Breathing Bag Lever Pocket for Respirator Valve Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closed-circuit respirators face challenges in maintaining a minimal breathing air supply and require complex sealing and maintenance procedures, which can lead to errors and complications, especially in ensuring the tightness of the breathing bag and dispensing valve unit.
Innovation Solution
A breathing bag with a tray section and bag section that encloses a variable inner volume, featuring a pocket with a gas-tight internal receptacle for the lever component of the dispensing valve unit, allowing actuation without direct contact with the inner volume, simplifying maintenance and assembly by positioning the dispensing valve unit outside the breathing bag.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the dispensing valve unit is integrated into the breathing bag, then a minimal breathing air supply can be ensured, but complex sealing procedures and tightness requirements increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the system into two separate functional units: the breathing bag and the dispensing valve unit. The breathing bag handles gas storage and delivery, while the dispensing valve unit with its actuating mechanism is positioned externally. This segmentation eliminates the need for complex sealing between the dispensing valve and breathing bag interior, as the valve unit operates from the outside through a gas-tight closure member.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure member acts as an intermediary element that provides a gas-tight seal while allowing mechanical actuation. It mediates between the external actuating force applied to the lever component and the internal dispensing valve, enabling valve operation without compromising the gas-tight integrity of the breathing bag.
2Ease of operation
If the actuating mechanism is placed inside the breathing bag, then direct actuation is possible, but cleaning and disinfection become more difficult and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The actuating mechanism (lever component and actuating unit) is extracted from the breathing bag interior and positioned externally. Only the essential closure member remains integrated into the breathing bag to maintain gas-tightness. This extraction allows complete access to all actuating components for cleaning and disinfection without disassembling the breathing bag, while still enabling direct mechanical actuation of the dispensing valve.
3Ease of repair
If the lever component is accessible from outside the breathing bag, then maintenance is simplified, but gas-tight sealing becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The closure member functions as a flexible gas-tight barrier that can be actuated mechanically while maintaining sealing integrity. Its design allows it to deform under actuating force to open the dispensing valve, then return to its original position to maintain the gas-tight seal, combining external accessibility with reliable sealing.
Data Source
AI summary
A breathing bag (20) has a tray section (21) and a bag section (22). The tray section (21) and the bag section enclose an inner volume (24) of variable size, the bag section dipping at least partially into the tray section to reduce the size of the inner volume. A system (10) includes the breathing bag, for a closed-circuit respirator (100), with a dispensing valve unit (40) having a dispensing valve (41) providing a quantity of gas in a breathing circuit. An actuating unit (42) is functionally connected mechanically to the dispensing valve for actuating the dispensing valve. A lever component (50) is functionally connected mechanically to the actuating unit for activating the actuating unit. A closed-circuit respirator has the system including the breathing bag and the dispensing valve unit. A process is provided for mounting the system, including breathing bag and dispensing valve unit, in the closed-circuit respirator.