Non-lethal projectile

Details Non-lethal projectile Non-lethal projectile

1999-05-25

2001-04-03

Tudor, Harold J. (Department: 3641)

Ammunition and explosives

Projectiles

Target marking

C102S334000, C102S364000, C102S367000, C102S395000, C102S498000, C102S502000, C222S005000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06209461

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a non-lethal projectile adapted to be projected, in particular fired from a tube in a predetermined longitudinal direction, and to disperse a pressurized fluid in a controlled manner, in particular by impacting on a target in said direction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the present context “tube” means either a weapon barrel housing the projectile directly until it is fired or a tubular case surrounding the projectile at least locally within the weapon barrel and remaining in the barrel when The projectile is fired.
European Patent Application No. 96400608.4 filed Mar. 22, 1996 by the Applicant describes an embodiment of a projectile of the above kind for dispersing a pressurized incapacitating or marking fluid in which the fluid dispersing means comprise a plurality of transverse orifices in a part of the body housing the container in the immediate proximity of the transverse wall carrying the striker. This prior art projectile is designed to be fired in a particular longitudinal direction from a weapon barrel and to release the pressurized fluid from the container as a result of inertial striking on impact on a target in that direction.
The above solution is not totally satisfactory in that the impact energy can be sufficient to cause not only striking (i.e. perforation) of the container by the striker, but also crushing of the container against the transverse wall carrying the striker, with the effect of crimping the container inside the body and/or to the striker in the immediate proximity of the aforementioned transverse wall, i.e. in the area in which the orifices are located.
This causes at least partial blocking of the orifices, making the projectile less effective. It is important for the fluid not only to exit the projectile but also to exit it in an extremely short time period, i.e. before the projectile falls to the ground after striking its target.
Also known, from FIG. 7 of British patent No. 1 354 307 is a projectile comprising, inside a body, a container which, on impact of the projectile on a target in a determined longitudinal direction, breaks against a striker so that its content escapes via lateral vents formed through the wall of the projectile body around the container, i.e. on the same side as the latter of a wall carrying the striker, as in the case of the projectile described in the above-mentioned European patent application.
Nevertheless, the container described in British patent No. 1 354 307 is not suitable for being perforated, but breaks into numerous pieces when it hits the striker, thereby making it necessary to provide firstly a cushion behind the container, in particular to protect it while the projectile is being fired, and secondly grids inside the vents to prevent pieces of the container from escaping together with the content thereof, since that would run the risk of injuring people in the vicinity.
In contrast, the present invention relates to projectiles in which the container is suitable for being perforated and opens on being perforated by means of the striker, as taught in the above-mentioned European patent application.
Also known, from U.S. Pat. No. 1,671,364, is a projectile having a tube that dips permanently into a volume containing a fluid to be expelled and communicating with channels formed in a rigid wall of the projectile.
The volume described in that document is no more a container suitable for being perforated than is the container described in the above-mentioned British patent, and the volume does not contain a fluid under pressure which is released by such a container being perforated. Release is performed by the effect of the volume telescoping and disengaging stoppers that initially closed a T-shaped end of the tube remote from the rigid wall in which the outlet channels are provided.
Consequently, neither British patent No. 1 354 307 nor U.S. Pat. No. 1,671,364 relates to a projectile implementing a container suitable for being perforated by the effect of a striker, i.e. of the type described in the above-mentioned European patent application. In particular, neither of those documents teaches means for remedying the above-mentioned drawback of the projectile described in said European patent application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to remedy that drawback of the projectiles described in European Patent Application No. 9640068.4, and to this end it proposes a projectile of the type indicated in the preamble characterized in that the fluid dispersing means include a blind longitudinal passage through the striker open at the end towards the container and closed inside said wall, and a plurality of transverse passages in said wall radiating from said passage and discharging externally of the body.
The skilled person will readily see that under these conditions any crushing of the container against the transverse wall carrying the striker has no effect on the exit of the pressurized fluid and that it is therefore certain that the projectile in accordance with the invention will release the fluid that it contains in a very short time period after impact on its target if striking is caused by inertia on impact.
An embodiment of the fluid dispersing means of the above kind naturally accommodates any mode of striking the container, i.e. the use of any phenomenon able to bring about longitudinal movement towards each other of the container and the striker under conditions such as to cause the striker to perforate the container, in particular on impact on a target and given that the impact energy is intentionally limited to assure the non-lethal character of the projectile.
Striking can involve longitudinal movement of the striker relative to the transverse wall that carries it but it is preferable for the striker to be attached to that wall. Striking can then result from longitudinal crushing of the body, in which case the means for enabling or causing longitudinal movement towards each other of the container and the striker and perforation of the container by the striker include a longitudinally compressible area of the body between the container and the transverse wall in the longitudinal direction or such crushing is complemented or replaced by inertial sliding of the container inside the body towards the striker, in which case the means for enabling or causing longitudinal movement towards each other of the container and the striker and perforation of the container by the striker include mounting the container so as to slide longitudinally relative to the body, the striker and the wall being in front of the container.
The above two designs of the means for enabling or causing longitudinal movement towards each other of the container and the striker and perforation of the container by the striker can be combined and different means can be chosen, for example pyrotechnic means initiated by the impact or by firing the projectile, with a time-delay in the latter case, these examples being in no way limiting on the invention. Striking by longitudinal crushing of the body is associated with striking caused by the inertia of the body itself upon impact on a target in a particular longitudinal direction while striking by sliding of the container towards the striker is compatible with any mode of striking, in particular one relying on the inertia of the container on impact on a target in a particular longitudinal direction or on pyrotechnic or mechanical-pyrotechnic means that generally do not require an impact to supply the striking energy.
The skilled person will readily see that applications of the present invention are not limited to projectiles designed to be fired from a tube in a particular longitudinal direction and to release the pressurized fluid from the container on impact on a target in that direction and that projectiles can be made in accordance with the present invention that are designed to be projected by other means, in particular to be launched by hand in the manner of hand grenades. In such cases striking preferably relies on m

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