U.S. patent application number 15/396544 was filed with the patent office on 2017-07-06 for layered helmet.
The applicant listed for this patent is Geoffrey Paul Larrabee. Invention is credited to Geoffrey Paul Larrabee.
Application Number | 20170188648 15/396544 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59236096 |
Filed Date | 2017-07-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170188648 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Larrabee; Geoffrey Paul |
July 6, 2017 |
Layered Helmet
Abstract
A helmet for reducing impact-related head trauma and pathology,
including acute concussive and chronic sub-concussive injury, the
helmet having a plurality of tensile and compressive layers
configured to disperse, spread and absorb the kinetic energy of an
impact force through a network of interlayer and intralayer
structural motifs. The plurality of layers include a "shell layer",
preferably as a unibody construct, having a resilient framework of
anastomosing reticulations defined by slots or cutouts so as to be
capable of flexing cooperatively during an impact and recovering.
The shell layer serves as a support for an exterior layer,
generally an ordered layer of "scales" attached to the outside
surface, each scale being mounted so as to resiliently yield,
resist stretch, and cooperatively flex with shell members. A third
layer, attached inside the shell layer, may include padding having
multiple compressive and resilient elements configured to absorb
and redirect kinetic energy laterally from a point of impact at one
or more fractal scales. Collectively, the layers form the "body" of
the helmet.
Inventors: |
Larrabee; Geoffrey Paul;
(Issaquah, WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Larrabee; Geoffrey Paul |
Issaquah |
WA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59236096 |
Appl. No.: |
15/396544 |
Filed: |
December 31, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62275418 |
Jan 6, 2016 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 3/063 20130101;
A42B 3/125 20130101; A42B 3/121 20130101; A42B 3/28 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A42B 3/06 20060101
A42B003/06; A63B 71/08 20060101 A63B071/08; A42B 3/28 20060101
A42B003/28; A42B 3/12 20060101 A42B003/12 |
Claims
1. A helmet for reducing concussive and cumulative sub-concussive
injury, which comprises a helmet body configured to accommodate a
human braincase, the helmet body having three, four or five layers,
each layer contributing to a localized repeat of structural motifs
formed of elements of more than one layer, each structural motif
having a bending modulus and tensile modulus configured to
cooperatively and laterally distribute a vectored force of an
impact that would otherwise be directed at the braincase.
2. A helmet for reducing concussive and cumulative sub-concussive
injury, which comprises a helmet body configured to accommodate a
human braincase, the helmet body having a plurality of layers
including: i. an intermediate shell layer comprising a branched and
interconnected framework of structural members defined by an array
of slots or holes in said shell layer, wherein each said structural
member is configured with an efficacious level of stiffness so as
to flex cooperatively under progressive increases in the kinetic
energy of an impact; ii. an exterior body layer of scale elements
attached as an array to said framework, wherein each said scale
element is configured with an efficacious level of size, tensile
strength and stiffness so as to flex cooperatively under
progressive increases in the kinetic energy of an impact; iii. an
interior body layer of padding elements mounted inside said shell,
said layer of padding elements having multiple elements of a supple
and resilient material configured to absorb and laterally redirect
kinetic energy of impact; and, wherein said plurality of layers is
characterized as having a bending modulus and a tensile modulus
distinct from the moduli of any individual material.
3. The helmet of claim 2, wherein said shell layer comprises a
unibody frame having a latticework of structural members formed
with branches and interconnections, and further wherein each said
branch is configured with a tensile strength and an efficacious
level of stiffness so as to flex cooperatively under progressive
increases in kinetic energy of impact.
4. The helmet of claim 3, wherein said scale layer comprises an
array of detachably attachable scales completely covering the
exterior of said unibody frame, each said scale having a thickness,
a shape, a flexural stiffness intermediate between rigid and
bendable, and a tensile strength greater than said tensile strength
of said branches and interconnections of said shell, and further
wherein said scale layer is attached by a fastener to said shell
layer.
5. The helmet of claim 4, wherein said scale elements of said array
are dragonscales, coin-like scales, ovoid scales, fish scales,
snake scales, or feather scales.
6. The helmet of claim 3, wherein said latticework of structural
members is reinforced by a double wishbone substructure integrated
into said shell layer, wherein said wishbone substructure is
defined by a stiffness greater than said branches, and further
wherein said branches are joined by interconnections to said
wishbone substructure.
7. The helmet of claim 4, further comprising an elastomeric
compressible layer between said external layer of scale elements
and said shell layer.
8. The helmet of claim 2, wherein said interior layer of padding
elements comprises multiple compartments, wherein each said
compartment is separated from proximate compartments by a partition
of a supple and resilient material configured to absorb and
laterally redirect kinetic energy of impact.
9. The helmet of claim 2, wherein said interior layer of padding
elements comprises multiple compartments, and each said
compartments are in pneumatic or hydraulic communication through
one or more interconnects dimensioned to resist redistribution of
said fluid from compartment to compartment under load.
10. The helmet of claim 2, wherein said padding elements are
supported on a segmented breathable sheet configured to conform to
a human skull; and further wherein said padding elements are filled
with an elastic or resilient material.
11. The helmet of claim 10, wherein said elastic or resilient
material is an open celled foam, a closed celled foam, or a
fluid.
12. The helmet of claim 8, wherein said padding elements are
separated by vented spaces having each a volume configured to
receive flexural distortion of said partitions under load, said
spaces narrowing an air gap between said shell layer and said
breathable sheet.
13. An improved helmet having a plurality of helmet body layers,
said layers comprising: a) a shell layer having transverse slots
defining lateral ribs between wishbone frame members, wherein said
ribs are configured to flex independently. b) a layer of scales
attached as an array to said lateral ribs so as to form an impact
absorption layer; and, c) a layer of bristles mounted inside said
helmet shell layer, said layer of bristles having multiple finger
bristles of a pliant or resilient material separated by vented
spaces, each vented space having a volume configured to receive
flexural distortion of said bristles under load.
14. The helmet body of claim 13, further comprising an outside
layer of a compliant material that is slick and resistant to
tensile loads.
15. The helmet body of claim 13, further comprising an intermediate
layer of a compressible elastomeric material between said layer of
scales and said shell layer.
16. The helmet body of claim 13, wherein one or more layers
comprise segmented or sectional elements.
17. The helmet body of claim 16, wherein said stiffer structural
members are exposed on said external surface.
18. The helmet body of claim 13 having transparent windows in said
layers configured around the temple of the wearer so as to increase
peripheral vision while wearing said helmet.
Description
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
[0001] Not Applicable.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This disclosure pertains to an athletic helmet generally
having a layer of scales mounted externally on a shell and a layer
of padding elements mounted internally; the shell having integral
cutouts and branches that flex collectively with the scales and
padding elements so as to reduce kinetic energy transferred to the
skull and brain when an impact on the helmet occurs.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The pathology of sequelae to sport-related head injuries
have been found to be much more common than initially thought. Head
trauma to motorcyclists, resulting in long term disability, was
believed to be an extreme case, causing many States to mandate that
motorcyclists wear helmets. Also well known were cases of
impairment in professional boxers due to repeated head drama. Most
recently, under increasing scrutiny following a series of autopsies
of professional football players conducted by a neuropathologist,
Dr. Bennet Omalu, a syndrome termed "chronic traumatic
encephalopathy" was identified. Although this finding was published
in 2002, football helmets, and helmets more generally for sports in
which head impacts are experienced as part of play, have not yet
undergone any substantial reengineering. Screening to prevent
chronic traumatic encephalopathy has been increased (such as by X2
Biosystems, Seattle, Wash.) but protective headgear that would
guard against cumulative head trauma experienced during normal play
has not been generally adopted. For some fans and broadcasters, the
concussive and sub-clinical concussive injuries experienced by
players, along with the occasional extraordinary play injuries and
jarring tackles are all part of the game. Nonetheless, if the
cumulative and traumatic brain injury that appears over a career of
head butting can be prevented or reduced, then a significant
improvement in the game's reputation and enjoyment will result. The
same can be said for other sports to one degree or another, hockey.
Lacrosse and soccer for example.
