Helmet including a protective shell with variable rigidity

Abstract

The invention relates to a helmet including a protective shell. The protective shell includes an upper part and a lower part extending towards the bottom of the helmet. The upper part includes a sandwich composite material including two skins, disposed on either side of a core, themselves including a plurality of composite tissue layers, The lower part includes a monolithic composite material. The invention applies in a general manner to protective helmets and more particularly in the field of aeronautics where the rigid structure allows head equipment to be fixed directly onto the protective shell.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A helmet comprising a protective shell, wherein
 the protective shell comprises an upper part disposed in the top part of the helmet and a lower part,   the upper part comprises a sandwich composite material including two skins, disposed on either side of a core, themselves comprising a plurality of composite tissue layers, and   the lower part comprises a monolithic composite material.   
     
     
         2 . The helmet according to  claim 1 , further comprising an inner protective layer disposed in the top part of the helmet, wherein the upper part of the protective shell is disposed opposite the inner protective layer and the lower part extends towards the bottom of the helmet beyond the inner protective layer. 
     
     
         3 . The helmet according to  claim 2 , wherein the monolithic composite material of the lower part is formed with at least one skin of sandwich composite material of the upper part of the shell, said skin being extended beyond the core. 
     
     
         4 . The helmet according to  claim 3 , wherein the tissue layers of the lower part of the shell include fibres whose orientation is offset by around 45° in relation to a vertical axis of the plane of symmetry of the helmet. 
     
     
         5 . The helmet according to  claim 4 , wherein the edge of the core of the sandwich composite material in the area between the upper part and the lower part of the protective shell is wedge-shaped. 
     
     
         6 . The helmet according to the  claim 1 , on which at least one head equipment is mounted, wherein said equipment is fixed onto the outer surface of the skin of the sandwich composite material. 
     
     
         7 . The helmet according to  claim 1 , on which at least one head equipment is mounted, wherein said equipment is fixed between the two skins of the sandwich composite material, a part of the core of said composite material being hollowed in order to insert said head equipment. 
     
     
         8 . The helmet according to  claim 7 , wherein the core of the composite material of the front sub-part of the upper part of the protective shell includes a material thickness greater than the core of the composite material of the rear sub-part. 
     
     
         9 . The helmet according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper part of the protective shell includes two sub-parts, a rear sub-part connected to the lower part of the protective shell and an immovable front sub-part, fixing elements mounted on said sub-parts allowing said sub-parts to be joined together and separated. 
     
     
         10 . The helmet according to  claim 6  for a military aircraft pilot comprising a visor and the head equipment being a device for projecting images onto said visor, wherein the projection device and the visor are mounted on the front part of the upper part of the protective shell. 
     
     
         11 . The helmet according to  claim 7  for a military aircraft pilot comprising a visor and the head equipment being a device for projecting images onto said visor, wherein the projection device and the visor are mounted on the front part of the upper part of the protective shell. 
     
     
         12 . The helmet according to  claim 8  for a military aircraft pilot comprising a visor and the head equipment being a device for projecting images onto said visor, wherein the projection device and the visor are mounted on the front part of the upper part of the protective shell. 
     
     
         13 . The helmet according to  claim 9  for a military aircraft pilot comprising a visor and the head equipment being a device for projecting images onto said visor, wherein the projection device and the visor are mounted on the front part of the upper part of the protective shell 
     
     
         14 . The helmet according to  claim 10 , wherein a second head equipment is a head tracking system. 
     
     
         15 . The helmet according to  claim 11 , wherein a second head equipment is a head tracking system. 
     
     
         16 . The helmet according to  claim 12 , wherein a second head equipment is a head tracking system. 
     
     
         17 . The helmet according to  claim 13 , wherein a second head equipment is a head tracking system. 
     
     
         18 . The helmet according to  claim 1 , wherein the core of the sandwich composite material is a foam material intended for impact protection. 
     
     
         19 . The helmet according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper part of the protective shell covers more or less the entire parietal, frontal and upper occipital part of the neurocranium of the wearer.