61 results about "Crumple zone" patented technology

A helmet construction for protecting a user's head, and the brain within the cranium from impact forces, includes a shell contoured to the shape of the user's head, with cushioning along at least part of the shell interior and a chinstrap. The shell consists of three (or more) discrete panels that are physically and firmly coupled together providing rigid protection under most circumstances, but upon impact the panels move relative to one another, but not relative to the user's head, thereby permitting impact forces to be dissipated and / or redirected away from the cranium and brain within. Upon impact to the helmet, there are sequential stages of movement of the panels relative to each other, these movements initially being recoverable, but with sufficient vector forces the helmet undergoes structural changes in a pre-determined fashion, so that the recoverable and permanent movements cumulatively provide a protective ‘crumple zone’ or ‘shear zone’. The first two stages of protection arise from the design of the fasteners that have the ability to invaginate and collapse within themselves, and their design having a 45 degree angle, which will allow movement of a region of connected panels to translate along the fastener shaft. Both of these movements will be recoverable and provide a ‘functional crumple zone’. The final stage of protection arises from the braking function of the pins, as they are forced from one aperture through to the next, the direction and extent of which is determined by the impact force and direction. This final level of panel movement and protection is not recoverable and thus provides a ‘structural crumple zone’. Finally the fastener size and thickness, together with the thickness of webbing and distance between apertures, functions to provide varying degrees of resistance to impact forces, thus making the helmet design suitable for activities with different levels of impact speed and risk potential.

A front end portion of a side member functions as a crumple zone during a collision with another vehicle or the like. A radiator support is attached via a bracket to this crumple zone. When another vehicle or the like collides with the side member, the radiator support separates from the side member. When another vehicle or the like collides with the radiator support, external force applied in the rear direction to the radiator support is transmitted to the side member.

An improved design for a helmet to reduce injuries caused by helmet-to-helmet collisions. The helmet has a thin layer of padding added onto the hard shell of the helmet. The padding may be textured to add “crumple zones.” A thin, rugged, low-friction exterior cover is affixed to the padding. In one embodiment of the helmet, the cover is separated slightly from the padding to provide air space. The air space, combined with the textured padding, provides a substantial reduction in peak acceleration resulting from a helmet-to-helmet collision.

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which an impact absorbing material is affixed to a transportable device to protect the transportable device from impact with another object. In some embodiments, the impact absorbing material is a crumple zone material that has plastic deformation characteristics.

A dunnage crumpling apparatus is provided having first and second entry-side crumpling members and first and second exit-side crumpling members. The first and second entry-side crumpling members define an entry therebetween. The first and second exit-side crumpling members define an exit therebetween that is disposed along the longitudinal path downstream of the entry. A crumpling zone being defined between the entry and exit. The first entry-side crumpling member is configured for moving at an first rate and is associated with the second entry-side crumpling member for moving sheet material through the entry in a first direction along a longitudinal path at an entry rate. The first exit-side crumpling member is configured for moving at an second rate and is associated with the second exit-side crumpling member for moving the sheet material through the exit in the first direction along the path at a exit rate that is slower than the entry rate to crumple the sheet material for producing dunnage. The entry and exit-side crumpling members are displaced laterally along the path with respect to each other to cause shearing of the sheet within the crumpling zone.