Abstract:
The invention concerns a trigger mechanism for hand firearms, in particular pistols, with a striking lever ( 2 ) for the actuation of a firing pin ( 6 ), a pre-tensioning spring ( 13 ) associated with the striking lever ( 2 ), a trigger spring ( 14 ), associated with the striking lever ( 2 ), a striking lever ( 5 ) for control of the pre-tensioning spring ( 13 ), and a trigger rod ( 8 ) which is connected with a trigger ( 9 ) at its front end and cooperates with the striking lever ( 2 ) and the control lever ( 5 ) at its rear end. A particularly compact design is thus attainable in that the pre-tensioning spring ( 13 ) and the trigger spring ( 14 ) are placed inside the striking lever ( 2 ).

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to European Patent Application No. 09 154 953.5 filed Mar. 12 , 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a trigger mechanism for hand firearms, in particular, pistols. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Such a trigger mechanism is known from EP 1 878 992 A1. There, the necessary firing energy is made available by two striker springs, which are separate from one another and can be individually coordinated with one another. One of the two striker springs is used as a pre-tensioning spring for the storage of a pre-tensioning energy, whereas the second striker spring, which acts as the trigger spring, is cocked by means of the trigger, and determines the trigger force or the trigger resistance. The pre-tension of the pre-tensioning spring can, for example, be effected by the manual actuation of the striking lever or by the breech, which automatically returns with the firing of a shot as a result of the recoil. The trigger spring is cocked via the trigger by the shooter and produces the actual triggering force. The two striker springs together produce the total energy required to fire a cartridge, wherein the trigger resistance is designed to be variable and can be simply adapted to the various needs of the shooter. Within this known trigger mechanism, the two striker springs are placed on separate striker spring rods below the striker element within the pistol stock. A corresponding installation space must be available for this. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The goal of the invention is to create a trigger mechanism of the type mentioned above, which also makes possible, in a compact and space-saving type of construction, a pre-tensioning function with a reduced triggering force. 
         [0005]    This goal is attained by means of a trigger mechanism with the features as set forth in the claims. Appropriate developments and advantageous refinements of the inventions are indicated in the dependent claims. 
         [0006]    With the trigger mechanism in accordance with the invention, the pre-tensioning spring and the trigger spring are placed inside the striking lever. In this way, a trigger pre-tensioning system is created that is made in a compact manner, and even with a small trigger actuation force guarantees a sufficient firing energy of the overall system. The control of the pre-tensioning spring takes place by means of a control lever, which is actuated via the trigger rod and acts together with the pre-tensioning spring for the pre-tension or the release of the pre-tension force. 
         [0007]    In a particularly compact and space-saving design, the trigger spring can be located within the pre-tensioning spring and coaxial to it, in the striking lever. 
         [0008]    In another advantageous embodiment, the pre-tensioning springs are supported on a pre-tensioning spring guide located in the striking lever, and the trigger spring on a trigger spring guide which is also located in the striking lever. The pre-tensioning spring is advantageously supported on the pre-tensioning spring guide via a spacer sleeve. By the selection of appropriately dimensioned spacer sleeves and pre-tensioning springs, it is therefore possible to change the trigger forces and the trigger characteristics in a simple manner. The changes can be carried out simply and can be accomplished without great expense. 
