EP0114266B1 - Signalling device - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a signal device for firing signal cartridges.

With signal devices of this type, light, smoke and / or sound signals can be generated which are suitable to point out emergency situations and to initiate the initiation of relief measures.

Signal devices of this type are therefore widespread, particularly in shipping, aviation and the military.

These signaling devices, which have already been introduced, are predominantly constructed in the form of a handgun, so that their external appearance alone meets with massive reservations in civilian areas of application, for example in sports boating or in other types of water sports, in particular also in surfing or hiking in the mountains.

The design, which is based on the weapon construction, also provides for a committee direction lying in a horizontal plane in a natural hand position. In order to achieve a large angle favoring the detection of the emergency signal when firing, the mouth of the signal gun must first be moved in the direction of the vertical. This presupposes a hand position that deviates from the natural hand position, which in an emergency situation places additional considerations on those in need.

In addition, attempts have already been made to create signal devices with an outer shape that differs from the weapon construction, which also enable the emergency signal to be emitted in the vertical direction with a natural hand position. In the devices of this type which have become known, however, two-handed operation was provided, one hand of the operator being required for the tensioning process and the other hand for the firing process. Obviously, such a construction does not meet the requirements to be placed on an emergency signal device, when one considers that many emergencies involve injuries to the limbs, so that in favorable cases only one hand of the injured person is still functional.

A signal device having the features of the preamble of claim 1 is, for. B. from GB-A-1 595 074 known. This device does not allow one-hand operation, because it is first necessary to stretch with both hands by pulling back a stick, and only then can it be released.

From French patent specification 1 297 219 a similar signal device is known, in which the trigger lever acts directly on the spring bearing of the ignition pin and is returned to its starting position when relieved by a second spring. With this construction, both the trigger lever and a safety lever protrude outwards from the housing of the handle. To operate, both levers must be pressed in in a specific order. As a result, the device is prone to failure and can easily be damaged. An automatic abrupt advancement of the ignition pin with only a slight depression of a single trigger lever is not possible there.

There is also no possibility of attaching a magazine for several cartridges to the device, and in particular the actuating mechanism for a magazine feed cannot be accommodated in the handle.

A signal device with a rotatable magazine is known from German patent specification 1 174 211, in which the tensioning and the triggering can only take place by two different movements.

To release a button must be pivoted sideways and after cocking the button must be pushed down and twisted laterally so that it engages in a lateral recess. The button protruding from the handle is prone to failure and dangerous, since it also jumps forward when the firing pin is pushed forward. In addition, this device is bulky because the magazine protrudes laterally over the handle.

From the German patent specification 861 659 a signal device is known, in which the actuation is carried out by a trigger lever protruding laterally from the handle. The trigger lever acts on the hammer actuating the ignition pin via a pivotable pawl. Both the hammer and the pawl, and with it the trigger, are pushed back into their original position by the action of a single long, curved leaf spring. This one spring must at the same time cause the hammer to strike the firing pin and pivot the pawl back into the locked position. This makes the device susceptible to faults. No magazine for several cartridges can be attached to the device, and a feed device for such a magazine cannot be accommodated in the handle.

The invention is therefore based on the object to improve a device mentioned at the outset, in which a signal can be emitted in the vertical direction with a natural hand position, in such a way that it has no operating parts protruding beyond the handle, so that it is protected from damage on the one hand and on the other hand an unintentional triggering of the firing pin is avoided. The tensioning of the device and the triggering for firing should take place in the same movement and workflow, which enables an exact one-hand operation of the signal device. Furthermore, the simple construction of the device should make it possible to withdraw the device Trigger lever to turn the magazine with the same hand or automatically, so that the device is always ready to fire.

This object is achieved by the invention specified in claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention emerge from the subclaims.

