Method and apparatus for determination and display of critical gas supply information

• US 4,876,903 A
• Filed: 03/21/1988
• Issued: 10/31/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William D. Budinger
• Original Assignee: William D. Budinger
• Inventors: Budinger, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Levy, Stewart J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raevis, Robert R.
• Application Number:
  US07/169,651
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 73/865.1, 73/714, 364/418, 364/705, 128/205.23
• US Class Current: 73/865.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/10 Preparation of respiratory gases or vapours
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3386 Low level detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 9/006 Indicators or warning devices, e.g. of low pressure, contamination
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/32 Decompression arrangements; Exercise equipment
• 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: F17C 13/003 Means for coding or identifying them and/or their contents
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/02 Special adaptations of indicating, measuring, or monitoring equipment measuring in general G01
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/011 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0123 gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/036 Very high pressure (>80 bar)
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/032 using computers
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/043 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0439 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0473 Time or time periods
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0495 the indicated parameter is a converted measured parameter
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2260/024 Improving metering
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2265/04 using an independent energy source, e.g. battery
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0189 Planes
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/025 Breathing
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0781 : Diving equipments

Abstract

An apparatus for and method of determining and displaying important information pertaining to the use of breathable bottled gas in a pressurized fixed volume container. The apparatus determines and displays information such as consumption rate, gas requirement for future activity, gas time remaining under present and future conditions, as well as other information about the environment in a form that clearly shows critical parameters in an easily understood and intuitive Pictorial Display. The apparatus comprises transducers for measuring ambient pressures and the pressures of the bottled gas, processors or microprocessors for interpreting and analyzing the data and making the necessary computations, and a display screen for presenting information to the user.

Claims

1. A portable diving apparatus for continuously displaying, during a dive, the amount of time that a known amount of pressurized breathable gas can be consumed at a known rate from a fixed volume container if a user changes from a present ambient pressure during a dive to some other ambient pressure comprising:

means for determining a current ambient pressure of the user;

means for determining the amount of breathable gas in the container;

means for determining the present consumption rate of gas by the user at the current ambient pressure;

means for determining the maximum time (Adjusted Remaining Air Time) that the remaining supply of gas will sustain the present consumption rate of the gas by the user at the present ambient pressure and for each of a plurality of ambient pressures other than the present ambient pressure, and allowing for any predetermined reserve; and

display means, including a two-dimensional pictorial display showing variations in depth along one axis and increments of time on the other axis for simultaneously, graphically displaying to the user representations of the current ambient pressure, the other ambient pressures and the associated Adjusted Remaining Air Time for the current ambient pressure and for each of the other ambient pressures.

2. A portable diving apparatus for continuously displaying during a dive the amount of time that a known amount of pressurized breathable gas can be consumed at a known rate from a fixed volume container if a user changes from a present ambient pressure during a dive to surface pressure, comprising:

means for determining a current ambient pressure of the user associated with the current depth of the user;

means for determining the amount of breathable gas in the container;

means for determining the present consumption rate of gas by the user at the current ambient pressure;

means for determining the amount of breathable gas which will be consumed by the user in ascending to the surface from a plurality of selected depths;

means for determining the maximum time (Adjusted Remaining Air Time) that the remaining supply of gas will sustain the present consumption rate of the gas by the user at the present ambient pressure and allowing for any predetermined reserve and for determining the maximum rate (Safe Air Limit) that the remaining amount of breathable gas will allow the user to remain at the current depth and at each of the plurality of selected depths and then ascend to the surface without consuming the predetermined gas reserve; and

display means for displaying to the user a representation of the time in the future at which the user must begin to ascent to the surface to avoid having the present and projected consumption of a breathable gas from the fixed volume container cause the gas supply to fall below predetermined safety limits, the display means including a two dimensional pictorial display showing variations in depth along one axis and increments of time on the other axis for simultaneously, graphically displaying to the user representations of the current ambient pressure, the associated Adjusted Remaining Air Time for the current ambient pressure and the Safe Air Limit Times for the current depth and for each of the plurality of selected depths.