DESC:4. DESCRIPTION

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a minefield recording system for mine laying which is accurate and time saving. More particularly, relates to a minefield recording system which is capable of recording minefield with complete accuracy and, when required, be able to indicate correct location of mines, even if they have drifted from their original locations.

Background of the Invention

Mine laying, which is an integral task of engineer units and infantry battalions of the Indian Army, is an extremely dangerous and time consuming process which needs great deliberation and care especially in the creation and maintenance of records.

A large number of international conventions exist to ensure minefields do not cause civilian casualties or place life and property at risk unnecessarily. Hence it is essential to scrupulously follow all conventions when employing minefields. Minefields are laid due to operational requirements, and it therefore follows that when these operational reasons no longer exist, minefields have to be removed. The procedure to clear minefields is known as demining operations.

One of the banes of current system of recording of minefields is that it is totally manual and relies on traditional navigation and map reading procedures. As such it is prone to errors which prove extremely expensive and even lead to loss of lives at the time a minefield has to be cleared.

Demining operations may take place after long durations and so it is essential that original records of the minefield are held as, during recovery of mines, casualties may take place due to inaccurate recording of location of mines. Since the present methodology relies on navigation equipment available in the units and manual preparation of sketch of minefield, a need was felt to have a minefield recording system which should be capable of recording minefield with complete accuracy and, when required, be able to indicate correct location of mines, even if they have drifted from their original locations.

The prior art EP2038680A1 discloses a metal detector including a first coil for transmitting a signal and receiving a first response signal, a second coil for receiving a second response signal, where said first and second coils for receiving first and second response signals are of different effective configurations and, where said first and second response signals are processed to determine at least the depth, location, approximate size, shape, and/or other useful characteristic of an object that is detected by said metal detector.

Another prior art US8149110B2 discloses a movable boundary detection device comprising of a receiver configured to determine a position of the device and a processor module configured to determine that the position is a predetermined distance from a predefined boundary and also detect a power saving condition; and implement a power saving strategy including one of the receiver, communications, and the processor module in response to detecting the power reduction condition.

The prior art CN106408453A discloses a GIS-based power transmission line intelligent patrol inspection system, which comprises a server and a mobile terminal, wherein an electronic map is set up in the server, and the server and the mobile terminal performs exchange and sharing with each other through a network.

The prior art WO2012063241A1 discloses a system for identification and location of a minefield in a geographical region of interest (ROI), said system comprising a sensing unit for receiving the electromagnetic radiation of said ROI and generating at least one image of said electromagnetic radiation of said ROI, said ROI being characterized by a specific geographical location also an analyzing unit adapted to classify the probability of said at least one image to be a minefield by using one or more spectral parameters associated with at least one exposed chemical of said ROI.

The prior art US6473025B2 discloses a landmine detection system comprises a ground-penetrating radar for probing the surface of the ground for landmines and other anomalies. The radar is swept back and forth across a lane while a user proceeds forward. A navigation sensor and processor keep track of all the parts of the lane that have been probed. A user display presents a visual graphic that represents the lane and the parts of it that have been probed. The user is then able to swing the radar to areas that are indicated as having been skipped in previous passes, e.g., to get 100% coverage.

The prior art US5680048A discloses a mine detection system comprising a wand having a first end and an opposite second end, a housing mounted onto said first end of said wand, a signal processor supported by said wand, a ground penetrating radar system in communication with said signal processor, said radar system including a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna, said antenna having a first field of view. A metal detector system in communication with said signal processor, said metal detector system including metal detector coils, said metal detector coils having a second field of view and the said antenna and said metal detector coils being contained within said housing, said metal detector coils concentrically surrounding said antenna.

The prior art US4021725A discloses a vehicle carried metal object sensing system wherein sensing of magnetic fields of different polarity or of ferrous and non-ferrous objects results in distinctive colors on a cathode ray tube display. Deflection signals are generated in accordance with vehicle travel and field scan to provide successive frames of a map-like display.

