US3170372A

US3170372A - Loader and magazine mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3170372A
Application number: US663323A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur J Stauton; David F Anderson; Richard E Taylor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-06-03
Filing date: 1957-06-03
Publication date: 1965-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 1982-02-23

Description

1965 A. J. STANTON ETAL 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM 16 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 3, 1957 1965 A. J. STANTON ETAL 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM Filed June 3. 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 2 i I E5; N l-z 1- 3 l 3% a 252s s o m o E 12 9 w E O a l 0 O O O O O O O Q 0 0 o o m o o .0 0 0 z D a a 8 N o a a Q E 5 E I ra i m l u z a a g o 5 r a 4m 0 2 o I I I I o \f-M ll 2 a s;- i D O O O i o o o m 1. .dilluug m 0 D E w I! 2: [U o E [I m D O J: I k 1 1 3 U U 3 1: O O '1 I 5 4| 5 E '0 I l" 9 m n Q 0 o o o I H 5 0 g Q 1 23 a [on 1, I :1: EH Ill. n5 I j llllilllllllllllllllllIIIIUIHllIlHlIIIIIIIIFIUIIIHIIHI||IHIIIIHHHIIIIIIH|||l|H||||||IlllllfllllllIIHIIIIHHIIIHII I m cu u N INVENTORS E ARTHUR J. STANTON DAVID F. ANDERSON Q/BWW ATTORNEYS 1965 A. J. STANTON ETAL 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM Filed June 3, 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 3 FORWARD Q m HIHIIHIHIIHIIIIIIIIHHIlllllllIllIIIHIH'IHIIHIIIIHIIIIIIHHIHHIIIIHIH'HiIHHlIHHHIHIV HHH INVENTORS ARTHUR J. STANTON DAVID F. ANDERSON RICHARD E. TAYLOR ATTORNEYS FIG.3

Feb. 23, 1965 A, J STANTON ETAL 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM Filed June 3. 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 4 IllllllHHlllIlIllllllllllIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIHIHI lllllilll 5 FIG. 4

INVENTORS' ARTHUR J. STANTON DAVID F. ANDERSON RICHARD E. TAYLOR ATTORNEY S Feb. 23, 19 65 A. J. STANTON ETAL. 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM Filed June 3. 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS ARTHUR J. STANTON DAVID F. ANDERSON RICH ARD E. TAYLOR ATTORNEY S FIG.5

1965 A. J. STANTON ETAL 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM INVENTORS ARTHUR J. STANTON r 533 DAVID F. ANDERSON w :0 m E: RICHARD E. TAYLOR z E Q q m N 1 m j @/Z u I 4U x 2 Q 75 M ATTORNEYS 1965 A. J. STANTON ETAL 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM 16 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed June 3. 1957 QIB TO REVERSE INVENTORS ARTHUR J. STANTON DAVID F. ANDERSON RICHARD E. TAYLOR ATTORNEYS 4 llll/V Feb. 23, 1965 A. J. STANTON ETAL 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM Filed June 3. 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 8 V ll' INVENTORS ARTHUR J. STANTON DAVID F. ANDERSON ATTORNEYS FIG. l3

Feb. 23, 1965 A. J.

STANTON ETAL

3,1

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM Filed June 3. 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 9 LOADER l'ZO INVENTORS ARTHUR J. STANTON DAVID F. ANDERSON BY Q. 13 WW ATTORNEY S Feb. 23, 1965 3,170,372

Filed June 3, 1957 INVENTORS \o ARTHUR .1. STANTON g \DAVIDF. ANDERSON Q m RICH? E. TAYLOR LL j 47 M ATTORNEYS Feb. 23, 1965 A. J. STANTON ETAL 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM Filed June 3. 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 11 MAGAZINE ROUND EXIT END 35\ INVENTORS ARTHUR J. STANTON DAViD F. ANDERSON RICHARD E. TAYLOR ATTORNEYS Feb. 23, 1965 J. STANTON ETAL 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM Filed June 3. 1957 16 Sheets-Sheet 12 SIS FIG. 20

