EP1894604A2 - Protective clothing - Google Patents

Abstract

The protective clothing (10) has an outer covering (12) completely surrounding the person and a gas guiding unit (26), where gas is released into an interior of the outer covering to supply breathing gas to a person. A gas outlet valve is provided in the outer covering and is designed as a pressure limiting valve to adjust an internal pressure of the clothing to a predetermined target pressure during gas supply.

Description

The present invention relates to a personal protective suit for protecting a person in a dangerous environment, comprising an outer shell substantially completely surrounding the person, and gas supply means by means of which a gas can be released inside the outer shell to supply the person with inhalation gas.

Personal protective suits of this type are known from industrial production as well as from research and are used when a stay of a person to carry out a work or the like is necessary within a particular danger environment in which direct contact of the person with the environment must be avoided. Such a hazard environment is any environment in which hazardous dusts, gases, droplets or the like with a certain level of concentration and / or probability are present, as well as any environment in which there is a danger of coming into contact with these dusts. In particular, this is thought of premises in which toxic or carcinogenic substances, hazardous biological materials, viruses or similar substances are.

Particularly well-known personal protective suits are used in laboratories, for example for the production of medicaments or the like, in which the person protected by the protective suit has to deal with the hazardous substances. The gas supply means are then connected via a hose to an external gas source of the laboratory, which continuously provides inhaled gas at a predetermined pressure, which is released from the gas supply means inside the personal protection suit. The supplied Inhalation gas is partially inhaled by the person and, on the other hand, exits the personal protective suit together with the person's exhalation gas through seams of the suit, crevices around the cuffs and trouser leg ends, through other openings or through special outlet gaps or non-spring-loaded exhalation valves. The flow rate of the supplied inhale gas is adjusted to a correspondingly high value in order to ensure a continuous flow of clean natural gas from all openings of the personal protection suit and in this way to prevent the penetration of hazardous substances through openings of the personal protection suit. In this way, the person in the suit is essentially complete, ie substantially "from head to toe," in a constantly renewing environment of clean breathing gas.

For the safety of the person in such a personal protective suit and thus the ability to work and move in a hazardous environment, but had to be taken a number of significant disadvantages in purchasing. For example, to maintain the continuous flow of the suit with clean inspiratory gas for safety reasons, a relatively high flow rate is required. The person is thus constantly exposed in the suit to a considerable passage of air. This continuous drafts leads to dehydration of the person to be protected, which must be counteracted by high fluid intake. Draft also involves the known health risks to which persons are exposed in a draft environment, such as colds, tension (neck stiffness), etc. In addition, with the high flow rate of inhale gas through the known personal protective suit, a relatively high noise due to flow noise of the gas entering the Protective suit when released from nozzles within the suit, especially within the head area, as well as the outflow of gas from the protective suit.

Another disadvantage of known personal protective suits lies in the relatively high cost, which is necessary for cleaning in particular for sterilizing and disinfecting the protective suit after its use in a hazardous environment. The outside of the personal protective suit facing the danger environment has a multiplicity of devices, hoses, coupling systems and the like, on which harmful particles can catch or settle, which necessitates a relatively complicated cleaning or sterilization of these elements. In particular, problems arise with a filter device arranged between an external gas source and the gas inlet of the personal protection suit, which are changed regularly and are therefore to be decontaminated and cleaned together with their associated coupling means.

Furthermore, the outer shell known personal protective suits Although some protection against ingress of hazardous substances, but it is very heavy and relatively stiff, so that the work in such a personal protective suit is associated with high effort and low freedom of movement. The comfort of known personal protective suits is additionally affected by the fact that they are generally made only in one or a few clothing sizes and due to the high manufacturing cost of such suits an adaptation to the clothing size of a particular person is not possible or only with great effort. Accordingly, conventional personal protective suits are very uncomfortable to wear in one or a few standard sizes, especially for smaller or larger people. Such size differences are particularly noticeable in the hands or feet of people enclosing areas of the protective suit. If several people use one and the same protective suit alternately together, it must be purchased for a suit whose size, in particular in the glove sections or the shoe sections to the size the largest person is adjusted.

However, the described personal protective suits also have security-related disadvantages. Thus, the person wearing the protective suit is protected in the manner described above from direct contact with hazardous substances in the vicinity of the personal protection suit with continuous supply of inhalation gas, but this protection is relatively quickly eliminated if the gas supply is interrupted due to a fault. In such a case, the entry of hazardous substances from the environment into the personal protective suit preventing flow of inhaled gas from the openings of the outer shell abruptly stops and there is a risk that said substances get inside the outer shell before the person concerned the Passenger protection suit filed and entered a safe room or before the person reaches a cleaning chamber or the like in the personal protection suit. Conversely, therefore, cost-intensive measures have to be taken to ensure a fail-safe gas supply or a certain security risk must be accepted.

Against the background of the described disadvantages of known personal protective suits, it is an object of the present invention to provide a personal protective suit, which has an increased wearing comfort and allows flexible handling and which at the same time provides a secure protection for the person wearing the protective suit person within a dangerous environment.

According to a first aspect of the invention, this object is achieved by a personal protective suit for protecting a person in a dangerous environment, comprising an outer shell substantially completely surrounding the person, and gas supply means by means of which a gas can be released inside the outer shell around the person supply with inhaled gas, wherein at least one gas outlet valve is provided on the outer shell, which is designed as set to a predetermined target pressure relief valve to set at gas supply an internal pressure inside the personal protection suit substantially to this target pressure.

By using a set to a predetermined target pressure relief valve that adjusts an internal pressure of the personal protection suit substantially to this target value with gas supply, it is possible in the personal protection suit according to the invention to maintain a substantially constant and definable in advance target pressure inside the personal protection suit. Thus, to keep the person continually in a protective atmosphere of clean inspiratory gas, it is thus sufficient to set the target pressure to a value that is in particular only slightly greater than the environmental pressure surrounding the personal protective suit, so that the ensured, substantially constant pressure difference between internal pressure and ambient pressure, a readily controllable flow of uncontaminated gas from inside the outer shell through the at least one pressure relief valve takes place. As a result, the pressure and flow conditions within the personal protection suit can be ensured much more securely and specified more precisely. In particular, it is possible to define the pressure and flow conditions of the gas inside the personal protective suit in accordance with safety considerations and aspects of wearing comfort.

In a preferred embodiment, when the internal pressure of the personal protective suit distinguishes a first threshold pressure, the at least one gas outlet valve switches to a blocking state in which a flow of gas through the gas outlet valve is substantially blocked, and switches when the internal pressure exceeds a second threshold value , in an on-state in which a Outflow of gas from the inside of the personal protection suit is allowed through the gas outlet valve.

By switching the at least one gas outlet valve in the blocking state when falling below the first threshold pressure measures are taken in the event of a pressure drop within the personal protection suit to prevent further pressure drop of the internal pressure, or at least slowing down significantly. The described configuration of the preferred embodiment comes into play in particular in an accident in which the supply of the personal protection suit with inhaled gas is interrupted due to a fault or at least significantly reduced. Due to the outflow of the gas from the gas outlet valves, a fall in the internal pressure will occur in such a case, resulting in a reduction of the outflow velocity of the gas through the at least one gas outlet valve. If the first threshold pressure is set to a pressure value below which harmful substances or particles can no longer reliably be kept away by an outflow of the inhaled gas through the at least one gas outlet valve, the at least one gas outlet valve switches into the blocking state when it falls below this threshold value and prevents or prevents reduces on the one hand a further pressure drop inside the personal protection suit and on the other hand blocks the entry of contaminated gas from the environment.

