U.S. patent application number 15/319032 was filed with the patent office on 2017-05-04 for helmet and helmet system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Lumen Labs (HK) Limited. The applicant listed for this patent is LUMEN LABS (HK) LIMITED. Invention is credited to Haoran CHEN, Eu-wen DING.
Application Number | 20170119078 15/319032 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56787920 |
Filed Date | 2017-05-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170119078 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHEN; Haoran ; et
al. |
May 4, 2017 |
HELMET AND HELMET SYSTEM
Abstract
A protective helmet system (10) that integrates turn signal
light, break signal light, motion sensors (710), Bluetooth
connectivity and a remote control (180) is provided. The system
(10) comprises a helmet (20) for providing protection and enhancing
safety to a rider on a vehicle, and a remote control (180) for
wirelessly controlling electronics in the helmet (20) to perform
functions. The helmet (20) comprises a LED strip (60). The LED
strip (60) comprises a flexible base (68) and a plurality of LEDs
(62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 671, 672, 673) installed on the flexible base
(68). In addition, the LED strip (60) is configured to produce
light signals to cars and pedestrians surrounding the rider,
causing the rider to be more visible to the surrounding cars and
pedestrians to thereby promote safety to the rider.
Inventors: |
CHEN; Haoran; (Hong Kong,
HK) ; DING; Eu-wen; (Hong Kong, HK) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LUMEN LABS (HK) LIMITED |
Hong Kong |
|
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
Lumen Labs (HK) Limited
Hong Kong
HK
|
Family ID: |
56787920 |
Appl. No.: |
15/319032 |
Filed: |
February 26, 2016 |
PCT Filed: |
February 26, 2016 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2016/074732 |
371 Date: |
December 15, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62126579 |
Feb 28, 2015 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 3/08 20130101; F21W
2111/10 20130101; A42B 3/0453 20130101; B60Q 1/2676 20130101; F21V
23/0435 20130101; F21V 23/0471 20130101; A42B 3/30 20130101; A42B
3/125 20130101; A42B 3/044 20130101; F21Y 2115/10 20160801; F21Y
2113/13 20160801; F21V 33/008 20130101; F21V 23/0407 20130101; F21Y
2103/10 20160801; A42B 3/0433 20130101; F21V 23/023 20130101; B60Q
1/44 20130101; B60Q 1/38 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A42B 3/04 20060101
A42B003/04; A42B 3/08 20060101 A42B003/08; A42B 3/30 20060101
A42B003/30; B60Q 1/38 20060101 B60Q001/38; F21V 23/02 20060101
F21V023/02; F21V 23/04 20060101 F21V023/04; B60Q 1/26 20060101
B60Q001/26; B60Q 1/44 20060101 B60Q001/44; A42B 3/12 20060101
A42B003/12; F21V 33/00 20060101 F21V033/00 |
Claims
1. A helmet for providing protection and enhancing safety to a
rider on a vehicle, comprising: a LED strip installed on the
helmet, comprising a flexible base and a plurality of LEDs
installed on the flexible base, wherein the LED strip is configured
to produce light signals to cars and pedestrians surrounding the
rider, causing the rider to be more visible to the surrounding cars
and pedestrians to thereby promote safety to the rider.
2. The helmet of claim 1, further comprising: a liner configured to
protect a head of the rider, wherein the LED strip is integrated
with the liner.
3. The helmet of claim 2, wherein the liner is made from
high-density impact-absorption foam, enabling the liner to protect
the head of the rider.
4. The helmet of claim 2, further comprising: an electronics and
battery box having electronics for at least controlling the
plurality of LEDs, wherein the electronics and battery box is
integrated with the liner.
5. The helmet of claim 4, wherein the electronics and battery box
comprises: a bottom plastic housing and an upper plastic housing
both configured to form an enclosure when the bottom plastic
housing is fitted to the upper plastic housing.
6. The helmet of claim 4, wherein the electronics and battery box
comprises: a magnetic charging port.
