Dry suit dryer

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6516536
  • Patent Number
    6,516,536
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, June 12, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, February 11, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
An apparatus for drying “dry suits”, HAZ MAT suits, cleanroom suits and the like utilizes a blower and heating elements mounted through a neck, wrist or ankle seal of the suit. The heated and compressed air is discharged into the suit to absorb moisture from the internal suit surfaces, then is discharged through the suit seals, rapidly drying the suit. Inserts for establishing a desired discharge rate from the suit seals are described. The inserts also serve to stretch the neck and arm seals to the proper diameter for maintaining comfortable wear.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




This invention relates generally to apparel resistant to particular materials or environmental conditions, including so-called “dry suits” and wet suits for diving, full-body sealed suits and the like used for protection from hazardous materials, fire-fighting apparel, and “cleanroom” clothing. More particularly, the invention pertains to methods and means for cleaning, drying and maintaining the inside of such exposure suits following use.




2. State of the Art




Free underwater diving and swimming using Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA devices) have become very popular receational pursuits, and have been used for many years in commercial and military applications. Diving without protective wear can be very hazardous, because of cold water, razor-sharp coral formations, contaminated environments, sunken debris, poisonous life forms and the like. Thus, so-called “wet suits” have been in wide use for many years. A wet suit covers a substantial portion of a diver's body, but permits entry of water to contact the diver's skin. The insulative value of the wet suit is limited, and diving in cold waters results in discomfort, fatigue and added stress.




For enhanced comfort and safety, the “wet suit” is being replaced by the more expensive so-called “dry suit”, which is designed to prevent water access next to at least a major portion of the diver's skin. The dry suit has a neck opening which may be sealed by pressure of a neck membrane against the diver's neck. Although some dry suits are configured to enclose all of the wearer's body except a hard hat, others may leave the hands and/or feet either exposed, or coverable by “wet” coverings or “dry” coverings such as e.g. soft soled “socks” or hard-soled “boots”. Dry hand or foot coverings are configured to be sealed against leakage. Generally, entry into a dry suit is via an opening closable with an essentially water-tight zipper. Often, a dry suit for diving is configured to totally enclose the diver's feet, while non-footed dry suits may be more frequently used for water skiing, surfing, kayaking, etc.




Although the term “dry suit” generally refers to a suit used in water, similar suits are used to protect persons in other environments, i.e. to protect a person from exposure to hazardous materials (HAZ MAT suits) including chemical and biological materials. Similar wear is used by firemen as protection against exposure to heat, water, etc. In sterile, explosive, or “clean” environments , suits similar to “dry suits” are used to prevent contamination of the environment, or to prevent static electricity discharges by the entry of persons.




One of the problems with dry suits and similar apparel is that during use, perspiration and condensation become entrapped within the suit. Other moisture may be introduced into a dry suit by improper use of an exhaust valve or from inadvertent flooding, particularly in a diving situation. It is important to drain and wash the interior of a dry suit following use to remove perspiration and other contaminants. After a dive, commercial divers typically rinse the interior of the dry suit with an anti-fungicide, followed by three or four rinses with fresh water. However, the interior surfaces may remain wet for the next user, and may become malodorous and slimy.




With any suit whose interior is exposed to water, perspiration and/or other contaminants, removing the moisture quickly and completely after use is important to proper maintenance of the suit. Rapid drying (a) avoids growth of malodorous and destructive molds and bacteria, (b) prevents premature deterioration of the suit, and (c) permits comfortable subsequent use. A short drying time is not only necessary for cleanliness, suit preservation and wearer comfort, but increases the available use time as well. For example, donning a dry suit which has wet interior surfaces is very uncomfortable, and is counter to the purposes of a dry suit.




In order to simply drain water from a dry suit, the suit is typically hung head down on a commercially obtainable hanger. Use of such hangers does not readily permit removal of creases from the suit; instead, water typically remains trapped in the creases and takes a very long time to drain or evaporate. For this reason, it has been found very important to remove creases in the dry suit material.




At the present time, various hangers are available which suspend the dry suit from its ankles, for draining water through the neck and wrist openings. The hanger constricts the ankle portions of the suit, preventing passage of moisture from the foot spaces. Hanging a dry suit by the neck opening is also done, but the presence of major air-stagnant spaces in the legs and arms of the dry suit require much extended drying times. Expected drying times may be as short as a few hours in hot, dry climates, or as long as days. In humid areas, the drying time may be considerably longer, and the dry suit may never become fully dry. As already indicated, prior art hangers do not satisfactorily stretch the dry suit to remove wrinkles or creases, and water remains entrapped in the suit between creases.




Regardless of the position in which the dry suit is hung for drying, there is little if any air movement within the suit, and rapid growth of mold and bacteria ensues. In addition to the unpleasant odor, skin irritation and destructive nature of such growths to the dry suit, hazards to the health of the diver may also be presented.




Dry suits typically have stretchable seals at the neck and wrists and/or ankles which press against a diver's skin to substantially prevent the entry of water. These seals are typically formed of rubber or latex, and must be tight enough about the diver's neck and limbs to prevent water entry, yet not so tight as to cause vascular and respiratory restriction and/or panic (a life-threatening event in a diving situation). Once a seal is stretched, frequent use is required to maintain it in the stretched condition. Most dry suits purchased for recreational diving are used only a few times a year for a number of dives in quick succession. During intervening storage (months or years), the seals tend to return to their original un-stretched size. The neck seal, wrist seals and ankle seals of dry suits are typically pre-stretched by hand prior to each dive or dive series, or cut to size.




A large share of recreational diving (and subsequent suit drying) is done in geographical areas having high humidity, such as in or offshore the states of Florida and Washington. In such areas, rapid drying of diving suits using current procedures is nearly impossible.




The present invention is directed toward solving the above indicated problems associated with the use of dry suits, wet suits and other types of “exposure” suits which require drying or cleaning plus drying after being used.




Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to remove interior moisture from an exposure suit in a very short time, to prevent the proliferation of fungi, bacteria, etc. and malodors associated therewith within the suit.




A further object of the invention is to provide methods and apparatus for conditioning and drying exposure suits for rapid turn-around use.




Another major object of the invention is to provide a method and means for initiating and maintaining the proper pre-stretched Ad size of neck seals, wrist seals and ankle seals of a e.g. dry suit.




An additional object of the invention is to provide apparatus and methods for cleaning and drying so-called “wet suits” commonly used for diving.




A further object is to provide drying apparatus which is portable, and which may be used in a boat or land vehicle.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The invention comprises apparatus and methods for rapidly removing moisture from an “exposure” body suit such as a dry suit. While the invention is illustrated as being applied to a dry suit for diving, it may also be effectively used for drying any waterproof or water-resistant suit which has interior portions which cannot readily be opened to exposure to the ambient atmosphere. Examples of such varied applications of exposure suits, but not limited thereto, are those used for other water-based activities, for protection from hazardous (e.g. biohazardous) materials, for fire-fighting, and for processing of certain food, medicines or sensitive electronic equipment.




The dryer apparatus of this application may also be used for drying so-called “wet suits” as will become evident in the disclosure. This application is directed to interior drying of any exposure suit which may become wetted with water, perspiration, environmental contaminants and the like.




The invention is particularly illustrated herein in application to the drying of a dry suit for diving. The apparatus and methods described may be adapted to drying of any exposure suit; such adaptations are described herein.




In general, the invention includes apparatus for compressing relatively dry air, optionally warming the air and introducing the air at such a rate into an exposure suit that the slight superatmospheric pressure expands, inflates and un-creases the dry suit. The dry air passes over the wet interior surfaces to dry them. The particular use of each of the various non-limiting embodiments which are presented depends largely upon the suit configuration, as follows:




a. whether the suit material is impervious or non-impervious to airflow;




b. whether foot portions of the suit are integrally formed with the suit, or are open;




c. the type of seals at the neck, hand (and foot) openings; and other factors which will be described herein.




In this method, a stream of relatively dry warm air is (a) directed under pressure from a blower through an opening in the dry suit, (b) passed through each of the arms, legs and torso portions of the suit to absorb moisture, and (c) discharged from the suit at an increased dew point temperature. In general, the drying step is preferably preceded by washing or rinsing the dry suit with water, chemically treated water, or other material. A chemical may optionally be injected into the air stream to contact and treat the drying or dried inner surfaces. The drying time is relatively short, i.e. a matter of minutes rather than hours or days.