As a result of the switching of the at least one gas outlet valve into the blocking state, a predetermined overpressure thus remains in such an accident, in order to protect the person in question for a certain period of time in the atmosphere of inspiration gas. This period of time may either be sufficient to bridge a temporary interruption of the gas supply or may give the person time to restart the gas supply or to leave the danger zone. In particular, this period of time can also be set up so that the person concerned has sufficient time to take standard decontamination measures. As a result, such a personal protective suit according to the invention provides a more reliable protection in the danger environment or / and enables the reduction of the effort to ensure an uninterrupted supply of inhaled gas.

Preferably, in the described embodiment, the first threshold pressure is equal to or less than the predetermined target pressure, and the second threshold pressure is equal to or greater than the predetermined target pressure. In this way, the exhaust valve reliably regulate the internal pressure independently to the target pressure or a control range in the vicinity of the target pressure. In addition, when the first and second threshold pressures are different from each other, it is possible to reduce the number of switching operations of the at least one gas outlet valve.

In a further preferred embodiment it is provided that a difference between the target pressure and an ambient pressure of the personal protection suit or a difference between the target pressure and a predetermined normal pressure between about 1 mbar (100 Pa) and about 10 mbar (1000 Pa), preferably between about 5 mbar (500 Pa) and about 7 mbar (700 Pa) and more preferably between about 4.0 mbar (400 Pa) and about 4.5 mbar (450 Pa).

With a configuration according to this embodiment, not only is it possible to reduce the amount of inhalation gas to be supplied per unit time, and thus to reduce the gas consumption and the equipment cost for the gas supply. The opposite known personal protective suits relatively low target pressure inside the personal protection suit also offers decisive advantages in terms of the wearing and comfort of the suit. So leads the Pressure reduction to a significantly reduced flow rate of the suit, whereby the problems described above, which are associated with relatively high flow rates, can be met. In particular, the mentioned stresses are significantly reduced by drafts and gas flow noise.

The safety of the personal protection suit according to the invention, in particular in the event of a sudden failure of the gas supply, is further increased if, in the blocking state of the at least one gas outlet valve, substantially no gas escapes from the interior of the personal protection suit. In the event of a total failure of the gas supply is then the above-mentioned period of time during which in the personal protective suit, the protective gas atmosphere is maintained, even greater.

In particular, it is also contemplated in this connection that the gas supply means have a backflow blocking device which blocks a flow of gas opposite to the gas supply direction. Thus, it is also prevented that in case of interruption of the gas supply gas escapes through the gas supply means from the personal protection suit. In the event that the gas supply means further comprise a provided on the outer shell gas inlet portion which is connected or connectable to an external gas source, the Rückstromsperreinrichtung may comprise a arranged in the gas inlet portion check valve in a structurally simple embodiment.

In an advantageous variant of the invention, the at least one gas outlet valve may have tamper-evident means which substantially prevent or indicate a change and / or removal of the gas outlet valve. In this way, a person intending to use the personal protective suit may, prior to use, be aware of the presence of an original and thus proper one Gas outlet valve convince and an unauthorized replacement of the gas outlet valve can be prevented.

In a particularly simple manner, such a tamper-evident means can have at least one detachable engagement projection on which a tool for mounting or / and disassembling the gas outlet valve engages. The removable attack projection can be removed after installation of the original gas outlet valve, so that the gas outlet valve can then no longer be removed or replaced without a trace.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a personal protective suit, in particular of the type described above, for protecting a person in a dangerous environment, comprising an outer envelope substantially completely surrounding the person and gas supply means by means of which a gas inside the person The outer shell is releasable to supply the person with inhaled gas, wherein the gas supply has at least one arranged in the head region of the personal protection suit gas discharge opening and wherein the at least one gas discharge opening comprises a flow calming arrangement which distributes the gas over a surface area and / or distributed over several directions releases.

In such a personal protective suit according to the invention, the gas discharge opening is thus arranged in the head region of the protective suit in which the inhaled gas is significantly required. In doing so, the gas is released via the flow calming arrangement, which calms the flow of gas out of the gas discharge opening. Thus, the sensation of drafts for the person to be protected is avoided or at least significantly mitigated. In particular, by the distributed release of the gas over a surface area or / and over several directions, a direct and punctual influx of a certain area of the person with a relatively high flow rate is avoided and a Cold, stress, dehydration and the like can be prevented. As a result, the wear comfort of the personal protection suit according to the invention is also significantly improved by this measure.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention according to the second aspect, the flow calming arrangement comprises an air-permeable solid-state material, in particular a porous or textile or net-like material or the like. Such a material offers a structurally simple way of distributing the gas flow over a surface area or / and over several directions and thus preventing the person from feeling excessive draft. In addition, such a material contributes to the damping of flow noise and thus further reduces the noise pollution within the personal protection suit.

As an alternative or additional way of achieving a steady flow of gas from the gas discharge opening, the flow calming arrangement may have an overall passage cross section which is larger, in particular more than approximately 2 times larger than the total passage cross section of a gas guide connected to the gas discharge opening. Due to the considerably larger overall passage cross-section, the flow velocity within the flow calming arrangement is significantly reduced and the flow is thus calmed.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the flow calming arrangement comprises an air-permeable material web, in particular textile or net web, which is arranged inside the outer shell facing the head of the person, and that the gas in a region between the outer shell and the air-permeable material web is introduced so that it is released through the air-permeable material web into the head area of the personal protection suit. This way can with a structurally simple measure the release of the gas over a very large area or over several directions can be achieved. Such an air-permeable material web is also of relatively low weight and relatively inexpensive to produce and can be accommodated comfortably in the interior of the personal protection suit without much space.

In an advantageous variant of the preceding embodiment, it is provided that the air-permeable material web has a first material web portion, which is arranged facing the neck and the rear head region of the person, and has a second material web portion, which faces the upper head region of the person facing, wherein the first web section has a lower air permeability than the second web section. With such an arrangement, it can be achieved that the inspiration gas is supplied to the person's neck and back head area at a lower flow rate than the upper head area. It has been found in the practical use of such an arrangement that such a distribution of the air flow is perceived as particularly pleasant and that in this way, in particular the zuzüpfindliche neck and neck area remains protected from excessive drafts. In addition, it has been recognized that a particularly pleasant gas atmosphere builds up in the head area if the first material web section is formed from a textile material, in particular a felt material, and the second material band section is formed from a mesh material, for example a plastic mesh or the like.

According to a third aspect, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a personal protective suit, in particular of the type described above, for protecting a person in a dangerous environment, comprising an outer shell substantially entirely surrounding the person, and gas supply means by means of which a gas can be released inside the protective suit to the person with inhalation gas too wherein the gas supply means comprise a filter device which filters the gas to be supplied, and wherein the filter device is disposed within the outer shell.

By the arrangement of the filter device within the outer shell, the filter device itself is protected against contamination by potentially present in the danger environment hazardous substances. On the one hand, this makes it easier to clean the entire personal protective suit, since the decontamination of the filter device and possibly its associated connection means can be omitted, and on the other hand ensures reliable allocation of the filter device to a specific personal protective suit, so that when leaving the danger environment and cleaning / maintenance of the personal protection suit the filter device is always carried and thus can be reliably maintained or replaced as needed. There are therefore advantages with regard to the overall safety of the personal protection suit and with regard to a reduction of the cleaning / sterilization effort.

In a particularly simple embodiment, the filter device is mounted on an inner side of the outer shell, so that it is located at a defined position where it is not disturbing especially for the person. If the filter device is accommodated in an openable and closable pocket of the personal protection suit arranged on the inside of the outer shell, the contamination protection of the filter device can be further improved, the filter device remaining accessible for maintenance purposes through a closable pocket opening.

When the filter device is disposed inside the outer shell, in a case that the gas supply means further includes a gas inlet portion provided on the outer shell which is connected or connectable to an external gas source, a gas guiding portion must be provided be formed between the gas inlet portion and the filter device substantially gas-tight, to ensure that no unfiltered gas enters the interior of the personal protection suit. Therefore, according to one embodiment, it is proposed that the filter device be adjacent to and connected to the gas inlet section in order to filter the gas supplied by the external gas source. The addressed gas guide between the gas inlet section and the filter device can then be omitted, so that the gas supply means are simplified as a whole. A portion from the outlet of the filter device to a gas discharge port for releasing the inhalation gas can be provided without much sealing effort, since a release of filtered gas in the personal protective suit is unproblematic or desired. In a particularly simple variant, the filter device can even deliver the filtered gas directly into the interior of the personal protection suit.

