JP2022169469A - Helmet - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve an antifouling property of an inside of a cap body facing a head of a user, in a helmet.SOLUTION: A helmet 1 has a cap body 2 that protects a user's head. The cap body 2 includes: an outer shell layer 5 made of a hard synthetic resin; a shock absorbing layer 6 disposed inside the outer shell layer 5 and made of a foamed resin to be thicker than the outer shell layer 5; and an inner shell layer 7 disposed inside the shock absorbing layer 6 and formed thinner than the shock absorbing layer 6. Three or more layers including the outer shell layer 5, the shock absorbing layer 6, and the inner shell layer 7 are laminated from an outermost to an innermost, and the inner shell layer 7 is made of a difficult-to-adhere resin.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a helmet that has excellent impact resistance, has good antifouling properties on the inside, and is capable of preventing the aforementioned deterioration of the impact absorption over time as much as possible.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, bicycle or cycling helmets are used for the purpose of protecting the head of a user riding a bicycle. These helmets have a foamed resin layer such as EPS or EPO inside the outermost layer made of hard polycarbonate or ABS resin, and these composite layers can protect the user's head from impact. It has become.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a helmet in which a styrene foam layer formed of styrene foam is provided inside a hard resin shell such as glass fiber, and a liner having elastic projections is provided inside the styrene foam layer. This liner is made of rubber or low-density polyethylene, and the tips of the protrusions pass through the hair and adhere to the scalp, thereby preventing the hair from being messy and protecting the user's head.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a bowl-shaped cap core A made of a hard polycarbonate layer 1 to which a semi-rigid expanded polystyrene layer 2 is thinly attached has a bowl-shaped coating 3 on the outer surface, a peripheral edge 4 and an arc-shaped top on the inner surface. 5 are respectively glued together, and covering 3, peripheral edge 4 and top 5 are formed by a uniform foam molded layer B of an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer mixture. The helmet of Patent Document 2 can also protect the user's head with a composite layer of a hard polycarbonate layer and an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer foam layer.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-64729 Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 49-52725

By the way, in recent years, the helmet described above has come to be used not only for bicycles but also for various outdoor sports.
For example, various outdoor sports such as rock climbing that climbs rock walls, rafting that descends rapids in a canoe or rubber boat, canyoning that descends down waterfalls while wearing a life jacket, paragliding, hang gliding, bungee jumping, and even zorbing. The above mentioned helmets are also used for various outdoor activities such as `` and `` zip lines ''.

When a helmet is used in such outdoor sports, unlike the conventional one, the helmet often gets dirty with mud or the like. Also, even in the case of bicycles, in off-road cycling sports in which a mountain bike is run on a muddy outdoor course, there is a high possibility that the helmet will get dirty if a person falls.
Here, the outside of a conventional helmet is made of polycarbonate or the like, and dirt such as mud does not easily stick to it. However, the foam material on the inside facing the head is often exposed, and in most cases, it does not have good antifouling properties. In many cases, it cannot satisfy the antifouling property required for

For example, in the helmet of Patent Document 1, a sponge-like porous member and a macro uneven structure are provided in an exposed state on the inside facing the user's head. It is considered that the dirtiness is not good.
The helmet of Patent Document 2 also has an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer foam layer exposed on the inner side facing the user's head, and has a structure in which dirt easily adheres and is difficult to remove.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a helmet having good antifouling properties on the inner side facing the user's head.

In order to solve the above problems, the helmet of the present invention takes the following technical measures.
That is, the helmet of the present invention is a helmet provided with a cap for protecting the head of a user, the cap comprising an outer shell layer formed of a hard synthetic resin and a a shock absorbing layer formed of foamed resin and thicker than the outer shell layer; an inner shell layer disposed inside the shock absorbing layer and thinner than the shock absorbing layer; , wherein three or more layers including the outer shell layer, the shock absorbing layer, and the inner shell layer are laminated from the outermost to the innermost, and the inner shell layer is formed of a difficult-to-adhere resin It is characterized by

In addition, preferably, an adhesive layer obtained by curing adhesive is formed between the shock absorbing layer and the inner shell layer.
Preferably, the difficult-to-adhesive resin has an antifouling property.
Preferably, the difficult-to-adhere resin has weather resistance.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a helmet that has good antifouling properties on the inside facing the user's head and that can prevent aging deterioration of the shock absorbing properties as much as possible.

