CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority of US Provisional Patent Application No.

61/702,386, filed September 18, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention relates to a protective structure for protecting the human body and other damageable objects, and more particularly, to an energy absorbing and dissipating structure which is mountable to other objects to absorb and disburse kinetic energy and forces associated with impacts and sudden movements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] There are many types of objects which can be damaged by the kinetic energies associated with impacts and sudden movements. In one example, the human body is susceptible to injury by impacts and sudden movements which might occur during many activities, including sports, the driving of a vehicle, and during physical altercations and encounters. Inanimate objects also may be damaged by impacts and sudden movements.

[0004] One type of apparatus that is designed to protect the human body is a helmet wherein various designs have been developed to absorb or dissipate impacts and sudden motions. Typically, a helmet would include a puncture resistant outer body or shell, like a helmet shell, which is worn by the user and provides a first level of protection against such impacts and damaging movements. While a hard shell provides a first level of protection, a shell typically is relatively rigid so as to resist and prevent punctures which might be associated with the impacts or sudden movements. The rigidity of the outer shell transfers the forces and energies associated with an impact or sudden movement, and therefore, has a low capacity for dissipating or absorbing the kinetic energies associated with such movements. Hence, these types of articles typically include a secondary protective component which is energy absorbent and is supported on the outer shell between the outer shell and the object being protected. The secondary protective component serves to absorb or dissipate impacts and sudden movement and to prevent or minimize the energies and forces transferred directly from the outer body and the object being protected.

[0005] In one example, this energy absorbent structure may be formed as a flexible, monolithic pad, or a composite cushion which typically is compressible or deformable to absorb the energies associated with the impact or sudden movement. In some designs, pressurized air compartments may be provided within the cushion, wherein the air pressure may be adjusted to adjust the energy absorbent capabilities of the cushion.

[0006] While a helmet is one example of a protective structure of this general type, other protective articles can be provided such as body armor, knee and elbow pads and the like which can include an outer rigid body and a flexible pad on the inner side thereof. While such protective articles can be provided for protecting the human body, animals or the like, protective articles may also be provided for protecting inanimate objects such as shipping containers, equipment, and the like.

[0007] It is an object of the invention to provide an improved energy absorbent protective structure for use in protecting against damage to a wide variety of animate and inanimate objects, including, but not limited to the human body.

[0008] Generally, the invention relates to an improved protective structure having a significant energy absorbing or dissipating capability which may be provided directly on the object being protected, or to an article having the protective structure mounted to a support body. The protective structure functions similar to a cushion and may be used either by itself or when mounted to other more rigid support bodies or structures such as helmet shells, knee and elbow pad shells, armor plating, shipping containers and the like. The protective structure is a composite article that is deformable to a certain extent for the protection of the human body and other objects wherein the protective structure of the invention absorbs significant energies associated with impacts and sudden movements.

[0009] More particularly, the energy absorbent structure includes a primary or outer container or vessel which typically is deformable to define an outer wall and in many cases, is formed of a flexible pierce-resistant material. This outer container is impermeable to the leakage of a liquid fluid contained within the interior thereof. The outer container has an inner compartment which preferably includes a defined volume of an incompressible fluid, preferably a liquid, which is provided within the inner compartment.

[0010] The volume of fluid also includes compressible or deformable capsules distributed within the interior compartment, wherein a containment liner is provided to retain the capsules in the event of the failure or tearing of the outer container. The volume of liquid serves as the interstitial medium which surrounds the capsules, and the capsules are hollow and have a flexible capsule wall or capsule membrane wherein the hollow capsule is filled with a

compressible gas. During impacts or sudden movements, the energies associated therewith are distributed from the outer container wall to the interstitial liquid which distributes the energies to the capsules. The capsules themselves can deform when subjected to the energies and forces and the entire composite structure serves to absorb and dissipate the energies and forces. The protective structure therefore is able to redirect and absorb the energies associated with localized forces that are applied to the protective structure. It is believed that the localized forces take the form of localized energy which typically is directional or in other words, is directed in a particular direction and then converts or redirects such forces and energies into non-directional forces which act through the liquid medium and capsules and are dissipated.

