A structure for controlling the direction of a barrel of a firearm

Abstract

This invention discloses a structure for controlling the barrel pointing of a firearm, capable of adjusting the barrel pointing. It includes an outer receiver containing a receiver assembly, which includes an inner receiver, a barrel, a bolt assembly, and a feeding mechanism. The barrel is fixed to the front end of the inner receiver, the bolt assembly is housed within the inner receiver, and the feeding mechanism is mounted at the bottom of the inner receiver. A guide sleeve is provided in the outer receiver, hinged to the rear end of the outer receiver. The rear end of the inner receiver slides within the guide sleeve. An opening is provided at the front end of the outer receiver, through which the front end of the barrel extends. An adjustment mechanism is provided between the front opening of the outer receiver and the barrel. This adjustment mechanism has a stationary platform and a movable platform, both annular in shape. Multiple parallel telescopic mechanisms are provided between the stationary and movable platforms. The stationary platform is fixed to the outer receiver, while the movable platform is fitted onto the barrel in a sliding engagement. The telescopic mechanisms are used to adjust the angle of the movable platform, thereby adjusting the barrel pointing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of light weapons technology, and in particular to a structure for controlling the pointing of a gun barrel. Background Technology

[0002] The aiming device of rifles and other firearms is generally mounted on the receiver, and the barrel is usually fixed to the receiver. Therefore, the relative position of the aiming device and the barrel is always fixed. The shooter only needs to adjust the direction of the receiver to adjust the direction of the barrel, making it simple and convenient. This is the main structural form and aiming method of current firearms. However, the accuracy and stability of this aiming method are limited by human factors. The barrel and aiming device only achieve the correct relative position when the shooter correctly sets the firing parameters, and shooters usually find it difficult to correctly set the aiming device in a very short time. Secondly, firearms are handheld weapons. Due to the limitations of human physiology, there will be unavoidable shaking during the handling of a firearm. When the shooter grips the receiver, handguard, and grip—structures fixed to the receiver—this shaking is transmitted to the receiver. Since the receiver is fixed to the barrel, the body's shaking is naturally transmitted to the barrel, causing incorrect barrel pointing and making it difficult to hit the target. With technological advancements, firearm scopes are becoming increasingly intelligent, with more and more scopes capable of target tracking through image recognition and other technologies. However, because the barrel and receiver are fixed together, while the scope can track the target, the barrel cannot adjust its pointing according to changes in the target's position, limiting the automation and intelligence of firearms. Therefore, in future firearm designs, it is essential to decouple the barrel from the aiming mechanism, enabling the barrel to adjust its pointing according to commands from the control system. This would achieve automatic setting of firing parameters, stable barrel pointing, and automatic target tracking. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a structure for controlling the direction of the barrel in a firearm, which can adjust the direction of the barrel.

[0004] The objective of this invention is achieved as follows: A structure for controlling the direction of a gun barrel in a firearm includes an outer receiver, a receiver assembly, and an inner receiver, a barrel, a bolt assembly, and a feeding device. The barrel is fixed to the front end of the inner receiver, the bolt assembly is disposed in the inner receiver, and the feeding device is installed at the bottom of the inner receiver. The outer receiver has a guide sleeve hinged to the rear end of the outer receiver. The rear end of the inner receiver is slidably fitted within the guide sleeve. The front end of the outer receiver has an opening through which the front end of the barrel extends out. An adjustment mechanism is provided between the front opening of the outer receiver and the barrel. The adjustment mechanism has a stationary platform and a movable platform, both of which are annular. Multiple parallel telescopic mechanisms are provided between the stationary and movable platforms. The stationary platform is fixed to the outer receiver. The movable platform is fitted onto the barrel and forms a sliding fit. The telescopic mechanism is used to adjust the angle of the movable platform, thereby adjusting the barrel's direction.

[0005] Preferably, the inner receiver is tubular, with its front end fitted onto the rear end of the barrel and fixed thereon, and the lower end of the inner receiver having an interface for feeding ammunition.

[0006] Preferably, the lower end of the outer receiver has an opening that allows the ammunition feed device to be moved aside when the barrel is being adjusted.

