SAFETY DEVICE EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC PUNCTURE SYSTEM FOR A COMPRESSED FLUID TANK AND AN INFLATABLE ELEMENT FOR SPORT FREEDIVING AND OTHER USES

Abstract

SAFETY DEVICE EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC PUNCTURE SYSTEM FOR A COMPRESSED FLUID TANK AND AN INFLATABLE ELEMENT FOR FREEDIVING AND OTHER USES. The present invention relates to a safety device for freedivers comprising at least one actuator and an electronic device powered by an electrical power source. The safety device further comprises an automatic device for piercing a compressed fluid tank, controlled by the electronic device, to inflate an inflatable element. The automatic piercing device comprises a drive element (13) and a piercing element (4) configured to generate a first movement for piercing the tank and a second movement for resetting the piercing element (4). Figure for the abstract: Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: SAFETY DEVICE EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC PUNCTURE SYSTEM FOR A COMPRESSED FLUID TANK AND AN INFLATABLE ELEMENT FOR SPORT FREEDIVING AND OTHER USES Scope of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety device equipped with an automatic puncture system for compressed fluid reservoirs and an inflatable element for freediving and other uses. The buoyancy of an inflated life jacket allows, if necessary, the user to return to the surface and keeps their airways above water. State of the art

[0002] Freediving for sport presents a risk of accidents such as drowning. Drowning occurs following a fainting spell or sudden illness that prevents the person from keeping their airways above water. An inflatable freediving buoyancy aid, providing the necessary buoyancy, can help keep the airways above water.

[0003] For this purpose, an inflatable freediving safety vest generally includes a waterproof cavity that is initially empty and must be inflated to provide buoyancy.

[0004] To inflate a safety vest, a reserve of compressed gas contained in a cylinder sealed by a perforable cap can be used. A system for piercing the gas cylinder can then be used to enable inflation.

[0005] A freediving life jacket should allow inflation in situations where the user is conscious or unconscious. A manual puncture system allows inflation of a life jacket in instantaneous response to an action by the user.

[0006] Drilling systems exist with manual-only or automatic-only drilling triggering, or with both options. Systems offering both options combine existing manual drilling triggering solutions with existing automatic triggering solutions.

[0007] Three types of automatic drilling systems are distinguished: those whose triggering is caused by a reaction of a material with water, those triggered by the hydrostatic pressure of water on a mechanism and those whose triggering is caused by an electronic action.

[0008] Automatic systems triggered by a reaction of a material with water have several drawbacks: - The inflation trigger depends on the degradation time of the stop in contact with the water, which can vary and is not modifiable. - Blockage or jamming of the system cannot be detected before use. - There is a risk of failure due to humidity under conditions of high temperature and humidity. - The components used are often single-use, which necessitates manual replacement of the parts after use. - There is a risk of forgetting to replace components of the drilling system after a drilling operation has been triggered.

[0009] Automatic systems triggered by hydrostatic water pressure on a mechanism generally implement a membrane.

[0010] This actuated mechanism generally unlocks an element driving a drilling element which passes through the operculum of a cylinder to release a compressed gas.

[0011] These drilling systems have several disadvantages: - The inflation trigger depends on the activation time of the mechanism upon contact with water, which can vary and is not modifiable. - Blockage or jamming of the system cannot be detected before use. - It is necessary to manually reset the drilling system after a drilling operation has been triggered. - There is a risk of forgetting to reset the drilling system after a drilling operation has been triggered.

[0012] Another electronically triggered drilling system involves actuating an electromechanical component which releases a compressed spring in a single-use component.

[0013] The release of the spring causes a drilling element which pierces the seal of a gas cylinder.

[0014] The state of the spring in the single-use component is either locked in compression or released for drilling.

[0015] This drilling system has several disadvantages: - Blockage or jamming of the drilling system cannot be detected before use. - It is necessary to replace the drilling module after a drilling operation has been triggered. - There is a risk of forgetting to replace or a risk of incorrect installation of the new drilling module after a drilling operation has been triggered.

[0016] Another electronically triggered drilling system consists of actuating a drilling element under the sole action of a geared motor.

