Shoulder Bar Attachment for Manual Weapon Traverse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional crew-served weapon mounts are slow and inaccurate when traversing and elevating, becoming unstable and heavy when mechanical devices are bypassed, necessitating a means to stabilize and improve accuracy without mechanical aids.
Innovation Solution
A shoulder bar attachment for weapon mounts, such as the Mk93, that allows for manual and rapid elevation and traversal of the weapon, providing additional support and leverage through an articulatable and extendable arm, which can be coupled without modifying the mount, using a mounting bracket and quick-release mechanism for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If mechanical traversing and elevation devices are used, then the weapon mount is stable and accurate, but the movement speed is very slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the mechanical traversing and elevation devices from the weapon mount, extracting only the essential mounting functionality while eliminating the complex mechanical movement mechanisms. This allows the weapon to be manually positioned without the constraint of slow mechanical actuators.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using mechanical devices to move the weapon mount, the invention inverts the approach by providing a stable platform that allows manual manipulation. The stability is achieved through the mounting structure itself rather than through active mechanical control systems.
2Speed
If mechanical traversing and elevation devices are bypassed for free movement, then the movement speed increases, but the system becomes heavy, unstable, and inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mounting bracket as an intermediary component that couples the weapon to the vehicle structure. This intermediary provides the necessary stability and support when mechanical devices are removed, allowing free manual movement while maintaining system stability through proper structural coupling.
Solution Approach 2:
The weapon system is segmented into separate components: the weapon itself, the mounting bracket, and the coupling mechanism. This segmentation allows the weapon to be independently positioned and adjusted without being constrained by integrated mechanical traversing and elevation systems.
3Productivity
If mechanical traversing and elevation devices are used, then the weapon mount is stable and accurate, but the operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket is pre-installed and configured to provide immediate stability and proper positioning. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for time-consuming mechanical adjustments and allows the operator to quickly acquire and engage targets without waiting for mechanical systems to respond.
Solution Approach 2:
The weapon mounting system is designed to be self-aligning and self-stabilizing through its structural design. The mounting bracket inherently provides the necessary support and positioning without requiring active control from mechanical traversing and elevation devices, enabling rapid manual operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A weapon training and firing aid having a shoulder bar attachment for elevating and/or traversing a weapon mount. A weapon training and firing aid has an elongate arm for attachment to a weapon mount and extending in a generally rearward direction from the weapon mount.