Sliding Feed Tray Cover for Belt-Fed Weapon Optic Interference
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Solution Overview
Problem
Belt-fed weapons with advanced optics installed on the top rail experience interference with the operation of loading and clearing rounds due to the size and required eye relief, leading to reliability issues with hinged feed tray covers that hinge upward, affecting optic zero retention and system reliability.
Innovation Solution
A sliding and translating feed tray cover that moves horizontally, allowing for loading and clearing rounds without adjusting the optic position, and enabling direct mounting of the optic on the weapon receiver, thus preventing mechanical interference and improving zero retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hinged feed tray cover is used that hinges upward, then the cover can be opened for loading rounds, but the cover interferes with rail-mounted optics and compromises zero retention
Solution Approach 1:
The feed tray cover transitions from vertical hinging motion to horizontal sliding motion, changing the dimension of movement from up-down to left-right. This allows the cover to open without interfering with optics mounted on the top rail, as the cover moves laterally instead of vertically.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the conventional hinged cover that opens upward, the invention inverts the opening direction by using a sliding cover that moves horizontally. This inversion resolves the interference problem with optics while maintaining the loading function.
2Ease of operation
If a hinged feed tray cover is used, then the cover can be opened for loading rounds, but the cover requires heavy attachment to the weapon and reduces system reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding mechanism changes the motion dimension from vertical hinging to horizontal translation, allowing for a simpler mounting structure that attaches the cover to the sides of the feed tray rather than requiring heavy hinges at the rear of the weapon.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover is divided into separate sections that can slide independently along the feed tray, reducing the need for a single heavy hinge structure and distributing the mechanical load across multiple lighter components.
3Ease of operation
If the feed tray cover is made as long as from the rear of the weapon to the feeding position, then the cover can hinge open, but the cover becomes unnecessarily long and complex
Solution Approach 1:
By changing from vertical hinging to horizontal sliding, the cover can be shorter in length since it doesn't need to extend from the rear of the weapon to the feeding position. The sliding motion allows the cover to open within a compact space.
Data Source
AI summary
A feed tray assembly for a belt-fed weapon includes a bottom tray portion configured for mounting at a top of the weapon. The feed tray assembly further includes a feed tray cover mounted to the bottom tray portion and configured for lateral sliding opening and closing movement, such as on laterally extending pins riding in corresponding channels of the bottom tray portion. The feed tray cover has (1) a closed position in which it covers the bottom tray portion to retain the belt of ammunition during operation, and (2) an open position laterally displaced from the closed position to enable insertion of the belt of ammunition. Due to this lateral sliding movement of the feed tray cover, a sighting optic may be mounted on the weapon with a forward portion directly above the feed tray assembly without any undesired mechanical interference.