[0004] Helmets have been improved before. Famously, when Otto
Graham of the Cleveland Browns took an elbow in the face, he and
his coach, Paul Brown, prototyped and developed a face mask or
guard such as used in professional football today. The money from
the invention was enough to finance creation of the Cincinnati
Bengals. And in 1969, single piece injection molded helmet shells
were introduced in place of the leather helmets worn by players
since 1939. In 1982, a water-filled helmet was attempted, and in
2003, the first head impact telemetry system was introduced.
[0005] But what is needed is a serious look at the helmet concept
from the ground up, to address it in new and inventive ways, to
understand the principles by which head injury can be engineered
out of sports--and to build on that understanding.
SUMMARY
[0006] Disclosed is an apparatus having general application for
reducing head trauma, particularly that associated with contact
sports. The apparatus is made with a plurality of layers of
resilient material; generally at least three: a) a shell layer; b)
a layer of scales that are fastened to an outside surface of the
shell layer; and c) a layer of padding mounted on the inside of the
shell: all of which work cooperatively through multiple
interactions at multiple dimensions to absorb and disperse kinetic
impacts, and reduce the residual shock wave transmitted to the
brain through the skull.
[0007] An improved athletic helmet design will increase protection
to a person's head by spreading and absorbing the kinetic energy,
the "jolt", of the blow to the head during an impact. When an
inventive helmet is impacted by an object or surface, kinetic
energy is transferred to a first layer having scaled elements that
are deformed or displaced in response to the applied force of the
impact before conveying the force to a shell layer. The shell layer
of the helmet receives residual kinetic energy from the scale layer
but will also spread and absorb that kinetic energy in the compound
structure. Typically the shell is a ribbon latticework structure of
resilient ribs, where each of the rib members is free to flex
independently of other rib members but flexes cooperatively because
of the intimate interaction of the rib members and the scales
attached to them. The resilient lattice framework holds the general
shape of a conventional rigid "shell" of a helmet. A padding layer
is provided inside the shell, and includes padding elements of
fractal dimensions that further lateralize and absorb any remaining
kinetic energy of an applied impact. Exemplary helmets have a
plurality of layers composed of different materials and elements
having different fractal dimensions. Helmets may have three, four,
five or more layers, in which each layer contributes cooperatively
to reduce any vectored force directed at the brain.
[0008] The inventive helmet is provided with a plurality of layers
configured to lateralize, spread and absorb the kinetic energy of
an applied force of an impact. The plurality of layers include a
"shell" having a resilient framework or latticework of
reticulations and interconnections defined by slots and holes, the
latticework capable of resiliently flexing and recovering during
impact. The shell is preferably provided as a unibody construct and
is configured to surround the braincase except over the face or
eyes. The shell serves as a support for an exterior layer: an
ordered layer or array of scales attached externally to the shell,
each scale being configured to resiliently yield or flex
cooperatively with the shell during impact. A third layer, attached
inside the shell, includes padding elements generally of multiple
categories, the padding layer having multiple resilient elements of
multiple sizes and stiffnesses configured to absorb and redirect
kinetic energy laterally from a point of impact. Collectively, the
layers make up the body of the helmet and are all capable of
elastic deformation to absorb impacts. Additional layers may
include a slick exterior layer, an elastic matrix layer, and an
inside breathable layer of padding subassemblies, for example.
[0009] In one example, the padding layer may include collapsible
compartments and pliant "finger bristles" that are irreversibly
deformable if a yield strength is exceeded, but absorb lesser
impacts elastically. In a preferred embodiment, individual
compartments are in fluid communication through cross-channels
sized so as to exchange a fluid in response to a localized
pressure, thus converting a vectored impact pressure directed
against the helmet into a lateral pneumatic or hydraulic pressure
wave that disperses the impact force laterally around and across
the helmet body rather than into the head.
[0010] Progressively, the effects of concussive and sub-concussive
brain trauma have been acknowledged in many sports. Accordingly,
there exists a need for equipment and a method of reducing sports
related traumatic head injuries even further. Current rigid helmet
designs do not adequately protect the brain from transmission of
kinetic energy.
[0011] The elements, features, steps, and advantages of the
invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the
following detailed description of the invention, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which presently
preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of
example.
[0012] It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings
are for illustration and description only and are not intended as a
definition of the limits of the invention. The various elements,
features, steps, and combinations thereof that characterize aspects
of the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims
annexed to and forming part of this disclosure. The invention does
not necessarily reside in any one of these aspects taken alone, but
rather in the invention taken as a whole.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The teachings of the present invention are more readily
understood by considering the drawings in light of the
specification and claims.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a view of a football helmet of the prior art with
an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) co-polymer exterior shell,
a plastic known for its rigidity, strength and impact
resistance.
[0015] FIGS. 2A and 2B are transverse and coronal sections of a
skull. In the first view, an open braincase with sphenoid wings and
major cerebral vascular features is shown. In the second view,
layers of the skull and brain are exposed to illustrate the anatomy
of a subdural and an epidural hemorrhage.
[0016] FIGS. 3A and 3B are sectional views representing the
relationship of an exemplary layered helmet of the invention with
the layers of the skull and braincase. Shown here is a cutaway view
of a helmet with scale layer, shell layer, and cellular padding
materials sandwiched between a top and bottom coversheet.
[0017] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a helmet "shell" of a first
embodiment of the invention. Also shown is a faceguard. FIGS. 4B,
4C, 4D, 4E, 4F and 4G are side, front, underside, back and
perspective views of a resilient shell layer configured to absorb
impacts by a slotted shell construction.
[0018] FIG. 5A shows a plan view of a helmet shell with
mid-sagittal section plane. FIGS. 5B, 5C, and 5D are views showing
internal construction of the shell layer prior to addition of other
layers.
[0019] FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are detail views of reinforcing
"buttress" members that form a skeletal framework for the resilient
shell. Not shown in this view are the interconnecting parallel
"ribs" seen in earlier views.
[0020] FIGS. 7A and 7B are underside plan views of a shell with and
without an underlying padding layer.
[0021] FIG. 8 is a schematic of an exemplary helmet of the
invention having a plurality of layers, including scale layer,
elastomeric layer, shell layer, and padding layer with coversheet
surrounding the head space.
[0022] FIGS. 9A and 9B are exemplary exterior "scales" of the
invention. Two scale types are shown as isolated structural
components.
[0023] FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C are drawings of an exemplary
"scale-on-shell" construction.
[0024] FIGS. 11A and 11B are are frontal views of a model football
helmet showing an exterior of layered scale elements. Shown are
overlapping and flush-fitted scale types.
[0025] FIG. 12 is a side view of a helmet illustrating an exemplary
"scale-on-shell" construction in which scales are applied to the
ribs in an array that conforms to the shape of the shell so as to
form a smooth exterior surface.
[0026] FIG. 13 is an underside view of a helmet with a
partially-transparent padding layer applied to the inside shell
illustrated in FIG. 7A.
[0027] FIG. 14A is a detail view of representative dome-like
padding elements on a sheet. Care is taken to show elements of two
different vertical dimensions. FIGS. 14B and 14C represent
schematically an unstressed padding layer and a padding layer
subjected to a vertical/horizontal impact (bold arrows). The scalp
of the helmet wearer is shown in direct, closely fitting contact
with the padding elements.
[0028] FIG. 15A is a detail view of representative cuboidal padding
elements. Care is taken to show elements of two different vertical
dimensions. FIGS. 15B and 15C represent schematically an unstressed
padding layer and a padding layer subjected to a
vertical/horizontal impact (bold arrows) in which the padding layer
is stressed under load and with horizontal shear. The scalp of the
helmet wearer is shown in direct, closely fitting contact with the
padding elements.
[0029] FIG. 16A is a detail view of representative "finger" padding
elements in which the fingers are interdigitated. FIG. 16B shows a
finger padding layer subjected to a vertical/horizontal impact
(bold arrows) in which the fingers are stressed and compress under
load. Resilient recovery is illustrated in FIG. 16C. FIG. 16D
illustrates lateral shear with reversible finger deformation.
