Head-worn devices and methods for evaluating their impact absorption performance

Abstract

To provide a head mounting fixture equipped with a shock absorbing member suitable for a head mounting fixture worn when playing sports, and a method for evaluating its shock absorption performance.SOLUTION: A head mounting fixture 1 includes a head mount main body 2 that is mounted on a head, and a shock absorbing member 3 provided on the head mount main body 2, in which a ratio of an amount of impact input to the head via the shock absorbing member during playing soccer to an amount of impact input to the head without passing through the shock absorbing member during playing soccer, is set at 57% or less, and a bending recovery property of the shock absorbing member is set to 29 gf.cm / cm or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a headgear and a method for evaluating the impact absorption performance thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, when playing sports, impacts may be applied to the head due to contact between players, falls, etc. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a need to reduce impacts to the head caused by heading when playing soccer, particularly for developmental age players (infant to U-15), head-to-head collisions during a header contest, and impacts to the head caused by collisions between the head and elbows or the ground, etc. In response to this, the football cap as a head-worn device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with an impact buffering member (shock absorbing member) that absorbs the impact to the forehead when the ball comes into contact with the head during a header when playing sports such as soccer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-200540 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] JFA Technical Committee and JFA Medical Committee, "JFA Guidelines for Heading Skill Acquisition in Development Age Groups (Early Childhood to U-15)," First Edition, April 30, 2021 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The shock absorbing member disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a highly absorbent sheet for cooling the forehead, and so Patent Document 1 does not disclose any performance information about the shock absorbing rate of the shock absorbing member. Furthermore, there are no specifications regarding standards for what kind of shock absorbing performance a head-worn device should have to comply with Non-Patent Document 1, or how to measure it.

[0006] For example, impact absorption performance is sometimes evaluated by the coefficient of restitution (GB coefficient), which is correlated with impact absorption. However, the applicant of the present application has noticed that because the coefficient of restitution evaluates resilience, it is difficult to determine whether head impact reduction is achieved by evaluating the coefficient of restitution alone, and that the evaluation may differ from the actual amount of impact that may be input to a player's head. The applicant of the present application has discovered a new problem: because the amount of impact absorption may vary depending on factors other than the coefficient of restitution, it is necessary to directly evaluate the amount of impact input to the head. Furthermore, the applicant has discovered a new problem: that a design designed to reduce the amount of impact may cause discomfort when worn, leaving room for improvement in terms of wearability.

[0007] In order to solve at least one of the above-mentioned new problems, the present invention provides a headgear equipped with an impact-absorbing member suitable for headgear worn when playing soccer, and a method for evaluating the impact-absorbing performance of the headgear. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a headgear main body to be worn on the head; an impact absorbing member provided on the headgear main body, a ratio of a second amount of impact that may be input to the head via the impact absorbing member during soccer play to a first amount of impact that may be input to the head without via the impact absorbing member during soccer play is 57% or less, The headgear is provided in which the bending recovery of the impact absorbing member is set to 29 gf·cm / cm or less.

[0009] The amount of impact may be measured using impact force or impact acceleration. In this specification, impact force is defined as the product of the G value of impact acceleration and the mass (kg) of the colliding object. Furthermore, the amount of impact may be measured using the head injury criteria (HIC value), which is a numerical value that indicates the degree of damage to the brain and skull caused by impact.

[0010] Bending recovery was measured using the KES method, a method widely known as the Kawabata Evaluation System (a method for objectively measuring fabric texture), and details are described in "Standardization and Analysis of Texture Evaluation (2nd Edition)" by Kawabata Toshio, published by the Textile Machinery Society of Japan (1980). Specifically, measurements were made using a pure bending tester KES-FB2 (manufactured by Kato Tech Co., Ltd.). The smaller the 2HB bending recovery value, the better the shock absorbing material's ability to recover from bending deformation, meaning that the shock absorbing material has a resilient feel. In other words, the smaller the 2HB bending recovery value, the easier it is for the shock absorbing material to recover to its original state after bending deformation.

[0011] According to the present invention, the degree of reduction in the amount of impact input to the head is appropriately set, so it is possible to absorb impact to the head when, for example, the head hits the ground during a fall, two players' heads come into contact with each other, the head comes into contact with an elbow, or the ball hits the head during heading. If the ratio of the second amount of impact input to the head via the impact absorbing member to the first amount of impact that is assumed to be input to the head without going through the impact absorbing member exceeds 57%, the absorption of impact to the head is likely to be insufficient.

[0012] Generally, increasing the amount of shock absorption requires increasing the amount of deformation (stroke amount) of the shock-absorbing material during a collision. However, increasing the stroke amount of the shock-absorbing material increases the thickness of the material, which is undesirable for sports headbands, as it can cause discomfort when worn. In contrast, by setting the bending recovery to 29 gf·cm / cm or less, it is possible to improve shock absorption without increasing the thickness of the shock-absorbing material.

[0013] More specifically, by appropriately setting the bending recovery, the impact absorbing material deforms to absorb the impact force, and it is estimated that the bending recovery resists the deformation of the impact absorbing material, allowing it to absorb an additional amount of impact. In other words, for the same amount of deformation of the impact absorbing material, it is estimated that the amount of impact force absorbed by the deformation of the impact absorbing material can be increased compared to when the recovery force exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm. Therefore, the amount of impact force absorbed can be increased without increasing the thickness of the impact absorbing material, making it easier to reduce the impact force transmitted to the head after the impact absorbing material is crushed and deformed.

[0014] For example, if the bending recovery exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm, the impact absorbing material can absorb the impact force by deforming, but compared to when the bending recovery is 29 gf·cm / cm or less, it is estimated that the recovery force due to the bending recovery to resist deformation is insufficient, and therefore the impact force transmitted to the head after the impact absorbing material is crushed and deformed is unlikely to be sufficiently alleviated.

[0015] Another aspect of the present invention is a headgear main body to be worn on the head; an impact absorbing member provided on the headgear main body, The restitution coefficient of the impact absorbing member is set to 34% or less, The headgear is provided in which the bending recovery of the impact absorbing member is set to 29 gf·cm / cm or less.

[0016] In this invention, the GB coefficient is used as the coefficient of restitution. The GB coefficient is calculated by dropping a golf ball (manufactured by Bridgestone: product name NewBreed) from a height of 100 cm onto the top surface of an impact absorbing member placed on a concrete floor. The height to which the golf ball rebounds is measured and the GB coefficient is calculated. GB coefficient (%) = {rebound height (cm) / 100 (cm)} x 100.

[0017] According to this configuration, the restitution coefficient and bending recovery of the impact-absorbing member are appropriately set, so that it can absorb impacts to the head, for example, when the head touches the ground during a fall, when two players' heads come into contact with each other, when the head comes into contact with an elbow, or when the ball hits the head during heading. If the restitution coefficient exceeds 34%, the absorption of impacts to the head is likely to be insufficient. On the other hand, even if the restitution coefficient is 34% or less, the absorption of impacts to the head may be insufficient.

[0018] In contrast, by setting the bending recovery appropriately, it is estimated that the impact absorbing material can absorb the impact force by deforming, while also absorbing an additional amount of impact due to the recovery force of the bending recovery that resists the deformation of the impact absorbing material. In other words, for the same amount of deformation of the impact absorbing material, it is estimated that the amount of impact force absorbed by the deformation of the impact absorbing material can be increased compared to when the recovery force exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm. Therefore, by increasing the amount of impact force absorbed, the impact force transmitted to the head after the impact absorbing material is crushed and deformed is more easily alleviated.

[0019] For example, if the bending recovery exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm, the impact absorbing material can absorb the impact force by deforming, but compared to when the bending recovery is 29 gf·cm / cm or less, it is estimated that the recovery force due to the bending recovery to resist deformation is insufficient, and therefore the impact force transmitted to the head after the impact absorbing material is crushed and deformed is unlikely to be sufficiently alleviated.

[0020] The bending rigidity of the shock absorbing member is 48.4 gf cm 2 / cm or less.

