Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
SPORTS HELMET WITH ROTATIONAL IMPACT PROTECTION
Field of the invention
The invention relates generally to a sports helmet providing protection
against
rotational impacts.
Background of the invention
Helmets are worn in sports and other activities to protect their wearers
against head
injuries. To that end, helmets typically comprise a rigid outer shell and
inner padding
to absorb energy when impacted.
Various types of impacts are possible. For example, a helmet may be subjected
to a
radial impact in which an impact force is normal to the helmet and thus tends
to
impart a translational movement to the helmet. A helmet may also be subjected
to a
rotational impact which tends to impart an angular movement to the helmet. The
rotational impact can be a tangential impact in which an impact force is
tangential to
the helmet or, more commonly, an oblique impact in which an impact force is
oblique
to the helmet and has both a radial impact force component and a tangential
impact
force component.
A rotational impact results in angular acceleration of the wearer's brain
within his/her
skull. This can cause serious injuries such as concussions, subdural
hemorrhage, or
nerve damage. Linear acceleration also results if the rotational impact is
oblique.
Although helmets typically provide decent protection against radial impacts,
their
protection against rotational impacts is usually deficient. This is clearly
problematic
given the severity of head injuries caused by rotational impacts.
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For these and other reasons, there is a need for improvements directed to
providing
a sports helmet providing protection against rotational impacts.
Summary of the invention
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a sports helmet for
protecting a head of a wearer and comprising a rotational impact protection
device.
According to one aspect, the invention provides a sports helmet for protecting
a
head of a wearer, the sports helmet defining a cavity for receiving the
wearer's head,
the sports helmet comprising: (a) an outer shell comprising an external
surface of
the sports helmet; (b) inner padding disposed between the outer shell and the
wearer's head when the sports helmet is worn; and (c) a floating liner
disposed
between the inner padding and the wearer's head when the sports helmet is
worn,
the floating liner being movable relative to the outer shell in response to a
rotational
impact on the outer shell to absorb rotational energy from the rotational
impact, the
floating liner comprising stretchable material such that at least part of the
rotational
energy is absorbed by stretching of the stretchable material.
According to another aspect, the invention provides a sports helmet for
protecting a
head of a wearer, the sports helmet defining a cavity for receiving the
wearer's head,
the sports helmet comprising: (a) an outer shell comprising an external
surface of
the sports helmet; (b) inner padding disposed between the outer shell and the
wearer's head when the sports helmet is worn; and (c) a floating liner
disposed
between the inner padding and the wearer's head when the sports helmet is
worn,
the floating liner being movable relative to the outer shell and the inner
padding in
response to a rotational impact on the outer shell to absorb rotational energy
from
the rotational impact, the floating liner comprising an inner surface for
contacting the
wearer's head and an outer surface facing the inner padding, the outer surface
of
the floating liner being in frictional engagement with the inner padding in
response to
the rotational impact such that at least part of the rotational energy is
dissipated by
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friction between the inner padding and the outer surface of the floating
liner, the
outer surface of the floating liner having a coefficient of friction with the
inner
padding of at least 0.2 measured according to ASTM G115-10.
According to another aspect, the invention provides a sports helmet for
protecting a
head of a wearer, the sports helmet defining a cavity for receiving the
wearer's head,
the sports helmet comprising: (a) an outer shell comprising an external
surface of
the sports helmet; (b) inner padding disposed between the outer shell and the
wearer's head when the sports helmet is worn; (c) a floating liner disposed
between
the inner padding and the wearer's head when the sports helmet is worn, the
floating
liner being movable relative to the outer shell in response to a rotational
impact on
the outer shell to absorb rotational energy from the rotational impact; and
(d) an
occipital pad for engaging an occipital region of the wearer's head, the
occipital pad
being selectively movable relative to the outer shell, the floating liner
being movable
with the occipital pad during adjustment of the occipital pad.
According to a further aspect, the invention provides a sports helmet for
protecting a
head of a wearer, the sports helmet defining a cavity for receiving the
wearer's head,
the sports helmet comprising: (a) an outer shell comprising an external
surface of
the sports helmet; (b) inner padding disposed between the outer shell and the
wearer's head when the sports helmet is worn; and (c) a floating liner
disposed
between the inner padding and the wearer's head when the sports helmet is
worn,
the floating liner being movable relative to the outer shell in response to a
rotational
impact on the outer shell to absorb rotational energy from the rotational
impact,
wherein an interface between the floating liner and the inner padding is
fastener-free
at an apex of the interface between the floating liner and the inner padding.
According to another aspect, the invention provides a sports helmet for
protecting a
head of a wearer, the sports helmet defining a cavity that has an internal
volume for
receiving the wearer's head, the sports helmet comprising: (a) an outer shell
comprising an external surface of the sports helmet; (b) an inner padded layer
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disposed between the outer shell and the wearer's head when the sports helmet
is
worn; (c) an impact protection means disposed between the outer shell and the
wearer's head when the sports helmet is worn; the impact protection means
comprising a plurality of members, each of the members comprising a surface
contacting the inner padded layer or the outer shell such that, upon an impact
on the
external surface of the outer shell, at least one of the members is configured
to
reduce a linear acceleration of the wearer's head or to reduce a rotational
acceleration of the wearer's head; and (d) an adjustment means operable by the
wearer to vary the internal volume of the cavity such that a fit of the sports
helmet on
the wearer's head is adjustable; and wherein the plurality of members are
configured
to accommodate adjustments of the internal volume of the cavity when the
adjustment means is operated by the wearer to vary the internal volume of the
cavity.
According to a further aspect, the invention provides a sports helmet for
protecting a
head of a wearer, the sports helmet defining a cavity that has an internal
volume for
receiving the wearer's head, the sports helmet comprising: (a) a rigid outer
shell
defining an external surface of the helmet; (b) an inner padding disposed
between
the outer shell and the wearer's head when the helmet is worn, the inner
padding
being configured to reduce a linear acceleration of the wearer's head as a
result of a
linear impact acting against the outer shell; (c) a rotational impact
cushioning
arrangement disposed between the outer shell and the wearer's head when the
helmet is worn, the rotational impact cushioning arrangement comprising
elastic
material and being configured to reduce a rotational acceleration of the
wearer's
head as a result of a rotational impact acting against the outer shell; and
(d) an
adjustment mechanism operable by the wearer to vary the internal volume of the
cavity such that a fit of the helmet on the wearer's head is adjustable;
wherein the
elastic material of the rotational impact cushioning arrangement is coupled to
the
outer shell and is disposed at selected locations about the wearer's head such
as to
extend around at least a portion of the wearer's head when the helmet is worn
and
wherein the adjustment mechanism is operative to allow a displacement of the
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elastic material at one of the selected locations with relation to the elastic
material at
another of the selected locations once the adjustment mechanism is operated by
the
wearer to vary the internal volume of the cavity.
According to another aspect, the invention provides a sports helmet for
protecting a
head of a wearer, the sports helmet defining a cavity that has an internal
volume for
receiving the wearer's head, the sports helmet comprising: (a) an outer shell
defining
an external surface of the helmet, the outer shell comprising first and second
shell
members; (b) an inner padded layer disposed between the outer shell and the
wearer's head when the helmet is worn, the inner padded layer being configured
to
reduce a linear acceleration of the wearer's head as a result of a linear
impact acting
against the outer shell; (c) a rotational impact protection means disposed
between
the outer shell and the wearer's head when the helmet is worn, the rotational
impact
protection means being configured to reduce a rotational acceleration of the
wearer's head as a result of a rotational impact acting against the outer
shell; and (d)
an adjustment mechanism operable by the wearer to allow adjustment of a fit of
the
helmet on the head of the wearer, the adjustment mechanism comprising a single
actuator comprising at least one tooth and being mounted to one of the first
and
second shell members; and wherein the single actuator is moveable by the
wearer
between a locked position, in which the at least one tooth engages the first
and/or
second members and the first and second shell members are locked relative to
one
another, and a released position, in which the at least one tooth no longer
engages
the first and/or second shell members and the first and second members are
moveable relative to one another.
