The invention relates generally to an emergency underwater breathing device, and more specifically, to a small form factor underwater breathing device that can be worn on a person during water activities.
Water activities such a surfing, open water swimming, water skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling and the like, each put people in danger of drowning. Large waved and undercurrents can unexpectedly create an emergency scenario in which immediate and reliable access to air is necessary. Scuba divers supplied with large, heavy compressed air tanks can also be put in emergency situations due to defects and depletion, for example.
A timeless difficulty with safety equipment in water activities is that the size and weight of such equipment limits a person from enjoyment of the activity. For example, conventional compressed air tanks used by scuba divers are so large and heavy, and are not tightly attached to the body to be amenable for a surfer. Similarly, life jackets, although relatively lightweight, are very bulky in order to provide buoyancy.
In particular, the large size of conventional air tanks led to the design of a 90 degree mouthpiece so that the air tanks can be vertically oriented. As such, the air tanks fit comfortably against a torso out of the way during dives. The 90 degree design can require additional space-consuming components.
It would be desirable to address these and other shortcomings of water safety.
The above shortcomings are addressed by a miniature breathing device for underwater breathing that can be worn on a person during water activities, and method for operating the same.
In one embodiment a small form factor and lightweight housing suitable is utilized for submerging in water (e.g., shallow water). The small form factor prevents disruption of activities of a user undertaken while wearing the miniature breathing device. A canister within the housing stores a mixture of breathable fluid.
In an embodiment, an actuator on the housing is implemented to controllably release the compressed air from the canister. A regulator piston within the housing is shaped with chambers to decompress the compressed air to breathable form. A mouthpiece opening of the housing provides breathable air to lips of a user. A strap secures the miniature breathing device to the user during activities, and breaks away quickly when needed during an emergency.
In another embodiment, an inline design avoids the typical 90 degree mouthpiece design. In more detail, a mouthpiece is inline with a user's mouth so that the miniature breathing device is generally horizontal during use.
Advantageously, water activities can be enjoyed in comfort of safety during an emergency situation. A miniature breathing device is small enough to stay out of the way, while being attached in a secure manner.
In the following drawings, like reference numbers are used to refer to like elements. The Figures depict various embodiments for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that other embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the described principles.
3B are perspective diagrams illustrating cross-section views of the miniature breathing device, according to some embodiments.
The present disclosure provides a miniature breathing device for use in underwater breathing, and methods for operating the same.
Each of the exterior components house several interior components exposed by the exploded view. A canister 232 fits within the lower body 230. The canister 232 can be, for example, 3 or 4 inches long and have 14 ml at 1 Atm and store 12 grams of CO2. The contents can be compressed air, O2, or similar breathable fluid. Supposing a male inspiratory capacity is about 3.5 L and a female is about 2.4 L, 1 to 2 breaths of usable lung volume is provided by the canister 232. An implementation-specific mixture of compressed air and is sealed by a membrane. A piercing valve 234 has a needle on one end facing the canister 232 to pierce the sealing membrane in order to release gas. A valve body 236 directs a path of released gas. Along with a regulator piston 224, the pressure is reduced to a useable level.
The upper body 220 actuates the miniature breathing device 100 when the actuator button 222 is depressed by a user. The regulator piston 224 creates a flow path for air between the canister 232 and the mouthpiece 210, and also controls release of the air mixture. A return spring 226 controls the air path by opening the piston when depressed and closes the piston when released. In an embodiment, the actuator button 222 releases more compressed air when pressed harder and/or for a longer duration.
The mouthpiece 210 covers a one-way valve 212 that fits within the upper body 220. The fitting allows air to be released to the mouthpiece 210 in one direction. At the same time, the one-way valve 212 prevents ingress of water into the air pathway, essentially water-proofing the miniature breathing device 100.
From the current view, the canister 232 is shown to protrude into the regulator piston 224. Further, the piercing valve creates an opening of the air mixture to escape the canister 232. However, the return spring 226 blocks the opening prior to being actuated. It is when the return spring 226 is compressed, that the opening is unblocked and the air mixture can travel through the regulator piston 224. Chambers 310A,B within the regulator piston 224 are positioned and sized to allow the air mixture to expand to a usable pressure. More specifically, in one embodiment, chamber 310A is larger than an inlet opened by a depressed return spring 226, and chamber 310B is larger than an inlet from the chamber 310B. A slight offset between the chambers 310A and 310B provides further pressure regulation.
In some embodiments, the canister 232 can be removed and replaced or refilled by unscrewing the exterior components. In other embodiments, the canister 232 is refilled without any or with minimal disassembly.
In other alternatives, aggressive chamfers (e.g., grooves) made of rubber provide better gripping, especially in wet environments. Other designs are worn like a glove for even more security.
In one embodiment, an inline design allows the miniature size relative to conventional breathing tanks. In more detail, conventional devices using a 90 degree mouthpiece allow the tank to conveniently orient from vertically but can require additional space-consuming components to operate. The miniature breathing device 100 being small in size and temporary in use, is able to conserve space with the inline design in which the canister 232, the chambers 310A,B, and mouthpiece 210 are oriented generally in a parallel manner.
In yet another embodiment, the miniature breathing device 100 is preferably used in shallow water situations (e.g., 5 or 10 feet deep) that are not subject to the more intense pressure of deep waters. As a result, components can be lightweight.
As will be understood by those familiar with the art, the subject matter described herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Likewise, the particular naming and division of the portions, modules, agents, managers, components, functions, procedures, actions, layers, features, attributes, methodologies, data structures and other aspects are not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms that implement the subject matter or its features may have different names, divisions and/or formats. The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain relevant principles and their practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize various embodiments with or without various modifications as may be suited to the particular use contemplated.
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Lindh et al, Delmar's Comprehensive Medical Assisting Administrative and Clinical Competencies, 2009, 4th Edition, p. 573. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20160310768 A1 | Oct 2016 | US |