WO1996020616A1

WO1996020616A1 - Full-body emv protective suit

Info

Publication number: WO1996020616A1
Application number: PCT/EP1996/000026
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stephan Schwarz; Johann Aumann
Original assignee: W.L. Gore & Associates Gmbh
Priority date: 1995-01-05
Filing date: 1996-01-04
Publication date: 1996-07-11
Also published as: DE19500254A1; DE19500254C2; AU4484096A

Abstract

A full-body EMV protective suit (11) to protect the person wearing it against electromagnetic fields, in which the protective suit (11) has a laminate (L) with a wind and waterproof functional layer (F) permeable to water vapour and a metallised textile surface structure (M). Here, the laminate (L) is arranged inside an air, water and water vapour-permeable outer material (O).

Description

EMC full body protective suit

The invention relates to an EMC protective suit for protecting the person wearing the suit against electromagnetic fields, the protective suit being constructed with a metallized textile fabric. The fabric is coated with an electrically conductive metal or consists of metal thread. The threads of the metallized textile fabric can consist of filaments, all or only some of which are formed by metal filaments.

EMC is generally used as an abbreviation for electromagnetic compatibility. This generally means that protection against electromagnetic interference fields is provided.

Antennas for radiating electromagnetic waves, for example radio transmitter antennas, are usually located on antenna towers which carry a large number of such antennas. To maintain the antennas, maintenance technicians must climb the antenna tower. The height of such an antenna tower is, for example, 150 m. The maintenance fitter must overcome this height by climbing a tower ladder. With a tower height of 150 meters, this takes about one and a half hours.

If one of the many antennas that are usually located on an antenna tower needs to be serviced or repaired, all other antennas must also be switched off so that their strong electromagnetic fields do not affect the maintenance technician.

To maintain a single antenna, many antennas must be switched off for hours, even those that are not included in the respective maintenance process. One would like to avoid that.

Maintenance technicians for antennas have already been equipped with EMC suits which have a fabric coated with copper or silver. However, the hands and feet only got easier with this Cotton covered so that they had no protection against electromagnetic fields. The face was covered with a visor according to the shape and size of a beekeeper. However, such a suit did not offer complete protection against electromagnetic fields, weather protection or protection against electrical breakdown. The maintenance technicians were exposed to wind and rain unprotected when wearing such a suit and were not allowed to touch live parts such as antenna elements. In addition, the visor was bulky and bulky and could not be moved with the head.

In order not to be defenselessly supplied with wind and weather during the long ascent and descent on and from an antenna tower, antennas have put on weather protection suits requiring maintenance, which have a windproof, waterproof and water vapor-permeable functional layer. If the antenna maintenance technicians were equipped with such weather protection suits, all antennas of an antenna tower had to be switched off while climbing up the antenna tower, while carrying out maintenance or repair work and while descending from the antenna tower.

The object of the invention is to remedy this.

This is achieved according to the invention in that the protective suit specified at the outset is designed as a full-body protective suit, in that the metallized textile fabric is a layer of a multilayer laminate which, as a further layer, has a wind- and waterproof, water-vapor-permeable functional layer, and in that the laminate in Is arranged inside an air, water and water vapor permeable upper material. The metallized fabric is preferably located on the inside of the functional layer.

By equipping the EMC protective suit according to the invention with a laminate that has both a metallized fabric and a windproof and waterproof, water vapor permeable functional layer made of electrically insulating plastic, comprehensive full protection can be achieved in a cost-effective manner, namely against Wind, rain, electric breakdowns and electromagnetic fields. The measure of arranging the laminate in the upper material of the protective suit in such a way that the metallized fabric is on the side of the laminate facing the body has a particularly advantageous effect. In this way, the function layer located outside the metallized fabric can also protect the metal of the metallized fabric against rainwater. The functional layer therefore not only forms weather protection for the person wearing the protective suit, but also corrosion protection for the metal of the coated fabric.

Preferred embodiments of the EMC full body protective suit according to the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The invention will now be explained in more detail using an embodiment.

