EP1863702B1 - Mine hunting system and mine hunting method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a mine hunting system and a mine hunting method. For effective, time-saving minesweeping, which is carried out under cover, a fleet of autonomous submarine vehicles are used. A first vehicle group consists of reconnaissance vehicles (12), each equipped with mine-detection sensors (14) and a second vehicle group consists of engagement vehicles (13), each equipped with a mine destruction charge (17).

Description

The invention relates to a mine hunting system and a method for mine hunting on sea mines.

A well-known mine hunting system, ( Buschhorn and Schütz "Mine hunt - a modern variant of the mine mine defense", Yearbook of military technology, episode 10, 1976/77, page 142 to 151 ) comprises a mine hunter sonar installed on a surface ship for locating and classifying ocean floor mines and a remote controlled submersible which, suspended from the surface ship and wire steered, places a mine disposal load adjacent the mine which is then detonated by remote detonation of the mine destruction charge. The underwater vehicle is driven by electric motors at a low, constant height above the seabed and is guided by means of a transponder by an operator on board the surface ship to the located mine. After stopping the mine destruction load, the underwater vehicle will emerge and be taken back on board before the mine destruction charge is ignited.

This process of mine clearance is very time consuming especially for the clearing of minefields and can only be done in pacified sea areas in which the surface ship is not exposed to enemy attacks.

In a known apparatus for detecting and locating, locating, relocating and destroying a mine located at the bottom of a body of water ( DE 36 09 307 C1 ) is located behind a waters passing through, unmanned platform self-propelled localization device, preferably towed, whose detection or detection field is perpendicular to the direction of travel of the platform. The platform is equipped with a launcher for carrying two transponders. The localization device are again arranged at a predetermined distance downstream of a relocation device and a destruction device, which are part of a further platform. With this device, the following procedure is carried out: Between the Erstkontaktierung and relocalization of the mine are set by the launcher, the two transponders on the site of the mine, the transponders have a water depth of about 60m a distance of, for example, 60m to each other. During the relocalization of the mine, the relative position of the mine to the transponders is measured by means of the relocalization device. The determined measurement data are used to activate the destruction device, which then performs the mine destruction.

In a known underwater equipment carrier for clearing mines, which also has observational, measuring, locating and other means ( DD 301 005 A7 ) are a main carrier and several subcarriers available. The subcarriers are provided with a shear surface and a tail and releasably connected to the main carrier. After separation of the subcarrier from the main carrier, which takes place when driving by means of the shear surfaces, the subcarriers become in one a detection width determining distance to the main carrier, wherein the setting of the detection width during the Räumvorgangs done by lifting or Fieren a cable between the main carrier and the subcarriers. These measures widen the coverage of the sea area during the clearing process so that the clearance time can be shortened.

In a known method for locating and clearing marine mines with an underwater drone ( DE 44 23 235 A1 ) are placed on both sides of a road to be cleared transponder on the seabed and measured their position against a towing sonar and a towing vehicle. At the same time, the position of the mine is calculated in a coordinate system related to the transponders. The data is transmitted by the towing vehicle to a command platform for the underwater drone, which is brought to the mine with these, related to the transponder data and destroyed the latter.

In a known device for clearing sea mines with a leading vehicle and one or more subsidiary vehicles, so-called hollow bars, which carry means for influencing sea-level ignition systems, DE 44 38 595 A1 ), the leading vehicle has a processor for the simultaneous generation of signals that are matched in form and phase to one another - by means of a communication device between the guide boat and daughter vehicles - coordinated control their means of influencing Seeminenzündsystemen coordinated so that their individual effects in With regard to the marine ejaculatory systems to a specific, resulting effect.

The invention has for its object to provide a mine hunting system and a method for mine hunting with such a system that is efficient, the mine clearance time-saving and concealed works, i. operate under low detection risk in enemy waters.

The object is achieved by the features in claim 1 and / or in claim 9.

