WO2009059365A1

WO2009059365A1 - Protective device

Info

Publication number: WO2009059365A1
Application number: PCT/AU2008/001645
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Ian Mackay
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-11-06
Filing date: 2008-11-06
Publication date: 2009-05-14
Anticipated expiration: 2010-05-06

Abstract

A protective device for use by the operator of a vehicle, comprising a housing arranged to be affixed to a part of the anatomy of the operator that may move proximate to a surface relative to which the vehicle is moving during operation, the housing having a roller bearing arrangement arranged to roll over the surface when the device contacts the surface during operation of the vehicle.

Description

PROTECTIVE DEVICE

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a protective device for a person, and particularly, but not exclusively to a protective device for a person operating a vehicle.

Background of the Invention

Protective devices such as protective clothing are provided for persons using certain types of vehicles, particularly vehicles where parts of a person's anatomy are likely to be proximate or in contact with a surface whilst the vehicle is moving over the surface, or may come into contact with the surface as a result of mishap or accident. Vehicles of this type include, for example, skate boards, cycles, karts, motor cycles, roller skates, and others. For example, protective pads may be provided to be worn over a person's knees or elbows in order to protect the knees and elbows from impact . Pads or body armour may be worn on other parts of the anatomy.

In some cases, these protective devices also act to assist the operator in controlling the vehicle, by using their protected anatomy to balance or otherwise control operation of the vehicle. Operation of high performance motor cycles, for example, may often involve the bike rider using their knees as support/balance when leaning heavily to manoeuvre. One problem with this application is that, with the hard padding materials that are presently used, significant drag may occur which can lead to a reduction in speed of the motor bike and in some cases can also lead to mishap. In motor bike racing, a performance reduction of even small magnitude can be critical .

Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a protective device for use by an operator of a vehicle, comprising a housing arranged to be affixed to a part of the anatomy of the operator that may move proximate to a surface relative to which the vehicle is moving during operation, the housing having a roller bearing arrangement arranged to roll over the surface when the device contacts the surface during operation of the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the roller bearing arrangement is arranged to align with the direction of travel over the surface .

Advantageously, if the device contacts the relatively moving surface, it assists in protecting the operator from that contact. In embodiments, it also may have the further advantage of reducing drag on the operator because of the contact. This is because the roller bearing arrangement rolls over the surface, reducing the drag.

In an embodiment, the protective device may be worn on the elbow or the knee, in a similar fashion to motorcyclists elbow and knee pads. For a motorcycle rider, for example, a knee mounted device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may assist the rider with manoeuvring of the bike by supporting some weight, without substantially reducing the speed of the ^• rider or creating sufficient friction to cause mishap.

In an embodiment, the roller bearing arrangement is arranged to align with the direction of travel over the surface. In an embodiment, it is mounted so as to be able to move with respect to the housing in order to align with the direction of travel .

In an embodiment, the roller bearing arrangement comprises one or more wheels or rollers. The one or more wheels or rollers are mounted for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the rolling direction of the wheels or rollers, in order to enable alignment with the direction of travel .

In an embodiment, the device further comprises a rotation limiting arrangement, arranged to limit the rotation of the one or more wheels or rollers about the axis perpendicular to the rolling direction of the wheels or rollers. Advantageously, if during use, the wheels or rollers were rotated to an undesirable position relative to the road which would cause excessive drag on the device, the rotation limiting arrangement may limit the rotation of the wheels or rollers so as to avoid these undesirable positions.

In an embodiment, the device further comprises a cooling arrangement for cooling the roller bearing arrangement. In one embodiment, the cooling arrangement comprises one or more bores extending from an outer surface of the housing to an interior of the housing and arranged such air moves through them during operation of the device in order to cool the interior of the housing.

In an embodiment, the housing has an inner surface which is ergonomically shaped to fit to part of the operator's anatomy.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a top view of a protective device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view from one side of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view of a wheel carrier member of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a front view of the protective device of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 is a side view of the protective device of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 is a perspective view, from underneath and one side, of the device of Figure 1; Figure 7A, is a front view of a wheel carrier member and wheel of a protective device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7B, is a side view of the wheel carrier member with a ghost view of the wheel of the embodiment of Figure 7A;

Figure 1C, is a side view of the wheel carrier member and wheel of Figure 7A;

Figures 8A and 8B are perspective exploded views of the protective device in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 9A is an underside view of a housing of the embodiment of Figures 8A and 8B; Figure 9B is a side view of the device of Figures 8A and 8B;

Figure 10 is an underneath view of the device washer in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 11 is a view of a protective device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in use.

