Rollable Ballistic Shield With Imbricated Tiles for Rifle Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ballistic shields designed to stop bullets from assault rifles are heavy, bulky, and require specialized transportation, making them inaccessible in typical squad cars, thus exposing officers to vulnerability in active shooter situations.
Innovation Solution
A rollable ballistic shield comprising a flexible armor panel with imbricated ceramic tiles and a lattice arrangement, allowing it to be compactly stored and deployed for immediate use, capable of stopping rifle threats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ballistic shields are designed to stop bullets from assault rifles, then ballistic protection capability is improved, but weight and bulk increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is divided into multiple modular panels that can be assembled together to form a complete protective barrier. Each panel contains ceramic tiles embedded in a flexible matrix, allowing the shield to achieve rifle-stop capability through cumulative coverage rather than requiring a single heavy solid structure
Solution Approach 2:
The shield uses a composite structure combining ceramic tiles (for ballistic protection) with a flexible polymer matrix and fabric layers (for weight reduction and flexibility). This composite approach provides rifle-threat protection while maintaining manageable weight and enabling rollable configuration
2Reliability
If ballistic shields are designed to stop bullets from assault rifles, then ballistic protection capability is improved, but the shield becomes bulky and requires specialized transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The shield consists of multiple thin panels that can be stacked and rolled together, reducing the volume required for storage and transportation while maintaining the total protective area when deployed
Solution Approach 2:
The shield uses flexible polymer matrices and fabric layers instead of rigid solid structures, allowing the shield to be rolled up into a compact form factor that fits in vehicle compartments while providing adequate protection when unrolled and assembled
3Volume of moving object
If ballistic shields are stored in the trunk of a vehicle, then space utilization is improved, but accessibility and response time deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is designed to be stored in a rolled-up configuration that can fit in compact spaces such as vehicle door panels or console areas, moving from trunk storage to in-cabin storage and enabling immediate access without exiting the vehicle
4Ease of operation
If the shield structure is made flexible to enable rolling, then portability and storage are improved, but structural stability and alignment maintenance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The shield panels are pre-assembled with ceramic tiles embedded in the flexible matrix in the correct configuration, so that when deployed the panels can be quickly connected without requiring field assembly or alignment adjustments, maintaining structural stability while enabling portability
Data Source
AI summary
A rollable armor panel, and a rollable ballistic shield that includes the rollable armor panel is described. The rollable armor panel includes an adhesive-coated first ballistic fabric, a plurality of ballistic tiles arranged on and attached to one side of the first ballistic fabric, and a lattice arrangement of adhesive-coated ballistic fabric attached to the ballistic tiles and located opposite to the one side, the lattice having openings over the ballistic tiles, the armor panel being flexible enough to permit rolling of the armor panel into a rolled state. In order to facilitate rolling, the fabric lattice on the rear side of the imbricated array of wrapped ceramic tiles permits lifting of one side of a tile relative to another along the rolling direction. Further, the fabric-encapsulated wrapped imbricated ceramic is attached to a ballistic fabric backer in such a way that layers can slide over each other during rolling and unrolling. Attachment points of the various components of the armor are designed to return those components into alignment when the shield is deployed flat from its rolled state.