In the accompanying drawings:

1 shows an embodiment of an EMC according to the invention

Protective suits; and

Fig. 2 in a schematic representation of the location structure of the protective suit shown in Figure 1.

FIG. 1 shows an EMC full-body protective suit 11 with an overall-shaped suit part 13, with shoe parts 15, glove parts 17 and with a hood part 19, which is provided with a visor 21. The suit part 13 has a belly fastener 23 in order to enable the protective suit 11 to be put on and taken off.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the shoe parts 15 and the hood part 19 are worked on the suit part 13. The glove parts 17 are designed to be removable from the suit part 13.

The entire protective suit 11, including the shoe parts 15, the glove parts 17 and the hood part 19, has a multilayer structure, as is shown schematically in FIG. The outer layer forms an outer fabric O, on the inside of the body of which a laminate L is arranged. The laminate has a functional layer F made of windproof, watertight and water vapor-permeable material, which is, for example, stretched, microporous polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE). On the side of the functional layer facing the upper material O, the laminate L has a textile layer T which serves, among other things, as mechanical protection for the functional layer F. A metallized sheet M is located on the inside of the functional layer F on the body side. This is preferably a fabric, the fabric threads of which are coated with a metal, such as preferably copper or silver.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, a three-layer laminate of the structure described is used. In principle, a two-layer laminate composed of the functional layer F and the fabric M coated with metal could also be used. In both cases, a lining can preferably be arranged on the inside of the laminate L.

In one embodiment of the invention, the laminate L is loosely suspended in the outer fabric O, for which purpose it is only sewn to the outer fabric O at some points by means of a seam N.

As can also be seen again in FIG. 2, the functional layer F not only protects the person wearing the protective suit, but also the metallized textile layer or the metallized sheet M from weather influences such as rain.

In order to provide protection against electromagnetic fields, the abdominal fastener 23 of the protective suit 11 is designed in such a way that, in the closed state, the areas of the metal-coated fabric located alongside the abdominal fastener 23 are electrically connected to one another in an EMC-tight manner. This can be achieved, for example, by means of an electrically conductive Velcro fastener which not only mechanically connects the two fastener parts belonging to the abdominal fastener 23 but also their electrical connection to one another. In the embodiment shown schematically in FIG. 1, the abdominal closure 23 has two reversible closure strips which, when the abdominal closure 23 is closed, lie one above the other in such a way that the metallized fabric M of the laminate L is one

Sealing strip is brought into contact with the metallized sheet M of the other sealing strip and thus brought into electrical connection. The sealing strips lying one above the other can be held in the closed state by means of electrically non-conductive push buttons 25. The push buttons 25 are electrically non-conductive so that when they come into contact with live parts, such as antenna parts, the voltage potential does not lead to the body of the person wearing the protective suit 11. However, the push buttons can also be designed to be conductive. In this case, they are used in such a way that they do not penetrate the metallized layer.

In the event that the laminate L is loosely attached to the outer fabric O of the protective suit 11, the outer fabric O and the laminate L can each be provided with a separate belly fastener. One can provide two laminate closure cover strips, each having a functional layer F and a metallized textile layer M and overlapping in the closed state of the laminate belly fastener in such a way that the metal-coated fabric layers of both laminate closure cover strips touch EMC-tight.

In this case, one can connect the outer fabric abdominal closure and the laminate abdominal closure to one another via a watertight connection device, as described in the (not yet published) German utility model application G 93 15 096.2. The content of this utility model application is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application.

The gloves 17 of the protective suit 11 can be non-releasably worked on the sleeve ends or releasably connected to the sleeve ends. In the former case, the gloves 17 are designed as sleeve extensions, which are provided with a slip opening and which can be turned outwards to achieve a position of use, and can be inserted into the interior of the sleeve to achieve a position not in use, the slip opening serving as a sleeve opening. Such a glove worked on a sleeve is known from German utility model G 92 08 145.2, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into the subject matter of the present application.

