US20140109304A1 - Intelligent protective gear bracing mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

Protective gear such as a helmet includes an intelligent bracing mechanism such as an intelligent neck bracing mechanism. The intelligent bracing mechanism detects imminent mechanical forces such as impact, shear, and rotational forces and stiffens the bracing mechanism so that forces imparted onto the protective gear can be distributed to one or more other locations. In one example, a sensor detects an imminent mechanical force impact on an outer shell of a helmet and stiffens a neck brace connected to the helmet to distribute some of the energy from the impact onto the shoulders.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD
• The present disclosure relates to an intelligent protective gear bracing mechanism.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
• Protective gear such as sports and safety helmets are designed to reduce direct impact forces that can mechanically damage an area of contact. Protective gear will typically include padding and a protective shell to reduce the risk of physical head injury. Liners are provided beneath a hardened exterior shell to reduce violent deceleration of the head in a smooth uniform manner and in an extremely short distance, as liner thickness is typically limited based on helmet size considerations.
• Protective gear is reasonably effective in preventing injury. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of protective gear remains limited. Consequently, various mechanisms are provided to improve protective gear by providing an intelligent protective gear bracing mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The disclosure may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate particular embodiments.
• FIG. 1 illustrates types of forces on axonal fibers.
• FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a piece of protective gear.
• FIG. 3 illustrates one example of a container device system.
• FIG. 4 illustrates another example of a container device system.
• FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a multiple shell system.
• FIG. 6A illustrates one example of a multiple shell helmet.
• FIG. 6B illustrates one example of a neck bracing mechanism.
DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
• Reference will now be made in detail to some specific examples of the invention including the best modes contemplated by the inventors for carrying out the invention. Examples of these specific embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention is described in conjunction with these specific embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to the described embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
• For example, the techniques of the present invention will be described in the context of helmets. However, it should be noted that the techniques of the present invention apply to a wide variety of different pieces of protective gear. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Particular example embodiments of the present invention may be implemented without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process operations have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.
• Various techniques and mechanisms of the present invention will sometimes be described in singular form for clarity. However, it should be noted that some embodiments include multiple iterations of a technique or multiple instantiations of a mechanism unless noted otherwise. For example, a protective device may use a single strap in a variety of contexts. However, it will be appreciated that a system can use multiple straps while remaining within the scope of the present invention unless otherwise noted. Furthermore, the techniques and mechanisms of the present invention will sometimes describe a connection between two entities. It should be noted that a connection between two entities does not necessarily mean a direct, unimpeded connection, as a variety of other entities may reside between the two entities. For example, different layers may be connected using a variety of materials. Consequently, a connection does not necessarily mean a direct, unimpeded connection unless otherwise noted.
• Overview
• Protective gear such as a helmet includes an intelligent bracing mechanism such as an intelligent neck bracing mechanism. The intelligent bracing mechanism detects imminent mechanical forces such as impact, shear, and rotational forces and stiffens the bracing mechanism so that forces imparted onto the protective gear can be distributed to one or more other locations. In one example, a sensor detects an imminent mechanical force impact on an outer shell of a helmet and stiffens a neck brace connected to the helmet to distribute some of the energy from the impact onto the shoulders.
• Example Embodiments
• Protective gear such as knee pads, shoulder pads, and helmets are typically designed to prevent direct impact injuries or trauma. For example, many pieces of protective gear reduce full impact forces that can structurally damage an area of contact such as the skull or knee. Major emphasis is placed on reducing the likelihood of cracking or breaking of bone. However, the larger issue is preventing the tissue and neurological damage caused by rotational forces, shear forces, oscillations, and tension/compression forces.
