Patent Publication Number: US-11656061-B2

Title: Bomb disposal suit with back protector and back protector for same

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Priority is claimed from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/865,550 entitled “Bomb Disposal Suit with Back Protector” filed Sep. 25, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,690,450, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A bomb disposal suit includes a jacket and trousers. The suit is designed to protect the wearer of the suit against overpressure, acceleration, fragmentation, and heat, in the event of an explosion. Because of the heavy protective construction of a bomb disposal suit, the wearer can become quite hot when wearing the suit. Also, the jacket, because it is so heavily configured for protection of the wearer, can place a substantial load on the shoulders of the wearer. In addition, the spinal area of the wearer must be protected with impact resistant material in the event the wearer is thrown backward onto the ground by the force of a blast. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic illustration of a bomb disposal suit that is an embodiment of the invention, including a jacket, trousers, and a back protector; 
         FIG.  2    is a pictorial view illustrating the jacket laid open with the back protector on the jacket and parts of the back protector removed for clarity. 
         FIG.  3    is an exploded view of the component parts of the back protector including a cover, a back plate, a body of impact resistant material, and a fan assembly; 
         FIG.  4    is an elevational view showing the opposite side of the cover; 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic sectional view illustrating the arrangement of the parts of the suit when the back protector is in place; 
         FIG.  6    is an elevational view illustrating schematically the flow of ventilating air from the body of impact resistant material; 
         FIG.  7    is a pictorial view similar to  FIG.  2    illustrating the jacket laid open and without the back protector in place; 
         FIG.  8 A  is a schematic side view of a portion of the back protector showing the curvature of the back plate; and 
         FIG.  8 B  is a schematic back elevational view of the back plate. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a bomb disposal suit with a back protector. The invention is applicable to bomb disposal suits and back protectors of varying constructions. As representative of the invention,  FIG.  1    illustrates a bomb disposal suit  10  that is a first embodiment of the invention. 
     The suit  10  ( FIG.  1   ) includes a jacket  12  and trousers  14 . The suit  10  also includes a helmet indicated schematically at  16 , and a back protector  20 . The back protector  20  ( FIG.  3   ), described below in detail, includes four major elements: a cover  50 , a body of impact resistant material  52 , a fan assembly  54 , and a back plate  56 . 
     The jacket  12  ( FIGS.  1 ,  2  and  7   ) has a torso section  22  and two sleeves  24 . 
     The torso section of the jacket  12  has a multilayered construction including an internal body or layer  28  ( FIG.  5   ) of protective material, for protection against blast effects, that is contained within a shell or outer layer or covering  26  ( FIG.  5   ). As can be seen in  FIG.  5   , part of the outer covering  26  of the back panel of the torso section  22  of the jacket  12 , facing the wearer&#39;s torso, is cut away to provide an opening  30  that exposes an inner surface  32  of the protective material unit  28 . 
     A hook and loop connector patch  34  on the jacket  12  ( FIGS.  4 ,  5  and  7   ) (e.g., Velcro brand material) is fixed on the inner surface  32  of the protective material unit  28 , facing the wearer. The patch  34  on the jacket  12  is part of a lower jacket connector  36 , which as described below releasably connects the jacket with the cover  50  in a force-transmitting relationship. The patch  34  constitutes the jacket portion of the lower jacket connector  36 . The patch  34  is engageable, as described below, with a patch  94  on the cover  50  of the back protector  20 ; the patch  94  forms the other part of the lower jacket connector  36 . The patch  34  is preferably about 11 inches wide and extends vertically from about 6 inches just below the collar to a location close to the hem of the jacket  12 . 
     A second hook and loop connector patch  35  on the jacket  12  ( FIGS.  4 ,  5  and  7   ) (e.g., Velcro brand material) is fixed on the outer covering  26  of the torso section of the jacket, facing the wearer. The patch  35  on the jacket  12  is part of an upper jacket connector  37 , which, together with the lower jacket connector  36 , releasably connects the jacket with the cover  50  in a force-transmitting relationship. The patch  35  constitutes the jacket portion of the upper jacket connector  37 . The patch  35  is engageable, as described below, with a patch  95  on the cover  50  of the back protector  20 ; the patch  95  forms the other part of the upper jacket connector  37 . The patch  35  is preferably about 4 inches wide and extends 2 inches vertically from just below the collar of the jacket  12 . 
