Fast deployment, high pressure inflatable panels and watercraft or other objects with armor or other protection

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6666124
  • Patent Number
    6,666,124
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, May 23, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, December 23, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
Armored protective panels for inflatable (and other) boats are detailed. The panels themselves may be inflated, either separately or together, for deployment and hence need not normally impede navigation or performance of the boats. If relatively flexible anti-ballistic materials are selected as components, the panels may be designed to collapse into rolls when not inflated. Alternative panels may include stealth or other non-anti-ballistic materials or be designed for use with objects or vehicles other than boats.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




This invention relates generally to armored or otherwise protected objects and more particularly to inflatable boats or other vehicles or objects with anti-ballistic panels or other shields that are inflatable for use.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,217 to Ferronniere (“the Ferronniere patent”), incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference, details aspects of exemplary pneumatic, or inflatable, boats. As described in the Ferronniere patent, versions of these boats may include one or more inflatable tubes forming a bow and generally parallel legs between which a rigid floor may be located. Each leg may comprise both an upper and a lower compartment, to which a lateral canvas may be fixed tangentially.




Among purposes of the boats of the Ferronniere patent is to carry “large useful loads in a lifted-off configuration, i.e. at high speed and with optimum efficiency.” See Ferronniere, col. 2, 11. 44-46. These boats are especially (although not exclusively) suited for military and law-enforcement operations, in which substantial numbers of persons and gear often must be transported rapidly across water. Indeed, one boat made consistent with the principles of the Ferronniere patent, Zodiac's F470 watercraft, is among the most popular boats in use worldwide by military and law-enforcement personnel.




Because popularly used in this manner, these boats are likely to encounter hazards and situations dangerous to both their crews and structural integrity. In particular, bullets or other projectiles may be fired or launched at the boats and their crews by those opposing the objectives of the crews. Should the projectiles strike the crew members, injuries or deaths may occur. Should the projectiles puncture the inflatable tubes, loss of buoyancy may occur, which may impede proper functioning of the boats or, potentially, sink them.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention attempts to ameliorate adverse effects associated with these hazardous operations by providing armored protective panels principally, but not exclusively, for inflatable boats. When deployed, the panels are designed to impede progress of at least some bullets or other projectiles, reducing the likelihood of their impacting either personnel within the boats or the boats themselves. Although use of the panels provides no guarantee of safety, their existence may render some situations less hazardous and improve the possibility of successful missions occurring.




Protective panels of the present invention additionally may themselves be inflatable. As a consequence, they need not always be deployed. Instead, they may remain deflated until needed, hence not normally hindering navigation or performance of the boats. Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention the panels need not all be inflated simultaneously, hence permitting deployment of only selected panels when desired.




By choosing relatively flexible anti-ballistic materials, panels of the invention may be designed to fold or otherwise collapse into rolls when not inflated. The rolls may be fastened to the tubes (or other suitable portions) of their corresponding watercraft, using straps or other appropriate fasteners, so as to secure them in place for subsequent use. Positioning the panels in this manner maintains the general aerodynamic and hydrodynamic profiles of the boat, so that presence of the undeployed panels typically does not significantly impact navigation or speed. Likewise, even when deployed, the panels are designed so as not to impact maneuverability or speed of most vehicles appreciably.




The anti-ballistic materials may be incorporated into the panels or positioned wholly or partially within pockets formed, preferably, on exterior surfaces of the panels. If such pockets are utilized, the materials could be made to be removable and replaceable if desired. Additionally, rigid anti-ballistic materials (such as ceramic plates) could be placed in the pockets in addition, or as an alternative, to the flexible materials, although doing so might inhibit the rollable (although not necessarily the foldable) nature of the panels. Yet further, radar-absorbing (“stealth”) or other energy-absorbing or non-anti-ballistic materials could be placed in the pockets (or incorporated into the panels) if appropriate or desired. As a result, the invention includes as among its features the ability to support, using inflatable components, various types of materials to provide objects with myriad kinds of protection.




It thus is a non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide protective materials for stationary or mobile objects including, but not limited to, boats.




It is another non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide armored protective panels for, particularly, inflatable boats.




It is a further non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide protective panels that may be inflated for deployment.




