Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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HELMET HAVING A GUIDING MECHANISM FOR A COMPATIBLE VISOR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the field of helmets. More
specifically, the invention relates to a helmet having a guiding mechanism for
a
compatible visor for use in sports, such as skiing or other activities where
it is
advantageous to position the visor close to the face of a wearer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of protective gear in activities, such as some sports,
containing some risk is always recommended. Although occurrence of a serious
accident may sometimes be remote, people are becoming more aware that if
such accident happens, head injuries are among the most serious injuries a
person may suffer. Fortunately, with improved designs, reduced weight and
increased comfort, protective helmets have gained tremendous popularity in
recent years, especially in sports such as biking and downhill skiing.
Because of wind and cold, skiers very often wear goggles over their
helmet. Unfortunately, this is not the most convenient design as wind may
infiltrate in between the helmet and the goggles, freezing a wearer's
forehead.
This is especially true if there is a less than perfect match between the
helmet
and the goggles.
Furthermore, when the skier gets to the bottom of the slopes and waits
in line for the chairlifts, he often takes his goggles off, letting them rest
in
equilibrium on a front portion of the helmet, retained by the goggles' elastic
band.
However, if the goggles are not perfectly positioned, they will often either
flip up
and end up retained by a retaining strap at the back of the helmet, or flip
down,
striking the eyes of the wearer completely caught off guard.
To mitigate these inconveniences, interesting solutions have been
proposed. US patent no. 4,287,615 to Morin discloses a ski helmet having an
integrated withdrawable visor. The visor is moveable between a deployed
position within a wearer's field of view for use of the visor and a retracted
position
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behind a helmet shell. As the visor is deployed, its edges follow a guiding
surface
against which it is biased by a spring. As the visor reaches its fully
deployed
position, the guiding surface is made so that the visor moves towards a face
of
the wearer, sealing his eyes against wind infiltration. However, the movement
required to move the visor is not natural as the wearer is required to move a
lever, located at the base of the helmet, towards the front to retract the
visor and
towards the back to deploy the visor. Furthermore, if the wearer intends to
retract
the visor with a more natural movement, such as by grabbing a bottom portion
of
the visor with his thumb and pushing up the visor, the visor will likely not
retract
properly as the wearer, wearing thick gloves or mittens, will often lift the
visor too
much forward, off its guiding surfaces, resulting in rubbing the visor against
the
helmet shell and preventing it from retracting properly in its pocket, located
between the helmet shell and a helmet liner.
US patent 6,804,829 to Crye et at. describes a combat helmet. The
combat helmet, among others, comprises a retractable visor. The visor is
pivotally attached to the helmet and is moveable in an arcuate path between a
deployed position within the field of view of the wearer and a retracted
position
behind a helmet shell. However, because the visor moves in a simple arcuate
path, the visor engages the face of the wearer with a downward pressure,
thereby providing an unpleasant feeling. Moreover, this downward motion of the
shield does not efficiently seal the shield against the face of the wearer.
There is therefore a need for an improved helmet that integrates a
visor but that does not have the shortcomings of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a helmet that
overcomes or mitigates one or more shortcomings of known helmets, or at least
provide a useful alternative.
The invention provides the advantages of conveniently integrating a
visor with a helmet where the visor may be moved along a pre-determined
trajectory so that the visor is operative to seal substantially normally
against the
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face of a wearer under a force generated by a biasing means, while still being
retractable either within or over a front portion of the helmet.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the invention, there is
provided a helmet comprising a shell, a visor, a face seal, a biasing means
and
two guiding mechanisms. The shell is adapted to contact a wearer's head. It
has
a shell front portion which has a frontal lower edge. The visor has a visor
upper
portion and a visor lower portion to which is connected the face seal. The two
guiding mechanisms are each located on a different side of the shell and
connect
the visor to the shell. The guiding mechanisms are operative to guide the
visor
along a pre-determined trajectory that is defined by the geometry of the
guiding
mechanisms. The pre-determined trajectory has a deployment trajectory and a
translation trajectory. Each one of the two guiding mechanisms is further
provided with a guiding track arrangement which comprises a first track
portion
and a second track portion. The first track portion has a deployment portion
and a
translation portion. Both the translation portion and the second track portion
at
least partly extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. The first
slider
slidingly engages the first track portion while the second slider slidingly
engages
the second track portion. The guiding mechanisms are operative to guide the
visor along the deployment trajectory when the first slider is within the
deployment portion of the first track portion. The deployment trajectory
extends
from a retracted position where the visor is substantially proximate the shell
front
portion and substantially outside a field of view of the wearer to a deployed
position where the visor is substantially below the frontal lower edge and
within
the field of view of the wearer. The guiding mechanisms are further operative
to
guide the visor along the translation trajectory when the first slider is
within the
translation portion of the first track portion. The translation trajectory
extends
substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, from the deployed position to
a
resting position aft of the deployed position. The biasing means is operative
to
bias the visor towards the deployed position and further towards the resting
position so that in use the face seal is operative to substantially
perpendicularly
contact a face of the wearer, thereby defining a contacting position. The
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contacting position is located along the translation trajectory between the
deployed position and the resting position.
