Patent Application
20230354942
The present disclosure relates to a helmet mounted lighting system for protective headgear, more specifically, a helmet rim lighting system to work at night or in low light conditions.
Various helmet mounted lights are used in the military, construction, mining and in emergency response (for example, firefighters and police). Many current combat helmet lights interfere with other accessories and safety equipment (ear protection). These helmet mounted lights are used to improve the visibility of the work environment but often require a mount already attached to the helmet that puts the light source away from the users’ eyes that produces dark shadows for the user. The current helmet mounted lights often provide a focused beam of light that provides uneven lighting if used in a small or enclosed work environment
The users of such helmet mounted lights often require a mount to be already in existence on the helmet, and once the light is mounted on the mount, the light can protrude substantially from the helmet. The protruding helmet mounted lighting systems tend to get caught on obstacles, for example getting snagged on branches when traveling in a forest. Further these light-emitting devices also can interfere with other helmet mounted devices, making it difficult to use the helmet mounted lighting system with other helmet mounted devices.
Combat helmets may have few mounting locations that limit the field of illumination and ultimately can cause disruption of the illumination into the field of vision of the wearer. Mounting location and focus beam may cause disruption in the illumination of an object in a user’s field of view on rotation/repositioning of the head and blockage of the illumination from environmental obstacles that come in front of the light source.
What is needed is a lighting system that provides even lighting of the work environment that minimizes shadows and avoids snagging on environmental obstacles and works well with other helment mounted items.
A helmet rim lighting system that includes a helmet attach mechanism configured to attach to the rim of a helmet and a housing that holds electronics. When the helmet attach mechanism is attached to the rim of a helmet, the housing is configured to produce a forward light and a downward light. The forward light is produced by at least one forward-facing light and the downward light is produced by at least one downward-facing light. The forward light directs light from the center horizontally to the left more than 90 degrees and to the right more than 90 degrees, while the downward light directs light towards the ground, continuing the downward line of the edge of the helmet.
The helmet attach mechanism may be a groove that matches the contour of the front rim of a helmet, where the groove is configured to accept the front rim of the helmet. The groove may be slightly smaller than the front rim such that when placed on the front rim, the friction of the groove keeps the rim lighting system attached to the helmet. The downward-facing light is provided by at least one right-angle surface mount light emitting diode, and the forward-facing light is provided by at least one surface mount light emitting diode. Both the forward-facing light and the downward-facing light are mounted to the same circuit board, which may be flexible.
The helmet rim lighting system also includes an input device that can turn on the forward-facing light and the downward-facing light. The mounting system is part of the housing. The infra-red light comes from two sources that are far left and right of a forward light-producing region to minimize shadow. The infra-red lights are diffused. The housing holding the electronics is waterproof, with circuitry that is waterproof treated and a diffuser that serves as a gasket.
The forward light and the downward light can be independently activated, and one independent activation can be done via a single input.
The helmet may be solid shell with a suspension system to engage a head of a user, for example cushions mounted to the inside of the helmet. The rim lighting system 104 may be applied to a wide variety of helmets, including, protective helmets for sports such as bicycling and skiing, firefighter helmets, miner helmets, logging helmets, welder and foundry worker helmets, military or combat helmets and other protective helmets or rigid headgear.
The helmet may be a solid shell with a suspension system, such as cushions mounted inside, to secure the user’s head. The rim lighting system 104 can be applied to various helmet types, including protective helmets for sports, firefighting, mining, logging, welding, military, and other rigid headgear.
Designed to be thin and low-profile, the rim lighting system 104 minimizes snagging risks while having the ability to be used concurrently with other helmet-mounted devices. The system may be less than 10 mm thick, or better yet, less than 5 mm, preferably under 3.5 mm thick, and even more preferably under 2 mm thick for better streamlining. The rim lighting system 104 may weigh under 160 grams, more preferably under 80 grams, and most preferably under 40 grams. The rim lighting system 104 may generate different light colors, for example, white light, red light, and infrared light, and may feature densely packed ultra-high output LEDs.
The rim lighting system 104 may have multiple light sources, such as the forward light 110 and a downward light. A control unit may be provided for selecting individual light sources. The control unit may take input from the input button 112, which serves as an activation switch. The activation switch may require a hold period, for example, three seconds, to avoid accidental activation.
The housing of the rim lighting system 104 is thin, lightweight, and encloses the forward light, a downward light, batteries, and electronics. It adds minimal additional bulk to the forward helmet profile. The rim lighting system 104 also includes a helmet attach mechanism for easy attachment to the helmet.
The mounting location of the rim lighting system 104, for example on the front rim, may provide users with the full functionality of the helmet since it has a low profile and may not interfere with other helmet mounted devices.
