EP4464973A1

EP4464973A1 - Pre-charged pneumatics or pre-charged air sports carbine comprising an over-moulded receiver body

Info

Publication number: EP4464973A1
Application number: EP22713697.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Julián Arnedo Vera; Gonzalo VELILLA SÁNCHEZ
Original assignee: Gamo Outdoor SL
Current assignee: Gamo Outdoor SL
Priority date: 2022-01-14
Filing date: 2022-02-22
Publication date: 2024-11-20
Also published as: CN118511048A; MX2024008736A; WO2023135344A1; US20250020430A1

Abstract

Comprising at least a first group (1) corresponding to the barrel (18), a second group (2) corresponding to the bolt (7) and hammer (10) mechanism, a third group (3) corresponding to the firing mechanism, and a fourth group (19) corresponding to the fluid that actuates a projectile (20) characterised in that it comprises at least one over-moulded or over-injected body (4), which in turns comprises at least partially the first group (1), at least partially the second group (2) and at least partially the third group (3), wherein the three groups jointly interact to fire the projectile (20).

Description

PCP sports carbine of the type comprising at least a first group corresponding to the barrel, a second group corresponding to the bolt and hammer mechanisms, a third group corresponding to the firing mechanism, and a fourth group corresponding to the fluid for actuating a projectile, characterised in that it comprises at least one over-moulded or over-injected body, which comprises at least partially the first group, at least partially the second group and at least partially the third group, wherein the three groups jointly interact to fire the projectile.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Different procedures for over-moulding/over-injection of silencers and barrels are known in the state of the art.
Thus, European Patent No. 2112452 ( ES2345012 ) "FIREARM OR SPORTS WEAPON WITH SOUND REDUCER", of the year 2008 , owned of the same applicant of this application, which refers to a firearm or a compressed air weapon with sound reducer of the type comprising a firing mechanism, a barrel, a chamber, said firearm or compressed air weapon comprising an over-moulded or over-injected sound reducer inside the barrel, so that the barrel and the sound reducer form a single piece.
The same owner also owns the European Patent No. 2677267 ( ES2531858) of the year 2011 , "Manufacturing procedure for a barrel model "bull barrel" with silencer and barrel "Model bull barrel" with obtained silencer, which refers a manufacturing procedure for a "bull barrel" with silencer and a "model bull barrel" with obtained silencer, comprising the following stages: a first stage in which a tube, having two ends, a first end and a second end, whose inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the barrel, is attached to a wedge at the first end thereof; a second stage wherein a muzzle that has a capped-end is fixed to the second end of the tube; said muzzle comprises at least one lateral opening and at least one first ring that fits into the tube and seals the second end also with stops that define channels in the cap that connect the outside with the inside of the muzzle; being the mentioned stops, the end of the stroke in said tube; a third stage in which the barrel is fixed to the muzzle and the wedge, defining a space or cavity between the tube and the barrel; and a fourth stage wherein the configuration of the third stage is introduced in a moulding machine that over-moulds it, except for the inlet end of the barrel, providing it with the desired shape, penetrating said over-moulding inside the tube through the channels up to the said first ring.
Another patent in the same field and belonging to the same owner is European Patent No. 2803934 ( ES2570369) "METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A BARREL FOR COMPRESSED-AIR OR CO2 CARBINES, AND BARREL THUS OBTAINED", of the year 2012 , which refers to a method for manufacturing a barrel for compressed air or CO2 carbines, and the barrel thus obtained, comprising a hollow tube inside which circulates a pellet, having an inlet end and an outlet end, characterized in that it comprises: a first stage wherein the tube is introduced in a moulding machine, and attaching or supporting elements are introduced, thus fixing the tube, which becomes cantilevered, centred and stabilized inside the moulding machine; and a second stage wherein the tube is over-moulded, except for the inlet end, and provided the shape desired.
