GB2285116A

GB2285116A - Armoured wheel protection and vehicle equipped with same

Info

Publication number: GB2285116A
Application number: GB9425830A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Erick Thuillier; Bernard Timmer
Original assignee: Giat Industries SA
Current assignee: Giat Industries SA
Priority date: 1993-12-22
Filing date: 1994-12-21
Publication date: 1995-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 2014-12-21
Also published as: FR2714163A1; FR2714163B1; DE4445247A1; GB9425830D0; DE4445247B4; GB2285116B

Description

2285116 ARMOURED WHEEL PROTECTION AND VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH SAME The

present invention relates to a device f or protecting guiding wheels using armour, as well as to an 5 armoured vehicle equipped with such a device.

Fighting vehicles, such as attack vehicles, are covered with metal plating which allows the equipment and their passengers to be protected from any possible projectiles.

it is relatively simple to armour parts of the vehicle whose overall space requirement does not change during use.

This is especially the case for the rear wheels of the vehicle which are permanently aligned with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. An armoured skirt extending along these wheels, parallel to their f lank, allows good protection of these wheels to be obtained.

In contrast, it is more tricky to protect the guiding wheels of a vehicle using armour, insofar as it is necessary to allow the wheels to turn relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

what is more, armoured vehicles generally have at least two guiding wheels on each side and it is advantageous to protect these two wheels using a single device.

The object of the present invention is to solve the abovementioned problems and to provide a device for protecting guiding wheels using armour which is relatively simple to put to use.

The protection device proposed by the invention is designed to protect at least one guiding wheel of a vehicle.

According to the invention, it is characterized in that it comprises armour-forming means extending close to the said wheel in a protecting position, and actuation means designed to move the armour-forming means between the said protecting position when the wheel is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle and a separated position when the said wheel is pivoted relative to the said longitudinal axis.

Thus, by virtue of the invention,, the guiding wheels of a vehicle can be protected using armour while allowing these wheels to turn in order to change the direction of the vehicle and while at the same time ensuring minimum width when the wheels are in a straight line, in order to respect constraints of overall size requirement, such as those dictated by the width of railway lines.

The armour-forming means are separated from the guiding wheel so as to allow the latter to pivot.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the armourforming means comprises a protective panel mounted on a part of the vehicle and capable of pivoting about a pivot pin extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

Thus, the armour-forming means may be moved by a simple pivoting action, to allow the guiding wheels to turn.

According to another aspect of the invention, an armoured vehicle, especially a self-propelled gun, comprising at least two aligned guiding wheels, is characterized in that a protection device in accordance with the invention is fixed to the vehicle substantially above the two guiding wheels.

A single protection device may therefore be suitable for protecting two or more aligned guiding wheels equipping one side of the vehicle.

other features and advantages of the invention will further emerge in the following description.

In the appended drawings, given by way of non limiting examples:

- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a protec tion device in accordance with the invention; - Figure 2 is a plan view in section of a protec tion device; - Figure 3 is an elevation of a vehicle equipped with the protection device of Figure 1; and - Figure 4 is a side view of the protection device according to the invention, illustrating its operation.

Referring first of all to Figure 1, a protection device using armour comprises means 1, 2 forming armour and actuating means 6 designed to move the means 1, 2 forming armour.

The latter comprise a protective panel 1. This. as illustrated in Figure 3, is mounted on a part of an armoured vehicle.

The armouring means further comprise a protective flap 2 which is mounted on the protective flap 1 so that it can pivot about a pivot pin.

Preferably, the protective flap 2 is fixed to the protective panel 1 by virtue of hinges 5.

Referring to Figure 2, the protective panel 1 is mounted so that it can pivot about a pivot pin 3a. This pin 3a extends substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

Preferably, the means 1, 2 forming armour are integral with a torsion bar 3 which may be fixed to the armoured vehicle 20 via bearings 4.

In this embodiment, the torsion bar 3 is fixed by virtue of three bearings 4 located respectively at the two ends of this bar 3 and substantially at its middle.

Preferably, the fixtures lie within the thickness of the armoured sponsons located on the superstructure around the vehicle 20. when the vehicle 20 is not equipped with means 1, 2 forming armour, the fixtures are removed.

The protective panel 1 is secured to this torsion bar 3. Preferably, the panel 1 is mounted so that it can pivot about a pivot pin 3a which extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. This arrangement is clearly illustrated in Figure 3.

The torsion bar 3 makes it possible to facilitate the raising of the means 1, 2 forming armour, particularly during a wheel change.

The protective flap 2 is mounted along the lower edge of the protective panel 1, opposite the edge fixed to the vehicle, and can pivot by virtue of the hinges 5, about a second pivot pin substantially parallel to the first pivot pin 3a.

The actuating means 6 are designed to make the protective panel 1 pivot about the pivot pin 3a.

These actuating means preferably consist of an actuator, the rod of which is fixed to the protective panel 1. This fixture is achieved substantially in the middle of the panel 1 relative to its longitudinal dimension and close to its lower edge, that is to say at a point which is as far away as possible from the pivot pin 3a in order to facilitate the movement of raising the protective panel 1.

The device in accordance with the invention further comprises a connecting rod 7, one end 7a of which is f ixed to the vehicle 20 as illustrated in Figure 4. The other end 7b of the connecting rod 7 is fixed to the protective flap, the fixture also being substantially in the middle of the protective flap relative to its longitudinal dimension and close to its lower edge opposite the edge secured to the protective panel 1.

