Patent Application
20240000168
The invention relates to body armour.
The invention relates particularly, although by no means exclusively, to body armour for sports or recreational activities (such as motocross, horse riding and martial arts) to protect the wearer from impact injury, for example from inanimate objects, such as the ground, or animate objects such as another person.
The invention also relates to a garment comprising a body armour according to the invention.
People who engage in sports and recreational activities (such as motocross, horse riding and martial arts) may often incur injuries as a result of impact with an object.
The object may be inanimate such as the ground or rocks or animate such as another person or an animal.
Injuries may range from minor to life threatening. It can be appreciated that even repeated minor injuries should be avoided as the cumulative effect of minor injuries over time may lead to health complications later in life.
To this end, different forms of body armour have been developed to protect the wearer from injury.
However, existing body armour is typically designed for a male body and is often ill-fitting for women. Ill-fitting body armour is undesirable because it can adversely impact on the ability of the armour to protect the wearer and/or be uncomfortable to the wearer.
The present invention aims to address at least some of the above disadvantages of known body armour or to at least provide a useful alternative.
The invention provides body armour for women, the body armour comprises a plate with preformed breast and sternum portions which conform to the breasts and sternum of a female body, wherein at least part of the plate is made from a pliable material that moulds to the shape of a user's body and absorbs impact energy from an object.
As most body armour is designed for the male body, the shape of the body armour does not conform to the breasts and sternum area of a female body. For example, the front of the body armour may be flatter than would be appropriate for a female body. As such, the breasts of a female wearer will tend to be pressed against the body armour making it uncomfortable for the wearer and may even cause injury because of being ill-fitting.
In the present invention, the plate may be configured to accommodate the breasts and sternum area of the female body by providing an opening around the chest area to receive the wearer's breasts. The plate may be shaped to include an opening, suitably a hollow portion, configured to receive at least one breast. For example, the plate may be curved or contoured such that it defines the hollow portion configured to receive at least one breast. Alternatively, the plate may be substantially flat with a depression that defines the hollow portion configured to receive at least one breast.
In the context of this specification, the term “plate” refers an object that is smaller in thickness than it is in any other dimension, for example width or length. Suitably, the plate has a substantially continuous surface. The plate may have flat, curved and/or contoured portions.
The plate may be made from a single piece of material. The plate may be moulded from pourable or injectable material. Suitably, individual sections or regions of the plate are formed separately and subsequently connected.
It is understood that the “object” that impacts the body armour may be inanimate or animate. Examples of inanimate objects include balls, motorbike parts, rocks, or the ground. Examples of animate objects include other people or animals.
A person skilled in the art would understand that the material of the plate should have mechanical properties which allow sufficient absorption of impact energy to prevent injury to the wearer.
The term “pliable” will be understood by the person skilled in the art to refer to being flexible and/or mouldable.
The material may increase its rigidity upon impact with an object.
The material may be viscoelastic. It is understood that the term “viscoelastic” refers to a material that exhibit both viscous and elastic characteristics when undergoing deformation. Typically, a viscoelastic material has a molecular structure in which the molecules compress when impacted to disperse a force of the impact. The density of the material may increase as a result of the molecules compressing.
The material may exhibit non-Newtonian properties. In one embodiment, the material may exhibit shearing-thickening behaviour. For example, the material may increase in stiffness, viscosity or rigidity when a load is applied to it.
The material may be a memory foam. Memory foam is a material that is sensitive to pressure and temperature and moulds to the shape of an individual's body. The memory foam may be any suitable memory foam known in the art. The memory foam may comprise Polyurethane (PU). Suitably, the memory foam is thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) foam. Alternatively, the memory foam may be D3O® foam.
The material may be an open-cell structure.
The material may be a polyurethane memory foam.
Polyurethane memory foam may exhibit a viscoelastic effect due to compression of the open-cell structure of the foam. One benefit of having an open-cell structure is that the air within the structure can be compressed or expelled upon impact which may lead to an increase in density of material.
Polyurethane memory foam has a number of advantages over other materials, such as styrofoam (EPS), silicone, and polycarbonate material as used in rigid (e.g. hard shell) body armour.
Firstly, polyurethane memory foam is capable of repeatedly absorbing higher impact forces than styrofoam (EPS) and silicone. Suitably, the polyurethane memory foam is CE-approved according to European Standard EN 1621. More suitably, the polyurethane memory foam is capable of remaining up to 50 percent below the legal values of defined in European Standard EN 1621.
Secondly, polyurethane memory foam is lightweight when compared with hard shell protectors or materials containing silicone. Generally, the lighter the body armour the more comfortable it is for the wearer to wear. Polyurethane memory foam may have a density of about between 150 g/l and 500 g/l compared with polycarbonate as used in hard shell which in contrast has a density of about 1,200 g/l.