Detailed Description of an Embodiment Referring to the Figures, there is shown a protective device 10 comprising a housing 12, in this example comprising a base member 12, and a roller bearing arrangement, generally designated by reference numeral 14. In this example, the roller bearing arrangement 14 comprises a pair of wheels 28 mounted with respect to the base member 12. The base member 12 is arranged to be mounted to a part of the anatomy of the operator that may move proximate to a surface relative to which the vehicle is moving during operation, the roller bearing arrangement 14 being arranged to roll over the surface if the device contacts the surface during operation of the vehicle.

The base member 12 has an inner surface 50 for engaging a person's anatomy. The inner surface 50 of the base member 12 may be ergonomically shaped and sized to conform to the contours of the anatomy it is intended to protect. The housing 12 is provided with a fastening means, such as strapping, Velcro™ pad, Velcro™ belts or other fastening means (the fastening means is not shown) to fasten the device 10 to the operator. Note that where the fastening arrangement is a Velcro™ pad, a complementary pad may be provided on an article of clothing worn by the user, to receive the Velcro pad on the base member 12 inner surface 50.

In this embodiment the base member is made of a relatively strong material, such as aluminium, carbon fibre or other suitable materials (other materials include rubber, plastics, titanium, steel or other materials) .

As shown best in Figure 2 the base member 12 is counter sunk to provide a pair of adjacent recesses 18.. Each recess 18, is arranged to mount one of a pair of wheels 28 forming the roller bearing arrangement 14. The recesses are substantially semi -spherical , to accommodate the wheels 28. An aperture 20 is provided at the base of each recess 18 for rotatable mounting of a wheel carrier member 22. As shown best in Figure 3, the wheel carrier member 22 comprises a shaft portion 30 and a cross arm 32 (forming a T shaped arrangement) .

Each cross arm 32 is arranged to mount a bifurcated wheel 28. Each bifurcated wheel 28 comprises 2 semi- spherical members 28a, 28b. These semi -spherical member 28a, 28b are mounted by the respective ends of the cross arm 32 so that the cross arm acts as an axis mounting the wheel 28 for rotation about the cross arm 32.

Each semi-spherical member 28a, 28b of the wheel 28 includes a central bore 51a, 51b. Each central bore 51a, 51b is arranged to receive the respective end of the cross arm 32. Each end of the cross arm 32 also mounts a pair of spaced thrust washers 52a, 53a, 52b, 53b. The thrust washers bear against the inner surface of the bore 51a, 51b, bearing the semi -spherical members 28a, 28b for rotation about the cross arm 32 axis. Nylon locking nuts (note that other materials may also be suitable) 54a, 54b secure the semi -spherical members 28a, 28b to the cross arm 32. In each case the bore 51a, 54b in semi -spherical member 28a, 28b is formed with a pair of steps 55a, 56a, 55b, 56b against which the thrust washers 52a, 53a, 52b, 53b abut in operation. In use, the thrust washers 52a, 53a, 52b, 53b rotate on the cross arm 32 with the semi- spherical members 28a, 28b. The thrust washers 52a, 53a, 52b, 53b have central apertures (not shown) which receive the cross arm 32 therethrough.

The shaft portion 30 of the wheel carrier member 22 has a screw threaded end 60. A further locking nut 26 secures the screw threaded ended 60 within recess 18. The shaft is arranged to rotate around its longitude axis with respect to the recess 18, to enable the wheels 28 to rotate about the axis of the shaft portion as well as rotating about the cross arm 32, in use enabling the wheels 28 to align with direction of travel relative to the surface when the surface is contacted by the wheels 28.

A steel shank 25, in the form of a rigid plate, is seated within the base member 12, in use to support the forces applied to the roller arrangement 14. The shaft portion 30 passes through a bore 61 in the shank 25, so that the shaft portion 30 is able to rotate with respect to the shank. A carrier bearing 62 is also provided, in use being arranged to bear against the shank 25. A washer 63 is fixed to the vertical shaft portion 30 adjacent to the bearing 62 so that the force applied to the vertical shaft portion 30 can be taken up by the washer 24, bearing 62 and transmitted to the shank 25, to facilitate spreading the load of the forces applied through the base member 12.

The wheel carrier member 22 is shown in more detail in Figure 3. Both the cross arm 32 and the shaft portion 30 are arranged with a plurality of shoulders 31. The shoulders 31 are each integrally formed with the cross arm 32 and the shaft 30. The shoulders 31 on the cross arm allow the thrust washers 53a, 52b to bear upon the shoulders during use whilst the shoulder 31 of the shaft 30 allows the shaft to bear upon the shank 25.

In an alternative embodiment, the steel shank 25 may be dispensed with where the base member 12 provides a suitable supporting strength in itself. For example, aCNC machined base plate, abase plate of cast aluminium, or other strong arrangement may be suitable.

