CN107847001A - The helmet - Google Patents

Abstract

A helmet (10) comprising: an airbag (1) having an airbag wall surrounding an inner chamber; and one or more tension reinforcements (2) extending through the inner chamber between different points on the airbag wall .

Description

helmet

technical field

The present invention relates to helmets. In particular, the present invention relates to providing a helmet with an airbag having reinforcements.

Background technique

Helmets are known for use in a variety of activities. These activities include, for example, combat and industrial purposes such as protective helmets for soldiers and hard hats or helmets for builders, miners or operators of industrial machinery. Helmets are also common in sports. For example, protective helmets are used in ice hockey, cycling, motor sports, car racing, skiing, snowboarding, skating, skateboarding, equestrian activities, American football, baseball, rugby, cricket, lacrosse, rock climbing, soft bombs Used in airsoft and paintball.

Helmets can be fixed size or adjustable to fit different head sizes or shapes. In some helmet types, such as commonly found in ice hockey helmets, adjustability can be provided by moving parts of the helmet, thereby changing the inner and outer dimensions of the helmet. This can be achieved by having a helmet with two or more parts that can move relative to each other. In other cases, such as typically in bicycle helmets, the helmet is provided with attachment means for securing the helmet to the user's head, and the size of the attachment means can vary to fit the user's head while the helmet The body or shell remains the same size. Combinations of these adjustment mechanisms are also possible.

Helmets generally consist of an outer shell, which is generally rigid and made of plastic or synthetic material, and an energy-absorbing layer called a liner. Today, protective helmets have to be designed to meet certain legal requirements concerning the maximum acceleration that can occur in the center of gravity of the brain, especially under certain loads. Typically, a test is performed in which a dummy skull equipped with a helmet is known to be subjected to a radial blow towards the head. This has led to modern helmets with very good energy absorption capabilities in the event of a radial blow to the skull. Progress has also been made in developing helmets that mitigate the energy transmitted by oblique strikes by absorbing or dissipating rotational energy (ie combining tangential and radial components) (eg WO 2001/045526 and WO 2011/139224).

This oblique collision (without protection) results in brain translational and angular acceleration. The angular acceleration causes the brain to rotate within the skull, causing damage to the body elements connecting the brain to the skull and also to the brain itself.

Examples of rotational injuries include subdural hematoma (SDH), hemorrhage due to vessel rupture, and diffuse axonal injury (DAI), which can be generalized as hyperstretching of nerve fibers due to high shear deformation in brain tissue.

Depending on the characteristics of the rotational force (such as duration, magnitude, and rate of increase, etc.), SDH, DAI, or a combination of these injuries can be encountered. Generally speaking, SDH occurs in the case of short-duration and large-magnitude accelerations, while DAI occurs in the case of longer and more extensive acceleration loads.

It has also been proposed to incorporate airbag elements into helmets. In this context and in the context of this document, in general, the term "airbag" is used loosely to be limited literally to air-filled bladders. Of course, as in the automotive industry, the term is used to denote an inflated or inflatable "cushion" provided to protect the user in the event of a crash. For example, US 6,418,564 discusses the possibility of providing an expandable collar around the lower perimeter of the helmet.

However, prior art devices do not take into account the impact of an oblique impact on the airbag. The present invention aims to at least partly solve this problem.

Description of drawings

The invention is described below by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view of a helmet equipped with airbags worn by a user, wherein the airbags are of the dynamic type and are not inflated;

Figure 2 is a view of the user and helmet as in Figure 1, but with the airbag inflated;

FIG. 3 is a view of an inflated airbag (such as the inflated airbag of FIG. 2 ) subjected to an angular impact;

Figure 4 is a view of a helmet equipped with an air bag, where the air bag is of the pre-inflated type, worn by a user;

Figure 5A shows a plan view of the top of the balloon formed by coiling tubular compartments;

Figure 5B shows a balloon comprising individual compartments separated by walls or membranes.

