Head and neck restraint system and device

Abstract

A head and neck restraint device controls the motion of the head and forces exerted upon the neck of a seated occupant in a decelerating vehicle. A body defines a collar, right and left legs and right and left wings. The collar is tethered to the helmet. Each leg has belt interaction surfaces that provide a friction action on the shoulder straps. Left and right extensions or wings residing under the shoulder strap rearward of the legs provide a restriction of rotation of the body and thus a binding action on the shoulder straps. A cantilever action is induced in generally forward impact by the tethers pulling on the collar of the body and the binding action on the shoulder straps reducing the forward motion of the body. The present restraint device does not attach to the structure of the vehicle, allows travel thereof with respect to the seated occupant, yet controls the motion of the occupant's head in order to substantially reduce neck loads on the occupant. Moreover present restraint device is not in contact with the occupant during normal operation and thus does not induce discomfort or fatigue. Under general forward impact conditions, the occupant's head motion is controlled with respect to the torso, yet the device will restrictively move with the driver's head and torso along shoulder straps of a seat harness of the vehicle.

1 . A head and neck restraint device for controlling the motion of the head and forces exerted upon the neck of an occupant in a seat of a vehicle, having a seat harness with shoulder straps, the device comprising: 
 a rigid body;    a first contact surface formed in a first bottom surface of the body and adapted to rest atop of a first shoulder strap of the seat harness adjacent occupant's shoulder;    a second contact surface formed in a second bottom surface of the body and adapted to rest atop of a second shoulder strap of the seat harness adjacent occupant's shoulder;    a third contact surface formed in a first top surface of the body and adapted to rest below the first shoulder strap aft of the first bottom surface;    a fourth contact surface formed in a second top surface of the body and adapted to rest below the second shoulder strap aft of the second bottom surface; and    a rigid vertical section residing above the four strap contact surfaces behind the helmet projecting vertically and laterally, supporting the four strap contact surfaces;    the body configured for placement aft of occupant's head and forward of attachment of the shoulder straps.    
   
   
       2 . The head and neck restraint device of  claim 1 , wherein the rigid body is formed of a composite.  
   
   
       3 . The head and neck restraint device of  claim 1 , wherein the rigid body rests only on the first and second shoulder straps and does not touch the occupant during normal operation.  
   
   
       4 . The head and neck restraint device of  claim 1 , wherein the rigid body is adapted to be attached to a helmet of an occupant via a tether extending from a vertical surface of the rigid body to the helmet.  
   
   
       5 . A head and neck restraint device for controlling the motion of the head and forces exerted upon the neck of an occupant in a seat of a vehicle, having a seat harness with shoulder straps, the device comprising: 
 a rigid body having a vertical surface;    the vertical surface having a tether attachment point; and    the rigid body having a first shoulder strap contact point and a second shoulder strap contact point;    wherein the device uses a cantilever type action from the tether attachment point to the shoulder strap contact points.    
   
   
       6 . A head and neck restraint device for controlling the motion of the head and forces exerted upon the neck of an occupant in a seat of a vehicle, having a seat harness with shoulder straps, the device comprising: 
 a rigid body;    a first contact surface associated with the rigid body;    a second contact surface associated with the rigid body and opposite the first shoulder strap contact surface;    the device using a twisting action on the opposing contact surfaces in contact with the shoulder straps to induce binding thereon.    
   
   
       7 . The head and neck restraint device of  claim 6 , wherein the contact surfaces are bottom surfaces of the rigid body are atop of the shoulder straps and forward of the opposing and upper surfaces of the rigid body that are below the shoulder straps.  
   
   
       8 . The head and neck restraint device of  claim 6 , wherein lower and upper surfaces of the rigid body that are in contact with the shoulder strap have friction materials.  
   
   
       9 . The head and neck restraint device of  claim 6 , wherein the rigid body resists forward motion during impact due to the binding action on the shoulder straps.  
   