[0030] FIG. 17A is a schematic of a variant of the dome-like
padding elements in which elastic elements are interconnected in
series through narrow cross-channels so as to resist compression by
absorbing work of transfer of a fluid from one cell to another,
followed by re-equilibration when the load is removed. FIGS. 17B
and 17C illustrate the transfer process schematically (bold
arrow).
[0031] FIGS. 18A and 18B are views of a variant padding layer
construction, showing arrays of multiple elements with multiple
vertical dimensions and in this case (FIG. 18B) textured with fine
bristles lending a fractal third dimension to the padding.
[0032] FIGS. 19A and 19B represent an alternate padding
construction formed of bristles or "finger bristles" of resilient
material on the inside of said helmet shell. The view is as seen in
cross-section. FIG. 19B demonstrates compression of the helmet
under impact.
[0033] FIG. 20A is a posterior view of an alternate shell
latticework having hexagonal reticulation ("branches") and
anastomoses ("interconnections"). The ribbon branches of the
latticework connect to thicker frame-like members on either side of
the helmet (termed here "buttress members").
[0034] FIG. 20B is a sectional view (taken as shown in FIG. 20A)
through the branches and frame members of the latticework. Also
shown is a "cap layer" that seats between the buttress members and
covers the branching ribs of the shell with an embedded layer of
scales as another structural motif.
[0035] FIG. 20C is an isolated view of the shell layer with
buttress elements and branches. The section is taken to show the
open hexagonal web of the branched ribs.
[0036] FIG. 20D is a view of the cap layer in isolation from the
shell.
[0037] FIGS. 21A and 21B are action views showing a "before" and
"after" an impact (bold arrow), in which the deformation is
exaggerated for clarity. FIG. 21C is a detail view of scale and rib
motif cooperative flexion.
[0038] FIGS. 22A and 22B show an alternate construction of a helmet
in which the buttress elements are exposed on the exterior and
separate scale layers formed as front, side and back panels. The
branch elements of the shell, not visible in this view, support the
scale panels.
[0039] The posterior wishbone is positioned to limit impacts to the
occipital lobes of the brain, which have been shown to more
frequently lead to vascular tears and ischemia.
[0040] The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain
features or components herein may be shown in somewhat schematic
form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in
the interest of clarity, explanation, and conciseness. The drawing
figures are hereby made part of the specification, written
description and teachings disclosed herein.
[0041] Glossary
[0042] Certain terms are used throughout the following description
to refer to particular features, steps or components, and are used
as terms of description and not of limitation. As one skilled in
the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same
feature, step or component by different names. Components, steps or
features that differ in name but not in structure, function or
action are considered equivalent, and may be substituted herein
without departure from the invention. The following definitions
supplement those set forth elsewhere in this specification. Certain
meanings are defined here as intended by the inventor, i.e., they
are intrinsic meanings. Other words and phrases used herein take
their meaning as consistent with usage as would be apparent to one
skilled in the relevant arts. In case of conflict, the present
specification, including definitions, will control.
[0043] "Scale"--refers to plate-like elements, typically about
coin-sized or thereabouts, that are mounted externally on a
supporting shell, and that flex and yield when subjected to impact.
This microstructure redirects and diffuses impact energy that would
otherwise be directed against the skull of a person wearing the
helmet. "Dragonscale" is a preferred scale type, but the invention
is defined by a range of functional equivalents of scale elements
differing in size, thickness and shape. The yield may be elastic or
inelastic depending on the work function of the scale structure and
its mode of attachment to the helmet body. Scales refer more
generally to tensile elements having distinct elastic stretch and
bending moduli, and act in cooperation with compressive ribs and
buttresses of the shell layer to distribute and redirect impact
loads away from the point of impact. The tensile and bending moduli
of the combined structure are distinct from the moduli of the
complete helmet body.
[0044] "Shell layer" or "shell"--as used here refers to a plastic
member shaped to cover and surround most of the braincase, with an
opening for the face and ventilation, including generally a hole
over the ears. As described here, the shell is modified by a series
of external and internal layers that deform under impact to
disperse kinetic energy. The shells of the inventive helmets
include interconnected buttress elements and reticulations and
anastomoses defined by open slots or cutouts.
[0045] For simplicity, so as to describe the variants of structural
members effective in the invention, the term "shell layer" shall be
used to describe the skeletal latticework or framework, including
any ribs, reticulations and interconnects, and buttress members
that support the outside scales and inside padding. The shell is a
framework in compression under a force of impact. Synergically,
individual scales bend cooperatively with the rib members, but are
constrained by overlapping with adjoining rib members so as to
transfer impact force laterally from one rib to another while also
yielding so as to absorb some of the energy in the external layer.
The padding layer adds to the synergy achieved.
[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the shell layer is a unibody
construction, also sometimes termed a "monocoque" fabrication and
is typically formed of a resilient material such as nylon,
polycarbonate, block copolymers, or polypropylene, with or without
reinforcing fibers, while not limited thereto. Thus the shell layer
is one component layer of the multiple layers the make up the
helmet "body".
[0047] "Member"--a constituent part of a complex structure as a
leg, skeleton, branch or limb.
[0048] "Element"--a constituent piece of a complex structure, such
as a scale, a layer, a sub-layer, or an attachment thereto.
[0049] "Supple"--flexible and bending readily without breaking or
becoming deformed.
[0050] "Resilient"--refers to a material capable of deformation
with elastic recovery when subjected to a force that does work on
the material.
[0051] "Modulus"--in longitudinal testing mode refers to the
elastic modulus obtained for a sample will refer to the orientation
along the sample's length. In contrast, when a material is flexed
by testing in bending mode, there is both tension and compression.
For homogeneous and isotropic materials, the elastic modulus
measured in an axial test (longitudinal direction) corresponds to
the elastic modulus obtained from a bending test. However for
anisotropic and heterogeneous materials (such as having intra-and
interlayer structural motifs), the two moduli may not correspond as
measured--because the stressed surface is under a tensile load and
the deeper core or opposite surface is under compressive load in
bending tests. In both stretch and bending testing, there is
generally a range over which loads are tolerated with full recovery
and a load at which a permanent yield or deformation occurs.
[0052] "Branch" or "rib"--refers to a framework of members
extending between buttress members and conforming to the general
shape of a conventional shell or body of a conventional helmet. The
branched members of the shell layer are configured with flexural
properties and resilience so as to flex and recover independently
when subjected to an impact and spreading any force laterally over
a larger surface area--while absorbing at least a part of the
blow's energy.
[0053] "Chronic traumatic encephalopathy"--refers to a neurological
pathology characterized by mental slowing and dysfunctions
resulting from multiple jolts that result in unrepaired tissue
damage, ischemia, gliosis, or scarring in the brain.
[0054] General connection terms including, but not limited to
"connected," "attached," "conjoined," "secured," and "affixed" are
not meant to be limiting, such that structures so "associated" may
have more than one way of being associated. "Fluidly connected"
indicates a connection for conveying a fluid therethrough. Fluids
may refer to liquids or gases having suitable hydraulic or
pneumatic properties.
[0055] Relative terms should be construed as such. For example, the
term "front" is meant to be relative to the term "back," the term
"upper" is meant to be relative to the term "lower," the term
"vertical" is meant to be relative to the term "horizontal," the
term "top" is meant to be relative to the term "bottom," and the
term "inside" is meant to be relative to the term "outside," and so
forth. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the terms "first,"
"second," "third," and "fourth" are meant solely for purposes of
designation and not for order or for limitation. Reference to "one
embodiment," "an embodiment," or an "aspect," means that a
particular feature, structure, step, combination or characteristic
described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included
in at least one realization of the present invention. Thus, the
appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an
embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not
necessarily all referring to the same embodiment and may apply to
multiple embodiments. Furthermore, particular features, structures,
or characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable
manner in one or more embodiments.
[0056] "Adapted to" includes and encompasses the meanings of
"capable of" and additionally, "designed to", as applies to those
uses intended by the patent. In contrast, a claim drafted with the
limitation "capable of" also encompasses unintended uses and
misuses of a functional element beyond those uses indicated in the
disclosure. Aspex Eyewear v Marchon Eyewear 672 F3d 1335, 1349 (Fed
Circ 2012). "Configured to", as used here, is taken to indicate is
able to, is designed to, and is intended to function in support of
the inventive structures, and is thus more stringent than "enabled
to".
