BE1025854B1 - PROTECTIVE HELMET HAVING A MECHANICAL SIZE ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a protective helmet (1) comprising damping means in the form of displacement disks (6) each comprising: - an outer ring (7) - a "ball" or central pin (9); a plurality of deformable arms (8) whose two ends substantially tangentially connect the outer ring (7) and radially the central ball (9). The deformable arms (8) have a length of at least 1.5 times the radius of the outer ring (7) so as to form by deformation a conical and elastic structure whose central ball (9) is located at the top and is in contact with the outer rigid shell (2). The displacement disks (6) are furthermore secured to the inner face of the outer rigid shell (2), so that in a static position the internal structure (3) is separated from the outer rigid shell (2) by an interval (14).

Description

The present invention relates to a protective helmet, for use for example in the field of sport, road or military safety, having an improved shock absorption capacity thanks to an optimized damping device. The protective helmet also includes an improvement in the system for adjusting the helmet to the size of the user's head.

State of the art Protective helmets generally comprise a rigid external structure surrounding an internal damping structure, the two structures being connected by connecting elements. In order to absorb the impact force and absorb shock to limit their transmission to the user's head, the two structures often have the possibility of sliding relative to each other.

The internal damping layer can be made of a globally energy absorbing material and / or can also comprise point or local damping elements deforming under the effect of a force, such as for example springs. In some helmets, this inner layer also includes means for adjusting the helmet to the size of the user's head.

The difficulty is to provide a damping structure absorbing both the energy of a radial impact and that of a tangential impact.

Document US 2016/073723 A1 discloses a helmet comprising two parts sliding relative to one another as well as a means

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BE2018 / 5303 connection between the two parts, associated with an element which can absorb energy thanks to its elasticity, for example by providing a spring or damping force. These connection means are devices that can absorb energy thanks to their elasticity. When a tangential or oblique force is applied to the helmet, a relative movement between the two parts of the helmet occurs. The energy is absorbed by the connection means which deforms under the action of the force applied to the helmet. In this document, the damping device is fixed, glued, or molded in one of the two radial parts of the helmet, and may have, by way of example, a form of flat spiral spring.

Document US 2017/172242 A1 describes a helmet comprising an outer shell, an impact absorption layer inside the outer shell and also an inner layer disposed inside the absorption layer of the shocks. The inner layer is configured to slide relative to the shock absorbing layer and includes a number of openings with a deflector inside each opening. Each deflector comprises a body connected to the shock absorption layer, a peripheral border connected to the opening in which it is received, as well as a certain number of deformable spokes extending between the body and the border. The deflector makes it possible to absorb the energy of the shock received on the external shell thanks to its deformation.

GB 2541760 A document relates to energy absorption systems. A flexible and deformable energy absorption system comprises a body with an internal cell and an external cell (for example, rings), the internal cell being retained in the external cell by side bands. The internal cell comprises an element in relief (“overhang”) with respect to the external cell, which can be inserted in another cell having a reentrant geometry, in order to allow the energy of an impact to be absorbed. During the impact, the overhang will be pushed back into the internal cell of another element to take up the effort, thereby dissipating part of the energy of the impact.

Furthermore, as regards the helmet size adjustment systems on the head of the user, there are different clamping means.

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BE2018 / 5303 [0009] Document US 2013/283507 A1 discloses a helmet comprising a rigid external shell and an internal adjustment structure in which the head of the user engages. The outer shell and the inner structure are coupled using a system of cables or clamping bands. The user has the possibility of adjusting the size of the internal structure by modifying the tension of the clamping cables available in the helmet, using a toothed wheel cooperating with two parallel toothed tongues situated at the rear of the helmet, that is to say a rack and pinion system.

Document US 2013/312163 A1 describes a helmet with an internal structure with automatic adjustment. The internal structure includes a rear basket and a front headband, as well as means for tensioning the basket and the band around a user's head. The tensioning means comprises a spring and a cable passing along the basket and attached to the strip, the spring making it possible to tension the front head strip via the cable.

AIMS OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to provide a solution making it possible to improve the damping of small shocks received by a protective helmet, leading to constantly repositioning the helmet to its initial equilibrium position on the head.

