Device to prevent brain damage from a severe impact to an athlete's head

Abstract

A safety helmet system to minimize brain concussions for athletes experiencing impact loading. A housing incorporates a series of displaceable plates which are displaceable having a shear thickening fluid between the displaceable plates for rigidifying upon impact. The housing is connected on one end to a helmet and to shoulder pads on an opposing end.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device to prevent concussions of the brain for athletes who are hit onto their helmet or body, the device being a SuperSpine that connects the athlete's helmet to his or her shoulder pads utilizing a shear-thickening fluid that acts within the SuperSpine that connects the helmet to the shoulder pads such that the athlete is free to move his/her head at a normal rate of angular motion, but the SuperSpine with shear-thickening fluid disallows high rates of angular acceleration that could cause the athlete to suffer a brain concussion by the use of a non-linear increase in viscosity of the shear-thickening fluid at higher rates of angular acceleration of the athlete's head. 
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  including means for the quick attachment and detachment of the SuperSpine from the athlete's helmet and/or from the athlete's shoulder pads. 
     
     
         3 . A safety helmet system comprising:
 (a) a helmet;   (b) a shoulder pad adapted to be mounted on a user's body;   (c) a housing coupled on opposing ends to said helmet and said shoulder pad;   (d) a plurality of displaceable plate members positioned within said housing;   (e) fluid positioned at least between said displaceable plate members for rigidifying upon impact loading being applied to said user's body.   
     
     
         4 . The safety helmet as recited in  claim 3  including a quick release mechanism mounted to said housing and said helmet to permit quick release of said housing from said helmet. 
     
     
         5 . The safety helmet as recited in  claim 3  where said fluid is a shear thickening fluid composition. 
     
     
         6 . The safety helmet as recited in  claim 3  where said fluid is an actively controlled magneto-rheological fluid composition. 
     
     
         7 . The safety helmet system as recited in  claim 3  where said plate members within said housing are arcuately formed in an overlapping and interleaved manner. 
     
     
         8 . The safety helmet system as recited in  claim 7  where said plate members are U-shaped in cross-sectional contour. 
     
     
         9 . The safety helmet system as recited in  claim 8  where said arcuate plate members form a portion of a spherical envelope contour. 
     
     
         10 . The safety helmet system as recited in  claim 9  where said arcuate plate members spherical envelope contour are positionally located to define a center of a sphere substantially forward of a neck of the user and below a jaw of the user. 
     
     
         11 . The safety helmet system as recited in  claim 3  including at least one protruding element mounted between at least two of said plates for maintaining a displacement distance between said plates. 
     
     
         12 . The safety helmet system as recited in  claim 11  where said at least one protruding element is a roller bearing. 
     
     
         13 . The safety helmet system as recited in  claim 3  where each of said plates is tethered each to the other by flexible tether elements. 
     
     
         14 . The safety helmet system as recited in  claim 3  where said housing is formed in a bellows configuration. 
     
     
         15 . The safety helmet system as recited in  claim 14  where said housing is configured to provide a sealing enclosure for said fluid.