Locking the muzzle flap of a submarine

Abstract

Submarine with at least one weapon barrel and at least one muzzle flap, wherein the submarine has an opening device for opening and closing the muzzle flap, wherein the opening device has a drive rod (10), wherein the drive rod (10) has a first recess (11) for receiving a blocking element (20), wherein the blocking element (20) is rotatable, characterized in that by means of the rotation it can be screwed into the first recess (11) of the drive rod (10) in such a way that the movement of the drive rod (10) is blocked.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a locking mechanism for opening and closing a muzzle flap.

[0002] The mechanism for opening and closing the muzzle flap is usually equipped with a locking mechanism to prevent accidental opening. Opening the muzzle flap exposes the interior of the gun barrel to ambient pressure. Therefore, the muzzle flap must not be opened, for example, if the gun barrel is open to the inside of the boat, as this would allow water to enter the pressure hull unhindered and uncontrolled.

[0003] DE 10 2009 004 056 A1 discloses a submarine with a lock and an outer cover, as well as a drive for opening and closing the cover. A locking or blocking mechanism, for example, is described in paragraph 12.

[0004] A torpedo launching device is known from US 1 315 535 A.

[0005] Typically, this locking mechanism consists of an object inserted into the opening mechanism. However, this insertion can generate noise, which should be avoided.

[0006] The object of the invention is to provide a locking mechanism that has a low risk of noise generation.

[0007] This object is achieved by the submarine having the features specified in claim 1. Advantageous further developments emerge from the subclaims, the following description, and the drawings.

[0008] The submarine according to the invention has at least one weapon barrel and at least one muzzle flap. The muzzle flap serves to close off the weapon barrel from the outside. If a weapon is to be launched from the weapon barrel, the weapon barrel must be irrigated and then the muzzle flap opened. The muzzle flap is then closed again. Since the weapon barrel thus represents a pressure hull penetration, care must be taken to ensure that the muzzle flap is and remains securely closed, for example when the weapon barrel is opened to the interior of the pressure hull in order to load or unload the weapon barrel. The submarine has an opening device for opening and closing the muzzle flap. The opening device has a drive rod.In the sense of the invention, the drive rod is to be interpreted broadly and is an object belonging to the opening device for opening and closing the muzzle flap, which object is moved when the muzzle flap is opened or closed. The drive rod therefore does not have to transfer the drive force to the muzzle flap; rather, the drive rod can also be moved by the muzzle flap, for example. It is important that when the drive rod is blocked, the muzzle flap can no longer be moved. The drive rod can, for example, belong to a hydraulic cylinder. The drive rod can also belong to an electric linear drive. The task of the drive rod is to carry out a linear movement in order to open or close the muzzle flap during the linear movement. The drive rod has a first recess for receiving a blocking element. A locking or blocking mechanism is known, for example, from DE 10 2009 004 056 A1.By inserting the locking element into the recess, the drive rod can no longer be moved, thus keeping the muzzle flap secured, preferably in the closed position. Unintentional and potentially dangerous opening is impossible.

[0009] According to the invention, the blocking element is rotatable and can be screwed into the first recess of the drive rod by rotation, thereby blocking the movement of the drive rod. The rotational movement reduces the likelihood of jamming and grinding. This allows blocking and releasing to occur particularly quietly, resulting in a particularly low acoustic signature. For example, a cuboid block can be rotated into a matching recess. The axis of rotation preferably runs through the blocking element.

[0010] In a further embodiment of the invention, the blocking element is at least partially cylindrical. A cylindrical body has a longitudinal axis and a circular cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, with the longitudinal axis passing through the center of the circle. The longitudinal axis of the blocking element is arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drive rod, i.e., both are at right angles to each other. While previous blocking elements were moved translationally, the blocking element according to the invention is arranged so that it can rotate about the longitudinal axis. The cylindrical shape enables particularly good force transmission across a wide area after screwing in, which in particular reduces wear.

[0011] In a further embodiment of the invention, the blocking element has a second recess. The second recess has the shape of a circular section. In a first rotational position of the blocking element, the circular section is such that the center of the circle underlying the circular section lies on the longitudinal axis of the drive rod and that the circumference of the circle corresponds to 1.0 to 1.1 times the circumference of the drive rod. In this first rotational position, the drive rod can be moved unhindered in the longitudinal direction, i.e. the mouth flap can be opened and closed unhindered. The drive rod can thus be guided unhindered through the second recess. The first recess has the shape of a circular section.In a first longitudinal movement position of the drive rod, the circular section is such that the center of the circle underlying the circular section lies on the longitudinal axis of the blocking element and that the circumference of the circle corresponds to 1.0 to 1.1 times the circumference of the blocking element. As a result, the blocking element can be moved into the first recess by turning to block the drive rod and out of the first recess to release the drive rod again. The pure rotary movement of the blocking element reliably prevents, in particular, noise development. The first longitudinal movement position occurs when the muzzle flap is closed. The drive rod is therefore fixed in the first longitudinal movement position and thus with the muzzle flap closed.

