Patent Grant
10145647
The present invention relates to an electric gun having a plurality of barrels and including an electric-type compressed air generating unit which blasts a bullet with air in order to shoot each bullet from each of the barrels.
There are various types of guns classified as simulation guns, which have been changing during leisure pursuits. The change is considered to be accompanied by results that the simulation guns are very safe for not using gunpowder and development of the simulation guns of high quality and high precision is evaluated. As a means for complementing real guns, the simulation guns are in wide use for the purpose of drills and the like in police and the Self-Defense Forces. As simulation guns suitable for this purpose, there are gas guns using compressed gas, air guns using compressed air generated by a piston cylinder mechanism, and the like. The air guns include electric guns operated by an electric mechanism in addition to manually operated guns.
An object of the present invention is to further enhance the function of such simulation guns and particularly is to provide a simulation gun which can shoot bullets in succession from a plurality of barrels. A simulation gun itself, shooting bullets from the plurality of barrels, is already known. However, in the related art, the simulation guns shooting bullets from the plurality of barrels have depended only on manual operation. The inventions of JP-A-2013-83403 and JP-A-2013-76526 are examples which relate to a multi-bullet shooting apparatus. Such simulation guns require a preparation operation (cocking) for a percussion operation every shooting and are not suitable for shooting in succession.
In contrast, the electric guns employ a method in which air is compressed by using a piston cylinder apparatus and the compressed air causes bullets to be shot from a plurality of barrels. However, in a case of such a method, there is a problem in that shooting power can be changed relatively easy. For example, in a case where remodeling is performed such that any one of the insides of the plurality of barrels is clogged, all the compressed air is concentrated in the remaining barrels. In a case of using bullets of 6 mm, that is, so-called airsoft pellets, the simulation gun is regulated by the regulations such as Article 1-2 in the Firearms and Swords Control Act prohibiting kinetic energy at a particular point of measurement from exceeding 3.5 J/cm2. However, in a case where such remodeling is performed, it is not possible to affirm that the energy of the bullets shot from the remaining barrels do not exceed the regulated value.
Electric guns which are simulation guns employing the electric mechanism have been improved based on the invention relating to an automatic air gun that is disclosed in JP-A-3-221793 (JP-B-7-43238) and is developed by the applicant of this application. Originally, the electric guns of such a type are developed in order to allow bullets to be shot in succession, and from the first, the configuration is based on an idea of shooting in succession, that is, sequentially shooting bullets. Therefore, the so-called electric guns always shoot one bullet in succession. A commonly accepted idea that the electric guns adamantly shoot one bullet in succession is prevalent among manufacturers and users, the idea has never been considered to be applied to the multi-bullet shooting apparatus.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the foregoing circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electric gun having a successive multi-bullet shooting function which enables the electric gun to successively shoot a plurality of bullets without requiring a cocking operation. In addition, another object of the present invention is to be able to shoot the bullets from a plurality of barrels under the same pressure at all times while complying with the regulations of the so-called Guns and Swords Act.
In order to attain the above-described objects, according to the present invention, there is provided means for an electric gun having a plurality of barrels and including an electric-type compressed air generating unit which blasts a bullet with air in order to shoot each bullet from each of the barrels. The electric gun includes a cylinder assembly configured to have a plurality of cylinders each of which serves as the compressed air generating unit, which are each positioned at rear portions of the plurality of barrels, each of which has an air-blast nozzle at a tip end, and in each of which a piston reciprocates; a piston assembly configured to have a plurality of the pistons which respectively reciprocate inside the cylinders and generate compressed air, to bind the plurality of pistons in one place by using a joint portion at the rear, and to be integrally provided with one piston shaft having a rack in a reciprocating direction and the joint portion; and an electric mechanism configured to cause the piston assembly to retract, to cause an elastic member to accumulate pressure, and to drive an output gear meshing with the rack in order to compress air by releasing the accumulated pressure.
The electric gun according to the present invention shoots bullets from the plurality of barrels. Basically, one bullet is shot from each one of the barrels at a time. That is, the basic point of shooting one bullet from one barrel is in common with the cases of electric guns in the related art. However, it is possible to change the number of bullets to be loaded in the barrels, as disclosed in the invention of JP-A-2013-83403. Therefore, when the configuration is applied to the present invention, it is technically possible to shoot a plurality of bullets from one barrel.
