EP4042088A1

EP4042088A1 - Logistics container intended to be fitted with at least one protection means

Info

Publication number: EP4042088A1
Application number: EP20800714.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Victor DESCHAMPS
Original assignee: Nexter Systems SA
Current assignee: Knds France
Priority date: 2019-10-11
Filing date: 2020-10-06
Publication date: 2022-08-17
Also published as: FR3101863B1; WO2021070056A1; FR3101863A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a logistics container (1) intended to be fitted with at least one protection means, such as a weapon system (6). The container comprises at least one support (5) intended to support the protection means (6), which support (5) is secured to a first face (2a) of at least one movable panel (2) of the container (1). The container is characterised in that the movable panel (2) is able to revolve about a revolving axis (9) between a first position, called stowed position, and a second position, called service position, the movable panel (2) exposing, in its service position, its first face (2a) to the outside, which allows the protection means (6) to be placed so that it is projecting out of the container (1) in a position that is suitable for its operation, the movable panel (2), in its stowed position, exposing its second face (2b) to the outside to give the container (1) the appearance of a conventional logistics container (1), said container comprising a revolving means (20) capable of driving the revolving axis (9) over a half-revolution, to cause the movable panel (2) to transition from its stowed position to its service position.

Description

LOGISTICS CONTAINER INTENDED TO BE EQUIPPED WITH AT LEAST ONE MEANS OF PROTECTION

The technical field of the invention is that of logistics containers and in particular containers that can be fitted with protection means.
In order to conveniently and discreetly transport remotely operated weapons, it is known practice to place them in logistics containers of the maritime container type. The weapon can be triggered from the container. Patent US20160252327 thus discloses a remotely operated weapon which is contained in a container during storage or transport phases and which can then be erected outside the container after opening the upper panels thanks to a vertically deployable mast comprising a series of deformable parallelograms.
Such a container has the drawback of requiring significant space clearance around it in order to allow the upper panels to be able to open until they are located outside the aiming and firing zone of the weapon, that is to say say at least horizontally around the container.
The mast for erecting the weapon is rather slow to deploy and moreover, it is not very rigid which causes imprecision in the fire.
It is possible to replace the weapon with another type of protection means, for example a jamming means.
He is also known from Nicolas Waugh's internet publication: “Directed Energy Weapons: a defense against emerging threats” (https://groundedcuriosity.com/directed-energy-weapons-a-defence-against-emerging-threats/#. XvB_yTozZaR) a container containing ballistic missile launchers, a container which is closed by a top cover secured to deployable launchers.
Opening the lid deploys the launchers. However, such a container does not make it possible to deploy a protection means capable of pivoting in bearing to allow the aiming of the protection means. The only guaranteed aiming is the elevation aim which depends on the opening angle of the cover. Any attempt to aim in bearing would lead to interference between the launchers and the container. Indeed, with the solution presented by this publication, the launchers are always partially inside the container.
The invention therefore aims to solve the problems of the prior art by proposing a container which can be provided with a means of protection, such as a weapon system, a container for which the means of protection can be rapidly deployed, without interfere with the space around the container, the protection means being able to be pivoted in bearing relative to the container.
The invention also makes it possible to confer greater rigidity on the means for maintaining the means of protection.
Thus the subject of the invention is a logistics container intended to be equipped with at least one protection means such as a weapon system, container comprising at least one support intended to carry the protection means, support integral with a first face of at least one movable panel of the container, container characterized in that the movable panel is able to turn around a turning axis between a first position, called retracted, and a second position, called service, the mobile panel exposing to the outside, in its service position, its first face, which makes it possible to place the protruding protection means outside the container in a position suitable for its operation, the mobile panel exposing to the outside, in its retracted position, its second face to give the container the appearance of a conventional logistics container, container comprising a turning means capable of driving the turning axis on a half-turn, to pass the mobile panel e from its retracted position to its service position.
According to one embodiment, the container may comprise at least two compartments, a first compartment whose upper wall is formed by the movable panel and a second compartment whose upper wall is formed by a fixed panel.
Advantageously, the container comprises locking means which make it possible to lock the support and the container in the service position and in the retracted position.
According to one embodiment, the turning axis can be oriented longitudinally of the container.
According to another embodiment, the turning axis can be oriented transversely to the container.
Advantageously, the container may include a flexible cable routing device which is intended to connect the protection means inside the container and which allows the panel to turn over.
The invention also relates to an armed container characterized in that it comprises a container according to one of the preceding characteristics, the container of which the movable panel carries at least one means of protection of the weapon system type.
Advantageously, the weapon system may include a turret that can be pointed in elevation and in bearing, a turret equipped with at least one medium caliber weapon.
The turret can also be equipped with at least one small caliber weapon.
The invention will be better understood on reading the following description, description made in the light of the accompanying drawings, drawings in which:
shows a three-quarter view of a container in the retracted position.
shows a longitudinal cutaway view of a container being overturned from a top panel.
shows a three-quarter view of a container in service position.
shows a cutaway longitudinal sectional view of a container according to the invention.
shows a detail view of the locking means of the mobile panel, panel in the service position.
shows a detail view of the locking means of the mobile panel, panel in the retracted position.
shows a top view of the container, panel in service position.
shows a longitudinal cut-away view of a container according to a second embodiment, during the inversion of the movable panel.
According to Figure 1, a container 1 of the maritime container type as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (I.S.O.) under the ISO 668 and ISO 1496 standards, has six walls which give it a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.
The upper wall comprises a first panel 2 and a second panel 3, contiguous at an edge 4. The first panel 2 is thus placed in a so-called retracted position where it exposes towards the outside of the container 1 a face 2b, referred to as second face 2b, which does not stand out from the rest of the walls of the container 1, thus contributing to the discretion of the container 1.
According to Figure 3, the first panel 2 has been turned over, according to an operation which will be detailed later, and it exposes a first face 2a substantially parallel to the second panel 3. This first face 2a is then oriented towards the outside of the container and panel 2 is said to be in the service position. The first face 2a is integral with a support 5 which is placed substantially in the center of the first face 2a.
