EP1388724B1 - Land mine clearing system - Google Patents

Abstract

Land mine clearing system consists of pilot vehicle (3), and series of land mine clearing vehicles (4) preceding vehicle at head of convoy (1). Pilot vehicle and land mine clearing vehicles are traveling at safe distance from each other, are pilot-less, and remotely controlled from the head vehicle. Land mine clearing vehicles are tri-wheeled vehicles with platform carrying charge necessary to lure land mine igniters.

Description

The present invention relates to a mine clearance system for land mines.

The document DE 4417262 describes the preamble of claim 1.

• assurer un déminage fiable s'adaptant au profil et aux particularités de la chaussée à déminer ;
• permettre une programmation de la mission ;
• couvrir toute la surface de la chaussée à déminer ;
• éviter toute exposition du personnel ;
• s'appliquer à tout type de mines, y compris les mines à pression et ;
• ne nécessiter qu'une intendance d'accompagnement réduite.

The technical problems that the invention proposes to solve include the following:

• ensure reliable demining that adapts to the profile and characteristics of the road to be cleared;
• allow programming of the mission;
• cover the entire surface of the road to be cleared;
• avoid any exposure of personnel;
• apply to all types of mines, including pressure mines and;
• require only reduced companion stewardship.

These technical problems are solved by a system that implements a plurality of demineral vehicles, consumable, slaved in flight on a pilot opening vehicle and disposed at a safe distance from each other, these demining vehicles and the pilot vehicle. being remotely controlled and preceding the convoy to be protected.

According to the invention, this demining system can be used to also provide the treatment of pressure mines, the decoy of the latter being provided by loading the wheels of demineral vehicles.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique en plan illustrant la mise en oeuvre du système objet de l'invention et
• la figure 2 est une vue similaire à la figure 1 illustrant le mode de traitement, selon l'invention de mines à pression.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description given below, with reference to the appended drawings which illustrate a non-limiting exemplary embodiment thereof, in which:

• the figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the implementation of the system which is the subject of the invention and
• the figure 2 is a view similar to the figure 1 illustrating the method of treatment according to the invention of pressure mines.

Referring to the figure 1 , there is schematized in 1 the lead vehicle of the convoy to protect moving on a roadway 2 according to the arrow F. This vehicle is inhabited and will generally be the control and control station deminer vehicles.

As mentioned above, the system which is the subject of the invention comprises a pilot vehicle 3 preceding a plurality of demining vehicles such as 4, which are slaved in a trajectory on the pilot vehicle and arranged at a safe distance from one another.

The pilot vehicle 3 and the demining vehicles 4 are unmanned, the remote control of the pilot vehicle 3 being carried out from the first inhabited vehicle 1 of the convoy which embarked the control and command station, an operator mounted on the vehicle 1 carrying out the mission preparation and supervised remote pilot operation functions 3.

Dehumidifying vehicles, of the consumable type, can be economical light vehicles available on the market, for example scooter-type vehicles comprising a loading platform on which can take place the payload necessary to decoy the mine lighters to be destroyed. this loading can be achieved by materials collected along the route.

In view of the fact that the decoy of the pressure mines requires a complete coverage of the surface to be provided by the wheels or the tracks of the various vehicles of the convoy to be protected, it is necessary to ensure a coordinated movement of the demining vehicles and a relative positioning. very precise vehicles relative to each other so as to ensure coverage of the entire surface.

On the figure 2 , an example of arrangement of a convoy of four demineral vehicles 4, of the three-wheel type, providing a simple cover. In this embodiment of the invention, an automated relative lateral positioning of the demineral vehicles 4 with respect to the trace of the pilot vehicle 3 (FIG. figure 1 ) to cover the entire surface of the roadway 2.

• pour déclencher des mines à activation multiple (déclenchement sur la deuxième ou la troisième sollicitation) ;
• pour déclencher des mines plus techniques grâce à des leurres spécialisés, embarqués sur les véhicules démineurs.

Of course, more complex solutions can be envisaged to ensure redundant coverage, including:

• to trigger multiple activation mines (trigger on second or third solicitation);
• to trigger more technical mines thanks to specialized lures, embarked on demining vehicles.

The operator at the command-control station on board the first vehicle of the convoy receives a video information of the environment perceived by the pilot vehicle 3 and controls the automatic tracking which consists in enslaving the trajectory of each deminer vehicle on that of the vehicle which precedes it, specifying a lateral deviation, depending on the desired layout to ensure coverage.

The operator ensures the preparation of the mission from the map of the region of operation and the route to be carried out.

He chooses the arrangement of the convoy deminer vehicles according to their characteristics, the width of the area to be treated, the type of mines to eliminate etc ... and the means of decoying them.

Finally, he supervises the execution of the mission by remote control of the pilot vehicle 3, at the head of the convoy, in following on the map the progress of the convoy and supervising the layout of the covered area.

Claims (4)

1. Mine clearing system for land mines, characterised in that it uses a plurality of consumable mine clearing vehicles (4), with their paths slaved to an opening control vehicle (3) and disposed at a safety distance from one another, these mine clearing vehicles and the control vehicle being remote controlled and preceding a convey to be protected.
2. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the mine clearing vehicles are of the three-wheel type with a loading platform on which there is placed the payload necessary for the deception of the igniters of the mines in question.
3. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a coordinated movement of the mine clearing vehicles (4) and a precise relative positioning of these vehicles with respect to one another are provided in order to guarantee coverage of the entire surface from which the mines are to be cleared, the path of each mine clearing vehicle being slaved to the preceding one.
4. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first inhabited vehicle (1) of the convey to be protected contains the command and control station from which an operator fulfils the function of mission preparation and supervised remote operation of the control vehicle (3).

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