[0007] Preferably, six parallel miniature electric cylinders are symmetrically arranged between the static and dynamic platforms as a telescopic mechanism, forming a six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism for the adjustment mechanism. Considering the requirements for barrel pointing adjustment speed and accuracy, and the effects of vibration and recoil during firearm use, a six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism with six electric cylinders in parallel is selected. This mechanism can achieve complete six-degree-of-freedom control, accurately and quickly adjusting the barrel pointing; it has high rigidity, with the electric cylinders having good supporting rigidity, and the six rods simultaneously supporting and driving, forming a closed-loop structure with strong load capacity. Its position and attitude control is superior to serial mechanisms, and it can support heavy gun body components and withstand the vibration and recoil caused by firearm firing, which is superior to two-degree-of-freedom and three-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanisms; it has good dynamic response, with the six-degree-of-freedom parallel structure having low inertia and fast response speed, suitable for high-speed, small-amplitude dynamic operation; and it has good structural symmetry, with the six parallel electric cylinders arranged symmetrically, facilitating decoupling control and force balance.

[0008] Preferably, a handguard is fixed on the outer casing, the stationary platform is mounted on the handguard, and a handle is also mounted on the handguard.

[0009] Preferably, the firearm is an automatic firearm, and the recoil mechanism of the firearm is barrel recoil, gun recoil, or bolt recoil.

[0010] Preferably, when adjusting the barrel's direction, the moving platform and the barrel rotate synchronously, with the barrel's axis coinciding with the moving platform's axis, and multiple parallel telescopic mechanisms correspondingly extending and retracting.

[0011] Preferably, the moving platform and the gun barrel are connected by a ball hinge. When adjusting the direction of the gun barrel, the moving platform moves vertically and horizontally. The straight-line distance 'a' between the moving platform and the stationary platform remains unchanged, and multiple parallel telescopic mechanisms extend and retract accordingly.

[0012] Preferably, the rear end of the guide sleeve is hinged to a cross hinge, which is fixed to the outer receiver. When adjusting the barrel direction, the gun body component moves around the rotation axis of the cross hinge and has two degrees of freedom: pitch and roll. The two rotation axes of the cross hinge intersect and form an intersection point, through which the barrel axis passes.

[0013] The adjustment mechanism is controlled by an algorithm. The motion of the adjustment mechanism is regarded as the motion of a sphere with the center of the sphere as the hinge point. A fixed coordinate transformation relationship is directly established between the barrel attitude and the attitude of the adjustment mechanism. The control algorithm only calculates the attitude transformation of a fixed reference point.

[0014] Preferably, the cross hinge includes a fixed part and a moving part. The fixed part is fixed to the outer casing, and the two sides of the moving part are hinged to the fixed part via a pitch axis, so that the moving part can perform pitch movement on the fixed part with the pitch axis as the rotation center. The moving part of the cross hinge is provided with a mounting groove, and the rear end of the guide sleeve is provided with a mounting lug. The mounting lug is located in the mounting groove. The mounting lug and the moving part of the cross hinge are provided with corresponding mounting holes. The axis of the mounting hole is perpendicular to the axis of the pitch and rotation axis. The mounting lug and the moving part of the cross hinge are provided with a hinge shaft. The mounting lug and the moving part of the cross hinge are hinged through the hinge shaft, so that the gun body assembly can swing left and right on the moving part of the cross hinge with the hinge shaft as the rotation center.

