Abstract:
The protective suit is for use by persons engaged in various potentially hazardous activities, but is particularly well adapted for wear by motorcyclists and others engaged in motorsports activities. The suit is equipped with airbags that differ from conventional automotive airbags in that the present airbags deflate more slowly to protect the wearer of the suit over a few seconds in an accident. The suit is also equipped with warning lights that are actuated in the event of an accident. The suit is electronically connected to a belt having various electronic systems capable of monitoring the condition of the motor vehicle and the wearer of the suit through sensors in the vehicle and suit. The suit is further electronically connected to the vehicle, the vehicle having a lockout system that prevents the vehicle from being started until the suit, belt, and helmet are properly connected and operable.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to protective apparel, and particularly to a protective suit having various features for protecting the wearer and alerting authorities in the event of an accident. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Many people are involved in potentially hazardous activities, either by necessity through their occupations, or as a result of their hobbies or leisure activities. Perhaps the most widely recognized of such activities is motorcycle riding, although many other activities (e.g., rock climbing, certain athletic competitions, etc.) can be hazardous as well. 
     Accordingly, protective apparel has been developed in the past to protect the person engaged in such potentially hazardous activities. Such protective apparel is generally directed to helmets to protect the head, and standards have been developed for helmets used in many different fields. Complete body apparel has also been developed to a lesser extent, which generally comprises a garment constructed of relatively thick and durable material, such as leather. 
     The problem with such helmets and suits is that they are passive garments and do not have sensors to determine when an accident occurs and to activate various protective measures in the event of such an accident. Yet, in many cases a person may be engaged in an activity wherein certain readily detectable circumstances place the person at risk. An example of such may occur when riding a motorcycle. The motorcycle will likely provide a relatively smooth ride without excessive accelerative forces in any direction under normal circumstances. However, in the event of an accident the motorcycle (and rider) will experience unusual forces and accelerations not encountered in normal riding. Protective apparel having sensors for such forces and means to reduce those forces on the rider would provide many benefits to the motorcycle rider and others engaged in potentially hazardous activities where sudden abnormal forces might injure the participant. 
     Thus, a protective suit solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The protective suit comprises a coverall-type garment having a plurality of selectively inflatable pockets, i.e., “airbags,” disposed over substantially the entire surface. The airbags are not like those found in automotive safety systems, and continue to hold at least some pressure for at least a limited period of time after inflation in order to cushion the wearer of the suit in the event of a motorcycle accident, wherein the rider may be in some danger for perhaps a few seconds until he or she comes to a complete stop. 
     The suit is equipped with a belt that provides various electronic interfaces with remotely mounted sensors that determine acceleration, velocity, angular tilt, and other factors. The belt is electronically and pneumatically connected to the suit. An explosive or pneumatic charge inflates the airbags of the suit in the event that extreme acceleration or a tilt condition is detected. The suit is also preferably equipped with at least one LED or other suitable light unit(s) that is activated in the event of an extreme condition occurring that triggers the actuation of the airbags of the suit. 
     The suit is also electronically connected to a helmet. The helmet communicates electronically with the bell through the suit. The helmet may include cameras to record the circumstances of the activity in which the wearer of the suit is engaged and/or the circumstances of any accident that might befall the wearer of the suit. The video recordings may be stored electronically in appropriate electronic apparatus on the belt, e.g., a “smart phone” or the like, with appropriate electronic interfaces. 
     The suit also preferably includes a number of sensors therein to detect injury to the wearer and to monitor vital signs, such as heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure. These conditions may be recorded or transmitted to an emergency facility by the smart phone of the apparatus in the event of an accident and/or anomalous conditions that warrant an emergency response. 
     In the event that the suit is worn for motorcycle riding or other motorsports activities, the motor vehicle is preferably equipped with various sensors to determine a number of different conditions, as noted further above. The motor vehicle preferably includes an information screen that receives information from the sensors regarding various conditions of the vehicle, and also from the suit regarding various conditions of the wearer of the suit. The suit is preferably connected electronically to the motor vehicle to allow the screen to display such conditions. As a further safety feature, the motor vehicle may include an interlock that will prevent starting the engine until the suit, helmet, and other components are properly connected and determined to be in proper operating condition. 
     These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a protective suit according to the present invention, illustrating various features thereof. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic front elevation view of a belt containing various electronic devices for the protective suit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a helmet adapted for use with the protective suit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of an exemplary instrument display incorporating a display screen showing the status of the protective suit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a right side elevation view of a motorcycle incorporating various electronic devices that interface with the protective suit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of the major components associated with the protective suit according to the present invention, showing their relationships with one another. 
