Flash-bang projectile

• US 20050188885A1
• Filed: 08/14/2003
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optical Alchemy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Optical Alchemy, Inc.
• Inventors: Burnham, Heidi, Daigle, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 7,173,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 102/502
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/36 for dispensing materials; for producing chemical or physical reaction; for signalling ; for transmitting information
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/42 of illuminating type, e.g. carrying flares
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 8/26 Hand grenades

Abstract

A flash-bang projectile that generates one or more noise pulses and one or more flashes of light. In generating a noise pulse, the flash-bang projectile provides a housing that includes a gas chamber that entraps air. The gas chamber includes a compression device that, when the flash-bang projectile is shot or otherwise ejected by a gun or other form of ejection device, compresses the air that is entrapped in the gas chamber. A burst disk forms one wall of the gas chamber and is configured to rupture a selected time delay after the air has been compressed. Rupturing of the burst disk releases the compressed air entrapped in the gas chamber, allowing the air to be released through a horn nozzle, thereby generating a noise pulse. The flash-bang projectile may have more than one gas chambers, with associated compression devices, whose burst disks are configured to rupture with diverse time delays, in which case the flash-bang projectile can generate multiple noise pulses with corresponding delays. In generating a light flash, the flash-bang projectile includes one or more light generating devices, which may include items such as flash lamps, light-emitting devices, and the like, along with a control module for powering the light generating devices. The control module includes an electrical generating arrangement that uses a portion of the kinetic energy imparted to the flash-bang projectile when it is ejected to generate electrical energy. The electrical energy is, in turn, used to power the light generating devices. Electrical traces on the burst disks are broken when the burst disks rupture to facilitate synchronization of the light flashes with the noise pulses.

Claims

1. A projectile configured to generate at least one noise pulse following ejection by an ejection device, the projectile comprising a housing defining at least one gas chamber configured to entrap gas, the gas chamber having at least one sidewall having mounted therein a horn nozzle and an associated burst disk, and a gas compressor configured to compress the gas entrapped in the gas chamber after the projectile has been ejected, the burst disk being configured to rupture after the gas in the gas chamber has been compressed for a selected time thereby to allow the gas in the gas chamber to be forced through the horn nozzle thereby to emit a noise pulse.

2. A projectile as defined in claim 1 in which

A. the gas chamber comprises an elongated chamber defined in the housing;

and

B. the gas compressor comprises a plunger system that, in response to the force of ejection, forces a rod into the chamber, thereby to reduce the volume of the gas chamber, the reduction of volume facilitating an increase in pressure of the gas entrapped in the gas chamber.

3. A projectile as defined in claim 1 in which the housing defines a plurality of gas chambers, each of which is configured to entrap gas, each gas chamber having at least a portion of a sidewall associated therewith having mounted therein a burst disk and associated horn nozzle, the gas compressor being configured to compress the gas entrapped in the respective gas chambers after the projectile has been ejected, each burst disk being configured to rupture after the gas in the gas chamber has been compressed for a selected time thereby to allow the gas in the gas chamber to be forced through the associated horn nozzle thereby to emit a noise pulse.

4. A projectile as defined in claim 3 in which at least two burst disks are configured to rupture after diverse selected times, thereby to facilitate emission of noise pulses at at least two points in time.

5. A projectile as defined in claim 3 in which

A. each gas chamber comprises an elongated chamber defined in the housing;

and

B. the gas compressor comprises a plunger system that, in response to the force of ejection, forces a rod into each chamber, thereby to reduce the volume of the respective gas chamber, the reduction of volume in the respective gas chamber facilitating an increase in pressure of the gas entrapped in the respective gas chamber.

6. A projectile as defined in claim 3 in which the gas chambers are symmetrically disposed around an axis of the housing.

7. A projectile as defined in claim 1 in which the housing defines a cavity having an opening and the gas compressor includes a rod having an end extending into the opening, the rod being configured to be projected into the cavity when the projectile is ejected to reduce the volume of the cavity and thereby increase the pressure of the case entrapped in the cavity.

8. A projectile as defined in claim 1 further comprising at least one electrically-energizable light generating device mounted on the exterior of the housing and a control module, the control module being configured to energize the light generating device following ejection thereby to enable the light generating device to generate a light flash.

9. A projectile as defined in claim 8 in which the control module is configured to energize the light generating device at a time in relation to the emission of the noise pulse.

10. A projectile as defined in claim 9 further comprising a sensor configured to sense the rupturing of the burst disk, the sensor being configured to control the control module to energize the light generating device in relation to the rupturing of the burst disk.

11. A projectile as defined in claim 7 in which the control module includes an electrical power generating arrangement configured to generate electrical power following ejection and a power supply control arrangement configured to control the provision of the electrical power to the light generating device.

12. A projectile as defined in claim 11 in which the electrical power generating arrangement is configured to generate the electrical power from kinetic energy imparted to the projectile during ejection.

13. A projectile as defined in claim 12 in which the electrical power generating arrangement includes a piezoelectric crystal and a rod, the rod being configured to strike the piezoelectric crystal during ejection thereby to enable the piezoelectric crystal to generate electrical power.

14. A projectile as defined in claim 12 in which the electrical power generating arrangement includes a wire and a magnet, the magnet having a magnetic field and the wire being positioned to intercept the magnetic field, the wire and magnet being enabled to move relative to each other during ejection thereby to enable the wire to generate electrical power.

15. A projectile as defined in claim 14 in which the wire is in the form of a coil.

16. A projectile as defined in claim 12 in which the electrical power generating arrangement includes an electrical generator and a turbine, the turbine being configured to entrain air flowing past the projectile following ejection, the entrained air enabling the turbine to rotate, the electrical generator being configured to generate electrical power in response to rotation of the turbine.

17. A projectile configured to generate at least one light flash following ejection by an ejection device, the projectile comprising a housing having a light generating device mounted thereon and a control module, the control module being configured to generate electrical power following ejection and energize the light generating device thereby to enable the light generating device to generate a light flash.

18. A projectile as defined in claim 17 in which the control module includes an electrical power generating arrangement configured to generate electrical power following ejection and a power supply control arrangement configured to control the provision of the electrical power to the light generating device.

19. A projectile as defined in claim 18 in which the electrical power generating arrangement is configured to generate the electrical power from kinetic energy imparted to the projectile during ejection.

20. A projectile as defined in claim 19 in which the electrical power generating arrangement includes a piezoelectric crystal and a rod, the rod being configured to strike the piezoelectric crystal during ejection thereby to enable the piezoelectric crystal to generate electrical power.

21. A projectile as defined in claim 19 in which the electrical power generating arrangement includes a wire and a magnet, the magnet having a magnetic field and the wire being positioned to intercept the magnetic field, the wire and magnet being enabled to move relative to each other during ejection thereby to enable the wire to generate electrical power.

22. A projectile as defined in claim 21 in which the wire is in the form of a coil.

23. A projectile as defined in claim 19 in which the electrical power generating arrangement includes an electrical generator and a turbine, the turbine being configured to entrain air flowing past the projectile following ejection, the entrained air enabling the turbine to rotate, the electrical generator being configured to generate electrical power in response to rotation of the turbine.