Elektrische Abfeuervorrichtung zum aufeinanderfolgenden Abfeuern mehrerer Munitionseinheiten

摘要

An electrical firing arrangement for the sequential firing of a plurality of mortars stacked in end-to-end relationship within a single launching barrel. The firing arrangement comprises a pulse generator for producing mortar firing pulses and a circuit for applying these pulses to an electro-magnetic stepping switch which applies the pulses in turn over pairs of wires to igniters of the respective mortars as the stepping switch is stepped from one position to the next. The stepping switch comprises normally-open contacts which close when an operating coil is effectively energized by a firing pulse and switch wipers move out of engagement with one pair of associated contacts on the stepping switch towards the next pair of associated contacts on the same switch. The normally-open contacts are restored to their open condition when the operating coil is fully de-energized at the end of each firing pulse so that any short-circuit condition which may exist across a pair of associated contacts due to short-circuiting of a pair of wires to an igniter of a mortar being fired will not deprive the operating coil of current upon the arrival of a firing pulse whereby the stepping switch would fail to step to its next position.