   
       10 . A head and neck restraint device for controlling motion of the head and forces exerted upon the neck of an occupant in a seat of a vehicle, the seat including a seat harness having shoulder straps, the device comprising: 
 a body;    a first contact surface formed in a first bottom surface of the body and adapted to rest on a first shoulder strap of the seat harness adjacent occupant's shoulder;    a second contact surface formed in a second bottom surface of the body and adapted to rest on a second shoulder strap of the seat harness adjacent occupant's shoulder; and    a connection means for a helmet tether;    the body tethered to a helmet of the occupant and which rests only upon the first and second shoulder straps during normal operation.    
   
   
       11 . The head and neck restraint device of  claim 10 , wherein the body is tethered to the helmet such that helmet is free to turn by freedom of tether movement.  
   
   
       12 . A head and neck restraint device having a rigid body that is tethered to a helmet utilizing a single tether attaching to and passing from one side of the helmet around the back of the rigid body and attaching to another side of the helmet.  
   
   
       13 . The head and neck restraint device of  claim 12 , wherein the tether is allowed to slip freely around the back of the rigid device during normal operation to allow freedom of lateral head movement.  
   
   
       14 . The head and neck device restraint of  claim 12 , wherein the tether binds at the rear of the head and neck device during impact to restrict head rotation during impact.  
   
   
       15 . A head and neck restraint device for controlling head movement and forces exerted upon the neck of an occupant in a seat of a vehicle, the seat including a seat harness having first and second shoulder straps, the device comprising: 
 a rigid body;    a first pivot surface formed in a first bottom surface of the body and adapted to rest on a first shoulder strap of the seat harness adjacent occupant's shoulder;    a second pivot surface formed in a second bottom surface of the body and adapted to rest on a second shoulder strap of the seat harness adjacent occupant's shoulder, the pivot surfaces providing a pivoting action on the shoulder straps for creating a frictional binding action for reduction of forward motion of the body;    a connection means for a helmet tether;    a first wing formed in the body aft of the first pivot surface and adapted to releasably receive and releasably bind the first shoulder strap;    a second wing formed in the body aft of the second pivot surface and adapted to releasably receive and releasably bind the second shoulder strap;    the body connected to a helmet of the occupant by the helmet tether and the body utilizing a cantilever action induced by the helmet tethers to bind the first and second pivot surfaces relative to the first and second wings against the shoulder straps to inhibit forward motion of the body.    
   
   
       16 . A head and neck restraint device for controlling head motion and forces exerted upon the neck of an occupant in a seat of a vehicle, the seat including a seat harness having shoulder straps, the device comprising: 
 a body;    a first contact surface formed in a first bottom surface of the body and adapted to rest on a first shoulder strap of the seat harness adjacent occupant's shoulder;    a second contact surface formed in a second bottom surface of the body and adapted to rest on a second shoulder strap of the seat harness adjacent occupant's shoulder;    a first strap attachment device formed in the body aft of the first contact surface and adapted to releasably receive and releasably bind the first shoulder strap; and    a second strap attachment device formed in the body aft of the second contact surface and adapted to releasably receive and releasably bind the second shoulder strap;    the body configured for sliding movement along the shoulder straps of the occupant with resistance to reduce forward motion of the occupant's head.    
   
   
       17 . A head and neck restraint device for controlling motion of the head and forces exerted upon an occupant in a seat of a vehicle, the seat including a seat harness having shoulder straps, the device comprising a body that induces a cantilever action under general forward crash impact between a tether point of contact on the device and two upper and two lower shoulder harness contact surface points acting as pivot points.  
   
   
       18 . The head and neck restraint device of  claim 17 , wherein the body has upper surfaces that contact the shoulder harness each with a main frictional surface and a secondary forward surface that controls the maximum amount of cantilever tilt of the body.  
   
   
       19 . The head and neck restraint device of  claim 18 , wherein the body has upper surfaces that contact the shoulder harness each with a main frictional surface and a secondary forward surface that controls the maximum amount of cantilever tilt of the body and that limits the amount of exertion of pressure thereon of the upper rear friction surface by means of the upper forward surface.