Weapon Mount Azimuth Rotation Cable Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cables for transmitting energy and signals to weapons mounted on vehicles without a slip ring transmitter often interfere with the operator's view and mobility, and occupy valuable space inside the vehicle when they wrap around during rotation, limiting the aiming range and usability.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a dual-axis rotation system where the weapon's directional movement is decoupled from its barrel's movement, using a primary side pivot bearing for azimuthal movement and a secondary axis for horizontal rotation, with a gearbox-driven secondary pivot bearing to manage the weapon's position independently, reducing the space required for cable routing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cables are routed around the carriage with length compensation to enable rotation, then the carriage can rotate without cable entanglement, but the cables interfere with the operator's view and freedom of movement and take up a lot of free space
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful element (cables) is extracted from the operational area by routing them through a dedicated cable guide system that separates them from the operator's workspace. The cable guide is positioned to lead cables away from the operator's view and movement path, effectively removing the interference while maintaining rotation capability
Solution Approach 2:
A cable guide system acts as an intermediary between the rotating carriage and the fixed cable supply. This intermediary component manages cable routing through spiral formation and guided paths, enabling rotation while preventing cable entanglement and interference with the operator
2Adaptability or versatility
If cables are routed downwards with a spiral formation to enable rotation, then the carriage can rotate freely, but this causes a large area of interference inside the vehicle making it impossible for people to use this space
Solution Approach 1:
The cable routing is moved from the horizontal operational space to a vertical/different spatial dimension by routing cables along the carriage structure and through overhead or peripheral paths. This dimensional relocation allows the cables to occupy space that does not interfere with the operator's workspace or vehicle interior volume
3Area of stationary object
If a dual-axis rotation system is implemented to decouple directional movement from barrel movement, then the space needed for cable routing is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation system is segmented into two independent axes: a primary axis for directional movement and a secondary axis for barrel orientation. This segmentation allows cables to be routed only with the primary axis rotation, reducing the space and complexity required for cable management while maintaining full operational capability
Data Source
Figure 1~1a
Figure 2~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The carriage (20) or tower has a weapon (1), a weapon pipe (2) and an upper carriage (3). A side rotary mount (10) is integrated, which rotates the weapon, with weapon pipe and upper carriage, around a vertical secondary axis (9). The side rotary mount is rotated opposite the primary axis (6) dependently or independently of the rotating motion of another side rotary mount (7).