WO2022228984A1

WO2022228984A1 - A protective vest for contact and high impact sports

Info

Publication number: WO2022228984A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/060529
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ultan O'BRIEN; Sean O'brien
Original assignee: Propadz Limited
Priority date: 2021-04-29
Filing date: 2022-04-21
Publication date: 2022-11-03
Also published as: EP4329545A1

Abstract

A protective vest (1) is cropped (3) and tight fitting for contraction around the chest and upper back regions. It has pockets (7-13) for holding gel pads in a modular manner to suit the desired level of impact protection, or for use as a treatment/rehabilitation apparatus with hot and/or cold pads being inserted in the pockets. The pockets also include sensors (20) for detection of impact data, and this is transferred to a data logger (31). The sensors (20) are in an envelope of a pocket (21, 22), so that they overlie pads for optimum operation. A player management system (150, 160) can capture data from multiple vests to provide real time information about player impacts, so that decisions can be made for player welfare. This data can include both impact force and direction elements, and cumulative totals of impact forces may be maintained per plater per time period or session.

Description

“A Protective Vest for Contact and High Impact Sports”

Introduction

The present invention relates to protection for players of contact sports, especially high impact sports, such as rugby, or any sport which is not generally regarded as a contact sport but in which an impact may occur, such as cycling.

The present invention is directed towards providing improved protection for players of such sports.

WO2019/144198 (Albion) describes a personal protective equipment garment for rugby.

The invention is directed towards providing improved impact protection for players, especially in the chest (rib) and shoulder areas.

Summary of the Invention

We describe a protective vest comprising a fabric body of elasticated material for a skin-tight fit, a plurality of pockets, pads of shock-absorbing material, wherein the pads and the pockets are configured so that the pockets can removably and securely hold the pads, and wherein at least one of said pockets is located at a front part of the vest to cover a chest region in use.

In some examples, at least some of the pads are of a material including a gel. In some examples, at least some of the pads include Polyurethane Elastic Fibre material.

In some examples, the pads have a thickness in the range of 5mm to 20mm. In some examples, the vest body is cropped, being configured to fit over only a wearer’s chest and upper back regions and comprising elasticated bands at torso and neck ribs .

In some examples, each pocket has a pocket body and a flap which is releasably secured to the pocket body by a fastener. In some examples, the fastener is a hook-and-loop fastener.

In some examples, the pockets include a pocket located to cover part of the sternum in use, preferably extending from a neck region down. In some examples, In some examples, the pockets include at least one pocket located to cover an upper shoulder region adjacent the neck in use. In some examples, the pockets include at least one pocket located to cover a lower shoulder region near the shoulder joint in use. In some examples, the pockets include at least one pocket located to cover a region between the sternum and the shoulder in use. In some examples, at least some pockets include an impact sensor and a data logger or interface for wireless transmission of sensed data to an external processor.

In some examples, the sensor is embedded in pocket body material, preferably sandwiched between layers pocket fabric. In some examples, the vest includes a pocket for a data logger, and a wiring loom linking the data logger and the sensor or sensors, and the tracking device is adapted to log data from the sensor or sensors. In some examples, the pocket for the data logger is in in a rear portion of the vest body, preferably to cover the upper back region in use.

In some examples, at least some pockets include a movement direction sensor and a data logger or interface for wireless transmission of sensed data to an external processor.

In some examples, the direction sensor is embedded in pocket body material, preferably sandwiched between layers of pocket fabric. In some examples, the direction sensor comprises an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

We also describe a kit comprising a vest of any example described herein and a plurality of pads for selective insertion in the vest pockets. In some examples, the kit comprises a container for the vest and an array of recesses for different pads shaped for fitting in associated pockets.