     The waistband area  40  of the trousers  14  ( FIG.  5   ) is at the upper end of the trousers. The length of the jacket  12  is selected to ensure that the jacket hem overlaps the waistband area  40  of the trousers  14 . Another hook and loop connector patch  42  is fixed on the outer back side of the waistband section  40  of the trousers  14 , facing away from the wearer. The patch  42  is part of a trousers connector  46 , which as described below releasably connects the trousers  14  with the back protector  20  in a force-transmitting relationship. The patch  42  constitutes the trouser portion of the lower jacket connector  46 . The patch  42  on the trousers  14  is engageable, as described below, with a patch  100  ( FIGS.  3  and  5   ) on the cover  50  of the back protector  20 , to complete the trousers connector  46 . 
     The back protector  20 , as noted above, includes four major elements: a cover  50 , a body of impact resistant material  52 , a fan assembly  54 , and a back plate  56 . The back plate  56  ( FIGS.  3  and  5   ) is an element of the back protector  20  that provides impact protection for the wearer&#39;s spinal area. The back plate  56  is located inside the cover  50 , adjacent to the outer panel  58  ( FIG.  3   ) of the cover. The back plate  56  provides a significant portion of the overall impact resistance of the back protector  10 , as it spreads the force of any small area impact over a larger surface area. The back plate  56  also has a structural function within the back protector  20 , that is, to support the other elements of the back protector. Specifically, the back plate  56  is rigid enough to help to support the body of impact resistant material  52  in the desired configuration and at the desired location along the back of the wearer, when the cover  50  is secured in place between the jacket  12  and the trousers  14 . The back plate  56  is flexible enough to allow a wearer to move normally while wearing the suit  10 , including bending of the torso. 
     The back plate  56  ( FIGS.  8 A and  8 B ) is preferably curved at its upper portion  57 , to follow the forward curvature of the spine in the thoracic region. This curvature is, for clarity, not shown in  FIG.  5   . This curvature eliminates the need to make the jacket  12  oversized in that area to accommodate a planar, vertical back plate. 
     Various different materials can be used for the back plate  56 , for example, a composite material, for example a thermoplastic composite material. In one embodiment, the back plate is about 8.25 inches wide and 0.125 inches thick. An optional carbon fiber sheet  59 , about 0.04 inches thick, may be attached to the outer (convex) surface of the upper portion  57  of the back plate  56 . The carbon fiber sheet  59  is inflexible and may help to preserve the needed curvature of the upper portion of the back plate during storage and use, if necessary. This sheet  59  is represented also schematically in  FIGS.  8 A and  8 B . 
     The back plate  56  is able to transmit load vertically along the length of the back protector  20 . The back plate  56  is substantially more rigid in this aspect than the body of impact resistant material  52 . As a result, and as described below in detail, the back plate  56  can transmit a significant portion of the load (weight) of the jacket  12  vertically downward into the trousers  14 , to relieve the burden on the wearer&#39;s shoulders. 
     The body of impact resistant material  52  ( FIGS.  5  and  6   ) is located inside the back protector cover  50 , between the back plate  56  and the inner panel  86  of the cover. A wearer of a bomb disposal suit such as the suit  10  is instructed to face a blast, in which case the blast force will push the wearer from the front, and the wearer will fall on his back. The impact resistant material  52  is chosen from the class of materials that can provide the level of impact protection needed to help protect a wearer of the suit  10  in such a situation. The impact resistant material  52  is chosen primarily for its impact resistance rather than, for example, penetration resistance. It must reduce impact force on the wearer in such a situation to an acceptable level. 
     In this regard, bomb disposal suits are manufactured to meet certain NIJ (National Institute of Justice) standards, for protection of the wearer. The relevant NIJ standard is No. 0117 Public Safety Bomb Suit Standard that specifies certain impact resistance requirements for a bomb disposal suit. The current version of this standard contains a spine protection requirement in which the maximum force value transmitted shall not exceed 4 kN (four kilo-Newtons) upon performance of a certain sphere drop test. This Standard is available and described online at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, website at https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/227357.pdf, and at other locations. 