Various exemplary embodiments of methods and apparatus of the invention to treat and dry “dry suits” and other “exposure” suits are described hereinbelow.




When used in hot arid regions, warming of the ambient air may not be required to effectively dry the dry suit unless the suit is required to be completely dry in an extremely short time.




In addition, a method of this invention comprises the introduction of a chemical substance into the air stream to treat the interior of the dry suit. Such substances may comprise, for example, antifungal agents, antibacterial agents, and/or deodorants. The agents may be introduced into a liquid stream passed through the suit prior to rinsing and drying, or as a gas stream. An inert gas such as nitrogen may be passed through the dry suit. Optionally, and depending upon the resistance of the suit material to oxidation, an oxiding gas such as ozone may be used as an antibacterial/antifungal agent, passed through the suit for a short time period.




Various apparatus configurations for producing and conveying an air stream into a dry suit are shown and described. In a simple embodiment, a truncated conical neck insert may be tightly positioned in a neck seal opening, and a common hair dryer (modified to generate a higher pressure and an appropriate temperature) may be inserted into the neck insert to inject warm dry air. In another embodiment, a neck insert incorporates a blower (with optional heater) as an air source. In a preferred embodiment, a blower and heater upstream from the neck insert provide heated air. Optionally, the air may be introduced through a wrist insert or an ankle insert.




Another embodiment of the invention especially useful for simultaneously treating a plurality of dry suits comprises a permanent unit for heating, dehumidifying and pressurizing an air stream. The air is controllably distributed to a multi-duct bank for drying one or more dry suits simultaneously. The apparatus may include ducts to apparatus for dehumidifying, heating and recycling the wetted air or gas from the suits.




In a further embodiment of this invention, an air conduit is permanently integrally formed on/in the wall of the dry suit. A blower may be attached to the conduit for drying the dry suit. In still another embodiment, an attachment is provided for introducing a powder, liquid substance or gas into the air stream. In all cases, an insert is provided within each opening into the suit, i.e. wrist inserts, ankle inserts and/or neck insert. The insert(s) have openings for controlling the flow rate of “wet” air from each portion of the dry suit, and act to maintain a desired pressure within the dry suit. The apparatus may also be configured to pass a limited portion of the exit air through the neck insert.




The wrist inserts and neck insert are also useful to maintain properly stretched neck seal and wrist seals during prolonged storage.




The method and apparatus of the invention produce very rapid drying of the interior of a dry suit, enabling comfortable reuse in a short time, i.e. in generally less than about 0.4 hour, depending upon the humidity, temperature and flow rate of the drying air. The growth of deleterious mold and bacteria is prevented. The development of malodors is effectively prevented, and may be further avoided by the introduction of treatment agents into the drying air.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention is illustrated in the following figures, wherein the elements are not necessarily shown to scale.





FIG. 1

is a generalized front view of a dry suit being dried by a dryer apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 2

is a cross-sectional front view of a dry suit having a dryer of the invention installed therein;





FIG. 3

is a cross-sectional top view through a torso portion of a dry suit and dryer of the invention, as taken along line


3





3


of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3A

is a top view of an exemplary conduit securer of the invention;





FIG. 3B

is a cross-sectional side view through a foot portion of a dry suit showing a conduit secured by a conduit securer of the invention;





FIG. 3C

is a side view of an end portion of an air carrying conduit of a dryer of the invention;





FIG. 3D

is a cross-sectional side view of an air deflection device for attachment to air conduits of an exposure suit dryer of the invention;





FIG. 3E

is a perspective view of an air deflection device of an exposure suit dryer of the invention;





FIG. 4

is a cross-sectional view through the fabric of a dry suit dryer prior to inflation in a drying process in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 4A

is a cross-sectional view through the fabric of an exposure suit following inflation during a drying process in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 5

is a generalized chart of the flow-pressure output characteristics of a blower drying an exposure suit in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 6

is a partially sectioned side view of a portion of a dry suit dryer in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 7

is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a dry suit dryer in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 8

is a side view of an insert in accordance with drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 9

is a top view of an insert in accordance with drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 10

is a side view of another embodiment of an insert in accordance with a drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 11

is a bottom view of another embodiment of an insert in accordance with drying apparatus of the invention; and





FIG. 12

is a cross-sectional side view of a further embodiment of an insert in accordance with drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 13

is a partially cutaway top view of another embodiment of an insert in accordance with drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 13A

is a perspective view of an elastic band useful for retaining a secondary insert in accordance with drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 13B

is a cross-sectional side view of a limb end portion of a dry suit illustrating use of an elastic band for retaining a secondary insert in accordance with drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 14

is a partially cross-sectioned side view of another embodiment of an insert in accordance with drying apparatus of the invention, as taken along line


14





14


of

FIG. 13

;





FIG. 15

is a partial view of an arm of a dry suit, showing a further embodiment of an insert in accordance with drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 15A

is a cross-sectional side view through a further embodiment of an insert in accordance with drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 16

is a cross-sectional side view of a dry suit with another embodiment of a dry suit dryer configuration in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 16A

is a cross-sectional front view of a dry suit showing a step in drying the dry suit with a further embodiment of air-carrying conduits of the invention;





FIG. 16B

is a cross-sectional front view of a dry suit showing a further step in drying the dry suit with a further embodiment of air-carrying conduits of the invention;





FIG. 17

is a schematic view of a multi-unit dry suit dryer in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 18

is a schematic view of another embodiment of a multi-unit dry suit dryer of the invention;





FIG. 19

is a schematic view of a further embodiment of a multi-unit dry suit dryer of the invention;





FIG. 20

is a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of a primary insert;





FIG. 21

is a front exploded view of a further drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 22

is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 23

is an upper view of another embodiment of a neck insert of a drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 24

is a cross-sectional side view of a neck insert of a drying apparatus of the invention, as taken along line


24





24


of

FIG. 23

;





FIGS. 25

,


26


,


27


and


28


are partially cut-away front views of a dry suit and attached drying apparatus, showing steps in drying the interior of the dry suit;





FIG. 29

is a perspective view of a portable drying apparatus of the invention;





FIG. 30

is a perspecive view of another embodiment of a primary insert of a drying apparatus of the invention.





FIG. 31

is a perspective view of another embodiment of a portable drying apparatus of the invention, shown as installed on an exposure suit; and





FIG. 32

is a front cross-sectional view of a dryer case showing portions of a portable drying apparatus shown in FIG.


31


.











DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS




In this description, the term “exposure suit” will be used as being representative of body suits


10


to which the apparatus and method of the invention are directed. The term “exposure suit” is intended to include suits for diving (wet suits and dry suits), fire-fighting, handling toxic materials, “clean” suits, and the like.




As depicted in

FIGS. 1

,


2


and


3


, a dry suit


10


is shown which represents a variety of dry suits manufactured and sold under several trade names, as well known in the art. The depicted dry suit


10


is intended to maintain a diver (e.g. SCUBA diver) dry while underwater. The dry suit


10


prevents the incursion of water into the suit by seals about a diver's neck and wrists. The typical dry suit for diving is formed of a water impermeable flexible material such as a nylon fabric coated with polyurethane or crushed neoprene, and has a torso portion


12


, two leg portions


14


, two foot portions


16


adjoining the leg portions, and two arm portions


18


. In a common type of dry suit, the arm portions


18


terminate in arm cuffs


22


to which elastic wrist seals


20


are sealingly joined. Each wrist seal


20


has a wrist seal opening


24


through which a person's wrist may be passed. The unstretched size of each wrist seal opening


24


is such that circumferential stretching of the wrist seal


20


is required to accommodate a person's wrist. The wrist seal


20


is stretched sufficiently tightly about the wrist to seal the wrist seal opening


24


against the entry of water.




Dry suit


10


is also shown with an elastic neck seal


30


with a neck seal opening


34


. The neck seal


30


must be of an elasticity or stretchability such that a person's head may be easily passed through the stretched neck seal opening


34


, yet contract to sealingly compress against the person's neck to prevent entry of water into the dry suit


10


.




