Protective equipment for transmitting a score in sports

Abstract

Protective equipment for transmitting sport scores, comprising a sensor positioned between two protective layers, characterised in that it has a foam material containing an elastomer and arranged so as to contact the sensor.

Claims

1. A protective equipment for transmitting sport scores comprising: two protective layers, a sensor positioned between the two protective layers, a foam material containing an elastomer and being arranged so as to contact the sensor wherein the sensor is a single piezoelectric wire sensor, the single piezoelectric wire sensor extends through grooves machined into one of said protective layers, and the grooves comprise a region houses an U-turn portion of the single piezoelectric wire sensor.

2. The protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein the foam material is a thermoplastic elastomer foam.

3. The protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein the foam material is EPDM (ethylene propylene diene M-class rubber) foam.

4. The protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein said foam material forms an integral portion of one of the protective layers.

5. The protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein said foam material forms a layer that is independent of said two protective layers.

6. The protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein said material is arranged so as to contact a front face of the sensor.

7. The protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein said foam material is arranged so as to contact the sensor on a front side thereof, or on an inner side thereof.

8. The protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein said two protective layers contain EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate).

9. The protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein the grooves machined into the one of said protective layers are disposed over entire length thereof.

10. The protective equipment according to claim 9, wherein the grooves are machined into the front protective layer.

11. The protective equipment according to claim 9, wherein the route of the wire through the machined grooves has repeated and identical route sections in its central region.

12. The protective equipment according to claim 11, wherein the entire route covered by the machined grooves is formed by repeated and identical route sections.

13. The protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein the grooves are machined into the innermost surface of the front protective layer.

14. The protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein the single piezoelectric wire sensor is inserted tightly into said grooves.

15. The protective equipment according to claim 12, wherein the region houses an U-turn portion of the single piezoelectric wire sensor comprises a hollow region.

16. The protective equipment according to claim 13, wherein the groove are positioned so that when a user curves the protective equipment by wearing, penetration of the wire into the groove is promoted.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) To aid understanding, explanatory yet non-limiting drawings of an embodiment of the equipment according to the present invention are included.

(2) FIG. 1 schematically shows a sportsperson wearing protective equipment for transmitting sport scores, specifically a chest guard, according to the present invention.

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the internal components of the chest guard from FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 3 is a vertical side view corresponding to the perspective view in FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 4 is a vertical side view of a second embodiment of the internal components of the chest guard.

(6) FIG. 5 is a view of the front protective layer and the sensor of a third embodiment of the equipment according to the present invention.

(7) FIG. 6 corresponds to FIG. 5, the protective layer and the wire sensor having been separated for instructional purposes.

(8) FIG. 7 is a vertical side view showing internal components of a chest guard according to the third embodiment according to the present invention.

(9) FIG. 8 shows a detail of the components from FIG. 7 seen from above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(10) The figures show various embodiments of a chest guard -1- suitable for the competitive practice of martial arts, especially taekwondo. The invention can also be implemented in helmets, gloves, foot protectors, and any other type of protective equipment.

(11) FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show a first embodiment of the internal components of the chest guard -10- from FIG. 1. The components comprise a central region of increased height for protecting the chest and two lateral wings of lesser height for protecting the sides and, possibly, the back.

(12) The layers shown comprise a front protective layer -1- and an inner protective layer -2-. In this case, both layers can have the same dimensions. Both protective layers -1-, -2- can have the same or a different thickness and can both be made of EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate).

(13) A planar piezoelectric sensor -3- is positioned in the centre and emits a signal by means of a wire -32-. Alternatively, the sensor can also be a wireless sensor and not comprise said wire. A layer -4-, -5- of a foam material containing an elastomer is arranged in each case between a protective layer -1-, -2- and the sensor -3-.

(14) The layers can be made of foams of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), such as TPE-U (urethane-based) or TPE-V (thermoplastic mixed with vulcanised rubber), for example PP+EPM (polypropylene and ethylene-propylene rubber) foam or PP+EPDM (polypropylene and ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber) foam or a copolymer of ethylene-vinyl acetate. It can also be an EPDM (ethylene-propylene diene monomer rubber) foam.

(15) The layers -4-, -5- of foam can be of a somewhat lesser thickness than the protective layers -1-, -2- since they are not intended to serve as protection, but rather are intended to cushion direct hits and hits that brush against the chest guard in different ways.

(16) FIG. 4 shows another embodiment in which only one layer -4- of foam material is arranged so as to contact the sensor -3-.

(17) FIGS. 5 to 8 show a third embodiment of a chest guard according to the present invention.

(18) In this case, the sensor is a piezoelectric wire -31- that is received by grooves -13-, -15- machined into the innermost surface of the front protective layer -1-. Preferably, the wire is inserted tightly into said groves. The wire repeats a standard route over the entire chest guard, alternating straight sections -31- with U-turns -31-, each section being identical to the others. In the higher region of the front protective layer -1-, the region -15- of the groove -13- that houses the U-turn -31- of the wire comprises a hollow region -14-, as a result of which the forces on the U-turn region of the wire are equal in the regions where the wire makes a U-turn -31- and in the regions where the U-turn -31- is machined into the protective layer -1-. In the case shown, the wire is embedded more easily into the front protective layer -1- due to the fact that the user curves it in the manner shown in FIG. 8 when wearing the chest guard, which promotes penetration of the wire into the groove -13-. The layer of foam material -4- is positioned so as to contact the wire -31-, as shown in FIG. 8.

(19) It would also be possible for the sensor wire -31- to be positioned in the inner protective layer -2-.

(20) Although the invention has been set out and described with reference to embodiments thereof, it should be understood that these do not limit the invention, and that it is possible to alter many structural or other details that may prove obvious to persons skilled in the art after interpreting the subject matter disclosed in the present description, claims and drawings. Therefore, the scope of the present invention includes any variant or equivalent that could be considered covered by the broadest scope of the following claims.