Diving Mask

Abstract

To provide innovative structure minimizing the inside of a conventional diving mask body.SOLUTION: A diving mask including a lens frame, a transparent lens unit corresponding to configuration of the lens frame, and a waterproof sealed skirt having an eye skirt unit and a nose skirt unit molded integrally and including a skirt unit frame corresponding to the configuration of the transparent lens unit in front of the eye skirt unit. The transparent lens unit and the skirt unit frame are both fitted into the lens frame in a waterproof state. The nose skirt unit projects forward from a central area outside the lens frame. A rear peripheral edge of the waterproof sealed skirt forms a continuous two-layer waterproof ring. Eyes and the nose are accommodated in the eye skirt unit and the nose skirt unit respectively when a user wears the diving mask. The two-layer waterproof ring is capable of being adhered to a face part of the user suitably along outer periphery edges of the eyes and the nose.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an underwater mask that covers the eyes, nose, and mouth, and more particularly to an underwater mask that covers only the user's eyes and nose and has a two-layer waterproof function. [Background technology]

[0002] In current water sports or leisure activities, the most common method for allowing the user to breathe freely without holding their breath is a combination of a mask (covering the eyes and nose) and a snorkel (holding a mouthpiece in the mouth to breathe). Although this method has been around for many years, it is ultimately different from the normal habit of breathing through the nose in the air or breathing freely through the mouth and nose, as shown in Figures 1A and 1B. In later years, the full-face snorkel mask 1 was invented (so-called Full Face Snorkel Mask, FFSM). This is mainly a mask 1 whose main body 10 completely covers the entire face F (from the eyebrows to the chin, including the eyes, nose, and mouth), and a snorkel 11 is connected to the upper center of the mask 1, which communicates with the inside of the main body 10 and allows the user to breathe freely through the mouth and nose. This makes the entire breathing process more flexible and eliminates the need to focus attention on breathing, greatly increasing the enjoyment of water activities. This can be said to be a very significant technical improvement.

[0003] However, the full-face snorkel mask 1 has a large lens 12, which makes the overall volume of the product larger and very difficult to carry. In addition, another fatal flaw is that the carbon dioxide concentration in the total inner space of the mask body 10 gradually increases during use. Therefore, when the carbon dioxide concentration reaches a certain level, the user is likely to lose consciousness unknowingly due to a lack of oxygen in the blood, and there have been many cases of deaths due to this all over the world. To understand the cause, it is necessary to start with some basic theories.

[0004] (1) The air we breathe contains about 21% oxygen (O2) and up to about 0.04% carbon dioxide (CO2). However, many people do not know that it is carbon dioxide, not oxygen, that plays the main role in our breathing rate and depth. Carbon dioxide is a very important component of the air in the human lungs. An increase in carbon dioxide content causes loss of consciousness, but is not perceived. Therefore, when this occurs underwater, drowning is the result.

[0005] (2) During breathing, oxygen is consumed by metabolism and carbon dioxide is produced by our body. This causes the carbon dioxide content of the air we exhale to increase (to about 4%) and the oxygen content to decrease (to about 16%). Also, when we exhale, the airway is not completely emptied, but a small amount of air (containing a lot of carbon dioxide) remains. This amount of air that is not involved in gas exchange is medically called dead space. Therefore, when we breathe in again, we are actually breathing a mixture of "fresh air and air containing a lot of carbon dioxide". In other words, this is the source of fatal injuries, so the dead space must be controlled to be as small as possible and to ensure safety.

[0006] (3) This theory is incorporated into the FFSM. In other words, the entire FFSM is simulated as a human respiratory system. When breathing using the snorkel 11, the length of the airway increases, of course. This is conceptually equivalent to an increase in the volume of the so-called dead space. If the total volume becomes too large, the air we inhale will contain a higher concentration of carbon dioxide, and the risks mentioned above will increase. This is also the reason why the European unified standard (i.e., EU standard EN 1972) strictly regulated the length and diameter of the snorkel in 1977. In other words, it is required that the content volume of a snorkel for adults does not exceed 230 ml (150 ml for children). However, this standard only regulates the volume of the snorkel 11. If the internal volume of the mask body 10 is now taken into account, the volume of the dead space will double, triple, or even become even larger, and of course, the danger of carbon dioxide concentration will continue to increase.

[0007] From the above theory, reducing carbon dioxide concentration has become a striving goal for serious and proactive R&D companies (big name companies). They must produce and sell safe and reliable products that not only must pass the European standard inspection, but also must not trigger any investigation or compensation claims from victims due to safety concerns. Usually, these companies will aim in two directions: 1) reduce the volume of dead space, and 2) "separate" the inhalation and exhalation of the mask, separating the inhaled fresh air from the exhaled carbon dioxide, thereby reducing the chance of mixing.

[0008] (1) To reduce the dead space, some FFSMs adopt the design concept of an orinasal pocket 13. In this case, the oral cavity and nostrils, which are breathing-related parts of the main body 10, are isolated from other parts (e.g., cheeks and eyes) to form two areas. Of these, the upper part is the upper volume area (UV), i.e., the eye pocket 14 (EP) (area surrounded by a hollow dotted line in Figure 2), and the lower part is the lower volume area (LV), i.e., the orinasal pocket 13 (OP) (area surrounded by a solid line in Figure 2). This strictly controls the dead space to exist only in the lower volume area, thereby reducing the carbon dioxide concentration.