[0021] The bending stiffness was measured by the KES method, as was the bending recovery.

[0022] According to this configuration, the bending rigidity of the impact absorbing member is appropriately set, so that even when the impact absorbing member is arranged in the headwear, it is possible to avoid impairing the comfort of wearing the headwear and also to sew it. Specifically, the bending rigidity is 48.4 gf cm 2 If the bending stiffness exceeds 1 / cm, the area where the shock absorbing member is located will have excessive bending stiffness, making it difficult for the cushion to conform to the circumferential shape of the head. Furthermore, the area where the shock absorbing member is located and has excessive bending stiffness will not conform to the head, making it prone to slippage.

[0023] In addition, the bending rigidity of the shock absorbing material is 48.4 gf cm 2 If the thickness exceeds 1 / cm, for example, when the headwear is a cap and an impact absorbing member is arranged along the circumferential direction of the head, it is difficult to sew the impact absorbing member along the circumferential direction of the head of the cap.

[0024] The impact absorbing member may have a restitution coefficient set to 12% or more.

[0025] This configuration makes it possible to obtain a repulsive force to bounce the ball back while absorbing the impact on the head when heading the ball. If the repulsion coefficient is less than 12%, for example, the repulsive force to bounce the ball back when heading the ball will be insufficient.

[0026] More specifically, a small restitution coefficient generally improves shock absorption, but a decrease in the restitution coefficient can result in a feeling of discomfort when heading, due to insufficient rebound of the ball. In response to this, the inventors of the present application have discovered that even a restitution coefficient of 12% can provide a repulsive force sufficient to bounce the ball back without causing discomfort when heading. Therefore, the upper and lower limits of the restitution coefficient of the shock-absorbing member described above are set based on this new finding, thereby enabling a resilience that does not cause discomfort when heading, while also improving shock absorption when heading. As a result, a headgear equipped with a shock-absorbing member suitable for headgear worn when playing sports can be provided.

[0027] The thickness of the impact absorbing member may be set to be equal to or greater than 3 mm and equal to or less than 5 mm.

[0028] According to this configuration, the thickness of the shock-absorbing member is appropriately set, so that shock absorption and comfort can be achieved at the same time. Specifically, if the thickness is less than 3 mm, shock absorption becomes insufficient, and if it exceeds 5 mm, the headgear may feel uncomfortable when worn, the aesthetic appearance may be impaired, and it may be difficult to sew a headgear such as a cap along the head circumference.

[0029] The headwear main body has a rear covering part corresponding to a frontal region of a wearer, The impact absorbing member may be disposed on at least a part of the rear covering portion.

[0030] According to this configuration, the impact absorbing member is provided at a position corresponding to the frontal region, so that it is possible to reduce the impact load input to the head due to, for example, heading.

[0031] The headwear main body has a front covering part corresponding to the occipital region of the wearer, The impact absorbing member may be disposed on at least a part of the front covering portion.

[0032] According to this configuration, the impact absorbing member is provided at a position corresponding to the occipital region, so that it is possible to reduce the impact load input to the head, for example, upon contact or a fall.

[0033] the headgear main body has a pair of side covering parts corresponding to a pair of temporal regions of the wearer, The impact absorbing member may be disposed on at least a portion of the pair of side covering portions.

[0034] According to this configuration, the impact absorbing member is provided at a position corresponding to the temporal region, so that, for example, when two players' heads come into contact with each other during play, the impact load input to the temples and temporal regions can be reduced.

[0035] The headwear main body has an upper covering part corresponding to a crown region of the wearer's head, The impact absorbing member may be disposed on at least a portion of the upper covering portion.

[0036] According to this configuration, the impact absorbing member is provided at a position corresponding to the parietal region, so that it is possible to reduce the impact load input to the head due to, for example, a fall or heading.

[0037] The headwear is a cap.

[0038] According to this configuration, the effects of the present invention can be obtained.

[0039] The headwear is a headband.

[0040] According to this configuration, the effects of the present invention can be obtained.

[0041] A method for evaluating the absorption performance of an impact input to the head via the head-worn device, comprising: the head mannequin for evaluating the impact absorption performance includes an impact amount sensor for measuring the amount of impact input to the head mannequin, The head mounting device is mounted on the head mannequin at least from the forehead to the back of the head in a circumferential direction, inputting, by the impact force input means, a first impact amount that is the largest assumed to be input to the head of the head manikin when the head mounting device is attached and when the head manikin is not attached, during soccer play; measuring a second impact amount that may be input to the head via the head-mounted device during soccer play; A method for evaluating the impact absorption performance of the headwear is provided as a ratio of the second impact amount to the first impact amount.

[0042] According to this configuration, the impact absorbing performance of the headgear can be evaluated.

[0043] If the ratio is 57% or less, The headwear may be determined to satisfy a predetermined impact absorbing performance.

[0044] According to this configuration, the impact absorption performance of the headgear is appropriately set, so that the amount of impact input to the wearer can be reduced. If the ratio of the second impact amount to the first impact amount exceeds 57%, the impact absorption to the head tends to be insufficient.

[0045] The impact amount sensor may measure impact acceleration.

[0046] According to this configuration, the shock absorbing performance can be evaluated by measuring the shock acceleration related to the shock amount.

[0047] The impact acceleration input to the head through the impact absorbing member is 199 m / s 2 The headwear may be determined to satisfy the impact absorbing performance when:

[0048] According to this configuration, the impact acceleration input to the head mannequin is appropriately set, so that the amount of impact input to the wearer can be reduced. 2 If it exceeds this value, the shock absorption to the head is likely to be insufficient.

[0049] The impact force input means may have a configuration in which a pendulum-type impactor is caused to collide with the mannequin head in a stationary state.

[0050] According to this configuration, the amount of impact input to the mannequin head can be set to a desired value by adjusting the mass of the impactor and the swing-down angle of the impactor.

[0051] The impact force input means may be configured to input an impact force to the mannequin head by allowing the mannequin head to freely fall from a predetermined drop height.

[0052] According to this configuration, the amount of impact input to the mannequin head can be set to a desired value by adjusting the drop height of the mannequin head. [Effects of the Invention]

[0053] The present invention provides a headgear having a shock-absorbing member suitable for a headgear worn when playing soccer, and a method for evaluating the shock-absorbing performance of the headgear. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0054] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a cap as a headgear according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the cap and various regions of the wearer's head. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3 . [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a development view of a headband as a head-worn device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a side view showing the headband and various areas of the wearer's head. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the cap according to the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the cap according to the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a front view of the cap according to the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cap according to the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the cap according to the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a side view of the cap according to the present invention. [Figure 16] 1 is a perspective view of a headband according to the present invention. [Figure 17]FIG. 2 is a front view of the headband according to the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the headband according to the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a headband according to the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the headband according to the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 2 is a right side view of the headband according to the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the headband according to the present invention. [Figure 23] FIG. 2 is a front view of the headband according to the present invention in an unfolded state. [Figure 24] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the headband according to the present invention in an unfolded state. [Figure 25] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a method for conducting evaluation test 1. [Figure 26] A mannequin head without a headband attached. [Figure 27] Impact resistance test equipment used in this evaluation test. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a method for conducting evaluation test 2. [Figure 29] System diagram of head acceleration measurement method. [Figure 30] 10 is a graph showing the change over time in the average value of resultant head acceleration when a headband is worn and when not worn. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0055] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0056] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a side view of a cap as a headgear according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 shows the cap 1 and various areas of a wearer's head. With reference to Fig. 1, a football cap (hereinafter also referred to as "cap") 1 worn on the head when playing sports such as soccer will be used as an example of the headgear 1.

[0057] The cap 1 includes a cap body (headwear body) 2 to be worn on the head, and a shock absorbing member 3 provided on the cap body 2.

