Safety helmet

Abstract

A safety helmet ( 10 ), including a rigid outer shell ( 11 ) and an inner part ( 11.1 ) made to absorb and deaden any impact endured by said helmet, and comprising an inner padding ( 14 c ) which provides a canalisation structure ( 16 ) for conducting air between said at least one air intake opening ( 12.1 ) and said at least one air extraction opening ( 13.1 ), characterized in that it comprises a cap ( 15 ), which, when the helmet is worn by said person, cooperates with said padding to provide a plurality of air channels at said canalizations of said padding and covers the head of the person at least at the padding itself.

1 . A safety helmet ( 10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60 ) including a rigid outer shell ( 11 ,  21 ,  31 ,  41 ,  51 ,  61 ) possibly provided with at least one external air intake opening ( 12 . 1 ,  22 . 4 ,  32 . 1 ,  42 ,  48 . 3 ,  54 . 1 ,  62 ), and/or at least one external air extraction opening ( 13 . 1 ,  23 . 2 ,  23 . 3 ,  33 . 2 ,  49 ,  49 . 1 ,  54 . 2 ,  63 ) provided on the external shell for introducing and extracting air, respectively, into and from said helmet, said helmet including an inner part ( 11 . 1 ,  21 . 1 ,  31 . 1 ,  41 . 1 ,  51 . 1 ,  61 . 1 ) made to absorb and deaden any impact endured by said helmet and having possible transverse and/or longitudinal grooves obtained in at least one portion of said inner part, possibly extending from the front zone to the rear zone of said inner part and passed through by the air introduced through at least one possible corresponding external air intake opening ( 22 . 4 ,  54 . 1 ) and at least one possible corresponding external air extraction opening ( 23 . 3 ,  54 . 2 ), at least one of said longitudinal grooves ( 21 . 2 ,  21 . 3 ,  47 . 3 ,  47 . 5 ,  51 . 2 ,  51 . 3 ) forming a respective and possible frontal air intake opening ( 22 . 1 ,  52 ) and a respective and possible back air extraction opening ( 23 . 1 ,  53 ), and comprising an inner padding ( 14   c,    24   c,    34   c,    44   c,    54   c,    64   c ) which provides by means of a plurality of canalizations a canalization structure ( 16 ,  26 ,  36 ,  46 ,  50 . 1 ,  66 ) for conducting air:
 between said at least one frontal air intake opening ( 22 . 1 ,  52 ) and/or at least one external air intake opening ( 12 . 1 ,  22 . 4 ,  32 . 1 ,  42 ,  48 . 3 ,  54 . 1 ,  62 ) and said at least one back air extraction opening ( 23 . 1 ,  43 ,  53 ), and/or at least one external air extraction opening ( 13 . 1 ,  23 . 2 ,  23 . 3 ,  33 . 2 ,  49 ,  49 . 1 ,  54 . 2 ,  63 ) and/or   between at least one front air opening ( 12 . 2 ,  22 ,  35 . 3 ,  75 . 4   s ) provided by means of at least one end of said canalizations of said canalization structure, and at least one back air extraction opening ( 13 ,  33 ), provided by means of at least another end of said canalizations of said canalization structure, which structure at least partially occupies the interspace present between the head of a person wearing the helmet and said inner part ( 11 . 1 ,  21 . 1 ,  31 . 1 ,  35   41 . 1 ,  51 . 1 ,  61 . 1 ) of the helmet itself,   
       characterized in that it comprises a cap ( 15 ,  25 ,  35 ,  45 ,  55 ,  65 ), which, when the helmet is worn by said person, cooperates with said padding to provide a plurality of air channels at said canalizations of said padding and covers the head of the person at least at the padding itself, while it is kept in tension on the head itself, preventing hair and organic material from occluding at least partially said air channels, and which is made of material that imbibes due to wettability and uniformly distributes at least part of the sweat of the head of the person, preventing it from being retained in said padding; 
       in that said cap ( 15 ,  25 ,  35 ,  45 ,  55 ,  65 ) is dismountably connected with respect to said padding, respectively to said helmet, 
       so that when removed, said cap allows inspection and cleaning of said air channels through which said air flow pass, and said air flows running through said channels determine a thermal conditioning and at least a partial extraction of moisture, at said cap ( 15 ,  25 ,  35 ,  45 ,  55 ,  65 ). 
     
     
         2 . A safety helmet ( 10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60 ) according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said padding is made of a spongy and/or elastomeric material and comprises either grooves that form said canalizations, or a plurality of fillets that form between them said canalizations, for conducting air when said helmet is worn. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . A safety helmet ( 10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60 ) according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said cap is dismountably fixed with respect to said helmet along its substantially circumferentially outer outline so that, when the helmet is worn, said cap is elastically deformed, unloading the forces applied in the fixing points along said circumferential outline. 
     
     
         5 . A safety helmet ( 10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60 ) according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said canalization structure of said inner padding is made of a spongy material and has, when the helmet is worn, elastic yield limited in the transverse direction of the canalizations themselves, so as to maintain more or less constant the distance between the opposite walls of said canalizations. 
     
     
         6 . A safety helmet ( 10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ) according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises a semirigid support ( 17 ,  17   s,    27 ,  27   s,    37 ,  37   s,    47 ,  47   s,    57 ) which receives, at least partially, said padding ( 16 ,  26 ,  36 ,  46 ,  50 . 1 ) and is arranged in contact with the inner part ( 11 . 1 ,  21 . 1 ,  31 . 1 ,  41 . 1 ,  51 . 1 ) of said helmet. 
     