It is also a non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide protective panels that may collapse into rolls or folds when not deployed.




It is yet another non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide multiple protective panels inflatable separately if desired.











Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art with reference to the remaining text and drawings of this application.




BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective, partially-schematicized view of an exemplary watercraft with a protection system of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a similar view of the watercraft of

FIG. 1

with the protection system prepared for deployment.





FIG. 3

is a similar view of the watercraft of

FIG. 1

with the rear panel of the protection system deployed.





FIG. 4

is a similar view of the watercraft of

FIG. 1

with the rear and side panels of the protection system deployed.





FIG. 5

is a cross-sectional, partially-schematicized view of a portion of the watercraft of

FIG. 1

showing the collapsible nature of the protection system.





FIG. 6

is a cross-sectional, partially-schematicized view of a portion of the watercraft of

FIG. 1

showing a support for a side panel of the protection system.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




Illustrated in

FIG. 1

is an exemplary boat


10


, which may be similar to any of those depicted in the Ferronniere patent. Boat


10


need not be configured thusly, however, but rather may have any suitable shape and structure. Indeed, as those skilled in the art will recognize, boat


10


need not necessarily be of the pneumatic or inflatable type.




Nevertheless, boat


10


preferably is inflatable, with one or more inflatable tubes


14


defining port and starboard legs


18


and


22


and front or bow


26


. Also depicted in

FIG. 1

are floor


30


and transom


34


, each spanning the distance between legs


18


and


22


. Transom


34


, positioned at or adjacent the stern of boat


10


, is adapted to receive an outboard motor or similar propulsion device, while floor


30


typically is rigid to help support troops, equipment, or cargo.




Each of legs


18


and


22


defines an exterior side (


18


A and


22


A, respectively; see also

FIGS. 5-6

) and an interior side (


18


B and


22


B, respectively). As shown in

FIG. 1

, optional fittings, hand grips, rails, and lanyards may, if present, be glued or connected to or placed about both exterior sides


18


A and


22


A and interior sides


18


B and


22


B of legs


18


and


22


. In some embodiments of boat


10


, fittings in the form of D-rings advantageously will be present.




Connected to boat


10


is an exemplary protection system


50


of the present invention. System


50


may comprise side sections


54


and


58


as well as rear section


62


. In some versions of the invention, system


50


may also comprise a front section, although deploying such a section may adversely impact the visibility of the pilot when boat


10


is travelling forward. Alternatively, system


50


may include only rear section


62


or only either or both of side sections


54


and


58


. System


50


typically may be installed quickly and easily on boat


10


, with its attachment usually sufficiently simple to permit retrofitting of existing boats.




Depending on the manner in which boat


10


is configured, each side section


54


or


58


conceivably could include more than one panel.

FIG. 2

illustrates two panels


54


A and


54


B comprising section


54


, for example. Likewise, depicted in

FIG. 2

are two panels


58


A and


58


B comprising section


58


. Again, however, more or fewer panels may form either of these sections


54


or


58


. Similarly, although rear section


62


beneficially may comprise a single panel


62


A, multiple panels alternatively may be employed.





FIG. 1

shows system


50


in its deflated state, with each of panels


54


A-B,


58


A-B, and


62


A collapsed. In this state, the panels


54


A-B,


58


A-B, and


62


A may be rolled or folded for stowage until needed for use.

FIG. 5

details, as an example, panel


54


B collapsed into a roll generally on top of leg


18


but positioned slightly toward exterior side


18


A. As so collapsed, panel


54


B may be maintained in this position using straps


66


connecting to D-rings present as part of boat


10


. Alternatively, other fasteners may be used.




To deploy panel


54


B, corresponding straps


66


are removed, as shown in FIG.


2


. Although underside


70


of panel


54


B remains attached to leg


18


(as shown in

FIG. 6

) using straps or other fasteners, removing straps


66


permits panel


54


B to expand through inflation. Thereafter, panel


54


A is inflated, producing the relatively inflexible structure illustrated in FIG.


6


. Clear from

FIG. 6

is that panel


54


B, when inflated, covers much of exterior side


18


A of leg


18


above the waterline. Panel


54


B also extends well above the top of leg


18


, providing cover for personnel sitting, kneeling, reclining, or possibly even standing in boat


10


.




