FR2600900A1 - Device for protecting and/or holding a part of a human or animal body, particularly a footballer's legs, and method for producing such a device - Google Patents

Abstract

The subject of the present invention is a device for protecting and/or holding a part of a human or animal body, particularly a footballer's legs. This device includes at least one shell 8 covering the part of the body to be protected, for example the front part of a leg 9. This very thin shell is produced from a fibrous reinforcement impregnated with an organic matrix. Preferably, the inner face of the shell 8 is a replica of the part of the body to be protected, whilst a shock-absorbing material 12 is placed between the inner face of the shell 8 and the leg; in the particular case of football, it is possible to use a moving weight 20 in order to modify striking of the ball. Application to the protection of sportsmen and workers against impacts.

Description

DEVICE FOR PROTECTING AND / OR HOLDING A
PART OF A HUMAN OR ANIMAL BODY, PARTICULARLY THE LEGS
OF A FOOTBALL PLAYER, AND METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION THEREOF
OF SUCH A DEVICE
The subject of the present invention is a dispo
The protection and / or maintenance of a
part of a human or animal body and finds an app
cation of interest for the protection of members of
high performance athletes, especially the legs of
football players or other parts of the human body
in contact sports. However other applica
tions are possible in particular to protect Tra
workers against the risk of shocks.

At present, changing conditions
tions of play during football matches made
that there are fractures in the tibia and pero
born and tendon accidents in the knee and
posterior parts of the ankles, these accidents on
coming in contact between players during the
game even without the rules of the game being violated.

This is how kicks (or others) on the
tibia and posterior part of the ankles are not
not necessarily sanctioned by arbitrators then
that it sometimes results in spectacular accidents
(dislocation of the fibula head, tearing or dis
twisted ligaments, tibia or pero rupture
born...). Under these conditions, the joints, by
example, are doubly requested but, moreover, the
healings become increasingly long and uncertain
roofs. It follows sports and eco consequences
cumbersome to manage and, of course, conditions
game sports that evolve in the wrong direction.

The only protections used today
present are at the level of the tibia and sometimes only
also at the level of the posterior tendons of the ankle. To date, there are no regulations for protections and more or less artisanal solutions have been developed. When it comes to protecting shins, there are basically two types of protection. The first type consists of a plastic shell that protects only a small part of the tibia (about 20 to 30X the height of the leg, taken from the ankle to the knee), because these are products manufactured in large The second type of protection consists of a textile stocking which allows the removal of removable plastic tabs in the anterior position (shin protector), and possibly the removal of fabric beads in the posterior position in order to protect the tendons. There are still protections consisting of sheets of felt or other shock absorbing materials that are placed between the bottom of the player and the leg.

 All these solutions are ineffective against epidermal trauma (hematomas, skin tears) but, when the contact is violent, they are still ineffective mechanically because they deform locally and slide on the leg. In addition, they have fairly low rupture thresholds, which can lead to deep lesions of the leg when the rupture edges meet the epidermis. These protections are therefore ineffective against shocks, which has led some players to no longer use them because they bring discomfort rather than protection. Another reason for not using them is that they are not personalized, which, given the different morphologies of the players, leads to disparities in protection.

 Other solutions have been proposed which use either shock absorbing materials or localized mechanical protections. In any case, for the reasons indicated above, all of these protections are either ineffective with regard to violent shocks, or too heavy or bulky.

 The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks by proposing an effective protection device, comfortable to wear, and adapted to the morphology of each player.

 The device object of the invention, intended for the protection and / or the maintenance of a part of a human or animal body, comprises, in known manner, a rigid shell having an internal face and an external face.

 According to the invention, the shell is made of a composite material and a shock absorbing material is placed between the internal face of the shell and the part of the body to be protected, the shock absorber covers the entire internal face of the shell and the device has an external face and an internal face, the latter will conform to the shape of the part of the body to be protected.