Thirdly, the polyurethane memory foam provokes a progressive absorption of impact energy due to its open-cell structure. This is because the air within the structure can be compressed or expelled upon impact. This means that body armour remains pliable in case of slowly increasing forces. However, for impact forces with a higher impulse (e.g., that occur over a shorter period of time) the stiffness of the polyurethane memory foam increases. In other words, polyurethane memory foam reacts promptly and without delay to even minor impacts. When used in the body armour, the energy absorption of the polyurethane memory foam may approach linearity, which may prevent the impact forces exerted on the human body exceeding an unacceptable level. This is contrary to hard shell body armour which is neither pliable nor capable of increasing stiffness depending on the impulse of the impact force.
The polyurethane memory foam may be made from renewable materials.
The polyurethane memory foam may have a life expectancy of around ten years.
The polyurethane memory foam may resist temperatures of approx. 100° C.
The plate may have a length of up to 400 mm. Preferably, the plate has a length between 200 mm and 300 mm. More preferably, the plate has a length of about 238 mm or about 283 mm.
The plate may have a width of up to 500 mm. Preferably, the plate has a width between 300 mm and 500 mm. More preferably, the plate has a width of about 301 mm or about 304 mm.
The plate may be configured to conform to any one or more of the breasts, sternum and abdomen of a female body. The plate may have a uniform thickness throughout. However, it is also conceived that the thickness may be variable throughout the plate.
For example, different portions of the plate may have a different thickness.
The plate may have a thickness of up to 20 mm. Preferably, the plate has a thickness of at least 10 mm. More preferably, the plate has a thickness between 10 mm and 20 mm. Most preferably, the plate has a thickness of about 13 mm.
The plate may have a density of between 150 g/l and 500 g/l. Suitably, the plate may have a density of between 250 g/l and 500 g/l.
The plate may weigh between 200 g and 600 g.
The plate may be configured to meet European standard EN 1621-1:2012. Suitably, the plate may be configured to remain at least 50% below the values stated in European standard EN 1621-1:2012.
The plate may be CE Level 1 protected. For CE Level 1 protection: the average transmitted force must be below 18 kN, and no single value shall exceed 24 kN.
The plate may be CE Level 2 protected. For CE Level 2 protection: The average transmitted force must be below 9 kN, and no single value shall exceed 12 kN.
In some embodiments, the plate may need to be at least in thickness to satisfy CE Level 1. In these embodiments, the plate has a density between 250 g/l and 300 g/l.
The plate may have at least one opening to allow air flow therethrough.
The opening may be adapted to provide evaporative cooling the wearer.
The opening may be a hole or a slot.
The plate may have an abdomen portion which is shaped to conform to the abdomen of a female body.
The opening may be located on the breast portion of the plate.
The opening may be located in the abdomen portion of the plate.
The opening may be located on both the breast and abdomen portions of the plate.
The plate may include a strengthening rib.
The strengthening rib may be located on the abdomen portion.
The strengthening rib may be curved.
The strengthening rib may be integral with the plate.
The strengthening rib may be made of the same material as the rest of the plate. For example, the strengthening rib may be a portion of the plate with an increased thickness.
The invention also provides body armour for women, the body armour comprises a plate made from memory foam with preformed breast, sternum and abdomen portions which conform to the breasts, sternum and abdomen of a female body, respectively, wherein the abdomen portion has a plurality of openings to allow the passage of air flow therethrough.
The invention also provides a garment comprising the body armour as described above, wherein the garment includes a retainer to removably retain the body armour therein.
The retainer may be a pocket that is configured to receive the body armour.
In one example, the pocket comprises a flap that folds over the body armour to restrict movement out from the pocket. In other words, the pocket may be an envelope configuration.
The retainer may include a fastener such as a hook and loop fastener, or a clip.
An advantage of the garment is that the body armour can be removed to allow the garment to be washed in a washing machine. This is in contrast to garments with a permanently attached (stitched or glued) armour which can only be cleaned by hand-washing.
The garment may be a t-shirt, pullover, jersey for the upper part of a user's body.
Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
The body armour 10 comprises a plate 12 having a front surface and a rear surface that is configured to conform to the breasts and sternum area of a female body. The plate 12 comprises a pair of breast portions 12a, a sternum portion 12b disposed between the pair of breast portions 12a and an abdomen portion 12c that extends from the sternum portion 12b. Each of the portions are shaped and dimensioned to conform to the respective area of the female body.
Each breast portion 12a is curved in three dimensions so as to define a concavity 15 in the rear surface (see
The sternum and abdomen portions 12b, 12c are curved in three dimensions to conform to the sternum and abdomen of a female body.
The plate 12 is made from a pliable material that changes at least one mechanical property to absorb impact energy from an object.