1 is a perspective view showing a helmet provided with a cap body of this embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the helmet of FIG. 1 taken vertically along the front-rear direction; FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view enlarging a portion A of FIG. 2; It is a photograph showing the results of a weather resistance test.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the helmet 1 of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.
FIG. 1 schematically shows a helmet 1 of this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the helmet 1 of this embodiment is worn on the head of a user riding a bicycle and has a function of protecting the head of the user from impact. In addition, the helmet 1 of the present embodiment utilizes the excellent antifouling property of the inner side, so that it can be used for outdoor sports such as rock climbing, rafting, canyoning, paragliding, hang gliding, etc., where dirt such as mud tends to adhere. It is used for sports and outdoor activities such as bungee jumping, 'zorbing' and 'ziplining'.

Specifically, the helmet 1 of this embodiment includes a cap body 2 that protects the user's head, and a pair of left and right earmuffs 3 that are provided on both sides of the cap body 2 and protect the user's ears. , 3 and .
The cap body 2 described above is formed in a generally hemispherical shape that protrudes upward, and is capable of covering the user's head. Specifically, the cap body 2 of the helmet 1 of this embodiment is a region from the forehead to the back of the head via the top of the head, from the temporal region immediately above the left ear to the right ear via the top of the head. It is possible to cover the area up to the temporal region just above.

In addition, the left and right edges of the cap body 2 are gently curved to swell upwards to avoid both ears, and the chin strap and ear pads 3 are attached to these curved portions. there is
Furthermore, the cap body 2 has a laminated structure in which three or more layers including an outer shell layer 5, a shock absorbing layer 6, and an inner shell layer 7, which will be described later, are laminated. Note that this laminated structure will be described later.

Joints 8 to which chin straps can be connected are provided at the left and right edges of the cap body 2 described above. The joints 8 are provided one each for the front part and the rear part, two in total on the left side and two on the right side. A pair of front and rear joints 8, 8 can be used to fix the ends of the bifurcated chin strap.
Although not shown, the chin strap is formed in a tape shape from a synthetic resin such as polyester, and connects the left edge of the cap body 2 and the right edge of the cap body 2 in the left-right direction. there is A chin strap buckle that detachably connects the left and right chin straps 4 is provided on the middle side of the chin strap in the left-right direction. It's becoming

Earmuffs 3 for protecting the ears of the user are attached to the ends of the above-described chin strap which are branched in a two-mata shape. The earmuffs 3 are detachably attached to the chin strap using snap buttons 10 so as to cover the user's left and right ear shells (auricles) from the outside. Specifically, when viewed from the inside, the earmuff 3 is a substantially disc-shaped member whose center is recessed outward in the left-right direction. The user's ears can be protected. The earmuff 3 has an outer hard cover 11 made of hard resin, and a cushion material 12 made of soft resin arranged inside the hard cover 11 . By providing such a hard cover 11, it is possible to protect the ears from injury. In addition, by providing the cushion material 12 so as to surround the perimeter of the auricle, it is possible to achieve a soft wearing comfort so that the auricle does not hurt even when the auricle comes into contact with it.

By the way, the helmet 1 of the present invention has an outer shell layer 5 formed of a hard synthetic resin, and a foam body disposed inside the outer shell layer 5 and thicker than the outer shell layer 5. and an inner shell layer 7 arranged inside the shock absorbing layer 6 and formed thinner than the shock absorbing layer 6.例文帳に追加Furthermore, the helmet 1 of the present invention has a structure in which three or more layers including an outer shell layer 5, a shock absorbing layer 6, and an inner shell layer 7 are laminated from the outermost to the innermost in the cap body 2. Among them, the inner shell layer 7 is characterized by being formed of a difficult-to-adhere resin.

