Remote Weapon Barrier Apparatus for Runaway Firing Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Remotely operated machine guns in RCWSs can experience unintended or runaway firing, which is difficult to prevent and stop efficiently, especially since existing solutions require obstructing the cartridges chain or waiting for a jam to form, and restoring normal operation exposes soldiers to danger for extended periods.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a mechanical barrier component that is inserted through the ejection port to interrupt the breech block's movement, using an electrical actuator to propel the barrier into the breech block's path to prevent or stop runaway firing, and can be manually extracted to enable firing, ensuring quick and safe operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a barrier component is inserted through the ejection port to interrupt the breech block movement, then runaway firing is prevented and stopped immediately, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety apparatus is divided into separate functional components: a barrier component for blocking the breech block, an actuator for positioning the barrier, and a control unit for operation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system reliability for preventing runaway firing.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier component serves as an intermediary element between the control system and the breech block mechanism. By inserting this intermediate barrier through the ejection port, the system can safely interrupt breech block movement without directly modifying the core firing mechanism, thus improving reliability while controlling complexity.
2Loss of time
If existing solutions obstruct the cartridges chain or wait for a jam to form, then the device complexity remains low, but the time to stop runaway firing increases and soldiers are exposed to danger
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier component is pre-positioned within the ejection port area, ready to be deployed immediately when runaway firing is detected. The actuator and control unit are pre-configured to activate the barrier without requiring manual intervention or waiting for natural jamming, thus dramatically reducing the time to stop firing while maintaining reasonable device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces passive mechanical jamming methods with an active electro-mechanical system. Instead of relying on cartridge chain obstruction or natural jamming processes, an electrically actuated barrier component is used to actively interrupt breech block movement, reducing response time from seconds to fractions of a second.
3Ease of operation
If soldiers manually clear jams or restore operation, then the device complexity remains low, but soldiers must exit protected areas exposing them to danger
Solution Approach 1:
The safety apparatus is designed to be self-operating through the actuator and control unit system. When runaway firing occurs, the control unit automatically activates the actuator to position the barrier component, and restoration of firing is achieved by simply deactivating the control unit, allowing the actuator to retract the barrier. This eliminates the need for soldiers to manually clear jams or exit protected areas.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical operations by soldiers are replaced with an automated electro-mechanical system. The actuator electronically controls the barrier component's position, replacing the need for manual intervention and eliminating soldier exposure to danger during restoration operations.
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 apparatus effectively prevents and stops runaway firing at its inception, allowing for immediate cessation of firing and rapid restoration of normal operation without requiring soldiers to exit their protected area, thus enhancing safety and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
using an electrical actuator to propel the barrier into the breech block's path
Data Source
AI summary
Firing preventing and stoppage apparatus for remotely operated automatic weapon such as installable in RCWS (Remotely Controlled Weapon Station), that comprises a barrier component and an actuator connected to the barrier component, wherein the barrier component is suited to movement through a cartridges ejection port from an automatic weapon, to a movement path of the breech block of the weapon, for preventing in advance or stoppage of runaway firing from it, and outwards from it in a manner that enables firing, an RCWS equipped with such apparatus and a method for preventing and stopping runaway firing of automatic weapons that are mountable in an RCWS and comprises a breech block and a cartridges ejection port that is implemented in such apparatus.