Detailed ways

The object of the present invention is to provide a helmet equipped with airbags, which provides enhanced protection when the helmet is subjected to angled impacts. By providing the airbag with internal stiffeners, the airbag can be optimized to reduce rotational forces that would otherwise be transferred to the head during a crash. Accordingly, such reinforced or protected airbags can provide enhanced protection against injury to the user, in which the helmet is equipped with the airbags.

FIG. 1 depicts a cross-section of an airbag-equipped helmet 10 worn by a user 20 . The helmet 10 may be of any type mentioned before, but in particular, the preferred embodiment may be a bicycle helmet or a motorcycle helmet.

The airbag 1 of the helmet 10 is not particularly limited in type. In particular, the term "air bladder" is not intended to be read as being limited to only air-filled bladders. Of course, as in the automotive industry, it is intended to mean an inflatable or inflatable type of device to provide cushioning in the event of a crash to the user. Thus, the airbag 1 may be filled with any suitable gas, which may or may not comprise air, or even liquid if appropriate. In a particular embodiment, the bladder 1 may be filled, or designed to be filled primarily with nitrogen.

Furthermore, the airbag 1 may not be a single compartment or "bag", but may be formed of a plurality of interconnected or connected compartments. Alternatively, the airbag 1 may be formed from a single compartment, but arranged in a folded or convoluted configuration. For example, Figure 5A shows a plan view of the top of an airbag 1 formed by coiling tubular compartments. Figure 5B shows an airbag 1 comprising individual compartments 51 separated by walls or membranes 50 (shown in the figure, but actually inside the airbag 1). As shown, the compartments 51 can be interconnected via openings 52 in the wall 50 .

The material used to make the wall of the airbag 1 is not particularly limited. Any suitable material can be used. For example, the walls of the airbag can be made of nylon fabric. The fabric can be provided with any suitable coating or treatment. For example, a silicone coating or a polyurethane coating can provide heat resistance.

The airbag 1 shown in Figure 1 is a "dynamic" airbag, which means that the airbag 1 is not inflated until needed, ie only deploys to its "working" state in the event of a crash to provide protection. Accordingly, the helmet 10 is provided with generator means 4 for generating gas to inflate the airbag 1 when required. Typically, the gas generator 4 includes chemicals that can be mixed together to quickly produce the required amount of gas when triggered. Alternatively, the gas generator 4 can be a cylinder of compressed gas or any other suitable device for releasing gas to rapidly inflate the airbag 1 when the user 20 experiences a collision.

The generator 4 may also include a controller for detecting an imminent collision. This arrangement is convenient because the controller triggers the generator 4 to release the gas. However, the controls can be located at any desired location on the helmet 10 . The controller can be any type of device capable of detecting an imminent collision and triggering the generator 4 accordingly. For example, the controller can include an accelerometer that detects a sudden change in the acceleration of the user's head, which is indicative of a collision or imminent collision. In a preferred embodiment, the accelerometer is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer.

Although the foregoing discussion has focused on the airbag 1 element of the helmet 10, the helmet 10 may also include other protective elements (in some embodiments, although the airbag 1 may be provided as a separate protective element). In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the helmet 10 is provided with an additional protective layer 3 which can help reduce some or all of the radial forces in a crash. Such layers can be made of foamed materials like expanded polystyrene (EPS), expanded polypropylene (EPP), polyurethane (PU) or strain rate sensitive foams such as those sold under the brand names Poron ^™ and D3O ^™ . Alternatively, the layer can be a hard shell, for example made of any suitable hard polymer material such as polycarbonate (PC), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), etc. type. The protective layer 3 can be part of the airbag 1 (ie the inner surface), or can be a separation layer attached to the airbag 1 .

