Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
  • B63C11/00—Equipment for dwelling or working underwater; Means for searching for underwater objects
  • B63C11/02—Divers' equipment
  • B63C11/26—Communication means, e.g. means for signalling the presence of divers

Definitions

• This invention has particular but not exclusive application to a communication apparatus for underwater use, and for illustrative purposes reference will be made to such application. However, it is to be understood that this invention could be used in other applications, such as communicating in other media including gaseous, liquid or solid media.
• Apparatus have been provided for audible signalling purposes where a scuba diver may use their compressed air supply to drive an apparatus having a piston enclosed for reciprocal motion in a cylinder and a diaphragm against which the piston may be operatively driven to generate sound in water.
• the apparatus makes use of a bistable valve which switches compressed air alternately to opposite ends of the piston to cause it to reciprocate in the cylinder and impact against the diaphragm with each stroke.
• Such apparatus is limited to producing sound at a constant volume and pitch. Additionally, due to the mechanical configuration of such apparatus it is relatively bulky and heavy. This leads to increased manufacturing costs and complexity for assembly and maintenance.
• this invention in one aspect resides in communication apparatus including:- a body assembly; a piston chamber in said body assembly; a piston reciprocable within said piston chamber; a fluid inlet to said piston chamber; porting means including receiving ports spaced axially along said piston for exhausting air received from said inlet to respective opposite ends of said piston, and exhaust means from said piston chamber.
• the porting means may include separated internal passages within the piston opening to a respective end of the piston and each internal passage communicating with a respective receiving port.
• the porting means may include passages or channels in the housing assembly associated with the piston and may further include complementary passages or channels in the piston.
• the inlet may include an annular groove opening into the chamber and the porting means includes a starting port intermediate the receiving ports and communicating with one the internal passage.
• the communication apparatus may also include diaphragm means forming an abutment for the piston and against which the piston may impact upon operable reciprocation of same. Additionally, the diaphragm means may be axially adjustable relative to the chamber whereby the frequency or pitch of reciprocation may be adjusted to provide a variable frequency of vibration energy imparted to the diaphragm means by repeated impa ⁇ tion of the piston thereon.
• the diaphragm means may be constituted by a assembly attachable to the body assembly and may include a diaphragm member which is adjustable from a clearance position at which the diaphragm member is clear of the piston at it stroke limit to a contact zone within which the piston impacts against the diaphragm member within the stroke limit of the piston.
• the diaphragm assembly may be further adjustable from beyond the stroke limit of the piston to a dead point at which no reciprocation of the piston takes place due to the interference of the diaphragm with the piston.
• the communication apparatus may also include valve means on the body assembly to operate the communication apparatus as desired.
• the valve means is adapted for connection to a compressed air supply of scuba diving apparatus whereby the communications apparatus may be used in underwater diving operations.
• the compressed fluid may compressed air from scuba diving apparatus and the communications apparatus may used to communicate in underwater diving operations.
• the compressed fluid may be a pressurised liquid or compressed gas supplied from the medium in which the communications apparatus is used to communicate, such as water, air or such like being directed to the communications apparatus by a pump or such like. It will be appreciated that the compressed fluid may be also provided by the combustion of a fuel.
• the communication apparatus may be constructed of any suitable material, such as metal resistant to corrosion in sea water. Where the communication apparatus is a communications apparatus, it may be is manufactured from a marine stable grade of plastics material, such a polyolefin, acetal or polycarbonate plastics material or such like.
• the frequency of the vibration energy produced by operating the communications apparatus may be ultrasonic, subsonic or such like, or the frequency may be of an audible pitch suitable for human hearing and of a volume within boundaries of comfort and safety on the one hand and efficacy of communication of the other hand in communicating in the medium within which the communications apparatus is to be used.
• the piston chamber in the body assembly may be circular in section, or may include one or more flat faces. It is believed that the use of one or more flat faces mau enable more efficient moulding of the housing in plastics material.
• the bore is hexagonal so as to more efficiently facilitate the moulding of duct means including six inlet ports through the housing means to the bore.
• the piston is of a cross section which complements the cross sectional shape of the bore.
• this invention resides broadly in communication apparatus including:- a body assembly; a sounding chamber in said body assembly; reciprocation means reciprocable within said sounding chamber; a fluid inlet to said sounding chamber at opposite sides thereof; selection means for selectively directing fluid to alternate sides of said reciprocation means, and adjustment means for adjusting the frequency of reciprocation of said reciprocation means.
• the reciprocation means may include a reciprocable piston assembly and a diphragm assembly forming an abutment for the piston assembly and the diaphragm assembly may be adjustable relative to reciprocal movement of the piston.
• this invention resides broadly in a method of communicating between a communicator and a communicatee, said method including:- providing communication apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims; connecting the communicaton apparatus to a compressed air supply of scuba diving apparatus, and actuating the communicaton apparatus to cause the piston assembly to reciprocate at an audible frequency.