The mine hunting system according to the invention with the features of claim 1 and the mine hunting method according to the invention with the features of claim 9 have the advantage that the sea area with educated for a discovery mother ship from which the underwater vehicles are exposed, enlightened, i. searched for mines and can be made mine-free by destruction of the localized mines. Given the size of the swarm of underwater vehicles, even extended minefields can be evacuated in a relatively short time. For smaller minefields it is sufficient to drive over the sea area once, which means a significant gain in time. It is also possible to selectively clear ship passages through a minefield. Since the underwater vehicles drive over the seabed at a relatively short distance, completely or partially flushed mines are still reliably detected in the subsurface.

Advantageous embodiments of the mine hunting system according to the invention with advantageous developments and embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the claims 2 to 8.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the reconnaissance vehicle are arranged in the swarm so that the spanned by the sensors for mine detection search sectors are lined up across the direction of the reconnaissance vehicles gapless or overlapping side by side. As a result of these measures, the once crossed sea area is "captured" by the sensors and checked for existing mines.

The transverse distance of the reconnaissance vehicles from one another is substantially constant, wherein the current vehicle positions between the reconnaissance vehicles are continuously interchangeable via underwater communication to keep this transverse distance constant.

Advantageous embodiments of the inventive method for mine hunting with advantageous developments and refinements of the invention will become apparent from the other claims 10 to 23.

With the mine hunting method according to the invention, it is not only possible to locate, locate and destroy mines within a single mission trip, but also to carry out mine clearance in two separate mission phases. In a first mission phase, the sea area is only informed about the presence of mines. The swarm then contains only reconnaissance vehicles with location sensors that store the location of located mines. After return of the underwater vehicles to the mothership can then based on the memory data compiled an enlightened minefield optimally adapted swarm from the space required for rooms number of underwater vehicles and then sent in a second mission phase for mine destruction become. In the swarm then both control vehicles and reconnaissance vehicles are included, which lead the control vehicles to the located mines and position there.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the method, the instantaneous positions are constantly exchanged between the swarming underwater vehicles. Furthermore, the position data of located mines as well as the number of currently present in the swarm control vehicles are exchanged between driving in the swarm reconnaissance vehicles. In this way, each reconnaissance vehicle is constantly aware of the current number of control vehicles still available for the destruction of mines, so that after destruction of all combat vehicles remain in the swarm reconnaissance vehicles only clarification and store the position data of the located but not yet destroyed mines and return to the mothership. In addition, after the destruction of all mines still existing control vehicles can be selectively destroyed in the swarm.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the method, the data exchange between the underwater vehicles taking place by means of underwater communication is carried out by transmitting and receiving data packets.

In accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the method, a data packet received from an underwater vehicle and not addressed to the underwater vehicle receiving the data packet is sent out again by this underwater vehicle if the expansion of the swarm is greater than the communication range. This ensures that with limited Communication range, the data packets are passed from underwater vehicle to underwater vehicle, so that the data packet also reaches underwater vehicles, which drive outside the communication range of the data packet emitting underwater vehicle.

Fig. 1

ein Minenjagdsystem in Draufsicht,

Fig. 2

ausschnittweise eine Draufsicht des Minenjagdsystems in Fig. 1 mit einer Modifizierung,

Fig. 3

ausschnittweise eine Draufsicht des Minenjagdsystems bei Zielanlauf des Bekämpfungsfahrzeugs.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to an embodiment illustrated in the drawing. Shown schematically in each case:

Fig. 1

a mine hunting system in plan view,

Fig. 2

a detail of a top view of the mine hunting system in Fig. 1 with a modification,

Fig. 3

a detail of a top view of the mine hunting system at target start of the combat vehicle.

This in Fig. 1 The mine hunting system shown schematically in plan view serves to detect and localize, the so-called. Locations, of designed in a sea area mines and the subsequent destruction of the located mines. These mines are located in shallow water areas, usually on the seabed and can sometimes be partially flushed into the seabed. In Fig. 1 is schematized a mine 11 in a sea area 10 outlined. With the mines 11 are preferably created minefields to effectively block passageways for ships.

