Patent Grant
9526288
This application is a U.S. National Stage filing under 35 U.S.C. 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2011/061880, filed Jul. 12, 2011, designating the United States and claims the benefit of foreign priority from German Patent Application Number 10 2010 027 014.8, filed Jul. 13, 2010, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to interior fittings for a protective helmet, particularly for forestry workers, comprising a supporting cage, a head band and a neck band which together form an interior fitting subassembly which can be fixed on a helmet shell for supporting and retaining the helmet on the head of a wearer.
A protective helmet having interior fittings of this type is known from the document DE 8714490 U1. The protective helmet is comprised of a helmet shell and minimum interior fittings. The interior fittings comprise a textile crossed strap by means of which the helmet is worn on the head and which ensures a shock absorbing distance between the head and the helmet shell. At its outer circumference, the helmet is provided with a protrusion encompassing the lateral and the rear part of the helmet and comprising four recesses for mounting the crossed strap on the lower edge.
From the document DE 10 2004 004 044 B4, a protective helmet is known which comprises a carrier serving as interior fittings for mounting the protective helmet on the head to be protected. A shield is held by the carrier. A head shell is releasably attached to the carrier or the shield. The head shell serves as the actual protection of the skull. Since it can be detached from the carrier or the shield, it may be removed in case of applications in which an endangerment of the skull, for example by falling objects, can be largely excluded. For the user, this means that he may only wear the carrier including the attached shield so that the wearing comfort is improved by the weight reduction alone. Furthermore, the cooling of the head will be improved. It is said to be one advantage here that additional safety equipment can be attached to the shield or the carrier when the user is more in need of protection other than skull protection in specific applications (e.g. soil compaction work). The carrier is made of a flexible material (leather, elastic plastic material, etc.) so as to adjust to the form of the head. Furthermore, it is possible to adjust the carrier in the known manner to make it fit users having different head diameters. The head shell is designed so as to be cup-shaped so that it can cover the upper part the skull of the head not covered by the shield when the head shell is attached to the shield or to the carrier. Preferably, the head shell is directly attached to the carrier so that the forces acting on the protective helmet in case of an impact of objects can be directly transmitted to the user from the head shell via the carrier.
From the document DE 698 11 738 T2, a protective helmet is known in which the interior fittings comprising a subassembly contacting the head and including a supporting cage, a head band, and a neck band are mounted with the aid of anchoring lugs inserted into slots formed in four positions in the lower edge of a double-walled helmet shell. The head band is made of a flexible material which can readily adjust to the size and shape of the head of the wearer.
From the document WO 2005/027671 A1, a safety helmet is known in which a shock absorbing unit surrounding the remaining interior fittings is arranged in the helmet shell. On the inside of the helmet shell, protrusions exist to which the shock absorbing unit and the interior fittings are attachable by means of screws. In this known safety helmet, the shock absorbing unit is designed so thick that it is possible to provide a recess in its outer side facing the interior of the helmet in which a transmitter/receiver having a connecting line leading to the outside may be accommodated.
All aforementioned known protective helmets have in common that an external force acting on the helmet is essentially transmitted in full to the head of the wearer of the helmet via the interior fittings, particularly via a supporting cage formed by a crossed strap. Namely, the crossed strap can only fulfil a shock absorbing function to a certain degree since it has the additional function of firmly retaining the helmet on the head of the wearer. Accordingly, there is also a need for interior fittings for a protective helmet having an improved shock absorption capability.
It is the object of the invention to provide interior fittings of the type mentioned in the beginning and known from the first mentioned document so designed that they provide a protective helmet equipped with them with an improved shock absorption capability, irrespective of the type of helmet, i.e., not only a helmet designed for the use in forestry.
According to the invention, this object is solved by the supporting cage being formed of a stiff, elastically flexible material and being respectively provided with a rigid support arm protruding obliquely downwards or backwards in two temple areas as well as in an area of the back of the head for a three-point attachment of the interior fitting subassembly to the helmet shell and for enabling a clearance continuously extending around the interior fitting subassembly within the helmet shell.
In the interior fittings according to the invention, the supporting and the shock absorbing function are combined in the supporting cage made of a stiff, elastically flexible material. In fulfilling the shock absorbing function, the supporting cage is supported by the helmet shell as the free ends of the arms protruding obliquely downwards or backwards support the helmet shell on the supporting cage so that in case of an external pressure acting on the helmet shell from above, the support arms are subjected to a tensile load by the helmet shell and attempt to deform the helmet shell towards the inside. A protective helmet equipped with the interior fittings according to the invention has an overall better shock absorption capability so that less force is transmitted to the head of the wearer.
Advantageous embodiments of the interior fittings according to the invention constitute the subject matter of the subclaims.
