WO2021160498A1

WO2021160498A1 - Method for minimizing detonation damage to a watercraft

Info

Publication number: WO2021160498A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/052588
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jens Ballé
Original assignee: Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems Gmbh; Thyssenkrupp Ag
Priority date: 2020-02-12
Filing date: 2021-02-04
Publication date: 2021-08-19
Also published as: BR112022016026A2; EP4103290A1; KR20220123093A; IL295103B1; DE102020201732A1; IL295103A; IL295103B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for minimizing damage to a watercraft (10). The method has the following steps: a) providing the watercraft (10) and a database (20), wherein the watercraft (10) has areas R_n, the database (20) contains time information t_Ri for at least one area R_i, and the time information t_Ri is the time required to produce a liquid mist in the area R_i to which said time information t_Ri is assigned, b) detecting and locating a threat in the form of a flying object (80), c) ascertaining the movement of the flying object (80), d) ascertaining the collision location between the flying object (80) and the watercraft (10), e) ascertaining the area R_i of the watercraft (10) which adjoins the collision location, f) ascertaining the time information t_Ri for said area R_i from the database (20), g) ascertaining the point in time t₀ at which the flying object (80) has reached a position where the remaining flight time to the collision location corresponds to the time information _Ri, and h) starting the process of generating a liquid mist in the area R_i, at the point in time t0 or t₀ - Δt₀, where Δt₀ is a specified tolerance time interval.

Description

Method for minimizing detonation damage on a watercraft

The invention relates to a method in which the generation of a liquid mist is used in order to minimize the effect of a detonation in the watercraft.

It is theoretically known that liquid mist can be used to influence the propagation of a detonation wave and thus minimize damage.

The disadvantage is that when a liquid mist is generated, damage is practically always caused, in particular electronic components are regularly affected. In addition, the extinguishing liquid can of course also have an influence on the ability to swim.

To make matters worse, mainly military ships have the necessary devices to identify approaching threats. However, it is precisely on these ships that the various ship systems are shielded from one another, so that simple integration is difficult.

The suppression of a fire by means of a water mist is known from US 2006/0196681 A1.

A fire extinguishing device and a fire extinguishing method are known from WO 2003/061769 A1.

A method and a device for protecting a ship against target missiles are known from US 2007/0159379 A1.

The object of the invention is to create a method that enables a reduction in detonation damage through the formation of a liquid mist and at the same time minimizes the collateral damage caused by the liquid. It is precisely the object of the invention not to compete with short-range defense systems or countermeasures, but rather to minimize damage after their failure and thus damage caused by the impact of a missile. This object is achieved by the method having the features specified in claim 1. Advantageous further developments result from the subclaims, the following description and the drawings.

The method according to the invention for minimizing damage to a watercraft has the following steps: a) Providing the watercraft and a database, the watercraft having rooms R _n _{, the database containing time information t R} for at least one room Ri, the time information t _R , the time required to generate a liquid mist in the space Ri to which this time information t _{R is} assigned, b) detection and location of a threat in the form of a flight object, c) determination of the movement of the flight object, d ) Determining the collision location between the flight object and the watercraft, e) Determining the space R, the watercraft that is adjacent to the collision location, f) Determining the time information t _R , for this space R, from the database, g) Determining the point in time to, at which the flight object has reached a position at which the remaining flight time to the collision location corresponds to the time information t _R , h) At the time point to or at time to - Ato start of the generation of a liquid mist in space R ,, where Ato is a predetermined tolerance time interval.

Watercraft within the meaning of the invention are in particular military watercraft, in particular military surface vehicles, for example and preferably, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, task force providers, minesweepers, minehunters, aircraft carriers, helicopter carriers, amphibious warships, landing ships, battleships.

The watercraft has n spaces R _n , where n is a natural number. A certain room is created by numbering the rooms. For example, a watercraft has 10 rooms, so there are rooms Ri, R2, R3, R ₄ , Rs, R6, R7, Rs, R ₉ and R _10. Ri is the i-th room of the watercraft †, where i is a natural number between 1 and n.

Spaces within the meaning of the invention are spaces inside the watercraft, for example the bridge, mess, galley, quarters, corridors, engine rooms and the like. Spaces are thus interior spaces of the watercraft, and these, such as a hangar, for example, can also have a large opening to the outside. A room usually has walls, a floor and a ceiling. Rooms usually have a door to enter, and there are also rooms in a watercraft that can only be entered, for example, through an opening in the ceiling, for example a battery room. Space is therefore to be understood in the sense of room.

