FR2727515A1 - MINING SYSTEM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF MINES TO BE PLACED ON A MINING FIELD - Google Patents

Abstract

Each mine comprises a register 10 which contains information SC on the safety state of the mine and a memory position R for the control of an indicating device 18. For the preparation of demining of the minefield, the contents of the register 13 of the mine safety device RM is included in the register 10 of the mine which is thus brought to the safe state. When all the mines are in this state, the indicating devices 19 of all the mines are activated under the control of the mine safety device RM, which is signaled to the latter, which establishes a protocol for the demining commando on the states of the mines. different mines.

Description

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MINING SYSTEM.

  The present invention relates to a mining system comprising

  as a plurality of mines to be placed on a minefield each of the mines having a safety device that can be controlled. When mines are placed in a minefield, it is difficult and dangerous to clear the minefield. In certain situations it is advantageous to lay mines and arm them. When the tension of the situation decreases thereafter, demining presents, with the systems of former mines, certain difficulties. The object of the present invention is the creation of a mine system of the type mentioned above, the mines of which can be easily armed and disarmed, the system making it possible to prepare a minefield for demining without great effort and with a

great safety.

  To solve this problem, it is provided according to the invention that each mine comprises a memory device which can be loaded by a reception device, the memory device comprising a

  signal controlling the status of the safety device, a time register

  which can be loaded by a receiving device and can be switched into the armed state of the mine by a time signal generator and that a mine safety device is provided which emits a safety signal which is received by all mines and places them in the safe state and returns to the initial position the

timed register.

  It is possible, with the mining system according to the invention, thanks to the introduction of the mine safety device, to place all the mines in a minefield in a safe state. The mines are designed so as to destroy themselves after a determined time (parking time) from the moment security is canceled, that is to say when the value in the time register has reached a predetermined final value z following signals from the time signal generator. The safety signal does not only return the memory devices to the state

  "safety" but it also resets the tempo register

  so that all the mines in the system are returned to their initial safety state when the safety signal occurs. In these conditions, it is possible to walk through the minefield

without any danger.

  The system according to the invention is particularly suitable for anti-tank mines which are placed on the ground or which are dropped by

aircraft.

  According to a preferred development of the invention, it is provided that each mine comprises a memory containing an individual characteristic, and that the mine safety device is designed in such a way that it emits, after the emission of the safety signal, interrogation signals for individual mines which then each issue a signal in response to the signal representing the state of the memory device, and that a protocol of the signals in response from all mines is recorded in the mine safety device . After all the mines have been brought into safety by the signal from the mine safety system, the latter proceeds to interrogate each individual mine to determine its

  state of safety. It was only when it was found in the dis-

  positive of mine safety that all mines in the minefield are in a safe state that the minefield can be opened to

demining operations.

  Preferably, each mine has an indicating device which is activated by an order signal sent by the mine safety device after reception of the confirmation signal corresponding to the mine safety status. The indicating device, for example a lamp, a pennant or a tilting panel is only excited when

  the armed state of the mine was questioned and recorded by the

  mine safety tif. It is only then that the mine safety device gives the signal to each individual mine or to all mines simultaneously or even to the mines which, according to the registered protocol, are armed, the indicating device being

then operated for these mines.

  The demining commando which approaches a mine recognizes at a certain distance whether the mine is armed or in a safe state and

  can therefore safely clean the minefield.

  The mining system according to the invention preferably comprises, in addition to the mine safety device for setting all mines safe, a mine arming device for arming all the mines in a minefield . With the mine arming device, all mines can be simultaneously armed by means of corresponding radio signals. It is thus possible, during an increase in the tension of the situation, to arm a minefield over which it was first possible to pass when the mines were in the state of safety. The mines destroy themselves after the predetermined parking time has expired. The mine safety device and / or the mine arming device is preferably similar in shape to a mine, so that it can be dropped into the prepared minefield and act on the mines from the field of mines itself. The mine safety device and the mine armament device can be of the same construction, only the operating mode (muted or

armament) being different.