The electric gun according to the present invention includes the electric-type compressed air generating unit for blasting each bullet with air. As the compressed air generating unit, the present invention includes the cylinder assembly, the piston assembly, and the electric mechanism. The cylinder assembly and the piston assembly are combined and configure the piston cylinder mechanism, and the electric mechanism drives the piston assembly.
The cylinder assembly is constituted by the plurality of cylinders which are each positioned at rear portions of the plurality of barrels, in each of which the piston reciprocates, and each of which has the air-blast nozzle at the tip end. As an apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the cylinder assembly is configured to have the plurality of cylinders, a front fixing member fixing each of the cylinders to a tip end portion, and a rear fixing member fixing each of the cylinders to a rear end portion. It is preferable that the air-blast nozzle is provided in the front fixing member, and an insertion port for the piston is open in the rear fixing member.
The piston assembly is configured to have the plurality of pistons which respectively reciprocate inside the cylinders and generate compressed air, to bind the plurality of pistons in one place by using the joint portion at the rear, and to be integrally provided with one piston shaft having the rack along the reciprocating direction and the joint portion. Accordingly, the plurality of pistons are caused to reciprocate by one piston shaft. Since the pressures generated inside the plurality of cylinders are independent from each other and are approximately uniform at all times, even if any one of the barrels is clogged, there is no change in pressure of the remaining barrels.
The cylinder assembly is configured to have a plurality of pipe members, a front fixing member fixing each of the pipe members to a tip end portion, and a rear fixing member fixing each of the pipe members to a rear end portion. According to the configuration, the air-blast nozzle is provided in the front fixing member, and the insertion port for the piston is open in the rear fixing member. Thus, it is possible to easily form the cylinder assembly by using the pipe member, the front fixing member, and the rear fixing member.
It is preferable to have a disposition configuration in which a piston cylinder mechanism is constituted by three sets such that the three sets are combined in the piston assembly by being disposed in a close-contact manner so as to have a triangle shape when seen from the front, the piston shaft is disposed via the joint portion with a positional relationship of being shifted downward from a central portion of the three sets, and the rack is positioned at the top of a part which is shifted downward. When the piston shaft is shifted downward within a range disposed in a triangular manner when seen from the front, it is possible to provide a configuration of meshing with the rack at the top of the part which is shifted downward.
In addition, it is desirable that the electric gun further includes an inter-nozzle configured to be connected to a cartridge portion and the air-blast nozzle. The inter-nozzle is slidable with respect to the air-blast nozzle in an air-tight manner and is integrally provided with a nozzle base which engages with a piston shaft and retracts. The nozzle base has an engagement portion opening a bullet supply passage in response to the retraction, allowing the ballet to move, and then being disengaged, and is caused to advance by biasing means in response to the disengagement such that the bullet is pushed into the cartridge portion through a tip end portion of the inter-nozzle.
Since the present invention is configured and operates as described above, it is possible to provide the electric gun having a successive multi-bullet shooting function which enables the electric gun to successively shoot a plurality of bullets without requiring a cocking operation. In addition, according to the present invention, since the bullets are shot from the plurality of barrels under the same pressure at all times, it is possible to comply with the regulations of the so-called Guns and Swords Act and to provide a high-safety electric gun.
Hereinafter, with reference to an illustrated embodiment, the present invention will be described in more detail.
A cartridge assembly 50 is provided in a rear portion of the barrels, and a detachable magazine 51 is mounted below thereof. A cartridge portion 14 is set in the cartridge assembly 50, so that a bullet B is disposed inside the rear end of each of the three barrels 11, 12, 13. The cartridge portion 14 is provided with a sight mechanism 15 for adjusting a trajectory. In addition, a connection gasket 16 covers the outside of the rear ends of the three barrels 11, 12, 13. The connection gasket 16 is formed of a soft material such as rubber, having seal performance (refer to
The compressed air generating unit 10 is a part generating air with which the bullet B is blasted in order to shoot each bullet B from each of the barrels 11, 12, 13 in the multi-bullet shooting electric gun G. The barrels themselves are combined such that three thereof form a triangle shape when seen from the front. The compressed air generating unit 10 is disposed at the rear inside the electric gun G. The cylinder assembly 20, the piston assembly 30, and the electric mechanism 40 configuring the compressed air generating unit 10 are disposed in an approximately straight line.
The cylinder assembly 20 is positioned in a rear portion of the three barrels 11, 12, 13, has an air-blast nozzle 24 at a tip end, and has the three cylinders 21, 22, 23 in which the pistons 31, 32, 33 respectively reciprocate. The illustrated cylinder assembly 20 is configured to have three pipe members 25, a front fixing member 26 fixing each of the pipe members 25 to a tip end portion, and a rear fixing member 27 fixing each of the pipe members 25 to a rear end portion (refer to
The air-blast nozzle 24 is provided in the front fixing member 26, and an insertion port 25a for the piston is open in the rear fixing member 27. A blast nozzle 24 is provided in front of a pipe attachment member 25b, and the pipe attachment member 25b is attached to the rear surface of the front fixing member 26 by a fastener 25c. The pipe attachment member 25b has a positional relationship with the pipe member 25 in which the pipe attachment member 25b is fitted, and is assembled in an air-tight manner by using seal means 26a (
As seen in the illustrated embodiment, an inter-nozzle 28 is connected to the cartridge portion 14 and the air-blast nozzle 24 and is provided to be movable in the forward-rearward direction by a nozzle base 29. The inter-nozzle 28 slides with respect to the blast nozzle 24 in an air-tight manner and is at a position where a bullet is blasted with compressed air generated in the compressed air generating unit 10. The inter-nozzle 28 is attached to an erected portion 29a of the nozzle base 29 and is incorporated in a main body of the simulation gun G so as to be able to advance and retract.
Therefore, the inter-nozzle 28 retracts by being engaged with a latch member 49 described below, in response no retract operations of the pistons 31, 32, 33 and is caused to advance by a spring of biasing means 29b acting on the nozzle base 29 (refer to
The air-blast nozzle 24 is provided at a position leaning to the center of the pipe members 25, 25, 25 of the three cylinders 21, 22, 23. This countermeasure is provided because the air-blast nozzle 24 cannot coincide with the center of a cylinder pipe having a diameter larger than the barrel, since the number of a plurality of the barrels 11, 12, 13 in the illustrated example is three. Thus, the position of the air-blast nozzle 24 is determined based on the relationship between the barrel and the position of the center of the cylinder pipe.
The piston assembly 30 has the three pistons 31, 32, 33 which respectively reciprocate inside the cylinders 21, 22, 23 and generate compressed air. In addition, the three pistons 31, 32, 33 are configured to be bound in one place by a joint portion 34 at the rear and to be integrally provided with one piston shaft 35 having a rack 36 along a reciprocating direction and the joint portion.
The three pistons 31, 32, 33 are flexibly joined to the joint portion 34 such that seal performance between the pistons 31, 32, 33 and cylinder inner wall surfaces is maintained due to the joined state. That is, when the pistons and the cylinders configuring a piston cylinder mechanism have high precision in the positional relationship or the fitting state therebetween, it becomes easy no obtain high compressibility. Moreover, the axial centers therebetween also have to coincide with each other with high precision. However, when a certain degree of flexibility is allowed, it is possible to obtain high compressibility without requiring excessive precision.
In order to apply the flexibility, the present invention employs a configuration in which the pistons 31, 32, 33 are provided at the tip end of a slender rod 37 so as to be movably pivoted by the joint portion 34 at the rear of the rod 37. In the configuration of the illustrated embodiment, the rod 37 is pivoted with respect to the reciprocating direction of the piston by using a pivot 37a in the transverse direction such that the rod 37 becomes movable in the vertical direction. The air-tightness of the pistons 31, 32, 33 is maintained by using the illustrated O-rings as seal members 38.
