EP0423711A1

EP0423711A1 - A helmet

Info

Publication number: EP0423711A1
Application number: EP90119811A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yoshihiro Shimada
Original assignee: Yamaha Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Yamaha Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 1989-10-20
Filing date: 1990-10-16
Publication date: 1991-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 2010-10-16
Also published as: DE69009388T2; EP0423711B1; DE69009388D1

Abstract

A helmet (10) includes a shell (1) made of plastic, a shock absorber liner (2) made of foam plastic and provided on an inner surface of the shell, an inner cushion (3) provided on an inner surface of the shock absorber liner, and a thickness adjusting member (4) provided between the shock absorber liner (2) and the inner cushion (3), the thickness adjusting member (4) being in the form of an air bag. The air is supplied into the thickness adjusting member (4) so that the inner cushion (3) is projected inward to fit the helmet (10) on the user's head. Pump means (60) is provided for supplying the air in the thickness adjusting member (4). The pump means (60) can be actuated with the helmet (10) being put on.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT

The present invention relates to a helmet having an inner cushion fittable a human head.
A helmet for use with riding a motorcycle, a snowmobile or the like receives a high wind pressure during running. For this reason, a helmet fittable user's head has been preferred In that a reduced weight is sensed by the user. In a conventional helmet a pad or the like is inserted into an inner member to adjust the thickness of the inner member in accordance with the shape of user's head. Alternatively, an inner member is provided with a belt, a string or the like so as to make it possible to adjust the position of the inner member in accordance with the shape of user's head by the belt, or the string.
However, a helmet has a shell which is made of plastic and is shaped into a fixed form. In the conventional helmet, only the position of the inner member attached on the inner surface of the shell is adjusted to fit the helmet on user's head. Accordingly, the adjustable range is limited to a small extent. On the other hand, human heads have different shapes. Accordingly, it is very difficult to fully fit the helmet on different shapes.
The present invention has overcome the above drawbacks and has an object of providing a helmet which can be adjusted so as to fit heads of different shapes, and assuredly give the user optimum sensation of fitting at all times.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a helmet of the present invention comprises a shell made of plastic, a shock absorber liner made of foam plastic and provided on an inner surface of the shell, an inner cushion provided on an inner surface of the shock absorber liner, and a thickness adjusting member provided between the shock absorber liner and the inner cushion, the thickness adjusting member including an air bag.
It is preferable that the thickness adjusting member is provided with pump means for controlling the amount of air in the thickness adjusting member.
Also, it is preferable that the pump means is provided with an actuator portion exposed to the outside of the shell so that the pump means is actuated from the outside of the shell.
Further, it is preferable that the pump means is provided with an actuator portion on an underside of a lower edge portion of the shell so that the pump means is actuated from the lower side of the shell.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the thickness adjusting member is provided in portions corresponding to cheeks and a back of a head so that the inner cushion can come into contact with the cheeks and the back of the head.
With the above-mentioned construction, the air is supplied and discharged to and from the thickness adjusting member so that the inward projection of the inner cushion is adjusted. Conse quently, the helmet can surely be fitted on heads having different shapes.
With the construction in which the actuator member of the pump means is exposed to the outside of the shell, or provided on the underside of the lower edge portion of the shell, the actuator member can be actuated with the helmet being put on. Thus, the inward projection of the inner cushion can easily be adjusted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a partially sectional side view of a first helmet of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a laterally vertical sectional end view of the first helmet;
Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional end view of the first helmet;
Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view of pump means provided in the first helmet;
Fig. 5 is a partially sectional side view of a second helmet of the present invention, corresponding to Fig. 1;
Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an air bag and pump means provided in the second helmet;
Fig. 7 is a longitudinally vertical sectional view of the pump means;
Fig. 8 is a longitudinally vertical sectional view of air discharge means provided in the second helmet;
Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a breather provided in the air discharge means;
Fig. 10A is a longitudinally vertical sectional view of a second pump means; and
Fig. 10B is a longitudinally vertical sectional view of the second pump means showing a state in which the pump is actuated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Reffering now to Figs. 1 to 3, a helmet 10 includes a helmet shell 1, a shock absorber liner 2 for absorbing impact, an inner cushion 3 and an inner cover 9. The helmet shell 1 is made of plastic such as fiber reinforced plastic (FRP). The shock absorber liner 2 is made of foam plastic and provided on an inner surface of the helmet shell 1. The inner cushion 3 is made of urethane, foam and provided on an inner surface of the shock absorber liner 2. The inner cover 9 covers the inner cushion 3. A front opening portion 20 is covered with a shield 19. The shield 19 is pivotally mounted on a pivot 19a attached on sides of the helmet shell 1, so that the shield 19 can be freely opened and closed. The position of the shield 19 can be changed from a closing state in which the shield 19 closes the opening portion 20 to an opening state in which the shield 19 is moved to an upper portion of the helmet shell 1 to open the opening portion 20 and vice versa.