[0017] The torque delivered by the rotation of the geared motor shaft is transformed into linear motion by means of a screw and nut system. The drilling element can thus pierce the gas cylinder seal.

[0018] This drilling system has the following disadvantages: - Drilling time is important due to the slow feed rate of the drilling element. The force delivered by the drilling element decreases as its feed rate increases. Using a geared motor necessitates a slow feed rate of the drilling element to deliver sufficient drilling force. - Furthermore, the energy required sometimes necessitates oversizing the drive unit to ensure that the drilling is completed. Summary of the invention

[0019] The present invention is intended in particular to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0020] For this purpose, it proposes an automatic drilling device intended for the inflation of a safety vest for freediving or other purposes, including in particular a drilling element driven in two directions.

[0021] According to one aspect, the invention relates to a rescue device for freedivers comprising at least one actuator and comprising an electronic device powered by an electrical power source, said rescue device further comprising an automatic device for drilling a reservoir of a compressed fluid controlled by the electronic device for the inflation of an inflatable element, said automatic drilling device comprising a motor element and a drilling element configured to generate a first movement for drilling the reservoir and a second movement for resetting said drilling element.

[0022] According to one example, this drive is achieved by coupling a geared motor and a spring. An advantage of this automatic drilling system is that by combining the torque of the geared motor with the force of the spring, the drilling time is shorter than under the sole action of the geared motor.

[0023] Furthermore, by using the coupling of the geared motor with the spring to drive a drilling punch, it is possible to automatically control at each use that the The drilling device is neither jammed nor blocked, without piercing the gas cylinder seal.

[0024] The user can use this drilling device without having to replace any single-use components after drilling, other than the used gas cylinder, and without having to manually reset the device which has been triggered.

[0025] The user programs the drilling system to allow automatic inflation of the safety vest, particularly in a situation where the user is unconscious.

[0026] The safety device according to the invention may comprise one or more of the following features which may be combined with each other.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the safety device includes an attachment intended to secure the inflatable element to the body of an individual.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the drive element comprises a geared motor configured to drive the drilling element in two directions.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the automatic drilling device includes a spring to exert a restoring force on the drilling element and in that the geared motor is configured to drive the drilling element in two directions by coupling a geared motor and a spring.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the coupling of the geared motor and the spring is carried out in the same axis.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the drilling element is a drilling screw, said drilling screw being associated with a push nut driven by the geared motor coupled to the spring.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the coupling of a geared motor and a spring is achieved by positioning the spring between a guide washer of a threaded drilling component and a push nut.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the screw and nut can be used either as a transmission element coupled to the geared motor exerting the thrust, or as an element driving a drilling punch.

[0034] According to one embodiment, a drilling punch separated from the drilling component, such as a screw, or from the drilling nut, allows a manual drilling function to be added to the device.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the automatic drilling device includes, on the one hand, transmission components arranged to reduce friction of the drilling element and, on the other hand, alignment components which ensure linear guidance of the drilling element and minimize the radial stress of the driving element.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the components of the automatic drilling device are made by machining and molding stainless materials.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the automatic drilling device is automatically controlled at each use by actuation of the device without drilling into the compressed fluid reservoir, the stroke of the drilling element being less in this case than the stroke of the drilling element that would cause a perforation of said compressed fluid reservoir. An advantage is that it allows for rapid testing of the device and its actuation mechanism without drilling into the reservoir.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the safety device comprises a first actuator including a push element that automatically generates an electronic command, following its actuation, to the motor to actuate the drilling element. An advantage is having an easily accessible actuator for resetting in case of emergency.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the safety device includes a second actuator comprising a pusher element enabling automatic generation of an electronic command to the motor to actuate the drilling element after the elapsed of a predefined consecutive time following the actuation of the second actuator.

[0040] One advantage is to allow an automatic preset inflation function to be activated automatically from an actuator accessible once in the water.

[0041] According to one embodiment, a long press on the second actuator deactivates the flow of the predefined duration for the actuation of the drilling element. An advantage is the ease with which the automatic triggering function can be configured and deactivated.

