GB1591711A

GB1591711A - Helmets

Info

Publication number: GB1591711A
Application number: GB3653276A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: SONIC HELMETS Ltd
Current assignee: SONIC HELMETS Ltd
Priority date: 1977-06-14
Filing date: 1977-06-14
Publication date: 1981-06-24

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO HELMETS (71) We, SONIC HELMETS LI MITED, a British Company formerly of 503 Coventry Road, Small Heath, Birmingham 10, and now of Communication Centre, 202 Bradford Road, Castle Bromwich, Birming ham B369AA, do hereby declare the inven tion, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly de scribed in and by the following statement: This invention relates to safety helmets such as are used when, for example, motor cycling, power boating and mountaineering.

A prime consideration in the design of safety helmets is to provide good crash protection for the wearer's skull. This is usually achieved by forming a helmet from a substantially rigid outer shell and an inner lining of softer energy absorbing material to act as a cushion between the shell and wearer's skull.

The ear regions of a skull are particularly sensitive and to protect these regions it is the practice to design the helmet to cover the ears. This applies both to open-face type helmets which cover the upper, rear and side portions of a skull, leaving the face uncovered, as well as to full-face helmets where a chin piece portion covers the wearer's chin and defines the lower part of a window-like viewing aperture.

An undesirable consequence of this pro tection is that the wearer's ability to hear sound signals clearly, whether from another person or radio, is severely impaired. This can be a particular disadvantage to wearers such as police motor-cyclists with whom it is desirable to achieve one or two-way radio communication, and is also a disadvantage to the motor cycling public who would appreciate being able to communicate with a fellow rider to receive radio transmissions.

A further problem which has been experi enced hitherto is in providing a satisfactory microphone facility for giving an electrical signal in response to a helmet wearer's speech without undue interference from, for example, wind and engine noise.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a safety helmet which facilitates improved sound communication.

According to the present invention there is provided a safety helmet of the full face type having attached thereto a communication aid comprising a flexible support strip having secured thereto at positions spaced along the length thereof two sound emitting transducers and a sound receiving transducer interspaced between said sound emitting transducers.

The sound transducers may be interconnected by wires which extend in the direction of the length of the flexible support strip, and said wires may constitute at least part of the structure of the strip. Alternatively the wires may be embedded in or attached to other material of the strip.

The length of the strip and spacing of transducers is preferably such that in situ in a safety helmet the soundtemitting transducers are located in the vicinity of the helmet wearer's ears.

The strip may be formed at least in part of elasticated material, to have pleated sections which can be released to extend the effective strip length.

The flexible support strip may be firmed from a flexible natural material such as leather or an artificial material such as plastics.

Preferably the strip is rele as ably attached to the helmet with a touch and close type fastener such as a fastener at Velcro (registered Trade Mark) or like material which grips readily to the nylon lining material commonly used inside present-day motor cycle safety helmets. Alternatively attachment of the strip of the helmet may be by means of adhesive with which the strip is pre-coated.

The wires connecting the transducers may constitute substantially the sole structure of the strip over part of its length between the transducers. In this case preferably the wires retain any particular shape to which they are bent so as to be self-supporting adjacent the surface of the helmet.

A sound emitting transducer may respond to signals received from equipment such as a sound receiving transducer in another hel met, a radio, or a cassette player. Signals may be communicated to said transducer either directly by an electrical conductor, by radio transmission, or by capacitive or inductive links.

The communication aid attached to the helmet may comprise two sound receiving transducers and these may be arranged such that one of said transducers is more sensitive than the other to sound generated by a helmet wearer.

Preferably two receiving transducers are located substantially alongside one another and preferably they are equally sensitive to unwanted sound emitted by a sound emitting transducer whilst one is more sensitive to wanted sound generated by the helmet wearer.

The strip may be supported along at least part of its length by the helmet chin piece portion.

An embodiment of the invention willl be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagramatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a part sectional plan view of a communication aid for attachment to a safety helmet in accordance with the present invention, and Figure 2 shows the layout of components in the aid of Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a communication aid for attachment to a full face type motor cycle safety helmet comprises a flexible support strip 30 formed of leather and having secured thereto two sound emitting transducers 31 and one sound receiving transducer 32.

Wires 33 for transmitting signals to or from the transducers are embedded within the strip and are led out from the support strip as a single sheathed group at one end 34 of the strip.

The length of the flexible support strip 30 is such that with the sound emitting transducers 31 positioned one near to each end of the strip they lie in the ear regions of the helmet.