The Minnejagdsystem has a variety of autonomously acting, small submersibles, which drive in the swarm across the sea area 10. For this purpose, the Underwater vehicles on the one hand via suitable navigation devices and on the other hand via means for underwater communication, which allow data exchange between the underwater vehicles at least over a short distance. The autonomously acting underwater vehicles are subdivided into two groups, of which one group comprises reconnaissance vehicles 12 and the other group combat vehicles 13. The reconnaissance vehicles 12 are equipped with sensors 14 for mine detection, while the control vehicles 13 are equipped with an explosive mine destruction charge 17. A typical example of a mine location sensor 14 is a well-known mine location sonar located at the head of the reconnaissance vehicle 12. The sonar spans a locating sector 15 consisting of a fan of horizontally narrow search beams or beams 16, which are narrow sectors of high reception sensitivity. Within the beams 16 echoes are selectively received, which are generated by acoustically sounded objects, such as mines, by reflection. In Fig. 1 a beam 16 is shown with which a mine 11 is detected and located, ie its position is determined by distance and bearing, for example in r, φ coordinates. In the swarm the reconnaissance vehicles 12 are arranged so that the detection sectors spanned by the sensors 14 15 are lined up transversely to the direction of the reconnaissance vehicles 12 without gaps or overlapping side by side. The transverse distance of the reconnaissance vehicles 12 from one another is kept substantially constant, which is achieved by programming a course presetting in the reconnaissance vehicles 12 and exchanging the position data of the reconnaissance vehicles 12 by constantly exchanging position data via underwater communication. Changes the transverse distance between the reconnaissance vehicles 12 beyond a predetermined tolerance range, so the respective course of the reconnaissance vehicle using the position data of the adjacent reconnaissance vehicles 12 is corrected. The group of combat vehicles 13 is integrated in the swarm so as to follow the group of the reconnaissance vehicles 12 at a predetermined distance. Preferably, the distance of the control vehicles 13 is kept small by the reconnaissance vehicles 12. The underwater communication between the underwater vehicles 12, 13 is in Fig. 1 indicated by "lightning arrows 18". The devices in the underwater vehicles 12, 13 for underwater communication are symbolically indicated at 19. They each have a transmitter, with which data packets are sent out into the medium of water, and a receiver, with which data packets are received from the medium of water.

• Die Zahl der zum Minenjagdschwarm zusammengestellten Aufklärungsfahrzeuge 12 wird an die Größe des aufzuklärenden Seegebiets 10 angepasst. Im Ausführungsbeispiel der Fig. 1 sind aus dem Schwarm nur drei Aufklärungsfahrzeuge 12 dargestellt. Den Aufklärungsfahrzeugen 12 wird ein Vorgabekurs einprogrammiert, der so ausgelegt ist, dass die Aufklärungsfahrzeuge 12 einen Querabstand voneinander einhalten, der gewährleistet, dass die von den Sensoren 14 zur Minendetektion der Aufklärungsfahrzeuge 12 aufgespannten Ortungssektoren 15 quer zur Fahrtrichtung lückenlos oder sich überlappend nebeneinanderliegen. Dieser Querabstand wird während der Fahrt des Schwarms überwacht und bei Abweichung mit Hilfe der momentanen Positionsdaten der Aufklärungsfahrzeuge 12, die untereinander via Unterwasserkommunikation ausgetauscht werden, korrigiert. Die Gruppe der Bekämpfungsfahrzeuge 13 folgt den Aufklärungsfahrzeugen 12 mit geringem Abstand. Hierzu werden die Momentanpositionen der Aufklärungsfahrzeuge 12 auch an die Bekämpfungsfahrzeuge 13 gesendet, die nach diesen Daten ihren Kurs korrigieren.

