GB2099680A - Earphone mounting in safety helmet - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a motorcyclist's safety helmet with provision for mounting an earphone 28. The helmet, of the type comprising an outer shell 10 with an energy absorbing lining 12, both of which include portions extending over the ears of the wearer, has a circular aperture 22 formed in the lining 12 in one of these portions in which is rotatably mounted a circular plug 20 of the same material. The inwardly presented side of the plug 20 is formed with an elongate recess 26, and the earphone 28 is adjustable in position along recess 26 and thus the eccentricity of the position of the earphone 28 relative to the plug 20, as well as the rotational position of the earphone 20 in the lining 12 can be adjusted, so that the earphone can be located in any desired position within a predetermined area of adjustment in the helmet, to allow the earphone to be positioned appropriately in relation to the ear of the particular wearer. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Earphone mounting in safety helmet This invention relates to the provision of earphones in safety helmets, for example in connection with "intercom" systems for motorcyclists' safety helmets.

The invention is particularly applicable to safety helmets of the kind including an outer shell and an energy absorbing lining, both of which include portions adapted to extend over the ears of the wearer.

Known motorcyclists' safety helmets incorporating earphones fall into two categories, namely those in which the earphone is fitted to the helmet during manufacture of the latter, as original equipment and is thus incorporated in the basic design of the helmet, and those in which the earphone is installed in the helmet by the user. In the latter case, the earphone is normally designed as an accessory intended to fit any helmet, while the helmet is not specifically designed to receive any earphone.

For an earphone installed in a safety helmet to work well it is desirable for the earphone to be positioned in close proximity with the ear of the person wearing the helmet. This requirement however presents a problem in that even for persons for which a given size of helmet is appropriate the position of the wearer's ears within that helmet varies from wearer to wearer.

In systems in which the earphone is fitted as original equipment, there is generally no means of adjusting the position of the earphone within the helmet but the disadvantages of this lack of adjustability can be offset, to some extent, by appropriate design of the helmet/earphone combination.

Insystems in which the earphone is fitted as an accessory in a helmet not specifically designed to receive the same, it is generally possible to locate the earphone at any desired position to suit the wearer. However, in some systems of this kind the fitting of such an earphone as an accessory to a helmet not specifically designed to receive the same often requires radical modification of the helmet liner of a kind substantially reducing the protection afforded by the helmet or presenting a positive hazard. In other systems of this kind major modification of the helmet liner is not required, but the earphone is attached relatively insecurely to the helmet interior so that frequent adjustment is required.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a safety helmet in which provision is made for optional fitting of an earphone without irreversible modification of the helmet, and in which the protection afforded by the helmet is not significantly reduced as compared with helmets without such provision.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a safety helmet including an outer shell and an energy absorbing lining, the outer shell and energy absorbing lining including portions adapted to extend over the ears of the wearer, and wherein a recess is provided in said energy absorbing lining, on the interior thereof, in a said portion adapted to extend over an ear of the wearer, said recess being occupied by a releasably retained complementary piece of energy absorbing material which can be readily removed to provide a space to receive an earphone.

It is another object of the invention to provide a safety helmet in which, by simpie means, provision is made for the fitting and the ready adjustment of the position of an earphone, without significantly reducing the protection afforded by the helmet as compared with helmets without such provision.

According to this aspect of the invention there is provided a safety helmet including an outer shell and an energy absorbing lining, the outer shell and energy absorbing lining including portions adapted to extend over the ears of the wearer, and wherein said energy absorbing lining includes a liner member and an insert of energy absorbing material so fitted in an aperture in said liner member as to permit rotation of the insert relative to the liner, at least to a limited extent, in a plane which, when the helmet is worn, is generally parallel with the side of the wearer's head, said rotatable insert having, on the inner side of the lining, a recess for the reception of an earphone, which recess is elongate in a direction which has at least a radial component relative to the rotational axis of said insert, whereby by a combination of adjustment of the position of such an earphone along said recess, and adjustment of the angular position of said insert in said liner member adjustment of the location of the earphone over an enlarged area can be achieved.

The invention also includes within its scope a safety helmet in combination with an earphone fitted in said recess.

An embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view in vertical section of a motorcyclist's crash helmet embodying the invention with an earphone installed, and Figure 2 is a view to an enlarged scale in section perpendicular to the plane of Figure 1, along the line Il-Il of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, a motorcyclist's crash helmet comprises, in known fashion, an outer shell 10, and an energy absorbing lining which includes an integrally formed liner member 12, of energy absorbing material such as rigid plastics foam, e.g. expanded polystyrene. Both the shell 10 and the liner member 12 include portions 14, 1 6 adapted to extend over the ears of the wearer of the helmet.

