COLLAPSIBLE PROTECTIVE HELMET

Abstract

A collapsible protective helmet (10) comprises an impact-resistant base body (11) intended to encircle the head of a wearer and an impact-resistant crown (12) coupled to the base body by coupling means to be movable between a protective position in which the crown is supported by the base body in an orientation in which the crown covers the top of the head of the wearer and a stored position inverted relative to the protective position in which the crown is supported by, but nested in, the base body. The helmet further comprises releasable locking means for locking the base body (11) and crown (12) together in each of the two positions of the crown. The coupling means permits movement between those positions by pivotation of the crown relative to the base body in a direction away from the base body so as to no longer be supported by the base body rotation of the crown relative to the base body through substantially 180 degrees and pivotation of the crown relative to the base body in a direction towards the base body so as to again be supported by the base body.

Claims

1. A collapsible protective helmet comprising an impact-resistant base body intended to encircle the head of a wearer, an impact-resistant crown, coupling means coupling the crown to the base body by to be movable relative thereto between a protective position in which the crown is supported by the base body in an orientation in which the crown covers the top of the head of the wearer when the helmet is worn and a stored position which is inverted relative to the protective position and in which the crown is supported by, but nested in, the base body when the helmet is not worn, and releasable locking means for locking the base body and the crown together in each of the two positions of the crown, the coupling means being configured to permit movement between those positions by pivotation of the crown relative to the base body in a direction away from the base body so as to no longer be supported by the base body in the protective position, rotation of the crown relative to the base body through substantially 180 degrees and pivotation of the crown relative to the base body in a direction towards the base body so as to be supported by the base body in the stored position.

2. The helmet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coupling means comprises a universal joint.

3. The helmet according to claim 2, wherein the universal joint comprises a ball rotatably mounted in a socket.

4. The helmet according to claim 3, wherein the ball is provided at the crown and the socket at the base body.

5. The helmet according to claim 4, wherein the socket is formed in a pedestal of the base body and the crown has a recess receiving the pedestal when the crown is in the protective position.

6. The helmet according claim 4, wherein the ball is formed integrally with the crown.

7. The helmet according to claim 3, wherein the ball is made of yielding material and is slotted to allow compression under a pressure causing the ball material to yield.

8. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein the helmet has an intended front and back orientation with respect to wearing by a wearer and the coupling means is provided at the front of the helmet.

9. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein the crown is pivotable relative to the base body through a predetermined angle to then allow rotation of crown without obstruction by the base body.

10. The helmet according to claim 1, comprising abutment means to limit pivotation of the crown relative to the base body in a direction away therefrom.

11. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein the locking means comprises a clip.

12. The helmet according to claim 11, wherein the clip is an over-centre toggle latch.

13. The helmet according to claim 11, wherein the clip is mounted on the base body and is releasably engageable with the crown.

14. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein the coupling means and locking means are respectively arranged at two mutually opposite sides of the base body and crown.

15. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein the base body has an internal step and the crown has a rim portion which is receivable in the base body to rest on the step for support of the crown in the protective position.

16. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein the base body and the crown are plastics material mouldings.

17. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the base body and the crown has in part a lattice structure.

18. The helmet according to claim 17, wherein the lattice structure is a honeycomb structure.

19. The helmet according to claim 1, comprising a helmet retaining strap for retaining the base body and crown on the head of a wearer, wherein the base body and crown in the stored position of the crown define a space able to accommodate the strap.

Description

[0018] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] FIG. 1 is a side view of a helmet embodying the invention, in a wearable configuration with a crown of the helmet in a protective position on a base body of the helmet;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view similar in orientation to the view of FIG. 1, but in a medial plane of the helmet to show details of a coupling of the crown and base body;

[0021] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in a plane through the coupling and perpendicular to that of FIG. 2;

[0022] FIG. 4 is a front view of the helmet of FIG. 1;

[0023] FIG. 5 is a back view of the helmet of FIG. 1;

[0024] FIG. 6 is a side view of the helmet of FIG. 1, but with the crown pivoted up from the base body;

[0025] FIG. 7 is a front view of the helmet, but tilted in relation to FIG. 4 and with the pivoted-up crown part rotated through part of an intended half revolution;

[0026] FIG. 8 is a side view similar to FIG. 6, but with the crown rotated through the entire half revolution and in readiness for pivotation towards the base body and a stored position therein;

[0027] FIG. 9 is a side view similar to FIG. 1, but from the opposite side and in a collapsed configuration with the crown in a stored position in the base body;

[0028] FIG. 10 is a perspective view from above and the back of the helmet in the collapsed configuration of FIG. 9; and

[0029] FIG. 11 is a perspective view from below and the back of the helmet in the collapsed configuration of FIG. 9, showing accommodation of a retaining strap of the helmet within the base body.