7. The helmet of claim 4, wherein the electronics and battery box
is configured with Bluetooth connectivity for communicating with an
external Bluetooth-enabled device.
8. The helmet of claim 4, wherein the plurality of LEDs includes a
front-right LED, a back-right LED, a back LED, a back-left LED, a
front-left LED, a left brim LED, a right brim LED and a center brim
LED.
9. The helmet of claim 8, wherein: each of the front-right LED and
the front-left LED is a super-bright dual-color orange and white
LED; the back-right LED and the back-left LED are super bright
orange LEDs; the back LED is a super bright red LED; the left brim
LED and the right brim LED are orange LEDs; and the center brim LED
is red.
10. The helmet of claim 8, wherein the electronics and battery box
is configured to: when the rider is biking straight, control the
LED strip such that the back LED is blinking, causing the rider to
become more visible to the surrounding cars and pedestrians.
11. The helmet of claim 8, wherein: the electronics and battery box
comprises one or more proximity sensors, one or more speakers, and
one or more vibration motors; and the electronics and battery box
is configured, when detecting an approaching vehicle via the one or
more proximity sensors, to control the center brim LED to blink and
increase the brightness of the LED strip, and to trigger the one or
more vibration motors to vibrate and the one or more speakers to
emit alarming sound thus to notify the rider.
12. The helmet of claim 8, wherein the electronics and battery box
comprises: one or more motion sensors.
13. The helmet of claim 12, wherein the electronics and battery box
is configured, when the one or more motion sensors senses
deceleration of the vehicle, to keep the back left LED, the back
LED, the back right LED on until the vehicle comes to a stop.
14. The helmet of claim 1, further comprising: an upper shell and a
bottom shell both for protecting the rider.
15. The helmet of claim 1, further comprising: a harness for
enabling the helmet to be fastened to a head of the rider.
16. A protective helmet system comprising: the helmet of any of
claims 1-15; and a remote control for wirelessly controlling
electronics in the helmet to perform functions.
17. A protective helmet system of claim 16, wherein the remote
control comprises a left button, a right button and a mount, the
left button and the right button being positioned on or over the
mount.
18. A protective helmet system of claim 16, wherein the remote
control comprises a mount having two wired buttons as a left button
and a right button.
19. A protective helmet system comprising: the helmet of claim 8;
and a remote control for wirelessly controlling electronics in the
helmet to perform functions, the remote control comprising a left
button and a right button; wherein the system is further configured
such that: when the rider presses the left button to signal that
the vehicle is turning left, the back LED, the left brim LED, the
front-left LED and the back-left LED keep blinking; and when the
rider presses the right button to signal that the vehicle is
turning right, the back LED, the right brim LED, the front-right
LED and the back-right LED keep blinking.
20. A helmet for providing protection and enhancing safety to a
rider on a vehicle, comprising one or more electronics boxes,
wherein an individual electronics box comprises: a cover; a bottom;
a wing protruding from the cover and extending to contact the
helmet for absorbing impact energy during an impact; and a cavity
situated between the bottom and the helmet, for preventing
compression of a foam of the helmet beneath the individual
electronics box at an early stage of the impact.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 62/126,579, filed on Feb. 28, 2015, the disclosure
of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to helmets and safety devices
for protecting riders of vehicles, including bicycles and
motorcycles.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The helmet is intended to protect the head in the event of
impact. However, most bicycle helmets are not designed to prevent
accidents that may result in head impacts or other bodily harm.
According to the Boston Cyclist Safety Report 2013 published in May
2013 and by the City of Boston, the disclosure of which is
incorporated by reference herein, 32% of bicycle accidents are due
to motorists not seeing the cyclists; this includes 18% of bicycle
accidents that result from "dooring", i.e. when a vehicle door is
extended into cyclists (p. 17 of Boston Cyclist Safety Report
2013). Another 38% of bicycle accidents result from improper
cyclist adherence to traffic rules such as running stop signals and
riding into oncoming traffic (p. 17 of Boston Cyclist Safety Report
2013). Taken together, 70% of bicycle accidents are due to a
combination of poor cyclist visibility and improper adherence to
road rules. These accidents could be prevented if cyclists were
more visible on the road and shared a common system to communicate
their actions on the road. With bicycle ridership expected to
increase significantly in the near term, particularly in urban
environments with more traffic, it is important that cyclists are
equipped with the proper gear to help prevent accidents
proactively.
