JP7724491B2 - helmet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a helmet equipped with a shield that covers the wearer's face.

Helmets that are known in the art include a helmet body that covers the wearer's head, a wearable element that is attached to the inside of the helmet body and comes into contact with the wearer's head, an impact-absorbing liner that is attached between the wearable element and the helmet body, and a transparent shield that is connected to the helmet body and covers the wearer's face (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

This type of helmet is worn when performing firefighting activities, welding work, building demolition work, etc., and the face is covered with a shield, protecting the wearer's head and face from flying debris.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-49316

Depending on the work environment, you may need to wear not only a helmet with a shield, but also respiratory protective equipment (dust mask, gas mask, respirator, etc.).

However, conventional helmets with shields do not take into consideration the use of respiratory protective equipment, making it difficult for the shield to cover the wearer's face, which protrudes from the respiratory protective equipment, or, even if the shield does cover the face, the distance between the shield and the face is so great that it prevents a sense of unity.

One possible solution is to form the shield into a relatively large, spherical shape that bulges out in front of the wearer's face. This allows for a sufficiently large space to be formed on the inside of the shield in front of the wearer's face while keeping the peripheral edge of the shield close to the wearer's face, thereby providing good face coverage regardless of whether or not the wearer is wearing respiratory protective equipment.

However, when the shield is formed into a large, spherical shape as described above, the curved shape of the lower edge of the helmet body that surrounds the wearer's head does not match the curved shape of the upper edge of the spherical shield, resulting in a relatively large gap being formed between the helmet body and the shield, which could allow foreign matter such as dust or sparks to enter the interior of the helmet.

In light of the above, the present invention aims to provide a helmet that not only provides good face coverage regardless of whether or not a respiratory protective device is being worn, but also prevents foreign objects from entering the helmet through the gap between the shell and the shield.

The present invention provides a helmet comprising a hat body that covers the wearer's head, a mounting element that is provided inside the hat body and in contact with the wearer's head, an impact absorbing liner that is provided between the mounting element and the hat body, and a transparent shield that is connected to the hat body and covers the wearer's face, wherein the shield comprises a first bulging surface portion that bulges outward in a spherical shape, and a second bulging surface portion that is connected to the upper side of the first bulging surface portion, bulges out in a spherical shape independent of the first bulging surface portion , and faces the inner surface of the hat body, and the circumferential curved shape of the second bulging surface portion is set to a shape that approximates the circumferential curved shape of the lower edge of the hat body .

In this specification, "front" and "forward" refer to the direction in which the face of the wearer of the helmet faces, and "rear" and "back" refer to the direction in which the back of the wearer's head faces.

According to the present invention, the first bulging surface portion of the shield bulges forward in a spherical shape, which allows for sufficient space to be formed inside the shield in front of the face when the face is covered. This ensures that the face is covered reliably even when respiratory protective equipment is worn. Furthermore, the spherically bulging first bulging surface portion has its periphery close to the periphery of the face, ensuring that the face is covered reliably whether or not respiratory protective equipment is worn.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a second bulging surface portion connected to the upper side of the first bulging surface portion, which faces the inner surface of the helmet body. The second bulging surface portion is formed into a curved surface different from that of the first bulging surface portion by bulging into a spherical shape independent of the first bulging surface portion. This allows the shape of the first bulging surface portion to be maintained, while the curved shape of the second bulging surface portion can be formed to approximate the curved shape of the lower edge of the helmet body. Therefore, the gap formed between the helmet body and the second bulging surface portion can be easily reduced while creating sufficient space inside the shield in front of the face, making it easy to prevent foreign objects from entering the interior of the helmet through the gap between the helmet body and the shield.

In addition, in the present invention, by forming the boundary line between the first bulging surface portion and the second bulging surface portion in a valley groove shape, the boundary line can act as a rib, improving the strength of the shield.

In addition, in this invention, by forming the portion of the cap body facing the second bulging surface portion of the shield from a transparent material, it is possible to prevent the cap body from obstructing the field of view through the second bulging surface portion of the shield, and to ensure a wide field of view even when the face is covered by the shield.

The present invention is also characterized in that the shield is connected to the hat body via a shield support shaft that allows it to rotate between a position covering the wearer's face and a position above that, and includes a shield storage section between the hat body and the wearing body that stores the shield when rotated to the upper position.

The shield storage section is a storage space for the shield provided between the helmet body and the wearing body. By providing a shield storage section between the helmet body and the wearing body, the shield can be rotated upward (toward the inside of the helmet body) and stored inside the helmet body when facial protection by the shield is not required or when carrying the helmet.

In this case, it is preferable that the impact absorbing liner comprises an upper liner positioned between the shield and the cap body when the shield is housed in the shield housing, and a lower liner positioned between the shield and the wearing body when the shield is housed in the shield housing.