Lastly, it is also worth citing European Patent No. 3358289 ( ES2767929) "SPORTS CARBINE WITH SOUND REDUCER", of the year 2016 , belonging to the same owner of the present invention, which refers to a sports carbine having a sound reducer and comprising a butt, a firing mechanism and a barrel partially covered by an over-moulded or over-injected material, said over-moulded or over-injected material defines a first space or housing for housing the sound reducer next to or jointly with the barrel, and a second space surrounding at least a part of the barrel; characterized in that the sound reducer comprises: an inlet wherein the barrel is arranged and which comprises a supporting device having a diameter equal to the second space, on which it is fitted, having perforations that connect said second space with the first space or housing, and an outlet having a built-in plug.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention falls within the sector of sports carbines, specifically in the sector of PCP carbines.
PCP carbines are known as "Pre-Charged Pneumatic" carbines or translated as pre-charged air.
As it can be noticed, the applicant firm is continuously evolving in the over-moulding/over-injection field. The above-cited examples refer to the so-called "break-barrel" carbines.
In this application, a monobloc body of a PCP carbine is over-moulded/over-injected, unlike the nearest document ( EP3358259 ), which refers to the barrel with the sound reducer.
Typically, PCP carbines feature three differentiated groups assembled to one to another, namely the barrel group, the group of mechanisms (the bolt and hammer actuator) and the firing group. The fact that there are three different groups implies that the building tolerances of each one of them adds up to the others, so that in the end there is a very wide range of tolerances in the final product. This can negatively affect the functioning of the PCP carbine.
By means of the monobloc design of the present invention, the three systems are integrated into one piece, so that said field of tolerances can be considerably reduced, since it is only one over-moulded or over-injected piece.
The invention brings a reduction of the costs. In effect, in breaking down the costs of the materials, in the invention, the main injected body replaces many pieces that were used in the prior art, most of which involved very high mechanized costs. The inventors hereof estimate that there are at least 25% less pieces in the new design, depending on the carbine model.
In addition, this invention achieves a very significant reduction of the assembly costs. By eliminating a large number of parts of the product, the costs of assembling the carbine drop, as the carbine is produced faster and more reliably.
All this leads the inventors to estimate that the new invention would bring about a reduction of more than 40% of the costs related to parts and assembly, as compared to conventional PCP carbines.
Another optional improvement that should be mentioned concerns the bolt mechanism. Indeed, in conventional PCP carbines, the bolt is typically actuated by rotating it around the shaft to unblock it, and then pulling the bolt backwards. To introduce the bullet, one must push forward and rotate the bolt again to lock. In this invention, as it has been made in an injection piece, the operation is more natural, that is, the bolt is slightly pressed to down and pulled back to position the new pellet and simply pushing it forward to introduce it in the barrel. This would not have been possible with the mechanized pieces as it was usual before.
An object of the present invention is a PCP sports carbine of the type comprising at least a first group corresponding to the barrel, a second group corresponding to the bolt and hammer mechanisms, a third group corresponding to the firing mechanism, and a fourth group corresponding to the fluid for actuating a projectile, characterised in that it comprises at least one over-moulded or over-injected body, which comprises at least partially the first group, at least partially the second group and at least partially the third group, wherein the three groups jointly interact to the projectile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to facilitate the explanation, this document includes eight sheets with drawings that represent a practical embodiment, which is cited by way of an example and must not limit the scope of the present invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a carbine object of the present invention,
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section along line II-II of Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a detail of Figure 2, in the body area,
Figure 4 is a tilted rear view of Figure 1 without the butt,
Figure 5 is a view of the second group and the third group,
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the middle block,
Figure 7 is a view of the base and the over-moulded barrel, joined, and
Figure 8 is a detail of the locking of the bolt.

