Helmet systems

• US 5,184,231 A
• Filed: 03/19/1987
• Issued: 02/02/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GEC Marconi Limited (Gooding Consumer Electronics Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: GEC Marconi Limited (Gooding Consumer Electronics Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Stafford M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner, Mark
• Application Number:
  US07/035,042
• Time in Patent Office: 2,147 Days
• Field of Search: 350/500, 359/13, 359/815, 2/6
• US Class Current: 359/13
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/042 Optical devices night vision goggles G02B23/12
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/228 for military or aviation applications protection helmets F41H1/04; breathing masks or helmets A62B18/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/125 head-mounted

Abstract

A helmet system comprising a helmet (11), a vizor (13) pivotally mounted on the helmet, and mounted on the vizor (13), an electro-optical system, e.g. a night vision goggle, including an eyepiece (33) positioned between a transparent part (19) of the vizor and the user'"'"'s eye so as to provide the user with a view of a scene forward of the user through the eyepiece, the eyepiece also serving as a combiner to provide the user with a virtual image of a display produced by the electro-optical system superimposed on his view of the forward scene through the eyepiece.

Claims

1. A helmet system comprising:

a helmet;

a vizor which is angularly displaceable with respect to the helmet about a transverse axis fixed with respect to the helmet; and

an electro-optical system including a combiner eyepiece through which a user of the helmet system is able to view a scene forward of the user and which serves to reflect light rays derived from a display surface of the electro-optical system to the user to provide the user with a virtual image of the display surface superimposed on his view of the forward scene through the eyepiece; and

wherein the electro-optical system is mounted on the said vizor so as to be angularly displaceable therewith about said transverse axis, and so that said eyepiece is positioned, when the vizor is in use, between a transparent part of the vizor and an eye of the user.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said vizor includes an upper structural part which extends part way round the helmet at each side thereof, said transverse axis extending through portions of said structural part at the sides of the helmet;

and said electro-optical system is mounted on a lower transparent part of the vizor which is dependent from said structural part.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein a positive detent means is provided between said vizor and said helmet whereby the vizor may be secured with respect to the helmet in any selected one of at least two positions angularly displaced about said transverse axis.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein said transverse axis is fixed in the helmet so that the clearance between a user'"'"'s eye position and the eyepiece is substantially the same at each vizor position defined by the detent means.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein said vizor is mounted on the helmet by pivot arrangements such that the vizor, together with the electro-optical system, is manually releasable from the helmet.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein said electro-optical system comprises a night vision system.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein said night vision system has a forward projecting portion which projects through and is secured within an aperture in said vizor.