 In the present description, the term "shock absorbing material" means a material which can be crushed under the effect of an impact in order to absorb the energy of the impact. There are devices consisting of a sock having, below the knee, a pocket for receiving the shin guard. In your case, the sock is a simple support for the shin protector and does not play any cushioning role.

 The device which is the subject of the invention fulfills the following three functions: avoiding the effects of punching due to impacts, distributing the force over a large area and absorbing the energy of the impact. The first function is ensured by the fact that the shell is made of a composite material or other equivalent material having high mechanical performance, that is to say a high mechanical strength to mass ratio. The second function is ensured by the fact that the internal face of the device follows the shape of the part of the body to be protected: the force of the impact is thus distributed over the entire surface covered by the device. Finally, the impact energy is absorbed by the damping material.

 In the preferred embodiment, the inner face of the shell is a replica of the part of the body to be protected.

 The expression "replica of the part of the body to be protected" means that the internal face of the shell reproduces exactly, but in negative, the shape of the part of the body to be protected, that the internal face of the shell can be applied exactly on this part of the body.

 In this case, the second function mentioned above (distribution of the force over a large area) is provided by the shell itself since it is its internal face which conforms to the shape of the part of the body to be protected, l shock absorber used only to absorb the impact energy. As will be seen below, in an alternative embodiment of the device, the internal face of the shell is not a replica of the part of the body to be protected: in this case, it is the shock absorber which fulfills the second function , its face in contact with the part of the body to be protected marrying the latter.

 According to another aspect of the invention, the material constituting the shell can be a fibrous reinforcement impregnated with an organic matrix. Preferably, the fibrous reinforcement is chosen from glass, carbon, boron and aramid, while the organic matrix is chosen from epoxy resins, polyesters, vinyl esters, phenolformaldehydes, phenolic resins and furan resins. As for the damping material, a flexible organic cellular derivative is preferably used bonded in a plate or obtained by injection molding, for example: cellular rubber, flexible polyurethane, cellular polyethylene, or polyvinyl chloride foam.

 Such a device can in particular be used to protect a leg and, in this case, can be produced either in two separate parts, or in one piece. In the first case, a part is placed on the anterior part of the leg in order to protect the tibia, while the other part is placed on the posterior part of the leg in order to protect the tendons. If the device is made in one piece, it covers both the anterior part of the leg, thus protecting the tibia, and at least partially the posterior part in order to protect the tendon.

 In certain cases, and in particular in the case of football players, it may be advantageous to mount on this protection an additional counterweight making it possible to modify the striking of the ball by balancing the additional mass constituted by this protection, which however remains weak and can be evaluated by calculation. We can therefore provide a flyweight mounted on the shell and, optionally, a groove allowing the sliding and positioning of this additional flyweight.

The invention also relates to a method for producing such a device. According to the main characteristic of this process, it comprises the following stages consisting in - making an imprint of the part of the body to be protected
ger, - make a countermold from this imprint,
and - make the shell from the countermold.

 To make the impression, a material of given thickness, substantially equal to the thickness of the shock absorber, is placed on the part of the body to be protected and this material is then allowed to harden: an impression having an internal face is thus obtained. and an external face, the internal face being that which has been in contact with the part of the body to be protected. To make the countermold, the constitutive material of the countermold is placed in contact with the external part of the imprint and the material is allowed to harden. To make the countermold, we can use either a fibrous fabric or plaster. As for the realization of the shell from the countermold, it is done by placing the material of the shell in contact with the countermold, the material being cut out. exactly the dimensions of the part of the body to be protected, then allowing this material to harden. If one wishes to make a shell with a groove allowing the sliding of a counterweight, a rod of appropriate dimensions is placed between the counter mold and the material constituting the shell.

