EP0487021A2 - Erecting device for air-dropped body - Google Patents

Abstract

With multi-part, fold-out erection elements (7), the span with erectable discharge bodies (1) can be increased, the torque required for erection reduced and the stability increased. So that the foot (17) of the erecting elements (7) also performs the desired defined movement, there is at least one guide member (11) (e.g. a parallel guide). The aforementioned improvements can be achieved practically without increasing the volume or weight of the discharge body (1). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device for positioning a discharge body, in particular a mine, according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

Such a device is known from DE 1 800 121 C3. It has been shown that ejection bodies erected in this way can have insufficient stability in special cases. Raised throwing bodies placed on uneven terrain can be knocked down again by natural (storm) or artificial (clearing measures) events.

The invention has for its object to increase the stability of a discharge body, in particular a mine, without significant changes to the outer shape, so that the storage, transport and distribution of the discharge body can be essentially maintained.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a device of the type mentioned at the outset, which is designed in accordance with the characterizing part of patent claim 1. Further advantageous refinements are specified in the subclaims.

Characteristic of the device according to the invention are the end members of the erecting elements that can be spread apart or extended comparatively far from the discharge body in a defined manner in comparison to the known positioning devices. An erecting element is composed of at least two members which are movably connected to one another. The outermost link, the free end of which is used for support on the ground, is referred to as the end link, the remaining links of the erecting element as intermediate links. The movement of the end link, which would initially be undetermined due to the mobility of the links with one another, is by one or several guides defined in a defined manner. By means of the guide members, only a clearly defined path is possible for each point of the erecting element, in particular also for the free end of the end member, similar to the known single-member erecting element. It is thus advantageously possible for the erecting elements to be supported on the ground floor after the spreading operation has ended, ie in the end position, in the "correct" position and distance from the discharge body. To enlarge the contact area of the end members, they are preferably provided with a foot at their free end, for example in the form of a support plate.

The erecting elements can be designed in various ways, the guide members being known from the Nuremberg scissors or the parallel guide. The intermediate link and guide link cannot be distinguished in their function in these special versions. The links of the erecting elements, in particular also the end link, extend in the collapsed state, i.e. in the starting position of the erecting elements parallel or approximately parallel to the essentially cylindrical outer surface of the discharge body. Erecting elements with only one intermediate link and one guide link in addition to the end link are particularly preferred. It is further preferred that the end member is guided only approximately in parallel by means of the guide member, such that the end member is additionally pivoted obliquely outwards during the spreading operation, so that in the end position the free ends of the end members of the various erecting elements are further away from the discharge body than it would be the case with parallel guidance.

The maximum length of the links of an erecting element is determined by the height of the discharge body and the type of articulation of the erecting elements on it. If the erecting elements are articulated on the discharge body in the region of the bottom end of the discharge body, it is a two-part structure according to the invention Upright element with an intermediate member that takes advantage of the maximum length and an additionally obliquely extendable end member possible that the end members in their end position with their free end are almost laterally removed from the jacket of its shell by twice the height. If the articulation of the preferably two-part erection elements is provided approximately in the middle of the discharge body, the links of the erection element are correspondingly shorter. The advantage of this "higher" articulation, however, is an increase in stability, ie a higher lateral force is required to tip the erected ejection body.

The erection elements are preferably articulated on the ejection body via a cardan joint in which the ejection body is suspended in such a way that it automatically aligns itself vertically after erection even on uneven ground. The length of the end member is generally to be dimensioned such that its free end is in the starting position, ie in the collapsed state of the erecting elements - when viewed with the ejection body upright - above its center of gravity. The farther away the free end is from the center of gravity, the lower the torque required to raise the discharge body. In order nevertheless to achieve the largest possible span, ie the greatest possible lateral distance of the free end of the end member from the ejection body in the end position, it can further be preferred to extend the end members by means of elastic rod-shaped support elements made of, for example, spring steel. This ensures that only the rigid area of the end member is effective at the beginning of the erection of the discharge body, the end member is thus with the end of this rigid area, which is "above" the center of gravity of the launching body, supported on the ground and the elastic deformable extension of the end member still lies more or less flat on the ground. As the erection body progresses the resilient extension then also assumes an elongated shape, so that the actual support point of the end link moves further and further towards its actual free end. In the end position, the extension then again has an elongated shape as in the starting position.

The spreading movement of the end link in its end position can be limited, for example, by positive locking (latching) between the end link and the intermediate link in the region of the common swivel joint in this position. Another possibility is to arrange stops on these two links in the area of the common pivot point.

