EP4503996A2 - Élément d'espacement à fonction d'absorption et de distribution d'énergie, système et procédé à utiliser avec une plaque ou un panneau de gilet pare-balles - Google Patents

Élément d'espacement à fonction d'absorption et de distribution d'énergie, système et procédé à utiliser avec une plaque ou un panneau de gilet pare-balles

Info

Publication number
EP4503996A2
EP4503996A2 EP23808046.9A EP23808046A EP4503996A2 EP 4503996 A2 EP4503996 A2 EP 4503996A2 EP 23808046 A EP23808046 A EP 23808046A EP 4503996 A2 EP4503996 A2 EP 4503996A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
spacer
panel
protuberance
panels
perimeter
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP23808046.9A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Michael E. Cole
Kathryn CAREY
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Firstspear Technology Group LLC
Original Assignee
Firstspear Technology Group LLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Firstspear Technology Group LLC filed Critical Firstspear Technology Group LLC
Priority claimed from PCT/US2023/017495 external-priority patent/WO2023224739A2/fr
Publication of EP4503996A2 publication Critical patent/EP4503996A2/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F41—WEAPONS
    • F41H—ARMOUR; ARMOURED TURRETS; ARMOURED OR ARMED VEHICLES; MEANS OF ATTACK OR DEFENCE, e.g. CAMOUFLAGE, IN GENERAL
    • F41H1/00—Personal protection gear
    • F41H1/02—Armoured or projectile- or missile-resistant garments; Composite protection fabrics
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F41—WEAPONS
    • F41H—ARMOUR; ARMOURED TURRETS; ARMOURED OR ARMED VEHICLES; MEANS OF ATTACK OR DEFENCE, e.g. CAMOUFLAGE, IN GENERAL
    • F41H5/00—Armour; Armour plates
    • F41H5/013—Mounting or securing armour plates

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to a wearable, modular energy absorbing and dispersing standoff spacer, system, and method for use or incorporation in supportive relation with an armor plate or panel, and/or a carrier for the same, for positioning and orienting the plate or panel, reducing traumatic effect on a wearer from ballistic impact or impacts on the plate or panel, and more particularly, that is readily and easily adaptable to provide customizable fit and comfort, particularly adaptable for female wearers.
  • Body armor is recognized as providing valuable protection against ballistic threats, e.g. , bullets, shrapnel, blast debris such as flying glass and the like, as well as sharp objects such as knives, ice picks, and homemade weapons commonly used by inmate populations of correctional institutions.
  • Various configurations of body armor are known, including hard plates of different thicknesses and compositions, such as metal alloys, ceramics, laminates of multiple materials, and soft panels of layers of aramid fiber, e.g., available under the tradename Kevlar and other polymers, e.g., polyethylene, and the like.
  • a hard plate is rigid and inflexible, but many soft panels have at least some flexibility.
  • a hard plate may be used alone, or in combination with one or more under or over laying soft panels, and in reduced or non-ballistic or lower velocity ballistic (e.g. , small arms) threat environments, a soft panel may be used alone.
  • the armor configuration used is often selected based on the expected threat environment, e.g. , sharp hand weapon only, rifle, pistol only, blast, and other conditions, such as environment, e.g. , temperature, humidity, marine conditions, other loads to be carried, e.g. , ammunition, food, shelter, etc. , duration of wear, distance to be traveled on foot, time standing verses seated or riding in a vehicle, jumping from a fixed or rotary winged aircraft, etc.
  • modularity and/or scalability that is, the ability to assemble an armored garment such as a carrier, vest, or the like, of various combinations of body armor elements, customized for conditions, is often sought.
  • Armor plates are typically sized to a particular wearer, with length or height, width, and sometimes shape or gender, being common variables. Plates to be worn over the front torso or chest will typically have a curved shape so as to be slightly concave when viewed from above or below, and may have additional concavity (facing the wearer) when viewed from the side, to conform at least generally to a wearer' s anatomical shape. A military or law enforcement agency will typically order a specific plate or panel sized and shaped for a particular wearer. In regard to fit, female torso shapes present a challenge, as the female chest and stomach are not generally as level compared to male torso shapes.
  • Reference Beck U.S. Patent No. 9, 970,736 B2, directed to a female protective vest that utilizes a ballistic hard plate and an underlying soft ballistic armor supported on a carrier of a vest .
