Removable Goggles For Helmet

Abstract

Apparatus for attaching removable photochromic goggles to a conventional sh helmet includes a post on one side of the helmet adjacent the face opening thereof and an over-center latch on the other side of the helmet which engage apexes of triangular eyelets formed in straps extending from the distal ends of the goggles. The over-center latch has a lever with a camming surface formed thereon, notched to retain the apex of one of the eyelets and pivoted such that upon turning of the lever aftwards the notch is moved aftwards, stretching the straps, within side brackets formed on the helmet for vertically locating the goggles in front of the wearer's eyes.

Description

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to protective eye shields, and more particularly to attachment means fo such eye shields on protective helmets or other type of headgear.

In the development of protective helmets, or crash helmets, intended to be worn by crew members or pilots of high performance aircraft the envelope and the weight of the helmet usually must be kept to a minimum. At the same time the number of functions that the crash helmet provides continues to increase. Such functions include the attachment and storage of various protective eye shields, installation of headphones and the like. Additionally, there is the recent development of photochromic goggles for flash blindness protection. Such photochromic goggles require relatively large volumes for the operating equipment, the electronics and other apparatus, and at the same time relatively small goggle lenses. Furthermore, in their present configuration such goggles typically connect to a separate or ancillary electronics package installed in the cockpit or crew compartment of the aircraft, and are inoperable without such package. Thus, the photochromic goggles operate only when the pilot or the crew member is in place and offer no flash protection when the pilot is separated from the aircraft such as during escape or ejection. Furthermore, the present state of the art in photochromic goggles requires that lens sizes be kept to a minimum. In order to assure an adequate field of view and to assure an even weight distribution the goggles must be placed in close proximity to the eyes of the wearer. Thus due to the relative size of the goggles, the necessity for the goggles to be positioned close to the eyes and their utility only in combination with ancillary electronic equipment the conventional means of storage thereof above the wearer's forehead is not required.

Removable mounting of the goggles, according to conventional means, typically requires a two-hand operation both to center and to fasten the goggles. However, in high performance aircraft the pilot must continuously control the aircraft with at least one hand precluding a two-hand attachment operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly it is the general purpose and object of the present invention to provide attachment means on a crash helmet which will permit one-hand mounting and dismounting of goggles thereon and which at the same time will place the goggles in close proximity to the wearer's eyes when in position.

These and other objects are accomplished according to the present invention by providing an over-center latch on one side of the face opening of a helmet and a post on the other side thereof engageable with respective eyelets formed in straps extending from either side from the goggle assembly. The over-center latch is cammed to stretch the straps between a pair of side brackets formed on the sides of the helmet upon rotation aftward of a pivoted lever. The eyelets are triangularly shaped with the apex thereof pointing towards the free ends of the straps to permit quick alignment and easy engagement thereof with the post and the latch respectively. The side brackets provide vertical support for the straps during attachment and also align and locate the goggle assembly in front of the wearer's eyes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a left side elevation view of a crash helmet constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the helmet according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2 in partial cross section according to the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a left side elevation of an alternative embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown in the figures, a conventional crash helmet assembly 10 includes attached thereto a photochromic goggle assembly 11 disposed across the face opening thereof. Adjacent the forehead area of helmet assembly 10 and on the outside thereof there is formed a conventional visor shield 12 for receiving protective visors (not shown) extending between a conventional left and right visor track 12a and 12b respectively. Goggle assembly 11, at the upper edge thereof, is curved to surround the bottom edge of visor shield 12 and has a partly deformable frame 13. Frame 13 encloses left and right photochromic lenses 14 and 15 respectively, aligned with the eyes of the wearer, and further forms an enclosure for the photochromic apparatus necessary to trigger the lenses (not shown). Electrical cable 19 attaches to frame 13 and connects at the other end to electronics package 18. The combination of the goggle assembly 11 and package 18 form a photochromic goggle or lens system substantially as described in U. S. Pat. No. 3,152,215. Along the lateral interior edges frame 13 has detents 17 to register goggle assembly 11 with visor guides 12a and 12b and in alignment with the eyes of the wearer. Left and right straps 20 and 21, respectively, attach to the distal ends of frame 13. Each includes a corresponding triangular eyelet or opening 22, 23 tapered to a curved or faired apex towards the end of the strap. Each eyelet includes a metal insert or grommet 25 for providing the necessary stress distribution. Left-hand strap 20 engages post 30 by the apex of eyelet 22, being retained vertically by a side bracket formed between the bottom end of an upper fairing 26 attached to shield 12 along the corresponding visor track 12a and an L-shaped plate 27 attached to the visor track and extending outwardly therefrom at a distance substantially equal to the width of strap 20 below the fairing.

