Turret air bags

• US 9,580,038 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencate Advanced Armor Design, Inc. (Koninklijke Ten Cate NV)
• Original Assignee: Tencate Advanced Armor Design, Inc. (Koninklijke Ten Cate NV)
• Inventors: Palmer, Paul A., Hansen, Andrew R., Dobriski, Josef S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Rodney
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUSHABER, FREDERICK M
• Application Number:
  US14/767,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20160001731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0002 Type of accident
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0065 Type of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01034 Controlling a plurality of restraint devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01231 control of expansion timing or sequence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01302 monitoring vehicle body vibrations or noise
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/13 Roll-over protection electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/20 Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 23/24 Turret gun mountings feeding, loading or guiding ammunition F41A9/00; mechanical elevating or traversing systems for turret guns F41A27/18
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 7/04 Armour construction in general F41H5/00

Abstract

A turret airbag system is provided including a plurality of airbags disposed within the turret to protect an occupant of the turret from injury and/or ejection from the turret. Turret airbags may be configured in padding around a turret access opening, and/or as substantially cylindrical airbags that deploy between the occupant of the turret and a wall or exterior opening of the turret. In some examples, the turret airbag(s) may be integrated with a countermeasure system that deploys explosion countermeasures and activates the turret airbags based on sensor data and multiple thresholds that indicate a collision event, a rollover event and/or an explosion event.

Claims

1. A method of protecting an occupant in a vehicle turret, comprising:

detecting, by one or more computer processors, an event in the vehicle;

deploying a plurality of airbags at least partially in the vehicle turret,

wherein, the turret includes a first opening configured to allow access to the turret from an interior of the vehicle, and to at least partially accommodate a human torso, and a wall at least partially surrounding said first opening, and

the plurality of airbags are arranged at least partially around the first opening, and deploy between the first opening and the wall.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said airbags are substantially cylindrical when deployed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said airbags are configured to deploy upward.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the turret includes a weapon mount, and at least one of the airbags is deployed between the first opening and the weapon mount.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the airbags are included in a padding around the first opening, and deploy upward.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the airbags are included in at least one of the wall or an overhead of the turret.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said airbags are included in said wall and are configured to deploy at least partially inward.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said airbags are included in said overhead of the turret and are configured to deploy at least partially downward.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the turret includes a second opening defining an interface between an inside of the turret and an outside of the turret, and at least one of the airbags is deployed to at least partially obstruct the second opening when deployed.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a first sensor device including a plurality of sensors to detect the event;

using a processor in communication with said first sensor device, to automatically initiate at least one blast countermeasure and said airbags based on results of detecting the event;

wherein, initiating the airbags is based at least in part on signals received from said first sensor device exceeding a first threshold, and

wherein, initiating the blast countermeasure is based at least in part on the signals exceeding a second threshold, the second threshold being greater than the first threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate the airbags based on signals received from different sensor packages associated with different areas of the vehicle, and to selectively initiate individual blast countermeasures in different areas of the vehicle based on signals received from different sensor packages associated with each of the different areas of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the second threshold is greater than 30 g.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one blast countermeasure includes one or more of a mass ejector and a thruster.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein a second sensor device senses a different type of condition than the first sensor device, and the processor processes signals received from said second sensor device in determining whether to initiate at least one of the airbags or the blast countermeasure.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the event is at least one of a rollover event, an impact event, and an explosive event.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method includes deploying different combinations of the airbags and blast countermeasures based on a determination of whether the event is a rollover event, an impact event, and an explosive event.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising deploying a blast countermeasure based at least in part on detecting the event.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the blast countermeasure includes one or more of a mass ejector and a thruster configured to counteract a sensed acceleration of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively activating a blast countermeasure based at least in part on a determination as to whether or not the event is an explosive event.

20. The method claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to apply different predetermined thresholds in deploying the airbags and activating the blast countermeasure.