Preferably, however, the gas supply means have at least one gas discharge opening which discharges the gas into the interior of the personal protection suit, and furthermore have at least one gas guide which connects the filter device to the at least one gas discharge opening. Then discharges the gas guide into the above pocket for receiving the filter device, the bag is an advantageous dual function to go on the one hand receives the filter device for protection against contamination and on the other hand in the closed state, the exiting the filter device filtered gas into the gas conducts and thus forms a connection of the gas guide to the filter device.

In order to facilitate the replacement of the filter device further, it is also contemplated that the filter device is operatively connected to the gas inlet portion by means of a releasable coupling operatively substantially gas-tight. The releasable coupling then provides on the one hand a gas-tight connection between the gas inlet section and the filter device, on the other hand, can be easily manually released to service / replace the filter device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a personal protective suit, in particular of the type described above, for protecting a person in a dangerous environment, comprising an outer shell which substantially completely surrounds the person and gas supply means, by means of which a gas inside the person Personal protective suit is releasable to supply the person with inhaled gas, wherein the gas supply means further comprise a provided on the outer shell gas inlet portion which is connected or connectable to an external gas source, wherein the gas inlet portion has a channel for passing gas, which from an outside the Outer shell extending outer channel piece, an inner channel piece extending within the outer shell and a connecting channel piece which connects the outer channel piece and the inner channel piece to one another, and wherein st the outer channel piece is substantially parallel to a gas inlet portion adjacent portion of the outer shell.

By such a configuration of the gas inlet portion, the problem encountered with known personal protective suits is encountered that an outer channel piece of the gas inlet portion and a piece of tubing connected thereto are pivoted downwards or otherwise towards the personal protective suit due to their own weight or other forces acting in that area. Such pivotal movement has resulted in known personal protection suits to a heavy load of the gas inlet portion adjacent portion of the outer shell. According to the invention, on the other hand, the outer channel piece is aligned substantially parallel to a section of the outer shell adjacent to the gas inlet section, so that lever forces acting on the gas inlet section become clear be reduced. In addition, the outer channel piece and thus also a connected thereto hose section in the personal protection suit according to the invention is not disturbing from this, so that the risk of collision of these sections with objects or the like is reduced in the environment.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the personal protective suit of the fourth aspect, the outer channel piece and the inner channel piece may be spaced apart and substantially parallel to the portion of the outer shell adjacent to the gas inlet portion. Thus, the inner channel piece is not too far away in the direction of the person from, so that the channel piece and an attached element of the personal protection suit (for example, a filter device or the like) can be accommodated in the suit to save space.

According to an advantageous development it is provided that the connecting channel piece has a substantially continuously curved course. In this way, the flow path of the inspiratory gas from the outer channel piece is straightened by the connecting channel piece to the inner channel piece and executed substantially without sharp edges. It has been shown that in this way the flow noise in the region of the gas inlet section can be significantly reduced.

In order to enable a structurally simple, but reliable gas-tight implementation of the gas path through the outer shell of the personal protection suit, it is further proposed that the gas inlet section comprises an outer housing half containing the outer channel piece and an inner housing half containing the inner channel piece, that the outer shell has a through opening associated with the gas inlet portion and that the two housing half are fastened to each other in such a way that the connecting channel piece the Passage through opening and an edge of the passage opening circumferentially received and sealed between the outer and the inner housing half.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a personal protective suit, in particular of the type described above, for protecting a person in a dangerous environment, comprising an outer shell substantially completely surrounding the person and gas supply means by means of which a gas inside the person Personal protective suit is releasable to provide the person with inhalation gas, wherein the outer shell is formed of a bi-elastic material.

In the practical use of such a personal protective suit with an outer shell formed from bielastic material, a surprising and significant improvement of the overall wearing comfort of the suit has been found. The outer shell according to the invention provides a significantly improved freedom of movement and a more comfortable seat and thus allows a longer and more comfortable wearing the suit. The Bielastizität the outer shell is usually also accompanied by an improvement in the durability of the suit, as well as a greater number of occurring during the lifetime of the suit kinking movements in the material of the outer shell does not lead to breakage or tearing of the material.

Particularly suitable as bi-elastic material has been found to be a polyurethane material with a textile reinforcement. In addition to the general requirements for materials for personal protective suits to block harmful substances and particles, the outer shell according to the invention has also been found to be particularly breathable and particularly advantageous to clean / sterilize.

In an advantageous embodiment, the textile reinforcement is made of a In particular, it is contemplated that a proportion of polyester in the outer shell material will be between about 40% and about 80%, preferably between about 50% and about 65%, and most preferably about 58%; remaining material content is formed essentially of polyurethane.

Particularly advantageously, the outer shell may be formed of a material which carries a polyurethane coating on both sides of a polyester knitted fabric. In particular, the material marketed under the brand name NIMBA-Tex comes into consideration, which is composed of a polyester knit and a proportion of 42% of a polyurethane coating to a proportion of 58%, wherein the polyurethane coating on both sides of the polyester Is arranged. NIMBA-Tex was developed and used as a wet protection mat for mattresses, cushions and bedding to protect against moisture and dirt in the care sector. NIMBA-Tex is waterproof, chemical-resistant, reliably prevents the passage of harmful substances, but at the same time is breathable, easy to clean, autoclavable, especially at high temperatures, sufficiently tear-resistant, hygiene-tested, recommended for allergy sufferers and durable even with frequent use. As a decisive advantage, the material is bi-elastic and relatively light and therefore offers very high wearing comfort.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a personal protective suit, in particular of the type described above, for protecting a person in a dangerous environment, comprising an outer envelope substantially completely surrounding the person and gas supply means by means of which a gas inside the person Personal protective suit can be released to provide the person with inhalation gas, wherein a arranged in the front head portion of the personal protection suit, see-through window is formed of a flexible, transparent plastic material.

By using a plastic material as the material for the see-through window, a significant reduction in weight of the see-through window and thus the entire personal protection suit can be achieved, which in particular an improvement in wearing comfort of personal protection suit goes on the other hand, it is possible to increase the size of the see-through window with an acceptable increase in the total weight significantly and thus to increase the field of view for the person to be protected, which is also associated with an increase in wearing comfort.

In particular, the use of a window of a motor vehicle folding roof has been recognized as an advantageous plastic material. On the one hand, such a material is very robust and, on the other hand, offers a low weight and sufficient protection against the harmful substances in question.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a personal protective suit, in particular of the type described above, for protecting a person in a dangerous environment, comprising an outer shell substantially completely surrounding the person, and gas supply means by means of which a gas inside the person Personal protective suit is releasable to supply the person with inhaled gas, wherein the outer shell at least one, in particular of a sleeve portion or a trouser leg portion formed tube portion and at least one hose portion associated with the connector part, in particular in the form of a glove or a shoe, said at least one Connecting part is connected via a releasable coupling operatively substantially gas-tight to the hose portion, and wherein the releasable coupling comprises a first ring, on which an edge portion of the connecting part substantially gas is tightly secured and on the outer periphery of an edge portion of the hose portion along its entire circumference is applied, and comprises a second ring, the first Ring surrounds, so that the edge portion of the hose portion between the outer periphery of the first ring and the inner circumference of the second ring is received and fixed substantially gas-tight.

A personal protective suit constructed in this manner offers the possibility of connecting a connection part, in particular gloves and / or shoes, to the personal protective suit by means of a detachable coupling, so that it can be disconnected or coupled in a simple manner if required. Thus, it is possible to combine a personal protective suit with different shoes or gloves or pairs of shoes or gloves and thus adapt the suit flexibly to different sizes of different people or to different applications.

