EP3285606B1 - Body protection - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the technical field of body protection and more particularly to the technical field of structures for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shocks, that of body protectors and that of protective clothing.

The term “body protector” is generally understood to mean an arrangement of materials absorbing and / or dissipating the energy generated during an impact in order to confer a certain protection on the part of the body situated opposite the protection under normal conditions. use. This energy absorbing and / or dissipating material can be structured or not.

Such body protectors are generally incorporated into protective clothing worn during the exercise of a given activity, and particularly in areas of the body which should be protected against mechanical shock. Examples of these areas are the shoulders, elbows, forearms, hips, knees, upper shins, mid shins, lower shins, entire shins, back or head.

Examples of such body protectors are presented in standards EN1621-1: 2013 and EN1621-2: 2014 relating to protective clothing against mechanical shock for motorcyclists.

These body protectors must generally be made of a material capable of absorbing and / or dissipating the forces generated during a mechanical shock. However, other criteria must also be considered in order to offer body protectors that are comfortable to wear. Thus, body protectors should be flexible so that they can adapt to the shape of the part of the body to be protected, in particular the joints, that they allow the movement of the wearer, that they are light, and that they are breathable.

A more specific example is presented for example in the document EP 2399470 . The protective element described in this document includes a base and protrusions, each of the protrusions extending from and normally from the base. The protrusions also have a through hole.

Each of the protrusions is either a solid of revolution about a central axis (that is to say that the outer wall and the inner wall of the protrusions are straight cylinders with circular base), or a solid with rotational symmetry of order 6 at regular hexagonal base. The base is here non-ventilated, that is to say that apart from the orifices passing through protuberances, there are no other orifices present in the material. Due to the presence of through holes, the protective element and the body protector have a certain breathability, but it would be advantageous to be able to make the material even more breathable while retaining the impact resistance properties.

Another solution would be to make elastomeric nets such as those described in WO99 / 56570 , but according to current knowledge, such nets do not have sufficient impact resistance under the conditions dictated by the standards, in particular those mentioned above. The document US2011 / 296594 discloses an absorption structure for body protection according to the preamble of claim 1.

Thus, the need for a protective element absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shock is always present. Such a protective element should preferably be both sufficiently absorbent and / or dissipative, sufficiently breathable, sufficiently light, sufficiently flexible, sufficiently resistant to high and low temperatures, and sufficiently comfortable.

It was only after long wanderings and fruitless explorations that the present authors succeeded in obtaining a satisfactory element of protection.

• des connecteurs formant une base aérée présentant une surface de base ; et
• des protubérances, chacune des protubérances comprenant un axe central suivant lequel elle s'étend à partir de la base aérée, l'axe central étant normal à la surface de base, deux protubérances voisines étant reliées l'une à l'autre par un connecteur.

Thus, the present invention relates to a protective element in the form of an absorption and / or dissipation structure for mechanical shock comprising:

• connectors forming an airy base having a base surface; and
• protrusions, each of the protrusions comprising a central axis along which it extends from the aerated base, the central axis being normal to the base surface, two neighboring protrusions being connected to each other by a connector .

This structure is sufficiently ventilated while imparting satisfactory mechanical properties of impact resistance.

By the terms "aerated base" here is meant a base having orifices other than in front of the possible orifices of the protrusions. So the basis of the structure of the document protection element EP 2399470 is not ventilated within the meaning of the present invention while that visible on the figures 1 to 4 attached is airy. In the examples illustrated in these latter figures, the airy nature of the base is given in particular by the spaces between the connectors. Furthermore, the fact that it is specified that the connectors form the aerated base makes it clear that the base consists only of connectors.

By the term "base surface" is always understood the surface of the aerated base from which the protrusions extend.

The term "normal" and its derivatives here take on their geometric meaning. Thus, throughout this presentation, when a relation of normality is mentioned in relation to the base surface, it should be understood that this relation is contemplated at the place considered and that the term "normal" means "perpendicular" to the tangent plane of the base surface at the point considered. For example, the central axis of a protuberance is said to be normal to the base surface when, at the place where the central axis of the protuberance is located, this is perpendicular to the tangent of the base surface to this place.

The base surface can be flat, in which case the notions of normality and perpendicularity merge. The base surface can be curved to conform to the contours of the part of the wearer's body against which the structure is applied in order to protect this part of the body.