[0009] (2) In order to separate the intake and exhaust, some FFSMs are designed with a one-way breathing loop that prevents the mixing of the exhaled air and the fresh air that is inhaled by controlling the one-way intake and exhaust with a one-way valve. This is intended to suck in "fresh air" only from the snorkel 11 during inhalation, pass through the eye pocket 14, pass through the check valve 15, and enter the mouth-nose pocket 13 (path shown by the hollow dotted arrow in Figure 3). On the other hand, the exhaled air is guided from both sides of the mask body 10 to the top of the mask through independent passages (i.e., passages installed on both sides of the body along the contour of the lens frame, not shown) (path shown by the solid dotted arrow in Figure 3), and can only be discharged from the snorkel 11.

[0010] Although the above-mentioned direction of problem solving is correct, in reality, many products have poor airtightness between the upper volume area (eye pocket 14) and the lower volume area (mouth-nose pocket 13) (due to material deterioration after a certain period of time, differences in face shape, or differences in nose bridge, the upper and lower volume areas cannot be completely airtight, and are simply isolated). Furthermore, if the volume of the passageway connecting the mouth-nose pocket 13 to the snorkel 11 (not shown, i.e., the passageway indicated by the solid dotted arrow in Figure 3) is taken into consideration, the volume of the dead space will undoubtedly increase, and the carbon dioxide concentration will return to an excessive level. Naturally, if a check valve (one-way valve) is added to control the exhaust in one direction, the exhaust space can certainly be reduced by eliminating the eye pocket 14, and the drawback of the dead space becoming too large can be compensated for. However, typically, the exhaust flow passes through the trachea along the rim of the mask on both sides of the mouth-nose pocket, then travels upward to the center of the top of the mask, then travels further upward along the length of the snorkel to the top of the snorkel, where it is discharged. This "one-way" exhaust control, whether it is a completely single-path exhaust or requires the installation of a separate check valve along the way (e.g., at the connection point between the mask and the snorkel), increases material costs and makes the mechanism more complicated.

[0011] In the current FFSM design, the entire lens surface of the full-cover mask covers the eyes, nose, and mouth on the face, and various isolation and intake / exhaust mechanisms are configured inside the lens surface. Therefore, in order to secure a larger internal space, the lens surface needs to protrude forward from the lens frame, so the entire product is spaced a certain distance from the face after wearing (Figure 1B). Since the internal volume of a mask with this design cannot be reduced significantly, it is not possible to control the dead space to a lower numerical range. Therefore, it seems particularly important to structurally modify full-face masks. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] The main objective of the present invention is to provide a mask that allows breathing to improve the above problems by limiting the internal volume to a very small volume through structural modifications. To understand all the technical ideas, it is necessary to first look at some theory. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The first is "negative ventilation pressure". In a relatively sealed room, when a one-way exhaust fan is installed on one wall, a relative vacuum (so-called "negative pressure") is temporarily formed when the air inside the room is forcibly exhausted. At this time, if there are many holes in the windows of another wall, the air outside the room is automatically moved in a state where the air pressure inside and outside is unbalanced, and flows into the room with zero pressure or negative pressure. This allows the air inside the room to be circulated with the outside continuously. If the exhaust position is properly arranged and the temporary vacuum is complete, the fresh air outside the room will flow "more naturally and more spontaneously" through the holes into the room. Since the air inside the room only leaves in the exhaust direction and cannot contaminate other rooms, industrial buildings use this theory to purify the air inside the factory. In addition, medical institutions also use a similar principle to set up negative pressure isolation rooms to ensure that highly infectious patients do not contaminate other rooms or areas (see block diagram in Figure 4).

[0014] The second is "Tidal volume". Tidal volume means the amount of air inhaled or exhaled to the lungs during each respiratory cycle, and is measured at approximately 500 ml for healthy adult males and approximately 400 ml for healthy females. This is an important clinical parameter for allowing adequate ventilation. When the lungs require adequate ventilation protection, the tidal volume is set to 6-8 ml / kg ideal body weight (IBW) based on the resting heart rate. Therefore, the range of safe tidal volumes is defined as 6-8 ml / kg IBW. Note that IBW (male) = 50 kg + 2.3 x (height (inches) - 60). According to this calculation method, the calculated safe tidal volumes for a male with a height of 185 cm are between 474 and 632 ml, respectively. Also, the calculated safe tidal volumes for a male with a height of 165 cm are between 368 and 490 ml, respectively. This is why, in clinical practice, a safe tidal volume for a healthy adult male is set at an average of approximately 500 ml.

