U.S. patent application number 14/269540 was filed with the patent office on 2015-11-05 for impact helmet.
This patent application is currently assigned to CRUCS HOLDINGS, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Kevin M. Crucs, Angela Daetwyler. Invention is credited to Kevin M. Crucs, Angela Daetwyler.
Application Number | 20150313305 14/269540 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54354193 |
Filed Date | 2015-11-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150313305 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Daetwyler; Angela ; et
al. |
November 5, 2015 |
IMPACT HELMET
Abstract
A protective headgear having multiple functional layers or
functional cells. The protective headgear may have various layers
or cells to prevent penetration, absorb energy, and provide
chemically-activated cooling in response to an impact. The
protective headgear may also have a separate outer shell. The
protective headgear may further have sensors for detecting impact
levels to the headgear. The sensors may be operatively connected to
actuating devices within the headgear for actuating the
chemically-activated cooling in response to an impact. The sensor
may also be operatively connected to a wireless transmitter device
for conveying impact data to a remote monitoring device.
Inventors: |
Daetwyler; Angela; (Ravenna,
OH) ; Crucs; Kevin M.; (Copley, OH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Daetwyler; Angela
Crucs; Kevin M. |
Ravenna
Copley |
OH
OH |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
CRUCS HOLDINGS, LLC
Copley
OH
|
Family ID: |
54354193 |
Appl. No.: |
14/269540 |
Filed: |
May 5, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/414 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 71/10 20130101;
A63B 2225/50 20130101; A63B 2230/00 20130101; A42B 3/285 20130101;
A42B 3/121 20130101; A42B 3/125 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A42B 3/12 20060101
A42B003/12; A63B 71/10 20060101 A63B071/10 |
Claims
1. A protective headgear comprising: an outer shell; a penetration
prevention layer; a deformable energy absorbent layer; and a
chemically-activated cold pack layer.
2. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the outer shell is
made of a polymer material.
3. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the penetration
prevention layer includes a polymer-based fiber material.
4. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the deformable
energy absorbent layer includes a plurality of energy absorbing
springs.
5. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the deformable
energy absorbent layer is permanently deformable.
6. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the deformable
energy absorbent layer is resilient.
7. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the deformable
energy absorbent layer includes a plurality of permanently
deformable cells interspersed with a plurality of resiliently
deformable cells.
8. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the
chemically-activated cold pack layer is configured to dissolve a
solid material in an endothermic reaction in response to the
protective headgear experiencing an impact equal to or greater than
a defined impact level.
9. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the penetration
prevention layer lines an inner side of the outer shell, the
deformable energy absorbent layer lines an inner side of the
penetration prevention layer, and the chemically-activated cold
pack layer lines an inner side of the deformable energy absorbent
layer.
10. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the deformable
energy absorbent layer is configured to disperse energy from a
localized non-penetrating blunt impact on the outer shell
throughout the deformable energy absorbent layer.
11. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the penetration
prevention layer is configured to be attachable to and detachable
from at least one of the outer shell, the deformable energy
absorbent layer, or the chemically-activated cold pack layer.
12. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the deformable
energy absorbent layer is configured to be attachable to and
detachable from at least one of the outer shell, the penetration
prevention layer, or the chemically-activated cold pack layer.
13. The protective headgear of claim 1, wherein the
chemically-activated cold pack layer is configured to be attachable
to and detachable from at least one of the outer shell, the
deformable energy absorbent layer, or the penetration prevention
layer.
14. The protective headgear of claim 8, further comprising one or
more sensors configured to detect an impact level of an impact to
the protective headgear.
15. The protective headgear of claim 14, further comprising one or
more actuating devices configured to activate the cold-pack layer
in response to the one or more sensors detecting an impact equal to
or greater than the defined impact level.
16. The protective headgear of claim 14, further comprising a
wireless transmitter device operatively connected to the one or
more sensors and configured to receive impact level data from the
one or more sensors and wirelessly transmit the impact level data
to a remote monitoring device.
17. A protective headgear comprising: an outer shell; and an
integrated energy absorbent and coolant layer configured as a
plurality of interspersedly distributed cells, wherein the
plurality of interspersedly distributed cells includes a plurality
of permanently deformable energy absorbent cells, a plurality of
resiliently deformable energy absorbent cells, and a plurality of
chemically-activated cold pack cells.
