Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DEMAND VALVE FOR USE IN A BREATHING EQUIPMENT
TECHNICAL FIELD
Embodiments herein relate to a demand valve. In particular, embodiments herein
relate to a demand valve, a breathing equipment comprising a demand valve and
an
immersion survival suit comprising a demand valve and/or a breathing
equipment.
BACKGROUND
A demand valve is a term normally used for the part of a regulator in a
breathing
equipment used under water which delivers pressurized gas, such as, e.g.
compressed
air, to a user of the breathing equipment, e.g. a scuba diver. The demand
valve is
constructed so that pressurized gas is delivered to the user only when the
user is
breathing in. Before delivering the air to the user via a mouth piece, the
demand valve
may also reduce the gas pressure of the pressurized gas to an ambient gas
pressure in
order to facilitate easy breathing of the pressurized gas. The terms demand
valve and
regulator are often here used interchangeably. Other common terms used for a
demand
valve may also be an air regulator, a diving regulator, a gas pressure
regulator or similar.
Breathing equipment for use under water which commonly employ a demand
valve is scuba gear or a surface supplied diving equipment. In this case, the
pressurized
gas may be supplied from a cylinder or container worn by the user of the scuba
gear, or
via a hose from a compressor or a bank of cylinders on the surface, such as,
e.g.
in surface-supplied diving.
In some recent applications, breathing equipment comprising a demand valve and
a supply of pressurized gas has been incorporated into immersion survival
suits. An
immersion survival suit is a special type of waterproof dry suit that protects
the wearer
from hypothermia when immersed in cold water, for example, after abandoning a
sinking
or capsized vessel, especially out on an open ocean. In these applications,
the breathing
equipment may prevent the wearer of the immersion survival suit from drowning
while
attempting to make his way out of the sinking or capsized vessel by providing
a short term
supply of pressurized gas. In this type of emergency situations, quick and
efficient use of
the breathing equipment may be vital for survival.
SUMMARY
It is an object of embodiments herein to provide a quick and efficient use of
a
demand valve during an emergency situation.
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According to a first aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by
providing a demand valve for use in a breathing equipment. The demand valve
comprises
an actuating device arranged to upon contact with water move a cover from a
first position
to a second position, wherein the cover in the first position allows ambient
air to enter the
demand valve and wherein the cover in the second position prevents ambient air
from
entering the demand valve thus allowing pressurized gas to enter the demand
valve.
By having a demand valve as described above which, when in contact with water,
closes off access to ambient air and opens up access to pressurized gas, a
user of the
breathing equipment may be allowed to breathe via the demand valve even before
the
user actually needs to be supplied with the pressurized gas, i.e. before the
actual
emergency situation. This may be performed without risking a limited amount of
pressurized gas to be reduced or emptied by the time the user actually
requires to be
supplied with the pressurized gas, i.e. during the actual emergency situation,
such as,
being under water. This will also reduce the amount of actions which needs to
be taken by
the user during the actual emergency situation by eliminating the actions of
having to
activate the breathing equipment and enter the demand valve into the user's
mouth.
Hence, a quick and efficient use of a demand valve during an emergency
situation
is provided.
In some embodiments, the ambient air is allowed to enter the demand valve
through one or more inlets of the demand valve when the cover is in the first
position. In
this case, the one or more inlets of the demand valve may be closed, i.e.
blocked, by the
cover when the cover is in the second position. By having its access to
ambient air
closed-off or blocked, the demand valve will start acting like a regular
demand valve and
start deliver pressurized gas to the user as the user is breathing in.
Also, in some embodiments, the actuating device and/or the cover may be
arranged on the outside of the demand valve. This may advantageously provide a
visual
confirmation to the user that the demand valve has switched from delivering
ambient air to
delivering pressurized gas to the user, as well as, provide the user with the
ability to move
the cover by hand in case the actuating device fail to deploy when in contact
with water. In
some embodiments, the actuating device and the cover may be at least partly
arranged in
a housing on the outside of the demand valve.
Further, the actuating device may according to some embodiment be a spring
loaded actuator arranged to deploy in contact with water. This advantageously
provides a
reliable mechanical mechanism for switching the demand valve from delivering
ambient
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air to delivering pressurized gas. Additionally, in some embodiments, the
demand valve
may comprise an indicator arranged to indicate in which of the first or second
position the
cover is currently in. This may advantageously further provide the user with a
visual
confirmation that the demand valve has switched from delivering ambient air to
delivering
pressurized gas to the user.
Furthermore, the demand valve may also be arranged to be connected to a
container of the breathing equipment comprising pressurized gas, e.g.
compressed air.
According to further aspects of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by
a
breathing equipment comprising such a demand valve as described above, and by
an
immersion survival suit comprising such a demand valve and/or breathing
equipment as
described above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments will now be described in more detail in relation to the enclosed
drawings.
