helmet face shield

Abstract

To provide a face shield where a connecting portion with a helmet is arranged at a pivot point of a fan, which is a fan-shaped face shield that can be pivotally attached to the helmet when viewed from a side, wherein when a firefighter who wears a self-contained breathing apparatus face piece wears a helmet with a face shield, a downward swing range of the face shield stored in the helmet is wider than before.SOLUTION: There is provided a face shield that is swingably attached to a helmet and has a generally fan-shaped side view, and has a connecting portion with the helmet at a pivot point of the fan, wherein it is divided into a pair of a first portion and a second portion including the connecting portion in the vicinity of the connecting portion, and an upper portion of the second portion adjacent to the first portion is swingably connected to the first portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a face shield that is pivotally attached to a helmet. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a face shield 1 that is swingably attached to a helmet and has a generally fan-shaped shape in side view, as shown in Figure 1, and includes a front portion 1a that curves convexly forward and a pair of extension portions 1b that extend rearward from the side edges of the front portion 1a, with a pair of connecting portions 1c for connecting to the helmet disposed at the rear ends of the pair of extension portions 1b, which are the key points of the fan. The lower edge and side edges of the front portion 1a form a brim 1d that protrudes outward from the plane. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-203225 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As shown in FIG. 2, the face shield 1 of Patent Document 1 is attached to a helmet 4 used by a firefighter who wears a facepiece 3 of a self-contained breathing apparatus connected to an air cylinder (not shown) via an intake pipe 2. As shown in Figure 2, when the facepiece 3 of the self-contained breathing apparatus is worn on the face, the front end 3a of the facepiece 3, which is connected to the intake tube 2, protrudes downward and forward. Therefore, when a firefighter wearing the facepiece 3 of the self-contained breathing apparatus on his face puts on a helmet 4 with a face shield 1, when he swings the face shield 1 stored in the helmet 4 downward to cover the front of the facepiece 3 of the self-contained breathing apparatus, as shown in Figure 3, the brim 1d on the lower edge of the front part 1a of the face shield 1 interferes with the front end 3a of the facepiece 3 of the self-contained breathing apparatus, preventing it from swinging downward and causing a problem in that the field of view through the face shield 1 is narrowed. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a face shield that is generally fan-shaped in side view and swingably attached to a helmet, with a connecting part to the helmet located at the center of the fan, and that allows the face shield stored in the helmet to swing downward over a wider range than conventional face shields when a firefighter wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus facepiece on his face puts on the helmet with the face shield attached. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a face shield that is generally fan-shaped in side view and swingably attached to a helmet, with a connecting portion for connecting to the helmet disposed at the pivot point of the fan, the face shield being divided into a pair of first and second portions including the connecting portion near the connecting portion, the first portion being swingably connected to the helmet at the connecting portion, and an upper portion of the second portion adjacent to the first portion being swingably connected to the first portion. A spring that resists the swinging of the second part connects the second part to the first part. The present invention provides a face shield characterized by the following: The lower edge of the face shield can be pulled forward by swinging the second part, the upper part of which is close to the first part and is swingably connected to the first part, in a direction in which the lower part of the second part moves away from the first part. By swinging the first and second parts together around the joint with the helmet while maintaining the lower edge of the face shield pulled forward, the face shield can be swung lower than before while avoiding interference with the front end of the facepiece of the self-contained breathing apparatus that protrudes forward. A spring that resists the swinging of the second part connects the second part and the first part, thereby restricting unintended swinging of the second part. Furthermore, because the spring pulls the second part rearward, forward protrusion of the second part is minimized. In the case of a fire helmet, the forward protrusion of the hem (protective fabric surrounding the neck) whose front end engages with the front end of the second part is minimized, minimizing the reduction in downward visibility. Furthermore, unnecessary swinging of the second part is suppressed by the biasing force of the spring, resulting in a stable field of vision. Furthermore, when returning the face shield to the helmet, the second part swings under the biasing force of the spring and becomes one with the first part, and the lower edge of the face shield, which had been pulled forward, moves rearward, allowing the face shield to be stored in the helmet without hindrance. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spring that resists rocking of the second portion is a coil spring. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spring that resists rocking of the second portion is a leaf spring or a wire spring. The spring that resists the swinging of the second part may be a coil spring, or it may be a leaf spring or a wire spring. Coil springs have the advantage of being easily available, but they have the disadvantage that the width of the helmet increases to provide space to accommodate a thick coil spring, and that the coil spring rubs against the helmet when the face shield is opened or closed, causing abnormal noise. On the other hand, leaf springs or wire springs have the advantage that they can be made thin, so they do not increase the width of the helmet and do not cause abnormal noise. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pivot shaft of the second section is disposed on the second section side. If the pivot shaft of the second part is located on the first part side, there is a possibility that the connecting metal fitting between the first part and the second part will move toward the helmet when the second part is pivoted relative to the first part and interfere with the helmet. By arranging the pivot shaft of the second part on the second part side, it is possible to prevent the connecting metal fitting between the first part and the second part from interfering with the helmet when the second part is pivoted relative to the first part. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the face shield is provided with a stopper that restricts the swing angle of the second portion relative to the first portion to a predetermined value. By providing the stopper, the swing angle of the second part relative to the first part is restricted to an appropriate predetermined value. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front portion of the face shield is formed of a plurality of forward-convex spherical surfaces connected vertically. The front portion of a face shield formed of spherical surfaces has the advantage of providing a wide field of view. In addition, by forming the front portion of the face shield from multiple forward-convex spherical surfaces connected vertically, the lower end of the front portion of the face shield can protrude further forward than when the front portion of the face shield is formed from a single spherical surface, which more effectively prevents interference between the face shield and the forward-protruding front end of the facepiece of the self-contained breathing apparatus. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] This is an external perspective view of a conventional face shield that is generally fan-shaped in side view and swingably attached to a helmet, with a connecting portion for connecting to the helmet located at the center of the fan. Arrows I, II, III, and IV indicate the front, rear, upper, and lower directions, respectively. The same applies to Figures 2 to 9. [Figure 2] This is a side view of a firefighter's head wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus facepiece and a helmet equipped with a conventional face shield, with only the lower edge of the front part of the face shield exposed outside the helmet and the rest of the face shield retracted into the helmet. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of a firefighter's head when a conventional face shield is swung downward from the position shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1 is a side view of a face shield according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state before the second portion swings relative to the first portion. [Figure 5] 4 is a side view of a face shield according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the second part has been swung relative to the first part, and the state before the second part has been swung relative to the first part shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a side view of a firefighter's head wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus facepiece on his face and a helmet equipped with a face shield according to an embodiment of the present invention, with only the lower edge of the front part of the face shield exposed outside the helmet and the rest of the face shield retracted into the helmet. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side view of a firefighter's head when the face shield according to the embodiment of the present invention is swung downward from the position shown in FIG. 6 around the connection part with the helmet, with the second part swung relative to the first part. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are side views of a face shield according to another embodiment of the present invention, showing a state before the second part swings relative to the first part, where (a) is an overall side view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line bb in (a). [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a side view of a face shield according to another embodiment of the present invention, with the second portion pivoted relative to the first portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] A face shield according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in Fig. 4 and inferred from Fig. 1, face shield 10, which is made of a thin plate of transparent resin and has a generally fan-shaped shape in side view, includes a front portion 10a formed of a plurality of forward-convex spherical surfaces, a pair of extension portions 10b extending rearward from a pair of side edges of front portion 10a, and a pair of connecting portions 10c for connecting to a helmet, which are located at the rear ends of the pair of extension portions 10b, at the pivot points of the fan. The lower edge and side edges of front portion 10a form a brim 10d that protrudes outward. Face shield 10 is attached to the inside of the helmet so that it can swing about the pair of connecting portions 10c. The structure of the face shield 10 will be described below by focusing on one of the pair of combinations of the extension portion 10b and the connecting portion 10c. The other combination has the same structure. The face shield 10 is divided near the connecting portion 10c, with a dividing line 10j as the boundary line, into a first portion 10e including a part of the extension portion 10b and the connecting portion 10c, and a second portion 10f including the front portion 10a, the remaining portion of the extension portion 10b, and the flange 10d. The upper edge of the second portion 10f adjacent to the first portion 10e is connected to the first portion 10e via two connecting fittings 10g and 10h so as to be able to swing relative to the first portion 10e. The swing shaft 10i of the second portion 10f is disposed on the second portion 10f side. The swing shaft 10i is positioned above the intersection of the dividing line 10j between the first portion 10e and the second portion 10f and the upper edge of the face shield 10. The lower edge of the second portion 10f at a portion adjacent to the first portion 10e is connected via a coil spring 10k to the lower edge of the first portion 10e at a portion adjacent to the second portion 10f.