The invention will appear better on reading the description which follows, given purely by way of illustration and in no way limiting, with reference to the appended drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a device according to the invention, placed on the leg of a football player,
FIG. 2 is a side view of the device in FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing how an additional counterweight can be placed on the device,
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing how a groove can be provided so that the counterweight can slide,
FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of the device of FIG. 4,
- Figures 6a and 6b are side views of the inner side and the outer side of a leg of a football player, respectively, showing how, in the device of the invention, the shell can be made in one piece ,
FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing an alternative embodiment in which the shells are produced in the form of frustoconical sectors,
FIGS. 8a to 8d are schematic sectional views showing the different stages of the process for producing a device according to the invention, and
- Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view showing how the step illustrated in Figure 8a is carried out.

 Figures 1 and 2 show a first embodiment adapted to the protection of the leg of a football player. We see in these figures that the device of the invention, bearing the general reference 2, consists of an anterior part 4 protecting the tibia and a posterior part 6 protecting the tendon. Each of the elements 4 and 6 consists of a shell or orthosis respectively 8 and 10, while a damping material 12, 14 is located between each of the shells 8, 10 and the skin. The shell 8 is fixed to the leg by a quick fastener 16, while another fastener 18 makes it possible to simultaneously maintain the front shell 8 and the rear shell 10.

 The shape of the shell is determined so as to protect the largest possible surface, taking into account the probabilities of shock during a match and without hampering movement during the game. By analyzing the game of high level football and interviewing international players, it appeared that they wanted to have protection covering most of the leg, from the lower base of the knee to the ankle , as well as literally on the external part of the j-ambe and later at the level of the Achilles heel. We also analyzed matches where the contacts between players were severe (which resulted in stoppage of play and care) and made it possible to create a map of the probabilities of contact and shock on the anterior and posterior parts of the leg: we thus determined the "effective" area of the leg to be protected. For the "front" and "half" players, the blows are received with the greatest probability from the rear, at the level of the posterior tendons and the ankles and, with a lesser probability, laterally on the external part of the leg. For "back" players and the goalkeeper, the shots are rather received from the front.

 When one examines the bone and muscle anatomy of a leg, one realizes that it is necessary to mechanically protect the bone parts and the tendons at all the levels where contact can be located. Indeed, it is very difficult to mechanically model the effects on the leg when a shock occurs locally, because everything depends on the support of the player at the time of the shock. It is therefore necessary to optimize the protection of the leg by protecting the largest possible surface and by maximizing the contact energy at the level of the protection. However, neither should the player's technique be disturbed, and in particular hamper the movements of the knee and ankles. The device that is the subject of the invention makes it possible to reconcile these three requirements: optimal protection surface, maximum absorption of the energy of deformation due to shocks and release of the axes of inertia at the knee and ankle. This is achieved thanks to the fact that, in the device of the invention, the shape of the shell covers a very large area and thanks to the presence of the damping material which collects and distributes the energy of the impact. The front and rear shells provide sufficient mechanical rigidity to avoid the effects of punching due to impact and also have sufficient mechanical strength to reduce the risk of rupture.

 As these shells envelop a large surface, they make it possible to produce particularly interesting mechanical supports (for example the malleoli and the tibial plateau for the anterior shell). Under these conditions, and taking into account the rigidity associated with the use of well-adapted composite materials, the shells do not rise and distribute the local force over a large area. In addition, these shells relate to muscle masses (the two lateral solids) which represent bearing surfaces and have a shock absorber function.

This is particularly true for the posterior shell or orthosis. The fact that the two orthoses are attached to the leg by quick fasteners and
Light and the fact that they have recesses at the level of the anterior and posterior tendons in the sagittal plane (for example, the recess 7 visible in FIGS. 2 to 4) leave the leg the maximum of freedom. The shells are self-locking on the leg thanks to their shape which conforms to the anatomical curvatures since, in the preferred embodiment, their internal face is a replica of the part of the body to be protected, and thanks to the shape of the shock absorbers. In fact, the shape and size of the shock absorbers means that they are in contact with the skin when the shells are in place. Even if the inner face of the shells is a replica of the part of the body to be protected, the shock absorbers help to distribute the impact energy since their great flexibility allows them to best match the singularities of the player's anatomical curvatures during play.
The damper in contact with the part of the body to be protected which constitutes the internal face of the device, the external face of the latter being constituted by the external face of the shell.

