EP0059921B1 - Stabilizing and traversing drive for a vehicle turret - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a stabilizing and straightening drive for a turret of a vehicle, which is rotatably mounted on the vehicle body via a turntable and on the friction surfaces driven in opposite directions and pressurized friction pads actuating torques for aligning the turret to a desired direction can be applied.

For example, a turret is part of a turret weapon system on an armored vehicle.

The torque to be applied by the stabilization and directional drive of such a tower weapon system depends on the required acceleration torque to overcome the inertia of the turret and on the maximum imbalance moments that occur. Imbalance moments must be absorbed in the azimuth by the stabilization and directional drive, for example, when the vehicle equipped with the turret is in an inclined position or is driving or when the center of gravity of the turret does not coincide with the axis of rotation and is accelerated linearly as a result of cornering, pitching and rolling movements.

Stabilizing and straightening drives of the type described in the introduction have been proposed. In this case, a drive torque is transmitted from a pinion to the turntable of the turret by the drive arranged inside the turntable. This type of force transmission has two major disadvantages: the amount of torque that can be transmitted is limited by the tooth strength. The torque input via the slewing ring is dynamically "soft", so that the control quality of the drive, which is regulated by a controller in the desired direction of the turret, is reduced. Normally, the torques of the turret occurring due to the unbalance are within the limits that can be applied by the known drives. However, under extreme driving conditions the maximum straightening torques that can be applied by the known drives are sometimes exceeded by the unbalance or disturbance torques mentioned, which results in an undesired rotation of the turret against the tub. In comparison to other disturbing influences, such as friction, the unbalance moments mentioned are dominant.

The invention has for its object to provide a stabilizing and straightening drive with which large unbalance torques characteristic of such turrets can be absorbed, the control quality being to be increased.

To achieve this object, according to the invention, in the case of a stabilization and directional drive of the type described in the introduction, it is provided that the braking surfaces are formed on two rotating rings which are concentrically arranged adjacent to the central turntable radius and are mounted on the vehicle body or on the rotating tower and are driven in opposite directions, and that the friction linings are arranged on the same mean radius as the rotating rings, axially adjacent to the rotating tower or on the vehicle body.

The frictional force generated on the rotating rings with the stabilizing and straightening drive according to the invention brings about a direct application of a stabilizing or straightening torque counteracting the unbalance moments. This moment is given by the friction force multiplied by the large lever arm between the rotating rings and the center of the rotating tower. The dynamic eigenvalues of the slewing ring bearing and the otherwise usual gear stage are eliminated.

The pressing force is applied with the help of a controller, which aligns the turret in a given target direction (straightening) or keeps the turret aligned in this direction regardless of movements of the base (stabilization).

To improve the control quality, control loops can also be used in the invention with feedforward control, such as are customary for control systems with strong interference. For example, the linear acceleration acting at the center of gravity is measured and applied to the control loop.

Like the known stabilizing and straightening drives, the drive according to the invention also works with a large servo ratio. In other words, the power required to regulate the pressing force is much lower than the power required to straighten the turret.

The unregulated primary power is preferably made available by means of at least one drive group, which is preferably arranged on the vehicle body and has, for example, an electric motor.

The friction linings are advantageously pressed electromagnetically onto the braking surfaces of the rotating rings by means of magnetic force, the electrical power to be fed into the rotating tower via a slip ring being far less than the primary power.

By choosing the effective magnetic surface of the electromagnets, the stabilizing and straightening drive can be designed for very high maximum torques.

The magnetic force for pressing the friction linings can also be applied by means of permanent magnets which counteract the electromagnets. In the event of a power failure, the permanent magnets block the braking surfaces, i.e. to lock or "lash" the turret in a very simple manner in relation to the vehicle body.

For emergency operation, an additional toothing can be arranged on one of the rotating rings to interact with a hand-operated pinion.

• Fig. 1 eine teilweise abgebrochene Draufsicht eines gepanzerten Fahrzeuges mit einem Drehturm;
• Fig. 2 einen Ausschnitt des Drehturmes nach Fig. 1 in vergrössertem Massstab, wobei ein Teil herausgebrochen ist;
• Fig. 3 einen Teilschnitt nach der Linie 111-111 in Fig. 2 in weiter vergrössertem Massstab.

The invention is explained below with reference to schematic drawings of an embodiment with further details. Show it:

• Figure 1 is a partially broken plan view of an armored vehicle with a turret.
• Fig. 2 shows a detail of the turret of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale, with a part broken away.
• Fig. 3 is a partial section along the line 111-111 in Fig. 2 in a further enlarged scale.

In Fig. 1 with 1 a vehicle body and with 2 a turret with a barrel weapon 3 and turntable 4 be is drawn, via which the turret 2 can be rotated relative to the vehicle body 1.

