RU2281222C2 - Ballast outfit for underwater swimmer - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: diving equipment; ballast outfit for underwater swimmer.

SUBSTANCE: proposed ballast outfit includes on-the-back lead plate with branches connected with shoulder and waist straps and weighting elements for feet each of which has sole and counter. On-the-back plate is made in form of armor with backing in form of elastic air reservoir for control of buoyancy. Lower edge of this reservoir is secured to lower part of armor; its volume is no less than 3 ; it is provided with shoulder air evacuating branches with on-the-back part of reservoir under branches of armor. One of air evacuating branches is connected with tube for injection and discharge of air provided with clip and tip with valve for connection with mouth-piece. Sole and counter of each weighting element has cavity filled with lead shots or mixture of shot with dry sand or sawdust through hole provided with hermetic plug or cover on upper part of counter.

EFFECT: possibility of changing mass of outfit in accordance with individual data of swimmer.

2 cl, 11 dwg

Description

The invention relates to water sports, to diving equipment, in particular to means for ballasting and balancing buoyancy with open breathing from a depth of up to eight meters.

When working underwater with a diver, in order to overcome positive buoyancy, the increased weight of the back and chest panels and plates is initially taken (RU patent No. 2209150 C2, 07.27.2003, B 63 C 11/02), weighted lead shoes are used, in general, given the air containers of suits , a spacesuit, some working tools, stability and stability during operation, including underwater currents.

For divers, the ballast is scuba gear and a waist belt with weighting materials selected experimentally (for example, patent FR No. 2671047 A1, 07/03/1992, B 63 C 11/30 - belt with lead inserts, GB patent No. 2287870 A, 04/10/1995 , B 63 C 11/30 - belt with shoulder straps, with shoulder air belts - patent FR No. 2689481 A1, 10/10/1993, B 63 C 11/30). Known ballast in the form of a chest (patent FR No. 2816814 A1, 05.24.2002, A 45 F 3/04), back, bulk cargo (patent FR No. 2778889 A3, 11.26.1999, B 63 C 11/30), soft pressed weights on the ankles.

Submariner shoes are bulky, uncomfortable, and do not take into account individual requests for size, weight and comfort. In sports, there are training shoes for additional loads on the calf muscles in the form of sandals and boots with fastening of heavy soles with screws (US patent No. 19990970, 02/12/1935, 36-132, US patent No. 2545910, 03.20.1951, 36-132, patent CB No. 2100969 A, 01/12/1983, A 43 B 13/10 and US patent No. 4686781, 08/18/1987, 36-132), but their mass is insufficient and they are incompatible with the aquatic environment. Since the lead sole or pad has a rigid modulus of elasticity, the energy consumption increases, they can be reduced if you take into account the features of the functioning of the foot and ankle joint (US patent No. 2395767, 02.26.1946, 36-11.5).

The oversized ballast of divers and divers was required to be compensated for by buoyancy balancing systems. The balancing process is most clearly presented in US patent No. 3967459, 07/06/1976, 405-186, a prototype, but it uses an increased mass of ballast up to interference with movement and an increased volume of air capacity.

In shallow water, when air is supplied from the surface of the water for underwater diving, heavy technical equipment for the diver and scuba diver is not required, especially in warm waters and with not prolonged diving. In this case, less ballast is required, since it directly depends on the need for individual repayment of the positive buoyancy of the swimmer, and balancing costs less air. But the selection, distribution, alignment and fixation of the ballast should allow you to freely hold the required depth, immerse yourself, be at the bottom and rise, taking into account horizontal (by the position of the hoist) and vertical movements in the water mass and at the bottom in conditions of comfort and safety, which requires new technical decisions. So, if you use only a belt with weighting materials, it will be required heavier (in the absence of a part of the scuba severity) and become difficult to control, the load alignment and coordination of movements are violated. Moreover, the air capacity is involved in the role of a compensator with blowing and air discharge and as a ballast gasket. Incorrect distribution of air accumulations in the sinuses of the container can also lead to overturning, including face down on the surface of the water.

The aim of the invention is the development of ballast equipment with the possibility of ballasting and balancing buoyancy in relation to open, including forced breathing from the surface of the water at a depth of up to eight meters, convenient for comfortable and safe swimming, hovering, vertical stay in a mass of water and at the bottom of open and closed reservoirs.

The specified goal is achieved there that the proposed ballast equipment includes not only the presence of different cargo and its ballasting, but also providing the lifting force of an air tank with a device for blowing and venting. Since Archimedes or buoyancy is numerically equal to the specific gravity of water multiplied by the volume of water displaced by the body, it is important for an underwater swimmer to know the difference between the lifting force of its volume of displaced water and the mass of its body (determined by weighting) multiplied by the acceleration of gravity. Such a difference characterizes the buoyancy of his body, which can be positive, zero or negative. The repayment of positive buoyancy is carried out by ballast, and the negative is compensated by the volume of air in the equipment tank.