It should be noted that some dry suits


10


utilize “hard” or rigid arm cuffs


22


to which separate dry “hand enclosures”


132


and/or foot enclosures


134


may be sealingly attached by a snap or turning motion. The methods and apparatus of the invention are adapted for the treatment and drying of such dry suits


10


, as noted infra.




In

FIGS. 1-3

, the foot portions


16


of the particular dry suit


10


are shown as having no openings from the suit interior surface


26


to the suit exterior surface


28


, i.e. from the suit's interior space


80


to the atmosphere. In other words, the user's feet are fully enclosed by the dry suit


10


without intermediate sealing joints. However, some dry suits


10


are terminated at the wearer's ankles, with ankle seals


114


(see

FIG. 16

) similar to wrist seals


20


, for sealing against water entry about the ankles or legs. Similarly, the suit


10


may have hand enclosures, not shown in

FIGS. 1-3

, which may be sealably joined to the suit by wrist seals


20


.




As shown herein, the present invention may be effectively adapted to a wide variety of dry suits


10


, whether the suit is configured for the user's hands and/or feet to be (a) exposed, (b) enclosed by hand enclosures


132


and/or foot enclosures


134


which are connected to the suit at a separable joint, or (c) fully enclosed by arm portions


18


and/or foot portions


16


of the suit.




In this invention, it is important that a stream


38


of pressurized drying air passes through all portions of the suit


10


including the arm portions


18


and leg portions


14


as well as foot enclosures and hand enclosures, if attached to the suit. While even the circulation of unheated ambient air of 50+ percent relative humidity provides a great improvement over simply hanging the suit to dry in the atmosphere, circulation of air or gas which has a reduced relative humidity in accordance with this invention results in drying within a very much shortened time, e.g. less than an hour as compared to days of drying time. The actual drying time in this invention will depend upon the temperature and relative humidity of the drying air, air flow rate, and other factors.




Another important feature of this invention is the creation of a superatmospheric pressure within the body suit


10


to inflate and expand the suit, thereby removing creases.




During use, the wrist seals


20


and neck seal


30


(and leg seals if present) of a dry suit


10


must not be so tight as to significantly inhibit blood circulation or breathing, or to create panic. In particular, excessive compression of the neck seal


30


about a diver's neck could be fatal. Thus, the wrist seals


20


and neck seal


30


are generally formed of latex, rubber or neoprene and are configured to compress about the diver's neck, wrist or leg to effectively seal against water entry, without overcompression.




The dryer/treater apparatus


40


of the invention is used to dry the interior space


80


and interior surfaces


26


of a dry suit


10


following any activity which introduces moisture into the suit. Usually, dry suits


10


are washed or rinsed with water following use to remove perspiration and other contaminants from the interior surfaces


26


of the suits. Unless cleaned out and dried after use, a dry suit


10


is likely to become moldy and odorous.




In

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the dryer/treater apparatus


40


of the invention is shown as adapted to a dry suit


10


with wrist openings


24


with wrist seals


20


and fully enclosed foot spaces


62


. As shown, a primary insert


42


tightly fits into the neck seal opening


34


and prevents significant gas leakage from the interior space


80


of the dry suit


10


(or conversely, into the dry suit) even when a pressure drop exists between the interior space


80


and the ambient atmosphere.




An air blower assembly


44


is shown with a power cord


92


, and preferably has heating capability. The blower assembly


44


has air intake openings


46


, and a blower outlet


48


which is attached to the primary insert


42


, whereby incoming air


32


(typically ambient air) is compressed and blown as a stream


38


of pressurized drying air through blower outlet


48


into the dry suit


10


. The stream


38


of pressurized drying air “inflates” the dry suit


10


to a relatively low positive pressure to flatten or remove any creases. As the pressurized drying air passes through suit


10


as a continuous stream


38


, it absorbs moisture from the interior surfaces


26


of the suit. The air stream is continuously discharged as exhaust air


36


from the dry suit


10


.




The low positive pressure in the interior space


80


of a dry suit


10


is controlled by one or more insert exhaust orifices


52


in the primary insert


42


and/or in the secondary inserts


50


, the latter shown as fitting tightly in the wrist openings


24


. Each secondary insert


50


has an insert exhaust orifice(es)


52


which is/are sized to restrict the flowrate of exhaust air


36


to a predetermined value which will achieve (a) a desired inflation pressure and (b) a desired air flowrate for drying. The primary insert


42


, which is defined as the insert for entry of the stream


38


of pressurized drying air, may also have an insert exhaust orifice(s)


52


for discharging exhaust air


36


. The sizes of the insert exhaust orifices


52


, in combination, are configured to provide the desired flow rates of pressurized drying air


38


through each of the leg and arm portions


14


,


18


and torso portion


12


of the dry suit


10


, while simultaneously maintaining an appropriate internal suit pressure. As it passes through the moist dry suit


10


, the stream


38


of pressurized drying air increases in moisture content, and its temperature is reduced by the energy required for evaporation.




The dryer/treater apparatus


40


is shown in more detail in

FIGS. 2 and 3

, and includes an air distribution system


54


for carrying the stream


38


of pressurized drying air to closed portions of the suit


10


, i.e. the foot spaces


62


within the foot portions


16


. The air distribution system


54


may comprise, for example, a unitary Y-shaped network of conduit of tubing or hose of about one-half inch to about


3


inch diameter, including a primary conduit


56


and secondary conduits


58


joined to the primary conduit by a hollow Y-connector


60


. Conduits


56


,


58


are formed of a material which will not corrode or otherwise deteriorate. The conduits


56


,


58


may be rigid or semi-flexible, a preferred material being spiral flex tubing. Such spiral flex tubing formed of rubber or various polymeric materials is commercially available, for example, from Flexible Technologies, Inc. of Plymouth, Minn. This configuration is represented in FIG.


2


.




Thus, in this embodiment, incoming air


32


is drawn into the blower assembly


44


through intake openings


46


, optionally heated and passed in a continuous stream


38


of pressurized drying air through air distribution system


54


and discharged at each distal end


64


thereof. The discharged streams of drying air


66


, which includes portions thereof within each foot space


62


and leg portion


14


, pass toward the insert exhaust orifices


52


in the primary insert


42


and/or secondary inserts


50


, absorbing moisture en route, and are exhausted therefrom. In this manner, drying air passes over all interior surfaces


26


of the dry suit


10


to achieve rapid drying thereof.




If the secondary conduits


58


(

FIGS. 2 and 3

) have insufficient rigidity to maintain their distal ends


64


thereof within the terminal spaces of the limbs, e.g. foot spaces


62


, the distal ends


64


may be retained within the foot spaces by weights, not shown, or by conduit retainers


136


such as that illustrated in

FIGS. 3A and 3B

. In this embodiment, conduit retainer


136


comprises a smoothly finished resilient plastic retainer body


138


with a ferrule


140


angularly formed in the retainer body


138


. The retainer body


138


has a length


150


and width


152


whereby it easily fits within the foot space


62


. The retainer body


138


is shown with open spaces


142


therethrough to enhance air circulation throughout the foot space


62


. The distal end


64


of the secondary conduit


58


is passed through the ferrule


140


and retained thereby. When the stream


38


of pressurized drying air stream passes from the secondary conduit


58


as discharged pressurized drying air


66


, any reactionary force


144


tending to move the conduit


58


from the foot space


62


forces the rear end


146


of the retainer


136


against the inner heel surface


148


of the suit


10


, retaining the conduit within the foot space


62


.




In a further embodiment, the secondary conduits


58


are formed of auto-expanding members as illustrated in FIG.


21


.




During the drying process, the air pressure within the dry suit


10


is maintained so that the dry suit


10


is in a somewhat “inflated” or expanded state. In the uninflated state shown in

FIG. 4

, wall


70


A has creases


68


which trap water


86


along the suit's interior surfaces


26


. The inflation process


90


expands the dry suit


10


to form a generally creaseless wall


70


B as shown in FIG.


4


A. Thus all of the interior surfaces


26


of the dry suit


10


may be readily drained, and are exposed to the drying air stream


66


.




