Patent Application
20240230280
A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact of and reduce or stop penetration to the torso by firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. The vest can come in a soft form, as worn by many police officers, prison officers, security guards, and some private citizens, used to protect against forced penetration attacks or light projectiles, or hard form, using metallic or para-aramid components.
Detailed descriptions of implementations of the present invention will be described and explained through the use of the accompanying drawings.
The technologies described herein will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from studying the Detailed Description in conjunction with the drawings. Embodiments or implementations describing aspects of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and the same references can indicate similar elements. While the drawings depict various implementations for the purpose of illustration, those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative implementations can be employed without departing from the principles of the present technologies. Accordingly, while specific implementations are shown in the drawings, the technology is amenable to various modifications.
The disclosed technology relates to a modular ballistic vest including a variety of sensors. Ballistic vests are commonly utilized in non-civilian uses by military and police personnel to provide protection from bullets and other ballistics. A ballistic vest, though, can be a vital piece of safety equipment for many civilian applications. For example, a ballistic vest can be deployed by utility workers to protect against arcing or exploding transformers or other electrical equipment. Current ballistic vests are primarily designed for non-civilian uses, causing the vests to lack the features required to protect many civilian wearers.
The disclosed technology relates to a modular ballistic vest that includes a variety of sensors allowing civilian wearers to receive protection similar to that of non-civilian wearers. In one embodiment, the ballistic vest can be a high-visibility ballistic safety vest that generally comprises an outer shell with a visible or reflective front-facing surface and a visible or reflective rear-facing surface. One or more exterior pockets can be distributed across at least a portion of the front-facing surface. The high-visibility ballistic safety vest can also include multiple internal pockets, sleeves, or compartments, which are not visible from the exterior of the high-visibility ballistic safety vest and are configured to house or otherwise at least one of a ballistic panel, stab panels, sensor, accelerometer, power supply, camera, or activation button. In one embodiment, the ballistic panel is removable from the interior pocket, which, for example, can allow for the cleaning of the vest with at-home methods such as with a washing machine.
The ballistic panel can include any suitable device for protecting the torso of a wearer against projectiles, airborne shrapnel, punctures, and sharp objects. The ballistic panel can be formed as ultra-lightweight and thin, hidden ballistic barriers configured to provide protection from a full spectrum of bullets, blast fragmentation, and forced penetration. The ballistic panel can be manufactured from any suitable material, such as non-woven aramid, ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMPE), or other composites. In one embodiment, the ballistic panel can be formed from materials that are light in weight and thickness to provide for minimal weight and flexibility while also meeting desired ballistic performance standards (e.g., National Institute of Justice/Underwriters Laboratories (UL)).
In one embodiment, the sensor can be linked to or otherwise connected to one or more ballistic panels and be configured to detect the occurrence of a gunshot, penetration, ballistic fragmentation, or other ballistic event. The sensor can comprise any suitable system or device for detecting an event. For example, the sensor can use energy wave technology to detect and measure the energy level and waveform of the ballistic event. A singular energy wave sensor can detect a ballistic event in a predetermined radius around the ballistic vest, allowing detection of the ballistic event in scenarios when no ballistic fragmentation makes contact with the ballistic vest. In another embodiment, the sensor can be configured to autonomously notify first responders, security personnel, or other stakeholders of a detected event. The sensor can be configured to wirelessly transmit data concerning the detected event, such as location, time, or the type of event detected.
The description and associated drawings are illustrative examples and are not to be construed as limiting. This disclosure provides certain details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these examples. One skilled in the relevant technology will understand, however, that the invention can be practiced without many of these details. Likewise, one skilled in the relevant technology will understand that the invention can include well-known structures or features that are not shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the descriptions of examples.
The rear material 106 can additionally be a highly durable material. In one embodiment, the rear material 106 is constructed of a flame-retardant material to protect against fire and ballistic events. In another embodiment, the rear material 106 complies with required safety protocols such as the OSHA or ANSI standards. The rear material 106 can be a bright color such as yellow or orange and include one or more reflective surfaces to enhance visibility in dark environments. A set of internal pockets 108, 110 (not shown) can be configured to contain at least one ballistic panel and/or sensor. The vest 100 may also be configured with a harness, D-Ring, or grounding connector. For example, the grounding connector can protect a wearer from electrocution by grounding the wear with a connectable grounding strap.