Optionally, the helmet may further comprise an upper seal connected
to either the shell or the visor upper portion. The upper seal is located
below and
at least partially recessed from the frontal lower edge when the visor is in
the
deployed position. The upper seal is operative to seal the visor upper portion
against the shell. The upper seal may be adapted to seal in a transverse
plane.
The shell of the helmet may comprise an outer shell and an inner shell
inside the outer shell. The inner shell is made of an impact-absorbing
material.
Advantageously, the upper seal may be connected to the inner shell.
The first track portion may further comprise a locking portion
connected to the deployment portion. The locking portion is oriented so that
the
biasing means biases the first slider towards the end of the locking portion
distal
the deployment portion.
Optionally, the guiding mechanisms may further comprise a visor
adaptor. Advantageously, the visor is removably connected to the shell through
the visor adaptor and the biasing means connects the visor adaptor to the
shell.
This allows for the removal of the visor without having to disconnect the
biasing
means from the visor.
Optionally, the first track portion may be located on the visor adaptor
while the first slider is located on the shell. Similarly, the second track
portion
may also be located on the visor adaptor while the second slider is located on
the
shell.
In a variation of the embodiment of the present invention, the first
slider is located fore and above of the second slider. The deployment portion
is
then curved upwardly and rearwardly from the translation portion.
Each of the guiding mechanisms may comprises a base which is
inserted in the inner shell. When this is so, the first slider and the second
slider
may be located on the base.
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Advantageously, the two sides of the visor may be free from having
seals. This allows a broader field of view.
Optionally, the visor may further comprise a lower frame that runs
along the visor lower portion and that connects the face seal to the visor.
The
5 lower
frame is provided with ventilation opening to allow air to circulate on the
inside of the visor surface while allowing humidity to exit from the inside of
the
visor, thereby preventing a lens of the visor from fogging.
Conveniently, the helmet may further be equipped with a sun visor
located on the visor, proximate the visor upper portion.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, there is
provided a helmet comprising a shell, a visor, a face seal connected to a
lower
portion of the visor, two guiding mechanisms and a biasing means. Each one of
the two guiding mechanisms are located on a different side of the shell and
connect the visor to the shell. Through a guiding track arrangement, each one
of
the guiding mechanism is operative to guide the visor along a pre-determined
trajectory. The biasing means is operative to bias the visor along the pre-
determined trajectory. The pre-determined trajectory extends from a retracted
position where the visor is substantially proximate a front portion of the
shell and
substantially outside a field of view of the wearer to a contacting position
where
the visor is substantially below a frontal lower edge of the front portion of
the shell
and within the field of view of the wearer. The pre-determined trajectory
extends
substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shell in the proximity of
the
contacting position. The biasing means is operative to bias the visor towards
the
contacting position so that in use, the lower seal is operative to
substantially
perpendicularly contact a face of the wearer under the bias of the biasing
means.
The guiding track arrangement may comprise a first track portion and
a second track portion. The first track portion has a deployment portion and a
translation portion. The translation portion and the second track portion at
least
partially extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shell.
Each
guiding mechanism comprises a first slider and a second slider. The first
slider
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slidingly engages the first track portion while the second slider slidingly
engages
the second track portion. For example, the first track portion and the second
track
portion may be located on the visor adaptor and the first slider and the
second
slider may be located on the shell. If the first slider is located below and
aft of the
second slider, the deployment portion is curved upwardly and rearwardly from
the
translation portion.