Preferably, the structure has a breathability of 10 to 70%, preferably of 18.5 to 58.5%, preferably of 20 to 52.5%, preferably of 26.5 to 46.5%, preferably of approximately 35%. This ensures sufficient ventilation of the structure, making it more pleasant to wear the body protector, as well as wearing the protective clothing in which the protector is provided, even during intense physical activity.

Breathability is defined at the base surface and corresponds to the percentage of the area of the base surface corresponding to a vacuum in relation to the total area of the base surface.

In addition or alternatively, the structure has a Shore A hardness of 5 to 90, preferably of 11.5 to 68.5, preferably of 18.5 to 46.5, preferably of approximately 25. Thus, the structure particularly fulfills the conditions to meet performance level 2 of standard EN 1621-1: 2013 and / or performance level 1 of standard EN1621-2: 2014.

Shore A hardness is measured with a durometer in accordance with DIN 53505: 2009.

In addition or alternatively, the ratio between the height of the protrusions and the thickness of the aerated base is from 6 to 17, preferably from 6.5 to 8.5, preferably from 6 to 8, preferably around 7.5. This ratio guarantees at the same time the lightness, the breathability and the mechanical resistance properties of the structure.

The height of the protrusions corresponds to the height taken from the base surface of the aerated base from which the protrusions extend to the free ends of the protrusions and parallel to the central axis of the protrusions. If the free end of the protrusions is not parallel to the base surface, the most distant level will be considered.

The thickness of the ventilated base is the thickness of the connectors (see below).

The connectors preferably have a cylindrical shape, the director of the cylinder being collinear with the base surface. Thus, they can have a strip shape whose surfaces are planar (cylindrical with rectangular base). Alternatively, the connectors have a non-cylindrical shape, such as a curved or hollowed strip shape. Preferably, the surface of the strips has a flat central part and two external parts inclined with respect to the central part so that the section of the connector collinear with the director and perpendicular to the base surface decreases as one moves away of the central part. The cylinder can also be circular, or polygonal (preferably regularly polygonal such as square or hexagonal).

The connectors advantageously form a mesh of which at least part of the nodes, even all of the nodes, are occupied by a protuberance. Preferably, the mesh is homogeneous, that is to say a mesh formed of a repeating pattern. More preferably, the mesh can be regular, that is to say that the pattern is a regular polygon. The pattern can be formed by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 connectors.

In addition or alternatively, the connectors have a length of 0.01 to 25 mm, preferably from 0.50 to 17.5 mm, preferably from 1.0 mm to 9.5 mm, preferably 1.7 mm. The length of a connector is measured parallel to the base surface and between the outer walls of the protrusions that the connector connects directly and physically. The outer wall of the protrusions can be curved, so take the shortest length.

In addition or alternatively, the connectors have a thickness of 0.1 to 1.4mm, preferably 0.35 to 1.2mm, preferably 0.55 to 1.0mm, preferably approximately 0.80mm.

The thickness of the connectors, which is also the thickness of the ventilated base, is normally measured at the base surface. The thickness of the connectors is not necessarily constant over the entire surface of the connectors, in such a case, “thickness” should be understood to mean the maximum thickness. Thus, if each of the connectors is a curved strip at its center, the thickness is taken at the center; on the contrary, if each of the connectors is a hollow strip, the thickness is taken at its lateral edges.

In addition or alternatively, the connectors have a width of 0.3 to 25 mm, preferably 1.2 to 17.5 mm, preferably 2.0 to 10.5 mm, preferably approximately 3.0 mm.

In addition or alternatively, the ratio between the equivalent external diameter of the protrusions taken at the level of the base surface and the distance between the central axes of two neighboring protrusions is from 0.65 to 1.5, preferably from 0.76 to 0 , 93, preferably 0.8 to 0.89, preferably approximately 0.85. Such a ratio ensures optimal flexibility of the structure without loss of mechanical properties conferring protection.

The equivalent external diameter corresponds to the diameter of a circle in which the external wall of the protuberance, taken perpendicular to the central axis, is inscribed with a maximum of common points between the circle and the external wall of the protuberance.

