US 12,330,759 B2 · Auto-adjustable buoyancy pressure vessel for SCUBA

Abstract

SCUBA diving equipment is composed of a heavy SCUBA pressure vessel, buoyancy compensation device and a heavy weight system. Together with a constricting exposure suit the current setup makes for a rather cumbersome system. Perfect buoyancy is a term used in SCUBA diving to describe the ability of the diver to maintain its vertical position in the water column. Doing so requires a thorough understanding of the governing physics principles as well as considerable practice time. Together, the cumbersome nature of standard SCUBA systems and the physical and mental requirements of operating said systems underwater are a commercial hurdle, preventing many individuals from entering the sport. The present invention provides systems that can significantly simplify both elements by allowing water to occupy some of the pressure vessel internal volume. Such a pressure vessel can be used as both the breathing gas source as well as a buoyancy control device, reducing or even eliminating the need for additional weights and a separate buoyancy compensation device. Embodiments of the present invention also comprise a control system and one or more sensors to provide an automatic buoyancy system.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A diving system for use by a diver, comprising:

(a) a pressure vessel defining a breathing mixture chamber and a fluid chamber, each defining a volume, wherein the two chambers are separate from each other, where the volumes of the two chambers are correlated such that an increase in the volume of one chamber correlates with a decrease in the volume of the other chamber, and wherein the breathing mixture chamber is configured to contain a breathing mixture pressurized above ambient and to supply the breathing mixture to a gas communication system for breathing by a diver;
(b) a fluid transfer system in fluid communication with the fluid chamber and with an environment external to the fluid chamber;
(c) a control system responsive to input from the diver, sensors, or a combination thereof, configured to control the fluid transfer system to communicate fluid between the ambient environment and the fluid chamber, where the control system is responsive to pressure in the mixing chamber, the fluid chamber, or both.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Auto-adjustable buoyancy pressure vessel for SCUBA

Life of this patent

Auto-adjustable buoyancy pressure vessel for SCUBA

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20