[0058] The cap body 2 has a crown portion 21 that is approximately hemispherical and covers the head, and a brim portion 22 that extends outward from a portion of the circumference of the lower edge of the crown portion 21. In this embodiment, the cap 1 is worn with the brim portion 22 positioned on the back of the head to facilitate heading when playing soccer, but the side on which the brim portion 22 is provided will be referred to as the front side, and the side opposite the brim portion 22 (front side) will be referred to as the back side. The brim portion 22 has a core material and an outer fabric that encases the core material. The core material and the outer fabric are sewn together at the lower edge of the crown portion 21 in an overlapping state.

[0059] The crown portion 21 has a rear covering portion 21a, a front covering portion 21b, a side covering portion 21c, and an upper covering portion 21d. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the cap 1 and each region of the wearer's head H. Referring also to FIG. 2, the rear covering portion 21a covers a frontal region H1 corresponding to the front of the wearer's head. The front covering portion 21b covers an occipital region H2 corresponding to the back of the wearer's head. The side covering portions 21c cover bitemporal regions H3 corresponding to both sides of the wearer's head. The upper covering portion 21d covers a parietal region H4 corresponding to the top of the head.

[0060] Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cap 1 in the front-to-rear direction taken along line III-III in Fig. 2. Referring to Fig. 3, the impact absorbing member 3 is disposed inside (toward the head) the crown portion 21. The impact absorbing member 3 is sewn to the outer material 2a that forms the outer diameter of the crown portion 21. The impact absorbing member 3 has a first impact absorbing member 4 and a second impact absorbing member 5.

[0061] Fig. 4 is a front perspective view of the impact absorbing member 3, and Fig. 5 is a rear view of the impact absorbing member 3. Referring to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 together, the first impact absorbing member 4 extends in the circumferential direction (head circumference direction) along the lower end peripheral edge of the crown portion 21 and is arranged around almost the entire circumference. The second impact absorbing member 5 is arranged above the first impact absorbing member 4 and extends in the front-rear direction.

[0062] The first impact absorbing member 4 includes a rear impact absorbing portion 41 provided in the rear covering portion 21a (see Figure 1), a front impact absorbing portion 42 provided in the front covering portion 21b (see Figure 1), and a side impact absorbing portion 43 provided in the side covering portion 21c (see Figure 1).

[0063] 3, the rear impact absorbing portion 41 is provided in the rear covering-part 21a and is therefore positioned to correspond to the forehead of the wearer. The front impact absorbing portion 42 is provided in the front covering-part 21b and is therefore positioned to correspond to the occipital region of the wearer's head. The side impact absorbing portion 43 is provided in the side covering-part 21c and is therefore positioned to correspond to the temporal region of the wearer's head.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 5, rear impact absorbing portion 41 has a rear upper edge 41a that is gently shaped like a mountain, and a rear lower edge 41b that is uniformly linear and extends along the lower edge of crown portion 21 in rear view.

[0065] 5, the front upper edge 42a of the front impact absorbing portion 42 has a mountain-like shape that rises more steeply than the rear upper edge 41a in rear view. The front lower edge 42b has a uniform linear shape that extends along the lower edge of the crown portion 21.

[0066] 4 and 5, the side impact absorbing portion 43 is integrally formed between the side portions 41c of the rear impact absorbing portion 41 and the side portions 42c of the front impact absorbing portion 42 so as to be continuous with the side portions 42c of the front impact absorbing portion 42. The side upper edge portion 43a is continuous with the front upper edge portion 42a, and the side lower edge portion 43b is continuous with the front lower edge portion 42b.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 5, the rear end 43c of each side impact absorbing portion 43 extends to the vicinity of the side portion 41c of the rear impact absorbing portion 41. A gap 45 is provided between the rear end 43c and the side portion 41c. This gap 45 forms an adjuster portion for changing the circumferential length (head circumference) of the crown portion 21 using the adjuster 25 (see FIG. 1) provided across the rear covering portion 21a and the side covering portion 21c, without disposing an impact absorbing member 3 between the rear covering portion 21a and the side covering portion 21c. The adjuster 25 is formed, for example, by a hook-and-loop fastener. The adjuster 25 may also be formed by a slider or the like.

[0068] As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, the second impact absorbing member 5 is provided on the upper covering portion 21d. As a result, the second impact absorbing member 5 is positioned to correspond to the top of the head. Referring to Figure 2, the second impact absorbing member 5 is a strip-shaped member having a predetermined width W1 and extending generally in the front-to-rear direction in a bottom view. Both side widthwise edges 5a of the second impact absorbing member 5 extend linearly in the front-to-rear direction. A rear edge 52 of the second impact absorbing member 5 is sewn to the rear upper edge 41a, and a front edge 53 of the second impact absorbing member 5 is sewn to the front upper edge 42a.

[0069] In this embodiment, the width W1 of the second shock absorbing member 5 is set to, for example, approximately 1 / 3 of the width W of the crown portion 21. An area where no shock absorbing member is provided is formed on the widthwise outer side of the second shock absorbing member 5, and has approximately the same width dimension as the second shock absorbing member 5. This makes it possible to improve the breathability of the crown portion 21 compared to when the entire upper covering portion 21d is covered by the shock absorbing member 3.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 3, the shock-absorbing member 3 comprises a sheet 3a made of, for example, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) resin, a top layer 3b covering the front surface of the sheet 3a, and a backing layer 3c covering the rear surface. The sheet 3a may be made of, for example, a closed-cell polyethylene foam (product name: Sunperca C-700) manufactured by Sanwa Kako Co., Ltd., a high-performance urethane foam (product name: PORON) manufactured by Rogers Inoac Corporation, or a low-resilience soft foam (product name: Trans Yellow) manufactured by Daiichi Kagaku Co., Ltd. In particular, a styrene-based elastomer (e.g., Trans Yellow) is less susceptible to deterioration over time than urethane, which has low resistance to sweat and water. Furthermore, styrene-based elastomers have weather resistance comparable to EVA and PE foams, making them suitable for playing vigorous outdoor sports. In the cap 1, EVA, which has higher rigidity than styrene-based elastomers, is preferred for the sheet 3a from the perspective of ease of sewing. More specifically, EVA has higher rigidity than styrene-based elastomers, and is easy to sew in the areas where the sheet body 3a is sewn together, such as in a cap (more specifically, the rear upper edge portion 41a and the rear edge portion 52, and the front upper edge portion 42a and the front edge portion 53, which are sewn together).

[0071] The thickness T1 of the sheet body 3a is, for example, 3 mm or more and 5 mm or less. In this embodiment, the outer fabric 3b of the impact absorbing member 3 is made up of the outer fabric 2a that constitutes the crown portion 21. That is, the impact absorbing member 3 has a three-layer structure in which the sheet body 3a and the lining 3c are sewn together to the outer fabric 2a.

[0072] The headgear 1 is configured so that the ratio of the second amount of impact that may be input to the head via the impact absorbing member 3 while playing soccer to the first amount of impact that is assumed to be input to the head without going through the impact absorbing member 3 while playing soccer is 57% or less. The evaluation method and upper limit of the amount of impact input to the head will be explained in detail in the evaluation test. In this embodiment, the amount of impact is a value related to the force of impact input to the head, so impact force may be used as the amount of impact. Furthermore, in this specification, impact force is a value obtained by multiplying the G value of the impact acceleration by the mass (kg) of the colliding object, so impact acceleration (hereinafter also referred to as "head acceleration") (m / s 2 ) is used. Furthermore, the Head Injury Criterion (HIC), which indicates the degree of damage to the brain and skull due to an impact, may also be used as the impact amount. The HIC value, established by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is a numerical value that indicates the degree of damage to the brain and skull due to an impact such as a collision or fall. It is used to evaluate the safety of occupants in automobile collisions and as a head protection standard for playgrounds when children fall off playground equipment. The HIC value is defined by the following formula using the change in acceleration over time: Here, a(t) is the resultant head acceleration (measured at the center of gravity of the head) expressed in gravitational acceleration g, and t1 and t2 are the initial and final times (s) in the time interval in which the HIC value reaches its maximum.

[0073]

number

[0074] The coefficient of restitution (GB coefficient) used to evaluate the impact absorption of the impact absorbing member 3 is set to 12% or more and 34% or less. The method for setting the upper and lower limits of the coefficient of restitution will be described in detail in the examples.

