Ballistic and impact protective military helmet assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9631899-B2
Application number	US-201213419038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2012
Priority date	Mar 14, 2011
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

A helmet assembly is provided including a front mount configured to attach to the front of the helmet above a brim of the helmet, a mandible for protecting a portion of the user's face, a lower edge rim mounting portion such as a halo attached along the lower edge of the helmet for securing the mandible to a helmet and providing power and data conduits. The front mount provides a center top mounting arrangement that operatively connects a center top location of the face shield to a center front mount on the helmet. The mount provides frontal bracket portions for mounting accessories. The helmet assembly provides a helmet shell with a curved shape having a surrounding reinforcing ridge. A reeling system is provided for adjusting front and lower chin straps. Other improvements in helmet assemblies are also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A helmet assembly, comprising:
a helmet having a shell with a front brim and an outside surface;
a front mount attached to a front of the helmet above the front brim, wherein the front mount comprises a center portion positioned along a front-to-back midplane at a front of the helmet, and first and second lateral portions extending laterally in opposite directions away from the front-to-back midplane to locations closer to an ear coverage area than to the center portion of the front mount;
a first anchor protruding from the shell;
the front mount is attached to the helmet via the first anchor and without using any through-holes in the shell;

a ballistic impact resistant face shield, wherein the face shield is movable between a non-use position and a deployed position, and in both the non-use position and the deployed position, the face shield is mounted to the center portion of the front mount.

2. The helmet assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a mounting arrangement for supporting the face shield, the mounting arrangement connected to the front mount, the mounting arrangement movable between a deployed position and a standby position.

3. The helmet assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mandible guard for protecting a portion of a user's face; and

an accessory-mounting rim portion attached along a lower edge of the helmet, said mandible guard mounted to at least a portion of said accessory-mounting rim portion.

4. The helmet assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first and second lateral portions comprises at least one bracket portion to permit mounting of accessories on the bracket portion.

5. The helmet assembly of claim 4 , wherein the at least one bracket portion comprises edge lips on at least two sides of the at least one bracket portion for retaining an accessory.

6. The helmet assembly of claim 4 , wherein the at least one bracket portion comprises edge lips on at least three sides of the bracket portion for retaining an accessory.

7. The helmet assembly of claim 4 , wherein the at least one bracket portion comprises, extending in a horizontal direction, a right bracket portion, a left bracket portion and a center portion connecting the right and left bracket portions.

8. The helmet assembly of claim 4 , further comprising a center vent through the at least one bracket portion that vents air from inside the helmet to outside the helmet.

9. The helmet assembly of claim 4 , wherein the at least one bracket portion comprises at least one rearwardly extending lateral accessory engagement portion arranged for mounting an accessory on a side of the helmet.

10. The helmet assembly of claim 9 , wherein the at least one rearwardly extending lateral accessory engagement portion comprises a lateral accessory engagement portion on each side of the helmet, each lateral accessory engagement portion being contiguous with one of the right bracket portion and the left bracket portion respectively.

11. The helmet assembly of claim 4 , further comprising a heads-up display releasably securable to the at least one bracket portion.

12. The helmet assembly of claim 11 , wherein the face shield is positionable in the deployed position against the helmet and in front of a user's eyes, and the heads-up display has a retractable display screen that is positioned inwardly of the face shield when the heads-up display is secured to the at least one bracket portion and the display screen is in a deployed position.

13. The helmet assembly of claim 11 , wherein the face shield is positionable in the deployed position against the helmet and in front of a user's eyes, and the heads-up display includes a display screen which is positioned behind the face shield when the display screen is in the deployed position.

14. The helmet assembly of any of claim 4 , wherein the at least one bracket portion comprises edge lips on at least two sides of the at least one bracket portion, and further comprising a heads-up display releasably securable to the at least one bracket portion, wherein the heads-up display comprises upper and lower rail lips that extend vertically in opposite directions and that fit behind upper and lower edge lips of the at least one bracket portion to be releasably secured to the front mount.

15. The helmet assembly of claim 4 , further comprising a heads-up display having a recessed area with an engagement rail therein for engaging the at least one bracket portion, wherein the heads-up display has a display screen, the display screen has a deployed position generally in front of a user's eye and a retracted standby position where the display screen is retracted upwardly to withdraw the display screen from the user's view and to withdraw the screen within the heads-up display.

16. The helmet assembly of claim 15 , wherein the at least one bracket portion comprises an upper edge lip on an upper edge of the at least one bracket portion and a lower edge lip on a lower edge of the at least one bracket portion, wherein an upper portion of the engagement rail comprises an upward rail lip and a lower portion of the engagement rail comprises a downward rail lip, the upward rail lip engages an inside surface of the upper edge lip of the at least one bracket portion and the downward rail lip engages the inside surface of the lower edge lip of the at least one bracket portion to secure the heads-up display to the front mount, and the heads-up display has a release mechanism configured such that when the release mechanism is activated, the upward rail lip and the downward rail lip draw closer to each other to release the lips from the edge lips of the at least one bracket portion.

17. The helmet assembly of claim 15 , wherein the recessed area closely conforms to the at least one bracket portion and allows the heads-up display to position the display screen on an interior side of the face shield, and a center portion of the heads-up display has a curved profile so as to allow an upward movement of the face shield without interference.

18. The helmet assembly of claim 4 , wherein the at least one bracket portion comprises edge lips on at least two sides of the at least one bracket portion, and further comprising a heads-up display mounted to the at least one bracket portion, wherein the heads-up display has a base unit and a display screen, and the base unit is supported by a supporting mechanism which includes a first arm having a ball mount connection to a first base, the first base having a thumbscrew, the first base connecting to a connecting cylinder, the connecting cylinder connecting to an attachment base, wherein the thumbscrew tightens or loosens the ball connection to allow the manual manipulation of the position of the base unit, the thumbscrew provides compression friction to secure the ball mount connection in place after the ball mount has been manipulated into a desired position by a user, the attachment base has attaching lips at a top and a bottom engaged with the two edge lips of the at least one bracket portion to secure the heads-up display to the at least one bracket portion.

19. The helmet assembly of claim 4 , wherein the at least one bracket portion comprises an upper edge lip and a lower edge lip and a recess portion between the upper and lower edge lips, the upper and lower edge lips extending inwardly toward each other, wherein an accessory can be fit beneath the upper and lower edge lips over the recess portion, to be held behind the edge lips to the bracket portion.

20. The helmet assem

Assignees

• Lebel Stéphane
• Hall Edward R
• Mcginn Michael James
• Giroux Bernier Dominic
• Coomber Richard
• Herman Curtis
• Revision Military Sarl

Inventors

• Lebel Stéphane
• Hall Edward R
• Mcginn Michael James
• Giroux Bernier Dominic
• Coomber Richard
• Herman Curtis

Classifications

• F41H1/08 Primary

  of plastics; Plastic head-shields · CPC title

• A42B3/04

  Parts, details or accessories of helmets · CPC title