CN115335282A

CN115335282A - Life jacket for water environment

Info

Publication number: CN115335282A
Application number: CN202180023740.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: A·巴兹; L·加尔蒂
Original assignee: Hesore Co ltd
Current assignee: Hesore Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-03-30
Filing date: 2021-03-26
Publication date: 2022-11-11
Also published as: FR3108580B1; FR3108580A1; EP4126659A1; US20230373601A1; WO2021198066A1; AU2021247371A1; CA3171678A1

Abstract

The life jacket comprises a harness (1) arranged to be tied to the torso of an individual and comprising a back structure, a belly structure (3) and a strap (6), belly buoyancy tubes (8, 9) connected to the harness (1), a manual inflation device for inflating the belly buoyancy tubes (8, 9). The abdominal buoyancy tube (8, 9) is arranged in the abdominal structure (3) of the safety belt (1), in an uninflated state it is folded over the abdominal structure (3) of the safety belt (1), in an inflated state it is unfolded along the abdominal structure (3). The abdominal tubes (8, 9) are connected to an inflatable connector (21) extending inside the belt (6). With these tubes, the swimmer's head can flip up out of the water when difficulties are encountered. Otherwise, the swimmer will not feel uncomfortable.

Description

Life jacket for water environment

Technical Field

The invention of the present application relates to a life jacket for water environments, whether oceans, lakes, rivers or even swimming pools. More specifically, the garment of the present application is primarily intended for swimmers and persons who naturally move through the water, i.e. individuals who are in the water, but not accidentally or unintentionally fall into the water.

The garment of the present invention should be able to overcome difficulties such as those arising from physical imperfections in the water, thereby avoiding drowning.

Background

Life jackets have existed for a long time. Most are worn or put on before any difficulties are encountered, so that for the swimmer they only hinder their progress through the water.

An automatic lifesaving jacket which can automatically inflate when meeting water is arranged. They are also outside the scope of this application, since in water they are in operation and perform their safety function, and therefore the person wearing them is always encumbered when swimming.

Finally, the inventors have faced the problem of being able to provide a manually operated life jacket for swimmers who can swim with the jacket, but without hindering them.

Disclosure of Invention

To this end, the invention relates to a life jacket comprising a safety belt arranged to be fastened to the torso of an individual and comprising a back structure, an abdomen structure and a strap, at least an abdomen flotation tube connected to the safety belt and a manually operated inflation device for inflating the abdomen flotation tube, characterized in that the abdomen flotation tube is arranged at the abdomen structure of the safety belt, in an uninflated state it is folded over the abdomen structure of the safety belt and in an inflated state it is unfolded along the abdomen structure.

The life jacket of the present application, as long as its inflation device is not activated, does not impede the swimmer's movement through the water, since his/her abdomen is not equipped with a flotation tube. He/she deploys it on the abdomen only when he/she encounters difficulty. In this case, the abdominal tube is necessarily deployed on the swimmer's abdomen, so the swimmer's head is exposed to the water, facing the sky.

In an interesting embodiment, the belly structure of the survival suit comprises hinged belly fold-out panels arranged in a folded-in manner and abutting against the belly structure to fold the belly floatation tube in an uninflated state and pivoting away from the belly structure under the inflation action of the belly floatation tube.

In another advantageous embodiment of the jacket according to the invention, the abdominal structure comprises an abdominal pocket for accommodating the abdominal flotation tube folded in the uninflated state, the pocket being arranged to open under the effect of the inflation of the abdominal flotation tube.

Preferably, the abdominal flotation tube is further connected to an inflatable connector extending into the belt of the safety belt from its downstream end to its connecting end and arranged to inflate and deploy the abdominal flotation tube under the action of an inflator, through the folding plate or out of the receiving pocket.

The connector for the belly flotation tube is installed in the belt of the safety belt, ensuring easy manufacture.

It is worth noting that the belly structure of the harness is divided into two parts, which are connected by a zip.

Thus, the life jacket of the present invention can be worn like a jacket. Alternatively, it can be worn like a sanitary garment.

It is also preferred that the jacket of the invention further comprises a back flotation tube which is inflated by the inflation device and deployed against the nape of the individual.

More advantageously, the uninflated back flotation tubes and the inflator are disposed in pockets of the back structure of the harness as is the downstream end of the inflatable connector.

In a preferred embodiment, a pull control element is provided to activate the inflator.

In the uninflated state of the flotation tube, the tube may be folded into a pocket below the passage opening, which remains sealed to avoid reducing the hydrodynamic forces.

The inflation means of the survival suit of the invention, well known to those skilled in the art, may comprise a gas (typically CO) ₂ ) A canister, a trigger means, a drawstring for controlling the trigger means to release gas from the canister, and means for communicating the canister with the flotation tube and its connector.