[0075] The method for measuring the coefficient of restitution is to drop a golf ball (manufactured by Bridgestone: product name NewBreed) from a height of 100cm onto the top surface of an impact absorbing material placed on a concrete floor, measure the height to which the golf ball rebounds, and calculate the GB coefficient: GB coefficient (%) = {rebound height (cm) / 100 (cm)} x 100.

[0076] The bending recovery of the impact absorbing member 3 is set to 29 gf·cm / cm or less. The method for setting the upper limit of the bending recovery and the method for measuring the bending recovery will be described in detail in the Examples.

[0077] The bending stiffness and bending recovery were measured using the KES method, a method widely known as the Kawabata Evaluation System (a method for objectively measuring fabric texture), and details are described in "Standardization and Analysis of Texture Evaluation (2nd Edition)" by Kawabata Toshio, published by the Textile Machinery Society of Japan, 1980. Specifically, measurements were taken using a pure bending tester KES-FB2 (manufactured by Kato Tech Co., Ltd.).

[0078] The bending rigidity of the shock absorbing member 3 is 48.4 gf cm 2 The method for setting the upper limit of bending stiffness and the method for measuring bending stiffness will be described in detail in the Examples.

[0079] As shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, it is also preferable to provide a bottle cover 26 on the cap 1. The bottle cover 26 is provided so as to extend circumferentially inside the cap 1. When the bottle cover 26 is provided so as to extend circumferentially around the crown portion 21, the bottle cover 26 may be provided with a width of approximately 10 mm to 40 mm. By providing the bottle cover 26, it is possible to prevent sweat from dripping onto the face and to prevent sweat stains from forming on the edge of the crown portion 21. There are no particular restrictions on the material of the bottle cover 26, but it is preferable to select a material that is more absorbent and quick-drying than the anti-slip material 27 described below.

[0080] 3, in this embodiment, it is preferable to provide an anti-slip material 27 on the cap 1. The attachment position of the anti-slip material 27 is not particularly limited as long as it is provided inside the cap 1, and it may be provided on the entire inner surface of the crown portion 21 or on a part of the inner surface of the crown portion 21, but it is preferable that the anti-slip material 27 be provided so as to extend in the circumferential direction of the crown portion 21. When the anti-slip material 27 is provided so as to extend in the circumferential direction of the cap 1, it is sufficient that the anti-slip material 27 be provided with a width of about 5 mm to 30 mm.

[0081] It is also preferable to provide a cap cover 26 on the inner periphery of the cap 1 and provide an anti-slip material 27 along the inside of the cap cover 26, as shown in Figure 3. If the anti-slip material 27 is provided on the cap 1 in this manner, the cap 1 will be less likely to slip or come off even if the wearer moves vigorously. Furthermore, by providing the cap cover 26 together, it is possible to prevent sweat from dripping onto the face and to prevent sweat stains on the fabric of the crown portion 21. Furthermore, when the cap cover 26 and the anti-slip material 27 are provided to extend in the circumferential direction of the cap 1 as in the embodiment of Figure 3, it is preferable that the anti-slip material 27 be configured to have a smaller width than the cap cover 26.

[0082] The football cap 1 according to this embodiment has the following advantages.

[0083] (1) The amount of impact to the head is appropriately set, so it can absorb impacts to the head, for example, when the head touches the ground during a fall, when two players' heads come into contact with each other, when the head comes into contact with an elbow, or when the ball hits the head during heading. If the ratio of the second impact amount to the first impact amount that can be input to the head exceeds 57%, the absorption of impacts to the head is likely to be insufficient.

[0084] Generally, increasing the amount of shock absorption requires increasing the amount of deformation (stroke amount) of the shock-absorbing material during a collision. However, increasing the stroke amount of the shock-absorbing material also increases the thickness of the material, which is undesirable for sports headbands, as it can cause discomfort when worn. In contrast, by setting the bending recovery to 29 gf·cm / cm or less, it is possible to improve shock absorption without increasing the thickness of the shock-absorbing material.

[0085] More specifically, by appropriately setting the bending recovery, the impact-absorbing material is presumed to be able to absorb an additional amount of impact by deforming while also absorbing the impact due to the recovery force of the bending recovery that resists the deformation of the impact-absorbing material. In other words, for the same amount of deformation of the impact-absorbing material, it is presumed that the amount of impact force absorbed by the deformation of the impact-absorbing material can be increased compared to when the recovery force exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm. Therefore, the amount of impact force absorbed can be increased without increasing the thickness of the impact-absorbing material, making it easier to mitigate the impact force transmitted to the head after the impact-absorbing material is crushed and deformed.

[0086] For example, if the bending recovery exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm, the impact force can be absorbed by the deformation of the impact absorbing material, but compared to when the bending recovery is 29 gf·cm / cm or less, it is estimated that the recovery force due to the bending recovery to resist deformation is insufficient, and therefore the impact force transmitted to the head after the crushing deformation of the impact absorbing material is unlikely to be sufficiently alleviated.

[0087] (2) The restitution coefficient of the impact absorbing member 3 is set to 34% or less, so that it can absorb the impact to the head when, for example, the ball hits the head during heading or when two players' heads come into contact with each other. If the restitution coefficient exceeds 34%, the absorption of the impact to the head tends to be insufficient. On the other hand, even if the restitution coefficient is 34% or less, the absorption of the impact to the head may be insufficient.

[0088] On the other hand, by setting the bending recovery appropriately, it is estimated that the impact absorbing material can absorb an additional amount of impact by deforming, while also absorbing the impact force due to the recovery force of the bending recovery that resists the deformation of the impact absorbing material. In other words, for the same amount of deformation of the impact absorbing material, it is estimated that the amount of impact force absorbed by the deformation of the impact absorbing material can be increased compared to when the recovery force exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm. Therefore, by increasing the amount of impact force absorbed, the impact force transmitted to the head after the impact absorbing material is crushed and deformed is more easily alleviated.

[0089] For example, if the bending recovery exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm, the impact absorbing material can absorb the impact force by deforming, but compared to when the bending recovery is 29 gf·cm / cm or less, it is estimated that the recovery force due to the bending recovery to resist deformation is insufficient, and therefore the impact force transmitted to the head after the impact absorbing material is crushed and deformed is unlikely to be sufficiently alleviated.

[0090] Furthermore, because the flexural recovery of the impact absorbing member 3 is set to 29 gf·cm / cm or less, slippage of the headgear can be prevented even when the impact absorbing member is placed on the headgear. Specifically, for example, if the impact absorbing member 3 is sewn circumferentially along the lower edge of the crown portion 21 of the cap 1, the cap 1, when worn, is stretched in circumference along the head circumference as shown in FIG. 1, causing the curvature of the impact absorbing member to change before and after wearing the cap. In this case, by setting the flexural recovery 2HB to 29 gf·cm / cm or less, the impact absorbing member's ability to return to its original curvature makes the cap 1 less likely to slip off the head. In other words, if the flexural recovery exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm, the impact absorbing member's ability to return to its original curvature is insufficient, making it more likely to slip off the head.

[0091] In this way, if the cap 1 and headband 101 shift relative to the head, there is a risk that playing performance will be reduced, for example, if the position of the brim 22 of the cap 1 is shifted to the side when the cap 1 is worn so that the brim 22 is positioned toward the back of the head.

[0092] For example, when an impact load from a ball, such as when heading, is input to the impact absorbing member 3 while it is being worn, the impact absorbing member 3 undergoes bending deformation such that both sides of the circumferential part of the part that the ball contacts are positioned relatively outward from the part that contacted the ball. In this case, if the bending recovery 2HB exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm, the impact absorbing member 3 will not have enough recovery ability to return to its original state in line with the head circumference, leaving some parts that do not fit the head, and the cap 1 and headband 101 will be more likely to slip off the head.

