SUPPORT RAIL FOR ATTACHMENT OF HELMET ACCESSORY TO A HELMET, AS WELL AS HELMET ACCESSORY, SUPPORT SYSTEM AND HELMET

Abstract

A support rail for attachment of a helmet accessory to a helmet. The support rail including: a top side; a first receiving side; and a second receiving side. The top side has an attachment portion configured to be fixed to a bottom side of the helmet. The first receiving side having a first retaining groove and the second receiving side having a second retaining groove. The first retaining groove and the second retaining groove are configured to receive one or more engagement elements of a helmet accessory. The attachment portion, the first retaining groove and the second retaining groove extend in a longitudinal direction of the support rail and a first groove valley of the first retaining groove and a second groove valley of the second retaining groove are aligned towards each other.

Claims

1. A support rail for attachment of a helmet accessory to a helmet, wherein the support rail comprising: a top side; a first receiving side; and a second receiving side; wherein the top side has an attachment portion configured to be fixed to a bottom side of the helmet; the first receiving side having a first retaining groove; the second receiving side having a second retaining groove; the first retaining groove and the second retaining groove are configured to receive one or more engagement elements of a helmet accessory; the attachment portion, the first retaining groove and the second retaining groove extend in a longitudinal direction of the support rail; and is a first groove valley of the first retaining groove and a second groove valley of the second retaining groove are aligned towards each other.

2. The support rail according to claim 1, wherein the attachment portion is configured as an attachment groove.

3. The support rail according to claim 1, wherein at least one first groove side surface of the first retaining groove and at least one second groove side surface of the second retaining groove are arranged towards each other at an angle in a range of 60° to 120°, inclusive of 60° and 120°.

4. The support rail according to claim 1, further comprising a third receiving side having a third retaining groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the support rail.

5. The support rail according to claim 3, wherein the at least one second groove side surface of the second retaining groove and at least one third groove side surface of the third retaining groove are arranged towards each other at an angle in a range of 60° to 120° , inclusive of 60° and 120°, wherein the at least one first groove side surface of the first retaining groove and the at least one third groove side surface of the third retaining groove are arranged towards each other at an angle in a range of 150° to 210°, inclusive of 150° and 210°.

6. The support rail according to claim 1, wherein the support rail comprises four or more sides along a transverse circumference, wherein each of the top side, the first receiving side and the second receiving side forms one of the four or more sides.

7. The support rail according to claim 4, wherein the support rail comprises four or more sides along a transverse circumference, wherein each of the top side, the first receiving side, the second receiving side and the third receiving side forms one of the four or more sides.

8. The support rail according to claim 1, wherein the first receiving side is an outer side and the second receiving side is a bottom side of the support rail.

9. The support rail according to claim 4, wherein the first receiving side is an outer side, the second receiving side is a bottom side and the third receiving side is an inner side of the support rail.

10. The support rail according to claim 1, further comprising at least one bore for receiving a fixing element, by which the support rail is fixable to the helmet.

11. The support rail according to claim 10, wherein the at least one bore (52) is configured in an abutting surface which projects from a top side of the support rail and is configured to abut against an outer side of a helmet shell of the helmet.

12. The support rail according to claim 1, wherein the support rail includes a receiving component made of aluminum and at least one attachment component made of a plastic, wherein the first retaining groove and the second retaining groove are configured in the receiving component, wherein the attachment component is arranged in the attachment portion and fixed to the receiving component, wherein the attachment component extends upward from the receiving component.

13. A helmet accessory including a first retaining arm with a first engagement element configured to engage into one or more of the first retaining groove and the second retaining groove of the support rail according to claim 1.

14. The helmet accessory according to claim 13, wherein the first engagement element has a hook shape.

15. The helmet accessory according to claim 13, wherein the first retaining arm comprises a second engagement element and the second engagement element and the first engagement element are arranged towards each other at an angle in a range of one of 60° to 120° or 150° to 210°.

