Crossbow

Abstract

The invention relates to a crossbow (1) for firing projectiles (5), said crossbow comprising: a stock (2) and a guide rail (9) arranged thereon for accelerating a projectile (5); limbs (3) between which a tensionable string (4) is arranged; a retaining groove (6) for retaining the string (4) in a tensioned state in a holding position; and a trigger (7) for moving the tensioned string (4) out of the retaining groove (6) in order to fire the crossbow and to accelerate the projectile (5) along the guide rail (9). In order to prevent the crossbow (1) from firing accidentally, a safety lever (11) is provided for holding the tensioned string (4) in the retaining groove (6), which safety lever (11) is coupled with the trigger (7) so that, when the trigger (7) is moved from the holding position to fire the crossbrow, the safety lever (11) and thus the string (4) can be moved out of the retaining groove (6).

Description

[0001] crossbow

[0002] The invention relates to a crossbow for firing projectiles, with a shaft and a guide rail arranged thereon for accelerating a projectile, and with limbs between which a tensionable string is arranged, a retaining groove for retaining the string in a tensioned state in a holding position, and with a trigger for moving the tensioned string out of the retaining groove for firing and for accelerating the projectile along the guide rail.

[0003] Crossbows are well-known in the art and are used both in sporting activities and for hunting. With a crossbow, the limbs are first tensioned by pulling back the string connected to them, and then the projectile, such as an arrow, a bolt, or a bullet, is brought into engagement with the string. By pulling a trigger, the tensioned string can be released from the retaining groove, accelerating the projectile along the guide rail and firing it.

[0004] More complex crossbow designs have a trigger mechanism and tension-holding parts. The tension-holding parts are blocked by the trigger mechanism and folded away or swung upwards to release the shot (so-called "crossbows with a lock"). In simpler crossbow designs, the string is held in a retaining groove, ridge, or depression and lifted by the trigger mechanism, thus releasing it. The present invention relates to this simpler crossbow design, which is referred to as "edge lifters." Such designs are known from CA 1 188 583 A or WO 2013 / 138918 A1.

[0005] For example, WO 01 / 94870 A1 describes a crossbow with adjustable limbs.

[0006] In many simpler crossbows, particularly the "edge lifters" mentioned above, the trigger is not safe, which can lead to accidental discharges. Crossbows of this type have the inherent systemic disadvantage that any lifting of the string and not just pulling the trigger can trigger a shot. Other designs, however, are very complex and expensive. Often only the crossbow's trigger is protected against accidental activation, whereby mechanical influences or impacts on the drawn crossbow can cause the string to jump out of the retaining groove and still lead to an accidental discharge. If the projectile is already placed in front of the drawn string, this can lead to dangerous situations. A crossbow of this type is shown, for example, in US Pat. No. 9,766,032.

[0007] Other crossbows on the market use a safety that automatically activates immediately after cocking and must be deactivated by the shooter using a switch before each shot. Such safeties are regularly removed or bypassed by shooters, which in turn compromises safety.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to create a crossbow as described above that is better protected against accidental discharge. In particular, an automatic and always-on safety is to be implemented without the shooter having to take additional steps to manually deactivate the safety immediately before firing, which would otherwise burden him. In contrast to known designs, the design for securing the cocked crossbow should be as simple and cost-effective as possible, thus enabling widespread application even with less expensive crossbows, especially the aforementioned "edge lifters."

[0009] The object of the invention is achieved by an above-mentioned crossbow in which a safety lever is provided for holding the tensioned string in the retaining groove, which safety lever is coupled to the trigger so that when the trigger is moved from the holding position to firing the shot, the safety lever and thus the string can be moved out of the retaining groove. According to the invention, the tensioned string is held in the retaining groove by a suitably shaped safety lever so that, without pulling the trigger, the string can be prevented from jumping out of the retaining groove in the holding position. Only when the trigger is pulled is the safety lever moved in a suitable manner, so that the opening of the retaining groove is released and the string can move out of the retaining groove to accelerate the projectile. The shooter does not need to take any additional step to manually deactivate the safety immediately before firing a shot.The safety lever and the components required for coupling with the trigger are relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Metals or plastics are suitable materials for the necessary components. Retrofitting existing crossbows with the safety lever is also possible.

