Patent Publication Number: US-2011072562-A1

Title: Helmet bracket

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention in one or more embodiments relates to a headgear bracket, and more particularly to a helmet bracket for a mount for night vision goggles. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Night vision goggles are commonly used by military personnel for conducting operations in low light or night conditions. Assemblies for mounting night vision goggles to a helmet or other headgear are well known in the art. These mounting assemblies allow a user&#39;s hands to remain free while viewing a scene through the night vision goggles. 
     A mounting bracket adapted to receive a mount for night vision goggles may be attached to headgear. Often, the mounting bracket includes at least one opening through which an attachment means, such as a screw, is insertable to securely attach the mounting bracket to the headgear. Since the attachment means must also be inserted through the headgear, the headgear may also contain an opening to accommodate the attachment means. 
     The headgear worn by military personnel is designed for combat and is able to prevent a bullet shot from a pistol, such as a 9 mm, a .357 Magnum or an MP5 submachine gun, from penetrating the headgear. However, when bullets that would ordinarily be stopped and or sufficiently contained by the headgear encounter an opening in the helmet or the mounting bracket attachment means inserted through such opening, the force of the bullet impacts the weakened structural integrity of the headgear caused by the opening. As such, the bullet may penetrate the headgear and/or the attachment means may be pushed through the headgear and potentially into the wearer&#39;s head, posing serious danger to the wearer. It is desired to have a headgear bracket capable of preventing a bullet from penetrating the headgear and capable of preventing a mounting bracket attachment means from further penetrating the headgear and into a wearer&#39;s head. 
     Additionally, a hot shoe assembly may be mounted to headgear to provide an electrical connection to a battery pack or other power source for the night vision goggles. More specifically, the hot shoe assembly may be mounted to a hot shoe bracket which is then attached to headgear by attachment means similarly to the headgear bracket described above. Since an opening is created to allow the hot shoe bracket attachment means to penetrate the headgear, the portion of the helmet having the opening is vulnerable to being penetrated by a bullet. As such, it is desirable to provide a hot shoe bracket capable of preventing penetration by a bullet. 
     Moreover, it is generally desirable to provide a means to prevent a bullet or other ammunition from penetrating an opening or other structural weakness created in headgear, thus increasing safety for the headgear wearer. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a headgear bracket for mounting night vision goggles is provided including a base having a headgear-facing surface. The headgear-facing surface may include a pocket defined by a pocket wall and a pair of flanges adapted to contact a headgear surface. The headgear bracket may further include an opening in the base adapted to receive an attachment means and a ballistic slug removably inserted into the pocket. The ballistic slug may have an opening adapted to receive the attachment means. A surface of the ballistic slug may be adapted to contact and conform substantially to the headgear surface. 
     In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a helmet on which night vision goggles are mountable is provided including an attachment means opening and a bracket having a bracket opening aligned with the attachment means opening. The bracket may include a helmet-facing surface having a pocket defined by a pocket wall and a ballistic slug removably inserted into the pocket. The ballistic slug may include a ballistic slug opening and a surface contacting and conforming substantially to a helmet surface. An attachment means may be inserted through the attachment means opening, the bracket opening and the ballistic slug opening to attach the bracket to the helmet. 
     In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a hot shoe bracket is provided including a base having a nut plate recess and a nut plate opening. At least one U-shaped member may extend from the base and is adapted to fit over a headgear rim. A nut plate is slidable within the nut plate recess and may protrude from the nut plate opening. A hot shoe assembly may include a block insulator having a plurality of electrical contacts and a hot shoe cover to cover the block insulator. A support plate may be located between the nut plate and the hot shoe assembly, the support plate having an opening through which the block insulator protrudes. The support plate may comprise titanium. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an orthogonal view of a helmet bracket attached to a helmet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 2 and 3  are front and rear orthogonal exploded views, respectively, of the helmet bracket of  FIG. 1  including a ballistic slug and helmet attachment means. 
         FIG. 4  is a partial cross-sectional side exploded view of the helmet bracket of  FIG. 1  as it would be attached to a helmet. 
         FIG. 5  is an orthogonal view of a ballistic slug according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of a ballistic slug as it would be attached directly to a helmet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a rear view of an exemplary headgear used in accordance with embodiments of the present invention having a rear opening. 
