Firearm Magazine Release Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current firearms require significant effort and training to manually release the slide after a magazine is emptied, especially under stressful conditions, and lack the ability to distinguish between full and empty magazines, leading to uncertain safety states.
Innovation Solution
An automatic release element is integrated that engages with the magazine's control surface when a new full magazine is inserted, kinematically coupled to the slide stop lever, allowing the breech to unlock and return to the forward position, while maintaining manual override capabilities and distinguishing between magazine states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the slide stop lever is used to hold the slide in the rear position when the magazine is empty, then the firearm safety is improved, but the effort required to manually unlock the slide increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The magazine itself performs the function of releasing the slide stop lever through its control surface interacting with the release element. When a new magazine is inserted, the magazine's control surface automatically engages the release element, which then releases the slide stop lever, allowing the slide to return to the forward position without requiring manual intervention from the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The release element is pre-positioned in the housing to engage with the control surface of the magazine before the magazine is fully inserted. This preliminary positioning ensures that as soon as the magazine is inserted, the release element can immediately interact with the control surface to trigger the automatic release mechanism, reducing the effort required by the user.
2Productivity
If conventional firearms automatically close the breech after magazine insertion, then the operation speed is improved, but the ability to distinguish between full and empty magazines is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The control surface on the magazine is designed with specific local characteristics (protrusions, shapes, or positions) that differ between full and empty magazines. The release element is positioned to engage with these local characteristics, allowing it to distinguish between full and empty magazines. When the magazine is full, the control surface enables automatic release; when empty, it does not, preserving the information about magazine status.
3Ease of operation
If a release element is added to automatically release the slide when a new magazine is inserted, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The release element serves multiple functions: it acts as a detector for the presence of a new magazine through engagement with the control surface, serves as a actuator to release the slide stop lever, and provides a mechanical linkage between the magazine insertion action and the slide release mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The release element is integrated into the existing housing structure of the firearm, with the control surface of the magazine nesting into the magazine receptacle and engaging the release element. The release element itself may be nested within the housing, utilizing existing spaces and structures to minimize the addition of external components.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to a firearm comprising a housing (1), a magazine (2) for cartridges (3) which are preloaded in the direction of a transfer opening by means of a magazine feeder (7), a lock (8) which can be moved relative to the housing (1) in order to convey the cartridges (3), and a lock catch lever (4) which holds the lock (8) in a rear position when the magazine (2) is empty. A trigger element (9) is provided for automatically releasing the lock (8) into the front position when a loaded magazine (2) is inserted. An engagement surface (10) of the trigger element (9) protrudes into the movement path of a control surface (11) of the magazine (2) in a front starting position. The trigger element (9) is coupled to the lock (8) in a kinematic manner via an effective surface (12) at least during a part of the movement when moving from the front starting position into a rear end position. At the end of the coupled part of the movement, the lock (8) is offset towards the rear relative to the lock rear position by another portion along the lock movement path. The effective surface (12) of the trigger element (9) is disengaged again from the lock (8) in the rear end position of the trigger element (9).