U.S. patent application number 15/312271 was filed with the patent office on 2017-06-22 for helmet.
The applicant listed for this patent is LEATT CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Pieter Andre KEEVY, Christopher James LEATT, Jorn Peter STEFFENS.
Application Number | 20170172242 15/312271 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51135227 |
Filed Date | 2017-06-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170172242 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LEATT; Christopher James ;
et al. |
June 22, 2017 |
HELMET
Abstract
A helmet comprises an outer shell, an impact absorbing liner
(10) inside the outer shell to receive loads from the outer shell
and an inner liner (12) disposed inside the impact absorbing liner
(10), with the inner liner (12) configured to slide relative to the
impact absorbing liner (10). The inner liner (12) defines a number
of apertures (16) and a deflector (14) inside each aperture. Each
deflector (14) comprises: a body (20) that is connectable to the
impact absorbing liner (12); a peripheral border (18) that is
connectable to the aperture (16) in which it is received; and a
number of deformable spokes (22) extending between the body (20)
and the border (18).
Inventors: |
LEATT; Christopher James;
(Durbanville, ZA) ; KEEVY; Pieter Andre;
(Durbanville, ZA) ; STEFFENS; Jorn Peter;
(Oldenburg, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LEATT CORPORATION |
Santa Clarita |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51135227 |
Appl. No.: |
15/312271 |
Filed: |
May 21, 2015 |
PCT Filed: |
May 21, 2015 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB2015/053735 |
371 Date: |
November 18, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 3/127 20130101;
A42B 3/064 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A42B 3/06 20060101
A42B003/06; A42B 3/12 20060101 A42B003/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 21, 2014 |
GB |
1409041.9 |
Claims
1. A helmet comprising: an outer shell; an impact absorbing liner
disposed inside the outer shell and connected in a load
transferring manner to the outer shell to receive loads from the
outer shell; an inner liner disposed inside the impact absorbing
liner, said inner liner being configured to slide relative to the
impact absorbing liner, said inner liner defining at least one
receiving formation; and wherein said helmet includes at least one
deflector comprising: a hub that is connectable to the impact
absorbing liner; a border along at least part of the deflector's
periphery, said border being connectable to one of the receiving
formations of the inner liner; and at least one flexible element
extending between the hub and the border.
2. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the
receiving formations are apertures defined in the inner liner and
at least some of the borders of the deflectors are connectable to
the apertures by fitting inside the apertures.
3. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein the flexible elements
include a plurality of deformable spokes extending between the hub
and the border.
4. The helmet according to claim 3, wherein at least some of the
spokes are curved.
5. The helmet according to claim 4, wherein at least some of the
spokes extend in a spiral configuration between the hub and the
border.
6. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the
deflectors are of a non-Newtonian material that is shear
thickening.
7. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the
deflectors each define a shell extending between the impact
absorbing liner and the inner liner, said shell being at least
partly collapsible and having a hollow U-shaped profile.
8. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein the hubs of at least
some of the deflectors are releasably connectable to the impact
absorbing liner.
9. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein the hubs of at least
some of the deflectors are connectable to the impact absorbing
liner by way of anchor formations that extend, at least in part,
into the impact absorbing liner.
10. The helmet according to claim 2, wherein the flexible elements
include a plurality of deformable spokes extending between the hub
and the border.
11. The helmet according to claim 10, wherein at least some of the
spokes are curved.
12. The helmet according to claim 11, wherein at least some of the
spokes extend in a spiral configuration between the hub and the
border.
13. The helmet according to claim 2, wherein at least some of the
deflectors are of a non-Newtonian material that is shear
thickening.
14. The helmet according to claim 3, wherein at least some of the
deflectors are of a non-Newtonian material that is shear
thickening.
15. The helmet according to claim 4, wherein at least some of the
deflectors are of a non-Newtonian material that is shear
thickening.
