U.S. patent application number 10/749017 was filed with the patent office on 2005-07-21 for electronically controlled gas-powered guns for firing paintballs.
Invention is credited to Forster, Glenn.
Application Number | 20050155591 10/749017 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34749285 |
Filed Date | 2005-07-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050155591 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Forster, Glenn |
July 21, 2005 |
Electronically controlled gas-powered guns for firing
paintballs
Abstract
An improved electronically controlled pneumatically operated
paintball gun having more efficient air usage by means of a
pneumatic piston valve with a directional tube vent. This pneumatic
piston valve works on direct air pressure to open and close very
quickly. The pneumatic piston valve has one moving part called the
"piston valve". The piston valve works as a double acting cylinder.
At one end of the piston valve is a seal that presses up against a
valve seat. When low pressure air is applied to the opposite side
of the piston valve assembly, the force created from air pressure
forces the piston seal against the valve seat, closing a
high-pressure chamber. When low pressure air is allowed to be
released, force created by air pressure shifts the valve and forces
the seal away from the valve seat. When the valve is opened, air is
released from the high pressure chamber into a directional tube
positioned directly behind the paintball, forcing the air to travel
in a straight line before the air impacts the paintball. After the
ball has been fired, low-pressure air is again transferred back to
the original side of the piston, forcing the seal and valve seat
closed once again. A pneumatic valve controls the flow of
low-pressure air to the piston valve assembly. The time needed to
transfer air through the pneumatic valve is adjustable through a
circuit board.
Inventors: |
Forster, Glenn; (Los
Angeles, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LEONARD TACHNER, A PROFESSIONAL LAW
CORPORATION
17961 SKY PARK CIRCLE, SUITE 38-E
IRVINE
CA
92614
|
Family ID: |
34749285 |
Appl. No.: |
10/749017 |
Filed: |
December 29, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
124/74 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41B 11/00 20130101;
F41B 11/57 20130101; F41B 11/724 20130101; F41B 11/723 20130101;
F41B 11/71 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
124/074 |
International
Class: |
F41B 011/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. An electronically controlled paintball gun for pneumatically
propelling a paintball projectile through a gun barrel toward a
remote target; the gun comprising: an elongated tube aligned with
said barrel; a high pressure air chamber having an outlet aligned
with said tube for directing high pressure air through said tube
for propelling said paintball; a piston configured for selectively
opening and closing said high pressure air chamber outlet; and a
piston control chamber for causing said piston to open and close
said outlet depending on whether pressure is applied to or released
from said piston control chamber.
2. In a compressed-gas electronically controlled gun for firing
paintball projectiles through a barrel toward a remote target and
having a breech aligned with the barrel for receiving each of the
projectiles to be fired, a piston valve assembly for controlling
pressurized gas for loading and propelling the projectiles; the
assembly comprising: an elongated tube aligned with said breech; a
moveable piston positioned at an open end of said tube adjacent a
valve seat at said tube end; a first gas chamber for receiving gas
under low pressure for moving said piston into engagement with said
valve seat; a second gas chamber for receiving gas under high
pressure while said piston is engaged with said valve seat; and a
third gas chamber for receiving gas under low pressure for moving
said piston away from said valve seat to suddenly release said high
pressure gas from said second gas chamber into said tube to propel
said projectile out of said breech and through said barrel.
3. The assembly recited in claim 2 wherein said first, second and
third gas chambers are controlled by an electronic actuator.
4. The assembly recited in claim 2 wherein said piston has a seal
for engaging said valve seat.
5. The assembly recited in claim 2 further comprising a pneumatic
valve for controlling gas flow into said first and third gas
chambers.
6. The assembly recited in claim 5 wherein the time required to
transfer gas into said first and third gas chambers may be
adjusted.
7. The assembly recited in claim 2 wherein said gas comprises
air.
8. The assembly recited in claim 2 wherein said tube is a circular
cylinder.
9. An electronically controlled paintball gun for pneumatically
propelling a paintball projectile through a gun barrel toward a
remote target; the gun comprising: an elongated tube aligned with
said barrel; a high pressure air chamber having an outlet aligned
with said tube for directing high pressure air through said tube
for propelling said paintball; a piston configured for selectively
opening and closing said high pressure air chamber outlet; and at
least one piston control chamber for causing said piston to open
and close said outlet depending upon whether said piston control
chamber is filled with or drained of pressurized air.
