A muzzle automatic loading system and method for a mortar with double coordination arms

Abstract

The present invention discloses a muzzle automatic loading system and method for a mortar with double coordinated arms, which includes a double coordinated arm loading mechanism, a horizontal rotary magazine, and a power system. The double coordinated arm loading mechanism is used to transfer the projectile towards the muzzle, align the projectile with the barrel, and load the projectile into the barrel. One end of the double coordinated arm is connected to the left and right trunnions and can rotate around the trunnions, and the other end is fixedly connected to the projectile holder. The power system adopts a rigid chain drive mode. The rigid chain is connected to the middle of the coordinated arm and is used to drive the double coordinated arm to reciprocate between the barrel and the magazine, and control the alignment of the double coordinated arm with the magazine projectile outlet and the barrel. Each coordinated arm has an independent rigid chain, sprocket, and guide rail, and the two sprockets rotate synchronously through a transmission shaft. The horizontal rotary magazine is used to push the projectile from the magazine into the projectile holder. The mechanism of the present invention is simple, the action is reliable, the transmission efficiency of the double rigid chain power system is high, and it can effectively improve the front loading speed of the mortar.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of artillery, and particularly relates to a muzzle automatic loading system and method for a mortar with double coordination arms. Background Art

[0002] With the advent of the intelligent era, intelligent unmanned combat systems have become a hot topic in current military technology research. Mortars are important artillery weapons for supporting and accompanying infantry operations, and they have the characteristics of a particularly curved ballistic trajectory, simple structure, easy operation, and easy variable charge. At present, mortars are constantly developing towards vehicle-mounted and automated directions. Many countries around the world have developed various muzzle front-loading devices. The principles of these front-loading devices are basically the same, that is, the projectile is transported along the barrel towards the muzzle through a transmission system, and the projectile is centered with the barrel through a swinging mechanism. Subsequently, the projectile slides into the gun chamber under the action of gravity to complete the loading action. The actuators of this principle are numerous, the actions are complex, and the reliability is low. At the same time, if an automatic ammunition magazine is used for feeding, a coordination mechanism must be added to take the projectile out of the ammunition magazine and put it into the front-loading transport mechanism, which further increases the system complexity. Moreover, the ammunition magazine must be placed behind the trunnion, and the longitudinal dimension of the system is large, requiring a relatively high installation space for the mobile platform. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, the invention provides a muzzle automatic loading system and method for a mortar with double coordination arms, which combines the coordinated movement and loading action of the projectile loaded at any firing angle of the mortar by using the double coordination arm principle. The mechanism is simple, the action is reliable, the transmission efficiency of the double rigid chain power system is high, and the front-loading speed of the mortar can be effectively improved.

[0004] The technical solution for achieving the object of the invention is as follows:

[0005] A muzzle automatic loading system for a mortar with double coordination arms includes a double coordination arm loading mechanism, a horizontal rotary ammunition magazine, and a power system;

[0006] The double coordination arm loading mechanism is used to transfer the projectile towards the muzzle, align the projectile with the barrel of the mortar, and load the projectile into the gun chamber. The rear end of the double coordination arm is connected to the trunnion on the left and right and can rotate around the trunnion. The front end is fixedly connected to the projectile-holding cylinder. The horizontal rotary ammunition magazine contains multiple projectiles and is located below the barrel. The projectile can be pushed from the horizontal rotary ammunition magazine into the projectile-holding cylinder through a projectile-pushing mechanism. The power system is used to drive the double coordination arm loading mechanism to reciprocally rotate between the barrel and the horizontal rotary ammunition magazine. When the double coordination arm loading mechanism is located at the horizontal rotary ammunition magazine, the projectile-holding cylinder is aligned with the ammunition outlet of the horizontal rotary ammunition magazine to realize the loading of the projectile into the projectile-holding cylinder. When the double coordination arm loading mechanism is located at the barrel, the projectile-holding cylinder is aligned with the barrel to realize the loading of the projectile into the gun chamber of the barrel.

[0007] Further, the double-coordinated arm loading mechanism includes two left and right swing arms, a coordination plate, two push rods, and two bearings. The rear ends of the swing arms are symmetrically installed on both sides of the mortar cradle through the bearings. The swing arms can rotate around the trunnions. The middle of the swing arms is fixedly connected to the coordination plate to strengthen the connection stiffness between the left and right swing arms. The two push rods are respectively fixedly connected to both sides of the coordination plate. The front ends of the swing arms are fixedly connected to the cartridge holder.