16. The helmet according to claim 5, wherein at least some of the
deflectors are of a non-Newtonian material that is shear
thickening.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to protective helmets intended to
protect the head against linear and rotational impacts.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0002] Most protective helmets comprise a durable, hard outer shell
that can receive impacts and an energy absorbing liner that is
intended to dissipate energy from an impact received on the outer
shell, before transferring it to the wearer's head. These
conventional helmets provide reasonably good protection against
impacts that could result in linear cranial acceleration, but
impacts that are poorly aligned with the centre of gravity of the
wearer's head (that often impact the helmet at an oblique angle)
can still result in substantial rotational cranial acceleration and
consequential brain injury and concussion. Further, the impacts may
be severe or they may be moderate and repetitive and the injuries
resulting from repetitive brain injury often go unnoticed
initially, until their cumulative effect is severe. Also, while
conventional helmets provide reasonably good protection against
severe linear impacts, they are typically not designed to protect
the head against moderate (e.g. low speed) impacts, which could
cause brain injury from a single instance or through
repetition.
[0003] Helmets that are intended to protect a wearer against linear
and rotational cranial acceleration have been proposed in US
2012/0198604, including a relatively hard outer shell, an outer
liner inside the outer shell and an inner liner, spaced inside the
outer liner, with various resilient elastomeric isolation dampers
extending between the inner and outer liners, to absorb
omnidirectional loads between the two liners.
[0004] The present invention seeks to provide an improved helmet
which protects a wearer's head against linear and rotational
impacts, including improved protection against linear, low speed
impacts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] According to the present invention there is provided a
helmet comprising: [0006] an outer shell; [0007] an impact
absorbing liner disposed inside the outer shell and connected in a
load transferring manner to the outer shell to receive loads from
the outer shell; [0008] an inner liner disposed inside the impact
absorbing liner, said inner liner being configured to slide
relative to the impact absorbing liner and said inner liner
defining at least one receiving formation, but preferably plurality
of apertures; and [0009] at least one deflector comprising: a body
that is connectable to the impact absorbing liner; a border along
at least part of the deflector's periphery, said border being
connectable to one of the receiving formations of the inner liner;
and at least one deformable element extending between the body and
the border.
[0010] The term "connected" is intended to include any arrangement
in which the impact absorbing liner can receive loads from the
outer shell and it is not limited to contact, attachment, linkage,
or any other limitation.
[0011] The term "aperture" is intended to include any form of
recess in the inner liner, in which a deflector is receivable, at
least in part.
[0012] One or more (preferably all) of the receiving formations may
be apertures defined in the inner liner and one or more (preferably
all) of the deflectors may be connectable to the apertures by
fitting inside the apertures
[0013] The deformable elements may include a plurality of
deformable spokes extending between the body and the border and at
least some of the spokes may be curved and/or may extend in a
spiral configuration between the body and the border.
[0014] At least some of the deflectors may be of a non-Newtonian
material preferably a shear thickening or dilatant material.
[0015] At least some of the deflectors may define a shell extending
between the impact absorbing liner and the inner liner and the
shell may be at least partly collapsible and may extend at least
partly around a cavity defined in the deflector.
[0016] The bodies of at least some of the deflectors may be
releasably connectable to the impact absorbing liner and/or may be
connectable to the impact absorbing liner by way of anchor
formations that extend, at least in part, into the impact absorbing
liner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] For a better understanding of the present invention, and to
show how it may be carried into effect, the invention will now be
described by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is an inside view of a deflector according to the
present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the deflector of FIG. 1,
taken at II-II;
[0020] FIG. 3 is an outside view of the deflector of FIG. 1;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a detail sectional view through part of an impact
absorbing liner, part of an inner liner, and the deflector of FIG.
