Protective helmet

p0001The invention relates to a protective helmet with a convex outwardly curved outer shell.

p0002The main purpose of a protective helmet is to protect the head of a person from being injured by impacts on the head. Most bumps on the head are caused by falling objects. Even at fall heights of more than 5 m, light objects can already have considerable kinetic energy which, upon impact, cause damage or destruction of the outer shell. A very hard, stable outer shell, which is not destroyed, has the effect that the impact energy is largely transferred to the head. When the impact energy is absorbed by the interior, the helmet shell can approach the head dangerously.

p0003The object of the invention is, on the other hand, to provide a protective helmet which provides better protection against falling objects.

p0004This object is achieved according to the invention by a protective helmet having the features of the protective claim 1.

p0005The protective helmet according to the invention has a separate absorber arrangement in the roof area on the outer side of the closed outwardly curved helmet outer shell which is placed externally on the outer shell. The separate absorber arrangement absorbs, in particular in the central roof area of ​​the protective helmet, large amounts of the kinetic energy of an object falling from a higher level and impinging on it.

p0006Since the outer shell does not have to absorb or absorb any kinetic energy, it can be very hard and unyielding.

p0007Preferably, in the edge region of the absorber arrangement, the outer shell is inclined essentially at an angle of 60 ° and less to the vertical. As a result, a falling object is deflected to the side such that no absorber arrangement is required in the edge region in order to ensure an improved protection against falling objects. The absorber arrangement is therefore essentially arranged in the areas in which the tangentials on the outer shell have an angle of 60 ° and more to the vertical.

p0008Preferably, the absorber arrangement is plastically deformable. Although the absorber arrangement can, in principle, also be designed to be elastically deformable, a very high kinetic energy can be converted into deformation energy by means of plastically deformable absorber elements and can thus be reliably absorbed in this way. A plastically deformable absorber arrangement represents a simple and inexpensive solution of an absorber which can absorb high absorption energies.

p0009According to a preferred embodiment, the absorber arrangement is designed to be replaceable. The absorber arrangement is placed externally on the outer shell and attached to the outer shell by means of releasable fastening means. Due to the replaceability of the absorber arrangement, the absorber arrangement can be replaced if, for example, it is correspondingly deformed according to an absorption situation. This saves costs and resources.

p0010The outer shell preferably has an absorber trough in its roof region for accommodating the absorber arrangement. Depending on the technical realization of the elements providing the absorption, the absorber arrangement has a certain structural height. The absorber arrangement inserted into the absorber pan of the outer shell does not protrude at all or only relatively little from the contour of the outer shell.

p0011According to a preferred embodiment, the absorber arrangement or the absorber element has, on the one hand, rigid pins and, on the other hand, torsion sleeves which each have mutually engaging screw structures. The torsion sleeves are preferably provided on the absorber side and the rigid pins are preferably provided on the outside-shell side. The screw structures are so steep that they do not exhibit self-locking behavior.

p0012If an object hits the absorber arrangement, the torsion sleeves are pushed axially onto the rigid pins. Due to the interlocking screw structures, the torsion sleeve is forced to rotate during an axial proximal movement which results in a torsion of the cylindrical torsion sleeve. As a result, the torsion sleeve is plastically deformed and thus kinetic energy is degraded. With the formation of absorber elements as a torsion sleeve and rigid pin, a structure is provided which can absorb very high kinetic energy and which can also be programmed with a constant and accurate programming with regard to its mechanical behavior over a long period of time.

p0013The absorber arrangement preferably has an absorber plate, wherein the torsion sleeves protrude proximally from the absorber plate. The rigid pins are arranged exactly opposite the outer shell.

p0014The absorber arrangement, and in particular the absorber plate with the torsion sleeves integrally attached thereto, is preferably made of plastic. The outer shell with the rigid pins need not, but can also be made of plastic.

p0015According to a preferred embodiment, all the torsion sleeves and all the rigid pins are arranged essentially parallel to one another. The torsion sleeves and rigid pins are substantially perpendicular, with respect to the carrying position of the attached protective helmet. The absorber arrangement thus has a main absorption orientation, which is approximately perpendicular.

p0016According to a preferred embodiment, the absorber arrangement, and in particular the absorber plate with separate fastening elements, is interchangeably attached to the outer shell.

p0017An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

p0018Show it: <dl id="dl0001"><dt>FIG</dt><dd>A protective helmet with an absorber arrangement from above,</dd><dt>FIG</dt><dd>The helmet of the <figref idrefs="f0001">FIG</figref> In cross-section,</dd><dt>Figures 3A-3D</dt><dd>In each case a rigid pin and a torsion sleeve of the absorber arrangement of the <figref idrefs="f0001">1 and 2</figref> In top view and in side view.</dd></dl>

p0019In the <figref idrefs="f0001">FIG</figref> A protective helmet is shown in plan view, such as is used, for example, in the construction industry, in forestry and in other areas for mechanically protecting the head of the wearer. The protective helmet 10 has a helmet outer shell 12 made of plastic, a transparent plastic visor 14 as well as an interior interior (not shown) in the interior of the outer shell.

p0020In the roof area, defined by the roof area width and length D_x, D_y The outer shell has an absorber tub 16, which is covered by an absorber arrangement 18, which is formed by an absorber element 21.

p0021The outer shell 12 has a length H in plan view_y And a width of H_x. The absorber element 21 has a length of D in plan view_y And a width of D_x. The length and width D_y, D_x Of the absorber element 21 is about 20-40% of the length and width H_y,H_x Of the outer shell 12. The angle α of the outer shell 12 to the vertical in the edge region of the absorber arrangement 18 is everywhere at most 60 °.

p0022The absorber arrangement 18 is essentially formed by an absorber plate 20, absorber-plate-side torsion sleeves 22, which together form the absorber element 21, and rigid-rod pins 24 on the outer-shell side. Both the torsion sleeves 22 and the rigid pins 24 each have mutually engaging screw structures 26, 28. The rigid pin 24 consists of a basic body 30 which is circular in cross-section and can be hollow-cylindrical, for example. On the outer side of the basic body 30, two screw strips 32 are integrally formed. The outer diameter S of the rigid-pin base body is between 3 mm and 15 mm.

p0023The inner diameter S 'of the inner free circle is slightly greater than the outer diameter S of the circular basic body 30 of the rigid pin 24. The end of the torsion sleeve of the torsion sleeve base 40 has two screw webs 42, the slope of the inclination of the torsion sleeve Of the screw strips 32 of the rigid pins 24. In the assembled state, the basic body 30 of the rigid pin 24 protrudes into the cavity 44 of the torsion sleeve 22 so that both are guided axially relative to each other.

p0024In the case of a force effect from above, for example by an object which impinges on the absorber arrangement 18 or on the absorber plate 20, the torsion sleeve 22 is pushed axially onto the rigid pin 24 and is twisted with one another by the interaction of the screw strips 32, . As a result, the torsion sleeve 22 is plastically deformed and in this way absorbs a large part of the impact energy.

p0025The absorber arrangement 18 has, on the longitudinal ends of the absorber plate 20, clip-like fastening elements 50, with which the absorber element 21 is replaceably attached to the outer shell 12. The absorber element 21, including the torsion sleeves 22 and the absorber plate 20, is integrally formed. The outer shell 12, including the rigid pins 24, is also formed in one piece.

p0026With the described absorber arrangement 18, an easily producible and mountable absorber element is provided for absorption by means of plastically deforming absorption elements. After a deformation of one or more torsion sleeves 22, the absorbing element 21 can be simply replaced.