With such a mine hunting system, the mine hunting is carried out as follows:

• The number of reconnaissance vehicles 12 compiled for mine hunting swarm is adapted to the size of the sea area 10 to be cleared up. In the embodiment of Fig. 1 only three reconnaissance vehicles 12 are shown from the swarm. The reconnaissance vehicles 12, a default course is programmed, which is designed so that the reconnaissance vehicles 12 maintain a transverse distance from each other, which ensures that the spanned by the sensors 14 for mine detection of reconnaissance vehicles 12 detection sectors 15 transverse to the direction of travel gapless or overlapping next to each other. This transverse distance is monitored during the drive of the swarm and corrected in deviation with the help of the current position data of the reconnaissance vehicles 12, which are exchanged with each other via underwater communication. The Group of combat vehicles 13 follows the reconnaissance vehicles 12 at a small distance. For this purpose, the current positions of the reconnaissance vehicles 12 are also sent to the control vehicles 13, which correct their course according to these data.

If a mine 11 is located by an reconnaissance vehicle 12, then the reconnaissance vehicle 13 selects the control vehicle 13 whose distance from it is the smallest. This control vehicle 13, the position of the mine 11 is transmitted. With this mine position and its own position, the control vehicle 13 determines its course and navigates with the help of a simple course sensor and an estimated speed through the water to the mine 11. In this so-called. Target start of the combat vehicle 13, the combat vehicle 13 of the reconnaissance vehicle 12, eg Sensor 14 tracked, so tracked, and possibly the course of the control vehicle 13 by transmitting current position data of the control vehicle 13 corrected. The situation of the target start by the combat vehicle 13 is in Fig. 3 outlined. If the control vehicle 13 has reached the mine 11 and grasped the mine 11 with a sensor 20, it is positioned there and a time fuze for igniting the mine destruction charge 17 is set. The ignition timing is chosen so that the remaining swarm has a sufficiently large distance from the mine-level control vehicle 13, so that when exploding the mine destruction 17 no underwater vehicles are damaged.

As in Fig. 2 Alternatively, in the swarm, each reconnaissance vehicle 13 may have an reconnaissance vehicle 12 be assigned to. During reconnaissance, the control vehicle 13 follows the associated reconnaissance vehicle 12 at a constant distance. In order to maintain the distance, the control vehicle 13 with its sensor 20 required for the target vision detects the preceding, assigned reconnaissance vehicle 12 and can then adjust its course to that of the reconnaissance vehicle 12.

Due to the existing underwater communication within the swarm each reconnaissance vehicle 12 is supplied with information about the number and position of the detected mines 11 and the number of currently present in the swarm fighting vehicles 13. If all the control vehicles 13 are destroyed as a result of the demolition of mines 11, the reconnaissance vehicles 12 remaining in the swarm continue to operate only the mine location and return with the information about the number and position of the not yet destroyed mines 11 to the end of the mission. If, during the mission, a mine 11 is inadvertently triggered by a reconnaissance vehicle 12, so that the reconnaissance vehicle 12 is lost, the underwater communication in the swarm recognizes the loss of this reconnaissance vehicle 12. The gap between the locating sectors 15 caused by the lossy reconnaissance vehicle 12 is then closed by a collapse of the reconnaissance vehicles 12 due to course changes of individual submersibles.

In a modification of the method according to the invention, the mine hunting can be divided into two mission phases. In the first mission phase, only reconnaissance is carried out, so that the swarm consists exclusively of reconnaissance vehicles 12. Upon return of the reconnaissance vehicles 12 with the information on located mines 11, the number of required control vehicles 13 and compiled this with a number of reconnaissance vehicles 12 to a new swarm. The reconnaissance vehicles 12 now have the task of guiding the individual control vehicles 13 to the located mines 11. For this purpose, a smaller number of reconnaissance vehicles 12 is required than for the reconnaissance mission.