Ballast used at shallow depths without scuba gear, is distinguished by a variety of structural connections of the parts of the ballast and their distribution in front and behind on the upper part of the human body in compliance with the requirements of ballasting and ergonomics, the placement of the buoyancy balancing air tank. For example, a lead plate is proposed in the form of a tight-fitting carapace with bends turning into hanging shoulder and waist belts. In this case, the ballast is located on the back with a uniform distribution and fixation in four places over the occupied area, does not interfere with the movement of the limbs - arms and legs, leaves free space on the chest, and does not obscure the field of view. The carapace occupies the most motionless costal part of the back of an adult and a teenager; without affecting the cervical and lumbar vertebrae, and lateral notches provide freedom of movement of the hands back. The mass of the shell varies depending on its area and thickness, so, for example, with an area of 1000 cm ² and a thickness of 0.5 cm it is 5.7 kg, 0.6 cm - 6.8 kg, 0.7 cm - 7 , 9 kg, 0.8 cm - 9.1 kg, 0.9 cm - 10.2 kg, 1 cm - 11.3 kg, etc. In women, the mammary glands by the load on the shoulder straps are circumvented by rings, including an elliptical configuration, made of stainless steel. Additional metal inserts with holes are soldered into the carapace, which, for example, are used to fasten decorative clothes. The shell has a colored polymer coating.

Shoulder straps are attached to the waist with carabiners and belt buckles. If necessary, weights on the waist belt are put on the waist belt in the form of a lead buckle, for example, 0.5 kg (5 cm wide and 6 cm high, with two slots for the belt (0.5 × 4 cm each), i.e., the buckle area is 26 cm ² , its thickness from lead is 1.7 cm).

As an air compensator and gaskets, a colored elastic air container is placed under the lead shell, with an indecompressible volume of up to 3 l, which provides the upper horizontal position of the swimmer under the air bubble above the back - the swimmer’s head is above the legs, does not squeeze the pectoral lash, does not interfere with the abdominal and the swimmer’s chest breathing, there is no tipping over when he emerges and looks like a shoulder and back cape on a vest type vest. In front, the air ducts of the tank, slightly protruding, are located under the taps of the shell and then go sideways and back, resembling the straps of a backpack, connecting with the back of the tank. At the back, the tank covers the top of the back, falls under the carapace and is fixed to the lower edge of the ballast. Pneumatic capacity is filled through an outlet pipe with a safety clip, worn on the mouthpiece with a valve to block the duct. The mouthpiece is inserted into the mouthpiece housing outside the oral cavity. The shoulder edge of the carapace, on which there is no fastening of the air intake hose, does not permanently fix the lateral edge of the permeable pocket with a zipper for small items and tools, the other edge is attached with buttons to the other outlet.

Satisfying the aesthetic needs of vacationers and reservoirs working in coastal waters, the appearance of ballast can be diverse. So they offer: a musketeer cloak - a lead sheet, half encircling the body on top, with the middle falling on the shoulders with a round or elliptical slot in the center for free passage of the head, the edges of the sheet are cut according to the configuration of the chest and back, for women make additional cuts for the mammary glands; lead vest with additional cutouts on the chest in a female version; tunic - lead tape construction - dress made of horizontally and vertically (including in the form of shoulder straps) connected (soldered) ribbons with large gaps and cuts; a ladder - two long lead thick ribbons, roundly bent in half, connected by transverse beams with a gap in one in the middle for the head and one in front in the female version; fencing - from vertical lead strips, lowering in height to the middle, the extreme trims are connected by shoulder straps with the same high trims on the back, in the female version two trims are shortened, fastening by two transverse trims in front and behind with ties on the sides; mesh shirt - from intersections of lead wire, including on steel or other metal fittings; chain shirt - from oblong lead rings cast or welded together with free spaces for the mammary glands; anchors (shirt) - two anchors, inclined and intersecting each other in front and behind, are connected by shoulder chains and in two places by halyards on the sides. In the manufacture, the ductility of lead, its possible gap from its severity, coating with colored polymer material, fabric lining are taken into account.

For vertical movements, weights for legs are worn on sports shoes or on the foot, in the form of metal, for example, stainless steel, or thick-walled plastic hollow platforms with two cameras - in the sole, with two separate supporting longitudinal partitions inside, not connected to the side walls, and in an enlarged heel with a hole at the top, hermetically sealed with a stopper or lid. Lead shot is poured through the upper hole of the back and the weighting agent is brought to a mass of 3 kg, the mass is reduced by replacing part of the lead with dry sand or sawdust. Donning is done by lacing from the toe to the top of the platform through wire temples soldered at the junction of the top and the sloping side walls of the sole, concave in front and convex behind the back walls. With the flat top of the chamber of the sole, its bottom — the sole itself is made sloping from an almost rectangular toe — the junction of the top and bottom of the sole to a thick (along with an enlarged back) heel. The weights are unified, that is, without taking into account the gender and legs (right or left), which allows them to be used in sports shoes or without them, additionally wear woolen socks or plastic stockings, boots or bags to ensure the comfort of the lower leg, ankle joint and foot ( dry and waterproof).