[0015] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention can adjust the barrel direction of firearms and is suitable for firearms that require barrel direction adjustment. It has the advantages of high support rigidity, simple structure, wide adjustment range and compact overall structure, and can effectively support the intelligentization and automation of firearms. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention. This scheme is the first method of connecting the gun body and the six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism; wherein 1-gun body assembly, 2-outer receiver, 3-six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism, 101-barrel, 102-inner receiver, 103-bolt assembly, 104-guide sleeve, 105-feeding device; 201-cross hinge, 301-six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism telescopic rod, 302-six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism motion platform; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the state after the barrel of the present invention is adjusted upward at a certain angle, wherein 1-gun body assembly, 2-outer receiver, 3-six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism, 4-motion trajectory of the center of the moving platform, 5-barrel axis, 6-axis of the barrel in the initial velocity state; Figure 3This invention provides another way to connect the gun body to the six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism, 302-six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism motion platform, 303-spherical hinge; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the barrel of a gun connected by a ball joint, after it has been adjusted upwards at a certain angle. 1-Gun assembly, 2-Outer receiver, 3-Six-DOF parallel mechanism, 101-Barrel, 102-Inner receiver, 103-Block assembly, 104-Guide sleeve, 105-Feeder; 302-Six-DOF parallel mechanism moving platform, 303-Spherical hinge; Figure 5 In one embodiment of the present invention, 1-gun body assembly, 2-outer receiver, 3-six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism, 202-handguard, 203-grip; Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of this embodiment with external components hidden; 101-barrel, 102-inner receiver, 103-bolt assembly, 104-guide sleeve, 105-feeding device, 201-cross hinge, 301-six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism telescopic rod, 302-six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism moving platform, 303-spherical hinge, 304-six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism stationary platform; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the tail structure of the guide sleeve in this embodiment, 106-hinge mounting hole, 107-mounting lug; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the cross hinge structure in this embodiment. 204 - pitch and rotation axis, 205 - cross hinge moving part, 206 - guide sleeve mounting hole, 207 - cross hinge fixing part, 208 - guide sleeve mounting groove. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The structure and principle of the present invention are as follows: Figure 1As shown in the schematic diagram, components such as the recoil spring and firing mechanism are hidden. Because the firearm needs to feed ammunition and complete other mechanical actions while adjusting the barrel's direction, the bolt assembly 103 and the feeding device 105 must maintain a fixed positional relationship with the barrel 101 and cannot change due to barrel direction adjustments. Therefore, the overall structure of the firearm requires two receiver layers. The inner receiver 102 is fixedly connected to the barrel 101 and houses the bolt assembly 103. The feeding device 105 is also mounted on the inner receiver 102. This assembly is called the receiver assembly 1. The receiver assembly 1 has complete firearm firing functions (the principle is the same as existing technology), capable of completing the firearm's mechanical actions such as unlocking, ejection, feeding, locking, and firing under the action of gunpowder. This structure does not require a specific automatic principle for the firearm, but ideally, the firearm should adopt an automatic principle that does not require a clamp on the barrel, such as barrel recoil, recoil of the bolt, or bolt recoil. If a gas-operated principle is chosen, a gas block needs to be installed on the barrel, which will interfere with the structure that adjusts the barrel's direction. This requires consideration of how the mechanism can avoid interference, making it relatively complex.

[0018] The outer receiver 2 is the entire operating interface of the firearm. The grip, handguard, stock and other parts used to operate the firearm are all fixed to the outer receiver. At the same time, the outer receiver is also a supporting component for the movement of the firearm components.

[0019] The outer receiver 2 encloses the receiver assembly 1, with the adjustment mechanism and the receiver's rotation center located at the front and rear, respectively. The adjustment mechanism can be located at the front or rear; if the adjustment mechanism is at the front, the rotation center is at the rear. Conversely, if the adjustment mechanism is at the rear, the rotation center is at the front. If the rotation center is at the rear, according to geometric principles, the receiver's movement space will be larger at the front and smaller at the rear. Generally, the handguard of a firearm is wider than the rear receiver, so locating the adjustment mechanism at the front and the rotation center at the rear is a more reasonable structure.

[0020] The adjustment mechanism of the gun body of the present invention is a six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism 3. The static platform of the six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism 3 is fixedly connected to the outer receiver 2 or other structures fixedly connected to the outer receiver, and the gun body assembly 1 or the barrel 101 passes through the middle of the six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism.

[0021] During firing, the barrel 101 inevitably experiences recoil, resulting in a displacement relative to the six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism 3 along its axes. Furthermore, during barrel pointing adjustments, the barrel axis relative to the stationary platform's axis will form a certain angle due to the change in barrel pointing. Therefore, the mounting method between the barrel and the moving platform requires a special design.

[0022] Regarding recoil, the barrel and moving platform should ideally be designed with a sliding fit, allowing the barrel to slide back and forth relative to the moving platform. This prevents recoil from being transmitted to the six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism, thus avoiding unnecessary load on the mechanism. Figure 1 As shown, a guide sleeve 104 is arranged behind the inner receiver 102. During firing, the fixed body of the barrel 101 and the inner receiver 102 can slide back and forth along the barrel axis relative to the guide sleeve 104, which reduces the recoil and also avoids the recoil being transmitted to the six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism, thus avoiding unnecessary load on the mechanism.

