Patent Application
20050081419
The invention relates to a handheld firing device having two or more cartridges as claimed in the precharacterizing clause of patent claim 1.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,902 describes a handheld firing device designed according to the features of the precharacterizing clause. The device was designed to be symmetrical with respect to two mutually perpendicular planes, and had two cartridges. The two cartridges were replaceable and were arranged lying on a plane. Each cartridge contained a non-metallic projectile composed of a relatively soft material for firing. Both cartridges were located in a block, which was likewise replaceable, of a barrel unit. For loading, a rear-face covering plate was folded away from a barrel module. Once the two firing bolt units had been removed from the barrel unit, two “live” cartridges could be inserted into the block. The loaded block was then inserted into the barrel module. In consequence, initiation catches on an initiation unit projected into a free area which later held in each case one spring-loaded firing bolt unit. Each firing bolt was seated on a plate. During insertion of the firing bolt unit, each initiation catch latched in in front of the plate associated with it. All of the firing bolt springs were stressed as the firing bolt was pushed in further. The insertion of the firing bolt units thus automatically resulted in “tightening of the trigger”. Each initiation catch was secured by a slide, which could be moved on the cartridge longitudinal axis on the outer casing of the loading unit and which engaged under the initiation catch. The initiation catch could not be released until this slide had been moved against a spring force.
The object of the invention is to provide a firing device which can be operated easily, functions safely and reliably, can be held particularly easily and, if it is used as a handheld firing device, incapacitates an attacker without having to kill or permanently injure him. The handheld firing device with an appropriate active substance is preferably used by the police, by penal institutions, or by private security companies. If a different active substance is used, other operational capabilities are possible, for example firefighting.
The object is achieved in that, in contrast to U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,902, in the case of a firing device having a cartridge holding unit in which two or more cartridges each having a propellant charge are arranged replaceably in in each case one holding area, and in which the rear part of the device has a closing cover part which allows cartridge replacement, a fluidic and/or powdery active substance is used as the means to be ejected, rather than a solid projectile. Furthermore and in contrast to U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,902, in the case of one sturdy space-saving refinement, only sequential initiation can take place. The person operating the device need not, in contrast to U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,902, take note of which cartridge he has just fired since U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,902 allows two or more cartridges, or all of the cartridges, to be “fired” at the same time. In the heat of battle, it is thus possible for all of the cartridges to have been fired at once and for there to be no means for subsequent firing, if the first firing did not hit.
Since the active substance which is incorporated in the cartridges can always have an adverse affect on the user if the firing device is a self-defense apparatus, a design refinement is chosen which produces a seal, at least during firing of a cartridge, in order that no active substance remains outside the cartridges in the firing device. Essentially, this means that, if a liquid “defense” active substance is used, this active substance is not forced away from the cartridge outlet opening to the rear between the cartridge outer wall and the area wall of the recess in the cartridge holding unit by the back-pressure during the firing process, thus contaminating the cartridge casing. This would result in a rearward flow of liquid material from the nozzle or the cartridge opening along the cartridge casing to the rear in the direction of the propellant charge. An analogous situation occurs for powdery “defense” active substances, but to a lesser extent. Any such active substance residue remaining on the cartridge casing would undoubtedly have an affect on the person operating the device during subsequent cartridge replacement, adversely affecting or endangering him, since he would come into contact with the active substance (irritant substance) when gripping (replacing) the fired cartridge.
The seal may be arranged either on the cartridge or in the area holding the cartridge. The seal can now preferably be provided by a sealing means which seals the head area of each cartridge with respect to the wall of the holding area in fluid-tight or “powder-tight” manner. A seal can also be provided with respect to the nozzle front area. If a seal is provided with respect to the nozzle front area, then this has the advantage that virtually no active substance can remain behind, since all of the active substance is driven out by the propellant gases.
If a seal is provided only in the head area of the cartridge, then this can be designed in a mechanically simpler form, minimal active substance residues then remain, and only in the area between the seal and the active substance outlet or nozzle outlet. This minimal active substance residue should have no effect on the operator of the firing device since, when the cartridges are being replaced, they are gripped only at their rear end, facing away from the active substance outlet. This area is clean, since a seal is provided as close as possible to the active substance outlet from the cartridge. The sealing of the cartridges is in no way restricted to the firing devices described below.