Thickness adjusting members 4 are provided in portions facing cheeks and a back of a head 11 and between the shock absorber liner 2 and the inner cushion 3. The thickness adjusting member 4 includes an air bag. As shown in Fig. 1, the thick ness adjusting members 4 provided in the portions facing the cheeks have such width and height as to cover parts near the chin and ears. Also, the thickness adjusting member 4 provided in the portion facing the back of the head has the form of a narrow band. The thickness adjusting members 4 are connected to one another by connecting members 41 so that the air can be supplied and discharged to and from all the thickness adjusting members 4 at the same time. Pump means 60 are embedded in sides of the shock absorber liner 2. The pump means 60 is adopted for supplying and discharging the air to and from the thickness adjusting members 4. The pump means 60 can be actuated from the outside of the helmet shell 1.
The pump means 60 has a construction shown in Fig. 4. Specifically, a holding frame 12 is provided in a recess 22 formed in a part of the shock absorber liner 2. The holding frame 12 holds bellows 6 and a valve unit 6 connected to the bellows 6. The shell 1 has a pair of through holes formed therein. An edge member 70 is provided in one of the through holes. An actuator member 7 is provided in the edge member 70. A lower end portion of the actuator member 7 comes into contact with an upper end portion of the bellows 6. The other end portion of the bellows 6 has a communication hole 52 communicating with the valve unit 5, and a nonreturn valve 61 for taking the air in the recess 22 into the bellows 6 and preventing the air from flowing out in the reverse direction.
An edge member 80 is provided in the other through hole of the shell 1. An actuator member 8 is provided in the edge member 80. A spring (not shown) is provided under a lower end portion of the actuator member 8 so as to urge the actuator member 8 upward. In other words, the actuator members 7 and 8 of the pump means 60 are exposed to the outside of the shell 1 so that the pump means 60 can be actuated from the outside of the shell 1 by the actuator members 7 and 8.
In the valve unit 5, an air supply valve portion is connected to an air discharge portion through a communication passage 53. The valve portions are communicated with a communication hole 55 (shown in Fig. 1) formed in the thickness adjusting member 4 through a communication passage 54. The air supply valve portion includes a valve rod 51 facing the communication holes 52 and urged rightward by a spring 58, a sleeve 57 around the valve rod 51 and a gland packing 51b between an end of the sleeve 57 and a flange 51a of the valve rod 51. When a pressure is applied to the communication hole side 52 of the valve rod 51, the valve rod 51 is moved leftward, so that the air is flowed in through a space between the sleeve 57 and the valve tod 51, and a space between the flange 51a and the gland packing 51b. The air discharge portion includes a valve rod 81 facing a pressing portion 89 of the actuator member 8 and urged upward by a spring, and a sleeve 87 around the valve rod 81, and a gland packing 81b between the sleeve 87 and a flange 81a of the valve rod 81. When the actuator member 8 is pressed from the outside of the helmet so as to urge the valve rod 81 downward, so that the air is flowed out through a space between the sleeve 87 and the valve rod 81, and a space between the gland packing 81b and flange 81a.
The pump means 60 supplies and discharges the air as follows. When the actuator member 7 is pressed from the outside of the shell 1, the bellows 6 are compressed. Since the air in the bellows 6 is blocked by the nonreturn valve 61, It is supplied to the valve unit 5 through the communication hole 52. Consequently, the valve rod 51 is moved leftward against the biasing force of the spring 58, the air being then flowed into the communication passage 53 through the space between valve rod 51 and the sleeve 57 and the space between the flange 51a and the gland packing 51b.
On the other hand, the air discharge valve portion is sealed by the flange 81a of the valve rod 81 and the gland packing 81b. Consequently, the air is supplied to the thickness adjusting members 4 through the communication passage 54 and the communication hole 55 without flowing out through the air discharge valve portion. After pressed, the actuator member 7 is returned to its original shape by the resilient force of the bellows in this time, the air supply valve portion is sealed by the flange 51a of the valve rod 51 and the gland packing 51b, so that the air in the communication passage 53 does not flow back into the bellows 6. Accordingly, a desired amount of air can be supplied to the thickness adjusting members 4 by repeating the pressing of the actuator member 7 an appropriate number of times.
In a state in which the actuator members 7 and 8 are not actuated, i.e., the state shown in Fig. 4, the air in the communication passage 53 of the valve unit 5 has the same pressure as that of the air in the thickness adjusting member 4. However, the air supply portion is sealed by the flange 51a and the gland packing 51b, and the air discharge valve portion is sealed by the flange 81a and the gland packing 81b. Accordingly, there is no likelihood that the air in the thickness adjusting member 4 leaks.
When the air is discharged from the thickness adjusting members 4, the actuator member 8 Is pressed from the outside of the shell 1. The valve rod 81 is pressed by the pressing portion 89 to move downward against the biasing force of the spring 85, so that spaces occur between the sleeve 87 and the valve rod 81, and the flange 81a and the gland packing 81b. On the other hand, the air supply portion is sealed by the flange 51a of the valve rod 51 and the sleeve 57. Accordingly, the air in the thickness adjusting member 4 is discharged through the communication hole 55. the communication passage 54, the space between the flange 81a and the gland packing 81b and the space between the valve rod 81 and the sleeve 87 without flowing out through the air supply valve portion.
Figs. 6 to 9 show a second embodiment of the present invention. The basic construction of the second embodiment is mostly the same as that of the first embodiment except for pump means 90 disposed on the underside of a lower edge portion of a shell 1. The second embodiment has three thickness adjusting members 4, specifically, one member to come into contact with head back, and two members to come into contact with head sides. The three members are connected to one another by means of connecting members 41 and connectors 44 for joining the connecting members 41. One connecting member 41 which is positioned at a forward end is provided with a breather 30 at an intermediate portion thereof. The breather 30 functions as a connector. One end of the pump means 90 is connected to the connecting member 41 having the breather 30 by way of a connector 44. The pump means 90 has a nonreturn valve 98 at the other end.
