EP3981275A1 - Visor for ballistic safety helmet - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a visor for a ballistic protective helmet, comprising: a visor plate; a splinter protection lip arranged in an edge region of the visor, the splinter protection lip at least partially enclosing an edge of the visor.

Description

1. Field of Engineering

The present invention relates to a visor for a ballistic protective helmet.

2. State of the art

A ballistic protective helmet protects the wearer's head from direct firearm fire, but also from splinters and the effects of cutting and thrusting weapons, as well as from hits with hard objects. Such helmets are therefore worn by special forces and increasingly also by patrol officers who arrive first at the scene (so-called "first responders") for their own protection.

The basic protective function of a protective helmet is to stop an impacting projectile (e.g. a bullet or fragment) and prevent the projectile from penetrating the head of a wearer of the protective helmet. Another important aspect of protection is minimizing the impact of the projectile's kinetic energy on the wearer's head.

To protect the face, especially the eyes, ballistic protective helmets are often equipped with visors. These can be attached permanently or detachably to the protective helmet and can usually be removed from the field of vision by turning them, for example when there is no dangerous situation. The protective effect of such visors is based on visor panes which are able to dissipate the energy of impacting projectiles, splinters or blows and prevent or at least prevent the impact of the impacting projectiles, splinters or blows on the wearer's face reduce the risk of injury to a non-life-threatening minimum.

However, the protective effect of visors for ballistic protective helmets usually decreases towards the edges. In particular, hits by projectiles, fragments or impacts in an edge area of the visor can cause splintering or one or more visor panes to break, which in turn means a risk of injury for the wearer of the ballistic protective helmet. The bullet resistance of sights known from the prior art also generally decreases towards the edge.

3. Summary of the Invention

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a visor for a ballistic protective helmet which minimizes the risk of injury, especially in the event of impacts in the edge area, e.g. from projectiles, splinters or blows.

This object is achieved according to claim 1 of the present invention by a visor for a ballistic protective helmet, having a visor and a splinter protection lip arranged in an edge region of the visor, the splinter protection lip at least partially enclosing an edge of the visor.

A number of advantageous effects are achieved by the splinter protection lip according to the invention. The first thing to mention here is protection against splinters. The splinter protection lip encloses the edge (which can be milled, for example) of the visor pane, which can consist of at least one but also of several layers that are connected to one another. When bombarded with projectiles or splinters or by blows, complex processes such as breakage, deformation, separation occur. As a rule, splinters form. With increasing proximity to the edge, the following mechanisms can lead to a splinter release: (i.) Due to the separation of individual visor panes, splinters that have formed near the hit can escape and lead to injury or even death of the wearer. By means of the splinter protection lip according to the claims, such a splinter release is avoided or at least its effect is reduced. (ii.) By hitting near the edge, splinters form directly on the visor edge, which as secondary projectiles can lead to injury or even death of the wearer. The escape of splinters and the discharge of splinters, which form directly on the visor edge, are prevented or at least greatly restricted as secondary projectiles by the splinter protection lip according to the claims.

Protection against breakage is also achieved by the splinter protection lip according to the invention. Because of projectile fire or the effects of splinters or impacts, such forces can act on the visor that lead to a breakage or partial breakage of the visor pane by buckling or shearing it off. This process also produces splinters which, as a secondary projectile, can cause injury or even death to the wearer. The splinter protection lip, with its high elongation at break and sufficient strength, dampens this behavior and, in the best case, prevents it, thereby preventing the release of splinters as secondary projectiles and, in the worst case, preventing a bullet.

Another advantage of the claimed splinter protection lip is its flame-retardant effect. According to the standards, the products to be tested (visor, helmet, etc.) are exposed to a flame with a temperature of 800 +/- 50°C for 12 seconds. After exposure to the flame, the tested product may continue to burn/glow or drip for a maximum of 2 seconds. The claimed splinter protection lip improves the flame-retardant properties of the visor compared to a visor without a splinter protection lip, since the visor edge without a splinter protection lip is generally susceptible to flames, ie when exposed to the test flame, the visor pane burns for an unacceptably long time at the point of flame exposure.

However, if splinters do form in the edge area, the splinter protection lip reduces the probability of splinters coming off and flying around by enclosing the visor. In any case, the kinetic energy of detached splinters is significantly reduced and the potential for injury is reduced.

The visor can be a ballistic visor, an anti-splinter visor and/or an anti-impact visor. Ballistic protective helmets are advantageously equipped with such visors in order to also protect the wearer's field of vision from projectiles, fragments or impacts. As already explained, the splinter protection lip according to the invention prevents the formation of splinters in the edge area of the visor and thus increases the protective effect of the visor.

