FR2607916A1 - Face mask which can be coupled to a protective helmet - Google Patents

Abstract

This face mask is constituted by a rigid, transparent shell 1 whose upper part 2 is curved in such a way as to form a protective visor and whose bottom part 3, 4, which is profiled to receive the nose, the mouth and a part of the lower zone of the face, comprises orifices 9 allowing the free passage of air and means 10 for the detachable fixing of an internal, flexible and filtering mask 12, two arms 7 being fixed laterally to this shell and supporting two fittings 8 for attachment of the assembly to the dome of the helmet.

Description

CC) UVRE-FACE ASSOCIABLE TO A
SAFETY HELMET
It is known, on the one hand, to associate a respiratory mask with a protective helmet; on the other hand, it is known to combine a helmet with a mask in the form of a transparent screen for protecting the eyes.

However, there are no devices which provide both respiratory protection and eye protection and are easily and quickly adaptable to protective helmets.

 The invention remedies this shortcoming. Its purpose is a face cover which, instantly associable with a helmet, is intended, inter alia, for the Forces ensuring the maintenance of order and for people whose working conditions require uno protection of the whole face, in particular respiratory protection and eye protection.

 According to the invention, this face cover is constituted by a rigid and transparent shell, the upper part of which is curved to form a protective goggle and the lower profiled part of which covers the nose, the mouth and part of the lower zone of the face has orifices allowing free passage to air and means for the removable fixing of a flexible and filtering inner mask, two arms being fixed laterally on this shell and supporting two lugs for hooking the assembly to the cap d 'a helmet.

 A seal must obviously be ensured between this face cover and the face of the wearer of the helmet with which it is associated.

 According to a characteristic of the invention, the face cover is equipped, for this purpose, with two seals, one of which extends over the entire periphery of the telescope, and the other of which extends over the lower part of the periphery of the filter mask and comes, by its two ends, in the extension of the two rising lateral parts of the joint associated with the upper part forming a telescope. While the first seal is secured to the rigid shell, the second seal is advantageously, but not necessarily, secured to the respiratory mask.

 This mask is for example of the type of those made of a fabric impregnated with activated carbon. Its attachment to the shell of the face cover can be carried out by various means, such as, in particular, press studs, loop fastening tapes and additional hooks, etc.

 As for the fixing of the face cover on the protective helmet, it is advantageously made by means of retractable link arms cooperating with complementary means provided on the cap of the helmet, in accordance for example with French patent application 86.03 301. The fitting and removing the face cover are thus easy and practically instantaneous operations, so that the user does not hesitate to immediately put his face cover into service in the event of danger, and to remove it when the danger has passed.

 Another important advantage of this face cover is the safety it provides for eye protection. Indeed, even when the respiratory mask begins to be saturated and the respiratory protection gradually loses its effectiveness, eye protection remains constant. This is due to the fact that, thanks to the arrangement of its two seals, the face cover constitutes two independent chambers, the upper one intended for vision, and the lower one intended for breathing.

 The invention will be well understood moreover, and its advantages as well as other characteristics will emerge clearly from the description which follows, with reference to the appended schematic drawing representing, by way of nonlimiting example, an embodiment of this face cover.

Figure 1 is a perspective view
Figure 2 is a rear front view;
Figure 3 is, on a larger scale, a vertical sectional view
Figure 4 is a detail view in section on IV-IV of Figure 3, and
Figure 5 is a very schematic view in horizontal section along IV-IV of Figure 1.

In this drawing, 1 denotes a shell of rigid and transparent material which is molded and profiled to form
- an upper part 2 in the form of a protective mask for the eyes,
- an intermediate section 3 profiled to cover the nose and the cheekbones,
- And a lower section 4 profiled to cover the mouth and part of the cheeks and jaws.

 The upper part 2 intended to serve as a vision mask or spectacle has a peripheral border 5 made of textile or any other flexible material; and it is equipped with a peripheral seal 6 made of a cellular material. This seal 6 extends over the entire periphery of the upper part 2, including in particular in the zone separating the upper part 2 and the intermediate part 3. On the upper part 2 of the shell 1 are also provided two lateral supports 7 intended to receive arms for fixing the face cover to the cap of a protective helmet. These arms are generally designated by 8 and are of the type described in French patent application 86.03 301.

 The intermediate part 3 and the lower part 4 of the shell 1 constitute a sort of casing which, as shown in FIG. 5, is closed towards the front, is open towards the rear and is partially closed laterally. This housing is intended to serve as a housing for a removable inner mask. It is a flexible filter mask 12 and this mask is fixed in the casing constituted by the intermediate part 3 and by the lower part 4 of the shell 1 by means of press studs 10. This mask is of a type any. It may for example be a mask made of a fabric impregnated with activated carbon.

 In order for the ambient air to access the filter mask thus placed in the intermediate part 3 and in the lower part 4 of the shell 1, numerous orifices 9 are drilled in the parts 3 and 4 of this shell.

 It is obviously imperative that the air can only be breathed after having passed through the filter mask 12. It is therefore necessary to eliminate any risk of direct passage of air between the mask and the face.

 For this, the mask 12 has, in its rear part, a border 13 of the same kind as that 5 of the upper part 2; and on this border 13 is fixed a seal made of cellular material 14 of the same type as the seal 6 provided in the upper part 2. When the flexible mask 12 has been put in place in the shell 1 of the face cover, that is ie has been introduced into the intermediate 3 and lower 4 parts of the shell 1, and when the connection between the mask 12 and the shell 1 has been achieved by cooperation of the male and female complementary elements of the snaps 10, the seal 14 of the mask 12 comes to bear, by its two ends, against the base of the two rising parts of the upper seal 6.

 When in use, the face cover is supported on the wearer's face, on the one hand, by its upper peripheral seal 6, and on the other hand, by its lower seal 14. These two seals 6 and 14 then delimit, in front of the face, two independent chambers which are isolated from each other and are designated in the drawing by 15 and 16 respectively.

 The upper chamber 15 constitutes the vision chamber; it is closed in front by the mask or goggle 2. The lower chamber 16 constitutes the respiratory chamber; it is closed by the respiratory mask 12; the numerous orifices 9 provided in the intermediate part 3 and in the lower part 4 of the shell 1 facilitate the passage of air through the mask 12.

 It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the sole embodiment of this face cover which has been indicated above by way of example; on the contrary, it embraces all of its variant embodiments.

Claims (4)

 1 - Face cover that can be combined with a protective helmet, characterized in that it consists of a rigid and transparent shell (1) whose upper part (2) is curved to form a protective lens and whose lower part (3 , 4) profiled to cover the nose, the mouth and part of the lower region of the face has orifices (9) allowing free passage to air and means (10) for the removable fixing of a flexible inner mask and filter (12), two arms (7) being fixed laterally on this shell and supporting two tabs (8) for attaching the assembly to the cap of a helmet.  2 - Face cover associable with a protective helmet according to claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with two seals, one of which (6) extends over the entire periphery of the telescope (2), and of which the other (14) extends over the lower part of the periphery of the filter mask (12) and comes, by its two ends, in the extension of the two rising lateral parts of the seal (6) associated with the upper part forming a window.  3 - Face cover according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the seal (6) of the telescope (2) is integral with the rigid shell (1), and the seal (14) is integral with the respiratory mask (12 ).  4 - Face cover according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the fixing of the respiratory mask (12) on and in the lower part (3,4) of the rigid shell (1) is carried out by means press studs (10).