The material is viscoelastic polyurethane (PU) memory foam. The material properties of the polyurethane memory foam are as follows:
*The Young's modulus and yield strength are dependent on the density of the polyurethane memory foam—the higher the density the higher the Young's modulus and yield strength.
The plate 12 has a plurality of holes 16 in the breast and abdomen portions 12a, 12c. The holes 16 allow passage of air therethrough for evaporative cooling the wearer. The positioning of the holes 16 on the breast and abdomen portions 12a, 12c is advantageous in certain situations because the Applicant found that more heat is generated in these areas than in the sternum area. As such, it is beneficial to provide increased cooling in these areas.
The plate 12 has a uniform thickness of 13 mm throughout, i.e. each of the breast, abdomen and sternum portions 12a, 12b, 12c are 13 mm thick.
The jersey 100 includes a retainer, in the form of a pocket 110, that removably retains the body armour 10, 10a therein.
The pocket 110 comprises a flap that folds over the body armour 10, 10a to restrict movement out from the pocket. In other words, the pocket 110 is an envelope configuration.
An advantage of the jersey 100 is that the body armour 10, 10a can be removed to allow the jersey 100 to be washed in a washing machine. This is in contrast to garments with permanently attached (stitched or glued) armour which can only be cleaned by hand-washing.
Experimental Testing
Overview
Experimental testing was performed on body armour, according an embodiment of the invention, in order to assess the effectiveness of the body armour against the technical standard EN 1621-3:2018 (relating to motorcycle protective armour). The testing involved impact testing of the body armour to determine the force transmitted through the body armour to the wearer—which simulates a collision with an object.
The testing was assessed against two benchmarks (CE Level 1 and CE Level 2) provided in EN 1621-3:2018. These benchmarks will be discussed in further detail later in the specification.
The testing was performed on different models of body armour according to the invention having the specifications shown in Table 1 below.
Body armour with a designation “1” in the model number are CE level 1 rated and body armour with a designation “2” in the model number are CE level 2 rated. The rating of the body armour is a function of the number of molecules of polyurethane in the foam structure for a particular volume, i.e., the density of the foam. In other words, the denser the foam the greater the impact absorption capability. However, density is proportional to the weight of the body armour. As such, the density of the body armour is selected based on a minimum weight that meets the relevant benchmark.
Test Rig
When the impactor B is dropped from a height above the anvil C, the impactor B accelerates under gravity towards the anvil C and decelerates upon impact with the anvil C.
The amount of force that is transmitted to the anvil C (and measured by the transducer D) is proportionate to the change in momentum (mass multiplied by velocity) of the impactor B. As can be appreciated, the quicker the impactor B decelerates the more force is transmitted to the anvil C.
Without being bound by theory, a purpose of the body armour is to decelerate an object which impacts the body armour over a longer period of time—which results in less force being transmitted to the wearer. The body armour may achieve this by elastically deforming such that some of the kinetic energy of the object is transferred to heat in the particles of the body armour.
To test the body armour using the above-described test rig, the body armour, indicated as E in
The impactor B has a mass of about 5 kg and is dropped from a height of about 1 m above the anvil C. Prior to being dropped, the impactor B has a gravitational potential energy of around 50 Joules which is then converted to a kinetic energy upon being released.
Testing Parameters
As mentioned above, the testing was assessed against two benchmarks (CE Level 1 and Level 2) provided in EN 1621-3:2018.
For CE Level 1 protection: the average transmitted force must be below 18 kN, and no single value shall exceed 24 kN.
For CE Level 2 protection: the average transmitted force must be below 9 kN, and no single value shall exceed 12 kN.
The body armour was impact tested with both “standard condition”, i.e. dry and ambient temperature, and a “wet condition”, i.e. after hydrolytic treatment.
The “standard condition” involves subjecting to an environment with an atmospheric temperature of 23° C. and a humidity of 50% r.h.
25 The “wet condition” involves subjecting the body armour to hydrolytic treatment for 72 hours in an environment with an atmospheric temperature of 70° C. and a humidity greater than 96% r.h. and then 24 hours in an environment with an atmospheric temperature of 23° C.
Two differed impactors were used in the testing: a “kerbstone” impactor and a “conical” impactor.
For tests involving the “conical” impactor, the body armour was impacted at an “X” location—on the breast portion; and at a “Y” location—on the sternum portion.
The “conical” impactor was used in the CE Level 2 benchmark only.
Results
The tables below show the results of the experimental testing.
Analysis of Results
As can be seen from the tables, the body armour complies with Level 1 and Level 2 protection because the average force transmitted and the maximum single value of each and any every test is below the respective requirements for each benchmark.
It will be understood to persons skilled in the art of the invention that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application is a bypass continuation-in-part of International application No. PCT/AU2021/050017 filed Jan. 12, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/AU2021/050017 | Jan 2021 | US |
| Child | 18349233 | US |