18. The protective headgear of claim 17, further including a
penetration prevention layer positioned between the outer shell and
the integrated energy absorbent and coolant layer.
19. The protective headgear of claim 18, wherein the penetration
prevention layer includes a polymer-based fiber material.
20. The protective headgear of claim 17, wherein the outer shell is
made of a polymer material.
21. The protective headgear of claim 17, wherein the plurality of
chemically-activated cold pack cells are configured to dissolve a
solid material in an endothermic reaction in response to the
protective headgear experiencing an impact equal to or greater than
a defined impact level.
22. The protective headgear of claim 18, wherein the penetration
prevention layer is configured to be attachable to and detachable
from at least one of the outer shell and the integrated energy
absorbent and coolant layer.
23. The protective headgear of claim 17, wherein the integrated
energy absorbent and coolant layer is configured to be attachable
to and detachable from the outer shell.
24. The protective headgear of claim 17, wherein the integrated
energy absorbent and coolant layer is manufactured using, at least
in part, a three-dimensional (3D) printing process.
25. The protective headgear of claim 17, wherein the integrated
energy absorbent and coolant layer is manufactured using, at least
in part, an additive manufacturing process.
26. The protective headgear of claim 21, further comprising one or
more sensors configured to detect an impact level of an impact to
the protective headgear.
27. The protective headgear of claim 26, further comprising one or
more actuating devices configured to activate one or more of the
cold-pack cells in response to the one or more sensors detecting an
impact equal to or greater than the defined impact level.
28. The protective headgear of claim 26, further comprising a
wireless transmitter device operatively connected to the one or
more sensors and configured to receive impact level data from the
one or more sensors and wirelessly transmit the impact level data
to a remote monitoring device.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to
helmets or protective headgear. More particularly, certain
embodiments relate to impact helmets having structural combinations
configured to prevent or minimize brain injuries.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Protective headgear (e.g., helmets) are often worn by
persons participating in sporting events (e.g., American football)
or other activities (e.g., construction work). However, head
injuries (e.g., concussions) are often still encountered in such
sporting events or other activities. There can also be penetrating
injuries. Such penetrating injuries may prevent the headgear from
being removed in the field in certain situations. This suggests
that the protective headgear being worn is not totally effective in
protecting a person's head during the sporting event or activity.
Furthermore, when a head injury does occur, it is important to act
quickly to prevent swelling which can cause brain damage. It can
often take many minutes for medical personnel to get to an injured
person and administer treatment to prevent swelling. By that time,
swelling and associated damage may have already occurred.
Therefore, there is a need for more effective protective headgear
which does a better job of preventing injury and which also helps
to prevent swelling when injury does occur.
[0003] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional,
traditional, and proposed approaches will become apparent to one of
skill in the art, through comparison of such approaches with the
subject matter of the present application as set forth in the
remainder of the present application with reference to the
drawings.
SUMMARY
[0004] One embodiment of the present invention comprises a
protective headgear. The protective headgear includes an outer
shell, a penetration prevention layer, a deformable energy
absorbent layer, and a chemically-activated cold pack layer. The
outer shell may be made of a polymer material. The penetration
prevention layer may include a polymer-based fiber material. The
deformable energy absorbent layer may include a plurality of energy
absorbing springs. The deformable energy absorbent layer may be
permanently deformable. Alternatively, the deformable energy
absorbent layer may be resilient. The deformable energy absorbent
layer may include a plurality of permanently deformable cells
interspersed with a plurality of resiliently deformable cells. The
chemically-activated cold pack layer is configured to dissolve a
solid material in an endothermic reaction in response to the
protective headgear experiencing an impact equal to or greater than
a defined impact level. The penetration prevention layer may line
an inner side of the outer shell, the deformable energy absorbent
layer may line an inner side of the penetration prevention layer,
and the chemically-activated cold pack layer may line an inner side
of the deformable energy absorbent layer. The deformable energy
absorbent layer may be configured to disperse energy from a
localized non-penetrating blunt impact on the outer shell
throughout the deformable energy absorbent layer. The penetration
prevention layer may be configured to be attachable to and
detachable from at least one of the outer shell, the deformable
energy absorbent layer, or the chemically-activated cold pack
layer. The deformable energy absorbent layer may be configured to
be attachable to and detachable from at least one of the outer
shell, the penetration prevention layer, or the
chemically-activated cold pack layer. The chemically-activated cold
pack layer may be configured to be attachable to and detachable
from at least one of the outer shell, the deformable energy
absorbent layer, or the penetration prevention layer. The
protective headgear may also include one or more sensors configured
to detect an impact level of an impact to the protective headgear.
