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US 12,552,502 B2Granted
Self-righting underwater escape and surface survival suit system
AssigneeMustang Survival Corp.
InventorsLinbo Zou, Wendell Vaughn Uglene
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self-righting underwater escape and surface survival suit includes an ascent hood and an inflatable bladder in fluid communication with the ascent hood. Breathable air from the vessel is used to inflate the inflatable bladder for ascent to and/or survival on the water surface. During ascent, breathable air is provided to the ascent hood from the inflated inflatable bladder. The inflated inflatable bladder is configured to provide self-righting of the wearer upon surfacing and to support the wearer on the water surface, even if the wearer is incapacitated or the ascent hood is opened.
Claims18
An escape and survival suit, comprising:
- an ascent hood configured to cover a head of a wearer of the escape and survival suit;
- and an inflatable bladder in fluid communication with the ascent hood, wherein with the inflatable bladder inflated with breathable air, the inflated inflatable bladder provides buoyancy for ascent of the wearer to a water surface and provides the breathable air to the ascent hood during ascent of the wearer to the water surface, the inflated inflatable bladder also being configured to maintain sufficient pressure from the breathable air used to inflate the inflatable bladder for ascent to automatically support and self-right the wearer upon reaching the water surface;
- wherein the inflatable bladder has a trapezoidal shape that tapers in width, depth, and/or volume and is configured to overlay a chest of the wearer with a width across the chest of the wearer and a depth extending outwardly from the chest of the wearer that both taper in a direction away from the ascent hood to assist in orienting a head of the wearer upwardly and above the water surface.
An escape and survival suit, comprising:
- an ascent hood configured to cover a head of a wearer of the escape and survival suit;
- an inflatable bladder connectable to a breathable air supply on a vessel to inflate the inflatable bladder with a breathable air to provide buoyancy for ascent of the wearer to a water surface;
- and at least one air valve connecting the inflatable bladder to the ascent hood so that the breathable air for the ascent hood is provided only through the inflatable bladder, wherein the at least one air valve automatically opens in response to a pressure in the inflated inflatable bladder exceeding a first threshold pressure to provide the breathable air to the ascent hood during ascent, the least one air valve automatically closing during the ascent in response to the pressure dropping below a second threshold pressure to maintain inflation of the inflated inflatable bladder with the breathable air used to inflate the inflatable bladder for ascent at the water surface to automatically support and self-right the wearer at the water surface;
- wherein the inflatable bladder has a trapezoidal shape that tapers in width, depth, and/or volume and is configured to overlay a chest of the wearer with a width across the chest of the wearer and a depth extending outwardly from the chest of the wearer that both taper in a direction away from the ascent hood to assist in orienting a head of the wearer upwardly and above the water surface.
1 more element
An escape and survival suit, comprising:
- an ascent hood configured to cover a head of a wearer of the escape and survival suit;
- and an inflatable bladder in fluid communication with the ascent hood and connectable to a breathable air supply on a vessel to inflate the inflatable bladder with breathable air to provide buoyancy for ascent of the wearer to a water surface, wherein the inflatable bladder includes a trapezoidal shape that tapers in width, depth, and/or volume and is configured to overlay a chest of the wearer and having a width configured to extend across the chest of the wearer and a depth configured to extend outwardly from the chest of the wearer that both taper in a direction away from the ascent hood, the inflatable bladder configured to maintain sufficient pressure from the breathable air when inflated to automatically self-right the wearer from a face-down position to a face-up position on the water surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.