US 3,968,795 AGranted

Underwater breathing apparatus

AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.

InventorsWilbur J. O'Neill, John R. Colston

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Abstract

Breathing gas from a remote source is supplied directly to a diver's helmet, without the requirement of a demand valve. Exhaust gas is returned back to the remote source through a series arrangement of a normally open fail-safe valve and an exhaust control valve which maintains the helmet pressure within predetermined limits relative to the ambient water pressure. Should the exhaust control valve fail in the open position, the fail-safe valve will actuate to insure that the helmet pressure does not decrease to a dangerous level. Valve actuation is a function of diver orientation so as to maintain helmet pressure within a range to minimize diver breathing effort, for the various positional orientations. The helmet includes ducting for the exhaust gas and the valves are constructed and arranged to sense the helmet pressure directly for comparison with the ambient water pressure acting on the respective valves.

Underwater breathing apparatus comprising:

A. diver headgear including an input connection means for receiving breathing gas from a remote source and an output connection means for returning exhaust gas back to said source;
B. an exhaust flow path connected to said output connection means and including a normally open fail-safe valve and an exhaust control valve in series arrangement, with each said valve including three compartments;
C. said exhaust flow path including a first duct communicating the interior space for said headgear with a first compartment of said fail-safe valve;
D. a second compartment of said fail safe valve being directly communicative with a first compartment of said exhaust control valve;
E. a second compartment of said exhaust control valve being directly communicative with said output connection means;
F. said first compartment of said respective valves being communicative with said second compartment of said respective valves;
G. the third compartment of each said valve being out of said flow path and being in direct pressure communication with said interior space for sensing the pressure therein;
H. said third compartment of said fail-safe valve including means responsive to the pressure in said interior space relative to the ambient water pressure at said fail safe-valve and operable to prevent flow from said first compartment to said second compartment of said fail-safe valve when the pressure in said interior space falls below predetermined limits relative to the ambient water pressure at said fail-safe valve;
said third compartment of said exhaust control valve including means responsive to the pressure in said interior space relative to the ambient water pressure at said exhaust control valve and thereby, operable to control flow from said first compartment to said second compartment of said exhaust control valve and maintain the pressure in said interior space within said predetermined limits relative to the ambient water pressure at said exhaust control valve.

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Abstract

Claims13