This support 5 is used to fix a means of protection 6 which is here a weapon system 6 of small and / or medium caliber (calibers between 5.56 mm and 12.7 mm for the small caliber and between 12.7 mm and 40 mm for the medium caliber).
According to this embodiment, the weapon system 6 comprises a turret 6c comprising two weapons, a small caliber weapon 6a and a medium caliber weapon 6b (see Figure 6). In a conventional manner, the turret 6c will include means for pointing in elevation and in bearing and means for sighting.
In the service position, the armed container 1, according to the invention, makes it possible to place the means of protection or weapon system 6 projecting outwards from the container 1. The weapon system 6 thus placed is remotely operated for aim, point and shoot and it is pointable over 360 degrees in bearing and according to the capacities of the weapons 6a, 6b in elevation, thus transforming a container 1 of any appearance into an effective firing station.
Still according to Figure 3, the container 1 is closed by the first panel 2, which advantageously prevents the return of shooting waste or other debris in the container 1.
The low height of the weapon system 6 relative to the container 1 also offers the latter a stability favorable to its precision. This stability is increased by the fact that the container comprises a rigid frame 7 to which the panel 2 in the service position will lock as described below.
The passage from the retracted position of Figure 1 to the service position of Figure 3 is done by turning the first panel 2 as shown in Figure 2.
For this, the first panel 2 comprises an overturning axis 9, transversely secured to the frame 7 of the container 1. For more rigidity, the turning axis 9 is also secured to the support 5 and it is offset by a distance D parallel to the first face 2a and visible in figure 6. This offset D places the turning axis 9 below the movable panel 2 when the device is in the retracted position, and has the effect of placing the movable panel 2 below the axis of pivoting 9 when in the service position.
A turning means 20 shown in Figure 6 allows the movable panel 2 to make a U-turn around the turning axis 9 on command of an operator 13 (Figure 4) which can be housed in the container 1. The remote control is not shown. The operator can choose to expose the first side 2a bearing the protection means or weapon system 6 or the second unmarked side 2b outside the container 1.
It is noted in Figure 2 that the container 1 is compartmentalized. A first compartment C1 houses the equipment 10 necessary to provide the power and the controls necessary for the operation of the container 1 according to the invention as well as of the means of protection or weapon system 6. The compartment C1 can also be organized as a control station. the means of protection or weapon system 6.
A second compartment C2 can house boxes 11 of ammunition for the weapon system 6. The boxes 11 are here arranged along the side walls of the container 1 and in places not being on the turning path of the panel 2 and weapon system 6.
Before any turning movement of the panel 2 from the service position to the retracted position or vice versa, the weapon system 6 is locked in a so-called rest position, so that its turning-over template G1 (volume swept by the weapon system during a reversal) is contained in the reversal jig G2 of panel 2, thus avoiding any interference of the weapon system with the container 1. In the rest position, the weapon system 6 will thus be aligned longitudinally with the container 1, with a horizontal elevation point.
According to Figure 4, a door 12 located at one end of the container 1, on the side of the first compartment C1, allows an operator 13 to enter the container 1 to supply the weapon (s) 6a, 6b with ammunition when the first panel 2 is in the retracted position and also to carry out any maintenance operations on the equipment 10 of the first compartment C1 or to reload the weapon (s) 6a, 6b with ammunition. An opening will allow passage from one compartment C1, C2 to the other to allow these recharging or maintenance operations.
For obvious security reasons, multiple protections, by sensors for example, are put in place so that the weapon system 6 and the turning means of the mobile panel 2 are inoperative when a staff is inside the unit. compartment C2 of the container 1, or even of the container itself if the weapon system is controlled from outside the container.
A locking means 8, visible in FIG. 2, is positioned on a transverse bar of the frame 7, approximately in the middle thereof, and it is intended to cooperate with bars of the support 5 which extend up to at the edge 4 of the second panel 3 when the first panel is in the retracted position.
As visible in Figures 5a and 5b, the locking means 8 comprises a jack 14 capable of pivoting an upper bolt 15a and a lower bolt 15b. According to FIG. 5b, when the device 1 is in the retracted position, weapon system 6 towards the interior, the movable panel 2 is above the locking means 8, the upper bolt 15a can engage on actuator action. 14 in a housing 16 of the support bar 5, thus locking the movable panel 2 and the weapon system 6 in the retracted position.
Conversely, as visible in FIG. 5a, when the mobile panel 2 has turned over so as to be placed in the service position, the mobile panel 2 is located under the locking means 8 and it is the lower bolt 15b which is able to be engaged in another housing 16 of the support bar 5 (housing located at the other end of this bar), thus locking the mobile panel 2 and the weapon system 6 in the service position.
Note that the locking means 8 is located on the rotating path of the movable panel 2 and that it therefore limits its travel. The movable panel 2 and the weapon system 6 can therefore only rotate 180 degrees to move from one position to another.
According to Figure 6, the rotation of the movable panel 2 from the service position to the retracted position or vice versa is done by a turning means 20 comprising a motor assembly 21a and geared motor 21b secured to the frame 7 of the container 1. The geared motor 21b is connected by a transmission chain 22 to a pinion 23 integral with the support 5 and centered on the turning axis 9. Thus, the rotation control of the motor 21a causes the turning of the movable panel 2 and of the weapon system 6. Note that the mobile panel 2 is located under the turning means 20 when it is in the service position as in FIG. 6. Conversely, the turning means 20 will be hidden under the moving panel 2 when the latter is. in the retracted position. To avoid any mechanical interference, the turning means 20 and the locking means 8 must be located on the same side of the turning axis 9.
The limitation in rotation to 180 degrees of the mobile panel 2 makes it possible not to have to resort to a complex rotating joint device of the type described in patent EP3103688 in order to transmit the electric power and the control signals to the weapon system 6 .
A simple flexible sheath 30, for example of the type described in patent GB1142149, and containing cables (cables not visible) is sufficient to connect the weapon system 6 to the first compartment C1 and can accompany the turning movements of the mobile panel 2 of satisfactorily, reliably and economically.
FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the invention, in which the turning-over takes place around a longitudinal axis 9 (oriented along the length of the container). Turning around a transverse axis 9 (oriented along the width of the container) as described in Figures 1 to 4 is however preferred because it is more convenient to integrate the turning 20 and locking means 8.
It is of course possible to define a container carrying means of protection of a different nature. For example optical or electromagnetic jamming systems. It is also possible to have on the mobile panel several protection systems, for example an armed turret (as described above) but also close defense systems, such as smoke or tear gas grenade launchers.
The turret may carry several medium caliber weapons and / or several small arms.