In order to move the erecting elements from their starting position to their end position after a predetermined time period after the impact of the ejection body on the ground, drive elements are required. These can be prestressed springs, in particular torsion or torsion springs, which exert a corresponding torque on the respective link or links in at least one pivot point. In addition or instead, pyrotechnically operated force elements can also be provided. These are then preferably arranged between the diagonally opposite pivot points of the preferred approximately parallel guidance of the links. The force element is preferably designed so that its piston rod is extended and the pressurized gas is applied to the side of the piston facing away from the piston rod in order to achieve the smallest possible size of the force element. Instead of assigning a separate compressed gas-generating pyrotechnic charge to each individual force element, a central propellant gas supply can also be provided by means of a correspondingly larger gas generator.

In a further preferred embodiment, a damping device is assigned to each erection element in order to make the erection process run more slowly and thus to keep dynamic acceleration and deceleration forces correspondingly small. The combination of the damping device with the aforementioned force elements is particularly preferred, in that their piston rod-side cavity in the cylinder contains a fluid, e.g. Contains oil, which is displaceable when the piston is displaced and the associated extension of the piston rod from the cylindrical housing of the force element according to the principle known from hydraulic shock absorbers.

The particularly preferred device according to the invention has the particular advantages that it can be carried out in a comparatively light construction, since only slow dynamic forces occur due to the slow, damped erection. By using in particular pyrotechnically actuated force elements, preferably with a piston rod that can be pushed out of the cylindrical housing, high uprighting forces can be applied. Raising is also easily possible even with a discharge body with a comparatively high center of gravity, which, in the case of a suspension in the gimbal joint, also automatically aligns itself into a precisely vertical position after the raising. Due to the large support width when the ejection body is erected, a high level of stability is achieved, but the links of the erecting elements can nevertheless be comparatively short and, accordingly, little stowage length is required.

Fig. 1

die Seitenansicht eines Abwurfkörpers, wobei die linke Hälfte ein Aufrichtelement in der Endposition und die rechte Hälfte ein Aufrichtelement in der Ausgangsposition zeigt,

Fig. 2

die Simulation des Aufrichtvorganges mit einem Aufrichtelement,

Fig. 3

die Seitenansicht eines Abwurfkörpers mit einem gegenüber Fig. 1 variierten Aufrichtelement und

Fig. 4

die Seitenansicht eines Abwurfkörpers mit einer weiteren Variante eines Aufrichtelementes.

The device according to the invention is shown schematically in the drawing in one exemplary embodiment and is explained in more detail below on the basis thereof. Show it

Fig. 1

the side view of a discharge body, the left half showing an erection element in the end position and the right half an erection element in the starting position,

Fig. 2

the simulation of the erection process with an erection element,

Fig. 3

the side view of a discharge body with an uprighting element varied compared to FIG. 1 and

Fig. 4

the side view of a discharge body with a further variant of an erecting element.

The discharge body 1 shown in FIG. 1 with a bottom end 2 and a head end 3 is a lead which has a gimbal joint 4 as a suspension which is arranged above the center of gravity S of the discharge body 1. The mine consists essentially of a mine body 5 with an explosive charge and a rocket motor 6 as a drive. The rocket motor is fired on the basis of sensor signals characteristic of an object to be combated and the mine is transported to a height of approximately 100 to 300 m. The mine then fights the object from this height. The suspension in the gimbal joint 4 causes the erected mine to assume a vertical position even on uneven ground, i.e. can be easily transported vertically upwards.

Of the five erecting elements, for example, which are evenly distributed over the circumference of the discharge body 1, only one erecting element 7 is shown here for the sake of simplifying the drawing, namely in the right half of the figure in the starting position and in the left half of the figure in the end position. With regard to the representation in the right half of the figure, it should also be pointed out that the ejection body 1 shown here standing upright with the erecting element 7 in the starting position is only an "imaginary" position, since in reality the ejector body 1 with the erecting element 7 would be more or less horizontal in the starting position on the ground.

The formation of the erecting element 7 can best be seen in the left half of this figure. The erecting element 7 has the end link 8 and the intermediate link 9. These two Links are hinged together at pivot point A. A web 10 is fastened vertically to the joint 4 and has the pivot point B at its upper end. At this, the intermediate member 9 is articulated with its end facing away from the pivot point A. At its lower end, the web 10 has the fulcrum C, at which a guide member 11 is articulated at one end. With its other end, the guide member 11 is articulated at the pivot point D of the end member 8. The - viewed in the vertical direction - distance between the pivot points A and D is less than the distance between the pivot points B and C, so that there is only a desired approximate parallel guidance of the articulated members. The web 10 could of course be omitted if the joint 4 had a correspondingly higher dimension, or the pivot points B and C were arranged, for example, directly on the outer surface of the housing of the discharge body 1. The end member 8, the intermediate member 9, the web 10 and the guide member 11 are essentially rigid, rod-shaped, web-like or the like. Elements trained.

