Soft Recoil System
AssigneeMandus Group LLC
InventorsKenneth Wynes, Gary Bowrey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One embodiment of a gun configured with the soft recoil system comprises a plurality of recoiling parts that initially moves in the direction of the projectile being fired before moving in a direction opposite to that of a projectile during the firing of the round. The soft recoil system throttles the movement of the recoiling parts such that the energy expended during the firing of the round is spread over a longer time period and a longer distance than would normally occur. The soft recoil system stores at least a portion of the energy transferred to the recoiling parts and the user may selectively release at least a part of that portion of energy to offset the energy imparted to the gun during the firing of the next round.
Claims20
A soft recoil system for mitigating the force of firing a round, said recoil system comprising:
- a. a hydraulic cylinder cooperatively engaged with a gun barrel, said hydraulic cylinder comprising:
- i. an outer cylinder;
- ii. an inner cylinder rigidly mounted within said outer cylinder, wherein said inner cylinder includes a fluid passage formed therein to allow fluid communication between said inner and outer cylinders;
- iii. a recoil piston positioned within said inner cylinder, wherein said recoil system is slideable with respect to said inner cylinder along a portion of said inner cylinder;
- iv. an elongated recoil rod having a first end portion cooperatively engaged with said gun barrel and a second end cooperatively engaged with said recoil piston;
- b. a recuperator having a floating piston positioned therein, wherein said floating piston defines a first recuperator chamber and a second recuperator chamber, wherein said hydraulic cylinder and said second recuperator chamber are in fluid communication with one another.
A method for conserving the energy expended during the firing of a round in a gun using a soft recoil system, said method comprising the steps of:
- a. operably engaging a piston slideably positioned in a first fluid chamber of a soft recoil system with said gun such that said piston may move linearly with respect to said first fluid chamber;
- b. using said piston to displace a first volume of said fluid positioned in said first fluid chamber in response to the firing of said round;
- c. throttling the rate at which said piston displaces said first volume of said fluid;
- d. capturing a first portion of the energy required to displace said first volume of said fluid and,
- e. releasing at least a part of said first portion of the energy required to displace said first volume of said fluid such that said at least a part of said first portion of the energy causes said piston to move with respect to said first fluid chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.