Side-by-Side Ammunition Feeding System with Pivoting Passage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ammunition supply devices for weapons require stopping the firing process and exerting excessive force to reload, as they necessitate moving empty ammunition boxes to make way for full ones, disrupting continuous operation.
Innovation Solution
A device with two side-by-side ammunition boxes integral with a carriage, featuring a pivotally mounted introduction passage and locking mechanism, allowing boxes to slide and pivot, enabling seamless transition without stopping the weapon or applying excessive force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If several ammunition boxes are arranged one behind the other, then the weapon can be fed from multiple boxes, but it is necessary to stop firing and move the empty box to position the full box, which interrupts continuous operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a longitudinal arrangement (boxes one behind the other) to a lateral arrangement (boxes side by side). This dimensional change allows the introduction passage to access both boxes simultaneously from the front, enabling seamless switching between boxes without moving them or interrupting firing. The side-by-side configuration eliminates the need to evacuate empty boxes rearward, resolving the contradiction between multi-box feeding and continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The introduction passage is made pivotable to dynamically switch between the two ammunition boxes. This dynamic element allows the feeding mechanism to adapt its position according to which box is currently being used, enabling continuous operation by seamlessly transitioning from one box to the other without stopping the weapon or relocating the boxes themselves.
2Ease of operation
If devices are provided to move ammunition boxes forward to position full boxes, then reloading is enabled, but the device becomes complex and requires moving empty boxes
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the ammunition boxes forward to position full boxes near the feeder (as in prior art), the invention inverts the approach by positioning both boxes laterally at the same level and making the introduction passage movable. This reversal eliminates the need for complex box advancement mechanisms, as the feeding passage adapts its position rather than the boxes being relocated.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotable introduction passage serves multiple functions: it feeds ammunition from the first box, switches to feed from the second box, and enables seamless transitions between boxes. This multi-functional element replaces the need for separate mechanisms to move boxes, manage box positioning, and enable reloading, thereby simplifying the overall device while maintaining ease of operation.
3Productivity
If empty boxes are evacuated to position full boxes, then reloading is possible, but excessive forces are exerted on the ammunition strips during the process
Solution Approach 1:
By arranging boxes side by side rather than one behind the other, the invention eliminates the need to evacuate empty boxes through the ammunition feeding path. This dimensional reconfiguration allows both boxes to be accessed laterally from the front, preventing any box movement that would exert force on the ammunition strips while maintaining rapid reloading capability through the pivotable introduction passage.
Data Source
AI summary
The device has two ammunition cases (7a, 7b) arranged side by side and integrated to a lateral wall (8) of a gun carriage (3). An insertion channel (10) is rotatably mounted with respect to an axis perpendicular to the wall, where the axis coincides with an axis (2) of a trunnion of a weapon. The case has a lower opening arranged above the cases and at the level of a vertical plane separating the two cases, where each case slides with respect to the wall to pass from an initial position to a final position after removal of the other case.