Shooting controller of paintball gun

• US 10,627,187 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2018
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kuan Ting Lin
• Original Assignee: Kuan Ting Lin
• Inventors: Lin, Kuan Ting
• Primary Examiner(s): David, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US16/175,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20200132411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 124 71- 77, 124 56
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 11/62 with pressure supplied by a gas cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 11/64 having a piston effecting a compressor stroke during the firing of each shot
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 11/71 Electric or electronic control systems, e.g. for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 11/723 for controlling gas pressure for firing the projectile only

Abstract

A shooting controller of a paintball gun includes a mechanical shooting apparatus, an electric shooting apparatus, a pneumatic apparatus, and a switching apparatus. Operating the switching apparatus may switch the paintball gun between a mechanical shooting mode and an electric shooting mode. In the mechanical shooting mode, the mechanical shooting apparatus drives the pneumatic apparatus to shoot a paintball when a trigger is pulled. In the electric shooting mode, the electric shooting apparatus drives the pneumatic apparatus to shoot a paintball when a trigger is pulled.

Claims

1. A paintball gun, comprising:

a gun body;

a trigger pivoted on the gun body, the trigger being provided with a triggering member;

a mechanical shooting apparatus provided in the gun body and associated with the trigger, the mechanical shooting apparatus having a gear and a driving member which are both pivoted on the gun body;

an electric shooting apparatus provided in the gun body and having a switch associated with the trigger and a controlling valve;

a pneumatic apparatus provided in the gun body to provide a high-pressure gas to shoot a paintball, wherein the pneumatic apparatus is associated with the mechanical shooting apparatus and the electric shooting apparatus;

a switching apparatus provided on the gun body and connected to the trigger, wherein the switching apparatus is operated to change an initial position of the trigger and to switch the paintball gun between a mechanical shooting mode and an electric shooting mode;

the triggering member is associated with the gear, and the driving member is associated with the gear and the pneumatic apparatus respectively; and

wherein in the mechanical shooting mode, the trigger drives the pneumatic apparatus through the mechanical shooting apparatus only when the trigger is pulled, the gear is driven by the triggering member to rotate, and the driving member is moved by the gear to drive the pneumatic apparatus when the trigger is pulled; and

in the electric shooting mode, the trigger drives the pneumatic apparatus through the electric shooting apparatus only when the trigger is pulled.

2. The paintball gun of claim 1, wherein the pneumatic apparatus includes a cylinder, a piston, a shaft, and an elastic member;

the cylinder has a shooting gas inlet and a shooting gas outlet;

the shaft is connected to the piston, and the piston is received in the cylinder for reciprocation;

an end of the shaft extends out of the cylinder and is associated with the driving member;

the elastic member is receive in the cylinder to urge the piston toward the driving member, so that the piston initially locates at a ready position;

the piston closes the shooting gas outlet when the piston arrives at the ready position, and exposes the shooting gas outlet to communicate the shooting gas outlet with the shooting gas inlet when the piston is moved away from the ready position and biases the elastic member; and

a high-pressure is provided to the cylinder via the shooting gas inlet and comes out via the shooting gas outlet to shoot a paintball when the piston is moved away from the ready position by the driving member.

3. The paintball gun of claim 1, wherein the switching apparatus includes a guiding member and a switching member;

the switching member is movably mounted on the gun body;

the switching member has a slot;

the guiding member is connected to the trigger and received in the slot of the switching member;

the initial position of the trigger is changed by moving the switching member to let the guiding member move in the slot.

4. The paintball gun of claim 3, wherein the slot of the switching member includes a first section and a second section;

the first section and the second section are located at different heights of the switching member;

the guiding member is received in the first section by moving the switching member to switch the paintball gun to the mechanical shooting mode, and is received in the second section by moving the switching member to switch the paintball gun to the electric shooting mode.

5. The paintball gun of claim 4, further comprising a power switch provided on the gun body and associated with the switching member, wherein the power switch is electrically connected to the electric shooting apparatus, and the power switch is turned on by the switching member when the switch member is moved to receive the guiding member in the second section of the slot, and is turned off by the switching member when the switch member is moved to receive the guiding member in the first section of the slot.

6. The paintball gun of claim 1, wherein the triggering member has a concave portion in association with teeth of the gear to provide the teeth a space for the gear to rotate.

7. The paintball gun of claim 6, wherein the trigger further includes an elastic member;

the triggering member is movably connected to the trigger, and the elastic member urges the triggering member toward the gear.

8. The paintball gun of claim 1, wherein the pneumatic apparatus includes a cylinder and a piston received in the cylinder for reciprocation;

the cylinder has a shooting gas inlet, a driving gas inlet, and a shooting gas outlet;

the piston closes the shooting gas outlet when the piston is moved to a ready position, and exposes the shooting gas outlet to communicate the shooting gas outlet with the shooting gas inlet when the piston is moved away from the ready position;

the electric shooting apparatus is connected to the driving gas inlet to provide a high-pressure gas to the cylinder to move the piston away from the ready position when the trigger is pulled;

a high-pressure is provided to the cylinder via the shooting gas inlet and comes out via the shooting gas outlet to shoot a paintball when the piston is moved away from the ready position.

9. The paintball gun of claim 2, wherein the cylinder has a stop portion, and the piston abuts against the stop portion when the piston arrives at the ready position.

10. The paintball gun of claim 8, wherein the cylinder has a stop portion, and the piston abuts against the stop portion when the piston arrives at the ready position.