Virtual positions outside the watercraft, as for example in US 2007/0159379 A1, are not spaces in the sense of the invention.

_{The time information † RI} , t _R 2, ... t _Rn -i, t _{Rn is} stored in the database for the spaces Ri, R2, ... R _n -i, R _n. The time t _R for space R results from the time required to generate a liquid mist in space R. This time depends, for example, on the size of the room and, for example, the number of sprinkler systems that can be used to generate the liquid mist.

_{Here, time information t R} does not have to be stored for every room R of the watercraft. For example, rooms can be excluded that are inside or permanently below the waterline if a missile impact is considered unrealistic here. Likewise, rooms could be excluded in which no liquid mist can and should not be generated, for example IT rooms that have an automatic extinguishing device using CO2. At least the rooms R, which have a device for generating a liquid mist, are thus advantageously recorded in the database. Particularly preferably, at least the spaces R 1 are recorded which are arranged on the outside of the watercraft in the area above the water. Flying objects encompass all possible threats from warheads, grenades, cruise missiles, missiles to airplanes. These can fly purely ballistically, actively fly or ballistically fly with control options, whereby the control options can be active or passive.

The rooms Ri, R ₂ , ... Rn- ₁ , Rn can also be combined in functional groups or coherent locations and controlled together. For example, the ammunition stores, ship sections or external rooms on the port or starboard side can form common groups. It is essential to form the groups of rooms in such a way that the spread of the damage to the ship is slowed down and the damage is reduced. The structural design of the ship can be the criteria for the formation of space groups.

Another advantage of the invention is that this additional protection cannot be seen by an opponent. Practically all larger military watercraft have both a radar system and a sprinkler system, which is suitable for generating a liquid mist. However, these are usually integrated into different and strictly separate ship systems. While the Combat Management System is connected to the radar, an integrated platform management system controls the fire fighting equipment. Such a military watercraft can easily be equipped with a control system for carrying out the method according to the invention, which, however, in contrast to thick armor, cannot be seen by an enemy from the outside, so that the weakened detonation effect of a warhead cannot be foreseen by the enemy in the field.

In step h), a liquid mist is thus generated in the interior of at least one room and thus in the interior of the watercraft. This is disadvantageous in principle for two reasons. On the one hand, extinguishing water that is not required can cause damage, from electronic devices to paper documents to food or clothing. On the other hand, however, water also gets into the interior of the watercraft, which is usually just avoided in terms of buoyancy. The essence of the invention is now to accept these disadvantages with approval in order to minimize the effect of the detonation of a warhead. Here it goes not, or at least not primarily, to fight a potentially emerging fire before it arises, but rather to weaken the spread of a pressure wave or a plasma lance generated by a warhead and thus already reduce the primary damage caused by a warhead.

Steps b) and c) are preferably carried out by means of radar, optical sensors and / or acoustic sensors. Steps b) and c) are particularly preferably carried out by means of radar.

The determination of the movement in step c) can take place either on the basis of two measurements spaced apart in time and the measured position difference. However, it can also take place directly, for example by means of frequency shifting (Doppler effect).

All process steps are preferably carried out on a watercraft. However, it is also conceivable that steps b) and c) are carried out, in particular in a convoy, by a second watercraft, for example and in particular an escort ship, for example a destroyer, and the data determined are then transferred to the first watercraft, for example a task force provider who do not have or at least not a comparable radar system themselves. If necessary, step e) can also be carried out on the second watercraft.

It can be advantageous that in step h) a liquid mist is not only generated in room R, but that, in the event of an acute threat, this is optionally carried out in neighboring rooms, for example in rooms R _M and R _M. For this purpose, steps f) to h) are preferably carried out _{for each room R M} , R, and R _M. This results in a point in time to.RM for the space R _M, a point in time to.Ri for the space R and a point in time to, Ri + i _{for the space R M.}

Provision can also advantageously be made for all rooms to be selected which are located within a ship section or a lockable area. This ensures that the area over which a pressure wave or fire can spread overall is already filled with liquid mist and the damage is reduced over the entire area.