A sealing ring arranged in the head area or in the nozzle front area can be used as a sealing means for sealing, and can then be held in a groove in the cartridge wall or in a groove in the holding area. Instead of a sealing ring, it is also possible to use adhesively bonded elastic rings or coatings, which would then preferably be applied to the cartridge.
It is also possible to completely dispense with a sealing means as a separate mechanical physical part since, by the use of a suitable material and the corresponding geometry of the cartridge case, this itself carries out the sealing task by being pushed in by its expansion during the “firing” process. Specifically, the external contour of the cartridge expands during firing. The holding area and cartridge can then be designed such that their tolerances ensure that a seal is actually produced during the firing process, preferably in the cartridge head area. However, mechanically narrow tolerances must be complied with in this case, in comparison to the use of a sealing means. In addition, it is possible to use design elements which automatically result in sealing. This sealing can furthermore be provided by appropriate choice of materials, in particular for the cartridge case. (When using a separate sealing means (sealing ring or the like), it is possible to choose a greater tolerance between the cartridge outer wall and the inner wall of the recess, thus making it easier to replace the cartridges since this greatly reduces any jamming. The shape of the nozzle front area can also contribute to reducing the back-pressure and the resultant rearward flow of material during firing by designing this for good flow conditions (for example in the form of a funnel) towards that part of the nozzle which is essential for jet formation. In conjunction with a configuration of the cartridge holding area and cartridge matched to this, there is then no need for a separate sealing element. The nozzle front area is then a part or an extension of the cartridge holding area.
The expression firing device which is similar to a bar and may also, for example, be in the form of a handheld firing device means a device which has no knob. Typical handheld firearms (pistols, revolvers, . . . ) have a knob. In simple terms, the firing device described here may in the widest sense be in the form of a “club”, a stick or the like. This is not a shape based on a rifle or a “bazooka” either. The design of the firing device as a handheld firing device now allows it to be held surrounded by only one hand for firing, although this should not be confused with the typical handling of handheld firearms or handguns. The handheld device in the form of a bar is held in the surrounding hand with the arm bent upwards such that the hand is located approximately at shoulder height and the rear face of the device opposite the active substance outlet comes to rest on the thumb side of the hand. The firing device has an external contour similar to a bar when it is in the operating state, that is to say when the cover part is folded up.
The cartridges are preferably arranged coaxially with respect to a longitudinal axis of the firing device, with the same radial separation, except for a tolerance. The cartridges need not be arranged with the same radial separation. However, a design such as this has the advantage that this simplifies the arrangement of the firing bolts.
The firing device is preferably designed such that all of the planes of symmetry of the cartridge group intersect on one line; an odd number of cartridges would result in a star-shaped arrangement. This line may, but need not, at the same time be the center axis of the device, which results in an esthetically good appearance and a device which is easy to handle. A different intersection line position may, of course, also be chosen. All that interferes, although only slightly, with this symmetry is the safety element described below.
There is no need for the device's longitudinal axis to coincide with the axis of symmetry of the cartridge arrangement if, for example, it is intended to fit accessories on one side of the device.
If the intersection line is the center axis of the device, then all of the major functional elements are located either on or symmetrically along this center axis. The initiation button and a switching device for sequential initiation may then likewise be arranged on the center axis. The cartridges may be arranged in a rotationally symmetrical fashion around the center axis.
A further advantage of the firing device is that it can be handled in one hand, and can also easily be controlled by only one hand. At first glance, it might admittedly appear that this would also apply to the device in U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,902, but this is not true. Unlocking of the safety device with a sliding movement parallel to the device axis while at the same time aiming and then initiating firing at right angles to the device axis only when the device is being aimed would actually overload most users. In one design variant of the invention, the initiation element is therefore advantageously arranged in the external contour, which is similar to a bar, in the rear end face of the cover part, and can be operated by the thumb. It need not be operated by the thumb, but the thumb is available. It could also be operated by a different finger, with the hand being rotated.