[0093] (3) The bending rigidity of the shock absorbing member 3 is 48.4 gf cm 2 / cm or less, so even if a shock-absorbing member is placed in the headgear, it is possible to avoid impairing the comfort of the headgear and also to sew it. Specifically, the bending stiffness is 48.4 gf·cm 2 If the bending stiffness exceeds 1 / cm, the area where the shock absorbing member is located will have excessive bending stiffness, making it difficult for the cushion to conform to the circumferential shape of the head. Furthermore, the area where the shock absorbing member is located and has excessive bending stiffness will not conform to the head, making it prone to slippage.

[0094] In addition, the bending rigidity of the shock absorbing member 3 is 48.4 gf cm 2 If the bending stiffness exceeds 25.45 gf·cm, for example, if the headgear is a cap and an impact absorbing member is placed around the circumference of the head, it will be difficult to sew the impact absorbing member around the circumference of the head. 2 / cm or more is preferable, and the bending stiffness is 25.45gf cm 2 If the bending stiffness is less than 1 / cm, the bending rigidity will be insufficient, making it difficult to sew the portions where the sheet body 3a is sewn together, such as in a cap (more specifically, the rear upper edge portion 41a and the rear edge portion 52, and the front upper edge portion 42a and the front edge portion 53, which are sewn together).

[0095] (4) The restitution coefficient of the impact absorbing member 3 is set to 34% or less, so that, for example, when heading, the impact on the head can be absorbed while the restitution force to bounce back the ball can be obtained. On the other hand, if the restitution coefficient is less than 12%, for example, the restitution force to bounce back the ball when heading will be insufficient.

[0096] More specifically, a small restitution coefficient generally improves shock absorption, but a decrease in the restitution coefficient can result in a feeling of discomfort when heading, due to insufficient rebound of the ball. In response to this, the inventors of the present application have discovered that even a restitution coefficient of 12% can provide a repulsive force sufficient to bounce the ball back without causing discomfort when heading. Therefore, the upper and lower limits of the restitution coefficient of the shock-absorbing member described above are set based on this new finding, thereby enabling a resilience that does not cause discomfort when heading, while also improving shock absorption when heading. As a result, a headgear equipped with a shock-absorbing member suitable for headgear worn when playing sports can be provided.

[0097] (5) The thickness of the shock-absorbing member 3 is set to 3 mm or more and 5 mm or less, so that shock absorption and comfort can be achieved at the same time. Specifically, if it is less than 3 mm, shock absorption is insufficient, and if it exceeds 5 mm, it may cause discomfort when wearing the headgear, impair the aesthetic appearance, and make it difficult to fit the headgear such as a cap around the head and sew it on.

[0098] (6) The impact absorbing member 3 is provided at a position corresponding to the frontal region H1, so that it is possible to reduce the impact load input to the head due to, for example, heading.

[0099] (7) The shock absorbing member is provided at a position corresponding to the occipital region H2, so that the shock load input to the head upon contact, falling, etc. can be reduced.

[0100] (8) The impact absorbing member 3 is positioned in the circumferential portion corresponding to a pair of temporal regions H3 located between the frontal region H1 and the occipital region H2, so that, for example, when the heads of players come into contact with each other during play, the impact load input to the temples and temporal regions can be reduced.

[0101] (9) The impact absorbing member 3 is disposed in the front-rear direction corresponding to the head top region H4, so that it can reduce the impact load input to the head due to, for example, a fall or heading.

[0102] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the mask is worn with the brim portion 22 facing the wearer's occipital region H2, but the mask may also be worn with the brim portion 22 facing the wearer's frontal region H1.

[0103] 9 to 15 are photographs of the cap 1 equipped with the impact absorbing member 3. FIG.

[0104] [Second embodiment] 6 shows a headband 101 as a head-worn device according to the second embodiment in an unfolded state. The headband 101 according to the second embodiment uses a shock-absorbing member 103 made of the same material as in the first embodiment, and therefore a detailed description of the shock-absorbing member 103 will be omitted.

[0105] Referring to FIG. 6, headband 101 is a long, strip-shaped member having a predetermined width. Headband 101 is generally composed of impact-absorbing member 103. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, headband 101 is composed of sheet member 103a, outer material 103b covering the front surface of sheet member 103a, and lining material 103c covering the rear surface. Sheet member 103a, outer material 103b, and lining material 103c are sewn together so that their peripheral edges are sandwiched between edge members 103d. Sheet member 103a has a thickness T2 of 3 mm or more and 5 mm or less. As shown in FIG. 6, width W4 of both end portions 132 of headband 101 in the unfolded state is wider than width W3 of center portion 131 of headband 101 along the long axis.

[0106] As shown in Fig. 8, the headband 101 is wrapped around the wearer's head along the circumference of the head so that both end portions 132 are brought close to each other to form a ring shape. In this embodiment, the headband 101 is connected by hook-and-loop fasteners 134 with both end portions 132 positioned on the occipital region H2 side. Therefore, the central portion 131 is positioned in the wearer's frontal region H1, and the connecting portions 133 connecting the central portion 131 and both end portions 132 are positioned in the temporal region H3. This allows the headband 101 to reduce impact loads input to the wearer's frontal, occipital, and temporal regions.

[0107] 16 to 24 are photographs of the headband 101 equipped with the impact absorbing member 3. FIG. [Example]

[0108] The impact absorbing members of each Example and Comparative Example were appropriately cut to prepare test pieces, and the impact absorption, bending rigidity, and bending recovery were measured. In addition, a sensory evaluation test of impact absorption and resilience was conducted on headbands (head-worn devices) equipped with the impact absorbing members of Comparative Examples 1 to 3 and Examples 1 to 3. The results of these measurements and evaluation tests are shown in Table 1.

[0109] The test specimens used for impact absorption (rebound coefficient), bending rigidity, and bending recovery had a three-layer structure consisting of an outer fabric, an impact absorbing member, and a lining. The outer fabric was made of Asahi Kasei Corporation's product name TWINCOT UV (90% polyester, 10% polyurethane), and the lining was made of mesh (three layers of double Russell mesh). The impact absorbing members used in Comparative Example 3 and Examples 1 to 3 were made of the following materials.

[0110] Comparative Example 1 is a state without a test specimen or a state without a headband. Comparative Example 2 is a test specimen with a two-layer structure of outer and inner layers, or a headband without a shock-absorbing member. Comparative Example 3 is a test specimen or headband using a 3 mm thick Poron (high-performance urethane foam manufactured by Rogers Inoac Corporation, product name: PORON) as the shock-absorbing member. Example 1 is a test specimen using a 3 mm thick EVA (closed-cell polyethylene foam manufactured by Sanwa Kako Co., Ltd., product name: Sunperca C-700) as the built-in shock-absorbing member. Example 2 is a test specimen using a 3 mm thick Trans Yellow (low-resilience soft foam manufactured by Daiichi Kagaku Co., Ltd., product name: Trans Yellow) as the shock-absorbing member. Example 3 is a test specimen or headband using a 5 mm thick Trans Yellow as the shock-absorbing member.

[0111] In the sensory test, the shock absorption and resilience were evaluated when subjects headed the ball in the following states: Comparative Example 1, in which no head-mounted device (headband) was worn; Comparative Example 2, in which a headband without a built-in shock-absorbing material was worn; and Comparative Example 3, Example 1, and Example 3, in which a headband with a built-in shock-absorbing material was worn. Specifically, five subjects A to E (aged 11 to 12) were asked by a coach to throw a soccer ball (size 4 ball) from below from a distance of 5 m, and when they headed the ball, the shock absorption (painful / not painful) and resilience (flying / not flying) were compared between when each headband was worn and when not worn.

