Firearm Trigger Group Selector Lever Positioning for Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trigger systems for semi-automatic firearms, such as Hawbaker's, require complex selector mechanisms within the trigger guard, increasing the risk of accidental discharge and lack a safe mode option after trigger pull in binary fire mode, necessitating a new design that places the selector lever outside the trigger guard and allows safe mode engagement even when the trigger is pulled in double/binary fire mode.
Innovation Solution
A trigger group with a frame, hammer, trigger element, and selector lever positioned outside the trigger guard, featuring a safety selector assembly that provides safe, semi-automatic, and binary modes, allowing the firearm to be safely switched between modes without accidental discharge, including a backup disconnector to prevent unintended hammer release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the selector lever is placed inside the trigger guard, then the trigger system can provide multiple firing modes, but the risk of accidental discharge increases due to manipulation within the trigger guard
Solution Approach 1:
The selector lever is extracted from the trigger guard and repositioned on the pistol grip, separating the mode selection function from the trigger mechanism. This physical separation prevents accidental mode changes while maintaining multiple firing mode capabilities, directly resolving the contradiction between versatility and safety.
2Ease of operation
If the trigger must be pulled fully rearward or released fully forward to operate, then the trigger system provides defined operation points, but the complexity of the trigger mechanism increases with two disconnectors
Solution Approach 1:
The single disconnector integrates multiple functions previously requiring separate components. It combines the trigger operation control, firing mode coordination, and safety interlock functions into one unified mechanism, reducing overall complexity while maintaining defined operation points and safe mode capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The single disconnector is designed as a multi-functional component that handles semi-automatic mode operation, binary fire mode coordination, and safe mode engagement. This universal component replaces what would traditionally require multiple specialized disconnectors, simplifying the trigger mechanism while maintaining all required functions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the firearm fires a second shot upon trigger release in binary fire mode, then the National Firearms Act definition is avoided, but the inability to place the firearm in safe mode after trigger pull increases safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The disconnector and selector lever are designed with dynamic interaction that allows the safe mode to be engaged at any trigger position. The selector lever's position on the pistol grip enables independent safe mode selection that is not constrained by trigger position, allowing the firearm to be placed in safe mode even after the trigger has been pulled in binary fire mode.
Data Source
AI summary
Trigger groups for semi-automatic firearms have a frame, a hammer connected to the frame and movable between a cocked position and a striking position, the hammer being biased toward the striking position, a trigger element connected to the frame and movable by a user between a forward position and a rearward position, a selector connected to the frame and movable between at least a first position and a second position, and a plurality of retention facilities each operable to selectively restrain the hammer in the cocked position, and when the selector is in the second position to enable discharge of the firearm in response to movement of the trigger to the forward position after movement to the rearward position and to enable an additional discharge of the firearm upon release of the trigger to the forward position.