Abstract:
An apparatus for land, sea, and air defense, including a cylinder setup opening into a cylinder mast formed by nested cylinders and equipped with a weapon container. The weapon container includes, depending on the intended use, various weapons that fire automatically as well as ammunition. A drill, with a power device, is connected to the opposite end of the cylinder setup and cylinder mast&#39;s weapon container for drilling a hole into the earth.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of this invention is a defense apparatus for land, sea, and air defense. With the help of the invention, firing and defense operation is carried out with no troops present on the site. The invention has several forms of operation. The surveillance of the surroundings can be done with automatic devices and the starting, duration, and ending of the firing is an independent operation, i.e., the invention can be called a robot. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     The traditional methods known in this field of technology are various mines, such as anti-tank mines, which are detonated by a load applied to them or vertically positioned mines which are detonated by a manual switch. Conventional mines explode only once. 
     Consequently, a vertically positioned or such other mine is detonated manually, i.e., someone has to pull the string to detonate the mine. So, this requires that someone has to be positioned essentially close to the mine in order to see the right moment to detonate it. Hence, being positioned within a close proximity of the enemy and the threat to life it imposes are inevitable. So, an anti-tank mine or other type of mine which is detonated by a load only explodes once and, after it has destroyed itself, it is useless. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The purpose of the invention is to minimise the time spent within a close proximity of the enemy in a defense battle and in withdrawing from a battle as well as to surprise the enemy in a situation where the enemy can assume to have already carried out, or be soon through with, a successful attack. In other words, the enemy has, in part or in whole, passed the location of an apparatus according to the invention at which time the apparatus only sets off, starting to fire the enemy from a direction the enemy regards essentially an improbable direction to be fired at from. Consequently, the purpose of the invention is also to cause confusion and panic. 
     Several apparatuses according to the invention can be placed in the same area and they can operate individually, independently of each other, or in unison, as a group. The dimensions and weight of an apparatus according to the invention can be such that a person can carry it, or even several of them, with him. On the other hand, the size of an apparatus according to the invention can also be such that its transportation requires machinery, for instance, a crawler lorry, helicopter, snowmobile, or such other means. Covered by a lead jacket, an apparatus according to the invention is hidden from a mine detector or such other device. Located under dirt cover, an apparatus according to the invention is also covered to a degree from firing. The thickness of the dirt cover can range from less than half a meter to over one meter. Also, when placed into the earth in front of a defense line and, for instance, of a trench, an apparatus according to the invention effectively surprises the attacker. Firing of grenades can be started from an apparatus according to the invention against all types of ground troops, such as men, tanks, crawler lorries, or the like; and against missiles with the possible targets of, in addition to the above-mentioned ones, air and naval force ships. 
     According to the invention, this objective can be achieved by using a cylinder mast hidden underground that can be opened, consisting of nested cylinders including an automatic weapon, a grenade thrower, fragmentation or other type of mine, or a group of missiles, or some other weapon. At the other end of the outermost cylinder, there is a drill or an auger or such other device, a so-called earth drill, rotated with a power device powered by a charged battery or an accumulator with the help of which the cylinder setup drills into the earth as it is pushed down from above at the same time. As an alternative, the drill can also be permanently fixed to the cylinder in which case drilling is done by rotating the cylinder and by pressing. In such a case, the power source used is a drilling unit equipped with a battery or an accumulator which has equipment to rotate the drill cylinder setup and to push it into the earth and which is handy, for instance, to transport with a helicopter or such other means. The operation of the drilling unit can also be such that it has its own drill which can be rotated and pushed in order to drill a hole into the earth. In such a case, the bottom end of the outermost cylinder can have a spring, e.g., a coil or gas spring, to alleviate the impact of the upper load. There are two or more nested cylinders. The cylinders are preferably made for the most part or in whole of titanium which is a relatively light and durable material; furthermore, titanium is hard to detect with a mine detector. The cylinders and other parts of the apparatus can also be made of aluminum or some other metal or plastic. The materials used are not limited to these. When opening, the nested cylinders form a telescope-like cylinder mast similar to the tipping gear of a tractor trailer or a lorry. 