• a method as claim in claim 10 and actuating the communicaton apparatus intermittently using a code such as Morse code.
• the communicator may adjust the pitch of the communications to enhance the effectiveness of communication. For example, the pitch of several communication apparatus may be set differently so as to enable ready identification of the communicator.
• FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic collective end view and section in the direction of arrows A-A of a housing for a communications apparatus;
• FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic collective end view and section in the direction of arrows B-B of a piston for the communications apparatus of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 collectively shows an end section and cross section of a valve and manifold assembly for the communications apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2
• FIG. 4 collectively shows a front view, rear view and section of a front cover and diaphragm for the communications apparatus of FIGS 1 to 3, and
• FIG. 5 collectively shows a front view, rear view and section of a rear cover for the communications apparatus of FIGS 1 to 4.
• a communications apparatus includes a housing 11 with a bore 12 therethrough for receiving a piston 20.
• the housing 11 may be installed in a case manifold 30 having a mounting aperture 31 for receiving the housing 11.
• a front cover 40 and a rear cover 50 may be placed on the housing 11 by the threaded engagement with the housing 11.
• the housing 11 includes an inlet 14 and inlet manifold 16 for receiving compressed air from a scuba divers breathing air supply and an exhaust outlet 13 and exhaust manifold 15 for exhausting the received air from the apparatus.
• the housing 11 is sealed into the case manifold 30 by a forward seal 17 and rear seal 18 in the form of an 0-ring or such like (not shown).
• the housing 11 is oriented with respect to the front cover 40 by a lock aperture 45 in the front cover 40.
• a key way 19 in the housing 11 may be used as an exhaust.
• the piston 20 has a rear passage 21 leading to a rear bore 22 and a forward passage 23 and forward passage extension 26 leading to a forward bore 24.
• the case manifold 30 includes in addition to the mounting aperture 31 described above, an inlet aperture 32 for receiving compressed air from a scuba divers air supply and a valve aperture 33 for receiving a valve (not shown) which is normally closed but is actuated by pressing a button or such like which is biased to return the valve the closed position.
• the front cover 40 includes a diaphragm 41 in a front nut 42 having teeth 43 disposed around the proximal edge thereof.
• the front nut 42 is fixed onto the housing 11 by a front threaded aperture 44.
• the rear cover 50 includes a rear threaded aperture 51 for threaded engagement of the rear cover 50 with the housing 11 and further includes a plurality of end scallops 52 disposed around the circumference of the proximal edge of the rear cover 50.
• a valve biased to a normally closed position is actuated to permit compressed air to flow through from the inlet aperture 32 to the mounting aperture 31 in which the housing 11 and piston 20 are disposed.
• the compressed air is directed through the inlet 14 and inlet manifold 16 in the housing 11 and thence alternately to the rear passage 21 and the forward passage 23.
• the compressed air passes through the rear bore 22 to move the piston forward in the direction of a hammer 21 on the front end of the piston 11, that is, towards the end of the piston closer to the front cover 40 whilst compressed air is substantially sealed from flowing through the remainder of the assembly.
• the inlet 14 becomes sealed against further air input and the rear passage 21 aligns with the inlet manifold 16. Additionally, the rear end of the piston 11 clears the exhaust manifold 15 to release the air from behind the piston 20. As the piston 20 moves further forward, the forward passage 23 engages with the inlet manifold 16 and the air is directed toward the front of the piston 20 through the forward bore 24. Additionally, air passes out from the forward passage extension 26 to the exhaust manifold 15.
• the tolerances thus described will affect the frequency of the sound produced by the communications apparatus when the diaphragm 40 is within the stroke limit of the piston 20.
• the serrations on the proximal end of the front nut 42 permit passage of exhaust air and also permit discrete positioning of the forward nut 42 and hence the diaphragm 41 against the hammer 25 so that a discrete pitch may be selected for communications.
• the rear bore 22 and front bore 24 may have a cross section including one or more flat sections so that the moulding of the piston 20 may be more readily accommodated for manufacture out of a plastics material, such as delrin, acetal, teflon or such like.
• the air to the communications apparatus may be filtered and the piston 20 may be biased to the front or rear end of the housing 11 by an independent biasing means such as a spring or such like.
• a communications apparatus of this invention may be connected to a hose or pipe fitting as part of a scuba divers diving gear. The operation of the communications apparatus may be tested before the diver enters the water and may be adjusted in its pitch and/or volume by turning the front nut 42 on the housing 11 and locking the front cover 40 through the lock aperture 45. Thus, discrete frequencies may be chosen for different divers so that the identity of the particular diver actuating the communications apparatus may be readily determined. Alternatively, one or more divers may be provided with a number of communications apparatus.
• the apparatus may be operated by depressing a spring loaded valve to permit the air to enter the seal isolating piston 20 and thereby causing the hammer 25 to strike the diaphragm 41.
• a spring loaded valve to permit the air to enter the seal isolating piston 20 and thereby causing the hammer 25 to strike the diaphragm 41.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Transducers For Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
• Reciprocating Pumps (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=3777149

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (1)

Citations (7)

• 1994
  • 1994-08-24 WO PCT/AU1994/000495 patent/WO1995005971A1/en active Application Filing
  • 1994-08-24 JP JP7507233A patent/JPH09501634A/ja active Pending

Patent Citations (7)

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