1;
[0022] FIG. 5 shows diagrammatic sectional and outside views of
part of an impact absorbing liner and a deflector according to the
present invention, before impact and while receiving tangential
impact loads from opposing directions;
[0023] FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of an impact absorbing liner and
deflectors according to the present invention, including deflectors
hidden by part of the impact absorbing liner;
[0024] FIG. 7 shows a front view of the impact absorbing liner and
deflectors of FIG. 6, including deflectors hidden by part of the
impact absorbing liner;
[0025] FIG. 8 shows a side view of the impact absorbing liner of
FIG. 6, with deflectors of the lower ring;
[0026] FIG. 9 shows an exploded sectional side view of a kit for
installing a deflector on an impact absorbing liner according to
the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 10 shows a sectional view of the deflector of FIG. 9
installed on the impact absorbing liner; and
[0028] FIG. 11 shows a profile view of a mounting washer of the kit
of FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] Referring to the drawings, a helmet according to the present
invention includes: an outer shell of tough, durable material (not
shown); an impact absorbing liner generally designated by reference
number 10; an inner liner, which in the illustrated example it is a
comfort liner, generally designated by reference number 12; and a
plurality of deflectors, generally designated by reference number
14, with suffixes to distinguish between different deflectors,
where relevant. It is possible for the helmet to have any number of
deflectors 14--even only one, but preferably, the helmet includes a
plurality of spaced deflectors.
[0030] The impact absorbing liner 10 can be of any suitable
material that can absorb impact energy, such as expanded
polystyrene (EPS) and it extends directly inside the outer shell.
The impact absorbing liner 10 can be attached to the outer shell
(e.g. with releasable attachment), it can be held in place by
complementary geometries of these components, or it can be held in
place inside the outer shell in any other way, but it is preferably
attached to the inside of the outer shell by being moulded inside
the outer shell. The outer shell and impact absorbing liner 10 are
configured so that the energy from impacts received on the outer
shell are dissipated in part, in the impact absorbing liner, before
the impact is transferred to the head of a wearer of the
helmet--much as in conventional helmets.
[0031] The comfort liner 12 extends along the inside of the impact
absorbing liner 10, preferably in direct contact, but is not
attached to the impact absorbing layer and can slide relative to
it. Instead of the comfort liner 12, in other embodiments of the
invention, the inner liner can be of any material, but the comfort
liner 12 is of soft compressible material, such as soft foam that
is soft enough to fit comfortably on the wearer's head. In a
preferred embodiment, relative sliding motion between the impact
absorbing liner 10 and comfort liner 12 is improved by choice of
materials, slip washers provided between these components, or the
like.
[0032] The comfort liner 12 includes one or more receiving
formations for connecting to the deflectors and in the illustrated
embodiment, the receiving formations are in the form of apertures
16 that are defined in the comfort liner 12 and in the preferred
embodiment, each of the apertures has a circular profile and
extends through the comfort liner, with a diameter similar to the
outer diameter of a deflector 14. In other embodiments, the
apertures defined in the inner liners can be in the form of
recesses that do not extend through the comfort liner, or the
comfort liner could include other forms of receiving formations
such as protuberances, grip formations, adhesive or gripping
material, or the like.
[0033] Referring in particular to FIGS. 1-3, in a first preferred
embodiment, each deflector 14 is generally disc shaped and is a
unitary injection moulding of a non-Newtonian, shear thickening
(dilatant) material.
[0034] Each deflector 14 has a central body in the form of a hub 20
and a border 18 extending around its circumference, with a number
of deformable elements in the form of curved spokes 22 extending
between the hub and border in a spiral configuration. In the
illustrated embodiment, each of the spokes 22 has an elongated
cross-sectional profile and can flex with relative ease if the hub
20 moves relative to the border 18. In other embodiments of the
invention can include differently configured deformable elements
instead or, or in addition to the spokes 22, which also extend
flexibly between the body and the border.
[0035] A central passage 24 is defined in the hub 20, through which
an anchor formation in the form of a pin 26 can pass.