The above prior art references of minefield recording system discloses various methods of mine detection units but these are not fully automated systems that assures safety for the combatants and that works individually for carrying out mine locator and disarming operations.

Furthermore, since the records are kept in written form with no digital backup, these records are prone to being misplaced or lost. The clearance of a minefield, which in many ways is much more important than the laying of mines, becomes a very hazardous process in the absence of accurate records.

Therefore, requirement for aminefield tracking and safe retrieval system to automate current manual task of recording of minefields is required. It is also a requirement that the new minefield recording systemensure excellence in keeping of records with the ultimate aim of providing accurate location of mines in a minefield at the time of demining.

Brief Summary of the Invention

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding to the reader. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure and it does not identify key/critical elements of the invention or delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts disclosed herein in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

It is an object of the present invention to provide user friendly and simple hand held device(s) to record details of mines and minefields laid by soldiers.

It is another object of the present invention, that the system should enable safe mine laying as well as retrieval of mines, duly catering for shifting of mines after they have been laid.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a mine field tracking and safe retrieval system is disclosed. The said system comprises ofa base station for GPS augmentation, hand held modules with GPS rover, marker tracers with GPS rover, a Wi-Fi router for internal communication, a tough pad , a software module, a charging station, and RFID tags used in laying of a minefield.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the system comprises fix marker tracer mounted on a drone or personnel, and an RFID reader in collaboration with the software module for use of clearance of the said minefield. The said system is configured to assist users connected over secured network in planning, recce, mine laying and in clearance of the said minefield.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention,the said system is configured to send the drone or personnel over minefield in planned route involving in stages of identifying the RFID tags that are not visible, stopping at point where mine with RFID tag not found, and using of reserve marker tracers with expanded area of search.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the said system in a preliminary stage in the minefield clearance is configured to use RFID reader on drone or personnel to confirm location of anti-personnel mines, updating anti-personnel mines which have drifted, and identifying the mines that are not located.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the said system in a setting out stage in the minefield clearance is configured to use marker tracer to identify centre line, to direct exact route to follow and warn party members when deviating from a designated route.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the said system in a disarming stage of anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, and anti-personnel fragmentation mines in the process of minefield clearance is configured to allot marker-tracer to each member, direct each member to their mine along centre line and at right angle from centre line to mine, and if mine not found or not laid, indication not to progress beyond centre line is given.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the said system in the disarming stage is configured to allot one task for all four members on sequence of mines (including mines not laid/not found) at a time.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the said system in a third stage of minefield clearance is configured to conduct a search for drifted mines not yet found and identify location vis a vis anti-personnel fragmentation mines location to decide a sequence of disarming.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates architecture of the system for clearance of minefield in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Fig 2A illustrates a block diagram disclosing a secured network of the said system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Fig 2B illustrates another block diagram disclosing different stages in a mine clearance in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

It is appreciated that not all aspects and structures of the present invention are visible in a single drawing, and as such multiple views of the invention are presented so as to clearly show the structures of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

The use of “including”, “comprising” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. Further, the use of terms “first”, “second”, and “third”, and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a minefield recording system which is capable of recording minefield with complete accuracy and, when required, be able to indicate correct location of mines, even if they have drifted from their original locations is disclosed.The mine field tracking and safe retrieval system comprises of a base station for GPS augmentation, hand held modules with GPS rover, marker tracers with GPS rover, a Wi-Fi router for internal communication, a tough pad , a software module, a charging station, and RFID tags used in laying of a minefield.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the system comprises fix marker tracer mounted on a drone or personnel, and an RFID reader in collaboration with the software module for use of clearance of the said minefield. The said system is configured to assist users connected over secured network in planning, recce, mine laying and in clearance of the said minefield.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system is configured to send the drone or personnel over minefield in planned route involving in stages of identifying the RFID tags that are not visible, stopping at point where mine with RFID tag not found, and using of reserve marker tracers with expanded area of search.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system in a preliminary stage in the minefield clearance is configured to use RFID reader on drone or personnel to confirm location of anti-personnel mines, updating anti-personnel mines which have drifted, and identifying the mines that are not located.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system in a setting out stage in the minefield clearance is configured to use marker tracer to identify centre line, to direct exact route to follow and warn party members when deviating from a designated route.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system in a disarming stage of anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, and anti-personnel fragmentation mines in the process of minefield clearance is configured to allot marker-tracer to each member, direct each member to their mine along centre line and at right angle from centre line to mine, and if mine not found or not laid, indication not to progress beyond centre line is given.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system in the disarming stage is configured to allot one task for all four members on sequence of mines (including mines not laid/not found) at a time.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system in a third stage of minefield clearance is configured to conduct a search for drifted mines not yet found and identify location vis a vis anti-personnel fragmentation mines location to decide a sequence of disarming.

