Helmet Chin Strap Dial Actuator One-Handed Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional helmets with adjustable chin straps require users to remove the helmet to adjust the strap length, making it cumbersome and unsafe, particularly during activities, leading to suboptimal fit and increased risk of head trauma injuries.
Innovation Solution
A helmet design featuring an adjustable chin strap retention system with an actuator that allows for quick length adjustment without removing the helmet, using mechanisms like sliders, detents, or pinion gears to tighten or loosen the strap in real-time, ensuring a secure and comfortable fit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional chin straps with under-the-neck buckles are used, then the chin strap can be adjusted for length, but the adjustment requires removing the helmet and using both hands, making it cumbersome and unsafe during activities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical buckle system with a dial-operated actuator that uses a cable and spool mechanism. The dial actuator can be operated with one hand while the helmet is worn, eliminating the need to remove the helmet for adjustment. The cable connects the actuator to the chin strap, translating rotational motion of the dial into linear adjustment of the strap length.
Solution Approach 2:
The chin strap adjustment system allows the user to service and adjust the helmet themselves while wearing it, during activities. The dial actuator is positioned on the outer shell for easy access, enabling users to make real-time adjustments without assistance or removal of the helmet, thus maintaining both ease of operation and reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the chin strap is made adjustable via conventional buckles, then the length can be changed, but the adjustment process requires several iterations and both hands, leading users to forgo proper adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the iterative buckle adjustment process with a continuous dial mechanism that allows smooth, incremental adjustment. The dial operates a cable that winds or unwinds on a spool, providing continuous length adjustment rather than discrete buckle positions. This eliminates the need for multiple trial iterations and reduces the complexity of the adjustment process to a single rotational motion.
3Ease of operation
If the actuator is positioned on the outer shell for easy access, then one-handed adjustment is enabled, but the actuator and cable add structural complexity to the helmet
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the retention system into distinct functional components: the dial actuator mounted on the outer shell, the cable running through the helmet structure, the spool mechanism, and the chin strap attachment points. This modular segmentation allows the actuator to be accessible on the exterior while the cable and internal mechanisms are routed through designated channels and pathways, organizing the complexity into manageable, functionally-separated elements.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are helmet and adjustable chin strap assemblies that include an adjustable chin strap retention system that solve some or all of the problems of the prior art. Specifically, disclosed are helmets and adjustable chin strap assemblies that include a helmet shell and a chin strap retention system, where the chin strap retention system includes a chin strap or chin strap cable and an actuator that can be manipulated by the wearer using one hand to selective shorten or lengthen the chin strap or chin strap cable in real time while the wearer is wearing the helmet and engaging in an activity. The chin strap or chin strap cable can be configured to cleanly and simply connect to the helmet shell, with two opposing ends of the chin strap or chin strap cable being attached to an inner component, an outer component, or between the inner and outer components of the helmet shell.