In addition or alternatively, the distance between two neighboring protrusions is 6 to 60 mm, preferably 7.5 to 43.5 mm, preferably 9.5 to 27.5 mm, preferably about 11 mm. The distance between two neighboring protrusions is taken between the central axes of these protrusions and parallel to the base surface.

In a particular embodiment, the protrusions are all present on the same side of the ventilated base. In an embodiment according to the invention, the protrusions are present on either side of the aerated base, preferably the central axes of the protrusions on one side of the ventilated base are aligned with those of the protrusions on the other side of the ventilated base. Alternatively, the central axes of the protrusions on one side of the aerated base are staggered relative to those of the protrusions on the other side of the aerated base. In cases where the protrusions are present on both sides of the aerated base, the latter then has two base surfaces. In the case where the characteristics depend on a base surface, the base surface to be contemplated is that from which the protuberance considered extends.

In one embodiment, each protuberance having an outer wall, the outer wall has a symmetry of revolution about the central axis. As a variant, each protuberance having an outer wall, the outer wall can be superimposed on its image by rotation around the central axis with an angle of 360 ° / n where n is an integer strictly greater than 1, preferably strictly greater than 2, preferably from 2 to 10, preferably from 3 to 10, preferably from 4 to 8, preferably from 5 to 7, preferably 6. For example, the cross section of the outer wall is a regular polygon comprising 3 to 10 vertices, preferably 4 to 8 , preferably 5 to 7, preferably 6.

In one embodiment, the equivalent outside diameter of the protrusions is constant from the aerated base. This means that the protrusions are straight cylinders (mathematical sense). As a variant, the equivalent external diameter of the protrusions decreases linearly from the aerated base with an angle greater than 0 ° and less than or equal to 30 °, preferably greater than 2 ° and less than or equal to 15 °, preferably greater than 4 ° and less than or equal to 8 °, preferably approximately equal to 6 °. The 6 ° angle is particularly studied to allow an easy demoulding of the structure of its mold.

Furthermore, or alternatively, the equivalent outside diameter at the level of the base surface is from 3 to 25 mm, preferably from 5 to 20 mm, preferably from 7 to 14 mm, preferably about 9.5 mm.

In addition, or alternatively, each of the protrusions is traversed by a through orifice extending along the central axis and defining an interior wall of the protuberance. This both increases the breathability of the structure and improves the lightness. Alternatively, the orifice is not through but blind on the side of the ventilated base which improves the lightness of the structure without modifying its breathability.

In one embodiment, the internal wall has a symmetry of revolution around the central axis. As a variant, the interior wall can be superimposed on its image by rotation around the central axis of angle 360 ° / n where n is an integer strictly greater than 1, preferably strictly greater than 2, preferably from 2 to 10, preferably by 3 to 10, preferably 4 to 8, preferably 5 to 7, preferably 6. For example, the cross section of the interior wall is a regular polygon comprising 3 to 10 vertices, preferably 4 to 8, preferably 5 to 7, preferably 6. In the latter case, if the cross section of the outer wall is also a regular polygon, it preferably has the same shape as the cross section of the inner wall and the vertices of these polygons are angularly aligned.

In one embodiment, the equivalent internal diameter of the protrusions is constant from the aerated base. The equivalent internal diameter corresponds to the diameter of a circle in which the internal wall of the protuberance, taken perpendicular to the central axis, is inscribed with a maximum of common points between the circle and the internal wall of the protuberance. Alternatively, the equivalent internal diameter of the protrusions decreases linearly from the base surface with an angle greater than 0 ° and less than or equal to 30 °, preferably greater than 2 ° and less than or equal to 15 °, preferably greater than 4 ° and less than or equal to 8 °, preferably approximately equal to 6 °. Alternatively again, the equivalent internal diameter of the protrusions increases linearly from the base surface with an angle greater than 0 ° and less than or equal to 30 °, preferably greater than 2 ° and less than or equal to 15 °, preferably greater than 4 ° and less than or equal to 8 °, preferably approximately equal to 6 °. An angle of 6 ° is particularly studied to allow an easy demoulding of the structure of its mold.

In addition or alternatively, the thickness of the protrusion is defined by the difference between the equivalent internal diameter and the equivalent external diameter of the protrusion at the base surface. The thickness of the protrusion is 0.5 to 10 mm, preferably 0.65 to 7 mm, preferably 0.85 to 4 mm, preferably about 1 mm.