An essential aspect of the coupling between hose section and connection part according to the invention is that the edge section of the hose section is received and fastened substantially gas-tight between the outer circumference of the first ring and the inner circumference of the second ring. Accordingly, without providing any additional coupling means to the hose portion, the edge portion of the hose portion (i.e., particularly the edge portion of the sleeve portion or the trouser leg portion) can be directly attached to the fitting portion by means of the releasable coupling. This also makes it possible to shorten sleeves or trouser legs of the personal protection suit according to the invention in a simple manner, namely by simply cutting to a desired length, since the tube section can be connected directly to the connecting part even after cutting by means of the coupling according to the invention. Thus, a possibility for flexible and cost-effective adjustment of the size of the personal protection suit is provided to the size of the person to be protected.

The coupling of the hose section to the connection part is in a simple operation possible by the edge portion of the tube portion is pulled over the outer circumference of the first ring and then the second ring is pushed over the first ring, so that the tube portion is securely and gas-tightly held between the two rings along its entire circumference. The coupling between the rings or the tube section is in particular a frictional coupling.

Between the outer circumference of the first ring and the edge portion of the hose portion and / or between the inner circumference of the second ring and the edge portion of the hose portion may be arranged to improve the tightness of a circumferential O-ring seal. Such an O-ring seal can also increase the friction between the 3 elements, first, second ring and tube section, i. ensure the tight fit of these elements to each other, and thus prevent unintentional release of the coupling. In particular, it is thought in this context that the O-ring seal extends in an annular groove of the first and / or second ring, so that the O-ring seal can be securely held in its desired position.

As an alternative to the personal protective suit according to the seventh aspect, the detachable coupling of such a personal protective suit may also comprise a first ring, around the outer periphery of which a peripheral portion of the connecting part and an edge portion of the hose portion are guided, and a second ring surrounding the first ring, wherein the Edge portion of the connecting part and the edge portion of the hose portion between the outer periphery of the first ring and the inner periphery of the second ring are substantially gas-tight received and fixed. In this alternative, for which also independent protection is sought, the edge portion of the connecting part is pulled around the outer circumference of the first ring and thus releasably attached to the first and second ring. This is particularly advantageous for the coupling of a glove to a sleeve portion, as is usual glove to be used (such as laboratory rubber glove) already has a suitable for this inventive type of coupling edge portion and thus glove and sleeve portion without prior processing or any other attachment steps can be coupled directly to each other via the releasable coupling. Furthermore, in this alternative too, the advantages addressed for the first alternative are established. In particular, the use of a frictional coupling between the first ring, the second ring, the connecting part and the hose section creates a firm and at the same time substantially gas-tight connection.

In addition, one or more O-ring seals can also be provided in the case of a coupling according to the second alternative, which may, if desired, extend for fixing the position in an annular groove of the first and / or the second ring in order to further improve the frictional engagement of the coupling. Furthermore, the edge portion of the connection part and the edge portion of the hose portion may overlap each other in the axial direction with selectable degree of overlap, whereby even more secure connection and sealing of the coupling and at the same time a length adjustability of the hose portion is provided.

The two alternative objects according to the seventh aspect of the invention can be particularly advantageously realized on the same personal protective suit, for example, in the coupling of the shoes, the first ring according to the first alternative is attached to an edge portion of the respective shoe, while in the coupling of Gloves, an edge portion of the gloves according to the second alternative is placed around the first ring and thus clamped with the edge portion of the sleeve portion between the two rings.

According to an advantageous embodiment, in both alternatives may be provided in each case that the first ring has a conical outer peripheral surface, or / and the second ring has a conical inner peripheral surface. When pushing the two rings to close the coupling then slides the cone-shaped surface of at least one of the two rings along one surface of the other ring, so that the two rings abut each other with increasing mutual displacement under tension. The corresponding sealing surfaces between the rings are securely pressed together by such a jamming of the two rings, whereby the tightness and security of the coupling are further improved.

The inventive coupling according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is also particularly simple and inexpensive to manufacture, when the second ring is formed continuously in the circumferential direction. Advantages in terms of manufacturing costs and in terms of the weight of the coupling and thus the entire personal protective suit are also achieved when the first and / or the second ring of plastic or a light metal is / are.

The rings of the coupling are particularly easy to produce (eg by turning) and to use, if they have a substantially circular shape. In a further embodiment of the coupling according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, however, it is provided that the first and the second ring have a shape deviating from a circular shape, in particular substantially oval, a substantially elliptical or substantially egg-shaped ring shape. Such a ring shape corresponds to the natural body shapes of the user in the areas in which the couplings are while wearing the personal protection suit, much better than a circular shape, so that in this way the comfort of the personal protection suit can be further improved. In addition, the rings thus formed are less bulky and so less disturbing to the user during the work.

In a further embodiment, the coupling according to the seventh aspect of the present invention may be configured such that the fitting part and / or the hose portion is secured to the first and / or the second ring by at least one locking screw. In this way it can be prevented with even greater reliability that the coupling dissolves undesirable during work in a hazardous environment and thus causes the risk of contamination.

In particular, in an embodiment in which the second ring arranged above the first ring is to be pushed in a direction towards the body of the user to release the coupling, such a fixation by means of at least one safety screw can reliably prevent the outer ring from inadvertently from the inner ring is withdrawn when the user stretches or if for other reasons train on the hose section of the personal protection suit is exercised. As securing screws grub screws are preferably used, so that the screws do not protrude or only slightly over a surface of the ring.

According to a particularly preferred variant of said fixation by means of locking screws is provided that the at least one locking screw passes through a through hole of the second ring in threaded engagement with a thread of the through hole and is screwed against a stop portion of the first ring. Such an arrangement allows a simple realization of said fixation, wherein each of the at least one locking screw fixes the first ring on the second ring.

A further advantageous development of the fixation means of at least one locking screw provides that the abutment portion of the first ring comprises a recess, in particular an annular groove surrounding the first ring, in which the screw in its securing position positively engages. The engagement of the screw in such a recess, in addition to a possible clamping engagement provides a secure positive locking of the locking screw on the first ring and thus contributes to a further increase in the reliability of the coupling against unintentional release.

The above-described possibilities of securing the coupling by means of screw locking does not lead to a significant complication of the operation of the coupling. The above-described operating steps for closing and opening the coupling remain substantially unchanged, but when closing the coupling after the sliding of the rings on the at least one locking screw is tightened and before opening the coupling, the at least one locking screw is to be solved. If the at least one locking screw is not completely screwed out of its thread during release, then it can be held captive on the second ring until it is used again.