[0004] The conventional bicycle helmet is limited to reactively
minimizing impact to the head. The conventional bike helmets are
designed with an inner liner typically consisting of expanded
polystyrene foam and a plastic outer shell that is adhered to the
inner lining with glue and/or tape. This conventional design
minimizes head trauma in the event of an impact, but it does not
help cyclists avoid impact by being more visible on the road,
especially in darkening or dark environments when most accidents
occur. (From p. 14 of the Boston Cyclist Safety Report 2013, most
accidents occur around 5 pm.)
[0005] Many cyclists attempt to address this problem by attaching
lights or reflectors to their bicycles, helmets or clothing. These
solutions are insufficient as most lights and reflectors are too
small to be seen or are not bright enough to be seen from a safe
following distance. Lamps or reflectors positioned on certain parts
of the bicycle such as the wheel or underneath the seat are not
visible to motorists on the road from certain angles or following
distances. Furthermore, the placement of the lamps and reflectors
is unique from cyclist to cyclist. The lack of a standardized,
common lighting system can result in motorists, other cyclists and
pedestrians not adequately seeing cyclists.
[0006] An integrated solution is therefore needed to provide both
passive impact protection and also active protection for signaling
to cyclists.
[0007] Furthermore, helmets have thus far not been well utilized as
a platform for additional technology enhancements. As helmets are
devices that are often worn in various circumstances, there is an
opportunity to use helmets to solve more problems beyond just
providing protection for the head.
[0008] Multiple ideas have existed to augment helmets with
technologies. However, thus far, few have been brought to the
market. One reason is that it is a non-trivial issue to be able to
integrate electronics into a helmet while maintaining integrity of
the helmet that enables it to meet its primary objective, i.e.
providing protection to that person's head. For example, bicycle
helmets, depending on where one intends to sell them, must pass
various standards such as EN1078 and the CPSC 16 C.F.R part 1203.
The biggest components of these safety standards are the impact
tests.
[0009] To incorporate technologies onto a helmet, space must be
made to accommodate the electronics. In order to preserve a
beautiful aesthetic design of the exterior of the helmet and the
helmet in general, the electronics must be "hidden" inside the
helmet. However, doing so effectively means removing protective
material from the helmet, decreasing its ability to pass the impact
tests required of the EN1078 and the CPSC 16 C.F.R part 1203.
[0010] There is a need in the art to have a smart helmet and a
mechanical design enabled one to resolve the above-mentioned
engineering challenge, allowing one to create a helmet that (1)
incorporates electronics onto the helmet, (2) effectively hides the
electronics from the user, and (3) still passes prevailing safety
standards for bicycle helmets. Although the need to have the smart
helmet and the mechanical design is evolved from analyzing the need
for protecting bicycle riders, the smart helmet and the mechanical
design are also useful for protecting riders of other vehicles such
as motorcycles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] A first aspect of the present invention is to provide a
helmet for providing protection and enhancing safety to a rider on
a vehicle.
[0012] The helmet comprises a light emitting diode (LED) strip
installed on the helmet. The LED strip comprises a flexible base
and a plurality of LEDs installed on the flexible base. In
particular, the LED strip is configured to produce light signals to
cars and pedestrians surrounding the rider, causing the rider to be
more visible to the surrounding cars and pedestrians to thereby
promote safety to the rider.
[0013] The helmet further comprises a liner configured to protect a
head of the rider. The LED strip is integrated with the liner.
Preferably, the liner is made from high-density impact-absorption
foam, enabling the liner to protect the head of the rider.