The protective headgear may further include one or more actuating
devices configured to activate the cold-pack layer in response to
the one or more sensors detecting an impact equal to or greater
than the defined impact level. The protective headgear may also
include a wireless transmitter device operatively connected to the
one or more sensors and configured to receive impact level data
from the one or more sensors and wirelessly transmit the impact
level data to a remote monitoring device.
[0005] One embodiment of the present invention comprises a
protective headgear. The protective headgear includes an outer
shell and an integrated energy absorbent and coolant layer. The
integrated energy absorbent and coolant layer is configured as a
plurality of interspersedly distributed cells. The plurality of
interspersedly distributed cells includes a plurality of
permanently deformable energy absorbent cells, a plurality of
resilient deformable energy absorbent cells, and a plurality of
chemically-activated cold pack cells. The protective headgear may
also include a penetration prevention layer positioned between the
outer shell and the integrated energy absorbent and coolant layer.
The penetration prevention layer may include a polymer-based fiber
material. The outer shell may be made of a polymer material. The
plurality of chemically-activated cold pack cells may be configured
to dissolve a solid material in an endothermic reaction in response
to the protective headgear experiencing an impact equal to or
greater than a defined impact level. The penetration prevention
layer may be configured to be attachable to and detachable from at
least one of the outer shell and the integrated energy absorbent
and coolant layer. The integrated energy absorbent and coolant
layer may be configured to be attachable to and detachable from the
outer shell. The integrated energy absorbent and coolant layer may
be manufactured using an additive manufacturing process (e.g., a
three-dimensional (3D) printing process). The protective headgear
may also include one or more sensors configured to detect an impact
level of an impact to the protective headgear. The protective
headgear may further include one or more actuating devices
configured to activate one or more of the cold-pack cells in
response to the one or more sensors detecting an impact equal to or
greater than the defined impact level. The protective headgear may
also include a wireless transmitter device operatively connected to
the one or more sensors and configured to receive impact level data
from the one or more sensors and wirelessly transmit the impact
level data to a remote monitoring device.
[0006] These and other novel features of the subject matter of the
present application, as well as details of illustrated embodiments
thereof, will be more fully understood from the following
description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of a
protective headgear;
[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates a magnified view of a portion of the
protective headgear of FIG. 1;
[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates a second exemplary embodiment of a
protective headgear;
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates a magnified view of a portion of the
protective headgear of FIG. 3;
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates a third exemplary embodiment of a
protective headgear;
[0012] FIG. 6 illustrates a magnified view of a portion of the
protective headgear of FIG. 5;
[0013] FIG. 7 illustrates a fourth exemplary embodiment of a
protective headgear;
[0014] FIG. 8 illustrates a magnified view of a portion of the
protective headgear of FIG. 7;
[0015] FIG. 9 illustrates a fifth exemplary embodiment of a
protective headgear; and
[0016] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a system
having multiple instances of the protective headgear of FIG. 9 in
communication with a remote monitoring device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Protective headgear having multiple functional layers or
functional cells is disclosed. The protective headgear may have
various layers or cells to prevent penetration, absorb energy, and
provide chemically-activated cooling in response to an impact. The
protective headgear may also have a separate outer shell. The
protective headgear may further have sensors for detecting impact
levels to the headgear. The sensors may be operatively connected to
actuating devices within the headgear for actuating the
chemically-activated cooling in response to an impact. The sensor
may also be operatively connected to a wireless transmitter device
for conveying impact data to a remote monitoring device.
