Automated powder filling for an automated production line for ammunition

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for the automated filling of at least two ammunition casings with propellant powder for an automated production line for ammunition, comprising a metering housing (5) that can be docked onto the at least two ammunition casings (13, 119) in such a way that the at least two ammunition casings are arranged along a path, and a dispensing device (3) that can be moved along a path that matches the path of the ammunition casings in order to dispense propellant powder into the metering housing, and comprising a guide for guiding the dispensing device along the path that matches the path of the ammunition casings.

Description

[0001] SWISSP DEFENSE AG, Uttigenstrasse 67, 3602 Thun

[0002] Automated powder filling for an automated ammunition production line

[0003] The present invention relates to a device for the automated filling of at least two ammunition cases with propellant powder for an automated production line for ammunition with at least two ammunition parts, such as an ammunition cartridge that combines the components necessary for firing a projectile in a single unit, such as an ammunition case, an ammunition projectile, an ammunition primer, and / or propellant powder. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an automated production line for ammunition with at least two ammunition parts, which comprises a propellant powder filling device according to the invention.

[0004] The present invention fundamentally relates to the technical field of ammunition loading, which encompasses the preparation and assembly of individual ammunition components into a complete ammunition unit. For decades, this was done at separate, successive processing stations, which roughly summarized the following process: Preparation of the ammunition case, projectile, primer bag, and propellant powder at separate processing stations; insertion of the primer bag into the ammunition case; filling of propellant powder into the ammunition case; and insertion of the projectile into the ammunition case. Furthermore, additional sealing, painting, and / or inspection steps were performed.The individual parts were removed from the individual processing stations as bulk material and then separated from this bulk material in a separation station preceding the next processing station and fed to the next processing station. Filling the propellant powder into the ammunition cases, in particular, represents a bottleneck in automation and is also a highly safety-critical process. There have already been attempts to automate the powder filling process during the loading of ammunition. For example, KR 1020170156329 Ai describes a device for the automated, parallel filling of multiple ammunition cases. The device comprises a silo with a discharge opening that can be moved in a translational manner in order to fill dosing cavities in a dosing plate located below the silo, which is also movable. The silo rests directly on the dosing plate and moves back and forth on it.Below the dosing plate is another filling plate with several filling passages, each assigned to an ammunition case. The propellant powder is filled from the dosing cavities into the ammunition cases by aligning the filling passages with the dosing cavities, allowing the propellant powder to fall into the ammunition cases under the influence of gravity. However, it has been found that the desired powder quantity cannot be set precisely enough using the device according to KR 1020170156329 Ai due to a conflict between a high cycle rate and precise dosing. A further disadvantage of the device according to KR 1020170156329 Ai is that it can lead to blockage of the propellant powder, which can have safety-critical consequences.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, in particular to make the automated powder filling safer and with more precise dosing without reducing the cycle rate.

[0006] The problem is solved by the features of the independent claims.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a workpiece carrier for an automated production line for ammunition having at least two ammunition parts is provided.

[0008] The automated production line can encompass all joining and assembly steps necessary to produce a complete ammunition unit consisting of an ammunition case, a primer cap, an ammunition projectile, and the propellant powder. Therefore, such a production line can also be referred to as a loading system. The individual ammunition components can be manufactured in upstream production steps and / or upstream production stations and finally added to the loading system, where they are generally assembled using proven technology to form a complete ammunition or cartridge, which is then ready for sale after passing through the automated production line.The automated production line is preferably implemented as a rotary indexing or circulation system, in which the individual processing stations for assembling the ammunition are arranged sequentially along the rotary indexing or circulation system and automatically assemble ammunition units according to a conveying cycle of the production line.

[0009] The system comprises several manufacturing or processing stations at which the various assembly or manufacturing steps are carried out. For example, the several manufacturing stations include an ammunition part insertion station, preferably a case insertion station and / or a projectile insertion station, for inserting at least one of the several ammunition parts into the system's manufacturing process, several quality inspection stations, at least one ammunition part processing station, for example a case forming station, a propellant charge filling station, a projectile assembly station, a projectile marking station, and / or an ejection station for transporting the finished ammunition from the system's manufacturing process. The ejection station can also serve to eject rejects from the manufacturing process.The multiple production stations are arranged in relation to the production process in such a way that the ammunition parts can be fed to the production stations one after the other in order to carry out the successive production steps.

[0010] The system further comprises one or more conveyor devices, each for holding several of the multiple ammunition parts and for transporting several of the multiple ammunition parts to or from the multiple production stations. The conveyor device therefore fulfills at least two functions. Firstly, the conveyor device can hold the ammunition parts required for the ammunition and enable the individual production stations to access the ammunition parts or enable the ammunition parts to be processed at the individual production stations. Secondly, the conveyor device is responsible for the, in particular, automated transport or conveyance of the individual ammunition parts along the production process defined by the multiple production stations.The conveyor system defines a closed, circulating conveyor track along which the individual ammunition parts are conveyed, at least in sections, depending on their influence on the production process, and which defines an interior space enclosed by the conveyor track and an exterior space delimited therefrom. The conveyor track can have an endless racetrack-like structure or shape. In particular, the system comprises several conveyor devices, such as carriages, distributed along the conveyor track and particularly of identical design. The several conveyor devices can be individually controlled and moved along the conveyor track so that individual production stations can be reached with an individual movement profile for each conveyor device. This makes the production process considerably more flexible than if the conveyor devices were fixed to one another along the conveyor track.

[0011] At least one, in particular several, of the multiple production stations can be arranged in the interior and / or the exterior and act from the inside and / or outside on the conveyor system, in particular on the ammunition parts conveyed or transported along the conveyor system. The lateral or horizontal plane of influence of the production stations on the conveyor system or on the ammunition parts conveyed thereby enabled a space-saving, tidy design of the system. With such lateral access to the conveyor system, the high demands on production capacity can be better met, because the lateral arrangement with lateral access of the production stations to the conveyor system allows the individual production stations to be designed completely independently of the conveyor system and to be freely and flexibly positioned, repositioned and interchanged with respect to the conveyor system.

[0012] Furthermore, the multiple conveyors can be moved independently of each other from, to, and / or between the multiple production stations. In particular, the system comprises multiple, particularly identically designed, conveyors, such as carriages, distributed along a conveyor track. The multiple conveyors can be individually controlled and moved along the conveyor track, allowing individual production stations to be approached with a unique motion profile for each conveyor. This makes the production process considerably more flexible than if the conveyors were fixed to one another along the conveyor track.

[0013] Furthermore, the system can have at least two propellant charge filling stations arranged one behind the other in the conveying direction. The propellant charge filling stations are basically designed to fill ammunition parts, in particular the casing, with propellant powder. The propellant charge filling station according to the invention can be designed on the basis of gravimetry or operate on the basis of volumetric dosing. With gravimetric dosing, advantages can be achieved with regard to the accuracy of the dosed quantity. With volumetric dosing, significant advantages can be achieved with regard to processing speed, which has a positive effect on the cycle rate, in particular when the propellant charge filling station according to the invention is integrated into a system according to the invention for the automated production of ammunition. The device according to the invention serves in particular for the simultaneous filling of at least two ammunition casings with propellant powder.This means that the filling of the at least two ammunition cases is carried out in one filling process, in particular without a change of direction of more than 90°. "Simultaneous" does not necessarily mean that the at least two ammunition cases are filled at exactly the same time, but rather that there is certainly a certain time offset between the filling, in particular the complete filling, of the ammunition cases arranged along the path. The device according to the invention can be designed to fill the at least two ammunition cases each with a defined, in particular essentially identical, quantity, taking into account the inaccuracies inherent in the process.The propellant powder can, for example, be a propellant powder for small-caliber ammunition, in particular with a caliber in the range of 4.5 mm to 13 mm, which typically has mono- or dibasic spherical, tubular, rod-shaped, or flake-shaped forms and / or is powder-like. Alternatively, extruded propellant powders can also be used. If the propellant powder is spherical, it can, for example, be rolled and have a sphere diameter of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm. In the case of rod-shaped propellant powder, for example for 5.56 mm caliber ammunition, the rods can have a length of up to 1.1 mm and / or a diameter of up to 0.7 mm. The density of the propellant powder used can, for example, be in the range of 0.5 to 1 g / cm3 for nitrocellulose (NC).For such a propellant powder, the bulk density is in the range of 0.6 to 1 g / cm3, for cartridges, for subsonic or blank cartridges up to 0.4 g / cm3.