[0023] Regarding the angle between the barrel axis and the stationary platform, taking a 2° upward adjustment of the barrel as an example, there are two solutions. One is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the axis of the barrel 101 always coincides with the axis of the moving platform 302 of the six-degree-of-freedom mechanism. Controlled by the algorithm of the six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism, during the upward adjustment of the barrel, the center of the moving platform 302 moves along path 4, which is an arc centered on the barrel's rotation center. When the barrel needs to be adjusted simultaneously for elevation and lateral movement, the center of the moving platform moves on a spherical surface centered on the barrel's rotation center.

[0024] The second method is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the moving platform 302 is connected to the gun barrel by a ball hinge 303, and the moving platform is controlled by an algorithm to only perform vertical and horizontal translation. Figure 4 As shown, when the barrel is adjusted upwards, the spherical hinge adjusts the angle between the axis of the moving platform and the axis of the barrel, and the distance 'a' between the moving platform and the stationary platform remains constant.

[0025] Figures 5-8 This is a structural diagram of one embodiment of the invention. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this embodiment. For ease of explanation, the handguard 202 has been cut open to show its internal structure. This embodiment uses a rackless overall layout. The handguard 202 is fixedly connected to the outer casing 2, the grip 203 is fixedly connected to the handguard 202, and the six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism 3 is installed on the handguard 202.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the embodiment after concealing the external components such as the outer casing, handguard, and grip. The cross hinge 201 is fixed to the outer casing, and the stationary platform 304 of the six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism is mounted on the handguard. The handguard and the outer casing are fixed together, so the stationary platform of the six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism is also fixed together with the outer casing.

[0027] During barrel aiming adjustment, the receiver component 1 should only have two degrees of freedom: pitch (up / down) and yaw (left / right) around the rotation center. Other degrees of freedom must be restricted. The rotation center can be designed as a spherical bearing, and a structure, such as a key structure, can be designed on the moving platform of the six-DOF parallel mechanism to prevent the receiver from rotating around the barrel. Ideally, the rotation center can be set as a cross hinge, with its two axes parallel to the plumb line and the horizontal plane, respectively. This way, the receiver component can only pitch (up / down) and yaw (left / right) around the cross hinge. Ideally, the two rotation axes of the cross hinge should intersect, and the extension of the barrel axis should pass through this intersection point. This design simplifies the control algorithm of the barrel adjustment mechanism. Furthermore, during firing, the force alignment is better, avoiding additional overturning torque and increasing the load on the barrel adjustment mechanism.

[0028] In a cross-hinged system where the two rotation axes do not intersect, the cross-hinged system does not form an ideal spherical hinge. The displacement of the six-DOF platform and the barrel attitude are no longer purely rotational; additional translational coupling must be considered. The control algorithm needs to use forward kinematics or iterative inverse kinematics methods to calculate the influence of the platform attitude on the barrel pointing, requiring a more complex Jacobian matrix and inverse kinematics optimization process, and necessitating the use of nonlinear minimization algorithms for attitude alignment. Conversely, in a cross-hinged system where the two rotation axes intersect, the motion of the six-DOF platform can be viewed as spherical motion with the hinge point at the center of the sphere. A fixed coordinate transformation relationship can be directly established between the barrel attitude and the platform attitude. The control algorithm only needs to calculate the attitude transformation at a fixed reference point, without handling complex coupling. Linear solutions and Jacobian calculations are simpler, making it suitable for real-time applications.

[0029] Figure 7 , Figure 8 This embodiment shows the arrangement of the cross hinge. A mounting lug 107 is positioned behind the guide sleeve, engaging with the mounting groove 208. A mounting hole 106 is provided on the lug, engaging with the mounting hole 206 on the moving part 205 of the cross hinge. This mounting hole is perpendicular to the horizontal plane and serves as the rotation center for the left-right swing of the gun body assembly. The structure of the cross hinge is as follows... Figure 8 As shown, for ease of explanation, the cross hinge fixed part 207 has been cut open to expose the pitch rotation shaft 204. The cross hinge fixed part 207 is fixedly connected to the outer casing, and the cross hinge moving part 205 is hinged to the cross hinge fixed part 207 through the pitch rotation shaft 204, so that the cross hinge moving part 205 can perform pitch movement on the cross hinge fixed part 207 with the pitch rotation shaft 204 as the rotation center.