In a preferred embodiment of the life jacket according to the invention, the belly structure, the back structure of the safety belt and the safety belt, as well as the receiving bag and the folding plate (if provided), are made of synthetic rubber or elastic fabric, in particular of polyurethane-derived synthetic fibres, or of a brand-protected neoprene material.

Drawings

The invention will be better understood from the following description of several embodiments of the inventive survival suit with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a front view of the belly structure of the safety belt of the first embodiment of the survival suit according to the invention in a state of rest.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the abdominal structure of FIG. 1 with the abdominal flotation tube disengaged from its abdominal fold plate in a resting state.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the back structure of the seatbelt shown in fig. 1 in a rest state.

Figure 4 is a view from the left side of the harness of figure 1 with the back flotation tubes and the belly flotation tubes inflated.

Figure 5 is a view of the harness of figure 1 with the float tube inflated and flat.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the back structure pocket of the harness of fig. 1 in a rest state.

FIG. 7, FIG. 7 are views of the floating tube in a resting state only, and FIG. 1 is a view of the flat inflation device of the harness, and

fig. 8 is a front view of the belly structure of the safety belt of the second embodiment of the survival suit according to the invention in a state of rest.

Detailed Description

A first embodiment of a life jacket, which will now be described, comprises a safety harness 1, here attached to the torso 2 of an individual in fig. 1, comprising an abdominal structure 3 (fig. 1) and a back structure 4 (fig. 3).

In order to position the harness on the torso 2, the harness comprises a pair of shoulder straps 28 and a strap 6, the shoulder straps 28 being wrapped around the individual's neck 5 and the strap 6 being wrapped around the individual's abdomen 7.

The shoulder straps 28 are attached to the belt 6 by buckles or other suitable means (not shown).

The strap 6 may be one part which is then elastic to accommodate individuals of different sizes, or may be two parts which may also be elastic and may be connected by an adjustment buckle.

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 4, here two abdominal flotation tubes 8, 9 ([ fig. 2 ]) are arranged on the abdominal structure 3.

In the uninflated state ([ fig. 1 ]), they fold against this belly structure 3, and in the inflated state ([ fig. 4 ]), they unfold along the belly structure. More precisely, the abdominal structure 3 here comprises two hinged

abdominal fold plates

10, 11, which, when the abdominal tubes 8, 9 are uninflated, fold the two hinged

abdominal fold plates

10, 11 upwards against the abdominal structure to fold the tubes 8, 9 downwards against the abdominal structure 3, respectively, in this uninflated state.

When the abdominal flotation tubes 8, 9 are inflated, they pivot the

panels

10, 11 away from the abdominal structure 3.

Each

folding plate

10, 11 comprises an inner edge 12 extending along the centre line of the belly structure 3, where said belly structure 3 is connected to the structure by stitching. The other edge of the outer surface 13 of each plate may be held against the belly structure 3 by means of a catch 14, two parts of the catch 14 being integrated with the plate and the belly structure, respectively.

In the rest state of the floating pipes 8, 9, the folded

plates

10, 11 are pressed against the belly structure 3 by means of the snap 14. Under the action of the inflation of the tubes 8, 9, the catch 14 springs out and the

folding plates

10, 11 pivot about their inner edges 12, thereby disengaging and inflating the flotation tubes 8, 9.

In fig. 2, the

plates

10, 11 are shown rotated after the two parts of the catch 14 are separated.

At the rear of the jacket, on its back structure 4, a bag 15 for housing a back inflatable flotation tube 16 and an inflation system 17 is attached to the shoulder straps 28 and the straps 6, for example by stitching. The bag 15 is here closed by a bag cover 18 which allows the passage of the tube 16.

In fig. 6, the back flotation tube 16 contained within the bag 15 is shown in its crimped resting state.

In the considered embodiment of the jacket of the invention, the abdominal flotation tubes 8, 9 are also connected to

inflatable connectors

19, 20, said

inflatable connectors

19, 20 extending from their downstream end 21 in the bag 15 on the back to their connecting end 22.

Under the action of the inflation device, the

connectors

19, 20 are inflated and the deployment of the abdominal flotation tubes 8, 9 is ensured.

It is emphasized that the arrangement of the

connectors

19, 20 within the belt 6 greatly facilitates the construction of the safety belt.

The inflation system 17 is entirely conventional here and comprises a gas cartridge 30, a trigger device 31 (with means for locking the device) and a pull cord 32 for controlling the locking means. The

connectors

19, 20 of the abdominal flotation tubes 8, 9 and the dorsal tube 16 are connected to a bag 33, and the neck 34 of the gas cylinder 30 opens into the bag 33. The gas used is usually carbon dioxide CO ₂ . When the swimmer pulls the pull cord 32, he/she releases the trigger 31 and gas from the cartridge 30 escapes therefrom to fill the bag 33, the

connectors

19, 20 and the tubes 8, 9, 16.

