Shell launcher for drone and method of launching shell for drone using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11485496-B2
Application number	US-202017101208-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2020
Priority date	Dec 30, 2019
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

Proposed are a shell launcher for a drone and a method of launching shells for a drone. According to the shell launcher for a drone and the method of launching shells for a drone, by launching shells such as EFPs using a drone, it is possible to use a drone as various weapon systems.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A shell launcher for a drone, comprising:
a shell delivery casing having a shell storage space in which a plurality of shells are disposed, and having a launching gate door for releasing shell on a bottom thereof;
a launching rotor disposed on a top of the shell delivery casing and rotating the shell delivery casing; and
a drone coupler disposed on the launching rotor and coupling the launching rotor to a drone,
wherein the shell delivery casing comprises:
a casing body having an open top and having the shell storage space; and
a separating cover thread-fastened to the open top of the casing body and rotated by the launching rotor,
wherein the launching rotor separates the separating cover from the casing body by rotating the separating cover in an opposite direction to a thread-fastening direction.

2. The shell launcher for a drone of claim 1 , further comprising a gimbal unit disposed between the drone coupler and the launching rotor to maintain vertical and horizontal positions of the shell delivery casing.

3. The shell launcher for a drone of claim 1 , further comprising precessional guide rails disposed at an angle in the shell delivery casing and guiding the shells that are released downward to cause the shells to precess.

4. The shell launcher of claim 1 , further comprising:
precessional guide rails disposed at an angle in the shell delivery casing and having guide rail grooves that are longitudinally formed to accommodate protrusions formed on outer sides of the shells and are opened downward; and
releasing rail openers disposed at lower portions of the precessional guide rails to hold and support protrusions of the shells in the guide rail grooves and to unhold protrusions,
wherein the precessional guide rails are rotatably connected to the casing body via bearing at upper ends and the precessional guide rails are disposed in pair to face each other at both sides of the shells.

5. The shell launcher of claim 1 , further comprising a shell retainer disposed in the shell delivery casing to hold and support bottoms of stacked shells and to sequentially release the stacked shell through an open bottom of the shell delivery casing.

6. The shell launcher of claim 5 , further comprising shell support panels disposed in the shell delivery casing, having the shells, and held by the shell retainer.

7. The shell launcher of claim 6 , further comprising precessional guide rails disposed at an angle in the shell delivery casing and guiding the shells that are released downward to cause the shells to precess,
wherein a shell support protrusion movably coupled to the processional guide rails and supporting a bottom of the inclined shell is disposed on a top of each of the shell support panels.

8. The shell launcher of claim 4 , wherein the shell retainer comprises:
a shell pusher pushing down the shells stacked in the shell delivery casing; and
rotary holders that are rotatably disposed in a side of the shell delivery casing and each having a plurality of shell holder blades, which holds and supports a bottom of a shell on an outer side, and
when the shell pusher is operated, the rotary holders is pushed and rotated, and sequentially holding and supporting the shells that are released downward.

9. The shell launcher of claim 8 , wherein the shell retainer further comprises holder stoppers that stop the rotary holders and enable the rotary holders to rotate only when being pushed and rotated by a predetermined level or more force of the predetermined level.

10. The shell launcher of claim 9 , wherein the holder stopper is a ball plunger having a structure in which a ball inserted in a side of the shell holder blade is elastically supported.

11. The shell launcher of claim 8 , further comprising a door lock that locks and unlocks the shell gate door to keep the shell gate door closed or to open the shell gate door,
wherein the door lock receives power generated by operation of the shell pusher, thereby unlocking the shell gate door.

12. The shell launcher of claim 11 , wherein the door lock comprises:
a sliding member of which a portion is inserted in the shell delivery casing and the other portion is inserted in the launching gate door;
a locking slide that is elastically supported by a spring and protrudes out of the sliding member to lock the sliding member;
an unlocking spring that elastically supports the locking slide; and
an unlocking slide unit that is moved down by rotation of the rotary holder and presses the locking slide to unlock the sliding member,
wherein when the sliding member is unlocked, the sliding member is moved into the launching gate door by elastic restoring force of the unlocking spring, whereby the launching gate door is unlocked.

13. The shell launcher of claim 12 , wherein the unlocking slide unit comprises:
an unlocking pinion gear part disposed in the rotary holder and being rotated by rotation of the rotary holder; and
an unlocking rack gear member disposed in the side of the shell delivery casing to be movable up and down and vertically disposed in mesh with the pinion gear part.

14. The shell launcher of claim 1 , further comprising a door lock that locks and unlocks the shell gate door to keep the shell gate door closed or to open the shell gate door,
wherein the door lock unlocks the shell gate door to open the shell gate door after the launching rotor is operated.

15. The shell launcher of claim 14 , wherein the door lock unlocks the shell delivery casing to open the launching door after the launching rotor rotates the separating member in the thread-fastening direction.

16. The shell launcher of claim 14 , wherein the launching door is rotatably hinged at an end to the shell delivery casing, and has the door lock at another end, and rotates downward about a hinge to open the bottom of the shell delivery casing when the door lock is unlocked.

Assignees

• Hanwha Corp

Inventors

• Kim Se Hun
• Kim Hye Sung
• Lee Woon Soon
• Kim Yee Jung
• Jeong Yong Teo

Classifications

• B64U2101/15

  for conventional or electronic warfare · CPC title

• E05B65/006

  for covers or panels (for manholes E02D29/1427; for holes enabling access to installations in buildings E04F19/08; for pressure vessels F16J13/00) · CPC title

• E05C1/004

  parallel to the surface on which the fastener is mounted · CPC title

• B64D1/06 Primary

  Bomb releasing; Bomb doors · CPC title

• F42B25/00

  Fall bombs (F42B10/00, F42B12/00 take precedence; for practice or training F42B8/12 {; gliding type bombs F42B15/105}) · CPC title