• Fig. 1: in teilweiser Schnittdarstellung eine Seitenansicht des Signalgeräts mit Griffstück und einem aufgesteckten Magazin;
• Fig. 2: in Teilschnittdarstellung eine Seitenansicht auf die Schmalseite des Griffstücks mit Blickrichtung gemäß dem Pfeil Z aus Fig. 1, Schnitt entlang 2-2 aus Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3: einen Querschnitt durch das Signalgerät entlang der Linie 3-3 nach Fig. 1;
• Fig. 4: einen Querschnitt durch das Magazin des Signalgeräts gemäß der Linie 5-5 von Fig. 2;
• Fig. 5: eine Aufsicht auf die dem Magazin abgewandte Oberfläche der Transportscheibe;
• Fig. 6: einen Querschnitt durch die Transportscheibe nach Fig. 5 entlang der Linie 6-6;
• Fig. 7: eine Seitenansicht des Mitnehmers;
• Fig. 8: eine Aufsicht auf den Mitnehmer;
• Fig. 9: eine Seitenansicht des in vergrößerter Darstellung wiedergegebenen Schlagbolzens;
• Fig. 10: eine Aufsicht auf eine stirnseitige Außenfläche des Magazins;
• Fig. 11: eine Schnittdarstellung durch das Magazin entlang der Linie 11-11 nach Fig. 10;
• Fig. 12: eine Aufsicht auf die dem Griffstück zugekehrte stirnseitige Außenfläche des Magazins;
• Fig. 13: eine Aufsicht auf das in einer Verpackungseinheit befindliche Signalgerät;
• Fig. 14: eine Seitenansicht der Fig. 13 in verkleinerter Darstellung:
• Fig. 15: in perspektivischer Darstellung eine Seitenansicht des Griffstücks mit Abbildung der Sicherungseinrichtung;
• Fig. 16: ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung im Längsschnitt.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. It shows:

• Fig. 1: a partial sectional view of a side view of the signal device with handle and an attached magazine;
• FIG. 2: a partial sectional view of a side view of the narrow side of the handle with the viewing direction according to arrow Z from FIG. 1, section along 2-2 from FIG. 1;
• 3 shows a cross section through the signal device along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;
• 4 shows a cross section through the magazine of the signal device along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;
• 5: a plan view of the surface of the transport disk facing away from the magazine;
• 6 shows a cross section through the transport disc according to FIG. 5 along the line 6-6;
• 7: a side view of the driver;
• 8: a top view of the driver;
• 9 shows a side view of the firing pin shown in an enlarged representation;
• 10: a plan view of an end face of the magazine;
• 11 is a sectional view through the magazine along the line 11-11 of FIG. 10;
• 12: a plan view of the front-side outer surface of the magazine facing the handle;
• 13: a top view of the signal device located in a packaging unit;
• 14: a side view of FIG. 13 in a reduced representation:
• 15: a perspective view of a side view of the handle with an illustration of the securing device;
• Fig. 16: another embodiment of the invention in longitudinal section.

The signal device is intended to enable one-handed operation in a natural hand position by a person who has got into an emergency situation, the emitting of the emergency signal d. H. the rejection of a light or smoke charge should possibly be connected vertically upward in connection with a sound signal.

For this purpose, the signaling device according to FIG. 1 comprises a handle 1, which is designed as a hollow body enclosing the trigger mechanism and the means for transporting the magazine 6, the longitudinal axis of which is perpendicular in the natural hand position. The magazine 6, the structure of which will be discussed in more detail later; is designed to be plugged onto the handle 1 and connected to it in such a way that the reject direction corresponds to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the handle 1. The dimensions of the handle 1 are chosen so that it can be comfortably spanned by one hand. The handle 1 essentially comprises two handle shells 1 ', 1 ", which can be connected to one another by means of fillister screws 13, 13' and, after being joined together, enclose a substantially cuboid space between them. Since the handle shells 1 ', 1" are preferably made of plastic To ensure a secure screw connection, thread inserts made of metal or of a particularly high-quality plastic are arranged in at least one handle shell 1 ', 1 ". Part of the outer wall of the hollow body forming the handle 1 in the region of its narrow side is formed by the actuating surface 31 of the trigger lever 3 In this way, the actuating surface 31 can be actuated in a normal manner, even with clammy fingers or with a hand clad in gloves, to activate the signaling device if necessary. , 1 "together Common lens-head screws 13, 13 'simultaneously form the parallel bearing axles for the trigger 3 and the hammer 4, which on the one hand engages with a claw 9 of the trigger 3 and on the other hand actuates the firing pin 10 for firing the signal cartridge. Between the hammer 40 and the trigger 3, a compression spring is arranged, which rests on the pin 30, 40 and which pushes the trigger 3 outwards in the rest position. The trigger movement must be carried out against the pressure of this spring.