[0008] The operation of the face shield 10 will now be described. As shown in FIG. 6, when the face shield 10 is stored in the helmet 4, excluding the brim 10d formed by the lower edge of the front portion 10a, the first portion 10e and the second portion 10f, which are subjected to the biasing force of the coil spring 10k, abut against each other and are integrated together along the dividing line 10j. From the state shown in FIG. 6, the helmet user pinches the portion of brim 10d that forms the lower edge of front portion 10a with his fingers and pulls it downward, swinging face shield 10 around connecting portion 10c and pulling it downward. While first section 10e and second section 10f remain integrated, face shield 10 swings downward about connecting section 10c. When flange 10d forming the lower edge of front section 10a abuts against front end 3a of facepiece 3 of the self-contained breathing apparatus, face shield 10 stops swinging downward and returns to the state shown in Figure 3. The entire side of face shield 10 at this time is shown by a dashed line in Figure 5. The helmet user pulls the brim 10d diagonally downward. Because the upper edge portions of a pair of portions of the second portion 10f adjacent to the first portion 10e are connected to the first portion 10e so as to be swingable around the swing shaft 10i, pulling the brim 10d diagonally downward swings the second portion 10f, and the brim 10d, which forms the lower edge of the front portion 10a, is pulled diagonally downward along the shape of the face piece 3. As a result, the front end of the brim 10d moves forward and downward as shown by the solid line in Figure 5. A trajectory L1 of the front end of the flange 10d when the face shield 10, which is formed by integrating the first portion 10e and the second portion 10f shown by the dashed line in Fig. 5, is swung about the connecting portion 10c, is shown by a dashed line in Fig. 5, and a trajectory L2 of the front end of the flange 10d when the face shield 10, in which the second portion 10f has swung relative to the first portion 10e about the swing axis 10i, is swung about the connecting portion 10c, is shown by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 5. As can be seen from Fig. 5, the trajectory L2 is located forward of the trajectory L1. The helmet user pulls the brim 10d forward and downward at the same time. The face shield 10, with the front end of the brim 10d still pulled forward, swings around the connecting portion 10c, climbing over the front end 3a of the facepiece 3 of the self-contained breathing apparatus and swinging downward, until it comes to rest against the intake pipe 2, as shown in Figure 7. The entire side of the face shield 10 at this time is shown by a solid line in Figure 5. As is clear from a comparison of FIG. 7 and FIG. 3, face shield 10 has a wider swing range than face shield 1 and can swing further downward than face shield 1, and therefore provides a wider field of view than face shield 1. The spring 10k, which resists the swinging of the second portion 10f, connects the second portion 10f and the first portion 10e, thereby restricting unintended swinging of the second portion 10f. Furthermore, the spring 10k pulls the second portion 10f rearward, minimizing forward protrusion of the second portion 10f. If the helmet 3 is a firefighter's fire helmet, the forward protrusion of the collar (protective fabric surrounding the neck) whose front end engages with the brim 10d at the front end of the second portion 10f is minimized, minimizing reduction in downward visibility. Furthermore, because the biasing force of the spring 10k suppresses unnecessary swinging of the second portion 10f, visibility is stabilized. Furthermore, when returning the face shield 1 into the helmet 4, the second part 10f, under the force of the spring 10k, swings and becomes one with the first part 10e, and the lower edge of the face shield 1, which had been pulled forward, moves backward, allowing the face shield 1 to be stored in the helmet 4 without any problems.

