VISOR ASSEMBLY WITH IMPROVED ATTACHMENTS

Abstract

The invention generally relates to a visor assembly. In an aspect of the invention, there is provided a visor assembly comprising: an injection moulded visor (2); and a lens (3) coupled to the visor; wherein the visor comprises at least two protrusions (5) extending from a surface of the visor, said protrusions being integrally formed with the visor; at least one add-on component (4) attached, preferably releasably attached, to one of the at least two protrusions; said add-on component providing an outer abutment surface (41) arranged to engage with a lateral side of the lens; and the lens is coupled to the visor by engagement with the abutment surface of the at least one add-on component, preferably wherein the lens is compressed between the at least two protrusions or is held is tension by the two protrusions.

Claims

1. A visor assembly comprising: an injection moulded visor (2); and a lens (3) coupled to the visor (2); wherein the visor (2) comprises at least two protrusions (5) extending from a surface of the visor (2), said protrusions (5) being integrally formed with the visor (2); at least one add-on component (4) attached, preferably releasably attached, to one of the at least two protrusions (5); said add-on component (4) providing an outer abutment surface (41) arranged to engage with a lateral side (31) of the lens (3); and the lens (3) is coupled to the visor (2) by engagement with the abutment surface (41) of the at least one add-on component (4), preferably wherein the lens (3) is compressed between the at least two protrusions (5) or is held is tension by the two protrusions (5).

2. The visor assembly of claim 1, wherein the protrusions (5) are provided at an edge-region of the visor (2), preferably at opposing lateral edge regions of the visor (2).

3. The visor assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the protrusions (5) are provided on an inner surface of the visor (2).

4. The visor assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the protrusions (5) extend substantially orthogonal to the surface of the visor (2).

5. The visor assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein a lateral cross-section of the protrusions (5) defines an oval shape, preferably a circular shape.

6. The visor assembly of any of claims 1-4, wherein a lateral cross-section of the protrusions (5) defines a non-circular shape, preferably wherein the lateral cross-section of the protrusions (5) defines a shape which is rectangular, square, star-shaped, or triangular.

7. The visor assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the add-on component (4) comprises an opening (6) arranged to receive the protrusion (5), preferably wherein the opening (6) has a shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the protrusion (5).

8. The visor assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein an add-on component (4) is releasably attached to each of the at least two protrusions (5).

9. The visor assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the abutment surface (41) extends at least partly around a periphery of the add-on component (4), said periphery defining a shape which is non-circular, preferably wherein the shape is oval, rectangular, square, star-shaped, or triangular.

10. The visor assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the opening (6) of the add-on component (4) is provided away from a centre of the periphery so that the periphery defines an eccentric shape in relation to the opening (6).

11. The visor assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the material of the add-on component (4) is one of polycarbonate, nylon, or an elastic material having a Shore A hardness of 50-95, preferably 60-90, more preferably 65-80, most preferably of about 70.

12. The visor assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the abutment surface (41) comprises an elastically deformable material having a Shore A hardness of 50-95, preferably 60-90, more preferably 65-80, most preferably of about 70.

13. The visor assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the protrusions (5) comprise attachments arranged to engage with the add-on component (4), wherein preferably the attachments comprise hooks, barbs, a roughened surface, a local thickening, or an elastic surface.

14. The visor assembly of any of the preceding claims, wherein the lens (3) comprises two notches, arranged to laterally receive the add-on component (4) and/or the protrusion (5).

15. An injection moulded visor (2), comprising at least two protrusions (5) extending from a surface of the visor (2), said protrusions (5) being integrally formed with the visor (2), and wherein the at least two protrusions (5) are arranged to receive at least one add-on component (4), said add-on component (4) defining an abutment surface (41) arranged to engage with a lateral side (31) of the lens (3), preferably wherein at least one of said two protrusions (5) is provided with said add-on.

16. The visor of claim 15, wherein the protrusions (5) are provided at an edge-region of the visor (2), preferably at opposing lateral edge regions of the visor (2).

17. The visor assembly of any of claims 15 or 16, wherein the protrusions (5) are provided on an inner surface of the visor (2).

18. The visor assembly of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the protrusions (5) extend substantially orthogonal to the surface of the visor (2).

19. The visor assembly of any of claims 15 to 18, wherein a lateral cross-section of the protrusions (5) defines a circular shape.

20. The visor assembly of any of claims 15 to 18, wherein a lateral cross-section of the protrusions (5) defines a non-circular shape, preferably wherein the lateral cross-section of the protrusions (5) defines a shape which is oval, rectangular, square, star-shaped, or triangular.