• For head injuries, the major issue is neurological damage caused by oscillations of the brain in the cranial vault resulting in coup-contracoup injuries manifested as direct contusions to the central nervous system (CNS), shear injuries exacerbated by rotational, tension, compression, and/or shear forces resulting in demyelination and tearing of axonal fibers; and subdural or epidural hematomas. Because of the emphasis in reducing the likelihood of cracking or breaking bone, many pieces of protective gear do not sufficiently dampen, transform, dissipate, and/or distribute the rotational, tension, compression, and/or shear forces, but rather focus on absorbing the direct impact forces over a small area, potentially exacerbating the secondary forces on the CNS. Initial mechanical damage results in a secondary cascade of tissue and cellular damage due to increased glutamate release or other trauma induced molecular cascades.
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has immense personal, societal and economic impact. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention documented 1.4 million cases of TBI in the USA in 2007. This number was based on patients with a loss of consciousness from a TBI resulting in an Emergency Room visit. With increasing public awareness of TBI this number increased to 1.7 million cases in 2010. Of these cases there were 52,000 deaths and 275,000 hospitalizations, with the remaining 1.35 million cases released from the ER. Of these 1.35 million discharged cases at least 150,000 people will have significant residual cognitive and behavioral problems at 1-year post discharge from the ER. Notably, the CDC believes these numbers under represent the problem since many patients do not seek medical evaluation for brief loss of consciousness due to a TBI. These USA numbers are similar to those observed in other developed countries and are likely higher in third-world countries with poorer vehicle and head impact protection. To put the problem in a clearer perspective, the World Health Organization (WHO) anticipates that TBI will become a leading cause of death and disability in the world by the year 2020.
• The CDC numbers do not include head injuries from military actions. Traumatic brain injury is widely cited as the “signature injury” of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The nature of warfare conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan is different from that of previous wars and advances in protective gear including helmets as well as improved medical response times allow soldiers to survive events such as head wounds and blast exposures that previously would have proven fatal. The introduction of the Kevlar helmet has drastically reduced field deaths from bullet and shrapnel wounds to the head. However, this increase in survival is paralleled by a dramatic increase in residual brain injury from compression and rotational forces to the brain in TBI survivors. Similar to that observed in the civilian population the residual effects of military deployment related TBI are neurobehavioral symptoms such as cognitive deficits and emotional and somatic complaints. The statistics provided by the military cite an incidence of 6.2% of head injuries in combat zone veterans. One might expect these numbers to hold in other countries.
• In addition to the incidence of TBI in civilians from falls and vehicular accidents or military personnel in combat there is increasing awareness that sports-related repetitive forces applied to the head with or without true loss of consciousness can have dire long-term consequences. It has been known since the 1920's that boxing is associated with devastating long-term issues including “dementia pugilistica” and Parkinson-like symptoms (i.e. Mohammed Ali). We now know that this repetitive force on the brain dysfunction extends to many other sports. Football leads the way in concussions with loss of consciousness and post-traumatic memory loss (63% of all concussions in all sports), wrestling comes in second at 10% and soccer has risen to 6% of all sports related TBIs. In the USA 63,000 high school students suffer a TBI per year and many of these students have persistent long-term cognitive and behavioral issues. This disturbing pattern extends to professional sports where impact forces to the body and head are even higher due to the progressive increase in weight and speed of professional athletes. Football has dominated the national discourse in the area but serious and progressive long-term neurological issues are also seen in hockey and soccer players and in any sport with the likelihood of a TBI. Repetitive head injuries result in progressive neurological deterioration with neuropathological findings mimicking Alzheimer's disease. This syndrome with characteristic post-mortem neuropathological findings on increases in Tau proteins and amyloid plaques is referred to as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
• The human brain is a relatively delicate organ weighing about 3 pounds and having a consistency a little denser than gelatin and close to that of the liver. From an evolutionary perspective, the brain and the protective skull were not designed to withstand significant external forces. Because of this poor impact resistance design, external forces transmitted through the skull to the brain that is composed of over 100 billion cells and up to a trillion connecting fibers results in major neurological problems. These injuries include contusions that directly destroy brain cells and tear the critical connecting fibers necessary to transmit information between brain cells.
