Trigger Return Pendulum for Balanced Firearm Safety and Sensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Firearm fire control mechanisms often compromise between safety and trigger sensation, with increased safety leading to decreased trigger feel and vice versa, and existing designs may incorporate an undesirable two-stage trigger feel.
Innovation Solution
A trigger assembly with a sear, lever, and trigger return pendulum, featuring a sear cam, lever cam, and trigger cam, that allows for a balanced and smooth engagement mechanism between the reciprocating component, lever, and trigger, enhancing both safety and trigger sensation without a two-stage feel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If safety mechanisms are enhanced in firearm fire control, then safety is improved, but trigger sensation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The trigger mechanism is divided into separate functional components: a trigger assembly with trigger and lever, and a separate safety assembly with sear and reciprocating component. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the safety assembly provides reliable engagement through the sear-stop surface interface, while the trigger assembly maintains smooth operation through the lever's contact surface and biasing spring, resolving the contradiction between safety and trigger sensation
Solution Approach 2:
The lever acts as an intermediary component between the trigger and the sear mechanism. When the trigger is pulled, the lever mediates the transfer of motion and force to disengage the sear from the reciprocating component. This intermediary lever, with its contact surface and biasing spring, provides a smooth transition that maintains good trigger sensation while still enabling the safety function of the sear to operate reliably
2Reliability
If a two-stage trigger feel is implemented to improve safety, then safety is improved, but trigger sensation deteriorates due to objectionable two-stage feel
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism transitions from static engagement to dynamic disengagement. The sear remains statically engaged with the reciprocating component for safety, but during trigger operation, the lever dynamically transfers motion to smoothly disengage the sear. This dynamic process, governed by the lever's pivot motion and biasing spring, eliminates the objectionable two-stage feel while maintaining safety through the inherent mechanical engagement of the sear
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 solution provides improved safety and trigger sensation by ensuring reliable engagement and disengagement of the firing pin, preventing unintended discharge and maintaining a consistent trigger feel, while balancing the firearm to prevent accidental firing.
Implementation Method 1
A lever return spring acts on the lever and biases the contact surface out of engagement with the action surface
Implementation Method 2
A trigger return pendulum is movably mounted within the assembly... motion of the reciprocating component acts through the head cam follower of the trigger return pendulum and forces the lever cam into engagement with the lever, and the trigger cam into engagement with the trigger, to return the lever and the trigger
Data Source
AI summary
A trigger assembly has a sear with a stop surface engageable with a reciprocating component for holding the reciprocating component in a cocked configuration. The sear also has a sear cam engageable with a lever movably mounted within the assembly. A trigger is movable into and out of engagement with the lever. Pulling the trigger moves it out of engagement with the lever and releases the sear. A trigger return pendulum has a trigger cam engageable with the trigger, a lever cam engageable with the lever, and a head cam follower engageable with the reciprocating component. Motion of the reciprocating component acting through the head cam follower of the trigger return pendulum forces the lever cam into engagement with the lever and the trigger cam into engagement with the trigger to return the lever and the trigger to a configuration of engagement between the trigger and the lever.