     The NIJ standards provide certain specific shapes such as anvils whose energy must be attenuated to below certain levels of transmitted force/energy to the underlying body tissue of the wearer. Thus, the impact protection material is not simply a comfort padding that may provide some minimal level of bump or impact protection. A material such as the ballistic fabric typically found in ballistic vests, although it does provide some impact protection per se, is not really suitable for this application. Foam-like materials are characterized by a steep increase in their stress-strain curve when they reach a certain level of compression, at which point their impact attenuation efficiency decreases significantly. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the impact resistant material  52  is a flexible plastic cushioning material that is resilient, and, when configured as described herein, exhibits high enough impact resistance to help the suit  10  to meet the NIJ standard. Such material is available in various different configurations, including the one particular configuration that is illustrated herein as being preferred but not as being limiting. 
     The body of impact resistant material  52  in the illustrated embodiment is made from two layers  60  and  62  of material that are bonded together. The first or outer layer  60  has a main wall  64 , and a series of projections  66  that are in the shape of domes or cones, with air space between the projections. In the illustrated embodiment, the material has a wall thickness of about 0.04 inches. The cones  66  have a height of about 0.5 inches and a diameter at their widest point of about 0.6 inches. The cones  66  may be located, as illustrated, in a regular array of rows and columns, on the main wall  64 , at a center to center spacing of about 0.875 inches. 
     The second or inner layer  62  of impact resistant material is similar in makeup to the first layer  60 . The second layer has a main wall  68  and a series of cone shaped projections  70 , with air space between the projections. 
     The two material layers  60  and  62  ( FIGS.  5  and  6   ) are bonded together with the projections  66  and  70  facing each other and their small ends abutting. This forms a large number of hourglass shapes that can be compressed along their length between the flat layers of the main walls  64  and  68 , absorbing energy in the process. When this compression occurs, any remaining force is dispersed over a wider area. The stiffer main walls  64  and  68  are on the outside of the two layer construct. As a result, an air chamber or plenum  74  is formed between the main wall  64  of the outer layer  60  and the main wall  68  of the inner layer  62 . The plenum  74  includes the spaces between and among the cones  66  and  70 . 
     The two material layers  60  and  62  are bonded together along their long side edges  76 . A number of air outlet pores  78  are formed in those bonded edges  76 , to allow air to flow out of the plenum  74  at the sides of the body of impact resistant material  52 . In addition, a large number of air outlet pores  80  are formed in the main wall  68  of the inner layer  62 . The pores  80  allow air to flow out of the plenum  74  along the inner side of the body of impact resistant material  52 . Together, all the air outlet pores  78  and  80  and in the impact resistant material  52  constitute an air outlet of the impact resistant material  52 , which is an air outlet of the back protector  10 . 
     The joining of the two layers of material  60  and  62  in this manner provides a resilient, highly impact resistant structure. Specifically, the cone-shaped projections  66  and  70  on the material layers  60  and  62  deform under force that is applied in a direction normal to the plane of the back protector  10 . In addition, the material itself is impact resistant. With the two layers  60  and  62  bonded together as described, and in the event of an impact on the back protector  10 , the two layers form a resilient structure that physically absorbs impact force and resists transmission of that force to the opposite side of the body of impact resistant material  52 . 
     The cover  50  ( FIGS.  3 - 5   ) extends around and covers the other elements of the back protector, except a portion of the fan assembly  54 . The cover  50  is preferably made from a fabric-type material, such as Cordura® brand fabric. 
     The cover  50  is shaped as a closed sleeve with an elongate configuration that extends from the wearer&#39;s shoulders down to the waist. A main body portion  84  of the cover  50  is generally rectangular in configuration. The main body portion  84  of the cover  50  includes an inner panel  86  (closer to the wearer) and an outer panel  88  (closer to the jacket  12 ), between which are located the back plate  56  and the body of impact resistant material  52 . The inner panel  86  of the cover  50 , which faces the torso of the wearer when the suit is being worn, is porous at selected areas to allow ventilating air to flow through. 