Panels


54


A,


58


A-B, and


62


A may be deployed similarly.

FIG. 3

depicts rear panel


62


A when inflated and deployed as a rear anti-ballistic shield. As so deployed, panel


62


A extends sufficiently rearward of transom


34


as to provide some protection for any outboard motor mounted to the transom


34


. Straps, ropes, or any other suitable fastening mechanism may be used to connect panel


62


A to boat


10


.

FIG. 4

details exemplary system


50


as fully inflated, with each of panels


54


A-B,


58


A-B, and


62


A designed to provide at least some armored protection of both boat


10


and its occupants from certain projectiles or other hazards.




Illustrated respectively in

FIGS. 6 and 4

are support panels


74


A and


74


B. Although optional, support panels


74


A and


74


B may be useful in orienting (and maintaining the orientation of) side panels


54


B and


58


B when those panels are inflated. In particular, because panels


54


B and


58


B typically extend substantially above the profile of boat


10


(see, especially, FIG.


6


), absent support for their upper portions, the panels


54


B and


58


B may tend to reorient themselves more horizontally under force of gravity. Support panels


74


A and


74


B are adapted to counteract this effect and maintain panels


54


B and


58


B generally in the orientations depicted in

FIGS. 6 and 4

. In some embodiments of system


50


, support panels


74


A and


74


B are inflatable and designed to inflate simultaneously with respective panels


54


B and


58


B.




Any suitable inflation system may be used to inflate panels


54


A-B,


58


A-B,


62


A, and


74


A-B. As noted earlier, various of the panels may be inflated separately. Alternatively, all, or sets of, panels may be designed to inflate concurrently.




Each of panels


54


A-B,


58


A-B, and


62


A may be constructed in any manner and, in certain preferred embodiments, of any components capable of providing at least some protection against certain projectiles. Generically, these types of panels may be called “anti-ballistic shields.” Some embodiments of the panels advantageously may incorporate Kevlar (poly-para-phenylene terephthalamide) or other aramid-containing material or high-density foam within (or attached to) a heavy, tear-resistant polyester, polyamide, or other fabric whose exterior surfaces are coated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or other material such as Hypalon, Neoprene, or polyurethane. The coated fabric is designed to be substantially impervious to air so as to allow for inflation, and both it and the Kevlar (or other anti-ballistic material) beneficially are selected to be sufficiently flexible to roll, fold, or otherwise collapse for stowage. Preferably, internal stitching within the panel fabric allows inflation to substantial pressure (e.g. 800 mbar) and helps maintain high rigidity thereafter.




Alternatively or additionally, pockets or other containers may be formed in any suitable manner on or in any or all of panels


54


A-B,


58


A-B, and


62


A. Anti-ballistic material (whether flexible or rigid) could be wholly or partially positioned within or enclosed by the pockets and, possibly, even adapted to be removable for repair, replacement, or substitution if desired. Other materials too could either be positioned within the pockets or incorporated into the panels. Non-limiting examples of these materials include energy-absorbing materials to reduce the radar- or other-signature of boat


10


and materials providing protection against weather, environmental, or marine hazards or conditions. Similarly, the pockets themselves could be formed of any of these materials and, perhaps, camouflaged if desired.




Further, because aspects of the invention relate broadly to inflatable support systems for protective or other materials, the object to be protected need not necessarily be boat


10


or any other watercraft. Instead, part or all of innovative system


50


may be adapted for use with other vehicles (such as but not limited to trucks or troop carriers) or stationary objects (such as but not limited to huts or other buildings). Hence, although the foregoing has been provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of the present invention, further modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.



