PROTECTIVE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAID PROTECTIVE DEVICE

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a protective device (10, 110) for the protection of a user. The protective device (10) comprises a mesh structure (11, 111) comprising a first mesh portion (18, 118) and a second mesh portion (19, 119) and a plurality of tie elements (5), wherein said first mesh portion (18, 118) and said second mesh portion (19, 119) are opposite one another and are connected one another by the plurality of tie elements (5); wherein the first mesh portion, the second mesh portion and the tie elements define one or more inner housings of the mesh structure (11, 111). The protective device (10, 110) includes a casing body (40, 42, 43) disposed in one or more of said inner housings, wherein said casing body is configured to assume a deflated condition and an inflated condition in the one or more inner housings of the mesh structure (11, 111).

Claims

1. A protective device for the protection of a user, said protective device comprising a mesh structure comprising a first mesh portion and a second mesh portion and a plurality of tie elements, wherein said first mesh portion and said second mesh portion are opposite one another and are connected one another by the plurality of tie elements; wherein the first mesh portion, the second mesh portion and the tie elements define one or more inner housings of the mesh structure; wherein the protective device includes a casing body arranged at least in an inner housing of said one or more inner housings, wherein said casing body is configured to assume a deflated condition and an inflated condition in the at least one inner housing of the mesh structure, and wherein in said deflated condition, the casing body occupies a first space or first region, and wherein in said deflated condition a second region or second space of said at least one housing lacks a casing body, and wherein in said inflated condition the casing body occupies the second region or second space.

2. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein in the inflated condition said casing body is configured to line from the inside, at least partially in contact, the mesh structure and/or that said mesh structure is an external structure of the protective device.

3. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein in said inflated condition the casing body completely occupies the second region or second space and the first region or first space of the housing.

4. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein the deflated condition of the casing body corresponds to a slack and loose condition of the mesh structure and of the tie elements, and wherein to the inflated condition of the casing body corresponds an at least partially tensioned condition of the tie elements (5) and of the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion.

5. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein the tie elements define a plurality of housings between the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion and the casing body comprises a plurality of portions each arranged in a corresponding housing of said housings.

6. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein the housings have the shape of channels and are arranged side by side one another and each one intended to house a corresponding casing body or casing body portion, and wherein in inflated condition, the casing bodies are inflated against each other so as to form a planar structure.

7. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein the casing body has a hand or comb or tree shape, or has tubular shape arranged in a serpentine way.

8. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein the tie elements are arranged between said first mesh portion and said second mesh portion aligned in a plurality of rows of tie elements.

9. The protective device according to claim 6, wherein each row of tie elements of the plurality of rows of tie elements comprises a plurality of tie elements wherein in a condition of at least partial tension, the tie elements belonging to the same row of tie elements are arranged substantially parallel to each other.

10. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein an inflated condition of the casing body corresponds to an inflated condition of protection of the inflatable element, and a deflated condition corresponds to a rest condition of the inflatable element, and wherein in said deflated condition the second region of said at least one housing is apt to allow a passage of air between the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion passing through the second region of said at least one housing.

11. The protective device according to claim 1, comprising a gas source or inflation source connected to the inflatable casing body.

12. The protective device according to claim 1, wherein said device is a wearable device.

13. A protective garment or clothing accessory comprising the protective device according to claim 1.

14. The protective garment according to claim 12, wherein said protective garment has a covering layer, wherein said covering layer is of breathable material or includes transpiration openings, and wherein said covering layer covers said first region and said second region of said one or more housings.

