lifter is lifted.
4. The mechanism as specified in claim 3 wherein the member and the gun latch bar are configured to move parallel to each other as the lifter is lifted.
5. The mechanism as specified in claim 1 wherein the lifter further comprises a bell crank configured to create a mechanical advantage on the lifter.
6. The mechanism as specified in claim 5 further comprising a clevis coupled to the bell crank, wherein the clevis is directly coupled to the electronic actuator and is configured to retract when the electronic actuator retracts.
7. The mechanism as specified in claim 5 wherein the electronic actuator is a solenoid.
8. The mechanism as specified in claim 7 further comprising a solenoid spring configured to return the lever to a resting position when the gun is not firing, wherein the solenoid spring is also configured to allow the solenoid to pull against the solenoid spring to actuate the lever and lift the bolt latch bar.
9. The mechanism as specified in claim 1 further comprising:
- a bolt latch pawl pinned to the lifter and spring loaded by a torsion spring in a forward direction, the bolt latch pawl having a bottom flap, and
- a limit of travel pawl coupled to the bolt latch pawl.
10. The mechanism as specified in claim 9 wherein the lifter is configured to move upward such that the bolt latch pawl moves upwardly with it, pushing the limit of travel pawl out of the way and lifting the gun's bolt latch bar.
11. The mechanism as specified in claim 10 wherein when the electronic actuator is released, the bolt latch pawl is intermittently caught on a top surface of the limit of travel pawl.
12. The mechanism as specified in claim 11 wherein when the bolt travels rearward it is configured to hit the bottom flap of the bolt latch pawl and knock it off the limit of travel pawl.
13. A mechanism configured to be coupled to a GAU-21 gun having a bolt and a bolt latch bar, comprising:
- a body;
- a lifter coupled to the body and configured to be inserted into a rear portion of the GAU-21 gun proximate the bolt latch bar;
- a lever coupled to the body and the lifter, the lever configured to lift the lifter and the bolt latch bar as the gun reciprocates during firing;
- an electronic actuator configured to drive the lever to responsively lift the lifter bar and the bolt latch bar, wherein the mechanism is configured to reciprocate with the GAU-21 gun as it is firing.
14. The mechanism as specified in claim 13 wherein the body has a slot, and further comprises a member configured to slide in the slot when the lifter is lifted.
15. The mechanism as specified in claim 14 wherein the member is configured to lift in the slot when the lifter is lifted.
16. The mechanism as specified in claim 15 wherein the member and the gun latch bar are configured to move parallel to each other as the lifter is lifted.
17. The mechanism as specified in claim 16 wherein the lifter further comprises a bell crank configured to create a mechanical advantage on the lifter.
18. The mechanism as specified in claim 17 further comprising a clevis coupled to the bell crank, wherein the clevis is directly coupled to the electronic actuator and configured to retract when the electronic actuator retracts.
19. The mechanism as specified in claim 18 wherein the electronic actuator is a solenoid.
20. The mechanism as specified in claim 19 further comprising a solenoid spring configured to return the lever to a resting position when the gun is not firing, wherein the solenoid spring is also configured to allow the solenoid to pull against the solenoid spring to actuate the lever and lift the bolt latch bar.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 28, 2015
Publication Date: Apr 14, 2016
Inventors: Jesse L. Davison (McKinney, TX), David A. Dierks (McKinney, TX), Jarrett O'Hara (Plano, TX)
Application Number: 14/867,527