  • the Beck carrier is contoured with lateral darts that displace the ballistic hard plate in a direction away from the inner surface and an underlying soft ballistic armor and the wearer in the breast region to eliminate excess compression of the breast tissue and maintain the hard plate in an orientation generally parallel to the body of the wearer.
  • the darts can form cup portions for the same purpose, and the soft ballistic armor can have a female shape that mirrors the carrier shape. While presumably reducing breast compression, the hard armor plate may be tilted in the above-described manner, namely, with the lower plate edge directed toward and potentially into the abdomen of the wearer to cause discomfort.
  • Fritch U.S. Patent No. 4, 660,223 which discloses protective body armor utilizing a spacer element to prevent undue pressure being exerted on the breasts of woman wearer.
  • the spacer rests on the wearer's rib cage, and an armor plate or panel will rest on the spacer.
  • the weight of the armor and resultant pressure is partially transferred to the lower rib cage of the wearer.
  • the spacer holds the lower region of the armor plate or panel outward and takes the pressure from the armor.
  • the Fritch spacer can comprise a number of stepped plies, foam construction being mentioned, or it can be a molded insert.
  • the number of steps utilized will be a function of the breast size of the wearer, and the spacer is enclosed in a woven nylon shell. That nylon shell is attached with Velcro strips to another nylon shell within which the armor is inserted, the Velcro on the nylon shell that receives the armor being larger, to afford options for positioning the spacer.
  • the Fritch spacer would appear to provide an adequate solution to the tilting of an amor plate to reduce the occurrence of the lower edge of the plate applying excessive or irritating pressure against the abdomen of a wearer under normal conditions, and could eliminate the need for darts in the lateral region of a carrier for accommodating and reducing pressure on the breasts.
  • a single size spacer may not provide the desired pressure relief and/or comfort throughout the range of weights and breast sizes.
  • a spacer of foam plies or similar construction, attached by as strip of Velcro to the back side of a nylon shell holding a front armor plate or panel may be inadequate back up or support for a side armor plate or panel when struck with a ballistic projectile, even when the side plate or panel stops the projectile, to potentially result in injury to the wearer.
  • This can be due to a condition known as back face deformation.
  • An armor plate or panel will have an outwardly facing surface known as a strike face, which will be struck by incoming projectiles, and a back face that faces the wearer. Even the thickest armor plates are expected to have some back face deformation and be displaced toward the wearer when struck by larger or higher velocity projectiles. How much back face deformation occurs can be a function of the strength and stiffness of any structure backing up the armor plate or panel, as well as the strength of attachment of the backing structure.
  • What is sought therefore is a wearable energy absorbing and dispersing spacer for use in association with an armor plate or panel, that overcomes one or more of the shortcomings and limitations discussed above, and that is economical, and simple to use to provide customizable fit and comfort, particularly for, but not limited to, female wearers.
  • an energy absorbing and dispersing standoff spacer and system to be disposed between an armor plate or panel and a wearer' s body comprises at least one spacer panel -1- having a perimeter structure or frame defining and bounding at least one concavity having a predetermined shape and size.
  • the spacer panel comprises at least one protuberance bounded by the perimeter structure having the predetermined shape and size forming a bottom of the concavity.
  • the perimeter structure or frame and protuberance will have about equal thickness dimensions in a direction toward or away from an associated armor plate or panel, but be offset, when viewed in section or from the side, such that the spacer panel will have an overall thickness in a free state about equal to a sum of the individual thicknesses of the perimeter structure and the protuberance.
  • the perimeter structure and protuberance will be integrally formed.
  • the protuberance or protuberances of one spacer panel will be matingly or cooperatively receivable to be retained within the at least one concavity on another or others of the spacer panels, respectively, to be stackable to provide desired standoff of the associated region of the armor plate or panel from the body.
  • a garment e.g.
  • undergarment, shirt, to be worn on the wearer' s body, and/or the armor plate or panel or carrier can also have one or more of the protuberances or concavities, to be interlockingly engageable with the concavity or concavities, or protuberance or protuberances, of the least one spacer panel, to enable connecting them together in a layered assembly or stack, the term "stack" having no limitation on orientation, i.e., vertical, horizontal, etc.
  • the one or more spacer panels is preferably disposed in energy absorbing and dispersing relation to the armor plate or panel.
