Electronic Ignition Firearm with Parallel Barrels and Distance Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shotguns are limited by their large size, significant weight, low rate of fire, and complex reloading sequence, and less-lethal ammunition can cause unintended damage if the target is too close, requiring a compact, lightweight firearm with rapid loading and firing capabilities and accurate distance estimation.
Innovation Solution
A firearm with electronic ignition featuring a compact frame, multiple parallel barrels, an ammunition cartridge with electronic primers, and a microcontroller for controlled firing, including an infrared distance sensor to ensure safe firing distances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If traditional shotgun design is used, then firing power and ammunition capacity are sufficient, but size becomes large and weight becomes significant
Solution Approach 1:
The firearm divides ammunition storage into separate chamber tube elements (first, second, third chamber tube elements) that can be independently loaded and fired. This segmentation allows the firearm to maintain sufficient firing capacity across multiple barrels while using a compact, lightweight overall structure, as each segment handles a portion of the total ammunition load.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent arranges multiple barrels and chamber tube elements in a compact three-dimensional configuration within the frame, utilizing vertical and lateral space efficiently. The ammunition receptacle and chamber tube elements are positioned to maximize space utilization, allowing multiple firing chambers in a compact footprint that reduces overall firearm size and weight while maintaining adequate ammunition capacity.
2Productivity
If traditional mechanical ignition is used, then structure is simple, but rate of fire is limited and reloading sequence is complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical ignition systems with electronic ignition systems. Each chamber tube element is equipped with an electronic primer that can be electrically ignited, allowing for faster and more reliable firing. This substitution enables a higher rate of fire while the electronic control system manages the complexity of coordinating multiple ignition events across different chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic ignition system is designed to automatically manage the firing sequence of multiple chamber tube elements. The system can independently ignite each electronic primer as needed, eliminating the need for complex manual reloading sequences and enabling rapid successive firing without requiring intricate mechanical reloading mechanisms.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If less-lethal ammunition is used without distance measurement, then firearm can be compact, but unintended damage occurs when target is too close
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an infrared distance sensor that continuously measures the distance to the target and provides feedback to the firing control system. This feedback mechanism allows the system to determine whether the target is at a safe distance before firing less-lethal ammunition, preventing unintended damage from close-range discharge while maintaining a compact firearm design.
Solution Approach 2:
The distance measurement and safety verification are performed before the firing action is executed. The infrared distance sensor detects target distance in advance, and the control system uses this information to determine whether to enable firing, preventing harmful effects before they can occur rather than relying on post-firing assessment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The firearm is compact, lightweight, and can be loaded and fired rapidly, with electronic ignition ensuring precise and safe discharge of ammunition, reducing the risk of unintended damage and improving operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
including an infrared distance sensor to ensure safe firing distances
Implementation Method 2
Firearm with electronic ignition
Data Source
AI summary
Firearms with electronic ignitions have a frame defining an ammunition receptacle having an open lower end and a closed upper end and opposed lateral sidewalls, a plurality of barrels connected to the frame, each barrel having a rear end aperture providing communication with the ammunition receptacle, an ammunition cartridge adapted to be closely and removably received in the ammunition receptacle in an operation position between the opposed lateral sidewalls, the ammunition cartridge having a plurality of ammunition elements, and each ammunition element being registered with a corresponding one of the barrels. Each ammunition element may include a chamber tube element containing propellant and projectile. Each chamber tube element may include a pressure containment member adapted to contain pressures associated with discharge. Each barrel may define a barrel axis, and the barrel axes may be parallel to each other. The ammunition receptacle may be an elongated passage.