GB2461750A

GB2461750A - Armoured land vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2461750A
Application number: GB0812847A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Valerian Dare-Bryan
Original assignee: Lockheed Corp; Lockheed Martin Corp
Current assignee: Lockheed Martin Corp
Priority date: 2008-07-14
Filing date: 2008-07-14
Publication date: 2010-01-20
Also published as: GB0812847D0

Abstract

An armoured land vehicle 1 has a roof 9 and an interior compartment bounded by the roof 9. There is an opening 2 in the roof 9 for communication between the interior compartment and the exterior of the vehicle 1. An armoured shield 3, 4, 5, 6 is configurable between a first configuration in which it extends upwardly from the roof 9 to shield the opening 2 and a second configuration in which it lies substantially flush with the roof 9.

Description

I

CLOSABLE SHIELDED PORT

This invention relates to mechanisms for closing an access port, such as the opening of a turret or barbette. It is especially usable for access ports that are intended to be shielded when open.

Many designs of protective vehicle incorporate an access port in the roof. An occupant of the vehicle can carry out observation through the opening, and a gun can be installed in or at the opening. A person standing in the opening is elevated and could be readily visible and exposed to attackers. To protect such a person against attack, particularly from blast injuries and sniper or indiscriminate fire, it is common to erect shielding armour around the opening, in the form of a barbette or a turret.

When the occupants of the vehicle need to use force a roof-mounted gun might be manned. However, in modern peacekeeping missions it is advantageous for troops to be able to adopt a non-threatening demeanour when there is no immediate need for assertive action. The visible presence of armour around an elevated opening, and the visibility of a fixed gun if one is present, mark a vehicle out as being a military vehicle, and can hence make a vehicle appear aggressive to passers-by. This is a hindrance when a friendly approach is to be adopted.

Another difficulty with roof-mounted gun barbettes is that they increase the height of the vehicle. This can make it difficult to load the vehicle into confined spaces, such as transport planes, or to transport it on a low-loader under height restrictions such as bridges. This problem can be addressed by dismantling any upstanding parts of the barbette to remove them from the vehicle when it is in transit, but this is normally time-consuming.

It is important for vehicles such as submarines and aircraft to be as streamlined as possible. For that reason, it is known for the gun turrets of submarines and aircraft to be retractable. See, for example, US 1296688. Similar considerations do not apply to protective land vehicles since their armour and armament limit their dynamic performance much more do than their aerodynamic qualities.

There is a need for a way in which a vehicle equipped with a roof-mounted upstanding shield can be rendered less threatening.

According to the present invention there is provided an armoured land vehicle having: a roof; an interior compartment bounded by the roof; an opening in the roof for communication between the interior compartment and the exterior of the vehicle; and an armoured shield reconfigurable between a first configuration in which it extends upwardly from the roof to shield the opening and a second configuration in which it lies substantially flush with the roof.

The shield may comprise an armoured plate. The plate may be pivotable with respect to the roof for moving between the first configuration and the second configuration. In the first configuration of the shield the plate may be upstanding form the roof. In the second configuration it may be below or substantially flush with the roof. The armoured plate may be pivotable about a horizontal axis with respect to the roof for moving between the first configuration and the second configuration. When the shield is in its first configuration the plate may extend upwardly from the roof.

The shield may comprises two or more such plates that together extend around, and preferably surround, the opening when the shield is in its first configuration.

Each of the plates may be pivotable with respect to the roof for moving between the first configuration and the second configuration. The plates may be independently pivotable. Each plate may be hinged with respect to the roof about a respective axis whereby it can be lowered when the shield is set into its second configuration.

The vehicle may comprise a gun mounted on the vehicle by means of a gun mount that allows the gun to be moved with respect to the vehicle between a first position in which it is exposed above the roof of the vehicle, and a second position in which it is contained in the interior compartment. One of the armoured plates may be attached to the gun mount. That plate may move with the gun mount into the vehicle when the gun is moved to the second position.

The shield may be mounted on the vehicle by means of a rotatable mount whereby the shield can be rotated around the opening when the shield is in its first configuration. The gun mount may be mounted on the vehicle by means of the rotatable mount whereby the gun can be rotated with the shield around the opening when the shield is in its first configuration and the gun is in its first position.

The opening may be closed by the shield when the shield is in its second configuration. One or more plates of the shield may carry elastic seals that bear against another of the plates or against the roof of the vehicle when the shield is in its second configuration so as to resist ingress of material such as liquid through the opening.

The shield may constitute a barbette or a turret.