[0015] Based on the understanding of negative pressure ventilation technology, after wearing the FFSM, a negative pressure space is actually formed between the mask and the face, and the user's exhalation action can be regarded as a one-way exhaust fan. Also, if all the gas in the mask can be exhaled at the start of exhaust (i.e., when exhaling), a temporary vacuum state can be approached even more. At this time, the airflow of the intake air is moved "naturally and spontaneously" and flows into the mask. As a result, fresh air from the outside enters, and dirty air containing carbon dioxide that is undesirable to remain in the mask is exhausted. Therefore, even without exertion, the intake air forms a natural and clean circulation in which intake and exhaust are separated. Also, based on the understanding of the tidal volume, if the user can exhale all the gas in the mask every time he exhales, a temporary state similar to a vacuum is formed in the mask, and the above-mentioned clean circulation can be easily realized. Based on this important discovery, if the total volume of the mask plus the volume of the snorkel (i.e., the dead space as understood above) could be reduced to 500ml or less, or even lower, 300-400ml, for an adult male, the resting exhalation volume of the user (regardless of whether he is an adult male, female, or child) per breath would be ensured, and a temporary vacuum rate of nearly 100% would be achieved. This would eliminate the need for force during the next inhalation, and the entire dead space could be filled with the incoming fresh air. In addition, the negative pressure exhaust effect would prevent the air from mixing with dirty carbon dioxide gas, eliminating safety concerns.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide an innovative structure that minimizes the inside of the body of a conventional diving mask. The boundary of the body can be concentrated in the center of the face to cover the eyes, nose, and mouth, and can be positioned and waterproofed. In other words, unlike the conventional FFSM, the entire transparent lens surface 12 is protruded outward from the face frame 18 (see Figs. 1A and 1B again) to form the basic structure of the front of the mask, and instead of partitioning an eye pocket and an orinasal pocket inside the mask, the structure of the orinasal pocket that accommodates the user's nose and mouth is separated from the lens frame. In this case, there is no waste of space, and the goggle part and the orinasal mask part of the mask body are independent of each other, so that the goggles can be brought as close as possible to the eyes, and the orinasal mask can also be brought as close as possible to the user's mouth and nose. Therefore, there is no need to excessively extend the sizes of the top, bottom, left, right, front, and back, and the entire internal volume is naturally and effectively reduced. This solves the fundamental problem of not being able to reduce the dead space volume, and therefore the overall weight is significantly reduced, making it easier to carry. In this breathable mask design, the nose area can be made of soft material, which also allows the user to manipulate the nose for pressure equalization. Generally, nose pressure equalization can only be achieved with diving masks that cover the eyes and nose.

[0017] Since the entire internal volume of the eye, nose, and mouth mask can be reduced very effectively, additional design issues such as how small the lower volume area (i.e., the orinasal pocket) should be designed to be, whether the upper and lower volume areas are effectively isolated, whether the design is such that the intake and exhaust are separated by a check valve, and whether the internal volume of the snorkel tube must be strictly controlled are all secondary issues. This is because the entire internal volume of the mask body has already been effectively reduced, and increasing the circulation efficiency of the intake and exhaust only further improves the effect. In addition, since the orinasal pocket is significantly reduced, the exhaust efficiency can be greatly improved. In other words, it is possible to exhaust without excessive force. In addition, the water accumulated in the orinasal volume area can be easily discharged through the drain and exhaust valve. In addition, since the conventional FFSM needs to be fixed to the head, a headband (not shown) must be extended from a total of four fixing points (e.g., 16 and 17 in FIG. 2) on both sides of the entire mask frame, and then crossed and fixed around the back of the head, which is very cumbersome and heavy. In contrast, according to the design of the present invention, most of the weight is in the goggle area, and the weight of the mouth-nose mask part is relatively small. Therefore, by utilizing the standard of a general diving eye-nose mask, the headband can be stably fixed by wrapping it around the back of the head from both sides of the goggles and tightening it. This greatly improves the convenience of carrying and using the mask, and also reduces the cost. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1A is an external view of a conventional full-face snorkel mask. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of a conventional full-face snorkel mask worn by a user. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the upper and lower volume regions of a conventional full-face snorkel mask. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the intake and exhaust paths of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a conceptual block diagram of negative pressure ventilation technology. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a schematic front view of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a schematic rear view of FIG. 5A. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C is a schematic exploded perspective view of FIGS. 5A and 5B, showing only a portion of the tube for the snorkel. [Figure 5D] FIG. 5D is a schematic diagram of a breathable mask of the present invention worn by a user, showing a cross-sectional view of the breathable mask in the sagittal plane taken from line 5D-5D in FIG. 5A. [Figure 5E] FIG. 5E is a schematic cross-sectional view of a transverse plane taken from line 5E-5E of FIG. 5A. [Figure 5F] FIG. 5F is a schematic cross-sectional view of the coronal plane taken from line 5F-5F of FIG. 5B. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention (curved lens surface design). [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A shows the open and closed states of the pivot valve during inspiration in the present invention. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B shows the open and closed states of the pivot valve during exhaust in the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 5A. [Figure 9A] FIG. 9A is a schematic perspective view of a further embodiment of the present invention having a fixed chin band. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention having an adjustable chin band. [Figure 9C] FIG. 9C is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention having an adjustable chin band. [Figure 10A] FIG. 10A is a schematic perspective view of yet another embodiment of the present invention, having a chin support sheet. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sagittal plane taken along line 10B-10B of FIG. 10A. [Figure 11A] FIG. 11A is a schematic perspective view of a further embodiment of the present invention having a chin gasket. [Figure 11B] FIG. 11B is a schematic bottom view of a further embodiment of the present invention having an alternative type of jaw gasket. [Figure 11C] FIG. 11C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sagittal plane of FIG. 11A. [Figure 12A] FIG. 12A is a schematic rear view of a diving mask according to the present invention that covers the eyes and nose. [Figure 12B] FIG. 12B is a schematic cross-sectional view in the sagittal plane taken from line 12B-12B of FIG. 12A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] First, as a note, the headband that surrounds the user's head and is fixed to both sides of the lens frame has been omitted from figures other than Figures 9A, 11A, and 11C because it tends to block or interfere with some important elements and hinder the explanation.

[0020] 5A, 5B and 5C are first referred to for the structure of the mask 2 of the present invention. The breathable mask 2 includes a main body 3 and a snorkel 4. The snorkel 4 is a conventional snorkel, such as a dry snorkel, and water does not flow into the snorkel 4 even when the top end 6 is submerged below the water surface. Gas exchange with the inside of the main body 3 is possible only when the top end 6 rises above the water surface.