For the most effective drying, the stream


38


of pressurized drying air from the blower assembly


44


should have a low relative humidity. Thus, a heating element


88


may be incorporated into the blower assembly


44


for use when ambient air is too humid (high dew point) for effective drying. When diving in arid areas, where the ambient air has a low dew point temperature, heating of the incoming air


32


may not be necessary.




During the drying process, the exhaust air


36


may initially be at a temperature much lower than the temperature of incoming air


32


, and of a much greater humidity. Of course, as drying proceeds toward a completely dry condition, the moisture content of the exhaust air


36


will approach the moisture content of the incoming air


32


. When drying is completed, the absolute humidity and dew point of the incoming air


32


and exhaust air


36


will be identical.




The pressure required within the interior space


80


of a dry suit


10


will vary, depending upon the weight, rigidity, and crease tendency of the dry suit wall


70


, as well as the composition of the seals and closure zippers


31


(see FIG.


25


). The pressure drop in the air distribution system


54


is relatively small so that an effective air flow rate may be maintained without a high air pressure of air stream


38


at the blower outlet


48


. Using a well-known dry suit made by USIA of St. Helens, Ore., it was found that an internal pressure of about one inch water column (about 0.036 psi) sufficiently expanded the dry suit to remove wrinkles and effectively “inflate” the suit. While not all available dry suits


10


have been tested, it would appear that an effective interior pressure may range from about 0.5 inch water to about 6 inches water (about 0.018 to about 0.22 psi), depending upon the particular suit. Other types of body suits made of lightweight material may become sufficiently inflated at lower pressures. Other types of body suits


10


with heavy walls may require internal pressures up to about 27 inches water column (about 1 psi). Certain suits which are formed of an air-permeable material (such as a diving wet suit) may require a relatively high air flow to maintain a state of inflation at a relatively low positive pressure.




As depicted in

FIG. 5

, the regressive flow/pressure curve


76


of a theoretical blower fan design is shown. The curve


76


exceeds the design conditions anywhere between minimum desired operating flowrate


82


and minimum desired operating pressure


84


, this pressure range


85


comprising a desired operating range for the blower assembly


44


. The air distribution system and the secondary inserts of any of the embodiments described herein are designed to provide the desired pressure drop which will provide operation of the blower assembly


44


within pressure range


85


. Of course, as the blower output at desired pressure increases, the orifice sizes of the inserts are made larger.





FIG. 6

illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the dryer/treater apparatus


40


with center line


120


; the left side of the drawing is cross-sectioned through external portions of the dryer/treater apparatus


40


for clarity.




As depicted in

FIG. 6

, a dryer/treater apparatus


40


of the invention includes a blower assembly


44


with a fan


72


housed in fan housing


74


and driven by motor


100


through drive shaft


104


. The motor


100


is mounted in the fan housing


74


. One or more heating elements


88


are mounted in the fan housing


74


to heat the ambient incoming air


32


to a temperature above ambient, generally by about 20 to about 40 degrees F. Preferably, the incoming air


32


is heated to about 90 to 140 degrees F. The temperature must be less than that which will cause the dry suit wall


70


, neck seal


30


, wrist seals


20


, and ankle seals


98


to deteriorate or permanently change in flexibility. An overheat sensor/cutoff switch


89


may be included to prevent the air temperature from exceeding a preset temperature.




As shown in

FIG. 6

, the power cord


92


is connected to a power plug


106


for use in a 12 volt DC vehicle or marine outlet, not shown. Thus, for example, the apparatus may use battery power of a boat, automobile, truck or recreational vehicle. In this case the motor


100


and heating elements


88


are configured for 12 volt DC power. If drying is to be performed where


120


volt AC power, 240 volt AC power or other power source is available, the power plug


106


may include a transformer and rectifier to convert the higher AC voltage to standard 12 volt DC. A power supply device may be used to optionally use either standard 12 volt DC, or transform AC power to 12 volt DC, so that the dryer/treater apparatus


40


may be used in a variety of venues.





FIG. 6

shows a switch


108


for turning ON the fan motor


100


only, or the fan motor


100


together with the heating element(s)


88


.




The blower assembly


44


includes intake openings


46


by which intake ambient air


32


may be drawn by fan


72


past the heating elements


88


and discharged from fan housing outlet


110


through air duct


111


as stream


38


of pressurized drying air whose actual temperature is significantly higher than its dew point temperature.




The blower assembly


44


is mounted on, i.e. attached to a primary insert


42


with an internal duct


112


for directing the pressurized (and preferably heated) air stream


38


to the primary conduit


56


. The primary insert


42


is shown with external concentric steps


114


A,


114


B,


114


C and


114


D with progressively increasing diameter


116


A,


116


B,


116


C and


116


D, respectively, about centerline axis


120


. In the example of

FIG. 6

, the primary insert


42


is shown as inserted into a dry suit neck seal


30


so that the neck seal opening


34


is stretched to the step diameter


116


of step


114


B, this stretching providing the desired neck seal opening and retaining the design pressure within the dry suit


10


. The primary insert


42


has an outlet end


94


to which the primary conduit


56


is attached. As described above, the compressed (and preferably heated) air stream passes through the primary conduit


56


, is divided by a Y-connector


60


into two streams, each of which passes through a leg (or secondary) conduit


58


to a foot space


62


.




Where the conduit


58


has outer surfaces e.g. rubber which will adhere to the interior rubber surfaces


26


of a suit


10


, the conduit may be covered by a cloth e.g. open mesh nylon stocking, not shown, to ease entry of the conduit through a leg portion


14


.




In a further embodiment as discussed, infra, each of two primary conduits


56


may be insertable through a leg portion


14


, thus eliminating the Y-connector


60


.




While the distal discharge ends


64


of the conduits are shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3B

as being fully open, other configurations are possible. For example, in

FIG. 3C

, the discharge end


64


of a conduit


56


or


58


is shown as being closed, but with a pattern of openings


101


through the conduit wall


59


through which pressurized drying air


38


is introduced into the suit.




In

FIGS. 3D and 3E

, pressurized drying air


38


is shown as being deflected outward at the discharge end


64


by a device


102


comprising a deflector


102


A having its concave side


102


B attached to an insertion end


103


formed of crossed vanes


103


A. The insertion end


103


is tightly insertable in end


64


of the conduit


56


or


58


, i.e. whichever comprises the air discharge end. The device


102


is preferably formed of plastic. Use of the deflector device


102


reduces the counterforce tending to push a very flexible conduit from a leg portion


14


or arm portion


18


.




The fan housing outlet


110


may be joined to the primary insert


42


by cementation, screws, matching threads, latches, or other means including a slip-fit joint, any of which may be used to maintain them rigidly together and prevent air leakage therefrom. If desired, the fan housing


74


and primary insert


42


may be formed as an integral unit.




As shown in

FIG. 6

, one or more insert exhaust orifices


52


may be incorporated in the primary insert


42


for passage of exhaust air from the dry suit


10


.




The drying/treating apparatus


40


may be configured to use a commercially available hair dryer


77


to produce warmed compressed air. As shown in

FIG. 7

, such an apparatus


40


may include a primary insert


42


which has an opening


118


adapted to receive the outlet end


78


of a commercially available hair dryer


77


, as well as insert exhaust orifices


52


for passage of air from the suit interior space


80


. Many commercially available hair dryers


77


produce insufficient pressure to adequately inflate a dry suit


10


, however, and such are ineffective for extended use without increasing the motor horsepower and matching an appropriate fan


72


thereto.




As shown in

FIG. 7

, the primary insert


42


has an exterior surface


96


which has a series of steps


114


A,


114


B,


114


C, and


114


D of increasing diameter


116


A,


116


B,


116


C, and


116


D. A neck seal


30


is shown stretched over the step


114


B, which stretches and retains the neck seal at diameter


116


B.




Commercially available hair dryers


77


have control switches


108


and are typically configured to use 110 volt AC power. Thus, they are readily usable where AC power is available, or with an electric inverter.




