Ammunition Casing Collection Apparatus with Vehicle Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shell collectors are ineffective in attaching to vehicles or other assemblies and fail to efficiently collect large amounts of empty casings ejected from vehicle-mounted firearms.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising a support assembly, a container attached to the support assembly to form a cavity for receiving casings, and a fastener that removably attaches the support assembly to the weapon's mounting fixture, allowing for efficient collection of spent ammunition casings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional shell collectors are used, then casing collection is possible, but they do not easily attach to vehicles or other assemblies
Solution Approach 1:
The collector apparatus is designed with a universal mounting system that can attach to various vehicle-mounted firearms through standardized mounting fixtures. The support assembly incorporates fasteners that interface with existing vehicle mounting holes, allowing the same collector design to be used across different weapon platforms without requiring vehicle-specific customization.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting fixture serves as an intermediary component between the collector apparatus and the vehicle or firearm. This intermediate structure provides a standardized interface that bridges the collector's attachment requirements with the existing mounting infrastructure of vehicle-mounted weapons, enabling easy installation without modifying the vehicle or weapon itself.
2Productivity
If conventional shell collectors are used, then casing collection is possible, but they do not provide effective technique for collecting large amounts of empty casings
Solution Approach 1:
The collector apparatus transitions from conventional two-dimensional surface collection to three-dimensional volumetric collection. The container forms a cavity that receives casings from multiple directions (spray pattern coverage), allowing the collector to capture casings ejected in an arc surrounding the firing weapon rather than only in a linear or surface-limited path.
Solution Approach 2:
The collector is divided into functional segments: the support assembly for mounting, the container for collection, and the fastening system for attachment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the container can be sized to hold large volumes of casings while the support assembly maintains a compact profile for vehicle mounting.
3Ease of operation
If conventional shell collectors are used, then casing collection is possible, but they add weight to the firearm and wear on the firearm's surface
Solution Approach 1:
The collector apparatus is extracted from direct attachment to the firearm itself and relocated to attachment on the vehicle or mounting structure. The support assembly interfaces with the vehicle's mounting fixtures rather than the firearm's structure, eliminating the weight penalty and surface wear associated with firearm-mounted collectors while maintaining effective casing collection.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for collecting spent ammunition casings from a weapon is disclosed. The apparatus has a support assembly, a container attached to the support assembly and forming a cavity configured to receive the ammunition casings, and a fastener configured to be received in a portion of a mounting fixture of the weapon and removably attach the support assembly to the mounting fixture. The fastener is either a replacement fastener or a modified fastener of a mounting fixture fastener of the weapon.