The pump means 90 is provided on lower edge portions of the shell 1 and a shock absorber liner 3 in a front portion of a helmet 10. The pump means 90 includes an inner skin 92, an outer skin 91 made of flexible material, and an air bag 93 provided inside of the inner and outer skins 92 and 91. The outer skin 91 is fixedly attached to the shell 1 by adhesive.
As shown in Fig. 9, the breather 30 has a pair of cylinders 31 and a cylinder 39. The connecting members 41 are fitted on the cylinders 31. The cylinder 39 is projected in perpendicular to an axis of the cylinders 31. A valve rod 36 is axially movably inserted in the cylinder 39. A sleeve 32 is provided between the cylinder 39 and the valve rod 36. A flange 34 of the valve rod 36 is pressed against a gland packing 35 attached on an end of the sleeve 32 by a spring 33 provided inside the breather 30, so that the cylinder 39 is sealed.
As shown in Fig. 8, a trim member 49 is attached to a lower end portion of the shell 1. A through hole 15 is formed in the trim member 49 and the shell 1. Further, a recess 30a is formed in the shock absorber liner 2. The recess 30a is formed in a portion corresponding to the through hole 15. A breather casing 47 is placed in the through hole 15. A pusher 46 (actuator member) is movably provided in the breather casing 47. A forward end of the pusher 46 comes into contact with a forward end of the valve rod 36 of the breather 30. All the outer surfaces of the trim member 49, the breather casing 47 and the pusher 46 are arranged so as to be substantially flush with an outer surface of the shell 1.
As described above, in the second embodiment in which the pump means 90 is provided in the lower edge portion of the shell 1, it is not necessary to provide through holes for allowing an actuator member of pump means to project outside of the shell 1. Accordingly, the strength of the shell 1 will not lower. Also, the shell 1 formed with no through hole for actuator member have a smooth outer surface and assures an enhanced appearance. Further, the pusher 46 constituting an air discharge portion can be provided in the vicinity of the lower end portion of the shell 1. Therefore, the pusher 46 gives a smaller influence to the appearance of the shell 1.
The air is supplied into the thickness adjusting members 4 through the breather 30 from the air bag 94 by pressing the outer skin 91 of the pump means 90 in a direction of an arrow shown in Fig. 7 so as to deform inward. Releasing the pressure to the outer skin 91 causes the outer skin 91 to return to its original shape due to its resilient force. At this time, the air is supplied from the nonreturn valve 93 into the air bag 93. When the pusher 46 is pressed, the valve rod 36 made in contact with the forward end of the pusher 46 is pushed in against the biasing force of the spring 33, so that spaces occur between the flange 34 and the gland packing 35, and between the sleeve 32 and the valve rod 36. Then, the air is discharged through the spaces from the cylinder 31, and the thickness adjusting members 4.
Fig. 10A shows another pump means 95. The pump means 95 is provided on the underside of lower edge portions of the shell 1 and the shock absorber liner 3 in a front or side of the helmet 1. The pump means 95 includes an inner skin 97 made of fabric, an outer skin 96 made of flexible material such as soft vinyl chloride, and an air bag 94. An inner end of the pump means 95 is projected inward from the inner cover 9. The outer skin 96 is fixedly attached to the shell 1 by adhesive. Further, the outer skin 96 and the inner skin 97 are seamed together.
As described above, the pump means 95 is projected inward. Accordingly, the pump means 95 can be grasped more easily. Also, an increased deformation can be given to the pump means 95, in other words, the pump means can be deformed with an increased stroke. Accordingly, the pump means 95 provides an increased pumping performance. Further, as shown in phantom lines in Fig. 10B, the pump means 95 can be deformed by taking hold of a lower surface portion of the outer skin 96 and an inner end portion of the inner skin 97. In this case, the air bag 94 can be deformed more easily.
With the above constructions, before wearing the helmet 10, the air is discharged out of the thickness adjusting members 4. After the helmet 10 is put on, the actuator member 7 shown in Fig. 4 is repeatedly actuated or the outer skin 91 shown in Fig. 7, or the outer skin 96 shown in Fig. 10 is repeatedly pressed so that the air is supplied to the thickness adjusting members 4. When the thickness adjusting members 4 are expanded, the inner cushion 3 is pressed inward as shown in phantom lines in Figs. 2 and 3 so as to come into pressing contact with the cheeks and the back of the head 11. In addition, since the head 11 is pressed by the air bag and the inner cushion 3 from its front side portions to a rear end portion, the helmet 10 can be made to fit head of any shape.
When the helmet 10 is taken off, any other operation is not needed than pressing the actuator member 8 or pusher 46 to discharge the air from the thickness adjusting members 4.
The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments but can have various modifications. For example, pump means is not necessary to expose to the outside. Pump means may be exposed to the inside of a helmet. Also, it is allowable that a plug is attached to an forward opening of a tube which is communicated with thickness adjusting members so that the air can be blown into the thickness adjusting members with the mouth. Thickness adjusting members may disposed in other portions of a helmet.
According to the present invention, a thickness adjusting member is provided between a shock absorber liner and an inner cushion. The air is supplied and discharged to and from the thickness adjusting member so that the inward projection of the inner cushion can be adjusted. This makes it possible to assuredly fit the helmet on heads of different shapes. With a construction in which an actuator member of pump means is exposed to the outside of the shell, the actuator member can be easily actuated with the helmet being put on.