We also describe a player management system comprising: a protective vest comprising: a fabric body of elasticated material for a skin-tight fit, a plurality of pockets each removably and securely holding a pad of shock absorbing material configured to fit in said pockets, at least one of said pockets being located at a front part of the vest to cover a chest region in use, pads of shock-absorbing material in at least some of the pockets, and impact sensors in at least some of the pockets; and a data processor linked with the impact sensors and being programmed to interpret impact data from said sensors to generate an output per vest indicative of the extent of impact of a player wearing the vest. In some examples, at least some of the pockets include direction sensors and the processor is configured to process data representing direction of impacts to provide the output. In some examples, the processor is configured to maintain a per-player count of cumulative impact forces for a period of time or for a play session.

In some examples, the processor is configured to compare the cumulative total data with a player profile level and to generate an alert if the cumulative total for a time period or for a play session exceeds said profile level even if all of the individual impacts are below a per-impact safety threshold. In some examples, the processor is configured to generate per-impact data including impact force, and the processor is configured to compare the impact force data with a player profile safety threshold level and to generate an alert if an impact force exceeds said level.

We describe a protective vest comprising a fabric body of elasticated material for a skin-tight fit, a plurality of pockets, pads of shock-absorbing material, wherein the pads and the pockets are configured so that the pockets can removably and securely hold the pads, and wherein at least one of said pockets being located at a front part of the vest to cover a chest region in use.

Preferably, at least some of the pads are of a material including a gel. Preferably, at least some of the pads include Polyurethane Elastic Fibre material. Preferably, at least some of the pads have a thickness in the range of 5mm to 20mm. Preferably, the vest body is cropped, being configured to fit over only a wearer’s chest and upper back regions and comprising elasticated bands at torso and neck ribs. Preferably, each pocket has a pocket body and a flap which is releasably secured to the pocket body by a fastener. Preferably, the fastener is a hook-and-loop fastener.

Preferably, the pockets include a pocket located to cover part of the sternum in use, preferably extending from a neck region down. Preferably, the pockets include at least one pocket located to cover an upper shoulder region adjacent the neck in use. Preferably, the pockets include at least one pocket located to cover a lower shoulder region near the shoulder joint in use. Preferably, the pockets include at least one pocket located to cover a region between the sternum and the shoulder collarbone? in use.

Preferably, at least some pockets include an impact sensor and a data logger or interface for wireless transmission of sensed data to an external processor. Preferably, the sensor is embedded in pocket body material, preferably sandwiched between layers of pocket fabric. Preferably, the vest comprises a pocket for a data logger, and a wiring loom linking the data logger and the sensor or sensors, and the tracking device is adapted to log data from the sensor or sensors. Preferably, the pocket for the data logger is in in a rear portion of the vest body, preferably to cover the upper back region in use.

We also describe a player management system comprising: a protective vest of any example described in and comprising: a fabric body of elasticated material for a skin-tight fit, a plurality of pockets each removably and securely holding a pad of shock absorbing material configured to fit in said pockets, at least one of said pockets being located at a front part of the vest to cover a chest region in use, pads of shock-absorbing material in at least some of the pockets, and impact sensors in at least some of the pockets; and a data processor linked with the impact sensors and being programmed to interpret impact data from said sensors to generate an output per vest indicative of the extent of impact of a player wearing the vest. This may be through individual and/or cumulative load readings.

The invention provides in various examples a sports activity protection and rehabilitation apparatus and method of use. It comprises in some examples a vest with a cropped configuration and pockets or “panels”, gel pads, and sensors for versatile impact protection and data gathering. The apparatus is modular in terms of location and nature of pads which are applied by way of insertion in selected pockets on the vest body, the pockets having fabric spaced apart from the vest body with providing an enclosure for secure retention of a pad and/or sensor. The pockets may also hold impact sensors, and a pocket may hold a movement tracker device.