• Figur 1 zeigt eine schematische Vorderansicht eines Personenschutzanzugs gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform der Erfindung.
• Figur 2 zeigt eine schematische Rückansicht des in Figur 1 gezeigten Personenschutzanzugs.
• Figur 3 zeigt eine detailliertere Darstellung eines Gaseintrittsbereichs des in Figur 1 gezeigten Personenschutzanzugs.
• Figur 4 zeigt eine schematische Darstellung eines Gasführungssystems im Inneren des in Figur 1 gezeigten Personenschutzanzugs.
• Figur 5A und Figur 5B zeigen eine Draufsicht bzw. eine Querschnittsansicht eines Gasauslassventils des in Figur 1 gezeigten Personenschutzanzugs.
• Figur 6 zeigt den Aufbau einer lösbaren Kopplung zwischen einem Ärmel und einem Handschuh in einer geöffneten sowie einer geschlossenen Stellung.
• Figur 7 zeigt eine Querschnittsansicht der lösbaren Kopplung gemäß Linie 7-7 in Fig. 6.
• Figuren 8a und 8b zeigen Querschnittsansichten einer lösbaren Kopplung gemäß zwei Varianten der Erfindung.
• Figur 9 zeigt den Aufbau einer lösbaren Kopplung zwischen einem Schuh und einem Hosenbein in einer geöffneten sowie einer geschlossenen Stellung.
• Figur 10 zeigt eine Querschnittsansicht der lösbaren Kopplung gemäß Linie 10-10 in Fig. 9.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

• Figure 1 shows a schematic front view of a personal protection suit according to a first embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 2 shows a schematic rear view of the personal protection suit shown in FIG.
• FIG. 3 shows a more detailed illustration of a gas inlet region of the personal protection suit shown in FIG.
• FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of a gas guidance system in the interior of the protective suit for persons shown in FIG.
• FIGS. 5A and 5B show a plan view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a gas outlet valve of the personal protection suit shown in FIG.
• Figure 6 shows the structure of a releasable coupling between a sleeve and a glove in an open and a closed position.
• FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the detachable coupling according to line 7-7 in FIG. 6.
• Figures 8a and 8b show cross-sectional views of a releasable coupling according to two variants of the invention.
• Figure 9 shows the structure of a releasable coupling between a shoe and a trouser leg in an open and a closed position.
• FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the detachable coupling according to line 10-10 in FIG. 9.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a personal protective suit according to an embodiment of the present invention is indicated generally at 10. It comprises an outer shell 12, which arms, legs, trunk and a part of the head substantially completely enveloped, a viewing window 14, gloves 16, and shoes 18. About a gas-tight zipper 20, the outer shell 12 can be opened so far that a person on This opening can easily get into the suit 10 and get out of this.

The outer shell 12 is formed of a polyurethane material having a textile reinforcement of a polyester knit, which under the Designation NIMBA-Tex for applications in the field of care as a bed base is sold. The material is cut according to the desired shape of the outer shell 12, sewn and glued and / or welded.

The viewing window 14 is formed from a flexible, transparent plastic plate, as it also comes as a window material for motor vehicle folding roofs used. The viewing window 14 extends over almost the entire head region of the personal protection suit 10, while it has a relatively low weight at the same time. With the outer shell 12, the viewing window is sewn, glued or / and welded.

The personal protective suit 10 is connected via a hose 22 to an external gas source 24, by means of which the interior of the personal protection suit 10 is supplied with an inhaled gas, so that in the interior of the personal protection suit 10 is a person to be protected substantially completely enveloping atmosphere of inhaled gas created.

The hose 22 is connected to gas guide means, generally indicated at 26 in FIG. 1, which guide, filter and release the inspiratory gas into the interior of the personal protective suit and release it at a desired location inside the personal protection suit 10. The gas guide means 26 comprise a gas inlet section 28 penetrating the outer shell 12 and a filter device 30, a gas guide 32 and a gas release arrangement 34 in the head region of the personal protection suit 10 through the gas inlet portion 28 into the interior of the personal protection suit 10, is filtered in the filter device 30, flows through the gas guide 32 to the gas release assembly 34 and is released there in the interior of the personal protection suit 10 in the head area.

As can also be seen in FIG. 2, the personal protective suit 10 has gas outlet sections 36 at at least six rear lateral locations, on which gas outlet valves are to be described later, which, depending on an internal pressure in the personal protective suit 10, gas from the interior into the environment let flow out.

Referring to FIG. 3, the structure of an environment of the gas input portion 28 will be described below. The gas inlet section 28 has an outer housing half 40 facing the danger environment 38 and an inner housing half 44 facing the interior 42 of the personal protective suit 10, which housing a section of the outer sheath 12 between them. By means of screws 46, the two housing halves 40, 44 attached to each other, so that the intermediate portion of the outer shell 12 is clamped between the housing halves 40, 44 and held.

In the clamped between the housing halves 40, 44 portion of the outer shell 12, this has an opening 48 through which a connecting channel piece 50 is guided. The connecting channel piece 50 has an approximately S-like shape and merges at its opposite ends into an outer channel piece 52 projecting into the environment 38 or into an inner channel piece 54 projecting into the inner space 42. In this case, both the outer channel piece 52 and the inner channel piece 54 parallel to the gas inlet portion 28 adjacent portion of the outer shell 12th

The connecting channel piece 50 is indicated only schematically in FIG. 3 by dotted lines and is formed in a suitable manner in the interior of the two housing halves 40, 44. In this case, for example, so-called labyrinth disks are used, which are used in each case half and when screwing the two Housing halves 40, 44 are assembled to the direction indicated in Figure 3 connecting channel piece 50. The surrounding the connecting channel portion opening 48 in the outer shell 12 is thereby fully clamped between the housing halves 40, 44, in particular between adjacent labyrinth disks of the housing halves 40, 44, so that a reliable seal against leakage of gas from the suit 10 and against an intrusion of hazardous substances is ensured.

In Fig. 3, further indicated at 55 is a check valve which is disposed at a suitable position in the gas flow path of the gas inlet portion 28 and prevents a flow of gas in a direction from the inner channel piece to the outer channel piece. The described arrangement of gas inlet section 28 and filter device 30 thus allows the supply of inhaled gas at a relatively low pressure while an undesirable backflow of gas is prevented.

The outer channel piece 52 has a standardized hose coupling 56, to which a gas hose 22 can be connected or disconnected with simple manipulations.

The inner channel piece 54 has an end flange 58, which is adapted to an end flange 60 of the filter device 30. With the interposition of an O-ring seal 64, the end flange 60 of the filter device 30 can be applied to the end flange 58 of the inner channel piece 54 and the two flanges 58, 60 can then be enclosed by a clamp 66 and coupled to each other in a gastight manner. By means of the clamp 66, the filter device 30 is thus gas-tight and interchangeable connected to the gas inlet portion 28. Instead of the clamp connection, a screw connection can also be used for the coupling between the inner channel piece 54 and the end flange 60.

The filter device 30 used is preferably a replaceable sterile filter cartridge of the type KA02PFRP8 (manufacturer: Pall GmbH), which has hitherto been developed and marketed for use in laboratory equipment. Such filter cartridges 30 have a relatively small size, so that they can be accommodated advantageously in the interior of the personal protection suit 10, and are operable at relatively low pressure. Due to a large flow cross-section within the filter cartridge 30, these filter cartridges 30 operate with respect to conventional filter devices with significantly reduced noise and at the same time allow the reliable filtering of the supplied inhalation gas.

As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, the inner housing half 44 with the inner channel piece 54 and the filter device 30 with their associated connection means 60, 64, 66 are arranged inside a pocket 68 which is arranged between an inner side 70 of the outer shell 12 and a pocket wall 72 is formed. The pocket wall 72 is formed of the same material as the outer shell 12 and is connected via a seam 74 with the inner side 70 of the outer shell 12. It can also be seen in FIG. 4 that the pocket 68 can be opened and closed by means of a zipper 76, so that in a normal operating state with the zipper 76 closed, the filter device 30 and the inner housing half 44 are jointly protected against contamination in the pocket 68.

In the region of the outlet 78 of the filter device 30, the pocket 68 merges into the gas guide 32, which leads the gas emerging from the filter device 30 to the gas release arrangement 34 in the head region of the personal protection suit 10. The gas guide 32 is constructed of a hose also formed from the material of the outer shell 12, which continues from the pocket wall 72 continuously. By a central seam 80, two opposite walls of the hose of the gas guide 32 are sewn together on the outer shell 12, so that the gas guide 32 is divided into two hoses guided side by side.

Alternatively, a plastic hose, in particular a silicone hose, may be guided in the gas guide 32 and the seam may optionally be dispensed with.

