Impact Absorbing Array and Athletic Body Armor Incorporating such an Array

Abstract

An article of protective athletic equipment with a plurality of compressible capsules connected by intra-array connectors to form an array of capsules. Each capsule has an inner volume that retains a volume of shear thickening fluid. The intra-array connectors can be tubular to place the inner volumes of adjacent capsules in fluidic communication. The shear thickening fluid can be a suspension of polyethylene glycol and a solute of solid particles. Arrays of capsules can be coupled to one or more layers of fabric and to to pre-existing or specially created articles of sports equipment, including helmets, caps, grips, insoles, and wraps. Plural arrays of capsules can be connected, such as by teeth or by engagement members and apertures. Intra-array connectors can have similar or varied open cross sectional areas, and capsules can be connected by different numbers of intra-array connectors to permit varied fluidic flow between capsules.

We claim as deserving the protection of Letters Patent: 
     
         1 . An article of protective athletic equipment comprising:
 a plurality of compressible capsules wherein each capsule has an inner volume;   a plurality of intra-array connectors operative to interconnect the plurality of compressible capsules to form an array of capsules; and   a volume of shear thickening fluid disposed within the inner volumes of the plurality of compressible capsules.   
     
     
         2 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 1  wherein each of the intra-array connectors is tubular with a first end open to an inner volume of a capsule of the plurality of capsules, a second end open to an inner volume of an adjacent capsule of the plurality of capsules, and a passage between the first and second ends of the intra-array connector whereby adjacent capsules of the plurality of capsules are fluidically connected with the inner volumes of adjacent capsules in fluidic communication. 
     
     
         3 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 1  where the plurality of capsules and the plurality of intra-array connectors are formed from high-impact, high pressure plastic chosen from the group consisting of plasticized polyvinyl chloride, thermoplastic, and urethane. 
     
     
         4 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 1  wherein the interconnecting tubes comprise tear resistant flexible plastics or foam. 
     
     
         5 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 1  wherein the shear thickening fluid comprises a suspension of polyethylene glycol and a solute of solid particles. 
     
     
         6 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 1  wherein the shear thickening fluid comprises 40-60% solvent and 40-60% solid solute particles. 
     
     
         7 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 6  wherein the solute particles comprise metal oxides and carbonates, the metal oxides and carbonates with both spherical and irregular molecular structures. 
     
     
         8 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 6  wherein the solvent comprises polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight of between approximately 200 to approximately 8000. 
     
     
         9 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 1  further comprising at least one layer of fabric coupled to the array of capsules. 
     
     
         10 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 9  wherein the at least one layer of fabric comprises polyamide fabric. 
     
     
         11 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 1  wherein the array of capsules comprises a neck guard and further comprising a helmet wherein the array of capsules is coupled to the helmet to depend from the helmet. 
     
     
         12 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 1  further comprising a footwear insole wherein the array of capsules is retained by the footwear insole. 
     
     
         13 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of capsules are formed into at least a portion of a sports equipment grip for an article of sports equipment. 
     
     
         14 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 13  wherein the sports equipment grip has capsules with open inner volumes that retain shear-thickening fluid and alternating capsules that retain volumes of gas. 
     
     
         15 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 1  further comprising a coupling mechanism for connecting the array of capsules to a second array of capsules. 
     
     
         16 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 15  wherein the coupling mechanism comprises a plurality of teeth separated by spaces whereby arrays of capsules can be coupled by engaging the plurality of teeth and spaces of adjacent arrays. 
     
     
         17 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 15  wherein the array of capsules has a first side edge and a second side edge, wherein a plurality of engagement members project from the first side edge, and wherein a plurality of receiving apertures are disposed along the second side edge whereby the plurality of engagement members of a first array of capsules can be matingly received into the plurality of receiving apertures of a second array of capsules. 
     
     
         18 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 1  wherein the array of capsules has a longitudinal series of capsules and a lateral series of capsules and wherein each of the intra-array connectors is tubular with a first end open to an inner volume of a capsule of the plurality of capsules, a second end open to an inner volume of an adjacent capsule of the plurality of capsules, and a passage between the first and second ends of the intra-array connector whereby adjacent capsules of the plurality of capsules are fluidically connected with the inner volumes of adjacent capsules in fluidic communication and wherein each intra-array connector has an effective open cross-sectional area. 
     
     
         19 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 18  wherein at least some of the intra-array connectors have different effective open cross-sectional areas. 
     
     
         20 . The article of protective athletic equipment of  claim 18  wherein at least some of the capsules within the array of capsules are connected by different numbers of intra-array connectors.