[0042] According to one embodiment, the safety device includes a pressure probe and a computer configured to automatically generate an electronic command to the motor to actuate the drilling element when the measured pressure exceeds a predefined pressure threshold.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the safety device includes an interface for setting the predefined duration and / or the predefined pressure threshold.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the attachment is a life jacket or an inflatable neck cushion or a diving suit having a pocket.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the first actuator and / or the second actuator are arranged on the electronic device. Brief description of the drawings

[0046] The invention will be better understood and other features and advantages will become more apparent upon reading the description given below by way of purely illustrative and non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: • [Fig.1] represents a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the device according to the present invention. • [Fig. 2] shows an exploded view of the present invention • [Fig.3] shows a detailed view of the screw-type drilling component 27, of the spring 10, the transmission components 24 and 26, the guide components 7 and the push nut 5 • [Fig. 4] shows a top view of the device • [Fig. 5] represents a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the body • [Fig. 6] represents a variant of the drilling device in a second an embodiment in which the functions of the screw and the push nut are reversed • [Fig. 7] represents a variant of the drilling device in a third embodiment incorporating a manual drilling solution in addition to the automatic drilling system • [Fig.8] illustrates, in block diagram form, the different constituent elements of a safety vest according to the invention Description of the implementation methods

[0047] For the sake of simplicity, we will only refer to an inflatable safety vest for freediving, but it may refer to other objects that need to be filled with a gas.

[0048] Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, it can be seen that according to one embodiment of the invention, a drilling device for inflating a freediving life jacket according to the present invention comprises a body 1 containing a screw-type drilling component 27, a push nut 5, a spring 10, guide elements 7, transmission elements 23, 24, 25, 26, a sealing component 8, and fastening components 11, 12. A sealed pneumatic component 14 through which the gas is evacuated during drilling is assembled to the body 1. The device also comprises, on the outside of the body 1, a motor support 3, a geared motor 13, a motor cover 2, a cable gland 15, sealing components 22 and fastening components 18.

[0049] Referring to Figures 1, 3 and 4, the body 1 of the device has at its lower end a tapped counterbore hole allowing a compressed gas cylinder 17 to be screwed against a flat sealing gasket 8. The interior of the body 1 has a main cavity opening onto the lower part by a tapped counterbore hole and onto the upper part by an opening allowing it to receive the screw-type drilling component 27, a push nut 5, a spring 10, guide elements 7 and transmission elements 23, 24, 25, 26.

[0050] According to one example, this cavity has a flat section, as shown in [Fig.4], serving as a stop for the guide washer 6 of the screw-type drilling component 27, preventing its rotation and guiding the screw-type drilling component 27 in a linear movement when it is actuated by the rotation of the push nut 5 driven under the combined effect of the geared motor 13 and the spring 10.

[0051] According to one example, a second transverse cavity in the body of the punch allows the evacuation of the compressed gas released during drilling, this opens on one side into the first cavity at the level of the punch of the screw-type drilling component 27 and opens on the other side outside the body through a tapped hole allowing the tight fixing of a pneumatic distribution component 14.

[0052] According to an example shown in [Fig.4], two tapped holes outside the body allow the complete assembled drilling system to be fixed by screws 19.

[0053] Fig. 2 represents an example of a screw-type drilling component 27 which includes a screw 4 to which is assembled a guide washer 6 fixed with a nut 11. The drilling screw 4 has on one side of the guide washer 6 a threaded section which can be engaged in a push nut 5 and on the other side of the guide washer 6, an unthreaded section with a groove in which is placed a sealing O-ring 21 and terminated by a punch.

[0054] Referring to the embodiment shown in [Fig. 1], a motor support flange 3, to which the geared motor 13 is attached on one side by two screws 20, has on the other side an assembly of a thrust washer 26 and a needle bearing 23. The push nut 5, which engages with the shaft of the geared motor 13 passing through these components, makes contact with this bearing. An O-ring 22 is placed in a groove and provides a seal between the motor support flange 3 and the body 1.