The gas guide 32 opens in a head region of the personal protection suit 10 in the gas release assembly 34. The gas release assembly 34 comprises a substantially rectangular felt web 82 which is sewn along two opposite longitudinal edges 84 on the outer shell 12 and at its the gas guide 32 adjacent longitudinal edge 86 with one of the outer shell 12 removed wall of the gas guide 32 is sewn. Along the remaining edge 90 of the felt web 82 this is sewn to a net 92 of a plastic grid. The edges of the net web 92 not sewn to the felt web 82 are sewn to the outer shell 12. The gas release arrangement 34 is arranged on the outer shell 12 such that the felt web 82 faces the rear head region and the neck of a person and the net web 92 faces an upper head region of the person. Depending on the desired flow conditions, the sections 82 and 92 illustrated in FIG. 4 can also be realized with felt or both with mesh or section 92 can be made with felt and section 82 with mesh.

With the arrangement shown, gas leaving the filter device 30 flows out of the pocket 68 into the gas guide 32 and from there flows past the felt web 82 and behind the web 92, i.e., downstream of the web. in a flat space between the felt web 82 and the net web 92 on the one hand and the outer shell 12 on the other. Due to the defined air permeability of the felt web 82 and the net web 92, the inhaled gas finally flows through the two webs 82, 92 and is distributed over the surfaces of these webs 82, 92, uniformly and substantially free of draft in the interior of the personal protection suit 10.

The released in the manner described in the personal protection suit 10 Inhaled gas leaves the personal protective suit 10 via the six gas outlet sections 36 shown in FIG. 2. Each gas outlet section 36 has an overpressure valve shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b which depends on a pressure in the interior 42 of the personal protection suit 10 or in dependence on a pressure difference between a person Internal pressure in the interior 42 and an ambient pressure in the environment 38 changes its passage cross-section.

The pressure relief valve 94 shown in Figures 5a and 5b comprises a cylindrical inner housing 96 which is guided through a correspondingly sized opening 98 in the outer shell 12. A flange portion 100 encircling the inner housing 96 rests on the inside of the edge portion of the outer shell 12 that surrounds the opening 98. An outer casing 102 is screwed onto the outer periphery of the inner casing 96 from the outer side 38 so that the edge of the opening 98 between a flange portion 103 of the outer casing 102 and the flange portion 100 of the inner casing 96 is substantially gas-tightly clamped and held.

An end of the housing 96 opposite the flange portion 100 forms a circular sealing surface on which a ring seal 104 is secured. On the ring seal 104, a valve plate 106 may settle so that it completely closes a gas passage 108 formed in the interior of the inner housing 96. The valve disk 106 has at its center a vertically projecting guide pin 110, which is guided in a guide cylinder 114 held by webs 112 of the housing 96 in the center of the gas passage 108.

A spring 116 is supported on the one hand on an inner side of the outer housing 102 and on the other hand in the center of the valve disk 106. In this case, the spring 116 is biased so that it spans the valve disk from the inside of the outer housing 102 and thus to the ring seal 104 back. The spring 116 thus biases the pressure relief valve 94 in the direction his closed position.

If a pressure difference between the interior 42 and the environment 38 below a certain threshold of preferably 4.2 mbar, the pressure relief valve 94 is closed and prevents both leakage of gas from the interior 42 as well as penetration of substances from the environment 38th Wenn durch Continuous supply of inhalation gas in the interior 42 of the personal protection suit 10 an overpressure is established, which exceeds the threshold value, the valve plate 106 lifts against the bias of the spring 116 from the ring seal 104 and allows gas to escape from the personal protection suit 10 through the gas passage 108th , through the gap between the valve plate 106 and ring seal 104 and then through large openings 118 on the circumference of the outer housing 102. Depending on the size of the pressure in the interior 42 can then by correspondingly different deflection of the spring 116 is a variable passage cross-section, ie a variable gap width between valve plate 106 and ring seal 104, resulting in a fast and self-regulating adjustment of the internal pressure can be done.

On the other hand, if the internal pressure 42 drops below the threshold value, for example due to a sudden failure of the gas supply, then the pressure relief valve 94 closes completely and thus maintains an overpressure in the interior 42 of the personal protection suit 10 corresponding to the bias of the spring 116.

In FIGS. 5a and 5b, it can further be seen that the flange portion 100 has four cylindrical protrusions 120 to which a corresponding tool for mounting or dismounting the overpressure valve 94 can engage. The projections 120 are formed as well as the housing 96 made of plastic and can be easily separated, for example by means of a knife to after installation of the pressure relief valve 94 unauthorized removal of the valve to prevent. Alternatively, bores, in particular two bores, may be provided on the flange portion 100 as engagement points for a corresponding tool.

FIGS. 6 to 10 illustrate a coupling system according to the invention for gloves 16 or shoes 18 on sleeves or trouser legs of the outer shell 12.

6 shows on the left the structure of the coupling for a glove 16 to an edge 122 of a sleeve 123 of the outer shell 12. The coupling comprises a first ring 124 with a tapering towards the sleeve 123 outer peripheral surface 126 and a second ring 128 with a to Glove 16 towards the inner circumferential surface 130.

The first ring 124 has in its outer peripheral surface 126 two mutually parallel circumferential grooves 132, wherein in a circumferential groove 132, an O-ring 134 is inserted.

For coupling the glove 16 to the sleeve edge 122, the glove 16 is pulled with its opening edge over the first ring 124 until a circumferential bead 136 provided on the opening edge of the glove 16 is inserted into the circumferential groove 132 bearing no O-ring 134. In a case of using a glove 16 which does not have a peripheral bead 136 integrally formed at its opening end, an O-ring 134 which is slightly overlapped by the opening edge of the glove 16 may be inserted in the second circumferential groove 132.

In a further step, then the sleeve edge 122 is at least as far pulled over the first ring 124 until it overlaps the O-ring 134 (see also Figure 7). Optionally, the sleeve edge 122 can also be pulled further over the first ring 124 and, if desired, extend beyond it, so that a desired sleeve length can be adjusted comfortably in this way.

Subsequently, the ring 128 is pushed in the axial direction from the side of the sleeve over the first ring 124. By appropriate design of the conical inner and outer surfaces 126 and 130, these gradually approach each other when pushing over the two rings 124, 128 and clamp between the opening portion of the glove 16 and the sleeve edge 122 with their respective seals 134, 136 safely , Finally, when the second ring 128 is slid completely over the first ring 124, as illustrated in the right-hand illustration of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, respectively, the glove 16 and the sleeve of the outer shell 12 are securely and dust-tightly coupled to each other.

To solve the coupling, the said steps are respectively reversed, i. the second ring 128 is deported in the direction of the sleeve 123 from the first ring 124 and then the glove 16 and the sleeve edge 122 are detached from the first ring 124.

FIG. 8 a shows a variant of the coupling system according to the invention, in which the circumferential bead 136 of the glove 16 engages in the circumferential groove 132 remote from the glove and the O-ring seal 134 lies in the circumferential groove 132 closer to the glove 16. The opening edge of the glove 16 and the sleeve edge 122 are then overlapped between the two rings 124, 128, thereby providing additional sealing of the coupling.

FIG. 8b shows a further variant of the coupling system according to the invention, in which an engagement of a circumferential bead of the glove 16 in a groove of the first ring is not provided, or the glove 16 does not have a circumferential bead of the type described above. In this variant, an O-ring seal 134 is inserted in both circumferential grooves 132 and both the opening edge of the glove 16 and the sleeve edge 122 overlap both O-ring seals 134. The two Fabric layers of the glove 16 and the sleeve edge 122 are thus clamped in closed coupling mainly in two areas, namely in each case between one of the O-ring seals 134 and the inner circumference of the second ring.

In general, the degree of overlap of the opening edge of the glove 16 and the sleeve edge 122 with each other and / or with the rings 124, 128 in all variants according to Figure 7 or Figures 8a and 8b can be freely selected as needed to change the sleeve length or / and improve the seal on the coupling.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a coupling system according to the invention for coupling a shoe 18 to an edge section 138 of a pant leg 139 of the outer shell 12. The coupling system has a first ring 124 'with an outer peripheral surface 126' tapering towards the shoe 18 and a second ring 128 '. with an outer circumferential surface 130 'which widens toward the trouser leg 139. The first ring 124 'is formed of a light metal and fixed by means of an adhesive bond to the upper edge portion of the shaft of the shoe 18. In an outer circumferential surface 126 'extending circumferential groove 132' is an O-ring seal 134 '.