PRACTICAL EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Thus, Figure 1 illustrates a first group 1, a second group 2, a third group 3, a body 4, a fourth group 19, a magazine 33 and a butt 23.
Figure 2 illustrates the third group 3, a bolt 7, a hammer 10, an intermediate block 11, a barrel 18, a gas reservoir 22 and the butt 23.
Figure 3 shows the third group 3, the base 5, the bolt 7 with its housing 8 and a first stop 9, the hammer 10, the intermediate block 11, a housing 12, thrust means 13, a lower flap 14, the barrel 18, a projectile 20, the gas reservoir 22, the butt 23, a valve 24, a valve shaft 25, an air passage 26, a ruler 27, a pawl 28, a trigger 29, a counter pawl 30, the magazine 33, a first tooth 34, a second tooth 35 and a spring 37.
Figure 4 illustrates the body 4, the base 5, a cap 6, the bolt 7, the first group 1, some fixing means 21, the gas reservoir 22, the trigger 29, some anchors 32 and the magazine 33.
Figure 5 shows the bolt 7, the first stop 9, the hammer 10, the intermediate block 11, thrusting means 13, a lower flap 14, a strap 15, the projectile 20, the guiding elements 31, the first tooth 34, and the spring 37.
Figure 6 shows the intermediate block 11, the second housing 12, the thrust means 13, the strap 15, the guiding elements 31 and the second stop 36.
Figure 7 illustrates the first group 1, the base 5, the housing 8, some first guides 16, some second guides 17 and the anchors 32.
Lastly, Figure 8 shows the base 5, the bolt 7, the first tooth 34 and the second tooth 35.
The PCP sport carabine or also known as Pre-Charged Pneumatics carbine of the present invention, is divided into a series of general groups that consist of different parts and components of the carbine.
Thus, the carbine comprises at least a first group 1 corresponding to the barrel 18, which is over-moulded, as shown in Figure 1.
The sports carabine also comprises a second group 2 that includes the bolt 7 and hammer 10 mechanisms.
Likewise, it comprises a third group 3 includes the firing mechanism.
Lastly, a fourth group 19 comprises the system that houses and activates the fluid that actuates the projectile 20.
The invention also comprises at least one over-moulded or over-injected body 4 which, in turn, comprises at least partly the first group 1, at least partly the second group 2 and at least partly the third group 3, wherein the three groups interact together to fire the projectile 20. In other words, a body 4 allows that the three groups become interrelated by means of over-moulding or over-injection.
This favours lower costs, as less parts are needed to mount a PCP carbine, and also confers increased reliability to the carbine, since the measures and the dimensions do not vary as a result of the interrelationship of the different groups; the parts are always the same, suitably fitting in the spaces provided therefor. In the prior art, it was possible that the effectiveness of the shot could be varied by tightening a screw more, or less, both as concerns the aiming and the gas outlet, and the trigger and accessories. This invention solves all these problems as the number of parts is reduced, so the tolerances between the parts are reduced and there are less possibilities of failure in the development of the carbine.
Optionally, the body 4 comprises a base 5 and a cap 6. When removing the cap 6 it is possible to access to the inner part of the sports carbine.
Optionally too, the base 5 base can be configured so that it is integrated with the first group 1, as shown in Figure 7. This has manufacturing advantages, since the base 5 is obtained by moulding or injection simultaneously with the first group 1, the barrel part.
An additional manufacturing option is that the cap 6 is integrated with the first group 1. The difference between this option and the one described in the previous paragraph lays in the barrel 18, which will depend on the model; in some models it will be easier to over-mould the first group 1 attached to the cap 6, and in other models, it will be easier to over-mould it attached to the base 5.
The second group 2 comprises a bolt 7, which is made by over-moulding or over-injection, which is beneficial for the tolerances and the manufacturing process, being arranged in a first housing 8 obtained from the body 4 and said bolt 7 comprises at least one lower flap 14.
The second group 2 can also comprise an intermediate block 11 (Figure 6), which is arranged between the bolt 7 and the hammer 10 (Figures 3 and 5). Said intermediate block 11 also comprises a second housing 12 which has a path for the lower flap 14 to be positioned and run inside it. Likewise, said intermediate block 11 comprises thrust means 13 for moving the hammer 10.
In other words, when the lower flap 14 moves inside the second housing 12 and reaches the end of the second housing 12, and said lower flap 14 continues moving, it pushes the intermediate block 11 and moves it away from the gas reservoir 22 and from the thrust means 13 which are attached to the intermediate block 11, they move away the hammer 10 from the gas reservoir 22 when coming into contact with the same.
Thus, when the thrust means 13 moves actuated by the lower flap 14, the thrust means also move the hammer 10.