[0057] It should be noted that the terms "may," "can," and "might"
are used to indicate alternatives and optional features and only
should be construed as a limitation if specifically included in the
claims. The various components, features, steps, or embodiments
thereof are all "preferred" whether or not specifically so
indicated. Claims not including a specific limitation should not be
construed to include that limitation. For example, the term "a" or
"an" as used in the claims does not exclude a plurality.
[0058] "Conventional" refers to a term or method designating that
which is known and commonly understood in the technology to which
this invention relates.
[0059] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the
specification and claims that follow, the term "comprise" and
variations thereof, such as, "comprises" and "comprising" are to be
construed in an open, inclusive sense--as in "including, but not
limited to."
[0060] A "method" as disclosed herein refers to one or more steps
or actions for achieving the described end. Unless a specific order
of steps or actions is required for proper operation of the
embodiment, the order and/or use of specific steps and/or actions
may be modified without departing from the scope of the present
invention.
[0061] The appended claims are not to be interpreted as including
means-plus-function limitations, unless a given claim explicitly
evokes the means-plus-function clause of 35 USC .sctn.112 para (f)
by using the phrase "means for" followed by a verb in gerund
form.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0062] The shell layer of the inventive helmet fits onto the head
of a person and is resilient and bendable--not rigid--so as to
absorb and redirect forces of impact; thus reducing concussive
effects on the brain. Resilience is achieved by selection of
elastomeric materials, but also by selective weakening and thinning
of the shell and by use of multiple layers outside and inside the
shell layer. The inventive athletic helmets generally include a
plurality of layers, each configured to act cooperatively with
elements of other layers so as to absorb and redirect impact forces
away from the point of impact. While not limited thereto, the
plurality of layers typically includes a shell layer, a scale layer
mounted externally on the shell layer, and a padding layer mounted
internally on the shell layer.
[0063] A conventional football helmet is depicted in FIG. 1. Shown
is a view of a football helmet 10 of the prior art. The helmet
includes a solid, rigid "shell" 1 with face guard 2 and padded
interior 3. The rear aspect of the helmet is indicated to be
impacting (*) a hard surface 5 such as the ground (bold arrow). The
material for construction of the exterior shell is typically
acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) co-polymer; a plastic known
for its rigidity, strength and impact resistance. Polycarbonate
blends may also be used. The shell may include vents to prevent
overheating and may include a padding system fitting an
individual's skull shape. Thermoplastic urethane foams,
polyethylene, silicone, rubber, and "memory foams" are sometimes
used on the belief that the resilient foam is an improvement over
exploded polystyrene (EPS) crushable foams. Resilient vinyl nitrile
foam padding is also used. The padding is positioned between the
rigid shell and the skull. Proprietary foams include "Enkayse"
(HEADKAYSE, London UK), XRD(R) and PORON(R) (Rogers Corp., Cranford
N.J.). No padding or impact absorbing feature is used on the
outside of the shell. Thus these helmets have have two well-defined
layers.
[0064] Helmets for organized sports typically meet or comply with
established standards of the National Operating Committee on
Standards for Athletic Equipment, or NOCSAE. While these helmets
are designed to be rigid and to meet recognized standards for head
protection when worn properly, impact to the head often results in
trauma precisely because of the rigid construction of the helmets.
Padding has not proven effective because the shell behaves in
impact as a rigid body that concentrates the force on a single
point directly on the braincase. Experience in professional sports
has increasingly demonstrated widespread brain injury, once thought
limited only to boxing.
[0065] Head injury can be much more effectively treated if
immediately detected and the design and engineering of the helmets
of the invention is undertaken in the recognition that the longer
term sequelae of head injury can be reduced by reduction of kinetic
energy transfer to the skull, accurate and real time detection and
quantitation of impact (with intervention as required), or a
combination of both. The consistent reduction of impact force
directed through the skull reduces the incidence and severity of
traumatic head injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy as
compared to a conventional helmet.
[0066] FIGS. 2A and 2B are transverse and coronal sections of a
skull. In a first view, the delicacy of the brain's internal
vasculature is illustrated, in which an open skullcase with
sphenoid wings and cerebral vascular features is shown. It can be
seen that the protrusions of the sphenoid processes impinge on
critical vessels when the brain is knocked back and forth in the
braincase. Injury can occur directly at the site of an impact or on
the opposite side of the brain; brain compression and expansion
results in vascular and tissue damage. Also differentiated are
diffuse axonal injury and coup/contrecoup ischemic injury.
[0067] In the second view, FIG. 2B, layers of the skullcase and
brain are shown to illustrate a subdural and epidural hemorrhage in
which a break in a blood vessel as a result of an impact results in
extravasated blood, i.e., a hematoma. Hematomas may be subdural,
epidural, or cerebral. Subdural hematoma is a serious and not
uncommon result of a blow to the head, where bleeding is located
between the dura and the arachnoid mater, as from a jarring
concussion to the brain. This condition is known to become chronic
with repeated tears of vessels or capillaries and also results in
some level of localized ischemia and progressive disability or
personality changes.
[0068] Epidural hematoma is associated with a tear in the cerebral
arteries between the skull and the brain, most often the middle
meningeal artery. Chronic damage can result in persistent
drowsiness, inattentiveness or incoherence, headaches and
personality changes. Tears of the middle meningeal artery are
particularly common in acute head injury.
[0069] Intracerebral hematoma has a poor prognosis, and is
basically a stroke resulting from a blow to the head, leading to
cerebral edema and ischemia with loss of function. Skull fractures
are less common in professional sports, but may be encountered.
[0070] Contusions and localized ischemia can occur when the skull
impacts the brain, a "coup" injury, and also when the brain impacts
the skull, as in "contrecoup" injuries that occur on the side of
the head opposite the original impact as the result of its elastic
recoil away from the site of impact. Fluids may be forced into and
out of tissues so fast that cavitation results, leading to severe
tissue damage. It is also known that lesser but frequent
"sub-concussive" impacts result in cumulative pathology that is not
fully repaired. Injury occurs at a vascular or tissue level by
transmission of the kinetic energy of an impact to the brain. The
dura is separated from the skullcase by only a thin arachnoid layer
and pia mater, tissue layers that are poor at cushioning impact.
Principally, the brain is compressed by an impact and reflates
during a recovery period.
[0071] Contrecoup vascular and tissue injuries to the frontal lobes
occur due to posterior head impact, and may be the most common and
extensive injury seen [Goggio A F, 1941. The mechanism of
contre-coup injury. J Neuro Neurosurg Psych. 4:11-22; Smith E.
1974. Influence of site of impact on cognitive impairment
persisting long after severe closed head injury. 37:719-26]. The
importance of the helmet in reducing the anisotropic force of
posterior impacts to the head is thus an important factor that
remains unrecognized in current helmet design. Traditional design
of athletic helmets include a rigid outer layer, as well as some
type of padding that is a lining material intended to give comfort
and help absorb shock. These conventional designs fail to
adequately address the full impact of kinetic energy transmitted to
the back of the brain and its cumulative effects.
[0072] Thus preventative measures are needed to reduce the impact
transferred to the brain. These impacts occur for example when a
player is brought to the ground with a head pounding tackle, when
players butt heads, and when players are overturned and land on
their heads. It is unlikely that the head can be taken out of the
game of football, but the force of the impacts can be reduced by
structuring the helmet to absorb some of the kinetic energy of the
impacts.
[0073] The technical term for sudden impact is "jolt", a change in
acceleration of a moving body, and is expressed mathematically
as,
{circumflex over (j)}(t)=(.delta.a(t)/.delta.t (Eq 1)
where is acceleration (m/s.sup.2) and t is time. The vector (t) is
given in m/s.sup.3 but may also be expressed in units of standard
gravity per second ("G's per second"), and the magnitude of each
jolt can be added so that successive jolts in a series during a
game--without reference to vector direction--are cumulative. A more
complete analysis of motion of a sponge-like body, the brain in its
viscous fluid domain, is not needed to understand the principles
behind the inventive helmets disclosed here, and no limitation is
to be construed based on theory.