Components of the present invention:
1. System (11)
2. Base station (1) for GPS augmentation
3. Wi-Fi router (2) for internal communication
4. Hand held modules (3) with GPS rover
5. Marker tracers with GPS rover (4)
6. Drone or personnel (5)
7. RFID Reader (6)
8. RFID tags (7) used in laying of a minefield
9. Tough pad (8)
10. Software module (9)
11. Charging station (10)
12. Secured network (20)
13. Planning (22)
14. Recce (24)
15. Mine laying (26)
16. Clearance (28)
17. Minefield Clearance (30)
18. Preliminary Stage (32)
19. Setting out Stage (34)
20. Disarming Stage (36)
21. Search for drifted mines (38)

Referring to the figures, Fig 1, a mine field tracking and safe retrieval system (11)in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present inventionis disclosed. The said system (11) comprises ofa base station (1) for GPS augmentation, hand held modules (3) with GPS rover, marker tracer with GPS rover (4), a Wi-Fi router (2) for internal communication, a tough pad (8) preinstalled with a software module (9), a charging station (10), and a RFID reader (6) with RFID tags (7) used in laying of a minefield.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention the disclosed system is a mine field tracking and safe retrieval system (11), wherein the said system (11) comprises of a base station (1) for GPS augmentation, a Wi-Fi router (2) for internal communication ,a plurality of hand held modules (3) with GPS rover, marker tracers with GPS rover (4), a tough pad (8) with a software module (9) preinstalled inside, a charging station (10), and a plurality of RFID tags (7) fitted to mines and used in laying of a minefield. The fixed marker tracer mounted on a drone or personnel (5), and an RFID reader (6) in collaboration with tough tab (8) and the software module (9) and the said system (11) used for clearance of the said minefield.

