Rotatable Barrel Support Bracket for Left-Right Handed Launcher Conversion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing projectile launchers are not adaptable for use by both right-handed and left-handed users, requiring separate versions and limiting flexibility and inventory management in military or police applications.
Innovation Solution
A launcher design featuring a pivotally mounted barrel within a U-shaped support bracket that can be easily converted between left and right breech exposure positions by rotating the bracket 180 degrees, allowing the same launcher to be used by either handedness without field disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a launcher is configured with a fixed breech opening direction (left or right), then it is optimized for use by users with a specific handedness, but it cannot be effectively used by users with the opposite handedness
Solution Approach 1:
The barrel support bracket is designed to be rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the receiver, allowing the breech opening direction to be dynamically changed from left-handed configuration to right-handed configuration (or vice versa). This dynamic adjustment enables the same launcher to be adapted to different user handedness preferences without requiring separate fixed configurations for each handedness type.
2Ease of operation
If separate left-handed and right-handed versions of launchers are manufactured, then each version is optimized for its intended user group, but inventory complexity and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The launcher is designed with a universal barrel support bracket that can be rotated to provide both left-handed and right-handed configurations. This multi-functionality allows a single launcher design to serve both right-handed and left-handed users, eliminating the need to manufacture and maintain separate inventory of left-handed and right-handed versions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the barrel support bracket is made rotatable to allow configuration changes, then adaptability to different handedness is improved, but structural complexity of the launcher increases
Solution Approach 1:
The barrel support bracket is designed as a separate, removable component that can be independently rotated and repositioned. This segmentation allows the rotation function to be implemented in a simple, modular manner without complicating the overall launcher structure. The bracket can be easily removed, rotated 180 degrees, and reinstalled to change the breech opening direction.
Data Source
AI summary
A launcher which can be readily converted for use by either a right-handed or left-handed shot. The launcher has a receiver with upper and lower extensions extending forwardly from the receiver body. A barrel is pivotally mounted near forward portions of the extensions, in one of two positions, such that in one position it is pivotable from a home position aligned with the receiver and the extensions between the two extensions, to a load position with the breech of the barrel to the left, and such that in the other position it is pivotable from the home position, to a load position with the breech to the right. One way of accomplishing this is with a barrel support bracket to which the barrel is pivotally mounted, with the barrel support bracket being secured at or near the front of the receiver extensions, and being rotatable between two positions, each corresponding to a different swing direction for the barrel.