[0014] Furthermore, one of the plurality of production stations can be an ignition element insertion station, which brings an ignition element into the production process of the system and inserts each ignition element into a casing. The ignition element insertion station can be designed to insert several, in particular at least two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, or twelve, ignition elements simultaneously, in particular in one insertion process, into a corresponding number of casings. Furthermore, one of the plurality of production stations can be a fluid application station, in which a sealing compound is applied in an annular joint between the casing and the ignition element accommodated therein and / or between the casing and the projectile inserted therein, and the annular joint is sealed and / or marked.It has been proven that integrating the application of the sealing compound into the automated manufacturing process offers significant advantages in terms of production capacity as well as manufacturing accuracy. Because the system ensures that the individual components are aligned with each other, the fluid application station can benefit from this predetermined alignment of the individual components and apply the sealing compound with great precision.

[0015] Furthermore, one of the multiple production stations can be a quality monitoring station, where the casing and the projectile are monitored individually before assembly. Monitoring can be understood as quality control with regard to predetermined parameters.

[0016] Furthermore, the conveyor system and the production stations can be coordinated with each other in cycles, with at least two, at least five, at least ten, or at least twelve ammunition parts being processed into ammunition at the production stations per cycle. The production capacity according to the invention is achieved, among other things, by the parallel processing of a large number of ammunition parts per cycle.

[0017] Furthermore, the conveyor track can have a rail oriented towards the interior and / or exterior, which runs along the conveyor track and fixes a coupling interface of the conveyor device in a ready position.

[0018] The filling device according to the invention can be designed based on gravimetry or operate on the basis of volumetric dosing. With gravimetric dosing, advantages can be achieved with regard to the accuracy of the dosed quantity. With volumetric dosing, significant advantages can be achieved with regard to processing speed, which has a positive effect on the cycle rate, particularly when the filling device according to the invention is integrated into a system according to the invention for the automated production of ammunition. The device according to the invention serves in particular for the simultaneous filling of at least two ammunition cases with propellant powder. This means that the filling of at least two ammunition cases is carried out in one filling process, in particular without a change of direction of more than 90°.Simultaneous does not necessarily mean that the at least two ammunition cases are filled at exactly the same time, but rather that there is a certain time offset between the filling, in particular the complete filling, of the ammunition cases arranged along the track. The device according to the invention can be designed to fill the at least two ammunition cases each with a defined, in particular essentially identical, quantity, taking into account the inaccuracies inherent in the process. The propellant powder can, for example, be a propellant powder for small-caliber ammunition, in particular with a caliber in the range of 4.5 mm to 13 mm, which typically has single- or double-base spherical, tubular, rod-shaped, or flake-shaped forms and / or is powder-like. Alternatively, extruded propellant powders can also be used.If the propellant is spherical, it can be rolled, for example, and have a sphere diameter of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm. In the case of rod-shaped propellant, for example for 5.56 mm caliber ammunition, the rods can be up to 1.1 mm long and / or up to 0.7 mm in diameter. The density of the propellant used, for example, with nitrocellulose (NC), can be in the range of 0.5 to 1 g / cm3. For such a propellant, the bulk density is in the range of 0.6 to 1 g / cm3, and for service cartridges, for subsonic or blank cartridges, it can be up to 0.4 g / cm3.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present invention, the device, also called a filling device, comprises a metering housing to which the at least two ammunition cases can be docked such that the at least two ammunition cases are arranged along a path, and a dispensing device that can be moved along an image of the path of ammunition cases for dispensing propellant powder into the metering housing. For example, with the device according to the invention, at least three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven or at least twelve, in particular up to fifteen, eighteen or twenty, ammunition cases can be filled with propellant powder by means of the device, in particular simultaneously and / or in one work step or filling process, in particular in order to fill a defined, in particular substantially identical, amount of propellant powder into each ammunition case.The dosing housing can have predefined docking positions for the at least two ammunition cases. For example, connecting devices such as latches, clips, plug-in devices, or other connecting devices can be provided at the docking positions so that the at least two ammunition cases are temporarily fixed to the dosing housing in the docked state for the filling process. The ammunition cases can be docked to the dosing housing such that they are arranged along a path that can be moved by the dispensing device, in particular in a back-and-forth motion, in order to fill the at least two ammunition cases in one work step or filling process. The dispensing device can be connected to a silo or, in general, to a propellant powder supply from which the dispensing device obtains the propellant powder or from which the dispensing device can be supplied with propellant powder.For example, a dynamic pressure in the propellant powder supply can be kept essentially constant, so that an essentially homogeneous dynamic pressure also exists in the dispensing device. For example, the dispensing device is designed to dispense the propellant powder into the dosing housing, in particular exclusively under the influence of weight. Simultaneous filling means that the filling of the at least two ammunition cases takes place in one step or operation, specifically in immediate succession. The path can define a straight, curved, or undulating row, along which the at least two ammunition cases are arranged, in particular at an equidistant distance, and are docked to the dosing housing. For example, the dosing housing can delimit a dosing chamber into which the dispensing direction fills the propellant powder.The at least two ammunition cases can be assigned to the dosing chamber in such a way that the propellant powder can be transferred or flowed from the dosing chamber into the ammunition cases.

[0020] The dispensing device is movable along an image of the trajectory of ammunition cases to dispense propellant powder into the dosing housing. The image of the trajectory can either be the trajectory itself, meaning that the dispensing device moves along the trajectory of ammunition cases, or along a correspondingly shaped trajectory but at a different location. For example, the trajectory image can be a planar projection of the trajectory of ammunition cases.

[0021] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the device comprises a guide for guiding the dispensing device along the image of the trajectory of ammunition casings. Because the dispensing device is guided along the trajectory during movement, significantly more precise dosing of the propellant powder to be dispensed can be achieved. For example, the dispensing device can be positively guided along the trajectory, with evasive movements from the trajectory being limited, in particular prevented. Due to the predefined guide trajectory, it is possible to deliver reproducible results more efficiently and simply than previously in the prior art, thereby improving suitability for mass production in particular.By using knowledge of the type of propellant powder, for example its flowability, density, particle size, and / or surface texture, the amount of propellant powder to be dispensed can be dosed very precisely during a dispensing filling process using the predefined guidance of the dispensing device.

[0022] According to an exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention, the guide is shaped according to the image of the trajectory of ammunition cases. In other words, the guide can be shaped in its cross-sectional profile according to the planar projection of the trajectory image. This reliably ensures that the dispensing device travels along the trajectory image with optimal path accuracy. Alternatively or additionally, the guide can be configured to limit, in particular prevent, any movement of the dispensing device that deviates from the image of the trajectory of ammunition cases.