The bolt 7 can be configured to comprise a first stop 9, arranged outside the housing 12. This first stop 9 serves as an end-of- stroke of the bolt 7 when it is moved away from the barrel 18 and, at the same time, it helps to push the intermediate block 11 when the bolt 7 proceeds inside the body 4 through the first housing 8.
To help the bolt 7 to be safely fixed, the bolt 7 may comprise at least a first tooth 34 which couples with a second tooth 35 of the body 4 and blocks the bolt from exiting from inside the first housing 8, as shown in Figure 8. When the user wishes to release the bolt 7 in order to fire a new shot, the user should exert a slight pressure down the bolt 7, which will release the first tooth 34 from the second tooth 35 and allow the bolt 7 to exit.
The intermediate block 11 could be configured with an elastic strap 15, which would block the movement of the intermediate block 11 when the bolt 7 is in its most advanced position. Thus, the first stop 9 will create a tension on the strap 15 and the intermediate block 11 is prevented from becoming loose.
To guide the forward and backward movements of the intermediate block 11, the carbine is designed so that each of the base 5 and the cap 6, comprise some first guides 16, facing each other. Thus, when the guiding elements 31 of the intermediate block 11 fit into the first guides 16 the movement of the intermediate block 11 is facilitated and, at the same time, they ensure that the intermediate block 11 will not move away from its position as a result of blows or jolts that the carbine might undergo.
Based on the same concept as the prior paragraph, the inventors have also envisaged the possibility that each of the base 5 and the cap 6 comprise some second guides 17, facing each other, for guiding the forward and backward movements of the hammer 10 that occur when said hammer 10 is pushed by the thrust means 13 of the intermediate block 11 away from the gas reservoir 22, thus compressing the spring 37, and towards the gas reservoir 22 as a result of the decompression of the spring 37, when the pawl 28 releases the hammer 10.
The carbine may also comprise means 21 for attaching a gas reservoir 22 that belongs to the fourth group 19 to the over-moulded or over-injected barrel 18. Said means of attachment can be in the form of flanges. The flanges 21 can be affixed to anchors 32 that are over-moulded or over-injected in the barrel 18 and be strengthen when assembling a butt 23.
In certain models that carbine could be configured to have an over-moulded or over-injected ruler 27 in the body 4. In this manner, there is no need to manually mount a ruler 27 for the sight. Greater reliability when firing can be achieved having an over-moulded or over-injected ruler 27 in the body 4 because the ruler 27 will always be correctly positioned and calibrated.
In a specific embodiment, to load a new projectile 20, in this embodiment, a pellet, the sportsperson would take the PCP carbine, pull the bolt 7 rearwards and away from the magazine 33, thus allowing said magazine 33 to rotate so that a new pellet falls into place. When pulling backwards, the bolt 7 must go down and release the first tooth 34 from the second tooth 35.
In addition, the lower flap 14 of the bolt 7 runs inside the second housing 12 of the intermediate block 11, until it reaches the end of the stroke thereof.
Upon reaching the end of the path inside the second housing 12, because of pulling the bolt 7 out, the lower flap 14 reaches the end of the second housing 12 and pushes it, thus moving the intermediate block 11.
The intermediate block 11 has thrust means 13 in its lower side which by contact, move the hammer 10 backwards and compress the spring 37 until the pawl 28 blocks it.
The intermediate block 11 comprises guiding elements 31 that run inside the first guides 16 in the base 5 and in the cap 6.
Next, the bolt 7 is pushed forward and the lower flap 14 comes into contact with the second stop 36 of the intermediate block 11 and pushes the intermediate block 11 due to the advance of the bolt 7.
The bolt 7 pushes the new pellet 20 with its front end inside the pellet chamber and, at the same time, the first tooth 34 is blocked when coming into contact with the second tooth 35, blocking the bolt 7.
Likewise, the thrust means 13, when moving forward thanks to the thrust from the lower flap 14 against the second stop 36, leave the hammer 10 free to impact against the valve shaft 25.
When the user actuates the trigger 29 the counter-pawl 30 is released, which in turn actuates the pawl 28, which releases the hammer 10, which, thanks to the spring 37 that is decompressed, moves towards the valve shaft 25, hits the valve shaft 25, pushing it inside the valve 24, thus unblocking the passage of the fluid, which comes out as a result of the passage of air 26 to the pellet chamber, thus driving the pellet 20 through the barrel 18 and pushing it out.
The present invention describes a new PCP (Pre-Charged Pneumatics) or pre-charged air sports carabine. The examples mentioned herein are not limiting of the present invention, which may therefore have different applications and/or adaptations, all of which within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