A pyrotechnically actuated force element 12 is provided as the drive element for the erecting elements 7, which is articulated with one end at the pivot point B and with its other end preferably at the diagonally opposite pivot point D. The force element 12 has the cylindrical housing 13 and the piston rod 14. The piston rod 14 can be pressed out of the cylindrical housing 13 under the action of a pyrotechnic gas generating gas and is articulated with its outer free end at the pivot point D. In order to limit the spreading movement of the end member 8 in the end position shown, the stop 15 and the stop 16 on the end member 8 are provided in the region of the pivot point A, the stop 16 coming into abutment in the end position. The end member 8 has at its end 8 'remote from the pivot point A the foot 17 in the form of a support plate.

In the right half of the figure, the links 8, 9 and 11 and the force element 12 with the piston rod 14 still inside the housing 13 are folded up to the discharge body 1 and held in this starting position by means of a tether strap 18. In this state, the discharge body is stored and transported. Even after its distribution, it lies on the ground for a certain time. After a predetermined time after hitting the ground, the tether 18 is released, so that the upright elements 7 can be omitted under the action of drive elements, for example in the pivot points B and C arranged pretensioned torsion springs, finally to those in the left half of the Figure shown end position to be taken. The discharge body 1 is then erected in the ambush position in the terrain.

If only the force element 12 is provided as the drive element according to FIG. 1, the arrangement is to be made such that when the intermediate member 9 is folded upward about the pivot point B and the end member 8 is folded downward about the pivot point A, the force element 12 force exerted on the end link 8 generates a torque about the pivot points A and B, which causes the links 8 and 9 to begin to fall apart and finally to bring them into the end position. For this purpose, in the starting position, the pivot point D is arranged laterally somewhat further away from the longitudinal axis 19 of the discharge body 1 than the pivot point A in the direction of the spreading movement.

In the case of the function triggering already explained above after release of the tether band 18 and initiation of the pyrotechnic charge which generates compressed gas in the force element 12, its piston is acted upon and the piston rod 14 is thus, preferably damped, pressed out of the cylindrical housing 13, as a result of which the end member 8 of the erecting element 7 in the initial phase the spreading movement is moved laterally outward essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis 19. The guide member 11 controls this as an approximate parallel guide Movement of the end link 8. By the above-described suitable choice of the connection points (pivot points A, B, C and D) of the individual links it is achieved that the foot 17 of the end link 8 is moved slightly further away from the longitudinal axis 19 when spreading than it would be expected according to the length of the intermediate member 9. In the embodiment shown, the end member 8, the intermediate member 9 and the guide member 11 are approximately half as long as the discharge body 1 is high, and it is nevertheless achieved with this erecting element 7 that the foot 17 is almost as far from the longitudinal axis 19 how discharge body 1 is high.

The movement of the links is limited in the end position by the stops 15, 16. In addition or instead, it can also be provided to design the force element 12 in a known manner so that its piston and thus also its piston rod 14 remain in this after reaching the end position and no longer slip back by the piston in the housing 13 e.g. jammed or enters into a positive connection with this in the end position. In addition, the force element 12 is preferably provided with a damping device, e.g. provided in the manner of the hydraulic shock absorbers known from motor vehicles, so that the unfolding of the erecting elements 7 is damped in its dynamics and stretched in time. Through all these measures, the erecting elements 7 can be built relatively easily and a considerable improvement in the stability of the discharge body 1 is achieved without the weight of the latter having to be increased.

2 shows a successive stages of the positioning process of the discharge body 1 in the diagrams a to g in a schematic representation. The meaning of the reference numerals is the same as in FIG. 1. Here, too, for reasons of drawing technology, erection is explained using only a single erection element 7. Only a further erection element 7 'is indicated with its foot 17', as if it had already been completely eliminated from the start.

The cardan joint 4 is attached to the ejector body 1 such that the center of gravity of the ejector body 1 is lower than the joint 4 in the upright state. It can be seen that the foot 17 of the end member 8 and the support point 20 of the rounded bottom end 2 of the discharge body 1 on the ground floor 21 remain virtually unchanged during the erection process in the initial phase and the actual span is only achieved towards the end of the erection. From this series it can also be seen that the erection body 1 can be erected in any position in the terrain and the collapsed erection elements 7, 7 'practically do not increase the volume of the ejector body 1.