These and other aspects of the invention will now become apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of
embodiments of
the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Brief description of the drawings
A detailed description of embodiments of the invention is provided below, by
way of
example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows an example of a sports helmet for protecting a head of a wearer
in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a front view of the sports helmet Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the sports helmet Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of the sports helmet Figure 1, showing the
actuator in a released position and wherein the outer shell members define a
first
cavity for receiving the wearer's head;
Figure 5 is a side view of the sports helmet Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a side view of the helmet showing the actuator in the released
position
and showing movement of the outer shell members relative to each other;
Figure 7 is a side view of the sports helmet Figure 1, showing the actuator in
the
released position and wherein the outer shell members define a second cavity
for
receiving the wearer's head;
Figure 8 is a side view of the sports helmet Figure 7, showing movement of the
actuator from the released position to a locked position;
Figure 9 is a front side perspective exploded view of the sports helmet Figure
1
shown without the chin strap and ear loops;
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Figure 10 is a rear side perspective exploded view of the sports helmet Figure
9;
Figure 11 is a bottom perspective view of the sports helmet Figure 9 shown
without
the ear protector and the padding;
Figure 12 is a front side perspective exploded view of the helmet of Figure 9
showing the outer shell, inner padding and a rotational impact protection
device that
is implemented as a floating liner;
Figure 13 is a perspective view of the floating liner of Figure 12;
Figure 14 is a rear bottom perspective view of the floating liner of Figure 13
shown
without the occipital pad and the fastening members;
Figure 15 is a bottom perspective view of the floating liner of Figure 14;
Figure 16 is a bottom view of the floating liner of Figure 14 showing the
separate
segments of the floating liner;
Figure 17 is an enlarged bottom perspective view of the front segment or
branch of
the floating liner;
Figure 18 is a bottom view of the front branch of Figure 17;
Figure 19 is a top view of the front branch of Figure 17;
Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 20-20;
Figure 211s an enlarged side perspective view of a front fastening member;
Figure 22 is a side view of the front fastening member of Figure 21;
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Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 23-23;
Figure 24 is an enlarged side perspective view of a rear fastening member;
Figure 25 is a side view of the rear fastening member of Figure 24;
Figure 26 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 26-26;
Figure 27 is a front side perspective view of the first or front outer shell
member of
the outer shell;
Figure 28 is a front view of the front outer shell member of Figure 27;
Figure 29 is a side view of the front outer shell member of Figure 27;
Figure 30 is a top view of the front outer shell member of Figure 27;
Figure 31 is a top view of the second or rear outer shell member of Figure 27;
Figure 32 is a rear view of the rear outer shell member of the outer shell;
Figure 33 is a side view of the rear outer shell member of Figure 32;
Figure 34 is a front view of the rear outer shell member of Figure 32;
Figure 35 is an enlarged bottom perspective view of the actuator;
Figure 36 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 36-36;
Figure 37 is an enlarged top perspective view of a base member;
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Figure 38 is a front view of the left and right front inner pad members of the
inner
padding;
Figure 39 is a rear view of the left and right front inner pad members of
Figure 38;
Figure 40 is a side view of the left front inner pad member of Figure 38;
Figure 41 is a top view of the left and right front inner pad members of
Figure 38;
Figure 42 is a rear perspective view of the left and right rear inner pad
members of
the inner padding;
Figure 43 is a rear view of the left and right rear inner pad members of
Figure 42;
Figure 44 is a front view of the left and right rear inner pad members of
Figure 42;
Figure 45 is a side view of the left rear inner pad member of Figure 42;
Figure 46 is an enlarged front perspective view of a wedge of the occipital
adjustment device;
Figure 47 is a front view of the wedge of Figure 46;
Figure 48 is a side view of the wedge of Figure 46;
Figure 49 is an enlarged rear perspective view of a support of the occipital
adjustment device;
Figure 50 is a front view of the support of Figure 49;
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Figure 51 is a top perspective view of the support of Figure 49;
Figure 52 is a side view of the support of Figure 49;
Figure 53 is an enlarged front perspective view of an occipital pad of the
occipital
adjustment device;
Figure 54 is a top view of the occipital pad of Figure 53;
Figure 55 is a rear perspective view of the occipital pad of Figure 53;
Figure 56 is a top view showing the helmet on one side and the floating liner
on the
other side, the helmet and floating liner being on the wearer's head;
Figure 57 is a perspective view showing the helmet on one side and the
floating liner
on the other side, the helmet and floating liner being on the wearer's head;
Figure 58 shows an example of a reaction of the sports helmet Figure 57 upon a
rotational impact on the outer shell;
Figure 59 shows an example of a reaction of the sports helmet Figure 58 upon a
rotational impact on the outer shell;
Figure 60 is a perspective view of the helmet on the wearer's head, where the
outer
shell, floating liner and brain of the wearer's head are shown;
Figure 61 is a first view of an example of a reaction of the sports helmet
Figure 61
upon a rotational impact on the outer shell;
Figure 62 is a second view of the example of a reaction of the sports helmet
Figure
61 upon a rotational impact on the outer shell;
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
Figure 63 is a third view of the example of a reaction of the sports helmet
Figure 61
upon a rotational impact on the outer shell;
Figure 64 is a schematic view of the cavity of the helmet;
Figure 65 is a front perspective view of the head of the wearer; and
Figure 66 is a side view of the head of the wearer.
It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only
for the
purpose of illustrating certain embodiments of the invention and are an aid
for
understanding. They are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the
invention.
Detailed description of embodiments
To facilitate the description, any reference numeral designating an element in
one
figure will designate the same element if used in any other figures. In
describing the
embodiments, specific terminology is resorted to for the sake of clarity but
the
invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and
it is
understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with
the
specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written
description of
this invention. As used in the following description, the terms "horizontal",
"vertical",
"left", "right", "up", "down" and the like, as well as adjectival and
adverbial derivatives
thereof (e.g., "horizontally", "rightwardly", "upwardly", "radially", etc.),
simply refer to
the orientation of the illustrated structure. Similarly, the terms "inwardly,"
"outwardly"
and "radially" generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its
axis of
elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.
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Figures 1 to 12 show an example of a helmet 10 for protecting a head 11 of a
wearer
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the
helmet
is a sports helmet for protecting the head 11 of the wearer who is a sports
player.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the sports helmet 10 is a hockey or
lacrosse
5 helmet for protecting the head 11 of the wearer who is a hockey or
lacrosse player. It
is noted, however, that the invention is not limited to any particular type of
sports
helmet. For instance, a sports helmet constructed using principles described
herein
in respect of the sports helmet 10 may be used for protecting the head of a
player of
another type of contact sport (sometimes referred to as "full-contact sport"
or
10 "collision sport") in which there are significant impact forces on the
player due to
player-to-player and/or player-to-object contact. For example, in one
embodiment, a
sports helmet constructed using principles described herein in respect of the
sports
helmet 10 may be a football helmet for protecting the head of a football
player.
Furthermore, a sports helmet constructed using principles described herein in
respect of the sports helmet 10 may be for protecting the head of a wearer
involved
in a sport other than a contact sport (e.g., bicycling, motorcycle, skiing,
snowboarding, horseback riding or another equestrian activity, etc.).
The sports helmet 10 defines a cavity 13 for receiving the wearer's head 11 to
protect the wearer's head 11 when the sports helmet 10 is impacted (e.g., when
the
sports helmet 10 hits a board or an ice or other playing surface or is struck
by a
puck, ball, a lacrosse stick or a hockey stick or when the player is receiving
a hit
(body check) by another player and the head of the player is hit directly or
indirectly).
More particularly, in this embodiment, the sports helmet 10 is designed to
provide
protection against a radial impact in which an impact force is normal to the
sports
helmet 10 and thus tends to impart a translational movement to the sports
helmet 10
("radial" is used herein in a general sense to mean that the radial impact is
along a
direction which is perpendicular to a plane that is tangential to the helmet's
external
surface and, since a helmet is generally round, such impact will extend along
a
radial direction). In addition, the sports helmet 10 is designed to provide
protection
against a rotational impact which tends to impart an angular movement to the
sports
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helmet 10. A rotational impact can be a tangential impact in which an impact
force is
tangential to the sports helmet 10 or, more commonly, an oblique impact in
which an
impact force is oblique to the sports helmet 10 and has a radial impact force
component and a tangential impact force component. A rotational impact thus
exerts
a rotational force on the sports helmet 10, i.e., the tangential impact force
in the case
of a tangential impact and the tangential impact force component in the case
of an
oblique impact.
The sports helmet 10 protects various regions of the wearer's head 11. As
shown in
Figures 65 and 66, the wearer's head 11 comprises a front region FR, a top
region
TR, left and right side regions LS, RS, a back region BR, and an occipital
region OR.
The front region FR includes a forehead and a front top part of the head 11
and
generally corresponds to a frontal bone region of the head 11. The left and
right side
regions LS, RS are approximately located above the wearer's ears. The back
region
BR is opposite the front region FR and includes a rear upper part of the head
11.
The occipital region OR substantially corresponds to a region around and under
the
head's occipital protuberance.
The sports helmet 10 has an external surface 18 and an internal surface 20
that
contacts the wearer's head 11 when the sports helmet 10 is worn. The sports
helmet
10 has a front-back axis FBA, a left-right axis LRA, and a vertical axis VA
which are
respectively generally parallel to a dorsoventral axis, a dextrosinistral
axis, and a
cephalocaudal axis of the wearer when the sports helmet 10 is worn and which
respectively define a front-back direction, a left-right direction, and a
vertical
direction of the sports helmet 10. Since they are generally oriented
longitudinally and
transversally of the sports helmet 10, the front-back axis FBA and the left-
right axis
LRA can also be referred to as a longitudinal axis and a transversal axis,
respectively, while the front-back direction and the left-right direction can
also be
referred to a longitudinal direction and a transversal direction.