[0074] FIGS. 3A and 3B are sectional views that represent the
relationship of a layered helmet of the invention to the layers of
the skull and brain. Views are shown of a helmet having a layer of
scales 31 as will be described in more detail below on top of a
shell layer 32 having reticulations and interconnections so as to
form a reinforced latticework that holds its shape but may be
flexed in full or in part so as to cooperatively absorb an impact
and redistribute most or much of the kinetic energy of the impact
laterally within the helmet thickness.
[0075] Also shown here is an inside view of a padding layer 33
having cellular padding elements 34 sandwiched between a top and
bottom sheet. The internal padding layer 33 here includes padding
cells 34 having a generally truncated-conical shape. The cells
narrow toward their external apex so as to promote selective
collapse at the "outer tips" of the cells during any impact that is
not fully absorbed in the outside scale layer.
[0076] Optionally, there may be added layers, such as an
elastomeric matrix between the scales and the shell. Layers of the
skullcase and brain are also shown as labelled. A headspace open
volume 35 is identified for receiving the player's head and hair,
and may include an air gap between the head and the bottom sheet of
the padding layer 33. While not to scale, the helmet thickness is
substantially greater than the thickness of the skull and internal
fluid space surrounding the brain (as bounded by the dura and the
pia mater).
[0077] FIG. 3B also depicts a helmet having a plurality of layers.
The layers include an outside sheath that may be transparent or
colored and may be breathable but waterproof. The layer is
generally slick so as to allow helmets to slide over surfaces
rather than be impeded by surface roughness. The sheath layer
covers the scale layer and also acts as a tensile member to promote
cooperative flexure of the scales. The scale layer may be
segmented, as when each scale is mounted with an individual
silicone rubber washer , or may be a continuous layer formed or
applied over the entire shell and having pores or holes for cooling
as shown in FIG. 20B. Individual scales (not shown) are affixed or
otherwise mounted to the "resilient layer" (such as made of nylon
or polycarbonate), termed here the shell. The resilient layer may
take the form of an open latticework so as to increase its
flexibility and resilience. A schematic demonstration of how the
scales flex and yield cooperatively with the shell is depicted in
FIGS. 19B, 21B and 21C (described below).
[0078] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a helmet "shell" of a first
embodiment of the invention. Also shown is a faceguard. FIGS. 4B,
4C, 4D, 4E, 4F and 4G are side, front, underside, back and
perspective views of a resilient shell configured to absorb impacts
by a slotted shell construction in which the slots function
generally like expansion joints.
[0079] In this model, the unibody shell 40 is modified to create
slots that weaken the rigidity of the helmet and define parallel
lateral ribs 41. The transverse ribs support a secondary outside
layer having a plurality of smaller scale elements that absorb
impact force by deforming cooperatively with the ribs of the shell.
The invention is not limited to parallel slots and ribs.
[0080] Also shown is an "X" shaped structural frame of less supple
members that buttress the ribs and hence are called "buttress
members" 42. The buttress members are positioned over padded areas
(described below), such that the ribs are engineered to direct
kinetic energy over as large a padded area as possible. Buttress
members are positioned in an inverted wishbone shape over the
occipital lobs and in another inverted wishbone shape over the
temples where bones of the skull are weaker. The two wishbones are
conceived to be joined stemwise at the crest or crown 43 of the
helmet in the form of a duplex wishbone having four arms. The
lateral ribs or "reticulations" that branch from the buttress
members support a secondary outside layer having a plurality of
smaller scale elements that absorb impact force by yielding as will
be shown below.
[0081] More generally, a pattern of holes or slots divides the
shell layer into a "scaffold" or framework including buttress
members having a generally "X" shape and, a more bendable ribbon
latticework formed of rib members originating from and joining
adjacent arms of the scaffold. The shell is generally a unibody
construct. Another layer is applied over the shell and includes
"scale" elements that attach to the ribs and may be seated on or
embedded in a supple elastomeric layer, generally in the manner of
scales on a fish. The interior of the helmet includes a third layer
made of one or more padding elements selected from resilient cells,
foam, collapsible cells, pliant fingers, and "memory" finger
bristles arranged in an array so as to redirect and distribute
impact loads laterally and away from the point of impact. The
helmet defines an opening for receiving a wearer's head, the
opening having a reinforced lip 44 that is part of the ribbon
lattice and scaffold.
[0082] The ribbon latticework includes a scaffold of primary
buttress members from which secondary rib or branch members
reticulate and interconnect. The shell scaffold and ribs are
configured to deform cooperatively and resiliently in response to
an impact, the cooperative response to an impact being made
synergic by the addition of an overlayer of scales that overlap or
adjoin so as to transmit an impact laterally over multiple
structural members of the shell while absorbing some of the
impact.
[0083] In a preferred embodiment, the shell layer is a unibody
construction, also sometimes termed "monocoque" fabrication and is
typically formed of a relatively stiff but resilient material such
as a plastic.
[0084] Any description of a preferred shell fabrication technology
is not a limiting description. Other fabrication methods are known
in the art. Preferred materials include those that are injection
moldable, but may also include other plastics, optionally with
fiber reinforcement, that meet the engineering criteria for
resilience. This may be a bending modulus, for example, as known in
the art.
[0085] Each rib 41 is configured to flex or bend independently. The
ribs with separating slots are positioned in the most impacted
zones on side and rear of shell surface such that rib flexure is
enhanced by the slots acting as expansion joints between the rib
members. The scales act to guide the flexing of the ribs and will
flex when the ribs flex.
[0086] Shapes may be dimensioned so that individual tiled scale
elements are fitted round curved surfaces according to the degree
of curvature, or to accommodate any holes in the underlying shell,
such as an ear hole. In combination, the scale elements and rib
members of the shell may have a new bending and tensile modulus
that is not predictable from the individual moduli of the materials
taken separately, as is determined by the dimensions and relative
scale of the heterogeneous structure taken as a whole.
[0087] FIG. 5A shows a plan view of a helmet shell 40 with
mid-sagittal section plane. FIGS. 5B, 5C, and 5D are views showing
internal construction of the shell prior to addition of other
layers. Parallel lateral bands represent ribs 41 and vertical bands
forming an "X" at the crest 43 (as when viewed from the top)
represent buttress members 42. Also reinforced is a lip 44
bordering the opening for receiving the head of a player. A
faceguard is consistently shown in the figures but helmets not
having faceguards are also embodiments of the invention when formed
as a plurality of layers in which the shell layer is defined by a
latticework of buttress members and rib members that act
cooperatively to flex when impacted.
[0088] FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are detail views of reinforcing
"buttress" members 42 that form a skeletal framework for the
resilient shell. Not shown in this view are the interconnecting
parallel ribs seen in earlier views. Also reinforcing is a lip 44
that forms the lower margin of the shell and extends over the eyes
of the player. The lip is retracted to allow greater peripheral
vision, and may support an open window on each side of the helmet
if more side vision is needed. The shell may be configured with or
without a faceguard for other sports such as hockey, kendo,
baseball, soccer, rugby, equestrian sports, and contact sports in
general, and including applications for "special needs" activities.
The posterior buttress members are positioned to limit impacts to
the occipital lobes of the brain, which have been shown to more
frequently lead to vascular tears and ischemia.
[0089] FIGS. 7A and 7B are underside plan views of a shell 40 with
and without an underlying padding layer. Looking up into the shell
from the underside in FIG. 7A, the crest 43, lateral ribs 41,
buttress members 42, and lip 44 forming the lower margin are
shown.
[0090] In FIG. 7B, a padding layer with multiple cushion elements
71, 72, 73, 74 are shown. The padding elements attach to the frame
directly or indirectly via snaps, VELCRO (R), or straps, and
generally may be removed for cleaning or replacement.
