Abstract:
The present invention is directed to new and improved armor protection that can replace the existing crew cabin with a field replaceable armored crew compartment to be attached to the existing body of an HMMWV military vehicle to protect the military personnel within from explosive blasts, roll-over or collisions. In accordance with the concepts of the present invention, in order to provide additional protection to personnel in the HMMWV crew compartment, a sacrificial V-shaped hull is designed to be attached onto the underside of the crew compartment over the HMMWV frame rails. In the event of an explosion underneath the HMMWV, the V-shaped hull will shield the personnel inside the cabin and absorb the force of the explosion.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/174,752 filed Feb. 6, 2014, which is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/778,951 filed May 10, 2010, which claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 61/177,371, filed May 12, 2009. This application is also a continuation-in-in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/942,555 filed Jul. 15, 2013, which is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/778,951 filed May 10, 2010, which claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 61/177,371, filed May 12, 2009. The above referenced applications are incorporated by referenced in their entirety for all purposes. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to armoring of military vehicles. More specifically the present invention relates to armoring of military personnel transportation vehicles. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The common vehicle currently selected by the military for the transportation of personnel and for troop patrols is the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) commonly referred to as a Humvee. The current method of armoring a HMMWV has generally focused on small arms fire in combat. The escalation of threats in current active combat situations has sent the military looking for further protection. The weak construction of the original body of the HMMWV has made the military conduct an extensive search for additional protection. Thus the continued addition of heavy armor to an already weak body has made the task difficult. Once the main cause of mortality shifted from ballistic threat to blast threat, this method of armoring became even more of a threat to combat troops. 
         [0004]    The current method of attaching additional armor to the aluminum body of the HMMWV is weak at best. The failure to have positive attachments between the heavy armor panels stresses the weak aluminum body, which allows the up-armored HMMWV to fold or collapse in a collision or blast. The addition of such up-armor has increased the weight of the vehicle while raising its center of gravity increasing the chance of roll-over and greatly diminishing its mobility and handling. It would be therefore advantageous to find a solution for adding additional protective armor to the existing HMMWV design to protect the military personnel inside the vehicle. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention is directed to new and improved armor protection that can be attached to the existing body of an HMMWV military vehicle to protect the military personnel within. It is therefore a preferred embodiment of the present invention to replace the existing aluminum HMMWV crew compartment with that of a one piece armored crew compartment that is mounted in the same position as the original crew compartment and utilizes the remaining existing body of the HMMWV. This aspect of the preferred embodiment allows for easy field replacement of the original cabin while increasing the ability of the crew compartment to survive the impact of an explosive blast, collision or roll-over. 
         [0006]    In accordance with the concepts of the present invention, in order to provide additional protection to personnel in the HMMWV crew compartment, a sacrificial V-shaped hull is designed to be attached onto the underside of the crew compartment over the existing HMMWV frame rails. The existing frame is constructed such that an opening exists underneath the crew compartment making the crew compartment vulnerable to any explosive impact occurring under the vehicle. It is an aspect of the preferred embodiment that the V-shaped hull covers the opening in the frame to provide additional protection for the occupants inside the crew compartment. In the event of an explosion underneath the HMMWV, the V-shaped hull will shield the personnel inside the cabin from the impact of the explosion. It is also an aspect of the preferred embodiment of the present invention that the V-shaped hull is attached with bolts so that it can be removed for replacement or maintenance of the HMMWV. Furthermore, attaching the V-shaped hull will maintain much of the original size, shape and function of the HMMWV. 
         [0007]    Also in accordance with the concepts of the present invention, the weight of the hull and secondary layer of armor acting as the floor of the vehicle will send weight lower resulting in a lower center of gravity reducing the threat of roll-over. The result of the V-shaped hull will require the crew compartment to be raised on the existing frame to return to the original ground clearance and keeping as much of a stand off between crew compartment and blast. This has been accomplished by lowering the body mounts on the new crew compartment to raise it on its original frame mounts. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a 4-door HMMWV with armored crew compartment and V-shaped hull. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the armored crew compartment mounted on the existing HMMWV frame and the detached V-shaped hull section. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view illustrating the V-shaped hull section attached and covering the existing frame. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a view of the 2 door crew compartment mounted on the existing frame and detached V-shaped hull section. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a view of the 2-door armored crew compartment and V-shaped hull mounted to the existing frame. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a view of the 4 door crew compartment mounted on the existing frame and detached V-shaped hull section. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a view of the 4 door armored crew compartment and V-shaped hull mounted to the existing frame. 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a view of a crew compartment and a V-shaped hull in accordance with another embodiment. 
           [0016]      FIG. 9   a  is a bottom view of the crew compartment of  FIG. 8 , with the V-shaped hull coupled to the bottom of the compartment. 