10. The paintball gun recited in claim 9 further comprising a
pneumatic valve for controlling air flow into said piston control
chamber.
11. The paintball gun recited in claim 9 wherein said pneumatic
valve is actuated electronically.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to gas-powered guns
and more specifically to guns for firing paintballs.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] Guns capable of firing paintballs by use of pressurized gas
have been known for a number of years and they are commonly used
for recreational sports such as survival or "war" games. The
paintballs fired by these guns generally comprise a gelatin shell
with a colored liquid or viscous substance in the interior. These
paintballs are designed to burst upon impact with a target and
thereby create a visible mark on the target.
[0005] Up until recently the firing mechanisms in paintball guns
have generally been mechanical in nature. An example of such a gun
is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,939 issued Sep. 27, 1994 to
Perrone.
[0006] Recently, electronically operated paintball guns have come
into use. One such paintball gun is described in U.S. Pat. No.
5,881,707 issued Mar. 16, 1999 to Gardner, Jr. The grip of the gun
has an electrical switch capable of activating a launching
sequence. An electrical control unit is housed within the body of
the gun and a grip and can direct pressurized gas flow between the
pneumatic components of the gun in order to load, cock and fire the
gun. The electrical control unit includes an electrical power
source which activates an electrical timing circuit when the
electrical switch is closed and also activates two electrically
operated pneumatic flow distribution devices. Upon closure of the
switch, the control unit causes a projectile to be loaded into the
launching mechanism by actuation of the first pneumatic flow
distribution device. A paintball is fired when the timing circuit
actuates the second flow distribution device to release gas from a
storage chamber into the launching mechanism.
[0007] Another electronically activated gun is described in U.S.
Pat. No. 6,003,504 issued to Rice, et al. on Dec. 21, 1999. This
gun employs first and second gas pressure regulators with the first
capable of providing high gas pressure in a first chamber of the
gun. The second regulator is connected between this first chamber
and a second chamber and maintains a lower working pressure in the
second chamber. A control valve receives gas under pressure from
the second chamber and directs it selectively to a ram slidably
mounted in a cylinder. The ram is moved by gas pressure between a
retracted position and a forward position where it opens a valve to
allow high pressure gas to flow from the first chamber to the
barrel to fire a paintball. The guns's trigger operates a
microswitch which is part of an electronic control circuit for the
gun.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention comprises an improved electronically
controlled pneumatically operated paintball gun having more
efficient air usage by means of a pneumatic piston valve with a
directional tube vent.
[0009] This pneumatic piston valve works on direct air pressure to
open and close it very quickly. The pneumatic piston valve has one
moving part called the "piston valve". The piston valve works as a
double acting cylinder. At one end of the piston valve is a seal
that presses up against a valve seat. When low pressure air is
applied to the opposite side of the piston valve assembly, the
force created from air pressure forces the piston seal against the
valve seat, closing a high-pressure chamber. When low pressure air
is allowed to be released, force created by air pressure shifts the
valve and forces the seal away from the valve seat. When the valve
is opened, air is released from the high pressure chamber into a
directional tube positioned directly behind the paintball, forcing
the air to travel in a straight line before the air impacts the
paintball. After the ball has been fired, low-pressure air is again
transferred back to the original side of the piston, forcing the
seal and valve seat closed once again. A pneumatic valve controls
the flow of low-pressure air to the piston valve assembly. The time
needed to transfer air through the pneumatic valve is completely
adjustable through a circuit board.