[0021] The main body 3 includes a main frame 30, a lens module 40, and a waterproof sealing skirt 50. In order to achieve good waterproofing and comfortable wearing, the main frame 30 and the lens module 40 are preferably made of hard materials, and the waterproof sealing skirt 50 is preferably made of flexible soft materials. The main frame 30 has a lens frame 31 and a mouth frame 32. The mouth frame 32 includes a cover 321 and two holders 322 that extend from both sides below the lens frame 31 and are connected to the cover 321. The cover 321 and the two holders 322 of the mouth frame 32 together with the lens frame 31 define a nose frame 33. In addition, fluid passes between the cover 321 of the mouth frame 32 and the outside. The lens module 40 has a transparent lens portion 44 that corresponds to the shape of the lens frame 31. The waterproof sealing skirt 50 is integrally molded with an eye skirt portion 51, a nose skirt portion 52, and a mouth skirt portion 53. A skirt frame 511 corresponding to the shape of the transparent lens 44 is provided in front of the eye skirt 51. The transparent lens 44 and the skirt frame 511 are both fitted in the lens frame 31 in a waterproof manner. The nose skirt 52 protrudes outward from the nose frame 33. The mouth skirt 53 allows fluid to pass through the mouth frame 32 in one direction to the outside. As shown in FIG. 5D, after the user wears the mask that allows breathing, the eyes E, nose N, and mouth M are accommodated in the eye skirt 51, nose skirt 52, and mouth skirt 53, respectively. The rear edge 501 of the waterproof sealing skirt 50 is in close contact with the user's face F continuously along the outer periphery of the eyes E, nose N, and mouth M.

[0022] Preferably, referring to FIG. 5E, the main body 3 further includes a sub-frame 60. The lens frame 31 has a hard inner flange 311, and the skirt frame 511 has a correspondingly shaped soft flange 512 that overlaps and covers the inner flange 311. The outer periphery 441 of the transparent lens portion 44 overlaps and covers the soft flange 512. The sub-frame 60 overlaps and covers the outer periphery 441 of the transparent lens portion 44, and is coupled and fixed to the lens frame 31. Thus, the transparent lens portion 44 and the skirt frame 511 are both fitted into the lens frame 31 in a waterproof manner. The sub-frame 60 and the lens frame 31 can be joined together using hooks 61, 313 as shown in FIG. 5C, and may be fixed removably or permanently. Also, some form of adhesive fixing may be adopted. Of course, the lens frame 31 and the sub-frame 60 can adopt a single-part or multi-part design, as long as the coupling manner between the transparent lens portion 44 and the skirt frame 511 can achieve sealing and waterproofing. Also, referring to FIG. 5B and FIG. 5E together, the nose skirt portion 52 includes a pressure balancing portion 521 and a spacer portion 522, which are partitioned in the lens frame 31 section. The eye skirt portion 51, the transparent lens portion 44 and the spacer portion 522 jointly define an eye pocket 55 (i.e., the upper volume area of ​​the body 3), and the pressure balancing portion 521, the spacer portion 522 and the mouth skirt portion 53 jointly define a mouth-nose pocket 56 (i.e., the lower volume area of ​​the body 3). In addition, an exhaust passage 58 is installed along the inner periphery 315 of the lens frame 31. The exhaust passage 58 is defined by the eye skirt portion 51 and the outer periphery 441 of the transparent lens portion 44. In addition, fluid passes between the upper end of the exhaust passage 58 and the snorkel 4, and between the lower end and the mouth / nose pocket 56. This will be clear by also referring to Fig. 5F. Of course, the exhaust passage 58 may be provided in two sets located on both sides of the skirt portion 51, and each of the exhaust passages 58 may pass fluid between the mouth / nose pocket 56 through an exhaust hole or an exhaust check valve 59 provided in the spacer portion 522 (but is not limited to this).In addition, the upper end of the exhaust passage 58 and the snorkel 4 are structured to allow fluid to pass through, and as shown in Figs. 5C and 5D, for example, the lens module 40 includes a sleeve 66 formed by connecting the connecting member 45, the lens frame 31, the subframe 60, and the upper members 314, 62, and 513 of the waterproof sealing skirt 50. When the user inhales, the exhaust check valve 59 is closed. Then, clean air enters the eye pocket 55 from the intake conduit 41 of the snorkel 4, enters the mouth / nose pocket 56 via the intake check valve 57, and then enters the user's mouth and nose (shown by the hollow dotted line path in Fig. 5F). When the user exhales, the intake check valve 57 is closed. The dirty air then passes through the exhaust check valve 59 and enters the exhaust passage 58, and then enters the exhaust conduits 42 (located on both sides of the intake conduits 41) of the snorkel 4 and is discharged (shown by the solid dotted line path in FIG. 5F).

[0023] In addition, as seen from FIG. 5D and FIG. 5E, more preferably, the rear edge 501 of the eye skirt portion 51 of the waterproof sealing skirt 50 is shaped to fit closely to the user's face F, and the present invention adopts a design manner of a Y-shaped section. Furthermore, the Y-shaped structure to fit closely to the face F includes a first fitting portion 502 located inside and a second fitting portion 503 located outside. When wearing the mask, the included angle between the first fitting portion 502 and the second fitting portion 503 is elastically expanded to fit closely to the surface of the face. This is equivalent to providing two-layer waterproof protection. Such two-layer waterproof protection ends after reaching the connection position with the mouth skirt portion. This not only provides excellent waterproofness of the mask, but also allows the eyes E to be closer to the transparent lens portion 44 in the present invention compared with the rear edge of the folded-over waterproof sealing skirt used in the prior art FFSM. This undoubtedly contributes to further miniaturization of the internal space of the body 3 of the mask 2.