[0036] In the illustrated embodiment, the hub 20 and border 18 are
each of a hollow design, comprising partly collapsible shells 19,21
around open internal cavities 28, which allow the hub and border to
be compressed, when the shells collapse to any degree. When the hub
20 and border 18 are compressed, the spokes 22 also flex or twist,
so that the whole deflector 14 is compressible. The
shear-thickening properties of the material from which the
deflector 14 is made, allows it to be compressed with relative ease
when not exposed to impacts (e.g. during normal use of the helmet),
but if it receives a compression impact, e.g. from a linear impact
exerted on the outer shell of the helmet, the deflector offers more
resistance to compression. The hollow (U-shaped) profile of the
shells 19,21 of the hub 20 and border 18 allows these features to
collapse under pressure and expand sideways, which allows the
spokes 22 more freedom to stretch and allow movement between the
hub and border.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 4, each deflector 14 is attached to the
impact absorbing liner 10 by the pin 26 that is received in a
recess inside the impact absorbing liner. Preferably, the recess in
the impact absorbing liner 10 is lined with a basket 30 in which
the end of the pin 26 is receivable in a clipping manner--holding
the deflector firmly 14 in place, but allowing it to be removed
and/or replaced, if necessary. In other embodiments, an attachment
formation similar to the pin 26 may be integrally formed with the
deflector 14 or the deflector may be attached to the impact
absorbing liner 10 by other means, such as partially embedding it
in the impact absorbing liner during moulding (of the impact
absorbing liner).
[0038] The border 18 of the deflector 14 fits snugly inside the
circumference of the aperture 16 and in the illustrated embodiment
has a thickness that is substantially less than the thickness of
the comfort liner 12. In one embodiment, the deflector 14 has a
thickness of about 5 mm and a diameter of about 26 mm.
[0039] Various configurations of the comfort liner 12 and
deflectors 14 are possible in other embodiments of the invention.
For example, the comfort liner 12 could define open apertures in
which the deflectors 14 are received (as in the illustrated
embodiment), with the deflectors exposed, the deflectors could be
flush or protrude on the inside of the comfort liner (if this does
not create discomfort), or the comfort liner could receive the
deflectors in blind recesses and cover the deflectors on the inside
of the helmet. In other embodiments of the invention, the
deflectors 14 could connect the comfort liner 12 with the impact
absorbing liner 10; the deflectors could replace the comfort liner;
the deflectors could be integrated (e.g. injected) into the comfort
liner; or the deflectors could be in-layered (during the
in-moulding process) in the impact absorbing liner.
[0040] Referring to FIG. 5: sectional and outside views of two
deflectors are shown, numbered as 14.1, 14.2 and 14.3, each
anchored in the impact absorbing liner 10 and received in the
comfort liner 12. The deflector 14.1 on the left in each view has
not been subjected to any force and is in its original shape, but
the deflectors 14.2 and 14.3 in the centre and on the right in each
view, have been subjected to forces 32 in tangential directions.
The tangential forces 32 caused the borders 18.2 and 18.3 of the
deflectors 14.2 and 14.3 to be displaced relative to their hubs
20.2 and 20.3 and caused their spokes 22.2 and 22.3 to be deflected
by the relative displacement of the borders.
[0041] The deflection of the spokes 22 and the relative
displacement of the border 18 relative to the hub 20 results partly
from the geometry of the deflector 14 (particularly the spokes) and
partly from the resilient deformability of the non-Newtonian
material of the deflector 14.2.
[0042] Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, the positions of the deflectors
14 relative to the impact absorbing layer 10 are shown and include
three deflectors in an upper ring and six deflectors in a lower
ring, disposed on an imaginary profile resembling the profile of a
human head. The deflectors 14 in the upper ring include two front
deflectors 14a and a rear deflector 14b. The deflectors in the
lower ring includes a rear deflector 14c, of a lower ring of
deflectors, with the deflector 14c disposed about midway between
the deflector 14b and the base 34 of the impact absorbing liner 10.
The other deflectors in the lower ring include a front deflector
14d and two lateral deflectors 14e on each side of the helmet. The
positioning of the deflectors 14 is intended to provide an even
distribution of rotational/tangential forces transferred between
the impact absorbing liner 10 and comfort liner 12 by the
deflectors 14, as will be described below. However, this
distribution of the deflectors 14 is only one example and in other
embodiments of the invention, more or fewer deflectors can be used
and they can be distributed in various other configurations.