As shown in FIG. 2 right-hand eyelet 23 engages latch 31, which when rotated aft brings goggle frame 13 in position. Right-hand strap 21 is also vertically located by a side bracket formed between right-hand fairing 28 and right-hand L-plate 29.

As shown in more detail in FIG. 3 latch 31 includes a mounting post 32 attached to the shell of helmet assembly 10, terminating on the outside of the helmet in a pair of vertically opposed tabs 33 having pivotally mounted therebetween a lever 34. Lever 34 forms a cammed surface notched to engage eyelet 23 and pivoted-off center such that when the lever is rotated aft the notch engaging the eyelet is brought back along the side of the helmet stretching the straps within the respective brackets.

On the other side, eyelet 22 engages post 30. Post 30 forms a hook open towards the aft side of the helmet and attached at the bottom thereof to the helmet. Both eyelets 22 and 23 are substantially triangular in shape with the apex of the triangle pointed towards the ends of straps 20 and 21 such that convenient alignment is facilitated simply by placing the eyelet over the post at the large dimensions of the triangle and sliding the strap forward until the apex engages the post. The lengths of straps 20 and 21 are selected such that when engaged at the respective eyelet apexes thereof detents 17 are aligned to clear the visor tracks 12a and 12b at the face opening. Similarly on the latch 31 side the eyelet is aligned at the large dimension thereof when lever 34 is in a forward position and is locked at the apex by the aft rotation thereof.

The operation of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3 inclusive. In its most prevalent use the photochromic goggle assembly 11 is kept stored in the crew compartment, separated from the helmet, and upon arriving at a mission point where flash blindness can be anticipated the crew member grasps the right-hand strap 21 with one hand, first engaging post 30 by eyelet 22 in the left-hand strap 20 rotating assembly 11 within the side brackets to a point where eyelet 23 is aligned with latch 31. The lever 34 of latch 31 is originally placed in a forward position and is rotated through the eyelet 23 to an aft position engaging the apex of thereof and pulling the strap 21 aftwards. In this manner assembly 11 is pulled towards the face of the wearer aligned vertically by the side brackets until it engages the lower edge of visor shield 12, forming an integral assembly therewith. The disassembly and removal of the goggle assembly 11 follows in reverse the above procedure, initiated first by opening latch 31 followed by the disengagement of eyelet 22 from post 30.

In FIG. 4 triangularly shaped sidestrap wire 50 is substituted for eyelet 22 of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 also illustrates light sensors 52.

Some of the many advantages of the present invention should now be readily apparent. The invention allows for quick, one-handed installation and removal of protective eye gear, allowing for quick responses to changes in situations of a military aircraft mission. The invention further allows convenient modification of existing crash helmets to accept relatively complex eye shields with only minor additions in hardware.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in view of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. In a headgear assembly including a helmet with removable eye-protective goggles, the improvement comprising:

a pair of straps having their one ends connected to respective sides of the goggles and terminating at their other ends in eyelets formed therein, said eyelets having substantially triangular apertures with their apexes adjacent the other ends of said strap and including grommets therein;

a hook affixed to one side of the helmet for securing the other end of said one strap;

latch means affixed to the other side of the helmet for releasably attaching and stretching the other end of said other strap; and

bracket means affixed to the sides of the helmet for receiving and registering with said straps to position the goggles substantially in alignment with the eyes of the wearer.

2. A headgear assembly according to claim 1 in which the latch means includes an over-center notched lever for receiving an eyelet and for stretching the straps across the face opening of the helmet when rotated rearwardly.

3. A headgear assembly according to claim 2, further comprising detents formed on the interior surfaces of the sides of the eye-protective goggles for registering with the face opening.