The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 is an oblique view of a vehicle having a roof barbette in an opened configuration with a gun exposed; Figure 2 is a side view of a first embodiment of a barbette in the opened configuration; Figure 3 is a front view of the first embodiment of a barbette in the opened configuration; Figure 4 is a rear view of the first embodiment of a barbette in the opened configuration; Figure 5 is a plan view of the first embodiment of a barbette in the opened configuration; Figure 6 is a plan view of the first embodiment of a barbette in a closed configuration; Figure 7 is a cross section through a front hinge of the first embodiment of a barbette; Figure 8 is a cross section through a rear hinge of the first embodiment of a barbette; Figure 9 is a cross section through a side hinge of the first embodiment of a barbette; Figure 10 is a cross section through the rim of a side panel of the first embodiment of a barbette; Figure 11 shows a plan view of a second embodiment of a barbette in an open configuration; Figure 12 is a side view of the second embodiment of barbette in an open configuration; Figure 13 is a cross-section through a rear hinge of the second embodiment of barbette; Figure 14 is a cross-section through a side hinge of the second embodiment of barbette; Figure 15 is a plan view of a corner of a barbette; and Figure 16 is a side view of a corner of a barbette.

In the figures like parts are designated with the same reference numerals.

The barbette shown in figures 2 to 10 is mounted on the roof of an armoured personnel vehicle 1. In the barbette's opened configuration an opening shown generally at 2 is exposed and surrounded by armoured waIls 3-6. A gun 7 can be erected through the opening. In the barbette's closed configuration, with the gun removed, the walls 3-6 are folded down to lie flush with the roof 9 of the vehicle.

With the barbette in its closed configuration the presence of the barbette or the gun cannot readily be seen from outside the vehicle, so the vehicle appears less aggressive.

The gun may be mounted on a swivelling mechanism that allows the gun's aim to be rotated relative to the walls of the barbette. In that case the barbette could be fixed relative to the roof of the vehicle. Alternatively, the gun could have a mount that can be adjusted for elevation, and the gun together with the walls of the barbette could be rotatable about a vertical axis to set the gun's traverse. The figures illustrate the latter type of mounting arrangement. In the vehicle shown in the figures, the barbette and the gun are mounted on a ring bearing 10, by which they can be rotated relative to the vehicle's structure. The ring bearing is fixed to the structure of the vehicle. The armoured walls 3 to 6 are hinged relative to the ring bearing 10 so that they can be moved between the raised position shown in figures 1 to 5 and the lowered position shown in figure 6.

Figure 7 shows the way in which the gun is hinged. The gun 7 is attached to the ring bearing 10 by a bracket 11 which can rotate around the ring bearing for adjustment of the gun's traverse. The bracket 11 is fixed relative to the brackets by which the other parts of the barbette rotate about the ring bearing, so that the barbette rotates as a whole about the ring bearing. A gun support arm 12 is mounted to the bracket 11 by a bearing 13 having a horizontal rotation axis. The bearing 13 allows the arm 12 to swing between the position shown in solid lines in figure 7, in which the gun is deployed through the opening 2, and the position shown by dashed lines at 14. The gun is mounted on the arm 12 by a bearing 16 having a horizontal rotation axis. When the arm is in its raised position, the gun can be swung about bearing 16 to alter its elevation. When the arm is at position 14 the gun is stowed in the interior of the vehicle and does not project through the opening 2. A lever 15 latches the arm 12 in either position.

The front wall 3 of the barbette is a gun shield. The gun shield has a cut-out 17 to accommodate the barrel 18 of the gun. The gun shield is rigidly fixed to the gun support arm 12 by an outrigger 19. Thus, the gun shield rotates with the gun about the vertical axis 40 of the ring bearing 10, and when the gun support arm is lowered the front wall 3 moves with it so that the wall no longer extends through the opening 2.

Figure 8 shows the way in which the rear waIl 5 is hinged. The rear wall is attached to the ring bearing 10 by a bracket 20 which can rotate around the ring bearing. Bracket 20 is fixed relative to bracket 10. A support arm 21 is attached to the bracket 20 by a bearing 22 having a horizontal axis of rotation. The rear wall 5 is attached to the support arm. The rear wall can be swung about bearing 22 between the raised position shown by solid lines in figure 8 and a lowered position shown at 23 by dashed lines. In the raised position it extends upwards from the roof to provide protection to a person standing in the opening 2. In the lowered position it does not extend through the opening, but lies below the level of the roof 9. The bearing 22 is located below the roof 9. The arm 21 is curved so that in its raised position it wraps around the ring 10, allowing the wall 5 to sit in contact with the upper surface of roof 9. This provides protection against bullets or shrapnel penetrating between the roof and the lower edge of the wall.