         FIGS. 8 ,  9  and  10  are an exploded view, a side view and a front view, respectively, of a hot shoe bracket in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is an orthogonal view of a helmet bracket attached to a hot shoe bracket by a cable according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , headgear such as a helmet  10  is provided and adapted to be mounted with a helmet bracket  12 . Although the headgear described herein will be a helmet commonly used by military personnel, it is understood that embodiments of the present invention may be incorporated into many different kinds of headgear. The helmet  10  defines an interior cavity shaped generally to conform to a wearer&#39;s head. More specifically, as also shown in  FIG. 4 , the helmet  10  includes an exterior surface  16 , interior surface  18 , and an opening  14  through which bracket attachment means, such as a screw  20 , is insertable to attach the helmet bracket  12  to the helmet  10 . Although the specifically described helmet  10  has only a single opening  14 , it will be understood that the number of openings may vary depending on the number of attachment means desired to secure a bracket to the helmet. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 2 , a base  13  of the helmet bracket  12  is adapted to receive a lock plate of a night vision goggle helmet mount (not shown). The base  13  of the helmet bracket  12  includes a lock plate receiving area  22  against which a lock plate inserted into the helmet bracket abuts. The lock plate receiving area  22  includes means to secure the lock plate against rotation comprising two side flanges  23 , a foot  24  having a lower recess  25  into which a tongue of the lock plate is insertable, and a shoulder  26  including an upper recess  27  into which an upper lip of the lock plate snaps to secure the lock plate to the helmet bracket  12 . The lock plate receiving area  22  further includes an opening  30  adapted to receive an attachment means and an attachment means recess  28  to permit the attachment means to be flush with or recessed from the receiving area. As such, attachment means  20  inserted into the opening  30  will not interfere with a lock plate attached to the receiving area  22 . In one exemplary embodiment, the bracket opening  30  may have an area greater than a diameter of the helmet opening  14  ( FIG. 5 ) to permit positional adjustment of the bracket  12  with respect to the helmet. For example, the bracket opening  30  may be substantially oval to permit adjustable vertical positioning of the helmet bracket  12 . In one exemplary embodiment, the opening  30  has an area of from about 0.05 to about 0.25 square inch. 
     The helmet bracket  12  further contains a pair of strap or cable openings  32  above the shoulder  26  through which a strap or cable ( FIG. 11 ) may be inserted to electrically connect the helmet bracket to a hot shoe as described in more detail below and/or to more securely attach the helmet bracket  12  to the helmet  10 . Moreover, a clip  56  ( FIG. 1 ) may be attached to the helmet bracket  12  to provide additional security against rotation of the helmet bracket  12  when the bracket is attached to a helmet  10  as described in more detail below. The clip  56  may comprise a pair of arms  58  having a generally U-shaped hand portion  60  which fits over a rim  11  of the helmet  10 . Although a helmet bracket adapted to receive a lock plate of a night vision goggles mounting device is described herein, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other types of brackets and mounting devices may be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present invention. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a helmet-facing surface  34  of the helmet bracket  12  includes a ballistic slug pocket  36  defined by a flat base surface  37  and a pocket wall  38  protruding from the flat base surface. The ballistic slug pocket  36  is adapted to house a ballistic slug  40  as described in more detail below. In one exemplary embodiment, the pocket wall  38  surrounds the opening  30  in the helmet bracket  12  and a curvature of the pocket wall substantially matches the contour of the exterior surface  16  of the helmet  10 . As such, the height of the pocket wall  38  nearer the foot  24  of the helmet bracket  12  may be greater than the height of the pocket wall nearer the shoulder  26  to account for the curvature of the helmet  10 . For example a height of the pocket wall  38  may be about 0.05 inch at a first end and about 0.15 inch at a second end. However, a specific height of the pocket wall  38  is not critical, but rather the pocket wall should have a height to sufficiently and releasably secure a ballistic slug  40  inserted between the helmet  10  and the helmet bracket  12  as described in more detail below. 