[0112] The impact absorption performance of Comparative Examples 2 and 3 and Examples 1 to 3 was evaluated by comparing them with Comparative Example 1, which did not use a headband, and was evaluated as "good" for "not painful," "less painful than Comparative Example 1," and "unlike Comparative Example 1." The impact resilience of Comparative Examples 2 and 3 and Examples 1 to 3 was evaluated by comparing them with Comparative Example 1, which did not use a headband, and was evaluated as "good" for "the ball flies without any particular discomfort," "slightly harder to fly than Comparative Example 1," and "uncomfortable to fly." The term "uncomfortable" here refers to "the ball does not fly where expected." In Table 1, Comparative Examples 1 to 3 are evaluated as having an "uncomfortable" rating for at least one of the impact absorption and resilience performance ratings in the impact absorption and resilience performance sensory evaluation, and Examples 1 to 3 are evaluated as having no "uncomfortable" rating for at least one of the impact absorption and resilience performance ratings in the impact absorption and resilience performance sensory evaluation (in other words, only a combination of "good" and "good" ratings).

[0113] [Table 1]

[0114] As is clear from Table 1, the headbands according to Comparative Example 3 and Examples 1 to 3, which incorporate the shock-absorbing member 3, have a lower coefficient of restitution and better shock absorption than Comparative Examples 1 and 2. From the results in Table 1, it is preferable to set the coefficient of restitution to 34% or less of Example 1, which has the highest coefficient of restitution, and the upper limit of the coefficient of restitution in the present invention is set based on this result. Therefore, in Comparative Example 2, the coefficient of restitution is 65%, which results in insufficient shock absorption. In Comparative Example 3 and Examples 1 to 3, the material and thickness of the shock-absorbing member 3 are appropriate, so the restitution rate is 12% to 34%, and the target shock absorption rate is achieved.

[0115] The results of the impact absorption evaluation by the sensory test were generally consistent with the results of the restitution coefficient evaluation test, and the headbands according to Examples 1 and 3 incorporating the impact absorbing member 3 had improved impact absorption compared to Comparative Examples 1 to 3. In particular, Example 3 resulted in less pain or no perceived pain compared to Comparative Examples 1 to 3. Meanwhile, the evaluation results by Subjects A and B of the headband according to Comparative Example 3 showed no improvement, although it was not worse than Comparative Examples 1 and 2. This result is thought to be due to the contribution of the flex recovery 2HB to the impact absorption, as will be described in detail later.

[0116] From the resilience coefficients shown in Table 1, it is expected that the rebound of the ball when heading will worsen in the order of Comparative Example 3, Example 3, Example 2, Example 1, Comparative Example 2, and Comparative Example 1. However, in the resilience test, no evaluation results indicated that the ball was "hard to fly, felt strange" even when wearing the headbands according to Comparative Example 3 and Example 3. This provided new insight that the rebound of the ball when heading will not be significantly worsened even when the shock absorbing member 3 with a resilience coefficient of 12% is built in.

[0117] In other words, Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 have the resilience required when heading, but lack shock absorption, while Comparative Example 3 and Example 3 are able to absorb the impact load when heading and generally obtain the desired resilience. Therefore, by setting the resilience coefficient of shock absorbing member 3 to be equal to or higher than that of Comparative Example 3, which is the lowest of Comparative Example 3 and Example 3, both shock absorption and resilience can be achieved, and the upper and lower limits of the resilience coefficient of the present invention are set based on this result.

[0118] The higher the value of bending rigidity B, the greater the bending rigidity, and therefore, if the value exceeds the appropriate upper limit, it becomes difficult to sew the impact absorbing member to fit the shape of the cap or headband. In the caps and headbands incorporating the impact absorbing member of Comparative Example 3 and Examples 1 to 3, the impact absorbing member can be sewn to fit the shape of the cap or headband, which is shaped to easily fit the wearer's head (to provide a comfortable fit). Therefore, as shown in Table 1, the bending rigidity B of Example 3, which has the greatest bending rigidity B, is 48.4 gf cm, rounded to two decimal places. 2 / cm or less, and the upper limit of the bending rigidity B of the present invention is set based on this result.

[0119] Furthermore, since the smaller the bending rigidity B, the softer the material, and therefore if the value is below the appropriate lower limit, it becomes difficult to sew the impact absorbing member into a cap. The caps incorporating the impact absorbing members of Comparative Example 3 and Examples 1 to 3 can be sewn, and as shown in Table 1, the bending rigidity B of Example 3, which has the smallest bending rigidity, is 25.45 gf cm, rounded to two decimal places. 2 / cm or less, and the lower limit of the bending rigidity B of the present invention is set based on this result.

[0120] The smaller the bending recovery 2HB value, the better the recovery from bending deformation and the greater the sense of elasticity. Therefore, by appropriately setting the bending recovery, it is possible to prevent the cap and headband from slipping off the head. Specifically, for example, if the impact absorbing member is sewn circumferentially along the lower edge of the crown of the cap, when the cap is worn, the circumferential length of the cap is extended along the head circumference as shown in FIG. 1, and the curvature of the impact absorbing member changes before and after wearing the cap. In this case, by setting the bending recovery 2HB to an upper limit or less, the impact absorbing member's ability to return to its original curvature makes it less likely for the cap 1 to slip off the head. In other words, if the bending recovery 2HB exceeds the upper limit, the impact absorbing member's ability to return to its original curvature is insufficient, causing it to slip off the head.

[0121] Furthermore, when an impact load from the ball is input to the impact absorbing member during heading, the impact absorbing member undergoes bending deformation such that both sides of the impact point in the circumferential direction are positioned relatively outward relative to the part of the impact point with the ball. If the bending recovery 2HB exceeds the upper limit at this time, the impact absorbing member will not have enough recovery ability to return to its original state in line with the head circumference, leaving parts that do not fit the head, making the cap and headband more likely to slip off the head.

[0122] If the cap and headband shift relative to the head in this way, there is a risk of performance degradation, for example, if the brim of a cap is worn so that it is positioned toward the back of the head, shifting to the side, etc. In the sensory evaluation, in Examples 1 and 3, in which headbands with built-in shock-absorbing members were worn, there was no discomfort such as the headband shifting when heading the ball.

[0123] Furthermore, in the results of the sensory evaluation of impact absorption by subjects A and B, Comparative Example 3 did not show any deterioration compared to Comparative Examples 1 and 2, but did not show any improvement. This is thought to be because there is a correlation between flex recovery 2HB and impact absorption, and the flex recovery 2HB of the impact absorbing member of Comparative Example 3 was greater than that of Examples 1 and 3, resulting in an insufficient effect in reducing the impact force input to the head. On the other hand, in Examples 1 and 3, impact absorption was improved for all of subjects A to E, and it is thought that the flex recovery 2HB in Comparative Examples 1 and 3 provides an effect in reducing the impact force input to the head. Therefore, in consideration of the evaluation results of Comparative Example 3, which showed no deterioration for subjects A and B and an improvement for subjects C to E, it can be assumed that the impact absorption is improved compared to Comparative Examples 1 and 2 (satisfactory impact absorption) if the upper limit of flex recovery 2HB is even slightly lower than that of Comparative Example 3, which does not satisfy impact absorption. Therefore, it is preferable to set the upper limit of flex recovery 2HB to 29 gf·cm / cm or less, which is lower than that of Comparative Example 3. More preferably, it is preferable to set the value to be equal to or less than 21.5824 gf·cm / cm in Example 1, which is the largest value among Examples 1 and 3 that satisfied the shock absorption properties for all of Subjects A to E.

[0124] Specifically, by setting the bending recovery to 29 gf·cm / cm or less, it is estimated that the impact absorbing member 3 can absorb an additional amount of impact by deforming, while also absorbing the impact due to the recovery force of the bending recovery 2HB that resists the deformation of the impact absorbing member 3. In other words, for the same amount of deformation of the impact absorbing member 3, it can be assumed that the amount of impact force absorbed by the deformation of the impact absorbing member 3 can be increased compared to when the bending recovery exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm. Therefore, by increasing the amount of impact force absorbed, the impact force transmitted to the head after the impact absorbing member 3 is crushed and deformed is more easily alleviated.

[0125] When the bending recovery exceeds 29 gf·cm / cm, as in Comparative Example 3, the impact absorbing member 3 is able to absorb impact force by deforming. However, compared to when the bending recovery is 29 gf·cm / cm or less, it is estimated that the recovery force due to the bending recovery to resist deformation is insufficient, and therefore the impact force transmitted to the head after the impact absorbing member 3 is crushed and deformed is unlikely to be sufficiently alleviated.

