IMPACT ABSORBING HARNESS FOR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY HELMET

Abstract

It is a typical harness conformed by a hard outer shell (1) that usually projects a front visor (2), and an optional crown with ventilation ports (3), enclosed in an inner harness (A) that lays on the wearer's head, keeping a considerable clearance in respect of the inner face of the shell (1). The helmet is put on the wearer's head and is positioned using an adjustable annular headband (4). The harness is a crowned thin structure conformed by curved portions of different width and equal thickness, which form stretching deformation portions based on the energy transferred during an impact. Thanks to the sizing of the curved portions that form the crowned structure, stretching deformation occurs at temperatures ranging from −18° C. to 50° C. The crowned structure is shaped from an upper elliptic portion (5) that delimits a vast upper and central opening (6) that is substantially elliptic, from which radial portions extend (7 and 8) until reaching a lower adjustable annular headband. This upper elliptic portion (5) presents two diametrically opposed stretched openings (9 and 10), through which it is subdivided in two internal curved portions of lesser width (11 and 12), opposed to the respective external curved portions, which are wider (13) and (14).

Claims

1. IMPACT ABSORBING HARNESS FOR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY HELMET, conformed by a hard outer shell that usually projects a front visor and, optionally, a crown with ventilation ports, enclosing an inner harness that lays on the wearer's head, and keeping a considerable clearance in respect of the inner face of the shell, which is put on the wearer's head and positioned using an annular adjustable headband, characterized by the harness's crowned thin structure conformed by curved portions of different width and equal thickness, which form stretching deformation portions based on the energy transferred during an impact.

2. IMPACT ABSORBING HARNESS FOR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY HELMET, as claimed in 1, characterized by the sizing of the curved portions that form the crowned structure, which cause stretching deformation at temperatures ranging from −18° C. to 50° C.

3. IMPACT ABSORBING HARNESS FOR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY HELMET, as claimed in 1, characterized by the crowned structure, which is shaped from an upper elliptic portion that delimits a vast upper and central opening that is substantially circular, from which radial portions extend until reaching a lower adjustable annular headband.

4. IMPACT ABSORBING HARNESS FOR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY HELMET, as claimed in 3, characterized by radial portions that extend until reaching a lower adjustable annular headband and include radial portions of different widths.

5. IMPACT ABSORBING HARNESS FOR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY HELMET, as claimed in 3, characterized by the upper elliptic portion, which presents two diametrically stretched openings, through which it is subdivided in two internal curved portions of lesser width, opposed to the respective external curved portions, which are wider.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0043] To show the advantages briefly commented—to which users and relevant experts may add much more—and to facilitate the understanding of the construction, structure and functional characteristics of the harness invented, below is a description of a preferred example, sketched at no specific scale, in the attached sheets, for illustrative purposes only. It is clearly understood that it is an example. As such, it does not limit the scope of the protection of this invention patent, but intends to explain and illustrate the concept on which it is based.

[0044] FIG. 1 illustrates a partial inner view in perspective that shows the basic elements conforming a conventional industrial safety helmet.

[0045] FIG. 2 illustrates an enlarged detail that shows the impact absorbing harness of this invention, mounted on a normalized head mold, which depicts the shape it takes after an impact on an exact point.

[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates the harness invented in rest position before receiving the impact.

[0047] FIG. 4 illustrates the shape of the harness invented adopted when the helmet receives the impact established in normalized tests.

[0048] FIG. 5 illustrates the shape of the harness invented adopted when the helmet receives an impact with a great deal of energy that exceeds the normalized requirements.

[0049] Numbers and letters shown as references correspond to the same or equivalent parts or elements of the whole set across all figures, according to the example chosen to exemplify the harness invented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EXAMPLE

[0050] As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional industrial safety helmet is composed of a hard outer shell (1) that usually projects a front visor (2) and, optionally, ventilation ports (3), which enclose an inner harness (A) that lays on the wearer's head and keeps a considerable clearance in respect of the inner face of the shell (1). The helmet is put on the wearer's head and is positioned using an annular adjustable headband (4).

[0051] As explained above, the harness has been conceived to offer comfort to the wearer as well as protection and safety. It absorbs the energy produced by impacts on an exact point.

[0052] In this particular case, a novel harness has been developed, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. It stands out because of the special element added to produce the absorption of the energy transferred with each impact.

[0053] The energy of each impact is absorbed by means of the controlled deformation occurred in portions that conform the harness, especially designed for this purpose.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 2, the harness invented comprises a crowned structure that is shaped from an upper elliptic portion (5) that delimits a vast upper and central opening (6) that is preferably circular. Radial portions (7 and 8) start from there and extend until reaching the shell and the lower adjustable annular headband mentioned above.

[0055] The above-mentioned radial portions marked (7) are wider than the radial portions marked (8); hence, they provide higher resistance to the stretching deformation when an impact occurs on an exact point of the helmet.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 2, the harness created stands out because the upper elliptic portion mentioned (5), as appeared in the preferred example chosen, presents two diametrically opposed portions that include the respective stretched openings (9 and 10) through which each of the opposing portions is subdivided in two internal curved portions of lesser width (11 and 12), opposed to the external curved portions of higher width (13 and 14).

[0057] FIGS. 2 to 5 show the operation principle realized by the harness invented.

[0058] FIG. 3 shows the harness (A) in rest position, in which case all portions conforming its crowned structure keep their natural configuration. Nevertheless, it is clearly shown that internal curved portions (11 and 12) are less wide than external curved portions (13 and 14).

[0059] FIG. 4 shows how the same harness (A) behaves when an impact occurs on an exact point of the helmet body. Furthermore, in this case, it shows the stretching deformation occurred in the internal curved portions (11 and 12) mentioned above, after absorbing part of the impact energy.

[0060] FIG. 5 shows how the same harness of the above-mentioned figures behaves in case of an impact of greater energy, in which case, after the stretching deformation produced in the internal curved portions (11 and 12) referred to above, stretching deformation occurs in the external curved portions (13 and 14).