 FIG. 3 shows that, in certain cases, an additional counterweight 20 can be added to the device of the invention. The role of this mas-selotte is to modify the striking of the ball. Indeed, in the particular case of football, the rear players and the goalkeeper need a long shot in order to send the ball as far as possible while the "front" and "half" players need a dry and precise strike. The use of an additional flyweight like that illustrated in FIG. 3 makes it possible to perfect the individual technical quality of the player by balancing the total mass (leg plus device of the invention) in dynamic movement around its instantaneous point of rotation at moment of striking the ball. According to the cases, the counterweight 20 can be placed permanently or, as it appears well on figure 4, one can provide a groove 22 which allows the sliding of the mass Lotte 20: The player can therefore put it exactly in the desired location. The flyweight 20 is sized according to the sporting value of the player, his athletic mass and dynamic considerations concerning the touch and the striking of the ball. The presence of this flyweight is very interesting from the point of view of sports ergonomics because it allows a better quality of play and also a better comfort of the player throughout a match by contributing to optimize the distribution of the effort on muscles and tendons.

 FIG. 4 also shows how the device of the invention is placed, in contact with the skin and inside the bottom 23 of the player.

 The arrangement of the various elements of the device of the invention is also visible in the sectional view of FIG. 5 where we find the front shell 8 separated from the leg 9 by the shock absorber 12 and the rear shell 10 separated from the leg by the shock absorber 14. The counterweight 20 can also be seen moving along the groove 22. The front shell 8 has an internal face 11 and an external face 13.

The internal face 11 is that which is in contact with the leg (with the interposition of the shock absorber 12) and its shape is a replica of the part of the leg on which it is placed. better comfort and better support are thus obtained since the shell can be placed exactly at the desired location on the leg. Of course, the same is true for the posterior shell 10.

 In the case of Figures 1 to 5, the device of the invention consists of two independent parts 4 and 6, as described above. However, it would not be departing from the scope of the invention to use a shell produced in one piece, as illustrated in FIGS. 6a and 6b. In this case, the device consists of a single shell 24 having an anterior portion 26 protecting the tibia and a posterior portion 28 protecting the tendon. The parts 26 and 28 are arranged like the shells 8 and 10 of Figure 2, but are connected by an intermediate part 30 so as to form a single piece. FIG. 6a represents the internal side of the leg and FIG. 6b the external side (in the case of FIGS. 6a and 6b, it is a left leg). It can be seen that, in the preferred embodiment, the part 30 is on the external side, but it would not go beyond the scope of the invention to put it on the internal side.

 ~ In the case of FIGS. 1 to 6, the shells have edges in the form of left curves, but it would not go beyond the scope of the invention to produce the shells in the form of frustoconical sectors with straight edges like the shells 8a and 10a illustrated. in FIG. 7. In this case, the internal face of the shell is not a replica of the part of the body to be protected and the function of force distribution is entirely ensured by the damping material. However, such effective protection is obtained and this variant makes it possible to simplify production.

 It should be noted that, in this case, it is possible to carry out an injection of foam (alveolar damping material) between the shell and the leg, this makes it possible to obtain, at the level of the internal surface of the damper, the replica of the part of the body to protect.

 The shells are made of a composite material consisting of a fibrous reinforcement impregnated with an organic matrix, but other materials can be used provided that they are light and have high mechanical performance, that is to say that the mechanical resistance to mass ratio is as high as possible. One can for example make the fibrous reinforcement in 2D or 2D fabric molded on imprints reproducing the external anatomy of the leg, as will be explained more -l6in when describing the process for producing the device. The fibers can be glass, carbon, boron or aramid fibers used alone or in the form of woven stockings or in the form of hybrid reinforcements. As for the organic matrix, it is preferably constituted by resins which can be epoxy resins, polyesters, vinyl esters, phenolformaldehydes, phenolic or furan resins.

For example, such a device has been produced by calculating the mechanical strength so as to withstand without puncture or breakage, shocks
2 having a surface energy of 5 Joules / cm on a surface of 10 cm2. This corresponds to an energy transmitted, upon contact, from the foot of a player on an orthosis, when the latter, weighing 80 kg, is launched at a speed of 10 m / s, the surface exposed to shock being approximately 10 cm2. These calculations make it possible to determine and optimize the orientations and the number of layers of composite fabrics in order to satisfy not only the mechanical parameters mentioned above, but also the mass parameters. Indeed, as has been said above, to be comfortable to wear, the protection must be light and we have tried not to exceed a mass of about 100 grams per leg. We have produced a device in accordance with that illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, which represented a mass of approximately 509 per leg and a device according to Figure 6 which represented a mass of approximately 1009 per leg. In the example described here, a 2D "KEVLAR" fabric pre-impregnated with the epoxy resin ref. Erence 145/2/54/788 used by Broé Co. was used to make the shells. It is a type 145 2 epoxy resin with 546 by weight of resin. The fabric was a "KEVLAR" type 788 balanced fabric. 5 layers of fabric were used, this being oriented from the outside of the orthosis towards the inside. The orientations were as follows: 0 and 900 for the first layer, + 45 "for the second layer, O and 90" for the third layer, + 450 for the fourth layer and O and 9fil0 for the fifth layer. During molding, the outside of this resin-impregnated fibrous fabric is coated with a gel.

The molding was carried out using the technique of draping and impregnation with a vacuum bag on a hollow imprint of the leg. These techniques are known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here. The resin is then polymerized, which takes place in an oven under vacuum (0.8 torr or 1.07.102 Pa) according to the temperature profile following rise from 200C to 135 "C (with a tolerance of 50C in addition and 10 C less) in 60 minutes, then maintaining at this temperature between 125 and 1300C for 90 minutes and, finally, cooling to a temperature of 20 "C for 40 minutes. The product obtained is trimmed with a grinding wheel in order to obtain the desired final contour. For this, we can use as a model the imprint which was used to make the counter mold, as will be described? below during the desc-ription of the production process.

As for the shock absorber, it is applied by bonding to the internal surface of the shells. For this, any suitable glue can be used, for example the BOSTIC glue sold by the Company
JAVAUX et Cie. As appears in particular in FIGS. 1 to 5, the surface of the shock absorber is provided slightly larger than that of the shell in order to leave a peripheral overhang: thus, the edge of the shells does not press against the skin. Among the possible materials for producing these shock absorbers, cellular rubber, flexible polyurethane and cellular polyethylene can be used. However, one can use any flexible and light material, easy to shape, stickable, rot-proof and airtight and waterproof which has shock absorbing properties.

In the example which was carried out, materials of cellular polyethylene type were used in quality D and
Marketed by JAVAUX et Cie. These materials are rot-proof and air and water tight. Such a shock absorber placed between the shell and the leg allows shock absorption and transmission over a large surface and not locally. The protection then mechanically decouples the shock pulse by a surface effect and clearly weakens effects on the upper joints (crossed knee ligaments) and even on the femoral joints. In certain cases, the damping material can be put in place directly by injection molding between the part of the body to be protected and a counter-mold. The material being at a relatively high temperature (of the order of 40 to 500C), a fabric is used to protect the skin.

 As for the weights illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, these are positioned on the external face of the shells, possibly with the aid of slides arranged thereon, which allows precise positioning. It is also possible, without departing from the scope of the invention, not to use a slide and to fix the flyweight with simple splints. To make these weights, one can use for example a mixture of epoxy resins or other polymers and metallic powders (lead, tin ...) which gives it a high density and easy shaping in standard molds.

