DE102024000529A1 - Device for monitoring shooting rhythm - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for monitoring the shooting rhythm, comprising a firing time counter and a sensor and display unit, is presented, characterized in that the sensor and display unit can be influenced by remote control.

Description

The invention relates to a device for monitoring the firing rhythm of a machine gun.

An important goal of helicopter gunner training is to develop a feel for the stresses and strains of the weapon being operated. When firing a machine gun, it is therefore important to allow the barrel to cool down between bursts to avoid overstressing the weapon prematurely.

The instructors instruct the gunners about the maximum number of rounds, the required cool-down times, and the dangers of non-compliance. Previous instruction from the instructor has been purely verbal. During active firing of the weapon, the noise and the distance make it very difficult for the instructor to maintain a consistent rhythm.

Optical devices that provide information about the condition of weapons are already known from the prior art. For example, Swiss Patent Application CH 21.0 857 A discloses an electrical pulse counter, e.g., for counting fires for machine guns. It is characterized by a drum provided with a display curve, which is driven by a stepping mechanism controlled by the pulse generator, and a disc covering this drum except for a slot running coaxially with it, on which the scale corresponding to the display curve is arranged.

In the case of handguns, it is also known to position the sensors decentrally in the periphery of the weapon.

From the disclosure document WO 2018 098 514 A1 A device for detecting shots fired from a handgun is known, comprising an acceleration sensor designed to measure the acceleration of the hand, a noise sensor designed to measure the sound pressure level of the shot noise, and a processing unit to which the acceleration sensor and noise sensor are connected and to which the measurement results of the acceleration sensor and noise sensor are forwarded, and which is designed to detect a shot if the signals respectively forwarded by the acceleration sensor and noise sensor each exceed a predetermined threshold value within a predetermined period of time, characterized by a fastening means for attaching the acceleration sensor and noise sensor to a hand and/or a wrist, in particular in a movement-rigid manner.

Also already known are systems that not only display the status of the weapon, such as the loading level, but are also used to control the weapon.

The Swiss Disclosure Document CH 531 698 A presents a cadence and rhythm control device for machine weapons with electrical control for firing, characterized by a presettable counter for the number of shots per burst, by a pulse generator triggered by the weapon for controlling the counter and by a shutdown device for the control when the preset number of shots is reached.

Furthermore, the European patent specification EP 1 881 292 B1 A device for detecting and counting shots from an automatic or semi-automatic firearm is known. In a particular embodiment, the firearm exhibits the following function: If the microprocessor detects an excessive length of shots, it warns the shooter by means of an appropriate display, consisting, for example, of a series of information via light indicators in different colors, of which the green display indicates normal use, the orange display indicates limited use, and the red display indicates a potentially dangerous situation.

The disadvantage of the previously known solutions is that the display devices cannot be influenced for training purposes.

The object of the invention is therefore to propose a device which indicates the condition of the weapon, in particular due to thermal stress, during the training of the shooters and which can be influenced for training purposes.

This object is achieved by the characterizing features of the main claim. Advantageous embodiments are described in the subclaims.

The advantage of the invention is that the optical display device not only displays the weapon's data, but can also be influenced remotely. Remote control, within the meaning of the invention, can be either a wired or a radio-controlled connection. However, given its use in aviation, the wired solution is more advantageous because it is easier to implement. Furthermore, The instructor and the weapon trainee are in visual contact and therefore only a few meters apart.

A remote control for remotely influencing the optical display device has several actuators.

The thermal load on weapon barrels increases as a function of the firing of a shot, while the cooling depends on the ambient parameters such as air temperature and cooling air velocity. The curves are approximately linear and are determined by the manufacturer during development for each weapon type. For training purposes, it is advantageous to simulate various situations and adjust the dependencies accordingly, without always taking the actual condition of the weapon into account. A first actuator is provided to adjust the dependency between weapon heating and firing. A second actuator is provided to adjust the dependency between weapon cooling and ambient conditions. In addition, the remote control has an actuator for activating the optical "fire authorization" display.

Actuators within the meaning of the invention can be push-buttons, rotary switches, and rotary switches. Potentiometers are also conceivable, but not exclusively.

The firing rhythm monitoring system according to the invention proposes another safety-relevant aspect. Due to the high noise levels, verbal communication between instructor and trainee during operations is only possible to a limited extent. On the other hand, there are special safety requirements when operating a weapon system. To prevent irritations and misunderstandings between the persons involved, which arise due to limited acoustic perception, the firing rhythm monitoring system features a visual indication for permission to fire. The indication is remotely operated by the instructor and, by illuminating, visually indicates to the trainee that permission to fire has been granted. If the indication goes out, permission to fire has been revoked. The visual indication for permission to fire is particularly advantageous when placed in or on the visual display device.

A further advantage of the firing rhythm monitoring system according to the invention is that the optical displays are dimmable. The training of on-board gunners takes place at any time of day or night and is supported as needed by appropriate light amplifiers or night vision devices. In order to cover the wide range of lighting conditions, from direct sunlight to night operations, it is necessary to adjust the intensity of the optical displays. As a solution, the displays are dimmable. The intensity is adjusted using a rotary control on the sensor and display unit.

• Die Vorrichtung zur Schießrhythmus-Überwachung ist aufgeteilt in eine erste Sensor- und Anzeigeeinheit und eine Fernbedienung.

