Deployable Device Having An Unrolled Configuration For Rapidly Immobilizing A Land Vehicle And Associated Methods

Abstract

An apparatus to be positioned at the side of a roadway for ensnaring tires of an oncoming land vehicle is described. The apparatus comprises a continuous base layer further comprising a plurality of spike holders. The base layer is adapted to support a net package in a rolled stowed configuration. The net package includes a set of spikes tethered to netting. A deployment hose is connected to the base layer to cause the base layer to become unrolled for deployment when the deployment hose is inflated.

I/we claim: 
     
         1 . An apparatus to be positioned at the side of a roadway for ensnaring tires of an oncoming land vehicle, comprising:
 a netting package having a base layer, the base layer further comprising at least one deployment hose, wherein the base layer provides housing for a plurality of penetrators and netting tethered to the penetrators and is stowed in a rolled configuration when in a non-deployment state; and   a deployment module configured to inflate the deployment hose upon initial deployment, wherein the inflation of the deployment hose causes the base layer to unroll and lay across the roadway upon deployment,   wherein, upon deployment, the penetrators are arranged on the roadway to puncture a tire of the oncoming vehicle and cause the netting to be pulled from the base layer to ensnare the tire.   
     
     
         2 . An apparatus to be positioned at the side of a roadway for ensnaring tires of an oncoming land vehicle, comprising:
 a base layer temporarily housing a plurality of penetrators and netting tethered to the penetrators,   wherein the base layer is arranged in a rolled configuration when in a non-deployment state.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising at least one deployment hose attached to the base layer. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the deployment hose is configured to be in a rolled configuration when the base layer is in a stowed configuration, and wherein inflation of the deployment hose causes the base layer to unroll and lay across the roadway upon deployment. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising penetrator holders removably attached to the base layer for holding the penetrators in a desired orientation and position. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of penetrators are spikes. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , further comprising spike tethers connecting spikes to the netting. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the spikes are positioned in the base layer to point toward a center of the base layer when in a rolled configuration. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising two deployment hoses, each attached at opposing sides of the base layer. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus to be positioned at the side of a roadway for ensnaring tires of an oncoming land vehicle, comprising:
 a net package having a base layer further comprising a spike holder, wherein the base layer is rolled into a roll in a stowed configuration.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the spike holder includes an integrated spike positioning retainer. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the net package includes netting and a plurality of spikes tethered to the netting, and the spike positioning retainer positions the spikes tethered to the netting. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising two deployment hoses, each attached at opposing sides of the base layer. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the spike holder includes an integrated spike positioning retainer and the net package includes netting and a plurality of spikes tethered to the netting, and the spike positioning retainer positions the spikes tethered to the netting. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein inflation of the deployment hoses causes the base layer to unroll as the hoses straighten such that the base layer lays substantially flat across the roadway upon deployment, and the spike holder is configured to cause tires of an oncoming vehicle to make contact with at least one spike. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the deployment hoses are configured to be connected to a pressure-generating device to be inflated. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the netting includes a plurality of reinforcing strips interweaved through a mesh of the netting, each reinforcing strip extending a different slope from a common origin on the netting. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the spikes include two or more barbs to restrict back-out of the spikes once they penetrate a tire. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the segments are configured such that when a tire of an oncoming vehicle is penetrated by a spike, the netting tethered to the spike is pulled from the segments and is caused to wrap around the tire.