Europaisches Patentamt J» European Patent Office f\) Publication number: 0193 507 B1 Office europeen des brevets EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION Date of publication of the patent specification: Int. Cl ;F41H 3/00 26.04.89 Application number: 86850053.9 Date of filing: 18.02.86 A vehicle carried system for camouflage with foam. Priority: 22.02.85 SE 8500875 Proprietor: Affarsverket FFV, Tullgatan 8, S-631 87 Eskilstuna(SE) © Date of publication of application : 03.09.86 Bulletin 86/36 Inventor: Sollander, Stefan, 1892 Berge, S-83400 Brunflo(SE) Inventor: Trubenbach, Rainer, Schiringe Gard, @ Publication of the grant of the patent: S-64200 Flen(SE) 26.04.89 Bulletin 89/17 Inventor: Wigren, Per, PI 3386A, S-63590 Eskilstuna(SE) Designated Contracting States: Representative: Hopfgarten, Nils et al, Bergenstrahle & AT BE CH DE FR GB IT LI LU NL Lindvall AB Sankt Paulsgatan 1 , S-116 47 Stockholm(SE) References cited: EP-A- 0 018 956 DE-A-3217 977 FR-A-1131158 FR-A-2521715 US-A- 4 142015 m o ^J Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned A statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid (Art. 99(1) European patent I"! convention). ACTORUM AG EP 0193 507 B1 Description In Fig. 1 a system is illustrated, intended for gen- erating and applying large volumes of foam. The The present invention relates to a vehicle carried system includes a water tank 2 as well as five addi- system for camouflage with foam, including a plant tional reservoirs 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, which respectively for generating water-based foam, said foam gener- 5 contain a stabilizer for prolonging the time of dura- ating plant including a foaming liquid reservoir con- tion of the foam, a foaming agent, e.g. in the form of taining foaming agent and water, which under pres- tensides, a first colouring agent, a second colour- sure are delivered to at least one foam generator ing agent and a third colouring agent. The colouring for generating camouflage foam. agents are conveniently constituted of water-solu- Such a system is previously known through EP-A 10 ble paper colours which relatively soon will disap- 0 018 956. In this document camouflage within the pear in the landscape, when the foam is dissolved. visible range of wave lengths as well as within the Each of the reservoirs 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 is con- infrared range and the microwave range of primari- nected via a pump 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22 respectively ly military objects by laying out foam on the ground to an output conduit 24 from the water tank 2. Each or putting it around e.g. a vehicle is described. In 15 of the pumps 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 is driven by an elec- the latter case vertical sides as well as upper parts tric motor 26, 28, 30, 32 and 34 respectively, of the vehicle are covered by foam. In FR-A 2 521 whereby in a simple way an individual control of the 715 a technique is described for camouflage of in- rotation speed of the pumps is made possible. By frared emitting objects by applying a foam directly variation of the rotation speed of the electric mo- on the surfaces of the objects, the foam being espe- 20 tors 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 and with that the speed of the cially prepared to exhibit a good adherence to said pumps 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 the amount of the different surfaces. additives consisting of stabilizer, foaming agent The object of the present invention is to provide and various colouring additives could be controlled. a new system for camouflage, which system is in- On the conduit 24 a water pump 36 is arranged. tended to be carried by that vehicle which should be 25 The water pump 36 is driven by a hydraulic motor 38 camouflaged. and its rotation speed can be controlled in order to This object is obtained by a system of the kind adjust the delivered volume. mentioned in the introduction, wherein foam is filled By the pump 36 the foaming liquid can be pumped into containers in the form of bags, preferably of either through a conduit 40 to a foam generator 42 cotton, which are placed on the vehicle for its cam- 30 for generating an intermediate foam having a foam- ouflage, said bags being attached to and carried by ing coefficient in the range of 30-200 and at a pres- the foam generators, which are located at fixed po- sure of typically 5 bars. The foam generator is of a sitions on the vehicle, ad said bags having a shape type to be described in detail in relation to Fig. 2 and adapted to the actual position on the vehicle. can be used for filling foam bags in the system de- Thus, with the present invention a system is pro- 35 scribed more in detail in connection with Figs. 3-5. vided for camouflage of moving vehicles and as the Alternatively, the cut-off cock 44 can be closed bags are adapted to their positions on the vehicle and the foaming liquid pumped to the foam generator camouflage is obtained without disturbing the func- 46. This foam generator 46 is constructed to pro- tion or hindering the use of the vehicle. The bags duce large volumes of light foam with a foaming co- are intended to be mounted on the foam generators 40 efficient exceeding 200 and a liquid pressure of typ- before their filling with foam. The filling with no sol- ically 1 .5 bars, this foam being intended to be applied dier staying outside the vehicle. to the ground. The foam bags are then preferably coloured to The foam generator 46 includes a rectangular form a visual camouflage. The thickness of the housing 48, at the input end of which a nozzle 50 in bags is adapted to attenuate infrared radiation and 45 the shape of an essentially rectangular frame is ar- microwave radiation to a desired degree. ranged, this nozzle 50 being fed with foaming liquid An embodiment of the system according to inven- by the conduit 52. From the nozzle 50 the foaming tion, chosen as an example, will now be described liquid is sprayed through the space inside the hous- more in detail in relation to the accompanying draw- ing 48 and out through a net 54, arranged at the op- ings, in which 50 posite side of the housing 48, together with air, which a fan 56, arranged at the input side of the - Fig. 1 schematically illustrates the construction housing 48, is blowing through the output net 54 to of the embodiment of a foam generating system, obtain a light foam. As is shown in Fig. 1 the net is - Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal sectional view of an pleated to increase the output area. embodiment of a foam generator in the system ac- 55 The water pump 36 and the fan 56 are each driv- cording to the invention, en by a hydraulic motor 38 and 58 respectively, - Fig. 3 illustrates a tank, seen from the top, on while the pumps 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 for the different which a system according to the invention with filled additives are each driven by an electric motor 26, foam bags is placed, 28, 30, 32, and 34 respectively. A hydraulic pump - Fig. 4 illustrates schematically a tank, seen 60 60 for the hydraulic motors and an electric genera- from behind, provided with foam-filled camouflage tor 62 for the electric motors, are driven by an in- bags and ternal combustion engine 64, whereby the foam ap- - Fig. 5 illustrates a foam bag in the system ac- plying system forms a self-supporting unit as far as cording to Figs. 3 and 4, mounted on a foam genera- power is concerned. The whole system is preferably tor of the type shown in Fig. 2. 65 built into a container-like modular unit, which can EP 0193 507 B1 easily be loaded on a suitable transport vehicle, are suitably placed within the tank, and the system e.g. a heavy truck. is controlled from inside the vehicle. The water tank 2 is also provided with a connec- The camouflage bags 90 are preferably of such a tion 66 for filling water, e.g. from a vehicle for colour that a good visible camouflage is obtained al- transport of liquid goods or by means of a pump 5 so when they are moist, and their form and position from another water source. The water pump 36 it- are chosen to obtain good camouflage for micro- self could be used for filling of water. waves as well as infrared and visual radiation. For By the fact that the hydraulic and electric motors this the shape of the bags is adapted to the actual are speed-controlled the amount of the different ad- position, cf. also Fig. 4 showing a tank from behind, ditives to the foam liquid can be controlled, whereby 1 o provided with foam bags 90. the foaming coefficient, the foam capacity and the To obtain a saticfactory attenuation of infrared colour of the foam can be regulated within wide lim- waves and microwaves the bags 90 have to be of its.