For additional strength, the rear waIl 5 could be attached to the ring by multiple hinges of this type.

Figure 9 shows the way in which the side walls are hinged. Side wafl 4 is shown in figure 9 Each side wall is attached to the ring bearing 10 by a bracket 30 which can rotate around the ring bearing. Bracket 30 is fixed relative to bracket 20 and bracket 10. The side wall is attached to the bracket by a bearing 31 having a horizontal axis of rotation. The side wall can be swung about bearing 31 between the raised position shown by solid lines in figure 9 and a lowered position shown at 32 by dashed lines. In the raised position it extends upwardly from the roof to provide protection to a person standing in the opening 2. Bearing 31 is in the plane of the roof 9 so in its opened configuration the side wall extends upwards directly from the roof. When the side walls are in the lowered position 32 they sit on the upper surface of the ring 10, which prevents them from dropping into the interior of the vehicle. Cushioning 41 could be provided where the wall sits on the ring. In the lowered position the side walls do not project through the opening, but lie flush with the roof 9.

If the walls of the barbette were to be rotationally fast with the vehicle then brackets 11, 20, 30 could be attached to the roof of the vehicle rather than to bearing 10. A gun-mounting pintle could be attached to the distal end of arm 12.

Figures 1 to 5 show the barbette in its raised or open configuration. The walls 3 to 6 extend upwardly from the roof of the vehicle to form a protective enclosure around the opening 2. The gun 7 is also exposed above the roof. The walls and the gun can rotate together about the vertical axis 40 of the ring bearing 10, allowing the gun to be swung laterally for aiming purposes.

When the barbette is not in use either for observation or for shooting gun 7 it can be folded into a less aggressive configuration. The lever 15 is released and the gun 7 and gun shield 3 are swung into the interior of the vehicle. The rear wall 5 is swung down by means of bearing 22 until it is below the level of the roof. Then the side walls 4,6 are folded down over the front and rear walls. The side walls are configured so that when folded down they lie flush with the roof and meet at their distal edges so as to shut the opening 2. One or both of the side walls can have a capping of a resilient material, such as rubber strip 42 (see figure 10), SO that they form a weatherproof seal over the opening when shut. Because all the components of the barbette are either inside the vehicle or flush with the roof when the barbette is in its closed configuration, the closed configuration presents a less threatening appearance than a conventional barbette.

The opening 2 could communicate with a principal occupant compartment of the vehicle, which could be capable of housing several people and could incorporate the vehicle's driving position. Alternatively, it could communicate with a smaller compartment that could just hold one person, or that is intended for storage of the gun when it is not deployed.

The side walls need not lie totally flush with the roof when they are lowered. They could project slightly from the upper surface of the roof.

Preferably the walls cooperate so that when the barbette is closed the walls fully cover the opening in the roof. However, the side walls need not meet when closed. One side wall could overlap the other, or there could be a gap between them. Any remaining gap could be closed with a fabric cover if desired.

There could be more or fewer components to the walls. For example, there could be just a front and a rear wall, or the side walls could be subdivided into independently folding panels.

Figures 11 to 14 illustrate a second embodiment of a barbette suitable for mounting on top of a vehicle. As in the first embodiment, the barbette has front, rear and side walls 3 to 6. In one configuration the walls extend upwards from the roof of the vehicle to encircle and protect a zone within the walls above and including the opening 2. The walls can be folded down to another configuration in which they are substantially flush with the roof of the vehicle.

For simplicity, no weapon is shown mounted in the second embodiment of barbette, but if one is present then it could be capable of being swung or otherwise lowered into the vehicle through the opening 2, and the front waIl 3 could conveniently be a gun shield that moves with the weapon, as in the first embodiment. If no weapon is mounted in the barbette then the front wall could be hinged in a similar way to the rear wall.

In the barbette as illustrated in figures 11 to 14 the side and rear walls 4 to 6 are mounted on a base plate 50. The outer periphery of the base plate is rectangular.

The base plate has a hole through it which defines the opening 2. The hole could, for example, be circular. The base plate is attached to the ring bearing 10 in such a way that it can swivel by means of the ring bearing about a vertical axis relative to the vehicle. The hole in the base plate coincides with the hole in the ring bearing. As will be described below, the base plate provides a convenient mounting point for the walls, The side and rear walls are hinged relative to the base plate by hinges 51, 52. In this embodiment the hinges are attached to the walls in such a way that the walls extend on either side of the axis of the respective hinge. The effect of this is that when a side or rear wall is raised, as shown in figures 13 and 14, the wall extends downwards from the hinge (indicated at 53, 54) to mask and protect the base plate 50, the ring bearing 10 and the gap between the base plate and the roof 9.