           [0017]      FIG. 9   b  is a bottom view of the crew compartment of  FIG. 8 , with the V-shaped hull absent from the bottom of the compartment. 
           [0018]      FIG. 10   a  is side view of coupling assemblies coupling a V-shaped hull with a crew compartment. 
           [0019]      FIG. 10   b  is a cross sectional view of a coupling assembly coupling a V-shaped hull with a crew compartment. 
           [0020]      FIG. 10   c  is side view of a V-shaped hull having oval holes positioned with a crew compartment having circular holes. 
           [0021]      FIG. 10   d  is a side view of a coupling assembly in an operating configuration. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10   e  is a side view of the coupling assembly of  FIG. 10   d  in a shock configuration. 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is an exploded view of a V-shaped hull in accordance with an embodiment. 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  is an exploded view of a V-shaped hull in accordance with another embodiment. 
           [0025]      FIG. 13   a  is a side view of the V-shaped hull of  FIG. 12 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 13   b  is a front cross-sectional view of the V-shaped hull of  FIG. 12 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0027]      FIG. 1  is an overall view of a complete HMMWV  100  with the replacement armored crew compartment  120  and V shape hull  110  in accordance with one embodiment  110 A. Turning to  FIG. 2 , a cross-sectional view of the cabin  120  is shown. The original HMMWV crew compartment is removed from the existing HMMWV frame  210 . The original cabin is replaced with a one piece armored crew compartment  120  which is seated onto existing frame  210  maintaining as much of the existing vehicle components as possible. Existing frame  210  has an open chassis  220  below the crew compartment which exposes the occupants inside the compartment to Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) or other explosive devices that may explode underneath the HMMWV. The V-shaped hull  110  covers the open chassis  220  to protect the occupants inside the crew compartment  120  from such explosive devices. 
         [0028]    The armored crew compartment  120  is designed to be a one piece replacement to the original crew compartment. This allows for easy field replacement of the original compartment. The armored crew compartment  120  is constructed of a rigid metal such as a steel alloy. The one piece armored crew compartment  120  is designed not to collapse in a collision, blast or roll-over. The one piece design and rigid metal construction of the armored crew compartment  120  increases the structural integrity of the crew compartment improving survivability in the event of a roll-over or collision as well as providing added protection from the impact of explosive detonation. The V-shaped hull  110  is also constructed of a rigid metal whose composition is such that it will resist the force of a typical IED or other explosive device that detonate beneath the HMMWV  100 . The typical composition of the rigid metal is a steel alloy. 
         [0029]      FIG. 3  illustrates the V-shaped hull  110  in its attached position to the armored crew compartment  120 . V-shaped hull  110  is attached to armored crew compartment  120  with bolts  310 . Thus, V-shaped hull  110  encloses the existing open chassis  220  to protect the crew compartment  120  from the impact of explosive detonation that occurs underneath the HMMWV  100 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 4  illustrates a 2-door aspect of the present invention. The original crew compartment is removed and the 2-door armored crew compartment  410  is seated onto the original HMMWV frame  210 . Crew compartment  410  is attached to frame  210  using as much of the original attachment parts as possible. V-shaped hull  110  is sized to fit the underside of the HMMWV 2-door armored crew compartment  410 . The V-shaped hull  110  is attached to the underside of the HMMWV 2-door armored crew compartment  410  using bolts  420 . The V-shaped hull  110  is bolted on after the armored crew compartment  410  has been set down over the existing HMMWV frame rails  210 .  FIG. 5  is a view of the 2-door armored crew compartment  410  with the V-shaped hull  110  attached. Bolting of the V-shaped hull  110  in this manner maintains as much of the original size, shape and function of the HMMWV as possible and will thereby provide under body protection against explosive devices that may detonate below the HMMWV  100 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 6  illustrates a 4-door aspect of the present invention. Similarly, the original crew compartment is removed and the 4-door armored crew compartment  510  is seated onto the original HMMWV frame  510 . The one piece armored crew compartment  510  is attached to frame  210  using as much of the original attachment parts as possible. V-shaped hull  110  is sized to fit the underside of the HMMWV 4-door armored crew compartment  510 . The V-shaped hull  110  is attached to the underside of the HMMWV 4-door armored crew compartment  510  using bolts  420 . The V-shaped hull  110  is bolted on after the armored crew compartment  510  has been set down over the existing HMMWV frame rails  210 .  FIG. 7  is a view of the 4-door armored crew compartment  510  with the V-shaped hull  110  attached. As described above, bolting of the V-shaped hull  110  in this manner maintains as much of the original size, shape and function of the HMMWV as possible and will thereby provide under body protection against explosive devices that may detonate below the HMMWV  100 . 
