Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Armoured Vehicle
The present invention relates to an armoured vehicle that has a safety cell
that
accommodates the crew of the vehicle.
A problem with armoured vehicles is that their overall weight is too great
since the
protection that they offer becomes heavier as the threat increases. Depending
on their
useful volume and level of protection, they can weigh 30¨ 50t. Because of the
weight problem, medium Weight wheeled vehicles of up to 20t cannot be provided
with the highest level of protection. This results in undesirable compromises.
The
protection of different vehicles is unbalanced; they may, for example, offer
good
protection against mines and only average protection against ballistic
weapons.
Because of new scenarios, these vehicles are increasingly vulnerable to the
threat
posed by hand-held antitank weapons and attacks by explosive devices. This
fact
gives rise to the demand for heavy protection up to the level provided by
reactive
armour, with the result that the weight problem is exacerbated. The air
transport-
ability that is required is often achieved in that the protection itself is
removed from
the vehicle.
DE 10 2004 006 819 Al describes an armoured vehicle that is made up from a
number of modules. The safety cell is arranged on a load-bearing structure of
the
vehicle, so that the shock waves generated by the explosion of a land mine,
which act
on the vehicle's safety cell from below, are attenuated with respect to the
personnel
within the vehicle.
DE 10 2004 026 237 Al describes a vehicle that offers protection against the
effects
of land mines. What is described is a safety cell that is V-shaped or acute-
angled in
the bottom area. The drawing that Is associated with this embodiment shows a
double-walled construction.
Jane 's International Defence Review, September 2005, p. 92, provides an
exploded
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view of an armoured vehicle in which various modules of the vehicle are
illustrated.
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It is alleged that the V-shape of the bottom area of the vehicle or of the
personnel module
provides for improved reduction of the effects of land mines.
Some embodiments of the present invention describe a vehicle, preferably an
armoured vehicle,
for example a medium weight vehicle that, without special weight-intensive
armour, ensures
- adequate protection for the vehicle crew within the safety cell;
both against mines and against
the shock waves generated by explosive charges that act against the side walls
of the vehicle,
as well as ballistic projectiles.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an
armoured
vehicle with a safety cell that accommodates the crew of the vehicle, said
safety being flexibly
mounted in a load-bearing structure of the vehicle, wherein the roof of the
safety cell is provided
at the front and at the rear with projecting pockets that are open underneath
and rest on the load-
bearing structure of the vehicle through deformable elements.
The underlying concept of the present invention is that an optimal sliape of
the safety
cell is created by a honeycomb cross section. Such a shape, namely; a six-
sided cross
section, is described in the Jane's article referred to above. In this, the
roof and floor
walls of the safety cell are essentially horizontal, whereas the side walls of
the safety
= cell have a wedge-shaped profile that tapers towards the outside. it is
preferred that
this angle be approximately 90 . In order to permit simple installatiOn of the
safety
cell in the load-bearing structure of the vehicle, the safety cell is provided
at the front
and at the rear with projecting pockets on the roof; these pockets are open
underneath
and preferably rest on deformable elements on the load-bearing structure-of*
. ,
vehicle.
Because of this, the roof of the safety cell is longer than the cell itself.
For placement
of the cell, provision is made such that the support points are displaced well
towards
the outside, so that the arms of the load-bearing structure are just as wide
as the roof
of the cell. In order to stiffen the extended roof, this is also provided with
vertical or
=
slanted panels or the like, and these can then extend beyond the arms of the
load-
bearing structure. This design configuration forms the so-called pockets or
eyelets.
In order to achieve optimal matching of the distribution of forces between the
load-
bearing structure and the safety cell, it is perered that these pockets be
integrated =
by way of panels that merge obliquely into the side walls of the safety cell.
In addition,
it is also possible to incorporate additional squash or buckle elements and
make the
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pockets proof against weather, visibility, and NBC weapons. This entails an
added
advantage, namely that the areas created by the eyelets on the sides of the
cell roof
can be used as ventilation ports.
In addition, because of the honeycomb cross section of the safety cell as a
whole, not
only will the action of the shock waves be dissipated from below and from the
sides; a,
particularly stiff self-supporting structure will also be generated for the
safety cell.
Furthermore, in order to optimize protection against mines all openings, such
as doors
and access panels, are located in the upper area of the safety cell, where
they are less
vulnerable to the blast effect of mines.
With respect to a space-saving, secure support of the safety cell in the load-
bearing
structure, provision is made such that the supporting structure is of a wedge
shape that
tapers down towards the floor of the vehicle and is matched to the lower areas
of the
inclined side walls of the safety cell.
In addition to the optimized shape of the safety cell, this has also been kept
as small as
possible while adhering to the minimum ergonomic values. This ensures the
greatest
possible amount of latitude for the weight as associated with a high level of
protection
against mines, protection against explosive devices, and protection against
ballistic
projectiles for a predetermined overall vehicle weight.
In order to ensure optimum protection from the exterior for the crew within
the safety
cell, it has been found appropriate to install ballistic protection on the
exterior of the
side walls and to install anti-mine protection panels on the outside of the
supporting
structure.
