Helmet Impact Attenuation Article
AssigneeGentex Corporation
InventorsLeonard P. Frieder, JR., George D. Hedges, Desmond Walsh, Christopher Kent Barmore
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An impact attenuation system comprises an aluminum honeycomb sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface. The aluminum honeycomb sheet defines a plurality of approximately hexagonally shaped cells. The bottom surface defines a single sheet of contiguous cells and the top surface defines two or more islands of contiguous cells separated by one or more slits. At least a portion of one or both of the top surface and bottom surface may be covered by a polymer skin. The polymer skin may comprise carbon fibers and/or fiberglass.
Claims23
1-34. (canceled)
A method of manufacturing an impact liner system for a helmet, the method comprising:
- reducing at least a portion of a thickness of an aluminum honeycomb sheet from an initial height to a predetermined second height to form a modified aluminum honeycomb sheet, the aluminum honeycomb sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface, and the thickness being measured from the top surface to the bottom surface;
- and
- pressing the modified aluminum honeycomb sheet in a mold to form an impact attenuation article such that the bottom surface forms a concave inner surface of the impact attenuation article and the top surface forms a convex outer surface of the impact attenuation article.
A method comprising:
- reducing at least a portion of a thickness of an aluminum honeycomb sheet from an initial height to a predetermined second height to form a modified aluminum honeycomb sheet, the aluminum honeycomb sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface, and the thickness being measured from the top surface to the bottom surface;
- cutting the modified aluminum honeycomb sheet in a direction orthogonal to the top and the bottom surface to form one or more slits that extend from the top surface toward the bottom surface, wherein the bottom surface defines a single sheet of contiguous cells and the top surface defines two or more islands of contiguous cells separated by the one or more slit;
- pressing the modified aluminum honeycomb sheet in a mold to form an impact attenuation article such that the bottom surface forms a concave inner surface of the impact attenuation article and the top surface forms a convex outer surface of the impact attenuation article;
- coupling the impact attenuation article to a liner body;
- and
- coupling the combined impact attenuation article and the liner body to an interior surface of a helmet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.