A COMBINATION OF A HELMET AND A RESPIRATOR AND A METHOD FOR USING IT

Abstract: The invention relates to a combination of a helmet or a protective mask and a respirator that can function under ram pressure. The helmet's chin arch (1) contains a face element (4), a filter (3) and inhalation and exhalation valves (5, 6). The air can, for instance, flow through the chin arch's (1) apertures (2) to the respirator. The face element (4) can be moved by means of a lever (11) in accordance with the pressure caused by the air stream.

Description: A COMBINATION OF A HELMET AND A RESPIRATOR AND A METHOD FOR USING IT This invention relates to a combination of a helmet and a res- pirator. Nowadays, traffic jams can be a problem, especially in popula¬ tion centers. The air entering roofed automobiles is purified by passing it through fresh air filters whereas people using roofless automobiles, motor cycles, mopeds and bicycles are exposed to airborne impurities. They can, however, resort to using non-integrated, separate respirators. The problems with non-integrated respirators are that they are not comfortable, the impediment to breathing caused by them can be considera- ble, and the respirator easily becomes wet. Respirators are difficult to get to work both when the wearer is in motion and even when not in motion. Moreover, the helmet's safety const¬ ruction is impaired because the respirator is not integrated with the safety helmet. One purpose of the invention is to come up with such a respirator aimed at the aforementioned vehicle users as will not cause essential losses in the pro¬ perties of safety helmet. When under the influence of the slipstream of air caused by motion and when at standstill (at traffic lights), the respirator worn by the vehicle user must work so that the wearer does not have to breathe in exhaust fumes and dust. The other purpose of the invention is to come up with a com¬ bination of different safety helmets and respirators such as an integrated welder's helmet and/or mask, military helmet, and a construction worker's safety helmet. Respirators integ¬ rated with chin guards have not been employed in the said hel¬ met types. In cases where air has been purified prior to being inhaled, it has taken place in a separate purification device from which the purified air has then been led into the respi¬ rator. Welders and foundry workers are exposed to a variety of harmful gases. It is difficult to protect oneself from smoke and gases produced by burning material (e.g. resin) when using non-integrated respirators. Masks, on the one hand, and respi¬ rators, on the other hand, are generally used as alternati¬ ves - not simultaneously. Simultaneous use may lead to a situ¬ ation in which the respirator cannot be brought firmly enough against the face. Since the respirator and the helmet and/or the mask are separate devices, they are difficult to use and for this reason work safety instructions are neglected. Currently there are various ways of attaching a respirator to a helmet so that the respirator adapts keenly to the contours of the wearer's face. Another popular solution is to have the inhalation air filtered outside the helmet with hoses being linked to the helmet via which the purified air is then led in to be inhaled. Generally, this air is pumped into the hoses under a certain pressure. A helmet without a chin protective arch is referred to by the name of half helmet while a helmet with a chin arch is called a full helmet. When a half helmet is provided with a respira- tor, the end result is not good from the standpoint of safety because it does not provide simultaneous protection for both the chin and the face. Since a respirator mounted in a half helmet has to be attached firmly against the face of the wea¬ rer in order to minimize leakages, it may be uncomfortable to the wearer. Considering the lengthy periods that a respirator often needs to be worn, it may cause sensations of sweatiness and uneasiness. Currently, a person wishing to breathe filte¬ red air is forced to select a half helmet instead of a full helmet at the cost of reduced safety. The solution in accordance with the invention brings about a marked improvement with respect to the aforementioned shortco¬ mings. In the embodiment of this, the solution in accordance with the invention is characterised by what is presented in claims 1 and 9, respectively. A significant advantage of the invention may be seen in the aspect that the respirator as a whole has been made an integ- ral part of the helmet. The functioning of the respirator can be regulated according to whether the wearer is in motion or at standstill. The said respirator can be worn even for lengt¬ hy periods of time without discomfort as the sealing part of the face element does not exert pressure upon the face nor does it restrict mouth or facial movements. The following is a detailed description of the invention with references being made to the appended drawing. Figure 1 shows a side view of embodiment of the respirator and helmet. Figure 2 shows a front view of the helmet in Figure 1. Figure 3 shows the section A-A in Figure 2. Figure 4 shows the embodiment shown in Figure 1 with the addi¬ tion of the face sealing element from the front with a partial sectional view. Figure 5 shows a partial sectional view along B-B in Figure 4. Figure 6 shows a side view of one embodiment of the helmet and respirator combination. Figure 7 shows a front view of the combination shown in Figure 6. Figure 8 shows the section along C-C in Figure 7. Figure 9 shows the section in Figure 7 in another position. Figure 10 a, b,c shows a welder's mask with a respirator moun¬ ted onto it. Figure 11 shows a front view of the welder's mask. Figure 12 shows a sectional view of the mask along D-D as shown in Figure 11. Figures 13 and 14 show the mask with the face sealing element in different positions. Figure 15 a-d shows a solution connected to the upper part of the visor. Figure 16 a-d shows another embodiment of Figure 15. Figure 1 shows a respirator which is mounted onto the chin arch 