Compliant impact protection pad
A hip protector pad absorbs impact energy at a vulnerable area of a greater trochanter of an adult human hip. The pad has a continuous sheet of flexible honeycomb material having faces covered with a cover material and a layer of compliant and resilient foam on an inner side and an outer side of the honeycomb material. The pad is flexible to conform to a shape of the hip area. The cover material reduces a penetration of the foam into cells of the honeycomb material when subjected to impact. The pad is effective to reduce an impact of a fall of an adult human on the vulnerable area to be below an average adult human hip fracture impact level.
1. A hip protector pad of the type that absorbs impact energy at a vulnerable area of a greater trochanter of an adult human hip, the pad comprising:
a continuous sheet of flexible honeycomb material having faces covered with a cover material; and
a layer of compliant and resilient foam on an inner side and an outer side of said honeycomb material,
wherein:
said honeycomb material is from about 7 mm to about 9 mm thick;
said pad is flexible to conform to a shape of a hip area;
said pad is configured to absorb an impact from about 7,000N to about 10,000N of force and distribute said force about said vulnerable area of said greater trochanter;
said cover material reduces a penetration of said foam into cells of said honeycomb material when subjected to impact; and
said pad is effective to reduce an impact of a fall of an adult human on said vulnerable area to be below an average adult human hip fracture impact level.
2. The pad as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said pad is convexly shaped to fit over a greater trochanter region of an adult human hip.
3. The pad as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said honeycomb material is resiliently compressible.
4. The pad as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said honeycomb material has wavy cell walls to allow greater resilient compression of said honeycomb material.
5. The pad as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said honeycomb has hexagonal cell geometry.
6. The pad as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said pad is less than 23 mm thick.
7. The pad as claimed in claim 6 , wherein said foam layer is about 7 mm thick and made of high density, closed-cell foam.
8. The pad as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said foam is closed-cell foam.
9. The pad as claim in claim 8 , wherein said foam is high density, cross-linked, polyethylene foam.
10. The pad as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said foam layer is bonded to said honeycomb material.
11. The pad as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said foam is bonded to said honeycomb material by heat treatment and molding.
12. The pad as claimed in claim 11 , wherein an outer surface of said foam layer is textured by said molding, and said foam layer extends beyond an edge of said honeycomb material and is joined together at a periphery of said pad.
13. The pad as claimed in claim 12 , wherein said foam layer is watertight.
14. The pad as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said pad has an egg-shape.
15. The pad as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said pad has an oval shape.
16. An undergarment having a pocket to fit over a greater trochanter area and a hip protector pad,
wherein the pad comprises:
a continuous sheet of flexible honeycomb material having faces covered with a cover material; and
a layer of compliant and resilient foam on an inner side and an outer side of said honeycomb material,
wherein:
said honeycomb material is from about 7 mm to about 9 mm thick;
said pad is flexible to conform to a shape of a hip area;
said pad is configured to absorb an impact from about 7,000N to about 10,000N of force and distribute said force about the greater trochanter area;
said cover material reduces a penetration of said foam into cells of said honeycomb material when subjected to impact; and
said pad is effective to reduce an impact of a fall of an adult human on said greater trochanter area to be below an average adult human hip fracture impact level.