     Additionally, a pair of support flanges  42  protrude from the helmet-facing surface  34  around a perimeter of the helmet facing surface  34  proximal the cable openings  32  to provide additional contact between the helmet bracket  12  and the helmet  10 . The support flanges  42  include a contact portion  44  shaped to match substantially the contour of the helmet  10  which ensures a greater contact area between the helmet bracket  12  and the helmet. The support flanges  42  provide additional resistance to prevent a bullet from penetrating the helmet bracket opening  30  by absorbing the impact of the bullet and dispersing the energy of the impact over the surface of the helmet  10 . Further, the support flanges  42  provide greater resistance to rotation and may prevent a portion of the helmet bracket  12  from fracturing due to force applied to a top half of the bracket. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the support flanges  42  taper back toward the helmet-facing surface  34  of the helmet bracket  12  at the top of the bracket to create an opening through which a strap or cable attached to the helmet bracket can extend. 
     With reference now also to  FIG. 5 , a ballistic slug  40  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is adapted to be removably housed in the ballistic slug pocket  36  of the helmet bracket  12 . The ballistic slug  40  comprises a relatively rigid material and includes a substantially flat lower surface  46  adapted to rest on the flat base surface  37  of the ballistic slug pocket  36 . The ballistic slug  40  further includes a contoured helmet-facing surface  48  ( FIG. 4 ) shaped to match substantially the contour of the helmet  10 . 
     In one exemplary embodiment, a thickness of the ballistic slug  40  increasingly tapers from a first end  52  to a second end  54  while the helmet-facing surface  48  is slightly concave or bowl-shaped to correspond to the helmet surface. For example, a thickness of the first end  52  may be at least about 0.03 inch and a thickness of the second end  54  may be at least about 0.08 inch. In an alternate exemplary embodiment, the ballistic slug may have substantially parallel sides extending from a first end to a second end. 
     Further, when the ballistic slug  40  is inserted into the pocket  36 , in one exemplary embodiment, the ballistic slug is flush with or protrudes slightly past the pocket wall  38 . Accordingly, when the helmet bracket  12  is mounted onto the helmet  10 , the ballistic slug  40  makes contact with the exterior surface  16  of the helmet  10 . The contoured helmet-facing surface  48  allows maximum surface contact between the ballistic slug  40  and the helmet  10 , allowing the slug to absorb as much impact as possible from a bullet and to distribute the force of the impact along the surface of the helmet. 
     The ballistic slug  40  includes an opening  50  generally corresponding to the attachment means opening  30  in the helmet bracket, the opening  50  adapted to receive an attachment means  20  as described in more detail below. In one exemplary embodiment, the opening  50  is generally oval to allow adjustment of the ballistic slug  40  with respect to a circular opening  14  on the helmet  10 . However, it will be understood that the opening  50  may be of various shapes and sizes in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
     In one exemplary embodiment, the ballistic slug  40  is substantially oval. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the ballistic slug  40  may be any one of a variety of shapes, such as, for example, circular, rectangular, or hexagonal. Additionally, the size, and therefore, the surface area, of the ballistic slug  40  may vary. In one exemplary embodiment, the surface area of the ballistic slug is about 0.32 square inch, but may be as small as about 0.20 square inch. It is noted that a thicker and/or larger ballistic slug  40  will generally be more effective than a smaller, thinner slug comprising the same material. However, due to the importance of weight considerations of equipment carried by military personnel, a lighter ballistic slug which effectively prevents penetration of a bullet may be more desirable than a heavier one. 
     In one exemplary embodiment, the ballistic slug  40  comprises a rigid material such as metal. The ballistic slug  40  may comprise, for example, aluminum, such as 6061 or 7075 aluminum, stainless steel, such as 17-4 heat treated steel, 300-series stainless steel or 12L14 soft steel, titanium, or various alloys or other combinations of metals. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that any sufficiently rigid or high tensile strength material may be used for the ballistic slug  40 . For example, certain bullet resistant composite or woven materials may be used. 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the helmet bracket  12  may be attached to the helmet  10  as follows. A ballistic slug  40  may be inserted into the pocket  36  of the helmet bracket  12 . Then, hand portions  60  of the clip  56  may be placed onto the rim  11  of the helmet  10 , and the contact portion  44  of the support flanges  42  and the ballistic slug  40  may be rested against the exterior surface  16  of the helmet. Attachment means  20 , such as a screw, is inserted through the openings  28 ,  50 ,  14  of the helmet bracket  12 , the ballistic slug  40  and the helmet  14 , respectively, and secured in place by, for example, a sex bolt  62 . As will be understood by those of skill in the art, the attachment means are not limited to a screw and sex bolt, but may also be, for example, a rivet, nut and bolt, adhesive, VELCRO®, or the like. As such, if the attachment means  20  is impacted by a bullet fired at high velocity, the ballistic slug  40  will bear the force of impact and distribute such force along the surface of the helmet. Accordingly, the attachment means and the bullet will be prevented from further penetrating the helmet, and more importantly, will not penetrate the wearer&#39;s head. 