[0011] This protective structure defines a composite vessel which is attachable to either a main support body or directly between an object and a storage structure and serves to dissipate kinetic energies associated with impacts and sudden movement. For example, the protective structure may be attached to the interior of a helmet shell for direct contact with the head of a user. During an impact or jarring movement, a human body may displace relative to the outer shell, or visa versa wherein the intermediate protective structure serves to dissipate the transfer of kinetic energy from one member to the other. In this regard, the interior capsules have a flexible outer wall and a compressible non-toxic gas contained therein which allows the capsules to deform and absorb kinetic energies transferred thereto by the non-compressible liquid contained within the primary container. In testing, this composite protective structure has been shown to provide significant energy absorbent protection to the object being protected.

[0012] Other objects and purposes of the invention shall become apparent upon an understanding of the disclosure herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 is a side view of a protective structure of the invention mounted to a support body.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the protective structure with a portion cut away for illustration of interior components.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a first side view of the protective structure.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a partial second side view of the protective structure.

[0017] FIG. 5 diagrammatically illustrates a test setup.

[0018] FIG. 6 shows a graph of the resultant acceleration in lateral/low speed impacts.

[0019] FIG. 7 shows a graph of the resultant acceleration in lateral/mid speed impacts. [0020] FIG. 8 shows a graph of the resultant acceleration in superior/low speed impacts.

[0021] FIG. 9 shows a graph of the resultant acceleration in superior/mid speed impacts.

[0022] Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience and reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words "upwardly", "downwardly", "rightwardly" and "leftwardly" will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words "inwardly" and "outwardly" will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the arrangement and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Referring to Figure 1, the invention relates to an improved protective structure 10 having a significant energy absorbing or dissipating capability which may be provided directly on the object 12 being protected. The protective structure 10 may also be assembled as part of an article 14 having the protective structure 10 mounted to a support body 15. For example, the protective structure 10 functions similar to a cushion and may be used either by itself, or alternatively, the protective structure 10 may be mounted to other more rigid support bodies or structures 15 such as helmet shells, knee and elbow pad shells, armor plating, shipping containers and the like. It will be understood that such applications are disclosed as examples but the protective structure 10 is not limited to such applications and most broadly, the protective structure 10 may adapted to a wide variety of objects and uses.

[0024] The support body 15 in many applications will preferably be a puncture resistant outer body or shell 15, like a helmet shell, which is worn by the user and provides a first level of protection against impacts and damaging movements. The support body 15 includes an outer surface 16 which typically would face outwardly and would be directly struck by another object such as a ball, debris, bullet or projectile or any other object depending upon the specific application in which the protective structure 10 is used.

[0025] The support body 15 also includes an inner surface 17 on which the protective structure 10 is supported or carried. In use, the protective structure has a first side 18 which may be mounted to the inner surface 17 of the support body 15, and has a second side 19 which faces the object 12 being protected. As will be described in further detail, the protective structure 10 is relatively flexible and therefore, the second side 19 provides a relatively soft, flexible surface which can comfortably contact the object 12. As an alternate to direct body contact, an additional intermediate layer (not shown) might be provided between the protective structure 10 and the protected object 12.

[0026] If the support body 15 is formed as a hard shell, the rigid support body 15 will provide a first level of protection, since a shell typically is relatively rigid so as to resist and prevent punctures which might be associated with the impacts or sudden movements. The rigidity of the outer shell 15 transfers the forces and energies associated with an impact or sudden movement directly to the protective structure 10. While the support body 15 may be rigid, it also may be a flexible layer such as a layer of fabric which primarily is provided to support or carry the protective structure 10. This flexible layer could be a fabric which is worn by the person in the form of clothing like a protective vest, or could be blanket like fabric that has a plurality of protective structures 10 that are carried on the blanket wherein the blanket is draped over the object being protected. For example, the blanket might be in the form of a shipping blanket draped over a shipping container.

[0027] The protective structure 10 is a composite article that is deformable to a certain extent for the protection of the human body and other objects 12 wherein the protective structure 10 absorbs significant energies associated with impacts and sudden movements. The protective structure 10 is designed to transfer, disperse and provide multi-directional absorption of energy transferred to it. Further, the protective structure 10 of the invention has the ability to absorb the energy from both blunt impact forces and abrupt changes of movement and as such, has the ability to disperse energy from a localized force which is dispersed to the entire mass of the protective structure 10.