[0018] The terms "headgear" and "helmet" may be used
interchangeably herein. However, the term "headgear" is intended to
be more general than the term "helmet". The term "resilient" is
used herein with its normal meaning of "springing back or
rebounding after being deformed". The term "inner side" as used
herein refers to the side toward the person's head when wearing the
headgear.
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of a
protective headgear 100. FIG. 2 illustrates a magnified view of a
portion of the protective headgear 100 of FIG. 1. The headgear 100
is in the form of a helmet having an outer shell 110. The outer
shell 110 may be made of a hard plastic polymer, for example. The
outer shell 110 may also be light weight. In the embodiment of FIG.
1 and FIG. 2, three protective layers are incorporated which
include a penetration prevention layer 120, a deformable energy
absorbent layer 130, and a chemically-activated cold pack layer
140. The three layers line the inner side of the outer shell. In
particular, for example, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the
penetration prevention layer lines an inner side of the outer
shell, the deformable energy absorbent layer lines an inner side of
the penetration prevention layer, and the chemically-activated cold
pack layer lines an inner side of the deformable energy absorbent
layer. The layers are shown in a type of cross-section through the
headgear herein. However, to be clear, in the embodiment of FIG. 1
and FIG. 2, it is intended that the layers 120, 130, and 140 extend
the entire surface area of the shell 110.
[0020] The penetration prevention layer 120 may be made of a
polymer-based fiber material (organic or inorganic) such as
Kevlar.RTM., carbon fiber, or some other polymer-based fiber
material (silicon-based, glass-based). Such a penetration
prevention layer is configured to prevent (or at least greatly
reduce the likelihood of) a sharp or pointed object from
penetrating through to the head of a person wearing the protective
headgear 100. The penetration prevention layer 120 may be
permanently attached to the inner side of the outer shell 110
(e.g., via an adhesive) or may be configured to be attachable to
and detachable from the inner side of the outer shell 110 (e.g.,
via snaps or Velcro.RTM.).
[0021] The deformable energy absorbent layer 130 may include a
plurality of energy absorbent springs or spring-like elements 131.
Such a deformable energy absorbent layer is configured to protect
against blunt impacts. In accordance with an embodiment, the
plurality of energy absorbent springs 131 are connected to each
other to disperse or distribute energy, from a localized
non-penetrating blunt impact on the outer shell, laterally around
the headgear 100 throughout the deformable energy absorbent layer
130. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the plurality of energy absorbent
springs 131 are illustrated as a corrugated material. However,
other configurations are possible as well, in accordance with other
embodiments. The corrugated configuration helps to distribute
energy from an impact throughout the layer 130.
[0022] The plurality of energy absorbent springs may be permanently
deformable or may be resilient. By being permanently deformable,
the plurality of energy absorbent springs may be able to absorb and
distribute more energy from an impact than a purely resilient
configuration. However, once permanently deformed, the headgear (or
at least the deformable energy absorbent layer) may have to be
replaced.
[0023] In accordance with an embodiment, the deformable energy
absorbent layer 130 may line an inner side of the penetration
prevention layer as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The deformable
energy absorbent layer 130 may be permanently attached to the inner
side of the penetration prevention layer 120 (e.g., via an
adhesive) or may be configured to be attachable to and detachable
from the inner side of the penetration prevention layer 120 (e.g.,
via snaps or Velcro.RTM.).
[0024] The chemically-activated cold pack layer 140 may include two
compartments separated by a lining, where one compartment contains
water and the other compartment contains an active material in
solid form such as, for example, ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium
nitrate, or urea. The lining keeps the water separated from the
active material. When the separating lining breaks due to an impact
to the headgear, the water interacts with the active material
causing an endothermic reaction. The endothermic reaction causes a
drop in temperature (i.e., a cooling effect) to occur.
