Elevation Compensation Device for Weapon Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing weapon systems face imbalance issues due to varying ammunition loads and geometric changes during elevation adjustments, leading to inconsistent hit patterns and increased power consumption, as existing stabilization systems struggle to maintain a constant residual torque over the entire elevation range.
Innovation Solution
A weapon system with an elevation compensation device featuring a displaceable bearing, sensor system, and actuating element that adjusts the compensating torque in response to elevation angle and ammunition fill level changes, ensuring a constant residual torque is applied to the drive shaft, thereby stabilizing the system and reducing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed compensating torque is used to counteract the imbalance moment, then the weapon system can be stabilized at a specific elevation angle, but the residual torque varies over the elevation range leading to inconsistent hit patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The compensating device uses a displaceable loose bearing that can change its position along the elevation axis, allowing the compensating torque to dynamically adapt to different elevation angles. The bearing's displacement changes the moment arm of the compensating force, thereby adjusting the compensating torque to match the varying imbalance moment across the elevation range.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of compensating torque by displacing the loose bearing to different positions. This displacement modifies the effective moment arm of the compensating force, enabling the compensating torque to vary in accordance with the imbalance moment's variation over the elevation range, thus maintaining consistent residual torque.
2Reliability
If the compensating device is designed to cover the entire elevation range with consistent performance, then the system complexity increases due to the need for variable compensation
Solution Approach 1:
The loose bearing is designed to displace automatically based on the varying imbalance moment across different elevation angles. The system uses the natural variation in gravitational moment to drive the bearing's displacement, eliminating the need for external actuators or complex control systems to adjust the compensation.
3Quantity of substance
If ammunition containers are added to the elevating mass, then the weapon system gains extended ammunition supply capability, but the unbalance moment becomes variable requiring increased drive device power
Solution Approach 1:
The compensating device generates a counterbalancing moment that opposes the variable unbalance moment created by the ammunition containers. By providing this counterbalancing effect, the drive device only needs to overcome the residual torque rather than the full unbalance moment, significantly reducing the power requirement even with extended ammunition capacity.
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
This solution maintains consistent hit patterns and reduces power consumption by ensuring a constant residual torque across the entire elevation range, improving the weapon system's performance and stability.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor system that detects an elevation angle and a filling level of the ammunition feed and/or ammunition conveying unit
Implementation Method 2
an actuating element, with the help of which the movable bearing can be displaced in order to preload the compensation device
Implementation Method 3
a compensation device which, when the elevation angle is adjusted, generates a compensating torque which acts on the drive shaft and counteracts an unbalance moment
Implementation Method 4
which can have a prestressed spring unit which, with the aid of its spring force, acts on a drive shaft of the weapon system with a balancing moment
Data Source
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AI summary
An elevation compensation device (11) for a weapon system (1), comprising: a drive shaft (10) pivotable about an elevation axis (6) to adjust an elevation angle (a) of the weapon system (1); a compensation device (12) configured to generate a compensating torque (A) acting on the drive shaft (10) when the elevation angle (a) is adjusted, which counteracts an imbalance torque (U) of the weapon system (1) acting on the drive shaft (10), wherein the compensation device (12) comprises a movable bearing (15); a sensor (19) configured to detect the elevation angle (a) and a fill level of an ammunition feed and/or ammunition conveying unit (5) of the weapon system (1); and an actuating element (17) by means of which the bearing (15) can be moved to apply a preload to the compensation device (12) depending on to adjust sensor signals of the sensor system (19) in such a way,that the balancing moment (A) adapts to a change in the unbalance moment (U) when the elevation angle (a) is adjusted and when the fill level of the ammunition feed and/or ammunition conveying unit (5) changes.