CPC B63C 11/202 (2013.01) [B63C 11/14 (2013.01); B63C 11/18 (2013.01); B63C 11/20 (2013.01); B63C 11/2227 (2013.01); B63C 11/207 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
1. A system to provide breathable air to a submerged diver, including: a floating pump assembly comprising:
a buoyant element,
a pump coupled to said buoyant element, said pump having a pump inlet fluidly coupled to the atmosphere, and a pump outlet, said pump operating to provide pressurized breathable air at the pump outlet at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure by no more than 25 psi;
a breathable air regulator assembly including
a regulator chamber having a regulator inlet and a regulator outlet,
a mouthpiece fluidly coupled to the regulator chamber and having a breathing aperture, and
a pressure sensor to sense pressure changes within the regulator chamber associated with diver inhalation and exhalation and to provide a regulator pressure signal indicative of the pressure changes;
tubing coupling the pump outlet to the regulator inlet;
a breathable air determination unit to determine when breathable air is needed by the diver based on the regulator pressure signal, and to provide a breathable air signal indicative of whether breathable air is needed by the diver; and
a pump controller to control the operation of the pump in providing breathable air to the diver, based on the breathable air signal.
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13. A system to provide breathable air to a submerged diver, comprising:
a pump having a pump inlet fluidly coupled to the atmosphere and a pump outlet, said pump operating to provide pressurized breathable air to a submerged diver at a second pressure greater than atmospheric pressure by no more than 25 psi;
a breathable air regulator assembly including a regulator chamber having a regulator inlet and a regulator outlet, a mouthpiece fluidly coupled to the regulator chamber and having a breathing aperture, and a pressure sensor to sense pressure changes within the regulator chamber associated with diver breathing and to provide a regulator pressure signal indicative of the pressure changes;
tubing coupling the pump outlet to the regulator inlet;
a breathable air determination unit to determine, based on the regulator pressure signal, at least one breathing state of the diver selected from inhalation, exhalation, and non-breathing, and to provide a breathing state signal indicative of the at least one breathing state; and
a pump controller to cause the pump to
operate to pump breathable air to the diver during a breathing state signal indicative of either 1) inhalation or 2) neither exhalation nor non-breathing, and
not operate during a breathing state signal indicative of either 1) non-inhalation and 2) Either exhalation or non-breathing.
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