Multi-row panel active blast system

• US 9,188,409 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2013
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencate Advanced Armor Design, Inc. (Koninklijke Ten Cate NV)
• Original Assignee: TenCate Advanced Armor USA, Inc. (Koninklijke Ten Cate NV)
• Inventors: Hansen, Andrew Roger, Schwarz, Robert, Svane, Joergen Leir, Dobriski, Josef Stefan, Sagebiel, Erick James
• Primary Examiner(s): TILLMAN, JR, REGINALD S
• Application Number:
  US14/084,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20140224110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 89/361.7, 89/11.1, 102/336
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/007 Reactive armour; Dynamic armour
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/013 Mounting or securing armour plates
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 7/00 Armoured or armed vehicles general vehicle aspects B60; armoured or armed ships B63G; armoured or armed aircraft B64D; mounting guns, e.g. machine guns, on vehicles F41A23/00
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 7/04 Armour construction in general F41H5/00
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 7/044 Hull or cab construction other than floors or base plates for increased land mine protection mounting of armoured plates F41H5/013
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A countermeasure system is provided including a frame and two or more rows of countermeasures disposed on the frame. Each row of the countermeasures may be configured to be initiated substantially simultaneously along the length of the row. Additional countermeasure systems may include elongated explosive charges and or masses disposed along the length of the rows. The frame may include two or more ridges on a side opposite to the two or more rows of countermeasures, the ridges being configured to engage with corresponding ridges on a vehicle when the countermeasure panel is mounted to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A countermeasure system configured to be mounted to a vehicle, said system comprising:

a countermeasure configured to fire in an upward direction when mounted to the vehicle;

a first sensor device including a plurality of accelerometers configured to detect vertical acceleration of the vehicle;

a second sensor device configured to detect projectiles in proximity to the vehicle;

a processor in communication with said first sensor device and said second sensor device, said processor configured to initiate the countermeasure based on results of processing signals from said first sensor device, and based on results of processing signals from said second sensor device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said countermeasure includes a frame, and at least two rows of countermeasures disposed on the frame, wherein, each row of the countermeasures includes at least one of an elongated explosive charge disposed along the length of the row or a plurality of segmented explosive charges along the length of the row.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each row of the countermeasures is configured to fire in a substantially parallel direction to at least one other row of the countermeasures.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein each row of the countermeasures comprises an elongated explosive charge disposed along the length of the row.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the frame includes a plurality of ridges on a side opposite to the at least two rows of countermeasures, the plurality of ridges configured to engage with corresponding ridges on the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to selectively initiate individual countermeasures in different areas of the vehicle based on at least one of the results of processing signals from said first sensor device and the results of processing signals from said second sensor device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the countermeasure includes one or more of a mass ejector and a thruster.

8. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein the countermeasure comprises:

a housing; and

at least one of a mass ejector and a thruster held by the housing,

wherein, the housing includes at least one attachment point for fixedly attaching the housing to a vehicle, and a plurality of ridges configured to engage with corresponding ridges on the vehicle when the countermeasure is mounted to the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a supplemental armor panel including the corresponding ridges.

10. The system of claim 8, including at least two rows of countermeasures held by the housing, each of the at least two rows of countermeasures including an elongated explosive charge and an elongated mass configured to be ejected by the elongated explosive charge.

11. The system of claim 8, including:

a first countermeasure held by the housing and configured to fire in a first direction, and

a second countermeasure mounted substantially opposite the first countermeasure and configured to fire in a substantially opposite direction to the first direction.

12. The system of claim 11, including a plurality of the first countermeasures held by the housing, and a plurality of the second countermeasures mounted substantially opposite the plurality of first countermeasures.

13. The countermeasure system of claim 1, wherein the countermeasure includes:

a frame; and

at least two rows of countermeasures disposed on the frame,

wherein, each row of the countermeasures includes at least one of an elongated explosive charge disposed along the length of the row or a plurality of segmented explosive charges along the length of the row.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein each row of the countermeasures is configured to be initiated substantially simultaneously along the length of the row.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein each row of the countermeasures is configured to be initiated separately from at least one other row of the countermeasures.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein each row of the countermeasures is configured to fire in a substantially parallel direction to at least one other row of the countermeasures.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein each row of the countermeasures comprises an elongated explosive charge disposed along the length of the TOW.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each row of the countermeasures comprises an elongated mass disposed along the length of the row, each of the elongated masses configured to be ejected by at least one of the elongated explosive charges.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein each row of the countermeasures comprises a plurality of segmented explosive charges disposed along the length of the row.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein each row of the countermeasures comprises a plurality of masses disposed along the length of the row, each of the plurality of masses configured to be ejected by at least one of the explosive charges.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a plate with elongated recesses configured to accommodate the at least one of an elongated explosive charge or plurality of segmented explosive charges.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a plurality of ridges on a side opposite to the at least two rows of countermeasures, the plurality of ridges configured to engage with corresponding ridges on a vehicle when the countermeasure panel is mounted to the vehicle.