Pyrotechnic Strap System for Vehicle Immobilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spike strips for disabling land vehicles pose risks to security personnel due to the need for close proximity during deployment and retraction, and they can injure personnel or cause collateral damage, with limitations in deployment precision and safety.
Innovation Solution
A remotely deployable and retractable strap system using an articulated package with inflatable bladders and a retractor device, equipped with penetrators like spikes or explosive charges, that can be automatically or manually triggered to immobilize vehicles without requiring personnel to be in close proximity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional spike strips are deployed manually by personnel, then the device can be deployed to disable vehicles, but security personnel are exposed to injury risks from vehicle impact or runaway vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical deployment with automated pyrotechnic propulsion. The strap package is launched using explosive charges that propel the articulated sections and penetrators toward the target vehicle, eliminating the need for personnel to be in close proximity during deployment. This substitution of manual mechanical action with automated pyrotechnic systems resolves the contradiction by maintaining vehicle disabling effectiveness while removing personnel from harm's way.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary pyrotechnic propulsion system between the operator and the strap package. The explosive charges serve as a mediator that transfers energy to launch the strap package without requiring direct human contact or close proximity. This intermediary mechanism enables effective vehicle disabling while protecting personnel from the harmful effects of close proximity to the target vehicle.
2Ease of operation
If spike strips are thrown or tossed in the path of a vehicle, then deployment is simple, but placement precision and control are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the imprecise manual tossing action with a controlled pyrotechnic propulsion system. The explosive charges provide directed thrust that propels the strap package along a predictable trajectory toward the target vehicle. This substitution maintains operational simplicity while dramatically improving placement precision, as the pyrotechnic system allows for controlled launch parameters and predictable delivery location.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary positioning of the strap package before pyrotechnic launch. The package is placed at a predetermined location and angle relative to the expected vehicle path, and the pyrotechnic charges are configured to propel it along the optimal trajectory. This preliminary preparation combined with controlled propulsion achieves both operational simplicity and high placement precision.
3Reliability
If conventional spike strips remain deployed after vehicle passage, then they can disable subsequent vehicles, but they pose risks to other vehicles and personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action through the controlled deployment and retraction cycle of the strap package. The pyrotechnic system deploys the strap package for a specific duration to disable the target vehicle, then the system is deactivated and the strap package is recovered or disposed of. This periodic operation ensures the disabling capability is available when needed while eliminating the continuous presence that causes collateral damage risks to other vehicles and personnel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs discarding and recovering principles by retrieving the strap package after use through the retraction mechanism. The articulated sections and penetrators are pulled back into the housing using the retraction cord and winch system. This recovery process eliminates the harmful effects of deployed spike strips remaining in the environment, preventing collateral damage to other vehicles and personnel while maintaining the capability for subsequent deployments.
4Ease of operation
If personnel are in close proximity to deploy and retract spike strips, then direct control is possible, but the risk of injury from spikes or vehicle impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces direct manual handling of the strap package with remote pyrotechnic deployment and mechanical retraction. The explosive charges propel the package without human contact, and the retraction is achieved through automated winch mechanisms pulled by the retraction cord. This substitution maintains operational control while eliminating personnel exposure to the harmful effects of close proximity, including spike injuries and vehicle impact risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces multiple intermediaries between the operator and the hazardous strap package. The pyrotechnic charges serve as an intermediary for deployment, the articulated sections serve as intermediaries for delivering penetrators, and the retraction cord with winch serves as an intermediary for recovery. These intermediary elements enable direct control capability while protecting personnel from the harmful effects associated with direct manual handling and close proximity to the target vehicle.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively immobilizes land vehicles while keeping security personnel at a safe distance, reducing the risk of injury or collateral damage, and allows for rapid deployment and retraction, enhancing operational safety and precision.
Implementation Method 1
The gas generator or compressed gas propels the strap package from the housing toward a target vehicle
Implementation Method 2
a pyrotechnic device launches a projectile that extends the articulated strap to the extended arrangements
Implementation Method 3
The strap includes spikes, caltrops, explosive charges, or other objects that project upwardly and are configured to penetrate a tire of a vehicle and allow the egress of air from a pneumatic tire
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and a method for disabling a ground engaging traction device of a land vehicle includes at least one penetrator configured to breach the traction device, an articulated strap configured to move the apparatus between a retracted arrangement and an extended arrangement, a mass configured to deploy the apparatus to the extended arrangement, and a retractor configured to retract the apparatus to the retracted arrangement. The penetrators can be arranged in a triangular section which, in turn, can be deployable on any of its three sides.