According to FIGS. 2, 3, the turntable comprises a pivot bearing, generally designated by reference number 5, on which the turret 2 is supported on the vehicle body 1. Furthermore, two rotary rings 6, 7 are rotatably mounted on the vehicle body 1 via bearings 8, 9 somewhat radially outside the rotary bearing 5. The rotating rings 6, 7 have braking surfaces 10, 11 at the top, with which several pairs of friction linings 12, 13 cooperate. Each pair of friction linings is accommodated with associated pairs of electromagnets 14, 15 in housings 16, 17. Together with the friction linings, these housings form an assembly which is arranged in a sliding guide 19 in the turret 2 so as to be free of radial play and axially floating. Depending on the desired performance, a plurality of such housings 16, 17 (see FIG. 2) combined in pairs can be arranged offset on the circumference on the central radius of the slewing ring 4.

In Fig. 2, an electric motor 20 is drawn in dashed lines, which acts on two gears 21, 22. An output pinion 23, 24 belongs to each transmission. The pinion 24, although offset in the circumferential direction with respect to the cutting plane III-111, is also indicated in broken lines in FIG. 3. It interacts with an external toothing 25 on the rotating ring 6 and at the same time with an internal toothing 26 on the rotating ring 7. The rotating rings are thus driven in opposite directions via the two pinions 23, 24, but with the amount of the same speed. The tooth forces are kept comparatively low due to the use of two pinions. Diagonally opposite, a corresponding drive 20 can in turn be provided with two output pinions 23, 24, as indicated in FIG. 1.

Part of the housings 16, 17 can contain permanent magnets (not shown), which result in a permanent attractive force between the friction linings 12, 13 and the braking surfaces 10, 11. The electromagnets 14, 15 counteract the permanent magnets in a controlled manner during operation. In the non-actuated state, the counteraction of the electromagnets 14, 15 is eliminated, so that a force-locking blocking or lashing between the turret 2 and the vehicle body 1 is generated by the permanent magnet force.

The electromagnets 14, 15 are energized by a controller (not shown) which, in the event of an angular deviation of the rotary position of the turret 2 or of the barrel weapon 3 from a predetermined desired direction, emits actuation signals in the sense of canceling the angular deviation either to the electromagnets 14 or to the electromagnets 15. As a result, the associated rotating ring 6 or 7 is braked, so that a drive torque is applied to the rotating tower practically without delay, which varies depending on the size of the control pulse, but because of the large distance of the electromagnets 14, 15 from the center of the rotating ring and the arbitrarily large selectable friction lining surface of the friction linings 12, 13 can always be made larger than the largest unbalance moments of the turret occurring in practice.

Claims (9)

1. Stabilizing and aligning drive means for a revolving turret (2) of a vehicle which is rotatably mounted on the vehicle body (1) by means of a track ring and to which adjusting moments may be applied via oppositely driven brake surfaces (10, 11) and frictional pads (12, 13) which may be controllably pressed thereagainst to align the turret (2) with a desired direction, characterised in that the brake surfaces (10, 11) are formed on two rotary rings (6, 7) concentrically disposed adjacent the mean track ring radius which are mounted on the vehicle body (1) or on the turret (2) and are driven in opposite senses, and that the frictional pads (12, 13) are axially moveably arranged on the turret (2) or on the vehicle body at the same radius as the rotary rings and adjacent to them.

2. Drive means as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the rotary rings (6, 7) have peripheral toothings (25, 26) directed towards one another which co-operate with at least one common drive pinion (23, 24) arranged between them of at least one drive group (20-24).

3. Drive means as claimed in Claim 2, characterised in that the or each drive group has at least two drive pinions (23, 24).

4. Drive means as claimed in Claim 2, characterised in that the drive pinions (23, 24) of the or each drive group co-operate with the peripheral toothings (25, 26) of the rotary rings (6, 7) offset in the peripheral direction.

5. Drive means as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the frictional pads (12,13) may be pressed against the brake surfaces (10, 11) of the rotary rings (6, 7) by means of magnetic force.

6. Drive means as claimed in Claim 5, characterised in that the frictional pads (12, 13) are associated with controllable electromagnets (14, 15) in assemblies (16, 17) which are arranged in the turret (2) or on the vehicle body so as to be axially floating and radially play-fee.

7. Drive means as claimed in Claim 6, characterised in that the magnetic force for pressing the frictional pads (12, 13) is applied by means of permanent magnets which oppose the electromagnets (14, 15).

8. Drive means as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that an additional toothing is arranged on one of the rotary rings (6, 7) for co-operating with a hand-driven pinion for emergency operation.

9. Drive means as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 8, characterised in that in order to improve the quality of control the linear acceleration at the centre of gravity of the turret (2) is measured and fed to a control circuit for controlling the pressing force of the frictional pads (12, 13).

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