Wearable protection device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12514307-B2
Application number	US-202218709739-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2022
Priority date	Nov 15, 2021
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to protection devices. In particular, the present disclosure relates to protection devices that can be worn on the human body. Further in particular, the present disclosure relates to wearable protection devices that inflate to prevent injury of the human body in case of an accident, e.g., a fall accident. Accordingly, there is provided a wearable protection device for protection of at least a body part of a wearer, comprising an inflatable element arranged adjacent to a body part to be protected, wherein the inflatable element is inflatable from a first, substantially uninflated condition to a second, substantially inflated condition, by application of a releasable source of a gas to the inflatable element, for at least partially filling of the inflatable element with said gas.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A wearable protection device for protection of at least a body part of a wearer, comprising an inflatable element configured to be arranged adjacent to a body part to be protected,
wherein the inflatable element is inflatable from a first, uninflated condition to a second, inflated condition, by application of a releasable source of a gas to the inflatable element, for at least partially filling of the inflatable element with said gas, wherein the inflatable element, when being inflated to the second inflated condition, assumes a predetermined three-dimensional shape, wherein the inflatable element comprises a first extension in a first direction and a second extension in a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second directions are non-parallel to one another, wherein one of the first extension and the second extension in the first condition is larger than in the second condition, and wherein the other one of the first extension and the second extension in the first condition is smaller than in the second condition, so that when transitioning from the first condition to the second condition, the inflatable element increases in dimension in one extension while the inflatable element decreases in dimension in the other extension, wherein the wearable protection device is reversibly connected to an attachment device for attaching the wearable protection device to the wearer, wherein the wearable protection device is adapted to be at least partially slidable relative to the attachment device, so that when one of the first extension and the second extension becomes smaller while inflating the inflatable element, the wearable protection device is configured to slide along the attachment device while maintaining being connected to the attachment device and being configured to be arranged adjacent to the body part to be protected; and wherein the wearable protection device is connected to the attachment device by a plurality of loop elements, wherein the loop elements are adapted for accommodating the attachment device and are arranged for sliding along a length of the attachment device.

2 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the inflatable element and at least one loop element of the plurality of loop elements are integrally formed, thereby forming an opening for accommodating the attachment device, in particularly wherein the inflatable element and at least one loop element of the plurality of loop elements are integrally formed of a one-piece woven fabric.

3 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the inflatable element and at least one of the plurality of loop elements are in contact at two contact regions, wherein the inflatable element and the at least one of the plurality of loop elements are integrally formed at a first contact region of the two contact regions, and wherein the inflatable element and the at least one of the plurality of loop elements are connected but not integrally formed at a second contact region of the two contact regions, thereby forming an opening for accommodating the attachment device.

4 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the inflatable element comprises inflatable regions and uninflatable regions, and wherein at least one of the plurality of loop elements is attached to two uninflatable regions of the inflatable element, thereby forming an opening for accommodating the attachment device.

5 . The wearable protection device according to claim 4 , wherein the inflatable element comprises a one-piece woven fabric and wherein the uninflatable regions are regions where the one-piece woven fabric is integrally woven.

6 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the loop elements comprise a lengthwise extension, and wherein the lengthwise extension of a first subset of loop elements and the lengthwise extension of a second subset of loop elements are non-parallel.

7 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the inflatable element at a first end remains fixed relative to the attachment device, when the inflatable element slides relative to the attachment device when being inflated, while the wearable protection device at a second end opposite of the first end slides relative to the attachment device and towards the first end, wherein the wearable protection device is shortened in length when being inflated, and wherein the inflatable element is asymmetrical with regard to a point arranged centrally between the first end and the second end, in particular wherein the part of the inflatable element between the second end and the centrally arranged point is larger than the part of the inflatable element between the first end and the centrally arranged point.

8 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the attachment device is adjustable so to accommodate a plurality of wearer sizes, in particular wherein adjusting the size of the attachment device does not change the alignment of the wearable protection device relative to the attachment device.

9 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the attachment device is a belt.

10 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the inflatable element comprises a one-piece woven fabric with woven in tethers for providing the defined three-dimensional shape when in the inflated condition.

11 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the defined three-dimensional shape is adapted to the body part to be protected.

12 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the wearable protection device comprises at least two inflatable elements configured to be arranged symmetrically to a body axis of the wearer, in particularly symmetrical with regard to the longitudinal axis of the wearer.

13 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the wearable protection device is a hip protection device, in particular configured to be worn around the waist of the wearer and attached to a belt configured to be worn by the wearer by the loop elements and configured to protect the body part in the event of a fall incident.

14 . The wearable protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the wearable protection device, when being inflated, deploys in a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise extension of the attachment device, in particular deploying around the body of the wearer so to accommodate the body part to be protected in the inflatable element for mitigating a fall impact.

Assignees

• Autoliv Dev

Inventors

• Carlander Magnus
• Nilsson Leif
• Ivarsson Patrik
• Balague Henrik
• Johansson Jack
• Larsson Magnus
• Lundemo Fredrik

Classifications

• A41D13/0506

  Hip · CPC title

• A41D13/018 Primary

  inflatable automatically · CPC title