16. The helmet accessory according to claim 15, wherein the second engagement element has a hook shape.

17. The helmet accessory according to claim 13, further comprising a retaining frame connected to the first retaining arm, the retaining frame comprising attachment elements for fixing a further helmet accessory for the helmet.

18. The helmet accessory according to claim 13, further comprising a second retaining arm comprising a third engagement element.

19. The helmet accessory according to claim 18, further comprising a fourth engagement element.

20. The helmet accessory according to claim 19, wherein one or more of the third engagement element and the fourth engagement element have a hook shape.

21. A support system comprising: the support rail according to claim 1; and a helmet accessory including a first retaining arm with a first engagement element configured to engage into one or more of the first retaining groove and the second retaining groove of the support rail; wherein the helmet accessory is detachably fixable to the support rail by fixing the first engagement element in one or more of the first retaining groove and the second retaining groove.

22. A helmet comprising: a helmet shell having a bottom side; and a support rail according to claim 1 fixed to the bottom side of the helmet shell.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] Further features will become apparent from the description of the embodiments together with the claims and the attached drawings. Embodiments may fulfill individual features or a combination of several features.

[0061] The embodiments will be described below without restricting the general inventive idea on the basis of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings, and regarding any details which are not explained further in the text reference is expressly made to the drawings. In the drawings:

[0062] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematically simplified illustration of a helmet with a support rail of the state of the art,

[0063] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematically simplified illustration of a helmet with a support rail with retaining groove,

[0064] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematically simplified illustration of a helmet of a further embodiment of a support rail which is attached to the lower edge of the helmet shell,

[0065] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic simplified cross-sectional view through the helmet of FIG. 3,

[0066] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematically simplified cross-sectional view through a support rail,

[0067] FIG. 6 illustrates a schematically simplified illustration of a helmet with a support rail and a helmet accessory,

[0068] FIGS. 7a-7c illustrate schematically simplified cross-sectional views of a support rail with a helmet accessory,

[0069] FIG. 8a illustrates a schematically simplified cross-sectional view of a helmet accessory configured as a lamp on a support rail,

[0070] FIG. 8b illustrates a schematically simplified side view of the helmet accessory configured as a lamp, and

[0071] FIG. 9 illustrates a schematically simplified cross-sectional view through a support rail with a receiving component and two attachment components.

[0072] In the drawings, the same or similar types of elements and/or parts are provided with the same reference numbers so that a corresponding re-introduction is omitted, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] FIG. 2 shows a schematically simplified helmet 2 which, in addition to the rail 7, comprises a support rail 9, which is attached to the bottom side 6, such as a lower edge, of the helmet shell 4. An outer side of the support rail 9 is configured as a first receiving side 10, in which a first retaining groove 11 is formed along a longitudinal direction 60. The longitudinal direction 60 extends from a rear end of the support rail 9 to a front end of the support rail 9 and thereby follows a curvature of the lower edge of the helmet shell 4.

[0074] The first retaining groove 11 offers a flexible solution for attachment of a hello met accessory to the helmet 2 that is easy to handle. A helmet accessory having matching engagement elements can be simply inserted into the first retaining groove 11, thereby enabling a quick and easy replacement of a helmet accessory. Due to the arrangement on the bottom side 6 of the helmet 2, the support rail 9 is also quickly and easily fixable to the helmet 2. For this purpose, the support rail 9 is, for example, clamped and/or glued on the lower edge of the helmet shell 4 in order to allow for secure abutting of the support rail 9.

[0075] FIG. 3 shows a further helmet 2 with a support rail 9, but without a rail 7. It can be seen in FIG. 3 that the embodiment of the support rail 9 shown in FIG. 3 has a plurality of abutting surfaces 50, which project from the support rail 9 and abut against the helmet shell 4. Bores 52 are introduced into two of these abutting surfaces 50, through which the support rail 9 can additionally be fixed to the helmet 2 by fixing elements 53, for example screws.