In the underwater communication between the underwater vehicles data packets are exchanged, the data packets are each addressed to specific underwater vehicles. Each data packet transmitted by an underwater vehicle has a so-called header which contains a start address, a destination address, an identification and a counter. A data packet transmitted by an underwater vehicle is treated differently by the receiving underwater vehicles depending on the range of underwater communication and the extent of the swarm. If the swarm extension is smaller than the communication range, a received data packet whose destination address does not match the address of the receiving submarine vehicle is deleted. If the swarm expansion is greater than the communication range, then this data packet is forwarded, ie sent out again by the receiving underwater vehicle. The counter in the header of the data packet is increased by "1". The underwater vehicles receiving this data packet, whose addresses do not correspond to the destination address, in turn send out the received data packet, wherein in turn the counter reading is further increased by "1". In this way, it is ensured that also the underwater vehicles that outside the communication range of the data packet sending out Underwater vehicle receive the data packet addressed to them.

In order not to overload the transmission medium water with data packets, the described forwarding of the data packets whose destination address does not match the address of the receiving underwater vehicle 12, 13 takes place only under special conditions. Thus, retransmission of the received data packet takes place only when the counter in the header of the data packet has not yet reached the predetermined maximum count or the start address in the data packet does not match the address of the receiving underwater vehicle (otherwise the data packet would come from the receiving underwater vehicle) or the same Data packet from the receiving underwater vehicle has not ever been sent out (which can be determined by the identification in the header of the data packet) or the data packet has already been received with a matching with the address of the receiving underwater vehicle 12, 13 destination address or if no errors in Data packet can be detected.

To avoid data collision during transmission, each submersible submits a request for transmission before issuing a data packet. This send request consists of a short data sequence and reaches all submarines within communication range. Subsequent to sending this broadcast request, the underwater vehicle "listens" for a certain period of time to ensure that no other submersible is transmitting. After this time, the data packet is sent. For all submersibles that have received this send request, sending is blocked so that they can receive the advertised data packet. The Wait time for these submersibles is limited to a maximum time so that underwater communication will not be blocked when a send request has been sent but the data packet is missing.

Claims (23)

