Protection device for head and body of people

An automatic safety helmet and cover protection can be worn on the back, mainly of people who play sport. The protection device is stored in a rucksack casing (3) and is attached to back straps (4-6). The casing accommodates essentially a guard (11-19), a drive member and a control mechanism. There is storage space in the center for various implements. By triggering a spring accumulator (40.1, 40.2), the protection device is rotated, in the event of a threatening fall, into an erect protective position in fractions of a second by way of a trigger cord or by automatic actuation due to a sensor (23). The protective position is held at the top by a toothed catch member (7.1, 7.2). Mating toothing on the catch member maintains the protective position even in the event of a change in direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention involves an automatic protection helmet, as protection 
against a tumbling fall for persons, wherein the protection helmet can be 
adjusted into a protective position from a set resting position worn in a 
casing on the back or chest of the person. The helmet is equipped with a 
drive element integrated into the casing, with the force of the drive 
element serving to rotate the helmet toward the top (head of the person). 
A protection device of this type is already known from DE 2825145 A1, for 
example. The known protection device is fixed above the head, so that it 
is not very pleasant to wear during physical exercise. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The object of the invention is thus to further develop a passive protection 
device of the generic type, so that it is technically equipped in such a 
way that the protection is optimally improved without active involvement. 
In this way, not only head injuries, but also fractures of the cervical 
vertebra, collar-bone injuries, and back injuries are prevented. 
The protection device is positioned in a casing which is similar to a 
backpack and shaped to fit the contours of the body. It is affixed to the 
back with belts for the shoulders, hips and pants. The forces acting 
during a fall are thus transmitted to the body to a great extent. During a 
hazardous fall, the protection device can be rotated into an upright 
protective position via the release of a spring in fractions of a second 
by a release line or by automatic control through a sensory mechanism. 
The extended U-shaped protective bars (p-bars) have impact-absorbing 
properties and are provided with integral foam, as well as with a 
highly-resilient foam layer, against the head and body side. These 
properties correspond to the state of the art in their light manner of 
construction, and they are applied in crash helmets, for example. 
Furthermore, the inflation of the p-bars would also be a technically known 
possibility (comparable to an airbag). 
The object of the invention is achieved by a protection device of the type 
mentioned at the outset having a support element with two round toothed 
disks which are set into rotating motion by the force of pre-loaded 
springs, whereby the p-bars are brought into their protective position. 
Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be gathered from the 
detailed description and the remaining claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
FIG. 1 shows a horse 1 with rider 2, who is wearing a safety casing 3 
similar to a backpack. This safety casing 3 is fixed firmly to the body 
with the belts 4, 5, 6. 
These p-bars 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 altogether fashioned in a 
U-shape are mounted pivotably with the front end regions in the 
reinforcement pieces 8.1, 8.2 and the toothed disks 7.1, 7.2 on a guide 
rod 20 fixed in the casing. The p-bar 11 is firmly connected with the 
toothed disks 7.1, 7.2. 
In its visibly shown resting position, the protection device is set 
approximately parallel to the back, whereby the p-bars are arranged set 
within a casing 3. From this set resting position, it can be titled up 
toward the front by an angle of approx. 220.degree., whereupon it has 
taken on a raised protective position which spans the head area, as shown 
in FIG. 5. For the swinging operation of the protection device between its 
set resting position and its raised protective position, two pre-loaded 
springs 40.1, 40.2 are located in the casing 3. 
To release the protection device, there is a magnetic switch 21 in the 
lower area of the casing, which is controlled by a sensor 23 when the 
sportsman takes a hazardous fall. By pulling the movable locking pins 22 
in the magnetic switch 21, the latching of the protection device is 
automatically released, whereupon the p-bar 11 is released and rapidly 
shoots to the top under spring loading. This sensory mechanism is also 
already known in roll bars in automobile construction. It responds to a 
change in the angle of inclination, as well as to the acceleration and 
deceleration. 
As is recognized in connection with the representations in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 
6, 7 and 8, the casing comprises a deep-drawn, molded shell 24 which is 
fitted to the body and can be made of plastic. For weight optimization, 
the molded shell 24 can be cut out between the reinforcement piece 28 and 
closed with a backpack fabric. 
In FIGS. 4 and 6, the reinforcement piece 28 for receiving the belts 4, 5, 
6 and magnetic switch 21 can be seen, and a zipper 29 in the backpack 
covering, which functions as an access to the storage space 44, is 
indicated. 
As is shown from the side in half section in FIG. 8 on a scale of 1:1, the 
reinforcement piece 28 is connected on the right and left with the 
reinforcement pieces 8.1 and 8.2, which function for seating the guide rod 
20, passing through transversely at the top. 
FIG. 8 shows the rotatably-mounted toothed disk 7.2 with the disk 30 and 
safety retainer 31. Also visible is the pre-loaded spring 40.2, which is 
attached to the guide rod 20 and which is supported in the center on the 
reinforcement piece 33 and hangs outside on the p-bar 11. The pre-loaded 
springs and the guide rod are separated from the storage space by a 
covering 48. 
Since only the p-bar 11 is firmly connected to the toothed disks 7.1, 7.2, 
and the remaining bars are, for spatial reasons, both pivotably mounted 
and arranged offset, the remaining bars are connected to each other by a 
fabric band 9 pulled from the p-bar 11 out of the casing. As apparent in 
FIG. 5, a face protection bar 10 is, in addition, rotated in front of the 
face out of the p-bar 11, controlled by force of a stop. The spring 32 
presses the face bar 10 onto the p-bar 11 until the forced control takes 
effect. 
When the p-bar shoots to the top and the toothed disks 7.1, 7.2 rotate 
around the guide rod 20, the detent pawls 34.1, 34.2 swing out slightly 
against their spring loading, whereby the toothed disks 7.1, 7.2 are moved 
over the detent pawls 34.1, 34.2 in a ratcheting manner. When the 
direction of the p-bars is reversed (accident or loading) the teeth of the 
toothed disks 7.1, 7.2 act instantaneously as latches with the detent 
pawls 34.1, 34.2. The transmission of force occurs through the pins 47. 
The reinforcement pieces 45.1, 45.2 are connected at points with the 
reinforcement pieces 8.1, 8.2 and also function as seats for the pawls and 
pins. 
Since the front p-bar 11 is locked via the toothed disks 7.1, 7.2, and the 
rear p-bars 16, 17, 18, 19 drive against a stop, the p-bars 12 -19 are 
held at set distances by a fabric band 9 prior to the return folding. The 
p-bar 19 is supported, e.g. by the extension arm 49 against the toothed 
disks 7.1, 7.2. 
In order to prevent too hard a bumping of the p-bars 11, 16, 17, 18, 19 
into their end positions, impact-absorbing buffer elements 35 can be 
arranged in the stop areas, which can comprise an elastomeric material, 
for example.. 
For a possible erroneous release, the detent pawls 34.1, 34.3 can be lifted 
against their spring force through the two openings in the shell 24 and 
foam 50 at the right and left with the finger 36, after the casing is 
taken off, as is clearly shown in FIG. 7. Thus, the entire protection 
device can be pressed into the casing 3 until the magnetic switch 21 again 
comes to rest on the crown spring 43. 
As an alternative to the contact position 37 on the casing, the contact 
position 38 can also be used on the saddle, whereby the release safety can 
be increased. At a certain displacement of the person from the saddle, the 
release cord 39, which is guided over a clamping adjustment disk 42, opens 
the magnetic switch 21 mechanically, and the protection device begins to 
function. 
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be 
made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad 
inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this 
invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it 
is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the 
present invention as defined by the appended claims.