     
    
    
     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The protective suit provides a number of protective features and benefits for motorcycle riders and racers, persons engaged in other motorsports activities, and persons engaged in other potentially hazardous activities, such as rock climbing and the like.  FIG. 1  provides a front elevation view of the protective suit  10 . The protective suit  10  comprises a coverall-style garment having a torso area  12 , long sleeves  14  for the arms, and complete legs  16  to cover the body, with the exception of the head, hands, and feet. 
     The protective suit  10  further includes a number of selectively inflatable protective cushions or “airbags”  18  disposed upon the torso  12 , arms  14 , and legs  16 . These selectively inflatable cushions serve a similar purpose as conventional “airbags” installed in practically all automobiles and light trucks, and may be operated using the same conventional actuation systems. However, the cushions or airbags  18  are configured to retain their charges of gas somewhat longer than those installed in motor vehicles in order to provide longer term cushioning and protection for the wearer of the suit  10 . This is important when considering the conditions under which the suit  10  is likely to be worn. For example, a motorcyclist involved in an accident would likely spend a few seconds or so tumbling across the surface after departing the motorcycle, and a rock climber might spend perhaps two or more seconds in a fall and in contact with the terrain before being stabilized by a belaying rope. 
     The suit  10  further includes a number of selectively actuated emergency warning lights  20  disposed thereon. The warning lights  20  may be steady or flashing LEDs or other form of warning light, but LEDs provide greater durability and resistance to damage than other lighting devices. The lights  20  may be white, red, or other color(s). The lights  20  may be actuated by the same conventional actuation system used to deploy the airbags or cushions  18 . The lights  20  provide additional protection for a person who may be exposed on the roadway after an accident, and who is immobilized by injuries. 
     The suit  10  is also equipped with a number of vital sign sensors  22  installed therein. These sensors  22  are conventional in operation, and detect such vital signs as respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure. The sensors  22  may be hard wire connected to a sensor belt  24  that is a component of the suit  10  and/or worn with the suit  10 , or may communicate with the sensor belt  24  by wireless means. 
       FIG. 2  of the drawings provides a schematic front elevation view of the sensor belt  24 . The belt contains a central portion  26 , which is a wide buckle area that also contains various devices enabling the operation of the various features of the suit  10 . A central processor  28  may include the conventional accelerometer sensor to sense and register accelerative forces that fall outside of normal operating parameters in order to trigger the airbags  18  of the suit  10  ( FIG. 1 ). The processor  28  communicates with the adjacent pressurized gas or explosive charge  30  on the central portion  26  of the belt  24 . The gas or explosive charge  30  is then distributed to the various airbags  18  of the suit  10 , as indicated by the outflow arrow  32 , when triggered by the processor  28  and its sensor or sensors. The processor  28  also sends a signal(s) to the suit  10  to actuate the warning lights  20  on the suit  10  ( FIG. 1 ), as indicated by the output link  34  from the processor  28 . 
     The processor  28  also communicates with an adjacent “smart phone”  36  or similar device disposed upon the central portion  26  of the belt  24 . Such smart phones are seen nearly universally throughout the world&#39;s population, and are known to provide numerous computerized functions in addition to their use as a cellular telephone. The present protective suit  10  may make use of such conventional smart phone features and capabilities by interfacing the smart phone  36  with the central processor  28 . When the smart phone  36  receives one or more signals from the processor  28  indicating that one or more normal operating parameters have been exceeded, e.g., abnormal acceleration, triggering of the airbag charge  30 , etc., the smart phone  36  may be programmed to make an automatic emergency call to alert police, medical assistance, etc. of the accident. The smart phone  36  may also receive data from the central processor  28  relating to the output of the vital sign sensors  22  of the suit  10  ( FIG. 1 ), and automatically alert the appropriate medical authorities if one or more of those vital signs is critical. The vital sign data itself may also be transmitted using conventional smart phone technology. 
     The protective suit  10  preferably includes a helmet  38 , which is illustrated in  FIG. 3  of the drawings. The helmet  38  is preferably of conventional construction to meet the safety standards of an appropriate authority, e.g., DOT, Snell Foundation, etc. However, the helmet  38  further includes additional components and features that link with the protective suit  10  when the helmet  38  is worn therewith. The helmet  38  includes a forward camera  40  and an opposite rearward camera  42 . The cameras  40  and  42  are miniaturized “lipstick” type video cameras, capable of recording the received video image. As the helmet  38  communicates electronically with the suit  10  via the connector port  44  (the communication between helmet and suit may be by means of a physical cable  52   a , shown extending from the upper portion of the suit  10  in  FIG. 1 , or by wireless, e.g., by Bluetooth) and the suit  10  communicates electronically with the belt  24  and its processor  28 , video images from the two cameras  40 ,  42  may be stored by the processor  28  (and/or by the smart phone  36  that communicates with the processor  28 ) for further use. In the event of an accident, the video images may be recovered and reviewed to determine the circumstances of the accident, and/or to determine if other unknown parties were involved, etc. 
