Head and neck protection device against dynamic impacts and method of use thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a head and neck protection device for resisting dynamic impact and its usage method. The device includes a helmet, an adhesion module, a seat headrest, and a control module. The adhesion module is disposed on the seat headrest, opposite to the helmet's adhesion surface. The control module is disposed inside the seat headrest, and the control component is connected to the adhesion module for controlling the adhesion module to fix or detach the helmet from the seat headrest according to the dynamic impact load state. This invention is an active mechanical protection device that efficiently reduces forward dynamic impact loads on the head and neck. This invention can significantly reduce whiplash injuries to the occupant's head and neck, and allows for a certain range of free movement of the head and neck in the protected state, improving wearing comfort and ergonomic fit. In addition, the multiple biomimetic adhesion structure can dynamically adapt to different curvature radii of the adhesion surface, and the control module is integrated with the seat, possessing stable adhesion and detachment capabilities with rapid response.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of high inertial load impact protection technology, and in particular to a head and neck protection device resistant to dynamic impact and its method of use. Background Technology

[0002] In high-speed transportation applications, especially in the automotive and aviation sectors, occupants often experience extremely high inertial loads due to sudden events such as high-speed collisions or emergency braking. High G-loads and their rapid increase can lead not only to neck muscle strains but also to a series of serious injuries, including cervical spine fractures, ligament tears, intervertebral disc degeneration, and herniated discs. Under these high-inertial impacts, the cervical spine is subjected to excessive extension, and prolonged exposure to this environment can easily induce whiplash injuries, especially in confined spaces such as aircraft. Existing protective devices have limited effectiveness in mitigating these high-intensity impacts and fail to fully meet the safety protection requirements for personnel under high inertial load conditions. To address these issues, there is an urgent need to develop a new type of protective device that can effectively reduce inertial loads and mitigate the damage to the head and neck caused by high G-loads, providing more reliable protection, particularly under high-inertial-load impact environments.

[0003] The design principles of head and neck protection devices in confined spaces have become relatively unified: restricting head movement through limiting devices to resist whiplash of the head and neck under inertial acceleration. Currently, these devices can be broadly categorized into strap-type, airbag-type, cable-type, and mechanical types. HANS, a strap-cable composite head and neck support system, uses a lightweight carbon fiber structure to limit excessive and unfavorable relative movement between the head and torso. However, its overall structure is too bulky, significantly reducing occupant comfort and making replacement inconvenient. Mechanical devices mainly involve modifying the seat; the WHIPS seat protection system uses the hinge between the backrest and seat cushion to absorb some impact load energy. However, this device obstructs the occupant's vision while in operation and offers limited neck protection. Airbag-type neck protectors have poor dynamic adaptability and long response times, making normal operation difficult. Therefore, existing devices, when dealing with forward inertial loads on the head and neck, either have limited load reduction effects or affect human comfort, and are prone to interfering with head and neck movement when not in operation, all exhibiting certain limitations and failing to simultaneously meet the flexible requirements of protection and load reduction. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Objective of the invention: The present invention aims to provide a head and neck protection device that effectively reduces the impact of forward inertial load on whiplash injury to the head and neck; another objective of the present invention is to provide a method of using the head and neck protection device that is resistant to dynamic impact.

[0005] Technical Solution: The head and neck protection device against dynamic impact of the present invention includes a helmet, an adhesive module, a control module, and a seat headrest. The control module is installed inside the seat headrest. The adhesive module includes an adsorption adapter, an adhesive material layer, an adsorption sealing layer, and an air path conversion head. The adhesive material layer is installed in the stepped groove on the inner surface of the adsorption sealing layer through the adsorption adapter. The tail end of the adsorption adapter is connected to the air path conversion head. The air passage of the air path conversion head is connected to the central air passage of the adsorption adapter to form a passage. The air path conversion head is connected to the electrical connector of the control module. When the vacuum pump of the control module works, a vacuum is generated on the side of the adhesive material layer near the helmet, adsorbing the helmet and reducing the inertial load on the helmet.

[0006] Furthermore, the adhesive module also includes a rubber pad, a ball rod, a barbed nut, and a thin nut; the ball end of the ball rod is fixed to the air circuit converter head by the barbed nut, a rubber pad is provided between the ball end and the air circuit converter head, and the tail end of the ball rod is fixed to the seat headrest by the thin nut.