  The mine system according to the invention can also include a first mine safety device which secures all mines and a second mine safety device which performs, in addition to safety, an individual interrogation of the mine. safety status of each of the mines as well as possibly the activation of the indicating devices. The first safety device

  is implemented when the minefield needs to be tem-

  porally disarmed and the second mine safety device can be used to prepare for mine clearance. The mine safety system of the invention will now be described more precisely with reference to the drawings appended to

  title of nonlimiting examples.

  In the drawings: FIG. 1 represents a minefield with a device for arming mines; FIG. 2 represents the memory and the register of the mine and the way in which these elements cooperate with the arming device;

  Figure 3 illustrates a minefield with a first arrangement

  mine security tif; FIG. 4 shows the memory and the register of the mine and the way in which these elements cooperate with the elements of the safety device;

  FIG. 5 represents a minefield with a second arrangement

  safety alert; and FIG. 6 illustrates the memory and the register of the mine and the manner in which these elements cooperate with the second device for

safety.

  In FIG. 1 is shown an MF minefield in which a large number of M mines are deposited. The mines are in a safe state. This state is maintained by a minimal current in

  the electrical system of each mine.

  Each mine M includes a transmission and reception device as well as a logic control circuit. In FIG. 2 is shown a register 10 contained inside the mine M and in which the following data are stored: MF: identification of the minefield M: number of the mine considered SC: safety signal (code of safety) LZ: parking time

  R: activation signal of the device

indicator (demining signal).

  The identification of the minefield MF and the number of the mine considered MN are fixed values which are stored in register 10 and which cannot be modified in the mine laid. These data are designated in the present example by "AA" and "MYF". The safety signal SC is symbolically at "0" for a mine in the safe state and symbolically at "l" for an armed mine. The parking time LZ also consists of several numbers or characters. When the mine is secured, this value is

  bet to a certain predetermined amount "XXX" which is then de-

  counted by a time signal generator (not shown), which is included in the mine. When the value of the timed register reaches a predetermined minimum amount, the mine is fired. The "R" position of the register controls an indicating device which is placed outside on the mine and whose state indicates whether the mine can be

safely removed.

  When the minefield is installed, the M mine is first of all in a safe state. After the installation of the minefield, the EM arming device is brought or activated in the minefield. The arming device EM includes the following data in a register 11: MF: identification of the minefield SC: safety signal

LZ: parking time.

  These data are sent by the device for issuing the

  arming signal EM and received by the mine M. When the minefield code "AA" is recognized by the mine, the arming signal SC is supplied to the storage device which initially contained the security system SC and the timed register whose content was initially at "0000" is placed at the content "XXXX" predetermined by the arming device. The mine is then armed and is in the "standby" state. In this state it is not possible to cross

the MF minefield.

  When the minefield is installed in such a way that the collateral has thus been canceled, it is possible, in anticipation of a momentary easing of the situation, to place or activate in the minefield the first safety device SM shown in figures 3

  and 4. The structure of the SM safety system logic is identified.

  than that of the ES arming device which was described previously

  is lying. The register 12 of the safety device SM contains, in addition to the code for the minefield MF, the safety signal SC "000" and the parking time LZ "0000". When the contents of register 12 are transmitted to the corresponding positions of register 10, the

  safety signal SC is set to "111" while the station time

  LZ is set to "0000" in the time register. This parking time value is stable and is not changed by the signals from the time signal generator. The mine is put into the safety state according to FIG. 4, that is to say it takes its "sleep" state by transferring the contents of register 12 into register 10

of the mine.

  When the minefield must be cleared or it must be possible to cross it without danger, the second RM safety device illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 is used. This second RM safety device comprises a register 13 and a register of

  protocol 14. The register 13 includes the same data as the register

  tre 11 of the first safety device SM and this data is trans-

  M mines in the same way as before. It follows that the mines M are placed in their state of sleep, that is to say of safety whether they were initially in the armed state or in the state of safety and at the same time the electronics of the mine is "awake" that is to say that it went from the state of rest to

the operating state.