The vest is a cropped, lightweight and tight fitting with a mix of polyester and elastane material - ensuring flexibility of movement, secure fit and reduced chance of wearer’s body overheating. The fact that it is cropped is advantageous because it allows it to be tight fitting, especially with a tight elasticated rib around the chest area. This helps to ensure that the pockets remain located where they should be, and it makes minimal impact on heat retention. The modular panels are shaped to offer orthopaedic protection of the acromioclavical, clavical, stemoclavical, sternum, and ribs regions and protection of soft tissue injury of the conoid, trapezoid, acromioclavicular ligaments, sternoclavicular ligament, rotator cuff, glenohumeral ligaments, glenoid articular cartilage, trapezius, the deltoid, and the pectoralis major muscles as well as bruising of the glenohumeral joint surface, and traction of the brachial plexus.

The protective pads are each of a selected thickness for absorbing and distributing impact shock, while ensuring flexibility of movement, and providing for a lightweight fitted apparatus. Individual pads are of low-density gel material, and panels include polyester and elastane or similar material.

The vest may be used for either protection during sports participation or for the rehabilitation by use of hot/cold pads which are securely fixed and when combined with the compression of the tightly fitted garment body targets rehabilitation of specific soft tissue injuries. The sensors automatically detect, proximity, pressure and impact (force) on player tackles and load to capture real-time data points to detect and calibrate collision measurements and track all related relevant data points that can assist in the prevention and protection of injury strategies.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front view of a protective vest of the invention, and Fig. 2 is a rear view,

Figs. 3 and 4 are front and rear views with internal components visible,

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a sternum-protecting pocket, showing the layers which are also employed in other pockets,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a kit comprising a vest and a box with foam recesses for multiple different panels for selection for use by a player,

Fig. 6(a) is a diagram illustrating a player management system, and Fig. 6(b) is a representation of a device display for use by a coach as it receives real time player data, and

Fig. 7 is a flow diagram for operation by a server of the player management system. Referring to Figs. 1 to 5 a protective vest 1 has an elasticated fabric body 2 with a midriff torso elasticated hem band 3 and a neck elasticated hem band 4, and right and left arm openings 5 and 6 respectively. The overall configuration is cropped, with the vest 1 only covering the chest and upper back areas, not the stomach and lower back areas. The body 2 is of primarily elastane (Lycra™ or Spandex™) material so that it is skintight and breathable for perspiration evaporation.

The vest 1 comprises a number of pockets as follows:

7, sternum, with a pocket body 7(a) and a sealable flap 7(b),

8, intermediate right side, with a pocket body 8(a) and a sealable flap 8(b),

9, intermediate left side, with a pocket body 9(a) and a sealable flap 9(b),

10, left upper clavicle, with a pocket body 10(a) and a sealable flap 10(b),

11, left lower clavicle, with a pocket body 11(a) and a sealable flap 11(b),

12, right upper clavicle, with a pocket body 12(a) and a sealable flap 12(b),

13, right lower clavicle, with a pocket body 13(a) and a sealable flap 13(b), and 18, upper back, with a pocket body 18(a) and a sealable flap 18(b).

The flaps are all sealable by hook-and-loop fastener strips.

The upper back pocket 18 is primarily for data capture and storage rather than impact protection. It houses a powered data logger which connects directly to all sensors located in the panels.

The sternum pocket 7 houses a gel pad 23 of Polyurethane Elastic Fibre material and a sensor 20. The latter overlies the pad 23 and is linked with a loom 30 which extends around the neck portion to a data logger 31 in the pocket 18. The loom 30 is woven or lined so as not to be obtrusive.

The impact sensors are in one example of the type used for automotive seat belt sensors such as those of the type marketed under the name pylon flex™ by Tacterion. As shown most clearly in Fig. 5 the pocket body 7(a) comprises two fabric layers and it houses the gel pad 23 and the overlying sensor 20 sandwiched between layers 21 and 22 in the pocket body. The other pockets are of similar construction, differing only in shape. Each may or may not have a gel pad and/or sensor in a manner which allows per-use customization. Each pad is of a selected thickness, for the desired level of protection at that location. The sensors are connected in a modular manner by pins and sockets to the loom (may be wireless) 30, allowing modular connection according to a desired configuration. Hence, the pockets provide a means of containing a selected pad and optionally an impact sensor in a versatile and modular manner. This is according to the choice of the player and/or coach. The impact sensors 20 are supported in a comprehensive and secure manner between the layers 21 and 22, overlying the pad. Positioning over the pad allows reliable operation as the pad provides a durable and resilient base for the sensor.