In the rest state (fig. 1, 3, 6, 7), the abdominal flotation tubes 8, 9 are pressed against the abdominal structure 3 in the folded state by the

folding plates

10, 11, and the back flotation tube 16 is also in the folded or rolled state inside the bag 15.

Under the action of the inflation system 17, the abdominal flotation tubes 8, 9 spring out the catches 14 of the

folding plates

10, 11 and pivot these plates to full deployment. The back flotation tube 16 pushes the flap 18 back and away from the bag 15.

It is to be noted that after reintroduction of the back tube 16 in its folded state into the bag 15, the flap 18 of the bag is closed in a manner obvious to the person skilled in the art, in which water cannot penetrate, thus not hindering the hydrodynamic force of the jacket.

The harness in figure 8 does not differ fundamentally from the harness in the previous figures. Therefore, only the distinctive elements of this second embodiment will be described.

First, the jacket of [ fig. 1] is worn like a sweater. The garment of fig. 8 differs from the first in that it is worn like a garment, the belly structure 53 of which consists of two

parts

54, 55, which are connected by a zip 56 after being worn. It should also be noted that a third embodiment of the jacket of the invention is conceivable, differing from [ fig. 1] only in that the belly configuration will also be two parts joined by a zip fastener after being put on.

The garment of figure 8 differs further from the garment of figure 1 in that the

panels

10, 11 are replaced by

belly pockets

57, 58 which are symmetrical with respect to the edge elements of the zip 56 for receiving the belly flotation tubes.

Each

pocket

57, 58 comprises two mutually folded

portions

59, 60 and is kept folded by means of adhesive strips 61, 62 attached to its edges, which in the rest state are substantially parallel to the zipper.

Here, the rest of the outer surface of the bag portion is sewn to the belly structure 53 of the harness (except for the shoulder straps 28) so that the bag can be opened.

When the floating tube folded inside the bag is at rest, the

bags

57, 58 are closed by the adhesive strips and the tube is pressed against the abdominal structure, the adhesive strips of the two bag parts being released by the inflation of the tube, the bag being opened and the tube being pulled out of it.

Claims

1. A life jacket comprising a safety belt (1) arranged to be fastened to the torso (2) of an individual and comprising a back structure (4), a belly structure (3) and a strap (6), at least an abdominal flotation tube (8, 9) connected to the safety belt (1) and a manually operated inflation device (17) for inflating the abdominal flotation tube, characterized in that the abdominal flotation tube (8, 9) is arranged at the belly structure (3) of the safety belt (1), in an uninflated state it is folded over the belly structure (3) of the safety belt (1), and in an inflated state it is unfolded along the belly structure (3).

2. A life jacket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the belly structure (3) of the life jacket comprises hinged belly fold-out panels (10, 11), said belly fold-out panels (10, 11) being arranged in a folded manner and abutting against the belly structure (3) to fold the belly flotation tubes (8, 9) in an uninflated state and pivoting away from the belly structure (3) under the inflation action of the belly flotation tubes (8, 9).

3. A life jacket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the belly structure (53) comprises belly pockets (57, 58), said belly pockets (57, 58) for receiving folded belly flotation tubes in an uninflated state, the pockets (57, 58) being arranged to open under the inflation action of the belly flotation tubes.

4. A life jacket as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the abdominal flotation tube (8, 9) is further connected to an inflatable connector (19, 20), which inflatable connector (19, 20) extends into the belt (6) of the safety belt from its downstream end (21) to its connecting end (22) and is arranged to inflate and deploy the abdominal flotation tube under the action of an inflator (17).

5. A life jacket as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the belly structure (53) of the safety belt (1) is divided into two parts (54, 55), said two parts (54, 55) being arranged to be connected by means of a zip (56).

6. The life jacket according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein a back flotation tube (16) is provided.

7. The life jacket according to claim 6, wherein the uninflated back flotation tube (16) and the inflation device (17) are arranged in a pocket (15) of the back structure (4) of the safety belt (1).

8. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein the abdominal flotation tubes (8, 9) are further connected to inflatable connectors (19, 20), which inflatable connectors (19, 20) extend into the belt (6) of the safety belt from their downstream end (21) to their connecting end (22) and are arranged to inflate and deploy the abdominal flotation tubes and the uninflated dorsal flotation tubes (16) under the action of an inflator (17), the inflator (17) and the downstream ends (21) of the inflatable connectors (19, 20) being arranged in the pocket (15) of the dorsal structure (4) of the safety belt (1).

9. A life jacket as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a pull control element (32) is provided to activate the inflation device (17).

10. A life jacket as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the inflation device (17) comprises a gas cylinder (30), a trigger device (31), a pull cord (32) for controlling the trigger device (31), and means (33), said means (33) being adapted to communicate the gas cylinder (30) with the flotation tubes (8, 9, 16) and their connectors (19, 20).