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In response to an impact, the sports helmet 10 absorbs energy from the impact
to
protect the wearer's head 11. In particular, in this embodiment, as further
discussed
below, the sports helmet 10 comprises a rotational impact protection device
for
causing an angular movement of its external surface 18 relative to its
internal
surface 20 in response to a rotational impact to absorb rotational energy from
the
rotational impact. This reduces rotational energy transmitted to the wearer's
head 11
and therefore reduces angular acceleration of the wearer's brain within
his/her skull.
In this embodiment, the sports helmet 10 comprises an outer shell 12, inner
padding
15, and a floating liner 50, which implements the rotational impact protection
device.
As further discussed later, the floating liner 50 is allowed a certain degree
of
freedom of movement (for that reason it is referred to as "floating") and
constitutes
an energy-absorbing structure that takes up a certain amount of energy during
a
rotational impact. The sports helmet 10 also comprises ear loops 14 and a
chinstrap
16 for securing the sports helmet 10 to the wearer's head 11. The sports
helmet 10
further comprises ear protectors 32 for protecting the left and right ears of
the
wearer.
The outer shell 12 provides strength and rigidity to the sports helmet 10. To
that end,
the outer shell 12 is made of rigid material. For example, in various
embodiments,
the outer shell 12 may be made of thermoplastic material such as polyethylene,
polyamide (nylon), or polycarbonate, of thermosetting resin, or of any other
suitable
material. The outer shell 12 has an inner surface 17 facing the inner padding
15 and
an outer surface 19 opposite the inner surface 17. In this example of
implementation, the outer surface 19 of the outer shell 12 constitutes the
external
surface 18 of the sports helmet 10.
The outer shell 12 comprises a front outer shell member 22 and a rear outer
shell
member 24 that are connected to one another. The front outer shell member 22
comprises a top portion 21 for facing at least part of the top region TR of
the
wearer's head 11, a front portion 23 for facing at least part of the front
region FR of
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the wearer's head 11, and left and right side portions 25, 27 extending
rearwardly
from the front portion 23 for facing at least part of the left and right side
regions LS,
RS of the wearer's head 11. The rear outer shell member 24 comprises a top
portion
29 for facing at least part of the top region TR of the wearer's head 11, a
back
portion 31 for facing at least part of the back region BR of the wearer's head
11, an
occipital portion 37 for facing at least part of the occipital region OR of
the wearer's
head 11, and left and right side portions 33, 35 extending forwardly from the
back
portion 31 for facing at least part of the left and right side regions LS, RS
of the
wearer's head 11.
The sports helmet 10 may be adjustable in order to adjust how it fits on the
wearer's
head 11. To that end, the sports helmet 10 comprises an adjustment mechanism
40
for adjusting a fit of the sports helmet 10 on the wearer's head 11. The
adjustment
mechanism 40 allows the fit of the sports helmet 10 to be adjusted by being
operable by the wearer to vary the internal volume of the cavity 13 of the
sports
helmet 10. This can be done by adjusting one or more internal dimensions of
the
cavity 13 of the sports helmet 10, such as a front-back internal dimension FBD
of the
cavity 13 in the front-back direction of the sports helmet 10 and/or a left-
right internal
dimension LRD of the cavity 13 in the left-right direction of the sports
helmet 10, as
shown in Figure 64.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the outer shell 12 and the inner
padding 15
are adjustable to adjust the fit of the sports helmet 10 on the wearer's head
11. To
that end, in this case, the front outer shell member 22 and the rear outer
shell
member 24 are movable relative to one another to adjust the fit of the sports
helmet
10 on the wearer's head 11. The adjustment mechanism 40 is connected between
the front outer shell member 22 and the rear outer shell member 24 to enable
adjustment of the fit of the sports helmet 10 by moving the outer shell
members 22,
24 relative to one another. In this example, relative movement of the outer
shell
members 22, 24 for adjustment purposes is in the front-back direction of the
sports
helmet 10 such that the front-back internal dimension FBD of the cavity 13 of
the
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
sports helmet 10 is adjusted. This is shown in Figures 5 to 8 in which the
rear outer
shell member 24 is moved relative to the front outer shell member 22 from a
first
position, which is shown in Figure 5 and which corresponds to a relatively
small size
of the sports helmet 10, to a second position, which is shown in Figure 6 and
which
corresponds to an intermediate size of the sports helmet 10, and to a third
position,
which is shown in Figures 7 and 8 and which corresponds to a relatively large
size of
the sports helmet 10.
As best shown in Figures 4 to 10 and 35 to 37, the adjustment mechanism 40 may
comprise an actuator 41 that can be moved (in this case pivoted) by the wearer
between a locked position, in which the actuator 41 engages a locking part of
the
front outer shell member 22 and thereby locks the outer shell members 22, 24
relative to one another, and a released position, in which the actuator 41 is
disengaged from the locking part of the front outer shell member 22 and
thereby
permits the outer shell members 22, 24 to move relative to one another so as
to
adjust the size of the helmet 10.
For example, the actuator 41 may comprise first and second pairs of teeth 42,
43
extending generally transversely relative to the longitudinal axis FBA. The
actuator
41 can be moved (in this case pivoted) by the wearer between a locked
position, in
which the first and second pairs of teeth 42, 43 engage in first and second
plurality
of pairs of apertures 44, 45 provided on the front outer shell member 22 (as
best
shown in Figure 30) and thereby locks the outer shell members 22, 24 relative
to
one another, and a released position, in which the first and second pairs of
teeth 42,
43 of the actuator 41 are disengaged from the first and second pairs of
apertures 44,
45 of the front outer shell member 22 and thereby permits the outer shell
members
22, 24 to move relative to one another so as to adjust the size of the sports
helmet
10. As seen in Figure 31, the rear shell member 24 may comprise an aperture
24A
in which the first and second pairs of teeth 42, 43 may extend in the locked
position.
It is understood that the rear shell member 24 may comprise two apertures
instead
of only one aperture. It is also understood that the actuator may comprise
only one
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tooth, or only one pair of teeth instead of the first and second pairs of
teeth 42, 43.
As seen, in Figure 37, the adjustment mechanism 40 may also comprise a base
member 46 having first and second posts 46A, 46B to which the actuator 41 is
pivotably mounted and the base member 46 may comprise first and second
apertures 48, 49 for receiving the pair of first and second teeth 42, 43.
Again, it is
understood that the base member 46 may comprise only one aperture if the
actuator
41 has only one tooth or only one pair of teeth. The base member 46 may be
mounted between the inner padding 15 and the front outer shell member 22 and
the
first and second posts 46, 47 may extend in left and right apertures 24B, 24C
provided on the rear outer shell member 24. The adjustment mechanism 40 may be
implemented in various other ways in other embodiments.
As shown in Figures 27 to 34, the outer shell 12 may comprise a plurality of
ventilation holes 391-39v for allowing air to circulate around the wearer's
head 11. In
this case, each of the front and rear outer shell members 22, 24 defines
respective
ones of the ventilation holes 391-39v of the outer shell 12.
The outer shell 12 may be implemented in various other ways in other
embodiments.
For example, in other embodiments, the outer shell 12 may be a single-piece
shell.
In such embodiments, the adjustment mechanism 40 may comprise an internal
adjustment device located within the sports helmet 10 and having a head-facing
surface movable relative to the wearer's head 11 in order to adjust the fit of
the
sports helmet 10. For instance, in some cases, the internal adjustment device
may
comprise an internal pad member movable relative to the wearer's head 11 or an
inflatable member which can be inflated so that its surface can be moved
closer to or
further from the wearer's head 11 to adjust the fit.
The inner padding 15 is disposed on the inner surface 17 of the outer shell 12
such
that, in use, it is disposed between the outer shell 12 and the wearer's head
11 to
absorb impact energy when the sports helmet 10 is impacted. As best seen in
Figure
12, the inner padding 15 has an outer surface 38 facing the outer shell 12 and
an
17
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
inner surface 34 facing the floating liner 50. The inner padding 15 may be
mounted
to the outer shell 12 in various ways. For example, in some embodiments, the
inner
padding 15 may be mounted to the outer shell 12 by one or more fasteners such
as
mechanical fasteners (e.g., tacks, staples, rivets, screws, etc.), an
adhesive,
stitches, or any other suitable fastening element. In such embodiments, the
inner
padding 15 is affixed to the outer shell 12 and, during movement of the front
and
rear outer shell members 22, 24 to adjust the size of the sports helmet 10,
various
parts of the inner padding 15 move along with the outer shell members 22, 24.