[0025] Such a chemically-activated cold pack layer is configured to
prevent (or at least greatly reduce) swelling of the head due to
the impact, thus preventing or reducing injury to the brain which
can occur due to swelling. In accordance with an embodiment, the
chemically-activated cold pack layer 140 is configured to have its
lining break when the headgear 100 experiences an impact equal to
or greater than a defined impact level. In accordance with one
embodiment, the lining breaks directly from the force of the
impact. In accordance with another embodiment, the lining breaks
when one or more sensors in the headgear senses that the impact
level is equal to or greater than the defined impact level and
activates one or more actuating devices to break the lining in
response. Such sensors and actuating devices are discussed later
herein in more detail.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 2, the chemically-activated cold pack
layer 140 may include a plurality of membraned spheres 141
distributed throughout the layer, each sphere containing an active
material in solid form. Within the layer 140, the membraned spheres
may be surrounded by water. In such a configuration, only those
spheres 141 in the vicinity of the impact may have their spherical
membranes break and be activated, causing the cooling effect to be
local to the area of impact. In accordance with other embodiments,
the active material may be in a non-solid form such as, for
example, a liquid form. The chemically-activated cold pack layer
140 may be permanently attached to the inner side of the deformable
energy absorbent layer 130 (e.g., via an adhesive) or may be
configured to be attachable to and detachable from the inner side
of the deformable energy absorbent layer 130 (e.g., via snaps or
Velcro.RTM.).
[0027] In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, even though the outer shell and the
three layers (penetration prevention layer, deformable energy
absorbent layer, and the chemically-activated cold pack layer) are
configured in a certain order, other orderings of the shell and
layers are possible as well, in accordance with other embodiments.
For example, in one embodiment, the penetration prevention layer
and the deformable energy absorbent layer may be switched. That is,
the deformable energy absorbent layer may be closest to the shell.
In another embodiment, the penetration prevention layer may be on
the outer side of the shell, the deformable energy absorbent layer
may line the inner side of the shell, and the chemically-activated
cold pack layer may line the inner side of the deformable energy
absorbent layer. However, in general, positioning the
chemically-activated cold pack layer closest to the head of a
person wearing the headgear is thought to likely be the optimal
position for that layer. Another embodiment may include two
penetration prevention layers with a chemically-activated cold pack
layer in between. Other configurations are possible as well, in
accordance with other embodiments. For example, in some
embodiments, the penetration prevention layer may be eliminated
altogether. Other embodiments may lack the chemically-activated
cold pack layer. In yet other embodiments, the various layers may
be integrated into a single layer.
[0028] FIG. 3 illustrates a second exemplary embodiment of a
protective headgear 300. FIG. 4 illustrates a magnified view of a
portion of the protective headgear 300 of FIG. 3. The protective
headgear 300 is similar to the protective headgear 100 of FIG. 1,
except that the protective headgear 300 of FIG. 3 includes a
deformable energy absorbent layer 330 having both a plurality of
permanently deformable springs or spring-like elements 331 and a
plurality of resilient springs or spring-like elements 332. The
permanently deformable elements 331 are illustrated as being a
corrugated material and the plurality of resilient elements 332 are
illustrated as being triangular (or pyramidal) in shape. However,
other configurations for the deformable and resilient elements of
the deformable energy absorbent layer are possible as well, in
accordance with other embodiments. The corrugated configuration
helps to distribute energy from an impact throughout the layer
330.
[0029] In the embodiment of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, both the permanently
deformable elements 331 and the resilient elements 332 may be used
to absorb an initial high energy impact (e.g., when a rider falls
off a motorcycle and initially hits his head on the ground).
Subsequently, the resilient elements 332 are still available to
absorb energy from immediately subsequent lower energy impacts
(e.g., when the rider of the motorcycle continues to roll and
bounce after the initial high impact hit).
[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates a third exemplary embodiment of a
protective headgear 500. FIG. 6 illustrates a magnified view of a
portion of the protective headgear 500 of FIG. 5. The protective
headgear 500 is similar to the protective headgear 300 of FIG. 1,
except that the protective headgear 500 of FIG. 5 includes a
deformable energy absorbent layer 530 having the
chemically-activated cold pack layer integrated therein. That is,
the protective headgear 500 of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 has an outer shell
110, a penetration prevention layer 120, and an integrated energy
absorbent and coolant layer 530 configured as a plurality of
interspersedly distributed cells.