POWER INPUT ROUND GUIDE INVENTORB' ARTHUR J. STANTON DAVID E ANDERSON RICHARD E. TAYLOR mws 1965 A. J. STANTON ETAL 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM 16 Sheets-Sheet 13 Filed June 3. 1957 INVENTORS A THUR J. STANTON DAVID F. ANDERSON RICHARD E. TAYLOR ATTORNEYJ Q/Zw vmm Em mom 0 It mmdE 1965 A. J. STANTON ETAL 3,170,372

LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM Filed June 5, 1957' 16 Sheets-Sheet 14 3% E2 53 owl 32 na 23238 0mm Owumm um;

um om mohm .EEM

m 0w 1. I. 56. m w m v .95 R U H T R A ETm @Tm EmTm 655 xowzw 23m DAVID F. ANDERSON RICHARD E. TAYLOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,170,372 LOADER AND MAGAZINE MECHANISM Arthur J. Stanton, Bethesda, Md, David F. Anderson,

McLean, Va., and Richard E. Taylor, Hyattsville, Md,

assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed June 3, 1957, Ser. No. 663,323 14 Claims. (Cl. 89-33) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The invention disclosed and claimed herein is a portion of the system disclosed and claimed in copending application Serial No. 663,3 l9, filed June 3, 1957, for Rapid Fire Gun System. a

The present invention relates to a loading and feeding mechanism for a launching system which includes a low velocity, rapid fire gun and mount therefor. More particularly, this invention is directed to a loading and feeding mechanism for a weapon system suitable for a saturation zone type of protective or assault fire and which is especially well adapted for shipboard antiaircraft use.

Heretofore, antiaircraft guns of both large and small calibers have been devised for employment against high and low altitude attacking planes. Although the large caliber guns are effective at high altitudes when properly used, these guns are generally ineffective at low altitudes and short ranges because, among other reasons, of their slow rate of fire and the more effective evasive action taken by aircraft at low altitudes. Consequently, guns generally in use against low flying aircraft have been of a small caliber and in the machine gun class in order to obtain a rapid rate of fire and cope with the evasive action of aircraft attempting to avoid the Zone of fire. However, the use of armor around the vital parts of aircraft has increased considerably and it has been found that the smaller caliber guns make a number of hits without reaching a vital part, and, therefore, the attacking aircraft, in many cases, continue the attack.

With conventional guns, as the caliber increases, the weight of the many gun components as well as the gun itself increases greatly. Heavier structural members are needed to load, stow and transfer ammunition. The recoil forces generated require heavier mounting and driving stuctures. Consequently, aboardship the number of guns that can be installed is limited by the weight factor alone. Furthermore, the handling of conventional large caliber case ammunition presents problems because of its size and weight. Such ammunition is not adapted to belt or clip type feeding as used in the machine gun class weapons. 1

The use of large, high velocity guns and mounts generally prohibits the stowage of case ammunition or maintenance of magazines on the same level on which the gun is mounted because of space requirements. Thus, the ammunition stowage and magazine is at a lower level, often employing three or more decks of the ship to contain all the necessary equipment. Location below decks complicates the problem of loading and feeding ammunition to large caliber guns and necessitates the installation of elaborate ammunition hoists with associated large gains in overall weight and complexity of the ammunition handling equipment.

The present invention overcomes many of the disadvantages of the prior art loading and feeding mechanisms in that it provides a rapid loading and feeding device for an adjacent gun utilizing symmetrically cased rocket assisted projectiles of relatively large caliber. The entire loading and feeding mechanism is relatively small 3,170,372 Patented Feb. 23, 1965 and compact as compared with those of the prior art for handling a similar caliber and quantity of ammunition. None of the known prior art ammunition handling equipment is capable of handling in any given time interval an equivalent quantity of large caliber ammunition as that quantity handled by the present invention. This is true because of the type weapon employed and the arrangement of a novel large capacity, high speed magazine adjacent each gun which permits a high rate of automatic continuous fire for extended periods of time. The projectile is enclosed in a substantially symmetrical container or case which functions both as an ammunition storage case and as an expendable gun chamber when the projectile is fired. Thus, ammunition handling problems are simplified.

The loader and magazine combination of this invention presents novel means whereby projectiles are fed to an adjacent weapon at machine gun rates of feed. The weapon fed by the present invention does not utilize projectile ramming and extracting operations as do conventional guns and hence a firing rate of the gun in the order of that usually associated only with the machine gun class of weapons is determined to a. great extent by the ability of the magazine to feed ammunition at an extremely high rate of feed.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an automatic projectile loading and feeding mechanism, with suitable interlocking devices, which is capable of performing and controlling the serving, at a high cyclic rate, of relatively large caliber projectiles to a gun or other missile launching apparatus.