[0023] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the guide is designed in the manner of a slotted guide or slotted guide. It has been found that the mutual coordination of the guide on the dosing housing side and the dispensing device helps to achieve a structurally simple optimization of the dosing quantity. In an exemplary development, the dispensing device has a dispensing tube that is guided in a slot in the dosing housing. For example, the slot can open into the dosing chamber and / or be fluidly connected to it. For example, the slot, in particular the slotted walls, form the forced guide for the dispensing tube of the slotted guide that forms the sliding block. In a further exemplary development, the slot and the dispensing tube are shaped to match one another in such a way that the dispensing tube is guided on two sides by slotted walls of the dosing housing.The two slotted walls can face each other and / or be aligned identically. During the movement of the dispensing device, the dispensing tube can thus be guided and / or slide along the dosing housing walls or slotted walls along the movement path, in particular without it being possible to deviate from the movement path or transversely to the slot extension. In a further exemplary development, the guide has an end stop for limiting the movement of the dispensing device along the image of the trajectory of ammunition casings. For example, the guide can have two opposing stops which represent a start and an end of the movement path or the trajectory image. The end stops can also be implemented by dosing housing walls, in particular by slotted walls delimiting the slot in the direction of the slot extension.

[0024] According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, a device for the automated filling of at least two ammunition cases with propellant powder is provided for an automated ammunition production line.

[0025] The filling device according to the invention can be designed based on gravimetry or operate on the basis of volumetric dosing. With gravimetric dosing, advantages can be achieved with regard to the accuracy of the dosed quantity. With volumetric dosing, significant advantages can be achieved with regard to processing speed, which has a positive effect on the cycle rate, particularly when the filling device according to the invention is integrated into a system according to the invention for the automated production of ammunition. The device according to the invention serves in particular for the simultaneous filling of at least two ammunition cases with propellant powder. This means that the filling of at least two ammunition cases is carried out in one filling process, in particular without a change of direction of more than 90°.Simultaneous does not necessarily mean that the at least two ammunition cases are filled at exactly the same time, but rather that there is a certain time offset between the filling, in particular the complete filling, of the ammunition cases arranged along the track. The device according to the invention can be designed to fill the at least two ammunition cases each with a defined, in particular essentially identical, quantity, taking into account the inaccuracies inherent in the process. The propellant powder can, for example, be a propellant powder for small-caliber ammunition, in particular with a caliber in the range of 4.5 mm to 13 mm, which typically has single- or double-base spherical, tubular, rod-shaped, or flake-shaped forms and / or is powder-like. Alternatively, extruded propellant powders can also be used.If the propellant is spherical, it can be rolled, for example, and have a sphere diameter of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm. For rod-shaped propellant, for example, for 5.56 mm caliber ammunition, the rods can have a length of up to 1.1 mm and / or a diameter of up to 0.7 mm. The density of the propellant used, for example, for nitrocellulose (NC), can range from 0.5 to 1 g / cm. 3 For such a propellant powder, the bulk density is in the range of 0.6 to 1 g / cm 3 , for cartridges, for subsonic or blank cartridges at up to 0.4 g / cm 3 .

[0026] According to a further aspect of the present invention, the device comprises a dispensing device with a dispensing opening through which propellant powder can be dispensed. The dispensing device can be connected to a silo or, in general, to a propellant powder supply from which the dispensing device draws the propellant powder or from which the dispensing device can be supplied with propellant powder. For example, a dynamic pressure in the propellant powder supply can be kept essentially constant, so that a substantially homogeneous dynamic pressure also exists in the dispensing device. For example, the dispensing device is designed to dispense the propellant powder, in particular exclusively under the influence of weight, for example into a dosing housing. Simultaneous filling means that the filling of the at least two ammunition cases takes place in one step orThe work process takes place in immediate succession. The discharge opening can have a predefined cross-section that is tailored to the amount of propellant to be discharged for the desired dosage.

[0027] According to a further aspect of the present invention, the device further comprises a dosing device for temporarily storing the propellant powder dispensed by the dispensing device and for passing the propellant powder on to the ammunition cases. The dosing device can, in principle, be designed in any desired manner, as long as it is capable of temporarily storing propellant powder so that it can be further processed or passed on. The dosing device can have a dosing surface that is flat, at least in sections. In an exemplary development, the device comprises a dosing housing to which the at least two ammunition cases can be docked. In particular, the at least two ammunition cases can be docked to the dosing housing in such a way that the at least two ammunition cases are arranged along a path. The dispensing device can be movable along an image of the path of the ammunition cases.For example, the dosing device forms a bottom section of the dosing housing or of a dosing chamber delimited by the dosing housing.

[0028] According to a further aspect of the invention, when dispensing the propellant powder, the dispensing opening and the dosing device can be arranged at a distance from one another, in particular vertically, such that a predetermined dispensing quantity of propellant powder can be set by utilizing the self-locking effect between the particles of the propellant powder. For example, the propellant powder is dispensed under the exclusive influence of weight. The flow control or flow regulation created according to the invention makes it possible to easily determine or adjust the quantity of propellant powder to be dispensed by influencing the distance between the dispensing opening and the dosing device. In this aspect of the invention, the device according to the invention makes use of the properties inherent in the powder and the knowledge that the distance between the dispensing opening and the dosing device can be adjusted such that the particles orComponents of the propellant powder inhibit or block each other from further flowing out of the dispensing opening depending on the weight. For example, the dispensing device with its dispensing opening is arranged in a particularly movable manner in a limited dosing chamber, so that depending on the distance between the dispensing opening and the doser, a certain amount of propellant powder flows out of the dispensing opening and fills the dosing chamber with propellant powder until self-locking occurs. It has been discovered that the point in time of self-locking can be adjusted via the predefined distance between the dispensing opening and the doser. The invention is based in particular on the knowledge that the flowability of the solid-state propellant powder differs in this respect from the flowability of a liquid and that the effect of self-locking can be used to meter or regulate flow congestion.In particular, the distance between the dispensing opening and the dosing device can be adjusted so that the dispensed amount of propellant powder that triggers the self-locking mechanism exceeds the total amount of propellant powder required to fill the at least two ammunition cases. When referring to the "quantity" in this case, this can refer to the volume, in particular the volume of the total ammunition cases to be filled or the volume occupied by the dispensed propellant powder. The volume V in the dosing chamber is advantageously larger than the total volume of the ammunition cases to be filled.

[0029] In an exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention, the distance between the dispensing opening and the dosing device is less than 15 mm and at least 0.1 mm. In particular, the distance is in the range from 0.2 mm to 13 mm, in particular in the range from 0.3 mm to 11 mm, in particular in the range from 0.5 mm to 9 mm, 7 mm or 5 mm. A distance in the range from 2 to 3 mm is particularly preferred. According to an exemplary development, the distance between the dispensing opening and the dosing device is in the range of 0.05 to 7.5 times the grain size of the propellant powder, in particular in the range of 0.1 to 5 times, 0.2 to 4 times or in the range of 0.5 or one to three times the grain size.

[0030] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the device has a dosing housing to which the at least two ammunition cases can be attracted such that the at least two ammunition cases are arranged along a path, wherein the dispensing device is movable along an image of the path of ammunition cases. In this regard, reference is made to the preceding explanations, which equally apply to the present aspect of the invention. According to a further exemplary embodiment, the dispensing device, in a rest position, assumes the particularly vertical distance from the doser before and / or after a movement process along the image of the path. According to an exemplary development, the self-locking effect occurs in the rest position. For example, the particles of the propellant powder block each other in the rest position, thus preventing flow out of the dispensing device.

[0031] According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, a device for the automated filling of at least two ammunition cases with propellant powder is provided for an automated ammunition production line.

[0032] The filling device according to the invention can be designed based on gravimetry or operate on the basis of volumetric dosing. With gravimetric dosing, advantages can be achieved with regard to the accuracy of the dosing quantity.