[0076] FIG. 4 shows a cross section through the helmet 2 and the support rail 9 along a cutting line 70 illustrated in FIG. 3. In this sectional illustration, it can be seen that the support rail 9 is slipped from below onto the bottom side 6 of the helmet shell 4. FIG. 5 shows an enlarged illustration of the cross-sectional view of the support rail 9. In FIG. 5 it becomes clear that the illustrated embodiment of the support rail 9 comprises on its top side 40 an attachment portion 42 in the form of an attachment groove 41 for receiving a lower edge of the helmet shell 4. The substantially rectangular cross-sectional area of the support rail 9 comprises three retaining grooves 11, 21, 31 which are introduced into a first receiving side 10, a second receiving side 20 and a third receiving side 30, respectively. Thereby, the first receiving side 10 is configured as an outer side, the second receiving side 20 as a bottom side and the third receiving side 30 as an inner side of the support rail 9. In the embodiment illustrated, each of the retaining grooves 11, 21, 31 comprises a rectangular cross section, so that they each comprise a groove base surface 13, 23, 33, and two groove side surfaces 12, 22, 32. The groove base surfaces 13, 23, 33 represent the groove valleys 14, 24, 34 of the retaining grooves 11, 21, 32 in the selected groove shape. Instead of rectangular retaining grooves 11, 21, 32, it is also possible, for example, to introduce triangular or curved or semicircular retaining grooves 11, 21 31 into the sides 10, 20, 30.

[0077] Due to the configuration of three retaining grooves 11, 21, 31 on the support rail 9, a helmet accessory can be attached flexibly and securely to the support rail 9 and thus to the helmet 2. For this purpose, the helmet accessory can be braced, for example, between two of the retaining grooves 11, 21, 31. The arrangement of the helmet accessory in the longitudinal direction 60 or the selection of the retaining grooves 11, 21, 31 is flexibly selectable.

[0078] FIG. 6 shows schematically simplified a helmet 2 with a support rail 9, to which helmet accessories 90, 91, 110, 120 are fixed. The helmet accessories 90 and 91 comprise supports for further helmet accessory 120, which comprises a lamp in the illustrated example. Each of the helmet accessories 90, 91 comprises respectively a retaining frame 92 and two retaining arms 93, 94. The retaining arms 93, 94 engage into the retaining grooves 11, 21, 31 of the support rail 9 and thus fix the helmet accessory 90, 91 on the helmet 2. Attachment elements 99 are provided on the retaining frame 92, on which said two retaining arms 93, 94 are arranged, by which said further helmet accessory 120 is fixed to the helmet 2.

[0079] The helmet accessory 110, configured as a visor receptacle, is another example of equipment which is fixed to the support rail 9. However, unlike the helmet accessory 90, 91, 120, the visor receptacle is not inserted into the retaining grooves 11, 21, 31 or fixed to the attachment elements 99, but is attached to the support rail 9 by said fixing element 53. The support rail 9 and one or more of the helmet accessories 90, 91, 110, 120 together form a support system 100 for attachment of the helmet accessory 90, 91, 110, 120 to the helmet 2.

[0080] The FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c show various embodiments of support systems 100a, 100b, 100c, respectively, in a cross-sectional view. As illustrated in FIG. 7a, the support rail 9 is fixed, for example glued, to a lower edge of the helmet shell 4 with the attachment portion 42 configured as attachment groove 41. A helmet accessory 90a is clamped in the first retaining groove 11 and the third retaining groove 31 by a first engagement element 95a and a second engagement element 96a. Due to the orientation and configuration of the retaining grooves 11, 31, the helmet accessory 90a is held securely on the support rail 9. For removal, one or both of the engagement elements 95a, 96a can simply be removed from the respective retaining groove 11, 31. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the engagement elements 95a, 96a are configured to be hook-shaped in order to be braced tightly and securely in the retaining grooves 11, 31.

