WO2006137048A2

WO2006137048A2 - Reactive armor

Info

Publication number: WO2006137048A2
Application number: PCT/IL2006/000214
Authority: WO
Inventors: Haim Ben-Simnon
Original assignee: Haim Ben-Simnon
Priority date: 2005-02-24
Filing date: 2006-02-20
Publication date: 2006-12-28
Also published as: WO2006137048A3

Abstract

Reactive protective armors for diverting hitting bullets, shrapnel and small shells away from a trooper's helmet, vest and/or away from the skin of vehicles, planes, helicopters or marine vessels are described. The protective armor consists of multiplicity of reactive units, which cover the protected object like tiles. Each reactive unit includes tiny explosives on one side and parallel hinges opposite to the explosives. The hitting armament detonates the explosive, which in turn rotate the plate, thus diverting the bullet away from the protected object. Another embodiment of the reactive- protective unit is a pressurized cell full with noninflammable fluid or gel. In thi case the protected object is covered with multiple pressurized cells. When a bullet or shrapnel punctures the skin of the cell the fluid o gel bursts and pushes the bullet away from the protected object. It is aportant to mention that the bullet activate only one unit, living the other units intact and ready to take other hits.

Description

Reactive Armor for a Trooper - Helmet Vest and Protective Plate

Background of the invention

Reactive armors for tanks and military vehicles (APC — Armored Personal Carriers) has been described and produced. However no reactive armor for a trooper (soldier, policeman) has been described. Thorough review of the literature did not reveal such features. The purpose of this invention is to provide an extra protective -reactive- armor to the troopers wearing - helmet and protective vest or protective plates (for light vehicles, helicopters and planes).

Disclosure:

The reactive armor consists of multiple squares 1 of Kevlar ® that cover the conventional Kevlar helmet or Kevlar or ceramic vest; see squares 1 in all the figures 1-7.

The individual square plate is attached by snap-in mechanism 2, 5 (figure 3 and 1) and 9, 8

(figure 7 and 5) to the basic conventional helmet or vest respectively.

One embodiment of the reactive armor is, in the case of a helmet, under the snap-in mechanism, on the upper side (up) in figure 3 a tiny explosive charges 3, 4 is places between the plate and the helmet. The purpose of these tiny explosives in the upper side is that, when a bullet or shrapnel hits the plate the explosives cause the plate to rotate downwards (with the help of hinges 2 and

5), thus deflecting the bullet upwards away from the trooper's head and body. In the vest they are placed in the opposite: the explosives in the 2 down corners 6, 7 in figure 7.

The purpose in placing the explosive in the lower corners is that when a bullet hits the plate the plate rotates upwards and deflects the hitting bullet or shrapnel downwards away from the face, head and chest of the trooper.

Another embodiment of the reactive armor is creating multiple cells that cover the helmet or/and the vest. The cells are filled with nonflammable fluid (water or gel) under pressure (the cells 9 in figure 4 and figure 6). One way to produce those cells is to inject the fluid or gel hi high pressure (as high as the walls of the cells could handle without bursting). Another way to produce those cells is to produce the whole helmet and/or vest in a large pressure cell (like the hyperbaric cells that are used to treat decompression sickness after deep-water diving accident); when the helmet and vest are taken from the hyperbaric production facility, the fluid in the cells will be automatically in a pressure that is equivalent to the pressure of the production hyperbaric facility. The reason for creating multiple cells or square plates in the helmet (figure 1 and 2) and in the vest (figure 5), is that when a bullet hits a cell or a plate it activates only the plate 1 or cell 9 in figure 4; the other plates or cells remain intact ready to take hits from other bullets or shrapnel.

Mode of Aetion:

A.) The reactive plate embodiment:

When a bullet or shrapnel bits the plate the energy of impact detonates the tiny explosive 3 and 4 in figure 1 and 3 — in the case of the helmet, or the tiny explosive 6 and 7 in figure 5 and 7. (The tiny explosives could be like the explosive mercury that is found in the "pica" of the conventional bullet). The explosive will cause the plate to rotate (around hinges 2 and 5) downwards - in the case of the helmet — thus diverting the penetrating bullet upwards away from the body of the trooper. In the case of the vest the explosive will cause the plate to rotate upwards around hinges 8 and 9 in figure 7, thus diverting the penetrating bullet downwards towards the ground and away from the face head and chest of the trooper. B.) the pressurized cell embodiment 9 in figures 4 and 6:

When the bullet hits the outer side of the cell in an intensity which is enough, to puncture the outer side 10 in figures 4 and 6, the pressurized fluids- in the cells will burst out and push the tip of the bullet or the shrapnel away from the head in the helmet and away from the chest or the back of the trooper in the vest. This feature actually enhances the total resistance of the armor (helmet or vest or protective plate) to the hit of a bullet or shrapnel.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26

Claims

Claims;

1.) Reactive armor to helmet and/or vest of a trooper or of a protective plate.

2.) Helmet and/or vest with means to divert bullets and shrapnel away from the body of a trooper.

3.) Helmet and/or a vest with multiple plates, each linked to the basic conventional helmet

(or vest} in a snap-in mechanism, and minute explosive charges on one side and the rotating hinges on the other side to enable rotation of the plate when it is hit by a bullet or shrapnel.

4.) Helmet and/or a vest with multiple pressurized fluid cells covering the whole helmet and/or the whole vest.

5.) Reactive unit with the features of explosives on one side and hinges on the opposite side to be utilized in a helmet, a vest or a protective plate.

6.) Reactive unit, which consists of pressurized cell full of inflammable fluid and/or gel.