Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62B—DEVICES, APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR LIFE-SAVING
  • A62B18/00—Breathing masks or helmets, e.g. affording protection against chemical agents or for use at high altitudes or incorporating a pump or compressor for reducing the inhalation effort
  • A62B18/04—Gas helmets

Definitions

• the present invention relates to individual equipment for the protection of personnel exposed to so-called threats NBC (nuclear, bacteriological or chemical contamination).
• NBC nuclear, bacteriological or chemical contamination
• Such individual equipment usually includes a helmet, a face cover provided with fasteners intended for attach it to the helmet and a ventilation pipe fitting or breathing gas supply, and an envelope flexible, often called neck seal, intended for extend the helmet and the face cover downwards, as well as waterproof connection means between the helmet, the face cover and the envelope.
• the helmet provides protection against the perforation and the shocks and moreover serves to support different elements, such as earphones and transparent visor.
• This constitution allows staff to use only the helmet when he has to accomplish a mission that does not carries no NBC threat. It thus avoids the discomfort of pieces of equipment that completely wrap around the face and the neck.
• the personnel When, on the other hand, the personnel is informed, before a mission, risk of NBC aggression, he mounts the envelope on the helmet.
• the actual presence of a threat is signaled, either by sensor means carried by the vehicle occupied by staff, either by transmission, staff fits the face cover, attaches it to the helmet and having previously started the ventilation system which supplies it with filtered air or the gas supply system breathable.
• the first situation arises in particular on helicopters, which operate at low altitude and whose equipment consequently does not include a supply of oxygen under pressure and on transport aircraft soldiers operating at moderate altitude.
• the present invention aims in particular to remove this disadvantage and to provide individual equipment of protection eliminating such a triple point and allowing to use the helmet alone, or with the envelope, the face cover necessary for NBC protection only added in case of necessity.
• the invention notably proposes equipment in which the sealed connection means comprise at minus a hoop permanently attached to the helmet or removable, extending the base of the helmet forward, including the upper edge is designed to receive the face cover and which receives the envelope in a sealed manner.
• the lower edge is provided for sealingly receiving a ring forming attached and belonging to the envelope.
• envelope must be understood in the broad sense: the envelope generally consists of a neck seal enclosing the pilot's neck to ensure a watertight gas, which is covered with a plastron for sealing against liquid.
• ring should also be interpreted as broadly and as broadly covering all joints whose periphery has no interruption, especially those that are circular at rest.
• the arch is fixed permanently on the helmet and has a shape approaching a semicircle. It is connected without breaking continuity at the base of the helmet. It can be made up of flexible material so as to bend when it comes to rest against an obstacle due to head movements then the pilot is not wearing a face cover.
• the envelope includes a closed ring intended to adapt on the one hand to the arch, on the other hand to the lower edge of the helmet.
• the arch is removable and in one piece and it includes a constituent branch a lower closed loop for receiving the entire envelope seal and a transverse branch provided for to adapt on one side to the helmet and to receive on the other side of the face cover.
• the front cover and the roll bar can be provided so that a space remains between the head and the face cover assembly and shell.
• the face cover contains an oro-nasal mask delimiting a respiratory volume leading directly to the outside by an exhalation valve and supplied from the space between the face cover and the mask through an inspiration valve between air intake and oro-nasal mask.
• an oro-nasal mask delimiting a respiratory volume leading directly to the outside by an exhalation valve and supplied from the space between the face cover and the mask through an inspiration valve between air intake and oro-nasal mask.
• the equipment shown schematically in Figure 1 is intended to be supplied with atmospheric air through a protection filter not shown and possibly a fan.
• the equipment includes a helmet 10, a face cover 12 having a transparent visor 14 and an envelope 16.
• the face cover carries an exhalation valve 30, a end piece 32 for connection to a flexible supply duct 34 air and possibly a supply nozzle liquid not visible in Figure 1, placed symmetrically relative to the tip 32 relative to the median plane vertical of the face cover.
• the equipment comprises a hoop 18 intended to allow the connection of the helmet 10, of the face cover 12 and of the envelope 16 in a sealed manner.
• this hoop 18 is removable and in one piece. It includes a branch lower 20 in the form of a closed loop, intended to receive the envelope 16, and a transverse branch 22 in the form of U, designed to fit on one side to helmet 10 and the other side to the face cover.
• the person to protect for example a helicopter pilot, fits the envelope 16 and the arch 18 on the helmet 10 before to style it.
• the pilot sets up the cover 12, provided with fasteners 24 allowing it to be pressed against the arch 18.
• the envelope 16 consists of a seal 26 with an extension flexible at its base, enclosing the neck, semi-rigid, shaped corresponding to that of the lower branch 20 of the headband, and a waterproof fabric bib 28 connected tightly and permanently at the joint 26.
• the arch 18 and the envelope 16 are permanently attached.
• FIGS 2 to 4 show a particular constitution possible of the different components that have just been described.
• the elements already represented on Figure 1 are designated by the same reference number.
• the helmet 10 shown in FIG. 2 comprises, so classic, a rigid shell 36 coated, on a major part of its internal surface, anti-shock padding permanent 38.
• the helmet shown has a custom internal padding 40, can be made of expanded material directly molded on the wearer's head and allowing the helmet to be positioned perfectly set on the head. This constitution is in particular advantageous when a helmet visor is provided, because in in this case the helmet must have a well-defined position on the head.
• This custom internal padding may include grooves or openings allowing the passage of air from ventilation.
• the lower branch of the roll bar shown in Figure 2 a a left shape, going down in front of the second branch, so as to adapt properly to a face cover 12 containing a respiratory mask 54 which will be more described later.
• the sealing means interposed between the branch 22 the headband on the one hand, the helmet 10 and the face cover 12 on the other hand, can have the constitution shown in figure 3.
• a groove 42 is formed having parallel faces, except at its swollen end intended to receive a seal "toric" 44.
• the hoop can be attached to the helmet by various means.
• the headband is snapped onto the shell 36 of the helmet by engagement of nipples 46, carried by the hull or the roll bar in recesses 48, formed in the hoop or the shell.
• the end edge of the shell compresses the joint toric 44.
• the face 50 of the hoop which is opposite the face cover 12 is advantageously inclined backwards and outwards.
• a seal 52 On the back of the face cover 12 is fitted a seal 52 whose section can for example be that shown schematically in Figure 3. When the face cover is pulled towards the helmet by the fasteners 24, the seal 52 is crushed against slanted edges and seals.
• the envelope 16 is permanently secured to the lower branch 20 of the arch, for example by gluing, and the connection between this lower branch of the arch and the shell 36 of the helmet is the same kind as the connection between branch 22 and the hull.
• the face cover proper 12 is separated from an oronasal cavity by a mask 54.
• This mask opens directly into the valve expiration 30, so the air charged with water vapor and into carbon dioxide released by the carrier leads directly to the atmosphere and cannot invade the rest of the face cover.
• the exhalation valve 30 can be doubled or protected by a special cover, so as to ensure better protection against pollutant entry.
• the mask 54 also carries an inspiration valve 56 intended for allow the passage of fresh air, brought by the nozzle 32 into the face cover, towards the inside of the mask.
• the valve 56 can be connected to a ventilation manifold so as to ensure ventilation of the face by air circulation admitted into the mask.
• the helmet 10 and the casing 16 can be provided with so there is also a breakdown of all of the head and especially the scalp.
• channels are provided in the internal face of the padding 40 and receive ambient or conditioned air supplied by the end piece 32.
• the rear part of the envelope, above the sealing part with the neck can be fitted an exhaust valve 58 evacuating to the atmosphere the flow of air that is not drawn through the mask.
• the attachment of the face cover with the helmet in a position where it rests on the face prevents the face cover to move during the move until the moment when a mask sealing lip 54 is applied against the face. It is therefore desirable to customize each face cover / mask set.
• This can be done by using the mask connections with the exhalation valve 30, the liquid supply socket and an extension end piece 32 as adjustable support points.
• the connection between the mask and the exhalation valve 30 may consist of a set of two sections of tube 60 which can slide one inside the other and then be immobilized relative to each other when in the appropriate position. The other two links can be similar.
• the helmet, the face cover and the headband can in particular have the shape shown in figure 5.
• the hoop is made in a single molded part, of left shape, having a lower branch, the front part of which lowers to leave enough space for a faceplate with a significant downward projection, allowing to release the visual field.
• the exhalation valve 30 is located at the front.
• the liquid supply socket and the connection are placed laterally, and oriented towards the down to the outside.
• the arch is reduced to a half-branch 18a in horseshoe shape, permanently fixed and waterproof to the helmet shell, in line with the ridge bottom of the hull.
• the envelope has a ring 26a intended to be tightly fixed on the helmet and headband, departing from a mission presenting a risk of NBC contamination.
• the means of sealing and connection between the envelope ring and the headband-helmet assembly can be of the kind shown in Figure 4.
• the arch 18a will generally have a downward plunging shape, comparable to that shown in Figures 2 and 3. So that the roll bar does not cause discomfort to the downward movement of the pilot's head when he is not not support a face cover, this hoop can be made in a flexible material, generally synthetic.
• FIGS. 7 and 8 show yet another mode of production.
• the equipment also includes a helmet 10 and a hoop 18 which is permanently fixed to an envelope 16.
• a helmet 10 and a hoop 18 which is permanently fixed to an envelope 16.
• FIGS. 7 and 8 the elements corresponding to those of the previous figures are designated by the same Reference number.
• the face cover 12 is formed so as to be easily put in place.
• it includes a front yoke 60 carrying a transverse rod 62.
• a sagittal socket 64 in the form of a fork, intended for receive the spindle when the face cover 12 is moved up by dragging it along the part of the transverse branch 22.
• the upper part of the transverse branch 22 may have lips or flaps side 66 and 68. However, the lower part can to be deprived of such lips.
• the seal 52 may have various forms. For example, the part to the right of seal 52 in FIG. 8 may consist of a lip flexible curved instead of a tube.
• the equipment can also be adapted for be used by ground personnel, with a light helmet and an air filter on the supply line.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Pulmonology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Emergency Management (AREA)
• Respiratory Apparatuses And Protective Means (AREA)
• Helmets And Other Head Coverings (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9468572

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (39)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 1994
  • 1994-11-07 FR FR9413315A patent/FR2726478B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1995
  • 1995-11-03 ES ES95402457T patent/ES2136262T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1995-11-03 DE DE69511988T patent/DE69511988T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1995-11-03 EP EP95402457A patent/EP0710492B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1995-11-06 AU AU36693/95A patent/AU689328B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1995-11-06 IL IL11589695A patent/IL115896A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1995-11-06 US US08/554,567 patent/US5575278A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1995-11-06 CA CA002162227A patent/CA2162227C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

Patent Citations (6)

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