• Contusion injuries are simply bleeding into the substance of the brain due to direct contact between the brain and the bony ridges of the inside of the skull. Unfortunately, the brain cannot tolerate blood products and the presence of blood kicks off a biological cascade that further damages the brain. Contusions are due to the brain oscillating inside the skull when an external force is applied. These oscillations can include up to three cycles back and forth in the cranial vault and are referred to as coup-contra coup injuries. The coup part of the process is the point of contact of the brain with the skull and the contra-coup is the next point of contact when the brain oscillates and strikes the opposite part of the inside of the skull.
• The inside of the skull has a series of sharp bony ridges in the front of the skull and when the brain is banged against these ridges it is mechanically torn resulting in a contusion. These contusion injuries are typically in the front of the brain damaging key regions involved in cognitive and emotional control.
• Shear injuries involve tearing of axonal fibers. The brain and its axonal fibers are extremely sensitive to rotational forces. Boxers can withstand hundreds of punches directly in the face but a single round-house punch or upper cut where the force comes in from the side or bottom of the jaw will cause acute rotation of the skull and brain and typically a knock-out. If the rotational forces are severe enough, the result is tearing of axons.
• Although a variety of improvements have been provided to protective gear, a variety of injuries remain problematic. The techniques of the present invention recognize that protective gear often has insufficient time, area, and depth to sufficiently dissipate mechanical forces. For example, helmet become unwieldy if protective layers become more than several centimeters thick. Consequently, the techniques of the present invention provide an intelligent bracing mechanism such as an intelligent neck bracing mechanism that allows mechanical forces to be dissipated not only by the helmet and head, but also by the shoulders.
• Some neck braces have been developed, but they either allow too much mobility to be effective or do not allow sufficient mobility for everyday use in a number of activities. In some examples, a neck brace includes an electro-rheological or magneto-rheological element that has a magnetic field dependent viscosity. A helmet may include a sensor such as an accelerometer, proximity sensor, transformational sensor, etc. that detects when a mechanical force of sufficient magnitude has impacted or is about to impact the outer shell of a helmet. The sensor triggers a change in the strength of the neck brace.
• According to various embodiments, the neck brace may include a low viscosity gel that allows freedom of movement when no impact is detected. However, upon detection of an impact force of sufficiently high magnitude, the gel may convert into a high viscosity gel that distributes some of the impact force onto the shoulder pads or shoulders themselves. Shear or rotational forces would be distributed not to the head and the brain but to the shoulders, which are better equipped to handle higher magnitude forces. In other examples, a knee brace may detect significant and imminent lateral impact forces on a leg and stiffen to prevent torn knee ligaments.
• In some instances, an electrical field or magnetic field is applied to rheological elements in a bracing mechanism to immediately change the nature of a material in the bracing mechanism upon detection of imminent, high magnitude impacts.
• According to various embodiments, various shells in a bracing mechanism may be separated by magneto rheological elements with magnetic field dependent viscosity. The element may essentially stay solid most of the time. When there is stress/strain on an outer shell, the magnetic field is activated so that the viscosity changes depending on the level of stress/strain. A bracing mechanism such as an intelligent neck brace can significantly reduce impact, shear, and rotational forces on a head and brain. In many instances, the bracing mechanism can lead to shoulder bruising, broken collarbones, or other injuries, but these other injuries may be preferable to traumatic brain injury.
• FIG. 1 below shows how different forces affect axons in a brain.Compression101 andtension103 can remove the protective coating on an axon referred to as a myelin sheath. The myelin can be viewed as the rubber coating on a wire. If the internal wire of the axon is not cut the myelin can re-grow and re-coat the “wire” which can resume axonal function and brain communication. If rotational forces are significant,shear forces105 tear the axon. This elevates the problem since the ends of cut axons do not re-attach. This results in a permanent neurological deficit and is referred to as diffuse axonal injury (DAI), a major cause of long-term neurological disability after TBI.
• Some more modern pieces of protective gear have been introduced with the awareness that significant injuries besides musculoskeletal or flesh injuries in a variety of activities require new protective gear designs.
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,076,811 issued to Puchalski describes a helmet with an impact absorbing crumple or shear zone. “The shell consists of three (or more) discrete panels that are physically and firmly coupled together providing rigid protection under most circumstances, but upon impact the panels move relative to one another, but not relative to the user's head, thereby permitting impact forces to be dissipated and/or redirected away from the cranium and brain within. Upon impact to the helmet, there are sequential stages of movement of the panels relative to each other, these movements initially being recoverable, but with sufficient vector forces the helmet undergoes structural changes in a pre-determined fashion, so that the recoverable and permanent movements cumulatively provide a protective ‘crumple zone’ or ‘shear zone’.”