21. The visor assembly of any of claims 15 to 20, wherein the protrusions (5) comprise attachments arranged to engage with the add-on component (4), wherein preferably the attachments comprise hooks, barbs, a roughened surface, a local thickening, or an elastic surface.

22. An add-on component (4) comprising an opening (6) arranged to receive a protrusion (5) of a visor (2), said add-on component (4) defining an abutment surface (41) extending at least partly around a periphery of the add-on component (4), said abutment surface (41) being arranged to engage with a lateral side (31) of a lens (3).

23. The add-on component (4) of claim 22, wherein said periphery defines a shape which is circular, oval, rectangular, square, star-shaped, or triangular.

24. The add-on component (4) of any of claims 22 or 23, wherein the opening (6) is provided away from a centre of the periphery so that the periphery defines an eccentric shape in relation to the opening (6).

25. The add-on component (4) of any of claims 22 to 24, wherein the opening (6) defines a circular shape.

26. The add-on component (4) of any of claims 22 to 25, wherein the opening (6) defines a non-circular shape, preferably wherein the opening (6) defines a shape which is oval, rectangular, square, star-shaped, or triangular.

27. Method of manufacturing a visor according to any of claims 15 to 21, comprising the steps of: providing a mould defining the shape of a visor (2) having two protrusions (5) being integrally formed with the visor (2); injecting pressurized liquid material at a first temperature into the mould; cooling the mould to a temperature lower than the first temperature; and extracting the visor (2) from the mould.

28. Kit of parts comprising: a visor (2) according to any of claims 15 to 21; and at least one add-on component (4) according to any of claims 22-26.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] The features and advantages of the invention will be appreciated upon reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0052] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention showing a cut-off visor assembly comprising a visor having a protrusion, an add-on component releasably attached to the protrusion, and a lens coupled to the visor;

[0053] FIG. 1A is a blow-out view of one embodiment of the invention, showing an add-on component, a protrusion, and a lens comprising a notch arranged to laterally receive the add-on component

[0054] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the invention showing a cut-off visor assembly comprising a visor having a protrusion, an add-on component releasably attached to the protrusion, and a lens coupled to the visor;

[0055] FIG. 3A-3G are top views of example embodiments of the invention showing add-on components having different peripheral shapes and different openings; and

[0056] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a helmet according to an embodiment of the invention, the helmet comprising a visor assembly having two protrusions, two add-on components releasably attached to the protrusions, and a lens coupled to the visor.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0057] The following is a description of certain embodiments of the invention, given by way of example only and with reference to the drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention showing a cut-off visor assembly comprising a visor 2 having a protrusion 5, an add-on component 4 releasably attached to the protrusion 5, and a lens 3 coupled to the visor 2 is shown. The visor 2 is generally arranged to be attached to a helmet 1 to prevent the ingress of dust, grit or rain. The lens 3 is attached to the visor 2 to prevent the visor 2 misting up during use. To provide a seal between the space defined between the visor 2 and the lens 3, a peripheral gasket 7 is provided.

[0058] The visor 2 comprises a concave surface and comprises two protrusions 5. In FIG. 1, only one protrusion 5 is shown. The protrusion 5 is integrally formed with the visor 2. The visor 2 may be produced by injection moulding. To the protrusion 5, an add-on component 4 is provided. As can be more clearly seen in FIG. 1A, the protrusion 5 has a triangular cross-sectional shape. The add-on component 4 has an opening 6 having a corresponding triangular shape. As neither the protrusion 5 nor the opening 6 are circular, the add-on component 4 cannot rotate with respect to the visor 2 in this embodiment.

[0059] In the shown embodiment, the height of the add-on component 4 is low, relative to e.g. the embodiment of FIG. 2. The height of the add-on component 4 may be chosen dependent on, for example, the thickness of the lens 3 and the thickness of the gasket 7. In a preferred embodiment, the height of the add-on component 4 is between 1 mm and 20 mm, preferably between 3 mm and 15 mm, more preferably of between 5 mm and 12 mm.

[0060] Furthermore, the opening 6 and the protrusion 5 may be of different shapes to the triangular shapes shown in the FIG. 1A embodiment. For example, to attain more possible positions, the opening 6 and the protrusion 5 may both have a hexagonal shape, leading to six positions of the add-on component 4 on the protrusion 5.

[0061] The opening 6 and the protrusion 5 may also define a round shape, which leads to a analogue, non-discrete positioning of the add-on component 4 on the protrusion 5. That is, the add-on component 4 may be rotated about the protrusion 5 and take any position, dependent on the user requirements. In this embodiment, the add-on component 4 does not need to be lifted from the protrusion 5 but may rather be turned while remaining attached to the protrusion 5.

