US3721994A - Dual visor headgear - Google Patents

Abstract

A safety headgear open at the face including an outer tinted visor and an inner clear visor retained between arced tracks on either side of the face opening. In the stowed position both visors are retracted behind a visor canopy across the forehead section of the headgear. Both visors are extensible across the eye area of the face opening by a combination of a locking knob attached to the outer visor extending through an opening in the canopy and lugs formed on the upper edge of the outer visor to engage the upper edge of the inner visor. The position of the outer visor is determined by the position of the knob in the opening and the inner visor is retained simply in position by friction pads.

Description

ilnited States Patent [191 DeSimone at al.

[451 Mar. 27, 1973 DUAL VISOR HEADGEAR [75] Inventors: David N. DeSimone; Frank A.

Catroppa, both of Philadelphia, Pa.

22 Filed: Mar. 29, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 128,667

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,122,622 5/1956 France ..2/6

Primary ExaminerJames R. Boler Attorney-R. S. Sciascia and Henry Hansen [57] ABSTRACT A safety headgear open at the face including an outer tinted visor and an inner clear visor retained between arced tracks on either side of the face opening. In the stowed position both visors are retracted behind a visor canopy across the forehead section of the headgear. Both visors are extensible across the eye area of the face opening by a combination of a locking knob attached to the outer visor extending through an opening in the canopy and lugs formed on the upper edge of the outer visor to engage the upper edge of the inner visor. The position of the outer visor is determined by the position of the knob in the opening and the inner visor is retained simply in position by friction pads.

9 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Fig.

INVENTO 2?2s 29 28 DAVID N. DeSIMO RI E FRANK A. CATROPPA 9 2 [@M ATTORNE' YS DUAL VISOR HEADGEAR STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INT EREST The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION over an are on its forward side wherein each trackslidably retains corresponding distal ends of an insideclear visor 20 and an outside tintedvisor 21.Visors 20 and 21 are arced between the corresponding tracks oftrack assemblies 12 to clear the outer dimensions of helmet 11 permitting free movement thereof within the enclosure formed by canopy and helmet 11. Ac-

serves as a convenient attachment for various devices SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is thegeneral purpose and object of the present invention to provide in a dual visor helmet capable of quickly and positively positioning both visors in front of the face prior to an ejection emergenv cy by a single manipulation of the wearer. Another object of the invention is to provide a helmet having selective retractibility of the visors.

These and other objects are accomplished according to the present invention by providing lugs attached to the upper edge of the outer visor which engage the upper edge of the inner visor for lowering the inner visor concommitantly with downward movement of the outer visor. The inner visor is maintained in position by friction, such as friction pads attached to the helmet exterior and compressing against the inner visor. The outer visor is positioned by a locking knob extending through a track formed in a visor canopy such that the outer visor can be positively located in any position by tightening the locking knob. The combination of the lowering and locking the knob positively positions and retains both visors in a lower-most position before pilot ejection. Also with the outer visor in the retracted upper position the inner visor is manually retractible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1 aprotective headgear assembly 10 is shown comprising a helmet 11 having two track assemblies 12.symmetrically attached on either side of the face opening. Avisor canopy 15 is attached at the distal ends to the outside oftrack assemblies 12 extendcordingly,visors 20 and 21 can be selectively positioned within the limits oftrack assembly 12 either 7 within canopy. 15 or across the face opening generally inthe area in front of the eyes, of the wearer or in any intermediate position. In order to positively restrainouter visor 21 in any desired position as well as to manually extract the outside visor from withincanopy 15, avisor lock 25 extends through anarcuate slot 26 incanopy 15 and attaches to theoutside visor 21 proximate the upper edge. It is displaced to one side in order to conserve overall height ofheadgear assembly 10.Slot 26 is arcuate aboutthe pivotal axis ofvisors 20 and 21. Outsidevisor 21 includes a plurality oflugs 30 formed at the upper edge extending inwardly to engage the upper edge ofinside visor 20. Thus, downward articulation ofvvisor lock 25 extends both the outer and theinner visors 20 and 21 from beneathcanopy 15. Theinner visor 20 is'retained in the extended position by afriction pad 35, which can be of a deformable material having high friction properties such as foam rubber. It is attached at the upper edge of the face opening of helmet 11 and compresses against theinner visor 20.

As shown in FIG. 2,visor lock 25 includes a threadedshaft 28 fixed toouter visor 21 and extending through awasher 27 andslot 26 terminating in a threadedknob 29 on the outside ofcanopy 15.Tightening knob 29 securesvisor 21 to canopy 15 in any selected position. Also the dimensions of lugs30 are selected to engage the upper edge ofvisor 20 including any radial tolerances of the respective arcs of each visor.

In operation the wearer can select either the combination of the clear and tinted visors, the clear visor alone, or no visors through the articulation oflock 25 alongslot 26. The first option results from a downward movement oflock 25 by which tintedvisor 21 is lowered engaging and carrying alongclear visor 20.