         [0032]    Referring back to  FIG. 1 , it is another aspect of the present invention that the weight of V-shaped hull  110  will send the overall weight of the HMMWV  100  lower resulting in a lower center of gravity reducing the threat of roll-over. The placement of the V-shaped hull  110  will require the crew compartment to be raised on the existing frame to return to the original ground clearance which will allow an additional stand off between crew compartment and the force of an explosive detonation. This has been accomplished by lowering the body mounts on the new crew compartment to raise it on its original frame mounts. 
         [0033]    Turning to  FIG. 8 , another embodiment  110 B of a V-shaped hull  110  is depicted that comprises a first plate  810  and a second plate  815  that includes a plurality of oval holes  805 A. The first plate  810  is shown having a V-shaped contour defined by a first and second V-arm  811 A,  811 B that extend from an apex  812  in a plane substantially parallel to a transverse axis T of the first plate  810 . The oval V-arm holes  805  defined by the V-arms  811  are configured to couple the vehicle hull  110  to the vehicle compartment  120  as shown in  FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b , which depict a plurality of compartment coupling holes  905  that correspond to the plurality of oval holes  805  of the hull  110 . 
         [0034]    As depicted in  FIGS. 10   a - e , a coupling assembly  1005  may be configured to couple the first and second plates  810 ,  815  to the vehicle compartment  120 . For example, referring to  FIG. 10   b , in some embodiments, a coupling assembly may comprise a bolt  420 , a nut  1010 , and a first and second washer  1015 ,  1020 . As depicted in  FIGS. 10   d  and  10   e , the bolt  420  may comprise a head  421  and a shaft  422 . The shaft  422  of the bolt  420  may extend through holes  805  of the first and second plate  810 ,  815  with the nut  1010  coupled on an end of the shaft  422  opposite the head  421 . In various embodiments, the nut  1010  may be tightened a desired amount and welded to one or both of the shaft  422  and the compartment  120 . 
         [0035]    In various embodiments (e.g., as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 ), the first and second plate  810 ,  815  may comprise corresponding oval holes  805 A,  805 B that are further corresponding with coupling holes  905  on the vehicle compartment  120 . Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 10   c , for example, the plates  810 ,  815  may be stacked such that respective coupling holes  905  are visible through respective pairs of oval holes  805 A,  805 B of the first and second plate  810 ,  815 . A bolt  420  may therefore be passed through the holes  805  of the plates  810 ,  815 , and through a corresponding coupling hole  905 . 
         [0036]    In various embodiments, and as shown in  FIG. 10   d , the plates  810 ,  815  may be coupled to vehicle compartment  120  in an operating configuration, where the bolt  420  resides in a central portion of the oval holes  805 . In such an operating configuration, the hull  110  may be rigidly fixed to the compartment  120  under normal vehicle operating conditions. In other words, the hull  110  is coupled with the compartment  120  such that it does not move from the operating configuration while the vehicle  100  moves, and when exposed to normal road or off-road forces, that the vehicle  100  is exposed to under normal or expected conditions. In various embodiments, the expected operating forces may be different based on the mission or duty that a given vehicle  100  is assigned to. 
         [0037]    However, when exposed to an explosive force such as and IED, or the like, as discussed above, the hull  110  may be operable to move so as to absorb and redistribute the force of such an explosion and reduce damage to the vehicle compartment  120  and vehicle occupants. For example,  FIG. 10   e  depicts a shock configuration, where the bolt  420  moves downward within the oval holes  805  which is caused by the hull  110  moving upward in response to an explosive blast. In various embodiments, the bolt  420  may be forced to various positions within the oval holes  805  depending on the holding tension of the coupling assembly  1005  in the operating configuration ( FIG. 10   d ) and depending of the amount, duration, and direction of force generated by an explosive blast. In some embodiments, the bolt  420  may be configured to move to a bottom end of the holes  805 , or may only shift toward the bottom end of the holes  805  as shown in  FIG. 10   e.    
         [0038]    The position of an explosive blast relative to the hull  110  may cause the bolt  420  to shift upward within the holes  805  in another shock configuration (not shown). For example, an explosion on one side of the hull  110  may generate a force along the transverse axis T that generates a rotative force that moves bolts  420  on one side of the hull  110  upward and bolts  420  on the opposite side downward within the holes  805 . Accordingly while one example shock configuration is shown in  FIG. 10   e , a shock configuration may be different for bolts  420  in holes  805  on respective sides of the hull  110  and may even be different on the same side of the hull  110 . The shock configuration of  FIG. 10   e  is therefore only presented as an example of how the bolt  420  may move in one example. 