[0126] As described above, although there is a correlation between the coefficient of restitution and impact absorption, it is difficult to determine whether or not suppression of impacts to the head can be achieved by evaluating the coefficient of restitution alone, and it was found that impact absorption varies depending on other parameters such as flexural recovery 2HB, etc. In other words, the amount of impact absorption can be achieved by appropriately setting flexural recovery 2HB as another factor in addition to the coefficient of restitution, and new knowledge was obtained that the amount of impact input to the head must be directly evaluated.

[0127] Based on this new finding, in Evaluation Test 1, using Examples 1 and 3, which had been evaluated in a sensory test to have good shock absorption properties, the amount of shock input without using a shock absorbing material (first impact amount) and the amount of shock input via the shock absorbing material (second impact amount) were measured, and the ratio of the second impact amount to the first impact amount was calculated. In Evaluation Test 1, impact acceleration was used as the amount of shock.

[0128] [Evaluation Test 1] An evaluation test was conducted to evaluate the impact absorption performance of a headband 101 and a cap 1 worn on the head and neck of a crash test dummy (hereinafter also referred to as a "head mannequin") 200. Note that the sheet body 3a of the impact absorbing member 3 provided on the headband 101 corresponding to Example 1 of this evaluation test was made of closed-cell polyethylene foam (hereinafter referred to as EVA) manufactured by Sanwa Kako Co., Ltd., product name: Sunperca C-700 (thickness: 3 mm), and the sheet body 3a of the impact absorbing member 3 provided on the headband 101 corresponding to Example 3 was made of low-resilience soft foam manufactured by Daiichi Kagaku Co., Ltd., product name: Trans Yellow (thickness: 5 mm).

[0129] As shown in FIG. 25, the head 201 of the mannequin head 200 wearing the headband 101 was allowed to freely fall from a predetermined drop height h, and the impact acceleration input to the head 201 was measured.

[0130] When a headband 101 incorporating Trans Yellow or EVA was worn as the sheet body 3a of the shock absorbing member 3, and when a head 201 equipped with a 3-axis accelerometer 302 was allowed to freely fall from a predetermined height h (for example, 5 cm, 15 cm) onto a strong steel plate (which would not distort even if the head 201 was dropped), the head acceleration (maximum 3-axis resultant acceleration) occurring at the center of gravity G of the head was measured, and the ratio of the amount of impact when the headband 101 was worn to when the headband 101 was not worn was evaluated.

[0131] [Table 2]

[0132] Table 2 shows the test results of Evaluation Test 1. When the predetermined drop height h was 5 cm, the resultant head acceleration of Comparative Example 1 (without protector) was 53 G (519 m / s 2 ), whereas the head resultant acceleration in Example 1 (when wearing the headband 101 with built-in EVA) and Example 3 (when wearing the headband 101 with built-in Trans Yellow) was 31G (304m / s 2 ) When the predetermined drop height h was 15 cm, the resultant head acceleration in Example 1 was 125 G (1225 m / s 2 ), whereas the resultant head acceleration in Example 1 was 71G (695.8m / s 2 ), and the resultant head acceleration in Example 4 is 78G (764m / s 2 ) was.

[0133] Therefore, when the predetermined drop height h=5 cm, the ratio of the resultant head acceleration when headband 101 is worn to the resultant head acceleration in Example 1 and Example 3 was 58.5% (reduction rate of 41.5%), and when the predetermined drop height h=15 cm, the ratio of the resultant head acceleration when headband 101 is worn to the resultant head acceleration in Comparative Example 1 was 57.6% (reduction rate of 42.4%) for Example 1 and 62.4% (reduction rate of 37.6%) for Example 3. The results of evaluation test 1 showed that Example 1 and Example 3 achieved roughly the same reduction effect in the ratio of the amount of impact when headband 101 is worn to the amount of impact input to head mannequin 200 when headband 101 is not worn.

[0134] Furthermore, in order to more appropriately set the ratio of the second impact amount to the first impact amount and the second impact amount input to the head via the impact absorbing member, the applicant set the first impact amount to a value that could be input during soccer play, calculated the ratio of the second impact amount to the first impact amount, and measured the second impact amount in Evaluation Test 2. Note that in Evaluation Test 2, as in Evaluation Test 1, impact acceleration was used as the impact amount.

[0135] [Evaluation Test 2] An evaluation test was conducted to evaluate the impact absorption performance of the headband 101 and cap 1 worn on the head and neck of a crash test dummy (hereinafter also referred to as the "head mannequin") 200. In this evaluation test, the sheet 3a of the impact absorbing member 3 provided on the headband 101 was made of a low-resilience soft foam (product name: Trans Yellow, 5 mm thick) manufactured by Daiichi Kagaku Co., Ltd. In this evaluation test, the largest first impact amount that is expected to be input to the head of the head mannequin 200 during soccer play was input to the head mannequin 200 with and without the headband 101 attached, and the second impact amount input to the head mannequin 101 via the headband 101 during soccer play was measured, and the ratio of the second impact amount to the first impact amount was evaluated. In this embodiment, based on the results of the impact absorption in Evaluation Test 2 and the Examples, the headband 101 is determined to satisfy the desired impact absorption performance if the ratio of the second impact amount to the first impact amount is 57% or less.

[0136] In this embodiment, the head acceleration of the head manikin is used as the amount of impact. In other words, the headband 101 is judged to have satisfactory impact absorption if the ratio of the head acceleration when the headband is worn to the head acceleration when the headband is not worn is 57% or less. In this evaluation test, a spherical impactor 301 was used to input the amount of impact to the head manikin 200.

[0137] FIG. 26 shows the head mannequin 200 without the headband 101 attached, and the head mannequin 200 with the headband 101 attached, as indicated by the two-dot chain line. The headband 101 is attached in the circumferential direction from the forehead 211 to the back of the head 212 of the head mannequin 200. The impactor 301 is designed to collide with the headband 101 attached to the head mannequin 200. In this evaluation test, the head acceleration (m / s 2 In order to ensure data reproducibility, this evaluation test was carried out three times under the same conditions.

[0138] The head mannequin 200 used in this evaluation test is called a Hybrid III 5th Female, and corresponds to the head 201 and neck 202 of a dummy doll with a small adult female build. The dummy was developed to evaluate the collision safety performance of automobiles, and is 150 cm tall, weighs 50 kg, has a head and neck weight of 4.6 kg, and a head circumference of 53.8 kg. The dummy used in this evaluation test is also used to investigate the possibility of equipment and injuries in recreational vehicles, wheelchairs, medical equipment, sporting goods, and other devices in addition to automobiles. In this evaluation test, the head 201 and neck 202 were removed from the dummy, and a triaxial accelerometer (hereinafter also referred to as "accelerometer") 302 was installed at the center of gravity G of the head 201.

[0139] 26 also shows the accelerometer 302 attached to the head mannequin 200 and its sensitivity direction. The front-to-back direction of the head mannequin 200 is designated Ax, the left-to-right direction Ay, and the up-to-down direction Az, with the front, left, and up directions designated +, respectively.

[0140] FIG. 25 shows a method for calibrating the head manikin 200. A calibration test was conducted to confirm whether the head manikin 200 met the required specifications. As shown in FIG. 25, the required specifications for the head manikin 200 stipulate that, when the head 201 is allowed to freely fall from a height h of 37.6 cm onto a strong steel plate (which will not distort even if the head 201 is dropped) at a test temperature of 18.9 to 25.6 degrees Celsius and a test humidity of 10 to 70%, the head acceleration (maximum three-axis resultant acceleration) generated at the center of gravity G of the head is in the range of 250 to 300 G, and the maximum lateral Ay acceleration is in the range of -15.0 to 15.0 G. The shape of the acceleration curve is also stipulated to have the second peak be 10% or less of the first peak. In this evaluation test, the test temperature was 21.1 degrees, the test humidity was 48%, the maximum three-axis resultant acceleration was 267.1G, the maximum lateral acceleration was 2.4G, and the shape of the acceleration curve showed that the second peak was 1.6% of the first.