An additional object is to provide a weapon having a large capacity magazine capable of maintaining a substantially balanced condition during loading of the magazine, stowage of ammunition within the magazine and feeding of rounds from the magazine, this being accomplished by a weight distribution of the rounds and displacement thereof from the filling end to an opposite end, thence to the filling end, the rounds moving in a manner to diminish the end to end distance to a centrally located round exit station.

Another object is to provide a relatively lightweight loader and magazine capable of loading and stowing a large quantity of ready projectiles or missiles of large caliber.

A further purpose of the present invention resides in the provision of an independent, large capacity, fixed magazine or conveyor capable of stowing and feeding rounds or other objects to a relatively movable transfer mechanism at high rates of feed.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide an automatic rapid feed magazine for stowing and feeding case-enclosed missiles to a gun or other launching device.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic rapid-feed ammunition loader and magazine combination in which the magazine is provided with means at the round-entry station for transferring ammunition from the loading mechanism to the magazine and vice versa without jamming of the ammunition.

Another object resides in the provision of a rapid-feed ammunition loader and magazine combination in which the magazine is provided with means adjacent the roundexit station for actuating a mechanism in the loader to prevent additional ammunition from entering the magazine.

A further object is to provide a loader and magazine combination wherein the loader sequentially feeds rounds to the magazine and eliminates blank round spaces during the loading of the magazine.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of an ammunition loader and magazine com- 3 bination wherein the projectile loader is capable of loading the magazine at a high cyclic rate with large caliber rocket-assisted projectiles.

Still another purpose of the invention is to provide an ammunition loader andmagazine mechanism in which the loader guides ammunition of the case-enclosed, rocketpropelled type into the magazine.

Another object is to provide in an ammunition loader and magazine combination a round loading and controlling mechanism which includes means for permitting or preventing the loading of ammunition in accordance with predetermined conditions existing in the magazine.

Yet another object is to provide means located within the loader and magazine for preventing feeding of rounds thereto when the magazine is fully loaded.

Still another objects resides in the provision of a large capacity, fixed magazine capable of stowing and feeding rounds to an adjacent relatively movable transfer mechanism at high rates of feed.

Another object is to provide an ammunition loader and magazine device having means for reversing the directional flow of projectiles in the magazine when it is desired to unload or reload the magazine in order that no blank round stations will occur during subsequent reloading.

Another object is to provide in a loader and magazine mechanism an interlock system for controlling the reverse drive of the magazine, the interlock system functioning to terminate the drive in such a position as to align round carrying stations in the magazine with the loading mechanism for subsequent reloading of the magazine.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view with portions broken away of a twin gun mount embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the mount of FIG. 1 taken along a line substantially corresponding to line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the gun mount of FIG. 1 taken along a line substantially corresponding to line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front vertical elevational view of the gun mount of FIGS, 1, 2 and 3 with a portion of the shield broken away to better illustrate the relative locations of certain mechanisms of the system;

FIG. 5 is a rear vertical elevational view of the gun mount with portions of the shield and stand removed;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of an upper portion of the magazine loader and the round receiving tray associated therewith;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view through the magazine loader of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the loader as viewed from a line substantially corresponding to line S-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the loader tray illustrated with other portions of the loader in FIGS. 6 through 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a section of the loader tray with portions of the frame therefor broken away;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of the switch actuating linkage for the magazine drive switches S6 and S7 disclosed in FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the right hand end of a portion of the loader and magazine showing a cam for controlling switch S413 employed when cycling rounds in reverse order during unloading and reloading of the magazine;

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of a round storage magazine and drive therefor employed in the present invention, the magazine having been removed from the gun mount structure for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 14 is a side elevational schematic view of the magazine showing the path of round travel from the loader to a centrally located transfer mechanism which may be associated therewith;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged detailed composite view of the magazine showing structural details thereof;

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of a star wheel and drive mechanism therefor located at the round-exit station of the magazine;

