Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to a simulated weapon system, and, more particularly, to a Gatling-type machine gun weapon simulator having a feeder de-linker which is capable of replicating malfunctions including a weapon jamming condition. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    M134 weapons have been in use since the early 1960&#39;s. Nicknamed the “minigun”, the M134 has been adopted my various military branches to provide suppressive fire and locale denial capabilities. The United States Army version is designated the M134, the United States Air Force version is designated GAU-2 and the United States Navy version is designated GAU-17. The M134 is a six-barrel 7.62×51 mm NATO round Gatling-type machine gun. The gun is electrically operated and ammunition is belt-fed using a powered feeder de-linker module installed on the gun. To operate the weapon, a master arm switch is enabled and a trigger is depressed. M134 variants have fixed rates of fire from 2,000 to well over 10,000 rounds per minute, and may be mounted on helicopter gunships, ground vehicles, armed patrol boats and fixed wing aircraft. 
         [0003]    Training of warfighters is the U.S. military&#39;s number one priory in peace and war time. As a result of reductions in defense budgets, live fire exercises have been increasingly limited and must be supplemented with weapon simulations. With the adoption of the philosophy “train as we fight,” emphasis has been given to increasing the realism of weapon simulations which can no longer merely provide recoil feedback but must include tactile manipulation of all system components. The goal is to provide trainees with the opportunity to correct mistakes and refine the manipulation of their weapon system, without injury or loss of life. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    This invention is directed to a weapon simulator system for use in training environments, wherein the trainee is required to operate the weapon, identify malfunctions, and correctly resolve/clear such malfunctions while providing real-time suppressive fire for ground troops, soft target installations or light armor training scenarios. The simulated M134 weapon system of this invention includes a six-barrel 7.62×51 mm NATO round Gatling-type machine gun wherein the six-barrels are rotated using an electric motor. Inert/dummy ammunition is drawn from an ammunition belt using a feeder de-linker and ejected from the weapon. The system is capable of simulating multiple fixed rates of fire, recoil, and, malfunctions such as jammed rounds, misfires and round cook-offs. 
         [0005]    In the presently preferred embodiment, the six rotating barrels may be of varying length and can be rotated at different rates. The feeder de-linker feeds inert ammunition carried by a belt through the weapon. The system is operative to simulate a jam, similar to what occurs in an actual weapon, by feeding a dented round into the feeder de-linker. The round may be dented prior to placement into an ammunition can coupled to the feeder de-linker Alternatively, the round may be dented by a round denting device such as a solenoid-operated hammer or an electric motor with a cam, or the like, which dents the round prior to it being drawn into the feeder/de-linker. 
         [0006]    The weapon simulator of this invention is provided with a spade grip comprising a recoil motor, a low rate trigger, a high rate trigger, a safety off/enable/arming switch, an armed light indicator and a push-to-talk button. Sensors are included in the system to denote that the feeder/de-linker is installed, that a safing sector or top cover is closed and that ammunition is present. The weapon simulator further includes a vertical mount which comprises a gun mount, a pitch angle sensor and an azimuth angle sensor. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The structure, operation and advantages of a presently preferred embodiment of this invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the weapon simulator system of this invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  viewed at a different angle; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a view similar to  FIG. 2  except including a vertical mount assembly with a pitch angle sensor and azimuth angle sensor; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the feeder de-linker module of the weapon simulator system herein; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 4  viewed at a different angle; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the spade grip of the weapon simulator system; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of the spade grip depicted in  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    Referring now to the drawings, a weapon simulator system  10  is illustrated which simulates the U.S. Army M134 weapon, e.g. a six-barrel, 7.62×51 millimeter NATO round Gatling-type machine gun. The system  10  comprises a housing  12  which mounts a drive motor  14  coupled to a barrel assembly  16 . Preferably, the barrel assembly  16  includes six individual barrels  18  which may be of different length. A feeder de-linker module  20  is mounted to the housing  12  which operates to feed rounds of ammunition (not shown) through the system  10 . The housing  12  may be connected to a vertical mount assembly  22  having a pitch angle sensor/encoder  24  and an azimuth angle sensor/encoder  26 . The assembly  22  may be supported by structure (not shown) of a helicopter gunship, ground vehicle, armed patrol boat or fixed wing aircraft. 
         [0016]    A spade grip  28  is mounted at the rear of the housing  12 , opposite the barrel assembly  16 , and is coupled to the drive motor  14 . The spade grip  28  includes grip arms  30 ,  32  connected between a bottom plate  34  and a top plate  36  which houses a vibration device  38  which may take the form of a voice coil. A fire panel  40  is mounted to the top plate  36  which supports a low rate trigger  42 , a safety off/enable/arming switch  44 , an armed light indicator  46 , a high rate trigger  48  and a push to talk button  50 . With the switch  44  in an armed position, depression of either of the triggers  42 ,  48  causes the drive motor  14  to rotate the barrel assembly  16 . The rate of rotation of the barrel assembly  16  depends on which trigger  42 ,  48  is depressed, i.e. at a low rate of 2,000 rpm or a high rate of 4,000 rpm. 
         [0017]    The simulator  10  of this invention is capable of simulating weapon malfunctions, including jammed rounds, misfires and round cook-offs. In order to simulate a jammed round, a dented round (not shown) is fed into the feeder de-linker  20 . The round may be dented prior to placement in a belt received by the feeder de-linker, or a round denting device may be employed in the simulator  10  such as a solenoid-operated hammer or an electric motor with a cam which forms a dent in the casing of the round prior to introduction into the feeder de-linker. 
         [0018]    While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Technology Category: 2