Protective recreational sports helmet with components additively manufactured to manage impact forces

Abstract

The invention relates to a multi-step method with a number of processes and sub-processes that interact to allow for the selection, design and/or manufacture of a recreational sports helmet for a specific person wearing the helmet. Once the desired recreational sports helmet is selected, information is collected from the individual wearer regarding the shape of his/her head and information about the impacts he/she has received while participating in the activity. The collected information is processed to develop a bespoke energy attenuation assembly for use in the recreational sports helmet. The energy attenuation assembly includes at least one energy attenuation member with a unique structural makeup and/or chemical composition. The energy attenuation assembly is purposely engineered to improve comfort and fit, as well as how the helmet responds when an impact or series of impacts are received by the recreational sports helmet.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A multi-step method of forming an energy attenuation member, comprising:
 obtaining a digital model of an energy attenuation member;   obtaining an energy attenuation testing protocol;   digitally testing the digital model of the energy attenuation member using the energy attenuation testing protocol;   partitioning the digital model of the energy attenuation member into different segments based on a set of results from the said digital test of the digital model of the energy attenuation;   generating an energy attenuation member model based on the partitioned digital model of the energy attenuation member; and   forming a physical energy attenuation member from the energy attenuation member model.   
     
     
         2 . The multi-step method of  claim 1 , wherein the energy attenuation member model includes an exterior perimeter and structures that are positioned within this exterior perimeter. 
     
     
         3 . The multi-step method of  claim 2 , wherein the structures that are positioned within this exterior perimeter are lattice unit cells. 
     
     
         4 . The multi-step method of  claim 3 , wherein the lattice unit cells have: (i) a type, (ii) a positional angle, (iii) a density, and (iv) a chemical composition. 
     
     
         5 . The multi-step method of  claim 4 , wherein the lattice unit cell type is a surface based lattice cell type. 
     
     
         6 . The multi-step method of  claim 1 , wherein the energy attenuation member model includes at least a first segment with a first set of mechanical properties and a second segment with a second set of mechanical properties, and wherein the first set of mechanical properties are different than the second set of mechanical properties. 
     
     
         7 . The multi-step method of  claim 1 , wherein the first segment is a fitting region that is position adjacent to the customer head body and the second segment is an energy management region that is positioned adjacent to the fitting region. 
     
     
         8 . The multi-step method of  claim 1 , wherein the energy attenuation testing protocol is modified based on a data collected from a customer of the energy attenuation member. 
     
     
         9 . The multi-step method of  claim 8 , wherein the data collected from a customer of the energy attenuation member includes the customer's playing position or the customer's playing level. 
     
     
         10 . The multi-step method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the physical energy attenuation member utilizes a three dimensional printer. 
     
     
         11 . The multi-step method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the physical energy attenuation member utilizes a three dimensional printer. 
     
     
         12 . The multi-step method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of obtaining a digital model of an energy attenuation member includes:
 obtaining head data from a customer's head using a scanning device;   processing the head data to create a three-dimensional digital model of the customer's head;   comparing the three-dimensional digital model of the customer's head against a reference surface;   selecting a digital model of an energy attenuation member based on the comparison of the three-dimensional digital model of the customer's head against the reference surface.   
     
     
         13 . A multi-step method of designing an energy attenuation member, comprising:
 obtaining a digital model of an energy attenuation member;   obtaining an energy attenuation testing protocol;   digitally testing the digital model of the energy attenuation member using the energy attenuation testing protocol;   partitioning the digital model of the energy attenuation member into different segments based on a set of results from the said digital test of the digital model of the energy attenuation, and wherein the different segments have differing mechanical properties;   generating an energy attenuation member model based on the partitioned digital model of the energy attenuation member, wherein the energy attenuation member model includes an exterior perimeter and structures that are positioned within this exterior perimeter.   
     
     
         14 . The multi-step method of  claim 13 , wherein the structures that are positioned within this exterior perimeter are lattice unit cells. 
     
     
         15 . The multi-step method of  claim 14 , wherein the lattice unit cells have: (i) a type, (ii) a positional angle, (iii) a density, and (iv) a chemical composition. 
     
     
         16 . The multi-step method of  claim 13 , wherein the energy attenuation testing protocol is modified based on a data collected from a customer of the energy attenuation member. 
     
     
         17 . The multi-step method of  claim 16 , wherein the data collected from a customer of the energy attenuation member includes the customer's playing position or the customer's playing level. 
     
     
         18 . The multi-step method of  claim 13 , further comprising the step of using a three dimensional printer to form a physical energy attenuation member based upon the energy attenuation member model. 
     
     
         19 . The multi-step method of  claim 13 , wherein the step of obtaining a digital model of an energy attenuation member includes:
 obtaining head data from a customer's head using a scanning device;   processing the head data to create a three-dimensional digital model of the customer's head;   comparing the three-dimensional digital model of the customer's head against a reference surface;   selecting a digital model of an energy attenuation member based on the comparison of the three-dimensional digital model of the customer's head against the reference surface.