[0007] Furthermore, the control module includes a vacuum pump, a control circuit board, electrical connection connectors, and a solenoid valve.

[0008] Furthermore, both the adhesive material layer and the adsorption sealing layer are circular at the end near the helmet, and both have a central hole.

[0009] Furthermore, the gas path conversion head is provided with an externally threaded column for the ball-dispensing end, and the column is provided with a spherical groove inside.

[0010] Furthermore, the airway of the airway converter is a right-angle airway.

[0011] The method of using the dynamic impact-resistant head and neck protection device of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0012] (1) When the head and neck protection device is not in working state, the solenoid valve in the control module is in the normally open state, the vacuum pump is not working, the signal light is off, and the helmet and seat headrest are separated. At this time, the head and neck protection device does not hinder the movement of the head and neck.

[0013] (2) When facing a forward inertial load, after the acceleration data in the control module meets the start-up output conditions, the head and neck protection device enters the adsorption working state, the solenoid valve in the control box is in the closed state, the vacuum pump starts to work, and the helmet is adsorbed onto the adhesive module on the headrest of the seat.

[0014] (3) After the inertial load is reduced, the acceleration data meets the conditions for shutting down the output, the head and neck protection device exits the working state, the normally open solenoid valve in the control module opens, the vacuum pump closes, the helmet detaches from the adhesive module, and returns to the state of free movement.

[0015] Furthermore, step (1) is as follows: In the non-working state before the arrival of the inertial load, the inertial navigation measurement module equipped with the seat senses the inertial load in advance, and the control module is in a non-working state before the system determines that the protective device meets the start-up conditions; a manual switch device equipped with the seat is designed to avoid the inertial navigation module causing the protective device to be falsely activated due to sensing error or signal interference. The occupant can give the command of "adsorb" or "disengage" by operating the manual switch to directly control the start and stop of the protective device.

[0016] Further, step (2) is as follows: Before the forward inertial load arrives, the system determines that the protective device meets the start-up conditions, the helmet actively moves backward to the vicinity of the adhesive module, the control module starts, the control circuit board inside the box controls the vacuum pump to perform air extraction operation, under the action of pre-pressure and negative pressure, the adhesive module is locked to the surface of the helmet, and the helmet and the seat headrest are coupled.

[0017] Furthermore, step (3) is as follows: After the inertial load is eliminated, the system determines that the protective device meets the closing conditions, the control module is in a non-working state, the vacuum pump in the box stops pumping air, the solenoid valve opens, the adhesive module releases adsorption, and the helmet and seat headrest are separated; the occupant can give the adsorption and detachment instructions by operating the manual switch to directly control the start and stop of the protective device.

[0018] Beneficial Effects: Compared with existing technologies, the significant advantages of this invention are: 1. The adhesion module of this invention integrates negative pressure adsorption and dry adhesion, establishing multiple biomimetic adhesion units to achieve reliable force bearing; 2. This invention, through a ball joint connection structure, combined with the flexible deformation of the adhesion module, allows for a certain range of head rotation, improving wearing comfort and ergonomic fit; 3. The control module of this invention features rapid response and strong anti-interference capabilities, continuously and stably providing sufficient air extraction capacity during air circuit control, enabling the adhesion module to quickly enter the working state; the control module's pressure relief and recovery are rapid. 4. The invention employs multiple biomimetic adhesion technologies to simultaneously improve axial pull-out resistance and tangential slip resistance. The microstructure on the surface of the inner layer adhesion unit can provide tangential adhesion force during the working state of the protective device, which greatly improves the load-bearing capacity of the protective device. 5. The double-layer adhesion unit, combined with the wedge-shaped sealing structure, can achieve reliable adsorption in areas with different curvature radii on the helmet surface. This protective device has dynamic adaptability to different contact areas of the helmet, allowing the head to be adjusted to a certain extent in multiple directions to adapt to the posture and displacement needs of occupants of different heights. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a longitudinal sectional view of the adhesive module;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a longitudinal sectional view of the control module. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] The dynamic impact-resistant head and neck protection device of this invention includes a helmet 1, an adhesion module 2, a control module 3, and a seat headrest 4. The adhesion module 2 is connected to the seat headrest 4, and the control module 3 is installed inside the seat headrest. The adhesion module 2 and the control module 3 are connected via an air tube to reduce the inertial load on the helmet 1. Dynamic adaptation to surfaces with different curvature radii is achieved using remora-like negative pressure adsorption and gecko-like dry adhesion technology. The adhesion device connection assembly utilizes an embedded ball joint structure to allow free rotation of the head during operation. The air circuit control assembly is connected to the connection assembly via an air tube and is used to identify inertial load status signals to control the activation and deactivation of the head and neck inertial load reduction protection device, thereby achieving helmet adsorption and detachment.