[0010] Advantageously, the safety lever has a hook-shaped end that closes the opening of the retaining groove when the string is in the holding position. This represents a simple and effective design option. Depending on the material, the safety lever can be manufactured by stamping, casting, or injection molding.

[0011] If the safety lever is pivoted against the direction of fire of the projectile, it can be moved away when the crossbow is cocked, allowing the drawn string to spring into the retention groove. To assist the movement of the drawn string into the retention groove, the limbs, to whose ends the string is attached, are slightly tensioned downward relative to the stock or center column of the crossbow.

[0012] According to a further feature of the invention, the safety lever is connected to a compression spring. This compression spring ensures that the safety lever closes the retaining groove in the holding position, thus preventing the taut string from jumping out of the retaining groove. In the simplest case, the compression spring is formed by a spiral spring with several turns made of metal or plastic.

[0013] The trigger is preferably formed by a trigger lever with a trigger pinion arranged thereon and a rack which is positively connected to the trigger pinion of the trigger lever, so that when the trigger lever is actuated, the rack is movable and the string can be moved out of the retaining groove for firing. This represents a simple implementation of the coupling of the trigger with the safety lever, which consists of a two-part trigger, namely the trigger lever with the trigger pinion and the rack, and a corresponding bearing for the safety lever in the rack.

[0014] The locking lever is advantageously mounted on the rack in a movable manner. This represents a particularly simple method of implementation.

[0015] Typically, the trigger lever is pivotable about a pivot axis, so that the trigger lever must be moved a small angle around the pivot axis to fire the shot. However, other designs, such as linearly movable trigger levers, are theoretically conceivable.

[0016] If a compression spring is arranged to hold the trigger in the holding position, it can be ensured that the unloaded trigger is in the holding position. In the simplest case, this compression spring can also be formed by a spiral spring with several turns made of metal or plastic.

[0017] A spring-loaded trigger safety lever locks the trigger in the holding position. The trigger can be locked by the trigger safety lever using a corresponding counter-bearing edge on the trigger safety lever, which is only released when the trigger safety lever is moved relative to the trigger, thereby pulling the trigger and subsequently firing a shot with the crossbow.

[0018] A compression spring can be arranged between the trigger lever and the trigger safety lever. In the simplest case, this compression spring can also be a spiral spring with a few turns made of metal or plastic.

[0019] The present invention is explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In these drawings: Fig. 1 shows a crossbow in side view;

[0020] Fig. 2 the crossbow according to Fig. 1 in plan view;

[0021] Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the crossbow according to Fig. 2 along the section line III-III;

[0022] Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the crossbow according to Figs. 1 to 3; and

[0023] Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the crossbow trigger.

[0024] Fig. 1 shows a side view of a crossbow 1. The crossbow 1 has a shaft 2 and limbs 3 connected to it (see Fig. 2). A string 4, which can be drawn, is arranged at the ends of the limbs 3. The drawn string 4 is held in a holding position in a retaining groove 6.

[0025] A trigger 7 can be used to move the taut string 4 out of the retaining groove 6, whereby it can accelerate and fire a projectile 5 located along a guide rail 9 on the stock 2. The projectile 5 can be an arrow, as shown. Bolts or balls are also possible as projectiles 5 (not shown). On the underside of the stock 2 there is a mounting rail 10, a so-called Picatinny rail, for attaching accessories such as an aiming device or a foregrip (not shown). A shoulder rest (not shown) can also be attached behind the grip 8.

[0026] According to the invention, a safety lever 11 is provided for holding the tensioned string 4 in the retaining groove 6. This safety lever 11 is coupled to the trigger 7, so that when the trigger 7 is moved from the holding position to fire the shot, the safety lever 11 and thus the string 4 can be moved out of the retaining groove 6. The exact function is better illustrated in Figures 3, 4, and 5.

[0027] Fig. 2 shows the crossbow 1 according to Fig. 1 in plan view. In this view, the guide rail 9 for the projectiles 5 on the shaft 2 and the limbs 3 attached to the shaft 2 with the string 4 arranged thereon can be seen. Fig. 3 shows a sectional view through the crossbow 1 according to Fig. 2 along the section line II I- III. The safety lever 11 for holding the tensioned string 4 in the retaining groove 6 has a hook-shaped end 12 which closes the opening of the retaining groove 6 when the string 4 is in the holding position. This prevents the tensioned string 4 from coming out of the retaining groove 6 unintentionally or without the trigger 7 being pulled. When the trigger 7 is pulled, the safety lever 11 is operated or moved upwards , whereby the string 4 can be moved out of the retaining groove 6 for firing .