The helmet may also comprise an upper seal connected to either the
shell or the upper portion of the visor. The upper seal is located below and
at
least partially recessed from the frontal lower edge when the visor is in the
contacting position. The upper seal is operative to seal the visor upper
portion
against the shell. The upper seal may be adapted to seal in a transverse
plane.
The shell may comprise an outer shell and an inner shell inside the
outer shell. The inner shell is typically made of an impact-absorbing material
and
the upper seal is connected to the inner shell.
Optionally, the first track portion further comprises a locking portion
connected to the deployment portion, the locking portion being oriented so
that
the biasing means biases the first slider towards the end of the locking
portion
distal the deployment portion.
Each one of the guiding mechanisms may further comprises a visor
adaptor that removably connects the visor to the shell. The biasing means
connects the visor adaptor to the shell.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
These and other features of the present invention will become more
apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the
appended drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is an axonometric front view of a helmet with its visor in a
contacting position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is an axonometric rear view of the helmet of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a side view of the helmet of Figure 1, without a visor cover,
showing both the detail of a left guiding mechanism and of a trajectory
followed
by a virtual reference point located at a lower portion of the visor, which is
shown
in its contacting position, in accordance with another embodiment of the
present
invention;
Figures 4a to 4d are side views of the helmet of Figure 3 showing the
detail of the left guiding mechanism as it guides the visor from the
contacting
position in 4a to the locked position in 4d, passing through the deployed
position
in 4b and the retracted position in 4c;
Figure 4e is a side view of the helmet of Figure 3 showing the guiding
mechanism as it guided the visor to a resting position;
Figure 5a is a cross-section view of the helmet of Figure 1;
Figure 5b is a cross-section view of a helmet showing an upper seal
adapted to seal in a transverse plane in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention;
Figures 6a and 6b are side views of a helmet with a sun visor in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 7 is a axonometric view of a helmet in accordance with another
embodiment of the present invention;
Figures 8a and 8b are side views of the helmet of Figure 1 showing
the detail of the left guiding mechanism as it guides the visor from the
contacting
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position in 8a to the locked position in 8b, in accordance with another
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a helmet incorporating a visor that is
guided along a pre-determined trajectory and that is capable of sealing
against a
face of a wearer. The visor moves along a pre-determined trajectory from a
retracted position proximate a front portion of the helmet and substantially
outside a field of view of the wearer to a deployed position substantially
below a
frontal lower edge and substantially within the field of view of a wearer and
further to a resting position. The visor is guided so that the visor contacts
the face
of the wearer in a direction that is predominantly along a longitudinal axis
of the
helmet and substantially oriented towards a back of the helmet so that a face
seal at a lower portion of the visor seals against the face of the wearer with
a
pressure, applied by a biasing means, substantially normal to the face. When
the
visor is moved back to its retracted position, it is guided so that it may
lock into
place, preventing unwanted movement back to the deployed position and further
to the resting position.
The helmet described herein may be used in many types of
applications, sometimes with variations in its impact-absorbing structure. For
example, the helmet of the present invention may be used in many activities
such
as skiing, biking, motorcycling, or for other professional uses such as
police, fire-
fighter or military applications.
Although the helmet of the present invention may be provided without
the visor, the description will be made with respect to the helmet already
equipped with the visor since it will most often be used as such. For example,
the
helmet of the present invention could be provided with a pre-installed visor,
or as
a kit. Furthermore, although the helmet is depicted in the figures as being of
an
open-face type, the invention may optionally be adapted to other types of
helmets
such as motocross helmets.
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Figures 1 and 2, now concurrently referred to, depict a helmet 10
according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The helmet 10
comprises a shell 12, two guiding mechanisms 14 (one on each side of the
helmet 10, now hidden under a cover 44 but best shown in Figure 3, now
concurrently referred to), a visor 16 and a face seal 46, best shown in Figure
2,
connected to a lower portion of the visor 16.
