Device to Actuate Helmet Visors, Particularly for Motorcyclists

This invention relates to improvements in the invention disclosed in the basic U.S. patent application No. 973,719, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,960 relating to a device for actuating the visors of helmets in general, and in particular motorcyclists' helmets.

With specific reference to motorcyclists' helmets, provided with built-in visors, these (visors) must be easy to turn over in order to expose the helmet's aperture and must be capable of being positioned, in addition to the closed and fully open position, in all positions intermediate to said limit positions, by means of controls which can be easily actuated by the user with only one hand, this being essential in the specific case of motorcyclists.

This invention maintains firm the principle stated in said patent, according to which the extremities of the visor are hinged to the helmet by slider elements running in suitable guides or ways in said helmet and work in conjuction with a control means through which the operator imparts to the visor a rectilinear motion, at first making accessible the edges of the visor from the ledge of the helmet successively causing the visor to oscillate about the pins of the hinges to free the aperture of the helmet.

This invention relates to improvements intended to shift and secure the visor angularly in a desired position and hold it in said position, in consideration also of the possibility to neutralize, more or less the wind action exerted on the visor while the vehicle is running. These solutions are totally based on the inventive principles set forth in the above-mentioned patent. Specially, the actuating means for the visor are provided with a pinion gear rack assembly one of the elements in which is secured to the helmet structure, the other moveable and operatively linked to the control means of the visor; a hinge is provided, so that by actuating the moveable part of the pinion gear rack assembly, the visor is subjected to rectilinear and successive angular displacement.

The invention will now be explained in the description which follows in conjunction with the attached drawings, which illustrate, only by way of example, some forms of an embodiment of the device as applied on a normal motorcyclists' helmet fitted with a built in visor. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the helmet, fitted with the device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates, on a larger scale, a horizontal section taken on lines II--II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view on lines III--III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the device shown in FIG. 1, with parts viewed in cross section.

FIGS. 5 and 6, are similar respectively to FIGS. 2 and 4 and show a variation of the device.

With reference to the figures in the drawing, parts equal or equivalent to those described and illustrated in the said patent are identified by the same symbols specifically, letter A indicates the helmet and letter B the visor, the edge of which B1 runs in a ledge A1 adjacent to the edge of the aperture of the visor while letter C identifies one of the two devices of the visor operatively linked to a single control means D secured in a suitable and convenient position of the helmet, as will be described infra.

With reference specifically to FIGS. 2 and 4, a bushing 22d is secured to each end of visor B, for example, by means of polygonal couplings 66; said bushing terminates at the end opposite to the securing end with a crown 68 which holds flexible gasket 70 in engagement with the ledge of a housing in the hub of pinion 26d, forming in this manner, between said parts, a friction coupling as will be explained infra.

A locking means 24d engages with the hole in bushing 22d; the head of said locking means engages with an annular end of a ledge in visor B to hold this in place during its movements. Said locking means 24d may consist of an ordinary screw engaged in the threaded hole of bushing 22d; in the case illustrated, locking means 24d is of a die cast flexible material, terminating with a head 72 engaging yieldingly with a shoulder piece in bushing 22d.

Bushing 10d of pinion gear 26d forms the other element of hinge 10d-12d and is rotatably held by a supporting plate 12d to form a slider jointly with the pinion, in guides 74, running longitudinally by a plate, and supporting hollow tube 16d which, together with the parts forming device C are held in a ledge 75 in the lateral part of helmet A.

Hollow supporting tube 16d and hence device C is secured to the wall of helmet A by pins provided with engaging teeth 76 of flexible material in said hollow tube which engage the holes in the bottom wall of ledge 75 of helmet A. It is obvious that these parts may be replaced by equivalent parts such as screws or similar elements.

The plate or hollow supporting tube 16d is provided with a rack 28d toward one of its ends opposite the bottom wall of one of said guides 74; the plate or hollow tube can thus engage pinion gear 26d projecting for a short length from said hollow tube 16d, in order to permit assembly 12d-26d to run in guides 74, at first freely and subsequently to cause engagement of pinion gear 26d of the assembly with rack 28 as will be described infra. In order to ensure the required positioning of pinion gear 26d during the linear travel determined by assembly 12d-26d, the pinion is provided, in eccentric positon, with a pin 78 (see pages 3 and 4) engaging with a slot 80 extending lengthwise along the internal part of supporting hollow tube 16d. Said groove terminates with an enlarged part 82, close to the initial portion of rack 28d. Thus, when pinion gear 26d engages said rack, pin 78 disengages from groove 80. The plate of support 12d terminates, at its free end, with a clip 52d which holds one of the ends of a flexible control means F consisting for example, of a steel wire, Bowden cable or Teleflex cable or similar. Said control means F runs slidably in a suitable sheath, secured to the internal part of helmet A its other end being secured to a manual actuating means D of helmet A in a position easily accessible to the user. The lower edge of helmet A holds, by means of pin 84, a knurled disc 36d to which is connected a pinion 85. The teeth of this pinion engage in a diametrically opposite position the other two ends of flexible control means F (pertaining to right hand and left hand actuating devices C in helmet A). Each of the ends 85, in particular in Teleflex cables has a helically wound wire the turns of which form a rack which engages the teeth of pinion 83--of course, said ends may have suitable racks so that by means of the movement of disk 36a it is possible to move the two devices C of the visor B--of course, pinion 83 may comprise a rocker, depending on the characteristics of the flexible controls F which are used.