[0014] The helmet further comprises an electronics and battery box
having electronics for at least controlling the plurality of LEDs.
The electronics and battery box is integrated with the liner. In
one embodiment, the electronics and battery box comprises a bottom
plastic housing and an upper plastic housing both configured to
form an enclosure when the bottom plastic housing is fitted to the
upper plastic housing. In another embodiment, the electronics and
battery box comprises a magnetic charging port. Yet in another
embodiment, the electronics and battery box is configured with
Bluetooth connectivity for communicating with an external
Bluetooth-enabled device.
[0015] Preferably, the plurality of LEDs includes a front-right
LED, a back-right LED, a back LED, a back-left LED, a front-left
LED, a left brim LED, a right brim LED and a center brim LED. In
one realization, each of the front-right LED and the front-left LED
is a super-bright dual-color orange and white LED, the back-right
LED and the back-left LED are super bright orange LEDs, the back
LED is a super bright red LED, the left brim LED and the right brim
LED are orange LEDs, and the center brim LED is red. The
electronics and battery box is configured to when the rider is
biking straight, control the LED strip such that the back LED is
blinking, causing the rider to become more visible to the
surrounding cars and pedestrians.
[0016] In one option, the electronics and battery box comprises one
or more proximity sensors, one or more speakers, and one or more
vibration motors. Furthermore, the electronics and battery box is
configured, when detecting an approaching vehicle via the one or
more proximity sensors, to control the center brim LED to blink and
increase the brightness of the LED strip, and to trigger the one or
more vibration motors to vibrate and the one or more speakers to
emit alarming sound thus to notify the rider.
[0017] The electronics and battery box may comprise one or more
motion sensors. The electronics and battery box may be further
configured to, when the one or more motion sensors senses
deceleration of the vehicle, change the LED pattern such that the
back left LED, the back LED, the back right LED are kept on until
the vehicle comes to a stop.
[0018] Preferably, the helmet further comprises an upper shell and
a bottom shell both for protecting the rider. It is also preferable
that the helmet further comprises a harness for enabling the helmet
to be fastened to a head of the rider.
[0019] A second aspect of the present invention is to provide a
protective helmet system. The system comprises the helmet according
to any embodiment disclosed in the first aspect of the present
invention, and a remote control for wirelessly controlling
electronics in the helmet to perform functions.
[0020] In one option, the remote control comprises a left button, a
right button and a mount, where the left button and the right
button are positioned on or over the mount. In another option, the
remote control comprises a mount having two wired buttons as the
left button and the right button.
[0021] Preferably, when the rider presses the left button to signal
that the vehicle is turning left, the back LED, the left brim LED,
the front-left LED and the back-left LED are kept blinking. When
the rider presses the right button to signal that the vehicle is
turning right, the back LED, the right brim LED, the front-right
LED and the back-right LED are kept blinking.
[0022] A third aspect of the present invention is to provide a
helmet for providing protection and enhancing safety to a rider on
a vehicle. The helmet comprises one or more electronics boxes. An
individual electronics box comprises a cover, a bottom, a wing and
a cavity. The wing protrudes from the cover and extends to contact
the helmet for absorbing impact energy during an impact. The cavity
is situated between the bottom and the helmet. The cavity is used
for preventing compression of a foam of the helmet beneath the
individual electronics box at an early stage of the impact.
[0023] Other aspects of the present invention are disclosed as
illustrated by the embodiments hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic of a protective helmet system in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0025] FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C depict different views of the protective
helmet of FIG. 1, where FIG. 2A provides a perspective view while
FIGS. 2B and 2C provide two different exploded views.
[0026] FIG. 3 is a perspective exploded view of the electronic box
assembly of the helmet in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0027] FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C give three views of a LED assembly of
the helmet in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention, where FIG. 4A provides a perspective view, FIG. 4B gives
a top view, and FIG. 4C gives a side view.