The shell 12, which has a front portion 52 and a rear portion 56, is
operative to contact a wearer's head and to protect the head by absorbing the
energy from an unfortunate impact. The shell 12 typically comprises an outer
shell 18, on the exterior of the shell 12 and which is mostly used to
distribute the
impact over a larger area while providing a nice exterior cosmetic appearance,
and an impact energy absorbing inner shell 20, inside the outer shell 18. The
inner shell 20 fits the head of the wearer and is used to absorb most of the
impact energy by deformation so that as little energy as possible is
transferred to
the head. Typically, an impact-absorbing material such as a high-density foam
is
used as the inner shell material. The inner shell 18 and the outer shell 20
are
best depicted in Figure 5a.
The visor 16 comprises a lens 51 and is equipped with the face seal
46 in its lower portion 50. The visor 16 may use a lower frame 126 that runs
along the visor lower portion 50 and that connects the face seal 46 to the
visor
16. The lower frame 126 may be provided with one or more ventilation openings
80 that slightly ventilate the interior of the visor 16, thereby preventing
fogging.
Similarly, the visor 16 may use an upper frame 124 which runs along a visor
upper portion 55. The upper frame 124 may also be provided with ventilation
openings 80 to slightly ventilate the interior of the visor 16. The lens 51
may use
a coating to prevent fogging or may be double-walled to also prevent fogging.
The face seal 46 protects the wearer against cold air intrusion or any
other element that could infiltrate in between the visor 16 and the face of
the
wearer. Hence, the face seal 46 improves the comfort of the wearer. The face
seal 46 is similar to the face seals of conventional goggles, except that it
does
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not have to completely surround the visor 16 as in conventional goggles.
Indeed,
no seal is needed on the sides of the visor 16 as covers 44 may cover the
guiding mechanisms 14 and thereby prevent elements from reaching the face of
the wearer from the sides of the helmet 10. Hence, the visor 16 may be devoid
5 from having a seal along its sides. Advantageously, freeing the visor 16
from
lateral seals provide more room, which in turn allows wearers of prescription
glasses wearers to wear their glasses with the present helmet 10. The face
seal
46 is typically made of a soft, resilient plastic and may comprise soft foam
to
comfortably contact the face of the wearer.
10
Figure 3 shows the left guiding mechanism 14. It will be understood
that the right guiding mechanism 14 is a mirror image of the left guiding
mechanism 14. Each guiding mechanism 14 is adapted to receive and to guide
the visor 16 along a pre-determined trajectory 22.
For reference purposes, the shell 12 has been given a vertical axis
116 and a longitudinal axis 118. Each one of the two guiding mechanisms 14
comprises a guiding track arrangement 100, a first slider 102 and a second
slider
104. The guiding track arrangement 100 is made of two portions, a first track
portion 106 and a second track portion 108. The first and the second track
portions 106, 108 may be separate, as shown in Figure 3, or could be merged
into a single guiding track arrangement 100 if the geometry allows it. The
first
slider 102 and the second slider 104 respectively engage the first track
portion
106 and the second track portion 108 and each slider 102, 104 is operative to
slide within its respective track portion. Conveniently, the first and second
sliders
102, 104 have a cylindrical shape so as to be adapted to both slide within,
and
rotate with respect to, respectively the first and the second track portion
106, 108.
It may be noticed that the first slider 102 is located fore of the second
slider 104.
With other guiding track arrangement geometries though, the second slider 104
could be located fore of the first slider 102. The location of the first and
second
sliders 102, 104 and the shape of the first and second track portions 106, 108
define the geometry of the guiding mechanism 14. This geometry itself defines
the pre-determined trajectory 22 along which the visor 16 is guided.
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The first track portion 106 sequentially comprises a translation portion
110, a deployment portion 112 and an optional locking portion 114. As can be
seen, both the translation portion 110 and the second track portion 108 at
least
partially extend predominantly parallel to the longitudinal axis 118. This
allows
the guiding mechanism 14 to guide the visor 16 predominantly along a pre-
determined distance along the longitudinal axis 118.
Each guiding mechanism 14 further comprises a visor adaptor 58 that
removably connect each side of the visor 16 to a same side of the shell 12.
