Rotating Contact Needle for Weapon Breech Ignition

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing contact bodies for weapon barrel breeches face issues with high contact resistance due to contamination, oxidation, or corrosion, leading to unreliable electrical ignition, and require complex installation processes with specialized tools.

Innovation Solution

A contact body design featuring axially movable contact needles with rotational movement, utilizing a spiral recess and contact pin mechanism to break through oxidation and corrosion layers, combined with elastic means for easy assembly and disassembly without tools, ensuring reliable electrical contact.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If contact needles are pressed perpendicularly onto the cartridge base, then electrical contact is established, but contact resistance becomes excessively high due to contamination, oxidation, or corrosion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrical contact reliabilityVSAvoidcontact resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The contact needle is designed to perform both axial movement and rotational movement during actuation. The rotation is achieved through a cam mechanism that converts linear motion into rotational motion, allowing the contact needle to scrape against the contact surface and remove oxidation layers, contamination, and corrosion products, thereby maintaining low contact resistance and reliable electrical connection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention utilizes the friction between the rotating contact needle and the contact surface to beneficial effect. The rotational movement causes the contact needle to scrape and remove harmful oxidation layers and contamination from the contact surface, converting the potentially harmful friction into a cleaning action that improves electrical contact reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

2Ease of manufacture

If contact bodies are designed with fixed contact needles, then structural simplicity is achieved, but installation and maintenance require considerable effort and special tools

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation easeVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The contact body is designed as a modular assembly with distinct components: a housing, a cam mechanism, and a contact needle that can be independently installed and removed. The contact needle is retained by a snap-fit or spring mechanism that allows it to be easily inserted and secured without special tools, enabling field maintenance and replacement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The contact needle incorporates a self-retaining mechanism such as a spring-loaded clip or snap-fit feature that automatically secures the needle in place during installation without requiring external tools or complex assembly procedures. This allows operators to install or replace contact needles using only their fingers or basic hand tools.

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

The contact body establishes a reliable electrical connection by roughening the contact surface through rotational movement, reducing ignition failures and allowing for tool-free maintenance of contact needles, enhancing operational efficiency and ease of use.

Implementation Method 1

the contact needle rotates relative to the guide body during an axial movement. This generates friction between the surface to be contacted and the contact needle, roughening or superficially abrading the surface

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 2

roughening or superficially abrading the surface. According to the invention, oxidation and/or corrosion layers as well as impurities are thus broken through or displaced

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAbrasion: Abrasion

Data Source

PatentEP3719436B1Contact body, contact needle, gun barrel breech and weapon with barrel
Publication Date: 2023.06.07 RHEINMETALL WAFFE MUNITION GMBH
  • EP3719436B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3719436B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3719436B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a contact body 1 for a gun barrel breech, comprising a housing 10, at least one contact needle 20, a guide body 30 axially movably mounted within the housing 10 for receiving the at least one contact needle 20, wherein the at least one of the contact needles 20 is axially movably mounted within the guide body 30, wherein the contact body 1 has rotation means 22, 40 for each contact needle 20, which are designed such that the contact needle 20 rotates during an axial movement relative to the guide body 30.