[0141] Figure 27 shows the impact resistance test device (impact force input means) 300 used in this evaluation test. The impact resistance test device 300 is a device used for impact resistance tests for JIS T9203 "electric wheelchairs." The impact resistance test device 300 swings a pendulum-type impactor 301 up to a predetermined height (angle control), and then releases the impactor 301, which is fixed with a quick release device, to collide with a target object. The impactor 301 is spherical, has the same size as a size 5 soccer ball, and has a mass of 25 kg.

[0142] Figure 28 shows how the evaluation test was carried out. In this evaluation test, the head mannequin 200, detached from the dummy, was attached to an aluminum frame 221, and the lower end of the aluminum frame 221 was fixed to a bearing unit 222, so that it would fall backward after colliding with the impactor 301. The height h1 from the rotation axis 223 of the bearing unit 222 to the center of gravity G of the head was set to 70 cm to match the length of the pendulum used in this evaluation test.

[0143] The downward swing angle θ1 of the impactor 301 is set to 20 degrees. The downward swing angle θ1 was determined with reference to the results of a study in the United States (NAUNHEIM, RS et al., Linear and Angular Head Accelerations Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 35, No. 8, pp. 1406-1412, 2003). Specifically, the head acceleration generated when a test subject (an adult male with soccer experience) headed a soccer ball was measured, and when the ball speed was 12 m / s, the head of the test subject experienced a force of 199 ± 27 m / s. 2 Based on this result, in this evaluation test, the head acceleration of the head manikin 200 without a protector was 226 m / s, which is the maximum range of the research results. 2 (199+27m / s 2 ) (taking into account the safety factor) 2 In other words, in this embodiment, the maximum first impact amount that can be assumed to be input to the head during soccer play is a head acceleration of 340 m / s2 The first impact amount may be any amount that is expected to be input to the head during soccer play. For example, the largest impact amount among the amounts of impact to the head caused by head-to-head collisions during a heading contest, or by a collision between the head and an elbow or the ground, may be used as the first impact amount. For example, if the head collides with the ground during a heading contest (a fall from 2.5 m), the head acceleration may be 490 m / s 2 This can sometimes happen.

[0144] The method for measuring acceleration is shown in Figure 29. Data output from accelerometer 302 is recorded in data recording device (Kyowa Electric Industry Co., Ltd.: Model DIS-2000A) 303 via a transmission cable, and is then imported into measurement personal computer 304 connected to data recording device 303 for calculation processing. The method for acquiring and filtering acceleration data complies with the international standard ISO 6487: Road vehicles - Measurement techniques in impact tests - Instrumentation.

[0145] Table 1 shows a list of the measurement results in the evaluation test. More specifically, the head acceleration in the forward / backward direction Ax, the left / right direction Ay, and the up / down direction Az obtained by the triaxial accelerometer 302, and Head Resultant = (Ax 2 +Ay 2 +Ax 2 ) -2 From the results, the head resultant acceleration (Head Resultant) was calculated and used as the head acceleration. In this evaluation test, the same test was repeated three times to verify the reproducibility of the data. In this evaluation test, the head acceleration was used as the impact amount, so the triaxial accelerometer 302 constitutes the impact amount sensor.

[0146] [Table 3]

[0147] Figure 30 shows the change over time in the average value of the resultant head acceleration for Example 3 (when wearing the headband 101 with built-in Trans Yellow) and Comparative Example 1 (when no protector is used). As shown in Table 3 and Figure 30, the resultant head acceleration for Comparative Example 1 was 340 m / s 2 In contrast, the head acceleration in Example 3 was 194 m / s 2 Therefore, the ratio of the resultant acceleration when the headband 101 is attached to the resultant head acceleration when no protector is attached is 57% (a reduction of 43%). In other words, the ratio of the amount of impact when the headband 101 is attached (second impact amount) to the amount of impact (first impact amount) that is assumed to be input to the head mannequin 200 when the headband 101 is not attached is 57% or less, so the headband 101 satisfies the desired impact absorption performance.

[0148] The shock absorption performance of the headband 101 is such that the resultant head acceleration (impact acceleration) when the headband 101 is worn is 199 m / s 2 The headband 101 may be determined to satisfy the shock absorption performance if the following is true: The upper limit of the shock acceleration was set based on the largest value of the shock acceleration of Example 3 in [Evaluation Test 2] and the results of the sensory test of the shock absorption of Example 3.

[0149] Although the resultant head acceleration was used to evaluate the performance of absorbing an impact input to the head, the HIC value may be used instead, as shown in Table 1. Referring to Table 1, the average HIC value without a protector was 18.3, while the average HIC value with headband 101 attached was 7. Therefore, the ratio of the HIC value with headband 101 attached to the HIC value without a protector was 38% (a reduction of 62%). In other words, the ratio of the amount of impact when headband 101 is attached (second impact amount) to the amount of impact input to head mannequin 200 without headband 101 attached (first impact amount) is 57% or less, so headband 101 satisfies the desired impact absorption performance.

[0150] In the evaluation test 2, the case where the headband 101 was worn as the head-worn device was described, but the same results were obtained for the cap 1.

[0151] In the above embodiment, the shock absorbing member 3 is described as having a first shock absorbing member 4 and a second shock absorbing member 5, but this is not limited to this and the shock absorbing member 3 may have either the first shock absorbing member 4 or the second shock absorbing member 5.

[0152] In the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which the first impact absorbing member 4 is continuous in the circumferential direction (head circumference direction) along the lower end peripheral edge of the crown portion 21, but this is not limited to this, and multiple impact absorbing members may be arranged in the circumferential direction.

[0153] In the above embodiment, the second impact absorbing member 5 is configured to be continuous in the front-rear direction, but this is not limiting, and a plurality of impact absorbing members may be arranged in the front-rear direction.

[0154] The headgear of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

[0155] The headgear 1 of the present invention is suitable for playing soccer, but can also be applied to other sports in which impacts to the head may occur due to contact between players or falls, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0156] 1 Football cap (headwear) 2 Head attachment body 3. Impact absorbing materials 21a Rear covering part 21b Front covering part 21c Pair of side covering parts 21d Upper covering part 101 Headband (headwear) 200 mannequin heads 211 Forehead 212 Back of the head 300 Impact force input means 301 Impactor 302 Accelerometer (impact sensor) h1 Predetermined drop height H1 Frontal area H2 Occipital area H3 paired temporal regions H4 Parietal area T1 Thickness T2 Thickness

Claims

1. a headgear main body to be worn on the head; an impact absorbing member provided on the headgear main body, The restitution coefficient of the impact absorbing member is set to 34% or less, The headgear has a bending recovery property of the impact absorbing member set to 29 gf·cm / cm or less.

2. The bending rigidity of the impact absorbing member is 48.4 gf cm ２ / cm or less. The head wearing device described in

3. 3. The headgear according to claim 1, wherein the restitution coefficient of the impact absorbing member is set to 12% or more.

4. 3. The headgear according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the impact absorbing member is set to be 3 mm or more and 5 mm or less.

5. The headwear main body has a rear covering part corresponding to a frontal region of a wearer, 3. The headgear according to claim 1, wherein the impact absorbing member is disposed in at least a part of the rear covering portion.

6. The headwear main body has a front covering part corresponding to the occipital region of the wearer, 3. The headgear according to claim 1, wherein the impact absorbing member is disposed in at least a part of the front covering part.

7. the headgear main body has a pair of side covering parts corresponding to a pair of temporal regions of the wearer, 3. The headgear according to claim 1, wherein the impact absorbing member is disposed on at least a part of the pair of side covering parts.

8. The headwear main body has an upper covering part corresponding to a crown region of the wearer's head, 3. The headgear according to claim 1, wherein the impact absorbing member is disposed in at least a part of the upper covering portion.

9. The headgear according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the headgear is a cap.

10. The headgear according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the headgear is a headband.

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