FIG. 17 is a transverse sectional view of one of the magazine chain idler sprockets and bearing support therefor;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view taken from below and to one side or" the back side of the magazine center section of FIG. 13 showing the guide rails and round exit star wheels;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged top plan view of a portion of one of the magazine chain sprocket drives;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged side elevational view of a portion of one of the magazine carrier chains;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the magazine carrier chains with the rounds shown in full and broken lines; 7

FIG. 22 is a detailed perspective view of one of the round end engaging retainers removed from the round carrier chain;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of one of the between round spacing lugs removed from the round carrier chains;

FIGS. 24 and 25 are enlarged vertical detailed views of the juncture between the magazine round exit station and the round entry station of an associated transfer mechanism showing the relative positions of the two sets of transfer feed star wheels at 0 gun elevation and gun elevation, respectively;

FIGS. 26A and 26B illustrate the electrical circuitry employed by the loader and magazine of the present invention, and, as shown, illustrate the condition of the various circuits during loading and unloading of rounds into and from the magazine; and

FIG. 27 illustrates the electrical circuitry employed by the present invention during the firing operation.

General mount description To facilitate an understanding of the present invention and the manner in which it may be employed with other components of a weapon system, the entire system will be described briefly before proceeding to the detailed description of the loader and magazine combination of the present invention. Referring first to FIGS. 1 through 5, which are general arrangement views of an entire system in which the loader and magazine of the present invention may be employed in the manner illustrated, it will be observed that a twin weapon mount, generally designated by numeral 1%, is shown as mounted on a fixed stand 101 such as those which are presently in use on naval vessels. The mount comprises a plat-form carriage 102 which supports thereabove the gun and round handling mechanisms and carries therebeneath mount drive and power components forming no part of the present invention. The carriage 102 is rotatably supported for movement in train on roller bearings (not shown) which engage a mating roller path (not shown) formed in a fixed training circle gear 103. A carriage mounted drive pinion M4 is drivingly meshed with the training circle 1493 for driving the mount in train. Additional power and associated equipment such as motors, firing cutouts, brakes, clutches and buffers are also carried beneath the carriage.

Located centrally atop the carriage is a pair of trunnion bearings 105 which support therebetween, an elevatable cradle 1.06. An elevating arc is secured to the lefthand side of cradle 106, as viewed in FIG. 5, and is driven by a conventional elevating pinion (not shown) to move the entire cradle in elevation. An elevation stop buffer 131 and a depression stop buffer 132 are provided, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The central portion of the cradle supports a pair of right and left-

hand gun mechanisms

107 and 108, each gun mechanism having a rified barrel 169 and 1119, both respectively, protruding from the front portion of the cradle. A twin case ejection system 111 is also carried by the cradle and is located between the gun mechanism. Secured to opposite sides of the cradle and elevatable therewith, are right and left hand

round transfer mechanisms

112 and 113, respectively, the outer ends of which are supported in bearings 114 carried by similar right and left-hand pedestals 115 secured to the top of the carriage 1%. An elevation response are 116 is also secured to the outboard ends of each round transfer mechanism and is in contact with elevation response gearing 117 connected to suitable firing cutouts during adjustment of gun elevation. In addition, the elevation response gearing repositions certain elements in the transfer mechanism drive gearing to maintain alignment of feed star wheels at the round entry of the transfer mechanism regardless of angle of gun elevation. This is accomplished by means of suitable differential gearing (not shown). Right and left-hand

round storage magazines

118 and 119, respectively, are mounted outboard of the cradle on the carriage and overlie the major portion of the top surfaces of each round transfer mechanism. Right and left magazine loaders 12d and 121, respectively, are mounted on the forward and lower front end of each magazine through which rounds may be fed to the magazine to load endless round carrying chains, later described, moving through each magazine. Access doors 122 permit access to the loader during periods of magazine loading and unloading.

A shield 123 secured to the carriage, completely encloses the mount units and forms a weather seal for the mount units and mount operator. The top central portion of the shield supports a control compartment 124 which includes a transparent observation dome 125 extending above the shield. A gun port shield 126 mates with a circular path 127 formed in the shield and may have inflatable waterproof sealing elements (not shown) for sealing the movable elements when in stowed condition.

