Football Helmet Crown Padding for Fit and Rotation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sports helmets, such as those used in football, hockey, and lacrosse, fail to adequately accommodate anatomical differences among wearers and often allow helmet rotation during impacts, leading to potential injuries.
Innovation Solution
A protective sports helmet with an energy attenuating internal padding system featuring a face frame padding assembly, including a brow pad and jaw pads that frame the face, a crown pad with inflatable and un-inflatable sections, and an occipital locking pad to resist helmet rotation, along with an occipital cradle pad to enhance stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional padding assemblies are used, then the helmet can be manufactured simply, but the helmet allows rotation during impacts and does not accommodate anatomical differences
Solution Approach 1:
The internal padding assembly is divided into multiple independent pad elements (first pad element, second pad element, third pad element, fourth pad element) that can be individually adjusted. Each pad element can be independently inflated or deflated to customize the fit and prevent helmet rotation during impacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The padding assembly incorporates inflatable bladders within the pad elements, allowing the padding to dynamically adjust its volume and firmness. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the helmet to adapt to different head shapes and sizes while maintaining stability during impact events.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the padding assembly is made adjustable for anatomical differences, then the fit is customized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the helmet interior are equipped with specific pad elements tailored to local anatomical features. The first and second pad elements contact the temples, while the third and fourth pad elements contact the cheeks, allowing localized adjustment to accommodate various head shapes and sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
Inflatable bladders are integrated into the pad elements, using pneumatic pressure to adjust the volume and firmness of each padding region. This allows users to customize the fit by inflating or deflating specific pad elements to match their anatomical features.
3Reliability
If the helmet prevents rotation during impact, then protection is improved, but the padding assembly becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The pad elements are pre-positioned and secured to the helmet interior at specific locations designed to contact key anatomical landmarks (temples, cheeks) during normal wear and impact events. This preliminary positioning ensures that the padding is already in place to prevent rotation when an impact occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The inflatable pad elements are designed to provide enhanced cushioning and stabilization before impact occurs. By inflating the bladders to the appropriate firmness, the padding creates a stable interface between the helmet and the wearer's head, preventing rotation during subsequent impact events.
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
The helmet provides enhanced stability and protection by minimizing helmet rotation and improving fit customization, thereby reducing the risk of injuries during contact sports.
Implementation Method 1
The crown pad element includes an internal separation layer that partitions the pad element into a first inflatable section and a second un-inflatable section
Implementation Method 2
The internal padding assembly is secured to an interior surface of the shell to absorb a portion of energy received from a force applied to an exterior surface of the shell
Data Source
AI summary
An American football helmet including a crown energy attenuation assembly positioned within a crown region of the helmet shell. The crown energy attenuation assembly includes: a first energy attenuation element with a plurality of sidewalls arranged to form a hexagonal housing, wherein a first sidewall has a substantially planar configuration; a second energy attenuation element with a plurality of sidewalls arranged to form a hexagonal housing, wherein a first sidewall has a substantially planar configuration; and, a third energy attenuation element with a plurality of sidewalls that are arranged to form a hexagonal housing. A first crown gap is formed between the first and second energy attenuation elements. A second crown gap is formed between the second and third energy attenuation elements. A third crown gap is formed between an extent of the third and first energy attenuation elements. The crown energy attenuation assembly further includes a layer positioned adjacent to the plurality of sidewalls of the energy attenuation elements.