Fig 2A and Fig 2B, discloses aflow chart of the secured network (20) and mine clearance (30) of the said system (11)in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The said system (11)is configured to assist users connected over secured network in planning (22), recce (24), mine laying (26), and in clearance (28) stages of the said minefield. The said system (11) is configured to send the drone or personnel (5) over minefield in planned route involving in stages of identifying the RFID tags (7) that are not visible, stopping at point where mine with RFID tag not found, and using of reserve marker tracers with expanded area of search.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention the said system (11) in a preliminary stage (32) in the mine field clearance (30) is configured to use RFID reader (6) on drone or personnel (5) to confirm location of anti-personnel mines, updating anti-personnel mines which have drifted, and identifying the mines that are not located. Wherein in a setting out stage (34) in the mine field clearance (30) is configured to use marker tracer to identify centre line, to direct exact route to follow and warn party members when deviating from a designated route.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention the said system (11) in a disarming stage (36) of anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, and anti-personnel fragmentation mines in the process of minefield clearance (30) is configured to allot marker-tracer with GPS rover (4) to each member, direct each member to their mine along centre line and at right angle from centre line to mine, and if mine not found or not laid, indication not to progress beyond centre line is given. The said system (11) in the disarming stage (36) is configured to allot one task for all four members on sequence of mines (including mines not laid/not found) at a time and also the said system (11) in a third stage of minefield clearance (30) is configured to conduct a search for drifted mines (38) not yet found and identify location vis a vis anti-personnel fragmentation mines location to decide a sequence of disarming.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the system (11) comprises fix marker tracer mounted on a drone or personnel (5), and an RFID reader (6) in collaboration with the software module (9) for use of clearance of the said minefield (9). The said system (11) is configured to assist users connected over secured network (20) in planning (22), recce (24), mine laying (26) and in clearance (28) of the said minefield.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) is configured to send the drone or personnel(5) over minefieldin planned route involving in stages of identifying the RFID tags (7) that are not visible, stopping at point where mine with RFID tag not found, and using of reserve marker tracers with expanded area of search.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) in a preliminary stage (32) in the minefield clearance (30) is configured to use RFID reader (6) on drone or personnel(5) to confirm location of anti-personnel mines, updating anti-personnel mines which have drifted, and identifying the mines that are not located.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) in a setting out stage (34) in the minefield clearance (30) is configured to use marker tracer to identify centre line, to direct exact route to follow and warn party members when deviating from a designated route.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) in a disarming stage of anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, and anti-personnel fragmentation mines in the process of minefield clearance (30) is configured to allot marker-tracer to each member, direct each member to their mine along centre line and at right angle from centre line to mine, and if mine not found or not laid, indication not to progress beyond centre line is given.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) in the disarming stage (36) is configured to allot one task for all four members on sequence of mines (including mines not laid/not found) at a time.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) in a third stage of minefield clearance is configured to conduct a search for drifted mines (38) not yet found and identify location vis a vis anti-personnel fragmentation mines location to decide a sequence of disarming.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) in the planning stage (22) of mine laying, enables the user to plan an approximate layout of a minefield, calculate number of mines, input location data, Mine Laying Parties (MLP) details, minefield requirements, and to store all the information associated with laying of the mine.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) in the recce (24) stage of mine laying, enables the user to reach planned locations using marker tracers, update locations in case of change, record landmarks, and record four corners of a minefield boundary.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) in the mine laying (26) stage, assists the users of a setting out party in its task while updating and finalizing all pickets as they progress, allow independent progress of marking party with internal memory as it will be out of communication with ruggedized tab, allot marker tracers to anti-tank party, anti-tank party commander and anti-personnel party commander to record exact locations of mines.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) in the mine laying (26) stage, enables the user to lay trip wire end pins, installation of anti-lifting devices, anchoring and the like activities and record all those activities in creating the said minefield.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) in the mine laying (26) stage, enables lot-wise allotment of mines to party members and allows recording all those activities that the party members do while laying the minefield.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) in the mine laying stage (26), records terrain conditions if a mine is not laid due to unsuitable conditions of the terrain.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) displays a list of the recorded points as a table with their co-ordinates either in sequence of recording or based on alphanumeric sorting of assigned names.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the said system (11) is being moved, and indicates the actual direction of move the intended path by displaying both as lines in different colors.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the components of the said system (11) are:
light weight and portable;
ruggedized;
capable of taking military maps and GIS;
having location accuracy to less than 10 cm;
provide accurate terrain description of one-by-one km square;
usable at night; and
usable with minimum luminosity and audio warnings for use when under enemy arc of observation.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention the said software module (9) is installed in said tough pad (8) wherein the login screen has three buttons viz. Support, Admin and Officer In charge. On clicking the button one has to enter the user name and password for the respective users.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention said support on clicking gives configuration settings like IP address, emulator and communication speed etc and it can be done by the customer support executive while admin login is to be used by main commanding officers before recce for creating a rough plan. Provision for creating a plan is available.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention wherein officer In-charge this login is usually given to the officer-in-charge who executes the plan on ground; there is no provision for a creating plan. The said system once logged in the screen contains the following menu options like profiles, operation procedures, planning operations, user inputs, setup options, various maps, and reports, various diagnostics procedures for carrying mining and demining procedures.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention the maintenance of the equipment is a scheduled one. The purpose of scheduled maintenance is to carry out thorough visual inspection and operational checks of the equipment for its serviceability. The scheduled maintenance is also intended for timely detection and elimination of faults if any, to keep the equipment in constant readiness for usage Ensure the following Clean all the equipment thoroughly, The batteries are charged at least once every 2 weeks, All moving parts are oils regularly, Update to software provided by the OEM is appropriately installed.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention the sequence of operation of the said system includes performing diagnostics to check the connection status of various modules using the Diagnostics menu, Generating minefield calculations using the Operation menu option, Drawing/importing the rough plan using the Plan menu option, Import mine laying party details using input screen, In the Setup screen Select parties from the task dropdown and assign respective operations. Monitoring the tasks in the Map menu during recce/setting out/ mining/demining using the rover and generating reports after the operation is completed.