In the event that the gloves 17 are detachable from the protective suit 11, each glove can be turned inside out at the slip-in end in such a way that the metallized textile layer M of the glove 17 is on the outside in the turning area 18. The slip-in sleeve ends of the protective suit 11 can be pulled over the inverted area of the gloves 17 such that the metal-coated textile layer M of the inverted area of each glove and the metal-coated textile layer M on the inside of the sleeve-side sleeve end of the associated sleeve point to one another . The everted areas of the gloves 17 and the sleeve-side sleeve ends of the sleeves of the protective suit are then held together by means of a sleeve-closing device. The

The sleeve closing device can have a clip or a Velcro fastener which at least partially surrounds the sleeve end circumferentially and which hold the sleeve end and the everted area of the glove 17 together. Alternatively, it is also possible to turn the sleeve ends of the protective suit 11 upside down and to pull the gloves 17 over their inverted areas. The gloves can additionally be captively attached to the suit 11 by means of snap fasteners.

The sleeve closing device can also be magnetic. In this case, the capel closing device has at least one

Sleeve end magnetic sleeve stripes running in the circumferential direction of a first magnetic polarity and the inverting area of the glove 17 have at least one glove magnetic stripe running in the circumferential direction of the opposite magnetic polarity. The magnetic stripes of opposite magnetic polarity are for closing Connecting the sleeve end and the inverted area of the glove 17 can be placed one above the other.

An electrically conductive Velcro fastener can also be used for the detachable connection between the sleeve end and the glove 17. In this case, the sleeve-side sleeve ends of the protective suit 11 and the sleeve-side ends of the gloves 17 are each provided on their side on which the metal-coated textile layer M is provided with an electrically conductive hook-and-loop fastener element, such that the sleeve-side ends are turned inside out the

Gloves 17 to the outside, the then opposite Velcro elements of the glove and sleeve end can be hooked together. An electrical connection between the metal-coated textile layers M of the glove and the sleeve end can then be established.

The shoe parts 15 can be worked onto the pant leg ends of the protective suit 11, as shown in FIG. 1. But they can also be releasably attached to the ends of the trousers. The same fastening mechanisms as described above for detachable gloves 17 are suitable for this purpose, namely electrically conductive Velcro fasteners, magnetic fasteners or clips, and possibly additionally push buttons.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the hood part 19 is worked on the protective suit 11. The hood part 19 can alternatively be designed as a separate part that can be detached from the protective suit 11. In this case, locking devices can be used in the shoulder or neck area, as previously mentioned in connection with detachable gloves 17, namely electrically conductive Velcro closures, magnetic stripe closures or the like. Push buttons can also be used.

In order to enable the person wearing the protective suit 11 to have a sufficient view, the hood part 19 is provided with a viewing opening which can be closed or closed by means of the visor 21. For in the event that the hood part 19 is detachable from the protective suit 11, the visor 21 could be arranged firmly on the hood part 19. At least when the hood part is not releasably attached to the protective suit 11, it is advisable to arrange the visor 21 releasably on the hood part 19. For this purpose, fastening mechanisms, as already in the

Connection with detachable gloves 17 have been used, namely an electrically conductive Velcro or a magnetic closure. A magnetic closure is preferred because the person wearing the protective suit 11 "blindly" closes the viewing opening with the visor 21, namely by pressing the buttons

Hands that must be made. A magnetic lock is more suitable for this. This is particularly the case when the gloves 17 are firmly attached to the sleeves of the protective suit 11 and the closing of the visor 21, which in most cases probably takes place after the protective suit 11 has been put on, must be carried out with the fingertips greatly reduced as a result of the gloves 17 .

The visor 21 can be designed to be foldable so that the person wearing the protective suit 11 can open the visor 21 when EMC protection is not required, for example on the way to and from the antenna tower or when crossing such areas of the antenna tower. in which there are no antennas. It can then e.g. be captively attached to protective suit 11 by means of tabs or snap fasteners. The visor 21 then does not need to be removed and taken in hand, so that even when the visor 21 is open

Hands are free to carry objects or hold onto the fixed ladder when climbing.