[0012] In a further embodiment of the invention, the blocking element comprises a gear. The opening device comprises a rack. The gear can be rotated via the rack. For this purpose, the gear and rack are in contact. In this way, a linear movement can be easily converted into a rotary movement. The rack is preferably moved hydraulically. The hydraulic supply for moving the rack has at least one valve. The rack and thus the blocking element can be blocked by closing the valve. This is an advantage of a hydraulic drive. Since no hydraulic fluid can flow when the valve is closed, the blocking element is automatically blocked in the rotary position in which the valve is closed.

[0013] In a further embodiment of the invention, the opening device has at least one first position sensor for detecting the first rotational position of the blocking element. Preferably, the opening device has at least one second position sensor for detecting a second rotational position of the blocking element. The second rotational position, and thus also the second position sensor relative to the first position sensor, is arranged rotated by 45° to 180°, preferably by 90°, relative to the first rotational position. This makes it easy to detect the "locked" and "unlocked" states and, in particular, to report them reliably and simply to the interior of the pressure hull.

[0014] In a further embodiment of the invention, the first position sensor and the second position sensor are designed to detect a position of the blocking element. The first position sensor and the second position sensor are arranged in a common plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the blocking element. The blocking element has a control recess for detecting the rotational position. In the first rotational position, the control recess is located near the first position sensor, which thus has no contact with the surface.If the blocking element is moved from the first rotational position to the second rotational position, the control recess moves away from the first position sensor, so that it again maintains contact or a second distance from the surface, and toward the second position sensor, which in turn, due to the control recess, no longer maintains contact or changes its distance from a fourth distance to a third distance from the surface, thus detecting the second rotational position. Distances two and four are each greater than their corresponding distances one and three.

[0015] In a further embodiment of the invention, the first position sensor and the second position sensor are designed to detect a position of the blocking element. The first position sensor and the second position sensor are arranged in a common plane parallel to the longitudinal direction of the blocking element. The blocking element has a control recess for detecting the rotational position. In the first rotational position, the control recess is located near the first position sensor, which thus has no contact with the surface. If the blocking element is moved from the first rotational position to the second rotational position, the control recess moves away from the first position sensor, so that it regains contact with the surface, and towards the second position sensor, which in turn now has no contact with the surface due to the control recess and thus detects the second rotational position.

[0016] For example, the first position sensor and the second position sensor in the above embodiments are designed as contactless induction sensors. This allows a different distance to be detected instead of a contact created by the control recess, thus reliably detecting the position. In another example, the position sensors can also be designed as light sensors and detect the reflection properties changed by the control recess. Likewise, upon contact with the surface, for example, an electrical contact can be closed, thus being designed as a sensor.

[0017] In a further embodiment of the invention, the blocking element has a third recess. The opening device has a locking device. The locking device is designed to engage in the third recess. The locking device is operatively connected to a watering device of the weapon barrel and / or a manual locking device inside the pressure hull of the submarine. The locking device can be implemented either translationally, as in the prior art, or also in the manner according to the invention by means of a rotational movement. This makes it easy to prevent unintentional opening of the weapon barrel on both sides, i.e., to the outside and inside of the pressure hull.

[0018] In a further embodiment of the invention, the drive rod is the piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic drive has the advantage over the electric drive in that the position can be fixed very simply and effectively by closing the supply and discharge lines, thus making unintentional unlocking very unlikely.

[0019] The submarine according to the invention is explained in more detail below using an embodiment shown in the drawings. Fig. 1 Supervision Fig. 2 horizontal cross section in second rotation position Fig. 3 horizontal cross section in first rotation position Fig. 4 horizontal cross-section in first rotation position, muzzle flap open Fig. 5 Side view Fig. 6 vertical cross section in first rotation position Fig. 7 Blocking element in side view, first rotation position Fig. 8 Blocking element in side view, second rotation position

[0020] The illustrations are for illustrative purposes only, are highly schematic and are not to scale.

