Protective Suit Assembly With Replaceable Breathing Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing personal protective equipment (PPE) for handling nuclear, chemical, and biological hazards, particularly Type 1a gas-tight chemical protective suits, suffer from limited operating time due to rapid depletion of breathing air supplies, cumbersome replacement procedures, and potential contamination risks, while alternative systems like air purification devices generate excessive heat or restrict mobility.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid protective suit arrangement with a two-part design, featuring a protective suit unit and a breathing apparatus unit connected via fluid-tight coupling elements, allowing for easy exchange and recycling of respiratory protection units without compromising the suit's integrity, and incorporating a switching mechanism between SCBA and PAPR modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is worn inside the protective suit, then the user is protected from harmful agents, but the operating time is limited to approximately 30 minutes due to rapid depletion of the breathing air supply
Solution Approach 1:
The protective suit system is divided into two independent parts: the protective suit unit and the breathing apparatus unit. This segmentation allows the breathing apparatus to be externally mounted and easily replaced without compromising the integrity of the protective suit, thereby extending operating time while maintaining protection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
A coupling element serves as an intermediary between the protective suit unit and the breathing apparatus unit. This coupling element enables fluid-tight connection for breathing air supply while allowing the breathing apparatus to be independently attached and detached, solving the contradiction between maintaining protection and extending operating time through easy replacement.
2Ease of operation
If the breathing air supply is carried inside the protective suit, then the user has continuous access to breathing air, but changing the breathing air cylinder requires opening the suit and compromises protection against harmful substances
Solution Approach 1:
The breathing apparatus unit is extracted from the interior of the protective suit and positioned externally. This extraction allows the breathing air cylinder to be replaced by simply detaching and reattaching the external unit, eliminating the need to open the protective suit and thereby maintaining protection integrity while improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling element acts as an intermediary that provides fluid-tight connection between the protective suit and the externally mounted breathing apparatus. This intermediary mechanism enables easy replacement of the breathing air supply without compromising the protective suit's integrity.
3Duration of action of moving object
If air purification devices or recirculating air systems are used instead of self-contained breathing apparatus, then the possible operating time is extended to up to four hours or more, but the devices release significant heat into the air supply making it increasingly difficult for the wearer
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the system into a protective suit unit and a replaceable breathing apparatus unit, the patent enables use of SCBA with longer-duration air cylinders. This segmentation allows selection of different breathing apparatus types based on operational requirements, addressing the temperature issue by allowing easy replacement of heat-generating purification devices with fresh SCBA units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables changing the operating parameters of the respiratory protection system by allowing substitution of different breathing apparatus types (SCBA vs. PAPR vs. air purification devices) depending on the operational context, thereby optimizing the balance between operating time and temperature management.
4Duration of action of moving object
If a pressurized breathing air supply via external lines is used, then the limitation of the breathing air supply could be circumvented, but the use of a supply line between the suit and the air supply source severely restricts the wearer's range of motion
Solution Approach 1:
The breathing apparatus unit is extracted from the fixed external line configuration and made portable and externally mountable on the protective suit. This extraction transforms the system from a restricted fixed-line supply to a mobile self-contained unit that moves with the wearer, thereby circumventing the breathing air supply limitation while preserving full range of motion.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a protective suit assembly (1) for protecting a person (7) from harmful chemical or biological agents, comprising the following: - a protective suit unit (2), in particular a chemical protective suit (CSA), a first media block (21), by means of which a first interior (22) of the protective suit unit (2) can be separated from an exterior (3) that can contain the harmful agents in a fluid-tight manner as much as possible using a protective suit unit sleeve (23); and - a respiratory protection unit (4) with a respiratory protection fitting (44) for preparing the respiratory air, comprising a second media block (41), by means of which a second interior (42) of the respiratory protection unit (4) can be separated on its own from the exterior (3) as well as from the first interior in a fluid-tight manner as much as possible using a respiratory protection unit sleeve (43). The invention additionally relates to a corresponding protective suit unit and a respiratory protection unit for use in the aforementioned protective suit assembly (1).