[0024] like Figure 2 As shown, the adhesion module 2 of this invention includes an adsorption adapter 21, an adhesive material layer 22, an adsorption sealing layer 23, an air path conversion head 24, a rubber pad 25, a spherical rod 26, a reverse nut 27, and a thin nut 28. Both the adhesive material layer 22 and the adsorption sealing layer 23 are circular at the ends closest to the helmet, and both have a central air hole. The edge of the adsorption sealing layer 23 is designed with a wedge-shaped sealing ring structure, and the inner surface of the base has a stepped groove. The adhesive material layer 22 is pressed against the stepped groove on the inner surface of the adsorption sealing layer 23 through the adsorption adapter 21. The tail end of the adsorption adapter is connected to the air path conversion head 24, which has a right-angle air passage. The air passage inlet is aligned with the air passage at the tail end of the adsorption adapter 21, and the air passage outlet is connected to the control module 3 through an air pipe. The rear end of the air path conversion head 24 is fixedly connected to an externally threaded column, and the column has a spherical groove inside. One end of the spherical rod 26 is placed in the spherical groove of the external threaded column, and the other end passes through the undercut nut 27 and connects to the seat headrest. The thin nut 28 provides support for the installation of the spherical rod. The undercut nut 27 is connected to the tail column of the air circuit converter 24, and generates sufficient pressure during tightening, which, together with the rubber pad 25, stably fixes the spherical rod 26 in the spherical groove. The adhesive material layer 22 is a high-hardness adsorption sealing layer with a wedge structure, and the adsorption sealing layer 23 is composed of the adhesive material layer. The adhesive material layer 22 and the adsorption sealing layer 23 form a double-layer structure.

[0025] like Figure 3As shown, the control module 3 of this invention mainly includes an upper housing 30 of the gas path control box, a lower housing 31 of the gas path control box, a vacuum pump 32, a control circuit board 33, a conductive rubber strip 34, an indicator light 35, an electrical connection connector 38, and a two-position three-way solenoid valve 40. The vacuum pump 32 is mounted on the upper housing 30 of the gas path control box. The control circuit board 33 is mounted on the lower housing 31 of the gas path control box using six cylindrical head screws 39. The solenoid valve 40 and the electrical connection connector 38 are mounted on the side of the lower housing 31 of the gas path control box using two flat-head screws 41 and 37, respectively. The upper and lower housings 30 and 31 of the control box are connected by countersunk screws 36 at the four corners. The upper surface of the lower housing 31 of the control box has an annular groove to store the conductive rubber strip 34. The air supply port of the solenoid valve 40 is connected to the suction port of the vacuum pump 32, the vent port is connected to the atmosphere inside the housing, and the output port is connected to the right-angle air outlet of the gas path converter 24. The control circuit board 33 is connected to the vacuum pump 32, solenoid valve 40, electrical connector 38, and indicator light 35. The control module 3 receives voltage and input command signals from the seat through the electrical connector 38. After receiving the input signal, the circuit board 33 outputs a switch signal via a relay to control the start and stop of the vacuum pump 32, solenoid valve 40, and indicator light 35. The air intake system inside the control module evacuates or de-airs the cavity of the adhesive module, thus fixing or separating the helmet from the seat headrest. The biomimetic adhesion of the adhesive material layer 22 and the negative pressure adsorption of the adsorption sealing layer 23 work together to achieve protective effects such as high load-bearing capacity and strong sealing.

[0026] The method of using the dynamic impact-resistant head and neck protection device of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0027] (1) After the acceleration module inside the seat is powered on, it receives acceleration data and performs filtering correction. At the same time, it detects the status signal of the manual control switch in real time to determine whether the protective device needs to be activated. When the vehicle is in a normal operating state such as uniform speed, slow acceleration or deceleration, the protective equipment does not work and the helmet and seat headrest are in a separated state.

