Air recycling device for auxiliary respiration apparatus

Abstract

An air recycling device for auxiliary respiration apparatus has a casing, an air gather assembly, a valve assembly and a pressure switch unit. The casing has a regulator connector and an air feeder. The air gather assembly communicates with the casing. The valve assembly selectively blocks the communication either between the air feeder and the air gather assembly or between the regulator connector and the air feeder. In the moment between inhaling and exhaling, the pressure switch unit drives the valve assembly to block the communication between the air feeder and the regulator connector to gather the air expired from the user into the air gather assembly. When the user inhales again, the user inhales the air in the air gather assembly. The subsequently expired air flows through the regulator connector to a diving regulator. The air expired by the diver is recycled.

1 . An air recycling device for auxiliary respiration apparatus comprising:
 a casing having a regulator connector, an air feeder and an air exchange hole;   an air gather assembly connecting to and communicating with the air exchange hole of the casing;   a valve assembly being mounted in the casing, selectively blocking the communication either between the air feeder and the air change hole or between the regulator connector and the air feeder of the casing; and   a pressure switch unit being mounted in the casing and connected to the valve assembly to drive the valve assembly to communicate the air feeder with either the regulator connector or the air exchange hole in a cycle made by the pressure in the casing dropping and subsequently raising.   
   
   
       2 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the casing further comprises:
 a transmission room;   a valve room being adjacent to the transmission room and communicating with the regulator connector, the air feeder and the air exchange hole;   two partitions being mounted in the valve room, one of the partitions being mounted between the regulator connector and the air feeder, the other partition being mounted between the air feeder and the air exchange hole, and each partition having a notch;   a pressure detection room being adjacent to the valve room, communicating with the valve and the air feeder and having an inner surface; and   a drive room being adjacent to the pressure detection room.   
   
   
       3 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the valve assembly comprises:
 a resilience wheel being rotatably mounted in the transmission room of the casing;   a transmission wheel being rotatably mounted in the transmission room of the casing and having an axis;   a leaf spring being mounted in the transmission room of the casing and having two ends, one of the ends of the leaf spring being connected to the resilience wheel, and the other end being connected to the transmission wheel to selectively wind around the resilience wheel or the transmission wheel;   a first spur gear being mounted around the axis of the transmission wheel;   a shaft being mounted over the transmission room, the valve room, the pressure detection room and drive room and having two ends, and one of the ends being in the transmission room, and the other end being in the drive room;   a second spur gear being mounted on the end of the shaft in the transmission room and engaged with the first spur gear so when the leaf spring is wound around the transmission wheel, the resilience of the leaf spring rotates the shaft over the first and the second spur gears;   a first bevel gear being mounted on the end of the shaft in the drive room;   a plate being rotatably mounted in the drive room of the casing and having
 a front; 
 a rear; 
 a ratchet wheel being rotatably mounted on the front of the plate and having multiple ratchets; and 
 multiple teeth being formed around and protruding from the rear of the plate, and an odd number of the teeth being implemented; 
   a second bevel gear being rotatably connected to the plate and engaged with the first bevel gear so the rotating shaft drives the plate to turn over the first and the second bevel gears; and   a driving stick being mounted over the transmission room, the valve room, the pressure detection room and the drive room in the casing and having
 a surface; 
 a first protrusion and a second protrusion protruding from the surface of the driving stick, corresponding to the teeth on the plate and alternatively being between two adjacent teeth and contacting with one of the teeth so when the plate turns, a corresponding tooth pushes either the first protrusion or the second protrusion to drive the driving stick rotating; and 
 a valve being formed on the driving stick, corresponding to the notches of the partitions and selectively blocking a corresponding notch to disconnect the communication either between the air feeder and the air exchange hole or between the regulator connector and the air feeder when the driving stick rotating when the driving stick rotates. 
   
   
   
       4 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the pressure switch unit comprises:
 a film being mounted in the pressure detection room of the casing and deformed when the pressure in the pressure detection room drops;   a retaining wall protruding horizontally from the inner surface of the pressure detection room;   a linkage assembly being mounted over the pressure detection room and the drive room of the casing, connecting to the film and moving when the film deforms;   a compression spring winding around the linkage assembly, sustaining between the film and the retaining wall, being compressed when the film deforms and returning the film by the resilience of the compression spring; and   a pivot connects pivotally to the linkage assembly in the drive room;   a fastener being mounted in the drive room of the casing and having
 a first pawl and a second pawl connecting pivotally to the pivot and being pulled by the moving linkage assembly to alternatively engage with the ratchet wheel. 
   
   
   
       5 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the linkage assembly further comprises:
 a first linkage being mounted in the pressure detection room of the casing, wound around by the compression spring and having
 a top end being connected to the film; and 
 a bottom protruding through the retaining wall; 
   a second linkage being mounted in the pressure detection room of the casing and having a first end and a second end, and the first end of the second linkage connecting pivotally to the bottom end of the first linkage;   a third linkage being mounted over the pressure detection room and the drive room of the casing and having a first end and a second, and the first end of the third linkage connecting pivotally to the second end of the second linkage; and   a fourth linkage being mounted in the drive room of the casing and having
 a first end connecting pivotally to the second end of the third linkage; and 
 a second end connecting pivotally to the pivot. 
   
   
   
       6 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the air gather assembly comprises:
 an air gather tube being a hollow cylinder and having
 two openings; and 
 an air exchange connector being connected to and communicating with the air exchange hole; 
   two pipes being connected respectively to and communicating with the openings of the air gather tube;   a first buffer bag connecting to and communicating with one of the pipes to temporarily store air;   a carbon-dioxide filter communicating with the first buffer gab to filter the carbon-dioxide of the expired air from the first buffer bag; and   a second buffer bag connecting to and communicating with the other pipe and the carbon-dioxide filter to temporarily store the filtered air.   
   
   
       7 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the air gather assembly comprises:
 an air gather tube being a hollow cylinder and having
 two openings; and 
 an air exchange connector being connected to and communicating with the air exchange hole; 
   two pipes being connected respectively to and communicating with the openings of the air gather tube;   a first buffer bag connecting to and communicating with one of the pipes to temporarily store air;   a carbon-dioxide filter communicating with the first buffer gab to filter the carbon-dioxide of the expired air from the first buffer bag; and   a second buffer bag connecting to and communicating with the other pipe and the carbon-dioxide filter to temporarily store the filtered air.   
   
   
       8 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the valve assembly further comprises a manual revolving stick being connected to the axis of the transmission wheel and protruding through the casing. 
   
   
       9 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the valve assembly further comprises a manual revolving stick being connected to the axis of the transmission wheel and protruding through the casing. 
   
   
       10 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein seventeen teeth are implemented on the rear of the plate. 
   
   
       11 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein seventeen teeth are implemented on the rear of the plate. 
   
   
       12 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the second pawl is shorter than the first pawl of the fastener. 
   
   
       13 . The air recycling device as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the second pawl is shorter than the first pawl of the fastener.