• U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,846 issued to Calonge describes “An impact resistant helmet assembly having a first material layer coupled to a second material layer so as to define a gas chamber there between which contains a quantity that provides impact dampening upon an impact force being applied to the helmet assembly. The helmet assembly further includes a containment layer disposed over the second material layer and structured to define a fluid chamber in which a quantity of fluid is disposed. The fluid includes a generally viscous gel structured to provide some resistance against disbursement from an impacted region of the fluid chamber to non-impacted regions of the fluid chamber, thereby further enhance the impact distribution and dampening of the impact force provided by the helmet assembly.”
• U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,777 issued to Popovich describes “A helmet for protecting a head by laterally displacing impact forces, said helmet comprising: a rigid inner shell formed as a single unit; a resilient spacing layer disposed outside of and in contact with said inner shell; and an articulated shell having a plurality of discrete rigid segments disposed outside of and in contact with said resilient spacing layer and a plurality of resilient members which couple adjacent ones of said rigid segments to one another.”
• U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,755 issued to Halstead describes a football helmet with liner sections of different thicknesses and densities. The thicker, softer sections would handle less intense impacts, crushing down until the thinner, harder sections take over to prevent bottoming out.
• Still other ideas relate to using springs instead of crushable materials to manage the energy of an impact. Springs are typically associated with rebound, and energy stored by the spring is returned to the head. This may help in some instances, but can still cause significant neurological injury. Avoiding energy return to the head is a reason that non-rebounding materials are typically used.
• Some of the protective gear mechanisms are not sufficiently biomechanically aware and are not sufficiently customized for particular areas of protection. These protective gear mechanisms also are not sufficiently active at the right time scales to avoid damage. For example, in many instances, materials like gels may only start to convert significant energy into heat after significant energy has been transferred to the brain. Similarly, structural deformation mechanisms may only break and absorb energy after a significant amount of energy has been transferred to the brain.
• Current mechanisms are useful for particular circumstances but are limited in their ability to protect against numerous types of neurological damage. Consequently, an improved smart biomechanics aware and energy conscious protective gear mechanism is provided to protect against mechanical damage as well as neurological damage.
• According to various embodiments, protective gear such as a helmet includes a container device to provide a structural mechanism for holding an energy and impact transformer. The design of this element could be a part of the smart energy conscious biomechanics aware design for protection. The energy and impact transformer includes a mechanism for the dissipation, transformation, absorption, redirection or force/energy at the right time scales (in some cases as small as a few milliseconds or hundreds of microseconds).
• In particular embodiments, the container mechanism provides structure to allow use of an energy and impact transformer. The container mechanism may be two or three shells holding one or more layers of energy and impact transformer materials. That is, a multiple shell structure may have energy and impact transformer materials between adjacent shell layers. The shells may be designed to prevent direct penetration from any intruding or impeding object. In some examples, the outer shell may be associated with mechanisms for impact distribution, energy transformation, force dampening, and shear deflection and transformation. In some examples, the container mechanism can be constructed of materials such as polycarbonate, fiberglass, Kevlar, metal, alloys, combinations of materials, etc.
• According to various embodiments, the energy and impact transformer provides a mechanism for the dissipation, transformation, absorption, and redirection of force and energy at the appropriate time scales. The energy and impact transformer may include a variety of elements. In some examples, a mechanical transformer element connects multiple shells associated with a container mechanism with mechanical structures or fluids that help transform the impact or shear forces on an outer shell into more benign forces or energy instead of transferring the impact or shear forces onto an inner shell.
• In some examples, a mechanical transformer layer is provided between each pair of adjacent shells. The mechanical transform may use a shear truss-like structure connecting an outer shell and an inner shell that dampens any force or impact. In some examples, shear truss structure layers connect an outer shell to a middle shell and the middle shell to an inner shell. According to various embodiments, the middle shell or center shell may slide relative to the inner shell and reduce the movement and/or impact imparted on an outer shell. In particular embodiments, the outer shell may slide up to several centimeters relative to the middle shell. In particular embodiments, the material used for connecting the middle shell to the outer shell or the inner shell could be a material that absorbs/dissipates mechanical energy as thermal energy or transformational energy. The space between the outer shell, the middle shell, and the inner shell can be filled with absorptive/dissipative material such as fluids and gels.
