Abstract:
An armored vehicle with heavy side armor boxes and angled undercarriage armor, utilizing the chassis of overmatch armored vehicles, with a crew compartment for two, a rear door entry, and a blast gap between the side armor and crew compartment. This configuration provides for explosively formed penetrator (EFP) and improvised explosive device (IED) defeat and high levels of crew and vehicle survivability. This configuration allow a light vehicle frame such as a light pick up truck or military HMMWV to withstand very large mine, EFP, IED, and rocket propelled threats.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Provisional patent application No. 60/960,100 filing date: 14 Sep. 2007. 
       FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       SEQUENCE LISTING 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    This Invention generally relates to vehicle armor, specifically to an improved armor system to defeat explosive threats. 
         [0006]    2. Prior Art 
         [0007]    The initial fixes in 2003 to High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV)s have not been adapted to the growing number of threats with growing destructive capabilities emerging in combat areas such as Iraq. The simple and most common Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in 2003 consisted of an artillery round alongside a road with a wired or wireless remote detonator. In 2007 U.S. Forces are facing more significant threats, such as Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFP)s, designed to kill tanks, Bradleys, Light Armored Vehicles (LAV)s, Strikers, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) I Armored Vehicles, and significant overmatch for armored HMMWVs. New MRAP armored vehicles are designed to carry six to ten soldiers, providing the enemy with a larger target. Threats significantly overmatch all light armored vehicles. Underbody blasts significantly overmatch light armored vehicles, partly because such vehicles typically have flat bottoms and are low to the ground, partly because these existing vehicles&#39; undercarriage provides no path for the explosive energy from an under-the-vehicle IED or other major explosive to escape and partly because of armoring that is insufficient against the explosive power used. Additionally, crew size is growing with new vehicles, the result of which is just a larger target. 
         [0008]    Basic physics and engineering analysis show the importance of deflecting, rather than absorbing, the energy of a blast. The invention described in this disclosure facilitates deflecting and diverting the energy of the blast so that armoring need only protect from the portion of the blast that remains undeflected and undiverted. 
       OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
       [0009]    Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the invention are: 
         [0010]    (a) to provide protection and prevent even very large blast and ballistic threat from entering the crew compartment; 
         [0011]    (b) to provide underbody blast protection that can survive blasts that typically no light vehicle can withstand; 
         [0012]    (c) to reduce the crew size, which would reduce the maximum number of casualties from a single IED event; and 
         [0013]    (d) to enable HMMWVs that have been modified in the manner taught in this invention to become much more effective in protecting the occupants of such vehicles. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0014]    In accordance with the present invention a gap armor system comprises a vehicle built on a light vehicle chassis such as an HMMVW, side armor boxes, slots between side armor and crew compartment to channel the energy of a blast away from the vehicle, and angled bottom armor on the chassis and armor boxes. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       Figures 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  shows an angled view of the entire gap armored vehicle. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  shows the front of the gap armor vehicle. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  shows the rear of the gap armor vehicle. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  shows a side of the gap armor vehicle. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  shows the top of the gap armor vehicle. 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  shows the bottom of the gap armor vehicle. 
       
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       [0021]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 10  
                 gap 
                 15 
                 HMMVW or light vehicle chassis 
               
               
                 20  
                 crew compartment 
                 25 
                 undercarriage v-hull 
               
               
                 30  
                 side armor box 
                 35 
                 angled undercarriage armor 
               
               
                 40  
                 gun turret 
                 45 
                 heavy glass side armor 
               
               
                 50 
                 hatch 
                 55 
                 door to crew compartment 
               