[0024] The following is a comparison list of the internal volumes of the eye pocket / mouth / nose pocket (Table A) obtained when the mask is not worn by a user, and the surplus internal volumes of the eye pocket / mouth / nose pocket (Table B) obtained when the mask is worn by a user (an adult male head according to ISO standards), using the same three-dimensional computer measurement method, particularly for the mask body 3 in the optimal structure of the present invention, and conventional full-face mask bodies by other commercially available brands, under the same environmental conditions, using the CAD software "CATIA V5" by DASSAULT SYSTEMES, France. The unit of internal volume is "ml". In addition, since all of the brands were from overseas manufacturers, the names are all written in English.

[0025] [Table 1]

[0026] [Table 2]

[0027] From the above experimental data, the following can be further proven. That is, the main body 3 of the present invention not only has a greatly reduced internal volume, but even if a small volume (less than 100 ml) occupied by the exhaust passage in the snorkel 4 is further added, the amount of ventilation per minute is close to or lower than that of an average person. Therefore, regardless of how the inside of the main body 3 is designed, the snorkeler can almost completely expel the dirty gas in the mask 2 by simply breathing out comfortably, and a temporary vacuum state is formed. Since the clean air from the outside is physically waiting to enter this negative pressure environment, the user can draw the clean air from the outside into the main body 3 of the mask by simply breathing in comfortably. In this way, an easy circulation of intake and exhaust is formed, so that fatigue is not easily felt, and there is no risk of excessive carbon dioxide content in the mask. According to such a mask design, the width of the entire lower half of the main body 3, that is, the width from the bottom of the lens frame 31 to the nose skirt part 52 and the mouth skirt part 53, becomes obviously narrower toward the bottom of the face shape (FIG. 5A). This allows the overall size of the snorkel mask 2 to be significantly reduced compared to the conventional full-face mask 1, making it easier to carry. Table C below shows actual measurement data (unit: mm) of the internal space of the body of various masks, fully proving the size advantage of the present invention.

[0028] [Table 3]

[0029] As shown in Fig. 5D and Fig. 5E again, according to the above structural arrangement, the transparent lens portion 44 of the breathable mask 2 of the present invention does not protrude from the outer edge of the lens frame 31 at all, and can be more closely located to the face F of the user. This achieves excellent REP and ROP values ​​with a very small internal volume of the mask body 3. The design in which the transparent lens portion 44 does not protrude from the outer edge of the lens frame 31 is not limited to the full flat lens design shown in Figs. 5A to 5E, but also applies to other designs, such as a bent lens having a curved angle or a curved lens having an arc. For example, the bent lens needs to be combined with the bent lens frame 31A, as shown in Fig. 6. The transparent lens portion is a bent lens 44A, which includes a plane portion 44B and two bent portions 44C extending backward from both sides of the plane portion 44B. The skirt frame is a bent skirt frame 511A. This allows the shapes of the bent lens frame 31A, the periphery of the bent lens 44A, and the bent skirt frame 511A to correspond to each other, making it easier to fit them together.

[0030] In addition, when using a snorkel mask, if the intake and exhaust splitter means of FIG. 5F is used, the intake amount and performance of clean air are as important as the exhaust performance. Of course, the above-mentioned theory of temporary vacuum by negative pressure is relatively related to exhaust performance (i.e., whether all dirty air can be exhausted), but if the next intake circulation can be improved, it will definitely maximize the intake and exhaust circulation of the entire mask. In terms of geometrical concepts, a rectangle does not occupy space compared to a circle for the same area. Therefore, physically, a one-sided pivoting rectangular valve is easier to place in a limited space (for example, a spacer part that divides the eye pocket and the mouth and nose pocket) than a circular mushroom-type check valve with a fixed center, and can accept intake air at a better opening angle. In addition to the revolutionary extremely small internal volume, the adoption of a pivoting check valve as a one-way intake means from the eye pocket to the mouth and nose pocket greatly improves the intake amount, further saving the user's physical strength.

[0031] The pivot type check valve will be described as follows. First, each mask 2 is provided with at least one (left or right) intake check valve 57 as described above, and optimally two (one each on the left and right). More preferably, four are optimally provided (two on the left and right for intake and exhaust, with the upper one being a large size for intake and the lower one being a small size for exhaust). Here, one intake check valve 57 provided on the spacer part 522 will be described as an example. The same is true for the exhaust check valve 59, which may be provided at any position (for example, at the inlet) of the exhaust passage 58 as shown in Figs. 7A and 7B, or may be provided at the exhaust duct position at the upper end of the snorkel 4 (not shown). The intake check valve 57 includes a fixing part 571 and a pivot shaft 572. The fixing part 571 is provided on the side of the intake port 524 on the spacer part 522. The pivot shaft does not necessarily require the installation of a substantial hinge or the attachment of a pin, and may be formed by directly thinning the wall thickness of one side of the swing door 573 (the thickness is optimally 20-60% of the thickness of the swing door 573) to make that part a bending weak zone. This makes it possible to achieve the effect of pivoting the swing door 573 as shown in Figs. 7A and 7B. When the swing door receives a force, it naturally pivots around the weak zone as a rotation axis to open or close. In addition, the operation is very reliable and the response is very speedy. If the installation method is appropriate, the swing door 573 will naturally be slightly open due to its own weight, which will have the effect of assisting the intake in advance. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, if the user inhales with normal force (as shown in FIG. 7A, intake check valve 57 is opened and exhaust check valve 59 is closed), the swing door 573 can be easily opened about 40 to 70 degrees, and if the user exhales or inhales greatly, the swing door is opened about 60 to 70 degrees. Therefore, the amount of ventilation is almost the same as the amount of gas passing through intake port 524 when the swing door is not installed. The same applies when the user exhales, but in that case, as shown in FIG. 7B, intake check valve 57 is closed and exhaust check valve 59 is opened. However, the operation method is the same.The swing door may be rectangular, square, trapezoidal, polygonal, circular, semicircular, elliptical, triangular, or even irregular, as long as it maintains the form of a one-side pivoting elastic swing door or a free swing door. If the recommended rectangular shape is adopted for the swing door, the width and height are set to 5 to 30 mm, and the thickness is set to 0.3 to 3 mm. This is the size range that saves the most space and is most easily opened and closed naturally according to the intake and exhaust of the user. In addition, the size of the intake port 524 that the swing door covers may be slightly smaller than that of the swing door 573.