In some arrangements, the protective layer 3 can comprise two or more layers. In particular, the protective layer 3 may contain a sliding layer that allows rotation between other layers in the protective layer 3 , or between the layer 3 and the user's head, or between the layer 3 and the airbag 1 . For example, such a sliding aid can be provided as a separate layer of low-friction material. Alternatively, the sliding aid may represent a low-friction surface treatment of the surface of another layer in the protective layer 3 or on the airbag 1 . Such sliding aids are known for example from WO 2001/045526 and WO 2011/139224, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Figure 2 shows the helmet of Figure 1 after the airbag 1 has been inflated. Therefore, it can be seen more easily in FIG. 2 that the inner cavity of the airbag 1 is provided with the reinforcement 2 . The reinforcement 2 extends through the inner cavity of the airbag 1 . The reinforcement 2 extends between different points on the wall of the airbag. Those points are mainly on the opposite side of the lumen when the airbag 1 is inflated. When the airbag 1 is inflated (and in the absence of external impact forces acting on the helmet), at least some of the stiffeners 2 are kept tensioned.

In Fig. 2, the reinforcement 2 is shown as a mesh or fabric of fibers or threads. However, the nature of the reinforcement 2 is not particularly limited. For example, the stiffener 2 can be provided as a membrane, beam or tube extending between points within the airbag cavity.

The stiffener 2 is arranged to reduce rotational energy that would otherwise be transferred to the head in the event of an impact on the helmet 10 . This is achieved by the way that the stiffener 2 controls the deformation of the outer surface of the airbag 1 during a crash. Specifically, the outer surface of the airbag 1 is controlled to deform so that rotational energy that would otherwise be transmitted to the head of the user 20 is minimized. This can be achieved, for example, by the stiffener 2 controlling the deformation of the outer surface of the airbag 1 in a specific way and giving the outer surface of the airbag 1 a specific shape. In other words, the reinforcement 2 is able to limit the manner in which the airbag 1 deforms so that the airbag takes on a different shape during a crash than it would without the reinforcement 2 . By adjusting the shape to be, for example, substantially flat in the area of the impact, it is possible to induce translation rather than rotation of the head of the user 20 relative to the impact location. Accordingly, the rotational acceleration experienced by the head of the user 20 is reduced.

For example, in Fig. 3, an airbag 1 subjected to a tangential/angular impact is shown. After a crash, some of the stiffeners 2' remain in tension due to their arrangement in the cavity of the airbag, and may even suffer some stretching. The other reinforcements 2" do not remain tensioned and become slack or slack. The combination of tensioned reinforcements 2' and untensioned reinforcements 2" controls the shape of the outer surface of the airbag 1. In the embodiment of FIG. 3 , and as discussed above, the outer surface of the airbag is generally flat, allowing the user's head to slide as far as possible relative to the impacted object without experiencing sudden angular acceleration. Therefore, the rotational energy transferred to the user's head is reduced.

The stiffener 2 can also absorb some of the pressure. Thus, the arrangement of the stiffener 2 can be optimized as an element that additionally provides crash protection and mitigates the possibility of brain damage by reducing the transfer of rotational energy. That is, even if the airbag 1 is involved in a crash so quickly that the airbag 1 bottoms out, the stiffener 2 can provide some additional protection.

For example, to help increase the likelihood of sliding during a crash, the outer surface of the airbag 1 could include or be treated with a low friction material. Alternatively, the material of the airbag 1 itself can be a low-friction material.

FIG. 4 depicts an alternative embodiment of an airbag-equipped helmet 10 worn by a user 20 .

In this embodiment, the helmet 10 is provided with an airbag 1 comprising a stiffener 2 and an optional additional protective layer 3 (disposed between the airbag and the user's head), as previously discussed. However, in this arrangement the air cells are "constant" or "pre-inflated" air cells. That is, the airbag is not provided with any triggering and/or inflation mechanism. The airbags inflate only before the helmet is fitted by the user, and remain inflated whether or not the user is involved in a crash.

Therefore, the outer surface of the airbag can also comprise an additional protective layer 5 . The outer protective layer 5 can be of the hard shell type, or can also comprise a material such as compressed foam, to provide impact protection. The outer protective layer 5 may be a single continuous layer, or may comprise separate sections or units that are individually attached to the airbag 1 . In any event, the outer layer 5 still allows the airbag 1 to deform in the event of a crash (ie by being weaker or by providing suitable joints to allow parts of the layer 5 to move relative to other parts).