       FIG. 4  of the drawings provides a front view of the basic components comprising an exemplary instrument display  46  that may be installed upon a typical motorcycle or other type of motor vehicle. The instrument display  46  is remotely disposed from the suit  10  and may comprise a plurality of conventional instruments, e.g., speedometer, tachometer, engine temperature and pressure indicators, etc., but also includes a display screen  48  to display one or more of the vital sign conditions sensed by the sensors  22  in the suit  10  and received by the processor  28  of the belt  24  ( FIG. 2 ). The display screen  48  may also display one or more of the video images received by the front and rear cameras  40  and  42  of the helmet  38  of  FIG. 3 . The vehicle operator may be most interested in viewing the scene as received by the rear camera  42 , and in some circumstances, this may eliminate the need for a rear view mirror(s) on the vehicle. The display screen  48  communicates electronically with the suit  10  by means of an appropriate electrical port or receptacle  50 , the suit  10  or its belt  24  having an electrical cable  52   b  or the like extending therefrom ( FIG. 1 ) to connect to the receptacle  50  of the display screen  48 . Alternatively, the communication between the display screen  48  and the suit  10  may be by wireless signals, but the “hard-wired” connection provided by the cable  52   b  is preferred, as described below. 
       FIG. 5  of the drawings provides a right side elevation view of an exemplary motorcycle  54  that may be equipped as described above for use with the protective suit  10 .  FIG. 6  provides a block diagram of the major components associated with the protective suit  10 , which may be installed on or in the motorcycle  54 . The motorcycle  54  may include a programmable system  56  to enable the user to set limits for various parameters relating to the operation of the motorcycle, e.g., acceleration, tilt or lean, etc. For example, a so-called “dirt bike” operated off-road, would likely encounter considerably higher accelerative forces associated with the uneven ground over which the motorcycle would travel, than would a motorcycle operated on the typical public roadway. The system  56  may be set to account for these differences. Much the same considerations are made for the tilt module or sensor  58 , as a grand prix motorcycle with its racing tires will be capable of generating considerably higher lateral forces, and thus considerably greater tilt, than would a standard motorcycle. The tilt sensor or module  58  may be linked to the suit  10  to automatically actuate the airbags  18  and lights  20  of the suit in the event that excessive tilt is detected, thus indicating that the motorcycle  54  has fallen. 
     The motorcycle  54  may also be equipped with collision and velocity modules, respectively  60  and  62 , that communicate electronically with the suit  10  via the programmable system  56  of the motorcycle and the processor  28  of the suit belt  24  ( FIG. 2 ). The collision module  60  is preferably installed at the front of the motorcycle  54 , and generates a signal in the event of the detection of impact forces. The velocity module  62  may communicate with the front wheel via the conventional speedometer cable. The programmable system  56  of the motorcycle  54  may be programmed with limits relating to the velocity of the motorcycle as sensed by the velocity module  62 , and to detect any impact forces from the collision module  60 . When the programmable system  56  detects signals from these components that exceed certain predetermined parameters, the system  56  sends a signal to the processor  28  of the belt  24  via the port or receptacle  50  ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ) and connecting cable  52   b  of the suit  10  ( FIG. 1 ), thus actuating the various safety and warning features of the suit  10 . While the velocity alone is not sufficient to activate any of the safety features described further above, it can play a part in determining how quickly or to what extent those features will be activated. 
     The motorcycle  54  may be provided with a lockout device or system to prevent operation of the motorcycle unless the helmet connection cable  52   a  is connected between the suit  10  and helmet  38  and the suit connection cable  52   b  is connected to the port or receptacle  50  on the motorcycle  54 . The connector port or receptacle  50  may serve as the lockout device, e.g., by means of a contact switch within the port or receptacle  50  that is only closed when the mating connector of the cable  52   b  is installed therein. The contact must be closed in order to enable engine starting and running operations for the motorcycle  54 , similarly to certain functions well known in automotive systems, e.g., placing the gear selector lever in neutral or park for automatic transmissions, etc. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.