Claims

Logistics container (1) intended to be fitted with at least one protection means such as a weapon system (6), container comprising at least one support (5) intended to carry the protection means (6), support (5 ) integral with a first face (2a) of at least one movable panel (2) of the container (1), container characterized in that the movable panel (2) is able to turn around a turning axis ( 9) between a first position, called retracted, and a second position, called service, the movable panel (2) exposing to the outside, in its service position, its first face (2a), which makes it possible to place the protection means (6) projecting out of the container (1) in a position suitable for its operation, the movable panel (2) exposing to the outside, in its retracted position, its second face (2b) to give the container ( 1) the appearance of a conventional logistics container (1), container comprising an overturning means (20) capable of driving the turning axis (9) on u n half-turn, to move the movable panel (2) from its retracted position to its service position.
Container (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least two compartments (C1, C2), a first compartment (C1) whose upper wall is formed by a fixed panel (3) and a second compartment ( C2) whose upper wall is formed by the movable panel (2)
Container (1) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises locking means (8) which allow the support (5) to be locked with the container (1) in the service position and in position. retracted.
Container (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the turning axis (9) is oriented longitudinally of the container (1).
Container (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the turning axis (9) is oriented transversely to the container (1).
Container (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a flexible cable routing device (30) which is intended to connect the protection means (6) inside the container ( 1) and which authorizes the inversion movement of the panel (2).
Armed container characterized in that it comprises a container (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, container (1) whose movable panel (2) carries at least one means of protection of the weapon system type (6).
Armed container according to claim 7, characterized in that the weapon system (6) comprises a turret (6c) pointable in elevation and bearing, turret (6c) equipped with at least one medium caliber weapon (6a).
Armed container according to claim 8, characterized in that the turret (6c) is also equipped with at least one small caliber weapon (6b).