Coupler System for Flash Hider Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for attaching blank adapters and sound suppressors to firearms do not provide a secure, gas-tight seal and allow for adjustable rotational orientations, which can affect firearm accuracy and require re-zeroing.
Innovation Solution
A coupler system using a locking collar with camming latches and a spring lock, along with a stop ring, to securely attach devices to the flash hider, allowing for different rotational orientations while maintaining a gas-tight seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a simple threaded attachment is used to connect the device to the flash hider, then the device can be easily attached and detached, but the connection is not secure and does not provide a gas-tight seal
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism is divided into multiple functional components: a collar for threading, multiple camming latches for securing, a spring lock for maintaining pressure, and a stop ring for limiting travel. Each component performs a specific function to collectively achieve a secure, gas-tight connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The camming latches are designed to be movable during attachment, allowing them to be cammed against the flash hider by the collar to create a locked position. The spring lock dynamically maintains pressure on the camming latches to prevent backing out, while allowing controlled movement during the attachment and detachment process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the device is fixed in a specific rotational orientation, then firearm accuracy is maintained, but the device lacks versatility for different operational requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The camming latches are positioned at specific asymmetric locations around the collar, creating discrete rotational orientations where the latches can engage with the flash hider. This allows the device to be securely attached in multiple predetermined orientations while maintaining accuracy through consistent engagement geometry.
3Ease of operation
If the collar is allowed to move freely during attachment, then the device can be easily installed, but the collar may back out of the locked position
Solution Approach 1:
The spring lock automatically engages with the camming latches to prevent the collar from backing out of the locked position. As the collar is threaded on during attachment, the spring lock passively maintains pressure on the camming latches without requiring additional user action, ensuring the connection remains secure throughout operation.
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 coupler system provides a secure attachment that minimizes the impact on firearm accuracy, allowing for consistent performance without the need for re-zeroing, and ensures a gas-tight seal to facilitate the firing of blank ammunition.
Implementation Method 1
a spring lock (54) to prevent the collar from backing itself out of that locked position
Implementation Method 2
As the collar advances, its interior surface cams the camming latches, held against axial movement by the cutouts, against the exterior of the flash hider, thus locking the device to the flash hider
Data Source
AI summary
A coupling system attaches a device such as a blank adaptor or a sound suppressor to the flash hider of a firearm. The device is slid over the flash hider until a set of flat surfaces on it are aligned with a set of holes in the device. Camming latches are held in the holes in the device. The collar carried by the device is then threadably advanced to a locking position with respect to the device where it presses the camming latches into secure engagement with the flat surfaces on the flash hider. Unthreading the collar to the unlocked position allows the camming latches to be moved radially when the device is to be removed or rotated. A spring lock prevents the collar from rotating during use, particularly during firing of the firearm but may be released to rotate the collar between locked and unlocked positions.