[0008] Further, the two left and right swing arms are symmetrically arranged with respect to the firing plane. The cartridge holder and the barrel are located in the firing plane. The coordination plate is arc-shaped to prevent interference between the swing arms and the barrel during the upward swing process.

[0009] Further, the horizontal rotary magazine can rotate the projectiles to be loaded to the position of the projectile outlet. The projectiles are pushed from the horizontal rotary magazine into the cartridge holder through the projectile pushing mechanism. A guiding groove cooperating with the swing arms is installed at the top of the horizontal rotary magazine. When the swing arms swing downward close to the horizontal rotary magazine, the swing arms enter the guiding groove and achieve left and right positioning.

[0010] Further, the projectile pushing mechanism uses a rigid chain to push the projectiles into the cartridge holder.

[0011] Further, the power system includes two rigid chains, two sprockets, two clamps, two guide rails, two support frames, a stepping motor, and a transmission shaft. The power system is used to drive the double-coordinated arm loading mechanism to reciprocally rotate between the barrel and the horizontal rotary magazine. The two sprockets are connected and synchronized through the transmission shaft. The transmission shaft is driven by the motor. The rigid chains are located on the guide rails. The guide rails are used for guiding the movement of the rigid chains. The sprockets cooperate with the corresponding rigid chains. The clamps are connected to the push rods and the rigid chains. The rigid chains can drive the push rods through the clamps to make the double-coordinated arms move up or down. The support frames are used to support the guide rails.

[0012] According to the above loading method of the mortar double-coordinated arm muzzle automatic loading system, it includes the following steps:

[0013] Step 1: The power system drives the double-coordinated arm loading mechanism to rotate to the position of the horizontal rotary magazine. The swing arms enter the guiding groove and achieve left and right positioning. The horizontal rotary magazine rotates the projectiles to be coaxial with the cartridge holder. The baffle plate is in the open state. Loading starts. The projectiles are pushed into the cartridge holder. The baffle plate closes the inlet of the cartridge holder under the torque of the torsion spring, that is, enters the working position to prevent the projectiles from sliding out. The horizontal rotary magazine rotates to the next station to prepare for loading the next projectile;

[0014] Step 2: After the bullet baffle fully enters the working position, the stepper motor rotates to drive the sprocket, transmit the rigid chain, and the transmission shaft transmits the torque to the sprocket on the other side, driving the push rod clamped by the clamp to rise, driving the double coordination arm and the cartridge holder to start lifting. When the axis of the projectile in the cartridge holder aligns with the axis of the barrel, the alignment is completed. During the alignment process, the bullet baffle contacts the outer wall of the barrel and is gradually pushed away, and the projectile slides into the barrel under the action of its own gravity.

[0015] Step 3: Before the projectile is fired, the stepper motor rotates in reverse to drive the sprocket, transmit the rigid chain, and the transmission shaft transmits the torque to the sprocket on the other side, driving the push rod clamped by the clamp to descend, driving the double coordination arm and the cartridge holder to move away from the axis of the barrel and return to the receiving position, so that the cartridge holder returns to the position at the start of loading, aligns the axis of the next projectile, and completes one loading cycle.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the remarkable advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0017] 1. It can achieve rapid automatic front loading of mortars: The rotating ammunition magazine ensures the correctness of the movement sequence and the accuracy of projectile alignment. The loading of projectiles during shooting can be automatically completed without human participation, effectively improving the combat effectiveness of mortars, and being safe and reliable.

[0018] 2. High stability and stiffness: The coordination plate increases the stiffness of the double coordination arm for loading, and the motor power required to push the push rod is relatively low. The guide rail and support frame improve the stability of the double coordination arm, effectively improving the alignment efficiency between the cartridge holder and the barrel, and increasing the firing rate of the mortar.

[0019] 3. Simple structure and high adaptability: The principle of the double coordination arm combines the coordinated movement of projectiles loaded at any firing angle of the mortar and the loading action into one, greatly reducing the complexity of the mechanism, shrinking the longitudinal size of the system, and having a high loading speed. Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 Stereogram of the double coordination arm front loading device of the mortar in the starting position of loading.