The invention is illustrated by drawings. Figure 1 shows the plate - the carapace (rear view), figure 2 - the plate and its equipment in front, figure 3 - weighting leg, figure 4 - ballast device in front in the form of a musketeer cape (female version), figure 5 - in the form of a lead vest (female version), figure 6 - in the form of a tunic - women's dress, figure 7 - in the form of a ladder (female version), figure 8 - in the form of a picket fence (male version) , in Fig. 9 - in the form of a mesh shirt, in Fig. 10 - in the form of a chain shirt, in Fig. 11 - in the form of anchors (male version).

The shape of the plate 1 (see figures 1 and 2), made taking into account the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the human back, includes shoulder and waist bends 2, which go into the shoulder 3 and in the waist 4 belts. Shoulder straps are fastened with carabiners to the waist, if necessary, lead ballast 5 is suspended next to the mount in the form of buckles of 0.5 kg each. The lower end of the air intake hose 6 is fixed to one of the dorsal branches 7 at the top, which goes forward along the shoulder and has a second fastening 8. At the shoulder branches 2 are the taps 9 of the air tank 10, mounted at the bottom of the plate 11, and at the top on the plate - handle 12 for carrying the shell. When viewed from the front (see Fig. 2), an air tank 10 is marked, its shoulder bends 9, a sleeveless jacket 13, a branch pipe 14, its safety clip 15, a mouthpiece 16 with a closing valve for the duct 17, a mouthpiece 18, and also soldered buttons 19 for fastening chest pocket 20 for small items and tools. The leg weighting device (see FIG. 3) comprises a platform 21 — a sole chamber 22 together with a heel chamber and an enlarged back 23, as well as two supporting longitudinal partitions 24 in the sole chamber, lacing arms 25 and an opening with a hermetically sealed stopper or cover 26 on on top of the enlarged backdrop. The entire surface of the weighting agent is covered with colored polymeric material, and the top of the sole chamber and the concave wall of the backdrop can have an additional fabric coating.

Before going under water, the swimmer checks the mass of ballast that he takes with him: lead shell, additions to the waist belt (which he can remove or add once, using contact twine with a partner on the surface of the water), shoes. He puts on a fins or laces shoes, puts on a sleeveless jacket, an air tank and a back carapace with an air intake hose fixed to the shoulder, adjusts and fastens the belts, fastens a pocket with a zipper with buttons on the chest on the tap. Through the outlet pipe into the air tank by mouth, inhaling with the nose, or while squeezing the mouth with the mouth, pumps (if necessary) 2-3 liters of air and connects the outlet pipe to the mouthpiece on the mouthpiece, while the duct valve is closed, the safety clip is removed. When going under water depending on employment: swimming, hovering, bottom work and rest, the swimmer balances: expiratory air in the air tank adds (opens the valve during exhalation, closing the exhalation valve with the palm of your hand), or bleeds air, opening the valve for expiration time, for inspiration with fresh air, the valve closes (instead of closing the valve, the tube can be pinched). If there is an excess of bleeding air, the swimmer removes the tube from the mouthpiece with the valve closed, releases air and puts it on to complete the balancing. For the next calls under water, you can remove part of the ballast, which is compensated by air. Such an amount of air can be determined if, after approaching the shore, the air of the vessel is passed through a lung air capacity measuring device (spirometer) and the depth is adjusted to the distance the swimmer was, given a 5% reduction in the volume of displaced water with each meter of air vessel immersion under water .

In case of emergency, unfastening the side buttons of the chest pocket and waist belt, the equipment is reset. It is pulled up from the upper end of the breathing hose.

A ballast system with an air tank can be worn on suits for diving, light-diving overalls, just as they can be under clothes, in particular, for performances under water. The equipment is suitable for water aerobics and wellness procedures.

Claims (2)

1. Ballast equipment for an underwater swimmer, containing a back lead plate with bends connected to the shoulder straps, and weighting legs, each of which has a sole with a back made with a front concave and rear convex walls, characterized in that the said plate is made in in the form of a shell having a colored polymer coating with bends connected to a waist belt having removable lead buckles, and with metal inserts soldered into it with holes for attaching decorative clothes and under a lap in the form of an elastic air tank for regulating buoyancy, attached with its lower edge to the lower part of the carapace and made with a volume of less than 3 l, with shoulder air vents connected by the type of backpack straps with the back part of the tank with the possibility of location under the armor outlets, one of these air outlets communicated with an exhaust pipe for air blowing and exhausting, having a clamp and a mouthpiece with a valve for connecting to the mouthpiece, while the shoulder straps are made with carbines for connecting them to the waist the heel and the sole with the back of each of the weighting materials for the legs has a heel and is made of metal with a colored polymer coating or plastic, with laces for lacing and a cavity filled through a hole made on the upper part of the back with a sealed stopper or cover with lead shot or a mixture of this fractions with dry sand or sawdust, while the sole of the sole is rectangular, its side walls are sloping to the bottom, and the bottom is sloping from the toe to the heel, and two longitudinal partitions are made in the sole cavity, not connected with walls. 2. Ballast equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the shoulder straps are made with rings to circumvent these straps of the mammary glands.

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