         [0009]    The pre-tensioning spring guide is guided in such a manner that it can be displaced and rotated in the striking lever and has a notch cam for engagement in a latching recess on a latching slot in the striking lever. For the actuation of the pre-tensioning spring guide, the control lever in another constructively appropriate embodiment has a slot for the engagement of the latching cam. The control lever is advantageously used not only for controlling the pre-tensioning spring, but also can control the release or blocking of the firing pin. In this regard, the control lever has a control surface for engagement with a firing pin safety for the release or blocking of the firing pin. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    Other distinctive features and advantages of the invention can be deduced from the following description of a preferred embodiment example with reference to the drawing. The figures show the following: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1 , a trigger mechanism of a pistol in accordance with the invention, in a perspective view; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2 , the trigger mechanism shown in  FIG. 1 , with a pre-tensioning spring which is untensioned; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3 , the trigger mechanism shown in  FIG. 1 , during the process of tensioning the pre-tensioning spring; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 4 , the trigger mechanism shown in  FIG. 1 , with the pre-tensioned pre-tensioning spring. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    The trigger mechanism of a pistol, shown in perspective in  FIG. 1 , comprises a striking lever  2 , which is supported on a striking lever shaft  1  so that it can rotate, an interrupter lever  3 , which is supported on the striking lever shaft  1  so that it can rotate, a control lever  5 , which is supported on a striking lever pin  4  so that it can rotate, a firing pin  6 , a firing pin safety  7 , which cooperates with the control lever  5  for the release or blocking of the firing pin  6 , and a trigger rod  8 , which is articulated to a trigger  9  at its front end and cooperates with the striking lever  2  and the control lever  5  at its rear end. The trigger rod  8  is biased rearward by means of a trigger rod spring  10 . A stop  11  is also associated with the striking lever  2 . The striking lever shaft  1 , the striking lever pin  4 , the stop  11 , and an abutment  12  for the trigger rod spring  8  [sic;  10 ] are located in a not-shown insertion of a pistol stock. 
         [0016]    As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , a striking spring packet, with a radially outer pre-tensioning spring  13  and an inner trigger spring  14  coaxial to it, is placed in the striking lever  2 . In this respect, the striking lever  2  has a blind hole-type recess  15 , open downwards, against the upper closed end  16  of which the upper ends of the pre-tensioning spring  13  and trigger spring  14  are supported. The lower end of the radially inner trigger spring  14  is supported on a guided, disk-shaped trigger spring guide  17  that can be displaced in the recess  15  within the striking lever  2 . The disk-shaped trigger spring guide  17  is, in turn, seated on the striking lever pin  4 , which is displaced laterally with respect to the striking lever shaft  1 . 
         [0017]    The lower end of the radially outer pre-tensioning spring  13  is supported, via a spacer sleeve  18 , on an inner annular flange  19  of a sleeve-shaped pre-tensioning spring guide  20 , which can be displacably and rotatably guided in the recess  14  of the striker element  2 . The sleeve-shaped pre-tensioning spring guide  20  has a detent cam  21  on its outside. This latching cam  21  projects through a lateral slot  22  of the striking lever  2  and engages in a curved slot  23  of the control lever at the untensioned starting position shown in  FIG. 1 . A latching recess  24  for the latching cam  21  is provided in the striking lever  2  at the upper end of the latching slot  22 . In the starting position of  FIG. 1 , the lower end of the sleeve-shaped pre-tensioning spring guide  20  is on the disk-shaped trigger spring guide  17 . 
         [0018]    The mode of operation of the previously described trigger mechanism will be explained below with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , while in the depictions  2 - 4  the upper part of the interrupter lever  3 , and in  FIG. 3  the rear part of the trigger lever  8 , are cut away to enable better explanation. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  shows the trigger mechanism in a completely untensioned starting position. In this position, the striking lever  2  is vertical, wherein the radially outer pre-tensioning spring  13  and the inner trigger spring  14  coaxial to it are relieved of all tension. By means of the trigger rod spring  10 , the trigger rod  8  is pressed backwards and the trigger  9  forwards in the non-actuated starting position. Via a lower projection  25 , moreover, the control lever  5  is pressed into a starting position, pivoted forwards, with the aid of the trigger rod  8  pulled backwards, by the trigger rod spring  10 . If the trigger  9  is actuated in this position, the striking lever  2  is pivoted rearward by the trigger rod  8 , and the pre-tensioning spring  13  and the trigger spring  14  coaxial to it are put under tension by the striking lever pin  4  on which the trigger spring  14  is supported via the trigger spring guide  17 , and the pre-tensioning spring  13 , via the spacer sleeve  18  and pre-tensioning spring guide  20 . The tensioning process takes place by means of the arrangement of the striking lever pin  4 , which is offset relative to the striking lever shaft  1 , which when the striking lever is pivoted provides for a displacement of the trigger spring guide  17  and of the pre-tensioning spring guide  20 , and thus for the process of tensioning the pre-tensioning spring  13  and the trigger spring  14 . 