The firing pin (FIG. 1, FIG. 9) essentially consists of two cylindrical sections 90, 91 of different diameters, each of which adjoins one side of a collar 92. The somewhat rounded tip of the longer cylindrical section 90 with a smaller diameter comes into operative connection with the primer of the signal cartridge to be fired, while the end face of the shorter but larger-diameter cylindrical section 91 is acted upon by the stop surface of the hammer 4. At the same time, the cylindrical lateral surfaces of the sections 90, 91 of the firing pin 10 serve to mount the firing pin in the handle 1. A compression spring 12 arranged coaxially with the firing pin 10 forces the firing pin 10 into a rest position, in which the collar 92 of the firing pin 10 on an inner wall of the handle 1 rests.

The firing process proceeds as follows: The fingers of the hand enclosing the handle 1 move the trigger lever 3, which is rotatably mounted about the axis 13, in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the signaling device, as a result of which the compression spring 11 mounted on the pin 30, 40 is tensioned. The end piece of the claw 9, which is firmly connected to the trigger 3, lies in front of one in the outer surface of the hammer 4 arranged step 42 and gives the hammer 4 rotatably mounted about the axis 13 'a rotational movement in the counterclockwise direction. The hammer 4 lifts off the striking surface of the firing pin 10 and further compresses the compression spring 11. When the trigger lever 3 is pressed in further, the free end of the claw 9 finally slides abruptly over the step 42 and releases the hammer 4, which now swings around clockwise under the action of the relaxing spring 11 and strikes the striking surface of the firing pin 10. The firing pin 10 then lifts from its rest position and moves against the force of the spring 12 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the signal device in the direction of the primer of the signal cartridge. After releasing the trigger 3 by releasing the finger pressure, firing pin 10, hammer 4 and trigger 3 return to their starting position. The trigger lever 3 rests on the inner wall of the handle 1 and thereby finds a firm stop.

An expedient securing device is explained with reference to FIG. 15, which shows a side view of the handle in a perspective view. In the secured state, the securing device prevents the hammer 4 from hitting the firing pin 10. The securing device consists of a shaft 150 which is rotatably mounted in both halves of the handle 1 and which is firmly connected to a securing lever 151 designed as a crank mechanism. The safety lever 151 is rotatably arranged within a recess arranged in the outer wall of the grip shell within a circular sector between a latchable safety position 5 on the one hand and a fire position F on the other. The safety lever 151 is actuated with the thumb of the hand enclosing the handle 1. The essentially cylindrical locking shaft 151 is flattened over part of its longitudinal extent on opposite parts of the outer surface, so that the area 152 of the locking shaft 150 is delimited by two parallel flat surfaces on the one hand and two opposite cylindrical surfaces on the other. With the area 152, the securing shaft 150 extends through a slot 153 arranged in the hammer 4, the width of which is smaller than the largest diameter of the shaft 150 in its area 152. In securing S, the flat boundary surfaces of the area 152 of the securing shaft 150 are in a vertical position of the handle 1 in a horizontal plane, so that the slot 153 of the hammer 4 "sees" the largest diameter of the locking shaft 150 in its area 152. As a result, the hammer 4 cannot carry out the rotary movement necessary to trigger the firing pin 10, since the slot 153 cannot pass through the securing shaft 150. In firing position F, when the grip 1 is held vertically, the parallel boundary surfaces of the area 152 of the securing shaft 150 lie in a vertical plane, so that the slot 153 only sees the relatively small cross-sectional dimensions of the flattened area of the securing shaft 150. The hammer 4 can now freely rotate about its axis of rotation and strike the firing pin 10 since it is no longer locked by the locking shaft 150. A holder 154, which is only indicated schematically in FIG. 15, comprises two projecting lugs 155 which engage in the form of adapted recesses or depressions 156 of the handle. This engagement is only possible when the safety lever 151 is in position 5. In this way, unintentional firing is excluded if the signaling device is engaged in the holder 154 in the ready state.

