EP0258355A1

EP0258355A1 - Target

Info

Publication number: EP0258355A1
Application number: EP19870901464
Authority: EP
Inventors: Michael O. Grau; Bernd Schubert
Original assignee: Mankiewicz Gebr and Co GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Mankiewicz Gebr and Co GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1986-02-28
Filing date: 1987-02-26
Publication date: 1988-03-09
Also published as: DE3606653A1; WO1987005385A1

Abstract

Une cible, en particulier un point de mire, comprend un matériau de base et un revêtement électriquement conducteur et susceptible d'être électriquement chauffé. Le revêtement électriquement conducteur et susceptible d'être chauffé se compose d'une laque qui contient un matériau conducteur.A target, in particular a target, comprises a base material and an electrically conductive coating capable of being electrically heated. The electrically conductive and heatable coating consists of a lacquer which contains a conductive material.

Description

Target object

The invention relates to a target and in particular a target.

For target shooting in the military and also in civilian areas, a target object is often used, which can have different shapes, usually it is a target. However, this target object can also have a different shape, for example the shape of a vehicle. Since the manufacturing costs for such a target object should be as low as possible, it is often made of wood or plastic material.

Nowadays, it is no longer sufficient to detect a target object only visually, for example with the help of the human eye in daylight, but it is desirable to be able to identify the corresponding object even in poor visibility conditions and at night. To this end, infrared vision devices (IR vision devices) are generally used.

To detect an object with the help of IR vision devices, however, it is necessary that the object has a different temperature than the surroundings. The object can only be detected if there is a certain temperature difference.

Since common targets have no heat sources, these targets take on the temperature of the environment. They are therefore no longer recognizable with an IR viewing device. In order to take this into account, targets have been provided with an electrically conductive surface, for example. These are metal coatings, for example made of zinc, which can be obtained by flame spraying or plasma vapor deposition. You also have targets with metal foils, such as aluminum foil _. equipped et.

Target objects of this type having coatings or coatings can be electrically heated due to their conductive surface, so that they can be heated within a few

Seconds a measurable temperature difference to the environment, and the target object can be detected in the IR viewer.

In the case of the target discs equipped with an aluminum foil, this extends downwards on both sides of the disc. There, the aluminum foil is connected to the power supply cables, i.e. one cable is connected on one side of the target, while the other cable is connected on the other side.

To connect the power cables to the aluminum foil, you can use plates or sieves that are pressed against the target at the bottom.

It has now been found that it is not possible in the manner described above to produce target objects which have a uniform and homogeneous coating.

For example, it is not possible to target objects with a more complicated outer shape with an aluminum coat the film evenly. Rather, the aluminum foils partially overlap or some areas of the target objects are not covered at all. The corresponding image of this target object in the IR viewing device then becomes blotchy and difficult to recognize.

Another disadvantage of this known target object is that the power consumption is considerable. With a typical target, the power consumption is a few kilowatts per hour.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved target object.

This object is achieved by a target object, in particular a target, made of a carrier material and an electrically conductive and electrically heatable coating which can be connected to a power source, the target object being characterized in that the electrically conductive and electrically heatable coating is a Is paint that contains a conductive material.

Any customary material can be used as the conductive material. A varnish containing a metal powder is preferably used. These are so-called conductive lacquers. According to the invention, all known conductive varnishes can be used.

In another preferred embodiment, the conductive material is hollow glass microspheres which are coated with silver. The use of lacquers makes it possible to produce a homogeneous and uniform coating. This is especially true when the target object has a "complicated" geometric shape.

The lacquers can be applied to the carrier material in a conventional manner, for example by brushing, rolling or spraying.

Wood or plastic can be used as the carrier material. ABS, PC, PUR and PS plastics can be used. The carrier material can be in the form of plates.

Preferably, in particular for targets, polyurethane (PUR) rigid foam panels are used which have, for example, layer thicknesses of 10 to 50 mm.

The target object according to the invention can be connected to a power source without difficulty. For example, in the case of a target, the coating can be brought up to the bottom edge on both sides. A metal plate or a metal sieve is then pressed against the target on both sides, so that the electrically conductive coating is electrically connected to the power source.

In this way, targets are available that can be clamped in conventional brackets, which can also be movable, without difficulty. It goes without saying that the target object can have not only the shape of a target, but also any other shape. The use of a lacquer for "more complicated" geometric shapes also ensures that the corners and edges can also be coated uniformly I _Q and homogeneously.

If current is passed through the above-mentioned coating, the target object heats up and has a different temperature than the surroundings and is therefore in IR view.

15 advices to recognize.

The degree of heating depends on the layer thickness and the concentration of the conductive material in the coating.

20th

Due to the uniform and homogeneous coating, the target object according to the invention in the IR viewing device produces a clear and clearly distinguishable image from the surroundings.

25

Another advantage of the target object according to the invention is that the power consumption when heating the coating is significantly lower than in the known target objects.

30

According to a preferred embodiment, the target object according to the invention has areas with a varnish coating of different layer thicknesses or different concentrations of conductive material. For example, a target can be coated in such a way that a "ring pattern" which is common with targets is obtained. The outer ring has the greatest layer thickness and the inner circle has the lowest layer thickness. Thus the circle is heated at most ^{a nd} the outer ring at least. Instead of the "ring shape" it is of course also possible to choose a square shape or a rectangular shape, as is customary in particular in the case of targets in the military field.