In addition or alternatively, the height of the protrusions is 2 to 8.5 mm, preferably 3.5 to 7.5 mm, preferably 4.5 to 6.5 mm, preferably approximately 6 mm.

The protrusions are preferably distributed according to a regular mesh, for example according to a square mesh (each of the protrusions having four neighbors) or regular triangular (each of the protrusions having six neighbors). Therefore, the connectors are the same length.

The structure is preferably made of a flexible material. By flexible is meant a material whose overall shape can be modified in order to conform more to the shape of the part of the body facing which it is arranged.

The flexible material is preferably a viscoelastic material, preferably with a glass transition temperature Tg of between -20 and 50 ° C, preferably between 0 and 40 ° C, preferably between 15 and 25 ° C. The glass transition temperature Tg can be obtained by dynamic mechanical analysis using the METRAVIB instrument, type DMA +450 from ACOEM. Although it is easier for manufacturing reasons to provide the ventilated base and the protrusions in the same viscoelastic material, it is also possible to provide that the ventilated base and the protrusions are made in different viscoelastic materials. It is even also possible in these two cases to provide two or more populations of different protuberances, each being in a viscoelastic material different from the others.

In the remainder of the description, the amounts of the compounds entering into the composition of the viscoelastic material are expressed by weight relative to the total weight of the viscoelastic material.

The major constituent of the viscoelastic material is a polymer such as polynorbornene, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), chlorobutyl rubber (in English chlorobutyl rubber ) and their mixtures, preferably polynorbornene alone or a mixture of polynorbornene with at least one other of the polymers mentioned above. By majority constituent means the constituent present in greater quantity in the viscoelastic material.

The viscoelastic material can advantageously comprise from 27 to 55% of polynorbornene, preferably from 40 to 50%, preferably from 42 to 48%, preferably about 45%.

The viscoelastic material may also include a plasticizer such as an oil. Aromatic oils are preferred but it is also possible to use a paraffinic oil (PA), a naphthenic oil (HNA), a silicone oil or C9 resins (in particular those supplied by Konimpex under the name "Hydrocarbon C9"). The viscoelastic material advantageously comprises from 33 to 50% of plasticizer, preferably from 37 to 45%, preferably from 39 to 43% by weight, preferably around 40%.

The viscoelastic material can also comprise a bulking agent such as silica powder, kaolin, aluminum oxide (Al (OH) ₃ ), stearic acid or a mixture of these. The viscoelastic material advantageously comprises from 4 to 8% of bulking agent, preferably from 5 to 7%, preferably from 5.5 to 6.5%, preferably around 6%.

The viscoelastic material may also include other compounds such as a preservative, an antioxidant, an anti-UV agent, an anti-scratch agent, a vulcanizing agent, a vulcanization accelerator and a coloring agent.

Examples of preservatives are aluminum hydroxide (Al (OH) ₃ ), metal oxides such as zinc oxide (ZnO) or titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ), ethylene vinyl acetate ( EVA), and an ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM). The viscoelastic material can also be free of preservative.

Examples of antioxidants are phenolic antioxidants (e.g. 2,6 di-ter-butyl-4-methyl phenol), phenyl-p-phenylene diamine and its derivatives such as N- (1,3 diamine -dimethylbutyl) -N'-phenyl-p-phenylene (6PPD); the preferred antioxidants being phenyl-p-phenylene diamine and 6PPD.

Examples of anti-UV agents are paraffinic waxes and metal oxides such as zinc oxide (ZnO) or titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ).

An example of an anti-scratch agent is N- (cyclohexylthio) -phthalmide.

Examples of vulcanizing agents are sulfur and di (benzothiazol-2-yl) disulfide (MBTS).

Examples of vulcanization accelerators are titanium dioxide (TiO2), N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazole sulphenamide (CBS), bis (N, N-dimethylthiocarbamyl) disulfide, stearic acid, mixtures of accelerators such as Deovulc EG 3 which is a synergistic combination of highly active accelerators containing ethylenethiourea, available from DOG Deutsche Oelfabrik and King Industries, Inc., and metal oxides such as zinc oxide (ZnO) or titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ), preferably stearic acid or mixtures of accelerators such as Deovulc EG 3.