15. A method for making a protective device for the protection of a user, said method comprising the steps of: providing a mesh structure comprising a first mesh portion and a second mesh portion, opposite the first mesh portion, and a plurality of tie elements connecting the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion, wherein said first mesh portion and said second mesh portion and the plurality of tie elements define one or more housings in the mesh structure; arranging a casing body in at least one of said housings to form with the mesh structure an inflatable element; and inflating the casing body from a first deflated operating condition to a second inflated operating condition, wherein in said deflated condition, the casing body occupies a first space or region, and wherein in said deflated condition a second region or second space of said at least one housing lacks said casing body, and wherein in said inflated condition the casing body expands and occupies the second region or second space.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the casing body is inflated until the tie elements and the mesh structure are tensioned and/or until the casing body is at least partially adhered to the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the tie elements are arranged to form a plurality of side-by-side housings and wherein portions of the casing body or a plurality of casing bodies are arranged side by side one another, and wherein in said inflated condition portions of casing body or a plurality of casing bodies push against each other to form a planar structure.

18. The method according to claim 15, the casing body is inflated until the mesh structure is tensioned and the mesh structure bridles and prevents a further expansion of the casing body.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein in said deflated condition the second region of said at least one housing allows an air passage between the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion passing through the second region.

Description

[0045] Reference will be made to the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0046] FIG. 1 shows a partially sectional schematic view of a protective device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] FIG. 1A shows a schematic view of a protective device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional view along the line II-II of the protective device of FIG. 1A in an inflated condition;

[0049] FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view along the line II-II of the protective device of FIG. 1A in the inflated condition according to a further embodiment;

[0050] FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional view along the line II-II of the protective device of FIG. 1A in a deflated condition;

[0051] FIG. 5 shows a schematic sectional view along the line II-II of the protective device of FIG. 1A in a deflated condition according to a further embodiment;

[0052] FIG. 6 shows a partially sectional schematic view of a protective device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0053] FIG. 7 shows a view of a garment including a personal protective device;

[0054] FIG. 8 shows a schematic sectional view along the line II-II of the protective device of FIG. 1A in the inflated condition according to a further embodiment;

[0055] FIG. 9 shows a schematic sectional view along the line II-II of the protective device of FIG. 1A in the inflated condition according to a further embodiment;

[0056] FIG. 10 shows a schematic view of an enclosure for a device according to the present disclosure.

[0057] With reference to the attached FIGS. 1-10, the reference number 10, 100 indicates a personal protective device according to the present disclosure in accordance with respective embodiments of the present disclosure. It is preferably a wearable protective device.

[0058] The embodiments differ mainly in the textile mesh structure 11, 111 described as will be described below. For identical components having the same structure, the two protective devices keep identical reference numbers.

[0059] The personal protective device 10, 110 comprises an inflatable element 12, 112 which is able to substantially assume a first rest condition or deflated condition, and a second active condition or inflated condition. The inflation methods will be described later in the description.

[0060] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the inflatable element 12, 112 can be shaped like a jacket and is apt to surround an upper area or bust of the user's body. Nothing prevents from making the inflatable element 12 according to any shape. The inflatable element 12, 112 includes a mesh textile structure 11, 111, with a first mesh portion 18,118, and a second mesh portion 19, 119, in which the two mesh portions are opposite one another.

[0061] The mesh textile structure 11 can be made according to the technology described in the patent application PCT/IB2009/055512 and in the patent application PCT/IT2009/000547, incorporated herein by reference in their entirety in the present disclosure, or the mesh textile structure 111 can be made according to the technology described in the patent application WO2016178143A1, or in the patent application WO2017163196A1, incorporated herein by reference in their entirety in the present disclosure. In other words, it is preferably a mesh textile structure with threads, formed by meshes and tie elements as described in these patent applications. The most significant difference with respect to these patent applications lies in the fact that the inflatable element here described does not have the same external gas containment walls described in the aforementioned patent applications.

