Waist pad bumper system for self-contained breathing apparatus

• US 10,589,137 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Bruce, Zhao, Terry, Lu, Kevin, Li, Devin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nash, Brian D
• Application Number:
  US15/550,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20180028847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 25/00 Devices for storing or holding or carrying respiratory or breathing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 7/02 with compressed oxygen or air
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 9/04 Couplings; Supporting frames

Abstract

Embodiments relate generally to a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA comprising a waist pad bumper system. The waist pad bumper system may comprise a soft rubber gasket located between the waist pad and the backplate of the SCBA, operable to compress to cushion the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad; a hard rubber gasket located between the waist pad and the backplate operable to compress to cushion the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad; one or more magnets located on the waist pad; and one or more magnets located on the backplate operable to interact with the one or more magnets located on the waist pad, wherein the magnets of the waist pad have the same polarization as the magnets of the backplate and therefore repel each other.

Claims

1. A waist pad bumper system for use with a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) comprising:

a backplate operable to attach to a cylinder to hold the cylinder in place on a user'"'"'s back;

a waist pad operable to attach to the backplate and operable to fit around a user'"'"'s waist to hold the backplate, and therefore the cylinder, in place on the user'"'"'s back;

a soft rubber gasket located between the waist pad and the backplate operable to compress to cushion the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad;

a hard rubber gasket located between the waist pad and the backplate operable to compress to cushion the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad;

one or more magnets located on the waist pad; and

one or more magnets located on the backplate operable to interact with the one or more magnets located on the waist pad, wherein the magnets of the waist pad have the same polarization as the magnets of the backplate and therefore repel each other.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the soft rubber gasket cushions the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad in a first direction, and wherein the hard rubber gasket cushions the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad in a second direction.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first direction comprises a portion of the backplate moving toward a portion of the waist pad.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the second direction comprises the backplate twisting with respect to the waist pad.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a screw and nut operable to hold the waist pad to the backplate.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more magnets of the waist pad comprise at least one first magnet on an upper portion of the waist pad and at least one second magnet on a lower portion of the waist pad.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more magnets of the backplate comprise at least one third magnet in a location corresponding to the first magnet of the waist pad and at least one fourth magnet in a location corresponding to the second magnet of the waist pad.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the soft rubber gasket comprises a shore hardness of between approximately 30 and 40.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the hard rubber gasket comprises a shore harness of between approximately 50 and 65.

10. A self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) comprising:

a cylinder operable to hold breathable air;

a backplate operable to attach to the cylinder to hold the cylinder in place on a user'"'"'s back;

a waist pad operable to attach to the backplate and operable to fit around a user'"'"'s waist to hold the backplate, and therefore the cylinder, in place on the user'"'"'s back;

a facepiece operable to fit on the user'"'"'s face to provide breathable air from the cylinder to the user;

one or more shoulder pads operable to attach to the backplate and the waist pad to further stabilize the cylinder on the back of the user,

wherein;

the waist pad further comprises;

a soft rubber gasket located between the waist pad and the backplate operable to compress to cushion the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad;

a hard rubber gasket located between the waist pad and the backplate operable to compress to cushion the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad; and

one or more magnets located on the waist pad;

the backplate further comprises one or more magnets located on the backplate operable to interact with the one or more magnets located on the waist pad; and

the magnets of the waist pad have the same polarization as the magnets of the backplate and therefore repel each other.

11. The SCBA of claim 10, wherein the soft rubber gasket cushions the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad in a first direction, and wherein the hard rubber gasket cushions the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad in a second direction.

12. The SCBA of claim 11, wherein the first direction comprises a portion of the backplate moving toward a portion of the waist pad, and wherein the second direction comprises the backplate twisting with respect to the waist pad.

13. The SCBA of claim 10, further comprising a screw and nut operable to hold the waist pad to the backplate.

14. The SCBA of claim 10, wherein the magnets of the waist pad and the magnets of the backplate cushion the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad.

15. The SCBA of claim 10, wherein the soft rubber gasket comprises a shore hardness of between approximately 30 and 40, and wherein the hard rubber gasket comprises a shore harness of between approximately 50 and 65.

16. A method for preventing stress on a user'"'"'s back and waist when wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), the method comprising:

providing a soft rubber gasket located between a waist pad and a backplate of the SCBA;

compressing the soft rubber gasket between the waist pad and the backplate to cushion the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad;

providing a hard rubber gasket located between the waist pad and the backplate;

compressing the hard rubber gasket between the waist pad and the backplate to cushion the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad;

providing at least one magnet located on the waist pad;

providing at least one magnet located on the backplate, wherein the magnet of the waist pad and the magnet of the backplate are the same polarization and therefore repel each other; and

cushioning the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad when the magnets of the waist pad repel the magnets of the backplate.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein compressing the soft rubber gasket may comprise cushioning the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad in a first direction.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first direction may comprise a portion of the backplate moving toward a portion of the waist pad.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein compressing the hard rubber gasket may comprise cushioning the movement of the backplate with respect to the waist pad in a second direction.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second direction may comprise the backplate twisting with respect to the waist pad.