These weights can be dimensioned on demand, their shape and dimensions resulting from an ergonomic study carried out during the game. For this, it is necessary to take into account in particular the athletic mass of the player and the nature of his position on the field. It should be noted that, in the case of the use of a protection device according to the invention for occupational safety, these weights are unnecessary and it is therefore unnecessary to provide slides on the shells. In the preferred embodiment, these weights are placed and adjusted in height on the anterior shells according to medical and sporting indications and the own wishes of the player concerned. However, we would not go beyond the framework
The invention by placing the counterweight in another place, if that proved to be interesting. As for the slides, these have the form of grooves with a depth of the order of 1.5 mm and are formed at L ' using glass rods placed in the countermold during the manufacture of the shell, as will be explained below.

 We will now describe the embodiment of the device of the invention with reference to Figures 8a to 8d and 9. We begin by making an impression of the leg portion to be protected. Thermoformable sheets calibrated in constant thickness can be used for this purpose. The stack 32 of sheets (FIG. 8a) is shaped on the leg at the softening temperature, which is 50 ° C., then they are allowed to harden at room temperature in order to obtain the imprint. It should be noted that due to the high temperature of the sheets 32, a fabric is placed on the leg, for example a stocking of jersey, in order to protect the skin.

 It can be seen in FIG. 9 that the stack 32 is placed on the front part of the leg 9 to make the imprint used to make the front shell and that this stack is cut along the line in dashed lines 31 which corresponds exactly to the leg portion to be protected. We proceed in the same way for the impression used to make the posterior shell and it is the same when the shell is made in a single part, as illustrated in FIG. 6.

 An impression 32 is thus obtained having an internal face 33 and an external face 35 (FIG. 8a), the face 33 being that which was in contact with the skin. The next step is to make a countermold from this imprint. For this, fabrics of glass fibers mixed with epoxy resin having a low polymerization temperature (500C) can be used. As illustrated in FIG. 8b, the fabric 34 is placed on the external face of the imprint, it is shaped and it is polymerized. A countermold 34 is thus obtained having an internal face 37 and an external face 39. The imprint 32 having been made to the exact dimensions of the surface to be protected, the countermold is produced so that it has dimensions greater than those of the 'imprint, and a mark is drawn on its internal face 37 corresponding to the periphery of this imprint. Optionally, instead of making the countermold by shaping polymerizable fabrics, it can be produced by liquid plaster molding of the imprint in a molding box, or any other product (organic queens for example).

 The next step, illustrated in FIG. 8c, consists in placing inside the countermold, in contact with the internal face 37 of the latter, the fabrics 36 which are to be used to make the shell itself. Optionally, if the shell is intended to receive a slide for a movable counterweight, a glass rod having the shape and the dimensions of the groove to be produced is placed at the bottom of the countermold. We then proceed to the polymerization of the tissues and we put the shell to the desired dimensions, for example by deburring with a grinding wheel. For this, the imprint 32 can be used as a model which has exactly the dimensions of the shell to be produced. Once this is finished, it only remains to put the damping material 40 by sticking it to the internal face of the shell as illustrated in FIG. 8d.

 It is understood that this process makes it possible to obtain a shell with shock absorber, the internal face of which is a replica of the part of the body to be protected. Indeed, the stack 32 used to make the imprint has a constant thickness, which is that of the damper. It can be seen from FIG. 8b that the internal face 37 of the countermold is an exact replica of the external face of the imprint and the same is true of the external face of the shell as it appears in FIG. 8c. The thickness of the assembly constituted by the shell 36 and the damper 40 is substantially equal to that of the imprint 32 because the thickness of the shell is small. The thickness of this assembly being constant, the internal face of the shock absorber is practically identical to the internal face 33 of the imprint 32. As the latter was in contact with the leg during the impression taking, the internal face of the shock absorber is therefore a replica of the part of the body to be protected.

We can consider that it is the same for the internal face of the shell because, the latter and the damper having constant but small thicknesses, their internal and external faces are practically identical. Anyway, the differences are minimal and are absorbed by the cushioning material. It is the same with the extra thickness due to the presence of the rod 38 because this extra thickness is very small.