The visor can additionally have a visor carrier which is designed to connect the visor to a ballistic protective helmet. This allows the visor to be removable or permanently attached to the safety helmet. In a further embodiment, the visor carrier is also rotatably mounted on the protective helmet, so that the visor can be rotated out of the field of vision, e.g. outside of a specific dangerous situation.

The visor can have a multiplicity of layers. This increases the protective effect of the visor. The layers can be individual panes of different materials, such as glass, ceramics and plastics such as PMMA and PC, which are connected to one another.

The layers can be connected to each other by means of an adhesive. Advantageously, the adhesive is elastic, allowing the layers to move in shear relative to one another to absorb some of the kinetic energy of a projectile, shrapnel or impact hit. The adhesive is preferably a film adhesive, more preferably based on polyurethane. Adhesives curing under UV light are also conceivable. In principle, the adhesive should have a high elongation at break.

The splinter protection lip can be made of a flame-retardant material. This prevents or at least limits the splinter protection lip from burning or scorching due to the thermal energy generated by a hit or when it comes into contact with burning substances. In one embodiment, the splinter protection lip is made of polyurethane, the flame-retardant effect of which has been increased by an additive.

The splinter protection lip can be made of polyurethane. Polyurethane has been found to be particularly advantageous because it satisfies two basic requirements: First, polyurethane is sufficiently strong to prevent fragments generated by projectile impact, shrapnel or impact from penetrating the shatterproof lip. On the other hand, polyurethane has a high elongation at break to help convert the kinetic energy of an impacting projectile, shrapnel or impact into deformation of the visor.

The splinter protection lip is preferably glued to the visor. In this way, the formation of splinters can be prevented or at least reduced even more effectively. This effect is further enhanced by using adhesive with a high breaking elongation.

The splinter protection lip can have a wall thickness of 1 mm to 4 mm. In this area, the splinter protection lip optimally fulfills the two requirements already mentioned: firstly, the release of splinter as a secondary projectile is effectively prevented or at least reduced, and secondly, breaking through buckling and shearing of the visor slide is effectively prevented or at least reduced.

The visor can have an outer side and an opposite inner side and the splinter protection lip can cover at least part of the outer side, at least part of the inner side and at least part of an edge of the visor plate. In this way, the exit of splinters becomes all-round effectively prevented or at least mitigated in the edge area of the visor.

The anti-shatter lip may have a U-shaped or L-shaped cross section. These cross sections have proven to be particularly advantageous in order to prevent or at least reduce the escape of splinters.

The splinter protection lip can cover an edge area of 1 mm to 20 mm on the outside and/or the inside of the visor, measured from the edge of the visor in each case. In this area, the splinter protection lip optimally fulfills the requirements already mentioned, namely protection against splinters, crushing protection and flame protection.

The splinter protection lip can cover more than 25% of the surrounding edge of the visor. More preferably, the splinter protection lip can enclose more than 50% of the peripheral edge of the visor pane, even more preferably, the splinter protection lip can enclose more than 75% of the peripheral edge of the visor pane. The splinter protection lip and the visor carrier together can cover more than 90% of the surrounding edge of the visor. In this way, specific edge areas of the visor can be protected by the splinter protection lip in a very targeted manner, or essentially the entire peripheral edge area can be protected by the splinter protection lip.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to a ballistic protective helmet having a visor as described herein.

4. Short description of the drawings

Fig. 1A:

Eine Vorderansicht eines Ausführungsbeispiels eines erfindungsgemäßen Visiers;

Fig. 1B:

Einen Schnitt entlang der in der Fig. 1A gezeigten Ebene A-A;

Fig. 1C:

Eine perspektivische Ansicht des Ausführungsbeispiels aus den Figuren 1A und 1B.

The present invention is explained below using preferred exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. The drawing show:

Figure 1A:

A front view of an embodiment of a visor according to the invention;

Figure 1B:

A cut along the in the Figure 1A shown level AA;

Figure 1C:

A perspective view of the embodiment of FIGS Figures 1A and 1B .

5. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

An embodiment of a visor 1 according to the invention for a ballistic protective helmet (not shown in the figures) is shown in FIGS Figures 1A , 1B and 1C shown where the Figure 1A represents a front view, the Figure 1B a cut along the in the Figure 1A shown level AA and the Figure 1C a perspective view.

The visor 1 has a visor pane 2 and a splinter protection lip 3 arranged in an edge region of the visor pane 2 , with the shatter protection lip 3 at least partially enclosing an edge 4 of the visor pane 2 . The visor 1 is basically suitable for a ballistic protective helmet, such as that worn by the police or special forces. Military use of the protective helmet or of the visor 1 according to the invention is also conceivable.