Claims

1. A helmet comprising:
a shell made of plastic;
a shock absorber liner made of foam plastic and provided on an inner surface of the shell;
an inner cushion provided on an inner surface of the shock absorber liner; and
a thickness adjusting member provided between the shock absorber liner and the inner cushion, the thickness adjusting member including an air bag.

2. A helmet according to Claim 1, wherein the thickness adjusting member is provided with pump means for controlling the amount of air in the thickness adjusting member.

3. A helmet according to Claim 2, wherein the shock absorber liner has a recess, the pump means is disposed in the recess.

4. A helmet according to Claim 2 or 3. wherein the pump means has an actuator portion exposed to the outside whereby the actuator portion is actuated from the outside.

5. A helmet according to any of Claims 2 to 4, wherein the actuator portion of the pump means is provided on the underside lof a lower edge portion of the shell so that the pump means is actuated from the lowerside of the shell.

6. A helmet according to Claim 5, wherein the actuator portion of the pump means includes an air bag.

7. A helmet according to any of Claims 2 to 5, wherein the thickness adjusting member is disposed in portions corresponding to cheeks and a back of a head so that the inner cushion comes into contact with the cheeks and the back of the head.

8. A helmet according to Claim 2, wherein the pump means has a tube communicated with the thickness adjusting member, the tube having an opening at an forward end thereof for blowing the air in the thickness adjusting member, a plug removably attached in the opening for closing the opening.