[0028] (2) When the vehicle faces special circumstances such as sudden stop or rear-end collision, the occupants will face a large forward inertial load. After the acceleration data in the control module meets the start-up output conditions, the protective equipment will enter the adsorption working state. The occupants will wear helmets and actively press them against the adhesive module on the headrest of the seat. The air intake system in the control box module will then work to extract air and lock the helmet to the headrest of the seat. If the acceleration data transmission fails or other special circumstances occur, the protective device can also be activated by toggling the manual safety switch.

[0029] (3) After the inertial load is reduced, the acceleration data meets the conditions for shutting down the output, and the protective device exits the working state. The exhaust system in the control module releases air, the multiple bionic adhesion units lock in place, and the helmet detaches from the adsorption device, returning to a free motion state. In special circumstances such as acceleration data transmission failure or detachment failure, the protective device can also be shut down by toggling the manual safety switch.

[0030] The working principle of this invention is as follows: Under the action of the control module 3, the multiple biomimetic adhesion module 2 has three states: non-working state, working protection state, and response completion detachment state. In the non-working state, the double-layer adhesion unit is not in contact with the helmet, the helmet can move freely, and the displacement of the occupant's head and neck is not restricted. In the working protection state, the double-layer adhesion unit is in contact with the helmet, the vacuum pump 32 in the control module 3 starts to pump air, the double-layer adhesion unit is no longer connected to atmospheric pressure, and under the negative pressure difference, the helmet and the biomimetic adhesion material layer 22 are completely bonded together. The wedge-shaped sealing structure of the outer adsorption sealing layer is tightly bonded to the helmet, and the spherical rod 26 acts as a support to hold the head against and prevent further backward displacement. At this time, the adsorption preparation is completed, and the adhesion module begins to restrict excessive forward tilting of the head. The protective device described in this invention can effectively absorb and disperse huge inertial loads in the working state, protecting the occupant's head and neck from fatigue damage; after the inertial load on the occupant is reduced, the adhesive module enters the response completion detachment state, the vacuum pump 32 in the control module 3 stops pumping air, the solenoid valve 40 quickly opens to release air, the inner cavity of the double-layer adhesive unit returns to atmospheric pressure, the adhesive module separates from the helmet, and the helmet can move freely again.

[0031] The specific adhesion process of the dynamic impact-resistant head and neck protection device of this invention is as follows: the occupant's head actively rests against the adhesion module, which is passively pressed against the helmet to form a closed internal cavity. The biomimetic adhesion structure adheres to the contact surface of the helmet. Because the internal air pressure is much lower than the external air pressure, a negative pressure difference is created. Under this negative pressure difference, the biomimetic adhesion structure firmly adheres to the helmet. When subjected to load, the biomimetic adhesion structure first pulls up the outer adsorption sealing layer, causing the outer structure to slide and bear the load first, while the inner structure does not slide. In this stage, the biomimetic adhesion unit adheres to the contact surface and achieves a new force balance under the action of surface pressure and external effective inertial load. At the same time, the outer adsorption sealing layer, affected by the pressure difference, presses the internal biomimetic adhesion material layer tightly against the helmet surface, thereby maximizing the adhesion effect. During the loading process, the adhesion module can swing around the spherical rod at a certain angle, and the double-layer adhesion unit exhibits a certain degree of flexible deformation, which reduces the discomfort to the occupant's head and neck caused by the forced reverse pulling force. For rapid desorption, simply press the safety switch to activate the device, which will reduce the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the adhesive module to zero. At this point, the protective device will begin to desorb, and the adhesion will decrease, causing the protective device to detach from the helmet and allowing the head to move freely.

[0032] The control module of this invention enables precise adjustment of the adhesion module's adsorption capacity, ensuring a continuous and stable supply of sufficient suction power during operation of the pneumatic control device. This guarantees that the internal air pressure of the adhesion unit remains at the desired value and allows for rapid switching to a non-operating state. Furthermore, the multiple biomimetic adhesion units employ a combination of dry adhesion and differential pressure adhesion. The two-layer structure works synergistically to maximize adhesion and dynamically adapt to adsorption surfaces with varying curvature radii. Moreover, the adhesion module of this invention is lightweight, simple in design, small in size, and easy to replace, making it suitable for integration and installation within the limited space of a seat.