Specifically, the outer shell layer 5 described above is made of hard synthetic resin and is formed in a hemispherical shape that protrudes upward. As the hard synthetic resin forming the outer shell layer 5, ABS resin, polycarbonate resin, or the like can be used. The outer shell layer 5 is appropriately printed or painted in order to enhance its design, and is formed to have a thickness of about 0.3 mm to 5.0 mm.

In addition, four ventilation parts 13 are provided in the middle of the cap body 2 in the left-right direction at equal intervals in the front-rear direction. This ventilation part 13 is a hole formed so as to extend from the outer shell layer 5 to the inner shell layer 7 through the impact absorbing layer 6. so that the helmet 1 can be comfortably worn. The outer shell layer 5 described above is bent inwardly along the opening edge of the ventilation section 13, so that the opening edge does not damage fingers or cut objects. there is

The shock absorbing layer 6 is formed inside the outer shell layer 5 with a polystyrene resin foam (EPS), a polyolefin resin foam (EPO) such as polyethylene resin or polypropylene resin, a polyurethane resin foam (EPU), or the like. It is If the impact absorbing layer 6 is made of the above-described foam, even if the outer shell layer 5 is damaged by impact and the impact reaches the inside of the cap body 2, the foam absorbs the impact and protects the user's head. It is designed to prevent a large shock from reaching the part.

In addition, the shock absorbing layer 6 is often formed with a uniform thickness in almost all places of the cap body 2 except for the ventilation part 13, but the front side which is easily damaged and the rear side which requires more strict protection may be thickened. In the case of the shock absorbing layer 6 shown in the figure, the front side is formed slightly thicker than the other portions.
Furthermore, the impact absorption layer 6 has a thickness of about 10 mm to 50 mm so that the impact absorption evaluation passes the performance of "shock absorption" specified in JIS 8134 (2017) "bicycle helmet". It is formed so as to reliably absorb the impact on the user's head.

The inner shell layer 7 is a member arranged inside the shock absorbing layer 6 and is formed in the shape of a thin film or sheet. The inner shell layer 7 is formed so as to cover the entire inner surface of the cap body 2 except for the ventilation part 13, and is difficult to adhere to foreign substances such as dirt, sand, soil, sebum (oil), and plant sap. It is made of a synthetic resin with excellent antifouling properties that makes it difficult for (dirt) to adhere.
In addition to antifouling properties, this difficult-to-adhere resin has flexibility that does not cause discomfort when touched by the user's head, and resistance that does not deteriorate even when used in a variety of environments. It is preferable to use a resin that is superior to conventional resins in terms of chemical resistance, particularly weather resistance that does not deteriorate even when used outdoors. As an example of such a difficult-to-adhere resin, TPO (thermoplastic olefin elastomer) can be used. TPO is rich in antifouling properties and water repellency, and the above-mentioned dirt does not adhere easily. In addition, since it has excellent chemical resistance and weather resistance, it is difficult to deteriorate even if it is used for a long period of time. In addition, by coating the inner surface of the shock absorbing layer 6, aging deterioration of the shock absorbing layer 6 is suppressed, so deterioration of the shock absorbing property of the helmet 1 over time can be prevented.

If the inner shell layer 7 described above is formed using a difficult-to-adhere resin such as TPO, the adhesion to the inner shock absorbing layer 6 is also lowered. Therefore, in the helmet 1 of the present invention, it is preferable to provide a joining means between the inner shell layer 7 and the shock absorbing layer 6 to join the two layers with high strength.
In addition to TPO (thermoplastic olefin-based elastomer), the above-mentioned difficult-to-adhere resins include thermoplastic elastomers other than olefin-based, PC (polycarbonate), ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer resin), heat A plastic elastomer foam or the like may also be used.

