Energy Dissipating Helmet

Abstract

An energy dissipating helmet, such as a protective football helmet, includes a structural component, such as a hard plastic outer shell, adapted to receive an anticipatory impact having energy, and configured to be caused to resistively collapse by the impact, such that the component dissipates at least a portion of the energy, wherein the component may further include an active material element for further energy dissipation during and/or to facilitate repair after receiving the impact.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A protective football helmet configured to fit upon the head of a user, to receive an anticipatory impact having energy on a predefined area of the helmet, and to dissipate a portion of the energy, so as to not transfer said portion of energy to the user, when the impact is received on said predefined area, said football helmet comprising:
 an outer shell of durable material defining an exterior surface adapted to receive the impact, presenting a front elevation and a back elevation opposite the front elevation, and including a left side portion, a right side portion, and a dorsal portion longitudinally extending from the front elevation and to the back elevation,
 wherein the dorsal portion is intermediate the left side portion and the right side portion, 
 wherein the left side portion, the right side portion, and the dorsal portion cooperatively define an inverted U-shaped opening operable to receive a facemask, in the front elevation, 
 wherein the opening is defined by opposite vertical edges defined by the left side portion and the right side portion respectively, and an interconnecting cross-edge cooperatively defined by the left side portion, the right side portion, and the dorsal portion, 
 said shell defining at least one compliant energy dissipating section disposed within the front elevation and the dorsal portion, 
 wherein said at least one compliant energy dissipating section is configured to resistively collapse towards the head, so as to achieve an impact condition and dissipate said portion of the energy, when receiving the impact, 
 said shell further defining a rigid, non-active section in each of the left side portion and the right side portion, wherein the non-active sections are configured so as to not achieve the condition and not dissipate said portion of the energy, when each receives the impact; and 
   interior padding adapted to engage the head when the helmet is donned, and configured to be compressed when the shell receives the anticipatory impact.   
     
     
         2 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the shell is formed of an injection molded hard plastic. 
     
     
         3 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the left side portion, the right side portion, and the dorsal portion are integrally formed, such that the shell presents a unitary and non-modular structure. 
     
     
         4 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the shell defines an overall width and overall height in the front elevation, the dorsal portion presents a uniform width not more than 70% of the overall width, and the side portions present a height not less than 90% of the overall height. 
     
     
         5 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the dorsal portion presents a uniform width not more than 60% of the overall width, and the side portions present a height not less than 95% of the overall height. 
     
     
         6 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one compliant dissipating section is laterally centered within the dorsal portion. 
     
     
         7 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , said at least one compliant dissipation section is spaced from the opening. 
     
     
         8 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one compliant dissipating section defines at least one through-hole, said at least one through-hole being configured to facilitate said at least one compliant dissipating section resistively collapsing towards the head, when the helmet is donned and receives the impact. 
     
     
         9 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one compliant dissipating section is configured to inelastically deform, when receiving the impact. 
     
     
         10 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one compliant dissipating section presents an original shape, achieves an impact condition when receiving the impact, and includes a return element operable to drive said at least one compliant dissipating section towards the original shape when in the impact condition. 
     
     
         11 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one compliant dissipating section presents at least one of a through-hole, a geometric configuration, a thinner layer, or a fold-line operable to facilitate said at least one dissipating section resistively collapsing towards the head, when the helmet is donned and receives the impact. 
     
     
         12 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one compliant dissipating section is configured to resistively collapse by folding towards the head, when receiving the impact. 
     
     
         13 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one compliant dissipating section and the non-active sections form separate interconnected parts, so as to define a seam therebetween, and said at least one compliant dissipating section and the non-active sections are reversibly disconnectable. 
     
     
         14 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one compliant dissipating section and the nonactive sections cooperatively define at least one male member and at least one orifice, and are interconnected by inserting said at least one male member into said at least one orifice. 
     
     
         15 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one compliant dissipating section is viewable in the front and back elevations. 
     
     
         16 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one compliant dissipating section composes a composite shell, said composite shell including a rigid inner layer and an outer layer at least partially spaced from the inner layer and resistively collapsible towards the inner layer by the impact. 
     
     
         17 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the composite shell further includes a compressible medium interposed between the inner and outer layers. 
     
     
         18 . A protective football helmet configured to fit upon the head of a user, receive an anticipatory impact having energy, and dissipate a portion of the energy when the impact is received, said football helmet comprising:
 a composite shell defining an exterior surface, and including an inner layer and an outer layer at least partially spaced from the inner layer, wherein the outer layer is caused to resistively collapse towards the inner layer by the impact, so as to dissipate said portion of energy,
 said outer layer defining the exterior surface and an original shape, adapted to receive the impact, and presenting a compliant energy dissipating section configured to resistively collapse towards the head, so as to achieve an impact condition and dissipate said portion of the energy, when receiving the impact, 
 said inner layer defining a rigid, non-active section configured so as to not achieve the condition and not dissipate said portion of the energy, when receiving the impact; 
 a compressible medium intermediate the inner layer and outer layer, and operable to drive the outer layer towards the original shape when in the impact condition; and 
   interior padding interior to the shell, adapted to engage the head when the helmet is donned, and configured to be compressed when the shell receives the impact.   
     
     
         19 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the compressible medium includes a plurality of tubular elastic members orthogonally interconnecting the inner and outer layers. 
     
     
         20 . The helmet as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the outer layer presents a first thickness, and the inner layer presents a second thickness greater than the first thickness.