The
visor adaptor 58 is a mobile part of the guiding mechanism 14. The track
arrangement 100 and the first and second pivots 102, 104 may be arranged in
different ways. In a first combination, both the first and the second pivots
102,
104 may be located on the shell 12 while the track arrangement 100 is located
on
the visor adaptor 58. This is the combination depicted in Figure 3.
Conversely, in
a second combination, the track arrangement 100 could be located on the shell
12 while the first and second pivots 102, 104 are located on the visor adaptor
58.
This combination is depicted in Figure 8a and 8b. In a third combination, the
first
track portion 106 and the second pivot 104 are located on the shell 12 while
the
second track portion 108 and the first pivot 102 are located on the visor
adaptor
58. This combination is depicted in Figure 9a and 9b. Finally, in a fourth
combination, the first track portion 106 and the second pivot 104 are located
on
the visor adaptor 58 while the second track portion 108 and the first pivot
102 are
located on the shell 12. This combination is depicted in Figure 7a and 7b.
Elements of the guiding mechanism 14 that are located on the shell may be
either integrated to the outer shell 18 or to the inner shell 20. Since the
inner shell
20 is typically made of foam, the guiding mechanism 14 may comprise a base
that is inserted in the foam of the inner shell 20. The elements to be located
on
the shell 12 would then be located on this base.
Advantageously, the visor adaptor 58 allows the easy removal of the
visor 16 from the helmet 10. This could happen when, for example, the wearer
wants to replace his visor 16 for one better adapted to a specific type of
ambient
lighting, or if the visor 16 becomes scratched. The visor adaptors 58
therefore
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conveniently provide a quick connection with the visor 16. Each visor adaptor
58
comprises a mounting interface 60 to removably connect the visor 16.
Advantageously, this mounting interface 60 allows the visor 16 to be quickly
removed from the visor adaptor 58, preferably without the use of tools.
The pre-determined trajectory 22 is determined by the specific
geometry of the guiding mechanism 14, and in particular by the combined
location of the first and second track portions 106, 108 and by the shape of
the
track arrangement 100. As shown in Figure 3, the pre-determined trajectory 22
has two portions, a translation trajectory 90 and a deployment trajectory 92.
Optionally, the trajectory 22 may also comprise a third portion: a locking
trajectory 93. The trajectory 22 has sequentially an optional locked position
94, a
retracted position 95, a deployed position 96, a contacting position 97 and a
resting position 98.
The locked position 94 is an optional position where the visor 16 is
locked into position under the force of a biasing means 72. The retracted
position
95 is a position where the visor 16 is substantially proximate the front
portion 52
of the shell 12 and substantially outside the field of view 54. The deployed
position 96 is a position where the visor 16 is substantially below the
frontal lower
edge 53 and within the field of view 54 of the wearer. The contacting position
is
the location along the pre-determined trajectory 22 at which point the face
seal
46 contacts the face of the wearer. The resting position 98 is the most
rearward
position the visor 16 can reach.
Advantageously, the pre-determined trajectory 22 may not be affected
by the wearer using more or less force when he moves the visor 16. Indeed,
because the geometry of the pre-determined trajectory 22 is solely determined
by
the guiding mechanisms 14 (which uses rigid components, except for the biasing
means 72), the visor 16 will travel exactly along the intended pre-determined
trajectory 22 and the visor 16 will not inadvertently move out of alignment or
unwillingly contact another component of the helmet 10.
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The biasing means 72 provides a biasing force to at least one of the
guiding mechanisms 14. The biasing means 72 is placed between a non-moving
part, such as the shell 12, and a moving part, such as the visor adaptor 58.
The
biasing means 72 may be different mechanisms such as a spring (coil or leaf),
a
rubber band, or any other biasing means known to a person skilled in the art.
The
biasing means 72 may be integrally designed with the guiding mechanism 14 or
be an additional part.
The biasing means 72 is located so as to bias the visor 16 along the
trajectory 22 from the retracted position 95 towards the deployed position 96,
and
further rearwardly towards the resting position 98, so that the face seal 46
is
capable of substantially and predominantly perpendicularly contacting the face
of
the wearer with a pressure and ensures of an adequate seal when the visor 16
reaches the contacting position 97. Optionally, the biasing means 72 may be
located so as to also bias the visor 16 towards the retracted position 95
and/or
towards the locked position if the optional locking portion 114 is used.