[0021] Figure 2 Stereogram of the structure of the power system.

[0022] Figure 3 Stereogram during the process of the double coordination arm loading or sliding out the projectile from the cartridge holder.

[0023] Figure 4 Stereogram of the structure after the double coordination arm loads the projectile.

[0024] Figure 5 Stereogram of the double coordination arm front loading device of the mortar in the alignment position.

[0025] Figure 6It is a perspective view of a sprocket-driven rigid chain device. Detailed implementation mode

[0026] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer and more understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0027] The implementation of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0028] As Figure 1 shown, the present invention is used for a double-coordinated-arm muzzle automatic loading system of a mortar, and includes three parts: a double-coordinated-arm loading mechanism 1, a horizontal rotary magazine 3 and a power system 6. Combining Figure 3-4 , the double-coordinated arm 1 further includes two left and right swing arms 12, a coordination plate 13, a push rod 14 and a bearing 15. The swing arms 12 and the bearing 15 are symmetrically installed on both sides of the cradle 7 and can rotate around the trunnion 8. The middle of the swing arm 2 is fixedly connected to the coordination plate 13 to strengthen the connection stiffness between the left and right swing arms 12. The push rod 14 is fixedly connected to both sides of the coordination plate 13, and the front end of the swing arm 12 is fixedly connected to the cartridge holder 11.

[0029] Combining Figure 5 , the horizontal rotary magazine 3 is located below the barrel 2 and is used to rotate the next round to be loaded to the position of the bullet outlet. The bullet is pushed from the magazine 3 into the cartridge holder 11 through the bullet pushing mechanism 5. A guiding groove 30 is installed above the horizontal rotary magazine 3. When the swing arm 12 swings down close to the magazine 3, the swing arm 12 enters the guiding groove 30 to prevent the swing arm 12 from shaking and affecting the alignment of the cartridge holder 11 and the bullet outlet of the magazine.

[0030] Combining Figure 2 , the power system 6 includes a rigid chain 61, a sprocket 62, a stepping motor 63, a clamp 64, a guide rail 65, a support frame 66, and a transmission shaft 67. The power system 6 adopts a rigid chain drive mode. The rigid chain 61 is connected to the middle of the double-coordinated arm 1 and is used to drive the double-coordinated arm 1 to reciprocate between the barrel 2 and the magazine 3, transfer the bullet 4, and control the alignment of the double-coordinated arm 1 with the bullet outlet of the magazine 3 and the barrel 2. Each coordinated arm has an independent rigid chain 61, sprocket 62 and guide rail 65. The two sprockets 62 rotate synchronously through a transmission shaft 67 and are driven by the motor 63.

[0031] Combining Figure 6, the rigid chain 61 pushes the push rod 14, causing the double coordination arm 1 to move up or down. The guide rail 65 is used to guide the movement of the rigid chain 61 and prevent the push rod 14 from swinging left and right during the ascending process. The support frame 66 is used to strengthen the rigidity of the guide rail 65. When retrieving the projectile, the end cover of the projectile holding cylinder 11 is opened, and it automatically closes after retrieving the projectile to prevent the projectile 4 from slipping out of the projectile holding cylinder 11 during the upward swing of the swing arm 12. When the projectile holding cylinder 11 is aligned with the barrel 2, the end cover is opened, and the projectile 4 slides from the projectile holding cylinder 11 into the barrel 2.

[0032] Further, the link of the rigid chain 61 includes a first support plate, a roller, a central shaft, a second support plate, and an axial circlip. The tooth of the sprocket 62 pushes the central shaft of the link of the rigid chain 61, causing the rigid chain 61 to lift. The links of the rigid chain 61 are in contact with each other through the support plates. One side of the support plate is a rotatable circular end face, and the other side is a non-rotatable end face.

[0033] Further, the left and right swing arms 12 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the shooting plane. The projectile holding cylinder 11 and the barrel 2 are located within the shooting plane. During the alignment process of the projectile holding cylinder 11 and the barrel 2, the swing arms 12 do not need to rotate around themselves.

[0034] Further, the coordination plate 13 is in an arc shape or other shapes to prevent interference between the swing arm 12 and the barrel 2 during the upward swing.