Another object of the invention is to provide a solution allowing a wide range of adjustment of the helmet and adaptation to all types of head or morphology, thus offering maximum comfort.

In particular, the invention aims to allow easy adjustment when the helmet is already positioned on the head of the user.

The invention also aims to improve the ventilation of the helmet by the fact that the adjustment system is "floating", that is to say attached only at certain points.

Main characteristic features of the invention The present invention relates to a protective helmet comprising:

- an external rigid shell;

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an internal structure located inside the external rigid shell and adjustable to the head of a user, said internal structure comprising a basket and a strip, the basket and the strip being intended to be positioned respectively at the rear and at the front of the head, and at least two separate damping means secured to the strip;

- means for adjusting the internal structure;

characterized in that the damping means are displacement disks each comprising:

- an external ring;

- a "ball" or central stud;

- A plurality of deformable arms whose two ends substantially tangentially connect the outer ring and radially the central ball;

the deformable arms having a length of at least 1.5 times the radius of the external ring so as to be able to form by deformation a conical and elastic structure whose central ball is located at the top and is in contact with the external rigid shell , and in that the displacement discs are also secured to the internal face of the external rigid shell, so that in the static position the internal structure is separated from the external rigid shell by an interval.

According to preferred embodiments of the invention, the protective helmet further comprises one of the following characteristics, or an appropriate combination of several of these characteristics:

the means for adjusting the internal structure include:

o a rack and pinion system integral with the basket and comprising a clamping wheel and a toothed sliding tongue;

o a tightening cable extending said strip of the internal structure at a first end and ending at a second end by the toothed sliding tab;

o the clamping wheel being able to cooperate with the toothed sliding tongue so as to shorten / stretch or lengthen / relax the clamping cable to increase the volume available between the strip and the basket of the internal structure;

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- The strip comprises at least one azimuth part relative to the helmet provided laterally on each side of the front part of the helmet with at least one displacement disc;

- The strip also comprises a meridian part relative to the helmet provided with at least one displacement disc;

- the external rigid shell is produced in the form of an external layer produced from a rigid material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polycarbonate (PC), surmounting an absorbent layer, produced for example from expanded polystyrene (EPS) ) or expanded polypropylene (PPE);

- the internal structure is made of polyamide (PA);

- the displacement discs are made of rigid plastic and are molded by injection or by 3D printing in one piece;

- The displacement discs are made of the same material as the strip, their shape giving them their elasticity;

the means for adjusting the internal structure comprise two clamping cables, each connected respectively to one end of the strip and together with the toothed sliding tongue, the two clamping cables being arranged symmetrically on each side of the basket, by means of bridges cable passage.

Brief Description of the Figures [0017] Figure 1 schematically shows a first view of an example of a protective helmet according to the present invention.

Figure 2 schematically shows another view of an example of a protective helmet according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 schematically represents a sectional view of the protective helmet according to FIG. 1.

Figure 4 schematically shows a sectional view of the protective helmet, taken along a plane perpendicular to the section plane of Figure 3 [0021] Figure 5 schematically shows a view of the internal structure of the protective helmet according to l 'invention.

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BE2018 / 5303 FIG. 6 shows an example of a means of damping the protective helmet according to the present invention.

Figure 7 shows an example for the clamping wheel and for the toothed sliding tongue of the internal structure of the protective helmet according to the present invention.

Description of a preferred embodiment of the invention An embodiment of the protective helmet 1 recommended by the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. The helmet 1 comprises a rigid outer shell 2, either full or having ventilation openings, produced for example in the form of an outer layer made of a rigid material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), etc. and an absorbent layer of expanded polystyrene (PSE), expanded polypropylene (PPE), etc. An internal structure 3 coming directly into contact with the user's head is positioned radially inside the external shell 2. This internal structure 3, made for example of polyamide (PA), is adjustable to the size of the head of the user, by means of adjustment located partly outside of the outer shell 2, at the top of the protective helmet 1 (see below). The outer shell 2 and the inner structure 3 can move relative to each other, so that an impact on the outer shell is transmitted to the head of the user only to a limited extent. Indeed, if a shock is applied to the protective helmet, the force of this shock will be partly absorbed by the relative movement of the external shell 2 with respect to the internal structure 3.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the internal structure comprises a basket 4, a strip 5 and a plurality (at least three) of separate damping means 6. The strip 5 and the basket 4 surround the head of the user when wearing the helmet 1, respectively on the back and on the front of the head. Thus, the volume left available for the head is made variable by means of adjusting the internal structure. These adjustment means comprise one or more clamping cables 12, a toothed wheel 10 and a sliding toothed tongue 11 cooperating with the toothed wheel 10, constituting a rack and pinion system (the sliding tongue slides in a