The progressive diameter


116


feature of primary inserts


42


and secondary inserts


50


may take various forms, including the following:




(a) a plurality of steps


114


of increasing diameter, each step uniformly at one diameter;




(b) a plurality of steps


114


, but each step tapering at an angle of up to about 30 degrees from a low diameter to a high diameter, the low diameter of a subsequent step being greater than the high diameter of a prior step; and




(c) a simple stepless conical taper from a low diameter to a high diameter, where the stretching diameter may have any value between the low diameter and the high diameter.




The primary and secondary inserts


42


,


50


may be formed of plastic, metal or rubber, for example. If formed by molding, the inserts


42


,


50


may include spaces


122


(see

FIG. 7

) to reduce the weight and quantity of material used.




The air pressure which inflates the dry suit


10


is generally controlled by insert exhaust orifices


52


in the secondary inserts


50


as well as the primary insert


42


. It should be noted that in a preferred embodiment of the invention, all the existing entryways, including neck seal opening


34


, wrist seal openings


24


and/or ankle seal openings


154


, are substantially closed with inserts


42


,


50


, but each insert may have an exhaust orifice for discharging humidified air. A primary insert(s)


42


through which air is introduced may be installed in any of the openings


34


,


24


or


154


, and secondary inserts


50


installed in the remaining openings for controlled exhausting of humidified air.

FIGS. 8

,


9


,


10


,


11


,


12


,


13


,


13


A,


13


B, and


14


show various configurations of secondary inserts


50


which may be used. Typically, the primary insert


42


may utilize any of the single step or multi-step features depicted in these figures. The general configuration of a primary insert will be considered to be effectively truncated conical.




Like the primary insert


42


shown in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, the secondary inserts


50


may provide a range of step diameters


116


over which a wrist, ankle or neck seal


20


,


30


or


98


of a particular seal opening diameter


124


will be stretched.





FIGS. 8 and 9

show a secondary insert


50


with an outside stepless conical surface


123


about central axis


121


. The inside of the secondary insert


50


is hollow with interior surface


128


. The outside diameter, i.e. size is indicated by numbers on the secondary insert


50


which correspond to wrist size, for ease of installation. A wrist seal


20


with wrist opening


24


is shown stretched on secondary insert


50


to a scaled size between


4


and


5


.




The closed end


51


of secondary insert


50


has one or more insert exhaust orifices


52


which, together with orifices


52


in other inserts


42


,


50


provide the desired pressure drop from the suit interior space


80


to exterior of the suit exterior surface


28


(i.e. ambient). The total flow area (of both secondary inserts


50


) which is required will depend on the blower operating characteristics and can be calculated using straightforward engineering principles. Alternatively, it may be determined experimentally. For example, inserts having multiple insert exhaust orifices


52


may have orifices plugged one by one until the desired pressure is achieved. It can be seen, of course, that many devices enabling variable air flow rates may alternatively be used, including spring biased valves configured to open at a given pressure. For most purposes, however, use of the flow friction of orifices


52


provides a sufficiently precise pressure over a range of flowrates.





FIGS. 10 and 11

illustrate a secondary insert


50


with three steps


126


A,


126


B and


126


C of differing diameters


116


A,


116


B and


116


C, respectively. As shown, an indication of the diameter


116


may be indicated on the step for ease of installation. In this case, the diameter size is indicated by a letter A, B, C, etc.




The closed end


51


of secondary insert


50


has one or more insert exhaust orifices


52


whose total open flow area provide the desired pressure drop and gas flow rate from the suit interior space


80


to the suit exterior


28


(ambient), with the particular fan used.




Another form of a secondary insert


50


is shown in

FIG. 12

, having a plurality of steps


126


A,


126


B and


126


C which are slanted at a low step angle


130


of less than about 6-8 degrees from the central axis


121


of secondary insert


50


.




Another means for retaining a primary insert


42


or secondary insert


50


in the neck seal opening


34


, wrist seal opening


24


, or ankle seal opening


154


of a dry suit


10


is illustrated in

FIGS. 13A and 13B

. A seal such as a wrist seal


20


, generally formed of an elastic material, is bonded to the dry suit


10


and has a wrist seal opening


24


. In the example of

FIG. 13B

, a secondary insert


50


is placed in the wrist seal opening


24


and a generally circular elastic band


174


is placed over the insert and surrounding wrist seal


20


to hold the insert in place. In this example, the secondary insert


50


is shown as having a central axis


121


, fits a wrist seal opening diameter of


124


, and has insert exhaust orifices


52


and annular retaining lip


156


. The elastic band


174


is shown as having an oval cross-sectional shape, but it may be of any shape which effectively retains the secondary insert


50


within the seal opening. The elastic band


174


may be used with a primary insert


42


or secondary insert


50


at any of the neck seal


30


, wrist seal


20


, and/or ankle seal


98


.




The shape of the primary insert


42


and/or the secondary inserts


50


about central axes


121


need not be circular. The inserts may be ellipsoidal in shape, particularly in a form ranging from a circle to about a 35 degree ellipse, but without limitation thereto. In addition, the number of steps or the spacing therebetween is not limited to the values exemplified in the figures herein.




Where there is no need for inserts


42


,


50


with multi-step exteriors, inserts having a single step diameter


116


may be used. An embodiment of a secondary insert


50


with only a single step diameter


116


is depicted in

FIGS. 13 and 14

. Thus, for example, a molded secondary insert


50


having a single step diameter


116


on a cylindrical body


162


has an outwardly extending lip


156


at a first end


158


and a second end


160


generally closed by endwall


164


. The lip


156


retains the particular seal


20


,


30


, or


98


thereon. An exemplary longitudinal reinforcing structure


166


is shown with finger holes


168


for manipulating the insert


50


into and out of the seal. This feature may be incorporated into both primary inserts


42


and secondary inserts


50


. Airflow insert exhaust orifices


52


pass through the endwall


164


. Another feature which may be incorporated into a primary insert


42


or secondary insert


50


is a handle


170


, which also aids in inserting and removing the insert from a seal.




Some dry suits


10


used for diving have “hard” seals which comprise, for example, split locking rings which can be closed and opened by a snapping or rotational movement. An example of a further embodiment of the invention adapted to these type of seals is illustrated in

FIGS. 15 and 15A

. Thus, for example, a dry suit


10


will have a first locking ring


172


A at the suit opening, i.e. wrist, neck or ankle. For example, a commercially available dry suit may have a dry hand enclosure, not shown, with a matching locking ring and which is sealably attachable to the first locking ring


172


A. First and second locking rings together comprise the wrist seal


20


. In the apparatus of the present invention, a primary or secondary insert


42


,


50


with one or more insert exhaust orifices


52


may be formed with a locking ring


172


B, such that it may be sealingly connected to locking ring


172


A, for drying the suit interior surfaces


26


. As shown in

FIG. 15A

, the “secondary insert”


50


, i.e. second locking ring


172


B, may have hooks


134


which fit into latches


132


in the first locking ring


172


A, and lock by rotation. This type of insert


42


,


50


may be readily formed and is compact in size. A primary insert


42


having apparatus for blowing air into the suit


10


may also use locking rings or the like to match the neck, wrist or ankle seal configuration of the suit.




A further feature which may be incorporated into any insert


42


or


50


is shown in

FIGS. 15 and 15A

. A pressure indicator


178


is shown mounted on secondary insert


50


, with a pressure tube


178


A passing into the suit


10


, for determining the actual pressure within the suit. The indicator


178


may use a small pressure mechanism


178


B and be visible to a person using the drying apparatus. The pressure indicator may measure pressure over a relatively low range, for example from zero to 2 psig.




A further purpose of the primary insert


42


and secondary inserts


50


is to maintain the neck seal opening


98


, wrist seal openings


20


and/or ankle seal openings


30


in a slightly stretched or expanded condition which will ensure that during use, the seals will not overcompress the neck, wrists or ankles and endanger the user. Thus, the dry suit


10


may be stored with the inserts


42


,


50


installed within the openings


98


,


20


and/or


30


. Alternatively, the inserts


42


,


50


may be installed one or more days prior to diving, to pre-stretch the elastic seals.




