Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A42—HEADWEAR
  • A42B—HATS; HEAD COVERINGS
  • A42B3/00—Helmets; Helmet covers ; Other protective head coverings
  • A42B3/04—Parts, details or accessories of helmets
  • A42B3/18—Face protection devices
  • A42B3/185—Securing goggles or spectacles on helmet shells
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A42—HEADWEAR
  • A42B—HATS; HEAD COVERINGS
  • A42B3/00—Helmets; Helmet covers ; Other protective head coverings
  • A42B3/04—Parts, details or accessories of helmets
  • A42B3/18—Face protection devices
  • A42B3/22—Visors
  • A42B3/221—Attaching visors to helmet shells, e.g. on motorcycle helmets

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of protective helmets comprising an integrated visor, including sports helmets, and typically ski helmets.
• Helmets are an important protection element of the user's head, against shocks and their possible consequences.
• the eyes and / or face can be protected using a visor, independent or related to the helmet.
• ski helmets dedicated to the practice of downhill skiing and other sports.
• the helmets are devoid of eye protection, and the user uses glasses or a ski mask with a generally flat elastic strap.
• the elastic strap surrounds the outside of the helmet, at the back of the user's head.
• the helmet may include a groove or other means for holding the elastic strap in position.
• the movable visors can be hinged on the shell of the helmet, by a pivot connection.
• the document US771 6754 presents an example of a ski helmet comprising a pivoting visor.
• Other mechanisms are known to allow the movement of a helmet visor.
• the document FR2965152 discloses a ski helmet comprising a visor linked to the hull.
• the document DE102013209564 presents a sports helmet, for example for cycling or skiing, comprising a mobile visor linked to the shell by an elastic.
• the elastic comes out of the shell by two orifices.
• the visor in the raised position as in the lowered position, is applied to an outer face of the shell and is in contact with this outer face, and covers the two output ports of the elastic.
• the visor In the lowered position, the visor is pulled towards the back of the helmet and is wedged against the outer shell of the helmet.
• This helmet does not allow any adaptation of the position of the visor according to the configuration of the face of the user.
• the seal between the bottom of the visor and the face of the user will thus depend on the configuration of his face.
• the user In addition to move from a lowered position of the visor to a raised position, the user must necessarily bring the visor to the fully raised position by pulling on the elastic.
• helmets with articulated pivoting visor have an aesthetic similar to that of motorcycle helmets, which may be little appreciated by sports helmet users.
• helmets with hinged visor have a lens (that is to say the transparent portion of the visor) of large size, unsightly. This large dimension is generally necessary because it is the tilting of the visor, around an axis of rotation and / or along the curvature of the upper part of the helmet shell, which allows its passage from a stowed position or taken out of the field of vision at the use position in the field of vision of the user wearing the helmet.
• the invention relates to a sports helmet visor mobile to solve at least one of the aforementioned drawbacks.
• the invention relates to a protective helmet with integrated movable visor comprising a shell having an open face area and a visor movable between a raised position and a lowered position in which it covers at least partially said face area, the visor being connected to the shell by an elastic member, wherein the visor has an upper bearing surface, and the shell comprises, on a periphery of the face area, a receiving surface of the upper bearing surface of the visor, and in which the visor is in the lowered position, the upper bearing surface of the visor is in contact with the receiving surface of the shell, and the elastic element tends to press the upper bearing surface of the visor on the surface. receiving the hull.
• the raised position typically corresponds to a position on an upper outer surface of the shell, out of the field of view of a user wearing the helmet.
• the down position typically corresponds to a position covering the eyes of a user wearing the helmet.
• the receiving surface of the shell is typically at the upper periphery of the open face area.
• the elastic member is configured to exert on the visor in the lowered position a force substantially orthogonal to the upper bearing surface.
• the front shape of the shell defines an escape point of the visor, said exhaust point corresponding to an unstable position of the visor, located between the lowered position and the raised position, in which the resultant forces exerted on the visor by the elastic element on the one hand, and by the hull on the other hand, is zero.
• the helmet may be configured so that when the visor is brought below the exhaust point and is engaged in the periphery of the facial zone, the elastic element tends to bring and maintain said visor in the lowered position, and, when the visor is brought over of the exhaust point, the elastic element tends to bring and maintain said visor in the raised position. This allows easy and assisted passage from the lowered position of the visor to the raised position, and vice versa.
• the helmet may be shaped so that, when the visor is in the lowered position, the visor tends to adopt an equilibrium position, and when the visor is removed from this equilibrium position, the reaction force of the reception surface on the upper support surface of the visor to the force generated on the visor by the elastic element tends to bring said visor towards said equilibrium position.