[0081] The embodiment in FIG. 7b differs from the embodiment in FIG. 7a in that the helmet accessory is clamped in the second retaining groove 21 and the third retaining groove 31, thus through a right angle instead of through 180°. Due to the configured and shape of the retaining grooves 22, 32, the helmet accessory 90b is still held securely on the support rail 9 by a first engagement element 95b and a second engagement element 96b.

[0082] A further embodiment is shown in FIG. 7c. In this embodiment, the helmet accessory 90c is clamped by an engagement element 97 engaging in the first retaining groove 11 and an engagement element 98 engaging in the second retaining groove 21. In addition, a retaining arm 94 leads upward in order to connect the engagement elements 97, 98, for example, to a retaining frame 92 or another part of the helmet accessory 90c.

[0083] FIGS. 8a and 8b show an embodiment of support system 100d with a helmet accessory 120 in the form of a lamp, which is configured with engagement elements 95c, 96c that are connected via a retaining arm 93. Therefore, the lamp can be clamped directly in the retaining grooves 21, 31 without the need for a retaining frame 92.

[0084] FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a support rail 9a, which includes a receiving component 200 made of aluminum and two attachment components 220, 230 made of a hard plastic. The attachment components 220, 230 are arranged in said attachment portion 42 of the support rail 9a and extend upwards from there. For attachment to the receiving component 200, each of the attachment components 220, 230 comprises at least one stud 222, 232, which is inserted into form-fitting holes 202 of the receiving component 200.

[0085] The attachment components 220, 230 form partial portions of the walls of the attachment groove 41. Once the support rail 9a is slipped over the helmet shell 4, as shown in FIG. 9, the helmet shell 4 prevents the studs 222, 232 from detaching from the holes 204. If the support rail 9a is removed from the helmet shell 4, the studs 222, 232 can be detached from the holes 202 in order to separate the attachment components 220, 230 from the receiving component 230.

[0086] Since the attachment components 220, 230 are made of a plastic, they can be configured significantly thinner than components made of aluminum. For this reason, for example, the fastening component 230 abutting against the outer side of the helmet shell 4 can provide the abutting surface 50 for attachment of the support rail 9a to the helmet shell 4 (see FIG. 3). The fixing element 53 and the bore 52 are not shown in FIG. 9. In contrast, the attachment component 220 abutting against the inner side of the helmet shell 4 is configured to fix the helmet accessory in the interior of the helmet shell 4, for example upholstery, sensors or similar accessory.

[0087] While there has been shown and described what is considered to be embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0088] 2 Helmet [0089] 3 Belt system [0090] 4 Helmet shell [0091] 6 Bottom side [0092] 7 Rail [0093] 8 Attachment elements [0094] 9, 9a Support rail [0095] 10 First receiving side [0096] 11 First retaining groove [0097] 12 Groove side surface [0098] 13 Groove base surface [0099] 14 Groove valley [0100] 20 Second receiving side [0101] 21 Second retaining groove [0102] 22 Groove side surface [0103] 23 Groove base surface [0104] 24 Groove valley [0105] 30 Third receiving side [0106] 31 Third retaining groove [0107] 32 Groove side surface [0108] 33 Groove base surface [0109] 34 Groove valley [0110] 40 Top side [0111] 41 Attachment groove [0112] 42 Attachment portion [0113] 50 Abutting surface [0114] 52 Bore [0115] 53 Fixing element [0116] 60 Longitudinal direction [0117] 70, 80 Cutting line [0118] 90a, 90b, 90c, Helmet accessory [0119] 91 Helmet accessory [0120] 92 Retaining frame [0121] 93, 94 Retaining arm [0122] 95a, 95b, 95c Engagement element [0123] 96a, 96b, 96c Engagement element [0124] 97 Engagement element [0125] 98 Engagement element [0126] 99 Attachment elements [0127] 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d Support system [0128] 110 Helmet accessory [0129] 120 Helmet accessory [0130] 200 Receiving component [0131] 202 Hole [0132] 220 First attachment component [0133] 222 Stud [0134] 230 Second attachment component [0135] 232 Stud