In an alternative drying method shown in

FIG. 16

, no secondary inserts


50


are used. Instead, a relatively large flow stream


38


of low pressure compressed air is supplied by a blower through one of the suit openings. The airflow rate is sufficient to slightly inflate the dry suit


10


without inserts


42


,


50


. Typically, the stream


38


of pressurized drying air is discharged from the air distribution system


54


into a central portion, e.g. torso portion


12


of the suit, as drying air stream


66


. The air stream


66


is continuously exhausted from the suit


10


as exhaust air


36


through the neck seal opening


34


of neck seal


30


, wrist seal openings


24


of seal


20


, and ankle seal openings


154


of ankle seals


98


in the suit


10


. This embodiment is particularly useful where both the wrists and ankles have seals with openings.




Where the suit


10


being dried is a diving wet suit or other suit at least partially formed of an air-permeable material, it may be necessary to use secondary inserts


50


having no discharge exhaust orifices


52


to maintain a minimal inflation pressure. Alternatively, simple clamps may be used to close the wrist openings


24


and the ankle openings


154


.




Turning now to

FIGS. 16A and 16B

, which show an exposure suit


10


having only one opening, i.e. neck seal opening


34


, when the suit zipper


31


is closed. The suit


10


is shown with integral gloves or hand portions


19


and integral foot portions


16


. As shown in the figures, primary conduits


56


may first be extended into the foot portions


16


, and drying air passed through the conduit distal ends


64


until the interior surfaces


26


of the foot portions


16


, leg portions


14


and torso portion


12


are dry. The primary conduits


56


are then retracted from the foot portions


16


and placed in the arm portions


18


for drying the hand portions


19


and arm portions.





FIGS. 21 through 28

depict several variations in which may be incorporated in an exposure suit dryer/treater apparatus


40


. In the exploded view of

FIG. 21

, a blower assembly


44


(which normally includes a heater) may be assembled with a flow controller


300


to controllably supply drying air to two auto-extending conduits


56


. The conduits


56


are formed of thin plastic tubes which may be flattened and rolled up as shown. The rolled-up ends


57


will unfurl upon application of airflow into the conduits


56


. This type of conduit


56


occupies little space, enable easy mounting of the suit


10


on the primary insert


42


, and have reduced tendency to stick to or catch on the suit's interior surface


26


. The composition of the plastic conduits


56


may be controlled to provide a non-stick plastic. For example, the conduits


56


may comprise polyethylene tubing of 2-4 mil thickness which is joined to form flat tubing of the desired diameter (when inflated).




The flow controller


300


may take many forms, one embodiment of which is illustrated in

FIGS. 21-24

. The flow controller


300


includes a flow control piece


254


rigidly attachable to blower


44


, shown here as having an electrical switch


108


on handle


87


, and connectable to a power supply, not shown, by electrical power cord


92


. The control piece


254


includes side wall


258


and a control plate


260


with a control orifice


266


. The control piece


254


has a lower surface


262


with a central screw


43


about which the control piece may rotate in direction


264


relative to the upper surface


268


of an attached primary insert


42


. The control piece


254


is shown in ghost lines relative to the primary insert


42


in FIG.


24


.




The primary insert


42


is shown as a truncated cone with upper surface


268


, lower edge


269


and side surface


270


. The insert


42


is insertable and retainable in the neck seal opening


34


of a neck seal


30


. The upper surface


268


is shown with three openings, including an inflation channel


272


and two tube channels


274


,


276


. The tube channels


274


,


276


terminate in ferrules


278


and


280


, respectively, to which the inlet ends


65


of conduits


56


may be attached. For example, a conduit's inlet end


65


may be slipped over a ferrule and clamped in place. The inflation channel


272


leads into the interior of suit


10


for rapid inflation. The channels


272


,


274


,


276


are arranged in the upper surface


268


so that rotation of the control plate


260


will controllably provide airflow to any of (a) the inflation channel


272


only, (b) to one of the tube channels


274


,


276


(together with a portion of the inflation channel


272


, or (c) to both tube channels, merely by rotation of the control plate


260


about axis


120


of screw


43


. As shown, the blower outlet


48


is mounted within flow control piece


252


and retained rigidly therein by an attachment hook


256


, for example, which attaches to the blower


44


.




The flow control piece


254


and primary insert


42


are preferably formed of plastic, but may alternatively be made of hard rubber, aluminum or other essentially rigid material.





FIGS. 21-24

illustrate only one of many possible configurations of a flow controller


300


. Any configuration may be used by which the flow of drying air may be optionally controlled between simply a rapid filling of the suit


10


and conduits


56


leading to the foot portions


16


and/or hand portions


19


. Thus, the suit


10


may be first rapidly filled and inflated without passing significant quantities of air through the conduits


56


. Then, air may be directed to the conduits


56


, whether rigid, flexible or extendable, for introduction into the foot or hand portions. The introduced air dries the foot portions


16


, leg portions


14


and torso portion


12


as it passes upwardly through the suit


10


.





FIGS. 25

,


26


,


27


and


28


illustrate steps in initiating drying of a dry suit


10


using “inflatable” self-extending conduits


56


depicted in FIG.


21


. In this example, the dry suit


10


is shown with closed foot portions


16


and open arm portions


18


. As shown in

FIG. 25

, the dryer/treater apparatus


40


is installed in a dry suit


10


, with the conduits


56


preferably unrolled so that the rolled-up ends


57


are at a level approximately even with or below the crotch


33


, one conduit in each leg portion


14


. Secondary inserts


50


are placed in each arm or wrist opening. The zipper


31


is closed and the blower


44


activated to rapidly fill the suit


10


with air, inflating the suit. As shown in

FIG. 27

, the flow controller


300


is then activated to introduce air through one of the conduits


56


, forcing its distal end


64


into a foot portion


16


. As depicted in

FIG. 28

, the flow controller


300


is further activated to introduce air through the other conduit


56


, and the drying air


66


passes upwardly from the foot portions


16


to dry the interior surfaces


26


of the suit and discharge through secondary inserts


50


.





FIG. 29

illustrates a portable suit drying kit


282


which may be carried in a boat or vehicle. The kit


282


includes a container


284


holding a blower assembly


44


and heating element


88


. A swiveling mounting board


288


holds tube connectors


296


to which drying conduits


56


may be attached. The mounting board


288


is shown as swivelable to an angle convenient for sliding a suit


10


onto the conduits


56


, one conduit in each leg portion


14


. The kit


282


is illustrated with a power cord


92


, power switch


108


, air inlet


290


, a chain/cord to limit the movement of the mounting board


288


, and a handle


286


. In addition, a control lever


298


is shown which controls airflow to either or both conduits


56


. A primary insert


42


, not shown, is insertable into the suit's neck seal opening


34


. The kit will provide a primary insert


42


and secondary inserts


50


of any useful configuration; the primary insert may include a quick-inflation channel


272


as already described.





FIG. 30

shows a simple primary insert


42


which may be attached to the conduits


56


in a neck seal


30


following placement of the conduits in a suit


10


. The insert


42


has slits


294


which extend from the first and second tube channels


274


,


276


to the exterior. Thus, when formed of a material such as rubber, the insert


42


may be distorted to open the slits


294


, permitting passage of the conduits


56


therethrough.




Another embodiment of a portable suit drying kit


282


is depicted in

FIGS. 31 and 32

. In carrying case


284


is a low pressure air plenum


302


with openings


314


to the atmosphere for incoming air


32


. A blower inlet


316


permits air to flow from the low pressure plenum


302


to a centrifugal blower assembly


306


, which compresses air to a higher pressure and discharges it into high pressure plenum


304


. The blower assembly


306


is driven by motor


100


. A transfer hose


318


is attached to the high pressure plenum


304


to direct the pressurized air


306


to a primary insert


42


. The primary insert


42


is shown installed in the neck seal


30


of exposure suit


10


, for inflating and drying the suit. Secondary inserts


50


are depicted in the wrist seal openings


24


of the suit, for limiting the discharge rate of humidified air.




The maximum outlet pressure of a blower assembly


306


will typically be greater than the desired inflation pressure. Thus, for example, a blower assembly


306


capable of delivering a maximum pressure of 30 inches water column may typically be used to provide a positive pressure of less than 10 inches water column within an exposure suit


10


. If for example, the insert exhaust orifices


52


became plugged, the suit pressure may rise to a level where it will become damaged. In this dryer embodiment, excess pressure is relieved from the high pressure plenum


304


by an overpressure relief valve


250


. In a further safety feature shown in

FIG. 32

, passage of air through the relief valve


250


activates a noise generator


308


such as a whistle or chattering device. The noise will alert an attending person that the insert exhaust orifices


52


need to be cleared.




