Munition Gripper Device with Locking Feet for Gun Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for loading large caliber gun munitions on armored vehicles and tanks face challenges in securely holding the munition during transport, especially on rugged terrain, which can cause vibrations and shocks, leading to instability and potential damage, and require complex mechanisms to align the munition with the gun chamber.
Innovation Solution
A gripper device with movably mounted feet that can lock onto the periphery of the munition, allowing secure longitudinal movement from the storage area to the gun chamber, featuring a locking mechanism with retractable fingers and a return mechanism to facilitate smooth insertion and prevent interference with the storage magazine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a telescopic mechanism with sheath is used to transport munition, then the munition can be held during transport, but the longitudinal axis of the munition is not aligned with the gun axis and the sheath interferes with the storage magazine mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into a support structure and separate clamping elements (jaws) that can independently grasp the munition. This segmentation allows the clamping function to be separated from the transport function, enabling direct alignment with the gun axis without requiring a complex telescopic sheath mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamping function is extracted from the transport mechanism. Instead of using a telescopic sheath that encompasses the entire munition, the invention uses discrete clamping jaws that grasp specific portions of the munition, removing the interfering sheath structure while maintaining secure holding.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the munition is held in a natural position in the sheath, then the sheath can accommodate the munition, but the longitudinal axis is misaligned and insertion into the chamber becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping jaws are designed to be movable and adjustable, allowing them to adapt to different munition positions and orientations. This dynamic clamping system can grasp the munition in various positions and then adjust to align it properly with the gun axis, combining adaptability with ease of insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamping jaws perform preliminary alignment of the munition before insertion. By grasping the munition and actively positioning it in the correct orientation during the transport phase, the system ensures proper alignment with the gun axis is achieved before the insertion operation begins.
3Volume of stationary object
If individual tubes are equipped for each munition housing, then the sheath bulk is reduced, but the mass of the equipment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping device is designed as a universal system that can handle multiple munition types and sizes using the same basic structure. The adjustable clamping jaws can accommodate different munition dimensions without requiring individual specialized tubes for each housing, reducing overall equipment mass while maintaining compact volume.
4Device complexity
If the munition is not firmly maintained during transport, then the device structure is simpler, but the munition moves in the vertical plane under severe driving conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping jaws are designed with curved surfaces that conform to the cylindrical shape of the munition. This curvature provides maximum contact area and friction, ensuring firm maintenance of the munition during transport without requiring overly complex mechanical restraint structures. The rounded contact surfaces naturally prevent movement in all directions including the vertical plane.
Data Source
AI summary
A gripper device for transporting munitions, has a support movably mounted along the longitudinal direction of the munition. The support has feet delimiting a space intended to receive the munition, the feet being movably mounted in a plane perpendicular to the direction of forward travel of the support and configured so as to adopt, during use, a position referred to as a locking position. The feet are fixed and able to clasp the periphery of the munition, and a position referred to as unlocking position. The feet are free to move in the plane perpendicular to the direction of forward travel of the support so as to allow the passage of the whole of the munition in its longitudinal direction.