[0033] 13

[0034] REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26). With volumetric dosing, significant advantages can be achieved with regard to processing speed, which has a positive effect on the cycle rate, particularly when the filling device according to the invention is integrated into a system according to the invention for the automated production of ammunition. The device according to the invention is used in particular for the simultaneous filling of at least two ammunition cases with propellant powder. This means that the filling of at least two ammunition cases is carried out in one filling process, in particular without a change of direction of more than 90°. Simultaneous does not necessarily mean that the at least two ammunition cases are filled at exactly the same time, but rather that there is a certain time offset between the filling, in particular the complete filling, of the ammunition cases arranged along the track.The device according to the invention can be designed to fill the at least two ammunition cases each with a defined, in particular substantially identical, quantity, taking into account the inaccuracies inherent in the process. The propellant powder can be, for example, a propellant powder for small-caliber ammunition, in particular with a caliber in the range of 4.5 mm to 13 mm, which typically has mono- or dibasic spherical, tubular, rod-shaped, or flake-shaped forms and / or is powder-shaped. Alternatively, extruded propellant powders can also be used. If the propellant powder is spherical, it can, for example, be rolled and have a sphere diameter of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm. In the case of rod-shaped propellant powder, for example for 5.56 mm caliber ammunition, the rods can have a length of up to 1.1 mm and / or a diameter of up to 0.7 mm.The density of the propellant powder used, for example in the case of nitrocellulose (NC), can be in the range of 0.5 to 1 g / cm. 3 For such a propellant powder, the bulk density is in the range of 0.6 to 1 g / cm 3 , for cartridges, for subsonic or blank cartridges at up to 0.4 g / cm 3 .

[0035] According to a further aspect of the invention, the device further comprises a movable, in particular translationally mounted, drawer-like, dosing intermediate storage unit with dosing recesses in which the propellant powder can be temporarily stored. The number of dosing recesses can be matched to the number of ammunition cases to be filled. The dosing recesses can be designed as passages in the dosing intermediate storage unit, so that, for example, filling from vertically above is possible and dispensing of the propellant powder vertically downwards is possible. The device further comprises a stripping wall arranged with respect to the dosing intermediate storage unit such that excess propellant powder can be stripped off when the dosing intermediate storage unit is moved relative to the stripping wall.By scraping against the scraper wall, the propellant powder that is not in the dosing recesses after the filling process is essentially completely scraped away, in particular to ensure that the desired amount of propellant powder is available in the correct dosage for filling the ammunition cases. For example, the scraper wall can be in contact with the dosing buffer or be arranged at a short distance, in particular less than 1 mm, from the dosing buffer.

[0036] According to a further aspect of the invention, a cross-sectional dimension of the stripping wall in the direction of movement of the dosing intermediate storage means is smaller than the diameter of the dosing recesses. This reliably ensures that no safety-critical blockage can occur. Because the diameter of the dosing recesses is selected to be larger than the relevant cross-sectional dimension of the stripping wall, it is always ensured, i.e. in every operating position, that the propellant powder is not completely enclosed, but is always free or open to the environment. According to this aspect of the invention, the stripping wall is smaller than the dosing recesses, at least where it cooperates with the dosing intermediate storage means for stripping off the excess propellant powder, whereby the stripping wall can also have a different, in particular thicker, cross-sectional dimension.

[0037] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the filling device according to the invention, the cross-sectional dimension of the scraper wall in the direction of movement of the dosing buffer is at least 20%, in particular at least 25% or at least 30%, smaller than the diameter of the dosing recesses. This safety factor can be ensured by reliable, safe operation of the powder filling device. For example, the cross-sectional dimension of the scraper wall can be adjusted depending on the powder brittleness, the geometry of the dosing recesses, in particular the diameter and / or height, and / or the composition of the propellant powder.

[0038] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention, the device comprises a dosing housing having the stripping wall, to which the at least two ammunition cases can be docked such that the at least two ammunition cases are arranged along a path, wherein the dispensing device is movable along an image of the path of ammunition cases. For example, with the device according to the invention, at least three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven or at least twelve, in particular up to fifteen, eighteen or twenty, ammunition cases can be filled with propellant powder by means of the device, in particular simultaneously and / or in one work step or filling process, in particular in order to fill a defined, in particular substantially identical, amount of propellant powder into each ammunition case. The dosing housing can have predefined docking positions for the at least two ammunition cases.For example, connecting devices such as latches, clips, plug-in connectors, or other connecting devices can be provided at the docking positions so that the at least two ammunition cases are temporarily fixed to the dosing housing in the docked state for the filling process. The ammunition cases can be docked to the dosing housing such that they are arranged along a path that can be traveled by the dispensing device, in particular in a back-and-forth movement, in order to be able to fill the at least two ammunition cases in one work step or filling process. The dispensing device is movable along an image of the path of ammunition cases for dispensing propellant powder into the dosing housing. The image of the movement path can either be the path itself, meaning that the dispensing device moves along the path of ammunition cases, or along a correspondingly shaped movement path, but at a different location.For example, the trajectory image can be a flat projection of the trajectory on ammunition casings.

[0039] The direction of movement of the dosing buffer is oriented transversely, in particular perpendicularly, to the movement path of the dispensing device. For example, the dispensing device moves in a horizontal plane, in particular in a horizontal direction, and the dosing buffer moves in a horizontal direction transversely, in particular perpendicularly, to the dispensing device. For example, the path on ammunition cases is oriented essentially parallel to the stripping wall.

[0040] According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, a device is provided for the automated filling of at least two ammunition cases with propellant powder for an automated ammunition displacement line. The filling device according to the invention can be designed based on gravimetry or operate based on volumetric dosing. With gravimetric dosing, advantages can be achieved with regard to the accuracy of the dosed quantity. With volumetric dosing, significant advantages can be achieved with regard to processing speed, which has a positive effect on the cycle rate, particularly when the filling device according to the invention is integrated into a system according to the invention for the automated production of ammunition.The device according to the invention serves in particular for the simultaneous filling of at least two ammunition cases with propellant powder. This means that the filling of the at least two ammunition cases is carried out in one filling process, in particular without a change of direction of more than 90°. "Simultaneous" does not necessarily mean that the at least two ammunition cases are filled at exactly the same time, but rather that there is a certain time offset between the filling, in particular the complete filling, of the ammunition cases arranged along the path. The device according to the invention can be designed to fill the at least two ammunition cases each with a defined, in particular essentially identical, quantity, taking into account the inaccuracies inherent in the process.The propellant powder can, for example, be a propellant powder for small-caliber ammunition, in particular with a caliber in the range of 4.5 mm to 13 mm, which typically has mono- or dibasic spherical, tubular, rod-shaped, or flake-shaped forms and / or is powder-like. Alternatively, extruded propellant powders can also be used. If the propellant powder is spherical, it can, for example, be rolled and have a sphere diameter of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm. In the case of rod-shaped propellant powder, for example for 5.56 mm caliber ammunition, the rods can have a length of up to 1.1 mm and / or a diameter of up to 0.7 mm. The density of the propellant powder used can, for example, be in the range of 0.5 to 1 g / cm3 for nitrocellulose (NC).For such a propellant powder, the bulk density is in the range of 0.6 to 1 g / cm3, for cartridges, for subsonic or blank cartridges up to 0.4 g / cm3.