     The cover  50  is open at the bottom to enable removal and/or replacement of the other parts of the back protector  10 . A strap  90  extends from the bottom end of the cover  50  to extend over and secure the other parts of the back protector  20  within the cover. 
     At the upper end of the main body portion  84  of the cover  50 , the cover widens out and forms two ears  92  that extend over the wearer&#39;s shoulders. The ears  92  may have hook and loop patches as shown to help secure in place the upper end portion of the cover  50  of the back protector  20 , inside the jacket  12 . A layer of foam padding about one inch thick is preferably located inside the ear portions  92  of the cover  50 , which sit on the wearer&#39;s shoulders. The cover  50  is sewn shut below the ears, along the bottom edge of the U-shaped opening that is formed between the ears, by means of a stitching section or seam  120  ( FIG.  3   ). 
     The cover  50  include three hook and loop connector patches that engage the two patches  34  and  35  on the jacket  12  and the patch  42  on the trousers  14 . The first on of these three patches is a cover portion  94  ( FIGS.  4 ,  5  and  7   ) of the lower jacket connector  36 . The cover portion  94  of the lower jacket connector  36  is, in the illustrated embodiment, a hook or loop connector patch. The patch  94  is located on the outer major side surface  96  of the outer panel  88  of the cover  50 , facing away from the wearer. The patch  94  is preferably about 4 inches wide and extends vertically from the edge  104  to a location about 5 inches from the edge  105 . The cover portion  94  of the lower jacket connector  36  is engageable, in a manner described below, with the patch  34  on the jacket  12 , to releasably connect the cover  50 , and thus the back protector  20 , with the jacket. 
     The second connector patch on the cover  50  is a cover portion  95  ( FIGS.  4 ,  5  and  7   ) of the upper jacket connector  37 . The cover portion  95  of the upper jacket connector  37  is, in the illustrated embodiment, a hook or loop connector patch. The patch  95  is located on the outer major side surface  96  of the outer panel  88  of the cover  50 , facing away from the wearer. The patch  95  is preferably about 4 inches wide and extends starting 1 inch from the edge  105  vertically for about 2 inches. The cover portion  95  of the upper jacket connector  37  is engageable, in a manner described below, with the patch  35  on the jacket  12 , to releasably connect the cover  50 , and thus the back protector  20 , with the jacket 
     The third connector patch on the cover  50  is a cover portion  100  ( FIGS.  3  and  5   ) of the trousers connector  46 . The cover portion of the trousers connector  46  is, in the illustrated embodiment, a hook or loop connector patch  100 . The patch  100  is located on the outer major side surface of the inner panel  86  of the cover  50 . The patch  100  is preferably about 8 inches wide and extends to a location just above the bottom end of the cover  50 , facing toward the wearer. The cover portion  100  of the trousers connector  46  is engageable, in a manner described below, with the patch  42  on the trousers  14 . 
     The body of impact resistant material  52  ( FIG.  5   ) is assembled inside the cover  50  along with the back plate  56 . The back plate  56  is to the outside, against the outer panel  88  of the cover  50 . The body of impact resistant material  52  is to the inside of the back plate  56 , against the inner panel  86  of the cover  50 . The back plate  56  helps to maintain the cover  50  and the body of impact resistant material  52 , both of which are relatively flexible, in a more inflexible or rigid condition. 
     The fan assembly  54  ( FIG.  6   ) includes a housing  110  that supports an electrically powered fan  112 . A rectangular duct  114  extends from the housing  110  and is connected with the body of impact resistant material  52 . The walls of the duct  114  have a number of projections that fit into the cones  66  and  70  at the lower end of the body of impact resistant material  52 , to clamp the fan assembly  54  to the body of impact resistant material. 
     The dimensions of the several parts of the back protector  20  are selected so that the back plate  56  and the body of impact resistant material  52  are contained within the cover  50  with virtually no movement allowed. Specifically, the length of the back plate  56  and of the body of impact resistant material  52  are selected to fit closely inside the main body portion  84  of the cover  50 . The upper end of the main body portion  84  of the cover  50  is sewn shut at the bottom of the U-shaped opening between the ears  92 , at the seam  120 . The upper end of the back plate  56  abuts this seam  120 . At the lower end of the cover  50 , the strap  90  is closed tightly over the fan assembly  54 , lifting it up into the interior of the cover. The lower end of the back plate  56  also is held up by the strap  90 . As a result, the back plate  56  is firmly held in the cover  50  against lengthwise (vertical) movement within the cover. In addition, the width of the back plate  56  and the width of the body of impact resistant material  52  are selected to eliminate any significant lateral movement inside the cover  50 . 
