Patent Application
20220373310
This invention pertains to a grenade in which a plurality of segments independently detach from a core and detonate independently.
A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand but can also refer to projectiles shot from grenade launchers. Generally, a grenade consists of an explosive charge, a detonating mechanism, and firing pin inside the grenade to trigger the detonating mechanism. The detonating mechanism usually includes a built-in delay to give a person (i.e., a soldier) time to throw the grenade a safe distance from the thrower. Once a soldier throws the grenade, the safety lever releases, the striker throws the safety lever away from the grenade body to detonate a primer. The primer explodes and ignites a fuse (sometimes called the delay element). The fuse burns down to the detonator, which explodes the main charge.
A common style of grenade is a fragmentation grenade, a lethal weapon designed to disperse shrapnel on detonation. These types of grenades detonate after either a time delay (typically about 4 seconds) from the release of the safety lever from the grenade body, or on impact. Other types of grenades are in use, including grenades used as anti-tank weapons, stun grenades, or smoke grenades or tear gas grenades. Thus, some types of grenades are not intended as lethal weapons.
Disclosed herein is a grenade with a plurality of independently detachable carpel segments wherein each carpel contains a charge, such as a lethal explosive charge or a non-lethal chemical charge such as a stun (i.e., a very loud noise or bright flash), tear gas, or smoke charge. In an embodiment, the grenade may include a head section with a triggering mechanism, and a modular hollow core with a rod wherein the rod has an upward bias i.e., a mechanical bias towards the head section. In an embodiment, the head section of the inventive grenade includes a safety pin, lever, and pivot. When the pin is pulled, a lever is released after timed delay, and the release of the lever allows the rod to advance upward. The advance of the rod triggers strike pins that strike a primer which ignites a propellent that ejects a carpel segment from the core. The propellent simultaneously ignites a fuse in the body of the carpel segment, such that the fuse triggers a detonation of the main charge in the carpel. Because each carpel segment is connected to a different strike pin, the carpels are independently ejected from one another. Timed delays on the fuse that detonates the main charge of a carpel can be used to cause the carpel segments to detonate at different times.
In an embodiment, a grenade is provided with independently detonatable segments. The grenade may include a head section defining a top of the grenade, where the head section has a removable locking pin and triggering mechanism comprising a lever, a spring, and a pivot. A modular segmented core may be provided, having one or more interlocking segments, wherein each core segment comprises a hollow tube with a rod positioned within the interior of each tube, and wherein each core segment is in mechanical communication with the core segments or sections on either end of the core segment, and the rod segments are connected to form a full-length rod. At least one spring positioned with the interior of at least one of the hollow tube segments exerts an upward bias on the full-length rod. The top of a first core segment is in mechanical communication with the head section, and a bottom of the last segment comprises a tail section defining a base of the grenade.
In an embodiment, the grenade further comprises two or more carpel segments surrounding the core, wherein each carpel spans from the head section to the tail section, and wherein each carpel comprises a charge detonatable by a fuse, such that each carpel segment is independently detonated, and wherein each carpel segment is in mechanical communication with the core though a nipple and a primer.
In an embodiment, the head section contains a lever, a lever body, a pivot, a cantilever spring anchored around the pivot, and a safety pin such that the safety pins locks the lever into a safe position, and when the safety pin is removed and no manual pressure is applied to the lever, the lever and lever body swing upward from the force of the cantilever spring around the pivot axis after a timed delay determined by tension on the spring.
In an embodiment, the full-length rod extends into the head section and is in mechanical communication with the lever body, such that when the lever is swings around the pivot, the full-length rod moves upward under the bias force of the one or more springs, wherein the upward movement shifts a push plate that releases a strike pin corresponding to each carpel, wherein the strike pin impacts a primer charge on each carpel that ignites a propellent that causes the carpel to eject from the core, and wherein the propellent simultaneously ignites a fuse in each carpel segment. The fuse in each carpel segment causes the carpel segment to detonate after a timed delay of from about 0.1 seconds to 10 seconds.
The grenade may have three interlocking core segments. The charge in any carpel segment may be selected from a fragmentation explosive, or a chemical charge.
In an embodiment, the release of the lever is caused by the impact of the grenade on a hard surface.
The inventive grenade is referred to herein as a “GUDID” grenade, which means “General Universal Detonating Integrated Device.” As used herein, the terms “top,” “higher,” “upper,” or “upward” refer to a direction toward the head section. The corresponding terms “bottom” or “lower” refer to a direction towards the base.
In an embodiment, this invention provides a grenade having a head section 33 defining a top of the grenade, where the head section has a removable locking pin 23 and a triggering mechanism comprising a lever 30 and trigger spring 40. The GUDID grenade further has a modular segmented hollow core shaft 5 comprising two or more interlocking segments marked 5a, 5b, and 5c, wherein each core shaft segment comprises a hollow tube with a rod 35 positioned within the interior of each shaft. In an embodiment as shown, core 5 is linked to head section 33 through head connector section 32 that forms the lower part of the head section. In an embodiment, each core segment 5a, 5b, and 5c is in mechanical communication with the core shaft segments on either end of the core segment and the highest section is connected to the head (or head connector section), and the last segment is in communication with a base section 1.