[0041] According to a further aspect of the present invention, the device, also called a filling device, comprises a dosing housing to which the at least two ammunition cases can be docked such that the at least two ammunition cases are arranged along a path, and a dispensing device that can be moved along an image of the path of ammunition cases for dispensing propellant powder into the dosing housing. For example, with the device according to the invention, at least three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven or at least twelve, in particular up to fifteen, eighteen or twenty ammunition cases can be filled with propellant powder by means of the device, in particular simultaneously and / or in one work step or filling process, in particular in order to fill a defined, in particular substantially identical, amount of propellant powder into each ammunition case.The dosing housing can have predefined docking positions for the at least two ammunition cases. For example, connecting devices such as latches, clips, plug-in devices, or other connecting devices can be provided at the docking positions so that the at least two ammunition cases are temporarily fixed to the dosing housing in the docked state for the filling process. The ammunition cases can be docked to the dosing housing such that they are arranged along a path that can be moved by the dispensing device, in particular in a back-and-forth motion, in order to fill the at least two ammunition cases in one work step or filling process. The dispensing device can be connected to a silo or, in general, to a propellant powder supply from which the dispensing device obtains the propellant powder or from which the dispensing device can be supplied with propellant powder.For example, a dynamic pressure in the propellant powder supply can be kept essentially constant, so that an essentially homogeneous dynamic pressure also exists in the dispensing device. For example, the dispensing device is designed to dispense the propellant powder into the dosing housing, in particular exclusively under the influence of weight. Simultaneous filling means that the filling of the at least two ammunition cases takes place in one step or operation, specifically in immediate succession. The path can define a straight, curved, or undulating row, along which the at least two ammunition cases are arranged, in particular at an equidistant distance, and are docked to the dosing housing. For example, the dosing housing can delimit a dosing chamber into which the dispensing direction fills the propellant powder.The at least two ammunition cases can be assigned to the dosing chamber in such a way that the propellant powder can be transferred or flowed from the dosing chamber into the ammunition cases.

[0042] The dispensing device is movable along an image of the trajectory of ammunition cases to dispense propellant powder into the dosing housing. The image of the trajectory can either be the trajectory itself, meaning that the dispensing device moves along the trajectory of ammunition cases, or along a correspondingly shaped trajectory but at a different location. For example, the trajectory image can be a planar projection of the trajectory of ammunition cases.

[0043] According to a further aspect of the invention, the dispensing device is pivotally mounted to perform a pendulum movement. The dispensing device can have a pendulum tube that extends from fixed bearing points and oscillates around its rest position relative to these.

[0044] In an exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention, a pendulum angle of the dispensing device, in particular of the pendulum tube, is less than 90° and in particular at least 45 0 . In particular, the angle is in the range of 60° to 80°, for example, approximately 70°. The preferred pendulum angle allows for an optimum balance between the maximum number of ammunition cases that can be filled simultaneously or in a single step, on the one hand, and energy-efficient filling of the propellant powder, on the other. It has been discovered that for optimal functioning of the delivery pendulum, the pendulum angle must be selected such that propellant powder can still be reliably released at the reversal points, particularly exclusively under the influence of gravity.

[0045] In a further exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention, a speed profile of the pendulum movement is controlled as a function of the pendulum angle, the fill level of propellant powder, the ammunition case volume and / or a parameter such as density, flowability, particle diameter and / or surface quality of the propellant powder.

[0046] According to a further exemplary embodiment, which can be combined with all preceding embodiments and aspects of the invention, the device according to the invention comprises sensors for detecting the propellant powder fill level and / or the ammunition case volume and / or a drive associated with the dispensing device, in particular a controllable drive, for actuating the dispensing device. For example, the propellant powder fill level is measured at several points in the dosing housing, in particular in the dosing chamber, and, depending on the level of the propellant powder and / or its distribution, which can be derived from the several measuring points, is adapted to the travel profile of the movable dispensing device such that a uniform and constant propellant powder level is established in the dosing chamber. In this way, it can be reliably ensured that all ammunition cases to be filled always receive sufficient propellant powder.This therefore increases process reliability.

[0047] In a further exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention, the dispensing device is designed to perform a continuous back-and-forth movement, in particular along the image of the trajectory of ammunition cases. A movement cycle of the dispensing device can be coordinated with a timing of the automated production line. For example, the back-and-forth movement of the device is designed such that a separate filling process or work step takes place for each back-and-forth movement and each back-and-forth movement. In other words, the dispensing device is designed such that with each back-and-forth movement, a sufficient quantity of propellant powder is dispensed to fill the at least two ammunition cases.

[0048] According to an exemplary development of the device according to the invention, the device comprises a dosing intermediate storage unit, mounted in particular relative to the dosing housing, with dosing recesses in which the propellant powder can be temporarily stored and whose holding volume is adjustable. The number of dosing recesses can be matched to the number of ammunition cases to be filled. The dosing recesses can be designed as passages in the dosing intermediate storage unit, allowing, for example, filling from the vertical top and dispensing of the propellant powder vertically downward.

[0049] According to an exemplary development, the height of the dosing recesses and / or a cross-sectional measurement, in particular the diameter, is adjustable. For example, the dosing buffer can be constructed in several parts and have movably mounted parts for adjusting the volume of the dosing recesses. This makes it possible to adapt the receiving volume of the dosing recesses depending on the volume, in particular the caliber, of the ammunition cases to be filled and / or depending on other parameters, such as propellant powder-specific parameters.

[0050] According to a further exemplary embodiment, the metering recesses have an internal cross-section that tapers at least partially, particularly in a funnel-like manner. This allows for reliable filling of the metering recesses and, at the same time, for the targeted filling of the propellant powder into the ammunition cases assigned to the metering recesses, thus enabling the most precise metering possible.

[0051] In a further exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention, it is configured to fill the at least two ammunition cases essentially simultaneously and / or in a single work step. This means that the filling of the at least two ammunition cases is carried out in one filling process, in particular without a change of direction of more than 90°. "Simultaneous" does not necessarily mean that the at least two ammunition cases are filled at exactly the same time, but rather that there is a certain time offset between the filling, in particular the complete filling, of the ammunition cases arranged along the track. The device according to the invention can be designed to fill the at least two ammunition cases each with a defined, in particular essentially identical, quantity, taking into account the inaccuracies inherent in the process.

[0052] The device according to the invention can further be designed to fill the at least two ammunition cases, in particular the 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15 ammunition cases, in particular arranged in a track, in less than 5 s, in particular less than 4 s or less than 3 s.

[0053] In a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the device according to the invention can have a rotary indexing table on which the metering recesses are arranged, in particular, along an image of the trajectory of ammunition cases in the radial direction with respect to the rotary indexing table. The dispensing device can be moved translationally in the radial direction with respect to the rotary indexing table, in particular back and forth, in order to fill propellant powder into the metering recesses. The at least two ammunition cases are fed from a downstream rotation position of the rotary indexing table 51, in particular in the radial direction, so that the metering recesses are assigned to the ammunition cases and the propellant powder can be dispensed onto the metering recesses in the ammunition cases.

[0054] According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the previous aspects and exemplary embodiments, a system for the automated production of ammunition is provided, which consists of several ammunition parts, in particular a casing, an ignition element, a projectile, and a propellant charge, which is detected by a device according to the invention. According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the previous aspects and exemplary embodiments, an automated production line for ammunition, also called a system for the automated production of ammunition, is provided with at least two ammunition parts, which has at least one workpiece carrier designed according to one of the preceding claims.

[0055] Preferred embodiments are given in the subclaims.

[0056] In the following, further properties, features and advantages of the invention will become clear by describing preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying exemplary drawings, in which:

[0057] Figure i is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention;

[0058] Figure 2 shows a further view of the device according to Figure 1;

[0059] Figures 3-5 are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the present invention;

[0060] Figures 6-8 show further schematic diagrams to illustrate the functioning of the device according to the invention;

[0061] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a further exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention;

[0062] Figure 10 is a side view of another exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention;

[0063] Figure 11 is a detailed sectional view along the line XI-XI of Figure 10; and

[0064] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary design of an ammunition production plant.

[0065] In the present description of exemplary embodiments of the present inventions, a powder filling device according to the invention is generally provided with the reference numeral 1, which can be used in a system 100 for the automated production of ammunition, also called a loading system, which consists of several ammunition parts, in particular a casing 119, an ignition element 127, a projectile 121 and a propellant charge.