               
                 60  
                 connecting structure 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Preferred Embodiment 
       [0022]    A preferred embodiment of a gap armor vehicle is illustrated in  FIG. 1  (angled view),  FIG. 2  (front view), and  FIG. 3  (rear view).  FIG. 1  shows an angled view of the invention. The light vehicle  15  chassis is connected to the crew compartment  20  and side armor boxes  30  in a way to create a gap  10  between the crew compartment  20  and each side armor boxes  30 . The side armor boxes  30  may be filled with any number of materials to defeat threats, comprising on-site materials, eroding particles, metals, and other threat defeating materials. The heavy glass side armor  45 , attached to the side armor boxes  30 , provides additional armor to threats to the side of the crew compartment where the windows are located. The crew compartment  20  is detailed with a gun turret  40  and hatch  50 . The underside of the vehicle shows a v-hull  25  connected to the underside of the chassis and angled undercarriage armor  35  connected to the underside of each armor box  30  for undercarriage blasts. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  shows essentially the same parts of the gap armor vehicle, but at an angle to illustrate the placement of the undercarriage v-hull  25  aligned with the center of the vehicle and angled undercarriage armor  35  connected to the side armor boxes  30  to direct ground blasts to the gap between the side armor boxes  30  and the crew compartment  20 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  shows the rear of the gap armor vehicle. The crew compartment  20  has a rear door  55  having dimensions to accommodate a fully armored soldier and placed at the rear so that the crew compartment  20  is highly protected on the sides by the side armor boxes  30 . The side armor boxes  30  are connected to the vehicle at the HMMWV chassis  15  and another connecting structure  60  comprising a system of I-beams. 
         [0025]      FIG. 4  shows the side of the gap armor vehicle, illustrating that the side armor box  30  provides armored coverage for most of the crew compartment  20 . It also illustrates that the angled undercarriage armor  35  provides an additional, thick armor to the underside of the side armor box  30 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 5  shows essentially the same embodiment of the invention as  FIGS. 2 and 3 , but from the top view and without the view of the undercarriage armor system. 
         [0027]      FIG. 6  shows the underside of the gap armor vehicle. This figure illustrates the location and approximate dimensions of the undercarriage armor and gaps between the side armor boxes  30  and the crew compartment  20 . The v-hull  25  extends from the HMMWV chassis  15  to the end of the crew compartment  20 . The length of the angled undercarriage armor  35 , connected to the side armor boxes  30 , runs from wheel to wheel. 
       Operation 
       [0028]    In operation the gap armor vehicle protects against emerging combat threats of IEDs and EFPs and other ground blasts. Utilizing HMMWV chassis  15  allows the thousands of HMMWVs that cannot survive current threats to have a continued use in theater and not go to waste. The HMMWV chassis  15  along with the connection structure  60  attach to side armor boxes  30 , which will give the vehicle added survivability and defeat mechanisms for side blasts. 
         [0029]    The side armor boxes  30  do not attach flush with the crew compartment  20 . The connection structure  60  assists in maintaining a gap between a side armor box  30  and the crew compartment  20 . This gap provides the essential mechanism to the entire vehicle and, more importantly, the crew to survive undercarriage blasts. The connection structure  60  may also be of a material that would allow for the side armor boxes  30  and crew compartment  20  to separate during a blat to increase the chance of the crew surviving. The side armor boxes  30  may each have a heavy glass side armor  45  to protect the crew and still allow them visibility from the sides. Each side armor box  30  may be filled with a variety of materials to defeat threats, including, but not limited to, on-site materials, eroding particle materials, explosive pills, metals, standard armor material, and other threat defeating materials. The side armor boxes  30  are constructed in such a way as to allow for easy, lighter transportation of vehicles and vehicle armor, and method for adjusting armor for varying levels and location of a given threat. 
         [0030]    The crew compartment  20  is made of lighter armor and is sized for two fully armored soldiers. The entry door  55  to the crew compartment is located in the rear so that the sides of the crew compartment  20  are fully armored, as the side of a vehicle is more likely to receive a blast or other threat than the rear. The crew has access and control of the gun turret  40  stationed externally above the crew compartment  20 . The crew compartment  20  is also equipped with an extra hatch  50  for driver visibility if visibility through the front window is minimized or blocked. 
         [0031]    The undercarriage of the vehicle provides additional armor and threat defeating mechanisms. Under the crew compartment  20  is a v-hull  25 , which provides additional armor and a redistribution of the blast force of a threat attacking the vehicle from below. The angled undercarriage armor  35  attaches to the underside of each side armor box  30  to provide additional armor and redistribute blast force of a threat attacking the vehicle from below. The v-hull  25  combined with the angled undercarriage armor  35  work together to redistribute blast forces from ground threats below the vehicle as well as redirect blast forces to the gap  10  between the side armor boxes  30  and the crew compartment  20 . The undercarriage structures give the vehicle higher survivability potential. 
       SCOPE OF INVENTION 
       [0032]    Thus the reader will see that an armored vehicle with gaps between the side armor and the crew compartment provides a highly survivable vehicle capable of defeating a variety of threats. The crew compartment is small to accommodate two persons to minimize the target for enemy combatants. The undercarriage consists of a v-hull and angled undercarriage armor to defeat threats, provide additional protection under the crew compartment and side armor boxes, and redirect blasts to the gaps between the side armor boxes and crew compartment.