Modular Gas-Operated Fin Deployment System

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional gun-launched projectiles often fail to deploy fins successfully due to external environmental conditions such as muzzle velocity and obturator leakage, leading to stalling and incomplete fin deployment.

Innovation Solution

The projectile design maintains contact between a piston and deployable fins through engaging tabs and a pressure reservoir, ensuring the piston continues to push the fins into a locked deployed position, with spring-biased locking pins and a modular pressure system to adapt to varying environments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional gun-launched projectiles use brief piston-fins contact for fin deployment, then the deployment mechanism is simple, but the fins are susceptible to stalling and failing to deploy when encountering external environment variations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefin deployment reliabilityVSAvoiddeployment mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The piston maintains continuous contact with the fins throughout the entire deployment process, from the folded position through the deployment arc to the final locked position. This continuous contact ensures that the piston can overcome varying external environmental conditions (muzzle velocity, obturator leakage, drag) and reliably complete the fin deployment without stalling, directly resolving the reliability issue while accepting increased mechanism complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces intermediate components including a retention mechanism with retention arms that engage fin tabs, and spring-biased locking pins that secure the fins in the deployed position. These intermediary elements act as mediators between the piston and fins, ensuring reliable deployment while allowing the piston to maintain contact throughout the process. The locking pins provide a final securing action that ensures the fins remain deployed even after piston contact ends.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the piston is disengaged from the fins early in deployment, then the mechanism is simpler, but the fins may stall before reaching the deployed position due to external environmental conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefin deployment completionVSAvoidpiston-fins contact duration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Stability of the object's composition

If spring-biased locking pins are used to secure fins after deployment, then the fins are locked in position, but the mechanism complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefin position stabilityVSAvoidlocking mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The spring-biased locking pins automatically engage with the fins after deployment through a self-actuating mechanism. As the piston pushes the fins into the deployed position, the locking pins are driven outward by spring pressure and automatically lock into engagement features on the fins, securing them in the deployed position without requiring additional actuators or complex control systems. This self-service approach provides stable fin positioning while minimizing the added complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

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

Ensures successful fin deployment and locking, even in challenging environments, by maintaining contact between the piston and fins until they are fully deployed, enhancing stability and reliability.

Implementation Method 1

a pressure reservoir configured to be pressurized to move a piston that is fluidly connected with the pressure reservoir

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure: Pressure Increase

Implementation Method 2

spring-biased locking pins that are biased against the fins

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSpring biasing: Spring

Data Source

PatentUS11353300B2Modular gas operated fin deployment system

Publication Date: 2022.06.07 RAYTHEON CO

AI summary

A projectile and deployment method ensures successful deployment of the projectile regardless of an external environment. Contacting engagement is maintained between a piston and deployable fins as the fins rotate from a folded position to a deployed position. The fins are pushed by the piston to rotate into a deployed position in which the fins are locked before the piston is able to eject from the assembly. Using the engaging tabs between the fins and the piston, and a modular pressure reservoir, the piston continues to push on the fins at least until the fins are deployed and locked. After locking, pressure in the projectile is equalized and the piston is launched off of the pressure reservoir. If the fins are not immediately deployed and locked, the piston will continue to push on the fins until the external environment enables full deployment or until the pressure is equalized.