Claims
  • 1. An anti-ballistic shield for an inflatable boat, comprising:a. inflatable anti-ballistic material; and b. means for attaching the anti-ballistic material to the inflatable boat in a manner providing at least some anti-ballistic protection to inflatable material, and any occupant, of the inflatable boat.
  • 2. An anti-ballistic shield according to claim 1 in which the anti-ballistic material is sufficiently flexible, when undeployed, to be rolled or folded for stowage.
  • 3. An anti-ballistic shield according to claim 2 in which the anti-ballistic material is inflated when deployed.
  • 4. An anti-ballistic shield according to claim 1 in which the anti-ballistic material comprises a plurality of panels.
  • 5. An anti-ballistic shield according to claim 4 further comprising a plurality of support panels.
  • 6. An anti-ballistic shield according to claim 5 in which at least one of the plurality of support panels is inflatable.
  • 7. An anti-ballistic shield for an inflatable boat, comprising:a. anti-ballistic material comprising: i. a foam; ii. fabric at least partially enclosing the foam; and iii. polyvinyl chloride coating on the fabric; and b. means for attaching the anti-ballistic material to the inflatable boat in a manner providing at least some anti-ballistic protection to inflatable material, and any occupant, of the inflatable boat.
  • 8. An anti-ballistic shield according to claim 7 the fabric is polyester.
  • 9. An inflatable anti-ballistic shield for a boat, comprising:a. inflatable anti-ballistic material; and b. means for attaching the inflatable anti-ballistic material to the boat in a manner providing at least some anti-ballistic protection to any occupant of the boat.
  • 10. An inflatable boat comprising:a. at least one inflatable tube; b. an inflatable protection system comprising an anti-ballistic material; and c. means for attaching the inflatable protection system to the at least one inflatable tube.
  • 11. An inflatable boat according to claim 10 in which the inflatable protection system comprises at least one inflatable panel containing the anti-ballistic material.
  • 12. An inflatable boat according to claim 11 in which the at least one inflatable panel comprises at least one inflatable panel positioned at or adjacent the stern of the boat.
  • 13. An inflatable boat according to claim 11 in which the at least one inflatable panel comprises at least one inflatable panel positioned at or adjacent the port or starboard side of the boat.
  • 14. An inflatable boat according to claim 11 in which the at least one inflatable panel comprises:a. at least one inflatable panel positioned at or adjacent the stern of the boat; b. at least one inflatable panel positioned at or adjacent the port side of the boat; and c. at least one inflatable panel positioned at or adjacent the starboard side of the boat.
  • 15. An inflatable boat according to claim 14 in which the anti-ballistic material comprises high-density foam, a ceramic plate, or both.
  • 16. An inflatable boat according to claim 15 in which the anti-ballistic material is sufficiently flexible as to be rolled or folded when not inflated.
  • 17. An inflatable boat according to claim 10 in which the at least one inflatable tube defines spaced port and starboard legs, further comprising:a. a floor spanning the space between the port and starboard legs; and b. a transom spanning the space between the port and starboard legs at or adjacent the stern of the boat.
  • 18. An inflatable boat comprising:a. at least one inflatable tube defining spaced port and starboard legs; b. an inflatable protection system comprising an anti-ballistic material; c. means for attaching the inflatable protection system to the at least one inflatable tube; d. a floor spanning the space between the port and starboard legs; e. a transom spanning the space between the port and starboard legs at or adjacent the stern of the boat; and f. at least one fitting attached to the at least one inflatable tube and in which the attaching means comprises at least one fastening strap adapted to be received by the at least one fitting.
  • 19. An inflatable boat comprising:a. at least one inflatable tube; b. an inflatable protection system comprising at least one inflatable panel containing an anti-ballistic material comprising foam, a ceramic plate, or both; and c. means for attaching the inflatable protection system to the at least one tube.
  • 20. An inflatable boat according to claim 19 which the anti-ballistic material is sufficiently flexible as to be rolled or folded when not inflated.
  • 21. An inflatable boat defining port and starboard sides, a bow, and a stern, and comprising:a. at least one inflatable tube defining spaced port and starboard legs; b. a floor spanning the space between the port and starboard legs; and c. a plurality of inflatable supports, at least one of which when inflated extends above the at least one inflatable tube on the port side and at least another one of which when inflated extends above the at least one inflatable tube on the starboard side.
  • 22. An inflatable boat according to claim 21 in which at least one inflatable support comprises an anti-ballistic material.
  • 23. An inflatable boat according to claim 21 further comprising an additional inflatable support that, when inflated, extends above the at least one inflatable tube at the bow.
  • 24. An inflatable boat according to claim 23 in which the additional inflatable support is in the form of a panel.
  • 25. An inflatable boat according to claim 21 further comprising a transom spanning the space between the port and starboard legs at or adjacent the stern.
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