• According to various embodiments, the energy and impact transformer may also include an electro-rheological element. Different shells may be separated by an electro-rheological element with electric field dependent viscosity. The element may essentially stay solid most of the time. When there is stress/strain on an outer shell, the electric field is activated so that the viscosity changes depending on the level of stress/strain. Shear forces on an inner shell are reduced to minimize impact transmission.
• In particular embodiments, the energy and impact transformer also includes a magneto-rheological element. Various shells may be separated by magneto rheological elements with magnetic field dependent viscosity. The element may essentially stay solid most of the time. When there is stress/strain on an outer shell, the magnetic field is activated so that the viscosity changes depending on the level of stress/strain. Shear forces on an inner shell are reduced to minimize impact transmission.
• Electro-rheological and magneto-rheological elements may include smart fluids with properties that change in the presence of electric field or a magnetic field. Some smart fluids undergo changes in viscosity when a magnetic field is applied. For example, a smart fluid may change from a liquid to a gel when magnets line up to create a magnetic field. Smart fluids may react within milliseconds to reduce impact and shear forces between shells.
• In other examples, foam and memory foam type elements may be included to absorb and distribute forces. In some examples, foam and memory foam type elements may reside beneath the inner shell. A magnetic suspension element may be used to actively or passively reduce external forces. An inner core and an outer core may be separated by magnets that resist each other, e.g. N-poles opposing each other. The inner and outer cores naturally would want to move apart, but are pulled together by elastic materials. When an outer shell is impact and the magnets are pushed closer, forces between the magnets increase through the air gap.
• According to various embodiments, a concentric geodesic dome element includes a series of inner shells, each of which is a truss based geodesic dome, but connected to the outer geodesic through structural or fluidic mechanisms. This allows each geodesic structure to fully distribute its own shock load and transmit it in a uniform manner to the dome underneath. The sequence of geodesic structures and the separation by fluid provides uniform force distribution and/or dissipation that protects the inner most shell from these impacts.
• In particular embodiments, a fluid/accordion element would separate an inner shell and an outer shell using an accordion with fluid/gel in between. This would allow shock from the outer core to be transmitted and distributed through the enclosed fluid uniformly while the accordion compresses to accommodate strain. A compressed fluid/piston/spring element could include piston/cylinder like elements with a compressed fluid in between that absorbs the impact energy while increasing the resistance to the applied force. The design could include additional mechanical elements like a spring to absorb/dissipate the energy.
• In still other examples, a fiber element involves using a rippled outer shell with texture like that of a coconut. The outer shell may contain dense coconut fiber like elements that separate the inner core from the outer core. The shock can be absorbed by the outer core and the fibrous filling. Other elements may also be included in an inner core structure. In some examples, a thick stretchable gel filled bag wrapped around the inner shell could expand and contract in different areas to instantaneously transfer and distribute forces. The combination of the elasticity of a bag and the viscosity of the gel could provide for cushioning to absorb/dissipate external forces.
• According to various embodiments, a container device includes multiple shells such as an outer shell, a middle shell, and an inner shell. The shells may be separated by energy and impact transformer mechanisms. In some examples, the shells and the energy and impact transformer mechanisms can be integrated or a shell can also operate as an energy and impact transformer.
• FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a particular piece of protective gear.Helmet201 includes ashell layer211 and alining layer213. Theshell layer211 includes attachment points215 for a visor, chin bar, face guard, face cage, or face protection mechanism generally. In some examples, theshell layer211 includesridges217 and/or air holes for breathability. Theshell layer211 may be constructed using plastics, resins, metal, composites, etc. In some instances, theshell layer211 may be reinforced using fibers such as aramids. Theshell layer211 helps to distribute mechanical energy and prevent penetration. Theshell layer211 is typically made using lighter weight materials to prevent the helmet itself from causing injury.