[0028] FIGS. 5A-5D show different versions of the remote control of
the helmet according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0029] FIG. 6 is a flowchart providing an example to illustrate a
flow of steps implemented in a main printed circuit board (PCB)
firmware program.
[0030] FIG. 7 is a flowchart providing an example to illustrate a
flow of steps implemented in a remote control PCB firmware
program.
[0031] FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C depict the helmet with the electronic
box featuring a wing design in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention, where FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C provide a
perspective exploded view, a bottom cross-section view and a side
cross-section view, respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] The present invention provides a smart helmet and a
mechanical design thereof, enabling one to create a helmet that (1)
incorporates electronics onto the helmet in such a way that the
electronics are effectively hidden from a user, and (3) still
passes prevailing safety standards for helmets.
[0033] Although the invention is hereinafter described in
embodiments predominantly based on an example application of the
invention to a rider on a bicycle, the present invention is not
limited only to applications to bicycles. The present invention is
applicable to any vehicles, such as motorcycles, where riders on
these vehicles wear helmets for safety and protection.
[0034] Exemplarily, the present invention is described by
illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the smart helmet and its
mechanical design as follows.
OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0035] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment, a protective
smart helmet is integrated with one or more brake lights, one or
more turn signal lights, one or more motion sensors, one or more
proximity sensors, a vibration motor, one or more speakers, a
microphone, a camera, one or more wireless remote controls, and
Bluetooth connectivity. In addition, this protective smart helmet
system is configured such that a rider of a vehicle (especially a
bicycle or a motorcycle) is enabled to: [0036] be more visible on
the road; [0037] be able to communicate the rider's turning
intentions to other people around the rider; [0038] control turn
signals on the helmet wirelessly via a remote control; [0039] be
able to communicate the fact that the rider is slowing down to
other people around the rider via using a brake signal light
feature; [0040] connect the helmet with the rider's phone or
another electronic device, and interact with other application
software, activity tracking software, or software to change and
control the pattern of lights on the helmet; [0041] sense when the
rider might have been in a crash, and automatically send a signal
to a pre-selected emergency contact via a phone or other means
through the Bluetooth connection; [0042] receive audio, visual or
haptic feedback via one or more proximity sensors if an object
approaches the rider; [0043] record photographs, video signals
and/or audio signals of areas surrounding the rider via an
integrated camera; and [0044] have the rider's head remain
protected in an event of impact, the protecting having the same
degree as specified and required for all helmets in one or more
standards.
[0045] According to the exemplary embodiment, a mechanical design
of a helmet that incorporates electronics into the design has the
following features. [0046] The helmet has a cavity housing the
electronics. [0047] In addition, the helmet has a plastic enclosure
for enclosing the electronics so as to provide an aesthetic
exterior outlook. [0048] The helmet further includes an impact
absorbing gel that sits between the enclosure and a liner of the
helmet. [0049] The plastic enclosure features a "wing" design that
enables the enclosure to share, transfer and distribute stress from
the impact to areas surrounding the enclosure, thereby maintaining
the helmet's ability to protect the rider's head in an event of
impact in order to satisfy the requisite safety standard required
for the helmet.
Construction Method of the Helmet
[0050] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a protective helmet
system 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present
invention. The helmet system 10 comprises a helmet 20 and a remote
control 180. The helmet 20 comprises an upper shell 31, a bottom
shell 32, a harness 33, a LED strip 60, and an electronics and
battery box 70, all of which are integrated with a liner 40 to form
the helmet 20 as described in further detail as follows. The upper
shell 31 and the bottom shell 32 are made of hard materials and are
means for protecting a rider who wears the helmet 20. The harness
33 enables the helmet 20 to be fastened to the rider's head. The
LED strip 60 is installed on the helmet 20, and has plural LEDs for
producing light signals such that the rider becomes more visible to
surrounding cars and pedestrians, thereby promoting safety to the
rider. The electronics and battery box 70 is a place for housing
(often visually-unbeautiful) electronics for operating the helmet
20 while maintaining a beautiful aesthetic outlook for the helmet
20. The upper shell 31 and the bottom shell 32 may be decorated to
generate the beautiful aesthetic outlook.