The pockets are located for the protection as indicated:

Pockets 11 and 13, orthopaedic protection for the Acromioclavical (A/C), and Clavical bones, joints and respective soft tissue.

Pockets 10 and 12, orthopaedic protection for the Clavical bones, joints and respective soft tissue.

Pockets 8 and 9, orthopedic protection for the StemoClavical (S/C) and Clavical bones, joints and respective soft tissue.

Pocket 7, orthopaedic protection for the Sternum bones, ribs, joints and respective soft tissue.

The pads, such as the pad 23, preferably have a thickness in the range of 5mm to 20mm. The pocket flaps are secured in place by hook-and loop fasteners.

The protective vest in a modular manner provides orthopaedic and muscular protection in high contact sports. The location of the pockets, the thickness of the pads, and the security of the pads into these panels, result in excellent protection efficacy of the apparatus. Each pad may be secured in the pocket by stitched loops or may be retained only by the flap.

The vest body 2 is lightweight and tight-fitting, elasticated into place underneath the chest, having a mix of polyester and elastane material to provide flexibility of movement, secure fit and reduced chance of wearer’s body overheating. The modular pockets 7-13 and 18 are shaped to offer orthopaedic protection of the acromioclavical, clavical, sternoclavical, sternum, and ribs regions and protection of soft tissue injury of the conoid, trapezoid, acromioclavicular ligaments, sternoclavicular ligament, rotator cuff, glenohumeral ligaments, glenoid articular cartilage, trapezius, the deltoid, and the pectoralis major muscles as well as bruising of the glenohumeral joint surface, and traction of the brachial plexus.

For the protective use of the vest 1, the user inserts in the desired choice of pockets protective gel pads of a chosen thickness for absorbing and distributing impact shock, while ensuring flexibility of movement. The pads are of low-density gel material, in one example Polyurethane Elastic Fibre. The fabric of the vest body 2 and of the pockets is of polyester and elastane or similar material. The vest may be used for either protection during sports participation or for rehabilitation use of hot and/or cold pads inserted in selected pockets.

Referring to Fig. 6 a kit 100 of the invention includes a vest 1 in a box package 101, and a connecting box package having foam recesses with finger-access slots 103 for access to a selected pad 105, 106, 07, 108, 109, 110, and 111. While each recess has only one pad of its shape, there may be a stack of two or more, each of a different thickness. This gives the options to the player of:

(a) choice of which pockets to insert a pad in, and optionally

(b) choice of what thickness pad to use at each pocket location.

In the embodiment of Figs 1 to 6 each pocket has an impact sensor location between the fabric layers 21 and 22, as illustrated for the pocket 7. These compartments in the pockets may additionally include other sensors, particularly sensors for detecting angle of movement. A GPS sensor in the rear pocket 18 provides movement information. However, additionally the compartments in one or more of the pockets may have an accelerometer or gyroscopic detector. Specifically, a multi-axis accelerometer may be provided to provide data representing the direction and magnitude of acceleration movement, such as occurs with an impact. Accelerometers for medical and physical training applications are well known, and when used in this system they provide very valuable information in combination with or indeed instead of force data from the impact sensors. Again, the location of the sensors, in the outer compartment (between layers 21 and 22) of the pocket provides for generation of vector movement data which is specific to the pocket location and associated with the impact sensor alongside it in the same compartment.