The viewing area of the visor 21 is closed with a metal wire mesh. The wire thickness and the mesh size are selected so that looking through the visor 21 is sufficiently ensured. On the other hand, the mesh size must be so narrow that the metal wire mesh provides adequate shielding against electromagnetic fields. Materials suitable for the functional layer include microporous stretched polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as described in U.S. Patents 3,953,566 and 4,187,390; stretched PTFE provided with hydrophilic impregnants and / or layers as described in U.S. Patent 4,194,041; breathable polyurethane layers; or elastomers such as copolyether esters and their laminates as described in U.S. Patents 4,725,481 and 4,493,870.

In a preferred embodiment, the metal wires of the metal wire mesh are provided on the outside with an electrically insulating material. This insulation coating is preferably effected by spraying the metal wire mesh with a PTFE spray.

Any textile fabric can be used for the metallized textile layer M of the laminate L, which can be knitted fabrics, woven goods, knitted goods or fleece. This fabric is constructed with metallized fibers, which are, for example, copper-plated or silver-plated polyamide or polyester. However, the fibers can also consist entirely or partially of metal. The fibers can also consist of individual filaments, some or all of which are formed from metal.

The protective suit 11 can be provided on the inside of the laminate L facing the body with an inner lining which is either loosely or even detachably arranged within the laminate L or which forms an inside part of the laminate L.

With the EMC full-body protective suit 11 according to the invention, all-round protection for the person wearing the protective suit 11 has been achieved. For all parts of the body there are without exception:

1. Weather protection against wind, rain and snow;

2. Protection against electromagnetic fields; and 3. Protection by the electrically insulating protective layer against electrical breakdown when touching metallic Objects such as antenna parts or antenna mast parts, on which there is high electrical potential.

Because the visor is closed with an insulated metal wire mesh, the person wearing the protective suit 11 can breathe freely and there is no visual impairment due to tarnishing due to breathing moisture or air humidity, while fully guaranteeing EMC protection and protection against electric shocks when touching antenna or antenna mast parts.

Claims

Expectations

1. EMC protective suit (11) for protecting the person wearing the suit against electromagnetic fields, the protective suit being constructed with a metallized textile fabric (M), characterized in that the protective suit is designed as a full-body protective suit that the metallized textile Flat structure (M) represents a layer of a multilayer laminate (L), which has as a further layer a wind- and waterproof, water vapor-permeable functional layer (F), and that the laminate (L) inside an air-, water- and water vapor permeable outer fabric (O) is arranged.

2. Protective suit (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the textile fabric (M) is coated with an electrically conductive metal or consists of metal thread or of threads which are formed from filaments, at least some of which

Are metal filaments.

3. Protective suit (11) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the metallized fabric (M) is on the inside of the functional layer (F) directed towards the body of the person.

4. Protective suit according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that of shoe parts (15), glove parts (17) and a hood part (19) of the protective suit (11) at least part of the protective suit (11) is worked on.

5. Protective suit according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one part of shoe parts (15), glove parts (17) and a hood part (19) of the protective suit (11) can be detachably connected to the protective suit (11).

6. Protective suit according to claim 4, characterized in that the glove parts (17) are designed as sleeve extensions, which are provided with a slip opening and which can be turned outwards to achieve a position of use and to be inserted into the interior of the sleeve to achieve a non-use position, whereby the slip openings serve as sleeve openings.

7. Protective suit according to claim 5, wherein the glove parts (17) are detachable from the protective suit (11), characterized in that each glove part (17) can be turned or turned inside out at the insertion-side end, in such a way that the metallized sheet-like structure (M) of the glove part (17) is on the outside that the insertion-side sleeve ends of the protective suit (11) can be pulled over the everted area of the glove parts (17) such that the metallized surface structure (M) of the everted area of each glove part (17) and the metallized flat structure ( M) point to each other on the inside of the sleeve-side sleeve end of the corresponding sleeve, and that the inverted areas of the glove parts (17) and the sleeve-side sleeve ends of the

Sleeves of the protective suit (11) can be held together by means of a sleeve closing device.

8. Protective suit according to claim 7, characterized in that the sleeve closing device has a circumferentially at least partially enclosing the sleeve end clip.