If the target object has the shape of a vehicle, for example, then the sections of this vehicle that are to be preferred can be equipped with a coating that heats up more than the less "sensitive" sections. In this way, the shooter can see in the IR viewing device where he should preferably place the shot. If necessary, it is also possible to recognize the shape of the target object and to infer what it is about.

In the manner described above, it is possible, for example, to mark important zones which correspond, for example, to drive units or heat-generating moving parts in the “correct” object.

Conventional methods can be used to apply coatings of different layer thicknesses. So you can apply the varnish using stencils etc. According to a further preferred embodiment, an aluminum foil lamination is first applied to the target object, to which the lacquer, which contains a conductive material, is then applied. In this case, the target object can be equipped with particularly thin layers of conductive lacquer. The correspondingly coated surfaces can then be heated up particularly effectively, with low power consumption. Particularly elegant "patterns" can also be represented in this way.

It is also advantageous if the target object according to the invention is equipped with a coating which has a matt surface. Then there are no reflections which negatively influence laser target systems that may be used.

PUR rigid foam is preferably used as the carrier material for the target objects described above, which are equipped with aluminum foil lamination.

The lacquers used to produce the electrically conductive and electrically heatable coating usually contain, in addition to the conductive material, which may be a metal powder or micro-hollow glass balls coated with silver, a binder and optionally a solvent.

The lacquer can also contain additives which prevent the powder from settling and ensure homogeneous distribution of the powder. The additives can be finely divided aluminum and magnesium silicates, silicas, waxes, soy lecithins, metal act soaps, silicone oils and / or polycarbonates.

The binders that can be used include polyvinyl butyral, PUR, EPO, alkyd and acrylic binders. These can be physically drying resins, such as polyphenylbutyral and polyacrylate resins, and hardener-curable two-component compositions made of epoxy, polyurethane or acrylic resins.

The following lacquers can be used, for example, to produce the electrically conductive and heatable coating:

1. Lacquer with the following composition: nickel powder, grain size 1 to 8 μm 57, 4 wt. -% Aerosil 1, 5% by weight

Polymethyl methacrylate, 30% in methyl propyl acetate 30 wt. -% xylene 8 wt. -% Butyl acetate 3, 1 wt.%

With a layer thickness of 40 μ, this lacquer has a specific surface resistance of 0.5 ohm / square (per square).

2. Lacquer with the following composition: copper powder, grain size 10 to 50 μm 60 wt. -% polybutyl acrylate 1 4% by weight

Solvent mixture of xylene, butyl acetate and methyl isobutyl ketone 21 wt. -%

Aerosil 5% by weight 3. Lacquer called Kontaktargan ® mi silver coated copper particles (75% copper, 25% silver) 55% by weight

Polymethyl methacrylate 10% by weight

Aerosil 3 Qew .-%

Solvent mixture of xylene, butyl acetate, ethyl acetate and propyl acetate 32 _{% by} weight

The above metal powders can be replaced by any electrically conductive metal powder. Corresponding alloys can also be used. The metal powder can make up to 90% by weight.

Any known conductive lacquer can also be used for the coating according to the invention.

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

Fig. 1 shows a cross section through a target. The target consists of a carrier plate 1 made of a carrier material, for example PUR rigid foam or wood. A coating 2 is located on this carrier plate 1. The current can be supplied or discharged at the points denoted by 3 and 4. FIG. 2 shows a cross section and FIG. 3 shows a front view of a preferred embodiment according to the invention. In this case too, it is a target. This corresponds approximately to that shown in FIG. 1. However, the layer thickness of the coating on the front is different. This results in the pattern shown in Fig. ^.

Claims

Patent claims

1. Target object, in particular target, from one

Backing material and an electrically conductive and electrically heatable coating that can be connected to a power source - d a d u r c h g e k e n n e e i c h n e t. that the electrically conductive and electrically heatable coating is a lacquer that contains a conductive material.

2. Target object according to claim 1, characterized in that the paint contains a metal powder.

3. Target object according to claim 2, characterized in that the metal powder is a powder of nickel, copper, aluminum, an alloy of these 5 metals or a powder with a copper core and a silver coating.

4. Target object according to claim 2 or 3, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that the metal powder has a grain size of 0 1 to 50 microns, advantageously 1 to 20 microns and in particular 1 to 5 microns.

5. target object according to claim 1, characterized in that it is ° _{m with} silver coated hollow micro glass balls in the conductive material, -n—

6. Target object according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that there is an aluminum foil lamination between the carrier material and the lacquer coating.

7. Target object according to claim 5, characterized in that the carrier material consists of rigid polyurethane foam.

8. Target object according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lacquer coating has a layer thickness of 5 to 200 microns, advantageously from 5 to 50 microns and in particular from 10 to 20 microns.

9- target object according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the target object has areas with a lacquer coating of different layer thickness or different concentration of conductive material.

10. Use of conductive lacquers, which contain a conductive material according to any one of claims 1-5, for coating target objects, in particular targets.