Ammunition orientation mechanism

Claim 1

An ammunition handling system for a plurality of fixed cased rounds of ammunition, each round having a center of gravity which is spaced a first distance from a first end thereof and a second distance from the second end thereof, the first distance being greater than the second distance, each said round having a removable sleeve disposed on a portion thereof adjacent one of said ends, said system comprising: a longitudinally advancing endless conveyor having an upper flight having a train of transversely elongated, open top and bottom passageways, each passageway for receiving through its open top a respective round of ammunition in either of a first or second end to end orientation, and for discharging through its open bottom such round of ammunition; a table surface disposed under said upper flight for precluding the discharge through said open bottoms of said passageways the rounds of ammunition respectively received therein; a longitudinally extending recess in said table surface having a floor surface disposed below said table surface and so located transversely, that when a round of ammunition is in a passageway passing over said recess and in said first orientation, its respective center of gravity lies over said recess, thereby causing said second end of such round of ammunition to tilt downwardly into said recess while such round of ammunition is advancing longitudinally with said passageway, and when a round of ammunition is in a passageway passing over said recess and in said second orientation, its respective center of gravity lies over said table surface, thereby causing such round of ammunition to remain undisturbed while such round of ammunition is advancing longitudinally with said passageway; a cam surface extending progressively longitudinally and transversely adjacent said conveyor for engaging in sequence any upwardly projecting of said first ends of any rounds of ammunition which have their said second ends tilted downwardly into said recess to shift the angle of tilt beyond the perpendicular, whereby to change the orientation of such round of ammunition within its respective passageway; a ramp surface providing a continuum between said floor surface and said table surface disposed adjacent said conveyor longitudinally downstream of said cam surface, for engaging in sequence any downwardly tilted said second ends of rounds of ammunition for restoring in sequence such rounds of ammunition back into their respective passageways; and sleeve removing means disposed downstream of said ramp surface for automatically removing the sleeve from each round of ammunition in sequence.