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[11]
4,166,409
Wetzel et al.
[45]
[75]
[54]
Inventors:
AMMUNITION
Lew1s
_ HANDLING
K. Wetzel, S.SYSTEM
Burlmgton;
_
Edward
f V . A. Proulx, Burlington, both
[73] Assignee:
nm.un
[56]
o.
an
m
Sm"m
m
n
1
mm
4,
m "m
n1
W
m
9
References Cited
3,696,704
10/1972
Meier
Dodgeet a1, __ _
Kirkpatrick
Backus et al.
6/1902
Aston
89/37.5 C
WH570,MC67.981
ABSTRACT
[57]
A weapon system is provided in a pod envelope having
an endless conveyor, formed of a plurality of conveyor
701,459
0 09Wmm89/34
BMBC
0...
.0.m
IUFas.
aGa.
f2I
6/1972
2/1905
2/1969
2555
3,670,363
3,429,221
782,009
198/328
US. Patent
Sep. 4, 1979
Sheet 1 of?
4,169%
US,
atent
Sep. 4, 1979
..CN.
Sheet 2 of 7
US. Patsnt
Sep.4, 1979
Sheet 3 of7
4916,4W
US.
atsnt
Sep. 4, 1979
54 5e 52
Sheet 4 of7
4,16,408
US.
mm
Sep.4-, 1979
Sheet 5 of7
436,408
USO Pwm
Sep. 4, 1979
Sheet 7 of?
49l66,8
4, 166,408
25
5;
FIG. 6;
helical support;
4,166,408
a lower tab 60. The two sets of tabs 46;48 and 58;60 are
56. The head of the snap pin 66 and the inner and outer
means for the movement of the element, which is articu 20 between which the aft transition 39 is ?xed, and which
lated at the pin 62. The hole 54 of each link receives the
in turn are ?xed to the housing of the gun. Two guide
stud 56 of the next adjacent conveyor element to join
bars 154, 156 project through the housing and are ?xed
each conveyor element, seriatim, into the endless con
between the side walls 150, 152. A pair of feeding
veyor. The articulation provided by the pin 62 at each
sprockets 158, 160 are ?xed to a shaft 162 which is
end of each conveyor element permits the conveyor
driven by a pair of fourth order elliptical gears 138 and
30
gun bolts. Fired cases are handed off from the gun bolts
section so that there is a sprocket assembly at each 45 elements. Ammunition and cases may be loaded and
unloaded from the endless conveyor at any convenient
stripper.
The sprocket 100 has three teeth which project into the
tracks or slots 84 and 86 of the helical guide 80, and the
55
tween; wherein:
each of said article carriers includes
an elongated article receiving member having a
longitudinal axis,
a pair of spaced apart support members, one adja
cent each end of said elongated member, engag
ing a respective one of said guides,
4,166,408
5
~-
'
15
30
conveyor;
said gun being mounted to, and for recoil with re
said feeder;
the other end of said spiral of said conveyor being
?xed to said pod envelope.
therein;
a ?rst means for entering each slot to initially dis
lodge a round of ammunition within its respec
tive carrier,
a second means for subsequently passing between a
4, 166,408
turns;
a plurality of sprockets, each of said sprockets dis
turns;
a plurality of sprockets, each of said sprockets dis
posed in a respective one of said plurality of inter
mediate turns and concurrently engaged with a
respective ammunition carrier in one of said layers
of said intermediate turn of said conveyor and with
a respective ammunition carrier in the other of said
8
around and transition between said layers at each
end of said conveyor,
said multiturn spiral including a ?rst end turn, a
second end turn and a plurality of intermediate
nism.
15. A weapon system comprising:
an endless conveyor, including a plurality of ammuni
ton conveyors disposed in a two layer, multiturn,
helical spiral about a longitudinal axis with a tum 25
30
35
45
50
55
65
nism.
18. A system according to claim 15 further including:
a gun, disposed within said spiral of said conveyor,