[0051] Construction of the helmet 20 is explained as follows with
the aid of FIGS. 2A-2C. FIG. 2A provides a perspective view of the
helmet 20 while FIGS. 2B and 2C give two different exploded views
thereof. The upper shell 31, the LED strip 60, the bottom shell 32
and the harness 33 are attached and integrated to the liner 40 so
as to form the helmet 20. Preferably, the upper shell 31 and the
bottom shell 32 are vacuum-formed with plastic. The liner 40 is
also preferably made from high-density impact-absorption foam
having multiple vent holes for ventilation, plural channels for
embedding the LED strip 60, plural wells for housing the
electronics and battery box 70, and holes for enabling the harness
33 to be fix therein.
[0052] The electronics and battery box 70 is also deemed a control
module for the helmet 20. Hereinafter, the two terms "the
electronics and battery box" and "the control module" are used
interchangeably.
[0053] Furthermore, the liner 40 is configured to provide safety
protection to a rider of the helmet system 10. When the rider is
impacted on his or her head, the liner 40 will be deformed, thus
absorbing the energy of impact to protect the rider's head.
[0054] FIG. 3 depicts a perspective exploded view of the
electronics and battery box 70 of the helmet 20 according to one
embodiment of the present invention. The electronics and battery
box 70 comprises a bottom plastic housing 75 and an upper plastic
housing 76 both configured to form an enclosure when the bottom
plastic housing 75 is fitted to the upper plastic housing 76. The
electronics and battery box 70 further comprises one or more
proximity sensors 77, one or more speakers 78, one or more
vibration motors 79 and one or more motion sensors 710. In one
implementation, a PCB board 73 is also installed in the electronics
and battery box 70. The electronics and battery box may also
include a magnetic charging port 71. In addition, the electronics
and battery box 70 is configured to house a battery 74.
[0055] FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C depict different views of the LED strip
60 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The
LED strip 60 comprises a flexible base 68, and a plurality of LEDs
installed on the flexible base 68. Preferably, the plurality of
LEDs includes a front-right LED 62, a back-right LED 63, a back LED
64, a back-left LED 65, a front-left LED 66, a left brim LED 671, a
right brim LED 672 and a center brim LED 673. In one preferred
embodiment, each of the front-right LED 62 and the front-left LED
66 is preferably a super-bright dual-color orange and white LED;
the back-right LED 63 and the back-left LED 65 are preferably super
bright orange LEDs; the back LED 64 is preferably a super bright
RED LED; the left brim LED 671 and the right brim LED 672 are
preferably orange LEDs; the center brim LED 673 is red.
[0056] FIGS. 5A-5D depict perspective views regarding different
versions of the remote control 180 according to one embodiment of
the present invention. Refer to the two versions shown in FIGS. 5A
and 5B first. The remote control 180 comprises a left button 51, a
right button 52, an electronics box 50, and a mount 53 that is
attached to a handle bar of the bicycle (or a handle bar of any
vehicle that the rider rides on). The left button 51 and right
button 52 are preferably made of soft rubber plastic. It is also
preferable that the casing is plastic. Preferably, the mount 53 is
plastic. In each of the versions shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the left
button 51 and the right button 52 are positioned on or over the
mount 53. In FIGS. 5C and 5D, there are two other versions each of
which has a mount 54 having two wired buttons as a left button and
a right button.
[0057] The LED strip 60 is controlled by the control module 70. In
the normal time when the rider is biking straight, the control
module 70 will signal the LED strip 60 so that the back LED 64 is
blinking. In this way, the rider will become more visible to
surrounding cars and pedestrians.