In one embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the supporting cage is an integral plastics moulding. The shock absorption effect of the supporting cage can be more readily controlled in this way than in case of the supporting cage comprised of a textile crossed strap as in the state of the art.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the supporting cage is formed of a plastic material such as polyamide. In this way, the supporting cage has the required stiffness and is however sufficiently elastic for the shock absorption.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the supporting cage is formed of two pairs of mutually spaced apart supporting strips which intersect in the centre and blend into in a single, peripherally closed supporting strip at four connecting points at their outer ends. In this way, the supporting cage retains sufficiently large orifices for the ventilation of the head but is supported on a sufficiently large area on the head to provide for a comfortable yet firm fit of the helmet on the head and to form a sufficiently stable support for the support arms.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the support arms project from the supporting cage at the connecting points. In this way, the supporting cage forms a support for the support arms in the positions where it is the stiffest.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the support arms are integrally formed on the peripherally closed supporting strip. In this way, it is ensured that the force is transmitted to the supporting cage by the support arms over the entire circumference of the supporting cage, whereby stress peaks are avoided.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the head band is integrally formed on the supporting cage. In this way, the head band contributes to the reinforcement of the supporting cage.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the neck band has two ends releasably connected to free ends of the head band and two free ends releasably connectable to each other in the neck area. In this way, the neck band forms an integral part of the interior fittings but can be equipped with further helmet accessories in the form of a tightening unit in a simple manner. To this end, the two free ends of the neck band only have to be connected to the tightening unit.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the neck band is formed of the same material as the supporting cage. In this way, the production of the interior fittings and the adjustment of their shock absorption capability are facilitated.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the neck band is respectively connected to the supporting cage between its connections to the head band and its free ends so as to be adjustable in height. In this way, the fit of a protective helmet equipped with the interior fittings according to the invention can be improved in a simple way.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the supporting cage comprises two supporting arms protruding downwards on which the neck band is respectively fixable in a selectable height. Since the selectable fixation of the neck band is realized on supporting arms which are part of the supporting cage, the interior fittings remain a self-contained subassembly irrespective of the height in which the neck band is fixed on the supporting arms.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the supporting arms are integrally formed on the supporting cage. In this way, the stability of the interior fittings as a whole is improved, which in turn facilitates the determination of its shock absorption capability.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the head band is integrally formed on the peripherally closed supporting strip in a distance from the peripherally closed supporting strip via connecting strips. In this way, the head band can fulfil its function to support the interior fittings on the forehead irrespective of the design of the supporting cage.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the support arms and the supporting arms are further reinforced by integrally formed ribs. In this way, the force transmission via the support arms and the supporting arms is improved.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the support arms protruding downwards in the two temple areas comprise means for a fixation on the helmet shell. In this way, the interior fittings according to the invention are mountable on any helmet. The only precondition is that its helmet shell is provided with complementary fixation means on the inside or comprises slots in which the fixation means of the downwards protruding support arms can engage so that the support arms can be subjected to a tensile load by the helmet shell.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the fixation means is formed so that it can be brought in a positive engagement with the helmet shell. It should not be a problem to provide the helmet shell of any type of protective helmet with slots suitable for this purpose as early as during production.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, the support arm protruding backwards a in the area of the back of the head comprises a locking device for a fixation to the helmet shell. In the simplest case, it is sufficient that the helmet shell has an associated slot in which the backwards protruding support arm can be locked by means of a locking device so as to be capable of transmitting a force via the mounting position.
In a further embodiment of the interior fittings according to the invention, a device for fastening a chin strap is formed on the supporting cage. The interior fittings according to the invention enable the chin strap to be directly fastened to the supporting cage owing to their inherent stiffness and their design.
Embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings in which:
According to the illustration in
Three support arms 54, 55 and 56 formed as spacers, the support arm 55 not being visible in
In the following, the helmet shell 36, the interior fitting subassembly 40 according to the invention, their connection to the helmet shell 36, and then the tightening unit 48 will be described in detail and in this order.
The helmet shell 36 of a helmet 30 will, in the following, be described in detail with reference to the drawings, particularly to
The helmet shell 36 is formed as an integral plastics moulding. A suitable plastic material for the helmet shell 36 is, e.g., ABS. In
In the abovementioned temple area, three rod-like protrusions 74a or 74b on which the interior fitting subassembly 40 including the support arms 54 or 55 can be positively and releasably mounted are integrally formed or otherwise mounted on each side on the inside of the helmet shell 36. The rod-like protrusions 74a, 74b can be seen in a side view in
At the rear end, the helmet shell 36 is provided with a recess 76 at the lower edge in the centre behind which the tightening unit 48 of the neck band 46 is located and thereby accessible for a manual operation for tightening or releasing the neck band 46 when the helmet 30 is fully assembled.