Essential parameters:
1. Operational Parameters:
• The system should have user friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) which facilitates the functional requirements of Minefield Recording System (MRS) as brought out in the present system (11).
• The system should plot and record in memory the coordinates of any desired point on the ground at which the equipment is taken.
• There should be a provision to indicate the current location of the system on the map.
• It should be able to record the following details of a mine laid on ground and minefield details, to an accuracy of 50 cm when GNSS signals are available :-
(a) Location, in terms of Latitude, Longitude and Elevation in WGS84 datum.
(b) Extent of trip wires, on one or both sides of the mine including diagrammatic plot of trip wires.
(c) Details of minefield to include layout of strips, density, and location of Start Strip Markers (SSM), Turning Points (TP), End Strip Markers (ESM), Gaps, Lanes and Perimeter Fencing.
• It should be able to indicate mines laid and details given above to an accuracy of 10 cm during retrieval of mines post laying of minefield in conditions as mentioned.
• In addition to it should be able to record following details of minefield:
(a) Details of mines including type with a separate symbol for each. The system to have a pre-loaded library of symbols for each type of mine.
(b) Anchorage provided to a mine.
(c) Self-Neutralization (SN) (if applicable)/ Self Destruction (SD) (if applicable)/ Self Deactivation (SDA) (if applicable) period.
(d) Date and time at which a mine is laid/ recorded.
(e) Details of person, mine laying party and unit laying the mine field.
(f) Memo/ notes pertaining to a mine/ minefield, such as reference land mark Map sheet No of area lot No of mines laid, date of manufacture and expiry of mines etc.
• The system should be able to display a diagrammatic plot of the points recorded on a hand-held screen, which could be zoomed as required for enlargement, with scroll facility.
• System should display a list of the recorded points as a table with their co-ordinates either in sequence of recording or based on alphanumeric sorting of assigned names.
• It should be feasible to set a desired course of travel by accepting way-points and display a diagrammatic plot/ list of the same.
• Heading arrow should be displayed on the map as per the direction of movement of the individual carrying the system. When the equipment is being moved, it should indicate the actual direction of move vis-à-vis the intended path by displaying both as lines in different color. The actual move and the intended path should be plotted as a continuous line. The GNSS Receiver should have a minimum refresh rate of 10 Hz.
• Deviation (configurable from 50 Cm to least possible) from the intended path should be indicated by a cautionary beep till correction is achieved for deviation of maximum 50 cm.
• In above condition indicate with a sound and blinking light (with selective muting of both), the proximity to a designated point when reached within a desired distance (configurable from 50 Cm to least possible) from the designated point.
• The system should take inputs in the form of digitized maps (DGN & SHP format) and superimpose all records on the map, when required. The equipment should be capable of superimposing geo-referenced satellite imagery on the digitized maps. Scroll down menu should be provided on the display for selection of the type of maps.
• Updating of all details of a minefield on all recording devices should be possible in the field at the discretion of the users.
• The software should be able to accept a pre-planned minefield alignment according to which a minefield is intended to be laid.
• It should be possible to feed in the details of the minefield in the system before a team actually starts laying the minefield, so that during the actual laying, only individual mine details need to be inserted.
• The enemy direction should be plot able on the work space/ outside the minefield record form. The software for GIS system used in the equipment should be provided along with integrity/ malware code certification issued by the competent authority.
• The system should be able to create a buffer zone (showing alignment of a minefield lane or a gap) where no mines (not even the trip wires of a fragmentation mine) should be allowed by the equipment.
• The system should display number of mines of each type laid and the frontage of minefield achieved when required.
• The system should enable indication of laid mines from a minimum standoff distance of 3 m. It should indicate all mines which have exceeded their Self Neutralization (SN) (if applicable)/ Self - Destruction (SD) (if applicable)/ Self Destruction – Activation (SDA) (if applicable) period distinctly for ease of recovery.
• If laying/ recovery of a minefield is to be carried out over a number of days, number and location of mines which have already been laid/ recovered should be shown distinctly (day-wise).
• The system should enable location of mines which have been displaced after laying. In built security measures must be incorporated in the equipment so that data on detect ability of mines is only held with authorized Indian Army personnel.
• The system must operate satisfactorily in wet conditions to record location of mines accurately during laying under wet / moist conditions.
• The system should meet the environmental specification as per relevant table of JSS 55555 (Revision 3: 2012) and conform to international environment protection norms at the time of Trials and Delivery. Operating temperature will be as under:-
(a) Minimum: - 20°C to -10°C.
(b) Maximum: 40°C to 45°C.
• Maximum weight of equipment which is to be employed outside the minefield should be 10 Kg for operation mode and 15 Kg for transportation mode. Maximum weight of equipment which is employed inside the minefield should be 6 Kg (Operation Mode) and 10 Kg (Transportation Mode).
• GNSS. The equipment should be compatible with IRNSS and be able to provide accuracy as mentioned using GNSS signals of all available GNSS constellations excluding IRNSS.
• Life. Life of equipment should be as under:-
(a) Shelf life of equipment - 15 Years.
(b) Operational life of equipment - 15 Years.

