Soft recoil system
AssigneeMandus Group LLC
InventorsKenneth Wynes, Gary Bowrey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims9
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, and wherein said first recuperator chamber is filled with a compressible gas such that the volume of said second recuperator chamber increases by an amount approximately equal to said volume of said compressible gas;
- c. a fluid occupying a portion of said inner cylinder, said outer cylinder, and said second recuperator chamber, wherein said soft recoil system captures a portion of the energy imparted to said gun barrel after the firing of a round by allowing said recoil piston to displace a first volume of said fluid from said inner cylinder into said outer cylinder through said fluid passage;
- d. a partition cooperatively engaged with a portion of the exterior of said inner cylinder and a portion of the interior of said outer cylinder, wherein said partition supports said inner cylinder within said outer cylinder, wherein said partition is formed with a port therein, and wherein said partition defines a forward outer chamber and a rear outer chamber;
- and,
- e. a check valve slideably engaged with a portion of said inner cylinder adjacent said partition, wherein said check valve allows said fluid in said rear outer chamber to flow through said check valve into said forward outer chamber but prevents said fluid in said forward outer chamber from flowing through said check valve into said rear outer chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.