The
inner padding 15 has a three-dimensional external configuration that generally
conforms to a three-dimensional internal configuration of the outer shell 12.
The
inner padding 15 comprises shock-absorbing material to absorb impact energy
when
the sports helmet 10 is impacted.
As best shown in Figures 9 to 11 and 38 to 45, the inner padding 15 comprises
a
front left inner pad member 15B for facing at least part of the front region
FR and left
side region LS of the wearer's head 11, a front right inner pad member 15A for
facing at least part of the front region FR and right side region RS of the
wearer's
head 11, a rear left inner pad member 15D for facing at least part of the back
region
BR and left side region LS of the wearer's head 11, a rear right inner pad
member
15C for facing at least part of the back region BR and right side region RS of
the
wearer's head 11, and a top inner pad member 15E for facing at least part of
the top
region TR and back region BR of the wearer's head 11. The front outer shell
member 22 overlays the front right and left inner pad members 15A, 15B, the
rear
outer shell member 24 overlays the rear right and left inner pad members 15C,
15D
and the front and rear outer shell members 22, 24 at least partially overlay
the top
inner pad member 15E. The inner pad members 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E of the
inner padding 15 are movable relative to one another and with the outer shell
members 22, 24 to allow adjustment of the fit of the sports helmet 10 using
the
adjustment mechanism 40. The inner padding 15 may comprise a plurality of
ventilation holes 801-80v. In this case, the ventilation holes 801-80v are
aligned with
respective ones of the ventilation holes 391-39v of the outer shell 12.
18
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
Each of the inner pad members 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E of the inner padding 15
comprises shock-absorbing material to absorb impact energy when the sports
helmet 10 is impacted. For example, in this embodiment, each of the inner pad
members 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E comprises polymeric cellular material. For
instance, the polymeric cellular material may comprise polymeric foam such as
expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam, expanded polyethylene (EPE) foam, or any
other suitable polymeric foam material and/or may comprise expanded polymeric
microspheres (e.g., ExpancelTM microspheres commercialized by Akzo Nobel). Any
other material with suitable impact energy absorption may be used for the
inner
padding 15 in other embodiments.
As best shown in Figure 9 and 10, the inner padding 15 may comprise left
comfort
pad members 48A, 49A for facing the left side region of the wearer's head 11
above
the left ears and right comfort pad members 48B, 49B for facing the right side
region
of the wearer's head 11 above the right ears. The comfort pad members 48A,
48B,
49A, 49B may comprise any suitable soft material providing comfort to the
wearer.
For example, in some embodiments, the comfort pad members 48A, 48B, 49A, 49B
may comprise polymeric foam such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam or
polyurethane foam (e.g., PORON XRD foam commercialized by Rogers
Corporation).
The inner padding 15 may be implemented in various other ways in other
embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, the inner padding 15 may
comprise any number of pad members (e.g.: two pad members such as one pad
member that faces at least part of the front region FR, top region TR, and
left and
right side regions LS, RS of the wearer's head 11 and another pad member that
faces at least part of the back region BR, top region TR, and left and right
side
regions LS, RS of the wearer's head 11; a single pad that faces at least part
of the
front region FR, top region TR, left and right side regions LS, RS, and back
region
BR of the wearer's head 11; etc.).
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CA 02880069 2015-01-26
The floating liner 50 provides impact protection, including rotational impact
protection, when the sports helmet 10 is impacted. The liner 50 is "floating"
in that it
is movable relative to one or more other components of the helmet 10 in
response to
a rotational impact on the outer shell 12. This movement allows rotational
energy
from the rotational impact to be absorbed instead of being transmitted to the
wearer's head 11. The floating liner 50 comprises a layer of material located
between the external surface 18 and the internal surface 20 of the helmet 10.
The
layer of material of the floating liner 50 may include a single material
constituent or
different material constituents and/or may have a constant thickness or a
variable
thickness.
As best shown in Figures 12, 57 and 59, in this embodiment, the floating liner
50 is
disposed between the inner padding 15 and the wearer's head 11 and the
floating
liner 50 is movable relative to the inner padding 15 and the outer shell 12.
In
particular, the floating liner 50 is movable with relation to the inner
padding 15 and
the outer shell 12 in response to a rotational impact on the sports helmet 10
to
absorb rotational energy from the rotational impact. This reduces rotational
energy
transmitted to the wearer's head 11 and therefore reduces angular acceleration
of
the wearer's brain within his/her skull. In this embodiment, rotational energy
from a
rotational impact is absorbed by a frictional engagement of the floating liner
50 with
the inner padding 15 in which energy is dissipated through friction and by an
elastic
deformation of the floating liner 50 in which energy is absorbed through
stretching of
the floating liner 50.
An example of how the floating liner 50 provides rotation impact protection in
this
embodiment is illustrated in Figures 56 to 63. The floating liner 50 is
mounted such
that, when a rotational force RF is exerted on the outer shell 12 due to a
rotational
impact RI on the outer shell 12, the outer shell 12 and the inner padding 15
move
relative to the floating liner 50. This movement includes an angular movement
of the
outer shell 12 and the inner padding 15 relative to the floating liner 50 by
an angle 0
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
relative to the front-back axis FBA of the sports helmet 10. The angle 0 may
have
various values depending on an intensity of the rotational impact RI and a
construction of the sports helmet 10. For example, in some cases, the angle 0
may
be between 2 and 10 .
Movement of the outer shell 12 and the inner padding 15 relative to the
floating liner
50 creates friction between the floating liner 50 and the inner padding 15.
This
friction dissipates rotational energy associated with the rotational impact
RI. In
addition, movement of the outer shell 12 and the inner padding 15 relative to
the
floating liner 50 induces an elastic deformation of the floating liner 50.
More
particularly, in this embodiment, the floating liner 50 stretches so as to
curve in a
direction of the rotational force RF. This stretching of the floating liner 50
absorbs
rotational energy associated with the rotational impact RI.
In addition to its rotational impact protection, in this embodiment, the
floating liner 50
also provides radial impact protection. More particularly, the floating liner
50 is
elastically compressible in response to a linear impact force (i.e., a radial
impact
force in the case of a radial impact or a radial impact force component in the
case of
an oblique impact) to absorb energy by elastic compression. The floating liner
50
therefore implements a padding layer.
With reference to Figures 13 to 15, the floating liner 50 comprises a front
portion 51
for facing the front region FR of the wearer's head 11, left and right side
portion 52,
53 for facing the left and right side regions LS, RS of the wearer's head 11,
a top
portion 54 for facing the top region TR of the wearer's head 11, and a back
portion
55 for facing the back region BR of the wearer's head 11. These portions of
the
floating liner 50 are arranged such that the floating liner 50 has a dome
shape for
receiving the wearer's head 11. In this example, the front portion 51, side
portions
52, 53, and back portion 55 comprise respective segments or branches 701-706
extending downwardly from the top portion 54 and spaced from one another. The
floating liner 50 also comprises an inner surface 59 for contacting the
wearer's head
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CA 02880069 2015-01-26
11 and an outer surface 61 facing the inner padding 15. In this case, the
inner
surface 59 of the floating liner 50 constitutes the internal surface 20 of the
sports
helmet 10 which contacts the wearer's head 11 when the sports helmet 10 is
worn.
The floating liner 50 may have various other shapes in other embodiments.
The floating liner 50 may be made of any suitable material to achieve its
impact
protection function. In this embodiment, in order to absorb energy by elastic
deformation, the floating liner 50 comprises elastic material that is
elastically
stretchable to absorb rotational energy associated with a rotational force
when the
sports helmet 10 is impacted. Also, in this case, the elastic material of the
floating
liner 50 is elastically compressible to absorb impact energy associated with a
linear
force when the sports helmet 10 is impacted. The elastic material of the
floating liner
50 may thus be an elastically stretchable compressible impact-absorbing
material.
For example, in some embodiments, the elastic material of the floating liner
50 may
comprise elastomeric material (e.g., elastomeric polyurethane foam such as
PORON
XRD foam commercialized by Rogers Corporation or any other suitable
elastomeric
foam).
As shown in Figure 16, the floating liner 50 may comprise a plurality of
segments or
branches 701-707 fastened to one another to create its front portion 51, left
and right
side portion 52, 53, top portion 54, and back portion 55. More particularly,
in this
embodiment, the segments 701-707 of the floating liner 50 are connected to one
another by stitches. The floating liner 50 may be constructed in various other
ways in
other embodiments (e.g., it may comprise a different number and/or arrangement
of
segments, its segments may be fastened in other ways, or it may be a one-piece
liner instead of having distinct segments).