At least one of the portions 1 6 of the liner member 10 adapted to extend over an ear of the wearer has a circular hole 1 8 formed therethrough, in which an insert 20, having the general form of a circular disc of energy absorbing material (e.g. expanded polystyrene) is fitted closely but in such a way as to be rotatable in a plane which is so disposed in relation to the helmet as to be generally parallel with the side of the wearer's head, i.e. so as to be rotatable in the plane of Figure 1 about an axis perpendicular to the plane of Figure 1, which axis is, of course, also the central axis of the aperture 1 8 and the insert 20.

On the outer side of the liner member, i.e. its side presented towards the shell 10 and away from the wearer's head, an annular rebate 22 is formed around the aperture 1 8 and an enlarged annular shoulder portion 24 of the insert 20 is received in the rebate 22. The insert 20 is thus prevented from moving out of the aperture 1 8 in the direction towards the interior of the helmet by engagement of the shoulder 24 with the end of the rebate 22, and is also, of course, prevented from moving out of the aperture 18 outwardly by engagement with the shell 14.

It will be appreciated that, in manufacture of the helmet, the shell 10, liner member 12 and insert 20 are moulded separately, and the insert 20 fitted in the aperture 1 8 before the liner member 12, with the insert 20, is fitted in the shell 10.

The insert 20, on its inwardly presented face (i.e. the face which faces towards the wearer's head), is formed with a recess 26, which, as viewed perpendicular to the last-mentioned face, in Figure 1, has a generally ovai form being elongate along an axis intersecting the rotary axis of the insert 20. An earphone 28, which has the general form of a circular disc of a diameter corresponding to the width of the recess 26 is fitted closely in the recess 26, and is connected with other parts of an intercom system by means of a lead 30 which is led out of the recess 26 through a channel 32 extending from the recess 26 to the periphery of the insert 20, and thence along a channel 34 extending from the aperture 18 to the lower edge of the portion 16 of the liner member.

It will be appreciated that the elongate nature of the recess 26 allows adjustment of the position of the earphone in the recess along the axis of elongation of the recess, while by rotational adjustment of the insert 20 itself, the angular orientation of said axis of elongation may itself be varied, so that the position of the earphone in the helmet is adjustable infinitely over a circular area the diameter of which is determined by the limit of adjustment of the earphone, in the recess 26, away from the rotational axis of the insert 20.

In order that the lead 30 extending from the insert 20 should not impede angular adjustment of the insert, an arcuate recess 36 is formed in the periphery of the aperture 18 to receive the portion of the lead 30 extending from the opening of the channel 32 onto the periphery of the insert 20 to the entrance to the channel 34, which channel 34 opens onto the recess 36, for example approximately mid-way along the arcuate extent of the recess 36.

By providing a respective channel 32 extending from the recess 26 to the periphery of the insert 20 at each end of the recess 26, and a further such channel 32 extending to the periphery of insert 20 from a position mid-way along the recess 26, so that the openings of these three channels 32 onto the periphery of the insert 20 are spaced apart at 900 intervals from one another, and by extending the recess 26 at its ends for equal distances from the rotary axis of the insert 20, it is possible to limit the range of angular movement of the insert 20 necessary to secure full adjustability of the position of the earphone, over the circular area referred to, to 900, so that the extent of the recess 36 about the axis of aperture 18 need only be 900.

It is contemplated that the helmet shown in the drawings will in some cases be supplied to the customer with an earphone 28, already fitted by the manufacturer, e.g. as part of an intercom system, and will in other cases be supplied to the customer without an earphone, so that the customer may use the helmet without an earphone, or, if he wishes, at some stage fit an earphone, which may form part of an accessory system not supplied by the manufacturer. Where the helmet is supplied initially without an earphone, the recess 26 is filled by a readily removable portion of energy absorbing material, of correspondingly oval peripheral shape and corresponding depth, fitting closely in the recess 26.This removable portion may be retained in the recess by any desired means, for example by hooked pile and fibre fastening patches of the type sold under the Registered Trade Mark "Velcro", by double-sided adhesive tape or simply by being a slight interference fit in the recess 26. If desired, in order to locate the earphone, when fitted securely in its desired position along the elongate recess 26, the otherwise unoccupied portions of the recess at one or either end thereof may be filled by corresponding parts cut or broken from said readily removable portion.

The interior of the helmet is, in the usual way, for the comfort of the wearer, lined with a lining 40 of fabric or the like, normally covering the liner member 1 2. The insert 20, together with the earphone 28, if fitted, or the readily removable portion disposed in the recess 26, is normally covered by a flap forming part of this lining 40, e.g. a purpose made flap, such as indicated at 42 in Figure 1, normally secured in place by an appropriate fastening, for example by a hookedpile fabric fastener.

Where the earphone forms part of an intercom system, a microphone forming part of the system may, of course, be fitted to the helmet, e.g. on a stalk secured to the helmet if the helmet is of the "jet" type without structure extending across the wearer's face or secured on the inner side of the bar-like portion extending across the lower part of the wearer's face where the helmet is of the "fullface" type. In the latter case, the microphone is preferably built into said bar-like portion, for example fitted in a recess provided in the energy absorbing material lining said bar-like portion.

Such a recess may be provided in manufacture of the helmet, even where the helmet will not necessarily be fitted with such a microphone, the recess, where a microphone is not fitted, being filled by a complementary readily removable piece of energy absorbing material, in the same way as described in relation to the provisions made for mounting an earphone. However, provision for adjustment of the position of such a microphone is not normally necessary.

In a simpler embodiment (not shown) a rotatable insert is not provided, but an elongate recess, similar to the recess 26 is formed directly in the integral lining member in one of the regions thereof extending over the wearer's ears, this recess, in the same manner as described in relation to the illustrated embodiment being occupied, when the helmet is not fitted with an earphone, with a readily removable insert of energy absorbing material such as expanded polystyrene. The direction of elongation of the recess, in such a simplified embodiment is selected, of course, to correspond with the observed direction in which the widest variations in ear position between different wearers occur (generally a fore and aft direction).

It will be appreciated, of course, that the helmet may have, in each of the parts thereof intended to extend over the ears of the wearer, a respective arrangement, as described above, for accommodating an earphone, so that the helmet may be provided with earphones for both of the wearer's ears, so that stereophonic hearing is rendered possible, or so that a single earphone may be fitted in a position adjoining the wearer's preferred ear.

It will also be understood that numerous variants of the embodiment described with reference to the drawings are possible. For example, instead of the recess in the rotatable insert 20 being elongate, the recess might simply be circular, of a size to accommodate the earphone, but offset with respect to the rotational axis of the insert, so that in adjustment of the insert, the centre of the recess would describe an arc about the rotational axis of the insert 20.

Claims (9)

1. A safety helmet including an outer shell and an energy absorbing lining, the outer shell and energy absorbing lining including portions adapted to extend over the ears of the wearer, and wherein a recess is provided in said energy-absorbing lining, on the interior thereof, in a said portion adapted to extend over an ear of the wearer, said recess being occupied by a releasably retained complementary piece of energy absorbing material which can be readily removed to provide a space to receive an earphone.

2. A safety helmet including an outer shell and an energy absorbing lining, the outer shell and energy absorbing lining including portions adapted to extend over the ears of the wearer, and wherein said energy absorbing lining includes a liner member and an insert of energy absorbing material so fitted in an aperture in said liner member as to permit rotation of the insert relative to the liner, at least to a limited extent, in a plane which, when the helmet is worn, is generally parallel with the side of the wearer's head, said rotatable insert having, on the inner side of the lining, a recess for the reception of an earphone, which recess has at least a portion thereof displaced laterally from the rotational axis of the insert.

3. A safety helmet according to claim 2 wherein said recess is elongate in a direction which has at least a radial component relative to the rotational axis of said insert, whereby by a combination of adjustment of the position of such an earphone along said recess, and adjustment of the angular position of said insert in said liner member adjustment of the location of the earphone over an enlarged area can be achieved.

4. A safety helmet according to claim 2 or claim 3 including means preventing removal of the insert from said aperture.

5. A safety helmet according to claim 4 wherein said aperture extends entirely through said liner member and has an annular rebate therearound on the outer surface of the liner member, and wherein the insert member has a complementary enlarged portion extending into said rebate, so that removal of the insert from said aperture in the liner member outwardly from the helmet is prevented by the helmet shell and removal of the insert from said aperture in the liner member inwardly is prevented by said enlarged portion lodged within said rebate.

6. A safety helmet according to any of claims 2 to 5 wherein said recess is occupied by a releasably retained, complementary piece of energy absorbing material which can be readily removed to provide a space to receive an earphone.

7. A safety helmet according to any of claims 2 to 6 wherein said recess is occupied by an earphone.

8. A safety helmet substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

9. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.