[0028] More particularly as to Figures 2-4, the energy absorbent structure 10 includes a primary container or vessel 20 which typically is deformable to define an outer wall and in many cases, is formed of a flexible pierce-resistant material. The container 20 also may be referenced as a vessel membrane. The outer container 20 has an inner compartment 21 which preferably includes a defined volume of an incompressible, non-toxic fluid 22, preferably a liquid, which is provided within the inner compartment 21. This outer container 20 is impermeable to the leakage of the liquid fluid 22 contained within the interior 21 thereof, and the outer container 20 defines a flexible, formable device that is made of a non-toxic material that has high tensile properties.

[0029] The volume of fluid 22 also includes compressible or deformable capsules 24 distributed within the interior compartment 21. As seen in Figure 3, the protective structure 10 may be relatively thin and contain one or more layers of the capsules 24 which can freely move within the fluid 22 and are movable relative to each other. The capsules 24 therefore may be positioned in a single layer or more likely are staggered into multiple layers. In Figure 4, a thicker protective structure 10 is shown which contains multiple, intermixed layers of the capsules 24. Figure 4 may be a thicker form of the protective structure 10 shown in Figure 3 or may be the same structure 10 that is flexibly reshaped to have the greater thickness shown in Figure 4.

[0030] While the outer container 20 is designed with substantial strength to avoid bursting, the protective structure 10 also includes a containment liner 26 which is provided to retain the capsules 24 in the event of the failure or tearing of the outer container 20. Preferably, the liner 26 is formed of a strong, flexible mesh, although other materials are suitable. However, the liner 26 may be omitted.

[0031] The volume of liquid 22 serves as the interstitial medium which surrounds the capsules 24, wherein the capsules 24 are hollow and have a resiliently-flexible capsule wall or capsule membrane 27. The hollow capsule 24 is filled with a non-toxic, compressible gas 28 (see Figure 2) which allows the capsules 24 to deform or compress when encountering forces associated with impacts and movements. The resiliency of the capsule walls 28 allows the capsules 24 to restore themselves to their original, undeformed or uncompressed shape after forces are dissipated. Since the interstitial fluid 21 is non-compressible, the forces are distributed over a greater area to a larger number of capsules 24 which deform and contribute to the dissipation of such forces. While the capsules 24 are shown with a spherical shape, the capsules 24 may be provided in other geometric shapes such as tubular, so long as the shape provides compression in multiple directions.

[0032] During impacts or sudden movements, the energies associated therewith are distributed from the outer container wall 20 to the interstitial liquid 22 which distributes the energies to a plurality of the capsules 24 located both locally adjacent the impact or pressure location on the container 20 as well as farther from this location which increases the energy absorbing and dissipating capability of the protective structure 10. The capsules 24 themselves and specifically, the capsule walls 27 can deform when subjected to the energies and forces such that the entire composite structure serves to absorb and dissipate the energies and forces. As such, the protective structure 10 is able to redirect and absorb the energies associated with localized forces that are applied to the protective structure 10 to reduce and minimize the transmission of such forces from one side of the protective structure 10 to other sides of the protective structure. It is believed that the localized forces take the form of localized energy which typically is directional or in other words, is directed in a particular direction and then converts or redirects such forces and energies into non-directional forces which act through the liquid medium 21 and capsules 24 and are dissipated thereby.

[0033] It will be understood that the protective structure 10 is adaptable to a variety of uses. For example, the relative quantities of the capsules 24 and volume of fluid 21 and the ratio of capsule quantity or volume to fluid volume can vary by application. In this regard, the overall size of the capsules 24 can be varied to adjust the volume ratio between the capsules and fluid. These ratios may be influenced by the properties and force vectors of the projected energy as well as external factors such as temperature and elevation.

[0034] Also, the material and shape of the outer container 20, the specific compressible gas of the capsules 24, and the specific non-compressible fluid 21 may each be varied and selected based upon impact forces, design applications, contact with the human body and other external conditions as noted above. These various considerations allow the protective structure 10 to be adapted for different, disparate uses. For example, the requirements for a football helmet likely will vary in comparison to a bike helmet, wrestling head gear or tactical helmet used by armed forces and the police.