This reduces the chance that projectiles from outside the vehicle could penetrate under the walls and into the vehicle or could cause damage to the ring bearing.

The axis of hinge 52 for the rear wall is located closer to the plane of the base plate 50 than the axis of hinge 51 for the side wall. The effect of this is that when the rear and side walls are in their lowered configurations (as illustrated at 55 and 56) the rear wall sits lower than the side walls and can be overlapped by the side walls so that the walls all lie substantially flush with the roof of the vehicle.

The hinges by which the walls are attached to the base plate or to any brackets can be individual hinges, or piano-type hinges that extend substantially the length of the walls.

In the opened configuration the walls could lock together with clips or bolts to strengthen the structure and prevent them from closing, for example under impact from outside the barbette. Figures 15 and 16 show one example of a locking arrangement. A latch 60 is recessed into the rear wall 5, and can be used to latch the walls to each other. The latch could be a lever-operated bolt as is used for tail-gates, or another kind of locking means.

The walls are preferably armoured to protect against bullets. They could, for example, be formed of steel plate or composite panels.

The walls could be partially supported by means such as pneumatic cylinders or springs to assist in lifting and lowering them. They could be mechanically driven to change positions, and could move automatically in coordinated fashion The walls could swing on more complex linkages when they are retracted. They could move in other ways, for example by sliding on rails into the retracted positions. It is preferred that when the walls are lowered they close, and most preferably seal, the opening. When the walls are lowered their uppermost points are substantially flush with the roof of the vehicle to prevent the presence of the barbette from being visible to a person on the ground near the vehicle. For this purpose preferably the walls do not extend more than, e.g., 20cm, 10cm or 5cm above the neighbouring roofline when in their closed configuration.

The barbette could be fully enclosed (a turret), or could be open at the top as illustrated in the figures.

The applicant hereby discloses in isolation each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features, to the extent that such features or combinations are capable of being carried out based on the present specification as a whole in the light of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art, irrespective of whether such features or combinations of features solve any problems disclosed herein, and without limitation to the scope of the claims. The applicant indicates that aspects of the present invention may consist of any such individual feature or combination of features. In view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An armoured land vehicle having: a roof; an interior compartment bounded by the roof; an opening in the roof for communication between the interior compartment and the exterior of the vehicle; and an armoured shield reconfigurable between a first configuration in which it extends upwardly from the roof to shield the opening and a second configuration in which it lies substantially flush with the roof.
2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shield comprises an armoured plate that is pivotable with respect to the roof for moving between the first configuration and the second configuration.
3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the armoured plate is pivotable about a horizontal axis with respect to the roof for moving between the first configuration and the second configuration.
4. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein when the shield is in its first configuration the plate extends upwardly from the roof.
5. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4, wherein when the shield is in its second configuration the plate lies substantially flush with the roof.
6. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4, wherein when the shield is in its second configuration the plate lies below the roof.
7. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the shield comprises two or more plates that together extend around the opening.
8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the plates is pivotable with respect to the roof for moving between the first configuration and the second configuration.
9. A vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the plates is independently pivotable with respect to the roof for moving between the first configuration and the second configuration.
10. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a gun mounted on the vehicle by means of a gun mount that allows the gun to be moved with respect to the vehicle between a first position in which it is exposed above the roof of the vehicle, and a second position in which it is contained in the interior compartment.
11. A vehicle as claimed in claim 10 as dependent on claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein one of the armoured plates is attached to the gun mount.
12. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the shield is mounted on the vehicle by means of a rotatable mount whereby the shield can be rotated around the opening when the shield is in its first configuration.
13. A vehicle as claimed in claim 12 as dependent on claim 10 or 11, wherein the gun mount is mounted on the vehicle by means of the rotatable mount whereby the gun can be rotated with the shield around the opening when the shield is in its first configuration and the gun is in its first position.
14. A vehicle as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein the rotatable mount surrounds the opening and the shield is mounted on the vehicle by means of a rotatable plate that also surrounds the opening and is attached to the rotatable mount.
15. A vehicle as claimed in claim 14, wherein the periphery of the rotatable plate is rectangular.
16. A vehicle as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein the shield is hinged relative to the rotatable plate and extends on either side of the axis of the hinge so that when the shield is in its raised configuration it extends below the plate to protect a zone below the plate.
17. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the opening is closed by the shield when the shield is in its second configuration.