A fiXed case ejection chute 123, formed in the central floor portion of the carriage, is curved to'conform with the sweeps of a pair of case deflector assemblies 129 carried by the afore-mentioned case ejection system 111 and delivers empty cases out of the front end of the mount. Suitable coolant lines 133 are employed to carry water to and from the gun cooling system.

Magazine Loader As hereinbefore noted, the round loader, which is one portion of the combination of the instant invention, is mounted at the forward and lower end of each magazine. Briefly, its operation is as follows: rounds are manually aligned on a horizontal, round receiving tray and are rolled over spring-biased pawls into the upper end of a substantially vertical loading chute through which the rounds drop to the lower end of the chute and are there picked up by a pair of star wheels and cooperating round engaging lugs carried by traveling magazine chains in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter.

Referring to FIGS. 7 through 12, the round loader 129 is there illustrated as comprising a vertical chute Ztltl having an inlet or round-entry station at its upper end and delivering from its lower end or round-exit station to a magazine round entry station where the magazine chain and its associated round engaging lugs successively move the rounds into the magazine. The chute includes relatively wide front and rear walls 261 and 202, respectively, and narrower side walls 203. The rear wall is curved at 6 its upper end in a forward direction as at 204 to form a round receiving opening.

A horizontal tray 205 is in substantially horizontal alignment with the lower edge of the round receiving opening of the chute and thus forms an open extension of the chute front wall 201. In the embodiment illustrated, the tray is rectangular in shape and includes a pair of L-shaped guide members 206. The circular end flanges of each round are guided between the outer side edges of tray 2115 and the upwardly extending portion 2&7 of the guide members, the intermediate portion of the round rolling upon tray 205.

The tray 205 is cut away or otherwise formed with openings 2118 intermediate its sides at a series of locations along the length of the tray and in which are mounted elongated, spring-biased, round restraining pawls 209. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the pawls are of a length to engage only the reduced diameter portion 211 of the round R, shown in phantom in FIG. 9, the circular end or base flanges 213 of the round extending below the sides of the tray to be guided as mentioned hereinbefore. As illustrated, pawls 209 may be formed of flat stock, one edge portion being bent as at 214 to form bearings surrounding a fixed cross shaft 215. A coiled tension spring 216 on the cross shaft urges the pawl individual thereto upwardly while an edge of each cutout portion 217 of the tray functions as a stop to prevent upward motion of its respective pawl beyond a predeter mined height and angle. The free edge of each pawl is turned and bent upon itself as at 218 to reinforce the round engaging edge. These pawls permit round movement in the direction of chute 201) but prevent the rounds from moving away from the chute. The forward end of the tray is turned upwardly as at 219 so as to restrain the last round placed on the tray.

The tray is pivotally supported by a hinge 221. Spaced legs 222 having appropriately slotted brace members 223 are provided for positioning and maintaining the tray in the loading position. Thus, the tray may be lowered when not in use. as shown in FIG. 13.

Just inside the round entry end of the chute is an ammunition stop or loader gate comprising a pair of round engaging fingers 224 secured to a cross shaft 225. These fingers may be actuated and raised to a position out of the path of oncoming rounds in response to energization of solenoid L5 (FIGS. 7, 8, l3 and 26B). Fingers 224 are connected to solenoid L-5 via any suitable linkage such, for example, as that shown at 227. These fingers function to control entry of rounds into the loader chute. Round engaging guides 228 extending the length of the chute are provided on the rear and front walls and are spaced from the side walls 203 so that the round flanges 213 will be received between the guides and the side walls to thereby guide each round during its movement through the chute. Additional relatively short guides 229 are placed adjacent the round engaging fingers 224 to engage the central portion of the round and assist in the initial alignment of the round as it enters the chute at which time its direction of travel changes from the horizontal to the.

vertical.

Mounted centrally and adjacent the bottom of the chute in a cutout portion of the rear wall 202 is a pair of switch actuators, generally designated by numeral 231 and best shown in FIG. 11, each including a vertically depending actuator bar 232. Each bar is pivotally supported by link 2333 at its upper end and by a link 234 at its lower end,

each link in turn being pivotally secured to a central, fixed actuates the switches 5-6 and 8-7, a .Load Clear light, FIG. 26B will be illuminated, and a magazine drive switch S-5, FIG. 26B, may, at this time, be manually closed to start the feed of the rounds from the loader into the magazine. Switches 5-6 and 8-7 are so interlocked electrically as to stop the magazine should a lapse occur in the successive filling of rounds in the chute 2049. This eliminates any blank round position or bubble in the magazine.

