Air driven energy storing fuze safing and arming mechanism
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorJames K. O'Steen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A safing-and-arming mechanism for ordnance fuzes having an air speed sensor nd redundant means to prevent premature arming rotor movement. Upon weapon delivery, a spring-loaded snorkel is extended to unlock the first of two rotor locks and to direct a stream of air past a turbine wheel to drive an electric generator and a gear train through a centrifugal clutch. A winding disk is rotated to place a rotor spring in tension, the rotor being held against the spring force by a tumbler controlled by an explosive actuator. Upon an ignition signal from the electronic fuzing package, the tumbler is retracted and the rotor displaced to the armed position to align explosive components of a firing train.
Claims18
A safing-and-arming mechanism for ordnance fuzes having no stored arming energy comprising:
- a housing;
- environmental sensing means slidably positioned within and extendible from said housing;
- means responsive to air speed to power an electric generator and a driving gear train;
- a rotor supporting a component of an explosive firing train and operatively coupled to the gear train to be displaceable from an out-of-alignment, safe position to an aligned, armed position;
- torquing means coupled to the driving gear train to supply a rotary force to said rotor;
- and
- rotor immobilizing means to maintain said rotor in the out-of-alignment, safe position, including:
- a first locking means controlled by the position of said environmental sensing means;
- a second locking means supported on said rotor and operable only after said first locking means has been unlocked;
- and
- retracting means controlling said second locking means and activated by a command signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.