As noted above the pocket 18 has a data logger, but it may additionally or alternatively have a wireless transceiver for uploading the data to a host. Referring to Fig. 6(a) the transceivers are indicated by 150 and they upload in real time the individual impact and cumulative load data (movement data to) a host server 160, which processes the data and provides it to coach devices 170 such as smartphones with relevant applications loaded. Fig. 6(b) is a diagram representative of the data which is displayed in real time for each player, including in this case moved distance, Level of G-Force per impact, cumulative G-Force from the training week and season and whether this level is within a safe zone for loading represented by colours of the representative number above a certain threshold of force and/or movement, and additional data on the categories of the impacts. A menu allows drilling down to view the specific data on which selected impact, including its direction relative to the position of the pocket. This data can show the % of the impact compared to the players largest impacts allowing objective feedback for intensity and velocity of impacts allowing trainers to keep the impacts in a safe range with incremental % increases on their graduated return to play. This provides very comprehensive data on the potential rick of the impact.

Referring to Fig. 7 the server 160 implements a method 200 for generating real time information for coaches. GPS movement data is processed in step 201 on an ongoing basis. If an impact event is raised by an impact sensor providing data of a force the server 160 determines in step 202 if it is an event for further processing. If not, then the load is added to a cumulative load tracking of the player and background movement tracking processing continues without any further impact data processing. If it does represent an impact event, in step 203 the server 160 determines the force and adds it to the cumulative total and in step 204 it determines the associated angle and acceleration with benefit of the accelerometer data feed. Both streams are processed in step 205 and in a decision step 206 a decision is made as to whether the impact is above a minimum alert category, the category is determined in step 207, and an alert is generated in step 208 if needed.

In examples which include an accelerometer, this may be located at any location on the vest, most conveniently in a pocket at the rear, such as the pocket 18.

The data processing can generate alerts and player tracking data as follows in various examples:

(a) Individual impacts being of an alert category in terms of force, possible with respect to the angle and associated acceleration also. A high acceleration level, such as that arising from a sudden stop in movement can be combined with the sensed force data to contribute to classification of the individual impact.

(b) The cumulative total of force over a period of time such as a week or month or of a session, even if each impact is not particularly serious provides very valuable information. For example, a player profile may provide for only a certain level of allowable cumulative force before the player must stop, depending on various factors such as time since an injury. The player profile thresholds for cumulative force may be per session and/or per calendar time period such as a week. The cumulative total of force helps to reduce risk of injury as it provides an indicator of potential for injury, thereby allowing a coach to take preventative action by for example limiting play for a time.

(c) Play quality of movement such as tackles. The angle and force are important parameters for determine if a particular activity is desired, and this information can be used to assist player improvement in terms of play quality and safety. The processor analysis of player movement in terms of acceleration and direction can be recorded in a database for identification of patterns in play, and this information can be used for player improvement.

During all of the processing event data is logged to a database 210 of the server 160, as indicated by the interrupted lines.

The impact sensors 23 automatically detect proximity, pressure and impact (force) on player tackles and load. They include, in some examples, nano-Carbon composites and have a capability to withstand many tens of thousands of impacts without significant degradation.

The pockets protect the upper torso from incidents such as physical collisions and tackling impacts, and hence the apparatus allows targeted impact protection for selected specific regions of the torso. Also, being of cropped configuration and of a light fabric, it is of light weight. It is particularly effective at absorbing and distributing impact shock and, by the sensors, capturing data on impacts. The apparatus is applicable in a range of high contact collision sports, for example Rugby (Union, League, Sevens), Australian Rules, Gaelic Games, American Football, mixed-martial arts, roller derby, hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, shinty, and kabaddi. It may also be applicable in a range of “non-contact” high impact sports such as moto-cross, bicycle moto-cross (BMX), mountain biking, cycling, skiing, rodeo, futsal, slamball, bandy, dodgeball, netball, tag rugby, cricket, baseball, and softball where there is a possibility of having contact with equipment, inanimate objects or other players.

