Reactive personnel protection system and method

• US 6,412,391 B1
• Filed: 12/16/1999
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Inventors: Warnagiris, Thomas J., Stevens, David J., Marchand, Kirk A.
• Primary Examiner(s): JOHNSON, STEPHEN
• Application Number:
  US09/464,791
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 89/361.7
• US Class Current: 89/36.17
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/007 Reactive armour; Dynamic armour

Abstract

A counter-terrorism, reactive personnel protection system which detects the presence of a destructive object as it approaches a designated personnel target along an intersecting path. Before impact, an air bag is rapidly inflated and interposed between the destructive object and the target so as to provide a protective barrier. The air bag is constructed from polyethylene material or other anti-ballistic materials, and serves to halt or redirect the detected destructive force of the object and thereby protect the designated target from attack.

Claims

1. A reactive personnel protective system in which at least one air bag is inflated responsive to detection of a destructive object prior to contact between said object and a person, said system comprising:

a pressure wave detection system operable to detect the motion of the destructive object when the destructive object is airborne in space and to generate a sensor output signal representing pressure waves generated by such motion;

at least one rapidly deployable anti-ballistic air bag; and

a gas-generating system for rapid deployment of said air;

wherein the detection system is further operable to process the sensor output signal and to generate a control signal for deploying the air bag, during a processing time; and

wherein the distance between the detection system and the air bag is calculated such that the processing time is less than the flight time of the destructive object between detection of the object and reaching the air bag.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the object is a fragment resulting from an explosion.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the distance between the detection system and the air bag is at least 50 feet.

4. A method of shielding a person from an airborne destructive object prior to contact between said object and the person, comprising the steps of:

positioning at least one rapidly deployable anti-ballistic air bag in an expected flight path of the object toward the person;

positioning a pressure wave detection system such that the flight path is within range of the detection system, the detection system being operable to detect the motion of the destructive object when the destructive object is airborne in space, to generate a sensor output signal representing pressure waves generated by such motion, to process the sensor output signal, and to generate a control signal for deploying the air bag, during a processing time;

wherein the distance between the detection system and the air bag is calculated such that the flight time of the destructive object between sensing and the air bag is less than the processing time;

detecting the motion of the object;

processing the sensor output signal;

generating the control signal, and

deploying the air bag.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the detection system processes the sensor output signal by confirming that the sensor output signal represents motion of a destructive object.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the detection system is placed at least 50 feet from the air bag.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the positioning step is performed by placing the air bag across an opening to a room.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the object is a bomb fragment.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the object is a fragment resulting from an explosion.