In order to improve the operating convenience, safety and reliability, only a single safety unit with one safety element and one control element is therefore preferably provided, and is used to prevent inadvertent initiation of any of the cartridges. The control element is arranged in the casing face in the rear subarea of the firing device, such that it can be operated by a single finger on the hand which is holding the firing device. The operating directions of the control element and of the initiation element, that is to say the directions in which it is pushed, are at right angles to one another, in order to make inadvertent initiation impossible even if the firing device is dropped. A propellant charge can be initiated only when the control element and initiation element are operated together and at the same time. In comparison to U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,902, this arrangement results in easy and simple operation, which does not result in any deflection whatsoever away from the target. Specifically, in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,902, in order to arm the initiation lever, a slide on the housing casing must be moved parallel to the housing axis, and must then be pushed onto the lever, at right angles to the housing axis. Since, owing to its configuration in the form of a bar, U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,902 is gripped like a fist, one finger now has to carry out a lateral movement and another a pushing-down movement for firing. This movement combination is extremely unfamiliar for finger movements on one hand and must therefore be carried out with in each case one finger on each hand, that is to say with both hands, which is undoubtedly not an optimum procedure in a stress situation and may provide a severe distraction from aiming at the attacker.
In a further preferred embodiment, a separate loading unit is provided for “arming” of the initiation unit. The “arming” process is therefore not automatic, as in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,902. This ensures that initiation can never take place during loading manipulation operations. Specifically, the loading unit allows arming only when the cover part is closed. In addition, the loading unit has a loading element which, in particular, can be operated from the front end face of the cartridge holding unit, with the device having to be held in only one hand, in this case as well. This makes it possible to arm all the cartridges in a single action. The front face of the firing device can also be pressed against an object or against the ground, for this purpose.
The cartridges are arranged symmetrically with respect to the loading element, in particular in order to save space, but also to give the device a pleasant appearance.
Various safety measures can now be implemented against inadvertent initiation of the loaded and “armed” firing device. The initiation element can be protected by the safety unit against being pushed in by a movement block. However, when the firing bolt strikes the propellant charge, its striking movement can be fixed in position by the safety unit, with the fixing being arranged such that it can be overcome by means of the safety unit. These safety measures can now be used individually or jointly.
In order to achieve correct propulsion with good aiming characteristics, each holding area is closed by an outer nozzle which matches the cartridge, and a free area for holding parts of the cartridge head that have broken off is arranged in front of that part of the nozzle which governs the jet formation. In order to make it possible to use the firing device at low cost, attention was paid firstly to the capability to replace the cartridges and secondly to the “consumable materials” for the cartridges having as low a cost as possible. For this reason, and in contrast to an embodiment in EP-A 1 158 263, the outlet nozzles with the nozzle front area or free area are not integrated in the cartridge, but in the cartridge holding unit. The cartridges are simply formed only with an active substance storage area, a driving device and a propellant charge which acts on the driving device, with the cartridge head being designed such that it can be torn off. This then ensures that the cartridge head opens correctly into the free area during firing. The propellant charge can preferably be ignited pyrotechnically or by the striking action of a firing bolt. However, the process of tearing open takes place “like flower petals”, that is to say it bursts opens without parts flying away from it in the process. Free space is provided for the parts that have burst open in front of that part of the nozzle which governs the jet formation, that is to say a space is provided in front of the nozzle inlet, such that the parts of the cartridge head which have burst open do not impede the flow of the jet through this part of the nozzle, thus resulting in the case head being opened correctly into this area. This free area is thus part of the cartridge holding area, or its extension.
Since, for price reasons, the storage area in the cartridges is generally in the form of a circular cylinder, the cartridge holding area may also be in the form of a circular cylinder with a diameter that is larger by a tolerance. However, in order to guarantee that cartridges which are located in the cartridge holding unit are always replaced well, the cover part is designed such that it can be lifted up or pivoted up with respect to the cartridge holding unit. Furthermore, the cross section of the area which holds the cartridges in the cartridge holding unit is designed such that it tapers towards the free area. A minimum coning angle of between 0.30° and 0.45° is preferably chosen for the conicity. This is because the cartridges expand while the active substance is being fired and could thus become jammed firmly in that area. If the cartridge were to be pressed into the conical area, matching its shape, during firing, it would just have to be forced a short distance out of the cone after firing, and could then be removed without any problems. As already mentioned above, this pressing-in process can also be used to seal the cartridge head with respect to the holding area in a wall.
The conical configuration of the holding area has been proven in all types of firing devices which operate with replaceable active substance cartridges, and is not restricted to the external contour like a bar.
As already mentioned above, attention was paid to a low-cost design for the cartridges. The cartridges expand to a greater or lesser extent during-firing. In order now to make it possible to completely prevent any influence from the active substance remaining in the device during replacement of the cartridges, on the one hand the amount of the propellant means is chosen to be sufficiently large to drive out the active substance completely. The driving device on the inner face of the cartridges may, for example, as described in EP-A 1 158 263, have a pressure relief means on the inner wall, which forms a passage for the propellant means in the upper cartridge part between the driving device wall and the inner wall.
In order to make it easier to replace the cartridges, each cartridge may have a first latching element on its casing, preferably in the lower area which holds the propellant means. The loading element is then preferably in the form of a sprung rod with a second latching element, which matches the first, with the two latching elements latching into one another while the loading element is being pushed in, and with the cartridges being ejected by virtue of the continued existence of the latching connection when the loading element is pushed in once again with the cover part unfolded, and being moved to a gripping position.
An irritant liquid or an irritant gas is generally used as the active substance for a handheld firing device which is intended mainly for defense purposes; however, powdery substances may also be used.
The substances listed in the following text are examples of liquid active substances which may be used:
A Capsaicin solution is already used in the known “pepper sprays”. Capsaicin is an extract of the chili pepper plant, which is generally dissolved in alcohol in a concentration of between 1% and 4%. Capsaicin leads to sudden, temporary inflammation of all the mucus membranes with which it comes into contact (for example eyes, breathing passages). Capsaicin is effective both against humans and against animals. In contrast to Lacrimonium, which is mentioned in the following text, it leads to involuntary closure of the eyes.
A CS solution may be used as another liquid active substance. CS is form of Lacrimonium which produces tears. An additional effect is a severe itching effect on the skin. CS is effective only against people.
CN solutions may also be used. CN leads to nausea. However, it acts more slowly than a CS or Capsaicin solution.
Furthermore, stinking secretions may be used as liquid active substances. Most stinking secretions also lead to nausea.
CS and CN can also be used in gaseous form, instead of a liquid active substance.
By way of example, Capsaicin may also be used as a powdery active substance for self-defense, and is crystalline in its pure form at room temperature. However, solutions act more quickly than ejected powdery active substances. Powdery active substances have the advantage, however, that they remain in the area for a certain time period as a cloud.
Mixtures of liquid and gaseous substances may also be used as the active substance. These are then often foams, which adhere to the attacker being defended against. Capsaicin may also be used in this case.
Mixtures of solid and liquid active substances often likewise contain Capsaicin. These are, for example, gels. Dyes may also be used for subsequent identification of a criminal.
Examples of the handheld firing device according to the invention will be explained in more detail in the following text with reference to the following drawings. Further advantages of the invention will become evident from the descriptive text. In the figures:
The multiple barrel handheld firing device 1 (which in this case, by way of example, has four barrels) which is illustrated from the side and from the front in the closed state in
The entire initiation device for the propellant charges in the cartridges 3a to 3d is located in the cover part 7. The initiation device comprises an initiation element 21 which, as described below, can be pushed in by means of the thumb in a linear movement. The initiation element 21 acts via a switching unit 82, which is likewise described below and is located in the cover part 7, on a respective initiation unit for each cartridge propellant charge. Each initiation unit has, inter alia, a firing bolt 19, which ignites the corresponding propellant charge by striking it.