The operating mode of device C is quite evident from the above description. Considering that in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the drawing the device is shown in the condition corresponding to the lowered and retracted position of visor B, i.e. with its edge engaged with ledge A1 of helmet A; to open the visor, the user can act, for example, with the thumb of one hand on the knurled contour of disc 36d in order to rotate this. This ensures that the flexible cables F impart to assemblies 12d-26d of each device C synchronous movements, both in the direction of arrow x in FIG. 2.

Specifically, supporting plates 12d are caused to run along guides 74 without causing rotation of pinion gears 26d as the latter are held in angular locked position due to the engagement of pins 78 in their respective rectilinear grooves 80.

It follows that visor B is shifted horizontally in the direction of arrow X as shown in FIG. 2 and this movement continues until the teeth of pinion gear 26d engage rack 28d. In this case, any further movement in the direction of arrow X, causes upward travel of visor B, which is thus moved away from the aperture of the helmet.

As a result of the presence of clutch 70, visor B can be stopped and maintained steadily in any position comprised between the two limit positions, the first being horizontal (at which the visor closes the helmet's aperture) and the other being inclined (at which the helmet's aperture is fully open).

The action of clutch 70 on visor B constantly ensures required positioning of the visor, even in the presence of strong wind, since it is possible to vary the action of said clutch 70 by providing it with suitable adjusting means apt to modify the braking action on the visor B. Furthermore, the action of the clutch can be modified and controlled to provide automatic closing of the visor, utilizing the wind thrust when said visor is in a position close to its closed position.

In order to facilitate operation of visor B, the two devices C are secured to helmet A by orienting the bottom of ledges 75 so as to incline these conveniently with respect to the vertical medium line of helmet A and to diverge them frontally and outwardly with respect to the helmet. This arrangement facilitates the turning over of visor B as it is sufficient to impart to it a slight rectilinear movement to disengage its edge from ledge A with consequent overturning.

It is evident that by actuating knurled ring 36d in a direction opposite to that previously considered, the above mentioned movements occur in reverse succession so that visor B is lowered and caused to re-enter into ledge A of the helmet.

FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings represent a simplified version of the device according to the invention, similar to that illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the cited patent. In this version, the plate or hollow tube 16f is provided with guides 74f for supporting plate 12f, also shaped as a bracket between the arms of which freely runs bushing 22f, bound to visor B by clutch 68f.

Supporting plate 22f holds a hinged connecting rod 84 which holds, by means of pin 14f, (through complementary plate 10f) bushing 22f for visor B.

Connecting rod 86 is provided at its free end with teeth 26f formed by a pinion gear which engages (as will be described infra), a toothed rack 28f in the bottom wall of hollow tube 16f. Said wall is also provided, in a suitable position, with a prong 88 shaped as an inclined plane and which can engage with the side end of connecting rod 86f.

Plate 22f terminates with a clip 52f for control cable I, connected to control means D as shown in FIG. 1.

Also in this case, operation of disc 36d causes assembly 22f -86 to shift in the direction of arrow x, and teeth 26f connecting rod 86 to engage rack 28f, whilst the other end of said connecting rod 86 also engages clip 88. It follows that bushing 22f and end B.sub.1 of visor "B" become disengaged from the housing in hollow tube 16f, while the successive engagement of teeth 26f with rack 28f completes the disengagement of the edge of the visor from ledge "A" on the contour of the helmet's opening.

The user then completes lifting of visor B by acting on it directly or utilizing wind action to orient the visor conveniently on the helmet.

It is understood that modifications may be introduced in the device depending on requirements; for example pinion gear rack 26d-28d assembly can be substituted equivalently by a cam or eccentric, the contour of which engages on or more projections on supporting hollow tube 16d to impart to visor B, (following a rectilinear displacement), also an angular displacement around bush 22d. Control of slider 12d can be effected either by means of a fluid under pressure or by means of a piston cylinder assembly. Moreover, supporting hollow tube 16d can be located in the structure of helmet A itself, it being evident that this and other changes will not affect nor depart from the spirit and protective coverage of this patent.