Examples of coloring agents are preferably organic and inorganic pigments such as iron oxides (such as yellow or red oxides), titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ), zinc oxide (ZnO) or carbon black .

The structure for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shocks can be entirely homogeneous, that is to say that these connectors and protuberances are regularly arranged over the whole of the structure forming a single pattern and that the structure of absorption and / or dissipation of mechanical shock is carried out in a single material. Alternatively, the absorption and / or dissipation structure includes several different areas. These zones can differ from one another either by at least one dimension of one of its elements (connectors, protrusions), or by the material used for shaping the zones, or at the same time by at least one dimension of one of its elements and by the material used for shaping the zones.

The invention also relates to a body protector at least partially produced using the structure for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shock described above.

In the present description, the term “body protector” means an adequately dimensioned structure for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shock or an arrangement of such structures adequately dimensioned in order to provide a certain protection to the part of the body situated opposite the protection under normal conditions of use.

In its simplest embodiment, the body protector is made entirely using the structure for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shock as described above.

Examples of embodiment of body protector as to their form are those presented in standards EN 1621-1: 2013 and EN 1621-2: 2014 relating to protective clothing against mechanical shock for motorcyclists.

The body protector may be generally planar, that is to say that the aerated base of the structure for absorbing and / or dissipating thermal shock the component is itself planar. Thus, when it is integrated into a protective garment, the body protector is folded, the free ends of the protrusions moving towards or away from each other. In order to increase the flexibility of the body protector, it may have cutouts generally having the shape of a V, the point being directed towards the inside of the protector and the diagonals extending to the edge of the protector. The diagonals of the V can be straight or curved. In the case where the diagonals of the V are curved, they are curved on the same side. When folding, the diagonals of the V are brought together and then generally sealed to each other for example by gluing or welding, the protector then forming a dome to generally accommodate the head or a joint such as the shoulder, the elbow or knee. At the tip of the V, a small circular cutout can be provided to facilitate the folding of the body protector at this point. By small dimension, a circular cutout with a diameter of less than 5 mm is included here.

The body protector can also be curved, that is to say that prior to its incorporation into protective clothing, it does not need to be folded: it already has the right curvatures adapted to the part of the body to be protect. Thus, the structure for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shock is shaped directly in the final form of use of the body protector.

The body protector in particular satisfies at least performance level 1 of standard EN 1621-1: 2013 or of standard EN 1621-2: 2014, preferably performance level 2. In particular, the body protector satisfies level of performance 2 of EN1621-1: 2013 and performance level 1 of EN1621-2: 2014.

The invention also relates to a protective garment comprising a body protector as described above.

• la figure 1 est une vue de trois-quarts d'un mode de réalisation particulier de la structure d'absorption et/ou de dissipation de chocs mécaniques selon l'invention avec des protubérances de forme cylindrique à base circulaire ;
• la figure 2 est une vue de trois-quarts d'un mode de réalisation particulier de la structure d'absorption et/ou de dissipation de chocs mécaniques selon l'invention avec des protubérances de forme cylindrique à base hexagonale régulière ;
• la figure 3 est une coupe perpendiculaire à la base aérée passant par l'axe central des protubérances ; et
• la figure 4 est une vue de dessus d'un protecteur selon l'invention réalisé entièrement à l'aide de la structure d'absorption et/ou de dissipation de chocs mécaniques selon l'invention.

The accompanying drawings are given by way of illustration and not limitation in order to help the reader to better understand the present invention. These drawings include the following figures:

• the figure 1 is a three-quarter view of a particular embodiment of the mechanical shock absorption and / or dissipation structure according to the invention with protuberances of cylindrical shape with circular base;
• the figure 2 is a three-quarter view of a particular embodiment of the structure for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shocks according to the invention with protrusions of cylindrical shape with regular hexagonal base;
• the figure 3 is a section perpendicular to the ventilated base passing through the central axis of the protrusions; and
• the figure 4 is a top view of a protector according to the invention produced entirely using the structure for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shocks according to the invention.

In all of the figures, the equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numeral.

A particular example of an absorption and / or dissipation structure according to the invention is described below with reference to the figure 1 . Structure 1 is homogeneous.