[0091] FIG. 8 details a cross-section of an exemplary helmet of the
invention, the inventive helmet having a plurality of layers,
including scale layer, elastomeric layer, shell layer, and padding
layer surrounding a headspace 80. From exterior to interior, the
layers may include a scale layer, an elastomer layer joining the
scale layer to the shell layer, a shell layer, and an internal
padding layer, optionally with added layers. Layer-by-layer
construction is demonstrated, each layer having elements sized from
macro- to micro- so as to maximize cooperative interactions, acting
essentially at a micro-scale having heterogeneous interacting
structural motifs. For example, cale element size is dimensioned
according to lattice rib member size; padding element size is
dimensioned so as to act cooperatively with the latticework shell,
and so forth. The dimensions of the ribs are configured to support
individual scales mounted in arrays or rows so as to overlap the
slots or holes between the ribs. In this way a porous, lightweight,
but impact-diffusive and uninterrupted surface is realized. Scales
are not shown individually here but attach to the underlying shell.
The shell is generally a layer formed by injection molding and
having an overall shape sufficient to be worn on and protect the
skull in a headspace 80, while permitting vision and hearing.
[0092] Inside the shell is a layer of padding elements; each
padding element may be attaching to a breathable segmented
coversheet that is relatively supple and seats itself in contact
with the head of the wearer. The padding elements themselves are
not shown here, but may be of multiple sizes and multiple shapes or
materials so as to absorb energy using the multi-layered approach
pioneered here. Some padding elements may be large and readily
visible, other padding cells may be microscopic and concealed, and
these may be combined to produce a padding layer that is both
cushioning, resilient, and provides ventilation. The underlayer of
the padding elements or coversheet may be segmented, textured
and/or porous to permit convective cooling. Gaps between or
clearances under the padding elements is provided to promote
cooling. The spaces between the elements serve to accommodate
partial collapse of the padding when absorbing an impact as will be
described below. Padding elements may be incorporated in sections
so as to improve fit and ease of assembly.
[0093] The flex of the helmet scale layer and shell layer is aided
in absorbing kinetic energy by a cooperative compression of the
padding cells. Individual padding elements may be filled with a
filler that is a pliant or a resilient material, or a combination
thereof. The filler may be an open-cell foam or a closed-cell foam
for example. Alternatively, the padding elements are fluidly
interconnected cells and are filled with a gas or liquid. Impact
load is distributed by a network of pneumatic or hydraulic channels
or orifices dimensioned to deflate and reflate by redistribution of
the gas or liquid from a cell under load to surrounding cells. As
needed, the cells are separated by vented spaces having each a
volume configured to receive flexural distortion of the cell walls
or partitions under load, for example in which the cell members
taper from the shell-side to the headspace-side.
[0094] In other instances one or more cells may be pneumatically
driven by an apparatus that triggers release of a gas into the
cells in response to an impact as detected by a sensor. The gas may
distribute itself into one or more compartments after impact so as
to reduce the acceleration of the impact, and may then slowly vent.
Miniaturization of air bag technology has progressed to the point
that use in helmets is practical without significantly enlarging
the helmet and sensor response using a nanosecond clock and
microcontroller is readily fast enough to inflate the bag or bags
before the skull is impacted.
[0095] FIGS. 9A and 9B are exemplary exterior "scales" of the
invention. Two scale types are shown (90a, 90b) as isolated
structural components. These are generally about coin-sized plates
having a level of flexibility and resilience effective in joining
the ribs into an "exoskeleton" suitable for cooperatively
distributing impact loads. As described in more detail below, the
scale layer is attached as an exterior layer on the shell layer
described earlier. When the shell is fully covered with scales, no
slots or gaps remain, however, the slots between the rib members of
the shell serve essentially as expansion joints to accommodate
flexure of the helmet during impact and to maximize passive
absorption of the kinetic energy of impact. Scales flex with the
ribs, and vice versa, dispersing impact forces laterally from the
impact point.
[0096] The plates may be attached individually to the underlying
shell or may be embedded in an elastomeric layer such as a silicone
gel and applied according to an area of the helmet to be
covered.
[0097] The scales may be opaque, transparent, or colored; the
material may be pliant, resilient, compressible, or stiff.
[0098] The scales may be sized to achieve the greatest absorption
of impact energy. The scales act to guide the flexing of the ribs
and any underlying padding layers, the whole acting cooperatively
to absorb impacts. Other scale shapes may also be used, such as
circular, ovoid, tear-shaped, and irregular shapes. Scales may be
formed having an outline of a circle or an ovoid, or shaped as a
feather, adding some individuality or team identity to the
helmet.
[0099] FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C are drawings of an exemplary
scale-on-shell construction. In a first view, scales represented by
scale element 91a are attached to a rib member 92. Scales 91b and
91c are in process of assembly. A rivet or pin (not shown) may be
used to affix the scales to the rib. Scales are fitted to the shell
so as to entirely cover the helmet, from crown to collar, covering
any slots or holes and completing the exoskeleton.
[0100] In FIG. 10B, the rib member 93 includes preformed pins 94
and the scales 95 are configured to be snapped onto the pins. Each
scale may be individually mounted for easy replacement in the event
of damage. Scales are mounted on a molded shell latticework, the
shell having transverse ribs 93 capable of independent flexure with
the scales.
[0101] In FIG. 10C, the rib member 96 is formed with slots 97 for
receiving a pin pre-formed on the scale 98. Thus a variety of
fastening systems can be used to attach scales to the rib members
of the shell.
[0102] FIG. 11A is a frontal view of a "dragonscale" football
helmet 100 showing an exterior scale layer formed by
"scale-on-shell" construction that conceals the latticework and
ribs. Shown are overlapping scales 90a fitted to the helmet on a
protective framework reinforced where needed to resist occipital
and temporal impacts, and to support attachment of a faceguard. The
helmet also may be configured for other sports such as hockey,
kendo, baseball, soccer (where "heading" shots are common),
Lacrosse, rugby, equestrian sports, and contact sports in general,
and including applications for "special needs" activities.
[0103] The helmet is formed so when a person is impacted in the
head, the scales, structural members of the shell, and padding
layers will absorb the force of the impact and disperse it
laterally through the helmet thickness, rather than concentrating
the force on a single weak spot or transmitting it to the skull.
Essentially the helmet is configured to flex at several dimensional
scales, including macro- and micro-scales, as the result of a
multi-layered construction and by use of interdigitated elements on
multiple levels. The flexure and/or deformation of the scales
results in dissipation of the energy of the impact, converting
energy to work done on the helmet structures--rather than work done
on the brain of the person wearing the helmet.
[0104] In FIG. 11B, a similar helmet 101 is covered with larger
scales 101a that are flush-fitted in a bowl-like hexagonal or
"honeycomb" pattern. Scales may be tensile elements capable of
limiting or reducing stretch of the exterior layer. By combining
tensile elements with the underlying compressive ribs and
buttresses of the shell, a living structure is obtained that has
tensegrity, the capacity to redistribute loads across serially
mounted tensile and compressive motifs. This may be increased by
combining a resilient and elastic scale element with an outer layer
that is thin, slick, but strongly resists stretching so that again,
but at a fractal scale, individual elements are ordered by impact
loads into larger structural arrays undergoing combined tensile and
compressive load redistribution laterally across the surface and
around in the thickness of the helmet body while limiting impact
load residual vector against the braincase. In this instance the
combination of structural elements organized as interactive layers
exhibits a new tensile modulus and bending modulus that favors
redistribution of loads laterally through micro-bending of
heterogeneous structural motifs rather than in line with the impact
force, and thus represents an advance in the art.
[0105] FIG. 12 is a side view of a helmet illustrating an exemplary
"scale-on-shell" construction in which scales are applied to the
ribs in an array that conforms to the shape of the shell. Shown
here are selected patches or panels of hexagonal scale elements
that are placed so as to completely cover the exposed shell
buttresses and reticulations. The scale array is trimmed off or
formed to conform to the edges of the helmet so as to form a smooth
exterior surface. The smooth surface is useful to allow the helmet
to slide across and over any obstruction without catching. An
exterior slick plastic film may also be applied over the layers so
that the surface has reduced friction.
[0106] Individual scales may be modified to accept fittings for
attaching a faceguard and straps. In some instances the scales
overlap so as to promote transfer of energy from one scale to the
next (FIG. 21C). In other instances, as shown here, the scales are
flush fitted or are separated by narrow gaps that promote, in
concert with the ribs, ventilation of the headspace through many
holes. Breathable plastics may also be used, including scales
formed as porous reticulated plates. The scale elements may be
applied individually as shown in FIG. 10A. In other instances the
scales will be formed in situ.