The visor 1 can be a ballistic visor, an anti-splinter visor and/or an anti-impact visor. Ballistic visors protect the wearer's field of vision from projectiles from firearms, slingshots, bows, etc., splinter protection visors from splinters and impact protection visors from blows, including, for example, the impact of objects such as stones or glass bottles. In principle, visors can also have a combination of the properties mentioned, ie, for example, protect against projectiles, splinters and blows or protect against splinters and blows, etc. The protective effect is achieved by the visor pane 2 in conjunction with the splinter protection lip 3 . In principle, the visor pane 2 can be a single pane of suitable thickness or multiple layers of panes.

In the embodiment of Figures 1A , 1B and 1C the visor has a single visor disk 2 . As already mentioned, in other exemplary embodiments the visor pane can have a multi-layer structure. Examples of possible materials for the visor pane 2 are polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC). In the case of a multi-layer structure, the layers can be connected to one another by means of an adhesive.

A wide variety of materials can be used for the visor, such as glass, ceramics and plastics such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC). Depending on the protection class, the visor can consist of just one material or a combination of the materials mentioned in which the visor is built up in layers. The individual layers are usually (preferably) connected by gluing, but mechanical connections, such as screwing or a frame that holds the panes together, are also conceivable.

In the embodiment of Figures 1A , 1B and 1C the visor 1 has a visor support 5 adapted to connect the visor 1 to a ballistic protective helmet (not shown in the figures). In this way, the visor 1 can be detachably or permanently attached to the protective helmet. The visor carrier has two bearings 10a and 10b on the sides, so that the visor 1 can be rotated about the axis of rotation identified by the reference number 11.

The splinter lip 3 is in the embodiment Figures 1A , 1B and 1C made of polyurethane. Specifically, it is a material that is specially optimized for flame-retardant applications. In principle, other materials are also conceivable as long as they have sufficient flame retardancy, fracture toughness and strength.

The splinter protection lip 3 is glued to the visor. In the embodiment of Figures 1A , 1B and 1C an adhesive 12 based on polyurethane is used. In principle, other adhesives can also be used be used, such as under UV light curing adhesive. The prerequisite for this is that the adhesive has similar characteristics such as flexibility, elongation at break and strength as the splinter protection lip 3 itself.

The splinter lip 3 has in the embodiment of Figures 1A , 1B and 1C a wall thickness 6 of 2.2 mm (see Figure 1B ). In the Figure 1B also shows that the splinter protection lip has a U-shaped cross section and thus at least partially covers the end face 9 of the visor pane 2 and its front face 7 and rear face 8 . Other cross sections are conceivable. For example, the cross section could be L-shaped, so that the splinter protection lip 1 covers the end face 9 and the outside 7 or the inside 8 of the visor pane 2 .

In the embodiment of Figures 1A , 1B and 1C the splinter protection lip 3 almost completely encloses the peripheral edge of the visor pane 2 together with the visor carrier 5 . The splinter protection lip 3 alone encloses more than half of the surrounding edge, namely the sides and the underside, while the visor carrier encloses the top of the visor (see Fig Figure 1A ).

Claims (15)

A visor for a ballistic protective helmet, comprising: a visor plate; a splinter protection lip arranged in an edge region of the visor, the splinter protection lip at least partially enclosing an edge of the visor. The visor of claim 1, wherein the visor is a ballistic visor, an anti-fragment visor, and/or an anti-impact visor. A visor according to any one of claims 1-2, additionally comprising:
a visor carrier configured to connect the visor to a ballistic protective helmet. A visor according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the visor panel has a plurality of layers. A visor according to claim 4, wherein the layers are bonded together by an adhesive. A visor according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the anti-splinter lip is made of a flame retardant material. A visor according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the anti-splinter lip is made of polyurethane. Visor according to one of claims 1-7, wherein the splinter protection lip is glued to the visor pane. Visor according to one of claims 1-8, wherein the splinter protection lip has a wall thickness of 1 mm to 4 mm. The visor of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the visor has an outer face and an opposite inner face, and the shatterproof lip covers at least a portion of the outer face, at least a portion of the inner face, and at least a portion of an edge of the visor. A visor according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the anti-splinter lip has a U-shaped or L-shaped cross-section. Visor according to one of claims 10-11, wherein the splinter protection lip covers an edge area of 1 mm to 20 mm of the outside and/or the inside of the visor pane, measured in each case from the edge of the visor pane. Visor according to one of claims 1-12, wherein the splinter protection lip surrounds more than 25% of the peripheral edge of the visor pane. Visor according to one of claims 3-13, wherein the splinter protection lip and the visor carrier together enclose more than 90% of the peripheral edge of the visor pane. Ballistic protective helmet comprising a visor according to one of Claims 1-14.

Images