This structure 1 for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shocks comprises connectors 2 forming a flat aerated base B having a base surface. The connectors have a strip shape whose surfaces are flat and are the same length.

The structure 1 for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shocks also includes protrusions 3, each of the protrusions comprising a central axis AA along which it extends from the aerated base B, the central axis AA being normal to the base surface.

The protrusions 3 are present on one side of the ventilated base B. Each protrusion 3 has an outer wall 31, the outer wall 31 having a symmetry of revolution about the central axis. Each of the protrusions 3 is crossed by a through orifice 32 extending along the central axis AA and defining an inner wall 33 of the protrusion 3. The inner wall 33 has a symmetry of revolution about the central axis AA. The protrusions 3 are distributed according to a regular triangular mesh, that is to say that each of the protuberances has six neighbors and the central axes of the neighbors draw a regular hexagon.

Another particular example of an absorption and / or dissipation structure according to the invention is described below with reference to the figure 2 . Structure 1 is homogeneous.

This structure 1 for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shocks comprises connectors 2 forming a flat aerated base B having a base surface. The connectors have a strip shape whose surfaces are flat and are the same length.

The structure 1 for absorbing and / or dissipating mechanical shocks also includes protrusions 3, each of the protrusions comprising a central axis AA along which it extends from the aerated base B, the central axis AA being normal to the base surface.

The protrusions 3 are present on one side of the ventilated base B. Each protrusion 3 has an outer wall 31, the cross section of the outer wall 31 being a regular polygon having 6 vertices (regular hexagonal polygon). Each of the protrusions 3 is crossed by a through orifice 32 extending along the central axis AA and defining an inner wall 33 of the protrusion 3. The cross section of the inner wall 33 is a regular polygon having 6 vertices. The vertices of the regular polygons forming the cross section of the outer and inner walls are angularly aligned. The protrusions 3 are distributed in a regular triangular mesh, that is to say that each of the protrusions has six neighbors and the central axes of the neighbors draw a regular hexagon.

The figure 3 presents an example of a cut perpendicular to the aerated base for the examples of structures for absorption and / or dissipation of mechanical shocks Figures 1 and 2 .

On the figure 3 , the equivalent external diameter D _e of the protrusions 3 decreases linearly from the aerated base B with an angle of 6 ° while the equivalent internal diameter D _i of the protrusions 3 increases linearly from the aerated base B with an angle of 6 °.

An example of dimensioning of the various elements of the structure of absorption and / or dissipation of mechanical shocks is presented in table 1 following. <i> Table 1 </i> Mechanical shock absorption and / or dissipation structure thickness 6.8 mm protuberances height 6 mm outer diameter equivalent to the level of the ventilated base 9.5 mm thickness of the protuberance 1 mm Connectors length 1.7 mm width 3 mm vépaisseur 0.8mm

Table 2 below gives an example of composition for the material of the mechanical shock absorption and / or dissipation structure. The amounts are expressed as a percentage by weight relative to the total composition. <i> Table 2 </i> polynorbornene 45% Oils 40% Silica 6% Anti-scratch agent 1% Vulcanizing agent (sulfur) 1% Vulcanization accelerator 1% Coloring agent 1% Stearic acid <1% antioxidant <1% Anti-UV agent (wax) <1% The total is not 100% given the approximations.

The mechanical shock absorption and / or dissipation structure with one of the configurations of the Figures 1 to 5 and having the composition of table 2 has a breathability of approximately 35% and a Shore A hardness of approximately 25. This structure makes it possible to achieve performance level 2 for standard EN 1621-1 and level 1 for standard EN 1621-2.

With reference to the figure 4 , an example of a body protector is described below. This example of body protector corresponds to the examples contained in standard EN1621-1: 2013 ( cf. figure 1 and Table 1 of this standard). The body protector 10 can be defined simply using three parameters: two radii r ₁ , r ₂ and a length / . It comprises three parts centered on a longitudinal axis BB which is also an axis of symmetry of the body protector 10. A first extremal part 11 has the shape of a semicircle of radius r ₁ and a second extremal part 12 has the shape of 'a semicircle of radius r ₂ . The two extreme parts 11, 12 are connected to each other by a central part 13 of trapezoidal shape and having for axis of symmetry the longitudinal axis BB and a height / .