Of course, after step b), further measures can be taken to prevent the missile from impacting, for example an attempt can be made with close-range defense systems to destroy the missile before it reaches the watercraft. It is also possible, with the aid of countermeasures, to attempt to deceive the target search function of the missile and thus to guide the missile away from the watercraft. These measures can also be carried out in parallel to step h). Although water damage has already occurred in the rooms concerned, avoiding the impact is always the best option. The method according to the invention thus represents an additional and downstream line of defense to the conventional systems of close-range defense and countermeasures.

In a further embodiment of the invention, steps c) to e) are repeated continuously in order to detect changes in movement. As a result, both course corrections by the flight object and changes in the movement of the watercraft can be taken into account. This is preferred since even today simple artillery projectiles, especially in the extended range version, have a certain degree of maneuverability. And with anti-ship missiles, strong maneuvers to overcome hardkill defense measures are common today, especially for the target approach. If the change in step e) identifies a different room R 1, steps f) and g) are also carried out again.

Likewise, through continuous observation of the flight object, it can also be determined that it could be eliminated, for example by a hard kill, and that there is no longer any further threat. In this case, the method according to the invention is then preferably terminated as quickly as possible in order to avoid unnecessary water damage.

In a further embodiment of the invention, after the flying object hits the watercraft at time ti _n, the generation of the Liquid mist continued for a period at in. During the time from t in to t in + At, fire monitoring is carried out in room R to determine whether the impact triggered a fire in room R. In the event that a fire has been detected, the generation of the liquid mist is continued beyond the point in time t in + At in. In the event that no fire has been detected, the generation of the liquid mist is stopped at time t in + At in.

In a further embodiment of the invention, steps b) and c) are carried out by a combat management system. The combat management system on a military watercraft includes the controls, for example, of the sensors for detecting the threat situation, for example the radar, as well as the control of the effectors, for example guns, missiles or close-range defense systems. The Combat Management System is therefore specially shielded for security reasons in order to prevent any unwanted external intervention. Steps d) to h) are carried out by a control system. The control system can in particular be designed as an independent system in order to only carry out this part of the method according to the invention outside of the other ship systems, which enables optimal integration into the security architecture and optimal retrofitting. The combat management system and the control system are only connected via a unidirectional connection for the transfer of data from the combat management system to the control system. Unidirectional connections are established, for example, via so-called data diodes and ensure that, for example, no malicious software can be transferred from the control system to the Combat Management System and thus the security of the system is fully guaranteed.

In a further embodiment of the invention, a liquid mist is generated in step h) by a control system in that the control system transmits a fire message to the fire fighting system. Flierdurch initiates the fire fighting system fire fighting measures, which lead to the generation of the liquid mist. For example and preferably, the sprinkler system in room R is activated. The advantage of this system is that no new systems have to be installed on the watercraft except for one Control system. The control system uses the existing ship systems. This saves space, weight and integration complexity and enables optimal retrofitting.

In a further embodiment of the invention, a non-conductive fluid, for example CF ₃ CF ₂ C (0) CF ( _{CF 3) 2} , is used to generate the liquid mist. For example and preferably, the watercraft has a supply of non-conductive fluid in order to enable the liquid mist to be generated at least from to to t in + At. If the non-conductive fluid is used up, further fire fighting can also be carried out with fresh water or sea water. Damage to electronics, for example, is then accepted, since an arbitrarily large supply of non-conductive fluid does not make sense and fire fighting has priority over damage caused by extinguishing water.

In a further embodiment of the invention, course data and speed data of the watercraft are used to determine the collision location in step d). An exact prediction of the future whereabouts of the watercraft is possible due to the adjacent course. While this information for the flight object can only be predicted from the past, this additional information is available to the watercraft for its own future, which increases the probability of prediction.

In a further aspect, the invention relates to a military watercraft which is designed to carry out the method according to the invention.

The method according to the invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings.

Fig. 1 watercraft

Fig. 2 first threat scenario

Fig. 3 second threat scenario In Fig. 1, a watercraft 10 is shown in a highly schematic manner. The watercraft 10 has a radar 40 which is controlled via a combat management system 50. The combat management system 50 is connected to a control system 30 via a data diode 60. Via the data diode 60, the combat management system 50 transmits information about approaching flight objects 80 to the control system 30. The control system 30 has a database in which the time information t _{R is} stored for all rooms R of the watercraft 10. If the control system 30 identifies a room R ,, which is threatened by an approaching flight object 80 and is to be protected by a liquid mist, the control system 30 transmits a fictitious fire alarm for the room R to the integrated platform management system 70 at time to. The integrated platform management system 70 has control over a fire-fighting system, which also includes the fire-fighting means B in the rooms R. By means of the fictitious fire alarm, the integrated platform management system 70 activates the fire fighting means B in the affected room R. As a result, a liquid mist is formed in the space R at precisely the moment t in at which the flying object 80 hits the space R, and the detonation effect is minimized.

