US2152110A - Diving suit valve - Google Patents

Description

March 26, 1939. E. TCPPER DIVING SUIT VALVE Filed Nov. 2, 1937 ivurf 75' jkez Patented Mar. 28, 1939 PATENT OFFICE DIVING SUIT VALVE Ernst Topper, Berlin-Neukolln, Germany, assignor of one-half to William Hamilton Martin,

London, England Application November 2, 1937, Serial No. 172,466

In Germany November 13, 1936 10 Claims.

The invention relates to valves for the exit of air fromdiving-suits. Hitherto some form of non-return valve, with access to it by hand from the outside, has been employed for the release of air from the interior of the drivers helmet.

An object sought by the present invention is operability or adjustment of the valve from within, whereby the hands are left free.

A further object is the minimising of risk of accidental operation of the valve from, for example, an external obstacle.

A further object is the provision of a valve which minimises the risk of entry of water, especially if the suitbecomes partially exhausted as it may if the wearer has tostoop down.

A further object is the provision of a valve which is readily controllable to meet various contingencies.

A further object is a valve so operable that, if the diver. is incapacitated, the valve will tend to set in a safe condition. y

Other objects and advantages may be apparent to the practical diver from the following description. There is described, and illustrated diagrammatically, a Valve according to the invention, in relation to a conventional divers helmet.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the helmet.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the valve in one position.

Figure 3 is a like View in another position.

The helmet comprises the usual dome-like hollow metal shell I, with attachment flange 2 1n the region of the neck. In the shell I are: a main front window 3, side windows 4, and an upper central window 5, any or all being protected or made in known manner, except in that the 7 window 5 is so positioned in relation to the valve that the diver is enabled usually to see the stream of bubbles rising from his valve, the window 5 being above it.

The shell I has a frontal outwardly bulged part 6 to which is attached a U-sectioned protection and guide supporting structure 1 with a blindbored valve guide pocket 8 formed in a nut 9 screwed into structure 1. The pocket 8 has a pressure-relieving duct III to avoid pressure locking therein. A valve-seat body II is attached to the part 6 and presents two concentric axially spaced annular valve seats, the inner seat l2 and the outer seat l3. A valve stem l4 and an outer stem l5 sliding in the guide pocket 8 carry an integral valve head I 6 cooperating with the seat l2; the valve stem l4 moving in a mounting of spider formation to permit free passage of air lengthwise of and beyond the stem l4. Mounted around stem I5 is a flexible, preferably rubber, disc-like valve. ll to bearon seat [3. The valve I1 is capable of considerable distortion in a saucer-like shapeas, can be seen by contrasting Figures 2 and 3.

Within the shell I and, across the bulged part 6 are two projecting plates l8, carrying or forming slideways at l9 for a valve operating slide made as follows. A medial inclined part 20 is slotted at 20A to pass the valve-stem between .two stops MA, MB, thereon; and the part 20 is integral with twin end parts each formed by a plunger 2l and a slider,22 (within I 9 and preferablyheld frictionally by a plate spring) the slides terminating in padded sidepieces 23. The sidepieces 23 form, ineifect, means whereby the diver can, by moving his; head, adjust or control the air valvemeans. Theplun-gers 2| enter spring-housings 24 in which are compression springs 25 which co-operate with shoulders of the housings 24 to prevent their extension (although they may be partly compressed during assembly) 'beyond a position corresponding to the mean or neutral position of the valve operating slide, so that the slide, if urged to right or left will always tend to be returned to neutral.

Figure 2 shows the valve completely shut, there then being the double closure due to both heads bearing on both seats; Figure 3 shows the opposite extreme condition where the rigid head I6 is wide oif its seat I2, whilst the elastic head I! is touching its seat l3 and closed only by its own quite light resilience. The setting of the valve in or between these positions is achieved by moving the slide by the head of the diver, the inclined 1 part 20 thereof cooperating with the abutments 14A, MB of the valve-stem M. It will be observed that these abutments are so spaced that they do not simultaneously contact with the part 20, so that, assuming the adjustment is not at one or other limit position (Figure 2 or 3) the valve element as a whole has a certain degree of freedom without accompanying movement of the slide. Thus it can operate as an ordinary resilient non-return escape Valve, dependent on pressure-differential between interior and exterior of the suit for its operation. It will be noted that the valve, being protected by the structure l, is not susceptible to interference (which might be dangerous) from obstacles such as parts of a wreck, lifeline,'or other fortuitous contact. Where it is said that the window 5 is above the valve, it will be understood that this assumes, as will be normal, that when the diver is in upright posture the window is above, and the bubbles from the valve in rising, will cross its field of view.

What I claim is:

1. An air escape means for a diving suit, comprising a valve member having a first rigid head and a second resilient head, guiding means for said member, a valve seat for said rigid head, a valve seat for said resilient head, and means interior to the diving suit for controlling the position of said first head in respect of said first seat, said last named means serving to vary the sealing pressure of the resilient head with respect to its seat during all changes of the position of said rigid head while at all times maintaining sealing cooperation of the resilient head and its seat in the absence of excessive suit pressure.

2. An air escape valve according to claim .1,;in which said valve member comprises a valve-stem, a rigid head carried rigidly by said stem, and a flexible head carried by said stem, saidheads being axially spaced upon the stem.

3. An air escape valve according to claim 1, comprisinga valvestem, a :rigid head mounted thereon, a flexible head .mountedon said stem and spaced axially from said rigid head, 'an inner valve seat to cooperate with said rigid head, an outer valve :seatspaced axially from said inner seat tocooperate withsaid flexible head, guide means for. said stem, and means for adjustably moving said stem in said guide means'from within the diving suit.

4. In adiving suit an air escape valve with an internally extending-stem, a valve-operating slide element, guide means for said element to guide it transversely to said stem, and an inclined part moving with said elementwhereby sliding of said element cancontrol said valve.

5. Device according'to claim 4, wherein said element is adapted to be operated by the divers head.

6. Device according to-claim 4, in which said element is spring-urged to a neutral position.

7. Device accordingto claim 4, in which a lost motion relationship is afiorded between said valve and said element, whereby said valve can operate as an ordinary non-return valve, except when said element is in limit positions.

8. An air escape valve of a diving suit helmet, comprising a valve stem, an inner rigid head mounted thereon rigidly, an outer flexible valve head mounted on said stem, an inner fixed seat surrounding said stem to co-operate with said rigid head, an outer valve seat surrounding said stem to co-operate with said resilient valve head, guiding means for said stem including a protective structure for said valve, abutments axially spaced on an inward projection of said stem, a resiliently neutralized slide within said helmet, an inclined part of said slide co-operating with said abutments to adjust .the position of said valve stem relative'to said seats.

9. In a diving suit, an air escape means including a rigid valve, a seat with which the valve cooperates, a second valve, a seat with which the second valve cooperates, and a single valve stem carrying both valves, said second valve being maintainedonits seat in any and all movements of the valve stem, the pressure of the second valve :on its seat being decreased as the rigid valve opens and increased as the rigid valve closes.

10. In a diving suit, an air escape means including a rigid valve, a seat with which the valve cooperates, a second valve, a seat with which the second valve cooperates, a single valve stem carrying both valves, said second valve being maintained on its seat except under excessive pressure on the suit in any and all movements of the valve stem, the pressure of the second valve on its seat being decreased as the rigid valve opens and increased as the rigid valve closes, and means within the suitfor controlling the position of the stem and rigid valve relative to the rigid valve seat without positively opening the second valve.

ERNST ToPPER.

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