[0010] When the piston is inserted into the body of a paintball
gun, three air chambers are created. Chamber No. 1 and No. 2 are
for low pressure and chamber No. 3 is for high pressure. Chamber
No. 1 is located at the rear of the piston valve assembly and is
filled with low-pressure air. The low-pressure air creates a force
relative to the area of the piston. This force is used to push the
piston valve to it's forward most position, forcing a seal
(attached to the opposite side of the piston valve) against a valve
seat, sealing off chamber No. 3 filled with air under high
pressure. To open chamber No. 3 and release high-pressure air
through the valve seat, low-pressure air is switched from chamber
No. 1 to chamber No. 2 forcing the piston valve and the seal in the
opposite direction and away from the valve seat. This creates a
space between the seal and the valve seat allowing high-pressure
air from chamber No. 3 to exit the chamber. In an alternative
embodiment, movement of the piston valve is controlled using only
low pressure chamber No. 1 and chamber No. 2 is kept at ambient
pressure throughout the firing cycle. In this embodiment, the
piston valve is closed when pressure is applied to chamber No. 1
and is opened when pressure is relieved from chamber No. 1. An
advantage of this embodiment is that less air is used for operation
of the gun and the shot to shot cycle time is reduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The aforementioned objects and advantages of the present
invention, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof,
will be more fully understood hereinafter as a result of a detailed
description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction
with the following drawings in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a paintball gun
according to a preferred embodiment of the invention in which a
paintball is about to be fired therefrom;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation similar to FIG. 1, but
showing the preferred embodiment immediately after a paintball has
been fired; and
[0014] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation similar to FIGS. 1 and
2, but showing the preferred embodiment being loaded with another
paintball for firing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] Referring to the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that
a paintball gun 10 comprises a body 12 and a handle 14, the former
having a compressed gas source connection 15 and a regulator 17 for
use with a tank of compressed gas (not shown). A feed mechanism 16
feeds projectiles (i.e., paintballs) 18 into a breech 20 one by one
to be propelled at high speed through a barrel 21. A bolt 23
controls the movement of paintballs 18 into the breech 20 and into
barrel 21.
[0016] Operation of paintball gun 10 is by electronically
controlled pneumatic valves 33 and 35, including pneumatic
propulsion of each projectile 18. Pneumatic propulsion of
projectiles is accomplished by means of a piston valve assembly 22
which comprises a piston valve 24, low pressure gas chambers 26 and
28, high pressure gas chamber 30 and valve seat 25. An elongated
tube 32, preferably configured as a straight circular cylinder,
interconnects the barrel 21 and the high pressure gas chamber 30
depending upon the position of piston valve 24 relative to valve
seat 25.
[0017] The piston valve 24 is moveable between positions
represented in FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1, the piston valve is firmly
seated against valve seat 25 thereby closing off chamber 30 from
tube 32. In this position, high pressure gas can flow into chamber
30 without being dissipated into the breech 20. This position of
piston valve 24 is effected by gas pressure in chamber 26. In FIG.
2, pressure in chamber 26 is relieved which causes piston valve 24
to move away from valve seat 25. Flow of gas at low pressure into
chamber 28 may be used to speed up valve 24 movement. This opening
of the region between valve seat 25 and piston valve 24 permits
sudden release of high pressure gas from chamber 30 through
elongated tube 32 into bolt 23 thereby propelling a projectile 18
through barrel 21 at high speed as depicted in FIG. 2. Bolt 23 is
then retracted by pneumatic cylinder 19 over tube 32 thereby
permitting another projectile 18 to drop into breech 20 for the
next firing. Bolt 23 is then extended to push the paintball into
the barrel. Because bolt 23 is a hollow tube which has a diameter
that is larger than tube 32, bolt 23 does not obstruct flow of high
pressure air into the barrel 21.
[0018] In FIG. 3, gas pressure in chamber 26 increases, piston
valve 24 is returned to its sealing position with the valve 24
again firmly seated against valve seat 25. Pressure in chamber 30
begins to build for the next firing cycle while the next projectile
is loaded into breech 20 from feed mechanism 16. The rate of the
sequence of events represented in FIGS. 1-3 is controlled
electronically.
[0019] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, pressure in
chamber 26 is not changed, but is instead kept at ambient. Closing
of piston valve 24 is accomplished by pressurizing chamber 28 as in
the first embodiment. However, opening of piston valve 24 is
effected by merely draining chamber 28 and allowing the high
pressure in chamber 30 to effectively force open the piston valve.
This alternative embodiment reduces air usage and reduces shot to
shot cycle time by obviating the need to pressurize and drain
chamber 26. In effect, piston valve 24 is controlled by only one
low pressure control chamber instead of two as in the first
embodiment.
[0020] Having thus disclosed preferred embodiments of the present
invention, those having skill in the paintball gun art will now
perceive numerous modifications and additions which may be made to
the described embodiment. Accordingly, the scope hereof is not to
be limited by the version disclosed, but only by the appended
claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *