GB2336291A - Crash helmet with retractable ear defenders - Google Patents

Abstract

A crash helmet 1, with means for protecting the wearer's ears from noise, comprising protective elements 2, mounted on the sides of the helmet.The elements are retractable to a position, not substantially projecting from the inner profile of the helmet, to allow the helmet to be put on, and taken off, and extendable to substantially seal against the wearer's head. The protective elements may be accoustically absorbent, cup-like pads 3, with the retraction and extension of the pads, provided by adjustment means. Said adjustment means may comprise a threaded shaft 7, nut 8 and handwheel 9, which allow for controlled movement of the ear pads. In other embodiments the ear pads may be adjusted using a lever or ratchet mechanism.

Description

1 PROTECTIVE READWEAR 2336291 The present invention concerns protective

headwear. More particularly, it concerns a crash helmet of the type typically worn by a motor cyclist.

Crash helmets are widely known and used and are typically constructed with a hard outer shell of suitable material such as plastics resin reinforced with glass or carbon fibres, and having an internal padding both to ensure a close fit to the head and to reduce noise.

The primary purpose of such helmets is to protect the head against impact in the event of an accident, but it is is also apparent that there is a significant risk from wind noise which, when travelling on a motorcycle, can reach levels which can be permanently damaging to the ears, causing tinnitus or even permanent hearing loss.

It is known that regular exposure to noises of above 94 decibels (dB) will lead to significant damage to hearing, but currently available helmets commonly leave the wearer's ears exposed to noise levels of over 100dB.

Earplugs are widely used to overcome this problem. These are generally cheap to buy, but have a limited lifespan and are easily lost. In addition, ear plugs become dirty and unhygienic through use, leading to a risk of ear 2 infections. Furthermore, they can be uncomfortable to wear beneath a close-fitting helmet which means that some motorcyclists prefer to risk hearing damage rather than suffer what is perceived as excessive discomfort.

is In an attempt to reduce the risk of noise-induced hearing damage, crash helmet manufacturers have improved the padding within the helmets. Although this has improved noise-insulation, noise levels are still unacceptably high, particularly at higher speeds, as the padding is unable to form a seal around the wearer's ears to protect them from noise. In any case, even if the padding provides a degree of noise-insulation when the helmet is new and the padding ensures a close fit to the head, its efficiency will necessarily decrease over time as the padding becomes flattened through use and the fit around the ears deteriorates.

The present invention seeks to overcome the disadvantages described above by providing a crash helmet incorporating protective elements which substantially reduce the noise experienced by the wearer and, consequently, the risk of hearing damage.

According to the present invention, there is provided a crash helmet having means for protecting the wearer's ears from noise comprising protective elements mounted on the sides of the helmet in such a way as to be 3 retractable to a position not substantially projecting from the inner profile of the helmet whereby to allow the helmet to be put on and taken off, and extendable whereby substantially to seal them against the wearer's head.

In one embodiment of the invention, the protective elements are cup-like and of such a size as to cover the wearer's ears completely. They are elliptical in shape and sit inside the helmet within an elliptical recess in the padding of the helmet. This prevents the protective elements from rotating so that the wearer does not need to orientate them before putting on the helmet and adjusting their position against the head.

is In an embodiment of the invention, the protective elements incorporate an acoustically-absorbent material such as a neoprene-based foam. Naturally, any material having noise-absorbing qualities can be used.

The retraction and extension of the protective elements is achieved by way of adjustment means, the presence of which enables the wearer to adjust the position of the protective elements to the desired position against the head.

The protective elements are such that when they are moved into the in-use position, they form a seal between the rim of the protective elements and the lateral surface of 4 the wearer's head in the region surrounding the ears. A protective element is provided on each side of the helmet, to cover each ear.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the adjustment means include a shaft. A handwheel is attached to one end of the shaft and a protective element is attached to its other end.

The handwheel is located to the outside of the helmet, and is of such a size and shape as to be conveniently gripped and turned by the wearer's gloved hands when the helmet is in place.

The presence of the adjustment means is advantageous in that by retracting the protective elements fully before attempting to put on or remove the helmet means that they do not get in the way of these movements. This is beneficial in terms of the wearer's comfort, and also reduces the risk of damaging the protective elements.

Furthermore, any wearer is able to achieve the most comfortable and individual fit by adjusting the position of the elements.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the adjustment means are based on a lever mechanism. In this embodiment, moving the lever (which is located on the outside of the helmet, one on each side) to the in-use position, that is, lying substantially flat against the outer surface of the crash helmet, moves the protective element into its in-use position against the wearer's head when it forms a seal around the ear. Releasing the lever retracts the protective element from the wearer's head. An adjustment screw allows the distance moved by the protective elements on moving the lever between the two positions to be adjusted to fit the wearer.

In a yet further embodiment, the adjustment means includes a ratchet and a ratchet release mechanism. Here, moving a slide member along the ratchet moves the protective element towards or away from the wearer's head, the distance moved depending on how far the slide member is moved, and the direction of movement of the protective element depending on the direction of movement of the slide member.

A further possible solution to the problem of insulating the wearer's ears from noise is embodied in the form of ear plugs incorporated into the helmet, projecting into the wearer's ears. The position of such ear plugs is not, however, adjustable and this can be disadvantageous from a safety point of view in that in the event of an accident, ear plugs projecting into the ears could severely damage the inner ear. A further disadvantage of the lack of adjustment means is that if the ear plugs remain too far outside the ears, their noise-insulation 6 function will not be achieved, whereas extreme discomfort or even damage may result if they project too far into the ears.

All of the embodiments of the crash helmet according to the invention enable all wearers to achieve the best possible fit of the protective elements against the ears and therefore the best possible noise insulation.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a cross-section of a crash helmet according to the invention; and Figure 2 shows a detail of the crash helmet of Figure 1 in more detail.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a crash helmet generally indicated 1 incorporating protective elements 2, one for each ear. Each protective element 2 includes a cup-like ear pad 3 and adjustment means.

In this embodiment, each ear pad 3 is substantially elliptical in shape, in general conformity with the shape of the ear, and large enough to cover it completely. The inner surface of the helmet 1 is padded substantially in the usual way, but also has lateral, substantially elliptical recesses 5 providing a seat for each of the ear pads 3. When not in use, the protective elements 2 7 can be retracted so that the ear pads 3 sit in the recesses 5 and do not project into the inside of the helmet 1. The helmet 1 can therefore be put on and taken off easily.

The ear pads 3 are fitted or lined with a resilient noise-insulating material such as a neoprene-based foam. Any suitable insulating material may, of course, be used. In an embodiment of the invention, the noiseinsulating layer is removable, being attached to the ear pads 3 by any appropriate means such as, for example, hook and loop attachment means (such as that sold under the trade mark "VELCRT). This is allows the noise- insulating layer to be replaced, for example, due to damage or excessive wear.

When moved into the in-use position, each ear pad 3 forms a peripheral seal against the wearer's head, specifically around the rim 6 of the pad 3. The entire ear is therefore surrounded and insulated from wind or other noise.

The adjustment means includes a threaded shaft 7 to which the ear pad 3 is attached as will be described with reference to Figure 2 below. The shaft 7 passes through and is fixed to a nut 8 which may be of the "Ny- loc" type and which is incorporated in the side of the helmet 1.

The shaft 7 may be made from a nylon or similar material 8 or, of course, any material suitable for the purpose.

is The adjustment means further includes an external adjuster such as a handwheel 9 located outside the outer shell of the helmet 1, at the opposite end of the shaft 7 to the ear pad 3. Preferably, the handwheel 9 is such that the wearer will be able to operate it with gloved hands so as to maximise the ease and convenience of adjustment. In this particular embodiment, the handwheel 9 does not protect substantially beyond the outline profile of the helmet, thereby maintaining an aestheticallypleasing and streamlined look for the helmet.

