Protective garment

• US 6,209,144 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2000
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eddie R. Carter
• Original Assignee: Eddie R. Carter
• Inventors: Carter, Eddie R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lindsey, Rodney M.
• Application Number:
  US09/480,361
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 2/458, 2/457, 2/DIG. 1, 2/2.16, 2/81, 2/93
• US Class Current: 2/458
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 Vests
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 17/005 Active or passive body temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 17/006 against contamination from chemicals, toxic or hostile environments; ABC suits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 2/01 Ventilated garment

Abstract

A protective garment (10) adapted to be worn by personnel in high temperature or otherwise harmful environments. Tile garment comprises a torso section 11 and depending on the wearer'"'"'s needs and desires, arms (14), head (13) and leg sections (15) and readily attachable complementary portions for covering the face, hands and feet extremities. The garment is equipped with a supply of precooled and dehumidified ventilating gas or other coolant medium to be flowed over various body parts of the wearer. The coolant supply comprises one or more storage containers (20) carried about the waist. The coolant is supplied therefrom through a valve (25) to an inlet (41) in the suit. From the inlet, the coolant medium is distributed through flexible conduits (50) which include component distribution systems (55A, 55B, 57A, 57B, 61A, 61B) leading to the various body parts. The conduits are preferably attached to the lining of the suit and each provided along its length with holes (59) which are of increasing diameters in the direction away from the suit inlet to provide more uniform flow to a body area. Each component distribution system includes a thermostatic valve (81) or valve (61) controlled by a thermocouple (60) fixed at a location in the distribution zone such as at the ankles, wrists, or waist of the wearer whereby the valve acts to control coolant flow to a particular body area in order to maintain the surface temperature of the particular body area in a narrow range about 72° to 76°. The garment also includes sensors for monitoring and signalling physiological signs and providing other information as to the location, physical condition and identity of the garment wearer and an electrical communications system for transmitting such information to a remote base station and for receiving information therefrom.

Claims

1. A body protective garment having portions shaped to enclose at least the torso of a wearer, said garment being comprised of a body-enveloping material with an inlet port provided in said garment material;

means for supplying a dehumidified coolant medium to said inlet port, said means for supplying a coolant medium being fastened to the garment exterior for distributing the dehumidified coolant medium to flow over the various body parts of the wearer, said means for distributing the coolant medium comprising a system of flexible conduits fixed to the interior surface of the garment and including component distribution systems leading to the various parts of the wearer'"'"'s body, and the interior surface of the garment being provided with a system of grooves wherein said grooves open inward towards the body surface of the garment wearer, each said conduit being provided with holes along its length for communicating the coolant medium to the system of grooves in the garment and distributing the coolant over the surface of the wearer'"'"'s body; and

valve means installed in each component conduit distribution system and automatically responsive to the temperature of the coolant medium when distributed over a particular body area associated with said component conduit distribution system to control the flow of coolant medium so as to maintain the surface temperature of the wearer'"'"'s particular body area in a prescribed temperature range.

2. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 1 wherein said valve means in each component conduit distribution system is operative to maintain the surface temperature of the wearer'"'"'s particular body area in the temperature range at 72°

to 75°

.

3. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for supplying a coolant medium comprises a plurality of canisters carried about the waist of the garment and containing pressurized coolant medium, said canisters each having an outlet being connected by a manifold conduit to said inlet;

and

a manually operable valve installed in said manifold conduit and operable by the garment wearer for controlling communication of said coolant medium to said inlet and said system of flexible conduits.

4. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 2 wherein each conduit in said system of conduits is provided with holes along its length wherein said holes are of increasing diameter proportional to the distance of each said hole from said inlet and said holes are in direct communication with the grooves in the garment'"'"'s interior surface.

5. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 3 wherein the outlet of said manually operable valve is connected to the inlet of a heat exchanger for warming the coolant medium, said heat exchanger having a thermostatic valve installed in its outlet end and a dehumidifying filter having an inlet connected to the outlet end of the heat exchanger;

and

said filter having an outlet connected to the inlet port in said garment material, said thermostatic valve being operable to open and admit coolant medium to said system of flexible conduits when the temperature of the coolant medium at the filter outlet reaches approximately 76°

F.

6. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 5 wherein said filter contains moisture removing material of anhydrous calcium sulfate which changes color as water is filtered out of the coolant medium and is absorbed therein.

7. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 6 wherein said filter is adapted to remove moisture, contaminants and particles from the coolant medium and includes a tubular housing with a transparent window whereby a wearer of the suit can observe a color change of the anhydrous calcium sulfate.

8. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 1 wherein said garment is comprised of a body enveloping material which is elastic and impervious to gaseous fluids.

9. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 3 wherein said plurality of pressurized canisters are carried about the waist of the garment on a KEVLAR belt provided with a plurality of pockets of KEVLAR material for receiving said canisters and providing a covering therefor as a protection for the garment wearer.

10. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 3 further including pressure relief means comprising a pressure relief valve coupled to the outlets of said canisters and operative to achieve coolant pressure in said canisters when the pressure in said canisters reaches a predetermined level.

11. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 1 wherein said garment is provided with zippered openings on the front and rear of said garment which allow for easy donning and removal of the garment and permit the garment wearer to eliminate body excretions.

12. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 11 wherein said zippered openings are provided by zippers made of KEVLAR.

13. A body protective garment constructed and shaped to enclose at least the torso of a wearer, said garment being comprised of a body-enveloping material and having an inlet port provided in said garment material;

means for supplying a dehumidified coolant medium to said inlet, said means for supplying coolant medium being fastened to the garment exterior and including means for distributing the dehumidified coolant medium to flow over the various body parts of the wearer, said means for distributing coolant medium comprising a system of flexible conduits fixed to the interior surface of the garment and including component distribution systems leading to the various parts of the wearer'"'"'s body, each said conduit in said component distribution systems being provided with holes along its length for communicating the coolant medium to the interior of the garment and distributing the coolant over the surface of the wearer'"'"'s body; and

temperature controller means installed in said system of flexible conduits and automatically responsive to the temperature of coolant medium when distributed over a particular body area to control the flow of coolant medium so as to maintain the surface temperature of the wearer'"'"'s particular body area in a prescribed temperature range.

14. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 13 wherein said garment is comprised of a body-enveloping material which is elastic and durable.

15. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 13 wherein said garment includes portions constructed and shaped to enclose the arms, legs and torso of a wearer of the garment.

16. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 13 wherein said temperature controller means includes thermocouples located adjacent various body parts of the garment wearer and computer microprocessor means responsive to said thermocouples for constantly monitoring the surface body temperature of said various body parts.

17. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 13 wherein said temperature controller means includes valve means installed in each said component distribution system, and

means for sensing the surface body temperature of the various body parts of the garment wearer and means responsive to the sensed temperatures for regulating said valve means and controlling the amount of coolant that is distributed throughout said garment.

18. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 13 further including means for sensing and monitoring physiological life signs of the garment wearer.

19. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 18 wherein said physiological life signs include anyone of the group of physiological life signs comprising pulse rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, blood oxygen saturation, body surface moisture and humidity, intravascular volume status, and core body temperature.

20. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 13 further including means for detecting motion and non-motion of the garment wearer and generating and transmitting indications of the garment wearer'"'"'s motion activity to a monitoring base station.

21. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 13 further comprising means including a crystal resonator for generating an electrical signal of specified frequency assigned to the garment wearer, and

means for transmitting said crystal resonator signal to a monitoring base station whereby the garment wearer can be readily identified.

22. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 13 wherein said garment is affixed to an outer shell garment by fastener means selected from the group comprising zippers, snap fasteners, Velcro fasteners, buttons, and stitching, and said

outer shell garment is in the form of said coveralls made of material selected from the group comprising Nomex material, cotton, KEVLAR, Pbi and any combination thereof.

23. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 16 further including means for sensing and monitoring physiological life signs of the garment-wearer and generating signals representative thereof, and

electrical signal communication means for transmitting said generated signals to a remote base station.

24. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 23 further including:

thermocouple means for sensing and detecting abnormally high temperature between said protective garment and an outer shell garment, and

electrical signal communication means for transmitting said abnormally high temperature signal to a monitoring base station.

25. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 13 wherein said garment has affixed to it a bar code label and a bar code communications system wherein said garment utilizes said bar code system to record and retrieve inventory information and such vital information as the garment-wearer'"'"'s german medical history so as to provide information that will assist in identifying the garment-wearer in case of unconsciousness, and in recalling information in various presentation formats at display terminals and at printer devices;

a portable hand-held bar code reading device that communicates with the communication system and employs a non-ohmic electrical contact between the bar-code attached to the garment and a reader in an associated station for transferring data to and from the bar-code label.

26. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 23 wherein said supply of coolant medium comprises a plurality of canisters, and

said garment is provided with a belt having a holster pocket suspended therefrom for carrying said canisters, and microcontroller means therein.

27. A body protective garment as set forth in claim 23 wherein said garment has a global positioning system receiver mounted on said garment for receiving signals from global positioning satellites and adapted to calculate and provide signal indications as to its location from said satellite signals, said receiver being connected to said communication system for transmitting signals of its location to a remote base station.