[0035] Further, the projectile pushing mechanism 5 uses a rigid chain or other means to push the projectile 4 into the projectile holding cylinder 11.

[0036] The loading method of the present invention for the front loading device of the coordination arm of an automatic mortar includes the following steps:

[0037] Step 1, the horizontal rotary magazine 3 rotates the projectile 4 to be coaxial with the projectile holding cylinder 11 (such as Figure 1 ), and starts loading. The projectile 4 is pushed into the projectile holding cylinder 11. The baffle plate 16 closes the inlet of the projectile holding cylinder 11 under the torsion of the torsion spring, that is, enters the working position to prevent the projectile 4 from slipping out. The horizontal rotary magazine 3 rotates to the next station to prepare for loading the next projectile 4.

[0038] Step 2, when the baffle plate 16 completely enters the working position, the stepping motor 63 rotates. Through the speed reducer, it drives the sprocket 62, transmits the rigid chain 61. The transmission shaft 67 transmits the torque to the sprocket 62 on the other side, pushing the push rod 14 clamped by the clamp 64 to rise, driving the double coordination arm 1 and the projectile holding cylinder 1 to start lifting. The axis of the projectile 4 in the projectile holding cylinder 11 is aligned with the axis of the barrel 2 to complete the alignment (such as Figure 5 ). During the alignment process, the baffle plate 16 contacts the outer wall of the barrel 2 and is gradually pushed open, and the projectile 4 slides into the barrel 2 under the action of its own gravity.

[0039] Step 3: Before the projectile 4 is fired, the stepping motor 63 rotates in reverse, drives the sprocket 62 through the speed reducer, drives the rigid chain 61, the transmission shaft 67 transmits the torque to the sprocket 62 on the other side, and the push rod 14 clamped by the clamp 64 is pushed down, driving the double coordination arm 1 and the cartridge holder 1 to return to the ammunition receiving position away from the axis of the barrel 2. The double coordination arm 1 coincides with the groove on the horizontal rotary magazine 3, so that the cartridge holder 11 returns to the position at the start of loading, aligns with the axis of the next projectile 4, and completes a loading cycle.

[0040] The present invention adopts the automatic mortar compact high-speed front loading technology, which greatly reduces the mechanism complexity, reduces the longitudinal size of the system, has a compact structure and a high loading speed.

[0041] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited by the above embodiments. What is described in the above embodiments and the specification only illustrates the principles of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the present invention will have various changes and improvements, and these changes and improvements all fall within the scope of the present invention claimed. The scope of protection claimed by the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A muzzle automatic loading system for a mortar with double coordinated arms, characterized in that, It includes a double - coordinated arm loading mechanism (1), a horizontal rotary magazine (3) and a power system (6); The double - coordinated arm loading mechanism (1) is used to transfer the projectile (4) towards the muzzle, align the projectile (4) with the barrel (2) of the mortar, and load the projectile (4) into the gun chamber. The left and right rear ends of the double - coordinated arm (1) are connected to the trunnions (8) and can rotate around the trunnions (8). The front end is fixedly connected to the cartridge holder (11). The horizontal rotary magazine (3) contains multiple projectiles (4) and is located below the barrel (2). Through the projectile pushing mechanism (5), the projectile (4) can be pushed from the horizontal rotary magazine (3) into the cartridge holder (11). The power system (6) is used to drive the double - coordinated arm loading mechanism (1) to reciprocate between the barrel (2) and the horizontal rotary magazine (3). When the double - coordinated arm loading mechanism (1) is located at the horizontal rotary magazine (3), the cartridge holder (11) is aligned with the projectile outlet of the horizontal rotary magazine (3) to load the projectile (4) into the cartridge holder (11). When the double - coordinated arm loading mechanism (1) is located at the barrel (2), the cartridge holder (11) is aligned with the barrel (2) to load the projectile (4) into the gun chamber of the barrel (2); The double - coordinated arm loading mechanism (1) includes two left - and - right swing arms (12), a coordination plate (13), two push rods (14) and two bearings (15). The rear ends of the swing arms (12) are symmetrically installed on both sides of the cradle (7) of the mortar through the bearings (15). The swing arms (12) can rotate around the trunnions (8). The middle of the swing arms (12) is fixedly connected to the coordination plate (13) to strengthen the connection stiffness between the left - and - right swing arms (12). The two push rods (14) are respectively fixedly connected to both sides of the coordination plate (13). The front ends of the swing arms (12) are fixedly connected to the cartridge holder (11).