The shield storage compartment is located between the helmet body and the wearing body, and an impact absorbing liner is also located between the helmet body and the wearing body. Therefore, to prevent interference between the shield and the impact absorbing liner, it is possible to locate the shield storage compartment between the helmet body and the impact absorbing liner, or between the impact absorbing liner and the wearing body. However, the impact absorbing liner is relatively thick in order to achieve sufficient impact absorption performance. Furthermore, the shield storage compartment and the impact absorbing liner overlap vertically inside the helmet body, which disadvantageously increases the size of the helmet. It is possible to reduce the thickness of the impact absorbing liner to prevent the helmet body from becoming larger, but this may result in insufficient impact absorption capacity.

In this invention, the impact absorbing liner located in the shield storage compartment is composed of an upper liner and a lower liner, and the shield in the shield storage compartment fits between the upper and lower liners. This allows the thickness of each of the upper and lower liners to be reduced while still ensuring sufficient space to store the shield, preventing the cap body from becoming larger.

1 is a side view of a helmet according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the helmet of FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the shield stored in place.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The helmet 1 according to this embodiment is suitable for use by firefighters and others during firefighting activities, and as shown in Figure 1, it comprises a helmet body 2 that protects the wearer's head and a transparent shield 3 that protects the wearer's face.

As shown in Figure 2A, the helmet body 2 is composed of a helmet shell 4 that covers the wearer's head, a fitting body 5 that is attached to the inside of the helmet shell 4 and comes into contact with the wearer's head, a chin strap 6 that secures the fitting body 5 to the wearer's head, and an impact absorbing liner 7 that absorbs and mitigates external impacts received by the helmet shell 4.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2A, the cap body 4 comprises a transparent member 8 and a cover member 9. The cap body 4 is made of a hard material such as FRP. A front-end notch 4a is formed in a predetermined area of the front end of the cap body 4 (in this embodiment, the portion covering the wearer's forehead). The transparent member 8 is made of organic glass such as polycarbonate and is provided in the front-end notch 4a. As a result, the transparent member 8 ensures visibility above and in front of the wearer.

The cover member 9 not only covers and reinforces the angular portion 4b formed at the upper front position of the cap body 4, but also has a structure for supporting the transparent member 8. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B , the back surface of the cover member 9 is formed with a protrusion 9a that abuts against the front surface of the cap body 4. A screw member 10 is inserted into this protrusion 9a, and the cover member 9 is fixed to the cap body 4 by fastening the screw member 10. The cover member 9 has multiple protrusions 9a, including some not shown. The protrusions 9a of the cover member 9 penetrate the support pieces 8a provided on the transparent member 8, thereby latching the support pieces 8a. This allows the transparent member 8 to be supported in a suspended state by the protrusions 9a of the cover member 9. Meanwhile, removing the screw member 10 to release the cover member 9 from its fixed state to the cap body 4 simultaneously releases the support of the transparent member 8 from the cap body 4, facilitating the replacement of the transparent member 8 and the cover member 9.

As shown in Figure 2A, the wearable body 5 includes a hammock 5a shaped to flexibly fit the wearer's head, and a headband 5b that is attached around the outer periphery of the wearer's head.

The impact absorbing liner 7 is made of a cushioning material such as expanded polystyrene, and is placed between the cap body 4 and the wearing body 5. The front half of the impact absorbing liner 7 is divided into an upper liner 11 and a lower liner 12, with a predetermined gap (a gap large enough to accommodate the shield 3, as described below).

The shield 3 is made of organic glass such as polycarbonate, and as shown in Figures 2A and 3, it has a first spherical portion 3a (first bulging surface portion), a second spherical portion 3b (second bulging surface portion) connected to the upper side of the first spherical portion 3a, and a third spherical portion 3c (third bulging surface portion) connected to the lower side of the first spherical portion 3a.

The first spherical portion 3a, the second spherical portion 3b, and the third spherical portion 3c are formed as independent spherical surfaces according to their respective positions. By making each a separate spherical surface, distortion that occurs during mold manufacturing can be prevented, improving mold precision.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2A, the first spherical surface portion 3a and the third spherical surface portion 3c are exposed from the helmet body 2. The spherically bulging shapes of the first spherical surface portion 3a and the third spherical surface portion 3c create a relatively large space between the shield 3 and the wearer's face, allowing the shield to reliably cover the face from the outside even when wearing respiratory protective equipment (not shown).

As shown in Figure 2A, the second spherical portion 3b faces the inner surface of the transparent member 8 that forms part of the cap body 4. Because the second spherical portion 3b and the transparent member 8 are made of a transparent material, the wearer's field of vision above and in front of them is ensured.

The upper edge of the second spherical portion 3b is set so that the cut edge of the sphere approximates the circumferential curve of the edge of the front notch 4a of the cap body 4 (the boundary between the front notch 4a and the transparent member 8). This brings the upper edge of the second spherical portion 3b close to the edge of the front notch 4a of the cap body 4, preventing sparks, dust, etc. from entering the interior of the cap body 4 through the gap between the shield 3 and the cap body 4.

