Patent Application
20230324156
The subject of the invention is a control mechanism of a volumetric dispenser forming part of a gunpowder dosing device. The control mechanism is fixed to the volumetric dispenser by a screw connection, thereby enabling the volume of the gunpowder compartment of the volumetric dispenser to be controlled accordingly and thus enabling the quantity of gunpowder to be dosed easily and accurately based on the type of gunpowder and the case to be filled.
Many professional and amateur shooting sports competitors fill cartridges at home, mainly for more accurate and consistent filling and for lower cost. Used cartridge cases are picked up and reloaded. Reloading of used cartridge cases is applicable to many types of cartridges, in particular to cartridges consisting of case, primer, gunpowder and bullet. Since for training a lot of cartridges are used, it is advantageous to reload used cartridge cases at home. In addition, home-loaded cartridges are of higher quality than factory-loaded cartridges, resulting in better results in training and competitions. Making cartridges at home requires a reloading press, which includes a gunpowder dosing device.
Modern gunpowder is a mixture of charcoal, sulphur and potassium nitrate. This is also called smokeless powder. There are more than 100 types of smokeless powder. Gunpowders also differ in granulation and shape, and can be in the form of spheres, flakes or sticks. Each type of ammunition requires accurate gunpowder dosing and this is enabled for by a volumetric dispenser. Volumetric powder dispensers operate volumetrically, i.e. a set volume of powder is measured. Due to the differences between the gunpowders, this volume has to be adjusted. Each calibre of ammunition requires its own volume of powder, which depends on the type of powder, the weight of the projectile, the type of primer, the total length of the cartridge. Thus, the volume of powder must be adapted to the shooter's preference, even within a given calibre.
Powder dosing devices with a volumetric dispenser and a control knob fixed to the head of a control screw are known from prior art. An example of such a device is shown in
Micrometer control knobs which also allow the indication of whole knob turns are also known from prior art, but their construction is usually more complex and therefore more expensive. In addition, control knobs have a greater depth and thus take up more space, which is not desirable for users. On progressive reloading presses intended for home use, the dies and the dosing device are usually very close together.
The above drawbacks are solved by a control mechanism according to the invention, where the control mechanism, i.e. the control knob, comprises at least three gears, all of which are located inside the outer member, thereby reducing the depth of the control mechanism itself. The construction of the mechanism is simple and inexpensive. In addition, the construction of the control mechanism, by means of shallow grooves formed along the outer circumference of the outer member and limiting means, makes it possible to carry out reproducible adjustments of the volumetric dispenser in a simple manner and thus to dose the quantity of gunpowder easily and accurately depending on the type of gunpowder and the case to be filled.
The invention will be described in the following and presented in the drawings, in which:
A control mechanism 2 of a volumetric dispenser 1 forming part of a gunpowder dosing device, wherein the volumetric dispenser 1 includes a gunpowder compartment 1a and a slide 1b, the slide 1b being connected to an adjusting screw 8, such that the slide 1b and the adjusting screw 8 form a screw connection, whereby rotation of the control screw 8 moves the slide 1b along the gunpowder compartment 1a and thereby varies the volume of the gunpowder compartment 1a, includes
The above construction of the control mechanism 2 thus makes it possible to precisely determine the position of the slide 1b and thus the volume of the gunpowder compartment 1a each time depending on the gunpowder used and the case to be filled.
The control mechanism 2 is formed axially symmetrically, namely the outer member 4, the inner member 5 and the adjusting screw 8 are connected to each other in such a way as to allow their rotation about the same axis.
The holder 3 is formed as an annular body, a central opening 3a being configured to receive a projection 4c provided on the outer member 4 for connecting the outer member 4 to the holder 3, so as to allow free rotation of the outer member 4. The holder 3 is provided on its inner face with at least one axle 3b for receiving the synchronising pinion 6. On the outer face, the holder 3 is provided with a fastening element 3c for fixed attachment of the holder 3 to the gunpowder compartment 1a. In one embodiment, the holder 3 is provided in a portion of the outer circumference with a recess 3d for receiving limiting means 7 comprising a limiting member 7a and a spring member 7b.