The sound receiving transducer 32 is positioned mid-way along the length of the strip so as to lie centrally of the chin piece portion of the helmet.

To assist in ensuring that the communication aid does not represent a safety hazard, pads 35 of rubber or polythylene foam are provided over and round the transducers 31, 32 on that side of each transducer which is intended to face inwards of the helmet, and small aperatures 36 are provided in the pads and leather material over the specific sound emitting or receiving parts of the transducers so as not to unduly damp sound transmission.

To attach the communication aid to the nylon lining material commonly found inside a conventional motor-cycle safety helmet a strip 37 of Velcro (Registered Trade Mark) material is attached to a back surface of the support strip. Grommet 38 holds the externally connecting wires in position.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A safety helmet of the full face type having attached thereto a communication aid comprising a flexible support strip having secured thereto at positions spaced along the length thereof two sound emitting transducers and a sound receiving transducer interspaced between said sound emitting transducers.

2. A safety helmet according to claim 1 wherein said sound emitting transducers lie in the ear regions of the helmet.

3. A safety helmet according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said sound receiving transducer lies centrally of the chin piece portion.

4. A safety helemet according to any one of the preceding claims wherein two sound receiving transducers are provided interspaced between said sound emitting transducers and arranged such that one transducer is more sensitive than the other to sound emitted by a helmet wearer.

5. A safety helmet according to anyone of the preceding claims wherein the strip is formed at least in part of elasticated material or has pleated sections.

6. A safety helmet according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the strip is attached to the helmet by touch and close type fastener material.

7. A communication aid according to anyone of claims 1 to 5 wherein the strip is attached to the helmet with adhesive.

8. A safety helmet according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a sound transducer is covered by padding.

9. A safety helmet according to claim 8 wherein the padding is apertured for substantially direct transmission of sound to or from the transducer.

10. A safety helmet according to anyone of the preceding claims wherein the transducers are interconnected by wires which are plastically deformable to retain any particular shape to which they are bent.

11. A safety helmet of the full face type having attached thereto a communication aid constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. The wires connecting the transducers may constitute substantially the sole structure of the strip over part of its length between the transducers. In this case preferably the wires retain any particular shape to which they are bent so as to be self-supporting adjacent the surface of the helmet. A sound emitting transducer may respond to signals received from equipment such as a sound receiving transducer in another hel met, a radio, or a cassette player. Signals may be communicated to said transducer either directly by an electrical conductor, by radio transmission, or by capacitive or inductive links. The communication aid attached to the helmet may comprise two sound receiving transducers and these may be arranged such that one of said transducers is more sensitive than the other to sound generated by a helmet wearer. Preferably two receiving transducers are located substantially alongside one another and preferably they are equally sensitive to unwanted sound emitted by a sound emitting transducer whilst one is more sensitive to wanted sound generated by the helmet wearer. The strip may be supported along at least part of its length by the helmet chin piece portion. An embodiment of the invention willl be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagramatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a part sectional plan view of a communication aid for attachment to a safety helmet in accordance with the present invention, and Figure 2 shows the layout of components in the aid of Figure 1. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a communication aid for attachment to a full face type motor cycle safety helmet comprises a flexible support strip 30 formed of leather and having secured thereto two sound emitting transducers 31 and one sound receiving transducer 32. Wires 33 for transmitting signals to or from the transducers are embedded within the strip and are led out from the support strip as a single sheathed group at one end 34 of the strip. The length of the flexible support strip 30 is such that with the sound emitting transducers 31 positioned one near to each end of the strip they lie in the ear regions of the helmet. The sound receiving transducer 32 is positioned mid-way along the length of the strip so as to lie centrally of the chin piece portion of the helmet. To assist in ensuring that the communication aid does not represent a safety hazard, pads 35 of rubber or polythylene foam are provided over and round the transducers 31, 32 on that side of each transducer which is intended to face inwards of the helmet, and small aperatures 36 are provided in the pads and leather material over the specific sound emitting or receiving parts of the transducers so as not to unduly damp sound transmission. To attach the communication aid to the nylon lining material commonly found inside a conventional motor-cycle safety helmet a strip 37 of Velcro (Registered Trade Mark) material is attached to a back surface of the support strip. Grommet 38 holds the externally connecting wires in position. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A safety helmet of the full face type having attached thereto a communication aid comprising a flexible support strip having secured thereto at positions spaced along the length thereof two sound emitting transducers and a sound receiving transducer interspaced between said sound emitting transducers.

and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 2 of accompanying drawings.