In the event that the drying air


306


requires heating to increase the drying rate, heating elements may be provided within the low pressure plenum


302


or high pressure plenum


304


.




It should be appreciated that case


284


may be sized to carry all parts of the drying apparatus, including the transfer hose


318


, conduits


56


, and inserts


42


,


50


. The case


284


is shown with a cover


310


and latches


312


for maintaining the case in a closed condition.




Apparatus for the simultaneous drying of a plurality of dry suits


10


is illustrated in

FIGS. 17

,


18


and


19


. As shown in

FIG. 17

, a multi-suit drying apparatus


180


comprises an air processing unit


182


and an air distribution unit


184


. As shown, the air processing unit


182


includes an air intake


186


, a blower


188


, and an air heater


190


, and has sufficient air flow and heating capacity to dry a plurality of suits


10


simultaneously. As shown, an air distribution system


54


comprises a bank of air conduits


192


A,


192


B, and


192


C for drying/treating a plurality of dry suits


10


. Each air conduit terminates in a primary insert


42


for introducing the air into a dry suit


10


, and may include valves


228


, tube connections, primary and/or secondary conduits


56


,


58


, inserts


42


and/or


50


, etc., as already described herein. Wet air is discharged through secondary inserts


50


as already described.




The air heater


190


may comprise apparatus for heating the compressed air stream


38


by electrical or other means. A heat pump, well known in similar arts, may be used to first cool the air stream


38


to condense water therefrom, and then reheat the air stream.




An optional feature of the air processing unit


182


is a chemical agent injection unit


194


for injecting a chemical agent


204


by pressure or by a venturi effect into the compressed air stream


38


. Where the chemical agent


204


is gas such as nitrogen, it may be injected as the total stream in the conduit


192


A,


192


B, or


192


C.




The multi-drying apparatus


180


may be automated to any degree, including a control panel, not shown, for controlling the operation of the various components. An automatic stop feature may be provided which halts the drying process based on the differential in humidity between the incoming drying air stream and the exhaust air. As illustrated in

FIG. 17

, the multi-drying apparatus


180


provides a once-through system wherein the drying air comprises fresh air which is compressed and heated.




As depicted in

FIG. 18

, the wet exhaust air


36


from each insert


42


,


50


in the wrist seals


20


and ankle seals


98


and/or neck seal


30


is collected in air pickup conduits


226


and combined into a recycle stream


196


which is directed to the blower


188


for recompression. A portion of the wet air recycle stream


196


may be vented as wet air stream


198


to the atmosphere, and replaced by an air makeup stream


200


. In this configuration, a heat pump is incorporated into the air heater


190


, and moisture


202


is condensed and removed from the stream


38


of pressurized drying air.





FIG. 19

illustrates further features which may be incorporated in a multiple-suit drying apparatus


180


. As shown, a distribution unit


184


comprises an air supply manifold


218


which controllably feeds a stream of pressurized drying air to each of a plurality of dry suits


10


through individual valved air conduits


192


A,


192


B,


192


C,


192


D, etc., each of which passes through a primary insert


42


. A valve


228


in each air conduit


192


A,


192


B,


192


C, and


192


D controls the flow of drying air into a dry suit


10


. A valve


228


is shut when the station A, B, C or D is idle. A control valve


230


or other device maintains the air pressure in the air supply manifold


218


.




In each drying station A,B, C or D, exhaust air pickup conduits


226


are provided with secondary inserts


50


to capture the wet exhaust air


36


passing from the suit


10


through insert exhaust orifices


52


, as previously described. A wet air manifold


222


collects the wet exhaust air


36


from pickup conduits


226


and recycles it for re-use. The air pickup conduits


226


are provided with valves


232


which may be shut when the station is idle.




Any number of stations may be provided in the multi-suit apparatus


180


, depending upon the air flow capacity of the blower


188


at the desired pressure.

FIG. 19

depicts the drying apparatus with station A configured for drying suits


10


with continuous foot portions


16


. Thus, the air conduit


192


A includes a primary conduit


56


and secondary conduits


58


.




Also shown is Station D configured for drying suits


10


with both wrist seals


20


and ankle seals


98


. Thus, the secondary inserts


50


are connected to the air pickup conduits


226


for capturing and recycling the wet exhaust air


36


as wet recycle stream


196


. Makeup air


200


may be added to wet recycle stream


196


or alternatively at other points in the air stream. The recycle stream


196


may then be passed through a particulate filter


210


to remove particulates. Filter


210


may be for example a physical (e.g. bed) filter or an electrostatic filter. The filtered air stream


234


is then compressed by compressor


248


or blower


188


to a positive pressure, and the pressurized air stream


38


is passed through post compression air cooling pipe


212


in a heat exchanger


214


, whereby the air stream


38


is cooled and water is condensed from the stream. For this type of system, the output pressure of the compressor


188


is at least 10 psi (pounds per square inch) but preferably is between about 10 psi and about 100-150 psi. Higher pressures would generally require compressors of greater sophistication, but may be practical for large drying installations.




The cooled air stream


236


is passed into an expansion chamber/separator


216


in which the pressure is lowered to a value consonant with achieving the desired pressure within dry suits


10


. Condensed water


224


together with a small quantity of entrained air is discharged. The dehumidified air stream


238


is passed through the heat exchanger


214


and heated by contact with the post compression air cooling pipe


212


and/or the head of the compressor. The heated dehumidified air stream


220


may be further heated by an auxiliary heater


190


if needed to increase evaporation in the dry suits


10


.




If it is desired to provide a chemical agent


204


to the heated dehumidified air stream


220


, the chemical agent


204


may be added to a mixing chamber


206


to combine with the heated dehumidified air stream


220


, for example, and the mixture is passed as a stream


38


of pressurized drying air to the air supply manifold


218


for controlled distribution to each suit


10


to be dried.




As shown in

FIGS. 17

,


18


and


19


, an overpressure release valve


250


for low pressure and an overpressure release valve


252


for suit supply are provided upstream and downstream of each valve


228


, to ensure that the air conduits


192


and exposure suits


10


, respectively, are not overpressurized. These valves


250


,


252


have a relatively low pressure setting, and valves


252


will be set to relieve pressurized air at a pressure only slightly higher than the desired pressure within the dry suits


10


.




The multi-suit drying apparatus


180


of

FIG. 19

is very energy-efficient for simultaneous drying of a plurality of dry suits


10


. Heat required for evaporation in the dry suits


10


is partially recovered by condensation in the post compression air cooling pipe


212


.




Any of the foregoing versions of secondary inserts


50


may be adapted to provide recycling of the wet air


176


discharged through exhaust orifices


52


. An example is depicted in

FIG. 20

, in which the insert


50


comprises a tubular shaped device with a first portion


246


comprising an upstream end insertable in a seal opening


24


,


34


, or


154


, a second portion


244


comprising a downstream end which is joined to an air pickup conduit


226


, and a cross-wall or bulkhead


242


generally perpendicular to the central axis


121


of the insert.




It is evident that various features of the differing embodiments described above may be combined. For example, a drying/treating apparatus


40


may comprise a blower/heater assembly


44


, and a conduit such as a flexible hose connected to the assembly


44


and a primary insert


42


, or otherwise having one end inserted into a dry suit


10


. Thus, the blower/heater assembly


44


is separated from the primary insert


42


by a conduit of any convenient length.




The numerous advantages of this invention have been noted in the above description. Other advantages may become evident as the drying apparatus is made and used commercialy or in defense applications. While the drying apparatus may be used to dry any body suit which may need internal drying, it is particularly useful in drying a so-called “dry suit” for diving which has either closed or open feet. Where the wearer's feet are exposed by open ankle seals


98


, the ankle seal openings


154


may be fitted with inserts


42


or


50


, with or without orifices


52


. Alternatively, the ankle seal openings


154


may be merely clamped shut or closed with an insert, and dry air introduced at the lower terminus of each leg.




