GB2367478A

GB2367478A - Improvements in diving suits

Info

Publication number: GB2367478A
Application number: GB0024185A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael George Armitage; Rijk Rob De
Original assignee: NORTHERN DIVER INTERNAT Ltd
Current assignee: NORTHERN DIVER INTERNAT Ltd
Priority date: 2000-10-03
Filing date: 2000-10-03
Publication date: 2002-04-10
Anticipated expiration: 2020-10-03
Also published as: GB0024185D0; GB2367478B

Abstract

A heating arrangement for a diving suit comprises a combined heating and pump unit (1), a piping system (30) arranged to extend over the shoulders and torso of the diving suit and a control (19) for regulating the temperature and/or the rate of flow of fluid pumped by the pump unit through the pipes of the pumping system. The piping system (30) may be incorporated in the diving suit and held in place by a lining or it may be secured to a separate undersuit. The heating and pump unit (1) is arranged to be powered by a battery which is preferably re-chargeable.

Description

Title : Improvements in Diving Suits

This invention relates to improvements in diving suits and is particularly concerned with means for heating diving suits.

It is already known to heat a diving suit by means of a flow of hot water or other fluid through the suit. However, in such cases, the diver is connected by a line to the surface and the hot water or other fluid is pumped down from the surface, circulates through the diving suit and is then returned to the surface. This means that the diver is dependent on surface support in order to heat the suit.

The present invention aims to provide a diving suit which can be independently heated without surface support.

According to the invention, there is provided a heating arrangement for a diving suit comprising an electrical heating unit, a pump and a piping system designed to be located at least over portions of the torso of a wearer, the piping system being connected to the pump to form a closed circuit and the heating unit being arranged to heat fluid past around the piping system by the pump, means being provided to hold the piping system in position on the torso when the diving suit is being worn by a wearer.

The means for holding the piping system in position may comprise an undersuit or the diving suit itself The pump and heating unit may be incorporated into a single casing.

Preferably, the heating unit and pump are powered by a battery which may be rechargeable. The battery is preferably held in a waterproof battery pack which is arranged to be located outside the diving suit. In this case, a waterproof connector is provided in the wall of the diving suit to permit connection between the battery pack and the pump and heater unit. The connector may be provided with controls for regulating the voltage of the heating unit and/or the speed of the pump in order to regulate the temperature of the fluid in the piping system.

The fluid used in the piping system preferably consists primarily of water in which a proportion of glucose has been dissolved.

The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:

Fig 1 is a diagrammatic front view of one embodiment of a heating arrangement according to the invention incorporated in a diving suit being worn by a diver; Fig 2 is a rear view of the heating arrangement shown in Fig 1; Fig 3 is a diagrammatic view of an embodiment of a heating arrangement according to the invention showing connections of the piping system from and to a combined heating and pump unit with connection to a battery pack (not shown); Fig 4 is a plan view of the combined heating and pump unit shown in Fig 3 ; and Fig 5 is a section taken on the line V-V in Fig 4 in the direction of the arrows: In the drawings, like parts are denoted by like reference numerals.

Referring to the drawings, the heating arrangement for a diving suit according to the invention comprises a combined heating and pump unit 1 having an inlet 2 and an outlet 3 as well as a connector 4 for receiving an electric cable 5. The inlet 2 leads via a filter 6 into a pump chamber 7 containing a tubular pumping member 8 which is urged in one direction by a coil spring 10. The pumping member 8 contains a ball valve 9 which is engageable with a seat in the member 8. The pumping chamber 7 is surrounded by an electro-magnet 20 which, when energised, is effective to move the pumping member 8 towards the inlet end of the pumping chamber 7 against the action of the spring 10. In this direction, the ball valve 9 is forced off its seating to permit the flow of fluid from the inlet 2 into the pumping chamber 7. When the electro-magnet 20 is de-energised, the spring 10 re-exerts itself and marks the pumping member 8 in the opposite direction towards an outlet 11 from the pumping chamber 7. In this direction, the ball valve 9 is forced against its seat to close the valve so that the fluid in the pumping chamber 7 can be pumped out of the chamber through the outlet 11.

A spring-loaded ball valve 12 is located in the outlet 11 which leads to a passage 13 in the casing of the unit 1 which in turn leads into a first chamber 14 connected by a passage 15 to a second chamber 16. Located between the two chambers 14 and 16 is a heating element 17. The outlet from the chamber 16 is

connected to the outlet 3 from the unit casing 1. The electro-magnet 20 and heating element 17 are electrically connected to the power cable 5 by suitable connections (not shown).

The inlet 2 and outlet 3 are connected to a piping system which is shown only diagrammatically in the drawings. The outlet 3 is connected to a first main pipe 31 which branches via connectors 32 into a series of branch pipes 30. As indicated in Figs 1 and 2, the branch pipes 30 are distributed over the front of the torso of a wearer, extend over the shoulders and down the back, are looped in the buttock region and returned up the back and down the front of the torso. The ends of the branch pipes 30 are connected to connectors 22 which are connected to a main pipe 21 which, in turn, is connected to the inlet 2 leading into the unit 1.

