GB2485018A - Respiratory protection mask with a drinking device - Google Patents

Abstract

A respiratory protection mask 1 is disclosed. The mask 1 comprises a connection piece 11, which is attached to the mask body 3 and an adapter 12, which is accommodated in a rotatable manner in the connection piece 11. The adapter 12 comprises components inside and outside the mask. Outside the mask it comprises an elbow 13 for the connection of a drinking tube 7 and inside the mask it comprises a mouthpiece 10. A rotary joint 29 is provided between the adapter 12 and the elbow 13. Preferably, the mask allows the user to independently alter the position of the drinking tube 7 and the mouthpiece 10 about the mask 1 and user.

Description

Respiratory protection mask with a drinking device The invention relates to a respiratory protection mask with a drinking device.

In the case of the deployment of personnel of the fire brigades and in civil protection over lengthy periods, dehydration already occurs after a short time with lightweight and heavyweight respiratory protection due to the respiration of dry air or in a hot environment when protective clothing is worn during increased physical exertion. Dehydration can lead to muscle cramps, feelings of weakness, to the point of collapse of the affected person, depending on the severity.

In order to avoid impairment to health, fairly large quantities of fluid have to be fed to the wearer of the respiratory protection during the deployment. Since it is not advisable to remove the respiratory protection mask during deployment, especially in a contaminated environment, the wearer of the respiratory protection must be given the opportunity to drink through the mask from a reservoir. The fluid is usually taken along separately in a drinking bottle or a drinking bubble which is connected to the respiratory protection apparatus. It passes via tubes into the mask, where it can be consumed by the user via a mouthpiece.

A distinction is made between the known fluid containers, essentially in terms of the handling. Whereas the drinking bottle is usually taken along in a pocket during the deployment, or is fixed to the clothing with the aid of a snap-hook, the drinking bubble is often fixed to the harness of the heavy respiratory protection. In order to eliminate the risk of the transmission of contamination, the drinking bottle may only be used in an uncontaminated environment. In the case of the drinking bubble, the connections can only be reached with difficulty by the user during deployment. For this reason, the drinking bubble is connected to the drinking connection of the mask when the respiratory protection device is being prepared before deployment. Subsequent contamination via the plug-in connection is also thus eliminated.

The known drinking connections are usually accommodated in the region of the connection device of the mask for the respiratory air supply. The drinking tube is wound around the connection device and kept in the lower region. There is usually a fixed connection between the body of the mask and the connection device in order to distribute externally acting forces over the whole mask. With these designs, the mouthpiece of the drinking connection is brought out of the parking position into the position for drinking by a lateral rotary movement.

A respiratory protection mask with a drinking device is known from EP 1 132 112 Bi. An adapter is fixed in a rotatable manner in a connection piece fixed to the body of the mask, said adapter being bent down at right angles outside the mask and comprising a non-return valve with a blanking plug. Inside the mask, the adapter is connected to a mouthpiece, through which the wearer of the mask can be supplied with fluid or food. It is sometimes difficult for the wearer of the mask to grip the mouthpiece with the lips when necessary, in order to be able to carry out the consumption of fluid.

The problem underlying the invention is to improve a respiratory protection mask of the aforementioned kind in terms of the handling of the drinking device. Accordingly, the present invention provides a respiratory protection mask as claimed in claim 1.

Advantageous developments of the device according to the invention emerge from the sub-claims.

According to the invention, a rotary joint is provided between the elbow for the connection of the drinking tube and the adapter leading into the interior of the respiratory mask, the effect of said rotary joint being that the positioning of the mouthpiece inside the mask and the orientation of the drinking tube with respect to the reservoir for the drinking fluid are decoupled from one another.

The drinking tube can be swiveled towards the reservoir without the spatial position of the mouthpiece thereby changing.

The axes of rotation of the rotary joint and those of the adapter with respect to the connection piece preferably run aligned with one another.

The adapter is advantageously constituted in a 1-shaped design with a rotary knob at the end, in such a way that a support ring, which is constituted sleeve-shaped and which comprises an opening for the drinking tube, is fixed between the rotary knob and the connection piece. The support ring serves to take up tilting moments acting on the adapter and to transfer the same to the connection piece. The adapter is thus mechanically stabilised inside the connection piece. The larger the external diameter of the rotary knob and the external diameter of the support ring, the better the stabilisation. The mouthpiece can be adjusted directly by means of the rotary knob, since the rotary knob is connected in one piece with the adapter and the mouthpiece is located on the adapter. The rotary knob makes it possible for the adjustment of the mouthpiece also to be carried out with gloves.

Gripping recesses can also be provided at the outer side of the rotary knob in order to improve the ease of use. The drinking tube can easily be positioned in such a way that the latter can be gripped directly with gloves and brought into the desired position. When there is a change in position of the drinking tube, only the elbow on the adapter is swiveled and the support ring follows the swivelling motion.

An exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a respiratory protection mask; 4.

Figure 2 is an end view of the inside of the respiratory protection mask according to Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional drawing of a drinking device; and Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the drinking device according to Figure 3.