The helmet attach mechanism may include a thin extension to extend to the bolt holes on the Night Vision Goggles NVG mount 106. The thin extension may be 1 mm thin or less, or 0.5 mm thin or less. The thin extension may allow for mechanical attachment to the NVG mount, and the thin extensions may go under the NVG Mount, so the NVG Mount may still be bolted on with the rim lighting system 104 using the thin mechanical attachment being held in place by the NVG Mount bolts that are holding the NVG Mount.
The helmet attach mechanism may comprise a groove 204 that is configured to engage the front rim 402 of the helmet. The friction between the groove 204 and the front rim 402 of the helmet may retain the rim lighting system 104 in position on the helmet.
The radius down the center of the groove may be slightly smaller than the radius of the rim, such that when the groove accepts the rim the compression against the inner wall binds against the rim and the rim lighting system 104 stays in place on the rim.
The housing 304 may have a built-in helmet attach mechanism. The housing 304 may be made of rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible material that may conform to the front rim 402 of the helmet when the rim lighting system 104 is attached to a helmet. The housing 304 has a gap between the inner lip 206 and outer lip 302 that forms a groove 204. When attached to the helmet, the rim lighting system 104 is located radially inwards of the outer lip 302, and the groove 204 may frictionally engage the front rim 402 of the helmet to keep the rim lighting system 104 attached.
The rim lighting system 104 may have an array of forward light source 408 located in the housing 304 to provide the forward light 110. The forward light source 408 may be arranged to provide a substantially even illumination that is directed forward off the front of the helmet, substantially illuminating the work area of a user wearing the rim lighting system 104. Since the forward lighting 110 distributes light sources along the front rim 402 and the front rim 402 is close to the eyes, the rim lighting system 104 provides lighting of the work environment that is consistent, even, and free of shadows and bright spots. The rim lighting system 104 may have a light diffuser 410 on top of the light source or light sources. The rim lighting system 104 may have a set of small lights, for example, LEDs. The rim lighting system 104 may have other mechanisms to provide a diffuse light source.
The helmet attach mechanism may use the friction with the front rim 402 of the helmet. The inner lip 206 may fit between the inside front rim 402 and the helmet padding 404 to keep the rim lighting system 104 attached to the helmet. The helmet attach mechanism may use permanent or semi-permanent adhesive. The helmet attach mechanism may enable the easy removal of the rim lighting system 104.
The helmet attach mechanism may use hook-and-loop fastener, for example, Velcro®. The helmet attach mechanism may use two strips of hook-and-loop fastener. A first strip may be located radially inwards of the housing 304 and may be configured to engage with a second strip located on the front of the helmet near the front rim 402. The first strip may be the hook (i.e., rough) strip, and the second strip may be the loop (i.e., fuzzy) strip, or vice versa.
The rim lighting system 104 may be mounted centered on the front rim 402 and attached from the bottom or at the bottom of the front rim 402.
The rim lighting system 104 may have a helmet attach mechanism that is shaped to be tightly conformed to the curve of the helmet. The helmet attach mechanism may include a clip or clips that provide friction that holds or locks on the lip of the front rim. The clip may be integral to the housing of the rim lighting system 104.
The helmet attach mechanism may have an ‘easily removable’ attachment, for example by as formed clips in the housing.
The helmet attach mechanism may allow a ‘semi-permanent’ attachment, for example by use of adhesive, or hook and loop fastener. The adhesive or hook and loop fastener may be located on the groove bottom.
The helmet attach mechanism may include adhesive. The helmet attach mechanism may allow adhesive to be easily added to increase the security of the attachment.
The helmet attach mechanism may attach to a heat-resistant and strong synthetic fiber with high strength to weight ratio with no permanent modifications. Permanent modification to strong synthetic fiber, such as drilling holes, would compromise effectiveness of heat-resistant strong synthetic fiber. An example of a strong synthetic fiber with high strength to weight ratio is the material sold under the band brand Kevlar®. Compromise in the case of an army helmet may include compromising the ability of the helmet to stop bullets.
The rim lighting system 104 is shown with a housing on which is mounted the light source, for example a light emitting diode, LED. The housing may retain a directional diffuser. The light emitted by light source (forward light source 408 or downward-facing light 412) may go through the diffuser 410 and spreads the light more evenly than if the light directly came from the light source, forward-facing light 408 or downward-facing light 412. The use of the diffuser 410 can help provide more even illumination. This allows the device to remain relatively flat dimensioned with the downward-facing lights 412 oriented at 90 degrees relative to the front of the helmet while still providing light directionally downward to the work area.
The forward light source 408 of the rim lighting system 104 may be oriented at approximate 90 to 135 degree angle relative to the front of the helmet to prevent shadows caused by attaching the light emitting device above of the rim of the headgear facing forward.
The rim lighting system 104 may have multiple light sources, each consisting of strips of light-emitting elements oriented at specific angles relative to the front of the helmet to illuminate different areas. The control unit allows users to select individual light sources based on their lighting needs. For instance, there may be two light sources: a first strip of light-emitting elements (forward light source 408) oriented at 0°, pointing towards the horizon, and a second strip of light-emitting elements (downward-facing light 412) oriented downward at 85°. This arrangement enables users to choose between the two light sources according to their requirements.
The rim lighting system 104 provides a forward light that is a substantially even light source directed towards the horizon, radially outwards from the system, substantially illuminating the user’s workspace without shadows when activated. The system illuminates the entire workspace in front of the eyes from approximately 5 inches, offering high lumen/high lux diffused light with minimal or no shadows from the wearer, due to its mounting location on the front of the helmet rim.
The rim lighting system 104 may feature adjustable light intensity and the capability to emit light of different frequencies. Light-emitting elements within the system can generate various light colors and even emit infrared (IR) light, compatible with night vision goggles (NVG) for improved visibility in low light environments. The rim lighting system 104, housed within the helmet, can radiate light forward and offer adjustable intensity, allowing users to modify the lumens or candelas produced as needed.
The rim lighting system 104 may utilize a separate power source instead of having an integrated battery container 504. This separate power source may be located at the back of the helmet, maintaining a thin and low-profile design that minimizes interference with other helmet-mounted devices, allowing them to operate normally. The remote power source enables a thinner or wider system configuration for the rim lighting system 104. Positioning the power source at the rear of the military helmet can also improve balance. Power may be supplied through an integrated power system for example helmet battery rail as may be found on army helmets.
The circuit board 1202 has various LEDs mounted on it, including forward red lights (right red LED 1204R, middle right red LED 1204MR, middle left red LED 1204ML, and left red LED 1204L), forward white lights (right group of white LEDs 1206R, middle group of white LEDs 1206 M, and left group of white LEDs 1206L), forward IR lights (right IR LED 1208R and left IR LED 1208L), downward red lights (right right-angle red LED 1210R, middle right-angle red LED 1210 M, and left right-angle red LED 1210L), and downward white lights (right right-angle white LED 1212R, middle right group of right-angle white LEDs 1212MR, middle left group of right-angle white LEDs 1212ML, and left right-angle white LED 1212L). A push button switch 1214 is also mounted on the circuit board 1202.
A right-angle surface mount LED is a type of LED package designed for surface mounting on a printed circuit board (PCB). Its unique feature is that it emits light at a right angle, or 90 degrees, relative to the surface of the PCB. This enables the light to be directed in specific directions, such as downward or sideways, as required by the design of the rim lighting system 104.
The push button switch 1214 may be used to cycle through the various forward lights and downward lights. If the rim lighting system 104 is off when the button switch 1214 is held more than a set period, for example 2 seconds, then the rim lighting system 104 may activate the IR lights (1208L and 1208R).
If the rim lighting system 104 is off when the button switch 1214 is pressed, the rim lighting system 104 may enter into the red-light cycle and first activate the downward red lights (1210R, 1210 M, and 1210L). When pressed again then the rim lighting system 104 may next activate the forward red lights (1204R, 1204MR, 1204ML, and 1204L) on low. Pressing again may then have the rim lighting system 104 activate the forward red lights (1204R, 1204MR, 1204ML, and 1204L) on high. The red lights may be cycled through as many times as the button is pressed.
Holding the push button switch 1214 for a set period, for example, two seconds, when in the red light cycle may change to the white light cycle, where the first activation may be the down white lights (1212R, 1212 M, and 1212L), and the second activation may be the forward white lights (1206R, 1206 M, 1206L) on low, and the third activation may be the forward white lights (1206R, 1206 M, 1206L) on high.. A press and hold may turn the lights off
The housing of the rim lighting system 104 may have a cavity that accommodates both the forward-facing and downward-facing lights. The diffuser 1402 may be a silicone diffuser. The diffuser 1402 may fill the cavity, potentially serving a dual purpose of diffusing the light and providing a waterproof seal.
The diffuser 1402 may be implemented in various ways. It could be a rubbery, separately formed item that fits into the cavity or formed using a pourable compound like a pourable silicone that is directly added to the cavity and then cures. In either case, the diffuser may contribute to the waterproofing and sealing properties of the housing, enhancing the durability and functionality of the rim lighting system 104.
In the rim lighting system 104, the circuitry may be protected from moisture using a spray-on waterproofing treatment.
The rim lighting system 104 may attach to the front rim of the helmet with IR LEDs oriented at approximately a 90 to 135-degree angle to the helmet center mirror plane, thus minimizing shadows caused by mounting above the lip and facing forward. This positioning minimizes shadows from the front lighting by keeping the light sources near the rim of the helmet and thus near the eyes of the helmet user.
The rim lighting system 104 may have light-emitting elements that are oriented at an approximate 90 to 135-degree angle relative to the front of the headgear, optimizing the functionality of helmet-mounted Night Vision Goggles 1602.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63338993 | May 2022 | US |