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BE2018 / 5303 integral structure of the basket). The clamping cable 12 is connected, at one of its ends, to the strip 5 and at the other of its ends, to the toothed sliding tongue 11. The toothed tongue 11 cooperates with the toothed roller 10 so that the user can stretch or relax the cable 12 by turning the toothed roller 10 to the right or to the left, which will, in this way, move the toothed sliding tongue 11. In this way, the perimeter of the strip can be increased or decreased 5. In addition, the clamping cables 12, in the example two in number, move symmetrically and in the same direction. Furthermore, the clamping cables 12 are slidably connected to the basket 4 by passage bridges 13, open or closed. The basket 4 therefore allows the passage of the clamping cables 12 and groups together the mechanical components (rack and pinion system 10, 11) Advantageously, the toothed wheel 10 and the associated tongue are located on the outer shell 2, at the top of the protective helmet 1. The positioning or the passage of these elements on the external face of the helmet are possible thanks to openings made in the external shell 2. In this way, the user can easily modify the size of the protective helmet when this the latter is already on his head, which greatly facilitates the adjustment of the internal structure to the size of the user's head.

The adjustment system can be moved, in its entirety, back and forth by manipulation external to the helmet. The displacement of the externally positioned adjustment system allows manipulation thereof, helmet worn on the head, in order to position the basket in its most comfortable position.

On the other hand, the strip 5 of the internal structure comprises, in addition to the clamping cable 12, damping means 6. As shown in Figure 6, these are preferably formed by a disc comprising a outer ring 7 connecting a ball or tenon or central rod 9, providing a certain relief to the central part of the disc, using a plurality of link arms 8. More specifically, the link arms 8 have their first end connecting the outer ring 7 substantially tangentially, and their second end connecting the central ball 9 radially. In this way, the deformable arms 8 have a length greater than the length of the radius of the ring.

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7, and preferably have a length of at least 1.5 times, and preferably at least 2 times, that of the radius of the ring 7. Alternatively, there may be only one connecting arm 8 in the form of an Archimedes spiral. In this way, and thanks to the shape of the link arm (s) 8, the damping means 6 have the capacity to deform orthogonally with respect to the ring 7 to form a three-dimensional structure approaching a cone, with the central ball 9 located at the top thereof.

As shown in Figure 6, this structure allows, once the central ball 9 is spaced from the plane of the ring 7, an elastic return thereof in said plane. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the cutter 3 according to the present invention is designed to be at a distance of a few millimeters from the internal face of the external rigid shell 2. As the central ball 9 is integral with this internal face, in the helmet in the static position, the damping or displacement disc 6 is in a more or less "conical" position, the restoring force of the element 6 compensating for the traction of the external rigid shell 2 on the ball 6.

In the internal structure of the helmet, the damping means 6 are located so that each ball 9 can be connected with the internal face of the external rigid shell 2. When an impact occurs on the helmet radially, the damping means 6 will tend to be flattened by compression, the central ball 9 then being in the same plane as the outer ring 7, absorbing part of the energy of the applied force. The damping of tangential shocks is of course also carried out by the damping discs 6. Thus, during an impact, the damping discs 6, and therefore the internal adjustment structure 3, can move in all directions (i.e. radial and tangential), following the movement of the head, independently of the rigid external part of the helmet 2.