As such joining means, a means of forming a physical concave-convex structure between the inner shell layer 7 and the impact absorbing layer 6 and fitting them together can be considered. It is also conceivable to use Velcro (registered trademark), snap buttons, bolts, or the like to join the two layers together. However, the most preferable joining means is a means of providing one or two adhesive layers. The joining means for providing one or two adhesive layers can be provided in accordance with the injection molding of the inner shell layer 7 and the shock absorbing layer 6 at the same time. This is because it is most effective when

By the way, the effect of the helmet 1 of the present invention is that "by covering the inner surface of the shock absorbing layer 6 with the inner shell layer 7, the aging deterioration of the shock absorbing layer 6 is suppressed, so that the helmet 1 can absorb shock. It is possible to prevent deterioration of sexuality over time." Applicants are conducting tests for this effect. The results (test results) will be described.
As described above, the inner shell layer 7 is a member arranged inside the shock absorbing layer 6 and is formed in the shape of a thin film or sheet. The inner shell layer 7 is formed so as to cover the entire inner surface of the cap body 2 except for the ventilation part 13, and is resistant to dirt such as dirt, sand, soil, sebum, oil, and plant sap. It is made of synthetic resin that is difficult to adhere and has excellent antifouling properties.

As the difficult-to-adhere resin, it is preferable to use a resin that is superior to conventional resins in terms of weather resistance and the like, in addition to the antifouling property, the properties do not deteriorate even when used outdoors. TPO (thermoplastic olefin elastomer) can be used as such a difficult-to-adhere resin. Since TPO is also excellent in chemical resistance and weather resistance, it does not deteriorate easily even after long-term use. In addition, by coating the inner surface of the shock absorbing layer 6, aging deterioration of the shock absorbing layer 6 is suppressed, so deterioration of the shock absorbing property of the helmet 1 over time can be prevented.

As a test to clarify the above, a shock absorption comparison test (shock absorption comparison test before and after the weather resistance test) was conducted.
The following four test pieces were prepared. That is, test pieces (1) to (4) were prepared.
・Test piece (1): A member with an inner shell layer 7 arranged on a shock absorbing layer 6 (EPS + TPO, before weather resistance test)
・Test piece (2): A member with no inner shell layer 7 on the impact absorption layer 6 (EPS, before weather resistance test)
・Test piece (3): A member with an inner shell layer 7 arranged on a shock absorbing layer 6 (EPS + TPO, after weather resistance test)
・Test piece (4): A member with no inner shell layer 7 on the shock absorbing layer 6 (EPS, after weather resistance test)
The size of all test pieces is 60 mm long×100 mm wide×20 mm thick.
The impact absorption comparison test and the weather resistance test conducted prior thereto are as follows.
First, a weather resistance test performed as a pretreatment was performed under the conditions shown in Table 1.

図４は、耐候性試験後における試験片の表面状態を撮影した写真である。図４下図に示す比較例（試験片（４））から明らかなように、衝撃吸収層６にインナーシェル層７を配備していない試験片は、耐候性試験を経て、衝撃吸収層６の表面が荒れた状態となり、明らかに劣化が進んでいることが確認できる。
一方で、図４上図に示す実施例から明らかなように、衝撃吸収層６にインナーシェル層７を配備した試験片（試験片（３））は、表面の状態は殆ど変わっておらず、劣化しずらく耐候性に富んでいることがわかる。

FIG. 4 is a photograph of the surface state of the test piece after the weather resistance test. As is clear from the comparative example (specimen (4)) shown in the lower diagram of FIG. is in a rough state, and it can be confirmed that the deterioration is clearly progressing.
On the other hand, as is clear from the example shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 4, the surface condition of the test piece (test piece (3)) in which the inner shell layer 7 is arranged on the shock absorbing layer 6 is almost unchanged. It can be seen that it does not easily deteriorate and is rich in weather resistance.

After the pretreatment, test pieces (1) to (4) were subjected to a comparative impact absorption test. The conditions for the impact absorption comparison test are as follows.
・The specimen size is 60 mm long x 100 mm wide x 20 mm thick (as described above).
・ The four types of test pieces mentioned above (test piece (1) to test piece (4))
・The test facility used a guide wire guidance dropping device specified in 7.3.5 of JIS T8134-2018 (bicycle helmet).
- A test piece was attached to a weight imitating a human head, dropped onto a steel hemispherical anvil (radius 50±2 mm), and the impact acceleration at the center of gravity of the weight was compared.
・The drop height was 1.0 m, and the number of tests was 1.
Table 2 shows the results.