  • a preferred manner of maintaining the interlocked condition is frictional, that is, with a slight interference fit that allows the spacer panel or panels to remain together in a free state condition, yet be manually removed from each other and from an armor plate or panel, or carrier, for customization.
  • another spacer panel with a protuberance or concavity can be connected to it in two or more arrangements, e.g., directly overlapping, partially overlapping, offset, stepped, staggered, etc.
  • the interlocking is sufficient, e.g. , deep and/or rigid laterally, but can include some limited lateral resilient elasticity for enabling the associated concavity to tightly receive a protuberance of an adjoining spacer panel.
  • the interlocking is sufficient, e.g. , deep and/or rigid laterally, but can include some limited lateral resilient elasticity for enabling the associated concavity to tightly receive a protuberance of an adjoining spacer panel.
  • one location where the spacer system will be worn is between the lower torso, stomach, or abdomen region of a wearer and the covering lower region of an armor plate or panel, and the system for this region can comprise a spacer panel or panels variously sized for covering the whole or only part or parts of the region.
  • a spacer stack can be provided for each of the sides of the lower torso or stomach, respectively, a stack can cross the stomach but include fewer or more panels in one or more regions thus having a contoured shape, or be located centrally over the stomach, to provide the desired fit and comfort, and/or to position and/or orient the associated armor plate or panel as desired, e.g., so that the lower edge thereof stands off from, i.e. , doesn't press into the lower abdomen, pelvis, hips, side, or the armor plate is less angled in relation to the front of the body, etc.
  • a spacer panel, armor plate, carrier, and/or garment can comprise one or more of the protuberance/concavity features, in any arrangement or pattern, the features essentially thus being in side by side relation, separated by a shared surrounding peripheral structure/f rame .
  • This arrangement allows the peripheral structure/f rame to restrain the protuberance/concavity features against lateral displacement, for instance, from normal movements, and also from more abrupt or jarring forces when jumping, ballistic strikes against the associated armor plate or panel.
  • one or more accompanying mating spacer panels, armor plate or panel, carrier, and/or garment can be interlockingly connected in a desired placement, e.g. , along one or both sides, bottom, top, center, desired backing, support, and orientation of the armor plate or panel, fit and comfort can be achieved in a customized manner.
  • the peripheral structure/f rame and one or more protuberance/concavity features are constructed to provide lateral restraint or stiffness to support and retain the interlocked/stacked relation of the one or more spacer panels and armor plate or panel in the event of a ballistic impact or impacts on the strike face of the armor plate or panel, and any resultant back face deformation.
  • This can be achieved, for instance by providing a mating protuberance or concavity feature or features on the back side of the armor plate or panel or carrier, or on a cover panel thereof, that will be in surface to surface relation to the adjacent spacer panel or panels.
  • multiple interlocking protuberance/concavity features are provided in side by side relation so that if a ballistic strike sufficient to cause back face deformation of the armor plate or panel and associated carrier (if present) in surface to surface relation to one or a few of the protuberance/concavity features resulting in their deformation, others of the interlocked protuberances and concavities will remain engaged so that the overall stack will remain interlocked and in the desired underlying relation to the associated armor plate or panel.
  • the perimeter structure/f rame and protuberance ( s ) are about equal in thickness, but offset or juxtaposed when viewed from the side. This is advantageous as both regions thus have a similar or same energy absorption capability, and when two or more of the spacer panels are stacked, the amount of energy absorption will be about equal across the interface with the armor plate or panel. In the stacked relationship the perimeter or frame of a panel will extend about the protuberance of the panel interlocked therewith, providing secure containment and restraint of the protuberance, the perimeter/f rame being itself restrained by its continuous shape.
  • the spacer panel comprises a polymer foam, most preferably a closed cell polymer foam, such as ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) which is known to be flexible and shapable using heat and/or pressure.
  • EVA ethyl vinyl acetate
  • a uniform thickness sheet of polymer foam can be heat and pressure formed to displace a portion out of the plane of the sheet by an amount about equal to the sheet thickness.
  • This is the protuberance region, and is surrounded by the perimeter or frame. Between those features is a transition region essentially bounding the protuberance, which forms the sides of the concavity.
  • this transition region is compressed and thermoformed to be reduced in sectional extent so as to be functionally flexible , while adj acent portions of the foam material of the perimeter or frame and the protuberance leading into the transition are permanently fused together and stiffened or semi-stiffened from the compres sion and heating , the result being that the perimeter or frame and protrusion will be displaceable one relative to the other in the direction toward and away from the armor plate or panel and al so relative to the wearer , but not laterally displaceable relative to each other to a functionally significant extent .
