Patent GB-1158822-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Toothed Rotor Mechanisms for Automatic Guns fed from two Cartridge Belts
Inventor: MAILLARD BERNARD
IPC: F41A9/31
Filed: 1967-06-26
Abstract: 1,158,822. Automatic weapons. BREVETS AERO-MECANIQUES S.A. 26 June, 1967 [1 July, 1966; 23 Feb., 1967], No. 29413/67. Heading F3C. A feed mechanism for an automatic gun comprises two tubular, toothed rotors 6, 7, each feeding selectively a cartridge belt to an extraction station, cartridges being passed from one or other of the extraction stations to a common delivery passage leading to the chamber of the gun. Either toothed rotor 6, 7 is rotated from a common driving device which is actuated each time a shot is fired by the recoil of part of or all of the gun with respect to a stationary cradle. The drive is transmitted to the rotors by two torsion rods 12, 13, one housed in each rotor 6, 7, which rods have one pair of adjacent ends coupled together positively such that the drive to either of the rotors is transmitted through both torsion rods. Reversible coupling means are provided to selectively drive one or other of the rotors. In the construction shown the driving device includes a pinion 17 which is oscillated by an assembly comprising a rack carrying push-piece 20 and co-operating toothed sector 23 and a further toothed sector (24, Fig. 4, not shown) movable with sector 23 and co-operating with the pinion 17. The assembly is cam-driven from the recoil of the barrel and breech case (Fig. 1, not shown). The pinion 17 is freely rotatably mounted on one 25 of a pair of intermediate tubular pieces 25, 26, one piece being housed within one of the toothed rotors. The pinion drives, through ratchet teeth, a wheel 30 which in turn drives a further wheel 32, both wheels being freely rotatably mounted on a corresponding intermediate piece. A sleeve 33, 34 having sets of teeth at each end, is interposed between each wheel 30, 32 and a part of the respective toothed rotor for slidable movement relative to the intermediate piece but for rotation therewith. The wheels 30, 32 and the parts of the toothed rotor are provided with teeth which are co-operable with the respective teeth of the sleeve. Each intermediate piece 25, 26 is connected rigidly to a free end of the corresponding torsion rod 12, 13 and the positive coupling means at the other ends of the torsion rods comprises a pinion 14, 15 connected one to each torsion rod for rotation therewith and an idler pinion 16 between the pinions 14, 15. The reversible coupling means includes a rocking bar 35 operable by a lever 36 so that if the sleeve 33 co-operates with the wheel 30, the rotor 7 is driven through intermediate piece 25, torsion rod 12, pinions 14, 15, 16, torsion rod 13, intermediate piece 26 and sleeve 34. If the torsional forces do not operate the rotors then after a predetermined amount of relative angular movement between an intermediate piece 25, 26 and the adjacent pinion 14, 15, the pieces and pinions engage through abutment means 27, 28 such that a positive drive is provided. An automatic stopping mechanism including two spring-loaded feeler members 40a, 40b is provided for stopping the action of the gun on one feed path running out of ammunition (more particularly Figs. 1, 6, not shown). Also means are provided for controlling the feed of cartridges to the common delivery passage when the breech block is in its closed and in its open positions and for limiting the rotation of the rotors to one tooth pitch (Figs. 7, 8, 9 not shown). The cartridges are urged into the common delivery passage by spring-loaded levers (Fig. 2, not shown), the lowermost cartridge in the passage being urged into the chamber of the gun by the breechblock in its closing movement.