[0031] The plurality of interspersedly distributed cells includes a
plurality of permanently deformable energy absorbent cells 531, a
plurality of resiliently deformable energy absorbent cells 532, and
a plurality of chemically-activated cold pack cells 533. The
plurality of permanently deformable energy absorbent cells 531 may
be configured in a corrugated manner as shown in FIG. 6, where each
peak and each trough of the corrugated configuration defines a cell
531. The plurality of resiliently deformable energy absorbent cells
532 may be triangular or pyramidal in shape. Other configurations
and shapes are possible as well, in accordance with other
embodiments.
[0032] The plurality of chemically-activated cold pack cells 533
may each be spherical and include a membrane 534 between a first
half of the sphere and a second half of the sphere, for example.
The first half of the sphere may contain water and the second half
of the sphere may contain an active material in solid form such as,
for example, ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, or urea.
The membrane keeps the water separated from the active material.
When the separating membrane breaks due to an impact to the
headgear, the water interacts with the active material causing an
endothermic reaction. The endothermic reaction causes a drop in
temperature (i.e., a cooling effect) to occur.
[0033] Such chemically-activated cold pack cells 533 are configured
to prevent (or at least greatly reduce) swelling of the head due to
the impact, thus preventing or reducing injury to the brain which
can occur due to swelling. In accordance with an embodiment, the
chemically-activated cold pack cells 533 are configured to have
their membranes break when the headgear 100 experiences an impact
equal to or greater than a defined impact level. In accordance with
one embodiment, a membrane breaks directly from the force of the
impact experienced by the membrane. In accordance with another
embodiment, the membranes break when one or more sensors in the
headgear senses that the impact level is equal to or greater than
the defined impact level and activates one or more actuating
devices to break the membranes in response. Such sensors and
actuating devices are discussed later herein in more detail.
[0034] FIG. 7 illustrates a fourth exemplary embodiment of a
protective headgear 700. FIG. 8 illustrates a magnified view of a
portion of the protective headgear 700 of FIG. 7. The protective
headgear 700 is similar to the protective headgear 500 of FIG. 5 in
that the protective headgear 700 has a hard shell 110, a
penetration prevention layer 120, and an integrated energy
absorbent and coolant layer 730 configured as a plurality of
interspersedly distributed cells.
[0035] As in the embodiment of FIG. 5, for the headgear 700 of FIG.
7, the plurality of interspersedly distributed cells includes a
plurality of permanently deformable energy absorbent cells 531 and
a plurality of resiliently deformable energy absorbent cells 532.
However, the embodiment of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 includes a plurality
of chemically-activated cold pack cells 733 which are somewhat
different than the cells 533 of FIG. 6, as is discussed later
herein.
[0036] Again, as in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the plurality of
permanently deformable energy absorbent cells 531 may be configured
in a corrugated manner as shown in FIG. 8, where each peak and each
trough of the corrugated configuration defines a cell 531. The
corrugated configuration helps to distribute energy from an impact
throughout the layer 730. The plurality of resiliently deformable
energy absorbent cells 532 may be triangular or pyramidal in shape.
Other configurations and shapes are possible as well, in accordance
with other embodiments.
[0037] The plurality of chemically-activated cold pack cells 733
may each be spherical in shape and include a membrane 534 (not
shown in FIG. 8 but shown in FIG. 6) between a first half of the
sphere and a second half of the sphere, for example. The first half
of the sphere may contain water and the second half of the sphere
may contain an active material in solid form such as, for example,
ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, or urea. The membrane
keeps the water separated from the active material. When the
separating membrane breaks due to an impact to the headgear, the
water interacts with the active material causing an endothermic
reaction. The endothermic reaction causes a drop in temperature
(i.e., a cooling effect) to occur.
[0038] However, the headgear 700 of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 includes
impact detection sensors 710, and the integrated energy absorbent
and coolant layer 730 of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 includes actuators 720
within the cells 733. The actuators 720 are operatively connected
to the impact detection sensors 710 (e.g., via conductive wires or
traces 721) and are configured to break the membranes 534 of the
chemically-activated cold pack cells 733 when one or more impact
detection sensors detects and impact level that is equal to or
greater than a defined impact level.