In one embodiment, the ballistic vest 100 can also be configured to provide additional safety features such as fall and electrical protection. For example, the high-visibility ballistic safety vest 100 may be configured to provide harness and D-Ring connection capability to protect a worker from injury due to falls. In addition, if the sensor includes an accelerometer, the high-visibility ballistic safety vest 100 may detect if a wearer has fallen. In another embodiment, the sensor can activate a camera to record and transmit visual information regarding the detected event.
A communication system can be attached to the sensor. For example, the communication device can be a cellular modem or a Bluetooth modem. A cellular modem allows the ballistic vest 100 to connect directly with a wireless network 206. A Bluetooth modem allows the ballistic vest 100 to be wirelessly coupled to a secondary wireless device that is connected to the wireless network 206. A notification system can generate a notification based on the ballistic event. The communication system can transmit the notification to the emergency services 208. In one embodiment, a computer or control system controls the communication system and notification system.
When a ballistic event 202 is detected by the ballistic vest 100, the communication system can notify emergency services 208 through the wireless network 206. For example, the emergency services 208 can be the police department, the fire department, a hospital, a private service, or any other emergency service. In one embodiment, the control system can be configured to wirelessly transmit data collected by the sensor concerning the detected event, such as location, time, or the type of event detected, over the wireless network 206 to the emergency services 208. In one embodiment, the ballistic vest 100 can include a manual switch configured to allow a wearer to activate one or more autonomous features. For example, the switch can be integrated into the surface of the ballistic vest 100. If a wearer presses the button, the onboard camera may be turned on, an emergency notification may be sent, or a two-way communication link may be established between the wearer and a third party such as emergency service personnel.
The sensor 304 can be an energy wave detection sensor, an accelerometer, a microphone, a camera, or a pressure sensor. For example, the microphone can detect and record a sound profile of a ballistic event. In another example, the pressure sensor can detect and record a change in pressure caused by a ballistic event. In one embodiment, a computer or control system can control the sensor 304.
The sensor 304 can be attached directly to the ballistic panel 302. In one embodiment discussed below in
The ballistic guard 508 can be connected to ballistic panels 302 at the left and right or the top and bottom, with any suitable fastening system or device. The fastening system can include one or more spacers 502 attached to both the ballistic panels 302 and the ballistic guard 508 to create a second gap 506 for airflow. Each facing ballistic panel 302 may include at least one slot 504 for receiving the fastening system and spacer 502 to allow the ballistic panels 302 to be adjusted side to side relative to the ballistic guard 508 and an adjacent facing ballistic panel 302 to control a width of the panel gap 510 and to adjust the overall ballistic panel system during installation or system maintenance.
The computer system 700 can take any suitable physical form. For example, the computing system 700 can share a similar architecture as that of a server computer, personal computer (PC), tablet computer, mobile telephone, game console, music player, wearable electronic device, network-connected (“smart”) device (e.g., a television or home assistant device), AR/VR systems (e.g., head-mounted display), or any electronic device capable of executing a set of instructions that specify action(s) to be taken by the computing system 700. In some implementations, the computer system 700 can be an embedded computer system, a system-on-chip (SOC), a single-board computer system (SBC), or a distributed system such as a mesh of computer systems, or it can include one or more cloud components in one or more networks. Where appropriate, one or more computer systems 700 can perform operations in real time, in near real time, or in batch mode.
The network interface device 712 enables the computing system 700 to mediate data in a network 714 with an entity that is external to the computing system 700 through any communication protocol supported by the computing system 700 and the external entity. Examples of the network interface device 712 include a network adapter card, a wireless network interface card, a router, an access point, a wireless router, a switch, a multilayer switch, a protocol converter, a gateway, a bridge, a bridge router, a hub, a digital media receiver, and/or a repeater, as well as all wireless elements noted herein.
