Gimbal-Mounted Safety Helmet Light for Vertical Position Indication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety equipment, such as helmets and headgear, fail to effectively locate injured individuals in poorly lit environments, particularly when they are in a prone or non-upright position, obscured by equipment, dust, smoke, or underwater, as they do not provide a reliable means of indicating the wearer's position to rescue teams.
Innovation Solution
A safety helmet or headpiece with a vertically and upwardly directed light or laser beam, mounted on a gimbal or gyroscopic mechanism, ensuring the beam remains oriented vertically regardless of the wearer's position, and is powered by a rechargeable battery that can be automatically activated in emergency situations, with options for continuous or intermittent emission to conserve power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a head-lit helmet is used to indicate the presence of a miner, then the miner's location can be indicated, but the location is not revealed if the miner is injured or lying in a prone position and the illuminated portion is visually blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The light source is mounted on a gimbal mechanism that dynamically adjusts the light beam orientation to remain vertical and upward-directed regardless of the helmet's tilt or the wearer's position. This dynamic adjustment ensures the light always points toward the ceiling for visibility by rescue teams, even when the wearer is prone or obscured by equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the dimension of light emission from horizontal/forward (typical headlamps) to vertical/upward. By directing light in the vertical dimension toward the ceiling, the system ensures the light column remains visible from above even when the wearer is obscured horizontally by equipment or lying on the ground.
2Illumination intensity
If a light source is mounted on the helmet to provide general illumination, then visibility is improved, but the light does not reliably indicate the wearer's position when injured or obscured
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the position indication function from general illumination. Instead of using a broad forward-directed beam for both illumination and positioning, it creates a separate vertical light column specifically for position indication that extends upward toward the ceiling, ensuring position information is always conveyed to rescue teams above.
Solution Approach 2:
The light column acts as an intermediary between the injured wearer and rescue teams. By projecting light vertically upward through the air column and reflecting off the ceiling, it creates a visible pathway that transmits position information from the obscured wearer to observers above, even when direct line-of-sight is blocked.
3Reliability
If a vertical light beam is used to indicate position, then location can be pinpointed, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The light source operates in periodic intervals rather than continuously. The control system activates the light beam at regular intervals or in response to detected motion, allowing the battery to recharge between emissions. This periodic operation maintains reliable position indication while significantly reducing overall power consumption compared to continuous operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid location and rescue of injured individuals by reflecting the light beam off surrounding surfaces, reducing the risk of accidents and ensuring visibility in poor conditions, even when the wearer is submerged or in smoky environments, and can differentiate users by color for identification purposes.
Implementation Method 1
a mounting having a gimbal or gyroscopic for controlling the orientation of the light source, wherein light emanates as a beam substantially vertically and upwardly irrespective of the orientation of the helmet or headpiece
Implementation Method 2
a mounting having a gimbal or gyroscopic for controlling the orientation of the light source
Implementation Method 3
The incident light beam emitted as a vertical column is to indicate the position of the wearer... light reflected by dust particles in the mine as well as the reflective spot on the roof of the mining tunnel
Implementation Method 4
light reflected by dust particles in the mine as well as the reflective spot on the roof
Data Source
AI summary
A safety helmet or head piece having an incident light source disposed on the top or the crown of the helmet or head piece, means for controlling the orientation of the light source, wherein light emanates as a beam substantially vertically and upwardly irrespective of the orientation of the helmet or head piece. The light beam is a single or collimated beam comprised by one or more laser light sources of any colour or colour mix. The light source is mounted on the helmet or head piece so that the beam always emanates in substantially a vertical upwards direction irrespective of the orientation of the helmet or head piece. The invention being directed to the location and rescue of injured workers in poor visibility conditions and to the reduction and prevention of accidents in general.