Patent Application
20240237764
The present invention relates to the technical field of protection devices for protecting the sides/the ribs and/or the back and/or the chest of a user.
In particular, the present invention relates to a protection device suitable to be used by kart drivers in order to protect them from impacts against projecting parts of the kart adjacent to the driver, such as the seats or the steering wheel of the kart or against sharp or pointed objects, e.g. the steering column of the kart.
By the way, the reference to the karting and kart drivers is to be meant as exemplifying since the protection device of the present invention could also be used with other vehicles for road racing sports either with or without a motor.
Hereinafter for sake of simplicity reference shall be made to the karting field and kart drivers.
In the karting field, the use of protection devices for protecting the drivers, in particular the trunk of the drivers, have been known for a long time.
The most common protection devices used in the karting field comprise a pair of side protection elements for protecting the sides and the ribs of the driver and a back protection element for protecting the back of the user.
Such side and back protection elements are preferably made of polymeric or composite rigid or semi-rigid material, as for example carbon fiber with glass fiber; further, such protection elements may comprise an inner padding provided in the surface facing the body of the driver for a better comfort thereof.
In this kind of protection devices, there are also provided bands or strips preferably made of textile/fabric and/or elastic material and arranged between the front ends of the side protection elements; these bands or strips are designed to be positioned at the chest of the driver and to cover it when the protection device is worn.
A drawback of the above technical solutions is that such protection devices do not provide a uniform protection to all the parts of the body of the user; as a matter of fact the chest of the user does not have the same degree of protection as the ribs or as the back of the user with this kind of protection devices.
Further, the above mentioned protection devices do not fulfill the requirements of standard 8870-2018 of FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile); such standard requires at least that:
In order to partially overcome the above mentioned drawbacks, new protection devices have been provided which comprise a front protection element in addition to the side protection elements and to the back protection element.
Such front protection element is removably connected to the side protection elements and it is positioned at and covers a front opening formed between the two side protection elements.
The front opening allows the body of the user to be inserted in an inner space delimited by the protection elements once the protection device is worn.
Further, the front protection element is preferably made of the same materials of the side/back protection elements, namely a polymeric rigid or semi-rigid material, and it is connected to the side protection elements by connection or closure means.
Such connection or closure means may comprise belts designed to be inserted and secured into buckles or straps with hook and loop stripes designed to be fastened to corresponding stripes arranged on the side protection elements.
The user, in order to make the protection device fitting and adhering on his/her body, may tighten manually the belts or the straps; on the contrary, if the user wants to have a greater freedom of movement he/she may loosen the connection and closure means.
Thus, in these protection devices the connection and closure means serve also as adjustment means for adjusting the size of the protection device according to the sizes of the body of the user.
Generally, such protection devices may also comprise harnesses fixed to the front protection element and to the back/side protection elements and designed to be positioned on the shoulders of the user; also such harnesses may be tightened or loosened.
A first drawback of these latter technical solutions is that the connection means do not allow a very accurate adjustment of the size of the protection device with respect to the sizes of the body of the user.
As a matter of fact and in order to partially overcome the above mentioned drawback the manufacturers of such protection devices often provide a set of protection devices comprising front and/or side and/or back protection elements with different sizes, each protection device being adapted for users having different sizes of the body.
However, this provision does not completely solve the above drawback, in particular in case the sizes of the body of a single user change during the time. In this occurrence the user would be forced to replace the protection device with a new one having different size.
Another drawback of the above technical solutions is that the size of the protection device cannot be further adjusted by using the connection and closure means once the front protection element has been connected to the side protection elements.
In this latter case, the only way the user would have to adjust the size of the protection device would be that of tighten/loosen the harnesses. However, also this kind of adjustment is not accurate.
A further drawback of the above technical solutions is that the connection and closure means may become loosened over time, especially owing to stresses and impacts the driver undergoes during the karting activity.
Thus, in view of the above mentioned drawbacks, the adjustment of the size obtained by using the above mentioned connection and closure means is not permanent or at least long-lasting.