1. Mine hunting system for tracing and attacking mines (11) which have been laid in a sea region (10) using underwater vehicles which move in a group, at least one of which is a reconnaissance vehicle (12), which is equipped with sensors (14) for mine location and at least a further one of which is an attack vehicle (13) which is equipped with a mine destruction charge (17) and follows the at least one reconnaissance vehicle (12) at a distance, characterized in that a plurality of reconnaissance and attack vehicles (12, 13) which are equipped with devices (19) for underwater communication and act autonomously form a swarm travelling through the sea region (10), and in that one reconnaissance vehicle (12) in the swarm can select one of the attack vehicles (13) from the swarm via underwater communication, and can position it at the location of a mine (11) that has been found.
2. Mine hunting system according to Claim 1, characterized in that the number of underwater vehicles moving in the swarm is matched to the size of the sea region (10) to be searched.
3. Mine hunting system according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that reconnaissance vehicles (12) are arranged in the swarm such that location sectors (15) which are covered by the sensors (14) are arranged in rows without any gaps or overlapping alongside one another, transversely with respect to the direction of movement of the reconnaissance vehicles (12).
4. Mine hunting system according to Claim 3, characterized in that the lateral distance between the reconnaissance vehicles (12) in the swarm is essentially constant, and in that, in order to keep the lateral distance constant, the position data of the reconnaissance vehicles (12) can be interchanged between the reconnaissance vehicles (12) via underwater communication.
5. Mine hunting system according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that attack vehicles (13) are integrated as a group in the swarm such that they follow the group of reconnaissance vehicles (12), preferably at a short distance.
6. Mine hunting system according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that each attack vehicle (13) is assigned a reconnaissance vehicle (12), and the attack vehicle (13) follows the assigned reconnaissance vehicle (12), preferably at a constant distance.
7. Mine hunting system according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the attack vehicles are equipped with sensors (20) for target acquisition.
8. Mine hunting system according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the attack vehicles (13) are equipped with variable time fuzes for the mine destruction charge (17).
9. Method for tracing and attacking mines (11) which have been laid in a sea region (10), in which the mines (11) are located and located mines (11) are attacked by means of underwater vehicles moving through the sea region (10), with location and attack being carried out by different underwater vehicles, characterized in that the process of moving through the sea region (10) in a swarm composed of autonomously acting reconnaissance vehicles (12), which are each equipped with sensors (14) for mine location, and of autonomously acting attack vehicles (13), which are each equipped with a mine destruction charge (17) and follow the reconnaissance vehicles (12) is carried out by interchanging data by means of underwater communication between the underwater vehicles which are moving in the swarm, and in that a reconnaissance vehicle (12) in the swarm selects one attack vehicle (13) from the swarm, and positions it at the location of a mine (11) that has been found.
10. Method according to Claim 9, characterized in that, during the selection process, the attack vehicle (13) which is selected is that which is closest to the selected reconnaissance vehicle (12).
11. Method according to Claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, in order to position the attack vehicle (13) at the mine location, the position data of the mine (11) is preset for the selected attack vehicle (13) from the reconnaissance vehicle (12).
12. Method according to one of Claims 9 to 11, characterized in that, during positioning of the attack vehicle (13) at the mine location, the attack vehicle (13) is tracked from the reconnaissance vehicle (12) and if necessary its course is corrected.
13. Method according to one of Claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the mine destruction charge (17) in the attack vehicle (13) that has been positioned is fired by means of a time fuze which is installed in the attack vehicle (13), once a predetermined time interval after positioning has elapsed.
14. Method according to one of Claims 9 to 13, characterized in that the reconnaissance vehicles (12) move at a lateral distance from one another in the swarm and are controlled such that the location sensors (15) which are covered by the sensors (14) are arranged without any gaps or overlapping alongside one another transversely with respect to the movement direction.
15. Method according to Claim 14, characterized in that the lateral distance between the reconnaissance vehicles (12) in the swarm is kept largely constant by programming a preset course and by interchanging position data between the reconnaissance vehicles (12), with this position data being used for course correction.
16. Method according to one of Claims 9 to 15, characterized in that the number of reconnaissance vehicles (12) moving in the swarm is matched to the size of the sea region (10) to be searched.
17. Method according to one of Claims 9 to 16, characterized in that each attack vehicle (13) is assigned a reconnaissance vehicle (12), and in that the attack vehicle (13) follows the assigned reconnaissance vehicle (12) at a preferably constant distance.
18. Method according to one of Claims 9 to 17, characterized in that the current positions of the underwater vehicles are exchanged between them and the position data relating to the mines (11) that have been found, as well as the number of attack vehicles (13) which are currently available in the swarm are interchanged between the reconnaissance vehicles (12).
19. Method according to one of Claims 9 to 18, characterized in that the data is interchanged between the underwater vehicles by transmission and reception of data packets.
20. Method according to Claim 19, characterized in that a data packet which has been received by an underwater vehicle and is not addressed to the underwater vehicle which has received that data packet is transmitted again by this underwater vehicle if the extent of the swarm is greater than the communication range.
21. Method according to Claim 20, characterized in that each data packet which is transmitted by an underwater vehicle is provided with a header which has a start address, a destination address and a counter, and in that a data packet which is received by an underwater vehicle is transmitted by that underwater vehicle again only if the counter has not yet reached the predetermined maximum count or the start address does not match the address of the receiving underwater vehicle, or the same data packet has not already been transmitted once by the receiving underwater vehicle, or the data packet has already been received once with a destination address which matches the address of the receiving underwater vehicle, or no error is identified in the data packet.
22. Method according to one of Claims 19 to 21, characterized in that, before each transmission of a data packet by an underwater vehicle, the underwater vehicle sends a request to transmit and, once a time interval after the transmission request has elapsed, a check is carried out to confirm that no other underwater vehicle is transmitting.
23. Method according to Claim 22, characterized in that the transmission of data packets is blocked for a predetermined waiting time in all underwater vehicles which have received a transmission request.

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