Spiral Band Patents (Class 102/240)
  • Patent number: 5625161
    Abstract: A safety device to lock a firing pin of a spin-stabilized projectile fuse includes a flexible strip and a spiral spring. The flexible strip is disposed around the firing pin and has a first end, a second end and a length. The flexible strip is made of an elastic material. The spiral spring is windable around the flexible strip in a safe position and is disposed to unwind under centrifugal force to a firing position. The spiral spring is made of a spring strip that is wound around itself. When the spiral spring unwinds, the flexible strip unwinds within the spiral spring without exerting an elastic return force toward the firing pin. The length of the flexible strip is dimensioned such that the first end is offset in a circumferential direction relative to the second end by an offset amount when the flexible strip presses against the spiral spring in the firing position. As a result, the spin-stabilized projectile fuse functions reliably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1997
    Assignee: Manurhin Defense
    Inventors: Jacques Nicolas, Jean-Paul Oberle
  • Patent number: 5243912
    Abstract: This invention provides a safing and arming mechanism for a fuze for a spinning projectile including a ball rotor journaled for rotation within a cavity in the fuze. A firing pin, said cavity and a booster charge lie along the longitudinal axis of the fuze. The rotor carries a stab sensitive detonator in its diametral bore. A first spring mounted on a first seat cut into the ball normally fixes the ball with the detonator, out of alignment with the longitudinal axis of the fuze. A second spring mounted on a second seat cut into the ball also fixes the ball out of alignment. To release the ball, the first spring must be shifted aftwardly by setback force to a third seat cut into the ball, and the second spring must be enlarged by centrifugal force and removed from said second seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventor: Richard T. Ziemba
  • Patent number: 5147974
    Abstract: In a weapon subject to linear acceleration and spin, including a detonator and an explosive charge, the safing and arming device comprising a housing, a setback spring configuration restraining a ribbon spiral unwinder, and a detonator-enabling circuit which provides a fail safe for the omission of the safing and arming device from the fuze assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1992
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: Monty W. Bai, Danny E. Minks, Alfred B. Meyer
  • Patent number: 5067405
    Abstract: In a weapon subject to a sequence of high acceleration followed by high spin and including a detonator and an explosive charge; the improvement comprising a barrier having two parts located between the detonator and explosive charge to normally form an obstruction to prevent accidental detonation of the explosive charge by the detonator. Mechanical locking means are provided to lock the barrier in place, comprising a split cylinder and a spirally wound ribbon, a pair of pins restraining the outer surface of the ribbon to prevent premature unwinding. When the weapon is fired from a gun, the high acceleration will remove the pins and allow the ribbon to unwind. Upon unwinding the entire ribbon, the barrier under the action of spin, will be removed to provide an unobstructed path between the detonator and explosive charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1991
    Inventors: Dragolyoub Popovitch, Herbert L. Andrews
  • Patent number: 4938139
    Abstract: An after-firing safety device in a projectile with percussion fuze includes a spiral spring set having at least three springs wound up in series with respectively opposite directions. The spring set, maintained under tension by a cage, starts to uncoil as soon as the cage slides off the spiral spring set on account of the acceleration of the projectile during firing. The time elapsing until a central aperture has been entirely vacated depends on the number of springs, the spring lengh, the spring tension, and the friction characteristic. The after-firing safety device is equally well suited for spinning projectiles as well as nonspinning projectiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 3, 1990
    Assignee: Dynamit Nobel Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Uwe Brede, Ernst Jensen, Helmuth Werner
  • Patent number: 4800814
    Abstract: An arming device for a missile having a rotating tail fin assembly is disclosed. The device includes a distance counter comprising a given length of coiled tape contained within a rotatable drum, the length of the tape being determined by the distance required to be covered by the missile before arming the warhead. The tape is wound onto a shaft driven by the tail fin assembly from the drum which is initially locked to the missile body, and when the tape has been completely wound onto the shaft, the drum is released and is free to rotate through a half-turn to initiate arming of the warhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1989
    Assignee: British Aerospace Public Limited Company
    Inventors: Alan W. Holt, Martin Thaw
  • Patent number: 4773330
    Abstract: The present invention provides a grenade with dynamic arming having a body and a fuse, in which arming of the fuse is made dependent on the dynamic unwinding of a ribbon which surrounds the fuse and which is weighted with an inertia block at the end of winding, wherein said inertia weight is held in position, before the grenade is thrown, by a long safety piece, called spoon, said weight is not secured to the spoon and, at the very beginning of the trajectory of the grenade, the inertia causes both ejection of the spoon and displacement of the inertia weight, this displacement causing dynamic unwinding of the ribbon and arming of the fuse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1987
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1988
    Inventor: Christian Losfeld
  • Patent number: 4662279
    Abstract: In a weapon subject to a sequence of high acceleration followed by high spin and including a detonator and an explosive charge; the improvement comprising a barrier located between the detonator and explosive charge to normally form an obstruction to prevent accidental detonation of the explosive charge by the detonator. Mechanical locking means are provided to lock the barrier in place, comprising a spirally wound ribbon, a pair of pins restraining the outer surface of the ribbon to prevent premature unwinding, and a pair of superimposed anti-friction balls mounted on a hub portion of the ribbon, the upper ball being seated in an extension portion of the barrier. When the weapon is fired from a gun, the high acceleration will remove the pins and allow the ribbon to unwind. Upon unwinding the entire ribbon, the balls will be released and the barrier under the action of spin, will be removed to provide an unobstructed path between the detonator and explosive charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1987
    Assignee: Interdyne Service Corp.