  • each of the spacer panels comprises an outer fabric layer.
  • this layer will comprise a component of a hook and loop fastening system, preferably a loop pile fabric. This is advantageous as it provides a pleasant non-plasticky skin feel and will have some sweat absorption properties .
  • the loop pile fabric can have one or more two sided strips or tabs of the hook component of a hook and loop fastening system, so as to strengthen the attaching force joining spacer panels or joining a spacer panel to a garment or other backing member also having a loop pile surface feature, e.g., tab or strip.
  • This has a number of advantages, including providing the ability to bend or bow one spacer panel joined to another panel to better fit to an interior face of an armor plate or panel, and to provide a space for ventilation between the joined panels, or to better level or standoff an armor plate or panel to avoid an edge like the lower edge pressing into a wearer' s abdomen, or better transition between a curved back face of an armor plate and a flat or concave abdomen.
  • the fabric can comprise a layer or layers of a para-aramid fiber material for adding strength, puncture resistance, and ballistic protection (if present in sufficient thickness) .
  • a layer or layers of a stiffer para-aramid or similar fabric e.g. , ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, etc., will not significantly affect functionality, and may improve it by increasing resistance to inward and outward flexion or displacement.
  • the at least one spacer panel is disposed in surface to surface relation to the back face of all or a portion of an armor plate or panel covering a front torso, rear torso, and/or side or sides of a wearer.
  • a spacer panel stack can be located behind and support a lower portion of an armor plate or panel, for instance a front or chest armor plate or panel to accommodate breasts of a wearer above the spacer panel to provide a custom fit capability for females and others with protruding chest features.
  • a stack will comprise at least one of the spacer panels having a combined thickness of protuberances between the first surface and second surface of the spacer panel, or if two or more spacer panels are used, between an outer one of the spacer panels and the second surface of an opposite outer one of the panels, about equal to the thickness of a breast of wearer as measured from the skin covering the rib cage of the wearer to the outermost portion of the breast, e.g. , the forward extension of the breasts.
  • This can be with the breasts not otherwise restrained, or restrained by wearing of a bra or other restraint, such as a sports bra that will comfortably compress and flatten the breasts.
  • Individual spacer panels of the invention can have matching thickness, different thicknesses, and matching or different widths and lengths, and the same or different shapes, e.g. , rectangular, oval, round, triangular, polygonal, trapezoid, etc. , when viewed from the front or rear, and rectangular, straight, curved, tapered, barrel, hourglass, etc., shaped when viewed from the side. See example shapes and sizes in dotted lines in FIG. 1.
  • one or more spacer panels having an overall rectangular, kidney, oval, etc., shape may be used directly below the breasts, with a triangular spacer panel partially between the breasts, above in the cleavage area, below, or both, and can be tapered to provide a closer fit, that is, generally conform to the slope of the breasts, stomach, chest, pelvis, and better interaction with other worn items and gear such as a cummerbund or duty belt to be worn around the waist.
  • the spacer panels are interlockingly joined, the interlocking features can be sized and shaped as desired so that any number and combination of the spacer panels can be used, e.g.
  • the interlocking features e.g. , concavities, mating protuberances of the spacer panels
  • the interlocking features can have chevron or parallelogram shapes, oriented obliquely to the sagittal plane of a wearer' s body, triangular, round, or other shape, to also provide capabilities such as convection venting, central or lateral sweat containment and drainage, etc.