The outer member 4 is formed as an annular body having a hole 4a in the centre for receiving a fixing screw 4b for fixed attachment of the outer member 4 to the head of the adjusting screw 8. On the inner side, i.e. the side facing the holder 3, the outer member 4 is provided around the opening 4a with an axially symmetrically arranged projection 4c for abutment of the outer member 4 into the central opening 3a of the holder 3. On the inner side, the outer member 4 has a first gear section 4e at a certain distance from an outer circumference 4d, so that a circumferential groove 4f is formed between the outer circumference 4d and the first gear section 4e to receive the inner member 5. The height of the first gear section 4e is approximately half the height of the outer member 4.
To show the displacement of the outer member 4 for a fraction of a turn, the surface of the outer circumference 4d is formed with shallow grooves 4g which the limiting element 7a engages when the outer member 4 is displaced for a fraction of a turn. The shallow grooves 4g, together with the limiting means 7, essentially allow the individual partial turns of the outer member 4 to be discretised (no intermediate positions are possible), only a limited number of partial turns per complete turn of the outer member 4 is possible, which is determined by the number of shallow grooves 4g. Each shallow groove 4g thus represents a fraction of a turn of the outer member 4 within a single complete turn, i.e. one station. One complete turn of the outer member 4 consists of all stations, and each partial turn of the outer member 4 between two consecutive complete turns is represented by a single station.
In order to facilitate the reading of the number of partial displacements of the outer member 4 within each complete turn, i.e. by how many partial turns the outer member 4 has moved, the outer member 4 is provided at its outer surface with a scale 4h with markings, the number of markings on the scale 4h being equal to the number of shallow grooves 4g. The markings on the scale 4h are preferably bars.
The limiting means 7 also provide audible information of any displacement of the outer member 4 for a fraction of a turn. Namely, each time the outer member 4 is moved a fraction of a turn, a “click” is heard when the limiting element 7a fits into the shallow groove 4g, this is an acoustic signal that a partial turn of the outer member 4 has been completed. The limiting element 7a is preferably a ball, the spring element 7b is a spring.
A window 4i is provided on the outer member 4 for displaying units on the scale 5b which is formed on the inner member 5, each unit on the scale 5b representing a displacement of the outer element 4 by one complete turn.
The inner member 5 is formed as an annular body having the second gear section 5a on the inner side, i.e. the side facing away from the outer member 4 when the inner member 5 is inserted into the circumferential groove 4f, along the inner circumference. The height of the second gear section 5a is approximately half the height of the inner member 5. When the inner member 5 is inserted into the circumferential groove 4f, i.e. the outer member 4, the gear sections 4e, 5a are positioned one above the other. On the surface, which faces the outer member 4 when the inner member 5 is inserted into the circumferential groove 4f, the inner member 5 is provided with the measuring scale 5b, wherein each unit on the measuring scale 5b indicates a displacement of the outer member 4 by one complete turn. The measuring scale 5b is preferably a dial, each number on the dial indicating a displacement of the outer member 4 by one complete turn.
The outer radius of the inner member 5 is so much smaller than the outer radius of the circumferential groove 4f that as the outer member 4 is rotated the inner member 5 can smoothly rotate simultaneously within the circumferential groove 4f via the at least one synchronising pinion 6.
The individual synchronising pinion 6 is positioned on the axle 3b which is formed on the inner face of the holder 3, the axle 3b and hence the synchronising pinion 6 being positioned such that the teeth Zs of the synchronising pinion 6 engage the teeth Z1 of the first gear section 4e and the teeth Z2 of the second gear section 5a. By rotating the outer member 4, the synchronising pinion 6 enables the rotation to be transferred between the gear sections 4e, 5a and thus the rotation of the inner member 5.