[0009] Because the swing shaft 10i of the second part 10f is disposed on the second part 10f side, there is no risk of the connecting fitting 10h interfering with the helmet 4 when the second part 10f is swung relative to the first part 10e. The swing shaft of the second part 10f may be disposed on the first part 10e side, for example, at 10i' in Figure 5, but in that case, there is a possibility that the connecting fitting 10h will move toward the helmet 4 and interfere with the helmet 4 when the second part 10f is swung relative to the first part 10e. Since the pivot shaft 10i is disposed above the intersection of the dividing line 10j between the first portion 10e and the second portion 10f and the upper edge of the face shield 10, when the second portion 10f is pivoted relative to the first portion 10e, the corner of the second portion 10f that forms the intersection does not interfere with the edge of the first portion 10e that forms the dividing line 10j. As a result, the second portion 10f can pivot without hindrance. The corner of the second portion 10f may be cut into a straight line or a convex arc. Alternatively, the corner of the first portion 10e facing the corner may be cut into a straight line or a concave arc. This prevents mutual interference between the second portion 10f and the first portion 10e when the second portion 10f is swung relative to the first portion 10e, ensuring smooth swinging of the second portion 10f. The swing axis 10i may be positioned below the intersection of the dividing line 10j between the first part 10e and the second part 10f and the upper edge of the face shield 10. In this case, however, it is necessary to cut the corner of the second part 10f that forms the intersection in a straight line or a convex arc shape to prevent mutual interference between the two parts when the second part 10f is swung relative to the first part 10e.