The floating liner 50 may be fastened to a remainder of the sports helmet 10
in
various ways. For example, as best shown in Figures 9 to 13, the floating
liner 50 is
fastened to the remainder of the sports helmet 10 at a plurality of fastening
points
601-606 spaced apart from one another around the sports helmet 10. More
22
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
particularly, in this example, the fastening point 601 is a front fastening
point
adjacent to the front portion 23 of the front outer shell member 22, the
fastening
points 602, 603 are side fastening points respectively adjacent to the left
and right
side portions 25, 27 of the front outer shell member 22, the fastening points
604, 605
are side fastening points respectively adjacent to the left and right side
portions 33,
35 of the rear outer shell member 24, and the fastening point 606 is a rear
fastening
point adjacent to the back portion 31 of the rear outer shell member 24. In
this case,
the fastening points 601-606 are distributed along a lower edge area of the
sports
helmet 10. Also, in this case, the fastening points 602, 603 and the fastening
points
604, 605 are respectively located in front of and behind the ears of the
wearer. The
fastening points 601, 602, 603, 604, 605 may be located at the respective
distal ends
of the segments or branches 701, 702, 703, 705, 706 or adjacent these distal
ends.
The floating liner 50 may be connected to the remainder of the sports helmet
10 via
any other number and/or relative arrangement of fastening points in other
embodiments.
The fastening points 601-605 of the floating liner 50 may comprise
respectively
fastening members 711-715 which are fastened to the outer shell 12 and to
which the
floating liner 50 is attached. More particularly, the fastening members 711-
715 are
fastened to the outer shell 12 via mechanical fasteners (e.g., screws 95) and
to the
floating liner 50 via stitches. For instance, as shown in Figures 21 to 23,
the
fastening member 712, which could be a front fastening member, comprises two
openings 721-722 to receive a mechanical fastener (screws 95) to fasten it to
the
outer shell 12 and a stitchable portion 73 to receive stitches to fasten it to
the floating
liner 50. Similarly, as shown in Figures 24 to 26, the fastening member 714,
which
could be a rear fastening member, comprises an opening 75 to receive a
mechanical
fastener (screw 95) to fasten it to the outer shell 12 and a stitchable
portion 90 to
receive stitches to fasten it to the floating liner 50. In this case, the
stitchable
portions 73 and 90 are formed as ledges projecting inwardly of the sports
helmet 10.
The fastening members 711, 712, 713, 714, 715 may be located at the respective
23
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
distal ends of the segments or branches 701, 702, 703, 705, 706 or adjacent
these
distal ends.
The fastening members 711-755 may be implemented in various other ways in
other
embodiments. For example, the fastening members 711-715 may be affixed
directly
to the inner padding 15 such that the floating liner 50 is rather affixed to
the inner
padding 15 instead to the outer shell 12 or the fastening members 711-715 may
be
affixed to the outer shell 12 while portions of the padding 15 are located
between
one or more of the fastening members 711-715 and the outer shell 12 such that
the
floating liner 50 is affixed to the outer shell 12 through the inner padding
15.
The fastening members 711-755 may be made of any suitable material. For
example,
in this embodiment, the fastening members 711-755 are made of polymeric
material
(e.g., polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, polycarbonate or polyacetal, or any
other
suitable plastic). In particular, in this example, the polymeric material of
the fastening
members 711-755 is such that each of these fastening members is more rigid
than
the floating liner 50 to enable the floating liner 50 to stretch when the
helmet 50 is
rotationally impacted. The fastening members 711-755 may be made of various
other
materials in other embodiments (e.g., metallic material).
As best shown in Figures 9 to 13 and 46 to 55, the sports helmet 10 may
comprise
an occipital adjustment device 75 having an occipital pad 36 facing the
occipital
region OR of the player's head and movable relative to the outer shell member
24
between different positions to adjust the fit of the sports helmet 10 on the
wearer's
head.
The occipital pad 36 may be made of any suitable padding material. For
example, in
some embodiments, the occipital pad 36 may comprise polymeric foam such as
expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam, expanded polyethylene (EPE) foam, foam
having two or more different densities (e.g., high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
foam
24
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
and low-density polyethylene foam), or any other suitable foam. Other
materials may
be used for the occipital pad 36 in other embodiments.
The occipital pad 36 is supported by a support 76 which is movable relative to
the
second shell member 24 in order to move the occipital pad 36. As best shown in
Figure 6, a wedge 78 is located between the second shell member 24 and the
support 76. The wedge 28 is connected to an actuator 77 such that, when the
player
operates the actuator 77, the wedge 78 moves between different positions
relative to
the second shell member 24 and the support 76. As seen in Figures 46 to 48,
the
wedge 78 has a thickness that increases gradually from its top edge to its
bottom
edge such that downward vertical displacement of the wedge 78 between the
second shell member 24 and the support 76 moves the occipital pad 36 from a
first
position towards a second position in which it applies a greater pressure upon
the
occipital region OR of the wearer's head. Movement of the occipital pad 36
allows it
to be positioned in a first position in which it is closer to the back portion
of the
second shell member 24 and in a second position in which it is further inward
of the
sports helmet 10 and closer to the occipital region OR to apply more pressure
on the
occipital region OR than in its first position.
As best shown in Figures 49 to 52, the support 76 may have an upper portion
with
left and right connectors, projections or pins 76A, 76B that are received in
apertures
provided in the left and right rear inner pad members 15D, 15C (see apertures
15D1,
15C1, best shown in Figures 42 and 43) such that the support is mounted to the
left
and right rear inner pad members 15D, 15C. The upper portion of the support 76
may also comprise a member extending upwardly with a connector, projection or
pin
76C that is received in an aperture 15E1 provided in the top inner pad member
15E
(see Figure 10) such that the top inner pad member 15E is only affixed at that
point
to the second shell member 24.
As best shown in Figure 46 and 47, the occipital adjustment device 75 may
comprise
a locking mechanism 79 for preventing unintentional movement of the wedge 78
and
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
thus of the occipital pad 36. More particularly, the locking mechanism 79
comprises
a plurality of protrusions 881-88N on the inner surface of the wedge 78
adapted to
register between a plurality of notches 811-81F (best shown in Figure 34) on
the
inner surface 17 of the rear outer shell member 24 to put the wedge 78 in a
locked
position. Any other suitable locking mechanism may be used in other
embodiments.
As best shown in Figures 9 and 10, the actuator 77 comprises a button 82 and a
post 83 extending through a slot 84 in the rear outer shell member 24, passing
through an aperture provided in the wedge 78 and having a distal end with a
diameter larger than that the wedge 78 for securing the actuator 77 to the
wedge 78.
In this example, the actuator 77 may comprise resilient material (e.g., nylon
or
polyacetal) characterized by an ability to return to its original shape when
pressure is
no longer applied on it. When the button 82 is pushed by the wearer towards
the
rear outer shell member 24, it is compressed and the post 83 and distal end
are
pushed away from the inner surface 27 of the rear outer shell member 24, thus
disengaging the protrusions 881-88N from the notches 811-81F and allowing the
wedge 78 to be moved upwardly or downwardly along the slot 84. The actuator 77
may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments. For instance,
in
other embodiments, the actuator 77 may comprise a spring or any other biasing
device for urging the wedge 78 in its locked position.
As best shown in Figure 13, the fastening point 606 of the floating liner 50
is located
adjacent the occipital pad 36 and distal ends of the back portion 55 of the
floating
liner 50. The distal ends of the back portion 55 may have first and second
stitchable
tabs 55T1, 55T2 (see Figure 14) and the occipital pad 36 may have
corresponding
first and second stitchable tabs 36T1, 36T2 (see Figures 53 and 55) such that
the
back portion 55 of the floating liner 50 is affixed to the occipital pad 36 at
the
fastening point 606 via stitches passing through the first and second
stitchable tabs
551-1, 5512, 36-m, 36T2.
Since the back portion 55 of the floating liner 50 is fastened to
the occipital pad 36, movement of the occipital pad 36 during adjustment
induces
movement of the back portion 55 of the floating liner 50. In other words, in
this case,
26
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
the fastening point 606 of the floating liner 50 is adjustably movable
relative to the
outer shell 12. This can allow the floating liner 50 to more closely conform
to the
wearer's head 11.
A more detailed description of the floating liner 50 and its method of
operation in this
embodiment are provided below.
Figures 14 to 16 illustrate in greater detail the structure of the floating
liner 50. The
floating liner 50 is that component of the sports helmet 10 which constitutes
the
interface between the wearer's head 11 and the helmet's inner padding 15. The
floating liner 50 is designed to be movable with relation to the inner padding
15. The
floating liner 50, when installed in the sports helmet 10, acquires its dome
shape that
generally conforms to the shape of the wearer's head 11.
The floating liner 50 is a spider-like structure that includes the top portion
54 and a
series of branches which extend downwardly and connect the spider-like
structure to
the lower portion of the sports helmet 10 near the respective distal ends of
the
branches. More particularly, the floating liner 50 has an elongated band-like
front
segment or branch 701, an opposed elongated rear band-like segment or branch
704, lateral front band-like segments or branches 702, 706, lateral rear band-
like
segments or branches 703, 705, all extending downwardly from the top portion
54.