Various embodiments of the dryer described herein may find usefulness in drying other types of apparatus. For example, the dryer may be used to dry various containers, particularly those which are elongate or have difficult access.




It is apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes, additions and modifications may be made in the improved method and apparatus for drying/treating the interior of an exposure suit as disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the protection desired is defined by the appended claims including equivalents thereof:



Claims
  • 1. An apparatus for removing moisture from a water resistant or waterproof exposure suit which has a neck opening and at least one of wrist openings and feet openings between an interior and an exterior of the suit, the apparatus comprising:a blower for blowing drying air in a stream at an elevated pressure; conduit means connected to said blower and configured to pass through one of said openings into said interior, to discharge said drying air stream into the interior of said suit; flow-limiting means insertable into at least one of said wrist openings and foot openings; whereby said air stream is directed into the interior to absorb said moisture, be humidified thereby and to be discharged from openings including at least one of the wrist openings, and a neck opening.
  • 2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising heating means to heat said air stream.
  • 3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said heater has a heating capacity enabling heating said air stream to a temperature of between about 90 degrees F. and about 140 degrees F.
  • 4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2, further comprising means for activating and deactivating said heater.
  • 5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said exposure suit comprises one of a diving dry suit, a diving wet suit, a fire fighting suit, a temperature insulating suit, a hazardous material cleanup suit, a clean suit and a sterility suit.
  • 6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said conduit means is configured to pass through said neck opening.
  • 7. An apparatus in accordance with claim 6, wherein said neck opening has a neck seal, and further comprising a primary insert attachable to said conduit means and to said neck seal to maintain elevated pressure in said interior.
  • 8. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said flow-limiting means comprises an insert plugging one of said wrist opening and said foot opening, said insert having an orifice therethrough having a size configured to discharge a controlled flowrate of humidified air from the suit interior to the atmosphere.
  • 9. An apparatus in accordance with claim 8, further comprising means for adjusting the flowrate between a lower value and an upper value.
  • 10. An apparatus in accordance with claim 9, wherein said lower value of flowrate is substantially zero.
  • 11. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said flow-limiting means is generally conical for plugging a variety of sizes of one of said wrist openings and foot openings.
  • 12. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said flow-limiting means is stepped, each step comprising a surface for plugging a size of one of said wrist openings and foot openings.
  • 13. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a semi-rigid ring for clamping one of a wrist seal and a foot seal to said flow-limiting means.
  • 14. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said suit has mechanical attachment means for attaching at least one of hand portions and foot portions to the suit, and wherein said flow-limiting means has mechanical locking means for attachment to said mechanical attachment means.
  • 15. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising pressure measuring means attached to said flow-limiting means and having a visible indicator to indicate pressure in the suit interior.
  • 16. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said flow-limiting means limit airflow therethrough to maintain said interior at an elevated pressure which inflates and smooths the exposure suit to a pressure below a damage-causing pressure.
  • 17. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said flow-limiting means limit airflow therethrough to maintain said interior at an elevated pressure of about 0.02 psig to about 1 psig (about 0.5 inches to about 27 inches water).
  • 18. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said flow-limiting means limit airflow therethrough to maintain said interior at an elevated pressure which inflates and smooths the exposure suit to a pressure below a damage-causing pressure.
  • 19. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising means for activating and deactivating said blower.
  • 20. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said conduit means comprises two conduits, each conduit configured to be inserted into a leg portion of said suit for introducing drying air to said foot portions.
  • 21. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said conduits comprise one of rigid and semi-rigid members.
  • 22. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said conduits comprise shape-retaining bendable tubes.
  • 23. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said conduits comprise plastic membranes flattenable and rollable into cylinders.
  • 24. A portable drying apparatus for drying an exposure suit having an interior and an exterior comprising a torso portion, arm portions, leg portions, foot portions, neck opening an wrist openings, said apparatus comprising:an electric blower for compressing a drying stream of air; a primary insert for plugging said neck opening of an exposure suit; two conduits attachable to said primary insert and extendable into leg portions of said suit; at least one conduit opening passing through said primary insert for attachment of conduits thereto; an inflation opening passing through said primary insert for enhanced airflow to said interior; means for directing airflow from said blower to said primary insert; and means for controlling airflow from said blower to alternately flow through one of said inflation opening and said conduit opening.
  • 25. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 24, further comprising a heater for heating said drying air.
  • 26. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 24, further comprising wrist inserts for plugging said wrist openings, and secondary wrist inserts having orifices therethrough for discharge of air from said interior.
  • 27. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 24, wherein said conduits comprise one of rigid and semi-rigid members.
  • 28. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 24, wherein said conduits comprise shape-retaining bendable tubes.
  • 29. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 24, wherein said conduits comprise plastic membranes flattenable and rollable into cylinders.
  • 30. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 24, wherein said means for controlling airflow comprises a valve including a pair of mating rotatable members, one member having an inflation orifice and at least one conduit orifice and the other member having an orifice configured to be movable between said inflation orifice and said at least one conduit orifice.
  • 31. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 24, further comprising a carrying case for containing all elements of said drying apparatus.
  • 32. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 31, wherein said carrying case includes means for attaching said conduits thereto and holding said conduits at an upward angle for mounting of said suit thereon.
  • 33. A portable drying apparatus for drying an exposure suit, comprising:a carrying case; air pressurization means in said case, comprising; a first plenum communicating with the atmosphere for providing input air; a centrifugal blower mounted on said first plenum and configured to draw air therefrom a motor for driving said blower; a second plenum for accepting compressed air from said blower; tube means for passage of compressed air from said second plenum to an exposure suit; and means for relieving excess pressure of compressed air from said apparatus to prevent overpressurization of said exposure suit.
  • 34. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 33, wherein said means for relieving excess pressure comprises a relief valve to discharge excess air and prevent overpressurization of said exposure suit.
  • 35. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 33, further comprising noise-making means indicative of said discharge of excess air.
  • 36. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 35, wherein said noise-making means comprises one of a whistle and chatter caused by movement of said excess air.
  • 37. A portable drying apparatus in accordance with claim 33, further comprising a heater mounted in one of said plenums to heat said drying air.
  • 38. An apparatus for drying an exposure suit having an exterior and an interior and a neck opening and at least one of wrist openings and foot openings between said interior and said exterior, said apparatus comprising:a blower for compressing air to an elevated pressure; an electrical heater in communication with said blower for heating the compressed air; conduit means having: a first end in communication with said blower; and a second end insertable through said neck opening; a primary insert sealingly attached to said conduit means and configured to be sealingly inserted within said neck opening; at least one secondary insert having a flow-restricting opening therethrough, said secondary insert sealingly insertable within at least one of said wrist openings and said foot openings to control discharge of humid air from said interior and form elevated pressure therein; and electrical means for operating said blower and heater for discharging warm air from said second end of conduit means into said interior.
  • 39. An apparatus in accordance with claim 38, wherein a said secondary flow-restricting insert is attachedly inserted in each of said at least one of wrist openings and foot openings to limit the total flow of humid air from said interior and maintain said pressure therein.
  • 40. An apparatus in accordance with claim 38, wherein said conduit means comprises:a pair of conduits, each of said pair configured to terminate in one of said foot portion and hand portion for discharging warm air therein.
  • 41. An apparatus in accordance with claim 38, further comprising:means for recovering said discharged humid air; means for removing humidity therefrom; and means for introducing said dehumidified recovered air to said blower.
  • 42. An apparatus in accordance with claim 41, wherein said means for removing moisture comprises means for cooling, condensing and discharging moisture therefrom.
  • 43. An apparatus in accordance with claim 35, further comprising means for injecting a chemical agent into said air stream.
  • 44. An apparatus in accordance with claim 43, wherein said chemical agent is a gas comprising at least one of an antifungal agent, antibacterial agent, inert gas and ozone.
Parent Case Info

This application claims the benefit of Provisional application Ser. No. 60/210,915, filed Jun. 12, 2000.

US Referenced Citations (4)
Number Name Date Kind
4997000 Feast Mar 1991 A
5379525 Raynor Jan 1995 A
5713137 Fujita Feb 1998 A
5862606 Jannach Jan 1999 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
3912835 Dec 1989 DE
468212 Jan 1992 EP
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/210915 Jun 2000 US