Quick-fit modular helmet

• US 5,623,730 A
• Filed: 09/25/1995
• Issued: 04/29/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sextant Avionique
• Original Assignee: Sextant Avionique
• Inventors: Capdepuy, Pascal, Baudou, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Neas, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US08/533,549
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 2/410, 2/6.1, 2/6.2, 2/6.3, 2/422, 2/424, 2/10, 2/6.4, 2/6.5, 2/6.6, 359/407, 359/409, 359/815
• US Class Current: 2/6.2
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/04 Parts, details or accessories of helmets
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0154 with movable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0156 with optionally usable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features

Abstract

The disclosure is a helmet, for example a pilot'"'"'s helmet, including a shell and an attachable structure carrying optronic equipment. To facilitate manual fitting and removal of the structure on the shell by the wearer, the structure is equipped with mobile linkage parts that can take two stable positions, with a mechanism for locking the linkage parts in these positions, an open position used during the initial positioning of the structure on the shell, and a closed position in which the linkage parts lock the structure on the shell. Fitting and removal of the structure is further facilitated by the fact that the linkage parts can be opened or closed simply by pressing manually on two parts mounted symmetrically, one on each side of the shell, and that each position of the linkage parts is maintained by the mechanism for locking.

Claims

1. Helmet composed of two main parts, a shell with two side panels connected by the front and rear panels of the shell, and a rigid structure shaped to receive optronic devices, in which the structure can be mounted on and removed from the shell by means of a set of attachments, each attachment including linkage parts in the form of a stud and a cylinder, one of the linkage parts being attached to the shell and the other to the structure, each cylinder having an axial direction, wherein at least one linkage part in each of two of the attachments mounted on the structure is mobile relative to this structure and can be moved into open and closed positions, such that in the open position the two mobile linkage parts enable the structure to be placed on the shell, and in the closed position these mobile linkage parts assure the linkage with the shell via the corresponding linkage parts on the shell, and wherein the structure is equipped with means of holding these mobile linking parts in their open and closed positions, the change from open to closed position being obtained by pressing manually on a part that includes the mobile linkage part mounted on the structure, the pressure being applied to each the parts on each of the two attachments substantially along the axial direction of each of said cylinders.

2. Helmet according to claim 1, wherein said means of holding said linkage parts in their open position include an elastic device exerting a force tending to pull said stud away from said cylinder.

3. Helmet according to claim 1, wherein said mobile linkage parts each comprise a part that is in correspondence with a linkage part mounted on the side panel of the shell.

4. Helmet according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said mobile linkage parts is mobile because it is mounted on an arm that can pivot about fixed axes mounted on said structure.

5. Helmet according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said mobile linkage parts is mobile because it is mounted on a push-button that can move in and out relative to the structure.

6. Helmet according to claim 4, wherein said arm has two bearing surfaces and a stop and wherein said elastic device is connected between the arm and a slide that can move in a direction secant to both the axial directions of said cylinder and the axis of the rotation of the arm, such that in the open position of the arm its first bearing surface and its stop are in contact with the slide, and in the closed position of the arm its second bearing surface is in contact with the slide, the movement of the slide between the first and second positions being achieved by the combined action of manual pressure on the arm, which overrides the stop, and the force exerted by the elastic device on the slide.

7. Helmet according to claim 5, wherein said push-button comprises a rack engaging a first pinion rotating about an axis, wherein said elastic device is connected between this pinion and a point fixed relative to said structure, the point of attachment of the elastic device on the pinion being such that in the depressed position of the push-button the force exerted on the pinion produces a couple tending to rotate the pinion and thereby push the rack in the direction tending to keep the push-button depressed, whereas when the push-button is withdrawn the force exerted by said elastic device tends to keep it withdrawn.

8. Helmet according to claim 7, wherein a second pinion driven by said first pinion causes a translation of a slide fitted with a rack, in a direction other than the axial direction of said cylinder, this slide being in a protruding position when said push-button is in its depressed position, such that the push-button can be forced outwards to its open position by pressing manually on the slide.

9. Helmet according to claim 1, wherein said structure and said shell are equipped with parts intended to guide said structure to its position of locking on said shell, these guiding parts being constituted by bosses on one of said main parts, including said structure and said shell, and slots made in the other main part, these slots being of tapered width such that the bosses are presented to the widest part of the slots when the structure is moved from the front of the shell towards its rear.

10. Helmet according to claim 1, wherein said linkage parts connected to said structure include two mobile parts that are designed to engage linkage parts mounted on the sides of said shell, and one static part protruding from a cavity in the structure.

11. Helmet according to claim 1, wherein said linkage parts include three mobile parts that are designed to engage three linkage parts mounted on said shell, two of them on its sides and one on its front.

12. Helmet according to claim 10, wherein at least one of said mobile linkage parts is mobile because it is mounted on an arm that can pivot about a fixed axis mounted on said structure.

13. Helmet according to claim 10, wherein at least one of said mobile linkage parts is mobile because it is mounted on a push-button that can move in and out relative to the structure.

14. Helmet according to claim 11, wherein said mobile linkage part of the structure, designed to engage the said linkage part mounted on the front of the shell, can take two positions, a closed position in which the mobile linkage part engages the linkage part on the front of the shell, and an open or disengaged position, and wherein the change between the open and closed positions is obtained by moving a control lever manually.

15. Helmet according to claim 14, wherein said structure, once mounted on said shell, can be rotated about the two lateral attachments and can take two stable positions, a lower position in which the mobile linkage part engages the linkage part on the front of the shell, and an upper position in which a catch mounted on the structure engages a connector mounted on the shell.

16. Helmet according to claim 15, wherein said catch can take two positions, a first position in which the catch engages said connector mounted on the shell, and a second position in which the catch is disengaged from this connector, the change between the first and second positions being obtained by manually moving the same control lever used to move the mobile linkage part on the structure between its upper and lower positions.