Vehicle and structure film/hard point shield

• US 9,027,457 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2014
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Foster-Miller Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Foster-Miller Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shackelford, Justin Trent, Larouco, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Bret
• Assistant Examiner(s): Freeman, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US14/336,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20150135936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• Field of Search: 89/360.2, 89/360.4, 89/360.7, 89/360.8, 89/360.9, 899/20, 899/29, 899/30, 899/39
• US Class Current: 89/36.02
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 19/00 Bolts without screw-thread; Pins, including deformable elements in screwed connections F16B29/00; Rivets means for preventing withdrawal F16B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/013 Mounting or securing armour plates
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/026 Slat armour; Nets
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/0492 Layered armour containing hard elements, e.g. plates, spheres, rods, separated from each other, the elements being connected to a further flexible layer or being embedded in a plastics or an elastomer matrix
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/12 for smallarms; for light-rocket launchers shields attached to smallarms F41C27/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49833 Punching, piercing or reaming part by surface of second part

Abstract

A shield includes a film with members intersecting at spaced nodes, a hard point fixed at least at select nodes, and a frame at least partially about the film for spacing the film from a vehicle or structure to be protected.

Claims

1. A shield comprising:

a film including members intersecting at spaced nodes;

hard points each including two halves on opposite sides of at least select film nodes, one said half including a pin, the other said half including a pin receiving cavity, said pin extending through a film node and received in the pin receiving cavity of the other half, thereby joining the halves together and locking the hard points to the film; and

a frame at least partially about the film for spacing the film from a vehicle or structure to be protected.

2. The shield of claim 1 in which said halves have the same configuration.

3. The shield of claim 1 in which each of said halves include an opening therein.

4. The shield of claim 1 in which each of said halves includes a pin.

5. The shield of claim 1 in which each of said halves is multisided with sharp edges.

6. The shield of claim 3 in which each of said halves include a face with teeth thereon.

7. The shield of claim 1 in which the film is a single ply film.

8. A shield manufacturing method comprising:

forming a film to include members intersecting at nodes;

fabricating hard points each including two halves on opposite sides of at least select nodes of the film;

fabricating said halves to each include a pin receiving cavity; and

joining together the hard point halves via a pin through said at least at select nodes of the film to fix the hard points at their respective nodes.

9. The method of claim 8 in which said halves have the same configuration.

10. The method of claim 8 further including placing a pin in one hard point half, piercing a film node with the pin, and driving the pin into the other hard point half.

11. The method of claim 8 in which said halves each includes a pin.

12. The shield of claim 8 in which each of said halves is multisided with sharp edges.

13. The shield of claim 8 in which each of said halves includes a face with teeth therein.

14. A shield comprising:

a film including members intersecting at spaced nodes;

a hard point including two halves joined together on opposite sides of one of said film nodes;

at least one pin extending through said film and into each of said hard point halves; and

a frame at least partially about the film for spacing the film from a vehicle or structure to be protected.

15. A shield comprising:

a film including members intersecting at spaced nodes;

hard points each including two halves on opposite sides of at least select film nodes, at least one fastener piercing the node and joining the two halves together on opposite sides of the node; and

a frame at least partially about the film for spacing the film from a vehicle or structure to be protected.

16. The shield of claim 15 in which the fastener is a pin.