  • FIG. 1 is a plan view of aspects of an energy absorbing and dispersing standoff spacer system of the invention, including two representative spacer panels, and a cover panel for attachment to the backside of a carrier for an armor plate or panel, directly to the armor plate or panel, or other garment, such as a vest, shirt or the like, each of the panels shown having interlocking features comprising raised protuberances arranged in a predetermined pattern;
  • FIG. 2 is a plan view of the spacer panels of FIG. 1, showing an opposite side including a perimeter defining and bounding a predetermined pattern of concavities for receiving the protuberances of another spacer panel or other panel such as the cover panel;
  • FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the spacer panels of FIGS. 1 and 2, shown bent or flexed into a curved shape for conforming to the curve of the back side of an armor plate or panel;
  • FIG. 4 is a plan view of the spacer panels of FIG. 1, showing the pattern of concavities for receiving the protuberances;
  • FIG. 5 is a side perspective view showing the cover panel of FIG. 1 attached to a representative panel for a carrier or vest containing an armor plate within a plate cavity between the cover panel and other aspects of the carrier, and showing a plurality of the spacer panels interlockingly joined together and to the cover panel, forming a stack, to illustrate a representative standoff spacing distance achievable using the spacer panels ;
  • FIG. 6 is another perspective side view of the arrangement of FIG. 5, showing additional aspects
  • FIG. 7 is a sectional side view of a representative spacer panel showing various aspects thereof, including the periphery, protuberances and concavities and transition regions;
  • FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional side view of a representative spacer panel showing more particularly an offset relationship between the perimeter and a representative protuberance and concavity, transition region therebetween, and adjacent compressed fused regions of the perimeter and protuberance;
  • FIG. 9 is another perspective side view, showing two of the spacer panels interlocked together, one of the spacer panels being in section to show the transition region and adjacent compressed fused regions of the perimeter and protuberance;
  • FIG. 10 is still another perspective view of two of the spacer panels interlocked together, one of the spacer panels being shown in section to show the transition region and adjacent compressed fused regions of the perimeter and protuberance in greater detail; and [0029] FIG. 11 is a perspective side view showing a stack of the spacer panels interlocked together and with the cover panel on a panel of a representative carrier or other garment.
  • FIGS. 1-11 show aspects of several embodiments of an energy absorbing and dispersing standoff spacer system 20 for use with an armor plate or panel 22 (see FIGS. 5, 6, and 11) , that can be incorporated with an associated garment, such as a carrier 24, vest, shirt, or the like, and a method assembling the same according to the invention, to reduce traumatic effect on a wearer from ballistic impacts on the associated plate or panel, that is economical and readily and easily adaptable to provide customizable fit and comfort.
  • an associated garment such as a carrier 24, vest, shirt, or the like
  • FIGS. 1-6 representative aspects of system 20 are illustrated, including, but not limited to, one or more spacer panels, represented by spacer panels 26, 28, 30, adapted and configured for placement between an armor plate or panel 22 and a wearer' s body.
  • any or each of spacer panels 26, 28, 30, is configured to be interlockingly attachable to any of the other spacer panels 26, 28, 30, or with a cover panel 46, or directly to an armor plate or panel 22, to form a stack 44, and can include one or more features for securely yet manually removably, interlocking with another panel, 26, 28, 30, 46 in a predetermined manner, to provide underlying coverage to one or more associated armor plate or plates or panels, to provide desired standoff distancing from a wearer, energy absorption and dissipation characteristics, comfort and fit.
  • At least spacer panel 26, 28, 30 preferably possess a limited resilient compressibility sufficient for providing the desired energy absorption and dissipation as well as comfort.
  • Each spacer panel 26, 28, 30, and cover panel 46 has a first surface 32, comprising at least one protuberance 34 extending outwardly in a first direction DI, defined and bounded by a perimeter 36.
  • Each spacer panel 26, 28, 30 additionally has an opposite second surface 40, comprising at least one concavity 42 having a predetermined shape and size, respectively, to be configured and adapted for cooperatively receiving and interlocking with a protuberance 34 of another panel in forming a desired stack 44.
  • each of the panels 26, 28, 30 has protuberances 34 arranged in a predetermined pattern, as a nonlimiting example, a Chevron pattern, and opposite concavities 42 arranged in that same pattern, such that the protuberances 34 of one of the cover panels, 26, 28, 30, 46 are simultaneously cooperatively receivable in the concavities 42 of another of the panels 26, 28, 30, to interlocked the panels together to prevent or limit relative lateral movement and also so as to not unintentionally separate in the first and second directions.
  • a predetermined pattern as a nonlimiting example, a Chevron pattern
  • This interlocking configuration can be observed to additionally intimately position adjacent panels with the first surface 32 of one panel directly abutting the second surface 40 of the next panel, which is important for energy from impact forces transmitted from an associated armor plate or panel to be sequentially absorbed and progressively dissipated within the stack 44 comprising any number of panels 26, 28, 30, and 46.
  • concavities 42 directly align with an associated protuberance 34, and that essentially the protuberance 34 bounds or forms the inner periphery of the concavity 42.