[0066] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, an exemplary embodiment of a filling device 1 according to the invention is shown in a perspective view, which is configured to fill ammunition cases 13 (see Figure 2) arranged side by side in a row in one work step or filling process 12. The filling device 1 comprises a dosing housing 5, which can also be referred to as a frame and fulfills several functions. On the one hand, the dosing housing 5 assumes a housing or support function and comprises two support feet 19, 21 with which the dosing housing 5 can be placed and fixed on a surface. On the other hand, the dosing housing 5 is configured such that the at least two ammunition cases 13 can be docked in order to be filled with propellant powder 11. Furthermore, the dosing housing 5 defines a dosing chamber 23 (Fig. 3) into which a predetermined amount of propellant powder 11 is to be dispensed before the propellant powder 11 is dosed into the ammunition cases 13.The dosing chamber 23 is formed in a block-like housing part 25, which has a flat guide surface 27 oriented vertically upwards. Starting from the guide surface 27, an elongated, in particular rectilinear slot 29 extends vertically downwards through the dosing housing 5 and finally opens into the dosing chamber 23. In Figures 1 and 2, the slot 29 is rectilinear and delimited transversely to its longitudinal extent by two opposing slot walls 31, 33, which open on both sides of the extension direction into a common end stop 35, 37, which is concavely curved and is also formed by a housing wall of the dosing housing 5.

[0067] The slot 29 and the housing walls 31, 33, 35, 37 delimiting the slot 29 not only serve to enable the filling of the propellant powder 11, but also to guide a dispensing device 3, indicated by the reference numeral 3, for dispensing the propellant powder 11 into the dosing housing 5. The dispensing device 3 is movable and can move along the slot 29 in a translatory back-and-forth motion. During this movement, the dispensing device 3 is positively guided so that dosing can be carried out as reliably and accurately as possible. The dispensing device 3 comprises, for example, a funnel-like dispensing pre-container 39, which opens into a dispensing tube 41 that projects into the housing 5.For optimized guidance of the dispensing device 3 along the filling movement, the dispensing device 3 further comprises a guide plate 44, such as a guide plate, which is attached to the dispensing device 3 in the region of the dispensing tube 41 and is arranged such that the guide plate 44 rests on the guide surface 27 and thus helps determine the vertical position of the dispensing device 3. The dispensing device 3 can also be connected to a propellant powder filling device (not shown), such as a silo 57 and / or a supply pipe.

[0068] The filling process, which is explained in more detail with reference to schematic figures 3 to 8, is basically as follows: first, the propellant powder 11 is filled into the dosing housing 5 via the dispensing device 3 and temporarily stored. For temporary storage, on the one hand, the housing structure of the dosing housing 5 is provided and, on the other hand, a dosing intermediate store 9 is mounted so as to be movable in a translational manner, in particular in a drawer-like manner, relative to the dosing housing 5 and has a number of dosing recesses 15 coordinated with the number of ammunition cases 13, which delimits the dosing chamber 23 at the bottom at least in sections during a filling process, so that the propellant powder 11 is placed on the dosing intermediate store 9, which is preferably designed as a flat plate with the dosing recesses 15 designed as through-openings.After the propellant powder 11 has been temporarily stored by means of the dosing intermediate storage device 9, the propellant powder 11 is dispensed into the ammunition cases 13 through a dosing perforated plate 43 assigned to the dosing intermediate storage device 9, to which the plurality of ammunition cases 13 are docked.

[0069] The filling device 1 can further comprise a collecting tray 45, which serves to collect excess and unfilled propellant powder 11, which is indicated by the reference symbol 1T. A pressing device 47 can apply a pressing or compressive force to the dosing intermediate storage 9, so that a resulting force is generated between the dosing intermediate storage 9 and the dosing perforated plate 43 in order to keep the amount of excess propellant powder 11 as low as possible.

[0070] Figures 3 to 5 are schematic diagrams of a side view of the device 1 according to Figures 1 and 2 and show the interior of the device 1 according to the invention during a filling process. The 12 ammunition cases 13 to be filled are arranged along a track designed as a row and docked to the metering perforated plate 43 (schematically indicated in Figure 3). The dispensing device 3 is, as can be seen from a synopsis of Figures 3 to 5, movable along a translational direction of movement T in order to travel along the track or row of ammunition cases 13. The dispensing device 3 is movable translationally between two rest positions a) and b), which can be seen in Figures 3 to 5, wherein, for example, the rest position b) is to be understood as the initial position and the rest position a) as the final position with respect to a filling process.During the filling process, the dispensing device 3 cooperates with both a dosing device 7 of the dosing housing 5 and the dosing intermediate storage 9 which is mounted in a drawer-like manner so as to be movable relative to the dosing housing 5. At the beginning of a dosing process or after each dosing process, a constellation of the dispensing device 3 of the filling device 1 is established, as is indicated by way of example in Fig. 3.

[0071] The dispensing device 3 is filled with propellant powder 11 and faces the dosing device 7, and is arranged at a distance therefrom such that a dispensing opening 45 of the dispensing tube 41 is arranged at a vertical distance (a) from the dosing device 7, resulting in a self-locking effect. This means that, due to the narrow distance (a) between the dispensing opening 45 and the dosing device 7 and the characteristics of the propellant powder 11, the propellant powder 11 blocks itself from further flowing out. As can be seen in Fig. 3, a certain amount of propellant powder 11 is located on the dosing device 7, a further remaining propellant powder quantity n' is located on the dosing intermediate storage 9, which was superfluous during a previous filling process, and a further amount of propellant powder 11 is located in the region of the further rest position of the dispensing device 3.

[0072] If the dispensing devices 3 now move between the two rest positions (Fig. 4) and the dispensing device 3 moves out of the self-locking region relative to the dosing device 7, the propellant powder 11 flows, in particular exclusively under the influence of weight, from the dispensing opening 45 into the dosing chamber 23, the bottom of which is formed by the dosing intermediate storage 9, and fills the dosing chamber 23 during a filling process, i.e. a back and forth movement process from a) to b) or vice versa, so that a substantially constant and homogeneous propellant powder height is set (see Fig. 5). In the rest position a), the self-locking effect is again established and the propellant powder 11 is blocked from further flowing out.

[0073] Referring to Figures 6 to 8, which illustrate the filling process along the sequence of Figures 3 to 5 from a perspective rotated by 90°, the dosing process for filling the propellant powder 11 into the ammunition cases 13 following the filling process illustrated in Figures 3 to 5 is explained. During the filling process, the dosing recesses 15 of the dosing intermediate storage 9 are in a passive position, i.e., not assigned to the dosing chamber 23, so that the propellant powder 11 can be dispensed onto a flat surface of the dosing intermediate storage 9 (Fig. 6).

[0074] After a filling process of the dispensing device 3, the dosing intermediate storage 9 is finally moved so that the dosing recesses 15 are aligned with respect to the dosing chamber 23, in particular are arranged vertically below the dosing chamber 23, so that the propellant powder 11 enters the dosing recesses 15 exclusively under the influence of the low weight force and completely fills them (Fig. 7).

[0075] Subsequently, the dosing buffer 9 is moved back to the starting position shown in Fig. 6 in order to fill the propellant powder 11 metered into the dosing recesses 15 into the ammunition cases 13. By adjusting the size of the dosing recess, in particular its volume, for example via its height and / or diameter, using the adjusting device 47, different sized ammunition cases 13 can be filled with the respective quantity of propellant powder.

[0076] Fig. 8 shows an essential function of the device 1 according to the invention, due to the dimensioning of the metering recesses in relation to the housing wall 17, which cooperates with the metering intermediate storage 9 when the metering intermediate storage 9 is moved relative to the metering housing 5 and functions as a stripper wall 17 to strip off excess propellant powder 11, which is indicated by the reference symbol 1T in Fig. 8. On the one hand, the stripper wall 17 strips off the excess propellant powder n' during the movement of the metering intermediate storage 9, so that essentially only the amount of propellant powder required for filling the ammunition cases 13 remains in the metering recesses 15 and the remaining propellant powder n' remains in the metering chamber 23.Furthermore, a cross-sectional dimension (e) of the scraper wall 17 relative to a diameter (d) of the dosing recesses is designed such that no clogging can occur, thus ensuring safe operation of the filling device 1. For example, the cross-sectional dimension (e) of the scraper wall 17 in the direction of movement of the dosing buffer 9 is at least 20% smaller than the diameter (d) of the dosing recesses.