FIG. 10 also shows a grub screw 140, which passes through a through hole 142 of the second ring 128 'provided with a matching internal thread. Overall, a plurality of such grub screws with a suitable through hole, for example two, three or four grub screws, are distributed over the circumference of the second ring 128 '. In the release state of the grub screw 140 shown in FIG. 10, the grub screw 140 exerts no pressure on the edge section 138 arranged between the first ring 124 'and the second ring 128'. If the grub screw 140 is screwed into the thread of the passage opening 142 of the second ring 128 ', its end pushes against the first ring 124'. In the outer peripheral surface 126 'of the first ring 124 'is formed a circumferential engagement groove 144 which receives the male end of the grub screw 140. In the securing state thus produced, ie the state in which the grub screw 140 is tightened, the grub screw 140 is held securely in the engagement groove 144 both by a clamping force and by a positive locking of the grub screw 140. The fuse described by means of grub screws can of course also be used for the coupling of the glove 16 in an analogous manner.

For coupling the shoe 18 to the outer shell 12, i. at the trouser leg edge 138, the trouser leg edge 138 is pulled over the outer circumference 126 'of the first ring 124' at least until the trouser leg edge 138 securely overlaps the O-ring seal 134 '. By a more or less strong overlap can be varied as desired in a simple manner, a length of the pant leg. Subsequently, the second ring 128 'is pushed by the shoe 18 over the first ring 124'. In this case, the conical outer peripheral surface 128 'of the first ring 124' and the corresponding oppositely conical inner peripheral surface 130 'of the second ring 128' approach each other and clamp between the trouser leg edge 138 safely.

To solve the coupling, said steps will be reversed, i. E. the second ring 128 'is deported in the direction of the shoe 18 from the first ring 124' and the trouser leg edge 138 is pulled off the first ring 124 '.

Although the conical peripheral surfaces 126 'and 130' may be reversed so that the second ring 128 'must be slid onto the first ring 124' from the side of the pant leg 139 to close the coupling, the one shown in Figs Variant, however, the advantage that the second ring 128 'is held captive on the shaft of the shoe 18 in the released state of the coupling (see Figure 9, left view).

Of course, both described examples of the coupling system according to the invention can be used either for the coupling of a glove on a sleeve as well as for the coupling of a shoe to a trouser leg. In any case, it is possible to easily vary a length of the sleeve or pant leg by varying the degree of overlap of the sleeve or pant leg with the respective first ring 124 or 124 '. In addition, a permanent reduction of the sleeve or pant leg can be realized in a simple manner by the sleeve or the trouser leg is cut at a suitable location, since the coupling according to the invention at the front edge portion of the sleeve or pant leg, i. at the cutting edge, no special coupling means or the like required.

Claims (45)