• According to various embodiments, achin strap221 is connected to the helmet to secure helmet positioning. Theshell layer211 is also sometimes referred to as a container or a casing. In many examples, theshell layer211 covers alining layer213. Thelining layer213 may include lining materials, foam, and/or padding to absorb mechanical energy and enhance fit. Alining layer213 may be connected to theshell layer211 using a variety of attachment mechanisms such as glue or Velcro. According to various embodiments, thelining layer213 is pre-molded to allow for enhanced fit and protection. According to various embodiments, the lining layer may vary, e.g. from 4 mm to 40 mm in thickness, depending on the type of activity a helmet is designed for. In some examples, custom foam may be injected into a fitted helmet to allow for personalized fit. In other examples, differently sized shell layers and lining layers may be provided for various activities and head sizes.
• Theshell layer211 andlining layer213 protect the skull nicely and have resulted in a dramatic reduction in skull fractures and bleeding between the skull and the brain (subdural and epidural hematomas). Military helmets use Kevlar to decrease penetrating injuries from bullets, shrapnel etc. Unfortunately, these approaches are not well designed to decrease direct forces and resultant coup-contra coup injuries that result in both contusions and compression-tension axon injuries. Furthermore, many helmets do not protect against rotational forces that are a core cause of a shear injury and resultant long-term neurological disability in civilian and military personnel. Although the introduction of Kevlar in military helmets has decreased mortality from penetrating head injuries, the survivors are often left with debilitating neurological deficits due to contusions and diffuse axonal injury.
• FIG. 3 illustrates one example of a container device system. According to various embodiments, protective gear includesmultiple container devices301 and303. In particular embodiments, the multiple container devices are loosely interconnected shells holding an energy andimpact transformer305. The multiple container devices may be multiple plastic and/or resin shells. In some examples, thecontainers devices301 and303 may be connected only through the energy andimpact transformer305. In other examples, thecontainer devices301 and303 may be loosely connected in a manner supplementing the connection by the energy andimpact transformer305.
• According to various embodiments, the energy andimpact transformer305 may use a shear truss-like structure connecting thecontainer301 andcontainer303 to dampen any force or impact. In some examples, the energy andimpact transformer305 allows thecontainer301 to move or slide with respect tocontainer303. In some examples, up to several centimeters of relative movement is allowed by the energy andimpact transformer305.
• In particular embodiments, the energy andimpact transformer305 could be a material that absorbs/dissipates mechanical energy as thermal energy or transformational energy and may include electro-rheological, magneto-rheological, foam, fluid, and/or gel materials.
• FIG. 4 illustrates another example of a container device system.Container401 encloses energy andimpact transformer403. In some examples, multiple containers or multiple shells may not be necessary. The container may be constructed using plastic and/or resin. And may expand or contract with the application of force. The energy andimpact transformer403 may similarly expand or contract with the application of force. The energy andimpact transformer403 may receive and convert energy from physical impacts on acontainer401.
• FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a multiple shell system. Anouter shell501, amiddle shell503, and aninner shell505 may hold energy and impacttransformative layers511 and513 between them. Energy andimpact transformer layer511 residing betweenshells501 and503 may allowshell501 to move and/or slide with respect tomiddle shell503. By allowing sliding movements that convert potential head rotational forces into heat or transformation energy, shear forces can be significantly reduced.
• Similarly,middle shell503 can move and slide with respect toinner shell505. In some examples, the amount of movement and/or sliding depends on the viscosity of fluid in the energy and impact transformer layers511 and513. The viscosity may change depending on electric field or voltage applied. In some other examples, the amount of movement and/or sliding depends on the materials and structures of materials in the energy and impact transformer layers511 and513.
• According to various embodiments, when a force is applied to anouter shell501, energy is transferred to aninner shell505 through a suspendedmiddle shell503. Themiddle shell503 shears relative to thetop shell501 andinner shell505. In particular embodiments, the energy and impact transformer layers511 and513 may include thin elastomeric trusses between the shells in a comb structure. The energy and impact transformer layers511 and513 may also include energy dampening/absorbing fluids or devices.
• According to various embodiments, a number of different physical structures such as conical and parabolic structures can be used to form energy and impact transformer layers511 and513.
• FIG. 6A illustrates one example of a multiple shell helmet. According to various embodiments,helmet601 includes anouter shell layer603, an outer energy andimpact transformer605, amiddle shell layer607, an inner energy andimpact transformer609, and aninner shell layer611. Thehelmet601 may also include a lining layer within theinner shell layer611. In particular embodiments, theinner shell layer611 includes attachment points615 for a chin strap for securinghelmet601. In particular embodiments, theouter shell layer603 includes attachment points for a visor, chin bar, face guard, face cage, and/orface protection mechanism615 generally. In some examples, theinner shell layer611,middle shell layer607, andouter shell layer603 includes ridges617 and/or air holes for breathability. Theouter shell layer603,middle shell layer607, andinner shell layer611 may be constructed using plastics, resins, metal, composites, etc. In some instances, theouter shell layer603,middle shell layer607, andinner shell layer611 may be reinforced using fibers such as aramids. The energy and impact transformer layers605 and609 can help distribute mechanical energy and shear forces so that less energy is imparted on the head.
