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CN-116600672-B - Wearable protection device

CN116600672BCN 116600672 BCN116600672 BCN 116600672BCN-116600672-B

Abstract

The invention relates to a wearable protective device (10) comprising at least one inflatable member (20) designed to move between a deflated state and an inflated state and to be held within a housing (30) of the wearable protective device (10). According to the invention, in the deflated state, the at least one inflatable member (20) has an outer dimension corresponding to the dimension of the available space within the housing (30). Also, in the deflated state, the at least one inflatable member (20) has at least one portion (22) that is folded into an accordion shape, whereby the accordion-shaped portion (22) expands when the at least one inflatable member (20) is moved from the deflated state to the inflated state, and the accordion-shaped portion (22) contracts when the at least one inflatable member (20) is moved from the inflated state to the deflated state.

Inventors

  • Gilvani Mazarolo
  • Lorenzo nado
  • F. Galasini

Assignees

  • 阿尔卑斯之星研究公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20211217
Priority Date
20201218

Claims (17)

  1. 1. A wearable protective device (10) comprising at least one inflatable member (20) held within a housing (30) of the wearable protective device (10), the inflatable member being designed to move between a deflated state and an inflated state, Wherein, the In the deflated state, the at least one inflatable member (20) has: i) An external dimension corresponding to the dimension of the space available in the housing (30), and Ii) being folded into at least one part (22) of an accordion shape, whereby the accordion-shaped part (22) expands when the at least one inflatable member (20) is moved from the deflated state to the inflated state, and the accordion-shaped part (22) contracts when the at least one inflatable member (20) is moved from the inflated state to the deflated state; the method is characterized in that: The at least one inflatable member (20) comprises at least one elastic insert (60) connecting selected points provided on a first side (27) or a second side (28) of the inflatable member (20) in order to create the accordion-shaped portion (22) in the inflatable member (20).
  2. 2. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (30) comprises at least one accordion-shaped portion (32).
  3. 3. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the accordion-shaped portion (22) of the at least one inflatable member (20) and the accordion-shaped portion (32) of the housing (30) are shaped and dimensioned such that the accordion-shaped portion (22) of the at least one inflatable member (20) is received into the accordion-shaped portion (32) of the housing (30).
  4. 4. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the outer layer (30 a) and/or the inner layer (30 b) of the housing (30) is at least partially constituted by an accordion-shaped portion (32), the accordion-shaped portion (32) being adapted to match the facing accordion-shaped portion (22) of the at least one inflatable member (20).
  5. 5. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (30) is provided with an accordion-shaped portion (32) in the vicinity of the accordion-shaped portion (22) of the inflatable member (20).
  6. 6. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (30) is delimited between an inner surface and an outer surface of the wearable protective device (10), or the housing (30) is constituted by a separate shell arranged internally or externally with respect to the wearable protective device (10), or the housing (30) is constituted by a pocket arranged on the inner surface or on the outer surface of the wearable protective device (10).
  7. 7. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (30) is provided on a support layer (50) of the wearable protective device (10).
  8. 8. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the accordion-shaped portion (32) of the housing (30) is arranged in a shoulder area and/or a chest area and/or a back area of the wearable protective device (10).
  9. 9. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one end of the accordion-shaped portion (22) of the at least one inflatable member (20) is fixed to a corresponding end of the housing (30) by means of a fixing device (54).
  10. 10. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 2 or 9, characterized in that a lateral end of the accordion-shaped portion (22) of the at least one inflatable member (20) is fixed to a corresponding end of the accordion-shaped portion (32) of the housing (30).
  11. 11. Wearable protective device (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the accordion-shaped portion (32) of the housing (30) is obtained by means of a thermoforming process of at least a portion of the housing (30).
  12. 12. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (30) is at least partially made of an elastic material.
  13. 13. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (30) is at least partially made of a stretchable material.
  14. 14. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 1, comprising at least one inflation device (40) designed to be coupled to the at least one inflatable member (20) in order to inflate the at least one inflatable member (20), the inflation device (40) comprising more than one inflation filler.
  15. 15. The wearable protective device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one elastic insert (60) is applied to the at least one inflatable member (20) in a tangentially stretched state, and wherein the outer end of the housing (30) and the outer end of the inflatable member (20) are fastened to each other by a fastening means (54).
  16. 16. A wearable protective device (10) comprising at least one inflatable member (20) held within a housing (30) of the wearable protective device (10), the inflatable member being designed to move between a deflated state and an inflated state, Wherein, the In the deflated state, the at least one inflatable member (20) has: i) An external dimension corresponding to the dimension of the space available in the housing (30), and Ii) being folded into at least one part (22) of an accordion shape, whereby the accordion-shaped part (22) expands when the at least one inflatable member (20) is moved from the deflated state to the inflated state, and the accordion-shaped part (22) contracts when the at least one inflatable member (20) is moved from the inflated state to the deflated state; the method is characterized in that: the housing (30) includes one or more resilient inserts (56) that connect selected points disposed on an outer layer (30 a) of the housing (30) to create an accordion-shaped portion (32) in an underlying outer layer (30 a) of the housing (30).
  17. 17. A wearable protective device (10) comprising at least one inflatable member (20) held within a housing (30) of the wearable protective device (10), the inflatable member being designed to move between a deflated state and an inflated state, Wherein, the In the deflated state, the at least one inflatable member (20) has: i) An external dimension corresponding to the dimension of the space available in the housing (30), and Ii) being folded into at least one part (22) of an accordion shape, whereby the accordion-shaped part (22) expands when the at least one inflatable member (20) is moved from the deflated state to the inflated state, and the accordion-shaped part (22) contracts when the at least one inflatable member (20) is moved from the inflated state to the deflated state; the method is characterized in that: The wearable protective device further includes one or more elastic inserts (58) that pass through holes provided at selected points in one side of the inflatable member (20) and the overlying surface of the housing (30) to create the accordion-shaped portion (22) of the inflatable member (20) and the accordion-shaped portion (32) of the housing (30) in the portions of the inflatable member (20) and the housing (30) that are passed through by the one or more elastic inserts (58).

