Spinning bomblet fuze

Claim 1

A spin armed fuze for use in munitions comprising: a slider housing, said housing being formed with a channel therein; a slider mounted in said channel for sliding movement therealong; first locking means engaging said slider for locking said slider in the safed position, said locking means being responsive to centrifugal force to unlock said slider; a firing pin mass; a firing pin being secured to said mass and axially projecting therefrom and extending through said slider housing; said slider being formed with a bore therein for receiving said firing pin in the safed position; a detonator carried in said slider maintained in an out of line position relative to said firing pin in the safed position; a spring mounted between said firing pin mass and said slider housing for retracting said firing pin from said slider bore before the arming spin rate is reached whereupon said slider will move along said channel to position said detonator in line with said firing pin; a plurality of centripetally responsive weights complementally formed relative to said mass, the outer peripheral edge of said weights being rounded to permit a rocking action thereabout such that said weights can be rocked radially outwardly; and a garter spring encircling in engaging fashion the outer periphery of said weights, said spring being in biasing contact with said weights and urging said weights inwardly into engagement with said mass so as to overcome said retracting spring and hold said firing pin in the safed position, said weights overcoming the force of said encircling spring and rocking radially outwardly in response to the centrifugal forces generated before the fuze reaches the arming spin rate, said weights rocking outwardly about said rounded edge a sufficient distance to permit said mass to be urged in an axial direction a sufficient distance to remove said firing pin from said slider bore and wherein upon impact said weights will rock inwardly thereby acting against said mass to drive said firing pin into said detonator.