• According to various embodiments, achin strap621 is connected to theinner shell layer611 to secure helmet positioning. The various shell layers are also sometimes referred to as containers or casings. In many examples, theinner shell layer611 covers a lining layer (not shown). The lining layer may include lining materials, foam, and/or padding to absorb mechanical energy and enhance fit. A lining layer may be connected to theinner shell layer611 using a variety of attachment mechanisms such as glue or Velcro. According to various embodiments, the lining layer is pre-molded to allow for enhanced fit and protection. According to various embodiments, the lining layer may vary, e.g. from 4 mm to 40 mm in thickness, depending on the type of activity a helmet is designed for. In some examples, custom foam may be injected into a fitted helmet to allow for personalized fit. In other examples, differently sized shell layers and lining layers may be provided for various activities and head sizes.
• Themiddle shell layer607 may only be indirectly connected to theinner shell layer611 through energy andimpact transformer609. In particular embodiments, themiddle shell layer607 floats aboveinner shell layer611. In other examples, themiddle shell layer607 may be loosely connected to theinner shell layer611. In the same manner,outer shell layer603 floats abovemiddle shell layer607 and may only be connected to the middle shell layer through energy andimpact transformer605. In other examples, theouter shell layer603 may be loosely and flexibly connected tomiddle shell layer607 andinner shell layer611. The shell layers603,607, and611 provide protection against penetrating forces while energy and impact transformer layers605 and609 provide protection against compression forces, shear forces, rotational forces, etc. According to various embodiments, energy andimpact transformer layer605 allows theouter shell603 to move relative to themiddle shell607 and the energy andimpact transformer layer609 allows theouter shell603 and themiddle shell607 to move relative to theinner shell611. Compression, shear, rotation, impact, and/or other forces are absorbed, deflected, dissipated, etc., by the various layers.
• In particular embodiments, theouter shell603 includes one or more sensors such as accelerometers, proximity sensors, deformation sensors, etc., and is secured to a neck bracing mechanism and includes mechanisms to communicate with a neck bracing mechanism. In some examples, the outer shell includes cameras that can detect objects that are moving towards the camera at high speeds. In some other examples, the outer shell includes magnets that change a magnetic field when an outer shell is deformed. In still other examples, an accelerometer mounted on an outer shell or elsewhere detects rapid movement or rapid acceleration and signals a bracing mechanism to stiffen.
• FIG. 6B illustrates one example of a neck bracing mechanism, as shown in a cut-away cross-sectional view. According to various embodiments, theneck bracing mechanism661 includes anouter surface651, aninner surface655, and a bracingmechanism653. According to various embodiments, a bracingmechanism653 is an electro-rheological or magneto-rheological element that changes the viscosity of a gel upon detection of an imminent force. In particular embodiments, a helmet sensor, accelerometer, camera, etc., detects an imminent impact and sends a signal to theneck bracing mechanism661. In some examples, the signal itself is associated with a voltage level that causes a gel in the bracingmechanism653 to increase in viscosity significantly. In some examples, the neck bracing mechanism may include passive, semi-active, and active dampers. In other examples, the signal triggers the bracing mechanism to generate a field to change the viscosity of a fluid. The bracingmechanism661 also includes anattachment point663 for shoulder pads or may be configured to rest on the shoulders themselves. By stiffening or strengthening the neck bracing mechanism, any force imparted onto an outer shell of a helmet would get partially distributed to the shoulders or shoulder pads.
• Distributing the impact, rotational, and shear forces to shoulders and shoulder pads would reduce the likelihood of brain injury. Although sensors in a helmet are described, there may be sensors in a bracing mechanism in place of or supplemental to sensors in a helmet. In some examples, sensors, accelerometers, cameras, etc., connected to the bracing mechanism may detect imminent impact and generate a magnetic field to strengthen or stiffen the neck bracing mechanism.
• According to various embodiments, the skull and brain are not only provided with protection against skull fractures, penetrating injuries, subdural and epidural hematomas, but also provided with some measure of protection against direct forces and resultant coup-contra coup injuries that result in both contusions and compression-tension axon injuries. The skull is also protected against rotational forces that are a core cause of a shear injury and resultant long-term neurological disability in civilian and military personnel.
• Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims (20)