Description

Wearable protection device Technical Field The present invention relates to a wearable protective device. In particular, the present invention relates to a wearable protective device comprising an inflatable member. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wearable protective device with inflatable members, suitable for all fields where an effective protection against impacts and/or falls must be obtained. For example, the wearable protective device is adapted to be worn by a motorcyclist, cyclist, or skier to provide additional protection to them. Background For clarity, in this description, reference will be made in a non-limiting way to a wearable protective device suitable for being worn by a motorcyclist. Wearable protection devices provided with one or more inflatable members (also referred to as "airbags") are well known in the art. Typically, during normal use, the inflatable member is disposed in a deflated state or a resting configuration in a seat disposed inside the wearable protective device. The wearable protective device can include a protective garment made of a wear resistant material (e.g., leather). Alternatively, the wearable protective device can include an undergarment adapted for use in conjunction with an externally compatible protective garment. The inflatable member is designed to be activated in an emergency situation. Typically, the inflatable member is in fluid communication with an inflation device adapted to introduce a predetermined amount of inflation fluid (e.g., compressed gas) into the inflatable member in order to inflate and thereby expand the inflatable member. The release of inflation fluid may be controlled by a mechanical or electronic system. Typically, inflatable members are made of woven fabrics or membranes having low elasticity so as to be able to withstand the pressure exerted by the inflation fluid during inflation. Because of its low elasticity, the inflatable member has a very similar shape in the rest configuration to the body part that it has to cover/protect once inflated. The known wearable protective devices with inflatable members have some drawbacks, mainly related to the inflatable members. In fact, as mentioned above, the inflatable member is made of a fabric or film of low elasticity, whereby it is forced to have a shape covering the whole body part that must be protected. Thus, the addition of inflatable members makes the garment more rigid and heavier. This disadvantage also stands out because the inflatable member, once inflated, undergoes lateral contraction, which reduces the area protected by the inflatable member. To avoid this, the inflatable member is oversized so as to ensure complete protection for the user even if lateral contraction occurs. However, due to its size, the inflatable member may limit the freedom of movement of the user, particularly at the articulated area of the user's body. Thus, the inflatable member may hinder some movement, such as bending of the back or lifting of the arm. Moreover, even if the wearable protective device is made of breathable fabric, it is inevitable that the inflatable member acts as a barrier and does not allow air to pass through, resulting in reduced perspiration and possible overheating of the user's body. Protective garments are known which are provided with inflatable members which are folded in a resting state in order to save space inside the garment. Garments of this type are disclosed for example in EP 3498117. The garment disclosed in EP3498117 comprises a region configured to include an inflatable member that folds upon itself in a deflated state and that is prone to protect the chest region of the user. The region is not fully occupied by the inflatable member when the inflatable member is in the deflated condition. In fact, when the inflatable member is in an inflated state, the inflatable member occupies this area entirely. However, the inflatable member is fully folded or rolled up in a resting state. Thus, the inflatable bladder assumes a thick tubular or wrapped shape in the folded state, which may affect the comfort of the wearer. Moreover, during normal use of the garment, the surfaces defining the area into which the inflatable member is inserted may become adhered to each other so as not to allow rapid and complete deployment of the inflatable member, thereby affecting the protection provided to the user. Furthermore, in some cases, it is desirable to ensure that the garment returns to its first configuration so that the airbag can be deployed a second time in succession when desired. Such a need arises, for example, in the event of a fall during a race when a professional rider who aims to restart the race without suffering injury uses the garment. The garment disclosed in EP3498117 prevents this possibility because the inflatable member cannot return to its original configuration autonomously. A different solution is disclosed in US2004/0003449, which relates t