The firing caps 17 which are associated with the cartridge propellant charges 15 can be seen in
A loading element 27 of a loading unit projects out of the front end face 25 of the handheld firing device 1 and can also be operated, that is to say pushed in, from this face 25. The loading unit is used for “arming” of the initiation unit; in simple terms, for cocking all of the firing bolts 19. “Arming” is possible only when the cover part 7 is folded up, by using the hand to push the loading element 27 in in the direction L, which is analogous to the arrow direction A (
As a loading element to be operated, the loading unit has a support 27 which is similar to a knob and has a central inner hole 29. One end 30 of a rod 31 is pushed into this inner hole 29, although it can also be screwed in. The rod 31 and the loading element 27 are arranged in a central through-hole 33 in the cartridge holding unit 11. A rod spring 34, through which the rod 31 passes, is also-located in this through-hole 33. One end of the rod spring 34 rests on a step 35 in the through-hole 33, and its other end rests on the case end 37 of the support 27, which is screwed onto the rod 31. The rod spring 34 holds the loading unit in its rest position. A stop is provided in order to ensure that the loading unit is not forced out of the cartridge holding unit 11 by the spring force, and this stop is formed by the bolt 39, which is described in the following text, and the longitudinal slots 40. The other end 41 of the rod 31 passes centrally through an ejection element 42 in its central through-hole 43. The ejection element 42 has a coaxial case 46 to which an outer ring 45 is fitted, which is arranged around the central through-hole 43. As described in the following text, the outer ring 45 is used for ejection of fired cartridges 3a to 3d when the cover part 7 is open. This means that the cartridges 3a to 3d are moved to a gripping position. The cartridges 3a to 3d are in the form of circular cylinders, with the cartridge base 47 having a ring 49 as a step, whose diameter is larger than the rest of the cartridge cylinder. The outer ring 45 acts on this ring 49 or step.
The other end 41 of the rod 31 strikes a bolt 51, which is plugged into a disk 50 and on whose other end 52 a compression spring 53 acts. The disk 50 and the bolt 51 form a cocking element 55 for the firing bolt 19. The cocking element 55 and the compression spring 53 are parts of the cover part 7.
Two longitudinal slots 56a and 56b, which can be seen in
A through-hole 60 through the ejection element 42 and a further longitudinal slot 61 in the rod 31 are provided in an axial extension of the slots 56a and 56b, and a further bolt 63 is passed through the through-hole 60 and through the further longitudinal slot 61, as a driver for the ejection element 42. The rod thus has two longitudinal slots 40 and 61.
The cover part 7 is covered by a plate 64 which can be seen well in
By way of example, the handheld firing device 1 in this case has four cartridges 3a to 3d, and thus also requires four firing bolts 19. The four firing bolts 19 are part of an initiation unit, which can be seen in an enlarged form in the
The ball 81 is seated in a depression in the switching unit 82 of the initiation mechanism. The switching unit 82 is designed to be cylindrical. On the right-hand side in
The switching unit 82 is thus arranged such that it can be moved axially in a hole 88 which is coaxial with respect to the axis 95 of the cover part 7. The area 84 of the switching unit 82 which is adjacent to the cocking element 55 has an intrinsically closed, circumferential guide groove 92, which is like a sawtooth, in which a fixed bolt 88 engages as a “control pin”. The guide groove 92 and the bolt 84 can be seen in
The initiation of a firing bolt 19 will be explained with reference to
During the insertion and rotation processes, the ball 81 moves a bolt 97, to which the latching catch 79 is fitted, transversely with respect to the axis 95 of the handheld firing device 1, radially outwards, in this case upwards. This pushes the latching catch 79 out of its latching groove 75, and the striking pin 69 of the firing bolt 19 is accelerated by the loaded spring 74, which presses on its plate 70, through the through-hole 65d out of the firing cap 17 of the cartridge 3d, thus igniting the propellant charge.
The initiation element 21 can be pushed in for initiation only when a catch element, as a safety unit 100, is pushed in by a finger on the hand 5 surrounding the handheld firing device 1. The catch element is a first lever arm 99 of the safety unit 100, which is in the form of a two-armed lever, with the first lever arm 99 to be pushed in being loaded, as is shown in
As already mentioned in the introduction, the individual cartridges can be “fired” only successively. The process of switching from one cartridge to the other is carried out by means of the switching unit 82. Since four cartridges 3a-3d can in this case be connected sequentially, a quarter revolution was chosen. If a different number of cartridges are used, an appropriate rotation angle should be chosen (rotation angle=360° divided by the number of cartridges). When the initiation element 21 is pushed in again, this results in the pushing-out element being rotated further as far as the next holding element of one of the firing bolts.