• This can in particular be obtained by providing a longitudinal offset between the connection between the elastic element and the visor on the one hand, and the point of contact between the shell and the visor when the latter is moved away from its equilibrium position (for example by the face of a user) on the other hand. This offset generates a torque tending to tilt the lower part of the visor towards the inside of the shell.
• the force generated by the elastic element when the visor is lowered is transformed and tends to tilt the lower part of the visor towards the inside of the shell, for bring the visor back to the equilibrium position.
• the upper bearing surface of the visor or the receiving surface of the shell comprises a shim having a thickness, a variation of the thickness of the shim modifying the equilibrium position.
• the shim may advantageously comprise a mechanism for adjusting its thickness.
• a shape match between the receiving surface of the shell and the upper bearing surface of the visor causes the visor to center vis-à-vis the shell, in the lowered position of the visor.
• the helmet may comprise on the periphery of the facial zone at least one notch for receiving the elastic element when the visor is in the lowered position.
• This notch may have several functions, including: allowing the elastic element to exert substantially orthogonal force to the upper support surface of the visor in the lowered position, and / or participate in the correct lateral centering of the visor.
• the elastic element may comprise two portions of elastic cord each bonded on the one hand to the upper bearing surface of the visor, and on the other hand to a rear zone of the shell. Each portion of cord may be attached to the inside of the shell which it emerges through an orifice located in an anterior half of the shell.
• the exhaust point may correspond to a position in which the connection points of the elastic element on the visor, the point of support of the visor on the shell and the orifices are coplanar.
• the two portions of elastic cord may be part of the same elastic cord. They may, in another variant, be independent of one another.
• a groove may connect an outlet port of a portion of elastic cord to a notch of the facing shell, so that in the lowered position the elastic cord exiting said orifice is housed in the groove.
• the visor may comprise a lens having an outer face and an inner face, and in raised position the inner face of the lens faces a portion of an outer surface of the shell.
• the helmet may comprise means for sealing against snow, and / or water, and / or dust:
• said sealing means being configured to seal against a portion of a face of a user wearing the helmet.
• FIG. 1 shows, in a schematic three-dimensional view, a sports helmet according to one embodiment of the invention, the visor being in the raised position;
• FIG. 2 shows, according to the view of Figure 1, the sports helmet of Figure 1, the visor being in the lowered position;
• FIG. 3 shows the helmet shown in the previous figures in a schematic front view, the visor being in the lowered position
• FIG. 4 shows the helmet shown in the previous figures in a schematic side view, the visor being in the raised position
• FIG. 5 shows the helmet shown in the previous figures in a schematic side view, the visor being in the lowered position
• FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an interface zone between the shell and the visor of the helmet shown in the preceding figures, the visor being brought into the lowered position;
• FIG. 7 schematically illustrates certain forces acting on the visor in a position close to the lowered position
• FIG. 9 represents an example of adjustment mechanism in thickness of a shim, which can be used in one embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 10 shows another example of a wedge thickness adjustment mechanism, which can be used in one embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a sports helmet according to one embodiment of the invention.
• the helmet shown is a ski helmet.
• the helmet shown has a shell 1 and a visor 2.
• the shell 1 is for the protection of the head of the user of the helmet.
• the shell is shaped to protect in particular the rear, top and side of the skull of the user wearing the helmet.
• pads 3 complete the shell.
• the pads 3 allow mechanical protection (against shocks), thermal and possibly acoustic ears and possibly the temporal lobes of the user.
• the shell 1 has an open face area 1 1.
• the concepts of front and rear of the helmet are understood according to the meaning generally adopted for a helmet.
• the back of the helmet corresponds to the part of the hull intended to protect the back of the skull of a user wearing the helmet.
• the front is the opposite side, corresponding to the facial area of the user wearing the helmet.
• the top of the helmet protects the top of the skull of the user.
• the user's neck is towards the bottom of the helmet.
• the notion of "longitudinal” means in a front-to-back direction of the helmet, the notion of "vertical” in a top-bottom direction of the helmet, the notion of "transverse” in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction.
• the visor 2 is movable between a raised position, shown in Figures 1 and 4, and a lowered position, shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7.
• the visor is intended to cover in the closed position at least a portion of the face of the user, and covers for this a corresponding portion of the open face area 1 1 of the shell 1.
• the visor In the raised position, generally called open position, the visor is positioned above the front part of the shell 1, out of the user's field of vision.
• the visor has a lens 21 whose inner face (generally the concave face) faces a portion of the outer surface of the shell.
• the inner face of the lens 21 is protected from the weather in the raised position.
• raindrops or snowflakes falling on the helmet fall on the outer face of the lens 21 which is oriented upwards, as shown in FIG. 4, but does not stain the inner face of the lens. 21.