[0030] Finally, it should be noted that the above preferred embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes can be made to it in form and detail without departing from the scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A structure for controlling the pointing of a gun barrel on a firearm, characterized in that: It includes an outer receiver, in which a receiver assembly is provided. The receiver assembly includes an inner receiver, a barrel, a bolt assembly, and a feeding device. The barrel is fixed to the front end of the inner receiver, the bolt assembly is disposed in the inner receiver, and the feeding device is installed at the bottom of the inner receiver. The outer receiver has a guide sleeve hinged to the rear end of the outer receiver. The rear end of the inner receiver is slidably fitted within the guide sleeve. The front end of the outer receiver has an opening through which the front end of the barrel extends out. An adjustment mechanism is provided between the front opening of the outer receiver and the barrel. The adjustment mechanism has a stationary platform and a movable platform, both of which are annular. Multiple parallel telescopic mechanisms are provided between the stationary and movable platforms. The stationary platform is fixed to the outer receiver. The movable platform is fitted onto the barrel and forms a sliding fit. The telescopic mechanism is used to adjust the angle of the movable platform, thereby adjusting the barrel's direction.

2. The structure for controlling the pointing of the barrel on a firearm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner receiver is tubular, with its front end fitted onto the rear end of the barrel for fixation. The lower end of the inner receiver has an interface for feeding ammunition.

3. The structure for controlling the pointing of the barrel on a firearm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower end of the outer receiver has an opening that makes way for the feeding mechanism when the barrel is being adjusted.

4. The structure for controlling the pointing of the barrel on a firearm according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are six parallel telescopic mechanisms between the static platform and the moving platform, so that the adjustment mechanism forms a six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism. The six parallel telescopic mechanisms are arranged symmetrically on the left and right.

5. A structure for controlling the pointing of a gun barrel on a firearm according to claim 1, characterized in that: A handguard is fixed to the outer casing, the stationary platform is mounted on the handguard, and a handle is also installed on the handguard.

6. The structure for controlling the pointing of the barrel on a firearm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The firearm is an automatic firearm, and its recoil mechanism is barrel recoil, bolt recoil, or bolt recoil.

7. A structure for controlling the pointing of a gun barrel on a firearm according to claim 1, characterized in that: When adjusting the barrel's direction, the moving platform and the barrel rotate synchronously, with the barrel's axis coinciding with the moving platform's axis, and multiple parallel telescopic mechanisms correspondingly extending and retracting.

8. A structure for controlling the pointing of a gun barrel on a firearm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The moving platform and the gun barrel are connected by a ball hinge. When adjusting the gun barrel's direction, the moving platform moves vertically and horizontally. The straight-line distance 'a' between the moving platform and the stationary platform remains constant. Multiple parallel telescopic mechanisms extend and retract accordingly.

9. A structure for controlling the pointing of a gun barrel on a firearm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rear end of the guide sleeve is hinged to the cross hinge, which is fixed to the outer receiver. When adjusting the barrel direction, the gun body parts move around the rotation axis of the cross hinge and have two degrees of freedom: pitch and roll. The two rotation axes of the cross hinge intersect and form an intersection point, through which the barrel axis passes.

10. A structure for controlling the pointing of a gun barrel on a firearm according to claim 9, characterized in that: The cross hinge includes a fixed part and a moving part. The fixed part is fixed to the outer casing. The two sides of the moving part are hinged to the fixed part via a pitch axis, so that the moving part can perform pitch movement on the fixed part with the pitch axis as the center of rotation. The moving part of the cross hinge is provided with a mounting groove, and the rear end of the guide sleeve is provided with a mounting lug. The mounting lug is located in the mounting groove. The mounting lug and the moving part of the cross hinge are provided with corresponding mounting holes. The axis of the mounting hole is perpendicular to the axis of the pitch and rotation axis. The mounting lug and the moving part of the cross hinge are provided with a hinge shaft. The mounting lug and the moving part of the cross hinge are hinged through the hinge shaft, so that the gun body assembly can swing left and right on the moving part of the cross hinge with the hinge shaft as the rotation center.

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