1 of a helmet, air intake apertures 2 having been dis¬ posed into the front part of the said arch. Advantageously, these apertures have been executed as horizontal, elongated perforations as shown in Figure 2. Figure 3 shows one embodi¬ ment at its simplest. The filter has been placed over suppor¬ ting ribbing behind air intake apertures 2. The air is guided via the air intake apertures 2 and the filer 3 to the front of the wearer's mouth and nose. Air to be removed is guided out via, for example, the apertures 8 are disposed onto the sides of the chin arch 1. Figures 4 and 5 show a situation in which an against-the-face- sealing face element 4, inhalation and exhalation valves 5 and 6, and a flexible respirator fastening mechanism 7 (which may consist of springs that bring the face element against the wearer's face) have been added onto the respirator. The air is guided from the air-guiding apertures 2 to the filter 3 and through it on to the inhalation valve 5 and then to the face element 4. Air that has passed through the exhalation valve 6 is guided out through the apertures 8, for instance, along the sides of the helmet. Continuous arrows are used to indicate the inhalation air and dashed arrows indicate air that is re¬ moved from the respirator through the apertures 8. The exhala¬ tion valve(s) 6 can be located on one or both sides of the face element. When this method is employed, the air is forced through the filter 3 by ram pressure. The slipstream of air (i.e. ram pressure) produced as motorists, motor cyclists, cyclists, etc., move along forces air through the filter 3 and at the same time purifies the air brought to be in front of the wea- rer's respiratory organs without there being need for the per¬ son to actually draw in air (as there is no resistance) . Be¬ cause ram pressure brings in a surplus of air, part of the air flows out via the exhalation valve, taking along the exhalati¬ on air and part of the purified air. Figures 6-9 show yet another more advantageous solution. The functioning of a respirator based on ram pressure can be furt¬ her improved. Figures 6-9 show a solution in which a lever 11 has been included in the combination shown in Figure 1 and Figures 4-5, the said lever being located in the lower part of chin arch 1 in the manner of an extended part. When the user presses this towards him/herself, the respirator moves for- wards from the upper part of the chin arch 1 and thereby cau¬ ses the respirator's face element 4 to be removed from being in contact with the user's face. As more air is forced through the filter 3 at high speed than the user needs for breathing, the surplus air can in this case be guided away through the gap between the face element 4 and the face and then out of the helmet along with the exhaled air. Naturally, the lever 11 must be manufactured from such a material as will not injure the user of the helmet; e.g. stiff rubber type of material. Figure 8 shows the respirator's slide rail 9 along which the respirator can be moved with respect to the chin arch 1. Since the chin arch 1 includes a vacant, free space that enables the respirator to be moved forward and the face element to be re¬ moved from being in contact with the face. A notch 12 has been disposed in the respirator so that in its other extreme posi¬ tion it attaches to the notch 13 in the chin arch so that the face element remains in place. The arrow in bold in Figure 9 indicates the direction in which the respirator has been moved with respect to Figure 8. The spring 10 attached to the helmet brings the respirator and/or face element 4 firmly against the user's face. The evacuation of exhaled air from a respirator that functions under ram pressure can be arranged to take place via evacuati- on channels the one end of each channel being on the sides of the helmet and the other end in contact with the exhaled (used) air. The outside air compressed against the sides of the helmet causes an increase in the velocity of the air stream and thereby produces an underpressure in the evacuation channels. Figure 11 a, b, c shows a protective mask to which a respira¬ tor has been attached. The air to be inhaled can be directed onto a filter directly via apertures made into the front of the mask. When this is done, the functioning of the filter may be quickly impaired because welding gases and other such pro¬ ducts rise upwards and become guided directly to the filter. This is why Figures 11 a, b, and c are included to show a so¬ lution in which the air is guided into the mask to filter 22, not via the apertures made into the front part of the plate, but instead via the rear of the mask. The normal inhalation and exhalation valves 23 and 24 are at the rear of the filter 22. The flow of air is indicated by arrows. The mask extends to below the chin and thus handle 25 can be located inside the mask to enable it to be moved and positioned. Figure 11 shows a front view of one embodiment of the mask. Reference number 20 indicates the protective glass. Figures 11-14 show an embodiment in which the filter has been placed behind the mask so that the air reaching the filter is direc¬ ted from behind the mask onto the filter 22 when the user has the mask in the welding position. The lever 21 can be used to bring the respirator firmly against the face or remove it from the face as is described in the above. It is also possible for air purified elsewhere in the helmet to be led to the protective arch as presented in Figs. 15 and 16. Since the slipstream is quite powerful at the top of the visor (i.e. the forehead part), air intake apertures 2 can be executed into the helmet above the visor. The air is then im¬ mediately guided via the said apertures to a filter 3 located behind them, the said filter being advantageously socklike and with its lengthwise side open in the case of Figure 15. The opening may advantageously be such that it becomes narrower in the direction of the sock and it may have supporting ribbing at set intervals to prevent loss of strength on the part of the helmet. The purified air is directed