The invention provides a major improvement over prior approaches of the effectiveness of the pads and their locations, and especially as the locations are maintained due to the fact that the vest is tight-fitting and is cropped to only cover the upper torso region. In this way there is optimum impact protection where exactly it is needed providing protection by use of foam-based pads because the gel-based pads disperse heat more effectively and can thus be worn for longer and with better comfort. The vest 1 ensures that the gel-based pads remain securely fixed throughout use and thus provide excellent levels of protection in a consistent and dependable manner. The secure fixing of the gel pads to targeted areas assist the prevention and protection of injuries. The protection may be modified to suit the circumstances, with two pockets at each clavicle area, and pockets between the sternum and the shoulder regions. The choice of number and locations of the pads and also the thickness of the gel pads allows easy optimization for the wearer and the specific requirements. Due to the sensors the apparatus 1 accurately measures objective tackle-specific impact forces, which enables the development of proprietary algorithms to identify patterns of movement and a set of insights which can be used by coaching, medical, and strength and conditioning staff as part of player rehabilitation and impact monitoring strategies.

The apparatus also provides secure fixing of hot or cold pads to targeted areas which combined with the compression of the vest itself assists the treatment of soft tissue injuries impact recovery which stay intact in a consistent and dependable manner. The apparatus may thus be used both as a protective device and also as a treatment aid by holding pads, hot or cold, at desired locations.

In some examples the vest is part of a player management system comprising a number of the vests of any example described above, and a data processor linked with the impact sensors and being programmed to interpret impact data from said sensors to generate an output per vest indicative of the extent of impact of a player wearing the vest. The data processor may receive wireless data via any suitable wireless protocol, thereby allowing real time information to be provided to coaches or other player welfare personnel.

It will be appreciated that the apparatus provides a modular protective system for providing torso- specific orthopaedic and muscular protection in high contact (collision) sports, due to the wearable vest, a pad(s) of gel-based material of a chosen thickness and temperature (rehabilitation application) material. It also provides in the one apparatus for sensory monitoring for data capture, due to the impact sensors. The vest can be used to monitor impact load, thus preventing injury as coaches can recall players with a dangerously high load. The invention includes in some examples a data analysis processor configured to monitor impacts per player in real time and generate an alert or other output to allow coaching and player management decisions to be made. The data logger may function as a GPS tracker as a combined unit. This processor executes software for analyzing the data and providing analysis outputs. This may be done in real time by wireless upload or after use by batch upload, wired or wireless. The software may for example perform movement analysis modelling and/or pattern recognition. This may detect player tackles and load, to further assist in preventative strategies for players before and during games and recovery rehabilitation strategies for pre-existing injuries. The fact that it is cropped is advantageous because it allows it to be tight fitting, especially with a tight elasticated rib around the chest area. This helps to ensure that the pockets remain located where they should be, and it makes minimal impact on heat retention.

It will be appreciated that the vest is modular, secure, comfortable and convenient for sports players. It provides real-time information on impacts and player load. The pockets and pads prevent player over-heating. The pad versatility allows hot and cold pad applications, depending on the player circumstances. The vest is easy and convenient to assemble, a fraction of the time for taping pads or using padding devices. It covers with pads only the required regions, thereby providing optimum protection while avoiding over-heating. There is minimal movement of the vest fabric and panels during use.

The impact sensors capture accurate collision measurements. In some examples, as described above, the vest also captures angles of impact. There may also be motion data as uploaded by a GPS motion tracker. The host processor can combine this data to provide comprehensive objective real time information to the coaches. It is particularly beneficial to have a combination of angle of impact in addition for force of impact. The data can be processed together with player condition data, for example to apply thresholds according to player fitness, such as whether the player is returning from injury or is within a danger zone of load and should reduce his impact load for future sessions.

The panels provide for optimum absorption of impact forces, and synergistically provide an advantageous housing for the sensors, especially the impact sensors. The combinations of live data feeds provide real time data at the level of individual events such as tackles, force and direction data being provided and alerts generated according to the player profile data. This data allows rehabilitation staff to ensure rehabilitation sessions remain within the chosen proportion of a players chosen degree of impact rather than working of estimations. This allows the management to optimise performance and any required rehabilitation strategies and hence minimise player recovery times and reduce the risk of injury as players remain within a safe threshold of overall loading.

