Helmet Visor Gasket for Stability and Liquid Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing visors for military and law-enforcement helmets are susceptible to shaking and allow entry of liquids due to a gap between the visor and the helmet edge, compromising both stability and protection.
Innovation Solution
A center stop fixture or gasket is used to clamp the visor to the helmet, preventing movement and liquid penetration, with a thermoplastic elastomer body molded over resilient metal clips, and a unique thickness profile for improved optical and ballistic protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a gap is left between the visor top edge and helmet brim, then air circulation behind the visor is improved, but the visor becomes susceptible to shaking and liquid entry
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible gasket made of elastomeric material is positioned in the gap between the visor and helmet brim. The gasket includes a sealing surface that contacts the helmet brim and a visor-contact surface that engages the visor top edge, preventing liquid entry while maintaining air circulation through its flexible, non-rigid structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket acts as an intermediary element between the visor and helmet brim, filling the gap without completely sealing it. This intermediary structure provides liquid barrier functionality while allowing air to pass through, resolving the contradiction between protection and ventilation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the visor is fixed rigidly to eliminate gap, then liquid protection is improved, but optical quality and air circulation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible gasket provides liquid protection without requiring rigid fixation of the visor to the helmet. This maintains the visor's ability to pivot and flex, preserving optical quality by avoiding stress-induced distortions that would result from rigid mounting.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket provides sealing functionality only at the specific location where liquid protection is needed (the gap between visor and helmet), while leaving the rest of the visor structure free to maintain its optical properties and air circulation capabilities.
3Strength
If visor thickness is increased for ballistic protection, then protective capability is improved, but optical quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The visor is designed with non-uniform thickness, having greater thickness at the periphery for ballistic protection and reduced thickness at the center viewing area for optimal optical quality. This local variation in thickness allows the visor to provide both protection and clear vision simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The visor features a curved, cylindrical shape with optimized thickness distribution. The curvature and thickness profile are designed to provide ballistic protection at the edges while maintaining optical clarity at the center, balancing protection and vision requirements.
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 solution stabilizes the visor, prevents liquid entry, and enhances optical quality while maintaining ballistic protection, offering improved performance over existing designs.
Implementation Method 1
The center stop fixture acts as an attachment and as a shock absorbing or damping element
Implementation Method 2
The resilient clip defines a slot that receives in clamping fashion a top edge portion of the visor
Data Source
AI summary
A visor mounting apparatus for mounting a face shield to a helmet includes end portions mounted to the helmet and connecting ends of the shield to the helmet and a front attachment between the helmet and the shield comprising a mounting portion for attaching to the shield and an engagement portion having a tapered slot configured for clasping a brim of the helmet. In another embodiment the front attachment is a gasket that extends for the entire width of the shield and seals against liquid entering between the shield and the helmet. The face shield can have a varying thickness profile to correct for optical aberrations, the thickness profile taken from a center toward one lateral end that has a first region that sinusoidally decreases, and then an adjacent second region that sinusoidally increases to a third region adjacent the second region that sinusoidally decreases.