The lateral front band-like segments or branches 702, 706 are provided with
side
extensions 110 that extend toward and connect with the front band-like segment
701.
The extensions 110 run generally along the lower periphery of the helmet when
the
floating liner 50 is installed in the sports helmet 10.
The various components of the floating liner 50 are attached to one another by
stitching. In this example of implementation, stitches 1201-1206 connect the
various
components of the floating liner 50 into its dome shape. Other forms of
attachment
may be used in other embodiments. For example, the various components can be
27
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
glued to one another or the floating liner 50 can be formed as a single piece,
such as
by die-cutting it from a blank of material.
Upon assembly, the floating liner 50 thus has the front and rear segments or
branches 701, 704 that are elongated and extend along the longitudinal axis
FBA of
the sports helmet 10. The front and rear segments or branches 701, 704 connect
with the top portion 54 such as to define openings, slots or slits 1221, 1222
with the
front and rear segments 701, 704. The openings, slots or slits 1221, 1222 make
the
floating liner 50 somewhat stretchable in the longitudinal direction (further
to the
inherent stretchability of the material from which the floating liner 50 is
made) such
as to accommodate changes in the internal volume defined by the sports helmet
10.
To provide a better fit, the sports helmet 10 can be designed to be
adjustable, as
described in greater detail earlier. The adjustability is such that the
internal volume
of the sports helmet 10 changes to make it larger or smaller according to the
particular size of the wearer's head 11. The openings, slots or slits 1221,
1222 can
allow the floating liner 50 to expand or contract within the helmet's cavity
13 when an
adjustment is made and thus prevent the floating liner 50 from bunching.
The lateral front and rear segments or branches 702, 703, 705, 706 extend
along the
transversal axis LRA of the sports helmet 10. Between the lateral front and
rear
segments or branches 702, 703 and 705, 706, left and right spaces 124, 126 are
defined and these left and right spaces 124, 126 register with the respective
left and
right ears of the wearer. The spaces 124, 126 provide clearance to receive
various
components of the sports helmet 10 that protect the ears.
Figures 21 to 26 illustrate some of the fastening members, namely the
fastening
members 712, 714, for attaching the lateral front and rear segments or
branches 702,
703, 705, 706 of the floating liner 50 to the remainder of the sports helmet
10. The
fastening member 712 shown in Figures 21 to 23 is a front fastening member
that
attaches the lateral front segments or branches 702, 703, 705, 706 to the
sports
helmet 10. The fastening members 712, 713 are each is in the form of a clip
that is
28
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
made of plastic material and to which the distal ends of the lateral front
segments or
branches 702, 706 are stitched. The fastening members 712, 712 are
subsequently
attached with screws 95 to the outer shell 12 of the sports helmet 10. The
screws
95 are inserted through apertures 96 of the outer shell 12. Figures 24 to 26
illustrate
the fastening member 714 that is a rear fastening member attaching the
extremity of
the lateral rear segment or branch 705 to the remainder of the sports helmet
10. The
fastening member 714 is similar to the fastening member 712, except that a
single
screw 95 is used to mount the fastening member 714 to the outer shell 12. The
fastening members 714, 715 are each attached at their distal ends to the
lateral rear
segments or branches 702, 703, via stitches and the fastening members 714, 715
are
subsequently attached with screws 95 passing through apertures 96 of the outer
shell 12.
This arrangement is such that the floating liner 50 is retained to the outer
shell 12 at
a plurality of spaced apart locations that are adjacent the lower edge of the
outer
shell 12. It is understood that the floating liner 50 may be retained directly
to the
inner padding 15 via the fastening members 711-755 or be retained to the outer
shell
12 while portions of the inner padding 15 are located between the fastening
members 711-755 and outer shell 12. The floating liner 50 is retained at the
front and
at two locations on each side, one being in front the ear and near the temple
region
and the other behind the ear. At the back, the floating liner 50 connects with
the
occipital pad 36, which moves with relation to the outer shell 12, as
described
earlier.
The various components of the floating liner 50 may be made from material that
has
a constant thickness or the thickness may vary. In the example shown in the
drawings, a variable thickness material is being used to provide, in addition
to the
rotational impact protection, protection against radial impacts.
Figures 17 to 20 illustrate in greater detail the structure of the front
segment or
branch 701 of the floating liner 50. The front segment or branch 701 of the
floating
29
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
liner 50 is a continuous sheet of material that has a base portion 140 from
which
project a series of padding areas 1851-185R. A ridge 142 is provided at least
along a
portion of the periphery of the front segment or branch 70 of the floating
liner 50. In
a specific example of implementation, the thickness of the base portion 140 is
of
about 1mm. The thickness of a padding area 185; is of about 3mm while the
thickness of the ridge 142 is of about 3.5 mm. In some embodiments, the
thickness
of the floating liner 50 may not exceed 10mm and preferably may be not exceed
5mm. The floating liner 50 may have any other suitable thickness in other
embodiments
To avoid the floating liner 50 from projecting too far inwardly in the sports
helmet 10
with relation to .the inner surface of the inner padding 15 on which the
floating liner
50 rests, the inner padding 15 can be provided with one or more recesses in
which
one or more parts of the floating liner 50 can fit. With reference to Figure
40, which
shows the structure of the left and right front pad members 15A, 15B of the
inner
padding 15, the inner padding 15 defines a recessed area 15F that registers
with the
front segment 701 of the floating liner 50. The depth of the recessed area 15F
is
selected generally to match or to be slightly less than the maximal thickness
of the
front segment 701 of the floating liner 50. In this fashion, when the floating
liner 50 is
mounted to the sports helmet 10, the front segment 701 of the floating liner
50 sits in
the recessed area 150 and its face that is oriented toward the wearer is
generally
flush or only slightly projects from the inner surface of the inner padding
15.
The floating liner 50 is a component of the sports helmet 10 that contributes
to
protect the head 11 of the wearer during an impact that has a rotational force
component and which imparts an angular movement to the head 11. As briefly
discussed earlier, several energy absorption mechanisms operate in conjunction
with one another to take up at least a component of the energy in the impact
and
thus limit the residual energy that is transmitted to the wearer's head 11.
30
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
Without intent of being bound by any particular theory, the inventors have
identified
four primary energy absorption mechanisms. The first is the ability of the
floating
liner 50 to stretch during a relative movement between the floating liner 50
and the
remainder of the helmet's structure which is rigid and moves in unison during
the
impact. Typically, the main components of the helmet structure that move in
relation
to the floating liner 50 are the outer shell 12 and the inner padding 15.
Conceptually
speaking, the sports helmet 10 thus provides two elements that can move one
with
relation to the other during a rotational impact. One of the elements is the
outer
shell/inner padding combination. The other element is the floating liner 50
which
constitutes the interface between the outer shell/inner padding combination
and the
wearer's head 11. The floating liner 50 is designed to closely fit on the head
11 and
at the same time is attached to the outer shell 12 of the sports helmet 10 via
rigid
mounting points that include the fastening members 711 to 715 and the
occipital pad
36. Thus, in the course of an impact that tends to impart an angular movement
to
the sports helmet 10, the outer shell/inner pad combination will tend to move
with
relation to the floating liner 50 that is in contact with the head 11. The
rigid mounting
points will thus distort the floating liner 50 and stretch various parts of
the floating
liner 50. As the material of the floating liner 50 is being stretched, it
absorbs energy.
The ability of the floating liner 50 to absorb energy can be enhanced by
proper
selection of the material from which the floating liner 50 is made and also by
the
structure of the floating liner 50. From a structural point of view, the
floating liner 50
is constructed as a series of elongated segments or branches (the front
segment or
branch 701, rear segment or branch 704, and lateral front and rear segments or
branches 702, 703, 705, 706) that extend downwardly from the top portion 54 of
the
floating liner 50 and thus run from the top of the head 11 downwardly (when
taking
the head 11 of the wearer as a reference). When an angular movement occurs,
the
extremities of those segments or branches, which are affixed to the outer
shell/inner
pad combination, are pulled as the outer shell/inner pad combination angularly
moves, stretching the material from which the segments are made.
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CA 02880069 2015-01-26
From a material point of view, the material of the floating liner 50 may be
such that,
when stretched, at least some degree of energy is absorbed in the material. In
a
specific example of implementation the material can be characterized by using
the
ASTM D2632-01 Standard Test method for rubber property-Resilience by Vertical
rebound. The material of the floating liner 50 that manifests energy
absorption may
have, according to this test a resilience of less than 30%, preferably less
than 20%,
even more preferably less than 15% and most advantageously less than 10%. A
specific material that has been found to provide energy absorption in a helmet
for
use in hockey is sold under the trademark PORON XRD.