[0062] The lens 3 is kept in place by the tension provided to a lateral side 31 of the lens by the add-on component 4. On the other side, not shown, the lens 3 may be kept in place by tension provided by the protrusion 5 or an add-on component 4, attached to the protrusion 5.

[0063] In the shown embodiment, the lens 3 comprises a notch 8, which is arranged to laterally receive the add-on component 4. The notch 8 in FIG. 1 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the add-on component 4. As such, when the add-on component 4 is received in the notch 8, the movement of the lens with respect to the visor 2 is restricted. That is, the lens 3 cannot slide up and down with respect to the visor 2 due to the engagement between the notch 8 and the add-on component 4. That is, the lens 3 is restricted in a direction parallel to the surface of the visor 2. In an alternative embodiment, the notch 8 is elongated such that it allows for movement of the add-on component 4 in the notch 8. As such, the lens 3 may be moved in an upward or downward direction once it is coupled to the visor 2.

[0064] If the lens 3 changes in size by e.g. shrinking or expanding, the add-on component 4 may be replaced or rotated to attain a different distance between the protrusion 5 and the lens 3. As a result, the tension on the lens 3 may be maintained, even if the lens 3 is changed in size. Furthermore, if a different lens 3 is provided to the visor 2 altogether, the different lens 3 having a different shape than the previous lens, the add-on components 4 may be similarly interchanged or rotated to adjust the distance between the protrusions 5 and the lens 3. As such, the lenses 3 do not need to be exactly the same shape to be fitted into the visor 2 and the same visor 2 may be used, even if the lenses 3 differ in size. As such, the visor 2 may be maintained coupled to the helmet 1 if the user wishes to use a different lens 3.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 1A, the add-on components 4 are releasably attached to the protrusions 5. As such, if a different distance between the protrusion 5 and the lens 3 is required, the add-on component 4 may be removed and replaced by a different add-on component 4, having a different distance between its opening 6 and its periphery, said distance corresponding to the distance between the protrusion 5 and the lens 3 in assembled state.

[0066] In one embodiment, the add-on component 4 may be replaced, but with a different orientation. As shown in FIG. 1A, the add-on component 4 comprises a triangular opening 6, which may receive the protrusion 5 having a similar shape in three different ways. In the shown embodiment of FIG. 1A, the angles of the corners of the triangle are substantially equal so that the opening 6 and the protrusion 5 have matching shapes, regardless of their orientation with respect to one another. As shown in FIG. 1, the orientation of the add-on component 4 is provided such that the smallest distance available is provided between the protrusion 5 and the lens 3. If the add-on component 4 is released from the protrusion 5, turned 120 and replaced onto the protrusion 5, the distance between the protrusion and the lens is increased. This is because the periphery of the add-on component 4 defines an eccentric shape with respect to the opening 6 of the add-on component 4. As a result, turning the add-on component 4 to a different orientation will adjust the distance between the protrusion 5 and the lens 3, and thereby the tension provided to the lens 3 when coupled to the visor 2.

[0067] Referring now to FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the invention is shown. FIG. 2 shows a cut-off visor assembly comprising a visor 2 having a protrusion 5, an add-on component 4 releasably attached to the protrusion 5, and a lens 3 coupled to the visor 2. As shown, the add-on component 4 comprises an opening 6, which corresponds to the shape of the protrusion 5. The protrusion 5 is integrally formed with the visor 2. The add-on component 4 is attached to the protrusion 5 in a releasable fashion. In the shown embodiment, the protrusion 5 comprises a local thickening 51, provided on an upper region of the protrusion 5. This local thickening 51 engages with a corresponding shape in the opening 6 of the add-on component 4. This arrangement allows the add-on component 4 to be releasably attached to the protrusion 5 without it falling off due to e.g. gravity or forces exerted on the add-on component 4 by the lens 3.

[0068] The add-on component 4 comprises an outer abutment surface 41, which is arranged to engage with a lateral side 31 of the lens 3. The pressure between the outer abutment surface 41 and the lens 3 provides the tension on the lens 3 to keep it under tension and coupled to the visor 2. In a preferred embodiment, the abutment surface 41 is concave, limiting the movement of the lens 3 along the height of the add-on component 4. That is, by providing the abutment surface with a concave surface, the lens 3 has a balanced position in the middle of the height of the add-on component 4. This limits the possibilities of the lens 3 vibrating upwards, and thus limits the possibility of the lens 3 disengaging with the visor 2. In the shown embodiment of FIG. 2, the abutment surface 41 is slightly concave.