9. Protective suit according to claim 7, characterized in that the sleeve closing device has at least one sleeve magnetic stripe of a first magnetic polarity running in the circumferential direction of the sleeve end thereof and the everting area of the glove part (17) has at least one glove magnetic stripe running in the circumferential direction of the opposite magnetic polarity, and that the magnetic stripes of opposite magnetic polarity for the closing connection of the sleeve end and the inversion ¬ area of the glove part (17) are superimposed.

10. Protective suit according to claim 5, wherein the glove parts (17) of the protective suit (11) are detachable, characterized in that the insertion-side sleeve ends of the protective suit (11) and the insertion-side ends of the glove parts (17) on their the metallized fabric (M ) having an electrically conductive Velcro element in such a way that the then opposite Velcro elements of the glove part (17) and sleeve end can be Velcro-fastened by turning the ends of the glove parts (17) on the outside and thereby an electrical connection can be produced between the metallized fabric (M) of the glove parts (17) and the metallized fabric (M) of the sleeves.

11. Protective suit according to one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the Schuh¬ parts (15) by detachable from the pants legs parts of the protective suit (11) are formed, characterized in that the shoe parts (15) at the foot-side leg ends of the

Protective suits (11) can be attached via a fastening mechanism which corresponds to the glove fastening mechanism according to one of claims 6 to 8.

12. Protective suit according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the protective suit has an openable abdominal fastener (23) in which, in the closed state, the areas of the metallized fabric (M) of the protective suit (11) located on both sides of the abdominal fastener (23) are electrically EMC-proof. are trically connected.

13. Protective suit according to claim 12, characterized in that the EMC-tight electrical connection can be produced via an electrically conductive Velcro fastener.

14. Protective suit according to claim 12, characterized in that the abdominal fastener (23) has two reversible fastener strips which lie one above the other in the closed state of the abdominal fastener in such a way that the metallized fabric (M) of the one closure strip with the metallized fabric (M) of the other fastener strip in Touch and thus can be brought into electrical connection, and that the superimposed closure strips by means of electrically non-conductive push buttons (25) in

Are stable.

15. Protective suit according to claim 12, characterized in that the laminate (L) loose in the outer fabric (O) of the protective suit

(11) is attached that the outer fabric (O) and the laminate (L) are each provided with a separate belly fastener, that the laminate belly fastener is provided with two laminate fastener cover strips, each of which is made of a waterproof, water vapor-permeable layer Have material and a layer of a metallized fabric and overlap in the closed state of the laminate belly fastener in such a way that the metallized fabrics of both laminate closure cover strips touch EMC-tight.

16. Protective suit according to one of claims 5 to 15, wherein the hood part (19) can be detached from the protective suit (11), characterized in that the hood part (19) at a collar-side end of the protective suit (11) via a fastening mechanism can be attached, which corresponds to the glove fastening mechanism according to one of claims 6 to 8.

17. Protective suit according to claim 16, characterized in that the hood part (19) has a viewing opening which can be closed or closed by means of a visor part (21), and in that the visor part (21) is a metal wire mesh with a wire thickness which allows looking through and Mesh size.

18. Protective suit according to claim 17, characterized in that the surface of the metal wire mesh is coated with an electrically insulating material.

19. Protective suit according to claim 17 or 18, with removable visor part (21), characterized in that the peripheral edges of the viewing opening and the visor part (21) can be held together with a releasable, EMC-tight visor closure.

20. Protective suit according to claim 19, characterized in that the visor fastener has an electrically conductive Velcro fastener.

21. Protective suit according to claim 19, characterized in that the visor closure has a magnetic closure, such that at the peripheral edge of the visor part (21) one magnetic strip first magnetic polarity and magnetic strips of the opposite magnetic polarity are arranged on the peripheral edge of the viewing opening.

22. Protective suit according to one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that the visor part (21) can be opened.

23. Protective suit (11) according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the metallized fabric (M) is a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a fleece or a knitted fabric.

24. Protective suit according to one of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that the metallic coating consists of copper or silver.

25. Protective suit according to one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that the functional layer (F) is constructed with stretched, microporous poly- tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).