Personal protective suit (10) for protecting a person in a hazardous environment, in particular according to one of the preceding claims, comprising an outer shell (12) substantially completely surrounding the person and gas supply means (26) by means of which a gas can be released inside the protective suit (10) to supply the person with inhale gas,
wherein the outer sheath (12) comprises at least one hose section (139) formed in particular by a sleeve section or a trouser leg section (139) and at least one connecting section (18) associated with the hose section (139), in particular in the form of a glove (16) or a shoe ( 18),
wherein the at least one connecting part (18) is operatively connected via a detachable coupling (124 ', 128') in a substantially gas-tight or dust-tight manner to the hose section (139), and
wherein the releasable coupling (124 ', 128') comprises a first ring (124 ') to which an edge portion of the connecting part (18) is attached substantially gas-tight and at the outer periphery (126') has an edge portion (138) of the hose portion (138). 123, 139) along its entire circumference, and a second ring (128 ') surrounding the first ring (124') so that the edge portion (138) of the hose portion (123, 139) is interposed between the outer periphery (126 '; ) of the first ring (124 ') and the inner circumference (130') of the second ring (128 ') is received and secured substantially gas-tight. A personal protective suit (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that between the outer periphery (126 ') of the first ring (124') and the edge portion (138) of the hose portion (139) and / or between the inner circumference (130 ') of the second ring (128') and the edge portion (138) of the hose portion (139) a circumferential O-ring seal (134 ') is arranged. Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the O-ring seal (134 ') in an annular groove (132') of the first and / or second ring (124 ', 128') extends. Personal protective suit (10) for protecting a person in a hazardous environment, in particular according to one of the preceding claims, comprising an outer shell (12) substantially completely surrounding the person and gas supply means (26) by means of which a gas can be released inside the protective suit (10) to supply the person with inhale gas,
wherein the outer sheath (12) comprises at least one hose section (123) formed in particular by a sleeve section (123) or a trouser leg section and at least one connecting section (16) associated with the hose section (123), in particular in the form of a glove (16) or a shoe, having,
wherein the at least one connecting part (16) is operatively connected via a releasable coupling (124, 128) in a substantially gas-tight manner to the hose section (123), and
wherein the releasable coupling (124, 128) comprises a first ring (124) around the outer periphery (126) of which an edge portion of the fitting (16) and an edge portion (122) of the hose portion (123) are guided, and a second ring (128 ) surrounding the first ring (124) such that the edge portion of the fitting (16) and the edge portion (122) of the hose portion (123) between the outer periphery (126) of the first ring (124) and the inner periphery (130) of the second ring (128) are received and fixed substantially gas-tight. A personal protective suit (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that the edge portion of the fitting part (16) and the edge portion of the hose portion (123) overlap each other in their axial direction. A personal protective suit (10) according to claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that between the outer periphery (126) of the first ring (124) and the inner periphery (130) of the second ring (128) and / or within the edge portion (136) of the connection part (16) a circumferential O-ring seal (134) is arranged. Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that the O-ring seal (134, 136) in an annular groove (132) of the first and / or second ring (124, 128) extends. A personal protective suit (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the first ring (124; 124 ') has a cone-shaped outer peripheral surface (126; 126') and / or that the second ring (128; 126 ') is a cone-shaped Inner peripheral surface (130, 130 '). Personal protective suit (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the second ring (128, 128 ') is formed continuously in the circumferential direction. Personal protective suit (10) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the first and / or the second ring (124, 128, 124 ', 128') made of plastic (124, 128, 128 ') or a light metal (124 ') is / are formed. Personal protective suit (10) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the first and the second ring have a deviating from a circular shape ring shape, in particular substantially oval, a substantially elliptical or substantially egg-shaped ring shape. Personal protective suit (10) according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the connecting part and / or the hose section (138) secured by at least one locking screw (140) on the first and / or the second ring (124 ', 128') is. A personal protective suit (10) according to claim 12, characterized in that the at least one locking screw (140) passes through a through bore (142) of the second ring (128 ') in threaded engagement with a thread of the through bore (142) and against a stop portion of the first ring (128). 124 ') is screwed. Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 13, characterized in that the abutment portion of the first ring (124 ') comprises a recess, in particular a first ring (124') circumferential annular groove (144), in which the locking screw (140) in their Fuse position positively engages. A personal protective suit (10) for protecting a person in a hazardous environment, comprising an outer shell (12) substantially completely surrounding the person, and gas supply means (26) for releasing a gas inside the outer shell (12) to provide the person with breathing gas supply, wherein on the outer shell (12) at least one gas outlet valve (94) is provided, which as to a predetermined target pressure adjusted pressure relief valve is designed to adjust an internal pressure in the interior of the personal protection suit (10) substantially to this target pressure at gas supply. Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 15; characterized in that the at least one gas outlet valve (94), when the internal pressure of the personal protection suit (10) falls below a first threshold pressure, switches to a blocking state in which a flow of gas through the gas outlet valve (94) is substantially blocked, and in that, when the internal pressure exceeds a second threshold pressure, the at least one gas outlet valve (94) switches into an on-state in which an outflow of gas from inside the personal protection suit (10) through the gas outlet valve (94) is permitted. A personal protective suit (10) according to claim 16, characterized in that the first threshold pressure is equal to or less than the predetermined target pressure and that the second threshold pressure is equal to or greater than the predetermined target pressure. Personal protective suit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a difference between the target pressure and an ambient pressure of the personal protection suit (10) or a difference between the target pressure and a predetermined normal pressure between about 1 mbar (100 Pa) and about 10 mbar ( 1000 Pa), preferably between about 5 mbar (500 Pa) and about 7 mbar (700 Pa), and more preferably between about 4.0 mbar (400 Pa) and about 4.5 mbar (450 Pa). Personal protective suit (10) according to one of Claims 16 to 18, characterized in that in the blocking state of the at least one gas outlet valve (94) substantially no gas from the interior of the personal protection suit (10) emerges. A personal protective suit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one gas outlet valve (94) comprises tamper-evident means (120) substantially preventing and / or indicating a change and / or removal of the gas outlet valve (94). Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 20, characterized in that the manipulation securing means (120) at least one detachable attack projection (120) on which a tool for mounting and / or disassembly of the gas outlet valve (94) engages. Personal protection suit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gas supply means (26) have a Rückstromsperreinrichtung (55) which blocks a gas supply to the opposite direction of flow of gas. A personal protective suit (10) according to claim 22, characterized in that the gas supply means (26) further comprise a gas inlet portion (28) provided on the outer shell (12), which is connected or connectable to an external gas source (24), and in that the Rückstromsperreinrichtung ( 55) comprises a check valve disposed in the gas inlet portion (28). Personal protective suit (10) for the protection of a person in a dangerous environment, in particular according to one of the preceding ones Claims, comprising an outer shell (12) substantially completely surrounding the person and gas supply means (26) by means of which a gas can be released inside the outer shell (12) in order to supply the person with inhalation gas,
wherein, the gas supply at least one in the head region of the personal protection suit (10) arranged gas discharge opening (34) and has
wherein the at least one gas discharge opening (34) comprises a flow calming arrangement (82, 92) which distributes the gas over a surface area and / or releases it distributed over several directions. A personal protective suit (10) according to claim 24, in which the flow calming arrangement (82, 92) comprises an air-permeable solid-state material, in particular a porous or textile or reticulated material or the like. Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 24 or claim 25, characterized in that the flow calming arrangement (82, 92) has an overall passage cross-section which is larger, in particular more than about 2 times larger than the total passage cross-section of a gas guide connected to the gas discharge opening (34) ( 32). Personal protective suit (10) according to any one of claims 24 to 26, characterized in that the flow calming arrangement comprises an air-permeable material web (82, 92), in particular textile or network web, which is arranged in the interior of the outer shell (12) facing the head of the person and that the gas is introduced into a region between the outer shell (12) and the air-permeable material web (82, 92) so that it is released through the air-permeable material web (82, 92) into the head region of the personal protective suit (10). A personal protective suit (10) according to claim 27, characterized in that the air-permeable material web (82, 92) has a first material web section (82) which faces the neck and the rear head region of the person and has a second material web section (92), which is arranged facing the upper head region of the person, wherein the first material web portion (82) has a lower air permeability than the second material web portion (92). Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 28, characterized in that the first material web section (82) is formed from a textile material, in particular a felt material, and that the second material web section (92) is formed from a net material. A personal protective suit (10) for protecting a person in a danger environment, in particular according to one of the preceding claims, an outer shell (12) substantially completely surrounding the person and gas supply means (26) by means of which a gas can be released inside the protective suit (10), to provide the person with breathing gas,
wherein the gas supply means (26) comprise a filter device (30) which filters the gas to be supplied, and
wherein the filter means (30) is disposed within the outer shell (12). Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 30, characterized in that the filter device (30) on an inner side of the outer shell (12) is mounted. A personal protective suit (10) according to claim 30 or claim 31, characterized in that the filter device (30) in a on the inside of the outer shell (12) arranged, openable and closable pocket (68) of the personal protection suit (10) is housed. A personal protective suit (10) according to any one of claims 30 to 32, characterized in that the gas supply means (26) further comprise a gas inlet portion (28) provided on the outer shell (12) which is connected or connectable to an external gas source (24) and
in that the filter device (30) is arranged adjacent to and connected to the gas inlet section (28) in order to filter the gas supplied by the external gas source (24). Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 32 and claim 33, characterized in that the gas supply means (26) have at least one gas discharge opening (34) which discharges the gas into the interior of the personal protection suit (10) and at least one gas guide (32), which connects the filter device (30) to the at least one gas discharge opening (34), wherein the gas guide (32) opens into the pocket (68). Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 33 or claim 34, characterized in that the filter device (30) at the gas inlet portion (28) by means of a releasable coupling (66) is operatively connected substantially gas-tight. Personal protective suit (10) for protecting a person in a dangerous environment, in particular according to one of the preceding claims, comprising an outer shell (12) substantially completely surrounding the person and gas supply means (26) by means of which a gas is provided inside the protective suit (10). releasable to supply the person with inhale gas, the gas supply means (26) further comprising a gas inlet portion (28) provided on the outer shell (12) which is connected or connectable to an external gas source (24),
wherein the gas inlet section (28) has a channel (50, 52, 54) for the passage of gas, which comprises an outer channel piece (52) extending outside the outer shell (12), an inner channel piece (54) extending inside the outer shell (12). and a connecting channel piece (50) interconnecting said outer channel piece and said inner channel piece, and wherein at least said outer channel piece (52) is substantially parallel to a portion of said outer shell (12) adjacent to said gas inlet portion (28). A personal protective suit (10) according to claim 36, characterized in that the outer channel piece (52) and the inner channel piece (54) are spaced apart and substantially parallel to the portion of the outer shell (12) adjacent to the gas inlet portion (28). Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 36 or claim 37, characterized in that the connecting channel piece (50) has a substantially continuously curved course. A personal protective suit (10) according to any of claims 36 to 37, characterized in that the gas inlet section (28) has an outer housing half (40) supporting the outer channel (52) and an inner housing half (44) supporting the inner channel (54), in that the outer shell (12) has a through opening (48) associated with the gas inlet section (28), and in that the two housing halves (40, 44) are fastened to one another in such a way that the connecting channel section (50) engages Passage through opening (48) and one edge of the through hole (48) circumferentially between the outer and the inner housing half (40, 44) is received and sealed. Personal protective suit (10) for protecting a person in a hazardous environment, in particular according to one of the preceding claims, comprising an outer shell (12) substantially completely surrounding the person and gas supply means (26) by means of which a gas can be released inside the protective suit (10) to supply the person with inhale gas,
wherein the outer shell (12) is formed of a bi-elastic material. Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 40, characterized in that the bi-elastic material comprises a polyurethane material with a textile reinforcement. Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 41, characterized in that the textile reinforcement is formed from a polyester knit fabric. A personal protective suit (10) according to claim 42, characterized in that a proportion of polyester in the material of the outer shell (12) is between about 40% and about 80%, preferably between about 50% and about 65%, and most preferably about 58%, and that the remaining material portion is formed essentially of polyurethane. Personal protective suit (10) for protecting a person in a danger environment, in particular according to one of the preceding claims, comprising an outer shell (12) substantially completely surrounding the person and gas supply means (26), by means of which a gas can be released inside the personal protection suit (10) in order to supply the person with inhalation gas,
wherein a see-through window (14) arranged in the front head region of the personal protective suit (10) is formed from a flexible, transparent plastic material. Personal protective suit (10) according to claim 44, characterized in that the material of a window of a motor vehicle folding roof is used as the plastic material.

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