2. The muzzle automatic loading system of the mortar with double coordination arms according to claim 1, wherein, The two left - and - right swing arms (12) are symmetrically arranged with respect to the firing plane. The cartridge holder (11) and the barrel (2) are located in the firing plane. The coordination plate (13) is arc - shaped to prevent interference between the swing arms (12) and the barrel (2) during the upward swing process.

3. The muzzle automatic loading system of a mortar with double coordinated arms according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The horizontal rotary magazine (3) can rotate the projectile (4) to be loaded to the position of the projectile outlet, and the projectile is pushed from the horizontal rotary magazine (3) into the cartridge holder (11) through the projectile pushing mechanism (5). A guide groove (30) matching with the swing arm (12) is installed on the top of the horizontal rotary magazine (3). When the swing arm (12) swings downward close to the horizontal rotary magazine (3), the swing arm (12) enters the guide groove (30) and realizes left - and - right limit.

4. The muzzle automatic loading system of a mortar with double coaxial arms according to claim 3, characterized in that The projectile pushing mechanism (5) uses a rigid chain method to push the projectile (4) into the cartridge holder (11).

5. The muzzle automatic loading system of a mortar with double coaxial arms according to claim 3, characterized in that, The power system (6) includes two rigid chains (61), two sprockets (62), two clamps (64), two guide rails (65), two support frames (66), a stepper motor (63) and a transmission shaft (67). The power system (6) is used to drive the double-coordinated arm loading mechanism (1) to rotate reciprocally between the barrel (2) and the horizontal rotary magazine (3). The two sprockets (62) are connected and synchronized through the transmission shaft (67). The transmission shaft (67) is driven by the motor (63). The rigid chain (61) is located on the guide rail (65). The guide rail (65) is used for guiding the movement of the rigid chain (61). The sprocket (62) cooperates with the corresponding rigid chain (61). The clamp (64) is connected to the push rod (14) and the rigid chain (61). The rigid chain (61) can drive the push rod (14) through the clamp (64) to make the double-coordinated arm loading mechanism (1) move up or down. The support frame (66) is used to support the guide rail (65).

6. The loading method of the muzzle automatic loading system of the mortar double coordination arms according to claim 5, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: Step 1: The power system (6) drives the double-coordinated arm loading mechanism (1) to rotate to the position of the horizontal rotary magazine (3). The swing arm (12) enters the guide groove (30) and realizes left and right limiting. The horizontal rotary magazine (3) rotates the projectile (4) to be coaxial with the cartridge holder (11). The stop plate (16) is in the open state, and loading starts. The projectile (4) is pushed into the cartridge holder (11). The stop plate (16) closes the inlet of the cartridge holder (11) under the torsion of the torsion spring (17), that is, it enters the working position to prevent the projectile (4) from sliding out. The horizontal rotary magazine (3) rotates to the next station to prepare for loading the next projectile (4). Step 2: After the stop plate (16) completely enters the working position, the stepper motor (63) rotates to drive the sprocket (62), transmit the rigid chain (61). The transmission shaft (67) transmits the torque to the sprocket (62) on the other side, driving the push rod (14) clamped by the clamp (64) to rise, driving the double-coordinated arm loading mechanism (1) and the cartridge holder (11) to start lifting. When the axis of the projectile (4) in the cartridge holder (11) is aligned with the axis of the barrel (2), the centering is completed. During the centering process, the stop plate (16) contacts the outer wall of the barrel (2) and is gradually pushed open, and the projectile (4) slides into the barrel (2) under the action of its own gravity. Step 3: Before the projectile (4) is fired, the stepper motor (63) rotates in reverse to drive the sprocket (62), transmit the rigid chain (61). The transmission shaft (67) transmits the torque to the sprocket (62) on the other side, driving the push rod (14) clamped by the clamp (64) to descend, driving the double-coordinated arm loading mechanism (1) and the cartridge holder (11) to return to the receiving position away from the axis of the barrel (2), making the cartridge holder (11) return to the position at the start of loading, centering the axis of the next projectile (4), and completing a loading cycle.

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