For a better understanding, the following functional sequence is described:

• The shooting rhythm monitoring device is divided into a first sensor and display unit and a remote control.

The training mode is set on the sensor and display unit.

The basic mode (Mode 1) is used during initial firing exercises to teach the gunner the weapon's primary firing rhythm by displaying the duration of fire and the pause in fire. Both time values are preset in this mode.

The optical “fire permission” indicator, designed as a signal lamp, is used in this mode to signal the start of shooting to the shooter, which occurs automatically via the sensor or manually using the remote control.

In addition, the signal lamp changes from constant light to flashing for the duration of the cooling-off period (fire break).

The automatic mode for initial training (mode 2) is used in subsequent shooting exercises to check the gunner's learned primary shooting rhythm.

To do this, the shooter must adhere to a shooting time specified by the instructor.

On the one hand, the optical “fire permission” indicator is used in this mode to signal the start of the shooting time to the shooter, and on the other hand, it changes from a constant light to flashing for the duration of the cooling-off period.

The shooter's firing time, automatically measured by the sensor, is displayed for 2 seconds after the firing interval ends. The cooldown time runs in the background and becomes visible after the displayed firing time.

In Mode 3 (Automatic Operational Training Mode), the sensor and display unit detects when the gunner begins firing, measures the firing duration, and calculates the required cooling time. If multiple firing rhythms are detected where the cooling time is not fully observed, the firing rhythm monitor provides A multi-colored LED display visually indicates the current pipe load.

The instructor issues the general firing permission via the wired remote control of the firing rhythm monitoring system, which is indicated by a flashing signal lamp on the sensor and display unit.

The trainee shooter begins firing shots and bursts as soon as he has received the optical firing permission from the device and the firing authorization from the instructor.

The heat input is calculated based on stored manufacturer information on cooling times and cooling limits, and the thermal pipe load is displayed using an LED display.

If the shots are fired too frequently and the cooling time is therefore too short, the increased wear of the weapon due to excessive thermal barrel stress is indicated by LEDs of different colors.

The instructor can remotely terminate the fire permit. It is also possible to start, pause, or reset the counting process for calculating the thermal pipe load.

• Es zeigt 1 eine erfindungsgemäße Schießrhythmus-Überwachung in schematischer Darstellung.
• Es zeigt 2 einen Graphen zur Darstellung der tatsächlichen thermischen Rohrbelastung bei der Abgabe von mehreren Kadenzen sowie einen zweiten Graphen zur Schaltung des Anzeigegeräts nach ferngesteuerter Beeinflussung.

In order to be able to adapt the displays of the sensor and display unit to the lighting conditions during the exercise, the displays are dimmable.

• It shows 1 a schematic representation of a shooting rhythm monitoring system according to the invention.
• It shows 2 a graph showing the actual thermal pipe load when delivering multiple cadences and a second graph showing the switching of the display device after remote control.

It shows 1 a sensor and display unit 1 and a wired remote control 2. The sensor and display unit 1 has a display 3 with seven-segment displays 4, an LED display 5, and a visual permit-to-fire indicator 6. The firing duration is indicated on the display 3 using the seven-segment displays 4. The thermal barrel load is also indicated visually using differently colored LEDs. The visual permit-to-fire indicator 6 lights up continuously during the firing phase and flashes during the cooling-off period. The sensor and display unit 1 is attached to the weapon within the trainee's field of vision. The remote control 2 has a button 7 for starting the respective mode and a second button 8 for resetting the current firing rhythm. A switch 9 controls the visual permit-to-fire indicator 6.

It shows 2 a first graph 10 in a Cartesian coordinate system 11. Time is plotted on the abscissa, and the temperature of the weapon barrel on the ordinate. When a salvo is fired at a certain rate, the temperature of the weapon barrel 12 rises, then decreases according to the ambient conditions 13. Depending on the frequency of the salvos and their length, the barrel heats up or cools down more and more. The temperature ranges "cold" 14, "operating temperature" 15, and "overheating" 16 are visually indicated by the LED display 5.

The second graph (17) results from the same firing rate when the heating and cooling of the weapon barrel are simultaneously controlled remotely for training purposes. The thermal load on the weapon barrel was increased while simulating a lower cooling rate.

List of reference symbols

1

Sensor and display unit

2

remote control

3

Display

4

Seven-segment display

5

LED display

6

Optical display for permission to fire

7

First button

8

Second button

9

Switch

10

First graph

11

Cartesian coordinate system

12

Temperature rise of the gun barrel

13

Cooling of the gun barrel

14

Temperature range cold

15

Temperature range operating temperature

16

Temperature range overheating

17

Second graph

QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• WO 2018 098 514 A1 [0006]
• CH 531 698 A [0008]
• EP 1 881 292 B1 [0009]

Claims (5)

Device for monitoring the firing rhythm, comprising a firing time counter and a sensor and display unit, characterized in that - the sensor and display unit can be influenced by remote control. Device according to Claim 1 , characterized in that a calculated cooling time of the weapon barrel can be influenced remotely due to the thermal load caused by the firing. Device according to Claim 1 , characterized in that a permissible firing time can be influenced remotely within a certain interval. Device for monitoring the shooting rhythm according to one of the Claims 1 until 3 , characterized in that an optical display for permitting fire can be controlled remotely. Device for monitoring the shooting rhythm according to one of the Claims 1 until 4 , characterized in that the sensor and display unit and the optical display for permitting fire are dimmable.