US 11,814,146 B2
Low pressure surface supplied air system and method
John Craig Colborn, Taylor Lake Village, TX (US)
Assigned to Setaysha Technical Solutions LLC, Magnolia, TX (US)
Filed by Setaysha Technical Solutions LLC, Taylor Lake Village, TX (US)
Filed on Dec. 31, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/566,982.
Application 17/566,982 is a continuation of application No. 16/100,058, filed on Aug. 9, 2018, granted, now 11,225,309.
Application 16/100,058 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2017/018802, filed on Feb. 22, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/299,119, filed on Feb. 24, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0119083 A1, Apr. 21, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B63C 11/20 (2006.01); B63C 11/14 (2006.01); B63C 11/22 (2006.01); B63C 11/18 (2006.01)
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
OG exemplary drawing
 
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.
 
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.