[0055] Referring to the embodiment examples described in Figures 1, 2 and 4, an O-ring 22 is placed in a groove in the motor cover 2. This O-ring 22 provides a seal between the motor cover 2 and the motor support flange 3. A cable gland 15 is assembled in the upper part of the motor cover 2. This cable gland 15 provides a seal for the passage of the power cable 16 of the geared motor 13. The motor cover 2 is fixed by four screws 18 to the body 1, passing through the motor support flange 3 via four holes located outside the sealing O-rings 22 of the motor cover 2 and the motor support flange 3.

[0056] Referring to the embodiment example in [Fig.1], an assembly of a spring 5, stops 25, needle cages 24 and shoulder washers 7 is placed between the push nut 5 and the guide washer 6. This keeps the spring 5 compressed around the screw 4 when the geared motor 13 is stopped.

[0057] Referring to the embodiment examples in Figures 1 and 2, the screw-type drilling component 27 is driven by the rotation of a push-in nut 5 which is coupled with the geared motor shaft 13. The release of the spring 5 accompanies the advance of the screw-type drilling component 27. The rotation of the push nut 5 in the opposite direction causes the compression of the spring 10 which accompanies the recoil of the screw-type drilling component 27 until it reaches the stop.

[0058] According to one embodiment, an electronic control, monitoring and power supply module remotely connected to the drilling system by an electrical cable 16 allows the geared motor 13 to be operated in the various drilling and control operations of the drilling system.

[0059] In a second embodiment shown in [Fig. 6], the functions of the screw-type drilling component 27 and the push-nut 5 are reversed. Thus, a push-nut 28 is driven in rotation by the geared motor 13 via a coupling piece 29 to which they are fixed by screws 35 and 36. The rotation of the coupling piece 29 and the push-nut 28 causes the linear displacement of a drill nut-type drilling element 30 consisting of a movable push-nut guided against a stop by the body 1 and terminating in a drill punch also guided by the body 1. Coupling with the spring 10 is achieved by the pre-stressed assembly of the spring 10, the guide elements 7, and the transmission elements 24, 25, around the push-nut 28, between the drill nut 30 and the coupling piece 29.

[0060] In a third embodiment, a manual drilling triggering mechanism is added in addition to the automatic triggering mechanism. This requires the use of a free punch 33, which is separate from the drilling element. A lever 32 fixed to a shaft 34 in the modified body 31 allows manual actuation of the punch. The free punch 33 is guided by the cavity in the body 31 by the action of the lever 32. The lever 32 fixed to the body 31 bears against the free punch 33 and does not interfere with the other components of the automatic system. Actuation of the lever 32 drives the free punch through the opening that allows the compressed gas to escape.

[0061] A problem of jamming or seizing of the drilling mechanism is related to the use of a drilling system in a corrosive environment. Indeed, in this environment, the mechanism can cause the components of this system to seize or jam. To address this problem, the mechanism of the invention includes components made of corrosion-resistant materials. Furthermore, the mechanism of the invention allows the components to be kept within a sealed enclosure.

[0062] Finally, according to one embodiment, the electronic control module detects abnormal current consumption corresponding to a blockage or seizing of the system. This electronic control, performed automatically at the start of each use and during operation, does not require drilling a cylinder but only the automatic actuation of all moving parts of the system. drilling. It allows the detection of a malfunction, a seizing or a blockage of the drilling system at the beginning of each use and notifies the user.

[0063] One identified problem addressed by the present invention is the low or insufficient drilling speed of the compressed gas cylinder. Indeed, using a geared motor alone provides limited drilling force and punch feed speed. It is advantageous for the drilling time to be as short as possible when the drilling command is activated. This saves precious seconds during the inflation of the life jacket, potentially saving a life.