 The protective device according to the invention has particularly interesting advantages, the first of which is comfortable to wear because it is light and thin. Indeed, the thickness of the shells is very small, generally less than 1 mm. In addition, the device can be adapted to the anatomy of each person. The high mechanical properties of the shell lead to very effective protection and the presence of the shock-absorbing material between the shell and the skin allows a good distribution of the energy of the shock and avoids traumas or bruises at the point of contact.

 As for the applications, they are many and varied and are not limited to the single game of football. The device of the invention can be used in other sports where contact is frequent, such as rugby, basketball, hockey and American football, the device being produced according to the part of the body to be protected. . Outside the sports field, such protections can be used within the framework of occupational safety for the protection of the legs or other parts of the body of workers who are at risk of being subjected to shocks.

They can also be used to protect certain parts of an animal's body against possible shocks. Finally, the device of the invention can be used for orthopedic purposes for disabled people. At the present time, for people with disabilities or paralyzed legs for example, motorized devices for maintaining the paralyzed member and the movement of the person.

However, these devices are quite heavy, while the protections according to the invention are light and have excellent mechanical resistance. One can place such orthoses on the paralyzed member to maintain it, the motors then being directly coupled with these orthoses.

Claims (19)

 1. Device for protecting and / or holding a part of a human or animal body comprising at least one rigid shell (8) having an internal face (11) and an external face (13), characterized in that the shell t8) is made of a composite material and in that a damping material (12) is placed between The internal face (11) of the shell (8) and said part of the body to be protected, The damper (12) entirely covering the internal face of the shell, the device having an external face and an internal face, the latter conforming to the shape of the part of the body to be protected.  2. Protective device according to claim 1, characterized in that the material constituting the shell (8) is a fibrous reinforcement impregnated with an organic matrix.  3. Protective device according to claim 2, characterized in that the material constituting the fibrous reinforcement is chosen from the group consisting of: glass, carbon, boron, aramid.  4. Protection device according to any one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that The constituent material of the organic matrix is chosen from the group consisting of: epoxy resins, polyester resins, vinyl resins, phenolformaldehyde resins, phenolic resins and furan resins.  5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the internal face (11) of the shell (8) is a replica of the part (9) of the body to be protected.  6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the damping material is a flexible cellular organic derivative.  7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the damping material is chosen from the group consisting of: cellular rubber, flexible polyurethane, cellular polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride foam.  8. Device according to any one of claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the damping material is glued in plates.  9. Device according to any one of claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the damping material is put in place by injection molding.  10. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, allowing the protection and / or the maintenance of a leg (9).  11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that it is made in two separate parts (4, 6).  12. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that it is made in one piece.  13. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it comprises an additional flyweight (20) mounted on the shell (8).  14. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the shell (8) has a groove (22) allowing the sliding of the additional counterweight (20).  15. Method for producing a protection and / or maintenance device according to any one of claims 5 to 14, characterized in that it comprises the following steps consisting in:  a) make an impression (32) of the part (9) of the body to be protected;  b) making a countermold (34) from this imprint (32); and  c) make the shell (8) using the countermold (34).  16. The method of claim 15, charac terized in that the production of the countermold (34) comprises the following steps consisting in:  1) place polymerizable fabrics of given thickness on the external face of the imprint (32); and  2) polymerize these tissues.  17. The method of claim 15, charac terized in that the production of the countermold is done by molding the imprint (32) in plaster.  18. Method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that the production of the shell (8) comprises the following steps consisting in:  3) place polymerizable fabrics of given thickness on the internal face (37) of the counter mold (34), and  4) polymerize these tissues.  19. Method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that, the shell (8) having to have a groove (22) for an additional counterweight (20), a rod (38) having the shape and the dimensions of the groove in contact with the countermold (34) at the desired location before performing step (c).