Moving sacrificial vehicle hull

Abstract

The present invention is directed to new and improved armor protection that can replace the existing crew cabin with a field replaceable armored crew compartment to be attached to the existing body of an HMMWV military vehicle to protect the military personnel within from explosive blasts, roll-over or collisions. In accordance with the concepts of the present invention, in order to provide additional protection to personnel in the HMMWV crew compartment, a sacrificial V-shaped hull is designed to be attached onto the underside of the crew compartment over the HMMWV frame rails. In the event of an explosion underneath the HMMWV, the V-shaped hull will shield the personnel inside the cabin and absorb the force of the explosion.

1 . A removable one piece armored crew compartment attachable to an existing vehicle frame for protecting occupants in the vehicle from the impact of an explosion beneath the vehicle, comprising:
 a crew compartment body and a plurality of crew compartment doors, wherein the crew compartment is attached using an attachment means, and   a removable armor shield configured to couple with the armored crew compartment about an open chassis of the existing vehicle frame and cover the open chassis of the existing vehicle frame, and
 wherein the armored crew compartment is constructed of a rigid metal to reduce the localized impact of an explosive device, 
 wherein the removable one piece armored crew compartment is configured to surround a portion of the open chassis of the existing vehicle frame; and 
 wherein the removable armor shield comprises a first plate, having a V-shaped contour defined by a first and second V-arm extending from an apex in a plane substantially parallel to a transverse axis of the first plate, and including a plurality of oval V-arm holes defined by the V-arms configured to couple the vehicle hull to the vehicle, with the oval V-arm holes extending in a plane substantially parallel to the transverse axis. 
   
     
     
         2 . The removable one piece armored crew compartment of  claim 1 , wherein the coupling of the vehicle hull with the vehicle is rigidly fixed under normal vehicle operating conditions and slidably coupled in response to an explosion. 
     
     
         3 . The removable one piece armored crew compartment of  claim 1 , wherein the vehicle hull is coupled with the vehicle via respective coupling assemblies that extend through the oval V-arm holes to rigidly couple the vehicle hull to the vehicle in an operating configuration, and wherein the coupling assemblies are configured to slidably assume a shock position in response to an explosion. 
     
     
         4 . The removable one piece armored crew compartment of  claim 1 , further comprising a second plate configured to extend between the first and second V-arm. 
     
     
         5 . The removable one piece armored crew compartment of  claim 4 , wherein the second plate is configured to reside within a V-slot defined by the first and second V-arm. 
     
     
         6 . The removable one piece armored crew compartment of  claim 4 , wherein the second plate comprises a plurality of second-plate coupling holes defined by the second plate that correspond to at least a portion of the oval V-arm coupling holes. 
     
     
         7 . The removable one piece armored crew compartment of  claim 6 , wherein the second-plate coupling holes are oval and substantially correspond to the oval V-arm coupling holes. 
     
     
         8 . The removable one piece armored crew compartment of  claim 4 , wherein the first and second plate are configured to couple with the vehicle in a stacked configuration, with the second plate stacked abutting a portion of the vehicle and the first plate stacked over and abutting the second plate. 
     
     
         9 . The removable one piece armored crew compartment of  claim 8 , wherein the second plate defines a plurality of oval second-plate coupling holes that correspond to respective V-arm coupling holes, and wherein a plurality of respective coupling assemblies are configured to extend through corresponding pairs of second-plate and V-arm coupling holes to couple the first and second plates with the vehicle. 
     
     
         10 . The removable one piece armored crew compartment of  claim 4  further comprising a plurality of ribs that extend between the first and second plate within a rib-cavity defined by the first and second plate. 
     
     
         11 . The removable one piece armored crew compartment of  claim 10 , wherein the second plate defines a plurality of rib-holes, and wherein the plurality of ribs are coupled with the second plate via the rib-holes. 
     
     
         12 . The removable one piece armored crew compartment of  claim 1 , wherein the removable armor shield further comprises a second plate disposed within a concave portion of the first plate, and wherein the second plate extends from a first V-arm of the first plate to a second V-arm of the first plate. 
     
     
         13 . A removable armor shield configured to couple with an armored crew compartment about an open chassis of an existing vehicle frame and cover the open chassis of the existing vehicle frame, the removable armor shield comprising:
 a first plate having a V-shaped contour defined by a first and second V-arm extending from an apex in a plane substantially parallel to a transverse axis of the first plate, and   a plurality of oval V-arm holes defined by the V-arms configured to couple the vehicle hull to the vehicle, with the oval V-arm holes extending in a plane substantially parallel to the transverse axis.