The main object of the present invention is therefore to provide a protection device for protecting the sides/the ribs, the chest and the back of a user and designed to overcome the drawbacks mentioned above.
More specifically, the main object of the present invention is to provide a protection device as disclosed above which allows an accurate adjustment of its size according to the sizes of the body of the user.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a protection device as disclosed above which allows a steady and long-lasting adjustment of its size according to the size of the body of the user.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a protection device as disclosed above which allows the adjustment of its size at any time once the protection device has been worn.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a protection device as disclosed above which provides a uniform protection for the chest, the back and the ribs of the user against impacts.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a protection device as disclosed above which is simple to wear and to use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a protection device as disclosed above which fulfils the requirements of standard 8870-2018 of FIA.
The above mentioned objects, and other objects that will better appear in the following of the present description, are achieved by a protection device according to claim 1.
The advantages and the characteristic features of the invention will appear more clearly from the following description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the invention which refers to the accompanying figures in which:
The present invention relates to a protection device for protecting the sides/the ribs, the back and the chest of the body of a user.
The protection device is indicated as overall with the reference number 1 in the following and in the attached drawings while the body of the user is not illustrated in the attached figures.
The protection device 1 is preferably designed to be worn by kart drivers, usually under a suit; that is, the protection device 1 of the present invention is a karting body protection and meets and fulfils the quality requirements of FIA standard 8870-2018, as better explained hereinafter.
In a preferred embodiment, the protection device 1 comprises a main body 2 designed to protect the sides/the ribs and the back of the user and a front protection element 4 designed to protect the chest of the user.
There are also provided connection means 6 for removably connecting the front protection element 4 to the main body 2; such connection means 6 are described in detail hereinafter.
According to an embodiment not shown in the attached figures, the main body 2 may be a unitary piece with two side portions designed to be positioned at the sides/ribs of the user and a back portion designed to be positioned at the back of the user.
In order to stably couple the protection device 1 to the body of the user, the protection device 1 may also comprise at least one pair of harnesses, not shown in the figures, designed to be positioned on the shoulders of the user.
Preferably, each harness would have an end secured to a respective side portion of the main body 2 and the other end secured to the back portion of the main body 2.
The main body 2 and the front protection element 4 are movable there between when connected and delimit an inner space S for housing the body of the user when the protection device 1 is worn.
Advantageously and as better shown in
The opening A is covered by the front protection element 4 which is removably connected to the main body 2.
The front opening A makes the inner space S accessible from the outside; in particular, the front opening A allows the insertion of the body of the user in the inner space S when the protection device 1 has to be worn.
In this regard, the front protection element 4 must be temporarily disengaged/disconnected from the main body 2 in order to leave the opening A free.
With reference to the embodiment previously disclosed, the opening A is formed between the two side portions, in particular between the two front ends of the side portions.
In the embodiments shown in the figures, the main body 2 comprises two side protection elements 8 for protecting the ribs of the user and a back protection element 10 for protecting the back of the user.
The side protection elements 8 correspond to the side portions of the embodiment described above and the back protection element 10 corresponds to the back portion of the embodiment described above.
In such embodiment, the connection means 6 are designed for removably connecting the front protection element 4 to at least one of the side protection elements 8 or preferably to both the side protection elements 8.
Further, in such embodiment the front opening A is formed between the two side protection elements 8, in particular between the two front ends of the side protection elements 8 as shown in
Advantageously, the front protection element 4 may comprise a rigid or semi-rigid outer shell; the side protection elements 8 and the back protection element 10 may comprise rigid or semi-rigid outer shells as well.
By way of example, the structures of the front protection element 4, of the side protection elements 8 and of the back protection element 10 are the following:
In all the protection elements the inner padding 12 serves both for giving a better comfort to the body of the user and for distributing the impact energy due to its absorption properties.
Obviously, the structures of the protection elements may also be made of further materials and/or layers which are different from those disclosed above, without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.