[0062] More particularly, according to the technology, for example, of the patent application PCT/IB2009/055512, the mesh structure 11 comprises a first mesh portion 18 and a second mesh portion 19 joined along the perimeter. According to the technology of patent application WO2016178143A1, the mesh structure 111 comprises a first mesh portion 118 and a second mesh portion 119 which are part of a mesh casing body made in a single body. What is relevant for the present patent application is the fact that the first mesh portion 118, 18 and the second mesh portion 19, 119 are opposite each other and are connected to each other by a plurality of tie elements 5. Preferably, the tie elements 5 are arranged between said first mesh portion 18 and said second mesh portion 19 aligned in a plurality of rows 24 of tie elements 5. The arrangement in rows 24 allows better regulation of the thread arrangement and further control of the expansion of the inflatable element, as well as forming a plurality of side-by-side housings. Therefore, in the mesh structure 11 there are 111 housings in the shape of channels.

[0063] To control even better the expansion of the inflatable element, in active condition, when the inflatable element 2 is in the inflated condition, the tie threads 5 are parallel to each other in the respective row 24 and substantially orthogonal to the direction of the row. The threads are preferably shorter in the edge region, i.e. they decrease in length as they approach the edge region.

[0064] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the inflatable element 12, 112 comprises an inflatable casing body 40, 42, 43 disposed in one or more housings between the first mesh portion 18, 118, and the second mesh portion 19, 119 and connected to a gas source 15, or inflation source. According to the embodiment of FIG. 1, the inflatable casing body 40 has a hand or comb shape and includes a plurality of portions 40a of the inflatable casing body 40 inserted between the rows of tie elements 5. According to the embodiment of FIG. 6 the inflatable casing body 42 has a tubular shape and is inserted in a serpentine way between the tie elements. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the casing body has the shape of a tree, that is, it has lateral branches and is also inserted between the channels of a mesh structure 11, 111.

[0065] The casing body 40, 42, 43 is in a deflated condition during a rest situation of the inflatable element 2, 102 and occupies the smallest possible space thus allowing the passage of air between the mesh portions 18, 19, 118, 119. At the moment of inflation, the casing body 40, 42, 43 inflates until the tie elements and the mesh portions are tensioned, and thus obtain a maximum tension of the inflatable element. The mesh textile structure 11, 111 actually acts as a containment cage for the casing body 40, 42, 43 in the inflated condition.

[0066] It is to be understood that the casing body 40, 42, 43 and the tie elements 5 can be selected and arranged in a suitable way to allow the insertion of the inflatable casing body 40, 42, 43 and the achievement of a desired final shape.

[0067] The fact of providing an inflatable casing body 40, 42, 43 with a plurality of portions 40a which are side by side between rows of tie elements 5 allows to obtain a substantially flat final configuration of the inflatable element due to the fact that the various portions 40a in inflated condition are forced to stay side by side, blocked by the mesh portions 18, 118, 19, 119.

[0068] In an alternative embodiment such as that of FIG. 8, a third mesh portion 120 overlapped the first mesh portion 118 and the second mesh portion 119 is provided. This third mesh portion 120 allows to make a second layer of inflatable element and therefore make available a plurality of housings for the inflatable casing body 40, 42, 43, and allow an even greater variability of arrangement of the inflatable casing body or of its portions within the mesh textile structure 11, 111.

[0069] The present disclosure also relates to a protective garment 50 comprising a protective device 10, 110 as defined above. The protective device 10, 110 can be housed in a garment pocket.

[0070] It follows that the garment pocket forms a cover for the protective device 10, 110. For example, the pocket can be made between a covering outer layer of the garment and an inner layer or lining. Alternatively again, the protective device can be simply fixed underneath the covering outer layer, without a real pocket.

[0071] The covering layer, in use, is substantially placed over the personal protective device. The covering layer can also be understood as a multilayer structure.

[0072] In this case, the garment includes a covering outer layer, which can also be a multilayer structure. The outer layer of the garment can advantageously be made of a breathable material, or include holes or ventilation openings. In other words, and in general, the garment can be made of breathable material and/or material that allows the passage of air through it, that is, that allows ventilation, for example it is a perforated material or has one or more ventilation openings. In other words, the garment preferably has one or more parts made of material suitable for allowing transpiration and/or ventilation. The main advantage of the fact that the casing body in a deflated condition occupies only a part of the mesh structure lies exactly in the fact that the presence of the inflatable element does not affect the characteristics of transpiration and ventilation of the garment.

[0073] In this way, when the inflatable element is in an inactive condition, and in fact not used, the casing body forms an additional layer in the garment in a confined way, only in a restricted region of the garment. In the remaining part of the garment (second region of the mesh structure), the casing body does not form an additional layer. It follows that the garment can preserve its own peculiarities and technical characteristics determined by the combination of layers chosen to make the garment, and they can be, as mentioned, suitable for ventilation or transpiration. Such layers include, for example, the lining and the covering surface of the protective device.

[0074] The present disclosure also relates to a method for making a protective device 10, 110 for the protection of a user.

[0075] The method includes the steps of: [0076] provide an inflatable element 12, 112 configured to assume an active inflated configuration and a rest deflated configuration, wherein said inflatable element 12 comprises a first mesh portion 18 and a second mesh portion 19, 119 opposite the first mesh portion 18, 119 to define at least one inner housing; [0077] connecting said first mesh portion 18 to said second mesh portion 19 with a plurality of tie elements 5 so as to define one or more inner housings; [0078] arrange in the inner housing a casing body 40, 42, 43 and preferably connect the casing body 40, 42, 43 to a gas source to inflate the casing body in an inflated condition.

[0079] Preferably in the deflated condition, the casing body 40, 42, 43 occupies a first space or first region, and wherein in said deflated condition a second region or second space of said at least one housing is devoid of said casing body, and in wherein in said inflated condition the casing body expands and occupies the second region or second space.

[0080] Preferably, the step of connecting the first mesh portion 18 to the second mesh portion 19 with the plurality of tie elements 5 is carried out by arranging the tie elements 5 aligned in a plurality of rows 24 of tie elements, wherein each row 24 of elements tie elements 5 comprises a plurality of tie element elements 5 and the casing body is arranged between the rows 24.

[0081] Actually, the casing body covers the mesh structure 11, 111 from within, without requiring external waterproofing walls.

[0082] In relation to inflation, in order to inflate the casing body 40, 42, 43, in the event of a fall and/or slip and/or unexpected impact by a user or a vehicle on which he/she is travelling, the protective device 10, 110 is apt to cooperate with suitable activation means (not shown) operatively connected for example to the gas source 15, such as a can of compressed cold gas, such as for example helium. The can can be provided with a respective shut-off valve (not shown).

[0083] Alternatively, the inflation fluid source can comprise gas generators of the pyrotechnic or hybrid type or of other types known to the state of the art.

[0084] The opening of the shut-off valve of each inflation can is preferably controlled by a control unit according to the detection of the status of the vehicle/driver system; for example, said control unit can implement a fall prediction system that allows a timely identification of the fall event and a reliable prediction of this by means of accelerometric sensors integral with the vehicle (or driver) and a processing unit of the signals produced by the same sensors.

[0085] Alternatively, the device according to the present disclosure can also find application using an activation cable connected to a vehicle driven by a user, which cable controls the inflation of the inflatable element following the distancing of the user from the vehicle, for example, following a fall or an unexpected impact. The use of the cable is particularly used in the horse riding sector.

[0086] In any case, the aforementioned activation and inflation means can be integrated into the protective device according to the present invention or located outside the same.

[0087] It should also be noted that the activation methods, while being an aspect of particular importance for an effective operation of the device, will not be further described in greater detail, being methods essentially already known to a person skilled in the art of protection of an individual from unexpected impacts.

[0088] The object of the present disclosure has so far been described with reference to the embodiments thereof. It is to be understood that there may be other embodiments which relate to the same inventive nucleus, all falling within the scope of protection of the claims provided below.