Piezoelectric percussion fuze

Claim 1

Piezoelectric percussion fuze for projectiles comprising a housing containing an explosive charge ignitable in response to an applied electric voltage, an inertia mass within said housing, a piezoelectric transducer arranged between an abutment means of said housing and said inertia mass, said piezoelectric transducer being responsive to the force of the inertia mass for providing an electrical voltage for the initiation of said explosive charge upon impact of the projectile, a switching means responsive to the electrical voltage provided by said transducer for controlling the application of the voltage to said explosive charge, said switching means having a threshold characteristic which blocks the application of all voltages to said explosive charge below a predetermined threshold value, said switching means including a semiconductor element arranged for abutment at one portion thereof with said inertia mass such that said inertia mass electrically connects said piezoelectric transducer and said semiconductor element, said semiconductor element providing an electrical voltage upon exceeding said predetermined threshold value to a contact plate electrically connected thereto, said contact plate applying the voltage generated by said piezoelectric transducer to said explosive charge, said piezoelectric transducer, said inertial mass, said contact plate and said explosive charge being arranged in compact relation within said housing to form a common structural unit.