Further, as better shown from the top view of
The front protection element 4 comprises also a projecting upper portion 14 which is at least partially concave and sides 16 having a curved shape. This configuration is better illustrated in
The at least partially projecting portion 14 of the front protection element 4 is designed to be positioned at the upper part of the chest of the user and ensures an effective protection against impacts to the chest of the user according to the FIA standard 8870-2018.
In particular, according to the FIA standard, the force transmitted by the front protection element 4 of the above type impacted with a force of 60 J must be lower than 1 KN; further, the force transmitted by the side and the back protection elements 8 and 10 of the above type impacted with a force of 100 J must be lower than 1 KN.
The sides 16 of the front protection element 4 are superimposed over the front ends of the side protection elements 8 or of the side portions; to that end the curved shape of the sides 16 of the front protection element 4 substantially corresponds to and has a similar radius of curvature with respect to the curved shape of the side protection elements 8.
In this way the sides 16 of the front protection element 4 are at least partially slidable over the side protection elements 8 for rendering the front protection element 4 movable with respect to the main body 2.
According to the FIA standard 8870-2018, the degree of overlap between the sides 16 of the front protection element 4 and the front ends of the side protection elements 8 has to be at least equal to 10 mm, even if it may vary during sliding and the adjustment of size of the inner space S.
Opportunely the side protection elements 8, in particular the back ends thereof, are connected to the opposite sides of the back protection element 10 by at least one hinge 18.
By way of example, the embodiments shown in the figures comprises three hinges 18 between each side protection element 8 and the back protection element 10, as shown in
Such hinges 18 are better shown in
A particular embodiment of such hinges 18 (see
The projections 22 are preferably positioned at the interspace I between a respective side protection element 8 and the back protection element 10, as illustrated in
As better shown in
Such configurations of the hinge means 18 allow for a relative movement between the back protection element 10 and the side protection elements 8 and at the same time prevents the outward rotation of each side protection element 8 and the back protection element 10 with respect to the inner space S.
Further, the elastomeric hinges 18 provide a higher degree of adaptability of the protection device 1 to the body of the user.
As shown in
As a matter of fact the closed-loop wire 24 is slidably coupled to the outer surface of the outer shell of the front protection element 4 and of the side protection elements 8. In this regard, the front protection element 4 and the main body 2 or the side protection elements 8 comprise guide elements 26 with channels for the passage and the sliding of the closed-loop wire 24.
In the first embodiment shown in
In particular, the plastic plates 28A, 28B are injected thermoplastic components, for example made of PA (polyamide) or POM (polyoxymethylene).
Preferably, there may be provided two side plastic plates 28A and a central plastic plate 28B in the front protection element 4, as better shown in
The side plastic plates 28A have the same shape and each comprises two guide elements 26, one upper guide element and one lower guide element; as shown in the
Obviously, the central plastic plate 28B may have also a different shape without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.
In the second embodiment shown in
In particular, in such a second embodiment the guide elements 26 comprise at least one upper channel or groove 27A and at least one lower channel or groove 27B.
Such channels or grooves 27A, 27B may be provided with bridge members 29 for avoiding that the closed-loop wire 24 gets out from the channels or grooves 27A, 27B during the sliding.
The side ends 30A, 30B of the closed-loop wire 24 are slidably coupled to the side protection elements 8 or to the side portions of the main body 2.
As better shown in
In particular, such plate 32 is removably fastened to one of the side protection elements 8 by hooking means 34 and may comprise at least three guide elements 26 with channels for the passage of the closed-loop wire 24. The hooking means 34 are secured on one of the side protection elements 8.
As shown in the embodiment of
The other side end 30B of the closed-loop wire 24 slides through guide elements 26 formed on another plate 38 stably secured to the other side protection element 8 or to the other side portion of the main body 2, as better shown in
Preferably, the closed-loop wire 24 arranged in this way has a rectangular shape with two long sides (an upper section 24A and a lower section 24B) and two short sides or sections 24C, as shown in
The short sections 24C of the wire 24 are those comprised between the guide elements 26 formed on the plates 32, 38 provided on the side protection elements 8 or on the side portions.
In the second embodiment shown in
In the first embodiment shown in
Advantageously, the second end 40B of the at least one belt 40 is secured to the same removable plate 32 on which the side end 30A of the closed-loop wire 24 is slidably associated, as shown in
In this way, the user has only to remove the plate 32 in order to disengage both the closed-loop wire 24 and the at least one belt 40 from the corresponding side protection element 8 or from the corresponding side portion when he/she has to remove the front protection element 4 from the main body 2.
Opportunely, the at least one belt 40 of the connection means 6 is made of elastic material.
The protection device 1 further comprises adjustment means 42 designed to be handled by the user for adjusting the size of the inner space S according to the sizes of the body of the user.
Opportunely, the adjustment means 42 and the connection means 6 are distinct there between and are operatively and at least partially associated there between.
Thus, the adjustment means 42 and the connection means 6 have no components in common and may be handled separately by the user, without affecting the connection of the front protection element 4 with the side protection elements 8 in case of adjustment of the size of the inner space S.
As shown in
In the embodiment shown in the attached figures, the adjustment means 42 comprise a rotatable element 44 partially engaging at least one section of the closed-loop wire 24, namely the upper section 24A described above.
The axis of rotation X of the rotatable element 44 is substantially perpendicular to the outer surface of the front protection element 4, as shown in
Further, in the first embodiment shown in
In the second embodiment of the protection device shown in
The rotatable element 44 is preferably designed to be rotated clockwise; the clockwise rotation of the rotatable element 44 performed by the user allows the sliding of the closed-loop wire 24 in one direction and thus the sliding of the sides 16 of the front protection element 4 over the side protection elements 8 for adjusting the size of the inner space S.
In an alternative embodiment not shown in the figures, the rotatable element 44 could also be designed to be rotated anti-clockwise by the user to make the wire 24 sliding.
Opportunely, the rotatable element 44 is round and may comprise two angularly offset slots 46 for the entry and the exit of the at least one section 24A of the closed-loop wire 24, as shown in
In order for easing the entry and the exit of the wire 24 into/from the slots 46, the two upper guide elements 26 or the bridge portions 29 may have a predetermined inclination, as illustrated in
The rotatable adjustment element 44 may also comprise an inner pivot, not shown in the attached figures, for winding or un-winding the section 24A of the wire 24 during rotation.
The sliding of the closed-loop wire 24, caused by the rotation of the adjustment element 44, for the adjustment of the inner space S causes in turn the variation of the degree of overlap between the sides 16 of the front protection element 4 and the front ends of the main body 2 or of the side protection elements 8.
Such variation of the degree of overlap allows the adjustment of the size of the inner space S according to the sizes of the body of the user.
The rotatable element 44 described above may be also replaced by other kind of adjustment devices, provided that they perform the sliding of the closed-loop wire 24.
Also, there may be provided lock means for locking the rotatable element 44 upon rotation thereof in the clockwise direction and/or once the section 24A of the closed-loop wire 24 has been wound and tensioned.
The lock means, not shown in the attached figures, may be preferably of the snap-fit type.
When the user wants to loosen the protection device 1, for example for removing it, he/she only needs to unlock the lock means causing the sliding of the wire 24 in the opposite direction and the reduction of the tension of the same.
It is clear now how the present invention allows to achieve the predefined objects.
The front protection element of the protection device, in combination with the side protection elements and the back protection elements, ensures a uniform protection to the body of the user, in particular to the chest, to the ribs and to the back according to the FIA standard 8870-2018.
Further, the connection means allow an easy wearing of the protection device while the adjustment means allow the adjustment of the size of the protection device in an easy way and even after the front protection element has been removably connected to the main body or to the side protection elements of the main body.
With regard to the embodiments of the protection device described above, the person skilled in the art may, in order to satisfy specific requirements, make modifications to and/or replace elements described with equivalent elements, without thereby departing from the scope of the accompanying claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102021000016868 | Jun 2021 | IT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2022/055971 | 6/28/2022 | WO |