The lower forward section of the front wall 231 is hinged at 239 forming a door 241 for stripping rounds from the magazine in the event firing has terminated with a partial load left in the magazine.

In this event, spring-biased door locks 242 are released, the magazine drive is reversed and rounds will be passed through the opened door 241 and over an inclined ramp 243 which is aligned with the door and end walls of the loader.

In the event the magazine is to be reloaded from a partially filled state, door 241 will remain locked and the reversely driven rounds will re-enter chute 2% where actuation of switches S6 and S7 will initiate stoppage of the magazine drive.

A compact, large capacity, magazine forms the other part of the combination of the present invention. The magazine is in the general shape of an inverted fU and one such magazine is provided for each gun. In the instant disclosure, the right magazine is illustrated in detail, the left magazine being similar except for a reversal of parts. In brief, as shown in FIG. 14, the passage of rounds into and from the magazine is as follows: when the rounds have passed through the loader, they are at the forward and lower end of the inverted U-shaped magazine. The rounds are then engaged by a pair of magazine feed star wheels operating in synchronisrn with round engaging lugs mounted on relatively spaced rods extending between a pair of endless chains. When engaged by the chain the path of the rounds is up the front leg of the U-shaped magazine, across the top, down the back leg and, after making a series of such similar flights, the round emerges near the upper inner portion of the front leg. Suitable guide rails, both straight and curved, are disposed as needed throughout the magazine for guiding engagement with the rounds. The chains may be sprocket driven, and sufiicient idlers are provided to maintain the requisite tension and conform the chain to the various channels formed by the guide rails. At the round entry end of the magazine, cam and switch means are provided to control the magazine in the final stages of reverse drive during unloading or refilling operations of a partially filled magazine. The magazine round exit end contains switch means for controlling the loader mounted round engaging fingers and also a pair of driven magazine exit star wheels cooperating with a series of additional driven star wheels on an associated round transfer mechanism, the latter being relatively movable with respect to the magazine.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 7, 8, 11 and 12 to 23 inclusive, there is shown portions of the inverted, U-shaped magazine, generally designated by numeral 118 having an inclined forward leg portion 361, an upper and rearwardly extending portion 302 and a downwardly extending, inclined rear leg portion 303. As is best illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 14, at the front and lower end of the forward leg portion is located the loader 1229, described hereinbefore, which supplies rounds to a pair of magazine round entry end star Wheels 364 secured to a cross shaft 335 which is journalled in bearing members 306 in the lower right and left magazine side wall members 325. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the loader side walls 2% are outboard of the entry end star wheels 304-. Thus, the round ends are guided in lateral motion so that the rounds may be properly positioned on star wheels 3%4.

As shown by FIGS. 7, 8, and 14, the shaft 305 is vertically and rearwardly displaced from a chain sprocket shaft 367 on which are mounted a pair of chain idler sprockets 308 over which run a pair of endless round carrying chains 309. Chain idler rollers 311 are freely carried by shaft 305 and function to maintain the chains in engagement with idler sprockets 3th} and assure the maintenance of the desired configuration of the rapidly moving chains as they change direction from the horizontal to a nearly vertical direction of travel. Rollers 311 also prevent whip or flexing of the chains. The

idler sprockets

308 and 310, mounted on

shafts

307 and 312, respectively, are employed for the additional purposes of establishing the desired travel path for the rounds at desired locations within the magazine and for supporting the chains along the length of the travel path. Referring to FIGS. 8 and 12, the chain sprocket and

star wheel shafts

307 and 305 have synchronizing

gears

314 and 315, both respectively, mounted on one end of each shaft, the gears maintaining a fixed relationship between the drive arms of the star wheels and the round engaging lugs carried by the chains. Additionally, an adjustable multilobed cam 316 is secured adjacent gear 315 on shaft 365, the cam engaging a switch 8-13. This switch causes the magazine drive in reverse to stop with the star wheels 3% aligned in a position to again receive rounds from chute 200. This function will be apparent from the circuitry shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B, described hereinafter. Thus, the possibility of a round becoming jammed between star wheels 304 and chute 200 is eliminated.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 21, it will be observed that on each of the rods 313 are secured, inboard of the chains, a pair of cam shaped, round engaging lugs 317. These lugs contact the reduced diameter portion of each round and are so spaced along the chain that a round is receivable between a pair of lugs on one cross rod and a pair of lugs on the next succeeding cross rod. Lugs 317 also function to reduce chain whip, the fingers 319 of the lugs 317 engaging the round guide rails, described later. Lateral motion of the round in a direction transverse to the chains is prevented by circular round engaging retainers 31%;, a pair being mounted on and secured to the end of each cross rod 313 adjacent the inner edge of each chain 339.

In FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 13, the forward and rearward legs 3191 and 3&3, respectively, of the magazine are disclosed as including open framework portions and may, if desired, be fabricated from vertically and horizontally extending angle bars 322 and 323, respectively. Reference is now made to FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 wherein the forward leg 3% is illustrated as being supported by a base 324 including a pair of horizontally extending channel shaped side walls 325 rigidly retained in parallel spaced lateral relationship by a series of cross members 326 similar to those on the rear leg, FIG. 15. The medial portions of the base side walls have a series of bearings 327 which support a plurality of cross, chain idler sprocket shafts 3%)7, FIG. 14, each of which has a pair of chain engaging sprockets 3% over which run the round carrier chains 389. Spaced inboard from the side walls 325, and extending upwardly are a series of round engaging, vertically inclined, guide rails 331 by which the rounds are guided in their various movements through the magazine. The upper ends of these guide rails are rigidly connected as at 332 to smooth, continuous, mating curved portions 333 of horizontally extending guide rails 334 located in the upper central section 3&2.

The upper forward, upper central and upper

rear sections

346, 347, and 348, respectively, FIG. 13, are made in substantially the same manner as the aforementioned base 324 in that they respectively comprise a pair of horizontally extending generally similar side walls 335 with a series of irregularly spaced bearings

Claims

1. A SUBSTANTIALLY SELF-BALANCING AMMUNITION MAGAZINE AND LOADER COMBINATION FOR USE WITH A TRIANABLE RAPIDFIRE GUN ELEVATABLE ABOUT A GUN WITH A TRAINABLE RAPIDAN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE CARRIER FOR CARRYING ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION THROUGH THE MAGAZINE, SUPPORT MEANS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CARRIER FOR SUPPORTING MEANS IN ENGAGECARRIER THROUGHOUT THE TRAVEL THEREOF AND TRIANABLE WITH THE GUN, MEANS FOR GUIDING THE ROUNDS AS THE LATTER ARE MOVED BY SAID CARRIER, DRIVE MEANS FOR SAID CARRIER, A LOADING STATION ADJACENT THE CARRIER AND AT ONE SIDE OF THE MAGAZINE FOR INTRODUCING ROUNDS TO THE CARRIER, AN UNLOADING STATION ADJAENT THE CARRIER, SAID UNLOADING STATION BEING CENTRALLY DISPOSED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE MAGAZINE AND REMOTE FROM THE LOADING STATION FOR RECEIVING ROUNDS FROM THE CARRIER, MEANS AT SAID UNLOADING STATION FOR UNLOADING ROUNDS FROM THE MAGAZINE REGARDLESS OF ELEVATION OF THE GUN, SAID CARRIER MEANS BEING SUPPORTED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY BALANCED CIRCUITOUS PATH OF TRAVEL FOR MOVING THE ROUNDS FROM THE LOADING STATION TO THE UNLOADING STATION SO AS TO FILL THE MAGAZINE SUCCESSIVELY AND SUBSTANTIALLY EQUALLY ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A VERTICAL PLANE INCLUDING THE GUN TRUNNION AXIS TO THEREBY MAINTAIN A CLOSE WEIGHT BALANCE OF THE MAGAZINE DURING LOADING AND UNLOADING OPERATIONS, SAID LOADING STATION INCLUDING A HOUSING TRAINABLE WITH THE GUN AND ALIGNED WITH SAID CARRIER, A PLURALITY OF ROUND GUIDING WALLS OF SAID HOUSING DEFINING A VERTICAL CHUTE, HORIZONTAL INLET AND OUTLET STATIONS RESPECTIVELY LOCATED AT THE TOP