The trigger 3 not only serves to initiate the firing process, but also has a dual function for transporting the signal cartridges held in the rotatably arranged magazine 6. In order to accomplish this transport, the approximately linear movement of the free end of the trigger lever 3 running in a plane containing the longitudinal axis of the signal device must be converted into a stepwise rotating movement. For this purpose, the free end piece of the trigger lever 3 comprises a pot-like recess 33 (FIG. 1) into which a pin 70 protruding from the plane of a driving ring 7 engages. (Fig. 7, Fig. 8). Since the pin 70 is arranged eccentrically, the force that acts tangentially on the trigger lever 3 via the movement of the trigger lever 3 when the trigger lever 3 is pressed in and released leads to a rotational movement of the driving ring 7 with a maximum predetermined angle of rotation, which only includes a certain circle segment. The driver ring 7 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 on an enlarged scale. 7 shows a side view and FIG. 8 shows a top view of the outer surface of the driving ring 7, from which the pin 70 protrudes. The outer surface of the driver ring 7 facing away from the driver 70 carries a step 71 which in turn engages in roof-like projections 50 of the transport disk 5 (FIG. 5) arranged on a circular circumference. FIG. 6 shows a section through the transport disk 5 shown in FIG. 5 along the line 6-6. On the outer side of the transport disc 5 facing away from the handle 1 (FIG. 6), a slotted pin 51 is arranged for receiving the plug-in magazines for the signal cartridges, which guarantees a reliable releasable fastening of the magazine due to its radially outward spring force, the further transport of the Signal cartridges run as follows: An initial state is assumed in which an ignitable signal cartridge is located above the firing pin 10. This corresponds to the standby status of the signal device. Pressing the trigger 3 leads to the firing process already described in detail above. Simultaneously with the tilting movement of the trigger lever 3 articulated on one side, however, the driver ring 7 is set in rotation, since the pin 70 of the driver ring 7 engages in the cup-shaped recess 33 at the free end of the trigger lever 3. During this rotational movement, the edge of the step 71 of the driving ring 7 slides along the roof-shaped inclined surface of one of the projections 50 along the transport disk 5, which remains at rest and does not participate in the rotary movement of the driving ring 7. The stage 71 finally engages after overcoming the inclined surface behind a projection 50 and then rotates the transport disk 5 by the predetermined angular value when the trigger lever 3 returns to its rest position, so that a new ignitable signal cartridge is located above the firing pin 10 and the ready position of the Signal device is reached again.

In order to keep the construction of the signal device as simple and inexpensive as possible, a device for ejecting fired signal cartridges was deliberately omitted. Fired signal cartridges can be easily removed from the magazine by hand and replaced with a new cartridge.

The simple construction of the plug-in magazine is clearly shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12. 10 and 12 each show a top view of the end faces of the magazine, while FIG. 11 shows a longitudinal section through the magazine along the line 11-11 according to FIG. 10. The end faces are star-shaped, since radially projecting projections are provided starting from a centrally arranged column, between which the signal cartridges can be clamped.

FIG. 4 shows a cross section through a magazine filled with signal cartridges along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and in this way illustrates the appearance of the magazine equipped with signal cartridges. The magazine construction described above is particularly advantageous in terms of saving weight.