The length of the synchronising pinion 6 along the axis of rotation of the synchronising pinion 6 is long enough so that the teeth Zs of the synchronising pinion 6 engage the teeth Z1 of the first gear section 4e in one part of the length and the teeth Z2 of the second gear section 5a in the other part of the length.
The number of teeth Z1 of the first gear section 4e differs from the number of teeth Z2 of the second gear section 5a; the number of teeth Z1 of the first gear section 4e may be correspondingly higher or correspondingly lower than the number of teeth Z2 of the second gear section 5a. A difference in the number of teeth allows the inner member 5 to be rotated by so much more or so much less in one complete turn of the outer member 4 that the next turn number is displayed in the window 4i, thus allowing the number of complete turns of the outer member 4 to be uniquely determined.
In one preferred embodiment, the number of teeth Z2 of the second gear section 5a is correspondingly lower than the number of teeth Z1 of the first gear section 4e, thereby allowing the inner member 5 to rotate slightly more than the outer member 4 in one complete turn of the outer member 4. In this way, the inner member 5 is rotated by so much more in one complete turn of the outer member 4 that the next turn number is displayed in the window 4i, thus allowing the number of complete turns of the outer member 4 to be uniquely determined. Since the outer member 4 normally rotates in a clockwise direction, the numbers on the measuring scale 5b follow each other in reverse order viewed in the clockwise direction, i. e. from the highest to the lowest one.
In another embodiment, the number of teeth Z2 of the second gear section 5a is correspondingly higher than the number of teeth Z1 of the first gear section 4e, thereby allowing the inner member 5 to rotate slightly less than the outer member 4 in one complete turn of the outer member 4. In this way the inner member 5 is rotated by so much less in one complete turn of the outer member 4 that the next turn number is displayed in the window 4i, thus allowing the number of complete turns of the outer member 4 to be uniquely determined. In this case, the numbers on the measuring scale 5b run from lowest to highest.
In one embodiment shown in
In the second, preferred embodiment, shown in
With the control mechanism of the invention, for each type of gunpowder and for each type of case or cartridge, the position of the control mechanism 2, i.e. the position of the adjusting screw 8, and hence the position of the slide 1b and hence the volume of the powder compartment 1a, can be uniquely determined in advance.
In the embodiment, it is foreseen for the adjusting screw 8 to turn by 16 complete turns. To this end, the outer member 4 has a first gear section 4f with the tooth number Z1=51, the inner member 5 has a second gear section 5a with the tooth number Z2=48 and the synchronising pinion 6 has the tooth number Zs=10. When the adjusting screw 8 is turned by a complete turn, i.e. when the outer member 4 is turned a complete turn, the inner member 5 is turned by a complete turn and three teeth more, thus displaying in the window 4i the next consecutive number of a complete turn, which is located on the measuring scale 5b. The number of shallow grooves 4g formed on the surface of the outer circumference 4d of the outer member 4 is fifty, which means that the complete turn of the outer member 4 is further divided into fifty partial turns. The ball 7a, with the help of the spring 7b, jumps into the next shallow groove 4g at each partial turn, which sounds like a click. To make it easier to read by how many partial turns the outer member 4 has moved, the outer member 4 is provided at its outer surface with a scale 4h with markings. The scale 4h has a bar at each shallow groove 4g, which is longer at 5 clicks and even longer at 10 clicks.
Control Mechanism with Three Synchronising Pinions
The difference with the first embodiment is that the control mechanism 2 includes three synchronising pinions 6, which are arranged at equal intervals so that the areas of cooperation between the teeth Zs of each synchronising pinion 6 and the teeth Z1 of the first gear section 4e and the teeth Z2 of the second gear section 5a evenly distributed around the circumference of one and the other gear section 4e, 5a. The number of teeth Z1 of the first gear section 4e is 51, the number of teeth Z2 of the second gear section 5a is 48, the number of teeth Zs of each synchronising pinion is 10.
List of reference signs:
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| P-202200050 | Apr 2022 | SI | national |