In addition, insulation and a splinter-proof liner can be installed in the
lower area of
the safety cell. These will lessen the effects of secondary fragments that may
penetrate the safety cell.
In order to counter a threat to the crew from the roof, the roof of the safety
cell can be
provided with special protection.
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Additional details and advantages of the present invention described below on
the
basis of the drawings appended hereto. These drawings show the following:
Figure 1: a perspective view of an wheeled armoured vehicle having a safety
cell
according to the present invention;
Figure 2: a perspective view of the safety cell for the vehicle shown in
Figure 1;
Figure 3: a perspective view of the safety cell shown in Figure 2, with
additional
interior and exterior safety elements;
Figure 4: a perspective view of the safety cell shown in Figure 2, which is
accommodated by the load-bearing structure of the vehicle shown in
Figure 1;
Figure 5: a front view of the projecting pocket of the safety cell;
Figure 6: a side view of the pocket.
Figure 1 shows a wheeled armoured vehicle 1 that includes a safety cell 2
according
to the present invention that accommodates the crew of the vehicle. The safety
cell 2
is a module of the main assembly that comprises the cell and the load-bearing
structure. This main assembly is combined with a power module and a
transmission
module to form a vehicle, and it is supported in a load-bearing structure 3
(Figure 4)
of the vehicle 1. In the embodiment shown, the size of the safety cell 2 has
been so
selected that the crew can consist of a driver, a vehicle commander, and four
additional crewmen.
It is preferred that the safety cell 2 according to the present invention be
of a cross
section that is essentially hexagonal (Figure 2), Above and below a belt line
6 that is
located at approximately half the height of the safety cell 1, the side walls
are counter-
inclined at a slope 0 of approximately 45 , so that the two walls of the
safety cell
form a wedge shape that tapers down towards the outside with a wedge angle a
of
approximately 90 . In principle, an angle f3 of between 30 and 45 can be
used, when
the size of the wedge angle a increases.
In order that the crew can make sufficient use of the interior space offered
by the
safety cell 2, it is preferred that the roof and floor surfaces 8, 9 of the
safety cell 2 be
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essentially horizontal. In contrast to this, the front and rear walls 10, 11
are inclined
=
so as to connect with the load-bearing structure 3 that accommodates the
safety cell 2.
In addition, the load-bearing structure 3 is of a tapered wedge shape that is
aligned
with the bottom 18 of the vehicle land is matched to the lower areas 4', 5' of
the
inclined walls 4, 5 of the safety cell 2.
All of the openings for access doors to the interior 7 are located in the
upper area of
the safety cell 2 in order to ensure optimal protection against mines.
It is advantageous that the walls 4, 5 and 8 ¨ 11 of the safety cell 2 are of
armour
plate. As can be seen in Figure 2, the two side walls 4, 5 are, in addition,
fitted with
exterior ballistic-protection panels 14. In addition, the load-bearing
structure 3 that
accommodates the safety cell 2 is fitted with anti-mine protection 15. In
addition,
there is a liner (inter-wall) 16 and insulation 17 on the inner side of each
of the side
walls 4, 5 of the safety cell 2.
In order that it can be installed in the load-bearing structure 3 (Figure 4),
the front and
rear of the safety cell 2 are provided on the roof 8 with projecting pockets
(12) (see
also Figure 2); these are open underneath and rest upon the load-bearing
structure 3,
so that the safety cell 2 (Figure 2) can be installed in the load-bearing
structure 3.
Since, in the front and rear areas of the roof, the safety cell 2 rests on
transverse arms
19 of the load-bearing structure 3 (Figure 6), the roof of the safety cell 2
is longer than
the safety cell 2. It is preferred that the arms 18 of the load-bearing
structure 3 be as
wide as the roof 8 of the safety cell 2. Additional stiffening can be created,
for
example, by means of vertical or inclined side panels 20 (Figure 6); Should
the
pockets that are formed in this way be incorporated by way of panels 21 that
merge
obliquely into the side walls of the safety cell 2, then the distribution of
forces can be
matched between the load-bearing structure 3 and the safety cell 2.
These pockets or eyelets 12 form protected areas 22 on the sides of the cell
roof, and
these can serve as ventilation ports or the like.
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It is to be understood that within the context of the present invention, the
installation
of a main assembly or cell, etc., in a vehicle by means of pockets, etc., the
projecting
pockets 12 can be modified and individually matched to the load-bearing
structure of
the vehicle.
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Parts List
1 Wheeled vehicle, vehicle
2 Safety cell
3 Load-bearing structure
4,5 Side walls
4',5' Lower areas
6 Belt line
7 Interior space
8 (Roof) wall
9 (Floor) wall
(Front) wall
11 (Rear) wall
12 Pocket (eyelet)
13 Door opening, opening
14 Ballistic protection
Anti-mine protection
16 Inter-wall
17 Insulation
18 Bottom
19 Arm of load-bearing structure
Panel
21 Panel
22 Protected area
a Wedge angle
J3 Angle of inclination of side walls
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