Reactive personnel protection system
| Title: | Reactive personnel protection system |
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| Patent Number: | 6,029,558 |
| Publication Date: | February 29, 2000 |
| Appl. No: | 08/855,895 |
| Application Filed: | May 12, 1997 |
| Abstract: | A counter-terrorism, reactive personnel protection system which detects the presence of a concussive shock wave or ballistic projectile as it approaches a designated personnel target. Before impact, an air bag is rapidly inflated and interposed between the destructive force and the target so as to provide a protective barrier. The air bag is constructed from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene material, and serves to halt or redirect the detected destructive force and thereby protect the designated target from attack. |
| Inventors: | Stevens, David J. (San Antonio, TX); Marchand, Kirk A. (San Antonio, TX); Warnagiris, Thomas J. (San Antonio, TX) |
| Assignees: | Southwest Research Institute (San Antonio, TX) |
| Claim: | We claim |
| Claim: | 1. A reactive personnel protection system comprising |
| Claim: | a radar-based projectile detection system; |
| Claim: | at least one rapidly deployable anti-ballistic air bag, said air bag having a front surface and a rear surface; and |
| Claim: | a gas-generating system for rapid deployment of said air bag in response to detection of the approach of a projectile in proximity to said person by said detection system, wherein the front surface and the rear surface are adapted to slow and redirect the projectile. |
| Claim: | 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the rapidly deployable air bag is constructed from polyethylene material. |
| Claim: | 3. A reactive personnel protection system comprising |
| Claim: | a radar-based projectile detection system, wherein said radar based projectile detection system operates at a frequency of 8-20 Ghz; |
| Claim: | at least one rapidly deployable air bag; and |
| Claim: | a gas-generating system for rapid deployment of said air bag in response to detection of the approach of a projectile in proximity to said person by said detection system. |
| Claim: | 4. A reactive personnel protection system comprising |
| Claim: | a radar-based projectile detection system, wherein said radar based projectile detection system operates at a frequency of 10.5 Ghz.; |
| Claim: | 5. A reactive personnel protection system comprising |
| Claim: | a radar-based projectile detection system, wherein said radar based projectile detection system has anti-jamming electronics; |
| Claim: | 6. A method to reactively protect personnel from the rapid approach of an object by deployment of an air bag prior to the arrival of the object at the location of said personnel, comprising the steps of |
| Claim: | detecting the approach of said object, wherein said detecting step is accomplished using a radar-based projectile detection system and wherein said object is a ballistic projectile; |
| Claim: | discriminating the presence of said object with respect to the presence of electronic noise; |
| Claim: | activation of a gas-generation system in response to discrimination of the presence of said object; and |
| Claim: | deployment of an air bag between said object and said personnel responsive to said activation of said gas-generation system. |
| Claim: | 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said radar-based projectile detection system operates at a frequency of 8-20 Ghz. |
| Claim: | 8. The method of claim 6, wherein said radar-based projectile detection system operates at a frequency of 10.5 Ghz. |
| Claim: | 9. A reactive personnel protection system of a type in which at least one airbag is inflated responsive to detection of a destructive object prior to contact between said object and a person, said system comprising |
| Claim: | a destructive object detection system; |
| Claim: | at least one rapidly deployable airbag; and |
| Claim: | a gas-generating system for rapid deployment of said airbag in response to detection of the approach of said object in proximity to said person by said detection system, wherein said detection system is a radar-based projectile detection system operating at a frequency of 8-20 Ghz and wherein said object is a ballistic projectile. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 89/3617 |
| Current International Class: | F41H 5007 |
| Patent References Cited: | 3684309 August 1972 Uchiyamada et al. 3687213 August 1972 Sato et al. 3703702 November 1972 Arai 3778823 December 1973 Sato et al. 3861710 January 1975 Okubo 3893368 July 1975 Wales, Jr. 4782735 November 1988 Mui et al. 4856436 August 1989 Campbell 5012742 May 1991 Jones 5327811 July 1994 Price et al. 5370035 December 1994 Madden, Jr. 5392686 February 1995 Sankar 5398185 March 1995 Omura 5435226 July 1995 McQuilkin 5451381 September 1995 Kishimoto et al. 5478109 December 1995 Faigle et al. 5483449 January 1996 Caruso et al. 5540461 July 1996 Nitschke et al. 5578784 November 1996 Karr et al. 5584507 December 1996 Khandhadia et al. 5646613 July 1997 Cho 5790404 August 1998 Faye et al. 5792976 August 1998 Genovese |
| Primary Examiner: | Johnson, Stephen M. |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Jenkens & Gilchrist |
| Accession Number: | edspgr.06029558 |
| Database: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| Language: | English |
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