The second energy absorption mechanism that works in conjunction with the
stretchability of the floating liner 50 is the frictional interface between
the floating
liner 50 and the inner padding 15. As the floating liner 50 moves with
relation to the
outer shell/inner padding combination, the presence of friction at the
interface
dissipates energy during the movement, by generating heat. From a material
perspective, the degree of friction that exists between the floating liner 50
and the
inner padding 15 is controlled such that enough friction exists in order to
enhance
energy dissipation and at the same time the friction does not exceed a level
at which
the movement will be inhibited.
In a specific and non-limiting example of implementation, the degree of
friction
between the floating liner 50 and the mating surface of the inner pad is
characterized
by the ASTM G115 - 10 Standard Guide for Measuring and Reporting Friction
Coefficients. The friction coefficient between the floating liner 50 and the
inner
padding 15 is of at least 0.2, preferably of at least 0.3, more preferably of
at least
0.4, even more preferably of at least 0.5 and most advantageously in the range
of
about 0.5 to about 0.6.
Note that very high coefficients of friction may not be optimal since the
amount of
effort required to initiate the movement between the floating liner 50 and the
inner
padding 15 can become too high. In this case, the sports helmet 10 may not
32
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
respond to low level rotational impacts where the angular acceleration
imparted to
the outer shell 12 and inner padding 15 is not sufficient to overcome the
friction
between the floating liner 50 and the inner padding 15. It is thus preferred
to keep
the coefficient of friction between the floating liner 50 and the inner
padding 15 to a
level that does not exceed 0.75 and more preferably is at 0.7 or below.
The third energy absorption mechanism is compression of the material of the
floating
liner 50. This third mechanism may manifest itself when a radial impact force
component has the effect of pushing the sports helmet 10 toward the head, in
addition to imparting to the sports helmet 10 angular motion. The compression
of the
material will absorb some quantity of energy that depends on the degree of
compression. From that perspective, a thicker floating liner 50 will be able
to absorb
more energy as a result of compression, than a thinner floating liner 50.
Also, while
certain areas of the material of the floating liner 50 may stretch, other
areas of the
floating liner's material may compress tangentially and this may also
contribute to
energy absorption.
The fourth energy absorption mechanism is the inertia of the outer shell 12 /
inner
padding 15 combination. Since this structure moves with relation to the head
11 of
the wearer as a result of a rotational impact, the angular motion imparted to
the
structure requires some amount of energy. The fourth energy absorption
mechanism
is independent of the floating liner 50. It should also be noted that the
fourth energy
absorption mechanism can be maximized by decreasing the degree of friction
between the floating liner 50 and the inner padding 15. Such a decrease of
friction
will increase the range of movement of the outer shell 12 / inner padding 15
combination such that the energy intake by the angularly accelerated mass will
increase. However, a decrease of the degree of friction between the floating
liner 50
and the inner padding 15 will also have the undesirable effect of decreasing
the
efficacy of the second energy absorption mechanism that relies on friction.
The
higher the friction, the more energy absorption will occur. On balance, the
energy
absorption mechanism that works on the basis of friction is preferred over the
one
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CA 02880069 2015-01-26
that works on the basis of inertia since it is believed to be more effective.
Accordingly, an interaction between the floating liner 50 and the inner
padding 15
that largely favors slidability at the expense of friction is not desirable.
The various energy absorption mechanisms described above contribute
differently to
the overall ability of the sports helmet 10 to protect against rotational
impacts.
Generally, it is believed that, in the helmet structure described herein, the
cumulative
effect of the first three energy absorption mechanisms (i.e., the
stretchability of the
floating liner 50, the frictional engagement between the floating liner 50 and
the inner
padding 15, and the compression of the material of the floating liner 50)
outweigh
significantly the effect of the fourth energy absorption mechanism (i.e., the
inertia of
the outer shell 12 / inner padding 15 combination).
Figures 61 to 64 illustrate the sequence of events that occur when the sports
helmet
10 is subjected to a rotational impact RI. In Figure 61, the impact RI is
shown by the
arrow. Figures 62 to 64 show that as a result of the impact RI, the sports
helmet 10
has angularly moved by a certain amount. For instance, in some cases, this
movement can be of about 2 degrees for a relatively small impact to about 10
degrees for a larger one. The part of the sports helmet 10 that has moved
angularly
includes the outer shell 12 and the inner padding 15 that is rigidly attached
to the
outer shell 12. However, during that movement, the floating liner 50 is
distorted.
Figures 62 and 63 clearly show that the front segment 701 has been laterally
stretched, the stretching of that component causing a certain degree of energy
absorption.
The sports helmet may comprise an adjustment mechanism such as a movable
inner pad member or an inflatable inner member for adjusting the internal
volume of
the cavity 13 to adjust the fit of the sports helmet 10 on the wearer's head
and the
floating liner 50 is movable relative to the outer shell 12 in response to a
rotational
impact on the outer shell 12 to absorb rotational energy from the rotational
impact
34
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
and the floating liner 50 is configured to accommodate adjustments of the
internal
volume of the cavity 13 using the adjustment mechanism.
The sports helmet may comprise a rotational impact protection device disposed
between the external surface 18 of the sports helmet 10 and the wearer's head
when the sports helmet 10 is worn, the rotational impact protection device
comprising a surface 59 movable relative to the external surface 18 of the
sports
helmet 10 in response to a rotational impact on the outer shell 12 to absorb
rotational energy from the rotational impact, the surface 59 of the rotational
impact
protection device undergoing displacement when the adjustment mechanism is
operated by the wearer to vary the internal volume of the cavity.
In one variant, the rotational impact protection device is the floating liner
50 that is
movable relative to the outer shell 12 in response to a rotational impact on
the outer
shell 12 to absorb rotational energy from the rotational impact and that is
configured
to accommodate adjustments of the internal volume of the cavity 13 when the
first
shell member 22 and the second shell member 24 are moved relative to one
another. The floating liner 50 may comprise stretchable material such that at
least
part of the rotational energy is absorbed by stretching of the stretchable
material.
The outer surface 59 of the floating liner 50 may be in frictional engagement
with the
inner padding 15 in response to the rotational impact such that at least part
of the
rotational energy is dissipated by friction between the inner padding 15 and
the outer
surface 59 of the floating liner 50, the outer surface 59 of the floating
liner 50 having
a coefficient of friction with the inner padding 15 of at least 0.2 measured
according
to ASTM G115-10.
Several variants of the floating liner 50 are possible in other embodiments.
For
example, in some embodiments, in order to better manage the energy absorption
of
the floating liner 50, a hybrid structure can be considered where different
components have different functions. For example, it is possible to construct
the
floating liner 50 from two different materials, one being more energy
absorbing that
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
the other when the floating liner 50 is stretched. This could provide a more
economical product where the parts of the floating liner 50 that do not
stretch during
a rotational impact use less expensive material, such as non-stretchable
fabric, while
the remainder is made up of stretchable and energy absorbing material. In one
particular example, the top portion 65 could be made of non-stretchable
material.
Instead of using non-stretchable material, other types of materials can be
used to
provide desirable attributes to the floating liner 50, such as comfort
materials that
have a high resiliency (those materials are stretchable but do not absorb much
energy) and porous materials to absorb perspiration, among others.
In another possible variant, the friction between the floating liner 50 and
the inner
padding 15 can be selectively controlled by providing between these components
a
material that has a particular coefficient of friction. That material can be
applied as a
series of patches to the floating liner 50 or to the inner pad 15 such as to
achieve the
desired degree of friction.
In another embodiment, the inner surface of the floating liner 50 which faces
the
inner padding 15 may be provided with a series of projections that fit in
corresponding recesses made on the inner padding 15. In this case, the
projections
are generally semi-spherical and are integrally formed with the remainder of
the
floating liner 50. The purpose of the projections is to create an interface
with the
inner padding 15 in which the resistance to movement is increased in order to
increase the energy uptake. The mating relationship between the projections
and the
corresponding mating recesses in the inner padding 15 would require more
energy
to move the floating liner 50 with relation to the inner padding 15. More
energy is
required since the projections must be deformed sufficiently to move out of
the
corresponding recesses. The number, shape and size of the projections can vary
to
a great extent in various embodiments. A larger number of projections will
increase
the holding force and thus require a stronger effort to initiate the movement
between
the floating liner 50 and the inner padding 15. Larger projections will have
the same
36
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
effect since more material compression will be required for the projections to
clear
their respective recesses.
In order to allow for adjustability of the sports helmet 10, the recesses on
the inner
padding 15 can be made sufficiently large such that they register with
respective
projections in a number of different positions of the inner pad segments. In
such
cases, elongated recesses can be used. Each elongated recess is oriented such
that it extends along the direction in which the inner pad segment moves when
the
helmet size is adjusted. The width of the recess generally matches the
diameter of
the projection. As the inner pad position changes when adjustments to the
helmet
size are made, the longitudinal position of the projection in the recess
changes.