[0077] Fig. 9 shows a further schematic sketch of an alternative embodiment of the filling device 1 according to the invention, in which a different type of intermediate storage and metering of the propellant powder 11 is shown. As in the previous embodiments, at least two ammunition cases 13 can be fed to the device 1 by means of a workpiece carrier 49, which is generally indicated by the reference numeral 49. The workpiece carrier 49 can therefore fulfill two functions. Firstly, it can hold the ammunition parts required for the ammunition and enable the individual processing stations to access the ammunition parts or enable the ammunition parts to be processed at the individual processing stations. Secondly, the workpiece carrier 49 can form the interface to the automated production line, so that the at least two ammunition parts can pass through the automated production line by means of the workpiece carrier 49.The workpiece carrier 49 has a carrier base, such as a carriage, which is designed to be conveyed along the production line. The carrier base can therefore be designed, in particular, to be detachably coupled to the automated production line in order to be automatically conveyed from one processing station to the next. The carrier base can, for example, be configured to form a tongue and groove system with a connecting component of the automated production line. The workpiece carrier 49 further comprises at least one receptacle arranged on the carrier base, in particular preferably detachably fastened thereto, for holding at least two ammunition parts of the same type, such as two ammunition casings 13, two ammunition projectiles, two ammunition cartridges, or two ammunition primers.An essential aspect of the workpiece carrier 49 according to the invention is that it is designed to accommodate a plurality of ammunition parts, which are held in such a way that they can be processed simultaneously or in parallel. For example, the holder is designed such that it can hold at least 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 or 15 ammunition parts of the same type. For example, the plurality of ammunition parts are held by the holder in a predetermined, in particular unchangeable, arrangement. For example, in rows and / or parallel arrangement, such as in an array field. Furthermore, the at least one ammunition part holder is mounted so as to be movable relative to the carrier base.Furthermore, at least one of the ammunition part receptacles can be moved from a receiving position, in which the at least two ammunition parts can be fed, in particular simultaneously, into a processing position, in which the at least two ammunition parts can be processed, in particular simultaneously. Furthermore, the workpiece carrier 49 further comprises a coupling interface for connection to a motor of the production line, in particular a motor-side coupling interface, in order to move the receptacle from the receiving position to the processing position, and in particular vice versa. The workpiece carrier 49 itself can therefore be designed without a drive and / or motor. The necessary activation or kinetic energy required to move the at least one ammunition part receptacle can, in particular, be supplied entirely from outside, for example by a motor or drive of the production line.

[0078] In contrast to the previous embodiment, the dosing intermediate storage 9 and, if applicable, the dosing perforated plate 43 (not shown) associated therewith are designed as a rotary indexing table 51 having a plurality of units or rows of dosing recesses 15 that are distributed circumferentially at a particularly uniform distance (a) from one another, and wherein each unit or row is oriented radially with respect to the direction of rotation R of the rotary indexing table 51. The dispensing device 3 can further perform a translational movement corresponding to a back-and-forth movement T in order to temporarily store the propellant powder 11 on the dosing intermediate storage 9. After a filling process, the rotary indexing table 51 is rotated further in the direction of rotation R, so that the units or rows of dosing recesses 15 are successively fed to the workpiece carriers 49 to be fed to the device 1, namely in a 45 0inclined rotation position. The further basic principles and fundamental ideas of the device 1 according to the invention are also further implemented in the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 9.

[0079] Figures 10 and 11 show a further exemplary embodiment of a filling device 1 according to the invention, which, in contrast to the previous embodiments, is not characterized by a translatory back and forth movement of the dispensing device 3, but by a pendulum movement P. The basic principle of the automated, simultaneous filling of several ammunition cases 13 is the same. First, propellant powder 11 is provided, for example, from a propellant powder supply 53 via filling pipes 55 into a silo 57 to which the dispensing device 3 is connected. The dispensing device 3 comprises a dispensing pipe 41 which is pivotally mounted with respect to a pendulum center Z and which can be moved back and forth between two settings at a pendulum angle P. Fig. 10 shows that the device according to the invention can also comprise several parallel sub-units, each of which is identically designed, in order to fill several units orTo be able to fill packages of several ammunition cases 13 simultaneously. The design, which is illustrated by way of example in Fig. 10 for the pendulum dispensing device variant 3, applies equally to the translation dispensing device variant 3 according to the preceding figures.

[0080] Analogous to the embodiments with Figures 3 to 8, the propellant powder 11 is first temporarily stored, for which purpose a translatorily mounted, in particular drawer-like, metering intermediate storage unit 9 with metering recesses 15 is movable relative to the metering housing 5. Via the metering recesses 15, the propellant powder 11 reaches metering holes or metering channels 44, to which the ammunition cases 13 are assigned, which in turn are held in position by the workpiece carriers 49.

[0081] The loading system 100 according to Figure 12 comprises the following production stations: a case insertion station 111, which is configured to insert cases 119 into the conveyor device 113; a projectile insertion station 115, which is configured to insert projectiles 121 into the conveyor device 113; a propellant charge filling station 117, which is configured to fill cases 119 with propellant charge powder 11, 123; a case mouth expansion station; an ignition element feed station 125 for feeding ignition elements 127 and an ignition element insertion station 129, in which the ignition elements 127 are inserted into the conveyor devices 100; an ignition element caulking station; several quality monitoring stations 131 and quality testing stations 133 for optical and / or tactile assurance of the quality of the ammunition and an ejection station 135 for the final ejection of the finished ammunition.

[0082] The conveyor device 113 for holding the multiple ammunition parts and for transporting the multiple ammunition parts to and / or from, to and / or between the multiple production stations defines a closed, circulating conveyor track 29, which defines an interior space 139 enclosed by the conveyor track 137 and an exterior space 141 delimited therefrom. According to the exemplary embodiment in Figure 1, the conveyor track 137 is constructed from two parallel linear sections 143 connected by curved sections 145 to form a racetrack-shaped conveyor track. The production stations 11, 13, 15, 59, 59, 25 are arranged laterally to the conveyor track 137 in the interior space 139 (Figure 12) or in the exterior space 141 of the conveyor track 137.

[0083] Figure 12 shows a system layout in which the ammunition components are introduced into system 1 from the outside. Alternatively, the ammunition components can be introduced from the interior 139 into the conveyor systems 100. The basic production sequence is the same for both system layouts. Both system principles have the following production sequence: A conveyor system 113 located in a buffer zone 147 is fed to the case insertion station 111 via a curved section 145. This is followed by a projectile insertion station 115, in which the projectiles 121 are fed to the conveyor system 113. The entire conveyor system 113, with the projectiles 121 and cases 119 located thereon, is then subjected to a visual inspection in a quality monitoring station 131.At the subsequent stations, an ignition element 127 is first introduced into system 1 via an ignition element feed station 125, then transferred to an ignition element insertion station 129 by a slide 51, before finally being inserted into the rear of the case 119. After insertion, the fired cases 119 are calibrated at a case forming station 153 and subsequently sealed with annular joint varnish at a fluid application station 149. The conveyor devices 100 are then guided over a second curved section 145, followed by a linear section 143 with several production stations. Before the cases 119 are filled with propellant powder 11, 123 at the propellant charge filling station 117, a quality control station 131 checks whether the ignition elements 127 have been properly inserted into the cases 119.After filling, the fill level is checked, particularly tactilely, at a quality control station 133. The actual assembly of projectile 121 and case 119 takes place in two stages. First, the projectile 5 is lightly placed onto the case 119 at the projectile insertion station 155, and finally, in the subsequent step, is pressed into the case 119 at the projectile assembly station 151. The thus finalized ammunition 101 is subsequently inspected at a quality monitoring station 131 and / or a quality control station 133 and subsequently discharged via an ejection station 135.