[0032] Compared with the prior art, the drainage and exhaust valve of the present invention has obviously better drainage and exhaust efficiency. Furthermore, referring again to Fig. 5A, Fig. 5C, Fig. 5D, in the present invention, a plurality of openings 325 (the number is not limited) are provided on the cover 321 of the mouth frame 32. Also, an opening 534 is provided in the mouth skirt part 53, and at least a part of the plurality of openings 325 is aligned with the opening 534. And the drainage and exhaust valve 7 is sandwiched between the plurality of openings 325 and the opening 534. This allows the user to collectively discharge and exhaust the water that has entered and accumulated in the main body 3 and the dirty air exhaled from the mouth from the mouth and nose pocket 56 to the outside through the mouth frame 32 and the mouth skirt part 53. And when the user's mouth M is accommodated in the mouth skirt part 53, the drainage and exhaust valve 7 substantially corresponds to and is closer to the user's mouth M, so that the discharge and exhaust efficiency is naturally greatly improved. This becomes clear by comparing the relative positional relationship between the mouth M and the drainage / exhaust valve 7 in the present invention (FIG. 5D) and the mouth M and the drainage / exhaust valve 5 in the conventional FFSM (FIG. 1B). More preferably, the drainage / exhaust valve 7 includes a valve seat 71 and a valve body 72 whose center is fixed to the valve seat 71. As shown in FIG. 8, the valve seat 71 is firmly connected to the edge of the opening 534 of the mouth skirt part 53 (for example, connected or screwed by a multi-layer flange 711) on one side, and engages with the cover 321 of the mouth frame 32 on the other side. This ensures that the drainage / exhaust valve is securely fixed between the mouth skirt part 53 and the mouth frame 32, achieving extremely excellent stability and rigidity. Therefore, unlike the conventional FFSM, the size of the lens part must be extended downward to accommodate the drainage / exhaust valve 5 (FIGS. 1A and 1B), and this does not cause a situation in which the volume of the mask 1 cannot be reduced.

[0033] Due to the advantage that the drainage and exhaust valve 7 is not restricted in position, the size of the valve body 72 can be naturally increased, preferably to about 23 to 28 mm in diameter, and even larger. This significantly improves the performance of drainage and exhaust, and can even make the drainage and exhaust valve 7 the only exhaust passage. In other words, it is possible to omit the trouble of having to configure the exhaust passage 58 and the exhaust conduit inside the snorkel 4. In addition, the orientation of the drawing shown in FIG. 8 is similar to the state in which the user is wearing the mask 2 and snorkeling underwater. At this time, the mouth-nose pocket 56 is actually in a form similar to a funnel, and the drain end of the funnel is exactly where the drainage and exhaust valve 7 is located. In other words, when water accumulates in the mask, it naturally accumulates in the funnel-shaped mouth-nose pocket 56 where the drainage and exhaust valve 7 is installed. Therefore, the user can easily expel the accumulated water from the drainage and exhaust valve 7 by simply breathing out lightly underwater, and there is no need to stand up to drain the water or even remove the mask 2.

[0034] Compared with the prior art, the user can wear the mask 2 of the present invention more easily, without feeling any pressure, and without losing waterproofness. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9A, the present invention provides an upper fastening device 81 and a lower fastening device 82 extending from the rear of the main body 3. This allows the main body to be fastened to the user's face in a waterproof manner at "three points". The upper fastening device 81 has a headband 811 and two fixing devices 812 formed on two opposite sides of the lens frame 31 and to which both ends of the headband 811 are connected. The headband 811 is at least one of elastic and adjustable, and the fixing device 812 may be any means capable of connecting with the headband 811. FIG. 9A (and FIG. 11A) shows a headband 811 that is adjustable and has both ends connected to the fixing devices 812 in a quick release manner. However, this is merely an example and does not limit the connection method. Preferably, the lower fastening device is at least partially made of an elastic material, and extends backward from the rear edge 501 of the waterproof sealing skirt 50, particularly from both sides of the rear edge of the mouth skirt portion 53, and is fixed to the user's chin or mandible. This enhances the waterproofness between the mouth skirt portion 53 and the area around the user's mouth M. The lower fastening device is a chin band or a chin fixing sheet. These will be described below.