The signaling device, which is in the ready state with an attached magazine, can be fixed in a suitable holder, which is not described separately here, arranged in a stationary manner, but can be kept within reach at all times. This storage option is particularly suitable for vehicles of all types, where there is enough space available.

However, the signal device can also be used to advantage in the sports or leisure sector if a fixed attachment is not an option and the signal device is to be carried on a man. Mountain hikers and / or surfers are particularly important. In these applications, the signal that is in the ready state with an attached magazine is attached to luggage, clothing or directly to the limbs with a suitable harness. This type of fastening is particularly favored by a packaging form explained with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, which also greatly facilitates the presentation and storage of the signal device. This form of packaging is generally known as blister packaging or as shrink film packaging in the packaging sector. It consists of a supporting base 140, for which cardboard, plastic or the like can be used. The signal device covered by a transparent film 141 is arranged on this supporting base 140. Recesses are provided in the supporting base 140, through which harnesses suitable for transporting and holding the signal device can be pulled.

16 shows in longitudinal section a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, which is also distinguished by a special securing device. This safety device prevents actuation of the signal device and thus the firing of a signal cartridge when the reject opening of the magazine is directed towards the person himself. This is achieved in a simple manner in that the claw 9 is rotatably fastened about an axis 9 ′ to the free end piece of the trigger 3 and additionally carries a weighting pin 160. The weighting pin is preferably made of metal, e.g. B. iron. If the signal device 1 is held upright as intended, that is to say with the reject opening facing upward, the rotatably mounted claw 9 now rests on the hammer 4 and engages in the step 42 of the hammer 4. When the trigger 3 was pressed, the hammer 4 would accordingly be rotated and the firing process would proceed as already described above. If, on the other hand, the signaling device is inclined in such a way that in particular the reject opening of the magazine 6 points towards the person himself, the claw 9 tilts about the axis 9 ′ due to the gravity acting on the eccentrically arranged weighting pin 160 such that the claw 9 is removed from the hammer 4 takes off and is no longer in engagement with its level 42. A pressure on the trigger 3 would therefore no longer lead to a rotary movement of the hammer and thus would not initiate a firing process.

The rotatably arranged claw 9 also simplifies the device for securing the signal device 1. A safety switch 163 is now provided for this purpose, which is connected in parallel to the longitudinal axis of the signal device between two positions, namely a safety position "S" and a fire position "F" is displaceable. The safety switch 163 carries a radially projecting shoulder 162 which lifts the claw 9 from the step 42 of the hammer 4 in the safety position "S" and thus prevents rotation of the hammer when the trigger lever 3 is actuated. In the firing position "F", the safety switch 163 is pushed down so that the attachment 162 no longer comes into contact with the claw 9. The claw 9 can therefore reach behind the step 42 of the hammer 4 and, when the trigger lever 3 is pressed in, turn the hammer to trigger the firing process.

In contrast to the previously described exemplary embodiments of the invention, the signal device shown in FIG. 16 is still considerably simplified in that all devices for the automatic rotation of the magazine 6 have been omitted. In the head of the signaling device 1, only a centrally arranged fixed magazine holder 164 is provided, which comprises a transverse bore in which at least one ball 166 loaded by a compression spring 165 is mounted, which exerts a force in the radial direction on an attached magazine 6. As a result, the attached magazine 6 is held in its respective position. A new cartridge 18 is brought into the firing position simply by rotating the magazine 6 into a new position with the thumb of the hand holding the signal device, for which purpose the holding force of the compression spring 165 must of course be overcome. In order to enable clear and reliable rotary movements of the magazine 6, the inner wall of the magazine 6 placed on the magazine holder 164 opposite the ball 166 is preferably designed as a hexagonal surface.

Since the magazine 6 comprises six signal cartridges, it can be rotated relatively easily by 60 ° to the next rest point. As can be seen from FIG. 16, the ball 166 also secures the magazine 6 on the magazine holder 164, in which it rests on a step 167 in the inner wall of the magazine 6.

In contrast to the previously described embodiment examples of the signal device, the hammer 4 is not loaded by a compression spring, but by a leaf spring 168, which is supported on the trigger 3.