[0069] The lens 3 further comprises a peripheral gasket 7, provided around a peripheral region of the lens 3. The gasket 7 provides a seal between the lens 3 and the visor 2 to prevent the ingress of moisture and/or dirt. The height of the gasket 7, in part, determines the required height of the add-on component 4 on the protrusion 5.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 2, the tension on the lens 3 is determined by the distance between the protrusion 5 and the lens 3, which is dependent on the distance between the opening 6 and the outer abutment surface 41 of the add-on component 4. In the shown embodiment, the add-on component 4 may be released from the protrusion 5 and rotated about 180 to reduce the distance between the protrusion 5 and the lens 3. If, for example, the tension on the lens 3 must be reduced, the add-on component 4 may be rotated. As a result, the tension on the lens 3 may be adjusted without the need for replacing components, let alone replacing the entire lens 3 and/or visor 2.

[0071] Referring now to FIG. 3A-3G, top views of example embodiments of the invention are shown, where add-on components 4 have different peripheral shapes and different openings 6. As shown in FIG. 3A, the add-on component 4 comprises a circular shape, and an opening 6 having a five-pointed star shape. The opening 6 is provided in an eccentric position with respect to the peripheral circular shape of the add-on component 4. The opening 6 is arrange to be provided on a protrusion having the same cross-sectional shape. As such, five distinct positions may be attained by the add-on component 4, allowing for a stepwise increase or decrease of the distance between the protrusion 5 and the lens 3 in an assembled state.

[0072] FIG. 3B shows a similar embodiment to FIG. 3A, wherein the shape of the opening 6 of the add-on component 4 is square. As such, it may be attached to a similarly square protrusion 5 which allows four distinct positions of the add-on component 4 on the protrusion 5, thus varying the distance between the lens 3 and the protrusion 5, thereby allowing the tension on the lens 3 to be adjusted.

[0073] FIG. 3C shows an embodiment of an add-on component 4 wherein the peripheral shape of the add-on component 4 is triangular, while the shape of the opening 6 is square. As such, the add-on component 4 can be attached in four ways to a similarly square protrusion 5 to adjust the tension on the lens 3.

[0074] FIG. 3D shows an embodiment of an add-on component 4 wherein the peripheral shape of the add-on component 4 is hexagonal, the add-on component 4 having a square opening 6. As such, the add-on component 4 can be attached in four ways to a similarly square protrusion 5 to adjust the tension on the lens 3.

[0075] FIG. 3E shows an embodiment of an add-on component 4 wherein the peripheral shape of the add-on component 4 is circular. The opening 6 of the add-on component 4 has a triangular shape, having three corners which do not all have the same angles. As such, there is only one way to provide the add-on component 4 to the protrusion 5 without flipping the add-on component 4 around. A different distance between the protrusion 5 and the lens 3 may be provided by flipping the add-on component 4 around, such that the opening 6 is provided to the protrusion 5 with the other side of the add-on component 4 facing downwards.

[0076] FIG. 3F shows an embodiment of an add-on component 4 wherein the peripheral shape of the add-on component 4 is circular. The opening 6 of the add-on component 4 has a hexagonal shape, thus allowing for six positions of the add-on component 4 on a protrusion 5 having a similar cross-sectional hexagonal shape. The opening 6 is provided in an eccentric relation to the periphery of the add-on component 4 to alter the tension to the lens 3 between the positions of the add-on component 4 on the protrusion 5.

[0077] FIG. 3G shows an embodiment of an add-on component 4 wherein the peripheral shape of the add-on component 4 is square with rounded corners and having an opening 6 having a square shape. The add-on component 4 may attain four positions with respect to a similarly square protrusion 5 on the visor 2 to adjust the tension on the lens 3.

[0078] Referring now to FIG. 4, a perspective view of a helmet 1 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown. The helmet 1 comprises a visor assembly having two protrusions 5, two add-on components 4 releasably attached to the protrusions 5, and a lens 3 coupled to the visor 2.

[0079] Thus, the invention has been described by reference to certain embodiments discussed above. It will be recognized that these embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms well known to those of skill in the art. For example, the openings 6 of the add-on components 4 may be varied to attain certain positions of the add-on component relative to the visor 2, thus adjusting the tension to the lens 3 in different manners. Further, the peripheral shape of the add-on components 4 may be varied such that the combination of the peripheral shape of the add-on components 4 and the shape and location of the opening 6 tension the lens 3 in different manners.

[0080] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a kit of parts comprising: a visor 2 according to any of the embodiments described hereinbefore and at least one add-on component 4 according to any of the embodiments described hereinbefore. In particular, the kit of parts may comprise any of the add-on components 4 as provided in the example embodiments of FIGS. 3A-3G, and a visor 2 having at least two protrusions 5 having a corresponding shape to the opening 6 of the add-on component 4.

[0081] Further modifications in addition to those described above may be made to the structures and techniques described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, although specific embodiments have been described, these are examples only and are not limiting upon the scope of the invention.