2. Technical Parameters:
• The system should have ingress protection (dust proof and precipitation proof) as per IP 66.
• The system should not interfere with other electronic equipment in use or be interfered with by such other equipment and comply with relevant Electro Magnetic Interference/ Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMI/EMC) standard of Indian Army as given below :-
(a) Mil Grade Eqpt: EMC Eval.
(i) For System. The system will be compliant to Military Standard 464 or equivalent.
(ii) For Sub-system. The sub-system will be compliant to Military Standard 461 or equivalent.
(b) COTS Equipment. The system will be compliant to CISPR series of standards of equivalent during the EMC evaluation.
• The system should provide data collection, management, and navigation and file browser facilities.
• It should have suitable interface/compatibility for getting connected to a variety of external devices through latest USB/Micro USB serial port and adapter for connecting to external device should be provided with the equipment. The key board or key pad or Touch Screen Key Board should enable the user to upload and down load data.
• The system should have a Ruggedized Tablet PC with a colour display screen of a minimum size of 10 inch to view diagrammatic layout of complete mine field.
• It should have facility to work by day (readable in sunlight) and night with suitable inbuilt illumination. The screen must have provision to shield the illumination so that it cannot be seen by a naked eye from a distance of 200m on a moonless night.
• The equipment should operate on Windows/Linux (BOSS) (latest version and subsequent upgrades) based operating system for ease of interfacing with existing PCs and for downloading and processing of data. The equipment should have hardware of adequate specification to be able to run the present application as well as future upgrades without interruption during the life of equipment.
• The equipment should have provision for backing up data.
• In case there is loss of satellite signal or radio communication during use, the
• Restoration of desired accuracy should take place within 10 seconds of satellite signal having been regained.
• It should have user-friendly interface and ergonomic design. It should have software and hardware upgrade facility. It should operate as a hand held instrument including its display screen and key board. Minimum of four serial ports should be provided on the receiver to ensure connectivity with other sensors.
• It should have required harness and straps for comfortably operating the equipment. Carrying case should be provided for safe carriage of the equipment
• The system should have provision to select the GNSS constellation(s) which will be utilized for operating the equipment.
• The system should provide adequate protection against software/data corruption due to electrical spikes/ surges/ interference or due to unintentional wrong operation. There should be some provision in the system so that output digital data/file can only be accessed in the intended/designated system.
• The equipment should work on commercially available rechargeable power packs. The system should be capable of operating continuously for eight hours at 27 + 20C without any limitation. The system should have a sufficient power back up to cater for un interrupted functioning of data during change of power pack. Two sets of rechargeable power packs & one charger per equipment must be provided.