[0035] 5A to 5D and 9A to 9C show an embodiment in which the lower fastening device 82 is a chin band 820. The chin band 820 is connected between both sides of the mouth skirt portion 53 (or the eye skirt portion 51 and the mouth skirt portion 53). When the user wears the breathable mask 2, the chin band 820 can elastically fasten the posterior area of ​​the user's chin or mandible JB appropriately. Both ends of the chin band 820 may be integrally molded at any position of the rear edge 501 of the waterproof sealing skirt 50, for example, with the rear edges of the eye skirt portion 51 and the mouth skirt portion 53, or may be connected to the mouth skirt portion 53 in a removable and / or adjustable manner. This allows the length and tightness of the chin band 820 to be adjustable. FIGS. 9B and 9C show either a removable and / or adjustable embodiment. That is, male fastening members 823 extend from both sides of the mouth skirt portion 53 and are inserted into a chin band 825 having a plurality of female fastening members (holes 824) for positioning and adjustment purposes.

[0036] An embodiment in which the lower fastening device is a chin fixing sheet is shown in FIG. 10A. The chin fixing sheet 830 extends integrally from the lower end of the eye skirt portion 51 to the rear edges of both sides of the mouth skirt portion 53, and further extends rearward below the mouth skirt portion 53, and is molded integrally with the rear edge 501 of the waterproof sealing skirt 50. Such a chin fixing sheet 830 can be formed relatively small. In addition, on both sides of the mouth skirt portion 53, there are provided protruding ribs 831 that extend continuously downward from the eye skirt portion 51 and surround the lower part of the mouth skirt portion 53, thereby enhancing the support performance of the chin fixing sheet 830. As a result, when the user wears it, the chin fixing sheet 830 is elastically pressed just against the user's chin or mandible JB. As shown in FIG. 11A, such a chin fixing sheet 850 may be formed in a relatively large size, and extends continuously backward from the rear edges of both sides of the eye skirt portion 51 and the mouth skirt portion 53, and is molded integrally with the mouth skirt portion 53. Furthermore, the chin fixing sheet 850 includes a gasket region 851 and an enclosing region 852 that encloses the gasket region 851. The enclosing region 852 has the same material as the mouth skirt portion 53, and the gasket region 851 has a different material or a different thickness from the enclosing region 852. In detail, the material of the gasket region 851 is optimally selected from materials including TPR, TPU, silicone, PVC, rubber, or a combination thereof, and has a Shore hardness of 10 to 80. It is recommended that the thickness of the gasket region 851 is smaller than that of the enclosing region 852, and the difference between the thicknesses is between 0.2 to 5 mm. As a result, when the user wears the mask, the gasket area 851 of the chin fixing sheet 850 is pressed just against the user's chin or mandible, improving waterproofing and comfort around the user's mouth. It is also recommended that the surface of the gasket area 851 be in a pleated or honeycomb shape as shown in Fig. 11A (gasket area 853 in Fig. 11B). This increases the frictional force with the chin, preventing slippage during use and indirectly providing a waterproof effect.

[0037] It is worth noting that when both sides of the chin fixing sheets 830, 850 are connected upward to the rear edge of the mouth skirt 51, it is equivalent to the Y-shaped cross section shown in Figs. 5D and 5E being continuously provided over the entire rear edge 501 of the waterproof sealing skirt 50. That is, the entire part of the mask body 3 that fits closely to the face has two layers of waterproof protection, the first fitting part 502 located inside and the second fitting part 503 located outside, over the entire distance. According to this type, the face surface is surrounded and fitted closely. As shown in Figs. 10B and 11C, respectively, in the lower area of ​​the mask body 3, the waterproof rings 535 (flat type) and 536 (curved folded type) of the mouth skirt 53 play the role of the first fitting part 502, and the chin fixing sheets 830, 850 play the role of the second fitting part 503. This can be said to significantly improve the waterproof effect and comfort.

[0038] In addition, most conventional eye-nose masks are prone to water seepage from the area between the user's nostrils and upper lip (i.e., the so-called philtrum area). This is because the philtrum area has a complex facial line, which obviously lacks waterproofing. When water enters the mask, it naturally accumulates in this area, which is very close to the nostrils, making the user nervous. Therefore, the above two-layer waterproof protection may be applied to the most conventional eye-nose mask. This will be described in detail below. As shown in Figures 12A and 12B, the diving mask 90 includes a lens frame 91, a transparent lens portion 92, and a waterproof sealing skirt 93. The transparent lens portion 92 corresponds to the shape of the lens frame 91. The waterproof sealing skirt 93 is integrally molded with an eye skirt portion 931 and a nose skirt portion 932. Among them, a skirt portion frame 933 corresponding to the shape of the transparent lens portion 92 is provided in front of the eye skirt portion 931. The transparent lens portion 92 and the skirt portion frame 933 are both fitted in the lens frame 91 in a waterproof manner, and the nose skirt portion 932 protrudes forward from the central area outside the lens frame. The rear periphery of the waterproof sealing skirt 93 forms a continuous two-layer waterproof ring 930. When a user wears the diving mask 90, the eyes and nose are accommodated in the eye skirt portion 931 and the nose skirt portion 932, respectively. The two-layer waterproof ring 930 can be properly fitted along the outer periphery of the eyes and nose and fit closely to the user's face through the area between the nose and upper lip (not shown). Preferably, as shown in FIG. 12B, the two-layer waterproof ring 930 forms a first fitting portion 935 and a second fitting portion 936 which jointly form a substantially Y-shaped cross section. When the rear edge of the waterproof sealing skirt 93 is fitted closely to the user's face, the second fitting portion 936 is located at the outer periphery of the first fitting portion 935 to form a two-layer protection and prevent water from entering.