[0030] Referring now to the accompanying drawings there is shown a multi-part collapsible helmet 10 comprising a substantially oval (in plan) impact-resistant base body 11 of such a size and shape that it can encircle the head of a wearer when the helmet is worn and an impact-resistant crown 12 which, when the helmet is worn, complements the base body as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 to create an approximately part-ellipsoidal shape generally corresponding with the cranium. The base body 11 is, as shown in those and other figures, gently contoured to reflect or accommodate cranial curvature, the ear regions and the junction of the head with the neck. In practice, the helmet may be produced in a small range of sizes appropriate to the different head sizes of wearers, for example children and adults, and in its marketed form will have an internal cushioning lining (not shown) typical of helmets and related protective headwear.

[0031] Each of the base body 11 and crown 12 is an integral injection-moulded component of hard polymer material, but derives increased impact resistance together with light weight primarily from a partly internally skinned honeycomb structure 13 with additional integrated, spaced-apart stiffening ribs 14 oriented somewhat similarly to lines of longitude with respect to a quasi-equatorial plane at the interface of base body and crown. The specifics of component shaping and the detail lattice structure are amenable to variation and the illustrated forms are merely examples which combine functionality and aesthetics, in the latter respect especially an impression of strength.

[0032] The crown 12 is coupled to the base body 11 by coupling means permitting movement of crown relative to the base body between a protective position (FIGS. 1 to 5) in which the crown is supported by the base body in an orientation in which the crown covers the top of the head of the wearer when the helmet 10 is worn and a stored position (FIGS. 9 to 11) which is inverted relative to the protective position and in which the crown is supported by, but nested in, the base body when the helmet is not worn. Support of the crown 12 by the base body 11 in the protective position of the former is provided by engagement of a rim portion of the crown in the base body to rest on an internal encircling step of the base body. This ensures that any impact on the top of the crown is accepted by the base body without any tendency to force the crown further into the base body. In the stored position of the crown, a step of the rim portion can rest on the upper edge face of the base body, i.e. the face adjoined by the crown when in the protective position, or the external surface of the honeycomb structure of the crown can simply rest on the internal surface of the honeycomb structure, thus the skinning of that structure, of the base body.

[0033] The coupling means comprises a ball-and-socket universal joint 15, which consists of a socket 16 integrally formed in a pedestal 17 moulded on the base body 11 at an intended front of helmet 10 and a hollow ball 18 integrally mounted on the crown 12. The pedestal 17 is received in a recess in the crown when the crown is in the protective position and in that configuration of the helmet the pedestal shape effectively complements the crown to maintain the curved external contour of the latter. The ball 18 is a press fit in the socket 16 and for that purpose is slotted to allow sufficient compression, under resilient yielding of the ball material, in order to pass through the entrance of the socket and locate therein under relaxation of the material and return expansion of the ball, whereby the ball is mounted in the socket to be rotatable within the constraints imposed by adjacent features of the helmet. In that respect and starting with the crown 12 in the protective position as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the joint 15 allows pivotation of the crown 12 about a first axis in a direction away from the base body 11 through a maximum angle of, for example, 16 degrees as shown in FIG. 5, then rotation of the crown relative to the base body about a second axis, which is perpendicular to the first axis, through 180 degrees as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 so as to invert the crown, and finally pivotation of the crown again about the first axis, but now in a direction back towards the base body until the crown enters the interior space of the base body and assumes the stored position. Rotation of the crown about the second axis can be carried out when the crown has been pivoted away from the base body by about 10 to 15 degrees, specifically when the crown in its pivoted-away state has clearance for rotation about the second axis without obstruction by or otherwise collision with the base body. The point at which clearance is available depends on shape parameters of the crown such as its height and width as considered in the sense of wearing of the helmet, i.e. vertically and laterally across the head of a wearer.

[0034] The maximum angle of pivotation is determined by suitable pivot range limitation, in this embodiment by interengagement of the crown 12 and the base body 11 in the vicinity of the pedestal 17, for example contact of a neck of the ball 18 with a boundary of the entrance to the socket 16. The neck and the boundary thus represent abutment means. Other forms of abutment means to limit pivotation are, however, conceivable.

[0035] In order to fix the crown 12 to the base body 11 in the protective position and also stored position of the former so as to create a rigid unit the helmet is provided at the back with a locking clip in the form of an over-centre toggle-action clamping latch 19, which is mounted on the base body and bears by a hook 20 against a respective clamping surface 21 or 22 of the crown in each of the two crown positions, each clamping surface being provided in an individual recess in the crown and including a detent projection for detenting interaction with the hook 20 as can be seen in the sectional view of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows the hook bearing against the clamping surface 21 associated with the protective position and, below that clamping surface, the free clamping surface 22 associated with the stored position, while FIG. 10 shows the hook 20 in its position bearing against the clamping surface 22 (not visible) associated with the stored position. The two clamping surfaces 21 and 22 are formed by opposite sides of an approximately T-section bar separating the two recesses. FIG. 10 also shows the detail construction of the clamping latch 19, from which it is evident that the hook 20 is pivotably connected with a manual operating lever 23 pivotably attached to the base body 11 by way of two projecting lugs integrally formed with or otherwise secured to the base body. Starting from the configuration in which the crown is in its protective position (FIG. 1), pivotation of the lever 23 away from the base body beyond an over-centre point relaxes the hook 20 to permit disengagement from the clamping surface 21, including the detent projection thereat. Subsequent pivotation towards the base body back beyond the over-centre point and then re-engagement of the hook with the clamping surface 21 or—if the crown has been rotated in the interim—engagement with the clamping surface 22 causes the hook to pressurably bear against the surface 21 or 22 and firmly clamp the crown 11 and base body 12 together. The latch 19, which consists of only two components plus two pivot pins, is operable simply and quickly for locking the crown and base body together to form a rigid unit in either the protective position or the stored position of the crown. In the locked state in either of these configurations, the interengagement of the hook and the detent projection at the clamping surface 21 or 22 prevents unintentional release of the latch, in particular release without operation of the lever 23. The lever is partly receivable in a depression in the base body 11 to reduce susceptibility to accidental operation.

[0036] Finally, the base body 11 is fitted with a helmet retaining strap 24 which incorporates a cushioned neck brace carrying a reflector and tethered to the interior of the base body (cf. FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 to 8). In the collapsed state of the helmet, with the crown 12 stored inverted in the base body 11, the strap 24 inclusive of brace can be accommodated in an open-sided cavity bounded by an exterior surface of the inverted crown and an interior surface of the base body, as shown in FIG. 11.

[0037] Transition of the helmet 10 between its configurations, i.e. the wearable or use state with the crown 12 in the protective position on the base body 11 and the collapsed state with the crown 12 stored in the base body 11, is evident from the foregoing description in conjunction with the drawings. Thus, arbitrarily starting from the wearable state as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 the latch 19 can be operated by way of its lever 23 to relax the pressure applied through the hook 20 to allow disengagement of the latter from the clamping surface 21 of the crown 12 so that the crown is free to pivot about the first axis relative to the base body 12. With the hook 20 clear of the clamping surface 21, the crown 12 can now be pivoted about the first axis in a direction away from the base body 11, a maximum limit (16 degrees) of such pivotation being shown in FIG. 6. At or prior to reaching that limit the crown 12 can now be rotated about the second axis relative to the base body, in particular rotated through 180 degrees. FIG. 7 shows an intermediate rotational phase of about 100 degrees and FIG. 8 shows the final phase of achieved rotation through 180 degrees; there is no constraint on rotation beyond 180 degrees, but this is not required. From this relationship of the crown 12 and base body 11 the former can now be pivoted about the first axis back towards the latter so that the crown nests in the base body as shown in FIG. 9. This pivotation is exemplified by FIGS. 8 and 9, which show the start state and end state of the range of return pivotation. The lever 23 of the latch 19 can then be operated to re-apply the hook 20, which now acts on the clamping surface 22—which is inverted in relation to the clamping surface 21—of the crown 12 as evident from FIGS. 10 and 11. In both the protective position and the stored position of the crown, the latch 19 when applied acts co-operatively with the oppositely disposed joint 15 to ensure the crown is urged against the base body to form a rigid unit precluding relative movement of the crown and base body. As a final aspect of the transition of the helmet from the wearable to the collapsed state the strap 24 is stowed in a cavity within the base body as mentioned further above and shown in FIG. 11.

[0038] A helmet embodying the present invention combines the virtues of light weight and, through its construction, a high level of impact resistance in the wearable state and is transferrable quickly and simply to a collapsed state convenient for carrying and stowage. The helmet consists of only two principal components, which can be economically produced from, for example, injection-moulded plastics material parts. Consequently, the helmet has a lower parts count and is generally of less complicated, but more robust, construction by comparison with at least some of the prior designs of collapsible or foldable helmets, while achieving a generally comparable or even better volume reduction in the collapsed or folded state.