3. Maintenance Parameters:
• The instrument should be repairable at field workshop (EME) level in field. Special tools, stores for maintenance and repair of the instrument should be delivered as part of the equipment.
• The system design should be modular and suitable containers/packing cases be
provided for preserving the equipment when not in use.
• The equipment should have in Test Equipment (BITE) to support diagnostics and repairs through module replacement in field. Audio/Visual alarm to be provided to indicate test failure.
• The system should have protection /provision to prevent reverse polarity fitment for all PCBs/Cards/Cables/Batteries fitted in the system.
• Standard International System. The proposed equipment and its component should confirm fully to Standard International (SI) System of units.

4. Desirable Parameters:
• It should be able to record the following details of a mine laid on ground and minefield details, to an accuracy of 4 cm when GNSS signals are available :-
(a) Location, in terms of Latitude, Longitude and Elevation in WGS84 datum.
(b) Extent of trip wires, on one or both sides of the mine including diagrammatic plot of trip wires.
(c) Details of minefield to include layout of strips, density, and location of Start Strip
Markers (SSM), Turning Points (TP), End Strip Markers (ESM), Gaps, Lanes and Perimeter Fencing.
• It should be able to record following details of minefield:-
(a) Details of mines including type with a separate symbol for each. The system to have a pre-loaded library of symbols for each type of mine.
(b) Anchorage provided to a mine.
(c) Self-Neutralization (SN) (if applicable)/ Self Destruction (SD) (if applicable)/ Self Deactivation (SDA) (if applicable) period.
(d) Date and time at which a mine is laid/ recorded.
(e) Details of person, mine laying party and unit laying the mine field.
(f) Memo/ notes pertaining to a mine/ minefield, such as reference land mark Map sheet No of area lot No of mines laid, date of manufacture and expiry of mines etc.
• It should be able to indicate mines laid and details given above to an accuracy of 4 cm during retrieval of mines post laying of minefield in conditions as mentioned.
• Deviation (configurable from 50 Cm to least possible) from the intended path should be indicated by a cautionary beep till correction is achieved for deviation of maximum 20 cm.
• In above condition indicated with a sound and blinking light (with selective muting of both), the proximity to a designated point when reached within a desired distance (configurable from 50 Cm to least possible) from the designated point.
• The system must operate satisfactorily in wet conditions to record location of mines accurately while laying as well as indicate location of mines during retrieval under wet / moist conditions.
• The system should have ingress protection (dust proof and precipitation proof) as per IP 67.
• Maximum weight of equipment which is to be employed outside the minefield should be 10 Kg for operation mode and 15 Kg for transportation mode. Maximum weight of equipment which is employed inside the minefield should be 4 Kg (Operation Mode) and 6 Kg (Transportation Mode).
• GNSS. The equipment should be compatible with IRNSS and be able to provide accuracy as mentioned using GNSS signals of;-
(a) All available GNSS constellations including IRNSS.
(b) Options for connecting GNSS devices using GSM and CDMA phones must be provided in the equipment as a plug and play system. Provision for securely disabling this facility must be incorporated.

The features and functions described above, as well as alternatives, may be combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements may be made by those skilled in the art, each of which is also intended to be encompassed by the disclosed embodiments.

