Method for operating gun having multi-drive link feed system
AssigneeDaycraft Weapon Systems, LLC
InventorRichard C. Day
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of feeding rounds of linked, or un-linked, ammunition to a gun includes a motor-driven chain drive which rotates about a track. A rotatable feeder engages the ammunition to feed an ammunition round into a round extractor/retractor. A rotatable round positioner receives an ammunition round from the round extractor/retractor, and rotates it to a firing position. A main geneva wheel, mounted near the chain drive, is sequentially engaged by first and second drive rollers, secured to the chain drive, for being periodically rotated thereby. Drive pins of the main geneva wheel sequentially engage radial slots in a belt/round feed geneva wheel and a round positioning geneva wheel for timed rotation thereof to synchronize the operation of the round feeder and round positioner.
Claims16
A method of feeding of rounds of ammunition from an ammunition belt to a gun and positioning rounds for firing within the gun, the gun having a barrel for guiding fired rounds, the method including the steps of:
- selectively rotating a chain drive about a track;
- mounting a main geneva wheel for rotation proximate to the chain drive;
- rotating the main geneva wheel through a first partial rotation, and through a second partial rotation, for each rotation of the chain drive about the track;
- mounting a belt feed geneva wheel for rotation proximate to the main geneva wheel for being periodically rotated thereby;
- providing a round extractor for engaging and extracting rounds of ammunition;
- coupling the belt feed geneva wheel to a rotating belt feeder for periodically feeding a round of ammunition into the round extractor;
- providing a rotatable bolt feed rotor;
- transferring an extracted round of ammunition from the round extractor to the bolt feed rotor;
- mounting a round positioning geneva wheel for rotation proximate to the main geneva wheel for being periodically rotated thereby;
- and
- coupling the round positioning geneva wheel with the bolt feed rotor to move an extracted round of ammunition into alignment with the barrel of the gun.
A method of feeding of rounds of ammunition to a gun and positioning rounds for firing within the gun, the gun having a barrel for guiding fired rounds, the method including the steps of:
- selectively rotating a chain drive about a track;
- mounting a main geneva wheel for rotation proximate to the chain drive;
- rotating the main geneva wheel through a first partial rotation, and through a second partial rotation, for each rotation of the chain drive about the track;
- mounting a round feed geneva wheel for rotation proximate to the main geneva wheel for being periodically rotated thereby;
- providing a round retractor for engaging and retracting rounds of ammunition;
- coupling the round feed geneva wheel to a rotating round feeder for periodically feeding a round of ammunition into the round retractor;
- providing a rotatable bolt feed rotor;
- transferring a retracted round of ammunition from the round retractor to the bolt feed rotor;
- mounting a round positioning geneva wheel for rotation proximate to the main geneva wheel for being periodically rotated thereby;
- and
- coupling the round positioning geneva wheel with the bolt feed rotor to move a retracted round of ammunition into alignment with the barrel of the gun.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.