Low pressure surface supplied air system and method
AssigneeSetaysha Technical Solutions LLC
InventorJohn Craig Colborn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems to provide breathing air to underwater divers in response to the divers' respiration at pressures less than 25 psi above atmospheric pressure during inspiration while delivering no or minimal air during exhalation, by controlling the actions of a pump during the time course of breathing. Methods and systems that sense a diver's need for breathing air, determine inhalation demand or exhalation state, and control the operation of a pump which delivers breathing gas to the diver via a tube. An integrated system for the same which incorporates at least an energy source, pump, air tube, breathing aperture, sensor, and logic processor is disclosed.
Claims20
A system to provide breathable air to a submerged diver comprising:
- a) a floating pump assembly comprising:
- 1) a buoyant element;
- and
- 2) a pump coupled to the buoyant element, the pump having a pump inlet fluidly coupled to the atmosphere and a pump outlet, and being adapted to provide breathable air at the pump outlet at first volumetric flow rate and a first pressure greater than atmospheric pressure by no more than 25 psi;
- b) a breathable air regulator assembly comprising:
- 1) a regulator chamber having a regulator inlet and a regulator outlet;
- 2) a mouthpiece fluidly coupled to the regulator chamber and having a breathing aperture adapted for use by the submerged diver for inhalation and exhalation;
- and
- 3) a pressure sensor to sense pressure changes within the regulator chamber associated with inhalation and exhalation by the submerged diver, and adapted to provide a real-time regulator pressure signal indicative of the pressure changes in the regulator chamber;
- c) tubing having a proximal end coupled to the pump outlet and a distal end coupled to the regulator inlet, and adapted to transmit breathable air from the pump to the regulator chamber for breathing by the submerged diver;
- and
- d) a breathable air determination unit to determine when breathable air is needed by the submerged diver based on the real-time regulator pressure signal;
- and
- e) a pump controller to control the operation of the pump in providing breathable air to the submerged diver when breathable air is needed by the submerged diver.
A system to provide breathable air to a submerged diver, comprising:
- a) a pump having a pump inlet fluidly coupled to the atmosphere and a pump outlet, wherein the pump is adapted to provide pressurized breathable air at the pump outlet at a first volumetric flow rate and a first pressure greater than atmospheric pressure by no more than 25 psi;
- b) a breathable air regulator assembly comprising:
- 1) a regulator chamber having a regulator inlet and a regulator outlet;
- 2) a mouthpiece fluidly coupled to the regulator chamber and having a breathing aperture adapted engage a mouth of the submerged diver for inhalation and exhalation;
- 3) a pressure sensor to sense pressure changes within the regulator chamber associated with breathing by the submerged diver, and adapted to provide a regulator pressure signal indicative of the pressure changes;
- c) tubing having a proximal end coupled to the pump outlet and a distal end coupled to the regulator inlet, and adapted to transmit breathable air from the pump to the regulator chamber for breathing by the submerged diver;
- d) non-transitory, computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
- 1) determine when breathable air is needed by the submerged diver based on the regulator pressure signal;
- and
- 2) control the operation of the pump to provide breathable air to the submerged diver based on the regular pressure signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.