ACCESSORY WITH INTEGRATED IMPACT DETECTION DEVICE

• US 20140143940A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gerardo Iuliano, Paul Norman Walker
• Original Assignee: Gerardo Iuliano, Paul Norman Walker
• Inventors: Iuliano, Gerardo, Walker, Paul Norman
• Granted Patent: US 9,247,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 2/422
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/046 Means for detecting hazards or accidents

Abstract

An integrated protective accessory for a helmet comprising: a protective element for rigidly attaching to an external shell of the helmet via one or more fasteners; The protective element includes an impact detection device integrated with the protective element via one or more device fasteners such that a portion of the protective element has a compatible fastening element to that of the one or more device fasteners so that the impact detection device is rigidly attached to the protective element, the impact detection device having: a housing; one or more sensors within the housing for sensing an impact event of a wearer when wearing the helmet and for producing sensor data; an alarm element coupled to the housing such that an alarm condition produced by the alarm element is detectable by one or more persons near the wearer; and a processor within the housing for processing the sensor data against an impact threshold and for producing an alarm condition signal for expression by the alarm element as the alarm condition. One or the sensors can be a gyroscope for measuring rotational aspects of G forces from the impacts forces.

Claims

1. An integrated protective accessory for a helmet comprising:

a protective element for rigidly attaching to an external shell of the helmet via one or more fasteners;

an impact detection device integrated with the protective element via one or more device fasteners such that a portion of the protective element has a compatible fastening element to that of the one or more device fasteners so that the impact detection device is rigidly attached to the protective element, the impact detection device having;

a housing;

one or more sensors within the housing for sensing an impact event of a wearer when wearing the helmet and for producing sensor data;

an alarm element coupled to the housing such that an alarm condition produced by the alarm element is detectable by one or more persons near the wearer; and

a processor within the housing for processing the sensor data against an impact threshold and for producing an alarm condition signal for expression by the alarm element as the alarm condition.

2. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the one or more fasteners are configured to releasably secure the accessory to the external shell.

3. The accessory of claim 2, wherein the one or more device fasteners are configured to releasably secure the impact detection device to the protective element.

4. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the alarm condition is activation of a light element as the alarm element, such that the light element when activated is visible to a person in a vicinity of the wearer.

5. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the alarm condition is activation of an audio element as the alarm element, such that the audio element when activated is audible to a person in a vicinity of the wearer.

6. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the protective element is a face cage and the impact detection device is fastened to a side of cage elements of the face cage.

7. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the protective element is a visor and the impact detection device is fastened to a side of the visor.

8. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the protective element is a jaw pad and the impact detection device is fastened in an interior of the jaw pad with an aperture in a padded covering of the jaw pad containing an aperture for exposing the alarm element for detection by a person in the vicinity of the wearer.

9. The accessory of claim 8, wherein the alarm element is a light element.

10. The accessory of claim 8, wherein the alarm element is an audio element.

11. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to execute a return to play interlock based on data exchanged with a remote computer, such that deactivation of the alarm condition signal is performed by the processor after a data event has occurred.

12. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

13. The accessory of claim 12, wherein the one or more sensors further include a temperature sensor.

14. An integrated protective accessory for a helmet comprising:

a protective element for rigidly attaching to an external shell of the helmet including a pocket configured for receiving an impact detection device and a window positioned between the pocket and an external environment of the helmet;

the impact detection device integrated with the protective element via one or more device fasteners such that a portion of the protective element has a compatible fastening element to that of the one or more device fasteners so that the impact detection device is rigidly attached to the protective element, the impact detection device having;

a housing;

one or more sensors within the housing for sensing an impact event of a wearer when wearing the helmet and for producing sensor data;

an alarm element coupled to the housing such that an alarm condition produced by the alarm element is detectable by one or more persons near the wearer through the window; and

a processor within the housing for processing the sensor data against an impact threshold and for producing an alarm condition signal for expression by the alarm element as the alarm condition.

15. An integrated protective sports accessory comprising:

a protective eyewear element including a frame having a pair of lenses for protecting an area surrounding the eyes of a wearer and a strap for affixing the protective eyewear element to the head of the wearer;

an impact detection device integrated with the protective eyewear element via one or more device fasteners such that a portion of the protective eyewear element has a compatible fastening element to that of the one or more device fasteners so that the impact detection device is rigidly attached to the protective eyewear element, the impact detection device having;

a housing;

one or more sensors within the housing for sensing an impact event of a wearer when wearing the protective eyewear element and for producing sensor data;

an alarm element coupled to the housing such that an alarm condition produced by the alarm element is detectable by one or more persons near the wearer; and

a processor within the housing for processing the sensor data against an impact threshold and for producing an alarm condition signal for expression by the alarm element as the alarm condition.

16. An integrated protective sports accessory comprising:

a protective headwear element including a band for affixing the protective headwear element to the head of the wearer and a pocket attached to the band, the pocket configured for receiving an impact detection device and having a window positioned on the pocket suitable for exposing an impact detection device to an external environment of the protective headwear element;

the impact detection device integrated with the protective headwear element as positioned in the pocket and retained therein via a pocket closure mechanism such that the impact detection device is rigidly coupled to the band, the impact detection device having;

a housing;

one or more sensors within the housing for sensing an impact event of a wearer when wearing the protective headwear element and for producing sensor data;

an alarm element coupled to the housing such that an alarm condition produced by the alarm element is detectable by one or more persons near the wearer through the window; and

a processor within the housing for processing the sensor data against an impact threshold and for producing an alarm condition signal for expression by the alarm element as the alarm condition.