FIG. 3 shows a discharge body 1 with erection elements 7 which are varied compared to FIG. 1, with only one erection element 7 of the several again being shown in a very schematic representation in order to simplify the drawing. For further simplification, the force element 12 is also omitted in comparison to FIG. 1. The upright element 7 is modified in such a way that the pivot point D between the end member 8 and the guide member 11 is no longer rigidly fixed during the erection process, but rather during the spreading of the end member 8 in a longitudinal guide 22 formed on the end member 8 in the direction of the pivot point A. to move until it reaches its predetermined end position D 'in the longitudinal guide 22 and engages in it. The longitudinal guide 22 could, for example, also be replaced by an eccentric. During the erection of the discharge body 1 from the horizontal, indicated by the line 21 symbolizing the terrain floor, the end member 8 remains practically on the guide member 11 until the pivot point D has reached its end position D 'in the longitudinal guide 22 and engages in it , but the rotational mobility is retained. Up to this point, the discharge body 1 has been angled by the angle α relative to the ground, symbolized by the line 21 ', erect. The further positioning process then takes place in accordance with FIG. 1. The advantage of this embodiment of the upright elements 7 is that the center of gravity of the discharge body 1 can be higher or a smaller torque is required for the uprighting. A similar effect can be achieved if the end member 8 is made very short and is replaced by a telescopic member.

A further variant of this is shown in FIG. 4, in which the rigid part of the end members 8 is only about half as long as in FIG. 1 under otherwise unchanged conditions. At the resulting end 23 of the end member 8, the elastic support element 24 shoots with the foot 17, so that the end member 8 again has the length as in FIG. 1. The web-shaped support element 24 is e.g. made of spring steel. This also ensures that the center of gravity of the erecting body 1 can be higher or the torque required to erect it is smaller. Otherwise, the reference numbers have the same meaning as in FIG. 1.

Claims (16)

Device for positioning a discharge body, in particular a mine, after it has hit the ground, with a plurality of erection elements, preferably evenly distributed over the circumference of the discharge body, which extend in the starting position in the longitudinal direction of the discharge body and after the impact of the discharge body on the The bottom of the housing can be spread apart from the discharge body by means of at least one drive element and position it in such a way that its bottom-side end faces the terrain floor and its top-side end is turned away from it, characterized in that each erecting element (7) has an end member (8) and has at least one intermediate link (9) which are articulated at a common pivot point A, that at least one guide link (11) is present, which causes a defined movement of the end link (8) when spreading, and that the spreading movement of the end link edes (8) is limited in one end position. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the end member (8) has a foot (17) in the form of a disk, plate, leg or the like at its end (8 ') which faces away from the pivot point A. for support on the ground floor (21). Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the end link (8), the intermediate link (9), the guide link (11) and possibly further links are coupled to one another according to the principle of the Nuremberg pair of scissors. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the coupling of the end member (8), the intermediate member (9) and the guide member (11) is carried out by a parallel guide. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the coupling of the end member (8), the intermediate member (9) and the guide member (11) is carried out by an approximately parallel guide, such that in the end position the end member (8) with its from End (8 ') facing away from fulcrum A is further away from the longitudinal axis (19) of the discharge body (1) than with fulcrum A. Apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the intermediate member (9) with its end remote from the pivot point A is articulated at a pivot point B on the discharge body (1), and that the guide member (11) with its one end at a distance from the pivot point B is articulated in the direction of the bottom end (2) of the discharge body (1) at a pivot point C thereon and at its other end at a distance from the pivot point A at a pivot point D on the end member (8). Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each erection element (7) is articulated in the region of the bottom end (2) of the discharge body (1), the length of the intermediate member (9) corresponds approximately to the height of the discharge body (1) and the end member (8) has a length such that in the starting position - when the ejector body (1) is upright - ends above the center of gravity S of the ejector body (1). Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each erection element (7) is articulated in the central region between the bottom and head end (2 or 3) of the discharge body (1), the height of the intermediate member (9) approximately corresponds to half the height of the discharge body (1) and the end member (5) has such a length that it ends in the starting position - viewed with the discharge body (1) upright - above the center of gravity S of the discharge body (1). Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the ejection body (1) has a gimbal joint (4) as a suspension which, when the ejection body (1) is upright, is arranged above the center of gravity S of the ejection body (1) and on this each erection element (7) is articulated, the end member (8) being of such a length that in the starting position - viewed with the ejection body (1) upright - it ends above the center of gravity S of the ejection body (1). Device according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the end member (8) over its end (23), preferably also beyond the area of the center of gravity S, towards the bottom end (2) of the discharge body (1) by means of an elastic Support element (24) is extended, which in the end position of the end member (8) resumes its straight shape as in the starting position. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the end member (8) and the intermediate member (9) each have a stop (15, 16) in the region of the pivot point A, by means of which the spreading movement of the end member (8) is limited . Device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the drive element of the erecting element (7) is a prestressed spring. Device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the drive element of the erecting element (7) is a pyrotechnically actuated force element (12) with a cylinder and a piston guided therein with an associated piston rod. Device according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that each of the drive elements for the erecting elements (7) is a cylinder-piston-piston rod unit, to which a central, preferably pyrotechnically operated, gas generator for pressurizing the pistons is assigned. Device according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that a damping device is assigned to the drive element for the erecting element (7). Apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the damping device is formed in the drive element, preferably in the manner of a hydraulic shock absorber.

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