As already stressed above, the cover part 7 can be pivoted open from the cartridge holding unit 11 in order to replace the cartridges 3a to 3d, as is shown in
The secure locking of the lug 115 such that it is resistant to recoil need not necessarily be carried out by means of a separate locking element. It is also possible to achieve this by means of matched geometry of the lug and its opposing bearing.
As can be seen in
As has already been stated in the introduction, the active substance 14 has a highly irritating effect. In order to ensure, as far as possible, that no irritation occurs during replacement of the cartridges 3a to 3d, the head area 125 of the cartridges 3a to 3d is sealed with respect to the wall of the holding area 3 in the cartridge holding unit 11 by means of a sealing ring 127 as a sealing means.
Instead of having to protect the initiation element 21 against being pushed in, it is also possible to protect the firing bolt or the firing bolt unit against initiation. The cartridges and the holding areas are in this case illustrated in the form of circular cylinders. Instead of the circular cylindrical shape, it is also possible, of course, to use other shapes, such as a quadrilateral cross section. However, in this case as well, it should be remembered that a contour which tapers towards the nozzles is chosen, in order that the cartridges can easily be withdrawn after being fired.
The cover part 7 and the cartridge holding unit 11 need not be designed such that they can be unfolded and folded up around the axis 109. It is also possible to design the two units 7 and 11 such that they can be moved away from one another and can then be fitted again, or can be pushed into one another. All that is necessary is to ensure that the connection is designed such that the cartridges can be replaced, and to ensure that there is a secure connection during the “firing” process.
The cartridge 3, which is illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12, has a case 130 composed of metal (aluminum, brass, copper, steel, . . . ) or plastic. The case end is closed by the propellant charge 132, on which the firing charge (firing cap) 17 acts directly (
The propellant means cartridge 128a/b is designed to be resistant to diffusion, preferably, in the form of an extrusion-molded metal case, which is closed with respect to the liquid store by the front face 136a/b such that it is completely resistant to diffusion. The front face 136a/b, which is a planar metal disk in the variant 136b, is then torn apart by the hot expanded gases that are produced during the ignition of the propellant charge powder 139, such that the front surface parts, which are separated by the notch lines 137, burst open into the free area 131 like a flower. The pressure passes into the free area 131 and drives the driving device 119 into the active substance storage area 141, as a result of which the head part of the case 130 is ripped open.
The cartridge design as described above, in particular for a liquid active substance, means that there is no diffusion of liquid vapor into the propellant charge powder even over lengthy time periods, which could greatly reduce its effect or could make the propellant charge powder unusable. The sealing ring 134 does not provide an adequate seal. To be precise, the sealing ring 134 does not prevent the ingress of active substance vapor into the free area 131; however, the liquid active substance does not penetrate into the free area 131. The front face 136a/b thus tears open correctly “like a flower”.
The cartridge as described here with a “diffusion-tight” propellant/firing charge is not restricted to use with the firing devices as described above; it can be used wherever fluidic active substances “which are to be fired” are used.
The shape of the nozzle front area can also be chosen for good flow conditions, such that the back-pressure, at least during “firing”, can be reduced sufficiently to make it possible to prevent any active substance from flowing backwards. By way of example, the lower figure area in
A so-called aiming laser may be integrated in the firing device by inserting this aiming laser into the relevant cartridge holding area rather than a cartridge. This “aiming laser cartridge” then has a battery or a rechargeable battery, a laser as the radiation source and, if necessary, an optical beam forming unit. The location of the emerging laser beam is chosen such that it can emerge through one of the nozzle channels. The laser beam can be switched on even with the initiation element 21 partially pushed in, by means of an appropriately fitted electrical contact. However, a separate switch can be provided on the casing of the firing device.
The firing device described above can now be used, depending on the active substance that is used, as a handheld firing device for self-defense, or else as a firefighting device.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PV 2001-4432 | Dec 2001 | CZ | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CH02/00565 | 10/15/2002 | WO |