via clean air chan- nels 17 located on either side of the helmet's visor to the respirator's face element 4. As before, the face element 4 is provided with inhalation and exhalation valves 5, 6 for air that is breathed in and out. The clean air channel 17 ter- minates in an optional inhalation valve 5. The face element 4 can be moved as described in the above. Although it is stated in the above that a socklike filter is used, it can be replaced with filter 3 that is placed in front of the face element 4 as described in the above. When this is done, the air to be purified is led along the air channels 17 on either side of the visor to filter 3 through which the air is led to the exhalation valve 5. Exhaled air is led to the exhalation valve 6. In both cases, the helmet can be made to include simultaneously both the apertures 2 above the visor and the apertures 2 in the chin arch. The shape of the apertu¬ res above the visor can be such as are shown in Figures 1-3 simultaneously separating the water from the air to be breat- hed in, if it is raining. The protective arch can be fixed onto the helmet either per¬ manently or by means of different locking mechanisms. The face element of the respirator can, for instance, be removed loose from the face to from a gap between the face and face element by moving the protective arch at the same time. It should be noted that, in the above, the invention has been described with reference being made to only one of its advan- tageous application examples. Different solutions are availa¬ ble for the purpose of moving the respirator. In no way is this intended to restrict the invention to apply only to this example. Instead, numerous variations are possible within the framework of the inventive idea as defined by the following patent claims.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A combination of a helmet or protective mask and a respira¬ tor for the purpose of guiding air for breathing to the user, characterised in that the outside air directed into the helmet has been filtered by a filter (3) located in the helmet. 2. A combination as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that air intake apertures for the respirator are disposed into the chin protective arch (1) and/or the part of the helmet above the visor or the air is taken in from behind the protective mask. 3. A combination as claimed in any of claims 1 or 2, characte- rised in that the respirator's filter (3) is located in the helmet's chin protective arch (1) and/or the part of the hel¬ met above the visor or in the protective mask. 4. A combination as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 or 3, cha- racterised in that the respirator's face element (4) has been joined behind the supporting ribbing of the filter of the chin protective arch (1) to be connected with the user's face and that it advantageously provided with inhalation and exhalation valves (5, 6) . 5. A combination as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the respirator is joined to the protective arch (1) so that it can be moved in relation to the protective arch (1) . 6. A combination as claimed in claim 4 or 5, characterised in that there is a lever (11) for the purpose of adjusting the position of the face element (4) with respect to the user's face. 7. A combination as claimed in any of the above claims, cha¬ racterised in that the air intake apertures (2) have been lo¬ cated in the front part of the protective arch (1) or advanta¬ geously in the part of the helmet above the visor in which case the air is guided via air-guiding channels or clean air channels (filtered air) to the front of the user's face or the face element (4). 8. A combination as claimed in any of the above claims, cha¬ racterised in that the protective arch (1) , to which a respi¬ rator has been joined, is fixed or removable. 9. A method for guiding air to be breathed in a combination of helmet and/or protective mask into a helmet, characterised in that the outside air guided into the helmet is filtered by a filter (3) located in the helmet. 10. A method as claimed in claim 9, characterised in that the air entering the respirator is directed via a filter to a face element (4) onto which part of the respirator inhalation and exhalation valves (5, 6) have been attached whereupon the face element (4) can be advantageously removed from being in con¬ tact with the user's face by means of a lever (11). 11. A method as claimed in claims 9 or 10, characterised in that the exhaled air of the respirator functioning on the ba¬ sis of ram pressure is evacuated via evacuation channels the other ends of which are along the sides of the helmet where the compressed air causes an increase in the velocity of the air stream and thereby generating an underpressure to the eva¬ cuation channels. 12. A method as claimed in claim 9, characterised in that the flow of air to the face element (4) is regulated by moving the face element (4) of the respirator. 13. A combination of a helmet or protective mask and a respi¬ rator for purifying of the air to be breathed by the user, the helmet or mask comprising a wall structure having a front opening for forward viewing, a shield covering said opening, frontward facing air inlet, and the respirator being construc¬ ted by the filter in said helmet or mask, said filter being situated between said air inlet and the user's face. 14. A method for purifying of the air to be breathed by the user using a combination of helmet or protective mask and the respirator situated in said helmet or said mask, said helmet or said mask having a wall structure having a front opening for forward viewing, a shield covering said opening, said met¬ hod comprising the steps of forwarding said outside air in said helmet or mask through frontward facing air inlet, guiding and filtering said air through the filter for purify¬ ing said air before the user breaths the same.

Inventors: IKONEN ALPO, IKONEN, ALPO
Applicants: IKONEN ALPO, IKONEN, ALPO
Application year: 1993
Main classification: A42B3
IPC codes: A42B3, A61F9, A62B18