     The cylinders according to the invention form a cylinder mast which differs from the aforementioned tipping gear system in the way that the power needed for creating a cylinder mast is charged inside the innermost cylinder in the form of excess pressure which, when discharging through a valve, a breakable plug, or the like located at either one end or both ends of the cylinder, makes the cylinders move longitudinally with respect to each other. The outermost cylinder is supported against the ground staying in place and the inner cylinder/cylinders moves/move. It is noteworthy that there can be one or more inner cylinders. There can also be a so-called inner tube inside the innermost cylinder which brings the valve close to the surface of the earth. There is a lid at the end of the cylinder tube that can be opened through which the weapon placed inside the cylinder is pushed into the right position in order to start firing at the enemy. If the innermost cylinder is of the type to have valves at both ends, then there are two of the next larger size cylinders, one of each at both ends of the innermost cylinder. Consequently, when the valves open, the excess pressure is discharged into both directions whereupon the telescope becomes longer in both directions. 
     As an alternative, the excess pressure can be loaded in all of the cylinders and the cylinders remain nested when the outermost and the innermost cylinder are bound together, e.g., with one or more tie(s), which tie can be either a bundle tie or the like at which point the telescope opens up when the tie is cut e.g. with an electric primer arrangement explained later on in this application. 
     As an alternative, the opening of the telescope can be realised together with, or instead of, the gas pressure energy by putting one or several compressed spring(s) inside the cylinders. In such a case, tying the cylinders inside each other and also releasing them from that tie is economic to realise in the manner explained in the previous paragraph. 
     When being drilled into the earth, the apparatus can be supported manually by using an installation tool to be connected to, and disconnected from, the apparatus or by using automation so that when the drill is rotating into the outer surface of the outermost cylinder, the shields prevent the cylinder from rotating together with the drill rotation into the opposite direction. The drilling can be started automatically so that when the drill point hits the ground, the transducer placed in it gives an order to the drill to start rotating. Furthermore, the drilling can be stopped by setting a certain number of revolutions to be drilled, by a certain earth resistance, or by using some other criterion. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     More precisely, characteristic to the apparatus according to the invention is what is presented in Patent claims  1  and  6  as being characteristics to it. 
     The following is a closer description of the invention with references to the drawings where 
     FIG. 1 presents an apparatus according to the invention with the cylinders packed in a shortened form and in a partial cross-sectional drawing, 
     FIG. 2 presents the interior tube system in an apparatus according to the invention in a partial cross-sectional drawing, 
     FIG. 3 presents an apparatus according to the invention in a partial cross-sectional drawing, with the cylinders opened to the elongated form and equipped with an automatic weapon, 
     FIGS. 4 a - 4   c  present an automatic weapon system in an apparatus according to the invention in a partial cross-sectional drawing, projected on a level in a parallel direction with the given co-ordinate shafts, 
     FIG. 5 presents a missile group system in an apparatus according to the invention, in a partial cross-sectional drawing, 
     FIGS. 6 a - 6   b  and  7   a - 7   b  present a grenade thrower system in an apparatus according to the invention, in a partial cross-sectional drawing, 
     FIGS. 8 a - 8   b  present an application of the apparatus according to the invention in a partial cross-sectional drawing where the means to restrain the pressure energy is a tie and the means to release it is the ammunition, 
     FIGS. 9 a - 9   b  present a fragmentation mine system in the apparatus according to the invention when in transport and when getting ready to explode in a partial cross-sectional drawing, 
     FIG. 10 presents an application of the apparatus according to the invention in a partial cross-sectional drawing where a drawn spring is the thrusting power, the tie is the restrainer, and the explosive agent is the releaser. The figure also shows a gas spring system application of the apparatus in a partial cross-sectional drawing. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to FIGS. 1-2, the drill ( 4 ), attached to a first end of the outer cylinder ( 1 ), pushed from above and rotated with a power device ( 5 ), drills into the earth, preferably so deep that it can be covered without essentially changing the height of the earth surface. The pressure of the pressurised inner cylinder ( 3 ) is discharged into the middle cylinder ( 2 ) and outer cylinder ( 1 ) at the first end, i.e., the drill ( 4 ) end of the inner cylinder ( 3 ), or with a flange ( 31 ) and interior tube system ( 11 ) method through a valve ( 6 ), either a magnet valve or other valve located at the end opposite to the side of the drill ( 4 ). 
     The valve ( 6 ) is opened automatically with a remote control unit, either a manual unit or a transducer, switched on by exciter current. At that point, the cylinder setup ( 16 ), consisting of an inner cylinder ( 3 ), a middle cylinder ( 2 ) and an outer cylinder ( 1 ), opens so that the inner cylinder ( 3 ) comes out of the middle cylinder ( 2 ) to the extent allowed by the stoppers ( 18 ) and the middle cylinder ( 2 ) comes out of the outer cylinder ( 1 ) to the extent allowed by the stoppers ( 18 ), forming a telescope-like cylinder mast ( 17 ), FIG.  3 . 
     The gas in the space ( 51 ) between the pair of stoppers ( 18  and  18 ) as well as the outer cylinder ( 1 ) and the middle cylinder ( 2 ) and also the space ( 51 ) between the pair of stoppers ( 19  and  19 ) as well as the middle cylinder ( 2 ) and the inner cylinder ( 3 ) is discharged through the channels ( 50 ) from the cylinder setup as the cylinders change from the shortened form over to the elongated form. 
     In FIG. 1, the cylinder setup ( 16 ) is packed for transportation. At that point, the weapon container&#39;s ( 20 ) protective lid ( 7 ) and the protective plates ( 10   a  and  10   b ) are in place. The apparatus is taken to the site in its transportation form and placed into the earth. 
     In FIG. 3, the automatic weapon ( 8 ) is turned to the firing position at which point its barrel or barrels are vertically positioned with respect to the cylinder mast. The valve ( 22 ), which operates with time delay, discharges pressure into the operating cylinder ( 23 ) where the piston ( 24 ) and the gear rail ( 25 ) attached to it move upwards. The valve, which operates with time delay, is used for the reason that the cylinder mast ( 17 ) has enough time to get into an erect position before bringing the weaponry into the firing position. At that point, the shaft ( 9 ), attached to the gear ( 26 ) which is rotated by the gear rail ( 25 ), turns the automatic weapon into the firing position, i.e., turned around the shaft ( 9 ) essentially to a lateral position with respect to the transportation position. With its movement, the automatic weapon, when turning into the firing position, opens the protective lid ( 7 ) and the protective plates ( 10   a  and  10   b ), allowing the cases eject freely from the weapon and ventilation is better. Firing starts mechanically after the weapon turns into the firing position and continues until the ammunition belts ( 21 ) are empty. See FIGS. 4 a - 4   c . The non-centrally located barrel/barrels enables/enable the weapon to rotate around the mounted, recoil-powered rotation shaft ( 27 ) which is parallel with the cylinder mast; consequently, the enemy is subject to firing regardless of on which side of the apparatus it is located. 
     FIG. 5 shows an application of the invention where the weapon container ( 20 ) is equipped with a missile/missiles ( 12 ). The operation of the missiles ( 12 ) is electronically started and they are automatically directed at their target which can be either on land, at sea, or in the air. 
     FIGS. 6 a - 6   b  and  7   a - 7   b  show an application of the invention where the weapon container ( 20 ) is equipped with a grenade thrower. The grenade/grenades ( 13 ) is/are attached to the upper end of the tube ( 14 ) with a spring ( 32 ) or the like, suspended with a locking pin ( 28 ). As the cylinder setup ( 16 ) opens up into a cylinder mast ( 17 ), the string, wire or cable ( 29 ) placed inside the channel ( 30 ) pulls the locking pin ( 28 ) from supporting the grenade/grenades ( 13 ) whereupon the grenade ( 13 ) falls down to the bottom end of the tube ( 14 ) where the firing pin ( 15 ) fuses the primer located at the bottom end of the grenade ( 13 ) and the grenade goes up in the air. The grenade ( 13 ) used can be a fragmentation grenade or other type of grenade. 
     FIGS. 8 a - 8   b  present an application of the invention where, to release the pressure energy from the inner cylinder ( 3 ), a pressure pipe ( 34 ) is used which is connected to the inner cylinder ( 3 ) with a connector ( 33 ) and also a connector ( 35 ) is used which is connected to the other end of the pipe ( 34 ), which connector is connected to the bottom end of the outer cylinder ( 1 ), e.g., to the flange, the end plug, or the kind. Inside the connectors ( 33  and  35 ), which connectors ( 33  and  35 ) can also be bead, tapered, or such other connectors, as well as inside the pipe ( 34 ), which pipe is made of plastic, glass fibre or such other material, there is a continuous channel from the inner cylinder ( 3 ) which also has excess pressure like the inner cylinder ( 3 ). An explosive agent ( 36 ) is fastened onto the outer wall of the pipe ( 34 ) which explosive agent ( 36 ) is an electric primer with a portion of gunpowder or sulphur, the ignition end of a match or such other essentially easily and/or quickly ignitable material attached to it. This explosive agent, preferably an electric primer, etc., is detonated by feeding an electrical current through the wires ( 37 ), whereupon the pressure in the pipe ( 34 ), in the connectors ( 33  and  35 ), and also in the inner cylinder ( 3 ) is discharged into the inner space of the outer cylinder ( 1 ) and possible middle cylinders ( 2 ), thereby causing the telescopic opening. The feeding of this electric impulse is preferably remotely controlled. Also other forms of feeding the electric impulse can be used. Gunpowder, sulphur, etc. can also be put inside the pipe ( 34 ). 