Figures 4a to 4d, now concurrently referred to, depict the movement of
the visor 16 when the wearer moves it from its contacting position 97 (Fig.
4a) to
its locked position (Fig. 4d), passing by the deployed position 96 (Fig. 4b)
and the
retracted position 95 (Fig. 4c). As can be observed, the visor 16 follows the
pre-
determined trajectory 22. In fact, every single virtual point on the visor 16
actually
follows its own single pre-determined trajectory 22. For the sake of clarity,
the
pre-determined trajectory 22 depicted in all Figures is the trajectory
followed by
one virtual reference point located in a lower portion 50 of the visor 16,
here more
specifically on the lower frame 126.
When the first slider 102 is within the translation portion 110, the
guiding mechanism 14 is operative to guide the visor 16 along the translation
trajectory 90. The translation trajectory 90 extends substantially parallel to
the
longitudinal axis 118 and extends from the deployed position 96 to a resting
position 98 aft of the deployed position 96.
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The translation portion 90, corresponds to the movement of the visor
16 as determined by the corresponding linear portions 110, 111 of the first
and
second track portions 106, 108. When both the first and the second track
portions
106, 108 have corresponding linear portions 110 and 111, and that both
corresponding linear portions 110, 111 are predominantly parallel to the
longitudinal axis 118, the visor 16 may move along a frontal lower edge 53 of
the
shell 12 at a substantially constant vertical distance. This may be observed
in
Figures 4a and 4b, now concurrently referred to. In Figure 4a, the visor 16 is
in its
contacting position within the field of view 54 of the wearer and with the
face seal
46 contacting the face of the wearer. The visor 16 is within the translation
trajectory portion 90. In Figure 4b, the visor 16 is at the deployed position
96. As
can be observed, the visor 16 has been guided parallel to the lower edge 53
and
parallel to the longitudinal axis 118 and at a constant vertical distance from
the
lower edge 53.
Advantageously, part of the translation portion 90 is used to
accommodate different facial physiognomies of different wearers. Indeed,
because of different wearers having difference facial appearances, the face
seal
46 does not always contact different faces at the same position along the
translation portion 90. Still, there is a need to provide a good seal not only
between the face of the wearer and the visor 16, but also between the visor 16
and the shell 12. Hence, having both the corresponding linear portion 110, 111
predominantly parallel to the longitudinal axis 118 determines the translation
portion 90 to be also predominantly parallel to the longitudinal axis 118 and
in
turn ensures that the face seal 46 contacts the face of the wearer
predominantly
perpendicularly, making a good seal under the biasing force developed by the
biasing means 72 while simultaneously keeping a minimum clearance gap
between the visor 16 and the shell 12, notwithstanding the facial appearances
of
different wearers.
When the first slider 102 is within the deployment portion 112, the
guiding mechanism 14 is operative to guide the visor 16 along the deployment
trajectory 92. The deployment trajectory 92 extends from the retracted
position
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95 where the visor 16 is substantially proximate a shell frontal portion 52
and
substantially outside a field of view 54 of the wearer, to the deployed
position 96
where the visor 16 is substantially below the frontal lower edge 53 and within
the
field of view 54 of the wearer.
5 As can be observed in Figure 4c, the first slider 102 has moved in
the
first track portion 106 along the deployment portion 112 up to the retracted
position 95. The deployment portion 112 is used to make the visor 16 clear the
shell 12 and move it upwardly substantially proximate the front portion 52 of
the
shell 12. The deployment portion 112 is also used to make the visor 16
10 substantially clear the field of view 54.
Figure 4d depicts the visor 16 at the locked position 94. The locking
portion 114 of the first track portion 106 is used to prevent the visor 16
from
inadvertently moving back to its contacting position 97. As can be observed by
comparing Figures 4d and 4c, the locking portion 114, although mainly used to
15 lock the visor 16 in a position proximate the retracted position 95, has
also
contributed to the visor 16 further clearing the field of view 54. This locked
position 94 may therefore be seen as a fully retracted position.