A further embodiment will now be described with reference to Figures 7 through 10. This embodiment includes variations on the wheel carrier member 22 and bearing arrangement from the embodiment of Figures 1 to 6 , and also provides a rotation limiting arrangement for limiting the rotation of the wheel carrier member 22 with respect to the housing.

In this embodiment, the wheel carrier member 22 has a shaft 30 which is arranged to engage with the housing by two bearing members 82. The arrangement allows the shaft 30 and the wheel carrier member 22 to rotate on its longitudinal axis relative to the housing 12 whilst being secured to the housing 12.

The shaft 30 has an annular flanged portion 70 to define a shoulder 72. At one end of the shaft distal to the wheel carrier member 22, the shaft 30 has a screw thread numeral arranged to allow a screw 76, together with a washer 74 to be secured to the end of the shaft to define a further shoulder 72 on the shaft . Each of these shoulders 72 on the shaft 30 provides a seat for each bearing member 82 which are secured to the housing 12..

Each bearing member 82, which in this example is a sealed bearing, comprises an inner race 84 arranged to rotate relative to an outer race 85 of the bearing. As shown in Figures 8A, 8B and 9C, the inner race 84 of each bearing is sized to form a snug fit with the shaft 30. The shoulders 72 of the shaft 30 also engage with the inner race 84 of each bearing so as to form a longitudinal lock between the shaft and each of the bearings . The outer race 85 of the bearings are securely engaged to the housing and thereby allowing each bearing member 82 to secure the shaft 30 and the wheel carrier to the housing 12.

Preferably, the housing 12 is formed such that there is an annular separator 75 between each bearing member 82. This separator 75 provides further support to each of the bearings to secure each bearing within the housing 12. In other examples, the separator may be an independent component arranged to sit between each of the bearings 82. In this embodiment, there is also provided a rotation limiting arrangement which limits the rotation of the shaft 30 relative to the housing 12. This embodiment is particularly useful to avoid circumstances where the wheel carrier member 22 of the device may, during use, rotate to an undesirable position, such that the rotation direction of the wheels is perpendicular to relative motion with respect to the road surface. By limiting the rotation of the shaft 30, the wheel carrier member 22 and the wheels 28 can be restricted within a range of angular movements which would avoid undesirable positions.

As shown in Figure 9, the device has a key 92 and slot 86 arrangement. This arrangement comprises a key 92 located on the washer 74 and a complementary slot 86 located on the housing proximate to the washer 74. The washer 74 is engaged to the shaft 30 such that during use, once the wheel carrier is rotated and thereby rotating the shaft 30, the washer 74 is also rotated. Once the washer 74 is rotated in use, the key 92 will move along a circular arc relative to the axis of the washer 74. The complementary slot 86 is formed in the housing along this arc and the key 92 is limited in movement along the arc by the length of the slot. This arrangement thereby limits the rotation of the washer 74, the shaft 30 and the wheel carrier member 22. Other forms of rotational limiting arrangements are possible, including steering mechanisms, coils or gears which can provide the function of limiting the rotation of the shaft 30 and the wheel carrier member 22.

In alternative embodiments, the device may utilise a single bearing member 82 or a combination of any number of suitably sized bearing members 82. Depending on the intended use of the device and dimension requirements, other forms of bearings can also be used to secure the shaft 30 whilst permitting longitudinal rotation of the shaft relative to the housing 12.

In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 10, the washer 74 is an individual component and is arranged to be secured to the shaft 30 with the complementary screw 76. In other examples, the washer can also be integrally formed with the screw 76, such as the examples shown in Figures 8A and 8B.

A plurality of apertures 19 are provided in the housing and allow air to be forced into the base when the operator is travelling at speed. The air travelling through these apertures into the interior of the housing assists in the cooling of the device as well as blowing away debris or dust that may have accumulated within the roller bearing arrangement 14. As shown in Figure 8, the apertures 19 are arranged to direct air through a tunnel to the bearing member 82, which are likely to gather heat during use of the device .

In use, the device is attached to a part of the anatomy of an operator, likely to come into close proximity with the surface over which the vehicle is moving, whether by accident or by intent. In the example shown in Figure 10 the vehicle is a motorcycle 74. The device is attached to the knee 76 of the motor bike rider 70, in a similar place to where riders currently position motorcycle knee sliders (hard wearing pads) . In this case, the inner surface 50 of the device may be ergonomically shaped to conform with the knee of the rider 76.

When a vehicle 74 manoeuvre results in the device contacting the road surface 72, the wheels 28 of the roller bearing arrangement 14 will naturally align with the direction of travel because of their ability to rotate about the shaft portion 30 and cross arm 32 of the wheel carrying member 22. The wheels 28 will attempt to rotate with the direction of travel . This advantageously reduces frictional contact with the surface and, compared with conventional knee pads, reduces drag between the rider 70 and the road surface 72, reducing the likelihood of accident. Because the roller bearing arrangement 14 is. arranged to roll over the moving surface 72, there may also be the added advantage that the speed of the rider 70 is not unduly affected (as compared with prior art knee sliders) .

