Disposable, miniature internal optical ignition source

US10415942B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army · US

Inventors

• Stephen Redington · Wharton, US
• Gregory Burke · Piermont, US
• John Hirlinger · Hackettstown, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 19, 2018
• Grant date: Sep 17, 2019
• Expiry date: Jan 19, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B23K2101/20
• WIPO field: Machine tools
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

An ammunition cartridge for a gun is optically initiated by a mechanism wholly within the cartridge case itself. The case has as optical primer initiation means producing light fluence to ignite a primer, which ignited primer may in turn ignite into a flashtube, and which ignited flashtube may in turn ignite a bed of propellant in said cartridge. The optical primer initiation means may be an LED, a laser diode, a VCSEL, or some other light emitting device in general. The cartridge optically initiated primer package is so sized and made electrically and mechanically seamlessly physically compatible with current ammunition cartridges such that these new cartridges are completely interchangeable. If the cartridge primer initiation means is of a percussion type, the cartridge is adapted to include an in-line piezoelectric crystal so that electrical power will be generated when the cartridge assembly is struck by a firing pin during percussion type operations; the power is then used to initiate the light emitting device.