The reverse arrangement can also be considered, where projections are provided
on
the inner padding 15 and fit in corresponding recesses on the floating liner
50.
The attachment of the floating liner 50 to the sports helmet 10 is such as to
enable
the relative motion to occur during a rotational impact. This relative motion
is made
possible by the ability of the floating liner 50 to move over the inner
padding 15 and
also by the ability of the floating liner 50 to stretch. As discussed above,
the floating
liner 50 is connected to the outer shell 12 or the inner padding 15 near the
lower
edge of the sports helmet 10, leaving the upper part of floating liner 50
freely resting
on the inner padding 15. Such a construction thus provides an interface
between
the floating liner 50 and the inner padding 15 that is fastener-free over a
surface
area of a desired extent over which the free-floating interaction is
desirable.
By "fastener-free" interface is meant an interface that does not contain any
mechanical or adhesive fastener that could severely impede the ability of the
two
opposing surfaces that define the interface to move one with relation to the
other.
Figure 57 illustrates this characteristic. The fastener-free interface area is
defined
between two imaginary references, one being the apex of the interface, the
other the
base of the interface. The apex is the highest or most outward point of the
interface
37
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
when the sports helmet 10 is being worn. In Figure 58, the apex is shown by
the
reference numeral 500. The base of the interface is a horizontal plane that is
perpendicular to the vertical axis VA of the sports helmet 10. The interface
is thus
the dome-shaped area defined between the opposed (or mating) surfaces of the
floating liner 50 on the one hand and the inner padding 15 on the other hand,
whose
apex is 500 and whose base is intersected by the plane 502. In some
embodiments,
the distance D that separates the apex 500 and the plane 502 is less than 8
cm,
more preferably less than 5 and even more preferably less than 3 cm.
The fastener-free interface area is also advantageous when the sports helmet
10 is
adjustable to better fit the head 11 of the wearer. This fastener-free
interface thus
allows the segments or branches that make up the inner padding 15 to be moved,
such as to provide adjustability to several different positions without
impeding the
ability of the floating liner 50 to move with relation to the inner padding
15. As
indicated earlier, the sports helmet 10 is adjustable along its longitudinal
axis FBA by
allowing the front and the rear outer shell members 22, 24 to move one
relatively to
the other. As a result of this movement, the inner pad members of the inner
padding
15 also move. Accordingly, each adjustment position of the outer shell 12
corresponds to a particular position of the inner pad members 15A, 15B, 15C,
15D,
15E. As the outer shell members 22, 24 are displaced along the longitudinal
axis,
the inner pad members 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E are also moved one with relation
to the other such as to alter the void volume of the sports helmet 10.
By using a fastener-less interface between the inner padding 15 and the
floating
liner 50, the inner pad members 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E can move during an
adjustment operation without interfering with the floating liner 50.
Note that if necessary to use some sort of fastener to retain the floating
liner 50 to
the upper part of the sports helmet 10, a possible arrangement can be
considered
where the floating liner 50 is connected to a component other than the inner
padding
15. This component can be the outer shell 12. This connection can be
independent
38
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
from the inner padding 15 such as to allow the inner pad members 15A, 15B,
15C,
15D, 15E to move relative to one another without interfering with the floating
liner 50.
In a specific example (not shown in the drawings) the inner padding 15 is
provided
with apertures through which the connections can reach the outer shell 12. The
apertures are large enough such as to provide a range of motion for the inner
pad
members 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E for adjustability purposes. An example of a
connection is an elastic strap that connects the floating liner 50 to the
outer shell 12.
The strap extends to a slot through the inner padding 15 such that the inner
pad
members 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E can move without interfering with the strap.
Note that in this example of implementation, the interface between the
floating liner
50 and the inner padding 15 is still considered to be fastener-less since no
fastener
exists between the floating liner 50 and the inner padding 15 that fixes the
floating
liner 50 relative to the inner padding 15.
The floating liner 50 may be elastic and self-standing. The floating liner 50
is self-
standing in that it stands on its own upwardly within the sports helmet 10 and
maintains its dome shape for receiving the wearer's head 11 when the sports
helmet
10 is not being worn (i.e., when the wearer's head 11 is not received in the
sports
helmet 10). The dome shape of the floating liner 50 is maintained without the
need
of suspending the floating liner 50 from the inner padding 15 or from the
outer shell
12, such as by using a fastener located near the apex 500 or any other
suspension
mechanism.
While being elastic, the floating liner 50 has sufficient rigidity to make it
self-standing.
The rigidity of the floating liner 50 is sufficient to prevent the floating
liner 50 from
falling down outside of the cavity 13 of the sports helmet 10 under its own
weight
when the wearer's head 11 is not received in the sports helmet 10.
The rigidity of the floating liner 50 and its ability to be self-standing may
be achieved
in various ways and is a function of the floating liner's material and
structure. For
example, in this embodiment, to increase the rigidity of its structure, the
segments of
39
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
the floating liner 50 are provided with a plurality of rigidifying zones 851-
85R spaced
apart from one another by a plurality of flexing zones 861-86F such that
adjacent
rigidifying zones 85, 85j are more rigid than a flexing zone 86; in between
them. The
rigidifying zones 851-85R contribute to maintain the shape of the floating
liner 50 by
providing additional support. The combination of the flexing zones 861-86F and
the
rigidifying zones 851-85R is selected to provide simultaneously flexibility
and a
degree of rigidity to cause the floating liner 50 to self-support itself.
In this embodiment, the rigidifying zones 85i, 85j are more rigid than the
flexing
zones 861-86F because they are thicker than the flexing zones 861-86F. More
particularly, in this embodiment, the rigidifying zones 851-85R comprise the
padded
areas 1851-185R and the ridges 142 of the floating liner 50 where additional
material
is provided. The rigidifying zones 856 85j may be made more rigid than the
flexing
zones 861-86F in other ways in other embodiments (e.g., by being made of
material
having a greater modulus of elasticity and/or a greater hardness than material
of the
flexing zones 861-86F).
Although it is sufficiently rigid to self-stand within the cavity 13 of the
sports helmet
10, the floating liner 50 may also be sufficiently flexible to be manually
pulled away
from the inner padding 15. In this example, this may facilitate cleaning of
the inner
surface of the inner padding 15 and/or the outer surface 61 of the floating
liner 50.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the floating liner 50 can be manually
pulled
away from the inner padding 15 such that at least part of the floating liner
50 extends
outside of the cavity 13 of the sports helmet 10. In this example, this may
allow the
floating liner 50 to acquire an inverted dome shape in which its outer surface
61 is
generally concave (instead of generally convex when the floating liner 50 has
its
dome shape within the sports helmet 10) and its inner surface 59 is generally
convex
(instead of generally concave when the floating liner 50 has its dome shape
within
the sports helmet 10). In this case, the rigidity of the floating liner 50
allows it to be
self-standing even in its inverted dome shape.
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
While in this embodiment the floating liner 50 is implemented in a particular
way, the
floating liner 50 may be implemented in various other ways in other
embodiments.
For example, in other embodiments, the floating liner 50 may be made of
materials
other than those discussed herein, may have a shape different than that
discussed
herein, and/or may be located elsewhere between the external surface 18 and
the
internal surface 20 of the helmet 10 (e.g., between the outer shell 12 and the
inner
padding 15).
Moreover, although in embodiments considered above the rotational impact
protection device is implemented by the floating liner 50, the rotational
impact
protection device may be implemented in various other ways in other
embodiments.
For example, in other embodiments, the inner padding 15 may implement the
rotational impact protection device by allowing an angular movement of the
external
surface 18 of the helmet 10 relative to the inner surface 34 of the inner
padding 15 in
response to a rotational impact to absorb rotational energy from the
rotational
impact. For instance, in some embodiments, each of the inner pad members 15A,
15B, 15C, 15D, 15E may comprise elastically shearable material which can shear
in
response to a rotational impact to allow an angular movement of the external
surface
18 of the helmet 10 relative to the inner surface 34 of the inner padding 15
(e.g.,
each of the inner pad members 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E of the inner padding 15
may comprise a shear pad). In other embodiments, the inner pad members 15A,
15B, 15C, 15D, 15E of the inner padding 15 may not necessarily themselves
shear,
but may be mounted to an elastically shearable layer disposed between the
outer
shell 12 and the inner padding 15. For example, the shearable material of the
inner
padding 15 and/or the shearable layer may be a gel, an elastomer, or any other
suitable material that can elastically shear.
Any feature of any embodiment discussed herein may be combined with any
feature
of any other embodiment discussed herein in some examples of implementation.
41
CA 02880069 2015-01-26
Various embodiments and examples have been presented for the purpose of
describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications and
enhancements
will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and are within the
scope of
the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
42
