Method for neutralizing explosives and electronics

• US 8,561,515 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xtreme Ads Limited
• Original Assignee: Xtreme Ads Limited
• Inventors: Bitar, Peter V., Lakey, Leroy Ernest, Howe, Varce Eron, Busby, Rick Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): DAVID, MICHAEL D
• Application Number:
  US13/721,974
• Time in Patent Office: 306 Days
• Field of Search: 89/11.3, 102402-403, 86/50
• US Class Current: 89/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/12 Means for clearing land minefields; Systems specially adapted for detection of landmines
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/30 with rollers creating a surface load on the ground, e.g. steadily increasing surface load, for triggering purposes
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/32 Decoy or sacrificial vehicles; Decoy or sacrificial devices attachable to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0043 Directed energy weapons, i.e. devices that direct a beam of high energy content toward a target for incapacitating or destroying the target
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 33/06 Dismantling fuzes, cartridges, projectiles, missiles, rockets or bombs F42B33/004 and F42B33/04 take precedence; elimination of undesirable components of explosives C06B21/0091
• CPC Class Codes: F42D 5/04 Rendering explosive charges harmless, e.g. destroying ammunition F42B39/14 and F42B39/20 take precedence ; extracting primers, dismantling ammunition F42B33/04, F42B33/06 ; chemical deactivating of explosives C06B21/0091; Rendering detonation of explosive charges harmless

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for detonating a buried explosive device by discharging an electric discharge with at least five joules of energy to detonate the buried explosive device.

Claims

1. A system for detonating a buried explosive device, the system comprising:

a vehicle;

a boom arm on the vehicle;

a generator that generates an electric potential, wherein the generator is carried by the vehicle; and

an emitter electrically coupled to the generator and carried by the boom arm, where the emitter is constructed and arranged to discharge the electric potential as an electric discharge into the explosive device, wherein the electric discharge includes at least 5 joules of energy, wherein the emitter discharges through a substantially constant point and wherein the boom arm is constructed and arranged to position the emitter away from the vehicle and the generator.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a resonance transformer electrically coupled between the generator and the emitter, wherein the resonance transformer increases the electric potential.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the resonance transformer increases the electric potential above 30,000 volts.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the resonance transformer produces a pulsed electric potential that is discharged by the emitter as a pulsed electric discharge.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the pulsed electric discharge produced by the resonance transformer has a pulse duration between about thirty and about one hundred microseconds.

6. The system of claim 2, further comprising a high voltage transformer electrically coupled between the generator and the resonance transformer.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the high voltage transformer increased the electric potential to approximately 14.4 kilovolts.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the generator produces time varying energy.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the time varying energy is Alternating Current electric energy.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle further comprises armor.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle further comprises controls for local operation of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is configured with remotely operable controls.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the buried explosive is selected from a group consisting of:

a land mine and an improvised explosive device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is constructed and arranged to move the electrode with the vehicle while discharging electric discharges through the emitter.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is constructed and arranged to pulse the electric discharge.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the electric discharge has a pulse duration between about thirty and about one hundred microseconds.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a Tesla coil electrically coupled between the generator and the emitter.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is constructed and arranged to generate an electric field around the emitter that promotes electrical discharge between the emitter and the buried explosive device.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrical potential generated by the generator is sufficient to create a dielectric breakdown of air between the emitter and the earth.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitter defines a shape that is operable to concentrate an electric field at the substantially constant point.