Modular Active Protection System for Vehicle Defense
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing active protection systems (APS) for vehicles are costly, complex, and difficult to integrate, limiting their scalability and affordability for widespread protection against high-velocity projectiles.
Innovation Solution
The SNAP (Scalable Networked Active Protection) system is a modular, lightweight, and affordable APS composed of stand-alone modules with integrated sensors, processing, and countermunitions, allowing for easy installation and scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional discrete APS components are integrated onto a vehicle, then protection effectiveness is achieved, but system complexity and integration time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the APS into multiple independent modular units, each containing sensors, processors, and countermunitions. These modules can be independently installed and replaced, reducing the complexity of integration while maintaining protection effectiveness through coordinated operation of individual modules.
Solution Approach 2:
Each modular unit is designed as a universal platform that can be installed on various vehicle types and configured for different threat levels. The modules perform multiple functions including threat detection, tracking, and engagement, reducing the need for vehicle-specific custom integration.
2Reliability
If traditional APS components are carefully integrated with attention to component placement and cable runs, then system performance is optimized, but integration time becomes exceedingly long
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the system into self-contained modules with pre-assembled connections, the patent eliminates the need for time-consuming custom cable runs and component placement optimization for each vehicle. Modules can be rapidly installed and connected to standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables flexible configuration of the number, type, and arrangement of modules based on specific vehicle requirements and threat assessments. This parameter flexibility allows optimization of system performance for different applications without requiring redesign of the entire integration architecture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a single APS is designed per vehicle with bespoke integration, then protection is tailored to specific needs, but economies of scale are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal modular platform that can be deployed across multiple vehicle types and applications. The standardized module design enables mass production and shared supply chains, achieving economies of scale while maintaining the ability to customize system configuration through varying numbers and arrangements of modules.
Solution Approach 2:
Segmentation into standardized modules allows for parallel manufacturing and pre-assembly, improving production efficiency and enabling economies of scale. The modular architecture facilitates standardized manufacturing processes that can be replicated across different vehicle platforms.
Data Source
AI summary
A new kind of active protection system (APS) called SNAP (scalable networked active protection) will be a light and affordable means of protecting vehicles and infrastructure against rockets and missiles. The APS system is built from modules, each of which is itself a stand-alone APS. Since each unit is a stand-alone APS, the only single points of failure are the User Interface (UI) in the vehicle cab and the Data/Power Router (DPR). SNAP instead takes advantage of each module protecting a relatively small area to employ vastly lower cost components. In addition, each SNAP module is disposable in that when its countermunition is initiated, the entire module is consumed and subsequently replaced in the field. This approach allows the system to be very compact and lightweight.