Patent · US Expired

Autoloading apparatus for tank cannon

US5131316A · kind A · utility

9Cited by
18References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 12, 1991
Grant dateJul 21, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 12, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
  • CPC primaryF41A9/26
  • WIPO fieldOther special machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

An autoloader, capable of loading regardless of gun elevation, includes arcuate guide tracks mounted to the chute of a weapon pod protecting the breech of an exterior, turret-mounted gun. The guide tracks, of a radius of curvature centered on the gun elevation axis, mounts a trolley for guided movement between a lower magazine position and an upper gun loading position. A compact rammer, pivotally mounted to the trolley, extracts a shell from a magazine affixed to the turret floor while in the trolley magazine position and controls the shell during transfer to the trolley gun loading position. During shell transfer, the rammer is pivoted relative to the trolley to swing the shell out of the chute and into the pod to a ramming position aligning the shell with the gun boreline. The rammer then executes a two-stage ramming stroke to ram the shell into the gun breech. The trolley and rammer are powered by separate electric motors.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.