Claims:WE CLAIM:

1. A multi-functional wireless helmet system comprising of:
Helmet [100];
Control console module [200]; and
Mobile phone [300],
wherein said helmet [100] housing:
wireless module with master controller [106];
one or more speakers [102];
at least one microphone [101];
pressure switch [105]; and
accelerometer sensor [103],
wherein the speakers [102], microphone [101], pressure switch [105] and accelerometer sensor [103] are connected to the wireless module through the master controller [106],
wherein the pressure switch [105] senses the user presence inside the helmet [100],
wherein positioning of the pressure switch [105] is in such a way that only when the rider wears the helmet [100], the pressure switch [105] is closed by the user’s contact pressure with the helmet [100],
wherein output of the pressure switch [105] is fed to the wireless module with master controller [106],
wherein based on output of the pressure switch [105], the wireless module with master controller [106] activates or deactivates,
wherein the control console module [200] is detachably mounted on handlebar of a two-wheeler, said control console module comprising:
one or more control buttons [201]; and
wireless module with controller [202],
wherein output from the control buttons [201] is fed to the wireless module through the controller [202],
wherein after activation of the master controller [106], the control console module [200] is wirelessly connected to said master controller [106] in unidirectional communication,
wherein after activation of the master controller [106], the mobile phone [300] is wirelessly connected to said master controller [106] in bi-directional communication,
wherein the wireless module with master controller [106] relays control signal from the control console module [200] to the mobile phone [300], and
wherein the system performs multiple functions.

2. The multi-functional wireless helmet system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless module with master controller [106] in the helmet [100] acts as a slave for the mobile phone [300] and acts as master for the control console module [200].

3. The multi-functional wireless helmet system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accelerometer sensor [103] senses the deceleration / braking while riding and output is fed to a LED module [104] positioned in pre-defined position on rear part of the helmet [100] to indicate the deceleration / braking automatically without any input from the two-wheeler while riding.

4. The multi-functional wireless helmet system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control button [201] in the control console module [200] activates or deactivates the accelerometer sensor [103] input for the LED module [104] to conserve battery [203] power.

5. The multi-functional wireless helmet system as claimed in claim 1 detects a crash situation and sends an alert to a programmed emergency contact number along with location of the crash site.

6. The multi-functional wireless helmet system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control console module [200] is accessible by thumb of the rider through a simple one-touch control without removing the hand from the handlebar ensuring safe riding at all times.

7. The multi-functional wireless helmet system as claimed in claim 1 can perform multiple functions by providing connectivity between the wireless module with master controller [106] in the helmet [100] and the mobile phone [300] in the absence of control console module [200].

8. The multi-functional wireless helmet system as claimed in claim 1 is powered by rechargeable battery [107].
, Description:FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a helmet. More particularly, the present invention relates to a helmet system, which is wirelessly connected to mobile phone of the user and to a control console module fitted to a two-wheeler to perform multiple functions. Advantageously, the present invention controls audio and phone functions of the mobile phone without taking the hands off from a two-wheeler while riding.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
With the increase in the number of vehicles on road every day, road safety has become primary importance. On the other hand, with the addition of more vehicles, the average time spent by a commuter on road is increasing. In many developing countries like India, the number of commuters using a two-wheeler for daily commutation is more than those using a car. Safety reasons prohibit the usage of mobile phones while riding / driving. This is mainly due to the fact that rider’s hands are to be physically engaged with the mobile phone i.e. rider need to take his / her hands off the two-wheeler handle to attend the mobile phone even if the rider is wearing hands-free device thereby his / her ability to control the vehicle is limited. Unlike a car, which offers an on-steering control abilities for its driver to use a mobile phone/music player, a two-wheeler rider has no safety and comfort in using a mobile phone or a music player while riding. Moreover, the usage of helmets makes it more inconvenient for the two-wheeler riders to use their personal communication devices or music players while riding. This inconvenience is one of the reasons for the riders to avoid helmets.
Existing solutions to avoid said disadvantages is using a separate add-on device to the helmet and therefore requiring the user to assemble the same. The audio quality and comfort depends on proper assembly compromising the entire purpose of ease of use. Also these existing solutions are compatible only with helmets with removable padding. Some of the conventional wireless helmet have a button to switch ON/OFF or even to pair the helmet to a mobile device, but it requires the user to take the hand off the two-wheeler to perform this action.