1. A neck bracing mechanism, comprising:

a neck bracing outer surface;

a bracing mechanism connected to a helmet and the neck bracing outer surface, wherein the bracing mechanism is configured to detect an imminent, mechanical force impact on the helmet and alter the stiffness of the bracing mechanism upon detection of the imminent, mechanical force impact to distribute energy from the mechanical force impact onto shoulders supporting the neck bracing mechanism.

2. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 1, wherein the bracing mechanism comprises a magneto-rheological element, wherein the viscosity of the magneto-rheological element increases upon detection of the imminent, mechanical force.

3. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 1, wherein the bracing mechanism comprises an electro-rheological element, wherein the viscosity of the magneto-rheological element increases upon detection of the imminent, mechanical force.

4. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 1, wherein the bracing mechanism detects the imminent, mechanical force using a sensor associated with the helmet.

5. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 4, wherein the sensor is an accelerometer.

6. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 4, wherein the sensor is a deformation detector configured to detect a deformation of an outer shell of the helmet.

7. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 4, wherein the sensor is a camera.

8. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 1, wherein the bracing mechanism detects the imminent, mechanical force using a sensor associated with the neck bracing mechanism.

9. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 1, wherein the bracing mechanism is connected to the helmet and to shoulder pads.

10. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 9, wherein the bracing mechanism allows flexible movement of the helmet relative to the shoulder pads when no imminent, mechanical force is detected.

11. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 9, wherein the bracing mechanism allows limited movement of the helmet relative to the shoulder pads when the imminent, mechanical force is detected.

12. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 1, wherein the helmet comprises an outer shell layer, and energy and impact transformer layer, and an inner shell layer.

13. The neck bracing mechanism ofclaim 12, wherein the energy and impact transformer layer allows the outer shell layer to rotate relative to the inner shell layer.

14. A protective gear bracing mechanism, comprising:

a protective gear bracing outer surface;

a bracing mechanism connected to protective gear and the protective gear bracing outer surface, wherein the bracing mechanism is configured to detect an imminent, mechanical force impact on the protective gear and alter the stiffness of the bracing mechanism upon detection of the imminent, mechanical force impact to distribute energy from the mechanical force impact onto another surface supporting the protective gear bracing mechanism.

15. The protective gear bracing mechanism ofclaim 14, wherein the bracing mechanism comprises a magneto-rheological element, wherein the viscosity of the magneto-rheological element increases upon detection of the imminent, mechanical force.

16. The protective gear bracing mechanism ofclaim 14, wherein the bracing mechanism comprises an electro-rheological element, wherein the viscosity of the magneto-rheological element increases upon detection of the imminent, mechanical force.

17. The protective gear bracing mechanism ofclaim 14, wherein the bracing mechanism detects the imminent, mechanical force using a sensor associated with the protective gear.

18. The protective gear bracing mechanism ofclaim 17, wherein the sensor is an accelerometer.

19. The protective gear bracing mechanism ofclaim 17, wherein the sensor is a deformation detector configured to detect a deformation of an outer shell of the protective gear.

20. The protective gear bracing mechanism ofclaim 17, wherein the sensor is a camera.

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