The tracking of G-Force data has multiple use types for a professional rugby player both individually and for use in the team environment through monitoring by strength and conditioning coaches. Strength and conditioning coaches already engage in ‘Load tracking’ through the use of GPS data tracking however the tracking of contact levels is done through estimations of contacts through video analysis and predicted level of impact in contact drills. The tracking of G-Force data will allow for objective feedback on the load of each athlete and the team as a whole, allowing coaches and players to tailor their training to their exertion over the course of the day/week/season. This will enable players to stay within a ‘safe zone’ where the likelihood of injury through overloading the player is diminished.

The impact sensors will give real time feedback on the G-force going through the pads which has multiple uses for the player and coaches. Real time feedback on impact % while returning to play. For example, athletes will progressively load to their maximum recorded impact on returning from a shoulder injury. This allows for incremental and tracked increase reducing variability and lowering injury risk in the recovery process. Present practice entails an athlete tackling at an estimated 60% leaving it entirely to the subjective effort of the athlete.

Coaches can track contact drills to measure if drill has the expected level of contact by tracking G-Force through the pads. This allows coaches to tailor sessions on the go and prevents players from over/underloading in contact lowering their injury risk. Coaches can track individual player load through the course of games and trainings and allows for their removal from training if they approach a dangerous level of load. Coaches can track cumulative load of the player over the course of games/weeks/seasons. Objective data from each tackle and ruck can be compiled to show the actual force received during the course of a game/training for the athlete. Tracking G- force gives accurate information on both individual impacts and cumulative impact over the course of the game. This data will aid in the management of the player during the course of the week.

Tracked data from each session/game can be compiled to reflect the player’s load over the course of the season. Through tracking this data coaches can intervene when players approach a dangerously high level of load lowering their risk of injury.

Coaches can track the overall load of the squad and determine their training load in the forthcoming days/weeks to tailor to the tolerance of the squad for load.

Through tracking impact data over the course of time individual player profiles can be created allowing for the variable nature of the individual to tolerate load. This will allow for the coaches to track when an individual player may be approaching a dangerous level of loading despite the squad load being in a safe zone. Through the use of an accelerometer and/or gyroscope the impacts and impact angles that are predictive of injury can be established. Through tracking the impacts resulting in injury and the angles/body postitions/speed of the impacts the types of impacts more likely to cause injury can be extrapolated out of the data. Coaches can then train athletes to avoid these types of body positions.

The tracking of linear and rotational impacts will allow for the highlighting of precarious body positioning/impacts.

The tracking of the individual categories may be pooled in monitoring the athletes load and preventing them from entering a dangerously high level of load.

Over the course of a season individual profiles can be developed for each athlete insuring they stay in their individual ‘safe zone’. The overall load of the team can be tracked to ensure coaches are not over/underloading lowering the injury risk of the squad.

Athletes returning from injury can do so on a tracked graduated return to play. The tracking of impact speed/angles can compile data on dangerous positioning allowing for athletes to avoid these types pf positions.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described but may be varied in construction and detail. For example, the sensors, impact and/or accelerometer, may incorporate their individual short range wireless transmitters for updating the data logger/transceiver (typically in the rear pocket) without need for wiring to be integrated into the vest fabric.

Any of the sensors may be embedded into the pads, thereby making them independent of the vest fabric. In this case, they may communicate wirelessly or via pluggable conductors.

Claims

1. A protective vest (1) comprising a fabric body (2) of elasticated material for a skin-tight fit, a plurality of pockets, pads of shock-absorbing material, wherein the pads and the pockets are configured so that the pockets can removably and securely hold the pads, and wherein at least one of said pockets is located at a front part of the vest to cover a chest region in use.