Referring now to Figure 2 which shows the means whereby the ear pad 3 is attached to the shaft 7, it can be seen that the ear pad 3 has a threaded opening 11 able to receive the other end of the shaft 7 to that to which the handwheel 9 is attached. The nature of this connection is such that the entire ear pad 3 can be removed from the shaft 7, for example, for cleaning, or to be replaced in the event of damage or excessive wear Turning the handwheel 9 will cause both the shaft 7 and the nut 8 to turn. Since the ear pad 3 is substantially elliptical in shape and located in a correspondingly shaped recess 5 inside the crash helmet 1, it cannot rotate. The shaft 7 is also prevented from moving into 9 or out of the helmet, which means that the handwheel 9 will not move to protrude substantially beyond the outer skin of the helmet 1. Therefore, turning the handwheel 9 will cause the ear pad 3 to move along the shaf t 7, and thus towards or away from the wearer's head, the direction of movement depending on the direction in which the handwheel 9 is turned. By preventing the ear pads 3 themselves from rotating, the wearer will not need to ensure they are orientated correctly before moving them into the in-use position against the head.

A f urther embodiment (not shown) of the crash helmet 1 according to the invention is possible in which the means for positioning the ear pad 3 is a lever mechanism. In this embodiment, a lever is located on the outside of the helmet 1, one for each ear. when the helmet 1 is not being worn, the lever is in the "up" or "released" position, and the ear pad 3 fully retracted away from the head. When in use, the wearer, having put the helmet 1 on, simply moves the lever to the "down" or "engaged" position, thereby moving the ear pads 3 to the in-use position against the side of the head, as described above.

An adjustment screw is provided on the lever whereby to allow the wearer to adjust the distance moved by each ear pad 3 on moving the lever between the released and engaged positions. When in use, the lever lies substantially flat against the outer surface of the helmet, retaining the streamlined shape of the helmet.

is A yet further embodiment of the crash helmet 1 according to the invention incorporates an ear pad adjustment means based on a wedge mechanism. Here, a ratchet mechanism is used, together with ratchet release means. The ratchet mechanism is incorporated in the side of the helmet 1 and comprises a wedge-shape body to which is attached the ear pad 3. A slide member suitable to engage the teeth of the ratchet mechanism projects to the outside of the helmet 1. moving the slide member along the ratchet mechanism moves the ear pad 3 into the in-use position by causing the displacement of the wedge-shape body towards the head.

To release the ear pad 3, a ratchet release mechanism is provided. The wearer operates the release mechanism to release the side member from the teeth of the ratchet, allowing it to move in the opposite direction to previously and, consequently, to cause the retraction of the ear pad 3 away from the head.

All of the embodiments described above allow the crash helmet according to the invention to fit anyone, by providing means for any wearer to move the protective elements 2 to the desired position against the head.

11 A further advantage of two of the embadiments described above is that the wearer can see whether the protective elements 2 are in the in-use or retracted positions simply by checking visually the position of the external adjustment means. This prevents the wearer from attempting to put the helmet on when the ear pads 3 are in the in-use position, which could damage them.

In summary, therefore, the crash helmet according to the invention overcomes at least the majority of the disadvantages associated with the prior art by way of externally adjustable protective elements incorporated into an otherwise standard crash helmet. In particular, the wearer's ears are protected from excessive external is noise such as wind noise which is likely to damage the wearer's ears on prolonged exposure.

12

Claims (10)

1. A crash helmet having means for protecting the wearer's ears from noise comprising protective elements mounted on the sides of the helmet in such a way as to be retractable to a position not substantially projecting from the inner profile of the helmet whereby to allow the helmet to be put on and taken off, and extendable whereby substantially to seal them against the wearer's head.

2. A crash helmet as claimed in Claim 1, in which the protective elements are cup-like ear pads.

3. A crash helmet as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which is the protective elements include an acousticallyabsorbent material.

4. A crash helmet as claimed in Claim 3, in which the acousticallyabsorbent material is releasably included in the protective elements.

5. A crash helmet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the retraction and extension of the protective elements is achieved by way of adjustment means.

6. A crash helmet as claimed in Claim 5, in which the adjustment means comprise a shaft to one end of which is attached a handwheel, and to the other end of which is 13 attached an ear pad.

7. A crash helmet as claimed in Claim 6, in which the ear pad is releasably attached to the shaft.

8. A crash helmet as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6, in which the adjustment means include a lever mechanism.

9. A crash helmet as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6, in which the adjustment means include a ratchet and ratchet release mechanism.

10. A crash helmet substantially as described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.