In the configuration of the embodiment in which the piston cylinder mechanism is constituted by three sets, as described above, the three sets are combined in the piston assembly 30 so as to have a triangle shape when seen from the front, the piston shaft 35 is disposed in the joint portion 34 with a positional relationship of being shifted downward from a central portion of the three sets, and the rack 36 is positioned at the top of a part which is shifted downward. Therefore, the position of the rack 36 becomes close to the central portion of the three sets. Accordingly, it is possible to gain a disposition space 39 for the electric mechanism 40 of an output gear 41, and driving force of the output gear 41 is more efficiently transmitted from a position close to the center line.
The electric mechanism 40 is configured to cause the piston assembly 30 to retract, to cause an elastic member 42 to accumulate pressure, and to drive the output gear 41 meshing with the rack 36 in order to compress air by releasing the accumulated pressure. As a description with reference to
The piston shaft 35 has a hollow structure and is biased in the advancing direction by the elastic member 42 illustrated as a coil spring which is hollow inside. One end of the elastic member 42 constituted by the coil spring is in contact with the front end of the piston shaft which is hollow inside, and the other end is supported by the rear end of the cavity which is a movement portion 46 for the piston provided inside the electric mechanism 40. The reference sign 47 indicates a guide portion constituted by an irregular structure. The guide portion 47 is provided in a laterally longitudinal direction of the piston shaft 35 and engages with a projection 47a which is an engagement counterpart constituted by an irregular structure provided on the gun main body side, thereby functioning as a guide for moving straight forward (refer to
In addition to the description above, the multi-bullet shooting electric gun G according to the present invention includes mechanisms required for operating as an electric gun, such as a power source battery (not illustrated), a circuit connecting the power source battery and the electric motor 43, and a switch for turning on/off the power source. The reference sign 18 indicates the switch, the reference sign 19 indicates an outer barrel housing the three barrels, the reference sign 48 indicates a selector for selecting a shooting mode, and the reference sign 49 indicates the aforementioned latch member. The latch member 49 is pivoted at the rear end of the nozzle base 29 by a pivot 29a as vertically movable engagement means. The latch member 49 is configured to be retractable by being engaged with an engagement counterpart portion 49a provided in the piston shaft 35 and to be able to be disengaged by coming into contact with a disengagement portion 49b provided on the gun main body side. The reference sign 49c is a spring, which is means biasing the latch member 49 in a direction for engaging with the engagement counterpart portion 49a (refer to
An operation of the multi-bullet shooting electric gun G according to the present invention having such a configuration will be described with reference to
When the trigger 17 is pulled, the switch 18 is turned on and the electric mechanism 40 is in an operation state by an electric circuit (not illustrated). Here, when the electric motor 43 operates and the rotary shaft thereof rotates, the output gear 41 at the terminal end starts to rotate via the reduction gear set 45, and the rack 36 meshing with the output gear 41 starts to retract (refer to
As the rotation of the output gear 41 proceeds, the toothed portion 41a and the rack 36 are unmeshed, and a state immediately before thereof is the maximum retraction limit for the three pistons 31, 32, 33.
When the output gear 41 further rotates and moves to the non-toothed portion 41b, the toothed portion 41a and the rack 36 are unmeshed, and pressure accumulated in the elastic member 42 is released at once (
When the three pistons 31, 32, 33 are in the advance state, it is important that the axial center does not tilt with respect to the cylinders 21, 22, 23. In a case of the piston cylinder mechanism in the present invention, in the three pistons 31, 32, 33, each of the rods 37 is flexibly joined to the joint portion 34 by the pivot 37a. Therefore, seal performance between all the pistons 31, 32, 33 and the cylinder inner wall surface is maintained. Thus, the seal members 38, 38, 38 prevent the leakage and complete compression is performed.
The present invention is configured as described above. Even if remodeling is performed such that any one of the insides of the plurality of barrels is clogged, all the compressed air is not concentrated in the remaining barrels. In a case of using bullets of 6 mm regulated for simulation guns, the configuration complies with the regulations such as Article 1-2 in the Firearms and Swords Control Act prohibiting kinetic energy at a particular point of measurement from exceeding 3.5 J/cm2. Then, it is possible to overturn a commonly accepted idea that so-called electric guns always shoot one bullet in succession, and thus, it is possible to shoot a plurality of bullets in succession.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2015/058934 | 3/24/2015 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016/151763 | 9/29/2016 | WO | A |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20180112948 A1 | Apr 2018 | US |