     In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the ballistic slug  40  may be attached directly to the helmet  10  by attachment means  20  without an accompanying helmet bracket  12 . As such, the ballistic slug will prevent a bullet from piercing an opening  14  in the helmet  10  even when a helmet bracket  12  is not mounted to the helmet. Additionally, the ballistic slug  40  may be used with various other types of mounting devices or other headgear components to reinforce a structurally vulnerable area. One of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that the ballistic slug  40  may be used with a helmet bracket  12  or other mounting device even if the ballistic slug  40  is separately attached to the helmet  10 . 
     With reference now to  FIG. 7 , a helmet  10  may include a rear opening  64  adapted to receive an attachment member for a hot shoe bracket  66 . With reference to  FIGS. 8-10 , a hot shoe bracket  66  is provided to attach a hot shoe assembly  68  to a helmet  10 . The hot shoe assembly  68  is, in one exemplary embodiment, dove-tailed shaped and is adapted to provide an electrical connection between a battery pack (not shown) and a night vision goggles mount (not shown) through a cable  70  ( FIG. 11 ) and the helmet bracket  12 . 
     The hot shoe bracket  66  may comprise a plurality of feet  72  having a substantially U-shaped cross-section adapted to secure the hot shoe bracket  66  to the helmet rim  11 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the feet  72  may extend from a bracket base  74  at varying angles to account for curvature of the helmet  10 . As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, a continuous curved portion having a U-shaped cross-section “foot” would accomplish substantially the same function as the plurality of feet. The base  74  comprises a nut plate recess  76  and a nut plate opening  78  adapted to house a floating nut plate  80 . More specifically, the floating nut plate  80  comprises a nut plate base  82  adapted to slide along the recess  76  and a threaded protrusion  84  extending through the nut plate opening  78 . The threaded protrusion  84  may extend into the rear opening  64  of the helmet and an attachment means, such as a screw (not shown), may be attached to the threaded protrusion  84  from the interior surface  18  of the helmet to attach the hot shoe bracket  66  to the helmet  10 . 
     A block insulator  86  comprising a plurality of contacts  88  and covered by a hot shoe cover  90  having a block insulator opening  91  may abut the nut plate base  82  to slidably secure the floating nut plate  80  within the nut plate recess  76  while allowing the block insulator  86  and contacts  88  to remain exposed. In one exemplary embodiment, the contacts  88  are electrically connected to the cable  70  which extends to the helmet bracket  12 . 
     A support plate  92  may be attached between the hot shoe bracket  66  and the hot shoe cover  90 , the support plate having a tail section  94  extending along part of the bracket base  74 . The support plate  92  may include a hot shoe opening  96  corresponding to the opening  91  on the hot shoe cover  90  through which the block insulator  86  protrudes. Hot shoe attachment means  98 , such as screws, may be inserted through attachment holes  99  in the hot shoe cover  90 , support plate  92  and hot shoe bracket  66  to attach the components together. 
     Similarly to the helmet bracket  12  described above, the nut plate opening  78  and the rear opening  64  in the helmet create a more vulnerable region of the helmet  10  which may be susceptible to penetration by a bullet. Accordingly, in one exemplary embodiment, the support plate  92  and the nut plate base  82  are made from a rigid or high tensile strength material of a sufficient thickness to prevent penetration by a bullet. For example, the support plate  92  and the nut plate base  82  may be made from titanium, and specifically, Grade 5 titanium. In one exemplary embodiment, the thickness of the support plate  92  is at least about 0.06 inch and the thickness of the nut plate base  82  is at least about 0.05 inch. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the cable  70  may be used to electrically connect the hot shoe bracket  66  to the helmet bracket  12 . As noted above, the cable  70  may be inserted through cable openings  32  in the helmet bracket  12 . 
     Although the present invention has been described through the use of exemplary embodiments, it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that various modifications may be made to the described embodiments that fall within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents appended hereto.