[0107] Advantageously, ventilation of the helmet body is improved
by segmentation of the layers and by provision for exchange of air
through the lattice framework of the shell, unlike conventional
helmets used in professional sports. The inventive helmets find use
in football, as batting caps, in hockey, rugby, Lacrosse, soccer,
hockey, karate, and any sport where mental dysfunction resulting
from acute or cumulative head trauma is experienced.
[0108] In one embodiment, the scales may be formed after the
desired material is positioned over the shell. Individual seams are
opened up to allow the shell layer to flex with an engineered level
of suppleness and resilience that is determined by the size of the
elements, the thickness, and the materials themselves. Various
scale shapes, such as fish scales, coins, feathers, or diamonds,
may be used. In some instances the scales will interlock or be
shaped to fit flush with the surrounding exterior surface. In some
instances the scales include an outside film having a higher
tensile strength than the scale body. The outside film may be
selected to afford a slick, slippery and even water repellent
surface to the outside of the helmet, while the helmet structural
framework still provides breathability between the ribs and scale
elements and through the padding, an improvement over conventional
art.
[0109] In embodiments having detachable scales, the helmet may need
repair after a strong impact, but the improved safety more than
warrants the maintenance or replacement of a helmet. And synergy is
also achieved when two helmets of opposing players, each having one
of the multi-layered energy dissipation systems of the invention,
are impacted against each other, each yielding with progressive
reduction of impact force.
[0110] FIG. 13 is an underside view of a helmet with a padding
layer. For comparison, a helmet without the padding layer is shown
in FIG. 7A, where are shown are the latticework members of the bare
shell to which a patterned array of dome-like padding elements 131
are applied as in FIG. 13. Each dome is in this case a sealed cell
filled with a fluid such as air, and is compressible by virtue of
elastic walls that flatten and stretch under impact load and
recover when the load is relieved. Cells containing foam material
may also be used.
[0111] FIG. 14A is a detail view of representative dome-like
padding elements in array 140. Care is taken to show elements
(130,131) of two different vertical dimensions, resulting in a
fractally ordered pressure response. The dome-like cells are formed
as part of a sheet 133 with inside face 133a. Each cell has a wall
132 formed by sandwiching the dome cavities between two plastic
films and fusing the films. The sheet is fitted to the inside of
the shell piecewise so as to fully cover the shell.
[0112] FIGS. 14B and 14C represent schematically an unstressed
padding layer and a padding layer subjected to a
vertical/horizontal impact (bold arrows). The padding layer is a
sheet having an inside face 133a and an outside face 133b. Each
sheet contains two different sized cells in arrays 134 and 135, the
cells having each a characteristic vertical dimension (134a, 135a).
The scalp 139 of the helmet wearer is shown in direct, closely
fitting contact with the padding elements. By using different sized
cells, impacts can be progressively dispersed by a first-contacting
cell array 134 with the larger cell array, and then by contacting
the smaller cell array 135, improving ventilation and achieving a
layered response to force, an advance in the art.
[0113] These heterogeneous arrays of padding elements are also
examples of structural intralayer motifs that confer anisotropic
properties on the helmet body taken as a whole. Bending moduli are
no longer simple curves with linearity over a limited range of
stresses followed by a yield point, but instead are complex curves
having one or more inflexion points in the stress-strain curve.
[0114] FIG. 15A is a detail view of a representative cuboidal
padding element array 150. Care is taken to show elements (151,152)
of two different vertical dimensions. The cuboid cells are formed
as part of a sheet 153 with inside face 153a. Each cell has a wall
156 formed by sandwiching the cavities between two plastic films
and fusing the films. The sheet is fitted to the inside of the
shell piecewise so as to fully cover the shell. FIGS. 15B and 15C
represent schematically an unstressed padding layer and a padding
layer subjected to a vertical/horizontal impact (bold arrows) in
which the padding layer is stressed under load and with horizontal
shear. The padding layer is a sheet having an inside face 153a and
an outside face 153b. Each sheet contains two different sized cells
in overlapping arrays 154 and 155, the cells having each a
characteristic vertical dimension (154a, 155a). The scalp 139 of
the helmet wearer is shown in direct, closely fitting contact with
the padding elements. By using different sized cuboid cells,
impacts can be progressively dispersed by a first-contacting cell
array 154 with the larger cell array, and then by contacting the
smaller cell array 155, resulting in a unique intralayer structural
motif as a heterogeneous combination.
[0115] FIG. 16A is a detail view of representative "finger" padding
element array 160 in which the fingers (161,162) are interdigitated
between two opposing sheets (162,163). An air gap 165 separates the
opposing sheets. Each sheet has a wall formed by sandwiching the
finger cavities between two plastic films and fusing the films to
form each sheet. The sheets 163,164 are fitted to the inside of the
shell piecewise so as to fully cover the shell.
[0116] FIGS. 16B shows a duplex finger padding layer subjected to a
vertical/horizontal impact (bold arrows) in which the fingers are
stressed and compress under load. Each wall (166,167) reversibly
deforms under load. Resilient recovery is illustrated in FIG. 16C,
in which the two sheets relax and reconstitute the air gap 165.
FIG. 16D illustrates lateral shear with reversible finger
deformation.
[0117] In principle, a similar cushion is achieved using finger
bristles of a somewhat supple but resilient material that collapses
and yields to be efficacious in reducing the residual kinetic
energy that reaches the skull. In some instances the finger
bristles are elastic, in other instances the padding includes
pliant, crushable members that absorb impact and do not recover
immediately, with the expectation that a player must replace the
helmet after it has absorbed a significant impact and one or more
layers have crumpled or otherwise deformed.
[0118] FIG. 17A is a schematic of a variant of the dome-like
padding elements in which an array 170 of larger and smaller
elastic dome elements (171,172) are interconnected in a network
through narrow cross-channels 173 formed in a sheet 174 so as to
resist compression by absorbing work of transfer of a fluid from
one cell to another with expansion or collapse of wall area 175,
followed by re-equilibration when the load is removed. FIGS. 17B
and 17C illustrate the transfer process schematically. Bubble 171a
collapses under pressure (bold arrow) and bubble 171b becomes
hyperdistended, or passes air (dashed arrow) to another chamber
(not shown) via interconnect 175. Graduated loading is also
achieved by providing multiple vertical heights (171a,171b) of the
bubble members.
[0119] FIGS. 18A and 18B are views of variant padding layer
construction, showing arrays of multiple elements with multiple
vertical dimensions and in this case (FIG. 18B) may be textured
with small bristles 188 having a finer fractal dimension for
ventilation.
[0120] In FIG. 18A, dashed arrows indicate transfer of air under
loading and re-equilibration during recovery from an impact. The
bubble elements (181,182) are elastic and resilient and are
interconnected at adjoining partitions 183 by a reinforced hole 184
having defined microfluidic flow admittance, so that elastic
resistance to an impact load is graduated. The sheets 185 are
assembled by a roll process and are assembled in the helmet
piecewise or are run through a nipper that cuts off excess material
around defined padding layer sections.
[0121] Micro-venting (two-headed arrows) between pneumatic
compartments can be used to redirect impacts having a vector
directed at the skull into a lateral pressure wave moving around
the skull instead of against it, analogously to the waveform
(dashed arrows) shown schematically in FIG. 21B. In both instances
the forces are dispersed laterally rather than transmitted directly
to the skull. The side venting action is shown schematically with a
double headed arrow in FIG. 18A to indicate that there is a
re-equilibration after an impact where the padding shapes recover
and air flows back into the original compartments (181,182).
[0122] FIGS. 19A and 19B represent an alternate padding
construction 190 formed of bristles or "finger bristles" of
resilient material on the inside of the helmet shell 192. An
exterior scale layer 191 is again shown. The view is as seen in
cross-section. FIG. 19B demonstrates compression of the helmet
under impact. The deformation can be elastic, returning to its
original shape, or inelastic, where the impact results in a
permanent deformation. Bristle or columnar elements flex and act to
transfer load laterally inside the helmet thickness without
impacting the skull. Bristle elements may be formed for example
from Koroyd (Koroyd SARL Monaco MC), a tubular copolymer having
tertiary structure as a sandwich material.
