Helmet strap, helmet, and method of manufacturing a helmet strap

Abstract

A helmet strap for fastening a helmet to a head comprises at least one strap belt having a Y shape that has a first arm, a second arm and a third arm to be fastened to the helmet at a respective helmet side by two of the arms and for the remaining arm to be able to extend up to a chin region of the head. In this respect, the strap belt comprises a first part belt that extends without interruption along the first and third arms and a second part belt that extends without interruption along the second and third arms, wherein the first and second part belts are fixedly interconnected along the third arm or are formed materially integrally with one another along the third arm.

Claims

1. A helmet strap for a helmet, comprising at least one strap belt having a Y shape that has a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm, wherein a first one and a second one of the first arm, the second arm and the third arm are configured to be fastened to the helmet, wherein a third one of the first arm, the second arm and the third arm extends up to a chin region, wherein the strap belt comprises a first part belt and a second part belt, wherein the first part belt extends without interruption along the first and third arms and the second part belt extends without interruption along the second and third arms, with the first and second part belts being fixedly interconnected along the third arm or being formed materially integrally with one another along the third arm, wherein the second part belt has an angled course in the region of a transition between the second and third arms, and wherein the second part belt is folded over along a folding edge in the region of the transition between the second and third arms to produce the angled course.

2. A helmet strap in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first arm is provided relative to the second arm for arrangement in a direction of travel (F).

3. A helmet strap in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first part belt comprises a first part fabric that extends without interruption along the first arm and along the third arm and the second part belt comprises a second part fabric that extends without interruption along the second arm and along the third arm, with the first and second part fabrics being woven to one another along the third arm.

4. A helmet strap in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first part belt has an at least substantially straight course over a total extent of the first part belt along the first and third arms.

5. A helmet strap in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second part belt has an angled course in the region of the transition between the second and third arms at an angle in an angular range from approximately 30 to approximately 50.

6. A helmet strap in accordance with claim 1, wherein sections of the second part belt overlap one another and are fastened to one another.

7. A helmet strap in accordance with claim 6, wherein the sections of the second part belt that overlap one another are fastened to one another by at least one of: at least one seam, adhesive bonding, or welding.

8. A helmet strap for a helmet, comprising at least one strap belt having a Y shape that has a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm, wherein a first one and a second one of the first arm, the second arm and the third arm are configured to be fastened to the helmet, wherein a third one of the first arm, the second arm and the third arm extends up to a chin region, wherein the strap belt comprises a first part belt and a second part belt, wherein the first part belt extends without interruption along the first and third arms and the second part belt extends without interruption along the second and third arms, with the first and second part belts being fixedly interconnected along the third arm or being formed materially integrally with one another along the third arm, wherein at least one of the first and second part belts has a varying thickness at least sectionally.

9. A helmet strap in accordance with claim 8, wherein the first part belt has a varying thickness at least along the first arm and/or wherein the second part belt has a varying thickness at least along the second arm.

10. A helmet strap in accordance with claim 9, wherein a longitudinal edge of the respective part belt is thickened with respect to an opposite longitudinal edge.

11. A helmet strap in accordance with claim 8, wherein at least one of the first and second part belts is formed at least sectionally thickened in that direction in which the first arm is arranged relative to the second arm.

12. A helmet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the helmet strap comprises two at least substantially similar strap belts that are each fastened by the first and second arms of their respective Y shape to a respective helmet side of the helmet such that the respective first arm is arranged in front of the second arm with respect to a front side of the helmet.

13. A method of manufacturing a helmet strap including at least one strap belt having a Y shape that has a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm, wherein a first one and a second one of the first arm, the second arm and the third arm are configured to be fastened to the helmet, wherein a third one of the first arm, the second arm and the third arm extends up to a chin region, wherein the strap belt comprises a first part belt and a second part belt, wherein the first part belt extends without interruption along the first and third arms and the second part belt extends without interruption along the second and third arms, with the first and second part belts being fixedly interconnected along the third arm or being formed materially integrally with one another along the third arm, the method including weaving a belt that comprises the following steps: weaving a single-strip first section; weaving a double-strip second section; and weaving a single-strip third section, wherein the second section lies between the first section and the third section, wherein the first section is directly connected to the second section or adjoins the second section by a transition region, and wherein the second section is directly connected to the third section or adjoins the third section by a transition region; further including dividing the second section to produce two strap belts having a Y shape whose first and second arms are formed by a respective part of the divided double-strip second section and whose third arm is formed by the single-strip first or third section.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the step of dividing the second section produces the two strap belts symmetrical to one another.

15. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the first, second and third sections are woven without interruption.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the first, second and third sections are woven without interruption such that warp threads of the belt extend through the first, second and third sections.

17. A helmet in accordance with claim 8, wherein the helmet strap comprises two at least substantially similar strap belts that are each fastened by the first and second arms of their respective Y shape to a respective helmet side of the helmet such that the respective first arm is arranged in front of the second arm with respect to a front side of the helmet.

18. A helmet strap for a helmet, comprising at least one strap belt having a Y shape that has a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm, wherein a first one and a second one of the first arm, the second arm and the third arm are configured to be fastened to the helmet, wherein a third one of the first arm, the second arm and the third arm extends up to a chin region, wherein the strap belt comprises a first part belt and a second part belt, wherein the first part belt extends without interruption along the first and third arms and the second part belt extends without interruption along the second and third arms, with the first and second part belts being fixedly interconnected along the third arm or being formed materially integrally with one another along the third arm, wherein the first part belt comprises a fabric having warp threads that run through the first part belt continuously from one end of the first part belt along the first and third arms up to an opposite end of the first part belt, and wherein the second part belt comprises a fabric having warp threads that run through the second part belt continuously from one end of the second part belt along the second and third arms up to an opposite end of the second part belt.

Description

(1) The invention will be described in more detail in the following only by way of example with reference to the drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a detail of a schematically represented strap belt of an embodiment of the helmet strap in accordance with the invention and respective cross-sections through the Y shape of the belt strap; and

(3) FIG. 2 shows a belt woven for the manufacture in accordance with the invention of a helmet strap in a schematic representation.

(4) Only the one strap belt 11 of a helmet strap comprising a total of two mutually mirror-symmetrical strap belts 11 is shown in FIG. 1. The strap belt 11 is not shown completely in this respect, but rather only a middle section of the strap belt 11 is shown in which the first arm 13, the second arm 15 and the third arm 17 of the Y shape of the strap belt 11 run together. The arms 13, 15, 17 therefore appear shortened and the ends of the arms 13, 15, 17 facing away from the region of the transition 19 between the arms 13, 15, 17 are not shown.

(5) The strap belt 11 is configured to be fastened to the helmet for which the strap belt is provided by the respective ends of the first and second arms 13, 15 at a respective helmet side. The first and second arms 13, 15 extend from there to the named transition region 19 that forms a junction of the Y shape and at which the first and second arms 13, 15 run together. The third arm 17 then extends from the transition region 19 further away from the helmet such that its end can be connected to the corresponding end of the third arm of the other strap belt in a chin region, in particular beneath the chin, to hold the helmet securely at the head. In this respect, the first arm 13 and the third arm 17 are aligned in parallel with one another, at least when the strap belt is spread out, as shown, in a flat and non-distorted manner, such that the third arm 17 represents a flush extension of the first arm 13. The second arm 15, in contrast, is aligned angled with respect to the third arm 17, with the angle in the embodiment shown amounting to approximately 45.

(6) The strap belt 11 comprises a first part belt 21 and a second part belt 23. The first part belt 21 that comprises a first part fabric 25 extends with a straight course without interruption along the total first arm 13 beyond the transition region 19 and further along the total third arm 17. The second part belt 23 that comprises a second part fabric 27 extends without interruption along the total second arm 15 over the transition region 19 and further along the total third arm 17, with the course of the second part belt 23 being angled in the transition region 19. The first and second part belts 21, 23 are in this respect woven to form a uniform fabric 29 along the third arm 17 so that they are materially integral with one another. In this respect, warp threads of the first part belt 21 run through the first and third arms 13, 17, while warp threads of the second part belt 23 run through the second and third arms 15, 17 of the Y shape of the strap belt 11.

(7) The respective section of the first and second part belts 21, 23 in which the first and second part belts 21, 23 are woven with one another, and the respective section of the first and second part belts 21, 23 in which the first and second part belts 21, 23 are separate from one another adjoin one another along a folding edge 31. The section of the second part belt 23 separate from the first part belt 21 is folded over with respect to the remaining second part belt 23 at this folding edge 31. The angled course of the second part belt 23 results from this folding over, with the angle corresponding to the angle of approximately 45, named above with respect to the shown embodiment, between the second and third arms 15, 17, along which the second part belt 23 extends. To produce this angle, the folding edge 31 in the embodiment shown is accordingly aligned at an angle of approximately 22.5 relative to the longitudinal extent of the first or third arms 13, 17.

(8) To keep the part belt 23 folded over, a seam 33 is provided that extends in parallel with the alignment of the first or third arms 13, 17. The individual seam 33 is sufficient, due to the arrangement of the seam 33 relatively closely to the longitudinal edge 35 of the first part belt 31 from where the second arm 15 extends away, to hold the sections of the second part belt 23 that overlap one another due to the folding over sufficiently areally at one another such that the angled alignment of the second arm 15 is reliably maintained relative to the first or third arms 13, 17.

(9) Schematic cross-sections through the respective arm 13, 15, 17 are shown in a respective extension of the arms 13, 15, 17 of the strap belt 11 shown shortened. It can be recognized at the cross-sections that all three arms 13, 15, 17 have an at least substantially flat shape with two mutually opposite flat sides 37, 37 that are connected at both sides over a respective longitudinal edge 35, 35.

(10) Whereas the third arm 17 has an at least substantially constant thickness, i.e. an at least substantially constant spacing between the flat sides 37, 37, the thickness varies in the first and second arms 13, 15 to the extent that the one longitudinal edge 35 is thickened with respect to the remaining part belt 21, 23 and in particular with respect to the opposite longitudinal edge 35. A bead 39 is thereby formed along the longitudinal edge 35that is not restricted to the absolute margin of the respective part belt 21, 23, but rather extends as shown over a part of the width of the part belt 21, 23, in particular over at least a sixth and/or over at most half the width, preferably over at most a third of the width.

(11) The bead 39 is in this respect formed at that longitudinal edge 35 that faces in the direction in which the first arm 13 is arranged relative to the second arm 15 and that corresponds to the direction of travel F with a helmet put on and with a helmet wearer traveling forward, i.e. in the direction of gaze. This has the consequence that during travel an airstream impacts the thickened, and consequently reinforced longitudinal edge 35, so that the strap belt 11 hardly produces any air resistance, in particular since it does not start to flutter.

(12) Since the first and second part belts 21, 23 are woven together in the third arm 17, the third arm 17 is, as a comparison of the cross-sections also shows, thicker and thus stiffer overall than the separate part belts 21, 23 along the first or second arms 13, 15at least where the bead 39 is not formed. No correspondingly varying thickness is therefore provided at the third arm 17. In general, however, the thickness of the third arm 17 can also be formed as varying in a corresponding or at least similar manner.

(13) A belt 41 is shown in FIG. 2 that is woven in accordance with the method in accordance with the invention. The belt 41 has a first section 43 (at the left in FIG. 2), a second section 45 (middle) and a third section 47 (at the right) that directly adjoin one another without interruption. In this respect, the second section 45 arranged between the first and third sections 43, 47 above all differs from the two others that it is not formed in one strip (shown continuously in black), but rather in two strips (shown in strips). The total belt 41 can in this respect be woven continuously over the named sections 43, 45, 47.

(14) The division of the belt 41 into two strips at the transition between the first section 43 and the second section 45 can be achieved, for example, in that half of the warp threads of the fabric (e.g. every second one or alternatingly in bundles) is raised with respect to the other half at the start of the second section 45 so that the two halves are arranged at different levels and can be woven with respectively different weft threads (or with respectively different parts of the weft thread that is optionally multi-threaded in the first section 43). To combine the two strips of the second section 45 to one strip again at the start of the third section 47, the warp threads can then again be arranged in one level and can be woven together by one or more weft threads.

(15) Strap belts 11 for the helmet strap to be produced can then be produced from a belt 41 produced in this manner in that the belt 41 is divided at the center of the double-strip second section 45 along the line shown chain-dotted. The two parts of the belt 41 then each form a strap belt 11 in accordance with the invention having a Y shape whose first and second arms 13, 15 are formed by the two strips of the divided double-strip second section 45 and whose third arm 17 is formed by the single-strip first and third sections 43, 37. The two strap belts 11 produced in this manner can thus be almost identical, but at least mirror-symmetrical with respect to one another with regard to their shape, but optionally also with regard to their weave structure.

(16) The weaving does not have to be ended or interrupted after the weaving of the third section 47. Single-strip and double-strip sections 43, 45, 47 can rather generally alternate continuously over any desired length. A plurality of strap belts 11 can then be produced from such a woven belt 41 by dividing the alternatingly single-strip and double-strip sections, in particular respectively at the center of their respective longitudinal extent.

(17) In this manner, not only the stability, in particular the tear-resistance and the separation strength, of a strap belt 11 generated in this manner is improved with respect to a strap belt composed of a plurality of parts, but the manufacture is also simplified, particularly since connection steps or connection elements can be dispensed with that would be required for connecting respective parts of a multi-part strap belt.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

(18) 11 strap belt 13 first arm 15 second arm 17 third arm 19 transition region 21 first part belt 23 second part belt 25 first part fabric 27 second part fabric 29 uniform fabric 31 folding edge 33 seam 35, 35 longitudinal edge 37, 37 flat side 39 bead 41 belt 43 first section 45 second section 47 third section F direction of travel