[0021] In Fig. 1, the drive rod 10 can be seen from right to left. To open a muzzle flap (not shown), the drive rod 10 must be moved from right to left or from left to right. To prevent this movement, a blocking element 20 is arranged perpendicular to the illustration and can be rotated about the axis.

[0022] In order to illustrate the functionality, the Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 shows a cross section through the center of the drive rod 10 perpendicular to the blocking element 20.

[0023] In Fig. 2 shows the first recess 11 in the drive rod 10. This has a round shape, allowing the blocking element 20 to be arranged in the first recess 11 in the second rotational position, as shown here. This prevents translation of the drive rod 10 from right to left, reliably securing the drive rod 10 and thus the muzzle flap (not shown).

[0024] By turning the blocking element 20, this can be done as shown in Fig. 3, into a first rotational position, so that a translation of the drive rod 10 is now possible, as shown in Fig. 4 is shown.

[0025] From the Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 it is clearly visible that the first recess 11 has the shape of a circular section. Fig. 3 it is clearly visible that the circular section is shaped and arranged in such a way that the center of the circle underlying the circular section lies on the longitudinal axis of the blocking element 20 and the circumference of the circle corresponds to 1.0 to 1.1 times the circumference of the blocking element 20, in the case shown, within the scope of the drawing accuracy, to 1.0 times the circumference of the blocking element 20.

[0026] In particular, to illustrate the second recess 22, Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 a side view and a vertical cross-section, perpendicular to the cross-section of the Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 and through the longitudinal axis of the blocking element 20. In Fig. 6 clearly shows that the second recess has the shape of a circular segment. In the first rotational position of the blocking element 20 shown here, the circular segment is such that the center of the circle underlying the circular segment lies on the longitudinal axis of the drive rod 10 and the circumference of the circle corresponds to 1.0 to 1.1 times the circumference of the drive rod 10; in the case shown, within the limits of drawing accuracy, this corresponds to 1.0 times the circumference of the drive rod 10.

[0027] Therefore, from the Fig. 1 to Fig. 6 clearly shows that the locking and unlocking of the drive rod 10 is achieved only by rotating the locking element 20. This largely prevents jamming or other noise-causing movement problems, making the opening and closing of a muzzle flap significantly quieter and thus having a very positive effect on the acoustic signature.

[0028] In Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 shows only the blocking element 20 with the peripherals required for the rotary movement. These are divided into three groups: drive, sensor, and safety lock. The arrangement of the three groups is purely schematic, and they can also be arranged in a different manner and order on the blocking element 20. Fig. 7 is the first rotation position and in Fig. 8 shows the second rotational position.

[0029] The area of ​​the blocking element 20 shown widened in the middle corresponds to the area shown in the Fig. 1 to Fig. 6 shown area of ​​the blocking element 20. The further periphery was in the Fig. 1 to Fig. 6 omitted for simplicity.

[0030] In the example shown, the drive group is located at the lower end. The blocking element 20 has a gear 30 at the lower end in the example shown. A rack 31 is arranged in contact with the gear 30. By moving the rack 31 from right to left or from left to right, a rotational movement of the blocking element 20 can be achieved. In order to move the rack 31, a first hydraulic cylinder 32 is arranged at one end and a second hydraulic cylinder 33 at the opposite end. If hydraulic fluid is now pumped into the first hydraulic cylinder 32 and removed from the second hydraulic cylinder 33, the rack moves from left to right; if hydraulic fluid is pumped into the second hydraulic cylinder 33 and removed from the first hydraulic cylinder 32, the rack moves from right to left. This can be achieved via a hydraulic switching valve 34 and the hydraulic lines 35. A major advantage is.that the hydraulic switching valve 34 can be positioned so that no hydraulic fluid can escape from or enter the first hydraulic cylinder 32 or the second hydraulic cylinder 33. In this blocking position, due to the incompressibility of fluids, the rack 31 is locked in position and thus also the blocking element 20 is locked in its rotational position.

[0031] To detect the rotational position, a sensor group is arranged in the upper area. The blocking element 20 has a control recess 40 in this area. In the example shown, a first position sensor 41 is arranged on the left and a second position sensor 42 on the right. Such an arrangement is useful when the blocking element 20 performs a 180° rotation. Fig. 1 to Fig. 6, however, only a 90° rotation is shown. Since in this case the second position sensor 42 would be arranged in front of or behind the plane of the drawing, it would be unsuitable for illustration; for simplicity, an opposite representation has been chosen here. In the example shown, the control recess 40 is arranged next to the first position sensor 41, and the blocking element 20 is in the first rotational position. Thus, the first position sensor 41 has no contact with the surface of the blocking element 20, while the second position sensor 42 does have contact with the surface of the blocking element 20. The rotational position of the blocking element 20 can thus be detected simply and reliably. After a rotation of the blocking element 20 by 180°, the control recess 40 would be arranged next to the second position sensor 42. Thus, the first position sensor 41 would have contact with the surface of the blocking element 20, but the second position sensor 42 would not.Thus, the second rotational position is reliably detected.