Some of the prior arts are:
US6950635 discloses a vehicular communication apparatus including a helmet worn by a passenger of a vehicle, the helmet having a speaker, a microphone, and a helmet side infrared transmitter/receiver connected to the speaker and the microphone. The vehicle body side or helmet side is provided with a transmitter/receiver for carrying out infrared communication with the helmet side infrared transmitter/receiver. A wireless communication means is connected to the vehicle body side infrared ray transmitter/receiver and arranged with communication operating means separately from the wireless communication means at a location providing simple operation by an operator of the vehicle.

US20140273863 discloses a protective helmet that includes a protective outer shell, a head cavity and a computer processor housed within the protective helmet. A transmitter and a receiver located in the protective helmet that is configured to establish a communication with a mobile communicator. Further disclosed is a microphone connected to the computer processor and located in a mouth region of the head cavity, the microphone configured to convert sound to an electronic transmission and provide the electronic transmission to the computer processor. Additionally, at least one speaker connected to the computer processor and located in an ear region of the head cavity. The computer processor is configured to receive verbal instructions from the microphone. The instructions are configured to control the mobile communicator.

CN203290294 discloses a motorcycle helmet capable of answering a mobile phone is characterized in that a Bluetooth module, a microprocessor, a mobile phone signal matching device, a voice controller, a transcriber, a loudspeaker and a microphone are installed on a helmet body. When the motorcycle helmet is used, the microprocessor is started, when a call comes, the mobile phone signal matching device searches for a matching mobile phone signal, then, the Bluetooth module receives messages, then whether the call is answered or not is determined through the voice controller and the transcriber, then, the voice is received by the loudspeaker, and a conversation is carried out through the microphone.

Some of the disadvantages / constraints faced by the rider of the two-wheeler wearing the conventional helmet while using the mobile phone / music player during driving are:
• User need to take the hands off the handle of the two-wheeler to attend a phone call or to control music.
• Make the user uncomfortable using a mobile phone or its wireless headset interface device while using the helmet.
• Cluttering of wires in case of wired headphones leading to unsafe driving and disturbances.
• Due to external noise interference with the microphone, voice quality of the call will be reduced while riding.
• Voice commands to control audio/phone functions and the absence of any feedback signals will require the user to repeat commands and thereby distracting the user/rider.

Accordingly, there exists a need for a multi-functional helmet system to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages.