試験片（２）に対して試験片（４）の衝撃吸収性能は下がっており、その低下率は２４．６％である。試験片（１）に対して試験片（３）の衝撃吸収性能は下がっているものの、その低下率は７．４％である。すなわち、耐候試験後はどちらの試験片も衝撃吸収性能が下がっているが、本発明の構成を備えた試験片（インナーシェル層７ありの試験片）の方が、衝撃吸収性能の下げ幅が小さいことは明らかである。
つまり、本発明のヘルメットでは、「衝撃吸収層６の内側の表面をインナーシェル層７にて被覆することで、衝撃吸収層６の経年劣化を抑制するので、ヘルメット１の衝撃吸収性の経年劣化を防止するができる」といった効果が十分奏されることが明らかとなった。

The impact absorption performance of the test piece (4) is lower than that of the test piece (2), and the reduction rate is 24.6%. Although the impact absorption performance of the test piece (3) is lower than that of the test piece (1), the reduction rate is 7.4%. In other words, although both test pieces show a decrease in shock absorption performance after the weather resistance test, the test piece having the structure of the present invention (the test piece with the inner shell layer 7) has a lower impact absorption performance. Small is obvious.
In other words, in the helmet of the present invention, "By covering the inner surface of the shock absorbing layer 6 with the inner shell layer 7, aging deterioration of the shock absorbing layer 6 is suppressed, so that the shock absorbing property of the helmet 1 deteriorates over time. It has become clear that the effect of "can be prevented" is sufficiently exhibited.

If we focus on the value of the impact acceleration itself, the test piece (2) and test piece (4) show a value of around 300 G, but the test piece (1) and test piece (3) show a value of around 270 G. Therefore, the value of impact acceleration is as low as 30G. This is presumed to be due to the bottoming-out prevention effect of the inner shell layer 7 (the effect of the inner shell layer 7 protecting the shock absorbing layer 6).

As described above, the helmet 1 of the present invention includes the cap body 2 for protecting the user's head. A shock absorbing layer 6 formed of foamed resin that is thicker than the outer shell layer 5 and disposed inside the shock absorbing layer 6, and an inner layer that is disposed inside the shock absorbing layer 6 and is thinner than the shock absorbing layer 6 A shell layer 7 is provided. By covering the inner surface of the shock absorbing layer 6 with the inner shell layer 7 in this way, the weather resistance of the shock absorbing layer 6 is increased, so it is possible to suppress deterioration of the shock absorbing property of the helmet 1 over time. It has become.
It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed this time should be considered as examples and not restrictive in all respects. In particular, in the embodiments disclosed this time, matters that are not explicitly disclosed, such as various parameters, dimensions of components, weights, volumes, etc., do not depart from the scope normally performed by those skilled in the art. A person skilled in the art adopts a value that can be easily assumed.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the helmet 1 of the present invention has been described by citing bicycle helmets and outdoor sports helmets as examples. However, the helmet 1 of the present invention may be a helmet for two-wheeled motor vehicles such as motorcycles, or may be a helmet for automobiles used when riding a car in a car race or the like.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Helmet 2 Cap Body 3 Earmuff 5 Outer Shell Layer 6 Shock Absorbing Layer 7 Inner Shell Layer 8 Buckle 10 Snap Button 11 Hard Cover 12 Cushion Material 13 Ventilation Part

Claims (4)

A helmet with a cap that protects the head of a user,
The cap body
an outer shell layer made of hard synthetic resin;
a shock absorbing layer disposed inside the outer shell layer and made of foamed resin and having a thickness greater than that of the outer shell layer;
an inner shell layer disposed inside the shock absorbing layer and formed thinner than the shock absorbing layer,
Three or more layers including the outer shell layer, the shock absorbing layer, and the inner shell layer are laminated from the outermost to the innermost,
A helmet, wherein the inner shell layer is made of a difficult-to-adhere resin. 2. The helmet according to claim 1, further comprising an adhesive layer formed by curing an adhesive between the shock absorbing layer and the inner shell layer. 3. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein said difficult-to-adhere resin has an antifouling property. 3. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein said difficult-to-adhere resin has weather resistance.

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