Figs. 1-2 illustrate external views of embodiments of the demand valve.
Fig. 3 is a first sectional view illustrating embodiments of the demand valve.
Fig. 4 is a second sectional view illustrating embodiments of the demand
valve.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The figures are schematic and simplified for clarity, and they merely show
details
which are essential to the understanding of the embodiments presented herein,
while
other details have been left out. Throughout, the same reference numerals are
used for
identical or corresponding parts or steps.
Figs. 1-2 show external views illustrating embodiments of a demand valve 100.
In
Fig. 1, the demand valve 100 comprise a cover 111 being in a first position.
In this first
position, the cover 111 allows ambient air to enter the demand valve 100 via
one or more
inlets 120. In Fig. 2, the cover 111 of the demand valve 100 has been moved,
i.e. slid or
actuated, into a second position as shown by the arrows in Fig. 2. In this
second position,
the cover 111 blocks the one or more inlets 120 and prevents ambient air from
entering
the demand valve 100. Furthermore, as the cover 111 is moved into this second
position,
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the demand valve 110 will switch from providing a user with ambient air via
the one or
more inlets 120 to providing the user with pressurized gas. The latter meaning
that the
demand valve 100 will start performing the task of acting as a normal
regulator, i.e. deliver
pressurized gas to the user as the user is breathing in.
An example of a suitable use of the demand valve 100 is when the demand valve
100 is comprised in a breathing equipment or system of an immersion survival
suit (not
shown). In this case, the amount of the pressurized gas available via a
pressurized gas
container of the breathing equipment may be limited. A reason for this may be
that the
pressurized gas container needs to be a small-sized container in order to, for
example,
enable the breathing equipment to be incorporated into the immersion survival
suit without
impeding the user's ability to freely move around. For example, the supply of
pressurized
gas in such breathing equipment may typically be enough for up to 1-2 minutes
of
breathing; this breathing time, however, will depend on both the size of the
container and
the gas pressure therein which also may vary depending on the intended use.
In this case, when the user of the immersion survival suit is prompted to
start
preparing for an emergency situation, such as, for example, an evacuation of a
sinking or
capsized vessel, the demand valve 100 of the breathing equipment is set to
deliver
ambient air to the user. This enables the user to breathe directly from the
surrounding air
via the demand valve 100 and not waste any of the limited amount of available
pressurized gas in the pressurized gas container. However, when the demand
valve 100
is exposed to water, the demand valve 100 automatically and instantaneously
switches to
deliver pressurized gas to the user from the pressurized gas container
instead. Thus, the
demand valve 100 will advantageously reduce the consumption of pressurized gas
in the
breathing equipment while the user is above the surface, i.e. not yet immersed
under
water. A further advantage of the demand valve 100 is that the user of the
immersion
survival suit does not have to think about or consider any activation steps of
the demand
valve 100 during, for example, a stressed and task loaded situation, such as,
an
evacuation procedure.
Furthermore, the demand valve 100, the breathing equipment and/or the
immersion
survival suit may also advantageously be part of emergency equipments that are
intended
for use as part of evacuation systems in helicopters, airplanes, ships, boats,
armoured
vehicles, and/or smoked-filled or burning rooms or buildings. It should also
be noted that
the demand valve 100 and/or breathing equipment may advantageously be
incorporated
into other suitable suits, wearable costumes, equipments or systems.
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More detailed descriptions of the embodiments of the demand valve 100 is
described below with reference to the sectional views illustrated in Figs. 3-
4.
Fig. 3 shows a first sectional view of embodiments of the demand valve 100. It
should be noted that the cover 111 of the demand valve 100 in this first
sectional view is
in the first position as shown in Fig. 1.
The demand valve 100 comprises a demand valve housing 101. The demand
valve housing 101 of the demand valve 100 may comprise all required parts to
be able to
function and perform the task of a normal regulator. This is not described in
any further
detail herein since the function of a normal regulator and the required parts
therein are
considered to be known in the art. However, it should be noted that the demand
valve
housing 101 may comprise a connector 131.
The connector 131 allows the demand valve 100 to be connected to a container
of
pressurized gas, such as, for example, compressed air. The connector 131 may,
for
example, be a fastener or fastening means for ensuring an air tight connection
between
the demand valve 100 and a container of pressurized gas, e.g. via a breathing
hose. The
container of pressurized gas may be a small-sized container capable of being
incorporated as part of a breathing equipment in an immersion survival suit.
The demand
valve 100 further comprises a housing 112. The housing 112 may also be
referred to as
a cover housing.