[0039] In accordance with an embodiment, the impact detection
sensors 710 may be configured to detect impact levels in the form
of a force level, a velocity level, a momentum level, or an energy
level, for example. Such an impact detection sensor may include one
or more of an accelerometer, a strain gauge, or a force sensing
resistor that changes resistance with applied force. Other types of
impact sensing technologies are possible as well, in accordance
with other embodiments. The impact detection sensors 710 include a
threshold circuit (not shown) such that, when a detected impact
level equals or exceeds a defined impact level, the impact
detection sensor outputs a trigger signal to one or more of the
actuators 720. The impact detection sensors 710 may be located near
the surface of the headgear 700 (e.g., in the shell 110) or in one
of the other layers, for example.
[0040] In accordance with an embodiment, the actuators 720 employ
Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology. When a MEMS
actuator 720 of a cold pack cell 733 receives a trigger signal from
an impact detection sensor 710, the MEMS actuator breaks the
membrane 534 within the cold pack cell 733, causing the endothermic
reaction (cooling effect) to occur. In this manner, breaking the
membrane does not have to rely on the level of the direct impact at
the membrane itself.
[0041] FIG. 9 illustrates a fifth exemplary embodiment of a
protective headgear 900. The headgear 900 is similar to the
headgear 100 of FIG. 1 except that the headgear 900 includes a
plurality of impact detection sensors 710 (similar to the
embodiment of FIG. 7) along with a wireless transmitter device 910.
Each impact detection sensor 710 is operatively connected to the
wireless transmitter device 910, for example, via conductive wires
or traces (not shown). The wireless transmitter device 910 is
configured to receive impact level data (e.g., digital data) from
the impact detection sensors 710 and wirelessly transmit the impact
level data (e.g., as an encoded radio frequency signal) to a remote
monitoring device in real time. The impact level data may include
an intensity level of an impact along with an identifier which
identifies which sensor 710 and/or the location on the headgear
associated with the reported impact. Other data may be included in
the impact data as well (e.g., a serial number of the headgear 900,
the name of a user of the headgear 900, a time and date).
[0042] The wireless transmitter device 910 is compatible with a
wireless communication protocol such as, for example, a protocol
used in radio frequency (RF) technologies such as, for example,
Wi-Fi.TM., Bluetooth.TM., ZigBee.TM., or 3G/4G. Alternatively, the
wireless technology may be an infrared technology, an ultrasonic
technology, or some other type of technology, in accordance with
various other embodiments. The wireless transmitter device 910 may
be integrated into the headgear 900 in any of a number of different
ways (e.g., embedded within the outer shell, or sandwiched between
the outer shell and the penetration prevention layer, or residing
in a pocket provided on the inner side of the chemically-activated
cold pack layer. Even though the embodiment of FIG. 9 is similar to
the embodiment of FIG. 1, impact detection sensors and a wireless
transmitter device may be integrated into other embodiments as well
(e.g., the embodiments of FIG. 3, FIG. 5, and FIG. 7).
[0043] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a system 1000
having multiple instances of the protective headgear 900 of FIG. 9
in communication with a remote monitoring device 1020. For example,
each headgear 900 of the multiple instances may be worn by a
football player during a football game. In the system 1000 of FIG.
10, communication between the protective headgear 900 and the
remote monitoring device 1020 is accomplished via a communication
network 1010. The communication network may include one or more of
a local-area-network (LAN), a wide-area-network (WAN), the
internet, a cellular telephone network, or a satellite network, for
example. Other types of networks are possible as well, in
accordance with various other embodiments. In alternative
embodiments, communication between the protective headgear 900 and
the remote monitoring device 1020 may be direct (i.e., not through
a network).
[0044] In FIG. 10, each headgear 900 communicates impact level data
to the remote monitoring device 1020 over the communication network
1010. The remote monitoring device may be, for example, a desktop
computer, a server computer, or one of various types of mobile
devices (e.g., a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a "smart"
phone). In one embodiment, the remote monitoring device 1020 is a
mobile "smart" phone and the communication network 1010 is a 4G
cellular telephone network. The mobile "smart" phone 1020 runs an
installed software application configured to take the received
impact data and display the impact data on a display of the mobile
"smart" phone to be viewed by a user of the mobile "smart" phone.
The software application may also generate and display statistical
data (e.g., the number of impacts above a certain level experienced
by each headgear during a current game) to the user of the remote
monitoring device 1020.
