CONTROLLABLE WATER FLOATATION GARMENT

• US 20160355245A1
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safe Swim Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Safe Swim Ltd.
• Inventors: SCHECHTER, Amir
• Granted Patent: US 9,868,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0806 by whole-body plethysmography measuring blood flow using plethysmography A61B5/0295; impedance plethysmography A61B5/053; measuring volume of the body or parts thereof A61B5/1073
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 Vests
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/02 Divers' equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/08 Control of air pressure within suit, e.g. for controlling buoyancy ; Buoyancy compensator vests, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/26 Communication means, e.g. means for signalling the presence of diverselectric communication in general H04
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 2009/0029 Inflation devices comprising automatic activation means, e.g. for puncturing gas-generating cartridges
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 2011/085 Buoyancy compensator vests
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 9/00 Life-saving in water life-saving in general A62B; arrangement or adaptation of signalling or lighting devices for ships, other waterborne vessels or for equipment for shipping B63B45/00; rescue equipment specially adapted for submarine personnel B63G8/40
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 9/1055 inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 9/1255 inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/088 by monitoring a device worn by the person, e.g. a bracelet attached to the swimmer
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

The present invention relates to a water floatation garment, and in particular, to such a swimming garment incorporating a fillable bladder and electronics provided to identify emergency situation such as drowning based on sensed data that causing the garment to trigger the fillable bladder to inflate allowing a user to float to surface therein preventing a drowning.

Claims

1. ) A swimming garment for preventing a drowning incident, the swim garment having an integrated apparatus for identifying a potential drowning incident and for inflating at least one fillable bladder for surfacing a user, the apparatus comprising:

a) electronic circuitry module having power module, processing module and communication module;

said processing module provided to determine a user'"'"'s drowning probability score and to initiate a response according to said drowning probability score by communicating a triggering signal to activate an inflating module that is functionally coupled with and utilized to inflate said at least one fillable bladder;

b) said processing module functionally associated with a sensor module comprising a plurality of sensors including;

at least one breathing sensor, at least two movement sensor, a depth sensor, a pressure sensor, and a water sensor;

wherein said processing module provides for processing data provided from said sensor module to determine said drowning probability score;

characterized in that;

i) said at least two movement sensors are provided in the form of an accelerometer disposed about a portion of the garment corresponding to the arm'"'"'s sleeves; and

ii) said breathing sensor is provided in the form of a belt configured to measure changes in thoracic and/or abdominal circumference during respiration; and

characterized in that said movement sensors are configured to detect drowning based on the movement of a user'"'"'s arms

2. ) The garment of claim 1 wherein said breathing sensor is provided in the form selected from:

a) piezoelectric pad;

b) electronic textile in the form of a piezoelectric element that is woven into the garment;

c) a pulse-oximeter;

d) a piezoelectric belt;

e) a piezoelectric band;

f) an electromagnetic induction sensor;

g) a belt comprising a strain gauge;

h) a belt comprising piezoelectric sensor,

i) a belt comprising an induction belt sensor;

i) a belt comprising an impedance pneumography sensor, and

k) any combination thereof.

4. ) The garment of claim 1 wherein said fillable bladder is provided in the form selected from the group:

encapsulated folded bladder and low profile folded bladder.

5. ) The garment of claim 1 wherein said fillable bladder is provided from materials selected from the group consisting of:

latex, silicon, cloth, polymer, polymer alloy, metallic alloy, metal, polymer metal alloy, synthetics, and any combination thereof.

10. ) The garment of claim 1 wherein said inflating module further comprising at least one or more prefilled gas container containing gas selected from the group:

air, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2) and any combination thereof.

11. ) The garment of claim 1 further comprising a user interface provided for communicating with the user prior to inflating said at least one bladder, wherein user interface communication is selected from the group consisting of at least one of:

visible cues, audible cues, tactile cues, or any combination thereof.

12. ) The garment of claim 11 further comprising an override button.

13. ) The garment of claim 1 wherein said sensor module comprises at least two breathing sensors.

15. ) The garment of claim 1 wherein at least one inflatable bladder is provided to encircle the upper torso of the user from a position selected from the group consisting of:

under the armpits, around the shoulders, along the waist, configured to be aligned with the user'"'"'s diaphragm and any combination thereof.

16. ) The garment of claim 1 comprising a plurality of inflatable bladders distributed bout the surface forming a matrix like interconnected inflatable bladders.

17. ) The garment of claim 16 wherein said plurality of inflatable bladders are controlled in a manner selected from:

a) uniformly controlled with a single triggering signal;

b) individually controlled with a plurality of individual triggering signals;

c) controlled with at least one triggering signal;

or

d) controlled with a plurality of controllable triggering signals.

20. ) The garment of claim 17 wherein said plurality of inflatable bladders are controlled with a plurality of controllable triggering signals;

controlled at least with respect to triggering parameters selected from;

time, rate of bladder inflation, and any combination thereof.

22. ) The garment of claim 17 wherein said triggering signals may be controlled according to any pattern selected from the group consisting of:

sequential, simultaneous, gradual, intermittent, overlapping, contiguous, continuous, and any combination thereof.

23. ) The garment of claim 1 wherein said inflating module provides for filling at least one or more bladders with a triggering signal provided with said controller module by inflating means selected from the group consisting:

a chemical reaction, an electromagnetic spark, mechanical mixing of at least two or more stored reagents, mechanically releasing gas from a confined storage container, polymerization reaction, a controlled pyrotechnic reaction, exothermic reaction releasing gas, controllably reacting Sodium Azide (NaN3) to form Nitrogen (N2) gas, controllably reacting Sodium Bicarbonate to produce carbon dioxide gas (CO2), controllable polymerization reaction for producing foam within at least one inflatable bladder, and any combination thereof.

27. ) The garment of claim 23 wherein said triggering module provides for a controllable mixing reaction where two or more reagents are mixed to create a chemical reaction to inflate the bladder, wherein a first reagent is stored in a first bladder and a second reagent is stored in a second bladder, wherein said first bladder and said second bladder are isolated from one another with a seal, and wherein a triggering signal provides for breaking said seal allowing the reagents to react with one another causing the inflation of at least one or both of said first bladder or said second bladder.

29. ) The garment of claim 1 wherein said triggering signal is an electromagnetic signal provided for controlling an electromagnetic element selected from the group consisting of a solenoid, motor, valve, a compressed bellow, any combination thereof.

30. ) The garment of claim 1 wherein an inflatable bladder comprises two or more reagents separated by an internal seal, wherein a triggering event and signal are configured to break said seal allowing said two or more reagents to mix within said bladder allowing said bladder to inflate.

31. ) A system (50) for preventing a drowning incident comprising the garment of claim 1 in communication with an external processing and communication device, wherein said external processor and communication device is provided to communicate an alarm state signal based on the drowning probability score to a third party.

33. ) The garment of claim 1 provided in the form of a diving garment selected from diving vest, diving vest, diving buoyancy vest;

wherein at least one inflatable bladder is configured to be aligned with the user'"'"'s diaphragm.

3. ) (canceled)

6. ) (canceled)

7. ) The garment of claim 6 wherein said fillable bladder is provided from semipermeable material.

8. ) (canceled)

9. ) (canceled)

14. ) (canceled)

18. ) (canceled)

19. ) (canceled)

21. ) (canceled)

24. ) (canceled)

25. ) (canceled)

26. ) (canceled)

28. ) (canceled)

32. ) (canceled)