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US 11,906,255 B1Granted
Weapon energy harvesting by gas turbine electric generator
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorsAlexander Smtih, Brian Hoffman, Michael Colonnello
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A power generation assembly for a weapon system converts waste energy from a firing event to electric power. The power generation assembly directs expanding burning propellant gasses within the weapon system into a turbine array to generate electric current. The electric current is rectified to trickle charge a battery bank which then powers the weapon system.
Claims1
A power generation assembly for a remote weapon system comprising:
- a gas distribution subassembly further comprising a gas tappet for receiving expanding propellant gases from a weapon system barrel, a right gas channel extending rearward in a right direction for directing propellant gas to a right converging nozzle and a left gas channel extending rearward in a left direction for directing propellant gas to a left converging nozzle;
- a right radial inflow turbine operable via propellant gases received from the right converging nozzle and a left radial inflow turbine operable via propellant gases received from the left converging nozzle, said right radial inflow turbine and said left radial inflow turbine being diametrically opposed to each other across a driveshaft;
- and
- an electric generator further comprising the driveshaft about which a torque is imparted by the right radial inflow turbine and the left radial inflow turbine through an epicyclical gear arrangement, said driveshaft coupled to a magnet rotor rotatably suspended within a generator stator;
- and
- an electrical interface for transmitting an electric current produced by the magnet rotor rotating within the generator stator to trickle charge a battery.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.