         [0020]    In the course of the tensioning process, moreover, the control lever  5  is rotated backwards by means of trigger rod  8 , from its front starting position shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein according to  FIG. 2  the striker pin safety  7 , constructed as a catch rod or sliding catch, is lifted from a firing pin notch  27  via an upper control surface  26  of control lever  5 , and releases the firing pin  6  for displacement. When the striking lever  2  arrives at the rear triggering position, shown in  FIG. 2 , the trigger rod  8  is disengaged from the striking lever  2  and releases it for the forward movement to actuate the firing pin  6 . With this tensioning and triggering process, the latching cam  21  moves freely into the curved slot  23  of the control lever  7 . In the triggering position shown in  FIG. 2 , the latching cam  21  has not yet arrived at the latching recess  24 , so that here a locking into place cannot yet occur. 
         [0021]    On the other hand, if the striking lever  2  is pivoted from the starting position shown in  FIG. 1  to a back end position shown in  FIG. 3  manually or by the breech returning with the recoil, the interrupter lever  3  is likewise rotated backwards (in  FIG. 1 , counterclockwise), by means of the not-shown breech, and steers the trigger rod  8  downwards with a lower control surface  28 , so that the control lever  5  is disengaged from the trigger rod  8 , and with the spring actuation it again moves into its front starting position shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . In this way, it is possible for the firing pin safety  7 , constructed as a catch rod or a sliding damper, to again move into its lower end position and to secure the firing pin  6  against displacement by engagement in the firing pin notch  27 . 
         [0022]    With the movement of the striking lever  2  into the back end position shown in  FIG. 3 , the pre-tensioning spring  13  and the trigger spring  14  are moreover placed under tension by the displacement of the corresponding pre-tensioning spring guide  20  or the trigger spring guide  17  by means of the striking lever pin  4 . By means of stop  11 , the latching cam  21  is pivoted into the latching recess  24  at the upper end of the latching slot  22  with the rotation of the sleeve-shaped pre-tensioning spring guide  20  around its longitudinal axis, and arrives at an engagement with the latching recess  24 . If the breech again arrives at its front starting position after the repeating action, the striking lever  2  also returns to its front starting position, wherein the radially inner trigger spring  14  is again relieved of tension and also brings the trigger spring guide  17  into its starting position. The pre-tensioning spring  13 , on the other hand, is held in a pre-tensioned position by the engagement of the latching cam  21  in the latching recess  24 . 
         [0023]    If the trigger  9  is actuated from this pre-tensioned position, the striking lever  2  is also pivoted backwards via the trigger rod  8  to the release position shown in  FIG. 4 . The radially inner trigger spring  14  is thereby under tension via the trigger spring guide  17  which is supported on the striking lever pin  4 . The pre-tensioning spring  13  is held under tension by means of the spacer sleeve  18  and the pre-tensioning spring guide  20 , since it remains in the tensioned position via the latching cam  21  which is held in the latching recess  24 . By the actuation of the trigger  9 , the control lever  5  is also rotated backwards (in  FIG. 4 , counterclockwise) via the trigger rod  8 , and via the control surface  26  on its upper side raises the firing pin catch  7 , constructed as the catch rod or sliding damper, from the firing pin safety  27  for release of the firing pin  6 . 
         [0024]    At the release position of the striking lever  2  shown in  FIG. 4 , the trigger rod  8  disengages from the striking lever  2  so that it initially moves forwards (in  FIG. 4 , clockwise) under the effect of the trigger spring  14  until the latching cam  21  of the pre-tensioning spring guide  20  moves to a rear surface  29  of the control lever  5 . In this way the sleeve-shaped pre-tensioning spring guide  20  rotates around its longitudinal axis such that the latching cam  21  disengages from the latching recess  24  in the striking lever  2 . From this time on, the striking lever  2  is pressed into its front end position for the actuation of the firing pin  6  under the effect of the pre-tensioning spring  13  and of the trigger spring  14 . In this way it is also possible to make available the firing energy required to fire a cartridge with a small triggering force.