Rebreather Setpoint Controller and Display

• US 20070215157A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Helix Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Helix Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Straw, Philip
• Application Number:
  US11/579,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20070215157A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/205.120
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 7/10 with filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 9/006 Indicators or warning devices, e.g. of low pressure, contamination
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/24 in closed circulation
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 2011/021 Diving computers, i.e. portable computers specially adapted for divers, e.g. wrist worn, watertight electronic devices for detecting or calculating scuba diving parameters

Abstract

An oxygen setpoint controller (SPC) and a user'"'"'s display for a rebreathing apparatus wherein the user exhales oxygen depleted breath into a closed rebreathing loop, the CO₂ is scrubbed from the exhaled gases, oxygen is added to the rebreathing loop to maintain the oxygen at a specified partial pressure, and the oxygen enhanced gases in the rebreathing are provided to the user. The SPC is able to detect the failure of any of the oxygen sensors and provide an alarm condition to the user. The SPC further operates to provide dive data such as rate of ascent, time of dive, depth, and PPO2 to the uses, and to store and retain dive data for further review. The SPC further provides numerical dive data to a heads up display (HUD). The HUD further includes a tricolor LED displaying selected analog parameters.

Claims

1. A self-contained breathing apparatus comprising:

a rebreather loop further comprising a breathing mouthpiece for allowing a user to breathe, said breathing mouthpiece having an inlet connected through a first one-way valve, and the mouthpiece having an outlet for passing exhaled gas through a second one-way valve;

an exhalant counterlung connected to the second one-way valve for receiving the exhaled gas;

a scrubber connected to the exhalant counterlung for receiving the exhaled gas and for removing CO₂ from the exhaled gas, and connected through an oxygen injection valve to a first cylinder of compressed gas for receiving O₂ enriched gas; and

an inhalant counterlung connected to the scrubber for receiving the CO₂ depleted gas from the scrubber, and connected to a second cylinder of compressed gas for receiving a diluent gas, and connected to the first one-way valve for providing breathable gas to the user;

an oxygen monitoring system for measuring the 02 partial pressure (PPO2) of the CO₂ depleted exhaled gas; and

an oxygen control system coupled to the oxygen monitoring system for injecting O₂ enriched gas from the first cylinder to the inhalant counterlung.

2. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the oxygen control system further comprises an oxygen setpoint controller coupled with a water depth pressure sensor, a controls handset, an oxygen partial pressure (PPO2) display.

3. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the oxygen setpoint controller receives a first signal from the oxygen monitoring system and a second signal from the water depth pressure sensor, compares the first signal to a desired PPO2 reference signal that is biased by the second signal, provides a third signal to the oxygen injection valve, and provides a fourth signal to the PPO2 display.

4. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which the oxygen setpoint controller provides decompression information thereby allowing the user to safely ascend from a dive by avoiding blood outgassing.

5. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which the PPO2 display provides a quantitative measurement of a selected parameter of the oxygen control system.

6. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the selected parameter is the PPO2 of the breathable gas.

7. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the selected parameter is a percentage of an ascent limiting factor.

8. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the selected parameter is ceiling depth.

9. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the selected parameter is time to the surface.

10. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the PPO2 display comprises a heads-up-display (HUD) mounted in a diving mask worn by the user.

11. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the PPO2 display is located on the controls handset.

12. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the PPO2 display is a liquid crystal display (LCD) having an illumination LED for backlighting.

13. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the illumination LED is blue.

14. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the backlighting is varied by pulse width modulating the illumination LED.

15. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein the backlighting is increased or decreased by the controls handset.

16. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein the backlighting is varied depending upon ambient light conditions.

17. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the backlighting is switched from a constant condition to a variable condition by the controls handset.

18. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the PPO2 display comprises a tricolored light emitting diode capable of displaying a specific color depending upon the magnitude parameter being displayed.

19. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 18 wherein the PPO2 display is visible by the user.

20. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 18 wherein the PPO2 display is visible on the user by others.

21. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the setpoint controller further comprises a processor having protected memory whereby the protected memory is protected from reading and from reprograming.

22. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 21 wherein the protected memory contains a serial number assigned to the self-contained breathing apparatus and a license key for authenticating software residing within the setpoint controller.

23. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 21 wherein the setpoint controller further comprises at least one software program to emulate decompression models.

24. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 23 wherein all decompression models are simultaneously operable.

25. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 24 wherein each decompression model has an output showing ascent rate.

26. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 25 wherein the output of the one decompression model having the minimum ascent rate is displayable on the PPO2 display.

27. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 23 wherein a single decompression model is operable.

28. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 27 wherein the single decompression model has an output showing ascent rate, the ascent rate being displayable on the PPO2 display.

29. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 21 wherein the setpoint controller comprises at least one software program to emulate user training modes.

30. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 29 wherein the user training modes comprise a simulated failure of the oxygen sensing system and a simulated failure of the oxygen injection valve.

31. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the setpoint controller Other comprises an optical power diode to supply power to the oxygen injection valve.

32. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the oxygen sensing system the setpoint controller, the oxygen injection valve, the controls handset, and the PPO2 display are coupled using a digital communications protocol.

33. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 32 in which the digital communications protocol operates over a wired bus.

34. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 32 in which the digital communications protocol operates over a wireless radio frequency operating in the rebreather loop.

35. The self-contained breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 34 in which the wireless radio frequency operates using a wave guide.