• the visor 2 may be provided on all or part of its periphery with sealing means 22 such as foam.
• the sealing means 22 can also participate in the wearing comfort of the visor.
• the sealing means may comprise strips of foam.
• the concept The seal may be used for snow, water and / or dust depending on the sport for which the helmet is intended. For example, for a ski helmet as shown here, it is first and foremost the passage of snow under the visor which must be avoided, for example during a shower of snow or following the ski fall of the ski. 'user.
• straps 4 connected to the shell 1 allow the attachment of the helmet on the head of the user.
• the visor 2 is connected to the shell by means of an elastic element, whose elasticity allows the movement of the visor between the stable raised position and the stable lowered position and vice versa.
• the anterior shape of the shell 1 defines a so-called exhaust point of the visor.
• This exhaust point is typically defined by the front tip of the helmet, that is to say the extreme anterior point of the helmet.
• the elastic member has one or more attachment points to the visor 2, defining a connection with said visor.
• the exhaust point corresponds to the unstable position of the visor, situated between the lowered position and the raised position, in which the resultant of the forces exerted on the visor by the elastic element on the one hand, and the hull on the other hand, is zero.
• the exhaust point corresponds to the position in which the connection points of the elastic element on the visor 2 and the point of support of the visor on the hull are coplanar.
• the visor when the visor is sufficiently raised by the user, that is to say, raised above the exhaust point, it goes back automatically or at least in a assisted manner to its raised position, which is stable and totally predefined.
• the visor 2 In this raised position, in which the visor typically rests above the front half of the helmet, the visor 2 is out of the user's field of view but is easily accessible.
• the user can easily grasp the visor above the shell 1, and exert the pulling force down and towards the before necessary to bring the visor 2 below the exhaust point. Typically, it may be to bring the entire visor under the front tip of the shell 1 of the helmet.
• the elastic element comprises, in the helmet example shown here, and as shown in particular in FIG. 3, two portions of elastic cord 5.
• the two portions of elastic cord 5 may, according to variants of the invention, be separated or be part of one and the same elastic cord.
• the elastic cord portions are linked on the one hand to the visor 2. They are linked on the other hand to the helmet shell. In particular, they are linked to the rear of the shell 1, that is to say in the rear area 12 of the helmet intended to protect the back of the head of the user, in other words the area of the hull opposite to the open face area 1 1. This allows the elastic cord portions to have a length sufficient to allow movement of the visor between the raised position and the lowered position.
• the elastic cord portions 5 are advantageously connected to the shell 1 inside thereof, typically on an inner face of the shell 1.
• the portions of the cord 5 emerge through openings 13 located in the anterior half of the shell 1, that is to say half of the shell 1 located near the facial zone January 1, typically at a cap upper shell 1.
• the orifices may have an oblong shape, allowing the exit of the cord portions 5 of the shell 1 without generating fold cord portions when the visor is in the lowered position.
• the elastic element may comprise only one point of connection with the visor 2.
• the elastic element may comprise more than two points of connection with the visor 2. Three (or more) points of connection may offer a better return of the visor towards its raised position and towards its lowered position, a better setting in position of the visor 2, a larger recall force, etc.
• the visor 2 of the shell 1 may advantageously be provided.
• the uncoupling may, depending on the variants, be carried out at the level of the connection between the elastic element and the visor or at the level of the connection between the elastic element and the shell.
• the elastic element may comprise, at one or more ends, buttons intended to be respectively introduced into slots or buttonholes of the visor 2.
• quick fastening means may be employed.
• these means may comprise one or more hooks intended to cooperate with loops of the elastic element.
• the uncoupling of the visor allows a change thereof, and / or can be made for storing the helmet.
• the elastic member that is to say typically the portions of elastic cord 5
• the elastic element tends to return the visor to the raised position.
• a notch 14 is formed on the front edge 15 of the shell 1 to receive, when the visor is in the lowered position, each portion of cord leaving an orifice 13.
• two notches 14 are formed.
• the notches 14 allow the portions of the cord 5 to exert a substantially vertical force on the visor 2 in the lowered position. More specifically, when the visor 2 is in the lowered position, an upper bearing surface 23 of the visor 2 is brought into contact with a receiving surface 16 of the shell 1.
• the receiving surface 16 has a shape adapted to the support of the upper bearing surface 23 of the visor 2, and is positioned in an upper part of the facial zone 1 1 open hull 1.
• the cord portions are fixed in an upper area of the visor.
• the force exerted on the visor by the cord portions 5 is essentially perpendicular to the upper bearing surface 23 that it tends to press against the receiving surface 16.
