Disposable, miniature internal optical ignition source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9909847-B1
Application number	US-201615332422-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 24, 2016
Priority date	Mar 28, 2013
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

An ammunition cartridge for a gun is optically initiated by a mechanism wholly within the cartridge case itself. The case has as optical primer initiation means producing light fluence to ignite a primer, which ignited primer may in turn ignite into a flashtube, and which ignited flashtube may in turn ignite a bed of propellant in said cartridge. The optical primer initiation means may be an LED, a laser diode, a VCSEL, or some other light emitting device in general. The cartridge optically initiated primer package is so sized and made electrically and mechanically seamlessly physically compatible with current ammunition cartridges such that these new cartridges are completely interchangeable. If the cartridge primer initiation means is of a percussion type, the cartridge is adapted to include an in-line piezoelectric crystal so that electrical power will be generated when the cartridge assembly is struck by a firing pin during percussion type operations; the power is then used to initiate the light emitting device.

First claim

We claim:

1. An optically initiated device comprising a case comprising an energetic charge, a booster charge embedded in said energetic charge and a primer assembly to initiate said energetic charge, said primer assembly comprising an optical source wherein the booster charge comprises a flashtube embedded in said energetic charge and wherein said optical source produces sufficient light fluence to ignite said primer, which ignited primer in turn ignites into said flashtube, and which ignited flashtube in turn ignites said energetic charge.

2. The optically initiated device of claim 1 wherein the energetic charge is a propellant charge.

3. The optically initiated device of claim 1 wherein the energetic charge is a pyrotechnic charge.

4. The optically initiated device of claim 1 wherein the optical source is selected from the group comprising: a light emitting diode, a laser diode and a VCSEL.

5. The optically initiated device of claim 1 wherein the primer assembly further comprises a metallic housing surrounding the optical source.

6. The optically initiated device of claim 5 wherein the case is a metallic container.

Assignees

• Us Army

Inventors

• Burke Gregory
• Hirlinger John

Classifications

• F42B5/28

  of metal {, i.e. the cartridge-case tube is of metal} · CPC title

• F42C19/0823

  Primers or igniters for the initiation or the propellant charge in a cartridged ammunition (primers for caseless ammunition F42C19/085) · CPC title

• F42B5/08 Primary

  modified for electric ignition · CPC title

• F42C19/0807

  characterised by the particular configuration of the transmission channels from the priming energy source to the charge to be ignited, e.g. multiple channels, nozzles, diaphragms or filters · CPC title

• F42C19/083

  characterised by the shape and configuration of the base element embedded in the cartridge bottom, e.g. the housing for the squib or percussion cap · CPC title