The described exemplary embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. Variations in the arrangement of the structure are possible falling within the scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
,CLAIMS:. CLAIMS
I/We claim:
1. A minefield tracking and safe retrieval system (11),wherein the said system (11) comprises of:
a base station (1) for GPS augmentation, a Wi-Fi router (2) for internal communication ,a plurality of hand held modules(3) with GPS rover, markertracerswith GPS rover (4),a tough pad (8) with a softwaremodule (9), a charging station (10), and a plurality of RFID tags(7) fitted to mines used in laying of a minefield;
fix markertraceron a drone or personnel (5), and an RFID reader(6) in collaboration with the tough pad (8) and the software module (9) installed in it and the said system (11) used for clearance of the said minefield;
the said system (11) is configured to assist usersconnected over secured network in planning (22), recce (24), mine laying (26) and in clearance (28) of the said minefield;
the said system (11) is configured to send the drone or personnel(5) over minefieldin planned route involving in stages ofidentifying the RFID tags (7) that are not visible, stopping at point where mine with RFID tag not found, and using of reserve marker tracers with expanded area of search;
Characterized in that
the said system (11) in a preliminary stage (32) in theminefield clearance (30) is configured to use RFID reader (6) on drone or personnel(5) to confirm location of anti-personnel mines, updating anti-personnel mines which have drifted, and identifying the mines that are not located;
the said system (11)in a setting out stage (34)in theminefieldclearance (30) is configured to use marker tracer to identify centre line, to direct exact route to follow and warn party members when deviating from a designated route;
the said system (11) in a disarming stage (36) of anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, and anti-personnel fragmentation minesin theprocess of minefield clearance (30) is configured to allot marker-tracer to each member, direct each member to their mine along centre line and at right angle from centre line to mine, and if mine not found or not laid, indication not to progress beyond centre line is given;
the said system (11)in thedisarming stage (36) is configured toallot one task for all four members on sequence of mines (including mines not laid/not found) at a time; and
the said system (11) in a third stage of minefield clearance (30) is configured toconduct a search for drifted mines (38) not yet found and identify location vis a vis anti-personnel fragmentation mines location to decide a sequence of disarming.

2. The system (11) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said system (11) in the planning (22) stage of mine laying (26), enables the user to plan an approximate layout of a minefield, calculate number of mines, input location data, Mine Laying Parties (MLP) details, minefield requirements, and to storeall the information associated with laying of the mine.

3. The system (11) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said system (11) in the recce (24) stage of mine laying,enables the user to reach planned locations using markertracers, update locations in case of change, record landmarks, and record four corners of a minefield boundary.

4. The system (11) as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe said system (11) in the mine laying (26) stage, assiststhe users of a setting out party in its task while updating and finalizing all pickets as they progress, allow independent progress of marking party with internal memory as it will be out of communication with ruggedized tab, allot markertracers to anti-tank party, anti-tank party commander and anti-personnel party commander to record exact locations of mines.

5. The system (11) as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe said system (11) in the mine laying (26) stage, enables the user to lay trip wire end pins, installation of anti-liftingdevices, anchoring and the like activitiesand record all those activities in creating the said minefield.

6. The system (11) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said system (11) in the mine laying (26) stage, enables lot-wise allotment of mines to party members and allows to record all those activities that the party members do while laying the minefield.

7. The system (11) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said system (11) in the mine laying (26) stage, records terrain conditions if a mine is not laid due to unsuitable conditions of the terrain.

8. The system (11) as claimed in claim 1, the said system (11) displays a list of the recorded points as a table with their co-ordinateseither in sequence of recording or based on alphanumeric sorting of assigned names.

9. The system (11) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said system (11) is being moved, and indicates the actual direction of move the intended path by displaying both as lines in different colors.

10. The system (11) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the components of the said system (11) are:
(a) light weight and portable;
(b) ruggedized;
(c) capable of taking military maps and GIS;
(d) havinglocation accuracy to less than 10 cm;
(e) provide accurate terrain description of one-by-one km square;
(f) usable at night; and
(g) usable with minimum luminosity and audio warnings for use when under enemy arc ofobservation.