The memory (e.g., main memory 706, non-volatile memory 710, machine-readable medium 726) can be local, remote, or distributed. Although shown as a single medium, the machine-readable medium 726 can include multiple media (e.g., a centralized/distributed database and/or associated caches and servers) that store one or more sets of instructions 728. The machine-readable medium 726 can include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the computing system 700. The machine-readable medium 726 can be non-transitory or comprise a non-transitory device. In this context, a non-transitory storage medium can include a device that is tangible, meaning that the device has a concrete physical form, although the device can change its physical state. Thus, for example, non-transitory refers to a device remaining tangible despite this change in state.
Although implementations have been described in the context of fully functioning computing devices, the various examples are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms. Examples of machine-readable storage media, machine-readable media, or computer-readable media include recordable-type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory 710, removable flash memory, hard disk drives, optical disks, and transmission-type media such as digital and analog communication links.
In general, the routines executed to implement examples herein can be implemented as part of an operating system or a specific application, component, program, object, module, or sequence of instructions (collectively referred to as “computer programs”). The computer programs typically comprise one or more instructions (e.g., instructions 704, 708, 728) set at various times in various memory and storage devices in computing device(s). When read and executed by the processor 702, the instruction(s) cause the computing system 700 to perform operations to execute elements involving the various aspects of the disclosure.
The terms “example,” “embodiment,” and “implementation” are used interchangeably. For example, references to “one example” or “an example” in the disclosure can be, but not necessarily are, references to the same implementation; and such references mean at least one of the implementations. The appearances of the phrase “in one example” are not necessarily all referring to the same example, nor are separate or alternative examples mutually exclusive of other examples. A feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an example can be included in another example of the disclosure. Moreover, various features are described that can be exhibited by some examples and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described that can be requirements for some examples but not for other examples.
The terminology used herein should be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with certain specific examples of the invention. The terms used in the disclosure generally have their ordinary meanings in the relevant technical art, within the context of the disclosure, and in the specific context where each term is used. A recital of alternative language or synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. Special significance should not be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussed herein. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaning of a term. Further, it will be appreciated that the same thing can be said in more than one way.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense—that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and any variants thereof mean any connection or coupling, either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling or connection between the elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import can refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or plural number can also include the plural or singular number, respectively. The word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list. The term “module” refers broadly to software components, firmware components, and/or hardware components.
While specific examples of technology are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order, alternative implementations can perform routines having steps, or employ systems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes or blocks can be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified to provide alternative or sub-combinations. Each of these processes or blocks can be implemented in a variety of different ways. Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed in series, these processes or blocks can instead be performed or implemented in parallel, or can be performed at different times. Further, any specific numbers noted herein are only examples such that alternative implementations can employ differing values or ranges.
Details of the disclosed implementations can vary considerably in specific implementations while still being encompassed by the disclosed teachings. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed herein, unless the above Detailed Description explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed examples but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention under the claims. Some alternative implementations can include additional elements to those implementations described above or include fewer elements.
Any patents and applications and other references noted above, and any that can be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, except for any subject matter disclaimers or disavowals, and except to the extent that the incorporated material is inconsistent with the express disclosure herein, in which case the language in this disclosure controls. Aspects of the invention can be modified to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further implementations of the invention.
To reduce the number of claims, certain implementations are presented below in certain claim forms, but the applicant contemplates various aspects of an invention in other forms. For example, aspects of a claim can be recited in a means-plus-function form or in other forms, such as being embodied in a computer-readable medium. A claim intended to be interpreted as a means-plus-function claim will use the words “means for.” However, the use of the term “for” in any other context is not intended to invoke a similar interpretation. The applicant reserves the right to pursue such additional claim forms either in this application or in a continuing application.
The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 63/479,017, filed Jan. 9, 2023, titled Methods and Apparatus for High Visibility Ballistic Safety Vest, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 63479017 | Jan 2023 | US |
| Child | 18408203 | US |