Figure 1 shows, in a perspective view, a respiratory protection mask I with a drinking device 2 on a mask body 3 and a connection device 4 for a respiratory air supply, not represented in detail in figure 1. The respiratory air supply can take place via a respiratory protection filter, a blower-filter device or a compressed gas supply. Mask body 3 comprises a peripheral frame 5 with a visor 6. At the outer side of respiratory protection mask 1, drinking device 2 comprises a drinking tube 7 with a connection adapter 8 at the end, which can be connected to a reservoir for fluid or food, which is not represented in detail. Provided at the upper side of connection device 4 is a hole 9, into which connection adapter 8 can be inserted in a parking position. Connection adapter 8 is protected there against soiling and it also lies in the field of vision of the wearer of the mask.

Figure 2 illustrates an internal view of respiratory protection mask 1 according to figure 1.

Identical components are provided with the same reference numbers as in figure 1. At the inner side of the mask, drinking device 2 comprises a mouthpiece 10 through which the wearer of the mask can consume fluid or food.

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional representation of drinking device 2 according to figure 1.

Drinking device 2 comprises a connection piece 11 which is fixed to mask body 3 and in which an adapter 1 2 is accommodated in a rotatable manner, an elbow 13 for receiving drinking tube 7 and being fixed to adapter 1 2 in a rotatable manner, a support ring 14 between a rotary knob 1 5 at the end of adapter 1 2 and connection piece 11, and mouthpiece 10 fixed to adapter 1 2. Connection adapter 8 at the end of drinking tube 7 comprises a spring-loaded valve body 1 6, which is axially displaced when a reservoir (not shown in detail) is connected and the fluid passage through drinking tube 7 is thus opened.

Connection piece 11 comprises an inner sleeve 1 7 for accommodating and centring adapter 1 2, wherein a sealing ring 1 8 is provided in order to seal the gap between inner sleeve 17 and adapter 12. Located on adapter 1 2 at the underside of connection piece 11 is a securing ring 1 9, which fixes adapter 12 inside connection piece 11. Support ring 14 is constituted as a hollow cylinder and is located in a rotary manner in an outer sleeve 20 of connection piece 11. At its underside, rotary knob 15 comprises a guide 21 for receiving the upper end of support ring 14. In its upper region, support ring 14 comprises a lateral opening 30 to allow drinking tube 7 to be passed through. Support ring 14 prevents tilting of adapter 1 2 with respect to connection piece 11. By operating rotary knob 1 5 and therefore adapter 1 2, the position of mouthpiece 10 can be changed inside respiratory protection mask 1, figure 2.

Figure 4 shows, as a detail, the upper region of drinking device 2 in the region of elbow 1 3.

Elbow 1 3 is fixed in a rotary manner by means of a sleeve 22 to an upper cylindrical section 28 of adapter 1 2 and comprises an upper sealing ring 23 and a lower sealing ring 24 between adapter 1 2 and sleeve 22. Cylindrical section 28 and sleeve 22 sitting thereon in a rotatable manner together form a rotary joint 29. A pipe socket 25 on elbow 1 3 connects drinking tube 7 via a peripheral channel 26 to an inner channel 27 of adapter 12.

Fluid sucked up through drinking tube 7 can thus flow via a peripheral channel 26 and inner channel 27 into mouthpiece 10, figure 3. Sealing rings 23, 24 seal peripheral channel 26 with respect to the surroundings. The effect of elbow 1 3 is that drinking tube 7 can be swiveled with respect to adapter 1 2 without the position of mouthpiece 10 thereby changing inside respiratory protection mask 1. The positioning of drinking tube 7 is thus completely decoupled from the adjustment of mouthpiece 10, which is carried out by means of rotary knob 15. Drinking tube 7 can be swiveled between two end positions, wherein one end position is the parking position, in which connection adapter 8 is located in hole 9, figure 1, and the second end position is the drinking position, in which connection adapter 8 is connected to a reservoir. By means of rotary joint 29, drinking tube 7 can be swiveled particularly easily between the end positions.

Claims (6)

1. CLAIMS1. A respiratory protection mask with a connection piece to a mask body and an adapter accommodated in a rotatable manner in the connection piece, said adapter comprising, outside the mask, an elbow for the connection of a drinking tube for the consumption of food or beverage and, inside the mask, a mouthpiece, and a rotary joint provided between the adapter and the elbow.
2. 2. The respiratory protection mask according to claim 1, in which the axes of rotation of the rotary joint and of the adapter with respect to the connection piece run aligned with one another.
3. 3. The respiratory protection mask according to claim 1 or 2, in which the adapter is constituted in a T-shaped design with a rotary knob at the end, in such a way that a support ring is fixed between the rotary knob and the connection piece, said support ring comprising an opening to allow the drinking tube to be passed through.
4. 4. The respiratory protection mask according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which a fixing device for the drinking tube is provided on the mask body.
5. 5. The respiratory protection mask according to claim 4, in which the fixing device is disposed in the field of vision of the wearer of the mask.
6. 6. A respiratory protection mask substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and/or as shown in, the accompanying drawings.