    Inventor: Dragolyoub Popovitch
  • Patent number: 4622898
    Abstract: The mechanism consists of a one coil spring disposed a spaced distance about the inner circumference of a cylindrical housing; and a lever pivotally attached to said housing. When the device is subjected to centrifugal forces the coil is forced outward towards the inner wall of the cylindrical housing causing the two ends of the coil to be separated. Once separated, the lever may pivot causing one end to contact the inner wall of the cylindrical housing and the second end to pivot away from the inner wall of the cylindrical housing and contact a activating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 18, 1986
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc
    Inventor: Randy L. Dahl
  • Patent number: 4612858
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fuse for a satellite projectile that is expelled from a carrier projectile. In order to maintain a defined ignition time within narrow tolerances, despite initial blind position of the fuse immediately after the expulsion of the satellite projectile, the firing pin 7 is centrally arranged in the interior of a key-shaped cover 12 which is movably disposed in the interior of a housing 1. The wall 12' of the cover 12 has a plurality of recesses 5' into which there engage a corresponding number of locking pins 5 mounted on sheet metal springs 4. These springs 4 are radially outwardly swingable and are secured to the housing 1. The locking pins 5 prevent an axial movement of the firing pin 7 during the safety inactive-position-period and prevent thereby a radial outward swinging of the detonator support 15 into the ignition position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1986
    Assignee: Rheinmetall GmbH.
    Inventors: Guenter Backstein, Hans W. Unger
  • Patent number: 4535695
    Abstract: A fuse is used in a spin-type projectile. A percussion cap is mounted in a rotor which is normally disposed in a safety position. Rotation of the rotor to a firing position wherein the percussion cap is aligned with a firing pin is prevented by two independently operating safety devices prior to firing of the projectile. A first safety device comprises a conventional centrifugal mechanism which normally holds a bush within a recess of the rotor but releases same when the projectile spins. A second safety device comprises the firing pin which is urged into engagement with the rotor recess by a spring. An inertia disk is moved, in response to spinning of the projectile, to a position holding the firing pin out of engagement with the rotor recess. This enables the rotor to rotate to its firing position. When the projectile spin slows down or when the projectile impacts the target, the inertia disk can be moved aside as the firing pin enters the percussion cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1985
    Assignee: Gebruder Junghans GmbH
    Inventor: Walter Winterhalter
  • Patent number: 4510869
    Abstract: The security device of the invention comprises a movable organ in the interior of a cage mounted for rotation with respect to the body of a projectile, the movable organ being temporarily blocked from such rotation around the axis of gyration by at least one pin ejectable under the action of centrifugal force. Said pin is itself retained by an elastic spiral band enrolled upon the cage and which, as a result of a difference introduced into the speeds of respective rotation of the cage and of the body around the axis of gyration upon the exit of the projectile from the muzzle of the weapon, unwinds to liberate the pin. As a result, the movable organ after a trajectory of many tens of meters after the projectile has left the muzzle of the barrel of the weapon completes the pyrotechnic train which fires the projectile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1985
    Assignee: Manufacture de Machines du Haut-Rhin, "Manurhin"
    Inventors: Jacques Nicolas, Roland Raso
  • Patent number: 4467723
    Abstract: A fuze for a spinning projectile has a firing pin which is held against movement by a safety device until the projectile has traveled a preset distance. The safety device comprises a coil spring strip which overlies the firing pin in its initially coiled-up state, and releases the firing pin when in a centrifugally-induced expanded state. The spring coil is arranged to be highly elastic so as to be returnable to its initially coiled-up, evenly wound state, even after the projectile has been subjected to jarring during transport, etc. The coil strip has a tensile strength of 1200 to 2800 N/mm.sup.2 and a thickness greater than 20 .mu.m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1984
    Assignee: Gebruder Junghans GmbH
    Inventors: Hans Kaiser, Walter Winterhalter, Karl Wild, Peter Gruner