2 shows a first scenario with a purely ballistic flying object 80. At a point in time tü, the flying object 80 is detected and the direction and speed are determined. This point in time tü is shown in FIG. 2a. Since the watercraft 10 is not at rest, however, it is moving, as can be seen in the course of FIG. 2a via FIG. 2b to FIG. 2c. Since the control system 20 receives the information on this intrinsic movement from the integrated platform management system 70, the control system can already recognize the room Rs as the point of impact at the point in time tü. At time to shown in FIG. 2b, the remaining flight time of the flying object 80 is equal to the time which is required to generate a liquid mist in space Rs, which is why the control system initiates this at this time. FIG. 2c then shows the impact at the point in time t in, at which the liquid mist is completely formed in the space Rs.

In Fig. 3 shows a slightly different picture. Analogous to FIG. 2a, the flight object 80 is detected at time tu in FIG. 3, the direction and speed are determined and the impact for space Rs is predicted. At this point in time, however, the flying object 80 changes once its flight direction slightly, which is detected by the radar 30 between tü and to. This changes the impact prognosis for space R3 and, at time to, which is shown in FIG. 3b, the liquid mist is generated in space R3. The impact of the flying object 80 into space R3 at time ti _n can be seen in FIG. 3c.

In order to cover a further change in the flight path of the flight object 80, which cannot be predicted, a liquid mist can be generated _{in the spaces R2, R 3 and R4 at time to.} This increases the damage caused by the liquid mist, but a possible deviation of the flight object 80 from the predicted course still leads to a dampening of the detonation, even in the event of an impact in space R2 or R ₄ . Rooms that are further away are too unlikely to pose a threat, so that no liquid mist is generated here.

Reference numeral 10 watercraft

20 database 30 control system 40 radar

50 Combat Management Systems 60 Data diode

70 Integrated platform management system 80 Flying object

Ri space i (i is a natural number)

Bi fire fighting agent i (i is a natural number)

Claims

1. A method for minimizing damage to a watercraft (10), the method comprising the following steps: a) providing the watercraft (10) and a database (20), the watercraft (10) _{having rooms R n} , the database ( _{20) contains time information t R} for at least one space R, the time information t _R being the time required to generate a liquid mist in the space R ,, to which this time information t _{R is assigned, b} ) Recognizing and locating a threat in the form of a flying object (80), c) determining the movement of the flying object (80), d) determining the collision location between the flying object (80) and the watercraft (10), e) determining the space R, of the watercraft (10) adjacent to the collision location, f) determining the time information t _R for this space R from the database (20), g) determining the point in time to at which the flying object (80) reaches a position on which the remaining flight time to K The collision location of the time information t _R corresponds to, h) At the time to or at the time to - Ato, the beginning of the generation of a liquid mist in the space R ,, where Ato is a predetermined tolerance time interval.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that steps c) to e) are repeated continuously in order to detect changes in movement, whereby a different space R 1 is identified by changing in step e), steps f) and g) are carried out will.

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that after the impact of the flying object (80) in the watercraft (10) at time ti _n, the generation of the liquid _{mist is continued for a period At i n} , during the time of ti _n to ti _n + At fire monitoring is carried out in room R, and in the event of a detection Brandes _n the production of the liquid mist over the time t + At continues _m, wherein in case none of the detected fire, the generation of the vaporized liquid at the time t _n + At is set _m.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that steps b) and c) are carried out by a combat management system (50), wherein steps d) to h) are carried out by a control system, the combat management system (50) and the control system (30) are only connected via a unidirectional connection for the transmission of data from the Combat Management System (50) to the control system (30).

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the generation of a liquid mist in step h) by a control system (30) takes place in that the control system (30) transmits a fire message to the fire-fighting system and thereby the fire-fighting system initiates fire-fighting measures for Generation of the liquid mist leads.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a non-conductive fluid is used to generate the liquid mist.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that course data and speed data of the watercraft (10) are used to determine the collision location in step d).

8. Military watercraft (10) for performing the method according to one of the preceding claims.