Such a shape can be used to protect the following body parts: shoulder (S); elbow and forearm (E); hip (H); knee and upper shin (K); knee, upper and middle of the tibia (K + L); lower tibia (L).

Table 3 below presents the minimum dimensions of the three parameters according to standard EN1621-1: 2013. <i> Table 3 </i> Type Small model Big model r ₁ r ₂ l r ₁ r ₂ l S 55 32 64 70 40 80 E 45 24 118 50 30 150 K 55 24 100 70 30 130 H 35 26 70 44 33 88 The 32 24 64 40 30 80 K + L 55 24 185 70 30 240

Claims (14)

1. Structure for absorption and/or dissipation of mechanical shocks for body protection comprising:

   connectors (2) forming an aerated base (B) with a base surface;

   protuberances (3), each of the protuberances comprising a central axis (AA) along which it projects from the aerated base, the central axis being normal to the base surface, two adjacent protuberances being connected to each other by a connector,

   each of the protuberances has an equivalent outside diameter (D_e) and an equivalent inside diameter (D_i), the thickness between the equivalent outer diameter and the equivalent inner diameter is comprised between 0.5 and 10 mm;

   each of the protuberances has a through orifice (32) extending along the central axis and defining an internal surface (33) of the protuberance;

   characterised in that the protuberances are on both sides of the aerated base.
2. Structure according to claim 1, wherein the ratio between the height of the protuberances and the thickness of the aerated base is 6 to 9, preferably 6.5 to 8.5, preferably 6 to 8, and preferably about 7.5.
3. Structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the breathability of the structure is 10 to 70%, preferably 18.5 to 58.5%, preferably 26.5 to 46.5%, and preferably about 35%.
4. Structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the Shore A hardness of the structure is 5 to 90, preferably 11.5 to 68.5, preferably 18.5 to 46.5, and preferably about 25.
5. Structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ratio between the equivalent outside diameter of the protuberances measured at the base surface and the distance between the central axes of two adjacent protuberances is 0.65 to 1.5, preferably 0.76 to 0.93, preferably 0.8 to 0.89, and preferably about 0.85.
6. Structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each protuberance has an external surface (31), the external surface has a symmetry of revolution about the central axis or is superimposable on its image by rotation by a 360°/n angle about the central axis, where n is an integer greater than 1, preferably 2 to 10, preferably 4 to 8, preferably 5 to 7, and preferably 6.
7. Structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the equivalent outside diameter of the protuberances is constant from the aerated base or decreases linearly from the aerated base with an angle of more than 0° and equal to or less than 30°, preferably more than 2° and equal to or less than 15°, preferably more than 4° and equal to and less than 8°, and preferably equal to about 6°.
8. Structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the internal surface has a symmetry of revolution about the central axis or is superimposable on its image by rotation by a 360°/n angle about the central axis, where n is an integer greater than 1, preferably 2 to 10, preferably 4 to 8, preferably 5 to 7, and preferably 6.
9. Structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the equivalent inside diameter of the protuberances:

   is constant from the aerated base or

   linearly decreases from the aerated base with an angle of more than 0° and equal to or less than 30°, preferably more than 2° and equal to or less than 15°, preferably more than 4° and equal to or less than 8°, and preferably equal to about 6°, or

   linearly increases from the aerated base with an angle of more than 0° and equal to or less than 30°, preferably more than 2° and equal to or less than 15°, preferably more than 4° and equal to or less than 8°, and preferably equal to about 6°.
10. Structure according to one of claims 1 to 9 made of a viscoelastic material, preferably with a vitreous transition temperature between -20 and 50°C, preferably between 0 and 40°C, and preferably between 15 and 25°C.
11. Structure according to claim 10, wherein the majority constituent of the viscoelastic material is a polymer, preferably polynorbornene, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer, chlorobutyl rubber and mixture thereof, preferably polynorbornene alone or a mixture of polynorbornene with at least one element among polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer and chlorobutyl rubber.
12. Body protector (10) at least partially made of the structure according to one of claims 1 to 11.
13. Body protector according to claim 12 achieving at least performance level 1 of standard EN1621-1: 2013 or of standard EN1621-2: 2014, preferably performance level 2.
14. Protective clothing comprising at least one protector according to claim 12 or claim 13.

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