The device may be arranged to worn on other parts of an operators anatomy. For example, it may be arranged to be worn on an elbow, a foot (e.g. on the side or toe of a boot) , on the back or at any other part of an anatomy that may require protection during operation of a vehicle.

In the above described embodiment , there are two wheels forming the roller bearing arrangement. The invention is not limited to two wheels. There may be a single wheel, or more than two wheels. In another embodiment, the roller bearing arrangement may comprise any device which disperses friction on contact with the surface, such as any rotatable apparatus including, but not limited to, rollers, spheres, cylinders, treads or tracks that are mounted for motion. For example, a set of caster-type bearings may be used.

The device may be attached to the persons anatomy in any convenient way, including by strapping, Velcro™, and any other means. In an embodiment, such a device or devices may be integrated into a protective suit, such as motor bike leathers, for example.

As discussed above, the device may be used by an operator of any vehicle where it may provide a protective function or a friction reduction function. It could be used during skateboarding, roller-skating, cycling, motorcycling, motorcycling and side-car racing, and any other vehicle operation where it may be useful.

In the above embodiment, apertures are provided for cooling and cleaning of the device. The invention is not limited to the provision of these apertures and they may be dispensed with in some embodiments.

It will be understood by persons skilled in the art of the invention that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A protective device for use by the operator of a vehicle, comprising: - a housing arranged to be affixed to a part of the anatomy of the operator that may move proximate to a surface relative to which the vehicle is moving during operation, the housing having a roller bearing arrangement arranged to roll over the surface when the device contacts the surface during operation of the vehicle.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the roller bearing arrangement is arranged to align with the direction of travel over the surface.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2, the roller bearing arrangement being moveable relative to the housing to align with the direction of travel.

4. A device in accordance with claim 3, the roller bearing arrangement comprising one or more of wheels and rollers .

5. A device in accordance with claim 4, where the one or more wheels or rollers are mounted for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the rolling direction of the wheels or rollers, in order to enable alignment with the direction of travel .

6. A device in accordance with claim 5, whether the one or more wheels or rollers comprises at least one wheel, the at least one wheel being mounted by a wheel carrier comprising an axis portion and a cross arm axis portion, the cross arm axis portion mounting the wheel for rotation about the cross arm as an axis, and the axis portion mounting the wheel for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the cross arm, to enable alignment with the direction of travel .

7. A device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the at least one wheel is formed by two semi-spherical members mounted at each end of the cross arm portion.

8. A device in accordance with claim 6 or 7, wherein the axis portion of the wheel carrier is engaged to a bearing member .

9. A device in accordance with any one of claims 5 to 8 , further comprising a rotation limiting arrangement, arranged to limit the rotation of the one or more wheels or rollers about the axis perpendicular to the rolling direction of the wheels or rollers.

10. A device in accordance with any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the wheel carrier arrangement includes a key arranged to move within a slot to provide the wheel carrier with a limited range of rotation about the key and slot axis perpendicular to the cross arm.

11. A device in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, the housing comprising an inner surface arranged to abut the part of the anatomy of the operator, the inner surface being ergonomically shaped.

12. A device in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a cooling arrangement for cooling the roller bearing arrangement.

13. A device in accordance with claim 12, wherein the cooling arrangement comprises one or more bures extending from an outer surface of that housing into an interior of the housing and arranged such that air moves through the one or more balls during operation of the device in order to cool the interior of the housing.

14. A device in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle is a motorcycle.

15. A device in accordance where any one of the preceding claims, where the device is arranged to be mounted at or near the knee of an operator.

16. A device in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the device is arranged to be mounted at or near the elbow of an operator.

17. A device in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the device is arranged to be mounted at or near the foot of the operator.

18. A method of protecting an operator of a vehicle, wherein, during operation of the vehicle, the operator may move proximate to a surface relative to which the vehicle is moving, the method comprising steps of interposing a roller bearing arrangement between a part of the anatomy of the operator that may move proximate to the surface during vehicle operation, and the surface, so that the roller bearing arrangement will contact the surface and roll over the surface.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the step of interposing comprises attaching the roller bearing arrangement in the vicinity of the knee of the operator.

20. A method in accordance with claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the step of interposing comprises attaching the roller bearing arrangement in the vicinity of the elbow of the operator.

21. A method in accordance with any one of claims 18 to

20, wherein the step of interposing comprises attaching the roller bearing arrangement in the vicinity of the foot of the operator.

22. A method in accordance with any one of claims 18 to

21, wherein the vehicle is a motorcycle.