Claims

1. A head and neck protection device against dynamic impacts, characterized in that, The head protection device comprises a helmet (1), an adhesion module (2), a control module (3) and a seat headrest (4), the control module (3) is installed inside the seat headrest (4), the adhesion module (2) comprises a suction adapter (21), an adhesion material layer (22), a suction sealing layer (23) and a gas path adapter (24), the adhesion material layer (22) is installed in the inner surface stepped groove of the suction sealing layer (23) through the suction adapter (21), the tail end of the suction adapter (21) is connected with the gas path adapter (24), the gas channel of the gas path adapter (24) is connected with the central gas channel of the suction adapter (21) to form a passage, the gas path adapter (24) is connected with the electrical connector (38) of the control module (3), when the vacuum pump (32) of the control module (3) works, the adhesion material layer (22) generates a vacuum on the side close to the helmet, the helmet (1) is adsorbed, and the inertial load reduction of the helmet (1) is realized. The adhesion module (2) further comprises a rubber pad (25), a spherical rod (26), a reverse nut (27) and a sheet nut (28), the spherical head end of the spherical rod (26) is fixed on the gas path adapter (24) through the reverse nut (27), the rubber pad (25) is arranged between the spherical head end and the gas path adapter (24), and the tail end of the spherical rod (26) is fixed on the seat headrest (4) through the sheet nut (28).

2. The head and neck protection device against dynamic impacts according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control module (3) comprises a vacuum pump (32), a control circuit board (33), an electrical connector (38) and a solenoid valve.

3. The head and neck protection device against dynamic impacts according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adhesion material layer (22) and the suction sealing layer (23) are both circular on the side close to the helmet, and both are provided with a central hole.

4. The head and neck protection device against dynamic impacts according to claim 2, characterized in that, The tail end of the gas path adapter (24) is provided with an external thread column table for placing the spherical head end, and the column table is internally provided with a spherical recess.

5. The head and neck protection device according to claim 3, wherein, The gas channel of the gas path adapter (24) is a right-angle gas channel.

6. A method of using a head and neck protection device against dynamic impacts according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The following steps are included: (1) When the head and neck protection device is in a non-working state, the solenoid valve (40) in the control module (3) is in a normally open state, the vacuum pump (32) does not work, the signal lamp (35) is off, and the helmet (1) and the seat headrest (4) are in a separated state, at this time, the head and neck protection device does not hinder the movement of the head and neck; (2) When facing a forward inertial load, after the acceleration data in the control module (3) meets the starting output condition, the head and neck protection device enters an adsorption working state, the solenoid valve (40) in the control box is in a closed state, the vacuum pump (32) starts to work, and the helmet (1) is adsorbed on the adhesion module (2) on the seat headrest (4); (3) After the inertial load reduction is completed, the acceleration data meets the closing output condition, the head and neck protection device exits the working state, the normally open solenoid valve (40) in the control module (3) is opened, the vacuum pump (32) is closed, the helmet (1) is detached from the adhesion module (2), and the free movement state is restored.

7. The method of using a head and neck protection device against dynamic impacts according to claim 6, characterized in that, Step (1) is as follows: before the inertial load, the inertial navigation measurement module of the seat detects the inertial load in advance, and the control module (3) is in a non-working state before the system determines that the protection device meets the starting condition; a manual switch device matched with the seat is designed to avoid the misstart of the protection device caused by the inertial navigation module in the case of sensing error or signal interference. The occupant can give the "adsorption" and "separation" instructions by operating the manual switch to directly control the start and stop of the protection device.

8. The method of using a head and neck protection device against dynamic impacts according to claim 6, wherein, Step (2) is as follows: before the forward inertial load, the system determines that the protection device meets the starting condition, the helmet (1) actively leans back to the vicinity of the adhesion module (2), the control module (3) is started, the control circuit board (33) in the box controls the vacuum pump (32) to perform the air extraction operation, and the adhesion module (2) is locked to the surface of the helmet (1) under the action of the pre-pressure and the negative pressure, and the helmet (1) and the seat headrest (4) are coupled.

9. The method of using a head and neck protection device against dynamic impacts according to claim 6, wherein, Step (3) is as follows: after the inertial load is eliminated, the system determines that the protection device meets the closing condition, the control module (3) is in a non-working state, the vacuum pump (32) in the box stops air extraction, the electromagnetic valve (40) is opened, the adhesion module (2) is released from adsorption, and the helmet (1) and the seat headrest (4) are separated; the occupant can give the adsorption or separation instructions by operating the manual switch to directly control the start and stop of the protection device.

Images