To lock the supporting arm 56 on the helmet shell 36, said shell is provided with a slot 78 in the area of the back of the head in which the correspondingly formed free end of the supporting arm 56 (
The interior fittings for the protective helmet 30 are described in detail below with reference to the drawings, particularly to
The supporting cage 42 is formed of a stiff, elastically flexible material, preferably of a plastic material such as polyamide. The supporting cage 42 is respectively provided with a rigid support arm 54, 55, or 56 protruding obliquely downwards or backwards in two temple areas as well as in an area of the back of the head for a three-point attachment of the interior fittings to the helmet shell 36 and for enabling the clearance 60 continuously extending around the interior fittings in the helmet shell 36 to accommodate the ear protection capsules 35a, 35b of the ear protection 32 and other helmet accessories. In the embodiment described here, the supporting cage 42 is produced as an integral plastics moulding. The supporting cage 42 is formed by two pairs of mutually spaced apart supporting strips 142, 144 which, according to the representation in
The support arms 54, 55, 56 protrude from the supporting cage 42 at the connecting points 146a, 146b, 146c. If it is assumed that the supporting strips 142 and 144 extend in a curve, preferably substantially in a circular arc between the connecting points 146a, 146b or 146c, 146d, the supporting arms 54, 55 or 56 protrude, respectively, downwards or backwards from the supporting cage 142 substantially at a tangent to the associated arcas can be seen in
The neck band 46 may be made of the same material as the supporting cage 42. The neck band 46 is respectively connected to the supporting cage 42 between its connections to the head band 44 and its free ends so as to be adjustable in height as can be seen, for example, in
The head band 44 is integrally formed on the peripherally closed supporting strip 148 via connecting strips 150 in a distance to the peripherally closed supporting strip 148. The support arms 54, 55, 56 and the supporting arms 47a, 47b are further reinforced by integrally formed ribs 152 or 154.
The support arms 54, 55 protruding downwards in the two temple areas comprise means for a fixation on the inside of the helmet shell 36. The fixation means comprises three through-holes 156 or 158 in each of the support arms 54, 55 which can be brought in a positive engagement with the rod-like protrusions 74a or 74b on the helmet shell 36. The supporting arm 56 of the supporting cage 42 protruding backwards in the area of the back of the head comprises the protrusions 56a, 56b which, as already explained above, form a locking device for releasably fixing the interior fitting subassembly 40 on the helmet shell 36.
According to
In industrial and forestry workers' helmets, the chin strap is attached to the helmet shell (not shown) or to the supporting cage 42. In mountaineers' helmets, the chin strap is only attached to the helmet shell.
The mutual connection of the helmet shell 36 and the interior fitting subassembly 40 partially also already described above will be discussed in summary and supplementary here with reference to
In
In the embodiment described above, the support arms 54, 55 are mounted to the helmet shell 36 in a different way than the support arm 56, but this is not necessarily required. The support arms 54, 55 may also be attached to the helmet shell in the same way as the support arm 56. It is only required that the support arms 54, 55 comprise the same fixation means as the support arm 56 which enable the establishment of a positive engagement of the support arms 54, 55 on the helmet. In this case, the fixation means of the support arms 54, 55 would also be snap-on means to be inserted into, e.g., slots in the helmet shell 36 to secure the support arms 54, 55 as well as the support arm 56 on the helmet shell by means of a snap-on connection.
In the following, the ear protection 34 including its mounting device 80 will be briefly described with reference to
A face protection (not shown) comprises a visor comprising two retaining arms for the accommodation of which two connectors 136a, 136b are provided which are shown in
In the following, the tightening unit 48 already briefly mentioned above will be described in more detail with reference to
The tightening unit 48 comprises a mount 168 into which the free ends of the neck band 46 are inserted on both sides. The mount 168 has angular knobs which can be brought into engagement with angular orifices 176 of the neck band 46. In this way, the length of the neck band 46 can be roughly adjusted depending on t he size of the head. The adjustment is appropriately carried out so that the protective helmet 30 can be conveniently put on when the tightening unit is not operated. The tightening of the neck band 46 after the helmet 30 is put on will then take place with the aid of the tightening unit 48 as explained below.
The operation of the tightening unit 148 is effected by means of a locking flap 174 which, according to
If the locking flap 174 is pivoted counter clockwise and thus opened, the tightening unit 48 is opened. In this way, the lower edge of the mount 168 can be moved in the direction of the supporting shell 172 so that the neck band 46 is released, and the protective helmet 30 can be put on or taken off. If the protective helmet 30 is put on, the locking flap 174 only has to be pivoted downwards to fasten the helmet 30 on the head. This can be conveniently done with one hand and even with a glove. The supporting shell 172 is covered by a piece of padding material 180 on the front side.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2010 027 014 | Jul 2010 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2011/061880 | 7/12/2011 | WO | 00 | 2/21/2013 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2012/007473 | 1/19/2012 | WO | A |
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|---|---|---|
| 1797962 | Oct 1959 | DE |
| 1997962 | Jun 1968 | DE |
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| Entry |
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| International Search Report for International Application No. PCT/EP2011061880, mailed on Nov. 21, 2011. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20130191973 A1 | Aug 2013 | US |