2. A protective vest of claim 1, wherein at least some of the pads (23) are of a material including a gel.

3. A protective vest of claim 2, wherein at least some of the pads (23) include Polyurethane Elastic Fibre material.

4. A protective vest of any preceding claim, wherein the pads have a thickness in the range of 5mm to 20mm.

5. A protective vest of any preceding claim, wherein the vest body (2) is cropped, being configured to fit over only a wearer’s chest and upper back regions and comprising elasticated bands at torso and neck ribs (3, 4).

6. A protective vest of any preceding claim, wherein each pocket has a pocket body (13(a)) and a flap (13(b)) which is releasably secured to the pocket body by a fastener.

7. A protective vest of claim 6, wherein the fastener is a hook-and-loop fastener.

8. A protective vest of any preceding claim, wherein the pockets include a pocket (7) located to cover part of the sternum in use, preferably extending from a neck region down.

9. A protective vest of any preceding claim, wherein the pockets include at least one pocket (10, 12) located to cover an upper shoulder region adjacent the neck in use.

10. A protective vest of any preceding claim, wherein the pockets include at least one pocket (11, 13) located to cover a lower shoulder region near the shoulder joint in use.

11. A protective vest of any preceding claim, wherein the pockets include at least one pocket (8, 9) located to cover a region between the sternum and the shoulder in use.

12. A protective vest of any preceding claim, wherein at least some pockets include an impact sensor (20) and a data logger (31) or interface for wireless transmission of sensed data to an external processor.

13. A protective vest of claim 12, wherein the sensor is embedded in pocket body material, preferably sandwiched between layers (21, 22) of pocket fabric.

14. A protective vest of either of claims 12 or 13, including a pocket for a data logger (31), and a wiring loom (30) linking the data logger and the sensor or sensors, and the tracking device is adapted to log data from the sensor or sensors.

15. A protective vest of either of claims 13 or 14, wherein the pocket (18) for the data logger is in in a rear portion of the vest body, preferably to cover the upper back region in use.

16. A protective vest of any preceding claim, wherein at least some pockets include a movement direction sensor and a data logger (31) or interface for wireless transmission of sensed data to an external processor.

17. A protective vest of claim 16, wherein the direction sensor is embedded in pocket body material, preferably sandwiched between layers (21, 22) of pocket fabric.

18. A protective vest of either of claims 16 or 17, wherein the direction sensor comprises an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

19. A kit (100) comprising a vest of any preceding claim and a plurality of pads for selective insertion in the vest pockets.

20. A kit as claimed in claim 19, wherein the kit comprises a container for the vest and an array of recesses (103) for different pads shaped for fitting in associated pockets.

21. A player management system comprising: a protective vest (1) comprising: a fabric body (2) of elasticated material for a skin-tight fit, a plurality of pockets each removably and securely holding a pad of shock absorbing material configured to fit in said pockets, at least one of said pockets being located at a front part of the vest to cover a chest region in use, pads of shock-absorbing material in at least some of the pockets, and impact sensors in at least some of the pockets; and a data processor (160) linked with the impact sensors and being programmed to interpret (205) impact data from said sensors to generate an output per vest indicative of the extent of impact of a player wearing the vest.

22. A system as claimed in claim 21, wherein at least some of the pockets include direction sensors and the processor is configured to process data representing direction of impacts to provide the output.

23. A system as claimed in claims 21 or 22, wherein the processor is configured (203) to maintain a per-player count of cumulative impact forces for a period of time or for a play session.

24. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the processor is configured to compare (205, 206) the cumulative total data with a player profile level and to generate an alert if the cumulative total for a time period or for a play session exceeds said profile level even if all of the individual impacts are below a per-impact safety threshold.

25. A system as claimed in any of claims 21 to 24, wherein the processor is configured to generate (207, 208) per-impact data including impact force, and the processor is configured to compare the impact force data with a player profile safety threshold level and to generate an alert if an impact force exceeds said level.