# US 10,765,894 B2 · Head protection device and respirator device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,765,894 B2 - Document ID: US10765894B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/974,215 - Filed: 2015-12-18 - Published: 2016-06-23 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-19 - Assignees: Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA - Applicants: DräGer Safety AG & Co. Kgaa - Inventors: Olaf Balke; Martin Rademacher; Katja Franke - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10765894B2 ## CPC - A62B 18/04: Gas helmets - A42B 3/225: {with full face protection, e.g. for industrial safety applications} - A42B 3/286: {with forced flow, e.g. by a fan} - A62B 18/003: {having means for creating a fresh air curtain} - A62B 18/10: Valves - A62B 18/082: {Assembling eyepieces, lenses or vision-correction means in or on gas-masks} - A62B: DEVICES, APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR LIFE-SAVING (valves specially adapted for medical use A61M39/00; life-saving devices, apparatus or methods specially adapted for use in water B63C9/00; divers' equipment B63C11/00; specially adopted for use with aircraft, e.g. parachutes, ejector seats, {B64D17/00, B64D25/10}; rescue devices peculiar to mining E21F11/00) - A42B: HATS; HEAD COVERINGS (headbands A41D20/00; head-scarves A41D23/00) ## Abstract A head protection device (2), for protecting the head, includes a head bracket (4), with a visor (8) fastened rotatably to the head bracket (4) via two swivel joints (6), and with a branched air duct (10), which has one air inlet (12) and a plurality of air outlets (14). At least one of the air outlets (14) is arranged as a chin air outlet (20) at a lateral section (22) of the visor. At least one of the swivel joints (6) forms an inner air channel (24) extending as a part of the air duct (10) from the head bracket (4) to the visor (8). In addition, a respirator device is provided with the head protection device (2). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A head protection device for protecting a head of a wearer, the head protection device comprising: a head bracket; a visor fastened rotatably to the head bracket via at least one swivel joint; and a branched air duct comprising one air inlet and a plurality of air outlets, wherein: at least one of the air outlets is arranged as a forehead air outlet at an upper visor section; at least one of the air outlets is arranged as a chin air outlet at a lateral section of the visor; the at least one swivel joint forms an inner air channel extending as a part of the air duct from the head bracket to the visor; the branched air duct comprises a visor air channel defined by the visor and extending from the inner air channel to the chin air outlet; and the branched air duct comprises a further air channel defined by the head bracket, or the visor or by both the head bracket and the visor and extending from the air inlet to the forehead air outlet; the at least one swivel joint is configured as a rotary throttle valve; the rotary throttle valve comprises a first passage opening providing fluid communication between the air inlet and the inner air channel and a second passage opening providing fluid communication between the inner air channel and the forehead air outlet, whereby in an opened state of the rotary throttle valve air passes through the first passage opening, the inner air channel, and the second passage opening to provide air flow from the air inlet to the forehead air outlet in parallel to air flow in the further air channel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A head protection device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one swivel joint comprises a hollow cylindrical joint housing and a hollow shaft held by the joint housing in a rotatably mounted manner, wherein the inner air channel leads through the hollow shaft. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A head protection device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the inner air channel formed by the at least one swivel joint is at least one of coaxial and parallel to a corresponding axis of rotation of the at least one swivel joint. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A head protection device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the inner air channel is configured to guide air to the chin outlet via the visor air channel. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A head protection device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the visor is configured as a lever for adjusting the rotary throttle valve. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A head protection device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rotary throttle valve is configured at least one of to modify an air resistance through the inner air channel and to open or close the inner air channel. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A head protection device in accordance with claim 1, wherein: the at least one swivel joint comprises a hollow cylindrical joint housing and a hollow shaft held by the joint housing in a rotatably mounted manner, wherein the inner air channel leads through the hollow shaft; and the first passage opening of the rotary throttle valve is formed by at least one jacket-side passage opening of the joint housing of the at least one swivel joint and the second passage opening is formed by at least one jacket-side passage opening of the hollow shaft of the at least one swivel joint. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A head protection device in accordance with claim 7, wherein: the jacket-side passage opening of the joint housing and the jacket-side passage opening of the corresponding hollow shaft are arranged in relation to one another in a circumferential direction of an axis of rotation of the swivel joint, whereby: the rotary throttle valve is in the opened state when the visor is in an opened position; and the rotary throttle valve is closed or in a throttling position when the visor is in a closed position. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A head protection device in accordance with claim 8, wherein the air duct is configured such that when the rotary throttle valve is in a closed or throttling position, between 60% and 80% of the air fed through the air inlet is led to the chin air outlet. ### Claim 10 A respirator device comprising: an air supply unit for providing an air flow; a head protection device comprising: a head bracket; a visor fastened rotatably to the head bracket via at least one swivel joint; and a branched air duct comprising one air inlet and a plurality of air outlets, wherein: at least one of the air outlets is arranged as a forehead air outlet at an upper visor section; at least one of the air outlets is arranged as a chin air outlet at a lateral section of the visor; the at least one swivel joint forms an inner air channel extending as a part of the air duct from the head bracket to the visor; the branched air duct comprises a visor air channel defined by the visor and extending from the inner air channel to the chin air outlet; the branched air duct comprises a further air channel defined by the head bracket, or the visor or by both the head bracket and the visor and extending from the air inlet to the forehead air outlet the at least one swivel joint is further configured as a rotary throttle valve for the inner air channel or for another air channel leading to the forehead outlet; and the rotary throttle valve is configured to modify an air resistance through a bypass air channel of the air duct to the forehead outlet. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A respirator device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the at least one swivel joint comprises a hollow cylindrical joint housing and a hollow shaft held by the joint housing in a rotatably mounted manner, wherein the inner air channel leads through the hollow shaft. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) A respirator device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the inner air channel formed by the at least one swivel joint is at least one of coaxial and parallel to a corresponding axis of rotation of the at least one swivel joint. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) A respirator device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the inner air channel is configured to guide air to the chin outlet via the visor air channel. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) A respirator device in accordance with claim 10, wherein: the visor is configured as a lever for adjusting the rotary throttle valve; and the rotary throttle valve is configured at least one of to modify an air resistance through the inner air channel and to open or close the inner air channel upon adjustment. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) A respirator device in accordance with claim 10, wherein: the at least one swivel joint comprises a hollow cylindrical joint housing and a hollow shaft held by the joint housing in a rotatably mounted manner, wherein the air channel leads through the hollow shaft; and the rotary throttle valve is formed by at least one jacket-side passage opening of the joint housing of the at least one swivel joint and at least one jacket-side passage opening of the hollow shaft of the at least one swivel joint. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A respirator device in accordance with claim 15, wherein: the jacket-side passage opening of the joint housing and the jacket-side passage opening of the corresponding hollow shaft are arranged in relation to one another in a circumferential direction of an axis of rotation of the swivel joint, whereby: the rotary throttle valve is opened when the visor is in an opened position; and the rotary throttle valve is closed or in a throttling position when the visor is in a closed position. ### Claim 17 A head protection device for protecting a head of a wearer, the head protection device comprising: a head bracket; a visor fastened rotatably to the head bracket via at least one swivel joint; and a branched air duct with one air inlet and with a plurality of air outlets, wherein: at least one of the air outlets is arranged as a forehead air outlet at an upper visor section; at least one of the air outlets is arranged as a chin air outlet at a lateral section of the visor; the at least one swivel joint forms an inner air channel extending as a part of the air duct from the head bracket to the visor; the at least one swivel joint is further configured as a rotary throttle valve for the inner air channel or for another air channel leading to the forehead outlet; and the rotary throttle valve is configured to modify an air resistance through a bypass air channel of the branched air duct to the forehead outlet.