     FIGS. 9 a - 9   b  present an application of the invention where the weapon container is equipped with a fragmentation or other type of mine ( 38 ). In the transport position, the halves, or parts, of the weapon container are against each other and bound together with a transport locking pin ( 42 ), preferably a strap, a belt, or the like. When the apparatus is put in place completely or to the extent that the halves, or parts, of the weapon container ( 20 ), supported by soil or such other means, can no longer essentially tilt sideways, the transport locking pin ( 42 ) is removed. When the apparatus is activated and the weapon container ( 20 ) goes up from the side support, the halves, or parts, of the weapon container ( 20 ), are detached from each other, thrust by the movement and/or gravity and/or the spring(s) ( 43 ), and turn crosswise in relation to the movement of the telescope, preferably around the shafts ( 39 ) attached to the base plates ( 46 ) of the weapon container and to the inner cylinder ( 3 ) whereupon the switches ( 41 ) of the triggers ( 40 ) attached to the bottom end of the weapon container ( 20 ), when hitting the outer surface of the inner cylinder ( 3 ), sink inside the triggers ( 40 ), at this point triggering the detonators ( 44 ) connected to the triggers ( 40 ) which further detonate the fragmentation or other types of mines placed in the weapon container ( 20 ). 
     FIG. 10 presents an application of the invention where the cylinder unit ( 16 ), consisting of the inner cylinder ( 3 ), the middle cylinder ( 2 ), and the outer cylinder ( 1 ), is packed into a shortened form, with a spring ( 45 ) drawn between-the ends of the inner cylinder ( 3 ) and the outer cylinder ( 1 ), which spring ( 45 ) is intended for pushing the cylinders from inside each other into a cylinder mast ( 17 ). The implement keeping the cylinders in the shortened form is a binding tie ( 34 ) with pulling stress, which is connected to the other end of the inner cylinder ( 3 ) with a connector ( 33 ) and to the other end of the outer cylinder ( 1 ) with a connector ( 35 ), and which tie can be a pipe, a bundle tie, or the like. An explosive agent ( 36 ) is attached to the tie ( 34 ), which explosive agent ( 36 ) is an electric primer, with a portion of gunpowder or sulphur, the ignition end of a match, or such other essentially easily and/or quickly ingnitable material attached to it. This explosive agent, preferably an electric primer, etc., is detonated by feeding an electric current through the wires ( 37 ), whereupon the tie ( 34 ) is broken and the cylinders change over to the elongated form of a cylinder mast ( 17 ). This feeding of an electric impulse is preferably remotely controlled. Also other forms of feeding the electric impulse can be used. The figure also shows an application of the invention where there is a spring system attached to the bottom end of the outer cylinder ( 1 ) which spring can be either a compressible coil spring or gas spring. In case of a gas spring, the spring system consists of a bag ( 47 ) made of rubber or other stretch material containing, and/or attached to it, a cartridge ( 48 ) containing carbonic acid or other pressurised gas. The cartridge breaks when the apparatus is pushed into the earth with certain pressure, whereupon a spike ( 49 ), or the like, placed inside the bag ( 47 ) which is also attached to the bottom surface of the outer cylinder ( 1 ), penetrates the casing of the cartridge ( 48 ). At this point, the excess pressure is discharged from the cartridge ( 48 ) into the bag ( 47 ), which bag ( 47 ), upon expanding, forms a gas spring to alleviate the impact of the upper load. 
     In all application examples, the firing operation can be managed manually with a remote control unit or automatically with a transducer giving an impulse to start it. At the end of the firing, each application is detonated with the help of a blasting charge placed inside the apparatus which operates with time delay. 
     The operation of an automatic weapon, grenade, missile, fragmentation mine, and other types of mines and weapons is already known to everybody so they are not explained here in more detail. The application examples are intended for illustrating the invention, without restricting it in any way.