  • Protuberances 34 are shaped and sized to be matingly cooperatively receivable within the respective concavities 42, and in that regard it is necessary that these features be retainable together to resist lateral relative movement as could otherwise be anticipated to occur as a result of diagonal or oblique contact or impact forces resulting from ballistic strikes and resulting back face deformation of the armor plate or panel 22, stabbing forces from sharp objects, potentially also blast forces, and other forces anticipated to be encountered in typical environments where armored garments are utilized. The restraint against lateral movement will also be sufficient for resisting forces exerted against a stack 44 resulting from normal body movements, such as running, jumping, twisting, fighting, wrestling, falling, etc.
  • Transition region 48 between each protuberance 34 and perimeter 36 is thus configured to enable this limited movement, generally sufficiently less than an amount of the thickness in the first and second direction of the perimeter or protuberance, such that in the event of such movement, the panels will remain interlocked together.
  • a small region of the perimeter 36 and/or the protuberance immediately adjacent and contiguous to the transition region 48 preferably comprises a compressed fused section of material, which is thereby semi-rigid or rigid and stiffened sufficiently to define the size and shape of the concavity 42 for receiving a protuberance, and also for restraining or containing protuberance 36 against relative lateral movement, for best effect both the immediately adjacent regions of the perimeter 36 and the protuberance 34 comprising this stiffened characteristic, identified as a compressed region 50.
  • compressed region 50 essentially comprises the edge of the perimeter 36 and protuberance 34 and tapers convergingly toward transition region 48 therebetween.
  • a cover or platform of a carrier 24 or garment covering or comprising an armor plate or panel 22 desirably also utilized the above described interlocking features for better integrating the spacer system 20 of the invention with the carrier 24 or other garment.
  • an appropriate surface of the carrier or garment can include mating interlocking features such as protuberances 34 (shown) or concavities 42, as desired for a particular application.
  • protuberances 34 shown
  • concavities 42 as desired for a particular application.
  • some ventilating and sweat directing capability is provided, as well as some cushioning.
  • protrusions 34 are located across the entire surface of cover panel 46 such that spacer panels of desired sizes and shapes can be interlockingly attached thereto at different locations.
  • dotted lines on panel 46 e.g. , encompassing 1, 2, 3, or 4 of the Chevrons, illustrate different size spacer panels that can be utilized alone, or in stacks of varying heights to achieve a desired standoff capability and fit. garment .
  • an under garment, shirt, etc. comprises cover panel 46 having either the male (protuberances 34 ) or female ( concavities 42 ) enabling interlockingly j oining one or more of the spacer panels 26 , 28 , 30 thereto and a desired arrangement for holding the armor plate or panel 22 a desired distance away from a body on which the garment and armor is worn and for absorbing at least some of any energy imparted thereto by the armor plate or panel resulting f rom a ballistic impact thereto .
  • the at least one spacer panel 26 , 28 , and/or 30 can be disposed in surface to surface relation to the back face of all or a portion of an armor plate or panel 22 covering a front torso , rear torso , and/or side or sides of a wearer .
  • a spacer panel stack 44 will be located behind and support a lower portion of an armor plate or panel 22 , for instance a front or chest armor plate or panel 22 so as to accommodate breasts of a wearer above the spacer panel 26 , 28 and/or 30 , to provide a custom fit capability for females and others with protruding che st features , see FIG . 5 .
  • a stack 44 will comprise at least one of the spacer panel s 26 , 28 , 30 having a combined thickne s s of protuberances between the first surface and second surface of the spacer panel , or if two or more spacer panels are used, between an outer one of the spacer panels and the second surface of an opposite outer one of the panels , about equal to the thicknes s of a brea st of wearer as measured from the skin covering the rib cage of the wearer to the outermost portion of the breast, e.g. , the forward extension of the breasts.
  • This can be with the breasts not otherwise restrained, or restrained by wearing of a bra or other restraint, such as a sports bra that will comfortably compress and flatten the breasts.
  • Individual spacer panels 26, 28, 30, and a cover panel 46 can have matching thickness, different thicknesses, and matching or different widths and lengths, and the same or different shapes, e.g. , rectangular, oval, round, triangular, polygonal, trapezoid, etc. , when viewed from the front or rear, and rectangular, straight, curved, tapered, barrel, hourglass, etc. , shaped when viewed from the side.