     After the back protector  20  is fully assembled, it is connected with the jacket  12  first, and then with the trousers  14 . The back protector  20  is positioned on the inside of the jacket  12  by engaging the upper jacket connector  37 . This engagement ensures that the back protector is properly positioned high enough on the jacket  12  to provide the required protection for the cervical and thoracic spine. With the jacket  12  and the back protector in this condition, the lower jacket connector  36  is then engaged. After the trousers  14  are donned, the jacket  12  is donned, together with the back protector  50 , and the trousers connector  46  is engaged. As a result, the jacket  12 , the back protector  20 , and the trousers  14  are fully interconnected. 
     The back protector  20  is able to transmit vertical load between the jacket  12  and the trousers  14 , in the following manner. An upper area of the back protector  20  is secured to the jacket via the lower jacket connector  36 , at about the location of the small of the back. A lower area of the back protector  20  is secured to the trousers  14  via the trousers connector  46 . The back protector  20  is thereby releasably connected in a force-transmitting relationship between the jacket  12  and the trousers  14 . As a result, vertical load (weight) from the jacket  12  is transmitted downward through the back protector  20  into the trousers  14 . The back protector  20  thus removes some or substantially all of the load on the shoulders of the wearer, as desired. 
     When the bomb disposal suit  10  is worn, the back plate  56  and the body of impact resistant material  52  provide the needed impact resistance for the spinal area of the wearer, in the event of a force such as a bomb blast on the front of the wearer that throws the wearer backward onto the wearer&#39;s back. The harder material of the back plate  56 , more directly engaging the impact, distributes the force to the softer impact resistant material  52 , which conforms to the wearer&#39;s back and further cushions the impact. The hourglass shapes in the body of impact resistant material  52  are compressed along their length between the harder flat layers of the main walls  64  and  68 . As this occurs, any remaining force is dispersed over a wider area. 
     When the bomb disposal suit  10  is worn, the back protector  20  also provides ventilation and cooling to the wearer of the bomb disposal suit  10 . The fan  112 , when actuated, pulls air into the fan housing  110  and directs the air out of the housing, through the duct  114 , into the plenum  74  that is located between the two panels  60  and  62  of impact resistant material  52 . The ventilating air flows through the plenum  74 , in a vertically upward direction. The ventilating air exits the body of impact resistant material  52  through the air outlet pores  80  in the inner major side surface of the body, in a direction indicated by the arrows  130  in  FIG.  6   . The ventilating air flows through the porous inner panel  86  of the cover  50  to contact and cool the back of the wearer. Thus, the ventilation is directed at relevant areas where the body most needs cooling, as opposed to being dispersed over the entire suit. The pores  80  provide small jets of air that impact the wearer, rather than a wider open channel of air that flows over a region of the wearer&#39;s skin. Ventilation is provided mostly at the back level, and sides of the chest. 
     A small portion of the forced ventilating air also flows out of the secondary pores  78  in the side edges  76  of the body of impact resistant material  52 , in a direction indicated by the arrows  132  in  FIG.  6   . These pores  78  on the side edge  76  of the body of impact resistant material  52  can act as a relief valve for the forced air if, for example, the wearer of the suit is disabled and lying on his back with the fan  112  still running. 
     The presence of the plenum  74 , an integral part of the body of impact resistant material  52 , means that there is no need for additional tubing specifically for the purpose of ventilation. The presence and availability of the plenum  74  also attest to the high ratio of impact attenuation to weight for the body of impact resistant material  52 . Lighter weight in the bomb disposal suit  10  is a strongly desired characteristic. Being able to provide the high levels of impact resistance, and also ventilation, in a light weight structure, is very beneficial. 
     From the foregoing description, those skilled in the art will perceive improvements, changes, and modifications in the invention. Such improvements, changes, and modifications within the skill of the art are intended to be covered by the appended claims.