[0043] Referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, instead of the helmet being
manufactured originally according to the embodiments of the
invention described above, the invention extends to a kit that can
be used to modify a helmet by fitting deflectors 14 to the impact
absorbing liner 10 of the helmet. (Rigorous safety standards are
applied to the design and manufacture of helmets in most countries
and modification of helmets is not necessarily advisable or
permitted, so care needs to be taken when considering modification
of a helmet.)
[0044] The kit includes one or more deflectors 14 as described
above, a rough washer 36, an adhesive layer 38 for attaching the
washer to the inside of the impact absorbing liner 10 and a pin 26
for securing the deflector. The adhesive layer 38 is typically
applied to the washer 36 (even though they are shown separately in
FIG. 9) and the washer is attached to the impact absorbing liner 10
in a preferred position. The washer 36 preferably includes radial
grooves 40 that allow it to be shaped to fit on a concave surface.
The deflector 14 is fitted by passing the pin 26 through the
central passage 24 of the deflector and clipping an end of the pin
into an aperture 42 defined in the washer 36.
[0045] The border 18 and hub 20 of the deflector 14 shown in FIGS.
9 and 10 have different profiles from those shown in preceding
figures, but they still each define a collapsible shell 19,21 and
cavity 28 so that they are compressible, as described above.
[0046] Referring to all the drawings, in use, if severe linear
impacts are received on the outer shell of the helmet, i.e. impacts
that are aligned with the centre of gravity of the wearer's head
and helmet, and where the impact thus results primarily in linear
compression, without significant rotational forces, the impacts are
dissipated in the impact absorbing liner 10 before being
transferred to the wearer's head, by compression of the impact
absorbing liner--generally as occurs in conventional helmets.
[0047] If moderate linear impacts are received, e.g. linear impacts
at low speeds, the energy from the impact will be transferred
through the impact absorbing liner 10 and the comfort liner 12 will
readily compress without dissipating much of the impact energy, but
the deflectors 14 will be compressed between the impact absorbing
liner 10 and the wearer's head and a substantial part of the impact
energy will be absorbed by the compression of the deflectors
14.
[0048] If the impact forces are very low (probably too low to cause
injury), they may be adequately dissipated in the comfort liner 12
and if they are severe, they may be adequately dissipated in the
impact absorbing liner 10, but the present invention also protects
the wearer against moderate impacts, with impact absorption in the
deflectors that varies with the severity of the impact, due to the
non-Newtonian properties of the material from which the deflectors
14 are made.
[0049] If rotational impacts are received on the outer shell of the
helmet, i.e. impacts that are not aligned with the centre of
gravity of the wearer's head and helmet, and that thus result in
rotational forces, the rotational forces are transferred as
tangential forces 32 from the impact absorbing liner 10 to the
comfort liner, via the deflectors 14.
[0050] In the event that a rotational/tangential force 32 is
transferred from the impact absorbing liner 10 to the comfort liner
12, the spokes 22 deflect and the border 18 and hub 20 are
displaced relative to each other, as shown in FIG. 5, but the
relative position of the comfort liner 12 relative to the impact
absorbing liner is determined by the position of the border 18, so
that the deflection of the spokes allows relative displacement
between the impact absorbing liner and the comfort liner.
[0051] The resilience of the spokes 22 when they deflect, causes
some of the impact of the rotational/tangential force 32 to be
dissipated before it is transferred from the impact absorbing layer
10 to the comfort liner 12 and accordingly, the rotational impact
is reduced before it is transferred to the wearer's head. The
deflection of the spokes 22 is also reversible in the case of
moderate impacts and accordingly, the deflectors 14 can protect the
wearer's head against repeated moderate rotational impacts.
[0052] The invention has been described with reference to the
impact absorbing liner 10 and comfort liner 12, but the liner 10
need not form the only impact absorbing layer and can be a liner
inside another impact absorbing liner and likewise, the liner 12
need not be the only comfort liner and can have an additional liner
on its inside. The liners 10 and/or 12 can thus replace the impact
absorbing liner and comfort liner of conventional helmet
construction, wholly or in part.
* * * * *