Further branch pipes 33 may extend over the shoulder and upper arm portions as indicated in Figs 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The power cable 5 is connected by a plug 18 to a connector 19 which passes through and is sealed in a watertight manner to the material of the diving suit in the chest region or some other convenient location. As shown in Fig 3, the connector 19 is provided with a screw connection 24 by means of which a cable 25 leading to a further connector 26 can be connected. The connector 26 is adapted to be fitted to a battery pack (not shown) in a watertight manner.

The system of branch pipes 30 may be incorporated into the material of an undersuit or fitted to the interior surface of a diving suit and held in place by a suitable lining for the diving suit. It is preferred, however, to incorporate the piping system in a close fitting stretch garment which constitutes an undersuit. A wearer can then simply don the undersuit followed by the more robust diving suit using the plug 18 to connect the unit 1 and piping system 30 to the connector 19 which is provided in the diving suit.

The connector 19 is provided with a control 23 which preferably takes the form of a rotatable knob. The control may simply comprise an on/off function or, preferably, have a variable function between on and off whereby the voltage supplied to the unit 1 can be regulated in order to increase or reduce the voltage to the electrical heating element 17 and the electro-magnet 20 whereby the temperature of fluid passing through the unit 1 and the rate of flow of said fluid can be regulated. This resulting regulation of the temperature and amount of fluid passing through the branch pipes 30 thus enables the diver to regulate the heat obtained from the heating system.

The invention is not restricted to the above described embodiment but variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A heating arrangement for a diving suit comprising an electrical heating unit, a pump and a piping system designed to be located at least over portions of the torso of a wearer, the piping system being connected to the pump to form a closed circuit and the heating unit being arranged to heat fluid passed around the piping system by the pump, means being provided to hold the piping system in position on the torso when the diving suit is being worn by a wearer.

2. A heating arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the means for holding the piping system in position comprise an undersuit to which the piping system is secured.

3. A heating arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the means for holding the piping system in position comprise an inner lining of the diving suit.

4. A heating arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pump and heating unit are incorporated into a single casing.

5. A heating arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the casing has an inlet port and an outlet port, the inlet port leading to the pump via a filter, and wherein the pump comprises a plunger reciprocally mounted in a chamber, means for reciprocating the plunger in the chamber, an inlet valve and an outlet valve.

6. A heating arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the means for reciprocating the plunger comprise a spring for moving the plunger in one direction and an electro-magnet which, when energised, is effective to move the plunger in the opposite direction.

7. A heating arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the inlet valve comprises a ball valve located in the plunger, said plunger having a through passage and a seat for the ball valve and the ball valve being arranged to engage with the seat when the plunger is moved in said one direction by the spring.

8. A heating arrangement according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the outlet valve comprises a spring-loaded ball valve.

9. A heating arrangement according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the heating unit comprises a pair of chambers and a heating element located between the chambers, a first of said chambers being connected by a first passage to the outlet valve and by a second passage to the second of said chambers and the said second chamber being connected by a third passage to the outlet port.

10. A heating arrangement according to claims 5 and 9, wherein the electro-magnet and heating element are connected by an electric cable leading from the casing to a connector provided with a control.

11. A heating arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the connector is arranged to pass through and to be sealed in a watertight manner to the material of the diving suit, the connector being connected by the cable to the casing on the inner surface of the diving suit and the control being mounted on the connector on the outer surface of the diving suit.

12. A heating arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the connector is connected to a battery pack.

13. A heating arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the battery pack is watertight and is adapted to be fitted to the diving suit on the outer surface thereof.

14. A heating arrangement according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the control comprises a rotatable knob which is movable between on and off positions and vice versa.

15. A heating arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the control knob has a variable function, between its on and off positions, to vary a voltage supply to the heating element and/or the electro-magnet whereby the temperature and/or the rate of flow of the fluid can be regulated.

16. A heating arrangement according to any one of claims 5 to 15, wherein the piping system comprises a first pipe connected to and leading from the outlet port of the casing, a second pipe connected to and leading to the inlet port of the casing and a plurality of branch pipes connected to said first and second pipes.

17. A heating arrangement according to claim 16, wherein a first set of said branch pipes is arranged to extend from the front of the suit, over one shoulder, down the back of the suit and then to return up the back, over said one shoulder and down the front and a second set of branch pipes is arranged to extend from the front of the suit, over the other shoulder, down the back of the suit and then to return up the back, over said other shoulder and down the front, said sets of branch pipes both being connected at their ends to said first and second pipes at the front of the suit.

18. A heating arrangement according to claim 17, wherein further sets of branch pipes are provided and are arranged to extend over the shoulder and upper arm portions of the suit.

19. A heating arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fluid consists primarily of water in which a proportion of glucose has been dissolved.

20. A heating arrangement for a diving suit substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.