• FIG. 6 A detailed view of the zone of interaction between the visor and the shell, at the notches 14, is shown in FIG. 6.
• the elastic connection between the shell and the visor may allow a slight off-centering of the visor 2 vis-à-vis the shell 1. This allows a good fit and comfort of the visor on the face of the user wearing the helmet, especially if the helmet is slightly out of alignment with the user's face, or if the face of the user presents a slight asymmetry.
• the notches 14 may have an open V shape around the periphery of the open face area, thus providing a certain freedom of lateral positioning of the elastic element, and therefore the visor vis-à-vis the shell of the helmet.
• the support zone between the upper support surface 23 and the receiving surface 166 is shaped to make the visor adopt an equilibrium position when the visor 2 is in the lowered position.
• Figure 7 shows the visor in a position close to the equilibrium position, the visor being slightly tilted on the front tip 17 of the helmet.
• the point or the zone of support of the visor 2 on the shell 1 of the helmet, in this case close to the front tip 17 of the helmet is offset longitudinally with respect to the connection points of the elastic element on the visor 2. This makes it possible to generate a torque tending to bring the visor into contact with the shell of the helmet.
• the reaction force of the receiving surface 166 on the support surface upper 23 of the visor 2 to the force generated on the visor 2 by the elastic element tends to return said visor 2 to the equilibrium position by generating a tilting torque.
• the forces generating this torque are represented by arrows in FIG. 7. This makes it possible to press a lower portion 24 of the visor 2 onto the face of the user (not shown) wearing the helmet, thus ensuring a good seal between the visor. and the face of the user, possibly in cooperation with the sealing means 22.
• FIG. 8 shows the particular position of the visor 2 in which there is no longer any difference between the point or the zone of support of the visor 2 on the shell 1 and the points of attachment of the elastic element on the visor 2, so that there is more torque generated tending to bring the visor down.
• This position of unstable equilibrium in which the resultant forces (represented by arrows) exerted on the visor is zero, corresponds to the exhaust point.
• the elastic element will tend to bring the visor towards its raised stable position or its lowered stable position.
• a wedge may be arranged at the receiving surface 1 6 or the upper bearing surface 23 of the visor 2.
• the thickness of the wedge causes a change in the balance position of the visor in the lowered position, which results in a change in the pressure on the face of the user.
• the latter can be adjustable in thickness.
• Fig. 9 shows an example of a wedge thickness adjusting mechanism which may be employed in one embodiment of the invention. This mechanism comprises a wide head screw 61 forming wedge.
• Figure 10 shows another example of a wedge thickness adjusting mechanism, which may be employed in one embodiment of the invention.
• two inclined planes 62, 63 are movable relative to each other so as to vary the thickness of the wedge assembly they compose.
• a screw 64 allows their relative immobilization.
• a correspondence of shape between the upper bearing surface 23 and the receiving surface 166 may make it possible to guarantee uniqueness of position of the visor 2 in the lowered position with respect to the shell 1.
• it can make it possible to guarantee the centering of the visor.
• the notion of centering is understood as the fact of positioning laterally (typically, perpendicular to a plane of symmetry P of the helmet, shown in FIG. 3) the visor 2 in a given relative position with respect to the shell 1 of the helmet.
• the elastic element tends to bring the visor into its seat. stable position noted.
• the user wearing the helmet wishing to lift the visor can easily do so by sufficiently removing the visor of his face, and if necessary, by slightly accompanying the movement that the elastic element tends to print to the visor 2. Since all the positions of the helmet visor between the raised stable position and the lowered stable position are unstable, the elastic element systematically tends to bring the visor towards one of these stable positions.
• the invention thus developed allows the provision of a protective helmet, including a sports helmet and for example a ski helmet, providing a mobile visor integrated helmet with which it forms a coherent and potentially aesthetic without the disadvantages of the mobile visors attached to the helmet shell by an axis of rotation (as on motorcycle helmets).
• the size of the lens of the visor can be moderate.
• an interface between the hull and the visor in the lowered position implementing a contact between an upper support surface of the visor and a receiving zone of the hull located on the periphery of an area open face (in the upper part of the latter) allows on the one hand a good seal between the visor and the hull on the one hand at the interface, and on the other hand a good support of the visor on the face of the helmet user.
• the helmet object of the present invention allows easy passage between these two stable positions.

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• Helmets And Other Head Coverings (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=51417525

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Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2014
  • 2014-07-18 FR FR1456985A patent/FR3023680B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2015
  • 2015-07-15 EP EP15738326.6A patent/EP3169174B1/de active Active
  • 2015-07-15 WO PCT/EP2015/066112 patent/WO2016008902A1/fr active Application Filing

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