As shown in Figures 2A and 3, the boundary line 3d between the first spherical surface portion 3a and the second spherical surface portion 3b, and the boundary line 3e between the second spherical surface portion 3b and the third spherical surface portion 3c, are formed in a valley groove shape (a V-shaped groove in this embodiment) because they are boundaries between adjacent spherical surfaces. As a result, both boundary lines 3d and 3e act as reinforcing ribs, imparting high strength to the shield 3.

As shown in Figure 2A, the shield 3 is supported on the cap body 4 via a shield support shaft 13. The shield support shaft 13 connects the shield 3 to the cap body 4 in a manner that allows it to rotate between a position that covers the wearer's face and a position above it.

As shown in Figures 2A and 4, a shield storage section 14 for storing the shield 3 is formed inside the helmet main body 2. The shield storage section 14 is a space formed between the cap shell 4 and the wearing body 5, including the space between the upper liner 11 and lower liner 12 of the impact absorbing liner 7. When the shield 3 is rotated around the shield support shaft 13 from a position covering the wearer's face to an upper position, the shield 3 is stored in the shield storage section 14.

While illustrations and detailed structural details of the internal structure of the shield support shaft 13 are omitted, it is designed to provide adequate resistance when rotating the shield 3. It is preferable that the resistance when rotating the shield 3 be such that the shield 3 does not rotate under its own weight even during rotation. It may also be equipped with a clutch mechanism to provide a clicking sensation when rotating. This prevents the retracted shield from accidentally rotating downward due to impact, etc.

In addition, the space formed between the upper liner 11 and the lower liner 12 forms part of the shield storage section 14, preventing interference between the shield 3 and the impact absorbing liner 7 when stored.

When housing the shield 3 in the helmet main body 2, it is possible to consider leaving a space (not shown) between the impact absorbing liner and the wearing body, or between the cap body and the impact absorbing liner. However, in this case, impact absorbing liners with sufficient impact absorption capacity are relatively thick, which disadvantageously increases the size of the helmet main body 2. Therefore, when leaving a space to house the shield between the impact absorbing liner and the wearing body, or between the cap body and the impact absorbing liner, the thickness of the impact absorbing liner can be reduced to prevent the helmet main body 2 from becoming larger. However, this has the disadvantage of drastically reducing the impact absorption capacity of the impact absorbing liner.

In contrast, in this embodiment, part of the impact absorbing liner 7 is composed of an upper liner 11 and a lower liner 12, and the space between the upper liner 11 and the lower liner 12 forms part of the space for housing the shield 3. This prevents the helmet body 2 from becoming too large and also prevents a severe decline in impact absorption performance.

As described above, the helmet 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a shield 3 configured as described above, which creates a relatively large space inside the shield 3 that covers the wearer's face, allowing the shield 3 to cover the face while wearing respiratory protective equipment. In this case, the transparent member 8 does not obstruct the front and upper field of view, ensuring a wide field of view. Furthermore, the second spherical portion 3b of the shield 3 can extremely reduce the gap between the shield 3 and the cap body 4 when the face is covered, preventing foreign objects from entering the helmet 1. Moreover, the shield storage section 14 configured as described above prevents the helmet 1 from becoming too large while minimizing a significant decrease in impact absorption performance.

1... helmet, 3... shield, 4... cap body, 5... wearing body, 5a... first spherical portion (first bulging surface portion), 5b... second spherical portion (second bulging surface portion), 5d... boundary line, 7... impact absorbing liner, 8... transparent member (portion facing second bulging surface portion), 11... upper liner, 12... lower liner, 13... shield support shaft, 14... shield storage section.

Claims (5)

A helmet comprising a hat body that covers the head of a wearer, a fitting body that is provided inside the hat body and contacts the head of the wearer, an impact absorbing liner that is provided between the fitting body and the hat body, and a transparent shield that is connected to the hat body and covers the face of the wearer,
the shield includes a first bulging surface portion bulging forward in a spherical shape, and a second bulging surface portion connected to an upper side of the first bulging surface portion, bulging in a spherical shape independent of the first bulging surface portion , and facing the inner surface of the helmet body;
A helmet characterized in that the circumferential curved shape of the second bulging surface portion is set to a shape that is similar to the circumferential curved shape of the lower edge of the helmet body . The helmet described in claim 1, characterized in that the boundary line between the first bulging surface portion and the second bulging surface portion is formed in a valley groove shape. The helmet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the portion of the cap body facing the second bulging surface portion of the shield is made of a transparent material. The shield is connected to the hat body via a shield support shaft that allows the shield to rotate between a position covering the wearer's face and a position above the face,
4. The helmet according to claim 1, further comprising a shield housing portion between the cap body and the wearing body for housing the shield rotated to an upper position. The helmet according to claim 4, characterized in that the impact absorbing liner comprises an upper liner positioned between the shield and the helmet body when housed in the shield housing, and a lower liner positioned between the shield and the helmet body when housed in the shield housing.