Mine sweeping and clearing system for land mines

• US 20030196543A1
• Filed: 04/07/2003
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH (Rheinmetall AG)
• Original Assignee: Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH (Rheinmetall AG)
• Inventors: Neugebauer, Klaus, Grosch, Hermann, Moser, Hans, Eckhoff, Detlev
• Application Number:
  US10/407,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20030196543A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 89/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/134 Chemical systems, e.g. with detection by vapour analysis
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/136 Magnetic, electromagnetic, acoustic or radiation systems, e.g. ground penetrating radars or metal-detectors
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/16 Self-propelled mine-clearing vehicles; Mine-clearing devices attachable to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/18 with ground-impacting means for activating mines by the use of mechanical impulses, e.g. flails or stamping elements

Abstract

A mine sweeping and clearing system (100) includes one or two carrier vehicles (1, 10, 11), with an advance-detonation device (2) for detonating mines located at or near the surface, and a mine-sensor assembly (3) that utilizes various physical effects to identify unambiguously as mines and locate deeper-buried mines. An additional flail (7) then detonates the identified and located mines.

Claims

1. A mine sweeping and clearing system, comprising:

an advance-detonation device (2) for detonating mines located at or near the ground surface in the region of the mine sweeping and clearing system (100); and

sensors (3.1-3.5) for locating deeper-buried mines,

wherein the sensors utilize various physical effects, the sensors being assembled to form a sensor assembly (3) that detects and locates the deeper-buried mines.

2. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 1, wherein the sensors (3.1-3.5) include at least one of the following:

an optoelectronic sensor (3.1), a ground-based radar (3.2), an X-ray reflector (3.3), an electromagnetic sensor, (3.4) and an explosives detector (3.4).

3. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 2, wherein the sensors include at least one explosives detector (3.5) from the following group:

a TNA sensor, an IMS sensor and an NQR sensor.

4. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 1, wherein a direct combination evaluation of the sensor data is effected in a sensor and evaluation circuit (4), in which a highly precise ascertainment of the location and position of the mines takes place for clearing them;

the sensor-coordinate systems are specified directly for an adjustment and/or a combination with a GPS receiver or inertial sensors, and the individual sensor data are precisely transformed into a unified coordinate system in the sensor and evaluation circuit (4), with consideration of the location and position.

5. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 1, wherein the mine-sweeping sensor assembly (3) can be set such that only specific groups of mines having predetermined distinguishing features are detected.

6. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 5, wherein the distinguishing features are a minimum depth x of the mine beneath the earth'"'"'s surface and a minimum mine size.

7. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 1, wherein the system comprises one or two carrier vehicles (10, 11).

8. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 7, wherein a mechanical advance-detonation device (2) is mounted on the front of the system.

9. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 8, wherein the system (100) has a chassis configured such that the mines that have not been detonated by the advance-detonation device (2) also cannot be detonated by the chassis.

10. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 8, wherein the sensor assembly (3) is disposed behind the mechanical advance-detonation device (2).

11. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 8, wherein the system comprises two carrier vehicles, one positioned in front of the other, and the sensor assembly (3) is mounted sufficiently far to the front of said other carrier vehicle (11) that, after a mine has been detected, said other carrier vehicle (11) can stop and not pass over the mine.

12. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 11, wherein the sensor assembly (3) is mounted on a pivot arm (8).

13. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 8, wherein the advance-detonation device (2) is a flail system having flail elements.

14. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 13, wherein the advance-detonation device (2) has an additional flail (7).

15. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 14, wherein the additional flail (7) is mounted on an end of a shaft of the advance-detonation device (2), by way of a coupling to a drive motor.

16. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim) 1, wherein of the advance-detonation device (2) has a ground-impact energy set such that all mines located above a predetermined depth (x) are detonated and all mine-detonation devices located above a predetermined depth (x) are actuated.

17. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 13, wherein striking by the flail elements effects the advance detonation.

18. The mine sweeping and clearing system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a laterally pivoting arm and an additional, modular sensor assembly (13) mounted on the laterally pivoting arm (12).