Aerial clearance system for hidden harmful land devices
This apparatus is for the destruction of land mines, improvised explosive devices and mechanical booby traps by creating strong forces on the ground. The apparatus comprises a physical structure having an electric motor-vanes housing assembly, that is connected to an electrical system. The electrical system comprises a portable control panel and a portable power supply. Undiscovered land mines pose problems for many countries of the world.
I am told that at the rate that the government and nongovernmental organizations are clearing landmines it will take 450-500 years to rid the world of them—and that's just if no more are placed. However, when a serious conflict breaks out the U.S. Military is in need of a way to clear mines and IEDs, fast, economically and accurately. The invention could also speed up the humanitarian de-mining effort worldwide.
The countries of Canada and Mexico, for example, do not have the problem of landmines at all. Therefore, strategy is very important in facing this worldwide problem. It is a problem in many areas of the world where fighting has taken place. These areas should be located and recorded. Undiscovered mines pose problems for countries that need to reclaim as much land as possible for agricultural purposes.
There are many devices, methods, and equipment for the detection or clearance of IEDs and landmines. The following are a few examples of present detection methods. A remarkable skill found in giant African rats; some are being trained to detect landmines. Animal “sniffers” including dogs are expensive to train, subject to fatigue and can be fooled by masked scents. Metal detectors cannot reliably find plastic mines. Thermal neutron activation detectors are accurate but are too large for field use, slow and expensive. The same is true when various detectors are mounted on a low flying and slow moving airship.
Also, infrared detectors can detect recently placed mines, but they are too large for field use, slow and expensive. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's patented micro power impulse radar and advanced imaging technologies combination is for a landmine detection system; testing is ongoing.
Our Government had a rude awakening from our enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan through their use of improvised explosive devices (IEDS). This began a multi-billion dollar investment by the U.S. Military in vehicle and body armor, robots, ground-penetrating radar and other equipment to better protect our troops. The vehicle armor protects against the worst physical body damage. However, these modern wars have taught Military medicine its hardest lessons: a blast wave can still damage the brain causing dizziness, headaches and minor concentration problems. “It's not a physical wound,” a soldier recalls. “It's more like something doesn't feel right.” Inside the vehicle he was the closest to the blast.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis aerial clearance system can, nearly one hundred percent of the time, cause harmful land devices to self-destruct and the other very, very small percentage of the time will visibly reveal any harmful device. The system is designed so that very little damage is done to it when a blast does go off, and the cost of repairs are kept relatively low compared to present ones. The operators will not suffer any physical or mental damage.
An aerial clearance system for hidden harmful land devices is comprised of a physical structure and an electrical system.
There is a shaft 38 between the motor 30 and the vanes 35. This version is mainly for roadways RW. Each of the housings 37 can have a diameter of approximately eight feet. Each chain 12 should be approximately 10 feet long; a good number of chains 12 would be six per housing 37. Review
There is a shaft 78 between the motor 70 and the vanes 75. This version is mainly for narrow paths NP. The housing 77 can have a diameter of approximately five feet. Each chain 62 should be approximately 10 feet long; a good number of chains 62 would be eight for the housing 77.
There are three more options. An observer secured in a doorway of a helicopter could watch the ground below by a mounted portable tilted mirror. A portable closed-circuit system with its camera mounted under a helicopter, the ground below can be observed from within the helicopter. An observer on the ground with binoculars and a two-way radio can be used. The aerial vehicles—helicopters—would fly 100 to 300 feet above ground. This would solve any dust problem that may arise.
Means for a drag object can be any solid object—a solid object is better than a hollow one—it can be a cube, cylinder, ellipsoid, octahedron, pyramid, or a sphere (ball). A fastening means can be a pin, screw, rivet, or a bolt-nut combination. A holding means can be a hook, ring, or clamp. A line—a suspending means—can be a rope, cable, or chain; it can be metal or non-metal.
For a system to be economical the electric motors and the lines can be all metal, they will be the farthest from any blast. The housings and the vanes and their shafts to the motors will be nearer to any blast. Now there is a choice between expensive metal parts that can take much abuse from blasts, or less expensive non-metal parts that normally take less abuse from blasts.
A chain or a drag ball is on the ground and should be made from a metal; steel would be ideal. The shape of a hard chain or a hard ball (sphere) would help them to survive many blasts. They are relatively easier to make and it is relatively harder for them to get hung on ground objects. The explosions should just throw the chains or balls around violently. There is the possibility that cheap and very hard non-metal chains and balls would be the best choice.