[0123] FIGS. 19A and 19B are renderings of a helmet before and
after impact as seen in cross-section. In these figures, the
underlying padding has a "bristle" structure, like a forest of
finger bristles standing on a segmented, breathable inner layer in
direct contact with the head of the helmet wearer. The layer of
bristles mounted inside the helmet shell has multiple finger
bristles of a resilient material, such that each finger is
separated by vented spaces having a volume sufficient to receive
flexural distortion of the fingers under load. Bristles generally
have a relaxation times (i.e., memory) configured to optimize the
conversion of impact kinetic energy into deformation of the
bristles. By deforming, the bristle cushions the underlying brain
from the impact. The deformation can be elastic, returning to its
original shape, or inelastic, where the impact results in a
permanent deformation and necessitates replacement of the
helmet.
[0124] FIG. 19B is a schematic of the cooperative behavior of the
scales, ribs and padding when impacted. Scale layer and shell layer
flexion is cooperatively transmitted to neighboring scales (FIG.
21C), diffusing the impact and minimizing the displacement of the
brain in the brainpan so as to reduce fluid disturbances and cell
pathology. Padding cells are compressed and laterally press on
adjoining cells to transmit the impact force laterally instead of
into the brain.
[0125] FIG. 20A is a posterior view of an alternate shell
latticework 200 having hexagonal reticulation ("branches") and
anastomoses ("interconnections"). The ribbon branches 201 of the
latticework connect to a thicker frame-like buttress member 202 on
either side of the helmet and at the base 203. Hexagonal holes 204
separate the reticulations. In this way, impact loads are
distributed over the latticework (by cooperative bending) from the
point of impact so as to cushion the blow.
[0126] The outline of the entire helmet 205 is divided by a
skeleton of wishbone frame members having a general "X" shape where
the intersection of the legs is at the crest 43 of the helmet.
Reticulations join the legs of the X at each of four quadrants:
posterior (shown here), frontal, right side and left side. The
scale layer is omitted for clarity in this drawing of the hexagonal
latticework and wishbone frame. With cooperative interactions
mediated by the scale elements, loads are distributed to the
thicker elements which form a generally less supple framework that
takes load from the more elastic and supple branch members in the
back, side, and front panels.
[0127] FIG. 20B is a sectional view (taken as shown in FIG. 20A)
through the reticulations (201a,201b,201c,201d) and buttress
members 202 of the latticework. The honeycomb openings 204 are
evident between the latticework members. Also shown in this view is
a "cap layer" 206 that seats between the buttress members and
covers the branching ribs (201a,201b,201c,201d) and spaces 204 of
the shell. The cap layer 206 is supple and cushioning, but
resilient and is reinforced with internal scale elements 207 that
bridge the openings between the ribs. Individual scale elements are
represented here by a dashed line, each dash being a scale embedded
in the cap layer. The cap layer with reinforcing scales has a
tensile strength that operates to distribute loads laterally by
ensuring cooperative action of the compression of branching ribs.
The cap layer is typically ventilated with holes (208a,208b) or is
of a porous, reticulated material such as an open-cell foam.
[0128] For clarity, FIG. 20C is an isolated view of the shell layer
with buttress elements (202a,202b) and branches
(201a,201b,201c,201d). The section is taken to show the open
hexagonal web of the branched ribs. Application of scales onto the
ribs may be accomplished by analogy to FIG. 12.
[0129] FIG. 20D is an isolated view of the cap layer 206. As stated
above, this is only the posterior panel of the helmet and would be
inserted into the shell layer between buttresses 202a and 202b. At
least three other panels are used in the full subassembly.
Representative individual scale elements (207a,207b,207c) are
represented by bold dashes and are embedded in the matrix of the
cap layer 206. The cap layer matrix is contacted with the shell so
that scale elements bridge between the rib members. Representative
vent holes (208a,208b) are again shown.
[0130] FIGS. 21A and 21B are action views showing a "before" and
"after" an impact, in which the deformation is exaggerated for
clarity. The response of the helmet of FIG. 21A to an impact (bold
arrow) is presented in FIG. 21B. Dimpling (asterisk) of the outer
helmet cap layer 206 and scales 207 is communicated to the shell,
which bends and flexes at the ribs (201,201a,201b). Independent
flexural motion of the ribs is made cooperative by the linking of
the scale elements to the ribs. In turn, the ribs compress padding
layer against the skull, but the response is to balloon the padding
cells so as to laterally compress the nearest neighbors,
distributing the force laterally (bold dashed arrows).
[0131] Shown here is a sandwich 210 of padding cells between two
pliant sheets (211,212). Also shown is the wearer's skull 139 for
reference. A more complete view of an exemplary helmet with
multiple layers is shown here, and complements FIGS. 3A and 3B
where less specificity was provided.
[0132] Another view showing the ribs flexing with the scales is
shown in FIG. 21C, and illustrates how a force applied to one scale
or rib will be transferred to adjacent scales, mobilis in mobuli.
In this view a structural motif is shown formed of rib members and
scale members having a new bending modulus and tensile modulus
relative to the materials taken separately. Advantageously, the
combined heterogeneous material is more effective in distributing
loads laterally over the structural framework of the helmet body
than the rigid capsule characteristic of conventional art.
[0133] Achieved is a helmet for reducing concussive and cumulative
sub-concussive injury, in which the helmet body is configured to
fit around and protect the human braincase, the helmet body having
three, four or five layers, each layer contributing to localized
repeating interlayer structural motifs illustrated by example in
FIG. 21C, each motif contributing to a helmet body having a bending
modulus and tensile modulus configured to cooperatively and
laterally distribute a vectored force of an impact that would
otherwise be directed at the braincase.
[0134] FIGS. 22A and 22B offer an alternate construction of a
helmet 220 in which the buttress elements 202 are exposed on the
exterior and separate scale elements 207 are seated as front, side
and back panels. Ideally, a cap layer is applied as a slick,
continuous, resilient surface.
EXAMPLE I
[0135] A scale-on-shell helmet is constructed and fitted with
internal padding. The scales consist of flexible but stiff sheets
having a mini-size relative to the helmet shell. Sheets of
carbon-fiber reinforced polycarbonate having a thickness of about
3/32nd inch were used by way of example. Individual scales were cut
by a saw process and mounted individually in an ordered array. As a
demonstration, the dragonscale helmet of FIG. 11A was tested by
dropping the helmet from a controlled height onto a hard surface.
When a conventional helmet is dropped, a large resounding "thwump"
is elicited, but when the dragonscale helmet is dropped, only a
rustling rattle is heard.
EXAMPLE II
[0136] The dragonscale helmet of FIG. 11A was place on a subject
and was then hit laterally above the occipital lobe with a baseball
bat. No discomfort or adverse affect was noted by the subject.
Damage to the helmet was not apparent because carbon-reinforced
plastic scales were used in the test.
EXAMPLE III
[0137] Finite element modelling is performed to optimize the
tensile and bending moments of the structural motifs making up the
helmet body and its resistance to vectored forces directed through
the helmet.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
[0138] All of the U.S. Patents, U.S. Patent application
publications, U.S. Patent applications, foreign patents, foreign
patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this
specification and related filings are incorporated herein by
reference in their entirety for all purposes.
SCOPE OF THE CLAIMS
[0139] The disclosure set forth herein of certain exemplary
embodiments, including all text, drawings, annotations, and graphs,
is sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to
practice the invention. Various alternatives, modifications and
equivalents are possible, as will readily occur to those skilled in
the art in practice of the invention. The inventions, examples, and
embodiments described herein are not limited to particularly
exemplified materials, methods, and/or structures and various
changes may be made in the size, shape, type, number and
arrangement of parts described herein. All embodiments,
alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be combined to
provide further embodiments of the present invention without
departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.
[0140] In general, in the following claims, the terms used in the
written description should not be construed to limit the claims to
specific embodiments described herein for illustration, but should
be construed to include all possible embodiments, both specific and
generic, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such
claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited in
haec verba by the disclosure.
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