     
         7 . A safety helmet ( 10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ) according to  claim 2 , characterized in that said fillets, forming between them said canalizations for conducting air, are fixed at least partially removably with respect to said semirigid support or with respect to said inner part of said helmet. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . A safety helmet ( 10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60 ) according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said cap comprises a fabric including, at least in part, either metal fibers having good thermal conductivity, or textile fibers coated in a metal having good thermal conductivity. 
     
     
         10 . A safety helmet ( 10 ) according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said padding ( 16 ) comprises a first part placed in contact with said cap ( 15 ) made of a high compressibility elastic material ( 18 . 1 ) and a second part, corresponding to a top zone ( 16 . 1   a,    16 . 1   b ), and proximal to said inner part of said helmet, which is made of a low compressibility elastic material ( 18 . 2 ), to maintain, with the helmet worn, said air channels open. 
     
     
         11 . A safety helmet ( 10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60 ) according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said canalization structure for conducting air ( 16 ,  26 ,  36 ,  46 ,  50 . 1 ,  66 ) comprises canalizations having substantially rectilinear orientation ( 16 . 1   a,    16 . 1   b,    26 . 4 ,  36 . 1   a,    36 . 1   b,    46 . 1   a,    46 . 1   b,    56 . 1 ,  66 . 1 ), canalizations having substantially curvilinear orientation ( 16 . 2   a,    10   16 . 2   b,    26 . 2 ,  36 . 2 ,  46 . 2 ,  56 . 2 ,  66 . 2 ) and/or canalizations having tortuous orientation ( 16 . 3 ,  26 . 3 ,  36 . 3 ,  46 . 3 ,  66 . 3 ). 
     
     
         12 . A safety helmet ( 10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60 ) according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said cap ( 15 ,  25 ,  35 ,  45 ,  55 ,  65 ) is provided with at least one insert ( 70 ) made of airproof fabric, to improve the running and distribution of the air flows within said air channels, and said cap ( 15 ,  25 ,  35 ,  45 ,  55 ,  65 ) is made at least partially of hydrophile material. 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A safety helmet ( 40 ) according to  claim 1  and including a visor and an external air intake opening ( 48 . 3 ) obtained on the outer shell of said helmet ( 40 ), characterized in that it comprises directing, regulating means ( 48 ), respectively air flow separators, provided in said canalization structure ( 46 ) and which selectively determine a flow of air through said air channels, which outflows at least partially toward the front zone of the helmet and runs on the inner surface of said visor, while the remaining part of the air flow entering from said intake ( 48 . 3 ) runs toward the rear area of said helmet. 
     
     
         15 . A safety helmet according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises electric/electronic means (AS,  29 ,  37 ,  42 ,  68 . 1 ,  68 . 2 ) for generating air, forced, blown or sucked through said air channels, which means are arranged removable with respect to said helmet. 
     
     
         16 . A safety helmet ( 60 ) according to  claim 15 , characterized in that said cap with said canalization structure ( 66 ), when the helmet is worn, provides air channels for the flow of the air generated by means of said electric/electronic means for generating forced, blown or sucked air, in which channels the air introduced by aerodynamics through the movement of the vehicle on which the user of said helmet ( 60 ) is traveling can flow when said electric/electronic means are switched off. 
     
     
         17 . A safety helmet ( 30 ,  40 ) according to  claim 16 , characterized in that said air channels ( 34   c,    44   c ) distribute at least a part of the air forced, respectively blown, by means of said electric/electronic means for generating forced, respectively blown, air flows toward the front part of said helmet ( 35 . 3 ,  75 . 4   s ), so as to at least partially provide ventilation of the inner part of the front visor of said helmet itself. 
     
     
         18 . A safety helmet according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said padding comprises padded cushion means, including spongy material sealingly covered by means of a waterproof covering having at least one hole for the passage of air, calibrated to pneumatically control possible phenomena of compression, respectively decompression of said spongy material that can occur in the case of significant impact forces acting on the helmet itself. 
     
     
         19 . A safety helmet ( 10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60 ) according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said padding is covered, at least partially, by means of a covering in a material with low coefficient of friction, on the surface facing said cap, so as to facilitate sliding between said padding and said cap when said helmet is worn. 
     
     
         20 . A safety helmet according to  claim 15 , characterized in that, said electric/electronic means (AS,  29 ,  37 ,  42 ,  68 . 1 ,  68 . 2 ) for generating forced, blown or sucked air comprise electric/electronic means for detecting air flow, which detect the intensity of the air flow passing through at least one of said air channels, and electric/electronic means for regulating the flow of forced, blown or sucked air, as a function of the flow intensity detected. 
     
     
         21 . A safety helmet according to  claim 15 , characterized in that it comprises control means external to said helmet and including signal emitting/receiving means by radio, respectively by wire, which control activation/deactivation of said electric/electronic means (AS,  29 ,  37 ,  42 ,  68 . 1 ,  68 . 2 ) for generating forced, blown or sucked air. 
     
     
         22 . A safety helmet ( 40 ) according to  claim 14 , characterized in that said canalization structure ( 46 ) and said cap ( 45 ), when the helmet is worn, convey different air flows in different directions, first air flows that pass through said channels ( 47 . 5 ,  46 . 3 ,  46 . 1   a  in part), in one direction, and second air flows that pass through other channels ( 46 . 1   b,    46 . 2 ,  46 . 1   a  remaining part), in another direction with respect to said first air flows. 
     
     
         23 . A safety helmet according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said padding is unmovably fixed with respect to said semirigid support. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . (canceled)