[0010] In the above embodiment, the spring that resists the swinging of the second portion 10f relative to the first portion 10e is the coil spring 10k, but instead of the coil spring 10k, a narrow leaf spring or wire spring 10m may be used as shown in Figures 8 and 9. The narrow leaf spring or linear spring 10m has one end fixed to the first portion 10e, with its bent end 10m1 inserted into a through-hole 10e1 formed in the first portion 10e and its portion near the end 10m1 inserted into a linear groove 10e2 formed in the first portion 10e. The other end 10m2 of the leaf spring or linear spring 10m is bent, and the portion near the other end 10m2 engages with a stopper 10n formed in the second portion 10f. As can be seen from FIG. 8, before the second portion 10f swings relative to the first portion 10e, the leaf spring or linear spring 10m is bent, biasing the second portion 10f toward the first portion 10e. As a result, the first portion 10e and the second portion 10f are integrated. The leaf spring or wire spring 10m is prevented from falling out toward the front in FIGS. 8 and 9 by a cover member (not shown). 9, the leaf spring or wire spring 10m engaging with the stopper 10n further bends, and the biasing force biasing the second part 10f toward the first part 10e increases. The bent other end 10m2 of the leaf spring or wire spring 10m engages with the stopper 10n, restricting the swing of the second part 10f. 4 and 5 has the advantage of being easily available, but has the disadvantage that the width of the helmet 4 increases to provide a space to accommodate the thick coil spring 10k, and that the coil spring 10k rubs against the helmet 4 when opening or closing the face shield 10, causing the spring to vibrate and generate abnormal noise. On the other hand, the leaf spring or wire spring 10m has the advantage that it can be made thin, so it does not increase the width of the helmet 4 and does not generate abnormal noise when opening or closing the face shield 10. By providing the stopper 10n, the swing angle of the second portion 10f relative to the first portion 10e is restricted to an appropriate predetermined value. Of course, in the first embodiment as well, it is possible to provide a stopper that restricts the swing angle of the second portion 10f relative to the first portion 10e to an appropriate predetermined value. The front surface 10a of the face yield 10 is formed by three spherical surfaces, namely, a central portion 10a1 which is the largest area, an upper portion 10a2 and a lower portion 10a3 which are connected vertically. The spherical front portion 10a of the face shield has the advantage of providing a wide field of view. In addition, by forming the front portion 10a of the face shield from multiple forward-convex spherical surfaces connected vertically, the lower end of the front portion 10a of the face shield can be made to protrude forward compared to when the front portion 10a of the face shield is formed from a single spherical surface, which more effectively prevents interference between the forward-protruding front end of the facepiece of the self-contained breathing apparatus and the front portion 10a of the face shield. [Industrial Applicability]

[0011] The present invention is applicable not only to the use of a helmet with a face shield in conjunction with a facepiece of a self-contained breathing apparatus, but also to the use of a helmet with a face shield in conjunction with a facepiece of a dust or gas breathing apparatus having a long front end. [Explanation of symbols]

[0012] 1, 10 Face shields 1a, 10a front part 1b, 10b extension 1c, 10c Helmet connection 1d, 10d Tsuba 10a1 central part 10a2 upper part 10a3 lower 10e Part 1 10e1 through hole 10e2 straight groove 10f 2nd part 10g, 10h connecting fittings 10i Swing axis 10j dividing line 10k coil spring 10m leaf spring or wire spring 10m1 end 10m2 other end 10n stopper

Claims

1. A face shield that is generally fan-shaped in side view and swingably attached to a helmet, with a connecting portion to the helmet located at the pivot point of the fan, the face shield being divided near the connecting portion into a pair of first and second portions including the connecting portion, the first portion being swingably connected to the helmet at the connecting portion, an upper portion of the second portion adjacent to the first portion being swingably connected to the first portion, and a spring that resists swinging of the second portion connecting the second portion and the first portion.

2. A face shield as described in claim 1, characterized in that the spring that resists the oscillation of the second part is a coil spring.

3. A face shield as described in claim 1, characterized in that the spring that resists the oscillation of the second part is a leaf spring or a wire spring.

4. A face shield described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the oscillating axis of the second part is arranged on the second part side.

5. A face shield as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is provided with a stopper that regulates the swing angle of the second part relative to the first part to a predetermined value.

6. A face shield as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the front portion of the face shield is formed of multiple forward-convex spherical surfaces connected vertically.

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