[0064] To this end, according to one embodiment, the invention includes means for significantly increasing the force generated by the punch and increasing its feed rate. For this purpose, the present invention allows the coupling of a pre-stressed spring with a geared motor such that the performance of the drilling system is increased. List of reference signs

[0065] 1: Body 2: Engine hood 3: Engine mount 4: Drilling screw 5: Push nut 6: Guide washer 7: Shoulder washer 8: Sealing gasket 10: Spring 11: Nut 12: Headless screw 13: Geared motor 14: Pneumatic component 15: Cable gland 16: Electrical cable 17: Compressed fluid reservoir 18: Engine hood screw 19: Screw body 20: Geared screw 21: Punch joint 22: Joint body 23: Needle cage nut support 24: Needle cage spring support 25: Needle cage stop spring support 26: Needle cage thrust bearing nut support 27: Screw-type drilling component 28: Push-in screw 29: Coupling piece 30: Drill nut 31: Modified Body 32: Lever 33: Free punch 34: Axis 110: Electronic card 120: Automatic drilling device 130: Compressed fluid reservoir

Claims

Demands

1. A safety device for freedivers comprising at least one actuator and comprising an electronic device (110) powered by an electrical power source, said safety device further comprising an automatic drilling device (120) for a reservoir of compressed fluid (130) controlled by the electronic device (110) for the inflation of an inflatable element (140), said automatic drilling device (120) comprising a motor element (13) and a drilling element (4) configured to generate a first movement for drilling the reservoir and a second movement for resetting said drilling element (4).

2. Safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an attachment (150) intended to secure the inflatable element (140) to the body of an individual.

3. Safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive element (13) comprises a geared motor configured to drive the drilling element (4) in two directions.

4. Safety device according to claim 3, characterized in that the automatic drilling device (120) includes a spring (10) for exerting a force on the drilling element (4) and in that the geared motor is configured to drive the drilling element (4) in two directions by coupling a geared motor (13) and a spring (10).

5. Safety device according to claim 4, characterized in that the coupling of the geared motor (13) and the spring (10) is carried out in the same axis.

6. Safety device according to any one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the drilling element is a drilling screw (4), said drilling screw (4) being associated with a push nut (5) driven by the geared motor (13) coupled to the spring (10).

7. Safety device according to any one of claims 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that the coupling of a geared motor (13) and a spring (10) is achieved by positioning the spring (10) between a guide washer (6) of a threaded drilling component (27) and a push nut (5).

8. A safety device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that a screw and a nut can be used either as a transmission element coupled to the geared motor exerting the thrust (5, 29), or as an element driving a drilling punch (27, 30).

9. Safety device according to claim 8, characterized in that a drilling punch (33) separated from the screw-type drilling component (27) or the drilling nut (30) allows a manual drilling function to be added to the device.

10. Safety device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the automatic drilling device (120) comprises on the one hand transmission components (23, 24, 25, 26) arranged to reduce the friction of the drilling element (4) and on the other hand alignment components (7) which ensure the linear guidance of the drilling element (4) and minimize the radial stress of the driving element (13).

11. Safety device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the components of the automatic drilling device (120) are made by machining and molding of stainless materials.

12. Safety device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the automatic drilling device (120) is automatically controlled at each use by means of the actuation of the device without drilling the compressed fluid reservoir (130), the stroke of the drilling element (4) being less in this case than the stroke of the drilling element (4) resulting in a drilling of said compressed fluid reservoir (130).

13. Safety device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it comprises a first actuator including a pusher element enabling the automatic generation of an electronic command following its actuation towards the motor to actuate the drilling element (4).

14. Safety device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it comprises a second actuator including a pusher element enabling automatic generation of an electronic command to the motor to actuate the drilling element (4) after the elapsed of a predefined consecutive time of actuation of the second actuator.

15. Safety device according to claim 14, characterized in that prolonged pressure on the second actuator causes the deactivation of the flow of the predefined time for the actuation of the drilling element (4).

16. Safety device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it comprises a pressure probe and a computer configured to automatically generate an electronic command to the motor to actuate the drilling element (4) when the measured pressure exceeds a predefined pressure threshold.

17. Safety device according to any one of claims 14 or 15 taken in combination with claim 16, characterized in that it includes an interface for setting the predefined duration and / or the predefined pressure threshold.

18. Safety device according to claim 2 or any one of claims 3 to 15 taken in combination with claim 2, characterized in that the attachment is a life jacket or an inflatable neck cushion or a diving suit comprising a pocket.

19. Safety device according to any one of claims 1 to 12 taken in combination with claims 13 and 14, characterized in that the first actuator and / or the second actuator are arranged on the electronic device (110).

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