OBJECTS OF INVENTION
One or more of the problems of the conventional prior art may be overcome by various embodiments of system and method of the present invention.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional helmet system, which is wirelessly connected to mobile phone of the user and to the control console module fitted to a two-wheeler.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional helmet system, which controls audio and phone functions of the mobile phone without taking the hands off the two-wheeler while riding.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional helmet system, which activates or deactivates when the user wears / removes the helmet respectively.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein multi-functional helmet system detects / indicates braking and deceleration to other riders behind without any input from the two-wheeler.
It is another object of the present invention, wherein multi-functional helmet system further detects a crash situation and sends an alert to a programmed emergency contact number along with location of the crash site.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the multi-functional helmet system is powered automatically but only when the user wears the helmet and switches off when the user removes the helmet.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Thus according to the basic aspect of the present invention there is provided a multi-functional wireless helmet system comprising of:
Helmet;
Control console module; and
Mobile phone,
wherein said helmet housing:
wireless module with master controller;
one or more speakers;
at least one microphone;
pressure switch; and
accelerometer sensor,
wherein the speakers, microphone, pressure switch and accelerometer sensor are connected to the wireless module through the master controller,
wherein the pressure switch senses the user presence inside the helmet,
wherein positioning of the pressure switch is in such a way that only when the rider wears the helmet, the pressure switch is closed by the user’s contact pressure with the helmet,
wherein output of the pressure switch is fed to the wireless module with master controller,
wherein based on output of the pressure switch, the wireless module with master controller activates or deactivates,
wherein the control console module is detachably mounted on handlebar of a two-wheeler, said control console module comprising:
one or more control buttons; and
wireless module with controller,
wherein output from the control buttons is fed to the wireless module through the controller,
wherein after activation of the master controller, the control console module is wirelessly connected to said master controller in unidirectional communication,
wherein after activation of the master controller, the mobile phone is wirelessly connected to said master controller in bi-directional communication,
wherein the wireless module with master controller relays control signal from the control console module to the mobile phone, and
wherein the system performs multiple functions.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the wireless module with master controller in the helmet acts as a slave for the mobile phone and acts as master for the control console module.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the accelerometer sensor senses the deceleration / braking while riding and output is fed to a LED module positioned in pre-defined position on rear part of the helmet to indicate the deceleration / braking automatically without any input from the two-wheeler while riding.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the control button in the control console module activates or deactivates the accelerometer sensor input for the LED module to conserve battery power.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the multi-functional helmet system detects a crash situation and sends an alert to a programmed emergency contact number along with location of the crash site.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the control console module is accessible by thumb of the rider through a simple one-touch control without removing the hand from the handlebar ensuring safe riding at all times.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the multi-functional helmet system can perform multiple functions by providing connectivity between the wireless module with master controller in the helmet and the mobile phone in the absence of control console module.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the multi-functional helmet system is powered by rechargeable battery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
Figure 1: illustrates the multi-functional helmet system according to the present invention.
Figure 2: illustrates the helmet module according to the present invention.
Figure 3: illustrates the control console module fitted to a two-wheeler according to the present invention.
Figure 4: illustrates block diagram of wireless module with master controller in the helmet according to the present invention.
Figure 5: illustrates block diagram of wireless module with controller in the control console module fitted to a two-wheeler according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The present invention is thus directed to a helmet system, which is wirelessly connected to mobile phone of the user and to control console module fitted to a two-wheeler to perform multiple functions.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, the multi-functional wireless helmet system comprising of helmet [100]; control console module [200]; and mobile phone [300], said helmet [100] housing at least one microphone [101]; one or more speakers [102]; accelerometer sensor [103]; Light Emitting Diode (LED) module [104]; pressure switch [105]; and wireless module with master controller [106] as shown in Figure 2. The speakers [102], microphone [101], pressure switch [105], accelerometer sensor [103] and LED module [104] are connected to the wireless module through the master controller [106]. The pressure switch [105] senses the user presence inside the helmet [100]. The pressure switch [105] is positioned inside the helmet [100] in such a way that only when the rider wears the helmet [100], the switch [105] is closed by the user’s contact pressure with the helmet [100]. Output of the pressure switch [105] is fed to the wireless module with master controller [106], based on output of said pressure switch [105], the wireless module with master controller [106] activates or deactivates.

The LED module [104] is positioned in pre-defined position on rear part of the helmet [100] to indicate the deceleration / braking to other riders behind. The accelerometer sensor [103] is used to sense the deceleration / braking while riding and output is fed to the LED module [104] to switch on / off automatically without any input from the two-wheeler while riding through the wireless module with master controller [106]. The control button [201] in the control console module [200] activates or deactivates the accelerometer sensor [103] input for the LED module [104] to conserve the battery [203] power. Also output from the accelerometer sensor [103] in combination with the pressure switch [105] is used to identify a crash situation or free fall condition of the rider and send alert to emergency contact numbers along with location of the crash site. The location of the crash site is identified using a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor located in the helmet [100]. Downloadable software in the mobile phone [300] is used to configure the emergency contact number and settings for wirelessly connecting the control console module [200] to the master controller [106].