In some embodiments, the housing 112 may form part of or be incorporated into
the demand valve housing 101. Also, in some embodiments, the housing 112 may
be
externally fixed to or be detachably mounted onto the demand valve housing
101. In some
embodiments, the housing 112 may also be incorporated on the inside of the
demand
valve housing 101 (not shown). The housing 112 may comprise an actuating
device 110
and/or a cover 111.
The actuating device 110 may also be referred to as an actuating means or
actuator. The actuating device 110 may be a mechanical mechanism arranged to
deploy
in contact with water. This means that, when in contact with water, the
actuating device
1 1 0 will be triggered to actuate, i.e. slide or move, the cover 111 from a
first position (as
shown in Fig. 3) to a second position (as shown in Fig. 4). One example of
such an
actuating device 110 is a spring loaded actuator. Further examples may
comprise an
actuator that is hydraulic, electric, pneumatic, mechanic, or servo
controlled. Note that the
actuating device 110 is not described in any further detail herein since
actuators adapted
to deploy in contact with water are considered to be known in the art.
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The cover 111 may further be referred to as a sliding or moving portion or
part of
the demand valve 100. The cover 111 may surround the demand valve housing 101
and
be movably comprised in the cover housing 101. In some embodiments, when the
housing 112, the actuating device 110 and the cover 111 is incorporated on the
inside of
the demand valve housing 100, the cover 111 may surround the inside of the
demand
valve housing 101 and be movably comprised in the cover housing 101 and in the
demand valve housing 100. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cover 111 may
also
be adapted to be actuated manually by the user, i.e. the user may by hand move
the
cover 111 from the first position to the second position. This may be used as
a back-up
procedure in case the actuating device 110 fails to actuate the cover 111 from
the first
position to the second position, i.e. fails to deploy.
As a default and prior to exposure to water, the cover 111 will be present in
the
first position as shown in Fig. 3. This means that one or more inlets 120
comprised in the
demand valve housing 101 of the demand valve 100 will be in contact with the
ambient
air, thus allowing the ambient air to flow into the demand valve housing 101
and be
delivered to a user of the demand valve 100. This is shown by the dashed
arrows in Fig. 3
indicating the flow path of the ambient air through the demand valve 100. The
one or
more inlets 120 in the demand valve housing 101 may also be referred to as
holes or
channels that allows ambient air to flow into the demand valve housing 101 of
the demand
valve 100.
Fig. 4 shows a second sectional view of embodiments of the demand valve 100.
It
should be noted that the cover 111 of the demand valve 100 in this second
sectional view
is in the second position as shown in Fig. 2.
When actuated by the actuating device 110, the cover 111 will be actuated into
the
second position. This is shown by the fully-drawn arrow in Fig. 4. In this
second position,
the cover 111 is adapted to provide a water tight closure of the one or more
inlets 120.
This will also trigger the demand valve 100 to start performing the task of
acting as a
normal regulator. This means that the demand valve will, as the user is
breathing in, start
to deliver pressurized gas to the user via the connector 131 from the
container of
pressurized gas. This is shown by the dashed arrows in Fig. 4 indicating the
flow path of
pressurized gas through the demand valve 100.
In some embodiments, the demand valve 100 may comprise an indicator (not
shown) arranged to indicate in which of the first or second position the cover
111 is
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currently in. The indicator may also be referred to as indicating means. For
example, the
indicator may be a part 141 of the cover 111, which part 141 is only visible
in the second
position, having a distinct and different color than the rest of the cover
111. Besides
providing a visual indication, the indicator may also be arranged to provide a
tactile or
audible confirmation.
The terminology used in the detailed description of the particular embodiments
illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the
described
demand valve, which instead should be construed in view of the enclosed
claims.
As used herein, the term "and/or" comprises any and all combinations of one or
more of the associated listed items.
Further, as used herein, the common abbreviation "e.g.", which derives from
the
Latin phrase "exempli gratia," may be used to introduce or specify a general
example or
examples of a previously mentioned item, and is not intended to be limiting of
such item.
If used herein, the common abbreviation "i.e.", which derives from the Latin
phrase "id
est," may be used to specify a particular item from a more general recitation.
The common
abbreviation "etc.", which derives from the Latin expression "et cetera"
meaning "and
other things" or "and so on" may have been used herein to indicate that
further features,
similar to the ones that have just been enumerated, exist.
As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to
comprise
also the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be
further
understood that the terms "includes," "comprises," "including" and/or
"comprising," when
used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, actions,
integers, steps,
operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or
addition of
one or more other features, actions, integers, steps, operations, elements,
components,
and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms comprising technical and scientific terms
used
herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill
in the art
to which the described embodiments belongs. It will be further understood that
terms,
such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as
having a
meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant
art and will not
be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so
defined herein.
The embodiments herein are not limited to the above described preferred
embodiments. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used.
Therefore, the above embodiments should not be construed as limiting.
