Gunner Retraction System and Apparatus
First Claim
1. A gunner rollover protection system for a military ground vehicle to protect a user who is at least partially positioned outside of the vehicle from physical trauma incurred from rollover of said vehicle, the system comprising:
- a sensor adapted to sense impending vehicle rollover;
an energy storage device mounted within said vehicle that upon activation retracts said user to an inside of said vehicle;
an attachment worn by said user and operatively connected to said energy storage device;
a shock absorber that upon activation inflates to absorb the energy of retraction of said energy storage device once said user is inside said vehicle;
a shock absorber inflator; and
a controller that once said sensor senses impending vehicle rollover, activates said energy storage device and said shock absorber inflator.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A rollover protection system for protecting exposed gunners during ground vehicle rollovers. The system retracts the gunner into the vehicle thereby removing him/her from physical danger. The system apparatus comprises a safety harness for the gunner with a retraction mechanism that is activated upon vehicle rollover. The safety harness is attached by elastic runners to pre-loaded springs which are held in a tension mode by clamps. The springs are placed in enclosed containers mounted to the bay-floor of the vehicle. The spring clamps are released by a computer in response to a gyroscopic sensor. Shock-absorbing inflatable cushions attached to the floor under the gunner are activated to cushion the retraction.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A gunner rollover protection system for a military ground vehicle to protect a user who is at least partially positioned outside of the vehicle from physical trauma incurred from rollover of said vehicle, the system comprising:
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a sensor adapted to sense impending vehicle rollover; an energy storage device mounted within said vehicle that upon activation retracts said user to an inside of said vehicle; an attachment worn by said user and operatively connected to said energy storage device; a shock absorber that upon activation inflates to absorb the energy of retraction of said energy storage device once said user is inside said vehicle; a shock absorber inflator; and a controller that once said sensor senses impending vehicle rollover, activates said energy storage device and said shock absorber inflator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A gunner rollover protection system for a military ground vehicle to protect a gunner in a position extended outside of the vehicle from physical trauma resulting from rollover of said vehicle, the system comprising:
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a vehicle frame; a harness capable of being worn by said gunner while positioned partially outside of said vehicle; an elastic runner operatively connected to said harness; a ball-in-socket joint operatively connected to said elastic runner; a retraction device operatively connected to said ball-in-socket joint, wherein said retraction device comprises any of spring and gas pistons operatively connected to said vehicle frame, wherein any of said springs and gas pistons are held in tension by a clamp; a spring clamp release mechanism operatively connected to said retraction device and adapted to release said clamp; a shock absorbing inflatable cushion operatively connected to any of said harness and a floor of said vehicle; an inflator adapted to inflate said shock absorbing inflatable cushion; an attitude sensor operatively connected to said inflator and said retraction device, wherein said attitude sensor is adapted to sense an attitude of said vehicle; and a retraction controller operatively connected to said spring clamp release mechanism and said inflator, wherein said retraction controller is adapted to track said attitude of said vehicle using said attitude sensor and activate said spring clamp release mechanism and said inflator. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification