Visor carrier assembly

Abstract

A visor carrier assembly for a safety helmet includes a double-pivot mechanism attachable to each side of a safety helmet and configured to enable a visor to be selectively pivoted. An elongate arm of the double-pivot mechanism includes first and second pivotal couplings, each including a coupling member being a fixed elongate pin having rounded portions at each end, and a coupling region including an aperture defining, along its inner edge, a first notch or aperture within which one of the rounded portions of a respective coupling member is received to define a fixed pivot point, and an arcuate guide wall with which the opposite rounded portion of said respective coupling member engages and having ridges defining grooves or notches for receiving the opposite rounded portion as a respective pivotal coupling is pivoted about the fixed pivot point, each groove or notch defining a respective said visor position.

Claims

1. A visor carrier assembly for a safety helmet, comprising: a visor; and an attachment device for attaching the visor to the safety helmet, the attachment device including double-pivot mechanisms for attachment to each side of the safety helmet to enable the visor to be selectively pivoted relative to the safety helmet, between first, second and third visor positions, wherein each double-pivot mechanism comprises a first elongate arm coupled by a first pivotal coupling at one end to a respective side region of the visor, and coupled by a second pivotal coupling at a second end to a fixed point at a respective side of the safety helmet, wherein each pivotal coupling comprises a coupling member and a coupling region, wherein each coupling member comprises a fixed elongate pin having a rounded portion at each end, wherein each coupling region comprises an aperture defining a first notch or aperture along its inner edge within which one of the rounded portions of a respective coupling member is received to define a fixed pivot point, and an arcuate guide wall with which the opposite rounded portion of said respective coupling member engages and having ridges defining grooves or notches for receiving the opposite rounded portion as a respective pivotal coupling is pivoted about the fixed pivot point, wherein each groove or notch defines a respective visor position and wherein the double pivot mechanism comprises a second elongate arm to be fixedly mounted at a respective side edge of the safety helmet, wherein a coupling region is provided in or on the second elongate arm.

2. The visor carrier assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first elongate arm is directly coupled to the visor by the first pivotal coupling.

3. The visor carrier assembly according to claim 1, wherein a coupling region is provided integrally with the second elongate arm.

4. The visor carrier assembly according to claim 1, wherein a coupling region is provided at one end of the second elongate arm.

5. The visor carrier assembly according to claim 4, wherein the other end of the second elongate arm is configured to be inserted through a recess provided on the safety helmet so as to fixedly mount the visor carrier assembly to the safety helmet.

6. The visor carrier assembly according to claim 1, wherein the two pivotal coupling are substantially horizontally aligned relative to the helmet, when oriented in the first visor position, such that, when worn by a user, the visor is deployed over the user's face.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a safety helmet assembly including a visor carrier assembly, wherein the visor is in a fully lowered position;

(2) FIG. 2 is a side view of the safety helmet assembly of FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the visor carrier assembly of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 4 is a side view of the visor carrier assembly of FIG. 3;

(5) FIG. 5 is a side view of the safety helmet and visor carrier assembly of FIG. 1, with the visor in the fully raised position;

(6) FIG. 6 is a side view of the safety helmet and visor carrier assembly of FIG. 1, with the visor in the fully stowed and locked position;

(7) FIG. 7 is a front view of the first and second elongate arms of a double pivot mechanism included in a visor carrier assembly;

(8) FIG. 8A is a close-up view of the ‘front’ pivot of a double pivot mechanism included in a visor carrier assembly;

(9) FIG. 8B is a close-up view of the ‘rear’ pivot of a double pivot mechanism included in a visor carrier assembly;

(10) FIGS. 9A to 9E are schematic close-up views of the front and rear pivots of a double pivot mechanism included in a visor carrier assembly, for various respective visor positions; and

(11) FIGS. 10A to 10E are illustrative of the five respective visor positions provided by a visor carrier assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) In the preceding and following description, directional descriptors such as upper, lower, inner, outer, vertical, horizontal, etc. are used to describe the invention when in the preferred orientation. It will be understood that the orientation can change during use, and therefore the corresponding descriptors will change.

(13) Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a safety helmet 10 is illustrated, on which a visor carrier assembly 12 is mounted. The safety helmet 10 can comprise any known configuration and can be formed of a hard outer shell 10a which is generally dome shaped so as to fit over the head of a user when worn, and the rim is generally oval in shape. The shell can be constructed of plastic materials typical of such safety helmets although it will be appreciated that the shell 10 can be constructed of any suitable material as will be apparent to those skilled in the art and the present invention is not necessarily intended to be limited in this regard. The safety helmet 10 further comprises an integral brim 10b that extends around the front edge of the shell 10a. A universal slot 10c is provided on opposing side edges of the shell 10a to receive further protective equipment, such as ear defenders 14.

(14) The visor carrier assembly 12 comprises a transparent visor 17, in the form of a faceshield, and an attachment device 18 for attaching the visor 17 to the safety helmet 10 for use. The faceshield is formed of a curved piece of transparent material substantially large enough to protect the wearer from flying particulates and debris which might otherwise strike the wearer's face and cause injury or irritation. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the faceshield in the operable position, wherein the faceshield extends downwardly from the brim 10b of the safety helmet 10 and effectively covers the user's face during use. In the operable position, the faceshield 17 is angled or oriented so that the part of the faceshield adjacent the wearer's eyes is substantially perpendicular to the wearer's eyeline. The faceshield 17 is curved along its lateral axis, so that the faceshield 17 protects the side of the wearers face during use.

(15) Referring additionally to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, the attachment device comprises a double pivot mechanism 20, attached or otherwise provided on each side of the visor 17, at its upper edge when oriented for use. The term, ‘double pivot mechanism’ refers to a mechanism that allows the visor to be pivoted about two separate but parallel horizontal axes. More specifically, it enables the visor 17 to be pivoted about a first axis, upward, away from the user's face and over the top of the safety helmet 10 (see FIG. 5), and then about a second axis, downward and toward the helmet shell 10a so that it can be stowed close to the top of the helmet (as illustrated in FIG. 6), without significantly affecting the centre of gravity and balance of the helmet/visor carrier assembly.

(16) Referring now to FIG. 7, each double pivot mechanism 20 comprises a first elongate arm 22 and a second elongate arm 24. The first elongate arm 22 is generally linear along its length and has a rounded first end 26. The longitudinally opposing second end terminates in a wider coupling region 28 defining a profiled aperture 30.

(17) The second elongate arm 24 is generally arcuate along its length having a concave recess or ‘cap’ 32 at one end. The longitudinally opposing other end terminates in a coupling region 34 defining a profiled aperture 36. The first and second elongate arms 22, 24 can be formed of any suitable material, such as hard plastic or rubber, and the present invention is not intended to be in any way limited in this regard.

(18) The inner edge of each coupling region 28, 34 of a double pivot mechanism 20 (i.e. the profiled edge of the respective aperture 30, 36 nearest the main body of the respective elongate arm 22, 24) defines a respective notch 38, 40. Referring to the coupling region 28 of the first elongate arm 22, the profiled edge of the aperture 30 opposite the notch 38, defines two laterally spaced apart rounded notches 39a, 39b and a generally arcuate wall therebetween. Referring to the coupling region 34 of the second elongate arm 24, the profiled edge of the aperture 36 has two spaced-apart ridges 42a, 42b and rounded wall sections between the notch 40 and the ridges 42a, 42b and a generally arcuate wall section between the ridges 42a, 42b.

(19) Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B of the drawings, the visor 17 is pivotally coupled to the second elongate arm 24 by a coupling peg 50 which is received within the aperture 36 of the coupling region 34 of the second elongate arm 24 (see FIG. 8A). The coupling peg 50 is generally elongate and of a length substantially equal to the distance between the notch 40 and the opposing profiled wall of the aperture. The coupling peg 50 comprises two generally circular locating members 52a, 52b with an integral short, narrower linear portion 54 therebetween. One of the locating members 52a of the coupling peg 50 is received within the notch 40 and defines a first fixed pivot point (i.e. the ‘front’ pivot point) of the mechanism. The other locating member 52b sits against the opposing profiled wall so that, as the mechanism is pivoted about the first fixed pivot point defined by the first locating member 52a, the second locating member 52b can slide along the profiled wall.

(20) The second elongate arm 24 is pivotally coupled, at the end including the cap 32, to the first elongate arm 22 by a coupling peg 56 which is received in the aperture 30 of the coupling region 28 of the first elongate arm (see FIG. 8B). Once again, the coupling peg 56 is generally elongate and of a length substantially equal to the distance between the notch 38 and the opposing profiled wall of the aperture 30. The coupling peg 56 comprises two generally circular locating members 58a, 58b with an integral narrower linear portion 60 therebetween. One of the locating members 58a is received within the notch 38 and defines a second fixed pivot point of the mechanism. The other locating member 58b sits against the opposing profiled wall so that, as the mechanism is pivoted about the second fixed pivot point (i.e. the ‘rear’ pivot point) defined by the first locating member 58a, the second locating member 58b can slide along the profiled wall.

(21) Together, the two pivot mechanisms, that define two separate but substantially parallel horizontal pivotal axes, provide a visor carrier assembly with five defined visor positions, as will now be described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9E and FIGS. 10A to 10E of the drawings. When the visor carrier assembly is mounted on the safety helmet for use, the first elongate arm 22 is fixedly attached on the safety helmet, the second elongate arm 24 is configured to be selectively pivoted relative to the first elongate arm 22 about the rear pivot point, and the visor 17 can be selectively pivoted relative to the second elongate arm 24 (at the opposite end) about the front pivot point, relative thereto in order to move the visor into a selected one of the five defined visor positions.

(22) Referring to FIG. 9A of the drawings, a first visor position is defined when the coupling peg 50 (coupling the visor 17 to the second elongate arm 24 at one end) is in Position A (the locating member 52b of the coupling peg 50 is located in the ridge 42b) abutting a first side edge (i.e. horizontal/uppermost edge) of the aperture 36 defining the coupling region 34 of the second elongate arm 24, and the second coupling peg 56 (coupling the second elongate arm 24 at the other end—i.e. the end opposing the end of the second elongate arm 24 with the coupling region 34—to the fixed first elongate arm 22) is in Position 1 (the locating member 58b of the coupling peg 56 is located in the notch 39a) abutting a first side edge (i.e. uppermost edge) of the aperture 30 of the coupling region 28 of the first elongate arm 22. As shown in FIG. 10A, when the double pivot mechanism is in this configuration, in use, the visor 17 is fully down and locked for use. In other words, the visor 17 is in the operable position, described above, when the visor 17 extends downwardly from the brim 10b of the safety helmet 10 and effectively covers the user's face during use. In the operable position, the visor 17 is angled or oriented so that the part of the visor 17 adjacent the wearer's eyes is substantially perpendicular to the wearer's eyeline. In this configuration, the coupling peg 50 and the visor 17 can be described as being at an angle of 0° from horizontal.

(23) From this configuration, if the visor 17 is pushed upward, away from the user's face, it can pivot about the second (rear) fixed pivot point until the respective coupling peg 56 reaches Position 4 (the locating member 58b of the coupling peg 56 is located in the notch 39b), having respectively passed Positions 2 and 3 (the locating member 58b of the coupling peg 56 is located at the generally arcuate wall section between notches 39a and 39b), abutting the opposing side wall/edge (i.e. lowermost edge) of the aperture 30 defining the coupling region 28 of the first elongate arm 22. During this process, the other pivotal coupling (i.e. the coupling peg 50) remains stationary in Position A and, when the rear pivot reaches Position 4, the visor 17 is fully up, over the user's head and over the top of the safety helmet 10, as illustrated in FIGS. 9B and 10C. In this configuration, the coupling peg 50 and the visor 17 can be described as being at about an angle of 100° from the operable position, when the visor is fully down and locked for use.

(24) From this configuration, the visor 17 can be pivoted (relative to the second elongate arm 24) about the front pivot (with the rear pivot remaining stationary in Position 4), through Position B of the front pivot (the second locating member 52b of the coupling peg 50 is located in the generally arcuate wall section between the ridges 42a, 42b)—see FIGS. 9C and 10D; to position C (the second locating member 52b of the coupling peg 50 is located in ridge 42a) with the coupling peg 50 abutting the opposing side wall/edge (i.e. lowermost edge) of the aperture 30 (see FIG. 9D), thereby moving the visor 17 to a fully stowed and locked configuration, as shown in FIG. 10E.

(25) As illustrated by FIG. 10B, the visor 17, when being pivoted down for use, from the fully up position illustrated in FIG. 10C, the front pivot remains stationary at Position A and the rear pivot moves through Position 3 (at which the angle of the visor 17 and the coupling peg 50 is around 30° from the operable position; and the locating member 58b is located at the end of the generally arcuate wall section, between notches 39a and 39b, that is closest to notch 39b) to Position 2 (at which the angle of the visor 17 and the coupling peg 50 is around 90° from the operable position; and the locating member 58b is located at the end of the generally arcuate wall section, between notches 39a and 39b, that is closest to notch 39a), see FIG. 9E, and, from there, can be moved to Position 1 for use (FIGS. 9A and 10A).

(26) The ‘cap’ 32 of the second elongate arm 24 arcs over the existing universal slot 10c of the safety helmet 10, thus enabling both the visor assembly and other mountable components to be attached to the safety helmet 10 and function independently without compromising the function of the visor assembly and the mountable component. For example, ear defenders 14 can be attached to the safety helmet 10 with the visor assembly, and both can function independently without compromising either element of face and/or ear protection. The ear defenders 14, with their standard universal attachment means, are not interfered with, either in use or, indeed, when not in use, because the pivot mechanism enables ear defenders 14 and the visor 17 to be stored together above the helmet 10.

(27) The lightweight and streamlined arrangement, together with the fact that both pivots remain above the brim of the safety helmet 10 at all times, irrespective of the visor position, results in significantly reduced weight and improved balance and comfort.

(28) The double pivot design enables the visor 17 to be stowed close to the crown of the helmet 10, thus reducing the centre of gravity, perceived weight and improving balance, thus increasing comfort. All of these benefits are provided whilst still providing a useful range of ‘locked’ visor positions.

(29) Further changes can be made within the scope of this invention.