The advantage of providing a constant or pre-filled airbag 1 is that the helmet 10 is simpler to manufacture and less likely to fail through technical failure. Furthermore, if the airbag 1 does fail, the user will notice it immediately. However, in some activities, the increased size of the constant or pre-filled airbag helmet 10 may be detrimental to the user's ability to participate in the associated activity due to the increased size of the helmet. Likewise, in those activities, the Dynamic Airbag may be a better fit.

The provision of the outer protective layer 5 also offers the advantage in protecting the airbag from punctures. This advantage can also be obtained by providing an outer layer on a dynamic airbag helmet such as that shown in FIGS. or into smaller parts). In either case (ie for a dynamic airbag 1 or a constant airbag 1 ), exposing the airbag as the outermost layer of the helmet risks damaging the material of the outer wall of the airbag 1 by the surrounding environment. For example, with a bicycle helmet, the helmet 10 may be scratched by thorns or branches while riding through/near vegetation. Such damage may not be sufficient to cause deployment of the dynamic airbag 1 , but could prevent the airbag 1 from operating correctly in the future (for example, by piercing the material of the airbag 1 ). Likewise, the outer protective layer 5 mitigates the risk of such damage, allowing the airbag 1 to operate as intended in the event of a crash.

The outer protective layer 5 can also be provided with sliding aids so that the protective layer 5 can slide relative to the outside of the airbag 1 . The layer 5 is provided as separate pieces or units, each piece or unit may be provided with its own sliding aid.

The foregoing description is by way of example only. The skilled reader will appreciate that other implementations are possible and covered by the appended claims.

Claims (15)

1. a kind of helmet, including：

Air bag, the air bag have the airbag wall around inner chamber；And

One or more tensioning reinforcer, one or more of tensioning reinforcers prolong between the difference on the airbag wall Extend through the inner chamber.

2. the helmet according to claim 1, wherein, the tensioning reinforcer is arranged as reduction can be in addition when colliding Ground is delivered to the rotating energy on head.

3. the helmet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the air bag is preexpanding.

4. the helmet according to claim 3, in addition to shell, the shell is radially arranged in the outside of the air bag.

5. the helmet described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, the air bag is dynamic air bag, and the dynamic air bag is when colliding Expansion.

6. the helmet according to claim 5, in addition to pressurized gas cylinder or gas generator for when colliding to The inner chamber provides gas.

7. the helmet according to claim 6, in addition to controller is for detection collision or imminent-collision, and promote from The pressurized gas cylinder or gas generator provide gas to the inner chamber.

8. the helmet according to claim 6, wherein, the controller includes accelerometer, it is therefore preferable to MEMS (MEMS) accelerometer, with detection collision or imminent-collision.

9. the helmet according to any one of the preceding claims, in addition to inner casing, the inner casing is radially arranged in the gas The inside of capsule.

10. the helmet according to claim 9, wherein, the inner casing is duricrust, or is made of a foam material, and is optionally EPP or EPS, for absorbing some or all of collision compression stress.

11. the helmet according to any one of the preceding claims, in addition to auxiliary member is slided, the slip auxiliary member is set Between the inner casing and the air bag with the helmet run-off the straight collide when contribute to the air bag and the inner casing Between rotation.

12. the helmet according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, the tensioning reinforcer is flexible or rigidity 's.

13. the helmet according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, the tensioning reinforcer is line, film, fine strain of millet or pipe.

14. the helmet according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, outermost layer airbag wall includes contributing to the air bag The material that is slided relative to the object that is hit is treated as contributing to the air bag to slide relative to the object hit.

15. the helmet according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, when colliding, the tensioning reinforcer Arrangement reduces the rotating energy on the head for the wearer that can be additionally delivered to the helmet, but allows the air bag being hit Region on Local Contraction.