[0039] In addition, unlike the FFSM, in which the entire front of the mask body is made of a hard lens, the nose frame 33 is further formed between the lens frame 31 and the mouth frame 32 of the present invention. This allows the pressure balancing area to protrude further forward from the soft nose skirt portion 52, allowing the user to perform Frenzel Equalization. This is advantageous in equalizing the pressure inside and outside the mask, and further improves the fit between the mask and the face. In particular, when the mask is used to cover the mouth, nose, and eyes at the same time, maintaining the balance of the pressure inside and outside the mask makes it possible to further prevent water from entering. As a specific method, the nose skirt portion 52 includes a pressure balancing portion 521 and a spacer portion 522 that are partitioned by a section of the lens frame 31. As shown in FIG. 5E again, the nose skirt portion 52 gradually rises forward from the rear edge of the lens frame 31 and has a cross-sectional shape with a single peak. The total height (Nh) from the valley to the peak in any cross section of the nose skirt portion 52 is between 20 and 30 mm. Alternatively, the degree (Nt) at which the nose skirt portion 52 rises forward from the rear edge of the lens frame 31 and exceeds the outer edge of the lens frame is optimally between 5 and 12 mm. In this way, since the nose skirt portion 52 has a cross section with a single peak (no ridge) in which the width between the valleys is greater than the height of the peak, and both sides of the pressure balancing portion 521 are firmly wrapped by the nose frame 33 defined by the lens frame 31, even if high pressure is applied at a depth of several meters, it will not deform due to collapse and pinch the nose. In addition, when a holder design is adopted that is slightly bent backward, such as the holder 323 shown in Figures 11A and 11B, a larger finger entry area (FS) can be formed so that the user can perform pressure balancing operation more quickly and easily. Of course, if pressure balancing operation is not taken into consideration, part or all of the nose skirt portion 52 may be designed with a hard material.

[0040] In the above preferred embodiment, the structure and operation method for implementing the technology of the present invention are described in detail, and any modifications based on the concept of the present invention are also within the scope of the present invention, and therefore should not be limited to the literal descriptions claimed in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Mask 2. Mask 3. Main unit 4. Snorkeling 5. Drainage exhaust valve 6 Top edge 7. Drainage and exhaust valve 10 Main unit 11. Snorkeling 12 Lenses 13 Mouth and nose pocket 14 Eye Pocket 15 Check valve 16 fixed points 17 Fixed points 18 Face Frames 30 Mainframe 31 Lens Frame 31A Curved Lens Frame 311 Inner flange 313 Hook 314 Upper member 315 Inner edge 32 Mouth Frame 33 Nose Frame 321 Cover 322 Holder 323 Holder 325 Open hole 40 Lens Module 41 Intake duct 44 Transparent lens part 44A Bent Lens 44B Flat part 44C Bend part 441 Outer rim 45 Connection parts 50 Waterproof Sealed Skirt 501 Trailing edge 502 First contact part 503 Second contact part 51 Skirt 511 Skirt frame 511A Bending skirt frame 512 Soft flange 513 Upper member 52 Nose skirt 521 Pressure Equalization Section 522 Spacer part 524 Air Intake 53 Mouth skirt 534 Aperture 535 Waterproof ring (flat type) 536 Waterproof ring (curved folded type) 55 Eye Pocket 56 Mouth and nose pocket 57 Intake check valve 571 Fixed part 572 Pivot axis 573 Swing Door 58 Exhaust passage 59 Exhaust check valve 60 Subframe 61 Hook 62 Upper member 66 Sleeve 71 Valve seat 711 Multi-layer flange 72 Valve body 81 Upper fastening device 811 Headband 812 Fixation device 82 Lower tightening device 820 Chin Band 823 Fastening members 824 holes 825 Chin Band 830 Chin Fixation Sheet 850 Chin Fixation Sheet 851 Gasket Area 852 Encircled Area 853 Gasket Area 831 Protruding rib 90 Diving Mask 91 Lens Frame 92 Transparent lens part 93 Waterproof Sealed Skirt 930 2-layer waterproof ring 931 Skirt 932 Nose skirt 933 Skirt frame 935 First contact part 936 Second contact part E User's Eyes F User's face N User's nose M User's mouth JB User's Mandible FS finger entry area

Claims

1. A diving mask, Lens frame and a transparent lens portion corresponding to the shape of the lens frame; a waterproof sealing skirt, which is formed integrally with an eye skirt and a nose skirt, and has a skirt frame in front of the eye skirt that corresponds to the shape of the transparent lens; The transparent lens part and the skirt part frame are both waterproofly fitted into the lens frame, the nose skirt part protrudes forward from the central area outside the lens frame, and the rear periphery of the waterproof sealing skirt forms a continuous two-layer waterproof ring; When a user wears the diving mask, the eyes and nose are correspondingly accommodated within the eye skirt portion and the nose skirt portion, respectively, and the two-layer waterproof ring is appropriately aligned along the outer periphery of the eyes and nose, and is capable of fitting closely to the user's face through the area between the nose and the user's upper lip.

2. 2. The diving mask according to claim 1, wherein the two-layer waterproof ring forms a first contact portion and a second contact portion which collectively form a cross section having an approximately Y-shape, and when the rear edge of the waterproof sealing skirt is in close contact with the user's face, the second contact portion is located at the outer periphery of the first contact portion.

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