Aircrew headgear

• US 4,734,939 A
• Filed: 05/15/1985
• Issued: 04/05/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The secretary of state for defence in her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain And Northern Ireland
• Original Assignee: The secretary of state for defence in her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain And Northern Ireland
• Inventors: Copp, Warren K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Terapane, John F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Maples, John S.
• Application Number:
  US06/754,904
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 2/1, 2/429, 2/441, 2/443, 2/6, 2/433, 2/422, 2/424, 2/426, 244/122 A, 244/122 AB, 244/122 AC, 244/122 AD, 244/122 AE, 244/122 AF, 244/122 AG, 244/122 AH, 350/145, 350/146, 350/547, 254/410
• US Class Current: 2/6.2
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/04 Parts, details or accessories of helmets
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 10/00 Flight suits helmets in general A42B3/00; breathing helmets A62B18/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0156 with optionally usable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/125 head-mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/16 Housings; Caps; Mountings; Supports, e.g. with counterweight
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features

Abstract

Means for ejecting NVG'"'"'s from an aircrewman'"'"'s helmet during an ejection seat escape, and wherein the NVG carrier is attached to the helmet via an intermediate anchorage normally on the helmet, the intermediate anchorage being arranged for separation from the helmet, still carrying the NVG carrier, during ejection, and being cord linked to an anchorage in the aircraft.

Claims

1. Releasable attachment means for attaching equipment to a helmet comprising a first part for mounting on a helmet and including:

a plate and

engagement means extending therefrom; and

a second part for carrying equipment and engageable with said first part, the second part including;

a base plate,

a face plate mounted on said base plate and incorporating guide means for locating said engagement means, a manually-rotatable, resiliently-biassed lever pivotably mounted on said base plate and incorporating a jaw which is engageable with said engagement means to engage said first and second parts, a slidable member located on said base plate and having a cam surface engageable with said jaw, and release means operable in emergency to slide said slidable member so that the cam surface engages with the jaw and rotates the jaw out of engagement with said engagement means and hence releases the first part from the second part.

2. Releasable attachment means as claimed in claim 1 in which said engagement means comprises at least one notched pin.

3. Releasable attachment means as claimed in claim 1 in which said release means comprises a reel-in cable connecting the slidable member with an aircraft mountable reel-in device.

4. Releasable attachment means as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a helmet in which the helment incorporates a visor, and further comprising emergency visor deployment means including:

a visor lowering pin attached to the visor by a visor cable and manually engageable in said second part; and

resiliently biassed gripping means adapted to engage with the visor lowering pin on operation of said release means and retain the visor lowering pin in said second part.

5. Releasable attachment means as claimed in claim 4 including visor cable cutting means mounted on said first part for cutting said visor cable when the visor has deployed after operation of said release means.

6. Releasable attachment means as claimed in claim 4 in which said release means comprises a reel-in cable connecting said resiliently-biassed gripping means with an aircraft-mountable reel-in device, said resiliently-biassed gripping means being adapted to engage with said slidable member on actuation of said release means.