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EP-4171307-B1 - CONNECTOR

EP4171307B1EP 4171307 B1EP4171307 B1EP 4171307B1EP-4171307-B1

Inventors

  • SEYFFARTH, Marcus
  • LIDSTRÖM, Wilhelm

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20210629

Claims (15)

  1. A connector (20) for connecting two layers (3, 15) of an apparatus, the connector (20) comprising: a first layer (21), formed from at least one of a textile, a cloth, a fabric and a felt; a first connecting means (23) connected to the first layer (21) and configured to attach to one of the two layers (3, 15) of the apparatus; and a second layer (22), formed from at least one of a textile, a cloth, a fabric and a felt; wherein the first and second layers (21, 22) are arranged adjacent each other and configured to slide against each other at a sliding interface (25) so as to allow the first and second layers (21, 22) to move relative to each other; characterised by comprising: a second connecting means (24) connected to the second layer (22) and configured to connect to the other of the two layers (3, 15) of the apparatus.
  2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first connecting means (23) is connected to the first layer (21) at a location opposite the sliding interface (25).
  3. The connector of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first connecting means (23) comprises a hook-and-loop material.
  4. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the second connecting means (24) is connected to the second layer (22) at a location opposite the sliding interface (25).
  5. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the second connecting means (24) comprises double-sided adhesive tape.
  6. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the first and second layers (21,22) are arranged such that a grain direction of the first layer and a grain direction of the second layer are non-parallel, optionally wherein the grain direction of the first layer and the grain direction of the second layer are angled between 45 degrees and 90 degrees relative to each other, optionally wherein the grain direction of the first layer and the grain direction of the second layer are substantially perpendicular to each other.
  7. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the first and second layers (21, 22) are each formed from a tricot fabric, optionally wherein the tricot fabrics forming the first and second layers comprise a shiny side and an dull side, the shiny sides of the tricot fabrics are arranged face-to-face a the sliding interface (25), and the tricot fabrics are oriented such that the machine directions of manufacture of the tricot fabrics are arranged to be perpendicular to each other.
  8. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the first and second layers (21, 22) are connected to each other at a region of the connector surrounding the sliding interface (25), optionally wherein the first and second layers are connected to each other at a peripheral region of the connector and the sliding interface is provided in a central region of the connector, optionally wherein the first and second layers are connected by an adhesive layer, optionally wherein the adhesive layer is formed from a hot-melt adhesive.
  9. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the connector (20) is substantially circular in shape, optionally wherein the connector has a diameter of less than 50mm.
  10. An apparatus comprising: an inner layer (15); an outer layer (3); and the connector (20) according to any preceding claim connected to the inner and outer layers (15, 3) so as to allow relative sliding between the inner and outer layers (15, 3) at a further sliding interface, in response to an impact to the apparatus.
  11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first connecting means (23) is connected to the first layer (21) of the connector (20) and the outer layer (3) of the apparatus, wherein the first connecting means comprises a hook-and-loop material, and the second connecting means (24) is connected to the second layer (22) of the connector and the inner layer (15) of the apparatus, wherein the second connecting means comprises double-sided adhesive tape.
  12. The apparatus of any one of claims 10 to 11, wherein the apparatus is a helmet (1).
  13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the outer layer (3) is an energy absorbing layer and the inner layer (15) is a head mount configured to mount the helmet on a wearer's head.
  14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the outer layer is a low friction layer (4) located radially inward of an energy absorbing layer (3) of the helmet (1) and the inner layer (15) is a head mount configured to mount the helmet on a wearer's head.
  15. The apparatus of to claim 13 or 14, wherein the head mount comprises comfort padding.

Description

The present invention relates to connectors between two parts of an apparatus. In particular the present invention relates to an apparatus, such as a helmet, that may include a sliding interface between two components. Helmets are known for use in various activities. These activities include combat and industrial purposes, such as protective helmets for soldiers and hard-hats or helmets used by builders, mine-workers, or operators of industrial machinery for example. Helmets are also common in sporting activities. For example, protective helmets may be used in ice hockey, cycling, motorcycling, motor-car racing, skiing, snow-boarding, skating, skateboarding, equestrian activities, American football, baseball, rugby, soccer, cricket, lacrosse, climbing, golf, airsoft, roller derby and paintballing. Helmets can be of fixed size or adjustable, to fit different sizes and shapes of head. In some types of helmet, e.g. commonly in ice-hockey helmets, the adjustability can be provided by moving parts of the helmet to change the outer and inner dimensions of the helmet. This can be achieved by having a helmet with two or more parts which can move with respect to each other. In other cases, e.g. commonly in cycling helmets, the helmet is provided with an head mount for fixing the helmet to the user's head, and it is the head mount that can vary in dimension to fit the user's head whilst the main body or shell of the helmet remains the same size. In some cases, comfort padding within the helmet can act as the head mount. The head mount can also be provided in the form of a plurality of physically separate parts, for example a plurality of comfort pads which are not interconnected with each other. Such head mounts for seating the helmet on a user's head may be used together with additional strapping (such as a chin strap) to further secure the helmet in place. Combinations of these adjustment mechanisms are also possible. Helmets are often made of an outer shell, that is usually hard and made of a plastic or a composite material, and an energy absorbing layer called a liner. In other arrangements, such as a rugby scrum cap, a helmet may have no hard outer shell, and the helmet as a whole may be flexible. In any case, nowadays, a protective helmet has to be designed so as to satisfy certain legal requirements which relate to inter alia the maximum acceleration that may occur in the centre of gravity of the brain at a specified load. Typically, tests are performed, in which what is known as a dummy skull equipped with a helmet is subjected to a radial blow towards the head. This has resulted in modern helmets having good energy- absorption capacity in the case of blows radially against the skull. Progress has also been made (e.g. WO 2001/045526 and WO 201 /139224) in developing helmets to lessen the energy transmitted from oblique blows (i.e. which combine both tangential and radial components), by absorbing or dissipating rotation energy and/or redirecting it into translational energy rather than rotational energy. Such oblique impacts (in the absence of protection) result in both translational acceleration and angular acceleration of the brain. Angular acceleration causes the brain to rotate within the skull creating injuries on bodily elements connecting the brain to the skull and also to the brain itself. Examples of rotational injuries include Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (MTBI) such as concussion, and Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries (STBI) such as subdural haematomas (SDH), bleeding as a consequence of blood vessels rapturing, and diffuse axonal injuries (DAI), which can be summarized as nerve fibres being over stretched as a consequence of high shear deformations in the brain tissue. Depending on the characteristics of the rotational force, such as the duration, amplitude and rate of increase, either concussion, SDH, DAI or a combination of these injuries can be suffered. Generally speaking, SDH occur in the case of accelerations of short duration and great amplitude, while DAI occur in the case of longer and more widespread acceleration loads. In helmets such as those disclosed in WO 2001/045526 and WO 2011/139224 that may reduce the rotational energy transmitted to the brain caused by oblique impacts, two parts of the helmet may be configured to slide relative to each other following an oblique impact. Connectors may be provided that, whilst connecting the parts of a helmet together, permit movement of the parts relative to each other under an impact. WO 2020/078913 A1 discloses a pad for mounting to a helmet comprising layers of textile, cloth, fabric or felt and a low friction interface between layers. In order to provide such a helmet, it may be desirable to provide two components that can slide relative to each other, providing a sliding interface. It may also be desirable to be able to provide such a sliding interface without substantially increasing the manufacturing costs and/or effort. The invention is