When the helmet is adjusted on the head of the user:

- In the static position, the displacement discs 6 punctually fixed on the helmet make it possible to conserve a space between the helmet and the strip in order to allow air passage and to improve the ventilation of the helmet. Because of its geometry, each displacement disc 6 can strongly stretch (during normal displacement on the internal surface of the

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BE2018 / 5303 helmet) in order to best adapt to the different head sizes and morphologies (European, Asian type head, etc.);

- in dynamic use, the displacement discs 6 allow a slight multidirectional movement of the helmet independently of the movement of the head in order to allow the helmet to automatically return to its initial equilibrium position during small impacts (for example, branches in the forest in "mountain bike" use)

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List of reference symbols

1. Protective helmet

2. Outer rigid shell

3. Internal structure (cutting)

4. Basket

5. Headband

6. Damping element (displacement disc)

7. Outer ring of the damping element

8. Deformable arm of the damping element

9. Central "ball" of the damping element

10. Toothed clamping wheel

11. Toothed sliding tab

12. Clamping cable

13. Cable entry bridge

14. Interval between cutting edge and external rigid shell

Claims (10)

1. Protective helmet (1) comprising: - an external rigid shell (2); - an internal structure (3) located inside the external rigid shell (2) and adjustable to the head of a user, said internal structure (3) comprising a basket (4) and a strip (5), the basket (4) and the strip (5) being intended to be positioned respectively at the rear and at the front of the head, and at least two distinct damping means (6) integral with the strip (5); - means for adjusting the internal structure (3); characterized in that the damping means are displacement disks (6) each comprising: - an external ring (7); - a “ball” or central stud (9); - a plurality of deformable arms (8), the two ends of which substantially tangentially connect the outer ring (7) and radially the central ball (9); the deformable arms (8) having a length of at least 1.5 times the radius of the external ring (7) so as to be able to form by deformation a conical and elastic structure whose central ball (9) is located at the top and is in contact with the external rigid shell (2), and in that the displacement discs (6) are also secured to the internal face of the external rigid shell (2), so that in the static position the structure internal (3) is separated from the external rigid shell (2) by a gap (14). 2. Protective helmet (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for adjusting the internal structure (3) comprise: - a rack and pinion system (10, 11) integral with the basket (4) and comprising a clamping roller (10) and a toothed sliding tongue (11); - a clamping cable (12) extending said strip (5) of the internal structure (3) at a first end and ending at a second end by the toothed sliding tongue (11); 2018/5303 12 BE2018 / 5303 the clamping wheel (10) being able to cooperate with the toothed sliding tongue (11) so as to shorten / stretch or lengthen / relax the clamping cable (12) to increase the volume available between the strip (5) and the basket (4) of the internal structure (3). 3. Protective helmet (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the strip (5) comprises at least one azimuth part relative to the helmet provided laterally on each side of the front part of the helmet with at least one disc of displacement (6). 4. Protective helmet (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the strip (5) further comprises a meridian part relative to the helmet provided with at least one displacement disc (6). 5. Protective helmet according to claim 1, characterized in that the external rigid shell (2) is produced in the form of an external layer produced in a rigid material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polycarbonate ( PC), overlying an absorbent layer, made for example of expanded polystyrene (PSE) or expanded polypropylene (PPE). 6. Protective helmet according to claim 1, characterized in that the internal structure (3) is made of polyamide (PA). 7. Protective helmet (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the displacement discs (6) are made of rigid plastic and are molded by injection or by 3D printing in one piece. 8. Protective helmet (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the displacement discs (6) are made of the same material as the strip (5), their shape giving them their elasticity. 9. Protective helmet (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the means for adjusting the internal structure (3) comprise two clamping cables (12), each connected respectively to one end of the strip (5) and together with the toothed sliding tongue (11), the two clamping cables (12) being arranged symmetrically on each side of the basket (4), thanks to cable passage bridges (13). 2018/5303 13 BE2018 / 5303 10. Protective helmet (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the rack and pinion system (10, 11) for adjusting the internal structure by the user, is located on the external face of the rigid shell ( 2) of the helmet (1) and therefore accessible to the user once the helmet (1) placed on his head, by means of orifices provided in the external rigid shell (2) for the passage of the basket (4) and clamping cables (12) from the inside to the outside of the helmet (1) and thanks to a sigmoid shape of the basket (4).