This connecting rod 7 is designed to keep the protective flap 2 substantially vertical.

Thus, as illustrated in Figure 4 in solid line, the means 1 and 2 f orming armour extend close to the guiding wheel 21 in a protecting position.

The actuating means 6 are designed to move the means 1, 2 f orming armour between the protecting position, when the wheel is aligned along the longitudinal axis 20a of the vehicle 20, and a separated position, represented in dotted line in Figure 4, when the guiding wheel 21 is pivoted relative to the longitudinal axis 20a.

The actuator 6, fixed to the vehicle 20 via a support 9 about which the body of the actuator 6 can pivot, makes it possible to raise the protective panel 1 when the wheel 21 pivots.

As the protective flap 2 is constantly held vertical, it makes it possible to provide permanent protection for the guiding wheel 1, even when the latter is pivoted in order to change the direction of the vehicle 20.

The connecting rod 7 is fixed in terms of pivot ing to a bearing 8 secured to the vehicle 20. It is designed to keep the flap 2 in a vertical position and at a substantially constant distance from the wheels 21.

As represented in Figure 3, the means 1, 2 forming armour extend, in the protecting position, along two aligned guiding wheels 21 of the vehicle 20.

A single protection device thus makes it possible to protect several aligned wheels 21 on one and the same side of the vehicle 20.

The pivot f orce exerted by the actuator 6 is preferably applied to a point of the protective panel 1 situated between the two guiding wheels 21, that is to say at a point situated substantially on the vertical axis of symmetry of the guiding wheels 21 protected by the panel 1.

The actuating means 6, and especially the actuator 6, are coupled to steering means (not repre sented) of the vehicle 20, which are designed to cause the guiding wheels 21 to pivot relative to the longi tudinal axis 20a of the vehicle 20.

In a known manner, the vehicle 20 comprises a steering wheel which, via a connecting rod system, makes it possible to cause the pivoting of the guiding wheels 21 through an angle of 270 relative to the longitudinal axis 20a of the vehicle 20.

Thus, the actuator 6 may be controlled by a hydraulic system via the steering gear of the vehicle 20.

The actuating means 6 may equally well be con trolled by means forming a sensor which are designed to detect the pivoting of the guiding wheels 21 relative to the longitudinal axis 20a of the vehicle 20.

It is thus possible to trigger the action of the actuator 6 solely after the steering gear has travelled through a certain minimum angle taken relative to the longitudinal axis 20a so that small'variations in angle do not have any influence on the armouring device.

The sensor may detect the change in direction at the steering wheel or at the axles. It may equally well be located at the protective panel 1 and be designed permanently to maintain a minimum space between the guiding wheels 21 and the protective panel 1 by governing the action of the actuator 6.

Thus, the protection device using armour according to the invention makes it possible to protect the front guiding wheels of a vehicle 20, such as an armoured vehicle as illustrated in Figure 3, whilst allowing the wheels to change position under cornering and allowing the wheels to move vertically due to the suspension.

The protective panel 1 and the f lap 2 have a geometry which matches the external lines of the vehicle 20.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the example described above and many modifications can be made to the latter without departing f rom the scope of the invention.

Thus, several protection devices in accordance with the invention may be located side by side on the vehicle, each device being designed to protect just one guiding wheel.

The actuating means may be different and be fixed, for example, to the ends of the protective panel 1.

Claims

Armoured protection device for protection of at least one guiding wheel of a vehicle characterized in that it comprises means forming armour extending close to the said wheel in a protecting position, and actuation means designed to move the means forming armour between the said protecting position when the wheel is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle and a separated position when the said wheel is pivoted relative to the said longitudinal axis.
2. Protection device in accordance with Claim 1, characterized in that the means forming armour comprises a protective panel mounted on a part of the vehicle so that it can pivot about a pivot pin extending substan- tially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the said vehicle.
3. Protection device in accordance with Claim 2, characterized in that the actuating means is designed to cause the pivoting of the protective panel about the said pivot pin.
4. Protection device in accordance with any of Claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the means forming armour further comprises a protective flap mounted on the protective panel so that it can pivot about a second pivot pin substantially parallel to the first pivot pin.
5. Protection device in accordance with Claim 4, characterized in that it further comprises a connecting rod, one end of which is f ixed to the vehicle and the other end of which is fixed to the protective flap, the said connecting rod being designed to keep the said protective flap substantially vertical.
6. Protection device in accordance with any of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the means forming armour is secured to a torsion bar fixed to the vehicle.
7. Protection device in accordance with any of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the means forming armour extends, in the said protecting position, along two aligned guiding wheels of the vehicle.
8. Protection device in accordance with any of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the actuating means is coupled to steering means of the vehicle, which is designed to cause the guiding wheels to pivot relative to the said longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
9. Protection device in accordance with any of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the actuating means is controlled by means f orming a sensor which is designed to detect the pivoting of the guiding wheels relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
10. Armoured vehicle, especially a self-propelled gun, comprising at least two aligned guiding wheels, characterized in that a protection device in accordance with any of Claims 1 to 9 is f ixed to the vehicle substantially above the two guiding wheels.

is
11. Protection device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 4.
12. Armoured vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 3.