Claims (11)

1. Signal device for firing signal cartridges (light, smoke, sound) the device having a hollow body enclosing parts of the discharge mechanism and forming a handle (1) of which the longitudinal axis is perpendicular, when it is held in the natural manner and a rotatable magazine (6) which can be mounted on the handle in such a way that the firing direction coincides with the direction of the longitudinal axis of the handle, characterised by the fact that the handle (1) surrounds all the parts of the discharge mechanism and that the free end part of a discharge lever has a claw (9) which extends into the interior of the handle (1) and which is operatively connected with a step (42) positioned in the outer casing surface of a rotatably mounted hammer (4) held in an initial position by a first spring (11), in such a way that the hammer (4) on the engagement of the discharge lever (3) and until the step (42) is surmounted, is rotated in the same direction as the discharge lever, whereby it moves away from the striker pin (10) loaded by a second pressure spring (12).

2. Signal device in accordance with Claim 1, characterised by the fact that an actuating surface (31) of the discharge lever (3) in the initial position lies on a narrow side of the hollow body forming the handle (1) and forms part of the outer wall of the said body.

3. Signal device in accordance with Claim 1 and 2, characterised by the fact that the discharge lever (3) is articulated at one end to a pivot (13) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the signal device and can be moved by manually compressing the handle (1) in the direction of the median axis of the signal device in order to fire the signal and transport the signal cartridges.

4. Signal device in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised by the fact that the hammer (4) is rotatably mounted on a pivot (13') parallel to the pivot (13) of the discharge lever (3), that the pressure spring (11) held by pins (30) and (40) is positioned between the discharge lever (3) and the hammer (4) and that the free end of the discharge lever (3) also comprises a pot-shaped recess (33) engaged by the pin (70) of an entrainment ring (7) rotatably mounted in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the signal device.

5. Signal device in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised by the fact that the entrainment ring (7) is fitted, on the outer surface facing away from the pin (70), with a step (71) which engages wedge-shaped projections (50) on the periphery of a transport disc (5) and that the transport disc (5) is fitted, on the outer surface facing towards the handle (1), with a split pin (51) serving to receive a detachable magazine (6).

6. Signal device in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised by the fact that the magazine (6) consists of a centrally positioned carrier (100) which terminates in radially projecting extensions (101) each pair of which encloses part of a cylinder casing surface (102).

7. Signal device in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised by the fact that a securing shaft (150) is provided which is rotatably mounted in the handle (1) and which is substantially cylindrical and which is only flattened over part of its length in a zone (152) on sections situated opposite one another and that the securing shaft (150) extends by the zone (152) through the hammer (4) which is provided with a slit (153), and that also the securing shaft (150) is connected with a securing lever (151) which is constructed as a crank drive and which can be operated with the thumb of the hand holding the handle and which is rotatably mounted between two detent positions (5) and (F) within a depression of the shape of the circular sector in the outer wall of the handle (1).

8. Signal device in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised by the fact that the signal device, when the securing lever (151) occupies the position (S) can be mounted by means of two recesses or depressions (156) provided in the outer wall of the handle (1) and adapted in shape, onto two projecting lugs (155) of a mounting device (154).

9. Signal device in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 8, particularly Claim 4, characterised by the fact that a claw (9) is secured to the free end of the discharge lever (3), in such a way that it is rotatable about a pivot (9') and that the claw (9) bears a weighting pin (160).

10. Signal device in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterised by the fact that a safety catch (163) is displaceable laterally in the wall of the housing, and in direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the signal device (1), between a safe position (S) and a firing position (F), and that the safety catch (163) bears an attachment (162) which, in the safe position, disengages the claw (9) from the step (42) of the hammer (4).

11. Signal device in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 10, characterised by the fact that the top of the signal device (1) contains a fixed magazine mount (164) comprising a transversal bore containing at least one ball (166) loaded by a pressure spring (165).

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