As illustrated in the figures, three core shaft segments (5a, 5b, and 5c) are shown. Rod segments 35a, 35b, and 35c are connected to rod extension 35d, which extends into the head section 33 and is in contact with lever body 31. Rod segments 35a-35d together form rod 35. Rod segments 35a-35c are supported within the hollow core shaft by supports 37. In an embodiment, one such support 37 is shown in each of segments 5a-5c.
Varying the core size means the overall size of the grenade can vary. For example, with one or two core segments, the overall size will be smaller than shown, which may be useful for lower powered main charges. Alternatively, with 4 or more core segments, the carpels may be larger, for larger main charges. Regardless of the number of core segments, at least one segment must correspond to segment 5b in the Figures, which has the strike pin mechanism.
In an embodiment, at least one rod bias spring 45 positioned with the interior of at least one of the hollow tube segments exerts an upward bias on the rod 35. In the safe (locked) state the rod 35 is thus stationary between the at least one bias spring 45 and the lever body 31. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, each core shaft segment has a spring 45.
The phrase herein “in communication” means two more mechanical components are mechanically linked so that a movement in one component in communication causes a corresponding movement in another component. Mechanically linked components may be connected, for example, with a flexible joint, with threads, or by any form of direct or indirect physical contact in which motion in one component causes a corresponding motion in another component.
In an embodiment, each shaft segment is connected to adjacent shaft segments or the head or base section by a threaded connector having external (male) threads 7 and internal (female) threads 6 (
In an embodiment, the top of a first core segment (5a as illustrated) is in mechanical communication with the head section 33, and a bottom of the last segment comprises a base section 1 defining a base of the grenade.
In an embodiment, the GUDID grenade further comprises two or more carpel segments 51 surrounding the core 5 (
The term “carpel” as used herein is analogous to the segments of a citrus fruit. This effect is illustrated in
In an embodiment, the head section 33 contains a lever 30, a lever body 31, a pivot 41, a cantilever spring 40 anchored around the pivot, and a safety pin or locking pin 23, such that the safety pin 23 locks the lever into a safe position, and when the safety pin is removed, the lever 30 and lever body 31 can swing upward around the pivot 41. Spring 40 is biased against lever 30, tending to force lever 30 upward into the triggered position. The movement of lever 30 is locked by safety pin 23. When the pin 23 is removed, a person holding the grenade must engage the lever 30 with their hand using manual pressure to prevent the lever from rotating about the pivot thereby triggering the grenade. When the person holding the grenade throws the grenade, the lever 30 is free to swing upward from the force of spring 40. The swinging and/or subsequent triggering of the GUDID is a then a function of the upward bias of rod 35 countered by spring 40. A typical delay in detonation is 4 seconds. When the lever and lever body swing upward around the pivot axis the rod 35 moves upward triggering subsequent detonation steps, termed herein the detonation sequence.
In an alternative embodiment, the lever rotation may be triggered by the impact of the grenade on a hard surface when thrown. In an embodiment in this alternative, spring 40 will not permit the lever body to rotate around the axis until it is jolted by the impact of the grenade thrown or shot onto a hard surface. The remaining steps of the triggering sequence are the same.
In an embodiment, the GUDID grenade of this invention can be launched from a rifle or rocket (rifle-propelled grenade or rocket-propelled grenade), rather than thrown by a person. In such an embodiment, the configuration of the lever 30 may vary. Lever 30 may be omitted entirely, but the detonation sequence would only initiate when the grenade impacted a surface after the trajectory from being fired from a rifle or rocket. Prior to firing, the safety pin would be removed, but the spring 40 would prevent detonation from commencing until the grenade impacted a surface.
In an embodiment, full-length rod 35 extends into the head section 33 and is in mechanical communication with the lever body 31, such that when the lever swings around the pivot, the rod 35 moves upward under the bias force of the one or more bias springs 45. The movement of the rod is illustrated in
In an embodiment, the detonation sequence starts with the upward movement of rod 35, which triggers a primer charge on each core segment that ejects the carpel segment in mechanical communication with that core segment, and simultaneously ignites a fuse in each carpel segment causing a carpel charge to detonate.
In an embodiment as illustrated, rod 35 shifts upward in the triggering sequence. This shift is towards head section 33 after lever body 31 swings around the pivot. This is illustrated in the transition of
In an embodiment, the strike pins 13 impact primer 62 within a carpel (
By varying a delay in each fuse 61 in a carpel segment, the detonation time of each charge 50 can be varied from about 0.1 seconds to 10 seconds.
This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/899,705 filed Sep. 12, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US20/50647 | 9/14/2020 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62899705 | Sep 2019 | US |
