Buoyancy control valve for scuba diving vests

A valve for use in combination with a source of pressurized gas and an inflatable chamber worn by a diver for adjusting his buoyancy, said valve comprising:

• a housing connected to said chamber and including an exhaust opening;
• manually actuated valving means, operable under water, for admitting gas from said source of pressurized gas in a first direction to said housing;
• means operable under water for selectively altering the direction of said pressurized gas admitted in said first direction to direct the flow thereof in a second direction away from said exhaust opening to inflate said inflatable chamber;
• means utilizing the kinetic energy of said gas admitted to said housing in said first direction through said valving means and operable under water for simultaneously exhausting gas from said chamber to said exhaust opening;
• and
• said valving means selectively inflating or deflating said chamber in accordance with the selective operation of said direction altering means.

A valve for use in combination with a source of pressurized gas and an inflatable chamber carried by a diver for adjusting his buoyancy, said valve comprising:

• a housing connected to said chamber and including an exhaust opening;
• first manually actuated valving means for admitting gas from said housing;
• means utilizing the energy of gas admitted to said housing through said first valving means for simultaneously exhausting gas from said chamber to said exhaust opening;
• and
• second manually actuated valving means for closing said exhaust opening, said second valving means directing gas admitted to said housing into said inflatable chamber, said second valving means including an automatically operating pressure relief valve for protecting said chamber from overpressure.

A valve for use in combination with a source of pressurized gas and an inflatable chamber carried by a diver for adjusting his buoyancy, said valve comprising:

• a housing connected to said chamber and including an exhaust opening;
• a manually actuated valve for admitting gas from said source of pressurized gas to said housing;
• and
• means utilizing the energy of gas admitted to said housing through said valve for exhausting gas from said chamber to said exhaust opening, said means exhausting gas from said chamber comprising:
• means for admitting pressurized gas to said chamber through a narrow annular gap centered in said housing;
• and
• a conical surface adjacent said gap for Coanda adhesion of said gas, said conical surface admitting said gas to said housing along a conical path.

A valve assembly connected to a buoyancy compensation vest and regulated air pressure supply carried by a driver, said assembly comprising:

• a housing;
• a first manually actuated lever mounted on said housing;
• means on said housing responsive to said first lever for venting said vest to the surrounding water;
• a second manually actuated lever mounted on said housing;
• and
• means in said housing, operable under water, responsive to said second lever, and utilizing said air from said regulated supply for forcibly drawing air from said vest to said venting means when said venting means is open to said surrounding water, said means responsive to said second lever operable under water and utilizing said air from said regulated supply to forcibly inflate said vest when said venting means is closed.

A buoyancy compensation device for use by a diver, comprising:

• a source of pressurized gas;
• an inflatable chamber worn by said diver;
• and
• transducer means, having an exhaust opening, and connected to said gas source and said chamber and operable under water for utilizing the kinetic energy of gas from said souce to selectively (a) provide a flow of combined gas from said source and said chamber in a first direction in said transducer means toward said exhaust opening to forcibly exhaust gas from said chamber, or (b) alter a flow of gas from said source from said first direction in said transducer means to a second direction in said transducer means away from said exhaust opening to inflate said chamber exclusively with gas from said source, said gas from said source being admitted to said transducer means exclusively in said first direction.

A valve for use in combination with a buoyancy compensation vest and breathing air tanks, both carried by a diver, for controlling the buoyancy of said diver, comprising:

• a housing fluidly connecting to said vest, said housing including an exhaust port;
• a valve closing said exhaust port;
• means biasing said valve to a closed position against said exhaust port, said means permitting automatic opening of said valve in response to a predetermined pressure differential between the interior of said housing and its surroundings to prevent overpressurization of said vest;
• an actuator for manually opening said valve;
• a second valve for selectively admitting air from said breathing tank to said housing;
• and
• means directing flow of air from said breathing tank and said second valve into said housing to entrain air from said vest.

A valve for use in combination with a buoyancy compensation vest and breathing air tanks, both carried by a diver, for controlling the buoyancy of said diver, comprising:

• a housing fluidly connected to said vest, said housing being an open-ended cylindrical member and said housing including an exhaust port;
• a valve closing said exhaust port, said valve being a cup-shaped member having a side opening, said cup-shaped member telescoping over one end of said cylindrical housing;
• means biasing said valve to a closed position against said exhaust port, said means permitting automatic opening of said valve in response to a predetermined pressure differential between the interior of said housing and its surroundings to prevent overpressurization of said vest;
• and
• an actuator for manually opening said valve.

Apparatus for alternatively forcing a gas in two opposite directions through a conduit utilizing a source of pressurized gas for driving gas in each of said opposite directions, comprising:

• a housing including a passage, said passage connected to one end of said conduit;
• means for forcing gas through said conduit in a first direction, said means comprising:
• a valve opening and closing said passage;
• means for closing said valve;
• and
• means connected to said source of pressurized gas for exclusively admitting gas from said source in a second direction opposite said first direction at a location in said passage between said valve and said one end of said conduit;
• and means for forcing gas through said conduit in said second direction, said means comprising:
• means for opening said valve;
• and
• means for entraining gas in said passage in gas admitted in said second direction by said gas admitting means to said passage from said source of pressurized gas to force said gas in said passage and said conduit in said second direction.

Apparatus for selectively forcing gas in two opposite directions in a conduit, comprising:

• a source of pressurized gas;
• first means mounted in said conduit, connected to said source of pressurized gas, admitting gas from said source to said conduit in a first direction and utilizing the Coanda effect for forcing gas in said first direction in said conduit;
• and
• second means, independent of said source of pressurized gas, for selectively blocking flow in said first direction in said conduit, said second means forcing said gas simultaneously admitted from said source to said conduit through said first means to reverse and flow in a second direction opposite said first direction.

A small, portable, hand-held respirator valve, comprising:

• a main flow conduit;
• means connecting said main flow conduit to a breathing passage of an animal;
• a valve connected to a source of high pressure gas, said valve selectively admitting gas to said flow conduit in a first direction away from said connecting means to entrain air and exhaust the lungs of said animal;
• and
• means independent of said gas source for selectively blocking the flow of gas simultaneously admitted from said souce through said valve to reverse and flow in a second direction toward said connecting means.

A small, portable respirator valve, comprising:

• a main housing having an exhaust opening;
• a first conduit for communication between a breathing passage of an animal and said main housing;
• a second conduit for communication between a source of pressurized gas and said main housing, said second conduit conducting gas from said source into said housing exclusively in a first direction away from said first conduit and toward said exhaust opening;
• and
• means mounted on said housing for altering the direction of gas conducted into said housing in said first direction through said second conduit to alternately:
• supply said first conduit exclusively with gas from said second conduit in a second direction away from said exhaust opening;
• or
• entrain gas from said first conduit in gas from said second conduit to drive gas from said first conduit out said exhaust opening.