Method For The Destruction Of A Localized Mine

• US 20080087186A1
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Atlas Elektronik GmbH (Thyssenkrupp AG)
• Original Assignee: Atlas Elektronik GmbH (Thyssenkrupp AG)
• Inventors: Blohm, Christian, Pfitzner, Martin
• Application Number:
  US11/662,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20080087186A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 102/403
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2007/005 Unmanned autonomously operating mine sweeping vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/004 autonomously operating
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 7/02 Mine-sweeping means, Means for destroying mines
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/001 Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/16 Self-propelled mine-clearing vehicles; Mine-clearing devices attachable to vehicles

Abstract

A method for the destruction of a localized mine, wherein an unmanned underwater vessel cooperates as a primary vessel (11) withy another unmanned remote-controlled underwater vessel acting as a secondary vessel (12) and which is provided with an explosive charge for explosion purposes. To reduce clearing costs compared to a method that uses a disposable vessel and to reduce clearing times compared to a method using a re-usable clearing vehicle, the primary and secondary vessels (11, 12) are used in an autonomously operating mode wherein the secondary vessel (12) is remotely controlled by the primary vessel (11). The tandem mode is effected as far as the mine (33) from the primary vessel (11) outwards by use of stored positional data on the localized mine (33) and on-board assisted navigation data; the mine (33) is relocalized using optical and/or optical sensors, and the secondary vessel (12) is positioned in relation to the mine (33) in a remote-controlled manner once the mine has been relocalized and the explosive charge is exploded by remote control.

Claims

1. A method for the destruction of a localized mine (33), in which an unmanned underwater vehicle cooperates as a primary vehicle (11) with an unmanned, remotely controlled underwater vehicle as a secondary vehicle (12), which is equipped with an explosive charge (28), for detonation of the localized mine (33), characterized in that the two underwater vehicles (11, 12) are used as an autonomously operating tandem, in which the secondary vehicle (12) is remotely controlled from the primary vehicle (11), in that the tandem is guided to the mine (33) from the primary vehicle (11) by means of stored position data relating to the localized mine (33) and on-board-based navigation data, in that the mine (33) is relocalized from the primary vehicle (11) by means of acoustic and/or optical sensors (21, 22), in that, once the mine (33) has been relocalized, the secondary vehicle (12) is positioned by remote control from the primary vehicle adjacent to the mine (33), and in that the explosive charge (28) is remotely detonated from the primary vehicle (11).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the primary vehicle (11) additionally optically identifies the relocalized mine (33) and uses stored mine data to optimize the position of the secondary vehicle (12) adjacent to the mine (33).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a program routine is carried out in the primary vehicle (11) before remote detonation of the explosive charge (28) and initiates a movement of the primary vehicle (11) away from the mine (33) corresponding to a predetermined safety separation.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the position data relating to the localized mine (33) is stored in the primary vehicle (11) before the start of the mission for mine destruction.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the position data relating to the localized mine (33) is transmitted to the primary vehicle (11) while carrying out the mine destruction mission.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that steering signals for the primary and the secondary vehicle (11, 12) are calculated in the primary vehicle (11) by means of artificial intelligence (26) from the position data relating to the localized mine (33) and from the on-board-based navigation data.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the primary vehicle (11) and secondary vehicle (12) are connected to one another by a connection cable (34), and the steering signals are transmitted from the primary vehicle (11) to the secondary vehicle (12) via the connection cable (24).

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that propulsion energy which is required by the secondary vehicle (12) is transmitted from the primary vehicle (11) via the connection cable (24).

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that a detonation signal for remote initiation of the explosive charge (28) in the secondary vehicle (12) is transmitted via the connection cable (24).

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that, while moving in tandem to the localized mine (33), the cable length of the connection cable (24) which is deployed between the primary vehicle (11) and the secondary vehicle (12) is controlled such that it is continuously matched to the instantaneous distance between the two vehicles (11, 12).

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the primary vehicle (11) and secondary vehicle (12) are carried jointly on a platform (10), and are configured as a tandem after deployment from the platform (10).

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the localization of the mine (33) and the determination of the position data relating to the localized mine (33) are carried out by means of an actively locating sonar device which is arranged on the platform (10).

13. A mine destruction system having two unmanned underwater vehicles which each have at least one propulsion motor (13, 14) and a steering apparatus (15, 16) respectively, one of which is remotely controlled and has an explosive charge which can be detonated remotely for mine destruction, and having acoustic and/or optical sensors (21, 22) for underwater use, characterized in that the underwater vehicles form a tandem which operates autonomously and is composed of a primary vehicle (11) and a secondary vehicle (12), in that the primary vehicle (11) has a memory (27) for storage of the position data relating to a localized mine (33), a navigation device (20) and control electronics (25), and is equipped with the acoustic and/or optical sensors (21, 22), and in that the secondary vehicle (12) is equipped with the explosive charge (28) and with a fuze (29) for remote detonation of the explosive charge (28).

14. The mine destruction system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the primary vehicle (11) and the secondary vehicle (12) are connected to one another via a connection cable (24), and in that the connection cable (24) is designed to transmit steering signals to the steering apparatus (16) for the secondary vehicle (12), and/or to transmit electrical power from an energy source (19), which is arranged in the primary vehicle (11), to the secondary vehicle (12).

15. The mine destruction system as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the connection cable (24) can be wound up on a cable drum (23) which is installed in the primary vehicle (11), and in that the cable drum (23) can be controlled such that the deployed length of the connection cable (24) from the cable drum (23) is continuously matched to the instantaneous distance between the primary vehicle (11) and the secondary vehicle (12).

16. The mine destruction system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the primary vehicle (11) has artificial intelligence (26) for processing of the position data relating to the mine (33), and of the navigation data from the navigation device (20).

17. The mine destruction system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the acoustic sensors (21) have a short-range sensor, and the optical sensors (22) have a TV camera with illumination.