  • one or more rectangular, kidney, oval, etc., shaped spacer panels may be used directly below the breasts, with a triangular spacer panel partially between the breasts, above in the cleavage area, below, or both, and can be tapered to provide a closer fit, that is, generally conform to the slope of the breasts, stomach, chest, pelvis, and better interaction with other worn items and gear such as a cummerbund or duty belt to be worn around the waist.
  • the spacer panels are interlockingly joined, the interlocking features can be sized and shaped as desired so that any number and combination of the spacer panels can be used, e.g.
  • the interlocking features, e.g. , concavities 42, mating protuberances 36, of the spacer panels can have chevron or parallelogram shapes, oriented obliquely to the sagittal plane of a wearer' s body, triangular, round, or other shape, to also provide capabilities such as convection venting, central or lateral sweat containment and drainage, etc.
  • the protuberances 36 of a spacer panel 26, 28, 30 comprise a unitary sheet or panel of a polymer foam such as EVA which is known to be flexible and shapable using heat and/or pressure.
  • a representative armor plate or panel 22 shape is shown and it can be envisioned that an originally flat EVA or other foam panel can be hand positioned or permanently heat or pressure shaped to virtually exactly conform to the shape of the back face of the armor panel 22 or a covering panel 46 or layer.
  • the at least one protuberance 36 on the first surface 32 of the spacer panel 26, 28, 30 and the surrounding perimeter 36 are integrally joined by a semi-rigid or rigid fused compressed regions 50 thereof and transition region 48 therebetween (preferably integrally constructed of the foam material) , see FIGS. 7-10.
  • the concavity of a first spacer panel 26, 28, or 30 and the protuberance of a mating spacer panel 26, 28, or 30, or cover panel 46 will have overlapping perimeters 36 of the foam for energy absorption anticipation, and also for comfort, and the stiffened compressed regions 50 will also overlap, to enhance and support restraint against lateral movement of the interlocked protuberances 34 and concavities 42, so as to be capable of retaining the original shape of those features under various anticipated loading conditions e.g. , wearer is running, jumping— such as from a hovering rotary winged aircraft, swimming, parachute landing, climbing, etc., even when the spacer panels 26, 28, 30 are flexed for fitting, see FIG. 3.
  • the semi-rigid or rigid fused compressed regions 50 can be seen to rim or frame the protuberances 36.
  • the protuberances 36 of a spacer panel 26, 28, 30 can have a thickness T1 of about 1/2 inch, respectively, so that the spacer panel 26, 28, 30 will have an overall thickness of about 1 inch, and two of the spacers panels 26, 28, 30 when interlockingly engaged will have an overall thickness T2 of about 1 1/2 inch, see FIG. 6.
  • the overall thickness of the stack does not have to have an integer multiple of the thickness T of the individual spacer panels 26, 28, 30.
  • the thickness T1 of the protuberances 36 and thus the depth of the concavities 42 can be varied for a particular application.
  • thickness T could have a value of 1/4 inch; 1/8 inch; 3/4 inch; 1 inch, etc. , depending on the application, anticipated force and energy dissipation requirements, fit, etc.
  • each of the spacer panels 26, 28, 30, and cover panel 46 comprises an outer fabric layer 52 of loop pile fabric, to serve as a component of a hook and loop fastening system.
  • the spacer panels 26, 28, 30, and cover panel 46 can comprise a foam such as an EVA foam, as described above, that is heat formable, and thus the individual spacer panels 26, 28, 30, and the cover panel 46, can be curved using a heat gun or the like to the curvature of a garment, or an under lying body region, or other backing member to which the panel is desirably conformingly shaped and will be joined to.
  • the loop pile fabric can have one or more 2 sided strips or tabs of the hook component of a hook and loop fastening system, see FIG. 12, so as to strengthen the attaching force joining 2 panels or joining a panel to a garment or other backing member also having a loop pile surface feature, e.g., tab or strip.
  • This has a number of advantages, including providing the ability to bow one spacer panel joined to another panel, to better fit to an interior face of an armor plate or panel, and to provide a space for ventilation between the joined panels, or to better level or standoff an armor plate or panel to avoid an edge like the lower edge pressing into a wearer' s abdomen, or better transition between a curved back face of an armor plate and a flat or concave abdomen.
  • this function can also be accomplished by use of a tapered or smaller spacer panel or panels appropriately located.
