GB2084859A

GB2084859A - Locking and quick release device for attaching visors to helmets

Info

Publication number: GB2084859A
Application number: GB8126390A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: UK Secretary of State for Defence
Current assignee: UK Secretary of State for Defence
Priority date: 1980-08-29
Filing date: 1981-08-28
Publication date: 1982-04-21
Also published as: GB2084859B

Abstract

A helmet visor, in particular a fireman's helmet visor, is rotatable fore and aft from an operational to a stowed configuration. A visor attachment member (1) attached to the visor (2) is slidably inserted into a holder (5) which is pivotally mounted on a locking member (6). After insertion, recesses (8,8a) and (9,9a), on the holder and the attachment member respectively, are aligned and by engagement with projections (10,11) lock the visor either in a stowed or an operational configuration. At any intermediate point, however, the visor can readily be removed as shown. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Visor locking device The present invention relates to visors on headgear, particularly visors of the type which may be raised and lowered with respect to the front of the headgear. It is especially concerned with visors for firemen's helmets.

When visor helmets are used in fire fighting and rescue situations it is often desirable that the visor should be instantly removable from the helmet. For example, where a fireman is using breathing apparatus and operating in a confined space the visor may impair his movement and represent a catchment hazard. With existing helmet visors the visor is either permanently attached to the helmet or fastened thereto by screw means and cannot rapidly be discarded so that a fireman may be forced to wear the visor as an additional hazard in a dangerous situation. The present invention provides a visor helmet wherein the visor is immediately removable from the helmet at will, but will not readily become detached when its presence is required.

According to the present invention a visor attachment device comprises a visor locking member, a holder rotatable thereon and a visor attachment member slidable onto the holder, the holder, the attachment member and the locking member having a cooperating projection and open ended slot arrangement such that, in use, when the attachment member is slid onto the holder the attachment member may be locked thereon by rotating the holder until the projection enters the slot.

A friction element may be included between the holder and the locking member so that the holder is rotatable only on the application of manual torque.

Preferably the projection forms part of the locking member and the open ended slot extends within the attachment member and holder. In this form either the attachment member or the holder may be a sheath of endless cross-section, having a slot therein which is coincident with the slot of the other when the two are fully slid together. Advantageously the slots may be of arcuate form swept from the rotational axis of the sheath.

Advantageously the visor may be locked in either of two positions, forward and up or backward, by providing a second cooperating projection and open ended slot arrangement which is angularly displaced and oppositely positioned from the first said arrangement such that, in use, when the attachment member is on the holder it may be locked thereon by rotating the visor to either of the two positions. Where the slots extend within the attachment member and the holder they may be radially displaced with respect to the rotational axis of the holder so as to avoid weakening the mounting.

The attachment device is appropriate to helment and visor assemblies. Thus a helmet may carry a pair of visor attachment devices according to the invention, the locking members of each attachment being positioned at either side of the helmet and a corresponding visor may carry a pair of attachment members so that the visor may be secured to the helmet by sliding each attachment member onto its corresponding holder and rotating the visor to position wherein the projection of each attachment enters its corresponding slot, the visor being releasable from the helmet by reverse rotation so that the projections are free from the slots permitting withdrawal of the attachment members from the holders. By fitting a visor attachment with a second cooperating projection and open ended slot arrangement the visor may be secured in either of two selected positions.Preferably these positions extend from the front and rear of the helmet over 45 angles.

A visor and helmet assembly according to the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the following drawings of which: Figure 1 shows the helmet with the visor removed, Figure 2 shows the helmet with the visor in the forward operating position, and Figure 3 shows the helmet in the rearward position.

As shown in Fig. 1 the visor and helmet assembly comprises a pair of attachment members in the form of blades 1 rigidly mounted one at each side of a visor 2 and a corresponding pair of holder assemblies 3 mounted on a helmet 4.

Each holder assembly 3 includes a sheath 5 which is rotatably mounted upon a visor locking bracket 6. A friction ring in the form of a Nylon (Trade-mark) washer 7 is fitted between the sheath 5 and the locking bracket 6 so that the sheath is movable only by manual torque.

The sheath 5 has arcuate slots 8 and 9 therein which are swept from radii extending to the rotational axis of the sheath. The radius of the slot 9 is greater than that of the slot 8 by double the slot thickness. The locking bracket 6 has a rear spigot 10 thereon which is coincident with the slot 8 when the visor 5 is in a rearward position and a forward spigot 11 which is coincident with the slot 9 when the visor is in a forward position.

Each blade 1 is secured to the sides of the visor 2 by screws 12, and has open ended slots 8a and 9a therein which match the slots 8 and 9 respectively of its corresponding sheath.

To secure the visor 2 to the helmet 4 the blades 1 are partially inserted in the sheaths 5 and the visor rotated to a vertical position so that the slots 8 and 9 are free of the spigots 10 and 11 and the blades can thereupon be fully inserted. The visor 2 may then be rotated in a clockwise direction to a forward operating position so that the spigot 11 passes within the slots 9 and 9a securing the blades within the sheaths 5, and thus the visor 2 to the helmet 4, as shown in Fig. 2. Similarly the visor 2 may be secured in a rearward position by rotating it in an anti-clockwise direction so that the spigot 10 passes within the slots 8 and 8a. The visor 2 may be released as required by rotating it to a substantially vertical position and thereafter withdrawing the blades 1 directly from their corresponding sheaths 2. The washer 7 induces sufficient friction between each blade 1 and sheath 5 to prevent the visor 2 from rotating under its own weight. Thus the visor is adjustable to any intermediate position providing either of the spigots 10 or 11 coincide with their respective slots.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention the open ended slots may extend within a plate forming part of the locking bracket.

In such an arrangement the blade will include a spigot which co-operates with the slots to secure the visor in position. A radial slot being provided in the sheath to facilitate entry of the blade.

Claims

1. A visor attachment device comprising a visor locking member, a holder rotatable thereon and a visor attachment member slidable onto the holder, the holder, the attachment member and the locking member having a cooperating projection and open ended slot arrangement such that, in use, when the attachment member is slid onto the holder the attachment member may be locked thereon by rotating the holder until the projection enters the slot.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 and having a friction element between the holder and the locking member so that the holder is rotatable only on the application of manual torque.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 and wherein the projectin forms part of the locking member and the open ended slot extends within the attachment member and holder.

4. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 and wherein the holder is a sheath of endless cross section.

5. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and wherein the slots are of arcuate form swept from the rotational axis of the sheath.

6. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and having a second cooperating projection and open ended slot arrangement which is angularly displaced- and oppositely positioned from the first said arrangement such that, in use, when the attachment member is on the holder it may be locked thereon by rotating the visor to either of the two positions.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6 and wherein the second projection and slot arrangement is radially displaced from the first said such arrangement with respect to the centre of the rotation of the holder.

8. A helmet and visor assembly having a pair of attachment devices, each device being as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

9. A helmet and visor assembly substan- tially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.