PCP (Pre-Charged Pneumatics) or pre-charged air sports carbine of the type comprising at least a first group (1) corresponding to the barrel (18), a second group (2) corresponding to the bolt (7) and hammer (10) mechanisms, a third group (3) corresponding to the firing mechanism, and a fourth group (19) corresponding to the fluid that actuates a projectile (20) characterized in that it comprises at least one over-moulded or over-injected body (4), which at least partially comprises the first group (1), at least partially comprises the second group (2) and at least partially comprises the third group (3), wherein the three groups jointly interact to fire the projectile (20).
Carbine according to claim 1, characterised in that the body (4) comprises a base (5) and a cap (6).
Carbine according to claim 2, characterised in that the base (4) is attached to the first group (1).
Carbine according to claim 2, characterised in that the cap (6) is attached to the first group (1).
Carbine according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that the second group comprises an over-moulded or over-injected bolt (7) arranged in a first housing (8) arranged in the body (4) and in that this bolt (7) comprises at least one lower flap (14).
Carbine according to claim 5 characterised in it comprises an intermediate block (11), arranged between the bolt (7) and the hammer (10), with a second housing (12) with a path for placing and moving the lower flap (14) inside thereof and means of thrust (13) for moving the hammer (10).
Carbine according to claim 6, characterized in that the bolt (7) comprises a first stop (9), arranged outside the housing (12).
Carbine according to claim 7 characterised in that the bolt (7) comprises at least a first tooth (34) which couples with a second tooth (35) in the body (4), to prevent the bolt (7) from coming out of the first housing (8).
Carbine according to claim 6, characterised in that the intermediate block (11) comprises an elastic strap (15), that blocks the movement of the intermediate block (11) when the bolt (7) is in its most advanced position.
Carbine according to claim 6, characterised in that the base (5) and the cap (6) each comprise some first guides (16), facing each other, which fit into guiding elements (31) of the intermediate block (11), for guiding said intermediate block (11) when it moves forwards and backwards.
Carbine according to claim 6, characterised in that each the base (5) and the cap (6) comprises some second guides (17), facing each other, for guiding the hammer (10).
Carbine according to claim 6, characterised in that it comprises some means of attachment (21) of a gas reservoir (22) belonging to the fourth group (19) to the over-moulded or over-injected barrel (18); said means of attachment (21) are flanges; said flanges (21) are attached to over-moulded or over-injected anchors (32) in the barrel (18), said flanges (21) being strengthen when mounting a butt (23).
Carbine according to claim 4, characterized in that the body (4) comprises an over-moulded or over-injected ruler (27).