         [0039]    Additionally, the deformation of the hull  110  caused by an explosive blast may cause permanent or temporary deformation of the hull  110 . Accordingly, in some embodiments, the bolts  420  may assume a shock configuration (e.g.,  FIG. 10   e ), but may re-assume the operating configuration (e.g.,  FIG. 10   d ) or other new static position after the blast. The hull  110  may therefore be operable to absorb multiple blasts based on the dynamic movement of the bolts  420  within the oval holes  805 . 
         [0040]    As depicted in the example embodiments herein, the oval holes  805  are shown as being disco-rectangular, oval-rectangular, or a rounded rectangle. The term oval as used herein should not be construed to be limiting and should instead be considered to broadly cover classes of oval-like shapes that include shapes comprising only a curved profile or a profile comprising both straight and curved portions. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 10   d  and  10   e , the oval holes  805  are elongated along axis Q, with parallel sidewalls and rounded ends. 
         [0041]    Although oval holes  805  are shown as an example herein, other shapes such as rectangles, circles, or the like may be used in some embodiments. Additionally, the holes  805  of the hull may be substantially uniform or may be different shapes and sizes in some embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, some of the oval holes  805  may be longer than some other oval holes  805 . 
         [0042]    Additionally, various embodiments depicted herein show oval holes  805  on one side of the hull  110  extending along a common axis Q that is in a plane substantially parallel to the transverse axis T, with holes  805  on the opposing side of the hull  110  at least being aligned in an axis having a parallel plane. Having all holes  805  on the hull  110  extend along this common axis Q or along a parallel plane may be desirable in some embodiments because the force generated by an explosive blast under or to the sides of the hull  110  will primarily exert a blast force that can be absorbed along this axis Q or parallel plane. The blast may therefore be absorbed by movement of the hull  110  provided by movement of the bolts  420  within the holes  805 . 
         [0043]    However, in some embodiments, holes  805  may be aligned along any desirable axis that may or may not be coincident with a transverse axis T or longitudinal axis L of a hull  110 . In further embodiments, holes  805  may be a shape that provides for movement in a plurality of directions. For example, holes  805  may be circular and provide for movement from a central operating configuration to a shock configuration away from the central operating configuration. 
         [0044]    Turning to  FIGS. 11 and 12 , some embodiments  110 B,  110 C of a hull  110  include a first plate  810  having a V-shaped contour defined by the first and second V-arm  811 A,  811 B that extend from the apex  812  in a plane substantially parallel to a transverse axis T of the first plate  810 . The oval V-arm holes  805 B are disposed in rows  1105 , with respective rows  1105 A,  1105 B disposed on distal ends of the V-arms  811 . The first plate  810  can also include a pair of end-plates  1110  that span between respective ends of the V-arms  811 A,  811 B. 
         [0045]    In various embodiments a support architecture  1115  may be disposed within a V-shaped cavity or slot defined by the V-arms  811 A,  811 B and end-plates  1110 A,  1110 B of the first plate  110 . For example,  FIG. 11  depicts one embodiment  1115 B that comprises a series of ribs  1117  that span between the V-arms  811 A,  811 B in a plane parallel to the transverse axis T.  FIG. 12  depicts another embodiment  1115 C that comprises a plurality of ribs  1217  that extend between the V-arms  811 A,  811 B and between the end-plates  1110 A,  1110 B. The support architecture  1115 C can also comprise a V-shaped reinforcing plate  1218  that resides proximate to the apex  812  and extends up the internal walls of the V-arms  811 A,  811 B as depicted in  FIGS. 12 and 13   b . The example embodiments of a support architecture  1115  disclosed herein should not be construed to be limiting, and any suitable variation of ribs  1217 ,  1117  reinforcing plates  1218 , or the like may be used as desired in accordance with the present invention. 
         [0046]      FIGS. 11 and 12  further disclose a second plate  815  that comprises a web  1120  and a pair of flanges  1125  that extend from opposing edges of the web  1120  in a plane that is substantially parallel to the transverse axis T. Each of the flanges  1125  comprises a plurality of oval holes  805 A that correspond to oval holes  805 B present on the first plate  810 . The web  1120  can also define a plurality of rib-holes  1130  that may provide for coupling of the second plate  115  to the first plate  810  via ribs  1217 ,  1117 . For example, in various embodiments, the rib-holes  1130  extend through the web  1120  and are arraigned to correspond to the position of a portion of at least one rib  1217 ,  1117 . A plug weld in the rib-holes  1130  may be used to couple the first and second plates  810 ,  815 . 
         [0047]    Various changes, modifications, variations, as well as other uses and applications of the subject invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification together with the accompanying drawings and claims. All such changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be covered hereby and limited only by the following claims.