Referring to Figure 3, the control console module [200] is detachably mounted on the handlebar of the two-wheeler, said control console module [200] comprising one or more control buttons [201]; and wireless module with controller [202]. Output from the control buttons [201] fed to the wireless module through the controller [202]. The control buttons [201] are accessible by the thumb of the rider without removing the hand from the handlebar ensuring safe riding at all times. The control buttons [201] include but not limited to play/pause button, volume control button, forward button, reverse button. After activation of the master controller [106], the control console module [200] is wirelessly connected to said master controller [106] in unidirectional communication. After activation of the master controller [106], the mobile phone [300] is wirelessly connected to the master controller [106] in bi-directional communication. The system performs multiple functions through the mobile phone [300]. The master controller [106] in the helmet [100] acts as a slave for the mobile phone [330] and also acts as master for the control console module [200]. The components in the control console module [200] is powered a through a battery [203] and it is always in standby mode.

The master controller [106] in the helmet [100] does not have any control interface to control the functions such as call mode or music mode. The master controller [106] relays the control signal from the control console module [200] to the mobile phone [300]. The control signal is received from the control console module [200] via the wireless module [202] and then relayed to the mobile phone [300]. In the absence of the control console module [200] if the mobile phone [300] is available to wirelessly connect with the master controller [106] in the helmet [100], said master controller [106] wirelessly connects with the mobile phone [300] and all control actions are done in the mobile phone itself. The components in the helmet [100] is powered by rechargeable battery [107], which can be charged through charger either by removing the battery [107] and plugging it to an adapter or just by connecting a standard mobile charging adapter to a charging port in the helmet [100] without removing it from the helmet [100]. The multi-functional helmet system uses a wireless protocol that includes but not limited to Bluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC), and Zigbee for the wireless connection.

For illustration:
Step 1: The helmet [100] is initially in the power OFF state. The pressure switch [105] closes when the rider wears the helmet [100], based on output of the pressure switch [105] the master controller [106] activates or deactivates. When the user removes the helmet [100], the master controller [106] returns to the power off state after a timeout regardless of the mode it is currently in.

Step 2: Once the user presence is detected inside the helmet [100], the wireless module with master controller [106] attempts to wirelessly connect automatically with the registered / programmed mobile phone [300] and with the control console module [200] when the play/ pause button is pressed at the control console module [200].

Step 3: If there is no mobile phone [300] found to be connect within a predefined time period, the master controller [106] in the helmet [100] goes to the sleep state. In this state, the master controller [106] waits for a wakeup signal (play button press) from the control console module [200] or wakes up cyclically after pre-defined duration of time to return to the connecting mode to attempt a connecting action.

Step 4: After the master controller [106] in the helmet [100] is wirelessly connected with both the control console module [200] and mobile phone [300], said master controller [106] is ready to receive the audio signals from the mobile phone [300]. The control buttons [201] in the control console module [200] is active in play / music mode. A push of the play control button [201] directly switches on the music in the mobile phone [300] and streams the audio track to the master controller [106] in the helmet [100]. The master controller [106] relays the audio track to the speakers [102] for the rider to hear. Play / pause, volume up / down, previous/next track buttons are active in the control console module [200] and are used to control the music from the mobile phone [300]. The microphone [101] in the helmet [100] is inactive in this mode.

Step 5: An incoming call to the mobile phone [300] that is connected to the master controller [106] in the helmet [100] pushes said master controller [106] to a temporary state, the master controller [106] suspends the ongoing audio stream, identify the caller and provide a voice over for the rider announcing the name of the caller through the speakers [102]. At this point the microphone [101] is activated to receive the voice command from the user. The user has the option to attend the call or reject the call. The rider can attend / reject the call by pressing the play / pause button [201] in the control console module [200] or through the voice command via the microphone [101]. The previous / next track buttons in the control console module [200] is deactivated during incoming call to the mobile phone [300]. When the call is ended by pressing the play / pause button [201] again in the control console module [200], the master controller [106] is switched back to resume from the point where it was suspended and the microphone [101] is deactivated.

The embodiments of the invention been disclosed in detail in this specification are purely for illustrative purposes and the present invention can be embodied in many other forms or carried out in other ways, without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Therefore, the above should not be construed as limiting the invention, which is defined by the appended objects.