There is a shaft 228 between the motor 220 and the vanes 225 inside the housing 227. The housing 227 is attached to the drag balls 214 with hooks 215 by cables 212 with upper rings 213A and lower rings 213B. The vanes 225 send a strong forced airflow AF onto the ground G.
The top view of a vanes housing can have many geometric shapes.
This physical structure 300 can be a roadway version, see
During the conflict a helicopter with an aerial clearance system could survey a roadway first. Next, a modified land vehicle would survey the roadway. This would insure a convoy was 100 percent safe along this roadway. The number of expensive armored land vehicles could be cut in numbers by 90 percent. The helicopters above would be escorted by Army Apache helicopters or Marine Viper helicopters.
An aerial clearance system has the advantage of nearly 100 percent of the time causing explosive devices to self-destruct by the downward airflow and the drag objects, and always revealing a harmful device by the downward strong airflow AF. IF the revealed device is a mine or IED it can be destroyed by shooting it.
The electric motors, vanes housings, chains, drag balls, fastening means and all lines should be made of interchangeable as is possible between the various versions. The vanes housings can be any diameter. There can be any number of chains of any length per housing. Any number of vanes housing—electric motor assemblies can be used per physical structure, from one to a few to a plurity. No new technology is needed for this system.
In the field of land mine detection there are three very important criterions. There are: 100 percent accuracy, good speed, and tolerable expense. I know of no other device, equipment, or method that satisfactorily passes the above criterions.
This system is in the field of land mines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and mechanical boogy traps clearance. It is designed to be extremely reliable, swift detection, and economically feasible in clearing a narrow path, a roadway or a large open field of hidden harmful land devices.
For greater protection, at the bottom of the housings screens can be placed. This will help protect the motors and their vanes. The screens can be made permanent or removable; see 37 (
In addition, a helicopter with an aerial clearance system will give the occupant of the helicopter, a good chance to spot a triggerman for a hidden IED below.
Claims
1) An aerial clearance system for hidden harmful land devices having a physical structure comprising:
- a) electric motors are mounted on housings by fastening means;
- b) therein each said housing is a shaft to said motor;
- c) holding means are placed around each said housing;
- d) an electrical system is added to said motors, and
- e) whereby said physical structure can be supported by upper lines.
2) An aerial clearance system for hidden harmful land devices comprising a physical structure and its electrical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fastening means comprising screw-type hardware.
3) An aerial clearance system for hidden harmful land devices comprising a physical structure and its electrical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said housing has a geometric shape.
4. An aerial clearance system for hidden harmful land devices comprises a physical structure and an electrical system, wherein:
- said physical structure and said electrical system comprises an electric motor with mounting legs mounted on and fastened to a housing said mounting legs high over said housing;
- a shaft is between said electric motor and its vanes inside said housing;
- hooks for drag objects are placed around the bottom of said housing, said physical structure and said electric motor are connected to an upper line for a helicopter;
- said electrical system comprises said electric motor connected to a portable control panel and a portable power supply within said helicopter.
5. The aerial clearance system for hidden harmful land devices comprises a physical structure and an electrical system as claimed in claim 4, said housing farther having a geometric shape of a circle.
6. The aerial clearance system for hidden harmful land devices comprises a physical structure and an electrical system as claimed in claim 4, said housing farther having a geometric shape of a triangle.
7. An aerial clearance system for hidden harmful land devices comprises a physical structure wherein:
- said physical structure having a geometric shaped housing that is a square, upper hooks are placed around upper part of said square housing;
- said upper hooks are attached to supporting lines said supporting lines are attached to a center supporting line;
- lower hooks for the connecting of drag chains are placed around lower part of said square housing, and
- whereby a modified land vehicle with a portable structural assembly, said center supporting line of said physical structure is hung to said portable structure assembly at a safe distance in front of said land vehicle.
8. An aerial clearance system for hidden harmful land devices, comprising:
- a physical structure having an electric motor with mounting legs-vanes housing assembly;
- said electric motor is mounted higher over said vanes housing by said mounting legs and fastening means;
- said fastening means being bolt-nut combinations that fasten said mounting legs to said vanes housing;
- therein, there is a shaft between said electric motor and its vanes within said vanes housing;
- holding means are hooks, said hooks for chains are mounted around the bottom of said vanes housing and fasten with bolt-nut combinations;
- an electrical system for said aerial clearance system comprising a portable control panel and a portable power supply are connected to said electric motor within said physical structure, and
- said electric motor has an upper holding ring connected to and supported by an upper cable.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 29, 2015
Publication Date: Nov 3, 2016
Inventor: Nathanial Henry Lewis (Fallon, NV)
Application Number: 14/545,375