Stabilisation system for a diver

Abstract

A portable stabilisation system is able to adjust a depth position of a diver in an underwater environment with respect to the surface of the water. The system includes a pressurised gas supply source, a respiratory gas supply source, an inflatable device, a respiratory device configured to enable the diver to breathe respiratory gas from the respiratory gas supply source and to enable the diver to manually trigger filling of the inflatable device with gas.

1 . A portable stabilisation system able to adjust a depth position of at least one diver in an underwater environment with respect to the surface of the water, the system comprising at least one pressurised gas supply source, at least one respiratory gas supply source, at least one inflatable device, and at least one respiratory device configured to enable the diver to breathe respiratory gas from the respiratory gas supply source,
 wherein the system is configured to alternate between:   an inflation configuration in which, the inflatable device is configured to be inflated, at least in part, so as to reduce the depth position of the diver,   a regulation configuration in which, the inflatable device is configured to inject or extract gas so as to maintain the depth position of the diver, and   a deflation configuration in which, the inflatable device is configured to be deflated, automatically at least in part, so as to increase the depth position of the diver,   
       and in that the system comprises:
 an automatic controller configured to automatically switch the configuration of the system between any one of the inflation, regulation and deflation configurations, the automatic control device comprising an electronic module configured to assess the depth position of the diver and a control module configured to receive at least one depth data from the electronic module and to determine a control command at least from said depth data, and 
 a switch device configured to cooperate with the automatic control device so as to switch the configuration of the system according to at least said control command, the switch device comprising at least: 
 a pressurised gas primary inlet configured to cooperate with the pressurised gas supply source, 
 a pressurised gas primary outlet configured to cooperate with the inflatable device so as to inflate the inflatable device when the system is in the inflation configuration, 
 a discharge module configured to cooperate with the inflatable device so as to reduce the amount of gas contained in the inflatable device when the system is in the deflation configuration by the creation of a pressure differential. 
 
     
     
         2 . The system according  claim 1 , wherein the pressurised gas supply source and the respiratory gas supply source form one and the same pressurised respiratory gas supply source. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the discharge module comprises a suction module, the suction module comprising:
 a first inlet, referred to as a pressurised gas secondary inlet, fluidly connected with the pressurised gas supply source when the system is in the deflation configuration,   a second inlet, referred to as a suction gas primary inlet, fluidly connected with the inflatable device when the system is in the deflation configuration, and   a suction gas primary outlet,
 wherein the suction module is configured so that, when the system is in the deflation configuration, the suction module is supplied with pressurised gas by the supply source through its pressurised gas secondary inlet, the suction module being configured so that this pressurised gas supply causes, by Venturi effect, a suction of the air contained in the inflatable device, air sucked out of the inflatable device by Venturi effect reaching the suction module through the suction gas primary inlet and being discharged out of the discharge module through the suction gas primary outlet. 
   
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the discharge module comprises a suction module configured to cooperate with the pressurised gas supply source and with the inflatable device so as to reduce the amount of gas contained in the inflatable device when the system is in the deflation configuration, and wherein the pressure differential is generated by the suction module . 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 6 , wherein the switch device comprises a pressurised gas secondary outlet configured to cooperate with the suction module and to form a deflation circuit with the pressurised gas primary inlet. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 6 , wherein the suction module comprises:
 A pressurised gas secondary inlet,   A suction gas primary inlet, and   A suction gas primary outlet,
 so that, when the system is in the deflation configuration, the pressurised gas secondary inlet is fluidly connected to the pressurised gas secondary outlet and the suction gas primary inlet is fluidly connected with the inflatable device so as to deflate the inflatable device by suction by Venturi effect generated by the pressurised gas entering through the pressurised gas secondary inlet, the gas sucked by the suction gas primary inlet and at least part of the pressurised gas is then discharged through the suction gas primary outlet. 
   
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the electronic module is immersed in a sealed material. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the control module is immersed in a sealed material. 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 1 , comprising at least one safety valve configured to alternatively enable and interrupt the supply of the system with pressurised gas. 
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 1 , comprising a manual control device configured to manually switch the configuration of the system between any one of the inflation configurations, regulation and deflation. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the automatic control device and the manual control device are physically secured to one another. 
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the switch device comprises at least one multi-valve comprising at least one actuator adapted to move a movable element between at least a first position, a second position and a third position, the first position being configured to switch the system at least in part into the regulation configuration, the second position being configured to switch the system into the deflation configuration, the third position being configured to switch the system into the inflation configuration. 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . The system according to  claim 1 , comprising an energy system comprising an assembly which comprises at least one turbine and at least one alternator, the energy system being positioned so as to be in contact with a flow of the gas derived from the pressurised gas supply source and configured so as to transform part of the energy of this flow into electrical energy. 
     
     
         28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . The system according to  claim 1 , also comprising a respiratory sensor configured to enable assessment of the respiratory rate of the diver, the control module being configured to determine the control instruction also according to the assessment of the respiratory rate of the diver. 
     
     
         31 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the automatic control device cooperates at least with:
 The control module of the switch device configured to modify the configuration of the system;   An optical emitter and an optical receiver configured to enable monitoring of the configuration of the system;   The electronic module comprising at least:
 A respiratory sensor configured to enable assessment of a respiratory rate of the diver; and 
 A depth sensor configured to enable assessment of the depth of the diver; 
   A plurality of actuators configured to enable control of the automatic control device by a diver;   A microprocessor configured to execute a series of control instructions of the system.   
     
     
         32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . The system according to  claim 1 , configured so that the switch device is carried by a first diver and so that the automatic control device is configured to be carried at least in part by a second diver, so that the second diver controls the switch device of the first diver. 
     
     
         36 . The system according to  claim 1 , comprising at least one discharge circuit comprising a plurality of turns arranged between a discharge gas inlet and a discharge gas outlet. 
     
     
         37 . (canceled) 
     
     
         38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the automatic control device is immersed in a sealed material. 
     
     
         40 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the inflatable device  300  comprises a stabilisation vest worn by the diver. 
     
     
         41 . (canceled) 
     
     
         42 . A method for stabilising the depth position of at least one first diver in an underwater environment with respect to the water surface, using at least one system according to  claim 1 , wherein the switch device is carried by a first diver and the automatic control device is carried at least in part by a second diver, the method comprising the following steps:
 selecting by the second diver a switch instruction from the automatic control device,   transmitting the switch instruction from the automatic control device to the switch device carried by a first diver, and   switching the configuration of the system at least according to said switch instruction.   
     
     
         43 . (canceled)