  • Patent number: 4458594
    Abstract: In small-caliber, barreled-weapon ammunition with head or base fuses, detonator safety is achieved in that the inadvertantly ignited detonator which is a secure position within a rotor remains without effect on an intensifying charge. Measures are provided for the gas to expand within the fuse and the energy of the rotor fragments used up so that the gas expanding direction and the flight direction of the fragments face away from the explosives of the intensifying charge. Expansion chambers are formed by recesses in the fuse for safety devices adjacent the rotor, such as different centrifugal force-dependent safety devices for the firing pin which are separated from each other by breaking locations destroyable by the gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 10, 1984
    Assignee: Diehl GmbH and Co.
    Inventors: Adolf Weber, Siegfried Rhau, Hans Strauss, Utz-Udo Ahlers
  • Patent number: 4449456
    Abstract: A safety device for a projectile, adapted to make a barrier between an ignition charge in the forward end of the projectile and one or more incendiary and/or explosive charges situated behind the ignition charge. The device comprises two discs having concentric apertures therethrough, situated behind the ignition charge. A plug constituting the barrier is situated in the aperture in the foremost disc, and a split ring which is held together by a spring supports the plug, the split ring being supported by the rearmost disc. The plug comprises at least one portion adapted to seal the aperture in the foremost disc when being exposed to pressure developed by firing of the ignition charge prior to arming of the projectile. Arming takes place only when the projectile reaches a rotational velocity sufficient to open the split ring because of the centrifugal forces, whereby these forces exceed the resistance of the spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1982
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1984
    Assignee: A/S Raufoss Ammunisjonsfabrikker
    Inventors: Morten Foss, Kaare R. Strandli
  • Patent number: 4440085
    Abstract: A spinning projectile fuze contains a rotor which is retained by a safety spring in the form of a substantially ring-shaped disk in a safety or unarmed position. To enable the ring-shaped disk to release the rotor it must be pressed flat both by the firing acceleration and also by the spin. This ring-shaped disk possesses cut-outs or recesses by means of which it is subdivided into segments which are bent in an undulated or wave-shaped configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1984
    Assignee: Werkeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon-Buhrle AG
    Inventors: Rudolf Rossmann, Paul Cahannes
  • Patent number: 4432283
    Abstract: A projectile fuse has two activating devices acting independent of each other. One of the devices includes a plurality of wafer-like sectors which are retained together as a unitary disk by means of a coil spring having 1.5 to 2 convolutions. The disk is arranged in a bore of the fuse housing and normally covers a vent which is concentrically positioned in the bore. Under the effect of rotationally generated centrifugal forces occurring upon firing, the sectors force open the spring and thereby expose the vent for passage of an ignition flash.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1981
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1984
    Assignee: Gebruder Junghans GmbH
    Inventor: Erich Duffner
  • Patent number: 4406225
    Abstract: In a spin-stabilized projectile, an improved ignition fuse arrangement for a pyrotechnic ignition charge. The ignition charge is mounted in a rotor which is movable from a safety position to an armed (active) position. This rotor is held by actuating means in the safety position and is released by the actuating means and moves to the armed position when the projectile has been subjected to predetermined centrifugal and inertial forces. The actuating means include biasing means which are biased against the rotor to maintain it in its safety position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1983
    Assignee: Rheinmetall GmbH
    Inventors: Gunter Backstein, Joachim Fiebrich, Hans W. Unger
  • Patent number: 4242963
    Abstract: The provision of a delayed arming fuze utilizing a ball rotor, and a firing pin which is captured to the ball rotor by an unwinding ribbon, and which pin precludes the rotor from swinging into alignment for arming until the ribbon has unwound under the sequential presence of setback and spin forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1978
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1981
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Richard T. Ziemba