[0045] In this manner, impacts to specific portions of the head of
a user wearing the headgear 900 may be monitored by a third party
in real time. Such monitoring may allow the third party to make
decisions about the user's activity. For example, if the user of
the headgear is a football player and the third party is a team
doctor, the team doctor may monitor all impacts to the head of the
football player during a football game. As a result, the team
doctor may be able to make informed recommendations with respect to
whether or not the player should be pulled from the game (e.g., due
to the player having likely experienced a concussion, or due to the
player having taken too many impacts to the head in a defined
period of time).
[0046] In accordance with an embodiment, the wireless transmitter
device 910 includes a recording capability to record and save the
detected impact data (e.g., detected impact data being above a
defined impact level). The recorded impact data may be transmitted
to a remote device at a later time (e.g., days) after the impact
data was recorded.
[0047] In accordance with certain embodiments, certain portions or
layers of the headgear described herein may be manufactured using
additive manufacturing technology (e.g., 3D printing technology).
For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the integrated energy
absorbent and coolant layer 730 may be manufactured using 3D
printing technology. In this manner, the various elements of the
layer 730 (i.e., the plurality of permanently deformable energy
absorbent cells 531, the plurality of resiliently deformable energy
absorbent cells 532, and the plurality of chemically-activated cold
pack cells 733 with the actuators 720 and traces 721) may be "built
up" in a systematic manner based on a computer-implemented design
defined in one or more computer files.
[0048] Even though particular headgear embodiments are disclosed
herein having various layers or cells in particular orders with
respect to each other, it is to be understood that other
embodiments may have the layers or cells in other orders and
orientations internal to or external to the shell, or layers or
cells intermixed with each other, or two or more layers combined
into a single layer. Furthermore, in some embodiments, some types
of layers or cells may be present and other types of layers or
cells may not be present.
[0049] In summary, a protective headgear having multiple functional
layers or functional cells is disclosed. The protective headgear
may have various layers or cells to prevent penetration, absorb
energy, and provide chemically-activated cooling in response to an
impact. The protective headgear may also have a separate outer
shell. The protective headgear may further have sensors for
detecting impact levels to the headgear. The sensors may be
operatively connected to actuating devices within the headgear for
actuating the chemically-activated cooling in response to an
impact. The sensor may also be operatively connected to a wireless
transmitter device for conveying impact data to a remote monitoring
device.
[0050] In the specification and claims, reference will be made to a
number of terms that have the following meanings. The singular
forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the
context clearly dictates otherwise. Approximating language, as used
herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to
modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary
without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is
related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term such as "about" is
not to be limited to the precise value specified. In some
instances, the approximating language may correspond to the
precision of an instrument for measuring the value. Similarly,
"free" may be used in combination with a term, and may include an
insubstantial number, or trace amounts, while still being
considered free of the modified term. Moreover, unless specifically
stated otherwise, any use of the terms "first," "second," etc., do
not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms "first,"
"second," etc., are used to distinguish one element from
another.
[0051] As used herein, the terms "may" and "may be" indicate a
possibility of an occurrence within a set of circumstances; a
possession of a specified property, characteristic or function;
and/or qualify another verb by expressing one or more of an
ability, capability, or possibility associated with the qualified
verb. Accordingly, usage of "may" and "may be" indicates that a
modified term is apparently appropriate, capable, or suitable for
an indicated capacity, function, or usage, while taking into
account that in some circumstances the modified term may sometimes
not be appropriate, capable, or suitable. For example, in some
circumstances an event or capacity can be expected, while in other
circumstances the event or capacity cannot occur--this distinction
is captured by the terms "may" and "may be."
[0052] This written description uses examples to disclose the
invention, including the best mode, and also to enable one of
ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, including
making and using any devices or systems and performing any
incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is
defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to
one of ordinary skill in the art. Such other examples are intended
to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural
elements that do not different from the literal language of the
claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with
insubstantial differences from the literal language of the
claims.
[0053] While the claimed subject matter of the present application
has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will
be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may
be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from
the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, many
modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or
material to the teachings of the claimed subject matter without
departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the
claimed subject matter not be limited to the particular embodiments
disclosed, but that the claimed subject matter will include all
embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *