MOTORCYCLE HELMET PROVIDING COOL AND CLEANING AIR

Abstract

A motorcycle helmet providing cool and cleaning air may comprise a helmet body, having a window opening and a wearing opening, wherein two sides of the window opening pivotally connect to a goggle; the goggle can pivot to the window opening and seals it; the wearing opening is installed a first connecting device around; there is a ventilation hole on an opening position on the helmet body or the goggle; an ventilation tube with one end connected to the ventilation hole; a PAPR-typed air supplier connected to the other end of the ventilation tube, for providing external air which has been screened to remove particulate matters to the helmet body through the ventilation tube; and a guiding towel made of wind-proof materials, wherein a top end of the guiding towel has a second connecting device and the second connecting device is removably connected to the first connecting device.

Claims

1. A motorcycle helmet providing cool and clean air, comprising: a helmet body, having a window opening and a wearing opening, wherein two sides of the window opening are pivotally connected to a goggle, the goggle is able to pivotally rotate to the window opening and seal the window opening, the wearing opening is mounted a first connecting device around, and there is a ventilation hole formed at an opening location on the helmet body or the goggle; a ventilation tube, wherein one end of the ventilation tube is connected to the ventilation hole; a PAPR-typed air supplier, connected to the other end of the ventilation tube, conveying external air into the helmet body via the ventilation tube after particulate matters are filtered; and a guiding towel, made of airtight materials, wherein an upper end thereof has a second connecting device, and the second connecting device is able to detachably connect to the first connecting device; wherein when the first connecting device and the second connecting device are connected; a neck of a user wearing the motorcycle helmet is covered around by the guiding towel at least one loop and air inside the helmet body is guided to exhaust through a lower end of the guiding towel.

2. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein the opening location is at a backside of a top of the helmet body, a place of the helmet body closer to a chin of the user, or one of two sides of the goggle.

3. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein a ventilation rate of the PAPR-typed air supplier falls between 60 liter/minute and 100 liter/minute.

4. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein the second connecting device is a hook-side of a hook-and-loop fastener or a loop-side of the hook-and-loop fastener.

5. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein the first connecting device is a loop-side of a hook-and-loop fastener or a hook-side of the hook-and-loop fastener corresponding to the second connecting device.

6. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein a material of the guiding towel is Polypropylene (PP), polyester fiber or melt-blown polypropylene.

7. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein a material of the guiding towel is woven fabric or functional fabric made of elastic cloth and woven fabric.

8. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein the guiding towel is externally coated with a layer of waterproofing membrane.

9. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 8, wherein the waterproofing membrane is a Polyethylene (PE) membrane.

10. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein a length from the upper end to the lower end of the guiding towel is not shorter than 28 centimeters.

11. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein the PAPR-typed air supplier is externally connected to a portable secondary battery pack or a locomotive battery as a source of power.

12. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein after the user puts on the motorcycle helmet, filtered air flown into the helmet body and passed through a head of the user conveys heat to external air through the guiding towel.

13. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein the guiding towel further comprises a fixing device for fixing the guiding towel to cover around the neck of the user wearing the motorcycle helmet at least one loop.

14. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 13, wherein the fixing device is a set of zippers, a plurality of press buttons or a hook-and-loop fastener.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a motorcycle helmet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates a helmet body viewed from the bottom and a guiding towel flatly shown.

[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates another guiding towel flatly shown.

[0017] FIG. 4 illustrates different aspects of the guiding towels cover around a neck of a motorcycle rider.

[0018] FIG. 5 illustrates a location of a ventilation hole and air flow directions.

[0019] FIG. 6 illustrates another location of a ventilation hole and air flow directions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments.

[0021] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a motorcycle helmet according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a helmet body 10 viewed from the bottom and a guiding towel 40 flatly shown. The motorcycle helmet disclosed by the present invention includes said helmet body 10, a ventilation tube 20, a PAPR-typed air supplier 30 and said guiding towel 40. The following describes functions, aspects, and interactions of these components.

[0022] The helmet body 10 is a main body of the motorcycle helmet to protect safety of the user head. By appearance classification, the motorcycle helmet is full-faced type. Because the key points of the present invention are providing users clean air and taking away the heat come from the head of the motorcycle rider inside the helmet body 10, a portion of the helmet body 10 may be the same as what is used in the prior art and not emphasized by the specification. Hence, the scope of the helmet body 10 may include, but not limit to external anti-friction protection materials, an absorption impact padding, belts, a head wearing opening, a tab, a goggle, goggle fixers, a head cushion, a neck guard, a retaining edge, an ear cushion, etc.

[0023] Compared with the cap structure of existing helmets, the helmet body 10 is characterized in that it has a window opening 101, a wearing opening 102, and optionally a ventilation hole 103. Besides, there is no other hole connecting internal space and external environment. Such design is used to effectively isolated air circulation inside and outside of the helmet body 10, further preventing the motorcycle riders from inhaling air with particulate matters not filtered. Two sides of the window opening 101 have a pivotally connecting device 110, respectively (due to perspective issue, only one pivotally connecting device 110 on one side of the window opening 101 is illustrated). The pivotally connecting device 110 can pivotally connected to a goggle 11. The goggle 11 can pivotally rotate to the window opening 101 and seal the window opening 101 (FIG. 1 illustrates that the goggle 11 has pivotally rotated to the window opening 101 and sealed the window opening 101, hence, the goggle 11 and the window opening 101 are physically coincident in appearance). When the goggle 11 rotates away from the window opening 101, air inside and outside of the helmet body 10 can circulate. The wearing opening 102 is used as an opening for the head of the user to enter the helmet body 10. In practice, a portion space of the wearing opening 102 may be occupied by a cushion 104. The wearing opening 102 is mounted a first connecting device 105 around. The first connecting device 105 is a tool to closely connect to the guiding towel 40. Its appearance and detailed functions will be explained in the text below.

[0024] As mentioned above, the ventilation hole 103 of the helmet body 10 is optionally made. If there is no ventilation hole 103 on the helmet body 10, it can be made on the goggle 11. For illustration, a location of the ventilation hole 103 is called as an opening location hereinafter. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the opening location is at a backside of a top of the helmet body 10 (relative to the user's visual direction). According to the present invention, in another embodiment, the opening location cab be at a place of the helmet body 10 closer to a chin of the user (as shown by the location of an oval with oblique lines in FIG. 5); in still another embodiment, the opening location may be at one of the two sides of the goggle 11 (as shown by the location of an oval with oblique lines in FIG. 6). Different opening location will lead to different air circulation inside the helmet body 10. Internal air circulation will be disclosed below.

[0025] One end of the ventilation tube 30 is connected to the ventilation hole 103. The other end is connected to the PAPR-typed air supplier 30. Types and materials of the ventilation tube 30 are not restricted. Preferably, is it a hose, e.g. a Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) hose or an Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) hose, so that users can flexibly rotate their heads without being restricted. The PAPR-typed air supplier 30 is an air supply of a Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR). The PAPR is a high-performance particle filtering respiratory protective device, providing air for the wearer to breathe with a portable blower. The blower and batteries are usually mounted on the wearer's belt or a rear end of a helmet. The blower brings the air with contaminants to a high-efficiency filter for filtering particulate matters. If it comes with an adsorption jar, partial gaseous pollutants can be removed at the same time. Generally speaking, the PAPR-typed air supplier 30 may include a host, a high performance filter, a belt, a flow indicator, etc. Detailed structures are not limited by the present invention. However, in order to effectively provide electricity, the PAPR-typed air supplier 30 may be externally connected to a portable secondary battery pack or a locomotive battery (not shown) as a source of power. The function of the PAPR-typed air supplier 30 in the motorcycle helmet of the present invention is to filter particulate matters from the external air and then send the filtered air to inside of the helmet body 10 via the ventilation tube 20. Ventilation rates of the PAPR-typed air supplier 30 are different depending on product brands and specifications. In order to effectively provide clean and cool air while not to cause excessive carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulation in the helmet body 10, after experiments, it is confirmed that the ventilation rate of the PAPR-typed air supplier 30 preferably falls between 60 liter/minute and 100 liter/minute.

[0026] The guiding towel 40 (plane view as illustrated in the bottom of FIG. 2) is made of an airtight material. A top end of the guiding towel 40 has a second connecting device 401. The second connecting device 401 is able to detachably connect to the first connecting device 105. The purpose is that the guiding towel 40 can be mounted on after the user puts on the helmet body 10, in case a fixed guiding towel may be rolled into the helmet body 10. When the first connecting device 105 and the second connecting device 401 are connected, a neck 50 of the user wearing the motorcycle helmet is covered around by the guiding towel 40 at least one loop, as shown by a use state profile in the upper part of FIG. 4. Since there will be a flow of clean air from the helmet body 10 which causes a steady flow, in order to guide the air flow and prevent from dirty air coming from the outside of the helmet body 10, the guiding towel 40 is used to guide the air inside the helmet body 10 is guided to exhaust through a lower end of the guiding towel 40. Meanwhile, external air is isolated for circulation.

[0027] In the present embodiment, a plane of the guiding towel 40 is designed to a rectangle. A second connecting device 401 in an upper portion of the guiding towel 40 can be a hook-side of a hook-and-loop fastener or a loop-side of the hook-and-loop fastener. Therefore, the first connecting device 105 is a loop-side of a hook-and-loop fastener or a hook-side of the hook-and-loop fastener corresponding to the second connecting device 401. Namely, if the second connecting device 401 is a loop-side of the hook-and-loop fastener, the first connecting device 105 is a hoop-side of the hook-and-loop fastener; if the second connecting device 401 is a hoop-side of the hook-and-loop fastener, the first connecting device 105 is a loop-side of the hook-and-loop fastener. Because the first connecting device 105 is located on a lower edge of the helmet body 10, by utilizing the hook-and-loop fastener, the guiding towel 40 can be effectively connected to the helmet body 10 and prevent external air from flowing into the helmet body 10.

[0028] In the present embodiment, a material of the guiding towel 40 may be Polypropylene (PP) synthetic fiber, e.g. using a neckerchief in the market; a material of the guiding towel 40 may also be Polyester fiber, e.g. using a scarf in the market; a material of the guiding towel 40 may be melt-blown polypropylene, e.g. using a filter in a middle layer of a mask. In addition to petrochemical products, the guiding towel 40 can use natural textiles or mixed textiles. For example, a material of the guiding towel 40 can be woven fabric or functional fabric made of elastic cloth and woven fabric (soft shell). Of course, if poor air tightness is concerned, the guiding towel 40 can be externally coated with a layer of waterproofing membrane, e.g. a polyethylene (PE) membrane. It should be noticed that the length of guiding towel 40, illustrated by H in the lower portion of FIG. 2, should be long enough. This is because the wind speed outside will blow up the guiding towel 40, causing the guiding towel 40 can not effectively block air flow when riding. Based on the observation from experiments, the length of the guiding towel 40 should be at least 28 centimeters. It is able to block air flow when riding. It is to say the length H from the upper end to the lower end of the guiding towel is not shorter than 28 centimeters.

[0029] Come back to FIG. 1. After the user puts on the helmet body 10, installs the guiding towel 40 and initiates the PAPR-typed air supplier 30, external air enters the PAPR-typed air supplier 30 via an air inlet 301. After the contaminations and particulate matters are removed by the PAPR-typed air supplier 30, the air then moves along dashed arrows and goes to an upper portion of the helmet body 10 via the ventilation tube 20. After taking away the heat from the user's head, the air then moves to the lower portion of the helmet body 10, along the space between the goggle 11 and the user's face. Next, the air flows out of the helmet body 10 and is guided by the guiding towel 40 downward until it is exhausted to the outside of the guiding towel 40. It is to say that after the user puts on the motorcycle helmet, filtered air flown into the helmet body 10 and passed through a head of the user conveys heat to external air through the guiding towel 40. It achieves the goal of providing cool and clean air to the motorcycle riders. When the weather becomes cold, filtered air can go to a surface of an engine guided by a tube first to increase temperature.

[0030] According to the spirit of the present invention, the opening location has other options. The following describes the different aspects. Please refer to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 illustrates a location of a ventilation hole 103 and air flow directions in another embodiment. The left side is a side view of the helmet body 10 while the right side is a top view of the helmet body 10. Since the opening location is close to a chin of the user of the helmet body 10, filtered clean and cool air comes into the helmet body 10 from one side, along the ventilation tube 20. After entering the helmet body 10, the air moves along the side face to the top of the helmet body 10 (hindbrain position). After taking away the heat from the user's head, as the previous embodiment, the air then moves to the lower portion of the helmet body 10, along the space between the goggle 11 and the user's face. Finally, the air flows out of the helmet body 10 and is guided by the guiding towel 40 downward until it is exhausted to the outside of the guiding towel 40. Compared with the previous embodiment, this design needs to destroy the structure of the helmet body 10, and is not suitable for existing helmets to modify.

[0031] Please see FIG. 6 again. FIG. 6 illustrates a location of a ventilation hole 103 and air flow directions in still another embodiment. The left side is a side view of the helmet body 10 while the right side is a top view of the helmet body 10. Since the opening location is at one of the two sides of the goggle 11, filtered clean and cool air comes into the helmet body 10 from one side, along the ventilation tube 20. After entering the helmet body 10, the air will not move to the lower portion of the helmet body 10 to take away the heat from the user's head. On the contrary, the air flows to the space between the goggle 11 and the user's face along an eye and a cheek, and then turns to flow to the lower portion of the helmet body 10. Finally, the air flows out of the helmet body 10 and is guided by the guiding towel 40 downward until it is exhausted to the outside of the guiding towel 40. Compared with the previous embodiment, this design has a narrow range of airflow, and the head heat is more easily accumulated. It is suitable for use when riding a motorcycle in winter.

[0032] The human body's perimeter is increasing below the neck. If the length H of the guiding towel 40 is designed longer, the guiding towel 40 with a fixed width cannot effectively meet the goal of a neck of a user wearing the motorcycle helmet is covered around by the guiding towel 40 at least one loop. Hence, in another embodiment, the width of the guiding towel 40 can be designed to increase from its top to its bottom, as shown in FIG. 3. In order to guarantee that two sides of the guiding towel 40 can effectively be closed, two sides of the guiding towel 40 can add fixing devices 402 to fix the guiding towel 401, ensuring a neck of a user wearing the motorcycle helmet is covered around by the guiding towel 40 at least one loop (as shown in the lower portion of FIG. 4). In practice, the fixing device 402 may be a set of zippers, a plurality of press buttons or a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0033] While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.