FR2590540A1 - Ballasting jacket for divers - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a ballasting device for divers. This device is constituted by a jacket 1, distributed over the surface of which are means 6-7 for the removable fixing of ballast weights 10, in practice made of lead, the means for removable fixing preferably being formed by flap pockets. The jacket allows good balancing of the ballast weights and, in case of necessity, rapid jettisoning of all or some of these ballast weights.

Description

Weight vest for divers.

The present invention relates to ballasting of divers operating in apnea or with autonomous diving suits, ballasting which is intended to reduce buoyancy to facilitate descent.

Ballasting is generally obtained with a belt furnished with lead plates. Such a belt exerts a concentrated traction on the level of the lumbar part and its wearing for a prolonged period can generate pain.

In addition, the loads are not distributed and give a lower center of gravity than desirable and finally the belt constitutes a set which, if necessary, must be released in its entirety.

Professional divers and divers wishing to reach great depths sometimes use heavy lead plates which are fixed on the back by a harness. This is an extremely heavy specific ballast material, which hinders diving developments and which cannot be easily and quickly released.

The object of the present invention is to remedy the above-mentioned drawbacks and to create ballasting equipment for divers which can be used with ease and safety both for adults and able-bodied children and for the physically handicapped.

Another object of the invention is to create such ballasting equipment whose overall weight and distribution of masses can be adjusted in very large measures, for example according to the body size of the diver. Finally it aims to create ballasting equipment with lead weights which can be dropped individually or in groups quickly and safely.

These objects are achieved in accordance with the invention by the fact that the ballasting material is constituted by a vest on the surface of which are distributed removable fixing means for ballast masses in practice of lead.

According to another characteristic, several removable fastening means for the ballast masses are themselves fixed to an element fixed quickly removable on the vest.

This allows several ballast masses to be released simultaneously.

The means for detachably attaching the ballast masses can be of any known type and be placed anywhere in the vest provided that at least some of them are easily accessible to possibly allow the weight which is attached to it to be released. Preferably they consist of pockets distributed over the entire height of the chest and around the waist, possibly in the back. These pockets are preferably closed by fast-opening closing means which are not sensitive to sea water, such as fabric closures with loops and hooks sold under the brand "VELCRO".

According to the second characteristic of the invention, several pockets can be fixed on a strip secured to the vest by quick release loops and / or fabric closures with loops and hooks.

The vest itself is made of a light, resistant and water-resistant material and it is also preferably provided with a fabric closure with loop and hooks of the "VELCRO" type.

With this weight vest, it is possible to place sinkers at different levels to establish the desired balance between the weight of the ballast and the buoyancy of the user's body, which is particularly important for divers with physical disabilities.

An exemplary embodiment of the weight vest for a diver according to the invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawing which is an elevational view thereof.
In the drawing, the reference numeral 1 designates the vest as a whole and 2 the front closure of this vest produced by two strips of fabric with loops and hooks sold under the brand "vELCRO". At its lower part, the waistcoat is tightened at the waist by a belt 3 closed by a quick-attach buckle 4 provided with a carabiner 5 or the like for attaching the buoy strap.

Pockets 6 at the top and 7 at the bottom are attached to the waistcoat of the vest, these pockets being closed by a flap 8. The flap 8 is closed and kept closed by a double row of "VELCRO" closure strips 9 so as to securely hold in the pocket the ballast weight 10 which is in practice a lead plate of 1 kg.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the pockets 7 located on the same front of the vest are fixed on a strip 11 which is fixed and held in place by quick fasteners 12 such as hooks and rings and by a safety fastener made up by a band 13 sewn at its lower end on the plastron, this band being folded over the band 13 and fixed at its upper end by a tear-off closure 14 of the "VELCRO" type.

It emerges from the above description that the ballast sinkers can be distributed between the pockets 6 and 7 and, if necessary, each sinker can be released after opening by tearing off the closures 9, the flap 8, the sinkers the pockets 7 fixed on the same strip which can, if necessary, be released simultaneously.

Claims (5)

Claims 1. A ballasting device for divers, characterized in that it is constituted by a vest (1) on the surface of which are distributed means (6-7) of removable fixing for ballast masses (10) in practice in lead. 2. A ballasting device according to claim 1, characterized in that several removable fixing means (7) for the ballast masses (10) are themselves fixed on an element (11) fixed in a quickly removable manner on the vest (1). 3. A ballasting device according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the removable fixing means are constituted by pockets (6-7) distributed over the entire height of the chest and around the waist. 4. A ballasting device according to claim 3, characterized in that the pockets (6-7) are closed by a flap (8) provided with a fast closing means such as a closure with strips of fabric with loops and hooks (9). 5. A ballasting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that several pockets (7) are fixed on a strip (11) secured to the vest (1) by quick release loops (12) and / or fabric closures with loops and hooks (13-14).