[0058] The control module 70 also is configured with the Bluetooth
connectivity for communicating with an external Bluetooth-enabled
device in one embodiment. In one mode of operation, the control
module 70 can connect to a smartphone, and communicate with a
designate smartphone application through Bluetooth. The control
module 70 can transmit the information about the battery 74 to the
smartphone so that the remaining energy on the battery 74 can be
displayed. The rider can also designate blinking patterns for the
LED strip 60 under different situations. When the control module 70
detects occurrence of high impact on the helmet 20 through the one
or more motion sensors 710, the control module 70 can also transmit
signal to the smartphone to trigger emergency call or messaging
function on the smartphone.
[0059] FIGS. 6 and 7 are two flowcharts showing examples of
firmware programs implemented in the control module 70 and in the
remote control 180, respectively.
[0060] Note that it is required to install electronics into the
helmet 20 to provide functions thereto. In this regard, one or more
electronic boxes, including the electronics and battery box 70, are
included in the helmet 20. Advantageously, each electronic box may
be designed with a further objective of providing protection to the
rider against being impacted by electronic components in the
electronic box in case of an accident.
[0061] FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C depict a perspective exploded view, a
bottom cross-section view and a side cross-section view,
respectively, of a helmet with an electronics box having a wing
design in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
In particular, FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C illustrate a method of
integrating electronics into a helmet 82 with an electronics box
200 that features the wing design. In these figures, a cover 80 of
the electronics box 200, a bottom 81 of the electronics box 200,
the helmet 82 that the electronics are integrated in, and an
exemplary PCB 83 that represents the electronics are shown. How
this design enables the integration of electronics into the helmet
82 is through the following two ways.
[0062] First, a wing 91 protrudes from the cover 80 that extends
the contact of the electronics box 200 to the surrounding helmet
section of the helmet 82. During impact, the surrounding area
absorbs the impact energy.
[0063] Second, a cavity 92 is situated between the bottom 81 of the
electronics box 200 and the helmet 82. This cavity 92 prevents the
compression of the foam of the helmet 82 beneath the electronics
box 200 at the early stage of impact. During impact, the wing 91
transfers the impact energy to the area beneath the wing 91 first
as the foam at this area collapse, this cavity 92 shrinks to a
point that the foam beneath the bottom 81 of the electronics box
200 also starts to collapse and thus absorbs energy. If this cavity
92 were not there, the impact energy would pass to the foam beneath
the bottom 81 of the electronics box 200 at the very first
beginning of impact. Thus, more energy will be passed to this area
where the foam is thinner because of the existence of the
electronics box 200. This cavity 92 thus acts as a buffer to let
the foam that surrounds the electronics box 200, which is thicker,
absorb the energy first, thus decreasing the energy that the foam
beneath the electronics box 200 need to absorb, and passing less
energy to the head of the rider.
Operation Method
[0064] There are several events that can trigger a change of the
light pattern of the LED strip 60. [0065] 1. In one event that the
rider is slowing down, the one or more motion sensors in the
electronics and battery box 70 will sense the deceleration of the
bike, and then changes the LED pattern such that the back left LED
65, the back LED 64, the back right LED 63 are kept on until the
bicycle comes to a stop. [0066] 2. In another event that the rider
presses the left button 51 on the remote control 180 to signal to
the surrounding that it is turning left, the back LED 64, the left
brim LED 671, the front-left LED 66 and the back-left LED 65 keep
blinking. [0067] 3. In another event when the rider presses the
right button 52 on the remote control 180 to signal to the
surrounding that it is turning right, the back LED 64, the right
brim LED 672, the front-right LED 66 and the back-right LED 65 keep
blinking. [0068] 4. In the event when the control module 70 detects
an approaching vehicle via the one or more proximity sensors 77,
the control module 70 will control the center brim LED 66 to blink
and increase the brightness of the LED strip 60. The control module
70 will also trigger the one or more vibration motors 79 to vibrate
and the one or more speakers 78 to emit alarming sound thus to
notify the rider.
[0069] While the foregoing written description of the invention
enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered
presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will
understand and appreciate the existence of variations,
combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method,
and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited
by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all
embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the
invention as claimed.
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