Patent Grant
7958828
This invention relates generally to the field of drag stabilized low lethality impact munitions which impart blunt energy to redirect, control and/or incapacitate aggressive human targets, and specifically to such munitions that include sub-munitions with trailing features and assembly methods designed to cause optimal deployment of the trailing features during flight to improve and expand operational limits.
Low lethality impact munitions are available in a number of configurations and calibers. These munitions may be designed for use against multiple subjects (area effect), or a single subject (point control). Area effect munitions are comprised of loaded munition platforms which contain multiple sub-munitions that may be discharged into a group of two or more subjects (i.e., human targets). Point control munitions are normally loaded with a single sub-munition. These latter munitions are typically designed to be more accurate and allow for more precise single target acquisition and deployment.
The design of low lethality impact sub-munitions ranges from basic wooden batons and rubber balls to advanced drag and spin stabilized designs. Accuracy of the sub-munitions is dependent on the munitions' caliber and intended use. Advanced large caliber point control type munitions rely on spin stabilization for increased accuracy. These munitions are designed to interface with internal rifling features in the large caliber launcher barrels which cause the sub-munitions to spin up when discharged. While this type of stabilization yields a round with exceptional accuracy and broader range performance, these large caliber launchers are not as common as smooth bore launchers which do not have features to induce spinning of the sub-munitions.
Smooth bore low lethality impact munitions can be broken into two different types, stabilized and non-stabilized. Non-stabilized munitions do not utilize any design features to aid in their accuracy or performance, and are mainly used in area effect deployments. Stabilized smooth bore munitions typically are designed to include either fin or drag stabilization. Fin stabilized sub-munitions are designed with fin features that induce a spin and/or are intended to stabilize their flight path. Drag stabilized munitions are designed with features that will trail behind the sub-munition main body during flight to produce a drag effect which in turn stabilizes the sub-munitions.
A problem with current drag stabilized munitions is that the feature(s) that are intended to trail the sub-munition main body during flight do not consistently deploy and trail as intended. The trailing feature often remains bunched up at the sub-munition main body resulting in non-uniform deployment of the trailing feature or no deployment at all. This bunching/non-deployment problem is present to varying degrees in virtually all drag stabilized sub-munitions regardless of construction or trailing feature configuration, and can lead to greater observed variability and performance of the sub-munitions.
The present invention relates to various drag stabilized munitions and assembly methods which insure the deployment of the sub-munition trailing feature during flight. One such assembly method involves the folding or placement of the trailing feature evenly over the sides of the sub-munition main body and packaging the majority of the length of the trailing feature over the top of the sub-munition main body in the shell case. Another assembly method involves partially folding the trailing feature up the sides of the sub-munition main body so a substantial portion of the length of the trailing feature is packaged below the sub-munition main body when loaded into the shell case.
Still another assembly method involves the grouping of the trailing feature together and folding or placing the grouped trailing feature along one side and on top of the sub-munition main body when loaded into the shell case. Still another assembly method involves folding or placing the grouped trailing feature partially up one side of the main body so a substantial portion of the length of the grouped trailing feature is packaged below the sub-munition main body when loaded into the shell case.
These and other advantages, features and aspects of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.
Referring now in detail to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts, and initially to
The materials used to construct the trailing feature 3 may but need not be of the same type used in the main body section. For example, the trailing feature 3 may be a single or multiple foldable pliable appendages or strands 6 or foldable pliable tubular webbing, and may be secured to the main body as by sewing, stapling, gluing or similar means or may be tied off as a foldable pliable extension of the main body material as shown in
The sub-munition 1 is loaded into a munition or shell case as described hereafter, and may be held in the shell case by various closure methods including, for example, crimping, rolling and interference locking. From the time the sub-munition 1 is loaded into the shell case, it begins to retain its loaded shape, which is dependent on numerous factors including the materials used to make the sub-munition, the extent to which the sub-munition is compressed into the shell case, and the method by which the sub-munition is placed into the shell case.
The present invention relates to various assembly methods for assembling the sub-munitions into the shell case and to the resulting munitions which ensure deployment of the trailing feature of the sub-munitions during flight after discharge from the shell case. Where the sub-munition trailing feature 3 includes multiple strands 6 as shown in
Alternatively, only the outer end portions 10 of the trailing feature strands 6 may be folded partially over the sides 7 of the sub-munition main body 2 prior to insertion into the shell case 9 as shown in
In another embodiment of the assembly method shown in
Regardless of which of the above assembly methods is used to assemble the sub-munition into the shell case, the sub-munition may be held in place inside the shell case by means of any desired closure or sealing method including rolling or crimping closures such as top wads 11 on top of the sub-munition. Also the assembly method shown in
When any of these munitions made in accordance with the above described assembly methods are fired from a smooth bore launcher by igniting the munition propellant (not shown), the sub-munition 1 begins to leave the shell case 9 with at least a portion of the trailing feature 3 in a generally forward orientation. This subjects the trailing feature to any narrowing in the shell case or barrel, which assists in breaking any set or memory that the sub-munition trailing feature may have taken on inside the shell case. As the sub-munition reaches the end of the launcher barrel, the forward orientation of the trailing feature 3 is posed to catch any resultant air force it encounters. When the sub-munition exits the barrel, the force of the air flowing around and into the forwardly facing portion of the trailing feature causes the trailing feature to be forced backwards into the fully deployed drag stabilized position schematically shown in
Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to certain embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skill in the art upon the reading and understanding of the specification. In particular, with regard to the various functions performed by the above described components, the terms (including any reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed component which performs the function of the herein illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one embodiment, such feature may be combined with one or more other features as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/953,810, filed Aug. 3, 2007.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1309530 | Lamberson | Jul 1919 | A |
| 3780662 | Sorenson | Dec 1973 | A |
| 3952662 | Greenlees | Apr 1976 | A |
| 4327644 | Stancil | May 1982 | A |
| 4418624 | Willi et al. | Dec 1983 | A |
| 4664034 | Christian | May 1987 | A |
| 5361700 | Carbone | Nov 1994 | A |
| 5450795 | Adelman | Sep 1995 | A |
| 6752086 | Kravel et al. | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6862995 | Kerr | Mar 2005 | B2 |
| 6997110 | Rastegar | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 7131381 | Nafziger | Nov 2006 | B1 |
| 7278357 | Keith et al. | Oct 2007 | B2 |
| 20040255813 | Kerr | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60953810 | Aug 2007 | US |