[0035] Further, in some embodiments, the support body 15 may be on the outer side of the protective structure 10, so as to be exposed for contact by another object, with the protective structure 10 being disposed inwardly thereof for direct or indirect contact with a body. Another intermediate layer of rigid or flexible material may be disposed between the protective structure 10 and body as described above. Examples of this arrangement include a helmet or knee and elbow pads. In another example, the support body 15 may be positioned for direct contact with the body, with the protective structure 10 being positioned in contact with secondary support structure such as the frame of a car seat or chair. In the example of a car seat, the support body 15 may be a flexible, fabric cover which is exposed for direct contact with the body, while the protective structure is disposed inwardly thereof for direct contact with the rigid frame of the car seat.

[0036] With the foregoing structure, various tests have been conducted showing significant protection levels. The following summarizes testing performed on this structure 10.

[0037] Test summary

[0038] Referring to Figure 5, football helmet impact tests were conducted under different configurations. Impact speeds were 2.0 m/s for a low-speed test and 2.8 m/s for a mid-speed test. Baseline tests were conducted using the football helmet 30 in order to obtain a baseline for comparison of the improvements resulting from the protective structure of the invention. This football helmet 30 was of a conventional, commercially available helmet design which uses a rigid outer shell 31 and a plurality of inside foams or pads 32 which are attached to the interior surface of the helmet 30 and diagrammatically shown in Figure 5 in phantom outline. After the baseline tests, the inside foams 32 were removed and replaced by purple coarse, and yellow smooth bladders, which contained air bubbles or capsules and water as the interstitial medium. The yellow smooth bladder was placed both on top of the head before the helmet shell 31 was seated thereon and also was canted to cover the upper left quadrant of the skull of the test mannequin with the helmet shell 31 placed thereon. Also, the yellow bladder was tested with both a smooth surface referenced as yellow smooth below, and with a coarse textured surface referenced as yellow coarse below. The yellow coarse bladder was tested with two different ratios of air filled capsules and water.

[0039] Table 1 shows the test matrix of the various conditions that were tested.

[0040] Experimental set-up

[0041] As to the experimental setup, Figure 5 shows the impact directions relative to a conventional football helmet 30. The lateral impact direction 33 was conducted using a test ram which directed an impact force sidewardly to the side of the helmet 30. The superior impact direction 34 was conducted using the ram to direct an impact force to the top of the helmet which would be the vertical, downward direction when the helmet 30 is oriented in an upright orientation.

[0042] Results

[0043] Lateral impacts

[0044] In this lateral impact test at low speeds, the results are graphed in Figure 6, and the test values are shown as follows in Table 2. Notably, the protective structure of the invention resulted in significant reductions in resultant acceleration and Head Injury Criteria.

[0045] In this lateral impact test at medium speeds, the results are graphed in Figure 7, and the test values are shown as follows in Table 3.

[0046] Superior impacts

[0047] In this superior impact test at low speeds, the results are graphed in Figure the test values are shown as follows in Table 4.

BaseLine2 20.91 6.99

Yellow Smooth 11.79 (42.4% 1) 3.98 (38.7% i)

Yellow Coarse#l 11.87 (42.0% |) 4.56 (29.8% i)

Yellow Coarse#2 12.26 (40.1% |) 4.52 (30.4% i)

[0048] In this superior impact test at low speeds, the results are graphed in Figure the test values are shown as follows in Table 5.

[0049] Mass and volume of the foam

[0050] For reference purposes, the football helmet foam 30 has 54 lg of weight and

1477.85 cm of volume.

[0051] With the above invention, substantial increases in protection are provided. In use, this protective structure 10 defines a composite vessel which is attachable to either a main support body 15 or directly between an object and a storage structure and serves to dissipate kinetic energies associated with impacts and sudden movement. In one example, the protective structure 10 may be attached to the interior of a helmet shell 15 for direct contact with the head 12 of a user. During an impact or jarring movement, the human body 12 may displace relative to the outer shell 15, or visa versa wherein the intermediate protective structure 10 serves to dissipate the transfer of kinetic energy from one member 12 or 15 to the other member 15 or 12. In this regard, the interior capsules 24 have the flexible outer wall 27 and the compressible nontoxic gas 27 contained therein which allows the capsules 24 to deform and absorb kinetic energies transferred thereto by the non-compressible liquid 21 contained within the primary container 20. In testing, this composite protective structure 10 has been shown to provide significant energy absorbent protection to the object 12 being protected. [0052] Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.