The second option results from raisinglock 25 and thus tintedvisor 21 leaving theclear visor 20 in position. The third option results simply from a manual raising of theclear visor 20. In order to accommodate emergency situations, such as ejection of the wearer from a high speed aircraft, both visors can be extended downward bylock 25 in a single manipulation and firmly affixed in that position by the tightening the knob thereon. Thus,

head. At the same time the invention provides the maximum protection to the wearers eyes during an ejection emergency within the limited number of components disclosed.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is: 1. A protective headgear comprising, in combination;

a helmet; two arcuate track assemblies each respectively attached adjacent the sides of the face opening on engagement means formed on the outer visor for engaging the inner visor on the downward movement of the outer visor;

a visor canopy arced over the forehead section of said helmet attached at the distal ends thereof to the outer surfaces of said track assemblies forming an enclosure above the face opening of said helmet to contain the respective visors;

friction means interposed between said helmet and said inner visor for providing a restraint on-the motion of said inner visor; and

locking means attached-at one end to said outer visor the other end thereof engaging said canopy for providing a manually fixed connection between said canopy and said outer visor.

2. A protective headgear according to claim 1,

further comprising: I said engagement means including lugs formed on the upper edge of said outer visor extending inwardly to engage the upper edge of said inner visor.

3. A protective headgear according toclaim 2 further comprising: i

. said locking means including'an arcuate opening in said canopy, a threaded shaft attached at one end thereof to said outer visor extending through said ing the other end of said shaft on the outside of said canopy and a washer interspaced between said outer visor and said canopy on said shaft. 4. A protective headgear according to claim 3, further comprising:

said friction means includinga' foam rubber pad attached at the one side thereof to the outside of said.

helmet proximate the upper edge of the face opening thereof, the other side of said pad being compressed by said inner visor. I 5. Eye protection apparatus comprising:

' support means;

inner and outer visors each mounted on said support means and each movable between a first position in front of the eyes and a second position above the eyes; and engagement means operatively connected between said inner and outer visors for limiting the independent movement of said inner visor toward the second position until it coincides with said outer visor, and for limiting the independent movement of said outer visor toward the first position until it coincides with said inner visor.

6. Eye protection apparatus according to claim 5,

further comprising:

friction means operatively connected between said support means and said inner visor for restraining the free motion thereof.

7. Eye protection apparatus according to claim 6,

further comprising:

locking means operatively connected between saidsupport means and said outer visor forselectively affixing the outer visor in a fixed orientation therewith. 8. Eye protection apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

said inner and outer visor forming generally spherical sections pivotally mounted by the distal ends thereof on 'said support means, the dimensions of the inner visor being defined by the pivotal arc thereof over the forehead of the wearer and the dimensions of the outer visor being defined by the pivotal arc thereof over the inner visor. 9. Eye protection apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: i

said engagement means including lugs formed on the upper edge of said outer visor extending inwardly to engage the upper edge of said inner visor.

Claims (9)

1. A protective headgear comprising, in combination: a helmet; two arcuate track assemblies each respectively attached adjacent the sides of the face opening on the outside of said helmet, the convex sides thereof oriented forwardly towards the face opening; an inner clear visor and an outer tinted visor the respective distal ends thereof slidably engaging corresponding track of said track assemblies, each visor forming a generally spherical section the radial dimensions thereof being respectively defined by the dimensions of the helmet for the inner visor and by the inner visor clearance dimensions for the outer visor; engagement means formed on the outer visor for engaging the inner visor on the downward movement of the outer visor; a visor canopy arced over the forehead section of said helmet attached at the distal ends thereof to the outer surfaces of said track assemblies forming an enclosure above the face opening of said helmet to contain the respective visors; friction means interposed between said helmet and said inner visor for providing a restraint on the motion of said inner visor; and locking means attached at one end to said outer visor the other end thereof engaging said canopy for providing a manually fixed connection between said canopy and said outer visor.

2. A protective headgear according to claim 1, further comprising: said engagement means including lugs formed on the upper edge of said outer visor extending inwardly to engage the upper edge of said inner visor.

3. A protective headgear according to claim 2 further comprising: said locking means including an arcuate opening in said canopy, a threaded shaft attached at one end thereof to said outer visor extending through said opening a manual locking knob threadably engaging the other end of said shaft on the outside of said canopy and a washer interspaced between said outer visor and said canopy on said shaft.

4. A protective headgear according to claim 3, further comprising: said friction means including a foam rubber pad attached at the one side thereof to the outside of said helmet proximate the upper edge of the face opening thereof, the other side of said pad being compressed by said inner visor.

5. Eye protection apparatus comprising: support means; inner and outer visors each mounted on said support means and each movable between a first position in front of the eyes and a second position above the eyes; and engagement means operatively connected between said inner and outer visors for limiting the independent movement of said inner visor toward the second position until it coincides with said outer visor, and for limiting the independent movement of said outer visor toward the first position until it coincides with said inner visor.

6. Eye protection apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: friction means operatively connected between said support means and said inner visor for restraining the free motion thereof.

7. Eye protection apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: locking means operatively connected between said support means and said outer visor for selectively affixing the outer visor in a fixed orientation therewith.

8. Eye protection apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: said inner and outer visor forming generally spherical sections pivotally mounted by the distal ends thereof on said support means, the dimensions of the inner visor being defined by the pivotal arc thereof over the forehead of the wearer and the dimensions of the outer visor being defined by the pivotal arc thereof over the inner visor.

9. Eye protection apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: said engagement means including lugs formed on the uppeR edge of said outer visor extending inwardly to engage the upper edge of said inner visor.

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