Helmet airbag system

• US 9,788,588 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2015
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Allen, Paul G., Bayly, Philip V., Brody, David L., Cheatham, III, Jesse R., Ellenbogen, Richard G., Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kare, Jordin T., Leuthardt, Eric C., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Pan, Tony S., Petroski, Robert C., Radovitzky, Raul, Smith, Anthony V., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Tegreene, Clarence T., Touran, Nicholas W., Wood, Jr., Lowell L., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): VANATTA, AMY B
• Application Number:
  US14/663,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20160270472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 2413
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/00 Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches helmets A42B3/00; clothing affording protection against chemical agents or for use at high altitudes A62B17/00; life-saving garments for use at sea, diving suits B63C; bulletproof or armoured clothing F41H; clothing affording protection against radiation G21F3/02
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/018 inflatable automatically
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/0512 Neck or shoulders area
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/00 Helmets; Helmet covers ; Other protective head coverings hoods for welders A61F9/06; defence protection helmets F41H1/04
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0486 Airbags
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/12 Cushioning devices
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/122 inflatable

Abstract

An airbag inflation system includes a processing circuit configured to receive object data including positional data regarding an object and at least one of a relative velocity and a relative acceleration of the object relative to a first helmet and control operation of an inflation device to inflate an airbag based on the object data.

Claims

1. A helmet airbag system, comprising:

an inflation device configured to inflate an airbag coupled to a helmet;

a ventilation device configured to deflate the airbag;

a processing circuit configured to;

receive object data regarding at least one of an actual impact and a predicted impact between the helmet and an object; and

control operation of the ventilation device and the inflation device to control at least one of a deflation rate and an inflation rate of the airbag based on the object data; and

a retraction device configured to retract the airbag.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the object data comprises an indication of at least one of a location, a velocity, a relative location, a relative velocity, a range, a predicted impact location, a predicted impact time, a closing rate, a size, a shape, and an orientation.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the object data includes data regarding a predicted potential impact between the object and the helmet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to receive helmet data regarding the helmet, and control operation of the inflation device based on the helmet data.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the helmet data includes an indication of at least one of a location, a velocity, an orientation, an acceleration, a size, and a shape of the helmet.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the retraction device includes a plurality of fibers coupled to the airbag, the plurality of fibers configured to facilitate retracting the airbag.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is configured to control the retraction device to selectively retract the plurality of fibers to retract the airbag.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the retraction device includes a spring mechanism coupled to the plurality of fibers and configured to retract the fibers after inflation of the airbag.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the retraction device includes a net, wherein at least a portion of the airbag is inflated within the net, and wherein the net is retractable to facilitate retracting the airbag.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing circuit is configured to control the retraction device to selectively retract the net.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the retraction device includes a spring mechanism coupled to the net and configured to retract the net after inflation of the airbag.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to deflate the airbag by controlling the ventilation device to apply a negative pressure to an interior of the airbag.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor configured to acquire at least one of the object data and impact data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the sensor includes a plurality of sensors.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of sensors form a sensor array distributed about at least a portion of a shell of the helmet.

16. A helmet airbag system, comprising:

an airbag coupled to a helmet;

an inflation device coupled to the helmet and configured to at least partially inflate the airbag;

a ventilation device configured to deflate the airbag;

a retraction device configured to retract the airbag; and

a processor configured to;

receive object data regarding an object;

predict a potential impact between the helmet and the object; and

control operation of the inflation device to inflate at least one compartment of the airbag.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the airbag includes at least one of sloped sides, a conical shape, and a wedge shape.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to control the inflation device to inflate the airbag such that the airbag is offset relative to a predicted location of the potential impact.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the airbag includes a plurality of airbags.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to differentially inflate the plurality of airbags to laterally deflect the object.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to inflate one or more members of the plurality of airbags at a different time to laterally deflect the object.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to control operation of the inflation device to minimize an impact parameter of the potential impact.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the impact parameter includes at least one of a force, a torque, an impulse, and an acceleration.

24. The system of claim 16, further comprising a shape control mechanism configured to control a shape of the airbag upon inflation.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the shape control mechanism includes a net surrounding at least a portion of the airbag.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the shape control mechanism includes a plurality of fibers coupled to the airbag.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the processor is configured to selectively control the shape control mechanism to control the shape of the airbag to laterally deflect the object.

28. The system of claim 16, wherein the retraction device is configured to return the airbag to a stored position.

29. A helmet, comprising:

a shell defining an interior of the helmet and

an airbag system including;

an airbag at least partially disposed within the shell;

an inflation device coupled to the airbag and configured to at least partially inflate the airbag such that that the airbag deploys in a direction away from the interior of the helmet upon inflation;

a ventilation device coupled to the airbag and configured to deflate the airbag; and

a processor configured to control operation of the inflation device and the ventilation device to selectively and actively inflate and deflate the airbag during a respective impact between the shell and an object external to the shell.

30. The helmet of claim 29, wherein the processor is configured to control a shape of the airbag during contact with the object.

31. The helmet of claim 29, wherein the airbag includes a plurality of airbags, at least one of the plurality of airbags including a plurality of sub-compartments coupled to the inflation device, and wherein the processor is configured to control a shape of the at least one the plurality of airbags by selectively inflating or deflating each of the plurality of sub-compartments thereof.

32. The helmet of claim 29, further comprising a shape control mechanism, wherein the processor is configured to control a shape of the airbag by controlling the shape control mechanism.

33. The helmet of claim 32, wherein the shape control mechanism includes a net surrounding at least a portion of the airbag.

34. The helmet of claim 32, wherein the shape control mechanism includes a plurality of fibers coupled to the airbag.

35. The helmet of claim 29, further comprising a sensor configured to acquire object data regarding the object, wherein the processor is configured to control operation of at least one of the inflation device and the ventilation device based on the object data.