[0084] The features disclosed in the above description, the figures, and the claims may be important both individually and in any combination for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0085] 1 device

[0086] 3 Dispensing device

[0087] 5 Dosing housing

[0088] 7 dispensers

[0089] 9 Dosing buffer

[0090] 11,123 propellant powder

[0091] 13 ammunition casings

[0092] 15 dosing buffers

[0093] 17 scraper wall

[0094] 19, 21 support foot

[0095] 23 Dosing chamber

[0096] 25 Housing part

[0097] 27 Guide wall

[0098] 29 slot

[0099] 31, 33 Diaphragm wall

[0100] 35, 37 End stop

[0101] 39 Discharge containers

[0102] 41 Discharge pipe

[0103] 43 Dosing perforated plate

[0104] 44 Guide plate

[0105] 45 Discharge opening

[0106] 47 Pressing device

[0107] 49 workpiece carriers

[0108] 51 rotary indexing table

[0109] 53 stock

[0110] 55 Filling pipe

[0111] 57 Silo

[0112] 100 laboratory equipment

[0113] 111 Sleeve insertion station

[0114] 113 Conveyor system

[0115] 115 Bullet insertion station

[0116] 117 Propellant filling station

[0117] 119 sleeve

[0118] 121 Projectile 125 Ignition element feed station

[0119] 127 Ignition element

[0120] 129 Ignition element insertion station

[0121] 131 quality monitoring stations

[0122] 133 quality inspection stations

[0123] 135 Discharge station

[0124] 137 conveyor belt

[0125] 139 Interior

[0126] 141 Outdoor space

[0127] 143 Linear section

[0128] 145 curve section

[0129] 147 Buffer zone

[0130] 149 Fluid application station

[0131] 151 Projectile assembly station

[0132] 155 Projectile insertion station a), b) Rest position a Distance e Cross-sectional dimension of the scraper wall d Diameter of the dosing recess

[0133] T Translational movement

[0134] P Pendulum movement

[0135] R rotational movement

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS 1. Device (1) for the automated filling of at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) with propellant powder (11) for an automated ammunition production line, comprising a dosing housing (5) to which the at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) can be docked such that the at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) are arranged along a path, and a dispensing device (3) which can be moved along an image of the path of ammunition cases (13, 119) for dispensing propellant powder (11) into the dosing housing (5), characterized by a guide for guiding the dispensing device (3) along the image of the path of ammunition cases (13, 119).

2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide is shaped according to the image of the trajectory of ammunition casings (13, 119) and / or is designed to limit, in particular to prevent, a deviation of the movement of the dispensing device (3) from the image of the trajectory of ammunition casings (13, 119).

3. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide is designed in the manner of a link control, wherein in particular the dispensing device (3) has a dispensing tube (41) which is guided in a slot (29) in the dosing housing (5), wherein in particular the dispensing tube (41) and the slot (29) are shaped to one another in such a way that the dispensing tube (41) is guided on two sides by slotted walls (31, 33) of the dosing housing (5), and / or wherein the guide has an end stop (35, 37) for limiting the movement of the dispensing device (3) along the image of the trajectory of ammunition casings (13, 119).

4. Device (1), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, for the automated filling of at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) with propellant powder (11) for an automated production line for ammunition, comprising a dispensing device (3) with a dispensing opening (45) through which propellant powder (11) can be dispensed, and a doser (7) for temporarily storing the propellant powder (11) dispensed by the dispensing device (3) and for passing it on to the ammunition cases (13, 119), characterized in that when dispensing the propellant powder (11), the dispensing opening (45) and the doser (7) can be arranged at a distance (a) from one another such that a predetermined dispensed quantity of propellant powder (11) can be set by utilizing the self-locking between the particles of the propellant powder (11). Device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the distance between the dispensing opening and the doser (7) is less than 15 mm and at least 0.1 mm and / or in the range of 0.05 to 7.5 times the grain size of the propellant powder.Device (1) according to claim 4 or 5, further characterized by a dosing housing (5) to which the at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) can be docked such that the at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) are arranged along a path, wherein the dispensing device (3) is movable along an image of the path of ammunition cases (13, 119) and, in a rest position, before and / or after a movement process along the image of the path, assumes the distance, in particular vertical, from the dosing device (7), wherein, in particular in the rest position, the particles of the propellant powder (11) block one another, so that flowing out of the dispensing device (3) is prevented.Device (1), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, for the automated filling of at least two ammunition casings (13, 119) with propellant powder (11) for an automated production line for ammunition, comprising a movably mounted dosing intermediate store (9) with dosing recesses (15) in which the propellant powder (11) can be temporarily stored, a stripper wall (17) which is arranged in relation to the dosing intermediate store (9) such that when the dosing intermediate store (9) is moved relative to the stripper wall (17), excess propellant powder (11) can be stripped off. characterized in that a cross-sectional dimension (e) of the scraper wall (17) in the direction of movement of the dosing intermediate storage device (9) is smaller than the diameter (d) of the dosing recesses (15). Device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the cross-sectional dimension (e) of the scraper wall (17) in the direction of movement of the dosing intermediate storage device (9) is at least 20% smaller than the diameter (d) of the dosing recesses (15).Device (1) according to claim 7 or 8, further characterized by a dosing housing (5) having the stripper wall (17), to which the at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) can be docked such that the at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) are arranged along a path, wherein the dispensing device (3) is movable along an image of the path of ammunition cases (13, 119) and the direction of movement of the dosing intermediate store (9) is oriented transversely, in particular perpendicularly, to the path of movement of the dispensing device (3).Device (1), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, for the automated filling of at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) with propellant powder (11) for an automated ammunition production line, comprising a dosing housing (5) to which the at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) can be docked such that the at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) are arranged along a path, and a dispensing device (3) that is movable along an image of the path of ammunition cases (13, 119) for dispensing propellant powder (11) into the dosing housing (5), characterized in that the dispensing device (3) is pivotally mounted to perform a pendulum movement. Device (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that a pendulum angle of the dispensing device (3) is less than 90° and in particular at least 45°. 0 amounts. Device (1) according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that a speed profile of the pendulum movement is controlled as a function of the pendulum angle, the fill level of propellant powder (11), the ammunition case volume, and / or a parameter such as density, flowability, particle diameter, and / or surface quality of the propellant powder (11). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further characterized by sensors for detecting the fill level of propellant powder (11) and / or the ammunition case volume and / or a drive associated with the dispensing device (3), in particular a controllable drive.Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the dispensing device (3) is designed to perform a continuous back-and-forth movement, in particular along the image of the trajectory of ammunition casings (13, 119), wherein in particular a movement cycle of the dispensing device (3) is coordinated with a timing of the automated production line. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further characterized by an intermediate dosing reservoir (9), which is mounted in particular so as to be movable relative to the dosing housing (5), and which has dosing recesses (15) in which the propellant powder (11) can be temporarily stored and whose receiving volume is adjustable. Device (1) according to one of claims 7 to 9 or 15, characterized in that the dosing recesses (15) have an internal cross-section that tapers at least in sections, in particular in a funnel-like manner.Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (1) is designed to fill the at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) substantially simultaneously and / or in one work step, wherein in particular the device (1) is further designed to fill the at least two ammunition cases (13, 119) in less than 5 s, in particular less than 4 s or less than 3 s. Plant for the automated production of ammunition, which consists of several ammunition parts, in particular a casing (13, 119), an ignition element (127), a projectile (121) and a propellant charge, comprising a device (1) designed according to one of the preceding claims.

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