Figure 4e depicts the helmet 10 when not in use, in a resting position
98. The helmet 10 comprises a stop 128 which defines the location of the
resting
position 98. As may be observed in Figure 4e, the pre-determined trajectory 22
extends beyond both the deployed position 96 and the contacting position 97
and
reaches the resting position 98. In Figure 4e, the stop 128 is conveniently
defined
by one extremity of the first track portion 106, on which the first slider 102
abuts,
thereby preventing the guiding mechanism 14 from guiding the visor 16 any
further towards the rear portion 56 of the shell 12.
The locking portion 114 is oriented so that the biasing means 72
biases the first slider 102 towards the end of the locking portion 114 that is
farthest from the deployment portion. Figures 4a to 4e show that the biasing
means 72 is located so as to pull the visor 16 towards the retracted position
95,
in 4c, and towards the deployed position 96 in 4b and further towards the
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contacting position 97 in 4a and even further towards the resting position 98
in
4e. The shift in the direction towards which the biasing means 72 pulls the
visor
16 occurs when the first slider 102 passes over a fulcrum 134 shown in Figure
4c. When the visor 16 is moved from the retracted position 95 as shown in
Figure
4c to the deployed position in 4b, the wearer first has to slightly pull on
the visor
16 in order for the first slider 102 to move away from the end of the locking
portion 114. Since the first slider 102 and the second slider 104 respectively
engage the first track portion 106 and the second track portion 108, the
wearer
only has to move the visor 16 along the trajectory 22 imposed by the geometry
of
the guiding mechanism 14 and pull against the force developed by the biasing
means 72 until the first slider 102 moves over the fulcrum 134. Then, the
biasing
means 72 pulls the visor 16 towards the deployed position 96 in Fig. 4b and
further until the face seal 46 abuts the face of the wearer at the contacting
position 97 in Fig. 4a. If the helmet 10 is not worn by a wearer, then the
biasing
means 72 will continue to pull the visor 16 until it reaches the resting
position 98
as shown in Fig. 4e. The resting position 98 is determined by either the first
slider
102 or the second slider 104 reaching the end of their respective track
portion.
Because the visor 16 reaches the contacting position 97 before the resting
position 98, the visor 16 is always under the biasing force developed by the
biasing means 72 when the face seal 46 contacts the face of the wearer. This
provides an adequate seal against elements intrusion between the lens 51 and
the eyes of the wearer.
Figure 5a is now referred to. Advantageously, the helmet 10 may be
further equipped with an upper seal 122 to seal the visor upper portion 55
against
the shell 12. The upper seal 122 may be connected to either the shell 12 or
the
visor upper portion 55. The visor 16 contacts the shell 12 through the upper
seal
122 when the visor 16 gets in the vicinity of the contacting position 97 and
retains
this contact up to the resting position 98. When the visor 16 is in the
resting
position 98, the upper seal 122 is located below and at least partially
recessed
from the frontal lower edge 53. As is shown in Figure 5a, the upper seal 122
is
placed on the inner shell 20. Alternatively, the upper seal 122 could be
placed on
CA 02767266 2015-02-19
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the visor upper portion 55, whether the visor upper portion 55 is equipped
with a
visor upper frame 124 or not. As can be seen, the upper seal 122 has a hollow
"D" cross section, allowing the visor 16 to seal against the shell 12 over a
portion
of the trajectory 22, more precisely preferably from the contacting position
97 to
the resting position 98. A person skilled in the art could easily envision
that the
upper seal 122 could be a hollow seal, a soft foam, a lip seal, or many other
appropriate seal designs that will allow sealing even though the visor 16 and
the
shell 12 are not exactly at the same position one with respect to the other.
Figure 5b depicts an example of a variant of upper seal 122. In this
embodiment, the upper seal 122 is mostly flat and could be, for example, made
of foam or felt. The upper seal 122 is adapted to seal against an upper edge
28
of the visor 16 in a transverse plane 30. In use, as the visor 16 is moved
predominantly horizontally and towards the rear portion 56 of the shell 12,
the
upper seal 122 rubs against the upper edge 28 and seals. As shown in Figure
5b,
the upper seal 122 is about to rub against the upper edge 28 as the visor 16
will
be moved further towards the rear portion 56.
Advantageously, because the visor 16 cannot be deviated by human
force from the pre-determined trajectory 22 along which it moves, the sealing
may be more precisely maintained both between the visor 16 and the face of the
wearer at the visor lower portion 50 and between the visor 16 and the shell 12
at
the visor upper portion 55.