[0032] A safety locking assembly is arranged at the upper end of the locking element 20. For this purpose, the locking element 20 has a third recess 50. A locking device 51 can be inserted into this third recess 50 to prevent rotation of the locking element 20 and thus prevent it from rotating. Since the locking element 20 is currently in the first rotational position, allowing movement of the drive rod 10, the third recess 50 is arranged opposite the locking device 51.

[0033] Fig. 8 differs from Fig.7 by showing the second rotational position of the blocking element 20. The rack 31 is thus in a displaced position, the control recess 40 is now arranged adjacent to the second position sensor 42, and the locking device 51 is retracted into the third recess 50, which is no longer visible, and thus additionally blocks a rotational movement of the blocking element 20. Reference symbol 10 Drive rod 11 first recess 20 Blocking element 22 second recess 30 gear 31 Rack 32 first hydraulic cylinder 33 second hydraulic cylinder 34 Hydraulic switching valve 35 Hydraulic line 40 Control recess 41 first position sensor 42 second position sensor 50 third recess 51 locking device

Claims

[1] Submarine with at least one gun barrel and at least one muzzle flap, wherein the submarine has an opening device for opening and closing the muzzle flap, wherein the opening device has a drive rod (10), wherein the drive rod (10) has a first recess (11) for receiving a locking element (20), wherein the locking element (20) is rotatable, characterized by , that by turning into the first recess (11) of the drive rod (10) it can be screwed in such a way that the movement of the drive rod (10) is blocked. [2] Submarine according to claim 1, characterized by , that the locking element is at least partially cylindrical, wherein the longitudinal axis of the locking element (20) is arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drive rod (10), wherein the locking element (20) is arranged rotatably about the longitudinal axis, [3] Submarine according to claim 2, characterized by, wherein the locking element (20) has a second recess (22), wherein the second recess (22) has the form of a circular segment, wherein in a first rotational position of the locking element (20) the circular segment is such that the center of the circle underlying the circular segment lies on the longitudinal axis of the drive rod (10), [4] Submarine according to claim 3, characterized by, wherein the circumference of the circle corresponds to 1.0 to 1.1 times the circumference of the drive rod (10), wherein the first recess (11) has the form of a circular segment, wherein in a first longitudinal movement position of the drive rod (10) the circular segment is such that the center of the circle underlying the circular segment lies on the longitudinal axis of the blocking element (20), wherein the circumference of the circle corresponds to 1.0 to 1.1 times the circumference of the blocking element (20), wherein the first longitudinal movement position is given with the muzzle flap closed. [5] Submarine according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the locking element (20) has a gear (30), wherein the opening device has a rack (31), wherein the gear (30) can be rotated via the rack (31). [6] Submarine according to claim 5, characterized by, that the rack (31) is moved hydraulically, wherein the hydraulic supply for moving the rack (31) has at least one valve, wherein the rack (31) and thus the locking element (20) can be blocked by closing the valve. [7] Submarine according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by that the opening device has at least one first position sensor (41) for detecting the first rotational position of the locking element (20). [8] Submarine according to claim 7, characterized by , that the opening device has at least one second position sensor (42) for detecting a second rotational position of the locking element (20), wherein the second rotational position is arranged rotated by 45° to 180°, preferably by 90°, relative to that of the first rotational position. [9] Submarine according to one of claims 7 to 8, characterized by, that the first position sensor (41) and the second position sensor (42) are designed to detect contact with the blocking element (20), wherein the first position sensor (41) and the second position sensor (42) are arranged in a common plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the blocking element (20), wherein the blocking element (20) has a control recess (40) for detecting the rotational position. [10] Submarine according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the blocking element (20) has a third recess (50), wherein the opening device has a locking device (51), wherein the locking device is designed to engage in the third recess (50), wherein the locking device (51) is connected to a watering device of the gun barrel and / or a manual locking device inside the pressure hull of the submarine. [11] Submarine according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the drive rod (10) is the piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder.

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