  After the mines have thus been brought to safety, the

  RM safety alert emits an interrogation signal at each individual mine in the minefield. This interrogation signal includes the identification "AA" of the minefield MR and the number "fYY" of the individual mine MN. After reception of the interrogation signal, each mine thus designated emits a response signal 16 which is

  consisting of the total content of register 10 with the exception of the identi-

  fication of the MF minefield. This response signal is received by the safety device RM and is stored in the protocol register 14. The protocol register 14 also contains the numbers of the

  mines and status data for all mines in the minefield.

  After the protocol has been completed, the signal "01" is written to the memory positions R of registers 13 and 14 and the content

  of the protocol register 14 is successively transmitted and received selectively

  by the various mines M and entered in register 10.

  As a result, the content of position R of register 10 is also set to "01". The content of the register position R controls the indicating device 18. When this content is "01", the indicating device is activated so that the safety status of the mine can be recognized. The signal 19 by which the content of a line of the protocol register 14 is transmitted to the determined mine M is the command signal by which the command being in the position of

  register R, activates the indicating device.

  After the mine indicator device has been activated, the

  mine sends a confirmation signal 20 to the safety device RM.

  After the safety device has received this confirmation signal, the position of register R of the protocol register 14 for this mine is placed in the state "11". When the R register positions of all mines are in the protocol register in

  state "11", the safety device PM provides a trans-

  mission 21 to the demining commando. The transmission signal 21 indicates that the mine security process is complete, that the mines are now in a safe state and that this

  status is indicated by the indicating devices.

  When a mine has not been secured due to conditions

  unfavorable reception, this appears on the state of the protocol register 14. The transmission signal 21 contains the total content of the protocol register so that the cleaning commando knows how many mines have not been released or for how many mines the indicating device has not been activated. The minefield can then be cleared with appropriate precautions. Mines which may still be present and which have not provided a clearly recognizable clearance signal and which have not destroyed themselves after the end of the parking time, can in principle only be in a safe state. To avoid everything

  risk these mines should be blown up individually.

Claims (6)

  1. Mine system comprising a plurality of mines deposited on a minefield, each of the mines comprising a safety device which can be controlled, characterized in that each mine (M) comprises a memory device (R) which can be loaded by a receiving device, the memory device (SC, SC) comprising a signal controlling the state of the safety device, a timed register (LZ) which can be loaded by the receiving device and advanced into the armed state of the mine (M) by an o10 time signal generator and a mine safety device (SM, RM) is provided which emits a safety signal which is received by all the mines and places them in the state and resets the timed register (LZ).   2. Mine system according to claim 1, characterized by the   fact that each mine (M) includes a memory containing a character   individual (MF, MN), and that the mine safety device (RM) is such that after the safety signal has been sent, it issues   interrogation signals (15) for individual mines which emit   each then attempts a response signal (16) which indicates the status of the memory device (SC) and that a protocol of the response signals from all mines is established in the mine safety device (RM). 3. Mine system according to claim 2, characterized in that each mine (M) has an indicator device (18) which is activated by a command signal (19) emitted by the device   mine safety (RM) after reception of the response signal (16) supplied   establishing the state of safety of the mine.   4. Mine system according to any one of claims 1   to 3, characterized by the fact that it includes a mine safety device (SM, RM) for making all the mines in the minefield in a safe state and a mine armament device (EM) for   the arming of all mines in the minefield.   5. Mine system according to any one of claims 1   to 4, characterized in that it comprises a first mine safety device (SM) which only puts all mines in a safe state and a second mine safety device (RM) which, in addition to setting state of safety requires an individual interrogation of the state of safety of the various mines and possibly the setting   using indicating devices (18).   6. Mine system according to claim 2, characterized by the   fact that the individual characteristic (MF, MN) includes an indication   tif minefield (MF) and a number of each mine (MN).