As shown in Figures 6a and 6b, now referred to, a sun visor 134
protruding towards the front of the helmet 10 may also be used. When the
helmet
10 is so equipped, the sun visor 134 is preferably attached to the visor upper
portion 55 or to the upper frame 124 so that the sun visor 134 is capable of
moving with the visor 16. If the sun visor 134 is higher than the frontal
lower edge
53 when the visor 16 is in the deployed position, the sun visor 134 needs to
be
provided with sufficient clearance so that it does not abut against the shell
12
before the face seal 46 contacts the face of the wearer.
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Figure 7 is now referred to. Although it is convenient to removably
mount the visor 16 to the visor adaptor 58, the visor 16 could be permanently
attached to the visor adaptors 58 on each side of the shell 12. In fact, the
visor 16
and the two visor adaptors could be made of a single component such as the
visor 16 of Figure 7 and some guiding features of the guiding mechanism 14
could be integrated directly into the visor 16. In the example provided in
Figure 7,
the guiding track arrangement 100 has been directly integrated in the sides of
the
visor 16. Alternatively, the first and second sliders 102, 104 could have been
integrated in the visor 16, or a combination of the first slider 102 and the
second
track portion 108 or the first track portion 106 and the second slider 104.
The
biasing means is then directly connected to the visor 16.
It may be noted that different geometries of the guiding track
arrangement 100 may be used to position the visor 16 according to specific
requirements or preferences. Indeed, different combinations of shapes and
positions of the first track portion 106 and of the second track portion 108
may be
used that will provide an adequate positioning of the visor 16. Moreover, the
first
and second track portions 106, 108 and the first and second sliders 102, 104
may either be positioned on the shell 12, on the visor adaptor 58 or on the
visor
16 when the visor integrates the visor adaptors.
Although many variations may be used, an examples of such
variations is depicted in Figures 4a, 4d, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 6a and 6b. Each set
of
Figures respectively depict the deployed position and the retracted position
of a
different embodiment of the present invention. With the exception of Figures
8a
and 8b, for clarity, the biasing means 72 have been omitted in these Figures.
The
biasing means 72 would be connected between the shell 12 and the visor
adaptor 58 similarly to what is shown in Figure 3.
Figures 4a and 4d depict an embodiment of the helmet 10 where the
guiding track arrangement 100 is located in the visor adaptor 58. The
deployment
portion 112 is curved rearwardly and downwardly from the translation portion
110
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and the locking portion is oriented towards the front portion 52 of the shell
12.
The first slider 102 and the second slider 104 are connected to the shell 12.
Figures 6a and 6b are now referred to. Figures 6a and 6b depict an
embodiment of the helmet 10 where the first track portion 106 and the second
slider 104 are located on the shell 12 and where the first slider 102 and the
second track portion 108 are located on the visor adaptor 58. The deployment
portion 112 is curved forwardly and upwardly from the translation portion 110
and
the locking portion is oriented towards the rear portion 56 of the shell 12.
Figures 7a and 7b are now referred to. Figures 7a and 7b depict an
embodiment of the helmet 10 where the first track portion 106 and the second
slider 104 are located on the visor adaptor 58 and where the first slider 102
and
the second track portion 108 are connected to the shell 12. The deployment
portion 112 is curved downwardly from the translation portion 110 and the
locking
portion is oriented towards the front portion 52 of the shell 12.The first
track
portion 106 and the second slider 104 could alternatively be located on the
visor
16 if the visor adaptor 58 was not used.
Figures 8a and 8b are now referred to. Figures 8a and 8b depict an
embodiment of the helmet 10 where the guiding track arrangement 100 is located
in the visor adaptor 58. The deployment portion 112 is curved rearwardly and
upwardly from the translation portion 110 and the locking portion 114 is
oriented
towards the front portion 52 of the shell 12. The first slider 102 and the
second
slider 104 are connected to the shell 12. The first slider 102 is located
below and
aft of the second slider 104.
The present invention has been described with regard to preferred
embodiments. The description as much as the drawings were intended to help
the understanding of the invention, rather than to limit its scope. The
invention is
defined by the claims that follow.