  • the heat shaped foam construction of the spacer stack 44 can also be utilized to construct an armor carrier or armor carrying panel thereof, such as cover panel 46 of a garment such as carrier 24 shown.
  • the panel 46 will utilize a suitable foam such as EVA, but will be suitably stiffened for carrying a relatively heavy armor plate or panel, e.g., 3-10 pounds in weight, without significantly deforming under normal conditions, e.g., running, jumping, swimming, and in this latter regard, the foam construction can provide some added buoyancy to aid the swimmer.
  • the armor carrying panel 46 will utilize a semi-rigid or rigid fused compressed portion of the foam that also defines and bounds, and forms interlocking features, e.g.
  • Rim or frame 54 will define a shallow cavity that will receive and hold the armor plate or panel 22. This armor cavity will snuggly fit to the armor plate or panel, and the rigidity of the frame with attached cover panel 46 will be adequate to hold the plate or panel 22 in the cavity under the anticipated conditions. In this regard, as necessary the dimensions or extent of the stiffened rim or frame will be enlarged relative to the dimensions of the similar components of the spacer panels, due to the greater loads encountered.
  • An inside cover panel also preferably of the foam construction can include the mating features for interlockingly joining to a spacer panel of the invention, and will thus have stiffened frames or rims about the protuberances and or concavities thereof, as well as the periphery thereof, to enhance the stiffness of the armor carrying panel.
  • the inside cover panel will be joined to the armor carrying panel around at least a portion of the periphery thereof, e.g., along the sides and bottom, but will preferably be openable or removable to allow access to the armor plate or panel.
  • the peripheral frame or rim about the plate cavity and the perimeter of the inside cover panel can include suitable fasteners.
  • the inside cover panel will be covered with a loop pile as described above, and thus the frame or rim about the plate cavity can include strips of hook fastener component as shown, as a non-limiting example.
  • the outside panel of the armor plate or panel carrier can likewise comprise a loop pile fabric layer, and can be slitted or slotted to enable attachment of MOLLE accessories.
  • the armor plate carrying panel will be of unitary construction utilizing a single sheet of suitable foam such as EVA, of a suitable thickness, heat and/or pressure formed to create the plate cavity and stiffened rim region.
  • the outside panel region can be likewise be semi-rigidly or rigidly fused and compressed to provide a suitable load carrying capability for the armor plate or panel and accessories that may be carried using the optional slitting.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Professional, Industrial, Or Sporting Protective Garments (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un élément d'espacement de tenue à distance à fonction d'absorption et de distribution d'énergie, un système et un procédé d'utilisation ou d'incorporation avec une plaque ou un panneau de gilet pare-balles, et/ou un support pour celui-ci, qui utilise un ou plusieurs panneaux d'espacement présentant des éléments qui se verrouillent pour former un empilement ayant une épaisseur de tenue à distance souhaitée et une compressibilité élastique pour absorber et disperser des forces exercées sur celui-ci contre des impacts balistiques pour réduire un effet traumatique sur un utilisateur tout en limitant le déplacement latéral de l'élément d'espacement en particulier lors de l'application de forces latérales, et qui est rapidement et facilement adaptable pour fournir un support, un positionnement et une orientation personnalisables pour la plaque ou le panneau de gilet pare-balles, et un ajustement et un confort donnés pour l'utilisateur, en particulier des utilisateurs de sexe féminin.
EP23808046.9A 2022-04-04 2023-04-04 Élément d'espacement à fonction d'absorption et de distribution d'énergie, système et procédé à utiliser avec une plaque ou un panneau de gilet pare-balles Pending EP4503996A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US202263327353P 2022-04-04 2022-04-04
US202263327746P 2022-04-05 2022-04-05
PCT/US2023/017495 WO2023224739A2 (fr) 2022-04-04 2023-04-04 Élément d'espacement à fonction d'absorption et de distribution d'énergie, système et procédé à utiliser avec une plaque ou un panneau de gilet pare-balles

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP4503996A2 true EP4503996A2 (fr) 2025-02-12

Family

ID=94258868

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP23808046.9A Pending EP4503996A2 (fr) 2022-04-04 2023-04-04 Élément d'espacement à fonction d'absorption et de distribution d'énergie, système et procédé à utiliser avec une plaque ou un panneau de gilet pare-balles

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP4503996A2 (fr)

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