Gun launched non-spinning safety and arming mechanism

A safe and arm apparatus for arming an explosive projectile, comprising:

• (a) a housing;
• (b) a rotor rotatable about an axis and operatively connected to said housing, said rotor having a hole defined therein, wherein said hole is aligned generally parallel to said axis and is arranged and configured to hold a lead, wherein said rotor rotates between a safe position and an armed position and wherein said hole includes a side bore extending from said hole through the circumference of said rotor, wherein when said rotor is in said armed position then said side bore is aligned with a detonator which is located in said housing, whereby said lead is exposed to said detonator, and wherein when said rotor is in said safe position then said lead is not in-line, whereby said lead is shielded from said detonator;
• (c) setback lock means, operatively connected to said housing, for selectively inhibiting rotation of said rotor between said safe and armed positions, wherein said setback lock means includes a pivotable cantilevered mass;
• (d) biasing means, operatively connected to said housing and said setback lock means, for normally biasing said setback lock means into a first position which inhibits rotation of said rotor and for allowing said setback lock means to move into a second position out of the path of said rotor upon a predetermined acceleration of a projectile;
• and
• (e) means for rotating said rotor, operatively connected to said housing, wherein after the predetermined acceleration of the projectile occurs, rotation of said rotor orients said hole in line with an explosive train and said side bore with said detonator to arm the projectile.

A safe and arm apparatus for providing an out-of-line safety between an explosive train and a detonator until preselected conditions occur, comprising:

• (a) a rotor having a bore hole therethrough, said rotor having a first out-of-line position for impeding a path between a detonator and an explosive and a second in-line position defining an armed position;
• (b) means, engagable with said rotor, for rotating said rotor about its axis and into said second in-line position;
• (c) an in-bore lock operatively connected to said rotor to selectively restrain said rotor from moving from said first out-of-line position to said second in-line position, wherein upon launch said in-bore lock secures said rotor out-of-line while the projectile is within the gun tube, said in-bore lock removing a rotor impact surface comprised of said lock from said means for rotating said rotor thus eliminating a possibility of in-bore arming of the projectile, once out of the gun tube, said in-bore lock releases and restores said rotor impact surface to said piston actuator;
• and
• (d) a setback lock for holding back said rotor wherein at maximum acceleration of the projectile, said setback lock swings in a downwardly direction to latch leaving said in-bore lock and a shear tab holding said rotor.

A method of arming an explosive projectile, comprising the steps of:

• (a) initially inhibiting the rotation of a rotor with a setback lock device;
• (b) biasing said setback lock device into a first position which inhibits rotation of said rotor and into a second position out of the path of said rotor upon a predetermined acceleration of the projectile;
• (c) striking a surface of said rotor with a piston actuator to rotate said rotor so as to bring an explosive train in-line after the predetermined acceleration of the projectile occurs, wherein the rotation of said rotor orients a detonator in-line with an explosive lead through a side bore in said rotor;
• and
• (d) aligning said explosive lead in-line by rotating said rotor to arm the projectile.

A safe and arm apparatus for arming an explosive projectile, comprising:

• (a) a housing;
• (b) a rotor rotatable about an axis and operatively connected to said housing, said rotor having a hole defined therein, wherein said hole is aligned generally parallel to said axis and is arranged and configured to hold a lead, wherein said rotor rotates between a safe position and an armed position;
• (c) setback lock means, operatively connected to said housing, for selectively inhibiting rotation of said rotor between said safe and armed positions, wherein said setback lock means includes a pivotable cantilevered mass;
• (d) biasing means, operatively connected to said housing and said setback lock means, for normally biasing said setback lock means into a first position which inhibits rotation of said rotor and for allowing said setback lock means to move into a second position out of the path of said rotor upon a predetermined acceleration of a projectile, and wherein said biasing means includes a torsion spring;
• and
• (e) means for rotating said rotor, operatively connected to said housing, wherein after the predetermined acceleration of the projectile occurs, rotation of said rotor orients said hole in-line with an explosive train to arm the projectile.