Inflatable cellular structure and article equipped therewith

An inflatable shock-absorbing cellular structure which comprises two sealed sheets welded to each other along weld lines which delimit inflatable cells,

• said inflatable cells being arranged in at least one two-dimensional matrix of n rows and m columns of cells, n and m being equal or different integers, each greater than or equal to 2;
• a peripheral cell of said matrix is connected to an inflation nozzle;
• wherein:
• said cells are not contiguous;
• the cells of the row and/or of the column to which said peripheral cell connected to said inflation nozzle belongs, communicate step by step via a channel which is a small duct that extends between two cells, without being part of them, forming a constriction, while each remaining cell from said matrix is also connected to at least one of the neighboring cells of the same row and/or of the same column by a communication channel which is a small duct that extends between two cells, without being part of them, forming a constriction,
• each of said channels is shaped to slow down the flow of an inflation fluid passing therethrough, or said structure incorporates means shaped to slow down the flow of a fluid for inflating said cells through said channels forming a constriction, and
• in the inflated state, the ratio between the largest dimension of the cross section of one of said cells and the largest dimension of the cross section of one of said channels is at least equal to 10.