[0028] To enable the crossbow 1 to be cocked, the safety lever 11 is arranged so as to be pivotable in the opposite direction to the firing direction of the projectile 5. This means that the safety lever 11 is pressed backwards via the string 4, allowing the tensioned string 4 to enter the retaining groove 6 of the crossbow 1. When the string 4 is in the retaining groove 6, the safety lever 11 snaps forwards again, and the hook-shaped end 12 of the safety lever 11 closes the retaining groove 6 and prevents the tensioned string 4 from coming out. The compression spring 13 is provided for this mobility of the safety lever 11.

[0029] The embodiment of the crossbow 1 can be seen more clearly in Fig. 4, which shows an exploded view of the crossbow 1 according to Figs. 1 to 3, and in Fig. 5, which shows a partially sectioned detailed view of the trigger 7 of the crossbow 1 in an enlarged representation.

[0030] The trigger 7 is formed by a trigger lever 14 with a trigger pinion 15 arranged thereon and a rack 16 which is positively connected to the trigger pinion 15 of the trigger lever 14. The trigger lever 14 is arranged so as to be pivotable about the axis of rotation X. When the trigger lever 14 is actuated, the rack 16 is moved upwards and the string 4 is moved out of the retaining groove 6 for firing. For this purpose, the safety lever 11 is slidably mounted on the rack 16.

[0031] The compression spring 17 holds the trigger lever 14 in the holding position. In addition, a spring-loaded trigger safety lever 18 can be provided to block the trigger 7 in the holding position. A compression spring 20 is arranged between the trigger lever 14 and the trigger safety lever 18. The blocking of the trigger 7 by the trigger safety lever 18 is achieved by a corresponding abutment edge 19 on the trigger safety lever 18. Only after the trigger safety lever 18 has moved relative to the trigger lever 14 is the trigger lever 14 of the trigger 7 released, whereby the trigger lever 14 is moved further and, consequently, a shot can be fired with the crossbow 1.

[0032] The described construction of the crossbow 1 enables the realization of a simple and cost-effective safety device and the prevention of unintentional firing.

Claims

Patent claims:

1. Crossbow (1) for firing projectiles (5), with a shaft (2) and a guide rail (9) arranged thereon for accelerating a projectile (5), and with limbs (3) between which a tensionable string (4) is arranged, a retaining groove (6) for retaining the string (4) in a tensioned state in a holding position, and with a trigger (7) for moving the tensioned string (4) out of the retaining groove (6) for firing and for accelerating a projectile (5) along the guide rail (9), characterized in that a safety lever (11) is provided for holding the tensioned string (4) in the retaining groove (6), which safety lever (11) is coupled to the trigger (7), so that upon movement of the Trigger (7) from the holding position for firing the safety lever (11) and thus the string (4) can be moved out of the retaining groove (6).

2. Crossbow (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the safety lever (11) has a hook-shaped end (12) which closes the opening of the retaining groove (6) in the holding position of the string (4).

3. Crossbow (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the safety lever (11) is arranged to be pivotable against the firing direction of the projectile (5).

4. Crossbow (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the safety lever (11) is connected to a compression spring (13).

5. Crossbow (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the trigger (7) is actuated by a trigger lever (14) with a trigger pinion (15) arranged thereon and a rack (16) is formed, which is positively connected to the trigger pinion (15) of the trigger lever (14), so that when the trigger lever (14) is actuated, the toothed rack (16) is movable and the string (4) is movable out of the retaining groove (6) for firing.

6. Crossbow (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the safety lever (11) is slidably mounted on the rack (16).

7. Crossbow (1) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the trigger lever (14) is arranged to be pivotable about an axis of rotation (X).

8. Crossbow (1) according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that a compression spring (17) is arranged to hold the trigger lever (14) in the holding position.

9. Crossbow (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a spring-loaded trigger safety lever (18) is provided for blocking the trigger (7) in the holding position.

10. Crossbow (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that a compression spring (20) is arranged between the trigger lever (14) and the trigger safety lever (18).

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